monday, february 11, 2013

Vol. 3 N0. 554 Monday, February 11, 2013 N150

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>


Super Eagles lift Nations Cup

P.4N1.5bn loan: N’Assembly threatens to sue NNPC

Gunmen kill three foreign doctors Master Marinersback FG onconcession

BUSINESSTHE SECTION

P.A6

Free inside

FAAN reiterates determination to upgrade infrastructure

Victorious Super Eagles with the trophy at National Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday. More pictures and stories on pages 2,3 and 55.

Break 19-year jinx, win third title

Keshi: Man of history

...beat Burkina Faso 1-0

Abubakar

rs

ree iinsinsiinsideddedede

P.5

Suspected bombers arrested in Kaduna

APC: Tukur woos PDP governors

FG paid N254bn to import inspection agents in 8 years –Report

2009 agreement:Varsity workers

mobilise for strike P.4 P.6

OUR CORRESPONDENTS

Gunmen yesterday killed three North Korean doctors

in Yobe State, beheading one of the physicians in

the latest attack on health workers in the northern part of the country.

National Mirror gath-ered that six gunmen at-tacked the residences of the deceased doctors at about 1:35a.m. in the T-

junction area of Potiskum Local Government Area of the state and killed them by slitting their throats.

The killing of the doc-tors came after gunmen

IKENWA NNABUOGOR AND ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI IN JOHANNESBURG

Nigeria had to wait for 19 years to win her third Nations

Cup title and interestingly, Sunday Mba, spotting jer-sey No. 19, scored the lone goal as the Super Eagles beat Burkina Faso last night at the National Stadi-um in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Super Eagles’ coach, Stephen Keshi, also made history as the second coach

AFOLABI GAMBARI

Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, may have demonstrated

that legends are born and not made.

As the longest reigning captain of the national team from 1981 to 1994, he attained what no other player has attained till date in the history of Ni-


Super Eagles lift Nations Cup CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Stephen Keshi: Man of historyPresident Goodluck Jonathan (2nd left) with the First Lady, Patience, celebrating Super Eagles victory at the African Cup of Nations) with other Nigerians in London, yesterday. PHOTO: STATE HOUSESunday Mba (19) after scoring the goal.

Super Eagles Stephen Keshi when he won the cup as a player in 1994. PHOTO: ADEMOLA AKINLABI

after Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary, to win the AFCON title as a player and a coach. It was indeed a double hon-our for Keshi as he became the first indigenous coach to win the AFCON title

The last time Nigeria won the title was in Tu-nisia in 1994 when Keshi lifted the glittering trophy as Eagles deservedly beat Zambia 2-1 in the final. The Eagles had also reached the AFCON final six times be-fore scooping the title last night at the magnificent National Stadium in Johan-nesburg.

Keshi’s team was with-out the tournament’s top scorer, Emmanuel Eme-nike, who tore a muscle in the semi-finals against Mali and was replaced by Ikechukwu Uche, other-wise, it was the same team that battled Mali.

Burkina Faso on the hand, featured Rennes mid-fielder Jonathan Pitriopa, who had his red card in the semis against Ghana over-

turned and was listed in the starting eleven by Belgian coach Paul Put.

Eagles were not done with their excellent tactics of keeping ball possession, taking things easy and spraying beautiful passes and hitting on the counter attacks as they continued to frustrate the Stallions.

Eagles were just too good for their opponents and continued to create chances but were thrown away by the Eagles attack that was conspicuously missing the injured Eme-nike. Ukraine-based striker Brown Ideye was the worst culprit as he threw away at least three good chances in the first half. One of such missed chances was in the 24th minute when Diakite dropped the ball onto his path but the Dynamo Kiev hit man chose to blow the chance away from just six yards.

It was Ideye’s painful miss again when he failed to get to the end of the quick inter change of passes invol-

ing John Obi Mikel, Moses and Uche. What would have been the first goal for the Ea-gles was also thrown away by Ideye who failed to accept a gift from Marseille defend-er Charles Kabore who mis-cued a back heel onto Ideye’s feet but typically he blew the chance away again.

Eagles never left the feet off the throttle as they con-tinued to overwhelm the Stallions whose first real chance in the first half was wasted by Aristide Bance after he was fed by the intel-ligent Pitriopa in the 34th minute. Moses’ intelligence on the dead ball was evi-

dent again moments later as he forced a brilliant save from Diakite from 20 yards.

But it was Mba who put a stop to Eagles’ catalogue of misses in the 40th min-ute when he finished off a move started by Uche in the Burkinabe’s 18-yard box, for the Eagles’ lone goal. The Rangers midfielder collected the rebound off Moses’ shot, drove the ball with his right foot, and looped it over an onrush-ing Burkinabe defender before finishing with his left foot, leaving Diakite stranded.

The Stallions’ chances

were pitifully few as the game headed for the break and Bance’s effort in the 42nd minute just went over the bar.

Ideye continued miss-ing chances in the second half and with just two minutes after the break, he almost broke his final duck but his powerful shot was fingered into a corner by impressive Diakite. Mo-ses would have finished off the spirited Stallions just moments later but his tame effort was only handled by a Burkinabe defender after one of the Eagles’ numerous counter-

attacking forays.Eagles continued to

contain the turbo-charged Stallions as the game hit the home stretch and de-spite the close calls and Eagles’ near misses, they effectively ran down the clock to clinch their third AFCON title.

Eagles Line Up: Vin-cent Enyeama, Efe Am-brose, Kenneth Omeruo, Godfrey Oboabana, Elder-son Echiejile ( Juwon Os-haniwa 67’), Ogenyi Onazi, John Obi Mikel, Sunday Mba ( Joseph Yobo 89’), Vic-tor Moses, IK Uche ( Ahmed Musa 53’), Brown Ideye.

gerian football. Keshi is the second

black coach to win the Af-rica Cup of Nations since Yeo Martial won for it for Cote d’Ivoire in 1992.

But it was more for his leadership quality than his skills on the field of play, it would be on re-cord that although he was a defensive midfielder through his playing ca-reer, he scored vital goals when regular strikers failed to deliver.

Little wonder he com-manded huge respect among his mates in the national team and till date as a coach.

Before yesterday’s vic-tory over Burkina Faso in the South Africa 2013 Na-tions Cup final, only for-mer Egypt international, Mahmoud El Gohary, had achieved the feat of lifting the AFCON trophy as a

player and as a coach. Yet, the experience he

garnered in both West African countries would stand him in good stead to shine in South Africa. Togo evaded him along the line. Not Mali, whom he strategised to white-wash in a somewhat one-sided quarter final affair.

Yet, Keshi did not sail smoothly to the stardom he attained in Johannes-burg yesterday.

When he was appointed to the Eagles’ helm in No-vember 2011, hostility and doubt welcomed him to the saddle. But he soon got on the track and clearly had an eye on his the tar-get as well as the players he hoped to help him get to his destination.

No one was prepared to dare his decision, know-ing he had seen it all as a player who gave his all to Nigeria. He practically hit

the ground running, se-lecting Daniel Amokachi, Ike Shorunmu, Sylvanus Okpalla and the Beniniose Valere Houandinou as his assistants.

He tinkered so much with players in the Nige-ria Premier League and many doubted his sincer-ity in placing his hope on the lads to deliver.

Keshi endured threat of sack throughout the tournament from the Ni-gerian sports officials who apparently did not believe in his ability to take the Eagles all the way. Indeed, matters got to a head when he also threatened to resign from his post today whether or not Nigeria won the tro-phy.

“I’m never against a white coach in Africa because I have always worked with white coach-es,” Keshi thundered

while pouring his heart to journalists last week in Durban. “What I’m saying is, do not bring a mediocre coach from Europe and tell me he’s better than me. That, I will not ac-cept,” he added.

“We in Africa have quality ex-players and coaches but the adminis-trators aren’t giving them the opportunity,” he also lectured.

It remains to be seen whether Keshi would ac-tualise his quit threat and whether the officials would dispense with his services.

But no one can take it away from the 51-year-old that he has earned him-self respect as a coach, as well as helping to accord to indigenous African coaches the respect that they deserve. For him, no victory can be more mean-ingful.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net2 Monday, February 11, 2013News

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 3Nations Cup victoryMonday, February 11, 2013

Players celebrating after the match

Nigeria’s head coach, Stephen Keshi (c), being carried shoulder high by players as they celebrate winning the 2013 African Cup of NationsSuper Eagles players celebrating with the team’s assistant coach and former player, Daniel Amokachi.

Burkina Faso’s Kone challenging Nigeria’s Ideye.

Senate President, David Mark (left) celebrating with the teamBurkina Faso’s Prejuce Nakoulma attempting to shoot past Nigeria’s goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.Burkina Faso’s Prejuce Nakoulma attempting to shoot past Nigeria’s goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.

National News

$1.5bn loan: N/Assembly threatens to sue NNPC

L-R:Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, UAC of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Larry Ettah; Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and Managing Director, UACN Property Development Company Plc, Mr. Hakeem Ogunniran, during the 2013 business retreat of UACN held in Lagos, at the weekend.

L-R: First daughter of the late Beko Ransome-Kuti, Mrs. Nike Nedu; President, Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin; Chairman, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu and National Coordinator, Oodua People’s Congress, Otunba Gani Adams, during a rally to commemorate the 7th year of Dr. Beko Ransome Kuti’s death in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: OLUFEMI AJASA

Celebrant and author, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye (left) and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, during the launch of the book: Guided by His Hands, as part of activities marking Durojaiye’s 80th birthday in Lagos, at the weekend.

L-R: Former Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe; Vice- Chairman, Riverbank Technologies, Chris Obi Chikelue; General Manager, CADD Centre, Lagos, Vijay Baskarb; Managing Director, CADD Centre Training Services, India Saravanan Karaiadselvan and Executive Director, Riverbank Technologies and Engineering Services, Mr. Ayoola Jolayemi, during the commissioning of CADD Centre in Lagos, at the weekend.

GEORGE OJI ABUJA

The National Assem-bly has threatened to initiate a court

action to stop the Nige-rian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from going ahead to obtain the proposed $1.5 billion loan facility.

This threat followed the report that the corporation has gone ahead for the loan despite the intervention of the National Assembly to halt the facility.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (downstream), Senator Magnus Abe, who revealed the proposed legal action of the National Assembly at the weekend in Abuja, told journalists that no-body, group or government has the right to commit the country with that size of indebtedness without the approval of the parlia-ment.

Abe said: “It is clear in the constitution and the

National Assembly will not allow it, if it means going to court, we will go to court.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was reported to have obtained a $1.5 billion syndicated loan to help it pay debts to international fuel traders.

The deal was said to have been struck at the end of last year and seen as crucial to easing the burden on big commodity traders, who were facing the prospect of painful multi-million dollar write-offs.

The loan, which is to be provided by several Ni-gerian and international banks and brokered by Standard Chartered, will be paid back over five and half years.

The NNPC was also re-ported to have put up 15,000 barrels per day of its oil production as collateral.

Senator Abe denied the claims that NNPC has gone ahead to obtain the loan despite the opposition to the loan by the National

Assembly, stressing that, “it is an allusion and I dare NNPC to go ahead and com-mit this country to $1.5 bil-lion without the approval of the parliament. It is not possible and we will not al-low it.”

He said: “To think that anybody can create a cor-poration that can drain the resources of the country without parliamentary oversight or approval, it is an allusion and I dare NNPC to go ahead and com-mit this country to $1.5 bil-lion without the approval of the parliament. It is not possible and we will not al-low it.

“That argument has been overtaken by the con-stitution of Nigeria. If the NNPC wants to commit this country to a debt of $1.5 bil-lion by whatever means, it needs to come and explain to us as elected represen-tatives of Nigerian people how this debt was incurred, how it is going to be paid and how it will not affect us.”

OLUFEMI ADEOSUNABUJA

Academic activities in the Nigerian uni-versities may soon

be suspended as non-teach-ing staff in Federal Govern-ment owned institutions are bracing up for a show down over an alleged breach of the 2009 agreement.

In confirmation of their readiness to persuade Fed-eral Government to fully implement the agreement it entered with them, the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nige-rian Universities (SSANU), under the Joint Action Committee of NAAT, NASU and SSANU, have directed all their branches to com-mence mobilisation of all their members for indefi-nite strike.

The directive was con-tained in a memo sent to all the branch chairmen

across the country, after the meeting of the Joint Action Committee held at NASU national secretariat at the weekend in Abuja.

The memo entitled: “Up-date on the 2009 Agreement and Needs Assessment Re-port,” was signed by NAAT President, Mr. Sani Sulei-man; NASU President, Mr. Ladi Iliya, and the SSANU President, Mr. Samson Ug-woke.

The memo reads: “Based on the above development, all branches are hereby di-rected to commence mobili-sation of members towards possible indefinite strike, while you await further di-rectives.

“The uninterrupted aca-demic calendar that had existed in Nigerian pub-lic universities in the last three years is being threat-ened. This is as a result of the failure of the govern-ment to fully implement the 2009 Agreement and our Joint Action Commit-tee’s (JAC) rejection of the report of the committee on Needs Assessment of Ni-

gerian public universities with the conclusive purport of massively retrenching and marginalizing the non-teaching staff.”

The unions regretted that despite several meet-ings of the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMG) and its recommenda-tions on how to fully imple-ment the 2009 agreements with particular reference to the Earned Allowances, the government had failed to show commitment to full implementation.

The memo also said: “Another point of serious concern to JAC is the con-stitution of the Needs As-sessment Committee, sub-mission of its reports and setting up of a Technical Committee with the same personalities that wrote the main report to review same for implementation with-out addressing complaints raised by the three unions who are critical stakehold-ers despite assurances giv-en by the Secretary to the Government of the Federa-tion (SGF).”

2009 agreement: Varsity workers mobilise for strike

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net4 Monday February 11, 2013PhotoNews



Gunmen kill three foreign doctorsRivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi (left) and National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, during his visit to the world-class Kelsey Harrison Hospital at Diobu, Port Harcourt, at the weekend.



National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 5Monday, February 11, 2013 News

AYODELE OJO AND OBIORA IFOH

The National Chair-man of the Peoples Democratic Party,

PDP, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, has initiated moves to win back the support and con-fidence of the governors who have been at odds with him since his en-thronement as the party leader about one year ago.

The PDP has 24 members in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, but they have not supported the national chairman in implementing most of his policies geared towards reconciliation and reformation of the party.

Tukur however told Na-tional Mirror that he will not rest until peace returns to the party. For that reason, the chairman has concluded plans to make unscheduled visits to some of the gover-nors considered unbend-ing to the rapprochement moves by the party leader.

On Saturday, Tukur paid a visit to Rivers State where he had “fruitful discus-sion” with Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

He is also expected to pay similar visit to Governors Babangida Aliyu (Niger) Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Isa Yuguda (Bauchi).

A source, who is a mem-ber of the National Work-ing Committee, NWC, of the party said the decision of the national chairman to embark on the fence-mend-ing tour was as a result of the signals from the opposi-tion after their successful merger, which gave birth to the All Progressives Con-gress, APC.

The chairman has been inundated with warnings from party members and stakeholders on the need to end the misunderstanding between him and the gover-nors and the crisis that have pitched him against the rest of the NWC.

Though Tukur has as-sured supporters that the party is not losing sleep over the merger, but feelers that some aggrieved governors who are members of the party may dump the PDP for the APC is sending a sig-nal that should worry every party member.

“Presently, the national chairman is working to close ranks with his es-tranged members of the

party’s working committee who are still not relating well with him over the Ad-amawa incident.

“The chairman has also been making contacts with some of the governors to see how the crisis will be checked before the new par-ty takes advantage of the crisis.

“In a matter of days, the party will return to its for-midable self. The governors are united but they want to be accorded some respect and to be carried along on issues concerning the party and the government.

“They are not happy that the leadership has taken sides with the Federal Gov-ernment over most of the contentious issues, particu-larly the Sovereign Wealth Fund. But I can assure you that things will fall into places very soon,” said the source who is a member of the party’s NWC.

Amaechi, however, as-sured Tukur that PDP gov-ernors would support and remain loyal to the party, urging him to always lead the party to victory.

“We assure you that gov-ernors will support and re-main loyal to the party; we need each other at such a challenging moment.

“Lead us to victory and it is important that we don’t take ourselves for granted, so that we will continue to lead ourselves and the party to victory,” the governor said.

However, a party source said that in spite of Tu-kur’s surprise visit to Riv-ers State, there is still a gulf between the Presidency and Amaechi.

“Although the visit may be a rapprochement by Tu-kur, some loyalists of Jona-than are not ready to forgive Amaechi.

“In fact, the rumoured presidential aspiration of Lamido-Amaechi ticket has made the Presidency to be permanently suspicious of the Rivers State governor. They know Amaechi to be a long-distance runner.”

Meanwhile, the South-West PDP will be holding a strategic meeting with the stalwarts of the party in the six Yoruba states in Abuja on February 14.

The meeting, according to National Mirror’s findings, is being spearheaded by the Board of Trustees, BoT, members in the South-West.

It was reliably learnt that the meeting is aimed at resolving the differences among members and find an end to the crises rock-ing the state chapters of the PDP in South-West.

Also, the gathering will strategise on how to re-claim the control of the South-West from the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, ahead of the 2015 elections.

One of the arrowheads of the meeting told National Mirror that the recent politi-cal development, particular-ly the formation of APC, “is a wake-up call” for the PDP and that has necessitated the meeting.

The source also noted that the two governorship

elections coming up in Ekiti and Osun states in 2014 are important for the PDP to win.

Former PDP Deputy National Chairman and a BoT member, Chief Ola-bode George, confirmed the scheduled meeting.

“We can’t afford to allow the crisis in the party to con-tinue. We are the conscience of the PDP and we must put things in the proper state. So, we are meeting with all prominent members of the party in South-West.

“The essence is to resolve the differences among our party members. There is need for us to put party and collective interest above per-sonal interest. We believe at

the end of the day, PDP will reclaim the lost glory in the South-West. We mean well for Nigerians,” he said.

In another development, the ACN yesterday clarified the situation under which All Progressive Grand Alli-ance, APGA, was included in the APC, saying it was an act of good faith based on available information and prevailing circumstances, rather than a deliberate act to mislead Nigerians or rail-road APGA into the merger.

Reacting to APGA’s pub-lished disclaimer of the APC, ACN’s National Pub-licity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a state-ment issued in Abuja yes-terday that the new party

had absolute respect for the rights of individuals or groups on whether or not to associate within a democ-racy.

Explaining how APGA was included in the list of parties that formed the merger, the statement said: ‘’We recognise the person and status of Governor Rochas Okorocha, who, as Imo governor, has been a great player and figure in Nigerian political landscape as well as Senator Annie Okonkwo, a seasoned poli-tician and respectable law-maker.

‘’We believe in their rep-resentation that APGA is interested in the merger,

killed nine women admin-istering polio vaccines in Kano on Friday.

The two attacks raise new questions over wheth-er the extremist sect has picked new soft targets in its campaign of shootings and bombings across the nation.

The attackers appar-ently struck the North Ko-rean doctors inside their home, said Dr. Moham-med Mamman, the Chair-man, Yobe State Hospital Management Board.

The North Korean doctors had no security guards at their residence and typically travelled around the city via com-mercial tricycles without a police escort, officials said.

By the time soldiers ar-

rived at the house, they found the doctors’ wives cowering in a flower bed outside their home. They found the bodies of the dead men, all bearing what appeared to be ma-chete wounds.

Two of the men had their throats slit. The at-tackers beheaded the third doctor.

The Joint Task Force, JTF, and the police have transferred the three bod-ies to the Federal Medi-cal Centre, FMC, Azare in Bauchi State for autopsy and identification by rela-tions.

“The doctors lived in a quiet neighbourhood filled with other modest homes in the town. There wasn’t room to house them at the hospital, where they would have

had some security protec-tion,” Mamman said.

Initially, doctors at the hospital who worked with the physicians identified them as being from South Korea, while police iden-tified the dead as being from China.

Mamman however told journalists that those killed were from North Korea and had lived in the state since 2005 as part of a medical programme between the state and the North Korean govern-ment.

“There are over 12 oth-er North Korean doctors posted to the state under the programme, which also includes engineers,” Mamman said.

He, however, assured them of immediate pro-tection by security forces.

“It is very unfortu-nate,” Mamman said of the killings.

Yobe State Police Com-missioner, Mr. Sanusi Ru-fai, confirmed the attack, adding that investigation had begun.

Rufai said officers had made 10 arrests after the killings.

No one claimed respon-sibility for the attack, though suspicion fell on the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

The Emir of Fika and Chairman of Yobe State Traditional Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Muhamma-du Ibn Mohammed Idrissa Abali, called on the JTF and the police to deploy more troops to Potiskum as the town has continued to be targets of gunmen.


FG paid N254bn to import inspection agents in 8 years –Report


Gunmen kill three foreign doctors



FRANCIS EZEM

A study conducted by the National As-sociation of Gov-

ernment Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, has

revealed that the Federal Government paid a whop-ping N253.9bn to import supervision agents under the Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme, CISS, in the last eight years.

The government had

hired the services of import inspection agents in the pre-shipment inspection and the current destination inspec-tion schemes under which importers mandatorily paid one per cent of the Free On Board, FOB, value of all im-

ports into the country under the CISS.

Under the PSI scheme, the government hired Cotec-na, SGS, Bureau Veritas and Swede Control Intertek to inspect all imports at the port of origin while Cotecna

L-R: Zonal Commanding Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos, Mr. Kabiru Lawal; Managing Director, Quicklink International Network, Mr. Dele Agekameh; Sector Commander, FRSC, Lagos, Mr. Nseobong Akpabio and representative of the Corps Marshal, Mr. Chidi Nkwonta, at the first bi-annual retreat of the FRSC Lagos Command at the weekend. PHOTO: NAN

Destination Inspection Lim-ited, SGS, Webb Fontaine and Global Scan Systems Limited were hired to in-spect imports at the port of destination in Nigeria under a seven-year Build, Own, Operate and Transfer contract.

The report, signed by the association’s President, Mr. Eugene Nweke, said statis-tics from the Federal Minis-try of Finance and Federal Office of Statistics showed that N253.92bn was paid to the agents between 2004 and 2012.

“This represents a delib-erate rip-off on Nigerian shippers into the private purse of the service pro-viders without adding any meaningful value to the port system or the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

“It is not an overstate-ment to say that the collec-tion of one per cent CISS on all imports into the country on the basis of FOB does not add any iota of value to the import clearance process outside being an undue ad-ditional cost, passed down to the final consumers most of the time,” the reports said.

It noted that the action not only led to inflation in the country, such payment also constitutes capital flight to the nation’s econ-omy that is in dire need of foreign exchange.

“More worrisome is the fact that within the seven years of the DI contract, these inspection agents have not cumulatively employed up to 2,500 Nigerians,” the report added.

But experts in maritine noted that the decision of the government to engage the services of these in-spection agents was due to the failure of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to reform its operations in line with international best practices in the processing of imported goods into the country.

They said that despite series of reforms over the years in human and infra-structural restructuring aimed at modernising its operations, the service has refused to change.

“For instance, the NCS still insists on carrying out 100 per cent physical exami-nation of imported goods while modern tools such as fixed and mobile scanners rot away at the seaports and border stations,” they noted.

These operators also ar-gued that it was in response

to the inability of the ser-vice to adapt to modern ways of performing cus-toms administration func-tions that the government had to extend the contract by another six months to give officers and men of the service more time to adapt to the new system.

It was gathered that part of the reasons for the ex-tension was the decision of the service to abandon the transition programme of the scheme as specified in the contract agreement between the four service providers and the Federal Government to forestall pos-sible hitches.

Authoritative sources disclosed that the service abandoned the transition and worked out a scheme in a desperate bid to take over the scheme without a prop-er transition that govern-ment feared might cost the country more to address.

While announcing the extension, the government had said it meant well in its decision to extend the DI contract by another six months.

A competent source close to the Federal Min-istry of Finance had told National Mirror that the extension was in the over-all interest of the economy and not on the basis of pa-tronage.

The source said the gov-ernment was concerned about the well-being of the nation’s economy, ar-guing that the extension was meant to enable the NCS perfect its operations that would facilitate a hitch-free takeover of the scheme at the expiration of the contract.

“The government has been inundated with com-plaints and reports over seeming inability of the service to take over the scheme and no responsible government would sweep such reports and com-plaints under the carpet because the consequences of ignoring such warning, which came early enough, would be grave for the econ-omy,” he said.

“In granting the exten-sion, government also liaised with critical stake-holders to ensure that such extension would serve the best interest of the Nige-rian nation and so the deci-sion was to save the coun-try from any crisis arising from her trade policies,” the source added.

hence we worked with them in good faith. They participated effectively and positively in the meeting of all governors of the parties concerned and in the meet-ings of the merger commit-tees of the parties, leading to the communique released by all the governors endors-ing the merger and the one by the merger committees

announcing the formation of the APC.’’

However, the ACN said that going by the statement signed on behalf of some APGA members by Dr. Tim Menakaya, the APC had come to the full realisation that there was dissent in the rank and file of the party (APGA).

‘’In spite of this and since democracy is about

choice, alignments and re-alignments hinged on the fundamentals of individual freedom of association, we respect their position, and will like to describe as un-fortunate whatever miscon-ception the purported full involvement of APGA in the merger may have generated.

‘’We also assure APGA that we are willing to work with the party whenever

it normalises its internal process and is ready to join the platform. We all remain brethren within the Nige-rian family and our doors remain open, in the spirit of the new party,’’ it said.

ACN, however, explained that it was not only parties that could join APC, saying that progressive individuals and groups “are welcomed to the fold of the new party.”

He said more security should be provided to all health workers in the state and called on the people of the area to continue to pray for peace, unity and harmony in the state and the country.

The state government also yesterday condemned the attack.

A statement by the Spe-cial Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Press Affairs and Communica-tion, Alhaji Abdullahi Bego, said arrangements were being made to transfer the remains of the deceased to their home country.

President, Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Dr. Osahon Enabule-le, said attacks on health workers “are now a major threat to the medical pro-fession and health care de-livery in the country.”

He, however, called on the government to make real its promises on beef-ing up security in the country, saying that health

workers might withdraw their services.

“Government should rise up to its responsibili-ties of improving security, lest health workers might withdraw their services and Nigerians will say here they (health workers) go again.

“Government should provide security for health workers and the generality of the country and not the one per cent who are looting our trea-sury.”

The Minister of Wom-en Affairs and Social De-velopment, Hajia Zainab Maina, also condemned the killing of nine health workers in Kano.

In a statement in Abuja, the minister said that the health workers paid the ul-timate price while on duty to save the lives of Nige-rian children through the polio vaccination exercise.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered

Zonal Assistant Inspec-tors-General of Police, AIGs, and state commis-sioners of police to pro-vide adequate security for all health workers and fa-cilities across the country.

Abubakar said the secu-rity cover would be extended to local and expatriate health workers in the country.

Deputy Force Public Re-lations Officer, Frank Mba, said: “Following recent at-tacks on health workers in parts of the country, the IGP, M.D. Abubakar, has ordered special security for all medi-cal personnel (Nigerians and expatriates) involved in immunisation and other special medical tasks.

Meanwhile, suspected suicide bombers were yes-terday arrested near Kaf-anchan, Kaduna State by soldiers during a stop-and-search operation.

National Mirror gath-ered that the troops also in-tercepted suspected bomb-making materials at a road block and the suspects were

reportedly heading for Na-sarawa State and Abuja.

Although an eyewitness said the suspects, whose iden-tities were not disclosed at the time of filling this report, were heading for Kafanchan from Kagoro when they were apprehended by the Army.

An eyewitness added that the soldiers immedi-ately handed them over to the Kafanchan divisional police station for further in-vestigation.

However, the Assistant Director, Army Public Re-lations, One Mechanised Nigerian Army Division, Kaduna, Col. Sani Usman Kukasheka, failed to pick his mobile telephone calls over the arrest.

But Kaduna State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mallam Aminu La-wan, confirmed the incident.

Reports by: Paul Ar-hewe, Omeiza Ajayi, Aza Msue, Inusa Ndahi, Ijeoma Ezeike and Hassan Jirgi with agen-cy reports.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 7Monday, February 11, 2013 News

Nigerians must back National Health Bill –NMATOBORE OVUORIE

The Senate Committee on Health will today hold a public hearing

on the National Health Bill.But the Nigerian Medi-

cal Association, NMA, has called on all Nigerians to sup-port the bill by saying no to all those working against its passage.

The NMA President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, who called on the National As-sembly to accelerate the passage of the 2012 National

Health Bill, NHB, said at a news briefing yesterday that the bill would guarantee the health rights of Nigerians.

He said: “As the Senate prepares for the public hear-ing of the National Health Bill, the NMA fervently calls on all Nigerians to rise up in unison to say capital NO to all those working against the accelerated passage of the bill on account of self-preserva-tion on nebulous

and narrow interests.“Surely, the NHB has the

potential to guarantee the health rights of Nigerians

and improve the health status and quality of life of Nigeri-ans.

“With the bill, Nigeria is just beginning to get it right and if we don’t cater for our health, we no longer exist because we will just be living corpses.”

Enabulele said the NHB, which is currently under-going consideration in the seventh National Assembly, was not the same passed by the sixth National Assembly which generated so much controversy by other medical associations.

The NMA president noted that this fresher edition would reform the health sector.

He said: “The National Health Bill 2012 is not the same passed by the sixth National Assembly which caused so many controver-sies. This bill, I must tell you, is in no way favourable to medical doctors. I think doctors have lost out in this bill but it doesn’t matter to us because what is cogent is that the bill seeks to give legal health backing to Nigerians and it does not consist of the NMA alone.”

NSE to reduce transaction charges on corporate bond

CBN releases guidelines for agent banking JOHNSON OKANLAWON

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has re-leased guidelines for

agent banking relationships in the country to ensure ad-equate financial services to the public.

Agent banking is the pro-vision of financial services to customers by a third party (agent) on behalf of a licensed deposit taking financial institution and/or mobile money operator (principal).

The CBN, in a circular entitled: “Guidelines for the Regulation of Agent Bank-ing and Agent Banking Relationship,” posted on its website on Friday, said that there were sanctions for er-rant financial institutions and agents that disregard the guidelines.

The circular stated that “the objectives of the guidelines are to provide

minimum standards and re-quirements for agent bank-ing operations, enhance financial inclusion and provide for agent banking as a delivery channel for of-fering banking services in a cost effective manner.”

According to the circular, the financial institution will be responsible for all actions or omissions of the agent notwithstanding anything contained in the contract to the contrary; provided they relate to banking services or matters connected therein.

It added that the CBN would have free, full, unfet-tered and timely access to the internal systems, docu-ments, reports, records, staff and premises of the agent in so far as the agent banking business was con-cerned and would exercise such powers as it might deem necessary.

It added: “All financial institutions shall have due diligence policies and

TOLA AKINMUTIMIABUJA

In the next two weeks, the Federal Govern-ment will notify Min-

istries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, of the new ‘no premium no cov-er policy’ requirements of the insurance.

It will also intimate the MDAs of the need to make adequate provisions for the implementation of the policy whose operations become effective this finan-cial year.

Specifically, the policy seeks to ensure that only those assets that fulfil the full premium payment re-quirements would be un-derwritten by insurance companies and by implica-tion, the risks would be ful-ly covered in the event of disaster or losses suffered from any insured assets.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, disclosed this at a seminar organised by the National Insurance Commission,

NAICOM, for finance/business editors of print and electronic media in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Daniel said the move would clear any doubts about whether or not the implementation of the new policy would be extended to the public sector.

He said the enabling act and other operational guidelines on the ‘no pre-mium no cover’ policy could not have set a differ-ent implementation date for its operations for the public sector in view of the fact that the MDAs re-mained the biggest buyers of insurance policies in the country.

The NAICOM added that discussions on the is-sue had been concluded at the highest levels of gov-ernment and that based on the decisions reached, the Ministry of Finance would within the next few weeks issue the proposed circulars to the MDAs with a view to ensuring their compliance.

Govt extends ‘no premium, no cover’ policy to MDAs

JOHNSON OKANLAWON

The Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, may review trans-

action charges on State/Local Governments/Cor-porate bonds following complaints from stake-holders in the capital mar-ket.

The NSE had from Feb-ruary 1, when retail bond trading commenced, set N1 charges on buying or selling of securities worth N1 million on Fed-eral Government bond and N5 charges on State/

Local Governments/Cor-porate bonds of the same volume.

Market operators told our correspondent that with the Federal Gov-ernment bond currently enjoying reasonable pa-tronage, even at the OTC market, while state bonds and corporate bonds were not, there was need for lower transaction charg-es to attract liquidity to these bonds.

A market operator with Vetiva Securities Limited, Mr. Biodun Adeniran, pointed out that the Fed-eral Government bonds

were enjoying investors’ patronage but the state and corporate bonds were not.

He said: “Why the dif-ferent in the transaction charges? To stimulate the bonds (state/local govern-ments and corporate), there is need to take an-other look at the transac-tion charges and reduce that of the state or corpo-rate.”

According to the Man-aging Director of Key-stone Investment Limited, Mr. Sunny Obazea, one of the ways to encourage in-vestors is to ensure that

those who buy state/cor-porate bonds pay lower fee than the Federal Gov-ernment bonds.

He said: “We have to de-velop people’s interest in state/corporate bonds.

“For a state to issue a bond, it has to write a letter to the Accountant-General of the Federa-tion on irrevocable stand-ing payment order. But we discovered that there are some state govern-ments that manipulate the letter. So, the risk is higher.”

In his reaction, Head of Product Management

L-R: Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Otunba Segun Runsewe; President, Ayinde Barrister Legacy Club, Kayode Bello; former Ogun State Governor and Chairman of the occasion, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and King Sunny Ade, during a colloquium on the life and times of the late Fuji music legend, Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, in Lagos, at the weekend. PHOTO: OLUFEMI AJASA

guidelines that define initial agent engagement, regular monitoring and supervisory checks, trigger points and corrective measures.

“Any entity which is faith-based or not-for-profit, a non-governmental organ-isation, an educational in-stitution, bureau-de-change or any other entity which,

under any applicable law is not allowed to carry on profit-making business shall not engage in agent banking business.

“Any entity, which is sub-ject to any regulatory au-thority under any written law or is a public entity, shall obtain the consent of the regulatory authority or the appropriate oversight body or authority prior to being appointed an agent.”

at the NSE, Mr. Dipo Omo-tosho, told our correspon-dent that the transaction fee structure was arrived at by all stakeholders, saying that it was not a unilateral decision by the Exchange.

“However, it is subject to review in the near fu-ture. Besides, the fees are minimal compared to the volume of transactions,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Feder-al Government will offer N105 billion bond for sub-scription by way of public auction on Wednesday.

The government is of-fering N35 billion worth

of five-year bond matur-ing in April 2017 with an annual coupon rate of 15.10 per cent and N35 bil-lion worth of seven-year bond maturing in June 2019 with an annual cou-pon rate of 16 per cent.

According to the notice pasted on the Debt Man-agement Office, DMO, website, the government is also offering N20 billion worth of 10-year bond ma-turing in January 2022 with an annual coupon rate of 16.39 per cent and N15 billion worth of 20-year bond maturing in July 2030 with an annual coupon rate of 10 per cent.

3rd Mainland Bridge: ‘Don’t toy with 350,000 motorists’ lives’ MURITALA AYINLA

Senator Gbenga Ashafa yesterday called on the Federal Government

not to risk the lives of about 350, 000 Lagosians that use the nation’s longest bridge, the Third Mainland Bridge daily.

He said investigation re-cently carried out by foreign experts revealed that a great-er part of the underneath of the bridge was on the verge of collapse.

Briefing journalists in La-

gos on the findings of foreign underwater survey experts, Ashafa, who is representing the Lagos East senatorial district, charged the Federal Government to immediately carry out similar investiga-tion with a view to fixing the decaying underwater metal casing, housing the concrete pile and on which the bridge stands.

His words: “There had been incessant complaints of shifting and unusual vibra-tions on the bridge by com-muters plying the bridge for quite some time.

L-R: Wife of the General Overseer, Christ Life Church, Rev. Victoria Oke, the General Overseer, Bishop Francis Wale Oke; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi and CLC Senior Pastor, Engr Kehinde Ajijola, shortly after the 24th anniversary thanksgiving of the church in Ibadan, yesterday.

“A report produced by a company experienced in un-derwater surveys indicated that the underwater metal casing, housing the concrete piles on which the bridge stands have decayed and this accounts for the vibration experienced in some portions of the bridge.

“Prof. JHT Kim, Head of the Concrete Structural En-gineering Laboratory, Yousei

University, Seoul Korea, came on research in Decem-ber 2012 and conducted an underwater examination of the structures holding the bridge and reported that the

damages to the structure was worse than what he had been briefed.

Ashafa further noted that the professor’s report indicat-ed that there was progressive steel caisson deterioration in about 1, 318 foundation piles and that there was extensive reinforcement bar deteriora-tion in eight piles.

According to him, the im-plication is that Adeniji Adele, Adekunle and Oworonshoki ends of the bridge could col-lapse and therefore require comprehensive works to be carried out on the foundation immediately.

Stakeholders seek amendment of NEMA Act

Appeal Court set to decide Daily Times’ ownership

FAAN’s security arrests passengers with fi rearms

OLUFEMI ADEOSUN

Stakeholders in emer-gency management have intensified ef-

forts to woo the National Assembly to amend the act establishing the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to enhance its roles in disaster man-agement.

The stakeholders, ac-cording to a statement from the NEMA spokes-man, Mr. Yushau Shuaib, canvassed the position af-ter a review of the recent impacts of disasters in the country.

The statement revealed that the stakeholders through its Technical Working Group had identi-

fied areas in the NEMA Act that requires the amend-ment in a draft bill to be presented to the National Assembly.

Members of the group were drawn from the ju-diciary, legislature, aca-demia, humanitarian institutions, professional groups, judiciary and the civil society, among others.

Facilitator of the group, Prof. Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan of Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria said the focus of the proposed amendment was to expand the mandate and powers of NEMA to include lead coordination in the management of all types of disasters and all phases of internal dis-placement in Nigeria.

WALE IGBINTADE

The Court of Appeal, Lagos division has reserved judge-

ment on the dispute over the ownership of Daily Times of Nigeria, DTN.

The appellants, Folio Communications Lim-ited and four others had challenged the judgement of Justice Okechuwku Okeke of the Federal High Court which nullified their acquisition of the majority shares of group in 2010.

The appellate court, presided over by Justice Amina Augie, reserved the appeal for judgement, having heard arguments from parties in the suit.

Justice Aguie added that the court would com-municate a date for judg-ment to the parties.

The lower court had held that Folio Communi-cations, owned by Fidelis Anosike, did not pay for the majority shares of DTN and that it was un-lawful for the company to still parade itself as a shareholder of DTN.

OLUSEGUN KOIKI

Aviation Security, AVSEC, personnel of the Federal Air-

ports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, last week arrested two Nigerian passengers with pistols at both the Murtala Mohammed Inter-national Airport, MMIA, Lagos and the Murtala Mohammed Airport Two, MMA2, Lagos.

The General Manager, Corporate Communica-tions, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, in an online state-ment to journalists stated that the pistols were dis-covered inside the hand luggage of the two passen-gers on Wednesday and Thursday last week respec-tively.

Dati said that the passen-ger arrested on Wednesday had flew in from Maryland enroute Atlanta Georgia, USA and arrived at the air-port about 4.00pm on Delta Air Lines.

According to Dati, the passenger, whose name was not disclosed allegedly, claimed that the gun was brought in from the USA for his personal protec-tion while in Nigeria and claimed to have declared the gun to the airline offi-cials before checking in his luggage at the airport of departure.

Dati, however, said that at the time of seizure, the pistol did not pose any threat to any passenger.

He said, “Aviation Se-curity personnel of the authority have continued to work hand in hand with

other security agents to en-sure the security of lives and property at all the air-ports nationwide, in line with the transformation agenda of the government in the aviation industry.”

Besides, Dati said an-other passenger who checked in on an Aero Contractors flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt on Thursday was apprehend-ed by its in-house security at the Murtala Moham-med Airport Two, MMA2, terminal, for possessing firearms.

The pistol was alleg-edly discovered in his checked-in luggage.

The passenger said he bought the pistol from the USA for personal protec-tion for his holiday in Aba where he hoped to spend his holiday.

