i'm hale and hearty, still in nigeria — buhari

...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62322

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015**

I'm hale and hearty,still in Nigeria — Buhari

Mr & Mrs

Continues on Page 5

COLUMNISTS:

•P.44

•Clears air on health, certificate, PTF, foreign trip•Accuses PDP of playing politics of desperation•PDP bent on inciting hatred against Buhari—Campaign Organisation

ECONOMY:Let's do it right

>11

•P.20

By LevinusNwabughiogu

A B U J A — A l lP r o g r e s s i v e s

Congress, APC,presidential candidate,General MuhammaduBuhari, yesterday,dismissed doubts abouthis medical and

APAPA TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK:Rents crash by 50% asbusinesses, residents relocate

PAPAL DEVOTION—Pope Francis (R) waves as he arrives at the University of Santo Tomas during his visit to Manila,yesterday. Pope Francis celebrated mass with millions of singing and cheering Catholics in The Philippine'scapital, yesterday, inone of the world's biggest outpourings of papal devotion. Photo: AFP.

Lagos onred alertover birdflu

Egbin power plantrehabilitated toproduce 220MW

>21

Jonathan inMaiduguri

>P.9

>15 >9

Jonathan crashesprice of petrol to N87/ltr

Jonathan crashesprice of petrol to N87/ltr

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POCKET CARTOONVanguard, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015—5

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I'm hale and hearty, still in Nigeria— BUHARI

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kindof thinking we used when we created them.”

Fernando Pessoa expressed the idea of movingahead in life gracefully with these words, that “tobe great, be whole; exclude nothing, exaggeratenothing that is not you. Be whole in everything. Putall you are into the smallest thing you do. The wholemoon gleams in every pool.” And I buttress thisconcept with these lines from Brene Brown “Owningour story can be hard but not nearly as difficult asspending our lives running from it. Embracing ourvulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerousas giving up on love and belonging and joy—theexperiences that make us the most vulnerable. Onlywhen we are brave enough to explore the darknesswill we discover the infinite power of our light.Remember the sayings that “Your life is not a problemto be solved but a gift to be opened.”

131. A person shall be qualified for election to the officeof the President if*(a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth;*(b) he has attained the age of forty years;*(c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored

by that political party; and*(d) he has been educated up to at least School Certificate

level or its equivalent.

educational fitness forthe presidencydescribing suchallegations asdistractions by theruling People’sDemocratic Party, PDP,to deviate from the corecampaign issues ofcorruption andincompetent leadership.

Accusing the PDP ofdesperation having runout of ideas, Buhari ata press conference inAbuja, furtherchallenged the rulingparty to address thefallout from the poormanagement of theeconomy which heclaimed made many

Nigerian workers tospend the lastChristmas hungry.

The press conferenceby Buhari, the first byany of the majorpresidential candidatesfollowed wildallegations of hisalleged ill-health and

lack of the educationalqualification for theelection.

The speculationsaround Buhari followednewspaper reports atthe weekend whichalleged that the formerhead of state was aboutto travel abroad onaccount of his allegedill-health.

Debunking thereports, Buharidescribed the medicalreport widely circulatedonline at the weekendas forged as he saidthat the Ahmadu BelloUniversity TeachingHospital whichreportedly issued thereport has disclaimed itas a forgery.

My health— Buhari

According to him: “I

was at Nasarawa andBenue states yesterday(Saturday). Tomorrow Iam going to be in twostates. The day aftertomorrow in two morestates. I am doing twostates per day. How theygot the impression thatI was sick I do not knowalthough I got cold andthat did not stop mefrom going through myschedule.

“I don’t know of thisdesperation. The issuewe are telling Nigeriansis that of corruption inthis country for the last16 years PDP hasliterally destroyed thiscountry. This is the issueand what has my healthgot to do with that one?

“Documents havebeen put in the papers,on twitter that I amsick but the ABU saidthey are forgeddocuments. Thisdesperation is beyondmy understanding.”

When asked by a

reporter to make acategorical statement onhis state of health,Buhari jokingly askedthe reporter: “How oldare you? 50 years? I amtelling you if we go tothe field, you would notlast the time I will lastin the field.”

The alleged trip

Campaign officialsfurther disclosed toVanguard, yesterday,that the proposed tripby Buhari was upon arequest by the UnitedStates Department ofState which wasdesirous of soundinghim out on his views.The trip according to acampaign officialscheduled by the StateDepartment towardsJanuary ending had notbeen agreed to by theBuhari campaign team.

“Yes Buhari wasinvited by the StateDepartment for aninteraction but he hasnot been able to fix adate for it because of thehectic campaignschedule and it is ourview that he may nothave the time for thetrip,” the campaignofficial said.

AcademicCertificates

On the issue of hiscertificates, Buhariexpressed surprise thatall hell has been letloose on the issue,wondering where hisaccusers were when theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission,INEC, cleared him tocontest the previouselections in 2003, 2007and 2011.

“I have contestedthree times under thesame rules set by theINEC. I was allowed tocontest all theseelections because mycertificate was in orderand there wereindividuals that wrote

to the United States WarCollege and the collegeanswered them and itwas published by someof your papers. Soreally this desperationof misinformation thatis being passed aroundwill do nobody any goodbecause our minds arebeing taken away fromthe serious issues ofcorruption andincompetence by thePDP”, he said.

Petroleum TrustFund

Buhari, who waschairman of the defunctPetroleum Trust Fund,PTF, also responded torenewed accusations ofcorruption against himin the management ofthe PTF.

“That one has beencleared. There was nofraud in PTF. There wasan investigation andGeneral Obasanjo hasanswered that question.He confirmed that therewas an investigationand the report wasbrought to him andthere was nothing onthe ground as far as mymanagement andchairmanship of thePTF was concerned. Sowhat else can I saywhen the person whodid the investigationbecause he was theHead of State clearedme? So what else can Isay?”

On the current state ofthe economy, Buharislammed the PDP,saying they shouldconcentrate on payingworkers’ salaries thanplaying politics with hishealth.

“Well, the country isbroke now. How manystates could not paytheir workers’ salaries?Even in December mostfamilies were hungryduring Christmasbecause they could notpay their salaries, yetthey are talking aboutan individual's healthinstead of paying thepeople”, he said.

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION SAYS:

PROTEST—A man holds a placard reading "I Am Nigerian, Stop Boko Haram", during a gatheringat the Trocadero Place in Paris, France, yesterday, to protest against Boko Haram Islamists after alarge-scale attack in Baga. Inset: Another placard-carrying woman during the protest. Photos AFP.

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6—Vanguard, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Man, 43, kills friend over N30 dry ginin Lagos As Police raid community, arrest over 30

By Esther Onyegbula

LAGOS — THE Lagos StatePolice are currently

investigating the death of a57-year-old man allegedlystabbed to death by his friendduring a disagreement oversachet of dry gin worth N30,in Otto community, anoutskirts of Lagos.

Meanwhile, Police officershave gone on a raiding spreein the community. They weresaid to have roused somepeople from sleep and takenthem away. The officers, itwas gathered, came twice toraid the community andallegedly whisked awayabout 30 suspects.

It was gathered that thevictim, identified as Mr.Abudu (aka Baba Timo), whohad moved from Bariga toOtto some months ago, wascooling down with local ginat a joint with his friend(names yet unknown) whentrouble began.

Vanguard gathered that thedisagreement, which startedas a joke at 8p.m., last Fridaytook a new dimension at 10p.m., after the duo engagedin a fight, using dangerousweapons such as brokenbottle and cutlass on eachother.

It was learned that becauseof the harmattan cold, mostresidents had gone to bedwhile others could notintervene because of the useof dangerous weapons by thetwo parties.

Baba Timo reportedlyinflicted machete cuts on hisfriend's head and hand, whilehis friend used a broken bottleon his (Baba Timo) neck.

Unfortunately, Baba Timodied on the spot while hisfriend who sustained injurieson his head and neck iscurrently receiving treatmentat an undisclosed hospital in

Lagos.Narrating how Police officers

raided houses in thecommunity, Mrs Titi Balogun,whose husband and son werearrested, told Vanguard: “Atfew minutes past 11p.m., Iwoke one of my sons to put offthe generator, immediately he

did that and locked the backdoor, I noticed movementoutside through my windowand later someone began tohit on the back door very hard.

"I came out of my room andwent to open the door andbehold, they were policeofficers. One of them asked

me why we put off ourgenerator, and I said becauseit was late. They then wentinto one of the rooms andwoke my husband, who wassleeping. They entered theother room, woke one of mysons and his friend and thenarrested them.”

IDPS: District Head of Yola, Alhaji Sa'ad Bawuro (3rd right), presenting relief materialsto Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, from Mubi, Madam Zainab Umaru (left), in Yolayesterday. With them is National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Coordinator,Alhaji Sa'ad Bello (right) and others. Photo: NAN.

Man in EFCC’s net over $100,000 love scamBy Ifeanyi Okolie

LAGOS — THE Economicand Financial Crimes

Commission, EFCC,yesterday, said a suspectedinternet fraudster, Emeofa, hasbeen arrested for allegedlydefrauding a Swedish nationalof $100,000 in an internet

romance scam.Vanguard gathered that the

suspect, who is based in PortHarcourt, Rivers State, wasapprehended following apetition written by the victim,Hengameh Misepasi,through the NigerianEmbassy in Stockholm,Sweden.

Spokesman for the EFCC,Wilson Uwujaren, said thesuspect allegedly met thevictim online in February 2013and falsely representedhimself as Michael Briggs,an American businessexecutive on business visit toNigeria.

He explained that in thecourse of their affairs, Emeofapromised to marry the victimand later began to makemonetary demands from her,using various excuses.

Uwujaren said: “Once, hetold her that he hadproblems with governmentofficials and requested for aloan. He later cajoled herinto partnering him on aphantom timber business.The last request he madebefore he was arrested wasa demand for $10,000 toenable him travel toDenmark to meet her. It waswhile he was attempting todraw the $100 sent by thevictim (instead of the$10,000 requested) throughWestern Union that he wasarrested.

“The suspect will bearranged in court as soon asinvestigation is completed.”

Husbandarrested forallegedlydefrauding wifeof N830,000

DUTSE — JIGAWACommand of the

Nigeria Security and CivilDefence Corps, NSCDC, hasapprehended one AdamuAbdullahi, an indigene ofBauchi State for allegedlydefrauding his wife ofN830,000 while she was away.

The state commandant of thecorps, Dr. MuhammadGidado, who paraded thesuspect before newsmen inhis office, said he was arrestedat the famous Shiwarin marketin Kiyawa Local GovernmentArea of the state.

Gidado explained that untilhis arrest, the suspect hadbeen on the wanted list of thecorps as he left his house for14 months after committingthe offence.

The commandant said thesuspect defrauded his ex-wife of a total cash of N560,000and property worth overN270,000 which according toinvestigations, he sold andsquandered proceed while theformer wife was away on acondolence visit.

By Tina Akannam

FG condemns execution of two Nigeriansin Indonesia

By Victoria Ojeme

ABUJA — THE FederalGovernment has

expressed disappointmentover the execution by firingsquad of two Nigerians,Solomon Okafor and DanielsEnemuo, by the Governmentof Indonesia despite itspleas.

The Nigerians wereexecuted for drug relatedoffences at the Island ofNusakambangu in Cilacap,Central Java Province. Alsoexecuted with them were twowomen, one each from

Indonesia and Vietnam, twoBrazilians, and one Dutchnational (The Netherlands).

The executions were carriedout despite persistent pleas forclemency by the FederalGovernment, including theNational Assembly. Theexecutions had taken placedespite excellent relations thatsubsists between Nigeria andIndonesia.

Foreign Affairs Ministryspokesperson, Ogbole AmeduOde in a statement, yesterday,reiterated its appeal toNigerians to desist from drugtrafficking which attractscapital punishment in

Indonesia and in many othercountries around the world.

“The government willcontinue to engage theIndonesian authorities tonegotiate and conclude aPrisoner Transfer Agreementthat may enable otherconvicted Nigerians to returnhome to serve their prisonterms. Thus, the ForeignMinister has summoned theIndonesian Ambassador toregister Nigeria’s protest.”

Meantime, it appealed tothe Indonesian authorities toexercise clemency for other 12Nigerians on death row inthat country.

DPR seals 60petrol stationsin A-Ibom

EKET — THEDepartment of

Petroleum Resources, DPR,in Eket, Akwa Ibom State,said it sealed 60 petrolstations in the state betweenJanuary and December lastyear.

DPR Controller ofOperations in Eket, AsuquoAntai, disclosed this in aninterview, yesterday.

Antia said the stationswere sealed for sellingpetroleum products abovethe government-approvedpump price of N97 per litre,under dispensing andoperating without license.

He said that the sealedstations were among the 215visited by the department’smonitoring team during theperiod, and that it alsosealed 18 stations in CrossRiver.

Antai said that thedepartment will continue tomonitor the quality andquantity of products liftedfrom the depots and receivedat the stations, to ensure thatthey met specifications.

“The depot owners wereselling petroleum productsabove the approved priceand the departmentintervened."

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Nigeria risks grave economicconsequences, oil firms bosses warn

FALLING CRUDE PRICE:

Call for scrapping of NNPCLow fiscal buffers responsible for Nigeria’s woes — Ajumogobia, AvuruOil coys facing aggravated risks — Obembe

MEETING: From left: Chief Rasheed Williams, Alhaji F. Grillot, President, Eko Club;Mr Jimi Agbaje, Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Governorship candidate, Lagos State andSenator Adeseye Ogunlewe when Eko Club, Surulere members held a meeting with MrAgbaje at Eko Club Place, Surulere, Lagos, weekend. Photo: Shola Oyelese.

By Michael Eboh

LAGOS — CHIEF executiveofficers, senior executives of

oil and gas companies andformer executives of theNigerian National PetroleumCorporation, NNPC, weekend,said the Nigerian economy willdegenerate into a serious crisisunless something urgent wasdone to safeguard the countryfrom the shock of the fallingcrude oil price.

The executives also called forthe scrapping of the NNPC,stating that the corporation is nolonger making any meaningfulcontribution to the oil and gassector.

They disclosed these at asymposium to mark the 80thbirthday of Chief FestusMarinho, a former GroupManaging Director of theNNPC in Lagos.

Economic forecastsgloomy

“Economic forecasts aregloomy, interest rates will go up,oil investments will go away,international and indigenous oilcompanies will have problems,workers will be laid off andunemployment will sky-rocket,among others,” said Mr. BunmiObembe, Executive Director,Oil and Gas Commercial, TotalExploration and Production,Nigeria.

Obembe said the woes of theoil companies started since thebeginning of 2014, stating thatdespite the fact that oil priceswere high then, the oilcompanies had to adopt belt-tightening measures, becausethe prices were not rising at parwith extractive cost.

According to him, "oilcompanies were not in very goodshape in the beginning of 2014,extractive cost was rising at 10per annum, and oil prices werenot rising at par with the costs,causing us to adopt belt-tightening measures."

He further stated the risks andvulnerability of the oil companiesas well as the Nigerian economyhad been aggravated by thecontinuous decline in the pricesof crude oil and could throw theeconomy into turmoil.

He attributed the price slumpto consumer absorptive capacity,outcome of the 2008 globaleconomic meltdown, which ledto the United States putting inplace a quantitative easingprogramme and China’s

intrinsic control of theinfrastructure sector.

He warned: “The oil pricemight possibly stay low for a verylong time. In this case, onlyinnovation will help repositionthe Nigerian oil sector and alsogrow the economy.”

Rising unemployment

Speaking in the same vein,Mr. Austin Avuru, ChiefExecutive Officer, SeplatPetroleum, warned that Nigeriawas at risk of risingunemployment unlesssomething drastic is done.

He blamed Nigeria’s woes ongovernment control of the sector,low refining capacity and avirtually non-existent buffer, likethe Sovereign Wealth Fund,SWF, to serve as a cushionduring international economicand price fluctuations.

He said: “Some members ofthe Organisation of PetroleumExporting Countries, OPEC,and other non-OPEC oil-producing countries, haveplayed their game very well.They have been able to save forthe rainy day through theirSovereign Wealth Fund andother financial buffers.

“Today, these countries, suchas the Saudi Arabia, can affordto sell their crude oil with zeroprofit for the next three yearsbecause they have cushions,while Nigeria is looking, doingnothing and feeling the brunt,

because it has only about $500million in its Sovereign WealthFund.”

He further stated that for theNigerian economy to besafeguarded from the nextcycle of crude oil price decline,the country must be able torefine half of its total crude oilproduction among othermeasures.

Membership ofOPEC irrelevant

Also speaking, Mr. IbrahimWaziri, Chairman,Transmission Company ofNigeria and former ExecutiveDirector, Corporate Services,NNPC, said the role ofgovernment in the oil and gassector needs to be changed,adding that government’s rolehas reached a diminishingreturn.

He said: “Our continuedmembership of OPEC isirrelevant. It is more ofemotional sentiment thancommon sense. Ourmembership of OPEC is moreof an ego trip, it is completelydistracting.”

In his submission, Mr.Lawrence Amu, former GroupManaging Director of theNNPC, lamented the fact thatNigeria’s revenue is not beenused for development but forconsumption, adding: “Whatwe consume do notreproduce.”

Privatisation of refineries

Another former GroupManaging Director of the NNPC,Mr. Funsho Kupolokun, calls forthe privatisation of the countriesrefineries.

He, however, disagreed withcalls for Nigeria to pull out ofOPEC, saying: “If Nigeria pullsout, others might pull out also andthis might bring crude oil price toaround $9 per barrel.

Also speaking, Mr. OdeinAjumogobia, former Minister ofState, Petroleum, said the alreadydwindling fortunes of the Nigerianoil and gas industry had beenworsened by the declining crudeoil prices.

He said: “But the fall in the priceis really no surprise. During thepast 57 years of crude oil exports,Nigeria has always been exposedto and risked the prospect that oilprices could change rapidly,unpredictably and substantially.

“No mitigation measures otherthan our membership of OPEChave ever been in place despiteour mono economy for most of thatperiod and with the potentialcalamitous consequences for thenational budget, mitigated only bereduced expenditure, debt or both.

“The constitutionallyquestionable excess crude accountestablished during the Obasanjoadministration and the SovereignWealth Fund more recentlycreated, with a stabilisationcomponent have been the first realefforts at mitigation.”

Lagos onred alertover bird flu

By Sola Ogundipe &Gabriel Olawale

LAGOS — ALL chickenmarkets in Lagos State

and environs have beenplaced on red alert even asveterinary institutions havestepped up surveillance tocontain the avian influenza(bird flu) outbreak reported lastweek in two poultries in Lagosand Kano states.

Nigeria was the first countryin Africa to report H5N1 inpoultry in 2006, according tothe World HealthOrganisation, WHO.

Disclosing this to Vanguardin a telephone interview,Chairman, Nigeria VeterinaryMedical Association, NVMA,Lagos State chapter, Dr AlaoMobolaji, however allayedgrowing fears over theincidence, saying it was safeto consume chicken and otherpoultry as long as it wasproperly handled and wellcooked.

He said: “I can assure youthat we have been able tocontain it since it was reported.The farm that this broke outfrom has been quarantinedand they have destroyed thechickens in that particularfarm.

“Basically, all the veterinaryinstitutions within the statehave stepped up to contain thedisease and when I saystepped up, I mean propersecurity has been set up in allchicken markets in the stateas much as possible.

“Our members have beenput on alert and the farmersplace on advisory alert as wellto prevent the spread of thedisease so that it does notescalate.”

Noting that last week’sincidence in the two stateswas not unusual, he explainedthat the rate at which thedisease had been emergingand re-emerging is somethingto talk about.

He noted: “The last timesuch case occurred wasaround 2006 and it took us awhile to contain it. Thealertness of Ebola has help usto quickly attend to this onetoo as much as possible.

“This is also expected in thestate of globalisation,urbanisation which is on therise. Increasing the proximityof animal and human beingis on the rise and need to betaken serious because humanand animal are sharingquarters. Stressing thatchicken is safe, Mobolajiurged people not to panic,adding: “People should notpanic; people should consumechicken like they consume itnormally."

Vanguard, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 —9

PDP bent on inciting hatred againstBuhari — Campaign Organisation

WORKSHOP: From left: Chairman, Savannah Centre, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari;President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin; Inspector Generalof Police, Suleiman Abba and Director, Centre for Strategic and International Studies,Jennifer Cooke during Savannah Centre and CSIS partnership on Nigeria’s nationalelections with stakeholders' workshop, in Abuja, weekend.

By Charles Kumolu

LAGOS — THE BuhariCampaign Organisation

has called on Nigerians todisregard what its describedas ongoing misinformationabout the personality andrecord of the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, presidentialcandidate, Gen.Muhammadu Buhari (retd),by the Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, noting that thePDP is bent on arousinghatred against Buhari.

It also regretted that ratherthan focusing on issues ofnational significance, the PDPspokesmen have stuck to thetactics of demonising Buhari.

A statement by Mr. DeleAlake, Director, StrategicCommunications of theorganisation, called on thePDP to avoid dishonouringthe Abuja non-violence accordthrough inflammatorystatements.

The statement reads: "It isshocking that rather thanexplain itself over themultiple crises it hasengendered or has failed torespond to or offer panaceasto these challenging troubles,desperate Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, candidates andspokesmen have stuck to thetactics of demonising the AllProgressives Congress, APC,candidate in the presidentialelection, MuhammaduBuhari, using all sorts of redherrings, abuses, foul temperto whip up hatred against theperson of the APC candidate.

"We hereby alert the generalpublic that, that desperationwill intensify as the PDPsenses the increasingpossibility of losing theelections by a wide marginand once again, urge the PDPto honour the violence-freepact it recently signed byhalting the violence in itsstatements.

PTF"One of the red herrings

being projected by the PDPand its many hatchet writersin the media is the allegationof corruption and favouritismin the defunct Petroleum TrustFund (PTF) run by GenBuhari under the Sani Abacharegime and a little after.

"The critics suggest theexistence of dossiers andinvestigative reportssupposedly indicting the APCcandidate of unwholesomeactivities when he presidedover the affairs of the agency.But a few days ago, formerPresident OlusegunObasanjo, who was supposedto have commissioned theinvestigation, disclosed thathe was in possession of the

report and nothing untowardwas established against theAPC candidate.

"To the astonishment of allright-thinking persons, thePDP has chosen not to believein the authority of Obasanjowho ordered the investigationand has final say on it butprefers to allege that the manwho has the fact is dead. Canthere be a worse tragicomedythan this? Who really is foolingwho?

"The fact is that President

Jonathan’s mismanagementof inter-ethnic relations, acritical issue in a federalsystem like ours, is thesource of the tension thatpervades the nation. Wewish to draw the attention ofNigerians to the list ofPresident Jonathan’s 109-member PresidentialCampaign Councilpublished yesterday and askif any Yoruba person ofsubstance is on the list. Itsays a lot about the anti-

Yoruba sentiments ofPresident Jonathan.

"The fact is that the PDP hasconsistently avoided the mainissues of this campaign.Apparently, it has no answersto them. The party prefers tofocus on personal attacks,dreg up unsubstantiatedrecords of the general duringhis military rule, make wildimputations of his motives,and label him atrociously inorder to hang him."

FEB POLLS: We're headed for victory — PDPBy Henry Umoru

ABUJA — AHEAD of nextmonth’s presidential and

general elections, nationalleadership of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,concluded yesterday that withits campaigns across the country,it was already headed forvictory.

In a statement by its NationalPublicity Secretary, Chief OlisaMetuh, the PDP noted that inthe course of the campaigns, itdiscovered that Nigerians fromall walks of life identify withPresident Goodluck Jonathanas a leader with what it termeda strong bond with the peopleand their well-being,irrespective of religious, ethnicand political affiliations.

According to Metuh, thepeople of Nigeria will votemassively for PresidentJonathan to victory.

Metuh said: “As you areaware, in the last two weeks, thePDP presidential campaign trainhas visited states in the South-West and South-East geo-political zones of our greatcountry.

“The PDP deeply appreciates

Nigerians for their support,goodwill and prayers for ourdear President and standard-bearer, President GoodluckJonathan. In the same vein,we wish to thank oursupporters in states so farvisited for their solidarity andresounding resolution to votefor him and all PDPcandidates in the generalelections

“In keeping with ouravowed commitment to apeaceful electoral process, ourcampaigns have been orderlyand on issues devoid ofunnecessary politicalmudslinging and acts ofdesperations, especiallyseeing the fact that a majorityof the Nigerian votingpopulation is with us.

“As we move along, onething is clear, Nigerians fromall walks of life identify withPresident Jonathan as a leaderwith very strong bond with thepeople and their well-being,irrespective of religious,ethnic and politicalaffiliations.

“Our campaigns have beengreeted by the turnout ofmillions of Nigerians who are

eager to return our dearPresident to power comeFebruary 14.

“I can assure you that withthe support of Nigerians, wewill not only win convincinglyin the entire five states of theSouth-East but also deal theAPC a crushing defeat inSouth-West states includingLagos State where thepopularity and acceptability ofour presidential andgovernorship candidates haveearned us tremendous supportat the grassroots.

“As our campaign trainmoves to the north tomorrow,we leverage on the goodwillwe enjoy from our citizens inthat region. The north remainsa stronghold of the PDP wherein the last 16 years, we haveenjoyed massive support andhave continued to win majorityvotes as a result of ourunprecedented performance inall sectors.

“Our strength lies in the factthat of the 19 states of thenorth, the PDP controls 12 withsolid structures oiled over theyears in all the wards and localgovernment areas."

FEB POLLS:360,000securitypersonnel tobe deployed—IGP

By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA — OVER360,000 security

personnel are expected tobe deployed to providesecurity across the countryduring this year’s generalelections, it was disclosedyesterday.

Meanwhile, it alsoemerged yesterday thatthe Nigeria Security andCivil Defence Corps,NSCDC, has concludedarrangements to import 25sniffer dogs from theUnited States to detectlikely explosivecomponents during theelections.

Inspector General ofPolice, IGP, Suleiman Abbadisclosed this at asensitisation workshop onelection managementorganised by the SavannahCentre for Diplomacy,Democracy andDevelopment, SCDDD, incollaboration with theCentre for Strategic andInternational Studies,CSIS.

The theme of theworkshop is "Nigeria 2015Elections and Beyond:“Stakeholders Conferenceon the Roles of the Stateand Non-State Actors inMitigating Violence inElections.

Abba said the policealone would deploy about300,000 officers during theelections, adding: “Policingthe society has always beena challenge. All the policeofficers will be deployed,over 300,000 officers will beused.

“The Commonwealth hasalso offered to help us inthat respect of training by21st of this month. Some ofthe trainings are even trainthe trainers until it gets tothe last person on theirroles during the election.”

He added that theFederal Government hadprovided non leatherweapons and about 2,000patrol vehicles to ensurethe police perform theirduties during the electionperiod.

Reacting to prosecution ofelectoral offenders, the IGsaid the Police had themandate to perform theduty only on authorisationof INEC.

10 — Vanguard, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

SWEARING-IN: Mr. Zubby Ejere, Chairman Ellectoral Committee, Newspapers andMagazines Distributors Association of Nigeria, NDAN (right) swearing in; from 2nd right,Mr Folorunsho Bolanle, Chairman, Mr Kenneth Ikediuba, Vice Chairman; Prince AnthonyUdeozor,Gen Secretary and Mr Kenneth Akubuenyi, Treasurer, all new excecutives of theLagos Island Zone of NDAN, weekend. Photo by Biodun Ogunleye.

Council bosschargesresidentsover cleanenvironment

Jonathan’lldefeat Buhariin Feb polls— GROUP

L A G O S — T H EE x e c u t i v e

Secretary of Apapa LocalGovernment, Hon. BolajiCecilia Dada,management and staff ofthe council yesterday,embarked on sensitisationtour, tagged: OperationKeep Apapa Clean. Theprogramme aims toeducate residents andcorporate bodies of thedanger of dirtyenvironment.

Hon. Dada, at theoccasion, accused streettraders of dumpingrefuge indiscriminately atnight in street corners andinside drainage.

She said the newgovernment is nowsoliciting help from thecorporate bodies to clearall the dump sites inApapa.

According to her, “If thecorporate bodies see usworking tirelessly, they willjoin us in returning Apapato its glorious days.”

Explaining why refugeis taking over the streets,the Executive Secretarysaid; ''The residentsprefer patronising cartpushers rather than thegovernment assignedrefuse disposed truck.These cart pushers in turndump the garbage invarious places around.''

LAGOS—A group, Goodluck Lagos

Grassroot Project Mobilisers,has said that PresidentGoodluck Jonathan will defeatthe candidate of AllProgressives Congress (APC),General Muhammadu Buhari(retd), in the February generalelection based on record ofperformance.

The group said this at a pressconference it addressed inLagos, saying that Jonathan,from its findings and efforts ithad put together, would secure75 per cent of votes in thestate, even as it declared thatthose backing Buhari in theLagos APC were only doing soin order to take over control ofthe nation’s resources as theyhad done in the state.

According to the vicechairman of the group, MrTaiwo Akinfolami, “We knowthe godfathers of Buhari whoseLagos resources are in theirhands. They want the resourcesof Nigeria to be in their handsand they would fail.”

The publicity secretary of thegroup, Mr Sunday Olaifa, whoalso spoke at the newsconference, said the group haddecided to work for the re-electionof President Jonathan based onhis numerous achievements,disclosing that his group woulddo anything humanly possibletowards re-electing thepresident in February poll.

By Fredrick Okopie

I'll retain 37 LCDAs in Lagos— AGBAJE

JUDICIARY STRIKE: Lagos appealsjudgment relied upon by JUSUN

LAGOS—THE PDPgovernorship candidate for

Lagos State, Mr Jimi Agbaje,yesterday said he would retainthe 37 Local CouncilDevelopment Areas (LCDAs)created by the Bola Tinubuadministration, if elected.

Agbaje told newsmen at aninteractive session in Lagos thathe would grant greater autonomyto the LCDAs and the original 20local government areas.

The 37 LCDAs created in 2003

by the Alliance for Democracy(AD) Government of Tinubu, hadyet to be recognised by the FederalGovernment.

The Federal Government stilldeals with Lagos State on the basisof the original 20 local governmentareas but Lagos State has beenrunning the grassroots throughthe 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs.

Agbaje said if elected, hisadministration would move onfrom the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs,adding that the LCDAs had beenrecognised by political parties.

On reconciliation with ChiefMusiliu Obanikoro, who went tocourt after losing the governorshipticket to him, Agbaje said the partyhad a unity of purpose in the stateto take over power from the APC.

He said the APC administrationin the state had good policies,made achievements in someareas, but recorded poorimplementation of many policiesdue to 'vested interest.'

“Vested interest is negativelyaffecting the socio-economic andpolitical life of the state.

“Vested interest will preferbuilding commercial houses toconstructing low cost houses.

Agbaje's plan to cancel LekkiEpe toll plaza irks APC

Meanwhile, the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, Lagos Statechapter has described thestatement credited to the stategovernorship candidate of thePeoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr.Jimi Agbaje that he will cancel thePublic Private Participationarrangement of the Lekki-ÉpéExpressway as “irrational electionpromise.”

The party stated that the planscould discourage foreigninvestors, and ultimately, cripplethe economy of Lagos and affect

LAGOS—THE Socio-Economic Rights and

Accountability Project (SERAP)has asked all presidentialcandidates to commit themselvesto implementing a seven-pointanti-corruption and human rightsprogramme.

The civil society group made therequest in an open letter to theparties signed by its ExecutiveDirector, Mr AdetokunboMumuni.

A copy of the letter was obtainedyesterday in Lagos.

It said that such a commitmentwould help to end corruption.

