FOI: Amnesty International, SERAP task FG

on implementation of ECOWAS judgmentlllllContinued from Page 1`

salaries and their remit; whoauthorised their work in theministries and the reasonsthereof; the details of gifts paidby oil companies to ministriesor their employees ordonations made; and the stepsthe government is taking toend the practice of oilcompanies placing theiremployees or other agents(paid or unpaid) withingovernment ministries.”

“We want to know exactlythe level and nature of finesimposed on oil companies forbreach of regulations over thepast 10 years; and themeasures taken by thegovernment to punish thecompanies. We want to knowwhether the government hasever investigated the roles thatoil companies and others haveplayed and continued to playin the environmental pollutionin the region, and the outcomeof any such investigation,” theorganizations querried.

The organizations also“want to know the steps the

local and internationalmonitors to ensure thetransparent implementation ofany of such measures andspending on the Niger Delta.”

The organizations also“seek information on the formsof reparation the governmentplan to provide to the affectedcommunities covered by theECOWAS court judgment; thenumber of vehicles (brokendown by cars, boats and ineach office) that the ministry ofEnvironment and NOSDRAhave to pursue their mandateto prevent damage to theenvironment and react swiftlyto oil spills and the totalnumber of staff in the ministryof Environment and NOSDRAthat work on oil pollutionprevention and oil spilldetection in the Niger Delta.”

The organizations “want toknow the number/frequency ofmeetings between the oilcompanies and the President,ministry of Environment and/or ministry of PetroleumResources in the last five years;the age of oil infrastructureacross the Niger Delta andspecifically whether any partsof the pipeline are older than20 years and the steps thegovernment is taking toimprove its spill data collectionand subsequent publicdisclosure and deal with theclaim by Shell and othersregarding businessconfidentiality.”

The organizations also“want information on what thegovernment is doing to fullyand effectively implement allpast spill reports and allprivate sector and governmentreports and proposals toaddress same and what thegovernment is doing to ensurethat the oil and gas companiestake immediate steps to stopflaring off natural gas and toclean up oil spills.”

This case originated from acomplaint brought on 23 July2009 on behalf of theRegistered Trustees of SERAPby Femi Falana, SAN, againstthe President of Nigeria, theAttorney General of theFederation, Nigerian National

violation by the defendants ofthe rights to health, adequatestandard of living and rights toeconomic and socialdevelopment of the people ofNiger Delta and the failure ofthe defendants to enforce lawsand regulations to protect theenvironment and preventpollution.

The court found that “oilspills pollute water, destroyaquatic life and soil fertilitywith resultant adverse effect onthe health and means oflivelihood of people in itsvicinity.”

The court also ruled that thegovernment “has failed inrecent years to take any singleaction to punish perpetratorsof oil pollution.”

According to the court, theattitude of the Nigeriangovernment has violated bothan obligation of attitude and anobligation of result under theAfrican Charter, including inrespect of Article 24, whichprovides: “All peoples shallhave the right to a generalsatisfactory environmentfavourable to theirdevelopment.”

The court also said that,“Nigeria must ensure thatvigilance and diligence arebeing applied and observedtowards attaining concreteresults in the implementationof Article 24 and Article 1 of theAfrican Charter.”

The court further statedthat the numerous laws passedto regulate the extractive oiland gas industry and safeguardtheir effects on the environ-ment, the creation of agenciesto ensure the implementationof the legislation and theallocation to the region, 13% ofthe revenue that comes fromnatural resource extraction inthe region to be used for itsdevelopment, have totallyfailed to prevent the continuedenvironmental degradation ofthe region, “as evidenced bythe facts abundantly proven inthis case and admitted by thevery same Federal Republic ofNigeria.”

Article 15(4) of theECOWAS treaty makes the

purportedly on vacationdisappear for over 135 daysand the people who voted himinto office are not expected toask questions? Does theconstitution provide for such along ‘vacation’ withoutconsequences? Is Gov. Chime’sdeputy, whom he reportedlyhanded over to, given enoughlatitude to adequately presideover the affairs of the state. Ifnot, how has this affectedgovernance in the state?

And to what extent have thepeople of the state been deniedthe dividends of democracy bythis unnecessary controversy?

‘’These are the issues thatshould be of interest to alllovers of democracy, not theantics of some Governors whoare frittering away taxpayersmoney by gallivanting toLondon to see Gov. Chime andthereafter releasing a pictureshowing a ‘hale and hearty’Gov. Chime, dressed-up like aSoviet-era spook, which hasnow generated even morecontroversy.

‘’The governors said Chimeis recovering well but did notsay from what illness. They sayhe is in good shape but has notsaid why he has been awayfrom his duty post for so long.If he is so hale and hearty asthey claim, let him come homeand end the endlesscontroversy over his illness. Inany case, who made thegovernors the spokespersonsfor the people of Enugu state?Are they the ones who votedhim into office?

Do they really care how thiswhole controversy has affectedgovernance in Enugu state? Isthis the way democracy is runin other climes?’’ ACN queried.

The party said since anyhuman being can take illanytime, no one, especiallypublic office holders, should beashamed to admit his or herillness through a full disclosureand, if necessary, cede fullpower to those constitutionallyempowered to take over.

“Nigeria and its democracyhave yet to recover from thesecrecy thrown around theillness of late President UmaruYar’Adua and the anti-

condemnspoor handling

of Gov.Chime’s illness

Continued from Page 1`

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has forced theManaging Director of

Coscharis group, Mr. CosmasMaduka, out of his non-execu-tive directorship position atAccess Bank Plc.

The CBN also fined thebank N3 million naira for seri-ally violating lending ruleswhich put the bank and itsshareholders at risk.

Mr. Maduka had previouslystepped aside as director of thebank following the controversythat surrounded a N34.4 bil-lion sour loan he obtainedfrom the bank to finance theimportation of petrol in part-nership with the CEO of Capi-tal Oil, Ifeanyi Ubah.

The CBN said Access BankPlc contravened its rule whichbarred banks from lending notmore than 10% of its paid upcapital to directors or their af-filiated companies. The CBN

facilities to Westcom Group tothe tune of N38.4 billion whichwas above its single obligor’slimit of N36.4 billion.

“Contrary to the CBN circu-lar No BSD/9/2004 of 16thJuly, 2004 which stipulatesthat credits to directors andtheir related companies shallnot exceed 10% of the paid-upcapital without the CBN ap-proval, the bank granted to itsfollowing directors; Mr.Gbenga Oyebode, Dr. CosmosMaduka and Mr. TundeFolawiyo, facilities in excess often per cent of its paid-up capi-tal without the necessary regu-latory approval.

Consequently, penalties to-talling N3, 000, 000.00 is im-posed on your bank for theabove infractions,” the CBNsaid in a letter to the bank.

Access Bank had in a state-ment to the Nigerian StockExchange (NSE) a few days ago

Maduka axed from Accessboard as CBN fines bank formaking fraudulent loans

government is taking topublicly acknowledge the oiljudgment and to express thegovernment’s commitment tocomply fully with thejudgment; and the concretemeasures the government istaking to prevent further oilpollution and to restore(meaning remediate) theenvironment damaged by oiland gas activities in NigerDelta.”

The organizations also“want to know the time-framefor the effective implemen-tation of any such measures ifthey exist and the areas of theNiger Delta the measurescover, and whether any suchmeasures include the makingof new laws or adopting of newpolicies and if yes the role theNational Assembly will play inthis respect.”

The organizations also“want information on theamount of money that is beingset aside annually and for whatperiod of time for the effectiveimplementation of any of suchmeasures as well as thegovernment’s plan to involve

3National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

news

Last Monday’s conviction ofHenry Okah, leader of theMovement for the Emancipationof the Niger Delta (MEND), by aSouth African court will spellNigeria’s doom, according to astatement credited to MEND.

Dated January 23, thestatement spat fire over Okah’sconviction for mastermindingtwin car bombings in Nigeria’scapital, Abuja, which killed 12people and wounded three dozenduring the October 1, 2010 ofNigeria at 50. Yesterday, aFederal High Court in Abujasentenced Edmund Ebiware, anassociate of Okah, to lifeimprisonment after finding himguilty of complicity in theOctober 1, 2010 twin-bombingsin Abuja.

Signed by one Comrade Azizi,the MEND statement boastedthat the fate of Okah, who is billedto be sentenced on January 31,would determine the fate ofNigeria. Among other things,MEND vowed to ensure Nigeria’sdisintegration and to hunt downNigerian government officialsand the relatives wherever theymay be. It is not clear how thegroup, which has been seriouslycontained, intends to achieve this.

Below is the text of the MENDstatement:

Ref: CONVICTION OF OURLEADER AND FOUNDER MR.HENRY OKAH.

We witnessed ourselvesfirsthand the conviction of ourdear leader yesterday the 21st ofJanuary 2013 by the SouthAfrican Supreme Court on all the13th count charges which as weall know has to do with ASO ROCKpolitic on a man simply becausehe refused to be bought over.

Before yesterday’s ruling, wehad high regards for the SouthAfrican judiciary but not now aswe were wrong on our previousassessment nevertheless, peoplepays for mistakes committed byothers so we the High Commandof MEND have an advice for theSouth African people, which isTELL YOUR GOVERNMENTthrough your judiciary stayaway with events that happenedin Nigeria or else some SouthAfricans will pay dearly for it.

To the Nigerian military (TheJoint Task Force (JTF) in theNiger Delta) don’t bother for nowplacing officers on alert, we willnot bomb nor kill anybody for thetime being, as we hadcommunicated months back, weno long require IED or car bombsas we’ve gone pass that stage.Nigerians as a whole will feel ourpresence when we finally decideto carry out our targets which willnot be restricted to the Niger DeltaRegion alone.

We so much understand the jobload of an image maker but I mostpoint our here clearly that the

We’ll bomb Nigeria, divide Nigeria,

kill govt. officials and their relatives:MEND spits fire over Okah’s conviction

JTF’s spokesman, Lt.-Col.Onyeama Nwachukwu will havemuch jobs to do in the regionanytime soon for thinking we relyon the OLD COMMANDERS thatsold out to take up arms on behalfof our leader, just don’t underrateour capabilities which will takethe Nigerian Military another 10years to catch.

We are not on the same programwith regional agitators in thenorth or elsewhere, we will nothide our faces, soon and very soon,Nigerians will get to see thestructures (Diaspora and Home)as well as our new states, regionalcommanders and new NationalLeader, arresting and killingHenry Okah will change nothing.

To the Nigerian Government,you have seen NOTHING, thedisintegration of Nigeria will startthrough us and by us, we are wellequipped for this task. We havedetails of all the family membersof the Government (1999-2013)and our Diaspora Command willtake care of that aspect, we willget to them, we will skin them andpost their remains to your doorsteps as compensation to the Odepeople, except our resources arehanded over to us withoutconditions.

All Federal, States and LocalGovernment officials under thepay roll of the Government (ministers, PermanentSecretaries, Director Generals,Directors etc ) should stay awayfrom the Niger Delta, if foundanywhere in the South Southregion, they will have themselvesto blame and that is if they live totell the tales.

The Minister of the Niger DeltaMinistry Mr. Orubebe PeterGodsday is hereby banished fromDelta State and the region at largepending when he returns themoney he stole which was meantfor the Niger Delta DevelopmentCouncils and also while with:

(a) Burutu Local GovernmentCouncil, Delta State (1991-1993),

(b) As second Member: Primary

Education Board, Asaba, DeltaState 2000-2003.

(c) As the Special Adviser toJames Ibori former Delta StateGovernor on Urban/RegionalPlanning between January 2004and November 2005.

This whole money belongs to theNiger Delta people and most bereturn or he should be ready toface the consequences along with

your nuclear and immediatefamily members.

To our Natural Resources, therewill soon be a massive earthquakethat will be trigged by our nuclearwar head, this earthquake willdestroy the entire oil wells, oilpipelines especially to Kadunarefinery, oil installations, oil rigsand what have you, when ithappens, which we know will bevery soon, the Government andthose owners of these oil wells andinstallation will know it’s adifferent ball game.

All oil companies, (foreign orlocal) should start parking up fromthe region as this might be the lastwarning, we really will not wantcivilians to be caught in betweenso please take this warningseriously.

To our old breed Commanders,you can talk as much as you wantjust because you were bought overfor a token but we wonder whythe fight against your masters,the hurricane is almost thereand it will sweep everythingleft.

And finally to the SouthAfrica Companies: we madesome promises before and nowwe are repeating same, LEAVENIGERIA totally, there will bemassive and aggressive campaignon all companies owned, operatedand affiliated to the South AfricanCitizens or their Government bothin Nigeria, Western andSouthern Africa respectively.

OUR CAMPAIGN STARTAFTER HENRY OKAH’S APPEAL.

WE WILL MAKE A POINT!!!!

The Economic andFinancial CrimesCommission last Fridayalleged it had located amansion belonging to aformer governor of DeltaState, Chief James Ibori, inan upscale area of Lagos.

The commission said in astatement by its spokesman, Mr.Wilson Uwujaren, that theproperty was discovered onThursday at No. 5, Alpha BeachRoad, Lekki in Lagos by itsoperatives.

Ibori was convicted on April18, 2012 by a United Kingdomcrown court and sentenced toa13-year jail term for corruptionand money laundering.

The EFCC said the property "issuspected to be one of the proceedsof money laundering for whichthe ex-governor was convicted inthe UK.

"The attachment of theproperty is the fallout ofcontinued efforts by the anti-graft agency to trace, find andseize properties that wereacquired with stolen funds by theformer governor.

"The property is a mansionwith a mini reception at theground floor and a detached 'Boys

EFCC locates Ibori's mansion in Lekki, LagosQuarters'.

"Two occupants of the house,Moses Abu and Kaycee Kasim,were interrogated and madeuseful statements."

According to pictures releasedby the commission, the housealso has a swimming pool.

