Peoples Daily Newspaper, Friday, April 20, 2012

Vol. 8 No. 21 Friday, April 20, 2012 Jimadal Ula 29, 1433 AH N150

WWW.PEOPLESDAILY-ONLINE.COM

PAGE 3

PDP govs snubBamanga Tukur

FG opens secret prison for Boko Haram

Nigeria is opening a secretdetention centre to holdand interrogate suspected

high-level members of the Boko

Haram sect, a security official hastold The Associated Press (AP).

While the facility could createa more cohesive effort among

disparate and sometimes feudingsecurity agencies in Nigeria tocombat Boko Haram, it raisesconcerns about its possible use for

torture and illegal detentions.Nigeria's security forces havenotorious human rights records,with a documented history of

abusing and even killingprisoners.

The prison is in Lagos, far fromthe violence plaguing the North,where Boko Haram carries outfrequent bombings and ambushes,

Contd on Page 2

R-L: Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, Secretary to the Kadunastate Government, Alhaji Samaila Lawal Yakawada, and Director-General, National Teachers Institute (NTI), Dr. AminuLadan Sharehu, during the resuscitation of technical teacher training and distribution of field-activity vehicles to the 14participating universities and institutions at NTI headquarters, yesterday in Kaduna.

By Lawrence Olaoye

Subsidy probe: Prosecute culprits, NLC tellsFG as Reps vow to enforce compliance

By Abubakar Ibrahim,with agency report

I N S I D E

Row over‘appointment’ ofnuclear agency’sAg. DG

UNAMIL queriesNigerian troops’cowardice

Dankwambo deniesinvolvement insubsidy fraud

Frustratedapplicant attemptssuicide in Abuja

>>PAGE 5 >>PAGE 6 >>PAGE 16>>PAGE 5

MRS profit dropsby 29.7%

>>PAGE 20

As Jonathan vows to crush sect

Contd on Page 2

Majority of the governors on theplatform of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)

yesterday snubbed the meeting scheduledto hold with the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur ledNational Working Committee (NWC).

Out of 23 governors on the platform ofthe party, only six of the governors werepresent while three other governors wererepresented by their deputies.

The six governors in attendance includethose of Enugu, Delta, Kogi, Plateau,Kaduna and Kano states. Theircounterparts in Katsina, Niger and Tarabastates were represented by their deputies.

Those who failed to attend the meetingand were not represented includeAdamawa, Sokoto, Benue, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Cross Rivers, Bayelsa, Rivers, Gombe

PRESENT:Enugu, Delta, Kogi, Plateau,Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Niger,Taraba

ABSENT:Adamawa, Sokoto, Benue, Abia,Akwa-Ibom, Cross River,Bayelsa, Rivers, Gombe, Bauchi,Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Ebonyi

CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSNews 2-11

Editorial 12

Op.Ed 13

Letters 14

Opinion 15

Metro 16-17

Business 19-22

S/Exchange 23

S/Report 24

Islam 26

Record 27-28

Newsxtra 30

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Appraising Zamfara’sroadmap to industrial

development,Pages 24, 25

WE WANTTO HEAR

FROM YOU

International 31-34

Strange World 35

Digest 36

Politics 37-40

Sports 41-47

Columnist 48

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012

Contd from Page 1

PDP govs snub Bamanga TukurBauchi, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara andEbonyi governors.

The meeting scheduled to holdbetween the leadership of the partyand the 23 PDP governors on theplatform of the party at its Nationalheadquarters was moved to theLegacy House also in Abuja.

It would be recalled thatmajority of the governors were notin support of his emergence as thenational chairman of the party.The mode of Tukur’s emergenceafter all his co-contestants wereprevailed upon to step down wasindicative of the fact that he neverreally enjoyed the support of someof the governors.

The absence of his homegovernor and those from Bauchiand other states was aconfirmation of his rejection at

the North-east Zonal Congressfew days before the PDPNational Convention when thezone unilaterally endorsed theformer Acting Secretary of theparty, Dr. Musa Babayo, as theadopted candidate for theposition of the party’s NationalChairman.

But, President GoodluckJonathan then insisted on havingBamanga Tukur as the party’sNational Chairman in spite of thefact that some of the governorsfrom his zone had adopted anothercandidate.

The absence of his homegovernor, Murtala Nyako, whothough travelled to Germanywith President Jonathan, butwas not represented atyesterday’s meeting, equallyindicated that Bamanga may not

PAGE 2

FG opens secret prison for Boko Haramsaid the security official, who isdirectly involved in the project. Hespoke on condition of anonymitybecause he was not authorized todiscuss the facility with journalists.

“All suspects arrested will betaken to the centre and would beinterrogated by a security group,”the official said. He declined to sayexactly where it is or how manyinmates it can hold. He saidauthorities are arranging totransport suspects to Lagos.

The detention centre wascreated at the orders of theNational Security Adviser, Gen.Andrew Owoye Azazi, the officialsaid. AP was unable to contact Azazifor comment because his telephonenumber is unlisted.

The director-general of theState Security Service (SSS),Ekpeyong Ita declined to commentyesterday when the AP asked himabout the prison but minutes later,SSS spokeswoman Marilyn Ogarcalled an AP journalist and saidanyone with information aboutthe purported prison should go tothe courts instead of talking tojournalists. She refused to confirmor deny the prison’s existence.

“Whatever we do, we'rerunning a democratic system that

respects the rule of law,” thespokeswoman said.

Police officers shot and killed BokoHaram's former leader MohammedYusuf in 2009 while he was in theircustody, underscoring the lack ofrespect for human rights among thesecurity forces. Security agencieshave been unable to find and arrestthe sect's current leader SheikhAbubakar Shekau, who poststaunting videos on the Internetpromising more violence.

“The problem we have is lackof synergy among the securityagencies,” the security official toldAP. Those agencies include thepolice, the military, andintelligence agencies like the StateSecurity Service. Relationsbetween the agencies are testy attimes as each fights for its ownbudgetary allotments and thereare suspicions that some have beeninfluenced by ethnic or religiousfactors in this nation of more than160 million people with twodominant religions and more than250 ethnic groups.

Suspected sect members havebeen arrested and kept locked upfor months without being charged.Authorities also routinely arrestwomen and children related tosuspected Boko Haram members

Contd from Page 1 in attempts to draw them out.Amnesty International has saidsome Boko Haram suspects havebeen "subject to enforceddisappearances."

This record leads to fears amonghuman rights groups that thesecret detention centre could seemore suspects disappear, deprivedof the right to challenge theirdetentions in the courts.

"Attacks by armed groups do notabsolve the Nigerian governmentof the responsibility to conductsecurity operations in a mannerthat complies with national andinternational law," AmnestyInternational said in a statementyesterday. "Widespread unlawful,incommunicado detention mustcease immediately," it stresed.

Ogar appeared later yesterdayon the Nigerian TelevisionAuthority (NTA) before the APpublished its story. In aninterview, she said that a "group ofdisgruntled people have gone to theforeign media to say that Nigeriahas now produced anotherGuantanamo Bay," referring tothe U.S. military detention campin Cuba.

It is unclear whether anyforeign governments have offeredNigeria advice or assistance in

opening the detention centre. U.S.Ambassador to Nigeria Terence P.McCulley, speaking to journalistsApril 4, said the U.S. is "workingwith the Nigerian government tohelp them develop acounterterrorism strategy thatincludes perhaps a centre even tobetter coordinate information andintelligence that they receive."

But Deb MacLean, a U.S.Embassy spokeswoman, told theAP that she was unaware of thenew detention centre and said thatthe U.S. had no role in it.

Meanwhile, PresidentGoodluck Jonathan has againvowed to rein in the Boko Haramsect.

President Jonathan, on a visitto Germany centred onstrengthening economic ties,conceded yesterday that investorsask about the country's "securitychallenges."

But he offered assurances thathis government "is working veryhard and that we'll bring this undercontrol."

Jonathan said after meetingGerman Chancellor Angela Merkelthat Nigeria could envision foreignhelp with "training ourmanpower" and providingtechnology to monitor terrorists.

have been fully reconciled with theparty leadership in Adamawastate.

However, briefing newsmenafter the meeting was called off bythe National Chairman on accountof the poor attendance, the party’sNational Publicity Secretary,Chief Olisa Metuh, explained thatmajority of the governors could notmake the meeting because ofcommunication gap.

He said the information got tosome of them late while others wereon official trip outside the countrywith President Jonathan.

He disclosed that the meetinghas therefore been postponedindefinitely till such a time thegovernors would be available as headded that critical issues affectingthe party would be discussed.

Speaking to newsmen after the

meeting, Governor Jonah Jang ofPlateau also claimed that themeeting flopped because ofcommunication gap even as hesaid the governors haveconfidence in the leadership of theparty.

Meanwhile, the party hasscheduled a meeting with theHouse of Representatives PDPcaucus for Monday at the samevenue.

The party in a letter signed byits National Chairman anddirected to the House throughSpeaker Aminu WaziriTambuwal, was read at theplenary before its commencementyesterday.

The party in the letter said themeeting would discuss importantissues relating to the progress of theparty.

Gunmen shoot 2 policemen in Kano

Gunmen suspected to bemembers of Boko Haramshot two policemen in

Kano yesterday.The incidentwhich coincided with the visitof the Inspector General ofPolice, Alhaji Mohammed

Abubakar occurred in theafternoon.

Eyewitness account saidthe two gunmen were ridingon a motorcycle and openedfire on the pol icemen whowere manning a check pointclose to one Chula f i l l ingstat ion along Eastern bye-

From Edwin Olofu, Kano pass.In the ensuing shootout, a

loaded petrol tanker was shotand fuel poured out – a situationwhich caused panic in the area.Men of the state fire servicepromptly mobilised to put outthe fire in the event of fireoutbreak.

Kano state PoliceCommissioner, Ibrahim Idrisconfirmed the incident butsaid the two policemen whowere shot only sustainedminor injuries one on the legthe other one in his hand andhave been discharged fromhospital.

Suit against Jonathan: ‘Case not struck out’

Barrister OsuagwuUgochukwu, counselrepresenting a chieftain

of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Mr. Cyriacus Njoku in thesuit seeking to stop President

Goodluck Jonathan fromcontesting the 2015 presidentialelection has denied reports thatthe case has been struck out.

Contrary to media reportsyesterday, Njoku’s Counsel saidin a statement made availableto newsmen that the suit has

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin never been withdrawn.“I, on behalf of my client,

Cyriacus Njoku wish to deny anddebunk misleading reports bysome electronic and print mediathat my client withdrew his suitagainst President GoodluckJonathan and two others pending

before Justice M. Oniyangi of FCTHigh Court in Maitama, Abuja”,Ugochukwu said.

According to him, “It is alsoerroneous to allege that myclient proposed an out of courtsettlement. In fact it was theother way round.”

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012 PAGE 3

L-R: Chairman,House ofRepresentativesCommittee onMedia and PublicAffairs, Hon. ZakariMohammed,Chairman, Houseof RepresentativesAd-hoc Committeeon SubsidyRegime, Hon.Farouk Lawan, andChairman, HouseCommittee onPublic Account,Hon. SolomonsOlamilekan, duringa press briefing onthe report onsubsidy probe, atthe NationalAssembly in Abuja.Photo: Mahmud Isa

Gunmenattackbakery,kill 5 inMaiduguriFrom Mustapha Isah Kwaru,Maiduguri

The Nigerian LabourCongress (NLC), yesterday,called on the Federal

Government to ensure theprosecution of the culprits indictedin reports of the House ofRepresentatives probe into thenation’s subsidy regime.

This is coming on the heels ofthe House’ assurance that it wouldensure government implementsits resolutions after theconsideration of the reports on

subsidy probe committee chairedby Rep Farouk Lawan.

The NLC in a statementsigned by the Acting GeneralSecretary of the NLC, OweiLakemfa, stated that some of thefindings of the House reportclearly indicated criminality;just as he added that it was notenough for private and publicorganisations like the NNPC andPPPRA to be asked to makerefunds, but that governmenthas a duty to bring the officers ofsuch organisations and theirsupervisors to justice. NLC also

requested that Ministers in theFinance and PetroleumMinistries and their lieutenantsunder whose watch the NNPCmade unconstitutionaldeductions from the country’s oilincome before dumping thebalance in the Federation accountbe investigated for culpability.

Meanwhile, the House ofRepresentatives has vowed notto allow the resolutions of theprobe to be treated with levityas done with several reports inthe past.

Addressing newsmen yesterday

By Lawrence Olaoye andMuhammad Nasir

Subsidy: Labour wants culprits prosecutedas Reps vow to enforce compliance

on the resolve of the House to ensurethat the resolution is implementedby the executive, chairman HouseCommittee on Media and PublicAffairs, Rep Zakari Mohammed saidthe House would encourage theexecutive to adhere strictly andimplement the resolutions.

He said: “We cannot waste timeand money and allow the reportsto be thrown into the dust bin; theexecutive will come to us forsomething and we can make it aprecondition for the Houseresolution to be implementedbefore we grant its request”.

Commenting, Rep Lawanadmitted that there werepressures from every quarter,including government officialsand oil marketers on thecommittee to not to unearth therot in the sector but the memberswere resolute in accomplishingthe national task.

According to him, some of theoil marketers offered to bribemembers of the committee inorder to do a shoddy job and covertheir misdeeds but such werevigorously rebuffed in nationalinterest.

Former Director, PensionAdministration in the

o f f i c eof the Head of the Civil

Service of the Federation, Dr.Sani Teidi Shuaibu who iscurrently standing trial alongwith others over an allegedN4.56 billion pension scam, usedhis abandoned fuel filing stationbank account to siphon N1.54billion pension funds, some courtdocuments revealed.

The Economic and FinancialCrimes Commission (EFCC), inits proof of evidence filed beforea Federal High Court, revealedthat Shuaibu’s Riba-IlePetroleum Limited wasdiscovered in the course of itsinvestigation to have a turnoverof over N1.54 billion in theaccount, with several cashdeposits, while the filing stationhas not been operating.

EFCC said the person whosepassport photograph appearedon the account opening packageof the filing station’s bankaccount with a fictitious name,Egbunu Attah was found to be

Danjuma Yusuf.The anti-graft agency

further stated that when itinvited Yusuf for questioning,Yusuf confessed that Shuaibusimply used his passport for theopening of the bank account,adding also that Shuaibu is theperson who controls themovement of funds in and out ofthe account.

EFCC had earlier shown inthe proof of evidence howShuaibu used the pension fundto buy Brifina Hotel in Durumi-Abuja for N359.25 million.

In the proof of evidence, theanti-graft agency said that thefindings of their investigationteam showed that the wholeN359. 26 million paid to own theBrifina Hotel was solely from thepension money.

The EFCC had on March 26,2012 announced the seizure ofsix properties including theBrifina Hotel belonging to Dr.Shuaibu, following an order ofthe Federal High Court, Abujasitting before Justice AdamuBello.

The court granted the order,“restraining all persons

including persons hereinafterreferred to as Receivers in theschedules hereto attached, bythemselves directly or throughanother (whether natural orotherwise) including, but notlimited to all parties listed in allthe schedules hereto attached,whether or not named in ChargeNo FHC/ABJ/ CR28/2011, thatis to say and such other personsyet to be identified, fromremoving, alienating, disposingof, dealing with or diminishingthe value of, assets or propertybeing suspected proceeds ofcrimes or otherwise, held or

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

Pension scam: Director siphoned N1.54bnthrough filling station account – EFCC

The Chief Justice of Nigeria(CJN), Justice DahiruMusdapher has debunked

speculations that he has resignedhis appointment.

Speaking through his MediaAdviser, Mohammed Adamu in astatement, the CJN said he had onApril 11, 2012, written to theNational Judicial Council (NJC),

to give three months notice of hisretirement from service as ajudicial officer.

The statement said the CJN'sletter to the NJC is to enablenecessary processes for earlyswearing of a new Chief Justice byJuly 16, 2012.

"It is public knowledge that bythe provisions of Section 291(1) ofthe 1999 Constitution, asamended, the CJN shall cease to

be a judicial officer come 14th July,2012 when he would be 70 years",the statement said.

It would be recalled that JusticeMusdapher was confirmedsubstantive CJN by the Senate inSeptember 2011, about one monthafter presiding over the nation’sjudiciary in acting capacityfollowing the retirement of hispredecessor, Justice AloysiusKatsina-Alu.

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

CJN debunks speculations of resignation

As the wave of violence andserial killings continue inMaiduguri, the Borno state

capital, five persons were gunneddown yesterday morning whenunknown gunmen raided a localbakery.

It was gathered thatyesterday’s attack happened atabout 8.45am when two gunmenstormed Jiddari Polo Ward andfired several shots in the air to scareresidents, before entering thebaking factory and opened fire onthe workers.

The shootings causedcommotion as everyonescampered for safety, while thearea was immediately deserted.

Witnesses say the assailantswho, disguised as normal customers,walked to the factory before theysuddenly took everyone unawaresand started shooting sporadically,killing five persons on the spot,while one another sustainedgunshot injuries.

Borno state PoliceCommissioner, Bala Hassan, whileconfirming the incident tonewsmen, said the gunmen hadattacked the factory, wheninnocent people were conductingtheir legitimate businesses.

owned by or in the names ofpersons suspected of the allegedfinancial crimes in charge no.FHC/ABJ/CR/28/2011.

“That the Chairman ofEconomic and Financial CrimesCommission, is herebypermitted to seize and retaincustody of all such property orassets of persons listed in theschedules attached to thismotion, which assets aresuspected proceeds of crime orthe value thereof until the finaldetermination of Chargenumber FHC/ABJ/CR/28/2011”, the evidence read.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012PAGE 4

Yobe state governor, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam (standing right), watching as newly appointed chairmenof caretaker committees of local government councils take their oath of office, at the Wawa Hallof the Government House, yesterday in Damaturu.

8 remanded for killing cop,bank robbery in Bauchi

Eight suspects have beenremanded in prisoncustody by a Bauchi state

Chief Magistrate court for themurder of a policeman, criminalconspiracy, bank robbery andunlawful possession of fire armsand explosives.

The presiding Magistrate,Adamu Mohammed KafinMadaki remanded the suspectsand adjourned the suit toApril 25,2012 for further mention.

Earlier, the Police prosecutor,

Sergeant M Garba told the courtthat all the suspects who hailfrom Yobe and BornoStates,criminally conspired andarmed themselves withsophisticated weapons andprohibited fire arms and otherexplosive devices and launchedattack at the Gamawa Policestation where they shot deadCorporal Istifanus Thomas withfile no 353163 attached to 10Police Mobile Force and took awayhis AK 47 rifle no 356849 with30 rounds of live ammunition.

Sergeant Garba added that

they simultaneously attacked aMicrofinance Bank in the townand robbed it of N534,000 cash,desk top monitors and othervaluables. They allegedlyattacked First Bank in Gamawabut could not gain access due tothe bullet proof security doors, butdamaged the bank building withbullets contrary to section96,221,of the penal code laws andsection 1(1)(2)(a)&(b)3 of therobbery fire arms specialprovision act cap R11 and section3,8,and 27 (1)(a) of fire arms actcap F28 LFN 2004.

Army sanctions 4officers for brutality

The 23rd Armoured Brigadehas sanctioned four of itsofficers for brutalising a

suspected gun runner in armycustody.

The Brigade Commander,Brigadier General John Nwaogadisclosed this while briefing thepress on the fate of officers andmen of the brigade investigatedover the manhandling of acertain Nancy James arrestedfor gun running in March thisyear.

Peoples Daily checks revealthat the investigation was sequelto video clips posted on theinternet in which the offenderswere seen unleashing terror onthe suspect with a knife and

The Sayawa community inTafawa Balewa localgovernment area of

Bauchi state has sued theGovernor of Bauchi state,Malam Isa Yuguda, Attorney-General of the Federation;National Assembly and theBauchi state House of Assemblyover the relocation ofheadquarters of the TafawaBalewa local government areato Bununu.

It could be recalled that onFebruary 8, 2012, the Bauchistate House of Assembly passeda resolution ordering therelocation of the headquarters ofTafawa Balewa to Bununu inthe interest of peace andharmony in the state.

The plaintiffs are seeking fora mandatory injunctiondirecting Yuguda and the stateAssembly to restore the name ofthe local government asprovided in the relevant laws

Relocation of LG headquarters: Sayawacommunity sues Yuguda, FGN, NASS

Building barracks will stop killingof cops, says Kaduna COMPOL

Kaduna state Commissionerof Police, MohammedJinjiri Abubakar has said

that only protectiveaccommodation by way ofbuilding more barracks canprotect policemen from incessantkillings in the state.

In this regard, he appealed tothe Inspector General of Police toprovide the Force with barracks tostem the situation.

The CP also tasked the IG and

Governor Patrick Yakowa ofKaduna state to provide hiscommand with more vehicles andmetal detectors to enable thepolice combat crimes moreeffectively, detect explosivedevices more easily andcrackdown on terrorists and othercriminals in the state.

Speaking yesterday when hereceived the leadership of theCorrespondents Chapel of theNigerian Union of Journalists(NUJ), Kaduna state council in hisoffice, the commissioner said his

From Ahmed Kaigama, BauchiFrom Blessing Tunoh, Yola other inhuman objects.

Nwaoga explained that theinvestigation panel set up by thebrigade found the four unnamedsoldiers guilty of manhandlingthe suspect and they wereimmediately sanctioned in linewith military rules andregulations.

He therefore warned his menagainst unethical practice in thecourse of their official dutieswhile assuring the public ofarmy’s readiness to protect theirrights, life and property.

It may be recalled thatNancy was nabbed in Numancouncil area of the state withconcealed guns in four bags ofcassava flour popularly calledgarri on her way to Taraba statefor delivery to her collaborators.

We’ll only retain officerswho pass exams, says IGP

The Inspector General ofPolice (IGP) MohammedAbubakar has warned that

henceforth Inspector and ASPcadet trainees from the PoliceAcademy, Wudil must pass theirexaminations and trainingbefore they will be accepted inthe force.

The IGP was speaking to theofficers under training at theAcademy yesterday when heand the Minister of PoliceAffairs, Navy Captain (rtd)Caleb Olubolade paid a one dayworking visit to the Academy.

The IGP said, gone were thedays when officers trained at theAcademy but failed in theirexams or their training and stillremained in the police.

He stated that he and theMinister of Police Affairs were at

From Bala Nasir, Kano. the Academy to see forthemselves the readiness orotherwise of the Academy to offerdegree programmes.

According to the police boss,the current security challenge inthe country is being facedsquarely by the FederalGovernment and so, theinstitution has a great role to playthrough high quality officers. Heurged contractors handlingvarious projects in the Academyto make sure that the September2012 target set out for theAcademy to become a degreeawarding institution was achievedby completing their jobs withintime.

Also, the Minister of PoliceAffairs, Navy Captain (rtd)Olubolade Caleb stated that theirvisit was a testimony to theseriousness attached to the projectby President Goodluck Jonathan.

establishing the localgovernment.

A suit with no FHC/ABJ/CS/125/2012 filed before the FederalHigh Court, Abuja by ReverendSamaila Banike and nine otherson behalf of the people and ethnicgroups of Sayawa, Jarawa, Ngasand Sigdawa extractions in Leredistrict of Tafawa Balewa localgovernment area and a copy wasmade available to newsmen inBauchi urged the court todeclare that Governor IsaYuguda and the Bauchilawmakers have no powerunder the 1999 constitution toalter the name of theheadquarters of Tafawa Balewalocal government area fromTafawa Balewa to Bununu.

They asked the court todeclare that the resolution of thestate Assembly purporting tochange the name of theheadquarters from TafawaBalewa to Bununu wasunconstitutional, illegal, nulland void and of no legal effect.

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

From Lawal Sadiq Sanusi, Kaduna command has devised furtherplans to combat crimes andcriminal activities in the state.

He however appealed toPresident Goodluck Jonathan tocontinue with the planned changeof police uniform in the country toenable the Nigerian police reorientthemselves adding that the blackuniform which was foisted on themsome decades back has also affectedtheir integrity and performanceadding that a change in uniformwill positively change theirattitude.

Yobe state governor AlhajiIbrahim Gaidam haschallenged chairmen of local

government councils in the stateto use resources that accrue to theircouncil areas to provide socialservices and alleviate poverty.

Speaking yesterday inDamaturu at the swearing-inceremony of newly appointedchairmen of caretakercommittees of local governmentcouncils, Gaidam said people at

the grassroots expect a lot fromthe council chiefs, adding thatthe confidence that their peopleand the government reposed inthem must be justified.

The governor asked thechairmen to focus a lot ofattention on the provision ofpotable water, agricultureespecially Fadama farming,youth empowerment andpoverty alleviation.

He said unemployed youthshould be supported to acquireskills in skill training centers

across the country so that theycould set up their own businessesand support themselves andtheir families.

The Governor also warned thenew chairmen not to allow theirpersonal interests to interfere withtheir official conduct.

He said they must be guidedby the imperatives oftransparency, accountability andprobity and the fear of God as theypilot the affairs of their councils. torecruit fresh school graduates whoroam the streets without work.

Gaidam tasks new LG chairmen on rural devtFrom Godswill Uche, Damaturu


UNAMIL queries Nigeriantroops’ cowardice

Despite denials by theFederal Governmentand the military

authorities that Nigerian troopsdid not surrender weapons to

rebels in far away Darfurprovince in South Sudan, factshave emerged that the UnitedNations - African Mission inDarfur might have queried theNigerian military authoritiesover the 'unprofessional' conduct

of 31st Battalion of NigerianArmy contingent in Darfur whoallegedly surrendered theirarms and UN vehicles to therebels.

Twice, in one month,attempts by Mr. Herve Ladsous,

United Nations Under Secretaryfor Peacekeeping and LieutenantGeneral Babacar Gaye to meetand resolve the operational andcross-cutting peacekeepingissues with the Minister ofDefence, Bello HaliruMohammed had not worked outdue mainly to the cancellationof visits by the United Nationsdelegates amidst United States'Embassy's warning of possibleattack by Boko Haram ongovernment buildings in Abuja.

Sources at the ForeignAffairs Ministry told newsmenthat the bilateral meeting mayinclude discussion of the non-withdrawal of 31st Battalion ofthe Nigerian Contingent inDarfur, alleged to have"unprofessionally" surrenderedarms and UN vehicles to theJustice and Equality, rebelmovement in Darfur.

The United Nations had alsoreportedly complained aboutthe use of substandardcontingent owned equipmentby the Nigerian 32 and 33Battalions in Darfur.

Officials of the FederalMinistry of Defence saidyesterday that the Minister ofDefence has re-scheduled a visitto Darfur next week to get firsthand information on thesituation.

In another development, theMinister of State for Defence, EreluOlusola Obada has said that shedid not make any confirmation"that such sophisticated weapons,which include surface-to-airlaunchers and other dangerousarms, found their way intoNigeria," from Libya,

Reacting to a publication in anational daily, Mrs. Obada saidshe was quoted out of context.

Row over ‘appointment’ of nuclear agency’s Ag. DG

There are simmering doubtsin the Nigerian NuclearRegulatory Authority

(NNRA), over the appointmentof the Director of Nuclear Safety,Dr. Martin Ogharandukun asActing Director-General (D-G) ofthe agency.

According to an online reportyesterday, on May 31, 2011, Dr.Ogharandukun allegedly madehimself Acting D-G/CEO of NNRAafter a management meetingand proceeded to change the

signatories to the authority'saccounts to include his name.

The report said he also postedon the authority's website(www.nnra.gov.ng) that themanagement of NNRA hasappointed him the Acting DG/CEO pending the appointment ofa substantive DG and went aheadto change the authority's letterheaded papers to reflect his new"appointment".

He has since then beenallegedly carrying out the fullfunctions and duties of an ActingDG/CEO of the Authorityawarding contracts and

approving payments. His actionhas already attracted theattention of a human rights/goodgovernance group, HumanRights and AccountabilityInitiative (HURAIN), which hasalready written him over thematter.

The law setting-up NNRA, theNuclear Safety and RadiationProtection Act 1995 Part 111, 8(1) vests the power of appointinga Director-General for theAuthority on the President of theFederal Republic of Nigeria.

The vacancy for DG in NNRAarose following the retirement of

the pioneer Director-General,Professor S. B. Elegba, who servedtwo five-year terms as Director-General from 2001 to 2011. Hehanded over to Mr Bulus Yabaya,the then Director ofAdministration and Finance,who acted from April, 2011 tillhe died of alleged food poisoningon May 27, 2011.

The conditions for what iscalled "acting appointments" arein Section 6 of the Public ServiceRules, PSR, and clearly spelt outin Rules 020601, 020602,020603, 020605 and 020606.Under these rules, the FederalCivil Service Commission mustbe notified and the appointmentgazetted with the dates ofcommencement and cessation ofthe acting appointment clearlystated. These conditions wereallegedly not followed.Furthermore, under Rule020604, such an actingappointment must not exceed sixmonths.

But the report said Dr.Ogharandukun has been actingsince May 31, 2011 to date - forover 10 months. He has also beencollecting the allowance of anActing DG/CEO of the Authority.During this period, sources say,he has been lobbying to beconfirmed as DG.

Hajj: Group asks NAHCON to resolve chaoshandled in some states of thefederation where media reportsindicated that some of theintending pilgrims lost theirlives while several others injuredin the process of scouting for hajjseats.

This was contained in astatement signed by itsSecretary General IbrahimMuhammed and NationalPublicity Secretary AbubakarMahmoud.

The group said, "It is observedwith growing concern the mannerin which some of the StatePilgrims Welfare Boards (SPWB)

The minister ofInformation andNational Orientation, Mr.

Labaran Maku, has said thatNigerians have reasons tocelebrate Democracy Day inspite of the current securitychallenges the country is facing.

The minister stated thisyesterday in Abuja at a mediaconference organised toannounce programmes forDemocracy Day celebration.

He said this year'scelebration, which also marksone year in office of the presentdemocratic dispensation, willinvolve every citizen of Nigeriaas it is aimed at taking stock ofall what had been or had not beenachieved in the past year.

He said, "every minister andhead of agency listed their goalsat inception of office, there isneed to find out how far theyhave gone and it is the duty ofevery well meaning Nigerian tobe part of the programme."

He said starting from 24thApril, ministers will take turnsto dialogue with the citizensthrough the media to showcaseall that have been achieved sofar and also get peoples' reactionespecially on where thegovernment is lacking. "A lot ofprogrammes have been and arestill being executed by thisgovernment even though mediahave recently diverted attentionto reporting only the negativeside," he declared.

He said the anniversary willnot be complete without sharingwith the general public policiesof the present government andseeking their opinion on it.

FG hasachievedmuchdespitesecuritychallenges,saysMakuBy A'isha Biola Raji

By Emmanuel Iriogbe

A non-governmentalorganisation has calledon the National Hajj

Commission of Nigeria(NAHCON) to resolve the chaosand confusion surrounding thedistribution of hajj seats by somestate pilgrims welfare boardsacross the country.

The Independent HajjReporters, a non-governmentalorganisation, said it isdisheartening the way andmanner the distribution was

across the country are handlingthe distribution of hajj seats tointending pilgrims. The situationin some states is very chaotic,devoid of transparency and miredwith allegations of corruptionagainst the pilgrim boards."

According to the statement,the group is concerned about theallegations of corrupt practicesagainst the board officials who areallegedly involved in hoarding anddiverting the allocated seats.

It therefore urged NAHCON toresolve and devise ways ofaddressing the issue, saying "As aregulatory agency of all hajj

activities in the country, it isnecessary to look into thecontroversial development with aview to instill sanity, fairness andtransparency in the process."

Hajj Reporters commendedNAHCON's various efforts of settingup various mechanisms towards asuccessful conduct of 2012 hajjoperations.

"The inauguration of AirlineCarriers Screening Committee for2012 Hajj is a laudable developmentthat will go a long way in ensuringthat only competent and capableairlines are allowed to airliftpilgrims to the holy land.

L-R: Special Envoy of Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Margherita Boniver receiving a giftfrom Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, during the envoy visit to the Deputy Senate President,at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Aminu Imam with agencyreport

By Mariam Garba Hassan andA'isha Biola Raji


Gombe state Governor,Alhaji Ibrahim HassanDankwambo, has denied

involvement into the fuelsubsidy fraud as indicated in theHouse of Representativescommittee report submitted tothe House.

The governor made thedenial yesterday during thesigning ceremony of the statefiscal responsibility law at theGovernment House.

The governor urged the

Subsidy: Dankwambo denies fraud

L-R: Bauchi state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Sani Malami, the victim whose genital organ was severed by suspected ritualists,Ayuba Halilu, and the state governor, Malam Isa Yuguda, when the governor visited the family, on Wednesday at Maraban LimanKatagum in Bauchi. Photo: NAN

We’ll resist appointment of outsiders to lead us, says Katsina lecturers

Lecturers of tertiaryinstitutions in Katsinastate under the umbrella

of Joint Consultative Forum,have vowed to reject theappointment of outsiders to headthe three state government-

owned tertiary institutionsA statement signed by the

chairman of the association,Malam Tukur Dahiru Bakiyawaand his secretary, MalamMukhtar El-Kasim stressed theircommitment to support the rightperson for the job.

It added that the institutionshave come of age to internally

produce chief executives,lamenting that they had bitterexperiences with outsidersappointed to head theinstitutions.