It said: “We urge you to clearlyand unequivocally commit toconcrete human rights reforms toend the increasing level ofcorruption and the impunity ofperpetrators.

“Evasive commitments bypoliticians underminetransparency and accountability ofelected public officials andcontribute to bad governance.

“By making a clear andunequivocal commitment toimplement the proposed seven-

the wobbling Nigerianeconomy.

The State Publicity Secretary ofAPC, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, in astatement, expressed surprisethat at this age and time whenthe drive for foreign investmentis needed to break the shacklesof economic doom, an aspiringcandidate to the Lagos Stategovernorship stool should issuesuch naked threat to investors toboost his electoral chances.

point programme, Nigerians willbe able to make an informed andunbiased decision to vote forissues and not personalities.

“They will also be able tocompare what you are promisingto do and what you actually dowhile in the office.”

The group said that thecandidates must realise thatmassive high-level corruption hadcaused millions of Nigerians tosuffer.

According to SERAP, as part ofthe seven-point programme, thesuccessful presidential candidatemust publicly declare his assets.

It also demanded that he or sheshould ensure recovery of allstolen public funds since the returnof democracy in 1999 and shouldspend the funds on projects thatwould ensure respect for basicsocio-economic rights of allNigerians.

The group further requestedsaid that the successfulpresidential candidate mustavoid wasteful expenses andimprove the conditions ofNigerians living in poverty.

LAGOS—AS the strikeembarked upon by the

judiciary workers, under the aegisof the Judiciary Staff Union ofNigeria (JUSUN) lingers, LagosState government has said it hasfiled an appeal against thejudgment necessitating the strike.

This was made known at theweekend by the Attorney-Generaland Commissioner for Justice, MrAde Ipaye, while the four branchesof the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) in Lagos State met him todiscuss the way out of the two-week old strike.

Judiciary workers across thecountry began an indefinite strikeon January 5 to press home theirdemand for financial autonomy forthe judiciary.

According to the workers, theyare calling for the execution of ajudgment of a Federal High Court

granting financial autonomy forthe judiciary in the country.

At the meeting, Ipaye disclosedthat as one of the respondents inthe suit filed against thegovernment, they have decidedto challenge the court judgment.

However, he noted that the stategovernment was not against theindependence of the judiciary, butthe situation cannot warrant theworkers decision to put the courtsunder lock and key.

At the end of their meeting, themembers of the Bar called for anurgent resolution of the strike.

The plea by the lawyers from theprivate and official Bar(government lawyers) wascontained in a communiqueissued at the end of their meeting.

The communique was signed byIpaye, Mr Alex Mouka,Chairman, Lagos branch and MrYinka Farounbi, the Chairman ofthe Ikeja branch and others.

By Olasunkanmi Akoni,with Agency Reports

SERAP asks Presidential candidatesto endorse anti-corruption programme

By Abdulwahab Abdulah

...Lagos APC blasts Agbaje’s planto cancel Lekki Epe toll plaza


Ladoja, Ajimobi bicker overalleged N67bn state debt

By Ola Ajayi

OBSEQUIES: From left,Oyo State Labour Party governorship candidate, Otunba AdebayoAlao-Akala, AIG Boladuro (retd) and one of the children of the deceased, CP AbayomiOnasile (retd) during the burial ceremony of Madam Hanah Aduke Onasile at JogorCentre, Ibadan, Oyo State over the weekend.

Ogun teachers, Amosundisagree over strike, allowance

By Daud Olatunji

IBADAN—THE DirectorGeneral, Ladoja Campaign

Organisation, Mr. AdeoluAdeleke, has accused the OyoState government of plungingthe state into a N67 billion debt.

Adeleke, a former Speaker ofthe state House of Assemblyalleged the debt was incurredby the banks on account of a dealthat prompted the financialinstitutions to finance the roadexpansion projects embarkedupon by state government butwhich are now abandoned.

He said this during aninteraction with newsmen inIbadan, at the weekend.

But, Governor Abiola Ajimobi,said he was proud to say that thestate had not borrowed a dimefrom any bank since it came onboard in 2011.

According to Adeleke, one of thebanks is being owed N50 billion,while the Ajimobi-led governmentis indebted to the other by N17billion.

The N67 billion debt, accordingto Adeleke, excluded the billionsof naira bond already secured bythe government and more of whichhe claimed was currently beingsought from financial regulators.

The DG said the figure was partof a preliminary investigation byhis party, Accord Party, on the debtprofile of the state under thegovernment of Senator AbiolaAjimobi as of June 2014.

Also defending its governorshipcandidate in the February 28 poll,the All Progressives Congress(APC), Oyo State said the ancientpropaganda style employed by theAccord Party would not work inthe elections.

Speaking through its Director ofPublicity, Mr. Olawale Shadare,

the party argued that “Ladoja andhis party use the traditionalhunger for news of journalists topass across his childishpropaganda and ill-digested lies.The question journalists shouldask him is the name of the so-called banks the stategovernment is owing. It is onlyjournalists whom the professiongives the license to hide thenames of sources and importantinstitutions, not desperatepoliticians. Let him quote thenames of the banks and theamounts being owed them sothat journalists can go to thebanks and cross-check. Evenpolitical propaganda has leftsuch infantile level”.

Restating that Ladoja was

merely pursuing shadows, theAPC said the Accord Party andits leader could not fathom howgovernment could have suchhuge infrastructural achievementswithout borrowing a penny fromanywhere.

“To underscore the penchantfor untruth of the Accord Party,the Oyo State government, inspite of dwindling allocationsfrom the federal government, asat today, has paid the Decembersalaries of workers in the stateand is one of the few states of thefederation that has done so. Onlycontractors who have notcompleted their works are yet tocollect full payment,” the partysaid.

Adeleke also said that nothing

other than the profligacy and cro-nyism embraced by the rulingAPC as an article of faith could beresponsible for the “yawningabyss of debt” into which the statehad been plunged.

He tasked the APC government,which he described as an outgoingadministration, to ensure that allits debts were settled so that the“incoming government of AccordParty” would not be battling“avoidable and questionabledebt.”

The DG enjoined the civilservants to continue to endure thehardship faced due to theirregularity of their salaries,particularly the December 2014salaries, stressing that AP wouldcomfort them when elected.

Egbin powerplantrehabilitated,to produce220MW

NIGERIA’S powergenerating capacity

rose by 220 megawatts(MW) as Egbin Power Plc,yesterday, said it hascompleted the rehabilitationof its ST-06 220MW SteamTurbine generator whichhas been grounded formore than eight years.

According to a statementsigned by Engr. MikeUzoigwe, Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Egbin Power Plc,the rehabilitation hasbrought back the plant toits installed capacity of1,320MW and will bringabout increased powersupply to Lagos State.

Uzoigwe said ST-06,which was firstcommissioned inNovember 1987, suffered aboiler explosion duringoperation in 2006 due tosome water tubephenomenon.

According to him, withthe unit now generating atfull stream, Egbin iscurrently in the final stagesof a bilateral agreement tosupply the 220MW to IkejaElectricity Distribution Plc(Ikeja Electric) and EkoDistribution Company, adevelopment that is set toyield about 16 per centadditional power supply toLagos.

He explained that thecompany considers therehabilitation of ST Unit 6to be a major breakthrough,noting that huge resourceswere deployed intoachieving a complete teardown overhaul of the unit.

Uzoigwe further statedthat in spite of the fact that the electricity market inNigeria is not yet bankable,Egbin has in collaborationwith the Korea ElectricCorporation, KEPCO,continued to achievelaudable feats for the benefitof this country.

He added that KEPCOhad begun the overhaul ofunit ST-04 as Egbincontinues its quest toensure it operates incompliance with globallyacclaimed standards.

He maintained that thetransformation at thenation’s largest generationplant commencedfollowing its acquisition bySahara Power, workingthrough a number ofSpecial Purpose Vehicles incollaboration with Itstechnical partners, KEPCO.

A B E O K U T A —GOVERNOR Ibikunle

Amosun of Ogun State andteachers in public primary andsecondary schools in the state,weekend, traded words over thecommencement of strike actionembarked upon by the teachers.

While the teachers under theauspices of National Union ofTeachers and Academic StaffUnion of Secondary Schools(ASUSS) accused the governor ofengaging in failed promises andembarked on strike, Amosunsaid only irresponsible teacherswill go on strike.

The teachers had embarkedon an indefinite strike to presshome their demand for thepayment of the whole salary,saying, the government has

only paid part of their salariescontrary to its promise.

Addressing a joint pressconference in Abeokuta, the NUTand ASSUS leaders said theyembarked on an indefinite strikebecause the governor has refusedto pay 27.5 per cent salary he hadpromised to pay them last yearOctober.

The teachers vowed to continuewith the strike they had startedlast week, saying it would not becalled off until the governorfulfills the promises he made overtheir allowance and deductionfrom their salaries.

Chairman of ASUSS in thestate, Akeem Lasisi, said thegovernor was scheduled to meetwith the leaders of the unions onSaturday, January 17, but sentsome government officialsinstead.

By Michael Eboh


Delta APC, DPP, LP stalwarts decamp to PDP

By Simon Ebegbulem &Gabriel Enogholase

UNIBEN: PDP perfects plan to destabilise Edo—OSHIOMHOLE

By Daniel Gumm

Okowa assures on all-inclusive govt if electedBy Festus Ahon

Ochei drumssupport forJonathan,Okowa

By ObohAgbonkhese

BENIN—GOVERNORAdams Oshiomhole of

Edo State, weekend, allegedthat the opposition PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, in thestate had perfected plans touse a section of students of theUniversity of Benin, UNIBEN,to foment trouble in the stateand create chaos which maylead to loss of lives of innocentpersons.

Reacting, Edo StateChairman of the PDP, ChiefDan Orbih, denied theallegation, stressing that thegovernor was raising falsealarm, adding: “This man(Oshiomhole) will never ceaseto amaze Edo citizens byturning logic on its head. It isunfortunate that a governorwill use the auspiciousmoment of a state broadcast todwell on accusations.

“All over the world, leadersuse broadcasts to update theirpeople on how they are usingthe mandate given to themand their development plans.Oshiomhole has desecratedthe office of Edo StateGovernor by gathering Edopeople to listen to hisallegations.”

In a broadcast to the peopleof the state on Saturday, thegovernor alleged that theleadership of the PDP in thestate held a meeting in thehouse of one of the candidatesof the party, where theyplanned to recruit studentsand thugs to set ablaze petroltankers in strategic parts of thestate capital.

He urged parents to prevailon their children at the

University of Benin and othertertiary institutions in the statenot to be used by politicians.

He said that the stategovernment was still open todialogue with authorities of theUniversity of Benin over the18 property of the statereclaimed from the university.

He said: “They have heldseries of meetings includingthe one they held in the houseof a candidate of theopposition party in the state.At that meeting, which washeld with a section of thestudents’ union government,the students were induced tomobilise other students as theyresume on January 17. Theidea is that by Monday(today), they will mobilize

enough students with fundsprovided by the leadership ofthe opposition party in thisstate to cause mayhem inBenin City.

“Part of the plan is that thesestudents working andproviding cover for partythugs will hijack petroltankers, block roads with themand they anticipate, rightly,that the security agencieswould resist them. They planto set these tankers ablazeand in the process createconfusion and in theirestimation, this could easilylead to loss of lives. And ofcourse, they believe, rightly,that once there is loss of livesthe situation will escalate andthey believe they could profit

from such violence."Orbih, in his reaction,

continued: “After conqueringthe judiciary and legislativearms of government, itappears Oshiomhole is nowinterested in theresponsibilities of police andthe secret services. The goodthing is that Edo people knowOshiomhole’s history when itcomes to raising false alarms.

“Edo PDP has nothing to dowith the satanic allegations.Oshiomhole’s action wasmotivated by the victory heclaimed was secured in acourt. The process forexecution of judgment is clearas court judgments aresupposed to be carried out bycourt bailiffs."

....Gov raising false alarm, says PDP

ASABA—DELTA StatePeoples Democratic Party,

PDP, flag bearer, Senator IfeanyiOkowa, weekend, promised torun an all-inclusive governmentwhere all stakeholders wouldhave equal opportunity, if elected.

Speaking at Akwukwu-Igbo,Issele-Uku, Aboh and Kwale, hesaid that the PDP believed in thepeace and unity of all Deltans andassured that his administrationwill build bridges of peace andunity across the state if elected.

He commended the largeturnout of supporters at the rallies,saying that a 100 percent votesfor PDP was sure in OshimiliNorth, Aniocha North, NdokwaEast and Ndokwa West LocalGovernment Areas.

Flanked by party leaders,including, Chief David Edevbie,who came second in the party’sgovernorship primaries, Okowa

said a five- point developmentprogramme had been mapped outto consolidate on theachievements of the current PDP-led administration in the state.

He said a better future forDeltans was uppermost in hismind, hence the desire to servethe people. He urged the peopleto vote for him and all the PDP

candidates in next month'selections.

Appealing to the youths to shunviolence, he promised to createjob opportunities for the youthsand women in the state.

Also addressing the crowd,Governor Emmanuel Uduaghansaid by 12 minutes past 12 noonon May 29 this year, he would

have concluded all handing overformalities to the nextadministration in state.

He expressed optimism that hewould handover to SenatorOkowa, saying that “Okowaremains the best man for thejob.He has all it takes to move thestate to the next level ofdevelopment."

W A R R I — T H EC o m m i s s i o n e r,

Special Duties, in charge ofDelta State Oil Producing AreasDevelopment Commission,DESOPADEC, and Secretary ofOkowa Campaign Council,Warri South Local GovernmentArea, Mr. Matthew Opuoru,weekend, received formerHouse of Assembly candidatefor Warri South constituency II,on the platform of Democratic

Peoples’ Party, PDP, PrinceOdjuwu Okumagba and somechieftains of the AllProgressives Congress, APC,as well as Labour Party, to thePDP.

Opuoru, who received thedecampees, when he playedhost to a large gathering of PDPfaithful from Okumagba wards1 and 2, Okere, Otowodo andother wards in Warri Southcouncil, noted that the major aimof the meeting was to bringeverybody together to have a

sense of belonging.Describing himself as a key

political figure in Warri,particularly in the Urhobo axis,Opuoru enjoined party faithfulin Okumagba and other wardsin Warri South constituency IIto ensure that Delta State PDPgovernorship candidate,Senator Ifeanyi Okowa andother PDP flag bearers win intheir areas in the forthcomingelections, so that “We can havea voice in the nextgovernment.”

Satu backsMayuku forDTHA

AN ex-militantleader in Delta

State, Mr. Emma Satu,yesterday called on theIjaw of Warri South-WestLocal Government Area ofthe state to vote massivelyfor Mr. Daniel Mayuku inorder to continue enjoyingthe dividends ofdemocracy.

He said: “Consideringhis performance since hisemergence in the DeltaState House of Assembly,there has been so muchdevelopment in WarriSouth-West. A lot ofamenities have beenattracted to the variouswards and communities.

‘’This is the evidence ofhis track record ande m p o w e r m e n tprogrammes witnessed byall indigenes andresidents of Warri South-West Local GovernmentArea.

‘’As Chairman, HouseCommittee onAppropriation, Mayukuhas touched the lives ofthe people," he added.

THE Accord Party,AP, candidate for

Delta North senatorialdistrict, Mr. Victor Ochei,has urged Anioma peopleto vote for the re-election ofPresident GoodluckJonathan and to ensureSenator Ifeanyi Okowaemerges governor of thestate in the forthcominggeneral elections.

Ochei, former Speaker ofDelta Sate House ofAssembly, at Obiaruku andAshaka, during hisconsultation visits toUkwuani and Ndokwa EastLocal Government Areas,said President Jonathanhad acquitted himselfcreditably and that Okowa’sachievements, as a senator,provide justification for hisemergence as the nextgovernor of the state.

According to Ochei, whopromised to bringdividends of democracy toDelta North if electedsenator, “I was inundatedwith overtures of supportfrom several groups to runfor the governorship onanother party against Dr.Okowa. But I realised thatsuch a venture wouldbackfire as Anioma voteswould be split.”

ARRIVAL OF G22 MEMBERS: Former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State and Chairmanof Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governorship Aspirants Forum (G22), Mr. Nsima Ekere(middle), with All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Mr. Umana Umana(left) and G22 member, Mr. Anietie Ufot, at the Akwa Ibom International Airport, Uyo, afterthe arrival of G22 Members from Abuja, weekend.

Vanguard, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015—13

PDP's reduced Nigeria to laughing stock—OSHIOMHOLE

We're still intact, G-22 tells A-Ibom people

By SimonEbegbulem

B E N I N —GOVERNOR

Adams Oshiomhole ofEdo State has accusedthe ruling PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, atthe federal level ofreducing Nigeria to alaughing stock in thecomity of nations with its

alleged ineptitude in theprovision of basicamenities and fightagainst insurgency.

Speaking at two ralliesof the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, in EdoNorth and Irrua in EdoCentral, weekend, thegovernor said when thePDP took the reins ofgovernance in 1999, thecountry had 774 localgovernment areas, “but

as we speak, close to 30of those localgovernment areas arebeing controlled byinsurgents.”

According to him, “Itis time to askyourselves, in 16 yearsof PDP leadership, whathas PDP governmentproduced? For 16 years,they gave us darkness,no light, yet they keepbringing electricity bills.

They producedunemployment; ourcompanies have all closeddown. If the FederalGovernment does nothave good industrialpolicy, unemploymentwill continue to be here.So, PDP broughtunemployment andkidnapping to ourcountry. There was nosingle case of kidnappingbefore 1999, PDP broughtkidnapping."

By ChiomaOnuegbu

UYO—THE 22a g g r i e v e d

governorship aspirants ofPeoples Democratic Party,PDP, in Akwa Ibom State,on the platform of G-22,have called on Akwa Ibompeople and supporters todisregard widespread liesand insinuations in somequarters in the state thatthey were disbanded.

Addressing theirsupporters upon arrivalfrom Abuja, weekend, inUyo through theirChairman, Obong NsimaEkere, the group said thatthe 40 days they spent inAbuja brought them closerand more united thanbefore.

The group assured AkwaIbom people and membersof the PDP that they wouldnever give up on theirstruggle to liberate the statefrom the emerging politicalchallenge in the party.

Ekere said: “Let meassure Akwa Ibom peoplethat the 22 members of G-22 are intact and are unitedin the struggle. The needto give our people a newpolitical direction isimperative. In the next fewdays, we will strategise withour supporters andcommunity leaders toensure that the groupproduces a responsible andresponsive Pan- Akwa Ibomgovernment sensitive to theneeds and aspirations of thepeople.

“On December 9, 2014we arrived Abuja in searchof justice and preservationof the sanctity ofdemocratic processes andafter 40 days in thewilderness of injustice, itis time to move on to thenext stage of restoring thedignity of Akwa IbomState."

VISIT: From right: Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State PDP governorship candidate; OlorogunKenneth Gbagi, Olorogun John Oguma and other dignitaries when Okowa, paid courtesyvisit to Gbagi at Oginibo, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, yesterday.Photo: Akpokona Omafuaire.

Rivers PDP, APC poised for showdown over use of stadiumBy Jimitota Onoyume

PORT HARCOURT—THERE are fears that the

Peoples Democratic Party, PDPand the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, in Rivers Statemay clash in Port Harcourt overthe use of Adokiye Amiesemakastadium for their campaign, ifthe situation was not wellmanaged. The PDP, it wasgathered, has been angered bythe alleged refusal by the stategovernment to grant its requestto use the stadium for itspresidential rally slated forJanuary 28.

Meanwhile, the stategovernment has said that workhas resumed at the stadium, sothe place cannot be available foruse by the party.

It will be recalled that at aforum between the state PoliceCommissioner, Mr. Dan Batureand political parties in the statelast week, the PDP hadappealed to the stategovernment to release thestadium for it use, describingthe refusal as provocative.

State Chairman of the party,Mr. Felix Obuah said the denialwas unfair, insisting that it wasa public property.

On its part, the APC re-echoed the position of the stategovernment on the issue. StateChairman of the party, MrDavies Ikanya, who spoke at themeeting said the place was stillunder construction.

Commissioner for Informationand Communications, MrsIbim Semenitari, said thegovernment was firm on itsresolve to complete ongoingprojects in the state, includingthe stadium, before GovernorRotimi Amaechi bows out onMay 29.

She explained that the APChad access to the stadium forits presidential rally recentlybecause at the time, thecontractors had not beenmobilised to site, adding thatthe government was ready torelease the Liberation Stadiumin Port Harcourt to the PDP forits presidential rally.

She said in a statement: “Theattention of the Rivers StateGovernment has been drawn tothe statement credited to PDPthat it will force its way into theRivers State Government-owned Adokiye AmiesimakaSports Complex to hold itsRivers State presidential rally.

“It is pertinent that the RiversState Government sounds a note

of warning to the PDP that theRivers State Government willnot trifle with its responsibilityto guarantee the safety of livesand property irrespective of whois affected. The matter of theAdokiye Amiesimaka sportscomplex is a simple one. Thecomplex is still under

construction. As a work site, itis an unsafe environment foruse at this time.

“With less than five months tothe end of its tenure, theAmaechi administration isworking on ensuring thecompletion of all its projectsbefore the handover date of

May. With that being the case,the River State Governmentcannot move its contractors outof site at this time.

“Rivers State Government hasmagnanimously offered thePDP the use of the LiberationStadium Elekahia, which is alsoa state facility.”


CMYK


MEETING: From left, AIG Zone 6, Mark Idakwo; INEC Resident Electoral Commissionerfor Ebonyi State,Dr.Lawrence Azubuike, and Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, MaigariDikko, after the meeting of INEC with political parties, at INEC Abakaliki office.

CBN sold dollars to stem naira's fall, says Emefiele

THE GOVERNOR of CentralBank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr.

Godwin Emefiele, has said it solddollars to stem the Naira’s dropto a record low after JPMorganChase & Co. said the debt ofNigeria may be cut from its local-currency emerging-marketindexes.

This came as the Nigerian StockExchange,NSE said it wasseeking to attract companies fromoutside Nigeria to sell shares asslumping oil prices weighed onlocal businesses.

Obi ofOnitsha,JonathanreconcileGovObiano,ex-Gov Obi

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

NNEWI — THE Obiof Onitsha Igwe

Alfred Achebe, weekend,during a visit of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan to hispalace, reconciledincumbent governor of thestate Willie Obiano, andthe immediate pastgovernor of the state Mr.Peter Obi.

Responding to PresidentJonathan’s speech whenhe visited his palace as partof his campaign rally to thestate, the Obi afterextolling the achievementsof President Jonathan, ex-Governor Obi and all thethings incumbent governorObiano had been doingsince assumption of office,told President Jonathanthat he would not leave thestate without reconcilingObiano and Obi.

President Jonathan whowas with the Vice PresidentNamadi Sambo, his wifeDame Patience and that ofhis Vice Hajia Amina Sambo, was surprised bythe monarch’s demand andimmediately asked the twoprominent citizens of thestate to act in response tothe traditional rulersappeal.

They were reluctant toshake each other, but IgweAchebe insisted that theymust hug and when thePresident stood up tosupervise the reconciliation, they hugged andpatted each other's back. \

Former governor Obiwho was laughing allthrough the process,brought his hand forObiano to shake and whenthe governor obliged, therewas an ovation.

By Peter Egwuatu, withagency report

Federal Government reduces petrolprice to N87 per litre

By Emmanuel Aziken, Politi-cal Editor & Ben Agande

THE Federal Governmentlast night announced a

reduction in the price ofpremium motor spirit(petrol)from N97 to N87 perlitre.

The reduction follows thecrash in the price of crude oil inthe international market.

The Minister of Petroleum,Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, made theannouncement on the NigerianTelevision Authority, NTA, lastnight. She spoke from thepresidential villa apparentlyafter consultations withPresident Goodluck Jonathan.

She said: “I will like toannounce the reduction in theprice of Premium Motor Spiritby N10. Therefore, thereduction would be from N97per litre to N87 per litre and thiswould be effective from midnightSunday, January 18, 2015. Inline with this I have directed thePetroleum Products PricingRegulatory Agency, PPPRA, andthe Directorate of PetroleumResources to ensure that thereis strict adherence of this

regime as it takes effect frommidnight Sunday, January 18.I do hope that the entire countrywill benefit immensely fromthis reduction of the pumpprice.”

The price of petrol was fixedat N97 in January 2012 after theadministration made anabortive move for the fullderegulation of the downstream

sector which initially saw petrolprice rocket to more than N140per litre. The move waschallenged by a generaluprising across the country ledby the Occupy Nigeriamovement which organised cityshutdowns across some of themajor cities in the country.

The move by the civil rightactivists was coupled by a

general strike by organisedlabour.

The strike was called off onJanuary 16 after theadministration drew back fromfull deregulation and agreed toa reduction of the price to afixed N97 that would be variedaccording to a template basedon the price of crude in theinternational market.

“We want to reposition ourselvesas an exchange that takes care ofentrepreneurial growth,” ChiefExecutive Officer Oscar Onyemasaid in Lagos, The NSE plannedto “widen our geography so thatwe increase listings and supportcompanies looking to raise capitalin other countries,” he said.

"The equities gauge in Nigeria,which relies on the commodity foralmost all of its exports, fell 32percent since the end of June,with crude prices tumbling morethan 50 percent in the period. Thegoal of reaching a $1 trillionmarket capitalization by 2016 isno longer possible because of the

sell-off," Onyema said.Nigeria was placed on Index

Watch Negative for JPMorgan’sGBI-EM indexes after centralbank measures announced inDecember reduced foreignexchange and bond trading,making it difficult for foreigninvestors to replicate the gauge,the New-York based lender saidon Friday. The CBN intervenedafter the announcement,according to Guaranty Trust BankPlc.

“You have got a bunch of globalinvestors who are benchmarkedto the GBI and Nigeria is 1.8percent of the index,” Kevin Daly,

who has cut his holdings in nairadebt to zero among the $13 billionin assets he manages at AberdeenAsset Management Plc in London,said. “I doubt some of thoseinvestors would want to own it ifit’s not in the index.”

Reacting to JOPMorgan’s claimCentral Bank Governor GodwinEmefiele disputed JPMorganChase & Co’s assertion that therewas a lack of liquidity in the foreignexchange market and said thenaira was correctly valued. “Thereis no truth in the assertion by theindex team that they do not seethe liquidity,” Emefiele said onFriday in Abuja. “There’s no

Shake-up in Army as new GOC’s are appointed forMaiduguri, Ibadan

By Kingsley Omonobi

ABUJA — THE MilitaryHigh Command has

effected a shake up in itshierarchy with the appointmentof two new General OfficersCommanding, GOCs for itsdivisions in Maiduguri in NorthEast and Ibadan in South West.

The shake up which took placeon the orders of the Chief of ArmyStaff, Lt. General KTJ Minimah,resulted in the appointment ofMajor General L.O. Adeosun, asthe new General OfficerCommanding the 7 DivisionHeadquarters, Maiduguri.

This came as a suicide bomberin Yobe State, yesterday, killedfour persons and injured others

at a bus station, witnesses toldthe BBC. Adeosun takes overfrom Major General MohammedIbrahim who was removed fol-lowing a deluge of petitionsagainst him by soldiers over theirwelfare. Ibahim took over fromMajor General Mohammed, fol-lowing the attack on by soldiersat Maimalari Barracks during amutiny. Vanguard gathered thatone of the reasons for the appoint-ment of the new GOC is toreinvigorate the tempo of opera-tions in the North East and check-mate the trend of sabotage bycertain persons who have be-come familiar with the operationsof the division in the battle to dis-lodge Boko Haram terrorists.

Before his appointment, Ma-

jor General Adeosun served asthe Chief of Logistics at Armyheadquarters and was before thedevelopment, the Brigade Com-mander, 14 Brigade, Abakiliki.

Also, Major General SanusiMuazu who is the new GOC, 2Division, Ibadan is taking overfrom Major General Abejirin, whohas proceeded on retirement.

Muazu was the Commandant,Nigerian Army PeacekeepingCentre, Jaji before the new ap-pointment. Also, GeneralAbubakar is the new Chief of Ad-ministration at Army Headquar-ters. He takes over from MajorGeneral Garba Wahab who hasproceeded on retirement on agegrounds. General Abubakar wasuntil the new appointment, Direc-

tor of Administration at the samedepartment. Major GeneralChukwu, the former Chief of CivilMilitary Affairs at Army Head-quarters, has also proceeded onretirement after reaching themandatory retirement age.

Former Director of Army PublicRelations, Brigadier GeneralOlajide Laleye, has been rede-ployed to Benin as the Com-mander 4 Brigade, Benin.

He is replaced by Colonel SKUsman as Acting Director.

Usman, formerly served asspokesman of the 7th Division inMaiduguri and was also, one-time Chief of Staff at headquar-ters, Army Public Relations,Abuja.

reason to begin to take a look at”the naira’s value after the centralbank devalued the currency inNovember, he said.

Nigeria was placed on IndexWatch Negative for JPMorgan’slocal currency emerging marketindexes on Friday after centralbank measures in December re-duced foreign exchange and bondtrading, making it difficult for for-eign investors to replicate thegauge, the New-York based lendersaid in an e-mailed statement. Theregulator intervened after thenaira fell to a record low soon af-ter the announcement, accordingto Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.


CAMPAIGN: Kwara State PDP Chieftain/ Director General of President Goodluck JonathanRe-election bid in Kwara, Mohammed Dele Belgore (middle), being welcomed by crowd ofparty supporters as he flags off the campaign for National Assembly and House of Assemblyelections, in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Group urges APC leaders to replace Buhariwith Kwankwaso

CONCERNED MEMBERSof the All Progressives

Congress, APC, has expressedworries over the health conditionof the Presidential Candidate ofthe party, Gen. MuhammaduBuhari (retd) and advised theleadership of the party to replacehim with governor of Kano State,Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso who camesecond in the primaries of theparty.

Besides, the group expressedconcern over the educationalqualification of Gen. Buhari,stating that the noise being made

about it was a distraction from theresolve to take over thegovernment of the nation by theparty, pointing out that these weresome of the reasons Buhari shouldbe replaced.

According to a statement by thecoordinator of the group, AlhajiAhmed Garba and Secretary,Olugbenga Kayode: “We wish tocall on the leadership of the partyto immediately replace GeneralBuhari with Dr. Kwankwaso, whocame second in the partypresidential primary as thepresidential flag-bearer because

General Buhari is not qualifiedas he could not submit theminimum requirement of schoolcertificate to the IndependentNational Electoral commission,INEC.

“We see this as the beginningof the failure of the party in theFebruary 14 election. For a manthat so pride himself as the fatherof anti-corruption crusade not tohave submitted the minimumacademic requirement for this allimportant election speaks volumeof the character of the man.

Adefuye hosts 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr Awards

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

BOKO HARAM:Bomber‘attacks busstation’

THE NIGERIANAmbassador and Honorary

Chair, Martin Luther King Jr.2015 Annual Award Committee,yesterday, hosted the 24th An-nual Awards Ceremony to hon-our six eminent Africans and Af-rican-Americans alike who havecontributed to the legacy of Dr.Martin Luther King Jr., throughtheir efforts of economic empow-erment, national and interna-tional service, civil engagement,advocacy and justice and philan-thropy.

The event also featured a spe-cial greeting and message fromNigeria, delivered by the Minis-ter of Culture and Tourism, ChiefEdem Duke.

The annual awards started in1991, to honour the extra-ordinarylegacy of Dr. Luther King Jr. andthe legendary, Dr. Dorothy I.Height.

Honourees and categories are:- John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-Legacy Award for National Serv-ice- King Peggy (PeggielieneBartel), Dr. Dorothy I. Height.

