...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62216

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014**

Mr & Mrs•P.46

Economiccontradictionsand mutevictims

COLUMNISTS:

P.40

Continues on Page 5

Confab’s realwinners and“losers”

BOKO HARAM—A photo grab from a video clip, yesterday, showing men lined up for execution by members of BokoHaram at an undisclosed location. Below: Boko Haram fighters (left) and leader, Shekau in the video released to AFP. Photo: AFP.

•Fighting ongoing — DHQTRS; We're in control — B'Haram•Governor Shettima pledges support for military•Urges media to be patriotic in reporting security issues

FG, Boko Haram battlefor control of Gwoza

By Kingsley Omonobi

ABUJA—THE Defence Headquar-

ters, yesterday, declaredthat military operationsto secure Gwoza townseized by the insurgentsearlier this month wasongoing even as BokoHaram leader, AbubakarShekau was defiant,proclaiming Islamiccaliphate in the townwhich he said was now

IMPEACHMENT:

14

I'll return to myseat — Nyako

List of 54 statesrecommended byNational Confab 8

EBOLA: Doctors suspend strike•Ebola victims cremated in Lagos 5&7

CMYK

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 3

CMYK

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CMYK

POCKET CARTOONVanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 5

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

Continues from page 1

LIFEWORDSBY PASTOR ITUAH

Yes, God will bless you with money (Deut8:18).And He will do it for two reasons:

-Because He delights in seeing His redeemedchildren walk in His blessings (Psalms 35:27).

-Because He expects you to use your money toreach a hurting world with God’s love.

If you keep those two things in mind, you’ll beliving for the right reasons.

The world is perfect. As you question yourthoughts, this becomes more and more obvious.Mind changes, and as a result, the world changes.A clear mind heals everything that needs to behealed. It can never be fooled into believing thatthere is one speck out of order — Byron Katie

HENRY David Thoreau wrote: “What a manthinks of himself, that it is which determines,

or rather indicates, his fate.” It is this peculiarity ofthe ego that it can only see what it already is, thatblinds us to the vast possibilities of our lives. If theego feels unloved, it finds only an unloving world.If it hates, the world hates it. If it is bitter and cyni-cal, it knows only a bitter and cynical world. Rareis the man and wise who perceives that all possi-bilities are right where he is. He needs only changehis perception to see them. He doesn’t create themby changing his perception. He only becomes awarethat they are there; they existed all the time.

BOKO HARAM—Another screengrab from a video released by BokoHaram, yesterday, showing other people lined up for execution by membersof Islamic sect at an undisclosed location.

Bodies of Ebola victimscremated in Lagos

By Sola Ogundipe &Olasunkanmi Akoni

LAGOS—BODIESof the four Nigeri-

ans, who died of EbolaVirus Disease, EVD,have been cremated inline with World HealthOrganisation, WHO, re-quirements for disposalof such corpses. Thebody of the index (first)case, Patrick Sawyer wasthe first to be crematedon July 25, 2014.

The decision to cre-mate the bodies, it wasgathered, may not beunconnected with thedeadly nature of theEbola Virus which isknown to be easily trans-missible from human tohuman during handlingof corpses of victims.

A health official at theEmergency OperationCentre, EOC, of theMainland Hospital, La-gos, who confirmed thedevelopment, said theLagos State Governmentin following strict guide-lines for disposal of thebodies, authorised cre-mation of all the bodies.

The official whopleaded anonymity saidthe decision to cremateall bodies was to ensureappropriate contain-ment measures andguarantee proper han-dling of the bodies.

“All the bodies ofthose who died of Ebolafrom this centre havebeen cremated. Nonewas allowed to undergotraditional burial be-cause extreme care isbeing taken to preventfurther infections,” theofficial noted.

The WHO in recom-mending that peoplewho die from Ebolashould be promptly andsafely buried, notes thatcremation, which is theapplication of high tem-perature to reduce bod-ies to basic chemicalcomponents (ashes), isideal for safe disposal ofbodies of such personsin order to minimise fur-ther transmission.

In a statement week-

end, the ECOWASCommission stated thatthe remains of its Proto-col Assistant at the La-gos Liaison Office, Mr.Salihu Abdulqudir Jatto,who succumbed to theEbola Virus Disease,EVD, on August 12,2014, had been laid torest in a private cer-emony in Ikorodu, Lagosstate.

The statement said adelegation from theCommission had earlierpaid a condolence visitto the deceased’s widowand other members ofhis family.

Jatto was among per-sons that assisted theAmerican-Liberian Mr.Patrick Sawyer, and con-tracted the disease fromthe late Sawyer who tookill on arrival in Nigeriaon July 20, 2014 on hisway to a regional confer-ence in Calabar, andlater died in a Lagoshospital of the EVD.

The statement notedthat prior to the buriallast Friday, a specialprayer service in honourof the deceased washeld at the Commis-sion’s Abuja Headquar-ters. The activity waspresided over by VicePresident of the Com-mission Dr. TogaGayewea McIntosh whorepresented the Presi-dent of the Commis-sion, Kadré DesireOuédraogo.

Glowing tributes werepaid in memory of Jatto,who was variously de-scribed as a diligent,passionate, humble andhardworking staff, whodied a hero in the courseof duty.

Leading the othermourning colleagues inthe outpouring of grief,McIntosh described Jattoas “a sharp, young, ag-gressive goal-getter anda personal friend.

“We are all touched byhis death, which is botha personal and collec-tively loss,” McIntoshsaid, praying for the re-pose of Jatto’s soul.

firmly in the grip of thesect.

Responding to theclaim by the sect leaderthat Gwoza town seizedby the insurgents earlierthis month has beenplaced under an Islamiccaliphate, the militaryauthorities said “the sov-ereignty and territorialintegrity of the Nigerianstate is still intact”.

The Boko Haramleader had in a newvideo, yesterday,claimed that he has cre-ated an Islamiccaliphate in Gwoza. Inthe 52-minutes videoobtained by AFP, Shekausaid: “Thanks be to Al-lah who gave victory toour brethren in Gwozaand made it part of theIslamic caliphate.

Gwoza, has nothing todo with Nigeria. By thegrace of Allah we willnot leave the town. Wehave come to stay”.

Boko Haram claimempty — Military

The Defence Head-quarters, however, in atweet on its twitter han-dle stated that “the claimis empty. Any group ofterrorists laying claim toany portion of the coun-try will not be allowed toget away with the ex-pression of delusion andcrime. Appropriate mili-tary operations to securethat area from the activi-ties of the bandits arestill ongoing”.

The United Nationshumanitarian office

(OCHA) earlier thismonth confirmed reportsthat Gwoza was underrebel control.

Boko Haram is alsobelieved to be in controlof other areas nearGwoza in southernBorno, as well as largeswathes of territory innorthern Borno and atleast one town in neigh-bouring Yobe State.

Troops recentlystormed communitiesclose to Balmo forest ina military operation thatlasted two days. Prior tothe operation, Balmo for-est stretching fromBauchi through JigawaState with links to thefringes of Sambisa forestwas used by terrorists asbases and hideouts forlaunching attacks.

During the operation,terrorists and armedgangs operating in theforests were completelydislodged while somewere captured. Amongthose captured were twoforeigners who were sus-pected to be mercenar-ies.

Also captured wereseveral weapons andequipment includingpower generating sets,communication equip-ment, vehicles, motorcy-cles, foodstuff andkitchen utensils.

GovernorShettima reacts

In his reaction to thereported declaration ofGwoza as a territory ofthe Islamic sect, Gover-nor Kashim Shettimasaid: ‘I cannot commenton the authenticity orotherwise of that videoin question, I will leavethat to security experts.I also cannot disclosemeasures being adoptedby security agencies onwhatever developmentin Gwoza or any part of

Borno State but I canassure the good peopleof Borno State and othermembers of the publicthat the State Govern-ment is actively in touchand supporting securityagencies deployed toBorno State in the coun-ter insurgency effortsand insha Allah, thecombined efforts will notbe in vain.

"We are not just study-ing the situation withcollaborative tact andurgency but indeed, ap-propriate measures arebeing taken by the rightauthorities. For now, Iurge the good people ofBorno State to remaincalm and resolute intheir support for securityagencies, abiding faithand prayers. The secu-rity agencies, I am sure,are in the position toanalyse the content ofthe said new video, com-pare with the facts onground in Gwoza andbrief the Nigerian pub-lic as they deem profes-sionally appropriate,bearing in mind the Na-tional interest and patri-otism as well as the over-all safety of citizens.

"Let me use this oppor-tunity to, while thankingmembers of the Nigerianand International mediafor their firm support forBorno people and itsgovernment since thisinsurgency crisis in2009, make a strong ap-peal that we do notdramatise and sensa-tionalise issues such asthe one connected withGwoza, so that we all donot fall for the objectiveof insurgents, which isto at all times, claim vic-tory over our sovereignState, our rights to exist-ence, our freedom andour liberty, as it is alwaystheir goal to create somuch panic that wouldmake anyone whodoesn’t share their ide-ology feel unsafe anddefeated.

"Even as those of us inthe media work tirelesslyto disseminate informa-tion in the discharge ofimportant duties that aimto protect the fundamen-tal rights of the public toknow happeningswithin and around them,we must at this moment,more than ever before,do our jobs with patrioticsupport for our countryand its security forces aswell as our passion forhumanity as againstthose that seek to sendhumanity into extinction.As disturbing as what issaid to be the develop-ment is, I remain veryoptimistic that victorywill never go the way ofthose that violentlystand between fellowhuman beings and theirdivine rights to exist asGod’s creatures onearth”

FG, Boko Haram battle forcontrol of Gwoza

6—Vanguard6—Vanguard6—Vanguard6—Vanguard6—Vanguard, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, , , , , AUGUST 25,AUGUST 25,AUGUST 25,AUGUST 25,AUGUST 25, 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014

10 nabbed as Lagos task-force raids adulterateddiesel joint

By Olasunkanmi Akoni Sulaimon added that after theproduction exercise, “theyapproach consumers in the nameof registered oil and gascompanies and sell thesecontaminated products to thepublic.”

The chairman lamented thatthose arrested used to engage inthe activities with business nameswithout known addressesadding: “It is alarming that a lotof vehicles and generating setswould have been damaged bythese adulterated products. It isunfortunate.

"We got the information and thecombined team of the stateMinistry of the Environment andthe officers of the taskforcedecided that such act must notcontinue in the state.”

Sources said although thesuspects were licensed to operatebut not under the bridge. “Theydo not have approval to operatehere. This is a governmentscheme,” the source said.

He explained that theoperators seized the opportunityof the presence of artisans

operating few metres from thehideout to carry out theirnefarious acts.

“They (artisans) have beenasked to vacate the land fewmonths ago but they refused.After today, I assure you that wewill not allow them to operatehere again. We will be removingthe vehicles and the adulterateddiesel from this place and thesuspects charged to court.”

Sulaimon continued, “Aside theeconomic sabotage, their

The suspects and the recovered adulterated diesel

N93m property deal goes sour as FCID goes afterbizman, wife •We've refunded his money in full — Property owner

LAGOS — Lagos StateTaskforce on Environment

and Special Offences,Enforcement Unit, at theweekend stormed the hideout ofa diesel adulterating syndicate atOpebi area of the state, arresting10 persons in the process

The team also impounded threeoil tankers from the scene. Oneof the trucks has number plateLAGOS- EKY-251 XF.

The suspects, who werearrested under the Opebi Link-bridge, Ikeja Local GovernmentArea, used to produce and selladulterated diesel to theunsuspecting members of thepublic.

The team also impoundedseveral litres of adulterated dieselfrom the hideout.

It was gathered that theadulterated diesel was producedby mixing large quantity ofkerosene with some diesel.

The illegal activities, accordingto government officials, haveimpacted negatively on theecosystem within 100 metresradius.

It's not adulterated diesel—Suspect

However, one of those arrested,Mr. Saheed Ibrahim, said theywere not producing adulterateddiesel.

According to him, “theproducts were bought from thetank farms in Apapa and otherauthorised locations.”

Ibrahim, who presented someof the bills of laden issued at theports and the receipts issued totheir prospective buyers, said:“We sell kerosene and dieselproducts in smaller quantity tothose who could not approach thetank farms.”

On why they were operatingfrom a hidden environment asagainst others who do suchbusinesses at the depots, he said:“This is the only location we cancarry out the business.”

Ismaila Ashiribo, the driver ofone of the impounded tankers,explained that some of theproducts, especially kerosene,were purchased from a tank farm(name withheld) at Abule-Ado,Amuwo-Odofin LocalGovernment Area of Lagos State.

Economic sabotageTaskforce chairman, Chief

Superintendent of Police BayoSulaimon, who led the raid,described the activities assabotaging the country’seconomy.

He said: “This is a situationwhere some people perpetrateillegal activities. They buy smalldiesel and kerosene and mixthem up. Adulteration is goingon here at will. The trucks comeinto the premises and dischargethe products and leave.”

activities have impactednegatively on the community. Ithas led to water pollution and the

impact is very severe. We willensure that due process isfollowed.”

By Esther Onyegbula

LAGOS — Detectives fromForce Criminal Investigation

Department, FCID, Abuja at theweekend said they were on thetrail of a Lagos Stategubernatorial aspirant on theplatform of the Peoples’Democratic Party, PDP, MrBabatunde Gbadamosi and hiswife, Shade, over allegedproperty scam.

The couple, who runs RedbricksHomes International Limited, aresaid to be evading detectiveswho are investigating a case ofcriminal breach of trust.

Gbadamosi, however, toldVanguard that the allegation wasnot only unfounded but acalculated attempt to tarnish hisimage.

It was learnt that the detectives,after securing warrant of arrestfrom the FCID, Lagos and othernecessary documents needed toeffect the arrest were deniedentry into Amen Estate by MobilePolicemen from Squadron 49,guarding the estate on Fridayafternoon and Saturday morning.

The genesisAccording to Edojah's petition

to the FCID, “sometime in 2013,Gbadamosi accompanied by hiswife approached Hon SolomonEdojah with an offer to purchasea fully furnished seven-bedroomdetached house at Amen Estate,Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos for N93million.

"The terms of the offer included

a scheduled payment plan overperiodic instalments within oneyear. It was agreed that fixturesof certain quality andspecifications will be used in theinterior and exterior finishing ofthe property as contained in theoffer letter."

Based on this understanding,Edojah said he agreed topurchase the property for hisdaughter and consequentlycommenced payment with aninitial deposit of N25 million andhas not defaulted on any of theinstalments.”

DiscrepanciesTrouble, as gathered, started

sometime in February 2014, afterEdojah visited the property toobserve the extent of work onlyto discover that the fixtures beinginstalled were below the agreedspecifications.

According to Edojah,“immediately I alerted Mrs.Gbadamosi to the discrepanciesand a meeting was scheduled ather instance.

"At the meeting on July 20,some of the substandard fixtureswere itemized and it was agreedthat those substandard fixturesalready installed be removed andtheir cost deducted from theoriginal price of the property.

‘’These calculations were doneby Mrs Gbadamosi with theassurance that the alreadyinstalled Chinese tiles will bereplaced with the earlier agreedgranite and marble before thenext instalment was made.

"Unfortunately, what actuallybegan as a mutual transactionbetween both parties eventuallyturned sour irretrievably.

“In line with the paymentschedule, the next instalment wasdue by July 31, 2014 and in viewof this I wrote a letter to Mrs.Gbadamosi with the intention offormalising the agreements butthey refused to respond to thesaid letter and have consistentlyavoided and shut doors to anypossible discussions.

"Mrs Gbadamosi infurtherance of her ill motivesrefused to pick up the cheque forthe July instalment as was theprevious practice. To avoid fallingfoul of the agreed schedule, Iforwarded a cheque for theoutstanding balance less theagreed deductions to MrsGbadamosi but she directed oneEmmanuel Edward (her securitystaff) to reject the cheque and hasbeen avoiding me since then.

N53,615,000 paid“I have paid a cumulative sum

of N53,615,000 towards thepurchase of the property leavinga balance of N39,385, 000.

He alleged that these antics byMr and Mrs Gbadamosi aregeared towards fraudulentlydepriving him of the peaceableenjoyment of the property helaboured to pay for.

Allegation false —Gbadamosi

When Vanguard contactedGbadamosi on phone, hedescribed the allegation as

unfounded, false and a calcu-lated attempt to tarnish his im-age.

He said Mr Edojah only triedto purchase a property in AmenEstate located at Ibeju-Lekki.

According to him,“he is tryingto purchase the property. At apoint he started insisting that wechange some of the fixtures to apoint where the property startedlosing the primary concept andwe decided to refund his moneyto him.

"He told us that if we couldnot meet up with the contract,we should refund his money.What else does he want? Whereis this false allegation comingfrom? We didn’t defraud him,rather we have refused to sellanymore.”

In an attempt to set the recordsstraight, he said: “The reasonwhy I couldn’t see the detectivesfrom Abuja is because I was verybusy; I had to go to Abuja onemergency.

"Moreover, what we had wasa commercial transaction, andthere is no fraud here becausehis money has been returned tohim in full.

"We paid N47 million plus tohis account. We will resolve theinvolvement of the police whenI get to Abuja tomorrow. I willbe seeing the DIG tomorrowbecause this is a commercialtransaction."

“We decided to refund hismoney because we couldn’t goahead with the alterations hewanted, because if we do it willbe in contravention of the law ofLagos State."

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 —7

By Sola Ogundipe & ChiomaObinna & Favour Nwabuogwu

NMA bows to Ebola threat …suspends indefinite strike

FOLLOWING SERIES ofappeals from stakeholders

and the health challenges andthreats posed by the outbreak ofthe Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, inthe country, the Nigeria MedicalAssociation, NMA, midnight(Saturday) suspended itsprotracted seven-week old strikeit commenced July 1, 2014.

Consequently, all medical anddental doctors have been directedto resume duty at their workingposts with effect from 8.00 hourstoday, Monday, August 25, 2014.

Announcing the suspension ina communiqué at the end of itsEmergency Delegates Meetingin Abuja on Saturday, August 24,2014, the association said itresolved to suspend the strikeaction in the interest of what itdescribed as “urgent nationalemergencies,” while negotiationswith the Federal Governmentcontinue.

At the emergency sessionwhich was specifically to considerthe updates of the strike action,the strike was suspendedfollowing the outcome of votingby members in which 199 votedfor suspension, while 96 votedagainst, out of the total 265 votescast.

In their resolution, thedelegates demanded immediatewithdrawal of the governmentcircular (Reference No. C3132/v/46 of August 13, 2014)suspending the residencytraining programme and sackingof over 16,000 resident doctors,who constitute about 70 per centof doctors’ workforce inNigeria.

Also, the NMA urgedgovernment, on its part, toreciprocate her good will inensuring that resident doctorswhose appointments were soterminated are reinstatedimmediately without any punitivemeasures.

Stating its commitment towardsthe health of Nigerians, andreiterating not to renege in herresolve and total support for thegovernment in the effort toprovide qualitative, affordableand accessible health services forthe Nigerian people, thedelegates commended the effortsof the Federal Government andthe Lagos State Government incontaining the spread of EVD,and for the establishment ofisolation centres in the 36 statesof the Federation and the FederalCapital Territory, FCT.

“Delegates commended theefforts of the Federal Governmentand the Lagos State Governmentin containing the spread of EbolaVirus Disease, EVD, and for theestablishment of isolation centresin the 36 states of the Federationand FCT.

“The NMA mandates her StateEbola Monitoring Committees,SEMCs, to continue to liaise withtheir state governments toimmediately set up emergencyresponse teams for the prevention

and treatment of any out-breakof the Ebola virus in their variousstates,“ the statement read.

Expressing gratitude toPresident Goodluck Jonathan, theSenate President, NationalAssembly, senior governmentofficials, the various ministriesand agencies of government,friends of the association andother well-meaning Nigerianstowards resolving the face-off.

Confirming the suspension,the Public Relations Officer of theNMA Lagos State branch, Dr.Peters Ogunbiyi, who spoke toVanguard in a telephone chat,said the association decided tolisten to the voice of reasoning.

“President Jonathan haspromised to meet all our demandsthrough the Senate President.Specifically, he promised tosuspend the circular on thesuspension of Residency Trainingin the country.

We also considered the fact thatwe have new cases of Ebola fromsecondary contacts. So wedecided to suspend the strike tosave Nigerians from unnecessarydeaths.”

“The NMA remains committedtowards the health of Nigerians,and reiterate that she will notrenege in her resolve and totalsupport for the government in theeffort to provide qualitative,affordable and accessible healthservices for the Nigerian people. Also speaking, the NationalPresident of AGPMPN, Dr.Anthony Omolola described it asa welcome development.

“The suspension has actuallycome and doctors will resumetomorrow. I am one of those whosupport the suspension of thestrike so that we can start movingour health system forward. Also,we want to begin a robustdialogue towards having a vibranthealth system.”

Amosun commends NMACommending the NMA for

suspending the strike, OgunState Governor, Senator IbikunleAmosun noted that the decisioncould not have come at a bettertime when the nation is battlingto curb the spread of the dreadedEbola Virus, which he noted, isfast becoming an epidemic.

Amosun, who spoke throughhis Senior Special Assistant onMedia, Mrs. OlufunmilayoWakama, Amosun said: “Peopleshould always find amicable ways

of resolving crisis. I want tocommend the leadership ofNMA, for having found a wayround the issues that led to theindustrial action in the first place.

“I am happy that the strike hasbeen called off at this very crucialtime, when the guidance andexpertise of our medicalpersonnel are most crucial incontaining the Ebola Virus,” hesaid.

Amosun also commended theefforts of the NMA NationalPresident, Dr. Kayode Obembe,the Senate President, DavidMark, as well as others who wereable to prevail on the concernedparties for the favourableoutcome. He expressed the hopethat stakeholders would be ableto find a final resolution of thedispute while negotiationscontinue.

Suspension belated but still good– NUAP

On his own part, NationalPresident, Nigeria Union ofAllied Professionals, NUAP,Comrade Felix Faniran, said thesuspension, though overdue, waswelcome.

“Suspension of strike iswelcome. It is long overdue butit is still good. The NMA is ourpartner in progress. What theother unions are telling the NMAis that health work is teamworkand should always relate with the

other professionals.“Rather than oppose whatever

benefit government is giving tous. What made them to go onstrike on that their 24-pointdemand is not necessary at all.NMA is not a registered tradeunion and they have no right toembark on strike at all.

“Since they went on strike andgovernment was somagnanimous in talking withthem, they should cash in on thatopportunity and use it to thebenefit of Nigerians. They havenot done well by not calling offthe strike despite the factgovernment has met all theirdemands.

"We would have been on strikebut we used maturity and showedsigns of reasoning because of theissues at stake such as securityand Ebola. And we decided notto go on strike but continue withdialogue. We are still negotiatingeven though government has notmet our demand.

“I think the doctors will learn alesson from what has justhappened. Possibly thesuspension of the resident doctorsforced them to come on, but weare happy they are back. I advisedthe NMA to desist fromillegalities they have beenperpetrating for years and knowthat this country belongs to all ofus. They should close ranks andwork together with other

professionals in the interest of thenation.”

Lagos State ACPN reactsReacting to the development,

Chairman, Lagos StateAssociation of CommunityPhatrmacists, ACPN, Pharm.Abdulsalam Yinka described thesuspension as a gooddevelopment.

“Suspension of strike is a gooddevelopment because in the firstplace, strike in the health sectoris not good. This is because all ofus in the sector are there becausesomebody must be sick one timeor the other.

"Therefore, it is a belateddecision if you consider the plightof the sick. There wouldn’t havebeen doctors or pharmacists orany other profession, so the plightof any patient should beparamount in our mind.

“If the doctors have decided tocall off their strike, it is what everyNigerian has expected theyshould have done becausehealthcare services are to savelives. Therefore, to mesuspending the strike is a goodthing, but dialogue would havebeen the best option, especiallythis time the nation is plaguedwith Ebola Virus Disease. Theyneed to join hands with thegovernment and tackle thedreaded disease.”

PRAYER RALLY: From left, Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; Convener andChairman, Nigeria Prays, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), and Vice Chairman,Nigeria Prays, Capt.Paul Thahal (rtd), at the South West zone of the National Prayer Rally, at the CathedralChurch of St, David, Akure, weekend.

Ejelonu’s fiance certified Ebola free, dischargedBy Sola Ogundipe & Chioma

Obinna

DENNIS, THE widow of thelate Justina Ejelonu, the

nurse who attended to the index(first) Patrick Sawyer at the FirstConsultants Medical Centre,Lagos, and later died of the EbolaVirus Disease contracted duringthe encounter, has beendischarged from the Ebola controland treatment centre in Lagos.

The late nurse’s spouse, who

had been under observation asone of the suspected cases, wasdischarged after testing negativeto Ebola following series of testsconducted on him to certify hisstatus.

A source at the treatment centre,told Vanguard that Dennis wasdischarged, weekend after he wascertified Ebola free.

He is the sixth person to bedischarged from the EbolaIsolation Centre in Yaba, Lagos.

However, Special Adviser on

Media and Communication to theMinister of Health, Dan Nwomeh,denied knowledge of thedevelopment.

“We are not aware of thatdevelopment, but to avoid anyconfusion, the Minister of Healthreiterates that he has the soleauthority to announce confirmedand discharged cases of diseaseepidemics in Nigeria.

"The Minister reassuredNigerians that any newconfirmed or discharged cases of

EVD in Nigeria will beannounced by his office promptly.

“Any doubtful information on theout-break of EVD should beverified from the office of theMinister of Health.”

On Saturday, Chukwu, hadconfirmed that two of the spousesof the dead Ebola victims hadtested positive to the virus, adevelopment that brought to fourthe total number of Ebola patientsbeing treated at the isolationward.

8—Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

APC cries over plans to revive ACN, ANPP, CPC

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

THE ALL ProgressivesCongress, APC, has alleged aplan by those it described asunscrupulous elements toconfuse voters ahead of the 2015general elections through theregistration of parties with sameacronyms with the legacy partiesthat formed the APC.

The party said the plan toregister new parties withacronyms - ACN, CPC and ANPP- was to confuse voters andremove from the APC’s votes inthe forthcoming elections.

The Independent NationalElectoral Commission, INEC inits reaction, however, claimed

ignorance of any deliberate planagainst the APC even as it saidthat requests for registration ofparties which come in dozensweekly are being treatedaccording to merit.

The APC in a statement by itsNational Publicity Secretary,Alhaji Lai Mohammed, allegedthat a request had been filedbefore INEC for the registrationof Allied Council of Nigeria ACN;Advanced National Patriotic Party,ANPP and Conservative People’sCongress, CPC. The threeapplications, according toMohammed, were filed the sameday.

The application for theregistration of the three parties,he said, was to confuse voters with

the three legacy parties, ActionCongress of Nigeria, ACN,Congress for ProgressiveChange, CPC, and the AllNigeria Peoples Party, ANPP thatmerged to form the APC last year.

“It is worthy of note that the threeapplications to INEC for theregistration of the threeorganisations as political partieswere made on the same day.Apparently, common sense takesflight in the face of greatdesperation!

‘’Their plan is simple: Once theparties are registered, they willthen apply to change their logosto those of the original ACN,ANPP and CPC, and then hopeto be on the ballot for next year’sgeneral elections.