The association also frownedat the non-implementation ofthe 2012 annual increment , sixmonth unpaid salaries of somenewly

people of Gombe state not to bedisturbed by the publication andsaid he has never been involvedin fraud throughout his reignas the Accountant-General of theFederation.

The House committee, has ina report, blamed the office of theAGF during his reign forauthorising the subsidypayment of N999milion 128times within 24hours.

He said, the office of theAccountant General of thefederation does not pay subsidyand explained that the has

enquired and found that, thestatement used by thecommittee was that of the PPRAfor which the AGF has no controlover.

He explained that, the AGFonly pays one line payment fromthe source, either theConsolidated Revenue Accountor the domestic excess crude forwhich is the source of thepayment into that account to bemonitored and to be paid by thePPRA".

He emphasised that, as AGFsince 1999, he had done his best to

demonstrate accountability andtransparency in the way heoperated and said he would neverbe involved in fraud.

"Don't forget Dankwambo istoday also a politician, so there canbe many factors that will be addedto ridicule Gombe state's name, butbe clear in your mind that,Dankwambo had never committedand will never be involved in fraud"

The governor pledged to get tothe root of the matter in order toclear his name from the wrongmisconception created by thereport.

appointed staff of HassanUsman Katsina Polytechnic andYusufu Bala Usman College ofLegal and General Studies.

It similarly lamented thewithholding of promotion andnon-implementation of thosereleased for over a year and nonrelease of union check off dues forthe last four months of 2011.

From Lawal Sa'idu Funtua,Katsina

From Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

The Chairman of PetroleumTechnology DevelopmentFund (PTDF) chair at the

University of Jos, Professor AjabajiEmmanuel Ogezi, has predicted thecomplete dry-up of Nigeria's oil in 40years and suggests furtherexploitation and extraction of oil toincrease the oil reserves.

Ogezi stated this whilepresenting a paper entitled "Geology,Petroleum, Mineral andEnvironmental Resources of theBenue Trough, NigeriaOpportunities and Challenges" atthe PTDF professorial chairendowment in Geology seminarheld at the University of Jos.

Nigeria’s oil will dry up in 2052According to him, there are high

chances of discovering petroleum inthe North-east part of the countryand identified Wase, Kanam andLangtang local government areasof Plateau state as having thepotentials of becoming oil producingcommunities.

He disclosed that already oilwells have been drilled in Bauchi,Gombe and Benue states but thatthe process takes between 15 to 20years though it is capital intensiveadding that when extraction of theproduct commences properly,youths from the oil communities

would be gainfully employed.Professor Ogezi advocated the

abolishment of excess crude oilaccount which governors are onlyinterested in sharing rather thandiversifying sources of revenuegeneration.

"The oil will finish and ourgovernors will then not have moneyto share again. All African countiesdepend on earth resources and weneed to know how to use and avoidconflict like the one in Niger Deltaregion".

"The past challenges ofinadequate finding and participation

access to data, sites and equipment,student sponsorship and supervision,would be reduced.

"The end result would be greaterdiversification of the country'srevenue base, wealth and jobcreation, improved nationalsecurity and even more socio-economic development in Nigeria",he said

Professor Harward Mafuyai,Vice Chancellor of the University ofJos urged Professorial chairman ofPTDF to properly work out incentivefor the host community in order toavoid conflict in society.

From Nankpah Bwakan, Jos.

We are handlingthe NECO crisis,says Minister

The Minister of Education, Prof.Ruqayyat Ahmed Rufai hassaid the ministry has

intervened in the leadership crisisat the National ExaminationCouncil (NECO) noting that thesituation is under control.

The minister who spoke withreporters in Kaduna yesterday saidthe crisis in NECO was not up tothe magnitude reported.

She was in Kaduna for thelaunch of the resuscitation of theTechnical Teachers TrainingProgrammes (TTTP) andpresentation of field activityvehicles to 14 participatinginstitutions from across the country,at the National Teachers' Institute(NTI).

According to her, "the fact thatwe have not said anything about it(NECO) publicly does not meanthat we are not doing anything.

"If we have to be going to thepublic every time to address theseissues, you will not have time forus. We know where the problem iscoming from.

"The SSS in Niger state has donetheir work and has given us a reportwhich we are looking at.

"The problem is not up to themagnitude you are talking aboutand it is not true that the ministryis not doing anything about."

She noted that the resuscitationof the TTTP is an indication of thecommitment of the presentgovernment to the development ofthe education sector.

She attributed the suspension ofthe programme to non release offunds to support both the studentsand the participating institutions.

According to her, the FederalMinistry of Education, the NTI andthe 14 participating institutionshave obtained about N163.5million to settle the outstanding debtto the participating institutions andtheir students as well as to take somepositive measures to fullyresuscitate the programme.

As she put it, "I am veryhappy to be part of this eventof bringing back programmesthat are of great value to thenation which was abandoned,which we now have cause toresuscitate and bring back".

"I am particularly happybecause it involves teachereducation. We know that ourmajor problem in the sectorhas to do with teacher qualityand teacher development. Wehope to expand thisprogramme in the nearfuture", she said.

She added that "anythingthat is not budgeted for, youcannot spend money on it.That is why I said that we willmake sure that it is fullycaptured in the 2013 budget".

"All the same, we willpartner with individuals,corporate bodies as well asinternational developmentpartners and see whether we canhave a kind of approach to see whatwe can do within the year.Otherwise, for governmentfunding, it has to be next year", sheconcluded.

From Agaju Madugba, Kaduna


4

2 3

1

2

3

L-R: Executive Secretary, NationalInstitute for Cultural Orientation(NICO), Mr. Barclays Ayakoroma;Director, Admin and HumanResources, Mr. Abayomi Oyelola,and Director, Orientation and CulturalAffairs, Mr. Festus Ihenetu, during apre-event news conference,yesterday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

Some intending Muslim pilgrimslistening to lectures before ballotingfor Hajj slots for 2012 pilgrimage,recently in Kafur local governmentarea of Katsina state. Photo: NAN

1First Lady, Mrs. Patience GoodluckJonathan (middle), wife DeputySenate President, Mrs NwanekaEkweremadu (right), wife of NigerianAmbassador to Germany, HajiyaUmma Abubakar (left) and somechildren of embassy officials, duringan interactive section by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, yesterday inBerlin, Germany.

4Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero(middle), in a group photograph withmembers of Green World, during avisit by the group to the emir in hispalace, yesterday in Kano.


Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, Dr.Akinwunmi AyodejiAdesina, whileaddressing the press onhis trip to the UnitedStates of America,assured that the sectorwas ready to improve asthe mainstay of thenational economy.

Adesina, whodisclosed that the WorldBank has also indicatedinterest in transformingthe country’sagricultural researchinstitutes, however,noted that it is willing tosustain the value chainsparticularly in staplefood such as rice,cassava, sorghum and

World Bank pledges $900msupport for Nigerian agriculture

By Mohammed Kandi

cocoa.On agro-businesses,

the minister stated that,the US investors haveshown interest indevoting huge resourcesdeveloping rice farm ofabout 25, 000 hectares,just as another fruitprocessing company(Cargill) pledged itssupport for Nigeria’sagricultural sector.

Expressing his regretsthat the country hasonly 20, 000 functionaltractors, Adesinastressed the need forNigeria to embracemechanised farmingsystem.

The minister, whonoted that the country

L-R: Member of United Action for Democracy (UAD), Mr. Gbenro Olajuyigbe, National Convener of UAD, Mr. JayeGaskiya, and Chairman, Joint Action Front (JAF), Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu, during a press briefing on corruption andpoverty, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

million US dollar toenable it carry outeffectively the

agricultural valuechains in specific crops.

The Minister of

needed at least 300, 000functional tractors foragricultural activities,said one of the largestproducers of tractor inthe US (Agco) had agreedto assist Nigeria, even ashe held that the ministrywas planning to set uptractor plants in strategiclocations in the country.

He said the sectorcontributes 44% incometo the national GrossDomestic Productivity(GDP) with 7.8%earnings yearly, butadmitted that it was notenough to generateemployment for over 4million chunks ofgraduates and jobseekers.

NICO hosts PeaceConfab for traditionalrulers, LGs

By Miriam Humbe

The ExecutiveS e c r e t a r y ,National Institute for

Cultural Orientation(NICO), BarclaysAyakoroma, hasannounced the intention ofthe institute to hosttraditional rulers, localgovernment ServiceCommissions, and localgovernment chairmen to aNational Conference onCulture, Peace and NationalSecurity in pursuance to theentrenchment of peace andsecurity as a panacea forprogress and developmentin the country.

While addressingjournalists in a pre-eventbriefing in Abuja yesterday,the Executive Secretarysaid the conference themed:

Culture, Peace and NationalSecurity, the Role ofTraditional Rulers andLocal GovernmentChairmen, was organisedin keeping with theInstitute’s mandate tosensitise and orientateNigerians in the area ofculture.

The conference which isexpected to hold betweenMay 7th and 8th will havein attendance, PresidentGoodluck Jonathan who isexpected to declare theevent open, formerpresident, OlusegunObasanjo who will bechairman of the occasionwhile the Chief Servant ofNiger state, BabangidaAliyu will present thekeynote address. RoyalFather of the Day will be Obiof Onitsha, Igwe NnemekaAchebe.

UN, NEMA to assessmore state’s on DRRBy Mohammed Kandi

N i g e r i a ’ sa g r i c u l t u r a lsector has

received a major boostfollowing assurances bythe World Bank,expressing readiness tosupport it with hugefinances totaling 900

A team of expertsfrom the Office forthe Coordination of

Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA) of the UnitedNations in collaborationwith the NationalEmergency ManagementAgency (NEMA) are tovisit four more states tocarry out ac o m p r e h e n s i v eassessment on thenational Disaster RiskReduction (DRR).

This followed the initialassessments of some statesin February and March todetermine their level ofpreparedness and

readiness of governmentsat all levels to containdisasters in the country.

The Director Generalof NEMA, AlhajiMohammed Sani-Sidi,while addressingparticipants yesterday ata meeting in Abuja, saidthe essence of suchassessment was co-optexpertise approach toserve as the basis for theDRR in the country.

Represented by theDirector of Training at theagency, Mrs ClementinaAisueni, the DG who notedthat it became necessaryto move the face of theDRR ahead of time,

however, assured that theagency will partner withother necessarystakeholder to achievesuccess.

Team leader of theOCHA group, Ayo Ajayi,said the team will in thisassessment exercise coverfour more states of Kano,Lagos, Ibadan and theFCT.

Ajiyi, who noted thatthe team will corroboratethe earlier informationobtained by the firstgroup after which itwould align and presentthem for the purpose ofgenerating positive plansfor Nigeria.


Unless a peaceful dialogueis initiated between somecommunities in Kogi and

Edo states to find solution to alingering land dispute, peace andtranquility in these bordercommunities is threatened.

A matter of urgent publicimportance read on the floor of KogiState House of Assemblyyesterday, sponsored by themember representing Okene 1,Alhaji Abdullahi Bello and themember representing Okene 11,Jamiu Lawal, urged thegovernment of the two states tocurb the trespass.

They said Oguda farmland inOhu-Odumi of Okene localgoverment had been under thecontrol and utilised by Ebiracommunity from Okene from timeimmemorial, noting that Okpellapeople had contested the parcel ofland with Odumi people in 1985but failed.

According to the motion,following the court judgment infavour of Ebira people in 1985 atan Area court in Offa, then inKwara state, everybody hadforgotten the matter, but recently,it further stated, Okpella peopleinvaded the farmland to thechargrin of the people.

To avoid break down of law andorder in the two states, thegovernment of both states havebeen intimated to nip the seed ofdiscord being allegedly sowed byOkpella community, in bud,stating that the current securitychallenges were enough crisis forthe states and country.

Peace betweenEdo, Kogithreatened,says lawmakerFrom Sam Egwu, Lokoja

Faskari local government ofKatsina state has awardedcontracts worth N25 million

for the execution of various projectsacross the area.

Awarding the contracts,yesterday in Faskari, thecaretaker chairman of the area,Engineer Isiyaku Faskari notedthat the contracts include theconstruction of drainages, culvertsand water supply.

He similarly stated that thecontract which was to cover allareas was specifically initiated toaddress peculiar demands of eachbenefitting community.

According to him, the councilwould continue to use the meagerresources at its disposal to solvesome of the problems facingcommunities in the area.

He similarly tasked people inthe area on maintenance cultureand the need to embrace peace andsecurity as veritable tools for thegrowth of the area.

Faskari praised thecommitment of Katsina stategovernor, Alhaji Ibrahim ShehuShema in the judiciousmanagement of the state resourceswhich he stressed had translatedinto the even development of thestate.

Faskari LGawards N25mcontractFrom Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

From Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

A chieftain of the ArewaElders Forum (AEF),Professor Ango Abdullai

yesterday disclosed that the Northcould survive independent of theSouth should the proposed SovereignNational Conference (SNC)recommend that Nigeria split.

The former Special Adviser toformer President Olusegun Obasanjoon Food Security while speaking onthe Hausa service of the BritishBroadcasting Corporation (BBC), said

agriculture would sustain the regionif the country splits.

This is coming on the heels ofthe resolution of the Forum inAbuja where the Elders disclosedthat the North was ready for theconvocation of the SovereignNational Conference.

The Forum had equallycondemned the spate of insecurityin the country urging PresidentGoodluck Jonathan to urgentlyresume talks with the dreadedBoko Haram sect.

Abdulllahi said “We know this

is an old call, it’s been long for over20 years, they have been sayingthis corporate existence of thecountry, that the Federal systemis faulty. They are keen in sittingdown to discuss what kind ofarrangement would be conducivefor Nigerians… this is an old calland it is not a new thing,…..somepeople are hiding under the guiseof this agitation to show that theyare tired of staying in a unitedNigeria,” he said.

“Therefore, we have resolvedthat we are not going to be the cause

of Nigeria breaking up but if othersdecided that the country should bedivided, and they insisted thatNigeria should break up, we won’tsay no because we realised there isnothing we are getting in thecurrent arrangement that othersections of the country are notgetting .If they insist, why don’twe sit down and talk? If at the endeverybody agrees that Nigeriashould be divided, if at the long run,everybody is satisfied that thecountry should break up, let it be,”he said.

SNC: North can survivealone, says Ango Abdullahi

President of the NigerianInstitute of Public RelationsNIPR, Mal. Muhammed

Abdullahi has described the deathof Madakin Kano as a great loss notonly to Kano Emirate but to thenation in general.

In a condolence message whichwas delivered to the Emir at hispalace by the Kano state chairmanof the institute, Mal Sule Yau Sule,he urged the emirate and the entirepeople of the state to take solace inthe fact that madaki lived aneventful and transparent life. Heprayed Almighty Allah to granthim Aljana Firdausi.

NIPR condolesKano Emir By Emmanuel Iriogbe

An environmentalist, Dr.Kabir Abdulkadir, hasadded his voice to the

growing number of people thatbelieve that the Boko Haraminsurgency in the Northern partof the country has more to do withissues other than religion.

Speaking to select journalists inAbuja, yesterday, Abdulkadir whois the founder of the Greenshield ofNations, an NGO, said that thestruggle for the few available landin the country is the cause of themany security challenges facingthe nation.

According to him, “we are

being consumed byenvironmental challenges. Ourcities are full of young people fromthe arid zone where land is scarcebecause of the effect ofdesertification. These young peopleknow nothing but farming.

“When these settlers start gettingpolitical power, then the original landowners bring up the issue of settlersand land owner which throw upcrises. I state emphatically that thereare no religious but environmentalcrises in the country.

As a way out of the presentimbroglio, Dr Abdulkadircanvassed for a holistic look at thejatropha plant which he saysremains the solution to

desertification and gully erosionsthat have eaten deep into thecountry’s land mass.

“The jatropha plant hascomponents to make trees growwherever it is found, it also makesgully erosion impossible in anenvironment it is planted. This isaside that the fruit of the tree bringsout oil with the samecharacteristics with diesel oil, thismakes it a good substitute forpetroleum products.”

Meanwhile, Abdulkadir’s petproject, ‘the Baganzamawaproject’ will on Thursday, April26graduate the first batch of traineesin Katsina on how to make differentproducts from the jatropha plant.

‘Boko Haram, more of an environmental problem’

SGF urges stakeholders to partner FRSC on best road practiceBy Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Secretary to theGovernment of theFederation, Senator

Anyim Pius Anyim, has urgedstakeholders all over the countryto partner with the Federal RoadSafety Corps (FRSC), in ensuringproper road use as obtained in otherparts of the world.

Anyim, who made this call atthe Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centrein Abuja, during the FRSC summiton strategy for 2012-2016, addedthat ensuring accident-free roadswas the responsibility of allstakeholders who shoulddisseminate the message to otherswho are ignorant of road ethics.

He revealed that thepresent administration is

working hard towardsconstructing standard roadsand to empower other roadmaintenance agencies in thecountry to assist the FRSC inensuring accident free roads.

Similarly, the special guest ofhonour and Minister of NationalPlanning, Dr. shamsudeenUsman, harped on the need forstakeholders to educate the citizens

on their conduct while plying theroads, as accidents occur owing todrunkenness and disobedience oftraffic signs.

Earlier, the Corps Marshal ofthe FRSC, Osita Chidoka in hiswelcome address, said the summitwas necessitated by the rampantcases of accidents in the countrywhich has forced many to theirearly grave.

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Dr. Dere Awosika, Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, and Chief Executive Officer,Power Sector of Siemens, Dr. Michael Suss, after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on power strategies betweenNigeria and Siemens, yesterday in Berlin, Germany.


Doctors/nurses face-off paralysesactivities at FMC, AbeokutaFrom Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji,Abeokuta

The power tussle betweendoctors and nurses of FederalMedical Centre (FMC), Idi-

Aba, Abeokuta, the Ogun StateCapital has paralyzed medicalservices in the last four days,investigation revealed.

Peoples Daily investigationsrevealed that the two bodies wereat loggerheads over differences in

the course of carrying out theirofficial duties, hence innocentpatients have turn out to bevictims of the face-off.

Findings by our correspondentrevealed that the genesis of thecrisis emanated from a medicaldoctor in the hospital who wasallegedly found wanting in hisduties by abandoning patients onhis beat. This was brought to hisnotice by a Chief Nursing Officerof the hospital.

However, the medical doctor,according to sources, frowned atthe effrontery of the CNO incorrecting him and verballyinsulted the nurses' boss, adevelopment the nurses saw as aninsult on all of them.

A complaint was then lodgedwith the hospital managementbut the management was allegedto have failed to take appropriateaction against the doctor. As aresult, the Nursing Association of

the hospital, mobilizedthemselves and downed tool inprotest.

As at the time of filing thisreport, the situation, which was inits third day, still remainunresolved when ourcorrespondent visited the hospital.

The protesting nurses are yetto resume work, insisting that the"right thing" be done first by themanagement.

Peoples Daily observed during

a visit to the hospital that theabsence of the nurses is havingnegative effect on the patients, asthere were no nurses to attend tothe in-patients especially.

When contacted, the PublicRelations Officer of the Hospital,Segun Orisajo declined commenton the issue, as he claimed to be onleave, "but what I heard yesterdaywas that, the matter will soon beaddressed, so I can't make anyofficial statement now".

From Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

The Gombe stategovernment is to spend overN4.8 million on the

construction of 3.2 kilometre roadsin Balanga local government areaof the state.

Governor IbrahimDankwambo who disclosed whilespeaking while flagging-off theroad projects in Bambam town,

expressed his administration'sdetermination to develop the statecapital, but all towns in the statewith street lights, drainages andparks.

The two roads which werecombined into one lot and awardedto Datum Construction NigeriaLimited, would be completedwithin nine months

The governor urgedcontractors to maintain high

standard and timeliness inexecuting the projects, andassured them that theadministration would continue topay all certificates of valuationpromptly so as to ensure increasedwork tempo.

Also speaking at the occasion,the state Commissioner for Worksand Infrastructure, Engr. ShehuHadi Ahmad explained that theCham and Bambam township road

projects were part of theadministration’s plan to ensureeven spread of development to thegrassroots adding that other townsincluding Billiri, Dukku, Bajogaand Kaltungo would benefit fromthe projects.

The commissioner said thescope of work in all the roads wouldinvolve the construction ofasphaltic concrete paved roadswith concrete lined drains.

Dankwambo vows to develop rural towns

The Governor of Niger state,Dr. Mu’azu BabangidaAliyu, has constituted a

committee headed by the Chief ofStaff, Government House, Minna,Professor Mohammed YahayaKuta to look into the possibility ofpartnering with the Central Bankof Nigeria (CBN) on massivecommercial production of rice inthe state.

Governor Aliyu set up thecommittee at the GovernmentHouse, after a power pointpresentation by the Central Bankof Nigeria on Nigeria Incentive RiskSharing System in AgricultureLending (NIRSAL) , a programmeorganised by the DevelopmentFinance Department of the CBN.

He gave the committee threeweeks to submit its report to counciland charged members of thecommittee to look into the idea ofrestructuring the state ministryof agriculture with a view tomeeting the salient issues raised inthe presentation by the CentralBank.

The Chief Servant, as he isfondly called, asked the Ministry togo beyond the purchase and sale offertiliser and integrate the affectedfarmers with the CBN programme,adding that government would notresettle any village involved, a pressrelease issued by Danladi Ndayebo,Director General, (Media & PublicAffairs) stated.

Earlier, the Branch Manager,CBN Minna, Mohammed KabirDanGusau had explained that thenew agriculture lending policywas a new scheme aimed atenhancing agriculture as abusiness venture, a source ofwealth and job creation.

Alhaji DanGusau maintainedthat the aim of the programme wasto prepare farmers in the state toproduce between 2 - 3 milliontonnes of rice and that the CBNwould broker suppliers agreementbetween the input companies andagro-dealers in the state, so as toraise the productivity level of thesmall and medium scale farmers.

He said the Central Bank ofNigeria would serve as guarantorto the farmers as well as to convincethe commercial banks to giveloans to the farmers, adding thatabout N9.9. billion would berequired to finance theprogramme.

Niger state setsup c'ttee on riceproduction

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam,with agency report

Associate France Press(AFP), has appointed PierreCelerier as Deputy Global

News Director with FlorenceBiedermann elevated to the positionof Director for Europe/Africa whileChristian Chaise is the newDirector for Middle East in Nicosia.

Celerier, who was theTechnical Editor In-Chief, is toreplace Juliette Hollier Larousse,who has been appointed Directorfor Latin America in Montevideoand would assume his new positionon July1, 2012.

Celerier, a former freelancer

for the agency in Russia and theUSA was a Moscow correspondentfrom 2000 to 2004. He coveredamong others, the war inAfghanistan before joining theeconomy desk until 2005, whenhe was appointed head of theTeheran bureau for four years.

Pierre served as head of weband mobile production from 2009to 2011 before accepting theposition of Technical Editor In-Chief.

Similarly, Biedermann formerEditor In-Chief joined the agencyin 1982 and served as a Bonncorrespondent before and after thecollapse of the Berlin Wall, afterwhich she was posted to Nicosia.

AFP elevates staff From Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

The National President,Tangale Waja DevelopmentAssociation (TAWADA),

(women's wing), Mrs. FinneyDavid, has called on women in thearea to rise up and be countedamong great women of Nigeria.

Mrs. David, who stated thiswhile speaking during the awardceremony and Annual GeneralMeeting in Billiri town in Gombestate, urged women in the area tochange the course and plight of thedisadvantaged womenfolk in thecountry especially in the North.

She added that the maiden

ceremony would be an annualevent by the women wing of theSenatorial District popularlyknown as Tangale/Waja, addingthe award ceremony was aimedat rewarding hardwork andsuccesses achieved by the womenfolk of the area.

The immediate pastChairman of the Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri andSpecial Adviser to PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, Mrs. SerahPane were among 12 prominentwomen of Gombe South SenatorialDistrict that were honoured by theAssociation .

Women asked to brace up

L-R: Oyo state NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Sekinat Idowu, Deputy Director, South West Area Office, Mr. Gabriel Ibe, Director, CorpsMobilisation, Mrs. Mercy Kolajo, Oyo state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, and NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General NnamdiOkore-Affia, during a visit by the NYSC boss to the governor, yesterday in Ibadan. Photo: NAN


Still on police brutalityand impunity

This is an obviously well beatenpath that any further commentson it would appear trite. But, as

the saying goes, whatever is worthdoing is worth doing not only well, butrepeatedly too. This is especially truein respect of campaigns to reform thesociety.

On Thursday last week, a mobilepolice man on guard duty in front of abank along Zoo Road in Kanoruthlessly beat a 31-year old womanfor no reason other than the lady'sattempt to board a commercial tricycleat the parking area of the bank. In thepresence of eye witnesses, includingone Wasiu Sanusi, the driver of thetricycle, the uncultured police man,not only physically assaulted the lady,Madina Shehu, but also pointed hiscorked gun at her and threatened tokill her, telling her that her mothercould give birth to another child. Ittook the intervention of his colleagueto mollify the rogue officer. But notbefore he and the colleague vandalizedthe "offending" tricycle. The incidentwas captured by a quick thinking eyewitness on the camera of his mobiletelephone, and the picture and storywere published by some newspapersthe following day. Sadly, eight daysafter the mindless and brutal assaulton the lady, the police authorities haveyet to take action about it and theculprit is still free to continue his rogueways with innocent Nigerians; a traitthat has long become a pastime formany in uniform, often with fatal

“not a few of thesecriminally-minded people

in uniform somehowfound themselves in aservice whose raison

d'être is to rid the societyof their ilk

EDITEDITEDITEDITEDITORIALORIALORIALORIALORIAL

consequences.But in far away Israel, a senior army

officer, who smashed a pro-Palestinianprotester in the face with his gun, wasinstantly suspended and subsequentlydismissed after footage of the horrificincident appeared online. The officer,Lieutenant-Colonel Shalom Eisner, wasseen ramming his M-16 into the face ofDanish national, Andreas Las, as

activists took part in a bicycle rally inthe occupied West Bank.

In his prompt condemnation of themilitary officer's action, Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu said:"'This behaviour is not characteristic ofIDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers andcommanders and it has no place in theIDF or in the state of Israel." Clearly,this is as it should be; leaders having thecourage and presence of mind topromptly condemn the untoward

actions of their subordinates,especially where the image of thenation or service is threatened.

It is our belief at Peoples Daily thatthe reason for the spate of abuses oninnocent civilians on these shores isbecause the culprits almost always goscot-free with not so much as a pat onthe wrist. If anything, their superiorsalways rush to their defence byexplaining away the not infrequentabuses, often fatal, on innocentcivilians, as acts of self-defence evenwhen the victim is unarmed. Too, not afew of these criminally-minded peoplein uniform somehow found themselvesin a service whose raison d'être is to ridthe society of their ilk. Many of them,we sadly observe, seem only in theirelement when brutalizing unarmedinnocent citizens, even when some ofthem shamelessly shed their uniformto walk the streets for fear of BokoHaram members.

We are also saddened by the silenceof the police leadership over thisincident, because it does not rhymewith Acting Inspector General M.D.Abubakar's initial tough talk about nottolerating bad eggs in the force. It is notenough to claim that the authoritieshave acted; they must be seen to haveacted appropriately. With its silenceover this heinous crime against aninnocent citizen, the message thepolice hierarchy is sending is that; inthe service, it is still business as usual,despite the IG's tough talk onassumption of office.

OUR MISSIONOUR MISSIONOUR MISSIONOUR MISSIONOUR MISSION OUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLECHAIRMAN

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ALI M. ALI

GM PUBLICATIONS

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MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION

HASSAN HAMMANYAJI

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ACTING EDITOR, WEEKEND

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HEAD, ADVERT/MARKETING

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By Engr. A. S. Idris Sovereign National Conference: The onlyviable option left for a strong, united NigeriaIt was the legendary Alexander

the Great ( 355BC = 322BC ),who declared on assumption of

kingship, after the murder of hisfather, that "the dream of the Greekfor the conquest of the world wasvery much alive and that the onlything that had changed was thename of the King! "Nigeria today isat the cross-roads. Many of itscitizens today believe that theproblem of the country has to dowith the name of the king.President Jonathan has spent lessthan one year in office out of hisfirst term of 4 years, yet his south-south pressure groups havedeclared that there will be novacancy in the presidency in 2015.Manypoliticians of northernextraction are promising fire andbrimstone if power does not returnto the north in 2015. The stage isbeing set for a competition thatwould be unhealthyandunnecessary.

The truth is that what Nigeria

needs either now or in 2015 is aleader who can solve itsmultifarious problems and set it onthe path of sustainable growth anddevelopment. If PresidentJonathan can do this, he willsurely elicit the support of theentire country and not only hat ofhis native south - south.

Nigeria's developmentalproblems are known to most of itscitizens and a large section of theinternational community.Presently the major problemsinclude-poor security situation,inadequate utility supply, poorstate of infrastructure, irregularpayments of salaries, wages,gratuities and pensions; non-implementation of most of theagreements between governmentand organized private sector andnon-settlement of huge debts owedto contractors and consultants.

Any Nigerian leader that cantackle these aforementionedproblems headlong would succeedin drastically reducing the levelsof insecurity, corruption,unemployment, electoralmalpractices, ghost workersyndrome, recurrent expenditure,contract inflation and wastefulpublic sector expenditure. Therewould simply be no idle funds tosteal or to misapply to circumventthe system.

The system operating inNigeria today consists of a powerfulcabal that holds the presidencyhostage, a strong executive arm ofgovernment, a weak legislatureand a weak judiciary. Under sucha system change becomesimpossible or slow and the countrycontinues with its downward slide.

It is this sad state of affairs thatmakes the idea of a Sovereign

National Conference (SNC)attractive and indeed inevitable.It should be convened. Themodalities could be worked out andthe earlier the better. The onlysettled issue in Nigeria has alwaysbeen the unity of the country.There hasn't been any seriousagitation for the break up of thecountry since the end of the civilwar in 1970.

A Sovereign NationalConference, if held will be capableof giving Nigeria a newConstitution that enshrines thetrue separation of powers by givingcomplete independence to thelegislature and the judiciary. TheSNC could also settle the vexedissue of revenue sharing formula.In the first Republic it was based on50% derivation. It served thecountry well. If the formula is re-introduced, it will serve Nigeria

Budget 2012: What’s in it for SMEs? (II)Also of interest to SMEs and

provided for in the budget are:• The provisions of tax rebates

for companies that create jobs,which will serve as incentive to hirefor companies that are in need ofexperienced hands, but until nowlacked the motivation to hire.

• The drive to encourageutilisation of locally producedcommodities by introduction of afiscal policy.

• A proposed review of the much-debated Petroleum Industry Bill(PIB) and a passing of the bill intolaw in 2012 should be beneficial toSMEs in the petroleum sector.

b) Inhibited access to moneyand the capital markets

There appears to be an attemptto minimise issues relating toinhibited access to money and thecapital markets, but sadly only forthe agric sector where governmentis guaranteeing 70 per cent of theprincipal of all loans made for thesupply of seeds and fertiliser by theprivate sector. The government willalso subsidise agricultural loans,bringing it down from 15 per centto 7 per cent. In addition,Agricultural equipments get zeroduty from January 31, 2012; a banon importation of cassava flour willtake off late January or after thebudget is signed into law and theduty on polished rice will bereviewed upwards to 50 per cent inJanuary and further up to 100 percent by December 2012. Though itis expected that the price increaseresulting from the reviewed dutywill impact positively on localproduction, the fact remains thatlocal production, as it stands, cannotmeet the country’s demand. All thesame, the protectionist policies,which also affects wheat—50 percent duty from January—wouldexpectedly create manyopportunities for agriculture basedSMEs, as would the zero duty onagricultural equipments and theagriculture loan schemes.

Perhaps in line with thethematic leaning of the budget, thegovernment appears to be very keenin revamping this much-neglected

sector.c) Poor infrastructural

facilitiesWith 72 per cent of the budget

committed to recurrentexpenditure and infrastructuredevelopment predicated on removalof the contentious petroleumsubsidy, the issue of infrastructuremay well remain a nagging one,with unfavourable impact on SMEs.

The allocation of N161.4 Billionto the power sector, about 3.4 percent of total expenditure, indicatesthat the government is serious in itsbid to deregulate the power sectorand is not inclined to invest in hardpower sector infrastructure. Howthis impacts on power productionand distribution is another aspectthat is open to speculation. However,if the worst happens and the powerproduction drops lower than thelevel it is at present, SMEs, many ofwhich depend on electricity to forproduction, would feel the pinch.

Inflation and Removal offuel subsidy

One of several fallouts of theremoval of petroleum subsidy is theexpected rise in inflatioan across thecountry. Though the governmentindicates that it will keep theinflation at 9.5 per cent, it did notoutline how it would do this, in viewof the expansive fiscal policy thatwill surely impact the Naira’sexchange rate and the removal ofsubsidy on fuel.

The issue of fuel subsidy is a verycontentious one and the impact onSMEs will be enormous. Already wehave touched on power generationand distribution, and the fact thatthe government, going by thebudgetary allocation to that sector,does not intend to provide themassive investment needed torevamp and modernise that sector.With this in mind, it would not befarfetched to say that the operationalenvironment for SMEs will benegatively impacted as the cost ofgenerating electricity from petrol-powered generators to runbusinesses will shoot up significantly,thereby pushing up cost ofproduction of goods and services.