Leadership Award: William R.‘Billy’ Martin, Dr. Martin LutherKings Jr.

Legacy Award for AdvocacyAnd Justice: Igho CharlesSanomi II; Dr. Martin LutherKings Jr.

Legacy Award for InternationalService- Frank. F. Islam.

Dr. Martin Luther Kings Jr.Legacy Award for InternationalService and Civil Engagement:Benedict Peters.

In his address at the 24th An-nual International Salute to theLife and Legacy of Martin LutherKing Jr. awards ceremony entitled''Why We are here'', Adefuye said,''Martin Luther King Jr.’s life andlegacy extends far beyond Ameri-ca’s shores. I remember in Octo-ber 1960 when Nigeria newly gother independence from Britain.Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, our first everPresident invited Dr. King to at-tend his inauguration. Dr. Azikiwehappily wrote as follows: 'I wishto inform you that I have includedyour name in the list of invitees to

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — THE Presidency,yesterday, described as

mischievous and malicious,claims by the PresidentialCampaign Organisation of theAll Progressives Congress, APCthat the government hadconcluded plans to hand over tothe Military rather than itspresidential candidate, GeneralMuhammadu Buhari(retd)

It said that the APC should useits energy to clear the name of itscandidate from what it termedthe mess of not havingprerequisite academicqualification to govern thecountry, rather than resorting todiversionary tactics.

In a statement yesterday by theSenior Special Assistant to thePresident on Public Affairs, Dr.Doyin Okupe, the Presidencysaid: “Our attention has beendrawn to a statement issued bythe Spokesperson of the BuhariCampaign Organisation,Mallam Garba Shehu, where healleged that an official of theoffice of the Senior SpecialAssistant to the President postedsome comments on the social

media suggesting that“government will rather hand overpower to the military rather thanto Gen. Muhammadu Buhari inthe event that the APC candidatewins the elections.

“We categorically deny that thisstatement was ever made byanyone in this office. The APCclaim is absolutely false,mischievous and malicious.

“The Senior Special Assistant tothe President on Public Affairs

personally handles his Twitter,@doyinokupe and other socialmedia platforms and continues touse such as a legitimate mediumof advancing the cause ofdemocratic good governance andinstitutional integrity whichPresident Goodluck Jonathanrepresents.

“Dr. Okupe has never and willnever associate himself withthoughts or actions which runcontrary to the tenets of democracy,

rule of law and the right ofNigerians to freely elect thosewho govern them.

“We urge the APC toconcentrate on clearing the nameof its presidential candidate fromthe mess of not havingprerequisite academic certificateand incapacity to govern Nigeriarather than seek a cheapdiversion from a phantom post bysome persons on the socialmedia."

A SUICIDE bomber inn o r t h - e a s t e r n

Nigeria has killed fourpeople and injured othercommuters at a busstation, witnesses havetold the BBC.

He drove a car into thestation on the outskirts ofPotiskum in Yobe State,called over a girl sellingwater and then triggeredthe explosion, one said.

Potiskum has comeunder attack several timesin the past from IslamistBoko Haram militants.

Last Sunday, two femalesuicide bombers targeteda market in the town.

That attack, in whichfour people died andmore than 40 wereinjured, was blamed onBoko Haram - it has notcommented.

Yobe is one of threestates in North-easternNigeria which has beenunder a state ofemergency for the last 20months in a bid to end theIslamists’ six-yearinsurgency.

But in that time militantIslamist group hadmanaged to seize control ofa number of towns andvillages in the area as partof its campaign to imposean Islamic state.

HAND-OVER TO MILITARY: APC’s claims malicious,mischievous — OKUPE

Keyamo saysJonathan can'tfight corruption,insurgency

LAGOS LAWYERFestus Keyamo hasspurned his fellow NigerDeltan, President GoodluckJonathan and endorsed AllProgressives Congress,APC candidate for the presi-dential election, GeneralMuhammadu Buhari, say-ing the President hasproved his incapacity tofight corruption.

Keyamo in a statementmade available to Van-guard, yesterday, said thePresident’s decision to ap-point a money-launderingsuspect who he, Keyamo isprosecuting on behalf of theEconomic and FinancialCrimes Commission,EFCC, was a great act ofindiscretion.

Keyamo also dismissedassertions of Buhari’s lackof a certificate as a non-is-sue just as he flayed thePeoples Democratic Party,PDP, for focussing its cam-paign on the personality ofthe APC candidate insteadof on issues.

While enjoining Nigerianelite to move from the fence,he said: “We have a Presi-dent who has no single ap-petite to fight corruption –yes, none.''

attend my inauguration...., be-cause it will be the first time inour national history when a per-son of African descent will be as-suming the high office of theHead of State of Nigeria.'

Dr. King’s preaching and prin-ciple of non-violent approach toovercome oppression and injus-tice inspired a generation of Afri-can nationalists who led the strug-gle against colonialism across Af-rica in the 1960s. His contribu-tion to the struggle against apart-heid in South Africa is well doc-umented, with a steady stream ofletters to the United Nations. Hisappeal for action against apart-heid in 1962 led to the establish-ment of the UN Special Commit-tee against Apartheid in 1963.Remembering this man of peace,

as we do today, provides a per-fect opportunity for all of us,Americans and non- Americansalike, to honour Dr. King’s lega-cy of service. As part of activitiesto celebrate the life of this greatAmerican, the Institute for theAdvancement of Multiculturaland Minority Medicine has cho-sen today to honor few individu-als who have made immensecontributions to uplift their com-munities in various spheres ofhuman endeavour. MartinLuther King Jr.’s life was a life ofservice and sacrifice. Indeed, hepaid the supreme prize fightingfor equality and respect for Afri-can Americans, the economical-ly disadvantaged and victims ofinjustice.''

CMYK


CMYK

OPINION


By Bobson Gbinije

OPINION202020202015: That Okpes labour no15: That Okpes labour no15: That Okpes labour no15: That Okpes labour no15: That Okpes labour not in vt in vt in vt in vt in vainainainainain

*Mr. Gbinije, a social critic, wrote fromWarri, Delta State.

“If you shut up truth and bury it under theground, It will but grow, and gather to itselfsuch explosive power That the day it burstthrough, it will blow up everything in its way.”- EMILE ZOLA (1840 - 1924)

THE Okpes, by way of the demographicstatistics recorded in the 1962, 1963,

1973 and 1991 census show that theyconstitute the single largest ethnic group notonly as Urhobos, but as a unique dialecticalamalgam in the present Delta state. TheOkpe kingdom in terms of geographicalspread covers a total area of about 550square miles with its boundaries co-terminating with the Uvwie kingdom,Ughelli kingdom, Benin kingdom, etc. It’slongitudinal and latitudinal extremes aredelineated axially.

The Okpe kingdom is rich in mineralresources, cash crops and commercial wares.It’s most viable endowment is in oil andgas, fertile and arable land, rivers, timberand rubber. Some of its major towns areSapele, Orerokpe, Okobia, Adeje, Elume,Ughoton, Amukpe, Aghalokpe, Evwriyenand Jeddo. The Okpes have four ruling house(Adane Okpe), namely Esezi, Ebvreke,Orhoro and Orhue. Okpes have two localgovernment councils – Sapele and OkpeLocal Government Areas.

Politically, the Okpes have always beeninstrumental in the victory of the rulingparties. In 1954 – 1959, Okpes voted andpitched their political tents with theNational Congress of Nigeria Citizens, in1979 – 83 they voted for the National Partyof Nigeria, in the Babangida and Abacha

phantom transition programme they votedfor the Social Democratic Party and in the1991 Abdusalam Abubakar-conductedelections they voted for the PeoplesDemocratic Party, in the Olusegun Obasanjo,Musa Yar ’Adua and Goodluck EbeleJonathan era they also pitched their politicaltent with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).At Delta State level, the Okpes have alwaysvoted for the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP). But, in all of these the Okpes havenothing to show. They have been voting fornothing. This is why the Okpes are stillgyrating in the crypts and concentric cycleof gross under-development, poverty, crassmarginalization, oppression andhorrendous neglect etc.

In the present political dispensation Okpesare totally cocooned and barricaded fromthe realms of governance. The Governor, theDeputy Governor, the Speaker, DeputySpeaker, Special Legislative, SpecialJudicial, Board Membership andCommissionership positions are completelyout of their reach. We had one commissionerfor special slavery that has now beenchanged to Commissioner for Powerlessness

and De-energization. What anadministrative circuitous peripateticescapades by political troubadours. Thisbuffoonery and political circus must beextirpated not only from grassroots level, butfrom root hair base to tree top heights.

In the light of the aforesaid, the questionarises, where do we go from here? With allour demographic numerical superiority, ouroil producing area status, our humanresources and our large spans of arable landthe Okpe nation still stew in the labyrinth ofmonumental neglect. The late Esezi II theOrodje of Okpe kingdom used to say that“the pot which is prepared to lick the soupmust be prepared to endure the heat of thefire”. It is high time we started perfectingstrategies, fine-tuning logistics andorchestrating actions towards facing thefuture, mastering the present and managingthe unpredictable as it relates to the growthand development of the Okpe Nation.

One must however mention that thedynamics of development in aheterogeneous society entails the survivalistcredo, because of the multi-dimensionalinterest competing for the limited availableresources. This is peculiarly so in a countrylike Nigeria whose political economy hasbeen chequered in the past 54 years ofindependence. And every new governmentinitiates a new economic, social andpolitical programme. This state ofdiscontinuity, policy tergiversation anddevelopmental Babel has precipitatedcentrifugal proclivities reflected in a latent

desire of the individual, Nigeriancommunities, tribal groups and variousinterest to develop themselves throughdiplomatic influencing of governmentpolicies and community efforts. A state ofsurvival of the fittest becomes renascent. Butwhat are the Okpes doing about this?

When he was being awarded the Nobleprize for peace in 1986, Elie Weisel, a Jewishholocaust survivor of Hungarian descent,drew from the store of history and wisdomto pass a very salient message to humankind. He said “The opposite of love is nothate, its indifference, the opposite of art isnot ugliness, its indifference, the opposite offaith is not heresy, its indifference. And theopposite of life is not death, its indifference.There are times when we are powerless toprevent injustice, but there must never be atime when we fail to protest. We must alwaystake sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor,never the victim. Silence encourages thetormentor never the tormented.” The Okpeleadership, especially our politicians arecompletely lugubrious and indifferent to thedevelopment of Okpe land and its people.

The Okpes need total political liberationin the year 2015. Now, that the near 2015election is around the corner, individualsand communities are locked in constructivedialogue on the way forward for their variouscommunities and interest. Wither goeth theOkpes? There must be a call to order by theOkpe people, otherwise this wanton steeplechasing down the precipitous abyss of thepolitical epicenter will attain anArmageddon-like proportion.

There must be a call toorder by the Okpe people,otherwise this wantonsteeple chasing will attainan Armageddon-likeproportion

HUNGER can do things to an individual.He could get angry, go for anything toquash the hunger, without minding theconditions, or hold on to his convictions,no matter what. Many of our politiciansare hungry for power, just like ordinaryNigerians need food, water, health services,jobs.

Nothing would have been wrong if thehunger for power has some space to addressthe problems that generality of Nigeriansface. Politicians want power forthemselves, their immediate families. Forthem, being in office is the opportunity tooppress others. Power is so important topoliticians that they are willing tocompromise to get power.

Once they smelt the juicy trappings ofappointments, the possibilities of accessto national coffers under the guise ofserving the people, politicians are readyto jump ship, denounce everything theyonce claimed to be, if such change ofposition will get them into office. Theircampaigns on the evils of other parties arebasic efforts at creating relevance forthemselves in their desperate search forpolitical positions.

Just StomachDemocracy

In real terms, the differences among theparties are facades meant to maintain theoptions available to politicians if they failat the polls. The politicians’ mentality ismore about their own welfare (democracyof the stomach, as the late KingsleyOzumba Mbadiwe called it) than anyimprovement in the condition of Nigerians.

More recently, “stomach infrastructure”has been used to describe the aspirationof Nigerians for basics, especially food,which wily politicians exploit in canvassingfor votes. While it may seem that ordinaryNigerians are the only ones for “stomachinfrastructure”, the frequent flip of

politicians from one party to the other, isa higher version of the search for basicneeds. The hunger for political officeovershadows minimal standards of rule oflaw in elections. Politicians would doanything to be in office.

Beyond the jostling for office, the politicalparties should be clearer on their positionson salient issues like the economy, security,and job creation. None of them hasinformed positions on these issues. Theircampaign promises are not discussing howthey would mobilise resources to run thecountry in the midst of collapsed oil prices.How would they re-direct the country fromthe near total dependence on oil? What istheir magic wand for rapid improvementsin electricity supply?

Democracy of the stomach is crucial tothe survival of democracy. Withoutaddressing the basic needs of the people,particularly excruciating poverty, thatlimits the capacities of people to appreciateissues, politicians are creating crisis thatcan drown democracy. People are hungry;people are angry.

Nigerians, in their, anger should considerfuture hunger in casting their votes.


CMYK


OPINIONByEgheomhanre Eyienyien

*Mr. Eyienyien, a commentator on national issues, wrotefrom Abuja.

The dilemma of neo-The dilemma of neo-The dilemma of neo-The dilemma of neo-The dilemma of neo-BuharistsBuharistsBuharistsBuharistsBuharists

JANUARY 14 every year is set asideas the day when activities to

remember and honour members of thenation’s armed forces come to an end.This year was not different. What wasdifferent was that it was a day thePresident, Commander-in-Chief of theArmed Forces of the Federal Republicof Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck EbeleJonathan, finally came out of his shell.Let me not say he came out of hiding.

You will recall that after the bomb blastsnear Eagle Square on October 1, 2010,which were later blamed on the outlawedMovement for the Emancipation of theNiger Delta (MEND), Boko Haramactivities picked up the following yeararound Abuja, and the presidentresorted to inspecting the ceremonialchange of guards on independence daysin the courtyards of Aso Villa. When thearmed forces flushed the terrorists fromMaiduguri and other towns in the Northeast into Sambisa and other “forests”,Boko Haram defied series of emergencyrules and started attacking villages,hamlets, schools and markets in the threestates of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

Last year alone, Boko Haram not onlykilled boys in a Yobe boarding school butalso abducted 276 girls from the DaySecondary School in Chibok, thussparking worldwide outrage. TheIslamist militants became emboldenedand abandoned asymmetrical warfare.They acquired conventional weaponsand started acquiring territories,overrunning towns such as Bama, Baga,Gwoza, Madagalli, Michika, Mubi andothers, bringing at least sixteen localgovernment councils under its control.The Nigerian Armed Forces sufferedhumiliating media image, as mutiniesand sabotages became the order of theday. This forced the army to conductseries of Court Martials.

Many Nigerians were frustrated thattheir president did not see it fit to visitthe North east and show he cared. OnJanuary 14th this year, we saw adifferent President Jonathan. Wearing asimple grey with a black “boat hat” tomatch (without bullet-proof vest) GEJwent to the Abuja military cemetery toparticipate in the solemn ceremonies ofpaying tributes to fallen members of thearmed forces. The papers reported arumpus during the parades, in whichone of the soldiers firing the gun salutegot his rifle hooked to the belt of histunic. The president’s dare-devil guardsimmediately shielded him with their ownbodies because it seemed the soldierintended some foul play. When it waslater established that it was an

Jonathan in MaiduguriJonathan in MaiduguriJonathan in MaiduguriJonathan in MaiduguriJonathan in Maiduguriinnocuous mix-up, the ceremonies wenton. Through it all, GEJ, as The PUNCHput it, “remained unruffled”.

A couple of hours later, news had itthat the president had made a surpriselanding in Maiduguri, the epicenter ofthe war against terror. Daily Trust, thenorthern newspaper known for itsbarefaced anti-Jonathan slants, came outwith a headline: “Jonathan Sneaks IntoMaiduguri”. I wondered if otherpresidents usually send town-criers toannounce their impending visits totheatres of military operation. Well, evenif the president “sneaked” intoMaiduguri, he did not exactly sneakaround while there. When he landed,he was met by a full company of officialsof the Borno State Government, led bythe Governor, Kashim Shettima. Hetoured Maimalari Barracks,headquarters of the 7th Division of theArmy, visited injured soldiers receivingtreatment in hospitals and best of all,went to the camp of Internally DisplacedPersons (IDPs). He consoled, pep-talkedand made heart-lifting promises to the

people he leads. It was a very successfultrip and also every well received.

The questions remained though. Wasthe president’s visit “too late” as somehave said? Certainly, for me, the visitwas late, but not too late. It would havebeen wonderful if the president hadbeen to Chibok shortly after theabductions to meet the families of thegirls rather than suffer the indignity ofhaving Pakistani teenager, MalaliYousafzai, come to Aso Villa to advisehim what to do. He should have visitedthe troops sooner to lift their spirits. Thearmy’s spirits needed to be bolsteredafter that spate of internal sabotages andbetrayals that led to avoidable losses oftheir members and seizures of theirweapons by Boko Haram that was beingaided from inside. They needed to beshielded from rabid oppositioncommentators, such as Nasir el Rufai,the Northern Elders Forum, BornoElders Forum and other northernleaders who called them dirty names andaccused them of crimes againsthumanity. The military needed to knowthat we as a nation, still appreciate theirsacrifices and display of heroism, and

we did not need to wait for theRemembrance Day to do so.

But we also have to bear it in mindthat no president would go to a theatreof conflict on a surprise visit to troopsuntil the situation reasonably guaranteeshis safety. Much as I would have likedhim to have gone earlier, I also realisethat I am not the one to dictate for himwhen to go. He can’t even go justbecause he wants to. The securityprofessionals around him have the finalsay on that. People are free to speculatethat the president went to Maiduguri atthis juncture to make things easier forhim and his party when they alightthere this week for the presidentialcampaigns. It is a legitimate speculation.But it also stands to reason if one pins iton the fact that the army, having recentlyreceived a large consignment of armsand ammunition to conclude the militarycampaigns in the nearest future,decided it is time for the president tovisit.

What would the president have said tothe IDPs if he went after the abductions inApril 2014, only for Boko Haram to sweepthrough southern Borno into Adamawa?At least, he was in a position to tell thedisplaced persons that the army wasnow ready to finish the job to enablethem return to their communities as soonas possible. I join the people of Bornowho were jubilating on seeing theirpresident and governor come to interactwith them. I pat Governor Shettima onthe back for joining hands with thenation’s leader in that visit, abandoningthe old tactics of badmouthing him onCNN and other western media forums.

The task of defeating Boko Haram isfor all of us. We are going to do it, evenif it means some people losing theirinstruments to blackmail the president.

THERE are two kinds of Buharists: The Classic Buharistsand the Neo-Buharists. The Classic Buharists genuinely

love Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. To them, he is the epitomeof a true leader. They truly believe he is all they say he is.They think he is not corrupt and that he is evenincorruptible. Their devotion to the man they like to callthe "People's General" is total; bordering on worship. Nocontrary argument can burst their bubble. In fact, youdare to persuade them that Gen. Buhari is not the manthey think him to be at your peril. Violence, verbal and/or physical, comes natural to them when they think youdenigrate GMB.

The Neo-Buharists are recent converts to Buharism whofed too long on the well-orchestrated narrative thatPresident Goodluck Jonathan is "clue-less" and isincapable of leading Nigeria. They have been led tobelieve that our country's state is dire and that things areat their worst possible state. They believe "$20Billion ismissing"! To them, "nothing is working". It is futilepointing out to them the achievements of the Jonathanadministration. They see none whatsoever. They want"change".

Ordinarily, the Neo-Buharists would never even haveconsidered Gen. Buhari as presidential material. They knowhim too well. They are not impressed about Buhari'santecedents. But they would rather not discuss it. Since theyare convinced that President Jonathan has not performedwell enough they believe they have no option but to settlefor Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

To reassure themselves about the rationality of supportingBuhari, they are quick to point out the difference between amilitary despot and a democratic President. They areforgiving of Buhari's inglorious past. They hope he haschanged. They are not unaware of his many short-comings.They know he is a religious fundamentalist who is an avowedproponent of the implementation of Sharia acrossNigeria. They point out the impossibility of institutingSharia nationwide in a democracy and remind you thattheir man did not even do so when he could as a militaryHead of State. To them, it matters not that the brand ofSharia Law he advocates is a contravention of theConstitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which hewould be sworn to uphold should he be President. Theyequally ignore the fact that he once called on Muslim votersto vote only for Muslims even as he is now tranversing thecountry soliciting the votes of Nigerians of all religions.

Neo-Buharists are mindful of Gen. Buhari's lack ofadministrative acumen and management capacity. But theyare ready to excuse his incompetence and make a virtue ofhis notoriety to transfer responsibility to his immediatesubordinate. So they highlight the qualities of Prof. PastorYemi Osinbajo, his running mate. They see the Professor ofLaw as a would-be proxy-President and even push the ideaof an outsourced Presidency as a great idea.

On the issue of combating corruption, the Neo-Buharistsdo not like to be reminded that the General's financiers andclose political associates cannot explain how they became

so wealthy as public officials. They pretend that they havenot noticed the sudden change in the General's anti-corruption mantra. He will now only prosecute (and "sendto Kirikiri") those who remain corrupt after he becomesPresident!

But Neo-Buharists have lingering doubts; seriousdoubts. Their own idealism will not allow their conscienceto rest. They have nagging questions about Gen. Buhari.Questions about his past; questions about his future. Doeshe have what it takes to lead Nigeria at this stage of hislife? Is he the change they seek? What is his vision forNigeria? Does he even have a vision? How will heaccomplish all that those who speak for him say he willdo? Is he in poor health as is being rumoured in somequarters?

And the Neo-Buharists Doubts are fed the more as theyhear him speak on the campaign trail. They know he isuninspiring; but, with the new trendy garb he adorns,they hoped for more. They do not expect soul-stirringspeeches but, at the least, not the usual dull and incoherentdrivel. Haba!

As the doubts grow, sadly, some Neo-Buharists wouldsimply settle for apathy. Those of them who actually havethe Permanent Voters Card may very well decided thatthey will not violate their consciences....and stay homeon 14th February, 2015: the Fail Buhari Day.

ON Tuesday last week, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC)in Lagos invited senior media practitioners to formally unveil Mr. Akinwunmi

Ambode, its gubernatorial flagbearer at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island. GovernorBabatunde Fashola (SAN) led the team. It was question time, and I put the followingquestion to him: “What does General Muhammadu Buhari tell you (leaders ofAPC in Lagos State) when you ask him why he cancelled the Lagos Metrolineproject?” It was not the last question of the night but Fashola chose to answer itlast. And it was a terse answer. Hear him:

“I think it was a decision made by the governor here”. This was the first time Iheard it was not Buhari who cancelled a project that would have eliminated Lagosnumber one monster – traffic snarl – which Fashola, almost 30 years later, isgrappling with by building the Lagos – Okokomaiko integrated road and railproject. Which “governor here” made that controversial decision? Why did Fashola,a man with the knack for detailed explanations, choose to be terse and dismissiveon this all-important issue? I found that answer deceptive, dismissive, diversionaryand unsatisfactory.

The question remains, and it must be answered – one day.

Lagos Metroline: Fashola absolves Buhari!Lagos Metroline: Fashola absolves Buhari!Lagos Metroline: Fashola absolves Buhari!Lagos Metroline: Fashola absolves Buhari!Lagos Metroline: Fashola absolves Buhari!I join the people of Bornowho were jubilating onseeing their presidentand governor come tointeract with them. I patGovernor Shettima onthe back for joininghands with the nation’sleader in that visit,abandoning the oldtactics of badmouthinghim on CNN and otherwestern media forums

CMYK

JANUARY 19, 2015

Continues on page 22

Rents crash by 50% as businesses,individuals relocate

APAPA TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK:

BY EDIRI EJOH, HOPEOFOBIKE, OLAITAN AYOOLA

& AGNES OBIABO

The persistent traffic gridlockalong the Apapa – OshodiExpressway has forced mass

relocation of businesses andindividuals out of Apapa, causingproperty rents to crash by 50 percent.

The Apapa-Oshodi Expresswaylinks the nation’s biggest seaport,Apapa port, to other parts of thecountry. Hence most of the goodsimported or exported are transportedthrough this major road. The road inrecent times has been renderedimpassable due to traffic gridlockcaused by several factors, chieflytankers carrying petroleum products,which converge on the road in theirhundreds to load products from thevarious petroleum tank farms locatedwithin and around Apapa city.

Vanguard gathered from visits tosome residential areas in Apapa thata three bedroom flat along WarehouseRoad now goes for N250, 000 perannum instead of N500, 000; a fourunit of three bedroom flats alongLiverpool Road goes for N2.5 millioninstead of N5 million per annum;while a four bedroom flat with threetoilets at Alhaji Kareem Street costsN400, 000 as annual rent. Also, a twobedroom flat at Apapa Ajegunle goesfor N120, 000 as rent per annum.

Speaking on the sharp reduction inrent, a real estate agent who operatesfrom Warehouse Road, Oni Seun toldVanguard that landlords in the areadecided to reduce their rent as a wayof attracting new residents to the area.He said: “Tenants are packing out, noone is ready to relocate to this area,and the traffic has thoroughly affectedour business. Prior to this time, we rentout a three bedroom flat for N500, 000to N600,000, but right now, it goesfor N250, 000 and yet people are notready to settle here. Most houses in

this area are vacant; we have a lot ofoffice spaces to rent out. I am usingthis opportunity to call on the federalgovernment to come to our aid becausewe are going through hell.”

Residents allege neglectResidents and business owners

have continued to lament theunwillingness of the federalgovernment to re-invest the moneymade into expanding andmodernizing the Apapa port, despitemillions of naira being realized dailyfrom the port.

They blame the government,

petroleum tanker drivers and JuliusBerger Construction Company for thepersistent traffic. A resident of No 5,Point Road, Emeka Mbah, who spoketo Vanguard said: “Sincereconstruction work started at BergerYard- Mile 2, we have been throughagony, I have to trek a long distanceor use Okada (commercialmotorcycle) from here to Coconut busstop where my business is located.Hoodlums have also seized theopportunity to attack innocent peopleat gun point. The presence of thesetanker drivers has also led to the riseof refuse and human waste that

ravage the road and the drainagesystem, resulting to a disruption inthe free flow of water.

“We seldom have good diet withoutit being contaminated from theunwholesome activities of these tankerdrivers who defecate, drop refuse onthe streets and drains in the areas.There is no public toilet madeavailable by the tank farms to helparrest these issues that is dangerousto the human health and theenvironment.”

Lagos - Oshodi Apapa Exressway traffic gridlock. PHOTO: AKEEM SALAU

CMYK


Cover Story

Continues from page 21


Traffic threatens businessBusiness owners have

continually groaned overlosses they incur by thegridlock. Those who spoketo Vanguard allege that thesituation has radicallyreduced patronage inbusiness, leading to drasticreduction in their profit.

Michael Banama,Administration Manager,Makson Maritime Ltd,lamented losses incurred sofar by importers who paydemurrage on trucks whichare not removed. He said:“As a result of this gridlock,our importers have had topart with accumulatedbillings of demurrage. To theofficers at the port, it doesn’tmatter what stalls your truckfrom leaving the port, aslong as it passes therequired exit charge paid,you would have to payanother charge and so itcontinues.

Despite the benefit we getfrom the proximity to the portin Apapa, our clients loosemore than they gain in thefreight forwardingbusiness.”

On his part, ElectricalEngineering Officer, SolarHouse, Ernest Okwegwa,said: “The gridlock is aterrible one and hasincreased the cost of doingbusiness. Before now wenever had to worry aboutcustomers coming to pick uptheir product on time, butnow there is additional costof receiving the products.The process now involvesthe company going over tosupply customers whopurchase product because ofthe difficulties encounteredwhen coming to get theseproducts already paid for.”

Vanguard also gathered thata number of banks andindustries recently shut downmost of their businesses andhave them relocated to a moretraffic-friendly area.

N1bn generated dailyMeanwhile, a senior

Customs officer who spoke oncondition of anonymity, said theNigeria Customs Servicegenerates over N1 billion daily,which is channelled into theFederal Government’s account.According to him, Nigeria PortsAuthority (NPA) along withother federal governmentagencies, concessionaires, theLagos State government andApapa Local Government rakein over N100 billion monthly.

“There are multi-million nairabusinesses located in Apapa,which include 56 petroleumtank farms, three major shipberthing port complexes, dryports, scores of filling stations,among others that are all

situated in Apapa. Apart fromthe Lilypond, which is a dryport, Apapa Port complex, TinCan Island Port and Kirikirilighter terminal are multi-billion dollar investmentsthat generates billions ofnaira in revenue daily forgovernment and privateinvestors. Apapa Portcomplex houses variousagencies like the NigeriaCustoms Service (NCS),Nigerian Ports Authority,NPA, Nigerian MaritimeAdministration and SafetyAgency (NIMASA),Standard organization ofNigeria (SON), NationalAgency for Food and DrugsAdministration and Control(NAFDAC), freightforwarders, Port Police, Navaljetties, among others,” hesaid.

Way forwardIn his reaction, Maritime

Consultant and HeadConsultant of C.A. BorhaManagement and EconomicServices, Chris AbiodunBorha, said the short-termsolution to the chaotic trafficsituation along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway is todeploy barges to lift productsfrom the tank farms along theroute.

Borha explained thatgovernment should orderowners of the products andtank farms to commenceevacuation of 30 percent oftheir stock through thewaterways by the end of thefirst quarter of 2015. He saidgovernment should furthergive directives to theseoperators to prepare toincrease the quantity to 60percent by the end of thesecond quarter. He said:


As a resultof this

gridlock, ourimporters

have had topart with

accumulatedbillings ofdemurrage

The focus is on the rolesof technology and

vocational education inenhancing entrepreneurialskills that will equip studentsfor entrepreneurshipeducation in Information andCommunication Technology(ICT.) driven technologicalenvironment. The world hasbecome globalized and thefuture prosperity depends oncomparative advantage. Thiscomparative advantagehinges on people and theirtechnical or technologicalsophistication. Towards this,some crucial entrepreneurialand technical skills needed bythe students in colleges ofeducation (technical),polytechnics and universitiesto meet the trends in a globaleconomy is analyzed.

Technology education is tobe considered as the keyagent of technologydevelopment, either as a wayof developing humancapacity, increasing the shieldwork force for modernization,i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n ,environmental developmentor as a matter of personnelfreedom, developingcapability and empowerment.Technology education isincreasingly recognized to becentral to both the origins oftechnological developmentand challenges and to theprospects for successfullydealing with them (Alam,2009). Decision makers at alllevels, need timely, reliableaccess to knowledgegenerated by technology andtechnical education tointroduce rational policiesthat reflect a better globalunderstanding of complextechnical, economic, social,cultural and article issuesconcerning the society, andour environment. Technicaldecision making and prioritysetting is an integral part ofoverall developmentplanning and formation oftechnology developmentstrategies. Above all,technology education is ahuman right and, as such,should receive priority in theallocation of nationalresources. It has become verynecessary not to only keeptechnology education boundto the role of manufacturingskilled manpower but also toeconomic development andglobal economy. In Nigeria,

VOCATION AND TECHNICALEDUCATION – A KEY TO IMPROVINGNIGERIA’S DEVELOPMENT. PART 4

technology education waspreviously not seen asfundamental for nationaldevelopment, or for theeconomic development, butfor the school dropouts, andother social and politicaldevelopment within thenation and for individuals.Hallak (1990) argues thattechnology education is alsolinked to human resourcesdevelopment and that this hasan impact on more than justeconomic growth, but also animpact on the widerdevelopment of individualsand societies. According tohim, it contributes to:

(a). Individual creativity,improved participation in theeconomic, social and culturalroles in society.

