...towards a better life for the people N150 VOL. 25: NO. 61730 ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 ** Mr & Mrs • NASS playing to the gallery —Okupe • Know your limits, Mark tells Okupe • He is an overzealous official —Tambuwal Presidency vs NASS BUDGET 2013: BY HENRY UMORU A BUJA — THE Presidency, yesterday, sharply rebuffed the reprimand of President Goodluck Jonathan at the presentation of the 2013 budget at the National Assembly, Wednesday, asserting that Senate President David Mark and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal played to the gallery in their pronouncements. The Presidency described the public disagreements with the President as discourteous. It also described as blasphemous, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s insistence that the Presidency comply with the Continues on Page 5 Capital Oil boss, Ifeanyi Uba, to spend 14 days in Police custody •P. 7 CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT : N-Assembly 'll resist moves to erode its powers •P. 6 AMCON to sell nationalised banks in 2014 •P. 6 ...LIVING IN FLOOD C AMP : A family having a meal of bread and water at the Adankolo Flood Victims Camp, Lokoja, Kogi State. (INSET): President Goodluck Jonathan carrying a four-day-old baby delivered by Mrs Esther Omashi (left) at the camp, yesterday. MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 14. C M Y K
Transcript
...towards a better life for the people
N150VOL. 25: NO. 61730
ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
**
Mr & Mrs
•NASS playing to the gallery —Okupe•Know your limits, Mark tells Okupe•He is an overzealous official —Tambuwal
Presidency vs NASSBUDGET 2013:
BY HENRY UMORU
ABUJA — THEPresidency, yesterday,
sharply rebuffed thereprimand of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan at thepresentation of the 2013budget at the NationalAssembly, Wednesday,asserting that SenatePresident David Mark andSpeaker Aminu Tambuwalplayed to the gallery in theirpronouncements.
The Presidencydescribed the publicdisagreements with thePresident as discourteous.It also described asblasphemous, SpeakerAminu Tambuwal’sinsistence that thePresidency comply with the
Continues on Page 5
Capital Oil boss, IfeanyiUba, to spend 14 daysin Police custody •P. 7
CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT:
N-Assembly 'll resistmoves to erode itspowers •P. 6
AMCON to sellnationalised banksin 2014 •P. 6
...LIVING IN FLOOD CAMP: A family having a meal of bread and water at the Adankolo Flood Victims Camp,Lokoja, Kogi State. (INSET): President Goodluck Jonathan carrying a four-day-old baby delivered by Mrs Esther Omashi (left) atthe camp, yesterday. MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 14.
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POCKET CARTOON
TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—5
LIFEWORDSBY PASTOR ITUAH
THE Bible says: ‘We must listen very carefullyto the truths we have heard, or we may drift
away from them’ (Hebrews 2:1 TLB). That word‘drift’ should set off alarm bells. It doesn’t happenovernight, but slowly and imperceptibly you driftoff course and end up in places you never thoughtyou would be—places you may not be able to getback from.
An aeroplane flying just one degree off itsassigned flight plan can end up hundreds of milesfrom its destination. And if it’s out of fuel, it’s onlygoing one place—down.
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You have it easily in your power to increase thesum total of this world’s happiness now. How? Bygiving a few words of sincere appreciation to some-one who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps youwill forget tomorrow the kind words you say to-day, but the recipient may cherish them over a life-time —Dale Carnegie
A MAN was taking a walk along the beach.He saw that the morning tide from the ocean
brought in hundreds of starfish and when the tidereceded, they were left behind and with the morn-ing sun rays, and they would die. The tide wasfresh and the starfish were alive. The man took afew steps, picked one and threw it into the water.He did that repeatedly. Right behind him there wasanother person who couldn’t understand what thisman was doing. He caught up with him and asked,“What are you doing? There are hundreds of star-fish. How many can you help? What difference doesit make?” This man did not reply, took two moresteps, picked up another one, threw it into the wa-ter, and said, “It makes a difference to this one.
House resolution that MsArumah Oteh be sackedfrom the Securities andExchange Commission,SEC.
Senior Special Assistantto the President on PublicAffairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe ata press briefing in Abujain a point-by-point rebuttalof the assertions of the twoleaders of the NationalAssembly, said the countrywas on course under thesterling economicmanagement of PresidentJonathan contrary to theimpressions of the twopresiding officers of theNational Assembly.
Mark and Tambuwal inseparate reactionscautioned Okupe to knowhis limits, warning him thatit was not his jobdescription to makeenemies for the president.
In a swipe at Mark overhis claim that the NationalAssembly would not act asa robot in its treatment ofthe budget, Okupe whilenoting that the presidenthad never treated thelegislature as a rubberstamp, said: "Yesterday, thepresident delivered the2013 budget speech,making him the firstpresident in several yearsto do so three monthsahead of thecommencement of the newfinancial year.
“What was clearly amaster presentation wasnearly marred byunnecessary remarks bythe leadership of theNational Assembly. Thatwas neither the place northe occasion for such; afterall, Mr. President was thespecial guest of honour anda distinguished visitor tothe hallowed chambers ofthe National Assembly.Normal legislative courtesydemands that such avisitor be allowed toperform his constitutionalfunction without anyattempt to rubbish thedocument that was yet tobe discussed even by themembers of the NationalAssembly.
"Specifically, the SenatePresident mentioned threemajor issues. First was thatthe Senate was not a rubberstamp. Let me sayemphatically here andnow, that the President andhis administration do notexpect and had never everconceived the idea that ina healthy democracy, notjust the Senate, but theNational Assembly will justrubber stamp whatever itpresents.”
Responding to theassertions by Mark that thepresentations of thePresident are mereestimates, Okupe said:"Referring to budget figuresas mere estimates,
demeans the quality of thedocument itself. Thebudget represents thevision, the intentions andthe definitive steps that thegovernment intends to takeover the next 12 months.What it requires is to tablethis before the electedrepresentatives of thepeople for them to considerit and deliberate upon.Where amendments/adjustments are required,it should be done but to callthese figures as mereestimates is rather unfair.
On non-implementation ofthe budget
"They also spoke aboutnon-implementation of thebudget. You will agree withme that, that has been araging issue in the lastcouple of months. Firstly,the current budget of 2012,became law at the end ofApril 2012. So the budgethas just been implementedfor the past five monthsonly. A budget is expectedto last 12 months butbecause of its late passageit has only beenimplemented for fivemonths and as of yesterday(Wednesday) the presidentgave a figure of N711.6billion as having beendisbursed out of the capitalbudget. That represents afigure of about 23 per centalready disbursed in fivemonths.
"So the issue ofimplementation cannot betaken in isolation. It mustbe taken along with whenthe budget became lawand duration of time whichhas elapsed between thetime it became law andwhat has been dispensedfrom the budget.”
On the Speaker'sremarks
Pressing against SpeakerTambuwal, the presidentialaide said: "I then go to thestatements and commentsby the Speaker of theHouse, which was officiallyintended to be a vote ofthanks and in reality, eventhough vote of thanks doget extended toaccommodate a couple ofviews, it is not usual that itis converted into anotherspeech.
"That place was not anexecutive session of theHouse of Representatives.But I do not intend to takeup any issue with theleadership of the NationalAssembly. Rather I will gointo the points that wereraised that were erroneousso that we can correct themfor the benefits of theNigerian people.
"The speaker saidinterim over-sight reportswere clearly unimpressiveboth in terms of releases aswell as utilisation. Thisstatement cannot bewholesomely acceptable ifyou actually look at thebackground and thereasons for which theAssembly men hurriedlypackaged the visit.
"In one week, theAssembly has gone roundthe whole country andquickly completed over-sight functions and cameto the conclusion that theywere unimpressive. It is thesame argument that goesfor non-release orimplementation. I do notwant to repeat myself andI also do not want to accuseanybody of bias oranything like that. But wefeel that that judgment wasunfair.
Release of funds toMDAs
"The other issue was therelease of money to theMDAs as at when due.There are a couple of issuesthat guide the release ofmoney. One is the issue ofdemand, necessity andavailability and only theexecutive can give answersas to this. Up to date, noneof the MDAs hascomplained or has beenhampered from functioningsimply because money duefor projects was notreleased.
‘’The difference betweenthe National Assembly andthe executive branch is that,you pass a budget and then
Presidency versus NASS
you wait in the assemblyfor it to be expended. Butthere are procedures forspending governmentmoney which cannot beabridged. If, for instance,in the case of a road,design has to be done, alot of things have to bedone, contract has to beadvertised and awarded,mobilisation has to be paid.
"So these things reallyaffect the release of fundsand if I release to you N30million for a road projectand you have notexpended that, I do not seewhy, just because theallocation is due, I shouldgive you another money ata time that we are talkingabout serious fiscaldiscipline.
"The Speakercomplained about theBureau for PublicProcurements, BPP, that ithas been a bottle neck toeffective capitalimplementation. That isunfortunate. This Bureaufor Public Procurement wasbrought in to ensureaccountability and also
ensure that the era ofcontract inflation and overinvoicing is ended.
"Federal revenue shouldnot be squandered on thealtar of speedydisbursement of funds toMDAs. I do not want tobelieve that the speakerwas suggesting that thiscontrol measure must beabrogated. I don’t want tobelieve that.
Domesticborrowing
‘On domestic borrowingas raised by SpeakerTambuwal, the Presidencyaccused the NationalAssembly of beingresponsible on account ofalleged hikes in pastbudgets of the FederalGovernment.
‘’The truth of the matteris that the speaker may notbe aware or he should beaware, he is a third timelaw maker. It is the activitiesand actions of previousparliaments who continue
Budget 2013: Experts pick holes,emphasize close monitoring•Allocation to Infrastructure grossly inadequate—LCCI
•NMA decries paltry allocation to health
BY BABAJIDEKOMOLAFE, SOLA
OGUNDIPE, CHIOMAOBINNA, MICHAEL
EBOH, GODWINORITSE, ROSEMARYONUOHA & DOTUN
IBIWOYE
LAGOS —ECONOMIC Experts
and the Nigerian MedicalAssociation (NMA),yesterday, reacted to theBudget 2013 proposed bythe Federal Governmenton Wednesday,commending some of theproposals while faultingothers.
They, however, called forclose monitoring of theimplementation of thebudget, saying this waswhat mattered most.
Specifically, expertscommended the reduction
in the share of therecurrent expenditure,increased focus onagriculture and women,and the incentives to somesectors of the economy.They, however, faulted theproposed oil output of 2.63million barrel per day, lowallocation to health sector,reliance on borrowing tofinance the budget, and thelack of accountability in theimplementation of thebudget for 2011.
On its parts, NMAlamented exclusion of thehealth sector from the taxrelief announced by thePresident.
Mr. Goodie Ibru,OON,President, Lagos Chamberof Commerce and Industry(LCCI), said: “Generally,these assumptions arerealistic and sustainable.
However, the oilproduction assumption ison the optimistic side, ascrude oil theft andvandalisation of pipelinesin the oil producing areashave not abated. Theexpenditure outlay in thebudget is N4.92 trillion. Atthis stage, it is difficult toundertake a thoroughanalysis of budgetaryappropriations as the fulldetails are yet to bereleased.
“But from theexpenditure proposals, it isevident that allocations toinfrastructure developmentand some other criticalsectors of the economy aregrossly inadequate. Thegovernment needs to do alot more in the areas of
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6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
N-Assembly 'll resist movesto erode its powers—Mark
....As speakers make U-turn; seek financialautonomy for State Assemblies, LGs
Constitution amendment
ABUJA—THE NationalAssembly will hold cer-
tain fundamental ideals sac-rosanct and will resist anyattempt to erode its powersto review the 1999 Consti-
tution, Senate President,David Mark, has warned.Mark gave the warningyesterday at the opening ofa two-day public hearing onfurther review of the 1999
c o n s t i t u t i o n . He said: “Any constitutionworth its salt must guaran-tee periodic elections, fun-damental rights, a systemof checks and balances.“It must also guarantee theprinciple of separation ofpowers, a vibrant legisla-ture, a dynamic executive,an independent judiciary,and a free press.” The senate presidentstressed the need for thelegislature to work hard todeepen these fundamentalprinciples and strengthenthe institutions which guar-antee them.He added: “Legitimacy willbe restored to the grundnorm if all these can be ac-complished on the basis ofthe contributions which youwill make here today, aswell as other contributionsgenerated from Nigeriansin the process of constitu-tion review.” While acknowledging thatthe task of reviewing theconstitution had historical-ly never been easy, Marksolicited the participation,commitment and coopera-tion of all key stakeholdersin the assignment.“These include the Hous-es of Assembly of the States,the Federal and State gov-ernments, and the generalp u b l i c . ”In his remarks, DeputySenate President andChairman, Senate Consti-
tution Review Committee,Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, dis-closed that 231 memoran-da, in addition to 56 othermemoranda proposing thecreation of additional states,had been received. Ekweremadu listed the ar-eas of the constitution inwhich Nigerians wantedamended through theirmemoranda to include dev-olution of powers, state cre-ation and constitutional rec-ognition of the six geo-po-litical zones.Other areas were the localgovernment system, fiscalfederalism, residency andindigenes, the Nigeria Po-lice, rotation of offices, im-munity clause and the ex-e c u t i v e . The deputy senate presi-dent also listed judicial re-forms to strengthen justicedelivery, the desirability orotherwise of a mayoral sta-tus for the Federal CapitalTerritory as other areas.Also listed for amendmentare the extraction of theLand Use Act, NationalYouth Service Act, and Codeof Conduct from the consti-tution to make their amend-ments easier and faster,among other issues.Ekweremadu said the pub-lic hearing would be heldin the six geo-politcal zonesof the country in Novemberto take the process closer tothe people.
BY HENRY UMORU &
INALEGWU SHAIBU
ABUJA—IT was a dramatic U-turn by Con-
ference of Speakerswhen they suddenlystressed the need for fi-nancial autonomy in thestate Houses of Assemblyand the 774 local govern-ment councils in thecountry.
They said this must bedone for democracy to besustained as well as re-duce corruption at thestate level.They further suggestedthat since office holderswere expected to upholdthe constitution, it wasno longer desirable toswear-in such peoplewith only the Koran orthe Bible, but with theconstitution.
Speaking during a pub-lic hearing by the Senate
Committee on the Re-view of the 1999 Consti-tution on the proposedalteration to the 1999Constitution, Chairmanof the Conference ofSpeakers and Speaker,Gombe State House ofAssembly, Inuwa Garbasaid the only way mean-ingful developmentscould be witnessed in the36 states of the countrywas to grant financialfreedom to both the stateAssemblies and localgovernments.
Garba urged the Na-tional Assembly to acceptits counterparts as part-ners in progress .
The Speakers throughtheir representative saidthe state legislatorswould only participate inthe on-going exercise ifthe review panel wouldgrant its request for free-
dom.However, the new
move by the speakersmay have unsettled somestate governors who re-portedly ordered thestate lawmakers to voteagainst financial auton-omy for the state Assem-blies when it was firstproposed by the JointCommittee of the Na-tional Assembly on thereview of the 1999 con-stitution about two yearsago.
The demand requiresthe amendment of Sec-tion 162 of the constitu-tion which empowers thestates to run a joint ac-count with the councils.
Earlier in his openingaddress, the Chairman ofthe review committee andDeputy Senate Presi-dent, Senator Ike Ekwer-emadu had listed, devo-
lution of powers, fiscalfederalism, the conceptof federating units, citi-zenship and indigene-ship as someof the top-ics to be treated by thereview committee.
According to him, oth-er issues to be reviewedinclude the system of lo-cal government adminis-tration, judicial reforms,tenure of office of theexecutive, the immunityclause, constitutionalrole for traditional rulers,states creation, rotationof office for executive of-fice holders, boundaryadjustment, recognitionof the six geopoliticalzones in the constitution,mayoral status for Abuja,FCT, as well as the ex-traction of the Land UseAct ,the NYSC Act andCode of Conduct Actfrom the Constitution.
...solicits co-operation of stakeholders
AMCON to sell
nationalised banks
in 2014
BY PETER EGWUATU
�We 'll reposition capital market—Oteh
LAGOS—THE AssetsManagement Corpora-
tion of Nigeria, AMCON,is considering listing thethree bridge banks on theNigerian Stock Exchange,NSE, as options to dispos-ing them.
The three bridge banksare: Keystone Bank Ltd, En-terprise Bank Ltd andMainstreet Bank Ltd.
Managing Director, AM-CON, Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi, who revealed this tonewsmen, yesterday, afterthe opening of the 16th an-nual Chartered Institute ofStockbrokers, CIS, confer-ence and induction of newassociates said, “AMCONis weighing the option ofcore investors and listing onthe Nigerian Stock Ex-change.”
Chike-Obi said: “We areawaiting our adviser. In2014, we would offload ourshares to preferred inves-tors. We injected money intothe banks and we will notsell our shares now until itis profitable to do so. We arethe largest holder of sharesand we are confident aboutthe sustenance of the stockmarket recovery.” He fur-ther predicted that Nigeriamay have a single digit in-terest rate, before the endof 2013, just as he revealedthat the bridge banks will
be off loaded to investors by2014.
Chike-Obi said: “If thetrend in the managementof the monetary policiesand inflation continue likewhat we are seeing now, thecountry will have a singledigit interest rate before theend of 2013.”
Similarly, he further pre-dicted that the Nigerianstock market index will hit40,000 points before the endof 2013. According to him,“If investors continue topatronize the market andregulators and operatorscontinue to do the work theyare currently doing I see themarket attaining 40,000points market before theend of 2013. Nigerian stockmarket is relatively the bestmarket in terms of returnson investment despite theglobal financial meltdown.”
Speaking also, DirectorGeneral, Securities and Ex-change Commission, SEC,Ms. Arunma Oteh said:‘The capital market will berepositioned to tap from theFederal Government trans-formation agenda of the ag-ricultural sector.”
Oteh said market partic-ipants must be prepared totap from the developmentin the market, noting thatthe market was experienc-ing increased participationof institutional and retail in-vestors.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PUBLIC HEARING—From right: Chairman Senate Committeeon Constitutional Review and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremandu; Senate President DavidMark and Senate Leader Ndoma-Egba during a public hearing on constitution amendment in Abuja,yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—7
COURTESY—From left: Leader of delegation of Southern Peoples Assembly, Chief Mazulike Amechi,Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihediohaduring a courtesy call on the leadership of the House by Southern Peoples Assembly at the NationalAssembly Complex, Abuja, yesterday.
destroyed the lands of Ni-ger Delta farmers, a Dutchcourt heard in a case thatcould set a precedent forglobal environmental re-sponsibility. The four Nige-rian farmers, backed by lob-by group Friends of theEarth, have brought theAnglo-Dutch oil giant intocourt thousands of milesaway from their homes witha civil suit that could openthe door for hundreds ofsimilar cases.
“Shell knew for a longtime that the pipeline wasdamaged but didn’t do an-ything. They could havestopped the leaks,” lawyerChanna Samkalden toldthe court yesterday, accus-ing Shell of having “violat-ed its legal obligations”.
The case relates to dam-age caused in 2005 and wasinitially filed in 2008, de-manding that Royal DutchShell should clean up themess, repair and maintaindefective pipelines to pre-vent further damage andpay out compensation. In alandmark ruling, the Dutchjudiciary in 2009 declareditself competent to try thecase despite protests fromShell that its Nigerian sub-sidiary was solely legallyresponsible for any dam-age.
Shell on trial inNetherlands overpollution in Nigeria
DPR seals MRS, OBAT,ASCON depots
BY CLARA NWA-CHUKWU
A LAGOS MagistrateCourt sitting at Tinubu
Square, yesterday, remand-ed Managing Director ofCapital Oil and Gas Limit-ed, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah,42, and seven other man-agement staff of his compa-ny in police custody for 14days over their alleged in-volvement in the fuel sub-sidy scam.
The seven other personsare Nsikan Usoro, 35 (Headof Trading), Chibuzor Og-buokiri, 48 (General Man-ager, Operations) GodfreyOkorie, 41 (Depot Manag-er) and Orji Joseph Anayo,46 (Executive Director, Op-erations).
Also remanded at the Spe-cial Fraud Unit over fuelsubsidy scam was the Man-aging Director/Chief Exec-utive of Matrix Energy Ltd,Abdulkabir Aliu alongsidethe firm’s Operations Man-ager, Yusuf Oyolola and itsaccountant, AdewaleAkinde.
Aliu and members of hisstaff are to be remanded for15 days at the SpecialFraud Unit for the purposeof completing their investi-gation. Matrix Energy Lim-ited was alleged to be in-volved in N13.376 Billionfraud.
Magistrate Martins Owu-mi’s decision was sequel tothe application for remandfiled by the Commissionerof Police pursuant to Sec-tion 264 of the Administra-tion of Criminal Justice Law2011.
Police said they were sus-pected to have committedthe offences of economicsabotage, obtaining moneyby false pretences, moneylaundering and forgery aswell as stealing of N43.291billion property of FederalRepublic of Nigeria.
According to the 11grounds for the remand re-quest endorsed by EffiongAsuquo, a Superintendent
of Police, the suspects ob-tained the money by false-ly pretending that the com-pany had imported andsold 538,74 million litres ofPremium Motor Spirit dur-ing the 2011 fiscal yearthrough 26 transactions.The police also said that thefraud was discovered by thePresidential Committee onthe verification and recon-ciliation of fuel subsidy pay-ments, adding: “That thenature of the criminal actand the huge amount in-volved in the fraud consti-tute the crime of economicsabotage and capable of un-
dermining the security ofNigeria.”
The police said that evi-dence and exhibits were be-ing gathered as investiga-tions continued and that thesuspects going by theirenormous wealth would in-fluence or prevent the gath-ering of evidence if releasedfrom custody at this stageof investigation.The police further statedthat there was high risk ofthe suspects escaping fromthe country if not remand-ed and urged the court togrant them one month with-in which to conclude in-
v e s t i g a t i o n .The police request was sup-ported with a 13-paragraphaffidavit deposed to byFrancis A. Idu, a Chief Su-perintendent of Police( C S P ) .However, despite the pas-sionate and concerted effortof the defendants’ counsel,Bode Olanipekun, whopleaded with the court toadmit his clients on bailorally, the court refused toaccede to the one month re-quest. Both cases were ad-journed till October 31.
Top NCC executive blamed forfrequency crisis
BY SONI DANIEL,REGIONAL EDITOR,
NORTH
“I’m here because of theoil leakage that happenedin my community in theShell facilities and de-stroyed my 47 fish ponds”,Friday Alfred Akpan, fromthe village of Ikot Ada Udo,told the AFP news agencybefore heading into court.
“The destruction of thefish ponds caused seriousdamage to me and my fam-ily because I make use ofthat fish to take care of my-self and my children.”
“We believe that theclaims are unsubstantiat-ed,” Allard Castelein,Shell’s Vice President En-vironment, said at the court.“The spills that happenedin the years between 2004and 2007 all happened asthe consequence of illegaltheft and sabotage.” “Weagreed there was a spill, itwasn’t our fault, we cleanedup nevertheless and that’swhat happened,” Casteleinsaid.
Environmental groupsaccuse Shell of doublestandards and treatingspills in Nigeria differentlyfrom pollution in Europe orNorth America. But Cas-telein fended off the accu-sations, saying: “We dohave the same standards inEurope and Nigeria.” Headded: “I am not afraid of(the court’s) judgment as itwill just confirm the way weoperate.”
ABUJA—A deal between the Nigerian
Communications SatelliteLimited, NIGCOMSAT anda Chinese firm, with tacitcollaboration of a senior ex-ecutive of the Nigeria Com-munications Commission,NCC, might have made theMinistry of Police Affairs toabandon a security-relatedfrequency for a commercialfrequency, which has al-ready been assigned to aprivate firm, OpenSkys Ltd,Vanguard investigation hasrevealed.
The Federal Govern-ment-owned satellite com-pany had only in 2009 part-nered with the private firm,OpenSkys, to qualify to beissued a commercial fre-quency on the basis of aPresidential order, howev-er, following NIGCOMSAT-led discussions, NIG-COMSAT jettisoned thefirm and opted for partner-ship with the Chinese firm,and the Ministry of PoliceAffairs, a deal for which theFederal Government was
made to secure a US$470Million loan for a frequen-cy slot that never existed asthe NCC has already is-sued the Nigerian PoliceForce a different frequen-cy.
In desperation, the Min-istry of Police Affairs, alsofollowing advice by a com-missioner of the NCC, nowinsists that OpenSkyswould have to vacate itsown frequency slot for theproject, a situation that haspitched the private firmwhich is said to have al-ready gone to court to stopthe parties from encroach-ing on its frequency.
It was learnt that in a bidto satisfy its commercial in-terest, NIGCOMSAT ledthe Police to believe that itcould use the portion of the450 MHz frequency meantfor security transmission forcommercial telecommunica-tions and make profit likecommercial companies onlyto discover later that the fre-quency allocated to policewas not designed for com-mercial telecommunica-tions services. Meanwhile,the equipment already sup-plied by the Chinese firm,ZTE, were for commercial
services. Fearing that the Police
may lose huge funds in theprocess, the NCC executiveis said to have resorted toblackmailing the Commis-sion by alleging that dueprocess was not followed inthe allocations of the fre-quency to OpenSkys by theCommission, and is said tohave recruited the media tofight his battle with NCCmanagement.
Findings by Vanguard in-dicates that under the termsgiven the licencees by theNCC, the Nigeria Policewas to use the non-commer-cial segment of the band forits security transmissionwhile Open Skys was todeploy the other segmentfor its commercial telecom-munications transactions.
Documents made availa-ble to Vanguard, confirmedthat the Nigerian Frequen-cy Management Board ap-proved a bandwidth of 500Kilo Hertz for the relocationof all Nigeria Police RadioCommunications systemswithin the 450 MHz bandto 469.375-469.975 MHz/459.375-459-975 MHz fol-lowing a presidential direc-tive in 2009.
DEPARTMENT of Petro-leum Resources, DPR,
yesterday, sealed the de-pots of MRS Oil and Gas,Obat Petroleum and AsconNigeria Limited for alleg-edly selling above theregulated ex-depot prices.
Accordingly, the petro-leum industry regulator hasmade good its recent warn-ings to marketers a forthnight ago against takingadvantage of the currentfuel supply shortages tofleece customers.
Apart from the depots,many of the retail outletshave also taken advantageof the situation to sell abovethe regulated N97/litrepump price, as motoristscall on the DPR to alsoclamp down on the outlets.
In statement in Lagos,the DPR said: “Sequel toour recent Annual GeneralMeeting, AGM, held withDepot Operators/Market-ers, during which the De-partment warned that ap-propriate sanctions would
be meted out to enforcecompliance for violations,including the sale of pet-rol, PMS, above approvedprices, we have com-menced the sealing of iden-tified depots.
“The PMS delivery armsof the under listed depotswere today (yesterday)sealed indefinitely by theDepartment: MRS Oil andGas Ltd, Obat Petroleum Ltdand Ascon Nig Ltd.”
The statement, signed bythe agency’s Deputy Direc-tor, Public Affairs, Mrs. B.Osibodu, said: “This ac-tion was based on cred-ible information receivedon the depots, whichconfirmed that they wereselling PMS above ap-proved prices.”
The industry regulatordid not, however, dis-close how much the threedepots were selling, butthe approved ex-depotprices posted on the of-ficial website of the Pe-troleum Products PricingRegulatory Agency,
Continues on page 45CMYK
8—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
8 DAYS
TO GO
*ACN candidate Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, with running mate, Dr Paul Akintelure, addressingsupporters at a rally held at Ileoluji., Ondo State.
THE Olusegun MimikoCampaign Organization
(MCO) yesterday accused theimmediate past governor of OndoState, Dr Olusegun Agagu, ofsponsoring insurrections in thestate and using policemen fromthe Force Headquarters, Abuja,to arrest leaders of the LabourParty (LP) in the state on trump-up charges.
Its Director of Media andPublicity, Mr. Kolawole Olabisisaid in a statement in Akure thatthis was part of PDP’s plan to rignext week’s election and it wasfirmed out a meeting held by topgovernment officials in Abujayesterday night.
However in a swift reaction, theOndo PDP denied the allegationand said that Agagu was toourbane to engage in such dirty
Mimiko accuses Agagu of plotting to arrest LP members•I’m too decent for that – Agagu
STORIES BY DAYO JOHN-
SON
politics. The party’s Director ofPublicity, Mr. Ayo Fadaka said:“Our attention has been arrestedby an allegation that DrOlusegun Agagu is seeking touse the police to intimidateopponents, this claim is obviouslyfalse and is an attempt tomisrepresent the person of DrAgagu.
“It is important to let peopleknow that Agagu as Governordid not misuse the privileges ofhis office as he remained agentleman all through. Thereforewe make bold to declare thatmuch as our leader does not havean agenda to use the police tointimidate anyone, that does notin any manner suggest that hewill just fold his arms and lookin askance if any group of peopledecide to take it upon themselvesto break the law, of course asresponsible person it is his civic
duty to report such people to thepolice for necessary action.”
But the MCO alleged that partof the plan was to infiltrate thestate with paid thugs who wouldbe armed to intimidate ourleaders in order for them toperpetrate their rigging planswhile policemen would be sentin from Abuja “to begin to pickour leaders all over the statebeginning from this weekend.”
Olabisi said this was the latestin the series of the evilmachinations of the formergovernor borne out of hisdesperation and this, it recalledhad been on for a while
culminating in a petition he wrotefirst to the Inspector General ofPolice (IGP) and later the ChiefJustice of Nigeria over apurportedly fake Security reportwhich he claimed was what thecourt used in sending him out ofoffice. MCO listed some of thoseto be arrested on spuriouscharges to include his (Agagu’s)Brother-in-Law, Segun Ayerin,who lately decamped from thePDP to the LP; Mr. Ade Adeniyi,Yele Akinya, Mr. WaleOgunmade who is the CaretakerChairman in Okitipupa LocalGovernment; Ose and Owo local
Olabisi said Agagu’s problemstemmed from his pride and hisrefusal to accept defeat from DrOlusegun Mimiko despiteglaring evidence that his party,the PDP cannot win the election.“Agagu is highly egocentric; thisego was bruised by his loss to DrOlusegun Mimiko in the 2007Governorship election despite allthe money, influence and powerbehind him.
THE Peoples DemocraticParty PDP yesterday said
that it would be sacrilegiousfor any member of the partyeither within or outside OndoState to work against ChiefOlusola Oke, its governor-ship candidate in the October20 election.
National Vice Chairman ofthe party in the South WestChief Segun Oni said this inAkure while briefing news-men on the visit of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan to therounding off of the governor-ship campaign of the party onSaturday. President Jonathanis to lead other National lead-ers of the party to the state toshore up support for the can-didate of the party and to dis-pel rumour that the Presidentwas not favourable disposedto the candidature of Oke.
Oni, who was the immedi-ate past governor of EkitiState, warned of dire conse-quences for any party mem-ber or leader who engages inanti-party activities ahead ofthe polls.
“If any party member works
PDP reads riot act to members
ahead Jonathan’s visit
against the candidature ofChief Oke in this coming gov-ernorship election we will nottake it kindly. This is a timeof battle every grudges shouldbe suspended. This is a col-lective battle and we need tofight to bring back the lostglory of the party and at thesame time sing a glorioussong. The best thing for any-one who doesn’t buy into thisis to travel out of the state oth-erwise the national body ofthe party would not takekindly to anti party activitiesin this governorship election.The PDP is not only ready forthis October 20 governorshipelection but we are going towin fair and square.”
Speaking on the present ad-ministration, Oni said theMimiko administration hasdone its best but that the com-ing PDP government wouldsurpass the Mimiko adminis-tration. Oni called on the peo-ple of the state not to vote forthe ACN so that the statewould not be an appendageof other states in the South-West.
ABOUT 832 observers willbe deployed to Ondo
State by a partnership of fourmajor organizations inNigeria named Project SwiftCount PSC during the October20 governorship election
The Project Manager of theagency, Mr. Victor Agbogun,stated this at an interactivesession with some OndoState-based Civil Society Or-ganisations in Akure yester-day.
Agbogun pointed out that
PSC to deploy 832 observers800 of them would be de-ployed as stationery observersto 400 randomly sampled poll-ing units while the remaining32 would rove across the
18 local councils of the stateon the Election Day. Accord-ing to him the PSC is in part-nership with the Federationof Muslim Women’s Associa-tion in Nigeria; the Justice,Development, Peace/Caritas;Nigerian Bar Association; andthe Transition MonitoringGroup.
IN its desperation to captureOndo State, the Mimiko
Campaign Organisation,MCO, has accused theleadership of the ActionCongress of Nigeria (ACN) ofperfecting plans to buy vote anddisenfranchise unsuspectingelectorate in the state with fakedollar notes.
It alleged that the plot washatched in Lagos on Tuesdayevening following financialcrises which now stare theparty in the face owing tobillions of naira alreadyexpended to prosecute theOndo election. It alleged thatthe financial burden wasalready taking its toll on the fiveACN controlled states in theSouth-West which were themajor contributors to the warchest for operation ‘Ondo mustfall.’
In a statement by KolawoleOlabisi, the MCO said: “Nowthat it has become glaring thatthe Ondo election would not bea push over owing to the huge
ACN to give fake dollars as votebribe – Mimiko
•It’s an insult on Ondo people – Akeredolu
popularity of Dr OlusegunMimiko whose rating hascontinued to soar, the ACNleaders have in theirdesperation to bribe voters; buyat least 500 voters’ cards fromeach ward in the Ondo Centralwhere Governor Mimikocomes from and where there isa high density of voters andpay other sundry expenses ofthose to be imported as thugs;pay fake Civil Defence corpsmembers; fake Youth Corpsmembers; fake policemen andarmy among others, they haveresorted to use fake dollars.