Items recovered from thehouse include sewing machines,mannequins and other personaleffects.

They were all packed incartons and sealed by EFCCoperatives before being movedto its office in Lagos.

This is the latest propertyowned by Ibori which has locatedand attached.

In July 2012, the United StatesDepartment of Justice secured arestraining order against morethan $3m looted funds and amansion in Houston, Texas, U.Sowned by Ibori.

The department got thepowers through an applicationfiled under seal on May 16,2012, in a U.S District Court inthe District of Columbia, toregister and enforce two ordersfrom United Kingdom courtsagainst more than $3m incorruption proceeds related toIbori.

This was announced byAssistant Attorney GeneralLanny A. Breuer of the JusticeDepartment's Criminal Divisionand U.S. Immigration andCustoms Enforcement DirectorJohn Morton in a statement onthe U.SDOJ website.

"The application, which wasfiled under seal on May 16, 2012,in U.S. District Court in theDistrict of Columbia, seeks torestrain assets belonging toGovernor Ibori and BhadreshGohil, Ibori's former Englishsolicitor, that are proceeds ofcorruption.

"Specifically, it seeks to restraina mansion in Houston and twoMerrill Lynch brokerageaccounts. U.S District JudgeLamberth granted theapplication and issued arestraining order under seal onMay 21, 2012.

"The department was notifiedtoday that its application tounseal the restraining order wasgranted.

"The United States is workingwith the United Kingdom's CrownProsecution Service and theMetropolitan Police Service toforfeit these corruption proceeds,"it said.

•FCT President of the Nigeria Aid Group of Islam, Alhaji Hussaini Halilu Pai being presented certificateof power by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, ret. Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais (right) at theinauguration of FCT EXCO of Nigeria Aid Group in Abuja, at the weekend. Photo: Rommy Uwanaka

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4 Monday, January 28, 2013, National Accord

5National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

lllllAlhaji Bamanga Tukur, PDP National Chair

That the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) which prides itselfas being the largest political

party in Africa is going through arough patch is saying the obvious.These are trying moments and cer-tainly, not the best of times for thePDP National Chairman, AlhajiBamanga Tukur and members of theNational Working Committee (NWC).Before his election at the Abuja na-tional convention of the party in 2012,there were signs that the PDP was be-sotted by disputes, factions in manystates and an internal hemorrhagethat was threatening to tear it apart.Alhaji Tukur backed by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan had assumed theleadership of the party with assur-ances of promoting reconciliation,reformation and rebirth.

However, signs of trouble began toemerge following the dissolution ofthe state executive committee of thePDP in Adamawa State by the NWCon October 17, 2012. The dissolvedAdamawa State executive commit-tee, chaired by Alhaji Umaru Kugamawas tied to the apron strings of Gov-ernor Murtala Nyako. The sackedAdamawa State party executive wasreplaced with a nine-man caretakercommittee headed by Amb. UmarDamagun. In dissolving the AdamawaState executive last year, the PDPNational Publicity Secretary, ChiefOlisa Metuh had announced that thesacked state executive committeemembers “flagrantly disregarded andshown serial disobedience to the de-cisions of NWC.” He accused the dis-solved state executive of conductingillegal local government elections andsubmitting a list of candidates to theAdamawa State Independent Na-tional Electoral Commission withoutclearance from the NWC. The list ofPDP candidates submitted for thecouncil polls contained the names ofthe protégés of the governor to theexclusion of other stakeholders in thestate, like the national chairman andSenator Jubril Aminu.

The subsequent constitution of acaretaker committee was perceived

as a slap on the face by the governorand other PDP governors. This actionwas interpreted by the governors asa calculated attempt by Tukur toerode their powers as leaders of thePDP in their respective states. Gov-ernor Nyako tried in vain to reversethe NWC decision and faced with a faitaccompli, Nyako referred the matterto the Nigerian Governors Forum(NGF). The NGF led by its Chairman,Governor Rotimi Amaechi of RiversState then joined Nyako in seeking areversal of the sack and after theywere rebuffed by the PDP nationalleadership, they decided to adopt atougher strategy. The state governorsmet with President Jonathan and inno unflattering terms demanded thatTukur must resign as national chair-man of the party. The state governorsreminded the president that Tukurwas not their candidate during theparty’s convention but was imposedon the party by him. To placate thestate governors, Jonathan orderedthe NWC to reverse its earlier deci-sion sacking the Adamawa State ex-ecutive of the party and disavowTukur.

In a face-saving move, the NWCbuckled to pressure and acceded tothe demand of the governors by rein-stating the sacked executive commit-tee in Adamawa. The NWC members,led by the party’s Deputy NationalChairman, Dr. Sam Jaja, said on-go-ing local government and ward con-gresses in the state were not autho-rized by the NWC. The PDP nationalchairman was absent at the NWCmeeting that took the decision. It waslearnt that 10 of the 12 members of

the NWC disowned theaction of Tukur, who isalleged to be preparingone of his sons, aformer federal law-maker, as the nextgovernor of the state in2015.

The recall of thestate executive com-mittee reignited thesupremacy battle be-tween Tukur and thestate governors. Al-ready, the PDP gover-nors have called forthe immediate con-vening of the meetingof the National Execu-tive Committee (NEC)where they are plan-ning to pass a vote ofno confidence onTukur. They have alsoendorsed the decisionof the NWC rescinding the dissolutionof the Adamawa State executive andreaffirmed their recognition of theKugama-led executive elected inMarch 2012.

However, Tukur and the presi-dency masterminded their fight backwhen some days later a court in Abujasacked the PDP National Secretary,Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. He wasreplaced almost immediately by theDeputy National Secretary, SolomonOnwe. As a result of the media back-lash that followed this action, Tukurin an attempt to wash his hands offthe travails of Oyinlola in a tepidstatement by the party said theswearing-in of Onwe in place of

Oyinlola was in fulfillment of the PDPconstitution, explaining that theparty had no hand in the removal ofOyinlola as its national secretary.

The party while stressing thatthere was no rift between Tukur andOyinlola, added that “for the avoid-ance of doubt, we want to say un-equivocally that there is no personalrift between Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,as the national chairman of the party,and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola towarrant the sensational headlinesthat have been published in newspa-pers on the issue. In any event, re-ports have indicated that PrinceOyinlola has appealed the court judg-ment and the NWC wants to say thatas soon as the appeal is decided, theparty will, in the same way as it did inthe case of the Federal High Courtruling, obey the appeal decision.”

To show solidarity with Oyinlola,the PDP national leadership filed anapplication for stay of execution ofthe court judgment which sackedOyinlola from office. While Tukur per-fected strategies to ensure thatOyinlola did not return as nationalsecretary of the party, the majorityof the members of the NWC were in

2015: Crises, in-fightingas PDP’s nemesis

By HENRY OMUNUH

lllllContinued on Page 7

The subsequent constitution of a caretaker

committee was perceived as a slap on the

face by the governor and other PDP gov-

ernors. This action was interpreted by the

governors as a calculated attempt by Tukur

to erode their powers as leaders of the PDP

in their respective states.

6 National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

politics

PDP worst disaster that’s befallenNigeria – Rep Malle

How would you assessthe recent constitutional re-view public hearing inTaraba State?

First and foremost, I mustcommend the wisdom of theleadership of the House of Rep-resentatives for coming upwith a people-oriented consti-tution review. It is people-ori-ented because everybody wasinvolved in the exercise acrossthe 360 federal constituencies.For the first time in the historyof constitutional review, theexercise was more of a referen-dum. It was the first of its kindwhere the exercise was con-ducted simultaneously, allover Nigeria and having thesame template. It was excel-lently organised in conjunctionwith the constitution reviewcommittee of the House.

I personally felt that for thefirst time, the illiterate classwhich constitutes about 70 percent of our population is beingcarried along even with an in-terpreter who interpreted ev-ery item on the template to thepeople and with the populaceparticipating through voting.For instance, where there wascontroversy on any issue, voicevoting was used. And where thevoice voting could not resolvethe issue, we resorted to count-ing. Through these processes,we were able to come out withresults that are people-ori-ented. Basically, the principalareas that were dealt with werethe first line charge of the stateHouses of Assembly. It was aunanimous decision by peopleof my constituency.

The same thing happenedwith the autonomy of local gov-ernment councils, where it wasalso upheld in the affirmative.On the immunity clause, interms of civil cases for state gov-ernors there were some greyareas. Those who were in sup-port of the removal of the im-munity clause carried the day,against those who were opposedto the removal of immunity. So, every part of the templatewas extensively dealt with bythe majority of the people whoparticipated in the exercise.The exercise was attended bymembers of the academia, statelegislators, serving and retiredtop civil servants and labourbodies. So, I felt for the first timein the history of constitution re-view in Nigeria, a landmarkwas achieved.

Taraba State has been inthe news lately for all the

bad reasons, including theresignation of the formerdeputy governor and theprotests that have trailedthe absence of GovernorDambaba Suntai. What doesthis portend for the state?

I don’t want to look at it as acrisis. I will rather look at it asa process of unleashing the dic-tum of our constitution. Whatis the position of the constitu-tion in the case of an eventual-ity, like the case of the incum-bent governor? The constitu-tion is very clear and elaborateabout it. Government is a con-tinuous process. It should notbe halted. That is why we havein the constitution provisionsfor interventions in the system.It is unfortunate that whathappened has happened.

I hope the governor is recu-perating, but it is obvious thatafter a specified period of 21days, the deputy governor be-comes the acting governor ofthe state, pending when thegovernor fully recovers to takeover the administration of gov-ernment again. We saw thiswhen the former President, lateMusa Yar’Adua, became inca-pacitated. But it does no goodwhen people try to manipulatethe constitution because ofsentiments. Taraba State, par-ticularly the state House of As-sembly should be commendedand applauded for confirmingthe deputy governor in actingcapacity pending the return ofthe governor.Critics have described the

public hearings on constitu-tion review organised by theNational Assembly as self-serving and a jamboree.They believe the exercisemay end up like the previousattempts. How feasible isthe on-going amendmentgoing to be?

It wasn’t a jamboree. Mostof the questions there in the

template are not shrouded.They are questions that neededyes or no answers. They aresimple and straight-forwardquestions. For instance, thestate governors in the 1999Constitution enjoy immunityfrom prosecution; do you wantthem to continue to enjoy theimmunity? Your answer is ei-ther “yes” or “no.” It was a cleardeparture from the past whenevery section of the society sentin bulky documents which youtake a whole day deliberatingon without any tangible re-sults. We moderated the exer-cise in such a straight forwardapproach of collating on-the-spot contributions from everystakeholder in the Nigeriaproject.

Several years after thecreation of Taraba State,Jalingo, the state capital re-mains like a glorified village.How about that?

For any state to move for-ward in the Nigerian context,you must have somebody some-where, who is well placed. ThisI can’t vouch for Taraba State.We don’t have anybody any-where. And the worst part of itis the absence of Federal pres-ence in the State. We don’t havefederal projects in TarabaState. Let me give you an ex-ample, we have hydro-electricpotentials in the Mambilla Pla-teau, which they have beenpaying lip-service to.

And, up till this moment,nothing tangible has been doneabout it. If that potential is inanother territory, it wouldhave been transformed into fullproductivity. We have theGashaka Gumti Games Re-serve, which is one of the larg-est in Africa. The animals therecannot be found anywhere elsein Nigeria. We have what ittakes to develop the state. Wehave an airport that is cur-rently under construction.

resolutions as mere advisoryand an expression of our inter-est. That is the party at thehelm of leadership. There isnowhere in the world where aparty will pull down the Houseit built and has no respect forthe rule of law. With these Ithink they are not competentto rule this country becauseyou are the President of thiscountry today, you are sayingthat you are too big to come andstand before the National As-sembly.

The National Assembly hadits reasons for inviting him be-cause the National Assemblyknows how much was ap-proved for his security vote,yet no difference. They saidcome and tell us because weappropriated almost a trillionNaira for security votes for thepresident in 2012. Put all themega ministries; health,works, education and agricul-ture together, they did not getwhat the President got as secu-rity vote in 2012. We said no,come and explain to us whatyou did with the money, but herefused to come because heknew what he did. If he is sureof what he has done, why won’the come? And then instead ofthe executive of the PDP to pre-vail on him to come, they wereprevailing on the leadership ofthe House to withdraw the in-vitation. So who is fooling who?So if you look at the PDP fromthe beginning to the end, theyare just a bunch of unripe to-matoes, which are in power toenrich themselves and nothingmore. When you ridicule thebody that is check-mating you,is that a demonstration of com-petence? It is very unfortunatethat we have found ourselveswhere we are today. We justkeep on hoping that one day, abetter and lasting solution willcome to this country.

lllllRep. Aminu Malle

When completed, it can givethe Mambilla hydro-electric,the Gumti Game Reserve andthe agricultural potentials ac-cess to the outside world. Whenthis airport is commissioned,heavy equipment and materi-als through the air to all thesepoints will be simplified.Jalingo as a state capital ismoderately being developed. Ican tell you presently that wehave one of the best road net-works in the entire NorthernNigeria.

How would you describethe 13 years of PeoplesDemocratic Party adminis-tration in Taraba State andNigeria?

