Oduahgate: Ministry jerked up car budget — Ex-NCAA boss

...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62000

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013**

Mr & Mrs

Ministry jerked up carbudget — Ex-NCAA boss•Says cars increased from 25 to 54; N240m to N643m•Reps order PermSec out, insist Oduah must appear•We're unaware of purchases — BPP•APC, Sagay, TUC, NLC, IYM, others react

COLUMNIST:

•P.17

Continues on page 5

JONATHAN IN ISRAEL—President Goodluck Jonathan at the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu (where Peter deniedJesus three times). With him are from left, Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, Dr Precious Gbenol; Gov JonahJang of Plateau; Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia; Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akin Adesina; CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejaforand Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr John kennedy Opara. STATE HOUSE PHOTO.

Oduahgate:

BY FUNMI KOMO-LAFE, CLIFFORD

NDUJIHE, VICTORAHIUMA-YOUNG,

LAWANI MIKAIRU,EMMAN OVUAKPO-

RIE & ONOZUREDANIA

ABUJA—IT wasrevelations ga-

lore, yesterday, asformer Acting Director-General of Nigeria CivilAviation Authority,NCAA, Mr JoyceNkemakolam told Houseof Representatives mem-bers how the approvedbudget of N240 millionfor cars was jerked up toN643 million by the

CHOLERA OUTBREAK: Lagosidentifies suspected sources

10 •P.8

NATIONAL CONFAB:APC has nothingto offer — PDP

NEW TAX LAW: Lagos to lose N6.25bn monthly 9

2— Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013

CMYK

CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013 —3

4 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013

CMYK

POCKET CARTOONVanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013—5

Continues from page 1

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

LIFEWORDSBY PASTOR ITUAH

An insincere and evil friend is more to be fearedthan a wild beast; a wild beast may wound yourbody, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

FROM a spiritual perspective, each individualheart is a place where Divine love is expressed

and experienced. That’s what it’s designed for. Thatlove shows up in an unlimited way. We are here tolove, as big and as fearlessly as we possibly can —Jeffrey R. Anderson

When we enter a new level of consciousness wefind that everything changes around us and wehave to live by new rules. As sure as you are liv-ing, and as sure as you are alive, if you can makeit through the next hurdle, through the next stormysea, your view of life will change and so will yourviewpoint on truth, for these experiences will makeyou wiser. People want the love of God but when ittruly comes it burns deep, it burns slow, and it burnslong. Now people don’t understand this as they thinklove is all sweetness and light, which at times it is.But there are other times that this divine love has anature to transform you, if you are so fortunate tohave this blessing. It will turn your insides out andreplace this with something better.

Divine love will compel you to make changes inyour own life, because otherwise you cannot growand unfold to a better life spiritually and otherwise.When we make a change in life we have to leavethe places we left behind in a responsible fashion.There is more to freedom than just simply reactingto a whim.

When we ask the universe for something, we mayhave to change something in our lives to receive it.

Ministry jerked up carbudget — Ex-NCAA boss

ACCIDENT—A multiple accident involving a tanker and some cars at Odo-Olowu Bus-stop, along Apapa/Oshodi Expressway, Lagos, yesterday. Manypeople were injured in the auto crash. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

Ministry of Aviation.The former acting D-G

made the revelation be-fore the House Commit-tee on Aviation investi-gative hearing into thepurchase of BMW bulletproof cars at N255.15million allegedly boughtfor the Minister of Avia-tion, Princess StellaOduah.

Also, members of the

committee demandedthat the Aviation Minis-ter must appear beforethe committee next Tues-day or face sanctions.

Her non-appearancemade the lawmakers or-der the Permanent Sec-retary of the Ministry,Mr George Ossi and of-ficials of Accident Inves-tigation & PreventionBureau, AIPB to leavevenue of the hearing.

A representative of the

Bureau for Public Pro-curement, Mr AyoAdedipe told the com-mittee that none of thepurchases was broughtto the notice of theagency.

Chairperson of thecommittee, Rep NkirukaOnyejeocha simply said:“AIB, you are not wantedhere until we start inves-tigations on crashes,and as for the PermanentSecretary, leave heresince the Minister is nothere.”

The total sum approvedin the 2013 budget forvehicles was N240 mil-lion but the agency hascommitted the sum ofN643 million to the pur-chase of operational ve-hicles.

The Acting DG was putin the lime light as thesubstantive D-G washedhis hands off the issueas he told the committeehe was not in officewhen the issue of thebudget implementationstarted and that theprocess of purchase ofthe vehicles started dur-ing the tenure of the act-ing D-G.

The lawmakers notedthat the security vehiclesapproved for the NCAAwas for monitoring of theperimeter fences of air-ports, which the BMWbullet-proof cars werenot suitable for. Thecommittee also re-minded the agency thatits initial 2013 budgetproposal only containedthe request for bullet-proof vehicles which wasrejected at the point ofbudget defence.

On the purchased

BMW cars, Nkemakolamin his unsigned presen-tation, said: “Due to theimpromptu departure ofthe former D-G, whostarted this processsince 2012, I inheritedall these things. Theutility vehicles are pur-chased annually to serv-ice the 22 airports in thecountry and due to oldage there is need to ac-quire new ones.

“The bullet-proof carswere bought so that wecan use them when thecountry hosts dignitariesfrom IATA,, ICAO andother international bod-ies and it was throughlease financing.

“We sent a letter to theMinistry on April 5 andgot approval on April 15to go ahead with thelease financing in linewith best procurementpractices. First Bank,Stanbic and Unionbanks emerged as po-tential lessors for the 54cars atN643,88,250.00million.

“First Bank eventuallywon and we were ex-pected to complete thepayment in 36 monthsbefore we finally ownthe vehicles. In conclu-sion, I wish to point outhere that we are ex-pected to payN23,249,181.00 millionmonthly, so ownership ofthe vehicles is still withFirst Bank."

The Chairperson, atthis juncture, askedhim:”So you got ap-proval from the Ministryof Aviation and youknow what Section 84 ofthe constitution says,that you cannot with-draw from the consoli-dated account or anypublic fund without re-course to the NationalAssembly?"

A member of the com-mittee, Zakari Moham-med also asked the cur-rent D-G to tell memberswhen he resumed andwhen his employmentwas consummated and“when did you take overfrom the acting D-G? Thestory is slightly differentnow as it appears youhave two different budg-ets. We also want all thebank statements andtransactions in the lastsix months submitted.”

The new D-G, FolaAkinkuotu said: “I wasnominated on March 14and confirmed July 25but resumed on August14.”

Another member, RepJerry Manwe asked theacting D-G that sinceN240 million was ap-proved for 25 cars whichhe had jerked up to 54,who authorised him to do

these things?The acting D-G could

not provide any glaringanswer and all he coulddo was to ask for assist-ance from the Director ofFinance, Mr NuhuOzigi but the membersturned down his re-quest. They insisted thatthe presentation whichhe had to eventuallysign was in his name.

What the pur-chase documentindicated

In the document sub-mitted to the committeethe agency admitted thatthe 2013 budget ap-proved for five ToyotaHilux Pickup vans, 10Toyota Corolla cars, fiveToyota Land CruiserSUVs, three ToyotaHiace buses, all at a costof N240 million buteventually they bought54 vehicles through thebank lease for the sumof N643 million whichwas financed by thebank.

It was also discoveredby the committee thatthe financing agreementbetween the agency andthe bank showed thatNCAA was to repay thesum with an interest ofabout N500 million to bepaid on the N643 mil-lion within 36 months.Two months instalmentson the repayment, theagency said, have beenmade to the financingbank.

When asked by thecommittee on the propri-ety of committing the2014 and 2015 budgetsto repayment of excessdebt incurred illegally inthe process of imple-menting the 2013budget, the agencycould not provide anyanswer.

The drama played outas aviation stakeholderscondemned PrincessOduah’s response to thequery issued to her byPresident GoodluckJonathan, and her deci-sion to travel to Israeldespite the raging con-troversy.

Meanwhile, the TradeUnions Congress of Ni-geria (TUC), has vowedto ensure that none of its

members is sacked forleaking the car scandalas legal icon, ProfessorItse Sagay (SAN)warned people againstreading ethnic bias intoOduah’s travails be-cause the developmentcould threaten peacefulco-existence in thecountry. Indeed, theIgbo Youth Movement(IYM) canvassed dueprocess in handling theissue and condemnedwhat it described as “at-tempts by political en-emies of the AviationMinister led by disgrun-tled businessmen, whofelt dislodged by her far-reaching reforms in theaviation industry, tobring her down at allcosts.”

AviationstakeholderscondemnOduah’s response

In an interview withVanguard, an aviationconsultant and formermaintenance engineerwith the defunct NigeriaAirways, Engineer IyiolaBankole called for thescrapping of the office ofthe Aviation Minister asit is not relevant to theday-to-day running ofthe aviation industry.

“There is absolutely noneed to purchase carsfor somebody who is notrelevant in the runningof the aviation industry.The NCAA regulates civilaviation in the country.Civil aviation major com-ponents are mainte-nance, flying, and traf-fic control. There areagencies in charge ofthese components andthey have heads. So,what is the role of theminister?” he asked.

This to him, explainswhy Princess Oduahhad to leave for Israeldespite the burning is-sues concerning her andher ministry.

He continued: “ Ni-geria is only one of thevery few countries whichare International CivilAviation Organization(ICAO) members that

Continues on page 9

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013

Oronto Douglas' sister freed

PROTEST: Youths protesting non-payment of oil spill com-pensation in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday. NAN PHOTO.

SERVICE: National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Community Development Service, CDS, sanitation

Villagers beat up man foundwith father's amputated leg

77-yr-old burnt to death in Lagos fire

BY SUZAN EDEH

BY SAMUELOYADONGHA

BAUCHI— THE BauchiState Police Command has

rescued a middle aged manfound with a human leg frombeing lynched by a mob inGudun village, Bauchi LocalGovernment Area of BauchiState.

The state Police Public Rela-tions Officer, DSP Haruna Mo-hammed, who disclosed thisyesterday in Bauchi, said thatPolice initially arrested a man

(names withheld) with a hu-man leg in Bauchi.

He added that after investi-gation, it was discovered thatthe leg belonged to his father,which was amputated in thehospital because of an illness.Mohammed said: “The hospi-tal gave him the amputatedleg to go and bury. As astranger, he pleaded with anOkada rider to take him to theoutskirt of the town where hewill dispose of it.

“Unfortunately for him, themotorcycle rider took him toGudun village and alerted thepublic. The enraged mob tooklaws in their hands andstarted beating him before hewas rescued by the police.”

He added that after he wasrescued, the Police took hisstatement and paid a visit tothe hospital, where they methis father whose leg was am-putated.

He said: “The father of theman gave us the same storyand we feel there is nothingincriminating against the sus-pect.

“We released him and hewas admitted in the hospitalbecause of the beating the vil-lagers gave him.”

Lawmaker, 6othersarrested overBenuecommunitycrisis

LAGOS— A 77-year-oldman, Vincent Agbare, has

been reportedly killed in aninferno that gutted his two-sto-rey building apartment at 84,Osho Drive Street, Olodi-Apapa, Lagos, leaving prop-erty worth millions destroyed.

An eyewitness told Van-guard that the fire started froma burning candle fromAgbare’s living room, beforespreading to other parts of thebuilding.

The eyewitness, who identi-

fied himself as Shola Akinjobi,added that the septuagenar-ian was sleeping alone in theapartment, when the firestarted Tuesday night, andthat he was burnt beyond rec-ognition.

While confirming the report,the Lagos State Fire ServiceDirector, Razaq Fadipe, saidmen from the state fire serv-ice were at the scene to putoff the fire and prevent it fromspreading to adjoining build-ings.

Fadipe said: “Investigationshave shown that Mr. Agbarecould not escape from the

building, when the fire started,because the building has onlyone escape route and was cov-ered by the fire.

“I want to advise Lagosianto always ensure they createalternative routes in theirbuildings that will serve asescape route during emergen-cies.

“I also want to advise mem-bers of the public to endeav-our to have fire extinguishersin their apartments. Lastlypeople should stop using can-dles, because they may not beawake when it would haveburnt out.”

BY IFEANYI OKOLIE &ANGELA OKPE

YENAGOA— AFTER ninedays with her abductors,

Mrs. Augusta Douglas-Ayam,sister of Special Adviser to thePresident on Research, Docu-mentation and Strategy,Oronto Douglas, has been re-leased.

Though it could not be im-mediately ascertained if anyransom was paid, a statementby the family, yesterday nightin Yenagoa, said she was setfree unconditionally in theearly hours of the day.

Mrs. Augusta Douglas-Ayam, who was seized byarmed men from her shop atOgbia in Ogbia Local Govern-ment Area of the state, accord-

ing to the statement, is cur-rently receiving treatment atan undisclosed hospital.

The statement read: “Afternine traumatic days in thehands of abductors, our be-loved sister Augusta Douglas-Ayam was this morning uncon-ditionally released to the fam-ily.

“We thank God for his pro-tection and intervention. Wealso thank Nigerians who,through prayers and words ofencouragement, supported usthroughout this ordeal.

“Our sister is currently in a

hospital receiving treatment.“We will not be making any

further statements on this is-sue and wish to put it behindus.”

Head of the family, Mr.Romeo Douglas, had last weekpleaded with her captors toset her free on humanitariangrounds due to her poorhealth.

He had said: “We do hopeand pray that those who havekidnapped her will give herthe best of treatment deserv-ing of any human being andenvision also that they will

have a rethink over the matterand release her to reunite withus as a family.”

Mrs. Augusta Douglas-Ayam.

MAKURDI— Acouncillor (names

withheld) and six othershave been arrested bythe Benue State PoliceCommand for allegedlyattacking and burningdown the house of UkumLocal Government AreaChairman, Mr. TeryimaNguher.

The suspects were, lastTuesday, alleged to haveinvaded the home of theChairman at Gyado-Wukari community inZaki-Biam, where theyreportedly shot a manbefore setting the houseablaze.

The Benue State Com-missioner of Police, Mr.Adams Audu, said, yes-terday, that the suspectswere already undergo-ing interrogation to de-termine their complicityin the matter.

Audu said the attackwas a fallout of a disputebetween contenders fora chieftaincy stool in thecommunity.

BY PETER DURU

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013—7

Boko Haram trial: Journalistssent out of courtroom

n group on duty in Gombe metropolis, yesterday. NAN PHOTO.

PROTEST: Members of Education Rights Campaign, ERC,protesting the strike embarked on by Academic Staff Union ofUniversities, ASUU, in Lagos, yesterday. NAN PHOTO.

7 returning hajj pilgrimsdie in road accident

Pastor accused of raping9-yr-old, two 7-yr-olds

GUSAU— SEVEN pil-grims from Zamfara

State, who were returningfrom this year’s hajj exercise,lost their lives few hours afterarriving the country.

The deceased, who were in-digenes of Bukkuyum LocalGovernment Area of the state,died when the vehicle convey-ing them from the InternationalAirport, Sokoto, ran into aditch after the driver lost con-trol.

According to Lawal Garba,the Public Relations Officer ofthe Federal Road Service Com-mission, FRSC, Sokoto StateCommand, survivors of theaccident are currently receiv-ing medical attention at theFederal Medical Centre,Gusau.

According to Lawal, who of-ficially confirmed the death ofthe returning pilgrims, inves-tigation is on to ascertain thecause of the accident.

Also speaking on the issue,the Registration Officer ofBukkuyum Local Government,Mallam Ibrahim Nasarawa,revealed that the accident hap-pened along Sokoto-Gusau

Road.He said: “The pilgrims, who

also happened to be the sec-ond batch to be airlifted fromSaudi Arabia after the conclu-

sion of hajj, were hearty andhealthy.

“But to our dismay, we re-ceived the news of theirdeath.”

BY SALISU MARADUN

ABUJA— A pastor,Emmanuel Mathew, 50,

appeared before an AbujaHigh Court for allegedly rap-ing three pupils in a primaryschool at Mpape, Abuja.

Mathew, who is the pastorand General Overseer of TheChoice Bible Church,Mpape, and proprietor of thesaid school, was arraignedon a five-count charge.

The Prosecutor, DSPStanley Nwodo, told the courtthat the accused raped twoseven-year-old and a nine-year-old pupils on differentoccasions in his school.

Nwodo said the offencecontravened Section 283 ofthe Penal Code, which at-tracts 14 years imprisonment,an option of fine or both.

Mathew pleaded not guiltyto the charges.

After arraignment, theCounsel to the accused, Mr.Uya Yamah, urged the courtto admit his client to bail.

The prosecutor did not op-pose the application becausethe accused had been on ad-ministrative bail.

In his ruling, JusticeHusseini Baba-Yusuf,granted bail to the accusedin the sum of N500,000 anda surety in like sum.

Baba-Yusuf ordered that thesurety must be residentwithin the FCT and must pro-duce proof of ownership of alanded property.

He adjourned the case tillJanuary 21, 2014, for hear-ing.

YENAGOA— Operatives ofthe Department of State

Services, DSS, and the Nige-

Lawyer, 3 others nabbedover crude oil theft

rian Police have arrested fourpersons, among them a lawyer,over their alleged involvementin the theft of over 2,000 met-ric tonnes of petroleum prod-uct suspected to be AutomatedGas Oil from a facility belong-ing to the Nigerian Agip OilCompany in Brass Local Gov-ernment Area, Bayelsa State.

The lawyer, simply identifiedas Angelo, is Lagos-based andcounsel to one chief, said to beon the run and wanted by theBayelsa State Police Commandover the illegal movement ofthe stolen petroleum productfrom Bayelsa to Lagos.

A source in the Joint TaskForce, codenamed OperationPulo Shield, said the lawyerand three other persons werearrested at an area known asOutside Bar in Lekki Area ofLagos, while negotiating forthe transfer of the stolen prod-uct to a foreign buyer.

The source said: “They hadsuccessfully moved the vesselfrom the Bayelsa waters into theLagos axis. The surveillanceteam were detailed to allow ne-gotiation for sales to commencebefore their arrest.

“We could not apprehend theChief as he escaped.”

BY SAMUELOYADONGHA

ENUGU—THE De-partment of State

Services, DSS, EnuguState Command, yester-day, paraded a 35-year-old man, Mr. DanielDanboyi, who claimed tobe a repentant memberof Boko Haram sect, forallegedly extortingmoney from somechurches under false pre-tence.

The suspect, who isalso known as ShuaibuShehu Rabiu, was said tohave visited severalchurches in the country,telling fictitious story ofhow he was actively in-volved in the activities ofthe Boko Haram insur-gents before he repentedand became a Christian.

The State Director ofDSS, Mr. Victor Duru,who paraded the suspectin Enugu, said thatDanboyi, a native ofGarshi District, KuraFalls, Barkin-Ladi LocalGovernment Area of Pla-teau State, “has been go-ing about duping inno-cent Nigerians, using re-ligion as his tool.”

According to him, thesuspect was arrested atMountain of Fire andMiracles Church, ZikAvenue, Enugu, in con-nection with BokoHaram activities

Duru said: “He hasbeen going about with afalse testimony, deceiv-ing people, duping andexploiting people in thename of religion.

“He claims that he wasa Boko Haram member,who has converted toChristianity.”

He added that Danboyibegan the deceit in 2001in a church at Abuja.

FRAUD: DSSparadesfake BokoHarammember inEnugu

BY TONY EDIKE

THE journalists, who wereat the Lagos Federal High

Court, yesterday, to cover thearraignment of the alleged 17members of Boko Haram weregreeted with humiliation andthreat from men of the Depart-ment of State Services, DSS, thatescorted the accused persons.

The journalists were sent outof the courtroom by the armedsecurity operatives and one ofthem threatened to arrest thejournalists if they resist.

A senior DSS officer toldnewsmen that the directive tokeep them away from the ar-raignment of the suspectedBoko Haram members was fromthe Presidency.

Other litigants were equallybarred from the courtroom.When the Boko Haram case was

called, some lawyers were im-plored to leave the court, this,it was gathered, was due to thesmall size of the courtroom.

However, the arraignment ofthe suspected Boko Harammembers, which had sufferedtwo adjournments on October2 and 9, due to lack of inter-preter and the absence of thetrial judge, respectively,could not go on yesterday.

This was beacause the firstto fifth accused personsnamely (Ali Mohammed,Adamu Karumi, IbrahimUsman, Bala Haruna, IdrisAli) did not have legal repre-sentation.

Presiding judge, MusaKurya, adjourned the matter tillNovember 27, for the arraign-ment of the accused persons.


National confab: You 've nothing to offer,PDP tells APC

BY HENRY UMORU &IKENNA ASOMBA

As APC leaders express divergent opinions on participation in confab

ABUJA—NATIONALleadership of the

Peoples Democratic Party,PDP ,yesterday, lampoonedleaders of All ProgressiveCongress, APC, forplanning to snub theproposed NationalConference by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, sayingthe APC had nothing tooffer during the dialogue.

The APC leaders, did nothelp matters, yesterday, asthey differed on thenecessity to hold theconference.

Speaking with newsmen,PDP National PublicitySecretary, Chief OlisaMetuh, noted that theproposed conference wasnot for political parties, butfor Nigerians, arguing thatif a particular party does nothave anything to offer, therewas nothing PDP could do.

Said he: “What else canthey say, there is nothingthey can say except topromote discord, disunityand cause confusion in thecountry. Market women,National Assemblymembers have welcomedthe conference. Nigerianshave welcomed the

conference. Traditional andreligious leaders and thecivil society, have embracedthe dialogue. If they areboycotting, it is becausethey have nothing tocontribute to the progressof the nation.

“If they do not want toparticipate, Nigeriansshould note that they haveabsolutely nothing to offerthis country. The reason fornational conference is forNigerians to come up withideas on how the nation canmove forward."

It will be recalled that theAPC had at the end of itsNational ExecutiveCommittee, NEC, onTuesday, declared thatPresident GoodluckJonathan lacked credibilityto initiate a meaningfulnational dialogue, addingthat it would not participatein the proposed nationalconference initiated by the

Federal Government andcalled on APC controlledstates to boycott it.

APC leaders differon national confab

Meanwhile, coming fewdays after APC nationalleader and formerGovernor of Lagos State,Asiwaju Bola Tinubudismissed the confab asdiversionary, those whowere in support of theconfab were former DeputyMinority Leader of theSenate, SenatorOlorunimbe Mamora; APCchieftain, Senator AnthonyAdefuye and AsiwajuOlorunfunmi Basorun,party chieftain and theAsiwaju of Igbogbo Land,Ikorodu.

However, the party’sChairman in Lagos, ChiefHenry Ajomale and AbikeDabiri-Erewa, Chairman,House Committee on

Diaspora Affairs, FederalHouse of Representatives,were on the same pagewith Bola Tinubu,cautioning that the confabwas diversionary.

They spoke yesterday atthe public presentation ofthe book entitled: “Nigeriaof my Dream” authored byAsiwaju OlorunfunmiBasorun, to commemoratehis 75th Birthday, inIkorodu, Lagos.

Speaking at the event,Dabiri-Erewa said: “I’m onthe side of my party, thequestion we have raised iswhat’s the underlyingmotive behind the nationalconference. At this point intime, what we need is goodgovernance in Nigeria. Weneed good leadership inNigeria. We need goodinfrastructure. Nigerianswant to live together asone, there’s no doubt aboutthat.

"So, anything that will

truncate 2015 electionsshould not be allowed byus. I support the positionof my party that we shouldbe careful and look at theunderlying motives andintentions. Mostimportantly is that let freeand fair elections count inNigeria. The momentNigerians know that onevote counts, things willchange. I can’t reallyprophesy if anything goodor bad can come out of thisnational conference. Butnow, I stand with theposition of my party.”

Similarly, Ajomale said, “Isincerely stand on theposition of our party, thatthe confab is needless, as itwon’t be different from theprevious one we have held.We believe that this confabis a distraction, consideringthe timing. We believe thatthe timing is too short forall ethnic nationalities toconverge to discuss the way

forward for this country.Contrarily, Sen. Mamora

opined that his partyirrespective of what istermed the disguisedintentions of the President,his party should participatein the conference.

He said: “For me, I havean approach, which is thatyou don’t boycott anything.Particularly, something thatyou don’t have absolutecontrol over. Because youmay discover that at theend of the day, you musthave shot yourself in thefoot. So, irrespective ofreservations, irrespective ofwhat might sound asdisguised intention of Mr.President, irrespective ofreservations concerning theoutcome, I think we shouldparticipate as a party.Dialogue in any form is anopportunity to sharepositions. And to thatextent, I think APC shouldparticipate."

Crisis: Baraje's nPDP appeals courtruling, seeks stay of execution

BY HENRY UMORU

No plans to sanction G7 govs, Baraje — PDP

A B U J A — T H EAbubakar Kawu

Baraje-led faction of thePeoples Democratic Party,PDP, yesterday filed anotice of appeal against lastweek’s ruling by a FederalHigh Court, Abuja whichrecognised the AlhajiBamanga Tukur-ledfaction as the authenticNational ExecutiveCommittee and alsorestrained Baraje and hisgroup from making use ofPDP’s logo and colours.

This was just as theNational leadership of theparty disclosed that therewere no plans to sanctionaggrieved members of theBaraje-led faction even asit inaugurated a seven -member nationalDisciplinary Committee.

The notice of appeal wasfiled yesterday by a teamof lawyers led by AhmedRaji, SAN, before theFederal High Court,Abuja, presided over byJustice Evoh Chukwu,who ruled against Barajeand his group last Friday.

A statement signed by thegroup’s spokesman, Eze

Chukwuemeka Eze said,“We are also seeking aninjunction and a stay ofexecution of JusticeChukwu’s ruling.

“The decision to file theappeal was taken at anemergency meeting of theNew PDP NationalWorking Committee, NWC,following return of theparty’s NationalChairman, Alhaji AbubakarBaraje, from the 2013pilgrimage to Mecca, SaudiArabia. The decision wastaken after the NWCcarefully studied lastFriday’s ruling by theFederal High Court andafter due consultations withour team of lawyers.

“We once more wish toreiterate that we remainconvinced that we have agood case and are thusdetermined to ensure thatTukur and his cohorts arenot allowed to hold sway asthe leaders of our greatparty.

“Our teeming membersand supporters should,therefore, entertain no fearswhatsoever and shouldremain steadfast as we seekto legally establish our caseand logically conclude our

mission to rescue the PDPfrom anti-democratic forcesso as to restore the noblevision of the party’sfounding fathers.

Meanwhile, the nationalleadership of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,yesterday disclosed thatthere were no plans tosanction aggrievedmembers of the AlhajiAbubakar Kawu Baraje-ledfactional PDP, just as it hasinaugurated a seven-member nationalDisciplinary Committee.

Answering questionsfrom newsmen after theinauguration of theNational DisciplinaryCommittee, PDP NationalPublicity Secretary, ChiefOlisa Metuh said, “G7 willnot face any disciplinarycommittee, no petition, nomove to sanction them; wehave held meetings forreconciliation, but we hadsome challenges, the doorsof the party are still openfor reconciliation, no moresanction for members of G7as at today. We want peaceand progress in the party,yet there must be trust,equity, fairness andjustice.”


New tax law: Lagos to loseN6.25bn monthlyBY MICHAEL EBOH

Danjuma's firm, SAPETROL, discovers oilin Benin Republic

LAGOS State will loseabout N6.25 billion

monthly from its InternallyGenerated Revenue, IGR,put at about N25 billionmonthly, as a result of thenew tax law put in place bythe Federal Government,barring state governmentsfrom engaging consultanttax collectors.

This was stated yesterdayby the Department forInternational Development-State Partnership forA c c o u n t a b i l i t y ,Responsiveness andCapability, DFID-SPARC,Lagos State Programme.

This may be as a result ofthe fact that the state, at themoment, lacks the requisitecapacity to effectivelydischarge the functions ofthe contractors.

Mr. Austin Ndiokwelu,Senior Technical Officer(Public FinanceManagement/Policy &Strategy), DFID-SPARC,who disclosed this in Lagos,noted that the conclusionwas reached after a seriesof research andinvestigations on the likelyeffect of the new tax law,carried out by the LagosState Government, inpartnership with DFID-SPARC and otherconsultant

Ndiokwelu, who wasspeaking at a two-day

training programme forHeads of Planning andBudget in all LocalGovernment and LocalCouncil DevelopmentAreas in Lagos, onPlanning and Budget,organised by the LagosState Ministry of EconomicPlanning and Budget, saidthe new law will have anegative effect on the IGRof Lagos.

“Following the new law,the Lagos StateGovernment undertook astudy and review and it wasconcluded that 25 per centof its Internally GeneratedRevenue, IGR, will benegatively affected,monthly,” he said.

He, however, noted thatthe state government iscoming out with a numberof strategies to countereffect of the new law on itsrevenue.

He identifiedabandonment of localcapacity and difficulties ingetting the stategovernment and itsdevelopment partners toagree and adhere toscheduled time for inputsas some of the majorchallenges militatingagainst the state’s publicfinance managementreforms.

However, he noted thatthe government canaddress the shortcomingand plug wastages with its

Public Procurement Act andeffective management of itsdebt programme.

Also speaking, Mr. BenAkabueze, Lagos StateCommissioner for Budget& Economic Planning, saidthe government is strivingto be independent as muchas possible from revenuesources it cannot control,hence its decision to focusits budget programme onits IGR.

Akabueze, representedby his permanent secretary,Mr. Bayo Sodade, declaredthat a lot of work still needsto be done at the localgovernments as regardsinternally generatedrevenue, saying this is as aresult of lack of politicalwill.

He emphasized the needfor local governments tofocus on increasing IGR,instead of clamouring forfunds from the federal andstate governments.

The Federal Governmenthad on Monday, barredstates in the country fromthe collection of approvedtaxes by engaging agentsother than the variousstates’ boards of InternalRevenue Services, BIRS.

The government alsostopped MDAs, of theFederal Government fromcollection of taxes andlevies, saying this is aviolation of the Taxes andLevies Act.

BY VICTORIANJOKU, with agency

reports

NIGERIA oil firm,South Atlantic

Petroleum, SAPETRO,yesterday, said it hasdiscovered an 87 millionbarrels onshore oil block inBenin Republic.

Mrs. Daisy Danjuma,Vice President, Sapetro,also stated that thecompany has discovered110 million barrels of oil inthe Seme offshore blocks.

She, however, stated thatthe company, who togetherwith Total and CNOOC,owns the oil blocks inNigeria, will commenceproduction soon.

Theophilus Danjuma, aformer Minister of Defenceand Chief of Army Staff isthe Chairman and founderof Sapetro.

Barthelemy Kassa,

Minister for Mines andEnergy, Republic of Benin,said that talks had startedwith the aim of startingproduction from the blockby July, next year.

Benin, a neighbouringcountry to Nigeria, startedproducing oil in the 1970sbut output remained lowand stopped by the end ofthe 1990s. It's economy nowdepends on cotton.

South Atlantic PetroleumLimited had a couple ofmonths ago, entered intoan agreement with MarexMC Incorporated topurchase a 90 per centparticipating interest in theBelo Profond ProductionSharing Contract, PSC,which is situated in deep-water offshoreMadagascar, in theMozambique Channel.

The transaction will sesSapetro assumeoperatorship of the blockwhile MarexAREX retains

the remaining 10 per centinterest.

The Belo Profond block,which covers an area of13,770 km2 is in waterdepths of 1800m to 3,000mand is adjacent to the Juande Nova Permit in whichSAPETRO also reached anagreement to purchase a 75per cent interest from ROCOil.

The block contains asignificant portion of a newdeep-water explorationprovince adjacent to ENIand Anadarko’s recentmajor discoveries in EastAfrica.

Modern seismic dataindicate that the blockcontains substantialthicknesses of favorablystructured Tertiary andMesozoic sedimentarypackages throughout theacreage and remotesensing studies haveindicated areas ofhydrocarbon seepage.

Ministry jerked up car budgetContinues from page 5

still have aviation min-isters. Aviation is underthe legislative list, theSenate should take overthe responsibilities of theaviation ministry and theDirector General of the Ni-gerian Civil Aviation Au-thority, NCAA should re-port directly to the Senatesince the D-G of NCAA isthe representative ofICAO in the country.”