“We are aware that fakedollars abound in the Oluwolearea of Lagos where the leaderof ACN grew up, they havedecided to import tons of thesefake dollars to pay those whowould be bought over.”
MCO claimed that to coverthe obvious fact that its treasurywas depleted and in the faceof open protests fromindigenes of these states whoare already groaning under the
effect of the cash crunch sincethe Ondo expedition began, afund raising would beorganised by ACN anymoment from now to create theimpression that they werespending money realised fromthis fund raising.
Countering, the AkeredoluCampaign Organisation(ACO) in a statement by itsDirector of Publicity, IdowuAjanaku, described the MCOallegations as not only comingfrom a confused mind but alsoas an insult on the good peopleof Ondo State.
“Indeed, the claim of financialcrises in ACN controlled statesis not only laughable but existsonly in the imagination ofMimiko. Only yesterdayGovernor Kayode Fayemimarking his second yearanniversary in office was busycelebrating outstandingperformance with the people ofEkiti State with thecommissioning of roads andother infrastructuraldevelopment. In fact amemorandum ofunderstanding was signedwith Samsung to providetechnological development andjobs for Ekiti people.
Multi-million naira building materials lost in fire
BY DAUD OLATUNJI
AB E O K U T A —
TANKER driversyesterday barricadedLagos – Ibadan Expressroad, promptingcommuters and motoristswho plied theexpressway to bestranded for about 13hours.
Vanguard gatheredthat, the trouble startedin Ogere – Remoyesterday when a teamof police escortsallegedly shot the tyresof a trailer laden withpetrol with registrationnumber JIGAWA XC 405DUT carrying petrol ataround 11 p.m.Wednesday.
The incident laterreportedly led to theheavy traffic jamfollowing the allegeddamage of three tyres ofthe trailer, headingtowards Ibadan with astopover at the Ogeretrailer park.
In retaliation, othertrailers plying the roadallegedly blocked theother side of the expressroad which causedanother serious trafficjam at the Ogere axis ofthe road.
The Police PublicRelations Officer, PPRO,of Ogun Command,Muyiwa Adejobi, whoconfirmed the incident,said that the policemenwho allegedly caused thecrisis were not fromOgun State Command.
A Deputy Commissio-ner of Police fromEleweran in Abeokuta,Mohammed Abdulkadirlater engaged the trailerdrivers in negotiationsbefore they agreed tovacate the road.
Vanguard gatheredthat, the police authorityhad already agreed topay the N250, 000 cost ofreplacing the damagedtyres to pacify theprotesting trailer drivers.
The Sector Commander
of Federal Road SafetyCorps, FRSC, in Ogun,Mr. Ayobami Omiyale,said that he instructedmotorists on both axis tomake use of alternativeroutes before theproblem was resolved.
BY EVELYN USMAN
BU I L D I N GM AT E R I A L S
worth several millions ofnaira were yesterdaydestroyed by fire thatengulfed no fewer thanone hundred shops atPlank Market in LowCost Housing estate,Oke-Afa, Isolo area ofLagos.
The cause of the firewhich sent the panickingtraders scampering forsafety, could not beimmediately ascertained.
But report said it started
from one of the shops atabout 10.30a.m., whilethe traders were justsettling down for theday ’s sales afterconcluding the sanitationexercise that ended 30minutes earlier.
Some of the traderswho managed to salvagetheir wares to the otherside of the road,unfortunately lost them tohoodlums whopretended to be helpingout, while somereportedly sustainedinjuries in the resultantstampede.
Customs accused of meddlingin CRFFN
BY GODWIN ORITSE
THE COUNCIL forthe Regulation of
Freight Forwarding inNigeria (CRFFN) hasberated the managementof the Nigeria CustomsService (NCS) ofmeddling in its internalaffairs by writing to theMinister of Transportwith a view to stoppingthe collection of itstransaction fee.
Speaking to newsmenin Lagos, the Chairmanof the Council, AareHakeem Olarenwaju,said that the CustomsService has refused to
see the Council as itspartner in cargo deliverychain.
Olarenwaju alsoaccused the manage-ment of Customs ofwriting to the Minister ofTransport against theproposed collection oftransaction fee which theMinister himself SenatorIdris Umar hasapproved.
Part of the Customsletter reads: “The Serviceis of the opinion that thecharges will no doub tcause delays in theclearance of goods at theports thereby leading toto port congestion."
BY CHIOMA OBINNA
THE NATIONAL
Agency for Foodand Drug Administrationand Control, NAFDAC,has directed allmanufacturers, importersand marketers of anti-malaria drugs toimplement the MobileAuthentication Service,SMS, on or before 2ndJanuary, 2013.
This is as the Agencysealed a pharmaceuticaldistribution outlet,Anyiwest for stocking,selling and dispensingfake, banned and
expired drugs in Lagos.In a statement issued
yesterday, the Agency’sDeputy Director, Mr.Abubakar Jimoh alsonoted that 1st March2013 has been set asdeadline for all antibioticdrugs marketed in thecountry to carry theMobile AuthenticationService (MAS) Scratchand Text label.
Jimoh further explainedthat the measures werepursuant to the Ministryof Health and NAFDAC’szero tolerance to count-erfeit medicines as fromJanuary 2014.
Bad road at Berger Under Bridge Bus-stop on Oshodi - Apapa Expresswayyesterday. Photo; Kehinde Gbadamosi
Bad road at Jakande Bus-stop on Oshodi - Apapa Expressway yesterdayPhoto: Kehinde Gbadamosi
One of the traders saidto have attempted tosalvage some buildingmaterials from hisburning shop reportedlygot chocked in theprocess. It could not,however, be ascertainedif he eventually died.
Effort to put out theraging fire failed as allthe shops in one of thesections was completelyrazed before the arrivalof fire servicemen. Butthe Fire Servicereportedly managed tocontain the situationfrom spreading to other
sections.Policemen from Ejigbo
Division who arrived thescene with officials of theLagos State TrafficManagement Authority,LASTMA, helped controlthe flow of traffic causedby thick smoke thatcovered the Isolo/Egberoad, thereby blurringvision for motorists.
One of the traders,Saka Ade, lamented thathe had lost everything inthe fire.
According to him: “Ihad cleaned my shop’senvironment onWednesday eveningahead of today ’s(yesterday) sanitationexercise, so as to come inat about 10a.m. But to mysurprise, a customer whohad come to buy somebuilding materials,called to say the marketwas on fire.
"I rushed down, only todiscover that not even apin was salvaged frommy shop. I lost overN500,000, an amount Iborrowed from my clubwith a promise to pay intwo month’s time. Wheredo I start from now?"
Ikomi resigns as KeystoneBank CEO
By Babajide Komolafe
THE MANAGING
D i r e c t o r / C h i e fExecutive Officer,Keystone Bank Limited,Mr. Oti Ikomi hasresigned from the bank.
A statement from thebank said Mr. Ikomi whotendered his resignationon Thursday, October11, 2012, said hisdecision was based onpersonal reasons.
The bank was grantedlicence on August 5,2011 by the Central Bankof Nigeria (CBN) and iswholly owned by theAsset ManagementCorporation of Nigeria( A M C O N ) .The Chairman ofKeystone Bank, Mr.Moyo Ajekigbe, hasconvened a meeting fortoday to review thedevelopment andappoint a successor.”
31 year old arraigned forallegedly stealing N19m
BY ONOZURE DANIA
A 31-year-old man,A b u m i k e
Okoliagu, has beenarraigned before anIkeja Magistrate Courtfor stealing N19 million.
Okoliagu, who was theformer branch managerof Etus WorldConnection NigeriaLimited at Ojo Alaba andothers now at large, wasalleged to have stolenphone accessoriesvalued N19 million, the
property of Mr. CletusOgbu, the chairman ofEtus World connectionNigeria ltd in Ojo Alabaarea of Lagos.
The offence, accordingto the police prosecutor,Mr. Samson Ekikere,occurred on September15, 2012, at Ojo Alaba.
The presiding Magis-trate, J A. Anabor grantedhim bail in the sum ofN1million, with suretiesin like sum. The matterwas adjourned toNovember 5, 2012.
PDP in Osunyesterday dissociatedthe party from the kidnapof Muibat, the wife ofthe Speaker of OsunHouse of Assembly, Mr.Najeem Salam.
Mr. Diran Odeyemi,
the state PDP Director ofPublicity, Media andStrategy, made theclarification in aninterview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria inOsogbo.
NAN recalls that somehoodlums had
kidnapped the Speaker’swife late on Tuesdaywhile returning homefrom her shop at Oke-Oyo area of Ejigbo inOsun.
Odeyemi dismissedthe insinuations incertain quarters that the
abductors might be PDPmembers hoping tosettle a political scorewith the ACN in Osun.
“It is criminal of anyright thinking person tothink that way.
“The PDP, as one of theopposition parties in thestate, is not violent andmore so, we don’t haveanything to do with theSpeaker.
“As a matter of fact, wein the PDP evensympathise with theSpeaker for the kidnapof his wife by suspectedkidnappers.
“And it is our wish thatshe comes back homeunhurt,” Odeyemi said.
Also speaking, Mr.Kunle Oyatomi, the ACNDirector of Publicity,Research and Strategy inOsun, urged theFederal Government totackle the securitychallenges in thecountry.
The ACN spokesmanurged the state policecommand to doeverything possible insecuring the immediaterelease of Muibat fromher captors.
60-year-old, 19 others escape deathin Abeokuta collapsed building
BY DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA— A-60-year old woman,
Mrs. RisikatuMajekodunmi and 19others escaped deathyesterday when a-50-year old storey buildinglocated beside the palaceof Alake of Egbaland,Oba Adedotun AremuGbadebo collapsed.
The buildingm which isalso situated adjacent tothe Abeokuta SouthLocal GovernmentSecretariat in AkeAbeokuta, reportedlycaved in at 8:a.m.yesterday while most ofthe occupants were stillin the building.
The occupants,according to an eye-witness, rushed out ofthe building shortlybefore the buildingcaved in with athunderous bang.
The building,Vanguard learnt, hadbeen marked fordemolition by the stategovernment to giveroom for the expansionof the road in the area.
When Vanguard visitedthe scene yesterday,some of the occupants ofthe building were seen
making efforts to recovertheir property.
While counting herloss, the 60-year-oldMrs. RisikatuMajekodunmi who sellslocal gin and herbs,explained that, thebuilding collapsed fewminutes after they allmoved out following thestrange sound comingout from it.
Another victim of thecollapsed building, Mrs.Amuda Olowonyo, whosells food near thebuilding, said she andher customers wouldhave been dead if notthat, they all took to theirheels when the build-ing started collapsing.
Addressing newsmenat the scene, Chairmanof Abeokuta South LocalGovernment, Mr. LanreEdun, who blamed theincident on the heavyrain that fell the previousday, also traced thecollapse to old age of thebuilding
He said, governmentquickly responded to theincident with theinvitation of fire serviceand other relevantrescue teams.
Edun emphasized that,all occupants have beendirected to keep off,pointing out that, the lastoption may be to pulldown the entirestructure.
Court threatens to commit GOC to prisonBY OLA AJAYI
IBADAN— A FederalHigh Court in
Ibadan has threatened tocommit the GeneralOfficer Commanding, 2Mechanised Division,Nigerian Army, Ibadan,M a j o r - G e n e r a lMuhammed Abubakar, toprison for contempt if hefails to appear in court onOctober 30.
The order was given byJustice AdejumoObaseki, yesterdayduring the sitting of thecourt over a suit filed byAlhaji G.O Fagbohunagainst the GOC.
The 2 Division and theOlukola Oganla familyhave been involved in aland dispute which thefamily claimed the Armyforcefully took fromthem.
The GOC had beenaccused of refusing torelease the land asordered by the court inan earlier judgment bythe same court in 2005.
Part of the landmeasuring 8.572hectares was alleged tohave been set aside asold shooting range bythe army at LetmauckBarracks in Ibadan.
Mr. Abiodun Amole,
counsel to the plaintiffhad argued that sincenobody is above the law,it amounted to outrightinsult on the court for theGOC to behave the wayhe did.
In his defence, counselto the Nigerian Army,Temil A. A, said his clientenjoys immunity and thejudge disagreed andproved him wrongconstitutionally.
Ekiti NUT vows to ignoregovt’s de-recognition
BY GBENGA ARIYIBI
ADO EKITI — Theleadership of the
Nigeria Union ofTeachers(NUT) in EkitiState has vowed tocontinue to protect theinterest of its membersdespite the stance of thestate government to de-recognize the union
The state governmenthas said it has de-recognized the statewing of NUT due to thecurrent face-off betweenit and the teachers overthe refusal of the teachersto partake in assessmenttest
The body faulted thestate government forshifting the blame on thepoor performance ofstudents in publicexaminations on theteachers
Speaking in Ado Ekitiyesterday, the NUTChairman in the state,Comrade SamuelAkosile, said the factthat teachers in Ekitiwon four NationalAwards during the 2012World Teachers’ Day inAbuja, confirmed thatEkiti teachers remainone of the best in thecountry.
Ogun State awards N100bnroads contract
ABEOKUTA — THE
Ogun Governmentyesterday announced theaward of N100 billioncontract for the re-construction of 12 roadsacross the three senat-orial districts of the state.
In a statement issued inAbeokuta, the Commi-ssioner for Works andHousing, Mr. OlamilekanAdegbite, said thecontracts will improve theexisting infrastructure inthe state..
Adegbite said that theprojects would gulp aboutN100 billion and wouldbe completed within 24months.
He listed the roads asSango-Ijoko, Oke Aro-Ojodu-Abiodun roads tolink motorists direct fromSango-Ota in Ogun toOjodu Berger in Lagos.
Others are theSagamu-Benin ExpressJunction, Oba Erinwoleroad and Ejirin road-Oluwalogbon Junctionin Ijebu-Ode; Ilisan-Ago/Iwoye road andIkangba-Ilese road, all inthe Ogun East SenatorialDistrict.
The project alsoincludes the Ilara-Ijohunroad, Lafenwa-Ayetororoad, Ilo-Awela road inOta and the 32 kmSango-Ijoko-Oke Aro-Ojodu Abiodun road inOgun West SenatorialDistrict.
According to Adegbite,the Ojere-AdatanRoundabout, OGTV-Brewery Junction andMoshood Abiola Way inthe Ogun CentralSenatorial District arealso included.
BY DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA – THE
Ogun State Gover-nor, Senator IbikunleAmosun was said to beconfused over the reportof one-man panel set upto try the two warringObas who threw cautioninto the wind last week.
Governor Amosun whohails from Owu
extraction was reported-ly receiving pressurefrom both Egba andOwu people whose Obaswere affected by thereport.
Vanguard gatheredthat, the Alhaji SamoduAsade-led panel reportwhich had beensubmitted to the stategovernment sinceSunday reportedlyindicted Olu of Itori, ObaFatai Akamo andallegedly pardoned theBaale of Lapenleke, ObaAdisa Akinremi of hisaction.
It would be recalledthat, Oba Akamo andBaale Akinremi engagedin fisticuffs at DivisionalPolice Office in Itori lastweek which promptedtheir suspension by thegovernment after theywere quizzed by thepolice.
Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, addressing supporters in Bolowou community, duringhis campaign tour of Ese-Odo Local Government area, yesterday.
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—11
Kidnapped Delta Commissioner:Gunmen increase ransom to N100m
PERS of DeltaState Commissioner forHigher Education, Dr.Hope Eghagha, have re-portedly increased theirransom demand for hisrelease to N100 million.
There is no clear in-formation on his where-abouts, more than twoweeks after his kidnap,but Delta State PoliceCommand spokesper-son, Mr. Charles Muka,told Vanguard, yester-day, that the police weresearching for him andhis abductors, assuringthat he would be re-leased unhurt.
Dr. Eghagha was ab-ducted on September 30,on his way to Asaba, thestate capital, from Warri,by kidnappers, who shotdead his police orderlyon the spot.
A suspected linkman tothe kidnappers initiallycalled asking for N10
million to facilitate hisrelease, but had sinceswitched off the linewhen he suspected hecould be seized andcounted as a member ofthe kidnap gang.Vanguard learnt, how-
ever, that the kidnapperscalled some personsclose to the commission-er demanding N100 mil-lion for his release.
A police source said: “Itis clear that the family ofthe commissioner hadbeen contacted but it isnot certain that they aredisclosing every infor-mation to the police, asthe police seemed to be
in the dark about the dis-cussions between thekidnappers and the fam-ily.”
A source told Vanguardthat police detectivestravelled out of the stateto other states in the pasttwo weeks in search ofthe kidnappers, but“there is no trace so far."
Meanwhile, Forum forJustice and HumanRights Defence, FJHD,yesterday, condemnedthe abduction and illegaldetention of the commis-sioner by kidnappers,who killed his police or-derly in the process ofhis kidnap and wound-
ed his driver.National coordinator of
the group, Mr. Oghene-jabor Ikimi, in a state-ment, said: “We call onthe abductors of the com-missioner to immediate-ly release him uncondi-tionally and unhurt onhumanitarian grounds,while we commiseratewith the family of thedeceased policeman. Wecall on both Delta StateGovernment and theFederal Government toadequately compensatethe widow and childrenof the fallen policemanas the deceased died inactive service. “
SENIOR Staff Asso
ciation of NigerianUniversities, SSANU,Delta State University,Abraka, branch, has de-clared a one-day solidar-
ity strike to protest thekidnap of the state Com-missioner for HigherEducation, ProfessorHope Eghagha.
The union took the
decision at an emergen-cy congress held yester-day at Abraka condemn-ing the ugly trend wherethe academic communi-ty had become the primetarget of kidnappers.
In a communiqué bythe Chairman and Sec-retary of the Union, Com-rade GoodluckOhwavborua and Com-rade Matthew Eyuren,the union demanded forthe immediate and un-conditional release ofthe commissioner.
The union also notedthat the commissionerwas among the severalAcademic Staff Union ofUniversities, ASUU, andSSANU members thathad been recently kid-napped, including thewife of the Commission-er for Basic and Second-ary Education, ProfessorPatrick Muoboghare.
BENIN—AS the ag-
itation for the crea-tion of Toruibe State by theIjaw intensifies, the Ben-in , Itsekiri, Ilaje Profes-sionals’ Forum, has calledon the National Assemblyto be cautious in dealingwith the proposed state inorder to avoid crisis in theNiger Delta.
The forum claimed thatthe agitation for the crea-tion of Toruibe state is anattempt to annex landsbelonging to the Bini, It-sekiri and Ilaje kingdomsin the South- South andSouth-West of the countrywhich, it said, would beresisted.
In a joint statement byMr. Andrew Eyimofe, (It-sekiri), Mr. Ola Omojuwa(Ilaje) and Dr. Nosakare
Igbiden (Bini), the forumsaid: “We are not againstthe creation of the pro-posed Toruibe state for theIjaw. We have stumbledon documents relating tothe fact that the proposedToruibe state intends tocover the entire BeninRiver and Escravos aswell as a greater part ofUgbo (Ilaje) Kingdom.
“From available docu-ments at our disposal, theproposed state wishes tocover all Ijaw-speakinginhabitants of Arugbo andOparama in Ondo, theIjaws on Edo land andthence to Gbaramatu inDelta and beyond. Forpurposes of clarification,out of these Ijaw-speakingenclaves, only the Gbara-matu are contiguous. It istherefore inappropriatethat such a proposal couldbe coined to deceive anunsuspecting NationalAssembly."
Pa Ogodo passes on @ 113
PA Emuobowansan
Ogodo, the Orereof Okpe Kingdom, is
dead. He died on August20, in his country home,Sapele, Sapele LocalGovernment Area of Del-ta State, at the age of113.
Until his death, ChiefOgodo was the last sur-viving son of his late fa-ther, Warrant Chief Oku-bor, the patriarch of Ogo-do family and founder ofOgodo family land inSapele. He was also thelandlord of African Tim-ber and Plywood(A.T.&P.), a division ofUAC of Nig. Plc, Sape-le.
He is survived by wid-ow, many children andgreat grand children. Ina statement by his eldestson, Mr. Ancient Ogodo,traditional burial riteswill commence on Janu-ary, 26, 2013.
Late Pa Ogodo
ASABA—A BUS
driver and his con-ductor have been sen-tenced to a total of 30years imprisonment withhard labour for kidnap-ping an Asaba-basedpolitician
The convicts areChiedebele Okonkwo,22, the driver and hisconductor, Ifesinachi
Agu, 24.An Asaba High Court,
presided over by JusticeBriki Okolosi, while de-livering judgment yes-terday, found them guiltyas charged and sen-tenced the them to fiveyears imprisonment eachwith hard labour for con-spiracy, five years eachfor kidnapping and an-other five years each forunlawful imprisonment.
The sentences are torun concurrently.
Prosecution, led byPrincipal State counsel,Mr. Champion Umukoro,told the court that theconvicts, with two othersnow at large, “did con-spire among themselveson November 10, 2010,at Asaba within Asabajudicial division and kid-napped one OgochukwuOkocha an Asaba-basedpolitician and his friend,one Samuel Okorie, asthey were about to driveinto their compound.”
WA R R I — E G WAcommunity of
Gbaramatu kingdom, War-ri-South Local Govern-ment Area, Delta State,has commended His Roy-al Majesty Pere GodwinBebenimibo, OgehGbaran III, Aketekpe ofGbaramatu Kingdom, forhis role in siting the pro-posed Maritime Universi-ty in Okerenkoko. The commendation wasmade at Egwa by GuworEmomotimi, communitychairman.
VISIT: Mr. Vince Cable, British Secretary of State, Bureau on Skills and Investment (left) and Gover-nor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, during a courtesy call on the governor at Government House, PortHarcourt. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.
12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
Bakassi: ACN accuses Jonathan of
double standard
BY JOHNBOSCO
AGBAKWURU
Oshiomhole assures monks ofgovt’s support
Reps move to re-introduce tollgates on highways
Pa Raji passes on @ 83
PA John Ediagbonya
Raji, of Ibiwe, inOredo Local Govern-ment Area, Edo State, isdead, aged 83.
Until his death, he wasa philanthropist andcommunity leader.
A statement by the fam-ily said he will be bur-ied on Saturday, October13, in his compound,171, Upper EwekaStreet, Benin City, EdoState.
vin Ebiri (neeWagwu), wife of TheGuardian correspondentin Port Hacourt, RiversState, Mr. Kelvin Ebiri,is dead, aged 35.
A prayer service willhold on Thursday, Octo-ber 18, at 3 WilliamsClose, off New Road,Rukpokwu, Port Har-court, while a Mass ofChristian burial comesup on October 20, at 36Obrikom Road, Omoku,
Rivers State.She is survived by her
widower Kelvin, theirdaughter, Naomi, herparents Mr. and otherrelations.C
ALABAR—REACTIONS are still
trailing the refusal of theFederal Government toappeal against the Inter-national Court of Justice,ICJ, ruling against theceding of Bakassi, asCross River State Chap-ter of the Action Con-gress of Nigeria, ACN,has accused PresidentGoodluck Jonathan ofspeaking from both sidesof his mouth.
In a statement on therefusal to appeal againstthe ICJ judgment thatceded the oil-rich Bakas-si Peninsula to Cam-eroon on October 10,2002, which the govern-ment had a window ofopportunity to appealagainst, as provided forby the ICJ law, ACN saidPresident Jonathanplayed pranks with the
people of Bakassi.In the statement, the
Cross River State Chair-man of the party, Mr.Hillard Eta, said: “Inone breath, the Presidentstated that the FederalGovernment would notreview the matter but inanother, he was busy set-ting up a committee tolook into the review proc-ess.”
Eta alleged that the ac-tion of the President wasa clear manifestation ofthe “consistent balkani-
zation and merchandis-ing of the Nigerian Stateby no less a force thanthe People’s DemocraticParty, PDP-led govern-ment. The party is onlyinterested in accumulat-ing wealth and proceedsthat emanate from themortgaging of the coun-try or a part of it. Unfor-tunately, this it does atthe expense of the peo-ple it professes to repre-sent.
“Sadly, the Bakassipeople have fallen prey
to the malfeasance andunholy merchandizing ofthe PDP, the issue beingthat rather than agitatestrongly for the review ofthe ICJ judgment of Oc-tober 2002, which cededthe ancestral home, orresettle them holistical-ly in the light of theGreen Tree Agreement,the government has usedtheir ancestral land toonce again swell theirpockets leaving the peo-ple in squalor and end-less plight."
GOVERNOR Ad
ams Oshiomholeof Edo State, has assuredmonks in the Order of StBenedict, in Ewu, thecentral part of the state,of government’s supportin giving adequate pub-licity to the break-throughs in their herbalwork and other research-es.
The governor alsopromised to pay a visit tothe monks in their mon-
astery with a view to pro-viding the infrastructureneeded on roads andwater supply.
Speaking during a vis-it of the monks, led bytheir Prior, Rev. Dom Pe-ter Eghwrujakpor, Oshi-omhole said: “Since youare not a profit makingorganization and you area part of Edo State, thestate government can beof help to your activitieswith our state-owned
electronic and print me-dia.
“From your exposé to-day, it is clear thatyou are involved in aspiritual lifestyle of totalabstinence in the serviceof God. You need sup-port to help mankind inthe way you have chosento. We have to take ad-vantage of our state me-dia to inform the publicon the need to takeadvantage of the serv-ices you provide.”
BY JOHNBOSCO
AGBAKWURU
CALABAR —THEHouse of Repre-
sentatives is consideringthe re-introduction of tollgates on national high-ways as a way of revenue
generation to maintainfederal roads.
The House of Repre-sentatives Committee onWorks, which was in theSouth-South geopoliticalzone to assess the condi-tion of federal roads in thezone, visited Calabar/
Odukpani/Itu road andCalabar/Ikom/Ogoja roadin Cross River State.
Besides the plan to re-introduce toll gates, thecommittee, led by Mr.Fort Dike, also advisedthe government to handover federal roads to thestates to reduce the levelof dilapidation in thecountry.
After inspecting the fed-eral roads and the effortsof Cross River State Gov-ernment to rehabilitatethem, leader of the team,Dike, expressed worryover the magnitude ofdecay and said there wasproblem in funding of fed-eral roads which was thereason why the Housewas considering the op-tion of re-introducing tollgates as a source of reve-nue generation.
Dike said: “There isneed for fundamentalchange of federal roads inNigeria. The Federal Gov-ernment must change thepattern of the yearly allo-cation."
BIRTHDAY: From left: Mrs Evelyn Rewane-Fabyan, celebrant; Mr. MartinIkediashi, Mrs. Lanre Ojora, Ambassador Ignatius Olisemeka and Prof. PatUtomi, during a lecture by the Centre for Values in Leadership to mark the70th birthday of Mr. Martin Ikediashi, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: BiodunOgunleye.
We'll resettle flood disastervictims, Jonathan vows�Our target is N100bn— Dangote
ABUJA—PRESIDENTGoodluck Jonathan,
yesterday, said his admin-istration would take meas-ures to resettle people af-fected by flood nationwideonce the waters receded.
He gave this commitmentafter he inaugurated thePresidential Committee onFlood Relief and Rehabili-tation.
President Jonathan, whocommenced a tour of someof the affected states, notedthat government would doeverything possible toameliorate the impact of theflood.
The President said: “Let
me also use this opportu-nity to assure Nigeriansagain that the present ad-ministration will do every-thing possible to amelioratethe impact of this devas-tating flood on our peo-ple.
“We will do everything tocushion their pain, and wehave put up a strong teammade up of credible menand women, who will alsohelp government to achievethis, especially to raisefunds to compliment or aug-ment Federal Govern-ment’s effort to cushion theimmediate effect of floodingand the resettlement andrecovery of affected per-sons.
“This is most critical be-cause when people are un-
der stress, they can’t en-dure a lot but the flood willsurely recede. We believebefore the middle of No-vember the flood will go, ifit is the normal flood wehave witnessed before.”
Speaking to State Housecorrespondents after itsmaiden meeting, Co-Chairman of the committee,Aliko Dangote, said thecommittee hoped to raise atleast N100 billion from bothlocal and internationalsources.
He said: “We are target-ing N100 billion minimum.We do not want to look at itas a government issue.
“For some of us, whenthere were disasters inother countries we helpedand so we expect people tohelp us.”
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—13
Mother, 16-yr-old daughter drownas flood submerges farms in Anambra
BY ENYIM ENYIM
BY PETER OKUTU
Tricycle operators protest alleged illegalcollection of levies in Ebonyi
ONITSHA—IT wasblack Tuesday for
the people of Umudaravillage in Ihite commu-nity of Ihiala Local Gov-ernment Area, AnambraState, when a 16 yearsold girl, EdithAfugwuobi and hermother, Mrs Afugwuobiwere drowned in theirsubmerged farm.
The deceased weresaid to have gone in aboat along side three oth-ers to their flood- sub-merged farm to recoversome cassava when theboat capsized and theduo were drowned whilethree persons survived.Their bodies of motherand child were recoveredon Wednesday by youthsin the community.
Edith was said to be astudent of the FirstFoundation SecondarySchool, Umudara, Ihialawhile her mother in hermid fifties was a farmer.
Speaking at separateinteviews with Van-guard, Mr NdukaOnyemuze, proprietor ofthe school and Hon.Basil Akaolisa said thatover 10 people died dur-ing the flood, adding
that only the two corpseshad been recovered sofar.
They said that five vil-lages in Ihite including,Umudara, Umuezeawala,Umuduru Oru, Amaduruand Umuadika had beencompletely submerged byflood and appealed toboth the state and federalgovernments to come totheir rescue.
”We are appealing to
government to come toour aid. Since the flooddisaster in AnambraState, started, focus hadbeen on Ogbaru,Anambra West andAnambra East Local Gov-ernments, while we havebeen suffering the sameplight. We have no food;no water because ourwater had been pollutedjust as we have no roadsbecause they have been
submerged”.The people said the
farmers in the area werehelpless because theyhad lost all their crops inthe submerged farm-lands.
Meanwhile, one of thefarmers who lost all hisbelongings includingfarms was yesterdaystopped from committingsuicide following thedevastation.
Ebonyi awards scholarshipto state's debate team
UMUAHIA—ABIAState government
has said that it has notmandated any person orgroup to force houseand shop owners to in-stall fire extinguishers intheir places at the cost ofN5000.
Some property ownershad alleged that theywere being harrassed bycertain elements whoclaim to be working forthe state government topurchase fire extin-guisher at exhorbitantprices with additionalN200 for installation.
Abia distances self from fireextinguisher installations
BY ANAYO OKOLI
THE DEATH has beenannounced of a com-
munity leader in NnonoOnoro Village in IkwuanoLocal Government Area ofAbia State, Mrs. MabelOnyeodimara Peter Elele(nee Chinke) aged 72years.
She died after a brief ill-ness. She is survived by sixchildren, grand children,and many relations
Burial arrangement willbe announced by the fam-ily.
ABAKALIKI—NOfewer than 2000 Tri-
cycle operators, yester-day, protested illegal col-lection of levies fromthem by the state govern-ment through the Minis-try of Works and Trans-port.
The keke riders, whoconverged at the newmarket junction inAbakaliki, said they wereprotesting the suddenrise in their usual levy ofN50 to N200, which ac-cording to them was ille-gal, unnecessary andunfair.
The action which forcedmost passengers to starttrekking to their variousdestinations under thesun also caused a majorgo slow along Ogoja andsome major streets inAbakaliki.
According to them, thegovernment should notimpose any extra levy ofthem considering theharsh economic situationin the state and the con-dition under which mostof them purchased thekeke.
Passage
Late Mabel Elele
UNIPORT killings: Forummakes case for murderedstudents
ENUGU—SOUTHEast/South South
Professionals of Nigeria,SESSP, have called fora probe of the recent kill-ing of four students of theUniversity of PortHarcourt by indigines ofAluu community in Riv-ers State , with a view tofinding the culprits andpunishing them appro-priately.
It also called for anoverhaul of Nigeria’s se-curity agencies and thecriminal justice system,in order to restore theconfidence of Nigerians.
A statement by the
BY AGADA ABUTU
Spokesman for thegroup, Mr. IsaiahOgbaga, appealed to thestate government to re-vert to old levy as most ofthem were still finding itdifficult to take care of theneeds of their family.
He said: “99 per cent ofus riding this keke boughtit on hire purchase. The
government increased themoney we use to pay fromN50 to N200. We are alsohearing that they want usto repaint our keke toEbonyi state colour and thisis not possible. They say weshould start paying for em-blem which is N1500.
“We are suffering somuch. You pay for house
rent, your wife’s need,NEPA bill, after all thesepayments at the end of theyear we go empty handed.We are not enjoying it. Ifgovernment can reduce theamount we will be happyabout it. We are all humanbeings. Let them bring fac-tories or companies into thestate. We are suffering toomuch in this state”
They claimed that aparticular companythreatened to sanctionany house or shop ownerwho failed to purchaseand install the fire extin-guisher.
But denying the in-volvement of the govern-ment in the fire extin-guisher business, thestate Commissioner forTransport, Chief UkpaiAgwu Ukpai, explainedthat his ministry whichought to handle such is-sue was not involved,warning those behindthe illegal deal to desistfrom such acts or face thefull weight of the law.
group’s President Mr.Emeka Ugwu-Oju notedthat the incident shouldprovide a push for thereformation of the justicesystem, so as to dissuadeNigerians from takinglaws into their hands.
His words: ‘’While we callfor a comprehensive probeof the incident with a viewto finding the culprits andpunishing them appropri-ately, we demand a deepand incisive overhaul of thecountry’s security agenciesas well as the criminal jus-tice system to restore confi-dence and faith in the sys-tem and disavow resort toself help.