I can say it anywhere with-out the fear of contradictionthat the PDP is the worst disas-ter that has befallen this coun-try. I was a member of the PDPand I am speaking from an in-formed position. This is theparty that controls the Na-tional Assembly, but I can tellyou about the number of reso-lutions from the House that theexecutive has treated with lev-ity. They have never respectedresolutions from the NationalAssembly. Let me give you anexample; there was a timewhen the House invited thePresident to address the Houseon the prevailing security situ-ation in the country. It is overfour months now, but there isstill no response from the execu-tive. Secondly, a committeewas set up to look into the col-lapse of the capital market. Thecommittee discovered amongother things that the director-general was not qualified tohead Securities and ExchangeCommission (SEC); that she wasnot competent, but the PDPgovernment went ahead to re-instate her. You could hear theMinister of Information,Labaran Maku describing our

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been describedby Rep. Aminu I. Malle, as a monster that is taking the countryfurther from the Promised Land. Representing Jalingo/Yorro/ZingFederal Constituency of Taraba State, the lawmaker speaks onrecent political developments in Taraba State among otherissues in this interview with OGBU NGENE. Excerpts:

I can say it anywhere without

the fear of contradiction that the

PDP is the worst disaster that has

befallen this country. I was a

member of the PDP and I am

speaking from an informed po-

sition.

solidarity with their em-battled colleague and weredetermined to save him. Thisis because while Tukur enjoysthe support of PresidentJonathan, most members ofthe NWC on the other handare backed by PDP state gov-ernors and former PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo. Theformer president was influen-tial in the emergence ofOyinlola as national secre-tary in the first place. So aspart of measures to seize thecontrol of the party in theSouth-West from Obasanjoand the PDP governors,Tukur is planning to hold acongress in the South-West,where Oyinlola’s replace-ment would be picked.

Another source of the riftwithin the party is the choiceof who emerges as chairmanof the board of trustees, aposition vacated by Oba-sanjo last year. The failure ofthe 98-man board of trusteesto elect a chairman throughconsensus is creating badblood among party members.In the twilight of his adminis-tration, Obasanjo, driven bythe desire to remain relevant,instigated an amendment tothe PDP constitution to easehis emergence as chairmanof the board of trustees. Andin 2007, he practically snat-ched the job from Chief TonyAnenih, his erstwhile loyal-ist. But after the board oftrustees passed up the oppor-tunity to elect its new chair-man on January 8, 2013 be-cause of the inability tochoose a consensus candi-date from the dozen aspir-ants, who had indicated in-terest in the position, a spe-cial committee to realign themembership of the board oftrustees was created withProfessor Jerry Gana aschairman. The committeewas given three weeks to sub-mit its report.

But even before Gana andhis committee could go to

work, the Oyinlola imbrogliobegan. In the face of thestrong-arm tactics adoptedby the PDP state governors,hardliners within the presi-dency are championing thedisbandment of the NigeriaGovernors’ Forum, under theexcuse that the body had be-come a vehicle for confusion.The Nigerian Renewal Group,consisting of people who aremembers of the PDP, said in astatement recently, that stategovernors elected on the PDPplatform and who constitutethe majority of the membersof the Nigeria Governors’ Fo-rum, have abandoned theirprimary responsibilities intheir various states, and haveturned themselves into anunholy pressure group.

“Indeed, we view the gov-ernors’ forum as a club foridle talk and mischief-mak-ing. Our stand is validated bythe recent gang-up of PDPgovernors against the PDPNational Chairman, AlhajiBamanga Tukur. We hold nobrief for the elder statesman,but we are worried that ifthese governors are notchecked, they will soon holdthe nation’s political appara-tus to ransom. That will notaugur well for good gover-nance and democracy,” thegroup said.

Meanwhile, not resting onhis oars and to secure his po-

sition as national chairman,Tukur it was reliably gath-ered, has secured the backingof PDP lawmakers in the Na-tional Assembly to serve as acheck-mate to the state gov-ernors. Also, to break thestranglehold of Obasanjo inthe South-West geo-politicalzone, Tukur has begun reach-ing out to members of theparty from the zone. Even asPresident Jonathan has en-dorsed Chief Anenih, a South-South aspirant for the boardof trustees post on the calcu-lation that this will oil his2015 machinery, the PDPgovernors, former PresidentObasanjo and National As-sembly members have de-clined to support him.

Many PDP governors be-lieve that allowing the boardof trustees chairman toemerge from the same zoneas Jonathan will be a masterstroke that will make it prac-tically impossible to wrestthe presidency fromJonathan.

Prominent aspirants forthe same position are formerSenate President KenNnamani, Alhaji ShuaibOyedokun, the formerdeputy national chairman,former Vice President AlexEkwueme, Chief EmmanuelIwuanyanwu, Chief DonEtiebet. Other aspirants in-clude former PDP National

Chairman, Ahmadu Ali, Sena-tor Bode Olayinka, ChiefYekeen Adeojo, SenatorOnyeabor Obi and ChiefHarry Akande.

There are claims that thepresidency and PDP leadersprefer Anenih, at least tocompensate him for the lossof the same position in 2007.Suggestions that all the otheraspirants should step downfor Anenih because he enjoysthe respect of the party topbrass and would be a greatasset in the 2015 election hasmet a stiff opposition. Sad-dling Ekwueme with the taskof chairing the board of trust-ees, in addition to the sensi-tive assignment of leading 53other prominent PDP mem-bers to reconcile aggrievedparty members, would be toomuch for his old shoulders tobear.

Senator Ken Nnamani is aseeker of radical changes inthe PDP, but the singular rolehe played in thwartingObasanjo’s third term ambi-tions puts him on the wrongside of the fence among theformer president’s loyalists.The ex-senate president ishowever, counting on thebacking of his colleagues inthe National Assembly whoare members of the board oftrustees to do the magic andhe plans to leverage on thesupport of other aspirantsfrom the South-East to sup-port his cause when the chipsare down.

Col. Ahmadu Ali’s interestis generating the most con-troversy. The majority ofPDP members see him as asurrogate of Obasanjo. Ali’scandidacy is opposed notonly by party members fromthe North-Central which al-ready has the post of senate

president and secretary ofthe board of trustees, butalso by PDP members fromthe South-West who feel thatthe region has beenmarginalized in the PDP equa-tion. The South-West is sup-porting Alhaji Oyedokun andare trying to persuadeObasanjo to withdraw hissupport for Ali and invest inOyedokun, being a kinsman.

Based on the various po-litical calculations, it is evi-dent that if PresidentJonathan nurses the ambi-tion to seek re-election in2015, he has to demonstratedeft political shrewdness be-cause his opponents aremaking it extremely difficultfor him to muster the supportthat would earn him a secondterm in office. Of critical im-portance is his relationshipwith Obasanjo that is cur-rently, at its lowest ebb. Theformer president is insistingthat for any reconciliationbetween him and Jonathan totake place, he must be availedthe privilege of nominatinghis successor who must comefrom the South-West. On theother hand, the presidency issaid to be building allianceswith one of the PDP factionsin Ogun State loyal to ChiefBuruji Kashamu and led byAdebayo Dayo. The Kashamufaction of the PDP initiatedthe legal battles which culmi-nated in the removal ofOyinlola from office.

In the coming weeks, theoptions available to Jonathanare few: either he opts tostand by the embattled Tukurand alienate the NWC as wellas PDP state governors orditch Tukur and reach a bar-gain with the governors inorder to secure the 2015 PDPticket. The governors havenothing against Jonathan buthe has incurred their wrathbecause of his stubborn sup-port for Tukur.

Already, Jonathan is un-der pressure to abandonTukur to his fate and is con-sidering picking Tukur’s suc-cessor from Borno or Yobestates, in order to avoid theusual power tussle betweenthe party’s national chairmanand his state governor. Thequestion is whether Jonathanis prepared to abandon hisally to his fate with the con-sideration that in politics,there are no permanentfriends or enemies but per-manent interests.

2015: Crises, in-fighting as PDP’s nemesislllllContinued from Page 5

7National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

news

lllllGov. Rotimi Amaechi lllllGov. Murtala Nyako

State governors elected on the PDP platformand who constitute the majority of the mem-bers of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, haveabandoned their primary responsibilities intheir various states, and have turned them-selves into an unholy pressure group.

8 National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

editorial

letters to the editor

First, we have to state right from theoutset that the NATIONAL AC-CORD newspaper is fiercely inde-

pendent when it touches on politics. Yet,it would be foolhardy for anybody andany institution in Nigeria not to have in-terest in a phenomenon that promises tochange the very face of the Nigerian pol-ity and may affect every fibre of Nigeria’sexistence – for good or for ill.

Since 1999, Nigeria has been suffer-ing from a peculiar malady: the lack of areal alternative to the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP). No, we are not canvassingthat the party which boasts that it is thelargest political party in Africa should orshould not have dominated Nigeria’s poli-tics as thoroughly as it has done. Once ithas been voted for in a free and fair elec-tion, it can maintain its political domi-nance of the country for as long as thevoters wish.

Yet, the voter must be given a realchoice. Such a choice, not just in terms ofcandidates but more importantly rootedin ideas and ideals well-articulated,husbanded and disseminated nationwideby nationally entrenched parties that arenot easily driven by given personalities as“one man shows,” must exist before avoter could have the means to actuallymake an informed “election.” This is be-cause, the very idea of a general election,somebody’s casting a vote, or making achoice, presupposes a multiplicity of op-posing or variant candidates conveyingvarious but opposing ways of bettering thelives of the voters.

Since 1999, Nigeria has been very un-fortunate not to have had a party strongenough to actually jostle with the PDP inthe four-yearly ritual of the peoples’ go-ing to the polls to “elect” from among vari-ous political parties, the one whoseagenda for the next four years promisesto suit Nigeria the best.

Opposition parties’ merger: Getting it right

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Editor-in-Chief/CEO:

OUR TEAM

Tom Chiahemen

lllllManaging Editor: Donald Andoor

lllllEditor: Patrick O. Ogar

lllllAssoc. Editor (Politics) Henry Omunu

lllllAssoc. Editor (Business) Ewache Ajefu

lllllAsst. Editors: Yusuf Ozi-Usman

Chuks Ehirim

lllllAg. News Editor: Chris Richards

lllllProduction Editor: Gabriel Gwajime

lllll Head, Business Dev’t: Tim Tuse

lllllAdverts Manager: Musa Aliyu

lllllLagos Bureau: Adeyemi Adebanjo

lllllCalabar: Emma Obi

The best way to protect the nationalinterest and forge National Accord

is to protect the interest of the Nigerianpeople, especially the

weak and the voiceless in society, moreso in our system that

officially endorses the policy of majorityand minority groups.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Street begging is a culture that has longbeen driven by poverty, religious andethnic diversity complication. The

major players in the demeaning cultureare the disable and their destitute families(able and disabled).

This street begging not only constitutenuisance to society, it is also taking its tollon the lives of teenagers who either act asguides for beggars or even engage in theact of begging themselves.

Many of them are forced to sacrificetheir education through this trade andwith their parents’ support they end up asbeggars.

Recent statistics released by the United Na-

Northern governors and street beggingtions Children’s Fund (UNICEF), shows that over9.5 million Nigerian children of school age are notin school with about nine million of such haplesschildren are from the northern Nigeria.

The region covers more than half of Nigeria. Itis also a region with vast agricultural potentials asvariety of tropical agricultural system is widelypractised there, leading to mass cultivation of foodand cash crops.

The North is also a region where a lot of mineralresources are found in commercial quantities.

However, a puzzling thing about this region isthe menace of child street begging which ispervasive especially in the core northern states ofKano, Jigawa, Borno,Yobe, Katsina, Sokoto,Zamfara, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna and Adamawa.

Whichever school of thought one belongs to,it is pertinent to draw the attentions of politicalleaders, traditional rulers and religious leadersin the northern Nigeria to this untoward socialbehavior, and the need to put a stop to thispractice.

It is unfortunate that at this age and time whenchildren should be in school or doing somethingto keep body and soul together are left to roamabout the street all in the name of begging. Thisugly trend has its own negative consequenceswhich include: armed robbery, violence,kidnapping, 419 and internet scam.

A stitch in time saves nine!

lllllJohn Akevi, NITEL Quarters,Bauchi <john4akevi@gmail.com>.

The merger being brokered amongsome opposition political parties atpresent may fit the bill and produce forthe country a strong opposition party thatcan be fit to establish visible presence inall states of the federation and so be na-tional in word and indeed. Such a nationalopposition party would remove the to-tally unneeded stressing of geo-politicaland even ethnic and religious nuancesthat often becloud serious national issuesin our national politick. Such ethnic and

religious nuances and squabbles do noth-ing but weaken the ties that bind thenation’s federating units together.

Even the PDP stands to gain, as illogi-cal as this may seem, from the existenceof such a strong opposition party. If thesaying that “he who wrestles with usstrengthens us” is true, then the PDP canonly but gain from the existence of a for-midable opponent. Without such an op-position party, PDP’s formidable musclescan only wither. Such opposition will notonly challenge the ruling party to reinventitself, but if need be, to reach out for itshidden strengths, its unquestionable na-tional spread, and come up with manifes-tos and leadership that should be takenfor granted in a party with such a criticalmass of members – spread across thecountry – something that not even its en-emies can deny. It is only when such aparty, formidable in terms of nationalspread, in terms of individual member-ship, in terms of untapped latent wealthhidden in the uncollected membershipdues of the party’s sons and daughters –not just founding fathers (and motherstoo), strives from its very soul, tests ev-ery sinew, to deliver, that its real potencycan be on display. A strong oppositionparty enriches the polity, keeps the rul-ing party on its toes, gives the voter an-other vista of looking at issues and evalu-ating proposed national policies.

Yet, even as the opposition has yet tosire a real and stout opposition party,talks already abound about who shouldfly such a party’s flag at the 2015 presi-dential election. That is the worst way tobegin building a party. The reason for theexistence of that party has to be defined;the party has to be built and sold to thepublic as a way of governing Nigeriaaright. Any other thing is just crass poli-tics – and Nigeria has had enough of thatnonsense already.

9National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

In the last three weeks,offices of the Nigeria PostalService (NIPOST),nationwide has been shutdown, and servicesparalyzed by NIPOSTpensioners protesting theirover fourteen monthsunpaid arrears. Somepensioners, we understandare being owed over sevenmonth arrears.