"Just before the elections, thesponsors of the phantom partieswill then send out messagessaying the APC has splinteredinto its component parties for thepurpose of the election. Whateverhappens, their plan is to confusethe electorate and hamper theelectoral fortunes of the APC.’’

‘’This acronym battle is a partof the larger war against our partyto prevent its registration.Nigerians will recollect that thesame people, apparently, appliedto register a phantom APC themoment it became clear that ourmerger would succeed and thatINEC would register our party,having met all the requirementsto consummate the merger," thestatement said.

.We are receiving several applications – INEC

DINNER: From left, Nasarawa State Governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-makura, bride's father; his Imo State counterpart andchairman of the occasion, Owele Rochas Okorocha; bride, Maimuna and her husband, Moyi Mai-Dunama; Speaker, Houseof Representatives, Aminu Tanbuwal and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, during a dinner in honour of Al-makura' s daughter's wedding, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, weekend.

Confab lists 54 states for NigeriaBy Henry Umoru

NIGERIA WILL now have54 states as against the

present 36 states shouldPresident Goodluck Jonathanimplement the recommendationof the National Conferencecontained in the final reportsubmitted to the President lastweek.

According to therecommendation on creation ofadditional states, “Alteration ofsection 3 Section 3 of theprincipal Act is altered - (a) byreplacing the existing subsection(1) with the following as newsubsection (1) -”(1) There shallbe fifty-four states in Nigeria, thatis to say, Aba, Abia, Adada,Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Amana,Anarribra, Anioma, Apa, Bauchi,Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, CrossRiver, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Edu,Piciti, Enugu, Etiti, Ghari,Gombe, Gurara, Ijebu, Imo,Jigawa, Kaduna, Kainji, Kano,Katagum, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi,Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, NewOyo, Njaba-Anim, Niger, Ogoja,Ogun, Oil Rivers, Ondo, Ose,Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers,

Savannah, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobeand Zamfara,” and (b) by deletingsubsections) (2) and (6); and ( c)in subsection (3) by replacing theword “third” with the word“second.”

The long standing agitation forthe creation of a mayoral statusfor the Federal Capital City wasapproved, just as additional twoarea councils were approved forthe FCT in addition to the existingsix area councils with strongwarning that all compensationsbe paid.

The conference also resolvedthat the Minister of Finance, notthe President will now presentthe annual budget to the NationalAssembly, even as it threw outrecommendation for a unicamerallegislature and voted that the bi-cameral legislature bemaintained.

The report also stated thatpublic schools taken over byvarious state governments acrossthe country 42 years ago wouldhenceforth be returned to thereligious missions which were theoriginal owners.

The conference further voted infavour of Modified Presidential

System of Government asrecommended by the committee;described as "home-made modelof government that combines theattributes of parliamentary andpresidential systems." Theconcept has the potentials ofentrenching the principle ofseparation of powers as practisedin presidential system andpromotion of co-operation andharmony between executive andthe legislature as operated underthe parliamentary system.

The President elected under thenew system shall exercise fullresponsibility for his governmentand shall select ministers, notmore than 18 of them, from thesix geo-political zones of thecountry, and in the modifiedpresidential system the presidentshall pick the vice president fromthe legislature.

On local governmentadministration, the conferencealso voted that states should owntheir own constitutions while thefunctions of local governments ascontained in schedule 4 of the1999 constitution (as amended)has been transferred to the statessubject to the power of the state

Houses of Assembly to add orreduce the said functions of thelocal governments.

Conference also voted againstthe local government as adifferent tier of government,saying that the House of Assemblyof a state may confer otherfunctions on local governmentand agreed that the constitutionshall fix the tenures for localgovernment councils.

Delegates approved thescrapping of joint state and localgovernment accounts; to bereplaced with a State RevenueMobilisation, Allocation and FiscalCommission, adding that thebody would be expected to haveas members, representatives oflocal government areas and achairman nominated by the stategovernor for confirmation by thestate House of Assembly.

In addition to the functionsconferred on the localgovernment councils as specifiedin the Fourth Schedule of the 1999Constitution as amended, a stateHouse of Assembly may by law,confer other functions on the localgovernment.

Henceforth, and except

otherwise overturned, conferencealso conferred financial autonomyon state Houses of Assembly as away of freeing them from directcontrol by the executive and votedthat for functionality, localgovernment should be politicallyand economically independent.

The report recommended thatthere should be completeabolition of the concept of pleabargain by accused publicfunctionaries and also agreed forthe establishment of specialcourts, for instance, anti-corruption courts to handle casesinvolving corrupt practices.

Also in the report, henceforth,anybody arraigned before thecourt by EFCC, ICPC and by anylaw enforcement agencies, theaccused person is regarded asguilty, unlike the present situationwhere he is regarded as innocentuntil the accused is proven notguilty. Now he is regarded asguilty until he proves himselfinnocent.

The issue of state police ascontroversial as it appeared, adecision was taken that those whowant it should go and have statepolice, but those who do not wantit, the recommendation of theconference was that the presentstatus of the Nigerian policeshould remain. But from ASPdownwards should be indigenesof every state and that on its own,is like state police.

Churches and mosquesHenceforth, there will be no

sponsoring of both Christian andMuslim pilgrimages to the holylands and that churches andmosques will now pay tax to theFederal Government.

It was also agreed that paymentof pension, severance, lifeinsurance for legislators at alllevels be cancelled and accordingto the delegates, same wouldapply to governors and theirdeputies, just as lawmakers,governors and their deputies willnow receive salaries andallowances commensurate to thefunctions they perform.

Henceforth, civil servants, whoengage in contract for pecuniarygains, will be dismissed fromservice, just as there was theretention of status quo ofretirement age of 60 for workersin public service.

There was also succour forpeople living with disabilities asdelegates voted that governmentsat all levels should grantallowances to them which will beequivalent of governmentworkers on grade level 06 as thatwould enable them employ theservices of private aides to assistthem in carrying out some privateand domestic activities.

Also contained in the report issharing of funds to the FederationAccount among the three tiers ofgovernment should be: FederalGovernment (42.5 per cent), Stategovernments (35 per cent) andLocal governments (22.5 percent).

The conference also

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 —9

Falana knocks FG over prisoners’ death

Nigeria's external debt profile worries Labour

Lagos Airport gets more Ebolascreening equipment

LAGOS—TRADE Union Congress of Nigeria,

TUC, weekend inLagos,expressed concern overNigeria’s rising external debtprofile, which the DebtManagement Office, DMO,now puts at $9.38 billion,warning that excessive foreignloans that could mortgageNigeria’s future to foreigncreditors.

The Director-General of theDMO, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo,had told newsmen in Abuja thatthe country’s domestic andforeign debt was now $66billion dollars (over N10trillion), the externalcomponent being $9.38 billion.

TUC in a statement by itsPresident, Mr. Bobboi BalaKaigama, lamented that whileNigeria celebrated with fanfarethe external debt exit in 2005under the regime of PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo, byDecember 2010, the externaldebt portfolio rose to $4.78billion.

According to the statement,“So, if the foreign debt regimenow stands at $9.38 billion, itfollows that external debt

profile has risen by about $5billion i.e about 100% in lessthan four years. This is veryunfortunate more-so when theimpact of the foreign loans arenot being positively felt by thegenerality of the citizens.Nobody should be carriedaway by the argument that thecountry’s debt stock is still lessthan 26% of GDP, the so-calledinternational standard.

''The fact of the matter is thatthe country went through hellwhen its debt stock was about$35 billion. We shouldtherefore be concerned thatwe are going back to where wewere before.”

According to TUC, althoughthe DMO stated that part ofthe loan was injected into thepower sector, there wasnothing on ground to showthat electricity supply hadimproved because as at May2014, the Minister of Power,Professor Chinedu Nebo,stated that Nigeria wasgenerating 3,800mw for about170 million populationwhereas experts estimatedthat Lagos State alone neededabout 15,000mw.

TUC President faulted claimsby Dr. Nwankwo that part of the

loan was also used to financeroads including AbujaInternational Airport Road thathad not been completed foryears and organised labour, thecivil society groups, and otherwell-meaning Nigerians to riseup and ensure that the FederalGovernment stopped furtherforeign borrowing forthwith.He

By Victor Ahiuma-Young said “We also demand that theFederal Government shouldcurtail unnecessary expenditure,prune down the obsceneemoluments of political officeholders, and block otherleakages through whichbillions of naira are looted fromthe Treasuries leaving virtuallynothing for capital development.''

By Abdulwahab Abdulah

OSUN OSOGBO: Crowd at the 'Osun Osogbo' celebration in Osogbo, Osun State onsaturday. (INSET) HRM, Oba Iyiola Matanmi III, Ataoja of Osogbo with his wives.

LAGOS—MURITALAM u h a m m e d

International Airport, MMA,Lagos, weekend gotadditional Ebola VirusDisease, EVD, screenequipment from the UnitedStates, US government toboost screening capacity atthe airport.

Making the donation at theairport, the US Consul-General in Nigeria, JoffHawkins, expressedsatisfaction with the responseof the Nigerian Government tothe contagious disease since itsimportation into the country byPatrick Sawyer, a Liberian amonth ago.

According to the FederalAirport Authority of Nigeria,FAAN, General Manager,Corporate Communication,Mr Yakubu Dati, Hawkins “commended the measuresalready in place at MMA,pointing out that EVD isneither a Nigerian nor Wes-African problem but a problemto humanity as a whole. Hesaid the donation of theequipment is a symbol ofwillingness on the part of theAmerican Government to assistNigeria in any way possible tocombat the scourge.”

Known as infraredthermometers or non-contact

thermometers, the portablehand held equipment has theability to measure bodytemperature of in-bound andout- bound passengers forpossible Ebola symptoms from a distance.

Present at the occasion were,Dr. Alex-Okoh, Head of PortHealth, Lagos, Dr. GaryBronette of Centre for Disease

Control, CDC, HeadsAgencies at MMA, Airlines/Handling CompaniesRepresentatives, HealthPersonnels at the Airport, Airportworkers, among others.

Agencies at the airport were alsopraised for their collaborationsince the first reported caseof the virus in Nigeria.

FAAN was particularly

By Lawani Mikairu

applauded for providing thenecessary infrastructure for thePort Health Services, PHS, andcollaborating agencies toeffectively discharge theirduties in the face of the threatposed by the rampaging virus.

Screening of passengers,which was initially restricted toin-bound passengers from theWest-African countries has sincebeen expanded to include all in-bound and out-boundpassengers from all destinations.

L A G O S — L A G O Slawyer, Mr. Femi Falana,

SAN, has petitioned the FederalGovernment, accusing it of beingresponsible for the death of prisoninmates across the countrythrough alleged poor or nomedical attention.

In a petition to the InteriorMinister, Mr. Abba Moro, Falananoted that more than ten inmatesof the Kirikiri maximum prisons,Lagos had died in the last threeyears due to perceived failure ofgovernment to provide adequatemedical care for the inmates.

He called on the NationalHuman Rights Commission, toinvestigate what he described as

“illegal killing of convicts andawaiting trial inmates in prisoncustody in Nigeria,” in a view torecommend payment ofexemplary damages to theirfamilies.

According to him, ''In the lastthree years, several prisonershave been brutally killed byterrorists and other armed gangswho stormed a number of prisonsto free their detained members.Since the prisons are not wellsecured the Federal Governmentis vicariously liable for thepremature death of such prisoninmates. More worrisome is thefact that several prison inmates,who are terminally ill may soondie due to lack of medicalattention by the prison

authorities. It is hoped that allmeasures are being put in placeto keep the highly infectious Ebolavirus away from the prisons.

“Mr. Abba Moro has failed toensure the provision of adequatemedical facilities in the prisons,we request the National HumanRights commission to investigatethe illegal killing of convicts andawaiting trial inmates in prisoncustody in Nigeria.'

''The Commission may wish torecommend the payment ofexemplary damages to thefamilies of prison inmates whohad lost their lives on accountof medical neglect and the trialof all public officers whosenegligence has contributed tothe killing of prison inmates.”

IBADAN—ONE ofthe senators who left

the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, in OyoState, Senator OlufemiLanlehin has said hisdefection to the AccordParty was occasioned byalleged unfoundedsuspicion of GovernorAbiola Ajimobi that hewanted to contest thegovernorship electionwith him in 2015 election.

Lanlehin, who spokewith newsmen yesterdayin his Inalende Senatorialoffice in Ibadan said sincethe governor assumed themantle of leadership overthree years ago, therelationship betweenthem was not politicallycordial.

But reacting on behalf ofthe governor, the state APCChairman, Chief Akin Oke;“Do they want to run theaffairs of governmenttogether. If he is honest,he should be specific asto what area did thegovernor reject his advice.What is worrying most ofthem is personal ambitionto be the governor ratherthan giving excuses.

''Again, they are afraidabout their second termwould be at stake becausethey have written thegovernor off that he wouldnot make the second term.They are stretching theirluck too much forgettingthat it is God that givespower to man. I am surethat the governor willbreak the jinx this timearound.”

However, Lanlehinclaimed Governor Ajimobi'srefusal to carry other partymembers along in most ofthe policies forced him andothers out of APC.

By Ola Ajayi

Why I left APC—SENATOR

10 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

INEC shouldextend PVCcollection date— ONDO GOVT

By Dayo Johnson

Osun: We've not receivedany petition — TRIBUNAL

MIMIKO: PDP chieftains differ overdefection

By Dayo Johnson

Fayose pledges to upgrade Ado Ekiti

AKURE—LEADERS of the Peoples Democratic Party,

PDP, in Ondo State are divided overpurported 60/40 agreement reachedin favour of Governor OlusegunMimiko of Ondo State with thenational leaders of PDP without theinput of the state chapter, pavingway for Mimiko’s defection to theparty,

This came as All ProgressivesCongress, APC, in the state saidthe defection was a minus to PDP.

Several meetings have been heldby PDP members and more stillongoing at the time of this report inthe state since the weekenddefection became public.

Political appointees in the formerLabour Party, LP, administrationhave however started crossing toPDP in their constituenciesfollowing a directive by thegovernor, who also asked them topass the message of defection downto the grassroots.

Many of the LP members, wholeft the PDP in 2009 still have theirPDP registration cards.

However, some chieftains of partytold Vanguard in confidence thatthe governor failed to carry themalong at the state level.

They lamented that the governorpreferred to talk with the leaders inAbuja instead of those in the state,wondering how it would be easyfor him to sail through. Accordingto them, they read about thedefection on pages of newspapers.

Some of them claimed thegovernor started phoning them justthis weekend for a meeting.

However, other leaders who have

sympathy for the governorwelcomed him to party, saying themore, the merrier.

It was gathered that leaderscomplaining are disturbed that asthe governor, he automaticallybecomes the leader of the party inthe state, expressing fears thatmany of them who had criticisedhim (Mimiko) when he was in LP,may victimise them now that hehas taken control of the party.

But the Publicity Secretary ofPDP in the state, Chief WaleOzogoro, said LP members werewelcomed into the ‘biggest partyin Africa.’

Ozogoro, who said althoughthe party had not been formallynotified at the state level, notedthat “there is free entry and exitin political parties in the countryand nobody has the right to blockMimiko’s entrance into theparty.”

However, he declared that thenew defectors would be trainedon PDP’s philosophy based onthe Transformation Agenda ofPresident Goodluck Jonathan.

He said “by the time the party isofficially informed, we will meetwith the party elders' caucus andwith the incoming members andwe will give them a rousingwelcome.''

Some leaders of the PDP in thestate led by Professor Olu Agbiand Chief Segun Adegoke, saidthe defection of Mimiko into thePDP justified their support for hissecond term election.

Agbi and Adegoke said by thetime the two parties merged, thenext election would be a free ridefor the party and its candidates.

Meanwhile, the state APCin its reaction to thedevelopment said “thedefection of the Governor ofOndo State, Dr OlusegunMimiko to the PDP did notcome as a surprise to us.Mimiko has been hobnobbingwith the PDP at the nationallevel for a very long time, eventhough he had no goodrelationship with the statechapter.''

A statement by its PublicitySecretary, Abayomi Adesanyain Akure said “that DrOlusegun Mimiko is joiningor has joined PDP will not

help the party win any election,but to help President GoodluckJonathan win the PDP presidentialprimaries.

''To us in Ondo APC, our doorsare opened for credible individualsthat are still in the Labour Party,especially the House of Assemblymembers to join. Our doors are alsoopened to the servingcommissioners and also PDPmembers that would not becomfortable with Mimiko joiningthe PDP because of his politicalantecedents. They are allwelcomed to join our great partyto realise their dreams. To us allanimals are equal.”

...His move a minus for PDP — APC

ADO EKITI—EKITIState governor-elect,

Mr. Ayo Fayose has pledgedto give Ado Ekiti, the statecapital, a face-lift when heassumes office. He alsopromised to complete themulti-million naira ongoingAdo Ekiti palace pavilionproject within the one year.

Speaking during thecelebration of the Idirokofestival at the palace of the Ewiof Ado Ekiti, Oba RufusAdejugbe weekend, thegovernor-elect, said he wouldcontinue with thedevelopmental stride goingon in the state capital, sinceaccording to him, Ado Ekitiwas strategically located as

the state capital.He lauded Oba Adejugbe for

what he described as his sterlingqualities and commended thepeople of Ado Ekiti for their massivesupport during the June 21governorship election.

According to him, “There is nodoubt that Ado Ekiti will continueto be relevant in the state becauseof its numerical strength and thefact that it is the capital of our state.My performance will surpass whatI was able to achieve during my firstterm in office.”

Fayose commended theoutgoing administration of DrKayode Fayemi for his contributionto the development of the state,saying every government thathad ruled the state since itscreation had contributed theirquota to its development.

By Gbenga Ariyibi

By Gbenga Olarinoye

OSOGBO—FIFTEEN days after theIndependent National Electoral Commission,

INEC, declared Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the AllProgressives Congress, APC, winner of the August 9 OsunState governorship election, the election petition tribunal,has declared that it has not received petition from any ofthe political parties.

The Secretary of the Osun State governorship electiontribunal, Mr. Adamu Mohammed Aliyu,weekend toldVanguard that the candidates, however still had sevendays to file their petitions.

The main opposition party in the state, the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP and its candidate in the election,Senator Iyiola Omisore, had after the announcement ofthe results, hinted of their intention to appeal the results,claiming the election was fraught with irregularities.

Aliyu, who hinted that some politicians had inquired ifthe tribunal had been opened, declared that “no politicalparty has filed any petition so far.”

The election was keenly contested by 20 political parties.Aliyu disclosed that the tribunal had been constituted

before the August 9 election in compliance with electorallaw.

Quoting Section 133 (3) of the Electoral Act, Aliyu said,“according to the law, election tribunals shall be constitutednot later than 14 days before the election, and that hasbeen complied with by the president of the court of Appeal.”

AKURE—ONDOState government

weekend called on theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission,INEC, to extend the daysfor the collection ofPermanent Voters Cards,PVC, and for theregistration of new votersin the state.

Information andCommunity Developmentand Co-operative Servicescommissioners, Mr.Kayode Akinmade andClement Faboyede madethe government's positionknown in Akure at abriefing.

They claimed theexercise had been marredwith hiccups since itbegan.

Faboyede said the fivedays allocated for theregistration was grosslyinadequate as 60 per centof would-be voters wereyet to be registered.

He said the first day ofthe exercise was nothingto write home about as themachines sent to thecentres weremalfunctioning.

On the second and thirdday, the Commissionersaid heavy downpourcoupled with machineproblem did not allow anyintended voter to get nearthe collation centers.

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 —11

Uduaghan, Oritsejafor task parents on child upbringingBy Emma Amaize

WARRI — GOVERNOREmmanuel Uduaghan

of Delta State; President of theChristian Association ofNigeria, CAN, Pastor AyoOritsejafor and prominentDeltans, weekend,challenged parents to paygreater attention to theupbringing of their children.

Uduaghan and Oritsejaforobserved that the failure ofparents in inculcating rightvalues in their children wasresponsible for the increasingrate of deviants in the society.

They spoke in Warri at the90th birthday thanksgivingservice of Justice SilvanusAjuyah, father of the stateAttorney General andCommissioner for Justice,Mr. Charles Ajuyah, SAN.

Governor Uduaghan said:“I want to urge parents toplease bring up their childrenin the way that when theyleave you, people can givepositive testimony of thosechildren.

“I keep saying that in life,three things are important:God first; your family, secondand your work, third. Do not

let your work overshadowyour family, do not be toobusy that you have no timefor your family.

“It is true that most of thecriminals we see today are

people who have challengesat home,” he said, noting thatsuch deviant children in thelong run turn around to harmand hunt their parents.

Orisejafor, who said JusticeAjuyah and his wife playeda significant role in hisupbringing and describedhim as “my pride and that ofso many people.”

PDP accuses Edo govt of oppressivetax regime

By Gabriel Enogholase

BENIN —THE EDO Statechapter of the Peoples

Democratic Party, PDP, hasaccused the state government ofmaking live difficult for itscitizens through oppressive taxregimes, levies and policies.

It said the state governmenthad remained clueless intackling flooding in differentparts of the state, warning thatthe 2012 flooding which washedaway riverine communities in thestate may be a child’s play ifthere was no plan to containflooding in the next months ofthe raining season.

The state chairman of the party,Chief Dan Orbih, who spoke atIgueben, where he receiveddefectors from the AllProgressives Congress, APC, tothe PDP, accused the stategovernment of not putting

contingency plans on groundshould the dreaded Ebola virusbe recorded in the state.

He said: “From the formal to theinformal sector, the stories are allthe same. Today, the indoor sportshall and pitch of the SamuelOgbemudia are usually floodedanytime it rains. As for theswimming pool, it is more like apond where toads and lizardsnow flourish.

“The levy paid by drivers wasincreased from N150 to N2000.You don’t need to be told theimpact of that. Now, they can’t

meet up with their daily returnsand are finding live very difficult.

“The governor announced therecall of sacked teachers andpromised to pay theirentitlements. It will, however,interest you to know that theteachers have not been recalledand neither their entitlementspaid. The statement was atelevision political statement.”

He said the failure of the APC-led government had given thePDP the belief that they can takeback Edo State, adding: “The onlyperson left in APC in Iguebenwould soon join the PDP.”

Delta pensioners sensitised on howto manage post-retirement years

By Austin Ogwuda

ASABA — RETIREES andthose at the point of retiring

from the Delta State Civil

Asaba, weekend, ManagingDirector of Oak Pension, Mr.Sam Inyang, organisers of theevent, said: “The essence is tobring them (retirees) togetheronce they are about to retireand let them know what liesahead. We guide them on whatthey need to put in place toenable them access their fundsalso with ease.”

The workshop exposedparticipants to how best tomanage their resources and thetype of business to engage inafter retiring, while theparticipants noted that theevent was a welcomeddevelopment.

Service havebeen exposedto how tomanage theirp o s t -r e t i r e m e n tyears andeasily accesstheir fund afterretirement.

Speaking att h esensitisationworkshop in

Deltaelectorateurged toregister withINEC

GENERAL Secretary,Egbema Gbaramatu

Community DevelopmentFoundation, Mr JudeUkori, has urgedelectorate in Egbema andGbaramatu Kingdoms inDelta State to utilise theongoing continuousvoters’ registration, CVR,exercise by theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission,INEC, to validate orregister their names.

Ukori said yesterday inWarri that INEC hadfulfilled its responsibilityas contained in the 2010Electoral Act (asAmended) on CVRpreparatory to theforthcoming elections inDelta State.

He said: “I appeal to thegood people of Egbemaand Gbaramatu of votingage to use the remainingday ’s window ofopportunity provided byINEC to go out, checkand register their names.This will qualify them tovote in the October 2014local governmentelections and February2015 general electionsacross the country."

Native andVogue to holdfashion week

By Esther Onyegbula

ALL is set for the secondedition of the Native

and Vogue Port HarcourtInternational Fashion Weekin Rivers State next month.

With a successful maidenedition held last year, theorganisers of the event areleaving no stone unturnedin ensuring that Native andVogue makes headlines forall the right reasons, locallyand internationally.

The event co-sponsored bythe Rivers State Governmentand organised by Neo-Mantra, Bunor Creazioniand Vanguard Allure, is toassist aspiring models ontheir way to fulfilling theirambitions.

According to NkirukaOguadinma, ManagingDirector Neo-Mantra, “theevent is a platform for top enddesigners and models acrossAfrica to celebrate the totalityof Africa fashion. This willserve the dual purpose ofgrooming emergingdesigners while showcasingestablished brands, and alsoprovide an opportunity foraspiring models in RiversState. "

Bayelsa communitieswarn Agip overagreement

By Samuel Oyadongha

YENAGOA — Communities in Biseni area ofYenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa

State, weekend, warned Nigerian Agip OilCompany, NAOC, over its alleged reluctance toimplement agreement reached on communitydevelopment obligations.

They threatened that failure to commence fullimplementation may lead to disruption of oilproduction in the area.

The communities had shut five oil wells in IduOil Fields operated by Agip over the company’snon fulfillment of community developmentobligations to its host communities.

The oil wells 3, 6, 8, 11 and 12 earlier shutdown and put out of production by youths of thearea were reopened after a meeting betweencommunity representatives and Agip officials onAugust 5, 2014.

Secretary to Egbebiri community, one of theaggrieved communities, Chief Solomon Ogiama,yesterday, confirmed that the refusal of Agip tocommence implementation of the agreementreached on the re-opening of the shut oil wellswas generating fresh tension and that thecommunities had written to the state governmentto intervene in the matter.

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Ikimi set to dump APC for PDPBy Simon Ebegbulem

BENIN CITY—THERE are

indications that theformer Foreign AffairsMinister, Chief TomIkimi, may soon dump theAll ProgressivesCongress, APC, for thePeoples Democratic Party,PDP, as the APC leaderwas said to have shunnedthe caucus meeting of theparty which took place inAbuja last week.

Vanguard gathered thatIkimi was invited for thecaucus meeting as well asthat of the nationalleadership of the partywith a view to make himremain in the party.

It will be recalled thatGovernor AdamsOshiomhole of Edo Stateand other leaders of theparty in the state hadbegged Ikimi not to leavethe party after hecondemned the processesthat led to the emergenceof Chief John OdigieOyegun as the NationalChairman of APC.

Chief Ikimi had stayedaway from all politicalactivities of the APC sincethe convention of theparty. Vanguard gatheredthat he was being wooedby the top hierarchy of thePDP to join the party.

However, Ikimi whobroke his silence toVanguard, said he stilldoes not recognise

Oyegun as the NationalChairman of the partybecause of what hedescribed as the allegedundemocratic manner heemerged.

He said “I havedecided to watch theparty from afar because Ibelieve that things arenot right. If we are talkingabout democracy andbeing a crediblealternative to the PDP, wemust learn how to dothings the proper way. IfTinubu and others knowthat they don’t own theparty, then we can now

talk. There are still somefundamental issues that arestill unresolved.

“I don’t mind workingwith anybody as nationalchairman of the party,whether from Kogi orKwara but what I am sayingis that no one man shouldarrogate himself as theowner of the party. That iswhy people are leaving theparty. And people aretolerating it because theydon’t want to losepresidential or vicepresidential tickets. Theday they lose those tickets,they will leave the party."