(b). Improvedunderstanding of anindividual and heir respectfor others, thus promoting

social cohesion and materialunderstanding

(c) Improvement in healthand nutrition.

(d). Improved chances ofeconomic development.

(e). Improved technologicaldevelopment.

(f). Socio-cultural change.(g). Democracy and equality(h). Ecological

development/quality of life(increasing people’sawareness of theirenvironments).

From our analysis so far, itis clear that modernizationand economic development,depends on investment andappreciation of moderntrends in technologyeducation. According toWoodhall (1997) investment intechnological education andtraining produces benefits forthe individual and for societyas whole.

Individualcreativity,improvedparticipation inthe economic,social andcultural rolesin societ

DIALOGUE - From left: Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holdings Plc; Alhaji AlikoDangote,President Dangote Group; Jim Ovia, Chairman Zenith Bank Plc; Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,Minister of Finance and Folusho Philips,Chairman,Nigeria Economic SummitGroup(NESG),at the Breakfast Dialogue with Coordinating Minister of the Economy,Dr.Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala,tagged’ 'State of the Nigerian Economy in 2014 and the Outlookfor 2015’’, held in Lagos. Photo Lamidi Bamidele


Business & Economy

Cover

“The short-term solution isthat the traffic for theevacuation of products mustbe diversified from land towater. It can be specificallydirected that by the end ofJune or the first quarter of theNew Year, 30 or 40 percent ofthe petroleum products fromApapa must be loaded onbarges.

“You do not need deepdredging for that and it isgoing to generate coastaltrade. But for the roads, it has


been there before and nobodyis re-inventing the wheel,everybody should have afunctional trailer park whereyou can call in those you needwhen you need them. So, it iswhen you need them that theyleave their park and go to theport. Thirdly, there was a WorldBank study that was pin-


pointing this off-dock terminalclose to Ijora (Lilypond) as thebest location for the trailerpark, the one being operatedby Mearsk Line and Mearskhas said that they want to giveup Lilypond. So, what needsto be done is to take a criticallook at Lilypond for it to beconverted to this modern day

trailer park, so that these oiltankers can leave the road. Ifwe can evacuate 70 percentof them off the road, thentarring of the roads, trafficmanagement will becomevisible but if you have notactually taken the big reasonsout, you cannot eliminatethem completely or be able to

contain them.”He noted that the long term

solution is to fix the pipelinebetween Lagos and Mosimiwhere the storage facility forpetroleum products used to be.The former chieftain of theNigerian Ports Authority, NPA,explained that if this is done,by the end of the year theproblem of traffic congestion inand around the port town ofApapa will be a thing of thepast.

Sona Agro calls for ban onimportation of biscuits, others

BY PRINCEWILLEKWUJURU

Sona Agro Allied FoodsLimited has called onthe federal

government to banimportation of biscuits andother snack products.

Mr. SubramanianMurugesan, ManagingDirector of the company, madethis call at a press briefing onthe company ’s strategicbusiness plans for 2015,saying the importation ofsnack foods into the countryis threatening the local foodmanufacturing sector.

He said that sustaining localsnacks food production inNigeria requires that thefederal government curtailimportation of snacks foodp r o d u c t s .He said manufacturers expectlots of support fromgovernment both at thefederal and state levels,particularly as themanufacturing sectorexperiences more of theproblem of supply of goods,high priced energy input andinfrastructure development,unreliable supply chainmanagement alongside otherlogistics.

He stated that his companyalongside othermanufacturers expectavailability and correctlypriced raw materials ofsufficient quality and quantitylocally.

Murugesan also called onthe government to make

provision for a cheaper modeof transportation like railway.

Also speaking, ManagingDirector of Sona IndustrialGases Limited, VenkataKatikala, said that the gasindustry is faced with severalchallenges including high rateof Customs duty andcumbersome procedure for

clearance of importedmaterials.

He said: “We have lots ofdifficulties clearingconsignments at the ports;there are lots of delays anddifficulties. It takes hardlythree to four days to clearconsignments in other partsof the world, in Singapore, it

takes 24 hours.“We are faced with lots of

difficulties clearing ourgoods. In Nigeria it takesfour to six weeks to clear ourconsignments from the port,in addition to that, the recentstrike at the port also placedlots of strain on the industryas we even have to paydemurrage for the delay eventhough the fault is not ours.”

BY HOPE OFOBIKE

BALOGUNINFERNO:Lagos tradersblameinsurancecompaniesfor loss

The Coalition of Marketsand Traders Association

in Lagos (CMTAL) has saidthat unwillingness ofinsurance firms to insure smallbusinesses have contributed tohuge losses incurred bymembers of the associationduring the fire incident.

The group was reacting tothe fire incident that gutted thepopular Balogun market lastMonday and destroyed goodsworth billions of naira.

The group consists of fourdifferent market associationsnamely: Association of Igbo inCommerce (AIC), TradersRights Protection Initiative(TRIP), Amalgamated TradersAssociation, Lagos (ATAL) andThe Market LeadersAssociation of Nigeria(TMLAN) and over 120markets in Lagos.

While answering questionsfrom Pressmen at the end ofits extra-ordinary meeting heldin Lagos, Chairman of theAssociation of Igbo inCommerce (AIC) Mr NnamdiNwigwe alleged that noinsurance company is ready tocome to the aid of market menand women.

“Right now, no insurancefirm is ready to insure ourwares, they go to mega plazasand big businesses to get theirwares insured, that is why wesuffer more. If we had ourgoods insured, traders won’tlament when incidents likethis occur”

Nwigwe also blamed theLagos State Fire Service, andthe Local Government officialsfor the damages incurred bythe traders who lost theirgoods in Balogun

Delta needs sustainable economicblueprint —Okonta

A Chartered Accountantand former Chairman

Institute of CharteredAccountants of Nigeria, lCAN,Abuja District Chairman,Chief Fred Okonta, has urgedrelevant stakeholders andleadership in Delta State topursue a strategic programmethat could lead to thedevelopment of sustainableeconomic blueprint for DeltaState.

The seasoned Accountantlamented that despite thestrategic location and potentialsof the state, its huge potentialsare yet to be realised. He statedthat Delta State has all it takesto develop like Dubai ifnecessary political will andgood leadership are put to playto harness its vast resources.

The fall in oil prices, heposited, should be a wake-upcall for relevant stakeholdersto diversify the State’s huge

resources and look beyondoil which high volatility hasnow become a threat torelevant countries all overthe world. According tohim, the crash in oil prices isa challenge for the leadershipof Delta State, one of thelargest oil producing states inthe country to re-strategisefor a future in which thestates can depend less on oilproceeds.

In Nigeria ittakes four tosix weeks to

clear ourconsignmentsfrom the port

BRIEFING - From left Dr Yakubu Bashorun, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agricultureand Cooperatives, Lagos State; Prince Gholahan Lawal, Commissioner and Dr Jide Idris,Commissioner for Health Lagos State during a press briefing on the resurgence of Bird Flu inLagos State organised by Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Lagos.


CMYK

Business & Economy

The Minister ofF i n a n c eand the

Coordinating Minister ofthe economy, Dr. NgoziOkonjo Iweala, has denieda report in the media whichstated that the Ministry hadwithdrawn the medium termexpenditure framework,MTEF from the NationalAssembly.

The Minister debunkedthe report at the launchprogramme of a globalmovement for eradication ofextreme poverty, Action/2015.

She described the reportas baseless and as a figmentof peoples’ imagination andurged Nigerians to ignoresuch rumour.

Dr. Iweala said both theMTEF and the 2015 budgetwere still with the NationalAssembly waiting forconsideration and that the

We've not withdrawnMTEF – FGBY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

Ministry is ready to work withthe law makers collaborativelywhen they are through withthe documents to enable themcome up with sound andsustainable budget.

“There were reports that theMTEF was withdrawn fromthe National Assembly but theMTEF was never withdrawn.The National Assembly is still

with the budget and they areconsidering it. “When theyare ready we will work verycollaboratively together and Iam sure we will work togetherwith them to have a soundand sustainable budget.

“ We all need to wait, to seewhat the oil prices are goingto be but be rest assured thatwe are preparing defensescenario for the falling oilprice to be able to manage theeconomy at whatever level theoil price falls to,” the CMEsaid.

On the falling price, shesaid, measures were beingput in place to enable federalgovernment manage theeconomy in a most prudentand judicious manner.

“Even though, the price ofoil is still going down, thebudget is still with theNational Assembly.

By FRANKLIN ALLI

Turkish firms seek moreinvestments in Nigeria

Nigeria maylose cargo toneighbouringports — MAN

BY OLAITAN AYOOLA

M a n u f a c t u r e r sAssociationof Nigeria,

MAN, has said that Nigerianports may loose more toneighbouring ports in 2015 ifterminal and shippingcharges are not reviewed.

The Chairman CorporateAffairs and StrategicCommittee of MAN, JohnAluya,who stated this inLagos, explained that theNigeria ports may lose moreto neigbouring ports and thatunless terminal operators andshipping companies arechecked properly, theirexorbitant charges will causea lot of havoc to the nation’seconomy.

According to him, “Exceptthe terminal operators andshipping companies areproperly checked throughstrong political will of thegovernment, they will do a lotof havoc to the nation’seconomy.”

He noted that apart from theefforts of the port regulatorybody to ensure that the costof shipping service werechecked, the federalgovernment mustdemonstrate enough politicalwill to get the shippingservice providers to complywith international standards ofshipping business.

Aluya, who also noted that

BY NAOMI UZOR

Lagos Chamber ofCommerce and

Industry, LCCI, saidweekend, there’s nojustification for budgetaryprovision by the FederalGovernment for petroleumproducts subsidy.

In a parley with pressmenon the 2015 appropriation billof the Federal Governmentand the current economicsituation, the President ofLCCI, Alhaji Remi Bello,said, the biggest burden on

LCCI flays budgetary provision for petroleumproducts subsidy

government treasury in thecountry is the appropriationfor petroleum subsidy.

“In 2015 budget, N200billion was proposed assubsidy for PMS (petrol); in2014 it was N971 billion. Thisis a decrease of about 80 percent. We welcome thisdevelopment. However, wenote the provision of N91billion for kerosene subsidy in2015. We submit that provisionof this sum is difficult tojustify. Besides the global oilprice dropping to below $50per barrel, there’s no

justification for budgetaryprovision for petroleumproducts subsidy,” he said.

He urged the NationalAssembly to take this intoaccount in its deliberations onthe 2015 Appropriation Bill astimes like these call for utmostprudence and curbing ofleakages.

On the appropriation of debtservice, Bello said, thechamber is deeply concernedover the growing budgetaryappropriation for debt serviceas the amount has grown fromN712 billion in 2014 to N943billion in 2015.

P&G introducesFairy dishwashingliquid

Dishwashing liquid, Fairyis now available in

Nigeria, courtesy Procter &Gamble, P&G the leadingconsumer goods companybehind other householdname such as Ariel. P&G hasalso revealed Iretiola Doyle,a TV personality, as the faceof the brand.

The Fairy brand was firstlaunched in the UK over 50years ago, and today it is thenumber one dish care brandglobally. “Nigerianconsumers will be the first insub-Saharan Africa toexperience the Fairy quality– the same top performingproduct that is trusted byconsumers in the UK and inover 80 other countries world-wide,” said George Nassar,General Manager of P&GNigeria.

Turkish companies areseeking to expand theirinvestments in Nigeria

and other African countriesthrough franchising.Accordingly, a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) hasbeen signed between Soysal,to link business interest inNigeria and other West Africacountries interested in doingbusiness in Turkey or Turkishbusinessmen who areinterested in establishingbusiness presence in Nigeria,and other Africa countries.Soysal is a Turkish trainingand consultancy company andconvener of Retail days(Conferences) whileBervidson InternationalLimited is a member ofBervidson Group, one of thetraining and consultancygroup in West Africa.Mr. Joseph Ebata, CEO,Bervidson, signed on behalfof his company while Mr. SuatSoysat, CEO Soysal Ltd,signed on behalf of hisorganization.According to the agreement,Bervidson will facilitate theprocess of engagement ofNigerian companies andsenior individuals withTurkish companies seeking to

establish their presence inretail and retail relatedindustries in Nigeria andother African countriesthrough partnership orfranchising, as well asfacilitate the process of directinvestment of Turkishcompanies in retail and retailrelated industries in Nigeriaand other African countries.On the other hand, Soysalwill facilitate introductions ofcompanies and seniorindividuals within the retailsector, through its longestablished network of retail

and retail related industries,fast moving consumer goods,FMCG producers and clothesmanufacturers’ contacts inTurkey to Bervidson.The MoU further stated thatwhere possible or wheneverpotential relationships orprojects are identified, so thatBervidson can be introducedand promoted as finding/being master franchisee/partner and/or consultancy forNigeria and other AfricanCountries where Bervidsoncan give these services.

COMMISSIONING - From left: Olusola Oworu, Hon. Commissioner, Commerce & Industry,Lagos State; Fola Adeola, Chairman, MainOne; Omobola Johnson, Hon. Minister ofCommunications Technology and Funke Opeke, CEO, MainOne at the launch of MainOne’snew Tier III Data Center, MDX-i


Banking & Finance

PROMO - From left: Mr. Kehinde Ogundipe, Regional Head, FCT/North Central; EcobankNigeria; Mrs. Osinuga Mofoluwaso, Product Manager, Liability Product, Ecobank Nigeria;Mr. Kayode Ojoogun, Senior Manager, National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC); Mr.Shehu Jafiya, Executive Director, FCT/North, Ecobank Nigeria and Engr. Shamm T. Kolo, DeputyDirector, Surveillance and Enforcement, Consumer Protection Council (CPC) at the EcobankGiant Prize Giveaway promo regional draws held in Abuja on Tuesday

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

The sharp decline in theprice of crude oil will

force policy makers in Nigeriato restructure the economy.

Senior Consultant/ChiefExecutive Officer, RTCAdvisory Services Limited,Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje said this,while speaking at a forumtitled: “Review of 2014 andProjections for 2015,”organised by the FinanceCorrespondents Association ofNigeria (FICAN), in Lagos.

He said, “This is the type ofrestructuring whereby youdon’t have any choice, but todo it. Analysts and columnistshave over the years beenadvising on most of thesethings, but now we don’t needto advise anybody.

“Whether government likesit or not, we will have to dealwith the issue of the Nigerianeconomy. We would have todiversify the economy, reducethe size of government andincrease investment inalternative sectors whether welike it or not. “The oil price isstill falling and we don’t knowwhere the exchange rate isheading to.

“But the reality is thatwhoever wins the election byFebruary 14, 2015; andwhoever comes into office byMay, will have to deal withserious economic issues.

“The implication of higherexchange rate, higher interestrate, lower GDP growth, islower consumption and lowerpurchases of goods andservices.

Crude oil price fall will forceeconomic restructuring —Agbaje

“So, there are alsopossibilities of labour issuesbecause both in private andpublic sector, there may be aninclination towards job losses.So, the outlook is going to bedifficult. It is going to be achallenging outlook for

managers both in the privatesector and in government.

“For the private sector, thisis the era in which managerswill actually earn their paybecause they are going to nowhave to do their job. There issignificant uncertainty across

variables.“Now, there is nothing that

can be taken for granted.People have to plan for interestrate, sales volume, exchangerate, political scenario andevery other thing. There is ahigh level of uncertainty.

“My description of whereNigeria is in 2015 is multiplecrossroads. So, we are at ajunction in which theredifferent roads. It is a potentialexplosive combination ofpolitical risk, economicuncertainty and a seemingsocial crisis. It is not the placea country want to be in 2015.Essentially, this is an era thatwould challenge the acumenof managers in the privatesector and in the government.”

The African DevelopmentBank has initiated a

partnership with Civil SocietyOrganizations (CSOs) aimedat enhancing development inAfrica.

To this committeecomprising the AfricanDevelopment Bank and CivilSociety Organizations (CSOs)has been re-launched todiscuss a work plan,modalities of itsimplementation as well as anaccountability structure, forengagement between theBank and CSOs.

The Committee was re-launched after a two daymeeting where both partnersagreed to identifyimplementable actionsnecessary to fulfill themandate and prepare acharter that will providedetails of the nature of the

AfDB, CSOs partner to enhance development in Africacollaboration, includingresponsibilities.

“CSOs are our integralpartners especially in thepromotion of accountability,transparency and goodgovernance. Accountability iskey in terms of achieving ourobjective, and we couldcertainly do with an externalreporting tool especially fromCSOs,” Rakesh Nangia, Chairof the committee, said as heopened the meeting onJanuary 14 at the Bank’sheadquarters in Abidjan, Côted’Ivoire.

Addressing the participants,who included regional civilsociety heads andrepresentatives of key sectorswithin the Bank, he reiteratedthe importance ofstrengthening engagementwith CSOs. “The Bankrecognizes and values the

expertise and contributions ofCSOs, which are essential inachieving sustainabledevelopment in Africa,” saidNangia, who is also theEvaluator General of theBank’s IndependentDevelopment Evaluationdepartment (IDEV).

His remarks were echoed byMamadou Goita, Chair of theCivil Society Coalition, whodescribed the role of civilsociety as crucial in helpingthe Bank to frame projects thatwould be more relevant tocommunities. “We need to beinvolved from the first stage ofdesigning a project becausewe know the context of ourvarious communities. We canthen help follow through tothe implementation,monitoring and evaluationstages,” Goita said.

He cited the recent Ebola

response saying civil societyorganizations would havebeen approached to help inframing the nature of theBank’s assistance. “We are theones on the ground and weknow the specific needs on theground; if it is support ingetting skilled care, drugs, oreven building new hospitals,among others.” In August lastyear, the Bank approved a US$60-million grant to helpstrengthen West Africa’spublic health systems in a bidto address the Ebola crisis.

The issue of engaging withCSOs from fragile states cameinto focus withrecommendations ofsustainable funding and long-term institutional developmentof the organizations,including capacity building.

EcobankpromoproducesmorewinnersEcobank Nigeria’s

Giant PrizeGiveaway promo hasproduced another set ofwinners, who smiledhome with various prizesincluding inverters, IPADAir, Samsung smartPhones; air-conditioners,generating sets, LEDTelevisions, mobilephones and washingmachines being theirwinning gift during thesecond draw of the promoheld in Abuja last week.

The lucky winners whencontacted on telephonewere full of excitementand commendation for thebank, promising to beambassadors of the bank’sdesire to rewardcustomers’ loyalty.

One of the winners,Okoroafor Benjamin whowas presented with anLED TV at the eventexpressed appreciation tothe bank, stating that hewas attracted to dobusiness with the bankbecause of its excellentcustomer relations.Abdullahi Abubakar, awinner of an Inverter,who operates an accountin Gusau Branch, ZamfaraState, when contacted ontelephone said Ecobankhas shown overtime that itis customer-centric bank,He prayed for thecontinuous progress ofthe bank.

In his address,Executive Director, FCT/North, Ecobank Nigeria,Mr. Shehu Jafiya, said thepromo is part of the bank’stradition of rewarding itscustomers for theirpatronage. Heemphasized thatEcobank’s will continue tosurpass customers’expectations in servicedelivery.

In his words: “It is partof our DNA to reward andcelebrate our customersbecause they are thereason why we are inbusiness. Apart from ourexcellent service delivery,we also deemed itnecessary and importantto always appreciate themthrough variousinitiatives such as thispromo,”

For the private sector, this is the erain which managers will actually earntheir pay because they are going to

now have to do their job


Banking & Finance

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

Banks earned N27.26billion as net interest

earned from placing theirexcess liquidity as depositwith the Central Bank ofNigeria.

Meanwhile the nation’scurrency depreciated in theinterbank and parallelmarkets last week, losing anaverage of N2.25 kobo in bothsegments of the foreignexchange market. In theinterbank market, the nairadepreciated by N2 as theinterbank exchange rateclosed the week at N185.1 perdollar, up from N183.1 in theprevious week. At the parallelmarket, the naira depreciatedby N2.5 as the parallel marketexchange rate closed the weekat N192.5 per dollar, up fromN190 per dollar the previousweek. The official exchangerate however remained stableat N168 per dollar, while theCBN sold $499.25 million lastweek through the bi-weeklydollar sales, known as RetailDutch Auction System(RDAS).

On the other hand, thenation’s external reserve rosemarginally by $16 million lastweek as it rose to $34.505billion as at Thursday lastweek from $34.489 billion, theprevious week.

Banks earn N27.76bninterest :

The CBN has two facilitiesnamely the Standing LendingFacility (SLF) and theStanding Deposit Facility.Banks access the SLF toborrow from the CBN whilethey access the SDF to placedeposit with the CBN.Presently the CBN charges 15percent as interest rate onloans to banks through theSLF while it pays 11 percentas interest on depositplacement through the SDF.

Vanguard investigationsreveal from October 2013 andSeptember last year, banksplaced N81.85 trillion asdeposit with the CBNthrough the SDF andborrowed N5.14 trillionthrough the SLF. Further, theCBN paid interest of N32.9billion on the deposit throughthe SDF, while it earnedinterest of N3.68 billion onloans to banks through theSLF.

While, the N81.85 trillionplaced as deposits with theapex bank within this periodrevealed the severity of theproblem of excess liquidity in

Banks earn N27.76bn from deposits placed with CBN•Naira depreciates further as reserve etches up

the banking system, whilethe net interest of N27.76billion earned by banksreveals why banks prefer toplace deposit with the apexbank rather lend to theeconomy. On the average,banks placed more thanN300 billion with the CBN ona daily basis with the apexbank during this period.

To check this trend, the CBNin November last year,limited banks daily placementthrough the SDF to N75billion with interest paymentof 10 percent. The apex banksaid that it would not payinterest on deposits abovethis limit.

The CBN in a circularissued on November 6th said,“It has been observed thatbanks and discount houseshave preferences for keepingtheir idle balances at theCentral Bank in the standingDeposit Facility (SDF)thereby constraining theprocess of financialintermediation.

“In order to encourage thebanks to increase lending tothe productive sector of theeconomy, the guidelines forthe operations of SDF ishereby reviewed as follows:The remunerable dailyplacements by banks anddiscount houses shall notexceed N7.5billion. This shallbe remunerated at the SDFrate of 10 percent perannum.”

Quarterly Analysis :A quarterly analysis of

lending and deposit placecements through the SLF andSDF reveal that in the lastquarter of 2013, “The totalStanding Lending Facility

facilities (SDF) grantedduring the review period wasN18,088.37 billion withdaily average of N301.42billion, compared withN14,368.61 billion granted inthe third quarter. The costincurred on SDF rose by 26.5per cent to N7.12 billion,compared with N5.63 billionin the preceding quarter.”

In the first quarter of 2014,“The total Standing LendingFacility (SLF) granted duringthe review period wasN3,169.26 billion with a dailyaverage of N51.12 billion inthe first quarter of 2014,compared with N1,445.54billion in the precedingquarter, indicating anincrease of 119.2 per cent.Interest paid on SLF in thefirst quarter of 2014 stood atN1.70 billion, compared withN0.87 billion in the precedingquarter.

“Total standing depositfacilities (SDF) grantedduring the review period wasN24,037.26 billion withdaily average of N387.7billion, compared withN18,088.37 billion grantedin the fourth quarter of 2013.The cost incurred on SDFrose by 32.3 per cent toN9.42 billion, comparedwith N7.12 billion in thepreceding quarter.”

In the second quarter of2014, “ Total request for thestanding lending facility(SLF) was N197.81 billionwith a daily average of N3.35billion for the 59 working daysin the second quarter of

2014, compared withN3,169.26 billion in thepreceding quarter. The SLFrequest in the review periodwas N2,971.45 billion lowerthan the value in thepreceding quarter. The totalinterest earned on SLF in thequarter stood at N93.46million, compared withN1.70 billion in thepreceding quarter.

“Total standing depositfacility (SDF) granted duringthe review period wasN21,756.73 billion with dailyaverage of N368.76 billion inthe review quarter, comparedwith N24,037.26 billiongranted in the precedingquarter. The cost incurred onSDF in the quarter stood atN9.01 billion, compared withN9.42 billion in the precedingquarter.”

In the third quarter of lastyear, “Total request for thestanding lending facility(SLF) granted during thereview period was N327.38billion with total interestearned amounting toN175.31 million, comparedwith the total request ofN198.19 billion and totalinterest of N93.89 million inthe preceding quarter.

Total standing depositfacility (SDF) granted duringthe review period was N17,960.61billion, while the costincurred stood at N7.35billion compared with therequest of N22,293.91 billionand total interest of N9.32billion in the precedingquarter.”

Banks placedN81.85

trillion asdeposit withCBN through

SDF andborrowed

N5.14 trillionthrough SLF

(SLF) granted during thereview period was N1,445.54billion with a daily average ofN24.09 billion in the fourthquarter of 2013, comparedwith N5,757.88 billion in thepreceding quarter,indicating a decline of 74.9per cent. Interest paid onSLF in the fourth quarter of2013 stood at N 0.87 billion.

“Total standing deposit


Corporate Finance

COMMISSIONING - From left: Mr. Mezuo Nwuneli, Chairman, AACE Foods; Prof. Olugbenga Ogunmoyela, Board Member;Ms. Nnenna Onyewuchi, Board Member; Mrs. Ndidi Nwuneli, Board Member; Mr. Temi Jebutu, Board Member and Rtd.General Tunde Reis, Board Member at the Commissioning of the AACE Foods Factory at Sango Ota, Ogun State.

By NKIRUKA NNOROM Securities lending, marketmaking performancedisappointing – NSE

The Nigerian StockExchange, NSE, hassaid that the

securities lending and marketmaking activities introducedto boost stock market activityand inject liquidity into themarket performed beyondexpectation in 2014.

The Chief Executive Officerof the NSE, Mr. OscarOnyema, expressed theregret while reviewing theperformance of the capitalmarket in 2014 and makingprognosis into the New Year.

Securities lending is themarket practice of temporarilytransferring securities, for afee, from the holder (thelender) to another party (theborrower), with the borroweragreeing to return thesecurities to the lender eitheron demand or at the end ofthe agreed loan term.

This practice usuallyrequires the borrower tocollateralize the transactionwith cash or other securitiesof a value equal to or greaterthan that of the lent securities,in order to protect the lenderagainst counterpart creditrisk.

Securities lending plays animportant role in capitalmarkets by providingliquidity, which in turnreduces the cost of tradingand promotes price discovery.

Market Making on the otherhand, is the act of entering bidand offer prices in theautomated trading system fora specified security.

The primary role of a marketmaker is to maintain a fairand orderly market in itsparticular securities ofresponsibility and, in

general, to contributepositively to the operation ofthe overall market.

In 2012, the NSEcommenced marketingmaking activity withappointment of 10 marketmakers with the sole aim ofstabilizing and boostingliquidity in the market andlater appointed another 13supplementary marketmaker as supplementaryliquidity providers. A year

after in 2013, three agents –Stanbic IBTC , UBA, Capital

Bancorp and First Bank wereappointed as securitieslending agents with the hopethat securities lending wouldmake the market makingmore active vibrant.

However, Onyema toldjournalists during the reviewthat both products have notperformed optimally due tolow level of interest byoperators and investors,which had resulted inminimal uptake.

Seplat secures $1bn debt re-financing

Seplat Petroleum DevelopmentCompany Plc has announced the

successfully refinancing its existing debtfacilities with a new US$700 million sevenyear secured term facility and US$300million three year secured revolving creditf a c i l i t y .

The seven year facility, according to astatement from the company, also includesan option for it to upsize the facility by up toan additional US$700 million for qualifyingacquisition opportunities. The companynoted that the US$700 million seven yearsecured term facility has been closed with aconsortium of banks in Nigeria comprisingFirst Bank of Nigeria Limited, Stanbic IBTCBank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc andZenith Bank Plc, and is repayable quarterlyfrom end June 2015 and has a margin ofLIBOR +8.75 percent per annum.

It added that the US$300 million threeyear revolving credit facility has been closed

with a consortium of eight international bankscomprising Bank of America Merrill Lynch,Citibank, JP Morgan Limited, Natixis, NedbankLimited, Rand Merchant Bank, Standard Bankand Standard Chartered Bank.

the US$300 million three year revolvingcredit facility also has a quarterly reductionschedule from end December 2015 and has amargin of LIBOR +6.00 percent per annum.“Proceeds from draw down on these newfacilities has been used to repay the company’sexisting debt facilities (totaling US$552million), and will also be used to fund newbusiness and development opportunities andfor general corporate purposes,” Seplat said.

At the company’s operations, net workinginterest production for full year 2014 asmeasured at the LACT unit (subject to finalreconciliation) has averaged approximately24,248 bopd and 39.4 MMscfd (approximately30,819 boepd), in line with full year 2014guidance of 29,000–33,000 boepd.

SEC redeploysstaff

The Securities andE x c h a n g e

Commission, SEC, hasembarked on redeploymentand transfer of its workforcein order to strengthen thecommission for betterperformance.

In a statement toVanguard, the commissionsaid that the redeployment,which affected key divisionssuch as, Investigation,Enforcement, InvestorEducation and FinancialLiteracy, was strategicallydone to strengthen theregulatory mechanism ofthe commission throughefficient handling ofcomplaints from theinvesting public, timely useof enforcement machinerywhere necessary on erringcapital market operatorsand improvement oninvestor education.

It added that undertakingthe exercise, especially atthe beginning of a new wasnot aimed at punishing orvictimizing any staff due to his or her loyalty tosome individuals as beinginsinuated in some quarters;instead it is for the overallinterest of the market .

Citi profitplunges on legalsettlements, fallin bond revenue

Citigroup Inc said itsquarterly profit

dropped 86 percent, hurt bylegal settlements and fallingbond trading revenue,sending the bank’s sharesdown more than four percent.

The bank took $3.5 billionof charges for legalsettlements, matching thefigures foreshadowed byChief Executive, MichaelCorbat, in December. But a16 percent drop in fixed-income trading revenue wassteeper than many analystshad expected, and earningsfell short of analysts’estimates.

Citi suffered on a numberof fronts during the quarter.The bank, which gets abouthalf of its revenue fromoverseas, took a hit from thestrong dollar, for example.The bank also posted a lossfrom assets it took on beforethe financial crisis.

The profit setback comes asthe Federal Reserveconsiders the bank’s plan toreturn capital toshareholders, through somecombination of sharebuybacks and dividends.

Primary role of amarket maker is tomaintain fair and

orderly market in itsparticular securities

of responsibility


Corporate Finance

TRAINING - Group photograph of participants at an In-House training programme on Effective Budgeting & CostControl , for Hercules Offshore Limited, facilitated by BusinessDay Training, held in Warri, Delta State.

Goldman hit byweak fixed-income,investmentbanking revenue

Goldman Sachs GroupInc reported a 7

percent drop in quarterlyprofit as investment bankingrevenue slid and anunexpected bout of marketvolatility in December hitrevenue in its business thattrades bonds, currenciesand commodities.

Goldman’s net income fellto $2.17 billion, or $4.38 pershare, in the fourth quarterfrom $2.33 billion, or 4.60per share, a year earlier.Analysts had expectedearnings of $4.32 per share,according to ThomsonReuters.

Investment bankingrevenue fell 16 percent to$1.44 billion, while revenuein the bank’s division thattrades bonds, currenciesand commodities - atraditional strength forGoldman - fell 29 percent to$1.22 billion. Excludinggains related to repaymentof debt and the sale of amajority stake in the firm’sEuropean insurancebusiness in 2013, revenue inthat division fell 19 percent.

“Looking ahead, we seeevidence of a continued pickup in momentum for theglobal economy that willimprove the opportunity setfor 2015,” Chief ExecutiveLloyd Blankfein said in astatement. Goldman Sachsshares were down 1.5percent in premarkettrading on Friday.