The issue of unpaid

NIPOST, pensioners’conundrum: A call to actionBy ENERUVIE ENAKOKO pensions and disregard for

pensioners by successivegovernments in this countryis truly worrisome and it isnot peculiar to NIPOSTpensioners alone; it runs thewhole gamut of the publicsector of the Nigerian State,with some pensioners beingowed for over twenty years.

This issue is increasinglybecoming anembarrassment and aterrible stain not just on the

administration of the day buton the Nigerian people. Allover the nation, you seepensioners dying in queues,all in a bid to get paid themonies they spent theirentire lives working for.

And often, when they die inthose queues or in someother places while trying toget paid, the monies owednever really get to theirfamilies; they are pilfered byunscrupulous government

officials administering thepension scheme. Yet nobodyis genuinely heldaccountable; the ones madeto account are frequently letoff with just a tap on the wrist.

It is not a good thing thatour senior citizens are beingtreated with so muchcontempt after putting in alifetime of service by thoseoverseeing our commonwealth and heritage, and wedemand that the government

act now. This is not right, andsomething must be doneurgently to remedy this.

It is time for the nation andNigerians of goodwill to actbecause a nation thatcontinually treats its seniorcitizens with disdain ismorally bankrupt andapproaching spiritual andphysical death. We must allact now to force thegovernment to do what it issupposed to do.

opinion

news

The ChristianAssociation of Nigeriahas reacted to thewithdrawal of theCatholic Church inNigeria to pull out of theassociation, saying theyare free to leave.

Speaking on the Catholics’withdrawal Wednesday,spokesperson for the 19Northern chapters of CAN,Sunny Oibe, told Journalistsin Abuja the Catholics werefree to go away.

He also accused theChristian denomination ofarrogance, saying they weremerely angry because thepresidency of the associationhad moved to another bloc ofthe group.

Their exit will not affect theassociation in any way, theCAN spokesperson said.

Mr. Oibe alleged thatCatholics had been sulkingsince its candidate,JohnOnaiyekan, lost thepresidency of the associationto Ayo Oritsejafor.

He said, “There are somecertain elements in theleadership of CAN led byCardinal John Onaiyekanbecause he lost CANPresidency to Oritsejafor whohas a lot of achievements.

“There is no need foranybody to lose sleep overthe threat by Catholics to pullout of CAN because withoutthem CAN will still continue.The constitution of CANmakes provision thatmembership can beterminated by any group thatis misbehaving or any groupcan also terminate theirmembership.

“Why is it that whenCatholics were in theleadership of CAN, every blocsupported them, but nowbecause power has changedhands, they are threateningto pull out and causingconfusion?

Catholic Church free to leave association – CAN“They have been agitating

that the Presidency of CANmust come from the South.They are appendage of PDPand PDP themselves. They areknown for double standards.A man of God should not bedoublespeaking.”

The President, CatholicBishops’ Conference of Nigeria(CBNC), Ignatius Kaigama hadwritten to CAN President, AyoOritsejafor, saying his groupwas suspending “participationin CAN meetings at thenational level until such a timethe leadership of CAN reverseback to the original vision,mission and objectives ofCAN”.

Expatiating further on itsgrouse with the Oritsejafor-ledleadership of the association,the bishops lamented thatCAN had been politicized andwas no longer being used topromote peace and unity in thecountry.

“CAN is being dragged intopartisan politics therebycompromising the ability toplay its true role as conscienceof the nation and the voice ofthe voiceless,” the bishopssaid.

On Wednsday, the NigerianCatholic Church said ithas‘temporarily’ withdrawn itsmembership of the ChristianAssociation of Nigeria (CAN)in order to promote Christianunity and peacefulcoexistence amongstChristians and non-Christiansalike.

Spokesperson of the Church,Rev. Fr. Dr. CorneliusOmonokhua, said the actiontaken by the Catholic Churchwill be reviewed after theannual meeting of theConference of Bishops inFebruary.

Dr. Omonokhua listed asreasons for the pull out toinclude the polarizingstatements of some Christianleaders; the use of money in

CAN elections; and severalcourt cases involving statechapters of CAN.

He said as members of CAN,Catholic leaders have quietlybrought these concerns toCAN leadership but that theiradvice was shunted aside as theCAN leadership repeatedlyaccused them of ‘intellectualarrogance.’

He pointed out that theCatholic Church is some 1,000years old and has theexperience and knowledge tooffer advice and moralleadership to CAN and hasdone so many times.

But, Dr. Omonokhua said,“You just can’t save peoplewho are drowning, if you aredrowning with them.” He alsosaid that the leadership of CANis not the leadership of

Nigerian Christians, since mostof the churches areautonomous. As such, thepullout will not create anyvacuum.

Asked if the Catholics wereconcerned about materialacquisition by CAN leaders, hesaid the Catholic Church doesnot want to tell church leadershow to live their lives, butcautioned that modesty waslacking among some churchleaders in Nigeria of today. Hesaid Catholic priests havesworn an oath of poverty andas such could not partake in thematerial acquisition of worldlythings.

“We will be happy if CANleadership can showmoderation,” he said.“Common sense dictates thatthey do that.”•CAN President, Ayo Oritsejafor

An urgent call has beenmade to engineers in the roadconstruction industries, to usesolid and quality concrete inthe base construction of roadsin Nigeria, for long lastingresults .The Call was made byDr. Gregory Ibe, Chancellorand Proprietor, GregoryUniversity, Uturu, during aninteractive session with somemembers of the media in Abujarecently.

With his experience in theconstruction Industryspanning over 35 years, ChiefIbe , suggested that a productwith capacity to make aproduced Bitumen to be Waterresistance in nature and stablein its ability to glue and holdthe aggregate together informing an asphalt layershould be the product to be useby road construction Engineersand Companies .

Because of the bad nature ofour soil in Nigeria which isporous and shaky there is a

Use quality concrete base for roadconstruction – Varsity Chancellor

need for product that willstabilize and make our roadreliable and durable .Porousroad as contraction and theycould not stay together forlong, he therefore furthersuggested, the AxiomBitumen Boost Refiner, whichoffer the ability to increasethe volume of bitumen whilestabilizing and improving itselasticity, this making theroad stronger and durable.

It also as the ability to resistwater in a soiled environmentand benefit both the end userand the contractor, by usingthe axiom asphalt you’ll savedover 55% in roadconstruction...according toDr. Ibe, The Product has beentested and used over the yearsin countries like Egypt, Unitedstates of America and inNigeria at the GregoryUniversity, Uturu in Abiastate.

Every well watered cementbase and asphalt mixed road

should be able to sustain itselffor at least 400 years.

He also encourage Nigeriansto embrace new product whichmust have been proven andtested over the years, he said,rejecting new product is not thebest rather check the ISOcertification of such producefrom the other country andconfirm it.

He later advised NigerianEngineers not to cut cornerswhen it comes to building andconstruction so as not to paytwice buying products orloosing of precious life,engineers or stake holders inconstruction industry shouldnot look at the immediateeconomy gains, rather shouldlook at the future for the benefitof man. The kinds of materialsused should be environmentalfriendly not causing arms tothe general public; it should gothrough the Environmentalimpact assessment for thegeneral good.

10 Monday, January 28, 2013, National Accord

news

The National IndustrialCourt has dismissed thesuit filed by AbubakarSadiq led faction of theRoad Transport Employees’Association of Nigerian,RTEAN, against theFederal Ministry of Labourand Productivitychallenging the officialrecognition accorded AlhajiSabo Mohammed Tanko’sadministration.

Sadiq led faction of RTEANhad last year dragged thefederal ministry of Labour andProductivity before theNational Industrial Court afterthe federal governmenthanded fuel subsidy palliativesto RTEAN through OlufemiAjewole’s administration.Ajewole was later allegedlyexpelled from the associationfor a different allegation.

The aggrieved claimantsunder the leadership ofAbubakar Sadiq had asked thecourt for a declaration that inview of the inter-uniondisputes the Federal Ministryof Labour and Productivity waswrong in granting recognitionto the Tanko’s lead RTEAN whosucceeded Ajewole.

The claimants also want allthe vehicles received by theassociation under the fuelsubsidy palliative programmefrom the federal government tobe shared among the factions.

Ruling on the preliminaryobjection filed by the

Suit against LabourMinister, RTEAN dismissed

defendants, Justice M.N. Sowenoted that the core issue beforethe court borders on inter-uniondisputes which the NationalIndustrial Court had hadopportunity to pronounce uponearlier in 2009. She said that theappeal challenging the decisionof the National Industrial Courtwas still pending before theCourt of Appeal Kaduna,Division.

“Even though, in the instantcase the names of the claimantswere different from those thatfiled the earlier suits, theobjective of the two suits wassame,” she ruled. The judge alsosaid that it was very clear thatthe changes in the names of theclaimants were due to internaldisputes.

According to the judge, thesubject matter of the instant suitis same as the appeal pendingbefore the Court of Appeal,Kaduna. Aside, Justice Esowefurther ruled that the claimantshave not exhausted theconditions precedent for settlinginternal dispute before comingto the court.

The judge regretted howeverthat the internal wrangling inRTEAN has created additionalproblem for the transportationsector in the country,particularly in the roadsubsector where the federalgovernment wanted them todrive its growth. She advisedthem to amicably resolve theirdifferences.

In order to ensure a successfulimplementation of routedelineation for mini and high

capacity buses in the federal capitalcity, the stakeholders committee setup last week by the FCT Minister,Senator Bala Mohammed, hasbroken into five sub-committees.

The sub-committees are saddledwith Enforcement and Monitoring,Pricing and Palliative, Security,Public Enlightenment and Strategy.The five panels which havemembers drawn from all theoperators and stakeholders in theFCT transport sector will work underthe main committee headed by theFCT Permanent Secretary, Engr.Anthony Ozodinobi. Thecomposition of the committees wasannounced by Ozodinobi yesterdayat the second meeting of the mainimplementation committee.

A release issued by the SA-Mediato the FCT Minister, Mr. NosikeOgbuehi says the FCT PermanentSecretary, Engr. Anthony Ozodinobiannounced the five sub-committeesand their composition at a meetinglast Wednesday. All the licensedoperators for the four categories,namely mini buses, high capacitybuses, taxis and car hire services,were represented at the meetingand had their members in the sub-committees.

The licensed mini bus operatorsrepresented include the Self-employed Commercial DriversAssociation (SECDA), AbujaTransport Cooperative SocietyLimited (ATCS) and the NationalUnion of Road Transport Workers(NURTW). The licensed high

Buses’ route delineation: FCT setsup enforcement c’ttee

capacity bus operators at themeeting included the Abuja UrbanMass Transport Company Limited(AUMTCO), SHAANXI Limited,FABREM Limited and ATCS. Fromthe licensed taxi operators’ side werePAT Nigeria Limited, Print-fieldEnterprises Limited, City CabLimited and two others. Also presentat the meeting were top officials ofthe Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)and the Trade Union Congress(TUC).

Pricing and Palliative sub-Committee has the Director ofTransport, Engr Kola Garba asChairman, the PublicEnlightenment is headed by theSenior Special Assistant onInformation Management Systems,Hajia Jamilah Tangaza, while theSpecial Adviser on Security Mattersto the FCT Minister, Col. AbdullahiKudu (rtd) chairs the Securitycommittee. The Monitoring andEnforcement Committee is chairedby the Director of AbujaEnvironmental Protection Board(AEPB), Mallam Isa Shuaibu and theStrategy committee by Engr.Wilson Unaogwu.

The delineated routes aredistributed in such a way that themini-buses have 10 routes assignedto them and the high capacity busesallotted seven routes to ply. Theroutes currently allocated to themini-buses are the following:Mombassa – Michael Okpara –Olusegun Obasanjo – MoshoodAbiola - Area 1; Area 1 – Gudu – ApoMechanic village; Area 1 –Cemetery – Apo mechanic village;Jabi – Mbora –Kaura – Gudumarket; Jabi – Mbora – Suncity –Apo mechanic; Jabi – Mbora –

•Hon. Musa Onwana, member, representing Nasarawa/Toto Federal Consituency, who recently hadmotor accident and his political associates that came to sympathise with him.

By CHRIS DNK RICHARDS

Lugbe; Gwarinpa – Life Campentrance – 1stGate; Bwari town –Dutse Alhaji – ONEX Expressway;Kubwa 2nd Gate –Gado Nasko road– Kubwa 1stGate; Mpape – MurtalaMuhammed Expressway junction.

The mini-buses are not permittedto ply the following routes whichhave been allocated to high-capacitybuses: Wuse Market – Eagle Square– Asokoro – AYA – Nyanya; Area 3junction – Tafawa Balewa – HerbertMacaulay way – Berger junction –Jabi; Gudu market – Apo quarters– Ahmadu Bello way – FederalSecretariat – Gwarinpa; AYA–Shehu Shagari – FederalSecretariat – Transcorp – NICONjunction. Under the policy, theservices of tricycles (Keke) have beenrestricted to Gwarinpa estate; LifeCamp; Kado and inside all largeestates and the satellite towns.

Senator Mohammed had onWednesday January, 2013 set up abroad-based committee headed bythe FCT Permanent Secretary,Engr. Anthony Zikora Ozodinobi tofine-tune the implementation of theroute delineation policy for mini andhigh capacity buses in the federalcapital city. In approving the abovemeasures, Senator Mohammedclarified that there is no going backon the route delineation policy as itis for the good of all the residents ofthe Federal Capital Territory.

The Minister made it clear thatthe enforcement of the routedelineation together with othertransport-related measures remainthe best panacea to the problemsbedeviling the transportation sectorin the federal capital territory. Helisted other challenges to be tackledheadlong to include stamping out ofillegal second hand car mart,unauthorized car wash centres andillegal motor parks in and aroundthe federal capital city.

The Nigerian MeteorologicalAgency, NIMET, has disclosedthat it will present the 2013seasonal rainfall prediction tothe nation in February.