A/Ibom gets CBN'sN260m MSME fund

By Tom Moses

UYO—AKWA IbomState has benefited

from the N260 millionCentral Bank ofNigeria, CBN’s MicroSmall MediumEnterprises, MSME,Development Fund foremployment generationand economicempowerment of peopleof the state.

The N260 million issaid to be the initial partof the fund released tothe state having fulfilledthe apex bank’srequirements foreconomic rejuvenation.

Speaking in Uyo,

weekend, stateCommissioner for Finance,Mr. Akan Bassey, saidGovernor Godswill Akpabiowas presented with thecheque by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan at thejust concluded CBN’s 8thAnnual MSME financeconference in Abuja.

According to Bassey, whowas one of the delegates atthe conference, the MSMEfund is a proactive initiativeof the Federal Governmentin partnership with statesto achieve a common goalof economic empowermentof the people with regardsto employment generationand wealth creation.

He expressed optimismthat the loan with a singledigit interest rate of one tofive years tenure willprovide the needed capitalfor operators in the MSMEsub-sectors such as microentrepreneurs, low incomeearners, farmers andartisans who hadchallenges with funds to setup their businesses.

NUPENG to partner FG toend oil theft in N-Delta

By Jimitota Onoyume

PORT HARCOURT—NIGERIA Union of

Petroleum and NationalGas Workers, NUPENG,has promised to partner theFederal Government toend oil theft and incidentsof adulterated petroleumproducts in the Niger Deltaregion.

Chairman, Port Harcourtunit of Marine Equipmentand Oil Suppliers unit ofNUPENG, Mr WonodiHenry, who spoke in PortHarcourt, yesterday, afterbeing sworn in alongsideother executive members ofvarious branches of thebody in the eastern zone ofNUPENG also warnedmembers of his union notto be involved in any actthat could soil thereputation of the body.

Thanking the NationalPresident of NUPENG, MrIgwe Achese and theNational Chairman,Marine Equipment andOil Suppliers Branch ofNUPENG, Mr Best

Enuyiese for their support,Henry said they wouldassist security operativeson the waterways with theneeded information toenhance their crusadeagainst illegal oilbunkering.

Edo community protestsgovt take over of land

By Gabriel Enogholase

B E N I N —INDIGENES of

Igbei community inAuchi, Etsako West LocalGovernment Area of EdoState, have protestedthe alleged the take-over of their land by thestate governmentdespite a court order.

The placard-carryingprotesters, through theirspokesman, Mr. AminAbdulai, lamented thatthe state government inflagrant disobedient toan order of a court ofcompetent jurisdiction,

which restrained it, wasstill laying claim to thesaid land.

Abdulai, who is also thechairman of thecommunity, said the statehigh court and the Courtof Appeal had in 2003 intheir judgments ruled inthe community’s favourand wondered why thegovernment was stilllaying claim to the land.

“The government haserected signpost on theland and I wonder whythe government is stillharassing us andclaiming ownership of theland,” he said.

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014—13

EBOLA: Health workers demandincreased hazard allowance...As Catholic church cautions priests

By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI — THE newexecutive of Imo

State Joint Health SectorUnion, JHSU, has calledon Governor RochasOkorocha to upwardlyreview the hazardallowance for healthworkers, in view of EbolaVirus Disease, EVD,scare.

This came at a time theCatholic Bishops ofOwerri EcclesiasticalProvince ordered prieststo exercise caution anddiscretion when they goon sick calls, in view ofthe current outbreak ofEVD.

JSHU Chairman,Comrade FrancisNzenwata, who made thecall in his post-electionspeech in Owerri, alsoreasoned that since healthworkers were the majorvictims of the EVDscourge, it becamepertinent to increase thefinancial grants to thesector.

He said: “Members ofJHSU are the mostvulnerable as they comein close contact with allinfected persons. Ibecomes imperative thattheir health hazardallowance be reviewedupwardly from thepresent N5,000.”

He said since thedisease had no knowncure for now, preventiveactions must be taken toavoid its spread.

Meanwhile, theCatholic Bishops ofOwerri EcclesiasticalProvince has orderedpriests to exercisecaution and discretionwhen they go on sickcalls in view of the currentoutbreak of EVD.

The directive was partof a 13-point EbolaPastoral Directive issuedin Owerri and signed bythe MetropolitanChairman and Secretary,Archbishop Anthony J. V.Obinna and Most Rev.Augustine T. Ukwuomarespectively.

“Priests should exercisecaution and discretionwhen they go on sickcalls, particularly whenthey have to administer

the sacrament of anointingof the sick,” the bishopsdirected.

The chuch urgedCatholic faithful not topanic, adding that theymust resist the temptationof allowing fear, anxietyand rumour to becloudtheir common sense.

On how to handlefunerals, the bishops said:“The remains of the deadshould be very carefullyhandled before and duringfunerals to avoid the riskand threat of infection.

“In case of outright deaththrough the Ebola virusdisease, specialarrangements will bemade in consultation withthe diocese and medicalpractitioners.”

AKUNYILI: Ezeife regrettednot making hercommissioner —Ogbuefi

By Vincent Ujumadu

AWKA — THE manwho drafted the late

Professor Dora Akunyilifrom the lecture halls of theUniversity of Nigeria topolitics, Chief DanOgbuefi, has said the firstcivilian governor ofAnambra State, Dr.Chukwuemeka Ezeife,confessed to him that hewould have made her amember of his cabinet, ifhe knew she possessed somuch quality.

Akunyili served Mrs.Njideka Ezeife, the thenAnambra State first lady, invarious capacities.

Ogbuefi, who is the Ide ofAgulu, Akunyili’s hometown, said in a tribute to theformer Director-General ofNational Agency for Foodand Drug Administration andControl, NAFDAC, who diedof cancer on June 7, 2014,that the performance ofAkunyili in all the offices shehandled after serving hiswife showed that she was anembodiment of knowledge.

She would be buried onThursday.

According to Ogbuefi,when he first met Dora in thelate 1980s, he did not knowthat she will turn out to bean excellent leader, addingthat Ezeife told him that heregretted not making her acommissioner when hecame in contact with her.

He said: “When my wifeand I met Professor Akunyiliat her Agulu residence fewweeks before her death, littledid we know that we weremeeting for the last time.When I met her in the late1980s through her husbandChike, I saw in her humility,openness, service tohumanity, and desire to serveothers.

“I didn’t hesitate to pushher into political appointmentaway from her lectureship atthe University of NigeriaNsukka. She impressed meso much anytime we wereholding Agulu PeoplesUnion, APU, actioncommittee meetings orduring functions as shehumbled herself to servepeople cheerfully."

Why I want to be inSenate —Ohuabunwa

By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA —FORMER Speaker of

ECOWAS Parliament,Chief Mao Ohuabunwa,who is aspiring to contestAbia North senatorial seatin 2015, said his desirearose out of the generalfeeling that the zone hadlost out in the share ofpolitical and infrastructuredevelopment in the last 12years of Senator UcheC h u k w u m e r i j e ‘ soccupation of the position.

Ohuabunwa, whorepresented Arochukwu/Ohafia in the House ofRepresentatives from 1999to 2003, explained that thedesire to to fill this gap hadmade him reject anappointment from thePresidency.

He lamented that AbiaNorth senatorial zone had

nothing to show for the 12years of Senator UcheC h u k w u m e r i j e ’ srepresentation.

The zone, he said, hadnot had a vibrantsenatorial representationin the last 12 years, sayinghe wanted to go there tofill the gap.

He said: “In 2007, Ireturned on my volitionbecause I felt that I shouldmove. As you grow, yougive others chance and aswe grow in democracy,zoning will no longermatter, merit will take over.

“At the time I wanted togo to the Senate the statehad been polarized alongpolitical lines and then theagreement of return of allpolitical office holders inthe PDP in the statedenied me theopportunity."

CMYK

14—Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Impeachment: I will return to my seat —Nyako…says he cannot support PDP

By Soni Daniel, RegionalEditor, North

ABUJA — FORTY days afterbeing removed from office,

Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd) hasexpressed hope that he willreturn to his post since histraducers did not follow the laiddown procedure in ousting him.

Nyako, who has already filedan appeal at the Appeal Courtagainst his impeachment, saidthere were justifiable reasons toprove that he was unjustly sentpacking from his office by hisopponents, who breached all therules all in their desperate bid toget him out.

Nyako in a statement madeavailable to Vanguard in Abujayesterday, by his media adviser,Mr. Sajoh Ahmed, said he wasconfident that the court wouldreturn him to office since theprocess leading to his forcefuland undemocratic sack wasillegal.

The former governor said hewas optimistic the Nigerianjudiciary, which is blessed withmen of integrity and honour,would not find it difficult torestore him to his position given

the gamut of evidence that hisopponents violated all theprovisions of the law in edginghim out for political reasons.

He said he was confident thatsince the judiciary had in the pastupturned the removal ofgovernors Joshua Dariye ofPlateau, Rashidi Ladoja of Oyoand Peter Obi of Anambra, itwould not be difficult for him tobe restored since he was forcedout of office by desperateelements.

While remaining upbeat abouthis return to office, Nyako urgedhis supporters in the state toembrace the current reality andprepare for the October 15 by-election, which he believes wouldbe a repeat of the case inAnambra State when Andy Ubaassumed office after winning anelection, only to vacate office after16 days when the courtsreturned Peter Obi.

I can't support PDPNyako also vowed to remain

within the APC and support onlyAPC candidates in all electionsat all levels and at all times.

He said his faith in the APCwas bolstered by the fact that the

party has proved to be trulydemocratic and progressive bythe manner it has handed overits nomination process to thepeople at the grassroots asopposed to those who hand overthe process to some unknownpolitical godfathers in Abuja orthe state capitals.

The former governor deniedclaims that he was supporting acertain PDP governorshipaspirant for the forthcoming by-election, saying that his support

remains with the APC at alltimes.

He said: “Anyone whosupports a PDP candidate in thestate has done so in exercise ofhis or her democratic rights ascitizens but not as a result of adirective from Admiral Nyako orin support of his politicalposition.

“This clarification is necessaryin order to debunk the rumourbeing peddled by some mischiefmakers in Adamawa State.”

Atedo Peterside appointed toStandard Bank Group Board

STANDARD Bank GroupLimited has announced the

appointment of Atedo Petersideas a non executive director to itsboard and the board of TheStandard Bank of South AfricaLimited with effect from August22, 2014.

Mrs. Sola David-Borha, ChiefExecutive of Stanbic IBTCHoldings Plc, in a statement, saidshe was pleased that Mr. AtedoPeterside, Chairman andFounder of Stanbic IBTC Bank

Plc was joiningthe board ofdirectors ofStandard BankGroup Limitedas well as theboard ofdirectors of TheStandard Bankof South AfricaLimited.

Reacting to his appointment,Peterside said that he will beshedding some of his privatesector responsibilities in Nigeriain order to discharge his newoverseas role effectively.

Peterside obtained a B.Sc.degree in Economics from TheCity University, London andM.Sc. in Economics fromLondon School of Economics &Political Science and holds anHonorary Doctorate of Science.

He is currently the chairmanof Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, whichis part of the Standard BankGroup and a director of FlourMills of Nigeria Plc, NigerianBreweries Plc, Presco Plc,Unilever Nigeria Plc and thechairman of Cadbury NigeriaPlc.

He was the chairman of theCommittee on CorporateGovernance of PublicCompanies in Nigeria.

JAMB bars candidateswithout ICT knowledge

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA—THE Registrarof Joint Admission and Matriculation Board,

JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, has stated thatstudents and candidates not computer literate willnot be allowed to write any examination coordinatedby the board from 2015.

This came on a day the Senate President, SenatorDavid Mark, and JAMB registrar, Prof. DibuOjerinde, harped on the importance of propereducation among youths, saying it was the panaceato curb youth restiveness and other social vices ina country.

The JAMB registrar, who spoke at the closingceremony of the memorial Golf tournament inhonour of his late wife, Professor OdusolaOjerinde, in Otukpo, Benue State, said part ofefforts to improve education in Nigeria, in line withglobal best practices, was the introduction ofComputer Based Test, CBT, for all the board’sexaminations.

He announced that any student or candidatewho was not computer (ICT) literate with effect from2015, would have no business with JAMBexaminations, adding that the Board of JAMBwould not compromise on it.

Ojerinde, in a statement by the Chief PressSecretary to the Senate President, Mr. PaulMumeh, said it was for that reason that JAMBembarked on the establishment of ComputerBased Centres across the country preparatoryfor all its examinations.

FG chargesNIS on tightsecurity atbordersBy Favour Nnabugwu

ABUJA—INTERIORMinister, Abba Moro,

has charged the NigeriaImmigration Service, NIS, tocollaborate with other securityagencies at the nation’sborders to fight insurgencyand cross border crimes.

Moro, who gave the chargeat the 2014 Comptroller-General’s annual conferenceand stakeholder’s forum incommemoration of the 50thanniversary of the service inAbuja last weekend, urgedimmigration officers to doubletheir efforts in the fight againstcrime, insurgency and thespread of Ebola throughoutthe borders.

“We owe Nigeria andNigerians the duty of securingour borders in spite of thesecurity challenges thecountry is facing now.

“The Nigeria ImmigrationService has been participatingactively in the fight againstinsurgency in the North Eastand cross border organisedcrimes and criminality.

“We have lost some officersin the line of duty but I ampleased to note that in spiteof all odds and challenges,our officers and men arefighting on,” he said.

The Minister expressedconcern over the unmanned1,400 illegal border routes inthe country, noting that whilethere were only 84 approvedland routes across the over4,000 square kilometreborder, the over 1,400 illegalroutes caused serious securityimplications for the country.

“The un-demarcated andpoorly marked borders makesettlement of people in bordercommunities intertwined andstringent control by theservice apparently difficult,”he added.

He also called for theconstruction of border plazas,equipped with radars,sensors, cargo and documentscanners and modern borderpatrol aircraft, boats, vehiclesand communication gadgets.

The minister noted thatthrough enhanced borderpatrols, and collaboration withPort Health Officials, thespread of the Ebola virusdisease had been curtailed.

The Minister of Interior alsoinformed that the FederalGovernment planned torecruit 5,000 officers into theNigeria Immigration Service,NIS, over the next five years.

He said recruitment wasaimed at enabling the serviceincrease the number of officersmanning the country’s 4,400square kilometer borders.

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 —15

MEETING: From left, Mr. E. Amomuogharan, Mr. B Eyoyibo, Chairman, Alpha May Club;Mr. Johson Ayomike, and Mr. Ekpoko Edward, during family meeting of Itsekiri leaders ofthoughts, at Chevron Recreation Club, Gbagada, Lagos, weekend. Photos: Shola Oyelese

From left, Mr. Ekpoko Edward, Mr. Mene Brown, Mr. Oti Agboghoroma, and Tony Ede.

From left, Mrs. Olatilewa Edward, Mr. Hector Amiwero, and Dr. M. E. Ugbeye.

ADAMAWA ELECTION: Idi Hong promises to fosterunity

By Umar Yusuf

FORMER MINISTER of State forForeign Affairs, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong,

weekend, said his intention to join thegubernatorial race in Adamawa State on theplatform of the PDP was to unite the variousethnic groups as a basis for social andeconomic development of the state.

The one-time secretary of the PDP in thestate, who made this known at the formalannouncement of his intent to the partyleadership in Yola, promised to turn aroundthe fortune of the state.

The former minister told newsmen in aninterview that he obtained the form for arescue mission to save Adamawa State fromtotal collapse and wished to use his

privileged position as one of the most con-versant with the plights of the state andtherefore, regard the aspiration to bringabout social transformation of the state.

According to Hong: "Adamawa hadnever been so polarised as in the last re-gime. I am out to vie for the office of Gov-ernor of Adamawa State for rescue mis-sion urgently as the state is in the loweststage of its development, hence the needto rescue it from imminent disasters thatmay follow its collapse.

"We have not seen impressive progressand improvements as other states havewitnessed in term of infrastructure andsocial transformation which requireserious-minded people to rise to theoccasion and rescue it from total collapse.”

Alpha May Club holds Itsekiri family meeting

OPINION

16 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

*Mr. Ubaka, a social critic, wrote fromKoko, Warri- North LGA, Delta State.

Missing waterbuses for Delta coastal communitiesBy Okofu Ubaka

IT is baffling that Itsekirisand Ijaws are still folding their hands

and watching while policies that ought tobe beneficial to their people are confinedpermanently to office drawers. It hurts toknow that the Delta State government ismost insensitive to the transportationproblem prevalent in the riverinecommunities of the state.No matter how it is explained, there is nojustification in having so many buses in thehinterland, while the coastal communitiesof the state are neglected. In view of thesordid neglect, it is imperative to state herethat the resources of these communitiesremain the economic mainstay of the state.Yet, no meaningful development is takingplace in the riverine communities of thestate. At least, I can speak authoritatively onthe neglect of the riverine communities.While growing up, I drank water from oilplatforms without minding whether it wasdrinkable or not.Rather than draw up a master plan andembark on convincing developmentprojects in the riverine communities of thestate, the Delta government keeps feedingthe people with the hoax that riverinecommunities are inaccessible, hencegrossly underdeveloped. The riverinecommunities of the state are mainly inBurutu, Patani, Warri South-West, Warri-North and Warri South, and part of Aboh inNdukwa-East. These communities providewell over 97% of the state's collectiveresources, yet the inhabitants of these

communities are denied all the basicsocial amenities. When I say all the basicamenities of life, I should be takenseriously here!Last June, the Delta state Commissionerof Transport told the people of thesecommunities , and Deltans in general, thatthe state government had acquired 130waterbuses for the purpose of easingtransportation in the creeks. Another Juneis here, yet nothing has been heard ofgovernment's plan to rescue the indigentpeople of these coastal communities fromthe claws of shylock private transporters.For how long will government continuewith this kind of policy somersault? Forhow long will successive Deltagovernments toy with the lives of theriverine dwellers? The case is more pathetic when you takeinto account the fact that in spite of thefact that 3,533 tricycles, 750,600 regularbuses and 50 Marco Polo buses wereacquired by government, not one boat wassent to any of the riverine communities ofthe state! It is most unfortunate that wehave people as representatives of thesecommunities in government who arefeigning ignorance of this glaring neglect.Emotoghan Focados was a university mateat Delta State University, Abraka. Backhome at Ayakuromo, his father was ateacher who must travel to Asaba, the statecapital at the end of each passing month.Today Emotoghan laments the economic

hardship and pains of travelling to Asaba.This is similar to the hardship and painsEmotoghan's father suffered 12 years ago.In the 1990s, Emotoghan's father spentbetween N250 and N400 to ferry down toWarri. Today, the cost of ferry ride fromAyakuromo to Warri has risen to betweenN3,000 and N3,500. There can not be anydoubt that the exorbitant cost of riverinetransportation has further worsened theeconomic situation in the coastalcommunities of the state. It beats one'simagination that the Delta Stategovernment could look on while people inthese communities suffer abject neglect. I have been to Tsekelewu, an Ijawcommunity in Warri-North. My stay at thecommunity was hellish. It wasn't because theinhabitants were hostile, rather living inTsekelewu was awful. A small bottle ofEva water sells for N150 while the bigbottle goes for N250. I complained aboutthe cost, and the seller, a native, and awoman of average age, drew my attentionto the cost of transportation. I knew shehad a reason, for I also paid through mynose to get to Tsekelewu. This is one ofseveral economic hardships the people ofTsekelewu and several other riverinecommunities are exposed to daily.In the late 1970s, the military administratorof then Bendel State was able to alleviatedthe hardship of the riverine dwellers throughthe introduction of ferry transportationacross the costal communities of the state.

As a boy growing up in Koko, it was a past-time for me and my siblings to troop downto the waterfront at the Beach area of Kokoto catch a glimpse of the beautiful Odokunferry boat whenever it was passing throughKoko, en-route Oghoye. It was a ritual tous as children then . I was so much obsessedwith the beauty of the Odokun that Ilonged for a voyage in it, but this couldnot be.Former governor James Ibori made aneffort in this direction, but he failed.It cost N3000 to travel by speedboat fromSapele to Tsekelewu or Oghoye in Warri-North. A journey from Koko to Sapele inUduaghan's mass transit bus costs justN200. Sapele to Warri also costs the sameamount of money. Ughelli to Warri is alsoabout the same amount. This is also thesituation for Abraka to Agbor Abraka toSapele which used to cost N600 before theintroduction of the Uduaghan mass transitscheme.What does one make out of a situationwhere he has to up to N3000 travellingfrom where he lives to a point notparticularly far away? Suffice to say thatthis injustice to people of the affectedcommunities. We have seen the tricycleand the buses, we wait to the see the 130waterbuses purchased by the Uduaghanadministration.

THE greatest threat facing the nation’swar against the Boko Haram and otherIslamist insurgents has to do with theunprecedented acts of sabotage that thenational assignment is facing. Never atany other time in the history of Nigeriahad the army been so bedeviled by inter-nal and external undermining of effortsto rid the country of terrorists and otherenemies of her unity and progress.The sabotage comes in so many forms.

It is both within and outside the confinesof the armed forces. According to mediareports, some military officers with sym-pathy for the cause of the insurgentssometimes reportedly divulge critical in-formation about the plans of the militaryto undertake campaigns or even funnelmilitary equipment to their partisans inthe enemy camp. This, we learnt, has ledto the unceremonious cancellation of suchcampaigns to avoid putting officers andmen in danger of running into ambushes.One of the greatest forms of the sabo-

tage is misinformation. Many sympathis-ers of Boko Haram are very eager to ap-proach, mainly, the foreign media to sayuncomplimentary things about our armed

Going tough againstGoing tough againstGoing tough againstGoing tough againstGoing tough againstsaboteurssaboteurssaboteurssaboteurssaboteurs

forces . They create an impression of BokoHaram as an invincible force andSambisa, their chosen camp, as an im-pregnable fortress. It is this misinforma-tion and the subsequent avoidable lossesin men and military material that giverise to the tales of real or imagined “mu-tinies” and protests among our men un-der arms.The military high command, as well as

their supervisory political authorities,must take firm steps to discourage actsof sabotage against our men and womenconfronting the terrorists. We are fully insupport of the assurance by the Chief ofArmy Staff, Lt General Kenneth Minimah,

that the army will henceforth go toughon saboteurs and visit them with the strict-est dictates of the law when nabbed andconvicted of the crime.We are also gratified to note that the

army is on the verge of taking delivery ofsophisticated equipment. It will surelyboost morale among the troops and spurthem to greater effort to flush the terror-ists out of Nigeria.We call on the mass media to redouble

their efforts and throw their full supportfor the armed forces. More efforts shouldbe made to de-emphasise the dissemina-tion of sensational and unsubstantiatedinformation because we may be unwit-tingly playing into the hands of the ter-rorists. It is important for media housesto take a closer hold of their online edi-tions and minimise their use by the ter-rorists and their supporters to achievetheir evil purposes.The war on terror is not for the army,

security agencies or the federal govern-ment alone. It is a collective effort. Wemust report suspected saboteurs to theappropriate authorities and keep our com-munities safe.

CMYK

Continues on page 18

By PETER EGWUATU

THE Asset ManagementCorporation of Nigeria,AMCON may have begun to

offload some of the shares it acquiredfrom the non-performing loans ofbanks and other companies as thevalue of shares listed on the Nigerianstock market have rebounded to thelevel of 160.2 per cent or N8.5 trillionin five years.

Specifically, the market capitalisationof the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSEwhich represents the total value ofshares listed on the exchange rosefrom N5.3 trillion in 2009 to close lastweek Thursday at N13.8 trillion. Thisshows that many companies whoseshare prices crashed to the lowest in2009 have climbed up tremendously.In the same vein, another stock marketgauge, the All-Share Index , whichreflects the price movement of sharesrose by 84.9 per cent or 19,178 pointsfrom 22, 589 points in 2009 to closelast week Thursday at 41,767 points.

AMCON spokesperson, Mr. KayodeLambo, confirmed the upsurge in theshare prices of listed stocks on theNSE to Vanguard, saying: “Yes, weknow that the stock market has startedbouncing back, so the shares thatAMCON acquired by way of buyingnon-performing loans are being soldor will be sold. AMCON is holdingshares in a lot of quoted companies.

The shares were used as collateral forthe non-performing loans thatAMCON was mandated to purchaseand resolve. The shares came toAMCON’s possession as a result ofsettlements /resolutions."

When asked the volume of shareswith AMCON, Lambo said: “Wecannot get you the right figure nowbut remember that AMCON did notacquire all of them; some were given

to AMCON in settlement of debt.”Continuing, he said: “AMCON

acquired non-performing loans,backed by shares of listed companies.The end process is that the corporationtakes delivery of the non-performingloans, and the banks, instead of beingstuck with illiquid, non-performingassets, have bonds that they will cashas they make new loans, and use theproceeds to fund the new loans. They

can create new portfolio of loans in linewith CBN‘s prudential guidelines.And as they make loans, they will beable to fund them.”

On the issue of sinking fund, thespokesperson for AMCON, hadreassured banks under its debtrecovery administration thatcontributions to the sinking fund wouldnot go beyond the repayment period

AMCON offloads shares asstock market recovers N8.5trn in 5 yrs

FOUNDATION- President ofICAN, Mr. ChidiAjaegbu, layingthe foundationfor theAccountancylecture theatredonated byICAN at theUniversity ofBenin

AUGUST 25, 2014

18 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Cover Story

Continues on page 19

,

,

Vocation and Technical Education– Key to improving Nigeria’s

development. Part 4

THE focus is on the roles of technology and vocational educationin enhancing entrepreneurial skills that will equip students

for entrepreneurship education in Information and CommunicationTechnology (ICT)-driven technological environment. The worldhas become globalized and the future prosperity depends oncomparative advantage. This comparative advantage hinges onpeople and their technical or technological sophistication.Towards this, some crucial entrepreneurial and technical skillsneeded by the students in colleges of education (technical),polytechnics and universities to meet the trends in a globaleconomy is analyzed.

Technology education is to be considered as the key agent oftechnology development, either as a way of developing humancapacity, increasing the shield work force for modernization,industrialization, environmental development or as a matter ofpersonnel freedom, developing capability and empowerment.Technology education is increasingly recognized to be central toboth the origins of technological development and challenges andto the prospects for successfully dealing with them (Alam, 2009).Decision makers at all levels, need timely, reliable access toknowledge generated by technology and technical education tointroduce rational policies that reflect a better global understandingof complex technical, economic, social, cultural and article issuesconcerning the society, and our environment. Technical decisionmaking and priority setting is an integral part of overall developmentplanning and formation of technology development strategies. Aboveall, technology education is a human right and, as such, shouldreceive priority in the allocation of national resources. It has becomevery necessary not to only keep technology education bound to therole of manufacturing skilled manpower but also to economicdevelopment and global economy. In Nigeria, technology educationwas previously not seen as fundamental for national development,or for the economic development, but for the school dropouts, andother social and political development within the nation and forindividuals. Hallak (1990) argues that technology education is alsolinked to human resources development and that this has an impacton more than just economic growth, but also an impact on the widerdevelopment of individuals and societies. According to him, itcontributes to:

(a). Individual creativity, improved participation in the economic,social and cultural roles in society.