In addition, the effect of thesubsidy removal will go beyond

increased electricity cost and itsattendant impact on cost ofproduction. Goods and services thatwould see price increases includeagriculture produce, clothing,transport, housing, as well as utilitycosts, thereby putting pressure onemployers as employees begin topress for salary reviews based onthe prevailing economic climate.

While some percentage of theexpected price increase will be as adirect result of the percentageincrease in fuel price, inflationarytrends would surely account for alarge percentage. Perhaps, if thegovernment phases the removal ofthe petrol subsidy the percentageincrease in inflation would be bettercontrolled and the figures stated inthe budget would be more realistic.

Already, with the partialremoval of fuel subsidy in effectbusiness owners have started feelingthe impact of the inflation that mayprevail throughout the year.

“It goes beyond the expectedincrease in cost of production as aresult of higher fuel prices.Transport costs have doubled andthe cost of goods and services havefollowed in their wake. As such, Iam more particular about thepsychological effect on people andhow this will affect productivity,”says Mr Chris Okafor, technicaldirector or Briscoe Technologies.

For Ageless Aoko, proprietor ofAgeless Physiotherapy Clinic, thefear, and anger, was morepalpable, “everything is gonna goup. I don’t understand their(government) calculations. Youdon’t make such decisions at thistime if your aim is to fight inflation,because the market will respondwith high prices that only serve toincrease inflation,” Mr Aoko said.

Support for research anddevelopment

Although the agricultural sectorand bakeries received priorityattention in the 2012 budget, theMinistry of Science and Technologyand the CommunicationsTechnology Sector got N30.84Billion and N18.31 Billionrespectively. It is a tale ofdiminishing allocations as both theCommunications Technology sector

and the Ministry of Science andTechnology saw their allocationsslashed by N12.08 Billion andN17.89 Billion respectively.

These sums, apparently“paltry” when compared to theN921.91 Billion allocated tosecurity, does not constitute greatnews for ICT based SMEs that wouldhave benefited more from a biggerallocation. This meagre allocationwill greatly hamper SMEs in theresearch and development sectorand Nigeria’s hope to become aglobal player in the ICT sector—something for which Kenya isgetting some renown.

Clearly, the 2012 budget doesnot indicate any conscious effort bygovernment to take the hugepotentials in the ICT and softwaremarket serious enough to warrantample budgetary allocation to it. Itis noteworthy that rather thangrowing, the budgetary allocationto National InformationDevelopment Agency (NITDA) hasdropped drastically in the last twoyears. It is not known if this will bethe case this year, but theprognostics are not bright for theindustry whose worth the Directorof the NITDA, Cleopas Angaye, putat US$6 Billion in June 2010.

Going forwardAs stated before, the 2012

budget does not include any sectorspecific allocation for the SMEsector. While many industryinsiders would have preferred asituation where SMEs would getpriority attention, especially as jobcreation is one of the key themes ofthe budget. This does not howevermean that the sector is missing outentirely, at least agriculture basedSMEs are not. The point might bemade that the expected positiveoutlook of provision of tax breaks fororganisations that create jobs wouldalso benefit SMEs, how this will beworked out is vague andorganisations would have to waitfor the passage of the budget andactual implementation to find out.

All over the developing world,SMEs are the major engines ofgrowth and Nigeria should not bean exception. There is need forgovernment to address the

constraints facing SMEs in Nigeria.Financing SME growthTo ensure the success of the

millennium development goals ofthe Federal Government, thefollowing aspects that would pushfor growth within the sector mustbe looked into:

• Prioritise the SME sector andextend sector specific budgetaryallocations to the SMEs

• Ensure easy access toinvestment loans and providedloan schemes similar to thoseextended to the agricultural sectorin the 2012 budget to SMEs

• Provide special interest rate forSMEs

• Government guarantee of upto 50 per cent of start up loans forSMEs

• Create a policy that mandatesbanks to have at least a 10 per centportfolio for SMEs

These steps are not farfetchedas they are in consonance with whatis obtainable in other developingnations with priority policiesregarding SMEs and It is timeNigeria adopts global best practicesthat have been tested and provento be viable in similar demography.

SURE-P, additionalprospects for SMEs

Against the backdrop ofexpected negative fallout of theremoval of fuel subsidy, the Nigeriagovernment launched SubsidyReinvestment and EmpowermentProgramme (SURE-P), which isexpected to channel subsidy savingsto infrastructure development andother key areas. According to thegovernment, the aim of SURE-P isto not only alleviate any hardshipthat might be inflicted on the massesby the removal of fuel subsidy, butalso ensure that the mistakes madein the past are not repeated. ForSMEs, SURE-P appears to toe alsothe leaning of the 2012 budget bynot recognising the need toempower SMEs specifically.However, like with the budget,SURE-P, which is foreseen as a 3-4year program, offers opportunitiesfor sector specific SMEs.Fred can be reached throughfrednwonwu.blogspot.com

Concluded

By Fred Chiagozie Nwonwu

even better now; by-fizzling out allagitations for more States andLGAs, diversifying the economy byforcing non--oil producing States torevamp their neglected revenueyielding sectors (by forging strongpartnerships with genuineinvestors and businessmen); andincrease the level of productivityin the country by stimulatingeconomic activities in all the 36States instead ofthe currentindolence caused by over-relianceon monthly handouts from theFederation Accounts AllocationCommittee (FAAC). Based on theforegoing points, shouldn't aproperly convened SNC do Nigeriaa lot of good?Engr. A. S. IdrisManagement [email protected], Minna, NigerState.


Almajiri schools: howsincere is the government?Of recent, there is a

renewed interest in theAlmajiri systems of

Islamic scholarship in the north.Senimars, conferences andsymposia.

Conferences and symposiahave been held on the topics inwhich many scholars andanalyst proposed many differentmeasures that might possiblyhelp to address the issue. Amongthe various recommendationsproffered was the indegration ofTsangaya (Almajiri) system oflearning with the westernstructure of education. Hence,the federal government is saidto have spent more than N5bnon 35 model Almajiri schoolsestablished nationwide, sincethe project began in December2010.

Infact, president GoodluckJonathan has just inauguratedone of the federal government

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WRITE TO US

By Sabiu Abdul Taluyo

VON – FRCN re-merger: Onestep forward, two steps backward

model Almajiri school in Sokoto.This is out of the 400 Almajirischool across the 19 northernstates as approved by the federalgovernment council. Speakingat the occasion the presidentreiterated that the Almajirischool project was part of theprogram initiated by the federalgovernment to combat the pooreducation of youth in the north,which is believed to see one of thereason for security breach in theregion. He said the exercise wasin fulfillment of his promised totackle the almajiri synthrone inthe northern state.

From all indications, thisgesture looks well-meaning. Ifone considers the alarming

statistic of children who areroaming the streets begging inthe name of Quaranic education.

According to statistics by theArewa Youth mobilization, anon-governmental organizationabout 30 per cent of northernNigeria youths are streetbeggars. The NGO’s secretarygeneral, Yusuf A. Barau, said “we have conducted a researchand our statistic have shownthat over 30 per cent of northenyouth between the ages of 4 to13 are street beggars.

These youths are childrenwho do not know anything orthink for themselves.

Sabiu Abdul Jalingo isreachable on 08031322577

I have followed with keeninterest news emerging fromor generated by the work of

the Steve Oronsanye-ledPresidential Committee onRestructuring and Rationalisationof Federal Governmentparastatals and agencies. It has,for instance, been reported thatthe committee is recommendinga merger of the NationalBroadcasting Commission (NBC)and the NigerianCommunications Commission(NCC), as well as the Federal RadioCorporation of Nigeria (FRCN)and Voice of Nigeria (VON). Thecommittee’s denial that it hasmade such recommendations hasnot doused the debate on the meritor otherwise of such mergers.

In fact, the debate has drawnin two former Chief ExecutiveOfficers of FRCN and VON – EddieIroh and Taiwo Allimi. For obviousreasons, many stakeholders inbroadcasting have urged me toadd my voice to the debate (as if itwill sway government eitherway.)

This is not the first time amerger (I think re-merger shouldbe more appropriate because VONwas part of FRCN) of VON andFRCN has been touted and it willnot be the last. As I write this pieceI find myself humming that oldReggae song by Max Romeo: “Onestep forward, two stepsbackward.” For all you know, ifthe merger goes ahead this time,there will be agitation fordemerger under a differentadministration. Decisions such asthis in Nigeria are usually notguided by enduring principles butby whims and caprices. Thatexplains why, for example, theministry of Information soonbecomes Ministry of Informationand Culture, Ministry ofInformation and Sports, Ministryof Information and NationalOrientation, Ministry of

Information andCommunications, and back tosimply Ministry of Information!

The comments I make here onthe question: should VON andFRCN be re-merged, are informedby my service experience in thetwo organizations. I was in theNigerian BroadcastingCorporation (which later becameFRCN) when VON was theExternal Service of Radio Nigeria,that is an arm or a department ofFRCN until 1990 when it wasexcised from FRCN and grantedautonomy. I was a pioneer staffmember of the new andautonomous VON and returnedto FRCN in 2006 from where Iretired from public service in2008. This brief introduction isnecessary to dispel any suspicionof partisanship on my part. And Imust add that neither FRCN norVON pays my pension; I am underthe new (contributory) pensionscheme. I therefore owe none ofthem any obligation to canvassor promote their viewpoint on thisissue.

As I have already stated, VONat inception in1961 was theExternal Service of Radio Nigeria(the on-air name of NBC/FRCN).Initially, its service was limitedin terms of reach andprogramming but this wasgradually expanded. By the early1980s VONs signal had extendedbeyond West Africa to cover theworld. But its success graph soonbegan to decline and by 1990Nigeria’s voice was virtuallymuted.

Even in its bright and boomingdays, the External Service wasmore or less a programmesdepartment. The station had nonews unit of its own; its newsbulletins were compiled byjournalists of the Home Service.This was a structural missing linkwhose did not help the cause ofexternal broadcasting. Newsbulletins broadcast on theExternal Service were compiled

by staff of the National NewsDepartment assigned on a weeklybasis to the “External Desk.” The“External Desk” in the Newsroomwas considered a “Siberia” of sortsand invariably most of thosedeployed to that desk were thosewhose competence was in doubt.Often they simply re-typed newsstories lifted from the NationalNews bulletins for the ExternalService news; re-writing wasscarcely done.

This situation changed whenVON gained autonomy in 1990;a news directorate was createdalongside the programmesdirectorate, and the journalistshave imbibed the external newswriting style and orientation.

It must also be noted that themanagement of FRCNconcentrated supervisory andprofessional attention on the“Home Service” through whichgovernment evaluated thestation’s performance since thesignal of the External Servicecould only be accessed outside thecountry easily. It was no surprisetherefore that by the mid-1980sthe External Service was inserious distress from years ofneglect. By the end of that decade,it had gone off-air as itstransmitters had collapsed oneafter the other.

It was against this backgroundthat the military regime ofGeneral Ibrahim Babangida in1990 decided to excise VON fromFRCN and grant it autonomy. Thenew VON was given the power “tothe exclusion of any otherbroadcasting authority or any otherbody in Nigeria” to broadcast“externally by radio, Nigeria’sviewpoint to any part of theworld.” It was given the specificduty to “promote Nigeria’s foreignpolicy and image” through itsnews and programmes.

VON has since grown from theneglected girl-child that it seemedto be under FRCN to a matured,full blown station, discharging its

functions as an internationalbroadcaster with greater focusand dedication. Its news andprogrammes are written andpackaged for audiences outsideNigeria, with its transmitters (itrecently installed a state-of-the-art transmission facility at Lugbein Abuja, directed towardstargeted regions of the world. Howwould a re-merger with FRCNaffect the tremendous progressthat has been recorded in FRCNsince 1990 and VON in its 21years of autonomy? Are there newand compelling reasons to revokethe autonomy granted VON in1990?

The main reason forempanelling the SteveOronsanye-led PresidentialCommittee on Restructuring andRationalisation of FederalGovernment parastatals andagencies as stated by governmentis the perceived duplication in thefunctions of some of the agenciesand the need to save cost ofrunning government. It hasnothing to do with theperformance or the lack of it bythe agencies. True, VON andFRCN are engaged inbroadcasting, but they havedifferent mandates andconstituencies. While FRCN is adomestic broadcaster, VON is anexternal broadcaster, just as wehave the Ministry of InternalAffairs and the Ministry of ForeignAffairs. How rational would amerger of the two ministries beeven in the face of scarce funds?

I admit that recenttechnological developments in themedia industry have tended toeliminate the dichotomy betweenexternal and domesticbroadcasting. The digitaltechnology especially has knockeddown the barrier such that an FMstation can be received anywherein the world via live streamingon the World Wide Web. In fact, atleast four of FRCNs FM stations areon the web just like many other

such stations in the country. Inthis regard, the uninitiated couldconclude that VON has becomeirrelevant. But this will be wrongbecause in content and language,these FM stations still address theirdomestic audiences regardless ofthe fact that the internet hasgiven them the potential forwider/international broadcastreach.

Our contention is that becausethe mandate of VON – to promoteNigeria’s foreign policy and image- remains germane VON as anorganisation remains relevant. Ihad canvassed elsewhere thatVON is under the wrongsupervising ministry. Thefunctions assigned to VON by thelaw establishing it place thestation within the foreign policyimplementation community butcuriously it has been under thesupervision of the domestic-focused ministry of Information.Apart from this disconnect fromits proper environment, VONunder the Ministry of Informationhas had to deal with the problemof domestic application ofinternational news by itsjournalists compounded by seniorministry officials who fail tounderstand or recognise thedistinction between VON as anexternal broadcaster and FRCN asits domestic counterpart.

The current restructuringexercise by the FederalGovernment should be anopportunity to place VON whereit belongs – the Ministry of ForeignAffairs. There it will have theregular background briefings andinformation it needs to enhancethe pursuit of its mandate ofpromoting Nigeria’s foreignpolicy and image. VON as part ofthe Foreign Affairs Ministry willbe better placed to carry out itsmandate of promoting Nigeria’sforeign policy and image.

Ben Egbuna Is thePublisher/Editor in Chief ofDigicast Magazine

By Ben Egbuna


Third best GDP growth versuszero jobs - daring our sensibilitiesThe Nigerian government

and the two Washingtonfinancial institutions (The

World Bank and the IMF)projected 7% (seven percent)GDP growth for Nigeria lastyear; this growth, however, wasto have zero job creation inattendant; we are talking aboutthe world 7th largest oilexporting nation here. Toforeclose irritating questions tothe authorities on what thatmeans, it was explained that itdoes not have to translate to jobcreation. They seem to dare oursensibilities. The report we gotlast week, true to predictions, wasthat the Nigerian economyactually grew by 6.8% last year;very close. Thanks largely to theprice of oil - the only tangiblecontribution to that economicgrowth. The Nigeriangovernment, however, beat itschest last week for a credit thatit does not deserve. That is verydeceitful; unless we are trying tore-invent economic wheel.Maybe we are intoxicated withdrinking too much oil.

Gross domestic product isdefined as the total value ofgoods produced and servicesprovided in a country duringone year. Oil still remains over96% of Nigeria’s externalearnings, and maybe slightlyless than 86% of the goodsproduced within Nigeria indollar term. Other non-oilexports was only $2.765 billion,about 4%. The remaining 14%of production will account forother goods produced and theepileptic, substandard, servicesprovided. This means, the

productivity of you and I,outside the oil sector, is less than15%, in spite of our daily 8 to 5hustle and bustle; and we surereally hustled. This calls forgreat concern, especially whenthe country dreams ofbecoming one of the twentylargest economies in 2020.What is there to celebrate, whenthere is no light, no road, no rail,no water, no security, nohospital, no quality education,and above all no jobs?

I agree that Nigeria has thepotential, because the resources(manpower and wherewithal)are there abundantly. What islacking is the political will to dothe right things. This is notabout removing subsidies toprovide palliatives, withoutwhich we are told these thingsshould not be expected; it isabout redirecting resources.Nigeria does not have to go andborrow, as our experts believe;nature has lent us enoughthrough vast oil reserves, goodweather, fertile land, and largepopulation. However, thecountry’s leadership does notseem to believe that Nigeria canmake it; otherwise they will notbe stealing what is needed tomultiply the country’s wealth.Even if they must steal, whycan’t they wait for the country’sexternal annual earnings togrow to over $300 billion,instead of the paltry $65 billionthat is mostly from oil? Theycould then steal as much as theycould and the people might notnotice.

For Nigeria to move forwardeconomically, it needs reformsin tax system and the insuranceindustry; as well as a revisit to

the exchange rate mechanism.However, my son, an economicspostgraduate at BrandeisUniversity, Massachusetts,argues that the warped exchangerate is caused by the distortionin the market forces, which caneasily be addressed by effectivetax reform. He believes that theforces at play at the forex marketare excess naira liquidity thatgovernment ought to havemopped up by taxing the richadequately. Those willing to buyforex with a lot of naira canafford to do so because they aregrossly under taxed. An exampleis the present imbroglio betweenthe government and the Britishair carriers (British Airways andVirgin), on the overcharging ofthe rich between Lagos andNigeria; it has buttressed thearguments that the rich inNigeria are embarrassinglyunder taxed. It is why the richpeople pay those exorbitant farewithout batting an eye. Thatexcess money ought to have beenmopped up by government bytaxing them. The foreign airlinesare only cashing in on the defectsin our tax system that producesexcess liquidity. This is thebiblical “seeing the speck inother people’s eyes and notnoticing the log in our eyes.”

Nigeria’s tax issue are allrhetorics. The NationalAssembly ought to sponsor andpass a Tax Bill urgently to givethe exercise the force of law. InAmerica, you cannot dodgeUncle Sam (not paying tax)without consequences. If we don’tfix tax, there will be damagingeconomic consequences. Take, forinstance, the issue of fuel subsidyremoval - a waist of time and ill-

conceived exercise. I havealways suspected the motives ofour so called experts. Fix the taxand the phantom subsidyremoval will disappear.President Jonathan can stillredeem the strained people’saffection of him by going full-force after tax dodgers,particularly the rich (earned orstolen wealth) in our midst. It istheir potential tax that willcreate good road, rail, light, jobs,etc. Jonathan can still be theRobin-Hood of our time. RobinHood, however, had shoes, whileJonathan did not; our Presidentnow has several pairs. Jonathanshould Just Do It - the slogan ofone of his many acquiredbrands.

Apart from tax, the other keyarea is the insurance industry.In capitalism, there is this thingcalled the cost of borrowing otherpeople’s money. It is a functionof supply and demand; it can,however, be tempered bygovernment interventionthrough legislation. Banks’business is about deposits anddepositors dictate the cost ofborrowing. In Nigeria today,individuals are the largestdepositors in our banks, and theydictate the interest rates. Thatsituation can be reversed, bymaking the insurance industrythe largest depositors inNigerian banks throughlegislation. Every government’sduty is to protect the interest ofeverybody; and for that reason,government makes itimperative for its citizens to takeinsurance on their economicactivities in order to protect thethird party (other people).Insurance serves as economic

security for individuals also. Theeconomic benefit to the nation isthe premiums (little drops ofwater) that become the largestdeposits (oceans); and soon dwarfthe deposits of individuals inbanks. With that, governmentwould have, by legislation,created a pool for governmentand the people to borrow from atlower interest rates; and it willstill have control over the rates.

What I reiterated above arethe basics of economics that wewittingly or unwittinglyignored, which our experts haveturned into a puzzle; or maybedeliberately frustrating us. Theproposed tax bill will have to takecognisant of our level ofcorruption and should prescribethe stiffest penalty to taxcollectors, as deterrent tocollusion with tax evaders.There is no running away fromthese two fundamentals ofeconomics. It by shying awaythat we got into our miserableposition in the first place. TheIMF and the World Bank hadadvised same in the early 1980s,but has been on the shelf for solong. The initial success of thedevaluation of the nairadeceived Nigeria. With thegovernment awash with somuch of ever depreciating naira,we thought we had invented aneconomic master piece; then,suddenly, corruption loomed tosome unbelievable dimension;we then got stuck in the mud.Unless we go back to brass tags,by running government largelyon tax; oil dependency doomsdaymaybe in the offing. Sanusi alsowarned.Samuel Akinyele Caulcrickwrote in from Lagos.

By Samuel Akinyele Caulcrick

Journalists’ brushes with Nigerian judges (I)

The practitioners of the penprofession or mediaworkers in Nigeria are

usually addressed in the fancifultitle of members of the fourthEstate of the Realm to depict thesymbolic essence of the functionsof the workers in the mediahouses of both electronic andprint who gather anddisseminate factual storiesobjectively in compliance withthe time tested ethical code ofbalance, truth and therealization by the practitionersthat NEWS is sacred but personalopinion of writers are free.Journalists occupy the positionof those who watches over themembers of the other three estateof the realm namely theexecutive, judiciary and thelegislature. Because of thislegendary supervisory power ofthe media the practitioners werecalled the WATCH DOGS of thesociety because like the goodvigilant DOG, the journalists areexpected to be vigilant and

actively awake to their sacredduty of reporting accurate andtruthful information that willinform, educate and entertainthe citizens.

With the coming to being ofthe 1999 Constitution and theemergence of the democraticdispensation, the mediaworkers have occupied a verystrategic position in thehierarchy of those professionalsthat are expected tomeaningfully monitor theactivities of the actors in thepolitical and economic fieldsessentially and report theirfactual findings to the readingpublic made up principally bythe citizenry who are the trueowners of the Sovereignty ofNigeria from where those inposition of political power andauthority derive theirlegitimacy and mandate togovern the polity in compliancewith extant provisions of thelaw. The framers of theconstitution of 1999 were wellaware of the key role the mediaworkers play in preserving the

integrity of the nation’ssovereignty so much so that themedia was singled out forspecific mention in the supremebody of law and told primarilyin section 22 to act as thenation’s conscience and the realvanguards of the nation thatshould monitor and ensure thatthose in position of authority inthe polity serve the publicinterest and public good in strictcompliance with the tenets,letters and spirit of theconstitution and other validlypassed laws and statutes in theFederal Republic of Nigeria.

Opinions are unanimous thatthe media in Nigeria has to alarge extent continued todischarge this onerousconstitutional task enshrined inthe constitution and mediaowners, media managers andmedia workers are constantlyput on their toes by the generalpublic and constantly remindedof their sacred duty to the peopleof Nigeria even as those membersof the media that detract ordeviate from the fundamental

ethics that govern the practiceof the media profession aredragged before the relevantorgans and ombudsmen orrather institutions set up toprovide remedial redress for actsof omission or commission thatoffends the ethics of the mediaprofession in Nigeria and medialaws in Nigeria are so explicit inthat journalists who willfullyviolate the sacred code ofconduct and the media ethics by‘wounding’ or offending thepublic standing of anyindividual member of the societywithout sufficient factualevidence are brought before thecompetent courts of law to facejudicial proceedings that borderon libel or slander. Individualswho have in the recent recordedhistory especially in thecontemporary times in Nigeriafelt that their good names andimage have been tainted ordamaged irretrievably bycertain publications theyviewed as untrue or outrightfalsehood have had to file andproceeded with judicial cases

against journalists and mediamanagers that are so indictedand in most of the cases, thejudiciary have turned indecisions either in favor oragainst the plaintiffs or theaccused.

There are several decidedcases on matters of libel andother alleged violations of medialaws that are in operation inNigeria but this is not the focusof this piece and so we will notdelve into citing thoseauthorities from the decidedcases that have had to be takento the highest court in Nigeriawhich is the Supreme Court ofNigeria.The late legal expertChief Gani Fawehinmi[SAN] dida very excellent work bydocumenting detailed evidenceof some of these landmark mediarelated cases that stretched uptothe Supreme Court of Nigeria inthe past five decades or so.

Emmanuel Onwubiko isthe Head, Human RightsWriters’ Association ofNigeria writes fromwww.huriwa.blogspot.com.

By Emmanuel Onwubiko


Applicant attempts suicideat FCTA secretariat

Dear readers, Metrowelcomes humaninterest stories in yourneighbourhood. Pleasecall or send SMS to08065327178 or [email protected] to inform us abouthappenings in yourarea. Share yourexperiences or those ofyour friends andneighbours with fellowreaders.

Rescue team led by men of the Civil Defence Corps attempting to bring down the man

Barely one month after oneMusa Inuah Dalhatuclimbed a telecom mast

located within the Federal HighCourt Headquarters in Abuja,attempting to commit suicide,an unemployed manDarlington Uzowuru,yesterday, embarked on asimilar suicide mission at theFederal Capital TerritoryAdministration (FCTA)secretariat at Area 11 in Garki.

Dalhatu had climbed atelecom mast located within thecourt, saying he would commit

suicide unless the Chief Judgeinvoked his powers and compelsformer Vice President AtikuAbubakar, who he had alleged,own him N15 million to payhim the debt.

This latest episode, whichoccurred at about 10 amyesterday, within the FCTAsecretariat, resulted to panicfrom staff of the administrationwhen the man, who appearedto be in his late thirties, wassighted atop the mask.

Eye witness account has itthat Uzowuru, gained accessinto the secretariat and climbedto the top of the mast as he

threatened to kill himself overthe refusal of the FCTadministration to employ himafter several applications.

Narrating the drama tojournalists, a security guardattached to the secretariat said:"We told him that he will haveto wait till 2 pm before he cango in because he is not a staffmember but he showed us somedocuments, saying he appliedfor a job and had been invitedfor an interview and that waswhy we let him in".

Uzowuru, claimed to haveapplied to six differentdepartments of the

administration for a job but wasnot considered for any positiondespite his qualification.

The security man, whopleaded anonymity, saidofficials gathered at the foot ofthe mast, pleading with him tocome down, assuring him thathis complaints would beattended to no avail.

According to him, it took acombined effort of the police,Vehicle Inspection Officers andother private guards at thesecretariat, who had to climbthe, to bring him down.

He was said to have beentaken to the FCDA police postafterwards, where he wasdetained for interrogation.

When contacted, the ChiefPress Secretary to the FCTMinister, Muhammad HazatSule denied knowledge of theincident.

It could be recalled that therecently releasedunemployment rate figures inNigeria reeled out by theNational Bureau of Statisticsput the figure at 23.9 %.

However, a lot of Nigerianshave expressed doubt over theveracity of the actual figure,given the fact that there is notangible system of datagathering in the country.

Critics have pointed out thatthe true and accurate figureshould be higher but that theFederal Governmentdeliberately suppresses theactual figure because of politicalreasons.

Meanwhile the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN) reports thatthousands of applicants havebesieged the Federal CivilService Commission in Abujadaily in search of jobs.

NAN reported that theActing Chairman of thecommission, Dr. AkpamaMbang saying it has beenmandated by the Presidency toemploy 984 applicants annuallyfor the next five years.

According to him, theministry requested forgraduates from the 36 states toteach mathematics, physics,biology, chemistry andgeography.

By Josephine Ellaa

The Health and HumanServices Secretariat of theFederal Capital

Territory(FCT) administrationhas threaten to de-accredithealth care service providersthat fail to provide adequatedrugs to staff of FCTadministration.

Speaking at a one-dayworkshop organised for deskofficers and health careproviders by the FCTA HealthService Scheme (FHSS), the FCTSecretary for Health andHuman Services, Dr. DemolaOnakomaiya warned that

FCTA tasks health providers on quality servicesBy Josephine Ella patients who visit the health

care providers must be attendedto promptly and treated too.

“You must ensure that ourenrollees get the right andadequate drugs in a wellequipped and standard hospital.Failure may lead to de-accreditation of such providers,”he warned.

He explained that theworkshop was aimed at givingstakeholders the opportunity torub minds on the activities ofFHSS with a view to smoothengrey areas since the schemebecame operational in 2009.

Dr. Onakomaiya stated thatthe FHSS was in fulfillment of

the presidential mandate toachieve universal healthcoverage to all Nigerians by2015.

He pointed out that the deskofficers were expected to serve asan eye for the FCT secretariats,departments and agencies(SDAs), being well versed intheir activities.

He added that they wereequally expected “to take fullresponsibility as well asinforming the FHSS about allenrollees and such other mattersthat may require attention fromtime to time, giving detailedinformation about eachactivity”.

While commending HealthManagement, Organisations(HMOs) for their supportstowards ensuring the success ofthe scheme, the secretaryassured them that capitationwould be reviewed and paidpromptly as prepayment.

In a remark, the ProjectDirector, Dr. Grace Aganaba,while highlighting theimportance of desk officers to theFCT Health Insurance Scheme,emphasised that they were thepriority and partners in progressof the scheme as they wouldanchor the enrolment andhandle information flow withrespective SDAs.

The Abuja EnvironmentalProtection Board (AEPB)has called on the Federal

Housing Authority (FHA) tocollaborate with it to set up acommittee to tackleenvironmental problems in thecity.

Mr Isah Shuaibu, the Directorof AEPB, made the call onThursday in Abuja when he paida courtesy call on Mr TerverGemade, the Managing Directorof FHA.

Shuaibu said the job ofkeeping Abuja clean would beeasier if the two organisations joinhands to tackle the problem ofwaste being generated daily byresidents of the city.

He said the illegal occupationof some districts of Abuja byvillagers, especially theGwarinpa District, hadcontributed to the poor sanitarycondition of the District.

He said that Gwarinpa wasnot properly planned and thatvillagers living in the districtdispose their wasteindiscriminately, therebymaking it difficult for officials ofthe AEPB to evacuate the waste.

``It is much easier to managewaste in an environment that isproperly planned.

``It is part of the mandate ofthe board to ensure that allmatters relating to housing areproperly addressed, includingpost-development management,which is very critical.''

Shuaibu said that 75 per centof the residents of Gwarinpa hadno waste collection bins, whileabout 98 per cent of those whohave were not paying their wastecollection bills

He said that henceforth itwould no longer be business asusual, and that the board wouldtake appropriate measuresagainst defaulters.

Responding, Gemade pledgedto support the AEPB in its effortsto keep Abuja clean, anddescribed the proposedcommittee on environment as awelcome idea.

“If you plan well, you canmanage well and if you don'tplan, that becomes a problem" hesaid. (NAN)

Board to setup committeeto tackleenvironmentalproblems


A pick-up van conveying some building materials along Sabon Lugbe, Abuja. A gulf Sedan car carrying sleeping foams atop its roof along Gosa road, Abuja

Frying beans cake at Aco Estate, Lugbe, Abuja yesterday.Mobile Tailor at work in Lugbe in the outskirts of Abuja

Preparing yam floor for food atLugbe village in Abuja

PHOTOS BY JOE OROYE

FCT fishing festival:Setting agenda fornext edition

The Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT)administration is

cognisant of the huge benefitthat could be derived fromtapping the abundantnatural resources deposits inthe territory. This informedthe staging of the maidenedition of the FCT fishingfestival in 2005, which asidethe tourism potentials,would encourage fishermento increase fish production.

Sequel to the approval ofthe festival by the then FCTMinister, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai, the Yankara Reservoirin Yaba, Abaji Area Councilwas chosen as thepermanent fishing festivalsite for the FCT.

The administration'schoice of the site is notunconnected with itsbeautiful lush greenscenery with slow waterflow which is said to be safefor ceremonial fishingexpedition.

This edition of the AbujaDiary will be runningthrough the pitfalls whichaccounted largely for theunexpected outcome of the2nd edition of the FCTfishing festival, held on April14 in the YankaraReservior, Yaba, Abaji andwhat the organisers, FCTAgriculture and RuralDevelopment Secretariatand the FCT administrationmust consider if they mustrecord success in the nextedition.

That the 2nd edition ofthe fishing festival failed tomeet up with expectationsdespite the huge fundcommitted into the project,is stating the obvious.

Not a few observersdescribed the festival as a'waste of time and resources'.This was evident in thevarious media reports bymany journalists whocovered the event.

The unfortunateoutcome of the festivalfurther backs up the adagethat 'those who fail to plan,plan to fail'. With properplanning and organisation,which was lacking in the2nd edition, no doubt, thefestival would be a successstory in the next edition.

However, theAgriculture secretariat andthe FCT administrationmust in their plans towardsthe next edition, ensure that


ABUJA DIARY

with JosephineElla

[email protected]

Man, 52, arraigned for cheatingThe Police on

Thursday arraigneda 52-year-old

b u s i n e s s m a n , A d i a f uEgby, of Aso Mararaba,,Nasarawa, for cheating.

The Policeprosecutor, Silas Napan,told the Chief Magistrates’Court that the crime wasreported to the police byone Richard Ahamefule, ofArea F Nyanya, Abuja, onApril 9.

Nanpan said thatsometime in 2011, the

accused sold 300 pieces ofsewage treatment powderto Ahamefule valued atN900, 000.

He said that after thecomplainant used thesaid powder, he discoveredthat the powder did notwork.

Nanpan added thatsince then, the accusedran away to unknowndestination, till April 9that he was seen andarrested.

According to the

Workers struggling to enter bus after a day work, yesterday, at the Federal Secretariatin Abuja. Photo Mahmud Isa

Justice Ufot Inyang,of the FederalCapital Territory

(FCT) High Court sittingin Apo has postponeddelivering of judgementin the civil suit broughtbefore it against theInspector General ofPolice (IGP) and twoothers over the allegedmurder of late Mrs. DorisOkere, in Mpape.