Director-General/CEO ofNIMET, Dr. Anthony Anuforommade this disclosure at the weekendin his maiden meeting with staff ofthe agency to usher in the new yearand mark the relocation to theirpermanent office at the NationalWeather Forecasting and ClimateResearch Centre, Nnamdi AzikiweInternational Airport Abuja.

The seasonal rainfall predictionis an annual presentation byNIMET to the public, in fulfillmentof its mandate to inform and advisegovernment and the general publicon weather and climate issues.

The presentation according tothe DG will be followed by a 2-daynational conference on theapplication of meteorologicalinformation to weather, disasterrisk reduction and socio-economicplanning. Resource persons invitedfrom within and outside Nigeriawill present papers on aspects ofmeteorological information andweather disaster risk reduction.

In the words of the DG, “whereasNIMET’s seasonal rainfallprediction for the year 2012 washighly commended, it was ignoredby stakeholders with graveconsequences to the nation asevidenced in the widespread floodsthat ravaged the entire nation. Hetherefore stressed the need forgovernment and all stakeholdersto take weather informationseriously and apply it to their dailyactivities.”

The Director-General noted thatthe journey of NIMET as an agencystarted at the airport where it

FLOOD: NIMET to release 2013rainfall prediction in February

occupied a small temporary office.He attributed the successfulrelocation to God and commendedNIMET staff for their collectiveand individual supportthroughout the process.

“I want to congratulate all ofyou that now, we havesuccessfully relocated. So we giveGod the glory that he has made itpossible for us to realize thisdream”, he declared.

Anuforom disclosed that hismanagement is not unmindful ofthe inconveniences that staffmay have to contend with,pending the completion of otherofficial structures at the WeatherCentre which would provide morecomfortable officialaccommodation for staff.

Two brand-new 33-seaterbuses were launched by NIMETmanagement at the occasion toenhance the movement of NIMETstaff to and from the airport whileadmonishing the entire staff toimbibe maintenance culture toensure that the edifice is not justput to good use but will last.

By AKOWE SUNDAY

Sir Ahmadu Bello, the lateSardauna of Sokoto andPremier of Northern Nigeriawere my higher institutionsof learning, a formerPresident has said.

The first executive President ofthe Federal Republic of Nigeria,Alhaji Shehu Shagari, made thisstatement at the launching ofpostage stamps in honour of theformer Premier, organized byAhmadu Bello University incollaboration with NIPOST.

Sir Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa my Institutions- Shehu ShagariBy DOMINIC AKPENSUEN Tagged Ahmadu Bello

University Golden AnniversaryCommemorative Stamps, held atShehu Musa Ya’adua Centre,Abuja. Shagari added that since1931 before Sardauna’s demise heremains his mentor.

Said he,” He carried me along,directed me and this is how I learntmy own University,” stressing itwill be very difficult for him to forgetthese great leaders that made himwho he is and what he represents.

In his welcome address, the ViceChancellor Ahmadu Bello

University Zaria ProfessorAbdullahi Mustapha disclosed that,the commemorative postagestamps is an honour and for theUniversity to immortalize a hero,who is also the founder of theUniversity.

He said “this is the legacy SirAhmadu Bello left behind and it isfrom this backdrop that theuniversity had to honor him. It isalso for the first time a departedNigerian leader will appear onNigerian postage stamps”. The viceChancellor called on Nigerian

leaders to emulate the selflessservice of our late leaders.

In the same vein Hon Rose Okoh,chairman house committee oneducation, who represented thespeaker of the Federal House ofRepresentative, Hon AminuTambuawal, expressed gratitudefor the opportunity to identify withthe Ahmadu Bello universityalumunus.

She stated that history will notforget patriotic leaders, such as SirAhmadu Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikiweand Chief Obafemi.

Delta State governor, Dr.Emmanuel Uduaghan,yesterday, complained

about the situation in which thefederal government had turnedoil-producing States andcommunities to beggars for theoil and gas produced in theirown territories.

The governor, represented byhis deputy, Prof Amos Utuama,spoke at the Ist Delta State Oiland Gas Industry Stakeholders’conference, which commenced,yesterday, in Warri.

He noted that lack of equityfor oil and gas communities wasresponsible for the crisis in theNiger-Delta and urged that theincongruity be redressed.

Uduaghan stated, “We mustrecall that in 1969, the course ofNigerian history was changedand the nature of economicrelationship between states andfederal government was alteredin 1969 with the promulgationof the Petroleum Decree by themilitary government…”

He said the decree took awaythe rights of the states onminerals produced in theirterritories and placed it squarelyunder the exclusive control ofthe federal militarygovernment.

His words, “Since then, oiland gas producing states havebecome beggars for the oil andgas produced in their ownterritories and now depends onallocations from the federalauthorities to meet their needsand to solve the multifariousproblems like the monumentalenvironmental destructions,which accompany oilprospecting and production.”

According to him, “Everyother policy in the oil and gasindustry in Nigeria took itsroots from the PetroleumDecree of 1969 and has furthercontributed to the increasingalienation of oil producingcommunities and states fromthe benefits of oil, while leavingthem to suffer the hazards andpermanent damage arising fromoil production.

“The overwhelming control ofthe oil and gas industry and thebenefits arising there from bythe federal government isunprecedented and unknown inany other sector of the economyor indeed anywhere else in theworld.

“So many institutions,agencies and businesses havebeen created to monitor, police,take and spend profits from theindustry by the federalgovernment without ceding anyrole, responsibilities of directbenefits to the states andcommunities in whose territorythe oil is produced.

“It is the attempt to win backsome of these roles andresponsibilities that Delta State

the business ventures of oilexploration, production,processing and marketing,” headded.

He asserted, “The state is alsocommitted to the crucial needto have the independentcapacity to monitor and keeprecords of production figuresfrom our territory. We mustmove away from thedependence syndrome , whichmakes us rely on federalagencies to supply productionfigures for the computation ofaccruing benefits from our ownresources”.

The governor charged theMinistry of Oil and Gas in thestate to “maintain closemonitoring of companies andinvestments in the sector toensure that justice is done in theemployment of our people andthe utilization of skills that areabundant in the state.”

He said the state haddeveloped its own gas masterplan, but noted that the oil andgas industry was not growing atits optimum and the state waslosing revenue to other statesbecause of the unjustimportation of skills that wereabundant in the state andmandated the Ministry to “stopthese abuses and stem thishemorrhage that is bleeding thestate of its needed revenue”.

The governor expressed thehope that the Nigerian ContentLaw, otherwise known as theLocal Content Law and theenvisaged Petroleum IndustryAct would help expand anddeepen the participation ofgovernment and people in thebusiness of oil and gas in itsentire spectrum.

He urged participants at theconference to brainstorm andcome up with ideas on how theLocal Content Law and andPetroleum Industry Bill, PIB,would function to the benefit ofthe state and otherstakeholders.

Minister of Petroleum, Mrs.Diezani Alison-Madueke, who,similarly, was represented at theconference, commended theMinistry of Oil and Gas, Deltastate, for coming up with thedialogue, saying the outcomewould help to streamlineoperations in the industry.

Commissioner for Oil and Gasin the state, Mr. OmamofePirah, in his welcome address,said, “The conference seeks toforge a harmonious relationshipbetween oil and gas companies,their host communities andgovernment in order to ensurepeaceful co-existence.”.

“Furthermore, it is aimed atbuilding consensus among allthe stakeholders, whilepursuing and implementinggrowth factors that will increaseinvestments in the industry in

and gas companies’engagements”, he said.

General Manager, NigerianContent Division, ChevronNigeria Limited, Mr. R. MWilcox, who was alsorepresented at the conference,said the Escravos-Gas-To-Liquidproject was a typical example ofhow government/hostcommunity co-operation coulddrive the oil industry.

He disclosed that over 18,000Nigerians were employed in themulti-billion dollars project,while Warri Port, Warri, hasbeen revitalized as a result of theproject and more than 100 lcoalcontractors empowered.

Secretary, Nigerian ContentDevelopment and MonitoringBoard, NCDMB, who wasrepresented by Mr. Timi Jemide,said the law was a regulation thatwould put many things in placein the industry and appealed forunderstanding and patience inthe implementation. (Vanguard)

Health workers allege high-handedness by minister

Health workers at the ObafemiAwolowo University TeachingHospital Complex (OAUTHC),Ile-Ife, Osun State, have calledfor the removal of the Ministerof Health, Prof. OnyebuchiChukwu, for allegedinsensitivity, high-handedness

and failure to attend to theirwelfare.

Meanwhile, a group thatclaims to be part of the JointHealth Sector Union (JOHESU)has berated the executiveofficers of the union for theirrecent call for the sack of theminister.

The workers, under the aegisof Joint Action Committee ofUnions (JACUN) yesterdaystaged a peaceful protest roundthe health facility, urgingPresident Goodluck Jonathanto sack the minister for hisperceived nonchalant attitudeto the career progression andwellbeing of members.

lllllL-R: Taraba State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Emmanuel Bello, withthe Chairman of Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Abuja Council, Comrade Chuks Ehirim and MrTimothy Elerewe at the interactive section with elders of NUJ, Abuja Council over the weekend.

Photo: Rommy Uwanaka

Some members of EdoState Peoples DemocraticParty have called onserving governors electedon the platform of theparty to refrain fromspearheading any coursethat is inimical to theoverall interest of theparty.

National Chairman of themovement under the auspicesof Save PDP Group, ComradeAugustine Adebayo said theantics of the governors haveamounted to anti-party activity,both in content and form.

Adebayo who spoke on ‘’theneed to save PDP from the

Group cautions PDP governorsover unguarded utterances

By ISESELE EZEKIEL,Benin-City

majority of whom cannot besaid to share the vision of theparty’s leadership and millionsof PDP members”.

He said that it is worrisomethat the governor’s forum overtime has emerged as a ‘cabal’manipulating the party, “with aview to having its way in everysubject matter, even if for onlythe purpose of self-exaltation”,adding this is unacceptable tothe teeming members of theparty.

The Save PDP Group Leaderthen said that the frequent andunnecessary over-heating of thepolity by the Governor’s Forummust stop, and announcedplans by the members of theparty to mobilize themselves to

be selflessly supported for thebenefit of all Nigerians.

Adebayo said that theconsequence of the governorsplaying national politics isevident in their lessercommitment to governance intheir respective states, whichmeans denying the people themany dividends of democracywith grave consequences for thepolity.

“The President,leader of the party, has moreoften than not been made tobear the brunt of thehaughtiness of the Governor’sforum, and has openly sufferedhumiliation in their hands.”

He cited the recent verbal warbetween Elder Godsday

12 Monday, January 28, 2013, National Accord

By

Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) staffers cannibalising unserviceable and abandoned Aircraftat the yard of General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Nigeria’s abandoned aircraft cannibalised

perspective

DG NCC, Mr. Afam Ezekude (3rd L), being briefed by the Commission's Director of Prosecution, Abdul Ter Koho, Esq., while (L-R) Director, Finance and Accounts,. Mark Obasi; Director and Legal Adviser, Mr. Jacob S. Fagbemi; Director, Administration, Mrs. Doris Osahon and Acting Director, Enforcement, Mr. Augustine

Amodu, listen during the media briefing in Abuja.

Copyright Commission impounds N4.38bnpirated goods, secures 29 convictions

The Nigerian CopyrightCommission (NCC), in theYear 2012, successfully

prosecuted 31 copyright cases, 26of which were criminalconvictions of pirates and fivecivil suits.

The Commission, betweenJuly 2011 and December 2012,however, secured 29 convictionsof pirates of copyright-protectedbooks, musical and movie works,broadcast signals and softwareproducts. The number ofconvictions shows a phenomenalincrease from 10 convictionsrecorded by the Commission in10 years, between 2000 and

Director-General of NCC, Mr.Afam Ezekude who disclosed thisat a media briefing in Abuja alsorevealed that the Commission,during intensified anti-piracyoperations last year, arrested atotal of 85 suspected pirates andconfiscated 3,621,787 millionunits of pirated goods worthabout N4.38 billion(N4,379,431,000.00).

“This feat which had neverbeen recorded in the 22 years ofthe Commission can be traced tothe enhanced surveillanceactivities of the Commission’soperatives, support ofstakeholders, and moreimportantly, our synergy with theNigerian Customs Service underour Inter-Agency collaborationinitiative”, he stated.

The Director-General alsorevealed that the inter-agencypartnership between theCommission and the NigeriaCustoms has engendered the

He noted that the high point ofthe Commission’s enforcementmeasures in collaboration withthe Customs was the historic andunprecedented confiscation of atotal of 13 containers of 3.6million 3,613,315 units of piratedproducts, valued at four billion,seven hundred and fifty millionNaira (N4.75 billion) at differentseaports in the country.

He pointed out that 11 of thecontainers were loaded withpirated books of Nigerian andforeign authors while theremaining two were loaded withpirated musical and film works oflocal and foreign titles.

The Director-General statedthat on January 25, 2012 in Epe,Lagos State, the Commission alsodestroyed by public burning 722million units of variouscategories of copyright infringingproducts impounded between2007 and 2011, estimated at N6.5billion.

“The essence of the exercisewas to ensure that the materialsare permanently prevented fromentering into the channels oftrade; and also send a warningsignal to perpetrators of piracythat it was no longer business asusual”, he stated,

The Director-General whonoted that there was an improvedinternational rating of Nigeria inthe global fight against piracystated that the enhancedprotection of local and foreigncopyright works attractedincreased investment in thecopyright based industries.“There are clear indications of areduction in the level of domesticpiracy which impacted positively

copyright system to address thechallenges that modern digitaltechnology pose to the country’sexisting inadequate copyrightframeworks.