ABAKALIKI—THEEbonyi Government
on Wednesday inAbakaliki awarded schol-arships to 13 members ofthe state debate team.
Gov. Martin Elechi saidthe scholarship was toencourage the team forits outstanding perform-ances in both nationaland international debatecompetitions.
The governor was rep-resented by the Secretaryto the State Government,Mr Fidel Mbam.According to Elechi, thescholarship will enablethe beneficiaries to pur-sue first degree pro-grammes in their chosencourses in any universityof their choice in Nigeria.
He added that the ges-ture would fast-track theexpansion and develop-ment of the intellectualcapacities of the benefi-ciaries.
Elechi advised them to
utilise the offer effec-tively.
PRESENTATION: Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi Nnaemeka Achebe, presentingthe star prize of a Toyota Corolla car to the winner of the Ofala Glo SpecialSIM promo, Mr. Nworie Elijah, a spare parts apprentice in Onitsha to markthe end of this year's Ofala festival.
From left; Regional Coordinator, Strategic Investment, Corporate and Gov-ernment Affairs, ExxonMobil, Micheal Finley; Public and Government AffiarsExecutive, ExxonMobil, Susan Essiet and Head, Administration and Personnel,Lagos Island Maternity, Lagos, Henry Koleosho during the Family Care Asso-ciation Anti-Malaria programme for pregnant and nursing mothers in Lagos,yesterday. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi .
14—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
NCC sets up emergencycommunication centre in Awka
BY VINCENT UJUMADU
President Goodluck Jonathan's visit to Adankolo flood victim's camp inLokoja, Kogi State, yesterday.
Cross section of flood victims at the Adankolo camp.
Some inmates receiving medical attention. Some flood victims during breakfast.
President Goodluck Jonathan (2nd left) and Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State(left), during the President's visit to the camp.
Some inmates of the camp.
AWKA—THE National Communica-
tions Commission,NCC, has established anemergency communica-tions center, ECC, inAwka, Anambra State, toserve the eastern parts ofthe country.
Director of Public Af-fairs of NCC, Mr. TonyOjobo, explained whenmembers of the House ofRepresentatives commit-tee on communicationsvisited the centre thatthe concept of the ECCwas to assist telephoneusers during emergencysituations.
He added that it wouldhelp states under thezone to tackle problemsof insecurity, fire, acci-dents and robberies.
Ojobo said the Awkacentre and another onein Minna, Niger State,would serve as pilot sta-tions that would be usedto identify challengesand lapses that exist inthe zones, adding thatAwka also served as adata base as it has beenproperly equipped for
‘How Warri can regain its lost glory'
BY EMMA ARUBI
WARRI—THE WarriRebirth Initiative,
WRI, has stated that thelost glory of the oil citywould be regained only ifall the ethnic groups inhab-iting the commercial cen-tre see themselves as oneand pursuing the benefit ofall always.
This assertion was con-tained in a lecture deliv-ered by Mr. Victor
record keeping. According to him, a
member’s private bill hadbeen proposed to give a le-gal backing to the newscheme, adding that the billwould soon be sent to theNational Assembly.
He explained thatstakeholders in the commu-nication industry wouldmake the necessary inputsbefore the passage of thebill.
The chairman of HouseCommittee on Communica-tions, Mr. Oyetunde Ojo,
who led the nine-memberteam, expressed satisfactionwith the facilities at the cen-tre, saying that it has the ca-pacity to disseminate infor-mation to agencies in timesof distress in the country.
He commended the NCCfor taking what he called agood initiative in terms ofemergency, saying that re-sponse agents would en-sure proper functioning ofthe centre and hoped thatby December this year, theinfrastructure would be putto maximum use.
Eburajolo at the quarterlymeeting of the group inWarri, Delta State, yester-day.
According to him, if theresources of the state is eq-uitably distributed to reacha large percentage of themasses, the issues of eth-nic agitations would becomea thing of the past as itwould lead to more integra-tion and education of thepeople.
In its presentation, theWarri fiesta committee ofthe WRI headed by Mr.Patrick Origho stated that afiesta tagged “Wafi 2012” toshowcase the rich culturalheritage of the various eth-nic nationalities in Warriwould be staged every lastSaturday of every year to becelebrated as “Warri Day”,saying that it is aimed atenhancing the unity of thepeople.
HRW accuses Boko Haram, Nigeriansecurity forces of ‘crime against humanity'
LAGOS—THE Islamistsect, Boko Haram
and Nigerian securityforces might have com-mitted crimes againsthumanity during threeyears of conflict that hasled to the death of nofewer than 2,800 peoplein the country, HumanRights Watch, HRW, saidyesterday.
Crimes against human-ity are offences that canlead to prosecution bythe International Crimi-nal Court, ICC.
Boko Haram says it isfighting to create an Is-
lamic state in Nigeria,and its fighters havekilled hundreds in bomband gun attacks sincelaunching an uprising in2009, becoming thenumber one securitythreat to Africa’s top en-ergy producer.
The HRW reportchronicles multiple casesof abuses by Islamists,including brutal killingsof Christian/civiliansand the assassination ofMuslim clerics opposedto them.
Some of these attackswere “deliberate actsleading to population‘cleansing’ based on re-ligion or ethnicity.” TheICC defines crimesagainst humanity asgrave offences that are“widespread or system-atic.” There was no im-mediate reaction fromBoko Haram.
According to agencyreport, the report alsoaccused Nigeria’s JointMilitary and PoliceTaskforce, JTF, of “physi-cal abuse, secret deten-tions, extortion, burningof houses, stealingmoney during raids, andextrajudicial killings of
suspects. Despite allega-tions of widespread secu-rity force abuses, the Ni-gerian authorities haverarely held anyone ac-countable ... further so-lidifying the culture ofimpunity for violence.”
WARRI—AS floodcontinues to wreak
havoc in parts of thecountry, Chief BarristerSmooth, the Ijaw musicmaestro, has sympa-thised with affected com-munities in Delta andBayelsa states.
According to him, bothstates were mostly af-fected by the devastatingflood ravaging the coun-try, even as he also sym-pathised with the dis-placed victims.
He called on the Fed-eral and state govern-ments to ensure that thedisplaced victims wereproperly rehabilitatedand taken care of.
Artistesympathiseswith Delta,Bayelsa floodvictims
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—15
CMYK
16—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
IS there time to ap-peal the judgment asclaimed by some Nige-
rians? What are the newavailable facts, which wedidn’t present at the firstinstance? It is true thatmany Nigerians are inBakassi. But there are otherthings to consider.—Mr.Lukmon Agboola, Lawyer.
IT is late. That is whythe Federal Govern-ment did not react the
way many expected. Onething I appreciate is the factthat people are fighting tobe identified as Nigerians.It means the country isblessed. There are betterthings to come.—Mrs KateNduba, Businesswoman.
What's your take on Bakassi?PEOPLE SPEAK08102479985
important issues. Nigeriahave had all the time in theworld to appeal against thejudgment, but unfortu-nately it was late when ourPresident gave the consentto do so.— Mr. VincentNwanna, Lawyer.
WHY did it take solong for us tostart reacting to
the ICJ judgment? To me,the judgment is not Niger-ia’s problem. Light, water,better roads, better educa-tion and employments arethe most important issues.—Mr. John Uwabunkeonye,Accountant.
MY view is thatthe judgmentis as clear as
crystal. The implication inlaw is that Nigeria is enti-tled to appeal. Within thelocal jurisdiction we call itNotice of Appeal. It oughtto have been filed withinthe same period.— Mr.Emeka Okpoko, Lawyer.
I really don’t knowmuch about the ICJjudgment. But since
the people in Bakassi aresaying they are Nigerians,the Federal Governmentshould look for a way tobring them to Nigeria, sincewe are not interested inBakassi.— Ms. DikeChidinma, Student.
PRESENTATION: From left— Mr. Celey Okogun, MD, Novelle Porta; Mr. Chud-dy Oduenyi, Chairman of the occasion; Mrs Bunmi Oke, Presenter; Mr. AzukaOnwuka, author, and his wife, Nnenna, at the presentation of a book, Wings ofthe Night, by Mr. Onwuka in Lagos. PHOTO: Diran Oshe.
Constitution review: Atiku makescase for state police, zoning
TO stem the increas-ing rate of rural-ur-
ban migration, govern-ment and stakeholders atall levels have beentasked on the need topractice good govern-ance by ensuring habit-able environments.
Minister of Lands,Housing and Urban De-velopment, Ms.AmalPepple; Governor Rauf
Aregbesola of Osun Stateand Prof. AkinMabogunje, Chairman,Foundation for Develop-ment and EnvironmentalInitiatives, FDI, gavethe charge at the 4th an-nual FDI conference inLagos, yesterday.
The Housing Minister,represented by Dr.Olatunbosun Ayileka, aDirector in the ministry,
spoke on Emerging Ur-ban Africa, decrying thesocio-economic effectsof increasing rural-ur-ban migration on gov-ernance and cities.
The minister esti-mated that over 50% ofNigeria’s populationwould be living in cit-ies by 2015; a figure ex-pected to rise by about6.5% by the year 2025.
He said already, Ni-geria had one of theworld’s highest urbani-sation rate at 5.5 per-cent per annum.
The speakers agreedthat the increasing con-centration of people incities had direct bearingon infrastructure, hous-ing, employment, secu-rity, safety, urban vicesand service delivery.
Governor Aregbesola,who spoke through Prof.Johnson Falade, formerUN-Habitat ProgrammeManager for Nigeria,stressed the need for asustainable policy on ur-ban development.
Jigawa records 7 polio cases
Partner on roads repair,Reps task ministry, states
BY EMMANOVUAKPORIE
BY TINA AKANNAM
DUTSE—JIGAWA StateCommissioner for
Health, Dr. AbubakarTafida, has said only sevencases of poliomyelitis hadbeen recorded in the statethis year, instead of 16 asreported by a section of themedia.
He said: “Last year wasbetter because we only hadtwo cases of polio in JigawaState. But this year, seven
cases have been reportedto us and we cannot hide itfrom the world that freshcases have been reportedin the state.”
Tafida further explainedthat one case was reportedeach in Birnin Kudu, Buji,Auyo and Kazaure localgovernment areas, respec-tively, while three freshcases were reported inBabura Local Government,which shares border withthe Niger Republic.
ABUJA—AS the Sen-ate, yesterday, began
its public hearing on thereview of the 1999 Con-stitution, former VicePresident, Atiku Abubakarsaid that if the countrymust address the issue ofsecurity, there must be theestablishment of State Po-lice.
In a position paper hepresented, yesterday, tothe Senate Committee onReview of the 1999 Con-stitution, Atiku also calledfor the return of a two-party system as way for-ward, if Nigeria must getit right democratically.
He called for a full scaleactivation of the six geo-political zones as centre ofpower and governance,adding that such ar-rangement would help toreduce the “harmful ten-sion, bickering and com-petition for power at thecentre.”
Meanwhile, the Inspec-tor-General of Police, Mo-hammed Abubakar, whowas represented at thehearing by CSP DabidAbuo, stressed the needfor the status quo of cen-tral police structure to be
BY HENRY UMORU retained, just as he jetti-soned the proposal forstate police, adding thatit would be too expensiveto fund.
Atiku, in his four-pageposition paper, insistedthat creation of state po-lice “will guarantee secu-rity of lives and propertyand create an enablingenvironment for our dif-ferent people to developat their own pace.”
Defending his position ona two-party structure, theformer Presidential aspiranton the platform of PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, ex-plained that ruling partieswould never allow opposi-tion party to grow, whereasa two-party structure wouldallow for a formidable op-position to thrive.
However, there was milddrama at the Main Audito-rium of the InternationalConference Centre, venueof the public hearing on theconstitution review, whenhalf naked Gbagi men andwomen from the FederalCapital Territory stormedthe place, demanding forimmediate recognition ofAbuja as a mayoral district.
Some of the protesters,who wore masks andpainted some parts of their
bodies in what many calledGbagi colours, also allegedlong neglect by successiveadministration, adding thattheir lands had been soldby the government with-out adequate compensa-tion.
It took the interventionof the Senator represent-ing the Federal CapitalTerritory, Senator PhilipAduda, to calm themdown before they left.
FG releases N12bn for
rehabilitation of school labs
BAUCHI—FEDERALGovernment has ap-
proved over N12 billionfor the supply of equip-ment and rehabilitationof laboratories in 51 fed-eral and state polytech-nics across the country.
The Executive Secre-tary, National Board forTechnical Education,NBTE, Mas’ud Kazaure,made this known yester-day in Bauchi, at the10th National Confer-ence of the AcademicStaff Union of Polytech-nic, ASUP, held at the
Federal Polytechnic,Bauchi State.
He added that it waspart of government’s ef-fort to address environ-mental challenges insome parts of the coun-try.
The theme of the confer-ence was Towards Sus-tainable Environment inDeveloping Nations.
According to Kazaure,who spoke through oneof his aides, Alhaji LawalHafis, the government’sgesture was also aimedat reviving research ac-tivities for national de-velopment.
BY SUZAN EDEH
KATSINA—HOUSE ofRepresentatives Com-
mittee on Works, yesterday,advised Federal Ministryof Works and state repre-sentative engineers to col-laborate with state govern-ments on road rehabilitationand maintenance for betterresults.
Deputy Chairman ofHouse Committee onWorks, Mohammed Wuhidgave the advice after in-specting the rehabilitationof Mainchi-Anka-DakiTakwas border road be-tween Zamfara andKatsina.
He said: “There is need
for a synergy between thestate governments andFederal Ministry of Worksstate coordinators, as thiswill ensure better manage-ment of our roads.
“We are quite impressedwith what we saw inZamfara and Katsina. Bothstates have exhibited a veryhigh sense of maturitypartnering each other to getpositive results.”
Federal Roads Co-ordinator for the North-West, Alhaji MammanDanyyabu said: “We havestarted that already asthe state governments li-aise with us when theyare rehabilitating oldroads or constructingnew ones.”
LAST week, 4 University ofPort Harcourt students were
brutally murdered in broaddaylight by a baying mob inAluu, a community in RiversState.
Photos and videos depictingthis horrifying incident that isa stain on the reputation of myhome state are available on theinternet. Anyone who has ac-cess to a smartphone or com-puter (ironically, the studentslost their lives because they al-legedly stole such items) caneasily view them.
These still and moving im-ages of the students’ bloodiedcorpses have sent shock wavesaround the country; and theSenate has quite rightlypointed out that the witnesses(Aluu Elders included) whowatched and recorded the kill-ings should bear some of theresponsibility for not prevent-ing the wanton carnage.
Senator, Ayogu Eze (PDP,Enugu), spoke for many whenhe expressed outrage about thefact that “these 4 persons werestripped naked…[and] batteredinto a stupor…in the most hor-rifying display of callousnessever captured oncelluloid…[and then] setablaze in full glare of cheeringand enthusiastic spectators andtraducers.”
Meanwhile, SenatorOlubunmi Adetumbi (ACN,Ekiti) mirrored the Aluu kill-ings as an expression of anangry nation that is becomingdisconnected from humanity,as a result of accumulatedyears of disappointment andneglect by government.
”This,” said Adetumbi, “hasresulted in anger and disre-gard for institutions ofstate…People have become soangry that they are ready todraw blood and celebratedeath…This is not an Aluuproblem but a Nigerian prob-lem.”
Summing up, David Mark,the PDP Senate President, said:“I was against [the idea of cre-ating] state police [forces] be-fore, but I have since changedmy mind because of the fre-
quency with which crimes hap-pen in this country and the dif-ficulty the current police havein carrying out theirinvestigations…There are realsecurity challenges that weneed to address…The benefitsof state police [forces] outweighany disadvantages at the mo-ment.”
I agree with all of the above.Mark and Eze are both spot-on; and PDP devotees willprobably accuse Adetumbi ofbeing a disgruntled Oppositionman who is desperate to scorecheap political points at theexpense of the ruling party. Butsimilar thoughts crossed mymind when I heard the sadnews from Aluu.
This may sound fanciful – andlike an unfair attempt to blameour leaders for everything thatgoes wrong in every nook andcranny of our society.
But while I don’t always sub-scribe to the essentially foreignnotion that people who do ter-rible things have psychologi-cal problems and would notnecessarily be evil if they wereunder less pressure, I DO re-
gard Nigeria as a hellishlytough environment in whichsurviving and thriving is far toodifficult.
And I couldn’t help feelingthat the villagers only behavedlike animals because they havebeen pushed to the brink ofmadness by multiple frustra-tions.
But, but, but…There is neverany excuse for this kind of fren-zied, primitive vigilante action.Even if the students weren’tsaints, the jungle justice thatwas meted out to them cannever be morally justified; andI pray that the Aluu perpetra-
tors - and their active and si-lent accomplices - are severelypunished.
Water torture
Aluu is not the only disasterthat has recently befallen Riv-ers State. We have also sufferedalarming floods in the past fewdays; and several communitieshave been almost totally sub-merged.
Last weekend, I flew oversome of the affected areas in ahelicopter with my Governor,Rotimi Amaechi, Nyema Weli,his Commissioner for Environ-ment and Honourable Asita, a
House of Representatives leg-islator; and I must say that I wastouched by their genuine con-cern for victims who have losttheir homes and worldlypossessions…and by their de-termination to assist and reas-sure them.
The white helicopter pilotstold the Governor that it wouldbe extremely unsafe for him toland in certain locations. But hekept pushing them to allowhim to take the risk and wasvery dejected when they re-fused to indulge him. Fingerscrossed that Amaechi’s admin-istration successfully over-comes this crisis.
Unhappy birthday to me!
LAST Sunday was my birthday and I couldn’t bring
myself to party with friendsand relatives because Icouldn’t think of any reasonsto celebrate!
Frankly, I was utterly mis-erable. And most of the peopleI spoke to on my birthdaywere as achingly unhappy asI was because the country is
in a huge mess and we don’thave much to look forward to.
Even the small handful ofVIPs in my social circle – whoare obviously more fortunatethan the average citizen be-cause they are beneficiaries ofgovernment largesse - arefinding it increasingly hard tocheerfully defend the status
quo. I guess I should be grateful
to God for keeping me aliveand healthy…and for givingme a lovely son and ensuringthat I am not completely im-poverished.
May the next l2 months bebetter enough for me to feellike celebrating my next birth-day!
Tekena Ugonna
Chidiaka Aka Aladin Iloyd
OPINION
18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
ByCHUKWUDI ENEKWECHI
IN the history of Nigeria, not manystill remember the heroic efforts of
our founding fathers that enabled usattain self-rule. Nevertheless, itremains an incontrovertible historicalfact that personages such as the lateDr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir AhmaduBello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo andseveral others made selfless sacrificesfor Nigeria to attain nationhood. Insimple language, these patriotsexhibited exemplary courage in theirlifetime for Nigeria to become a nation.
Regrettably, not long after weattained self-rule, the militaryinterrupted the democratic process andpushed the nation into retrogressionfor many years. Thereafter, democraticrule was restored in 1979 with theelection of Alhaji Shehu Shagari andDr Alex Ekwueme as President andVice President, respectively.
This democratic experiment was,however, short-lived as the militaryonce again interrupted the process byoverthrowing the Shagari – Ekwuemeadministration in a bloodless militaryputsch. Many politicians of the SecondRepublic were hounded into jail for
Ekwueme: Exceptional achievementsand courage @ 80
what the coupists described asmonumental corrupt practices.
Military tribunals were set up to trythe corrupt politicians and in the caseof Ekwueme, the military tribunalcommented thus: “... from allinvestigations, Dr. Ekwueme leftpolitics much poorer than he was whenhe entered it, and to ask for more fromhim was to set a standard in public lifewhich even saints could not meet”.Need I say more here regarding theimpeccable character of this symbol ofdemocracy and good governance?
In April 1994, Ekwueme was electedin abstensia by his local governmentarea as a delegate to the 1994/1995National Constitutional Conference,NCC, in Abuja. As a member of thecommittee on the “Structure andFramework of the Constitution”, hepresented a novel proposal on the justand equitable power sharing inNigeria, based on six geo-politicalzones.
Though this proposal was
vehemently opposed initially by somedelegates, yet today this has come tobe an acceptable panacea formaintaining a stable Nigeria polity.Indeed, this policy gave rise to state,local and community levels ofadministration in Nigeria.
Some other developing countriesare now adopting this political
model as a means of ensuring equityand parity in the sharing anddistribution of political offices andresources of their various countries.The major ingredient of this model isthat it gives all the constituents a senseof belonging, and ultimately pave wayfor collective efforts towards nationbuilding.
In April 1998, Dr. Ekwueme bravedall odds to convene the “G-34” thataddressed a memorandum to thenmilitary Head of State, General SaniAbacha, advising him not to transmuteinto a civilian president (by succeedinghimself). Many people considered
such move at the time a “suicidemission” as they chose to remain silentinstead. But not Ekwueme who stoodhis ground, insisting that the time hadcome for the military to quit thepolitical stage.
His onerous efforts paid off as thegroup was to later transform into whatis today known as the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP.
Dr. Ekwueme is an accomplishedacademic having bagged degrees inHistory, Architecture, Sociology, Law,Anthropology and Town Planning. Hehas also been awarded several honorarydoctorate degrees from Nigerian andforeign universities, and has two booksto his credit – From State House toKirikiri and Whither Nigeria.
On this occasion of his birthday, wesalute Nigeria’s Hero of Democracy ashe attains the golden age of 80 years,and may his noble legacies serve as abenchmark for our present and futureleaders.
*Mr. Enekwechi, a journalist, wrotefrom Abuja.
Flood relief fund
THE interim funds the Federal Govern- ment released for flood victims
throughout the country should be used ju-diciously, to ameliorate the sufferings un-precedented flooding unleashed on thecountry. How far the N17.6 billion Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan, announced wouldgo, is not as important as the immediacy ofthe intervention and preventive measuresagainst flooding.
Activation of more funding began with theinauguration of a National Committee onFlood Relief and Rehabilitation to assist theFederal Government raise funds to mitigatethe pains and ensure the effective post-im-pact of rehabilitation of victims.
The floods were the worst in decades.There are predictions of more flooding,which means a lot of work still needs to bedone to ensure future occurrences are han-dled better than the overwhelming inci-dents that hit most parts of the country.
Nigerians are already concerned that themoney allocated to states and some feder-al agencies, may not be spent in meetingthe needs of the flood victims. They are re-lying on experience. The low level of ac-countability in governments could see the
funds disappear.How would the states deploy the N13.3
billion the Federal Government releasedto them? Will the money be for relief mate-rials or the rehabilitation of the affectedcommunities? The extent of the devastationvaries from state to state, just as the lossesare different in the affected communities.It would be tasking to find an equitable sys-tem for allocating the funds to the needs ofthe communities, but it should not be thereason for the authorities not trying. Ac-countability is important, without allowingbureaucracies to consume the funds.
Some of the states are already complain-ing about the funds being inadequate. Theyshould augment from their own resources,and like the Federal Government, theyshould mobilise local resources for the
work ahead.The N4.3 billion allocated to the federal
agencies — Ministry of Works, NationalEmergency Management Agency, NEMA,Ministry of Environment, National Com-mission for Refugees, and the TechnicalCommittee on Flood’s Impact Assessment— should come under similar scrutiny oth-erwise the funds could be wasted.
Perhaps, more resources should be allo-cated to the Technical Committee onFlood’s Impact Assessment whose reportwill be used to combat future floods.
“When we receive the committee’s finalreport, the Federal Government will fur-ther initiate medium and long term meas-ures to check future flood disasters,” thePresident said. The future demands a def-inite action against flooding, which by ex-tension would mean attention to climateand its consequences.
More practical approaches like re-visit-ing construction of dams planned almost40 years ago could save Nigeria more dev-astating loss of lives and property. We hopethe flooding would not be forgotten oncethe waters recede.
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—19
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BY CALEB UWAMMADU
*Dr Uwammadu, a manage-ment consultant, wrote from Tor-onto, Canada.
BY GABRIEL ZOWAM
•Mr Zowam, a social crtic, wrote fromLagos.
Continues on Monday pg 18
AT a time that our state governors arebusy bickering and strategising about
statutory allocations, other nations areaggressively harvesting the infiniteopportunities that globalisation has createdfor world economies! This year (2012), ourentire Federal Government budget (whichcontinues to depend on oil) is about N5trillion, while India will get $70 billion(N10.5 trillion) from software exports alone(just software, not all exports)!
Perhaps we should look back at where bothIndia and Nigeria are coming from! In the1980s, when the Delta Steel Company, DSC,was being built by a consortium ofEuropean companies, Mecon of India,which was serving as consultants to DSC,seconded many of its experienced engineersto DSC, to help groom their DSCcounterparts. While these highly experiencedexpatriate Indians were assigned officialbrand new, chauffeur-driven and air-conditioned cars, people in DSC wereusually surprised to hear of how some ofthem were receiving letters from their homeoffice, informing them of the approval oftheir motorcycle loans! This was at a timethat many of the young Nigerian engineersbeing groomed by these Indians, werelooking forward to buying brand new carsin a few years!
This same India has since transformeditself into one of the sensational BRIC(Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies,while Nigeria (preoccupied with statutoryallocations) has retrogressed deeper intopoverty! While the world is witnessing theemergence of a new set of post-BRIC
The desperation against reform
economies, the “MIST” economies (whichincludes even Indonesia), figures from theNBS show our absolute poverty worseningfrom 54.7 in 2004 to 61.9 in 2011!
The real tragedy is that despite thislamentable state of our nation, ourentrenched interests are still fightingviciously to ensure that nothing is changed!Have you observed that it is only ourministers and other officeholders trying toreform the system, that come under severeattacks and castigations, while theircounterparts, who are doing nothing, arehaving their peace?
Even more tragic is how the vestedinterests are cleverly using the rest of us tofight our nation! As we shrug at (or evensupport) the troubles of Aruma Oteh andher reforms at SEC, Bart Nnaji and hispower-sector reforms, Sanusi LamidoSanusi and his monetary reforms, DezianiAlison-Madueke, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,etc, what do we think we are doing? Theanswer is that we are effectively helping ourentrenched interests to ensure that nothingchanges; to ensure that all the officeholderswho “do nothing” have their peace, whilethose that dare to reform the system, see“hell”!
I would like to take us back to the CBN’sbanking industry reform of 2004 (underProf. Chukwuma Soludo) because of theenduring lessons it seems to hold for oursituation today! The most significant aspectof that reform was the decisive deadline itgave to our grossly undercapitalised banks,to recapitalise to at least N25 billion, or losetheir licenses! Prof. Soludo was almosthounded out of office for daring to advancethat policy!
The criticisms that greeted the policy were
unusually scathing, with merciless andsometimes hateful condemnations rainingon Soludo from all sides, and questioninghis competence for the CBN job! Ironically,the attacks were coming as much from us,as from anybody else! For example, in a verypowerful essay, “The Facts that Soludo LeftOut”, Dr. Ayo Teriba, one of Nigeria’s mostinfluential financial experts, after attackingthe policy, had charged: “… As a highlyrespected scholar, the CBN governor willdo well to publicly retract his utterances inthese regards, in the spirit of academichumility. Consequently, he should withdrawhis proposal that all banks must raise theircapital bases to N25b ...”. Similarly, one ofNigeria’s most respected columnists, SimonKolawole, in a piece titled, “Soludo,Banking is not Ludo” charged: “Theimpression I get is that Soludo has justentered a new terrain, and withoutacclimatising, he has dived headlong intothe unknown …”.
You would almost wonder if it was notthe same CBN that various other
persons had headed very quietly in the past!In the end, it was only President OlusegunObasanjo’s “stubborn” backing of his
reformer that saved that reform at thatcritical time (in clear defiance of theNational Assembly and all opposition)! Thisnot only sent a clear message of thePresident’s seriousness with reform, but alsoserved as a Presidential inspiration to hisreform team that was daring to say “enoughis enough!”
Ironically, that recapitalisation (orconsolidation) ended up changingdramatically the incentives driving ourbanking sector, and (not minding the abusesthat later occurred) making a profoundimpact on our nation, some of which I needto recall here! Our banks that had previouslylacked the capacity to meet the fundingrequirements of serious businesses (causingthe likes of MTN and Econet to source mostof their funds overseas), could now cometogether to offer local syndicated facilitiesto blue chips! CBN data showed bank creditto our core private sector rocketing fromN1.19tn in 2003 to N4.9tn in 2007! Bankingin Nigeria moved from the realm of rent-seeking and “glorified trading in foreignexchange”, to real banking! Theconsolidation also capacitated the industryto make required investments in moderntechnology, which heralded new bankingplatforms (including ATMs) that finallymoved us to a new era of any-branch banking(where you could now walk into any branchof your bank, and get served as fully as if inyour own branch)! It was also theconsolidation that capacitated the banks toachieve the nationwide branch expansionthat government had been demanding sincethe 1980s. We saw bank branches explodingnationwide, with brands such as Zenith andOceanic particularly expandingphenomenally! The impact of this wasphenomenal on the economy. The numberof depositors surged! CBN data showed bankdeposits rocketing to N5.4 trillion in 2007,from only N1.4 trillion in 2003!
THE recent article written by
former NigeriaAmbassador to Congo, ChiefGreg Mbadiwe titled “2015 IgboPresidency: Where Kalu got itwrong” which was published inseveral national dailies was quiterevealing, instructive and timely,especially for the people of theSouth East zone in their quest toproduce the next President of thecountry in 2015. There were,however, some missing links andseveral hidden truths in thearticle. It is public knowledge thatall the acclaimed successes thatbrought Chief Orji Uzor Kalu tolimelight was more of thehandiwork of his mother whoused her earlier contacts ingovernment circles, especiallyduring the military era, to projecthim. Not that Kalu has been orwas outstanding in his endeavours.
His emergence as governor ofAbia State in 1999 was notwithout the assistance of hissuccessor, Governor TheodoreOrji who was then anadministrative secretary at theNational Electoral Commission,NECON, and played a vital rolein ensuring that Kalu survived theoverwhelming opposition to hiscandidature. But it is now obviousthat outside the corridors ofpower, the man has nothing muchto offer the society. Even asacclaimed master strategist,Nigerians have not seen his input
2015 Igbo presidency:Mbadiwe’s postulations overKalu
either in the economy or politicsof the country since he lost out ofthe power equation, both in hisstate and at the national level.
Against the postulation byMbadiwe that Kalu went intopolitical hibernation andorphanage after being betrayedby his erstwhile trusted protégés, Iwill say nobody betrayed him.Rather he it was that betrayed thepeople, especially those whoassisted him in the rainy day. Thisexplains why the ProgressivePeoples Alliance, PPA, which wasformed by Kalu and others in2006 lost the two states, Abia andImo, under its control after the2007 general elections to thePeoples Democratic Party, PDP,before the 2011 general elections.That single political incident wasenough evidence and eye-openerfor the Igbos to know what he wasup to by using his false crusade onIgbo Presidency to re-launchhimself into political relevanceahead 2015. Unfortunately forhim and his allies, their politicaltricks were found to be old andout-dated and cannot help hispolitical fortunes and that of theIgbos in 2015.
Have Nigerians forgotten thatPPA and ACN were both registeredas political parties in 2006 withACN winning only Lagos State inthe 2007 general elections? Buttoday with Senator Bola AhmedTinubu’s political sagacity, ACNis in control of five states in theSouth West and one in the South-South zone and has remained the
most vibrant opposition party inthe country today. It is obviousthat Kalu’s lack of political visionand the quest to build a politicaldynasty at the expense of thepeople led to his political failureafter the 2007 general elections.For instance, his overbearingattitude is believed to havecompelled former governor ofCross River State, Chief ClementEbri, to suddenly and angrilyresign his chairmanship positionof PPA in 2010, a time hisleadership had repositioned theparty as a strong opposition voice.
If truly Kalu meant well for
Igbo Presidency in 2015,what stopped him from nurturingthe political platform he hadbefore now in preparation for therealisation of the dream? Has heforgotten that political power isnot given on a platter of gold orthrough noise making? It wasKalu who hurriedly took PPA in2007 to join the Government ofNational Unity, GNU, of the latePresident Alhaji Umaru MusaYar'Adua led-government basedon what many perceived as selfish
consideration. Before Yar Adua’sdemise, he was one of thosecalling the shots in the Presidencyunder the guise of the GNUwithout considering the interest ofthe Igbos or the need for IgboPresidency in 2011 or 2015.
From all indications, it iscrystal clear that Kalu has nopolitical relevance now tochampion the quest for IgboPresidency in 2015. This is because,apart from having no politicalstructure on ground to even winany election in his home stateAbia, his sudden campaign forIgbo Presidency in 2015 appearssuspicious and at the same time asmokescreen to seek for politicalrelevance and rehabilitation. So,there is urgent need for the Igbosto be wary of his latest antics viaaggressive and grandstandingcampaign before it alters politicalcalculation and equation for thezone ahead 2015. No wonder noprominent Igbo person has lenthis support or identified with himsince he started the charade.
Besides, where was Kalu duringthe last Igbo day celebration inAsaba where the issue of IgboPresidency 2015 and other issuesaffecting the Igbos were discussedby the people of the zone? Or is heworking at cross-purposes withthe people he claimed to havebeen championing their cause?As Mbadiwe rightly said, Kaluhas always failed to translate hisvision into reality by being tooaggressive and abrasive in hisapproach. Obviously, the leopardcan hardly changes its colour, soKalu is at again, but this timewithout a vision to be transformedinto reality.