According to him, sincethe aviation industry isregulated by ICAO rulesand regulations, the min-ister does not have anyrole in the aviation indus-try and so can neither dic-tate to the D-G of NCAAnor overrule any decisionof the D-G as the rules areinternational.

Also speaking, Chair-man of Aviation RoundTable, (ART) CaptainDele Ore, said the minis-ter’s response was de-ceitful..

“I want to categoricallytell you that the whole re-sponse of the AviationMinister is full of lies anddeceit and they havemade everybody not totalk about it but we fromART, we will talk and con-tinue to talk about it. It isa very big shame and Imust say this: watch out,nothing is going to comeout of this whole thing, weare just wasting our time,”he said.

Asked if the ministererred by travelling to Is-rael despite the car scan-dal, Captain Ore said: “Idon’t see anything wrongwith the minister travel-ling, at least we know thatshe is going to perform afunction in Israel, a probepanel has been set up andthey are going to comeout with their findings intwo weeks and with thatwe are going to knowwhat will become of her.”

Another stakeholder, anaviation union memberwho refused to have hisname in print said that theminister's claim that theoperational vehicles weremeant to convey dignitar-ies from ICAO, US FAAwas not true, asking if thecars were meant to carrythem from Lagos to Abujaor convey them withinLagos airport.

The union member fur-ther added that even ifthose dignitaries werecoming, their embassiesoften provided them withall they might need, add-ing that was not enoughreason for the minister tobuy those armoured cars.

IYM insists on dueprocess

Arguing that some face-less individuals hide be-hind all sorts of groups toask for Oduah’s removal,IYM National Chairman,Evangelist Elliot Uko, in

a statement, urged en-emies of the minister “todesist from playing poli-tics with every issue. Theminister has carried outupgrading that no minis-ter had the courage to doin our nation’s history.Attacking her over vehi-cle purchase is petty, andopportunistic; they shouldpoint to what she oughtto do and failed to do.”

We must avoidethnic prejudices –Sagay

Instead of allowing eth-nicity to becloud theirsense of judgement,Sagay said Nigeriansshould look at issues ofcorruption dispassion-ately and speak with onevoice against graft, irre-spective of ethnic or reli-gious affiliations. Accord-ing to him, the actions ofthe Minister is condem-nable given the fact thatshe betrayed public con-fidence reposed in her bymisusing public funds en-trusted in her care.

“I don’t see any reasonwhy some people shouldread tribal or ethnicmeanings into this issue.It is a straightforward caseof a public officer reck-lessly and irresponsiblydipping her hands intopublic funds and spend-ing it without care. The is-sue of taking sides is be-coming a recurring prob-lem in our society”.

TUC, NLC, SPNintervene

As the TUC vowed toensure that none of itsmembers is sacked forleaking the car scandal,the Socialist Party of Ni-geria, SPN, asked organ-ized labour not to allowany worker to be victim-ized over the issue.

The Nigeria Labour Con-gress, NLC, also dis-cussed the scandal along-side other national issuesat its National ExecutiveCouncil, NEC, meeting inKaduna, yesterday.

TUC President, Com-rade Bala Kaigama whospoke exclusively to Van-guard said: “ We will notallow any of our membersto be victimised for leak-ing the scandal”.

Kaigama who won-dered why government orany of its agencies shouldbe bothered about wholeaked information on thecontract said: “Let themdo their homework well ifthey don’t have anythingto hide, they should notbe scared of anything. Ifdue process was followedcontract award should bemade public”.

Similarly, SPN in astatement by SegunSango, its Protem Na-

tional Chairperson, saidwhat the scandal hadshown “is that the prob-lem in the aviation sectoris not primarily that oflack of funds but grossmismanagement of re-sources. This is why weof the SPN have consist-ently matched the de-mand for adequate fund-ing of any public sectorwith a call for open demo-cratic control by electedrepresentatives of work-ers, consumers and rel-evant professionals.

Don’t use politicsto justifycorruption— APC

Meantime, the AllProgressives Congress(APC) has warned Avia-tion Ministry officialsagainst using politics asa cover for the scandal.

In a statement issued inLagos, yesterday, by itsInterim National PublicitySecretary, Alhaji Lai Mo-hammed, the party said itis most unconscionablefor anyone to blame theopposition to PresidentJonathan’s re-election in2015 as the reason for thewidespread outcryagainst the monumentalcorruption and abuse ofoffice engendered by thescandal.

It said that the opposi-tion, in particular, shouldnot be blamed for the in-dignation of most Nigeri-ans to the corruption scan-dal, as Yakubu Dati, whogoes by the nebulous titleof ‘coordinating Spokes-person for the AviationMinistry’ tried to do in hiswinding postulation onthe scandal.

‘’What Dati and his co-spin doctors tried to do isto play on PresidentJonathan’s insecurity asfar as 2015 elections areconcerned. This is veryinsulting not only to Ni-gerians but also to Presi-dent Jonathan himself,and it will not sell."

After all, attempts toblame the opposition forthe lingering ASUU strikehas also failed. In anycase, what is the businessof a public servant, whois supposed to be apoliti-cal, about whether a Presi-dent is re-elected or not?

‘’We in the APC havenot joined the fray overthe Oduahgate scandalsince it broke out becausewe thought this was astraightforward case ofcorruption and abuse ofoffice that should be sum-marily dealt with. ButPresident Jonathan hasagain failed to live up toexpectation, thus allow-ing all manners of clownsto seek to pull the woolover the eyes of Nigeri-ans in the name of defend-ing the indefensible,’’APC said.


ANNIVERSARY: From left, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, National Publicity Secretary, All Pro-gressives Congress, APC; Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi; Prince Ademola Dada, Chair-man, Island Club, and Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, at the club's anniversary lecture, in Lagos.

Lagos arrests 68 NURTWmembers over extortion

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPE-JO

LAGOS — THE LagosState Task Force on En-

vironmental and Special offences,yesterday, arrested 13 teenagersand 68 suspected members of theNational Union of Road TransportWorkers, NURTW, found extort-ing motorists on highways in thestate.

Chairman of Task force, CSPBayo Sulaimon disclosed thatdevelopment was part of theagency’s renewed efforts at en-forcing the 2012 Lagos Traffic Lawwhich prohibited touting on high-ways.

Of the 68 hoodlums arrested, 10

were touts, who specialised in ex-torting motorists whose vehiclesbroke down on the highwayswhile the 13 teenage hoodlumswere found at the railway line inOshodi.

Sulaimon said: “This is anotherdemonstration of war againstAgbero again; we will not allowthem to take over the state.

"They were arrested when ourmen raided Oshodi, Ketu, Ojotaand other areas in the state. Someof them were arrested when ourmen disguise like one of them.

“The 13 teenage miscreantswere arrested early in the morn-ing in Oshodi at the Railway line.They refused to tell us whetherthey have relatives in the state ornot; we are thinking of what to do

with them in collaboration withthe Ministry of Youth and So-cial Development.

“They are below 18 years ofage, they will not be arraignedin court. Every time we raid andclear the Oshodi of miscreants,new set of thugs keep comingthere.

"We arrested almost 98 of themrecently. We just have to con-tinue to mount pressure on theplace because different under-aged boys who left their differ-ent homes and assembled at thisplace.

“Some of them might be takento Boys' Remind Home inAbeokuta that can take care ofthe hardened ones amongthem.”

samples from her, the food items, the water andother samples and send them to the lab.

"If she is infected, she will be treated by the op-eration's environmental unit,” the source affirmed.

On the suspected outbreak in Amuwo Odofin andApapa local government areas, Vanguard gatheredthat the source of infection has also been traced tocontaminated well water.

“Laboratory analyses gave isolated evidence thatwater in the area contained pathogens such as sal-monella, streptococci and other bacteria capable ofcausing severe diarrhoea such as that witnessed.We are looking at treating the water in the area.

Vanguard gathered authoritatively that the im-mediate effort is to break the chain of the infection.

Onyeador-Mayson's estatesuit for hearingNov 25

BY ONOZURE DANIA

LAGOS — JUSTICE I.Harrison of a Lagos High

Court sitting in Ikeja, hasfixed November 25, 2013, forthe hearing in an applica-tion filed by the late AngelaOnyeador-Mayson’s son,Ikem Onyeador on behalf ofhis step father, CaptainSamuel Mayson, himself andhis sister Adaora Onyeadorover the deceased's estate.

The judge fixed the date toenable the defendants’scounsel George Obutego through the proc-esses and respond to allthe applications thatwere served on them inthe court after the sevendays order in the on-go-ing trial of AlexanderOnyeador, MartinOnyeador, ThomasOnyeador andNkemdilim Onyeador,issued on them on Octo-ber 17, 2013 .

The four defendants arethe children of the latebrother of late AngelaOnyeador-Mayson.

Lagos identifies, investigatessuspected sources of cholera

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

FG mulls newlaw on piracy,robbery atsea

BY GODWIN ORITSE& MARIAM EKO

THE FEDERAL Gov-ernment has com-

menced the promulgationof new laws that will check-mate the activities of piratesand related crimes at sea.

Disclosing this in Lagos,yesterday, Senior SpecialAdviser to the President onMaritime Matters, Mr.Leke Oyewole said that themove is part of governmentefforts at curbing the men-ace of pirates in the coun-try and waters of neigh-bouring countries.

ASUU STRIKE:ERC lobbiesNUPENG, others

By LAJU ARENYEKA,OLASUNKANMI AROWOLO

& ANYANWU FORTUNE

THE EDUCATION RightsCampaign, ERC, has

called on Nigeria Union of Pe-troleum & Natural Gas Work-ers, NUPENG; Nigerian Un-ion of Teachers, NUT andNational Union of ElectricityWorkers Employees NUEE, todeclare a one-day solidaritystrike in support of the ongo-ing strike by the AcademicStaff Union of Universities,ASUU.

The placard carrying mem-bers of the ERC visitedNUPENG and NUT offices inLagos to deliver letters re-questing the unions’ support.

ERC was also supposed tovisit the NUEE office in thesame regard, but did not forunconfirmed reasons.

In a letter to NUPENG andNUT, signed by the NationalCoordinator of the ERC, Mr.Hassan Soweto and its Na-tional Secretary, Mr. MichaelOgundele, the ERC appreci-ated both unions for theirpromise to embark on solidar-ity strikes if the Federal Gov-ernment remains intransigentin bringing a solution to thechallenges bedeviling Nige-rian universities.

AbbaMoro laudsBabalola

THE Minister ofInte-rior, Dr. Abba

Moro, has lauded the fore-sight of Aare Afe Babalola,founder of Afe BabalolaUniversity, ABUAD, for es-tablishing a unique andoutstanding educationalinstitution.

The Minister, who statedthis at the first convocationand honorary doctorate de-gree award ceremonies ofthe institution, said educa-tion remains the only pur-veyor towards the elimina-tion of poverty of the mind.

BY UDUMA KALU withagency report

Iran accusedof spying onUS, EU, inNigeria

IN 2010, Iran’s influencein West Africa was ex-

posed when a ship carry-ing dangerous weaponswere intercepted in Lagosby the Nigeria Customs.

The affair led to diplo-matic and legal tussles be-tween Nigeria, Senegal,The Gambia and Iran.

The report highlightedin the CTC Sentinel, a jour-nal published by the Com-bating Terrorism Centre atWest Point, and was re-leased, yesterday, said,“Iran’s influence is increas-ingly extending into west-ern Africa, where its opera-tives in Nigeria are gath-ering intelligence on USand European targets, ac-cording to a new analysisexclusively previewed byFox News.”

Nigeria, the report said,is host to many Western-based companies, and hasbeen the scene of ongoingviolence between Muslimsand Christians.

LAGOS — AN unnamed female food ven-dor of African salad, otherwise known as

Abacha at Cele Bus-stop junction, suspected tohave been the primary source of contaminationof the reported cholera cases in Oshodi/IsoloLocal Government Area of Lagos, has been iden-tified and is being investigated.

A source in the office of the Lagos State Epi-demiology Unit and Disease Control, who pre-ferred anonymity, confirmed that samples ofsuspected food preparations believed to havebeen consumed by most of the victims who camedown with symptoms of cholera infection in thearea, have been obtained for laboratory analy-sis.

It was gathered that laboratory samples havealso been obtained from the vendor for analysisat the State Quality Control Laboratory, Ikeja,and the results are expected to be ready in fewdays.

“What I can tell you is that of all the cases sofar identified, the greater percentage, about 70per cent of those involved, consumed Africansalad sold by a food vendor at Cele junction.

Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area officialsare already making efforts to educate the ven-dor on the proper and hygienic way of foodpreparation,” the source stated.

The vendor, who is believed to be an agent ofcontamination, may not be infected. “She mayexhibit no visible symptoms and yet be spread-ing the disease to others. So it is better to get


FORUM: From left, Professor Adebiyi Daramola, Vice Chancellor, Federal University ofTechnology, Akure, Guest Speaker; Mr. Sunday Adeyemi, Registrar/Secretary to CharteredInstitute of Personnel Management, CIPM, and Aare Afe Babalola, CON, Founder, AfeBabalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, at the just concluded CIPM Education Sector Hu-man Resource Forum, at ABUAD, Ekiti State.

Police disrupt ASUU rally in AkureBY DAYO JOHNSON

AKURE — POLICE in OndoState, yesterday, disrupted

a rally organised by the AcademicStaff Union of Universities, ASUU,of the Federal University of Tech-nology Akure, FUTA, to educatethe public on their four-month-old industrial action.

Also, the ASUU chapter in OndoState owned Adekunle AjasinUniversity, Akungba Akoko, werenot granted permission to hold arally slated for yesterday.

No fewer than 30 policemen in-cluding Mobile officers with anAmoured Personnel Carrier,APC, barricaded the main gateleading to the university, yester-day.

The ASUU members who hadplanned to move to the streets withtheir placards were ambushed andstopped from moving to thestreets of Akure metropolis.

Some of the lacards displayedby the protesting lecturers had thefollowing inscriptions, 'Transfor-mation witout education is zero,''ASUU says no to destruction ofPublic Universities.”

Others include: 'Agreement isagreement, Federal Governmentdo the right thing,' 'ASUU is thereal Nigeria Patriots,' 'Okonjo isWahala,' 'Jonathan Stop PlayingPolitics with Education,' amongstothers.

Addressing newsmen, the FUTA

chapter chairman, Dr. Alex Odiyiexpressed disgust about the dis-ruption by police despite a letter tothe police command since October17.

Dr. Odiyi said in a copy of theletter made available to newsmenin Akure that the rally was meantto enlighten the citizenry on themotive for the strike.

The rally, according to the lettersigned by the chairman and the

secretary, Dr. K. S. Adegbie wasto begin from the university gateto the Akure Central Market.

Also speaking, the ZonalCoordinator of ASUU, IlorinZone, Dr. Ayun Adeleke saidthat the strike action was as aresult of government's refusalto honour a 2009 agreement.

Adeleke said that it wasagreed then that federal uni-versities required N1.5 trillion

to be spread over three years(2009-2011) to address the rotand decay in the system.

Addressing the ASUU mem-bers, a police officer who led theteam that stopped the protest,Adekunle Omisakin appealedto them to remain within theircampus to avoid miscreants fromhijacking the action to loot andcause harm.

On the failure to give permis-

THE OGUN State House ofAssembly has expressed wor-

ries over declining allocation ac-cruing to the state from the federa-tion account in recent times andhas therefore challenged local gov-ernments in the state to brace up to

Ogun lawmakers lament declining federal allocation

Tokyo loses suit against Ajimobi, CP, othersBY OLA AJAYI

IBADAN — A Federal HighCourt judge in Ibadan has de-

clined jurisdiction on contempt

School wall collapses, kills one, injures 4 inOgun

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA — TRAGEDYstruck, yesterday, in Ado

Odo/Ota Local Government Areaof Ogun State, when the wall ofKetu Adiye Owe Primary Schoolcollapsed, killing a pupil (nameswithheld) and injured four others.

The incident came barely 48hours after the state House of As-sembly Committee on Educationdecried what it described as de-plorable condition of public schoolsin the state.

The injured pupils were report-edly rushed to a private hospital

before the council Chairman, Mr.Rotimi Rahmon, who reportedlyvisited the school shortly after theincident, directed that the victimsbe moved to the General Hospital,Ota, for better medical attention.

Vanguard learnt that the col-lapsed wall had been eaten up byerosion which had been the prob-

Resign membership of APC, Awe tells Bamidele

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

ADO EKITI — THE AllProgressives Congress,

APC, in Ekiti State has derided amember of the House of Repre-sentatives, Hon. OpeyemiBamidele over his purported res-

ignation as the leader of theparty ‘s caucus in the NationalAssembly, urging him to resignhis membership of APC now.

Bamidele, who representsAdo Ekiti, Irepodun-IfelodunLocal Governments in theHouse of Representatives, had

signified his intention to run forthe governorship position of thestate along the incumbent gov-ernor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Bamidele had Tuesday re-signed his leadership of theparty’s caucus in the NationalAssembly.

Amosunappoints 3rdChief of Staffin 2 years

...mournsChief ImamAlejulehun

Why APC willshun NationalConfab— Chieftain

BY GBENGA OLARI-NOYE

OSOGBO — THEprotem chairman of

Osun State chapter of theAll Progressives Congress,APC, Elder AdelowoAdebiyi has given reasonsthe party will shun the Na-tional Conference beingarranged by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan.

Fielding questions fromnewsmen in Osogbo, yes-terday, the party chairmannoted that the party de-cided to distance itself fromthe conference because itwas not properly consti-tuted.

The APC’s leadershipstated that there was no lawconstituting the confer-ence, adding that it wasdiversionary.

OGUN STATE gover-nor, Senator

Ibikunle Amosun has ex-pressed deep regrets at thedeath of the Chief Imam ofIjebu Ode, Alhaji SalisuAlejulehun.

The governor in a state-ment by his senior SpecialAssistant, Media, Mrs.Funmi Wakama expressedhis condolences to the Mus-lim community in IjebuOde, Ogun State and Ni-geria in general on the exitof the foremost Islamiccleric, and "a dedicatedservant of Allah, who de-voted his entire life to thepropagation of Islam."

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA —OGUN State Gov-

ernor, Senator IbikunleAmosun has appointedformer acting Vice Chan-cellor of the Osun StateUniversity, ProfessorGaniyu Olatunde as thethird Chief of Staff withinhis two years in office.

Olatunde, 57, suc-ceeded AmbassadorEmmanuel Ogunnaikewho was appointedChief of Staff in March14, 2012, but resignedeight months after.

charges filed by the erstwhileChairman of the National Un-ion of Road Transport Workers,NURTW, Oyo State chapter,Alhaji Lateef Akinsola and 14

others against the Governorof Oyo State, the Commis-sioner of Police and 14 oth-ers.

The former NURTW in the

state had filed a case markedFHC/IB/CS/30/2012, prayingthe court to grant committalproceeding against the OyoState governor and others.

According to Tokyo, the re-spondents should be held re-sponsible for alleged disobe-dience of an order containedin the judgement of the hon-ourable court, delivered onMay 25, 2012.

While delivering the judg-ment yesterday, JusticeAbimbola Obaseki, held thatit would amount to judicialrascality for his court to as-sume jurisdiction over thecase.

lem in that part of the schoolcompound.

Confirming the incident,Chairman of the council ex-pressed regrets over the unfor-tunate incident, saying he hasdirected that the standing wallof the affected classroom bebrought down.

the challenge by putting strat-egies in place on how to im-prove on their revenue genera-tion for improved service to thepeople.

Giving the charge while ad-dressing some council chair-

men on their budget perform-ance, the Chairman, HouseCommittee on Local Govern-ment and Chieftaincy Affairs,Olukunle Oluomo, urged themto work on improving their In-ternally Generated Revenue,IGR, if they hope to meet theneeds of the people.

The committee, which com-menced its oversight function,would visit all the 20 local gov-ernments in the state to assesstheir budget performances so far.

The committee chairman whowas represented by his deputy,Obafemi Olowo-Oloja, notedthat the measure is necessaryconsidering the present precari


BY INNOCENT ANABA inGeneva

Extra-judicial killings: N-Delta Coalition wants FG toprosecute culprits

BY SAMUEL OYA-DONGHA, with Agen-

cy report

Pirates kidnap two Americansailors

Pa Oghwiedies at 89

PA Sunday Oghwie,Managing Direc-

tor/CEO, Trust Inspec-tion Services Limited, isdead, aged 89.

Burial rites will com-mence with a service ofsongs tomorrow at hiscompound, 31, UrhueriQuarters, Okpara In-land, Delta State, fol-lowed next day by funer-al service and inter-ment, at the same ven-ue.

He is survived bymany widows, children,and other relations, in-cluding grand childrenand great grand chil-dren.

Late Pa Oghwie

GENEVA—THE NigerDelta Coalition of Uni-

versal Periodic Review hascalled on the Nigerian Gov-ernment to take necessarysteps to bring the perpetratorsof the various acts of extra-ju-dicial killings in the NigerDelta to justice.

The coalition, in a report tothe 17thUPR session of theUnited Nations Human RightsCouncil, going on in Geneva,Switzerland, said: “Duringthe four-year period after thereview, rather than Nigeriaimproving on its record in pro-moting its citizen’s right tolife, the country, particularlythe Niger Delta region, hasbecome a killing field, whereinnocent citizens have beenextra-judicially killed in theirhundreds by the Police andthe various security forces es-tablished in different states.

“No officials have been im-plicated in these acts but thegrowing regime of impunityin the land has ensured that

the culprits go unpunished. The period under review haswitnessed high incidences ofthe mindless and unlawfulkillings of numerous citizensby the police and their ilk. Un-fortunately, most of these kill-ings have not been investigat-ed and the culprits go unpun-ished, thereby increasing thelevel of impunity among se-curity and law enforcementagents in the region and con-trary to the expectations in-herent in UPR outcome rec-ommendations, as recom-mended by some countries,Nigeria has not taken the nec-essary steps to bring the per-petrators of these various actsof extra-legal killings to jus-tice.”

Noting the progress madesince 1999 in overcoming alegacy of military dictatorship,with respect to reports of ex-tra-judicial executions by thepolice, it called on the Nige-rian government to ensurethat all members of the secu-rity forces, including Police,operate within the law, be-cause, “contrary to claims by

the Nigeria delegation dur-ing the UPR, the Police andother security agents contin-ue to kill innocent Nigeriansextra- judicially with impuni-ty.”

It noted that over 50 casesof extrajudicial killings in theNiger Delta between 2009and 2012, were listed in itsreport, including January 4,2010, when a Joint Task

Y E N A G O A — P I -RATES stormed an

oil supply vessel offsouthern Nigeria and kid-napped the ship’s Cap-tain and Chief Engineer,both US citizens, a pri-vate security firm and USofficials said, yesterday.

“A US-flagged C-Re-triever owned by Ameri-can oil servicing compa-ny, Edison Chouest Off-shore, was attacked onWednesday off the city ofBrass,” said AKE, a Lon-don-headquartered pri-vate security firm.

“Both the Chief Engi-neer and the Captainwere kidnapped. Theyare both Americans,” Ri-chard Fylon of AKE, said.

US Defence officials inWashington, who re-quested anonymity, con-firmed the details.

The US Navy and theMarine Corps had not yetreceived orders to inter-vene, two US Defense of-ficials told AFP.

An official at AKE’s La-gos office said this was thefirst reported kidnappingof US nationals aroundthe oil-producing Niger

Delta in at least twoyears.

The official, who re-quested anonymity, saidthe same area was at-tacked by pirates earlierthis week, but that thereappeared to have beenno increase in naval pa-trols operating in thearea.

Police spokesman,Alex Akhigbe, in Bayel-sa State, where Brass islocated, told AFP he hadno details on the raid.

Confirming the kid-nap, Nigerian Navy di-rected its operationalcommands and the oper-ational bases to searchand rescue the two Amer-icans.

Security sources toldVanguard that the navalunits in the region haddeployed its personneland gunboats in searchof the missing sailors. Contacted, the Directorof Naval Information,Commodore Aliyu Ka-biru, said: “The Nigeri-an Navy has received areport on the attack of aUS flagged vessel, C-Re-triever. Accordingly, theNigerian Navy has di-rected its OperationalCommands and the Op-erational Bases to search

2013 CHRISTIAN PILGRIMS: Nigerian Christian pilgrims listening to theirtour guide, Mr. Meir Shalom, at Golgotha, in Jerusalem, yesterday. Photo:Gbemiga Olamikan.

Force, JTF,soldier, al-legedly shotone Mr Solo-mon Tonfaand Mr.S u n d a yMala todeath atChevron ’ sE s c r a v o sTank FarmFacility, Del-ta State ofNigeria.

“Our in-vestigationsi n d i c a t e dthat in theevening ofJanuary 4,2010, at

Chevron Tank Farm in Escra-vos Gas To Liquid (EGTL)project site, workers who hadclosed work for the day werebeing conveyed by the com-pany’s buses to their camp,all in the Escravas.

“Narrating the story, thebrother of one of the de-ceased, Mr. Prince Tonfa, saidthat the bus was stopped atthe 4th gate by OSL securitymen attached to the oil com-

pany. An altercation betweenthe security men and theworkers ensued over carryingout checks on the tired work-ers. As this happened, it waslearnt that one of the JTF of-ficers identified as Hassanopened fire on the workersshooting to death two of them,Mr. Solomon Tonfa aged 47,and Mr. Sunday Mala aged27 years while others wereinjured,” the report said.

and rescue the crew mem-bers and the vessel.”


Edo LG by-election: Accept defeat in Esan N-Eastor go to court, APC tells PDP

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN,Political Editor & SIMON

EBEGBULEM

Amaechiwoosinvestors toRivers

BENIN—EDO Statechapter of All Progres-

sives Congress, APC, yester-day, advised Peoples Democrat-ic Party, PDP, in the state to ei-ther accept defeat in Tuesday’sby-election in Esan North- EastLocal Government Council orgo to court, saying the claimthat the election was rigged waslaughable.

This came as Minister ofWorks, Mike Onolememen, re-buffed allegations by GovernorAdams Oshiomhole that he at-tempted to use his security en-tourage to influence the resultsof the council polls.

Interim Chairman of APC inthe state, Mr. Thomas Okosun,while reacting to Wednesday’sbriefing by Chief Dan Orbih,said: “We read in the papersthat PDP said they were reject-ing the results of the electionand Orbih was saying that theauthentic result sheets werewith the Police, SSS and CivilDefence, without saying that the

result sheets were with theEDSIEC staff who are the au-thentic umpire for the election.The first question we are ask-ing Orbih is, who requested forthe services of these peopleduring the election because itis the responsibility of EDSIECto request for security duringelections. So, these peoplewho requested for their serv-ices, were they from Edo Stateor other states and if they werefrom other states, who broughtthem to Edo State?”

However, Onolememen in a

statement by his Press Secre-tary, Mr. Tony Ikpasaja, ac-cused Governor Oshiomhole ofallegedly twisting the rules ofelectoral conduct and swearingin the candidate he (the minis-ter) claimed was the loser in theelection.

According to the Minister,“Governor Oshiomhole may becrafty in his game of fooling Ni-gerians all the time with hisrhetoric, but it is time the Ni-gerian public, especially themedia, began to beam search-light on this personality and

hold him accountable all theway, as he poses serious riskto our nascent democracy in hispronouncements and acts. Ex-ecutive lawlessness of the kindbeing displayed by GovernorOshiomhole should never betolerated in Nigeria if the cur-rent democracy is to endure.Those who exercise executivepowers on behalf of the peopleshould never use those pow-ers to disenfranchise the samepeople in a mere local election,just because it did not go theirway.”

Sack Wike now, Rivers Forum tells Jonathan

...as Onolememen faults Oshiomhole on allegations of attempts to influence results

RIVERS’ PeopleForum, RPF, a socio-po-

litical umbrella body of allRivers people, at home andin diaspora, has called onPresident Goodluck Jonathanto summarily sack the Minis-ter of Education, NyesomWike, over his comments thathe won’t be able to resolvethe lingering national strikeby university lecturers for an-other few months.

It would be recalled that

Wike had, on Tuesday, saidthe ongoing strike by Academ-ic Staff Union of Universities,ASUU, could only be resolvedin a few months time. Already,the university lecturers havebeen on strike for about fourmonths.

President of RPF, CharlesBekwele, in a statement, not-ed that Wike’s commentsshowed clearly that his ap-pointment as a minister mustbe terminated immediately to

save the education sector fromimminent and total collapse.

He said: “We have said timeand again that Wike, who’sfrom Rivers State, does notmean well for PresidentJonathan. He is a threat todemocracy and is hell bent ondestroying the Jonathan ad-ministration. Wike’s actions,inactions and statements areinjurious, inimical and perni-cious to the administration.”

RIVERS State Gov-ernor and Chair-

man of the Nigeria Gov-ernors’ Forum, Mr.Chibuike Rotimi Amae-chi, has called on inves-tors to ensure optimumutilization of investmentopportunities in the stateto promote maximum eco-nomic growth in thecountry.

Amaechi spoke, yester-day, with newsmen at theNigeria Oil and GasTrade and InvestmentForum 2013, held atOnne oil and Gas FreeZone in Port Harcourt.

He said: “I charge in-vestors to take advantageof the peaceful invest-ment conducive businessclimate put in place by myadministration.”

He also commendedoperators of the free zonefor their wider consulta-tion and satisfactory in-vestment performance to-wards improving and de-veloping Nigeria’s oiland gas industry.

CMYK


CMYK


ABUJA—THE Senate,yesterday, said Ni-

geria deserved a perma-nent seat in the UnitedNations Security Council,in view of its contribu-tions to global peacekeeping mission.

The Senate also said thecountry should tread cau-tiously while celebratingits election to serve as anon-permanent memberof the security council fora two-year term begin-ning from January 1,2014.

ResolutionThe call for a permanent

seat in the UN SecurityCouncil followed a reso-lution by the upper leg-islative chamber con-gratulating Nigeria on itselection to the UnitedNations Security Council.

Senate Leader, VictorNdoma-Egba, had in amotion he sponsored,noted that the presentelection of the country asa non-permanent mem-ber of the UN Security

ABUJA—THE Canadian Embassy in Ni-

geria has introduced anew visa policy which willrequire provision of fin-gerprints and a digital pho-tograph for applicants forvisitor visa, study or workpermit. In a statement in Abuja,yesterday, the embassysaid visitors to Canadafrom several countries, in-cluding Nigeria, were af-fected by the new visapolicy.

It read: “This new re-quirement will not onlyhelp protect the safety andsecurity of Canadianswhile helping facilitate le-

Canada introduces newvisa policy

BY VICTORIA OJEME

No going back on N1,000 on-lineapplication fee —Interior Minister

BY ALICE FESTUS

Nigeria deserves permanentUN Security Council seat—Senate

BY JOHNBOSCOAGBAKWURU &JOSEPH ERUNKE

ABUJA—MINISTER ofInterior, Comrade

Abba Moro yesterday daredthe House of Representa-tives on the N1,000 on-lineapplication fee chargedthose seeking employmentin the agency, insisting thatthere was no going back onthe fees.

Following complaintsabout the fee by applicants,the House of Representa-tives had directed the Min-istry of Interior to cancel thefee.

But speaking at the inau-gural meeting of the Minis-terial Committee on Para-military Village HousingScheme Developmentproject Nationwide in Abu-ja, the minister said the feesubsisted.

He said he was not both-ered by the opposition to thefee by the House of Repre-sentatives, noting he wasdoing the right thing.

“Parastatals and I do knowthe hazards of life threaten-ing for the ordinary person,but I am aware that we arecoming from a backgroundof a distorted process of re-cruitment into the NigeriaImmigration Service where

it was alleged that theprocess was compro-mised.

“What we have decidedto do is to attempt a newpolice design that is em-ployed by the Nigeria Po-lice Force, and employedby the Nigerian Air Forceand the Nigerian Army inprocessing applications forrecruitment into the serv-

Council was the fifthtime since independ-ence Nigeria waselected to the position.

Besides, he stated thatNigeria deserved com-mendation for the feat,observing that it wasthe second time thecountry, under the ten-ure of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, wasgiven such a recogni-tion.

Ndoma-Egba, whorepresents Cross RiverCentral in the senate,said the membership ofthe country in the UNSecurity Council hadplaced the country atthe centre stage of glo-bal politics.