This Day in African American History

February 11: On this day in 1977— Clifford Alexander, Jr. Becomes First Black Secretary of The Army!

Clifford L. Alexander Jr. was born in New York City on September 21, 1933. The son of Clifford L. and Edith Alex-ander, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Harvard Uni-versity in 1955 and a Law degree from the Yale University Law School in 1958. The following year Alexander became

Assistant District Attorney for New York County. In 1961 Alexander became the Executive Director of the Manhat-tanville Hamilton Grange Neighbor-hood Conservation Project.

The following year, Alexander left the law practice to work as a foreign affairs officer for the National Security Coun-cil in Washington D.C. He excelled in his newfound career and quickly ascended the ranks from Special Assistant to the President to Deputy Special Counsel to the President within four years. In 1967 Alexander was appointed chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission EEOC and was named a special representative of the president, with the rank of ambassador.

On February 11, 1977, President Jim-my Carter appointed Alexander as his Secretary of the Army—making Alex-ander the first African American ever to occupy this cabinet-level position. As Secretary of the Army, Alexander was chief of administration, train-ing, operations, logistical support, and preparedness for the Department of the Army. He had responsibility for a budget of more than $33 billion. In this role, he became a strong champion of the concept of an all-volunteer army.


National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 9Monday, February 11, 2013 South West

L-R: Chief Missioner, Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria and Overseas, Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Ahmad; Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Hon. Muhammad Bashir Olatunji, during the Joint Muslims’ Action Forum Special Prayer in Osogbo, at the weekend.

KEMI OLAITANIBADAN

A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan has been told that

all the accused in the ongo-ing trial in the forgery alle-gation involving the Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, worldwide, conspired and forged many documents to deceive the Corporate Af-fairs Commission, CAC, to issue another certificate of incorporation to the church in 1995.

The third prosecution witness, Inspector Dauda Animashaun, said a team of investigators he led confirmed that the imme-diate past President of the Christ Apostolic Church worldwide, Pastor Elijah Olusheye, the Oyo State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria,

CAN, Pastor Ayo Olabisi, the General Secretary of the church, Pastor Gideon Okegwemeh, and a senior officer of the commis-sion, Mr. Abdul Hameed Mohammed, conspired to achieve their objective.

Animashaun made the revelation when he was led in evidence by the counsel to the prosecution, Mr. Ka-reem Salawu.

He said a group of con-cerned members of the church petitioned the In-spector General of Police, IGP, in 1999, accusing some members of forgery and that the IGP directed the petition to the Oyo State Commissioner of Police.

The witness added that he and some other police officers were mandated to investigate the veracity of the allegation.

Animashaun said the

petition, which was signed by one Evangelist Ayan-toye, accused the members which operated under the name “Christ Initiative Forum” of forging the two minutes of meetings which they said were held at Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State and some other documents to

achieve their aims. He said in the course

of investigation, the team travelled to Abuja, Lagos, Kwara and other states to gathered information.

The witness added that the team obtained state-ments from some elderly pastors of the mission, par-

ticularly Pastor Alokan, Pastor Ade Olutimehin, among others.

He said on getting to Abuja, his team discovered that Pastors Olusheye, Ola-bisi and Okegwemeh con-spired with Mohammed to use the forged documents to issue another certificate

of incorporation for the church.

The trial judge, Justice Abimbola Adejumo-Obase-ki, adjourned the case to March 25, for the adoption and argument of no case submission which the counsel to the defendants applied to file.

Ex-CAC president, others forged documents –Witness

Oyo State Gover-nor Abiola Aji-mobi has said his

administration’s urban renewal programme was not meant to inflict un-necessary hardship on the people but to give the state necessary facelift.

Ajimobi said this yes-terday at this year’s edi-tion of Edi-El-Maulud celebration organised by the state government at

the Government House Arcade, Ibadan.

Acknowledging that the programme had forced the affected people to make some adjust-ments, the governor as-sured that the current pain would soon turn to gains.

Ajimobi said Oyo State used to be known as one of the dirtiest states in the country.

He said: “But today, even those coming out-side the state will tes-tify that things are fast changing for the better. This, I think, should be our collective joy.

“So everything we have been doing has been with good intention and not to witch-hunt anybody. We know that it may bring some pains but I can as-sure you that the pains

will soon turn to gains for us all in Oyo State.’’

The governor said the Eid-El-Maulud celebra-tion was instituted on an annual basis by his administration to fur-ther lift Islam, increase people’s knowledge about the religion and to con-tinue feeling the pause of the people, particu-larly opinion leaders and moulders.

Osun State Govern-ment has said that former Senator rep-

resenting Osun East District, Iyiola Omisore, was far from telling the truth over his claims to have awarded and paid for the construction of the Osogbo - Ila-Odo - Kwara State Boundary Road.

The road is currently be-ing reconstructed by the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

In a statement issued yes-terday, the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Gov-ernor, Semiu Okanlawon, expressed dismay at what he called the “open lies by Omisore” in an interview he granted a newspaper where

he also said after two years, he had not seen a single proj-ect executed by the Aregbe-sola administration.

The statement also quot-ed the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Oladepo Amuda, as saying that Omi-sore’s claim to have person-ally awarded the contract for the road in question was a simple illustration of the lies which characterised ev-ery assessment of the cur-rent administration by the former senator.

Amuda said: “In the in-terview, he used ‘I’. Is he re-ferring to the Federal Gov-ernment? We do not know him to be Minister of Works neither does he work for the

Ministry of Works. He did not even serve as a member of Works Committee when he was in the Senate. So, who is ‘I’ that he is referring to?

“Now, if he is speaking on behalf of the Federal Government. It is simple.

Let him produce evidence of as well as name the con-tractor that the Federal Government awarded the Osogbo - Ila-Odo - Kwara Boundary Road to.

“The fact on ground about that road is this: Fed-eral Government directed the Federal Roads Mainte-nance Agency, FERMA, to rehabilitate the existing sin-gle carriage way from Os-ogbo to Ila-Odo. Rehabilita-tion and not reconstruction or construction, you need to get that right.

“Then, FERMA gave the rehabilitation work to an-other contractor which did not do anything. What the State of Osun is doing is complete, total reconstruc-

tion and ‘dualisation’ of the single carriage way of the same length. This is a total state intervention on the road.

“Besides, we informed the Federal Government before the intervention, stating the scope and the colossal amount involved. The Federal Government may be ready to refund the money after the completion of the road and satisfactory inspection.

“Thus, Omisore could not be talking on behalf of the Federal Government. Apart from that, he could be talking about FERMA’s rehabilitation of the single carriage road which was not carried out.”

A frontline health maintenance or-ganisation, Pre-

mier Medicaid Interna-tional, under the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, has received inter-national recognition for its commitment to quality and excellence in service delivery.

The organisation has been awarded the Century International Quality ERA, CQE, Award 2013 in the plat-inum category.

The award is endorsed by Business Initiative Direc-tions, BID, an international organisation which moni-tors and promotes commit-ment to quality and excel-lence by companies and organisations all over the world.

Over the years, BID has provided endorsement for top rated companies and organisations in 178 coun-tries.

The award will be pre-sented during the Interna-tional BID quality conven-tion in Geneva, Switzerland on March 9, at the Intercon-tinental Genève Conven-tion Centre across from the United Nations European Headquarters.

The Chief Executive Of-ficer, CEO, of Premier Med-icaid International, Dr. Kay-ode Obembe, will receive the CQE Award on behalf of the company and also par-

ticipate in the 2013 Quality Convention in Geneva.

Premier Medicaid In-ternational received the World Quality Commitment Award in the gold category last year, in Paris, France for its commitment to global quality standard and pro-motion of excellent service delivery.

Commenting on the new award, Obembe expressed appreciation for the recog-nition and reiterated his organisation’s commitment towards ensuring excellent service delivery and cus-tomer satisfaction.

Premier Medicaid gets Century Quality Award

Osun dismisses Omisore’s claims over Osogbo-Ila Odo road

Expect gains of urban renewal’s pains soon –Ajimobi

Omisore

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net10 South West Monday, February 11, 2013

L-R: Member of Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Salmon Adeleke; Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun; Chairman of Imeko Afon Local Government Area, Hon. Ayilara Tajudeen and Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Daniel Adejobi, during an inspection of the 100km Ilara-Oja Odan Road in Ogun West Senatorial District, at the weekend.

OJO OYEWAMIDEAKURE

The Ondo State Com-missioner for Natu-ral Resources, Al-

haji Oluboyo Lateef, was at the weekend quizzed by the police over the allega-tion that he sponsored the attack on a former member of the state Forest Monitor-ing Unit, Ajisafe Adetute.

Ajisafe, who was re-cently bathed with acid in Akure, petitioned the police through his lawyer,

accusing Oluboyo, of be-ing the mastermind of the attack.

The Police Public Rela-tions Officer in the state, Wole Egodo, said the com-missioner and four other suspects were quizzed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials to ascertain their alleged role in the matter.

Ogodo said the police specifically invited the commissioner to establish whether or not he actually called and threatened the

victim on phone a few days before the incident.

He said: “The matter has been transferred from Ala police station to the state CID and it is true that the Commissioner for Natural resources Alhaji Oluboyo Lateef, and other suspects have been invited and quizzed by the police, but I don’t know whether the commissioner was de-tained or not.

“The case is a very sensi-tive matter and that is why the Criminal Investigation

Department has taken over the case. All the suspects are still under interroga-tion and we shall not relent in our efforts to get to the root of the matter.”

The police spokesman said the suspects would ap-pear in court as soon as in-vestigations into the mat-ter were concluded

Oluboyo, at a recent press briefing in Akure, de-nied sponsoring the attack on the victim and prom-ised to assist the police to arrest the attackers.

Acid attack: Ondo commissioner quizzed

ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

Some unknown men at the weekend at-tacked and killed a

middle-aged cocoa mer-chant, Mr. Rotimi Omo-lase, in his farmland on Igbara-Odo Road at Ilawe-Ekiti in Ekiti South-West Area of Ekiti State.

The assailants also at-tacked another cocoa mer-chant, who escaped death by

the whisker, under the pre-tence that he wanted to pre-pare food for the attackers.

The incident has, there-fore, thrown the community, which suspected the assail-ants to be Fulani herdsman, into confusion.

Immediately it was re-ported that the body of the

cocoa merchant was found in the pool of his blood in a farm about five kilometres from the community, police-men and residents stormed the farm and began search for the perpetrators.

Spokesman of the Ekiti State Police Command, Mr. Victor Babayemi Olu, con-

firmed the incident, adding that the police had arrested two men in connection with the murder.

Olu said: “Police detec-tives were dispatched to the scene and the body of the middle aged man was found lying in a pool of blood with marks of violence all over his body.

“The body of the victim

has been removed and tak-en to the General Hospital, Ilawe, for autopsy. The scene has also been secured and now restricted to members of the public.”

He said the assailants were yet to be identified and the motive behind the act was yet to be established, promising that the police would unravel the immedi-

ate and remote cause of the matter with a view to bring-ing the culprits to justice.

He appealed to the resi-dents to remain calm and urged them to furnish the police with information that could lead to the arrest of the killers, instead of engag-ing in violent protests ca-pable of causing breakdown of law and order.

Cocoa merchant killed in Ekiti

TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

The Sovereign Nation-al Conference (SNC) will hold soon even

with or without the Federal Government’s support, it was learnt yesterday.

Some Nigerians said that the SNC would soon hold be-cause of the current state of the nation.

Chairman of Nation-al Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Rear Admiral Ndubisi Kanu and President of Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, said that the SNC would proffer solutions to the various chal-lenges confronting the coun-

try.They spoke at the 7th

commemorative rally of Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti’s death organised by the Campaign for Democracy (CD) which was held at Beko Cenotaph in Lagos.

Kanu and other speakers said considering the present state of the nation, it would not be too long before the SNC would hold.

Kanu described the late Beko as a great leader who fought tirelessly for a better Nigeria during his lifetime.

He, therefore, urged hu-man rights activists and civil society groups to continue in their struggle for a better Ni-

geria. Kanu said: “Sovereign Na-

tional Conference is one of the things that Beko fought for during his lifetime. All those against the SNC don’t want Nigeria to survive. Ir-respective of the government attitude to the Sovereign National Conference, it will take place very soon. What we want is a peaceful SNC, but if a peaceful conference is prevented, it may hold in a violence way. I can assure you that it will not be too long be-fore SNC will take place.”

Okei-Odumakin said that seven years after Beko died, the crisis in Nigeria has ma-tured to a point that many

people became advocates of a national conference.

She said: “We must rise to the occasion and have a Sov-ereign National Conference the way Beko, Anthony Ena-horo and other patriots have laid the template.

“Attempt by agents of the status-quo to water the demand down by removing ‘Sovereign’ from the SNC is a waste of time as sovereignty belongs to the people. The Sovereignty of the confer-ence that Beko asked us to do is that the decision of the con-ference will not be tampered with by the existing govern-ment and that is still the way to go.”

SNC holds soon, say Kanu, Okei-Odumakin

ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State celebrated his

48th birthday at the week-end with the physically-challenged children and inmates of Children Cor-rectional Centre with the pledge that disability or conviction would not de-prive any child in the state of access to free and qual-ity education.

The governor, who was at the State Children Cor-rectional Centre in Ado-Ekiti, where the inmates entertained and present-ed him with a birthday gift, advised the children against seeing their stay at the home as a stigma, but a way to impact values that would make them con-tribute meaningfully to the society.

Fayemi, who said that many Nigerian leaders had passed through correction-al homes, assured them that government owes them the duty to protect and provide for them according to the Child Rights’ law, hence the commitment of his admin-istration to establish the centre and fund it so that the true Ekiti value could be imbibed in them.

The governor was also at Ikere-Ekiti where he celebrated with students at the State School for the Blind and Deaf, saying he was happy celebrating the birthday with the less privileged because “we all belong to the same human-ity regardless of our state”.

At the ceremonies at-tended by his wife, Bisi; Secretary to the State Gov-ernment, Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi and some top func-tionaries, Fayemi urged members of the public to inform government of any abuse or deprivation of physically-challenged per-sons in the state.

Fayemi marks 48th birthday with less-privileged

Construction of the 100km Ilara-Oja Odan Road in Imeko

Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State has be-gun.

The state governor, Ibi-kunle Amosun, on an in-spection visit to the site at the weekend, commended the pace of work and prom-ised to construct an ad-ditional 1km road linking the Ilara-Ijoun town to the neighbouring Republic of Benin, as requested by the community during the in-spection.

He reiterated the com-mitment of his adminis-tration to open up the ru-ral areas through massive road construction.

The govwernor said ac-cess road was crucial to economic empowerment, hence the determination of his administration to devote resources to the road sub-sector.

Amosun said: “You need good roads to get your farm produce to the markets within and out-side your local council and state. Everybody needs excellent road network to save productive time, re-duce stress, accident and other losses associated with bad or lack of access roads.”

The road, according to the governor, will be of standard, complete with median and drainage, among others.

He said: “This is to guar-antee safety of commuters and prolong the life span of the highway.”

The people of Ilara in the neighbouring Benin Republic, who trooped out in large numbers to receive the governor, expressed gratitude to the Amosun-led administration for end-ing their distress.

The governor made stop-over visits to communities along the 100km highway and exchanged pleasant-ries with residents.

Construction begins on 100km road in Ogun

•Two suspects held

11South EastMonday, February 11, 2013 National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net

GEORGE OPARA ABIA

The violent clash among armed youths in Ochia

autonomous community of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo

State yesterday assumed a dangerous dimension as it claimed the life of one Madam Nwaibari Boy, 55 and a mother of eight.

The clash also led to the burning of more res-idential houses in Ubu-

bo-Alia village. It was gathered that

the deceased had ma-chete cuts on her head and her ankles. The in-juries, eyewitness said, affected the arteries of her legs and brain which ultimately caused her

untimely death. Ochia community,

it will be recalled was plunged into crisis fol-lowing the politics and the traditional ruler-ship tussle of the com-munity following the discovery of oil in the

Armed youths kill mother of eight

OBIORA IROHABUJA

Anambra State Gov-ernor, Peter Obi and his Imo State coun-

terpart, Rochas Okorocha, have been blamed for the lat-est crisis rocking the All Pro-gressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

While there have been dis-agreements amongst stake-holders of the party over the bid by Okorocha to drag the party into the merger bid of opposition parties in the country, the sacking last Fri-day of the Chief Victor Umeh-

led leadership of the party by an Enugu High Court was said to be the handiwork of Governor Peter Obi.

Speaking with Corre-spondents at the weekend in Abuja, a founding member of APGA from Enugu State, Chief Willy Ezugwu, said it was unfortunate that the power tussle in the party has been elevated to a point of ruthlessness which could lead to the disintegration of the party if care is not taken.

“There is nowhere in any part of the party’s constitu-tion that says the governor should take decisions by

himself without recourse to the party’s National Working Committee, NWC; the Na-tional Executive Committee, NEC, and the leaders.

“Obi has been doing this. He has created factions in APGA and is responsible for its infiltration and the lead-ership crisis currently rock-ing the party. I dare say he is doing this for the PDP and this is sad,” Ezugwu said.

He said until the leaders subsume their personal in-terests, the party may con-tinue to witness more crises.

He regretted that this was a betrayal of late APGA

leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Okukwu, adding that were it not for Ojukwu who had to kneel down and beg Anam-bra people to vote for Peter Obi, the incumbent wouldn’t have been governor, adding that Ojukwu would be fum-ing with rage in his grave.

On the merger move on behalf of the party by Gover-nor Okorocha, Ezugwu, who doubles as the Secretary-General of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, said Okorocha was on his own as his selfish interest was the underlining motive of his action.

DENNIS AGBO ENUGU

Secretary to the Govern-ment of Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim

Pius Anyim and the Min-ister for Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, among other personalities in the South-East, are to participate in a two-day summit in Owerri, the Imo State capital, where the Millennium Develop-ment Goals, MDGs, projects cited in the zone since year 2000 would be x-rayed.

The summit, which is the concluding part of the evalu-ation of the impact of MDGs

projects in South-East com-munities in the past 13 years, is also aimed at postulating on the achievements or oth-erwise of the programme, which winds up in 2015.

Organised by the Nigeri-an Union of Union Journal-ists, NUJ, South-East zone in collaboration with the Department of Public Ad-ministration and Local Gov-ernment Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, and Global Research and De-velopment Limited, the sum-mit will equally feature the inauguration of the board of trustees and the launching of N50 billion MDGs support

trust fund for South-East communities.

The Support Trust Fund is the deliverable component of an Independent Assess-ment Study of the impact of 12 years of MDGs in the South-East communities carried out under the auspic-es of the Department of Pub-lic Administration and Lo-cal Government of theUNN with the collaboration of NUJ in the South-East and the Global Research and De-velopment Company Lim-ited.

The fund so realised would be distributed to all South-East communities to

tackle areas of MDGs criti-cal attention identified by the research in areas as wa-ter boreholes, health, educa-tion and poverty alleviation.

The inauguration of the trustees for the fund is be-ing done under the Chair-manship of Senator Uche Chukwumerije while Dr. Sam Maduka Onyeishi, the Chairman/CEO, Peace Mass Transit and Hon. Dr. Jas-per Ndubuaku, Chairman, SURE-P Imo State will serve as co-chairmen.

The event is scheduled to take place at Ikemba Ojukwu Centre, Owerri, Imo State on February 20 and 21, 2013.

Obi, Okorocha blamed for fresh APGA crisis

Anyim, Okonjo-Iweala for S’East MDGs’ summit

DENNIS AGBO ENUGU

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, has

urged its members all over the country to em-brace and join the newly formed mega-party, the All Progressives Con-gress, APC.

The CNPP arising from a strategic meet-ing in Enugu during the weekend, called on its members to as a matter of urgent national im-portance, join the APC, it said is for the interest and survival of democ-racy in the country.

CNPP said it was mak-ing the wake-up call based on the urgent patri-otic need for all progres-sives to join hand in halt-ing the dangerous slide of Nigeria to a failed state. It also said that it was in the interest of Ni-geria, the safety of our fledgling democracy and the public good.

In a statement by the CNPP Publicity Secre-tary, Osita Okechukwu, the group urged the Na-tional Executive Commit-tees or relevant organs of opposition political parties; especially the La-bour Party, All Progres-

sives Grand Alliance and indeed all progressive parties whether deregis-tered or not, to join the progressive train.

“It is our considered opinion that in their en-lightened self interest and collective interest, joining APC early at this initial stage will help all progressive forces in de-signing and modelling a truly centre left mani-festo anchored on social justice, welfare and anti-corruption. Is it not a par-adox that Labour Party is missing in action, in fact in a movement geared to-wards the redemption of the working class?

“For the avoidance of doubt, the APGA faction, leadership of Labour Party and other progres-sive political parties who are opposed to joining the APC, in no distance time will regrettably blame themselves when the mass exodus of their members and supporters commence. Time is of es-sence before the progres-sive train leaves station.

“In sum, the birth of APC has redefined the po-litical landscape of Nige-ria as the electoral battle of 2015 is now between PDP and APC,” Okechuk-wu said.

CNPP urges members to join APC L-R: FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed; Senior Special Adviser to the Minister, Chief Emmanuel Awodu and Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Chike Edozie, at the wedding reception of Awodu’s daughter in Abuja, at the weekend. PHOTO: NAN

area in 2008 by Water-smith Petroman Oil Lim-ited and the creation of Ochia autonomous com-munity in 2010. Ever since, the community has been in crisis over who gets what.

Penultimate week, the community was rocked by violence leading to the destruction of lives and property. In the cri-sis that followed, Chief Andrew Ekweme, the father of His Highness, Eze Ekweme P. Ekweme, was abducted allegedly by irate youths of the area.

Reports said that the people of the commu-nity have been fleeing to neighbouring communi-ties for safety.

However, armed riot policemen were said to have swung into ac-tion, patrolling the de-serted community with eight Hilux vans day and night; yet, the angry youths are taking advan-

tage of their knowledge of the environment to wreck further havoc in the area.

The remote cause of the crisis, a source that did not want his name mentioned, said was the unhealthy Ezeship tussle and allegation of denial of royalties paid by the oil exploration company to some land owners.

The accusation that the monarch, in con-nivance with a few of his loyalists, was short-changing some youths perceived to be in oppo-sition to his stool over certain entitlements was also said to have been re-sponsible for the crisis.

Though, efforts to con-tact the monarch proved futile as he was said to have went underground with his aides but Chief Ekweme, his father who was abducted last week Monday, was reportedly released as at the time of filing this report.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net12 Monday, February 11, 2013South-South

JTF destroys 17 illegal refi neries, arrests vessel

L-R: Vice-Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Joseph Ajienka; Chancellor and Akran of Badagry, De Wheno Aholu Menu-L-R: Vice-Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Joseph Ajienka; Chancellor and Akran of Badagry, De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi I; Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i; Acting Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Walter Eneji and Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Toyi I; Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i; Acting Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Walter Eneji and Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, at the 29th convocation ceremony of the university in Port Harcourt, at the weekend. Amaechi, at the 29th convocation ceremony of the university in Port Harcourt, at the weekend. PHOTO: NANPHOTO: NAN

Bayelsa State gov-ernment said it has released over

N4billion into the power sector in the last one year even as it added that it is also pursuing vigorously the state’s rural electrifi-cation project.

Giving the account of his stewardship at the weekend, the state Com-missioner for Energy, Mr. Francis Ikio, said the investment in the power sector became imperative because of its relevance to the economic growth of the state.

The power sector, ac-cording to the commission-er, plays a significant role

in any growing economy, saying that was why the present administration was not leaving any stone unturned at ensuring that all the rural areas become beneficiaries of its electri-fication projects.

To this end, he said no fewer than 23 projects have been awarded which include the rehabilitation and reticulation of exist-ing networks and the ex-tension of electricity to several other communities in the state.

According to him, 10 communities in Sagbama Local Government are ben-efiting from the rural elec-tricity scheme presently.

IJEOMA EZEIKEABUJA

Minister of State for Education, Mr. Ezenwo Nye-

som Wike, at the weekend, laid the foundation for the construction of a law fac-ulty for the University of Port Harcourt.

The minister won-dered why a conventional university like the Uni-versity of Port Harcourt, has no law faculty.

He told the university community that the ap-proval for the faculty and

its construction came from the Presidency, with a backing from the Ter-tiary Educational Trust Fund, TETFUND.

Wike said the Federal Government saw the need to provide better infrastructural facilities and good learning en-vironment for Nigerian universities.

The minister while as-suring that the project will not be hindered by the normal annual bud-getary constraints said special funds have been set aside for the project.

OLUSEGUN KOIKI

Akwa Ibom State Governor, God-swill Akpabio,

has given reasons why his administration has stopped work on the con-struction of the science park project commenced by his predecessor, Chief Victor Attah.

Speaking with avia-tion correspondents in Uyo, the state capital at the weekend, Governor Akpabio said he suspend-ed action on the project since 2007 because the project was enmeshed in fraud.

He said the contract sum for the science park was N5.6billion, noting that the previous admin-istration had paid out

N5.3billionn to the con-tractor, but that “what was on ground was not commensurate with that amount before the proj-ect was abandoned.”

He said the project was EFCC-prone, adding that the state House of As-sembly had investigated the project and discov-

ered lots of skirmishes in its handling.

His words: “The last administration con-ceived the idea of a sci-ence park, but two things were wrong with the proj-ect; one is the location. No matter what you have there; such a facility will be threatened by erosion.

“You can take a look at it before you go. No mat-ter what you have there, it will cost you more to arrest the building and save the project.

“Two, that project is EFCC-prone because the total cost of that project was N5.6billion, but the last administration paid N5.3billion upfront and the work done was not up to N400million level. So, your guess is as good as mine.

EMMA GBEMUDUYENAGOA

Ex-militants under the auspices of Phase Two for Peace

in the Niger Delta, at the weekend, cautioned that they may not be able to guarantee the safety of oil pipelines in the region.

The ex-militants’ stand was coming against the back-drop of their call on the Federal Government to award the surveillance contract of pipelines be-longing to the Nigerian National Petroleum Cor-poration, NNPC, to former militants.

Leader of the group in Bayelsa State, Stephen Ebisendei, who spoke at a meeting in Yenagoa, where the former militants de-liberated on the state of affairs in the country, la-mented that cases of crude oil theft have been high because over 6,166 former militants were not engaged to protect the pipelines.

According to him, the ex-militants were now roam-ing the streets because the contract was not awarded to the group by the Federal Government.

Ebisendei noted that that the prevailing peace in the region could be sus-

tained if the Federal Gov-ernment ensures adequate funding of the amnesty programme.

While passing a vote of confidence on President Goodluck Jonathan and the Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, the group promised to support President Jona-than ahead of the 2015 poll.

Also speaking at the meeting, an ex-militant leader, Olotu Woniemi, said the group could stop the illegal refineries in the creeks if given the powers to secure the oil pipelines.

His words: “We can stop the illegal refineries in the

creeks. You can see the dif-ference between when we were in the creeks and we used to have a production capacity of 700 barrels per day, now we produce up to 2.9 million barrels per day. The difference is clear. That means if we continue that way, the nation would make more money from oil.”

Ebisentei urged the apex government to en-sure that the Presidential Amnesty Office was not starved of funds because the presidential adviser has been able to drive the programme successfully over this period.

SAM OLUWALANA

Naval officers op-erating under the Joint Task Force,

JTF, at the weekend, ar-rested a vessel laden with illegal oil cargo while also destroying 17 illegal refin-eries in Rivers State.

This was disclosed to journalists by the new Flag Officer Commanding, East-ern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Joe Aikhomu, during his maiden visit to NNS Pathfinder, in Port Harcourt.

Rear Admiral Aikhomu said that five additional il-legal refineries would be destroyed in a few days time.

He also confirmed that 17 illegal refineries were destroyed in the last three

weeks.“So far, we have de-

stroyed 17 illegal refiner-ies. We still have about five more to destroy tomorrow or next,” he said.

The new FOC, Eastern Naval Command, hinted that the Navy has im-pounded a vessel, MT Di-vine Favour, operating on Nigeria’s territorial water-ways without documents. According to him, products onboard the vessel, were also undocumented.

“With intelligence re-ports, we were able to ar-rest a vessel, MT Divine Favour, operating without documents. The products have no documents; illegal products. She is culpable and would be handed to the appropriate authority for prosecution.

“You cannot just operate

on Nigerian waters with-out documentation; even taxis on the roads have doc-uments to show for their vehicles and operations. We shall hand over the ves-sel to the relevant author-ity very soon.”

He added that the Navy had put in place measures to enable it surmount its challenges. He also dis-closed that the Eastern Command flagship vessel, NNS Thunder, will be in-volved in operation with their Cameroonian coun-terparts in a joint exercise tagged ‘Obangumi Express’ which he said is in its fourth year.

“Both countries and their naval personnel have benefitted immense-ly this past years and this year will not be an excep-tion.”

Bayelsa invests N4bn in power sector

Wike lays foundation for UNIPORT Law Faculty

Why I stopped work on science park project –Akpabio

We can’t guarantee safety of oil pipelines, says ex-militants

AkpabioAkpabio

Don’t let merger fail, ACN charges APC leadership Merger: CPC, ANPP hold rallies in Kano

C21 endorses APC

OBIORA IFOHABUJA

The Peoples Democrat-ic Movement (PDM) has called on all op-

position political parties and organisations across the country to close ranks in order to provide Nigerians with a clear choice between conservative and progres-sive ideologies.

The PDM which was formed by late Major Gen-eral Shehu Yar’Adua also commended the opposition for its resolve to give Nige-rians an alternative politi-cal platform through the formation of the All Pro-gressives Congress (APC).

According to the com-muniqué signed by Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, Tonye Princewill and Shehu Musa Yar’Adua at the end of its meeting last week, the PDM

SINA FADARE

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has charged the

leadership of the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC) to do ev-erything within its power to ensure that the merger succeeds at all cost.

The Osun State chapter of the ACN in a statement issued by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, in Osogbo at the weekend assured that progressive minds in the country are ready to stop the rot and degeneration in the pol-ity, adding that this merger could be the last hope for the teeming masses of Ni-gerians who are yearning for a change.

His words: “This merg-er is what the Nigerian public is hoping for, to alter the government of graft and corruption that has completely stall prog-ress and impose poverty on the people and a coun-try that has no business being poor. Nigerians look

Two political units in the merger, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) held differ-ent political rallies in the city yesterday to celebrate the success of the coming together of leading opposi-tion parties, resulting in the emergence of the All Pro-gressive Congress (APC).

National Mirror reports that while the CPC held

chosen political platform, APGA to death through judicial contrivance, and trade its casket as fair game to their PDP masters,” it has taken the well consid-ered step to protect the ef-fervescent spirit of APGA in the assembly of non-toxic democrats “where our unyielding quest for a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction will receive ac-celerated attention on mer-it and not deception.”

The C21 therefore called on every progressive APGA member, sympathiser and admirer to be patient and faithful.

AUGUSTINE MADU-WESTKANO

The recent merger of leading opposition parties in the coun-

try may have opened up subtle election campaign by ambitious political of-fice seekers in Kano State, going by the beehive of political activities experi-enced in the state capital at the weekend.

saw the emergence of APC and hereby place on record our total commitment to this redemption movement for our clear country.”

Noting that having en-dured the festering national decadence that has become increasingly degenerative, the C21 said that a radi-cal rescue mission for our country has become not only imperative, but must be pursued by unfettered clear thinkers.

It emphasised that “hav-ing been aware of the lamentable conspiracy of a section of PDP-APGA reactionaries to bleed our

OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU

The Central Executive Committee of the Committee 21 (C21),

the socio-political umbrella of South East progressive democrats, has endorsed the recent formation of All Pro-gressives Congress (APC).”

The C21, in a statement said: “We are more than satisfied with the dynamic roles played by the Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha and Senator Annie Okonk-wo in the thorough and ex-haustive engagements by major political parties that

to the next level.“These discussions

must be open, transpar-ent and above all, in the best interest of the peace, unity, stability and eco-nomic progress of Nigeria

to open discussions with the organisations of like mind, with a view to find-ing common grounds on issues of principle, policy and strategy in order to move the Nigerian project

and Nigerians as a whole. The era of business as usual should be dead and gone. Politicians must begin to do things differ-ently, henceforth, in order to save Nigeria from im-

minent collapse. Nigeri-ans are sick and tired of more of the same and are clamouring for change, a change which they de-serve,” the communiqué stated.

stated that “while we are gladdened by the develop-ment, we implore the op-position to define its own identity based on progres-sive ideology, with clear and contrasting policies and pro-grammes capable of pulling Nigeria out of the current state of despoliation, de-spair and debasement.

“Telling Nigerians how bad things are simply won’t suffice. Clear and practical solutions are what Nigeri-ans need. The PDM is devel-oping a clear roadmap for the entrenchment of pro-found national social, polit-ical and economic reforms which will lead to creating jobs, steady power supply, improved security, trans-parent and credible elec-tions and bring corruption in all its manifestations to an end.”

The PDM also resolved

up to the APC to make the difference between the insanity we have in the country now and progres-sive development of our people as well as economic infrastructure.”

He said that “the leader-ship of APC should have history on their minds, so that they don’t fall victim of the same mistakes that led to failures of similar mergers in the past.”

its rally at the Murtala Muhammed Library, at-tended by party bigwigs from the 44 local govern-ment areas of the state, with some members of the lesser parties as observ-ers, the ANPP’s gathering took place at the Sardua-na Home of former Kano State governor and presi-dential candidate of the party in the last elections, Ibrahim Shekarau.

At the ceremony in Shekarau’s home, the ANPP youth wing under the aegis of Kawu Sumai-la Dala Youth Organisa-tion presented the serving House of Representatives member from Sumaila Fed-eral constituency, Kawu Sumaila as their candidate for 2015 governorship elec-tions in Kano State.

The conveners, the Dala Youth Organisation told the gathering that Su-maila, who has been in the House of Representatives since the inception of the fourth Republic is the suit-able candidate for the Kano governorship race on the platform of the ANPP.

The CPC gathering at

the Kano Library was among other things, de-signed to herald the merg-er and sensitise members and supporters on the benefits derivable from the action.

CPC leader in Kano, Al-haji Usman Alhaji, a one-time National Secretary of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), told the audience that the merger of parties would end the monopoly of the PDP in the gover-nance of the country, add-ing that it has already sent jitters and panic across the ruling party.

Usman also noted that it would now provide the needed opportunity for Ni-gerians to have people-ori-ented leadership that would usher in a government which would be acceptable to all, even as he noted that aggrieved and frustrated key PDP officials, desirous of a change would come on board and pleaded for com-mitment and support by all to achieve the desired goal of liberating the country from the clutches of dicta-torship.

Nigeria deserves alternative to PDP, says PDM

L-R: Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; Niger State Governor Aliyu Babangida; his Adamawa State counterpart, Murtala Nyako; former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and his wife, Justice Fati during the grand reception in honour of distinguished indigenes of Niger State at the Idris Kutigi Conference Centre, Minna, at the weekend.

PoliticsNational Mirror

www.nationalmirroronline.net 13Monday, February 11, 2013

El-Rufai in the eyes of the storm 14

Last Thursday, ‘The Accidental Public Servant’, is a book writ-ten by former Minister of the

Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, was launched in Abuja. The laucnching drew a sizeable number of the society. It was el-Rufai’s account of his stewardship in the public service both as the Director-General of Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE), where he supervised government’s privatisation policy as well as the minister in charge of the FCT where he worked hard to re-store the city’s master plan.

In both assignments, he left his foot-prints but posterity it is often said, is the greatest judge of ones acts in life. In gov-ernment, he weathered many storms. Six years after, he is even weathering greater storms.

On the day meant to be his happiest, el-Rufai was not spared by many of the people who came to honour him. Former Military President, General Muhammadu Buhari praised him as one Nigerian who is known to be focused when he said that the country did not need leaders “who talk glibly about this nation and they don’t know how to develop the nation,” while the Chief Presenter of the book and gov-ernor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, said in his remarks that the book would connect the people to the “compelling ne-cessity to ensure that only first eleven are entrusted with the nation’s destiny.”

However, Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State was of the view that el-Rufai “is indeed a controversial person,” adding that the general perception of the former minister “is that he is arrogant, disrespectful, but despite this, he is sim-ply a man you cannot ignore, a man who is frank to a fault.”

The greatest attack on el-Rufai came from former Lagos State governor, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, who eulogised him for the courage he mustered in revelling the power thirst re-gime he served under and where he played a prominent role as one of the government’s enforcers. According to him, “In as much as Nasir may not and cannot exonerate him-self from all that happened, he has chosen a road less travelled by ‘telling it all’. One of ‘yesterdays’ men is coming clean.”

In telling it all, the former minister has been accused of writing fictions in some of the exposé. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was not amused when el-Rufai contradicted himself when he said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo went on bended knees before him being the Vice President to seek his cooperation for sec-ond term bid in 2003. He also noted that the former minister contradicted himself when he said that he interfered with the privatisation policy of the government.

Abubakar was the vice president when el-Rufai served as the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprise and later Minister of FCT.

The Atiku’s Media Office, in a statement, dismissed these claims as a figment of el-Rufai’s wild imagination. It stated: “Such claim lacked any credibility because Atiku and Obasanjo were alone together behind closed doors and that they alone knew what actually transpired between them. It won-dered whether el-Rufai was a fly on the wall to discuss the details of a private meeting

between the two leaders.Rather than el-Rufai feeding the public

with such fabrications, the statement said the former minister should have provided or quoted the authority for such claim since he was not at the private meeting be-tween former President Obasanjo and Vice President Abubakar.

Barely a week before the book launch, the former minister disparaged the Christian religion when he tweeted that “If Jesus criticises Jonathan’s govern-ment; Maku/Abati/Okupe will say that he slept with Mary Magdalene.” Though he has apologised for that remark, both Christians and Moslems alike rose in con-demnation of the comment.

The Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), has since called on the Federal Government to caution el-Rufai on the use of derogatory words against Chris-tians in the country.

The General Secretary of CAN, Rev. Musa Asake, said that the maturity and dignified restraint of the Christian popu-

sion (EFCC) to launch fresh probes into his alleged ownership of some companies, the former minister, who noted that he was not one of those people that could be whipped into line with threat of EFCC, said “those who wish to investigate are welcome to it, but they should desist from careless whis-pers and dissemination of libel while hid-ing behind official cloaks.”

The former minister, who urged the EFCC to stop what he described as innu-endos, stressed that he had no apology for declining to align his political preferences to the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, even as he vowed to resist any attempt to foist the toga of a guilty man on him the way he did during late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

The EFCC had also in December 2008 declared el-Rufai wanted over a purported missing N32 billion proceeds from the sale of Federal Government houses in Abuja.

The former minister also asked Presi-dent Jonathan to quit if he could not solve the growing security threats to lives and property in the country, occasioned by Boko Haram. He also lambasted the Ijaw National leader, Edwin Clark, on his assertion that Northern leaders were not doing enough to curtail the Boko Haram sect.

According to him, Jonathan has already made it clear to Nigerians and the interna-tional community that the gale of bomb-ings in the land was beyond the capability of his administration to handle, a situation, he described as unfortunate. He stated that other Nigerian heads of state had at differ-ent times and periods been confronted with serious challenges and they deployed ap-propriate state apparatus to deal with them without resorting to wrong quarters and the ordinary citizens for help. “Why is it that only President Jonathan cannot solve Nige-ria’s security problem?” el-Rufai asked.

The arrest, interrogation and release of el-Rufai by operatives of the State Security Services, (SSS), on arrival from the United Kingdom where he had gone to be part of the Chattam House presentation by the CPC presidential candidate and his deputy, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari and Pastor Tunde Bakare after the April presi-dential election in 2011 was another contro-versy which he weathered.

A release signed by the Assistant Di-rector, Public Relations of the SSS, Mari-lyn Ogar said that his arrest became nec-essary following articles in the cyber and print media which have been considered by well-meaning Nigerians to be incit-ing, inflammatory and grossly mislead-ing. “He refused to cross-check his facts before publishing. He rather chose to misinform the public with mischievous-ly orchestrated data with the intent of causing disaffection among the populace, thereby subverting the government. It is expected that the former minister should have been circumspect against the back-drop of current security challenges in the country,” the SSS stated.