The judge, who hadon April 5, the firstslated date forjudgement postponedsame to yesterday due to

Mpape killing: Again,Judge shiftsjudgement to May 2

the failure of one of therespondents counsel tosubmit cited Law Reportto the court forverification, furtherdeferred the delivery ofverdict to May 2 onpersonal ground when hemet with counsels to thesuit in his chambers.

While briefingjournalists who were atthe court, Counsel for thePlaintiffs, Barrister KaluOnuoha, explained thatthe judge informed, thathe has been working onthe judgement and thatit is almost ready butwas unable to do so as he

was bereaved, and hadto travel.

“His lordshipinformed us that he willnot be ready to deliverthe judgement todaybut that by May 2,immediately after theworkers Daycelebrations, which isthe definite date whenthe judgement will bedelivered”, Onuohasaid.

It would be recalledthat the Plaintiffs hadjointly filed a N400,184,000 claims againstthree respondents inApril 27, 2011.

FCT Minister, Sen. BalaMohammed

trustworthy and committedofficials are appointed toheadship and members of therespective committees thatwould handle different aspectof the festival.

The one million questionbegging for answer after thefailure of the last edition ofthe fishing festival is; howdid the Agric secretarymanage the N21m that wasbudgeted for the festival?

In view of the fact thatthere was nothing at thescenery to justify that thishuge amount of money wasfully committed to thefestival, there are suspicionfrom some quarters thatthe fund might have beenmisappropriated.

Participants capitalisedon the absence ofcoordination, whichreflected in all thecompetitions featured at theevent and the grand fishingexpedition as well to playfast ones on the judges.

This was responsible forthe confusion, cheatingsand unruly behaviours bycontestants at the event,since there were no rules forthe competition, resultingin fights, and leaving someparticipants with injuries.

Organizers shouldtherefore; set the rules forthe competitions and mostimportantly, the grandfishing expedition, ratherthan introducing new rulesor changing rules duringthe game as witnessed in thelast edition of the fishingfestival.

The professionalfishermen, whoparticipated in thecompetition failed to net infish deserving of the event.

The biggest catch of the daywas according to the judgesassessment weighed in at amiserable 4kg.

Outside this, what othercontestants were able tocome up with were mostly,fingerlings. These leftspectators wondering whatwent wrong.

Contestants attributedthis development to thetiming of the fishingcompetition pointing outthat the best time for fishingwas during the morninghours or evening periodand not in blazing sun.

This may not be farfrom the truth because thefishing competitionactually featured in theafternoon due to the latecoming of some of theimportant dignitaries thatgraced the event.

In addition, thepossibility of the fishes goinginto hiding during theperiod could not be ruled outsince the water had beendisturbed with the initialdisplays, such as the wildduck hunt, Tulu race, Gorarace, embarked upon bycontestants before thegrand fishing competition.

For this reason, the fishcompetition should be heldat the appropriate time andwhen the water is still calm,before other displays arestaged. With this, it isbelieved that there will bebig catches for spectators totake home at a price at theend of the event.

Also, there were noadequate boats to go roundcontestants. This resulted toorganisers stepping downthe boat race when a crisisbroke out on account of this.

To forestall this kind ofsituation, the Agricsecretariat must ensure thatadequate fishing apparatusand other things needed forthe competitions areprovided for all participants.

Similarly, basic facilitieslike water, was not providedin the temporaryconvenience deployed to thevenue, there were eateries,although a segment wasmarked out for this purpose.

Many spectators andparticipants went homehungry, after spending closeto 8 hours or more at theevent as the only foodvendor, who brought in foodfor sale sold at a highlyexorbitant price that manycould not afford. Those whocould afford the food wenthome disappointed at thequality of the food whichthey described as tasteless.

To forestall a repeat ofthis anomaly in the foodsection, a professionalcaterer should be contractedby the organisers to operateBukataria on the site in thenext edition.

Stepping up the numberof participants above thenumbers which took part inthe competitions andinclusion of exhibition offarm produce and fishingequipment would make theevent more colourful

By Stanley Onyekwere

prosecutor, the offence ofcheating contravenedSection 322 of the PenalCode.

The accused, however,pleaded not guilty to thecharge.

Senior MagistrateNkamdimi Buba grantedthe accused bail in thesum of N150, 000with one surety in likesum.

Buba adjourned thecase to May 9, for hearing.(NAN)

2 docked over allegation of theft, mischief

Emmanuel Ebi, 18,and Onuegbu Israel,20, on Thursday

appeared before an AbujaMagistrates' Court on afour-count-charge of jointact, criminal trespass,attempt to commit anoffence and mischief.

Police prosecutor PhilipAppollos told the courtthat Mr Emmanuel

Kaduna of Dape Village,Abuja, reported thematter at the Life CampPolice Station, Abuja, onApril 13.

Appollos said theaccused stole a Nokia cellphone valued at N15,000from the complainant'shouse, and that duringinvestigation, the phonewas recovered from them.

He said the offenceswere contrary to Sections79, 348, 96 and 327 ofthe Penal Code, but theaccused pleaded not guiltyto the charges.

The prosecutor askedfor a date for hearing, inview of the plea, andMagistrate Habiba Belloadjourned the case toApril 23. (NAN)


Management Tip of the DayPractice being a leader

know everything. Making decisionsbased on incomplete information isa skill that every leader mustmaster. Once you've acted, askyourself: Was that the rightdecision? Could you have donesomething differently? This willget you comfortable with makingdecisions, acting upon them, and

reflecting on their outcomes.Then, learn from your

inevitable mistakes. You will buildknowledge and skills as you workup to the larger decisions withbroader consequences that all leadershave to make.Source: Harvard BusinessReview

INSIDE

Leadership is not an innatetrait that you're born with.It can be learned. The key is

to practice before you have theofficial title. Start by focusing on thechoices you make now, such as whoto put on your team or what vendorto use for your project.

Recognise that you likely don't

BUYING SELLING

CFA 0.2913 0.3113• 203.1211 04.4341£ 246.762 248.3571RIYAL 41.25 41.5167$ 154.7 155.7

CBN 17th Apr, 2012

EXCHANGE RATES

PARALLEL RATES BUYING SELLING

• 210 212£ 254 256RIYAL 40 42$ 158 159

MRS Oil 2011 pre-tax profit down

29.7 % to N2.03bn

- Pg 20

Email: [email protected] Mob: 08033644990

BBBBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESS

Flight schedule

LOS-ABJ: 07.15, 11.40, 14.00,16.30, 17.00, 17.20, 18.30

ABJ-LOS: 07.00, 09.30, 10.30,11.15, 16.15, 19.15, 19.35

ABJ-KANO: 18.40

KANO-ABJ: 08.35

ABJ-SOK (MON): 09.35

SOK-ABJ (MON): 11.35

LOS-ABJ: 06.50, 13.30, 19.45

ABU-LOS: 07.30, 13.00, 14.00, 19.00

LOS-ABJ: 07.02, 08.10, 12.06,15.30, 17.10

ABJ-LOS: 07.20, 09.36, 13.05, 14.40

LOS-ABJ: 9.45, 11.45, 2.45

IRS AIRLINES

AIR NIGERIA (MONDAY - SUNDAY)

DANA AIRLINES (MON - SUN)

AEROCONTRACTORS (MON - SUN)

ABJ-SOK (FRI): 10.10

ABJ-SOK (WED/SUN): 11.20

SOK-ABJ (FRI): 12.00

SOK-ABJ (WED/SUN): 13.20

LOS-ABJ (SUN): 12.30

LOS-ABJ (SAT): 16.45

ABU-LOS (SUN): 10.30, 14.30, 19.30

ABU-LOS (SAT): 18.30

ABJ-LOS (SAT/SUN): 13.05, 18.00

LOS-KANO: 08.10

KANO-LOS: 11.25KANO-ABUJA: 11.25

ABUJA-KANO: 10.08

ABJ-LOS: 11.30, 3.45, 4.45

LOS-KANO: 6.15LOS-KANO (SAT/SUN): 16.30KANO-LOS: 07.30KANO-LOS (SUN/SUN): 10.30

S/N BENEFICIARIES SUB-TOTAL (N)

1 FG (52.68%)States (26.72%)L/govt Councils (20.72%)Derivation (13% of Mineralrevenue-oil/gas)Value Added Tax (VAT)& Transfers 620.7 billion

FAAC allocation for the month of March 2012

L-R: An economist, Mr. Yakubu Aliu, Niger state Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), AlhajiMohammed Ali, and Director-General, NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri, during a seminar on Good Governanceand post Fuel Subsidy Appraisal by NOA, on Tuesday in Minna, Niger state.

Nigerian Stock Exchangewants oil majors to list

Foreign oil majors such asRoyal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil Corp and Chevron Corp

should have secondary sharelistings in Nigeria and planned newenergy laws could push them toagree, the stock exchange regulatorhas said.

Speaking at the Reuters Africainvestment summit, Director-General of Nigeria’s Security andExchange Commission (SEC), Ms.Arunma Oteh said 80 percent ofgovernment revenues come fromthe oil industry but it makes uponly 5 percent of the stock market.

By persuading the NiugerianNational petroleum Corporation(NNPC), and foreign oil companiesto list a portion of their jointventures the stock market wouldbetter reflect the economy forinvestors and Nigerians could havegreater ownership of oil firms.

“We’re in discussion both withNNPC as well as the oil majors as tolisting on the Nigerian StockExchange,” Oteh said in Abuja.

Although doing business inAfrica’s most populous nation isn’teasy, the country is viewed as apromising frontier market.Industrial firms and banks makeup most of Nigeria’s current stockmarket capitalisation.

Oteh said oil companies couldbe encouraged to list shares by thepending Petroleum Industry Bill(PIB), which aims to increase localparticipation among sweepingchanges. Oteh said it could focus oilfirms on when to list on theexchange.

But the has been blocked inparliament for years. Few think itwill pass this year despite PresidentGoodluck Jonathan’s order to get itget it through quickly.

Nigeria, which is Africa’sbiggest oil exporter is hoping tooverhaul its woeful electricitysupplies by privatising its powersector this year and Oteh said a planwas also needed for the listing ofpower distribution and generatingcompanies.

The government has said it willprivatise 17 companies in thesector although the plan is monthsbehind schedule and facesopposition from powerful vestedinterests in the country of 160million, where most people livewithout electric light.

“It is important to democratisethe success of these companies andwe believe power is going to bebigger than telecommunications,”Oteh said.

Nothing has demonstratedNigeria’s promise as a market morethan the success oftelecommunications companieslike South Africa’s MTN.

Oteh said she also wanted MTNand local telecommunicationscompanies such as Glo, owned byNigerian billionaire Mike Adenuga,to list on the exchange. (Reuters)

Differentials on NigerianBonny Light fell to thelowest in nearly two

years yesterday due to slowdemand for sweet barrels sinceApril.

Some traders said one or twosuezmax tankers have beenanchored off Nigeria, havingloaded crude oil earlier in April. "Demand is quite slow and someApril and May Nigerian cargoesare still not sold," a trader said.

"It has not developed intomassive floating storage yetbecause of the backwardation inthe market. But volume couldincrease."

Trafigura offered BonnyLight for May 10-11 loading atdated Brent plus $1.40 a barrel,the lowest level since late May2010.An April loading cargo ofEscravos, which had been storedat sea, had been sold to Spain,traders said. (Reuters)

Bonny light falls to near 2 year low

Air Nigeria to commenceLondon, Johannesburg flightsFrom Suleiman Idris, Lagos

Nigeria flagship airline,Air Nigeria yesterdayannounced the

commencement of itsinternational flight operationsinto London Gatwick in the UnitedKingdom and the O.R TamboInternational Airport in SouthAfrica effective May 16 and 17threspectively, with a modernAirbus A33o-200 aircraft on bothroutes.

The airline said thedevelopment is coming just as AirNigeria is currentlyimplementing a growth phasestrategy initiated by Barrister

Jimoh Ibrahim who acquired theairline two years ago.

Briefing journalist at thecooperate headquarters in Lagos,Chief Executive Officer of AirNigeria Mr. Kinfe Kahssaye said:“After the successful turn-around of the airline over the lasttwo years, the airline is now wellpositioned to compete favourablyon the international market”.

He noted that therecommencement of the long-haul flights confirms AirNigeria’s commitment to boostbusiness and tourism travelsthrough regular growth andinnovation that will meet theaspirations of the travellingpublics.

He said “Passengers will havedistinctive onboard experience onthe flights as indigenous mealsand variety of movies will beoffered as the airline is committedto delivering quality services atan affordable price.”

According to him, therecommencement of the long-haul flights mark a historicmoment for Nigerian aviation andin the West African sub-region aspassengers now have a widerarray of choice and more thanever before, and can convenientlyconnect onwards to London andJohannesburg and pointsbeyond.

The airline’s flights to Londonwill be operated from LagosMurtala MuhammedInternational Airport to theSouth Terminal of LondonGatwick Airport wherepassengers will have the ease ofconnectivity across Europe aswell as onwards to North Americawhile London bound passengerswill have excellent links toLondon, the North of England, andthe South coast.

Mr. Kahssaye also announcedthat the Board of Directors hasappointed Mr. RichardAisuebeogun as ExecutiveDirector, InternationalOperations.


U.S. govt votesN9.6bn to boostfarmers’productivity inNigeria

The United StatesGovernment has voted$60 million (about N9.6bn)

for the take-off of the second phaseof its project, targeted towardsincreasing the output of Nigerianfarmers and help themcommercialise six targetedcommodity groups.

Total to invest inpower, domesticgas development inNigeria

With its landmarkachievement inNigeria’s oil and gas

industry, which was recorded atits offshore Usan field, TotalUpstream Companies in Nigeria,has stated that it will invest morein power and participate in thedomestic gas development inNigeria.

Osun allays fearsover N60b bondproposal

Osun state Commissioner ofFinance, Budget andEconomic Development,

Dr. Wale Bolorunduro hasallayed fears of the public over aN60 billion bond proposed to besourced from the capital market.

Govt raises panel toaudit performanceof free trade zones

After many years of talkabout reforming thenation’s free trade zones,

the Federal Government hasraised a committee to review andaudit the 27 licensed free zones todetermine their effectiveness.

Fidelity earnsN70b in 2011, topay 14 kobodividend

With its earnings risingby 25 per cent fromN56 billion to N70

billion, Fidelity Bank Plc hasresolved to pay its shareholders adividend pay out of 14 kobo pershare.

Board condemnsillegal takeover ofOkitipupa Oil Palm

The management ofOkitipupa Oil Palm Plchas been taken over by

Ondo state government, theaction, which its board describedas illegal, because of the state’sminority shareholding in thecompany.

COMPANYNEWS

L-R: Ogun State Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun, first Chairman, Institute of CharteredAccountants of Nigeria, Chief Akintola Williams, and the state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun;during a visit by Chief Williams to the governor, yesterday in Abeokuta.

There’ll be shortfall in fuel subsidy – CBN

Nigeria’s 2012 budgetallocation to pay fuelsubsidies will run out

before the end of the year, riskingthe country’s economy raiding itsoil savings and borrowing more,the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)governor told Reuters.

The 2012 budget signed byPresident Goodluck Jonathan lastweek allocated 888 billion nairafor fuel subsidy payments. If this isinsufficient they will have to findmore money or stop paying, whichis unlikely given public reactionin January.

“With oil prices where they’vebeen since the beginning of the yearI’m sure that we will be exposed tothat amount long before the year

runs out,” Central Bank GovernorLamido Sanusi told the ReutersAfrica Investment Summit.

“If I was asked for advice I’dsimply say pay what you have inthe budget and simply stoppaying. (If not) They take themoney from the excess crudeaccount (or) you’ve got to borrowmoney.”

Jonathan came to power lastApril promising to tackle Nigeria’swasteful governance, and Sanusipraised the budget last month forbeing more fiscally disciplined.

Africa’s biggest crude oilexporter is supposed to savemoney over a benchmark price,which was $72 a barrel in the2012 budget, into an excess crude

account to cushion the economyagainst potential oil price shocks.

But the account has beenrepeatedly raided by politiciansand despite record high oil prices itcontained only $3.5 billion earlierthis year, down from some $20billion in 2007. It won’t last long ifsubsidy payments overshoot.

Nigeria’s total debt is about 20percent of GDP, which iscomfortable compared with otherAfrican countries, but, Sanusiargues, poor for a countrypumping as much oil as Nigeria.

Debts are rising despite high oilrevenue and economists areconcerned that borrowing isincreasingly internal, whichmeans from banks and pension

MRS Oil 2011 pre-tax profitdown 29.7 % to N2.03bn

MRS Oil, formerlyChevron, yesterdaysaid its 2011 pre-tax

profit dropped by 29.75 percentto 2.03 billion naira ($12.89million), from 2.88 billion nairain 2010.

Its turnover also fell 5.12percent to 70.95 billion naira,compared with 74.78 billionnaira in the previous year, the

company said in a statement tothe Nigerian Stock Exchange.

The company is proposing adividend of 0.70 naira payoutper share from its net profit.

Chevron Nigeria, formerlydownstream arm of unit ofChevron Corp. was taken overby MRS Oil in a deal in2010.(Reuters)

Non- oil export sector to become primecontributor to Nigeria’s economy, says NEPC

The non-oil sector is one of theexpected primecontributors to growing the

Nigerian economy to belong tothe world’s top 20 by the year2020.

This was disclosed by theExecutive Director/CEO ofNigeria Export PromotionCouncil (NEPC), David AdulugbaEsq. at a recent media interactivesession with bureau chiefs, notingthat the non-oil sector hastremendous contribution andachievement to the developmentof the country.

According to Adulugba, ifproactive activities such as theexport promotion partnershiptraining series are supported as atool to enhance human capacitybuilding programme, export willbe ready and successful withoutany hitches.

He also noted that thepromotion of services exportthrough Nollywood films willfurther enhance the penetrationof Nigeria movies in Africa andthe Promotion of commercialAgricultural DevelopmentProgramme will aim atachieving an integrated, holisticand expertise activities requisites

for moving selected products invalue chains from farm to port,as well as secure market accessand market linkages forexporters.

He also stated that in2011,Nigeria exported non-oilproducts worth 1,186,034.20metric tonnes valued at US$2,765.393 million, which gave a19.15% increase over the figureof US$ 2,320.954 millionrecorded for year,2010 and61.97% over that of year 2009,which stood at US$ 1,325 million.He however said that the figuresare however a far cry from whatit should have been, but for thehigh incidence of recorded exportwhich is a major challenge toaccurate reporting of theperformance of non-oil export inNigeria.

He noted that with an averageannual growth of 20% in the lastfive years, it is projected that theNon-oil Export from the formal;source will hit US$ 3 billion in2012 and well over USD4billio by2015.

He added that Nigeria’s non-oil export is not only growing, themarkets and products arediversifying. Noting that, twoyears ago, the country exported90 different products to 103

countries, while at present, 117products are being exported todifferent countries and is stilldominated by raw commoditieswith a few products with valueaddition.

Adulugba said there is need tostep up the value-chain, diversifyfrom commodities and empowerthe Small and MediumEnterprises (SMEs), throughentrepreneurship development asthey constitute the bulk of theactors in the non-oil export sector,adding that in future, focus will beon agro-allied industries andimprovements of packing,packaging and labeling standards.

By Muhammad Nasir

funds. If the government fails topay then other parts of theeconomy are at risk. (Reuters)

Absence ofindustrial policy,bane of Nigeria’seconomicdevelopment- Don

A South-African-basedNigerian Political-Economist, Dr. Omano

Edigheji said it will be practicallyimpossible for Nigeria to attainher desired economicdevelopment in the absence ofclear industrial policy.

Dr. Edigheji, who spoke withPeoples Daily in an exclusiveinterview that touches broaderissues, including but not limitedpolitical and social and economicdevelopment of Nigeria andAfrica continent.He referred toindustrial policy as a clear cutpolicy that gives directionalguidelines to sectoralinvestments preference.

He said it was ratherdisheartening that Nigeriawhich claims to be a leading lightof Africa continent does not havea policy on Foreign DirectInvestment (FDI) noting that its(industrial policy) remains thebane of poor economic direction.

“It’s unfortunate that Nigeriahas no industrial policy on thebasis to decide which sector totarget and such policy enableshow to engage FDIs such as MTNand other foreign investmentcoming to the country”, he said.

He said the Nigeria economyneeds urgent transformation,both in the area of humancapacity development to achievethe desired growth.

Edigheji, a consultant toNEPAD decried monetary cashreward introduced to theamnesty program for Niger-Delta militants as according suchgesture tend to fuel criminalityas a prosperous means of survival.

“I’m not against amnesty butther aspect where you introducedcash reward should bediscouraged. I’m a politicalEconomist, and I’m not awarethat exist. You don’t give peoplecash for engaging in criminalityso the program is wrongly focusedbecause it basically encouragespeople to take up arms against thestate if you want to be rewarded.”he cautioned.

By Abdulwahab Isa


Guaranty Trust BankPlc, Nigerianleading bank has

set a target to become oneof the top three mostprofitable banks in Africaby 2016.

The bank which hasbeen consistently rated asmost profitable in Nigeriagrew its profit after tax by37.32 per cent in 2011 atN52.65 billion.

The bank’s ManagingDirector/CEO, Mr SegunAgbaje told journalistsduring a presentation onits 2011 result in Lagosrecently, that the bank’sprofitability was driven bya converted effort toimprove efficiency in anincreasingly competitiveoperating environment.

With 23.03 per centcapital adequacy ratio, hesaid the bank was“adequately capitalizedfor near term expansionopportunities that mayarise.” The bank grew itsloan book in 2011 by20.64 per cent, comparedwith the previous year,while deposit also grew by35.72 per cent to N1.03trillion.

Agbaje said that as thebank continued to recordimprove results over theyears, GT Bank ensured

GT Bank targets top 3profitable banks in Africa

that shareholders wereadequately rewarded,hence therecommendation of finaldividend of 85 kobo for theyear. Having paid aninterim dividend of 25kobo before, shareholderswould be getting totaldividend of N1.10 pershare for the year.

He further said thebank is approaching itsAfrican growth with theexpansion in theFrancophone region,starting with GTB CoteD’Ivoire this month. Thebank already hassubsidiaries in Ghana,The Gambia, Liberia,Sierra Leone and the UK.

He said the bank wasable to cut its nonperforming loans to 3.73per cent in 2011 from6.74 per cent, withN77.01 billion sold toAMCON. While Zenonloans accounted forN36.88 billion of the onestaken to AMCON, he saidthe bank had taken 50 percent provisions for thecontroversial loans to Hi-Media, the operator ofHiTV which is now underreceivership, adding thatGTBank “does not envisageany further sales toAMCON.”

Agbaje said the bankwas aiming to solve theproblem of large crowd ofpeople at GTBank acrossNigeria with technologysuch as ATM, Mobilemoney, Internet bankingamong others. Already, hesaid the bank has 22 e-branches, which would beincreased to 76 by the endof the year.

Currently, he said overN60 billion transactionswere conducted throughthe bank’s ATMs everymonth.

He added that GTBank’scommitment to the growthof the Nigerian economyled to the allocation of 22per cent of the loan portfolioto the manufacturingsector in 2011.

On the state of Nigerianbanks, he said he believedthat it was healthy, andthat the provisions for baddebts by most banks werenormal practiceeverywhere, as long as it’sbelow 5 per cent.

With the trend ofdevelopment in theNigerian bankingindustry, he envisaged aresemblance of what isexisting in South Africawhere the industry isdominated by very fewbanks.

Flags-off Francophone expansion By Aminu Imam

Shell assessing N640bnNigeria oil projectsRoyal Dutch Shell Plc

is assessing projectsthat could be worth

around $4 billion (aboutN640 bn) to boost oilproduction in Nigeria andcut flaring of associatednatural gas, ChiefExecutive Peter Voser saidin comments published onthe company's website.

The projects should becompleted by 2015, hesaid.

Oil companies such asShell have been criticisedfor flaring gas instead oftrapping it to sell asliquefied natural gas(LNG) or to supply toNigeria, which suffershuge power shortagesdespite being Africa's topenergy producer.

Voser did not givedetails of the projects butsaid their completionwould be subject toapproval by Shell'spartners and security inthe volatile Niger Delta,where Shell operates.

"Shell is assessing newprojects for onshoreNigeria, which will addnew production andreduce flaring. These

projects could cost some $4billion," he said during aspeech at a London eventon sustainable energy thefirm put up on its website.

"We expect these to becompleted in the 2014 to2015 timeframe."

Investment by oilcompanies in Nigeria hasbeen held back by a lack ofclarity on regulations andoil theft, leaving somepredicting that productionwill start falling soon.

The PetroleumIndustry Bill (PIB) tooverhaul everythingfrom fiscal terms on

projects to the state oilcompany has beenblocked by politicalwrangling for five years.

Flaring is a majorcomplaint of inhabitantsof the oil-rich Delta, whoselabyrinth of creeks andswamps are often lit up atnight by the brightorange glow of gas flares.

"SPDC (Shell's jointventure in Nigeria) flaredsome 20 percent less gasin 2011 than in 2010,while increasing its oiland gas production by 7percent in 2011," Vosersaid. (Reuters)

Shell Chief Executive Peter Voser


FIRS, firm inimproved revenue deal

TAX ALERT

Some participants at a reform campaign organised by the Modernisation Department of FIRS recently.

The Federal Inland RevenueServices (FIRS) has begunmoves to upgrade its tax

collection portal in order toeffectively block leakages in thecountry’s tax system thusgenerating more revenue forthe Federal Government.

The action, according to thecoordinating director, fieldoperation group of the FIRS,Mr. Samuel Ogungbesan, ispart of the reforms beingcarried out by the service inthe tax system.

Ogungbesan, whilespeaking on the sidelines of theTelnet/FIRS end user forum inAbuja, said “Since we started

this partnership, it has beensmooth sailing because itenables us to safeguard therevenue of government. So, aswe collect, we don’t touch themoney but we can see it flowfrom the point of payment tothe lead bank to the centralbank of Nigeria and at the endof the day, every part ofgovernment knows how muchhas been collected.

“It also enables us to processour work; and we not only get thereport of collection, we can alsomatch that to assessment detailsand we can also do properreporting in a seamless flow andwe are trying to consolidate on

that now for greater expansion.”He said the tax collection

portal, which had been on sixyears, was upgrade to suit thecurrent economic realities.

The group Managing Directorof Telnet, Mr. Gbenga Odujirin,said the portal had simplified taxpayment for Nigerians. He said,”with this portal, the era whenbankers go after people to collectcheques for cash is gone becausethere is no room for diversionanymore, thereby ensuring thatgovernment’s money is ingovernment’s coffers.”

He added that the system hadbeen integrated with the NigerianCustoms Service.

Income Tax is a tax onincome and is only on‘taxable income above a

certain level. However, there areother reliefs and allowances thatcan reduce your Income Tax billand in some cases, you have notax to pay.

What counts as taxableincome?

Taxable income includes:1.Earnings from employment 2. Earnings from self-

employment 3. Most pensions income

(State, company and personal

Income tax - the basicsBy Muhammad Nasir pensions)

4. Interest on most savings 5. Income from shares

(dividends) 6. Rental income and; 7. Income paid to you from a

trust. Non-taxable income There are certain sorts of

income that you never pay taxon. These include certain benefits,income from tax exemptaccounts, Working Tax Credit(WTC) and premium bond wins.These income sources are ignoredaltogether when working out howmuch Income Tax you may needto pay.

The Federal Inland RevenueService (FIRS) has raisedalarm over the non-

remittance of withholding taxby local governments in Enugustate.

The Controller of FIRS in theSouth-East, Mr. Sani Adamu,told the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) that none of the 17 localgovernments in the state hadremitted any tax to it since this

year.Adamu said the service was

aware that the localgovernments deducted the fiveper cent tax on projects fromtheir contractors but convertedsame to their use rather thanremit them to the agency.

He said the situation hadbecome endemic since Januarythis year after new councils weresworn-in in many of the local

governments.He described the situation as

a disservice to the tax populationof the country.

On plans to recover the taxes,Adamu said that FIRS hadentered into dialogue with theLGs.

He said dialogue was the onlyoption in the interim since FIRScould not sue the LGs asgovernment organs. (NAN)

FIRS raises alarm over LGs’failure to remit taxes in Enugu

If you receive a taxcalculation, it’s importantto check it. If the tax

calculation is wrong you need totell HM, Revenue and Customs(HMRC) right away formodification.

Receivingyour taxcalculation

A taxpayeris expected toget a taxc a l c u l a t i o nform numberSA302.

1. If yousent in or madea namendment toa paper taxreturn, askHMRC to workout your tax

2. If you sent in a tax return,but HMRC doesn’t agree withyour tax calculation

Your tax calculationcovering letter

A Taxpayer needs a taxcalculation covering letter inorder to have accurates datarequired.

The covering letter tells youabout:

1. The tax year the calculationrefers to,

2. The Total Income Tax duefor that tax year should be takenfrom the accompanyingcalculation pages,

3. Any changes HMRC hasmade to the figures on your taxreturn,

4. Any advance payments onaccount, there is need to pay fornext year

Taxpayers should note that,the letter and accompanyingcalculation are not tax bill, but if

Understanding and checkingyour tax calculationBy Muhammad Nasir any of the figures look wrong, he/

she should notify the HMRC knowas soon as possible.

If a taxpayer think thecalculation is wrong, it’simportant to check the figures andcontact HMRC as soon as possiblefor corrections.

If you cannot getin touchwith theR e v e n u ea n dC u s t o m s( H M R C ) ,the HMRCwill use thet a xcalculationfigures onyour SelfAssessmentStatement.This isa statementthat you

receive later that asksfor payment if you owe tax, or tellsyou that you are due to some tax.

Understanding the entries ontax calculation pages

Look at each entry in yourcalculation to make sure you fullyunderstand it.

Income received before taxwas taken off.

This lists all your taxableincome for the year, including thegross amounts before tax wasdeducted for things like:

1. Pay, minus any allowableexpenses you can claim,

2. Any taxable benefits andexpenses you received throughwork,

3. Profits if you are self-employed or a partner in abusiness partnership,

4. Savings interest and5. Dividends, where the

amount shown will includes the10 percent of tax credit.

Registration of a taxpayer,according to the FederalInland Revenue Service

(FIRS), is one essential procedurethat needs to be done by an FIRSTax office, given the necessarydetails that must be provided bythe taxpayer on demand.

It is noted that registration isimportant because theconclusion of it enables the taxoffice to generate a TaxIdentification Number for thepotential taxpayer.

Taxpayers should have it inmind that Documentation is

required to complete theirregistration

with any FIRS tax office. Thetaxpayer must provide thefollowing documents:

1. A Certificate ofIncorporation issued bycorporate Affairs commission(CAC) and bearing an RCNumber (RegistrationCertificates).

2. A Taxpayer must presentNecessary documents showingthe correct Business address.

3. He/she should be able tofurnish the office (ITO) with thecorrect Commencement date.

However, there is always a

registration officer in every TaxOffice (ITO) to attend totaxpayer’s registration matters.Hence, it is the prerogative of thisofficer to do the registration foran Individual, Enterprise or aCompany under the differentregistration modes.

Also, note must be taken thatIndividuals and Enterprises areregistered under IndividualRegistration, while Companiesregister under CorporateRegistration. After all this iscompleted, a Tax IdentificationNumber (TIN) will be issued tothe taxpayer to enable him/herpay his tax liabilities at the bank.

How to register as a taxpayerBy Muhammad Nasir

PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012

Appraising Zamfara’sroadmap to industrialdevelopmentAvailable statistics on

Nigeria’s economyindicate that Zamfara

is one of the poorest states ofthe country in spite of itsvast arable land, abundantmineral deposits and othernatural resources.

Observers say that it ismore of a paradox that itsabundant mineral andnatural resourcesnotwithstanding, ZamfaraState is still adjudged as apoor state that survivesmainly on monthlyallocations from theFederation Account.

As a matter of fact, arecent survey conducted bythe state governmentrevealed that more than 100minerals of high quality arelocated across the state incommercial quantities

For instance; the studyconfirmed that gold isavailable in large deposits inAnka, Maru, Bukkuyum andMaradun Local GovernmentAreas of the state.

The precious mineral is,however, currentlyexploited by artisanalminers and the small-scalemining operations have somechallenges such as leadpoisoning, which has causedseveral deaths in the areas inrecent times.

Apart from its hugedeposits of mineral resources,Zamfara is also blessed vastarable lands across its 14local government areas,compelling observers toassert that the state couldbecome a leading producer ofvarious agriculturalproduce, all things beingequal.

Observers, nonetheless,note that efforts to harnessthe various mineral andagricultural resources anduse them to foster the state’seconomic growth have beenhaphazard and largely basedon patch-work methods.

“The attitude of the registered miningcompanies has somewhat made it

difficult for both the federal andstate governments to derive

maximum and appropriate benefitsof their operations

By Umar Yari

Governor Abubakar Yari of Zamfara state

Foreign buyers purchasing gold from illegal miners

Malam AbubakarIbrahim, an agriculturaleconomist, says that most ofthe agricultural activities inthe state involve subsistencefarming, adding thatlivestock production is alsoaimed at satisfying onlydomestic needs.