Mark congratulatesNigeria

While congratulating thecountry, Senate PresidentDavid Mark, who said theelection was a clear indi-cation of acceptance of Ni-geria in world matters, ad-vised that whoever shouldbe its representative mustbe up and doing as theelection placed greater re-sponsibility on Nigeria.

Senator MatthewNwagwu, PDP, ImoNorth, said Nigeriashould use the opportu-nity to prepare for a per-manent seat, adding thathaving served four times,it was equipped to knowthe knitty-gritty of theplace.

On temporarymembership

For Senator EmmanuelBwachi, Taraba South, be-ing a temporary membershould not overwhelm theintegrity of the country asone of the countries thatwas elected to the samepost, Saudi Arabia turnedit down.

Senator Bwachi said thecountry should be con-scious of her sovereigntyas well as where theworld was heading.

He said there was a driftin international politics toensuring that nations re-tained their sovereignty,stressing that though itwas good to be a non-per-manent member, therewas nothing wrong togive Nigeria a permanentstatus.

ice.”Moro urged the com-

mittee to take responsibil-ities in the discharge of itsduties.

He said: “I told you onassumption of duty herethat it is no longer goingto be business as usual,you either prepare to workand ship in or you preparenot to work and ship out.”

gitimate travel, it will alsoprotect prospective visi-tors by making it more dif-ficult for others to forge,steal or use an applicant’sidentity to gain access toCanada.

“The new requirementwill put Canada in linewith other countries whichare already collecting thisinformation from visitors,including the UnitedStates, the United King-dom, Australia, countriesin the European UnionSchengen Zone, and Ja-pan.

“In the long run, theuse of this information willmake entry to Canadaeasier by providing a re-liable tool to readily con-firm a person’s identity.”

CMYK


CMYK

CMYK


Responses to: [email protected] or to 0802 747 6458 OR 0811675 9752 (texts only). PLEASE KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS YOUREQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED,WITH YOUR NAMES AND CONTACT DETAILS ATTACHED.

,,

Why demolish?!

THE Federal CapitalTerritory Authority,

FCTA, is threateningto demolish a building that“New PDP” rebels areusing as a Secretariat…onthe grounds that it is in aresidential area and cantherefore not be used forthis purpose.

Unsurprisingly, the rebels– who have declaredindependence from themain PDP - aren’t buyingthis explanation, eventhough an FCTA spokes-man has announced thatover 200 other buildingshave been earmarked fordestruction because theyalso, in various ways,violate the provisions of theAbuja Masterplan.

The Baraje-chairedsplinter group’s NationalPublicity Secretary, ChiefChukwuemeka Eze, isfuriously accusing the FCTMinister, Senator Bala

What I don’t understand is this:why FCTA thinks that it is acceptableto pull down a very expensivestructure that has a legal right toexist

*FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed

*Marked for demolition...The nPDP Secretariat

Masterplan issues; why dothe folks who run Abujathink that it is acceptable topull down a very expensivebuilding that has a legalright to exist?

Talk about oafishly overre-acting and killing flies withsledgehammers!

If a building is supposedto be a home rather than anoffice, are there not morecivilized ways of preventingthe building’s occupantsfrom using the premisesinappropriately if they flatlyrefuse to comply with thelaw?

Even if malice is the realreason for putting thatbuilding on the demolitionlist, are there not less

wantonly wasteful ways ofundermining politicalopponents?

As for Eze, his colleaguesand their former cronies: Alot of ordinary citizens,Vanguard readers included,have told me that they arefinding this New PDPversus Old PDP fightincreasingly tiresome,negative and regrettable.

There is, furthermore, awidespread suspicion thatthe fight is more aboutpersonality clashes andcompeting mega-egos thanabout one camp being moreideologically sound ormorally justified than theother camp.

My view is that it nolonger matters who is rightor who is wrong…and thatthe rebels should just leavethe PDP altogether – andjoin or form another party –if they are not willing orpermitted to reconcile withthe Tukur/Jonathan wing.

I can see why New PDPguys – many of whom haveinvested vast amounts ofmoney and energy in theoriginal PDP – might be

reluctant to pack their bagsand walk away. I can seethat it is galling and emo-tionally traumatic to letsomething go when you feelthat you have as much rightto own it as anyone else.

Mohammed, of politicallymotivated vindictiveness, ofbeing desperate “to attackand reduce the opposition inthe country” on behalf of theruling Party and of messingup President GoodluckJonathan’s image.

According to Eze, thePresident himself “istreating a political partyas if it is his personalestate” because he “hasfailed to understand thealtruistic mission of thebreakaway faction”, whilethe Minister “…does nothave the powers he isarrogating to himself [andis] is confused….undemocratic…wicked….not normal…and not worthy

of the position he presentlyoccupies”.

What I don’t understand isthis: why FCTA thinks that itis acceptable to pull down avery expensive structurethat has a legal right toexist.

Whether FCTA is motivat-ed by tyrannical spite orgenuine concerns about

But if you feel that a clubyou belong to has treatedyou very shabbily, there isno point clinging to it if youcannot resolve your differ-ences internally.

OPINION


Ochei: Manifesting courage and confidenceBY KEITH EBIUWE

IN my over five decades on mother earth, I have nevercomprehended the import of the cliché ‘’never judge a

book by its cover” until by divine providence, I met VictorOnyekachi Ochei, the Speaker of the Delta State Houseof Assembly, during the recent Annual Conference of theNigerian Guild of Editors in Asaba. His inclination tolisten, discuss and offer advice to the teeming andenthusiastic crowd, devoid of the Bonapartean carriageof c’est moi d’etat (I am the state) was a sort of curiousparadox.

Though I was enthralled by his simplicity; I was deter-mined to unearth this enigma, who had been severallyand erroneously classified as haughty. My inquisitive-ness provided an interesting vista on his innumerable ac-complishments in diverse fields of human endeavour,which stemmed from his courtship with courage and con-fidence as core components in achieving success.

Unarguably, Ochei’s accomplishments find unshakablebase on the Shakespearean postulation that “there is atide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leadson to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is boundin shallows and in miseries”. In other words, the rarecombination of courage and confidence are somewhatpredisposing factors in the quest for success.

If not for the above, what could have prompted Ochei,who in 1994, qualified as a young chemical engineeringgraduate, plunged into the vicissitudes of self- employ-ment, by setting up a one-room boutique within the Asaba,Delta State metropolis in apparent acquiescence to anThomas Henry’s submission ‘’that the rung of a ladderwas never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man’sfoot long enough to enable him to put the other some-what higher”.

His undiluted sense of purpose in 2003 further eluci-

dates the topic in focus, as he was the only minority mem-ber of any state legislature in the South-South zone, afeat achievable by only the courageous and confident,because during that period, the Aniocha North constitu-ency was a strong base of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, which paraded an array of political stalwarts. Againstall odds, he emerged victorious at the polls.

His educational resume validates these virtues as cen-tral to his inter- professional accomplishments, obtain-ing a first degree in chemical engineering, then crossedover and got an MBA in financial management, subse-quently schooled in corporate governance at the LeedsMetropolitan University culminating in a Masters de-gree, added a diploma in Education Management fromthe prestigious Harvard University as well as a law de-gree from the Delta State University, DELSU.

What could be more ensconcing than his submission ina press interview that: “People miscomprehend confi-dence for pride, I am a confident man and nothing givesme confidence other than education. That is why I giveso much to education”.

Reasonably, he has acted this submission by his numerous contributions to the growth of education,

ranging from the primary through the tertiary levels inthe state, by way of providing over 20 brand new busesand books worth millions of naira to secondary schoolsand DELSU, Abraka respectively; institution of annualawards to the best 10 graduating students in 10 depart-ments of the Federal College of Education (Technical),Asaba worth over N2 million and assistance to indigentstudents in tertiary institutions in the payment of feesand other sundry charges, just to list a few.

His resume as a philanthropist which transcends ethno-political and religious bias, provides further illumina-tion on his avowed inclination to enhancing societal de-velopment through educational and economic empower-ment programmes, a trait that exudes courage and confi-dence.

From 2002 till date, he has empowered over 10,000 peo-ple in his Aniocha North constituency and beyond, as ex-emplified by the recent empowerment of over 1000 wom-en with materials and cash worth over N25million, whichhe has pledged to replicate in the remaining 24 localgovernment areas of Delta State, which by the multipliereffect theory, translates to almost a million people.

His helmsmanship at the Delta State legislature givesan interesting insight as a confident, courageous and fo-cused leader, illustrated by the numerous administrativeand infrastructural innovations, a feat that elicited com-mendation from his colleagues through a motion movedby Talib Tebite and unanimously adopted by the House.

The summation of this man of several positive attributes,is his unflinching belief that courage and confidence arecritical factors in soaring to unassailable heights, thus;aptly lending incontrovertible credence to an Americanpoet, memoirist, actress and an iconess of the AmericanCivil Rights Movement, Maya Angelou’s submission that“courage is the most important of all the virtues becausewithout courage, you can’t practice any other virtue con-sistently”.

•Mr Ebiuwe, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Warri,Delta State.

FCTA’s edifices ofprofligacy

IT has become more obvious that government officials have completely in-

sulated themselves from the realities of thewider society, where up to 70 per cent ofthe citizens live in poverty and millions ofyoung people and school leavers are un-employed. Everyday we are confronted bystories of mind-boggling spending by pub-lic officers on items that only further cutthem off from the harsh circumstances ofthe environment they are supposed toserve.

The Federal Capital Territory Administra-tion (FCTA) has continued to demonstrateits penchant for profligate spending byspending three billion Naira to constructofficial quarters for the principal officersof the two chambers of the National As-sembly. To make matters worse, the offic-ers reportedly rejected the quarters overalleged insecurity and delay in the provi-sion of amenities.

What makes this incident more remarka-ble is the fact that only a few years ago, theApo Legislators’ Quarters, built by the mil-itary regime as the permanent residenceof Senators and members of the House of

Representatives, included posh residenc-es for their principal officers. Against pub-lic outcry and commonsense, the Legisla-tors’ Village was sold under the Moneti-sation Policy of the President OlusegunObasanjo regime to their current occu-pants.

The foolishness of this measure immedi-ately showed when a new crop of Nation-al Assembly members showed up in Abu-ja in June 2007 only to find they had no-where to stay. It cost the nation a fortuneto keep them in hotels, and their allowanc-es had to be jacked up to enable them ac-quire their own private residences.

For the FCTA to turn around to spendsuch huge sums of money to build yet an-other set of quarters for principal officers

of the federal legislature smacks of lack offoresight and signposts an eager tendencyto lavish public funds on white elephantcontracts.

The stupendous amounts being doled out tokeep public officials in princely comfort wayabove the economic realities confronting thepeople they are representing is condemnable.It also encourages corruption and graft be-cause these officers will do everything to stayin office and to maintain this unholy standardof living when out of power.

It is a corruption of values for public offic-ers to jettison the principle of modesty andsimplicity opting to live like kings at publicexpense. This is one of the major reinforce-ments for systemic poverty because there islittle fund left to build amenities and strength-en the educational and health sectors for thegood of the generality of the citizenry.

Labour unions become unbending in theirdemands because of this profane, high liv-ing of public officers on tax payers’ funds.

We must pay quality attention to issues ofcutting down on profligate consumption bypublic officers at the impending nationalconference.

CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013—————1919191919

CMYK

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Nigerian drivers' licence andinternational passport

BY CLEMENT UDEGBE

IN most countries of the world, citizensare required to use both their national

driver’s license and the international pass-port for driving and travels, respectivelyand as means of identification. These doc-uments are important because some of theholder ’s bio-data on them are capturedand stored in a form that can be referredto in a system for anything. The informa-tion could be used to trace an individualin the case of an accident or crime. Thesystem bearing such data is supposed tohave a link to the vehicles registered bysuch individual. Where Police crimerecords are kept and protected, it couldas a link to the record of the holdersconducts, movements, and crimes of anysorts. The driving license, in particular, istherefore a very important document ofnational security value and importance.It is for this reason that many govern-ments accord it importance. In suchcountries, any intending driver must gothrough and pass requisite tests, includ-ing language, sand sight tests for the safetyof the driver and other road users.

The language test is very important be-cause a driver should be able to read andunderstand road signs and directions. InGermany, for example, you must pass thegeneral Dutch language test before youget a driving license as it reduces acci-dents and confusion on roads. In mostcountries, including Great Britain, fromwhere most of our traffic laws and ruleswere lifted, a citizen gets one driver ’slicense for life at an affordable rate or

fee. In this country, for a very long time,

you could get a driver’s license seated inthe comfort of your house. All you neededwas to give your agent your passport pic-tures; he goes out and in a few days returnwith your driver’s license. This system,coupled with massive illiteracy levelamong drivers, especially the commercialdrivers, made life very difficult for trafficlaw enforcement officers, some of whomexploited the situation, extorted moneyfrom such drivers at every corner and turn.In those days the validity of the driver'slicense was 10 years, after which a holdermust renew. Someone then decided tomodernize the document, plasticize it, andreduced the validity period to only fiveyears. Today, the FRSC has theresponsibility for the driver’s license, withthe assurances that the plastics will beready within hours of one's records beingcaptured, but that is very far from whatobtains. The new driver’s license comes ata cost of about N12,500 and in some casesup to N15,000. You could wait for up tofive months to receive the plastic card. As-suming only 85 million(about half ofNigerian population) can drive, thistranslates to an income to the FRSC ofnot less than N1.062 trillion. With this typeof money, it becomes difficult tounderstand why an applicant will have towait for five months after his data has beencaptured to obtain his plastic driver ’slicense; and during this period he must bevisiting the FRSC for update of validityperiodically, thus subjecting citizens toavoidable hardship. The temporary or

paper license could be made valid for sixmonths or more during which period theholder could be telephoned at any time tocome and pick up his plastic card. Of equalconcern is the short validity of the driver’slicense which brings every holder back topay another sum every five years, duringwhich costs must rise for many reasons.

The Nigerian International Passport,which they call the e-passport, also costsabout N15,000 to obtain, no matter whatyou may be told. In the 1980s the validityof the passport was for 10 years. Later itbecame renewable every five years, butmust expire at the end of 10 years, leadingone to wonder why the new e-passportshould not be valid for a life time. Thepolicy of one life one passport will savecosts, bring our own practices close towhat obtains in other nations of Europeand the Americas, and reduce the drudg-ery intending Nigerian travellers gothrough at immigration offices across thenation. Most passport offices are oftencrowded, with officers processing new ap-plications, renewing old ones, and otherrelated issues, and these officers know that

everybody will come back after 10 years.What a colossal waste of money of Nige-rians. Again if only half of Nigerians traveloverseas in a period of five years, you aretalking of another N2.75 trillion every fiveyears. In spite of these, it is either that thebooklet is scarce in one region or state, orthe capturing machines will becomefaulty, with applicants spending longhours in long queues just to own the Inter-national Passport. In some immigrationoffices in Lagos, people start queuing asearly as 6 am for their applications. Un-der such a situation people start jostlingto cut corners, to jump the queues; someofficers begin to exploit the situation forcorrupt practices and it all brings stressto poor and hapless citizens.

If I may ask, why can't Nigerians haveone driver ’s license, one InternationalPassport and one National ID per life? Itis so in America, Brazil, Mexico, and Eu-rope, to name a few. If our National Driv-er’s license and the e-passport processingnow conform to international standardsas the Minister would want all of us tobelieve, why do we still have short validi-ty in these documents that Nigerians car-ry about?

The answer may well be either that thegovernment officials have the tendency tocontinue to milk the people until they sayenough is enough, and cry out loud orsomeone thinks that Nigerians are hap-pier when they suffer more indignities! Wesurely do not need to pray to know thatthe time has come with the vision 20-20-20,for Nigeria, to begin to treat her peo-ple better, and to bring the validity andprocesses for the driver’s license and in-ternational passport to conform withwhat obtains in other countries.

•Mr. Udegbe, a legal practitioner, wrotefrom Lagos.

If our National Driv-er’s licence and the e-passport processingnow conform to inter-national standards ,why do we still haveshort validity in thesedocuments that Nigeri-ans carry about?

Why Stella Oduah must bepunished

BY ORE KINGSLEY

IT is highly outrageous to buytwo vehicles, any kind of

vehicles for N225 million. It isalso highly outrageous formainstream media to rely onreports of online media, whichmost of the time are laced withgossips and rumours, for seriousaviation reports. Now thatNigerians are outraged about theexaggerated reports on thepurchase of the vehicles, the factsof the matter have been eclipsedas the first report always finds alistening ear.

But it is good to deliberate onthe motive behind the report andpreceding reports before this lastone. Princess Stella Oduah asMinister of Aviation has jolted theapple cart. In her strive to makedesired changes in the sector shehas excavated the status quo.There are certain trends that havedefined the aviation sector. Thereare always since 1999 those whouse lopsided agreements andcontracts to milk the aviationagencies. There are also thosewho use aviation relatedassociations to sustain their livesand the aviation union executivesrely on agency heads andsucceeding ministers to makemoney in the sector.

Stella came and changed allthat. These people were deniedtheir source of material life byStella and these are peoplebehind the forces that coalescedagainst her.

It is said in the industry that two

people before 2011 madenoticeable changes in the sector.One was Peter Igbinedion whowas the Managing Director ofthe Federal Airports Authority ofNigeria, FAAN, during theAbacha years. In retrospect also,kudos goes to Mrs. Kema Chikwewho was also the Minister ofAviation in the first tenure ofChief Obasanjo as NigerianPresident. Story had it that shewas pressured to leave, just asStella is being pressured now andthat when she was eased outbroom was used to sweep out herfootsteps from her office. Butwhen she left, the same peopleacknowledged and stillacknowledge that before Stella,Kema Chikwe was the bestperforming Minister of Aviationsince civilian rule in 1999.

When Oduah was appointedthere were three subsistingagreements that werecontroversial. One of them wasMaevis which was managing therevenue of FAAN. FAAN said thatthe agreement was lopsidedagainst the agency to the extentthat the agency did not know howmuch that accrued in its coffersas Maevis every months gave it ahand out, a situation where aprinciple is being handed overmoney by its contractor. Theagreement, to the agency wasobnoxious and it was eating itsrevenue and hamperingdevelopment of the 22 airportsunder its management.

Three Ministers came when theagreement was enforced,including Felix Hyat, who justwitnessed its unveiling,Babatunde Omotoba who was

there when FAAN workers startedcrying out against the agreementand alleged rip of FAAN by theagreement. He did nothing.Felicia Njeze came and smiledaway few years later withoutdoing anything about it. Stellacame and did something. Sherevoked the agreement!

She was attacked with allkinds of arsenal, including

media and court scud missiles.She remained unshaken. OtherMinisters did not have thecourage to do anything becauseof the Giant Eagle thatfacilitated the agreement andthe agreement was aimed to ripoff the agencies and empowersome individuals.

Another agreement was the PanExpress agreement which gavethe company the right to collectrevenues from cargo and payFAAN certain amount of revenueevery month. That agreementwas easily eased out because itdid not come from the Big Eagle.Ironically that was the onlydecent agreement that wasdrawn not to strip FAAN its

revenue; in fact, before thecompany started work, thatsource of cargo revenue forFAAN was in limbo, but it wasdone away quickly as soon ascontrived agitation against itstarted.

Then the big masquerade ofagreement which is stillsubsisting...the Bi Courtneyconcession agreement to buildthe domestic terminal in Lagoswhich initially was given for 12years and was later extendedcontroversially for 36 yearswithout the expected approval ofthe Federal Executive Council, asObasanjo recommended whenthe letter for the extension waspresented to him by the thenMinister of Aviation, Chief FemiFani-Kayode. In the letterrequesting for the extension,Obasanjo responded, “No.” Thatit should be taken to FEC forapproval. The approval nevertook place and since then BiCourtney has done everythingpossible to use the courts to getthe extension and it remains atbest controversial.

How did Oduah cross the wayof Bi Courtney? The companyrealising that it did not haveenough apron to park aircraftMMA2 claimed that the GeneralAviation Terminal, GAT,belonged to it and pointed out aclause in the agreement that saidno other domestic airportterminal should be built in Lagoswithout deferring to Bi Courtney.Oduah defiantly made it clearthat GAT which she dismantledand rebuilt under one year, didnot belong to Bi Courtney.

Then there was the AIC Limitedwhich claimed that many yearsago a portion of land meant forexpansion of the MurtalaMuhammed International

Airport, Lagos terminal wasgiven to the company to buildhospitality facility. But for yearsnothing was done at the portionland and recently with terrorthreats and the inevitable need tohave another terminal at theLagos airport, it becameunrealistic to build such facilityat that portion of land. StellaOduah overruled that quest.

The highly placed, powerfulpeople behind these companieshave been injured by the Minister.But her purpose is obvious: thatfor the aviation industry todevelop and progress there mustbe an end to these rip-offs andthat the assets that are meant forNigerians should not be covetedby a few highly placed people atthe expense of over 160 millionNigerians. The war has beendrawn. Stella Oduah must go!

The foot soldiersAs stated earlier, the labour

union leaders and someassociation executives rely onaviation agency heads to sustaintheir existence. A former DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian CivilAviation Authority, NCAA, keptthe Aviation Round Table, ART,leaders on a payroll. Otheragencies like FAAN, the NigerianAirspace Management Agency,NAMA, give them contracts. Butthese contracts stopped whenOduah became the Minister. Inprotest, the attacks against hercame in torrents to the extent thatthe President of ART, CaptainDele Ore at one time allegedOduah threatened to kill him.Some aspects of the media madea savoury of it.

*Capt. Kingsley, an aviationstakeholder, wrote from Lagos

Continues on Monday

The highlyplaced, powerfulpeople behindthese companieshave been in-jured by theMinister; thewar has beendrawn: StellaOduah must go!

20—20—20—20—20—VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguard, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, OCTOBER 25, OCTOBER 25, OCTOBER 25, OCTOBER 25 , , , , , 20132013201320132013

Debate of the masses

BY EBELE ORAKPO

‘‘

CONSIDERING theprevalence of the get-rich-

quick syndrome in Nigeria,there has been increasing doubtabout whether there still existsgenuine Good Samaritans in thecountry.

But an official of the FederalRoad Safety Commission, FRSC,in Ebonyi State, Mr. JosephAbuo recently proved to scepticsthat there are still men of integ-rity, efficiency and character inmost Federal Governmentagencies across the country. Thishe did by returning N215, 690cash and other valuables to thefamilies of last month’s accidentwhich took place in Ivo LocalGovernment Area of the state.

Head-oncollision

It should be recalled that theSeptember 14 crash which wasa head-oncollision involving aNissan premier car with a yellowtrailer truck claimed the lives ofMr. Victor Idam, his wife andthree others. The accident oc-curred at about 3.45 pm at Berg-er Junction along theIshiagu–Afikpo Road.

The husband and wife whowere members of the DeeperLife Bible Church were drivingin a Nissan Primera with regis-tration number UML 250 AAwhen it (car) collided with ayellow-coloured Mack Trailerwith registration No. APP 215XP.

A source close to the FRSC inEbonyi State told Vanguard

Metro, VM, on condition of ano-nymity, that the crash wascaused by over-speeding. He ad-vised road users to desist fromover-speeding on the smooth-sur-faced Ishiagu/Afikpo road. In achat with VM in his office at Ish-iaka, the Unit Commander,FRSC, in Ivo LGA, Mr. JosephAbuo who led the team to thescene of the incident revealedthat the accident occurred a dis-tance of about 100 meters to IvoLGA secretariat as all the occu-pants of the Nissan Premiere, in-cluding two men and three wom-en believed to be coming from a

church convention, died on thespot.

According to Abuo, five GSMphones, including a Black Ber-ry, a female hang bag contain-ing several items, a recorder be-longing to a staff of ContinentalBroadcasting Limited, TVC,news department and above alla cash of N215, 690 recovered atthe scene of the incident were re-turned to the families of the de-ceased.

Handing over the items to therepresentative of the family ledby Ede Sam Ede, a lawyer, Mr.Abuo stated that the FRSC was awell disciplined outfit that willensure that the right things aredone irrespective of whoever isinvolved. “It is clear that 75percent of road traffic crashes arebelieved to be caused by humanfactors; so road users should re-member that we are now in the

yuletide period. I want to ad-vise drivers to be mindful oftheir activities on the highways.I want to charge them to avoidover- speeding, dangerousdriving, wrong over-taking;they should make sure theywear seat belts and avoid drink-ing while driving because theirloved ones are waiting for themat home”.

Another eyewitness attributedthe crash to the carelessness ofthe driver of the trailer. Thesource told VM that the accidentoccurred when the conductor ofthe trailer was trying to take

Indiscipline: Do Nigeriansneed iron fists?

‘AH, what kind of hold-up is this at this

time of night?” asked Steve,a commuter in the Kuje,Abuja-bound taxi as the taxislowly inched its way to-wards its destination.

“I can’t believe this! Sothis Lagos disease has in-fected Abuja,” said Juliematter-of-factly.

Replied the taxi driver:“No! This is nowhere nearLagos traffic oo. Lagos traf-fic no dey get part two. Themost annoying part is thatyou hardly know whatcauses it because whenyou get to the end of thetraffic, you won’t see any-thing that has caused it inthe first place. I worked inLagos for years before re-locating to Abuja.”

“This hold-up, I believe,is as a result of the manyarmy check points in Abu-ja, thanks to the activitiesof Boko Haram guys,” Timstated.

As the taxi got closer tothe check point, commuterscould see both commercialand private vehicles parkedon both sides of the roadwith occupants sitting orstanding by the road side.

Commented Steve:”Something must bewrong. These people looklike they have resigned tofate. Anyway, we will knowsoon enough.”

A few minutes later, thetaxi driver beckoned on an-other driver and asked whypeople were sitting orstanding by the road sideswhile traffic was flowingslowly. The driver replied:“The soldiers stoppedthem, asked them to parkand collected their keys.The same thing happenedthe previous day. The sol-diers were controlling traf-fic at the checkpoint. Youknow half of the road isblocked so the road is verynarrow. What the soldiersdo is to pass vehicles fromopposite directions alter-nately. But these ones werein a hurry so they decidedto proceed without permis-sion from the soldiers. Soonce the soldiers see anydriver leave the queue,they stop him/her and col-lect the keys. They did not

let them leave until 12.00midnight and you canimagine the time it tookthem to sort out the keys!”

“That’s the kind of thingwe need in this country.There is so much indisci-pline. Everybody is in ahurry. Ok, look at wherethe hurrying got them.Oh, I like these soldiers.Although some werecaught today but they areless than the numbercaught the previous dayand I am sure tomorrow,some will still be caught butthe number will continueto reduce until peoplelearn to follow orders,”commented Steve.

“Yes, the fear of the sol-diers is the beginning ofwisdom. If you can’t vol-untarily discipline your-self, the soldiers will helpyou,” stated Mimi,

“ Exactly! Just like ag-beros forced young menand women to dress de-cently, especially when go-ing to the Main Market inOnitsha,” noted Julia, add-ing: “And the worst thingis that those soldiers hatepeople begging them formercy. If you do that, theywill increase your punish-ment so these people un-derstood them. Just dowhat they ask you to doand wait patiently. Whenthey are satisfied, they letyou go.”

Narrated Tim: “Theyslapped a lady one day be-cause they stopped thedriver of the commuter busshe was in and after a fewminutes, the lady felt theywere like the police so sheasked the driver to givethem N50.00 so they couldlet them go. The soldiersfelt so insulted that one ofthem slapped her hardacross the face. She sawstars!!”

“Haba !, that waswrong,” said Steve, towhich Tim replied thus:“Na you sabi. At least, thatthought her a lesson. Weare fond of blanket judge-ment. She had concludedthat since Police mountroad blocks to extort mon-ey, anyone else in uniformdoes that. I think we real-ly do need iron fists to dealwith indiscipline.”

over from hisdriver while the vehicle was stillin motion. “The accident was veryterrible; in fact, those who cameto rescue the victims had to forcethe doors open before the victimswere brought out. I learnt that theconductor was trying to take overfrom the driver while on steer-ing. Before their death, the cou-ple were resident in Umuahia.The wife worked with the Edu-cation Board in Abia, while thehusband who is graduate of Eb-onyi State University, EBSU,Abakaliki worked with a mediaoutfit located in Port Harcourt.He was a presenter with DeeperLife Satellite Television,” thesource explained.

Responding on behalf of the de-ceased families, Mr Ede thankedthe FRSC for their contributiontowards the recovery of the items.

Garland of honour forFRSC official•For returning over N200,000, other valuables tofamilies of accident victims

BY PETER OKUTU,Abakaliki

It is clear that 75 percent of road trafficcrashes are caused by human factors; soroad users should avoid over-speeding,dangerous driving

•The accident scene with the wreckage of the vehicles involved. INSET: FRSC’s Jose Abuo handing over thevaluables to Mr Sam Ede, representing families of the accident victims

CMYK


CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING

CBN Exchange rate as at 24/10/2013

110.01 +0.37

97.59 -1.42

111.85 +0.05

2,765.00 +35.00

19.47 +0.05

DOLLAR 154.9 155.4 155.9STERLING 249.9931 250.8001 251.607EURO 211.8412 212.525 213.2088FRANC 171.4823 172.0359 172.5894YEN 1.5747 1.5797 1.5848CFA 0.3036 0.3136 0.3236WAUA 237.85 238.6177 239.3855RENMINBI 25.4226 25.5051 25.5876RIYAL 41.3012 41.4345 41.5678KRONA 28.3918 28.4834 28.5751SDR 238.608 239.3782 240.1484

By Emmanuel Elebeke

THE Minister ofInformation and

Supervising Minister ofDefence, Mr. Labaran Maku,has disclosed that thePresident Goodluck Jonathanled administration hasrecovered the sum of N118.9billion from ghost workerssince the beginning of theyear.

The minister made thedisclosure during a WorldPress conference held inAbuja, where he stated thatabout 46,821 ghost workershave so far been identifiedfrom 215 Ministries,Departments and Agencies,MDAs, with the application ofthe Integrated Payroll andPersonnel Information System,IPPIS.

Maku also disclosedthat work is still on-going tobring in other 321 MDAs thatare not yet on IPPIS.

“The purpose of this reformis to increase efficiency andpublic financing, personnelcost, planning and budgetingas personnel cost will bebased on actual verifiednumbers and not estimates.

Also, government intends toeliminate ghost workers fromits payroll and channel themoney into capital projects.

“There are moral issuesinvolved; government hasdiscovered that people arefrustrating the system withghost workers. That is why weembarked on this reform andtoday, we’ve saved a lot ofmoney through this reformprocess.

“The problem is that a lot ofcorruption in the system camefrom defective system we hadin the past, it is that systemicand defective structures thathave wasted a lot in the

FG recovers N118.9bn fromghost workerseconomy,” he said.

He alleged that the issue ofsecurity is being politcised bypoliticians rather thansupporting FederalGovernment in the on-goingeffort to combat insurgency in

the north-east. ” We politicise insecurity in

the north. The earlier we wakeup and understand it, thebetter for us. We are playingtoo much politics withinsecurity in this country; that

has become our culture. If wedo not co-operate with thefederal government, the worstfor us, particularly in thenorthern part of the country. Letus keep politics aside andconfront our common enemy

because many Boko Harammembers are notNigerians.

“Let the media be moreprofessional and stop beingused as a platform to take usback.”

Explaining further, Makusaid “The establishment ofarmy unit in the north-eastpart of the country is aimed attackling insurgency in theregion once and for all andalso to check the infiltration oftheir foreign allies,” he stated.

On the plan to banimportation of Tokunbo cars,Maku said the policy is notmeant to punish Nigerians, butto grow the local carmanufacturers and to createjobs and wealth in theeconomy.

“Instead of 177 millionNigerians depending onTokumbo cars and exportingjobs to Japan, China and othercar manufacturing nations, wefelt that it is better that webring in a system that willencourage local carmanufacturers and make loancheaper for them. We will usethe new policy to generate jobsand increase our capacity,” hesaid.

Registered Insurance Brokers(NCRIB), as part of its 2013Conference.

According to him, the policyhas come to stay as it isbeneficial to the industry. “Bythe last count of the 2010financial statement, over N60billion of uncollectedinsurance premium was stilloutstanding in the industry’sbooks. The industry has beenpaying claims out of no moneyin their accounts and this hasto stop,” he said.