Nigerians will not forget in a hurry the demolition of satellites towns in the FCT by the administration of el-Rufai and the subsequent reallocation of such choice properties to families and friends. In one of his testimonies before a fact finding inquiry, the former minister was reported to have advised the investiga-tors who asked why he appropriated so much properties to his family members, “to give the land to his enemies if he be-come the minister.”

lace in the face of the “inflammatory and provocative” statement should not be taken as license for unbridled assault, saying that the association urges religious leaders and political associates of el-Rufai to advice him to be far more sober and circumspect in his comments.

Asake said: “On our part, we hereby warn el-Rufai that if he persists in such matters and in making such divisive commentaries, he must prepare himself for a very forceful and vigorous reaction from the church and the Christian com-munity in Nigeria.

“We must not allow him to turn Nigeria into a cauldron of fire by his reckless, big-oted and twisted commentaries about our Lord or our faith and we must view him for exactly what he is, a failed, desperate, hate-filled and drowning politician, who is now stoking the embers of religious division in order to create a political base for himself amongst his people.”

Atiku Media office added that for a man like el-Rufai who has a notorious reputa-tion for disparaging religions and their icons, including lately Jesus Christ, the at-tack on Atiku was the least surprising. It noted that if he could go to such irreverent extent to disparage religious icons, who is an ordinary mortal like Abubakar, saying any man that can cross the boundary of reason and decency, deserves prayers rath-er than anger.

Before now, el-Rufai has been enmeshed in controversies. As DG of BPE, he was accused of corruptly enriching himself while in office having allegedly cornered multi-billion naira assets in telecommuni-cations company and in real estate.

Apparently reacting to moves by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commis-

el-Rufai in the eyes of the storm

El-Rufai

WE MUST NOT ALLOW HIM TO TURN NIGERIA INTO A CAULDRON OF

FIRE BY HIS RECKLESS, BIGOTED AND TWISTED

COMMENTARIES... IN ORDER TO CREATE A POLITICAL BASE FOR

HIMSELF AMONGST HIS PEOPLE

The name Nasiru el-Rufai means different things to different people. To the regime he served, he was the officer that carried out his duties with diligence and to most Nigerians, he was one ruthless and heartless officer who rendered many homeless. But since he left office in 2007 as the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, he has busied himself with one controversy or another, the last being the controversy he stoked at the launch of his memoir just last week. OBIORA IFOH takes a look at the storms that shape el-Rufai.

14 Politics National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netMonday, February 11, 2013

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 15ViewMonday, February 11, 2013

CALLISTUSOKE

[email protected] 08054103275 (SMS ONLY)

HeartBeat

WILL APC FLY? I THINK SO. BUT THE

TRUTH IS THAT I FIND THE ENTRY STRATEGY

OF THE PARTY TOO EXCLUSIVE

THE TRAGEDY OF MOST THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES IS THAT

THEIR POLICY ENVIRONMENT DOES

NOT CONDUCE TO PURSUING POLICIES

THAT SERVE THE GREATEST GOOD

OF THE GREATEST NUMBER

Nigeria’s newest political baby, the All Progressive Congress (APC), should tinkle all discerning and pa-

triotic Nigerians. Reason is that a more in-timidating opposition has finally emerged as a counterpoise to bull dozing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The pangs of its birth were traumatic for the founders as well as for Nigerians. However, to God be the glory for the eventual safe delivery. The timing could not be more auspicious; it gives credit to the political sagacity of the founding fathers.

The ruling PDP, the biggest party in Af-rica, is in life threatening crisis, which has everything to do with 2015. For those who have good political eyes. While the muscle flexing is going on within the party, the APC sneaked in to offer another credible political platform to any unhappy politi-cians, in addition to its own safe mem-bers. Those who have the good political eyes would know that a political cyclone will most likely sweep the PDP in the days ahead over who carries its presidential

ABDUL-WAREES SOLANKE

The pan African philosopher, Pro-fessor Ibekwe Chinweizu it was, who wrote a very seminal essay

on the power of women in the context of influencing public decisions during the military era preceding the ill-fated Third Republic. Titled Anatomy of Female Power, the essay published in his column in one of the national dailies ,strength-ened the myth of ‘bottom power’, a no-tion that women with access to men in power as wives, girl friends or concu-bines, will always have their way in in-fluencing government decision choices and public policies on matters in which they have interest.

This myth is thought to account for the failure of many leaders or the clash of interest within a power caucus; or na-tions going to avoidable wars; or confron-tations among friends and neighbours; and disillusionment of a boss with his team members. From this myth, women are demonized as the ignition of human ambition or failure; defeat and collapse of empires, or dissolution of groups and governments.

Is this myth faithfully supported by history and the scripture? Perhaps, this is through in some cases and in others, it is unfounded, depending on the per-sonality of the protagonist or victim. In the public domain, this myth will be true to the extent of the environmental circumstances of the leadership recruit-ment within the system, or the author-

ity validation process in the governance framework, which produces the leader or victim.

This piece is not really a rejoinder, a belated one for that matter on the very serious issue that borders on gender chauvinism, as I am no chauvinist of any gender. The truth, however, is that women’s influence and power over men are to the extent of that which men are enslaved or that which he wants to be ac-claimed. Interestingly, there are so many of such factors which control the minds of men. Women or sex is just one. Sex could be exploited by not women alone, but by those in the traffic on the corri-dors of power with access to the leaders at any point in time.

My argument here is that women are not entirely responsible for leadership indiscretions and failure, nor is the sex weapon so potent as to bring down the nation or the government, destabilize the system or appropriate opportunities and appurtenances to women and their kinsfolk if the governance system is functional. In such systems, what guides public choices and decisions is mostly the utilitarian calculus. Choices will be made on the basis of rationality, having gone through a whole process of criti-cal issue identification, research-based evidence, rigorous cost-benefit analysis and sufficient and sincere stakeholders’ engagement and public deliberation.

In this scenario, all group interests are taken into consideration as this pro-cess also involves the participation of not just the beneficiaries but also those

Excitement, limitations of APC

Revisiting the myth of ‘bottom power’

banner for the 2015 general elections and other matters. So, the field of malcontent is going to be big. Given the high rate of politi-cal prostitution among Nigerian politicians, a rich harvest awaits the new party.

Though politicians are like diplomats known for their lying prowess, the reason for the push for a bigger opposition plat-form in the country – rescuing Nigeria from the “rot and corruption bedeviling her and from the fangs of PDP’s maladministra-tion” – I dare say, resonates well with dis-cerning Nigerians. Four times they have invested their political capital in the PDP, what they have got, unhappily, is growing pauperization and abysmal display of non-chalance by their leaders. The nonchalance is expressed in the large scale corruption everywhere without let. Corruption, you know, means that some people are getting fatter at the expense of the majority of Ni-gerians. Once beaten, the saying goes, twice shy. We have been four times beaten; I think our mumu don do!

Will APC fly? I think so. But the truth is

that I find the entry strategy of the party too exclusive. The leaders of four political parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) constituted the strategic think tank for its birth. Not a bad idea anyway, after all some people will form the leadership nucleus. The product they have succeeded in molding has been endorsed by the sena-tors and reps of these four political parties and those of the Democratic Peoples’ Party (DPP). Many Nigerians are also equally ex-cited by the prospect it may offer.

What, however, many say in whispers is why was the Labour Party shut out? If the reason has to do with the feud between the only LP governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State and leader of ACN, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I say it very unfortunate. It is unfortunate because the new party needs the goodwill and support of all progressive Nigerians. That is not all; more fundamen-tally is the fact that the civil society groups and the urban educated elite were excluded from the strategic sessions that gave birth to the new party. It is a regrettable oversight.

If indeed, there is a genuine desire to save Nigeria from whatever is seen as the evil that has stunted her growth and development, ev-ery aggrieved segment of the country ought to be wooed to be part of the new coalition. Those with enough financial muscles are as important to the party as those with the intellectual assets that would do the pontifi-

cating, the brain box of the party. There is therefore, a need for rethink to broaden the stakeholders base.

General Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu et al should read the history of the post in-dependence struggle in Kenya and Zambia, two countries that successfully shook off the hegemony of one-party dominance. From 1963 to 2002 (39 years) the Kenya Africa Union (KANU) was not only entrenched in the politics of Kenya like an Iroko tree, the Jomo Kenyetta/Arap Moi grip was suffocat-ing and overbearing. When Uhuru Kenyatta was nominated as KANU’s presidential can-didate for the 2002 elections, something had to give.

Old political horse and KANU apparat-chik, Mwai Kibaki, wooed Raila Odinga of the Liberal Democratic Party and other har-ried KANU members to form the National Rainbow Coalition. Kibaki was the new par-ty’s presidential candidate for that election. He defeated Kenyatta to displace KANU. The rest is history.

In Zambia, liberation came faster. Ken-neth Kaunda was the Alpha and Omega of the country from 1964 to 1991. It took a powerful political coalition, Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) led by an erstwhile trade union leader, Fredrick Chi-luba to dislodge him from power in the first multi-party presidential election in 1991.

The history of the struggle in Zambia and Kenya would also enable APC leaders to escape the pitfalls of post victory era in these counties.

that may be negatively affected by the pro-posed policy or decision so that when the policy is being implemented, the commu-nication and mitigation components are also being factored in to prevent rejection or uproar from those interest groups who may be shortchanged.

The problem with our policy process is that too many policy salesmen abound in our polity canvassing for a variety of policy interventions, which serve not the overall national interest, but primordial vested in-terests of ethnicity, economic class or reli-gion. Interestingly, in the case of religion, many of those who advance the religious cause in power situation are really not truly religious. They just use religion to capture power. When they achieve their goal, they offer only crumbs of office to the men in

cassocks and alkimbas to continue to pray for them so that they are not swept away. When the choice of a leader is made inside one club that promotes the economic interest of its member, of course, such leader cannot oppose that interest when he comes to power. And when the vanguards of tongues and tribes are pushing forth their sons and daughters for public offices, it is not ex-pected that they will speak for others.

The tragedy of most Third World countries is that their policy environ-ment does not conduce to pursuing policies that serve the greatest good of the greatest number. This explains the frequency of policy changes and lack of policy continuity in such countries. In such an environment of policy inconsistencies and instability, there cannot be faith in government, nor can there be genuine interest to work for the public good. Every public office seeker becomes a rent seeker in-terested only in the spoils of office for himself or for his group, tribe or re-ligion. Rather than have development in such milieu, what exists practically are retrogression and corruption.

ABDUL-WAREES SOLANKE

[email protected], 08090585723 (SMS only)

Mirror of the moment

16 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netEditorial Monday, February 11, 2013

All the Facts, All the SidesAll the Facts, All the SidesA PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD

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LANRE OYETADE GENERAL EDITOR







THE POSITION OF THE LAW IS THAT THE GIVER AND TAKER OF

BRIBES ARE CULPABLE AND PUNISHABLE














The eventual arraignment of the chairman of the House of Representatives’

ad hoc Committee that probed the oil subsidy payments, Hon. Lawan Farouk and his secretary, Hon. Boniface Emenalo, on Friday February 1, has ended the nation’s heightened animation on whether such brazen betrayal of public trust and abuse of office would go unpunished or not. This was particularly so, given the suspicious manner some of the facts of the Committee’s report were manipulated and tainted, and the perceived hesitancy of the federal authorities on what to do with the matter. The arraignment might have come late, we feel that it is better been than never. Now, both parties have the opportunity to prove their case or establish their innocence. This is the beauty of the rule of law.

The lid on the messy bribery scandal was blown off early last year when the chairman of Zenon Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola, accused Hon Lawan of demand-ing and receiving bribe to give his (Otedola) companies a clean bill of health in the subsidy payment fraud that rocked the

nation. The total amount alleg-edly received by Lawan was put at $620, 000. Otedola stated that he carried along the police and State Security Service (SSS) all the while the transactions (which were captured electroni-cally) were on.

After initial denial, Hon. La-wan, appearing before the House Committee on Ethics and Privi-leges investigating the bribery scandal, admitted receiving the money, but only as evidence of the bribe giving act. In spite of the heat generated by the open bribery allegation at such high level of political leadership, the federal authorities foot dragged on what to do. Meanwhile, the principal actors took their case to the press from where the na-tion got salacious details of the scandal.

Expectedly, the civil society groups sustained the indigna-tion, mounting the needed pressure to ensure that justice

was served. For instance, the Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL) had challenged the police to arrest both Lawan and busi-nessman Otedola, the principal characters in the bribery scan-dal. The PILL President, Abdul Mahmud, had said that the tapes of the scandal as broadcast by Channels Television, established bribe-giving and bribe-taking; criminal relationship between Lawan and Otedola during and after the Ad-hoc Committee probe hearings; and that there was glaring intent to compro-mise the outcome of the House ad hoc Committee report.

Despite all this, the federal authorities responsible for the arraignment and prosecution of Lawan and Otedola for their messy role in the subsidy probe graft had foot-dragged, con-firming the suspicion that they might be acting out a script. It took the intervention of activist lawyer, Festus Keyamo, who had appealed to an order of Manda-mus to compel the prosecution of Lawan.

The entire development is very untidy and unwholesome. We see the harried arraign-ment of Mr. Lawan as not only a panic measure, but also a half-

heartedly step which may not cross beyond the starting lines. There are bottom-line questions that the prosecution of Lawan has thrown up: Why did it have to take so long to prosecute an obvious case of political corrup-tion, which the government had vowed to fight? Why is the pros-ecution being selective? The po-sition of the law is that the giver and taker of bribes are culpable and punishable. Was Otedola used to set up Hon. Lawan? If so, why was the ad hoc Commit-tee chairman not arrested at the point of receiving the money?

Singling out Hon. Lawan for prosecution does not project a good image of government’s responsibility, integrity, fairness and commitment to fight corrup-tion. It is apparent that govern-ment is trying to shield one party while punishing the other party. This should not have been so.

We think that the Federal Gov-ernment should demonstrate a more serious commitment to the fight against corruption. Only that can guarantee and earn the people’s confidence in the anti-corruption posture of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Prosecution of Farouk Lawan

ON THIS DAYUnited States mega star and one of the world’s

best selling music artists, Whitney Houston, died at the age of 48 in a Los Angeles hotel, the night before the Grammy Awards. Plagued by substance abuse in her later life, Houston had become one of the most popular and celebrated singers in her early career.

February 11, 2012 February 11, 1963

The English rock band, The Beatles, recorded their first album Please, Please Me, at the Abbey Road Studios, London. The record, released on 22 March, 1963, shot the band into global reckoning. Each one of the band received £7.50 session fee per hour for each for the recording session of a total of 9 hours and 45 minutes.

February 11, 1990

One of the heroes of South African anti-apartheid struggle, Nelson Mandela, is released from prison after 27 years. A lawyer, Mandela had joined the African National Congress (ANC), the oldest black political organization in South Africa. He had served as the leader of the Johannesburg youth chapter of the group, and then later its deputy national president.

Cover

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netMonday, February 11, 2013 A2 18 Business CourageCourage

A Publication of GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTDBARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, OFR PUBLISHER

SEMIU SALAMI EDITORADEJUWON OSUNNUYI STAFF WRITERTAYO ADELEKE SENIOR REPORTER

OLATOYE RAPHAEL HEAD, PRODUCTIONSEYI OKUMODI SENIOR GRAPHIC ARTIST

BusinessCourage

Last week, the 160 op-position lawmakers in the lower chamber of the National Assem-

bly threatened to push for an override of President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto in signing the N4.987 trillion 2013 Budget passed by the National Assem-bly in December last year.

Femi Gbajabiala, the Minor-ity Leader, who spoke on behalf of the lawmakers, said that a situation where the legislature will have to override Jonathan’s presidential veto as constitu-tionally provided is not a good way to start the year or foster a good legislative-executive rela-tionship. “We also ask that Mr. President begins to respect of-fi cial resolutions from an equal arm of government as these resolutions are always in the national interest. If two heads are better than one, then, surely 360 heads are better than one. The delay in signing the 2013 budget has been subject of a lot of meetings in the National As-sembly,” the caucus said.

However, in what appeared to be a manifestation of cracks

Still dogged by Almost two months after it was passed by the National Assembly, the 2013 Appropriation Bill is still a subject of intense controversy, with the president’s refusal to sign it into law, almost one month after it was transmitted to the Presidency

By Salami Semiu among the lawmakers, the House of Representatives has debunked speculations that President Jonathan had refused to sign the 2013 budget and that the House was planning to over-ride his veto.

Chairman, House Commit-tee on Media and Public Af-fairs, Hon. Zakary Mohammed, who addressed the issue at the weekly media briefi ng, said the budget was still with the execu-tive and the parliament had not been notifi ed of any refusal by the president to assent to it.

Mohammed said the seeming delay may be because the presi-dent was studying the budget, adding that the issue had not come to the stage where the Na-tional Assembly would contem-plate overriding the presidential veto.

Indeed, in the last couple of days, there have been specula-tions that President Jonathan had rejected the budget and may have returned it to the National Assembly.

Sources say that disagree-ments between the president and the National Assembly on the oil benchmark, N93 billion constituency projects and the

lack of budget for the Securi-ties and Exchange Commission, SEC may be the reason why President Jonathan has refused to sign the budget.

It would be recalled that one of the presidential aides had recently alleged that the presi-dent had been unable to sign the budget into law because he was worried over the inclusion of such whopping sum of money in the budget.

The Chairman, Senate Com-mittee on Business and Rules, Senator Ita Enang, like Moham-med, also dismissed the alle-gation that the president had refused to sign the 2013 Appro-priation Bill into law because the lawmakers appropriated an-other N93 billion to themselves aside the original appropriation to the legislature in the budget.

Enang, who described the allegation as frivolous, said that if indeed the president has any reservation about the budget, he would have properly channelled his complaints to the National Assembly instead of discussing it with an aide, adding that the National Assembly has not re-ceived any form of complaints from the president over the bud-

get till date.According to him, the presi-

dent has done nothing wrong by not signing the bill yet, explain-ing that the president has up to 30 days to study the bill during which he will decide whether to sign it or not, stressing that un-til that was done, any other in-sinuation was merely frivolous.

“Well, I might not have got the details but for now, the is-sue is that the president got the budget sometimes in mid-Jan-uary and the president has 30 days from the date he received the budget to study it and de-cide whether or not to sign it. Now, nobody can at this stage say the president has not signed

the budget or nobody can at this stage say this is the reason the president has not signed the budget. So, there is no issue of jerking up our budget because the president is still within the time allowed by the law. So, there is nothing wrong with the president not signing the bud-get now. The law allows him to study it for 30 days,” he said.

Enang insisted that those are frivolous allegations by attention seeking persons because those persons will know that the pres-ident cannot refuse to sign the budget on account of a matter that he has not communicated to the National Assembly. “How then will the aide know about a

Cover

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Monday, February 11, 2013 A3 19Business CourageCourage

BC

controversy

matter that has not been com-municated to the National As-sembly? It is not possible be-cause if the president will not sign the budget, he will commu-nicate it to the National Assem-bly. As long as he has not com-municated such to the National Assembly, there is no question of refusing to sign the budget,” Enang said.

However, despite the spate of denials, competent sources told Business Courage last week that President Jonathan has in-deed, communicated his inten-tion not to assent to the 2013 Appropriation Bill as passed to the leadership of the National Assembly. The source said that it was based on this that opposi-tion lawmakers have decided to speak out on the issue

A member of the House, who pleaded anonymity, said that the president indeed, picked a hole in the bill as passed by the National Assembly and has communicated same to the lead-ership of the National Assembly on some grey areas causing his delay in signing it.

Specifi cally, the source said the president was not happy over the zero allocation given to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the N63 billion added to the original bud-get proposed as well as some as-pects of the capital project vote particularly the National Assem-bly Constituency project.

“This budget problem has come again. The president has returned the 2013 budget that we passed before we went for Christmas break. Although the

thing is yet to be made known offi cially to members, those who have seen it said SEC and benchmark issues were among the grey areas,” said the source.

In view of what it termed as the alleged poor-implementation of the capital projects in the 2012 budget, the National Assembly had rolled over the non-imple-mented aspects of the capital projects, especially the constitu-ency projects into 2013. The move was turned down by the President who described it as il-legal. The National Assembly had approved N4,987,220,425,601 as the 2013 budget. It com-prised N387,976,000,000 for statutory transfer; N591,764,000,000 to service debts N2,386,024,770,349 for recurrent (non-debt)expen-diture while the balance of N1,621,455,655,252 is for con-tribution to the development fund for capital expenditure.

The fi gure passed by the two chambers was N63 billion more than N4.924 trillion original pro-posal presented to the joint ses-sion of the federal legislature by the President last October.

It would be recalled that both Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Finance Minister and coordinating min-ister for the economy and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Lamido Sanusi, have, at various times, argued against the raising of the bench-mark price above the initial pro-posed level of $75 per barrel.

Although the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, had, after examining the 2013 –2015 Me-

dium Term Expenditure Frame-work, MTEF, said oil benchmark above $75 per barrel would re-duce the budget defi cit by about 66 per cent, Okonjo-Iweala was of the view that it would af-fect the macro-economic com-ponents of the budget, as the country’s credit ratings would go the wrong way.

She said a higher oil bench-mark would not only make bor-rowing more expensive, but would also slow down foreign direct investment as both lo-cal and international investors would become more cautious.

Sanusi on his part believes that pegging the oil benchmark price at $75 per barrel would make the budget more realistic, particularly with the instability of oil prices at the international crude oil market and the capac-ity of the Nigerian National Pe-troleum Corporation to meet its production output projections.

Special Adviser to the Presi-dent on National Assembly Mat-ters, Senator Joy Emodi, said last week that President Jona-than and the National Assem-bly were still working on the 2013 budget. Emordi said that contrary to widely held notion that the budget had been with the President for close to two months, it was actually sent to him on January 14, 2013. “For the records, though the 2013 Budget was passed by the Na-tional Assembly in December, the budget details were actually transmitted to President Jona-than on the night of January 14, 2013; and this, as I noted some time ago, is understand-

able given that it is a thorough and time-taking exercise for the National Assembly.”

“Knowing that this is one of the most critical policy and development documents with extensive impact on the socio-economic life of the nation, Mr. President, just like the Nation-al Assembly, is also carefully studying the details.”

Emordi said she did not see anything wrong with the extra time taken by the President to study the budget he prepared and that it did not amount to any row.

According to her, the impor-tant thing is that “both the Na-tional Assembly and the Execu-tive are committed to moving the country forward.

President Jonathan, had in October last year presented a N4.92 trillion budget proposal for the 2013 fi scal year, with ed-ucation getting the lion share of N426.53 billion, followed by de-fence with N348.91 billion and N319.65 billion allocated to the Nigeria Police.

Other key allocations of the budget allocated N183.5 billion to the works ministry; N74.26 billion to the power sector while health as well as agriculture and rural development getting N279.23 billion and N81.41 bil-lion respectively.

The budget was made up of N380.02 billion for statutory transfers, N591.76 billion for debt service, N2.41 trillion for recurrent (non-debt) expendi-ture and N1.54 trillion for capi-tal expenditure. “Based on these assumptions, the gross federally

collectible revenue is projected at N10.84 trillion, of which the total revenue available for the Federal Government’s budget is forecast at N3.89 trillion, representing an increase of about nine per cent over the estimate for 2012. Non-oil revenue is projected to continue to grow in 2013 as the ongoing reforms in our revenue collecting agencies and the im-plementation of initiatives to fur-ther develop the non-oil sector continue to yield results.”

The fi scal defi cit is projected to improve to about 2.17 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) compared to 2.85 per cent in 2012.

For now, it is yet to be seen how some of the naughty issues holding back the presidential assent would be resolved. Con-stitutionally, the president has up to Thursday, February 14 to complete the 30 days cycle with-in which to either append his signature or return the Appro-priation Bill to the lawmakers.

Besides, the contentious is-sue of the embattled Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), according to sources may prove to be a major factor that would determine where the pendulum would swing, especially with the insistence of the lawmakers for the president to respect their resolution.

Will President Jonathan ulti-mate sacrifi ce Oteh as a bargain-ing point to have the lawmakers back down on other issues or will he take on the lawmakers head on?

Time will tell.

Okonjo-Iweala Sanusi Lamido Jonathan


Dangote graduates 100 ‘super drivers’

After three months of intensive training at the

Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria, the fi rst batch of the 2,000 Dangote Graduate Drivers have graduated.

Out of the 100 shortlisted trainees, 96 were able to make it to the end of the programme which the Director General of the Institute, Aminu Musa Yusuf described as the fi rst of its kind in the country.

Musa Yusuf said the ‘super’ drivers have the advantage of becoming members of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, which is the lead professional body for the regulation of logistics and transport practice worldwide.

The Group Chief Human Resource Offi cer, Dangote Group, Paramjit Pabby said the graduates were selected through a rigorous process.

He said the aim is to make Nigerians safe on the road, adding that “As graduate drivers, you are expected to run our newly formed super fl eet with a professional touch, putting into practice all that you have been taught here.”

He said a female driver is among the graduates and that six other ladies will join her in the next batch. “The scheme also envisages a competitive salary made up fi xed basic salary plus incentive based on trips and safe driving. Based on conditions, the Drivers will have the opportunity to own their trucks in the future,” he said.

Nigeria’s fi rst female commercial pilot and rector of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Captain Chinyere Kalu, said the training programme is part of Dangote’s Corporate Social Responsibility Scheme and a response to road safety which poses threat to peoples’ lives and businesses. “The involvement of highly educated youth in our transportation system will no doubt help in addressing and curbing the menace of road accidents on our highways,” she added.

The only female graduate Mba Mabel Akwugo said she was elated, while commending the Dangote Group for the opportunity.

The class governor of the fi rst batch, Henry Mudiaga Pender, who was a former banker, said he was happy to be a qualifi ed driver and more importantly, pioneer graduate drivers of the Dangote Group.

The graduates of the programme which was conducted in partnership with Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the Federal Vehicle Inspection Offi ce (FVIO), were issued with certifi cates and automatic employment into the Dangote Group of companies

Customs arrests 88 suspects at Tin-Can Port

The Controller of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Dan Ugo said that 88 suspects were arrested during a raid at the Tin-Can Island Port, Lagos, last week.

Ugo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos that 14 of those arrested, who tendered genuine documents of identifi cation, were later released.

He also confi rmed that 25 of the suspects had been charged to court, while the remaining suspects were being

screened to ascertain those with legitimate documents.

Ugo said that the raid followed an intelligence report at the disposal of the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Abdullahi Dikko, that some misguided elements were disturbing operations at the port. ``I was ordered by the CGC to ensure total annihilation of these miscreants. To this effect, on Feb 6, 2013, a combined team of Customs and Police visited Tin-Can to raid the port. This was to remove the undesirable elements, whose activities have continually posed serious threat to security and to customs operations, `` Ugo said.

The controller said that the touts pretended as genuine port users, adding that they were actually involved in many unwholesome acts, which most times affected maximum revenue collection by the service.

He said that most of the touts were involved in falsifi cation of clearance documents and other heinous crimes, adding that the comptroller general had assured all genuine importers and agents of his continuous support in terms of trade facilitation.

The raid, however, led to protests by a section of port users.

Some of the port users who spoke on condition of anonymity, faulted the NCS for raiding the port with armed policemen, claiming that in the past, such raids were done quietly.

Musbau Azeez, an Executive Offi cer of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), said that it was usual for the service to raid the port and arrest suspected hoodlums.

Azeez was optimistic that the innocent ones among those arrested on Wednesday would be released, after proper screening

Ogun to rebrand Ofada rice variety

The Ogun State government says it will rebrand the

Ofada rice variety in an effort to boost its production in the state.

Ibikunle Onasanya, the Programme Manager of Ogun Agricultural Development Programme, who disclosed this in Abeokuta, said only Ogun produces the original variety of the rice, adding that government was determined to boost the number of those engaged in the cultivation of the crop.

“We are ready to fi ght all the challenges facing Ofada rice production in the state.

We will support farmers to increase production, improve processing and expand market demand both within and outside the country,” he said.

He also said that Ofada rice farmers would be empowered, adding that this would enhance their income and status.

Onasanya, however, advised farmers to ensure that they were included in the farmers’ data base, saying this would enable them to benefi t from government’s programmes.

NAFDAC intensifies collaboration with education sector

The National Agency for Food and Drug

Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it would intensify collaboration with the education sector to safeguard the health of Nigerians.

The acting Director, FCT NAFDAC Offi ce, Abdulsalam Osigi, said this in Abuja at the 10th Consumer Safety Club Award.

Ozigi, while analysing the need to incorporate consumer safety education into the secondary school curriculum said it would help curb fake and substandard products. ``To achieve the goal of NAFDAC, the agency has consulted with the Federal Ministry of Education to establish NAFDAC consumer safety clubs in secondary schools across the country. NAFDAC has also collaborated with National Council on

Health to facilitate the incorporation of information on NAFDAC regulated products in secondary school curriculum,’’ he said.

Ozigi said that there was need to re-orient the youths on safe health habits and also sensitise them to safeguard the health of the community.

He explained that one of the aims of the consumer safety clubs was for students to serve as platform for the promotion of the fi ght against fake and counterfeit products.

Ozigi said that the appropriate steps should be taken by school authorities to constitute the consumer safety clubs.

He implored all existing members of the club to take cognisance of the aims and objectives of the club.

He said that NAFDAC would ensure that relevant information on the agency’s activities was made available to the clubs.

Adeline Osakwe, the Coordinator, National Pharmacovigilance Centre of NAFDAC, urged the students to report adverse drug reactions to the agency.

She said that the information would facilitate the agency’s work in safeguarding the health of Nigerians.

Fatima Baba-Ari, FCT Secondary Education Board, represented by Pius Odeh, staff of the board, commended NAFDAC for sensitising students to safeguarding the health of citizens. ``The children will defi nitely extend the knowledge derived from the club to their families and peers,’’ she said.

She assured NAFDAC of continued partnership that would curb the activities of drug counterfeiters in the country.

Traders urge Bauchi govt to expand market square

Armaya’u Yahaya, the Chairman, Wunti

Market Traders and Artisan Association, Bauchi has called on the Bauchi State Government to allocate more land to the market to decongest it.

Yahaya told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Bauchi that the measure would enable some traders in the market to relocate to the new plots.

He said that the entry of some traders from the neighbouring states into the market had caused the congestion thereby causing traffi c jam in the area.

Yahaya said that efforts were made earlier to move the traders out of the road,

Mba Mabel Akwugo, the only female graduand receiving her certifi cate

Dikko

Orhii, NAFDAC boss

Amosun, Ogun State governor

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but that the effort failed due to inadequate space to accommodate them and their businesses.

The chairman said that a formal request was presented to the government about 10 months ago suggesting the takeover of some pieces of land that were not developed beside the market square. ``We have made several attempts to move them out of the roadside but they still keep coming back. And you cannot just do away with them because they are part of us; so we need space to accommodate them. We have informed the state government of our need because ever since we started receiving people from the neighbouring states the market has become congested. It is not making transactions comfortable for both buyers and sellers,’’ he said.

Yahaya appealed to the government to intervene in the matter so that the sellers would no longer transact business on the major roads.

FG installs plastic recycling plant in Katsina

The Federal Government has installed a plastic recycling

machine in Katsina in an effort to improve environmental cleanliness in the state.

The Permanent Secretary, Ecological Funds Offi ce, Musa Goni, said this on Friday when he led a delegation on a courtesy visit to Governor Ibrahim Shema.

Goni said that they were in the state to inspect ongoing projects and interact with

stakeholders on various environment-related matters to enable the offi ce to provide the needs of people in the state.

He said that the machine would assist to maintain clean environment and create job opportunities, particularly to the unemployed youths.

Responding, Shema, represented by his deputy, Abdullahi Faskari, commended the ecological funds offi ce for installing the machine in the state.

He also urged the offi ce to hasten the release of N6.8 billion for the control of soil erosion in some parts of the state.

The governor called for the resuscitation of Ruma-Kukar-Jangare Forest Reserve in order to protect the environment.

87 ships expected in Lagos ports

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Friday said it was

expecting 87 ships laden with various cargoes to arrive the Lagos ports from February 8 to 27.

NPA in its daily publication, `the Shipping Position’, made available to newsmen in Lagos, said that 40 of the ships were laden with containers; four were laden with general cargo and 15 contained new and used vehicles.

According to the document, other ships will sail in with bulk salt, bulk wheat, bulk malt, petroleum products, truck heads, rice and steel products.

The document showed that two ships, MV African Joy and MV Khadiza Jahan would berth and discharge bulk wheat and rice at ENL Consortium Terminal and Apapa Bulk Terminal Ltd. respectively.

It said that 15 other ships laden with diesel, petrol, kerosene, aviation fuel and bulk gas would also berth at the various oil terminals in the ports.

NPA reports that the oil terminals are: New Oil Jetty, Single Buoy Mooring, Bulk Oil Plant and Ibafon Terminal, Apapa.

Bauchi earns N880m from workers salaries

The Bauchi State Government has said that

it realised N880 million in four months from 10 per cent deductions from its workers’ salaries.

The state government had in 2012 resolved to deduct 10 per cent of the workers’ salaries beginning from September to December 2012, the action which it claims was due to its all-time dwindling resources from the federation account.

The Head of Service, Abdon Gin, who announced this at a news conference in Bauchi, said that a general circular was issued in the middle of January on the discontinuance of the infamous 10 per cent deduction service from workers’ salaries for the period of September to December 2012.

Gin said that the ``Government kept faith with this gesture of workers and stopped it and hailed the resilience of workers not because the circumstances leading to the deductions were no more. The fi nancial situation of government was still not any better as at Dec. 31, 2012 when the deduction was halted,” he added.

The Head of Service said that the government was happy that the paltry contribution of the workers in this regard added to its meagre resources to sustain salary payments, noting that the deduction was to allow the government to proceed with the funding of its major projects.

``Furthermore, during the period, no worker was retrenched and government’s all-time dwindling resources from federation account necessitated the withdrawal of allowances given through His Excellency,” he said.

Gin called on the workers to exercise restraint and avoid rancour, stating that ``it is neither my intention nor that

of the government to infl ict pains on workers,’’ he added.

NRC to re-introduce railway crossing gates

Following the revival of rail transport services, the

Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), has intensifi ed efforts to re-introduce railway crossing gates to prevent accidents between rail and road users.

Dr Aminu Gusau, Director, Administration and Human Resources, NRC, who announced this last Friday in Kaduna while speaking during a courtesy visit on the Kaduna State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Magaji Sadiq-Hunkuyi, said that the essence of re-introducing the gate was to re-awaken the attitude of Nigerians towards NRC.

``Before, there was collaboration between local government councils and NRC across Nigeria where people were stationed at various railway crossings to man the points for 24 hours. In this collaboration, the councils used to pay some levy to the NRC to guarantee the success of the exercise,” he said.

Gusau, therefore, solicited for the support of the state government to enable the corporation to actualise its set goals.

He also appealed for cooperation and understanding from all Nigerians to save lives and property.

The director commended the Kaduna State Government for partnering with the NRC in providing intra-city train services.

Responding, the commissioner assured NRC of necessary support and cooperation from the state government with a view to taking the corporation to the

next level.

Lagos, Germany collaborate to develop environment sector

The Lagos State Government would collaborate with the

German Ministry of Economy

and Technology for the development of the economic potential of the environment sector.

Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Environment, Taofeek Folami, who stated this in a statement after a meeting with the German offi cials with their consultant on system for business solution, said the economic potential of the environmental sector in Lagos State, if properly harnessed, would help in creating employment opportunities and generating more revenue for the state.

``About 3,000 people migrate into the state daily and with a population of about 20 million people, the state government is ready to provide an enabling environment for private sector operators to invest. We want them to invest in e-waste, building of transfer loading stations, waste water management plant, waste to energy plant, recycling plant, among others,” the statement said.

It pointed out that 70 per cent of e-waste, such as fairly used computers, television and radio sets, generated within the state was imported into the country from Europe.

It decried the low patronage of the sector by investors.

Folami said the environment sector would soon be a major revenue earner for the state as there was still space to build waste to energy plant, recycling plant, waste water management plant, among others.

According to the statement, the leader of the delegation, Dr Jeremy Gaines, expressed the willingness of the German Government to support and partner with the state government in solving its environmental problems.

Osun to distribute tablets to students

The Permanent Secretary in Osun State Ministry of

Education Oyelade Oyeniran, has said that tablets also known as ‘Opon Imon’ would

Yuguda, Bauchi State governor

Habbib Abdullahi, MD, NPA

Gin

Adeseyi Sijuade, Managing Director, NRC

Fashola, Lagos State governor


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soon be distributed to students in public schools in the state.

Oyeniran who disclosed this last Friday in Osogbo noted that the tablets had been acquired, saying, ``what remains is to commence distribution once the state governor launches it.’’

According to him, the distribution of the tablets will start with SS 3 students preparing for their SSCE and NECO examinations. ``Service and repairs centres will be available with trained engineers to take care of issues relating to the maintenance of the tablets,’’ he added.

The computer tablets, he said, contain all subjects, past questions and additional traditional subjects.

Oyeniran also disclosed that the state government had commenced payment of N216 million as bursary allowances to its fi nal year students in tertiary institutions nationwide. ``Each of the students will receive N10, 000 bursary allowance, with each medical student getting N20,000 while fi nal year law students will get N100, 000 each,’’ he added.

FAAN reiterates determination to upgrade infrastructure

The ongoing upgrading of infrastructure at the

airports is aimed at building a

greater future for the aviation industry, the Managing Director of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), George Uriesi, said.

Uriesi made the state on Friday while receiving a delegation of economic offi cers, led by the US Consular in Lagos, Jerrod Hanssen, who paid him a courtesy visit.

He said that FAAN was determined to change passengers’ experience of service delivery at all Nigerian airports.

Uriesi said airport terminals of the past were meant for travelling only but modern airports had turned to commercial centres.

He said that some airports around the world would have folded up if they had relied solely on aeronautical sources of revenue.

``Whereas the present trend which FAAN has adopted is offering more commercial opportunities that will encourage business, entertainment and leisure at airports, `` he said.

The FAAN boss said that the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan being implemented by the Ministry of Aviation was geared toward implementing the `aerotropolis concept`.

He said the concept would change the mindset of airport business in Nigeria permanently.

He said that FAAN would be embarking on a number of projects in Lagos in the next few months, including a multi-storey car park, hotel and a new international terminal.

``The same experience will be replicated in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and on a smaller scale, at other airports across the country, `` he said.

Hanssen commended the efforts of FAAN in the development of the airports, saying that their visit was necessitated by the U.S. Government’s desire to extend a hand of fellowship to the organisation.

He said that the U.S. and other countries were happy with FAAN in its efforts to reposition Nigerian airports.

Master Mariners back FG on concessionStories By Francis Ezem

The Nigerian Association of Master Mariners, an

umbrella body for retired indigenous ship captains, chief engineers and engineers has thrown its full weight behind the Federal Government’s plans to concession marine and harbour services currently handled by the Nigerian Ports Authority in continuation of

the port reform programme.The government had about

eight years ago concluded a port reform programme styled after the land lord port model of Port of Antwerp, Belgium, which stripped NPA of its cargo handling functions and gave same to private concessionaires including indigenous and foreign ones.

The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), which also midwifed the earlier reform had in a letter dated January 18, 2013 and addressed to the managing director of NPA had hinted of moves by to privatise marine and habour services, which are current core functions of NPA.

The affected services include towage, berthing and un-berthing, pilotage, dredging and channel management, among others.

National president of the association, Captain Jimi Adu, in an exclusive telephone chat, noted that the proposal by the government to further concession the marine and harbour services is good and commendable.

According to him, NPA has failed over the years to exhibit any measure of effi ciency in handling of these services, citing the high level of effi ciency recorded in the handling of cargo, which had been given to private operators in line with the concession programme. “NPA has failed woefully to render these services effectively and effi ciently. Go to Port Harcourt, you will understand what I am saying”, Adu said.

He noted that the proposed concession would bring about job creation, enhance effi ciency and growth, adding that the port users in particular and the Nigerian economy will be the better for it.

He however cautioned that the services should be handed over to core professionals with marine and pilotage backgrounds as well as the necessary technology and infrastructure. “Government should ensure that such services are not handed over to politicians because they are not professionals and secondly, they may not have

the time to render the services effectively and if that happens, the entire port system suffers”, he further warned.

Meanwhile, president of Senior Staff Association of NPA, Jimoh Umar, vowed that the workers would vehemently resist the BPE plan..