Euro bonds rally,shares sink in Swissafter-shock

The shockwaves ofSwitzerland’s move

to ditch its currency capwere still being felt onFriday, as investors made afresh grab for top-ratedgovernment bonds, andworld shares andcommodities headed foranother week of losses.

The Swiss franc dippedafter Thursday’s surge, butSwiss shares were againEurope’s worst performersas stocks worldwide limpedto their third week in thered. The fragile risk appetitemeant more record lowyields for German and othercore euro zone governmentbonds, while there were fallsin Greek markets as itemerged two of its bankshad requested emergencyECB funding aid.

Capital marketo p e r a t o r sunder the

aegis of the CharteredInstitute of Stockbrokers, CIS, Association of StockbrokingHouses of Nigeria,(ASHON)and Association of IssuingHouses of Nigeria (AIHN)have initiated a specialdialogue with the FederalGovernment and keystakeholders in the economyto ensure proper alignment ofthe capital market to NigeriaFiscal and Monetary policyimplementation.

The first in the series is theOne-Day Dialogue with thetheme: “The Capital Marketand the 2015 federal budget.Commenting on thedialogue, the President,Chartered Institute ofStockbrokers’ (CIS) Mr.Albert Okumagba said itwould strengthen theconnection between thecapital market and theeconomy, re-establish thecapital market as the keydriver for the Nigerianeconomic growth anddevelopment, open-upopportunities that couldincrease the market size fromits current eleven trillioncapitalization to one hundredtrillion within the next threeyears and effectivelyreinforce the FederalGovernment’s plan toexplore various sectors of theeconomy for economicdevelopment.

The critical areas ofconcentration shall includediversification anddualisation of the commodityexchange in such a way thatserious investors can drivecommodity exchange whilethe Federal Government canbe allowed to hold on to theexisting CommodityExchange. “Thisdiversification will help the

FG, market operators open dialogue on 2015 budgetBY PETER EGWUATU

operators in the private sectorto own their commodityexchange. Over-the-Countermarket would also be givenadequate attention as thedialogue shall provide aplatform to appreciate it’s

benefits to the Nigeriaeconomic development”,Okumagba said.

Corroborating Okumagba,the President, ASHON, MrEmeka Madubuike said therationale for the dialogue wasto discuss how the capitalmarket can partner with theFederal Government inraising funds to finance the2015 national budget.According to Madubuike, theforum would articulate whythe capital market should becentral to all economicdevelopment activities inNigeria.

ASHON’s GeneralSecretary, Mr AkinAkeredolu-Ale explained thatNigeria runs a mono-incomeeconomy; hence, the dialogueis intended to discussmeasures for effectivediversifications of the entire

economy. Akeredolu-Alenoted that the dialoguewould sensitize thegovernment on the need togalvanize the private sectorinto financing the diversifiedeconomy and providesalternative means of fundingthe budget. According tohim, the critical areas ofconcentration wouldinclude Agriculture, Oil andGas, Infrastructure financingsuch as power assets andtelecommunication.

On the role of the Issuinghouses in the scheme ofthings, Okumagba said theywould begin to identify theproblems and take thesolutions to the investors. Hestated that the market wouldbecome bigger andaccommodate moreinvestment opportunities.

“The Capital Market is the

BY PETER EGWUATU

Renaissance Capita,Rencap has disclosed

that it forsee mergers andacquisition, major funding,and indigenization policytaking place in African in2015. In its report taggedAfrican oil & gas, key themesin 2015" Rencap said “Weprovide our outlook for keythemes in the African oil &gas sector and our top picksin 2015, and revise our TradingPrices, TPs for the stocks underour coverage on the back of ourupdated outlook. We focus ondefensive qualities and viewSeplat as best positioned in thevolatile oil marketenvironment. We expectMerger and Acquisition, M&A, funding, and indigenisationto be the three key themes in2015. We upgrade Eland Oil& Gas and Mart Resources toBUY (from Hold) and

Rencap forsees merger, acquisition &indigenisation policy in Africa

downgrade Africa Oil to HOLD(from Buy). We have loweredour TPs by an average of 36%.”

Defensive positioning:In the more volatile and

weaker oil price environment,we focus on defensive qualitiesin our stock selection process.Balance sheet strength, robustfunding and cash flows shouldbe the key qualities of futurebeneficiaries in the sector, inour view. We also view theability to execute successfulM&A deals and companies’indigenous status as twoadditional important drivers.

Key themes in 2015 :Funding, M&A and

indigenisation will likely bethe key themes defining sectorperformance in 2015. We thinkcompanies that do not rely onexternal markets to fund theirwork programmes should berelative outperformers. At thesame time, a rising cost ofcapital and growing marketdiscounts to NAV could fuel a

wave of consolidation in thesector. We view all companiesunder our coverage aspotential parties to variousdeals, which we think shouldhelp remove valuationdiscounts, expand assetportfolios and improve somecompanies’ funding position.

Top picks:According t o the report “Our

top pick remains Seplat (BUY,TP GBp260), given its fullyfunded status and improvedopportunities to expand itsasset base through M&Adeals. For us, the market seemsto be ignoring the company’s$299mn net cash position andis giving Seplat no credit forits pioneer status. Seplat istrading on FY15E 2.8x P/E andoffers over a 10% dividendyield, on our estimates. Weview Mart Resources, ElandOil & Gas and Lekoil asattractive due to their strongnear-term production growthand generally solid fundingpositions.

The dialogue isto discuss how

the capitalmarket can

partner with FGin raising fundsto finance the2015 national

budget


CMYK

E-Commerce

MEETING - From left: Executive Director, CardinalStone Partners, Mr Michael Nzewi,Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Dr Fidelis Ayebae andChairman, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr Felix Ohiwerei during the completion meeting for FidsonHealthcare Plc N2 Billion Bond issue in Lagos.

Stories by JONAHNWOKPOKU

E-commerce: Nigerians decrydearth of legislations

Nigeria has notbeen able to

come up withany cyber laws

and this isbecause there

are noregulations for

the internetspace

NigerianFoods.comoffers US-basedNigerians localdishes

Nigerians havee x p r e s s e dconcerns over the

lack of enabling laws for theprotection of personalinformation provided foronline businesses. They saythere is cause for concern asthere is no legislation for theprotection of millions ofpersonal informationprovided for onlinebusinesses on a daily basis.They fear that without suchlegislation, it is not certainthat the online businesseswill use the information forthe sole purpose of businesstransactions and withoutinterfering with their privacy.Privacy fears creeping in“Online privacy is a seriousissue but no one is payingattention yet,” saidEmmanuel Offie who said heuses e-commerce sitesregularly.“In fact, it is already affectingus because right now,personally I get lots ofunsolicited emails and youwonder how these people getyour email address. And thisis not to talk of countlessspam mails one receives ona daily basis,” he added.Speaking further, he said: “Ifone considers the level ofpersonal data at the disposalof these online businesses;abuse is inevitable unlessthere are appropriatelegislations that forestalltheir use of these data in acertain way. But you seeNigeria likes fire brigadeapproach, until some verybad things begin to happen,nobody will pay attention tothat sector. For now, enactinga law is the only hopebecause all businesses aremoving online and no onemay be able to escape givingvital personal information outin the future.” Also speaking, KelvinOsamehon who alsopatronises e-commerce sitessaid: “Of course I do worryabout the implication of thosedata falling into wrong handsespecially in a space like theinternet where regulation isalmost impossible. As a matterof fact I have had to retractsome of my onlinetransactions in the past afterI became concerned thatleaving my personalinformation in their handswas risky. So I think thebottom line is for these onlinebusiness operators to do moreby making sure that theyremain credible and that theircustomers’ confidence growin their ability to protect themeven without the enablinglaws.”On his part, a ComputerScientist, CharlesEdosomwan said online

companies always makeprovision that guaranteespeople’s privacy and howtheir personal informationare going to be used. Herecommends that users of e-commerce sites always gothrough these policies beforeopting in.“You know when you opt intoan e-commerce company;there are always terms andconditions including theirprivacy policies in fine print.So, I would recommend thatall those who feel concernedabout their privacy andsecurity go through theprivacy policy beforedeciding to supply theirpersonal information.However it is also glaringthat Nigeria has not beenable to come up with anycyber laws and this isbecause there are noregulations for the internetspace. And for you to evenhave a cyber law there hasto be a strong governmentbody that regulates thatspace and play key roles inthat space. This is becauseit is difficult to regulate theuse of these data withoutregulating the internet initself. So, for the onlinecompanies, without thenecessary law, it now boilsdown to ethics. They have tosubject themselves to ethicalregulations to strengthentheir users’ confidence intheir ability to protect them.”However, when asked ifNigerians should have anyconcern for their privacy orcould at any point have anyreason to worry about theirpersonal information in thehands of online businesses,an online business operator,

who preferred anonymity,said privacy challenge for e-commerce is certain but thatit belongs to the future.Privacy, a challenge for thefutureHe said: “The issue of privacymay not seem to be an issuein our context now as adeveloping country but it willcertainly be in the future.This is because, as the society

gets more sophisticatedtechnology wise and morepeople get education andescape the trap of poverty,there will increase the needfor not only businesses tocompete for these data notjust for marketing purposesbut also for profit. The amountof data you have as abusiness will definitelydetermine your bottom line. This in turn makes thesebusinesses very powerful.Imagine what it means tohave access to names, contactaddress and mobile phonenumbers of millions ofpeople?“So if you ask me, whetherNigerians should be

concerned? The answer isboth yes and no. Yes becauseat some point, giving thelevel of hacking these days,businesses cannot be carefulenough. A server breach forinstance can result to massiveand injurious loss of vitalpersonal data. But then thismeans that businesses haveto take extra precaution tomake sure this does nothappen since their reputationdepends on it.“On the other hand, theanswer is no because in anorganised society, there isalways a supreme authoritythat sees to everyone’sprotection. And that is wherethe law comes in. It isimportant and urgent thatNigeria develops legislationto guard against any form ofbreach to privacy or securitythat may result fromelectronic businesstransactions and that thesecompanies stick to the use ofpersonal information forbusiness purposes only.”The complex issues ofprivacy in e-commercePrivacy in e-commerce is acomplex issue for most e-commerce ventures all overthe world today. While theseventures may not beinterested in profilingpersonal data, it is indeedimpossible for them tooperate without such amountof personal data that maysometimes trigger liabilityrisks. In the developedcountries where e-commercehas endured for sometimes,privacy issues resulting fromgathering personal data forbusiness purposes have


An online food vendor,NigerianFoods.comhas launched in the

United States of America toprovide native dishes to US-based Nigerians.The online platform offersUS-based Nigerians theopportunity to shop forvariety of local delicacies onits website.Their offers ranges from flourand grains; herbs and spices;vegetables and soups; cansand oils; sweets and snacks;as well as drinks. Othersinclude: Garri, Egusi,Chocomilo and tens of otherlocal foods.Speaking on the initiativewith journalists, Founder,NigerianFoods.com, MrTosin Osibodu, said thatproducts ordered aredelivered to customersquickly and conveniently.Mr Osibodu said he wasinspired to venture into thelocal food business when hestruggled to get Nigeriangroceries while a graduatestudent in the US. He saidNigerianFoods.com willsolve the problem of havingaccess to Nigerian dishes formillions of Nigerians in theUS.“Some friends and I missedthe taste of home, but ran outof the ingredients that we hadlugged from Lagos. Theclosest African shop washours from my university. Wewent on a long 3-hour driveand in the end, made thejollof rice and efo I wascraving. It was so good! Butit took so long! I thought,there must be an easier wayto get Nigerian groceries inthe US. I asked around andothers had the samefrustrations. So I startedN i g e r i a n F o o d s . c o m , ”Osibodu told journalists atthe launch in the US. He said that, in only a fewmonths since launch,thousands of people hadalready visited his webite toshop for all sorts of Nigerianfoods, saying that,“NigerianFoods.com nowdelivers Nigerian foodseveryday across America.”When asked what has madethe site successful, he said,“Besides the large selection,delivery convenience and lowprices have beeninstrumental to our success.We also care aboutpreserving and advancingNigerian culture.”

Homes & Housing

Abuja among Africa’s top 6property investment hotspotsBy YINKA KOLAWOLE,with agency report

Abuja, Nigeria’sFederal CapitalTerritory, has been

listed as one of the top sixemerging real estateinvestment destinations inAfrica. Others are Naivasha,Kenya; Casablanca,Morocco; Jardins deCarthage, Tunisia; Ndola,Zambia and; Algiers, Algeria.

Global property portal,Lamudi, compiled the list ofemerging investmenthotspots across thecontinent, based on markettrends, infrastructuredevelopments and attractivecommercial, residential andindustrial real estateopportunities.

The report noted that theFCT is one of the worldsemerging cities. “The FederalCapital Territory continuesto attract real estateinvestors, interested inbenefiting from its array ofwell-developed architectureand strong infrastructure.Abuja boasts good securityand a favourable climate forbusiness. The city’s BusinessZone is home to an array ofmultinational companiesexpanding their offices intothe emerging market. AsNigeria emerges as anattractive investmenthotspot, the outskirts ofLagos are also increasing inpopularity. Areas includingEpe, Ota, Agbara, and Ajahhave witnessed a growth inindustrial parks, and boastaffordable rates whilst inclose proximity to the city ofLagos,” it stated

According to the report,Naivasha, which is located90 kilometers northwest ofNairobi, has attracted anumber of developers intothe region. It stated thattourist attractions in andaround Naivasha, such as theLake Naivasha, Hell’s Gate,Aberdare Hills and LongonotNational Park have led to thetown’s development as apreferred getaway location,increasing demand forholiday homes in the area.

On the other cities, thereport stated: “Casablanca, Morocco’s industrial andbusiness center is home tonumerous Moroccan andinternational companies,taking advantage of its closeproximity to Europe andinternational trade routes.The dynamic city isincreasingly attractive to

Morocco’s youngpopulation, looking to settledown in a modern area withan abundance ofemployment opportunities.

“Jardins de Carthage is anattractive option for luxury

real estate developers, andhouse-hunters, looking toinvest in upscale property.With Tunisia’s largest airport,Tunis-Carthage locatednearby, this modern,residential neighborhood hasall of the necessarystructures to attract foreigninvestors.

“The boomingmanufacturing sector inNdola, situatedapproximately 320kilometers north ofLusaka,presents anabundance of opportunitiesfor industrial real estate, withno signs that the demand forlocal manufacturing willslow. The city is the industrialand commercial center of

Zambia’s copper-miningregion and with one of thecountry’s three internationalairports located here, itsstrong transportationconnections facilitateindustrial development.

“Algiers, the capital ofAlgeria is emerging as anappealing location forinvestors. A suburb ofAlgiers, in northern Algeria,Bab Ezzouar, is one of thefastest growing areas of thecity. Home to the mostprominent technologicaluniversity in the country, theUniversity of Sciences andTechnology HouariBoumediene, the suburb hasa vibrant, youthfulcommunity.”

FMBN promises to easehomeownershipManaging Director of

Federal MortgageBank of Nigeria (FMBN), Mr.Gimba Ya’u Kumo, hasassured Nigerians that thebank would work to continueto provide quality andaffordable houses to Nigeriaand strive to improve itsbalance sheet.

He spoke in Abuja at theinauguration of a new boardfor the bank by Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, Minister of LandsHousing and UrbanDevelopment.

Ya’u Kumo, whoseappointment was recentlyrenewed, promised that theteam would recapitalise thebank and improve thebalance sheet structure tomodify its standing as afinancial institution.According to him: “Ourstrategy will involvedeveloping pro-active and

effective strategies to attractoffshore funding foraffordable housing toNigerians as well asimproving service deliveryto NHF contributors acrossthe country. We also plan tolook at improvement ofmembers of staff welfareacross board to ensure a wellmotivated workforce andprofitable operations.”

The FMBN boss said thatthe completion of ongoinghousing estate projectsunder the Ministerial PilotHousing Scheme nationwideand the completion of theGoodluck Jonathan LegacyEstate in Kaba District in theFederal Capital Territory,FCT, will be vigorouslypursued.

He assured the FederalGovernment and otherstakeholders in the sector, oftheir determination to

sustain the cordialrelationship they enjoyed inthe previous years. “I use thisopportunity to request thatthe same support andcooperation enjoyed by theprevious executivemanagement team be equallyextended to the presentteam. As a returning memberof the team, I have had theprivilege of experiencing thevarious challenges facing theFMBN as well as the housingsector in general,” he said.

Earlier, Eyakenyi had notedthat the essence ofreconstituting the team ofFMBN was to reinvigorate thebank and effectivelyreposition it to meet thepresent and future challengesand gave a fresh mandate tothe management to makehouse ownership easier formost Nigerians.

Falling ratesspur mortgagerev i va l

The moribundmortgage market

suddenly sprang back to lifein the US last week after adrop in interest rates to a twoyear low sent borrowersrushing to lock in cheaperloans.

Mortgage applications rosea seasonally adjusted 49percent in the week endedJan. 9 from the previous weekand 30 percent from a yearago, according to data fromthe Mortgage BankersAssociation. Applicationvolume touched its highestlevel since August 2013, withmost of the increase drivenby borrowers seeking torefinance.

The real test for the marketwill come in the coming fewweeks. If mortgage ratescontinue to fall, refinancingcould pick up, breathingmore life into the mortgagemarket. It is unclear,however, whether the uptickwill prove the beginning of alasting trend. Mortgageapplication estimates can bevolatile around holidayweeks, making them lessreliable as an indicator of anunderlying trend. OnWednesday, the yield of the30-year Treasury bond fellto a record, while 10-yearTreasury yields declined totheir lowest level since May2013, as weak U.S. consumerspending added to globaleconomic worries.

HomeownersCharter: Ogunissues moreC of O

Mass housing development

Ogun State governmenthas issued more

Certificates of Occupancy (Cof O) to property ownersunder its HomeownersCharter programme.

Under the scheme, ownersof properties without therequired building approvals,or houses built on landbelonging to the stategovernment are given awindow of opportunity toobtain building planapprovals, Certificates ofOccupancy and otherdocuments that will establishtheir ownership to theproperties. The schemeensures that all penalties andfines that are normally leviedagainst those who buildhouses without approvalsand Certificates ofOccupancy are waived.

During the exercise whichwas the fifth in the series ofthe programme, held inAbeokuta, GovernorIbikunle Amosun,represented by the Head ofService, Mrs. ModupeAdekunle, presented thedocuments to thebeneficiaries.

Abujaboasts good

securityand a

favourableclimate forbusiness



Interview

Although manyOriginal Equipment

Manufacturers, (OEMs) inmobile phone segment andother devices operating inthe Nigerian ecosystemhave been struggling withinfrastructural challenges,TECNO Mobile hassummoned the courage tobe the first to set up amanufacturing plant in thecountry.

In this interview withJonah Nwokpoku , theDeputy General Manager,TECNO Mobile, Nigeria,Mr. Chidi Okonkwo whilehighlighting what theirgrowing consumers shouldexpect in 2015 and beyondsaid that the first phase ofthe factory will becompleted by the end of theyear.

Excerpt

What should we expectfrom TECNO this year?

This year, we expect toimprove on what we

did last year. We want to seethat we have moremarketing activities thisyear. Of course we expectmore competition and evennew entrants into theNigerian market and we willdefinitely provide moreinteresting and innovativeproducts into the Nigerianmarket. Of course we havebeen taking all sorts ofsurvey in the Nigerianmarket to see how we canbring products that willreflect the Nigerian lifestyle.We want to bring productsthat will contain whatNigerians need. So we willbe launching a number ofdevices and there will beinnovative marketingcampaigns to back up theseproducts that will belaunched in the Nigerianmarket. We as a brand arealso thinking seriously aboutNigeria. This is becauseNigeria is one of our biggestmarkets. And we have ahuge investment plan inNigeria.

Right now we are settingup a manufacturing plant inthe country and we hope thatthe first phase of that factorywill be completed by the end

TECNO’s plantin Nigeria‘ll beready this year—Okonkwo

of the third or fourthquarter of this year. Andwhen this is achieved, itis going to provide a lotmore employmentopportunities forNigerians and we hopethat this will be done thisyear.

How much investmenthave you made in themanufacturing plantproject?

There is a budget whichI may not be able todisclose in public at thismoment but the finalinvestment figure willstill be known by the endof the day. This project issomething that ourmanagement is very keenand they are pushingvery hard to ensure thatit is achieved.

has always been supportiveto us. We hope that we willget more governmentsupport in the future sincewe are fully committed toNigerian market.

Is it a manufacturing oran assembling plant and

we are stil l at the pre-investment stage right nowand we are collating all sortsof information to help usaccomplish this. We havebeen working on this sincelast year. We have alreadysecured the land and havestarted preparing the site atEpe in Lagos here where itis located and we have to gothrough to get the necessaryapprovals. We are makingsure that we get everythingready to make sure that thisproject comes to fruition.

When exactly shouldNigerians expect the firstmade in Nigeria TECNOphones?

It is expected that once thefirst phase of the plant iscompleted in the third orfourth quarter, we will havethe first batch of made inNigeria TECNO phones.

TECNO has beenrecording success in theNigerian and other Africanmarkets where they operate,what can you say are thosesuccess factors? What hasTECNO been doingdifferently?

At TECNO we have beenworking very hard to makesure that we bring inproducts that are needed byNigerians. We as a brand,having been focusing on theAfrican markets and we alsohave been focusing a lot on

the Nigerian market. Wehave our research anddevelopment team alwaysaround taking feedbackabout from our users and wetry to produce phones thatare tailored towards what theNigerian consumer needs.You will realise that ourproduct is African/Nigeriacentric, so that when you useour products, you will realisethat they are truly made forthe African market. Alsothings like our after salessupport centres make itpossible for our customers toget all the help they needsince contact information arealso loaded on our devices.We make products that aretruly relevant and needed bythe Nigerian consumers.Also we have tried to getclose to the market and theconsumers that we serve. Wepay attention to what areneeded in trying to ensurethat these products areuseful in the hands of theconsumers. We have alsobuilt a very strong team inNigeria that are supportingthat are supporting ourbusiness all over thecountry. Again, don’t forgetthat our products, both ourfeature and smart phonescome with whole lots offeatures that are comparableto our global competitors andyet people don’t have to riptheir pockets to purchasethese products. They arevery affordable devices. Thishas made it possible forNigerians to have access toproducts that are able to helpthem to do whatever theywant to do on their mobilephones. These are thefactors that have brought usto the level we are in today.

Does the affordability ofTECNO devices resonatewith high quality?

TECNO products areundoubtedly made withquality materials. And thereis a proof of originality andauthenticity of the productsthat you put out to sell andof course these products alsoundergo all sorts of approvalprocesses through theregulatory bodies andgovernment agencies in thecountry before they are soldin the Nigerian market. Sobefore these phones aresold, we carry a lot of qualityassurance tests on theproducts, to make sure thatwe are not bringingsubstandard products intothe Nigerian market whilekeeping our productsaffordable. We want to seethat more Nigerians usequality and affordablemobile devices to enhancetheir lifestyle wherever theyare and in whatever they do.

Doing business in Nigeriais very difficult given theinfrastructure challenge,what are the challenges youexpect and how you expectthe authorities to come in?

One of the biggestchallenges we are facing in

Nigeria is fake or counterfeitTECNO products. We willappreciate if the authoritiescan continue to support usin fighting the influx of fakeproducts into Nigerianmarket.

What kind of supportexactly do you expect fromgovernment?

The Nigerian government

what is going to happenwithin the first phase of theproject?

We are building bothmanufacturing andassembling plant. By thetime we complete the firstphase we should be able tostart manufacturing andassembling TECNO phonesin Nigeria. Don’t forget that

We havealready secured

the land andhave started

preparing thesite at Epe in

Lagos


CMYK

CMYK


Insurance

AWARD - The Austin Epadi-Igbuku Lights on Foundation held its annual awardsceremony recently to promote academic excellence among secondary schools in Isoko,Delta state. Here is Mrs. Erezi Igbuku presenting award trophy to Miss Edhere PriscillaOromena, for overall best student

Disciplined underwriting key inovercapitalised global reinsurancesector - A.M. BestStories byROSEMARY ONUOHA

Current conditions inthe globalreinsurance sector,

which remains overcapitalised,demand that disciplinedunderwriting, be the focus ofreinsurers, suggests a newreport by A.M. Best.

The report stated that despitethe reinsurance market’s abilityto prove resilient, “Mostcompanies continue to indicatethat intense competition isleading to lower underwritingmargins for certain lines ofbusiness, the need fordisciplined underwriting nowmore than ever should remainthe focus.”

The outlook for 2015 is clearlychallenging, “With ratescontinuing to decline for somelines of business, terms andconditions becoming evenbroader, and cedingcommissions increasingfurther,” the report stated.

“The orderly approach to riskselection appears to be workingfor global companies, and mostare expected to remaincautious on the business theywrite as capacity remains highand the market becomesincreasingly competitive

“Companies that writepredominantly reinsurance andfocus on underwriting are indanger of reducing their booksof businesses to levels that mayrender them less relevant in themarket, which could lead tomore merger and acquisitionactivity,” A.M. Best cautions.

Citing a number ofacquisitions over the past year– including the January 2015announcement that XL hasentered a definite mergeragreement to acquire Catlin –these are all examples “of theneed for greater global scaleand diversified product linesand distribution, replacing thedays of specialty-focusedreinsurance companies.Companies with well-diversified businesses and aglobal reach likely will only getlarger as smaller players putthemselves up for sale or seekstrategic partnerships tosurvive,” the report continues.

With regard to pricing, therewas double-digit declines incertain lines of business in2014. “Reinsurance pricingoverall is expected to remainunder pressure in 2015, giventhe lack of any price-changingevent over the past few years.”

The report notes that Januaryrenewal pricing for property

contracts was once againdown 10 percent to 15percent for both UnitedStates and Europeanrisk.

Other findings in thereport include: with newcapital and reducedreinsurance purchasingby some large cedents,market conditions areexpected to remainchallenging for thereinsurance business in2015 and lead to furtherpressure on pricing,

particularly in property andcat lines; favourable reservereleases and the lack of anymajor Cats over the past fewyears continue to aidcombined ratios for the entireindustry; given the strongcapital positions of manycompanies, share buybacksare expected to remain astrategy for companieslooking to improve returns forshareholders, and that willslightly offset some of thechallenges companies face onthe income side.

Lagos State partners UK CambridgeHitachi to promote virtual learning

As part of efforts to host the UnitedKingdom Cambridge-Hitachi,

(C/H), centre in the state, the LagosState Government has partnered C/H tosign the Memorandum ofUnderstanding for the commencementof the Centre.

The state, through its team of threehigh level delegates, will meet with theCambridge-Hitachi team at theUniversity of Cambridge in UK in duecourse to sign the Memorandum ofUnderstanding for the commencementof the Centre.

This was according to the Director,Local Organising Committee,Cambridge-Hitachi Virtual Teaching /Learning, Princess Adebukola AbikeOluderu.

Oluderu said that Lagos StateGovernor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fasola,has taken the bold step to acquire 2, 000multimedia interactive solution for the

tertiary and the secondary schools in theState.

Held last year in Lagos, the Cambridge-Hitachi round table meeting on educationin Africa had yielded result with the LagosState Government taking the lead as the firstCambridge-Hitachi virtual Teaching/Learning Centre in Africa with Nigeriataking the lead.

Lagos State, through the Commissionerfor Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoyereaffirmed the Lagos State Government’sreadiness to host the centre. In the previouscorrespondences and the bid forwarded bythe State, a special centre is approved forLagos State based on her outstandingperformances and availability ofinfrastructure already put in place forimproving the educational sector.Furthermore, Lagos State has givenassurance to exceed the provision ofinteractive multimedia solution from thetarget of 1,500 to 2,000 classrooms.

DiamondBankappointsOgbechieChairman asIgwe Acheberetires

Diamond Bank Plc, lastweek announced

the appointment of Dr.Chris Ogbechie as the newChairman of the Board ofDirectors following theretirement of IgweUgochukwu NnaemekaAchebe who has led theBoard since January 1,2007.

The Bank in a notice datedJanuary 13, 2015, to theNigerian Stock Exchange(NSE), titled: Change inDirectorate – Resignationand Appointment ofChairman, Board ofDirectors, signed byNkechiNwosu, theCompany Secretary/LegalAdviser, disclosed that theBoard of Directors of theBank in a recent Boardmeeting, approved IgweAchebe’s retirement and theappointment of Ogbechieas the new Chairman.

“We wish to inform youthat the Board of Directorsof Diamond Bank Plc at itsmeeting held on November29, 2014, approved theretirement ofIgweUgochukwuNnaemekaAchebe, the Chairman ofthe Board of Directors of theBank effective December31, 2014. In his stead, theBoard unanimouslyapproved the appointmentof Dr. Chris Ogbechie, anon-executive director, asthe Chairman of the Boardof Directors of DiamondBank, with effect fromJanuary 1, 2015.”

Igwe Achebe’s tenure asthe Chairman of the Boardwas characterized withtremendous growth of theBank in the quality of assetbase and the entrenchmentof the Bank as a leader inRetail Banking in Nigeria.He successfully sawDiamond Bank through theentry of Actis -aninstitutional investor -in2007, the Global DepositaryReceipts (GDR) listing onthe London Stock Exchangein 2009, the 2008 GlobalEconomic Meltdown, andmore recently, the Bank’sRights Issue of 2014.

The need fordisciplined

underwritingnow morethan ever

should remainthe focus


CMYK

CMYK

Commmodity Index

Jan 09 - Jan 15, 2015

Micro-Finance

Stories byPROVIDENCE OBUH

A c c i o n

Microfinance Bank(MfB) disbursed aboutN10 billion as loan in2014 even as itcelebrates loyalcustomers.

The loans weredisbursed to 49,443clients bringing thetotal loan disbursementfrom inception to date toN32.8 billion and thenumber of customersthat joined the bank in2014 from 64,845 to86,665.

Speaking at theoccasion of the bank’sAnnual Customers’Forum in Lagos,Managing Director/CEO AMfB, Ms. BunmiLawson, revealed thefigure, saying thatInspite of thechallenging Nigerianeconomic environmentin 2014, the bank hascontinued to do well,growing from strengthto strength in theindustry.

Some of the productslined up for customersin 2015 include:repackaging of theGroup Loan product toaddress concerns;deploying more ATMmachines for easyaccess to funds;spreading to otherstates.

Other products to helpin addressing customersneed include: SME,Agric, Education,PayGo, Housing,product for people with

AMfB disbursed N10bn loan in 2014

disability and anadditional insuranceproducts and benefits incases of flood, fire,burglary, permanentdisability, death/burial,special product for the

women folk, amongothers.

Accordingly, she said,“We will also continue todeliver and provideefficient, quality andseamless servicesthrough our numerousdelivery channels andproducts. Access toloans, savings,collections and otherservices will be madesimpler in the New Year.Our staff will from thisyear capture data in thefield, POS for collectionwill continue. We arealso repackaging theReferral programme.

Lawson said that the

Report has shownthat the African

M i c r o f i n a n c eInvestment Vehicle(MIV) portfolio grew at36 per cent between2006 and 2013.

Meanwhile, from theyear 2000 to 2014, thegross loan portfolio ofAfrican Micro FinanceInstitutions (MFIs)expanded over tenfold to$6 billion, between 2003and 2009, the number ofborrowers served byMFIs in the continentalso increased from 1.6million to 8.5 million.

These numbersrepresent thedevelopment of aneconomic development

African MIV portfolio grewat 36% in 7yrs

BY PROVIDENCEOBUH with agencyreport

tool for economies withvery small financialsectors and it isimpressive progress foran undevelopedindustry beset by sparsehuman capital, difficultgovernance andminimal externalcommercial interest.