Noting that Nigeria was thefirst African country to undertakethe comprehensive copyrightreform as did China, India andBrazil, the Director-Generalstated: “The goals of the reformprocess include; updating theCopyright Act to meet thechallenges of the digital age; toencourage and reward new formsof creativity and provide aplatform for the creation,commercialization and broaddiffusion of new knowledge,while enabling Nigerianbusinesses to profit fromexpanding global trade in culturalgoods, which is currently heavilyskewed in favour of countrieswith fully developed copyrightsystems”.

The Director-General revealedthat the Commission, also lastyear, obtained the approval of theHonourable Attorney-General ofthe Federation and Minister ofJustice to issue the Copyright>ýLevy on Materials?ý Order2012.

“The new Order establishes aregime of compulsory levy onmaterials used or capable of beingused to infringe copyright in awork. The new Copyright LevyOrder is informed by the need tocompensate right owners for theloss that they would obviouslysuffer from the illicit copying oftheir works, and to maintain anacceptable international standardof protection that would ensurethe betterment of the lot of

establishing a CMO for the movieindustry last year. He added thatthe process has received positivesupport from the differentsegments of the film industry.

Giving further details, theDirector-General informed thatthe Commission instituted a totalof 44 criminal cases in 2012 whileit is currently prosecuting a totalof 80 copyright cases nationwide.

He underscored thesignificance and deterrentimplication of two majorconvictions of pirates during theyear. The first, representing thehighest fine imposed forcopyright piracy was in chargeNo. FHC/KD/8C/12, wherethe Federal High Court,Kaduna sentenced theaccused, one Sunday Ayodele,on February 23, 2012, to oneand a half years imprisonmentwith the option ofN250,000.00 (Two hundredand fifty thousand naira) fine.The second was the highestpenalty imposed for copyrightpiracy so far, in case No. FHC/B/43C/2010 where theFederal High Court, Benin,December 17, 2012, sentencedon one Godwin Kadiri to atotal of six and a half yearswithout the option of a fine, onhis conviction on a four-countcharge of broadcast piracy.

The Director-General calledfor more of such damningconvictions and penalties inorder to send a strong signalto the barons and industry ofpiracy that in line with theCommission’s zero-tolerancepolicy on piracy, it is no longerbusiness as usual.

established in 2007 wascomputerised for effectiveservice delivery. He noted thatthe total of 2322 applicationsthe Commission received andtreated within the year was asignificant improvement onthe record of the scheme inrecent years, adding that thedatabase generated under thescheme, would be uploadedunto the Commission’s officialwebsite for easy access byauthors and members of thepublic.

“In a bid to facilitate betterremuneration for authors ofcopyright works accruablefrom the public exploitationsof their works; theCommission continued tomaintain a strict oversight oncollective managementorganizations to ensure thatthe CMOs are operating withinthe dictates of the CollectiveManagement OrganizationRegulations”, he stated.

He said the Commissionboosted public awareness andeducation on copyright issuesusing multifaceted approach,including mass media platformsand capacity trainings targeted atvarious stakeholder groups. Headded the Commission re-launched its website(www.copyright.gov.ngmore dynamic features andcapacity for real time on-lineresponse to enquiries andreports.

The Director-Generalreassured stakeholders in thecopyright industries of theCommission’s commitment tothe actualisation of its statutory

By EWACHE AJEFU

Four years after the onsetof the global financialcrisis, the worst appears

to be over. However, the globaleconomy remains fragile, ashigh-income countriescontinue to suffer fromvolatility and slow growth,says the World Bank’s latestGlobal Economic Prospects.

Despite slow growth in high-income countries, prospectsfor the developing worldremain solid (albeit between 1and 2 percentage points slowerthan in the pre-crisis period).In order to regain those earlierfaster growth rates, developingcountries will need to focus onp r o d u c t i v i t y - e n h a n c i n gdomestic policies, to assure

Developing World ProspectsSolid, but bumpy road ahead

lllllWolrd Bank President, Jim Yong Kim

Four suspected vandalsin Arepo Estate of OgunState were arrested by thepolice in connection withthe NNPC pipelineexplosion on Wednesday.

The arrest was made byoperatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special TaskForce on Anti-PipelineVandalism Unit.

The Assistant Commissionerof Police in charge of the taskforce, Friday Ibadin, disclosedthis to newsmen in Lagos.

Mr Ibadin said the explosionstarted around 4.30 a.m.,stressing that the suspects werearrested while returning fromthe creek.”

Shortly after the explosion,policemen, led by SectorCommander, Lagos, DSPOnaghise Osayande, cordonedoff the area, while they awaitedthe arrival of fire fighters.

“They extended the search toKonu and Majidun area whichis another route to that spot.Some vandals were spotted andambushed, while others whowere coming behind fled.

“Investigation so far showsthat the suspects, and othersnow at large, wanted to wastethe effort of the NNPC andfrustrate the effort of police,”the police officer said.

He said one of the suspects

robust growth in the longterm.

The World Bank estimatesglobal GDP grew 2.3 per centin 2012. Growth is expected toremain broadly unchanged at2.4 per cent growth in 2013,before graduallystrengthening to 3.1 per cent in2014 and 3.3 per cent in 2015.

Developing countriesrecorded among their slowesteconomic growth rates of thepast decade in 2012, with GDPestimated to have grown 5.1per cent. Growth fordeveloping countries isprojected to expand by 5.5 percent in 2013, strengthening to5.7 per cent and 5.8 per centin 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Growth in high-incomecountries remains weak, withtheir GDP expanding only 1.3per cent in 2012 and expectedto remain slow at an identical1.3 per cent in 2013. Growthshould gradually firm to 2 percent in 2014 and 2.3 per centby 2015. In the Euro Area,growth is now projected toonly return to positiveterritory in 2014, with GDPexpected to contract by 0.1 percent in 2013, before edging upto 0.9 per cent in 2014 and 1.4per cent in 2015.

Global trade of goods andservices, which grew only 3.5per cent in 2012, is expected toaccelerate, expanding by 6 percent in 2013 and 7 per cent by2015.

While diminished, downsiderisks to the global economypersist and include a stalling ofprogress on the Euro Areacrisis, debt and fiscal issues inthe United States, thepossibility of a sharp slowingof investment in China, and adisruption in global oilsupplies.

In this weak externalenvironment, growth fordeveloping countries will needto come from within, bystrengthening governance andinvesting in infrastructure,education, and health care.

Regional HighlightsGrowth in the East Asia and

Pacific region slowed to anestimated 7.5 per cent in 2012,from 8.3 per cent in 2011,largely due to weak externaldemand and policy actions inChina to contain inflation.Growth in the region,excluding China, slowed lessquickly due to robust domesticdemand. Regional GDP growthis projected to pick up to 7.9 percent in 2013 before stabilizingat around 7.5 per cent by 2015,with China’s economyexpanding at 8.4 per cent in2013, before easing to 7.9 percent by 2015. Ex-China, regionalgrowth is forecast to average 5.9per cent over 2013-2015 onstrong domestic demand andintensified global trade flows.

GDP growth in Europe andCentral Asia is estimated to haveslowed sharply to 3 per cent in2012 from 5.5 per cent in 2011as the region faced significantheadwinds, including weak

for the region will criticallydepend on progress inaddressing external (largecurrent account deficits) anddomestic (large fiscal deficit,unemployment, and inflation)imbalances, lack ofcompetitiveness, and structuralconstraints.

In the Latin America and theCaribbean region GDP growthdeclined to an estimated 3 percent in 2012 (from 4.3 per centin 2011) because of a markedslowdown in domestic demandin some of the largest economiesin the region and a weakexternal environment. Growthin Brazil, the region’s largesteconomy, expanded only anestimated 0.9 per cent in 2012.A more accommodative policyenvironment, stronger capitalflows (notably FDI) and morerobust external demand areexpected to lift regional growthover 2013-2015 to an average of3.8 percent.

Growth in the Middle Eastand North Africa regioncontinues to be affected bypolitical uncertainty and unrestin several countries. RegionalGDP is estimated to have grownby 3.8 percent in 2012(following a 2.4 percent declinein 2011). Regional output isprojected to slow to 3.4 percentin 2013, rising to 4.3 percent by

weakened to an estimated 5.4per cent in 2012 (7.4 per2011), mainly due to a sharpslowdown in India, where GDPgrowth (measured at factorcost) is forecast at 5.4 perin the fiscal year ending March2013. Regional GDP isprojected to grow by 5.7 percent in the 2013 calendaryear, and by 6.4 percent and6.7 per cent in 2014 and 2015,respectively, driven by policyreforms in India, strongerinvestment activity, normalagricultural production, andimprovement in exportdemand. Growth in India (atfactor cost) is projected at 6.4per cent in the 2013 fiscalyear, rising to 7.3 percent by2015.

Growth in Sub-SaharanAfrica remained robust at 4.6percent in 2012. ExcludingSouth Africa, the region’slargest economy, GDP outputexpanded 5.8 per cent in 2012,with a third of countries in theregion growing by at least 6percent. Robust domesticdemand, still high commodityprices, increased exportvolumes (due to new capacityin the natural resource sector)and steady remittance flowssupported growth in 2012.However, the expansion was

Arepo pipeline explosion:Police arrest four suspects

“It was agreed that theyshould try and stop thempending when they would haveenough supply that they canmanage before another spot isdiscovered.

“On January 22, they sneakedin through the river at about 12a.m. and fetched few gallons ofPMS and while they wereleaving, one of the suspects lit acigarette and threw it at theruptured part and the firestarted again.

“The fire has beenextinguished and NNPC wouldsoon commence flow of PMSthrough the line ,” Mr. Ibadinsaid.

On January 13, fire, caused bysuspected vandals, killed severalpersons, who had ferried acrossto the creeks to scoop fuel froma ruptured pipeline.

The explosion on Wednesdayat the Arepo axis was the secondin two weeks.

By EWACHE AJEFUwith agency reports

16 Monday, January 28, 2013, National Accord

business

The Nigerian Stock Exchange

17National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013,

news

Bayelsa State governmentsays 90 per cent of theongoing projects including 41road projects, 18 buildings, amulti million naira world-class diagnostic centre and amulti-door court house willbe completed and due forcommissioning as part of theactivities marking GovernorSeriake Dickson’s one yearanniversary.

Contrary to fears beingexpressed in certain quarters,all ongoing projects beingundertaken by theadministration will becompleted within its life span.

Conducting newsmenround some of the project

Bayelsa Govt constructs 41 roads, 18 buildings in one year

The federal government lastweek signed aMemorandum of

Understanding with anIndependent safety organizationKnown as ‘’Risk and AccidentPrevention of Nigeria’’ (RAPSON)for a nationwide installation oftraffic cameras and safetycertification scheme in Nigeria.

The special adviser to thePresident on Ethics and Values,Dr. Serah Jubril whorepresenting the President, Dr.Goodluck Jonathan signed onbehalf of the government whilethe Chairman/Chief Executive ofthe NGO, Engr. Ben KokoOdohofre signed for hisestablishment.

In her speech during the event,special adviser explained that theNGO was thoroughlyinvestigated to ascertain theirauthenticity, credibility asgovernment is ever willing totransact business as well as go intopartnership with meaningfulorganisations that are able tobring out concepts that could addvalue to human lives in Nigeria.

FG partners NGO for nationwidesurveillance camera installation

By PAUL EFIONG

•Alhaij Adamu Yunusa-ONA of Abaji, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayaro (First son of Emir of Kano) AlhajiHussaini Halilu Pai and Alhaji Muhammed Ali Kaita at the inauguration of FCT Exco of Nigeria AidGroup of Islam, in Abuja, over the weekend. Photo: Rommy Uwanaka

sites within and outside thestate capital, theCommissioner for Works andInfrastructure, Mr. LawrenceEwrudjakpor, said thedecision to open up the stateis aimed at attracting local andforeign investors.

“Our dream is to makeBayelsa the Dubai of Africa.Governor Seriake Dickson hasgiven us the task and it mustbe accomplished.”

“When we took over, therewas nothing to write homeabout in terms ofinfrastructure and that is whythe governor was angry todevelop the state. All theongoing projects as well as the

ones earmarked forconstruction would becompleted within the tenureof the presentadministration”.

“The governmentembarked on this massiveconstruction projectsbecause Bayelsa State isbackward and has nothing toreport on unlike its othersouthern counterparts.Therefore, the target of thisadministration is to restorethe lost glory of the state andmake the state measure up toother states in the southernpart and a befitting statecapital”.

“Also to ensure and prove

that governance in Bayelsastate can have a facecontrary to the negativeopinion of people thatnothing can work in BayelsaState”.

The commissioner forworks, in an interview withnewsmen, told the people toput away fears of projectsbeing abandoned as thegovernment is conscious ofwhat it is doing and is angrilydesirous to develop the statethat is why they put in placeengineers to supervise theprojects.

Some of the road projectsas listed by Mr. Ewrudjakporinclude the 3 senatorial

roads, re-construction anddualisation of Ekoli bridge,Tombia-Etegwe Road,expansion of Eradiri Road,construction of BayelsaAirport Road andconstruction of Outer ringRoad.

Also enumerated were thebuilding projects such as theworld-class diagnostic centrelocated within the premises ofthe Melford Okilo MemorialHospital, four secretariatannexes, Multi-door courthouse for the state Judiciary,Nigeria Prison’s Service,Governor and DeputyGovernor’s lodges in Yenagoa,Sagbama and Nembe.

Edo LG aspirant

flags up campaign,

promises to boost

IGR

Chairmanship aspirant inOredo Local GovernmentArea, Edo State, Mr. OsaroObazee, at the weekendpromised to replicate thedevelopmental strides of thecomrade governor at thegrassroots if elected into officecomes April, 2013.

Obazee who had earlier picked hisnomination form within the weekofficially launched his campaign atthe Oredo ACN party secretariatahead of the April 20, 2013 councilpolls as scheduled by Edo StateIndependent electoral commission(EDSIEC)

Addressing party leaders andhundreds of supporters, Obazee saidhis administration would source foralternative means of improving thedwindling internally generatedrevenue for the development of thehighly density metropolitancouncil than waiting endlessly formonthly statutory allocations.