(b). Improved understanding of an individual and heir respectfor others, thus promoting social cohesion and materialunderstanding

(c) Improvement in health and nutrition.(d). Improved chances of economic development.(e). Improved technological development.(f). Socio-cultural change.(g). Democracy and equality(h). Ecological development/quality of life (increasing people’s

awareness of their environments).From our analysis so far, it is clear that modernization and economic

development, depends on investment and appreciation of moderntrends in technology education. According to Woodhall (1997)investment in technological education and training produces benefitsfor the individual and for society as whole.

The roles of technical and vocational education in enhancingentrepreneurial skills using information and communicationtechnology is very important in training for self-employment, self-reliance and skills acquisition now that government cannot employevery graduate. This could be achieved through the developmentof entrepreneurial skills in technology and vocational educationthrough information and communication technology.

Technology and vocational education programme of our tertiaryinstitutions should be directed to focus on enhancing the trainingfor entrepreneurship in ICT so as to be functional in today’s worldof work and the global economy. In this period of massunemployment and global economic fortunes, only the best cansurvive by being self-employed. The tertiary institutions wheretechnology and vocational education programme is offered shouldencourage and enhance entrepreneurial skills of students throughconstant review of the curriculum to reflect the technologicalchanges and emerging technology in today’s ICT driven technicalenvironment. Technical educators should involve technological,technical, and business organization, government, NGOs and evensuccessful industrialists in their service delivery to the students.

of their loans.

Some shareholders haverepeatedly claimed

that commercial banks’contributions to the sinkingfund had eroded theirdividend. The sinking fundwas set up to assist AMCONmeet its goals and also ensurethat government will not bearthe cost of financial crisis.

Under the sinking fundarrangement, each bankcontributes 0.5 per cent of itstotal asset and another 0.5 percent of 33 per cent of their offbalance sheet items to thesinking fund.

Mr. Lambo said that bankswould not contribute to thesinking fund beyond the 10years when AMCONassignment would have beencompleted. He said that theloan (bond) was used torescue the banks during thefinancial crisis that affectedthe financial industry in 2008.“Contributing to the sinkingfund stops immediately theloans are paid back. “The planis that in 10 years, we believethat everything would havebeen resolved,” said Lambo.He said that AMCON hadalready retired N1 trillion in2013 out of the N3.8 trillion itowed, while it expected toredeem N800 billion in 2014.

On the divestment from thebridge banks, Lambo said thatthe corporation decided tostart with Enterprise Bank andMainstreet Bank, stressingthat Keystone would be soldlast.

Shareholders' reactions:Reacting on the sale of some

shares of AMCON, theChairman, ProgressiveShareholders Association ofNigeria, PSAN, Mr. Boniface

transparent manner.”Continuing, he said: “I keep

saying it, there should beaccountability in whateverAMCON does especially withregards to acquisition andsale of shares, so that theentire public knows what theyspend and realise in theiroperations.

Most times, it is the banks'shareholders that bear thebrunt of some of their activitiessuch as the sinking fund andwhat have you. Theshareholders are sufferingfrom all those acquisitionsthey made in the past. It isillegality. Are the so calledbridge banks not making itnow?"

On the issue of the upsurgein the stock market, Okeziesaid: “Yes, the market is doingwell, the issue is that the retaillocal investors are not takingopportunity because of the

The crash that weexperienced was as a resultof bad management ofsome companies. But, I stillhope that the recentupsurge would besustained if regulators andoperators play the gamevery well to ensure thatmalpractices are checked.”

Reacting as well, theNational Coordinator,Proactive ShareholdersAssociation of Nigeria,PROSAN, Mr. OderindeTaiwo said: “First, AMCONoperations and conducts areanti-investment sinceinception. Minorityshareholders throughvarious shareholdersassociations have invarious fora criticized theactivities of AMCONofficials.

"To me, the sale of shares

Okezie, who spoke the mindsof his the group said: “Thereis need for the corporation tobe transparent in its dealings.This is because thecorporation is being run by taxpayers' money. In the firstplace, if it is true that it hascommenced the sale of thoseshares without the knowledgeof the entire investing public,it is wrong. There should bepublic notice if any share is tobe offloaded by AMCON sothat people who are interestedin buying them will do so in a

past when the marketcrashed. The upsurge inthose shares is anindication that many of thecompanies quoted on theNSE are doing well. So myadvice to my fellowshareholders is to forget thepast and invest more in themarket so that we don’tallow the foreign investorsto take all the gains anddictate the direction of themarket for us. The marketis not bad, even in the past.

AMCON offloads shares as stock marketrecovers N8.5trn in 5 yrs

Continues from page 17

*MARKET ACCESS - From left: Director, Enterprise Development Center, Mr PeterBankole; Minister for Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga; Head, BusinessSegment, Marketing, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Bidemi Ladipo, and Director-General/ChiefExecutive Officer, Small Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN),Mr. Bature Masari, at Market Access Nigeria in Abuja, held at Ibeto Hotels, Gudu District,Abuja.

If it is true that it hascommenced the sale of those

shares without the knowledge ofthe entire investing public, it iswrong. There should be public

notice if any share is to beoffloaded by AMCON

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 19

Cover StoryContinues from page 18

NIGERIA is again on the path towards a debt trap set as usual by its questand taste for nice things. The country is accumulating debt without any

visible alternative of paying back the loans apart from oil. In other parts of theworld, countries borrow to improve their capital infrastructure that aid furtherproduction. This helps in no small way to pay off such debt. In those other countries,citizens and corporate bodies pay their taxes regularly to aid development. Nigeria’stax to GDP ratio is one of the lowest in the world.

With oil prices swinging and with more oil being found around the world, Nigeria

has been growing its debt profile.Nigeria’s total debt stock has

risen to a very high level ofN10.4 trillion as at June 2014.The rising debt profile of thecountry is made up of externaldebt stock of N1.46 trillion($9.377billion) and FederalGovernment domestic debt ofN7.421 trillion ($47.653billion).States in the federation have adomestic debt stock ofN1.551trillion or $9.963billion. The FederalGovernment share of the risingexternal debt stock stands at$6.363billion. As at December2013, however, the total stock ofexternal debt was $8.821 billion,indicating a rise of $556 millionin the first half of 2014. But as at31st December 2012, FederalGovernment’s external debt was$4.14 billion as against a totaldebt stock of both federal andstate governments of $6.5 billion.

A break down of the risingdebt profile showed that FederalGovernment’s external anddomestic debts amounted to N8.8trillion or $57.030 billion as atthe end of June 2014. FederalGovernment borrowing frommultilateral institutionsamounted to $3.826 billion whileloans from bilateral sourcesmainly China Exim Bank andEurobond amounted to $2.537billion. In the case of states, atotal of $2.904 billion wassourced from multilateralinstitutions, $108.9 million wasobtained as loans from bilateralsources, thus making states' totaloutstanding external debt as atJune 2013, $3.013 billion.

The growing debt should be

of concern to all Nigeriansconsidering the nation’s recentexperience with the Paris Clubof creditors.

Nigerians will remember thatin 1985, Nigeria owed $8 billionto the Paris Club of creditors outof $19 billion of its foreign debt.By the end of 2004, about 11 yearsafter, Nigeria owed the Paris Club$31 billion out of $36 billion of itsforeign debt. The rise in the debtstock was as a result of interestrates, interest arrears and interestcharged on the arrears. These arehuge arrears, penalties andinterests accumulated over theyears. In December 2000,rescheduling agreements madeby the Federal Governmentshowed the principal balance ofthe nation’s debt was $1.48billion. But the principal arrearswere $10.31 billion; interestarrears $4.45 billion and lateinterest $5.18 billion. As a result,over $6 billion increase wasrecorded on Nigeria’s debt profilebetween 2002-2004. This addedup to $31.42 billion that Nigeriawas said to be owing the ParisClub as at 2002. To exit the ParisClub, Nigeria made the totalpayment of $12.4 billion to ParisClub and Britain, the largestcreditor received $3 billion.

Years after, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who assisted Nigeria toexit the club of creditors is againpresiding over the accumulationof another round of debt thatcould snowball into a debt trap.In an attempt to comfort

Nigerians that all is well, theDirector-General, DebtManagement Office, Dr.Abraham Nwankwo assuredthat the debt remainedsustainable at a ratio of 12.51 tothe Gross Domestic Product,GDP. But he contradictedhimself immediately by sayingthat the managers of thenation’s debt would apply morecaution in further borrowing inorder not to run into the crisisof debt overhang, which the

nation once suffered. Nwankwois just being a clever civilservant. All is not well. The debtis mounting and the nation’srevenue profile is dwindling.Oil production is dropping,traditional buyers of Nigeria'soil are finding alternatives. Ifthe prices of crude crash as itdid in the 80s that led to thenation’s inability to pay its debtas at when due, the country willonce again be in a strait. Forseveral years, Nigeria has beenpreaching economicdiversification without any

appreciable progress. Thenation has continued to importgoods it has no businessimporting. Nothing haschanged, just the faces of theeconomic managers whosemajor concern is gathering inAbuja at the end of every monthto share oil money.

DMO-DG said: “Thesovereign debt is doing well.Currently, our total sovereigndomestic debt for federal, statesand the FCT is about N8.9

trillion and external debt is about$9.38 billion. The question to askDr. Nwankwo is: how well is thedebt doing? A debt is a debt.These men should stopdeceiving Nigerians. You areaccumulating debt for the nextgeneration of Nigerians. The lastdebt overhang is what hascaused the level ofunemployment in the countrytoday.

The present insecurityravaging the unity of the countrywas as a result of the indiscretionof those who led the nation to

wanton borrowing in the 70s.Today, while those men andtheir children are living inluxury, the younger generationis wallowing in abject poverty.

The government would wantNigerians to swallow the baitthat the nation’s current debt/G.P. ratio is about 12.51 per centwhich is much lower than the 56per cent total public to G.P forcountries in Nigeria’s groupsaying that this is not anindication that Nigeria can affordto borrow without caution.

In spite of the rebasing whichmeans we have more capacityto borrow, we are not going toborrow without caution. In fact,we are going to be morecautious, especially because ourtax-G.P ratio is low. Manyeconomic agents do not pay theirtaxes.” This is where thisgovernment has failed. If manyeconomic agents are not payingtheir taxes and oil revenue isdwindling, what has it done tofill the gap? This is dangerousfor the future.

The frightening thing is thatthe Federal Government raisedadditional $1 billion from theinternational capital market in2013 following which severalNigerian firms, especially bankshave also gone to theinternational capital market toraise funds for their operations.Six companies issued nine bondswithin the last one year, fromwhich about $3.4 billion wasraised. This development doesnot look promising consideringNigeria's previous experiencewith borrowing from theinternational capital market.

Nigeria climbing another debt cliff

,

,The frightening thing is that the FederalGovernment raised additional $1 billionfrom the international capital market in2013 following which several Nigerian

firms, especially banks, have also gone tothe international capital market to raise

funds for their operations

of some of these companieswithout public awareness iswrong. Even the issue of thenationalized banks is still notsettled as cases still in courtare unresolved. So if AMCONis selling some of those sharesacquired as a result of baddebts, then it should bedisclosed that certain volumeof shares would be sold on theNSE.

Meanwhile, it will be difficultfor AMCON to get foreigninvestors because of lack ofrespect for the rule of law. Also,the Federal Governmentshould call AMCON to order.

On the assessment of thestock market, he said: “Myassessment of the recentupsurge to over N13 trillioncapitalisation is good for ourmarket. I think it will bedifficult to sustain this trendsince we are approachingelection period. However,

aggressive education andregulation from the regulatorsare needed.

Also, stakeholders’ positivecontribution is also needed.Lastly, another hinderingfactor is the fact that 2015 isour election year andexperience has shown thatpoliticians do mop fund fromall the sectors of the economyincluding the capital market.

The twin market indicatorsdipped marginally by 0.05 percent (5 basis points) to bothclose on Wednesday last weekat 41,789.56 and N13.80trillion respectively. Also,investment activity and levelsplunged by 36.70 per cent and49.58 per cent, respectively.Insurance and consumer goodstocks were not spared as theNSE Insurance Index and NSE

Consumer Good Indexdipped by 0.17 per cent and0.21 perv cent, respectively.

Analyst’s opinion:

Meanwhile, furtheranalysis of

the market shows that themarket experiencedsignificant sell-offs in mosthigh cap stocks on Wednesdaylast week, led by Seplat

Petroleum, Nestle andNigerian Breweries Plc whichshed 2.16 per cent, 0.36 percent and 0.28 per cent,respectively. Also, the marketbreadth tilted in favour of 26losers to 18 gainers.

“Barring significant gains bythe blue chip stocks, we expectthe prevailing market postureto continue due to investors’current apathy to the market,

analysts opined.According to them: “Whilst

we await inflows in form ofFederal Account Allocationfunds (FAA), rates areexpected to take a cue from themarginal rates. The bondmarket was bullish across mostof the traded maturities. Thebiggest loser in yield termswas the June 2019 series,shedding about 20 points onthe day. We expect demand topersist as both local andoffshore interests keep bondprices elevated for the rest ofthe week.

AMCON offloads shares as stock marketrecovers N8.5trn in 5 yrs

The Managing Director ofSona Agro Allied Foods,

Mr. Subramanian Murugesansaid the company hasconfidence in the Nigerianeconomy.

The Managing Director madethis assertion at the unveiling ofthe new biscuits production lines

We have confidence in Nigerian economy — Sona Agroat the company’s Ota factory,where he said: “our investmentin this country and thecontinuous upgrading ofequipment and expansion ofproduction facilities is a vote ofconfidence on the Nigerianeconomy.” Continuing, he stated;“We believe that there is huge

market for our products and weare already planning for futureexpansion in other productportfolios also. We also seeNigeria as the export hub ofproducts to other parts of Africain future. We quite focused on ourvision of producing top qualityproducts for the world from here.”

20 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Business & Economy

THE Federal Governmentand the Financial

Regulatory Authority may tapinto the G-20 proposal that willrequire the top banks in thecountry to issue special bondsas capital that can assist themin times of crises. Sources closeto the Presidency disclosed thatif the G-20 proposal scalesthrough, Nigeria will take a cuefrom it.

In the international financialcommunity, governmentleaders are expected to agreein November after the IMF/World Bank meeting in Octoberthat the world’s top banks mustissue special bonds to increasethe amount of capital whichcan be tapped in a crisisinstead of calling on taxpayersto come to the rescue.

The bonds, to be known as“Gone Concern Loss Absorptioncapacity” or GLAC, are seen byregulators as essential tostopping the world’s biggestlenders from being “too big tofail,” Reuters reported.

According to internationalfinancial sources, the plans arebeing drafted by the FinancialStability Board, the regulatorytask force of the Group of 20economies which declined tocomment ahead of a G20summit in November, when G20leaders will discuss the reformbefore it is put out to publicconsultation.

The reform would put in placethe final major piece of G20regulation on banking as theglobal body turns to a “post-crisis” agenda of fosteringeconomic growth and beddingdown the rules it has approved.There had been unease in Asiaand parts of Europe over howbig the bond issues need to beto provide this cushion but thereis now a new optimism amongstbankers and regulators that theG20 will reach a deal inNovember. “The industry isdefinitely in favour of makingresolution, supported by anappropriately flexible concept ofGLAC, work. That is the keypending aspect on ending too-big-to-fail,” said Andres Portilla,director of regulatory affairs atthe Institute of InternationalFinance, a Washington-basedbanking and insurance lobby.

“What is likely to happen isthat there will be a consultativeproposal, but without all thedetail that a lot of people wouldlike,” Portilla added. However,a G20 source said a deal wasnot only expected but wouldalso be more detailed thansome parties anticipate, whichis essential for conducting athorough impact assessment

THE Independent Corrupt Practices andOther Related Offences Commission

(ICPC) and the National InsuranceCommission (NAICOM) have agreed tocollaborate to rid insurance sector of fraudsters.

To this end, ICPC will draw guidelines forover 600 brokers and 59 insurance companiesto address corrupt prone-processes in theInsurance sector. Chairman of ICPC,Barrister Ekpo Nta stated this while hostinga NAICOM delegation led by the chairmanof its governing board, Prince ChibudomNwuche during a courtesy visit in Abuja.

Nta noted that people did not know thevalue of insurance, be it property or healthinsurance, until they are confronted withproblems.

He further said that the sector was facingchallenges of acceptance because peoplewho know about insurance had lostconfidence in it due to the activities ofunscrupulous elements in the sector. ICPCboss maintained that most Nigerians walk

about with insurance document of their propertieslike car, thinking that they have insurance cover,only to discover when they have problem thatthe paper was fake, promising to work withNAICOM to restore integrity back into the sector.

According to him, “biggest product of insuranceis integrity. If you take integrity out of the sector,nobody will patronize you.” Nta admonishedNAICOM to evolve a strategy that will restorepeople’s confidence back to the sector, calling oncar dealers to concentrate on car product andleave insurance issue for the specialists.

He also called on NAICOM to embark on massivesensitization programme for people to beacquainted with insurance matters, adding thatsuch seminar would be needed by ICPC operativesto be able to handle insurance matters, takingcognizance of the fact that insurance is aspecialized area in the financial sector.

Earlier, Nwuche said the purpose of the visit wasto deepen the role of insurance in the country’seconomy.

He said insurance in western countries playspivotal roles in the development of the economy,“but here, the case is deferent,” noting the situationnecessitates their collaboration with ICPC.

before finalizing the rules.“The authorities and the FSB

are working to have a proposalthat will contain sufficientgranularity of numbers to be ameaningful consultation andquantitative impact study tocalibrate the final rule,” thesource said.

Top banks expect they willhave to hold GLAC bondcapital equivalent to about 10per cent of their risk-weightedassets on top of their corecapital buffers which currentlystand at around 10 per cent. Butthey hope for some leeway ifthey can show that they canalready be wound downsmoothly in a crisis because ofsimplified structures.

The G20 source poured coldwater on this, saying regulatorsbelieve all the world’s top 29

banks earmarked for toughersupervision will need asignificant cushion of such so-called “bail-in” bonds for sometime to show they can be shutwithout public aid.

Regulators ultimately want toprice bank debt better and endthe cheaper funding that too-big-to-fail banks enjoybecause markets assumegovernments would neverallow them to collapse.

Efforts by the authorities sofar are having an impact. “Wehave been lowering oursystemic supportassumptions for banks orchanging their outlooks to‘negative’ to reflect theongoing effort bygovernments to try toeliminate that support,” saidJohannes Wassenberg,managing director of banking

at Moody’s credit ratingagency in Europe.

In May, Moody’s lowered itsoutlook to ‘negative’ on morethan 80 banks in the EuropeanUnion after the bloc approveda law requiring banks to holda buffer of potential bail-in debtlike GLAC.

“Adopting GLAC is the finalchapter in reforming thecondition of banks,” saidThomas Huertas, a former UKbanks supervisor and now aregulatory consultant with EY.

The plans for bail-in bondsare among the last of what G20officials call the “heavy lifting”on banking industry reformsthat came in the aftermath ofthe financial crisis.

With much of the work ondefining how to make bankingsafer completed, the G20’sfocus will shift toimplementation of its rules andbehaviour at banks afterlenders were fined for riggingthe LIBOR interest ratebenchmark, with similarallegations in the currencymarkets now emerging.

Nigeria waiting for G-20 deal on‘bail-in’ bond for banks

By OMOH GABRIEL,Business Editor, with

agency reports

ICPC, NAICOM agree to jointly moveagainst insurance fraudsters

By CALEB AYANSINA

*PRESENTATION - From left: Second runner-up in the 30 and above category, Nnamani Chinyere,overall winner, Ifeabunike Nkiruka, Senior Brand Manager, Maltina, Wole Adedeji and first runner-up,Egublonupius Cornelius during presentation of prize at the Maltina Dance All season eight (MDA8) auditionin Abuja.

Entrepreneurdecries banksnon-chalancetoward homegrownbusinesses

An inventor andentrepreneur, Mr

Valentine Olawani, hasattributed the poor level ofcommercialisation of domesticscientific breakthroughs torefusal of financial institutionsto buy into home grownbusinesses. Olawani who is theChief Executive Officer, ValueOtentic Antenna Ltd, Lagos,said in Lagos thatentrepreneurs’ inability toaccess credits wereresponsible for their stuntedgrowth.

The Value Otentic Antennaboss, who lauded the FederalGovernment policies on smalland medium enterprises(SMEs’), urged it to go a stepfurther by subsidising rawmaterials and providinginterest-free loans for localinvestors and manufacturers.

“The raw materials could besubsidised using a policyinstrument that will reduce theprice of materials by about 80per cent. The price reductionwill be possible through thenational and state assembliesenactment of friendly lawstargeted primarily atstimulating localmanufacturing,” he said.

Olawani also canvassed forthe government to re-studysubsisting regulations ondomestic manufacturing andimportation with a view toencouraging interestedNigerian entrepreneurs.

Customsdestroyprohibitedpoultry productsin Badagry

The Marine WesternCommand, Nigeria

Customs Service (NCS), saysit has seized and destroyed 42cartons of prohibited frozenpoultry products in Badagry,Lagos State.

The command’s PublicRelations Officer, Ms NgoziOkwara, told journalists inLagos that the products wereintercepted in Badagry. Okwara said that the productsdestroyed were valued atN273,000 and urgedsmugglers to desist frombringing prohibited items intothe country. She added thatthe command’s Controller,Zakka Audu, had zero-tolerance for the smuggling ofprohibited items.

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 21

E-Commerce

The NATION’s secondeditorial for that dayfocused on the

stagnation in oil explorationas a result of which Nigeria isnow lagging behind Angolain sub-Saharan Africa.Angola is also graduallymoving to overtake Nigeriain crude production. Severalreasons, all familiar toknowledgeable observers,have been adduced for this.Chief among these isunchecked oil theft,divestment by multinationaloil companies, vandalism,and insecurity in the NigerDelta. Expatriates and otherhighly skilled technicalemployees of oil companiesare still at risk of beingkidnapped and held forransom – more than fiveyears after amnesty with socalled dissidents. The failureto pass the PIB 2, after asimilar failure to pass PIB 1in 2011 is also a criticalfactor. Thus, oil export,which continues to be themainstay of the Nigerianeconomy, is no longer theengine of growth it once wasand instead is leading theretreat from stronger GDPgrowth.

Even then the future ofcrude oil, as the dominantelement in the Nigerianeconomy, is demonstrablybleak. The United States ofAmerica, once the nation’slargest customer, no longerpurchases Nigerian oil; and,it is now an exporter – eagerto expand its market shareglobally. The US is not alonein the search for more oilcustomers worldwide.Mexico, Angola, and Ghana,

Nigerian Economy:Driving furiously intosunset

“One of the most interesting ironies of the Nigerianeconomic situation is the way in which some of the mostcrucial indicators of growth have actually declined….”. THENATION, August 20, 2014

as well as Sudan, also aim toincrease their crude exports.When they do, the downwardpressure on prices will beirresistible. Some oilproducing countries in theArab world, notably Iraq,Libya and Iran are currentlyproducing well below theircapacity. Resolution of theconflicts in those countrieswill certainly bring moresupplies to the global marketand prices will plummet.

Quite clearly, the currentcrude oil price globally isunsustainable in the long runand the volume of ourexports is also notguaranteed. In fact, bothnow depend on continuedturmoil in the oil producingArab countries – since globalgrowth forecasts have beentrimmed down by theInternational MonetaryFund, IMF. Nothingdemonstrates this fact betterthan the decline in crude oilrevenue which had alsodriven down the FederalAllocated Revenue to thethree tiers of government.Consequently, several statesare now struggling to paytheir staff salaries and closeto half of them actually owetheir employees up to twomonths unpaid salaries. Withonly four months to go in theyear, it is almost certain thatall governments, in Nigeria,will experience shortfall inrevenue estimates. OneFederal Government agency,whose Chairman of the Boardspoke to me on condition ofanonymity, disclosed thatthe institute he heads hadreceived only 25% of its

capital expenditure budget;and it is not expecting morethan 40% for the year. He isnot alone. The MinimumWage of N18,000, which theNLC secured for publicservants have now become amere paper agreement –while Labor appears helpless

in the face of the realities thathave rendered the agreementthey signed with governmentin 2011 null and void inpractice. With governmentspending constituting amajor proportion of GDP, noteven a miracle can produceanything other than slowergrowth in 2014.

Rebasing the economy,which propelled the Nigerianeconomy to the top in Africa,also revealed that telecoms,especially the GSM hadincreased its share of theGDP. But, frequentlyoverlooked is the fact thatNigeria had achieved tele-density of close to 90% fasterthan, perhaps, any othercountry in history. At anyrate, GSM growth is self-limiting. Once 100% of thepopulation is hooked to it,the growth slows down to, atmost, the rate of growth ofthe population itself. In thecase of Nigeria, population is

rising at only about 2.8%.Over time that is themaximum growth the sectorcan hope to acvieve. So, forthe Nigerian economy tocontinue to grow at 5%, ormore, there is a need to lookelsewhere. Two majorsectors, oil and telecoms are

already leading the drive intoslow growth.

Agriculture is anothersector which will suffersetbacks – as long as the warin the Northeast zonepersists. Nobody needs aPh.D in economics to knowthat with vast areas of thezone under siege by BokoHaram, no farming is takingplace in the worst hit areas.And as the insurgentsdemonstrate their increasingcapability to occasionally hitsome parts of the Northwestas well, the areas which willexperience reduced outputof agricultural products willwiden. In the Middle Belt,Benue in particular, the faceoff between Fulani herdsmenand farmers point to anotherzone where food cultivationwill be sharply reduced.

As if those were not enoughcalamities to contend with,Ebola, has now taken centre

stage across the ECOWASregion with immeasurableeconomic consequences.ECOWAS nations constituteNigeria’s largest exportmarket and the also accountfor a good chunk ofinternational travel. Sincethe Ebola epidemic erupted,bothers have been closed andthe lengthy queues at airlinescounters by passengersECOWAS-bound havedisappeared. Airlines arecounting mounting losses; soare traders. Meanwhile,foreigners from outsideECOWAS, who can afford topostpone their trips toNigeria, are staying awayuntil it is safe to travel toNigeria again. That may nothappen until next year. Theearnings this year are gonefor good. Most of thebusinesses directly affectedare hoping that the situationwill be brought under controlsoon. Otherwise, most of2015 might also be gone bythe time normalcy isrestored.

GSM NETWORKS SERVICE

Once upon a time, wehonestly believed that theprivate sector deliversbetter services than thepublic sector. But, in lessthan ten years, Nigeria’s GSMservice providers arealready forcing us to ask aquestion Babangida askedwhen SAP was failing. “Whyis it that something thatworks well elsewhere fails inNigeria?” I subscribe to thethree largest networks – allof which now provideatrocious service. Only ablockhead will port. It servesno purpose.