“For Zamfara State toexperience any remarkableeconomic growth, tangibleefforts should be made todevelop its agriculturalsector.

“Mechanised farmingshould be promoted, whilesmall-scale farmers shouldbe encouraged with well-packaged incentives toenable them to increase their

Illegal gold miners in Zamfara state. Carting away billions of Naira that ought to accrue to the state

production,’’ he says.However, in the area of

minerals’ exploration andexploitation, the governmenthas been making concertedefforts to standardise mining

operations.Such efforts

notwithstanding, miningoperations in the state haveremained largely artisanalregardless of the fact that

hundreds of miningcompanies had been licensedto engage in miningactivities by the FederalMinistry of Mines and SteelDevelopment.

Analysts, nonetheless,note that the accreditedcompanies have either notshown considerable interestin operating in Zamfara orhave been conducting theirmining activities in aclandestine manner.

“The attitude of theregistered mining companieshas somewhat made itdifficult for both the federaland state governments toderive maximum andappropriate benefits of their

operations,’’ says Mr SaheedZubair, a mining consultant.

Zubair recalls that thestate government hasrepeatedly expressedreservations over thelackadaisical attitude of thecompanies in plans topromote transparent miningoperations and generateroyalties for thegovernments.

In spite of these drawbacks,hopes to put Zamfara State ona sound footing for apragmatic economic andindustrial growth are stillbright.

The state governmentsays that it has designed ablueprint for the state’s

industrial development.To that end, the

government’s programme isaimed at facilitating theutilisation of the naturalresources for the state’seconomic development, job-creation and poverty-alleviation efforts, whilereducing the level of thestate’s dependence onallocations from theFederation Account.

Alhaji HassanMohammed Zurmi, theCommissioner forCommerce and Industries,says that the industrialmaster plan is aimed atestablishing a cottageindustry in each of thestate’s 14 local governmentareas this year.

He says that an actionplan for implementation hasalso been designed so as tomonitor theimplementation of theindustrial development planproperly.

“With the establishmentof 14 industries in all thelocal governmentheadquarters, it is expectedthat no fewer than 20,000jobs will be created, while alot of economic activitieswould spring up fromthere,’’ he says.

Zurmi laments thatmany people are wallowingin abject poverty because ofthe failures of past stateadministrations to harnessthe vast mineral andagricultural resources of thestate for economicprosperity.

“Our idea of establishingthe industries in the ruralareas is aimed at checkingrural-urban migration andproviding job opportunitiesfor our teeming youths inthose areas,’’ he says.

The commissioner saysthat feasibility studies andraw materials’ surveyshave been conducted toensure that each localgovernment area has an

industry that couldconveniently use rawmaterials that are locallyobtainable.

Zurmi says that the stategovernment, in collaborationwith the Bank of Industry(BOI) and other financialinstitutions, will spend aboutN2 billion on theestablishment of the cottageindustries on a 50-per-centcounterpart funding ratio.

“Arrangements have been

concluded for the signing ofmemorandum ofunderstanding between BOIand the state government tokick-start the initiative. Wehope that the industries willcommence production earlynext year.

“We realised that Zamfarais blessed with assortedmineral and naturalresources which couldfacilitate our economicdevelopment. We are,

therefore, poised to harness theresources for the economictransformation and self-reliance of our state,’’ he says.

Besides, Zurmi says thatthe state government isplanning to organise a “Made-in-Zamfara goods’ exhibition’’in April this year, as part ofefforts to showcase the state’sindustrial potential andattract investments.

He says that during theexhibition, products such ascalabash oil, marble stones,gold, rocks, leather and woodworks, shea butter, beadsand body lotion, amongothers, would be displayed.

As part of efforts toencourage privateentrepreneurs to set upsmall-scale businesses, thecommissioner says that thestate government hasearmarked N1 billion asloans for small-scalebusinesses, so as to furtherenhance the state’seconomic development.

Zurmi, however,bemoans the situation inwhich some entrepreneurshave defaulted in therepayment of loans,totalling over N300 million,which were given to them byprevious administrations inthe state.

“The default in loans’repayment has made thegovernment to be extracareful in giving out newloans. We are now looking atways of getting collateralfrom prospectivebeneficiaries beforereleasing the money,’ ’ he

says.In spite of the desirability

of the industrialisation programme, observers stressthe need to strictly monitorits implementation so as toensure its success.

A public commentator,Alhaji Abba Abubakar,commends the governmentfor charting a new course forthe state’s industrial growth.

He, however, notes thatthe problem with Nigeria’sdevelopment is not thedearth of good programmesbut the absence of willpowerto execute the programmesaccording to specifiedspecifications.

“Zamfara StateGovernment should commitall it takes to ensure theaccomplishment of theindustrial blueprint, whilemonitoring itsimplementation andguarding againstextraneous factors whichcould frustrate its success,’’he says.

Sharing Abubakar’ssentiments, observers stressthe need for the governmentto co-opt opinion leaders ineach of the local governmentareas into the programme’simplementation process.

The leaders should beencouraged to participate inthe management of thecottage industries throughchannels such ascooperative organisations,some of the observerssuggest.

NAN Features


The seven most prosperous peopleon the resurrection day (VI)

Allah says: “Whoever worksrighteousness, man or woman, andhas Faith, to Him will we give a newlife, a life that is good and pure andwe will bestow on their rewardaccording to the best of theiractions.” [an-Nahl: 97]

In the name of Allah, theBeneficent, the Merciful. AllPraise is due to Allah, We

praise Him and we seek help fromHim. We ask forgiveness fromHim. We repent to Him; and weseek refuge in Him from our ownevils and our own bad deeds.Anyone who is guided by Allah, heis indeed guided; and anyone whohas been left astray, will find noone to guide him. I bear witnessthat there is no god but Allah, theOnly One without any partner;and I bear witness thatMuhammad, is His servant, andmessenger. May the peace andblessing of Allah be upon His lastand final Apostle, his household,his companions and all hisfollowers until the end of time.

The Apostle of Allah was sittingone day with his Companionsdiscussing their affairs, and one ofthe issues deliberated was about thecondition of the Day of Resurrectionwas on seven people that Allah willshade under his Throne from theunbearable heat of the sun, as it willbe brought very close to themammoth gathering, fryingthem. The hadith reads: It is relatedfrom Abu Hurayrah that theProphet (peace be upon him) said:“There are seven whom Allah willshade with His shade on the daywhen there is no shade but His shade:a just Imam, a youth who grows upworshipping Allah, a man whoseheart is attached to the mosque, twomen who love each other for the sakeof Allah alone, meeting for that reasonand parting for that reason, a manwho refuses the advances of a nobleand beautiful woman, saying, 'I fearAllah', a man who gives charity andconceals it so that his left hand doesnot know what his right hand gives,and a man who remembers Allahwhen he is alone and his eyesoverflow with tears.” [Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

The next category of the mostfortunate people whom Allah willshade on the Day of resurrectionwhen the sun will be brought veryclose to human skulls and stir frythem into black colour completely,is “...who gives charity and concealsit such that that his left hand does notknow what his right hand gives...”

This category like theaforementioned ones in theprevious weeks, seems also easilyattainable, but that is on thesurface. If we analyze this segmentwe will arrive at the followingresults.

Firstly, “...one who gives...”That means someone must haveaccess to the wealth, attain selfsufficiency and then spend theexcess for the sake Allah in returnfor eternal dividend. This is becauseyou cannot give what you do nothave. More so, Islam has laid downrules on how to acquire wealth.Amassing wealth in Islam is not aopen- ended competition withoutlegitimacy. Only halal possessedwealth can earn the reward of

ISLAMISLAMISLAMISLAMISLAMEXPLAINEDEXPLAINEDEXPLAINEDEXPLAINEDEXPLAINED

By Husain ZakariyyaYawale

+234-8052952900 (sms only)[email protected]

Allah. An ill-gotten or haramwealth is a source of Allah's wrathin both worlds. In a very populartradition the Apostle of Allah said,“Verily Allah is Pure and does notaccept, but whatis pure” AbuHurairah (RA)narrated thatA l l a h ' sM e s s e n g e r(SAW) said, “Ifone gives incharity whatequals one date-fruit from thehonestly earnedmoney and Allahaccepts only thehonestly earnedmoney Allah takes it in His Right(hand). And then, enlarges its rewardfor that person (who has given it), asanyone of you brings up his babyhorse, so much so that it becomes asbig as a mountain.” [Bukhari, Vol.2, Hadith: 491]

That is to say it is not the

Allah, and anticipate recompensefrom Allah on the resurrection day.If anyone forgets how he or sheacquires his or her wealth, Allahnever forgets! Allah says:

“On the Day that Allah will raisethem all up (again) and Show themthe truth (and meaning) of theirconduct. Allah has reckoned its(value), though They may haveforgotten it, for Allah is witness to allthings.” [al-Mujadalah: 6]

Secondly, is the giving or

morality. The Qur'an is explicitright from the first verses, Allahsays:

“A.L.M. This is the Book; In it isguidance sure, without doubt, to

those who fearAllah. Who believeIn the Unseen, aresteadfast In prayer,and spend out ofwhat we haveprovided for them.”[al-Baqarah: 1-3]

The next stepprioritizing thespending inaccordance withthe Qur'anic laws,thus: “They askThee what They

should spend (in charity). say:whatever ye spend that is good, is forparents and kindred and orphans andthose In Want and for wayfarers. andwhatever ye do that is good, (Allah)knoweth it well.” [al-Baqarah: 215]

Similarly, one should not spendall his wealth in the cause of Allah,and the next day he or she becomesa pauper to start begging people forsustenance. Allah enacts: “... Theyask Thee How much They are tospend; say: ‘What is beyond yourneeds.’ Thus doth Allah make Clearto you His Signs: In order that ye mayconsider.” [al-Baqarah: 219]

And: “Make not thy hand tied(like a niggard’s) to thy neck, norstretch it forth to its utmost reach, sothat thou become blameworthy anddestitute.” [al-Isra'i: 29]

Also, one should spend for thepurpose of attracting crowds andpopularity in order to achieve anyworldly objective at any time in thefuture. Spending must be solely forwinning the face of Allah! TheQur'an says: “Not those who spendof their substance, to be seen of men,but have no Faith In Allah and theLast Day: if any take the evil one fortheir intimate, what a dreadfulintimate He is!” [an-Nisa'i: 38]

And furthermore states: “Andthe likeness of those who spend theirsubstance, seeking to please Allah andto strengthen their souls, is as agarden, high and fertile: heavy rainfalls on it but makes it yield a doubleincrease of harvest, and if it receivesnot heavy rain, light moisturesufficeth it. Allah seeth well whateverye do.” [al-Baqara: 265]

Thus, while spending inaccordance with the prioritizedShari'ah ruling and for the sake ofwinning the pleasure of Allah instrengthen one's faith, isrewardable immensely in bothworlds, spending for any otherobjective attracts His chastisement.This is the incontestable fact. Thatis the main reason why spendingbecomes an act of worship solelybased on the strength of one's belief.

In Islam, intention is mostinfluential matter of every deed; ifit is for Allah, it is for Him torecompense, otherwise wrathawaits offenders. it does not matterif one gives the wrong person,provided there was no apparentreason to refuse or not give. it is onlyAllah Who knows the hidden. Thefollowing hadith explains further:

Abu Hurayrah reported thatthe Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:(A man said, "Tonight, I shall givecharity.'' He went out with his

charity and (unknowingly) gaveit to an adulterer. The nextmorning the people said that almswere given to an adulterer. Theman said, "O Allah! All the praisesare for You. (I gave my alms) to anadulterer. Tonight, I shall give almsagain.'' He went out with hischarity and (unknowingly) gaveit to a rich person. The next morning(the people) said, "Last night, awealthy person was given alms.'' Hesaid, "O Allah! All the praises are forYou. (I gave alms) to a wealthyman. Tonight, I shall again givecharity.'' So he went out with hischarity and (unknowingly) gaveit to a thief. The next morning (thepeople) said, "Last night, a thief wasgiven alms.'' He said, "O Allah! Allthe praises are for You. (I have givenalms) to an adulteress, a wealthyman and a thief.'' Then, someonecame to him and said, "The almsthat you gave away were accepted.As for the adulteress, the alms mightmake her abstain from adultery.As for the wealthy man, it mightmake him take a lesson and spendhis wealth that Allah has givenhim. As for the thief, it might makehim abstain from stealing.''[Sunanof Abu-Dawood Hadith: 167 8,narrated by Abu Sa`id al-Khudri]

The golden rule here is thesincerity in the intention for whichthe charity is given;notwithstanding the quantity andthe end receiver if there is anyhindrances, but the cause.

However, there is no sin ingiving charity openly to the needyor in the cause of Allah, whatsoever!The only apprehension in openlyspending in the cause of Allah is thecreeping of 'riya', that is show-off, tostealthily becloud one's intention.

“Those who (in charity) spend oftheir goods by night and by Day, Insecret and In public, have theirreward with their Lord: on them shallbe no fear, nor shall They grieve.” [al-Baqara: 274]

Thus, the methodology of givingis not the issue but the veryintention while administering it.Allah has explicitly warned, thus:“What They spend In the life of This(material) world may be likened to awind which brings a nipping frost: itstrikes and destroys the harvest ofmen who have wronged their ownsouls: it is not Allah that hath wrongedthem, but They wrong themselves.”[aal-Imran: 117]

In essence, to give charity in adiscreet manner is more rewardingas it entails, deep and sincere imanin Allah, His limitless knowledgeover everything, His encompassingmercy and compassion, and aboveHis assurance in recompensing thegood deeds of all His servants. Theone who gives openly was seen bytwo on-lookers (Allah and Hisservants), while the person whostealthily spends for His sake, simplytrust in the witnessing of theUnseen; Allah! That is the epic ofiman! hence the eligibility to beshaded along other six mostprosperous believers that Day!

Finally, the charity in discoursehere is not the compulsory alms ormandatory expiations, it is optionalcharity to the poor and the needyor to a good cause. Any charitywithout fulfilling the obligatoryones, is simply a ruefulness!

quantity of the charity thatmatters, but source and thesincerity. Allah says in the Qur'an:“And do not eat up your propertyamong yourselves for vanities, noruse it As bait for the judges, with intentthat ye may eat up wrongfully andknowingly a Little of (other) people'sproperty.” [al-Baqarah: 188]

The very first step to givingcharity or spending in the cause ofAllah is to acquire it from legitimatesources. Any wealth sourced fromillegal means is rejected by Allah,out-rightly! Thus, wealthattainment is an act of worship andmust be done in the way andprincipled the Shari'ah enshrinedclearly. Every step towardsaffluence must be in cognizancewith teachings of the Sunnah. Letsno one steals, defalcates or embezzleswealth entrusted in him stealthilyand think he can deceive Allah byspending part of it in the cause of

spending what was legitimatelyattained. There are similarly rulesand regulations concerning howone spends his or her money. Let noone expects that he or she is atliberty to spend his or her wealthanyhow and on anything! The cruxof the matter in Islam, is that youand your possession are Allah'sproperties. He commands how toattain and spend it! he is the law-giver, and thus, He commands ashe wishes without restriction.

In fact, even where the wealthis possessed in halal way, thespending must strictly follow suiteotherwise one is liable to retributionbefore Allah. this is chiefly becausespending for Allah must be as resultof strong iman. And iman is like an-built policing of every deed of aMuslim. Thus, one cannotpresumed that he or she is a trueand sincere believer until he or shetrades the path of honour and


Subsidy probe: Culprits must notgo unpunished – Committee (I)

CHAPTER ONEEXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Following the removal ofsubsidy on PMS on the 1st

day of January, 2012 bythe Federal Government ofNigeria and the attendantspontaneous social and politicalupheavals that greeted thepolicy, the House ofRepresentatives in anEmergency Session on the 8th ofJanuary, 2012 set up an Ad-hocCommittee to verify anddetermine the actual subsidyrequirements and monitor theimplementation of the subsidyregime in Nigeria.

The Federal Governmenthad informed the nation of itsinability to continue to pumpendless amount of money intothe seemingly bottomless pitthat was referred to aspetroleum products subsidy. Itexplained that the annualsubsidy payment was huge,endless and unsustainable.Nigerians were led to believethat the colossal payments madewere solely on PMS and HHKactually consumed byNigerians. Governmentascribed the quoted figures toupsurge in international crudeprice, high exchange rate,smuggling, increase inpopulation and vehicles etc.However, a large section of thepopulation faulted the premiseof the Government subsidyfigures, maintaining thatunbridled corruption and aninefficient and wasteful processaccounted for a large part of thepayments. To avert a clear andpresent danger of descent intolawlessness, the leadership ofthe House of Representativestook the bold and decisive actionof convening the first everEmergency Session on a Sunday(8th January, 2012), and set upthe Ad-hoc Committee to verifythe actual subsidyrequirements of the country.

The Committee decided thatthe scope of this investigationshould be for three years 2009 -2011 for the following reasons:

• The actual budgetexpenditure on subsidy for bothPMS and HHK was tolerable,being N261.1b in 2006,N278.8b in 2007 and N346.7bin 2008. 5 companies includingNNPC were involved in 2006,10 in 2007 and 19 in 2008contrasted to 140 in 2011.

• Secondly, in line withaccounting practice, theCommittee decided toinvestigate three yearsactivities of the scheme.

• The Committee couldhave chosen to limit theinvestigation to 2011 alonegiven the scale of escalation ofsubsidy in that year alone butdecided to take three years toestablish a trend.

The Ad-Hoc Committee heldPublic Hearings from 16th of

January, 2012 to 9th ofFebruary, 2012, taking sworntestimonies from 130 witnesses,receiving information fromseveral volunteers, andreceiving in evidence over3,000 volumes of documents.

In the course of theinvestigations the Ad-HocCommittee was able to establishthe following:

1. Contrary to statutoryrequirements and otherguidelines under the PetroleumSupport Fund (PSF) Schememandating agencies in theindustry to keep reliableinformation data base, thereseemed to be a deliberateunderstanding among theagencies not to do so. This lack ofrecord keeping contributed in nosmall measure to the decadenceand rots the Committee found inthe administration of the PSF.This is evident also in the budgetpreparatory process by MDAswhere adequate data is not madeavailable to the NationalAssembly. The Committee hadto resort to forensic analysis andexamination of varied andexternal sources (including theLloyds List Intelligence) toverify simple transactions. Inthis regard, the PPPRA isstrongly urged to publishhenceforth, the PSF accounts onquarterly basis to ensuretransparency and openness ofthe subsidy Scheme.

2 . We found out that thesubsidy regime, as operatedbetween the period underreview (2009 and 2011), werefraught with endemic

were outstanding claims byNNPC and the Marketers inexcess of N270billion as subsidypayments for 2011.

Whereas the mandate of theCommittee was necessitated bythe removal of subsidy, theCommittee found out thatsubsidy payment on keroseneformed an Integra part of thetotal sum.

4. On its part, NNPC wasfound not to be accountable toany body or authority. TheCorporation, in 2011, processedpayment of N310.4 Billion as2009 - 2011 arrears of subsidyon Kerosene, contrary to aPresidential Directive whichremoved subsidy on Kerosene in2009. The Corporation alsoprocessed for itself, directdeduction of subsidy paymentfrom amounts it received fromother operations such as jointventure before paying thebalance to the FederationAccount, thereby depleting theshares of States and LocalGovernments from thedistributable pool. Worse still,the direct deduction in 2011alone, which amounted toN847.942 Billion, was effectedwithout any provision in theAppropriation Act.

5 . While NNPC feasted onthe Federation Account to bloatthe subsidy payable, some of themarketers were involved inclaiming subsidy on productsnot supplied. PPPRA laid thisfoundation by allocatingvolumes of products eachquarter to the marketers whichit knew were not in conformity

with its own guidelines forparticipation.

6 . Our investigationfurther revealed that certainmarketers collected subsidy ofover N230.184 Billion on PMSvolume of 3,262,960,225 litresthat from the records madeavailable to us were not supplied.Apart from proliferation andnon-designation of bankaccounts for subsidy payment,PPPRA and the OAGF wereunable to manage in atransparent manner the twoaccounts they chose to disclose.There were indications thatPPPRA paid N158 Billion to itselfin 2009 and N157 Billion in2010. When confronted, theOAGF was unable to submitdetails of the bulk paymentsarrogated to PPPRA and theaccount from which the bulksums were disbursed to thesupposed beneficiaries.

7 . Curiously too, theparticular Accountant-Generaithat served during the period2009 was found to have madepayments of equal instalmentsof N999 Million for a record 128times within 24 hours on the12th and 13th of January 2009,totalling N127.872 Billion. Theconfirmed payments from theCBN records were made tobeneficiaries yet to be disclosedby the OAGF or identified by theCommittee. We howeverdiscovered that only 36Marketers were participantsunder the PSF Scheme duringthis period. Even if there were

corruption and entrenchedinefficiency. Much of theamount claimed to have beenpaid as subsidy was actually notfor consumed PMS.Government officials madenonsense of the PSF Guidelinesdue mainly to sleaze and, insome other cases, incompetence.It is therefore apparent that theinsistence by top Governmentofficials that the subsidy figureswas for products consumed wasa clear attempt to mislead theNigerian people.

3 . Thus, contrary to theearlier official figure of subsidypayment of N 1.3 Trillion, theAccountant-General of theFederation put forward a figureof N1.6 Trillion, the CBN N1.7Trillion, while the Committeeestablished subsidy payment ofN2,587.087 Trillion as at 31st

December, 2011, amounting tomore than 900% over theappropriated sum of N245Billion. This figure of N2,587.087Trillion is based on theCBN figure of N844.944b paidto NNPC, in addition to anotherfigure of N847.942b reflectedas withdrawals by NNPC fromthe excess crude naira account,as well as the sum of N894.201bpaid as subsidy to the Marketers.The figure of N847.942b quotedabove strongly suggests thatNNPC might have beenwithdrawing from two sourcesespecially when the doublewithdrawals were also reflectedboth in 2009 and in 2010.

However, it should be notedthat as at the time the publichearing was concluded, there Contd. on page 28

Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke NNPC GMD, Engr. Austen Oniwon


Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Faruk Lawan

Subsidy probe: Culprits must notgo unpunished – Committee (I)128 marketers, it wasinconceivable that all wouldhave imported the samequantity of products to warrantequal payments.

8 . In order to arrive at aprobable figure of dailyconsumption of PMS, theCommittee took the entirevolume of 14,787,152,340litres imported by marketersand NNPC in 2011 as recordedby PPPRA and then deductedwhat we suspected as over-invoiced volume of3,262,960,225. Thus, theactual volume imported foryear 2011 was11,510,202,347. Thismanifested into an averagedaily PMS consumption of 31.5million litres.

9 . However, in 2012marginal increment of 1.5million litres a day isrecommended in order to takecare of unforeseencircumstances, bringing it to33 million litres per day. Andto maintain a strategic reserve,an additional average of seven(7) million litres per day(or630million litres per Quarter)for the first quarter of 2012only is recommended. Thus,PPPRA is to use 40 million litresof PMS in the first quarter as itsmaximum ordering quantityper day. In subsequent quartersPMS daily ordering quantityshould be 33 million litres perday. For Kerosene, theCommittee recommends a dailyordering quantity of 9 millionlitres.

1 0 . On the issue of kerosenesubsidy, the Committeestrongly

advocated for a Governmentpolicy to immediatelyrecommence

subsidy payment on theproduct by urging withdrawalof the 2009 PresidentialDirective.

1 1 . We also proposed abudget amount ofN806.766billion for the 2012fiscal year for payment ofsubsidy on PMS and Kerosene.

1 2 . For the 2012Appropriation Act, theCommittee’s recommendationis based on the following follows:

PMS: 33,000,000 Litres xN44 (subsidy) x 365 days =N529,980,000.00 Provisionfor strategic reserve for 1st

Quarter of 2012: 7,000,000 xN44 (subsidy) x 90 daysN27,720,000.00

HHK 9,000,000 Litres xN101 (subsidy) x 274 days =N249,006,000.00

T o t a lN806,766,000,000.00

Note: Commencement ofkerosene subsidy is as from thesecond quarter of 2012, sincethe Committee is of the opinionthat the product is still notunder the subsidy regime.

Therefore, the Committee

recommends the sum ofN806.766billion as subsidy foryear 2012.

1 3 . With regards to the445,000 bpd allocation toNNPC, the Committee believesthat with the current refiningcapacity of 53% and the SWAP/Offshore processingarrangement of the balance of47%, it is sufficient to providethe nation with the followingproducts:

a. 40 Million Litres Per Day(MLPD) of PMS,

b. 10 MLPD of Kerosene(HHK)

c. 8.97 MLPD of Diesel(AGO),

d. 0.62 MLPD of LPG ande. 2.31 MLPD of FOIt is only AGO whose average

daily consumption of 12 millionLitres per day will not beachieved in full. Since AGO hasbeen deregulated, othermarketers can make up for the3.03 MLPD AGO shortfalls. Theimplication of this finding isthat if NNPC properly managesthe allocation of 445 bpdefficiently, the availability ofthe products can be achieved bythe NNPC alone. This contraststhe situation where in 2009-2011 NNPC got the dailyallocation of 445,000bpd andthe nation still had to importthrough Marketers.

Curiously, although NNPCconfirmed that it makes somesavings of about =N= 11.00 perlitre refining locally thanimport, it could not beestablished that theCorporation reflects this cost

differential in its claims tosubsidy.

The Committeerecommends that NNPC beunbundled to make itsoperations more efficient andtransparent and this we believecan be achieved through thepassage of a well drafted andcomprehensive PIB Bill.

All those in theManagement and Board of theNNPC directly involved in theinfractions identified for theyears 2009-2011 should beinvestigated and prosecuted forabuse of office by the relevantanti-corruption agencies.

1 4 . Part of the fundingsources of the PSF Account isover-recovery from marketers.This accrues when productlanding cost is lower than theEx-Depot price. The Committeeobserved that:

i. In 2009, there was an over-recovery of N2.766 Billion. Thiswas expected to have beencredited to the PSF Account butwas not traceable to the officialPSF Account disclosed, ii.Furthermore, in thepresentation made by AkintolaWilliams Deloitte it was claimedthat the sum of NGN5.27Billionwas established as over-recovery in 2009, however,there was no evidence that thismoney was credited to the PSFAccount.

1 5 . It is our view that theGuidelines of the PSF Scheme,even as watered down by theBoard in 2009, could havesalvaged the Scheme if theywere observed and enforced.

Had the staff of various agenciesand government officials notcompromised and colluded withcertain marketers, the level ofcorruption would have beenminimal. The Committeeviewed this fact with seriousconcern and has suggestedmeasures to ensure thatimpunity is no longer condoned.Therefore, marketers that hadshort-changed Nigerians wereidentified and recommended tomake refunds within a time-frame of three months; civilservants were to be sanctionedin accordance with the CivilService Rules as well as underextant Laws; management staffand top government officialswere, based on the gravity oftheir offences, to bereprimanded, re-deployed,dismissed and, in specific cases,prosecuted for abuse of office andfraudulent practices.

1 6 . The Committeerecommended the refund to thetreasury the sum of

N1, 067,040,456,171.31trillion from the under listed forvarious violations.

i.) NNPC (KeroseneSubsidy) -N310,414,963,613.00

ii.) NNPC (Above PPRAr e c o m m e n d a t i o n ) -N285,098,000,000.00

iii.) NNPC (Self discount)- N108,648,000,000.00

iv.) Marketers (Totalviolations of PSF) -N8,664,352,554.00

v.) Companies that refusedto appear -N41,936,140,005.31

vi.) PPPRA excess paymentto self N312.279.000.000.00

TOTALN1.067,040.456,171.31

The Committee believes thatif the PSF scheme was properlymanaged, this sum ofN1.070trillion would have beenavailable to the three tiers ofGovernment for budgetenhancement.

1 7 . The Committeerecommends that the followingtransactions be furtherinvestigated by the relevantanti-corruption agencies anddetermine their level ofculpability with a view tomaking further recoveries;

i. Payment of N999m tounnamed entities 128times tothe tune of N127.872b

ii. Companies who collectedForex to the tune of $402.610bwhose utilization is questionableto the Committee.

iii. The 72 Companies listedunder the financial forensicsare hereby recommended forfurther investigation by therelevant anti-corruptionagencies with a view toestablishing their culpabilityand recovering the sumsindicated against their namestotalling N230,184,605,691.00. iv. The Overrecoveries of N2.766b andN5.27b which were notaccounted for by the office of theAccountant General of theFederation, v. The cases ofdouble deductions by the NNPCfor subsidy payments in2009,2010 and 2011mentioned in this Report.

Contd. from page 27

Chairman, PPPRA, Dr. Ahmadu Ali


Contd. from Back Page

In the 2012 budget, therewas an increase from theprevious years’ budget of

N450.8 billion to N491.9billion (9%). The totalrevenue for 2012 is estimatedat N399.8 billion andimpressively, the ordinaryrevenue (Lagos IGR, otherIGR, dedicated revenue, etc.)of the state is N289.7 billionwhich is about 73% of totalrevenue. This is more thandouble of the N110.2 billionthat Lagos expects from thefederation account in 2012.Lagos is therefore not one ofthe numerous “parastatalstates” that cannot paysalaries unless the FAACmeets in Abuja! Compared tosome other states whosebudgets have grownastronomically with nocommensurate growth inIGR, the budget of Lagosstate has steadily increasedalongside its IGR as shown byan 8% (N262.6 billion toN289.7 billion) increase inordinary revenues between2011 and 2012. So while thefederal government preachesfiscal consolidation withoutpracticing, it is Lagos Statethat is practicing it withoutall the noise!

Comparing both years’budgets, there is a projectedincrease in ordinary revenue(IGR inclusive) by about N27billion between 2011 and2012. Taking the case study ofBauchi state whose budgetwas analyzed last week, itsprojected increase in IGR forthis year was just N1 billion!Unlike the case of Bauchi statewhere the government spendsmoney on maintaining manycommissioners and 924 aidesthat it’s IGR cannot support,Lagos state Government has23 commissioners and 20Special Advisers, and yet isperforming much better. Infact, looking at the revenueearning capacity of Lagos incomparison to many states ofthe federation is going fromone extreme to another.

Capital expenditure for2012 is N258.3 billion (53%)while recurrent expenditure isN233.6 billion (47%) of thetotal budget. Although theratio does not meet the bestpractice of 70% for capitalexpenditure, it must beacknowledged that Lagosenjoys the dual advantages oflimited geographic spreadand legacy of inherited federalinfrastructure, and thereforedoes not need as muchgreenfield infrastructuralinvestments as other ruralstates. What it needs thoughis high levels of spending onmaintenance and runningcosts. These are perhapsreflected in the higherrecurrent portions of thebudget.

The government, in 2012increased its recurrentexpenditures on educationfrom N28.4 billion in 2011 toN35.4 billion and justifiablytoo as there has beencontinuous increase in bothvolumes and pass rates ofSSCE candidates from Lagos.The number of candidateswho obtained five credits inWASCE including Englishand Mathematics hasimproved from a miserable7.58% in 2007 to animpressive 21.11% in 2010.The 2010 National LiteracySurvey also shows that Lagoshas the highest literacy ratein any language. Increasedallocation of funds to thissector is definitely acommendable step in theright direction.

The environmental sub-sector of Lagos state whichreceives about 6% of theoverall budget allocation,recorded a huge leap from theN335 million revenuegenerated in 2011 to projectedN2 billion in 2012. This is onesector which the residents ofLagos have felt a visibledifference. There was a slightincrease in health allocationfrom N32.9 billion in 2011 toN33.3 billion in 2012. In spiteof the increase, the healthsector is expected to double itsrevenue from N393 million toN655 million. Works andInfrastructure received 18%(N88.1 billion) of the budgetreflecting investments toaddress existinginfrastructure deficits. Thetransportation sectorhowever, dropped inprojected revenue by aboutN400 million whereas itsbudgetary allocationincreased by about 11% forthe same reason.

The personnel costbudget for the entire Lagosstate government for 2012 isabout N81.6 billion. This isless than one third of its IGRand less than 5% of theFederal Governments(N1,600 billion) staff costs,yet many would say thatLagos runs better thanNigeria these days.Departments such as lands,environmental protection,works and infrastructure,transportation, and even the

judiciary earn sufficientrevenues to cover theirpersonnel costs. In fact, thelands department earnsenough to cover all itsrecurrent expenditures whilethe state’s Ordinary Revenue(N289.7 billion) can cover itstotal recurrent costs (N233.6billion) with a surplus ofN56.1 billion. That is how afederating unit’s financesshould be!

In year 2011, Lagos stateHigh Courts alone maderevenues of about N700million and are expected toearn about N1.2 billion in2012 which is higher than theIGR of most states of thefederation now depending onthe Federal Government formonthly handouts. The lessonand experience of Lagos is this- each MDA is a revenue aswell as a cost centre. Eachgovernment department thatoffers services charges somefees to cover all or part of thecost of the service. That is howto run a department, state, orcountry! My admiration forthe business-like way Lagos isrun is clear by now.