According the report,“The African MIVportfolio grew at anaverage annual rate of36 percent between 2006and 2013. This compareswith an average growthof 38 percent forinvestments in the LatinAmerica and Caribbeanregion since 2006, andeight percent in both theMiddle East and NorthAfrica and South EastAsia regions.

“African MFIs areattracting palpableinterest from investorswith a double bottomline. At the most recentmeeting of the FinancialInclusion EquityCouncil (FIEC) inZurich, social equityfinanciers, many ofwhom represent theexpanded cohort ofAfrica investors, notedthat there is stronginterest to invest inAfrica, which is seen asripe for social impactinvestment, withpotentially “eyewatering” multiples.

AfriCap, which was thefirst private equity fundto invest exclusively inAfrican microfinanceinstitutions, and otherm i c r o f i n a n c einvestment vehicles(MIVs) funded by socialinvestors have been akey growth factorthrough capitalizingMFIs and offeringtechnical assistance andtraining.”

The African Organisation for Standardization(ARSO) has reiterated its commitment to

revolutionizing Africa’s agricultural sector, sayingthat all hands must be on deck to adopt newtechnologies to help the continent move fromreliance on food imports and secure food suppliesthrough rapid sustainable increase in foodproduction.

In a statement, ARSO explained that under ARSOTHC 02, Agriculture and Food Products, chairedby Tanzania with membership and experts fromacross the continent, it will help African countriesrevolutionise agriculture by addressing issues ofhandling, packaging, labelling, storage, processingand fulfill many of the broader requirements forproducers to participate in global supply chains.

In the statement, DG, SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu,said that programmes are under way to help Africaproduce high-value products; codify sustainableagricultural practices in order to addresssustainability issues required to tackleenvironmental degradation, soil infertility, soilerosion, declining yields, increased pests and

ARSO seeks to revolutionizeAfrica’s agro sector

The number ofcustomers that

joined the bank in2014 increasedfrom 64,845 in2013 to 86,665


Aviation

Discovery Air suspension: Passengers to get 25%rebate

DiscoveryAir Airlinehas said that the

affected passengers oncancelled December 24th and25th flights will be given arefund and 25 percent rebateon subsequent trips with theairline. This is coming as themanagement of the airlinealso said their suspension

By LAWANI MIKAIRU from flight operations byNigerian Civil AviationAuthority, NCAA, is not dueto any technical problems inthe operation of the airline,but due to flight delays andcancellation during lastChristmas festive period.

This position was madeknown by Mr BabatundeBabalola, Chairman ofDiscovery Airline, while

addressing aviation reportersin Lagos. According to him, “the airline’s Air OperatorsCertificate, AOC, wassuspended due to flightdelays and cancellations itexperienced during lastfestive period.”

It will be recalled thatDiscovery Airways was lastTuesday suspended fromoperating any flight as its Air

Operator’s Certificate, AOC,was suspended by theNigerian Civil AviationAuthority, NCAA. Thissuspension would be in forcepending the outcome of acomprehensive review of theAirlines operations to becarried out by NCAA.

According to Babalola “Weare addressing issues raisedby NCAA. We have got intouch with the passengersbased on what the regulationsays. Principally, we have to

deal with the customers whowere not satisfied with ouroperations during theChristmas period.

“There are some passengersthat complained to NCAAdirectly; some complained tous while some complained totheir lawyers. We haveengaged the ones whocomplained to us directly andgave them form to fill and puttheir account details; and weare going to refund theirmoney and pay them 25 per

cent rebate forsubsequent trip asstipulated by theregulation”

He added thatpassengers would stillpatronize the airlinewhen it re-commencesoperations. “For thosepassengers thatrecognize our brand, theyknow the brand they fly.I can tell you some peoplehave been loyal to us andthey still want topatronize us. I don’t seeany reason people willnot fly Discovery Airagain. They know whatwe are made of. Theyknow who we are.Discovery Air is a growingairline and we will get towhere we want,” he said.

Mr Sam Adurogboye ,

Arik Airresumesflights toCotonou,Doula

Arik Air, will resumeflight services to

Cotonou, Benin Republicand Douala, Cameroonfrom today. Flight servicesbetween Lagos, Nigeriaand Cotonou/Douala weresuspended last year inthe wake of the outbreakof Ebola Virus Disease insome parts of West Africa.

According to Arik Air’sManaging Director, MrChris Ndulue , “We arepleased to return toCotonou and Douala afterthe brief period ofsuspension of flights. Wethank our guests for theirloyalty and promise thatwe shall not renege onour pledge to provideworld-class experiencesand services which aresafe, reliable andcontinually contributetowards the quality of lifein the region.”

Arik Air will beoperating four weeklyflights from Lagos toCotonou and Douala onMondays, Tuesdays,Thursdays and Saturdays.


CMYK

Tax Matters

The operation of thet a x

law is universallyadministered. Every

person (corporate orindividual) is a taxable entityno matter how, when andwhat method is used toconduct the business.

The Federal InlandRevenue Service (FIRS) hasadequate mechanisms toassess and bring all taxableentities into the tax net.Among these methods iscordial dialogues withstakeholders duringenlightenment drives toachieve mutualunderstanding and promotevoluntary compliance.

Registration by TaxablePersons

Section 8(q) of the FederalInland Revenue ServiceEstablishment Act, 2007,directs the Service to issue ataxpayer identificationnumber to every taxableperson in Nigeria incollaboration with StateBoards of Internal Revenueand the Local GovernmentRevenue Boards. Section 8(1)of the Value Added Tax Act(VATA) Cap V1 LFN, 2004 asamended in 2007 alsorequires taxpayers(individuals, enterprises orcorporates) to register for VAT.

However, when the taxidentification number (TIN) isgenerated, it suffices andcovers all the tax types as noother registration number forany tax type will be required.

Reference to Section 8(1) ofthe VATA as amended, it isspecifically stated that “Ataxable person shall, withinsix months of thecommencement of the Act orwithin six months of thecommencement of business,whichever is earlier, registerwith the Board for the purposeof the tax (VAT).”

The phrase whichever isearlier, that specifies the timefor registration, has caused alot of pain for taxpayers inVAT administration. It is notpractical to expect that abusiness just recentlyincorporated (say in 2011) tohave registered in 1994 for thepurpose of the tax. Hence, abusiness incorporated after1994 is expected to registerwithin six months of thecommencement of business.

Therefore, penalties (andother sanctions) for lateregistration for VAT wouldstart counting immediatelyafter the six months ofcommencement of business ifthe taxpayer fails to registerfor VAT and not six monthsfrom the commencement ofthe VAT Act when thebusiness was probably not inexistence.

Historical Antecedents ofVAT

*VAT was first introduced

Enhancing VAT voluntarycompliance

as consumption tax in 1919in Germany, France (1954),UK 1973 etc.

*Introduction wasoccasioned by the impacts of1st and 2nd World Wars.

*The adverse effects ofdirect taxation on theeconomy, individuals andbusinesses.

*The introduction ofconsumption tax was latermodernized into VAT.

*The high point of VAT isthat it has no noticeableimpact on the taxpayerbecause of its indirect nature.

VATable IncomeIn arriving at what

constitutes a VATable income,all income from sales, rentals,charges and fees relating toactivities enjoyed bycustomers are VATable andshould be charged with VAT.The law did not makeprovision for any activities orservices that is non-VATablein the industry.

First Schedule of the Actstated Goods and ServicesExempt from VAT in Nigeria.

The implication of theschedule is that any otherbusiness activity in the formof buying and selling orrendering of services orenjoying any rights which arenot stated in the schedule areliable to VAT.

Duration of RemittanceAll VAT charges should be

remitted to an FIRS officewithin 21 days in arrears ona prescribed form 002. This issupported by Section 15 ofthe Act.

Meanwhile, a taxableperson who does not remit thetax within the time specifiedabove, will be liable to 5%penalty and interest atcommercial rate, added to thetax and the provision relatingto collection and recovery ofthe unremitted tax, penaltyand interest shall be

employed.Similarly, a taxable person

who fails to collect tax is topay 150% of the amount notcollected plus 5% interestabove the Central Bank ofNigeria rediscount rate.

Concept of VoluntaryCompliance

FIRS encourages voluntarycompliance instead of the useof coercion. Tax compliancerelates to the degree to whicha taxpayer complies (or failsto comply) with the tax rulesof a country, for instance, bydeclaring income, filingreturns and paying the taxdue on or before the due date.

Voluntary tax compliance isa situation where a taxableperson or entity files returnswithout the tax authorityresorting to using theinstruments of the law andforce to ensure compliance.

It is voluntary when ataxable person discharges thestatutory obligation of taxpayment on self-convictionand as a call to duty withoutnotice or reminder within

the time line allowed by law.FIRS’ Means of

Enhancing VoluntaryCompliance

*Through education andsensitization of operators.

*Business owners shouldhave open an mind and seekclearance from FIRS when indoubt and seek further legaladvice when not satisfied.

*Regular monitoring/auditvisitations to checkcompliance and enlightentaxable entities on their rolesand responsibilities.

*FIRS ensures that theprinciple of know your taxpayer (KYTP) is adhered to,so that it would be easy fortaxpayers to reach scheduleofficers for information andguidance/assistance.

*Regular provision of VATforms 002 for monthlyrendition of returns.

*Encourage voluntarycompliance to avoid infractionof the law.

*Consistency and civilenforcement of the provisionsof the tax law

*Imposition of interest andpenalties and enforcecompliance where defaultoccurs.

*Improvement in the workprocess of the tax office tomake compliance easier.

*Compliance with theTaxpayer IdentificationNumber requirements bybusiness owners.

*Monthly rendition ofreturns and payments on orbefore 21st of each month inarrears, to the nearest FIRSoffice.

*Proper documentation andrecord keeping of VATcharges taken at source,returns and payments vi-a-viscorrect profiling of incomesources.

*Businesses should notethat they are not the partysuffering the VAT, but a mere

agent of collection andremittance.

*It is better to chargewrongly and remit to FIRS,than not to charge at all,because when the actualliability is established, it isowner of the business thatwould bear the entire burden.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

*Out of the entire VAT Act,of 47 sections, about one thirdof the provisions are onoffences and penalties.

*Statute basedconsequences arehighlighted from section 25 to37 of VAT Act Cap VI, 2004as amended in 2007. Someexamples of offences andpenalties are: failure tosubmit returns attract a fineof N5,000 for each month thefailure continues.

*Failure to collect tax attractspenalties of 150% of theamount not collected plus 5%interest above CBN rate.

*VAT evasion attractsN30,000 or twice the amountof tax evaded whichever isgreater or imprisonment for aterm not exceeding 3 years.

*Failure to keep properrecords of accounts wouldattract N2,000 fine for everymonth the failure continues.

*Failure to issue tax invoiceattracts fine of 50% of the costof goods and services forwhich an invoice was notissued.

*Offences by bodycorporate: Every officer,manager, secretary and othersimilar officer includingpartner in partnership shallbe severely guilty of anoffence under the act, etc.

Reputational Implication*Second categories of

consequences of non-compliance are reputationaland reporting risks. Apartfrom reputational damagearising from actions by FIRSto enforce compliance viadistrain, search and seizure,and litigation, amongstothers.

*Reporting risk involves theimposition of interest andpenalties.

*All the interest andpenalties imposed on any ofthe aforementioned offenceswould be enforced.

FIRS tries to avoid enforcingcompliance because of theService’s slogan, “Taxpayersare King” except onrecalcitrant taxpayers. It isnecessary to once againemphasize that nightclub andevent center activities are notexempted from VAT.

Consequently, taxpayers areencouraged to embracevoluntary compliance sincethe consequences of non-compliance are enormous;ranging from statute basedsanctions to reputationaldamage/reporting risk.

FIRSencouragesvoluntarycomplianceinsteadof theuse of

coercion


E-commerce

“History does not repeatitself; man does”. BarbaraTuchmann.

Nigerian leaders ing o v e r n m e n t ,military or civilian,

simply never seem to learnsome lessons permanently.They make the same mistakesover and over again – leavingobservers wondering if thereis not some truth to theassertion that black peopleare mentally inferior. After all,some of those we elected, orwere imposed, as governorsare among the “brightest andbest” we have ever produced.Yet, each change of baton fromone Head of State, or onegovernor to another inevitablyresults in several abandonedprojects. By definition, theseare projects started by aprevious administration,which was unable to completeit before departing, andwhich its successors thenleave unfinished.

For frequent travelersthrough Okene from Lagos,Oyo and Ondo states, theclassic example of anabandoned project staresthem in the face as they turnfrom the road leading fromIbilo to enter Okene. Therestands a project which wasstarted during the SecondRepublic, 1979-1983, by theNPN Governor of then KwaraState (Kogi did not exist at thetime). Whatever purpose itwas supposed to serve is nowshrouded in mystery. Theformer governor served onlyone term and was replaced bya UPN Governor in 1983 –whose tenure lasted onlythree months. That change ofgovernors brought to an end

Return of abandonedprojects

a project on whichmobilization fees had beenpaid and on which close to70% of the contract sum hadbeen collected. It remainstoday a monument to ourcollective irresponsibility.

Oyo State providesanother example. GovernorAlao Akala started a dualisedroad which would link theend of the Lagos-IbadanExpress Road with theIbadan-Abeokuta Road atApata and reduce the hold-

up around Challenge. It wasuncompleted when it washastily commissioned byPresident Jonathan; andremains uncompleted tilltoday. It may never becompleted.

The really inexplicable andpotentially abandoned projectis situated in Akwa Ibom State– right in Uyo; that is the statecapital. It is remarkable thatall those not too familiar withdevelopments in the state andwho only visited AKS once ortwice have failed to notice theimposing structure along IkotEkpene Road. It is supposedto be world class SpecialistHospital. Unless rescued byGovernor Akpabio’s successor,it might turn out to be a worldclass abandoned project.Started very early in 2007, thepeople were promised itwould be completed before theend of the governor ’s firstterm. That first tern endedalmost four years ago.Meanwhile, several whiteelephant projects – IbomCinema, Stadium, BanquetHall – had been completedand they now stand empty.There are several reasons whythe Specialist Hospital mightgo the way of the Okene andIbadan structures. First,successors don’t want to payfor a contract when thebenefits have long beencollected by someone else.Second, they instinctively

know that the contracts havemost probably been inflatedand they don’t want to pay thebalance of the contract out ofthe funds entrusted to them.

More to the point, whatmakes the failure to completethe Uyo Specialist Hospital,in eight years, is the fact thatAkwa Ibom State governmentbecame the first state to collectover N1 trillion from theFederation Account in fouryears in the history of Nigeriaand it is on course to repeatthe same feat from 2011 to2015. So, why has a verycritical service to the peopleof the state been neglectedwhile billions were throwninto a cesspool calledTropicana Hotel? Lack offunds can certainly not be theexcuse.

Meanwhile, the Federalgovernment of Nigeria seemspoised to add its own to thelist of thousands ofabandoned projects. TheLagos-Ibadan Express Road,which was belatedly startedtwo years ago, might again beabandoned by contractors – ifthe Federal government failsto pay any time soon. Theroad had suffered manyreversals in the past and theproblems might not be overyet.

The alarm about abandonedprojects is timely becauseapart from the change ofgovernments, which will soonoccur nationwide, therevenue base is certain toshrink with the price of crude

oil going down every day andan economic recessionlooming. Most out-goinggovernors, if not all, willleave unfinished projects allover their states. Even if theparty in power, at the momentretains the seat, it is notcertain that the successorswill continue with the projectsinherited. If a new politicalparty takes over, it is certainthat the projects will beabandoned. Contractorsowed by state governmentsand who have not been paidby May 2015, will find italmost impossible to collecttheir debts.

That was the experience in1983, when the militaryreplaced civilians; it wasagain the experience in 1994when Abacha sacked thegovernors after theannulment of the June 12,1993 elections. History isabout to repeat itself becauseNigerians never learn fromthe lessons of history. Theproblem with an abandonedproject is easily explained byreferring to building half abridge. It is not good forcrossing and it ties downcapital. Yet, this is what ourleaders do all the time. Forsomeone who has been anobserver of the nationaleconomy since Gowon’s Udojiawards in the 1970s, thefrustrating thing is that thesame things are done by us,over and over, with terriblepredictability andconsequences. Invariably,“For every folly of their[leaders] the [Nigerianpeople] feel the lash”,Horace, 65-8BC, slightlyamended.

The alarmabout

abandonedprojects is

timely becauseapart from the

change ofgovernments

nationwide, therevenue base is

certain toshrink

E-commerce: Nigerians decry dearth of legislationsContinued from page 29

resulted to unpleasantexperiences like identify theftand privacy invasion forconsumers thereby throwingup bitter litigations forbusinesses and its resultantloss of income. These andother concerns have formedthe basis for which most ofthese countries enacted lawsto guard against unforeseencircumstances from e-commerce related activities.E-commerce related privacylawsSuch laws include The DataProtection Directive, aEuropean Union directivewhich regulates theprocessing of personalinformation within theEuropean Union and the

personal Data Privacy andSecurity Act US (2005updated 2009) whichprovides criminal penaltiesfor identity theft involvingelectronic personal data by:increasing penalties forcomputer fraud when suchfraud involves personal data.No e-commerce legislationin NigeriaHowever, despite the growingtrend of electronic commercein Nigeria, investigation hasrevealed that at the moment,there is no legislation targetedat e-commerce both forconsumer rights protection,personal data protection andprivacy invasion resultingfrom unauthorised use ofpersonal information. Overthe past four years, attemptsat introducing such laws have

yielded little results. Forinstance in 2011, theelectronic commerce bill wasintroduced at the NationalAssembly to cater to theexigencies of electronictransactions. Although the billwas intended to be modelledafter the United Nationsmodel law on ecommerce, theproposed legislation hadlimited scope and made nospecific provisions for privacyand security concerns.

Instead, it made to clear theintricacies surroundingelectronic contracts andsignatures.The cybercrime billOther legislation includedthe Cybercrime bill which upuntil 2013 was still beingconsidered at the NationalAssembly. The bill soughtamong other things to providean effective and unified legal,regulatory and institutionalframework for the prohibition,prevention, detection,prosecution and punishmentof cybercrimes in Nigeria;ensure the protection ofcritical national informationinfrastructure; and promotecyber security and theprotection of computersystems and networks,electronic communications;data and computer programs,intellectual property and

privacy rights.Although it made provisionsalong these lines, experts say,it still leaves certain loopholesthat did not make for effectivedata protection and privacyguarantees. For instance,they argue that the billcontained no definition ofwhat constitutes personaldata, no identification of theright to privacy, no definitionof what constitutes datasubjects rights, and noidentification of the fact thatorganisations can also breachdata protection rules. Othersinclude that there was noprovision for circumstanceswhere the personal dataneeds to be utilised withoutthe consent of the data subject,and no definition, ormandatory requirement oftechnical measures to mitigatedata protection breaches.

Investigationhas revealedthat at the

moment, thereis no legislation

targeted at e-commerce

CMYK


Business & Economy

By PBy PBy PBy PBy Peter Egwuatu &eter Egwuatu &eter Egwuatu &eter Egwuatu &eter Egwuatu &Nkiruka NnoromNkiruka NnoromNkiruka NnoromNkiruka NnoromNkiruka Nnorom

There are indicationsthat the Securities andE x c h a n g e

Commission, SEC may soft-pedal on the implementationof new minimum capital basefor capital market operatorsfollowing the change ofleadership in the commission.

Also, the Nigerian StockExchange, NSE, has said thatimplementation of minimumoperating standard for stockbroking firms operating in theNigerian capital market willcommence by the December31, 2015.

It will be recalled that thecommission had extended thedeadline for therecapitalisation of capitalmarket operators fromDecember 30. 2014 toSeptember 30, 2015 under theleadership of the immediatepast Director General, Ms.Arunma Oteh.

Vanguard gathered thatsome major capital marketoperators have concludedarrangement to meet with thenew leadership of thecommission led by Mr. MounirGwarzo and other governmentfunctionaries to discuss on thecapitalisation issue as well asother incentives needed toattract investors and boostmarket activities.

It was gathered that some ofthe market operators willdialogue with key officials ingovernment agencies to ensureproper alignment of the capitalmarket to Nigeria Fiscal andMonetary policyimplementation.

A source said “ It is notunlikely that the issue ofrecapilisation would bediscussed again with the newleadership of SEC to see howthe implementation can besoft-pedal or even the entirerecapilisation requirement berestructured in a way that alloperators would meet theminimum level without stress.You know that the ActingDirector General of SEC , Mr.Gwarzo has been an operatorand a regulator , so he knowswhere the shoe pinches andwould likely consider theviews of operators whenconfronted.”

Speaking further, the sourcesaid “ Though, I believe thatover 50 per cent of theoperators have met the newcapitalisation requirement,but we still believe thatcapitalisation should not be amajor issue in the market

BP faces a fine of up to$13.7 billion after a US

judge ruled that the 2010Gulf of Mexico oil spill wassmaller than initially feared.

His ruling put the spill at3.2 million barrels - the USgovernment had estimated itat 4.09 million barrels. Itshields the oil giant fromwhat could have been a$17.6 billion fine. A finalfigure is expected later thismonth. The case relating tothe aftermath of theDeepwater Horizon drillingrig explosion was heard inNew Orleans.

In his ruling the judge saidBP’s response to the disasterhad not been grosslynegligent. However, hestuck to his earlier decisionthat it had been grosslynegligent leading up to theexplosion, in which 11 menaboard the drilling rig werekilled. BP is appealingagainst that decision.

These latest penaltiesunder the US Clean WaterAct would be in addition tomore than $42 billion BP hasset aside or spent already onclean-up, compensation andfines. The company has soldat least $39bn in assets sincethe spill.

US consumerprices postbiggest drop in6 years

U.S. consumer pricesrecorded their biggest

decline in six years inDecember and a gauge ofunderlying inflation failed torise, which could make theFederal Reserve morecautious about raising interestrates.

Other data on Friday,however, suggested theeconomy was still poised forsolid growth despite the softinflation readings, withfactory output rising lastmonth and consumersentiment hitting its highestlevel in 11 years in January.

The Labor Department saidon Friday its Consumer PriceIndex fell 0.4 percent lastmonth, the largest drop sinceDecember 2008, after sliding0.3 percent in November. Inthe 12 months throughDecember, CPI increased just0.8 percent, the weakestreading since October 2009,and a sharp deceleration fromNovember’s 1.3 percent rise.

BP oil spillsmaller thanfeared

Minimum capital: Fresh dialogueunderway overimplementation

especially for stock brokingfirms. We don’t need much ofthat capital to carry out ourbusiness. This is because webuy and sell based on clients’order. This is part of the thingsthat will be tailoured to thenew leadership of SEC.”

It will be noted that the apexcapital market regulatorincreased minimum capitalbase for broker/dealer by 329per cent from the existing N70million to N300 million.

A Broking firm, whichcurrently operates with capitalbase of N40 million, will nowbe required to have N200million, representing anincrease of 400 per cent.Minimum capital base fordealer was increased by 233per cent from N30 million toN100 million.

Also, issuing houses, whichfacilitate new issues in theprimary market, will now berequired to have minimumcapital base of N200 million,as against the current capitalbase of N150 million. Thecapital requirement forunderwriter also doubled fromN100 million to N200 million.A Registrar will now have aminimum capital base of N150million, as against the currentrequirement of N50 million.

While the minimum capitalbase for corporate investmentadviser remained unchanged atN5 million, individualinvestment advisers will haveto increase their capital baseby 300 per cent, fromN500,000 to N2 million.

Meanwhile, on the issue ofminimum operating standardby the NSE, the Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the exchange, Mr.Oscar Onyema said that only

stockbroking firms that meetthe minimum operatingstandard would be allowed tocontinue operating in themarket at the expiration of thedeadline.

The guidelines on theMinimum Standardrequirements for Operationsof Broker Dealers address thefollowing five broad areas andprovide the minimumstandards expected in theoperations of all BrokerDealers in the Nigerian capitalmarket: manpower andequipment; organizationalstructure and governance;effective processes; globalcompetitiveness; andtechnology.

According to the guidelineobtained by Vangaurd, abroker/dealer firm is expectedto have efficient humanresource to see to the daily

operations of the firm in orderto ensure effective servicedelivery and risk control,adding that it is essential thatit employs high quality staffthat should be adequatelysupervised where required.

This, according to theExchange, will preventexposure of the business toavoidable actions andunscrupulous practices whichin turn threaten the integrityof the market. Furthermore, itstated that building capacityalso requires continuoustraining of staff, whilestipulating the standardacademic qualification to beattained by different officers ina stockbroking firm.

On the minimum equipmentrequired a dealing memberfirm, the NSE stated thatsufficient office space andother materials regularly usedin offices by businesses andother organizations for smoothoperations should be in place.Such include small,expendable items in daily useto furniture, machines andother higher-cost equipment.

The following minimumequipment items arerecommended: an accessibleoffice with decent ambience,space and meeting rooms;photocopying machine/scanner, adequate powersupply with adequate backup;decent ambience, includingtable and chairs for staff andclients; fire proof cabinets andsafe; desk telephone and/ ordedicated GSM line, help deskand operational vehicle.

The operational structure,the NSE stated in theguideline, should determinehow the roles, power andresponsibilities are assigned,controlled, and coordinated,and how information flowsbetween the different levels ofmanagement.

The organizational structureis influenced by the objectivesand strategies of the firm andis manifested in the operationsand performance of the firm,among other stipulatedguidelines.

The interpretation guidelinesreleased by the NSE prior to thistime explained that brokerdealers are high risk operatorsby the nature of theirbusiness. The guideline has itthat although market activityhas risen significantly for anumber of dealing memberfirms, their operatingstandards have remained thesame.

The NSE said in theguidelines, “Many have notestablished structurescommensurate with thegrowth of their businesses, thecapital market’s challengesand the associated risks.

We stillbelieve that

capitalisationshould not bea major issuein the marketespecially forstock broking

firms

•Oscar Onyema •Albert Okumagba, CISpresident


CMYK


CMYK

Advertising

Stories ByPRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

Telecom glitches: Consumers lose heavilydespite tariff crash

Telecommunicationsconsumers in the lastfew months to the end

of 2014 experienced deluge ofpoor service which trickleddown to the early part of2015.

For example, manysubscribers in the last quarterof 2014 had complained ofincreased re-vibrated calls,call clashes, SMS chargeswithout delivery, failed datacharges, calls from encoderwithout the decoder hearingfrom the encoder which hasbeen the stock in trade ofservice providers overtime.

These situation wasattributed to the recentpromotion embarked upon bythe providers. The Airtel redhot promo, MTN’s cash questand Glo overload and GloAllawee, which givessubscribers N18,000 freeairtime was said to havecompounded glitches innetworks, which has led tomany subscribers droppingrecharges for a while,particularly for a network thathas major glitch at therecharging time.

Recently, a mild dramaoccurred in a family in Lagoswhere a family was throwninto confusion , when ahusband could not be reachedowing to network challenges,the husband’s phone hadreplied the wife that it wasswitched off, which the wifemisinterpreted.

Another was a situation thewife’s phone was believed tobe busy when actually herphone was on, while thehusband misconstrued it tomean she was not sincere withtheir relationship.

In 2003, it was reported thatthe attack on communicationsfacilities by the Boko Haramsect in Borno state wasresponsible for the lull innetwork performance, todaythe situation is different,which has kept subscriberswondering what thechallenges are, but thatproviders are not sincere withtheir social contract withsubscribers.

A glimpse into thetelecommunications marketshow that service providersare not making efforts to righttheir wrong even in the faceof serious network challengeswhich has also led to abortionof some contractualagreements.

Meanwhile, it appears thatthe ban laced by the NigeriaC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission, NCC when

same problem persisted as aresult of barrage of promotionsby the providers some yearsback, may have to be revisitedby the commission.

These challenges movedVanguard to town to test thepulse of consumers. In the125, 000 subscribers spoken to

across the networks, they saiddespite the crashed tariff,poor services still persist.

A subscriber, Martin Orhii,an Airtel subscriber attributedthe congestion to thepromotions embarked uponby the service providers,where customers want toparticipate at the same time,which invariably has led tothe challenges on thenetworks.

Andrew Owei is of the sameview with the above subscriberwho called for withdrawal ofthe promotions to enableconsumers enjoy servicespaid for.

Of the 125,000 respondentsinterviewed across Nigeria,Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Imo,Enugu, Rivers states, duringSeptember to December 2014and part of January 2015

revealed that 55 respondentswho are Airtel subscriberswere bitter with the network’sservice of which they say thenetwork customer service iswonderful at relating withwhat they call premiumsubscribers whom theymonitor to find out how thenetwork is performing,neglecting other of theirsubscribers to wallow incongestion occasioned bypoor service.

The other 45 respondentssaid MTN has the sameproblem associated with otherservice providers, during theperiod under review of whichthey complained of the voicecall service, re-vibrated callsand data services.

On the part of Gloconsumers it was no differentstory from what othersubscribers have complainedabout, 35 of the respondentssaid Glo data services needsimprovement, of which eightof the respondents said theyhad to opt out of their serviceto switch to another providerwhere they got a little respitewhich was also short lived.

Some dealers in majornetwork cards, noted thatpatronage totelecommunication services inLagos dropped by over 30percent particularly atChristmas period whenbusiness was expected toflourish.

The distributors blamed theslow nature of business on

How par tnership, ef fectivecommunication drive brand loyaltyThe success of many

global brands that arehousehold names today ispossible because they masteredthe art of creating highlyattractive partner and customervalue propositions. Brands,through effectivecommunication have endearedthemselves to consumers andincreased their market share.

The publicity and goodwillgenerated around the recentpartnership between Chivita100% and Manchester Unitedfootball club is a testament tohow effective communicationstrategies have not onlyendeared consumers to the fruitjuice, but also helped increasesales. The partnership hascreated massive exposure andvisibility for the Chivita 100%brand through an effectiveonline, television, print and

outdoor campaign in recenttimes.

From positive reviews of thepartnership in major televisionsports programmes,newspapers and digitalplatforms to visible outdoorpresence on prominentbillboards and Rapid transportbuses, the publicity strategyhas been effective in creatingaffinity and sustaining loyaltyfor the brand. Already, publicityaround the partnership isgenerating tangible resultsthrough increased traffic to thevery popular Chivita 100%Page on Facebook.Communication of thepartnership has ensured thatthe number of likes on the pagecrossed the 200, 000 thresholdand is currently approaching250,000.

According to Chi Limited’sHead of Marketing, ProbalBhattacharya, the companydeveloped a communicationstrategy for publicizing thepartnership which has beeneffective. “For us at ChiLimited, our style of placingpremium on our consumerscannot be compromised and itdrives the way we engage withthem through advertisingstrategies that are informative,exciting and rewarding.”

“We embarked on the journeyto adopt a 360 degreemarketing philosophy andengagement platforms that areveritable and accessible to ourconsumers. We are happy thatthrough the communicationmix deployed for the campaign,the consumer response hasbeen very encouraging.”

Airtel TV show,‘Touching Lives’premieres

The newly launchedAirtel Reality TV

show; “Touching Lives” haspremiered on Africa MagicChannel 154.

The show according toreport does much more inputting a human face to thestruggles and challenges ofeveryday Nigerian. Thereality of our lives is that itis always hard to judge theactual depth of the dailylives of others who are notwithin our range, soTouching Lives has, by justone episode, magnified thiswithout coming across asbeing cliché or judgmental.

There is a lot to like andlearn from Touching Lives, particularly the ambitiousscope of the project that itscreator Airtel Nigeria andthe show host WanaUdobang have mapped out.The opening montagemusic, which is absolutelyessential to the series andmight have been its make-or-break element, is expertlyoverseen by OlawaleOlapetan, who acts as bothmusical director andsongwriter.