Visit:www.delesobowale.com orwww.facebook.com/biolasobowale

With only four months to go in theyear, it is almost certain that all

governments, in Nigeria, willexperience shortfall in revenue

estimates

'Internet fraud plagues online business in Nigeria'

Co-Founder of Nigeria’sonline letting agency,

Tolet.com.ng, Mr. SuleimanBalogun has said that onlinerelated fraud that has cometo be associated with Nigeriaover time, has continued tothreaten the growth of onlinebusiness in the country.Tolet.com.ng, an onlineletting agency based inLagos, helps people findapartment houses to rent.

Balogun said this has led tocontinued mistrust andscepticism about onlinebusiness among the peoplethereby slowing the growthof the sector. “The YahooYahoo stigma is stillbedevilling the onlineindustry in Nigeria. For us asa business, trying to ward offthe toga of fraud associatedwith anything online hasbeen a great challenge. Forinstance you have people,

especially older citizens whoare persuaded to embraceour services but who stillexhibit lots of scepticisms.They are still concernedabout the genuineness andlegitimacy of online services,so they end up visitingphysically to see and identifywith the people behind thebusiness before making adecision to explore theservices,” he said.

While admitting that theperception is graduallyreducing, he noted thattolet.com.ng, as a way oftackling that perceptionchallenge, has tried to live upto the expectations of clients.“To deal with that, we ensurethat we keep our promises toour clients because one badexperience from onecustomer can easily spreadand then cause discontentand mistrust among theusers of our service,” he said.

On the operations of thecompany, Balogun said thecompany using its web

platform has madesignificant impacts on theletting space in Nigeria as ithas helped thousands ofNigerians solve theiraccommodation needsconveniently and within ashort period of time. Withover 25,000 web traffic dailyhe said, Tolet.com team willcontinue to focus onproviding transparency inapartment rental process aswell as facilitating easyaccess to availableproperties and basicinformation needed to makethe right decisions.

“Without these,” heargued, “one would havelittle option but to besubjected to undue stress byestate agents and willsometimes have to drivethrough an area for hoursand wouldn’t be able to knowwhich properties are up forrent. So we have made it verymuch easier for people toaccess properties that areavailable for rent. And

instead of someone lookingfor a house visiting ten tofifteen properties trying tomake a decision, our

platform allows one to visit asmuch as thousands of listingsavailable on our website."

Acess Bank, Visa partnerShoptomydoor on online shipping

Access Bank Plc, inconjunction with

international paymentprocessor, Visa has enteredinto partnership withshoptomydoor.com, an onlineshipping company to allowthe bank’s Visa Card holdersthe opportunity to shop onlinein the U.S, U.K. and China.

In a statement, the banksaid the partnership will alsoallow the card holders enjoyexclusive shipping discountsdirectly to their doorsteps,and shop from the world’smajor international retailersonline as if they are localresidents and also have itshipped in a few businessdays.

Speaking on the

partnership, Acess Bank’sExecutive Director, PersonalBanking, Victor Etuokwu,said that the introduction ofS h o p t o m y d o o r . c o mplatform was a deliberateattempt by the bank to makefinancial services easy andaccessible to its customers.“This partnership offersAccess Bank Visa Cardholders various discountservices which include freesign up onshoptomydoor.com portal,free 12 month premiumaccount, continuousdiscount from selectedonline stores and 10 per centdiscount on low shippingcost till 31st December,2014, among others.

,

,

STORIES BY JONAHNWOKPOKU

22 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Banking & Finance

Skye Bank, otherslaunch multi purposecard for NURTW

Skye Bank Plc has introduced a SecurityVerified Identity Card (S-Vid) for

members of the National Union of RoadTransport Workers (NURTW) as part ofmeasures to build a reliable data base for theNURTW and integrating its members into thefinancial system.

The card which was launched in Abuja onThursday by the Secretary to the Governmentof the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim,is a multi-functional card which includesfeatures like insurance purse, mobile walletand an identity card.

Skye Bank which is the lead bank on theproject is working in partnership with otherorganisations like Globacom, G 3 Limited. Afew other banks are also working on theproject.

While speaking at the launch of the card inAbuja, the Group Managing Director/ChiefExecutive Officer of Skye Bank Plc, Mr.Timothy Oguntayo, said the card is aimed atreducing financial crimes and identity theft,describing it as not just a card but ‘it’s youridentity, it’s your security, and it’s your gift toposterity’ According to him, the card will bearthe holder’s photo, the logo of the holder’sorganization, the s-vid logo and the bank’slogo.

Oguntayo who said the card would boostthe cashless initiative of the Central Bank ofNigeria (CBN) also said it would serve as auseful tool of financial inclusion.

The Skye Bank boss said the card would serveas a corporate identity card, mobile wallet andinsurance purse. He listed the features of thecard as personal accident insurance cover tocard holder of N 1 million against accidentaldeath and N850,000 against permanentdisability.

Nigerian banking sectorreport for launchSeptember 9

The 2014 Nigerian Banking Sector Report,produced by wealth advisory firm, Afrinvest(West Africa) Limited is set to be launched onTuesday, September 9, 2014.

In a statement released by Afrinvest, IkeChioke, Managing Director of the companysaid, “We are pleased to announce that ourmuch anticipated annual report on theNigerian Banking Sector will be launched onSeptember 9, 2014.”

According to Chioke, “This year’s reporttitled, “Navigating Growth in a ChallengingEnvironment”, x-rays the current conditionsof the Nigerian Banking Landscape within thecontext of the domestic and global economy.”

Principal stakeholders in Nigeria’s financialservices industry, from both the public andprivate sector, will attend the launch. TheGovernor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,Godwin Emefiele, is the Special Guest ofHonour, and Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of the Nigeria SovereignInvestment Authority, Uche Orji, will deliverthe keynote address.

Started in 2010, the Afrinvest annual“Nigerian Banking Sector Report” has cometo be recognized as the leading and mostincisive report on Nigeria’s banking industryand a valuable reference for local andinternational investors in the Nigerianeconomy.

strides in its bid to transform theagricultural sector through adequatecredit purveyance under the ACGSF aswell as the rendition of technicalsupport to the farming community”, theCBN said in the citation on Union Bank.

In 2013, Union Bank set N10 billionas the new annual disbursement limit.This is expected to run through eachyear and would cover different crops,ecology and farming seasons acrossNigeria.

The awards ceremony was thehighlight of the 8th Annual Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) Finance Conference andEntrepreneurship Awards held atSheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja. Theevent also witnessed the flag off of thedisbursement of N220 billion MSMEDevelopment Fund and award prizesto State Governments and banks byPresident Goodluck Jonathan.

According to Emuwa, “Union Bankremains committed to agriculturefinancing to drive growth anddevelopment in the sector, and toalso facilitate economicempowerment for small scalefarmers.”

Union Bank has been activelyinvolved in ACGSF since 1977 andto date has disbursed more thanN4.2 billion in loans to more than14,700 beneficiaries. Thisrepresents 77.62% and 74.65%respectively of the total amount andnumber of loans granted by allcommercial banks under thescheme as at December 2013.

“Equally significant is the highlyimpressive loan recovery rateduring the year, a record that isattributed to their formidable loanrecovery strategies and professionalsupport given to farmers. The bank,no doubt, has made enormous

Union Bank of Nigeria Plc hasagain been awarded the

Best Support Bank in theAgricultural Credit GuaranteeScheme (ACGSF) for the 8thconsecutive year by the CentralBank of Nigeria. The award ispresented to the bank which hasdemonstrated the highest level ofsupport for the scheme.

Similarly, three customers of UnionBank won the apex bank‘s NationalAwards in three categories : SionEconomic Allianz, Asaba won theBest Arable Farmer; ProfessorVincent Iyawe from Benin won theaward for Best Tree Crop award;while Arac Group Farmers‘ Co-operative, Port Harcourt won theaward in Fishery.

Mr. Emeka Emuwa, the GroupManaging Director of Union Bankreceived the award from PresidentGoodluck Jonathan at Abuja.

THE Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN has thrown more light

on the introduction of Fees onRemote–On- Us, Automated TellerMachine, ATM transaction, sayingcash withdrawal on ATM of acustomer's bank is free.

The CBN noted that theclarification became necessaryfollowing mixed reactions from thegeneral public when theannouncement of introduction ofFees on Remote-On-Us was made.

The CBN’s Director, CorporateCommunications Department, Mr.Ibrahim Mu’azu, in statement said“ The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)has noted some public comments onits recent circular in respect of fees/charges on the extended use of otherbanks’ Automated Teller Machines(ATMs). These reactions have beenmixed with most commentatorsshowing great understanding andother stakeholders expressing clearlack of understanding of the rationale

for this decision of the Bankers’Committee.”

According to him “Cashwithdrawal at the ATMs of acustomer ’s bank is free.” Heexplained that Remote-on-Us”transaction is when a card holdergoes to the ATM machine of anotherBank other than his or her own bankto make a withdrawal.

Continuing, Mu’azu, said “InDecember 2012, the CBN, incollaboration with the Bankers’Committee, transferred thepayment of N100 fee on “Remote-on-us” ATM cash withdrawaltransactions to issuing banks. TheN100 was never removed. It wasonly transferred to customer’s bankto pay, and this was intended toencourage/promote the use of ATMsnationwide. Having sufficientlyraised customers awareness, thefirst three “Remote-on-Us”transactions in a month are FREEfor the card holder but paid for bythe issuing bank. The N65 chargeonly applies when a customerwithdraws cash from another bank’s

ATM other than that of his/her bank.The N65 starts to apply from the 4thtransaction at another banks’ ATM ina month.”

Buttressing further on theintroduction of Remote- on- Us, he said“The charge is not intended todiscourage financial inclusion. TheCBN will not endorse any anti-customer policy. Charging of fees oninterbank networks is a widelyacceptable practice globally.”

On the reasons for ATM charges, hesaid “This to ensure customers getbetter services; To increase healthycompetition among the banks;Transaction volumes at other banks’ATM have increased astronomically dueto the free Cash withdrawal at otherbanks’ ATM; The wear and tear as wellas the frequency of servicing the ATMshave increased significantly. Indeed,some customers were beginning toabuse the use of ATMs throughcountless daily withdrawals; Thisdevelopment has led to increase incash transactions, which negate theBank’s Cash-less policy.”

CBN clarifies charges on ATMBY PETER EGWUATU

Union Bank retains CBN’s best agric bank award

PRESENTATION - From left: Mr. Olufunwa Akinmade, Head of Retail Marketing, Union Bank NigeriaPlc presenting N1 million cheque to Master Adindiya Michael Oluwatimilehin, the overall winner of itsKINDS competition.

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 23

Business & Economy

DESPITE the securityproblem facing the

country, the NigerianInvestment PromotionCommission, NIPC has said thenation’s economy still thrivesafter all.

The Executive Secretary of theCommission, Mrs. Saratu Umarwho stated this in a keynoteaddress entitled: TranslatingNigeria’s Foreign DirectInvestment, FDI Benefits intoa reality, at the NigerianEconomic Summit Group,NESG in Abuja said thecountry’s economy has showna strong resilience in spite of thesecurity concerns whilestressing that the NIPC isreviewing the PioneerIncentives currently beinggranted to investors to coveronly critical activities.

She assured that NIPC is everpoised and positioned to give ahand-holding support toinvestors (both local andforeign) that have decided tomake the country theirpreferred investmentdestination, adding that theCommission is putting variousstrategies in place to make itmore pro-active to investors'needs and demands.

She explained that NIPC is aprivate sector company withinthe Government as such, it hasa big role to play in the economicgrowth and advancement ofNigeria. She said: “NIPC is oneof the strong vehicles to drive

investment into the economyand it is being re-engineered forbetter service delivery”.

Umar noted that the economybeing the largest in Africa, isconsistently among the topthree investment destinationson the continent,

Speaking on the variousmeasures being implementedby government to sustain theinflow of Foreign DirectInvestment into the country,Umar said: “Governmentremains committed totransparent, fair and peacefulelectoral process as thecountry is now on the thresholdof her fifth democratictransition process, and is

building efficient socio-economic infrastructure andstrengthening the financial andinsurance sector.”

She further stated thatgovernment has continued tosustain the simplification andstreamlining of business entryprocedures as the One-StopInvestment Centre (OSIC) ofNIPC is providing platform forcoordinated service deliveryand the Corporate AffairsCommission (CAC) iscommitted to 24 hoursincorporation of businessesacross the country.

In ensuring a globallycompetitive business

regulatory framework, shestated that “Government iscommitted to setting a rule-based regulatory frameworkacross all the sectors that isdevoid of discretion and anational competition andConsumer Protection Policy isat advanced stages ofadoption.” In translating theFDI benefits into reality, theNIPC boss maintained that ithas continued to contributeimmensely to the GrossDomestic Product (GDP) andNational Product; enhanceexport potential; promoteImport SubstitutionIndustrialization; facilitateskills enhancement and humancapital development; improveinternational image; facilitatetechnology acquisitiontransfer; increase capitalstock; enhance marketdevelopment and increasedtax generation.

“Micro-finance banks areplaying a very good role inbuilding the economy from thegrassroots. Just as the localgovernments are created to getcloser to the people in politicaladministration, the micro-finance banks are established toget closer to the grassroots ineconomic administration. Weensure that those who cannotget loans from the big banks withcollaterals are able to get loansin an easy manner from us andstart their small businesses.

“In my local government inBokkos, we give loans fromN10, 000 up to N250,000 to thepeople without collateral,” hesaid. According to him, we areable to do this because we knowthem on one-on-one basis andthe transaction is done within theshortest possible time andwithout rigorous procedures.Sagai added that the initiativewas a “good vision that will

SOME stakeholders in thefinance industry have

commended the FederalGovernment for its decision touse Micro-Finance Banks(MFBs) in distributing theN220 billion Micro, Small andMedium Enterprise (MSME)development fund. They toldthe News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja that the policydemonstrated the government’sdetermination to improve livingstandards in rural communities.

According to Mr Alfred Sagai,the Director, Bokkos MicroFinance Bank Limited, thedecision will ensure properdisbursement of the fund for thegrowth of micro and smallbusinesses at the grassroots.Sagai said that micro-financebanks played a vital role inproviding loans to smallbusiness owners withoutcollateral, unlike thecommercial banks.

improve the standard of livingof indigents and increase theGross Domestic Product (GDP)of the nation.”

He advised the Central Bankof Nigeria (CBN) to strictlyallocate the funds to onlyqualified micro-finance banksthat would disburse it todeserving business owners.

He further said the MFB’swould on their part ensure thatthe funds are utilized for thepurpose for which it is beingallocated. An economic expert,Mr Gabriel Okeh, said thatthough routing the funds to theentrepreneurs through micro-finance banks was good, itrequire proper monitoring bythe CBN to ensure effectiveimplementation.

“Commercial banks do notusually do much to supportindustrialization; they rather gointo buying and selling whichis not so with the micro-finance

banks,” he said.He said, “it has become a

Nigeria factor that such fundsare collected by individuals whoeventually use the money fortheir selfish interests rather thanthe purpose it is meant for.

“The strength ofindustrialization in manycountries is based on SMEs andNigeria should not be excluded.

“ Most of the products weconsume were produced bysmall industries of not more than20 staff or less, outside thecountry such as China andJapan. SME is supposed to bea base for industrializationbecause from small scale, theymature into bigger companiesand are able to employ morepeople,” he said. Okeh,therefore, appealed to theFederal Government to createan enabling environment forSMEs to would allow them toput the loan to good use.

Stakeholders commend FG’s use MFBs todisburse N220bn MSME fund

Nigeria’s economy strong amidstsecurity concerns — NIPC

By FAVOURNNABUGWU

Kogi Govt solicitsICRC support onPPP

The Kogi Government hassolicited support of the

Infrastructure Concession andRegulatory Commission (ICRC)to set up structure for the newPublic Private Partnership (PPP)office in the state. The SpecialAdviser to Kogi Governor onPPP, Mr Abdul Adama, made thecall when he visited the ICRCDirector-General, Alhaji AminuDikko, in Abuja on Wednesday.“We really need the support andcooperation of the ICRC insetting up structure for the newPPP office in the state.

“And in particular, we wantyou to help us in the area ofcapacity-building to help theoffice operate effectively,” hesaid. According to him, the statewill be engaging in manyinfrastructure developmentsthat will require PPP. Adamasaid that collaborating with theICRC would go a long way toeffectively engage investors inthe state.

The ICRC director-general, inhis response said the commission was desirous ofstrengthening collaboration withstates on establishment of PPPunits across the country.

Dikko said that the commissionwas ready to support in the areaof capacity-building,knowledge and skills transfer,among others. He commendedKogi Government for enactingPPP law, saying that the statehad shown particularenthusiasm on PPP andactivities of the commission.

NNPC recorded3,571 pipelinebreaks in 2013— GMD

The Nigerian NationalPetroleum Corporation

(NNPC) says it recorded 3,571pipeline breaks in 2013 due tothe activities of vandals and oiltheft in the country. The GroupManaging Director of thecorporation, Dr Joseph Dawha,made the disclosure in Lagos.

Dawha was represented by MrFrancis Amego, the ExecutiveDirector, Commercial, Pipelinesand Products MarketingCompany Ltd (PPMC), asubsidiary of NNPC.

He said that the activity ofvandals was first recorded in1999 with 497 pipeline breaks,adding that it increased to 3,571in 2013.

Dawha said that this had ledto high cost of operations anddeterioration of the refinerysystem. The group managingdirector added that the act hadresulted to loss of revenue by thegovernment and productioncapacity.

From lef Miss E. T. Sefia, GSA Manager, Delta Air Lines, presenting a free ticket to the US toMiss Karimat Sowemimo, Winner, Secondary Schools Category, NTEC 2013/14; and Mr. EwosIroro, Founder, NTEC during a courtesy visit to the airline's office recently.

24 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Corporate Finance

GUARANTY Trust Bank(GTBank) Plc has

recorded N132 billion grossearnings in the half yearended June 30th, 2014,representing a growth of 7per cent from N124 billionrecorded in thecorresponding period of 2013.

A review of the result sentto both Nigerian StockExchange, and London StockExchange, LSE, showspositive performance acrosssome key financial indices, inspite of an extremelychallenging businessenvironment and increasingregulatory headwinds.

Specifically, the Bankposted Profit Before Tax, PBTof N53.40billion,representing a 7 per cent dipfrom N57.4billion recorded inthe corresponding year, dueto loan impairment chargedto the Profit and Loss accountduring the period.

According to the company“ This impairment charge wasas a result of a significant loanthat we decided to provide forfollowing the demise of theobligor; in line with our laiddown corporate governancepractices. The Bank’s loanbook grew by 16 per cent fromN899billion recorded in June2013 to N1.04trillion in June2014 and total customerdeposits increased by 8 percent to N1.54 trillion as atJune 2014.

Commenting on the results,Mr. Segun Agbaje, theManaging Director/CEO ofGuaranty Trust Bank plcattributed the Bank’sperformance for the 2014 halfyear period to the hardworkof its staff, commitment of itsManagement Team and moreimportantly, continued

Sterling Bank isCBNs bestperformingbank

THE leading role ofSterling Bank in

agricultural financing wasrewarded in Abuja as theCentral Bank of Nigeria (CBN)conferred on the lender the bestperforming bank underCommercial Agriculture CreditScheme (CACS).

The award, according to astatement was presented to thebank at the CBN’s AnnualMicro, Small and MediumEnterprises Finance Conferenceheld at the Sheraton Hotel &Towers, Abuja.

The conferment of the awardto the lender “is in recognitionof its commitment to the growthof the agricultural sector,” thestatement added.

Sterling Bank has disbursedsizeable funds to its customersunder the aforementionedscheme.

Speaking at the event, theCBN Governor, GodwinEmefele, commended the bankfor its support to the agriculturalsector, adding that with thesupport of financial institutions,activities in the agriculturalsector will increase and in theprocess take its right of place inthe nation’s economy.

Corroborating the remarksmade by the CBN Governor, theRegional Business Executive ofSterling Bank; Japhet John,speaking on behalf of the bank’sMD, Mr Yemi Adeola, assuredthat the bank will continue toprovide funding across thevalue chain to ensuresustainable growth for thesector.

His words: “Agriculture is animportant sector of the economywith high potential foremployment generation, foodsecurity and poverty reduction.The sector played a key role inthe economic growth of thecountry before the discovery ofoil. At Sterling Bank, we intendto bring back these glorious daysfor the sector through adequatefunding.”

Japhet further commended theFederal Government forintroducing the AgriculturalTransformation Agenda (ATA),which is aimed at makingagriculture a main driver of theeconomy with adequatesupport from the Governmentand the private sector, and theapex bank for providing themuch needed funding structureunder the scheme for on-lending.

He disclosed that the bankhad achieved about 3.5 per centof the 5 per cent allocated to thesector just as he assured thatallocation to the sector will beincreased before the end of theyear.

support from its customers.He further stated that the

second half of the 2014financial year will be astronger period during whichthe bank will make positiveimprovements in its marketpositions across its keyproducts and businesssegments.

A major objective for theBank this year, as mentionedby Mr. Segun Agbaje, is tooffer our customers greaterconvenience and accessibilityto our services using internetand mobile solutions and wehave, to date achieved over a

million downloads of ourmobile banking app andexperienced a 25% increase inactive internet banking users.

Guaranty Trust Bank plc hasalways been at the forefront ofindustry service innovationswithin markets wherein itoperates, having successfullyreplicated its culture forexcellence in bankingsubsidiaries in Cote D’ Ivoire,Gambia, Ghana, Kenya,Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone,Uganda and United Kingdom.

The Bank’s most recentservice introductions includes;the GTBank SME MarketHub,

an online e-commerceplatform that allows small andmedium scale enterprises,companies and all forms oflegitimate businesses createonline stores and advertisetheir product and serviceofferings to millions of buyersthat are online and newmarkets. The Bank alsolaunched another innovativeservice “GTBank 1 Click Top-up”, a service that provides anefficient and easy way topurchase airtime by topping-up their mobile phones fromavailable balances in theirbank accounts by dialing*737*AMOUNT#.

Exchange shall forthwithrevoke the licence of anyDealing Member Firm thatfalls into this category.Involuntary inactivity occurswhere a Dealing MemberFirm has been suspended fromtrading activities by TheExchange or the SEC byreason of any infractioncommitted by that DealingMember Firm and it has notcarried out any trading activitywithin the stipulated sixmonths period.

Awe noted that “The powersof The Exchange under thisSEC approved Rule will beexercised judiciously and willtake into account all thecircumstances surroundingeach individual case as well asthe interests of all stakeholders,particularly the investors.

Member Licences of suchinactive firms. The SECapproved Rule provides thatwhere a Dealing MemberFirm is inactive for sixconsecutive months, TheExchange shall revoke itslicence. The circumstances ofthe inactivity are furthercategorised into voluntary andinvoluntary inactivity.”

Ms. Tinuade Awe, Head ofThe Exchange’s Legal andRegulation Division,explained that voluntaryinactivity occurs where theDealing Member Firm has notengaged in any tradingactivity for a consecutiveperiod of six months withoutbeing suspended by TheExchange or The SEC. TheRule provides further that The

THE Nigerian StockExchange, NSE, has

announced plans to revokelicences of Stockbroking/Dealing member firms thatare inactive for sixconsecutive months in thecapital market transactions.

The exchange stated thatthe move was to maintain theintegrity of the capital marketand further protect investorsin Nigeria.

According to a statementfrom the NSE” The intentionis being pursued through aSecurities and ExchangeCommission (SEC) approvedrule that authorizes the NSEto revoke the Dealing

She observed that themajority of the prohibitedpractices in the market havebeen linked to inactive firmsand so it is important to stressthat the new rule is aimed atfurther sanitizing the marketto protect investors.

Mr. Olufemi Shobanjo, theHead of Broker DealerRegulation at the NSEmentioned that the NSE inexercising its regulatoryauthority over DealingMember Firms shall continueto use the utmost care anddiligence. He noted that theNSE is keen to entrench therequired catalysts to stimulateand build a healthy and wellregulated market so as tostimulate increasing levels ofinvestor confidence in themarket.

GTBank records N132bn halfyear gross earnings

NSE to revoke licences of inactive stockbrokingfirms

BY PETEREGWUATU

BY PETEREGWUATU

SUBMISSION - From left: Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Arc. Yomi Awoniyi; RegionalDirector, Abuja/North Central, Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Gbaye Adewuyi; Governor of Kogi State,Captain Idris Wada; and the state’s Commissioner of Finance during the submission of thereport of the biometric exercise of civil servants in the state to the governor in Lokoja

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 25

26 —Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Winner of Kia Picanto, Mrs Ifeayinwa Okoro,being presented with the car key by ManagingDirector of Global Appliances Nigeria Limited, MrGurumorthi Sridhar (m), flanked by staff of thecompany.

To facilitatef i n a n c i a lliteracy in

Nigeria, Visa Inc. hasthrown its weight behindthe launch of threelocally made mobileapplications (apps).

The apps: Money Talk;More Than Money andMoney Tinz is

Financial literacy: Visa unveilslocally made mobile appsStories byPROVIDENCEOBUH

Binatone reward customerswith car, products

Accenture hasa c q u i r e d

PureApps, a UK-basedEnterprise PerformanceManagement (EPM)provider that helpsclients use financialinsight and analysis toimprove organizationaleffectiveness throughbetter cost managementand strategy execution.

The acquisition willstrengthen Accenture’send-to-end EPMcapabilities and enableAccenture to help CFOstransform the financefunction using emergingdigital technologies,although terms of thetransaction were notdisclosed.

Accenture expands its enterpriseservice with new acquisition

Micro-Finance

developed by Nigeriansand conceptualised bywinners of the FinancialLiteracy Challengemobile developmentcompetition, sponsoredby Visa and delivered byCo-Creation HubNigeria in 2013.

They are to createinnovative web, mobileapps and games todeliver financial literacyto a broad audience andalso designed to help

Nigerians make betterfinancial decisions byproviding educationabout the importance ofsaving and financialmanagement.

Speaking at thelaunch, GeneralManager, Visa WestAfrica, Mr. Ade Ashaye,said that the initiativewas part of its strategy tohelp Nigerians becomemore financially aware,saying, “What makes it

unique is that itencourages Nigerians todevelop locally-relevantsolutions, tailored fortheir specificenvironment and needs.We are always looking tosupport innovativeprogrammes that canbetter equip individualsto manage their moneymore effectively andthese apps achieve that.”

The first app, ‘MoneyTalks,’ is an audiotutorial solution thatprovides financialinformation using SMS,voice interactive systemand the Web.

E l e c t r o n i c smanufacturing

company, Binatone hasrewarded its loyalcustomers with over 100products and a car gift forparticipating in the justconcluded footballseason campaign.

A Kia Picanto car wasgiven as a grand prize tothe lucky winner duringa grand draw ceremonyin Lagos.

Speaking at theoccasion, ManagingDirector of Binatone’sofficial Nigeriandistributor, GlobalAppliances NigeriaLimited (GANL), Mr.Gurumoorthi Sridhar,said that the customerswere able to enter thedraw through SMSbased electronicregistration, which madethe draw entry processvery transparent andswift. He noted that thenational levelimplementation of the

campaign was achallenge to thecompany, saying, “Weknow how much ourcustomers love the sportof football and thisfootball season we choseto engage with themthrough our uniquepromotional campaign”

Sridhar commendedboth its teemingcustomers and dealernetwork for making thecampaign possible andsuccessful.