Thompson said that it wassafe for the operators to collectmoney in advance and investit so that they would be able topay when claims occurred. Thedirector said that failure to obey

From left: Folake Sanu, Partner, Averti Professional Managers; Inyang Sami-Orungbe,Partner; Babatunde Dabiri, Chairman, Lagos State Pension Commission; Cecilia Osoka,Partner, Averti Professional Managers, and Bukki Orekoya, Partner, during the official launchof Averti Professional Managers, in Lagos.

NAICOM seeks cooperation ofinsurance stakeholdersD I R E C T O R ,

InspectorateDivision, NationalI n s u r a n c eC o m m i s s i o n( N A I C O M ) ,M r B a r i n e k aThompson, hasurged stakeholdersto cooperate withthe commission onthe implementationof “No Premium, NoCover” Poicy.

Thompson madethe plea at the GreatInsurance Debateon “No Premium,No Cover,”organised by theNigerian Council of

the law by the insurancebrokers would attract sanctionfrom the commission. He saidthat instead of finding excusesto circumvent the law, theyshould reposition theirbusinesses, policies and riskmanagement profiles.

According to him, the benefitfrom the implementation is notfor NAICOM, but for thesuccess of the industry. Also,Mr Olorundare Thomas,Director-General, NigerianInsurers Association (NIA),said that the operators havebeen “singing a new song”since January, when theimplementation came intoeffect.

YOUTHS of Eket FederalC o n s t i t u e n c y

have planted plantain suckersat ExxonMobil Airstrip alongEket Oron road in protestagainst the non-payment ofcompensation by the oil

Oil spill comOil spill comOil spill comOil spill comOil spill compensation: pensation: pensation: pensation: pensation: Youths plant plantains at ExxonMobil airstripcompany.

The groupcomprises community leaders,women and youths from Eket,Esit Eket, Ibeno and OnnaLocal Government Areas ofAkwa Ibom.

The communities

are protesting the non-payment of compensation foroil spillage in their areas.

A source that claimedanonymity said that theplanting of suckers in front ofExxonMobil airstrip signifieda traditional injunction

against the company.According to the source,

anybody, who removes thesuckers, will incur the wrath ofthe gods of the land, addingthat only traditionalistsimbued with the power of thegods could do so.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that thecompany premises have beenlocked with the workersremaining at home sinceMonday when the proteststarted.

Reacting to the development,Mr Isaiah Abia, the leader ofthe group, said that theaction signified a traditionalwarning protestagainst ExxonMobil.

He said that a seven-dayultimatum given to thecompany would expire OnWednesday by midnight,adding that if ExxonMobilfailed to comply, there wouldbe a massive protest.

“It was a warning protest forExxonMobil to comply withinthe seven-day ultimatum,which expires on Wednesdaymidnight,” Abia said.


CMYK


SON movesagainstfakers offake bulbs

THE Federal Government will cut down impor-

tation of wheat by 20 per centfrom 2014, Minister of Agri-culture Dr Akinwumi Adesinahas said.

The minister, during a two-day training workshop organ-ized for master bakers fromthe North-Central zone oncassava bread said the policyis expected to save over N127billion from its annual wheatimport bill of over N635 bil-lion.

Adesina, who was repre-sented by Mrs Toyin Adetun-ji, his Technical Adviser onCassava Value Chain, saidgovernment has concludedplans to implement its policyof 20 per cent substitution ofwheat with cassava flour inbread production to reduce

FORUM — From left: Chairperson, Small and Medium Enterprises Group of the Lagos Chamber of Com-merce and Industry, LCCI, Mrs. Victoria Onafowokan-Obadina; Director-General,NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Botwev Orhii; President, LCCI, Mr. Goodie Ibru, OON and Vice Chairman, LCCI,Mr. Adams Idufieko, at the one-day Stakeholders Forum with NAFDAC in Lagos.

Challenges, solutions ofintra-African trade

STORIES BYDANIEL GUMM

Why counterfeit drugs floodNigeria — NAFDAC

with the regulation and controlof the manufacture,importation, exportation,distribution, use, sales, adver-tisement, of what we collective-ly know as regulated products:Foods, drugs, cosmetics, med-ical devices, chemicals, bottledwater are all regulated prod-ucts.”

He noted that his agency,“has one of the shortest regis-tration time in the world,” ex-plaining to participants thatproducts certification “takes 90days, if the product passes allquality tests,” adding that ap-plication would be consideredas abandoned when an appli-cant stopped during the proc-ess at any stage.

He also explained that in or-der to assist applicants fastracktheir applications, particularlythe small and medium enter-prises, NAAFDAC has openeda small business support deskin its office.

Meanwhile, President of theLCCI, Mr. Goodie Ibru, OONhas called on the Federal Gov-ernment to empower andsupport the private sector, es-pecially, the SMEs, since itcould generate the quantum ofjobs needed to gainfullyengage the teemingunemployed youths.

In his opening remarks at theStakeholders Forum with theNAFDAC, he said that theSMEs are critical to nationaleconomic development, espe-cially in the area of job creationand poverty alleviation.

He explained that membersof the various groups in thechamber are partners with theregulators in creating an ena-bling environment for busi-nesses to thrive, adding that“the regulatory environment iscrucial to the operations,viability and profitability ofbusinesses in Nigeria, espe-cially small businesses.

REGIONAL integration has been part of the Af-

rican continent's overarchingstrategy for economic transfor-mation for over five decades.As the African Union commem-orates 50 years of existence, oneof the suggested approaches tobuilding a strong integratedunion is through regionalgroups such as the EconomicCommunity of West AfricanStates (ECOWAS), East AfricanCommunity (EAC), and theSouthern African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC).

The key question raised in theAfrican Development Bankpaper "Border Posts, Check-points and Intra-African Trade:Challenges and Solutions" iswhy have countries involved inregional integration in Sub-Saharan Africa failed to fostercompetition, access to widermarkets (via trade), larger anddiversified investments/pro-duction, socioeconomic stabilityand bargaining power? Whatare the fundamental challengesto trade (the free movement ofgoods and services) that needto be addressed in order to fullyreap the benefits of regionalintegration in Africa?

Trade is widely accepted asan important engine of eco-nomic growth and develop-ment. There are many regionsand countries of the world thathave been able to lift theirpeoples from poverty to pros-perity through trade. Althoughthe African economy ischaracterised by a relativelyhigh degree of openness, withthe ratio of exports and importsto GDP on the increase in thepast few years, trade has notserved as a potent instrumentfor the achievement of rapidand sustainable economicgrowth and development formany of the countries. As aconsequence, Africa remainsthe most aid-dependentcontinent in the world, unableto eliminate poverty through

trade.African countries do not trade

much with one other, thus theyhave been unable to take fulladvantage of the economies ofscale and other benefits suchas income and employmentgeneration that greater marketintegration might haveprovided.

Due to the fact that Africadoes the bulk of its trade withthe outside world and exportsare heavily concentrated on pri-mary commodities, the conti-nent has been particularly vul-nerable to external microeco-nomic shocks and protectionisttrade policies.

IMPORTERS of sub- standard electric

bulbs are in for hard timesas authorities of Stand-ards Organisation ofNigeria (SON) said thatthey will stop at nothingin ensuring destruction ofsuch products with theeventual prosecution ofthe importers.

SON had recently en-gaged importers at thepopular Alaba Interna-tional market in Lagos ina bid to stamp out sub-standard bulbs from mar-kets as part of activities tomark this year’s worldstandard day.

The agency led by its Di-rector General, Dr. JosephOdumodu, frowned at theproliferation of substand-ard electric bulbs in themarkets typically charac-terized by their short lifespans due to non-adherence of standards intheir production process-es by foreign manufactur-ers.

Odumodu also reiterat-ed the agency’s unwaver-ing stance on the com-mencement of enforce-ment to remove all unreg-istered products frommarkets nationwide aspart of ensuring traceabil-ity and boosting consum-er confidence in everyproduct offered for sale.

According to Odumodu,“It is possible to buy bulbsthat can last up to one yearwith the consumer happyand the seller equallymaking profit. It ispossible for us to celebratea new Nigeria that issubstandard free withinone year if we all joinhands together.”

THE Director-General,NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Botw-

ev Orhii has given reasons whyNigeria is susceptable to drugfaking, arguing that the popu-lation of the country is so hugeand attractive for fraudstars anddrug fakers, who fraudulentlyand delibrately misrepresentdrugs with regards to theiridentity or source.

He stated that fake drugs arewidespread and drug baronsare attracted to Nigeria becauseof the huge population and tobenefit from the racket.

While delivering a lecture atthe Stakeholders Forum withthe LCCI, he said that regis-tration and certification ofproducts “is a very delicateprocess, if you over-regulateyou kill the industry and if youunder-regulate you kill theindustry.” NAFDAC, accordingto him “as an agency is charged

“NAFDAC,” according tohim, “has been in the forefrontof protecting the country fromthe inflow of hazardous foodand drugs,” and called for col-laboration and understandingwith the business operators,who are already burdened withchallenges of infrastructuraldeficiencies.

Ibru noted that in Nigeria,most of the SMEs provide“their own electricity, accessroads, security and other in-dustry-specific facilities in themidst of poor access to afforda-ble credit and multipletaxation.” He chargedNAFDAC to reflect on delay inregistration and certification ofproducts, multiplicity andarbitrary charges, overlap offunctions with other agenciesas well as excessive human in-terface in operationalframework,etc.

Earlier, in a welcome addressby the Chairperson, Small andMedium Scale Enterprises,Mrs. Victoria Onafowokan-Obadina, noted that the back-ground information in theactivities of the Small andMedium Enterprises Group “isone of active and vibrant organsof the LCCI, which draws itsmembership from reputable en-terprises and alliedbusinesses.” Explaining theobjectives of the group, shestated that it is to “advance andprotect the business interests ofits members as well as promotecommerce and industry withinthe context of the overall de-velopment of the country.”

She said part of the contribu-tion towards the developmentof the SMEs is organising “in-teractive session such as this,with aim to address the issuesaffecting the sector and theeconomy generally, and proffersolutions to the problems con-fronting operators within thesector.”

FG to cut wheat importation by 20%the bill and save money forthe country.

"The master bakers' trainingis part of measures aimed atdeveloping the cassava in-dustry through the domesticmarket apart from creatingjobs and improving the in-come of the people.

“The step is also aimed atdiversifying the nation's eco-nomic base from oil to non-oilsectors, of which agricultureoccupies a prime position," hesaid.

He noted that Nigeria is thelargest producer of cassava inthe world with a productionlevel of 40 million metrictonnes. The minister addedthat President GoodluckJonathan has approved thesum of N10 billion for cassa-va bread development fund.


CMYK

By PETER EGWUATU

The Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc sharesunderperformed at the Nigerian Stock

Exchange, NSE All Share Index this year, said areport from FBN Capital.

The report stated that on Year-to-date (ThirdQuarter) the NB shares have gained 19.7 percentcompared with the 32.8 percent return deliveredby the NSE Index.

According to FBN Capital report, the thirdquarter (Q3) financial results released by NBshows that its sales of N56.5billion were flattishon Year-to-Year (y/y). Although gross margincontracted by 62 basis points (bps) to 46 percent ,a 27 percent reduction in net interest expense anda substantial growth on the other income lineresulted in Profit Before Tax, PBT and Profit AfterTax, PAT growing by three percent y/y and fivepercent y/y respectively. In terms of sequentialtrends, sales were down by 18 percent y/y, whilePBT and PAT declined by 44 percent and 45 percentrespectively. However, the sequential decline wasexpected, as the Q3 quarter is seasonally slowerfor beer demand because of the rains. Comparedwith our forecasts, sales were behind by 12 percenty/y. PBT and PAT also missed our forecasts bybetween 13 percent and 14 percent.

According to FBN Capital research, themanagement of Heineken stated in its Q3 2013conference call on Wednesday morning that unitvolumes in its Nigerian business, of which NB isa very significant part, came in slightly lower dueto inflationary pressures and the continuedslowdown in consumer discretionary spendingwhich started in 2012. Heineken’s managementalso noted that although there was a pick-up inbeer volume in August as distributors stocked upfor the Muslim Ramadan festival, beer demandwaned in September.

“Presently, the lower end of the beer market isgrowing faster than the mainstream end as someconsumers’ down-trade to lower pricedalternatives. Consequently, the larger brewers suchas NB and Guinness Nigeria that concentrate onpremium and mainstream beer are increasinglyunder pressure from smaller rivals such as SABMiller which focus on the lower end of the market.”

NB sharesunderperformedat NSE Index— FBN Capital

IFC, Diamond Bank to facilitate financing forSMEs in agric sectorBy PETER EGWUATU

IFC, a member of the World BankGroup has said it will provide

advisory services to Diamond Bank Plcto help it increase access to finance inNigeria’s agricultural sector by up to$33 million over two years,strengthening a vital but severelyunderfinanced sector in Nigeria’seconomy and boosting smallbusinesses.

The projected lending will beextended to small and mediumenterprises across the sector, includinglivestock farmers, producer groups,distributors, processors, traders andretailers.

It will also target almost 2,000 smallholder farmers. IFC will provide

Diamond Bank with advisory serviceson strategy, product development andrisk management and help develop afinancing model to viably lend to smalland medium agribusinesses.

Alex Otti, Group Managing Director/CEO, Diamond Bank, said, “DiamondBank has always demonstrated marketleadership in the provision ofinnovative financial services andsolutions to all segments of the society.Through this partnership with IFC, weare better positioned to serve a fastergrowing share of Nigeria’s newlyemerging bankable population in theagricultural sector, and create moregrowth opportunities for the players aswell as the economy.”

IFC Financial Markets Manager inSub-Saharan Africa, Ian Weetman,said, “Increasing growth and

employment in the agricultural sectoris a critical objective for IFC in Nigeriaand sub-Saharan Africa. To this end,IFC’s Advisory Services aim to increaseaccess to finance throughout theagricultural and food supply chain. Weare very pleased to be working withour longstanding partner, DiamondBank, in the pursuit of theseobjectives.”

Agriculture is the main activity of themajority of Nigerians, accounting for40 percent of gross domestic product(GDP) and 60 percent of employment,but the sector currently only receives1.4 percent of total commercial banklending in the country. With increasedfinancing, the agricultural sector candevelop as a business to fulfill itspotential as an engine of economicgrowth and employment.

JULIUS BergerNigeria Plc (JBN)

has announced plans toincrease its shareholdingin Abumet Nigeria Plc,one of its subsidiaries, to90 percent from theinitial 70 percent.

Abumet Nigeria Ltd isleading aluminummanufacturer in Nigeria,producing a range ofaluminum productsincluding windows,doors, curtain walls,roofing and facadeswhich are used by Julius

Julius Berger to increaseshareholding in subsidiary to 90%

Berger in the turnkey constructionof buildings throughout thecountry.

According to a notice filed withthe Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE,Julius Berger said the increase willtake effect today (October 25)

“The Company believes that thisstrategic decision will achieve asustainable increase in JBN’sefficiency and responsiveness, aswell as set the basis for a future oflong lasting success, JBN said inthe notice.

It will be recalled that theChairman, Avm (Dr) MohammedImam, had at the 2012 AnnualGeneral Meeting told shareholdersthat the company focused on

enhancing its operational structures in2012 by making investments in itssubsidiaries, saying that it was a meansof supporting provision of integratedconstruction solutions in Nigeria.

As a result, he said, “PrimeTechDesign and Engineering Nigeria andJulius Berger Medical Services, bothin their first year of operation, madeprogress in their structural andrecruitment processes. Julius BergerServices Nigeria remained an essentialarm in our logistical value chain andalso achieved 20 percent third partybusiness representation.

“Abumet Nigeria continued to hold aleadership position in the Aluminiummanufacturing market. Additionally, inthe reporting year, our companyacquired a 90 percent shareholding ofJulius Berger International (JBI), inGermany. JBI is showing strongperformance in their function as a keycollaborator for planning, design andengineering as well as logisticalsupport for our business in Nigeria.”

He noted that the company’s turnoverincreased by 17.7 percent in 2012,saying that the achievement was asresult of a number of factors, includingthe handover of large-scale projectssuch as the Admiralty Alexander Link-Bridge in Lagos, the Escravos Gas-to-Liquids Plant, as well as thecompletion of a major segment of theLagos-Badagry Expressway andseveral projects in Akwa Ibom State.

Additionally, a higher turnover inbuilding projects and the award of newcontracts, such as the Uyo Ring RoadPhase 1, Uyo Stadium, Edo CementPlant, Bua Sugar Refinery and P&GBaby Care Expansion Facilityenhanced 2012’s performance, he said,adding that improvement in theefficient use of resources andstreamlining of processes were mainfactors leading to an impressive 24percent increase in profitability.

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

From left: Country Director, AFD Nigeria, Mr. Albert Dognin; Country CEO, Lafarge Nigeria, Mr.Guillaume Roux; and Managing Director, LAPO Microfinance Bank Limited, Mr. Godwin Ehigiamusoeat the signing ceremony and official launch of partnership between Lafarge Nigeria, LAPO MicrofinanceBank Limited and AFD Nigeria’s 1.3 Billion Naira Affordable Housing Project held at Lafarge Plant,Sagamu, Ogun State.

HISTORIANS may be pre-occupied with setting the

records straight but in the shortterm it is the politicians who arefixated with historical outcomes.Left to their own designs,politicians would stop at nothingto re-write history, or tomanipulate its course to fit intotheir petty, narrow world viewand exaggerated sense of theirown importance in everynarrative.

Blaming their politicalopponents and enemies alike inthe face of situations that call toquestion their integrity orcompetence is easily the lastrefuge of the political scoundrels.Sad to say, the Nigerian politicianwho can muster the moral fibreto own up responsibility for hisactions and inactions, has not yetbeen born. Being adept at theblame game is the reason whyour politicians do not ever acceptresponsibility; they would ratherinvent a scapegoat when thingsgo wrong. By contrast, they arethe first to take the credit whenthings seem to go right.

The quest to re-write history iswhat Gilbert Nnaji, the senatorrepresenting Enugu East zoneembarked upon recently whenhe instigated a flurry of banalpolitical reports in some nationalnewspapers, purporting to shiftresponsibility for the apparentfailure to hold a public hearingin the zone, earlier this year onthe on-going constitutionalamendment process beingundertaken by the NationalAssembly. As it turned out, thezone, comprising six local

CONSTITUTION REVIEW:


BY EJIKEME UDEH

country is presently passingthrough uncertain politicaltimes. Despite the very highpolitical stakes, it is unacceptableto say the least that the senatorrepresenting the zone, in cahootswith the other three members ofthe Federal House ofRepresentatives from the zone;Ofor Chukwuegbo (EnuguSouth/Enugu North), PeaceNnaji (Nkanu West/Nkanu East),and Kingsley Ebenyi (EnuguEast/Isi-Uzo) federalconstituencies, would sit idly byand watch helplessly as the zoneis excluded from the constitutionreview exercise.

So what happened exactly? Ina nutshell, according to SenatorNnaji, the public hearing wasscheduled to hold at thesecretariat of the Nkanu Westcouncil, Agbani, and he and hiscolleagues at the National,

,

was responsible for the failure ofthe public hearing, he surmised.

As a civic-minded Nigerianand a card-carrying registeredvoter from the zone, I feelgenuinely aggrieved that mypeople were totallydisenfranchised in theConstitution review process, andrather than accept responsibilityfor what went wrong, our so-called elected representatives arebusy drowning themselves in afamiliar political orgy of blamegame. Yet, it must be stated thatresponsibility must lie withleadership.

Puerileexcess

It is patently scandalous that anelected senator of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria would findit convenient to peddle the kindof puerile excuses that SenatorGilbert Nnaji has had to inundatehis constituents with on why theymust come to terms with the factof their disenfranchisement fromthe Constitution reviewexercise. The lock-out storybeggars belief indeed. It soundslike a fairy tale and would havemade far more sense if it wasmeant, not for sensible adults, butfor the marines instead. At best,it is an embarrassing catalogueof self indictment.

How does Mrs. Nwobodo’salleged interest in running forSenate come 2015 explain thefailure to hold the exercise? Is itto foreclose any amendment tothe constitution that would makeit possible for Senator Nnaji havea constitutional right to a secondterm? Assuming there was a lock-out, why was it impossible forSenator Nnaji to arrange analternative venue for the publichearing same day or thefollowing day in any of the otherfive councils? Did he lay anyofficial complaint with theCommissioner of Police?

government areas, namelyEnugu North, Enugu East,Enugu South, Nkanu West,Nkanu East and Isi Uzo, was theonly one out of the 109 senatorialzones in the country that did nottake part in the constitutionalamendment process through thezonal public hearings thatallowed the electorate to ventilatetheir views on some of thecontentious issues.

As can be deduced from thetenor of the work of bothchambers of the NationalAssembly, the amendment of theConstitution is a far-reachingexercise that is expected to shapethe future of the nascentdemocracy and of the countryitself. An exercise of thismagnitude and nationalsignificance ought not to be takenlightly by any section of thecountry, more so given that the

Assembly sent out invitations tothat effect. On the d-day,however, the dignitaries andother invitees were locked out ofthe venue on the purportedorders of the council chairman,Barr Ekene Okenwa, whohimself was alleged to be actingon higher orders fromGovernment House Enugu,ostensibly on that of the Chief ofStaff to the Governor, Mrs.Ifeoma Nwobodo. This thesis isanchored on the assumption thatthe chief of staff may be interestedin the Senate seat of Enugu EastSenatorial zone come 2015elections.

It is pertinent to observe thatMrs. Nwobodo has sincerepudiated the lock-outallegation. The Nkanu WestLocal Government Chairman, inturn, accused Senator Nnaji andhis colleagues at the National To be concluded

•Map of Enugu State

Assuming there was a lock-out, why was itimpossible for Senator Nnaji to arrange analternative venue for the public hearing sameday or the following day in any of the otherfive councils?

Who disenfranchised Enugu East zone?

Assembly of lack ofconsultation with bothhimself and the otherfive council chairmenthat constitute the zone,as well as otherrelevant stakeholders,such as the members ofthe state House ofA s s e m b l y ,commissioners coupledwith serving andformer political officeholders from the zone.It was the abject lack ofconsultation, inaddition to a failure tobuild a broad-basedconsensus behind thework of the NationalAssembly ConstitutionReview Committee that

BABALAKIN AND EFCC:In defence of truthand justice

I HAVE watched withconsiderable irritation, and

sometime despair, the travailsof my former boss, Dr. BolanleOlawale Babalakin. Why am Iwriting this piece? I have reada lot about his case and abouthis person in variousnewspapers, magazines, softsell publications, and theinternet. Most of the articleshave not been accurate.Knowing him as well as I do,he is not given to selfadvertisement. He willrespond and would probablydiscountenance the exercise asthe ranting of mediocre.Unfortunately, mediocrity nowrules in Nigeria, as it hasbecome the major voice in ournational life.

When I first heard that WaleBabalakin had been charged tocourt for money laundering, Ihad the laugh of my life. I knewthat Wale Babalakin is simplytoo proud to launder money.He is one of the mostprincipled men that I have evercome across in mylife. However, I did not allow

outright disdain. I could notbelieve my eyes. I read thedocuments with the mind of acritic and not an admirer of Dr.Babalakin. I make bold to saythe entire proof of evidencecannot sustain the chargesanywhere in the world. Thereis no link between WaleBabalakin and the issuescontained therein. There is nocausal connection.

Assembly ofspeculations

The entire charges are anassembly of speculationswithout any factual basis. Yet,in the wisdom of some people,this was sufficient to chargesuch a man of distinction toCourt. Having come to theconclusion that the entirebundle of documents was acharade and a scandal, Idecided to do two thingsimmediately: (1.) Dig deep intothe circumstances surroundingthe filing of the charges. (2.)Seek the opinion of moreexperienced lawyers thanmyself.

Opinion of other lawyers:The eight lawyers that I sent

the bundle of documents toall returned with the samecomment that the chargeswere outright victimization ofa Nigerian citizen. How didthese set of documents passthrough the scrutiny of theEFCC and get to Court? Whoauthorized this prosecution?Someday, these issues will berevisited

Digging into the issues:While digging into thecircumstance of the case, Idiscovered that there was anunusual coincidencebetween the termination ofthe Lagos-Ibadan Concessionon November 19, 2012, andthe filing of the charge onNovember 21, 2012. WasBabalakin charged to court tocow him over the brazen andunlawful cancellation of theLagos-Ibadan project? If thiswas the case which I have nobasis for doubting, then it wasthe most short-sighted actionever taken by any authority.Why would anybody thinkthis sort of action will cow anindefatigable fighter like WaleBabalakin? Even if you

succeeded in cowing WaleBabalakin, what about theother stakeholders in theproject?

They all have the locus-standi to pursue legalremedies on the project. Is itnot clear to all Nigerians nowthat the project under Bi-Courtney, Babalakin’sCompany, would have beenbetter and timelier executedthan what is happeningnow? I will not dwell toomuch on this topic, because Iknow that the souls ofNigerians who are dying onthe road and theinconvenience caused everyuser are sufficient issues tovindicate Bi-Courtney andBabalakin on the issue. Goingback to the charges filedagainst Wale Babalakin, apartfrom the suspiciouscoincidence mentionedabove, I discovered thatunder any civilized systemthis case would never havebeen prosecuted at all andeven if it had commenced, itcould not have lasted morethan a sitting.

BY ABIODUN OSOFISAN

To be continued

my loyalty toinfluence me.I decided toask for thebundle ofdocumentsincluding theproof ofevidence uponwhich thecharge wasbrought. Onreading them,I moved fromalarm to shockand finally •Wale Babalakin


Rotary International top honour for Nigerian

OLOROGUN Kenneth Gbagi, a Nigerian lawyer, industrialist and

former Minister of State for Education hasbecome the first African to be admitted intoRotary Internationals’ exclusive Arch. C.Klumph Society. Other distinguishedmembers of the Society (about 200 in total)come from Australia, Brazil, Canada, India,Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain and the USA.

Membership of Arch. C. Klumph Societyis one of the ways The Rotary Foundationrecognize and honour Rotarians andfriends for their generous support. TheSociety is named after Arch. C. Klumph,Rotary International’s sixth president whoin 1917 created The Foundation as anendowment fund for Rotary “to do goodin the world.” The Rotary Foundation is anot-for-profit corporation that supports theefforts of Rotary International to achieveworld understanding and peace throughinternational humanitarian, educational,and cultural exchange programmes. It issupported solely by voluntarycontributions from Rotarians and friendsof the Foundation who share its vision ofa better world. The Fund has grown froman initial contribution of US$26.50 only tomore than US$55 million. It is one of thelargest and most prestigious internationalfellowship programs in the world.

The Rotary Foundation provides specialrecognition to Rotarians and friends ofRotary who contribute $250,000 or moreto The Rotary Foundation by inductingthem into the Arch C. Klumph Society.Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi has become thefirst Nigerian and indeed the first Africanwhose cumulative contributions to RotaryFoundation has exceeded US$250,000:00(Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars).

As a members of the Society, OlorogunKenneth Gbagi will receive a certificate

BY MOMODU KASSIM-MOMODU

understanding with their peers around theworld. Their support enables tomorrow’sleaders to live and study together asRotary World Peace Fellows and providesthem the opportunity to begin building amore peaceful world.

•Kassim-Momodu is a Paul Harris Fellow

Kenneth Gbagi

signed by the President of RotaryInternational and the Chairman of TheRotary Foundation, and has been invitedto an induction ceremony in October 2012at Rotary International’s WorldHeadquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA.His picture and biography will be installedin the Arch C. Klumph Society interactivegallery. Also, his photograph and statementof support for The Rotary Foundation willbe recorded on a touch screen kiosk atRotary International World Headquarters.The touch screen kiosk is portable and ondisplay at major Rotary events such as the

International Convention and InternationalAssembly. As a member of Arch C. KlumphSociety he will receive invitations to spe-cial society events, along with member-ship pin and crystals that commemorategiving at each level.

Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi has, therefore,joined the exclusive class of The RotaryFoundation’s top leaders and innovators.He has become a key supporter of TheFoundation, whose involvement is vital toits work. The Society members likeOlorogun Kenneth Gbagi support TheRotary Foundation for a variety of reasons.With their help, the Foundation is fulfilling

Rotary’s promise of creating a polio-freeworld. Children and families are livinghealthier lives through the Foundation’sHumanitarian Grants Program.Educational and cultural exchangeprograms are helping young people buildlasting friendships and mutual


A Fertility Dance performance led by veteran dance and drama instructor, Columbus Irisonga, during the flag-off mediaconference for the state-owned internationally acclaimed cultural tourism brand, the Port Harcourt Carnival (CARNIRIV),dubbed ‘Green World Edition’.

ILE Ife was agog recently as theentire ancient town led by the

Oba Okunade Sijuwadeolubuse 11, Ooni of Ife,celebrated yet anotherOranminyan festival with a callon Yorubas to form a commonfront at all time.

The three day event whichkicked off with a processionround the city and a publiclecture on Oranmiyan saw thegroove of the deity filled tocapacity on the grand finale aspeople climbed whateveravailable platforms and buildingto catch a glimpse of the activities.

In his welcome remarks,The Ooni of Ife, Oba OkunadeSijuwade, said traditional rulersand leaders have responsibilityto the coming generation andshould not allow anything todivide the Yoruba race, “ourutterances and disposition to oneanother must be decent,respectful, promote love andunity and guarantee our commonfuture as an indivisible Yorubanation.”

Delivering the festival lecture,Oba (Dr.) Adedapo AdewaleTejuoso called on all Yoruba sonand daughters to stop all warsand needless bickering andrivalries capable of derailingmeaningful progress.

Oranmiyan asnation builder

He, said Oranmiyan, ruled onthree thrones, as Alaafin o fOyo, Osile of Oke-Ona in Egbaand the 6thOoni of Ife, leavinglasting legacies for the Yorubapeople. Oba Tejuoso describedOranmiyan as nation-builder,bridge-builder of understandingand an excellent leader, whodeepened the institution ofmonarchy in Yoruba land.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola ofOsun State, who wasrepresented by the secretary tothe state government, AlhajiMoshood Olalekan Adeoti, said“as many of you would readilyaffirm, this age long festival hasconferred on the city of Ile Ife aspecial status of a global culturalcentre.”

Speaking on ‘CelebratingYoruba’s common heritage,forging common front’, he notedthat celebrating Oranmiyanshould serve as bond of unity andrally point for all Yoruba people,noting that in celebratingOranmiyan, “we’re identifyingwith the character of Oranmiyan,who had adept leadershipqualities, virtues of compassion,which leaders of today should

Ifes unite tocelebrate yetanother Oranminyanfestival...Celebrates Oranmiyanfestival

RIVERS State Government will be using this year’sPort Harcourt

Carnival (CARNIRIV) to key into the2013 World Tourism Day which had asits theme, “Tourism and Water” meant toincrease global awareness on the needto protect aquatic life against human andindustrial degradation especiallypollution.

As a way of amplifying the message,CARNIRIV 2013 will be focusing onenvironment sustainability under thecodename, “Green World Edition” withthe theme as “Our Environment, Bedrockfor Sustainable Development”.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi haspromised that the people of the state andtourists will see another dimension ofcultural and tourism splendour at thisyear’s carnival holding in December.

Unveiling the plans for CARNIRIV2013 in Port Harcourt, the Director-General of the Rivers State TourismDevelopment Agency (RSTDA), Dr. SamDede, disclosed that one of thehighpoints of this year’s initiative is theplanting of 1,000 trees during the carnivalwhile the objective is to help increase thecurrent global efforts toward preservingthe environment from degradation.

He explained that the tree plantingwould involve all the relevantstakeholders as the destruction of the

CARNIRIV 2013: Rivers promises cultural, tourism splendourecosystem has reached an alarming rate andpractical step was required to stem thechallenge posed by environmentaldegradation to the continued existence of life.

“If you take a boat ride through our creeksyou will see the extent of damage that hasbeen done to our beautiful creeks. As a littleboy way back around 1977, I recall that on thesandy banks of the rivers you could see hugereptiles, crocodiles playing in the sun; all thosethings are gone.