Lagos is only state in thecountry which can survivesolely on its incomes fromtaxation. However accordingto the World Bank DoingBusiness rankings 2010, thestate was ranked 25th out of37 in Nigeria in terms of easeof doing business. Lagos is notan agrarian state, neither is itendowed with any mineralresources. It is thereforedisturbing that despite thehuge amount of private sectorinvestment and potential, thebusiness environment is farfrom friendly. The authoritiesneed to create a thrivingenvironment for businesses inLagos especially since taxesand land charges are themajor source of fiscalsustenance of the state.

All our states should learnlessons from Lagos not only inthe areas of budgettransparency but fiscalindependence from Abuja,delivery of public services,investment in education andeven governance succession.With these outlier qualities, itis not surprising that Lagos isrun by a party other than thePDP of today!

Lagos: Sound govt,sensible budget

“Taking the case study of Bauchi state whosebudget was analyzed last week, its projected

increase in IGR for this year was just N1 billion!Unlike the case of Bauchi state where the

government spends money on maintainingmany commissioners and 924 aides that it’s

IGR cannot support, Lagos state Governmenthas 23 commissioners and 20 Special

Advisers, and yet is performing much better


Bashar and Asma handing out foodto victims of figh city he is bombingFootage of Syria’s brutal leader

and his wife packing up foodparcels has been broadcast on

state TV - after they were derided forordering luxury goods on the internetwhile their country burns.

Pictures were broadcast last nightshowing Bashar and Asma Assadreceiving a rapturous welcome at al-Fahya stadium in Damascus.

They joined hundreds ofvolunteers boxing cartons full of flour,sugar, cooking oil and pasta for victimsof fighting in Homs, where thepresident’s

The Assads have long worked tomanage their image, but it backfired ayear ago when a glamorous photoshoot and gushing profile of Asma, 36,appeared in Vogue magazine just asher husband launched a violentcrackdown on pro-democracyprotests.

Those images are now part of aYouTube campaign led by the wives

of United Nations ambassadors fromBritain and Germany, whichalternates stylish shots of Asma withgruesome pictures of dead and injuredSyrian children.

For her latest TV appearanceAsma avoided any hint of glamour,dressing down in a sheer pink sweaterover a simple dress with her darkblonde hair soberly braided andpinned up.

Her tall, gangly husband lookedrelaxed, towering above his admirersin a polo shirt with an identity pass ona ribbon around his neck like othervolunteers.

The two packed boxes sealed themwith Scotch tape and carried themover to stacks of aid awaitingdistribution.

Emergence of the footage came asSyria was slammed by the UnitedNations for failing to keep to the termsof a peace plan and continuing tostation troops and heavy weapons in

All smiles: Bashar and Asma Assad were shown packing up food boxes in a Damascus stadium.

towns.In a letter to the Security Council

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Syriawas failing to send a ‘clear signal’about its commitment to peace,underlining Western fears for theweek-old truce. Despite these fears,the UN today signed an agreementon the terms of a future ceasefiremonitoring mission, the SyrianForeign Ministry said. It could seeup to 300 observers entering thecountry.

UN-Arab League mediator KofiAnnan said the Syrian governmentand the UN had agreed a basis for a‘protocol’ on the deployment of moremonitors.

‘This agreement outlines thefunctions of the observers as they fulfiltheir mandate in Syria and the tasksand responsibilities of the Syriangovernment,’ Ahmad Fawzi, Annan’sspokesman, said in a statement.

Fawzi said Annan’s team washolding ‘similar discussions withrepresentatives of the opposition onthe tasks and responsibilities of thearmed opposition groups.’

A survey by the United Nations hasfound that the number of civiliansuprooted inside Syria has jumped bysome 230,000 since the start of the

uprising last year.A report by the Norwegian

Refugees Council and the Geneva-based Internal DisplacementMonitoring Centre says more than600,000 people are now internallydisplaced inside Syria, including some400,000 from the country’s 1967 warwith Israel.

Tens of thousands more have fledto neighbouring countries, makingthem officially refugees. The increasemakes Syria the country with theeighth highest number of internallydisplaced people in the world.

Colombia has the highest numberof these refugees, with up to 5.2 milliondisplaced, followed by Iraq, Sudan,Congo and Somalia.

The 15-member U.N. SecurityCouncil will meet at 1pm GMT todayfor a briefing by Annan’s deputy, Jean-Marie Guehenno.

It is seen as crucial in determiningwhether the conditions are right fordeploying a larger monitoring missionto Syria.

U.S. and European diplomats onthe council have suggested that Syria’slack of full compliance with itsobligations to end the violence maymake it difficult for them to support anew resolution that would be needed

to deploy an expanded observermission.

In the first progress report sincethe Security Council passed aresolution on Saturday authorising thedeployment of observers.

Secretary-General Ban proposedan expanded mission of 300 personnelto monitor a shaky ceasefire betweenforces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and opposition fighters.

Ban said this week that 250observers were too few in a country of23million where the United Nationssays at least 9,000 people have beenkilled in the past 13 months.

He sought European help insupplying planes and helicopters. ButSyrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said 250 was a ‘reasonablenumber’.

But he added that they should befrom countries such as China, Russia,Brazil, India and South Africa - allmore sympathetic to Damascus thanare the West or the Arab League.

He also dismissed any need for UNaircraft.

The monitors’ mission, however,will be a perilous one. Yesterdaygunfire and protests broke out near ateam of UN observers.

Source: Dailymalil.co.uk

Ridiculous: The pair shook hands and grinned as they 'helped' in the footage broadcast on state TV.

Helping out: They have been slammed for ordering luxury goodson the internet while their country burns.

Dressing down: For her latest TV appearance Asma avoided anyhint of glamour, dressing down in a sheer pink sweater over a simpledress with her dark blonde hair soberly braided and pinned up

Violation: Smoke and fire billows from a building as shells rain downin the flashpoint city of Homs.


Contd. from Back Page

In the 2012 budget, therewas an increase from theprevious years’ budget of

N450.8 billion to N491.9billion (9%). The totalrevenue for 2012 is estimatedat N399.8 billion andimpressively, the ordinaryrevenue (Lagos IGR, otherIGR, dedicated revenue, etc.)of the state is N289.7 billionwhich is about 73% of totalrevenue. This is more thandouble of the N110.2 billionthat Lagos expects from thefederation account in 2012.Lagos is therefore not one ofthe numerous “parastatalstates” that cannot paysalaries unless the FAACmeets in Abuja! Compared tosome other states whosebudgets have grownastronomically with nocommensurate growth inIGR, the budget of Lagosstate has steadily increasedalongside its IGR as shown byan 8% (N262.6 billion toN289.7 billion) increase inordinary revenues between2011 and 2012. So while thefederal government preachesfiscal consolidation withoutpracticing, it is Lagos Statethat is practicing it withoutall the noise!

Comparing both years’budgets, there is a projectedincrease in ordinary revenue(IGR inclusive) by about N27billion between 2011 and2012. Taking the case study ofBauchi state whose budgetwas analyzed last week, itsprojected increase in IGR forthis year was just N1 billion!Unlike the case of Bauchi statewhere the government spendsmoney on maintaining manycommissioners and 924 aidesthat it’s IGR cannot support,Lagos state Government has23 commissioners and 20Special Advisers, and yet isperforming much better. Infact, looking at the revenueearning capacity of Lagos incomparison to many states ofthe federation is going fromone extreme to another.

Capital expenditure for2012 is N258.3 billion (53%)while recurrent expenditure isN233.6 billion (47%) of thetotal budget. Although theratio does not meet the bestpractice of 70% for capitalexpenditure, it must beacknowledged that Lagosenjoys the dual advantages oflimited geographic spreadand legacy of inherited federalinfrastructure, and thereforedoes not need as muchgreenfield infrastructuralinvestments as other ruralstates. What it needs thoughis high levels of spending onmaintenance and runningcosts. These are perhapsreflected in the higherrecurrent portions of thebudget.

The government, in 2012increased its recurrentexpenditures on educationfrom N28.4 billion in 2011 toN35.4 billion and justifiablytoo as there has beencontinuous increase in bothvolumes and pass rates ofSSCE candidates from Lagos.The number of candidateswho obtained five credits inWASCE including Englishand Mathematics hasimproved from a miserable7.58% in 2007 to animpressive 21.11% in 2010.The 2010 National LiteracySurvey also shows that Lagoshas the highest literacy ratein any language. Increasedallocation of funds to thissector is definitely acommendable step in theright direction.

The environmental sub-sector of Lagos state whichreceives about 6% of theoverall budget allocation,recorded a huge leap from theN335 million revenuegenerated in 2011 to projectedN2 billion in 2012. This is onesector which the residents ofLagos have felt a visibledifference. There was a slightincrease in health allocationfrom N32.9 billion in 2011 toN33.3 billion in 2012. In spiteof the increase, the healthsector is expected to double itsrevenue from N393 million toN655 million. Works andInfrastructure received 18%(N88.1 billion) of the budgetreflecting investments toaddress existinginfrastructure deficits. Thetransportation sectorhowever, dropped inprojected revenue by aboutN400 million whereas itsbudgetary allocationincreased by about 11% forthe same reason.

The personnel costbudget for the entire Lagosstate government for 2012 isabout N81.6 billion. This isless than one third of its IGRand less than 5% of theFederal Governments(N1,600 billion) staff costs,yet many would say thatLagos runs better thanNigeria these days.Departments such as lands,environmental protection,works and infrastructure,transportation, and even the

judiciary earn sufficientrevenues to cover theirpersonnel costs. In fact, thelands department earnsenough to cover all itsrecurrent expenditures whilethe state’s Ordinary Revenue(N289.7 billion) can cover itstotal recurrent costs (N233.6billion) with a surplus ofN56.1 billion. That is how afederating unit’s financesshould be!

In year 2011, Lagos stateHigh Courts alone maderevenues of about N700million and are expected toearn about N1.2 billion in2012 which is higher than theIGR of most states of thefederation now depending onthe Federal Government formonthly handouts. The lessonand experience of Lagos is this- each MDA is a revenue aswell as a cost centre. Eachgovernment department thatoffers services charges somefees to cover all or part of thecost of the service. That is howto run a department, state, orcountry! My admiration forthe business-like way Lagos isrun is clear by now.

Lagos is only state in thecountry which can survivesolely on its incomes fromtaxation. However accordingto the World Bank DoingBusiness rankings 2010, thestate was ranked 25th out of37 in Nigeria in terms of easeof doing business. Lagos is notan agrarian state, neither is itendowed with any mineralresources. It is thereforedisturbing that despite thehuge amount of private sectorinvestment and potential, thebusiness environment is farfrom friendly. The authoritiesneed to create a thrivingenvironment for businesses inLagos especially since taxesand land charges are themajor source of fiscalsustenance of the state.

All our states should learnlessons from Lagos not only inthe areas of budgettransparency but fiscalindependence from Abuja,delivery of public services,investment in education andeven governance succession.With these outlier qualities, itis not surprising that Lagos isrun by a party other than thePDP of today!


“Taking the case study of Bauchi state whosebudget was analyzed last week, its projected

increase in IGR for this year was just N1 billion!Unlike the case of Bauchi state where the

government spends money on maintainingmany commissioners and 924 aides that it’s

IGR cannot support, Lagos state Governmenthas 23 commissioners and 20 Special

Advisers, and yet is performing much better


Bashar and Asma handing out foodto victims of figh city he is bombingFootage of Syria’s brutal leader

and his wife packing up foodparcels has been broadcast on

state TV - after they were derided forordering luxury goods on the internetwhile their country burns.

Pictures were broadcast last nightshowing Bashar and Asma Assadreceiving a rapturous welcome at al-Fahya stadium in Damascus.

They joined hundreds ofvolunteers boxing cartons full of flour,sugar, cooking oil and pasta for victimsof fighting in Homs, where thepresident’s

The Assads have long worked tomanage their image, but it backfired ayear ago when a glamorous photoshoot and gushing profile of Asma, 36,appeared in Vogue magazine just asher husband launched a violentcrackdown on pro-democracyprotests.

Those images are now part of aYouTube campaign led by the wives

of United Nations ambassadors fromBritain and Germany, whichalternates stylish shots of Asma withgruesome pictures of dead and injuredSyrian children.

For her latest TV appearanceAsma avoided any hint of glamour,dressing down in a sheer pink sweaterover a simple dress with her darkblonde hair soberly braided andpinned up.

Her tall, gangly husband lookedrelaxed, towering above his admirersin a polo shirt with an identity pass ona ribbon around his neck like othervolunteers.

The two packed boxes sealed themwith Scotch tape and carried themover to stacks of aid awaitingdistribution.

Emergence of the footage came asSyria was slammed by the UnitedNations for failing to keep to the termsof a peace plan and continuing tostation troops and heavy weapons in

All smiles: Bashar and Asma Assad were shown packing up food boxes in a Damascus stadium.

towns.In a letter to the Security Council

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Syriawas failing to send a ‘clear signal’about its commitment to peace,underlining Western fears for theweek-old truce. Despite these fears,the UN today signed an agreementon the terms of a future ceasefiremonitoring mission, the SyrianForeign Ministry said. It could seeup to 300 observers entering thecountry.

UN-Arab League mediator KofiAnnan said the Syrian governmentand the UN had agreed a basis for a‘protocol’ on the deployment of moremonitors.

‘This agreement outlines thefunctions of the observers as they fulfiltheir mandate in Syria and the tasksand responsibilities of the Syriangovernment,’ Ahmad Fawzi, Annan’sspokesman, said in a statement.

Fawzi said Annan’s team washolding ‘similar discussions withrepresentatives of the opposition onthe tasks and responsibilities of thearmed opposition groups.’

A survey by the United Nations hasfound that the number of civiliansuprooted inside Syria has jumped bysome 230,000 since the start of the

uprising last year.A report by the Norwegian

Refugees Council and the Geneva-based Internal DisplacementMonitoring Centre says more than600,000 people are now internallydisplaced inside Syria, including some400,000 from the country’s 1967 warwith Israel.

Tens of thousands more have fledto neighbouring countries, makingthem officially refugees. The increasemakes Syria the country with theeighth highest number of internallydisplaced people in the world.

Colombia has the highest numberof these refugees, with up to 5.2 milliondisplaced, followed by Iraq, Sudan,Congo and Somalia.

The 15-member U.N. SecurityCouncil will meet at 1pm GMT todayfor a briefing by Annan’s deputy, Jean-Marie Guehenno.

It is seen as crucial in determiningwhether the conditions are right fordeploying a larger monitoring missionto Syria.

U.S. and European diplomats onthe council have suggested that Syria’slack of full compliance with itsobligations to end the violence maymake it difficult for them to support anew resolution that would be needed

to deploy an expanded observermission.

In the first progress report sincethe Security Council passed aresolution on Saturday authorising thedeployment of observers.

Secretary-General Ban proposedan expanded mission of 300 personnelto monitor a shaky ceasefire betweenforces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and opposition fighters.

Ban said this week that 250observers were too few in a country of23million where the United Nationssays at least 9,000 people have beenkilled in the past 13 months.

He sought European help insupplying planes and helicopters. ButSyrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said 250 was a ‘reasonablenumber’.

But he added that they should befrom countries such as China, Russia,Brazil, India and South Africa - allmore sympathetic to Damascus thanare the West or the Arab League.

He also dismissed any need for UNaircraft.

The monitors’ mission, however,will be a perilous one. Yesterdaygunfire and protests broke out near ateam of UN observers.

Source: Dailymalil.co.uk


Political dynasties (Romney, Bush,Kennedy) betray basic American values

Families like the Kennedys,Bushes, and Romneys willlikely ever seek political

power - and the public may wellrespond with a certain star-struckawe. But hereditary ambition andhome-grown royalty run counterto the American Revolutionpremise 'that all men are createdequal.

Once again, America's leadingpolitical dynasties are holdinghigh the family standard in anelection year.

In Massachusetts, anotherKennedy is racing toward Congress.This time, it's Democrat Joseph P.Kennedy III, the grandson of thelate Robert F. Kennedy, hoping tofill the vacancy of retiring Rep.Barney Frank.

"I'm very proud of my family'srecord of public service to theCommonwealth and the country,"the young Mr. Kennedy has said. Idon't doubt his desire for service,but he's also trading on the familyname - and fundraising and otherpowers and privileges that go withit. That's not what the Foundersenvisioned for the new republic.

Meanwhile, in Texas andFlorida, the Bushes are using their

endorsement clout in an attemptto wrap up the messy Republicanprimary. It's time for "the party toget behind" Mitt Romney, formerPresident George H.W. Bush says.

His wife, Barbara - whoreferred to her son George W. as"the chosen one" before he evenbecame president - has recorded arobocall for Mr. Romney'scampaign. Jeb Bush, another sonand a former governor of Florida,has also endorsed Romney.

(A reasonable question: IfRomney loses to Obama, will Jebrun in 2016? It's a job he has saidhe has wanted since he was a kid.)

The United States has seen itsshare of political families: theAdamses, at the beginning, and inmodern times, the Browns ofCalifornia; the Cuomos of NewYork; the Daleys of Chicago; RonPaul and his son Rand, now a USsenator from Kentucky; not tomention Romney and his lategovernor father, George.

But over the past half century,no two families have been aspowerful as the Bushes andKennedys. They share deep NewEngland roots and a seeming senseof entitlement to the White House.

The Kennedy taste for dynasticprerogative has at times beenshameless. Sen. Robert Kennedychallenged a sitting president of hisown party and tried to seize thepresidential nomination - seekingto recapture his brother John's lostlegacy and rekindle the myth ofCamelot. (Parallels can be drawnwith the younger Bush presidentin attempting to finish off hisfather's war with Saddam Hussein'sIraq.)

Even after the Kennedyssuffered two assassinations, thefamily's ambition continued tosoar. Brother Edward tried (andfailed) to unseat his party'spresident, Democrat JimmyCarter. So strong was the family'sbelief that the White Housebelonged to them, that a defeatedTeddy petulantly refused to shakehands with President Carter at the1980 Democratic convention.

The youngest Kennedy brothernever made it to the Oval Office,but he helped Barack Obama getthere, acting as kingmaker alongwith his niece Caroline, as theypointedly favored Mr. Obama overHillary Rodham Clinton (from awould-be dynasty).

This practice of hereditaryambition and home-grownroyalty betrays a basic premise ofthe American Revolution, "that allmen are created equal."

Andrew Jackson's defeat ofincumbent John Quincy Adamsswept away much of our earlierfaith in ruling families, andsuccessive waves of immigrantsmade a mockery of it.

The Europeans spent centuries,sometimes knee-deep in blood,eliminating czars and kings.

Yet in the past 50 years inAmerica, we have had to ride outallegations of rape, manslaughter,drug abuse, infidelity, anddrunkenness in our "royalfamilies," overlooking all this on themedieval assumption that thosewith better bloodlines are somehowbeyond reproach or the law.

And, like kings of old, today'sroyals seek to maintain positionand power by plying supporters,friends, and family with gifts,whether they be tax breaks orcabinet posts. At their peril, theyforget that stability in anykingdom involved a delicatebalance between the crown andnobility, and the people.

The republic could again usethe same disdain for pretenseemployed by an earlier patriot whoonce said he wished that "waddingof the cannon fired to salutePresident [John] Adams would hithim in the seat of the pants."

The progeny of political familieswill likely ever seek political power- and the public may well respondwith a certain star-struck awe andhope for favorable treatment. Butin this country, we ought to judgea candidate on merit. That's whatwe were raised on.

Culled from ChristianScience Monitor WalterRodgers is a former seniorinternational correspondentfor CNN.

Former Presidents George Bush Senior and junior

ANALYSISBy Walter Rodgers

Mitt Romney, Republican Presidential Candidate

Late President J. F. Kennedy

“"I'm very proud of my family's record ofpublic service to the Commonwealth andthe country," the young Mr. Kennedy hassaid. I don't doubt his desire for service,but he's also trading on the family name- and fundraising and other powers andprivileges that go with it. That's not what

the Founders envisioned for the new


Bashir vows to take fight to South Sudan

Egypt refers banon presidencycandidates tocourt

Egypt's military rulers haveasked the constitutional courtto rule on whether top officials

from Hosni Mubarak's era can runfor the presidency, a judicial sourcesaid yesterday, after theparliament passed a law banningthem.

Last week's new law must bepassed by the ruling militarycouncil to take effect.

MPs drafted the legislation inresponse Mubarak spy Chief OmarSuleiman's decision to run for thepresidency. Suleiman has sincebeen disqualified on the grounds thathe failed to secure enough voterendorsements to run.

The legislation, if approved,could disqualify former PrimeMinister Ahmed Shafiq - in powerduring Mubarak's last days.

The Supreme ConstitutionalCourt is expected to issue its rulingwithin 15 days. A minister in thearmy-appointed government lastweek described the law as "adeviation" that targeted one or twopeople.

The presidential election startson May 23 with two days of votingand is expected to go to a June run-off between the top two candidates.Front-runners include the MuslimBrotherhood's Mohamed Mursi,former member of the Islamistgroup Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouhand former Arab League chief andEgypt's foreign minister for a decade,Amr Moussa.

Sudan's president has said hewill "cut" the hand ofaggressors and retake the

disputed oil-producing Heglig regionas his country continues to clash withits southern neighbour South Sudan.

Omar al-Bashir told a rally inSudan's North Kordofan stateyesterday he would not surrender"an inch" of the country and that hewould firmly deal with the enemies.

"We will not give them an inch ofour country, and whoever extendshis hand on Sudan, we will cut it,"Bashir told thousands of people in El-Obeid, North Kordofan's capital.

"Heglig is in Kordofan," he said inthe speech broadcast on statetelevision, dancing and waving hiswalking stick. The region accountsfor 50 per cent of Sudan's oilproduction.

Al Jazeera's Peter Greste,reporting from Bentiu, South Sudan,said officials in Juba, the country'scapital, had dismissed Bashir'sstatements as rhetoric.

"They [Sudanese authorities]never really accepted the cessationof the South", Barnaba Benjamin, theSouth Sudanese minister ofinformation, told our correspondent,

referring to the referendum thatled to South Sudan becoming anindependent state.

Benjamin said the South was notinterested in war with Sudan andthat the country was only trying todefend its "territorial integrity".

Meanwhile, Ban Ki Moon, UNsecretary General said yesterdaythat South Sudan's seizure of an oilfield in neighboring Sudan was an"illegal act" and called on bothcountries to stop fighting.

"I call on South Sudan toimmediately withdraw its forcesfrom Heglig. This is aninfringement on the sovereignty ofSudan and a clearly illegal act," Bantold reporters. "I also call on thegovernment of Sudan toimmediately stop shelling andbombing South Sudanese territoryand withdraw its forces fromdisputed territories."

Our correspondent Greste saidBashir's statements werecomplicating diplomatic efforts.

"The scaling up of the rhetoric issomething that is worryingdiplomats," our correspondent said."The challenge for the diplomats isto try to find [a way of] of resolving

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir addresses supporters during a rally at the ruling National CongressParty (NCP) headquarters in Khartoum, April 18, 2012.

Libya PM says Gaddafi son in good healthLibya's prime minister met

war crimes prosecutor LuisMoreno-Ocampo yesterday

and reassured him thatMuammar Gaddafi's detainedson is in good health and that hisgovernment is determined togive him a fair trial.

"I assure the world that Saif(al-Islam) is being given ahumanitarian treatment withrespect and according to humanrights guidelines," AbdurrahimEl-Keib told reporters aftermeeting the InternationalCriminal Court chief prosecutor,in Libya to investigate Gaddafi'sson who is wanted by the ICC.

Earlier this month a seniordefence lawyer at the ICC askedthe court to report Libya to theU.N. Security Council over itsfailure to extradite Saif al-Islam

to The Hague.Xavier-Jean Keita said the

wanted man had been physicallyattacked and was sufferingdental pain.

The ICC issued an arrestwarrant for Saif al-Islam in June2011 after prosecutors accusedhim and others of involvementin the killing of protesters duringthe revolt that eventuallytoppled and killed his father.

But Libya says Gaddafi'sBritish-educated son should facejustice at home rather than standtrial in The Hague.

He was caught in Novemberdisguised as a Bedouin tribesmanin the Sahara desert, monthsafter telling his father's opponentsthey would be exterminated likerats.

He is still being held in a secret

this dispute ... "Bashir threatened on Wednesday

to overthrow the "insect"government in South Sudanfollowing the attack on Heglig,Sudan's most important oil field, bytroops from the south who seized iteight days ago.

"Our main goal is liberation of thesouthern citizens from the SPLM," hetold members of Sudan's rulingNational Congress Party.

The Sudan People's LiberationMovement (SPLM) is the rulingparty in South Sudan.

"We call it an insect ... trying todestroy Sudan, and our main targetfrom today is to eliminate this insectcompletely," Bashir said.

"There are two choices: Either weend up in Juba or they end up inKhartoum. The old borders cannottake us both."

"In a few hours you are going tolisten to good news from yourbrothers in Heglig. Heglig will not bethe end. The end will be in Juba."

Bashir made the remarks as hisaudience sang songs about jihad, orholy war.

While Bashir forecast a swiftvictory, a foreign ministry official

said Sudan was pursuing bothmilitary and diplomatic measuresto remove South Sudan from thearea.

"Military steps are under way ...and they are calculated measures,"Omar Dahab, head of the ministry'scrisis team, said.

"At the same time, they aretaking into consideration thediplomatic efforts regarding theending of the occupation. We haveto end the occupation by hook orcrook, by either way."

Sudan's military has releasedvirtually no information about thesituation on the ground, but SouthSudan has vowed to hold its positionsin Heglig, despite air strikes.

Clashes broke out last month inthe Heglig area and escalated lastweek with waves of aerialbombardment hitting the Southand South Sudan's seizure of the oilcentre on April 10.

The UN, the US and theEuropean Union have criticised theSouth's occupation of the north's mostimportant oil field, equallydenouncing Sudanese air raidsagainst the South. South Sudanclaims the raids prompted theinvasion of Heglig.

There are widespread fears thatthe fighting, which began withskirmishes in the same area in lateMarch and intensified last week, willspread.

It is already the worst episodesince South Sudan wonindependence in July after a 1983-2005 civil war which killed twomillion people.

Bashir's comments follow a UNSecurity Council meeting whichdiscussed possible sanctions onTuesday against Sudan and SouthSudan in a bid to halt a wider war.

"Council members expressedgrave concern over the situationand committed to make every effortto convince the parties to ceasehostilities and return to thenegotiating table," Susan Rice, theSecurity Council president, said.

But Dahab, of Khartoum'sforeign ministry, said penalisingboth the aggressor and the victimwould be wrong.

"It is clear that that is not fair," hesaid. "Logically it should be directedto the aggressor."

Although South Sudan disputesit, Heglig has been internationallyrecognised as being part of Sudan.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is seen sitting in a plane in Zintan November 19,2011.

… As Presidentialhopefuls launchcampaign

The number of candidates inEgypt's presidential electionhas been almost halved to 13,

and an appeal by 10 candidateswho were barred has been rejectedby the election panel.

Some have welcomed theElectoral Commission's decision,particularly those who have seenthe odds on their favouredcandidate improvedramatically.

Supporters of Amr Moussa, theformer head of the Arab League,have launched his campaign justhours after the ElectoralCommission confirmed that 10candidates were excluded fromrunning for president.

He is now one of the front-runners, the most prominent ofthose campaigning on a purelysecular ticket, and one who maywell pick up the many votes thatwere likely to go the way of theformer intelligence chief, OmarSuleiman, who is vigorouslyopposed to any religious influencein politics.

…call South’s leaders insects

location in the town of Zintan,160 km (100 miles) west ofTripoli by the former fighters who

captured him and who have sofar declined governmentrequests to hand him over.


Blasts in Baghdad,northern Iraqi cities kill 30Bombings struck several

areas in Baghdad and tothe north yesterday,

killing at least 30 people in the

first major attacks in Iraq innearly a month. The violencestoked fears that insurgents weretrying to undermine confidence

in the Shiite-led government amidrising sectarian tensions.

In all, officials said extremistslaunched 12 attacks in the Iraqi

People gather near the remains of a vehicle used in a bomb attack in Baghdad's northern districtof Kadhimiya.

Syria's Deputy FM Faisal al-Miqdad (R) and General Abhijit Guha, the Deputy Military Adviser inthe U.N. Department of Peacekeeping.

capital and in the cities of Kirkuk,Samarra, Baqouba, Dibis andTaji. Mortars were fired into thenorthern cities of Beiji andSaddam Hussein's hometown ofTikrit, but no injuries werereported there.

Nearly 100 people werewounded in the rapid-fireexplosions that unfolded over anhour and 15 minutes. Half of thebombs struck at security forcesand government officials - twofrequent targets for insurgentsstill seeking to undermine Iraq'sefforts to normalize after years ofwar and violence.

There was no immediateclaim of responsibility for theattacks, but Baghdad militarycommand spokesman Col. DhiaAl-Wakeel said they resembledthose carried out by Al-Qaeda.

"They want to send a messagethat they can target the stabilitythat has been achieved recently,"Al-Wakeel said. "This will notdiscourage our security forces."

The strikes marked the firstmajor attacks in Iraq in nearly amonth, although ongoingpolitical battles between theShiite-led government and topSunni and Kurdish officials havethreatened to inflame simmeringsectarian disputes.

Iraq's Sunni Vice President,Tariq Al-Hashemi, is wanted onterror charges that he says arepolitically motivated, andKurdish regional leader MassoudBarzani has compared thegovernment in Baghdad to adictatorship. Aides to PrimeMinister Nouri Al-Maliki, a Shiite,have dismissed the criticism asbaseless.

Sunni lawmaker Hamid Al-Mutlaq blamed the politicalwrangling for what he describedas Iraq's deteriorating security.

"We hold responsible all thegovernment security forces andthe leaders of the political processfor today's attacks," said Al-Mutlaq, a member ofparliament's defense and securitycommittee.

The single deadliest bombingThursday came in Dibis, locatednear the northern city of Kirkuk,180 miles (290 kilometers) northof Baghdad. Kirkuk Police Brig.Gen. Sarhad Qadir said a parkedcar exploded in the Sunni Arabvillage, killing six passers-by andwounding four.

The day of violence began atdawn with a car that exploded inresidential area in the Diyalaprovincial; capital of Baqouba ineastern Iraq, killing one andinjuring 13 people. Within twohours, bombs cropped up acrossBaghdad, killing eight across theIraqi capital - mostly in Shiiteneighborhoods.

Baghdad police said roadsidebombs and car explosions targetedsecurity patrols and the nation'stop health official, Health MinisterMajeed Hamad Amin, as hisconvoy was driving him to work.Amin, an Iraqi Kurd, was not hurtin the attack on his convoy in the

Syria-UN signagreement onmonitoringmission

Syria and the United Nationssigned an agreementyesterday on the terms of a

cease-fire monitoring mission, theSyrian Foreign Ministry said.

"This preliminary agreementaims to facilitate the task of theobservers within the frameworkof Syrian sovereignty," thestatement said.

A statement from UN-ArabLeague mediator Kofi Annan saidthe Syrian government and theUnited Nations had agreed a basisfor a "protocol" on thedeployment of more observers.

"This agreement outlines thefunctions of the observers as theyfulfil their mandate in Syria andthe tasks and responsibilities ofthe Syrian government," AhmadFawzi, Annan's spokesman, saidin a statement.

Fawzi said Annan's team washolding "similar discussions withrepresentatives of the oppositionon the tasks and responsibilitiesof the armed opposition groups."

The 15-member UN SecurityCouncil will meet at 9:00 a.m(1300 GMT) on Thursday for abriefing by Annan's deputy,Jean-Marie Guehenno, whichwill be crucial in determiningwhether the conditions are rightfor deploying a larger monitoringmission to Syria. US andEuropean diplomats on thecouncil have suggested thatSyria's lack of full compliancewith its obligations to end theviolence may make it difficult forthem to support a new resolutionthat would be needed to deployan expanded observer mission.

A man rides a bicycle past a police guard outside the house where bin Laden's family is believedto be detained in Islamabad.

Bin Ladenfamilydeportation hitsmore snags

The plan to deport Osama BinLaden's three widows andtheir nine children from

Pakistan ran into more bureaucratichurdles on Wednesday, making ituncertain when they would leave,their lawyer said.

The family was detained byPakistani authorities last May afterUS Navy SEALs raided the compoundin northwest Pakistan where the Al-Qaeda chief was hiding and killedhim. The American commandos leftBin Laden's relatives but took hisbody, which they later buried at sea.

Pakistan interrogated the familymembers and eventually chargedthe widows and two adult daughterslast month with illegally entering andliving in the country. The fivewomen were convicted at thebeginning of April and sentenced to45 days in prison, with credit for abouta month served.

Their prison term, which wasspent at a well-guarded house inIslamabad, ended Tuesday. Theywere scheduled to be deported afterthe completion of their sentence, buttheir departure has been held up forbureaucratic reasons, said Atif AliKhan, who took over as their lawyerWednesday.


UN’s Ban lashes at South Sudanover seizure of Sudan oil field

accused Bashir of planning"genocide."

"The escalation of rhetoric onboth sides is indeed worrying andit's only fanning the flames," U.S.Ambassador to the UnitedNations Susan Rice, thepresident of the U.N. SecurityCouncil for April, told reporters.

"The effort ought to be madeto reduce the flames, douse them,and return to the table to resolve

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon speaks after addressing the Sustainable Energy summit inBrussels April 16, 2012.

the outstanding issues that havemade relations between northand south so difficult in the wakeof independence," she said.