“Binatone is a preferredbrand by customerslooking for lifestyleupgrades and we knewthe support for theNigerian national team atthis year’s world cup wastremendous and so wecombined our campaignwith online football triviacontests, held in parallelto allow Binatone’sgrowing online fan-basea chance to enjoy thefootball fever that hadcaptured the world.

PureApps specializesin implementingp e r f o r m a n c emanagement solutionsbased on the OracleHyperion EnterpriseP e r f o r m a n c eManagement andOracle BusinessAnalytics range ofproducts. The companyenables CFOs to reportand analyze enterpriseperformance, accuratelyforecast business resultsand work with businessunits to transform theseinsights into action. Itssolutions integratestrategy, planning andexecution acrossmanagement andoperational systems.

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GLOBALLY, there is astrong consensus thathousing development

is important for stimulatingeconomic growth and jobcreation in any economy.

Indeed, housing constructionis one of the most used indicesfor gauging the economicsituation in most developedcountries. As a matter of fact,housing construction indices,such as the Case-Schillerindex, are some of the mostcommon measures used byanalysts to gauge economictrends in OECD countries andin the US.

Available data has howevershown that most Africancountries do not see and treatthe housing sector as engineof economic growth. Forexample, looking at the size of

mortgage finance as a share ofGDP of various countries, in theUK, mortgage finance to GDPratio is about 80 percent and77 percent in the US. For HongKong, this ratio is 50percent,across Europe the average isabout 50 percent, and forMalaysia it is 32 percent. Formany African countries, theratio is low: 2 percent forBotswana, 2 percent for Ghana,and only 0.5 percent forNigeria. South Africa is theoutlier with mortgage financeat 31 percent of GDP.

At a recent World Bankforum, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Finance &Coordinating Minister of theEconomy, spoke about threecrucial roles that the housingsector can play in nationaldevelopment. According toher, the sector can serve as animportant contributor toeconomic growth; support job

creation and economicinclusion; and provide socialbenefit by contributing tocommunity and nationbuilding.

“Although a non-- tradablesector, the housing sector hasa tremendous multiplier effecton the broader economy. Weknow that housing contributesto GDP through two mainchannels, namely: privateresidential investments such as,construction of new homes; andalso via the consumptionspending on housing services.For example, in the USA,private residential investmentscontribute about 5 percent ofGDP, while housing servicescontribute another 13 percentof GDP, summing up to a totalhousing sector contribution of18 percent of GDP. There arealso secondary economicimpacts of the housing sector.Housing wealth/assets can

often be used as collateral tostimulate additional privateconsumption and investments.

“The housing sector cansupport job creation andeconomic inclusion. The jobcreation potential for thehousing sector is enormous. InIndia, each new housing unitgenerates 1.5 direct and 8indirect jobs. In South Africa,each housing unit creates 5.62direct jobs and 2.5 indirect jobs.

The sector can help promoteeconomic inclusion by creatingjobs for craftsmen and artisanssuch as masons, plumbers,welders, electricians, paintersand so on. Also, the housingsector provides social benefitsby contributing to community-and nation-building. Home-ownership often gives citizensa true stake in theircommunities.

After owning a home, manycitizens tend naturally to beconcerned about theprovision of public goods intheir communities - fromschools, to clinics, to security.These are intangible socialbenefits which a stronghousing sector can help togenerate,” she stated.

Nigeria has an estimatedhousing demand of 17 millionunits, with an additional 2million units needed everyyear. Labour impactassessment studies incountries with similardemographics and economiesas Nigeria, estimate that atleast 5.62 direct jobs can begenerated with every newhome, and 2.48 indirect jobsin housing relatedexpenditure. This translates toabout 8 jobs generated withevery new houseconstructed. This means thatthe housing sector is capableof generating 16 million jobs -direct and indirect - everyyear. So far, our country is yetto realise this potential.Therefore, addressing thehousing deficit will have agame-changing impact on oursociety and our communities.

BoA agrees$16.7bnmortgagesettlement

Bank of America (BoA)has agreed to pay a

record $16.7 billion to USauthorities for misleadinginvestors about the quality ofloans it sold.

The loans were sold byCountrywide Financial andMerrill Lynch before BoAbought them in 2008, at theheight of the financial crisis.The settlement will cut thebank’s third-quarter profits by$5.3 billion.

BoA will pay a total of $9.65billion in cash and provideconsumer relief worth about$7 billion, much of which willgo towards homeownersstruggling with theirmortgages. The cashcomponent consists of a $5billion civil penalty and $4.63billion in compensationpayments. The case centredon Countrywide Financial,the biggest lender at the timeof the crisis, and MerrillLynch selling mortgage loansto investors but notexplaining the full extent ofthe risk involved.

UK mortgagelending hits6-year high

Mortgage lending roseto £19.1 billion in July

to reach the highest monthlytotal since August 2008.

The Council of MortgageLenders (CML) said thefigure was 7 percent up fromJune, and 15 percent higherthan July last year. There wasa 25 percent rise in propertytransactions in the first half of2014, the CML said. CarolineOfford, a CML analyst, saidthat mortgage lendingremained robust, despiteregulatory changes earlierthis year to toughen lendingcriteria. She however said thataffordability pressures couldstart to affect the propertymarket.

New rule changes meanlenders must do more checkson borrowers’ ability to repayloans, something that wasblamed for slowing thenumber of loans andtransactions earlier this year.

Net mortgage lending forthe first six months of the yearreached £10.5 billioncompared to the past fiveyears when the total barelyexceeded £10 billion for thewhole 12 months.

Block of luxurious apartments

A report by ResidentialAuctions Company

(RAC) has revealed that 60-65percent of businessprofessionals in Lagos live inrented accommodation due tothe high cost of homeownership and theunavailability of suitablemortgage products. The rentalmarket is highly cyclical, likethe buying market.

The report, published onglobalpropertyguide.com,noted that the Lagos Islandmarket has experiencedcontinuous rises in averageasking prices over the last threeyears, with surging demand forluxury houses, particularly

from investors and high-income individuals. The Lagosmainland, on the other hand,exhibited marginallydecreasing prices in 2013.

Asking rents have beenrising. After a lackluster yearin 2011 asking rents in both theLagos markets bounced back in2012 with double-digitgrowths. While asking rentsare much higher on the LagosIsland, rental yields aregenerally higher in themainland due to the surgingprices in the Island market.Yields are moderate at 4.3percent for the LagosMainland and 3.64 percent forthe Lagos Island.

According to the RAC report,in 2012, Lagos Island askingrents rose significantly, withrents for a 4-5 bedroom singlefamily unit climbing 28.4percent to N7,158,333($44,201), while the averagerent for a 3 bedroom multi-family unit was up 17.7 percentto N6,889,167 ($42,539).

In Ikoyi, the average askingrent on a 3 bedroom apartmentrose by 13 percent in 2012, toN10,167,500 ($62,782). Theaverage asking rent on a singlefamily unit was N10,525,000($64,989), a rise of 50.4percent. In Victoria Island, theaverage asking rent on a 3bedroom apartment increased

by 28.3 percent to N7,700,000($47,546) in 2012. But rents onsingle family units inched uponly 4.2 percent. In LekkiPhase 1, the average askingrent on a 3 bedroom apartment rose 9.6 percentin 2012 to N2,800,000($17,289). In contrast, averagerents on a 4-5 bedroom singlefamily unit were only up 3.9percent to N4,700,000($29,021).

These rent rises werehowever a rebound. In 2011,Lagos Island rents hadplummeted – with single familyunit asking rents falling 25.0percent and multi-family rentsfalling 8.8 percent.

Unearthing economic potentials ofhousing development in Nigeria

High homeownership cost:Nigerians resort to rented accommodation

By YINKA KOLAWOLE

Homes & Housing Finance

34 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

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Appointment & Promotion

THE Board of Directorsof TransnationalCorporation of Nigeria

Plc, Transcorp, has announcedthe appointment of Mr.Emmanuel Nnorom asPresident/Chief ExecutiveOfficer, CEO, of thecorporation.

Mr. Nnorom will formallyassume office on September 1,2014, succeeding Mr. ObinnaUfudo, who led the Companysince 2011.

The appointment representsa further important milestonein Transcorp’s transformation,as the Company moves from

TranscorpnamesNnoromPresident,CEO

stabilisation; following theacquisition of a strategic stakeby Heirs Holdings, toaccelerated growth, asinvestments in power, oil &gas and real estate &hospitality come to fruition.

Nnorom’s key role will beto lead the acceleration anddeepening of the Company’sinvestments in its four strategicbusiness sectors — Hospitality,Power, Agriculture and Oil &Gas and to build on Mr.Ufudo’s achievements inrepositioning Transcorp forgrowth.

He is currently President/COO of Heirs Holdings, andserved as a non-ExecutiveDirector of Transcorp earlierthis year.

Previously, he was anExecutive Director of UnitedBank for Africa Plc (UBA),occupying a number of senior

roles leading the Group’sAfrican subsidiaries.

He has also held theposition of Group ChiefOperating Officer atUBA, with responsibilityover informationtechnology, operations,corporate services,

marketing and corporatecommunications andregulatory affairs.

Nnorom is an Alumnus ofTempleton College, OxfordUniversity and a Fellow ofboth the Institute of CharteredAccountants of Nigeria(ICAN) and the CharteredInstitute of Bankers of Nigeria(CIBN).

Speaking, Chairman ofTranscorp, Mr. Tony Elumelu,thanked out-going Transcorpchief Obinna Ufudo fordelivering on the company’sobjectives under Phase 1 ofthe turnaround programme.

•Emmanuel Nnorom

Coscharis Group hasannounced the

appointment of seasonedbanker, Mr. Okey Nwuke, asthe Deputy Group ManagingDirector, DGMD, as part of itsbid to consolidate its leadershipas a big player in varioussectors of the economy.

According to a statement byAbiona Babarinde, GeneralManager, Marketing andCorporate Services CoscharisGroup, the is to enhance theGroup’s focus in creating morevalue in terms of marketleadership vis-a-vis itsexpansion plans.

Mr. Okey Nwuke began hisbanking career with GuarantyTrust Bank in 1991, where heworked in several units of thebank and later rose to theposition of Assistant GeneralManager, CommercialBanking Group East, beforejoining Access Bank Plc in 2002as General Manager. He was

Nwuke now Coscharis’Deputy Group ManagingDirector

subsequently appointed as anExecutive Director in AccessBank in 2004 and served in thatposition till December 2013when he retired in line with hiscontract of employment.

Okey holds a B.Sc. degree inAccountancy from University ofNigeria where he graduated asthe best student in both theDepartment of Accountancy &Faculty of Businessadministration.

He also holds an MBA(Distinction) in InternationalBanking & Finance from theUniversity of Birmingham,United Kingdom as aChevening Scholar.

Nwuke is also a Fellow of theInstitute of CharteredAccountants of Nigeria, ICAN,an Associate of the CharteredInstitute of Taxation; and anHonorary member of theChartered Institute of Bankersof Nigeria, CIBN.

Mr. Femi Collins, GM, Human Resources, Bristow Helicop-ters, presenting a cheque for N150,000 to Miss Temitope Cok-er, Winner, Tertiary Institutions Category, 5th Bristow Heli-copters/Travel & Business News National Travel Essay Com-petition (NTEC 2013/14).

MANAGING Director/Chief Executive

Officer, MD/CEO, of StacoInsurance Plc,Mr. Sakiru Oyefeso, has beenconferred with an HonoraryDoctorate Degree in BusinessAdministration (DBA) by theCommonwealth University,Belize.

The Doctorate DegreeAward of theC o m m o n w e a l t hUniversity is a uniqueaward that is reservedfor personalities whohave distinguishedthemselves in societythrough service,selflessness, businessacumen and other outstandingcontributions through whichthe lives of many have beentouched positively.

Commonwealth UniversityBelize is an institution set upunder the authority of theGovernment of the BritishCommonwealth, State of Belizein Central America and it is oneof the best awardinginstitutions in the world.

Dr. Sakiru Oyefeso is agraduate of Insurance at theSchool of Management &Business Studies of LagosState College of Science andTechnology, now Lagos StatePolytechnic. He also obtained

Staco Insurance MD,

Oyefeso conferred with

Doctorate Degree

•Oyefeso

a distinction and was the bestgraduating student of Masterof Business AdministrationDegree (MBA) from the LagosState University (LASU), agraduate of the Chief ExecutiveProgramme (CEP) of LagosBusiness School (LBS) of thePan African University and amember of the Nigeria Instituteof Management.

Also, he is an Associate of theChartered Insurance Instituteof Nigeria (CIIN) and also anAssociate of the CharteredInsurance Institute of Londonand attended several courseson leadership, managementand strategy both locally andinternationally.

The National Institute ofMarketing of Nigeria,

NIMN has admitted theelsewhere factional leader of theinstitute Mr. Rotimi Adeyeye,into the Council of the Institute.

Adeyeye’s admission into thehighest decision making bodyof NIMN indicates an end tothe lingering crisis that hasresulted into an age-longjudicial confrontation betweenthe two factions that hithertoclaimed responsibility ofoverseeing the practice ofmarketing in Nigeria.

Speaking, the President,NIMN, said the admission ofAdeyeye was in the fulfillmentof the earlier promised whileAdeyeye emphasized that hewas very satisfied with all theprocedures that led to theadmission. ‘This is to assure thegeneral public that, all is nowwell with the institute and the

NIMN admits Adeyeye into councilpromises earlier made throughthe memorandum ofunderstanding earlier signed isbeing fulfilled to the letter ’Koledoye said.

The admission of Mr. Adeyeyeinto the Council of NIMN wasa follow-up to the agreementreached during last month’sunification and signing ofMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) betweenthe two factions where they bothagreed to put aside theirdifferences and work for the

common good of the institute.

•Adeyeye

of Nigeria, PCN.The award conferred on the

minister in Abuja was as aresult of his contributions tothe promotion of peaceful co-existence among the variousethnic groups in the country.

Speaking during thepresentation of the award, theNational Commandant ofPCN, Dr Dickson Akoh, saidNigeria was not exemptedfrom the current global unresthaving witnessed a goodnumber of ethno-religious andinterstate conflicts.

Akoh recalled theachievements of the Ministerwhen he was the governor ofAdamawa State, saying thathis youth empowermentprogrammes served asfoundation currentlysustaining the state.

Youth minister bags award ofsenior advocate of peace

Minister of YouthDevelopment, Mr.

Boni Haruna, has received themaiden of the award of theSenior Advocate of Peaceinstituted by the Peace Corps

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 37

38 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Interview

There are issues of cybersecuritysince the bulk of your operations willbe in cyberspace. What measures haveyou put in place?

Technology has gone beyondregulation and the technology we havein place has addressed all envisagedcybersecurity issues, but there is roomfor flexibility and change when the needarises. One, we know the serviceproviders, because it is a platform,however, for the data security for eachof the parties, that is protected by thetechnology put in place which is goodenough, though it has been a veryrigorous one and in terms of the legal

framework, work is going on

How would the payment systembe managed?

This is going to be pretty easysince people can pay throughtheir mobile phones orthrough airtime transfer,

where the customer buysa recharge card, loads it

and transfers themoney via his or herp e r s o n a li d e n t i f i c a t i o nnumber. We aregoing to issueNigerians digitalidentity cards that

will have uniqueNHIS numbers from

birth to death. With thissystem in place, the

NHIS will be able to develop a databasefor all customers who deal with anyHMO that is registered on the platform,such that every transaction carried outbetween customers and their HMOs,automatically gets to NHIS, through thedatabase. The advantage of this is thatcustomers will be able to makecomplaints of shabby treatment metedby any HMO or from any hospital,directly to NHIS, via the mobile phoneand the issue will be addressedpromptly.

You started with MTN on the mobilehealthcare scheme, what is thepossibility of other telecoms operatorsbecoming part of the system, if theyso desire it?

The platform is a general platform thatis open to all and can accommodate asmany operators from different sectors ofthe economy that so desire to belong.We started first with MTN because wesee it as the biggest GSM operator inthe country by subscriber number andwe felt that should we begin with MTN,more customers will have theopportunity to benefit from the plan.The platform is therefore open to alloperators and we are currentlydiscussing with them and will soon signsome of them onto the platform becauseit is going to be a massive project,connecting people and touching thelives of millions of people from differentsectors of the economy.

Do you have specific softwareapplication that customers candownload to have access to the service?

Absolutely, we do have. The beauty ofit all is that it is an initiative that is thebiggest and first of its kind in Nigeria.Our software application enablesoperators to reach out to more that 120million people with ease, and peoplecan download the application on theirmobile phones and use it to do all kindsof transactions.

We must create modelsthat touch lives positively

— Lai Labode, CEO, Salt & EinsteinBy ADEKUNLE ADEKOYA

Lai Labode is CEO of Salt & Einstein MTS, a mobile transactionswitch and business aggregator representing a single mobilefinancial platform that facilitates businesses of all sorts.

Educated in various parts of the country, Labode, an accountinggraduate of the University of Abuja with higher degrees from theUniversity of Liverpool and Harvard Business School, had workedwith Banking Limited, MoneyBox Africa, before going intoprivate consulting. Salt & Einstein parades giantson its board, including Engr. Ernest Ndukwe,former EVC of NCC who is the company’s chairman.In the interview below, Labode defines what anaggregator is, and enunciates what his companyis about in the Nigerian business firmament.Excerpts:

In your own words, what is the firm called Salt& Einstein all about?

I would say we are aggregators. An aggregatoris a firm that is able to bring two different partiestogether to achieve the same purpose, and weare Africa’s first mobile financial serviceaggregator. It means that we have established asingle platform that all mobile financial serviceproviders can fit on and provide service to all ofNigeria and we have done this based on theexperience garnered over the years. WhenGSM came to Nigeria, we had initiated whatwe call airtime exchange and we projectedinto the future that for an economy whereseventy per cent of the economy is inthe informal sector, what are the thingswe can do with this mobile telephone?So I wrote a business model calledairtime exchange, because therewas a concept growing — peoplewere already sending airtime fromAbuja to Lagos, the receiverwill take it and sell and itbecomes cash. We didn’t createthat, people started to do it ontheir own. It means there weresome needs and people startedto do that to satisfy that need.So we thought of creatingsomething in the culture thatwas already growing.

In an economy like Nigeria,where over 70 per cent of cashflow is in the informal sector,

there is need to develop a businessmodel that will address the issue. Wehave been in the mobile money spacefor some time now and have discoveredthat there is so much concentration ofpeople at the bottom of the pyramid,which of course shows the elitist natureof our mobile money sector.

If we truly want to be successful as anation, and integrate the informal sectorwith the formal sector, then we need tocreate models that will touch their livespositively. We have also discovered thatthere is a lot of emphasis on technology,whereas it is not technology that is theissue, but the business model that isdriving the entire process. Today,MPESA in Kenya is successful becauseof the business model it has deployedthat is actually driving the technology.

You recently facilitated a deal betweenMTN, a telco, and the National HealthInsurance Scheme (NHIS), to promotehealthcare service delivery to millions of Nigerians via the mobilephones. Can you elucidate?

The mobile healthcare service initiativeis of immense benefit to telecomssubscribers in Nigeria and to telecomsservice providers as well. Health iswealth and most times people die withtheir ill-health either as a result ofignorance or poverty. The initiativetherefore brings service providers in thehealth sector, especially the HealthManagement Organizations (HMOs)and the telecoms service providers, ona single online platform that isaccessible to all Nigerians. Healthcare

services will be provided on thatplatform, and all telecoms subscribersthat register on the platform, will receivemedical advice and attention, via theirmobile phones. With their mobilephones, they could communicate withany HMO of their choice and get bestmedical service at affordable cost. Thisinitiative is new and not limited to

have varieties of choice to make as towhich company they want to deal with,and again, the cost of delivering theservices will be reduced.

That means your platform is availableto other sectors of the economy as well,not just health insurance?

Having realised the need for a singleplatform that will accommodate severalservice providers, we decided to comeup with a business model that can

accommodate industry multiplesolutions that should connect thecommon man. What we did was to lookat the entire value chain and came upwith business solutions that will addressevery sector, comprising the regulator,the players and the various ecosystemthat will make it happen and that is whyour multipurpose single platform canaccommodate all manners of businesses,like health insurance, tax collection andrevenue generation for theirorganizations. This is exactly what ledto the partnership deal between MTNand NHIS.

,

,telecoms operators andNHIS. It is open to allservice providers fromdifferent sectors of theeconomy, using a singleplatform to provideservices to Nigerians.As an aggregator, wefacilitated the initiativebetween MTN andNHIS, which waslaunched in Lagos fewweeks ago, and our platform is open toall sectors of the economy.

You have been talking about NHISand health insurance. Are you workingwith other insurance firms?

Yes, we are doing that, we alreadyhave about eight insurance companiesalready lined up for general mobileinsurance that will be launched shortly,we are also in talks with NAICOM(National Insurance Commission). Bythe time we bring in more insurancecompanies on board, the bouquet ofservices will increase and customers will

Lai Labode, CEO of Salt & Einstein MTS

MPESA in Kenya issuccessful because of the

business model it hasdeployed that is actuallydriving the technology

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 39

Advertising, Media& Marketing

How hospitality business can shore-upNigeria’s image

LAUNCH - From Left: Adebowale Adefuye, Nigerian Ambassadorto the US; President Goodluck Jonathan; Chief Edem Duke, Ministerof Culture & Tourism and; Sheila Jackson, member, US House ofReps from Texas, during the launch of the international leg of 'Nigeria,Our Heritage' Project in Washington DC.

By PRINCEWILLEKWUJURU

BEFORE now, Nigeriahad made few

attempts at nation branding,with not so discernibleachievements. This started withthe ‘Heart of Africa’ project, tothe ‘Good people, GreatNation’ concept, the search fora strong national brandingplatform that could greatlyresonate with Nigeria’s internaland external public cut thepicture of a twisted journey. Inspite of the efforts, the harvesthas not been fruitful: Therecontinued to be many moregloomy stories about Nigeria.All these give the nation longhours of negative TV filmfootages and sound bites, aswell as miles of negativecommentaries in the printmedia.

In the last few years, therehave been concerted efforts bystakeholders on the need topromote Nigeria’s tourismpotentials in order to diversify

the revenue generation base ofthe country and avoid overdependence on oil and gas, inaddition to conveying someform of positive news about thenation to the internationalcommunity. Today however, thepotentials inherent in thenation’s culture and tourismsector as a strong unifyingfactor and nation brandingplatform now appear to havebeen discovered, thankfullythrough a forward lookinginitiative involving theMinistry of Tourism, Cultureand National Orientation anda group of Nigerian privateand corporate individuals. Thishas given birth to what has nowcome to be known as theNigeria, Our Heritage Project.

The first bold step took placein July when a stakeholder,Mr Fidelis Ekwunife Anosike,unveiled the ‘Nigeria, OurHeritage’ (NOH) project inAbuja, in collaboration with theministry of tourism, culture andnational orientation, and fullyendorsed by the federalministry of foreign affairs and

Howard University AlumniAssociation. The NOH projectis proudly supported by over15 companies, some of whichinclude the Nigeria ExportImport (NEXIM) Bank, BenueState, Niger State, Ekiti State,Heritage Bank, Eko Atlantic,DSTV, Multichoice, CNN,DAAR communication, NERCand BGL, among others.

On Monday, 5th August2014, an evening ofentertainment centered on thecentennial of Nigeria’scommonwealth, took place atthe John F. Kennedy Centre forthe Performing Arts ConcertHall in Washington D.C. Theevent was organized by theFederal Ministry of Tourism,Culture and National

Orientation to unveil theinternational leg of the“Nigeria: Our Heritage”project. Present at the eventwere President GoodluckJonathan, the Minister ofTourism, Culture and NationalOrientation, Nigeria’sAmbassador to USA, a fewNigerian and Americangovernment and politicalpersonalities as well as severalNigerian celebrities, notablyDon Jazzy, Rita Dominic, AliNuhu, Davido, Flavour, TiwaSavage, Tee Billz, Masterkraft,Tola Odunsi, Leslie Kasumba,Di’Ja, Lola Ogunnaike, ObiAsika, Hakeem Kae-Kazim andUbi Franklin, among others.

In his goodwill message atthe event, President Jonathanpromised to support theinitiators of the project in thenoble task of overhaulingNigeria’s image globally andpromoting the country ’stourism and cultural heritagewhich he said was aimed atwealth creation as well assecuring international trust forforeign investment. Whilenoting that the project wouldcelebrate the rich culturalinheritage and vast economicendowment of Nigeria, heregretted that Nigeria hadcome under global mediaconspiracy that broughthumiliation to her.

Email:lesleba@lesleba.com, lesleba@gmail.comBlog page:www.lesleba.com/blog2Website: www.lesleba.comTel:0805 220 1997

40 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Omoh Gabriel - Group Business EditorBabajide Komolafe - Deputy Business EditorClara Nwachukwu - Energy EditorPeter Egwuatu - Asst. Business EditorYinka Kolawole - Snr Bus. CorrespondentFavour Nnabugwu - Insurance CorrespondentGodwin Oritse - Maritime CorrespondentGodfrey Bivbere - Maritime CorrespondentMichael Eboh - Energy ReporterFranklin Alli - Industry/Agric. ReporterEbele Orakpo - Energy ReporterIfeyinwa Obi - Maritime ReporterRosemary Onuoha - Insurance Reporter

CONTRIBUTORSPrincewill Ekwujuru - Media/MarketingNkiruka Nnorom - Capital MarketJonah Nwokpoku - E-CommerceNaomi Uzor - IndustryProvidence Obuh - Micro FinanceLAYOUT - Graphics Department

,

,

Business & Economy

AAAN seeks APCON’s collaboration tAAAN seeks APCON’s collaboration tAAAN seeks APCON’s collaboration tAAAN seeks APCON’s collaboration tAAAN seeks APCON’s collaboration tooooobuild ad industrbuild ad industrbuild ad industrbuild ad industrbuild ad industry data basey data basey data basey data basey data base

Association of AdvertisingAgencies of Nigeria,

AAAN has indicated itsintention to collaborate with theAdvertising PractitionersCouncil of Nigeria, APCON tobuild an advertising Industrydata base.

Data base for the industry hasbeen an issue that has made itimpossible for researchers andwriters alike to have record ofreferences in the ad industryin Nigeria.

Mr. Kelechi Nwosu, thenewly elected President ofAAAN made this assertion

during the association’s visit toAPCON Head office in Lagos,where he spoke on severalissues bedeviling the industry,but said among other thingsthat the association would liketo collaborate with APCON onbuilding a data base for theadvertising industry.

He pointed out that whatpushed the association to seekfor collaboration is the fact thatrecently the association soughtto get advertisements createdin the last 20 years, butagencies could not lay theirhands on it, a situation he

described as an indication oflose of institutional memory.

“Institutional memory is astrong problem, we will needto work with you and see whatwe can do to improve upon thatso that even if it hosting it on aportal or hosting it in the cloudor whatever method we needto, it is something that we arekin to do.” He reiterated.

He went further to say; “todaywe specifically will like tomention that on the industrydata base we will need to seehow to build it, and build itstrongly.”