Extent of damage“We thought that we could use the carnival

to mobilise our people to realise the extent ofdamage that we have done to ourenvironment, and to begin to make amendstowards correcting the wrong. So, the themewe chose for CARNIRIV this year is ‘OurEnvironment, Bedrock for SustainableDevelopment’. We call it the ‘Green WorldEdition’ and we are hoping that at the end ofthe carnival season, even in our merrimentand joyous dancing and singing, we willremember to do well for our environmentbefore it gets worse than this.

Sam Dede added “incidentally, the WorldTourism Organisation’s World Tourism Dayon the 27th of September has the theme‘Tourism and Water’. And we are waterpeople, we have contaminated our water andthis is the time to get it right again”, he said.

Dede disclosed further that the intent ofCARNIRIV was to re-awaken the

consciousness of the people to be moreenvironment-friendly, saying “we needto celebrate the greenness of our landwith potential investment opportunitieslingering on the horizon, and with therest of the world singing the nowfamiliar tune of environmentalsustainability. The time to join in andutilise attendant opportunities is now.So even the papers that you use helpsin a way to depict the environment sowe need to begin to get conscious andget involved.”

“So, during the carnival season weare going to plant 1,000 trees together- RSTDA, all the 10 bands in the freestyle parade from the 23 localgovernments. We are jointly going toplant 1,000 trees to commemorate thisedition of CANIRIV”, he declared.

Another unique offering of thecarnival is the upgrade of the popularlocal wrestling competition, Egelege, toa stand-alone event following its instantsuccess over the years. And to add spiceto this local sport, arrangements are intop gear to bring some celebritywrestlers to the event.

He added that other exciting eventsinclude CANIRIV Praise Jamz, whichwill be the opener of the entire carnivalwhile children would have a feel of thecarnival during the Kids’ Carnival.

By JIMOH BABATUNDE

emulate. It was these qualities inOranmiyan that madeAregbesola to adopt Oranmiyanas his campaign symbol andwhich enabled him to defeat hisstrong enemies during hisgovernorship struggles.

He also noted that celebratingOranmiyan would bringenlightenment to young peopleand tasked all Yoruba people touse the festival to fortify the wallsof unity and forge a common tie.Aregbesola harped on the

importance of using festivals inNigeria to accelerate economicdevelopment by developing alltourism sites and activelypromoting same so as to attracttourists from all over the world.

Aregbesola said Tourist siteslike the Oranmiyan staff, OkeMogun at Ile Ife, Oluminrinwater fall at Erin Ijesha, the OsunOsogbo Grove, among others,are continuously undergoingserious modernisation in order to

improve their tourism potentialsand capacities to generateemployment and wealth for ourpeople”. The state governmentis determined to ensure that theyearly celebration of theOranmiyan festival recordsprogressive increase in thenumber of participants.

This development will result inincrease in revenue generation,which will in turn significantlyimproved the standard of living

of our people.” Adding that” ifwell organised, tourism andculture has a huge capacity forhuman development, creation ofemployment, and reduction ofpoverty. Tourism contributeslargely to global economicgrowth and development.”

Aregbesola, also urged the sonand daughters of Oduduwa tosee the festival of Oranmiyan asa celebration of Unity, Love andhope”.


CMYK

,,

Let’s meet you?

I’m Jesse King, people callme Buga. I,m an artiste fromAuchi, Edo State.I was bornin Lagos, grew up here inLagos in a Mission House.

My dad is a pastor. I singcontemporary highlife. I’ve been inthe industry for a while and so far,God has been faithful.

When did you go into music? I went into music professionally

in 2006. I used to do Radio Jinglesand I’m also a producer.

Did you do music in school?No, I studied Economics at the

Ondo State University. I starteddoing music in church and thechurch actually helped me a lot ,before I fully launched myself intothe music world.

What songs have you done?My first album ‘Buga’ was

released in 2007 and lots of peopleheard it within and outside thecountry.

How are you able to handle beingan artiste and a producer?

I think it’s actually a talent I have.I also believe that if you’re going tobe a successful artiste, you have tobe into the studio thing – be a studiorat, work with people and learn fromthem. I started as a pianist, takingpiano lessons before delving fullyinto the music . I thank God for thetalent and wisdom he has given to

I want to sleepin my grave andknow that mychildren stillflock around me.As an African, Ibelieve so muchin my land andpeople

Jesse King, popularly known as ‘Buga’, who got his name from hisfirst album, is not the usual run-of-the-mill artiste we find on the scenethese days. This Auchi-born Benin boy is brimming with ideas, not toskim profits off his fans, but to bring about an awakening in them, torespect their roots and look to the African values in every aspect oftheir lives. Hear him:

Continues on page 29 .....

Continues on page 30

I N S I DE:

me to put things together. Some of mytracks were produced by me and otherswere done with the help of other producers.

You have a musical concert coming upsoon, what is it about?

The concert titled ‘Eko Benin Connexion’is all about the cultural tie between theBenin Kingdom and the Eko (Lagos) oftoday. Sometimes I feel bad that thingshave derailed from our cultural lines andthat’s why I’m coming out with this concertto bring back the memories of where weare actually coming from and if we don’tunderstand where we are coming from, wewon’t even know where we are going.There is the need for us to go back to theroots and get things fixed. Eko-Beninconcert is just to show that we are one.The Obanikoros, Igbosheres are originallyfrom Benin; Ido Market is actually from

Why I’m staging a concert toexplain Eko-Benin connection—Jesse King ‘Buga’

Benin. The Aworis are the originalowners of this land (Lagos). It’sactually scandalous when peoplerefer to Lagos as a ‘ No man’s land’.It’s important we know ourbeginnings, so we can be moreconfident and original. It’s a wake-up call for people to go back to theirroots and be original.

What do you hope to benefit byembarking on this programme?

I want to sleep in my grave andknow that my children still flock

around me. As an African, I believeso much in my land and people.Nothing can change me to JamesBrown or Michael Jackson. Why dowe neglect what we have andcompletely embrace those of others?I believe that in 100 years time,civilization is going to come back toAfrica. I want to see the youngergeneration coming back to realizewho they are, appreciate it andstand for it. I learnt from someone

•Jesse•Jesse•Jesse•Jesse•Jesse

Tale of 3Nollywooddamsels at war

Jeta Amata’smarriage finallycrashes

Pg 29

Pg 29Pg 34


Continues from page 29

,

,

Why I’m staging a concert toexplain Eko-Benin connectionrecently that some Nigerian childrenare taking Chinese lessons, where theyeven do better than in theirindigenous ( Nigerian) languages. It’sa serious issue. I want to seize thisopportunity to appeal to parents,teachers, children and everyone totry their best to bring back ourcultural values.

Do you have sponsors working withyou on this programme?

Honestly, for now we don’t havesponsors, but we are actuallysupported by Daviva – they believe inAfrica,they gave us the Ankaras. ButI believe that with time, people areactually going to tune to the idea andsupport it. It isn’t really all about themoney, it’s about the message –people keying into it. It’s good at leastonce a week for people to put onAnkara. It’s also good wheninteracting for you to sometimes useyour local language. I pray that withtime, people’s minds are going to beopen and they’ll try and see how we’llbe able to push this, because I can’tdo it alone.

What are some of the highlights ofthe events?

There is going to be a display of theAworis , Ajashes, the people fromBenin, those from Badagry, in theirvarious attires with their ‘Ape’,drumsand other instruments, showcasingtheir beautiful culture. There is goingto be musical display, I’ll also beperforming alongside others. It’s goingto be fun and a colourful event.

How has the journey been so far?The journey has been so wonderful.

If you understand yourself, youunderstand where you are actuallygoing. You have to work first for themoney to come in. We are still workingand money is more like a colour to it,it’s more about the message. God hasbeen so faithful, I’m not rich and I’mnot poor.

How were you able to get ToyinOshinaike to work with you on thisupcoming event?

I got to know him when we were inthe university and he was well knownas a good director. He’s married to oneof my directors, Tope, and we all usedto be together at the Ondo StateUniversity then. We were all togetheralongside Funsho Adeolu, the actorand they were all very wonderfulpeople. I thought I needed someoneto really stand for me and so I chosehim, he’s so good professionally. WaleAdebayo is also going to come in andwill be handling it because ToyinOshinaike will be tied down with aproject at that period, but we’ve been

working together so far.

What else are you into besidesmusic?

I love tourism, very soon I’ll behaving a place like a jungle, whereyou can have African continentalfoods,local dishes and you just gothere and have fun. There are somethings you don’t find around like gari,groundnuts and fish, akara and pap,roasted yam and palm-oil and so on.This will also help promote more ofour culture.

You are very culturally inclined, whyis it so?

I think we shouldn’t say no toourselves, we should learn to acceptwho we are. My story is Africa,everything about me is Africa. I thinkI should keep saying yes to myself. Ibelieve so much in culture, it’s veryunfortunate what we have today, somany are drifting away. Though somepeople are actually doing a lot, but westill have to do more. We should havea content to talk about.

What challenges have youencountered so far?

Everyone has one challenge or theother and the society is not alsohelping matters. You have to be reallydetermined to get there. Challengeshelp me, they don’t discourage me. Ittells me that I have to keep running. Idon’t really look at challengesanymore,one has to just survive it.Challenges are like a push to me.

Do you find fulfilment doing whatyou do?

Yes, it’s not really about the money.Once you’re happy doing what youdo, you are fulfilled. You might havebig cars and still be crying, and yousee a man by the roadside eating N150Rice smiling. So no matter how it is,I’m happy.

Exhibition Schedule from OCT. 11 — OCT. 17, 2013

Synopsis

TOP MOVIES OF THE WEEK

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, VICTORIA ISLAND

Captain Philips : 1:55pm,6:25pm,8:45pmThanks for Sharing : 2:15pm,8:20pmConfusion Na Wa : 12:20pm,6:20pmBattle of the year : 2:25pm,4:30pm,6:35pmR.i.p.d. : 4:30pm,8:40pmPain and Gain : 12:052 Guns : 11:45am SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, IKEJA

Captain Philips : 1:00pm,5:35pm,8:30pmThanks for Sharing : 4:55pm,9:00pmConfusion Na Wa : 12:25pm,4:40pmBattle of the year : 10:30am,4:50pm,7:00pmR.I.P.D. : 11:05am,3:40pm,Pain & Gain : 12:30pmKeeping My Man : 2;30pm,The Big Wedding : 9:05pm2 Guns : 2:40pm SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, SEC

Captain Philips : 12:40pm,3:20pm,6:00pm,8:40pmConfusion Na Wa : 11:30am,1:35pm,5:30pmThanks For Sharing : 1:50pm,6:30pm,8:55pmBattle of the year : 12:20pm,2:30pm,4:40pm,6:50pm,9:05pmR.I.P.D. : 1:00pm,3:00pm,5:00pm,7:00pm,9:00pmPain & Gain : 6:50pm,9:20pmDark Skies : 3:50pm,8:00pmThe Big Wedding : 12:10pm,2:00pm,6:05pm2 Guns : 11:40am,4:05pm SILVERBIRD CINEMAS CEDDI PLAZA , ABUJA

Captain Philips : 12:55pm,3:30pm,6:10pm,8:50pmConfusion Na Wa : 3:05pm,7:00pmBattle of the year : 12:50pm,2:55pm,5:00pm,7:05pmAlan poza : 1:00pm,Keeping My Man : 5:10pm,9:00pm2 Guns : 9:10pm SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, PORT HARCOURT

Captain Philips : 12:30pm,3:10pm,5:50pm,8:30pmThanks for Sharing : 12:25pm,2:35pm,8:55pm,Confusion Na Wa : 2:30pm,6:50pm,9:00pmm,Battle of the year : 12:00pm,2:10pm,4:20pm,6:30pm,8:40pmR.I.P.D. : 12:40pm,4:55pm,6:50pmAlan poza : 12:20pm,4:40pmPain & gain : 2:05pm,6:25pmKeeping My Man : 12:10pm,4:35pm,2 Guns : 2:35pm,8:45pm, SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, UYO

Confusion Na Wa : 12:30pm,2:40pm,4:50pm,Battle of the year : 12:15pm,2:30pm,4:40pm,6:50pmAlan poza : 12:25pm,4:40pmKeeping My Man : 2:35pm,6:40pmThis Is The End : 12:00pm,4:45pm,6:55pDark Skies : 7:00pmWhite House Down : 2:10pm

FILM HOUSE CINEMAS, SURULERECaptain Philips : 1:45pm,6:00pm,8:30pmThanks for Sharing : 2:15pm,4:25pm,8:35pmConfusion Na Wa : 10:00am,4:15pm,Battle of the year : 10:00am,12:15pm,2:25pm,6:30pm,8:45pm FILM HOUSE CINEMAS, IBADANCaptain Philips : 12:10pm,2:45pm,5:20pm,8:00pm,Thanks for Sharing : 2:05pm,6:20pmConfusion Na Wa : 10:00am,12:00pm,4:00pmBattle of the year : 11:55am,4:10pm,8;20pm FILM HOUSE CINEMAS,CALABARCaptain Philips : 10:00am,12:30pm,3:00pm,5:30pm,8:00pmConfusion Na Wa : 10:00am,12:05pm,4:00pmBattle of the year : 11:00am, 12:50pm, 1:15pm, 3:30pm, 5:45pm, 6:55pm, 8:15pm,8:50pm

BATTLE OF THE YEARR.I.P.D2 GUNS

ALAN POZAPAIN AND GAIN

Below is the schedule for the week commencing October 25, 2013.The Movie Captain Philips and Confusion Na Wa are releasing on Friday, attached are the art work.

Synopsis for Captain Philips.The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the

2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flaggedMV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo shipto be hijacked in two hundred years.

Starring : Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, BarkhadAbdirahman.

Synopsis for Confusion Na WaConfusion Na Wa is a dark comedy about a group of strangers whose

fates become intertwined over the course of 24 hours.Emeka is a caring husband who it happens just can’t resist the

temptations of frustrated housewife Isabella. Even without his wife’saffair Isabella’s usually cautious husband Bello has enough problemsto deal with when he gets arrested by the righteous Babajide afterbreaking his car window in a rare display of anger. To Babajide therun in with Bello is just another sign that society is on the verge ofcollapse. Closer to home the signs seem to point towards his son Kolabeing of an ‘immoral persuasion’.

At the heart of the mischief are two opportunist wasters, Charlesand Chichi who happen upon Emeka’s phone and, having readthrough its contents, decide to blackmail him. Little do they realizethat their misdemeanours have set in motion a chain of events thatcould lead to a shattering end. Starring: Ramsey Nouah ,O C Ukeje.

I love tourism, verysoon I’ll be havinga place like ajungle, where youcan have Africancontinentalfoods,local dishesand you just gothere and have fun

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013— 31

Some of the newestnames making wavesright now in

Nollywood are Angela Okorie,Colette Orji and QueenethHilbert. The Trio who seem tohave nothing in commonexcept for their talent, drive,beauty and perhaps the handsthey have on the knob of thepulse of the movie industryhave had their paths crossedmore often than not.

While no evidence existswhether the three beauties

Stories by Ayo Onikoyi

Tale of 3 Nollywooddamsels at war

have had to jostle for a role, thereis more than enough evidence toprove the ladies have fought eachother for an award.

In the ongoing Vanguard’sSexiest in Nollywood publicopinion poll, the trio have beenengaged in fisticuffs of sorts tomake the last ten in thecompetition. As at last week,Angela seems to be leading at 5th

position but hotly being chasedby Colette Orji at 6th. Queeneth,who has had mixed blessing inthe run is chasing hard at 8th

place.As if that is not enough to pitch

the ladies’ wits against oneanother, Chase Awards nomineeswere unveiled during the weekwhere their names come up

again to battle for the position of the BestNew Actress of the Year. The three of themcomplete seven-man nominees list whichinclude Titi Oludipe, Tayo Sobola, MaryRemmy and Memunat Yinusa.

Though Chase hasn’t come up with alist of films which earned the actressesthe nomination but a good guess may notbe inappropriate.

Colette has said she is particularly fondof ‘Demonic Angel’ a movie which is asequel to ‘Angel’. Other films she thoughtmight have put her in the picture include‘Tears of Vengeance’ or ‘Illuminati’. ForQueeneth, she felt her movie “MyDaughter, My Jewel” may be her trumpcard while Angela fingers no film inparticular but the trouble she wentthrough in shooting ‘Widows Cot’, a filmthat saw her shaving her hair, may justbe her calling card.

Jeta Amata’s marriage finallycrashesThe long stand-off

between Nollywoodfilm-maker, Jeta Amata andhis actress wife, MbongAmata has finally come tothe end of its limit as thecouple has finally called itquits, putting an end toalmost a decade of marriage.

According to reports, themarriage began to show asign of a crack last year afterthe couple could not come toterms with each other ’scareer. It is said that Mbongfelt being hard done by hishubby who had restricted herto featuring in only hisproductions while the wifewanted more.

Further investigations

have revealed that themarriage has crashed, fewmonths after another Amata,Ruke called it quits with hiswife over allegations ofinfidelity. Of course, thatdoes not put into the picture,Fred, another Amata whodivorced wife, Agatha, acouple of years back.

While Mbong livedseparately from her estrangedhubby, Jeta in Los Angeles,the couple seemed able tokeep the cracks in theirmarriage under wraps forawhile until they could nolonger do so. Jeta and Mbonghave a five-year-old daughtertogether.

Highly anticipated sophomorealbum( “Fire Of Zamani”,

from international multi-awardwinning Chocolate City rapper,Ice Prince is set to be releasedcome Monday October 28th.

The album launch is scheduledto hold at an elaborate concert atEko Hotel & Suites on November23rd, 2013 and promises to be aspectacular offering from thepopular rap star.

Fans may have waited a bitlonger for this one as the releasedate was moved from September7 to October 28 with profuseapologies via Ice Prince’ Twitterhandle.

The 2013 BET Best African ActAward winner assured Nigerianmusic fans that this would beworth the wait as there are lots ofsurprises in this album.

The album “Fire of Zamani”features some of the hottest namesin the music industry as guestartistes. Sunny Nneji, SoundSultan, MI, Jesse Jags andWizkid are among the Nigeriansin the album while Chipmunk,Wale and French Montana makeup the foreign contingent.

Even notable producers likeDon Jazzy, Chopstix, SammyGyang, Sarz, E Kelly, Jay Sleekand MI also produced varioustracks on the album.

Ice Prince toreleasesophomorealbum

Jeta Amata andMbong Amata

Ice Prince


CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013————— 33 33 33 33 33

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013————— 35 35 35 35 35

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 , 2013 —37

With PRINCE OSUAGWUPRINCE OSUAGWUPRINCE OSUAGWUPRINCE OSUAGWUPRINCE [email protected]

08050498513

Despite insisting it wasgoing ahead, to sell itsmobile device unit to

Microsoft, the swag withwhich Stephen Elop, Nokia'sExecutive Vice president,devices and services,Tuesday, mounted the stage atSt Regis Hotel Abu Dhabi,venue of this year's Nokiaworld event,to introduce sixnew devices, almost betrayedan impression that the devicemaker may change its mind.More to that feeling was hisopening introduction: "This isexciting times for Nokia,which has been innovatingand will never seize toinnovate. The quality andvalue that Nokia productsdeliver continues to grow aswe partner with developers tointroduce app experiencesthat are unique to Lumia andWindows Phones. Andclearly, with Lumia and Ashasmartphones enjoyingquarter-on-quarter volumegrowth in Q3 2013, thatquality and value isresonating with consumersaround the world,"

However, his colleague,Chris Weber, Executive VPGlobal sales and marketing,was to quickly discountenancethat feeling when heexclusively told GlamTechthat " we are still going ahead.As a matter of fact, we are veryexcited about the deal"

New Asha rangesElop, who introduced thedevices in a fashionable way,began with the lowest range,the Asha 500,502 and 503ranges which are additions tothe Asha family.The selling point of the Ashadevices, according to him istheir social initiatives,

Nokia in a 'swag'releaseNokia in a 'swag'releaseNokia in a 'swag'releaseNokia in a 'swag'releaseNokia in a 'swag'releaseof 6 new devicesof 6 new devicesof 6 new devicesof 6 new devicesof 6 new devices

including the ability to take aphoto with a single swipe,after which you can share itinstantly to your socialnetwork of choice with asingle tap. Elop said that thenew devices in terms of theeasy camera operation can besummed up as "one touch tocapture, one touch to share".

Again, users of the newAsha devices, will have theopportunity to connect withthe over 350 million activeWhatsapp users around theglobe. And if the Appdevelopers are correct in theirclaims of registering 250,000users everyday throughNokia handsets, then Ashausers would have a field day.

Nokia also advanced theFastlane feature of Asha, inthe new models, making itcustomizable to users. Thefeature, a list-like view ofrecent activity, can now givethe user history of past,present and past activities.

The 500 has a 2.8-inchscreen and a 2-megapixelcamera, while both the 502

and the503 have3 - i n c hscreensand 5-megapixelcameras

with LEDflash. The

503 is a littlebit more classy,s p o t t i n gGorilla Glass 2and 3G

connect iv i ty.Although all three

have WLAN,

quad-band EDGE and boastsof one month of batterystandby time. They're also allavailable with dual SIMcapabilities. But the 500 andthe 503 also come in a singleSIM variant.

The 500, 502 and 503 wouldcost potential users $69, $89and $99 respectively. Elopsaid these devices would beavailable for people in Africa,Middle East, AsiaPacific,Europe and LatinAmerica.

Lumia 1520, 1320smartphoneNokia also added to itsfleet of Lumiasmartphones, bringing inthe 1520 and 1320models. The phonesfeature windows phone8 operating system,with updates andGSM/ EDGE/W C D M Avariationsin MHz.They also

spot LTE speed capacity of upto 150/50 megabytes persecond.

The Lumia 1520 for instancedisplays 6-inch full HD 1080pLCD , ClearBlack, HighBrightness Mode, Sunlightreadability, Super sensitivetouch for glove and nailusage, Gorilla Glass 2. Builtwith a 2.2GHz Quad CoreQualcomm Snapdragon 800processor, the device hasPureView 20-megapixel autofocus ZEISS optics withoptical I mage stabilization(OIS), 2x lossless zoom,oversampling technology,dual LED flash, 1080p @ 30

fps full HD video withoptical image

Kong, Singapore, U.S.,China, U.K., France,Germany, Finland and otherEuropean markets, with othermarkets to follow while thelatter will be available in Q12014 in China and Vietnam,followed by other Asianmarkets, India and Europe.

Now enter the latest tabletmakersThe device comes in a rangeof matte and glossy colors,and offers about what youmight expect from a tablet inthe Lumia range. The mostprominent feature here iseasily the cameras.

Nokia's tablet runs on a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 CPUand features built-in LTEconnectivity, 2 GB RAM and32 GB expandable storage.The display clocks in at a full1920 x 1080 with 650 nitbrightness and “almost” 180-degree viewing angles.

The new tab however,features some fairly capableoptics, with a 6.7-megapixelshooter on the back, an F1.9aperture and Zeiss optics.There's also a 2-megapixel

offering on the tablet'sfront face.

The device comeswith an optionalwrap-around coverthat features akeyboard and trackpadlike Microsoft'sSurface. But Nokia callsits own, Power Keyboard.The peripheral of thepower key board providesusers with two USB portsand an additional fivehours of battery life.The tablet ships with

Windows RT 8.1, augmentedwith some Nokia-exclusivesoftware. This includes theStoryteller app, whichautomatically pulls photosfrom numerous sourcesincluding Facebook, Picasa,SkyDrive and Flicker, creatinga single image timeline. Alsoincluded are Nokia Music,HERE Maps and the VideoDirector editing app.

The Lumia 2520 isscheduled for release thisquarter with a recommendedprice of US$499.

But the talk around townafter the launch,was whatNokia and Microsoft wereplaying at, launching on thesame day, though at differentlocations, Nokia Lumia 2520and Microsoft Surface tablets- Devices that share almostsame features and outlook,

when bothclaimed to beneck deep in adeal that wouldsee Microsoftswallow theNokia unit thatproduced the2520.

Would Microsoftbe pushing twotablets of almostsame features andoutlook at the sametime, when thedeal is done? Timewill tell!

,

,... Clearly, with Lumia andAsha smartphones enjoyingquarter-on-quarter volumegrowth in Q3 2013, thatquality and value isresonating with consumersaround the world,"

•Nokia-Asha-500-502-503 devices

stabilization, as primarycamera while SecondaryCamera is HD 1.2-megapixelwide angle

The battery power isintegrated with built-inwireless charging. It also hasrich Recording with fourmicrophones; WidebandVoice and multi-microphonenoise reduction with fourmicrophones; DolbyHeadphone, Graphicequalizer, Audio leveling andFM radio

The six inch smartphonesLumia 1520 and Lumia 1320will be available for $749before taxes and subsidiesand $339 respectively. Theformer is expected to startshipping this quarter in Hong

•Lumia 2520 tablet

•Elop presenting Lumia-1520


Anambra: APC raises alarm over allegedplot to rig election

BY ENYIM ENYIM

BY TONY EDIKE

Confab:Cleric seekssupport forJonathan

CAMPAIGN: From left: Enugu State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. VitaAbba, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, PDP Chairmanship candidate of NkanuWest L.G.A. Mr. Afam Okereke and the state secretary of the party, Mr. Steve Oruruo,during the governor’s election campaign tour to the council area.

LAGOS—A POLITICIAN and General

Overseer of Light of GodMinistries, Prophet JoyceOsula, has urged Nige-rians to rally round thePresident to embrace thenational dialogue as ameans of solving our lin-gering socio-politicalproblems.

Osula, in a chat withnewsmen in Lagos,claimed that PresidentGoodluck Jonathan meantwell for the country by pro-posing the national con-ference which had eludedthe country since politicalcrises that trailed the an-nulment of June 12, 1993presidential elections.

He noted that many Ni-gerians have lost theirlives while bloodbath hascontinued unabated sincethe beginning of the im-broglio, stressing that thenational conference willafford delegates from allethnic groups in the coun-try the opportunity to baretheir minds on grievancesand also fashion out a po-litical system that willsuit the country.

9 Northern states to get420MW of solar energy

ABUJA—THE Federal Government is set to provide

more than 420 megawatts of re-newable energy for nine states inthe northern part of the country,Secretary, National EnergyCouncil, Alhaji Ibrahim Njiddah,has said.

Njiddah stated this on Mondayin Abuja during a stakeholdersmeeting on the Nigerian-Ger-man Energy Partnership-Renew-able Energy and Efficient EnergyProjects, REEPS.

The secretary said the projectwould be implemented under theNigerian-German Energy Part-nership-Renewable Energyscheme. The Federal Govern-ment had in 2008 signed anagreement with Germany to pro-vide more than 20 million eurosto increase energy efficiency byabout 6500MW through a mix of

power generation sources.Under the project German

Government is to provide 500megawatts of solar energy to bespread across the northern statesof the country within five years.He said the project was expectedto take off in Adamawa, Borno,Gombe, Bauchi, Benue, Kaduna,Kano Nasarawa and Sokotostates as pilot scheme before theend of this year.

He said each of the states hadindicated interest in getting 30megawatts solar plant with theexception of Kano andNasarawa that wanted three orfour plants in different parts oftheir states. Njiddah, who saideach plant would cost between50 and 60 million dollars, notedthat that the project was borneout of the desire to tap the abun-dant solar energy in the north-ern part of the country.

ENUGU—THE Governor ofEnugu State, Sullivan

Chime has flagged off an En-trepreneurship SensitizationProgram for post-primaryschools in Enugu State.

According to the South EastZonal Coordinator of the Smalland Medium Enterprises De-velopment Agency of NigeriaSMEDAN, Mr. Victor Ugwu,the programme tagged: CatchThem Young – Through Entre-preneurship Education-CTY-TEE, is an initiative of theSMEDAN in partnership withthe Enugu State Ministry ofEducation.

Chime was represented on theoccasion by the Commissionerfor Education, Prof. ChrisOkoro.

He commended SMEDAN forinitiating the programme, not-ing that it came at a most aus-picious time when the countrywas grappling with the chal-lenges of huge youth unem-ployment and other social vices.

Chime also asked the Nige-rian youth to urgently realizethe need for self employment,adding that days of paid whitecollar jobs were over, except forthose who are ready to work forthemselves, as government hasput in place various incentivesto encourage such individuals.

Earlier, Ugwu who repre-

Imo movesagainstloitering byschoolchildren

OWERRI—GOVERNOR Rochas

Okorocha of Imo Statehas directed sole ad-ministrators of the 27local government areasof the state to set up atask force to check loi-tering by school chil-dren.

The directive is con-tained in a statement is-sued by the governor’smedia aide, Mr. WilliamUnadike in Owerri, yes-terday.

The statement quotedthe governor as sayingthat each task forceshould monitor the ac-tivities of school chil-dren who hawk or loi-ter during school hoursin their areas.

Okorocha added thatthe state governmenthad made education atall levels free and com-pulsory because of itsdesire to eradicate illit-eracy.

He reiterated the ad-ministration’s desire toempower every youth inthe state through theprovision of qualityeducation.

ONITSHA—THE All Progressive Congress, APC

in Anambra State, yesterday,raised alarm over alleged plotby a political party in the state inconnivance with the IndependentNational Electoral Commission,INEC, to disenfranchise voters inareas where such parties havestrong voting strength.

The Director-General of theChris Ngige campaign Organi-zation, Chief George Moghalumade this known while address-ing newsmen in Awka, theAnambra State capital yesterday.

He said the party had ‘’uncov-ered a grand plan by a govern-ment funded party to frustrateAPC by making sure that electoralmaterials were not delivered ontime at designated polling unitsduring the November 16 gover-norship election.’’

Besides, Moghalu said therewas also a plot to ensure that elec-tion did not hold in their electoralstrong-holds by employing thugsto chase voters away from pollingunits.

”There is also the issue of thedestruction of our bill boards andposters. But the fact remains thatnobody has the monopoly of vio-lence. Nobody should take us forgranted because we have thecapacity to resist any form of in-timidation and harassment.

’’This election is not about Sena-tor Chris Ngige as a person but

about Anambra State; returning ourstate to the part of greatness bysalvaging it.

’’We have come into this race witha known brand that has been tested

and is trusted by the Anambrapeople. Therefore we see our-selves as those everybody isstruggling to beat in the contest.So, the APC is the party to beatin the November 16, governor-ship election.

”Again, we want to advise thatanybody or group that has de-cided to frustrate us in this elec-tion should cave in because wewill not fold our hands and watchthem,” he said.

Chime flags off entrepreneurshipsensitisation propgramme for schools

NASS committedto high standardsin food technology—Emeka Ihedioha

sented the Director General ofSMEDAN, Alhaji BatureMasari, noted that the agencycame up with the programmeas a way of addressing thewaning interest among theyouths in self employment.

According to him, over 80percent of Nigerian youthswere either unemployed, un-

deremployed or unemploy-able.

About 30 secondary schoolsare expected to benefit fromthe entrepreneurshipsensitization programmewhich would be replicated inthe remaining four stateswithin the south east geopo-litical zone.

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

ABUJA—THE DeputySpeaker of the House of

Representatives, Hon. EmekaIhedioha has said that the Na-tional Assembly was committed toensuring effective regulation andenforcement of high professionalstandards within the food process-ing and agricultural sectors of theeconomy.

Ihedioha stated this, yesterday,in Abuja, at the opening of the37th annual international confer-ence and annual general meet-ing, AGM, of Nigerian Instituteof Food Science and Technology,NIFST.

He said that Nigeria has thepotentials to feed its citizens, asthe inability of any nation to feedits citizen is at danger of socialvices.

His words: “A nation that can-not feed its populace is vulner-able to social crisis, insecurity andexternal manipulations. This iswhy the National Assembly isfirmly in support of the efforts tomove the country away from amono-cultural economy and ac-cord food and agricultural sectora renewed attention in the schemeof things.”

40 —40 —40 —40 —40 — VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013

Lessons for the Hujjaj

,

,

The legacy of Prophet IbrahimThe legacy of Prophet IbrahimThe legacy of Prophet IbrahimThe legacy of Prophet IbrahimThe legacy of Prophet IbrahimBY HARUN RAZAQ

THE divine call to visitthe Kaaba al-muazzama

is in fuilfilment of the fifthpillar of Islam. A Muslim isexpected to fulfil the call oncein a lifetime especially whenthe means and wherewithalare available, saying theslogan:”labayka Lahumalabayk,” which means “I amhere O’ Allah to obey yourcall.”