According to him, the workers gave the government its maximum support and cooperation during the privatisation of the port terminals even when over 8,000 workers were sacked, some of who are yet to be paid their full entitlements. “The port concession has worked and Nigeria’s seaports have over the years recorded a measure of effi ciency arising from the successful completion of the programme. We supported it because we were convinced it will bring about effi cient to the ports, to which many of us are witnesses today. We will not sit down here this time and allow BPE to hand Nigeria’s marine and harbour service to a cabal, who are bent on capturing the economy of this country to their own parochial and selfi sh interest”, he further warned

He insisted that owing to the current security situation, not only in Nigeria but also in the entire globe, it will be dangerous to hand over critical services like marine and harbour to private operators, whose only language is that of profi t.

According to him, apart from both the economic and security implications of the proposed privatisation, NPA has actually delivered on these core functions, especially in terms of removal of wrecks, maintenance of the channels, which led to the calling of bigger ships to the ports in Lagos.

Group condemns Customs over assault on port users

Freight agents under the aegis of National Council

of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents at the weekend took a swipe at the Nigeria Customs Service operatives of the Federal Operations Unit, Lagos who

assaulted and injured innocent port users at Tin Can Island Port, Apapa under the guise of ridding the port of touts.

The Customs Area Controller in charge of the Tin Can Island command of the service, Tunji Aremu had while briefi ng the media on the activities of the command for the 2012 fi scal year, noted that the issue of touting was the biggest challenge facing the command and assured that the service would do something about it.

National president of the council, Lucky Amiwero, who spoke in a telephone interview, declared that the action of Customs was illegal and an abuse of its own law, the Customs and Excise Management Act.

According to him, it is the statutory duty of the operatives of the FOU, which is the anti-smuggling arm of the service to carry out such raids on smugglers not hapless importers and agents waiting around the Customs Processing Centre for their documents to be processed.

“The areas raided are under the Nigerian Ports Authority by law. So, it is the operatives of the Nigeria Police, NPA command that are supposed to do that raiding at the port not FOU because they have nothing to do in that port”, Amiwero insisted.

He however chided NPA management for not complying with the law by issuing port permits to port users so as to distinguish touts from genuine port users.

Amiwero said that NPA has not issued a permit to any port user in the last 10 years, a development that had warranted an infl ux of unauthorized people into the ports.

Aiteo Energy Depot to resume operations

The Aiteo Energy Depot in Lagos which suspended

operations due to fi re outbreak in its loading gantry may resume operations on February 15.

A source in the company told NAN last Friday in Lagos that repair works on the loading gantry had started and loading of petroleum products would resume latest by February 15.

The Department of Petroleum Resources had shut

Rauf Aregbesola, Osun State governor

Uriesi

Adu

Aremu

Igwe Achese, President NUPENG


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the depot on February 4 and directed the management to put all safety measures in place before re-opening.

Armed policemen patrolled the depot area when NAN visited the depot on Friday.

Also, the over 100 petroleum tankers that had waited to load products before and after the fi re outbreak occurred had been relocated.

The explosion, which occurred on February 2, led to the death of a 30-year-old man.

Moruf Akanbi, the Treasurer, NUPENG branch in the depot, told NAN that repair works had started. ``We will begin the loading of products when the depot is fi xed anytime from now,” Akanbi said.

The explosions rocked MRS Oil and Gas and Aiteo Energy depots in Apapa and prompted Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State to call on the Federal Government to relocate the depots to a safer environment.

Kwara approves construction of new roads

The Kwara State Government has approved

the construction of four new roads as part of its infrastructure development of the state.

Dr. Amuda Kannike, the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, disclosed this while addressing newsmen in IIorin. The roads, he said, would be located in IIorin, the state capital.

The commissioner said the measure would improve infrastructure of its densely populated state capital.

He stressed the determination of the state to ensure that all roads in the state capital were passable.

Kannike said the contractor handling the project had been mobilised and would move to site soon.

The commissioner said 90 per cent of the roads inherited from the previous administration had been completed and commissioned.

The roads are AbdulSalam at Tanke area, Opomalu-Isale-Maliki, Flower Garden Bridge and Mustapha Aberi.

CPC receives 1000 complaints in Lagos

Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has said

that its Lagos zone received 1000 complaints from consumers in 2012.

Ngozi Obidike, Lagos Zonal Head who disclosed this said that the number was ``quite small,” stressing that consumer consciousness was still very low in the state.

She said that the council’s mobilisation drive for consumers to know their rights and what ought to be their dues in the distribution chain of goods and services was picking up. ``We came into Lagos in 2011. So, many people may not be aware that we are around. But those who have approached us have been receiving attention, accordingly.

`Lagos is a commercial centre in Nigeria and is expected to generate many consumer complaints. The 1000 complaints we received in 2012 is indicative that many consumers are dying in silence,`` she said.

Obidike said that the council played meditative roles between consumers and producers of goods and services and not prosecutorial functions.

She said that CPC was not in any way duplicating the statutory functions of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria as most people thought. ``CPC deals more with the interests of unsatisfi ed consumers through his or her complaints. It does not do what SON by law is required to be doing,`` she said.

Obidike urged market and traders associations in the state to cooperate more with the council, stressing that ``consumer satisfaction is important to economic growth.``

FG earmarks N10bn for Shelterbelt Programmes

The Federal Government has approved N10 billion for the

smooth take-off of the National Council for Shelterbelt, Afforestation, Erosion Control and Coastal Zone management programme.

The Minister of Environment, Hadiza Mailafi ya, disclosed this to State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday.

She said that the Council, which was being chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo, had been dormant for years.

She, however, said that it had now been resuscitated following its inauguration by the Federal Government on Friday.

Mailafi ya stressed the need for communities to key-in to the activities of the programme to enable them uplift the quality of life of members of their respective communities. “Of course, we have agreed that the Council needs to be resuscitated, that is where it is. We have agreed that the objective for which it was set up must be pursued to the last later being the recovery of very arid and dry lands; the intense afforestation that we need to do; the need to have communities to buy in to the programmes that will help them sustain themselves rather than everybody moving out to the urban centres to do either motor cycling or whatever. It is another form of economic and social security that we need to work towards,” she said.

The Minister revealed that some local government areas had been identifi ed for the speedy implementation of the afforestation programmes.

She dismissed insinuation that the Shelter and Afforestation programme might result into encroachment of farmers’ farmlands, saying the programme would rather enrich the farmers as government would provide them with economic trees.

She commended President Jonathan and Governors of Jigawa, Borno, Kebbi, Kano, Yobe, Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina States for supporting the afforestation programmes in the country.

Enterprise Bank lists on Google mapsBy Johnson Okanlawon

Enterprise Bank Limited has joined the elite league of

worldwide organisations and global fi nancial institutions that are currently listed on Google Maps.

Google Maps is a Google service offering powerful, user-

friendly mapping technology and local business information – including business locations, contact information and driving directions.

It offers street maps, a route planner and an urban business locator in numerous countries around the world. It also provides such special features as scale control, street view, and confi gurable location icons amongst other facilities.

By getting listed on to this mapping platform which now features its branches, Automated Teller Machine, ATM and Point of Sales, POS locations, Enterprise Bank has made it easier for stakeholders to access the bank and its services from anywhere in the world.

A statement from the bank’s Corporate Communications Department said, “This unique relationship between Enterprise Bank and Google has enabled the fi nancial institution boost visibility and excellent service delivery to its numerous customers.

The statement added that this is yet another milestone in the bank’s move to reposition the brand, products and services by providing excellent customer service to its existing and prospective customers in the years ahead.

Also commenting, Google Nigeria Country Manager, Juliet Ehimuan Chiazor, said “The goal of Google Maps is to make it easier for people across the world to locate places and businesses of interest. We are excited to see Enterprise Bank Limited and more Nigerian businesses using Google Places to get listed on maps.

“This makes it easier for Nigerians to fi nd and engage with these businesses. Customers can also search for their banks and get directions on the go, using Google Maps on their mobile phones.”

FG introduces supply chain managers into GES implementation

The Federal Government will introduce the services of

supply chain managers to help implement the 2013 Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme.

Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed

this on Friday in Abuja at a two-day workshop organised for stakeholders on the 2013 farmers registration exercise and GES scheme.

The GES scheme is a Federal Government initiative under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, aimed at subsidising the cost of major agricultural inputs such as fertiliser and seeds.

Under the initiative, farmers access inputs through an electronic distribution channel known as the e-Wallet.

The conditions of the e-Wallet scheme stipulate that a farmer registered under the scheme pays 50 per cent of the cost of farm inputs while the federal and state governments pay 25 per cent each.

One of the requirements for the scheme is the national farmers’ registration exercise, where farmers’ data are captured into the ministry’s central databank.

The minister explained that the supply chain managers would help link the farmers directly to the agro-dealers. ``When we started the fi rst phase of the GES in 2012, we discovered that when the agro-dealers got the farm inputs ready, the farmers were not there to access them. So, the supply chain managers will serve as a bridge linking up the agro-dealers and the farmers,’’ he said.

Adesina said that the Federal Government had also introduced ``mark-reading forms’’ commonly used for national examinations. ``The forms will enable the information supplied by the farmers to be quickly scanned and sent to the ministry’s database,’’ he said.

The minister said that the Central Bank of Nigeria, through the Nigerian Incentives-based Risk-sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), would ensure that all agro-dealers had access to loans.

``NIRSAL is giving out about N50 billion worth of loans at eight per cent interest rate to agro-dealers. And the Federal Government has given out N15 billion to recapitalise the Bank of Agriculture (BOA),’’ he said.

Earlier, Ibukun Odusote, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, said that the workshop was organised to sensitise all stakeholders on roles to play in the 2013 GES exercise.

Odusote, who was represented by Joseph Nyanger, the ministry’s Director of Livestock, added that the workshop would help generate accurate and up-to-date data for the implementation of the scheme.

``One of the problems indentifi ed in the 2012 edition of the exercise was wrong data entry and we hope that this workshop will do justice to that and other issues that will come up,’’ Odusote said.

Abdulfatah Ahmed, Kwara State governor

Obidike

Mailafi ya

Lawan Kuru, MD/CEO Enterprises Bank


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French economy to ‘avoid recession’

The French economy will avoid recession this year,

according to the country’s central bank.

It predicts growth of 0.1 per cent in the fi rst three months of 2013, a more upbeat outlook than that of many economists, who are discouraged by recent data.

A recession is usually defi ned as two consecutive quarters of contraction.

In its monthly report, the Bank of France said: “Forecasts point to a modest rise in [industrial] activity in February.”

The bank added that the business confi dence indicator for industry had risen to its highest level in nearly a year.

But many experts have made gloomier predictions - partly because of January’s manufacturing data, which showed the sharpest fall in output since March 2009.

Initial economic growth fi gures for France are due out on 14 February. The government’s offi cial forecast is for 0.8 per cent this year.

French President Francois Hollande is trying to make France more competitive. He recently called for more currency stability, arguing that the French economy “could be destroyed by the rising value of the euro”.

Shareholder sues Apple over cash pile

An activist shareholder is suing computer giant Apple,

demanding that it share out more of its $137 billion (£87bn) cash pile to its investors. Apple’s cash pile has grown to that size from $98 billion last March.

US hedge fund manager, David Einhorn, who is behind the unusual move, told the television channel CNBC that Apple had a “Depression-era” mentality, which gave it a tendency to hoard cash and play safe.

Apple called the move “misguided” but the complaint was fi led at a court in New York.

Apple has a number of fi ghts on its hands already. Although it is strong in both smartphones and tablet computers, competition is increasing and its share price is falling.

The fi rm’s shares are now 35 per cent below the record high they reached in September 2012.

Einhorn, who owns Green Light Capital, told CNBC: “It has sort of a mentality of a depression. In other words, people who have gone through traumas... and Apple has gone through a couple of traumas in its history, they sometimes feel like they can never have enough cash.”

He has also been speaking to the Reuters news agency, which he told he had had meetings with Apple’s senior management on the subject of sharing out the cash pile.

Einhorn said he had recently contacted Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook after failing to interest the company’s chief fi nancial offi cer, Peter Oppenheimer, in the matter.

Einhorn’s proposals for releasing funds to shareholders involve “preferred” stock - which pays a fi xed dividend over time.

Apple is planning to eliminate these at its shareholder meeting later this month.

Preferred shares rank higher than ordinary shares when it comes to paying out a company’s assets.

Einhorn is said to have a history of activism. In 2011, he urged Microsoft Corp to get rid of its chief executive Steve Ballmer, accusing him of being “stuck in the past”.

China reports better than expected trade data

China has reported better-than-expected trade

data, fuelling optimism that its economic growth may be rebounding from the recent slowdown.

Exports, a key growth driver, surged 25 per cent in January from a year earlier. Most

analysts had forecast a 17 per cent jump.

Imports surged 28.8 per cent indicating a robust pick up in domestic demand.

Separate fi gures showed that the infl ation rate slowed to two per cent in January but there was concern over a spike in food prices as vegetable costs soared.

China’s growth rate slipped to 7.8 per cent in 2012, the slowest annual pace since 1999, fuelling worries about the health of the world’s second-largest economy.

“China’s economic conditions are improving and the trade data confi rms the continuation of a recovery trend,” said Hirokazu Yuihama, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities.

“Not just the trade data but retail, production and investment fl ows clearly show that the economy bottomed out in the third quarter last year.”

However, some analysts said that the fi gures for January were distorted by the change in the timing of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The New Year celebrations see factories and businesses in China being shut for many days impacting production of goods.

Last year, the Lunar year was celebrated in January, while this year it is being observed in February.

Analysts said that this meant that factories operated for more days in January this year than in 2012.

“The timing of Chinese New Year played a very important role,” said Tao Wang, an economist with UBS in Hong Kong.

“It’s always diffi cult to predict the exact strength [of the trade numbers], given the number of working days.”

She added that the Lunar New Year also affected the import numbers as companies restock ahead of the celebrations.

However, other analysts said that while the change in timing of the New Year celebrations did have an impact on the numbers, the overall trend was that of a recovery in the Chinese economy.

“After controlling for the Chinese New Year, the numbers

are still very strong and shows the economic recovery is on track,” said Zhang Zhiwei, chief China economist at Nomura.

“Both imports and exports are about fi ve to eight percentage points above market expectations, so it is a pretty strong showing.”

Boeing gets permission for Dreamliner test flights

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has

allowed Boeing to carry out test fl ights of 787 Dreamliner planes.

The entire fl eet of 787s was grounded last month after a battery on one plane caught fi re, while a malfunction forced another to make an emergency landing.

Regulators as well as Boeing have been conducting probes to fi nd out what caused the incidents.

The FAA said the test fl ights will help collect data about battery performance “while the aircraft is airborne”.

Marc Birtel, a spokesman for Boeing added that such data will “support the continuing investigations into the cause of the recent 787 battery incidents”. “We are confi dent that 787 is safe to operate for this fl ight test activity,” he added.

The FAA said it had asked Boeing to conduct extensive pre-fl ight testing and inspections and that the fl ights would be conducted “in defi ned airspace over unpopulated areas”.

However, in a separate development another US regulator, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the tests carried out by Boeing on the Dreamliner batteries, when they were fi rst certifi ed, missed the high risk of fi re.

It said that Boeing’s tests underestimated the frequency of “smoke events” in the lithium ion batteries.

The NTSB head said that Boeing’s safety checks suggested that a smoke event would occur less than once every 10 million fl ight hours.

However, the 787 planes have only clocked up 100,000 hours of fl ight-time since entering commercial services, and have experienced two battery fi res.

The tests also failed to spot that overheating in one battery cell could cascade to the others, causing a fi re, the NTSB added.

“The failure rate was higher than predicted as part of the certifi cation process and the possibility that a short circuit in a single cell could propagate to adjacent cells and result in smoke and fi re must be reconsidered,” said Deborah Hersman, the head of NTSB.

She added that the

regulators may need to reassess the certifi cation of the battery used in the Dreamliner planes. “Our task now is to see if enough, and appropriate, layers of defence and adequate checks were built into the design, certifi cation and manufacturing of this battery.”

However, the NTSB said it still had many more leads to investigate and hoped to produce an interim factual report, but not a fi nal report, within 30 days.

Mauritania gets Euros 1.5m French food aid

France has given Mauritania, through the World Food

Programme (WFP), 1.5 million Euros in food aid, the French Embassy announced on Friday. The grant is meant to assist those affected by the African nation’s food crisis.

WFP will also benefi t from a Euros 750,000 aid under the project, aimed at improving food security and nutritional status of people affected by the food and nutrition crisis in 2012.

The project also aims to provide nutritional assistance to children and breast-feeding women in seven regions across Mauritania.

According to the same source, 750,000 Euros will be earmarked for the NGO Solidarity Internationale to enable it to support the implementation of a project aimed at improving the resilience of people affected by drought in eastern Hodh, located in eastern Mauritania.

Hollande

Einhorn

Zhiwei Hersman

Abdel Aziz, Mauritanian president

Continue on pg A10


Ohiwerei

As far as one can remember, there are two men whose ac-tivities and actions have had a defi ning impact on the history of Nigerian Breweries Plc. One is Felix Omoikhoje Aizebeoje Ohiwerei (FAO), the soft spoken, gangling teeto-

taler, while the other is Festus Boniface Oha Odimegwu (FBO), aka “Shine shine Bobo.” The two were at one time or the other, manag-ing directors and chief executive offi cers of the brewing giant.

As a teetotaler, FOA, as he is called, abhors alcohol. In fact, those close to him say he does not even touch alcoholic drinks, a situation which critics almost latched on to at a time to criticise his headship of the company. Yet, this is one man, who for 37 years, earned his living selling beer and rising to the very top position in Nigeria’s biggest brewing company. The other, FBO is FOA’s direct opposite. He not only savours Star, one of the company’s prime products, Odimegwu was equally Star’s brand ambassador, earn-ing himself the sobriquet “Shine shine Bobo,” in reference to one of Star’s advertising catch lines.

Odimegwu was charismatic; a fi rst class marketer who took up Nigerian Breweries from the lofty height which Ohiwerei left it to a higher pedestal. But unlike Ohiwerei, FOB was excessively loud and ambitious and his failure to draw the line between business interest and politics cost him his plum job.

While Ohiwerei left Nigerian Breweries a fulfi lled man, adored and respected, Odimegwu, the man who succeeded him left Nige-rian Breweries almost ignominiously.

Now for Ohiwerei, though he may in the real sense of entre-preneurship not have single-handedly owned a company, his im-pact, both past and present in most entrepreneurial endeavours, has remained an outstanding case study by students of marketing and business administration and a model in the private sector. This perception was better captured in 2004 during a valedictory party for FOA by the then Heineken Director for Africa and the

The corporate enabler

He is a corporate icon of no mean repute. Within the business community, his image looms larger than life and commands high respect for his strong advocacy for high ethical standards in business, due diligence, integrity. This is the story of Felix Omoikhoje Ohiwerei, former Chairman, Nigerian Breweries Plc

By Semiu Salami


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Middle East, Frank de Man who described FOA as a key enabler of the company’s success over the years and suggested the man was a compelling subject of study and research, in front-line universities with faculties of Business Administration and Management.

Truly, Ohiwerei during his days at Nigerian Breweries was able to successfully blend his personal idiosyncrasies with forward-looking corporate ob-jectives. He has a larger -than-life image in corporate Nigeria, the factor attributable to the perceived prudence, transpar-ency and integrity with which he runs Nigeria’s leading bever-age company.

Today, Felix Omoikhoje Aizobeoye Ohiwerei remains one of the best known names in the corporate world of Nigeria in the past few decades. Soft spo-ken, amiable and business-like, Ohiwerei is highly experienced in business, especially in the brewing industry. His robust understanding of marketing techniques and fundamentals is second to none. In fact, the story of Ohiwerei gives a lie to the assumption in Nigeria that to make it materially, one has to be “smart”, a clean expression for dubious engagements. For the Edo-born corporate icon, there is no evidence to link him with any sharp practices de-spite his monumental success at NBL.

Born in Uzebba in Owan Lo-cal Government of Edo State, Ohiwerei attended St David’s School, Avbiosi, New Site; Gov-ernment Secondary School, Owerri, Nigeria College of Arts, Science and Technology, Ibadan and later, the Univer-sity of Ibadan where he bagged Bachelors of Science Degree in geography in 1961. His fi rst paid job after his university education was as a teacher in Remo Secondary School, Sag-amu, Ogun State but that ex-perience did not last more than nine months before he moved on to the Nigerian Breweries as a management trainee in 1962. As a young graduate then, the major career trajectory was to become a teacher, work for the government or enter the private sector but Ohiwerei neither wanted to work for the govern-ment nor was teaching his fi rst choice.

He joined the services of Ni-gerian Breweries on his own merit. Like he said, he merely responded to an advertise-ment for managers-in-training and indicated sales as his area of special interest. For a man who read geography, sales job would probably be the least in the consideration of many fresh graduates, and Ohiwerei him-self admitted that his course of

study had no direct relevance to sales as he however argued that economic geography prepares the student to appreciate the importance of distribution in the selling process. “Distribu-tion is a very important factor in effectively reaching and servic-ing the consumer. However, the relevance of geography to my career is that it prepared me to think in a disciplined and well structured manner. So, I joined the Nigerian Breweries as “man-ager-in-training” in the sales di-vision,” he said.

At NBL as a manager in train-ing, Ohiwerei’s training was far more rigorous than he expected. As a graduate, he had expected, as was the case then in the civ-il service, to have a big offi ce, a secretary, a messenger and clerical staff, but what he got at Nigerian Breweries was an open offi ce. Besides, he was made to learn on-the-job from the lowest ranks, the situation he initially resented, as he could not recon-cile it with the elitist treatment the company gave him outside the offi ce when a big car came to pick him to work and took him home.

Luckily, his training did not last more than six months as he was immediately confi rmed a manager and sent to the fi eld for further training. His fi rst job was as a sales representa-tive covering Ajegunle, Surulere and Apapa in the rainy season. Again, this poses very serious

initial challenge to him and fur-ther dampened his spirit of a dream of a cozy life as a man-ager. As he later admitted, his supervising manager was hard on him as he expected him to know everything from day one. He blamed him for all the short-comings, like poor merchandis-ing in the area and his plea of being new in the area fell on deaf ears. “I was vexed in my spirit and considered quitting but something inside me said instead of quitting, why not show what you can do. I decid-ed to demonstrate that I was up

to the task. This turned out to be one of my best decisions in my career. That determination became for me, a way of life. Later in my career, I thanked God for the training I had from those who trained me,” he said.

His decision to stay on, de-spite the ‘victimisation’ he re-ceived from his superiors paid off after all as he, shortly af-terwards, was promoted to the position of Field Sales Manager with responsibilities to oversee the West and Mid-West markets of the company.

He was brought back to La-

gos in 1965 and made the com-pany’s promotions manager and a year later, the company sent him on attachment to Elda Gibbs, a Unilever Company in UK. And by the time he re-turned eighteen months af-ter, the youthful Ohiwerei was again promoted to the position of Star Production Manager.

By 1974, Ohiwerei had climbed the ladder to become marketing manager but not be-fore he had held the positions of Lager Product Group Man-ager and General Brands Man-ager. But his success did not come on a platter of gold. It was attained on the basis of hard work, dedication to duty and a high level of honesty that are rare on our shores. Just fi fteen years after joining the compa-ny, he made it to the board as marketing director in 1977. The endorsement further propelled him to even overstretch himself to achieve greater successes for the company. Again, his exem-plary performance did not go unnoticed. In 1982, he was sec-onded to UAC Foods Division as General Manager and in June 1986, he was sent to UAC Inter-national, London (a University company) as a Senior Manager in Nominated Africa Territories Regional Management and re-turned a year later and appoint-ed Deputy Chairman/Manag-ing Director of the company. Two years after, Ohiwerei, the soft spoken, workaholic com-

Truly, Ohiwerei during his days at Nigerian Breweries was able to successfully blend his personal idiosyncrasies with forward-looking corporate objectives. He has a larger -than-life image in corporate Nigeria, the factor attributable to the perceived prudence, transparency and integrity with which he runs Nigeria’s leading beverage company


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pleted his cycle in Nigerian Breweries with his appointment as Chairman/Managing Direc-tor in June 1989, 27 years after joining the company as a man-agement trainee and served in that capacity for 10 years until he retired from the service of Nigeria Breweries in June 1999 and was appointed Non-Execu-tive Chairman of the company in July 1999. Ohiwerei fi nally disengaged from NB Plc board in December 2007.

Ohiwerei’s secondment to Unilever was meant to enable him gain general management experience, a kind of launching pad for the bigger managerial role which the board of Nigerian Breweries had envisioned for him. At the time, Unilever was a shareholder in Nigerian Brew-eries (UAC was a subsidiary of Unilever) and moving from a company making profi t to UAC Foods (Division) which was run-ning at a loss was a challeng-ing one as he had the express mandate to reverse the negative fortune of the company. When he moved in, the expectation was that it would take two to three years for the turn around to happen but to the surprise of all, UAC Foods made a profi t within the fi rst year and as he said, “the second was good and the third was much better. The Lord gave me a very good team of young managers.”

Ohiwerei’s sojourn at NB Plc was not entirely a bed of roses. His major headache started with the introduction of Gulder lager. The company had commissioned series of re-search studies which indicated that Gulder would be a greater brand. Everyone, including Ohiwerei, had expected almost an overnight success but to their utter shock, Guilder Mark 1, was a failure.

Then, determined to move on and correct the mistakes that made Guilder Mark 1 a fl op, the company decided to plunge into Guilder Mark 11 and as the general brands manager, reporting to the marketing di-rector, then, he had a big hand in the introduction. Besides, he had the instruction of the then general manager/chairman of the company to search through all the research studies and put on a page or two, his analysis of what was wrong with Guilder Mark 1 and what the consum-er expected of a reformulated Guilder. Clearly, the assign-ment puts the future of the brand and his future to a great extent on this report as it was to be the reference point. For him, the tension from the time of the report to the successful re-launch of Guilder (a period of no less than 18 months) was diffi cult to handle. Luckily for the brand, the company and

himself, the re-launch was and still remains a huge success till date.

Again, another issue that tasked Ohiwerei’s resolve while at NB Plc was the Federal Gov-ernment’s ban of malted barley, the situation that meant that the company had to use maize and sorghum for the production of lager beer. It was at this point that he was appointed manag-ing director. The challenge for NB Plc was to use local raw ma-terials to produce replicas for Star, Guilder and Maltina while failure to do so mean start-ing from the scratch with new brands. “It was a tall order. The future looked bleak,” he admit-ted. However, the management, its technical and commercial advisers, tackled the challenges purposefully and what “seemed impossible was brought to the realm of possibility through determination and dogged ap-plication of technical/techno-logical expertise. We did what had never been done before. Needless to say that we all went through diffi cult times, but it was a wonderful experience,” he stressed.

Instructively, there are two critical things that have had a strong infl uence on Ohiwerei’s life. One is his family back-ground and secondly, the motto

of his secondary school which states: “Work hard, play hard, and keep straight. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, all is lost.”

FOA, the last in the family of eight children was born into a very strong Christian fam-ily with Anglican doctrine. His father, late Samuel Ohiwerei, a Catechist was a disciplinarian who instilled strong moral and religious values into his chil-

dren at a very early stage of their lives. In fact, Ohiwerei became even more visible on Christian circuits and is believed to be one of the major pillars of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG.

Out of business in execu-tive capacity, Felix Ohiwerei has nonetheless been very active on the corporate skyline. He was appointed Chairman Unilever Nigeria Plc from January 1998 to December 2007., became the Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of

Council, University of Ibadan 2000-2004 and Chairman, Government Council of Nigeria Investment Production Com-mission 2003 - 2007. He is on the board of Ashford & McGuire Consulting and has chaired the Boards of Coates Brothers (WA) Limited, Virgin Nigeria and New Nigerian Bank, now, Unity Bank Plc.

Ohiwerei was appointed Chairman of ARM’s Board of Directors in May 2006, Bankers Warehouse Limited, E-tranzact Plc, Fidson Healthcare Plc and member of Heineken African Advisory Council. He is also a member of the Board of Trust-ees, Redeemers University and chairs the board of Strategic & Leadership Development Con-sulting and Jubilee-Life Savings and Loans Limited, incorporat-ed as a private limited Liability Company in August 1992.

Ohiwerei has attended nu-merous international courses, which include, Unilever Senior Finance Awareness Course, UK, 1987, Senior Execu-tive Programme, University of Southern California, USA, 1980 and others. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws De-gree (LL.D) by the University of Ibadan in November 1997. He has also received the ZIK Prize in Leadership.

Ohiwerei is a Fellow of some Professional Institutes and business associates such as Ni-gerian Marketing Association, Geography Society of Nigeria and the Institute of Directors. He is a member of Council of the Lagos Chamber of Com-merce and Nigerian Economic Summit Board of Directors. He was a member of the Vision 2010 Committee and served as Rapporteur, Sub Committee on Anti-Corruption as well as the Sub Committee on the Vision Statement.

Though Ohiwerei remains a role model to several budding and established entrepreneurs, he himself has people he looks up to for direction and guid-ance. Dr. C.E. Abebe, Dr. Mi-chael Omolayole, and Akintola Williams are a few of Ohiwerei’s corporate role models while he admitted to have been duly mo-tivated to reach his commanding height through the interface he had with the likes of late James MacKay, John Hunt and Joost den Hond while Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of RCCG, the man he met about twenty one years ago, he says, has had a profound infl uence on his life. “He preaches the word and lives the word. From his life, I have come to realise and ap-preciate how the spiritual con-trols the physical. Every promise in the word of God is ours if we make the necessary sacrifi ce,” he concluded.

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‘I was vexed in my spirit and considered quitting but something inside me said instead of quitting, why not show what you can do. I decided to demonstrate that I was up to the task. This turned out to be one of my best decisions in my career. That determination became for me, a way of life

Ohiwerei


Management Principles

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs

Principles of entrepreneurship

Who can become an entrepreneur? There is no one defi nitive profi le. Success-ful entrepreneurs come in various ages, income levels, gender, and race. They differ in education and experience. But research indicates that most successful entrepreneurs

share certain personal attributes, including: creativity, dedication, determination, fl exibility, leadership, pas-sion, self-confi dence, and “smarts.”

*Creativity is the spark that drives the development of new products or services or ways to do business. It is the push for innovation and improvement. It is continuous learning, questioning, and thinking outside of prescribed formulas.

*Dedication is what motivates the entrepreneur to work hard, 12 hours a day or more, even seven days a week, especially in the beginning, to get the endeavour off the ground. Planning and ideas must be joined by hard work to succeed. Dedication makes it happen.

*Determination is the extremely strong desire to achieve success. It includes persistence and the ability to bounce back after rough times. It persuades the entrepreneur to make the 10th phone call, after nine have yielded nothing. For the true entrepreneur, money is not the motivation. Success is the motivator; money is the reward.

*Flexibility is the ability to move quickly in response to changing market needs. It is being true to a dream while also being mindful of market realities. A story is told about an entrepreneur who started a fancy shop selling only French pastries. But customers wanted to buy muffi ns as well. Rather than risking the loss of these customers, the entrepreneur modifi ed her vision to accommodate these needs.

*Leadership is the ability to create rules and to set goals. It is the capacity to follow through to see that rules are followed and goals are accomplished.

*Passion is what gets entrepreneurs started and keeps them there. It gives entrepreneurs the ability to con-vince others to believe in their vision. It can’t substitute for planning, but it will help them to stay focused and to get others to look at their plans.

*Self-confi dence comes from thorough planning, which reduces uncertainty and the level of risk. It also comes from expertise. Self-confi dence gives the entrepreneur the ability to listen without being easily swayed or intimidated.

*“Smarts” consists of common sense joined with knowledge or experience in a related business or endeav-our. The former gives good instincts, the latter, expertise. Many people have smarts they don’t recognize. A per-

When she started out sometimes in 2005, Temituokpe Esisi nev-

er imagined that what she was dabbling into would earn her so much fame and fortune. To her, dumping a law practice after fi ve gruelling academic years and nine months of active service for tailoring was a mere fulfi lment of a burning passion. Sew knew what she was doing and was not prepared to get distracted despite open condemnation by friends and some close relatives.

As a teenager, Esisi was said to have deep passion for creative works and always sought oppor-tunities to express her creativity. She made dolls and other toys, selling it to her friends and get-ting money out of it to run her shores. While in the university, she baked cakes and made valen-tine fabric fl owers which she sold to other students, from where she made enough money that en-abled her lived a comfortable life on campus.

After her mandatory one-year Law School Programme, Esisi only practiced law for nine months but then, it was that fi rst job that provided the opportunity to fully express her passion. The law fi rm she joined was starting a new offi ce in Lagos and as the pioneer staff, the job of setting up the offi ce - furniture, offi ce design and layout, partitioning, paint-ing, etc. fell on her. She thor-oughly enjoyed the work so much so that when the real business of law commenced, she discovered that she actually had more fun setting up the offi ce than han-dling clients’ briefs.

So, nine months after, she resigned to pursue her passion, tailoring. That was in 2005, when she started off her own en-

Trading the wig for scissors and tapeShe read law but clearly, her passion was somewhere else. Nine years into professional practice as a lawyer, she switched her career into a rather uncommon field. She abandoned the gown and wig and opted instead to be a tailor and in less than five years, the tailoring business she started with a little $1,000 not only catapulted her into global relevance, she also hold herself high as one of the leading women entrepreneurs in the country. This is the story of how Temituokpe Esisi rode on the crest of tailoring to attain global relevance

By Salami Semiu trepreneurial endeavour called Tuopsy’s Enterprises from her residence and with a $1,000 seed money from an angel investor whom she recalled said,” ‘Let’s see what you do with this.’

Tuopsy Enterprises started out with one staff but within a short time, the business began to grow through word-of-mouth referrals and patronages from friends and relations. She added a couple of more machines.

However, despite her undy-ing entrepreneurial spirit, Esisi almost shutdown the business in 2008, barely three years after takeoff as contrary to her expec-tations, the infrastructural and resource hitches that confronted her was rather too daunting for her to cope with. The astronomi-cal power charges, the bloated lending rates from the banks all ensured that the business wasn’t anywhere near gratifying, as the efforts she and her team put into the enterprise. She was working her fi ngers off but the money just wouldn’t come. “I ran this busi-ness for three years solely on pas-sion and creativity, but I didn’t make any money. I was ready to throw the towel in,” she recalled.

Luckily for her, it was at that trying time that Goldman Sachs introduced the 10,000 Women Entrepreneurial programme in Nigeria. She opted for it to get some direction to take her busi-ness through and after the train-ing at the Entrepreneurial De-velopment Centre of the Lagos Business School (LBS), Lagos, Esisi was able to re-organise, restructure and review her busi-ness, infusing a new power and energy into Tuopsy’s Enterprises. At the programme, she was in-troduced to the concepts of busi-ness strategy, strategic business plans, target marketing, etc, and participated in business simula-

tion classes. “This was a trans-formational experience for me, because prior to this, I knew the technical aspects of what I was doing, but was yet to fully ap-preciate the depth and breadth of the business side,” she said. “The fi rst couple of weeks in class, I

realized I had been doing every-thing wrong,” Esisi says. Through an online mentoring programme, Esisi was matched with a Gold-man Sachs employee, Chief Op-erating Offi cer for the Securities division of Goldman Sachs, Mi-chelle Pinggera, who guided her

through her coursework.Over the course of four

months, she excelled in her coursework, gaining the fi nancial and leadership skills to enhance her business, and eventually completing a certifi cate in entre-preneurial management. She ad-

Esisi


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Personal Finance

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs

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How to write a business plan

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son who successfully keeps a household on a budget has organizational and fi nancial skills. Employment, education, and life experiences all contribute to smarts. Every entrepreneur have these qualities in differ-ent degrees. But what if a person lacks one or more? Many skills can be learned. Or, someone can be hired who has strengths that the entrepre-neur lacks. The most important strategy is to be aware of strengths and to build on them.

What leads a person to strike out on his own and start a business? Perhaps a person has been laid off once or more. Sometimes a person is frustrated with his or her cur-rent job and doesn’t see any better career prospects on the horizon. Sometimes, a person realizes that his or her job is in jeopardy. A fi rm may be contemplating cutbacks that could end

a job or limit career or salary prospects. Perhaps, a person already has been passed over for promotion. Perhaps, a person sees no opportunities in exist-ing businesses for someone with his or her interests and skills. Some people are actually repulsed by the idea of working for someone else. They object to a system where reward is often based on seniority rather than accomplish-ment, or where they have to conform to corporate culture. Other people decide to become entrepreneurs be-cause they are disillusioned by the bureaucracy or politics involved in getting ahead in an established business or profession. Some are tired of trying to promote a product, service, or way of doing business that is outside the mainstream operations of a large company.

In contrast, some people are attracted to entrepreneurship by the advan-tages of starting a business. These include: *Entrepreneurs are their own bosses. They make the decisions. They choose whom to do business with and what work they will do. They decide what hours to work, as well as what to pay and whether to take vacations. *Entrepreneurship offers a greater possibility of achieving signifi cant fi nancial rewards than working for someone else. *It provides the ability to be involved in the total operation of the business, from concept to design and creation, from sales to business operations and cus-tomer response. *It offers the prestige of being the person in charge. It gives an individual the opportunity to build equity, which can be kept, sold, or passed on to the next generation. * Entrepreneurship creates an opportunity for a per-son to make a contribution. Most new entrepreneurs help the local economy. Some people evaluate the possibilities for jobs and careers where they live and make a conscious decision to pursue entrepreneurship. No one reason is more valid than another; none guarantee success. However, a strong desire to start a business, combined with a good idea, careful planning, and hard work, can lead to a very engaging and profi table endeavour.

mitted that it was after the Goldman Sachs programme that she realized she was more than a tailor. “I was in the fashion business; because there were opportunities in my business that I was not focusing on such as purchasing, production, design, mar-keting, exports, etc.”

A year after in 2009, Esisi began to take his tailoring profession to the global stage, as she along with some of the most famous, powerful and infl u-ential women in the world, including Hillary Clinton, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and a galaxy of other celebrities, re-ceived the coveted Vital Voices Entre-preneurship Award in Washington DC in 2009. That clearly marked a turn-ing point in the life of the lawyer who traded her wig for the scissors and tape of a tailor.

Today, Esisi has emerged as one of Africa’s success stories in women enterprise through her Tuopsy Enter-prises and she is presently a mentor to the new breed of women entrepre-neurs in the programme.

However, though Esisi holds her current status to the former exposure she received through the Goldman Sach’s Entrepreneurial Development

Scholarship programme, the real success factors appear to be her own inner driving force; her perseverance, commitment vision and passion. Besides, from the time she started selling cakes while in the university, Esisi adopted the culture of treating her customers like gold. “Over time, as I needed to employ staff, I real-ized it was important to treat my em-ployees just as if they were custom-ers – because they are the face of my business. If the internal customer is not happy, the external one won’t be either” she said.

Here are seven ways, according to Esisi on how to treat employees with the same respect, patience, and im-portance you give to customers:

Speak their languageComing from my background as a

lawyer, I had trouble communicating with my employees when I launched a fashion-design company in Nigeria. The employees were skilled but un-educated; it was as though I spoke in a different dialect. It’s easy for an entrepreneur to be cocky and think because you had the big dream to set up your business you had to

be served, but I realized it was up to me, not the employees, to fi nd ways to communicate effectively. Because many of them didn’t read or write, I found that drawing diagrams on the clothing patterns was a really effective way to give them instructions.

Provide educationWhile I came down to the employ-

ees’ level originally, I needed to raise them up in the long run. I engaged a tutor a few days a week to help my employees develop their language skills. Ongoing employee training is essential. However, the training should never be simply about giving workers education, but about provid-ing them with skills that directly help the business.

Express your expectationsI had a friend who was going to

dismiss her housekeeper because she didn’t meet her standards of cleanli-ness. But I realized my friend hadn’t bothered to explain her expectations to the housekeeper. Once she did, the housekeeper became more effec-tive in her duties. The same concept is true in my business. It’s pointless to be critical of your employees’ per-formance until you clearly delineate what you expect of them, because their standards may be different.

Create room for interactionPeople are often afraid to ask ques-

tions because they think it refl ects badly on them. I made it clear to my employees that it was okay to ask for clarifi cation. I had an open-door pol-icy. When employees saw they could ask questions without retribution or punishment, they came to me with more questions, and became better, more productive workers.