Cussons BabyCompetition:Search for winnerbegins

Following thesubmission of

entries for the Cussons BabyMoments Competition 2,which commenced a fewmonths ago, the search hasbegun for the baby who willemerge the winner. Thisedition saw a total of 298entries as opposed to themaiden edition of 202.

According to the BrandManager, Miss OluwaseunAyeni, the selection criteriafor Season 2 will be in 4stages comprising acombination of public votesand selection by anindependent panel ofjudges.

She said “the 1st stagewas the determination of thetop 50 with the highestnumber of likes on Facebookwhile the 2nd stage willsee the judges prune downthe top 50 to the best 20based on the personalities,appeal and fit to brandessence. Stage 3 is expectedto take the shortlisted top 20back to Facebook where thepublic will have theopportunity to decide whothe best 10 will be. Stage 4is the grand finale where theeventual winner will bedecided by the judges”.

On the part ofGlo consumersit was nodifferent storyfrom whatothersubscribershavecomplainedabout

Email:[email protected], [email protected] page:www.lesleba.com/blog2Website: www.lesleba.comTel:0805 220 1997

44— Vanguard, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

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. ReporterIfeyinwa Obi - Maritime ReporterRosemary Onuoha - Insurance ReporterNkiruka Nnorom - Capital Market Reporter

CONTRIBUTORSPrincewill Ekwujuru - Media/MarketingJonah Nwokpoku - E-CommerceNaomi Uzor - IndustryProvidence Obuh - Micro FinanceLAYOUT - Graphics Department

Business & Economy

CMYK

“In the medium to long-term, addressing trulyeconomic transformationbecomes imperative.Alignment between annualbudget, medium –termframework and long-termnational plan needs to be putin place; there should be alegal provision to issue dollarcoupons to state governmentsas often advocated byeconomist Henry Boyo, toreduce or eliminate liquidityproblems and bank’s dubiousprofits,” Sherriffdeen A. Tella.

The above is an excerpt fromthe concluding part of arecently published articletitled “Addressing Nigeria’sBleak Economic Outlook in2015"; the author SherifdeenTella, is a Professor ofEconomics at the OlabisiOnabanjo University. Tella’sendorsement of our advocacyfor a reformed paymentssystem provides a refreshingreassurance that the totality ofour minds has not becomeensnared in a lethargic spellthat restrains us from rationaljudgement, even when itpertains to the choices of thecritical processes thatdetermine the success of oureconomy and our chances ofhalting deepening povertynationwide.

Sadly, the proposal for theadoption of dollar warrantscoupons for the allocation ofdollar derived revenue hasbeen in the public domainsince 2002. Indeed in Augustof that year, my colleague,Adiagofua Ojomaikre and Imade a formal presentation onthe beneficent economicmultiplier impact ofabolishing the “traditional”process in which the CBNunilaterally fixes a Nairaexchange rate, before creatingfresh Naira values asallocations in replacement ofdistributable dollars.

In our presentation to theNational EconomicIntelligence Committee(NEIC), we explained how

ECONOMY: LET’S DO IT RIGHTthis unfortunate paymentsstrategy poisons the systemand makes inclusive economicgrowth unattainable.

Not surprisingly, NEICCouncil members to whom wemade the presentation did notfault our observations andconclusions on the distortionalimpact of the surplus cashsyndrome instigated byCBN’s monthly injections ofhundreds of billions ofadditional Naira values intothe money market. Theyrecognised such a paymentsprocess ‘inadvertently’ alsoengenders a systemic Nairasurfeit which instigatesdisturbingly high rates ofinflation as well as oppressiveinterest rates to the real sector,particularly the Small andMedium Enterprises whichare the critical drivers of jobcreation and increasingproductivity.

Over six months after thepresentation, however,NEIC’s answer to our request,, for a feedback on theproposed further consultationwith President Obasanjo andcritical members of theEconomic Management Team,was promptly given thefollowing bewilderingresponse in the their letter of25th March, 2003, which readas follows: “The NationalEconomic IntelligenceCommittee acknowledgesreceipt of your letter dated 8thMarch, 2003, on the abovesubject matter. Also the twoattached papers: Economistsas Soothsayers and Nigeria’sUnlimited Supplies of Capitalwere received. The NEICnotes that you have alreadycontacted Mr. President andthe Governor of the CentralBank on the same subjectmatter. This developmentforecloses furtherconsideration of your proposalby the Committee until Mr.President concludes his

consultation on the matter.” Subsequently, my

colleague and I sent copies ofthe paper titled “ALIBERALIZED FOREIGNEXCHANGE MARKET: “AProposal for a LiberalizedForeign Exchange Market inNigeria and its EconomicBenefits” to the Heads ofDepartment of at least 12Nigeria Universities forevaluation and feedback;sadly, there was no responseor acknowledgment from ourIvory Towers, even though the

earners of dollars (public andprivate) should be able to sellwhen necessary through theirbankers. I think this mayfurther compound theexisting informationasymmetry in the foreignexchange market especially, iffor example, the three levelsof government – federal, stateand local governments – areallowed to trade with theirrevenue allocations (indollars) at the foreignexchange markets throughtheir bankers.”

Over 12 years have rolledby since our engagement withNEIC and NISER, anddespite the unceasingadvocacy in weeklyNewspaper columns andcountless interviews on Radioand Television, surprisingly,the Academia has remainedtotally mute despite of theclear reality that existingmonetary strategies weretaking us nowhere.

The foregoing may explainwhy I consider Prof. Tella’srecent public endorsement ofthe proposal for adoption ofdollar warrants as a verycourageous decision whichprobably distinguishes him asa true scholar with the pursuitof TRUTH as his NorthernStar!

Hopefully, Tella’sintervention will bringforward other lovers of truthto support the adoption of areform that has the potentialof positively changing ourlives, by throwing overboardthe oppressive burden of eversurplus Naira so that lowinflation and interest rates willbecome achievable to driveconsumer demand and spurrapid industrial expansionwith more job opportunities.The Economic ManagementTeam certainly recognises thathigh inflation and interestrates are the wrong medicinesfor an economy that has

possibly over 50 millionunemployed citizens, withyouths constituting a highproportion of the jobless, butregrettably, the EMT appearsunwilling to stand on the sideof the people by also affirmingthat the adoption of dollarwarrants will rapidly realignthe forces for inclusiveeconomic growth in ourfavour.

Although both Prof. Tellaand NISER raised an issue onthe legality of the use of dollarcertificates, I do not howeversee that such a paymentprocess contradicts theprovision in section 162 of the1999 Constitution (amended).That section reads as follows:“The Federation shallmaintain a special account tobe called “THEFEDERATION ACCOUNT”into which shall be paid ALLREVENUES COLLECTED BYTHE GOVERNMENT OFTHE FEDERATION, exceptthe proceeds from thepersonal income tax of thepersonnel of the armed forcesof the Federation, the NigeriaPolice Force, the Ministry ordepartment of governmentcharged with responsibilityfor Foreign Affairs and theresidents of the FederalCapital Territory, Abuja.”

It is clear from theforegoing that CBN is vestedwith the responsibility forpaying allocations accordingto ratios which areconstitutionally enshrined butthe Constitution certainlydoes not preclude States andother government agenciesfrom operating a domiciliarybank account for the custodyof their forex earnings.Indeed, if the laws currentlypermit every Nigerian citizento operate a domiciliaryaccount, it would beunconscionable for Sates andother agencies of governmentto be excluded from suchliberty or privilege.

Save the Naira, SaveNigeria!!

mails were all delivered byDHL courier.

Indeed, the Head ofEconomics in a primeNigerian University hurriedlyshooed us out of his office,after we introduced the objectof our mission. Similarly,NISER’s (Nigerian Institutefor Economic & SocialResearch) concludingresponse to our paper in theirletter of December 2, 2002 isas follows: “The study doesnot recognise theconstitutional provision for thecollection and maintenance ofthe Federation Account”. Also,“The study suggests that

BY GODFREY BIVBERE

Senior Advocate ofNigeria, SAN and

former President of theNigerian Bar Association,Olisa Agbakoba has said thatthe federal government mustgive greater incentives to localindustries to ensure growth inthe production.

Speaking with journalists inLagos, Agbakoba said thatgovernment policies in thepast has not been favourableto local productive sector,stressing the greater intent interms of tax holiday, conduciveenvironment and the right

FG must give greater incentives for local production — Agbakoba

policies to protect them.He also blamed government

hike on duties and taxes oncertain goods as a disserviceto the economy rather thanthe discouragement ofNigerians from theimportation of such goods.

He charged government tomake duties, charges andtaxes on such selected cargoescompetitive with what isobtainable in the sub-regionto discourage the shipment ofNigerian bound goods toneighbouring ports.

He explained that it is thesame principle of cheap goodsthat the government of China

is using to dominate theworld’s trade today.Government should work atachieving the same principlein the nation’s internationaltrade, especially with thefalling oil price that isthreatening the 2015 budget.

He further said that thenation’s policy framework isoutdated as it has not beenreviewed in the last 28 years,resulting in ports in thecountry becominguncompetitive and shippersbeen dominated by foreigninterest.

It would beunconscionablefor states andother agenciesof governmentto be excluded

from suchliberty orprivilege


CMYK


VISIT: L-r.GovernorHenrySeriakeDickson ofBayelsa Statepresenting aplaque to theFlag OfficerCommandingCentral NavalCommand,Rear AdmiralStanleyOgoigbeduring acourtesy visiton thegovernor atGovernmentHouse inYenagoa.

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, UdomEmmanuel (middle) with the state party chairman, Paul Ekpo, at the dedication ofthe candidate's project at the Qua Iboe Church, Uyo, yesterday

CMYK



WHAT is your perspectiveof the issues being raised

by the president and hischallenger in the presidentialcontest?

I think I will appreciate it if thecampaigns are more issue based.Unfortunately, they are not reallyissue based. We have limited theproblems of Nigeria to basicallysecurity and corruption.Unfortunately for us, thecampaign is not addressing keyissues like unemployment,education, healthcare, socialservices and welfare. If youcompare this to a campaignanywhere else...campaign isabout the people. Obama wouldwin or lose an election onObamacare, healthcare. Agovernor should win or lose anelection for example on thefalling standard of education.

For us in Nigeria we have justlimited it to Boko Haram andcorruption.

So, you don’t think thatsecurity and corruption aremajor issues?

They are major issues but howdo you solve them and how didthey come about? Is there anyrelationship between insecurityand poverty?

Insecurityand poverty

Or we should insulate securityand think that that is thebeginning and end of thechallenge? Those are some of thethings that we see in 2015 thatunfortunately for us should notbe the content of discourse. If youlook at the issue of corruption,we have tried to definecorruption as the greatestchallenge to our development.Corruption exists, no doubt aboutit, it must be tackled. But look atcorruption historically and seewhat exactly we have done in thepast to tackle corruption and howmuch success we had with thoseapproaches. It is time we look ata different approach to tacklingcorruption. Or are we just happyto see people arrested, detained

I don’t play God — Gov ImokeFOLLOWING aninteractive session withthe management ofVanguard MediaLimited in his office inCalabar, Cross RiverState last Wednesday,Governor Liyel Imoke,winner of Vanguard’sBest TourismDevelopment Award,2014, fielded questionson the ongoing nationalpolitical campaigns, hisperspective on thepower situation in thecountry among otherissues. Excerpts:

•Imoke:

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

and maybe, six months later weforget about those people.Unfortunately, the reality is notbeing addressed.

How do you score your party,PDP in tackling these threeissues, corruption, insecurityand the economy? Has the PDPdone well?

Yes. I think so. Look atinsecurity. It was a PDPgovernment that resolved thecrisis in the Niger Delta. Why?Because there was room fordiscourse. When you sayinsecurity now, you have extremefundamentalism which is a globalphenomenon. Why do we wantto isolate Nigeria and say thatwhat we have is a securitychallenge that we can overcomeovernight? We have a securitychallenge in a particular part ofthe country that is obviouslycompletely different from ourprevious experience.

So, in tackling that problem youdeploy resources that are notexactly designed to deal with theformer challenges. America hada challenge of 9/11 and a newdepartment of HomelandSecurity comes into existencebecause of the nature of thechallenge. So, it was not theAmerican army or the US navythat tackled some of thosechallenges.

They said ‘we have a newchallenge so we have to get a

new approach to solving it.’That is the reality. Deploying

soldiers to deal with the terroristchallenge has not been doneanywhere in the world. I knowthat this administration istraining special forces in acompletely different way to dealwith the challenge.

Building ofinstitutions

Unfortunately for us we play uppolitics at the risk of the society.If you look at corruption forexample, even the so calledreferences to TransparencyInternational and our corruptionperception have improved underthe Jonathan administration andthat is because they are buildinginstitutions that can make it moredifficult for you to steal.

It is not about catching a manwith a billion naira andcelebrating that, meanwhile, youare losing ten billion throughinefficiencies in your system andpeople are getting away with thatten billion, but they havecelebrated the politician who youalleged stole a billion. In Nigeriawe celebrate alleged corruption.

A man gets invited and isdetained for allegations, the manhas no right and he dare not sue.Indeed, the EFCC law is themost draconian law in Africa andindeed one of the most draconian

in the world.In fact, it allows the EFCC to

do what they do, exhibit youpublicly without even anindictment not to talk of aconviction and you now have thechallenge of proving thecorruption.

Today, we celebrate a lot ofpeople who had been arrested.If you go to 2007, I don’t want tomention names but think of

people who are leadingcampaigns who were arrested bythe EFCC. So, you will remembersome of those facts. Were theycorrupt? Are they corrupt now?

Do you have that feeling thatthe PDP for the first time since1999 may actually lose thepresidential election?

No I don’t. Why? Elections arewon in states and the PDP is stillthe dominant political party in thecountry. All politics is local and ifyou look at the number of statesthat the PDP controls; and thoseare numbers that count. Yes, youhave two or three states in APChands that have huge populationand that is where you mayconsider as an advantage ordisadvantage. But fortunately forus as a party, those states arelargely cosmopolitan and thosepopulations do not necessarilyrepresent an ethnic groupinclined towards a particularpolitical party.

Incumbentgovernment

So, I think that those people arestill reasonable. So, a lot ofpeople who may have supportedthe PDP do not see the APC asthe alternative. What you will seeis that our strength is what willtake us to the election.

Of course as an incumbentgovernment we do have certainadvantages and any incumbentgovernment in the world alwayshas such. We still have thenumbers that we require both inthe National Assembly and in thestates. So anybody doing aproper analysis should takethese into consideration.

But a number of PDPgovernors are alsodisgruntled?

That affects both parties. Thatgovernors are there and he mustbe very short-sighted. I don’tthink we will lose the generalelection.

You were once a close associateof President OlusegunObasanjo.

Yes.What is your feeling on his

comments on PresidentJonathan’s suitability for asecond term?

What are his comments?He has said that the president

reach an agreement not to gofor a second term he has flayedthe president for poorperformance, not tacklinginsecurity and accused thepresident of fondling corruptpersons

I think one of the things is thecorruption issue. We have theseinstitutions set up by PresidentObasanjo, currently manned byappointees of PresidentObasanjo. Lamorde only becamechief executive of EFCC under

Another thing youmentioned isperformance. In allhonesty, I would notunderrate the firstterm of theJonathanadministration interms ofachievements



•Imoke: The challenge for the PDP is managing the propaganda

Why Jonathan 'll winFeb poll — Imoke

President Jonathan, but he wasan appointee of PresidentObasanjo and worked withRibadu.

I am not aware where the EFCCprosecuted anybody where thePDP government of PresidentJonathan intervened. One thingI must give to President Jonathanis that he does not use thoseinstitutions for political witchhunting.

Another thing you mentionedis performance. In all honesty, Iwould not underrate the first termof the Jonathan administration interms of achievements.

Yes, 1999 we were coming outof military rule and it was difficultto make a headway. It was in 2003that a lot of what we celebratetoday came to being. But underthe Jonathan administration, theycame in running, they didn’tcome in writing a new blueprint.So, if you go and look ataccomplishments as anadministration, I dare to say theyhave done very, very well.

Management ofpropaganda

The challenge for the PDP ismanaging the propaganda, theperception and off course thefocus on intangibles, he is corruptand I can call everyone here now,corrupt..

Who is saying that? Everybody is saying that. That

we are dealing with corruption.It is not a tangible thing that youcan measure.

Let’s move to tangibles. Aschairman of the Technical Boardof NEPA, you raised thecountry’s power generation to4,000 MW and you left in 2007.What is the current output?

Tell me.I don’t know, you should have

an interest.I have an interest in being

governor of Cross River! I cannotknow the current powergeneration, but I will tell yousomething and this is somethingthat I warned about. I said thaton no account should we expectto define power supply in termsof megawatts. When NIPP startedI said this is replacement capacityand people said what did youmean by that?

My response was that we aretalking of Kainji, Shiroro, Afamand all that and they are all 30,40 years old and you haven’t putin any new capacity and that asthese new stations come on, thatthey would be replacing the oldplants that are taking themselvesout because of age.

It is like you having a generatorin your house which you haveused for ten years and it is nowsuffering and not able to

generate at maximum capacityand you didn’t buy another oneuntil the older one packs up.

So, what you thought was theoutput from the new generatorthat would add to the familyenergy needs because the familyhas grown, now becomes simplya replacement and that is whatwe have been doing.

We are actually replacing oldcapacities that had takenthemselves out, you cannot repairthem any more. You haverepaired and maintained andcannot do any more!

So, we are going to go throughthat phase and unfortunately forus, though it was a PDPgovernment, we now queried thepower projects, shoutedcorruption, and all the powerprojects died for two years andwe came back. The whole ideawas that in between the time thatyou privatise which would takeseveral years, while the economyis growing, you needed to bringin the NIPP plants to keep thesystem stable until private sectoris confident to start investing.That was the whole idea.

So, it is very easy to say thatyou haven’t improved,meanwhile, you have addedtremendous capacity into thesystem. Also, you haveaccomplished something thathas never been done in theworld, you actually privatisedyour power system within oneyear. It has never happenedanywhere on earth. Go to

England, Venezuela, India,there is nowhere in the worldwhere we have privatisedwithin one year. That is a greataccomplishment.

One thing that has crossed mymind but God forbid, in two yearstime there will be a lot of powerbecause of the privatisation. ButGod forbid that PresidentJonathan is not in office. Guesswhat they will say? That PDP wasin government and somebodyelse will come and take the gloryand you cannot convinceanybody that it wasn’t the newgovernment.

Addition of realcapacity

In two years time I reckon weare going to see new capacitiesbecause we have now past thestage of replacements and we willnow be adding real capacityespecially with what ishappening in the oil and gasindustry with crude oil pricescoming down, I see anopportunity for that sector. It willhappen but we pray that it willhappen under the administrationof the man who has made itpossible.

There used to be this famedclosed power group consistingof Senator Imoke, DonaldDuke, Victor Ndoma-Egba andGershom Bassey. Whathappened to it?

Perception! Perception of aclosed power group in CrossRiver.

Was there actually anagreement that Duke, Imokeand Gershom Bassey wouldgovern the state in turns?

No! I never even wanted to begovernor. That is how far fromthe truth this whole thing was.When we started, I would behonest with you. We started inLagos, I invited all the youngpeople in Lagos to look at CrossRiver and that was where I

reacquainted with Donald. Hecame to those meetings just asGershom came to thosemeetings. The differenceprobably was that I knewGershom in England long beforeI met Donald.

We started this in 1996 but itwasn’t a three man affair. Threeof us didn’t sit down and plan it.I planned it and invitedeverybody. Our relationshipswith all these people haveremained strong. My own ideawas that I wanted to confront thetraditional establishment in CrossRiver. The traditionalestablishment in those days usedto say that nobody from Efik couldbecome governor, the traditionalestablishment used to say thingslike only those from a particulargroup could become governorand they had some powerful bigmen.

Powerfulbig men

Inviting all those people tobe part of the process, we hadto identify someone to begovernor and because Iwanted to challenge thesystem and because Donaldhad been commissioner forfinance, I urged him to run.Everybody said it wasimpossible at the time. At thattime, I even wanted a deputygovernor to come from theNorth and I identified one ofus to run for deputy, but inthe course of this, the personI had identified believed wecouldn’t win and I needed tofind a strong person to runand so, I went to the central,and the person I identifiedwas someone I thought wouldsucceed Donald, butunfortunately, he haddisagreements with Donaldand subsequently, he passedon. So, for me, I really had no

plans to be governor. It wasfollowing from all of these andI came under tremendouspressure.

There was no arrangementwith Gershom whose generalpreference was that not all ofus friends must run forgovernor.

There was never, ever anagreement.

Given this scenario, howdid you feel when GovernorDuke alleged about only twomonkeys chopping in CrossRiver?

For me, I have my ownrules, my own standards inpolitics and I stand by them. Idon’t think you would hear mepublicly run down even myopponents. It is not somethingthat I would discuss orrespond to. As an individual,I would never go to suchlengths of anyone whether theperson is close to me, hasworked with me, is a memberof my party or even myopponent. I think there mustbe decorum and minimumstandards.

I watched it and I wassurprised, but that is what lifeis all about.

Have you spoken to himsince then?

What will he tell me?About the monkeys?What will he tell me? We

saw it live on TV.It is alleged that the

president begged you toreturn Senator Ndoma-Egbato the Senate but that youstamped your feet against thesuggestion. Is it true?

I don’t know where peopleget these powers? This is thething about our polity that Iam very concerned about,where people on their ownallegedly beg you and say thisperson can go back andanother person no. I don’t playGod, it is about the people.

No! I never evenwanted to begovernor. That ishow far from thetruth this wholething was


Different strokesJonathan and Buhari in Enugu:

By Francis Igata

IT was different strokes for President Goodluck Jonathan andMuhammadu Buhari, respectively the presidential candidates of thePeoples Democratic Party, PDP and All Progressives Congress, APCwhen they visited the Coal City State on two successive days

•President Goodluck Jonathan; Vice President Namadi Sambo andGovernor Sullivan Chime of Enugu during a rally in Enugu

BUHARI was escorted to the APCpresidential rally at Okpara Square

by a large routine of national officers andchieftains of the party including hisrunning mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, theparty’s national chairman, Chief JohnOdigie-Oyegun, campaign directorgeneral, Governor Rotimi Amaechi,Governor Rochas Okorocha fromneighbouring Imo State, former GovernorTimipire Sylva of Bayelsa State, nationalleader of the party, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu,national organising secretary, Senator OsitaIzunaso among others.

In his message to the audience, Buharisaid he would reactivate the moribund coalindustry in Enugu for the purpose ofboosting electricity generation, and boostjob creation using agriculture as a spring-

•APC Presidential Candidate, Maj-Gen Muhammudu Buhari (retd) andhis running mate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo at a rally in Enugu

penultimate weekend.The PDP presidential flag bearer came on Friday, January 9 whileBuhari came the following day. Their messages were mixed.

THE president was escorted to therally at the Nnamdi Azikiwe

stadium, Enugu by a large entourage thatincluded his wife, Patience, Vice PresidentNamadi Sambo, national chairman of theparty, Adamu Mu‘azu, Deputy SenatePresident, Ike Ekweremadu, GovernorSullivan Chime of Enugu State, DeputySpeaker, House of Representatives Rep.Emeka Ihedioha, director-general of thePDP Presidential campaign, SenatorAhmadu Ali.

Also present were Governor TheodoreOrji of Abia State, former Governor PeterObi, former Senate President KenNnamani, former Vice President AlexEkwueme, Senator Gil Nnaji, nationalofficers of the party, Enugu state executivecouncil members, Local GovernmentChairmen.

The president’s focus at the rally was onthe personality of his challenger firing fromall cylinders at Buhari’s actions andinactions as head of state between 1984and 1985. He remarkably did not line upany new initiative for the people of Enugu.

Chiding Buhari, he said, “Ask him, whenhe was Head of State, did he buy onesingle rifle for the Nigerian military, Navyand Airforce?

“Today under my administration, theNavy now has additional three frigatescompared to one they had sinceIndependence.”

“When Buhari was Head of State, henever appointed any woman into hiscabinet. Our women had all theexperience and qualifications at that timebut he never gave them a chance. If youvote for Buhari, you will die in the kitchen.

“During Buhari’s time, how manyNigerian’s had telephone lines? But today,over 90 million Nigerians have phonelines in a digital age. What wouldNigerians want in a man who is over 70years and may not be able to rememberhis phone number?

“Buhari was more interested in throwingpeople to jail than revamping theeconomy. Go and ask Jim Nwobodo,former Governor of old Imo and AnambraState. He was jailed 301 years beforesuccessive administration released him.Former Vice President, Alex Ekwuemeand Sam Mbakwe got their fair share too.You cannot run a country like a medievalKing.” Not done decimating his opponent,Jonathan read portions of Babangida’scoup speech with the concentration of astudent just about to get into anexamination hall.

Buhari’s promise on infrastructure, wealthcreation

board. He said: “Dams for continuousfarming will be constructed to provideirrigation for farmers. Grants and loanswill be provided to the teemingunemployed youths to channels theiryouthful energies into agriculture.

“Small and MediumEnterprises,SME, will be encouragedby provision of soft loans to create wealthand self reliance. The issue of corruptionwhich breeds poverty will be tackled insuch a manner that corruption will be athing of the past. My administration willfocus on service delivery throughefficiency in running of governmentbusiness.”

Remarkably, Buhari, during his tenminutes speech, did not once mentionPresident Jonathan.

THE two major candidates in Lagos,Akinwunmi Ambode of the APC and

Jimi Agbaje of the PDP have adopteddifferent strategies to reach the electoratein Nigeria’s most populated state.

While Ambode kicked off his quest witha mammoth rally at the Archbishop ViningMemorial Church Cathedral open fieldin Ikeja, Lagos last Wednesday, Agbajehas for now resorted to town hall meetingswith the electorate.

Last Friday, Agbaje was in the Ibeju-Lekki axis of the state where he met withcommunity leaders, market women,

Agbaje’s townhall meetingsBy Dapo Akinrefon

THE presidential campaign train ofthe People’s Democratic Party, which

berthed in Owerri, Imo State capital atthe weekend, was largely shunned bysome notable chieftains of the party.

Some critical political watchers in thestate described the development as “amanifestation of the growing internal crisisbedevilling the PDP in the state”.

Those, who distanced themselves fromthe event included the immediate pastGovernor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim,Senator Chris Anyanwu, Senator IfeanyiArarume, Prince Ken Njemanze, SAN.

Of all the gubernatorial aspirants, whocontested the slot with the DeputySpeaker, House of Representatives, ChiefEmeka Ihedioha, it was only ChiefCharles Onyeagbako that graced theevent. Vanguard recalls that supportersof Senator Araraume stormed the Dan

Ohakim, Ararume, Chris Anyanwu snubPDP rally in Owerri

By Chidi Nkwopara Anyiam Stadium Complex with varyingshapes of placards and inscriptions.

Although no reason was advanced bythe chieftains or their supporters for theirabsence, tongues are already waggingthat they may have decided to lookelsewhere.

Ken Ojiri, who vied for thegubernatorial seat during the last partyprimary, is now governorship candidateof Accord, while the former speaker ofImo State House of Assembly, ChiefKelechi Kennedy Nwagwu whocontested for the Owerri senatorial seathas bagged the senatorial ticket ofAccord for Owerri zone.

News making the rounds in Imo Stateis that Chief Ohakim was concludingarrangements to switch over to theProgressive People’s Alliance, PPA, buthe has since debunked the rumour,adding that he has not left the PDP andwould not leave the party.

artisans, motorcyclists (Okada riders),religious leaders and traditional rulersamong others. Aside, Ibeju-Lekki, thegovernorship candidate has visited Ikeja,Surulere, Badagry, Mushin and LagosIsland council areas.

Explaining why he decided to embarkon the town hall meetings in Badagry,Agbaje said “at rallies, there is no time totalk much, we only dance and say one ortwo things. But at town hall meetings, weinvite artisans, market women, religiousleaders, community leaders and the youthsso that we can sit down with them and gettheir views on how to move this stateforward.”

Buhari, during his ten minutesspeech, did not once mentionPresident Jonathan

During Buhari’s time, how manyNigerian’s had telephone lines?— Jonathan


CMYK


THE SUN MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD@ EKO HOTEL, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS.

From left: Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Representatives; GovernorAliyu Wammako of Sokoto State, receiving the Man of the Year award from ChiefErnest Shonekan, former head of interim National Government and Chairman ofthe occasion and Alhaji Aliyu Attahiru, Galadima of Sokoto. Photos by Bunmi Azeez.

Chief Folake Sholanke, SAN, (left) receiving, Lifetime Achievementaward from Mrs. Yemisi Suswam, wife of Benue State governor.

Fromleft: Mr.MichaelAjereh(DonJazzy)receivingCreativePerson ofthe YearawardfromInnocent(TuFace)Idibia andChika Ike.

Dr. Onimode Bandele (left), receiving Public Service award from Mr. SamAmuka, Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, on behalf of Alhaji MuhammadSani Sidi, DG, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA.

ABUJA—SPECIAL Adviser toPresident Goodluck Jonathan

on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. KingsleyKuku, has asked Northern leaders totell their sons and daughters to stopthe insurgency.

Kuku, who is the Chairman of thePresidential Amnesty Committee,said while receiving a letter ofendorsement of President GoodluckJonathan for the 2015 election fromthe leadership of the NationalAssociations of Nigerians Students,NANS, in Abuja at the weekend thatthe key to ending Boko Haram waswith the leaders of the north.

According to Kuku, “We believestrongly that the northern leaders canalso call their sons and daughterswho are currently detonating bombsand going on suicide missions to laydown their arms and tow the path ofpeace.

“This is the best approach to endingthe Boko Haram insurgency, which

we believe is not being carried out byghosts but human beings from a sectionof the country and aided and abetted byfighters from Chad and other countriesjust to Islamise Nigeria.

“What the North needs to do to endBoko Haram is to rise up and put an endto insurgents. Northern leader shouldrise to the occasion and call Boko haramleaders to order as Jonathan did whenhe was Vice President. We are ready toshare out Niger Delta experience withthem if they seek our assistance in a bidto end the problem in the North,” Kukusaid.

At the ceremony held in Abuja, thePresident of NANS, Comrade TijaniUsman Shehu, formally presented aletter from the students’ body endorsingPresident Jonathan for next month’selection, claiming that he had doneenough to win their hearts.

“We want to continue in the path of genuinedemocratic process, building stronginstitutions that guarantees qualitativechange in terms of addressing and meetingthe basic socio-economic, political and culturalneeds of our people,” Tijani said.

Kuku to Northern leaders: Tell yoursons, daughters to stop insurgency

By Soni Daniel, RegionalEditor, North

AHEAD of next month’s electionof Nigeria Labour Congress,

NLC, indications have emerged ofmounting pressures to alter the list ofcleared candidates by the CredentialsCommittee, CC, for National DelegatesConference, NDC, where new NLCleaders would emerge.

This among other contentious issuesmay have informed the reasons NLCsummoned a meeting of its NationalExecutive Council, NAC, and NationalExecutive Council, NEC, for today andtomorrow in Abuja.

Vanguard gathered that since the listof cleared candidates was made publicby the CC on Tuesday January 6, 2015,NLC has allegedly been under intensepressures from external forces to alterthe list.

Though no agenda was listed in theletter of invitation for today andtomorrow’s meetings, Vanguardgathered that one of the issues fordiscussions is the reports of the CC forthe NDC.

However, this portends a greaterdanger, a retired labour leader, warned.