Some had been rearing to gobut without the opportunity,some had begged for the gracebut Allah decreed otherwise,while He gives ampleopportunities and multiplegrace to others. For all thosewho had just returned fromthe Holy pilgrimage, theyshould show gratitude toAllah. This is because it is agolden opportunity to haveone’s sins forgiven, to berefined and become a newbeing.

Pleasureof Allah

They are fortunate in thesense that they are divinelyblessed going by the words ofprophet Muhammad (s.a.w):“Whoever performs Hajj forthe Pleasure of Allah andtherein utters no word of evil,nor commits any evil deed,shall return from it (free fromsin) as the day on which hismother gave birth to him.” —Bukhari, wa Muslim. Anotherone which always strikes meeach year I miss theopportunity is that: “Verily,there shall be no reward for aMabroor Hajj exceptJannah.” —Bukhari, Muslim.May Allah make uscandidates of Janah.

Hajj is considered a blessingand honor, while the Al-hajbecomes a role model andepitome of good deeds. His

life changes from good tobetter and he becomes diligentin fulfilling Allah’scommandments

His love and inclinationtowards the Hereafterincreases and love for theworldly pleasures decline.

One thing that should beuppermost in his mind is thereadiness to shun all evildeeds, he should rememberthat Allah has obliterated hissins and he should notimmerse himself in sin so asnot to void his good works. Heshould try his best to fulfil theobligations laid down by Allahand avoid all forbidden thingsby Him. He has to beconscious of Allah at all times,observe his prayers (salat) asand when due, pay zakah/charity, fast when it is requiredand show kindness to people.And when ye have completedyour devotions, thenremember Allah as yeremember your fathers or witha more lively remembrance(Quran 2: 200)

Also consider what Allahsays again in Quran 90: 200,Lo! Allah enjoineth justice andkindness, and giving tokinsfolk, and forbiddeth

covenanted, and break notyour oaths after theasseveration of them, andafter ye have made Allahsurety over you. Lo! Allahknoweth what ye do. (An-Nahl: 90-91)

Importantly, you should be

and grapevines underneathwhich rivers flow in which hehas from every fruit? But heis afflicted with old age andhas weak offspring, and it ishit by a whirlwind containingfire and is burned. Thus DoesAllah Make clear to you [His]

verses that you might givethought. Quran 2:266

This verse speaks aboutthose who did good deeds andthen regressed replacinggood deeds with evil ones.There was also an hadithwhich draws a picture of a richman who does good acts outof obedience of Allah but hewas not steadfast and thedevil got upon him and hecommitted sins till all his gooddeeds were lost. We seekrefuge with Allah The Exaltedfrom this.

You can't afford to let theextra-ordinary acts ofworships in Kaaba; Arafatamong others to be wishedaway by evil acts; you justhave to be determined tomake your Hajj a turningpoint in your life.

I hope those who have goneto Hajj learnt good lessonsfrom this journey, apply allthese in their daily lives andbe charitable towards otherMuslims.

We beseech Allah with allthe name He named Himselfand His beautiful attributes toaccept your Hajj, reward youfor your efforts and make iteasy for those of us who areanxious to go. May Allahgives us the steadfastness anduprightness to gain al-Janah.Amin

lewdness and abominationand wickedness. He exhortethyou in order that ye may takeheed. Fulfill the covenant ofAllah when ye have

steadfast and guard this greatdeed against things that couldnullify it.

Would one of you like tohave a garden of palm trees

Chief Imam, Mubaraka Cenral Mosque, Sheik Sakariyau Adigun,(left) praying for OsunGovernor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) and his Executive members on the Re-classifica-tion of Schools in the State, after a special Jumat Service, held at Mubaraka Central Mosque,Sabo Area, Osogbo, Osun State recently

We thank almighty Allah for sparing our lives

to witness the great acts of wor-ship in Islam such as Hajj,Umrah, Day of Arafah (for thoseon Hajj 2013), Edul-Adha, Al-Udhiyyah, Ayyamut Tashriq,etc. It is very important to un-derstand the fact that the afore-mentioned acts of Ibadah andmany others emanated fromProphet Ibrahim (a.s) and hisfamily.

Allah distinguished Ibrahimfirst in the Qur’an with the ti-tle of Khalilu llah (intimatefriend of Allah). On this Allahsays:“….And Allah did takeIbrahim as an intimate friend(Q 4:125) Again, Allah ad-dressed him as Ummah, Obe-dient, Hanif, in the followingverse of the Qur’an: Verily,Ibrahim was an Ummah (aleader having all the good righ-teous qualities); or a nationobedient to Allah, Hanifa (i.e.to worship none but Allah), andhe was not one of those whowere Al-mushirikin (Polythe-ists).

Thirdly, there is a specialplace in Ka’abah called

“Maqam Ibrahim (Station ofIbrahim) in which the Hujaj areencouraged to perform Mafilah.

Prophet Ibrahim (AS) is re-garded as the father of the reli-gion with revealed books moreimportantly Islam. A surah inQur’an (i.e. Suratul Ibrahim)Qur’an Chapter 14 was namedafter Ibrahim. Prophet Muham-mad (SAW) named one of hissons after Nabi Ibrahim (AS) etc.But, most of us do not really un-derstand what Ibrahim (AS)went through before he becameprominent in the sight of Allahto the extent Allah commandsbelievers to emulate Ibrahim.Allah said …

Indeed, there has been anexcellent example for you inProphet Ibrahim… It is onrecord that Allah tested himwith regard to his faith; facedpersecution from mushrikeen;he was asked to discard hisfamily (wife and son) in a bar-ren land (Makkah); he did notgave birth to a child untill hisold age; he was asked toslaughter his only son amongother trials among other trials.

Hajj is considered a blessing and honor,while the Al-haj becomes a role model andepitome of good deeds. His life changes fromgood to better and he becomes diligent infulfilling Allah’s commandments

•Ogun State Pilgrims shortly before they left Makkah during the 2013 Hajj.

VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013— 41 41 41 41 41

Myths about Muslim women

202020202013 Hajj ends13 Hajj ends13 Hajj ends13 Hajj ends13 Hajj ends

PERHAPS no other issuehas influenced people’s

imagination more so than thestatus of women in Islam. Inthe middle ages, whenEuropeans were engaged inwarfare with Muslims inPalestine, the focus was onpainting a picture of Muslimsas minions of the devil.

But with the powerfulOttoman empire holding swayover much of southeasternEurope from the fifteenthcentury until 1918, manyWesterners began changingtheir views and insteadfocused on the exotic excessesof Ottoman court life.

Europeans began to view thetypical Muslim family as alicentious man lording over aharem of beautiful, nubilewomen.

Many French, Italian, andBritish painters createdfanciful images that fueled thisnotion and gave rise to themyth of the harem. The wordharem itself does not mean inany way a pleasure room fullof compliant women.

It literally means forbiddenspace and is the term Muslimsused for that area of the housewhere male visitors were notallowed to go. In the same waythat it is considered badetiquette to walk into thebedroom of another person’shouse while you are a guestfor dinner, Islam also has anetiquette regarding privateareas of the home.

The harem of any house wasthe area where women couldbe assured of privacy, wherethey could lay aside their headscarves and relax withoutfeeling the pressure of menaround.

The bawdy mythology,

unfortunately, comes from theun-Islamic practices of someMuslim rulers who wouldcollect women as concubinesand cordon off whole areas oftheir palaces as pleasuregardens.

These are what theEuropeans and now the so-

zealots. This stereotype hastaken off in recent years dueto three main factors; the issueof arranged marriage; thebelief most people hold aboutMuslim women, purdah etcand Cultural oddities in someMuslim lands.

So, the way to help Muslim,

,

THE poor behavior of some Nigerian pilgrims wasreported to Facing the Kaaba both in Makkah and

Madinah as some of the pilgrims return from the holy land.According to a pilgrim, many used their precious time shoppingwhile some male and female pilgrims were seen engaging inclose conversation. Many according to him, disregarded therules and engaged in one form of prohibition or the other.

“It was quite embarrassing especially when you noticed thesepeople speak your language. While some were seen holdinghands and engaing in intimate discussion at odd hours, somewill wait behind at their camps with the alibi that they are illbut without seeing the doctors.” “Some also disregard warningand advice, by treating some of the rites with levity; some willnot join the team but prefered to stay at home; while some arebusy shopping and lacing making gold-teeth. They dont haveregard for warnings and advice by leaders,” he stated.

All the same, Hajj Mabroor!

•After arriving in Makkah from Mina on Thursday, pilgrims circumnabulate the Kaaba marking the endof Hajj 2013.

The harem of any house was the areawhere women could be assured of

privacy, where they could lay aside theirhead scarves and relax without feeling

the pressure of men around

QuotesYou shall observe the complete rites of Hajj and`Umrah for

GOD. If you are prevented, you shall send an offering, anddo not resume cutting your hair until your offering hasreached its destination. If you are ill, or suffering a headinjury (and you must cut your hair), you shall expiate byfasting, or giving to charity, or some other form of worship.During the normal Hajj, if you break the state of Ihraam(sanctity) between `Umrah and Hajj, you shall expiate byoffering an animal sacrifice. If you cannot afford it, you shallfast three days during Hajj and seven when you return home- this completes ten - provided you do not live at the SacredMasjid. You shall observe GOD, and know that GOD is strictin enforcing retribution. (2:196)

‘Hajj with bad behaviour’

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisaldeclares 2013 Hajj huge success

THE once-in-a-lifetime journey of faith, endurance anddetermination for over 2 million Muslims from nearly

200 countries came to a successful end last week with PrinceKhaled Al-Faisal describing the event as a huge andoverewhelming success.

Prince Faisal who is the governor of Makkah said every bodyworked as a team to ensure the success of the event.

“All government institutions, security forces, volunteers,pilgrim establishments and men on the ground worked as oneteam to ensure the success of this year’s Haj,” he said.

“You can call this a turning point,” he said, and praisedCustodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, CrownPrince Salman and Interior Minister Prince Mohammed binNaif.

“All the rituals were carried out in a calm atmosphere andfree of any political demonstrations, proving that Islam is areligion of peace, civilization and progress,” he said.

Many Nigerian pilgrims have returned to the country whilea few others are still being expected.

called corporate class withoutknowledge of Islam have takenas representative of thenormal state of Muslimwomen. Islam does not foster

women in both the Easternand the Western worlds, is toapply the principles of Islamin any given society.

or condone thistype ofsituation, andexcept for a fewhigh-pro f i l ecases, thispractice hasbeen virtuallyunknown in theMuslim world.

How areMuslim womenviewed today?Surprisingly,the myth of theharem is nolonger in voguea m o n gc o r p o r a t eM u s l i m s .Instead, it hasbeen replacedby an equallyd a m a g i n gmyth, that of theMuslim womanas a victim off a n a t i cr e l i g i o u s

42—Vanguard,42—Vanguard,42—Vanguard,42—Vanguard,42—Vanguard, FRID FRID FRID FRID FRIDAAAAAY, Y, Y, Y, Y, OCTOBER 25,OCTOBER 25,OCTOBER 25,OCTOBER 25,OCTOBER 25, 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013

A SYNDICATE thatspecialises in organising

the illegal sale and purchase ofdonor kidneys in India to patientsof end-stage kidney diseases andend-stage renal failure, iscurrently operating in Nigeria.

The sale and purchase ofhuman kidneys is being carriedout in violation of the IndianTransplantation of HumanOrgans Act, 1994.

The syndicate which is madeup of medical doctors and otherhospital personnel, takesadvantage of the high demandfor donor kidneys and therelatively low acceptance ofvoluntary organ donation indeveloping countries,particularly Nigeria, to continuethe illegal practice of commercialkidney exchange.

The mode of operation of thesyndicate, Good Health Weekly,gathered, begins with touts whoscout for and recruit commercialkidney “donors” in India inreadiness for potential recipientsin Nigeria.

After being certified fit enoughto give a kidney, these “donors”who are actually indigentpersons, are paid an agreed sumto pose as a relative of a kidneyrecipient.

Another set of touts operates inNigeria, scouting for patients ofend-stage kidney disease thatare in desperate need of donor

kidneys.Advertisement“What they do is advertise

online as consultants to kidneytransplant hospitals in Mumbai,New Delhi and other big Indiancities,” noted a 45-year-oldwoman diagnosed witth endstage kidney disease in May thisyear.

“When I was diagnosed, I hadtwo immediate worries. Apart fromthe high cost of the surgery, thefollow-up tests and medicationsestimated at about N4 million, Ihad no idea how or where to geta compatible donor kidney,” saidthe woman who had beenundergoing series ofhaemodialysis before her kidneysfailed completely. Eventually, herdoctors prescribed a kidneytransplant as solution to theendless dialysis sessions.

But while there was at least achance she could raise asubstantial part of the requiredsum, her chances of getting acompatible kidney were remoteas no member of her immediateand/or extended family waswilling to donate voluntarily.

ExperienceRelating her experience, the

patient recalled how in her searchfor the elusive donor kidney, shewas introduced to someone wholinked her with an agency thatarranges medical trips to India forvarious organ-replacement/repair surgeries such as for renal,cardiac, oncological problems.

“They made all thearrangements and connected mewith the hospital in India, andeven assisted in hotelreservations, processing of visasand other travel papers. When Iindicated that I had no donorkidney, they told me I couldpurchase one in India for N1.5million.

“All payments had to be inadvance. The surgery was to becarried out one week after myarrival in the hospital inBangalore.”

It was like a dream come trueuntil a few days to her departurewhen her neigbour’s daughter,who had lived in India, was homeon a visit and during

succeeded in leaving Nigeriawithout a donor accompanyingme, she might likely haveproblems with the Indianimmigration who would suspectshe was in the country to buy akidney, in violationof the law.

Reaction: In a reaction to thedevelopment, Dr. VijayaRajakumania, Senior ConsultantSurgeon, Kidney Transplantation,Vascular Access and LaparoscopicSurgery, Apollo TransplantInstitute, New Delhi, India,acknowleged that shopping forkidneys in India used to be acommon trade.

“Donating a kidney isn'tparticularly risky to health, andcombined with the biting poverty

and absence of legislation, thepoor could afford to sell off akidney.”

Rajakumania, who transplantsan average of 30 - 40 kidneysevery month, observed that onceupon a time, when commercialkidney trade was legal, so manypersons sold off one of theirkidneys to make money. “But itlater got to a stage when therewere large numbers of people withone kidney around the countryand government was compelledto outlaw the practice. Today, thereare some other countries whereyou can buy kidneys from theshelf, but not from India.”

StagesRajakumania observed that the

kidney goes through five stagesbefore it ends up in the end stagedisease. “When it reaches thisstage, the patient may requireeither a dialysis or transplant. Sodepending on the age of thepatient, and if there is a donoravailable, they can now becomecandidates for a transplant.

Candidates fortransplant

“In the pediatric group, it iseither that they are born withcertain abnormalities likehyperplastic kidneys where thekidneys are not properly formed,or ballistics kidney disease, anda birth abnormality. These arethings which could have beencorrected and prevented afterbirth, but if they are not pickedup, we then have persons at 10 -12 years of age with renal failure.

Patients from Nigeria,Rajakumania noted, are usuallyvery sick and on wheelchairswhen they arrive.

“So what we do first is to stabilisethem on haemodialysis. Withgood quality haemodialysis, theystart improving. We dialyse them,make them fit to go through atransplant, they can get theirfamily donor, we evaluate themand then we proceed with thetransplant. On the average, itcosts $12,000 - $14,000 (N1.92millon - N2.24 million).

Precaution“I will tell everybody that at the

time they reach 20 years of age,they should have an annualhealth check. Women duringpregnancies go through healthchecks and at least that is thereason why renal failures are lessprominent in women.

“Also, four to five kilometers aday of walking and dieting isimportant. Take note that tresscontributes to health failure butexercise is the best de-stressorbecause there are a lot ofendorphins which get releasedand improve the mood.Endorphins released take care ofstress.

“You can do whatever suits yousuch as playing music, dancing,playing instruments, Rajakumaniremarked.”

• WALK FOR LIFE: Minister for Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu (centre) during the 5-kilometre walk organised by the Institute OfDirectors, IOD, as part of efforts to promote regular exercise as a healthy lifestlye routine among busy executives. Flanking the Minister areDr. Ebun Sonaiya, Chairman Health Committee, IOD (2nd left); Dr. Anthony Udofia Usoro, Director, NCDs/Board member, Nnamdi AzikiweTeaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State (left); Chief Ajibola Ogunsola (2nd right) and Dr. Genevieve Ndukwu, Special Assistant to theMinister on Disease Prevention, Surveillance & Control. Photo: Sola Ogundipe.

How syndicate lures patients topurchase kidneys illegally

• Dr Vijaya Rajakumani

conversation,there was amention of theintended trip. Itwas the visitorwho first raisedpointed out theexistence of anillegal kidneyblack marketwhich caters tothe kidneybuyers fromaround theworld.

According toher, it was illegalto buy or sellkidneys in India,with a warningthat even if thep a t i e n t

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

YOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAY

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGSend ySend ySend ySend ySend your datour datour datour datour date and place of bire and place of bire and place of bire and place of bire and place of bir th tth tth tth tth to the Aso the Aso the Aso the Aso the Astrtrtrtrtrologicalologicalologicalologicalological

Counselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, P.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 100000000007, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

VIRGINIA

KAPTAIN AFRIKA in “Princess Shii’ By Andy Akman

[email protected]

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” By Lanre Kehinde

Commen3 by Lawrence Akapa

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguard,,,,, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25,OCTOBER 25,OCTOBER 25,OCTOBER 25,OCTOBER 25, 2013 — 2013 — 2013 — 2013 — 2013 — 4343434343

By Richard EromoseleLIBRA: Whatever anybody says or does, you will have bothyour say and way. Venus and Jupiter may tempt some of youto embrace illicit (or secret) romance within your base of oper-ation.

SCORPIO: Venus and Jupiter at positive angles may temptyou to join some of your friends who are already onboard ofmerry making train. Watch your health.

SAGITTARIUS: Minor financial success you record today canlead to something bigger and good in the near future; as goodluck will smile at many and induce love of luxury, merry, mak-ing and romantic association. Genuine lovers will need to beon guard against deceit from new admirers.

CAPRICORN: Both financial success and emotional satisfac-tion are closed to you than before. Those of you travellingbecause of maters-of-the-heart are in for an exciting romanticday Those ambitious career-wise will succeed after few strug-gles.

AQUARIUS: Many members of your opposite sex will go outof their ways to attract your romantic interest. This is the wrongtime to engage on unnecessary argument. Been your luckyday you are expected to take good advantage today.

PISCES: If you priority is love, much of it would come yourway as desired. But here is a better day for more ambitious inthe business world. Don’t allow anybody to deceive you overmoney.

ARIES: Those of you with secret admirers within your work-ing area will have the needed opportunities to make the need-ed moves. Resist the temptation to deceive others.

TAURUS: Although matters-of-the-heart may give you causeto smile broadly, if care is not taken, you would cause frictionthat can’t help you r case at work. This is the wrong time forunnecessary scheming within your working arena.

GEMINI: Those of your who are red-blooded for romancemay have an exciting and satisfying day. Happenings withinyour social circles must be taken more seriously.

CANCER: Confrontation may come your way in the circle butthe heavens are working favourably for you. Some doses ofromance is not too much for you on a day like this.

LEO: Provided you don’t allow your innate ability to be asdiplomatic as necessary desert you, things work favourably foryou to the betterment of your finances.

VIRGO: Many of you will be in sentimental mood and exhibitstrong romantic desire openly. But then, if care is not taken,you may be carried away to the detriment of your finances.Serious minded lovers are in for happy day.

What’s my Horoscope?Dear Joshua,I want you to give me my comprehensive horoscope, especiallywhat my special gift is.Which day of the week was I born? Where were my natal planetsand their meanings? Who am I?Remi, Ogun.

Dear Remi,There is no space for comprehensive horoscope but what you’llhave here -under is answer to your questions/ You were born on aThursday and your special gift is LEADERSHIP quality.

YOUR HOROSCOPE DATADay Of Birth: ThursdaySun Sign: Virgo: Sun in 20th Degree of VirgoMoon Sign: PISCES: Moon on 10th Degree of PiscesMercury in 16th Degree of LibraVenues in 5th Degree of ScorpioMars in 13th Degree of CancerJupiter in 6th Degree of PiscesSaturn in 5th Degree of AquariusUranus in 2nd Degree of VirgoNeptune in 11th Degree of ScorpioPluto in 10th Degree of VirgoNorth Node in 6th Degree of LeoSouth Node in 6th Degree of AquariusQuality and ElementCardinal and air star signs hosted two planets each fixed and earththree each, no planet in fire while mutable and water star signshosted five planets each.Push-full influence = 20%Non- push-full element = 80%Final dispositor = Lucky JupiterGeneral AnalysisJust 20 per cent of push-full influence in your chart can deceptivelypresent you to others as a soft (or even timid) person but practicalVirgo that hosted nothing less than three heavenly bodies whenyou were born and Astrological aspects between Mercury (mentalfocus) and aggressive Mars in you r chart are pointers to the con-trary.Yes! You are highly intelligent and your mind works the same waydetective’s minds do. It is true, there are little contradictions be-tween your inner self and your emotional being as indicated qual-ity, water element and Virgo characteristics.One moment, you can be very emotional, exhibiting temper withstinging tongue but a few hour later you are amiable, easy going,friendly and compassionate. You are the adaptable type who willsee changes as sources of good opportunities.LEADERSHIP quality is one of your greatest gifts from God. place-ment of your natal sun (basic-selfhood) and moon (your emotionalbeing) in Virgo and Pisces respectively mean that characteristics ofboth Virgo and Pisces are highly pronounced in your inner-self.

Do it anDo it anDo it anDo it anDo it any wy wy wy wy waaaaayyyyyFOR those that

know meintimately well, theycan identify me withmy principles of“anything ispossible”. Yes! thereis nothingimpossible. Even

when everybodyaround me believesotherwise, I do notallow it to weigh medown. Look aroundyou and tell me whichnotable humanachievement has ever

seemed possible inthe eyes of cynics? Didthe whole Nigeriansnot say Super Eaglesof Nigeria can’t winthe 29th edition of theAfrican Cup ofNations.

All you need is tobelieve in yourself.Have faith in God. Getstarted. Get along.Anyway, anyhowkeep on going and theAlmighty God willperfect your effort.

Do it anyway, today!


08102479985 By Bartholomew Madukwe([email protected])PEOPLE SPEAK

Anniversary

I welcome the idea ofNigeria becoming a

member of UN SecurityCouncil. I hope Nigeriawill not be a benchwarmer because it is onething to be elected andanother thing to perform.I pray Nigeria does wellwith the opportunity. —Mr. Nurudeen Bello,Worker.

NIGERIA really haswhat it takes to be

part of the UN SecurityCouncil. At least, thismight help the fightagainst terrorism. But Istill think there is cheat-ing. Why should somecountry have permanentseat in the UN SecurityCouncil? — Mr. FasholaHassan, NYSC Member.

THE council's membership is not for a

country whose leadersare the only people thateat three meals daily;where university stu-dents have been home forthree months and citizenscannot enjoy 12-hour un-interrupted power sup-ply.— Mr. OlurinOlaleye, Businessman.

THIS is the end ofthose who do not

mean well for Nigeria. Iam talking to those whoare behind this BokoHaram insurgence. Theywill never think of the bet-ter future this Goodluckcountry brings. GEJ carrygo. It is your time to rule.— Mr. FrancisOkhakhume, Worker.

WE have major prob-lems back home.

But I must congratulatethe President. He is oneof the best presidentsthat this country hasever had. This is a boldstep to address and seekfor the democratisation ofthe Security Council. —Mr. Igwe Ndubuisi, En-gineer.

NIGERIA should firsttake back its leader-

ship position in Africa. Ifyou are not solid in yourcontinent, why talk aboutglobal leadership? Ourconcern should be ourdemocracy and unity.Anything short of that isputting the cart beforethe horse. — MissMaggie John, Student.

On Nigeria in UN Security Council

‘Our community EXCO is legal'

THE newly sworn in chairman of Ugborhen Commu-

nity in Sapele Local Govern-ment Area of Delta State, Mr.Sunday Jemijaye, has de-bunked insinuations that thenew executives led by him com-mitted illegality during theswearing-in ceremony.

Jemijaye said the Inspector-General of Police ordered DeltaState Commissioner of Police toenforce court judgments, whichmade the community members

to open the town hall and swearin the executive council.

He urged Seplat Oil Com-pany and the general public todisregard the falsehood andpromised to preside over theaffairs of the community withthe fear of God.

Mr. Jemijaye commendedthe police, the Department ofState Services, DSS, and othersecurity agencies for maintain-ing peace and order in thecommunity.

THE most beautiful girlin the Niger Delta re-

gion otherwise known asface of the Niger DeltaQueen, Miss GwendolynOkutele, has appealed toFederal Government toconsider a proposal that willameliorate the suffering ofwidows across the nation.

Miss Okutele, who alsoadvised women to stand forwhat is right and just evenin the face of intimidation,spoke at the memorial or-ganised by FlorenceMichael Foundation,FLOMIKE, to commemo-rate the first year anniver-sary of late CaptainMichael Okorodudu, a pi-lot and philanthropist.

The CoordinatorFLOMIKE, and widow ofthe late pilot, Mrs. FlorenceOkorodudu, has said thatshe keyed into the visionof her husband because ofhis integrity, honesty, sac-rifice, love and enterprise.

Foundationmakes casefor widows

Nigeria to host Int'lChiefs of Police conference

INDICATIONS emerged,yesterday, in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania, USA, that Nige-rian may become the first Afri-can country to host chiefs of Po-lice across the globe in 2015.

Sources at this year’s Inter-national Chiefs of Police Con-ference holding at Philadel-phia hinted that with the laud-able credentials Nigeria policewas bringing to the world po-licing stage, it might win theheart of the board of the larg-est police body and become thefirst African country to host the

conference.According to the source, “Ni-

geria Police has made impres-sive mark in the United NationsPeace Operations and other ar-eas.

“We are looking at the possi-bility of hosting the 2015 IACPconference in Africa and Ni-geria would be the firstchoice.”

Yesterday’s session of theconference was attended bytop police chiefs across theworld, including the Attorney-General of United States OfAmerica, USA, Mr. Eric Holder,who commended the policebody for uniting policemen fromall over the globe.

BY EMMA NNADOZIE,Crime Editor, with

agency report

FAITH Mission Cherubim & Seraphim

Church Headquarters willcelebrate this year’s har-vest and thanksgiving an-niversary service, themedGod is For Us, on Novem-ber 10 at its premises onFaith Mission Close Satel-lite Town, Lagos.

Her Eminence, Prophet-ess Mariam Adeleye,Founder/President of thechurh worldwide, saidLady SuperintendentSheye Sholoye, Snr. Super-intendent Apostle R. S.Aransiola, Lady ElderHelen Edoja, EvangelistSola Adeyemi, Mr. M. AyoSobowale and representa-tives of three state gover-nors will grace the event.

Pirates kill 2 soldiers in Rivers, one missingBY SAMUEL

OYADONGHA

YENAGOA— SUSPECTEDpirates have reportedly

killed two soldiers attached tothe Joint Task Force, JTF, in theNiger Delta, codenamed Op-eration Pulo Shield, in an am-bush along Ikuru community inAndoni Local Government Areaof Rivers State, while anothersoldier was said to be missing.

A boat driver and three staffof the Z-Cube ConstructionCompany were also woundedin the ambush, which occurredTuesday.

According to security sources,the soldiers were on escort dutyfor a three-man team of Z-CubeConstruction Company offi-cials.

They were said to be on theirway to the site of the projectawarded the firm by NigerDelta Development Commis-sion, NDDC, when they ran intothe ambush.

The JTF media coordinator, Lt.Col. Onyema Nwachukwu,said: “At about 1p.m. on Tues-day, three of our soldiers fellinto an ambush of sea robbers,while on escort duty of three ci-vilian staff of Z-Cube Construc-tion Company, moving from endof New Road to Ikuru town inAdoni Local Government Areaof Rivers State.

“The company staff were ontheir way to NDDC road con-

struction site in the area. Ourtroops fought gallantly and

stood by the creed of their pro-fession by paying the supreme

sacrifice to ensure the safety ofthe civilian staff.”

Imoke boosts software competitionwith N7.5m, as FUTA wins 2013 cup

THE Cross Rivers State government, Wednesday in

Tinapa Business ResortCalabar, said it would promote2013 national software compe-tition with N7.5 million, even asthe team from the Federal Uni-versity of Technology, Akure,Ondo State, won the 2013 In-stitute of Software Practitionersof Nigeria, ISPON, NationalSoftware Innovation competi-tion organised for technologystudents in Nigerian universi-ties and polytechnics.

However, 70 percent of thefund, it was learnt, will go tothe winners, while the remain-ing 30 percent will be kept asseed fund for mentoring andinnovation.

Accordingly, N2 million willgo to the first prize winners,N1.5 million to the second win-ners, while N1 million will goto the third place winners.

The award was for the overallbest and most promising solu-tion submitted. The winners,after showcasing their solutionsbefore impartial judges, weredetermined based on the qual-ity of solution presented, its rel-

evance to the society, especiallyin Nigeria and capacity to solvelocal problems, extent of workand creativity demonstrated inthe solution.

Of the 24 teams that com-peted in the first round, 10 wereshort-listed in the secondround and three teams emer-ged 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the fi-nal round of the competition.

Olaoluwa Aboluwarin,Oluwadara Oladapo andMofesola Banjo emerged asthe first prize winner with En-chanter as the project name inthe 2013 ISPON software com-petition grand price.

The three students were se-lected after four days of crea-tive work in a keenly contestedsoftware competition involvingabout 70 students from 21schools from Nigerian tertiary

institutions at the NigerianKnowledge City, Tinapa,Calabar, Cross River State.

Team 1 from Covenant Uni-versity, Otta, with Anti-cultismsocial education media won thesecond price with AtivieRaymond, Orogo Alanunio-luwa as team members.

Team Efficacy from ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile-Ife,came third with team membersincluding Moyin Adeyemi,Adegoke Obasa and AdeyemiOlaoye.

Twenty-four teams in differentcategories, including mobileapp, web app, desktop app, andmobile game had competed innational software competitionand conference sponsored byMain One, Nigerian Commu-nications Commission, NEXIMBank, NITDA among others.


Oil spillage: Community asksgovts to prevail on Chevron

Nigeriansurged todonate bloodvoluntary

It's illegal for state govts to take foreignloan without FG's approval — DMO boss

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

BY EMMA AMAIZE

DisplacedLiama peoplereturn home

Launch

BY SAMUELOYANDOGHA

TRADE FAIR—From left: Former Information Minister, Professor Sam Oyovbaire; DeltaState Deputy Governor, Professor Amos Utuama; Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, Abe I, His RoyalMajesty Emmanuel Sideso and Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Maj. Gen.Felix Mujakperuo (rtd), Orhue I, during opening ceremony of Delta State Trade Fair 2013in Osubi, near Warri.

ABSOLUT Vodka willlaunch a new campaign,

“Transform Today” in Nigeriathemed: ‘The End is Far’tomorrow in Victoria-Island,Lagos. According to a statement byAkintayo Akinseloyin, BrandManager, the campaignserves as an opportunity forpeople with a creative path toexpress themselves throughdifferent genres of art."

“This event, which marksthe start of the campaign,promises to be more than justa party — it is a call totransform today as we put theART in party.

"Absolut seeks to tap into thecreative energy that radiatesin the city of Lagos by creatingan environment that willinspire the process of creation.It is what we refer to as deepplay.”

BY ESTHERONYEGBULA

NIGERIANS have beencalled to imbibe the

culture of voluntary blooddonation to prevent avoidabledeaths, arising from lack ofavailability of safe blood forpatients in need oftransfusion. Lagos State BloodTransfusion Committee,LSBTC, gave the adviceduring its voluntary blooddonation drive to NigerianImmigration ServicesCommand, Alagbon, Lagos.