Defi ne clear structureHere in Nigeria, tailors typically

work by a process called “freehand cut-ting,” where they cut into the material without using a pattern. For my busi-ness to succeed, however, I needed a systematized approach that produced a uniform product. When I hired new employees, I found they adjusted to my system when I put forward our orga-nizational structure and operating pro-cedures and explained everything up-front. People will adapt quickly to new concepts if you guide them and clearly show the reasons behind it.

Identify areas of StrengthIn a creative business like fashion,

I had to carefully match my employ-ees’ skills with the needs of my busi-ness. Some employees are better with detailed work, so I had them produce clothing where that is important. Oth-ers take pride in turning out work faster, so I assigned them to tasks where speed is more important than exactitude. The key is to fi nd what people do well, so you can give them duties that allow them to succeed.

Show appreciationWhen I saw that some customers

asked for clothing made by a specifi c employee, I realize what an important part of the company my workers were. In a service business, there’s nothing between your staff and your custom-ers – so you need to regard them both as vital to your success.

A business plan is a written description of your business’s future. It is a document that de-scribes what you plan to do and how you plan

to do it. Business plans can help perform a number of tasks for those who write and read them. They’re used by investment-seeking entrepreneurs to convey their vision to potential investors. They may also be used by fi rms that are trying to attract key employ-ees, prospect for new business, deal with suppliers or simply to understand how to manage their compa-nies better.

So what’s included in a business plan, and how do you put one together? Simply stated, a business plan conveys your business goals, the strategies you’ll use to meet them, potential problems that may confront your business and ways to solve them, the organizational structure of your business (including titles and responsibilities), and fi nally, the amount of capital required to fi nance your venture and keep it going until it breaks even.

Now that you understand why you need a busi-ness plan and you’ve spent some time doing your homework gathering the information you need to create one, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get everything down on paper. Discussed hereunder are the seven essential sections of a business plan: what you should include, what you shouldn’t include, how to work the numbers and additional resources you can turn to for help. With that in mind, jump right in.

*Executive summary Within the overall outline of the business plan,

the executive summary will follow the title page. The summary should tell the reader what you want. Clearly state what you’re asking for in the summary. The statement should be kept short and business-like, probably no more than half a page. It could be longer, depending on how complicated the use of funds may be, but the summary of a business plan, like the summary of a loan application, is generally no longer than one page. Within that space, you’ll need to provide a synopsis of your entire business plan like: the business concept, where you discuss the industry, your business structure, your particu-lar product or service, and how you plan to make your business a success; fi nancial features which highlights the important fi nancial points of the busi-ness including sales, profi ts, cash fl ows and return on investment and fi nancial requirements that clear-ly state the capital needed to start the business and to expand. Others include current business position, which is the legal form of operation, the principal owners and key personnel as well as major achieve-ments, which provides details of any developments within the company that are essential to the success of the business.

Business descriptionThis usually begins with a short description of

the industry, the present outlook as well as future possibilities. It also provides information on all the various markets within the industry, including any new products or developments that will benefi t or adversely affect your business.

If the business plan is to be used as a document for fi nancial purposes, explain why the added equity or debt money is going to make your business more profi table.

Market strategiesThese are the result of a meticulous market

analysis, which forces the entrepreneur to become familiar with all aspects of the market so that the target market can be defi ned and the company can be positioned in order to garner its share of sales. A market analysis also enables the entrepreneur to establish pricing, distribution and promotional strat-egies that will allow the company to become profi t-able within a competitive environment. In addition, it provides an indication of the growth potential within the industry, and this will allow you to develop your own estimates for the future of your business.


With the world increas-ingly becoming a global village, the Internet,

through which this is made pos-sible, has equally remained ubiq-uitous, affordable and mostly accessible. In Nigeria, just like the rest of the world, the growing number of people with internet access, especially through the mobile phones has been amaz-ing. With over 60 million Inter-net users and 96 million mobile phone subscribers, Nigeria re-mains Africa’s largest mobile and Internet market.

Among most Nigerians, the use of the Internet varies. While many use the internet to access social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc, others use the it for other serious business activities. The fi nancial institu-tions have equally stepped up ef-forts to integrate electronic pay-ment system to enable Nigerians transact business online, a step that is expected to accelerate the nation’s e-commerce growth.

But despite the many advan-tages that come with the use of the Internet, the negative impact of cybercrime on businesses has continued to create fears in the mind of users and potential on-line users. This is more so as it has been discovered that with the web, fraud now come from any-where on the planet. Now, dis-tance is no longer a barrier as it is cheaper to use fraudulent, de-ceptive “spamming” e-mails and web pages to dupe unsuspecting victims. Interestingly, the Inter-net also makes it easier for con artists to cover their tracks.

While on daily basis, cases of cybercrime have been on the in-crease, a number of institutions, particularly internet banking and other online transactions, have

Internet fraudsters on the prowlInternet fraudsters on the prowl

Internet fraud-sters are getting more sophis-ticated by the day, deploying various strate-gies to defraud their victims and creating an at-mosphere of fear and insecurity in Nigeria’s emerg-ing e-commerce sub-sector

By Adejuwon Osunnuyi become targets of cyber crimi-nals, with varying degrees of so-phistication and success.

Investigations by Business Courage revealed that dubious persons send scam email mes-sages to victims requesting infor-mation like login accounts and passwords among others in or-der to defraud the unsuspecting preys. As the case maybe, theft of identity, spamming, unauthor-ised access, cyber bullying, cyber stalking, among others, are be-coming the order of the day.

Examples of such schemes are: Auction and Retail Online, Business Opportunity/”Work-at-Home”, Online Identity Theft, Fraud Market Manipulation, In-vestment, Online charity, credit-card, lottery/prize-promotion, advance-fee and spammed E-mails (unsolicited E-mails).

For many, the most familiar scam which many fall victims of in recent time is the e-mail spam. The e-mail spam, as it is called, is fl ooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very little to send as most of the costs are paid for by the recipient or the carriers rather than by the sender.

To some extent, it is obvious that spam has grown to be a ma-jor concern for Internet users and policy makers not only for con-gesting networks and dissemi-nating viruses and fraudulent messages, but also for under-mining trust in the Internet and the digital economy. One par-ticularly nasty variant of email spam is sending spam to mailing lists (public or private email dis-cussion forums.) Because many

mailing lists limit activity to their subscribers, spammers will use automated tools to subscribe to as many mailing lists as possible, so that they can grab the lists of addresses, or use the mailing list as a direct target for their attacks.

Although a lot of people are becoming bolder and wiser when it comes to using the internet, checks revealed that, a lot of people are still unaware of the internet-related crimes as they continue to fall victims. Many of those that fall into this category are those that respond to series of the internet fraud alert alleg-edly sent by banks asking them to update their data. Coming with the exact logos of the banks on cloned websites, to a poten-tial customer, the messages look harmless and helpful. But where the harm has always been is the area where the customer is asked to enter his password. Through this, checks revealed that once the password is supplied, the scammers get unrestricted ac-cess into the victims’ account and carry out the harm.

Anthony Emeana, an internet user, recalled the agonising expe-rienced he had that wiped off his entire account worth millions of naira. Emeana said that respond-ing to a message he thought had come from his bank had been his albatross. According to him, the message, “Dear Valued Cus-tomer, It is mandatory that you update your internet banking profi le. This is a new procedure to prevent Phishing attacks. We shall disable your internet bank-ing if not updated immediately as we are not going to be responsible for any loss as a result of disre-garding this message. HOW TO UPDATE: Simply Download At-tached Form Fill and Submit,” was all the scammers needed to hack into his account.

Aside from Emeana, there are

many other Nigerians who are daily falling victims of the bank account update scam. Though the banks have continued to warn their customers not to di-vulge their password or Personal Identifi cation Number (PIN), Biola Ameso, another internet user, who said she has become very sceptical, and would rather have nothing to do with the internet and other internet-related activi-ties noted that it takes common sense to keep out of trouble and avoid becoming a victim of cyber-crime. “The way the messages come is always very convincing and original. But you must use your common sense.” According to her, some crimes could easily be prevented with better imple-mentation of technology. “Ignor-ing emails requesting passwords, and updating anti-virus, can help deter some risk of identity theft, spamming, among others,” she counselled.

Aside the bank update scam, the scammers seem to have moved to the social media espe-cially the dating sites. How does the romance scams work? Ro-mance scammers normally tar-get social websites especially re-ligious sites where they suspect they can fi nd honest victims. In most cases, they create a profi le with nice looking fake picture to make their victims get attracted to them.

On facebook, twitter, netlog and other sites, to get hook to their victims, they send spam messages such as “My name is Vivian Fugar, after reading your short profi le here I took interest in you, and I really have vital in-formation relating to my life and future that I want to disclose to you, so please reply me with my email address here (fugarviv-ian2012 @yahoo.com)where I will be able to write to you to tell you more about me and also send to

you my attached photo.”While they try to create good

sounding relationship with un-suspecting victim, most of them regularly contact the victim through various ways including phone calls until they gain the trust of the victim. The scammer exchanges photographs that are not real and in some cases, send gift to the victim. After the scam-mer has established the illusion but meaningful relationship, he or she begins to ask the victim for money. In doing so, they tell their unsuspecting “lovers” pathetic stories that something terrible had happened to them or their family and desperately in need of money or may ask an airfare in order to meet the victim. Once they are able to achieve their aim, they cut off all communications or in some cases, ask for more money.

However, in some cases, the scammer will ask the vic-tim to cash a fake money order or cheque for them and wire the money. While banks might not be able to verify the validity of the money order right away and go ahead to cash the money order, later, the victim founds out that he is being responsible for the cashed fake money order plus any penalties and legal prosecu-tions.

Michael Wellington, a com-puter analyst, blaming most Ni-gerians who fall victims of cyber-crime as being gullible, maintains that “(Nigerians) are just great at social engineering. They keep fi nding new victims.

According to him, there are plenty of variations on the cyber scam as the scammers appar-ently keep up with the news. “In 2001, instead of a Nigerian barris-ter, the missing money belonged to an Iraqi national, persecuted under Saddam Hussein. The year before, it was family of victims of


TechnotipsTechnotips

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the Concorde plane crash. Earlier this year, it was a Tsunami victim; then, a US soldier killed in Iraq during the war on terror, anything to get an edge, or to catch victims with their guard down,” he said.

Stakeholders in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry have insisted that the passage of an enabling legisla-tion on Nigerians cyber space re-mains the best choice to tame the problem.

Recent studies, they stated, have shown that people are more likely to engage in offensive or ille-gal behaviour online because of the perception of anonymity, thus cy-bercriminals exploit the rights and privileges of a free society, includ-ing anonymity.

According to a publication on “Understanding Cybercrime” on the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) website: “The adop-tion by all countries of appropriate legislation against the misuse of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), for criminal or other purposes, including activities intended to affect the integrity of national critical information infra-structures, is central to achieving global cyber security.

The publication further stated that since threats could originate anywhere around the globe, the challenges are inherently interna-tional in scope and thus requires international cooperation, inves-tigative assistance, and common substantive and procedural provi-sions.

David Isiavwe, one of members of the Nigerian Cybercrime Working Group (NCWG) constituted to draft the fi rst bill on Nigerian Cybercrime Act, in 2004, lamented the non-ex-istent of a cyber-law eight years af-ter. It would be recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had inaugurated the Nigerian Cyber-crime Working Group (NCWG), on March 10, 2004. Before then, he had formed a 15-member commit-tee consisting of representatives from the government and private sector with the task of designing so-lutions for Nigerian internet-based fraud and cybercrime. While the committee then had formed the Ni-gerian Cybercrime Working Group (NCWG), after several months of hard work and determina-tion, the NCWG presented a ‘Draft Nigerian Cybercrime Act’ to the President. “Every-one, including the students, employers of labour as well as employees in public and private sectors, fi nancial in-stitutions, telecoms operators and other organisations in the country must know that cy-bercrime is real, and seek to be protected.” he said.

Executive Director, Para-digm Initiative, Gbenga Ses-an, noted that the absence of an enabling law left vacuums and chaos in any given soci-ety and much to be desired. According to him, “The fact that there is no cybercrime legislation existing in Nigeria means that cybercrime is not exactly considered as a crime in this country.” To him, “Ex-cept the prosecutor is able to use an amalgamation of laws to prove that a crime has been

committed, there is no crime. For a country that has an unfair reputa-tion in relation to cybercrime, the fact that the National Assembly has not been able to pass any of the cybercrime bills since 2004 makes Nigeria look unserious.

Lanre Ajayi, President, Associa-tions of Telecommunications Com-panies of Nigeria, (ATCON) , said in a recent forum in Lagos that that the growing wave of cybercrimes in the country without much effort from the government to pass into law, pending bills aimed at crimi-nalising the acts, remains a major drawback to the development of e-commerce in Nigeria.

Ajayi, who described the delay being faced by some cybercrime-re-lated bills in the National Assembly as uncalled-for, said it was impor-tant that cybercrimes be put under control if e-Commerce and other online transactions must thrive in the country.

He noted that facilitating elec-tronic payment transactions as being driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria in collaboration with the banks as well as boosting the overall e-commerce in the country would require the government to enact appropriate laws to crimi-nalise some bad online behaviour while embarking on massive cam-paign on how to use the Internet as tool for job and wealth creation as alternative to online scam and cybercrime, and maintained that increasing shift of commerce to the Internet had been the trend in many part of the world.

However, to get protected from being scammed, an internet user is advised to always be able to rec-ognize a scam. “If you plan to use the Internet at all for your busi-ness, personal or social needs, save yourself a lot of time and energy by knowing the different types of scams out there so you can bypass them altogether.”

Chief Executive Offi cer of Tel-edom Group, Dr. Emmanuel Eku-wem, in his own reaction to the in-crease wave of internet criminality, cautioned internet users against unprotected online security in the present era of digital economy. Ac-cording to him, internet users need to protect their online transactions

against security loopholes that could expose their transactions to cyber vulnerabilities.

Ekuwem, the former President, Association of Telecoms Companies (ATCON), urged governments and private bodies using web services to ensure they install security solu-tions on their computers. According to him, tighter security solutions will go a long way in reducing cyber threat, which is a global problem.

“The greatest security threat facing governments and private bodies using the web service is lack of preparation for the increasing cy-ber threats,” he said.

While urging the National As-sembly to be hasty with the passage of the security bill before them, the IT expert said that continuous leak of users information was a serious infringement of the rights of inter-net users and threatened Internet safety.

He maintained that the latest Symantec Internet Security Threat Report had moved Nigeria six posi-tions up the ladder to now occupy the 59th position globally among countries with the greatest internet security threat. According to him, this is more important with Nige-ria gradually transiting from cash to an electronic based economy by virtue of the implementation of the CBN’s cash-less policy.

“Cyber criminals, who attack businesses and individuals across the globe, can re-direct their ener-gies to exploit vulnerabilities in the electronic payment system in order to perpetuate fraud,” he said.

Also, Peter Ejiofor, a Lagos-based Internet security expert, said there was need to increase internet security solution to mitigate cyber crimes.

Ejiofor, who expressed concern about Nigeria’s rising cyber crime profi le, especially with the delay in passing into law, pending bills aimed at criminalising the acts, said that the days of depending on only anti-virus software to keep computers safe were over, as he noted that internet was constantly changing and hackers were also changing techniques.

“When you use multiple secu-rity measures throughout your net-work, the overall security is much stronger,” Ejiofor said.

While an internet user is not expected to never reply anyone running such a scheme, it is also advisable to use your Internet e-mail service to block junk or ‘spam’ e-mails. Check your online service for ways to reduce unsolicited com-mercial e-mail. Also, it is essential never to download an e-mail at-tachment from an unknown send-er as it could be a virus. Most of the times, these type of email that contains virus might come from a know sender, but once it asks you to open an application, be sure it is a virus.

As an internet user, don’t re-spond to any mail that asks for money upfront as even If such an offer is too good to be true, don’t believe it.

While you should understand that nobody is on the Internet with the sole purpose of making you rich, investigate Internet-related business opportunities just as you would investigate any business op-portunity.

Omobola Johnson, minister of communication

With the recent r e p o r t e d cases of

misuse of social net-work sites, particu-larly with more kids making use of smart-phones, many par-ents are increasingly becoming uncomfort-able with the nega-tive exposures which children are daily inundated with. The good news, however, is that, parents and guardians can now have rest of mind as the Blackerry phone now has Parental Con-trols app. The BlackBerry Parental Controls is now available in the BlackBerry App World storefront for customers with a BlackBerry 6 or BlackBerry 7 OS smartphone while those using Black-Berry Device Software 5, a compatible version of Paren-tal Controls is expected to be made available in the near future. Parental Controls is an integrated feature that provides parents and guardians simple options to help them protect their children by restricting access to spe-cifi c functions, features and applications. You might not think it’s obvious, but one segment of customers that can benefi t from BlackBerry security are teens – they may even be children – with phones provided by their parents or guardian.

If you provide a BlackBerry smartphone to a teen or child, you can have a peace of mind as you set limits on what features or services your child can have access to.

To activate this app, provided you are using a Black-Berry 6 or BlackBerry 7 OS smartphone, open Black-Berry App World on your smartphone and search for Parental Controls, or use the “Scan A Barcode” feature (Menu >“Scan a Barcode”)

A couple examples of the restrictions you can set by going to Options -> Security -> Parental Controls are:

Camera – A control to disable use of the camera for both still pictures and video. Upon attempting to launch the Camera application, the user would be provided with the message “Camera has been blocked.”

Phone – Limit the phone to receive calls only from phone numbers that exist in the contacts application. This feature will block incoming phone calls from unknown call-ers.

Other fea-tures where you can also restrict include text messages, Blue-tooth fi le trans-fer, location ser-vices, Browser, Application in-stallation, Email account setup, Facebook, Twit-ter, Messenger and BlackBerry Messenger.

How to use BlackBerry Parental Controls

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Etisalat rewards winners of prize for innovationStories by Adejuwon Osunnuyi

Etisalat Nigeria has re-warded winners of its

fi rst edition of the ‘Etisalat Nigeria Prize for Innovation’ aimed at encouraging and celebrating valuable innova-tion in the African market.

The ‘Etisalat Prize for In-novation’ which was awarded in two categories was given to companies that developed the most innovative products and ideas at the competition.

The fi rst prize of $25, 000 for the most innova-tive product or service was presented to Sinelimit rep-resented by Olaseni Odebiyi for Mobile Maths Practice, a mobile application that helps students in preparing for exams, and the second prize of $10,000 for the most in-novative idea was presented to Future Software for the iConnect Project, Mobile ICT Units proposed, represented by Oyehmi Begho, to supply mobile broadband internet vehicles to schools in various geographical areas.

Speaking on the success of the competition which wit-nessed an impressive array of entries for the two award categories, Chief Executive Offi cer, Etisalat Nigeria, Ste-ven Evans, explained that the competition was instituted to provide the opportunity for ingenious people to pres-ent innovative and relevant mobile broadband products/services and ideas.

According to him, the company is currently working with them to further enhance the product and idea in order to provide realistic solutions to everyday challenges and make a difference to our aver-age subscriber either fi nan-cially or socially.

At the prize giving cer-emony held in Lagos at the weekend, Evans noted that noted the company, which is undoubtedly renowned as the most innovative and fastest growing telecommunications

company, in recognition of ef-forts made by the government to facilitate and promote mo-bile broadband in the country last year instituted and spon-sored the ‘Etisalat Prize for Innovation award’ for the most innovative product/service and idea at the 2012 edition of the Africa Com conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

Stating that the reason for introducing this unique award category to the Africa Com lineup is to encourage and pro-mote broadband adoption and usage in Nigeria and Africa in general, he noted, “This spon-sorship is a unique one for us because of our desire to offer more to our customers beyond the business of telephony. We also realize that even though customers primarily want to enjoy the products and ser-vices on offer by Etisalat, they also want to know that we not only care for them, but also the wider environment in which we operate.”

Evans noted innovation has been the bedrock of every product the company had in the last four years.

“From easy starter with HomeZone and You & Me, easy cliq with Talk & Share and Cliq for the week, easy life with its unique affordable tariff to easyblaze the fastest broadband service in Nigeria, to easyfl ex with its all-in-one bundle plans for voice, SMS and data services, easywallet, our secure and user-friendly SIM application for mobile money payments and trans-fers, easyadz, a unique permis-sion- and preference-based mobile advertising service – we’ve created products and services that have become a part of your daily life; products that are unique to associate with while making your com-munication lives easier.”

“When we launched com-mercial operations in 2008, we had one goal in mind, that goal was to turn around the telecoms industry and exceed every Nigerian’s expectation of what a Telecom organiza-tion should be. We went ahead to develop Etisalat’s business strategy based on four stra-tegic elements – Innovation, Quality of Service, customer focus and effi ciency/value for money.”

Speaking on the growth of broadband in Africa, Ev-ans said the African mobile broadband market is growing at an incredibly fast rate as according to a recent forecast conducted by Richard Hurst, senior analyst in Ovum’s Emerging Markets team, broadband users are predicted to hit approximately 277 mil-lion by 2015. That represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40 percent, from 2010 to 2015.

He observed that govern-ment and stakeholders across the continent are making

concerted efforts to boost the adoption of mobile broadband as it has been identifi ed as the future of mobile technology usage.

“Africa has shown enor-mous potential for growth in mobile broadband services and analysts say that if the suc-cess in the GSM services is anything to go by, stakeholders predict a boom in broadband services in the continent. Al-ready, the Federal Government of Nigeria is spearheading efforts at creating an enabling environment for the develop-ment of broadband in the country.” He said.

Guinness sponsors 10 youths to IIT

As part of its community development initiatives,

Guinness Nigeria Plc has sponsored ten youths to the Institute of Industrial Technol-ogy (IIT).

The programme, which is focused on technical training, was designed to bridge the gap that exists in the Nigerian educational system as well as to give individuals the knowl-edge and skills to help them to stand on their own feet and become responsible citizens of the nation.

Speaking on behalf of Guinness Nigeria, Corporate Relations Director, Sesan Sobowale, who was repre-sented by Nkiruka Ogboruche, said the company is always committed to supporting the dreams and aspirations of youths and assisting them in becoming useful members of society.

“At Guinness Nigeria, we are always happy to be in-volved with worthy projects such as these that can add such tremendous value to the lives on Nigerians. This sort of support forms a core part of our community investment agenda and we will continue to support Nigeria and Nigerians through initiatives and activi-ties that uplift them,” he said.

Speaking during the ori-entation programme for the new inductees, the Director of

the Institute, Olumide Akinjo, said, “The purpose of this programme is to use techni-cal and vocational training to close the gap in educational development and we are happy to have an able supporter such as Guinness Nigeria Plc that have supported some our stu-dents towards achieving their dreams”.

Akinjo also stated that the programme, which started thir-teen years ago, has been kept alive by socially responsible corporate citizens like Guin-ness Nigeria.

Earlier in a statement, the company had stated that the ten individuals were carefully selected from states where Guinness factories are located and were chosen after a series of evaluation and screening sessions from a large number of applicants who put in for the scholarship. Students from Benin, Aba and Lagos state participated in the programme.

One of the recipients of the scholarship, Master Darlington Aibangbee said he was excited to have made it through the selection process. He and his mother, Aibangbee, thanked Guinness Nigeria for their support in reaching this level. Darlington said he hopes to be-come a skilled technical worker and provide for himself and his family through his knowledge.

Signal Alliance embarks on Customer Week 2013

As part of the activities marking their annual

customer appreciation week, Nigeria’s leading enterprise so-lutions and systems specialists Signal Alliance has embarked on various activities meant to show appreciation and commit-ment to their existing customer base. With visitations sched-uled for her plethora of clients drawn from banking, insur-ance, manufacturing, aviation, energy and public sectors of the economy, the company once again has demonstrated its customer relationship abili-ties.

These activities, which started with visitations to some key customers of Signal Alli-ance has seen the company visiting the likes of Union Bank Plc., Mansard Insurance, Pan Ocean, Dangote group, Nige-rian Breweries, Aero Contrac-tors, etc, within the period of the Customer week.

Justifying the importance of this annual exercise, the man-aging director of Signal Alliance Collins Onuegbu explained that though information technol-ogy activities tends to eliminate the personal touch needed in business relationships, Signal Alliance devised this scheme to bring back the age long means of interacting with customers.

“We can’t let machines rule everything in our life and that’s why we take out time to physically visit our esteemed customers and show them, as humans, that we appreci-ate doing business with them as well as reward them for sticking with us as preferred service provider” he said.

In addition to using these visits to appreciate their customers, which has taken a better part of the week, the company is also using the visitation to reward their customers by offering free services via Gift Vouchers to their customers. According to Desmond Omovie, the com-pany’s head of branding and marketing communications, the Gift vouchers contain four specialized offers from Signal Alliance each worth at least $3000.

He said: “We are offering them free services in either of Infrastructure Network Assessment, Unifi ed Commu-nications Pilot Assessment, Enterprise Cloud Readiness Assessment or SharePoint De-ployment Planning Services”. Even though these services represent a profi table aspect of the business, Mr. Omovie believes that offering them free to their customers as part of the benefi ts of the customer week is another way Signal Alliance shows that retaining the goodwill and productivity of their customers far out-weighs the fi nancial gains in the business.

Reacting to the gesture on behalf of some of the custom-ers of Signal Alliance, the Group Head IT of Union Bank Plc Peter Iwegbu, thanked the management and staff of Sig-nal Alliance for the visit and reiterated his appreciation of the professional relation-ship that exists between both companies.

Activities for the Customer Week rounded up with a visit to the Little Saints Orphanage in Lagos as well as a Break-fast Meeting with industry ex-perts and customers of Signal Alliance in Lagos.

Evans

Babatunde Savage, Chairman Guinness Plc Onuegbu

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 33Monday, February 11, 2013


Behind d WheelsThis page is open to sponsorship

It may be Chinese-owned but Volvo’s all-new V40 sets new benchmarks. Volvo, that par-

agon of all things perfectly Swed-ish. Except now, of course, it’s not Swedish: the iconic brand is owned by the Chinese. That deal, of course, caused a lot of head-scratching when it came to considering the quality of future Volvo models. But now, the new V40, the fi rst Volvo to be built under Chinese ownership, has arrived: and it’s mightily impres-sive.

Volvo has much to prove with the new V40. It is the fi rst product of the new-era, Chinese-owned Volvo, and the fi rst for quite a while not to have been launched under the protective wing of previous owner Ford’s engineers, who know what they are about.

In fact, it’s so good that the V40 has the potential to go head-to-head on build quality terms with the class-leading VW Golf. Observed from the outside, the fi ve-door V40 is sportily squat and low: its 1.8m wide and 1.4m tall. And that in itself sets it apart from the opposition, which instead tend to favour higher-roofed designs.

The Volvo V40 is new from the wheels up, and represents a concerted effort by Volvo to make an impact in the compact executive hatch class. It hopes to stand out from rivals like the Audi A3, Mercedes A-Class and BMW 1 Series, with stylish looks,

The new Volvo V40 D2 ES: A revelation

good fuel economy and a long list of safety kit that includes the world’s fi rst pedestrian airbag. Super-low CO2 emissions start from just 94g/km, which makes it a great choice for company car buyers. Those parting with their own cash would be hard pushed to choose the Volvo over some-thing more German, but if you want a safe, clean and entertain-ing left-fi eld hatch, then the V40 is a good choice.

StylingThe Volvo V40 takes its styl-

ing cues from the larger V60, with and imposing front end and sharp bumpers, as well as

curves and creases in the body-work run all the way to the rear. The overall effect is a car that’s more interesting than the Audi A3 or VW Golf and more attrac-tive than the BMW 1 Series. In-side, the V40 takes a step for-ward in terms of quality, and the minimalist design is logically and sensibly laid out. That said, it can’t quite match the Audi for quality and at fi rst some of the endless reams of menus and submenus can be quite confus-ing to operate.

DrivingPick a diesel V40 and you’ll

have plenty of overtaking power,

even if you choose the low-emis-sions D2 model. The grunt of the fi ve-cylinder D4 is particu-larly impressive, making passing slower moving traffi c a doddle. There’s plenty of grip too and ac-curate steering meaning the V40 not only impresses on the motor-way but on twistier roads as well. However, given that it can match the V40 on price, those who want a sporty drive might be bet-ter off opting for a BMW 120d. The six-speed manual gearbox is stiff and clunky though while the Geartronic automatic is not as smooth or effi cient as the lat-est dual-clutch automatics from Audi and VW.

Reliability Volvo has always been a class

leader in safety innovation, and the V40 is no exception to that proud tradition. It’s the fi rst pro-duction car to get a pedestrian airbag, and it achieved a full fi ve-star crash test rating in the Euro NCAP tests. Euro NCAP also said that the V40 was offi cially the safest car it had ever tested - a fi ne accolade for any new car. Volvo fi nished a solid 10th in the 2012 Driver Power reliabil-ity survey, proving that buyers still have faith in the ownership experience and reliability of the brand despite it losing its way in


Behind d Wheels

AutocareThis page is open to sponsorship

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Car problems you shouldn’t fix yourselfof class and efficiency

recent years. PracticalityMeasuring 335 litres in size,

the V40’s boot is slightly small-er than that of the Volkswagen Golf. That said, it does have a false fl oor which allows items to be stored on two different levels. Inside, the designers at Volvo have chosen form over function – there isn’t much storage space and the door bins are quite small. Rear headroom is com-promised by the sharply sloping roof line, too, but all of the seats are very comfortable. So provid-ing your passengers aren’t over six foot, it should prove relaxing over long distances.

Running CostsWhen it comes to running

costs, the Volvo V40 excels. The D2 diesel emits just 94g/km of CO2 and manages an impressive fuel economy fi gure of 78.5mpg, putting it on a par with the BMW 116d Effi cient Dynamics. Even the powerful T4 petrol has offi cial fi gures of 51.4mpg and 129g/km. Although the V40 is expen-sive to buy, it is priced accord-ingly with its upmarket rivals from BMW and Mercedes and a generous amount of equipment is included as standard. How-ever servicing and depreciation will both be higher than with the equivalent BMW 1 Series.

SafetySafety, of course, is not a

trend, but a necessity, and one which Volvo has long been di-rectly associated with. So it should come as no surprise that the V40 pioneers a new world fi rst in terms of road safety: the world’s fi rst pedestrian airbag.

The V40’s lines are stylish and handsome, setting it apart from many of its rivals, and those attractive looks are capped by an impressive shiny black grille which hides a number of safety cameras.

Step inside the V40 and you’re immediately struck by how spacious the cabin is, cer-tainly in the front. As if that wasn’t enough, the seats are, without question, the comfi est in the ultra-competitive class in which it sits. Those in the rear are also roomy and comfortable.

If there’s a slight down-side, it’s that there’s not a huge amount of storage space, and the door pockets — which, let’s face it, we all use for stashing away CDs, bottles, and a myriad of other bits ‘n’ bobs — are on the small side.

The boot too is actually small-er than that of a BMW 1 Series, at 335-litres, but at least there’s an adjustable fl oor system al-lows luggage to be mounted on two levels.

The interior also gets a very impressive new digital instru-

Do you sometimes take things apart and then realize you have no idea how to get them back together? If these questions ring true, they’re signs that you should probably leave your

car repair to a qualifi ed professional.It’s a common issue with do-it-yourself (DIY) auto repair: you

might have a rough idea of how to do the job, yet you don’t know all the details along the way—let alone what could go wrong in the pro-cess, or what to do if it does. The consequences can be much more expensive. There are cases as simple as a customer who replaced an air fi lter and accidentally detached a vacuum line, to many who’ve in the course of a brake job broken a sensor or set off a warning light—or those who have managed to foul out during major maintenance like timing-belt replacement. In all of these instances, the piece of the repair job they were missing—in addition to understanding what might go wrong—is the diagnosis and troubleshooting that’s part of a real mechanic’s job.

In this era of networked cars and onboard diagnostics, even tasks that sound very simple could prove problematic. For instance, in some car models, you can’t simply install and connect a new power-window switch and expect it to work and in others, you will need to take it to the dealership and update the system to recognize that new component.

If you have some experience turning a wrench, and you know your way under the hood of your car, it’s probably tempting to spend a little extra time on the weekend doing some of those smaller repairs. But fi rst, you need to get familiar with the repair manual for your car and you need hands-on training.

First, what can you do?In addition to replacing cabin and air fi lters, as well as wiper

blades, there are a number of routine checks and minor mainte-nance items that the typical owner can perform, like checking fl uids and lubricants, along with replacing belts and hoses, fi lters, and perhaps starters and alternators—all if nothing’s already at the point of failure. But even for the more skilled shade-tree mechanic, any job that requires extensive troubleshooting—or the potential for diagnos-ing other related issues along the way—is best left to the pros.

Also, once there’s been a failure, overheat, or a breakdown—or a ‘check engine’ light is on, DIY is off the table.

Below are fi ve things that, unless you have a mechanics’ certifi -cation and some years of specialized training, you should defi nitely leave to the professionals:

Timing-belt replacement For many vehicles, the timing-belt replacement that’s part of a

major-maintenance visit is one of the largest repair bills you’ll end up seeing for your vehicle. And with the parts a relatively small por-tion, it’s tempting to try it yourself. But don’t.

Transmission maintenance or repairAutomatic transmissions contain thousands of small parts,

precise tolerances, and narrow passageways for hydraulic fl uid. It’s a smart move that leave transmission repair to specialized transmis-sion shops, and keep maintenance like fl ushes and fl uid changes to skilled mechanics, not to your own workshop or oil-change places.

OverheatingWith some level of training and the right tools, cooling-system

maintenance—like replacing hoses and the thermostat—is one of the more advanced repairs that a skilled home mechanic can do. But if the engine’s already overheated, forget about it—there’s just too much risk involved (your engine and thousands of money is on the line), and you need to have a proper mechanic diagnose the issue-and do some damage control.

Drivability problems and error codesWhen your car doesn’t start, or you have drivability issues like

stalling, hesitating, or surging—accompanied perhaps by the ubiq-uitous ‘check engine’ light—DIY mechanics simply don’t have the training to diagnose and troubleshoot.

Replacing suspension componentsSuspension pieces like struts, arms, and bushings look decep-

tively easy to replace, but there are plenty of ways this kind of repair can go wrong in the hands of the uninitiated. Beginners might not understand the tremendous force that’s in a compressed coil spring (when replacing struts, for instance); they might do things in the wrong order; or they might not realize that part of the suspension supports the front subframe—and the engine. It’s impractical and cost-prohibitive for a home mechanic to own some of the specialty equipment (like a wheel-alignment rack) needed to get the job done right, while labour costs aren’t all that high for typical suspension repairs, so you might as well leave them to the professionals.

ment pack. There are three re-gimes (Elegance, Eco and Per-formance) and cleverly, not only does the display change to suit, but so too does the car’s whole character.

In addition to the three trim levels — ES, SE and SE Lux — all of which are superbly equipped; there’s the choice of fi ve engines. There are three turbo-diesels, a 1.6 four-cylinder, plus two ver-sions of the fi ve-cylinder. In ad-dition, there are two 1.6 turbo petrol fours, delivering 150bhp and 180BHP.

Class-leading handlingPower’s delivered though

the standard six-speed manual gearbox. It’s a slick movement which, combined with the Vol-vo’s 114bph sprightliness, sees it reach 60mph from standstill in 11.7secs. It’ll go on to hit a max of 118mph.

And forget any conceptions you may still harbour of Vol-vos being lumbering, wallowing pieces of kit. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to the V40.

At the heart of the car is the basic running gear from the Ford Focus. But Volvo’s engi-neers have taken what has been the class-leading handling pack-age in the sector, and actually improved it.


Imperative of deepening insurance sector

BCBC

A total of 628.95 million shares valued at N3.25 billion were traded by investors in 7,416 deals on the

Nigerian Stock Exchange last Friday. This was against the 702.09 million shares worth N3.9 billion exchanged in 7,314 deals a day earlier.

The market indices appreciated by 0.28 per cent as a result of price gains by some blue chip stocks. The All-Share Index also rose by 94.28 points to close at 33,313.48 from the 33,219.20 achieved on Thursday.

The market capitalisation, which opened at N10.628 trillion, grew by N30 billion to close at N10.658 trillion.

Unilever led the gainers’ chart with N2.04 to close at N49.43 per share.

It was followed by Cadbury which gained N1.85 to close at N38.87, while

Presco gained N1.76 to close at N26.96 per share.

CAP gained N1.60 to close at N33.74 and Dangote Cement appreciated by N1.50 to close at N144 per share.

On the other hand, Nestle led the losers’ chart, dropping N15.05 to close at N814.96 per share.

NewGold lost N11 to close at N2,557 per unit, while Nigerian Breweries dropped N3.01to close at N163.50 per share.

UACN trailed with N1.94 to close at N50 per share, while Forte Oil lost 87k to close at N16.67per share.

Transcorp emerged the most traded stock with an exchange of 85.58million shares worth N134.12million while Unity Bank came second, accounting for 70.56million shares valued at N60.95million.

NSE market indices record marginal growth

Following the extension of Oando Plc N54.6bn Rights Issue to Feb-ruary 20, 2013, research analysts

have advised investors to take position in the company.

The Security and Exchange Commis-sion had last week extended the ongoing Rights Issue to February 20, 2013. This is on the back of an industrial action by pensioners of the Nigerian Postal Service in January 2013, resulting in the disrup-tion of distribution of Rights Circulars to majority of Oando’s shareholders. The offer has been extended to enable more shareholders exercise their rights.

According to lead analyst at FSDH Securities Limited, factors such as the company strategy to increase its pres-ence in midstream and upstream, where there is opportunity for higher profi t margins and the passage of the oil and gas industry reform, will enhance the fortune of the company.

“Considering that the Nigerian econo-my is largely oil-dependent, with 95 per cent of foreign exchange earnings and about 80 per cent of budgetary revenues emanating from the sector alone, it is an opportunity for a low cost route into Ni-geria’s attractive energy sector,” the ana-lyst said in a note to investors on Friday.

Oando is issuing 4.548 billion shares at N12 per share by way of Rights Issue offer to existing shareholders. The capital raise is to enable the leading integrated energy fi rm raise N54.6bn to re-fi nance acquisitions made in the upstream sec-tor of the Nigeria’s oil and gas indus-try, as well as strengthening its balance sheet.

The move comes at a time when lead-ing market analysts are projecting a bull-ish run for Oando shares and a bountiful return on investment for its sharehold-ers.

Meristem Securities Limited, another investment and research fi rm, has pro-jected that the price of the equity will hit N22.14 within the year. The fi rm noted that having been among the top 10 in the stock market in 2012, ‘we are not only betting on a N22.14 Oando share price target, but have also placed a ‘buy’ rec-ommendation on the stock.’

Similarly, FSDH Securities Limit-ed has projected a price of N19.12 for Oando shares. “Applying a Relative Valu-ation method to derive the value of ordi-nary shares of Oando, we arrived at a fair

value of N19.12 per share. “The current market value of Oando

share is about N14 while the Rights Is-sue price is N12.00. This means that the Rights were offered to shareholders at a discount to the market price while the market price is also trading at a discount to our fair value. On the basis of this, we recommend that existing shareholders take up their rights” the fi rm said.

According to analysts, looking ahead, they consider that some factors will boost the operations of the company. The company has in recent times steadily in-creased investments in the high margin sectors of the industry. Its investment in natural gas distribution has seen the company increased its footprint from its Lagos franchise to other South-South states of Cross River, Akwa Ibom and River and supplying over 130 leading manufacturing fi rms. In the upstream division, Oando’s drilling services unit is the largest indigenous rigs provider in Nigeria.

Still in its traditional pioneering sta-tus, Oando recently completed a reverse takeover of an exploration and produc-tion fi rm, Canada’s Exile Resources, which culminated in the listing of the resultant company – Oando Energy Resources - on the Toronto Stock Ex-change.

In December 2012, Oando Energy Services announced a deal to acquire ConocoPhillips’s entire Nigerian assets. The transaction comes with a huge pros-pect of increasing its current crude oil production from 5,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) to nearly 50,000bopd, includ-ing a stake in the liquefi ed natural gas (LNG) business.

Analysts recommend Oando Right IssueBy Johnson Okanlawon

Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive, Oando Plc

BC

Last week, the National Insurance Commission announced that it is in the concluding stages of devel-

oping a reliable micro insurance frame-work aimed at deepening insurance penetration in the country, particularly at the grassroots.