According to Mbadiwe, Kalu’sargument is predicated on theassumption that the issue ofrotational presidency is a settledone. But apart from Mbadiwe’sanalysis on how Kalu breached
rotational presidency in the pastdue to his inordinate ambitionand domineering politics, let ustake a look at his support for suchbreach in his state for selfishpolitical reasons.
After being governor of the statefor two terms, Kalu was succeededby Theodore Orji from AbiaCentral Senatorial zone, becauseKalu hails from Abia North zone.But because of his politicaldifferences with Orji ahead of the2011 election, Kalu provided allthe needed support for Orji’simpeached deputy, Comrade ChrisAkomas from Abia South zonewho was his party, PPA,governorship candidate in thestate during the 2011 election todislodge Orji from office and alterthe political equation vis-a-visrotation of power among the threezones in the state. Some peoplefrom the Abia South zone wereincited against Governor Orjiwho was seeking for second termin office. It took the politicalunderstanding and wisdom of thepeople of the state to vote wiselyfor Orji in 2011 knowing full wellthat Kalu was on a politicalvendetta mission against theGovernor for liberating the state.
No wonder Kalu was alsohumiliated in the 2011 AbiaNorth Senatorial election byComrade Uche Chukwumerijeand his younger brother sufferedthe same fate in Aba North/SouthFederal Constituency election.
This is because our peopleknow him and were not deceivedby his political abracadabra inthe state. Most Igbos must by nowbe wise to his antics and will notallow themselves to be deceivedcome 2015.
Where was Kaluduring the lastIgbo daycelebrationwherethe issue of IgboPresidency 2015(was) discussed?Or is he workingat cross-purposeswith the people?
It is only ourministers and otherofficeholders trying toreform the system, thatcome under severeattacks andcastigations, whiletheir counterparts, whoare doing nothing, arehaving their peace
20—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
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Furore over stalemated Federal Gas Poly, BonnyBY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI,Port Harcourt
BONNY community in Rivers State is home to a
Shell oil terminal and theNigerian Liquefied NaturalGas, NLNG. Over the courseof these corporate tenants’ busi-ness of tapping crude oil andgas deposits in the shores ofthis tiny island, there has beenestablished, as in most oil hostcommunities, a love-hate rela-tionship in which the nativesrepeatedly feel compelled tosack the operating companiesfor perceived unsatisfactory re-turns to the landlords.
Recently, youths of Bonny ledanother of these persistentprotests to demonstrate thecommunity’s frustrations overnot gaining returns commensu-rate with their status as primeoil host community. In the latestcase, however, the community’sanger was not intended to haltShell or the NLNG operationsin the area for thecommonplace cries of unem-ployment of natives, indiffer-ence to inadequate or failingamenities or environmentaldegradation by the companies.
The peaceful protest herald-ed by a press briefing in PortHarcourt by the umbrella ofBonny Youth Federation, BYF,was targeted at the FederalGovernment over allegedstalemate in the establishmentof the Federal Gas Polytechnic,Bonny. Leader of the BYF, Mr.Gift Furo Hart, lamented toVanguard Metro, VM, that the“elasticity of patience by thepeople of Bonny on this matterhas been overstretched to breakpoint as we can no longer cometo terms with the Federal Gov-ernment on any defence it canadvance for the delayedcommencement of the FederalGas Polytechnic, Bonny”.
State of the project“We are aware that a mandate
was handed to the PetroleumTechnology DevelopmentFund, PTDF and the NationalBoard on Technical Education,NBTE, to look at the require-ments and harmonise respon-sibilities for eventual take-off ofthe specialised institute. Whyhas that objective continued tohit the brick wall?” Hart fumed.
According to the BYF leader,the Gas Technology School wasconceived as the National Tech-nical Institute for Petroleum andGas by the government of Riv-ers State in year 2000 as afeeder institution to serve theNLNG middle level manpow-er training and developmentneeds. The foundation stone forthe project then wasconsciously laid to coincide withthe commissioning of theNLNG that year. In 2006, theFederal Government took overthe initiative under PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo who en-trusted the project to the PTDFfor completion as part of gov-ernment overall plan to developthe Niger Delta.
Under incumbent PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, theFederal Government cappedits interest in the project by up-grading the National TechnicalInstitute into a full-fledgedFederal Gas Polytechnic thatwill specialise in gastechnology, alternative energyand environmental science.“The presidential decisioncharged the PTDF to providefunding and NBTE (technicalguide) to ensure a smooth take-off of the school,” Hartexplained.
The community stressed thatthe school, when put on streamwould not only serve the inter-ests of Bonny. Hart said: “Asthe immediate host, we standto benefit a great deal. But theschool is expected to train andprovide career windows for allpeople from oil producing com-munities in the region, acrossNigeria at large and, in notime, beyond”.
Protest expectationsOver the determination to en-
sure urgent take-off of the in-stitute, the Bonny peopletasked the Federal Governmentto hand over custody of theready structures and facilitiesat the project site to either theBonny Kingdom DevelopmentCommittee, BKDC, or agovernment empanelled Gov-
erning Council to oversee se-curity and maintenance of whatis already on ground. The agi-tated youths also expect theintended Governing Council toimmediately recruit neededstaff to commence academicactivities, while seeing to com-pletion of outstanding projectsfor the school to run fully.
“This has become imperativebecause a similar council set upfor a similar polytechnic beingdeveloped by the PTDF inEkowe, Bayelsa State, hashelped in no small measure inresolving the teething infra-structures, administrative, com-munity, academic and sundrychallenges encountered in theestablishment of that projectinitiated about same time as theone in Bonny by the PTDF, butis now near completion,” theyouth leader emphasised.
The Bonny people are alsoconfident that a see-for-yourselfvisit by the Minister of State forEducation, Chief NyesomWike, who hails from Rivers
State, would also go a longway in recharging governmentconcern for the institution, justas they also pointed to theMinistry of Petroleum as an in-terested party that mustintervene, in harmony with theEducation Ministry, to put onstream the school as one of akind.
Community’s disgust withpoor Federal presence
The media protest over thedelayed take-off of the schoolalso afforded the aggrievedyouths a chance for a generalappraisal of Federal Govern-ment’s disposition to the devel-opment of the oil and gas hostcommunity. Their verdict wasthat: “Federal Governmentplays politics and treats withlevity everything meant to ben-efit the people. There are many
unfulfilled promises; the lin-gering construction of the Bon-ny/Bodo Road promised theBonny people since the eraGen. Yakubu Gowon’s is justone among many.”
Incidentally, Gowon has beenamong recent high profilevisitors, including former Headof Interim NationalGovernment, EarnestShonekan, to the BonnyIsland. The protesting youthswere disappointed that whilethe former national leaderswere mainly in the island to“perhaps strategise in safe-guarding their interest in thedelivery of coming Train Sev-en of the NLNG, not even Go-won was able to use the oppor-tunity of the visit to condemnthe non-completion of the Bodo/Bonny Road which he initiat-ed but still remains a lingering
subject of bad politics severalyears after”.
It would be recalled that Gen.Gowon during the visit statedthat Nigeria has lost well over$2b from flared gas which, ac-cording to him, is wasted daily.In a rejoinder to Gowon’sstatement, Mr. Furo Hart said:“The Bonny people are vexedthat while the former Head ofState had a firm mental pictureof the Dollar value of the wast-ed gas, he cared less abouthow the flared gas affects ourcommunity, health of the peo-ple and the damage to the en-vironment. The flared gas ifwell harnessed by governmentcould support cottage indus-tries which consequently wouldhave been generating employ-ment for the teeming unem-ployed among us.”
BY OLASUNKNAMI AKONI
THE Managing Director,Lagos Waste Manage-
ment Authority, LAWMA, Mr.Ola Oresanya has said that the‘Waste-for-Food’ initiative re-cently introduced is to bringabout development and wealthcreation to Lagos State.
Oresanya spoke against thebackdrop of the claim that the‘Waste-for-Food’ initiative willexpose children to scavengingand health risks.
He warned against the dan-ger inherent in the attempt topoliticiced waste management,saying: “It will draw the stateback rather than moving itforward. In the last couple ofyears, LAWMA has succeeded
‘Waste-for-Food’ initiative for wealth creation, notscavenging — LAWMA
in using waste management tobring about development andwealth creation to Lagos”.
The Peoples Democratic Peo-ple, PDP, has criticised holidayprogramme, saying it wouldparticularly encourage teenagechildren to “scavenge” forplastic bottles in return for“food”.
The party’s Publicity Secre-tary, Mr, Taofik Gani, noted thatsuch a programme at this timewas “barbaric, exploitative andextortionate”.
Speaking in his office, Ore-sanya said the initiative wasdesigned to remind children oftheir responsibilities in keep-ing their immediateenvironment clean.
He said the involvement of
children was aimed at creatingawareness and teaching themthe importance of recyclingitems, considered as waste, togenerate wealth and to pro-duce useful items such aswaste bin bags.
The LAWMA boss lamentedthat one of the banes of devel-opment and progress in thecountry is the penchant bysome to deliberately or out ofignorance politicise laudablepolicies that are aimed at mov-ing the society forward.
He added that the pro-grammes of his agency areopen for all and sundry to par-ticipate and inspect as “thereis nothing hidden about whatwe do in LAWMA”.
We can no longercome to termswith the FG onany defence it canadvance for thedelayedcommencement ofthe Federal GasPolytechnic
*BYF leader, Furo Hart(m)flanked by co-leaders, during a press briefing on the contentiousissue
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 21
CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING
CBN Exchange rate as at 11/10/2012
113.34 +1.52
90.77 +1.44
164.75 -4.35
2,434.00 +53.00
21.59 +0.17
DOLLAR 154.75 155.25 155.75
STERLING 248.0024 248.8037 249.605
EURO 199.4882 200.1328 200.7773
FRANC 164.6977 165.2299 165.762
YEN 1.9759 1.9823 1.9886
CFA 0.2877 0.2977 0.3077
WAUA 238.2055 238.9752 239.7448
RENMINBI 24.6271 24.7071 24.7871
RIYAL 41.2634 41.3967 41.53
KRONA 26.7373 26.8237 26.9101
SDR 237.727 238.4951 239.2632
From left: Deputy Director Banking and Payment System Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Olu Adaramewa;Director, TeleBanking, Globacom, Mr. Tunde Kuponiyi and Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives, Mr. BismarkRewane, at the conference on cashless society sponsored by Glo, in Lagos.
FOR Nigeria’s vision to rank amongthe 20 largest economies in the
world by year 2020 to be realised, thereis need for urgent ethical re-orientationamongst the citizenry.
This was the position of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan and other eminentNigerians who spoke at the just-concluded 44
th Annual National
Conference of the Chartered Instituteof Personnel Management of Nigeria(CIPM) in Abuja. The other speakersat the event include Dr. ChristopherKolade, Bishop Hassan MatthewKukah and Mr. Steve Oronsaye.
Head of Service of the Federation,Alhaji Isah Bello Salli, while declaringopen the conference, emphasised theneed for Nigerians to re-imbibe the setof values that made the country thepride of the world at the dawn ofindependence.
He said the values include, but notlimited to, respect for human dignityand the right to life, service to thenation, hard-work, loyalty, honesty,selfless service, religious tolerance,accountability and dedication.
He noted that these values shaped theway and manner we behaved and howother nations of the world perceived usas a people.
The President, however, regretted thatthese set of values have been erodedby various negative factors rangingfrom corruption, abuse of power, lack ofrespect for human life, lack of dignity,drug abuse, kidnapping, religiousintolerance, ethnic war to suicidebombing.
He lamented that these have sloweddown the pace of transformation andnational development, while calling onprofessional bodies like CIPM toprovide assistance and leadership instrengthening the bureaucracy for therealisation of his administration’stransformation agenda.
“Any transformational programmedepends substantially on the ethicalvalues of all stakeholders- governmentand the governed. Let me thereforeurge Nigerians to always uphold thevirtues of integrity, hard work, diligenceand tolerance, which have proven to bethe bulwarks that drive societies.Indeed, Nigeria will be much greaterwhen we continue to live above board,respect our differences and fullymobilise our human and material
resources,” he remarked.Kolade, Nigeria’s former High
Commissioner to the United Kingdom,in his keynote address on “ Restorationof Values for National Development”’,charged parents to bring their childrenup on the right track to ensurerestoration of ethical values. He notedthat human resources practitioners arecustodians of the nation’s values andsuggested the adoption of a system thatenables people grow into leadershippositions through experience andperformance.
INTERNATIONAL Finance
Corporation (IFC) has positionedtwo Nigerian companies among globalbusinesses that create opportunities atthe base of pyramid.
These companies are Deji Akinyanju’sFood Concepts PLC and MitchellElegbe’s Interswitch Limited.
Speaking during the launch of ‘a reporttagged Being the Change: Inspiring theNext Generation of Inclusive BusinessEntrepreneurs Impacting the Base ofthe Pyramid, IFC Vice President,Business Advisory Services NenaStoiljkovic, said that Food Conceptsand Interswitch have developedinnovative and successful businessmodels that expand access to goods,services, and livelihoods for poorpeople, while generating strongfinancial returns.
“IFC, alongside a growing numberof business and development partners,is driving a new movement indevelopment, which aims to redefinepeople living at the base of theeconomic pyramid – as valuableeconomic partners for business – asboth talented and resilient businessentrepreneurs, and value consciousconsumers. Those living at the base ofthe pyramid represent $5 trillion worthof purchasing power.
“By bringing low-income producersand consumers into their supplychains, these companies are pioneers.Creating inclusive business models indeveloping economies is a top priorityfor IFC, and critical in buildingprosperity,” said Stoiljkovic.He stated that the based on interviewswith 14 founders and CEOs of IFCclient companies, the report identifiesa number of lessons on inclusivebusiness, including the need to balanceshort-term returns with long-term goalsand the importance of knowledge of localconditions, needs, and capabilities.
IFC rates Food Concept,Interswitch high amongglobal businesses
A human resource firm,
Employment Clinic has disclosedthat the N960 billion annually spent onthe importation of artisans by the Nigeriagovernment can be channeled to the 40million Nigerian youths.
Executive Director, EmploymentClinic, Mrs. Ronke Kosoko, stated thatthe task of putting 40 millionunemployed Nigerians back to work goesbeyond an administration, but demandsthe contribution of all stakeholders.
The employment firm is collaboratingwith the federal government on itstransformation agenda and is partneringwith key business leaders across theeconomic sectors to brainstorm on howto ensure job creation for the teemingmass of unemployed Nigerians.
The federal government team lead bythe duo of Olusegun Aganga and EmekaWogu, Ministers for Trade & Investmentand Labour & Productivity respectively,will join other key stakeholders to x-ray
Unemployment: Firm kicks against N960bnspending on expatriate
By DOTUN IBIWOYE
BY YINKA KOLAWOLE
BY FRANKLIN ALLI
the problem of unemployment andproffer a roadmap that will help Nigeriaattain her Vision 20 2020 with regardsto job creation.
According to Kosoko, human capital isundeniably the greatest asset of everynation and there is an urgent need tobalance the right skills with growthopportunity.
Kosoko noted that Nigeria isobviously at a threshold in its historyas a nation, with vast human andnatural resources, and economic growthof about seven per cent, adding thatdespite the influx of private sectorinvestments across all industries, over40.6 per cent of the country’s youthsare still unemployed.
Being the first ever conglomeration ofthe government, policy makers,employers of labour, and NigerianGraduates on employment and HumanCapital Issues, she noted that thestakeholders conference will availparticipants the opportunities that existacross industries.
must collaborate with moneymarket agents- financial mar-ket dealers association, CentralBank of Nigeria, CBN, Nige-ria Deposit Insurance Corpo-ration, NDIC, the interbanksettlement and all other stake-holders to put a structure inplace that will ensure the suc-cess of the market makers.
Speaking to Vanguard in anexclusive interview, Wale Olu-wo, Managing Director, Invest-ment Banking Group, BGLSecurities, said that collabora-tion among the key stakehold-ers in both money and capitalmarket is required to introducean orderly market that couldclear itself.
He stated that the capitalmarket should not begin to lookat itself as an island becausethe capital market cannot clearits own transactions withoutgoing through the banking sys-tem and the money market.
“So the capital market andmoney market must work to-gether for those market mak-ers to operate. It cannot oper-ate without the money marketbecause it is the money market
only two of them have access tofinance being banks’ subsidiar-ies.
He said, “Apart from StanbicIBTC Capital and FBN Securi-ties that are banks’ subsidiar-ies, all the other ones are notbanks, and there is no discount
window for them to raise cashto be able deliver on what theypromised.
“Where are they going to getresource? Where is the clear-ing house project for funding,because if I go to the marketand people just start bombard-
Standard Chartered to invest $100m in African expansion
STANDARD Chartered
said it will be investingN15.8 billion ($100million) in110 new branches in Nigeria,Kenya and Ghana alongsidefive other core markets overthe next three years.
The company made the an-nouncement at its inauguralAfrica Investor Day on theGroup’s aspirations for the re-gion where Diana Layfield,Standard Chartered’s CEO forAfrica, said the Group will in-vest over $100million on 110new branches in Kenya, Gha-na and, Nigeria alongsidefive other core markets overthe next three years, as wellas making substantial hiresacross both the Wholesale andConsumer Banking business,including over 900 sales staffin the Consumer Bankingbusiness.
Layfield, while speaking onthe bank’s vision for its Afri-can franchise over the nextfive years against the back-drop of how its business hasfared to date, said the bankhad performed creditably wellin the face of increasing com-petition from both internationaland local banks.
The Bank said it aims tomaintain the CAGR deliveredover the last five years of 16per cent. This will see reve-nues from the African businessmore than double in size over
the next four to five years ona constant currency basis,whilst delivering RoRWA andRoE targets at or above theGroup average.
She also said that investmentspend will also be acceleratedin mobile payments technolo-gy, physical infrastructure, staffhires, establishing new on-shore presences and deepen-ing existing ones.
Standard Chartered current-ly covers 37 markets in the re-gion – 15 on a full presencebasis and 22 further markets ona transaction basis following itsclients; providing extensivereach across the continent,thereby covering 92 percent ofsub-Saharan African GDP.
The Group will expand itsgeographic reach to establishnew onshore presences anddeepening existing ones. Itintends to open new WholesaleBanking office locations inSouth Africa and invest in newproducts in both Islamic bank-ing and Mortgages, as well asestablishing an onshore pres-ence in Mozambique, she not-ed.
Since 2010, Standard Char-tered has upgraded a signifi-cant portion of its branch foot-print across Africa, opening orrefurbishing 58 branches andmaking selective ‘bolt on’ ac-quisitions to expand importantcapabilities; acquiring Bar-clays’ African custody businessand the specialist African in-vestment bank, First Africa.
BY NKIRUKA NNOROM that will clear your cash; it isthe money market that will giveyou your money when you over-buy, and it is not your fault be-cause you must buy, Oluwosaid.
According to him, out of the10 appointed market makers,
ing me and I have just two bil-lion cash and I come back fromthe market with ten billion set-tlement, there must be a dis-count window that will giveme that cash, while I try totrade my way out of the mar-ket.”
From left: Mrs Ngozika Obidike, Head, Consumer Protection Council, Lagos Office; Mr Olufunso Popoola, RegionalManager, Apapa Region and Mr. Obi Iregbu, Assistant Director/Co-ordinator, National Lottery Regulatory Commission,Lagos Zonal Office at the Ecobank win big promo first draw in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele
It also expanded a number ofspecialist capabilities, includ-ing hiring into its client cov-erage team and strengtheningits M&A capability in key sec-tors such as oil and gas, andmetals and mining; Chinese
IN furtherance of its commitment to learning and im-
proving the standard of edu-cation in the country, membersof staff of Skye Bank Plc, inconjunction with Gem Publi-cations, have donated educa-tional and inspirational booksto three secondary schools inLagos State.
The book donations whichwere done under the auspic-es of the Gem Initiative to re-awaken the reading cultureamong secondary students inthe state, formed part of theGem Publications Group’s ini-tiative to commemorate thisyear’s international literacyday.
The schools which benefittedfrom the initiative includedAgidingbi Grammar School,Ojodu Junior High Schholand Babs Fafunwa MemorialSenior Secondary School,Ojodu.
Speaking at the book presen-tation ceremonies at the vari-
Skye Bank employees, Gem partner ineducational devt
ous schools, the Regional Di-rector, Ikeja Region of SkyeBank Plc, Mr. Owolabi Kam-son, noted that the bank andits employees placed a veryhigh premium on education,as continuous learning is oneof the bank’s core values.
Specifically, he said knowl-edge obtained through edu-cation is the key to life-longsuccess and outstanding ac-complishments by individu-als, adding that only thosewho are educated rule theworld through their ideas.Kamson assured that thebank would continue to part-ner with public spirited or-ganizations and non govern-mental organizations to im-prove the standard and qual-ity of education in the coun-try.
The Chief Executive Offic-er of the Gem Group, MrsBola Olawale, said her orga-nization started the pro-gramme to check the dwin-
dling interest in readingamong students as well as toimprove the spoken and writ-ten English of students gen-erally.
She noted that only 20 percent of students who sat forEnglish Language in the lastSenior School Certificate ex-aminations passed while astaggering 80 per cent failedthe subject which is consid-ered necessary for their edu-cational advancement.
Olawale charged the stu-dents to read voraciously andacquire the knowledge thatwill make them competefavourably with people fromother countries in the future.Skye Bank Plc is an educationfriendly institution with estab-lished records of assistance toeducational institutions. Re-cently, the bank partneredwith the Rainbow Book Clubto donate books to some sec-ondary schools in Ajegunle,Lagos.
BY RITA OBODOECHINAspeakers were hired to pro-vide dedicated support toChina-Africa corridor busi-ness.
Layfield said that at$1.34billion in 2011, Africacurrently accounts for 8 per-
cent of Group income. “Iin theGroup as a whole, our perfor-mance has been sustained bya large number of differentgrowth engines with a veryhealthy balance across ourmajor geographies.”
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 23
AUTHOR of ‘School ofMoney’, Mr. Olumide
Emmanuel has expressedconfidence that Nigerians canovercome economic recessionto hits the world in 2007 withfinancial intelligence.
Speaking with news men inLagos, Emmanuel explainedthat with financialintelligence, Nigerians canovercome economic recession.
“When the recession beganin 2007, as at 2008, the thenCentral Bank Governor,Charles Soludo was telling usthat Nigeria cannot beaffected because we areimmune.
“This is because they werenot looking at thingsholistically but today we knowthat the information was notaccurate. The solution torecession in the country is forus to have financial intelligentand be conscious that there isrecession in the country.”
He attributed the high rateof unemployment min thecountry to lack of entrepreneurskills in Nigerians.
“Entrepreneurship is thesolution to unemployment. Itis the solution to poverty andit is the solution to corruption.People steal money becausethey don’t know how to createmoney. Once people knowhow to create money theywould not steal.
“Once people know how tocreate money and createwealth they would create jobs.So if young people graduatefrom school and they knowhow to set up small businessbefore long they wouldemploy people and the moneywould be there for thegovernment to do otherthings,” he said.
Nigerians need financial intelligenceto overcome recession — Olumide
By KUNLE KALEJAYE
Explaining the importance ofcultivating reading habit,Olumide said the averageNigerian does not read “thatis why they are average andthat is how they will continueto remain average.
“So if you want to leaveaverage to become
exceptional you need to read.Because if you are notinformed you will bedeformed, if you are notinspired you will expire andif you are not updated you willbe outdated. It is what youknow that determine how faryou will go. So you have to
read because it is throughreading that you get theinformation on how to createwealth.
The school does not teachpeople wealth creation.
“Having a Ph.D. in SwimmingTechnology does not make you
a swimmer. Having a degreein Business Administrationdoes not mean you cansuccessfully run a saloon. Sothis book (School of Money)is there to give people thepractical knowledge and toolson how to teach people. Youhave seen people sharetestimonies on how they havebecome millionaires andlandlords. So it has worked forthem why won’t it work forother people. We have raiseover 300millionaires over thelast five years already andland owners.
“School of Money Book iswhat this nation needs nowbecause we need financialintelligence, we needentrepreneurship to turnthings around in the country.
At the end of the seminar,raffle draw was held foraudience that bought book andMr. Bensmart Onyechere wonthe first prize of N1 millionwhile the second prize ofN500,000 cash went to Mrs.Esther Ajilore and Mr.OluwaseyeOyetunji emergeas the third place winner withN250,000 cash.
Olumide Emmanuel hasbeen into motivationalseminars and book writing forthe past 20 years. He startedout in 1995 and has been inLagos and several placessince then.
AS the world markedcustomer service week,
bank customers have identifiedservices that needed to beimproved in the bankingindustry.
In commemoration of theweek, which is usually markedin the first week of October, across session bank customersspoke with Vanguard on how
Customers appraise banks on customerservice week
By KAYODE AMOLEGBE their bank can serve them better.Akeem Abiodun, a Phone
engineer, who banks withGuarantee Trust Bank (GTB),said, “GTB can serve me wellby making sure the three ATMmachines here are workingproperly in order to forestalllong queues”.
Ibrahim Abayomi, anAluminum fabricator, whopatronizes Keystone bank, said,“If they have enough workers,
they will be able to speed uptheir services. Not everybodyhas the strength to wait, somepeople just came to do one ortwo things”. A Stanbic IBTCcustomer, David OlayemiShodimu, an oil merchant, wasnot satisfied with Stanbic servicedelivery as of the time of thisinterview. He said he has beenwaiting for hours just to get atransaction confirmed. “Stanbicshould look for procedures thatwill make them more efficient.I expect to see a bank like IBTCto be more efficient looking atthe banking hall; I think theyhave less population. It is notabout the structure orenvironment, it is about servicedelivery. When you come for asmall transaction and you haveaccount with the same bank; amthe sole signatory to the accountand am sitting down here forconfirmation, what is theessence about that? That is notwhat banking is, bankingshould be service”, he said.
Mrs. Ololade, a businesswoman, commended ZenithBank for their prompt servicetowards her but advised themto support small scaleentrepreneurs in their business.
A public servant by the nameEmmanuel Obudu, who alsobanks with Zenith Bank said,“Zenith bank should providemeans to transfer money outsidethe country, like this Money
Gram and others”.Bukola, a student of Tai
Solarin University, who bankswith Skye Bank said, “I wantthem to improve on theircustomer service that is the waythey render service. I haveapplied for an ATM card forweeks now and they keep tellingme to come back and theyhaven’t given me till now. So,things like that I want them toimprove on that”.
Mrs. Kayode, a businesswoman, who came to
pay for her children school feesat First Bank, however havesome advice for the bank. “Sofar so good, I think the bank hastried, but they should add totheir customer care. You know,they should try to be friendlier.They are trying”, she said.
A student of Ekiti StateUniversity by the nameAdesuwa, commended FirstBank in their service delivery.She said they are trying.
A Technician by the nameAlabi, who patronizes SterlingBank, commended them fortheir easy access to transactionsand also for having a reliablenetwork. Mr. Olanrewaju Lawal,a journalist, who patronizesUnited Bank for Africa, said, “Asfar as am concerned UBA is oneof the oldest banks in thecountry and customers haveconfidence in them.
WITH the posting of ahealthy profit before tax of N23.2
billion for the nine months ended 30 Sep-tember 2012, Diamond Bank Plc has con-tinued on an upward trajectory to profit.Highlights of the unaudited results, whichwas prepared on the basis of InternationalFinancial Reporting Standards (IFRS), in-dicate that the bank’s total assets basecrossed the N1 trillion mark to N1.03 tril-lion for the Quarter in review. This is a 7%increase from N960.1billion recorded at theend of the second quarter and an impres-sive 28% from N802.7 billion recorded at theend of December 2011.Commenting on the result, the Group Man-aging Director and Chief Executive Officerof the Bank, Dr. Alex Otti, said, “ We aredelighted to announce that Diamond Bankhas achieved a balance sheet size that has
Diamond Bank posts N23.2bn thirdquarter profit
crossed the one trillion naira mark as at theend of Q3 2012. We have increased operat-ing income figures by 107%, having turnedaround the performance of the Bank to prof-itability from the loss recorded last year. Ourdeposit base is growing at an acceleratedpace, evidencing the Bank’s ability to at-tract retail deposits that mitigate our costof funding. We are now in a robust positionto carry this performance through to the endof the year and deliver a sustainable dou-ble digit ROE in 2012.”While the bank recorded a net interest in-come of N72.4 billion (up 39% from Q3,2011), it earned interest and similar incomeof N88.4billion (from Q3, 2011). DiamondBank also achieved a 163 per cent increasein other income from N8.0billion it record-ed in the corresponding quarter of 2011 toN21.0 billion.
Deputy Governor, Financial System, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Stability, Dr. KingsleyMoghalu (middle); MD/CEO, FITC, Dr. Lucy Newman (left); and MD/CEO, Stanbic-IBTCBank, Mrs. Sola David-Borha at the Continuous Education Programme (CEP) for Directorsof banks and other financial institutions, in Lagos.
CMYK
24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
Flood: Two women die in
boat accident
BY EMMA AMAIZE
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State addressing a cross section flood displacedpersons in Oleh camp, Isoko South LGA of Delta State when the governor visited thecamp yesterday. Photo: Henry Unini
YE N A G O A —BAYELSA State
Government plans to es-tablish three food storagesites in Yenagoa, the Statecapital to avert the loomingfood crisis in the state. This came as in the wakeof the devastating flood be-ing experienced in the stateas the government donatedN15 million to the FloodOutreach Committee puttogether by churches in the
WA R R I — T W Owomen, who
went to harvest cassavain their farms at Oyedecommunity in IsokoNorth Local GovernmentArea, weekend, lost theirlives when the boat theywere in capsized.
This came as bandits,raided the Oharisi Reha-bilitation Camp for floodvictims in Ughelli,Ughelli North Local Gov-ernment Area of DeltaState, and carted awayrelief materials meant forthe internally displacedpersons.
Similarly, a man iden-tified as Awee Itimi col-lapsed and died in hisfarm at Irri community,when he saw the devas-tation done to his farm byflood.
The robbers, who camewith dangerous weap-ons, also raped womenand young girls in thecamp.
Before yesterdaynight's invasion of the
Ughelli camp, Vanguardwas informed that rob-bers also raided a reha-bilitation camp inNdokwa area of the stateand stole food items.
It was learnt that therewas no security in virtu-ally all the rehabilitationcamps, but following thelatest incident, govern-ment was making plansto deploy security opera-tives to the relief camps.
Items carted away bythe robbers includedgarri, rice and foodstuff.
Some of the victims,who spoke on conditionof anonymity, confirmedthat the randy robbersraped them.
Reacting to the devel-opment, National coordi-nator of the Forum forJustice and HumanRights Defence, FJHD,Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi,said: “I got the news ofthe rape through a law-yer and our officials, whovisited the camp. It is avery sad and unfortunateincident. These are peo-ple fighting for survival
after being displaced byflood, only for their fel-low human beings, whoought to sympathize withthem, to come to rapethem and steal the reliefitems that were broughtto them by governmentand good Samarians. I donot know how to describethis crime.”
Meanwhile, thieveshave invaded the aban-doned homes of flood vic-tims at Uzere and other
Bayelsa plans three storage facilities in Yenagoa
...bandits raid flood victims camp in Delta
BY SAMUEL OYADONG-HA
area to mitigate the impactof the flood disaster.
Governor Seriake Dicksonwho announced this in a onthe flood situation in thestate said the strategic stor-age sites would be underthe control of the Ministryof Agriculture.
Lamenting the devastat-ing effect of the flood hesaid, “reports at my dis-posal indicate a growingscarcity of food and otheressential commodities aris-ing from the flooding on theEast-West road, which is a
major gateway into thestate. This coupled with thedestruction of farms has cre-ated acute food shortage atthe moment. Consequently,food prices have nowsoared beyond the reach ofthe ordinary person. It hasbecome clear that after theflood, there would be fam-ine in our land. To forestallthis impending tragedy,government has developeda robust plan to boost foodproduction and ensure foodsecurity in the state.”
He said governmentwould be involved in theproduction of essential fooditems like cassava, maize,cocoa yam, rice, plantainand livestock as well as pro-vide support for individualfarmers in the state.
Dickson directed localgovernment councilchairmen working withthe State Emergency Re-sponse ManagementCommittee to establishmore relief centres ineach of the local govern-ments and urged com-
President Goodluck Jonathan flanked by the Chairman, Presidential Committee on funds raising for flooddisasters, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Vice President Namadi Sambo with the co-chair, Mr. Olisa Agbakobaand other members of the Committee shortly after the inauguration of the Committee in Abuja. Photo:Abayomi Adeshida.
munities to set up reliefcamps on high groundsaround them.
Meanwhile, Dicksonannounced the N15 mil-lion donation while inter-acting with Christianleaders in the state at theGreater EvangelismWorld Crusade Church,Opolo in Yengoa.
The governor ex-pressed delight at thesupport and concernchurches have shown sofar, adding that the do-nation was aimed at ena-bling the committee tocomplement the effort ofthe state emergency re-spond committee to amel-iorate the suffering of theflood victims.
Dickson commendedthe Special Assistant onReligious Affairs, Rev.Samuel John-Peters forhis thoughtfulness inconvening the meeting ata time when governmentneeded the support andprayers of the churchmost.
LAGOS—THE fear ofpossible outbreak of
epidemic in the flood vic-tims Relief camps waserased, yesterday, as theleadership of NigeriaLabour Congress, NLC,Delta State Council do-nated essential drugs tothe victims in their vari-ous camps in the state.
Speaking to Vangurdafter making the dona-tion at the Relief Camplocated at St. MichaelCollege, Oleh the StateNLC Chairman, Com-rade, Williams Akporeha,said that the move was tohelp the victims whohave been displaced from
NLC donates to flood victims
ASABA— D E LTAState Government
has directed voluntaryyouth organisations un-der the auspices of theNational Youth Councilof Nigeria, NYCN, DeltaState Chapter, to quicklymobilise and move intothe various relief campswhere flood victims inthe state are taking ref-uge to render muchneeded services.