He promised to empower theteaming youths via theestablishment of skill acquisitioncentres, given of soft loans to womentowards making them self relianceadding that he would equallycollaborate with the private sectorin the area of youth employment.

On the much controversialagitation for local governmentautonomy, Obazee who threw hisweight in favour of absoluteautonomy said some of thedevelopment strides being recordedby some governors, particularly inEdo State are likely to be replicatedat the grassroots when councils areallowed to decide their fate.

‘’But I would want to assure youthat with or without localgovernment autonomy some of usare head bent at sustaining anddomesticating some of the giantstrides which our comradegovernor has achieved at the statelevel at our respective localgovernments, this is our cardinaland driving force to wanting tobecome chairmen of our councils,we can’t afford to leave councils anylonger for mediocres.’’

By ISESELE EZEKIEL,Benin-City

Uduaghan raises

alarm over

casualization of

medical doctors

Governor EmmanuelUduaghan has raised alarm overthe casualization of some medicaldoctors in the employment of somestate governments in Nigeria.

Dr. Uduaghan who made thesubmission at the wrap-upplenary session of the ongoing firstNational Health Summit ofNigerian Medical Association(NMA) in Asaba last weekend, saidcasualization is not acceptable inany guise in the profession.

He blasted the Lagos stateCommissioner for Health, Dr.Olajide Idris on the recentrecruitment of medical doctors,which he placed on casualization.

“I don’t know if the stateCommissioner for Health, LagosState is a medical doctor. If he is,he is a bloody commissioner whotreated doctors in such a manner.Why will he (LagosCommissioner) treat professionalsin such a way that they(employees) did not have anyoption than to accept the job insuch condition because of theunemployment facing thecountry”, he emphasized.

Uduaghan however,condemned casualizationsyndrome, adding “I think it is avery serious matter. It is not thefault of the affected medicaldoctors, I don’t blame the doctorsbecause some of them aredesperate to secure job”.

On the part of Delta state,Governor Uduaghan explainedthat 20 medical doctors recentlyemployed as casuals for RuralPrimary Healthcare Scheme,16of them had been absorbed whilethe remaining doctors has beenmandated to be absorbed into theservice immediately.

Meanwhile, our correspondentchecks revealed that all theministries and agencies in Deltastate have no fewer than 30 to 40casual staff each, certainly notmedical doctors that has not beenabsorbed into the service for thepast ten years and above.

By OCHEI MATTHEW, Asaba

She challenged the NGO on theprinciples of the project terms ofexecution, adding that credibilityand thoroughness along withprudent management of fundsaccruing to them for the take-offof the project could make or marNigerians image within andoutside.

She lamented incessant cases ofaccident and insecurity arisingfrom frequent threats of terrorismin the country expressing thehope that Nigerians shall begin tohave a sigh of relief when thenationwide installation ofsurveillance cameras and that oftraffic control system asencapsulated by the NGO termsof agreement comes fully forimplementation in the country.

Dr. Jubril further revealed thather office schedule of dutiesinclude to collaborate withrelevant government or credibleprivate institutions towardsengineering the conscience of thecitizenry to improve and raise thenational and individual morals aswell as handle any otherassignment as may be directed bythe president.

The Chairman/Chief

Executive of the NGO, Engr. BenKoko Odohofre in his address at theevent reiterated hisorganization’s readiness toimplement all the projectsassigned to him by thegovernment, stressing that themodel of his project is foreignbased citing United Kingdom asan instance.

He called on Nigerians toexpect drastic reduction in crimeand accident rates in thecountry, pointing out that mostof the sophisticated equipmentand machines his organizationwant to deploy into the countrycould capture perpetrators ofterrorism irrespective of placesand distances such hoodlumscarry out the atrocity.

His organization, thechairman explained was set upwith the following majorobjectives, to save lives, reduceinjuries arising from accidentand crashes as well as makeNigeria accident free throughregular free training andretraining of drivers therebymaking behavioral safety afoundation for official practice inthe country.

The Trade Union Congressof Nigeria (TUC) has called onthe Taraba state governmentto consider providing housingloans for its workers to enablethem own houses.

President General of the

Give workers housing loans, TUC urges Taraba govtunion Mr. Peter Esele, whogave the advice at the thirdtriennial delegates conferenceof the union last Friday inJalingo, said the gesture wouldmotivate them for higherproductivity.

Esele, who spoke throughthe deputy president of theunion, Alhaji Musa Toly, said

workers needed decenthousing to always be in theright frame of mind to beproductive.

Highlights of the meetingincluded the election of newexecutive officers of the unionin the state with HajiyaAminatu Muhammed aschairman.

Others elected are Mr. VictorOlatunde, vice chairman,Alhaji Tukur Taji, secretary,Mr. Solomon Abochol,assistant secretary and Mr.Sule Abasu, public relationsofficer.

In her acceptance speech,the state chairman, HajiyaAminatu Muhammed called

Adopt proactive measuresfollowing resurgence of attacks,PLSG urges LGMC chairmen

lllllDPO Utako CSP Usman Umar (right) presenting a farewell gift from the division to the retiree,ASP Joseph Ameh (centre) while the station’s Provost Inspector Aliyu Gbadebo (left) gives his lastsalute.

Local governmentmanagement committeechairmen of Jos south,Barkin Ladi and Wase inPlateau state have beendirected by thegovernment to adoptproactive measures incalming their people, aswell as maintaining peacefollowing the resurgenceof violent attacks in theirareas.

State commissioner forinformation andcommunication, Mr. YiljapAbraham made governmentposition known in a statementin Jos.

Mr. Abraham who notedthat the attacks were aimed atturning the state into what hedescribed as a theatre of war,also appealed to the people ofthe state not to panic but toremain calm as government ison top of the situation.

He explained that it ispainful that the attacks arecoming when the people are

From SULE YAKUBU, Jos

A man identified as aformer special adviserto the immediate past

chairman of Mangu localgovernment in Plateau state,Alhaji Saleh Abershi is nowundergoing interrogationbefore the Plateau state specialTaskforce over what he knowsconcerning the five humanskulls found in the ceiling of hishouse.

Also arrested is a man whoseidentity was not disclosed butwas found with two rounds ofseven point sixty two mm in asuck-away behind his residence.

Taskforce arrests manwith five human skullsin Plateau state.

of cordon and search operationswithin and around Bokkos andMangu council areas.

Captain Mustapha said thesuspect with the five humanskulls denied knowledge ofthe skulls in his house duringpreliminary investigationsuntil they we’re found.

The STF spokesman alsostated that the outfit’spersonnel also arrested aman in Foron village ofBarkin Ladi with one locallymade rifle, a pistol, and oneround of seven point six mmspecial and an empty caseeach of the sameammunition.

prosecution.Investigation by National

Accord reveals three versionswhich led to the arrest of theman with five human skulls,who is said to be a leader of theFulanis in Mangun ward ofMangu.

One version has it that he wasarrested following a tipoff, whileanother says his name was givenby a member of a sect underinterrogation in Abuja leadingto the dispatch of a team whichcame in five Hilux vans to arresthim.

According to reports, localgovernment managementcommittee chairman of Mangu

on members of the union tocooperate with the officials inorder to enhance the welfare ofthe entire staff and increaseproductivity.

“As we appreciate yoursupport, we call on you tocontinue to cooperate with usto bring about a better welfarefor all of us,” she said.

Communal Crisis: Al-Makura tasks

committee to recover missing cows

Nassarawa state governor,Tanko Al-Makura said lastweekend that he has set up acommittee to work for therecovery of over 10,000 cowsthat got missing during therecent communal crisis in thestate.

The governor, who statedthis at a meeting with leadersof the Fulani ethnic group inthe state at his residence inLafia, said the committeewould be saddled with theresponsibility of recovering allthe missing cows across thestate.

It would be recalled that

By AKOWE SUNDAY several millions of nairadestroyed, while thousands ofcows got missing.

His words, “the committeewill visit every nook and crannyof the state to ensure that allthe missing cows are found,’’ hesaid.

The committee membersincluded, soldiers, policemen,members of the State SecurityService (SSS) and the NigeriaSecurity and Civil DefenceCorps (NSCDC) as well as somestate government officials.

While assuring theleadership of the Fulani groupthat the committee wouldhandle the assignment

By IORZUA SHAAGBA,Jalingo

By SULE YAKUBU, Jos

already enjoying peace, andadvised those, particularly inthe affected areas to cooperatewith security agencies byproviding them with usefulinformation.

The commissioner disclosedthat the state government incollaboration with the securityagencies have adoptedmeasures to prevent thespread of the attacks to othervulnerable areas in the state.

It will be recalled that aboutten people were reportedlykilled in a community in Waselocal government areafollowing an alleged discoveryof a decomposing corpse in thebush leading to themisunderstanding betweenthe Tarok and Fulanis.

The state policecommissioner, Chris Alakpeconfirmed the incident said hismen had been dispatched tothe area, pointing out thatdetails of the incidence weresketchy as it took place in aremote area of the localgovernment.

By GABRIEL GWAJIME

The battle for the ownership of Newswatch isnow subject of litigation.

A Federal High Court in Lagos,will today (January 28), beginhearing on a suit urging it toorder a stop to further distri-bution and sale of DailyN e w s w a t c h , S a t u r d a yN e w s w a t c h a n d S u n d a yNewswatch, pending the de-termination of a suit broughtbefore it by two directorsof Newswatch magazine.

Mr. Nuhu Wada andformer Education/PetroleumMinister, Prof. Jibril Aminu,had dragged the publishero f N e w s w a t c hNewspapers, Mr. JimohIbrahim, and four others tocourt over what they called “il-legal and oppressive” runningof Newswatch Communica-tions Limited where theyclaimed to be minority share-holders.

Others joined in the suitinclude Newswatch Commu-nications Limited as1st respondent/defendant;Global Media Mirror Limitedas 2nd respondent/defendant;Newswatch Newspapers Lim-ited as 4th respondent/defen-dant; and Corporate AffairsCommission as5th respondent/defendant).

Nuhu and Aminu, in theirsuit, claimed that the secondand third respondents/defen-dants had “fraudulently hi-jacked and taken over the firstrespondent’s company(Newswatch CommunicationsLimited) and had without dueprocess and without theproper authority of the firstrespondent shareholders,floated the fourth respon-dent’s company wherein theyfraudulently gave to them-selves majority shares withoutthe knowledge and consent ofthe petitioners or indeed theother shareholders of the firstrespondent.”

In the suit filed by theircounsel, Adekunle Oyesanya(SAN), the duo equally allegedplans “to kill the main busi-ness of the first respondent”(Newswatch Magazine) andreplace it with a daily newspa-per.

According to the suit, “Thepetitioners in the light of theforegoing are complaining in-ter alia in the main suit thateven as minority shareholders,the affairs of the 1st respondentcompany are being conductedin a manner that is illegal andoppressive to them and in dis-regard of their interests andthey have inter alia soughtsubstantive reliefs including aspecific relief for an order ofinjunction to restrain the

Newswatch sues Newswatch,demands stoppage of newspaper

media

19National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

2nd and 3rd respondents bythemselves by themselves,their agents, servants and/orprivies however called fromfloating a new daily newspa-per, with the name of the1st respondent, that is‘Newswatch’.”

The litigants are prayingthe court for an interim orderof interim injunction restrain-ing the 1st to 4th respondentsand their agents from “pub-lishing and selling to the pub-lic a daily and weekend news-paper known as DailyN e w s w a t c h , S a t u r d a yN e w s w a t c h a n d S u n d a yNewswatch, respectively onSaturday, January 20, 2013and continuing from Monday,February 11, 2013 as adver-tised on pages 1 to 4 oft h e N a t i o n a lMirror Newspaper of Tues-day, January 15, 2013 pendingthe hearing and determinationof the motion on notice.

Presiding judge, Justice I.N. Buba, has ordered the re-spondents to be served withthe motion on notice ahead oftoday’s hearing date for thepetitioners to move their ap-plication.

It will be recalled thatJimoh Ibrahim had on May 5,2011, through his company –Global Mirror Limited –bought 51 per cent shares ofthe iconicNewswatch magazine in 2011and unilaterally assumed con-trol of the company in earlyAugust last year, suspendingthe operations of the magazineon August 7, 2012.

But Directors ofNewswatch, at a press confer-ence in August 2012 at theLagos NUJ office in Oregun,urged the Chairman of itsBoard of Directors, Mr. JimohIbrahim, to lift the suspensionon its publication.

Veteran journalist Mr. RayEkpu, Mr. YakubuMohammed, Mr. Dan Agbeseand Mr. Soji Akinrinade toldreporters that they wereshocked by Ibrahim’s an-nouncement of an indefinitesuspension of publication toreposition the weekly.

Ekpu said: “The decisioncame to us, as to millions ofNigerians, as a big shock.Newswatch has devotedly keptfaith with its readers since itsdebut as the pioneer weeklynews magazine on February28, 1985.”

He said the magazine hadsteadily been on the news-stands, except for the sixmonths when it was pro-scribed by former militaryPresident, General IbrahimBabangida.

Mohammed saidNewswatch sought public

fund because it wanted to gointo daily publication, radioand equipping the magazinewith modern technology.

He further stated that thefortunes of the company hadnot improved since it wentpublic; rather, it has been fac-ing challenges ranging fromnon-payment of salary and al-lowances, and the inability tohold board meetings.

Mohammed said: “We areastonished that after 15months, Ibrahim is talkingabout ‘corporate surgery’.What exactly has been hap-pening at Newswatch all thistime? What happened to theturn-around, which was tohave been completed withinone year by the new manage-ment? What has led to the de-

terioration of the companysince May 5, 2011? The Na-tional Union of Journalists(NUJ), Newswatch chapel,says no value has been addedto the company and that work-ers are being owed salary formonths.”