The document, according to the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, said that spell out clear rules for investments and give insurance fi rms the required fl exibility to deploy innova-tive means of reaching the underserved segment of the insurance market.

The timeliness of this initiative is not in doubt given the fact that the insur-ance sector has largely been noted for underperformance despite the huge po-tential for harnessing large pools of in-vestable funds required to drive the na-tion’s economy forward.

Much is being expected from the in-surance industry especially since the sector reforms carried out in 2007; shortly after the banking sector con-solidation was aimed at repositioning insurers for the challenges of the emer-gent globalised economy.

In increasing capitalisation require-ments, attracting good hands and rais-ing awareness about the critical role insurance plays in the whole mix of economic activity, both the regulators and the individual fi rms had hoped that a few years down the line, they would no longer be under the shadow of the banks, which have taken the leadership role the fi nancial sector in terms of hu-man capital development, innovation, products and services, investment and technology.

It would be premature to conclude that these objectives have not been met, but insurers have clearly not been able to overcome the key obstacle of gener-ating that critical mass of clientele that is the backbone of the life business, for example, with most Nigerians unable to see the need to take a life policy.

Insurers have also not been able to fully overcome the negative perception about the sector with the pervasiveness of fakes and touts that sell polices, and the fear that making a successful claim can be an onerous task.

Indeed, where even the government has virtually tied the hands of potential clients with a slew of compulsory insur-ance policies ranging from the ubiqui-tous motor vehicle insurance to cover for buildings under construction, with potential for generating trillions of nai-ra in premium income, the capacity for enforcing compliance is weak or non-existent.

Almost everyone agrees that Nigeria, with the sheer size of population should be the number one insurance market in Africa but this sector contributes just 0.72 per cent to Gross Domestic Prod-uct, compared with three per cent in Mo-rocco and 12 per cent in South Africa.

Experts calculate that in spite of the sector being the most capitalised in Af-rica with combined statutory capital of

N177bn by the end of last year it gen-erated gross premium income of only N250bn. Yet, going by the risk leverage ratio under the Basel II accord, the in-dustry may be well able to support some N3.5tn in premium income.

Insiders blame the situation largely on low penetration with some estimates suggesting that less than two per cent of commercially insurable risks are cov-ered by one form of insurance or the other. Also many corporate entities that have provided bulk premium payments over time are mired in serious problems such that insurance is not a priority.

Nigerian insurance fi rms are also getting much less than expected busi-ness from the oil and gas sector in spite of the Local Content Policy that seeks to farm out a signifi cant portion of sector risk to local players.

Nonetheless, the potential of the in-surance sector to gain its place of pride in the nation’s economy remains very strong but this requires concerted ef-forts from both the players and the regu-lators.

It give some level of comfort that NAI-COM has woken up to this challenge with the articulation of micro insurance guidelines. It is obvious that the poor underserved segment of the population require insurance cover being the most vulnerable in case of personal of busi-ness losses.

Already, certain insurance compa-nies have generated considerable busi-ness from micro-insurance products similar to the grassroots esusu schemes. With more than half of cash in circula-tion still out of the banking system, in-surers have a big market at the grass-roots populated by farmers and traders that can be tapped with a little bit of in-novativeness.

The move to enforce the no premium, co cover policy even for government as-sets is also a step in the right direction It is disgraceful that over 90 per cent of government properties have no insur-ance cover and the new policy which came into effect as from January will defi nitely increase premium generation several time over and put an end to a situation where a huge amount of re-ceivable remain on the books of insur-ance fi rms who invariably will not be in a position to pay claims for underin-sured losses.

There is also the need to enforce compulsory insurance policies and this might need a review of the Insur-ance Act, which does not give NAICOM enough teeth to punish defaulters.

In all, the insurance sector seems set for a rebirth, but only the insur-ance fi rms can make this happen by being highly innovative and developing products that will appeal to consumers which at the same time shunning harm-ful practices such as rate cutting.

After all, the insurance sector is big-ger than banking in Europe and the US, the Nigerian situation need not be dif-ferent.

Stock Updates

GAINERS

COMPANY OPENING PRICE CLOSING PRICE CHANGE

AIRSERVICE 5.00 5.50 0.50

AIICO 1.11 1.22 0.11

WEMABANK 1.34 1.47 0.13

ROYALEX 0.85 0.93 0.08

PRESCO 25.20 26.96 1.76

LOSERS

COMPANY OPENING PRICE CLOSING PRICE CHANGE

BETAGLAS 10.00 9.50 0.50

FO 17.54 16.67 0.87

PAINTCOM 1.90 1.81 0.09

TRANSCORP 1.71 1.63 0.08

ABCTRANS 0.67 0.64 0.03

Inter-Bank Rates

TENOR RATE%(PREV) 01-Feb-2013 RATE%(CURR) 08-Feb-2013

CALL 10.0000 – 11.0000 10.2500 – 11.7500

OBB 09.5000 – 12.5000 10.0000 – 12.1500

Primary Market Auction

TENOR AMOUNT (N’mn) RATE (%) DATE

91-Days 34888.90 10.84 23-Jan-13

182-Days 50000.00 11.00 23-Jan-13

364-Days 80000.00 11.05 23-Jan-13

Open Market Operation

TENOR AMOUNT (N’mn) RATE (%) DATE

139-Days 59,530 13.32 23-Jan-13

132-Days 50,000 13.32 04-Jan-13

119-Days 100,000 13.29 03-Jan-13

Wholesale Dutch Auction System AMOUNT OFFERED MARKET DEMAND AMOUNT SOLD DATE

$120m $112m $112m 6-Feb-13

$150m $150m $150m 4-Feb-13

Market Indicators for Week Ended 08-02-13All-Share Index 33313.49 pointsMarket Capitalisation N10,658,533,894,812.87


To forestall manipulation of results, shareholders have been enjoined to monitor

and detect fraudulent entries in the fi nancial statements of quot-ed companies.

Speaking at the KPMG/Nige-ria Shareholders’ Solidarity As-sociation’s annual seminar for audit committee members in La-gos on Friday, the Partner, Audit Services, KPMG, Femi Awotaye, said that it was important for shareholders to scrutinise en-tries in fi nancial statements so as to detect fraud.

While explaining that manip-ulated estimates remained the biggest fi nancial fraud that could be recorded in IFRS statements, he said that shareholders, espe-cially members of audit commit-tees, should equip themselves with the needed knowledge to be able to detect such.

According to him, manipu-lated estimates and non-usage of fair values usually existed in the areas of loans, provisioning for loans, debtors, adding that shareholders had to ask ques-tions to clarify issues they did not understand in the reports.

He said, “Audit committee members should ensure that they understand all signifi cant estimates; how have estimates historically matched up with ac-

tual and the extent of the use of models.

“They should also fi nd out if some estimates are recorded as audit adjustments or not even recorded and should seek to un-derstand how minor changes in assumption can change the re-sults.”

Awotaye, however, stated that in the new IFRS dispensa-tion, missing disclosures would be easy to detect, adding that weak disclosures as regards fi -nancial risk management may point to fraudulent reporting.

He urged shareholders and audit committee members to en-sure an internal coherence be-tween the different components that made up the annual report and also evaluate processes used to obtain information, en-

suring that suffi cient disclosures were made.

Awotaye reiterated the need for audit committee members to evaluate the impact of IFRS adoption on key performance in-dicators and drive management to manage expectations where signifi cant changes occur and also evaluate the extent to which incentives may encourage fraud-ulent fi nancial reporting.

“Audit committee members should receive relevant training on IFRS to ensure suffi cient level of knowledge for discharging du-ties and keep knowledge cur-rent,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the Presi-dent, Chief Timothy Adesiyan, commended KPMG for the ef-forts geared towards training shareholders and giving them the much-needed information on what to look out for in the fi -nancial reports.

He said, “Having a profound knowledge of the business is a key element of understanding and interpreting IFRS fi nancial statements, and we believe that this seminar is a commendable one, and would go a long way to inform audit committee mem-bers and shareholders on the needed precaution to prevent fraudulent dealings in the or-ganisation.”

KPMG urges shareholders to scrutinise companies’ accounts By Johnson Okanlawon

The Chief Financial Offi cer of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Jacques Vauthier, has

said that the company plans to borrow between $400 million to $500 million to construct a new cement plant which will double its existing 2.5 million metric tonnes capacity. Vauthier told Reuters last Friday that the conglomerate had appointed fi nancial advisers and banks to raise a term loan from the local market for the construction of the plant. He said the details of the loan were still being fi nalised and the new cement plant will be completed by the fi rst quarter of 2016.

The company reported a marginal growth in profi t for the nine -month ended December 31, 2012 last week.

According to the result, the revenue rose from N202.26 billion in 2011 to N205.5 billion, showing an increase of 1.6 per cent.

Profi t after tax remained almost fl at at N8.17 billion in 2012, compared to N8.12 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2011.

Flour Mills had in the previous week disclosed plans to merge its operations with of its subsidiaries, Niger Mills Limited, located in Calabar, Cross River State.

The company has been managed by Flour Mills since the 70s and has approximately 750 metric tonnes of wheat production per day.

According to the company, the proposed merger will create a more effi cient company, positioned to create potential savings through the optimisation of overhead costs, particularly administrative costs relating to maintaining two distinctive entities.

“The scheme will be achieved by the transfer of all of the assets, liabilities and undertaking of Niger Mills to Flour Mills, in exchange for which ordinary shares of Flour Mills will be issued to the minority shareholders of Niger Mills or alternatively a cash consideration in lieu of

the allotment of the said Flour Mills shares be made to the minority shareholders. Upon the Scheme becoming effective, all shares held in Niger Mills shall be cancelled,” the company explained.

Four Mills added that the enlarged entity would consolidate its leading position in the fl our milling industry, accessing positive economies of scale and realising signifi cant synergies through enhanced operational and administrative effi ciency and a unifi ed product delivery platform, and thereby providing immense benefi ts to its shareholders and customers.

Nigeria’s biggest cement fi rm Dangote Cement and Flour Mill’s rival recently re-opened its Gboko cement plant after it was shut two month ago due to over-supply in the market, bringing back a fi fth of its 20 million tones capacity.

Vauthier acknowledged last year’s glut caused by cheap imports from Asia but said sales were picking up again and he expected its cement subsidiary Unicem to end the year with growth in double-digits over the previous year.

Nigeria has a huge infrastructure need, which will fuel a construction boom and cement companies are gearing up by scaling up capacity.

Flour Mills seek loan to build new plant

BC

Vauthier

Adesiyan

BC


BC

Triple Gee Plc Financial Data 2012=N=(‘Nm) 2011=N=(‘Nm) % CHGTurnover 704,694 460,425 53.05

Cost of sales 578,285 336,013 72.1

Gross Profi t 126,709 124,412 1.85

Profi t Before Taxation 22,366 7,146 212.99

Profi t After Taxation 15,659 5,716 173.95

Total Assets 1,608,175 1,713,469 -6.15

Shareholders fund 1,077,494 1,061,320 1.52

Current Asset 261,639 415,258 -36.99

Current Liabilities 148,714 222,956 -33.3

Current Assets-stocks 239,947 343,581 -30.16

Trade Debtors 55,720 116,645 -52.23

Trade Creditors 47,156 78,484 -39.92

Profi tability Ratios

Return on Equity(%) 1.45 0.54

Gross profi t Margin(%) 17.98 27.02

Profi t Margin(%) 2.22 1.24

Pre tax Profi t Margin(%) 3.17 1.55

Liquidity Ratios

Current Ratio 1.76 1.86

Quick Ratio 1.61 1.54

Debtors(No of days) 28.86 92.47

Creditors(No of days) 29.76 85.25

It is oblivious that the diversifi cation embark upon recently by the management

of Triple Gee Plc has begun to yield a positive outcome in the last two years. A review of the company nine months performance for period ended December 2012 show great improvement compared to previous period. The company increased its profi t before tax by 213 per cent while profi t after had 174 per cent growth rate. Based on this performance, there is possibility of dividend payment at the end of current fi nancial year.

Tripple Gee & Company Plc is a manufacturer of security documents, fi nancial instruments and computer stationery. Incorporated in April 1980 and listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 1991, it is the largest and preferred security printer in Nigeria and West Africa. The company produces high quality fi nancial instruments. Its products include MICR Cheques, MICR Dividend Warrants, Share Certifi cates, Customised Statement of Accounts, Line-fl ow paper as well as other security instruments such as ballot papers, revenue receipts etc.

Tripple Gee as a security printer has carved out a niche for itself in the industry by providing quality security instruments that fraudsters fi nd diffi cult to tamper with. This is being achieved via continuous research into ways and technologies to be one step ahead of the fraudsters. Tripple Gee pushed for the accreditation of Nigeria cheque printers and is the fi rst indigenous company to be accredited under the Nigerian Cheque Printers Accreditation Scheme. The company is also the pioneer of MICR encoded dividend warrants.

Business StrategiesTriple Gee & Company

Plc, a major security printing company in Nigeria, seems to have steered its business back to profi tability following

diversifi cations made in the course of 2012 fi nancial year. According to the company chairman, Sam Idowu Ayininuola, the management has been able to fully establish a new product line in packaging business. He stated that though the business was quite competitive in the previous year, however, the diversifi cation made in the packaging line offered some relief from the hitherto Cheque/security printing business which relied so much on banks’ patronage

PerformanceA cursory look at the

company’s performance as at nine months of current fi nancial year shows that it has surpassed its last fi nancial year audited report in terms of profi t making. For instance, the company’s profi t before tax has surpassed the last audited fi gure to stand at N22.4 million compared with N8.9 million pre-tax recorded at the end of last fi nancial year ended March 2012. Similarly, as at third

quarters 2012, the net profi t stood at N15.7 million against N6.2 million posted at the end of last fi nancial year ended march 2012.

Details of the unaudited nine months of Tripple Gee Plc for the period ended December 31, 2012 shows that turnover recorded a modest growth of 53.1 per cent to N460.4 million, compared with N460.4 million in the corresponding period of 2011. Profi t before tax increased by 212 per cent between 2011 and 2012 to N22 million from N7.15 million. Profi t after Tax of N15.7 million compared with N5.72 million in 2011, representing a growth of 174 per cent. Retain earnings inched to N91.3 million from

Tripple Gee Plc: Recording a modest performance amid high costBy Tayo Adeleke

N75.1 million in 2011.

Profi tabilityThe Company’s was able

to rake in more income which consequently led to increase in the company’s turnover despite growing cost had had a great positive impact on its profi tability indices during the review period. Return on equity, ROE which reveals how much profi t a company earned in comparison to the total amount of shareholders equity moved to 1.45 per cent during the period ended December 2012. ROE stood at 1.45 per cent against 0.54 per cent in December 2011. Pre-tax margin also increase signifi cantly to 3.17 per cent in 2012 from 1.55 per cent in nine months ended December 2011. Similarly, profi t margin experience an upward trend for two consecutive years since 2011 as profi t after tax margin stand at 2.22 per cent in 2012 from 1.24 per cent in 2011.

However, after achieving growths in other profi tability measuring indices in the review period of December 2012, gross profi t margin dropped to 17.98 per cent in 2012 from 27.02 per cent in 2011, it means that the company spent 82.02 per cent of sales as operating expenses, up from 72.98 per cent in comparable period of 2011.

LiquidityLiquidity ratio, which

expresses a company’s ability to repay short-term creditors out of its total cash, shows ability of Tripple Gee’s management to meet both its short term and long time obligation to creditors as they fall due. Both current and quick ratio recorded for the review period is moderate if compare with universally acceptable standard of 2.0:1

and 1.5:1 respectively.Current ratio stood at 1.76:1

against 1.86:1 in 2011 while company’s quick ratio for the period under review close at 1.61:1 from 1.54:1 in 2011. Short term loan dropped by N40 million to N20 million, down from N60 million in 2011. Further analysis shows that the company did not give more cushions to its debtors having reduced payment day (debtors’ number of days) to 28 days from 93 days in 2011 while it took the company 30 days to pay its creditors. This mean the cash could remain with company for longer and it consequently improved the availability of funds for the management to do their daily transaction.

Asset QualityAnalysis of the company’s

balance shows a mixed performance for the review period. Both fi xed and current assets have been experiencing mixed growth for the past ten years. Fixed assets grew to N1.17 billion from N1.12 billion in 2011 while current assets dropped to N262 million, down from N415.3 million in 2011. Shareholders’ fund stood at N1.08 billion from N1.061 billion in 2011. However, total assets dipped slightly by 6.15 per cent to N1.61 billion from N1.71 billion in the comparable period 2011.

Value for InvestorsIt is obvious that the company

has begun to be profi table to its numerous investors over the last two years. A cursory look at the company’s dividend history establishes it to be a good buy for investors, years before 2010 when the company started posting loss. In the last fi ve years, the company paid dividend three times (between 2007 and 2009) and the equity is one of the stocks with price stability despite the continuous downturn. Its share price stood at N2.31 per share at the end of trading last week Thursday against 52-week high of N3.59 per share and 52-week low of N2.41 per share.

FutureIt could be concluded that

if the company’s recent nine months performance is anything to go by and the management could sustain the tempo, the company is expected to boost its earning at the end of current fi nancial year ending March 31 2013 and reward shareholders with better returns. However, there is also need for the management to practice cost effective management in order to convert more sales into profi t and consequently improve its profi t margin

Ayininuola

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Monday, February 11, 2013 A23 39

STOCKWATCH

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NT NT 95.49 95.49 196 876 000 4.50 N/A NTBuilding Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. NT NT 7.97 2.46 920 573 765 0.00 N/A NTG CAPPA PLC NT NT 14.46 14.46 125 000 000 0.00 N/A NTNon--Building/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. 67.00 86 372 62.26 21.55 1 200 000 000 4.93 1.52 66.00ROADS NIG PLC. 10.07 49 8.69 3.01 20 000 000 4.73 N/A 10.07Real Estate Development PINNACLE POINT GROUP PLC NT NT 7.28 7.28 0.00 N/A NTUACN PROPERTY DEV 16.35 211 683 20.15 8.82 1 375 000 000 1.66 2.51 15.95Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC NT NT 100.00 97.00 20 000 000 11.75 N/A NTUNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INV NT NT 50.00 50.00 250 019 781 0.75 N/A NTCONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC 0.50 200 000 0.50 0.50 4 772 528 415 0.00 N/A 0.50Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. 4.15 14 000 4.63 2.23 900 000 000 0.00 N/A 4.15GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. 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FLOUR MILLS PLC. 18.38 192 43.96 20.41 178 200 000 2.50 N/A 18.38NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC 9.55 842 602 6.70 3.86 1.07 1.60 9.40P S MANDRIDES & CO PLC. NT NT 5.66 5.66 40 000 000 0.08 N/A NTU T C NIG. PLC. 0.81 3 500 0.88 0.50 1 233 375 004 1.13 -1.22 0.82UNION DICON SALT PLC. NT NT 4.22 4.22 360 000 000 0.00 N/A NTFood Products--Diversifi ed CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. 38.87 730 464 29.20 9.15 3 129 188 160 1.35 15.68 33.60NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 814.96 183 340 684.00 367.83 792 656 250 25.43 -0.61 819.99Household Durables BETA GLASS CO PLC. NT NT 15.58 10.03 3.90 N/A NTNIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. NT NT 42.66 34.39 63 360 000 1.61 N/A NTVITAFOAM NIG PLC. 4.25 663 510 6.75 3.01 819 000 000 0.54 -0.70 4.28VONO PRODUCTS PLC. NT NT 3.67 2.66 300 000 001 0.00 N/A NTPersonal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. 40.44 421 535 43.50 22.07 3 176 381 636 0.70 13.50 35.63UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. 49.43 1 028 404 41.60 22.56 3 783 296 250 1.44 11.08 44.50Textiles/Apparel UNITED NIG. TEXTILES PLC. NT NT 0.97 0.57 843 284 027 0.00 N/A NTFINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. 12.19 25 050 626 11.10 4.76 17 888 251 479 1.42 6.74 11.42DIAMOND BANK PLC 7.20 10 258 782 9.27 2.01 14 475 243 105 0.90 2.86 7.00ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INC. 13.80 6 466 704 17.05 9.97 9 873 614 567 2.81 6.15 13.00FIDELITY BANK PLC 3.30 11 474 757 3.20 1.14 28 974 797 023 0.43 0.30 3.29FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC. 5.19 3 955 620 8.30 3.04 16 271 192 202 0.60 3.18 5.03GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. 25.21 14 727 506 20.30 11.64 29 146 482 209 2.10 0.88 24.99SKYE BANK PLC 6.30 6 738 349 10.17 2.73 13 219 334 676 0.71 6.78 5.90STERLING BANK PLC. 2.90 12 532 197 2.91 0.97 12 563 091 545 0.54 1.75 2.85U B A PLC 7.50 13 917 085 5.21 1.64 32 334 693 693 0.67 5.93 7.08UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 10.00 3 365 205 10.07 1.96 13 509 726 273 0.00 19.05 8.40UNITY BANK PLC 0.91 70 560 462 1.92 0.50 33 675 576 085 0.00 0.00 0.66WEMA BANK PLC. 1.47 37 184 940 1.75 0.50 12 821 249 880 0.00 59.78 0.92ZENITH BANK PLC 21.00 7 833 021 18.20 11.70 31 396 493 790 2.09 0.05 20.99Insurance Carriers, Brokers & Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INS. COY. PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 20 585 000 000 0.00 N/A NTAIICO INSURANCE PLC. 1.22 20 495 727 1.01 0.50 7 809 391 256 0.05 0.00 0.84CONFIDENCE INSURANCE PLC NT NT 0.64 0.61 211 626 000 0.00 N/A NTCONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INS. PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 6 000 000 000 0.05 N/A NTCONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 1.03 3 958 181 1.20 0.61 10 372 624 157 0.14 0.00 0.89CORNERSTONE INS. COY. PLC. 0.58 1 197 050 0.50 0.50 8 820 010 363 0.02 0.00 0.50CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INS. PLC 2.04 5 000 669 3.51 1.31 5 100 846 808 0.28 0.00 1.82EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. 0.50 20 000 0.50 0.50 8 847 298 420 0.00 N/A NTGOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC NT NT 0.69 0.50 4 549 947 000 0.00 N/A NTGREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 3 827 485 380 0.00 N/A NTGUINEA INSURANCE PLC. NT NT 0.50 0.50 720 000 000 0.00 N/A NTINTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INS. PLC 1.13 1 673 500 0.80 0.50 5 061 804 000 0.00 N/A 0.95INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INS. PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 6 420 427 449 0.00 0.00 0.50INVESTMENT AND ALLIED ARN. NT NT 0.50 0.50 28 000 000 000 0.02 N/A NTLASACO ASSURANCE PLC. 0.50 27 809 0.50 0.50 7 323 313 227 0.00 N/A 0.50LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. NT NT 0.61 0.50 3 437 330 500 0.00 N/A NTLINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 4 083 713 569 0.03 0.00 NTMANSARD INSURANCE PLC 2.70 743 600 1.93 0.95 10 000 000 000 0.16 35.00 2.00MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. NT NT 0.50 0.50 7 998 705 336 0.01 N/A NTN.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. 0.89 11 942 400 0.66 0.50 5 332 830 881 0.37 21.92 0.73NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. NT NT 1.11 0.50 5 649 693 923 0.02 N/A NTOASIS INSURANCE PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 5 003 506 791 0.04 N/A NTPRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. 1.03 37 748 630 2.35 0.50 2 508 315 436 0.06 43.06 0.72REGENCY ALLIANCE INS. COY PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 6 668 750 000 0.04 N/A NTSOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC 0.53 250 000 0.52 0.50 5 203 757 266 0.09 0.00 0.50STACO INSURANCE PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 6 141 087 609 0.00 N/A NTSTANDARD ALLIANCE INS. PLC. 0.50 600 0.50 0.50 8 493 173 450 0.00 N/A 0.50UNIC INSURANCE PLC. 0.50 150 0.50 0.50 2 581 733 505 0.00 N/A 0.50UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 13 000 000 000 0.02 N/A NTUNIVERSAL INS. COMPANY PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 16 000 000 000 0.00 N/A NTMicro Finance Banks FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC NT NT 6.00 0.00 0.01 NTNPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 0.95 547 599 1.15 1.00 0.07 0.95Mortgage Carriers, Brokers &Services ABBEY BUILDING SOCIETY PLC 1.50 111 700 1.51 1.33 4 200 000 000 0.03 N/A 1.50ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC 0.50 900 850 0.50 0.50 8 679 148 676 0.02 N/A 0.50RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC 0.50 10 000 000 0.50 0.50 13 175 732 404 0.00 N/A 0.50UNION HOMES SAVINGS&LOANS PLC NT 1 0.99 0.50 7 812 500 000 0.00 N/A NTOther Financial Institutions CRUSADER ( NIG) PLC. NT NT 0.61 0.50 3 778 005 975 0.00 N/A NTDEAP CAPITAL MGT & TRUST PLC 2.02 5 000 000 2.02 2.02 1 333 333 333 0.00 N/A 2.02FBN HOLDINGS PLC 19.55 22 436 225 17.01 8.50 32 632 084 358 3.03 4.49 18.71NIG SEW. MACH. MAN. CO. PLC. NT NT 0.15 0.15 5 880 000 0.00 N/A NTNIGERIA ENERYGY SECTOR FUND NT NT 552.20 555.20 2 500 000 12.65 N/A NTROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. 0.93 2 980 330 0.66 0.50 3 608 657 661 0.00 N/A 0.61STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC 15.75 1 810 046 11.38 6.40 18 750 000 000 0.87 14.96 13.70HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers EKOCORP PLC. NT NT 5.31 5.05 498 600 908 0.12 N/A NTMedical Equipment UNION DIAGNOSTIC &CLINICAL PLC 0.50 386 456 0.50 0.50 3 553 138 528 0.00 N/A 0.50Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. 2.46 5 000 10.54 7.39 152 178 750 0.06 N/A 2.46Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. 1.17 665 030 1.45 0.50 486 473 856 0.00 14.71 1.02FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC 1.64 7 903 514 3.20 0.76 1 500 000 000 0.44 29.13 1.27GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER PLC 47.60 140 390 39.00 19.30 956 701 192 2.62 1.26 47.01MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. 2.22 2 437 058 5.61 1.62 980 000 000 0.20 12.69 1.97

NOTE NT=Not Traded on 08-02-13 N/A=Not Avialable

NEIMETH INT PHARM PLC 1.08 328 405 1.96 0.76 1 925 717 268 0.09 13.68 0.95NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. NT NT 12.91 8.59 153 786 012 0.00 N/A NTPHARMA-DEKO PLC. 2.30 4 000 4.28 3.50 100 000 000 0.00 N/A 2.30ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SLN PLC 0.50 212 000 0.52 0.50 2 960 000 000 0.10 0.00 0.50Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC 0.50 40 000 0.50 0.50 2 941 789 472 0.00 N/A 0.50Electronic Communications Services MTECH COMMUNICATIONS PLC NT NT 0.91 0.91 4 966 666 668 0.00 N/A NTIT Services NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. 15.96 20 411 18.28 13.12 108 000 000 0.00 N/A 15.20TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. NT NT 3.59 2.41 492 825 600 0.01 N/A NTProcessing Systems CHAMS PLC 0.50 750 000 0.50 0.50 4 620 600 000 0.00 N/A 0.50E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC NT NT 4.97 4.04 4 200 000 000 0.04 N/A NTTelecommunications Carriers STARCOMMS PLC NT NT 1.47 0.50 6 878 478 096 0.00 N/A NTTelecommunications Services IHS NIGERIA PLC PREF SHARES NT NT 2.25 0.00 0.00 N/A NTIHS PLC NT NT 3.50 2.46 4 400 000 000 0.00 N/A NTMTI PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 4 893 594 400 0.00 N/A NTINDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. NT NT 3.32 2.86 260 000 000 0.00 N/A NTASHAKA CEM PLC 26.03 3 220 251 30.00 9.10 2 239 453 125 2.14 25.75 20.70BERGER PAINTS PLC 11.10 309 824 12.57 7.27 217 367 585 1.09 21.05 9.17CAP PLC 33.74 370 148 43.98 14.50 560 000 000 2.28 10.23 30.61CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC 11.17 1 737 334 15.49 4.20 1 241 548 285 1.47 15.04 9.71DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 144.00 1 271 632 132.51 95.00 15 494 019 668 8.33 -0.60 144.87DN MEYER PLC. NT NT 3.51 0.93 242 908 200 0.00 N/A NTFIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC NT NT 0.75 0.50 2 109 928 275 0.00 N/A NTIPWA PLC 0.66 19 427 0.99 0.91 513 696 000 0.00 N/A 0.58LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. 74.20 73 689 56.50 37.00 3 001 600 004 4.10 9.12 68.00PAINTS & COATINGS MANFACT.PLC NT NT 3.36 0.52 792 914 256 0.26 N/A NTPORTLAND PAINTS & PRDT NIG. PLC 5.20 323 447 5.28 2.27 400 000 000 0.23 N/A 4.30PREMIER PAINTS PLC. NT NT 13.40 10.93 75 000 000 0.00 N/A NTElectronic and Electrical Products AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC NT NT 2.00 2.00 0.03 N/A 2.00CUTIX PLC. 1.56 114 120 2.50 1.33 510 396 608 0.11 6.85 1.46NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. NT NT 0.73 0.50 2 220 000 000 0.00 N/A NTNIGERIAN WIRE IND. PLC NT NT 2.58 2.58 15 000 000 0.00 N/A NTPackaging/Containers ABPLAST PRODUCTS PLC. NT NT 3.98 3.98 25 000 000 0.00 N/A NTAVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS NT NT 6.91 2.19 683 974 528 0.05 N/A NTBETA GLASS CO PLC. 9.50 61 433 12.71 9.53 0.05 10.50GREIF NIGERIA PLC NT NT 15.03 13.28 42 640 000 0.90 N/A NTNIG. BAGS MANFACT. COY PLC 2.75 3 598 085 3.60 1.60 6 215 000 000 0.24 1.10 2.72POLY PRODUCTS (NIG) PLC. NT NT 1.86 1.05 240 000 000 0.22 N/A NTW A GLASS IND. PLC. NT NT 0.63 0.63 199 066 550 0.00 N/A NTTools and Machinery NIGERIAN ROPES PLC NT NT 8.69 8.26 265 409 280 0.00 N/A NTSTOKVIS NIG PLC. NT NT 0.14 0.14 2 918 000 0.00 N/A NTNATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. 6.55 4 788 9.20 5.70 393 120 000 0.76 0.00 6.55Metals ALUMACO PLC NT NT 7.75 7.75 75 600 000 0.00 N/A NTALUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC. NT NT 12.39 10.55 100 000 000 0.43 N/A NTNon-Metallic Mineral Mining MULTIVERSE PLC 0.50 762 500 0.50 0.50 4 058 989 226 0.00 N/A 0.50Paper/Forest Products HALLMARK PAPER PRODUCTS PLC. NT NT 3.22 3.22 50 000 000 0.04 N/A NTTHOMAS WYATT NIG. PLC. NT NT 1.38 1.38 220 000 000 0.00 N/A NTOIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SER. PLC 0.81 3 707 570 1.02 0.54 6 262 701 716 0.13 22.73 0.66Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC 13.65 3 883 733 24.80 10.94 2 262 711 568 1.73 5.00 13.00Petroleum &Petroleum Products Distributors AFROIL PLC NT NT 20.71 20.71 125 487 475 0.00 N/A NTBECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC 0.50 50 000 0.70 0.50 3 716 976 579 0.00 N/A 0.50CONOIL PLC 22.00 21 618 41.89 19.61 693 952 117 0.47 0.00 22.00ETERNA PLC. 4.17 1 497 300 5.59 2.12 1 249 162 828 0.61 -9.94 4.63FORTE OIL PLC. 16.67 80 225 28.69 9.12 1 080 280 628 0.00 -4.96 17.54MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. 120.44 43 672 163.50 111.51 300 496 051 6.11 0.00 120.44MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. 27.42 20 281 72.00 32.29 253 988 672 3.62 N/A 24.88TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. 141.00 64 935 240.00 125.00 339 521 837 14.63 1.44 139.00SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC NT NT 0.72 0.50 4 035 497 307 0.00 N/A NTApparel Retailers LENNARDS (NIG) PLC. NT NT 3.48 3.48 0.19 N/A NTAutomobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. 2.00 3 142 388 3.65 1.12 980 294 400 0.21 14.29 1.75Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC 4.02 1 024 250 3.67 2.11 589 496 310 0.58 18.24 3.40TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. NT NT 6.40 3.28 198 819 763 0.25 N/A 2.78Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. 0.50 1 820 900 1.64 0.85 865 808 912 0.08 N/A 0.50Hospitality TANTALIZERS PLC 0.50 16 500 0.75 0.50 3 211 627 907 0.01 N/A 0.50Hotels/Lodging CAPITAL HOTEL PLC NT NT 8.00 3.00 1 548 780 000 0.18 N/A NTIKEJA HOTEL PLC 1.13 3 367 000 2.59 1.16 2 078 796 396 0.92 2.73 1.10TOURIST COMPANY OF NIGERIA PLC. NT NT 4.76 4.31 1 772 884 297 0.00 N/A NTTRANSNATIONAL CORP. OF NIG.PLC 1.16 30 702 332 1.82 0.50 25 813 998 283 0.22 0.00 1.16Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC 0.50 22 000 0.50 0.50 8 000 000 000 0.00 N/A 0.50Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. 2.82 111 555 3.68 1.64 403 200 000 0.14 N/A 2.82LEARN AFRICA PLC 2.30 540 300 8.00 1.94 771 450 000 0.29 N/A 2.31STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. NT NT 2.92 2.78 0.01 N/A NTUNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. 4.51 344 532 6.82 3.09 425 641 111 0.50 -5.45 4.77Road Transportation ABC TRANSPORT PLCPLC 0.64 703 533 0.80 0.50 1 507 000 000 0.00 N/A 0.59Specialty INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES PLC NT NT 5.15 4.90 236 699 511 0.00 N/A NTSECURE ELECTRONIC TECH.PLC NT NT 1.88 0.80 5 631 539 736 0.03 N/A NTTransport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC 5.50 1 378 137 2.78 1.54 634 000 000 0.38 N/A 4.62NIG. AVIATION HANDLING COY PLC 8.13 330 616 11.75 5.15 1 230 468 750 0.81 -0.37 8.16ASeM CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Property Management SMART PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC NT NT 1.43 1.04 45 000 000 0.12 N/A NTCONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC 0.97 11 000 1.02 1.02 201 885 335 0.00 N/A 0.97Personal/Household Products ROKANA INDUSTRIES PLC. 0.60 500 0.60 0.60 30 000 000 0.00 N/A 0.60HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals AFRIK PHARMACEUTICALS PLC. NT NT 0.50 0.50 24 898 850 0.00 N/A NTINDUSTRIAL GOODS Electronic and Electrical Products NT NT NTADSWITCH PLC. 1.63 500 1.88 1.63 125 005 250 0.00 N/A 1.63NATURAL RESOURCES Metals W.A. ALUM. PRODUCTS PLC. NT NT 0.50 0.50 6 650 000 0.00 N/A NTOIL AND GAS Petroleum & Petroleum Products Distributors ANINO INTERNATIONAL PLC. NT NT 0.21 0.21 24 200 000 0.00 N/A NTCAPITAL OIL PLC 0.50 20 000 0.50 0.50 5 857 500 000 0.00 N/A 0.50RAK UNITY PET. COMP. PLC. NT NT 0.31 0.31 15 000 000 0.00 N/A NTUNION VENTURES & PET. PLC NT NT 0.63 0.63 98 600 000 0.00 N/A NTSERVICES Apparel Retailers UDEOFSON GARMENT FACT. NIG PLC NT NT 0.50 0.50 20 000 000 0.00 N/A NTFood/Drug Retailers and Wholesalers NT NT NTJULI PLC. 2.76 16 000 3.05 2.76 194 700 000 0.00 N/A 2.76ETF’s Sector ETF NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND 2 638.00 100 2 706 2 422 0.00 2 638.00

PRICE 52 WK 52 WK SHARES MOV.SECURITY (=N=) QUANTITY HIGH LOW OUTSTANDING EPS (%) Previous

PRICE 52 WK 52 WK SHARES MOV.SECURITY (=N=) QUANTITY HIGH LOW OUTSTANDING EPS (%) Previous

Stock Exchange weekly equities summary as at Friday, Feb 08, 2013

Business CourageCourage

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net40 Monday, February 11, 2013

Law & Justice‘’It is the law that perverse fi ndings cannot sustain a judgement even if upheld on appeal by the Court of

Appeal.’’


[email protected]

JUSTICE SAMSON UWAIFO, RETIRED JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA.

The growing concern over the inherent weaknesses in Nigeria’s penal laws and the compelling need for a holistic review

and overhaul resonated on January 28, when a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court con-victed an Assistant Director, Police Pension Of-fice, John Yakubu Yusufu, for stealing pension funds.

Consequent upon the conviction, trial judge, Justice Abubakar Talba sentenced Yusufu to two years imprisonment, with an option of N750, 000 as fine; the convict met the fine option in court and drove home afterwards.

This development has since generated in-tense debate, with many concerned Nigerians calling for the head of Justice Talba, for daring to give an option of fine, when the law actually prescribes an option of fine or both.

Some legal minds and analysts are of the view that the judge should have sent the convict to jail without an option of fine, or better still, make him suffer both, at least to serve as “ritual of atonement” for his “sins” against pensioners, their dependents, as well as the society.

In the face of this, however, there are those that feel strongly that both the trial judge and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commis-sion (EFCC) are to blame on this score.

For this school of thought, the dust raised by the slap-on-the-wrist-sentence was occasioned by the decision of the anti-graft agency to try Yusufu under Section 309 of the Penal Code (PC). The PC is applicable in the North while the Criminal Code (CC) is applicable in the South-ern part of the country.

These people seem to be at a loss on why the prosecution changed the law it earlier charged the convict under.

For the records, the maximum punishment under this section of the PC - regardless of the whooping amount stolen - is two years.

Accordingly, Justice Talba had held inter alia: “Plea of leniency has been considered. It has also been considered that the accused is a first time offender and has shown remorse. And most importantly, he has forfeited all his properties.

“The court has a duty to temper justice with mercy, but the court must also do justice to as-suage Nigerians who have suffered white-collar crime. The court has a duty to hand down sen-tences to enable the convict learn his lesson.

“Accordingly, the accused has been sentenced to two years on each count with an option of N750, 000 fine.”The sentence is to run concur-rently”, Justice Talba emphasised.”

Talba’s judgement satisfied all but one of the letters of section 309, which gives the judge the power to serve him with both portions.

Section 309 of the Penal Code provides that: “Whoever commits criminal misappropriation shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or both.”

However, section 315 of the Criminal Pro-cedure Code, (CP) , which the EFCC initially charged Yusufu under, carries a maximum sen-tence of 14 years and fine. Interestingly, this en-actment did not provide an option of fine.

Perhaps, the decision of the anti-corruption agency to shift its earlier position under section 309 PC , was due to an unwritten plea-bargain agreement, which the parties were said to have struck and probably communicate same to the judge.

This may have accounted for the prosecuting counsel’s disclosure that there was, indeed, an agreement for “custodial sentence”.

Stressing the compelling need for the trial judge to be firm in his sentence, Prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, had said: “The court needs to send out a strong message that the era of stealing public funds with impunity is gone. Having regards to the amount and proper-

ties involved and the duty imposed on the con-vict, it would not be good to convict him without regards to assuaging the feelings of Nigerians, especially the pensioners.”

Some Senior Advocates of Nigeria, who spoke on the matter, however, did not apportion blame to Justice Talba. Rather, they called for amendment of existing criminal laws, which they considered weak and ineffectual.

According to Mallam Yusuf Ali, SAN, “We have to repeal our penal laws, if we are serious about the issue of corruption. At various occa-sions, I had called for death penalty as punish-ment for corruption. This is because, corruption is a terrible cankerworm that deserves serious treatment and the penalty for it should be death. Life imprisonment should be an option.

“As long as the law gives an option to the judge on the sentence as the punishment that is to be imposed on the convict, you can only quarrel on moral grounds and not on legal grounds. This is because; it is the right of the judge to exercise his discretion the way he wants.