Spokesperson of the agency,Mr. Solomon Eka, said“unpaid donors are the safestsource of blood. properscreening of donors, who haveany risk factors are not allowedto donate. Donated blood istested and free of Hepatitis B,and C; HIV 1 and 2; Syphilisand Human T Cell Leukaemia(HTCL) and other bloodrelated diseases”.

YENAGOA—AFTERseven years in exile, the

displaced people of Liama inBrass local government areaof Bayelsa State havereturned to their ancestralland.

The return of peace to thetroubled area followed theintervention of the stategovernment which set up acommittee to bring aboutlasting peace in the area.

The coastal settlement onthe Cape Formosa Island, offthe Atlantic coast of Brass, wasdestroyed and indigenesforced into exile in the wakeof violent clashes with its sistercommunities.

Governor Seriake Dicksonhad while constituting thecommittee during a meetingwith the chiefs and elders ofLiama Community inYenagoa, noted that thepresent administrationbelieved in the rule of law andwould not allow anycommunity, under anycircumstance, to send peopleon exile.

Speaking at an event tomark the return of the peopleto their ancestral home,Deputy Governor, RealAdmiral John Jonah (rtd),lauded the people for theircooperation during the peaceprocess, noting that withoutpeace, there could be nodevelopment.

Pipelinesurveillanceworkersaccuse Deltagovt ofnon-paymentof salary

BY FESTUS AHON

UGHELLI—PIPELINEsurveillance workers in

coastal communities ofUghelli South LocalGovernment Area, Delta Statehave raised alarm over thenon-payment of entitlements.

Addressing newsmen onbehalf of the communitieswhich includes Olota,Alagbabiri, Oghwrugburu,Ogoda, Orere, Arhawvarhienand Okuama, Mr. AkporodeMado, accused the Chairmanof the Pipeline SurveillanceCommittee, Mr. GovernmentEkpomukpolo (aka Tompolo),of non-payment of one andhalf year salary to the workers.

He explained that theFederal Government hadcontracted the pipelinesurveillance in the riverinecommunities to Tompolo,alleging that “since 2012, hehas been neglecting theyouths who were employedas the vigilante group incharge of pipelinesurveillance in thecommunities.”

He noted that the workerswere duly issued withidentification cards by thesurveillance office in Abuja,arguing that since theiremployment, they hadensured that that there wereno incidents of pipelinevandalism, illegal oilbunkering and illegal refiningof crude oil in the area.

WARRI—OPIA community inWarri North Local

Government Area, has called onboth federal and state governmentsto prevail on Chevron NigeriaLimited, CNL, to mitigateenvironmental consequence ofcrude oil spillage in theircommunity which occurred on July17, 2013, allegedly caused byequipment failure.

The community also wantsChevron to pay compensation forpolluting its environment and caterfor the medical bills of Opia women,who were allegedly beaten up bythe company’s security officialswhen they protested against thecompany in Dibi oil field, onOctober 6.

But Chevron denied that thespillage was due to equipmentfailure, saying it was an act ofsabotage.

Leaders of the community,Moses Odibo, Mr Ebi Eyenim,Nelson Butara and DarlingtonLelekumo, who narrated theordeal of the people tonewsmen, said following thespill, which occurred, on July17, Chevron mobilized aservicing company to carry outrepairs on the damagedpipeline from which the fireerupted.

They said: “First jointinvestigation visit wasconducted on the site on July23, 2013, followed by the secondone on the September 30, 2013.Upon these visit we hadexpected Chevron NigeriaLimited to deploy reliefmaterials to cushion the adverseeffect of the oil spill, whichcaused varying degree ofdestruction to environmentactivities which is our maineconomic potential.

“But nothing was done in this

regard. Instead ChevronNigeria mobilized a servicingcompany to effect repair on thedamaged pipeline. The pipeline was brought to the surfaceand observed by the JIV teamcomprising D.P.R, NOSDRA,Delta State Ministry ofEnvironment Officials andcommunities’ executive and thedamage was found to have beencaused by the equipmentfailure.”

Vanguard was told that theChevron official that waspresent sounded a discordanttone, saying it was as a result ofsabotage and third partyinvolvement.

"Consequently, he declined tosign off the JIV result forms onSeptember 30th 2013.The community said Chevroncalled for a meeting with someof its leaders for a resolution,which ended in a deadlock,”they added

be granted. And what it meansis that the Federal Governmentmust be interested in what ishappening in the states becausethe money has to be serviced asat when due.

"We are responsible to makesure that states borrow from theright sources and that whateverthey borrow is repaid as at whendue.”

He stressed that states shouldhelp grow the economy andtransform education,agriculture, and focus on otherareas outside oil.

"They have the capacity togrow agriculture or buildindustries to create employmentjust like the FederalGovernment,"he said.

CMYK

BENIN CITY—THE DirectorGeneral of the Debt

Management Office, DMO, DrAbraham Nwankwo, yesterday, inBenin City, declared that it wasillegal, unconstitutional for any stategovernment to borrow fundsexternally without approval of theFederal Government.

He urged state governments tokey into transformation agenda ofthe Federal Government byfocusing on other areas to generatefunds outside oil to help in the rapidgrowth of the economy.

Dr Nwankwo spoke at a three-day retreat organised by the DMOfor the Senate Committee on Local

and Foreign Debts, led by itschairman, Senator EhigieUzamere.

He said: “ The constitution ofthe Federal Republic of Nigeriastates that no state governmentor agency can borrow externallywithout approval of the FederalGovernment, no state has thecapacity constitutionally toborrow unless through theFederal government.

"Any state that is interested inborrowing will package theirproposal which is sent to theMinister of Finance, then theMinister will refer to DMO andwe now process that requestafter our investigations. If whatyou are borrowing from is not apriority for the country it will not

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013—47,

CEREMONY: From left, Mr. Osaze Ebueku, Manager, Mobile Money andRural Telephony, MTN; Omoyemi Akerele, Creative Director, Style House,and Mr. Dola Bamgboye, Events and Sponsorship Manager, MTN, at theopening ceremony of the MTN sponsored Lagos Fashion and Design Week.Photo: Joe Akintola (Photo Editor)

VISIT: From left, Director, Retail Sales, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. CharlesOgunwuyi; Director, Governor's Cup Tournament, Prince Wale Oladunjoye,and Chief Commercial Officer/Acting Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Ni-geria, Mr. Matthew Willsher, during a courtesy visit, at the Etisalat office inIkoyi by players and officials of the Governor's Cup tournament sponsoredby Etisalat.

KICK-OFF: Representative of the Vice President, Mr. John Chukwu (right),being received by the Public Relations and Advert Manager, Toyota, Mrs. BukunolaOgunnusi, and others, shortly after the official kick-off of the 15th Abuja Inter-national Motor Fair, at the Eagles Square, Abuja. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida

LAUNCH: General Manager, Air Conditioning and Energy Solutions, LG Elec-tronics West Africa Operations, Mr. Junhwa Jeong; Managing Director, FouaniNigeria Limited, Mr. Mohammed Fouani; Managing Director, LG ElectronicsWest Africa Operations, Mr. Deog Jun Kim, and General Manager, Corporateand Brand Marketing, LG Electronics West Africa Operations, Mr. RajeshAgnihotri, during the official launch of LG Mosquito Away Air Conditioners, inLagos.

PROMO: The winner in the 'American Honey Buyand Win' promo, Mr. Tunde Taiwo, dislaying thekeys of his brand new KIA Picanto 2013 model wonat the grand finale of the promo by Brian MunroNig Ltd, Marketers of American Honey in Nigeria,at Shoprite, Ikeja.

AWARDS: From left, Alugbin Adeola, student of VivianFowler Memorial College, receiving 1st Local Govern-ment Basis Ranking Award from Mr. Tunji Bello, LagosState Commissioner for Environment; Ehi Obasogie,and Mrs. Ayandare Adeola, during Lagos State Eco-Friendly Schools Competition/Eco Star 2013 Awards, atBlue Roof,LTV 8 Complex, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

AWARD: Mr. Meyiwa Erewa, displaying the award of'Diligent Service to Fatherland' given to him by the Na-tional Association of South South Students Assembly,NASSSA, in Warri.

VISIT: From left, presidential aide, Mr. Kingsley Kuku;Convener of the Save Nigeria Group, Pastor TundeBakare, and National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere,Mr. Yinka Odumakin, during Kuku's courtesy visit toBakare, in Lagos

VISIT: From left, Olufemi Bakare, Executive Director, Lagos and SouthWest FCMB; Prince Wale Oladunjoye,Tournament Director; Cristina Dinu,lawn tennis player from Romania, and Mr. Segun Odunsanya, DeputyManaging Director, FCMB, during a courtesy visit by Lagos Lawn TennisTournament players to FCMB, in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau

AWARD: Ambassador ToyinOrighomisan Agbolayah, dis-playing the plaque of the awardpresented to him by members ofthe Niger Delta Youth for GoodGovernance, NDYGG, as 'Icon ofHope and Inspiration to NigerDelta Youth of the Year, in Warri.


CMYK


HOW has thecampaign been?

We are still on it and Ienjoy every bit of itbecause, for me, it isexpository. Though as ason of the soil, I hadvisited many parts of theState before, thecampaign has affordedme the opportunity ofvisiting more places.

I am confident thatbefore the electionproper, I would havevisited all the 177communities in the State.If you have followed mycampaign, you wouldhave noticed that it ismore of grassrootssensitization. Somepeople say I should buyairtime in all theelectronic media,including CNN . I havewatched some of thoseadverts and myconclusion is that what

My rival suffers from intellectualpoverty — Obiano

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

DR. Willie Obiano is the gubernatorial candidate of the All ProgressivesGrand Alliance. In this interview with selected journalists, he bares hismind on Anambra State and what he has in stock for the State if elected asthe next Governor.Excerpts

•Obiano: I have gone round

they show us is but the confirmationthat they are not worthy to become leadmen in any capacity not to talk of beinggovernor of our state.

How do you mean?Take the case of the advert where a

particular candidate goes to differentschools in the State. Coming to a schoolwhere three out of the maybe existing6 buildings had been rehabilitated, hewill shoot those yet to be rehabilitatedand present same as the state ofAnambra schools. I have personallydone on the spot visits of projects goingon in the State for a first handunderstanding of what obtains inAnambra State. One area Gov. Peter Obihas done marvelously well in iseducation.

I am a moneymagician — UbahCHIEF Ifeanyi Ubah, Labour Partycandidate in the election responds to issueson his candidacy, capacity andcontroversies around his campaignExcerpts:

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICALEDITOR & KELECHI AZUBIKE

•Uba: I am not a protocol man

WHAT is keen to me is politics ofAnambra State. I am flexible, I

am calm, I am relaxed, I am just doingit as if I’m like somebody trying to dohis business. I don’t follow protocol, Idon’t follow style.

I am doing it in my own style and I’mas a man that tomorrow, whatever theoutcome is, I can always go home andsit. If I win the election I will still goand take a rest and say God thank. If I

Continues on page 55 Continues on page 55

point.I want to tell you about other

politicians that are contesting. Somedon’t have any business with themasses, some have never been in thestate, some were forced, some don’teven know the name of their deputygovernor (running mate), you knowit’s a big crime for somebody to be ina debate and he will not rememberthe name of his deputy governor.

It happened in America, thecandidate they want to force on

So Ifeanyi’s life stylewith the masses is notsomething I designedtoday. I have takenkerosene to every cornerto touch the lives of themasses. So I know whatpeople in Kano how theyare feeling, the poormasses in Kano, the poormasses in Bauchi everypart of this country.

ProudAnambrarian

Now coming to mystate, I am with them andI am a very proudAnambarian. So whatdrives me into thispolitics is that thepoliticians have not beenfair to Anambarians andthe sacrifice I am givingtoday nobody can affordto give it. Nobody will beat the top of his businessand then they say comeand run the companyand say I don’t want torun I want to go intopolitics. It is not thatAnambra State has moremoney than what I amgetting from mycompany, but I wantsomebody to manage ittoday let me go and seehow I can fix Anambra,at least you shouldappreciate it from thisbigger than what the State has.

Having been the first man to becomethe internal auditor of TexacoWorldwide and the number two manin Fidelity Bank for nine years, I thinkI have more local and internationalexperiences than those in the race.

I spent two extra years in FidelityBank after I was supposed to retirebecause the institution found myservices worth keeping. In term ofcharacter, you see me campaigningwith my wife.

At the risk of sounding immodest, Iwas brought up by a Spartan fatherwho was a teacher and anunderstanding mother for whom virtueis everything. I embraced my parents’wish for a virtuous life and today

Now, the man doing selectiveshooting is merely showing us hisdeceptive character. You cannot,because you are standing for election,categorically propagate that theincumbent is doing nothing. Thisshows that you are inherentlydeceptive and will continue to deceivethe people in whatever capacity youfind yourself.

Do you think you are better thanother candidates why?

Your question boils down to what Ihave been talking about. In terms ofexperiential pedigree, I enjoy farreaching privileges among thegubernatorial candidates. As thenumber two man in Fidelity Bank, Iwas exposed to money several times

themselves without being reminded ofmany skeletons in their pockets noteven cupboards?

The candidate of Labour Party, Dr.Ifeanyi Uba was quoted …..

(Cuts in) Please, as a matter ofpolicy, I do not discuss individuals. Ihave seen adverts by people in themedia castigating others and even theincumbent Governor because theywant to become Governor.

If you lie against one anotherbecause you want to become governor,you are telling us that you are not fitfor the office. In fact, I take it as a signof intellectual poverty when I seesomebody who cannot tell us about hismanifesto but who revels in heaping

nobody canperuse throughmy life and saythat I havebeen foundwanting. Cano t h e rcandidates saythe same about

Anambra people couldn’t rememberthe name of his deputy governor(running mate). He was confused,that is the truth.

It took him two minutes to rememberthe deputy governor ’s (runningmate's) name. Is that the kind ofperson we want in Anambra State?Somebody who doesn’t understandhow to fix Anambra that is why I saidanybody that feels he’s better than meshould come for a debate and take fivemillion if he wins me.

But he has intimidating credentials?Credential is not all about

practicality. Bill Gate once said it, it’snot all about credentials, it is all aboutbeing street wise, understanding theproblem of your people.

Bill Gate said it, Aliko Dangote toosaid it. The solution is getting the

the solution to the problems of Anambrapeople. Whoever in Anambra politicsthat feels that he is better than me Ichallenge him with five million naira tocome for a debate.

If anybody in Anambra be it Ngige,be It whoever and thinks he is betterthan me, he should come.

Because first it’s a challenge, ifanybody is better than me in any line,he should come and challenge me for apublic debate before our debate.

What gives you the assurance?I came from a poor background, very

humble background. I know the society.I have felt what people there are feeling.

In Lagos, this my street won the beststreet in Lagos in 2011 by Lagos Stategovernment. There is light, street lightfrom street end to street end, there iscovered drainage street end to streetend, this is what I did in Lagos.

don’t win I’llalso go backhome.

I am winningbecause I amthe bestcandidate. I amw i n n i n gbecause I have

,

,,

,I enjoy far reaching privileges among

the gubernatorial candidates. As thenumber two man in Fidelity Bank, I wasexposed to money several times biggerthan what the State has

First it’s a challenge, if anybodyis better than me in any line, heshould come and challenge me fora public debate before our debate


IT is no surprise that as the2015 elections approach, the

competition for the highestoffice in Oyo State, thegovernorship, has becomemore intense. Though, the storyis the same in other politicalparties, that of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP attractsmore attention because of thenumber of those involved.

For the past two years, thepolitical space has been filledwith the rumour that a formergovernor of the state, SenatorRashidi Ladoja, the leader ofthe youngest political party inthe state, Accord, wascontemplating returning to thePDP fold.

As events unfolded, itbecame glaring that the partywas doing everything possibleto have him back. All thebigwigs in the party in theSouthwest, including theformer President, ChiefOlusegun Obasanjo andformer leader of the party in thezone, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipovisited his Bodija residenceand made overtures to himalmost on weekly basis.

Mountedpressure

The pressure mounted on himwas occasioned by the successof his party in the 2011elections despite its late take-off. PDP discovered that if itjoined forces with Accord, thatthe ruling party, AllProgressives Congress, APC

Ladoja and Akala: Bitter-sweet romancePOLITICAL leaders in Oyo State are not given to retiring even when the ovation is loudest. It is as such not surprising that therecent reconciliation by two bitter enemies, and incidentally the two immediate past governors of the state, Rashidi Ladoja andAdebayo Alao-Akala is now set to unravel

BY ÒLA ÀJAYI

retreat. He later accused thePDP of insincerity.

Despite his refusal to rejointhe party, many politicalanalysts still believe he canspring surprises at the pollespecially going by thesympathy people in the statehad for him during his illegalimpeachment in January 2006.Many still believe he wasunduly cheated by his party atthat time, the PDP.

Before meeting Ladoja, Akalahad sent some of his closestassociates such as Prince Dotun

Of course, the point ofconcern among stakeholderswas the issue of who becomesthe governorship candidate ofthe duo? Would Akala, who wasa governor in the state againsurrender himself to thepolitical tutelage of his formerboss?

As the agreement betweenthe two former governors wasbeing sealed, Akala had his leftleg in the Accord and the rightone in the PDP. Each time, hewas asked if he was still in thePDP, he kept on saying heremained a PDP man. Rumourwas rife that a senatorial ticketwas reserved for him in Accord.

Scepticism of associates andonlookers nonetheless, the twoforged ahead and set up a 14-man committee to fine tune thereconciliation. The membershipof the committee was evenlydistributed between the two ofthem.

As rightly predicted, factssoon emerged that Akala wasnot totally convinced he couldwork with his former boss.Though, he has been in thecooler for sometime he hasobviously used the period tostudy the politicaldevelopments. He hasabstained from most meetingsof the PDP and where not, sentrepresentatives.

He, however, used the crisisthat engulfed the nationalleadership of the party to prove

,

,Oyelade who was his SpecialAdviser on PublicCommunication to go ahead ofhim.

When Ladoja and Akalaagreed to work together, therewas avalanche of scepticismthat the two non-identical twinswere parallel lines that couldnot meet. It was generally saidthat what brought themtogether would soon separatethem. Some alleged that Ladojawould be unforgiving of thealleged treachery against himby his former deputy, Akala.

that he is still a force to reckonwith. A meeting was recentlyheld at the Premier Hotel,Ibadan, with the Minister ofState, FCT, Oloye JumokeAkinjide where his factionbacked President GoodluckJonathan and Bamanga Tukurgroup.

A source confided inVanguard that the decision topitch tent with the presidentwas taken overnight.

As things are now, ChiefAkala is already moving fromone place to the other trying toconvince people in the state thathe is the best governorshipcandidate. Even though he isyet to declare the platform onwhich he would contest, it isevident that he would stillwant to use the PDP platform.

Second termambition

With the forces that ensuredhis second term ambition wasthwarted still in place, it needsthe intervention of God to makehim achieve this in PDP. Justfew days ago, a notable chieftainin the PDP, Senator LekanBalogun who was one of thosewho opposed his second termambition said he had forgivenhim. However, when asked ifhe would support another termfor Akala, he evaded thequestion.

It was gathered that the

sentiments of some in the PDPhierarchy in Ibadan and Abujais already moving towards theformer Senate leader, TeslimFolarin to fly the party’s flagin 2015. That many fear, wouldalso spark a fresh round ofcrisis in the party.

Teslim is a bitter politicaladversary of Akala’s and wasincarcerated as a suspect in thekilling of the former Chairmanof the National Union of RoadTransport Workers in the state,Alhaji Lateek Salako akaEleweomo. It was the court thatcame to his rescue. Since thattime, Folarin has kept Akala atarm’s length.

It is because of this that manyare now asking that Akala,Ladoja and others tainted bythe bad politicking of the pastshould give way for freshblood. Those supportive of thisinitiative note that by 2015Akala would be 65 years oldwhile Ladoja would be 72.Critics witin the party say thatthe two should take the backseat and direct the affairs of theyounger ones. But will they?

The drumbeats, though,distant, are very audible that2015 elections will be anothertug of war in the state especiallyas the incumbent governor,Senator Abiola Ajimobi isleaving no stone unturned tomake sure that the broom partywins the election.

•Akala: Showing interest in 2015 •Ladoja: Also has interest in returning to power

It is because of this that many arenow asking that Akala, Ladoja andothers tainted by the bad politicking ofthe past should give way for freshblood

would definitely be defeated inthe election.

Since he was a golden fishthat had no hiding place,everybody wanted to associatewith him. So, it was notsurprising when his formerdeputy, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala who had parted wayswith him following his role inthe impeachment of Ladoja,suddenly made u-turn andswallowed all the pride to pitchtent with him.

But, there was a clash ofinterest which made Ladoja to


IF there is one thing on whichmany Nigerians and the friends

of Nigeria agree upon without anyreservation, it is that the country‘seconomic and political achievementssince 1960 are below expectation. Thenaturally endowed nation whichshould be the undisputed ‘giant ofAfrica‘ is however, unfortunately, hasbecome a pitiable crawler in the racefor development.

The politicians of the first republic(1960-1966) tried, howbeit, not withdesired effect to practice the inheriteddemocracy through the British type ofparliamentary system. The economy,based on the cultivation and export ofagricultural products, was driven bya simple policy of import substitution. Ordinarily, import taxes and exporttaxes on commodities supplementedinternal personal and corporate taxesto ensure modest revenue to nurtureand drive governmental activities. Everything appeared smooth untilthe rise of political cynism leading toanarchism – the prelude to the firstmilitary coup of 1966.

The mood of sceptism followed theattempt of the military leaders to pro-mote understanding after the regret-table massacres of many Ibos, espe-cially in the Northern part of the coun-try. The apparently justified cynicismof the leaders of Eastern Nigeria, es-pecially after the failure to implementAburi Accord (a form of confederation),led to the costly civil war (1967-1970). It was believed in certain quarters thatcivilian politicians would have pre-vented, at the last moment, the rushto a disastrous conflict.

The astute political move of the mili-tary government of the 1970s was thecreation of states to give the minori-ties the say and rights in a plural so-ciety. Nigeria is now a country ofthirty-six states with Abuja (a semi-state) as the capital. Though themotive of state creation might be al-truistic, the deficient structure of thosestates created serious doubts in theminds of some Nigerians (19 states inthe North; 17 states in the South) on

the question of equity.Since the return of democracy in

1999, the question of political stabil-ity of the country has been in focus. Perhaps the lack of expected qualityperformance of the ruling party (PDP)has been responsible for the return ofcynicism, sceptism and utter confusionin national politics. In many parts ofthe North, lives and properties of peo-ple of Southern origin were wantonlydestroyed. In spite of setting-up andreports of many committees set up byseveral governments, living in someparts of the North has become a dan-gerous experiment, even as the Con-stitution of the country guarantees thepeaceful living of all Nigerians in anypart of the country. It is a pity thatthe Boko Haram insurgency (North-East) has already worsened a very badcase of difficult co-existence. Manyobservers believe, and rightly so, thatthe resurgence of the political insta-bility and economic uncertainties inthe country could be attributed to theinefficiency and lack of focus of thepresent PDP administration under thepresent leadership.

Although the problems of Nigeriaare many, some stand out clearly – cor-ruption, ethnic and religious cleav-ages, unemployment leading to deep-ening poverty, violence and insecu-

tional issues.If the APC (mostly representing

South-West and North-West politicalinterests) allows itself to be led intoan inglorious boy-cot of the NationalConference, it would find itself in themiserable position of UPGA in 1964by refusing to participate in the 1964elections on the mere suspicion of afraudulent election. What would begained if the PDP (under Jonathan)could not be defeated under the ex-isting electoral arrangement in 2015? Now is the time to discuss a workablearrangement for a peaceful and pros-perous Nigeria where no sectionwould complain ofMARGINALISATION (as people ofSouth-West do now)

THE ECONOMYFollowing the late disbursement of

monthly allocations by the Federal Ac-count Allocation Committee (FAAC) tothe States, some governors, especiallythose of Delta and Edo have doubtedthe stability of the Nigerian economy(which at present) has been given passmark by IMF and other bodies.

The concept of monthly allocation it-self negates the principle of true fed-eralism. Our own type of federalismis queer where the states are depend-ent on the centre for survival and thePresident, as the grandmaster of acharity organization.

In September, an allocation ofN1.196 trillion was made to theStates. If that amount had been de-voted to economic ventures andinfrastructural developments, therewould have been no need for such re-mark by a spokesman of the gover-nors. He said that: “we stronglydisagree…..that the Nigerian economyhas created the kind of jobs and at-tained the level of stability claimedwhen most qualified Nigerians areroaming the streets in search of non-existing jobs”. If it might be politelyasked, what do the governors do withtheir monthly allocations? We need totalk to re-fix Nigeria urgently before2015, a romantic date for the glutton-ous politicians.

rity. Some see the resolutions of theproblems in the formation of a virileopposition and the restructuring of thepolitical structure of the country. Under the prevailing mood of cynicismand sceptism, a formidable oppositionhas emerged in the All ProgressivesCongress (APC). The hostility the for-mation of the party encountered in cer-tain ethnic quarters could hardly beimagined. However, it shouldquickly be realized that it is only in are-structured society that a virile op-position could thrive.

It is believed by many Nigeriansthat it is in the spirit of re-structuringof the polity (supported by many emi-nent Nigerians) that PresidentGoodluck Jonathan (probably aftergenuine conviction) has called for, andset in motion, the desired NationalConference. Now, the celebratedcynics and formidable skeptics arehaving their field day of confusing is-sues. What is wrong with PresidentJonathan as a politician finding a wayout to consolidate his position througha popular step? It is the duty of a re-sponsible opposition to see that thepeople are not taken for a ride by be-ing vigilant. It is like committingpolitical suicide for APC to see the dec-laration of a National Dialogue orConversation as a diversion from na-

Here they come again:Cynics and sceptics

My rival suffers from intellectual poverty — ObianoContinues from page 53

lies against people.If such a man is allowed to

become Governor, only Godknows what the thrust of hisgovernment will be.

I have seen a particularcandidate calling on Gov. Obito account for the 3 trillion hehas received as Governor. Fora person at that level to peddlesuch falsehood smacks ofsupreme mischief or very poorcalculations.

How can somebody say thatkind of thrash when the yearlybudget of the State is a matterof public knowledge?

How would you tackle themenace of insecurity?

This is one area Gov. Obi hascommitted a lot of resources in.Besides providing patrolvehicles to security agencies,he has also bought patrol vansfor all the communities in theState.

He is equally paying towns’vigilante groups, among othersecurity measures. I shalldevote more time andresources in intelligence. Yousee, our security peoplecannot catch armed robbers

and kidnappers when theycarry AK 47 all over the places.

When those armed robbersknow where they are, they willnot go there. I shall focus onintelligence.

With good intelligence,armed robbers will be routedin their hideouts and houseseven before they embark oncrime. We shall continue thepolicy of punishing owners of

buildings used in kidnappingand we shall continue to pulldown such buildingsaccording to the laws of theState.

What message do you havefor the people of the State?

It is simple. Vote for WillieObiano and Nkem Okekebecause of proven capacity toadd value to the State.

Do not vote for people

I am a money magician — UbahContinues from page 53

result. It’s not about credentials.Credentials have not helpedAnambra people, and I am not alsosaying that credentials are not good,but we should not lay emphasis oncredentials because with credentialswithout understanding the problemof the people it is equal to zero.

How are you going to generateemployment?

If I am looking at people, I cancreate fifty thousand employment insix months.

I am addicted to employing people,so I have that addiction to employingpeople.

because they share money, forthey will steal your money torecover their expenses.

Do not vote for people thatwill not protect our people inany part of Nigeria bysupporting primitive actionssuch as deportation of ourpeople. Do not vote peoplewho did not contributeanything to the institutionswhere they are now or where

they served in the past.If a Senator did not pass one

bill for three years at thesenate, if you vote for him, hewill simply continue theslumber in GovernmentHouse.

Above all, vote for me,people with the fear of Godand be assured of qualityservice and esteemed respectfor the dignity of Ndi-Anambraand Ndigbo. Vote for WillieObiano.

How will you do it?I’m a money magician. I don’t want

to say it now till we get to the debatetable.

But people will raise issuesconcerning your company andAMCON. Your company was takenaway from you by AMCON. How willyou react to that?

If they don’t raise it, I’ll raise it. InAmerica nobody asked me (about)AMCON, I raised it.

I said I was expecting you people toask me and by the time I finishednobody even challenged or discussedanything.

But how do you respond to the fact

that your company was taken over byAMCON?

Have you ever seen a company thatis bankrupt and somebody will go andraise the company up?

No. If you are quarter to die andsomebody will come and say there islife for you. Capital oil and gas is notbankrupt.

When you see a company that hasten naira and is owing one naira thatcompany is alive, and if they cannotmake one naira based on governmentpolicy, government must come and seehow they will help the companybecause Capital Oil and Gas is acompany of strategic national interest.

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V V V V Vanguardanguardanguardanguardanguard, FRID, FRID, FRID, FRID, FRIDAAAAAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 — 57Y OCTOBER 25, 2013 — 57Y OCTOBER 25, 2013 — 57Y OCTOBER 25, 2013 — 57Y OCTOBER 25, 2013 — 57

SPYGATE

Merkel queries Obama on NSA's phone tapsGERMAN Chancel-

lor Angela Merkelhas called on US Presi-dent Barack Obama todemand an explanationafter secret service reportsappeared to show that USintelligence agencies hadtapped her mobile phonefor years.

“The Chancellor made itclear that should the in-dications prove true, sheunequivocally disap-proves and considersthem totally unaccept-able,” Ms Merkel’sspokesman, Steffen Seib-ert told reporters. “Thiswould be a serious breachof trust. Such practicesmust be halted immedi-ately,” he added.

Confirming that thehighly unusual call hadtaken place, White Housespokesman, Jay Carney,said that Mr Obama hadreassured Ms Merkel sheis under no such surveil-lance.

“The United States is not

monitoring and will notmonitor the communica-tions of the chancellor”,he said. Mr Carney didnot say whether monitor-ing of Ms Merkel’s phonemight have occurred inthe past.

That a German chancel-

lor should even makesuch an inquiry of anAmerican president is re-markable and serves to il-lustrate how far trust hasbroken down between theUS and its allies on howfar Washington has gonein breaking the norms ofprivacy to keep tabs notjust on its foes but friendstoo.

The European Parlia-ment today voted to sus-pend a data sharingagreement with the Unit-ed States aimed at detect-ing terrorist fund-raising,the latest salvo as the EUscrambles to find an ap-propriate response to thehacking allegationsagainst America’s Na-tional Security Agency.

FORMER US Secretary of State

Madeleine Albright saidyestesday that France hadeavesdropped on herwhen she was in govern-ment as she dismissedEuropean concerns aboutWashington’s snooping.

“This is not a surprise topeople — countries spy oneach other,” Albright saidat the Center for Ameri-can Progress, a think tank.

Albright, who served asUS ambassador to theUnited Nations from 1993to 1997 before being ap-pointed as the top US dip-lomat, said she learnedabout surveillance first-hand at the world body.

“I will very much re-member when I was at theUnited Nations, theFrench ambassador com-ing up to me saying, ‘Why

...As Albright accuses France of snoopingdid you say that to some-body, about why do youwant women in the gov-ernment?’

“And I said, ‘Excuseme?’ They had an inter-cept,” Albright said, with-out giving further detailsof her intercepted conver-sation.

France, Germany, Bra-zil and other traditionalallies of the United Stateshave complained afterrevelations about US spy-ing in leaks from formerintelligence contractorEdward Snowden.

German Chancellor An-gela Merkel, respondingto allegations of USsnooping on her mobilephone, said Thursday inBrussels: “Spying be-tween friends, that’s justnot done.”

French President Fran-

cois Hollande also com-plained this week to Pres-ident Barack Obama afterreports of US spying onmillions of phone calls inFrance.

Albright said thatSnowden’s leaks hadbeen “very damaging” forthe United States.

“A lot of foreign policyis gossip and picking up

what somebody has saidabout somebody else thatis useful in the long termof trying to figure out howyou deal with a particularcountry,” she said.

“Glorifying Snowden isa mistake. I think what hehas done is a criminal actand it has hurt us very,very badly,” she said.

•Obama

IN a country whereseveral rapes are said

to occur every minute, ina township where vio-lence is commonplace,this was a crime thatshocked the entire com-munity of Diepsloot,South Africa.