On Tuesday, the 15-nationU.N. Security Council discussedthe possibility of imposingsanctions on Sudan and SouthSudan if the fighting does notstop.

Distrust runs deep betweenthe neighbors, who are at

Berlusconi under investigationin prostitution caseFormer Italian Prime Minister

Silvio Berlusconi is facing anew investigation by

magistrates looking into hisrelationship with a man who ischarged with procuringprostitutes, a justice system officialsaid yesterday.

The official, who declined to beidentified by name, saidmagistrates in the southern city ofBari had extended an existing

investigation into local businessmanGianpaolo Tarantini to includeBerlusconi.

Magistrates have accusedTarantini of giving false testimonyand holding information from themduring an investigation concerningthe suspected procurement ofprostitutes for parties at the formerprime minister's residences.

They want to determine ifTarantini made the allegedly false

declarations at Berlusconi'sbehest.

Berlusconi's lawyer NiccoloGhedini said he had not yetreceived any formal notificationthat his client was underinvestigation in Bari.

Leading Italian newspapers,including Corriere della Seraand La Repubblica, said themagistrates suspect Berlusconimay have paid hundreds ofthousands of euros (dollars) toTarantini to withholdevidence.

Berlusconi has alwaysmaintained that parties at hishomes were respectable, that hehas never paid for sex with awoman and that he did notknow women taking part in hisparties were prostitutes.

Prosecutors have linkedTarantini with Italianbusinessman Valter Lavitola,who was arrested earlier thisweek when he returned to Italyafter eight months as a fugitivein Latin America.

Lavitola was an unofficial aideand fixer for Berlusconi andoccasionally accompanied him onstate trips abroad although he hadno government role.

Naples prosecutors orderedLavitola's arrest on charges offraud connected to 23 millioneuros in public financing forL'Avanti, a socialist newspaper.

Italy"s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi arrives for a meetingof the European People"s Party (EPP) ahead of a two-day EuropeanUnion leaders summit in Brussels March 1, 2012.

UN chief Ban Ki-moonyesterday termed SouthSudan's seizure of a disputed

oil field in Sudan an "illegal act" andcalled on both countries to stopborder clashes spiraling into war asthe United States warned of a"worrying" escalation in rhetoric.

Clashes along the ill-definedborder between the former civil-war foes has led to a standoff overthe Heglig oil field after it was seizedlast week by troops from SouthSudan, which declaredindependence last year.

"I call on South Sudan toimmediately withdraw forces fromHeglig. This is an infringement onthe sovereignty of Sudan and aclearly illegal act," Ban, the U.N.secretary-general, told reporters.

"I also call on the government ofSudan to immediately stop shellingand bombing South Sudaneseterritory and withdraw its forcesfrom disputed territories," he said."I have impressed on bothgovernments the necessity ofending the fighting and returningto negotiations. They have yet toheed our call."

Mounting violence since Sudansplit into two countries last year hasraised the prospect of two sovereignAfrican states waging war againsteach other openly for the first timesince Ethiopia fought newlyindependent Eritrea in 1998-2000.

Sudan's President Omar Hassanal-Bashir all but declared waragainst his neighbor on Thursday,vowing to teach South Sudan a"final lesson by force" after itoccupied Heglig, while Juba

loggerheads over the position oftheir border, how much thelandlocked south should pay totransport its oil through Sudan,and the division of national debt,among other issues.

Both are poor countries - SouthSudan is one of the poorest in theworld - and the dispute betweenthem has already halted nearly allthe oil production that underpinsboth economies.

US condemns soldiers’actions in Afghanistan

Senior US and NATOofficials moved quicklyto condemn the troops'

behaviour even before the photoswere published on Wednesday bythe Los Angeles Times, whichreceived them from anothersoldier.

At a meeting of NATO allies inBrussels, Belgium, Leon Panetta,the US defence secretary,apologised for the actions depictedby the photographs.

"This is war, and I know war isugly, and is violent. And I knowyoung people sometimes caughtup in the moment make somevery foolish decisions," he said.

"I am not excusing that."Panetta said: "My apology is on

behalf of the department of defenceand the US government ... Again,that behaviour is unacceptable."

He also said he regretted thedecision of the Los Angeles Timesto publish some of the photos,which he said might triggerretaliatory violence againstforeign soldiers stationed inAfghanistan.

Separately, Anders FoghRasmussen, NATO secretary-general, condemned thebehaviour depicted by the images,saying they "don't in any wayrepresent the principles andvalues that are the basis for our

mission in Afghanistan".Earlier, General John Allen, the

most senior commander of NATOand US forces in Afghanistan, said ina statement that an investigationinto the incident was under way.

"The actions of the individualsphotographed do not represent thepolicies of International SecurityAssistance Force or the US army," hesaid.

The appearance on the LosAngeles Times website of some of the18 pictures, taken in 2010, comes ata sensitive time in US-Afghanrelations, following release of a videoin January that showed four USmarines urinating on Afghaninsurgent corpses.

The burning of copies of theQuran, the Muslim holy book, at amajor NATO airbase also triggereda week of riots that left 30 dead andled to the deaths of six Americans.

And, in March, a US armysergeant went on a night shootingrampage in two southern Afghanvillages, killing 17 civilians andprompting Hamid Karzai,Afghanistan's president, to demandforeign soldiers confine themselvesto major bases.

Such incidents have complicatedUS efforts to negotiate a strategicpartnership agreement to define itspresence once most foreign combattroops pull out by the end of 2014.

Norwayterrorist‘planned to killmany more’

The Norwegian terrorist,Anders Behring Breivik ontrial for killing 77 people

last July has said that his originalplans included decapitating thecountry's former prime minister,bombing a royal palace andkilling the entire government.

The mass murderer also toldan Oslo court yesterday that hetrained himself using a computerwargame to help plan the attackson the fourth day of his trial.

Breivik killed eight people ina car bombing outside the rulingLabour Party's headquarters inOslo and then shot dead 69 peopleon the island of Utoya, where theparty was holding a youthsummer camp.

"The aim of the attack onthe government buildings ...was to kill the entireNorwegian government,including the PM ... andeveryone in the building,"Breivik told the court. JensStoltenberg, the currentNorwegian prime minister,was not at the offices on theday of the attack.

He also described how heplanned to kill everybody onUtoya, culminating in thefilmed beheading of formerprime minister Gro HarlemBrundtland.

Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan,reporting from Oslo, said Breivikhad told the court how he startedplaying wargames for up to 16hours a day after moving in withhis mother in 2006.


Remote spot is just akilometre wideCurrents are so

dangerous fishermen hardlyever cast nets in the area 'I'vedecided here is the place for meto die' He rarely wears clothesand eats almost nothing butrice cakes but MasafumiNagasaki says the smallinhospitable Japanese island hechose to live on two decades agois where he wants to die.

Where most people lookforward to winding down whenthey retire, nothing wasfurther from the mind of thissun-scorched 76-year-old whogives a new meaning to theterm golden oldie.

In the early nineties MrNagasaki decided to shunmainstream society to set upbase on the little island ofSotobanari, translation 'OuterDistant Island' to while out hisfinal years.

The remote spot, which isjust a kilometre wide, is inJapan's tropical Okinawaprefecture but is located closerto Taiwan than Tokyo.

It is a world away from atraditional retirement home inthe sun. The currents thatsurround the kidney-shaped

Sun seeker: In the early nineties Mr Nagasaki decided to shun mainstream society to set up base on the little island of Sotobanari, translation ¿Outer Distant Island¿ towhile out his final years

island are so dangerous localfisherman rarely cast nets inthe area.

There is no natural waterand since setting up homethere Mr Nagasaki has had tobrave powerful typhoons andbiting insects.

Such difficulties have notdeterred the wiry hermit whono longer wears clothes apartfrom for his once a week trip toa nearby island to pick upwater and rice cakes with asmall $120 donation sent fromhis family.

He said: 'I don't do what

society tells me, but I do followthe rules of the natural world.You can't beat nature so youjust have to obey it completely.

'That's what I learned whenI came here, and that'sprobably why I get by so well.'

Ironically Mr Nagasaki sayshe spent years in the limelightworking in the entertainmentindustry before he decided toget far away from civilisation.

His resolve was testedrelatively soon into his staywhen a massive typhoon sweptthrough Sotobanari, removingmost of the vegetation that he

had relied upon for shade, aswell as carrying away thesimple tent he lived in.

'I just scorched under thesun,' he said. 'It was at thatpoint I thought this was goingto be an impossible place tolive.'

For the first year he livedthere he says he threw onclothes whenever boats passedhis way, but slowly the islandstripped away hisembarrassment.

He added: 'Walking aroundnaked doesn't really fit in withnormal society, but here on the

island it feels right, it is like auniform. If you put on clothesyou'll feel completely out ofplace.'

His staple food is rice cakes,which he boils in water, eatingwhenever hunger strikes -sometimes four or five times aday. Water for bathing andshaving comes from raincaught in a system of batteredcooking pots.

Each day is conductedaccording to a strict timetable,starting with stretches in thesun on the beach. The rest is arace against time as heprepares food, washes andcleans his camp before the lightfails and insects come out tobite.

It isn't the healthiest oflifestyles, he concedes - butthat isn't the point.

'Finding a place to die is animportant thing to do, and I'vedecided here is the place forme,' he said.

'It hadn't really occurred tome before how important it isto choose the place of yourdeath, like whether it's in ahospital or at home with familyby your side. But to die here,surrounded by nature - you justcan't beat it, can you?'

“For the first year he lived there he says he threw onclothes whenever boats passed his way, but slowly

the island stripped away his embarrassment.He added: 'Walking around naked doesn't really fit in

with normal society, but here on the island it feelsright, it is like a uniform. If you put on clothes you'll

feel completely out of place.'

‘I want to bealone’:Japaneseman, 76,bravestyphoons andbiting insectsliving nakedon tropicalisland

‘I want to bealone’:Japaneseman, 76,bravestyphoons andbiting insectsliving nakedon tropicalisland


As the summerapproaches, theprospect of baring legs

will strike fear into the heartsof a large group of women: thosewho have varicose veins.

The unsightly condition –caused by the failure of valvesin the leg veins to open andclose properly, leading to abuild-up of pressure – mayconjure up images of theelderly.

In fact, one in five of us willsuffer, and the condition canstrike even in adolescence.

Women are seven timesmore likely to suffer than men– and even celebrities are notexempt, with Britney Spearsand Sex And The City’s KristinDavis reported to have soughttreatment.

‘Serious varicose veins canlead to varicose eczema, whenthe skin becomes flaky becauseof poor oxygen supply,’ saysConstantinos Kyriakides,consultant vascular surgeon atThe Private Clinic, and Bartsand the London NHS Trust.

‘Varicose veins can bleedheavily if the leg is cut andsufferers can also developvenous ulcers or even deep-vein thrombosis.’

Traditional treatmentinvolves cutting into the grointo find the top of the offendingvein and tying it off, thenpassing a wire through frombelow the knee and pulling thevein downwards to strip it out.

This leaves the patient withtwo scars – a big one at the groinand another at the knee.

The stripping can result inbleeding, bruising, thrombosisand infection, often in the groinarea.

It is usually a painfulprocedure that can requirepatients to take three weeks offwork.

Twenty-three per cent of theveins grow back within a yearand 82 per cent in five years.

Now a new treatment,Endovenous Laser AblationTherapy (EVLA), can eradicate

The laser operation that banishesvaricose veins for good and with no scars

varicose veins for good in lessthan two hours.

One patient to benefit is 23-year-old Alice Garner, whosuffered from varicose veinssince the age of 16.

She says: ‘Initially they werejust a few little bumps, but theyrapidly became pronounced andknobbly.

‘By the time I was 20, Irefused to bare my legs inpublic. I avoided goingswimming and would only everwear long skirts.

‘For a young woman this wasreally depressing.’

Last summer, Alice hadEVLA treatment. The procedureuses a laser to target affectedveins and is effective in morethan 90 per cent of cases.

Under local anaesthetic, acatheter is put into the vein,near the knee or ankle.

Then a long sheath is sentthrough the vein. Anultrasound scanner is used to getthe positioning exactly right.

‘A laser fibre is passed insidethe sheath until it comes out,and then switched on.

The laser energy makes thewalls of the vein collapse. Thesheath and laser are pulledback, destroying the vein asthey go, without damaging thesurrounding tissues.

Smaller varicose veinsbranching off the main vein areremoved via microphlebectomy– where a small needlepunctures the skin and a finehook removes them.

The patient is able to walkout of the clinic the same day.

After her procedure, Alice’slegs were wrapped in surgicalbandages to minimise bruising.

‘I was told to walk around toreduce the risk of blood clots,’ shesays.

‘After the procedure, my legsached for a couple of days, butwere easily treated withpainkillers.

‘I only had to take two daysoff work and my varicose veinshad completely gone.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Nagging is good for youDaring to bare: But Alice Garner, 23, hid her legs after varicose veins struck at 16. Last summer, shehad Endovenous Laser Ablation Therapy (EVLA) treatment.

The laser energy makes the walls of the vein collapse

These included giving impetus(by nagging); supporting progresswith emotional and moral support;logistical support (such as lookingafter the children for an hour); andmaking activity itself a socialendeavour (such as going withfriends).

Study authorDr RichardKeegan, said: ‘Theaim of this studywas to help peopleexamine theirlifestyle as a wholeand establishwhat the keyfactors are ininfluencing theiractivity levels.

‘The mostcommon barriersto active lifestyleswere work, longcommutes andprovision off a c i l i t i e s .However, itbecame clear thatif you know who toask, it is alsopossible for yoursocial network tohelp you be moreactive, forexample, by goingfor a run withc o l l e a g u e sstraight afterwork.

‘The good news

You may not feel like thankingyour family and friends whoinsist that you need to get

fit, but a new sport psychologystudy shows such nagging doeswork.

The study from the Universityof Lincoln, is the first to addressthe range of social influencesaffecting levels of physicalactivity among people agedbetween 30 and 60.

It found through a series ofinterview with adults from acrossthe UK that the least active peopleactually appreciated pestering byspouses and children.

One participant said: ‘Wemight be sat comfortable, readingor something, and my wife mightsay ‘Let’s go and do something’.And when I’m at the cross-roads,50:50, I need that’.

Another commented: ‘Mydaughter is just full of beans, she’salways like ‘Come on Dad let’s dothis’ - and then I need to sit down!She tells me to chase her and sheactively gets me involved!’.

The media and GPs appear toplay a similar role, providing‘alarm bells’ to shock those whowere unfit or inactive about thepotential consequences of asedentary lifestyle.

The study focused onmodifiable social influences onmotivation towards physicalactivity, rather than fixed factorsused to predict health such asgender and ethnicity.

is that the study suggests once youare active and healthy, you nolonger need nagging. Mostimportantly, however, thesuggestion that ‘nagging is good’should only be applied to gettinghealthy and active!’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Motivating: Nagging was found to work at gettingpeople more active


The Human Rights Watch(HRW) has described theconviction of former governor

of Delta State, James Ibori in aLondon court as a landmark in theglobal fight against corruption.

A statement by Mr Daniel Bekele,Africa Director at HRW in Lagos, saidIbori was one of Nigeria's enduringsymbols of criminality andimpunity.

Ibori was on Tuesday convictedand sentenced to 13 yearsimprisonment by a London courtafter he pleaded guilty to sevencounts charge of money launderingof about 50 million pounds.

"The world has just got smallerfor government officials, who believethey can loot their country'sresources with impunity.

"By prosecuting Ibori, the UKauthorities have struck a blow, notonly against financial crimes athome, but also against impunity forcorruption around the globe.

"This case is not just aboutfinancial transactions in Britishbanks, but about acknowledgingglobal responsibility for helping tostop the devastating human cost ofcorruption in Nigeria," HRWobserved.

It noted that Ibori was one ofNigeria's most powerful andwealthy politicians from the oil-richNiger Delta, whose eight yearsadministration received billions ofdollars in oil revenue but with littleto show for it.

Ibori’s UK Conviction:A blow againstcorruption- HRW

President GoodluckJonathan has condoledwith retired Chief

Justice of Nigeria, Justice AlfaBelgore, on the death of hiswife, Fatima.

In a statement issuedyesterday by the Special

Adviser to the President on Mediaand Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati,Jonathan said the late HajiyaFatima served the countrydiligently through her work inthe health sector.

The president said that thedeceased also showed her

Jonathan condoles withBelgore on wife’s death

The Kaduna State House ofAssembly yesterdayassured local councils in

the state of adequate fundingthis year.

The Speaker, Alhaji Mu'azuGangaran gave the assurance inan interview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) inKaduna.

There are 23 localgovernment areas and 46development areas that arecurrently being managed byunelected management

Kaduna legislature assures LGs of adequate fundingcaretaker committees.

Gangaran said that, thatfollowed the presentation of a Billfor a law to appropriate funds forthe councils by Gov. PatrickYakowa to the legislature.

The bill passed throughsecond reading at the state Houseof Assembly on April 11.

He added that the executivebill proposed N80,101,383,870for the recurrent and capitalexpenditure of the councils.

Gangara said the bill hadbeen referred to the House

Committee on Appropriationand Implementation forindepth study.

According to him, thecommittee will report back itsfindings on May 3, for adoptionand possible passage.

He urged his colleagues toexpedite action on it because ofthe significance of the budget onthe lives of the local people.

On the Easter explosion inKaduna metropolis, hesympathised with the victims,prayed for the repose of the

deceased and urged God to grantthe bereaved family thefortitude to bear the irreparableloss.

The Speaker also prayed forthe speedy recovery of those whosustained injuries andrehabilitation of victims bygovernment.

While commending securityagencies for containing theblast, Gangara however urgedthem to redouble their pro-active efforts in forestallingsecurity breaches. (NAN)

The new executives of thePeoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Taraba state have

been inaugurated by the zonalworking committee of the North Eastzone.

At the inaugural ceremonyyesterday at the Jolly Nyame'sStadium Jalingo, Chairman of theparty for the North East zone,Senator Gingir Lawan said PDPunder the leadership of GovernorDanbaba Danfulani Suntai hastransformed the state both in termsof physical structures andharmonious co-existence amongthe different set ups in the state.

He advised the executives of theparty and its members to beobedient to their leaders, respectfulto one another irrespective of theirlevels in the society.

Speaking at the occasionGovernor Danbaba Suntaicongratulated the new executivecouncil on their victory.

He described the new chairman,Victor Bala as a hardworking personwho will deliver the sixteen localgovernment councils in the state inthe forthcoming local governmentelection.

Governor Danbaba charged thestate working committee to take theparty to greater height by unitingthe people.

New Taraba PDPexco inaugurated

Some Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)’s Caucus members at the National Assembly during a Press Conference on the purportedsecurity report on Osun state, on Wednesday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

diligence by providing a stablehome for her husband.

He prayed that God wouldcomfort the entire Belgorefamily at this time of grief andgive them the fortitude to bearthe irreparable loss.

The president also extended

condolences to Gov. AbdulfatahAhmed, the government andpeople of Kwara state.

Hajiya Fatima, 70, a retiredDeputy Matron at the AhmaduBello University TeachingHospital, died on Thursdaymorning in Ilorin. (NAN)

From Yusha'u Alhassan, Jalingo

Governor Abdulaziz Yarihas barred the 14 localgovernment councils' sole

administrators from contesting thecouncils election slated for July.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that Yari appointedthe sole administrators to managethe councils' affairs in July 2011for six months.

But the state House of Assemblyextended the tenure to terminatein July 2012.

Following lobby by sole

Zamfara governor bars sole administratorsfrom contesting council elections

administrators through theirpolitical associates to allow themautomatic tickets to contest theelection, the governor directed thesole administrators todiscountenance such moves.

Yari, who was represented byhis Special Adviser on Media, AlhajiSani Tsafe, told NAN in Gusau onThursday that in order to providefree democratic environment, soleadministrations should be unbiasedumpires in the election.

``If there is any sole

administrator, who is interested incontesting the council election, heshould resign his appointmentsboth as a civil servant and as a soleadministrator before the April 23,''he said.

He further said that thedirective also affected civilservants wishing to contest in theelection, as they were asked toresign their appointments beforeApril 23.

``With this development, thisadministration has shown that

sufficient level playing ground hasbeen provided for every resident ofthe state to aspire to any politicaloffice,'' he said.

He also restated that Yari hadno intention to dump his party,ANPP for the ruling PDP, describingthe insinuation as mere politicalpropaganda by opponents of hisadministration.

``The governor is not under anypressure from any quota to dumpANPP for any party as he saidrepeatedly,'' he said.


L-R: Deputy Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Suleiman Abdulrahaman Kawu, Speakerof House, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, being welcomed by Ciroman Kano, Alhaji Sunusi Lamido AdoBayero, during the Speaker’s condolence visit to the family of Late Madakin Kano and former ChiefJudge of Kano state, Alhaji Sanusi Ciroma Yusuf, recently in Kano.

The Plateau State chapterof the Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN) has charged

members to strengthen theparty by contributing moretoward its financial upkeep.

Mr James Haruna, the newChairman of the party, told theNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN)in Jos on Thursday that themembers must see their partyas their own and demonstrate amore practical level ofcommitment to its success andsurvival.

“We have to strengthen thepolitical structures if we want astrong democracy; membersmust truly own the parties so asto work more toward capturingpower so as to influence decision

Plateau ACN boss tasksmembers on party financing

Gov Dickson tasks new commissioners to be prudent

Governor Seriake Dickson ofBayelsa has advised thenewly inaugurated

commissioners in the state to betransparent and prudent in themanagement of the affairs of theirvarious ministries.

The governor, who gave theadvice on Wednesday in Yenogoaat the swearing-in ceremony ofthe commissioners, urged them tosee their appointment as a call toservice and not for personal

aggrandizement.He said the swearing-in

signalled the commencement ofhis restoration agenda and urgedthe commissioners to key into it.

Dickson, who apologised forcoming to the programme aboutfour hours behind scheduled,attributed the reason to the factthat some of the appointees wereyet complete the filling of their codeof conduct forms.

He urged commissioners to be

focused on service delivery, addingthat the task facing them in theirvarious ministries was enormous.

``There is a blue print for thedevelopment of the state in yourvarious ministries. I believe we willsurmount the various challengesthe state is facing."

Dickson expressed concern overthe bloated wage bill of the state,saying that Permanent Secretarieswould be held responsible if thenames of under-aged and ghost

Governor Godswill Akpabioof Akwa Ibom has warnedthe newly sworn-in

Commissioners and Special Advisersin the state against corruption

He gave the warning during theswearing-in of 20 Commissioners andfive Special Advisers in Uyo onWednesday

``Whether you are a PermanentSecretary, Commissioner or SpecialAdviser, you must abhor corruption.

``There is a reward for hard work

Akpabio warns commissioners, aides against corruptionand good services; we are here toserve the public,'' he said.

The governor stressed that hisadministration would not hesitateto discipline anybody who erred,adding: `Ìf you are not prepared tojoin us, then leave us.''

He, nonetheless, vouched for thecompetence of the appointees butcautioned them against allowingundue sentiments and parochialinterests to taint their servicedelivery.

``'Note that you are not justsworn in as a Commissioner orSpecial Adviser for your village orfamily, you are sworn in to servethe interests of the entireAkwaIbomState.

`Ìn your hand, you wereholding the Bible -- the supreme bookwe all believe in. You were not facingme but you were facing God whileyou were taking that oath.

``Therefore, in all your actions,remember the oath you have

taken: the oath to serve all,irrespective of tribal or ethnicsentiments.

``You have to take decisions thatare fair and just for the progress anddevelopment of the state,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the commissionershave been assigned portfolios.

A statement, signed by MrUmana Okon Umana, theSecretary to the StateGovernment, said that MrEkpenyong Ntekim was in charge

the provisions of the laws guidingthe conduct of local governmentelection.

`Ìt is clear that the appellantsgave only 9 days notice instead ofthe 150 days prescribed by theElectoral Act. 150 and 9 dayscannot be read to be the same.

``The lower court is nowvindicated by taking thatstandpoint on the matter.

``Since we are bound bySupreme Court decisions, it ishereby affirmed that the localgovernment election conductedon Dec. 15, 2007 which broughtthe appellants to office was notonly illegal, unconstitutional, butnull and void.''

The court which further heldthat the appellants agreed in theirsubmissions that their tenure hadlapsed in December 2010 due tothe function of time, ruled thatthey were not entitled to anybenefit of the office.

The court also said that therewas nothing that could be doneabout what they had earlierearned as chairmen.

Appeal Court dismissesOndo ex-chairmen’s suit

workers appeared on the payroll.``My duty is to do what is right,

even if others before me did not doso.

`Às a government, we areopen to public scrutiny. Today,there is clear departure from theugly past."

Dickson revealed that somesenior officers of the state Treasurywere currently in custody ofsecurity agents over bloated wagebills.

of the Ministry of Justice; Mr DonEtim would head the Ministry ofWorks; Mr Eno Akpan, Ministry ofLands and Town Planning and MrAniekan Umanah, Ministry ofInformation and Communications.

Others are Mr Bassey Dan Abia,Transport, Dr Bassey Antai, Health;Dr Clement Bassey, Culture andTourism; Mr Emmanuel Enoidem,Housing and Urban Renewal and MrEnobong Uwah, Environment andMineral Resources.

making.''Haruna challenged

Nigerians to define what theywanted in a democracy,stressing that all mustcollectively say no to moneypolitics.

“We must reject a situationwhere a few individuals use theinfluence of money to hijack theparty's machinery.

“We should also begin to lookat a party based on its manifestoand quality of candidates beingpresented to stand elections.

“As the new chairman ofACN in Plateau, I will worktowards restructuring the partyto give it direction.''

Haruna said that allmembers must be regular in

paying the N60 monthly dues,saying that the dues would beused to run the party, hostcampaigns activities, andmaintain offices.

He criticised the practice ofusing public funds to runpolitical parties and describedthat as unlawful.

The chairman challengedjournalists to always point outsuch anomalies, stressing thatnewsmen must beam theirsearchlights on such evilpractices so as to end them.

“Journalists should alsoinvestigate and publish theirfindings on use of public funds tofinance elections so as to free thepublic funds for moredevelopment projects.''

The Court of Appeal sittingin Akure recentlydismissed an appeal filed by

former chairmen of localgovernments in Ondo state overtheir removal from office twoyears ago.

The appellate court alsoaffirmed the June 4, 2009judgment of Justice NelsonAdeyanju of an Akure High Courtwhich declared as `ìllegal andunconstitutional'' the Dec. 15,2007 local government electionwhich brought them into office.

The former council bosses weresacked by Gov. Olusegun Mimikoon March 4, 2009, an actionwhich they challenged at thelower court.

Dissatisfied with the outcomeat the lower court, they headedfor the appellate court seeking anorder to set aside the dissolutionand for their reinstatement.

In a judgment by JusticeKudirat Kekere-Ekun, read byJustice Chinwe Iyizoba, it washeld that the appeal failed on theground of non-compliance with

Rivers legislators call for revival ofAhoada Industrial Estate

Members of the RiversHouse of Assemblyhave called for the

revitalisation of the AhoadaIndustrial Estate to boostindustrialisation in the State.

The legislators made the callin a motion at the plenary sessionon Wednesday in Port Harcourt.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that AhoadaIndustrial Estate in Ahoada WestLocal Government Area wasestablished during the militaryera but has since beenabandoned by successiveadministrations in the state.

Mr Chigbo Eligwe urged thehouse to ensure that the state

government revived theabandoned estate to generaterevenue and createemployment for the youths inAhoada and Rivers in general.

Mr Augustine Ngo,representing Abua/Odualconstituency, said that therevival of the Ahoada IndustrialEstate would help to decongestthe city of Port Harcourt.

Supporting the motion, Ngosaid that it would draw theattention of the Riversgovernment to the huge businessopportunities that abound inAhoada West constituency.

Martins Amawhule,representing Obio/Akpoconstituency, while supportingthe motion, urged the House toliaise with the State governmentto ensure the revitalisation ofthe moribund company.

He called on the House torefer the issue to the relevantcommittees to properly assessthe level of decadence for furtheraction by the assembly.

Describing the motion as awelcome development, theleader of the House, Mr ChidiLloyd, said that if the estate wasrevived, businesses withoutpermanent locations could usethe place.


The Federal Polytechnic, Ede,and Nasarawa Polytechnichave qualified for the final

of the male football competitionat the ongoing NIPOGA Games atEde, Osun.

Federal Polytechnic, Ede,Wednesday defeated FederalPolytechnic, Offa, 2-0 to reach thefinal, while NasarawaPolytechnic got to the final bydefeating Lagos State Polytechnic(LASPOTECH), Ikorodu, 2-0.

In the first semi-final matchinvolving the host team, AbubakarMuyideen scored the first goal inthe seventh minute of play, whilethe second goal scored in the 83rd

minute by Victor Nwobiko.In the second semi-final match

Ayuba Bwandi scored the firstgoal for Nasarawa Polytechnic inits encounter with LASPOTECH inthe 43rd minute, whileAbdulmutalib Bilal crowned thevictory with another goal in the52nd minute of the match.

Meanwhile, The Polytechnic,Ibadan, has taken over fromLASPOTECH in the medals table;as it is currently occupying thefirst position.

The institution is leading with10 gold, three silver and threebronze medals, ahead of FederalPolytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, with sixgold, five silver and six bronzemedals. YABATECH is occupyingthe third place with five gold, fivesilver and 10 bronze medals.

The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) said yesterdaythat its National U-20, Club and Singles Cup Championshipsslated for this month might not hold because of lack of funds.

NTTF secretary, Segun Oguntade, revealed in Lagos that thefederation was yet to get funds to organise the programmes which aremeant to identify players for subsequent grooming.

“For now, we are not certain about the tournaments because of thefinancial challenges the federation is facing; however we are stillsourcing for funds.

“The federation is worried about its financial state because we knowthe importance of the competitions to the progress of table tennis inthe country,” he said.

According to him, the programmes are planned for April to enableplayers, who are still in school, to participate so that their academicactivities will not be disturbed.

“We chose April because most schools would have been on vacationallowing interested students to be able to participate in thetournaments,” Oguntade said.

He noted that the competitions had in the past helped the federation

to identify talents who had represented the country in internationalchampionships.

Oguntade disclosed that the NTTF had other nationalchampionships in its programme of activities but was being hinderedby lack of funds.

Some of the playerssaid they had been training for the competitionswhich helped them to improve their skills.

Bolaji Sobayo said he used the annual competitions as an opportunityto compete against other players. “We meet different players duringthe competitions who display good skills and we gain experience whichhelps us.’’ Another player, Babatunde Mohammed, said thecompetitions helped to keep players busy as well as help them to knowtheir national rankings and level of improvement. “Participating incompetitions is the major avenue to facilitate our rankings, so it isimportant the competitions hold for the benefit of players and growthof table tennis,’’ he added.

They, however, said that they would continue to train and appealedto the NTTF, corporate bodies and philanthropists to support thedevelopment of the game.

The Nigeria Table TennisFederation (NTTF) saidyesterday that its

National U-20, Club and SinglesCup Championships slated forthis month might not holdbecause of lack of funds.

NTTF secretary, SegunOguntade, revealed in Lagosthat the federation was yet to getfunds to organise theprogrammes which are meantto identify players forsubsequent grooming.

“For now, we are not certainabout the tournaments becauseof the financial challenges thefederation is facing; however weare still sourcing for funds.

“The federation is worriedabout its financial state becausewe know the importance of the

competitions to the progress oftable tennis in the country,” hesaid.

According to him, theprogrammes are planned forApril to enable players, who arestill in school, to participate sothat their academic activitieswill not be disturbed.

“We chose April because mostschools would have been onvacation allowing interestedstudents to be able to participatein the tournaments,” Oguntadesaid.

He noted that the competitionshad in the past helped thefederation to identify talents whohad represented the country ininternational championships.

Oguntade disclosed that theNTTF had other national

championships in itsprogramme of activities but wasbeing hindered by lack of funds.

Some of the playerssaid theyhad been training for thecompetitions which helped themto improve their skills.

Bolaji Sobayo said he used theannual competitions as anopportunity to compete againstother players. “We meetdifferent players during thecompetitions who display goodskills and we gain experiencewhich helps us.’’

Another player, BabatundeMohammed, said thecompetitions helped to keepplayers busy as well as helpthem to know their nationalrankings and level ofimprovement.

“Participating in competitionsis the major avenue to facilitateour rankings, so it is important

Chief Patrick Ekeji, DG, NSC

Lack of funds may stall NTTF U-20, Singles, other championships

Lack of funds may stall NTTF U-20, Singles,other championships

the competitions hold for thebenefit of players and growth oftable tennis,’’ he added.

They, however, said that theywould continue to train andappealed to the NTTF, corporatebodies and philanthropists tosupport the development of thegame.

The Executive Committee ofthe Nigeria FootballFederation has suddenly

developed cold feet over thenomination of Nigeria’s candidateinto the CAF Executive Committeeno thanks to alleged directive tothat effect from a self acclaimed godfather of Nigerian sports.

Impeccable sources disclosed to

Peoples Daily Sports that the NFFwas directed to stop forthwithprocesses aimed at putting forwardthe name of Nigeria’s candidate forthe position hitherto occupied bysuspended CAF and FIFA executivecommittee member, Dr. AmosAdamu.