Speaking through theCommissioner, Directo-
BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG
their natural habitat ad-dress any health chal-lenge that might arise.
Comrade Akporehasaid the magnitude of theflood disaster was be-yond the capacity of thestate government andsympathized with thevictims over the unfortu-nate calamity that befellthem.
The Chairman whocommanded GovernorEmmanuel Uduaghan,for the prompt responseand efforts so far made atameliorating the plightof the flood victims, saidit was a clear demonstra-tion of the governor ’spragmatic leadershipbrought his humanity tothe fore
Delta urges youth groups to help flood victimsrate of Youth Develop-ment, Mr. Ebifa Ijomah,the government gave thedirective while address-ing members of voluntaryyouth organizations inthe state during a meet-ing he held with them.
Ijomah said the emer-gency meeting with mem-bers of the voluntaryyouth organisations wasas a result of the urgentneed to mobilise into theresettlement camps setup by the state govern-
ment to cater for theflood disaster victims.Henoted that the time hadcome for them to provethat they were truly vol-untary organisationswhose agenda includedselfless service.
The Commissioner toldthe organisations thattheir duty in the reliefcamps was mainly to en-sure cleanliness in thecamps to forestall out-break of diseases inabout 12 local govern-
ment areas in the stateaffected by the disaster.
While commendingsome of them that werealready on ground at thevarious resettlementcamps in the state,Ijomah urged others tomobilise to the reliefcamps as quickly as pos-sible to justify the confi-dence reposed in them byDr. EmmanuelUduaghan led adminis-tration.
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—25
BY 2050, the areasuitable for growing
cashew in West Africa couldvirtually double as a resultof global climate change,researchers said at the 7thannual conference of theAfrican Cashew Alliance inCotonou, Benin, lastmonth.
Global climate changewill lead to higher temper-atures and higher levels ofcarbon dioxide that willmake much more land inWest Africa suitable forcashew cultivation, saidEric Rahn of the Interna-tional Centre for TropicalAgriculture. The studylooked specifically at Côted’Ivoire and Ghana.
It was just one of severalpieces of information thatexplained almost palpableexcitement among themore than 530 processors,exporters, financiers, buy-ers and service providerswho came from 34 countriesto participate.
Cashew processing isalso expanding acrossAfrica, creating thousandsof jobs — and more facto-ries are in the pipeline.
Area for cashew growth to double by 2050With an expanded cultiva-tion zone due to climatechange, and continuedincrease in internationaldemand, cashew in WestAfrica particularly is poisedfor continued strong growth.
In Benin alone, at leastfive new cashew processingfactories are in the pipeline— and stakeholders fromother countries reportedsimilar development.
That expansion reinforc-es the importance of the Af-rican Cashew Alliance — itwas founded in 2006 withthe primary mandate to ex-pand cashew processing inorder to create jobs. Sincethen new processing hascreated more than 10,000jobs alone in West Africa.
And the potential to cre-ate even more is significant— and happening. Most ofAfrica’s harvest is exportedas raw cashew nuts to beprocessed elsewhere, suchas Brazil, India and Viet-nam. This year, however,the continent will processmore than 100,000 metrictons of the crop — the mostever.
Cashew stakeholders inCôte d'Ivoire, Africa's largestproducer with roughly350,000 metric tons
annually, said the countrywould process half of itscrop by 2015, an ambitioustarget but an indicator ofthings to come.
Africa’s potential to re-spond to increasing inter-national demand has putit at the centre of thecashew world, experts andspecialists from across theindustry told participantsin a variety of workshopsat the conference. Effortsacross the sector in Africaare capitalising on that po-tential, participantslearned.
Farmer training pro-grammes implementedunder the African CashewInitiative (ACI) — whichhave seen best practices toincrease yields adopted byup to 80 per cent of farmers— are expanding, helpingto ensure future harvestscan keep pace withdemand.
The ACI, overseen by theGerman developmentagency GIZ andimplemented by Tech-noServe, Fair MatchSupport and the ACA, willbegin its second phase, a
ECOWAS trade can boost decent work
three-year programme,later this month. The Billand Melinda Gates Foun-dation supports the ACI’swork, and private sectorstakeholders alsocontribute.
Today the ACA has 176members and many ofthem voted in the electionfor its executive committeeat the conference.Georgette Taraf was elect-ed as the ACA’s president,the first woman to hold theposition.
Koffi Yao Appiah of Coted’Ivoire, Tola Faseru of Ni-
geria and Jace Rabe ofBenin were also elected asnew members. They joinPatrick Wainaina of Kenya,Maokola Majogo ofTanzania and V. Rajkumar.
The ACA’s value wasreinforced at the confer-ence with the signing oftwo MoUs that willstrengthen cooperationwith ARECA, the cashewand cotton industry regu-latory body in Coted’Ivoire, Africa’s largestproducer of cashew, andthe Nigeria NationalCashew Association.
A RECENT thought-provoking study by the
International Labour Office,Regional Trade and Em-ployment in ECOWAS,confirms the intuitivelyheld view that, “… export-ers in the ECOWAS regiontend to be bigger, moreproductive and pay higherwages than non-exporters.”
The up-front cost to enterexport markets is high, butso are the benefits in termsof promoting a morediversified, skill-basedeconomy. The high entry
cost and differences in ex-porters’ comparative ad-vantages relative to theirregional and globalmarkets often require firmsto choose betweenregional or global exports.
Given the choice, mostworkers would choose towork for firms that exportrather than domestic pro-ducers. Unfortunately,confusing regulations, cor-ruption and difficult accessto financing undermineWest African exports.
The ILO study examinesthe contribution of intra-
regional ECOWAS trade tothe creation of “decentjobs.” It looks at both thequantity and quality of jobs,including workproductivity, wages earnedand employment andincome security.
Intra-regional tradedepends fundamentally onthe comparative advantagewhich one Member Stateof ECOWAS or an export-er has relative to his trad-ing partner. While this ad-vantage is based on factorendowments, it is influ-enced by national policies,local institutions, the
STORIES BY DANIEL
GUMM
“business environment”,and vision of the privatesector.
The ILO study segmentsECOWAS firms into fourcategories based on theWorld Bank EnterpriseSurvey (2007 – 2010). Thevast majority (88%) com-prises “purely domesticfirms.” The remaining 12%is divided evenly between“direct exporting firms”and “indirect exportingfirms,” the latter generallysupplying and/orexporting through thedirect exporters.
CMYK
26—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
A sore in ourdemocracy
Continues on page 27
,
Gelegele community road...under construction0
GELEGELE:
By VICTOR OMOREGIE
GELEGELE is said to havebeen founded by its first
ruler of the village, Ikpiti and hiselder sister, Kunemor, sometimein 1403. Both were said to havebeen attracted to the areabecause it was located on a hill,which makes it almost impossibleto be flooded by the river aroundthe place.
According to oral history, thename ‘Gelegele” means a placeon the hill. It seems to havehistory and importanceentrusted upon it. Gelegelebegan as an ancient seaportwhich existed even before thecoming of the colonial mastersand long before the birth ofNigeria as a country.
Apart from the Britishexpedition in Benin, Gelegelewas one of the seaports throughwhich the colonial masterspassed in their quest for theexploration and partitioning of
Africa. They used it to access theancient Benin Kingdom. Itbecame a major route for slavetrade, cocoa, cowries and otherprecious items for the colonialpowers and now it has becomean oil-producing community.
Most importantly is its role inthe history of the Benin Kingdom.It was through Gelegele that theBritish punitive expeditionpassed in 1897, which resultedin the total annihilation of theempire. It was through this sameport that the reigning monarchof the Benin Kingdom, ObaOvoramwen was deported toCalabar.
Britishexpedition
The British expedition teamwas led by its Consul-General,James Phillips. The large canoewhich Phillips and his teamarrived Gelegele is believed to
be buried by the sand in aparticular spot at the port. Thereis also a mass grave site wherethe British colonial masters werereportedly buried. The names ofthose killed and buried alongwith Phillips are Peter W.C.Copland-Crowder, Arthur IMaling, Kenneth C. Campell,Robert H. Elliot, Harry S. Powishand Thomas Cordon.
With all these it would havebeen expected that Gelegelewould have acquired some formof development, but alas, that isnot the case. Like every othercommunity in the Niger Delta,Gelegele is a graphic contrast toits economic and historicalsignificance. Despite hosting theoil flow station of Dubri OilCompany since 1979, socio-economic activities in Gelegeleare seemingly non-existent.
The mere mention of Gelegeleusually evokes a picture of a far-flung, under-developed,inaccessible community in the
heart of the rain forest. Thevillage is situated near a largeexpanse of tropical rain forest,deep in Ovia North-East LocalGovernment Area of Edo State,with a network of rivers, creeks,streams, canals and springslinking up to the River Nigerwhich flows into the high seas.
Pockets of jetties and shrinesbeing patronized by the peoplekeep the area alive. Expectedly,low level fishing and trading incondensate (mistaken by the localpeople as diesel) go on in thearea and serve as the majorsources of revenue for thepeople.
The journey to Gelegele forVanguard began at the new-look
the Ring Road.These include such roads as the
Sakpoba road, Sapele Road,Airport Road, Ekenkhuan,Mission Road, Ewaise (formerlycalled Forestry) Road,Akpakpava. Also noticeableround the Ring road are veryimportant historical sites of theBenin Kingdom that serve ashistorical pointers of days of yore.First among these sites is thePalace of the Monarch of theBenin Kingdom, Omo N’ObaN’Edo Uku Akpokpolokpolo,Oba Erediauwa.
Then comes the Urhokhota Hall(the traditional meeting hall ofall Binis). Next is the Oredo LocalGovernment offices. The most
Ring Road in Benin City. TheRing-road of today wears themodern look of a real urbanbusiness centre and epi-centre ofthe Benin Kingdom.
The Ring-road structure is therepresentation of the ancientroad networks constructed in theglorious days of the BeninKingdom. All roads around thecity empty into the ring road. Itis worthy of note that popularand historical roads converge at
important market in Benin,which is the Oba market liesclose-by. Directly opposite is theState House of AssemblyComplex, with the GeneralHospital as its next doorneighbour. The Benin BaptistChurch is close also. The CentralBank Building is also located infront of the Ring road. Tocomplement the beauty andtourist attraction of the Ring road
,The beauty of the Ring road is atestimony to one of the achievements ofGovernor Adams Oshiomhole of EdoState. In the not too recent past, theRing road could have been likened tothe former Oshodi area in Lagos, wherethe citizenry dreaded to pass after dark
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—27
Gelegele: The sore of democracyContinues from page 26 A
QUAINT Igbo proverb: Oldage means quirky bones. Clear-
ly, some things go together. It seemsmost inevitable, therefore, that the ex-ercise of presidential office must betrailed always by noisy objection froma select crowd of faultfinders. Likedogs after a passing carnival, theirerudite barking has the power onlyof colourful, but impotent, commen-tary. This is my humble assessmentof the frequent bashing which thePresidency receives, almost on a dai-ly basis, from a squad of critics whoseintemperate arguments would be allthe more educating, if only they didnot always betray a clear partisanagenda.
Take the recent Independence Dayspeech by the president. Suddenly,a time honoured moment for soberreflection on our not-so-glorious his-tory as a nation was reduced to amindless opportunity for spurious ar-gumentation by die-hard pessimists.They failed to see the president’s ral-lying address in its true light as arousing call to greater dedication andsought instead to pick worthlessholes in his broad vision of progressand modest gains achieved in the lastyear.
The feverish outbursts against thepresident’s optimistic reading of eco-
work is required to make this hap-pen.
MSN Africa, host e-zine of the Mi-crosoft search engine in Africa un-dertook a whimsical comparison ofthe Independence Day speeches ofPresidentGoodluck Jonathan and SirAbubakar Tafawa Balewa, the nation’sfirst Prime Minister. It was a mostentertaining survey. “At last, ourgreat day has arrived, and Nigeriais now indeed an independent sov-ereign nation,” Tafawa Balewa en-thused at the spot that now bears hisname in Onikan, Lagos in 1960. Fif-ty two years later, Goodluck Jonathanresponds: “Those who witnessed thelowering of the Union Jack and theemergence of the Green White Greenflag continue to relish the memory,because that ceremony was not justabout the destiny of a nation, but thefuture of a people.”
In 1960, Balewa had opened “anew chapter in the history of Nige-ria, and of the Commonwealth, andindeed of the world.” In 2012, Good-luck Jonathan, adds this succinct re-view: “We weathered the storm of thecivil war, we have refused to be bro-ken by sectarian crises; we have re-mained a strong nation. I bring toyou today, a message of renewedhope and faith in the immense pos-sibilities that lie ahead.”
This is the message that the viru-
Patriotic opposition orabject cynicism
BY PITA OKUTE
is the National Museum, which is locateddirectly at the centre of the road.
The new beauty of the Ring road is atestimony to one of the achievements ofGovernor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.In the not too recent past, the Ring road couldhave been likened to the former Oshodi areain Lagos, where the citizenry dreaded to passafter dark.
At the Ring Road Bus Terminal, vehiclesgoing to different parts of the city can befound. Governor Oshiomhole’s impact on thetransport sector is evident in the presence ofnumerous long luxurious buses popularlycalled ‘Oshio Baba’ in the local parlance,heading to different parts of the city. Thesebuses are the exact replica of GovernorBabatunde Fashola’s BRT buses.
Upon the location of the bus terminal,Vanguard was informed that buses go toGelegele twice a day, in the morning and inthe evening. It was by a stroke of luck thatVanguard got a space into one of the busesheading to Gelegele. With the bus filled tocapacity with passengers, it began its journey.
Residentiallayout
From the Ring road the bus passed by theEkenkhuan campus of University of Beninon the right and the Garrick Grammar Schoolon the left. Then it meandered through thenew residential layout of Ugbiokho. As thebus passed through the Ekenkhuan villagethe scenery changed from those of buildingson both sides of the road to that of luxurianttropical rain forests. Surprisingly the journeywas smooth thus far, courtesy of the NDDC,that had built a two-lane asphalt road thatwould terminate at Gelegele.
As we approached the Ughoton community,Vanguard was informed that we wereentering the oil-producing region of EdoState. From inside the bus we could see oil-capping facilities on both sides of the road.In all, we counted over 20 oil-cappingfacilities before we got to Gelegele. Thescenery for the rest of the journey wasvirtually the same, with few housesinterspacing the green tropical rain forest.The journey ended when the bus came to ahalt in front of the ‘Health Centre’ inGelegele, where there were passengersalready waiting to board the bus back toBenin.
Upon disembarking from the bus, weapproached two young men we noticed whosat in front of the steps on the clinic.. We
informed them of our intention to have anextensive tour of the Gelegele community.We then followed the youths towards alocation that had the sign post indicating thedirection to the proposed new sea port.
As we progressed we suddenly enteredinto a clearing, only to be confronted by agroup of youths. One of them told us thatwe had to obtain permission from their“General” before any tour or facility visitwithin the Gelegele community could betaken. The journey took another dimensionwhen we were shepherded into a footpaththat could barely take one person at a time.What this meant was that everyone had towalk in a single file.
Stern lookingyoung men
We were sandwiched by a group of youths.Suddenly, we emerged again at anotherclearing, but this time, it had houses. Seatedunder what could be described as an earthenporch were eight stern-looking young men.After introductions, the spokesperson of thegroup finally introduced us to ‘General’Richard Obei who we later had an interviewwith.
After the interview with 'General' Obei, heassigned two youths to serve as our guidesand to also keep an eye on us. They thentook us to the house of one of the elders ofthe community. The residence was alsolocated within the clearing we had justentered. The residence was modest enoughto house a man of the standing as a Chief. Ithad its generator running, to provideelectricity. After the interview with ChiefKokoroko, we now set out for the surveyproper of the community.
We followed the youths through the thicktropical rain forest, to every oil-capping site.In all we counted 15 oil-capping facilitiesscattered in the forest. It would seem as ifthe Gelegele community is sitting virtuallyon a crude oil basin.
After a hectic walk through the forest, wecame out close to the ‘famous’ Gelegele seaport. Commercial activities were aboutrounding up for the day. Vanguard wasinformed that boats and ferries carryinghuman and commercial cargo went to anypart of the country that was linked bywaterways. We saw some women loadingtheir wares into one of the speed boats. Whatwe could identify were kegs of local gin,dried fish, snails, plantain, salt, garri andpalm oil.
lent opposition dares to demean evermore vociferously with each passingday. The distracting quarrel about thestatistics reeled out by the presidentshould not bother any discerningreader. It is an issue with oppositionpoliticians all over the world. Veryrecently, Republican Party officials inAmerica claimed that the ReserveBank had doctored its financial indi-cators to favour the incumbent ad-ministration. What patriotic Nigeri-ans should never do is deny thathope abounds for our country. Thechallenges are enormous but the ab-ject cynicism of what may be labelledthe “opposition press” is self-defeat-ist and does not advance the strug-gle one inch. Indeed, their attitudeis a deplorable throwback to the an-cient tactics of the past defunct re-publics.
President Jonathan may not be thesaviour we are looking for; to para-phrase a former president who couldnot provide the salvation he soughtin others. But this much is clear, thejourney to nationhood is not desti-nation bound, but a robust process toface up to the challenges of each newday. For this reason, the president’sassertion last Monday rings verytrue: “Over the years, several lead-ers have built on the foundation laidby our Founding Fathers. The batonis now in our hands. Let me assureall Nigerians that we shall not fail. Iam confident that Nigeria will con-tinue to be a source of pride to itscitizens; to Africa and the Black Raceand to humanity; a land that is knownfor progress, freedom, peace and thepromotion of human dignity.” So beit.
’69. Fast forward to the aftermath ofthe annulment of the June 12 elec-tions in 1993, roll through the Abachayears and the national days of everyelection year since 1960. What youget are dark still shots of gloomy dayswhen the nation seemed destined fordisintegration. Thank God, we pulled through.
Collective strengths andgood fortunes
The pessimists may scoff, but thelast anniversary was yet another sal-utary occasion to count our blessingsand revel in our collective strengthsand good fortunes as a people. Inthis wise, President Jonathan waseminently justified in his desire torally the Nigerian people - indeedall patriots - with signposts of a bet-ter promise filled tomorrow. Eko o nibaje, Lagosians like to acclaim thesedays. Why, in the name of all that isgood and decent should Nigeria fareany worse? Yet, some critics are soimmersed in a parochial world-viewthey cannot perceive that the ruin ofthe whole is the utter calamity of itsparts.
Yet, while the opposition criticsjeered and ridiculed their nation, theinternational media rose up the vastpotentials of Project Nigeria to theinherent challenges of managing thisvery large and divergent, multi-eth-nic society. They did not personalisethe issue but looked instead at thevarious programmes designed to pullthe nation through its debilitatingproblems into the comity of emergentnations. Their prognosis: hope ex-ists for a grander nation but still more
nomic indicators smackonly of barefaced op-position politics. Thehappy truth is that wehave had far worse in-dependence anniver-saries than the one thatrolled by last Mondayweek. Think of October1, 1966, 1967, ’68 and
,,This much is clear, the jour-
ney to nationhood is not desti-nation bound, but a robustprocess to face up to the chal-lenges of each new day
Continues next week
Gelegele port
CMYK
28 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
IDL expends N100m on distributors…warns on fake products
Stories byPRINCEWILL EKWUJURU
Intercontinental DistillersLimited (IDL) has spent
about N100million on its dis-tributors in the 2011 fiscal yearas a result of volume andgrowth in their businesses, asit warns on sale of fake prod-ucts.
The company said the giftswhich ranges from 2 trucks,LCD Television, refrigerators,generators sets and cash priz-es was to reward the distribu-tors for their sales performancein 2011.Speaking, Managing Directorof the company, Mr. PatrickAnegbe, said IDL as a compa-ny will continue to rewardhard work and loyalty on thepart of its distributors, even asthe company will continue todo everything possible to as-sist them in growing their busi-ness, whilst the company willremain innovative in produc-ing first choice drinks. He en-thused.
The Managing Director whosaid the management of thecompany is not unaware of thegrowing demand for its prod-ucts in spite of daunting chal-lenges in the industry and theneed to meet ever growing ex-pectations of its customers interms of quality and quantity.
Peak Milk, a flagship milkbrand from the stable of
FrieslandCampina WAMCONigeria Plc recently kicked offa pan-Nigeria campaigntagged ‘Drink Milk Everyday’aimed at encouraging regularintake of milk amongst Nige-rians. The campaign has so farvisited-Benin, Ibadan andMakurdi as the train is expect-ed to transist the length andbreadth of the country.
The campaign the companysaid came as a result of exten-sive research carried out,which showed that Nigerianswere not drinking enoughmilk; considering its enormousnutritional benefits and its abil-ity to help the country build ahealthy manpower.
At the unveiling ceremonyin Lagos recently, Mrs. Abim-bola Fashola, wife of the Gov-ernor of Lagos State, empha-sised the need for milk drink-ing, which she said was anessential necessity for dailygrowth. She used herself as aproof saying, “milk givesstrength, enhances beauty,builds power and much more.”
Since the launch of the pro-gramme, the Drink Milk Ev-eryday train has berthed inthree cities to an overwhelm-ing reception from consumers,students and governmentfunctionaries particularly thewives of the governors andtheir aides.
In Benue, wife of the Be-nue State governor, Architect
Friesland,‘Drink Milk Everyday’ campaign and its impact
Scores of consumers and students of University of Benin witnessing the flag off of DrinkMilk Everyday campaign town storm inside UniBen in Edo State recently.
“The company had to embarkon capacity building by huge-ly investing on factory expan-sion.” He said.
Anegbe who further said thatthe company is in the know ofthe serious challenges posedby fakers of some of itsbrands, pointed out that thecompany is doing everythingpossible to nib the trend, as-sured the distributors thatmeasures are being put in
place to checkmate the trend.His words, “I want to assure
you that these measures havestarted yielding positive re-sult. What we need from youas our distributors is your un-flinching support and loyaltyto our company by ensuringthat you are not involved inselling of fake products.”
He however warned “it’s acriminal offence for anyoneto sell fake products of any
kind. We will continue to mon-itor the activities of our dis-tributors and will not hesitateto withdraw the distributor-ship and prosecute any dis-tributor found in possessionof fake products.”
Continuing, he said, “Weare working closely with rel-evant law enforcement agen-cies, such as National Agen-cy for Food Drugs and Con-trol (NAFDAC), ConsumerProtection Council (CPC), thePolice and State Security Ser-vices (SSS) to ensure that per-petrators are duly prosecuted,he warned. “We are also work-ing the Manufacturers Asso-ciation of Nigeria (MAN) toenact protective laws via thenational Assembly.”
MTN Nigeria has thrownits weight behind the
sixth edition of the HeadiesAward formally known as HipHop Awards.
Speaking, at the press con-ference heralding the Awardcoming up this month SaidatMohammed , Head, YouthSegment, MTN Nigeria,MTN is sponsoring Award,because the Award mean tothe company as an opportu-nity to reward and recognizetalents and the Nigerian art-ist who have shown them-selves to be dedicated peopleto their trade and to their pas-sion, while she stated that itis important their effort is re-warded.
She went on to say that It’sMTN’s belief that hardworkshould be rewarded and goodtalents be recognized “and sowe have one of our values;The can do spirit, and The cando spirit that the Nigerian art-ist have, everyday that hecomes up on stage, everydaythat he goes to the studio, ev-eryday he wakes up to pleasehis or her fans, that is whatMTN stands for and whatMTN supports.”
On what the Award meansto MTN, she said, “It is toshow that we truly believe inthe people of Nigeria,” as shehinted that MTN as a brandis sponsoring the Award butwith its Product; MTN Pulse,which described as a youthbrand.
Mohammed went on to de-scribe the Award as a rallyingpoint for the identification,grooming, recognizing andrewarding of Nigerian musictalent. “Music as we all knowis a veritable platform to le-verage the passion points ofthe over 40 million Nigerianyouths, whose strong bias andattachment to music cannot beover-emphasized.”
“MTN is a brand that hasstrong passion for the ‘youthsand is always ready and will-ing to help them achieve theirdreams. Over the years, wehave been able to identifymusic as one of the strongestpassion points for the youths,and we are determined topartner with any brand thatwill make the dreams of theyouths come true. This is notthe first time MTN is support-ing the Headies Awards, butthis year is unique because ofthe new dimension to theawards. Apart from inspiringthe next generation of Nige-rian music stars, this year’saward is also going to be ded-icated to a good number ofless-privileged children in thesociety; therefore, we are de-lighted to be part of such alaudable initiative.”
Emphasizing the relevanceof music among today ’syounger generation, Moham-med said, “the youth consti-tutes the most dynamic andlargest community of technol-ogy users in the world. Mu-sic is one of the common lan-guages that keep the world to-gether and if this generationis so passionate about music,it is better to sing along withthem,” he concluded.
MTN backsHeadies Award
Yemisi Dooshima Suswamflagged off the “drink milkevery day for women’ cam-paign in the state. Mrs. Sus-wam commended Friesland forthe initiative aimed at ensur-ing that women lead healthylives. Edo and Oyo were notdifferent as Edo State, Depu-ty Governor’s wife, DeaconessEndurance Odubu and Wife of
Oyo State Governor Mrs. Flo-rence Ajimobi encouragedmothers to see FrislandCamp-ina’s initiative as laudableone.
The campaign is also re-corded as one of the most im-pactful corporate social re-sponsibility (CSR) undertak-en by any fast moving con-sumer goods (FMCG) in re-cent times.
Students, children andmothers have testified to theinfluence of the campaign intheir attitudes towards milkconsumption.
Apart from increased pa-tronage experienced by thepromoter-Peak Milk, othermilk manufacturing and mar-keting organisations have alsowitnessed increased patron-age arising from the campaignin these three states.
While wives of Governorsare encouraging mothers toembrace the initiatives by en-
suring that they give theirwards milk on regular basis,students from tertiary institu-tion have urged milk manu-facturing companies to em-bark on pocket friendly pack-aging targeted at studentswho may not be able to affordthe present offerings in themarket.
During the campus storm atthe University of Ibadan a fort-night ago, over ten thousandstudents participated in thecampaign at the cricket groundof the institution. Like otherplaces where the ‘drink milk
everyday’ campaign train hasbeen to, University of Ibadan(UI) students and some con-sumers who attended theevent in their hundreds wereexhaustively educated on thegoodness and benefits of reg-ular intake of milk.
The campaign train also vis-ited University of Benin andUniversity of Agriculture,Makurdi and treated consum-ers as well as students to anevening of fun.
Speaking at the event, theUI Students Union President,Edosa Raymond, said, this isthe first selfless campaign isembarked upon by a corporateorganisation in Nigeria. “I amseeing the first selfless corpo-rate social campaign that en-courages people to even con-sume what competitions areproducing.” Raymond said.
Explaining why the cam-paign was initiated, SeniorBrand Manager, Peak, Mr.Joshua Abuh said the drinkmilk everyday campaign aroseas a result of research the com-pany carried out in the coun-try with respect to how Nige-rians use milk.
“What we discovered wasthat even though Nigeriansappreciate the goodness ofmilk and know that it is nutri-tious, they do not take it reg-ularly. On the average, peo-ple consume milk twice a weekwhich is too low if they willget all the benefits that arethere in milk,” Abuh stated
,
,
What we discovered was thateven though Nigerians appreciatethe goodness of milk and knowthat it is nutritious, they do nottake it regularly. On the average,people consume milk twice aweek which is too low if they willget all the benefits that are therein milk
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—29
CMYK
jam in a first-ever collabo2face, D’banj
...set to headline Top10mics concert
will be performing at thisyear ’s concert, Koga’sspokesman, said ‘’the choiceof 2face Idibia, D’banj,Flavour, Femi Kuti and SirShina Peters cannot befaulted as these acts are verysuccessful in their genres ofmusic, picking them was astroll in the park.’’
Meanwhile, at a Beat FMinterview last weekend, 2faceand D’banj disclosed that theyhave already shot a video oftheir new song titled ‘Feelinggood’ which is produced DonJazzy. The heavyweightmusicians sang somesnippets, raising anticipationfor its release.
They duo once hinted aboutthe possibility of theirrecording a collabo. Bothartistes have had a busy yearso far. 2face released his fifthsolo album ‘Away and Beyond‘and has been on tour in theUS and UK. He also tied theknot with long-standinggirlfriend, Annie Macaulayafter a surprise proposal onValentine’s Day.
D’banj, on the other hand,made headlines for monthsafter his break-up with formerpartner, Don Jazzy. Hesuccessfully broke into the UKmarket under his G.O.O.DMusic/Mercury Recordsrecord-distribution deal withhis monster hit single‘Oliver’. He is scheduled torelease his fourth album ‘MrEndowed’ soonest.
African Queen croonerand Hypertek Honcho,2face Idibia and former
Mohits Records’ leading starand now Good Music artiste,D’banj will on Friday,November 30, 2012 , leadother Nigerian acts includingFemi Kuti, Flavour and SirShina Peters to perform at thisyear ’s Top10mics concert,holding at the exquisite EkoHotel and Suites, VictoriaIsland, Lagos.
This is coming up less thana week after the pop giantsannounced recording acollabo.
The Top10mics concertwhich is in its sophomore yearis being organised byentertainment powerhouse,Koga Studios. The concert willhave ace humorist BrightOkpocha alias BasketMouthas its host. The presenter ofthe popular TV show, BigFriday, will reel out ribcracking jokes to fans.
The concert’s maiden editionheld last year at theexpansive Tafawa BalewaSquare (TBS). Top music actswhich headlined the show last
year were 2face, MI, PSquare, Femi Kuti,
Mocheddah, Obesere,Duncan Mighty, Wizkid,
Eldee and Sir Shina Peters.Speaking on the artistes that
The remains ofV a n g u a r d ’ sentertainment editor,
Ogbonna Amadi will thisafternoon be committed tomother earth at his hometown, Okagwe, Ohafia, inAbia State.
Amadi’s final journey homestarted on Monday, October 8,with a service of songs held athis residence, in Ifako Ijayearea of Lagos.
The service of songs howeverwas followed by a candlelightprocession put together byentertainment journalists cumfriends of Amadi. It took placeat the popular celebrityhangout, O’ jez ChineseRestaurant, National Stadium,Surulere, on Tuesday, October9, and had who-is-who in theentertainment industry inattendance.
...as Weird MC, Tiwa Savage, Sound Sultan,others pay last respect
Amadi goes home today
Some of the celebrities whograced the events weresensational musician, SolaIdowu better known as WeirdMC , Tiwa Savage, Waje,Sound Sultan andOmowumi. Others veteranincluded film maker, EddieUgbomah, Ras Kimono,Kanayo O. Kanayo, FredAmata, Julius Agwu, FidelisDuker, Madu Chikwendu,Alex Eyengho, Charles Inojie
A cross section of sympatisers at the service of songs held inhonour of Late Mr. Ogbonnaya Amadi in Lagos, Monday. Photoby Sylva Eleanya.
among others.The event kicked off a little
behind schedule at 7 pm andhad every one dressed inblack attire.
It was a solemn moment asthe celebrities took turns toeulogise the virtues of lateAmadi who they described as“one of the finestentertainment journalists thiscountry have ever producedover the years.”
Continues on Page 30
Amstel
MaltaShowtime
ends in
Lagos with
a bang
Oba of Lagos’birthday on ice
New chainless
e-bike berths
30—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
Movie of the week
Movie Schedule Oct 12th – Oct 18th
Paying tribute to Amadi,after the opening prayer wassaid by Nonye Ben-Nwankwoof The Punch Newspaper,
Weird MC said Amadi waslike a mentor to every up andcoming musician in thecountry.” “Amadi supportedme when I was coming upand he was like a big brotherto me.” she said.
Tiwa Savage recounted herencounter with late Amadi,
Amadi goes home todaysaying that “ when I returnedto the country few years back,Amadi was one of the peoplethat helped me to hone mytalent. He touched the life ofevery musician in thiscountry.”
For Julius Agwu, Amadideserves to be celebrated asan accomplished journalistand as a showman. Theevening climaxed with acandlelight procession and
prayers.Since his demise,
Amadi has beencelebrated in mediawhere he hold sway formore than twodecades. Hisinterment today willmark the end of an erafor a man who willforever beremembered for hiscontribution to thee n t e r t a i n m e n tindustry in thecountry.
Continues from page 29
If the music stars have theirlots in their grasps, thewannabes, simply would
not stay on the fringes as theyboth let fly all they could offerat the Lagos edition of AmstelMalta Showtime.
The unique variety showfrom the stables of theNigerian Breweries Plc,makers of premium low-sugarmalt drink, Amstel Malta,featured some of the biggestnames in Nigeria’sentertainment industry.
The stars, made up of TufaceIdibia, Wizkid and laughtermerchant I Go Dye, turnedup to entertain the audiencemade up largely of studentsof tertiary institutions inLagos. There was also asurprise appearance fromNollywood superstar, FunkeAkindele of the Jenifa fame asshe teamed up with wizkid tore-enact the video of Wizkid’shit track, Pakurumo.
The Lagos show was thefourth and final leg of thisyear ’s Amstel MaltaShowtime series and therewas certainly a high degreeof expectation at the event.Stars like Naeto C, Flavour, PSquare, 9ice and TiwaSawage had headlinedprevious editions held inBenin, Port Harcourt andIbadan earlier in the year.The Lagos gig was billed tobe the grand finale for 2012and the event did notdisappoint.