Rather than bemoaning what has happened, let us repeal the penal laws and that will be send-ing the right signals to would-be criminals on what awaits them.”

Chief Nathaniel Oke, SAN said, “The law under which an accused is charged, the pun-ishment there upon conviction as alleged and proved are the determinant factors, not any extraneous factors. The law may be so weak to allow a punishment that is not commensurate

CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

Experts set agenda for Kenyan crime court

There’s need for radical reform of the judiciary –Sanni

47

46

Chieftaincy tussle: Why community dragged Alaran to court

44

Pension scam verdict: Yusuf Ali, others advocate change in penal laws

Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, Attorney General of the Federation.

Senate President, David Mark

If the Federal Government is sincere in its bid to stamp out corruption in the country, the present penalties in Nigeria’s penal code and anti-graft laws are grossly inadequate and long overdue for review. EMMANUEL ONANI reports.

WE HAVE TO REPEAL OUR PENAL LAWS, IF WE ARE

SERIOUS ABOUT THE ISSUE OF CORRUPTION

with the committed offence.” On his part, Mr. Jibrin Okutepa, SAN,

blamed the EFCC for changing the law. His words: “As a matter of fact, EFCC which chose to arraign the convict under S.309 of the Penal Code law, has also joined in the criticisms pouring against the poor learned trial judge... instead of insulting, castigat-ing and blaming the learned trial judge for what appears to be a disproportion sentence, compared to the amount of money stolen, we should blame the lawmakers and the prose-cutors who decided to arraign Yusufu under the law wherewith he was convicted.

“It is, therefore, necessary at this stage to look at the EFCC Act and see what are the punishments prescribed therein to fight cor-ruption...Clearly, there can be no argument that judges cannot travel outside of the law a person is charged to impose punishment ac-

cording to their whims and caprices. “My view is that instead of inciting the

public against the poor judge, we must rise in his defence and condemn in strong terms EFCC which, out of deliberate sabotage, de-cided to charge the convict under S.309 of Penal Code Law.

“My conclusion is, until we all resolve to fight corruption and do so with patriotic and committed zeal, we all will be crying over spilled milk and blame wrong persons for our failure to do what is right”, Okutepa stated.

Convicted Yusufu was charged with an “il-legal act” of stealing pension funds meant for police retirees.

Other co-conspirators still standing trial are: Esai Abubakar, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, John Yakubu Yusufu, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula and Sani Habila Zira.

Specifically, the convict pleaded guilty to counts 18, 19 and 20, where he was alleged to have connived with others still standing trial to convert the sums of N24.2 billion, N1.3 billion and N1.7 billion respectively,

The offence, according to the commission, was committed between January 2009 and June 2011 at Abuja Division of the High Court of the FCT.

Indeed, if Yusufu were to be tried in Lagos under S.390 (5) CC, he would be liable to seven years imprisonment without option of fine.

Yusufu was on January 28, this year, re-ar-raigned before Justice Adamu Bello of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on a fresh four -count bor-dering on his failure to disclose his assets as they relate to his interest in a company called SY -A Global Services Limited.

Counts two and four of the fresh charge read: “That you John Yakubu Yusufu on or about 14th February, 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Di-vision knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the Declaration of Assets Forms filled by you, by not declaring your interest in the N250, 000, 000 (Two hundred and fifty million naira) you lodged in a fixed de-posit account with the Zenith bank in the name of SY -A Global Services Limited a company in which you are the sole signatory to its account and you thereby committed an offence punish-able under Section 27(3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act CAP E1 2004.

“That you John Yakubu Yusufu on or about 14th February, 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Ju-dicial Division, knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the Declaration of Assets Form filled by you, by not declaring your interest in the sum of N29,000,000 (Twenty nine million naira) which was fixed on your instruction by one Danjuma Mele in his company account in the name of Jidag Technical Services Ltd with Diamond Bank and for your benefit and you thereby com-mitted an offence punishable under Section 27 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment,etc.) Act CAP E1 2004.”

Francis Famoroti, Head, Judiciary desk

Justice Musiliu Abisola Ope-Agbe is a retired Judge of the Lagos State High Court. He was appointed to the Bench on November 18, 1986 and retired on March 31, 2000. Prior

to his retirement, he was one of the most hardworking judges of the state judiciary. He was always punctual and exhibited fine comportment on the Bench.

Ope-Agbe was a diligent and upright judge and lawyers would readily attest that he sat at exactly 9.00 am prompt, hence those who had cases before him never compromised be-ing punctual in court.

He demonstrated admirable qualities of a judge, patience, brilliance and erudition. He was cautious in his decision-making and appropriately deferential to the executive and leg-islative branches of government. He was unfailingly polite to everyone. In every respect of the word, Ope-Agbe was a gentle-man.

He was of enormous value to the judiciary and regretta-bly; he could not reach the higher Bench before he eventually bowed out at the age of 65.

While on the Bench, he had the rare privilege of being ad-dressed as ‘’My Lord’’ by former President Olusegun Obasanjo,

and the late Biafran warlord, Ikemba Nnewi, Emeka Ojukwu, when they appeared separately before him as litigants.

Obasanjo had testified before Ope-Agbe during the hear-ing of the libel suit he filed against the New Nigerian News-papers in the early 90s. Similarly, Ojukwu had also testified as a defendant before the judge in the debt recovery suit insti-tuted against him in the Lagos High Court by a French Bank, Banque Afrique Occidental in Cote D’Ivoire.

An old boy of C.M.S Grammar School, Lagos, Ope-Agbe was born on March 31, 1935. He attended to Holborn College of Law in the United Kingdom (UK) between 1961 and 1964 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1966.

He began his legal practice in the law firm of Oluwa, Kotoye and co, Lagos in 1966 till his appointment as Magistrate Grade 11 by the state judiciary. He rose through the ranks in the Magistracy till he was promoted Chief Magistrate Grade 1 on June 1, 1981. Ope-Agbe transferred his services to the Federal Judicial Service as the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court on February 1, 1983 and was appointed judge of the Lagos State High Court on November 18, 1986.

Notable among the cases he handled was trial of a social-ite, Jennifer Madike and her cousin, Doris Obi, who were both convicted for forging the handwriting of the former first lady, Mrs. Mariam Babangida in the early 90s.

Due to his erudition on the Bench, he was appointed as the Judge/ Chairman of the Failed Bank Tribunal (Zone 2), Lagos.

He recorded a feat for being the first chairman of the tri-bunal to secure conviction of suspects linked with financial malpractices when he jailed four top executives of the defunct Alpha Merchant Bank.

Barely one month after his retirement from the Bench on

March 31, 2000, was Ope-Agbe was appointed the Administra-tor of the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in succession to re-tired Supreme Court jurist, Justice Andrew Obaseki. As NJI boss, he discharged his duties efficiently and he put the insti-tute in good stead before the expiration of his tenure.

The retired judge has, to his credit, some published works namely, ‘’Overview of Failed Banks Tribunal Decree 1994, Di-rectors Liability’’, ‘’Overview of Failed Banks Tribunal Decree 1994 NDIC Experience, and Adequacy of Institutes Curriculum in responding to the Needs of Judicial Officers specially Lower Court judges .’’

Today, Ope-Agbe is enjoying his retirement with his spouse, Yetunde and children.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net42

Justice Ope-Agbe

Monday, February 11, 2013Law & Justice

Yusufu Mallam Ali (SAN) Chief Oke ( SAN)


‘We should blame lawmakers, prosecutors’

Celebrating judicial icon on Bench

INSTEAD OF CASTIGATING THE JUDGE, WE SHOULD BLAME THE LAWMAKERS AND THE PROSECUTORS, WHO DECIDED TO ARRAIGN YUSUFU UNDER THE

LAW WHEREWITH HE WAS CONVICTED

How will you say the Judiciary fared in 2012?

I will not want to assess the judiciary based on pockets of decisions and develop-ments which seem to meet the aspiration of the majority of the people. There will always be that year-in year-out in any situ-ation. In a nation where virtually every in-stitution is sliding, the judiciary cannot be an exemption, particularly when one bears in mind that our judges are products of the society. The politicisation of National Judicial Council and the handling of Sa-lami and Katsina-Alu saga remains a sore- thumb. To an ordinary man following the trend that is perhaps the worst stage of na-tional judicial embarrassment in Nigeria. But, I bet that it will even get worse unless there is a radical reform of the judiciary. Enough of playing the ostrich. If we desire a judicial system that will work efficiently to meet the expectations of Nigerians and give value to the taxpayers’ money being sunk into it, then, radical reform will be required.

What specific reforms will you recom-mend?

I have not carried out any extensive study of the judicial system to claim that I have a magic wand. A lot of reports by gov-ernment, NBA or NGOs on the necessary interventions required to clean the Au-gean table are gathering dust on the table of government officials who lack the will to implement them. We continue to waste public resources in that regard.

It however does not take an expert to offer some thoughts on possible solution. There is the need to evolve a judicial sys-tem that will make sense to the majority of the people and promote substantive justice over technicality.

We need to simplify the judicial system especially with regards to small claims, assault, battery and recovery of premises among others, such that aggrieved persons will be able to approach the court with minimum cost with the assurance that the case will be disposed of within reasonable time. In Benin Republic, a person is re-quired to fill a standard form of about one page to commence a fundamental right protection action. But in Nigeria, there are still hurdles of technicalities notwith-standing the improvement made in the new Fundamental Enforcement Procedure Rules. There is the need to address causes of delay in the adjudication of justice espe-cially. The pre-eminent roles of lawyers are gradually fading because of the failure of our judicial and the legal system. The situ-

ation where more people resort to self-help as alternative to due process should worry us.

How will you describe the tax regime in Nigeria against the background of the ac-cusation that Nigerians don’t pay tax?

Nobody likes to pay taxes. The saying is that no one pays tax with a smile. This applies with equal force in developed coun-tries. The degree of tax compliance in a system depends on a combination of fac-tors including how strong and efficient the government is. If the government is weak, you cannot have a strong tax system that will bring wide spectrum of taxpayers into the tax net. It takes a strong and purpose-ful government to improve the tax system. There is no doubt that Lagos is blazing the trail among the states in this regard. It is however incorrect to say that Nigerians don’t pay tax. That is a fallacy of generali-sation. The present tax system is grossly unfair. The richest in the society and their companies are virtually on tax holiday paying pittance when convenient, just to obtain tax clearance certificates. The fo-cus of tax administration is still on those in formal employment under the PAYE Scheme. While, I admit that it is more dif-ficult for employees to evade tax even in developed countries, than those who are self-employed, the degree of inequity in Nigeria is too high and unacceptable. A good tax system will not be paying lip ser-vice to the taxation of the income of the top five percent who are controlling about 90 percent of the wealth the way the Nige-rian tax authorities at all levels have been doing. Therefore, the correct thing to say is that rich Nigerians generally do not usu-ally pay tax. Or the government lacks the political will to make the richest Nigerians pay taxes. The sustainable thing to do is to bring everybody into the tax net and make the rich bear their fair burden of financing the state. This is the recent trend in France and United States for instance.

What is your general assessment of the country’s tax system?

The Nigerian tax system has not been as dynamic as one would expect. Changes come too slowly. It might take between 5-6 years to amend a tax statute. If one uses 10 years to prepare for madness, how many years will it take to manifest it? Further-more, we are yet to evolve an efficient al-location of taxing powers among the tiers of government. Significant taxing powers should be devolved to States and local gov-ernments to make them generate their own income to run their shops and proverbially keep alive. There is no viable institution for tax administration in any local govern-ment in Nigeria. I have advocated that tax institutions at the states and local govern-ments should be sufficiently strong so that they can cooperate in some key areas. If in-deed taxation is the oxygen of any society, then we need a good tax system to breathe life to our local government system. Each local government should be encouraged to generate revenue up to its optimum ca-pacity for its internal development while federal allocations should be for specific intervention to galvanise development. It

is the height of fiscal profligacy for local governments and states to use federal al-locations to pay the salaries of their staff and or that of political office holders. This paradigm shift will significantly address issues of citizenship engagement and curb corruption especially at local and state government level.

The Nigeria tax system is based on certain fundamental assumptions which do not obtain or exist in practice. To use the Personal Income Tax as example, the assumption is that all self-employed per-sons will keep records of all their business transactions and voluntarily declare their incomes from home and abroad. Even for some large organisations, keeping of ac-curate record can be problematic. Unless the government is strong and efficient, it is difficult to trace local earnings let alone those from abroad. This framework which was adopted since the colonial days has remained virtually unchanged since then, notwithstanding that it is not working ef-ficiently. We have imposed a sophisticated system designed for a literate and devel-oped society on a predominantly rural and or predominantly illiterate economy.

A simpler tax system will serve us better. The challenge is for the policy makers and stakeholders to evolve a better system. The Tax Study Group headed by Prof Dotun Phillips had recommended since 2003 that we should transit to a flat tax of maximum rate of 10 per cent for all income and ex-penditure. The Committee also demon-strated that the new tax will significantly yield more revenue. But we lack the politi-cal will to implement such far reaching re-form.

How valid is the opinion that the standard

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net44 Monday, February 11, 2013Law & Justice

ation where more people resort to self-help

There’s need for radical reform of judiciaryThere’s need for radical reform –Sanni

THE POLITICISATION OF NATIONAL JUDICIAL COUNCIL AND THE

HANDLING OF SALAMI AND KATSINA-ALU

SAGA REMAINS A SORE- THUMB IN THE COUNTRY

Sanni

Dr. Abiola Sanni, a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, is also a tax law expert and consultant. In this interview with KAYODE KETEFE, Assistant Head, Judiciary Desk, he bares his mind on varied issues, including taxation regime in Nigeria and the justice administration in the country. Excerpts:

of legal education in Nigeria has kept fall-ing?

For how many years now? Please, I beg. What do you expect when govern-ment is spending less on education far below the minimum standard? Education is not the priority of the Federal Govern-ment. It does not matter that the current President has a Ph.D. Most States are even worse. Classes are getting more crowded. Basic facilities and resources are lacking in most faculties. Little wonder that many faculties of law are losing accreditation, yet, new faculties are being established in virtually all federal and state universities. Where is the manpower to feed all these establishments? Faculty of Law, UNILAG has been lucky to attract and retain qual-ity manpower because of the location ad-vantages and the breath of vision of past and present Deans.

There are quite a lot of people pursuing legal education today who have no genu-ine interest compared to those days when someone may sit for JAMB four times based on the conviction that it was either law or nothing else. It is therefore not sur-prising that increasing number of law graduates is dumping law to pursue their passion in other areas of human endeav-our. Parents and guardians should not put pressure on their children/wards to study law against their wishes.

How correct is the complaint in the aca-demic circle that professors often frustrate doctoral students by not allowing them to get their qualifications on time?

Your question implies that it is faster elsewhere while it is much more difficult in Nigeria. Bagging a doctorate degree anywhere has a story. It may be longer also in some universities abroad. It depends on a number of variables. In most cases, the students, supervisors and the system have their fair share of the blame in our sys-tem. The challenge is to develop a system whereby everybody will play his or her part as and when due. The students must start with a sense of purpose and uncom-mon dedication. The essence of a doctor-

ate degree is to train a student on how to start and work consistently on a narrow research area for a considerable period of between 3-5 years depending on whether it is a part-time or full-time programme. The Supervisors must be interested in the re-search work otherwise the candidate may not be getting regular feed back as and when due. The system must make both stu-dents and supervisors to submit periodic reports to show whether or not sufficient progress is being made. If all stakeholders were to do their parts, things should work better without compromising standard. I must say that things have significantly improved in recent times in some of the faculties.

What do you think is responsible for the perennial low rating of Nigerian univer-sities among other universities in the world?

This is just because Nigeria is simply not serious about producing world class universities. Creating more federal uni-versities in every local government as the Federal Government is doing can only worsen the dismal situation of the sys-tem. If you see the facilities of the leading universities abroad, even in South Africa, it will be clear that we have not started. To make us competitive again will re-quire a holistic review of the university system beginning from establishment, funding, recruitment, law and order, etc. Thank God we have done it before in UI,

UNILAG, UNIFE, ABU, UNN etc. Let us go back to those policies that served us so well. The problem of brain drain has not been satisfactorily addressed. We are still unable to attract manpower from outside. I make bold to say that our university system does not have a future if we cannot retain those graduating as best in their classes to come and lecture. It is like children refusing to come back home or renouncing their fathers’ name as soon as they come of age. It is difficult for our universities to attract manpower from outside.

There is an ongoing process to amend the 1999 Constitution, what area(s) would you identify as the topmost priority for amendment?

This is a proposed amendment too many in my humble view. It is rather a re-making of a new Constitution going by the large number of proposed amend-ments. It is futile to attempt to put every-thing in the Constitution. I am not opti-mistic that this exercise will sail through. It will be crippled or frustrated by dog-fighting among the political class on their entrenched interests on a wide range of issues. Some of the amendments they are pursuing such as creation of states have nothing to do with the common man and can only worsen our problems. The amendment that will make sense to me is one that will make social security enforceable right in tangible form. Nige-ria should care for its citizen right from the womb by taking care of the baby and mother as it is being done in other climes.

Right to education, housing, employ-ment should be enforceable. If we are able to implement some of these, Nigeria will not need to sermonise on patriotism in vain. Active citizenship and patriotism will gradually evolve with time as people experience the love and compassion of their government at different periods in their lives when they are weak and vul-nerable. This will promote dignity of

human person in all ramifications and increase the average standard of living of Nigerians. It has potential to mini-mise corruption and force our leaders to do more for average Nigerian instead of themselves. It is painful when one consid-ers that the public resources being “swal-lowed” by a few are enough to implement all these and more. But due to lack of political will, they will tell us a thousand reasons why such policies will not work in Nigeria.

The Nigerian Bar Association has just phenomenally increased the annual practising fees for all categories of lawyers. The development has attracted a lot of criticisms from lawyers who claim the increments are not justifiable. What is your take on this?

You said the increment was “phenom-enal”. Nobody complained when the fees seemed to be ridiculously low. Even then, what percentage of members was paying the fees then? I think, NBA is seeking to boost its internally generated revenue which is legitimate. I will advise that fu-ture increments should be gradual with-in and at regular interval say between 3-5 years to account for inflation. In future, we should avoid increasing by 200% or more. Efforts should also be made to car-ry along majority of members who may not be active. I am happy that payment procedure is now relatively easier. There is no point requesting members to pay in Abuja or the High Court premises. I be-lieve online payment is now possible from the website of the association. Members will however have to be sensitized to this development. It behooves our associa-tion to also continue to work hard in ad-vancing the welfare of its members in all ramifications.

What is your view on the clamour that law should be made a second degree course?

There is the need to understand the basis of the arguments of those in sup-port of the proposal. Is it based on the outcome of any study? If it is to improve the standard of legal education, I will tell you that it is a fallacy to suggest that such a reform alone will suddenly transform the quality of our legal education. As I have explained above the falling standard is attributable to several factors. While I agree that students with first degrees are relatively more matured and experi-enced, this is only part of the story. Some of them also have obligations outside university such as family and profession-al obligations which compete with their time. Is today’s standard of legal educa-tion better simply because we increased it from 3-4 years to five years? This is a course that some of the greatest lawyers we have today did not go to any university to study. We should advocate a reversion to even a shorter duration of between 3-4 years and avoid a policy which restricts access to legal education when we should be expanding it. After all, our mandate is to teach students where to find the law and not to know all the laws. Instead of making law course a second degree we should sig-nificantly increase the quota for direct ad-mission. Now, the ratio of graduates being admitted to read law compared to JAMB is too low. We may have to increase it a little to take advantage of the benefits of that class of students may have to offer.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 45Monday, February 11, 2013 Law & Justice

of legal education in Nigeria has kept fall-

There’s need for radical reform of judiciary of judiciary –Sanni –Sanni

NIGERIA SHOULD CARE FOR ITS CITIZENS RIGHT

FROM THE WOMB BY TAKING CARE OF THE

BABY AND MOTHER AS IT IS BEING DONE IN OTHER

CLIMES

Monday, February 11, 2013Law & Justice46 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

AG, Ghana, Benjamin Kunbor

Ghana

Ukraine

Kenya

Foreign

Experts set agenda for Kenyan crime court

Ghana plans Sanitation court for environmental offences

Ukrainian lawyer, economist to cough out £15,000 each

Experts on international justice and victims of the 2007-08 violence in Ke-nya have welcomed plans to set up an

international crimes division of the country’s high court.

However, they point to obstacles to pursu-ing effective prosecution for the atrocities that followed the 2007 presidential election, which left over 1,100 people dead.

According to All Africa, Kenya’s Chief Jus-tice Willy Mutunga announced plans to set up an International Crimes Division, ICD, of the High Court in November. His office says the new institution will try cases stemming from the 2007-08 bloodshed, as well as other crimes under international law. Attorney General Githu Muigai says it will take two years to get the court up and running.

Experts say staff in the Kenyan judiciary will need legal and investigative training, while questions remain about how far the government will support prosecution and wit-ness protection.

Four senior suspects accused of orches-trating the violence have been charged by the International Criminal Court, ICC, and will go on trial in The Hague this April, but

very few prosecutions have been brought by the Kenyan authorities themselves.

The new division will put into operation the International Crimes Act, a domes-tic version of the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty. Kenya incorporated the law into national legislation in 2009 after the ICC launched its investigation into the elec-toral violence.

Observers say further steps are needed to establish an institution capable of prosecut-ing international-scale crimes that have pre-viously only been investigated by the ICC.

In 2010, Justice James Ogoola was behind the creation of the similar War Crimes Di-vision of the High Court in neighbouring Uganda. The retired judge says legal profes-

sionals across all departments will need to be given advanced training before such an institution can begin operating in Kenya.

“[Training] is absolutely necessary for the judges, prosecution and even coun-selors,” Ogoola said at an event hosted by IWPR and the Wayamo Foundation in Nai-robi late last year. “That is the only way to achieve an effective and strong court that meets the global standards.”

For those who suffered themselves or lost relatives in the post-election violence in Kenya, the ICD offers hope that they will see justice done for crimes committed dur-ing the unrest.

But sustained domestic political oppo-sition to prosecuting perpetrators of the violence over the last five years means survivors are under no illusions that the process will run smoothly.

“It [the ICD] must be better than the lo-cal courts,” said Jackson Mwangi, whose house in Nairobi’s Kibera slum district was burnt down in early 2008. “We must see judges and lawyers and prosecutors like the ones we saw [at the ICC] in The Hague. We don’t want it to operate like the local courts, which can be easily compro-mised.”

One crucial part of making the ICD work effectively involves creating robust mechanisms to protect the witnesses who will give evidence during trials.

Although the Kenyan government set up a witness protection unit in the wake of the ICC investigation, there are wide-spread concerns that it is not doing enough to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place.

Rights groups in Kenya recently ac-cused the government of failing to protect the witnesses who are due to testify against the four suspects charged at the ICC.

Visiting Kenya in October, ICC Prosecu-tor Fatou Bensouda described the situa-tion as “worrying” and discussed witness protection issues with the Kenyan govern-ment. She also raised the matter with ICC judges in a November 2012 filing, in which she identified “an objectively justifiable risk to the witnesses’ safety arising from the disclosure of their identities to the ac-cused”, and asked for special measures for protected prosecution witnesses.

A Sanitation court is currently un-der construction by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA)

to try sanitation and other related cases.According to the Chronicle, the court

is to ensure that the city of Kumasi be-comes clean, and also make the people of the city adhere to some simple bye-laws of the KMA.

In an interview with the Public Rela-tions Officer of the KMA, Mr. Godwin Okuma Nyame, he disclosed that the as-sembly had already taken the decision to establish a sanitation court somewhere last year, and since then a building in which the court would operate had been awarded on contract.

According to Nyame, when complet-ed, the proposed court would help to speed up the trial of sanitation and other waste management-related cases in the metropolis.

He explained that the reason for es-tablishing the court was not because of-fenders were not being prosecuted, but the need for a court solely for sanitation issues which could also speed up trials when processed before it.

He noted that despite several educa-tional campaigns undertaken by the KMA on the need to keep the environ-

ment clean, most residents have decided to pay deaf ears to such education.

In order to get them on track with the city authorities, the assembly has taken the decision to come out with a court to prosecute those problematic residents, who see nothing wrong with littering the environment.

The KMA PRO said, “It is the expecta-tion of KMA to have the project complet-ed this year, in order to get things going as expected by the city authorities.”

Answering a question on how sanita-tion offenders are dealt with currently, Nyame hinted that despite the on-going education in the city, some residents still take the law into their hands, adding, “as you know, the law does not permit ignorance, and for that matter, as at now, the law would take its course, by dealing with any offender.”

He, therefore, advised residents not to throw garbage around as the law would deal with such offenders.

A Ukrainian lawyer and an econo-mist who defied a ban on the dis-posal of eastern European prop-

erty linked to Sean Quinn have been fined £15,000 each.

A BBC report says that Oleksandr Serpokrylov and Dmytro Zaitsev will be sentenced to four weeks in jail if they do not pay the financial penalty within six months.

High Court judge Mr Justice McCloskey imposed the punishment on the two men for acting in contempt of a court.

It concerned an injunction over a 45m dollar (£28.6m) shopping centre in Kiev.

The pair, as representatives of a mysteri-ous offshore company, were held to have fla-grantly and deliberately ignored an order against any transfer of debts surrounding the mall.

Lawyers for the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation issued contempt proceedings against Mr Serpokrylov and Mr Zaitsez, and the British Virgin Islands-registered Lyndhurst Development Trading SA, for allegedly flouting the injunction imposed at the Northern Ireland High Court in De-cember 2011.

IBRC, the former Anglo Irish Bank, has been seeking control of former billionaire Mr Quinn’s international empire in an at-tempt to recoup more than £2bn.

As part of the wider legal battle Lynd-hurst Development Trading was prohib-ited from enforcing any loan agreement.

It was alleged that the injunction was ig-nored later the same day at a hearing in Kiev.

Lyndhurst secured judgment from the Ukrainian court that it was entitled to en-force a $45m debt against the firm that owns the mall, Univermag.

Justice McCloskey has already found the property debt was transferred from one of Mr Quinn’s companies to put it beyond the reach of IRBC.

All disputed transactions were declared null and void, with control returned to the former Anglo Irish Bank.

A chain of assignments scrutinised in the case set out how Fermanagh-based firm Demesne Investments, of which Mr Quinn is a former director, was owed 45m dollars by Univermag.

But in April 2011 Demesne transferred its rights to the debt to Innishmore Consultancy, another Northern Ireland company run by Mr Quinn’s nephew Peter Quinn.

Supreme Court of Kenya complex

QuinnQuinn

Law & JusticeNational Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 47Monday, February 11, 2013

FAMOUS CASES

Chieftaincy tussle: Why community dragged Alaran to court

It all started with the movement of peo-ple from Omu Aran to a new settlement called Arandun community in Kwara

State. This was in or about 1931 and before then, the people were under the Ejemu Alaran. When the people were moving, it is alleged that the Ejemu Alaran told them that whenever they settled on the new found land, they should maintain their chieftaincy to avoid any controversy. The appellants, together with others, moved and settled at Arandun in or about 1931. There were six compounds in Arandun and the appellants belonged to the Moji or Imoji compound and the respondents belonged to Mode or Imode compound. At Arandun the people maintained the stool of Ejemu Alaran and up till 1994 when the last Ejemu, Jimoh Oyebanji died, the com-pound of Imoji produced all the Ejemus of Arandun from 1931 when the settlement was founded.

In 1994, the respondents, from the Imode compound protested the appoint-ment of any member of the Imoji family on the ground that according to native law and custom, the post of Ejemu Alaran of Arandun should be rotated between the Imoji and the Imode compounds and that this time it was their turn.

This generated a crisis that resulted in legal battle between the two neighbouring members of the extended Arandun com-munity.

In the suit, three principal members of the Imoji compound in Arandun commu-nity, Jacob Jolayemi, Ezekiel Ajayi and Oyedele Ajiboye had sued one Alhaji Raji Olaoye and the Alarun of Arandun, Oba Amos Babatunde of Imode compound in Arandun community in Kwara State over the chieftaincy tussle.

The men in the suit filed at the Omu-Aran High Court in Kwara State, had sought among others, a declaration that under the applicable native law and cus-tom at Arandun, it was only their fam-ily compound, by name Imoji compound, that was entitled to present candidate(s) to fill any vacancy in the Ejemu Alaran chieftaincy stool of Arandun. They also sought a declaration that the family/com-pound of Raji Olaoye, the first defendant that is: Imode compound had no right to present any candidate to fill any vacancy in the Ejemu Alaran chieftaincy stool.

They also prayed the court among oth-ers for;

* Declaration that Raji Olaoye was in-eligible and not qualified to be selected appointed and installed as the Ejemu Alaran of Arandun nor to perform the

functions of the office or collect the per-quisites attached thereto.

* Declaration that Oba Amos Babatunde, Alarun of Arandun as the second defen-dant had no power under the applicable Arandun native law and customs pertain-ing to the Ejemu Alaran stool to approve the appointment of any person that is not from the Imoji compound at Arandun.

* Declaration that Oyedele Ajiboye , the third plaintiff having being chosen and selected by the Imoji compound and pre-sented traditionally to the Oba Alaran of Arandun, is the rightful person to occupy the vacant Ejemu Alaran stool of Arand-un.

They also asked for an order setting aside any purported selection, nomination, appointment, approval and installation of the Raji Olaoye, first defendant or any other person from his Imode compound/family.

The parties filed their pleadings and called witnesses to support their case on pleadings. The lawyers for the parties also addressed the court at length both in writ-ing and orally after their witnesses’ evi-dence.

The trial judge of the High Court in Omu Aran judicial division considered all these and came to the conclusion in her judgment that:

“The plaintiffs have failed to satisfy this court from the evidence adduced that they have exclusive right to the stool of Ejemu Alaran chieftaincy and as such all the re-liefs sought by them have failed and are ac-cordingly dismissed”.

The plaintiffs as appellants were dis-satisfied and they appealed to the Court of Appeal. The appeal was dismissed as being without merit and the decision of the trial court was affirmed.

The appellants then appealed to the Supreme Court. The appellants and the first respondent, Olaoye, filed their writ-ten briefs in court as required by the court

rules and exchanged them between them-selves. The second respondent, Alaran of Arandun, did not file any brief. In the ap-pellants’ brief, issues were formulated for the determination of the court.

The panel of the Supreme Court that heard the appeal were; Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, Uthman Tijani Mohammed, Aloy-sius Katisna-Alu , Umaru Kalgo and Sam-son Uwaifo.

Delivering the lead judgment on May 28, 2004, Justice Kalgo declared that there was merit in the appeal of the members of Imoji compound.

‘’ I accordingly, allow it and set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal which af-firmed that of the trial court. ‘’ the court added.

By the verdict, the apex court ruled that the Alaran of Arandun, Oba Babatunde, had no power under the applicable Arand-un native law and customs pertaining to the Ejemu Alaran stool to approve the ap-pointment of any person that is not from the Imoji compound at Arandun.

According to Justice Kalgo, “I am of the considered opinion that the learned trial Judge was very right in considering the pre-1931 history of Arandun people so as to arrive at a just resolution of the issues in controversy between the parties”.

‘’There was no scintilla or iota of evi-dence to support the view that Arandun

was established or settled before 1931, and so the question of resolving a controversy did not arise. The evidence of the appel-lants as per pleadings that Arandun was established in 1931 was not challenged at all.

It is also very clear from the evidence of the appellants’ witnesses elicited above, that members of their family did reign in Arandun as Ejemu Alaran since 1931 unchallenged. I therefore, have no hesita-tion in deciding issues 1 and 2 against the respondents and in favour of the appel-lants.’’

The court said Issue 3, is also resolved in favour of the appellants. Justice Kalgo held that ‘’contrary to the averment in paragraph 4 of the statement of claim, Arandun was not established in or about 1931. Arandun existed before 1931 and be-fore moving to Omu to form together with Aran Orin what became Omu-Aran. They all moved to Ajo and back to Omu-Aran before Aran Orin moved to its present site and Arandun moved to its present site. The identity of each component of Arandun, Aran Orin, Omu was distinct and the rem-nants of those left behind at Omu Aran are still distinct and hold chieftaincy title pecu-liar to the Arans. Arandun was formerly called Aran Odun and was named after Odun river at the site.

Having resolved all the appellants’ three issues in their favour, I find that there is merit in this appeal. I accordingly, allow it and set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal which affirmed that of the trial court.

‘’ In sum, this appeal succeeds and is hereby allowed. The decisions of the trial court and the Court of Appeal are hereby set aside and for the avoidance of any doubt I hereby enter judgment for the appellants on their claim before the trial court.

Justices Kutigi, Mohamed, Katsina-Alu, and Uwaifo concurred with the lead judgment.

The 72-year-old Ejemu Alaran chieftaincy tussle between the inhabitants of two family compounds in Arandun community of Omu-Aran, Kwara State was finally resolved by the Supreme Court in 2004, when the overbearing powers of the Alaran of Arandun pertaining to the filling of the disputed stool was cur-tailed. FRANCIS FAMOROTI reports.

ARANDUN EXISTED BEFORE 1931 AND

BEFORE MOVING TO OMU TO FORM TOGETHER WITH

ARAN ORIN WHAT BECAME OMU-ARAN

Justice Idris Kutigi, former CJN

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net48 Monday, February 11, 2013

PAUL ARHEWE,WITH AGENCY REPORTS

The secular party of Tunisian Presi-dent Moncef Mar-

zouki has withdrawn its three ministers from the country’s government, saying that its demands for changes in the cabi-net have not been met.

The decision yesterday by Marzouki’s Congress for the Republic Party deals a further blow to Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali’s government, al-ready weakened by last week’s assassination of secular opposition leader Shokri Belaid.

“We have been saying for a week that if the for-eign and justice ministers were not changed, we would withdraw from the government,” Samir Ben Amor, a Congress for the

Republic Party official, told Reuters news agency.

“This decision has nothing to do with the prime minister’s decision to form a government of technocrats,” he said, referring to Jebali’s de-clared intention to name

a non-partisan cabinet to run day-to-day affairs un-til elections can be held.

Jebali has himself threatened to resign un-less his Ennahda party and other parties accept his proposals for an in-terim government of

technocrats.Jebali, who is in dis-

pute with his party over his proposal for a new gov-ernment, said on Saturday he would present his new cabinet “by the middle of next week by the lat-est,” the official TAP news

agency reported.If the team was accept-

ed by parties represented in the country’s constitu-ent assembly without be-ing put to a vote, he would remain on as prime min-ister, Jebali said.

Otherwise, he said, he would resign.

Jebali first made the announcement on Wednesday, hours after the Belaid’s assassina-tion outside his home by an unknown assailant.

Ennahda rejected that idea soon afterwards.

Jebali said on Friday that he was confident he could gain his party’s support. It remains un-clear how he plans to pull enough support to his side.

“I am convinced this is the best solution for the current situation in Tu-nisia,” Jebali said late on Friday.

Tunisian president’s party quits cabinet

Moncef Marzouki, President of Tunisia, showing his Liberty passport he was given when he was living in exile in France years ago PHOTO: AP

Police in South Africa said yesterday they ar-rested the “ringleader”

of a group of 19 Congolese rebels who now face charges of allegedly plotting a war to unseat Congolese President Joseph Kabila.

The leader, who police declined to identify before his arraignment this week in a Pretoria court, was ar-rested Friday in Cape Town, said Capt. Paul Ramaloko, a spokesman for South African Police Service. Ramaloko said the man didn’t fight his arrest, though he declined to offer any other details.

“He cooperated with us,” the captain said.

Ramaloko identified the man as the “ringleader” of the alleged rebel group, mak-ing it likely the man is Eti-enne Kabila, who prosecutors identified last week as being in charge of the group. Kabila claims to be a son of Congo’s assassinated president Lau-rent Kabila, something the Kabila family denies. Laurent Kabila’s son, Joseph Kabila, is Congo’s current president.

On Feb. 5, police arrested

the 19 suspected rebels in South Africa’s north-eastern Limpopo Province. Pros-ecutors later said the men thought they had been on their way to a training camp, where they would learn the tactics they’d need to “wage a full-scale war” against the Kabila government. Instead, prosecutors said those that the group first contacted in September were actually un-dercover police officers.

The suspected rebels asked the undercover of-ficers for thousands of ma-chine guns and grenades, as well as missiles, cash, radios and satellite phones, pros-ecutors said. In return, the group offered the officers mining rights for eastern

Congo, where experts esti-mate there mineral deposits worth trillions of dollars, prosecutors said.

One of the arrested sus-pects is James Kazongo, a U.S. citizen who lives in Middle-town, Delaware. Kazongo has denied the charges against him and has been in contact with the United States Em-bassy in South Africa.

The 19 men face charges of violating South Africa’s Foreign Military Assistance Act, which bars people from plotting coups or mercenary activities in foreign nations. The men will appear at a bail hearing scheduled for Feb. 14, where prosecutors could present more evidence against them.

Unidentified suspects being led out of court after appearing in Pretoria, South Africa on Thursday. PHOTO: AP

49National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.netMonday, February 11, 2013

World News

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ah-madinejad said yesterday that he is ready to have talks with United States if the West stops pres-suring his country, the latest in a series of hints from leaders in both Washington and Tehran about the prospect of direct bilateral negotia-tions over the Islamic Republic’s controversial nuclear program.

However, Washington is highly unlikely to relax sanctions on Iran — and Tehran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on key state decisions, says that his country won’t negotiate under threat. This makes it hard to envision how talks could take place.

Ahmadinejad is in his final months of his term of office and his followers are weakened by a feud with the Islamic Republic’s clerical establishment. His latest statement, which implies that he is an equal player with Khamenei in foreign policy matters, may simply be an attempt to appear as though he is still politically relevant.

“You pull away the gun from the face of the Iranian nation, and I myself will enter the talks with you,” Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of the 1979 revolu-tion that toppled a Western-backed monarch and ushered in the Islamic Republic.

I’ll talk with US if pressure stops –Ahmadinejad

German education minister quits in plagiarism case

Germany’s education minister has resigned after a university decided to withdraw her doctor-ate, finding that she plagiarized parts of her thesis — an embar-rassment for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government as it pre-pares for elections later this year.

Merkel said she had accepted “only with a very heavy heart” the resignation of Annette Schavan, who has been her education and research minister since 2005 and was considered close to the chancellor.

Schavan’s resignation, which occurred Saturday, comes only two years after then-Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Gutten-berg lost his doctorate and quit when it emerged that he copied large parts of his doctoral thesis. Schavan said at the time she was “ashamed” of that affair.

On Tuesday, an academic panel at Duesseldorf’s Heinrich Heine University voted to revoke Schavan’s doctorate follow-ing a review of her 1980 thesis, which dealt with the formation of conscience. The review was undertaken after an anonymous blogger last year raised allega-tions of plagiarism, which the minister denies.

WORLD BULLETIN

Black-robed Islamic extremists armed with AK-47 automatic rifles penetrated the most populous city

in northern Mali on Sunday, engaging the Malian army in combat in a surprise at-tack two weeks after French and Malian troops ousted the jihadists.

The attack in Gao shows the Islamic fighters, many of them well armed and with combat experience, are determined and daring and it foreshadows a protracted campaign by France and other nations to restore government control in this vast Sa-haran nation in northwest Africa.

The Islamic radicals fought against the Malian army for more than two hours and were seen roaming the streets and on roof-tops in around the police headquarters in the center of Gao. Gunfire echoed across the city.

Families hid in their homes. One fam-ily handed plastic cups of water through the locked iron gate to others hiding on their patio. Piles of onions lay unattended where market women fled when the Is-lamists arrived.

The fighting appeared to centre near the police headquarters, where Malian soldiers with rocket propelled grenades traded fire with the combatants believed to be from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO. The only sound was gun-fire and the bleating of goats. Soldiers were positioned at every corner in the neighbour-hood of mud-walled buildings.

Islamist insurgents attack Malian troops in Gao

South African police arrest Congo’s rebel ringleader

“First and foremost, most Afghans unfortunately do regard this bribery as a fact of life”

JEAN-LUC LEMAHIEU, REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR UNODC

Some of the palace guards, during Governor Isa Yuguda’s meeting with newly appointed district heads in Bauchi State.