Former NFF presidents retiredBrigadier General Dominic Oneya,Alhaji Ibrahim Galdima, formerSecretary General of the NFF,Honourable Ahmed Sani Toro,CAF Media Committee member,Paul Bassey, and the incumbentpresident of the football federation,Alhaji Aminu Maigari amongothers, were said to have expressedinterest in the replacing Adamu.

Consequently, meetings wereheld and interests realigned by thewould-be candidates includingdirect approach to the SupervisingMinister of Sports and the Office ofthe Secretary to the Governmentof the Federation for endorsementsof their candidatures.

However, our sources disclosedthat Adamu reached out to Maigariand directed that his board must

not proceed with the processes toreplace him on the grounds thathis suspension from all footballactivities would soon elapse.

Peoples Daily Sports recalls thatAdamu was indicted by the FIFAEthics and Appeal committees overalleged complicity in 2018 and2022 World Cup bid briberyscandal. He was subsequentlysuspended for three year s from allfootball by FIFA.

Though he sought to establishhis innocence by taking the case tothe Court of Arbitration for Sports,(CAS), in Switzerland, the verdictof FIFA’s Appeal committee was upheld, meaning that he had to serveout his punishment.

It would also be recalled thatAdamu was one of the six membersof FIFA that lost their seats overalleged sleazy deals which castdoubt on the integrity of FIFA andsubsequently necessitated severalreforms aimed to amelioratingcorruption in the August footballruling organ.

However, whereas he wasousted from the executive

committee of FIFA, he seems tohave unofficially retained his CAFseat because CAF president IssaHayatou had severally said thatthe seat was not vacant until2013.

“Amos Adamu directed theboard to stop all processes thatwould lead to the nomination of acandidate to replace him on theseat. That’s why Maigari boardcannot continue with moves tothat effect.

“Adamu, we were told has toldthem he was only suspended and notbanned from football and that sincethe suspension would soon elapsenest year, he does not see any reasonwhy a new candidate should be putforward to replace him,” the sourcewith links in CAF and FIFA said.

However, when Peoples DailySports sought the response of thepresident of the NFF, AminuMaigari, he simple said theprocesses of nominating acandidate was a long one whichrequires time and very seriousconsideration.

“The process is on. We areworking on it. With time we shallbe through and then I will tell youwhat we are up to,” he said onWednesday out rightly denyingany external interference in thenomination processes.

The Nigeria UniversitiesGames Association (NUGA)and the Obafemi Awolowo

University (OAU), Ile-Ife are to signa Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) to ensure the successfulhosting of the 24th NUGA Games.

The Public Relations Officer ofOAU, Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju,said in a statement on Thursdayin Osogbo that the MoU would besigned on April 25 during ameeting between both parties.

According to the statement, theuniversity is set to successfully hostthe Games which are beingplanned for December.

It said that the meeting wouldaddress issues of common interestbetween the university authoritiesand NUGA management.

Dr Ken Anugweje, the Presidentof NUGA, is to sign for NUGA, whilethe university’s Vice-Chancellor,Prof. Bamitale Omole will endorseit on behalf of the institution, it said.

“After the signing of the MoU,the exact dates of the Games willbe fixed and the team will inspectthe sporting facilities available forthe competition in the university,”the statement added.

NIPOGA: HostsEde, NasarawaPoly qualify forsoccer final

CAF Executive Committee:Adamu stalls Nigeria’s nomination

NUGA, OAU tosign MoU onhosting of 24thNUGA Games

By Patrick Andrew

Am

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Ad

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Okey Emordi, Rangers Coach

Coaches at the ongoing maiden EkoFive-A-Side Football Tournamentand Coaching Clinic have blamed

the wooden floor at the venue for theirplayers’ poor performance.

They said that the players werefamiliar with playing on sand and grassand could not display their skills on thehard surface at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of the TeslimBalogun Stadium.

Bello Olalekan, the coach of LasoraSoccer Academy Agodo-Ijaiye, told theNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that mostof his players were used to playing onthe sand and grass.

“My boys are not used to the groundon which they are playing now coupledwith the fact that they are notacquainted with the mode of the game.This is the first time we are playing aFive-A-Side competition and my boys arenot finding it easy to put the ball in playwithout falling.’’

The coach of Double Star Ijora, GaniyuOluwatobi, said his players complainedthat they were not comfortable playingon a hard surface and needed time toadjust to it. “We were faced with thedifficulty of the hall’s flooring and we hadto adjust to it before our opponents takethe advantage. Luckily, we won ourgame and it seemed like our opponentsalso faced the same challenge but wereunable to recover on time.’’

Joy Etim of Surulere-based 36 LionsFC also said that her players wereslipping every now and then as they hadto adjust to playing on the floor.

“I am happy that we have qualifiedfor the second round, although my boyscomplained bitterly about the hardsurface.’’ Ahmed Sulaimon of DamilolaTaylor FC of Ebute-Meta said that hisboys only played normal football butwere yet to learn the Five-A-Side gameand improve on it. “To my surprise, weare catching up fast as we have qualifiedfor the next round. I am impressed withthe way we played even though it is thefirst time we are playing a Five-A-Sidecompetition.’’

Coach Esu interviewed NPL sideShooting Stars have interviewedFalcons coach Kadiri Ikhana and

Godfrey Esu for their top coaching post.USA-based coach Henry Abiodun has

also been grilled for the 3SC coachingposition, officials have said.

Festus Allen has been suspended untilfurther notice after a poor run of resultsin the first round of the league and hisassistants, Tunde Odubola and BusariHakeem, have since been in charge in aninterim capacity.

Former Enyimba and Kano Pillarscoach Ikhana has since taken over ascoach of the Nigeria women’s team and itis left to be seen whether he could nowcombine both jobs.

Esu, who last season handled Crown FCin the NPL, won Shooting Stars an historicleague and cup double in 1995.

Abiodun, on the other hand, is highlyrecommended for his work with youthplayers and was once at the now defunctExide FC of Ibadan.

It was learnt that the coachingsituation at the Ibadan club is expected tobe clearer in the coming week.

Former Super Eagles strikerBenedict Akwuegbu has joinedHeartland as assistant general

manager.Akwuegbu’s appointment was

conveyed in a letter dated April 18signed by the Imo State sportscommissioner Kenneth Emelu.

The former international willtherefore assist general manager FanNdubuoke and he is expected to bringhis vast wealth of experience garnered

from playing in France, Belgium, China,Germany and Austria.

He featured for Nigeria at the 2002World Cup and was part of the Eaglessquad who were beaten in the final of the2000 Africa Cup of Nations by Cameroon.

“I’m humbled by the confidence reposedin me by Governor Rochas Okorocha andhis able commissioner for sports, comradeEmelu. This is a call to duty and I willgive everything to make a success of it,”Akwuegbu was quoted by a wire service.

The former U17 and U20 star has beendeveloping football at the grassroots inImo State with his pet club Mbaise Lions.

Several ex-internationals arecurrently holding down top managerialpositions in Nigerian football.

They include Tijjani Babangida, whois chairman of Nigeria National League(NNL) FC Taraba, Mutiu Adepoju is clubmanager at Shooting Stars and GarbaLawal is on the management board ofKaduna United.

Kadiri Ikhana’s appointment as the new HeadCoach of the Super Falcons is the best ideathat will develop women football in Nigeria,

according to Mrs Dilichukwu Onyedima, theChairperson of the Nigeria Women FootballLeague (NWFL).

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony of Ikhanaon Wednesday, Onyedinma said the appointmentof Ikhana was well thought out because the formerGreen Eagles defender has the depth and wealthof experience to produce the kind of Super Falconsthat the football federation dreams of.

“Ikhana has a wealth of experience that will helpin developing the senior women national team,and by extension the women football game. Weneed such people to handle our teams.

“Based on his antecedents and achievements inthe past as the coach of Nigeria Premier League(NPL) teams, such credit will have a positive effecton the NWFL generally,’’ Onyedinma said.

She also described the 3-0 defeat of theZimbabwean under-20 women team by theirNigerian counterparts last Sunday in Harare as agood development. “The Falconets’ victory is agood one that will take the country to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals later in the year. Itwill really help us in getting the team ready.

“The team has also been able to give the countrya sense of belonging in the women’s nationalgame,’’ Onyedinma who is also a member of theNFF board said.

She pledged the readiness of the NFF and theNWFL to take the women football league to aglorious end in the 2012 season.

Rangers continued their preparations for a better performance inthe second stanza of the Nigeria premier League (NPL) beatingnon-league side, Enugu United 6-0, on Wednesday as they

stepped up their build-up for a first major trophy in 28 years.Emeka Eze opened scoring on the half hour, before new signing

Ifeanyi Edeh doubled Rangers lead after 38 minutes, while new boyAlhaji Gero helped himself to a brace in the 40th and 42nd minuteswith another new signing Jude Aliyu-Chata and Efe Yarherecompleting the rout in the 56th and 83rd minutes.

Enugu United paraded former Rangers star Uche Okereke and formerEl-Kanemi Warriors defender Danlami Dickson, but were blasted offthe park by the firepower of title-chasing Rangers, who are second onthe NPL table with 32 points.

Rangers captain James Okwuosah later told a wire service that theteam was building to challenge the likes of Kano Pillars, Dolphins,Sunshine Stars for the coveted trophy.

“We are just enjoying our game and hope we continue to get thisnumber of goals when the league resumes. I strongly believe that thiswill be our season to lift this trophy that has eluded the club for asmany as 28 years.”

Two-goal hero Gero said he hopes to extend his form when the leagueresumes this weekend.

“It feels good scoring goals because that is what I am paid to do. It canonly get better no matter the opposition,” he said.

“Having been assisting my fellow attackers to score goals in my lastclub, Kaduna United, it is my time to have my name on the score sheetfor Rangers and I hope to hit a double digit before the end of the seasonto help Rangers win the league.”

The coal city side were scheduled to play another test game with theRangers Juniors yesterday as they prepare for the second round of theNPL and the Federations Cup state playoffs, which kicks off on Mondayin Enugu State.

Five-A-Side: Coachesblame hard surfacefor teams’ poorperformance

3SC interviewIkhana, Esu

Rangers gear up for title push,as new signings impress

Akwuegbu returns for domestic league, joins Heartland

Women’s leagueboss hails Ikhana’sappointment

Kadiri Ikhana, SuperFalcons Head Coach


The 100m rave of themoment, Yohan Blake isrelishing setting a new

season’s best time. The reigningworld 100-metre champion setthe fastest time in the world thisyear in his 2012 debut at thedistance, winning in 9.90seconds in cold and rainyconditions, last weekend inJamaica.

Blake cruised to win in whathe dubbed a “surprise” time atthe UTech Classic athletics meeton Saturday in Kingston andsaid he was ahead of last year’sschedule.

The Jamaican and pairingpartner of Olympic champion,Usain Bolt, hit the limelight inDaeku, South Korea last yearwhen he became the youngestworld 100m champion bywinning the final after Bolt wasdisqualified due to a false start.

The sprinter, who surpassedDarvis Patton’s previous worldbest this year of 10.04, alsojoined world 100m record-holderUsain Bolt on the Racers clubrelay that captured the 4x100relay in 37.82 seconds, also a2012 world best.

Blake, his long hair braidsbobbing in the rain, made up fora less than perfect start with anextended drive phase to outclassa 100 field that included WorldUniversity Games championJacques Harvey, who was adistant second in 10.10 seconds.

“A good little run,” Blake said.“I just came here to have fun, asyou can see in the 4x100. I am inpretty good shape and given theconditions this was a good run.”

Blake said he could haveproduced a faster time butobeyed the instructions of coachGlen Mills to “just go out and takeit easy” in the rain and leave the

race without an injury.“I am a bit ahead of schedule but

coach is pulling me back a bit,”Blake said. “Everything will workout fine. I am looking forward torunning in London so the conditionshere don’t bother me.”

Blake led four runners whobroke the old 100m meet record

of 10.20 seconds set three yearsago in 2009 by BarbadianAndrew Hinds.

Also running a 2012 worldbest was Beijing Olympic 400mfinalist Rosemarie Whyte, whowon the 400m in 51.13 secondsto replace Sherone Simpson’s51.42 atop the season list.

Kenyan 800 metres worldrecord holder DavidRudisha will make his US

debut at the June 9 New YorkGrand Prix Diamond Leaguemeeting, organisers said onWednesday.

The race will be one of threebefore the Olympics for the twiceAthlete of the Year and 2011 worldchampion who will be aiming for

his first Olympic gold medal inLondon. He also will compete in theDoha Diamond League meetingand at Ostrava in May.

“I’ve run in many great citiesand countries and to finally cometo New York is exciting for me,”Rudisha, 23, said in a statement.

He will be the first 800 metresworld record holder to run in theUnited States since Sebastian Coe,

chairman of the organisingcommittee for the London Games,competed in the 1984 Los AngelesOlympics, organisers said. Coe wongold in the 1 500 metres and silverin the 800 in the California city.

The meeting also will feature100 metres world championsYohan Blake of Jamaica andCarmelita Jeter of the UnitedStates.

Yohan Blake David Rushida

Andy Murray’s apparent jinx on opponents continued onThursday at the Monte Carlo Masters, with the third seedadvancing 6-5 into the quarterfinals as Frenchman Julien

Benneteau went down with an ankle injury.Murray got a rare two walkovers last month in Miami, when

Canadian Milos Raonic was injured before their third-roundencounter and Rafael Nadal was unable to play their semifinal fivedays later due to the knee problems which continue to haunt him.

Murray was fighting through a lengthy first set with the number31 Frenchman which was nearing the 90-minute mark, whenBenneteau took a tumble, rolling his right ankle.Grimacing in pain,Benneteau was patched up and tried to play on, but gave it up invain to end the abbreviated contest after 11 games.

Desperate to secure thedomestic league shield,former CAF Champions

League semi-finalists,Heartland of Owerri, haveeffected surgical operation onits squad leading to sevenplayers being asked to seekgreener pastures elsewhere.

In the same vein, they havehanded a trial to CameroonianKelvin Agbor even as they seekto prune down a big 38-manplaying squad ahead of thesecond round of the season.

Media Officer CajetanNkwopara toldKickOffNigeria.com that twodefenders, two midfielders andthree forwards have beentransfer-listed, but declined todisclose their identities.

“It is our in-house policy notto give out the names of playersthat have been placed ontransfer,” he said.

Nkwopara was howevermore forthcoming on the fateof Cameroonian trial list Agbor,who he says is impressing thecoaches so far.

“He was due to join us twoseasons ago, but there was acommunication problem withhis then club Coton Sport, andhe ended up joining Askia. Butnow, he is doing well, and it isup to the coaches to decidewhether he’ll get a contract ornot.”

Stephanie Vogt ofLiechtenstein andParaguay’s Veronica

Cepede Royg were onWednesday handed the firsttwo wildcards for the LondonOlympics tennis tournamentat Wimbledon.

Vogt, 22, was awarded asecond invitation having hadto withdraw from the BeijingOlympics though injury.

The world number 258, whohas played 12 Fed Cup ties, willbecome the first player fromLiechtenstein to compete in theOlympic tennis event.

Royg, 20, has played 24 FedCup ties and broke into theworld’s top 200 for the firsttime this year, currentlystanding at 212.

She will be the first playerfrom Paraguay to contest theOlympic tennis tournamentsince Rossana de los Rios in2000.

Benneteau had reached his best career showing at Monte Carloafter falling in the first or second round in all eight previous maindraw appearances. In the second round, he had beaten Austrian15th seed Jurgen Melzer, a 2011 semifinalist.

Murray was tested in the early stages, earning a break but losingit as Benneteau squared at two games apiece after Murray hadsaved four break points.

Top seed Novak Djokovic was bidding for the quarters againsttricky Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov, while second seed and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal was to give his injured left knee afurther test as he faced Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan.

Nadal has not lost in the Principality since 2008 and has won thelast seven editions.

Twice Caster Semenyahas failed to meet theOlympics qualifying

time for the LondonOlympic Games thissummer, a developmentthat has agitated the mindsof many of her teemingfans.

But she has remainedlargely undaunted in thebelief that she could stillsecure a place in SouthAfrica’s athletics team forthe London OlympicGames.

Tonight though she hasanother opportunity toconvinced officials of theSouth African athleticsfederation that she haswhat it takes to representthem with high prospect formedal.

She joins fellow two-lapspcialist MbulaeniMulaudzi as they go insearch of the Olympicqualifying standards at theSA Open Championships inPretoria tonight.

The former 800 metresworld champion must twiceset the standard of oneminute, 59.90 seconds(1:59.90) in her eventbefore the June 30qualifying deadline.

“Qualification is simplefor me, and if I continue theway I’ve been doing attraining, then I’m in,”Semenya said on Thursday.I don’t feel the pressure ofqualifying because as anathlete I know what to do,and that is to dip under twominutes.”

Semenya clocked 2:03.60in hear season debut over800m in Potchefstroom lastmonth, and was onlyslightly quicker, crossingthe line in 2:02.68, whenshe retained the nationaltitle in Port Elizabeth lastweek.

Again, Murray starves off Frenchchallenge at Monte Carlo Masters

Blake relishes year’sbest 100m performance

Olympicsticketbeckons onSemenya atSA Opentonight

Heartlandplaceseven ontransfer

ITF handsout firsttwo Gameswildcards

…As Rudisha set to make US debut in June


The domestic leagueremains the bedrockof Nigeria football

being the oasis for thegrowth of the game andindeed the avenue for theabundant talents-prodigious or otherwise-who could be found onmany soccer pitches inNigeria, flourish theirtalents and earn a lesson.

Of course, the leaguealso offers administratorsample avenue to learnsundry organizationalskills as they grapple, ondaily basis, with themanagement of the clubs.Such running of theleague is made easier bythe provisions of funds bysponsors. The fundsaddress various problemsin addition to ensuringthat the practitioners-players, coaches andrelevant elements who

make a living through thegame- are catered for.

Sadly, this has proved tobe an ordeal for Nigerianclubs, players, technicaland other administrativeofficials because thenecessary oil to lubricantthe machinery is missingin action.

Yes, lack of sponsorshiphas been the bane of thedomestic league especiallythe elite league whichideally should beprofessional in all aspects:organization, packaging,quality on display andcrowd attraction.

But the Nigeria PremierLeague (NPL) has beenwithout sponsors for threeseasons now. No, it had asponsor and thesponsorship fee had raisedthe bar. Then, the NPLbecame the torch stone foreven leagues in the

continent which wererated far higher thanNigeria's on account ofbetter structure andorganization. At a time wewere rated second best inAfrica, next only to Egypt.

But the party soon hitthe rock. The sponsorshipwas halted midway. Thereason may have beenjustified: the league bodywas unable to justify thehuge sums poured intoleague because ratherthan attract crowds to thestadia- something thatwould correspondinglyboost the image of thesponsoring outfit- thecrowd were daily thinningo u t .

In veiled terms, thesponsors doubted thatthey would ever reap fromthe expected clout if anyand so thought it wise tobreach the contract.

That wasungentlemanly.It was unfair, itwas a return tothe dark daysw h e np r o f e s s i o n a lfootball wasalien toNiger ia .

A l m o s tthree seasonson, thesituation hasnot changed. Though thefaces who were responsiblefor the initial hiccupshave, the institutionshave remained. Well, onehas tended to avoid beingrepetitious because theissues involvingGlobacom's suddendecision to back out of adeal it voluntarily enteredand the subsequent tusslesover the title sponsorshipand or right of first offerare within public domain.

However, with theintervention of thePresidency as we were

Still without sponsors

made to understand, onewould have thought thatthe issues which hinderedthe league body fromsecuring sponsorship hadbeen resolved to clear thepath for sponsorship.

Again, one wonders whyan institution that placespremium on its image,indeed business integrity,would rather prefer to beenmeshed in irritantcontroversies overdeliberate or inadvertentbreach of agreements.

No, if they say that as a

Nigerian outfit theinterest of Nigeria comesfirst, then they owe thecountry a duty to walk itstalk or let anothercompany step in to offerits services. That way,Nigerians would see forthemselves and judgebetween the two who hadserved their interestbetter instead ofpontificating in thecorridors of power.

The second stanza of theleague is scheduled tobegin on April 24.

WATCH DOGBy

Patrick [email protected]

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo says Chelsea victory overBarcelona in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, narrow though it may have been but which could be vital,

has shamed critics of the Blues who believed that they were finished.“In the past, a lot of people have had the opinion that our boys were

over the line and too old to play at this level,” he said. “It was not justDidier, but a lot of players in our squad, that they said couldn’t playtwo games in such a short period of time. They gave their answer onthe pitch tonight.”

Didier Drogba scored the only goal just before the break that puts theBlues in pole position to reach the final at Munich’s Allianz Arena nextmonth.

Coming just three days after they hammered Tottenham in the FACup semi-final, it was another superb performance from Di Matteo’sside, which the Italian feels answered those who claimed his squad wastoo old.

“We watched Barcelona against AC Milan and Real Madrid, topEuropean clubs, and they did exactly the same to them. They have aunique style of play, with quality players. They are the only team inthe world who can do that.”

“The semi-final on Sunday was going to be our biggest test, thentonight, now next week,” he said. “We are facing a lot of tests at themoment.

“I am very pleased with this result but it is only half-time. Nothinghas been decided yet and we need to play another game like this one ifwe are going to get through,” he said stressing that his senior playersresponded to the challenge in a fashion only they could have done.

Meanwhile, coach Pep Guardiola has conceded Chelsea are nowfavourites to reach the final in Munich on May 19. “One-nil is a verygood result for them,” said Guardiola. “They are the favourites.”

Enyimba FC of Abamidfielder, RasheedOlabiyi, says he is

confident that with the calibreof players in the team they canclaim double victory this season.

Olabiyi told newsmen onThursday in Aba that Enyimbahad quality players to win theNigeria Premier League (NPL)

and the Federation Cup,formerly known as the FA Cup.

Olabiyi, who is proud to be anEnyimba player, said that theteam was keen to win“something” this season afterfailing to win a trophy last season.

The midfielder who wasgroomed at the Pepsi FootballAcademy, Lagos, said: “We have

talented players this seasonwhich I am happy to be a part of.

“The squad is full of goodplayers and we are capable ofwinning the league this seasonand the Federation Cup too. Weknow that it is going to be difficultbecause other clubs want to wintrophies too, but we are ready towork hard to achieve our target.

“Enyimba remains a clubwith a tradition of winningtrophies. Last season we didn’twin anything even though wecame close to winning theConfederation of African (CAF)Champions League before welost in the semi-finals.

“This season we want to winsomething and I believe we are

in a good position to achieve ourambition,” he said.

Enyimba have won trophies,including six from the leagueand two FA Cup titles in their 36years existence. They also wonthe CAF Champions League backto back in 2003 and 2004 undercoaches Kadiri Ikhana and OkeyEmordi respectively.

Enyimba can claim double this season, says midfielder

Ebere Orji

We’d win every game if it all was about possession of the ball becauseour average is more than our opponents. But the most difficult thing inthis game is putting the ball in the net, and that’s what we couldn’t dothis evening. We have to focus on the next game now and try andcreate the same number of chances.

“It won’t be simple. They’ll have 10 men behind the ball, they’lldefend, they’re stronger than us, they run, they jump more than us.But we have to try and take the game under control and discover away of scoring the goals.”

Barcelona’s problem is that they have an energy-sapping La Ligaconfrontation with Real Madrid on Saturday evening as they bid tohold on to the domestic crown they have worn for three seasons. “Onlywinners are remembered,” Guardiola said.

President of the NigeriaFootball Federation, AlhajiAminu Maigari yesterday

celebrated Falconets recentvictory over their Zimbabweancounterparts the Mighty YoungWarriors by rewarding themwith N250,000.

“It is not an easy feat for avisiting team to travel to itsopponents country and win a

match. It requires a lot ofdetermination and guts whichyou demonstrated in Harare.You went there and youconquered. You have not onlymade the federation proud butequally Nigeria too,” heremarked.

“ l do not want all of you to getcarried away by the victory as

you prepare for your next gameagainst either Congo DR or Maliwhich is the crucial stage due fornext month. This is not the timefor you to underrate youropponents. Discipline must beyour watchword at this materialtime,” he said and proceded toannounce the gift to them

Maigari, who wasaccompanied on the visit by the

Roberto Di Matteo

South African club BlackLeopards are due in Nigerianext week Thursday ahead

of a CAF Confederation Cup tieagainst Warri Wolves.

The 25-man Leopardsdelegation will be led byKhorombi Nemavhola andwould include former Heartlandwinger Joshua Obaje.

The CAF Confederation Cupround of 16 first leg game will beplayed at the Warri CityStadium on Sunday, April 29.

According to Confederation ofAfrican Football (CAF),Senegalese match officials willtake charge of the encounter.

They are centre refereeOusmane Fall, assistant referee1 Diakhate Moussa, assistantreferee 2 Thiare MamadouFaililou, reserved referee GueyeDaouda, while the matchcommissioner is InyangiBokinda from the DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

Confed Cup:BlackLeopardsstorm Warri

NFF General Secretary,Barrister Musa Amadu, fellowboard members, Barrister ChrisGreen, Alhaji Shehu Adamu,Barrister Olaleye Adepoju andDirector, Technical, Dr.Emmanuel Ikpeme, used theoccasion to congratulate theteam on its deserved victory andurged the players to keep up thespirit.

Maigari celebrates Falconets with N250,000

Pep Guardiola

Champions League: Wehave shamed our critics,Di Matteo explodes

SPORTS LALALALALATESTTESTTESTTESTTEST

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FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012

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FCT SWANelects 7-manexecutive c’ttee

In continuation of our focus onstate budgets’ with a view toanalyzing their viability, fiscal

prudence and accountability tocitizens, the spotlight this week ison Lagos. Lagos state is one of the 13states in the country which havepresented a fiscal responsibility billto the state House of Assembly, butunlike some states which haveenacted the law and barelyimplemented it, Lagos stateexhibits a high level oftransparency and accountabilityin its budget presentation which isdetailed and available on the Lagosstate government’s website.

Lagos state was created on May27, 1967 by virtue of State(Creation and TransitionalProvisions) Decree No. 14 of 1967,which restructured Nigeria’sFederation into 12 states. Prior tothis, Lagos Municipality had beenadministered by the FederalGovernment through the Ministryof Lagos Affairs as regionalauthority, while Lagos City Council(LCC) governed the City of Lagos.The metropolitan areas (ColonyProvince) of Ikeja, Agege, Mushin,Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry wereadministered by the old WesternRegion. The state took off as anadministrative entity on April 11,1968 with Lagos Island serving thedual role of being the state andFederal Capital. However, with thecreation of the Federal CapitalTerritory of Abuja in 1976, LagosIsland ceased to be the capital of theState which was then moved toIkeja. With the formal relocation ofthe seat of the Federal Governmentto Abuja on 12 December 1991,Lagos Island ceased to be Nigeria’sadministrative capital.

Mobolaji Johnson was the firstGovernor of the state; howeverAlhaji Lateef Jakande was the firstelected Governor of the state whoserved from October 1979 toDecember 1983 under the UnityParty of Nigeria (UPN). Morerecent and significant Governorsof Lagos are Buba Marwa (1996-1999), Bola Tinubu (1999-2007)and Babatunde Fashola who waselected in 2007.

Babatunde Fashola is a lawyerby profession who excelled in hisprofessional career which spannedover a decade and a half leading tohis recognition as a SeniorAdvocate of Nigeria. In 1999, hejoined the public service and servedin various capacities with the Lagosstate government until his rise tothe position of Chief of Staff toGovernor Bola Tinubu. In his first

four years in office, markedimprovements were noted withinthe state - the cleanliness of themetropolis which residents andvisitors could attest to,improvements in roads and trafficwithin the state, improvedtransportation systems with theintroduction of BRT and ferryservices across the state - Fashola iswithout doubt, one of the few“performing” governors in thecountry and it must be credited toTinubu that politically, hissuccession strategy has worked.

The ground work for most ofwhat is visible today in Lagos wasjointly laid by Tinubu and his teamincluding the current governorFashola. The result is focus andcontinuity in governance ratherthan “witch-hunting” of

predecessors which has bedeviledother "anointment arrangements".Fashola's comparatively stellarperformance in office makes manywonder if professional politiciansare best suited to deliver on thedifficult job of good governance!

Lagos is the most populous statein Nigeria with over five per centof the national population estimate.Ironically, it is the smallest state interms of land mass; the state hasan area of 356,861 hectares ofwhich 75,755 hectares arewetlands. Interestingly, of thispopulation, Metropolitan Lagos, anarea covering 37% of the land areaof Lagos State is home to over 85%of the State population making it adensely populated state. UNestimates that at its present growthrate, Lagos state will be third largestmega city in the world by 2015after Tokyo in Japan and Bombayin India, with a population nearing30 million!

According to the World Bankand DFID, Lagos’ 2009 GDP isestimated at N4.163 trillion.Lagos which is a mega-city is thelargest contributor to the nationalGDP at 18%. Lagos’ GDP ranks 6thafter Cairo ($98 billion);Johannesburg ($79 billion); CapeTown ($75 billion). Its GDP equalsthat of Kenya ($29.5 billion) whichhas a higher population(30million) than Lagos. Lagos

Gov. Babatunde Fashola

boasts of a higher GDP thanCameroun ($20.6 billion), Cote d’Ivoire ($19.6 billion) and Ghana($15.2 billion) which havepopulations of 19, 21 and 24million people respectively.

The South-west zone of Nigeriais the most prosperous part of thecountry. According to NationalBureau of Statistics Poverty Profile2012 which studied povertyincidences nationwide using 2009and 2010 data, poverty is classifiedin four categories; absolute poverty(based on daily food intake),relative poverty (determined byhousehold expenditure) andpurchasing power parity (dollarper day). 59.1% of the people in theregion live above poverty linewhich is appreciable given thehumongous 77.7% in the North-West region that live well belowpoverty lines. 50.1% of people inthe South-West survive on about adollar a day while only 25.4% areabsolutely (food) poor which isimpressive compared to other statesin the country. Gini coefficients areused to measure incomeinequalities and in Lagos, a co-efficient of -26.2% indicates adecrease in income inequalitieswithin Lagos state between 2003and 2010 - something thegovernors should be proud of! Lagoshas the highest percentage inNigeria (85.4%) of people who canfeed themselves. Statistics alsoindicate that 40.8% of thepopulation in Lagos live abovepoverty lines. Though there is roomfor improvement in the povertyindices, it is much better than stateslike Bauchi and Sokoto where only16.3% and 13.6% respectively liveabove poverty lines!

Lagos state is one of the few inthe country which has a welldetailed and structured budgetmade available to the public on thestate Government’s website whichis fully functional. The budgets areproperly explained and brokendown by the MDAs withexpenditures and revenuesproperly accounted for. Also, thestate posts its budget performancereviews online which indicatestransparency and accountabilityin governance. It is ironic that evenwith the enactment of freedom ofinformation and fiscalresponsibility acts, most StateGovernments still hide theirbudgets and breakdowns from thecitizens of their states and thegeneral public.


The FCT chapter of theSports Writers’Association of Nigeria

(SWAN) yesterday in Abujaelected a seven-mancommittee to drive its activitiesfor the next three years.

Mr Kayode Adeniyi of theNTA won the position ofchairman by 50 votes,defeating the incumbentChairman Victor Iroele ofSilverbird Television who had30 votes.

Mr Chidoka Udubueze of theFederal Radio Cooperation ofNigeria (FRCN) was returnedunopposed as Vice Chairmanwhile Mr Hycienth Umeh wonthe position of FinancialSecretary with 69 votes.

Mr Martins Odiete of TheMoment newspapers becameSecretary with 32 votes,defeating Ezeocha Eze of TheGuardian newspapers and theincumbent, Chinedu Ohanusiof FRCN, who had 25 and 20respectively.

Mr Bunmi Haruna of theIndependence Television wonthe position of AssistanceSecretary with 59 votes.

Mr Bamidele Jones of theNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN)became Treasurer with 47votes, defeating Mr RaphealAkpan and Chris Onopegu,both of Nigeria Pilotnewspapers.

The new Chairman, MrKayode Adeniyi,said it was aglorious moment for himbecause he contested threeyears ago but lost to Iroele andpromised to be fair in dealingwith members and bring theassociation back on course.

“We are going to make surethat we rebuild the relationshipbetween us and stakeholders.”

The association’s AssistantSecretary, Haruna, promised tomake it worthy of emulation.

“We are going to be rolemodels and make FCT SWANacceptable anywhere in theworld because we're going to dosomething nobody has donebefore.”

“All our states should learn lessons fromLagos not only in the areas of budget

transparency but fiscal independence fromAbuja, delivery of public services,investment in education and even

governance succession. With these outlierqualities, it is not surprising that Lagos is run

by a party other than the PDP of today!Mohammed Garba

NNNNNASIR EL-RASIR EL-RASIR EL-RASIR EL-RASIR EL-RUFUFUFUFUFAIAIAIAIAION FRIDON FRIDON FRIDON FRIDON FRIDAAAAAYYYYY

[email protected]

Contd. on Page 29

Peoples Daily Newspaper, Friday, April 20, 2012

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Transcript of Peoples Daily Newspaper, Friday, April 20, 2012