A popular indigenousartiste cautioned inone of his lyrics that

you cannot sow cocoyam andhope to harvest rice.Notwithstanding the abovewise counsel, Nigeriansinexplicably hope and believethat in spite of over 70% of ourpopulation, reportedly,currently living on less than $2/day, our country could stillblossom to become one of thetop 20 economies six years fromnow.

Clearly, this ambitiousexpectation is the product of awell choralled propagandachampioned by governmentand its Economic ManagementTeam to sustain hope anddistract Nigerians fromrecognizing the obviouseconomic contradictions whichblock our path to economicprosperity. This week, we willexamine some of theseeconomic contradictions whichmust first be resolved before wecan realistically expect strident,inclusive economic growth andalso witness enhanced socialwelfare. To begin with, we shallconsider the evidentcontradiction of deepeningpoverty, despite increasingoutput and revenue.

Ordinarily, rising real incomewould normally be expected toimprove the economic welfareof any person or community.Surprisingly, however, despiteconsistently rising income,Nigeria began to be listedamongst the world’s poorestnations at a time our foreignreserves base regularlyexceeded $30bn after the returnto civil rule in 1999.

Surprisingly, the social andeconomic welfare of our peoplewas not positively impactedeven when external reservesexceeded $50bn while systemicsurplus Naira, unexpectedlyalso remained a burden threeyears ago. How do we explainthe unusual mix of unyieldingsurplus Naira and increasingly

Economic contradictionsand mute victimsbountiful dollar reservesexisting simultaneously withdeepening poverty andincreasing rate ofunemployment. The questionis, why have we become poorerwith increasing income?

Similarly, Nigerians also failto see the inherentcontradiction of an increasingnational debt burden existingside-by-side with surplusNaira and equally bountifuldollar reserves. Surely, norational person borrows what ithas in excess at any costwhatsoever. Nonetheless, suchbrazen contradiction is clearlyamplified in the process ofaccumulating both ourdomestic and external debts.

On the domestic front, forexample, we have

gleefully sustained a culturewhere government placeshundreds of billions of Nairafor zero percent yield with thebanks only to return shortlythereafter, to borrow back thesame funds with oppressivedouble-digit interest rates; it isalso inexplicable thatregardless of the attendantoppressive high cost, theseloans are simply sequesteredand kept idle. Similarly, on theexternal front, government sitson bountiful reserves of over$40bn which earns little or noyield, while the samegovernment ironically indulgesin seeking external loanswhich conversely carryunusually high interest rates forwhat are actually risk freesovereign debts.

Curiously, despite overN500bn annual debt servicecharges, the DebtManagement Office latelyassured us not to worry about

the size of the bloated currentdebt of over $65bn, whenconversely, our debt burden ofbarely $35bn in 2004 wasadjudged excessive andunsustainable! Regrettably, nosatisfactory explanation hasbeen offered for this peculiarvolte-face.

The contradiction ofunyielding Naira surplusexisting side-by-side in themarket with scarcity of cheapfunds to grow the real sector,also appears lost in the

consciousness of our people. Worse still, why would CBN,whose prime mandate is togrow the economy, alsoconsciously discourage liberalaccess to cheap funds to SMEswho invariably constitute thebackbone for industrial growthand job creation, bydeliberately instigating highMonetary Policy Rates tofrustrate and discourage banklending to the real sector.Similarly, we do not interrogatewhy CBN appears to cut itsown nose to spite its face byinstigating a high MonetaryPolicy Rate of up to 12%,

knowing fully well that such ahigh benchmark inevitably alsopumps up the cost of servicingnot only CBN loans, but alsothe increasingly precariousdebts of governments and itsagencies at all levels.

Besides, why would anyrational person pay any interestwhatsoever to borrow money itdoes not need?

Evidently, CBN repeatedlycommits such faux pas everymonth whenever it borrowshundreds of billions of Nairawith double-digit interest ratefrom banks only to store awaythese expensive loansthereafter from any redemptiveeconomic application. Whywould anyone condone suchreckless anti-social monetarystrategy at a time whengovernment itself seeksadditional loans to fund annualbudgets and remediate oursevere deficits in the quantityand quality of infrastructures inthe education, health, powerand transport subsectors?

In other words, how comeobviously “burdensome”surplus Naira and bountifulreserves exist side-by-side withsuch socially depressingdeprivations?

Evidence of blatantcontradictions in government’seconomic strategies are alsoapparent in the foreignexchange market where,inspite of increasingly buoyantreserves, the Naira exchangerate has lost over 50 percent ofits value in the last 16 years.For example, in 1996 when theNaira exchanged for N80 =$1.0, our total reserves of $4bnwas reported to be adequatecover for only 4 months imports.Surprisingly, however, whenour reserves base of over $50bn

was reported to be adequate forat least 12 months importspayment in 2010, our exchangerate fell to almost N160 = $1.0.Surely, an extended importscover should induce anexchange rate that is strongerthan N80 = $1.0, and not theother way round!

Similarly, we must wonderwhy CBN is apparently averseto dollar denominatedallocations to government andits agencies, when the sameCBN consciously and regularlyallocates billions of dollarsevery month to Bureau DeChange, inspite of the clearrecognition that the nefariousactivities of treasury looters,money launderers, andsmugglers are facilitated fromCBN’s regular deliberate dollarallocations to BDCs. There isno gain saying the adverseimpact such predatory strategyhas on our industries andultimately on our economic andsocial welfare. It is similarlyunbelievable that inspite of thepossibility of lower fuel pricesand the potential of earning areasonable sales tax on everylitre of fuel, government’smonetary strategy stillconsciously accommodates abill of over $12bn to subsidizefuel prices annually.Undeniably, a strongerexchange rate of N80= $1.0 willimmediately reduce fuel pricesto below N80, thus wiping offany further payment of fuelsubsidy, while enablinggovernment to earn at leastN17/liter tax instead, from thedaily sale of 35m litres of fuel.

Consequently, in view ofthese disenablingcontradictions in our economicframework, is it realistic orfoolhardy to seriously expect apositive transformation thatwould catapult Nigeria to oneof top twenty economies in year2020? Well, maybe I should letyou be the judge.

Save the Naira, SaveNigerians

Why wouldany rationalperson payany interestwhatsoeverto borrowmoney itdoes not

need?

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 41

CMYK

42 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 43

CMYK

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BRIEFSBRIEFSBRIEFSBRIEFSBRIEFS

We shot down Israeli drone—Iran

IRAN’s elite Revolutionary Guard says it hasbrought down an Israeli stealth drone above the

Natanz uranium enrichment site in the centre ofthe country.

The Guards issued a statement saying thedrone was trying to penetrate the site, statenews agency ISNA said on Sunday.

“The downed aircraft was of the stealth, radar-evasive type and it intended to penetrate the off-limit nuclear area in Natanz... but was targetedby a ground-to-air missile before it managed toenter the area,” ISNA said, citing a statement bythe Revolutionary Guards.

“This act demonstrates a new adventurism bythe Zionist regime... The Revolutionary Guard andthe other armed forces reserve the right to respondto this act,” the statement added.

The Israeli military said it did not comment onforeign reports.

Natanz is Iran’s main uranium enrichment site,housing more than 16,000 centrifuges. Around3,000 more are at the Fordo plant, buried inside amountain and hard to destroy.

California declares state ofemergency following 6.0earthquake

AN earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 hasshaken northern California, causing injuries

and damage to buildings.The USGS said it struck at 03:20 local time (10:20

GMT) four miles (6km) north-west of the town ofAmerican Canyon, at a depth of 6.7 miles.

At least 87 people have been taken to hospitalin the Napa area, with three of them seriouslyinjured.

California Governor Jerry Brown has declareda state of emergency in order to deal with theeffects of the quake.

Officials in Napa said in a statement that thequake had destroyed four mobile homes andcaused “approximately 50” gas main breaks andaround 30 leaks from water mains.

Three historic buildings in the town had beenhit and two commercial buildings “severelydamaged”, the statement went on.

More than 10,000 households were withoutpower in Napa, about six miles from theearthquake’s epicentre, and the surroundingarea, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company said.An evacuation centre has been set up in a highschool gym

Netanyahu asks Gazans toleave Hamas sites

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuhas warned Gaza residents to leave any site

where Palestinian fighters are operating, sayingthe locations could be attacked.

“I call on the inhabitants of Gaza to vacate im-mediately every site from which Hamas is carry-ing out terrorist activity. Every one of these placesis a target for us,” he said.

Hours after Netanyahu spoke, an Israeli air strikekilled a mother and three children from the samefamily in northern Gaza on Sunday, medics said.The strike hit a home near Jabalia.

Earlier strikes in the day killed a one-year-oldgirl and a 17-year-old boy, Qudra said.

A cluster of four homes, were destroyed bystrikes in Khan Younis, along with a strike on a carwhich killed Mohammedal-Ghoul, described as aHamas official responsible for “terror fund trans-actions”, taking Sunday’s death toll there to at least12.

Israel said it hit 20 targets in Gaza on Sundaymorning, while Palestinian fighters fired at least20 rockets rounds at Israel, the army said.

On Saturday, the Israeli military warned resi-dents of Al Zafer Tower, a 13-storey building toleave, shortly before launching air strikes.

Islamist fighters in the Fajr Libya (Libyan Dawn) stand guard at the entrance of Tripoli international airportyesterday, after capturing it from Zintan force, allies of General Khalifa Haftar. Photo: AFP

Unidentified jets attack targets in Libya•As armed militia captures Tripoli airport

UNIDENTIFIEDwar planes have

attacked targets in theLibyan capital hours af-ter fighters from the cityof Misrata said they hadseized the main airportfrom a rival fighter bri-gade.

It was reported that Tri-poli residents heard jetsfollowed by explosionsat dawn on Saturday butno more details wereimmediately available.

Meanwhile, Egypt de-nied taking any part inair strikes on Libyanfighter positions in Tri-poli after the armedgroup that captured theairport accused thecountry of involvementin the recent attacks.

“Egypt categoricallydenies press reports thatEgyptian warplanesbombarded positionsheld by armed Islamist

militias in the Libyancapital,” the foreign min-istry said in a statement.

Libyan fighters fromMistrata have chargedthat Egypt and the Unit-ed Arab Emirates werebehind a raid around Tri-poli airport on Fridaynight that reportedlykilled 13 people.

Meanwhile, an armedmilitia alliance in Libyahas captured Tripoli’s

international airport af-ter a battle lasting near-ly a month.

Islamist-affiliated forc-es from Misrata and oth-er cities took over theairport from the Zintanmilitia, which has heldit for three years.

Libya’s new parlia-ment, largely opposed tothe Islamists, con-demned the move.

Violence in Libya has

surged recently betweenthe rival groups whooverthrew MuammarGaddafi in the 2011 up-rising. The airport, Lib-ya’s largest, has beenclosed for over a monthbecause of the fighting.

Hundreds have diedsince fighting broke outin Tripoli in July. Mil-lions of dollars in dam-age has been caused tothe airport.

We’re close to identifying Foley’s killer — UK

•Foley

BRITISH Ambassadorto the United States, Mr.Peter Westmacott hassaid that the British gov-ernment is close toidentifying the ISIS mil-itant who beheadedAmerican journalistJames Foley.

Westmacott said hecouldn’t elaborate on theidentity of the killer, who

is seen decapitating Fo-ley in a video posted lastweek on YouTube.

“We’re putting a greatdeal into the search,” hesaid, referring to the useof sophisticated technol-ogy to analyze the man’svoice.

In the video, Foley, 40,is seen kneeling next toa man dressed in black.

Kidnapped US journalist freed in Syria

Envoy tasks Nigerians in Austria on unity

AN American journalist kidnapped

nearly two years ago hasbeen freed in Syria andhanded over to UN rep-resentatives, after Qatarimediation helped lead tohis release.

Peter Theo Curtis wasfreed from captivity onSunday, after reported-

ly being abducted inAntakya, Turkey, wherehe planned to enterSyria in October 2012.

Footage of the theAmerican was releasedon June 30, showinga disheveled Curtiswith long hair andbeard, but appearing tobe in good health.

Speaking in a videoobtained by Al Jazeera,Curtis read from a pre-pared script stating hisname and profession,saying he was a journal-ist from Boston, Massa-chusetts.

Commenting on histreatment, Curtis saidhe “had everything” heneeded and ”everythinghas been perfect, food,clothing, even friendsnow”.

Earlier this year,thirteen nuns were freedafter being kidnappedby Syrian rebels follow-ing Lebanese-Qatarimediation, ending athree-month ordeal in arare prisoner exchangewith the government.

BY DAPO AKINREFON

THE Nigerian Ambassador to Austria,

Mr Abel Adelakun Ayo-ko, has called on Nige-rians resident in Austriato work for the unity ofNigeria.

Ayoko, who said this atthe launch of the OoduaPeople’s Union, OPU, inAustria, held at the Cen-tenary Hall, Vienna,Austria, advised Nigeri-ans to form a united blocand work for the inter-est of Nigeria, irrespec-tive of their ethnic back-ground.

Other dignitaries atthe event include Mr.and Mrs. George Alaba,the parents of Nigerian-

born Bayern Munich de-fender; Chief ChucksUgbor; Mr. ValentineOgunya, Patron, Ooduaand OPU coordinators inFrance, Holland, Ger-many, Norway and Fin-land among others.

Commending the or-ganizers of the OPU fortheir foresight, he urgedmembers and other Ni-gerians in Austria to begood ambassadors of Ni-geria in their daily activ-ities.

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 45

46—Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

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,OPINION

By Abubakar Galadima

*Mr. Galadima, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathanreceived the 22-voume, 10,335-page

report of the National Conference, alongwith its 600 resolutions last weekThursday, and went into a poeticrhapsody. He declared: “All those whohad predicted the disintegration of ourcountry at the end of our first centenarywould wish they chose another countrywhen the possibilities of the new visionfor Nigeria are actualised”.

Jonathan had good reasons to beecstatic. Here was a conference thatfaced many odds when it was being puttogether. His political opponents,especially those promoting theopposition All Progressives Congress(APC) had discredited and opposed it.They threatened to boycott it. Even somerebel PDP governors, some of who laterdecamped to APC, said their stateswould not be sending delegates.Eventually, one by one, they sentdelegates to go and canvass theinterests of their people and states,perhaps after realising that thoughPresident Jonathan was convening theconference, it was not a Jonathanconference but one for all Nigerians.

Confab’s real winners and “losers”Confab’s real winners and “losers”Confab’s real winners and “losers”Confab’s real winners and “losers”Confab’s real winners and “losers”

The second stage of the debacle tookplace at the floor of the conference,where delegates came buoyed bydifferent motivations. Some came to findways of moving Nigeria forward. Thosein this group included the delegatesgenuinely committed to reforms thatwould promote nation building,citizenship rights, reduce the cost ofgovernance, diversify the economy forprosperity, explore ways of securing thenation and its people from internal andexternal enemies, expand opportunitiesto vulnerable groups and generallymake Nigeria a better place for allNigerians. Most of the delegates whofell under this category represented civilsociety groups, Labour and professionalinterests. The federal government wentout of its way to ensure their adequaterepresentation. These were the bridge-builders who mediated between thedelegates representing “ethnic

nationalities” and their opponents whowere inspired by rabble-rousing regionalirredentists.

There were those who came to ask forthe inequalities introduced into the bodypolitic by a region army to beameliorated to give marginalisedNigerians a sense of belonging. Forinstance, the Igbo delegates seized theopportunity to revisit the already

nationally agreed creation of anadditional state for the South East Zoneto bring it to par with the others. TheYoruba delegates also revisited theirage-old demand for a return to theregional setup and devolution of powers.The Minorities of Southern Nigeria fromthe oil-bearing Niger Delta came to cashin on the constitutional promise that the13 per cent derivation on their oilresources can be upped. It was also anopportunity for people from solidmineral-rich areas; especially thenorthern zones, to ask for a special fundto enable the country develop that sectorfor the benefit of all.

But unfortunately, some groupsallowed themselves to be misled byexternal influences that were determinedto keep Nigeria where it is or move itbackward if possible. Some of thesedelegates came from the Arewa areas ofNorth East and North West. They took

their marching orders from the NorthernElders Forum (NEF) a reactionary groupof retired technocrats and politicians ofthe Muslim North who still live in thedistant and dark past where Nigeria wasseen as a conquered, vassal territory ofthe Sokoto Fulani Caliphate. The NEFenjoined its disciples among thedelegates to make sure that anythingthat would bring about change or reducethe unmerited privileges of the old,defunct Northern Region would not beallowed to sail through.

New North-South divide

It was in the process of these truculentexchanges that the new North-South

divide, which has been developing overthe past 24 years, became evident. Thenew political “South” in the conferenceconsisted of delegates from the SouthEast, South-South and South West, plusthose from Minority areas of the oldNorthern Region, generally referred toas the Middle Belt; while the new“North” consists mainly of the coreMuslim zones of North West and NorthEast, with a sprinkling of conservativeMuslims from the North Centralsometimes found in their midst. Thesewere the delegates who took theirinstructions from the NEF and tried –and failed – to frustrate the conference.They failed because a large number ofthe Arewa Muslims are also patriotic,progressive and independent-mindedenough to know what is good for allNigerians. They joined the rest of theircompatriots to do the right thing.

The conference eventually ended ona victorious note for Nigeria. At least,the minority Arewa group bowed to thesuperior reason of the rest of the

delegates, and so the victory is alsotheirs. It is a classic case of “no victor,no vanquished” and everyone is awinner.

The happy thing, for me, is that thosewho will like to keep Nigeria rooted onthe spot for their selfish interests have,over the years, become a miserableminority. They have lost power, thoughthey do not realise it.

It is a great delusion for anyone tomake his political calculations based onthe defunct Regions created by colonialBritain. It is also becoming unviable tomake political projections based on thestructures left behind by the rampagingNorthern regional army. The truth is thatthe regions created by Britain collapsedlong ago. There is no Eastern, Westernor Northern Region anymore. There isno Mid-Western Region anymore.Nigeria has moved on since. Peopleclinging to such anachronisms willalways bite their fingers in frustration atthe end of every political process.

The Western Region ended with thecreation of the Midwest in 1963. TheYorubas took the creation of the Midwestin their stride and moved on. TheEastern Region ended with thedeclaration of Biafra and the creation oftwelve states in 1967. The Igbos movedon, too, and so have the SouthernMinorities. In fact, it was the Igbo elitethat fought for the creation of the South-South in the 1994 Abacha Conferenceto break up the alliance between theirMinority neighbours and the North andWest. They ended up creating a newregional alliance now popularly knownas the South East and South-South, apartnership of equals, not that of masterand servant.

But the North, especially Arewa, doesnot want to accept the fact that theMiddle Belt, the zone of the Minoritiesand non-Muslims, has come to stay, andthat their incessant killings anddestruction of Minority communitieshave pushed the Middle Belt into analliance with the South. It showed in theconference, and helped to ensure itssuccess.

However, it is one thing to have asuccessful conference and yet anotherto implement its report. Now, the harderpart of the job has started: making theresolutions become change agents toenable the nation to survive and thrivein the second century of its history.

The ball is now in the court of thepresident and the National Assembly.

The happy thing, for me, is that those whowill like to keep Nigeria rooted on the spotfor their selfish interests have, over theyears, become a miserable minority. Theyhave lost power, though they do not realise it

SINCE former Economic and Financial CrimesCommission (EFCC) chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, indicated

interest in moving to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),disquiet has reigned in the opposition All ProgressivesCongress (APC). As efforts by the party's hierarchy todiscourage his defection failed, disquiet gradually gave wayto disdain and Ribadu became the butt of virulent attacksfrom his former party men. The disgrunted party men nowtake pot shots at his shining service records: while somesaid he was power-hungry, others labelled him an ungratefulpolitician. Like eating sour grapes, bitterness within theAPC has never been more profound.

The whining in the APC over Ribadu is understandable.Not only does it portray the APC in the worst possible light,it defined the rot in the major opposition camp like neverbefore. Kano governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, tried to maketheir burden lighter by adding a spin, that it (defection)would turn out Ribadu’s loss more than that of the party. Itwas a bad way to spin. However one looks at it, the situationin the party must be of the worst kind to make the presidentialtorch-bearer in one of the legacy parties-ACN-in as recentas the 2011 elections to jump ship.

As the APC sulks over Ribadu, the atmosphere is cheery inthe PDP which sees it as the arrival of a brother who hasbeen on an endless sojourn in the wilderness. Even asRibadu was flying the ACN presidential flag in the 2011elections, many pundits said he was like a stranger in theparty. His sojourn in the opposition camp didn’t just add upbecause he had PDP blood running in his veins, literally. Tobuttress the fact that the ruling party connected so well withhis principles, the former EFCC boss was in February 2012appointed to chair the 20-member Petroleum RevenueSpecial Taskforce. It was the first appointment to beaccepted by the former EFCC boss whose tenure at the anti-

Home-return of a sojournerHome-return of a sojournerHome-return of a sojournerHome-return of a sojournerHome-return of a sojournergraft agency drew accolades during the former PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo’s regime, and as he enthused, it was anopportunity to be part of the Jonathan administration’sefforts to sanitise the petroleum industry.

The question is: was he really a committed oppositionpolitician? The answer, of course, is no; Ribadu has alwaysbeen a sojourner in the APC. His sojourn, first in the ACN,which later teamed up with others to become APC, was forhim an eye opener: the renowned anti-corruption Czar wasforced to dine with strange bedfellows who had no respectfor either political due process or party internal democracy.In spite of their ‘progressive’ tag, he must have found out tohis dismay that the APC does not practise the ideals itpreaches.

While he lasted in the opposition enclave, it was easy forRibadu to emerge as its moral compass, working hard toensure the party walks its talk. Whether it earned him the2011 presidential ticket of the ACN on merit, or he wassimply one of the political guinea-pigs in Bola Tinubu’spolitical laboratory is not the issue here. What was mostirritating was the treacherous manner in which Tinubu, theACN godfather purportedly traded away his support basefor a mess of financial pottage, and turned Ribadu into apolitical orphan.

As far as the 2011 presidential election was concerned,Ribadu who only won in Osun State, was for the most part,on his own. The much support he garnered across thecountry was largely on the force of his moral persona, andin spite of Tinubu and his band of hangers on. It is still thatmoral force that is at play in Adamawa, where he hasexplained that his decision to quit the APC for the PDP wastaken in the state’s overriding interest. Any honest man

who seeks to serve requires a platform devoid of deceit andunnecessary baggage.

A few weeks ago, shortly after the impeachment of ViceAdmiral Murtala Nyako as governor, the same Tinubu andChief Bisi Akande had committed another faux pax. TheAPC leaders had asked their former presidential candidatewhom they knew was preparing for another shot at thepresidency, to forget the idea and go for the governorship ofAdamawa state instead. It was perfidy of the worst kind.

Abubakar Atiku whom he had indicted on corruptioncharges as EFCC chairman in 2006, was no less treacherous.Though he learnt long ago that Atiku’s politics is definedby his interest and not the collective good, he must havewondered how he co-habited with the man for that long.The last straw, of course, was the man’s cat-and-mouse gameduring the battle to save Governor Nyako from imminentimpeachment. Unlike Ribadu who had fought doggedlyfor Nyako’s survival, Atiku clearly worked against theinterest of the party in which he was supposed to be one ofits leaders. To be saddled with such a character going intothe Adamawa poll was to make his aspiration to serve hispeople, dead on arrival. When you add the insincerity andlarge baggage of corruption by other known leaders of theAPC, Ribadu knew it was time to go.

Ribadu may have returned to where he really belongs butfor the APC, the consequences are dire indeed. By joiningthe PDP which flag he is expected to fly in the Adamawagovernorship election in October, if he wins the partyprimary, Ribadu’s defection can rightly be interpreted thatthe APC has no fighting chance in a state it only recentlylost. Ribadu’s bold move has likely opened the exit door toseveral other dispirited politicians who are increasinglybecoming uncomfortable with the arbitrariness in the APC.

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014—————4747474747

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CMYK

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By Adewale Kupoluyi

Chibok, Nigeria and theStockholm syndrome

Ending the Israeli-Palestinian impasse

Mr.Kupoluyi wrote from the FederalUniversity of Agriculture, Abeokuta, OgunState.

By Henry Onyekuru

IT has been over 100 days sincethe forceful abduction of over

200 girls from their sleepingbeds inside their school premisesat Chibok in Borno State.

Since then not much has beenheard from them save the videothat was released by theirabductors, the Boko Haram sect.One hundred days is a long timefor a human being to adapt to anew environment and lifestyle. Iwonder what those innocent girlsmight have gone through in thehands of the Boko Harammembers, but more importantly,what really is their mood or psychepresently?

The Stockholm syndromeemanated after the hostagesituation in Stockholm, Swedensome time ago. Over a period oftime the captor and the captivesoon develop a bond whereby thereseems to be a certain level ofcomfort for the captives and inextreme cases, the captive evenfalls in love with their captor(s).This may seem too theoretical tobe true in this case but whatexactly is going through theminds of those girls? Are weabandoned? The governmentdoesn’t really care about us?Maybe these men holding ushostage may be right after all.Should we follow them in theirideology?

I sincerely believe, and it is myopinion, that whatever is thepredominant feelings of thosegirls as I write this, fear mighthave been replaced with anotheremotion. They have lived withthese people for a period of timeand interacted with them, andprobably to some extent, theymight have even becomesympathetic to their cause.

Communication, including thepropaganda variety, is a great toolfor information. Those girls, Ipresume, are heldincommunicado. So, maybe theyare not aware of the rallies,protests, discussions and the bringback our girls hashtag that hasbeen viral since their abduction.What this means is that the onlyinformation they get is from theirabductors. Information which isactually a disinformation.

During the civil war in SierraLeone, children were abducted,radicalised, given guns, machetes,hard drugs, but worst of all, theyhad their minds twisted and withall this; they maimed, killedwithout pity, all because theirfragile vulnerable minds had beentampered with. This shows that nomatter how innocent a child canbe, any trauma and new ideologycan negatively affect him.

The government is acting tooslowly in this situation and thosegirls are drifting far away from the

values that they have been broughtup with. They are losing hope inthe state and they might rebelagainst the state. They are notaware of the wailings of theirmothers and siblings or theheartache of their fathers whoconsciously look towards thehorizon everyday wishing for themto come home. President BarackObama recently ordered the swapof five prisoners held atGuantanamo Bay Prison facility inexchange for one American soldiercaptured way back.

If the government has to releasesome Boko Haram prisoners

then it is imperative that they dothat to get those girls back. Theyneed not just their freedom backand released to their parents butthey need psychologists andtrauma experts to mentally guidethem back so they can be re-integrated in to the larger society.We just do not know what the BokoHaram have been feeding their

minds with.To a great extent the Stockholm

syndrome is actually affecting allNigerians, we have been heldcaptive for a long-time and welove it. That is why we can seeour captors and hail them as thebest thing that ever happened,that is why our legislators are thehighest paid in the world and westill wallow in abject poverty.That is why those we elected toserve us chase us off our roadswith horsewhips and fiercelooking security personnel sotheir siren blaring bullet-proofmotorcade can pass quickly; thatis why some governors canallocate a medical package ofN100 million for themselves in ayear, even after they have leftoffice. So, in the midst of all theseobscenities, we sing their praisesboth in newspapers andgatherings, and once we get backto the confines of our houses withgenerators emitting toxic fumes,we console ourselves by saying: “itis well”, “God dey” and later askour pastors to please pray for us sothat the witches and witchcrafttroubling us would die.