Two girl cousins, agedtwo and three, were tak-en from their doorstep —kidnapped in broad day-light.

And when Yonelisa andZandile Mali were founda few days later in thetownship north of Johan-nesburg, the news onlygot worse.

The two girls had beenraped and murdered,their lifeless bodiesdumped in a public toiletin Diepsloot.

The suspects appearedbriefly in court in PretoriaThursday but the trial has

Toddlers murder, rape rise in South Africabeen adjourned until No-vember 1 while investiga-tions continue, MedupeSimasiku, a spokesmanfor South Africa’s Nation-al Prosecuting Authority,told CNN.

Investigators are cur-rently analyzing DNAevidence and awaitingofficial identification of thefive men, he said.

A confession from one ofthe suspects was legally

obtained and will be usedin court, according to Si-masiku, but the other sus-pects have not confessedto the alleged crimes. Allfive will defend them-selves in court.

A Libyan court has indicted about 30 se-

nior aides oflate leader MuammarGaddafi, including hisson Saif al-Islam, for a raftof alleged offences duringthe 2011 revolt, prosecu-tors have said.

Thursday’s indictmentincludes charges of mur-der, kidnapping, complic-ity in incitement to rape,plunder, sabotage, embez-zlement of public fundsand acts harmful to na-tional unity.

“The court ordered they

Gaddafi's aides indicted for uprisingstand trial on the maincharges against themdealing with the repres-sion of the 2011 revolt,”prosecutors’ officespokesman Seddik al-Sour said after the hear-ing.

“The trial date will be setby the Tripoli criminalcourt.”

Only a dozen of the ac-cused appeared in thecourt, said a lawyer whowas present at the hear-ing, held under tight se-curity at a court and pris-on building in the Libyan

capital.Sour said the law did not

require that the defen-dants all be in court tohear the indictment. Hesaid that the fact that“some of the defendantswould have needed ex-ceptional security mea-sures to appear prompt-ed the court to decide tonotify them of its decisionafter the hearing”.

“But the presence of allthe accused will be oblig-atory at the trial hearingsbefore the criminal court,”Sour said.

•Merkel

•Hollande •Albright

VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardCLASSIFIED

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VANGUARD'S LAGOS OFFICE


Baba goes marching on!BY OWEI LAKEMFA

TRIBUTE

BABA. Baba Omojola. BabaOluwide. These names

were recurrent in the radicalpolitical movement when I wasyoung. I was later to learn thatthe three names referred to thesame person. Apparently, heused a particular namedepending on the occasion. Butin the days I talk about, hispolemical works and publicationswere authored by Baba Oluwide.When I newly graduated fromthe then University of Ife in 1982and was posted to Kano State formy Youth Service, I was told thatwhen I got to Kano, I should goto 46, Bello Dandogo Street andask for Baba Omojola. I was a bitconfused since I thought he wasbased in Lagos.

I went to that address a numberof times, but was always told hetravelled. One day as I passedby, I decided to look in onceagain, only to be asked to wait.At last, Baba was in! After awhile, I was ushered into a livingroom. “Yes what do you want?”came the voice from a rockingchair which was backing the door.I couldn’t see the person who wasenveloped in the chair. Imuttered that I was a corpsmember who had been sent tosee him. He asked who sent me

and I reeled out a few names.He turned, and I came face toface for the first time with the lionof radical politics affectionatelycalled Baba (father) by young andold social activists.

We talked for some time; hewanted to know the state of theStudent Movement, what wasrequired to deepen theconsciousness of students andmy opinion about the radicalgroups in the country. I was laterto discover that Baba was quitemobile; visiting him was liketrying to trap the rainbow.

After a few years ofacquaintance, I was to concludelike a number of young cadres,that Baba lived in Kano, workedin Lagos but had his offices inLondon and France.

When I returned to Lagos afterservice, I joined a group of youngcadres who were trying tomobilise and radicalise workersfor a better country. We had a semiunderground publication calledForward. In those early 80s, oneof the most popular cars was Peugeot 504. The address ofForward was P.O. Box 504, Yaba.It sounded fake; perhaps it wasnecessary to shake off theintelligence agencies. But Ifound out that it was genuine!How did we acquire such aunique, easy to remember postoffice box? The answer was thatit was owned by Baba.

He seemed to be

everywhere there wasprogressive politics; the Studentand Youth Movement, Socialistand radical groups, the PeoplesRedemption Party, and of coursethe trade unions. He had beenin the Zikist Movement whichwas banned by Britishcolonialists, and had been jailedin Britain with an option of finefor being part of the youths who attacked the Aparthied SouthAfrica House, in TrafalgaSquare. A 1961 first class

graduate of the famous LondonSchool of Economics who wascalled to the Bar at the InnerTemple in 1962, he returnedhome to immerse himself in thestruggle to liberate the massesfrom poverty, want and disease.He popularised the ‘Mass Line’as a journal and a vehicle ofstruggle.

Taking part in the 1964 generalstrikes that almost brought downthe Tafawa Balewaadministration, he became thePolitical Secretary of the famouslabour leader, Michael Imoudu.In later years, Baba authored the definitive biography of thelabour legend, titled Imoudu: APolitical History Of Nigeria: 1939-1950. Baba’s Lagos office waslocated on Jebba Street, Ebute

was the convener of the NationalConference which was abortedby the General Babangidadictatorship in 1990.

Many in my generation ofsocial activists, accepted BabaOmojola as our Baba (father) inradical politics, and Aka-Bashorun as our political leader.Baba was bold and fearless; hewas there in all struggles I canremember, and was one of thosecaptured in the 1990s pro-democracy struggles againstmilitary dictatorship and sent toKuje Prisons. Always cheerfuleven in battle, some of us usedto say, if old men like Baba werenot tired, what excuse have wethe younger ones?

Baba became active in theLabour Movement when I was atoddler, so when I was in theNLC, I often consulted himespecially when with BiodunAremu, I had to lead the actionin Lagos during labour strikes.When he moved from Surulereto Ajah, I promised to visit himwhenever I was in Lagos frommy new base in Abuja.

New base inAbuja

He promised that if I did, hewould open his archives to mewhich I needed in my efforts towrite the history of the NigeriaLabour Movement.

Baba fondly called me ‘OweiOmo Lakem-fa!’ (Owei the sonof Lakemfa) and whenever, I gotout of touch, he always ensuredhe found me. The last time wasthis May when he told myyounger brother, Tare, who washandling a case for him, that Imust call him. I did and he saidhe was aware I was busy leadingAfrican workers. Then in August,I got the invitation to his 75th birthday in Lagos. I called frommy Accra base to apologise my

Metta West. Comrades werewelcome there. It was knownamongst us that any cadrefinding himself in bustling Lagoscould go to Baba to beaccommodated. Last year, I wastelling a colleague in the tradeunions about Baba’s assistanceto the young, and she informedme that after graduating fromthe Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria she came down to Lagos;with no place to stay, she went toBaba who gave her freeaccommodation for seven years!

Baba’s Lagos office was abuilding or two from thechambers of his political soulmate, the unforgettable Alao Aka-Bashorun who as president of theBar, transformed the Nigeria BarAssociation, NBA, from aconservative Any Government InPower, AGIP, organisation to afighting force that took on militarydictatorship.

Aka-Bashorun who fundednumerous student, youth andradical organisations and tradeunions, and gave them,including the Nigeria LabourCongress, free legal services,

inability to travel to Lagos.On October 18, Baba travelled

from his Lagos home to Akure.His mission was to make a pro-people submission to thePresidential Advisory Panel onthe National Conference. Heurged the panel to adopt as aworking document, analternative constitution he andpeople like Chief AnthonyEnahoro and Prof. Wole Soyinkahad midwifed. Missionaccomplished, next morning, heprepared to leave for home, butrather left for eternity.

The noble heart of the lion,Comrade Adewole BabarindeOmojola Ajibola, better known asBaba, stopped beating, and likeAlao Aka-Bashorun, BekoRansome-Kuti, Chima Ubani,Wahab Goodluck, KwameNkrumah, Malcolm X and JohnBrown, his soul goes marchingon. Forward Ever!

•Owei Lakemfa, the SecretaryGeneral of the Organisation OfAfrican Trade Union Unity,OATUU, sent this tribute fromGeneva.

•Comrade Adewole Babarinde Omojola Ajibola

,

,Baba was bold and fearless; he was

there in all struggles I can remember, andwas one of those captured in the 1990spro-democracy struggles against militarydictatorship and sent to Kuje Prisons

IT was a sad moment for progressive activistsnot just in Nigeria and the African continent,

when news broke out that one of the most reveredleaders of the movement had died soon aftermaking a presentation to the National DialogueCommittee in Akure, South West Nigeria.

Born July 13, 1938 in Ipetu Ijesha, Osun State,Babarinde Adewole Omojola Ajibola, popularlyknown as Baba Omojola, a renowneddevelopment economist; first class graduate ofthe famous London School of Economics (1958Class); a Marxist socialist; consummaterevolutionary; selfless and trusted mobilizer ofpeople and resources; a great thinker with extraordinary precision; an uncommon but quietwarrior; a human archive of our collective past; ahumanist par excellent; a hero of our struggles;a great intellect of exceptional values, diedSaturday, October 19, 2013.

Baba, an internationalist, was not just a linkbetween revolutionary movements in Africa andSouth America, he was indeed very close to keyrevolutionaries across the globe givingundisputed accounts of the conditions of peoplesof various colonies in Africa from French coloniesto Portuguese and British. He connected ourstruggles with those of the Cuban people led byFidel Castro, Ernesto Che Guevera, etc. He wasa reliable linkman between these great leadersand their organizations with leaders of the Africananti colonial and revolutionary movements suchas Osagyefo Kwameh Nkrumah, Algeria’s BenBella, South Africa’s Oliver Tambo, Thabo Mbeki,Winnie Mandela, Steve Biko, Sam Nujoma ofNamibia, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, KenethKaunda of Zambia, Leopold Senghor of Senegal,General Kasongo of former Zaire, as well as theNigerian flank of the movement. It takes anextremely trusted and courageous comrade ofBaba’s caliber to be involved in such dangerous

clandestine shuttles. In Nigeria, Baba was involved in nearly all

radical organizations. Indeed, Baba Omojolawas part of virtually all progressive and leftorganizations from 1960 until he had his lastbreathe. He was deeply involved in the AllNigeria Socialist Alliance; Movement forPopular Democracy; the Socialist RevolutionaryVanguard; People’s Redemption Party; NationalConsultative Forum; Committee for the Defenceof Human Rights; Campaign for Democracy;National Democratic Coalition, NADECO; thePro National Conference Organizations,PRONACO; the Joint Action Committee ofNigeria, JACON; the Socialist Party of Nigeria;June 12 Movement etc. He was activelyinvolved in mobilizing for and organizingNigerian socialist conferences and meetingsbetween 1960 until his death.

Despite his revolutionary background, Babamaintained his relationship with all his friends,many of them his old classmates without class,ethnic or religious considerations. Perhaps manyof them didn’t know the depth of hisinvolvement in the movement. Despite hiscloseness to these friends, he nevercompromised the movement. Rather, some ofthem became useful to some of the popularprogrammes of the movement in many ways.

Baba, who was until his unfortunate death,the Chair of West African EconomicConsultants, otherwise known as Econsultants(Overseas Ltd), a consortium of seasonedacademics and professionals of variousbackgrounds in integrated economics, industrialengineering and environmental consultants,was also a prolific writer and author of severalbooks, particularly biographies, economics andrevolutionary politics.

Denja Yaqub worked with late Baba Omojolaas a Research Officer at Econsultants OverseasLimited between 1988 and 1989; he is currentlyan Assistant Secretary at the headquarter ofNigeria Labour Congress, Abuja

Baba Omojola: Death of an itinerantrevolutionary

BY DENJA YAQUB

TRIBUTE

Vanguard, FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 — 59

08053068728

Wake up, Ndanusa,Wake up

HOW times change.Rolake Olagbegi, the once elegant tennis queen

of Nigeria from the famous Olagbegi family is nowmarried to Moyo Kassim and boasts of all the featuresthat make her a mother of three.

But she has not left tennis. She runs a tennis clinicin her base in Atlanta, USA, and was home lastDecember.

Delta State engaged her to train their tennis team tothe sports festival. They dominated in the sport. Rolakedrilled the players and they felt the difference. Out offive gold medals in tennis Delta won three, a silverand two bronze medals. It was even the first time Deltawas winning a gold in tennis. And they did it in sucha style that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghancommended her during the reception the state heldfor their contingent which also won the festival in style.

I vividly remember the comments Rolake made atthe Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, the venue of the tennisevent.

“There are companies now than in those days ourtennis thrived. We even have richer and biggercompanies now than then. How come there are nomore sponsors of the game? How come we had moretournaments then than now? What’s going on? I haveseen some talents here but they say they have onlyone or two tournaments in Nigeria now and that theydon’t get to play. Tell me, what’s going on?

I said that I wished Sani Ndanusa were around toanswer Rolake. I’m sure Ndanusa was not on the scenewhen Rolake was playing. I never heard of him then.I wouldn’t know if he also knew about the standard oftennis in the country then. If he knew and followedthe sport from his Minna base then I’m sure he wouldbe having sleepless nights about the messy state ofNigerian tennis. But for Ndanusa everything appearsfine. That’s why I doubt if he followed the game in the70s, 80s and even in the 90s. He is comfortable asPresident of the Tennis Federation, a sport that onceprojected Nigeria tremendously and provided suchfinancial succour that many players lived on it andprovided for their families with earnings fromtournaments but has lost everything that made itflamboyant in Nigeria.

Just a quick reminder to Ndanusa. We once had TheLord Rumens Classics, Ogun Green Courts, OgbeHard Courts, Kaduna Clay Courts, Kano Dallas HardCourt, John Player Clay Court and later Okada TennisChampionships as among the Challenger series inNigeria. They were ATP Challenger events and Nigeriawas one of the destination points for many playersespecially those hungry for points and rankings whichcould earn them entry into Grand Prix events andpossibly the Grand Slams aside the prize monies. Anda number of them did. Thomas Muster once playedhere and at a time was world number one. It was afancy to see the likes of Sadiq Abdullahi, DavidImonitie returning after playing the qualifying roundsof Wimbledon to display some souvenirs from suchevents. Tony Mmoh and Odizor were high enough toplay in the main draws and Odizor once got to theround of 16 after which he ranked 64 in the World.

Then, we had players. Remi Osho, David Imonitie,Godwin Emeh, Innocent Modika, Yakubu Suleiman,Friday Itabor, Solomon Ona, Robinson Odoko, Godwinkienka etc. Later, the likes of Nnamdi Ehirim, KyrianNwokedi, Segun and Rotimi Akinloye, Paul Areh,Abdularaman Idi, Adjongo, Gabriel Otu etc. They

made tennis vibrant here and the sport competed withfootball. Newspapers led with tennis stories. We wentto the airport to cover the arrival of tennis players.

Before this era was that of Yemisi Alan, ThompsonOnibokun, Lawrence Awegbegba, Ojugbeli.

The girls were also top on the game. Esther Isabor,Ngozi Morah, Cecelia Nnadozie, Rolake Olagbegi,Ann Abimiku, Vero Oyibokia, Nosa Imafidon, MaryAmina, Aisha Adamu, Osas Amadin, Titi Onatshileetc. We had a national coach in Mrs Elizabeth Ekongwho made sure the players were always busy on courtstournaments or no tournaments. And we had so manyof the local tournaments too. All Nigeria Opensponsored by Nigeria Breweries was so big thatplayers came from abroad to play it. CBN was in thecalendar and the only one still on. Kudos to them.National Printing and Minting Company had one.Green Sands Shandy had one for girls that evenattracted the famous Berth sisters from Senegal. NNPChad a tournament. Coca Cola co sponsored thePresident’s Cup, the only cup final that PresidentIbrahim Babangida attended in his tenure asPresident. After watching the thrills in the final hesaid that he would start playing tennis.

There were tournaments in various cities. Therewas even Onitsha Open made interesting by a

tennis buff called Chief Ben Ezeibe, the man that triedto encourage Ndanusa when he came on board butended being disappointed.

I’m not sure Ndanusa knew when Ezeibe wasspending thousands of dollars sponsoring TonyMmoh’s ATP tours and the likes of Modika and laterthe Nwokedis. He shouldn’t fall out with such people.He needs them. He needs the corporate world. Heprobably lacks the marketing prowess to market tennisand make it vibrant. But he could engage people todo that for the sport. Sponsors have long withdrawnfrom the game and Ndanusa should be worried. Heappears not. He is also the President of NigeriaOlympic Committee and was a sports minister not too

long ago in this country. I guess he has enoughcontacts to help the sport but probably lacks the willand tact. Tennis thrived under Raheem Adejumo andthe plunge started after he left. I even criticised ChukaMomah for not being an Adejumo but I now knowbetter. Ndanusa is my friend but I must tell him thetruth. Tennis is not only dead but being buried in histenure as President of the federation and I know thathe can do better.

My experience at the National Stadium, Lagos lastFriday, influenced this piece.

I went to the tennis courts to see who was playingand to know what their standard was like. I saw moremen playing social tennis than the young onespreparing for tournaments. There are no tournaments.Safe for CBN, Governor’s Cup which is an ITF Futuresevent and one or two junior programmes packagedby Godwin Kienka there is virtually nothinghappening in the country.

At the stadium courts I saw a number of teenageplayers looking for who to coach and sell rackets

and other things to. One approached me. He didn’tknow who I was. He said, “sir, do you want to playtennis? I can teach you. You don’t need to pay so much.Tennis is a good sport. You will love it. You can buythis racket and start tomorrow. I will teach and youwill like it.”

I asked him his age and he said 17. I felt bad. 17year old who should be playing tournaments underthe guidance of a proper coach, looking for who tocoach and earn some money for a living? I lookedaround and two other teenagers joined us, all tellingme to come and be taught how to play tennis for a fee.They didn’t know what I was thinking and how terribleI felt for my country. I told them I had started tennisand without knowing my standard they said I wouldbe a better player if they trained me. They could beright but what struck me was the pitiful sight ofteenagers who should be playing tournaments, earningmoney and planning big for possible careers in tennisbegging to coach to earn tokens as a living. It felt sobad that I was almost in tears.

“We would not be doing this if there weretournaments and sponsors,” one of them said.

Certainly, this wasn’t the sport that I was assignedin my teething days in sports journalism. It justcouldn’t be. It was hectic covering junior and seniortournaments all over the country. One of my first officialcommendations from then sports editor, Ikeddy Isiguzo,was for my coverage of tennis in a rural area, theOkada Wonderland. I tried to capture the atmosphericsof tennis in the cosmopolitan Lagos with cars blaringhorns as they pass by the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club atTinubu and the tranquil Okada village where onlythe singing of birds and and whispering of trees werenow being pieced by the sound of tennis balls andplayers celebrating winners and some cursing overunforced errors.

I was everywhere covering tennis. Now, there’snothing to cover. And ironically, the sport is richerglobally. There’s more money in tennis now but noNigerian player is partaking in the billions of dollarsat stake every year now. Too bad.

I left the stadium a sad man and vowed that Ndanusamust share in my feeling. He can do better. The sportsminister, Bolaji Abdullahi wants all sports to grow. Hecan also help tennis.

I’m not sure Ndanusa knew whenEzeibe was spending thousands ofdollars sponsoring Tony Mmoh’sATP tours and the likes of Modikaand later the Nwokedis

,

,

GOtv ‘hood to hood’ football championship beginsAS part of activities

marking its secondanniversary in Nigeria,GOtv - the digitalterrestrial PayTVprovider has unfoldedplans to host a grassrootsfootball tourney - ‘Hoodto Hood FootballChampionship’ in Lagosbeginning tomorrow inLagos. The tourney endsSaturday 9 November2013.

Speaking at the pressconference in Lagosyesterday, the generalmanager, GOtv Nigeria,Mrs Elizabeth Amkpadisclosed that the ‘Hoodto Hood’ footballchampionship is aimed

at developing football atthe grassroots byengaging the youthpositively andredirecting theirenergies towards sports,and to further entrenchthe brand with its coretarget market.

Mrs Amkpa noted thatfootball is sport of choicefor Nigerians and hasover the years become aunifying factor withgreat entertainmentvalue which is in syncwith the GOtv brandpromise to deliverfamily entertainment toAfrica.

Sixteen teams from

across Lagos will betaking part in thecompetition. Winnerswill take homeN 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 ,N150,000.00 for therunners up whileN100,000.00 andN50,000.00 have beenpegged for the secondand third runners up.

“Among ourprogramme genres isSports, offering threechannels – SuperSportSelect, SuperSportSelect 2 and SuperSportBlitz, and games fromthis tournament willbroadcast via thesechannels,” she said.

Blatter paystribute to Yekini

FIFA President SeppBlatter paid tribute to

Nigeria’s late football heroRashidi Yekini yesterday.

The former Olympiacosand Vitoria Setubal strikerwould have turned 50 on23rd of October if he werealive, and Blatter tweeteda tribute in honour of thelegend’s birthday.

“Rasheed Yekini wouldhave been 50 today. Hisname as scorer ofNigeria’s first World Cupgoal lives on,” themessage on Blatter ’sofficial twitter handleread.

From left: Mr Akin Ademofe, Ex-Super Eaglesplayer, Miss Efe Obiomah,PR Mgr, GOTV Nigeriaand Mr Oludare Kafar, Marketing Managerduring the Press Conference for GOTV Hood toHood Football Championship in Lagos yesterday.Photo: Joe Akintola (Photo Editor)

60 — Vanguard, FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Eaglets coach

Centre on yesterday,Manu said the GoldenEaglets were ready tobattle the Iraqis who areseeking their first win inthe history of thecompetition.

The Golden Eaglets go into the match as the top team in Group Fafter a 6-1 win overdefending champions,Mexico and a hard-fought 3-3 draw againstSweden.

“We have no other waythan to win our gameagainst Iraq and InshaAllah (by the grace ofAllah), we are going towin,” Manu said.

“We respect Iraq butwe are going to doeverything in ourcapacity to win this matchbecause our objective isto do very well at thischampionship.”

Not forgetting the lossto Cote d’Ivoire at the CAN Under-17 inMorocco last April Manusaid

“You assess a team withthe number of chancesthey create and Idisagree with theimpression that westruggle against wellorganised teams. Wealways do our best andeven at the CAN Under-17, we scored 18 goalscompared with Coted’Ivoire that scored fivegoals.”

Talking specificallyabout scoring goals,Manu said he has in hisarsenal several playerswho can fill the voidcreated following the lossof star striker, IsaacSuccess due to injury,adding that the teamwould cope well despitethe obvious setback.

“Success had a scantoday and it isunfortunate that he wouldnot be available againstIraq,” said Manu. “Butwe have other playerswho can do the job and agood example is TaiwoAwoniyi who scored theequaliser againstSweden.”

Speaking later to IraqTV, Coach Manu said hehas great respect for theIraqis but maintained thatthe Golden Eaglets wouldhave the upper hands onFriday.

Meanwhile, Italian referee, Gianluca Rocchiwould be in charge. Hewould be assisted byElenito Di Liberato andGianluca Cariolato; thefourth official is KenHansen from Denmark. The Golden Eagletswould wear the Greengear while the Iraqiswould be on white.

Continues from B/P

DUBAI BITS By John Egbokhan

White cars everywhere

DUBAI is a place to be. And that could be anunderstatement. It is my first time in the United Arab

Emirates, the country that prides itself as the home of theworld.

Everything here is heavenly. The roads are justwonderful. It is a beautiful haven. Coming from Lagos tothis part of the world has been an

eye-opening experience. Everything is just too fine hereto be true for a Lagosian like me, where dirt is a starkreality of life. On the roads, their cars are a sight to behold.They love white cars a lot.

Everywhere you go you see clean white cars glidingthrough the roads. And the white cars are such a beautyto behold. In Lagos, people avoid white cars because ofdusts and mud on the roads.. A colleague here was sotaken aback after seeing these clean white cars that hewondered aloud if these same cars can remain in suchexcellent condition in Warri, Enugu, Lagos and otherNigerian cities.

Fine city, fine girls, but don’t touch

WE are in the United Arab Emirates, touted as a touristand business destination of the world. Fine things

abound here. This is a place where citizens of the worldwork, live and play. But there is a limit to everything thatyou see here. These people have their rules, which arenot clearly laid out. You get to understand them whenyou act contrary to their rules.

A tip of it was gotten yesterday when we attempted tocheck into a hotel in Deira, a little bit outside the city.Dubai. After formailsing everything, two of my colleagues,went up to check the rooms, leaving me and another atthe lobby. My friend sighted a beautiful lady, some seatsaway from us. He admired her. As I made my wayupstairs, I was compelled to say hello to the lady and sheresponded with “I’m fine”. She later told me that she’sfrom the Comoros.. My friend, who works for a televisionstation in the Niger Delta, now came around and as Iintroduced him to the lady, he stretched out his hand fora handshake but the lady did not offer hers.

He did not know that he was being watched by thereceptionist, who later charged at him angrily for tryingto shake the hand of the lady.

At that moment, he canceled our booking, telling us togo and look for another hotel elsewhere. He said in thecity, you can admire the girls but you dare not touchthem in public. We tried to plead for leniency but he wasadamant. To him, my friend had crossed the line anddeserved no mercy but to go out. He also told us that wewere not spared from the punishment. I was shockedand as we made our way out,someone told my friendthat Dubai is a fine city with fine guys but you don’ttouch them in the public. Lesson learnt.

Continues from B/P

Neymar

Real Madrid as a“pinnacle” for anyplayer.

“I don’t think there isany need to explain whatthis match is all about,”he told Barça’stelevision channel.“Even though playersmight never haveparticipated in one, theyunderstand theimportance of a gamebetween Barcelona andReal Madrid.

“A Clásico is thepinnacle for any player.

It’s the game everyonewants to play in anddemonstrate their bestfootball. This will be myfirst and I want to makea great debut, preferablywith a victory.”

The £50m strikeradded: “I think thenerves are the same inall the games you play.I know that it’s about avery important Clásicobut I think the feeling ofhaving butterflies inyour stomach is thesame as before a normalmatch.”

Iraq promise Eaglets fight

L- R: Olufemi Bakre, Executive director, Lagos & South West , FCMB,Price Wale Oladunjoye Tournament director and Segun Odusanya, DeputyManaging Director, FCMB during a courtesy visit by some of the Tennisplayers at the ongoing Governor's Cup, Lagos Tennis to FCMB's CorporateHead Office. FCMB is a major sponsor of the tournament.

IRAQ have vowed to givethe Golden Eaglets a

tough battle when bothteams clash today at theRashid Stadium in Dubai.

Having lost two of theirfirst two matches at theFIFA U-17 World Cup inthe United Arab Emirates,Iraq stand little or nochance of qualifying for thenext round except for acalamitous display by theNigerians, who havebagged four points in asmany games.

Speaking yesterday atthe media centre, Iraqimidfielder Resan Basharsaid that they have to putup a brave fight against theNigerians, to maintaintheir pride at thecompetition.

Admitting that poordefending and loss ofconcentration caused theirtwo defeats, Bashar saidthat though the Eagletswere a strong team that theIraqis would offer their allto halt the losing trend.

“The match will be atough one because Nigeriaare a strong side andthough we have littlechance of qualifying, wewill fight for a win.

“We lost our two matchesbecause of less exposureand loss of concentrationbut now we have learntand have resolved to fightto the end”, added theIraqi player.

Tuface, Omawunmi join UltimateCommander •Battle of Legends

COME December 6,Oriental Hotel, Lagos

will thrill guests to the bestof wrestling as the worldheavyweight wrestlingchampion, Osita Offor, alsoknown as De UltimateCommander, will defendhis title against BobbyLashley of the UnitedStates Of America.

The event, tagged Nightof Legends the event,

which will see two Nigeri-an music superstars, TufaceIdibia and Omawunmi,performing at intervalsduring the wrestling ex-travaganza, is being pack-aged by Aghalieaku Enter-tainment in collaborationwith popular Nigerianshowbiz promoter, TeeMac Itseli. Aside fromthrilling wrestling fans withsuperlative tag-team bouts,

the event also aims at ex-posing guests coming fromdifferent parts of the globe,especially the UnitedStates of America to Nige-rian arts and culture.

Speaking on the fightyesterday, Innocent UjahIdibia, better known by hisstage name, Tuface Idibia,said, “the Night of Legendswill be a wonderful thingto happen to Nigeriansand the country as a wholebecause for sometime now,many of the other sportshave been neglected andit is a welcomedevelopment thatAghalieaku Entertainmentis reawakening some ofthem, especially wrestling.

“Wrestling is a verywonderful sport andcountries across the globeare making millions ofdollars from it, so it will bea good thing if Nigeriacould emulate thesecountries to make themoney and enjoy the fun.We should promote thesport to the extent thatNigerians would be able tospend their weekendsgoing to the stadium toCommenting on thecollaboration, Tee Mac saidthe event would exposeNigeria to the outsideworld, stressing that it willbe likened to the legendryMohammed Ali Rumble inthe Jungle fight that shookthe world.

CMYK


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Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

How to Play Sudoku

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.

YESTERYESTERYESTERYESTERYESTERDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSTODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLE

Sudoku

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

QUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORD

VANGUARD,VANGUARD,VANGUARD,VANGUARD,VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013

ACROSS: 2, Smell 7, Bathe 8, Foray 10, Rapid12, Rub 13, Shied 15, Retreat 17, Tendon 19,Foe 20, Wedlock 23, Turf 25, Tube 26, Elevate30, Ago 31, Expose 34, Fervour 37, Paste 38,Boo 39, Sober 40, Rebut 41, Crave 42, Deity.

DOWN: 1, Cache 2, Shred 3, Meadow 4,Lair 5, Correct 6, Cabal 9, Rue 11, Deflate13, State 14, Inure 16, Nervous 21, Kudos22, Melee 24, Flavour 27, Ego 28, Expect29, Rebel 32, Parry 33, Stave 35, Rob 36,Role.

ACROSS1 Elderly (4)4 Lie (3)6 Dud (4)8 Market (6)9 On ship (6)10 Encountered (3)12 Beano (5)14 Defy (5)15 Skill (5)18 Sexless (6)20 Brawl (6)24 Collier (5)26 Chasm (5)28 Condescend (5)30 Wager (3)32 Harm (6)33 Tepee (6)34 Jolt (4)35 Manage (3)36 Row (4)

DOWN2 Seize (5)3 Brogue (7)4 Shape (4)5 Urchin (4)6 Slaver (5)7 Recipe (7)11 Sprite (3)12 Transgression (3)13 Before (3)16 Equip (3)17 Brown (3)19 Hug (7)21 Nourished (3)22 Cargo (7)23 Longing (3)25 Freeze (3)27 Boast (5)29 Abrade (5)30 Support (4)31 Identical (4)

Inside today's Sports Vanguard

We'll roll over Iraq--- Eaglets coach•Italians to officiate match (Kick-off: 2 p.m.)

Argentina vs Canada 5 pmAustria vs Iran 5 pmNigeria vs Iraq 2 pmSweden vs Mexico 2 pm

FIFA U-17 W/CUPTODAY’S MATCHES

Eagles open CHAN campDecemberSUPER Eagles coach

Stephen Keshi hasdisclosed he plans toopen his training campfor the 2014 CHAN inthe first week ofDecember.

Nigeria will be makingits debut in the CHANchampionship which isbilled for next year inSouth Africa.

”I am looking at the

first week of Decemberfor us to open the CHANcamp” he said

”But you know it’s myemployers that wouldhave the final say. So, Iam hoping that allthings being equal inDecember we wouldbegin so that we can atleast have four weeks ofintensive preparationfor the CHAN.”

GOLDEN EagletsHead coach, Manu

Garba (MFR) believeshis players woulddeliver the goods whenthey play their lastGroup F match againstIraq at the Al RashidStadium in Dubai today.Speaking at the officialmatch conference held atthe stadium’s Media

Continues on Page 60

Iheanacho

El ClásicoNeymar notnervousNEYMAR has

described thisweekend’s Clásicobetween Barcelona andContinues on Page 60

TWO WEEKS TO LIVE

Oduahgate: Ministry jerked up car budget — Ex-NCAA boss

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