Precious Eliogu, RighteousOtserioluwa and LilianEbohon, students of Imo StateUniversity, IMSU, Universityof Lagos and Lagos StateUniversity, respectivelyslugged it out in the dancingcompetition.
While she put up acommendable performance,Lilian Ebohon clearly fellshort of the audienceexpectation. She was votedthe second runner up whileEliogu Precious emerged thefirst runner up. Waist-twistingRighteous Otserioluwaemerged as the winner of the
Amstel Malta Showtimeends in Lagos with abang
d a n c i n gcompetition.
The winnersin all thecategories gotthe whoopingsum of N500,000, a brandnew ipad whilethe first andsecond runnersup got the sumof N150, 000and N100, 000respectively.Ater thecompetitions,K e n n e t hChinedu joinedI Go Dye indishing out ribc r a c k i n gcomedy to thea u d i e n c e .R i g h t e o u sO t s e r i o l u w awas not let outas he joined acedance group,Corporate Dance World, CDW, in thrilling theaudience with scintillating dance steps.
The management of Bold Step MotivationalMagazine which hit the Newsstand on 1st July,2005, has unveiled plans to host the maiden
edition of its Bold Step Award, designed to honourextra-ordinary Nigerian men and women who havepositively impacted on the lives of people, contributingto nation building in their respective chosen fields ofendeavour.
Mr. Nwabueze Kenneth, Publisher of Bold StepMagazine, said, the event comes up on Sunday 28th of
October at the Nigerian Air Force Officers Mess, 1,Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to him, the idea of the award was inspiredby changes happening everywhere in Nigeria, adding,“a lot of great things are happening now and as we allknow, it takes humans to make them happen.”
Kenneth explained that formally several thingshitherto considered impossible have becoem possibledue to the efforts of some outstanding Nigerians.
There are six categories in this maiden award –Politics, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs),Media, Individuals, Companies and Entertainment.
Safe: 1:00pm, 6.45pm,10.55pmSingle and Married 3:10pm,8.20pmResident Evil: Retribution 3D: 12:40pm, 5:05pm, 9:30pm, 11:40pmSTEP UP 4 in 3D: 10:20am, 2:50pm, 7:15pm GENESIS CINEMAS PORT HARCOURT
Single and Married: 7.35pmResident Evil: Retribution: 11:30am, 9:30pmStep UP 4: 5:05pm GENESIS DELUXE CINEMAS ENUGU
Single and Married: 12.45pm,8.40pmResident Evil: Retribution 10:05pm, 2:55pm, 6:05pm, 8:00pmSTEP UP4 12:00pm,4:00pm.
BY AYO ONIKOYI
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—31
GROOVE EXTRA
These are certainlynot the best of
times for ChorppyzRecords and its fast ris-ing hip-hop act, Dello.
The unpleasant sym-phony that is threaten-ing to tear the once-sweet relationship is theunofficial release of thenew hit single ‘Kule-bude’, purportedly byDello.
According to the headhoncho of the record la-bel, George Ederard, therelease of the new songcaught the managementunaware.
“The new song is hotand a potential massivehit, but we’re disap-pointed by Dello’s actionto release the song tothe streets and other as-pects of media that’swhy we decided to sus-pended Dello fromChorppyz Records,
Chorppyz Records suspend DelloOver New Song
“George explained.Speaking further, the
soft-spoken and youngmusic entrepreneur add-ed that, the label has aunique and profession-al way of doing thingsin conformity with its sethigh standard. Reactingto the news of his sus-pension, Dello remarkedthat he is yet to come toterms with reasons forhis suspension.
According to the giftedsinger cum songwriter,“this is my chosen careerand I’m sure headed forthe top, suspension ornot”, he stated. “The song‘kulebude’ is one of myhit songs slated for myforth coming album. AndI see nothing wrong withmy going to town to pub-licize and promote my
After his stunning
debut on the na-
tion’s music scene with
Make Your Move last
year, Mo Easy has
dropped another single
titled, “Ko Soro.”
Ko Soro, currently en-
joying massive airplay
on some local stations in
the country, is produced
by Soul Muzik. The sen-
sational video opens
Mo Easy drops Ko Soro
BY OPEOLUWANIOGUNJIMI
with Mo Easy himself
doing his thing amidst
beautiful ladies adorned
in air-force apparels.
Strategic moves con-
tinues all through the
video, passing across a
message of a real music
player, a mind controller
who has come to stay in
the Nigerian stage.
And then having won
the battle of launching
himself into our hearts,
he throws a champagne
party celebrating his vic-
tory.Mo Easy stepped on
the Nigerian soil for the
first time in 2011. His
first point of call was
Abuja, and then, Lagos
where he attended the
HipTV Award nominees
party with the 2011 Five
Award Nominee Artist,
Darey Art Alade. His
first debut single was
Make Your Move, mak-
ing an outstanding fol-
low up with Ko Soro.
Chorppyz
THE video of the newsingle titled ,African
Skank by top notch artist,director, editor andproducer, Abdul RasheedBello a.k.a JJCSkillz isbilled to drop onThursday October 18,2012.
The first of its kindmusical Video with a flashmob concept directed bySkillz and co directed byAbiodun Adeyinka akaGini is a constellation ofNigerian A-list stars likeAlibaba, KateHenshaw, Omalicha,DJSose,Weird MC, DenreleEdun, CapitalF M , G b e n r oAjibade (Tinsel), Goldie,MC Fricker,Tunde Ednut
According to a statementby the Kwara born Globalnews award 2012 bestv i d e o
JJCSkillz All Stars ‘AfricaSkank’ video set to debut
director African Skank isguaranteed to get youup and dancing beforeyou know it, he addedthat aside the singleenjoying crazy airplayon radio it is a greatdance companion to getyou rock on even duringwork out routines. Theoriginator of Afropean
sound whose protégésinclude DBanj, DonJazzy, Kween , BigBrovas , basedon the high technicalquality invested in thevideo during Productionand post productionstages, he believes withGod the video is goingto be a monster hit.
Come 29thof October ofthis year the Imperialruler of Lagos, Oba
Rilwan Akiolu will be 69 yearsold and some three weeksbefore the d-day it looks likenothing is on the card tomake the day any differentfrom any other day in the lifeof the monarch. Unlike mostevents involving themonarch, invites are usuallysent at least six weeks in lieuof the event.
To cap the suspicion that nodrums would be rolled out tomark the royal father ’s
birthday, the Olowo Eko as heis fondly called is currentlyabroad attending to someroyal callings and notexpected back in the countryfor another week or two.
Though, no official positionhas come out of the IgaIdungaran palace but somesources have hinted that themonarch is putting this year’sevent on ice for the big onenext year when the monarchwill celebrate his 70thbirthdayand his 10thanniversary onthe throne of Lagos.
Those who know SenatorIyiola Omisore will attest
to the fact that what the formerChairman of the SenateCommittee on Appropriationlacks in height, he has madeup for in financial muscle andsocial grace. So popular andfar-reaching was theprosperity of the Osun-bornpolitician that he may verywell go down in history as theonly man to have won anelection while in detention.
No party was completewithout his name beingmentioned. Top musicians likeKing Sunny Ade have beenknown to sing his praises evenwithout him being physicallypresent at parties. One wouldhave expected any occasion inhis life to have been ajamboree of sort.
But not any more. At leastthat was what it seemed when
Senator Iyiola Omisore Hits 55without fanfare
the politician clocked 55 yearssome weeks ago. In fact thebirthday went unnoticed. Hismany self-seeking acolytesand those who he had goodtimes with were nowhere to
be seen. The once power-wielding social juggernautdid not make a sound,bringing to mind the harshreality in the saying “Nocondition is permanent”.
Beautiful fashion designerand head honcho of
clothes place, Hallero, AleroFafowora who made big newswhen she packed out of hermatrimonial home somemonths back may be packingin again, only with her newlover , that is, if gossips areanything to go by.
Alero, who is said to bedating a Lagos Propertymerchant, Kayode Idowu leftFemi Fafowora, some monthsago when the husband wasreportedly scrounging on herand could not keep up to speedin meeting up with the needsof the beautiful couturier .
Kayode on the other hand issaid to be giving theestranged mother the treat ofher life and presently spoilingher silly with posh things oflife. Informants claimed thetwo love-birds are heads overheels in love with each otherand are set to give marriage ashot sometime before the endof the year.
When Leo Ogor visited flood victims
Honourable Leo Ogor, thedeputy leader, Federal
House of Representatives,representing Isoko Federal
Constituency is a politicianbut a politician who has cometo show that the smallestgood deed is greater than the
greatest intention when hevisited the displaced floodvictims of Ozoro and Oleh.The lawmaker donated reliefmaterials to some of the victimwho are camped at theAnglican Girls GrammarSchool Ozoro .
While the honourable wasstill busy attending to thevictims at Ozoro the wife,Peace, also visited those at St.Michaels College, Olehwhere she continued with thegood job the husband wasdoing some distances away.The relief materials includeitems like cows, foot-wares,bags of rice, gallons of oil andmany others.
“The need of man is what
has prompted us to do whatwe are doing. My coming hasmade me know themagnitude of this destruction,hence I appeal to wellspirited people within andoutside Nigeria to come to theaid of these people. If wecould do it for others outsideour country, we can do it forour own brothers and sisters”said Mrs Peace Ogor
Hon. Leo Ogor however saidthat, the crisis is increasingand called on all well spiritedNigerians to emulate whatthey have done. He wentfurther to thank the personsthat accompanied them,especially Senator JamesManager Mr Berkley Asafa,Special Adviser to governorEmmanuel Uduaghan onEntertainment.
Alero Fafoworaset to remarry
Eko Club Internationalwhich is made up of Lagos
indigenes in diaspora arecurrently in Lagos state forwhat is known as ‘TheMission of Hope’, aninitiative developed by theClub to promote healthy livingamong the people of Lagosstate. The ‘Mission of Hope’which began on 6th of Octoberwill run till 13th of October atvarious designated centresacross the state.
The goal of the Club includesbuilding awareness andproffering treatment on varietyof medical conditions likediabetes, hypertension,asthma, infectious diseasesamong other and they areworking in conjunction withLagos state Ministry ofHealth.
Highlights of their activitiesinclude the women forum’sdonating audio meter ear scanmachines to the Lagos StateMulti-purpose home in Ketu;The Eko Club Atlanta,donating wheel-chairs andwalkers for the disabled inIjebu Ode and the Eko ClubDallas, donating medicalsupplies to Hearts of GoldOrphanage Hospice inSurulere.
The Club is led by PopoolaAromire, the President, BissyGaji, Vice President, ToyinOla, Public Relations Officer,Kemisola Adufe Baljack, ChiefLiaison Officer and others
Eko ClubInt’l stormsLagos on‘medicalmission’
CMYK
34 — Vanguard, FRIDAY , OCTOBER 12, 2012
NIGERIA’S INDEPENDENCE:The women who made it happen
It has become easy to take our independence as a nation for granted. Once upon a time, it was just adream, one that saw the sweat and determination of so many of our compatriots both men and women;as well as the goodwill of others who had no direct benefit to get. This month of the 52nd anniversary ofour independence, we salute the women who were present and helped the process along.
* QueenElizabeth thesecond
The biggest female heroof Nigeria’sindependence is the
Queen of England, Elizabeththe second, during whosereign Brittan handed overindependence to Nigeria.
Barely 35 years of age, andonly eight years after sheascended the throne, QueenElizabeth stood out as a figureof goodwill and benevolencemore than any other woman. Atthe independence ceremony,she was declared Queen ofNigeria by Sir Abubakar TafawaBalewa, the Prime Minister atIndependence. Last year, hermessage of goodwill toPresident Goodluck Jonathanwas well publicized and wentthus: “On the occasion of yourNational Day, it gives me greatpleasure in sending YourExcellency my warmestgreetings, together with mybest wishes for every success forthe people of Nigeria in thecoming year.”
*The 5,000Naira notewomen
In the midst of all thefurore that was to followthe announcement of the
intention of the Central Bankof Nigeria (CBN) under theable leadership of MallamSanusi Lamido Sanusi, tointroduce the 5,000 note, a veryimportant point was lost: it isthe first time ever that aNigerian government or itsparastatal has acknowledgedthe role of women in nationbuilding.
Despite the statement bySeun Kuti, the grandson of oneof the women OlufunmilayoRansome Kuti, by which hedistanced himself and hisfamily from the proposed note,Samido Lamido Sanusi, hisadvisers and his advisees havemade a point of their runninga gender friendlyadministration.
Now that the clamour has dieddown, it is now possible toexamine, without fear or favour,the profiles of the three latewomen involved, particularly
with regards to ourindependence.
*Funmilayo Ransome-KutiBorn Abigail
Oluwafunmilayo Thomas in1900, she is better known asan activist and human rightscrusader until her death in the1970’s. Few people see her asa politician, as she barely fitsthe profile of the Nigerianpolitician. She ran for aFederal House seat on theticket of the National Councilof Nigeria and the Cameroons(NCNC), a political partyfounded by Dr. NnamdiAzikiwe who later became thefirst president of post-colonialNigeria. As was inevitable,she soon fell; out with the partyand
in 1953, she founded theFederation of NigerianWomen Societies whichformed an alliance with theWomen’s InternationalDemocratic Federation.
She also fought for the rightfor the Nigerian woman tovote, and participated innegotiation talks in thestruggle for Nigeria’sindependence in the 1950s.women
Margaret*Margaret EkpoBorn in Creek Town, Cross
River State in 1914, Ekpowas a women’s rights activist,social mobilizer andpioneering female politicianin the country ’s FirstRepublic. She led thewomen’s wing of the NationalCouncil of Nigeria and the
Cameroons in the move towarddecolonization. Ekpo died in2006 and the Calabar airport isnamed after her. inMargaretEkpo and her contemporaries –Nnamdi Azikiwe, ObafemiAwolowo, Mazi Mbonu Ojike,M.I Okpara, Janet Mokelu,Jaja Nwachukwu, MT Mbu,Malam Aminu Kano, AlhajaGambo Sawaba, S. L. Imoke andmany others — were at theforefront of relentless agitationfor the nation’s highly desiredIndependence from GreatBritain. With Mrs. FunmilayoRansome Kuti, Margaret Ekporoutinely toured the country,mobilizing women to becomepolitically conscious andparticipate in the emergingpolitical affiliations in order toprotect their interest and ensurethe advancement of the nation.
*Hajia Gambo SawabaDespite limited education,
and forced into early marriageat age 16, she struggledthrough all these obstacles toemerge as a dynamic,independent political activisthelping to educate manypeople.
Sawaba also came out ofcolonial repression anddeformity refreshed and veryhuman, and like most of hercontemporaries, sowed the seedfor the on-going emancipationof African women from theAfrican tradition and thestructures of the African nation-states. She was a politician andactivist who had sympathyfor the Northern Elements
Progressive Union in the FirstRepublic. NEPU was a partyidentified with the workingclass and the poor. Sawaba
*Queen Elizabeth the second*The 5,000 Naira note women
gave the colonial authorities atough time with her agitationsand was detained severaltimes.
It was a tragic day recently, when in Lagos, indulgers in thebeauty of a beach fell victim to an ocean surge, with mostrecent reports putting the number of bodies of the missing at
12, and 4 bodies found including that of a six year old girl.It is an indication to us of the urgent need for government to
put in place strict and world class standards of safety on ourbeaches, particularly with Lagos State priding itself, almostjustifiably, as being the “land of aquatic splendour”.
When the family visits the beach, It is a time fraught withthe promise of fun, as well as sundry dangers. Here are a fewtips to keep safe.
Take your own FoodPacking a picnic is imperative when going to the beach in
Lagos. Avoid buying food or snacks from vendors on the beach,unless it’s a private beach with private facilities for eating. Aseaside picnic is an opportunity to share fruits, finger foodsand meats.
Go as a bunchIf someone wants to pursue an activity such as take a walk,
take pictures, take a dip; it’s best to have the whole family togo together in order to avoid someone getting lost or into trouble.Ideally, take games such as cards, ludo, snakes and ladders,or scrabble. If it’s a large family, you can split along lines ofinterests, but around the same table/picnic mat.
Use life jacketsIf you have children under 3, keep them out of the water by
all means but if you must all take a dip, rent life jackets forevery member of the family. Do not substitute with floats orother swimming pool gears. Make sure jackets are well securedfor every member of the family. Do not move beyond a twometer line.
Leave before darkThere are romantic notions of swimming at the beach in
moonlight. That is good for romantic novels but no good onLagos beaches, where the fear of touts popularly known as areaboys, is the beginning of wisdom. On most Lagos beaches, thetouts begin to close in as it gets darker. Get out before them.
Enjoying the Seaside-the Safe Way
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—35
Xpressions
On Monday,p r e s i d e n t i a lspokesman Reuben
Abati, made a clearerstatement than he has everdone since he joinedgovernment when headdressed the reason why the52nd Independent Daycelebrations in Abuja, thenation’s capital city, was lowkey. He declared that thosewho are looking forward to acelebration ought to lookforward, rather, to thecelebrations of next yearwhich would be the centenaryof the year of Nigeria’samalgamation.
He makes two very validpoints at the same time, oneof which he might notnecessarily have intended tomake.
By declaring the absence ofanything to celebrate, Dr.Abati admits that things have
A Solemn Celebration Without The First Ladybeen rather dull by way ofnation building as far as theadministration is concerned,in spite of the president layingclaims to the contrary in hisspeech. The second point,however, is a far moreimportant one.
Making reference to theamalgamation tells us a coupleof things: that the Jonathanadministration turned over anew leaf, hopefully, and isnow forward thinking, and thatit knows what things areimportant to us as a people.The stamp is been put, in arather credible manner, of theadministration is one thatbelieves in the unity ofNigeria, that is ready tocelebrate this unity and,hopefully, is willing to defendit when the time comes, as itsurely will.
Having said that, there arerumours contradicting the
reason Dr.Abati gave for thelow key celebrations, and bothare equally compelling. If it isbelieved that the presidency isafraid of possible attacks by thefamous Boko Haram, andother militant groups whohave scores to settle withNigeria and Nigerians ofevery level. If this is the realreason, then it is wise, at least.If the Nigerian government onthe federal level is admittingits inability to secure as smallspace within a limited time, itsincompetence can at least beforgiven in the face of fleetinghonesty.
Another is the well knownsecret of the First Lady ’sfailing health, whichNigerians have beencontinuously kept in the darkabout. Again, this is a verygood reason not to celebrate.Still, the question remains,why the secret?
One of the most talked about movies inthe past three months, Hoodrush willfinally premiere exclusively in grand
style at the upscale Silverbird Galleria thisFriday, October 12, 2012.
The musical flick from the stable of FlipsydeStudios features an impressive cast of talentedNollywood actress, Bimbo Akintola, O.C Ukeje,mulatto actress, Chelsea Eze, one of theAfolayan brothers, Gabriel, Bolanle Ninolowoof Diesel Music, a company that recentlypartnered with music artiste, 9ice, Ijeoma Agu,Lee Lee Byoma and others.
Many celebrities and industry stakeholdersare all expected to grace the red carpet thisFriday as the exclusive premiere takes place.Popular TV host, Denrele Edun will host thehighly publicized movie premiere. The cast and
…Denrele to host premiere at Silverbird Galleria
crew of the movie will be there as expectant fanscan meet their favourite stars.
The movie was written, directed andproduced by Dimeji Ajibola, the TechnicalDirector at Flipsyde Studios; he is acreative entrepreneur with creative andbusiness interests in filmmaking,virtual worlds, 3D animation, cartoons,interactive digital media, and music.His background is a blend of traditionalskills and digital art. The filmmaker isadept in creative illustrations, visuallayout and staging, project planningand execution. He Studied AdvanceCharacter animation at a school in SanFrancisco, he also studied Filmmakingand Cinematography at the New York FilmAcademy and also at the Universal Studios in California.
The movie, Hoodrush hitscinema this Friday
It is an ageold trick, one that our leaders in the lasttwo decades have used to deprive us of fair prices forpetroleum products: the promise to end fuel scarcity.
The last fuel scarcity is a proof that this will never be thecase and that what is keeping Nigeria undeveloped isnot fuel pricing but the rule of law.
chain? That is a new bornbaby out of auto industrytechnology. Tagged, MandoFootloose, the e-bike is theworld’s first chainless hybridtechnology. Like other pedal-assisted electric bikes, the bikecombines manual and electricpower. It eliminates the chainand transforms the cyclist’smotion directly into electricity.
The chainless bike couldproduce solution to the agelong complaints on chainbicycles. For instance, asintegral as chain part is tomost bikes, it is arguably themost annoying component. Itcan dirty and rip your trouserlegs, requires a lot ofmaintenance, can make yourlife miserable should it rubagainst the derailleur or slip
off the gears, and can breakaltogether, leaving youwithout a means of pedallingon flat or ascending terrain.It’s a necessary evil, at best.
Footloose is a product ofKorean auto suppliers MandoCorp. and Meister Inc. Theypartnered with Britishdesigner, Mark Sanders andDutch e-bike expert Han Goesto make chaina little lessnecessary.T h e
generator powering the motor.Similar to an automobile, the
Footloose has an ElectronicControl Unit (ECU), whichworks with sensors and anautomatic gear changer tomonitor terrain and adjust themotor’s output as necessary.The ECU also monitors thesystem for problems, which itdisplays via a handlebar-mounted Human MachineInterface (HMI). The HMIalso displays metrics likedistance travelled, speed andamount of electricityproduced. It is removable andthe bike will not start when itis removed, creating anintegrated anti-theft feature.
Between its chainlessconstruction and frame-integrated electronics, theFootloose folds up neatly fortransport. It was designedwith smooth edges to preventany injury or discomfortwhen travelling.
*Digital bike
It seems that a lot of peoplelike using portablecomputers in bed. iPad
users also do that and havebetween the Manatee and thetablift, to do that. But laptopusers can go with theLounge-Tek or the Omaxtypes of stands.
However, there’s anotheroption for reclining laptopusers. It is called theErgoArc.
Meant for convinence,the user ’s laptop isplaced on the mapleplywood stand’s
Why not? Youcan now usecomputers inbed vented desktop, the angle of
which can be adjusted like adrafting table. A lip on thebottom of that desktopsupports the bottom edge ofthe laptop’s keyboard. Thecomputer ’s screen, onceflipped up, can then beangled towards the user ’sface.
Add-on sideplatforms
*Bedside computer stand
Footloose combines a throttledrive with pedal-assistedtechnology. Cyclists canpower the bike up to 30kilometers with the motoralone or pedal for more range.
What sets the bike apart fromothers is that pedal input is
transformed directly intoelectricity via an alternatorconnected to the crank. Theelectricity is stored in alithium-ion battery and usedto power the motor. So insteadof powering the rear wheel,the cyclist becomes a human
Children today aregrowing up on mobiledevices. Concepts like
pinch-to-zoom and slide tounlock which were foreign toadults before the iPhonelaunched in 2007 are asnatural as breathing, totoday’s kids.
However, no matter howmuch love one has on hischildren. It can still beunsettling to see your four-year-old child for instance,toying with your iPad.
But a way out is always tobuy a Kindle Fire or similarlow budget tablets, dedicatedfor kids. Ematic is hoping youchoose the latter, and buy littleSusie her own FunTab Pro.
Perhaps that is why devicemakers Ematic designed aseven-inch FunTab Pro.The kiddies tab has arugged build. Its rubbercasing provides acomfortable, firm grip, aswell as survives a fewdrops and bumps. TheFunTab Pro runsAndroid 4.0 Ice CreamSandwich heavilyskinned withZoodles.com content,a 1GHz processor,1GB of RAM, and8GB of storage. Itsports a microSDcard slot and comeswith a selection ofc o l o r f u l ,interchangeablefaceplates.
*FunTab Pro
FunTab Pro fromEmatic debutsfor kiddies
Its seven-inch screen isspecially designed to suitchildren’s desires in a tablet.The slate also sports front andrear cameras and HDMI outsupport. Ematic promises upto eight hours of continuousbattery life.
It also offers some uniquefeatures, like self-recordedvideo storybooks, video mail,and artwork-oriented apps;
these are all tied to theZoodles.com platform, soparents might want to getfamiliar with it beforethrowing down for theFunTab Pro.
Zoodles prides itself onparental safeguards, to givethe parents confidence thattheir wards may not stumbleon obscene videos or films.
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—37
L-r: Rtn. Tochukwu Mmaduka, new president of RotaryClub of Awgu (District 9140 Sunrise) receiving staff ofoffice from Rtn. Onyeka Akachukwu, (out-goingpresident) during the installation of new president ofDistrict 9140, Enugu. Photo: Hill Ezeugwu
L - r :Commissionerof police, LagosA i r p o r tC o m m a n d ,Femi Cauldrickwith thesecretary, theLight Bearers,W e s l e yC a t h e d r a l ,Olowogbowo,Lagos, PrinceSegun Akitoyeat the church'sAll SocietiesDay in Lagos
L-r: CEO, MultitrexIntegrated group, Mr.Dimeji Owofemi; OyoState commissioner foragriculture, Mr. KoladeAbimbola; executivedirector, Mrs Sade Bafunsoand his trade andinvestment counterpart;Mr. Kassim Adedeji duringthe introduction of a newcocoa product of thecompany to oyo stategovernment at thegovernor's office, Ibadan
PERFORM two raka’ats ofsalutation as you enter the
mosque, preferably in theRawdah, otherwise anywhereelse in the Mosque. Then go tothe grave of the Prophet (s.a.w),standing in front of it and facingit, saying with all humility:Assalamu ‘alaika, ayyuhanNabiy, wa rahmatullahi wabarakaatuh. (Peace be on you,O Prophet, and the Mercy andBlessings of Allah). Say prayerson him (that is ask Allah’sblessing on him). It is notwrong if you add the following:Allahumma aatihil wasiilatawal fadiilata wab ‘athhulmaqaamal mahmuud alladhiiafdalal jaza’ (“O Allah! Givehim the station of wasiilah(special nearness to Allah, orintercession) and the favour, andraise him to the praiseworthystation that you promised him.
O Allah! Reward him on behalfof his Ummah (community) withthe best of rewards”).
-Then move a little to the rightto stand before the grave of AbuBakr, (r.a) do salutation andask Allah to bestow His Mercy,Forgiveness and Pleasure onhim.
-Again move a little to theright to stand before the graveof Umar, (r.a), and greet himask Allah to bestow His Mercy,Forgiveness and Pleasure onhim; then face direction ofqiblah to supplicate for yourselfand others; then leaveimmediately to allow otherworshipers to perform theirrites.
You may also visit the varioushistorical sites in MadinahMunawwarah and itssurroundings such as Baqi’cemetery, Qubaa mosque,mount Badr, Uhud and others.
,
,
"Are you the one who hasdone this to our gods?”Ibrahim said: “No, thisstatue, the biggest of themhas done it. Ask them ifthey can speak.”
Pilgrims in their tents in Makkah for the Hajj rites.
More than 14,346 intendingpilgrims had been transportedto Saudi Arabia for this year’shajj from the Sultan AbubakarIII International Airport,Sokoto.
Facing the Kaaba gatheredthat the operation was carriedout in 28 flights. Out of thisnumber, 4,927 of the intendingpilgrims were from SokotoState, while 4,239 are fromZamfara and 5,180 from Kebbi.
We also gathered that about3,500 intending pilgrims fromthe three states are currentlybeing air-lifted to Saudi Arabiafor the hajj rites through KaboAir and Max Air Airlines.
At the Gombe airport, about1,589 out of 3,655 intendingpilgrims from Bauchi statehave so far been transportedto Saudi Arabia through theGombe Airport.
Sokoto air-lifts 17,846 pilgrims,Bauchi 1,589
The Special Adviser to Gov.Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State,Alhaji Sanusi Isa, made thedisclosure in an interview withnewsmen in Gombe recently.
He said that the fourth batchof 535 pilgrims were already atthe Gombe Airport for the trip.
Isa said the StateGovernment had providedsome money and items suchas praying mats, Quran andother incentives to thepilgrims to assist them toperform the pilgrimagesuccessfully just as they werewith food and drinks.
Isa who stated thatgovernment ensured thateach of the female pilgrims hada male partner (Muharam)urged the pilgrims to pray forthe peace, unity and progressof Bauchi State and Nigeria asa whole during the pilgrimage.
THE story of Ibrahim(AS) is greatly
associated with Hajj becausethe origin of Hajj is as old asthe Kaaba, which was built byIbrahim (AS) and his son,Ismail (AS). Apart from thefact that it is one of the pillar ofIslam, every act of Hajjreminds us of the noble familyof Ibrahim (AS) since every actof Hajj refers back to therighteous actions and struggleof either Ibrahim (AS), his wifeHajarah or his son Ismail (AS).The history of this familyteaches spiritual lessons ofcomplete devotion and
absolute submission to Allah.That is why we decided tobring the story to all ourreaders at this period whichwill also climax into thecelebration of eid-il-Adha.Ram sacrifice. The story wasculled from IslamiCityNewsletter.
The birth of ProphetIbrahim
Ibrahim was born in a houseof idolaters, in the kingdom ofBabylon. His father Aazar was
a well known idol sculptor thathis people worshipped. As ayoung child, Ibrahim used towatch his father sculptingthese idols from stones orwood. When his father wasdone with them, Ibrahimwould use them as toys, ridingon their backs, and kickingthem at times. Then after awhile, he would see these samestatues in the temple, andpeople prostrating in front ofthem! Ibrahim asked his father:“Why do you take these toys tothe temple?” His father said:“They are statues thatrepresent our gods. Weworship them, we ask favorsfrom them, and we offer thempresents.” Ibrahim’s mindrejected this idea, and he felt a
repulsion towards the idols.
In search for the TruthTime went by, and Ibrahim
became a young man. He stillcould not believe that hispeople were worshipping thestatues. He laughed wheneverhe saw them entering thetemple, lowering their heads,silently offering the statues thebest of their food, crying andasking forgiveness from them.He started feeling angrytowards his people, who couldnot realize that these are only
stones that could neitherbenefit nor harm them. Theycould not be gods, they haveno power. God is Greater thanwhat his people wereworshipping, Most Powerful,Most Magnificent. One couldnot find Him sitting on a tablein a temple!
One night, Ibrahim went upto the mountain, leanedagainst a rock, and looked upto the sky. He saw a shiningstar, and told his people:“Could this be my Lord?” Butwhen it set he said: “I don’t likethose that set.” The star hasdisappeared, it could not beGod. God is always present.Then he saw the moon rising insplendor and told them: “Couldthis be my Lord?” But it also
set. At daybreak, he saw the sunrising and said: t “Could this bemy Lord, this is bigger?” Butwhen the sun set he said: “O mypeople I am free from all thatyou join as partners with Allah!I have turned my face towardsHim Who created the heavensand the earth, and never shallI give partners to Allah.” OurLord is the Creator of theheavens and the earth andeverything. He has the powerto make the stars rise and set.Ibrahim then heard Allahcalling him: “O Ibrahim!”Ibrahim said trembling: “HereI am O my Lord!” “Submit toMe! Be a Muslim!” Ibrahim fellon the ground, prostrating andcrying, he said: “I submit to theLord of the universe!” Ibrahimkept prostrating until nightcame again. He got up and wentback to his home, in t peace,full of conviction that Allah hasguided him to the Truth.
Ibrahim invites hisfather to Islam
A new life started for Ibrahim.His mission now was to call hispeople to the Truth. He wouldstart with his father who wasthe closest person to him, andwhom he loved so much. Hesaid to him in the softest andkindest voice: “O father! Whydo you worship that whichdoesn’t hear, doesn’t see, andcannot avail you in anything?O father, I have got knowledgewhich you have not, so followme. I will guide you to astraight path.” His fatherreplied angrily: “Do you rejectmy gods, O Ibrahim? If youdon’t stop I will stone you. Getaway from me before I punishyou.” Ibrahim said: “Peace beon you! I will ask forgivenessof my Lord for you.”
Ibrahim confronts hispeople and rejects theiridols
He left his father after he losthope to convert him to theright path, and directed hisefforts towards the people ofthe town, but they rejected hiscall and threatened him. ByAllah, he said, I shall plot a planto destroy their idols. He knewthat a big celebration wascoming soon, whereeverybody would leave townfor a big feast on the riverbank.
After making sure that nobodywas left in town, Ibrahim wenttowards the temple armed withan ax. Statues of all shapes andsizes were sitting there adornedwith decorations. Plates of foodwere offered to them, but thefood was untouched. “Well,why don’t you eat? The food isgetting cold.” He said to thestatues, joking; then with his axhe destroyed all the statuesexcept one, the biggest ofthem. He hung the ax aroundits neck and left.
How big was the shock whenthe people entered the temple!They gathered inside watchingin awe their gods broken inpieces. They wondered whomight have done this? Thenthey all remembered that theyoung Ibrahim was talking evilof their idols. They broughthim to the temple and askedhim: “Are you the one who hasdone this to our gods?”Ibrahim said: “No, this statue,the biggest of them has doneit. Ask them if they can speak.”
Continues next week
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—39
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—41
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NORTHERN politicaland cultural leadersunder the umbrella of
the Arewa Consultative Forum,ACF, stormed Enugu onTuesday for what was describedas a crucial dialogue with Igboleaders on various nationalissues.
The apex Igbo socio-culturalorganization, Ohanaeze wasthe platform under whichelders of the Igbo nation wereassembled for the meeting. The meeting was held at theUniversal Hotel,Independence Layout, Enugu.The Ohanaeze delegation wasled by the President General,Ambassador Ralph Uwechuewhile the Arewa delegationwas led by the Chairman,National Executive Council,Alhaji Aliko Mohammed.