According to him, CC could neitherreport to NAC nor NEC, insisting that “ifcandidates have been disqualified by CC,neither NAC nor NEC can revise it.Unless it was found out that the reasonfor the disqualification was caused by thesecretariat and not the candidate. Forexample, if a candidate was disqualifiedfor not including his or her passport inthe form submitted to the CC, and it waslater discovered the candidate actuallysubmitted his or her form with thepassport, but was mistakenly omitted inthe form by secretariat staff, there is a case.But where candidates failed to fill theirforms properly as required, or whereunions outside that of the candidatesnominated such candidates, there is

nothing either NAC or NEC can do becauseit is a constitutional matter.”

Similarly, at a briefing yesterday, Mr. IssaAremu, a Vice President of NLC, who isunopposed as one of the Deputy Presidentsof NLC in the coming election based on thelist of contestants already published by theNLC, warned “any attempt to reopen the listof nomination will be unprecedented in thehistory of NLC’s Delegates Conferences andis deemed illegal, unconstitutional andcertainly unacceptable.”

He said “it is like saying The IndependentNational Electoral Commission, INEC shouldreopen nomination process after buffeting uswith the menu of presidential candidatescleared. It is like setting the nation ablaze.”

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

DELEGATES CONFERENCE: NLC under intensepressure to alter list of cleared candidates

ABUJA—OVER 360,000 securitypersonnel are expected to be deployed

to provide security across the country duringthis year’s general elections.

This came as Nigeria Security and CivilDefence Corps, NSCDC, planned to import25 sniffer dogs from the United States to detectlikely explosives component during theelections.

Already, the affected officers have beentrained by the Independent National ElectoralCommission, INEC, in collaboration with thevarious security outfits in the country.

Inspector General of Police, IGP, SuleimanAbba, disclosed this at a sensitizationworkshop on election managementorganized by the Savannah Centre forDiplomacy, Democracy andDevelopment, SCDDD, in collaborationwith the Centre for Strategic andInternational Studies, CSIS.

Police deploy 360,000men for general elections

By Joseph Erunke

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CMYK

56 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, JANUARY 19 , 2015

Pope in Manila: Seven millionattend outdoor Mass

POPE Francis drewa record seven

million people as hecelebrated mass in therain-swept Philippinecapital yesterday, atriumphant finale to anAsian tour in which hechampioned the plight ofthe poor.

Filipinos are famous forpractising a passionatebrand of Catholicism andthey turned out in acelebratory mood thatdefied the gloomy skies,determined to see thecharismatic 78-year-oldpontiff.

Francis made anexhilarating entrance toa Manila bayside parkfor the mass aboard a“popemobile” that wasstyled after the nation’siconic, flamboyant andmuch-loved “jeepney”

minibus.Dressed in a plastic

yellow poncho, hewaved and smiled towildly cheering crowd,stopping repeatedly sohe could lean overbarriers and kiss babies,before reaching the seaof believers at RizalPark.

The Philippines isfamed as the CatholicChurch’s bastion in Asia,with 80 percent of theformer Spanish colonyfollowing the faith.

But even the pope wasstunned at the size ofthe crowd which helooked out on from thestage.

“I cannot fathom thefaith of the simplepeople,” Francis said,according to theArchbishop of Manila,

Cardinal Luis AntonioTagle, who acted as thepontiff ’s chaperone.

Seven million turnedout to see the Pope at thepark and alongmotorcade routes, thehead of Manila’splanning agency,Francis Tolentino, toldAFP, adding this wasbased on calculationsdone with the police.

This surpassed theprevious world record fora papal gathering of fivemillion during a mass byJohn Paul II at the samevenue in 1995.

Perla Ponce, 76, aretired nurse whotravelled hundreds ofkilometres from herhome in the southernPhilippines, said she felt“euphoric” to have seenthe Pope and been a part

Hundreds of elderly Yazidisreleased by ISIL

ISRAEL is lobbying member-states of theInternational Criminal Court to cut funding for

the tribunal in response to its launch of an inquiryinto possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories,officials said yesterday.

ICC prosecutors said on Friday they would examine“in full independence and impartiality” crimes thatmay have occurred since June 13 last year. Thisallows the court to delve into the war between Israeland Hamas militants in Gaza in July-August 2014that killed more than 2,100 Palestinians and 70Israelis.

Israel lobbies foreign powersto cut ICC funding

IRAN and major powers yesterday made“limited” progress in narrowing differences over

its nuclear program, but agreed to step up efforts asthe Obama administration lobbied to stave off freshsanctions against the Islamic Republic, diplomatshave said.

The Geneva negotiations, held at the level ofpolitical directors, are the culmination of five daysof diplomacy in the Swiss city and Paris, includinglengthy meetings between U.S. Secretary of StateJohn Kerry and Iranian Foreign MinisterMohammad Javad Zarif.

Iran, world powers make ‘limited’progress at nuclear talks

UKRAINIAN troops recaptured almost all theterritory of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine

they had lost to separatists in recent weeks, even asthousands gathered in Kiev for a state-sponsoredpeace march yesterday.

The offensive brought fighting close to the industrialcity of Donetsk itself, center of a pro-Russianrebellion, while shelling intensified in other partsof the region, known as the “Donbass”.

With attempts to restart peace talks stalled, pro-Russian rebels have stepped up attacks in the pastweek and casualties have mounted, including 13civilians killed in an attack on a passenger bus,which Kiev blamed on the separatists.

Ukrainian troops retake most ofDonetsk airport from rebels

BRIEFS

•Pope Francis waves the faithful as he arrives at Rizal Park to celebrate his final Mass in Manila.

of the mass.“You can’t describe the

feeling. It’s just like youhave met Jesus Christhimself,” a rain-soakedbut beaming Ponce toldAFP.

Volunteer rescueworker Kristine Bancurehad been on duty as amedic through the daybut also got a glimpse ofthe Pope.

“It’s an overwhelmingfeeling. I felt the hair onmy skin standing up,”she said.

In his homily, the Popepraised Filipinos fortheir reverence.

“The Philippines is theforemost Catholiccountry in Asia. This isitself a special gift ofGod, a blessing,” thePontiff told the vastcrowd.

A planned rally by Germany ’s “anti-Islamisation” Pegida group has been called

off after police received a threat against one of theorganisers.

Pegida announced the measure shortly beforepolice said the threat was “concrete” and nodemonstrations would be allowed in Dresden onMonday.

Pegida has been rallying each Monday for weeks,attracting record numbers in Dresden last week.

Rival protests have sprung up and have beencondemned by German leaders.

Writing on its Facebook page, Pegida said it hadno choice but to cancel the rally to ensure protesters’safety.

Germany ‘anti-Islamisation’Pegida rally cancelled

THE Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)has released about 200 mostly elderly members

of northern Iraq’s Yazidi minority who had been heldfor months.

The Yazidis were freed on the frontline southwestof the city of Kirkuk on Saturday and met by KurdishPeshmerga forces who brought them to a health centrein Altun Kopri, on the road to the Kurdish regionalcapital of Erbil.

Yazidis follow a religion that predates Islam andChristianity and originated in Mesopotamia, whichencompassed modern-day Iraq and parts ofneighbouring states.

•Braving the rain, and holding statuettes of the Child Jesus, they turned out in force to attend the Mass.

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VANGUARD, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 — 57

•Chadian soldiers on a pickup truck in the capitalof the Central African Republic Bangui on April 4,2014

Hebdo: Death toll rises in Niger's anti-cartoonRIOTS blamed on

the publication of acartoon in the Frenchsatirical weekly CharlieHebdo depicting ProphetMuhammad have left atleast 10 people dead inNiger, according to thecountry’s president.

Mahamadou Issoufousaid on Sunday that fivedeaths were reportedafter demonstrations inthe capital Niamey theprevious day.

Those killed onSaturday were insidechurches and bars thatwere setablaze, Issoufou said.

Five other people werekilled on Friday.

Police in Niger firedtear gas to dispersehundreds of oppositionsupporters who gatheredin the capital Niamey onSunday in defiance of aban on a demonstrationagainst what they see aspoor governance,witnesses said.

Niamey ’s governorbanned the march onFriday amid violent riotsagainst Charlie Hebdo’scartoons of the ProphetMuhammad that sawangry protesters attackchurches, bars, and apolice station and killed10people over two days.

Sunday’s oppositionmarch was plannedbefore a gun attack killed12 people at the Parisoffices of the satiricalweekly earlier thismonth.

The decree outlawing

the demonstration didnot give a reason for thedecision. However, agovernment officialspeaking on condition ofanonymity told Reutersauthorities had fearedthe march could beinfiltrated by anti-Charlie Hebdoprotesters.

“We inform all ourmilitants andsympathizers that themarch followed by a rallyplanned for Sunday willgo ahead,” the ARDRopposition blocannounced on Saturdayin a statement broadcaston private televisionchannels defying theban.

Tensions on the risePolitical tensions have

risen in Niger since 2013when Hama Amadou, apowerful former politicalally of PresidentMahamadou Issoufou,split from the rulingcoalition.

A powerful vigilanteleader in the Central

African Republic, accusedof masterminding amassacre of some minorityMuslims in December2013, has been arrested,prosecutors said Sunday.

UN peacekeepersarrested RodrigueNagibona, alias General

CAR chief arrested for killing300 minority Muslims

Andjilo, who had been onthe run for several months,on Saturday in thenorthwest of theimpoverished country, theprosecutors said.

A Camerooniancontingent of the UN forceknown by the acronymMINUSCA arrestedAndjilo in the town of

Bouca after a firefight with“his men”, a judicial sourcesaid.

“General Andjilo iswanted for multiple crimesincluding killings,rebellion, illegal possessionof weapons of war, criminalassociation, rape andpillage,” said MauriceDibert-Dollet, Bangui’sgeneral prosecutor.

Violence between rivalfactions has plunged thedeeply poor, landlockedcountry into anunprecedented politicaland security crisis.

•Anti-cartoon protest in Niger.

A contingent ofsoldiers from Chad

has arrived in northernCameroon where it willdeploy to the Nigerianborder as part of effortsto contain the BokoHaram insurgency, aspokesman forCameroon’s defenseministry said on Sunday.

Boko Haram, whichaims to carve out anIslamist state in northernNigeria, has stepped upattacks in the region asAfrica’s biggest economyprepares for a Feb. 14presidential election.

The group hasexpanded its operationalzone into northernCameroon over the pastyear, prompting Yaoundeto deploy thousands ofadditional forces,including elite troops, toits border with Nigeria.

A convoy of troops fromChad arrived in Maroua,the main town in

Chadian soldiers arrive in Cameroonto battle Boko Haram

Cameroon’s Far-NorthRegion, late on Saturday,Colonel Didier Badjecksaid while declining tosay how many soldiershad been dispatched byN’Djamena.

“In the coming days,they will be deployed tothe war zone on theborder with Nigeria sothat they can join ourdefense forces to crushand prevent incursions of

Boko Haram intoCameroonian territory,”he said.

Cameroon’s PresidentPaul Biya, who recentlyappealed forinternational assistanceagainst Boko Haram,announced earlier thisweek that he wasexpecting the arrival of alarge Chadian force tosupport his country ’sefforts against themilitants.

REBEL leaderDominic Ongwen,

who surrendered to USsoldiers in CAR, to betried for war crimes atHague-based court.

A commander fromUganda’s Lord’sResistance Army (LRA) isexpected to be flown toNetherlands to faceinternational war crimescharges after hesurrendered in a remotecorner of the CentralAfrican Republic (CAR),authorities said.

Dominic Ongwen, 34,is expected to betransferred to theInternational CriminalCourt (ICC) at The Hagueon Saturday, according toGhislain Grezengue, thechief prosecutor in CAR.

The ICC’s warrant ofarrest for Ongwen listsseven counts includingcrimes against humanity,enslavement, murder and

Uganda’s LRA commander to be flown to ICCinhumane acts of inflictingserious bodily injury.

Ongwen was in recentdays held by theUgandan contingent ofthe US-backed AfricanUnion Regional Task

BRIEFSItaly expels nine suspectedIslamist militants

ITALY has expellednine suspected Islamist

militants so far this year aspart of a heightenedsecurity alert throughoutEurope and could makefurther expulsions, InteriorMinister Angelino Alfanosaid on Sunday.

Attacks in Paris, in whichIslamist gunmen killed 17people, and a foiled plot toattack Belgian police haveput security services acrossEurope on high alert.

Italian media havespeculated that two menfleeing Belgian police who

were arrested in easternFrance last week may havehad some connection withItaly where they wereapparently preparing totravel. However noimminent specific threatagainst Italy has yet beenreported.

“We have done everythingnecessary, within the limitsof possibility, to guardagainst the threat,” Alfanosaid, noting that theexpulsions had startedbefore the Paris attackswhich began on Jan. 7 withthe Charlie Hebdoshooting.

Force, set up to fight theLRA, a rebel groupblamed for widespreadatrocities in northernUganda, CAR, theDemocratic Republic ofCongo and South Sudan.

Boko Haram in Cameroon kidnap 60

S U S P E C T E Dmilitants Islamist

group Boko Haram havekidnapped at least 60people in neighbouringCameroon, officials say.

They said many ofthose kidnapped in thecross border attackagainst villages werechildren.

Several people werekilled, security officialssaid.

Boko Haram has seizedcontrol of many townsand villages in north-east Nigeria, and has

begun threateningsome of the country’sneighbours.

The group has beenfighting a six-yearinsurgency to create anIslamic state.

In Sunday’s attack,suspected militants“burst into two villagesin the Tourou area,” apolice officer told theAFP news agency.

“They torched housesand left with around 60people. Most of thesepeople were women andchildren.”

riots

VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardCLASSIFIED

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Confirmation of Name


Tantalisers opens Uyo outlet

TANTALISERS Plc,an leading indig-

enous quick service res-taurant chain hasopened an outlet inUyo.The outlet which islocated along Abakroad, opposite theIdongesit Nkanga Sec-retariat is remarkableand inviting because ofits cool and cozy ambi-ence. Customers to theoutlet had delightful ex-periences and excitingtime during the officialopening.

The Deputy Manag-ing Director, Mr.Gbolahan Labinjo saidthe outlet was opened

following clamour byconsumers in this partof the country for a Tan-talizersoutlet addingthat with the opening,Tantalizers was now inthe second city in theSouth-south followingthe two operational out-lets of the company inPortharcourt.

Mr. Labinjo said thecompany will be ex-panding to other partsof the country in 2015viafranchising and im-plored Nigerians totake advantage of theTantalizers Franchiseprogramme to buy intoa profitable business.

Dickson flags off PDPcampaign in Yenagoa

By SamuelOyadongha

Y E N A G O A —Governor Seriake

Dickson of Bayelsa State,weekend, inaugurated a420 member committee tochampion the re-electioncampaign of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan in thestate.

Speaking at the PeacePark’s venue of theinauguration, Dicksoncharged the committee towork assiduously to sellprogrammes of thetransformation agenda ofMr. President to thepeople.

He thanked members ofthe party for standing bythe President, stressingthat PDP was an allinclusive party for allNigerians.

He noted that the jobwas not yet done until thePresident’s re-`electionand called for all hands tobe on deck to ensure thatPresident Jonathan wasreturned to office.

“The whole state is forPDP. There are few angrypeople who have gone tothe Angry Peoples Party.But every vote is for thePresident. There is noneed for campaignsbecause this is PDP stateas well as President’sstate,” he said.

Dickson noted that theBayelsa PDP was peacefuland called on the peopleto reject division andunnecessary rancour.

‘’The base of PDP is safeand calm. There is no timefor division andunnecessary acrimony,”he said.

The governor noted thatthe activities of theT r a n s f o r m a t i o nAmbassadors of Nigeria,TAN, were inimical to theinterest of the state,adding that he was the onlyone that would lead thecampaign for thePresident’s re-election inthe state.

Addressing partycandidates that werepresented with the PDPflag, he described them as

his candidates as well asthe President’scandidates.

N/Delta ex-militants warnmischiefmakers

B O M A D I - N i g e rDelta ex-militants

have warned those theycalled mischief makers todesist from denigratingthe name of theMovement for theEmancipation of theNiger Delta, MEND,saying that such move bysome faceless group totarnish the image of thenow inactive MENDwas tantamount toplagiarism and anattempt to smear thenames of Niger Delta ex-militant leaders.

Speaking withjournalists, weekend,the Delta StateChairman, phase 2 of theamnesty programme,Mr. Kingsley Muturu,said that people who hecalled ‘alien’ tooperations of MENDwhen the Niger Deltaarms struggle was on,were bent on causingchaos in the forthcominggeneral elections withunfounded claims andstatements in the media,noting that the ex-militant leaders nevermet to take any decisionto back the opposition AllProgressives Congress,APC, presidentialcandidate, GenMuhammadu Buhari.

Muturu warnedintruders in the NigerDelta struggle, who areusing whatever means todeceive the masses andcause chaos in thepolitical scene to desistforthwith, becauseaccording to him, ex-militant generals have allit takes to fish out theperpetrators and exposethem to face the laws ofthe land.

CMYK


CMYK


Por fin...enfin....at last

Hints thatwe couldbeat themwas at thehotel whenthe playerscarried on asif they hadwon the cupalready.

SATURDAY, January 17, 17.00hours, at the blastof referee Papa Bakary Gassama’s whistle

(Best Referee in Africa 2014) football finally cameto the fore, relegating to the back ground the offthe field controversy that has dogged this year’scompetition.

The “Can they? “ question was finally put to rest.Equatorial Guinea did not have to stage an

opening ceremony. Time definitely was not on theirside when it comes to the complex and intricatebusiness of calisthenics and choreography, but theydid, a simple but effective show of optimism, colourand music that launched the opening match.

If Equatorial Guinea had less than two months toprepare for the competition, then spare a thoughtfor Esteber Becker, the Argentine coach of theNational team who had less than one month to callthe players back from holiday, train and conditionthem for the competition, after having been thrownout and disbanded for fielding an ineligible playerduring the qualifiers.

In the presence of the head of State, over 35,000spectators, it was nerves all the way but the hostacquitted themselves so well that it was “sad” theyhad to drop two points in the last ten minutes of thematch as Congo Brazzaville, led by the recordbreaking (Eight Nations Cup as coach) and agelessClaude Le Roy (Le Rwa) came on strong.

In a typical football culture where the early exit ofhosts ‘kills’ the competition as spectators boycott thestands, Equatorial Guinea had the sympathy andemotional support of thousands.

Unconfirmed statistics have it that despite thecraze for the European league, especially thePremiership, the youths of Africa boycotted Chelseaand Man U at half time to hook on to the Openingmatch and they were not disappointed, only castingglances at the “livescore” facility on their phonesfor results from Europe.

If the second match was not as exciting as thefirst, it did produce some highlights and fever fromthe packed stands. If the Equatorial Guineans hadleft the stands after the first match, then they musthave made way for their Gabonese neighbours whoonly had to “ walk across the border”

Given the logistics of their showing two years agoin South Africa, runners up to the Super Eagles,Nigerians had given the match to the Burkinabe’scomplete with Jonathan Pitroipa, Player of thetournament Nations Cup 2013, scorer of six goalsin the qualifiers, yet it was the Pierre-EmerickAubameyang (Second best African footballer 2014)led Panthers that reaped invaluable three points

and throne position in the Bata Group.As you are reading this, four matches have been

played, 28 to go. Today in Group C in Mongomo,great matches on the cards……Ghana versusSenegal, Algeria against South Africa……… AhSouth Africa brings back memories of the absenceof the Super Eagles and that dark night in Uyo.

Barney Kujane is still the team Manager of theBafana Bafana. Our meeting could not go withouta mention of the Uyo match. That even if they hadlost ten nil they still would have qualified, how comethey came out so hard?

“ No we did not come out so hard. We got to Uyoscared. We had always been humiliated by Nigeria,so we had a complex. Hints that we could beatthem was at the hotel when the players carried onas if they had won the cup already. We got to Uyo

and were further threatened by the imposing stadiumand thousands that had come out to support yourteam. Ten minutes into the match our coachdiscovered that your team was technically andtactically below par, your players heavy, so westruck…” He said with a glee.

That, is history. Today it is South Africa on centrestage, not awed by the view of pundits that Algeriaand Ghana are favourites to get out of this group,after all the same was said about Nigeria. “…….Thisis football man……this is football. RememberZambia” Kujane adds.

Nigerians may want to watch the lines of the matchGhana/Senegal, running frantically and in chargeof offside calls will be Peter Elgam Edibi. Althoughe will be waving a different type of flag, thepresence of Africa’s elite assistant referee guaranteesthat we did not lose out totally after all! (Don’tlaugh).

It is not all about football though. It is also aboutthe survival and emancipation of our dear continent.Today, as was the case in Bata and Ebebeyin, theplayers and officials will unite behind the call “Tobeat Ebola, together” It is a message that permeatesthe tournament. That resolved, and in one accord,Africa can stand up to the scourge that is threateningour collective existence.

The top players have come here determined. AfricaFootballer of the year Yaya Toure said in Malabo onarrival that no African player has boycotted thecompetition for whatever reason, not even thedeadly Ebola. That they have come to spearheadthe fight and he believes that sooner than later,Ebola will be history in Africa.

The Opening match is 85 minutes old, Congo ison the rampage. Francis N’ganga hits the post,Thiery Bifouma draws the match level and HibernianStar Dominique Malong misses the victory goalfrom point blank range.

Miguel Owono can no more watch. He sweatsprofusely. “ …..For all that we have done, CAFshould allow us get to at least the semi final….” itwas a pronouncement that drew laughter all aroundhim.

CAF, the African and indeed world footballcommunity acknowledge that Equatorial Guinea hasindeed done great. Step out Your Excellency,President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo andreceive CAF’s gold medal of honour from the youthsof Africa on behalf of your country men, andwomen..

See you next week

Rio2016 Olympics: Babayaro urges Siasia torecreate 1996 Eagles

F O R M E Rinternational

Celestine Babayar hasurged Samson Siasia notto tone down standardsin his selection ofplayers in order to makeNigeria’s dream of asecond medal prospectin the Rio 2016 OlympicGames a reality.

The Chelsea andAtlanta ’96 goldmedalist said in aninterview that “for Siasiato build an Olympicteam capable of makingan impression at the AllAfrica Games and in Rio2016, he should have aneye for top qualityplayers who paradeoutstanding skill.

BY EDDIEAKALONU

In the same manner,he urged Siasia to alsoinsist on discipline andhigh standards. “Hemust not compromise ondiscipline andstandard,” he stated.

Besides he enjoinedSiasia to shun acts thatcould put the country’sgoal of producinganother outstandingteam for the up-comingOlympics in jeopardy.

Babayaro, who said it’snot an impossibility toput together anotheraward winning team inthe mould of theAtlanta’96 gold-winningside, for which heplayed a remarkablerole, cited favouritismand bias as acts thatwould not impedesuccess if put aside by

the coach Sasia. “If hehas the right collectionof players, there in liesthe key to success, headded. Babayaro played

alongside the likes ofSunday Oliseh, GarubaLawal and Dosu Josephin the 1996 Eagles team.

First Foot Tennis competition held recently inLagos. Captain of the victorious Edwin Collins FCreceives the trophy from Chairman of theOrganising Committee, Nwkeabia Ossy Edwin.

R E N O W N E DA t h l e t i c s

Scholar and coach,Professor LucasOgunjimi is at the headof 60 Officials who havebeen invited to take partin the 14th AKS/NNPC/MPN Schools AthleticsChampionships billedfor Uyo on Saturday,February 7 2015.

In a release madepublic by the NationalAthletics TechnicalOfficials (NAATO) AkwaIbom State branch,Professor Ogunjimi islisted as theCompetitions Director

Professor Ogunjimi isno stranger to thecompetition as he hasbeen physical present inthe last eight editionsand counting.

Ogunjimi leads 60 officialsto Mobil Sports in Uyo

Also listed isDeaconess UtitofonNkantah (FRM) as theTechnical Director, andtwo other Professors,Track Referee ProfessorIgnatius Uduk and fieldreferee Professor IniJonah

Deaconess UtitofonNkantah ( Nee Uko) whois the NAATO presidentin the state said she ishappy with the qualityof the officiating crewwhich will be reinforcedby the National body.

“ ….If you go down thelist you will notice thatex national track starsEno Smart Ekpo,Dorathy Asangusungand Menyene Nkwo head the track, fieldand Time Keeping crewrespectively.''


CMYK

ticket, Nigerians wereunequivocal in theircondemnation of theplayers’ performances,accusing them of lackingcommitment.

Ambrose defended histeam mates, “it will beunfair to say we nevergave our best. We alwayswant to play for Nigeriaand we always give ourbest but sometimes youjust can’t explain certainthings.

“It happens in life,especially in football.Sometimes you play verywell and still lose andsometimes you playpoorly and win. Maybe

Arsenal

Continues from BP we were unlucky, I don’tknow. But we gave ourbest but it just didn’twork out and now wehave to look at thefuture.”

Looking ahead, theCeltic defender soundedoptimistic, “ you justhave to be positive inlife and always hope forthe best. When we failedto qualify in 2012,people thought that wasthe end but we went onto win it in 2013. Maybethis is a lesson for usand who says we can’tgo on to win it in 2017.We just have to keepdoing our best andhopefully we will getthings right.”

Ambrose

Arsenal goal.Then, the home side

came out with all gunsblazing in the secondhalf, but saw theirmultiplied effortsrebuffed by an unusuallyresolute Arsenaldefence.

Then, the Gunnerssecured closure whenOlivier Giroud ran onto

Continues from BP a pin-point Cazorla freekick to score the secondwith the City defencecaught flat footed.

Arsene Wenger thenconfirmed the newArsenal philosophy of‘holding what you have’,by sending on KieranGibbs and MathieuFlamini for the final 10minutes, as Man Citythreatened.

Mashaba

coach, Mashaba hasrejuvenated a sleepinggiant and will hopecurrent form countswhen the team need itmost.

After topping group Aof the qualificationcampaign and going sixgames without defeat,Bafana qualified fortheir first majortournament without thehelp of being the hostnation for the first timein six years.

Now, Bafana’sredemption missionmoves to its next bighurdle.

Standing in Mashaba’sway would undoubtedlybe his biggest test of thetournament as Algeria liein wait at Estadio deMongomo in Monday’ssecond group C opener.

As the continent’s top-ranked team, Algeriawould want to build ontheir strong showing atlast year’s FIFA WorldCup in Brazil, where theDesert Warriors were the

Continues from BP only team to pusheventual winners,Germany, all the way.

It took a late, extra-time, goal to bookGermany’s spot in thenext round as the world’sfootball experts rang outof superlatives forAlgeria.

South Africa wouldhave to overcome paceand power from the free-flowing Algerians, whowon five out of their sixqualifiers, losing justonce, in their final gameof the tournament, whenqualification had alreadybeen secured.

Bafana, however, havehardly put a foot wrongsince Mashaba took overfrom Gordon Igesund lastyear.

The national team hasfaired well in theirpreparation for thecontinental showpiece.

A nervy 1-0 win overZambia was followed bya 1-1 draw withCameroon, beforehammering Mali 3-0 intheir final warm-up matchlast weekend.

Agbim wants more Super Eagles game time

•Agbim

SUPER Eaglesg o a l k e e p e r ,

Chigozie Agbim, hascategorically stated that hewants to play more gamesfor Nigeria, following thecountry’s two internationalfriendlies against Cote D’Ivoire and Yemen.

The 30-year old is firstchoice goalkeeper andcaptain of Nigeria’s Bteam, and also third choiceof the regular SuperEagles team. But despiteoften coming under severecriticisms from fans, theformer Golden Eaglets

shot-stopper says he stillwants to be between thesticks for Nigeria insubsequent games.

“All the players wereunanimous in saying thatplaying friendly games isa way of making the teamjell together and buildingthe unity of the team, thecoaching staff and theensuring that the playersare active throughout theyear.

“What we want todemand is that thislaudable developmentshould not be a one offthing.''

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Dept Hotline: 01-4544821; Abuja: 09-2341102, 09-2342704. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Advert:[email protected]

Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

How to Play Sudoku

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

FRIFRIFRIFRIFRIDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSTODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLE

Vanguard, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

QUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORD

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONSACROSS: 1, Ensure 5, Used 8, Count 9,Rue 10, Boon 11, Deep 12, Steep 13, Critic16, Turn 18, Gain 20, Ash 22, Sad 23, Old 24,Rite 25, Twee 28, Ravage 30, Crime 32, Riot33, Anti 34, Ire 35, Weird 36, Kiln 37, Agency.

ACROSS1 Scour (5)5 Method (6)8 Peer (5)10 Nuptial (6)11 Greedy (4)14 Gift (6)15 Decorate (7)18 Beverage (3)19 Sailor (3)21 Cart (4)23 Leaf (5)24 Grasped (4)27 Colour (3)29 Fish (3)31 Sickness (7)32 Conquer (6)34 Wise (4)35 Astounded (6)38 Apportion (5)39 Wave (6)40 Cabin (5)

DOWN2 Vehicle (3)3 Unfastened (6)4 Snake (3)5 Chair (4)6 Dirty (6)7 Predominantly (6)9 Swagger (7)12 Tank (3)13 Expensive (4)16 Fever (4)17 Loathed (5)20 Fundamental (7)22 Unfortunately (4)24 Restrict (6)25 Minus (4)26 Item (6)28 Discussion (6)30 Stage (3)33 Breed (4)36 Crowd (3)37 Newt (3)

DOWN: 1, Enrich 2, Seediest 3, Rabbit 4,Contender 5, Undergo 6, Step 7, Dupe 8,Cos 14, Customary 15, Bid 17, Raw 19,Alsatian 20, Ail 21, Hearten 26, Eating 27,Remedy 29, Trek 30, Cowl 31, End.

It’s painful we’re not inE. Guinea – Ambrose

SUPER Eagles fullback, Efe

Ambrose, like most of histeam mates and indeed,Nigerians in general isin pains that the 2015Africa Cup of Nationstournament is going onwithout Nigeria.

The 2013 Afcon winnerwas full of regret whenhe said, “I understandthe effects of notqualifying for thecompetition and I feelbad about it.

“I am sure the otherplayers feel the sameway too. We would havegiven anything toqualify and be a part ofit. And the truth is, it ismore painful because weare the champions andwe will not be there, itis really painful.”

After the Eagles failureto secure the Afcon

•Ambrose Continues on Page 63

ResultsEPL

West Ham 3 Hull City 0Man City 0 Arsenal 2

2015 AFCONZambia 1 Congo DR 1

Today’s matches

Ghana v Senegal 5 pmAlgeria v South Africa 8 pm

BATTLE: Issampa Djos of Congo DR battles withRainford Kalaba of Zambia in their 2015 Afconmatch yesterday. The match ended 1-1

Arsenal stun City at EtihadA R S E N A L

l eap f roggedTottenham Hotspurs,and moved into fifthplace following theirshock 2-0 win overchampions ManchesterCity at the Etihad

•Giroud

Stadium yesterday.Santi Cazorla scored

the first goal for theGunners when he putaway a 24th minutepenalty following a foulin the box by VincentKompany on NachoMonreal.

The Championsmanaged to keep thescore at 1-0 in a tepidfirst half that saw themmake no attempt on

Continues on Page 63

Mashaba stakesunbeaten recordFOR Shakes

Mashaba and histeam, the wait for theirfirst appearance in thisyear ’s Africa Cup ofNations could not comequickly enough.

Unbeaten in his thirdstint as Bafana Bafana

Continues on Page 63 •Mashaba

CMYK

i'm hale and hearty, still in nigeria — buhari

Documents

political party

pdp ofdesperation

citizen of nigeria

better life

lp r o g r e s s

press conferenceby buhari

foreign tripaccuses

nigeria buharimr mrscontinues