Ayi Kwei Armah in his classicnovel, The Beautiful Ones Are NotYet Born described the level ofcorruption as it was then inGhana. Amidst all thetemptations and even thebickerings from his wife, theprotagonist in the novel whoArmah beautifully characterisedas “the man” didn’t follow thebandwagon of mediocrity andshame, not even the grandiose,affluent lifestyle of his friend andcolleague, Koomson, could deterhim from his noble stance.

Fast forward to present dayNigeria. If Ayi Kwei had knownthat the corruption prevalent inNigeria today would make theGhana situation look like akindergarten playground, maybehe would have waited and releaseda blockbuster without anyhyperbole effects.

The literary Icon, professor J.PClark in his poem, “TheCasualties”, wrote: ”The casualtiesare not only those who are dead,they are well out of it”.

In this case, the casualties arenot only the Chibok girls, theirsituation is just brought intoprominence. The casualties areall of us; even the Boko Harammembers are casualties. IfAbubakar Shekau and his likeswere giving basic education bythe states or taught a skill, hewouldn’t have been thisdangerous man troubling us, hewouldn’t have risen against thestate in this violent andgrotesque manner. He wouldn’thave created a cause to fight, killand die for, he wouldn’t havehated his people to the extent ofsaying he takes delight in killingpeople the same way he killschicken and goat.

Abubakar Shekau is a perfectexample of how the governmenthave failed us over the years. Hislieutenants and foot soldierswould not follow his warpedideology if they were gainfullyemployed or engaged in moredecent productive ventures.

THE ongoing military action in Gaza,Palestine, fuelled by the continued

bombing by the Israeli authorities callsfor serious appraisal in view of theprecarious situation in the Middle Eastand indeed, global peace. This latestconflict was precipitated when some yet-to-be-identified assailants kidnapped threeIsraeli teenagers, only for their mutilatedcorpses to be found a month later. To theIsraeli authorities, this dastardly crimecould have been hatched by no person orgroup other than the camp that issympathetic to the Palestinians. This inturn led to the reprisal murder of aPalestinian youth after weeks of invasivesecurity sweeps by Israeli troopsaccompanied by mass arrests of severalsuspects.

Operation Protective Edge, named byBenjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PrimeMinister, is the most recent in a long lineof military operations against thePalestinians, was a massive onslaught, asthe Israelis continue to bomb schools,mosques, cafes, private homes and evenfacilities for the disabled, whichNetanyahu said would continue untilIsrael was guaranteed "peace andsecurity". Hamas, the militant arm of thePalestinian authorities, retaliated byunleashing rockets on Israeli towns andcities. As a fall-out, nearly 2,000Palestinians were reported to have beenkilled out of which 75 per cent arecivilians, according to United Nationspreliminary information. On the Israeliside, at least 67 people were killed, mostlysoldiers. Going down memory lane, Gaza,a small piece of land, was captured byIsrael during the Arab-Israeli War and washanded over to Palestine for self-rule afterthe Oslo Peace Accords of 1993 alongsidewith West Bank that was administered bythe Palestinian Liberation Organisation,

*Mr. Onyekuru, a socialcommentator, wrote fromLagos.

PLO. By 2005, the Israeli authorities hadremoved all Jewish troops and settlementsand a year later, this short peace becameshattered when Hamas won legislativeelections and began launching attacks onIsrael. This reaction elicited Israelireprisals and military action as theHamas violently dislodged the Fatahfaction of the PLO and began a rocketcampaign against Israel. This hostilityhas continued till date.

The Middle East crisis is complex andhighly political. There seem to be threedivides in understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For Hamas, itsrelevance and the loyalty of the Arabs canbe sustained solely by its fanaticism andcapacity to inflict brute assault,psychological and propaganda damage onIsrael and its citizens because its foundingcharter tends to support the obliterationof the Jewish state, as propagated throughbombings, kidnapping and rocket attacks.Extremist Israeli Jews on the other handinsist that the West Bank should remainpart of Israel while the extremist PalestinianArabs on the other hand are demanding fortotal possession of the West Bank and therest of Israel as rightful Arabs. Hamas, nodoubt, rejects Israel's right to exist and Israelon the other hand sees the group as a mereterrorist organisation. Aside this, anothercontending matter central to the imbrogliois the issue of land. Hamas is seeking anend to territorial and coastal blockadeimposed by Israel and Egypt in 2007,which Israel is seriously opposed to. ToHamas, it will not end its hostility untilIsrael agrees to lift its blockade of Gazaand frees the funds Hamas badly needs torun its government. Although, Hamasdoes not seems to enjoy the track-recordof being trusted in the sense that wheneverIsrael relaxes its Gaza restrictions, itresponds fast by importing morearmaments and finances in its warmachinery and offensive. With this

posturing, there appears to be no end insight in stopping the war.Disagreement over land matters is alsocentral to the Palestinian-Israeli enmity. Theland dispute is borne out of political,economic and security interests had resultedinto the killing of several people over theyears. In 2008, Israel sent soldiers into Gazakilling an estimated 1,300 people, many ofthem civilians, were killed in Gaza before adeclaring a ceasefire; 13 Israeli soldiers alsodied; in 2012, at least 167 Palestinians andsix Israelis were killed during an Israelioperation after an eight-day ceasefire wasdeclared with both sides promising to stopattacks. This perennial problem could beresolved by endowing residents of theterritory an equal claim to the disputedland. And to whom would the rent bepaid? Is it to the Israeli or the Palestine?

Instead, there could be an arrangementthat looks like a confederation of the two

governments whereby they will be accordedfull and independent access to entitlements.The concept of sharing the land has beenwell recognised by many scholars of MiddleEast politics. For instance, Martin Buber, inhis “Socialism and Peace”, bserved that the

only thing that can bring about enduringpeace to Israel is “a just distribution ofthe soil and the formulation of smallcommunities which would be organic cellsof this new economy and this new society”.If this economic option can be sorted outand faithfully implemented, then theIsraelis and the Palestinians can hopefullylive together in peace.

Resolving this age-long challenge willalso require sincere and unbiasedmediation of the major power playerssuch as the United Nations, United Statesof America, European Union and the ArabLeague. They should be honest enough totell the truth without minding whose ox isgored. The polarised disposition of thesesuperpowers is unhelpful. The USA shouldmuster the courage to tell Israel that itsexcesses are unbecoming and should becondemned in strongest term. Egypt hasbeen a mediator in the talks between thetwo sides by meeting separately with eachparty. This should be further encouraged.Other major Palestinian demands thatcould bring about enduring peace are theestablishment and recognition of itsnation as an independent state, theconstruction of a sea port and reopeningof an airport as agreed in the Osloagreements more than 20 years ago.Hamas is also demanding the release ofabout 100 prisoners, including dozens ofmembers of parliament, possibly in returnfor the two captured Israeli soldiers.Another key issue worth considering is theflow of money into Gaza, currently blockedby Israel. While Israel may shift grounds,Hamas leaders should realise that theymay never garner any internationalsupport with the continued use of rocketattacks, terror raids and kidnappings.Israel should also be made to know thatnothing meaningful can be resolvedthrough violence. Effective diplomacyshould be deployed to bring about thedesired peace in the Middle East byensuring that Israel and Hamas end thiswar without further delay and the onus liesmore on the UN, USA and Arab League.

The casualtiesare not only theChibok girls; thecasualties are allof us; even theBoko Harammembers arecasualties

Effective diplomacyshould be deployedto bring about thedesired peace in theMiddle East byensuring that Israeland Hamas end thiswar without furtherdelay and the onuslies more on the UN,USA and ArabLeague

48 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 49

50 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Continues on page 51

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Confab: Jonathan didn'tinterfere at all — Akinyemi, deputy chair

With the successfuldeliberations and

adoption of the resolutionsof the National Conferenceby the 494 delegates, theleadership has made historyby breaking the jinx that hasoften attended previousconfabs. In this interview,Deputy Chairman of theNational Conference, ProfBolaji Akinyemi, speaks onthe factors that broughtabout the success and itsimplications for Nigeria andits future.

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONALEditor, North

What does theoutcome of theN a t i o n a l

Conference mean to you as aperson and as a member ofits leadership?

The praise should go toseveral people andorganisations. Number one,the wisdom of the president innot micro-managing theconference made it possible forus to succeed. I can attest tothe fact that he never interferedwith our work on any occasion.Part of the reasons why otherconferences actually failedwere all these unseen hands,who never left the delegatesalone to take their decisions.So the president must takeprimary praise that he neversought to interfere, he never

their style of leadership toenable them to achieve setgoals; instead it becomes mybirthright. That is why deputygovernors are seen but notheard. And most of the time,it is the special assistants orthe civil servants around thegovernors who often play upto the ego of the governor tosideline the deputy. And theythink by sidelining thedeputies, they build up theirown influence.

Justice Kutigi did not sufferfrom any ego at all. I can attestto that. He treated me not as adeputy chairman but as a co-chairman. At our managementmeetings, I would say to him,‘my Lord, what is yourdecision? And he would say‘what is our decision?’ Fromday one, he had made it clearthat he wanted to run an openadministration where hesought the views of andencouraged the members tospeak out their minds and letour decisions be a collectiveone. I doff my hat for him inrespect for that because itmeans that his own views wereenriched by those of otherpeople in the managementcommittee.

Of course, I ensured as hisdeputy, that he had the lastword. There was no challengeto his authority. Secondcharacteristic of Justice Kutigi,was his fairness to all: I didnot see any trace of political

leanings or any trace of ethnicjingoisms in the man; he wasas straight as an arrow,steadfast and righteous. Hewas prepared whoever youmay be to bring to book, if youare stepping wrongly, nomatter which part of thecountry you came from. Andthat then empowered the restof us, like when I had topreside, I made sure thatnobody was made to overstepwhere they should be nomatter which part of the

country they came from,because I had seen JusticeKutigi do so and I know hewould back me in whicheverway I conducted myself. It isnot as if people did notattempt to drive a wedgebetween us but he neverencouraged them to get awaywith it. If any caucus went tohim, he would send for meand say Deputy, sit here andlet us have the meeting. Ifother Nigerian leaders wereto behave that way, that theycannot separate them andtheir deputies, they wouldmake tremendous progress inwhichever office it is.

A clash between us wouldhave made the conference tolose focus. I testify to hisrighteousness andsteadfastness. The thirdgroup that should becommended are the delegatesbecause nobody walked outeven though we had somedisagreements, which were

within acceptableparliamentary behaviour.That was very important andgave us the latitude tonegotiate differences. If agroup had walked out, wewould not be able to say thatwe had a unanimousdecision. As the chairmansaid at the closing ceremonyand as the president himselfconfirmed, that the report wasunanimously adopted. Thedelegates themselves knewwhen to pull back from thebrink. But this was also areflection of their belief thatmanagement was fair. Ifpeople really thought thatmanagement had pitched itstent with one camp, the otherswould have left. So thedelegates deserved somepraises. Collectively, weshould all be thanked for allthis.

There were times thatthings were really tough withthe management of the

confab. Why did themanagement not solicit theintervention of thePresidency in resolving suchknotty issues?

We did not seek theintervention of any group oragency in resolving ourdisagreements because wethought we could handle thesituation at hand. I mean aman who has risen frombeing a legal draftsman, highcourt judge, Appeal Courtjudge to being in theSupreme Court and the ChiefJustice of Nigeria hadcertainly accumulateddecades of wisdom. A manwho has risen from being auniversity lecturer to DirectorGeneral NIIA to Minister ofForeign Affairs, and I alsohad an activist past as amember of NADECO and alsobrought to my job as deputychairman, diplomacy to

A clash between us would have made theconference to lose focus. I testify to hisrighteousness and steadfastness. The thirdgroup that should be commended are thedelegates because nobody walked out eventhough we had some disagreementsintervened and he never sentanybody to the managementto say this is the way I wantthis or that to go. Number two,the praise must also go theChairman of the managementof the conference, Hon. JusticeIdris Kutigi.

Why do I say this? Nigeriais one place where officeholders hold on to the officeas if it is a personal property.Not that they are there toachieve certain purposes andtherefore they should calibrate

•It shows Nigerians can solve their problems themselves•Nigeria must become more assertive

•Akinyemi

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 51

Confab: Jonathandidn't interfereonce – Akinyemi, deputy chair

achieve our goals. While myLord was firm that whateverwe do principles aresacrosanct and sacred, Ibrought into the leadershipthe belief that diplomacy-justdialoguing could resolvethese differences andimprove right. If youremember at the beginningwe had this problem over thepercentages and then wecame up with the concept ofthe ’50 Wise Men’.

In diplomacy andinternational conference,voting does not resolve anyproblem; you would haveresolved the issue there isnothing called truefederalism. Each federalsystem is designed to addressthe peculiarities of thecountry.

That is why the CanadianFederalism is different fromthe Swiss one; the Americanis different from the French.Germany runs a federalstructure. And there arepeculiarities in each one ofthem. We did it now. Wereversed what looked like notjust a trend, the rush towardsa unification that started in1966 and that then built upover the next 50 years.

We reversed it as the just-ended conference by a morestructured federalism. Soissues were taken from thefederal government, powerswere taken from federalgovernment and sent to thestates. Number two: wesought to address in a criticalway, issues dealing with theyouths, the disabled. Thisconference recognised themas critical partners in theNigerian nation and that theyhad their peculiar problem,which were addressed. Wedealt with the issue ofunemployment in astructured way, thecontribution by labour andthe youths in therecommendation that they puton the floor. We sought toaddress this question ofimpunity that comes fromimmunity of office holders,which was introduced into theconstitution in 1979. Beforethen you could sue premiersand prime ministers andeverybody.

Now, we haverecommended that theimmunity be removed. Wehave recommended that theoffice of the Minister ofJustice be separated from thatof the Attorney General of theFederation, recognising thatone is really political and theother is professional andshould be insulated frompolitics and we have taken alook at the security structureand created two newinstitutions: the Border Patrolas a separate line of commandand the Coastal Guardbecause we want a blue seanavy, we want a navy that isreally a navy and not one thatpatrols the creeks and calls

itself navy. We felt that thenavy has no business in thecreeks. They should be at thehigh sea and protecting ourfisheries up to 250 milesIsobaths. So really, weallowed the states to havetheir own constitutions. Westrengthened the judiciarystructure in the state byallowing them to have theirown courts of appeal and a lotof these things are taking usback to the independenceconstitution and correctingthe aberrations that themilitary created. We passedover 600 resolutions duringthe conference.

During deliberations therewere many stormy sessionsand many feared that theconference would end up indisaster as the previous ones.What was your greatestmoment of fear during theconference?

I am a human being and Ihave fears and there weretimes that I had doubts thatwe would be able to managethe conference successfully. I

knew we were doing our best,I knew we were being fair buthuman beings are irrationalbeings.

And at times, I wonderedwhether we would succeed.But in those trying moments, Iwant on my knees and prayedto God Almighty to help us toovercome our challenges. Ialso then knew that prayerwarriors, whether Christians orMuslims were praying for thesuccess of this conference.There were delegates whocame to us and said to me sir,we are praying and fasting andasked us to remain steadfastand I will go to the chairmanand tell him that people werepraying for us that we shouldbe steadfast. They were alsodelegates and some traditionalrulers who were sending notesto us and asking us to besteadfast. But in spite of all thatthere were times I had mydoubts as to the success of theconference.

Looking at all theresolutions adopted by thedelegates, which of them

excites you most? There were several

fundamental resolutions takenthat are so exciting to me. Forinstance, look at the return tothe old National Anthem, infact to me we were sending outan important signal to the restof the world that we are de-militarising our system andgoing back to the adoption ofthe old National Anthemmeans a psychologicalfulfilling moment. And weshould learn to read signals:Do you realise that in thePresident’s closing remarks,he president uttered the firsttwo sentences of the oldnational anthem: Nigeria wehail thee, though tribes andtongues may differ….

Did the President do thatunconsciously?

No, no, no, I am sure heknew. I think it was a signalto us that he got our message.‘I hear you loud and clear ’and we clapped because wealso got his message. Just likesaying hey guys, I get yourmessage loud and clear.

That was on Thursday? Yes, that was so. It was like

saying yes I am with you onthat score.

Given your pedigree as adiplomat and politicalscientist, what majorchallenge do you think thatNigeria has to overcome fastin order to become a greatnation?

Look, Nigeria must learn tobe more assertive and stopbeing apologetic about itshuman, economic and humansize. Nigerian needs to stopbeing apologetic about that. Imean, a country likeCameroun has been so hostileto Nigerian over the years andyet we just say alright we don’twant to be seen as a bully. Ithink the time has come whenwe should say hey we are notgoing to be apologeticanymore about our size; if youare hostile to us, be preparedfor the consequences. I thinkthis is just the way I couldwrap it up because there arecountries that vote against usinternationally and then in themiddle of the night they comecrying to our president askingfor assistance and they getthem because when theycome here they are preachingAfrican brotherhood. Butwhen they get back over there,they start hostility towardsNigeria. To me, I want moreself assertiveness byNigerians. We are a robustvibrant people, who shouldhave a robust vibrant foreignnation and a robust vibrantforeign policy.

Finally sir, there are fearsin certain quarters that therecommendations of theNational Conference could bekilled at the NationalAssembly by Nigerians whoare uncomfortable with them.Would you be disappointed ifthe resolutions do not see thelight of the day at the NationalAssembly?

Of course, I would not bedisappointed anddisappointment would be avery mild word. I have justinvested five months of my lifein this conference but I don’tblame those who feel that sincethey could not achieve theiraim at the confab they can doso through the NationalAssembly. That is legitimate.That is why those who feel thatthe conference has achieved itsset goals should also go to theNASS and lobby and fight forthe implementation of theresolutions. They should notjust go back home to relax andput their feet up. To me whatthe opponents of theconference are doing islegitimate. The fault would beif those who believe in thevision of these resolutions thatwould give birth to a Nigeriaof their vision, if they now giveup and think that the war isover. They have members ofparliament, they should go tothem and use the press toeducate Nigerians that theoutcome of the NationalConference is in Nigeria’s bestinterest.

Continues from page 50

52 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Djokovic plays it cool despite Nadal’s withdrawal

2014 US Open...2014 US Open...2014 US Open

NOVAK Djokovic isthe generally ac-

knowledged favourite towin the 2014 US Open,but he did not sound likeit in his last pre-tourna-ment press conferenceon Saturday – even ac-counting for the absenceof the injured defendingchampion, Rafael Nadal.

“When Rafa is notaround it changes every-thing,” Djokovic said.“But, on the other side,we have all the otherbest players in the worldhere.

“Favourites? I leave itto the people. Really, I’mnot thinking about it.Everyone is starting fromscratch. It’s very open.Nowadays the competi-tion level is higher. Youhave players around 15and 20 in the world, andthe quality of the tennisthey are playing is high-er than five years ago, inmy opinion. That makesit hard to win this tour-nament.

“The biggest reason isthe game has becomemore physical. My coachBoris [Becker] won Wim-bledon at 17. Today it isvery difficult to do any-thing like that. It haschanged significantly. Ittakes some years to get

to the stage where youfeel you are actually com-plete.”

Djokovic ought not behugely stretched, how-ever, in his first matchhere, against the Argen-tinian Diego Schwartz-man, who is talented butflies below the radar gen-erally. Of more concernto Djokovic will be a like-ly quarter-final meetingwith the man whostopped him in the finalhere two years ago, AndyMurray.

Murray, like Djokovic,is in the doldrums. Butall that changes for bothof them in the raisedtemperatures of a slam.Each has prepared in hisown way, Djokovicspending more time withhis new bride, JelenaRistic, while awaiting thearrival of their child, andMurray … well, he’sbeen seeing a few of thesights.

Serena will play against ‘the future of American tennis’

THE U.S. Opendraw is out, and

five-time U.S. Openchampion Serena Wil-l iams’ f i rst roundmatch is against anAmerican girl who one

day may challenge herunbelievable records.On Saturday, Williamssaid that 18-year-oldTaylor Townsend is the“future of Americantennis.”

Townsend has al-ready had a memorableyear at Grand Slamevents, ousting No. 20Aliza Cornet at theFrench Open as a wildcard entry on the day

both Williams sisterslost. At Wimbledon,Townsend put up afight in her first-roundmatch with No. 31Klara Koukalova butlost in straight sets.

Townsend had abreakout year in jun-ior ’s tennis in 2012,becoming the f irstAmerican to be rankedthe No. 1 junior in theworld in 30 years.

FansContinues from BP

“The JSK player suc-cumbed to a head injuryafter being hit in the headat the end of the meetingwith USM Alger.”

Opponents USM Algerdescribed the events as‘terrible’, and released thefollowing statement:

“JS Kabylie’s Cameroo-nian striker has lost his lifeafter being hit in the headby something launchedfrom the stands

“In these painful circum-stances, USM Alger andits members send theirdeepest condolences tothe family of the deceasedand to JS Kabylie. May

Albert Ebosse rest inpeace.”

The president of the Con-federation of African Foot-ball, Issa Hayatou, issueda statement calling for ‘ex-emplary sanctions’ to betaken against hooliganism.

“My thoughts go out tothe family and friends ofthis young man who en-joyed his job peacefullyand went further to pursuehis passion for footballabroad,” wrote Hayatou.

He added: “African foot-ball cannot be the breed-ing ground for hooligan-ism whatsoever. We expectexemplary sanctions to betaken against this grave actof violence.”

NFFContinues from BPBafana Bafana on

September 6.Amadu said that Nigeria

would need a whoppingN20 million to prosecute thetwo matches but was at crossroads over where the moneywould come from.

The elections of theExecutive board of theNigeria Football Federationwhich holds tomorrowappears to have taken thefront burner over the twoNations Cup qualifiers andAmadu does not feelcomfortable with that.

‘’It is sad that nobody istalking about the matches.Everybody is talking aboutthe elections. As we speak,

we don’t have a coach toover-see the players whohave been called to campfor the matches. It isworrisome. These qualifiersare important and deserveattention but the electionsare not helping in thismatter’’, Amadu said.

Speaking too, formerscribe of the NFA, Dr TijaniYusuf decried the fight forthe soul of Nigerian footballover the matches in thequalifiers. ‘’Nobody istalking about the matchesand they still have no coachto supervise the matches.Instead, what we hear everyday are pretenders who callthemselves stakeholdersscrambling for positions.”

Ladipo wants free, fair NFFelection

PRESIDENT General of Nigerian foot-

ball Supporters Club, DrRafiu Ladipo has calledon the Electoral commit-tee conducting electionsinto various offices of theNigeria Football Feder-ation to ensure a levelfield for every candidatein tomorrow’s election inAbuja.

Ladipo who bemoanedthat Nigerian footballwas suffering at the in-stance of the gladiatorsfighting for elective po-sitions however urgedthe Chairman of theElectoral committee,

Amoni Biambo to con-duct a credible, free andfair elections devoid ofexclusion.

‘’The Electoral Commit-tee should make the elec-tions free and fair andensure that all Nigerianswith the requisite quali-fications are allowed tocontest. This is not thetime to ban and excludesome persons from theelections. Give everybodyequal opportunity so thatwe have better chances ofhaving people who willput Nigerian football onthe right pedestal’’, Lad-ipo charged on our hot-line yesterday.

REAR-ly READY... US Open number one seed, Serena Williams ready to return a serve from an opponent.

Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 — 53

CMYK

54 — Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

STEPHEN Keshihas appeared to

rule himself out of a returnas Nigeria coach afterlosing patience with theNigeria FootballFederation (NFF).

Keshi’s contract expiredon 30 June, shortly afterhe led Nigeria to the last16 at the World Cup, andhe had been negotiatinga new deal.

“Talks over a newcontract shouldn’t drag on.I can’t wait any more - theNFF is not serious.

“I have moved on. I canonly wish the country wellfor the future,” Keshi toldBBC.

Talks had been ongoingsince July but a series ofdelays caused byproblems within thefederation, including thesacking and the Fifa-ordered reinstatement ofthe governing body’spresident Aminu Maigari.

“There’s a game in twoweeks [Nations Cupqualifier against Congo]but no-one is thinkingabout it and at the sametime they expect you towin,” Kehsi continued.

“I understand theongoing crisis facing thefederation but the nationalteam should not sufferfrom such at this crucialstage.

“Sadly, I also thinkattention is focused moreon the upcoming NFFelections and the nationalteam is simply not apriority.”

The NFF officials areunderstood to have offeredKeshi a new four-year

NFF not serious, saysKeshi

deal and same $30,000-a-month salary he was paidin his first stint asmanager, while the coachhad asked for an increase.

Keshi says he hasrejected offers from otherAfrican countries whilethe negotiations havebeen going on.

“I’ve had about sevencountries approach me inthe last two months but Ikept them all away,” headded.

“I love my country andI am aware of the dreamour fans had of me takingthis team to the next level.

“While acknowledgingthe efforts of some peopleinvolved in thenegotiation, I think othersprobably have otherimportant things to do.”

Nigeria have alreadynamed a 23-man squadfor their upcomingqualifiers against Congoon 6 September and SouthAfrica four days later.

The defendingchampions will also faceSudan in Group A with thetop two advancing toJanuary’s finals inMorocco.

Meanwhile, NFFofficials say Fifa hasendorsed their plan tohold a general assemblyon 26 August to considerand approve a newroadmap for elections ofthe body’s executivecommittee.

The assembly will beasked to postpone theelections that were alsodue to be held on Tuesday,following unresolvedcomplaints raised by somecandidates.

•Keshi

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Fans stoneplayer to death

NFF needs N20m toplay Congo, S/Africa

NFF: Abuja to host congressCAMEROONIANplayer Albert Eb-

osse was playing amatch in Algeria whenfans started launchingobjects onto the pitch

The 24-year-old wastaken to hospital butdied after sustaining ahead injury as he leftthe pitch.

The striker had scoredfor home side JS Kabylie,but could not preventthem losing 2-1 to rivalsUSM Alger. As the finalwhistle blew, disgrun-tled fans started tothrow objects onto thepitch.

His club confirmed: Continues on page 52

BY TONY UBANI

S E C R E T A R YGeneral of the

Continues on page 52

Nigeria FootballFederation, MusaAmadu is growing greyhairs over where to getmoney to prosecute the2015 African Cup ofNations double headeragainst the Red Devilsof Congo and BafanaBafana of South Africanext month

The Super Eagleswould confront the RedDevils of Congo inCalabar on September 9and travel to Cape Town,South Africa to play

•Late Albert •Maigari•Danagogo

•Amadu

THE Federal CapitalTerritory, Abuja is

the official host of the 2014General Congress of theNigeria FootballFederation which holdstomorrow. After a meetingwith the Secretary to theGovernment of theFederation, Dr Anyim PiusAnyim, both parties agreedto settle for Abuja as hostfor the congress.

The parties also agreed tohold the election into theExecutive Board of the NFFin Warri in a fortnight inaccordance with a two-week extension approvedby FIFA

•Warri to host elections