On the Ohanaeze delegationwere the Secretary General,Chief Nduka Eya, former VicePresident, Dr. Alex Ekwueme,former President Generals ofOhanaeze, Justice Eze Ozobu,Prof. Joe Irukwu, and JusticeMbazulike Amaechi, formerEbonyi State governor, Dr. SamEgwu, Prof. Uzodinma Nwala,Prof. Obiorah Ike, Prof.Chinedu Nebo, Chief OnyesoNwachukwu, Chief Kalu I.Kalu, Senator Ofia Nwali, Col.Victor Ozodinobi, Dr. JoeNwaorgu, Chief OAU Onyema,Engr. Ralph Ndigwe andmembers of the executivecouncil, among others.
The ACF delegation wasmade up of its SecretaryGeneral, Col. Musa Shehu(rtd), the deputy Chairman,Alhaji Saidu Barda; Assistantchairman, Senator JosephKennedy Waku; Major GeneralLawrence Onoja; AmbassadorAdamu Mohamed; HajiaHalima Alfa ; Amina LadanBaki, Ambassador Ibrahim MaiSule, Col. Musa Shehu,Mallam Buka Zarma, Col.Mohammed Abdu, BarristerBitrus Gada, Anthony Sani andAlhaji Ladan Shinnu amongothers.
The meeting was at theinstance of ACF and it wassignificant being the first timein the current dispensationwhere elders and notableleaders from Northern Nigeriaand their counterparts from theSouth East sat together arounda common table as oneextended family to discussissues affecting them and theentire nation.
When the idea of the meetingwas muted by ACF leaders, theagenda was not disclosed toOhanaeze members adevelopment that fueledspeculations that the dialogue
Arewa, Ndigbo talks: Is it for real?With Southwest leaders engaged in a shouting match with Southeast leaders over allegedly derisive comments on the Southwestsage, Obafemi Awolowo by literary giant, Chinua Achebe, Arewa leaders last Wednesday slipped into Enugu to rub mindswith Igbo leaders. Could the meeting be a prelude to geopolitical realignment in the polity?
BY TONY EDIKE
*Group photograph by Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Arewa Consultative Forum delegations after their joint meetingin Enugu on Wednesday
could centre on the 2015presidency which both groupshave vested interest. TheOhanaeze President General,Ambassador Uwechueconfirmed this in his welcomespeech when he asked theArewa delegation to revealtheir reason for the interaction. The participants were keptguessing until the leader ofArewa delegation delivered hisspeech and set the agenda.
“We requested for thismeeting with the belief thatcivil society organisations andcultural groups such as ours,the Ohanaeze Ndigbo,Afenifere, South South PeoplesAssembly, etc, have a duty todialogue with each other andsearch for solutions to the majorissues of concern to Nigeria.
He expressed gratitude toOhanaeze for accepting to hostthe Arewa delegation and “tohave expressed its willingnessto work with us and other sisterorganisations in the interest ofour dear country,” adding thathe had no doubt that theinteractions would go a longway in “helping to promoteunderstanding, clearmisconceptions and eliminateany suspicions we may haveabout each other, Aliko said.
Speaking on what hetermed temporary
challenges of development inthe country, the ACF leadernoted that it was self-evidentthat Nigeria is passing throughvery hard times due to severalchallenges of development. “Years of stagnation ineconomic activities, especiallyof agriculture, degradation ofphysical infrastructure and
shrinking opportunities forlegitimate employment havemade our communitiesincreasingly restive. We havefrequent outbreaks of conflictaccompanied by violence. Attimes, the brunt of suchviolence has been borne by therelatively well off members ofthe community which,unfortunately, in many urbancentres of the North, includesyour members, Ndigbo.
“As a result, allegations havebeen made suggesting thatSoutherners, especially Igboare deliberately marked out forattack. Even more distressingis the damning propagandathat the violence that havetaken place in the North aremasterminded by Northernleaders supposedly for politicalreasons.
“That is why ACF is underpains to reassure Nigerians,especially our brothers, theIgbo, that leaders of the Northdo not, and will never condoneviolence, let alone thosetargeted at specific groups ofNigerians. All violence takes usback many years as it destroyswhatever assets we havemanaged to acquire. What ismore, Igbo people promote theconcept and spirit of one nation
through their settlement inlarger numbers everywhere inNigeria. If, for example, theover one million Igbo that livein Kano state were to leavetoday, there is no doubt that theeconomy of Kano would beaffected.
“And yet, too often, we treatthis topic in a way that givesthe impression that theproblems of crime, violence,poverty, extremism or insecurityare confined to the North,whereas the securitychallenges spread across thecountry. By way of example,there are security challengesposed by Boko Haram andethno-religious crises in someparts of the North. It is alsocommon knowledge thatkidnappings and communalclashes as well as activities ofMASSOB are reported in theSouth-East just as more armedrobberies and activities of OduaPeoples Congress, OPC, occurin the South -West. The South– South zone suffers under theweight of militant activism byviolent groups as well as oilbunkering, hijacking of vesselsand piracy. And this is inaddition to the countrywideproblems of unemployment andcollapsing infrastructure which
together have renderedeconomic developmentvirtually unattainable.”
Noting that if an Hausa mancould win an election in Enuguin the first republic, our greatZik could win in the West, aKanuri man could win electionin Kano and an Igbo man couldwin in Kaduna and as a localcouncil chairman in Abuja justover a decade ago, “there is noreason why we cannot replicatethose events in our time.”
“All these suggest that,however unsatisfactory thesituation today may appear, theconcept of nationhood requiresthat we do not throw in thetowel but to persevere in ourdetermination to preserving theunion. ” On the increasingagitation for a national orsovereign conference, the ACFleader said his organisationwas not opposed to conveningsuch conference but warnedthat if the talks take the form ofa Sovereign NationalConference “it at once amountsto vote of no confidence on ourdemocracy and itsinstitutions.” “We do not sharethe view that any group has theright to pass such vote of noconfidence. Moreover, mostof the issues which agitate theminds of proponents ofSovereign NationalConference or NationalConference have now beenlisted for review of theConstitution underway by theNational Assembly,” he said.
“One more subject I may wellmention is the fact that the ACFand, indeed, the North, is notopposed to derivation as a
Continued from page 42
ACF is under pains to reassureNigerians, especially ourbrothers, the Igbo, that leadersof the North do not, and willnever condone violence, letalone those targeted at specificgroups of Nigerians.
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42—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
*Nyako: Stopped from holding primaries *Tukur: Rallying support from Nyako's foes
IF it is a curse, then thePeoples Democratic
Party, PDP has definitelynot proved itself capable ofovercoming the perennialcrises that have bedeviledrelationships between itsnational chairmen andtheir home governors.
It was indeed notsurprising that when theopportunity came early thisyear for the election of anew national chairman,that Governor MurtalaNyako of Adamawa Statefought tooth and nail toresist the move to foistAlhaji Bamanga Tukur asnational chairman of theparty. He conceded onlywhen he could not buckthe coronation party rolledout by the presidency forTukur.
Though he never openlygave his reasons, Nyako’sopposition was obviouslybased on the fear of asupremacy tussle betweenhim and a nationalchairman from his state.
With the immediate pasthistory of the ruling partylaced with such examplesof confrontation betweennational officers and theirhome governors, it was notsurprising that Nyakoresisted Tukur.
The most memorableconfrontation between aPDP national chairmanand his home governorended with the cavalierdismissal of Dr.Okwesileze Nwodo asnational chairman of theparty at the party’spresidential nominationconvention ground inJanuary 2011.
It was as such notsurprising that afterNwodo was forced out inJanuary 2011 that none ofthe three governors of thePDP in the Southeast at thattime agreed to adopt anyof their indigenes to serveout the tenure of Nwodo.
Given its dominance in the polity it is no surprise that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is almost always engagedin troubleshooting. However, one particular nuisance that has never been solved is the power rivalry between PDPnational chairmen and governors of their home states. In the latest crisis, the newly elected chairman, BamangaTukur seems bent on taking a pound of flesh from Governor Nyako
BY EMMANUELAZIKEN, POLITICALEDITOR & HENRY
UMORU
The PDP Curse: Crisis is natural
The problem betweenNwodo and his homechapter remarkablyrevolved around the controlof the state structure of theparty. Even though hecame into office with a boldreform agenda with a focuson freeing the party fromthe grips of governors andgodfathers, Nwodo itseemed could himself notresist the lure of carving outan annex for himself withinthe Enugu State structure.
His apparent attempt tocontrol first, a portion f theparty in Enugu State,particularly his senatorialzone in Enugu North, andsubsequently the EnuguState structure, rubbed offnegatively with GovernorSullivan Chime who untilNwodo’s advent hadcalled the shots alone.
Before Nwodo,Ogbulafor first as NationalSecretary and then asnational chairman wasnever at ease with Governor
Orji Uzor Kalu or Kalu’sonce submissive heir,Governor Theodore Orji.
If Chime was faced witha storm, then GovernorNyako is undoubtedlyfaced with a Category 5Hurricane given the lineup of adversaries that haveapparently lined upbehind the nationalchairman in the cominggrudge contest.
Among them is ChiefWilberforce Juta, a formergovernor of the State whoincidentally handed overthe gubernatorial baton toTukur in October 1983. Thelist also includes NationalDemocratic Coalition,NADECO chieftainCommodore DanSulieman, rtd; Chief JoelMadaki, immediate pastchairman of the statechapter of the party,immediate past NationalVice Chairman, PDP northEast, Senator PaulWampana; ex- Military
governor of Plateau State,General Aliyu Kama;General HaladuHannaiya; former Ministerof State, Foreign Affairs,Dr. Idi Aliyu Hong; SenatorGrace Jackson Bent;among others.
Senator Jubril Aminu,once the PDP linkman andgodfather of Nyako hasapparently not come out tojoin the alliance but thepresence of his one timePersonal Assistant, Dr.Hong could also give anindication of his position.In any case, SenatorAminu who bruised manyegos to foist Nyako on thePDP ticket in 2007, hashimself been quietlylicking his wounds afterNyako rebelled againsthim and enthroned a newidentity for himself as hisown man. The gang-upagainst Nyako is theallegedly a result of thearbitrariness in themanagement of the state
chapter of the party whichaccording to the critics isnow run as the governor’sprivate estate.
Central in themisgivings against Nyakois the position of AlhajiMijinyawa Kugama as thechairman of the statechapter of the party.Kugama who was deputychairman until 2006became chairman after theexit of Chief Joel Madakiwho left the party for theAction Congress (AC)alongside former GovernorBoni Haruna and formerVice President AtikuAbubakar. Kugama’sposition became untenableimmediately after Nyako’selection on the fact that thetwo of them are from thesame village, Mayo-Belwa. There are indeedallegations that the duo areeven blood relations.Under the party’s traditionKugama was supposed tostep down immediately
after Nyako’s election sothat a party chairman fromanother senatorial zone tobe elected. However, hewas sustained leading to asituation where the partychairman and the governorcame not only from thesame senatorial zone, butalso from the same village.
However, with KugamaNyako was able to foist hisideas on the party andcurtail the oncedomineering influence ofSenator Aminu over theparty.
After his advent in 2007,one by one, GovernorNyako quarreled withmany of those who helpedhim to power leaving himas the dominant person inthe state chapter. BubaMarwa fell out and pitchedhis camp with the Congressfor Progressive Change,CPC, Senator Aminu wentinto hibernation, whileSenator Grace Bent in theopinion of some wasungracefully stopped inher tracks in the quest fora second term in the senate.
Alhaji Tukur eventhough one of thefoundation members wasnot even heard. Well thatwas until his politicalreinvention this year. Nowall those who aredispleased and distressedhave now come under theshelter of the nationalchairman in what promisesto be a bruising fight.
Remarkably, the nationalsecretariat of the party maynow have emboldened thedissenters with therejection of the localgovernment primariesconducted by the statechapter. In rejecting theprimaries, the nationalsecretariat has effectivelyderailed whatever plansGovernor Nyako may havebeen nurturing towardssustaining his legacy post2015.
Arewa, Ohanaeze dialogue, motive in doubt
basis for revenue sharingas long as it is designedto reward efforts and tocompensate fore n v i r o n m e n t a ldegradation. But wehave made the distinctionthat in the case off-shoreoil exploration, no effortsare expended by littoralstates nor does anyappreciable degradationof environment of anyhost communities occur.That is why ACF saysrevenue from mining ofoil, far in the middle ofthe ocean, should notfeature as a factor in thecalculation for derivation
Continued from page 41 of revenues for anyparticular state.”
The speech by theACF leader was greetedwith a loud applause ashe succeeded indisabusing the minds ofthe Igbo delegation thatthey were on a politicalmission.
In his response,Ohanaeze leader, Amb.Uwechue observed thatthe ACF presentation atthe meeting showed thatthe north still believed inthe unity of Nigeria. ”There is a lot in thispresentation that showsthat the entire and totalcommitment of the ACF tothe unity, peace and
survival of Nigeria, andwe thank you for that,” hetold the delegation.
On his part, Dr. AlexEkwueme said thedecision by the northernleaders to come down tothe South for a dialoguewith Ndigboon thesetopical issues wascommendable as it wouldafford both groups theopportunity to makemeaningful contributionsthat would move thenation forward. “We haveheard them and we shallgo back and lookcritically into theirsubmission and continuewith further discussionsbecause it is better to jaw-
jaw than to war-war.” The meeting later went
into a closed door sessionafter which a two-pagecommuniqué was issuedto newsmen. “Followinga big brief discussion thetwo groups underlinedthe imperative of nationalunity dialogue andconsensus basedimperative of nationalunity dialogue andconsensus based on theprinciples of equity,justice and cooperationamong the variouspeople of Nigeria,” thecommuniqué jointlysigned by leaders of thegroups, PresidentGeneral of Ohanaeze,
Ambassador Uwechueand the Chairman ofACF, Alhaji Mohammed,said. According to thecommuniqué, “since theissues raised in theaddress by the ACF werevery weighty, OhanaezeNdigbo requested fortime to study and maketheir response availablefor discussion on a futuremeeting.”
Both sides, however,agreed that the channelof communicationopened by the meetingshould be maintained.
Many participants atthe meeting who spokeon the cooperationbetween Arewa andOhanaeze welcomed itwith some reservations assome believed that the
Northern delegation isyet to come up with theiractual plan, which they,said, is to make politicalincursions into thepolitical landscape ofNdigbo with a view tonominating a vicepresidential candidatefrom the South East to runwith a northernpresidential candidate in2015.
However, as the twogroups continue withtheir dialogue which hascommenced on a friendlynote, the true motive ofthe of the initiators wouldbe known without longbut in all the dialogue hasbeen generally describedas a development thatcould guarantee the unityof the country.
CMYK
13 men, who want to rule Ondo
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—43
2015: Why South-South wants Jonathan — Sen OwieErstwhile Senate Chief Whip Senator Roland Owie in this interview reviews the circumstances that led to the emergence ofPresident Goodluck Jonathan, describing it as a force majeure and argues that he should be allowed to complete two termsin office. While noting challenges that have beclouded the administration, Senator Owie points at achievements in certainsectors to underpin his hopes for a successful legacy for the administration. Excerpts:
WHAT are yourthoughts on 2015?
If you look at the PDPconstitution, zoning is there;allowing for eight years to thesouth and eight years to thenorth and it was a good thingput there by the PDP to allowuniformity. When God calledthe president, (Alhaji UmaruYar‘Adua), our son becamepresident and we are nowrunning the term.
Quite frankly, it was a verypathetic situation that the lateYar‘Adua died and it is only Godthat controls life. He gives andtakes. Now, Jonathan aspresident of Nigeria , holdsthat position in trust for all ofus in the South-South andNigeria and for children yetunborn from the South-South.We started and completed eightyears in the South-West andeven in the face of the non-performance of Obasanjo, hewanted a third term.
Now, our friends andcolleagues in the north arearguing that it should return tothe north and when they argue,it is understandable. But lookat the scenario: if in 2015 thepresidency returns to the northfor eight years, it would go backto the south which in this casewould be the Southeast, andthereafter, it returns to the northand that would mean another24 years before it can return tothe South-South.
Considering the abovescenario is it better to solve theproblem of the south-south in24 years or to have the fouryears that is before us now? So,the way I am looking at it now,every reasonable south-southperson and Nigerian should
BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN,
POLITICAL EDITOR
look at the situation we are innow with Jonathan. Even ifJonathan does not want to run,the south-south should beallowed to present anotherperson to complete the eightyears so that we will know thatwe are not asking for it anylonger. For it to drift to the northnow it would be 24 years beforewe would hear it again. It isnot our making, it is a forcemajeure!
The truth is that we need tobuild bridges for the peace ofthis nation. Our brothers in thenorth need to understandbecause from the first republicit has been the south-south andthe north working together. Wehave been partners. Our peoplehave long known how to buildbridges, even in the civil war,the bridges built were what
,
,
years to Obasanjo from theSouthwest but did he perform?But you can see electricity isimproving and since Jonathancame onboard he has beenbattling with the problems thathe met created by previousadministrations.The truth isthat it is not incompetence.What you are seeing is that hehas been battling with issuesof insecurity.
Not too long ago, BokoHaram said that if he wantspeace, he should become aMuslim, so you can see thelevel that they are taking it.This young man has notbeengiven opportunity or timeto sit down and work.
I, nevertheless, agree thatsome officials around him arenot working and should bestrippedof the position that theyare holding.
Why has he not done that?
saved this nation. So, it is ourappeal that our brothers andleaders in other parts ofNigeria , particularly the north,should understand where weare standing.
It is a serious matter becauseif it is taken from the south-south now we may never get itagain because we aredisjointed. In the entire south-south, you have the Edos,Urhobos, Itsekiris, Ijaws,Ibibios, Efiks and all sorts. Ifwe are told, go and bring oneperson we may not have theunity to bring one.
But must the country’s futurebe stuck on Jonathan givenconcerns among some that hehas not performedcreditably?
What do you talk aboutperformance? We gave eight
I think action will have to bedone. Of late now, he hasstarted asking appointees tosign performance contracts andthat will tell you what is in hismind.
Must the president do thework of a minister or the workof a chairman of a board?
He was elected in 2011 andafter one year you can see whathe is doing. It is just that whenpeople make up their mindsabout a particular personespecially when he is from theminority…
Let us see what happensbetween now and 2013. thoseof us from the south-south havefor example told him that theEast-West road must bedelivered and the coastal roadmust be started.
I was happy when somepeople made a publication inthe newspaper saying that theSouthwest is marginalised andI looked at it and saw that whatthey showed for south-southwas just president and ministerof petroleum, and that is theend. What we are saying is thatif he is given time to performyou will see that something isgoing on. Look at what is goingon federal highways.
Look at the Benin-Lagoshighway that was virtuallyimpassable can now be coveredin five hours. Look at what ishappening in the Benin-Lokoja highway. That job wasawarded in 2000 by OBJ, he leftand abandoned the job. If theman that had the highestallocation in this country did notdo anything in eight years andNigerians did not raiseeyebrows and were evenwaiting for him to take a thirdterm, they should please listento us, he will perform.
*Owie: The North should bear with us
If in 2015thepresidencyreturns to thenorth foreightyears...thatwould meananother 24years beforeit can returnto the South-South
CO N S T I T U T I O Namendment hasalways been a
foremost democratic norm andis predicated upon the fact thatno constitution stands the testof eternity, not the least onebequeathed by undemocraticregimes and with less thansatisfactory inputs by the widerpopulation of the people it issupposed to serve. It would berecalled, for instance, that theConstitution of the UnitedStates of America, one of theworld’s most celebrateddemocracies, has undergone27 Amendments over time tosolidify their federation bytaking care of such criticalissues as federal relationships,terms of office, stoppage ofslavery, Congressionalemoluments, civil liberties and
Deepening Democracy in National Interest and for Posterity BY IKE EKWEREMADU freedoms, expansion of the
electorate, etc in line with theemerging dynamics of theAmerican society at varioustimes.
We are by this constitutionreview exercise, therefore,following in the step of the wellestablished democratictradition that when aconstitution, or any law for thatmatter, falls short of salientprovisions that guarantee andpromote the constitutionalneeds of a polity and theaspirations of the people, suchconstitution is reviewed. Lawsare made for man, not man forthe law. This is what makes thedifference between autocracyand democracy.
Together, we all broke thejinx, making a historic successof that effort by recording thefollowing breakthroughs:
Handover to Vice President/Deputy Governor settled:
This particular matter becamea major political challenge in
2010 during the unfortunateillness and eventual demise oflate President Musa Yar’Adua.To avoid such occurrence infuture, the National Assemblyamended Sections 145 and 190of the Constitution to make itcompulsory for the Presidentand a Governor, respectively,to transmit a letter to theNational Assembly or StateAssembly, accordingly, toenable their deputies to actwhenever they are proceedingon vacation or unable todischarge their functions. Andwhere this is not done, the VicePresident or Deputy Governorautomatically begins to act after21 days of the absence of thePresident or Governor.Remaining term of officewhen a President/Governorwins re-run:
Whereas the Supreme Court
of Nigeria in a landmark rulingon the matter brought before itby Governor Peter Obi ofAnambra State maintained thata Governor’s or President’sterm begins to run from the datehe/she was sworn in,Governors such as those ofEkiti, Cross River, Adamawa,and Kogi States whose electionswere annulled, but who wonthe reruns, also thought thisapplied to them and carried onas such. Consequently,Sections 135 and 180 of theConstitution were amended tostraighten the intendment ofthe Constitution to the effectthat “in the determination of thefour year term, where a rerunelection has taken place and theperson earlier sworn in wins thererun election, the time spent
*Ekweremadu
Continued from page 44
CMYK
44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
07059197616
EVERY anniversary day ofNigeria‘s Independence is
generally regarded as a daywhen Nigerians have absolutefreedom to comment on theprogress or otherwise, of theircountry. It is that day in whichthe President of the countryreviews the events of the pastyear and assures the nation ofgood life ahead. ThePresident‘s address to thenation is usually awaited for byall Nigerians and comments arethus made by different people,according to their mood,political standing andpredilections.
This year‘s event has notdeparted from the norm, exceptthat the President spoke withinthe safety of the tightly guardedAso Rock. As expected,President Ebele GoodluckJonathan spoke about thedifficulties of the present andthe hope of the future ifNigerians would exercisepatience and cooperate withhim and his government todeliver in full the deliciousfruits of democracy.Undoubtedly, the President‘saddress would normally excitedifferent comments fromdiverse quarters.
In order to avoid confusion,this article deals mainly withtribal jingoists (those who usetribalism by way of speech orwriting to influence the courseof events). For example, atribal jingoist could mean arespected person in thecommunity, who under thepretext of freedom ofexpression, could indirectlydisturb ethnic stability. Manygood writers are often guilty ofthis deceit by their insistenceon interpreting historicalevents through their jaundicedeyes. The gullible readers areoften captivated by the freeflowing literary style of such
Here they come again:The jingoists, thecynics and the sadistswriters and forgetting theirbasic tribal instincts.
I am of the opinion that thelate Chief Obafemi Awolowo, asa politician had his manyvirtues and vices. It would notbe a bad thing if he everattempted to be the Presidentof Nigeria. Some analystsbelieved then that hisimprisonment in 1962 forattempting to overthrow theFederal Government by
force was unjust. Others alsothought that it wasunreasonable that the militarygovernment that followed thecoup of 1966 did not releaseAwolowo until the appearanceof the government of Lt. ColGowon (now retired General). General Gowon appointedlate Chief Awolowo as ViceChairman in his governmentand Commissioner for Finance,a position he held throughoutthe civil war of 1967-1970.Whatever methods used byboth sides in the contestbecame irrelevant since the war
ended on a slogan of, “NoWinner, No Vanquished”.
It should be recalled that thelate Chief Awolowo sufferedpolitical setback for hiscontribution to the successfulprosecution of the civil war bythe Federal Government. Inthe 1979 federal elections, lateChief Awolowo‘s party did notdo well in Ibo speaking areasbecause of the cry of
genocide policy leveledagainst him during the civilwar. In the federal electionsof 1979 and 1983, the votes ofShehu Shagari (Hausa/Fulani)were far higher than those ofChief Awolowo.
There was a common beliefamongst the Yoruba that DrNnamdi Azikiwe‘sinterventions (at his old age)in these federal elections wereto prevent Chief Awolowo fromwinning to become thePresident of Nigeria. As I wrotesome years ago that, “betweenAwo and Zik, whatever mightbe the reasons for their rivalries
and personal antagonism, theirlack of vision at the crucialtimes in 1959 and 1979contributed greatly to the risein the fortunes of the North onthe political horizon”.
As Chinua Achebe noted inhis book “The Trouble withNigeria”, `If we were a morediscerning people, we shouldnot have trusted them with ourlives in the 1950s and 1960s. However, both Chief Awolowo(Awo) and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe(Zik) are now dead and haveput their foot marks on thesands of their time. We are nowin the 21stcentury under a newpolitical horizon. The Ibos aremore in Yorubaland pursuingtheir valuable and profitabletrades far more than they werebefore the civil war. Thepeoples of the South Western,South Eastern and the SouthSouth zones are forging newunderstanding towardspolitical and economic stabilityof Nigeria. There is no neednow for writers of fiction toremind us of genocides ofthose terrible years.
In the analysis of Nigeria‘spolitical and economic scenery,there has always been a freezone or the panorama forcynics to wander around.People who are rooted inpessimism could not beexpected to; at times relapse,into an avenue of optimism,even if there are sign-posts toglory. Every effort or any steptowards the glorious future ischallenged by evidence of pastfailures. Every Nigerian talksabout corruption as if thiscorruption is a part of our dailyfood. Some do say thatcorruption is the 37th state ofNigeria and that all Nigeriansare corrupt. If this is so, theattempt to stop corruptionbecomes laughable and thesolution to corruption looks
evasive. Corruption could beregarded as a situation in whichan individual wants to livebeyond his or her means. Thisin itself suggests a situation ofextreme inequality in thecountry and promotes anattempt by individuals to solvethe problem by any means atany time. Corruption could bea Nigerian‘s way of existing ina state of continuous risingprices. In an inflationarycondition accompanied bymass unemployment, theresultant poverty would be aninvitation to criminal means ofmaking money or otherdevious means. Under the oilsubsidy scheme, the fakeimporters of petroleumproducts are as guilty as thosewho create conditions where anation blessed with oilsuddenly becomes a netimporter of the same product.
However, in the AgriculturalPolicy of the FederalGovernment, it is possible totransform the rural areas andcreate more employment if theprogressive policy is marchedby action. The famousGroundnut Pyramid of theNorth and the Cocoa Plantationof the former golden West werepossible because of theingenuity of past Europeanadministrators. If a farmer ispaid promptly for his produceat the convenient centre orlocation, the more incentive hehad to produce more and bepaid more. The lack of storagesystem and the inability of thefarmer to be duly paid for hisproducts are sure ways toprevent increasing agriculturalproduction. There is need toencourage rural farming byenabling the farmer to weedplants and harvest at less costand to ensure that there is readymarket (payments) for hislabour (produce).
Deepening Democracy in National Interest and for Posterity
Continued from page 43
in the office before the datethe election was annulled, shallbe taken into account.” Independence of INEC:
One of the landmarkachievements of constitutionamendment in the 6
th National
Assembly was the securing ofboth administrative andfinancial independence for theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission, INEC inline with international bestpractices and popular demandby the Nigerian people. Qualification for INECmembership:
The Constitution haderroneously provided that acandidate for nomination formembership of INEC shouldhold the same qualifications asone seeking election into theHouse of Representatives. Thisnaturally includes membershipof a political party. This couldnot have been the intention ofthe drafters of the constitution.Therefore, we amended Section156 of the Constitution toinsulate INEC members frompartisan politics. Fixed time for disposal of
election petitions:Our electoral processes have
hitherto faced the challenge oftoo many rigmarole and unduedelays in election petitions.Since justice delayed is justicedenied, Section 285Subsections 5-8 were amendedto provide for a timeline forfiling, hearing, and delivery ofjudgment/returns onpetitions.
Wider timeline for the conduct
of elections: Sections 76, 116,132, and 178 were amended toprovide for a wider timeframeof not earlier than one hundredand fifty days and not later thanninety days. With this, INEChas now been handed ampletime to plan and delivercredible elections. Reduction in the number ofjudges on Election PetitionTribunals:This was done with a view toquickening the dispensation ofjustice at the tribunals. It meansthere are more judges availablefor appointment into thetribunals, while fewer judgesare needed for a tribunal to sit. Financial autonomy for theNational Assembly:
A milestone was also scored
by securing the financialindependence of the NationalAssembly from the Executivearm. Regrettably, the samecould not be achieved for theState legislatures as thatamendment could not musterthe required two-thirds of theState Houses of Assembly topass as amended.
Nigeria is on the marchagain, continuing from wherewe stopped in the 6
th National
Assembly. This Public Hearing,therefore, comes as a fulfilmentof constitutional and legislativedue process aimed at ensuringthat the Nigerian people ownand drive the process.
Let me avail myself of thisopportunity to refresh ourminds on the thematic areas offocus in this Public Hearing. Following our earlier call formemoranda, the Committeehas at the last count received atotal of 231 memoranda inaddition to 56 other memorandaproposing the creation ofadditional states. Nigerianshave poured out their minds onthe way forward for the country,especially on the following keyissues: Devolution of powers:
There are suggestions thatthe current FederalGovernment is behemoth,hence the need for theredistribution of powers as wellas the proper streamlining ofthe Second Schedule to the1999 Constitution to reflect atrue federal system.State creation:
Demands for state creationhave endured and proponentshinge their demands on needfor equity, justice, and speedydevelopment.
Constitutional recognition ofsix geopolitical zones: Thereare suggestions that this hasbecome imperative since it hasbecome a political factor andserved the purposes ofequitable distribution ofopportunities and mobilisationfor socio-economicdevelopment.
The Local GovernmentSystem: There has been adeluge of memoranda to theeffect that our LocalGovernments are largelydysfunctional, hence the needfor a proper definition of theirstatus, powers, and functionswithin the Nigerian federalstructure.
Fiscal Federalism:Nigerians have through their
memoranda expressed worriesthat the current fiscal relationin our federal system isunwholesome and cannot drivecompetitive development asenvisioned by our foundingfathers. Memoranda so farreceived are however not inagreement on how best torectify the perceived anomaly.
Residency and indigene:There are suggestions on thebest way to guarantee equityand rights of every Nigerian inany part of the country,irrespective of his/her ethnicity,State of origin, sex, language,and religion. Most memorandaon this subject seek to suggestthat the State of Origin bereplaced with State ofResidence.
There are suggestions on theneed to amend S.147(3)requiring ministerial nomineesto be indigenes instead ofresidents. S.42 of the 1999constitution deals with nondiscrimination. How do weensure that Nigeria takes fulladvantage of that provision?
CMYK
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 45
DPR seals MRS,Obat, ASCON depots
UN commends Nigeriaover stance on Bakassi
NLC, TUC decry students' massacre
NIGERIA Labour Congress, NLC, and
Trade Union Congress ofNigeria, TUC, yesterday,expressed shock and dis-gust over the spate of vio-lence and brutal murder ofstudents in recent times.
They said they weredeeply worried by the mur-der of 40 students of ThePolytechnic, Mubi,
Adamawa State and fourstudents of the Universityof Port Harcourt, who weretortured and murdered inAluu, River States.
NLC in a statement by itsPresident, Mr.Abdulwaheed Omar, de-scribed the killings as mostcruel, dastardly and bar-baric. It called on the In-spector-General of Police toorder thorough investiga-tion, arrest and prosecuteof all those involved in the
murder of the students.On its part, TUC in a
statement by its Presi-dent-General and Secre-tary, Mr. Peter Esele andChief John Koplawole,respectively, said: “Weare left aghast at thethought of the existenceof such impulses at theheart of fellow Nigeriansto reach the murderousdecision to massacreother students for what-soever reason.”
BY VICTORAHIUMA-YOUNG
BY CLIFFORD NDU-JIHE, with Agency
Reports
Continues from Page 7
PPPRA, per litre of pet-rol is N87.66.
Outlets sell betweenN105 and N120 per li-tre.
Apparently taking acue from the depotssharp practices, someretail outlets monitoredby Vanguard have beencheating motorists, notjust in higher pumpprices, but also in un-der-dispensing.
For instance, theConoil fuel station atOld Agege Motor Road,New Oko-Oba, sells atN105/per litre; MRSfuel station atAhmadiyya, AbuleEgba, sells at similarpump price. In addi-tion, the MRS outletsells only at night toavoid notice, especiallyas it allegedly indulgesin under-dispensing aswell.
Vanguard also discov-ered that all the outletslocated along the AyoboRoad in Ipaja-AyoboDevelopment Area are
selling petrol at be-tween N110 and N120/litre.
Outlets which sell atthe regulated pricecharge “gate fee” of notless than N200 fromeach motorist beforeselling fuel to them.
When contacted, someof the franchise ownersof the outlets dissoci-ated their companiesfrom the sharp prac-tices. For instance, atConoil, a top manage-ment source insistedthat since the companycould not monitor ac-tivities in all its outlets,motorists should resistattempts to cheat them.
MRS said it had longdisowned theAhmadiyya outlet as itwas notorious for sharppractices.
However, consideringthe fact that motoristsare desperate to havefuel to power their ve-hicles, they becomeeasy prey to these un-ethical practices, whichcalled for urgent inter-vention by DPR.
THE United Nations hascommended Nigeria for
not appealing the Interna-tional Court of Justice rul-ing ceding the Bakassi Pe-ninsula to Cameroon.