FEMI OYEWESOABEOKUTA

Palpable tension has now gripped Ad-umbu village in

Ewekoro Local Govern-ment Area of Ogun State, following invasion by armed bandits suspected

to be land speculators. Community Mirror gath-

ered that the hoodlums were allegedly aided by Alimi Muraina Solabi, So-labi Fasasi, Kazeem Solabi, Waidi Solabi and Alhaji Amoo Solabi, who claimed to be long lost indigenes of the community.

They were said to have used security operatives to arrest the village head and secretary, Chief Olalekan Ogunjobi and Chief Ranti Falola respectively, before bringing in firearms con-cealed in a mock coffin to invade the village.

Both Ogunjobi and Fa-

lola, were said to have been detained at the Eleweran Headquarters of Ogun State Police Command be-fore being released.

In a petition signed by Ogunjobi and Falola re-spectively and addressed to the state Commission-er of Police, Ikemefuna

Tension as hoodlums sack Ogun village

CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

The Managing Direc-tor of Timik Consult Ltd, a civil engineer-

ing and construction firm, Mr. Goke Anjorin and one of the contractors handling the Orlu projects in Imo State, has lauded Governor Rochas Okoroacha for his vision in the transforma-tion process in the city.

Anjorin who said this while conducting newsmen round the city recently, ex-plained that a lot of demo-lition and clearing works which opened up the town for development were car-ried out by his firm, even as it affected one of the gover-nor’s buildings.

He remarked that the gov-ernor allowed his building to be demolished as example

in humility, as no individual or group could be above the law or constitute barrier to the desperately needed in-frastructural development.

He commended Gover-nor Okorocha for the initia-tive to engage local contrac-tors in the development of the area, adding that his company conceptualised the emerging Orlu city, which was bought over by the state chief executive.

He added: “Awarding con-tracts to only foreign firms will not help in capacity building. Project manage-ment skills is lacking on the side of indigenous contrac-tors. Employing expatriates to join indigenous compa-nies to help out in projects, will ensure quicker transfer of technology,” he said.

Community Mirror learnt that among the com-

pleted and ongoing works in the emerging city, include, a stretch of 1.5km of the federal highway from the popular Banana Junction to Nkwoito junction, which is nearing completion, a 6.22km stretch of six lanes expressway, from Nkume Y-Junction to Banana Junc-tion which is one of Timik’s biggest ongoing project.

The managing direc-tor however disclosed that all the required right of way for the road expansion project has been cleared and the panoramic view of the expressway is now vis-ible. From Banana junction, about 2km of stone base has been completed and a ki-lometer of drainages with beautiful walkways over them are now ready,” he said.

One of the elders in the

area, Mr. Joseph Echendu, expressed happiness at the transformation of Orlu, even as he thanked the Okorocha-led administra-tion for the initiative. He also commended Timik Construction Company for its efficiency and working towards ensuring Orlu be-comes a beautiful city as en-visaged by the governor and indigenes.

Another indigene, Mrs. Felicia Okorie, was full of praises for the relentless pace of work, saying that Governor Okorocha has performed creditably well in comparison with his pre-decessors, especially in the area of road construction. She agreed that the old-long saying of Orlu being the one of the least developed towns in Imo State would soon be a thing of the past.

Residents laud Okorocha on Orlu transformation

Okoye, the community al-leged that an estate agent; Ahmed of Adedas & Co was behind the attack.

The villagers, most of who are still squatting at Ewekoro Local Govern-ment headquarters, said Ahmed and his cohorts came in eight vehicles and with dangerous weapons concealed in a mock coffin to invade the village.

The petition, which was copied to Governor, Ibikun-le Amosun titled: “Case of Terrorist Attack on Ad-umbu Village” claimed the agent later brought in land surveyors after the villag-ers had fled to the neigh-bouring communities.

Investigations revealed that many of the displaced persons, most of who are women, are still taking ref-uge at Ewekoro Local Gov-ernment secretariat, while others have fled to Ifo.

Notable among the dis-placed villagers was a nurs-ing mother Adijat,who was seen cuddling a three month old baby.

The villagers, however, appealed to the Commis-sioner of Police and Chair-man of Ewekoro Local Government to save them from hoodlums.

“We hereby forward our letter to save our souls from land speculators who employed hoodlums to sack our village, while tak-ing over the landed prop-erty.

The thugs, numbering about 150, came in eight

buses and hid their arms in a mock coffin, even as they shot indiscriminately. The villagers are now tak-ing refuge in churches, mosques and houses of well wishers at Itori”.

Men, women and chil-dren ran out of the village to neighbouring communi-ties. After the mayhem, a surveyor brought in some unscrupulous persons to survey all lands belonging to the villagers.

Women and school chil-dren have been displaced and can no longer attend schools, while economic activities have been para-lysed, as people are cut off from their means of liveli-hood,” the petition said.

All efforts to speak with the estate agent, Ahmed, was unsuccessful as his phones were switched off.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, said the State Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was al-ready handling the case.

Adejobi, who confirmed the arrest, detention and eventual release of the vil-lage heads, assured that the Police Commissioner, Okoye would do the need-ful to ensure that justice prevailed.

50 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netMonday, February 11, 2013

Community MirrorThe bottom line is that we want to mobilise Nigerians

against 2015 elections to secure and manage the country.FORMER MILITARY HEAD OF STATE, MAJ. GEN. MUHAMMADU BUHARI

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 51Monday, February 11, 2013 North

Govt’ll resist those causing disharmony in Nigeria –AliyuBenue State Governor Gabriel Suswam (right) and Country Representative, UNICEF, Ibrahima Fall, after the signing of 2013 an-Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam (right) and Country Representative, UNICEF, Ibrahima Fall, after the signing of 2013 an-nual work plan of the United Nations Development Action Framework in Makurdi, at the weekend.nual work plan of the United Nations Development Action Framework in Makurdi, at the weekend.

AliyuAliyu

IJEOMA EZEIKE ABUJA

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Abuja (UNIABU-

JA), Prof. James Adela-bu, has promised that the management would not victimize any student in-volved in the unrest that led to the closure of the institution last year.

However, a meeting held at the weekend in between the University Senate and students of the medical and engi-neering faculties whose academic programmes were suspended ended in deadlock.

The medical and en-gineering students were believed to have orches-trated the protest over non-accreditation of their courses. The pro-test, therefore, led to the closure of the school on November 20, 2012.

The meeting, which was attended by the Special Assistant to the President on Students’ and Youth Matters, Mr. Jude Imagwe, was ran-corous.

Appeals for under-standing by the vice-chancellor and other members of the univer-sity management so that other students could be resume to write their Second Semester exami-nations was resisted by the medical and engi-neering students.

WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

The Kwara State Government at the weekend de-

nied that Mrs. Oluwa-toyin Saraki, the wife of the Senator representing Kwara Central Senato-rial District, Dr. Bukola Saraki, was involved in the lease of the Ilorin Amusement Park, a gov-ernment property.

The Park has been al-legedly leased to the Ar-tee Group, operators of Park ‘n’ Shop and Spar Supermarket brands in Nigeria and Saraki’s wife was generally said to be in the centre of it.

An Ilorin-based fam-ily, Ajia, was said to be the owner of the land on which the Park was built and cried foul over the deal and allegedly said Mrs. Saraki was behind it.

National Mirror was told that the Ajia Family had already filed a suit at the Ilorin High Court, but that the case is yet to be assigned to a judge.

However, a state-ment by Kawara State Commissioner for In-formation and Commu-nication, Prince Tunji Morounfoye, said: “A re-ported law suit by an Il-orin-based group linking the Mrs. Saraki to the lease of the Park needs to be clarified.”

Describing the fam-ily’s claim misinforma-tion, he said: “Neither Mrs. Saraki nor anyone associated with her was involved in the lease of the Park”.

The commissioner, however, said that Mrs Saraki, as the former Kwara State First Lady, “only renovated the Park in 2004 as a philanthrop-ic gesture.”

He described the list-ing of Oluwatoyin Sara-ki as a defendant in the suit as a “futile cam-paign orchestrated by the opposition and tar-geted at the Saraki fam-ily”.

Morounfoye said the Park was leased to Ar-tee Group in 2010 when the company agreed to include Kwara State in its plans to expand to six locations in Nigeria.

KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

Central Bank of Ni-geria (CBN) Gover-nor, Mallam Sanusi

Lamido Sanusi, has said that the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, would return to the country.

Alhaji Bayero travelled abroad for medical atten-tion following the attack on his convoy in Kano by some members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect a couple of weeks ago.

Sanusi, who spoke yes-terday at the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adey-

emi, said the Kano mon-arch is hale and hearty, hence his expected re-turn to the country.

The CBN governor was in Alaafin’s palace to sympathise with the monarch over the fire in-cident which occurred in the palace last month.

Sanusi, who told the Alaafin that his late sympathy visit was due to official engagements, which had most of the time taken him out of the country, expressed joy that the no life was lost in the inferno.

He, however, thanked the Alaafin for attending

his turbanning in Kano last year and disclosed that the monarch would always earn his support and respect as a foremost traditional ruler.

The CBN governor prayed to God to grant the monarch long life and the grace to withstand challenges of life.

Responding, Oba Ad-eyemi said though he was saddened by the loss suffered in the incident, but he thanked God that it did not happen in the night, when more than half of the residents of the palace could not have escaped unhurt.

He also expressed gratitude to Nigerians for the show of love to him and his people since the incident through their visitations in hundreds, describing it as over-whelming and expression of his relevance in the country.

The monarch also thanked the CBN gov-ernor for the visit de-spite his tight schedules, which he acknowledged were enormous.

He urged people not to abandon the palaces to the traditional rulers alone, saying: “The palac-es belong to the people.”

PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu has said that the

government would always resist those bent on causing disharmony in Nigeria.

Decrying the state of in-security in the North, Gov-ernor Aliyu noted that the situation would cripple the economy of the region if nothing is done to address it.

The governor cited the Kanti Kori Market in Kano State, where the govern-ment generates about N255 million daily, but due to the state of insecurity and its devastating effect on the region, the proceed had dropped to a mere N11 mil-lion as many people have

stopped visiting the market for business transaction.

Speaking yesterday at a reception organised by the government in honour of the 12 eminent Niger indi-genes serving the nation in various capacities in Min-na, he said that the state would not just sit back, fold its arm and allow those be-hind the insecurity have a field day without fighting back.

Aliyu said: “We will not stay and allow those who are causing disharmony in the nation to continue. We will not accept, Niger State will fight back. This is because Niger State is the foundation of Nigeria. Many prominent Nigeri-ans such as late Dr. Inandi Azikiwe, Odumeagu Ojuk-wu, Cyprian Ekwensi and

many others were all born in Niger.”

Recalling sadly the kill-ing of 10 polio vaccination officials by members of the Boko Haram sect in Kano recently, the governor pointed out that the inci-dent indicates the level of insecurity in the North.

He stressed the need for stakeholders to support the government in the fight against the lingering secu-rity challenges confronting the country.

The governor, however, said the 12 public officials were honoured because of their integrity and contri-bution to the nation’s devel-opment.

Also speaking on the oc-casion, the House of Rep-resentatives Speaker, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,

said that the officials de-served the honour because of their hard work and dili-gence in the service of the country.

Those honoured were Justice Musa Dattijo Mo-hammed of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Dal-hatu Adamu, former Act-

ing President, Court of Appeal; Mr. John Alhassan Gana, Federal Permanent Secretary; Peter Yisa Gana, Deputy Inspector General of Police; Mr. Sam Ibrahim Saba, Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau; Alhaji Abubakar Dagaci, Deputy Comptroller General of Prisons.

Others are Dan Azumi Doma, Assistant Inspector General of Police; Dr. Peter Nmadu, Group Executive Director Corporate Servic-es Nigerian National Petro-leum Corporation (NNPC); Alhaji Jibrin Paiko, Ex-ecutive Secretary, Nation-al Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education and Dr. Jimada Muhammed, Executive Secretary of NPHCDA.

UNIABUJA unrest: No plan to victimise students –VC

‘Saraki’s wife not involved in Amusement Park lease’

Emir of Kano returns home this week, says Sanusi

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net52 North Monday, February 11, 2013

APC can rescue Nigeria’s democracy –TofaAUGUSTINE MADU-WESTKANO

Presidential candidate of the defunct Nation-al Republican Con-

vention, NRC, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, has said that the new party formed by leading op-position parties could rescue Nigeria’s democracy from imminent collapse.

He, however, cautioned that the opposition leaders should work hard to realise the objectives behind the for-

mation of the party, the All Progressive Congress, APC.

In a text message he sent to newsmen from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Tofa said he received the news of the merger with excitement, adding that the adopted name, APC, was adequate in the circumstance as it would heal the ailment threatening the country’s political devel-opment.

He said: “On February 5th when I read the news that 10 governors of the ACN (4),

ANPP (3), APGA (2), CPC (1), have met in Lagos to sup-port the proposed merger. The following day, the com-bined merger committee of the four parties named their new proposed party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, I fell in love with the name given to the new party, which is a quick relief for simple ailments, such as headaches, minor fever, etc.

“So, most of the older com-mon people will easily re-member the name. The mili-

tary will also remember it even quickly, as it also means Armoured Personnel Car-rier, APC. General Ibrahim Babangida was an expert driver of such war machine when he was the command-er of the Armoured Corps. I like the name, however. It will also be on top of the list on the ballot paper.”

The former chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Par-ty, ANPP, Elders’ Committee also expressed the hope that the logo would equally be

OYEWALE IBRAHIMLOKOJA

An Okene High Court has threat-ened to bring the

full wrath of law against Kogi State Head of Service, Accountant-General and the Attorney- General over refusal to reabsorb about 346 workers sacked by the government in 2009.

The trial judge, Justice S. O. Otu, who was furious over the disobedience of an earlier order issued by the court for the trio to appear before it was flouted, issued the threat.

The court had delivered a judgement on May 14, 2012 where it ordered that the state government should immediately reinstate 346 civil servants sacked dur-ing the staff audit exercise carried out by Sally Titbot Consulting.

The court declared that the affected civil servants had genuine documents of employment and were le-gally employed by the state government and therefore saw no reason why they could be so arbitrarily sacked.

It also declared that there was no time the state gov-

ernment gave the affected staff any form of sack letter to indicate their disengage-ment from the service and therefore ordered the rein-statement of the workers.

The judge also directed the state government to pay the salaries and allowances of the workers.

However, the state gov-ernment has refused to comply with the order, as the court was told many other people were being employed through the backdoor while the affected workers salaries were been withheld.

The court was told that

the affected workers were still reporting for their of-ficial duties while some of them had been promoted with some transferred to other stations, yet they were been denied their sala-ries for over three years.

The court sometimes last year summoned the state functionaries to ap-pear before it to give expla-nation on why its order was not complied with.

But when the court re-sumed hearing on Friday, none of the of the sum-moned government func-tionaries was present in court.

WOLE ADEDEJIILORIN

The Governing Coun-cil of the University of Ilorin, UNILORIN,

has appointed a registrar-designate for the institution.

The Deputy Director Information, (Corporate Affairs), of the university, Alhaji Kunle Akogun, an-nounced that the appointee,

Mr. Emmanuel Dada Oba-femi, would take over from Mrs. Olufunke Oyeyemi, whose tenure would end in April.

He said: “The appoint-ment, which followed the recommendation of the Selection Board raised to assess applicants for the po-sition of registrar, was one of the highlights of the deci-sions taken at the Council’s

meeting held on Saturday, February 9, 2013.

Obafemi, who is cur-rently the Deputy Registrar, Academic Support Services, joined the services of the University of Ilorin on Sep-tember 28, 1981 as Assistant Registrar (Information). He is a 1977 graduate of the Uni-versity of Ibadan.

“He has been, at vari-ous times, Senior Assistant

Registrar and Principal As-sistant Registrar in various units of the university ad-ministration.

“In 2006, he was promot-ed to the position of Deputy Registrar and he served in various units such as Estab-lishments Office, College of Health Sciences, Students Affairs Office, Council Of-fice and Academic Support Services.”

Court threatens to sanction Kogi officials for flouting order

Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olabolade (2nd left); Kano State Deputy Governor, Dr. Umar Ganduje; Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and others, during the inspection of the Police Academy at Wudil in Kano State, at the weekend. PHOTO: NAN

AZA MSUEKADUNA

The Southern Kadu-na Peoples Union, SOKAPU, and Zaria

Emirate Development As-sociation, ZEMDA, at the weekend met on how to actualise the proposed Gu-rara State for the Christian Southern part of the state.

SOKAPU also declared six months mourning in honour of the late Kaduna State Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa.

Addressing SOKAPU Annual General/National Executive Council meet-ing held in Saminaka, Lere Local Government, Ka-duna State Deputy Gover-nor Nuhu Bajoga charged Southern Kaduna people to be united rather than divid-ing themselves on the basis of religion and region.

He said: “We want this unity to continue between the Zaria emirate and the Southern Kaduna people. The Southern Kaduna people should emulate the virtues of Yakowa who worked with everyone ir-respective of religion and tribe. If we see ourselves as one, the state will move forward.

“Our Governor, Dr. Muh-

ktar Ramalan Yero, is a complete gentle man. I have interacted with him and all the policies and projects that were flagged-off by Yakowa are ongoing and he has pledged to complete them.

“We want the people to support the governor in his peace-building efforts for these projects to be achieved.”

Earlier, SOKAPU Na-tional President, Dr. Ephraim Goje, said the quest for Gurara State cre-ation had been on for over 30 years, stressing that the people of the area would continue to press for their demand until its actualisa-tion.

He said: “We in Southern Kaduna will not relent un-til Gurara State is achieved. We have made our position known to the government and we will never relent in our pursuit of state cre-ation.

“That is where we ask for the cooperation and support of ZEMDA. The people of Southern Kaduna are peace-loving people and have recently invited by the Emir of Zazzau who urged them to work with other groups in the state, includ-ing ZEMDA.”

Southern Kaduna reiterates demand for Gurara State

UNILORIN appoints new registrar

spectacular and relevant. He said: “For example

rainfall, a flower, a healthy cow eating tall grass, etc.; not anything we have seen be-fore, not anything difficult to draw, like a basket of fruit.”

Tofa said although for many of the players, it was like a family reunion as many of them were mem-bers of the old All Peoples Party, APP, “nonetheless, there are issues that we must all be concerned about in nurturing this noble objec-tive.”

He itemised the issues as; “Internal sabotage: Leaders must be watchful of this. There may be people within the merging parties (some of them leaders) that can be used to, or willingly on their own, sabotage this coming together of the opposition parties.

“Internal democracy and justice must be entrenched to the fullest right from the very beginning of this new political party when it comes into being. If one group seeks to dominate matters and po-sitions of leadership at any

level, that will spell trouble. Building a firm foundation of internal democracy and justice is of paramount im-portance.”

Tofa also noted that the divisions that existed, espe-cially in the CPC, must be resolved.

He said: “The Senator Rufa’i faction should be in-vited by the joint-leadership of APC and work out a way to settle the issues. If that is not done, this faction, as small as it is, can be an em-barrassment; and they will continue using the CPC as a party since they hold its certificate of registration, I am told.

“The Labour Party, LP, and the new party, the United Progressive Party, UPP, led by Chekwas Okorie must be invited to join the merger as soon as possible. A high-pow-ered delegation should be sent to them for negotiation. They can spring surprise victories in the South-South and the South-East, and this can diminish the stature of APC in these important states.

53National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netMonday, February 11, 2013

We appreciate all the corporate bodies that have stood by us. But we

honestly frown at ambush sponsors- NFF’S MARKETER, MIKE ITEMUAGBOR

SportAmbrose, a Champions League doubt –Coach

54

Leader of the Federal Government’s delegation, Senate President, David Mark, addressing Super Eagles’ players on Saturday evening during their training Leader of the Federal Government’s delegation, Senate President, David Mark, addressing Super Eagles’ players on Saturday evening during their training at the National Stadium in Soweto, ahead of last night’s AFCON 2013 final match.at the National Stadium in Soweto, ahead of last night’s AFCON 2013 final match.

The Federal Government has said that it is ready to make the present set of

Super Eagles players become the first beneficiaries of the National Sports Hall of Fame that was re-cently given approval by Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan.

Sports Minister and Chair-

man of the National Sports Com-mission (NSC), Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi, said at the weekend while addressing players and officials of the Super Eagles at their Garden Court Hotel abode in Milpark, South Africa ahead of last night’s AFCON final that the government had also mapped

out a heroic welcome for the team today.

Abdulahi, who was in compa-ny of the NFF President, Aminu Maigari, Director, Elite Athletes, NSC, Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba, NFF board members, Chris Green and Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu, said the government was proud of the

achievement of the team. “Victory is not everything,

but victory is the only thing,” the minister charged.

Maigari on his part thanked the FG at the highest level for the huge support the Eagles re-ceived at the South Africa 2013 AFCON.

EVEREST ONYEWUCHI WITH AGENCY REPORT

Super Eagles’ captain, Joseph Yobo, has said that the 29th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) that ended in Jo-

hannesburg, South Africa, last night was his last as a player.

Hours before the Nigeria and Burkina Faso final inside the National Stadium in Soweto, Yobo told the News Agency of Ni-geria (NAN) about his impending retire-ment from international football, effective after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Yobo, who had so far won 92 caps for the county, said he had done his best for Nigeria and needed to win the trophy which was what had been missing.

“I thank God for my life today. I have put in a lot into the national team and it has been long that the country reached

this stage of the competition. “This is my sixth AFCON and this is

my first time in the final. I am looking for-ward to lifting the trophy on Sunday, but the work is now,” Yobo said.

Speaking on his role from the bench at the AFCON, Yobo said he had no hard feel-ings as what mattered was that the team was getting victory.

“But at the same time I am always ready when called upon. I started the game but got injured. The last time out, I played and even scored but we didn’t make it, now we are here what matters most is for the team to be winning, which we are doing,” Yobo added.

The Fernabahce of Turkey strong man praised the younger players in the Eagles’ squad for making Nigerians proud.

“We the experienced ones are guiding them not to lose focus while celebrating.”

Former Super Eagles’ captain, Nwankwo Kanu,

has said that credit must be given to Coach Stephen Keshi for re-in-troducing the Nigerian football culture into the national team.

Kanu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Johannesburg at the 29th AFCON that ended yesterday that “Keshi is getting it right with the team.”

The lanky striker added, “Nigeria is once again playing the type of football that put the Eagles among the foot-

ball powerhouses in the African continent. The Nigerian culture and football is back and credit must be given to Stephen Keshi.

“Maybe it is because he is a local coach and understands our foot-ball culture as the play-ers have responded well to the way he wants the game to be played.”

The one-time Inter Milan and Arsenal for-ward said he hoped the current team would also continue to impress even at next year’s World Cup like the Super Eagles class of 1994.

The Nigeria camp at the just-ended 29th Africa Cup of Nations in Johannesburg,

South Africa, was badly jolted on Saturday morning when news fil-tered in that ace broadcast jour-nalist, Joseph Ighile, had died in Lagos.

Ighile, a member of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, was in South Africa for the group stage campaign of the Super Ea-gles.

He was presenting his sports programme on CHANNELS Tele-vision on Friday evening when he reportedly slumped and died be-fore anxious colleagues could get him to hospital.

NFF President, Aminu Mai-gari, was taken aback when the sad news was broken to him. “Oh my God! What happened to him? How did it happen? Joe (Ighile) interviewed me and I saw him doing his work quietly but dili-gently during the group stage in Nelspruit. A good man has gone. May his gentle soul rest in peace,” NFF said in a statement.

Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Chief Emeka Inyama, was distraught. “What happened to Joseph? I have never heard of this kind of thing. Joe was your idea of a hardworking, enterprising and yet, unobtrusive journalist. He did his job conscientiously and with grace and honour.

“Everyone is shocked. This is sad, very sad. As a member of the Media and Publicity Committee, he was very supportive and very positive.”

FG to induct Eagles into Hall of Fame

NFF mourns Joe Ighile

…As Yobo hangs AFCON bootsKanu hails Keshi

Late IghileLate Ighile

54 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netSport Monday, February 11, 2013

Celtic Manager, Neil Len-non, concedes it is un-likely Super Eagles’ de-

fender Efe Ambrose will start Celtic’s Champions League tie with Juventus tomorrow.

The Nigerian played in yesterday’s African Nations Cup final against Burkina Faso.

“He seems to think he will be back on Monday evening (today) or the early hours of Tuesday and we will assess him and see how he is,” Lennon said, adding, “It’s difficult for me to think he

will be in a starting position.” Ambrose, 24, was signed from

Israeli side Ashod in August and played in five of the six group matches as Celtic progressed to the last 16 in the Champions League.

However, Nigeria’s run to the final in Johannesburg means the centre-half has missed his club’s last six matches.

“He’s playing in a huge game and then has a 10 or 11-hour flight,” Lennon explained.

“But we are hoping he will make the squad.”

Lennon said winger James Forrest will be fit but forward Georgios Samaras and left-back Emilio Izaguirre are still bat-tling to recover from their re-spective hamstring and knee problems.

Forrest, who has had a ham-string complaint, was not risked in the 3-1 win over Inverness at the Caledonian Stadium on Sat-urday.

“Forrest has had the two scans and he came through all clear so he will be in the squad,” the manager further said.

Super Eagles’ defender, Godfrey Oboabona, says playing friendly matches against crack sides as Catalonia had strengthened the

team at the Nations Cup.The Nigerians were written off by many in their

quarterfinal against Cote d’Ivoire and expected to be overrun, but Oboabona says the team had expe-rienced no fear.

“Personally, I wasn’t worried about the big stars in their team,” he insisted.

“I had faced the likes of Xavi just a few weeks before and I felt that if I could play against them, I could play against Drogba and Yaya and the rest.”

Oboabona, however, added that the influence of coach Stephen Keshi had proved decisive.

“He kept telling us that football was not played by name, but by teamwork and determination, and we should believe that we could win every game.”

Keshi gets Mikel’s praise

Hayatou scores AFCON high mark

Tunisia okays Trabelsi’s exit

‘Pre-tourney matches hardened us’

Ambrose

Trabelsi

Oboabona

Super Eagles’ midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has praised the courage of Coach Ste-

phen Keshi in selecting a young squad paraded by Nigeria at the just-ended Africa Cup of Nations.

Keshi dropped star players Osaze Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins, Taye Taiwo, Uche Kalu and others in favour of younger talent, and saw his decision re-warded with the country’s first AFCON final in 13 years, a deci-sion Mikel reckoned as “gamble that deserves credit”.

“All credit must go to the coach who took a gamble on a very young squad, because I’m just 25-years-old but am looking like the oldest in the team,” Mikel said.

According to the Chelsea star, the balance of youth and experi-ence has ensured a stable dress-ing room as well as team bonding.

“We are together, united and playing for each other and that has accounted for where we are today.

“This team will win many tro-phies for a long time to come,” Mikel remarked.

CAF President, Issa Haya-tou, has insisted that South Africa 2013 Africa

Cup of Nations presented the highest quality and was a huge success, despite constant media reports suggesting the football pitches and crowd attendances were scrappy,

The Mbombela Stadium in Nel-spruit got the biggest flak as the ground appeared to be bumpy, discoloured and covered in sand while many football fans called for the venue to be cancelled.

“It is the colour that is not good at Mbombela, not the surface, the surface of the turf was good,” the CAF boss argued.

“A virus attacked the grass before the tournament and the ground staff wanted to fix this colour thing before the games, which saw them putting some chemicals on it that took away the colour,” he explained.

On the attendance, Hayatou said: “I am satisfied with the crowd attendance because South Africa has many stadiums with high capacity, stadiums that seat 60, 000 to 70, 000 people and if we have 40, 000 it does not look full.”

The Tunisia Football Fed-eration has accepted the resignation of coach Sami

Trabelsi following the country’s failure to get past the first round at the African Nations Cup in South Africa.

A federation statement said it had accepted a request from the 45-year-old coach to prematurely end his contract.

Three possible successors have been identified and the federation said a decision would be taken in the next days after they had been interviewed.

They are Nabil Maaloul, who led Esperance to the African Champions League title in 2011, Khaled Ben Yahia and Maher Kenzari.

Tunisia failed to get past the first round after finishing third in Group D. At last year’s Nations Cup, Trabelsi had led the Car-thage Eagles to the quarter-finals before Ghana knocked them out.

Trabelsi, who was a former World Cup player, was appointed Tunisia coach in March 2011.

He is the first coaching casual-ty of the Nations Cup, which this year has had an unusually light attrition rate.

Ambrose, a Champions League doubt –Coach

OUR CORRESPONDENTS

Ogun State Governor, Mr. Ibikunle Amosun, has hailed yesterday’s

victory of the Super Eagles of Nigeria over the Stallions of Burkina Faso in the final of the 29th AFCON in Johannes-burg, South Africa, describ-ing it as instructive.

In a statement by his Se-nior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Funmi Wakama, Governor Amosun described the success of the Eagles as “great”, especially coming against all odds.

“It shows that as a country, we can always achieve our dreams if we are dedicated,

committed and unwavering in the face of daunting chal-lenges,” he said.

Amosun recalled that the Eagles left Nigeria to the AF-CON in South Africa without being one of the favourites to win the championship but the “can do” spirit of the average Nigerian ensured that the team surmounted all obsta-cles to win the much-coveted trophy.

In his own reaction, Gov-ernor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who spoke at the Okefia Roundabout Viewing Centre, where the government had provided for the soccer loving citizens to gather for the match, said it was gratifying that the country has one thing of na-tional joy in the midst of sev-eral problems facing it.

“I congratulate Nigeri-ans on this well deserved vic-tory. At least it is one thing of joy for us as we face the many problems confronting us as a country.”

Aregbesola, in a state-ment by Director, Bureau of Communications and Strate-gy, Alhaji Semiu Okanlawon, further urged Nigerians to continue to demonstrate the same degree of unity and sense of oneness exhibited in their massive support for the

Eagles. He said, “No religious dif-

ferences, no ethnic differences and other such sentiments come between us when sup-porting our national team. We must demonstrate similar unity in all affairs of national interests.”

From Kogi State, Gover-nor Idris Wada congratulated the Super Eagles for clinching the African Nations Cup yes-terday..

Captain Wada in a state-ment through his Special Adviser, Media and Strategy, Jacob Edi, said the Eagles’ victory is a sign that greater things will happen to Nige-ria.

He urged the team to build on this success, saying it can lead them to win the World Cup next year in Bra-zil.

Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero, on his own commended the Super Eagles’ victory over Burkina Faso.

Yero, who watched live telecast of the match at the Nigeria Union of Journal-ists (NUJ) Secretariat located along Waff Road, said the Super Eagles’ triumph has proved the federal govern-ment’s desire to reposition the sports sector.

Gold CupNigeria 1980Tunisia 1994South Africa 2013

Silver MedalsCote d’Ivoire 1984Morocco 1988Algeria 1990Senegal 1992Ghana/Nigeria 2000

Bronze MedalsGhana 1978Mali 2002Tunisia 2004Egypt 2006Angola 2010

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 55Nations Cup victoryMonday, February 11, 2013

Amosun, Aregbesola, Wada, Yero, others salute Eagles

Nigeria’s victory, confirmation of new era –PDP

ROTIMI FADEYI AND GEORGE ORJI

President Goodluck Jonathan has con-gratulated the Super

Eagles for their “stunning victory” in the final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa on Sunday.

Nigeria beat Burkina Faso 1-0 through a 40th minute Sunday Mba goal to win the trophy for the third time.

Nigeria won the trophy previously in 1980 and 1994. In a message posted on his Facebook, Jonathan said, “I am overjoyed at the stunning victory of the Super Eagles which has seen Nigeria emerge as the champions of the Africa Cup of Nations 2013. Well done patriots, you have done Nigeria proud.

2013 is obviously the year of Nigeria.

“We have emerged as the beacon of hope on the African continent by proving to Africa and the world that a strong Nigerian team put together and trained by a Nigerian coach can stand the test of time and successfully rise to the challenge of the most formidable opponent.

“The Nigerian spirit stands strong and steady as we march to the destination of greatness. I doff my Fedora hat to this great squad that has brought laughter and happiness to our homes.

“Nigerians are great. We thank God, we thank you.”

Also, President of the Senate, David Mark, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, have congratulated all

Nigerians for the superlative performance of the Super Eagles in winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

In separate statements Mark urged Nigerians to use the victory as a rallying point to further the peace and unity of the country currently challenged by insecurity.

Mark who led the Federal Government’s delegation to watch the final of the 2013 AFCON, was pleased that the victory of the Super Eagles has offered the needed elixir and tonic to boost the peace and unity of Nigeria.

On his part, Ekweremadu described the victory as a new dawn in Nigerian football.

“Winning the trophy on the threshhold of our centenary is symbolic and I urge Nigerians to emulate the team’s spirit, patriotism and unity,” Ekweremadu said.

OBIORA IFOHABUJA

The Peoples Demo-cratic Party (PDP) has described the

victory of the Super Ea-gles as a confirmation of its earlier declaration that the nation has entered into a new era of possibili-ties and will surmount its challenges under the cur-rent dispensation.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh in a statement yesterday said the fact that the team won the trophy which had eluded the country several times in the past is an indication that nothing is impossible for Nigeria and that the doors have been opened for the nation to achieve other goals.

“The fact that our players won the trophy

is a confirmation of our earlier declaration that Nigeria has entered a new era of possibilities. With this, it is clear that the nation will surmount all its challenges under the present dispensation. It is an indication that there is nothing impossible and that collectively we will overcome all the challenges we are facing as a nation”, the party said.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal (R) and some of his members celebrating Nigeria’s victory, in the Speaker’s office in Abuja.

L-R: Attorney-General, Osun State, Hon. Wale Afolabi; Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi laoye-Tomori; Governor Rauf Aregbesola; Senator Babajide Omoworare, representing Osun East Senatorial District; Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Barrister Adekunle Amos and Commissioner for culture and tourism, Alhaji Sikiru Ayedun in Osogbo, yesterday.

Nigerian players celebrating

Jonathan hails Eagles’ ‘stunning victory’…Mark, Ekweremadu call for unity

Nigeria Nations Cup Record

Vol. 03 No. 554 Monday, February 11, 2013 N150

WORLD RECORD

Most TV links hijacked by a campaigner

Printed and Published by Global Media Mirror Ltd: Head Offi ce: Mirror House, 155/161 Broad Street, Lagos Tel: 07027107407, Abuja Offi ce: NICON Insurance House, Second Floor, Central Business District Area, Abuja Tel: 08070428249, Advert hotline: 01-8446073, Email: [email protected]. Editor: SEYI FASUGBA. All correspondence to PMB 10001, Marina, Lagos.

Printed simultaneously in Lagos, Abuja and Ondo State. ISSN 0794-232X.

NFF President, Aminu Maigari

Australia completed a 5-0 One-Day In-ternational series

whitewash over West Indies yesterday after registering a 17-run win in the final match.

Adam Voges was the star of the show for Australia, making the most of his re-

call with an unbeaten 112-his maiden ODI century-which set the home side on their way to 274-5 batting first.

West Indies looked favou-rites to chase down the total when a maiden three-figure

contribution from Johnson Charles kept them up with the rate, however his dis-missal changed the momen-tum of the game.

The tourists were eventu-ally restricted to 257 all out

and will now attempt to re-store some pride in Wednes-day’s one-off Twenty20 inter-national at the Gabba.

Australians, who were without captain Michael Clarke for the series finale

through injury and his dep-uty, Shane Watson, who suf-fered a disastrous start when chopping Tino Best back on to his stumps first ball of the match, reached the middle point of their innings on 88-4.

Sport ExtraCricket: Voges-inspired Aussies crush West Indies in ODI

Printed and Published by Global Media Mirror Ltd: Head Offi ce: Mirror House, 155/161 Broad Street, Lagos Tel: 07027107407, Abuja Offi ce: NICON Insurance House, Second Floor, Central Business District Area, Abuja Tel: 08070428249, Advert hotline: 01-8446073, Email: [email protected]. Editor: SEYI FASUGBA. All correspondence to PMB 10001, Marina, Lagos.

Printed simultaneously in Lagos, Abuja and Ondo State. ISSN 0794-232X.

A case for Nigerians living with disabilities The record for the most TV links hijacked is 30,000 as of 1 March 2010 and belongs to

Gabriele Paolini (Italy). He regularly sabotages journalist and presenter links on national TV in Italy, encouraging the use of condoms, as part of his civil battle against AIDS.

Nigeria is richly endowed with vast land mass, human and material re-sources. All of this comes with huge

responsibilities, not just to the world and Africa, but to her citizens, able and disabled. Disability in Nigeria has become more of an afterthought issue rather than a matter of priority, with about 19 million people expe-riencing one form of disability or another. Globally, the figure of people so afflicted is over a billion.

The thrust of this piece is to compara-tively examine our disability laws and those in developed/developing nations around the world. I will be limited in this to devel-opments in the United Kingdom and South Africa, due to their comprehensive disabil-ity legislations and policy implementation frameworks.

South Africa possesses one of the most comprehensive disability rights legislation

and policy regimes in the world; and disabled people are involved at all levels of govern-ment. Some of the achievements linked to the development of new legislation and policy in South Africa include, the development and the adoption of disability on an Integrated National Disability Strategy (INDS); the ease of determining employment-equity quotas that apply to the private and public sector with regard to employment of disabled people through the Employment Equity Act (EEA) of 1998; and the increase in the basic disabil-ity grant and extension of its provisions to a wider sector of people through the Social As-sistance Act. There is also the introduction of policy on inclusive education through the White Paper on Special Needs Education.

Moreover, South Africa actively partici-pates in continental and international initia-tives on improving the lives of disabled peo-ple. These include the Africa Decade of People with Disabilities, and the development of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People. Of course, there is the pro-vision of free primary healthcare to disabled people affected by poverty.

Others are establishment of the Equity Court, and the Office on the Status of Disabled People in the Presidency. At the provincial levels there is the establishment of Disability Desks and Units in many departments with-in all spheres of government.

While support by the South African gov-ernment for the formulation and adoption of policy has been excellent, policy imple-mentation remains a challenge. Worthy of note is the fact that there are capacity con-straints at every level that limit the effective implementation of policy. Policy implemen-tation issues are not addressed consistently, for various reasons, at different levels of

government. These reasons include limited conceptual understanding; poor champion-ing awareness; inadequate or inappropriate institutional arrangements; and a general lack of capacity.

Two other factors that have contributed to the poor implementation of legislation and policies are that definition and nature of disabled people’s participation have not been adequately reviewed and articulated; policy requirements for disability mainstreaming are not adequately linked to performance management, thereby undermining commit-ment to implementation.

The major setback of Disability Policy implementation in South Africa is that leg-islation and policies are not implemented due to a lack of allocated fiscal resources and commitment by government and agencies responsible for such implementation.

In the South African example, one reason that can be credited for the vast success of the disability campaign is political support. Political will power is present from both min-isters and senior civil servants in charge of

departments. The other reason, of course, is the outstanding sustained commitment and ongoing advocacy by the disability sector, led by Disabled People South Africa (DPSA). The current legislations, in the form of the Em-ployment Equity Act; Social Assistance Act; Skills Development Act; Skills Development Levy Act…etc, have all helped to create a new sense of awareness of the needs of disabled people.

In the case of the UK, people with disabili-ty are protected by the Disability Discrimina-tion Act 1995 (as amended) for England, Scot-land and Wales, and the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Or-der 2005 (as amended). The Disability Dis-crimination Act (DDA) defines a disabled person as “someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activi-ties”.

People who have had a disability in the past that meets this definition are also cov-ered by the scope of the Act. There are ad-ditional provisions relating to people with progressive conditions.

The DDA 2005 amended the definition of disability. It ensured that people with HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis are deemed to be covered by the DDA effectively from the point of diagnosis, rather than from the point when the condition has some adverse effects on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

The achievement of the DDA 2005 in-cludes the new duty it places on public bod-ies, like local authorities, healthcare and education providers, to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people, simi-lar to the ‘duty to promote’ under the Race Relations Act. This duty, which came into force in December 2006, meant that public authorities will need to have ‘due regard’ to the need to eliminate discrimination against, and harassment of, disabled peo-ple; promote equality of opportunity for disabled people; promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; and encourage dis-abled people to take part in public life.

To be continued

Senator Abatemi-Usman is Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs

IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN EXAMPLE, ONE REASON THAT

CAN BE CREDITED FOR THE VAST SUCCESS OF THE DISABILITY

CAMPAIGN IS POLITICAL SUPPORT

Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman

Guest Columnist an

Adam Voges

monday, february 11, 2013

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