Marking the 10th anni-versary of the verdict inNew York, yesterday, UNSecretary General, Ban Ki-Moon commended the Ni-
gerian and Camerooniangovernments for their effortson implementing the ICJjudgment and resolvingtheir disputes peacefully.
He encouraged both coun-tries to reach an early agree-ment on the remaining 200kilometres of land boundaryin order to conclude the de-marcation process.
In a statement by the Of-fice of the Spokesperson ofthe Secretary-General, en-titled Secretary-General,
Marking 10 years sinceBakassi Peninsula Deci-sion, commends Cameroon,Nigeria on commitment toInternational Court of Jus-tice Ruling, Ban Ki-Moonalso stressed the need to ad-dress the socio-economic,humanitarian and securityneeds of the populations af-fected by the demarcationprocess, including theBakassi area.
The statement reads: “Onthe occasion of the tenth
anniversary of the ruling ofthe International Court ofJustice on the border be-tween Cameroon and Ni-geria, the Secretary-Generalcommends the commitmentof the governments of bothcountries to honour the ob-ligations of the ruling.
“He also congratulates theCameroon-Nigeria MixedCommission for the com-mendable efforts it has madein implementing the Inter-national Court of Justice rul-ing.
“The success of the Com-mission is an embodimentof an innovative approachto conflict resolution. Bypeacefully resolving theirborder dispute, Cameroonand Nigeria have provideda positive example for coun-tries around the world fac-ing similar challenges.
“The Secretary-Generalstresses the importance ofaddressing the socio-eco-nomic, humanitarian andsecurity needs of the popu-lations affected by the de-marcation process, includ-ing in the Bakassi area.”
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YOU CAN B O O K Y O U R A D V E RT S AT OU RL A G O S I S L A N D O F FI C E — VA N G U A R D
M E D I A L I M I T E D ( L A G O S O F F I C E )K I O S K
4 8 E A S T PAV I L I O N T B S , L A G O S .
VANGUARD'S LAGOS OFFICE
46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—47
L-r: Mrs Chibuzo Patrick, founder, Meljenstin Youth EmpowermentInitiative; Prince Yinka Durosinmi, Chairman, Ojo Local Government,Lagos State and Princess Chichi Gbadero, Vice Chairman during thepress briefing on the flag off of the season 7 of Youth Essay Competitionand Award in Ojo Local Government held within the LG secretariat inLagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele
Emekuku High School OCD boys to honour Imo deputy gov
By EMMANUEL
EDUKUGHO
DESCRIBED as one ofthe first fruits of pub-
lic-private partnership inthe education sector in Ni-geria, Emekuku HighSchool, Owerri, (originallynamed Sebastine Acade-my) was a private second-ary institution until it wastaken over by the Govern-ment of the defunct East-Central State. After the takeover, the 48 year-oldschool’s name waschanged to Emekuku highschool.
One of the old boys, SirJude Ikechi Agbaso, is nowdeputy governor of ImoState. Therefore, theEmekuku High School OldBoys Association is rollingout the red carpet in a grandreception to honour him onSaturday, October 20, 2012at 2:00pm at the school pre-mises. Disclosing this at apress briefing in Lagos, thepresident of EmekukuHigh School Old Boys As-sociation, EHSOBA, Mr.Paul Ogazi, said the grandreception tagged “Garlandsfor our own” has two coreobjectives.
He said: “Firstly, to cele-brate Sir Jude Agbaso’s me-
teoric rise in industry andpolitical leadership whichis a thing of pride to us all.By this means, we show-case him as a model to stu-dents of our school andencourage him in his cur-rent endeavour. Secondly,our reception for the depu-ty governor is to use himas a magnet to draw the oldboys of Emekuku HighSchool and their well-wish-ers together in the interestof the school.”
Affirming that the schoolis in dire need of resourcetransfusion and infrastruc-
ture transfor-mation, hepainted apathetic pic-ture of thep r e s e n tstate of theschool inthese words:“The build-ings in theschol, thelaboratories,and librarythey shelterare in heart-b reak ingthroes of de-cay. Whenyou see there fec tory
and what used to be thelawns and staff quarters,your heart will ache andtears will fill your eyes. Iwonder what thoughts gothrough the minds of thecurrent teachers and stu-dents when they are toldthat this ruin is what re-mains of a school that wasour pride.”
Ogazi explained that thechoice of the school pre-mises as venue for the re-ception is to “draw the at-tention of stakeholders tothe plight of this school thatmany capable and eminent
men call their alma mater.”He said that it is the re-sponsibility of the old boysto defend the school’s glo-ry; the make the school’sachievements endure; andto make the school a decentand conducive learning en-vironment for the currentand the next generation.
“A school old boys associ-ation must give back to theschool that produced themthe way successful youngadults look after their par-ents,” he noted, adding,“education is the bedrockfor national greatness in allfields of endeavour.”
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Correction of Name
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CMYK
48 — Vanguard, FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2012
By DONAL ARJI &ADA ONWUNALI
Some members of a vigilante group
recently engaged a gang ofsuspected armed robbers atCeleniza community in Ibalocal GovernmentDevelopment Area inOkokomaiko, Lagos, in a gunbattle, killing a member of thegang.
Crime Alert was informedthat the vigilante memberswere on their normal routinepatrol of the area when theynoticed an unusual movementof five men. The group wassaid to have confronted themen, during which one of thesuspected robbers reportedlygot infuriated and broughtbrought out an AK47 assaultriffle and fired at a member ofthe vigilante group identifiedas Habeeb Jimoh, therebykilling him on the spot. Soon,the area was turned into a warzone as the robbers andvigilante group engagedthemselves in a shoot-out.During the cross fire, amember of the armed gangwas reportedly gunned down.But before he died, he gavesome vital information whichlater led to the arrest of fivemembers of the gang amongwhom was a herbalist.
Speaking on how othermembers of the gang werearrested, head of the vigilantegroup, Mr S.A. Omotosho saidinformation about theircriminal hideout was receivedfrom a good Samaritan andthey had to promptly act on it.According to him, “I reallywant to say a big thank you toGod Almighty for the strengthto round up other members ofthe gang that attacked us. Onthat fateful day, I was with myboys on our normal routinepatrol when we noticed agroup of five young menwalking towards our direction.One of my boys who noticedthey carried a bag which waslater discovered to containriffles, stopped them askedthat they identifiedthemselves. Instead of doingthat, one of them brought outan AK47 gun and fired at ourpost . That was when we knewthat they were robbers. Wepromptly responded eventhough they possessedsuperior fire power. Duringthe cross fire, one of us was
End of the road for notoriousarmed robbery gang
gunned down. Still, we wentafter them and killed one ofthem too ,while others escapedwith bullet wounds. But wewere able to trace and arrestthe fleeing members throughvital information we got froma commercial bus driver.”
Continuing, Mr.Omotosho said: “The
funny story is that, among thegang members that werearrested, one of them is theirnative doctor who preparedprotective charms for themBut he told us duringinterrogation that he neverknew the men were armedrobbers and that theynormally came to him for
Akeem Bolawale, 36, (thenative doctor)and BashiruGbolawale, 26, who confessedto be the brain behind series
of robbery inC e l e n i c acommunity andalso Calabarmarket located inAdaloko, anothercommunity inOto-Awori locald e v e l o p m e n tcouncil.
But in anotherb r e a t h ,
Akeem Bolawale,the ‘voodoo’ manwho earlier deniedknowledge of thegang’s operation,later admitted tobe a member ofthe gang.Heh o w e w v e r ,claimed he hadnever partaken inany operation withthe gang,explaining that hisrole was to
PHOTO SPEAKS
•The suspects
Oyo State Police command recently paraded some suspected criminals. Pix shows the suspects and their weapons
protective charms.During interrogation, they
gave their names as MoshoodAdebowale, 26, Wahab Sherif,31, Thomas Samuel, 23,
prepare formidable charms forthe gang during and after anyoperation, at the end of whichhe got paid. he furtherrevealed that the gang’smodus oprandi includeddigging holes on the roadwhich would force anymotorist to slow down onreaching the point, only to beattacked. The gang he addedalso operated at traffic jamsalong the Mile 2 Okokomaikoexpress way, adding that thelast robbery they went forbefore they met their waterloowas in the house of a manwho just returned from theUnited Kingdom.The suspects,have been handed over to thePolice.
The funny story is that, amongthe gang that were arrested, oneof them is their native doctor whoprepared protective charms forthe gang, but he told us duringinterrogation that he never knewthat the men were armed robbersand that they normally come tohim for protective charms
,
,
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—49
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Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 51
REPUBLICAN chal-lenger Mitt Rom-
ney has extended hislead over PresidentBarack Obama to 3 per-centage points, accordingto a Reuters/Ipsos track-ing poll released onThursday, ahead of ahigh-stakes debate be-tween the two candidates’running mates.
Romney now leads theDemocrat by 47 percent to44 percent among likelyvoters in the online poll,with less than a monthbefore the November 6election. The Republicanhad a one-point lead overObama in survey resultson Wednesday, his first inmore than a month. Rom-ney has been enjoyingone of his best runs of thecampaign after handilywinning the first presi-dential debate last week,partially due to Obama’s
Romney extends lead over Obama
DEMOCRATS arebetting on U.S.
Vice President Joe Bidento deliver a feisty perfor-mance yesterday eveningduring a high-stakes de-bate against Republicanchallenger Paul Ryan andseize back momentum in
Biden to regain momentumfor Democrats
•Joe Biden
CELEBRATED au-thor Mo Yan has
become the first Chinesenational to win the NobelPrize for literature.
Announced by the No-bel committee in Swedenon Thursday, Yan waschosen as the 2012 recip-ient for works with quali-ties of “hallucinatory re-alism” that mixes folktales, history and the con-temporary.
“Through a mixture offantasy and reality, his-torical and social per-spectives, Mo Yan hascreated a world reminis-cent in its complexity ofthose in the writings ofWilliam Faulkner andGabriel Garcia Marquez,at the same time findinga departure point in old
Chinese writer wins Nobel
Prize for Literature
Chinese literature and inoral tradition,” the Swed-ish Academy said.
Mo Yan whose realname is Guan Moye wasborn in 1955.
He has published nov-els, short stories and es-says on various topics,and despite his social crit-icism is seen in his home-land as one of the fore-most contemporary au-thors, the Nobel commit-tee noted.
EGYPTIAN President Mohamed
Morsi has removed thecountry’s prosecutor gen-eral a day after all 24 de-fendants in the Cairo“Camel Battle” case wereacquitted, state televisionhas reported.
Abdel Meguid Mah-moud, the country’s topprosecutor, was named asthe country’s ambassadorto the Vatican yesterday.The state broadcaster saidthe transfer had beenmade by presidential de-cree.
Mahmoud was consid-ered to be a remnant ofousted president HosniMubarak’s regime.
On February 2, 2011,pro-Mubarak forcesriding camels and hors-es, charged into thecrowd in Cairo’s TahrirSquare. The “Camel Bat-
Egypt sacks Prosecutor General amid protests
•Mo Yan
•Romney
passive performance inthat contest.
“The momentum is inRomney’s direction rightnow,” Ipsos pollster JuliaClark said. Vice PresidentJoe Biden will look to re-cover some momentumfor Obama’s re-electionbid when he faces offThursday evening withRepublican challengerPaul Ryan in the only vicepresidential debate of thecampaign.
the race for the WhiteHouse.
Republican Mitt Rom-ney’s steady climb inpolls since PresidentBarack Obama’s poorshowing in their first de-bate last week have inten-sified expectations for thevice presidential show-down with less than fourweeks before the Novem-ber 6 election.
The former Massachu-setts governor has takenthe lead in national sur-veys and narrowed thegap by which he trailsObama in many of theswing states that will de-cide the election.
Romney led the Demo-cratic incumbent by 47percent to 44 percent inthe Reuters/Ipsos dailytracking poll on Thursday- the online poll showedthe challenger with a onepercentage point advan-tage on Wednesday.
tle” became a symbol ofthe revolution andMubarak’s efforts to sup-press it. The ruling onWednesday sparked an-ger across the country,and Mahmoud wasblamed for presenting aweak case to the court.Earlier yesterday hun-dreds of protesters dem-
onstrated in Cairo againstthe acquittal of theMubarak-era officials.
The protesters chantedslogans against the ver-dict, accusing the judgesof “complicity” with theleaders of the former re-gime. “The people wantto purify justice,” theyshouted.
AT least two peoplehave been killed in
South Africa after a pro-test by mineworkers strik-ing for better pay turnedviolent, police said. Policesaid yesterday the manwas burned to death anda second man died fromgun shot wounds at theinformal settlement inPhotsaneng near Rusten-burg and a minibus taxi
Mine protests turn deadly in SA
was torched.Meanwhile, police
fired rubber bullets atstriking Anglo AmericanPlatinum (Amplats) min-ers near Rustenburg. Gad-dafi Mdoda, a strike lead-er, said that a brief con-frontation occurred be-tween police and some ofthe 12,000 striking min-ers who were fired byAmplats last week.
52—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
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Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—53
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54—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
Continues from Page 5
to increase budgets thatwere sent to NationalAssembly withoutconsidering that therevenue continuouslyexpanded yearly in deficit,leading to huge nationaldebts.
‘’On the bench mark, thatwas pure drama. ThePresident submitted thebudget. The budget is yetto be passed or yet to belooked into and debatedand all that, and here,another arm ofgovernment, in a dictatorialmanner, authoritatively saidthat it has decided that thebench mark shall be $80.”
On call for Oteh'ssack
On resolutions by theNational Assemblydemanding the sack of Ms.Bolanle Onagoruwa andMs Arumah Oteh asDirectors-General of theBureau of PublicEnterprises, BPE andSecurities and ExchangeCommission, SEC,respectively, Okupe said itis blasphemous to raise theissue saying an employerknows it best when to sackan employee.
He said: "In the interestof the Nigerian people, forthe sake of our teemingmasses, the NationalAssembly and the executivemust of necessity find acommon ground on allthese issues, instead ofu n n e c e s s a r ygrandstanding and playing
to the gallery, which will nothelp anybody or solve anyof our problems."
Know your limits,Mark tells Okupe
In a sharp response,Senator Mark speakingthrough his SpecialAdviser, Media, Mr. KolaOlagbodiyan cautionedOkupe to know his limits,asserting that Mark and thepresident were on the samepage on the issues raised.
Advising Okupe that itwas not his job to makeenemies for the President,Mark said: "Our attentionhas been drawn to mediaattacks on the office andperson of the President ofthe Senate, Senator DavidMark, by the Senior SpecialAssistant to the President,Dr. Doyin Okupe, to theeffect that the President ofthe Senate deridedPresident GoodluckJonathan during the budgetpresentation onWednesday.
"It is instructive to firststate that Senator Mark andMr. President are on thesame page in the oneroustask of ensuring theactualisation of thetransformation agenda ofthis administration.
‘’There was nothingderisive in the welcomeaddress of the President ofthe Senate at the budgetpresentation. We challengeDr. Okukpe to revisit thespeech and discover hismisadventure.
‘’It is, therefore, strangethat Dr. Okupe would
meddlesomely attempt tocreate unnecessarydisaffection between thelegislature and theexecutive. It is commonknowledge that budgetsare estimates of revenuesand expenditures of theFederation for the nextfinancial year. Section 81 ofthe1999 Constitution (asamended) is very explicit.The position of the Senatewhich was expressed bythe President of the Senateis that in line withconstitutional provisions,the legislature has a rightof appropriation.
"Dr. Okupe as a publicaffairs manager has aresponsibility to makefriends and create aharmonious workingrelationship between theexecutive and other arms ofgovernment. His job is notto make enemies andcreate unfavourableatmosphere for Mr.President.
‘’We take exception tosuch unwarranted attack onthe Office of the Presidentof the Senate and we urgeDr. Okupe to know hislimits.”
He is an overzealousofficial—Tambuwal
Speaker Tambuwal on hispart equally brushed offOkupe as an overzealousofficial apparently ignorantof his duties.
In a statement by hisSpecial Adviser, Media,Imam Imam, he said: “Theattention of the Speaker ofthe House of
Representatives, HonAminu Waziri Tambuwal,has been drawn to a pressconference addressed bythe Senior Special Assistantto the President on PublicAffairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe,where he madedisparaging remarks aboutthe leadership of the twochambers of the NationalAssembly with regards tothe remarks of SenatePresident David Mark andthe Speaker of the Houseof Representatives at thepresentation of the 2013budget.
“The Speaker wishes tostate that the remarks of thetwo leaders where inconformity with theprovisions of the 1999Constitution of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria (asamended) and that allstatements by the twoleaders were backed byfacts and figures from fieldstudies by the legislatorsand expert advises.
“It is apparent that Okupeis dabbling into areaswhere he is totally ignorantabout. The uncouth mannerin which he replied electedrepresentatives showed hisapparent lack of respect forthe legislature as aninstitution. The entireremarks he made gave himout as an overzealousofficial doing a hatchet jobin order to be relevant in thescheme of things.
“The Speaker and theHouse of Representativeswill always stand by thetenets of good governanceand true representation atall times. “
Continues from page 5
NASS playing to the gallery —Presidency
power, the roads andagriculture. It is importantto also note that thisallocation is a combinationof both recurrent andcapital, which implies thatthe capital content is evenmuch lower.
"We note the 2.7 per centreduction in recurrentexpenditure from 71.43 percent to 68.7 per cent; andthe increase of 2.8 per centin capital budget, from 28.5per cent to 31.3 per cent.These adjustments are notprofound enough to providethe needed infrastructuralsupport to stimulate theeconomy.
“The country’s debtprofile remains a majorsource of concern. We areconcerned about thegrowing level of domesticdebt and the high cost ofdebt servicing. Domesticborrowing is proposed toreduce from N747 billion in
2012 to N727 billion in2013, a mere 2.3 per centreduction. A staggeringN591.76 billion isearmarked for debtservicing.
"However, the provision ofN100 billion sinking fundfor the repayment ofmaturing debt obligations isa welcome development.We commend thesemeasures as they couldboost domestic production,conserve foreign exchangeand create jobs.
"However, the impositionof 100 per cent levy on ricewhich is a staple food mayhave some unintendedconsequences if there is noadequate supply sideresponse on the domesticfront. We have to be surethat domestic capacity togrow and process rice hasbeen put in place,otherwise, we face thefollowing risks: Drasticincrease in the price of ricewhich would result in
escalation of poverty;escalation of smuggling andcorruption at the ports;pressure on government forwaivers of duty; diversionof cargoesto neighbouring countries,thus denying the maritimesector of jobs and revenue.
"For the avoidance ofdoubt, the Lagos Chamberof Commerce and Industryis in full support of the self-reliance aspirations in foodproduction. But for such apolicy to be sustainable,there should be a deliberatepolicy and practical steps tobuild capacity to fill thedemand-supply gap thatwould be created.Otherwise, the citizens willbe further impoverished.The implications of therecent flood disaster on foodsecurity are also a factor totake into account.
Razia Khan, RegionalHead of Research, Africa,for Standard CharteredBank said the budget is an
encouraging sign of theweight currently given toreforms in Nigeria.Specifically, she noted thatthough there was anincrease in totalexpenditure by five percent, the increase wasrelatively modest, andcompares favourably withthe magnitude of spendingincrease that we had seenin 2010.
In real terms, it signalsthe ongoing attempt toachieve fiscal consolidation.This is also reflected in thebudget deficit, which fallsto a projected 2.17 per centof GDP, from an estimated2.85 per cent in 2012,largely as alreadyindicated.
She said the decline in theshare of recurrentexpenditure to 68.7 per centof the budget "is a furtherstep in the right direction,and indicative of theauthorities’ desire togradually boost the share of
capital expenditure,providing a firmer platformfor future growth.”
Khan, who is theRegional Head of Research,Africa, for StandardChartered Bank, alsocommended the $75 perbarrel oil price benchmark,but warned against anyattempt to increase thebenchmark.
She said: “Of greaterconcern is the suggestionthat there might be anattempt by the House toraise this to USD 80/bbl. Inour view, given global risks,and Nigeria’s ongoing fiscaland export dependency ona single commodity, thepriority for Nigeria has gotto be increasing its rate ofsaving. Were oil prices tofall, Nigeria would currentlybe left very vulnerable, withno sound mechanism forbeing able to smoothspending, let alone providea counter-cyclical boost tothe economy.
"The Sovereign WealthFund, while encouraging,is not yet sizeable enoughto create a sound bufferagainst external shocks. Itcannot be assumed eitherthat the debt marketscurrently comfortably opento Nigeria, would beunaffected by any fall in theoil price. There is, therefore,a need for much more fiscalconservatism, and thesignals from the House area considerable concern.Khan, however, expressedconcern on the budgeted oiloutput of 2.63 million barrelper day. She said “Also aconcern is the slow creepup in the budgeted oiloutput, which now rises to2.53mn bpd from 2.48mnbpd.
"This measure has risenconsistently year after yearrecently, with no realvisibility on whetherNigeria has seen theinvestment that allows it tocomfortably commit togreater output levels. Yes,some official data appearsto indicate that Nigeria iscurrently producing nearan all-time highs. But thereare such vast disparities indifferent estimates, and somany gaping holes inmeasures of Nigeria’s oiloutput, that the continuedrise in Nigeria’s budgetedoutput assumptions, at atime when investment inthe sector has beendwindling, does not inspiregreat confidence.”
Samuel Durojaye,President, Finance HousesAssociation of Nigeria(FHAN): “It is not reallywhat is proposed thatmatters but what isimplemented. The budgethas deficit which is to befinanced by additional
borrowing from the public.Already, there are concernsabout governmentborrowing crowding out theprivate sector of loanablefunds, even the Minister forFinance, Dr. NgoziOkonjo-Iweala expressedthis concern, saying weshould find a way to reducegovernment borrowing.That is why the NationalAssembly is proposing thatthe oil price benchmarkshould be increased to $80per barrel.
“What the FederalGovernment needs to do toreduce spending andborrowing is to reducebureaucratic expenses. Weshould cut overheadexpenses of political officeholders by 20 per cent, byreducing the retinue ofaides and advisers. TheNational Assembly tooshould reduce its overheadexpenses but they don’twant to do that. We need tosit down as a nation and seehow we can reduceexpenses. There is so muchmoney in the political spaceand we need to reduce it.
Former Minister ofFinance, Chief Olu Falae,also commended thereduction in the share of therecurrent expenditure butcalled for accountability inthe implementation of thecapital expenditure. Hesaid:“In a long while we cansee a change where thereis a reduction in therecurrent and an increasein the capital expenditure.The increase in the capitalexpenditure is quitesignificant. This is good.Although the majority of thebudget is on recurrentexpenditure, a reduction ofit from the previous yearswill cut government’sexpenses.
“When a substantialamount is devoted tocapital expenditurewhich is an increase fromthe previous years,economic growth can beattained. I hope that thecapital expenditure willbe used well. The budgetis good on paper and wehope that the capitalexpenditure will bedisbursed in good terms.
"Capital projects willalways be to theadvantage of Nigerians,it will add value in thelong run. I hope that themix of the capitalexpenditure will beadequately channelled tothe appropriate sectorand will be accounted forbecause one of theproblems we have in thiscountry is accountability.We all hope that thestealing will beminimized, this is veryimportant."
Budget 2013: Experts pick holes, emphasize close monitoring
Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 55
Continues from BP
We’ll shed blood to beat Liberia
will fight with the lastdrop of their blood onSaturday. We will alsofight until we get ourobjective that is thegame of football”, En-yeama told Goal.com.
“We will qualify by thehelp of God. There is nosecond thought of notqualifying at
all. We are not work-ing for a draw. It is vic-tory that is on ourminds.
“Nigerians should
support us through theirprayers. It is not goingto be easy.
“It is not going to be abread and butter thing.It will be tough. Let’ssee how it goes,” Enyea-ma added.
Nigeria held theLiberians to a 2-2 drawin Monrovia in the firstleg and a win in Cala-bar will see the teampick a ticket to the 2013edition of the NationsCup after missing out ofthe 2012 version.
Kanu joins Eagles
Continues from BP
his younger brotherOgbonna, and took timeoff to shake all the play-ers before and after thetraining session, withHead Coach, StephenKeshi beaming withsmiles at the supporthe’s getting from the At-lanta ’96 Olympics goldmedal hero and twotimes African Footballerof The Year.
Kanu said at the ses-sion that he was there tooffer his teammates sup-port, as he was still anactive footballer. He ad-monished the players tobe relaxed but be seri-ous as that is the onlyway victory will comeeasy on Saturday. “Itslike when you want towrite an essay. If youtake it too serious whenyou get to the examina-tion hall you becomeblank, that is why I’msaying they should justrelax their nerves andget the job done on Sat-
urday, the quality hereis too high for Liberia tosurvive us”, he said.
During the sessionproper that lasted fortwo hours, John MikelObi, who came in onWednesday and trainedin the evening of thesame day, was again thecynosure of all eyes assome fear for his fitness,but the Chelsea of En-gland midfielder cameout smoking during thetraining. Mention mustalso be made of Laziokid sensation, OgenyiOnazi, whose midfieldtouches were near ex-cellent, as Coach Keshigradually zeroes in onhis first eleven for theencounter on Saturday.
So far, its difficult topick Keshi’s brains re-garding the startingeleven, but from theclosed session, Nigeri-ans should expect somesurprises when the list ofprobables is finallymade public by noon onSaturday.
We’ll beat Liberia silly
Continues from BP
“I am here for the gameand I am ready to dobattle against Liberia. Iam in good shape andform now, I will do mybest to see that we beatLiberia.
“It is a battle we haveto win, we know what isat stake and we are nottaking it easy withthem.”
For their last visit at fullinternational level, theLone Star of Liberia com-plete with the legendaryGeorge Weah lost 2-0 tothe Eagles in Port Har-court in a 2002 WorldCup qualifier.
Mikel was held back inLondon over a visa ap-
plication to Ukraine forthis month’s UEFAChampions Leagueclash against ShakhtarDonetsk.
He arrived the Eaglestraining camp in Cala-bar on Wednesday andhours later worked outwith the rest of the squadunder the guidance ofcoach Stephen Keshi.
Mikel has yet to playfor Nigeria since Keshitook over the team inNovember.
He opted out of lastmonth’s 2-2 draw withLiberia in Monrovia af-ter it was initially be-lieved that the gamewould be played on anartificial pitch.
Early kick off for Eaglets
Continues from BP
match on Sunday inorder to connect theirearly Monday morningflight back to Conakry.
The NFF granted therequest of their Guineancounterparts since theywould have to wait tillnext Friday if they misstheir already scheduledarrangement.
Meanwhile, GoldenEaglets coach, ManuGarba, has stated he isnot concerned by thechanges in kick off timesfor the match , adding
that he has prepared histeam in case of anyeventuality.
“Even if they say weshould play on Friday,we are ready for thismatch,” Manu confi-dently said.
“We are not worriedabout when this match isgoing to be played. Wehave adequately pre-pared for any possibleoccurrence and I can saywith assurance that weare ready to play Guin-ea anytime.”
Encomiums as NFF president unveilsDelta Football House
YESTERDAY marked awatershed in the na-
tion’s football history asthe President of the Ni-geria Football Federa-tion, Alhaji Aminu Mo-hammed Maigari per-formed the foundationlaying ceremony of Del-ta Football House in Asa-ba, the State capital.Delta State Football As-sociation, arguably thebest FA in the countyraised the stakes in pri-vate sector participation,as it sets to build a befit-ting N100m edifice, withstate-of-the art facilities.
In a ceremony well at-tended by top govern-ment functionaries, pro-prietors of football clubs,States FA Chairmen,business moguls andcaptains of industries, theNFF President, AlhajiMaigari praised the dy-namism, vision and sa-gacity of the Delta FAunder Mr. AmajuMelvin Pinnick.
Alhaji Maigari ex-pressed optimism that inthe coming days, theDelta Football Housewhen fully completed,will attract the attentionof members of the CAFand FIFA families.Also speaking on the oc-casion, the Chairman ofthe Delta FA who alsodoubles as the ExecutiveChairman of the State
Sports Commission, Mr.Amaju Melvin Pinnick,informed the audiencethat traditional sponsorsof the Delta FA haveshown interest and com-mitment towards the re-alization of the Footballhouse project.
Mr. Pinnick also re-vealed that the DeltaFootball Secretariat hasbeen christened “PatrickOkpomo House” to im-
mortalize the late Secre-tary General of the thenNigeria Football Associ-ation.
High point of the cere-mony was the laying ofthe foundation/the unveil-ing of the prototype of theFootball House by theNFF President, AlhajiMaigari and technicalpresentation by one ofthe site engineers of theCrystalix consortium, the
contracting firm handlingthe project, Mr. CharlesArugba.
”I hope that other stateswill emulate the goodwork Amaju and his teamare doing in Delta,”Maigari said, assuringthat FIFA and CAF mem-bers will attend the com-missioning of the projectwhich he also said wouldserve football tremen-dously.
Chadian ref for Eaglets/Guinea match
THE Confederation ofAfrican Football
(CAF) have appointedChadian match officialsfor the game betweenNigeria’s U-17 nationalteam and their Guineancounterparts with Ma-hamat Tahir Oumar asthe Centre Referee.
He would be assistedby the trio of Yaya Issa(1st Assistant Referee),Mahamat Badjouri (2ndAssistant Referee) andCordier Adam (ReserveReferee). The MatchCommissioner is YunisaAlim Sesay from SierraLeone.
FOUNDATION LAYING CEREMONY: Alhaji Aminu Maigari, President NFF,Mr Arugba Charles, contractor, Mr Amaju Pinick, Chairman Delta State SportsCommission at the Foundation laying ceremony of Delta Football HousePHOTO: NATH ONOJAKE
AFN’s Coaches Forum/ClinicHolds Oct. 18 in Lagos
THE Technical Committee of the Athletics
Federation of Nigeria(AFN) has concludedplans to hold a Coaches’Forum/Clinic in Lagosbetween October 18 and20 October.
According to the Chair-man of the TechnicalCommittee of the AFN,Navy Captain OmatseyeNesiama, the Coaches’Forum/Clinic which willdraw resource personsfrom within and outsidethe country will hold atthe auditorium of the Na-tional Institute for Sportsinside the National Sta-dium complex in Lagos.
He admitted that theseminar will help give adirection on how to repo-sition the country’s track
and field ahead of nextglobal competitions.
Sports Minister, Mal-lam Bolaji Abdullahi isexpected to kick off pro-ceedings at the seminaralso aimed at boostingNigeria’s preparationsfor the 2014 Common-wealth Games as well asthe 2016 Olympic Gamesin Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Some of the topics to beexamined at the talk-shopinclude: Re-equipping NigerianCoaches for EnhancedElite Performance; Max-imizing Results throughIdentification of Elite Per-formance Components -A Scientific Approach;Elite Athletes Manage-ment- The Coach’s Per-spective.
Keshi happy with UJ Esuene turf
CHIEF coach of theSuper Eagles,
Stephen Keshi hasthumped up the UJ Es-uene Stadium, Calabarand has declared it
ready for the senior na-tional team’s assault onthe Liberia’s Lone Starscome Saturday in a 2013African Cup of Nationsqualifier.
CMYK
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Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).
Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.
No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.
We’ll break Nigerianhearts tomorrow!•Liberian coach boasts•Says: we’ve no respect for your Eagles
We’ll shed blood to beat Liberia
— Enyeama vows
Kanu joins Eagles
Early kick off for Eaglets
THE 2013 African U17qualifier between
Nigeria and Guinea inCalabar will now kick offon Sunday by 2 pm lo-cal time.
The match was shifted
forward from the usual 4pm kick-off to 2 pm atthe instance of theGuinean delegation whowish to return to Lagosimmediately after the
Continues on page 55
Mikel: We’ll beatLiberia silly
LIBERIAN coach,Smith Kaetu declared
yesterday that they haveno respect for the bigname players in the Ea-gles squad. He addedthat Liberia was here toget the desired result andqualify for the 2013 Na-tions Cup in South Afri-ca.
The Lone Star coachstated that if Guineacould come to Abuja andget the result that saw
them stop Nigeria fromqualifying for the lastNations Cup in Gabonand Equatorial Guinealast January, Liberia couldequally do the same.
“Personally, I am notafraid of the Nigerianteam whether it is home-based or (overseas) pro-
fessionals.“Nigeria aren’t like be-
fore, because they are liv-ing in the past. If Togo canqualify for the World Cup(in 2006) and Guineacould qualify at their ex-pense in the last Afconqualifier, Liberia can dosame too,” said the coach.
VINCENT Enyeama,Super Eagles stand-
in captain has advisedhis national team matesto fight with the last
drop of their bloodagainst Liberia tomor-row if they want to qual-ify for the Nations Cupafter the sour point oflast year’s loss to Guin-ea.
The Maccabi Tel Avivshot-stopper warned histeam mates not to expecta stroll in the packagainst Liberia’s LoneStar in the second leg tieof their 2013 NationsCup qualifier.
The former Enyimbagoalkeeper stated thatthe Eagles would haveto be at their best againstLiberia.
“The Liberians have agood squad and they
Continues on page 55
•Smith Kaetu
CHELSEA midfielderMikel Obi has said
the Super Eagles arefired up to reach nextyear’s AFCON and assuch will thrash Liberiaon Saturday at home.
“The (team) spirit ishigh and with our formand determination we
will beat Liberia silly,”Mikel said.
“I am not lookingdown on them, but it’s agame to determine ourparticipation in the Na-tions Cup and we areready to grab it with bothhands.
Continues on page 55
NIGERIAN legendNwankwo Kanu,
was the surprise pres-ence at the Super Ea-gles closed door trainingsession on Thursdayevening at the UJ Es-uene Stadium in Cala-bar.
Spotting his trade markAfrican plaited hairdo,Kanu was in company of