The directors said theywere consulting with otherstakeholders on how to ensurethat Newswatch remained aviable news magazine.

They said: “Ibrahim’s deci-sion is not in line with theagreement we had with himconcerning the future of ourbeloved Newswatch. It is ille-gal and counter-productive.We ask Ibrahim to rescind itin the interest of the company,its staff, the advertising com-munity and the reading pub-

lic.” The board suspended the

publication because the work-ers refused to move to a newoffice on Lagos Island, sayingtheir salary arrears should bepaid before such a move.

Newswatch’s founding di-rectors have accused Ibrahimof acting unilaterally, even ashe has yet to pay the agreed510 million Naira for the 51 percent stake in Newswatch.

But while Ray Ekpu and hisfellow directors were “stillblowing grammar,” BarristerJimoh Ibrahim went to courtand obtained an injunctionagainst their “interference” inthe operations of the com-pany, which enabled him torelaunch the title as a newspa-per penultimate Saturday.

lllllBromide of Jimoh Ibrahim’s Saturday Newswatch newspaper

2120

special featureNATIONAL ACCORD Monday, January 28, 2013 NATIONAL ACCORD

Vested with the powersof environmentalmanagement of the

Federal Capital Territory, theAbuja EnvironmentalProtection Board, (AEPB) sinceits creation has not impressedits founding fathers because ofits leadership’s lack ofcommitment to duty. Insteadof embarking on aggressiveenlightenment campaigns toeducate the masses especiallyenvironmental offenders onthe dangers inherent in thepollution of the environmentthey derive joy in makingarrests for whatever reasonsbest known to them.

For instance on ThursdayJuly 26, 2012, an Abuja basedJournalist; Mr. Tunde Bakarereported that the operatives ofAbuja EnvironmentalProtection Board at one of theGardens at Zone 4 Wuseextorted the sum of N300.00from a poor Mallam nail cutter(maiyanka kumba)immediately after giving hima service. He said that theoperatives laid ambush for theMallam to finish his job and onhis way out they arrested himthreatening to take him totheir Area 3 office in Garki.And for fear of the kind oftreatment he will receive ongetting there the Mallam toldBakare and others who werethere that they mandated himto bail himself with the sum ofN300.00 which he did. It wason this note that Bakare gavethe Mallam N100.00 totransport himself back towherever he was going to.

Mr. Bakare stated thatanother group of AEPBoperatives at a Garden oppositethe Abuja Sheraton Hotel &Towers during the weekforcefully seized the rechargecards of card hawkers. And intheir presence they startedrecharging their cell phones.

When the complaint cameto the soldiers on guard dutythere, the AEPB operativeswere asked why they shouldforcefully seize the rechargecards from the hawkers. Inresponse, they, including thepolice men attached with themreplied that they were doingtheir job.

It was on this note that the

Dirty AEPB and the ugly face of Abuja

soldiers grew annoyed andstarted drilling them with frogjump with the exception of thepolice officers whom themilitary boys asked to disappearfrom the scene because he waswearing a police uniform, witha stern warning that theyshould never operate withinSheraton area again.

This scenario paints bad theimage of an organizationexpected to clean and sanitize acity but decided to indulge incorporate extortion. Accordingto Mr. Bakare when one of theAEPB operatives was queriedwhy they were taking peoplesitems and taking bribe, heclaimed that they also reportback to their Ogas by buyingthem recharge cards.

Another case was recordedlast weekend when AEPB

Taskforce operatives carryingan armed police officer in frontof a SAP-CLN bus went inside thebush on Kubwa road andillegally intercepted seventipper drivers carrying sandbought from sand excavatorsand demanded for bribe or facearrest. This allegation is said tobe carried out on daily basis atdifferent locations of the citysuburbs by these bribe-riddenstaffers in collaboration with thepolicemen assigned to them onofficial duty.

For the popular Wuse MarketBus-stop, the AEPB posted thereuntil now, when the FCTA’sTransport Secretariat has takenthe bull by the horn to sanitizethe area, were seen to be moreor less hawkers themselves whoconnived with bus drivers toinstitute nuisance on that

particular junction and itsenvirons, which always causeunpardonable traffic hold-ups inthe area right at the nose of thehelpless police traffic wardensposted to the scene to control thefree flow of vehicularmovements.

Instead of apprehending theseso-called offenders forprosecution and necessarystipulated fines made if foundguilty, into the purse of thegovernment they decide tocollect those illegal levies intotheir private pockets.

It will be recalled that theseoperatives passes through all theadjourning roads linking theAbuja Motor Park wheremiscreants and enemies of cleanenvironment not only soil thearea through illegal washing ofvehicles in and around the park,but defecates and urinatesindiscriminately throughThisday Newspaper junction onSolomon Lar street, roundaboutAssorted Foods Garden onEkukinam Road where the NUJAbuja Council is located.

This creates offensive odorwhich is dangerous to humanhealth and they pay deaf ears toit and the mountainous refusebins that litter both within andoutside the motor park which byevery ramification suppose to bea model. A visit to the little EketMotor Park in Akwa Ibom State,

•F

Charity they say begins at home. But the reverse is the case when itcomes to the Abuja Environmental Protection Board. A visit to thecorporate headquarters of the board stinks with offensive odors rightfrom the ground floor through the stair case to the last floor of an officethat supposed to supervise and monitor the city’s filthy environment.Furthermore, its Area 3 Garki offices of the Taskforce is not better off asthe area is equally littered with unserviceable refuse disposal trucks infront of its gate and all kinds of dirt scattered inside a compound thatordinarily would have served as an environmental model office and areference point when it comes to cleanliness., CHRIS DNK RICHARDSwho has been following the activities of AEPB reports.

no doubt depicts how a motorpark should be maintained andrun.

From Wuse to Garki and

Maitama to Asokoro the caseis the same. The worst casesare seen at every marketplace and the Abuja suburbsas if there is no-oneresponsible for refusedisposal in the territory. AtSVM Osisiogu Crescent,Utako from the PoliceStation down the road thedamaged swage with itsstinking offensive odor hadbeen there for over threeyears now causingpreventable healthhazards among residents ofthe area as well as visitorsto the police station.Equally at Zone 6 Wuse andother parts of the city thereare several cases of sewageproblems.

With these myriad ofenvironmental dirtiness in thecity, should one perceive AEPBas a serious board with a lawfulmandate to oversee thecleanness of the FCT?

On the foregoing, it is thispaper’s advise that concertedefforts should be made tocompliment the efforts ofgovernment at ensuring cleanand healthy environment atall times instead of the currentunfriendly environmentalattitudes of the Abujaenvironmental managers. TheFederal Capital TerritoryAdministration should as amatter of national importanceformulate the necessary framework and road map for the trueactualization of decent, cleanand sustainable city, residentswill be proud of.

If the in-house saboteurs ofAEPB are still allowed toperpetuate their evil deedsunchecked, then the efforts ofthe newly reconstitutedTaskforce on Enforcement ledby action packed Mrs. AishatAdebayo and no-nonsenseSupol Titus Ndawa (rtd) willlook and taste like a new winein an old bottle.

People laments that insteadof the AEPB operatives to bearresting scavengers who oftentime remove manhole coverswhich have caused a lot ofaccidents in the city throughthe fracturing of human legsand puncturing of vehicle tires,

repair some of the city’sdamaged sewage routes andclear the multi-packed dustbinsthat litter all parts of the city,they are busy arresting thosewho are struggling to survive.

For instance the sorry stateof the poor environmentalcondition of the popular Jabimotor park Abuja calls forproper explanation from thosewho are in charge of seeing tothe sanitary supervision of thearea when taking intocognizance that the park servesthe city as the centralembarking and disembarkingpoint for road travelers comingand going out of Abuja.

From the look of things, onewill not be mistaken to say thatthe board as it is presentlycomposed is not only tired butweak and lacks the managerialcapabilities and techniques tomarch with the environmentalchallenges of the Federal CapitalCity. And it is only a strongpolitical will and legislativesupport irrespective of whose oxwill be marched upon that isneeded now as a remedy to saveAbuja from imminentenvironmental disaster.

Often time hawkers engagesome field workers of the AEPBon war battle because of lack ofenlightenment campaigns tosensitize the people on what todo and what not to do at anyparticular point in time. Thepresent system of doing theright thing at the wrong timewhenever there is a complaintfrom the higher quarters shouldstop. The rolling out of vehiclesfor unnecessary and

•

•FCT minitster, Senator BalaMohammed

unwarranted manhunt of thepurported environmentaloffenders especially ‘’GasSellers” should be done withcaution mostly when adequateenlightenment campaignshave not been made throughthe various agencies of the massmedia as well as the board’sOutside Broadcast PublicEnlightenment vans.

Last Saturday of everymonth which supposed to beobserved as environmentalsanitation day is no longer beingobserved in any of the Abujasuburbs because of the failureof the FCT environmentalmanagers to live up to theirbidding which is the reasonwhy refuse piles up every nookand cranny of the territoryeven at the city center.

AEPB ordinarily suppose toknow that if environmentalsanitation days are strictlymaintained, that apart fromboosting the health wellbeing ofthe people of the territory thata lot of revenue would equallyaccrue from fines that could bemeted out on defaulters of suchexercise instead of waitingready-made fiscal allocationsfrom government.

However, the government

should as matters of healthimportance commence thehouse to house sanitaryinspection as practiced in thepast for a healthy nation is awealthy nation. And for a solidand sustainable development tothrive in any society there mustbe adequate security protectionof the environment of suchsociety. But the reverse is the casein Abuja because those vestedwith the powers of protecting theenvironment has virtually failedby not securing the FCT’secosystem for an atmospherethat will be pleasant for humanhabitation. The city’senvironmental managers are

believed to have beendisenchanted on what next to dowhen their lip service orchestracould no longer play the game.A close observation of theactivities of AEPB in recent timeshows that the board has failedwoefully from its originalmandate of meeting up with theglobally acceptedenvironmental practicesirrespective of the huge sums ofbudgetary allocation to theboard that suppose to generaterevenue to the government.

The Abuja EnvironmentalProtection Board, AEPB wasestablished in 1977 by DecreeNo. 10 of late General SaniAbacha military administrationwith a primary purpose ofcontrolling and removal of allkinds of wastes and doing suchother things as are necessary orfor the purpose of enhancing ahealthy environment within theterritory. Since its establishmentthe managerial know-how haspassed the directorship baton tomany hands on their respectiveraces to reposition theinstitution.

Charged to achieve asustainable development in theterritory, the AbujaEnvironmental Protection Board

is mandated to secure the qualityof environment adequate for thehealth and well-being of theresidents of the Federal CapitalTerritory and conserve and usethe environment and its naturalresources for the benefit of theterritory.

The board is also to minimizethe impact of physicaldevelopment on theecosystems of the FCT and raisepublic awareness and promoteunderstanding of essentiallinkages between theenvironment anddevelopment within the FCT.

The AEPB is to co-operatewith the Federal

Environmental ProtectionAgency and such other statesenvironmental protectionagencies to achieve effectiveprevention of abatement oftrans-boundary movement ofwastes.

This, the board should dothrough the control anddisposal of liquid and solidwastes, vector pests, rodentsand reptiles. Similarly, theAEPB should control anddispose portable and wastewater, effluent discharges,noise which constitutes anuisance and the use of septictanks and sewagemaintenance. It shall alsocontrol bush burning,poaching and indiscriminatefelling of trees, stray andwandering animals, publicconveniences and cemeteriesand the use of residentialareas for prohibited purposesas well as walking or drivingon prohibited area includingsuch other things as arenecessary or expedient for thepurpose of enhancing ahealthy environment withthe territory.

Finally, the board shallliaise with relevantdepartments of the authority

and such other agencies for thecontrol of burrow pits andquarry sites within theterritory and directconstruction companies orindividuals and ensure thatsuch places are replanted toavoid soil erosion.

In the same vein, residentsof the FCT shall keep clean, neatand free from odour suchtenement and surroundings,keep grasses low and trim, cutand trim flowers and hedgesand keep them neat within thesurroundings of the tenementand keep their tenement andsurroundings free from weedsand poisonous plants.

•Over two years old damaged Sewage at AVM Osisiogu Crescent by Police Station, Utako.

•One of manhole covered with refuse cans and plastics along the Obafemi Awolowo way, JabiAbuja.

•Uncovered manhole at A.E. Ekukinan street, Opposite NUJ Abuja Council, Utako. Photos: Rommy Uwanaka

22

health

Sickle Cell Aneamia (SCA)

Most people haveheard about thiscondition or

know some one who suf-fers from this ailment butas it is with a lot of dis-ease conditions, there area number of unclear is-sues about it. This is whatI will attempt to clarify to-day. In Nigeria, we findthat we have a numberof ways we describe or callthe condition such as re-ferring to people affectedas sicklers, having sicklecell e.t.c. It is importantto know that it is avoid-able and when presentcan be managed.

Let me do this by an-swering 5 questions thatpeople commonly askabout sickle cell anaemiaand in answering themhelp with understandingthe disease.

l What is Sickle CellAnaemia?

Sickle Cell Anaemia isa genetic disease of thehaemoglobin which is asa result of inherited ab-normal haemoglobinfrom both parents whoeach have abnormal he-moglobin. What thismeans is that the childgets one abnormalhaemoglobin(S) from thefather and the other ab-normal hemoglobin(S)from the mother, henceresulting in the childhaving two abnormal he-moglobin (SS). The hemo-globin is that part of thered blood cell that is re-sponsible for the move-ment or transportation ofoxygen which the bodyneeds from the lungs tothe organs of the bodywhile at the same timecarrying carbon dioxideout of the organs to thelungs. Normal haemoglo-bin is HbAA while abnor-mal haemoglobin is rep-resented for example byS, C, D, E, etc. There isalso another group whoare the carriers who haveone normal (A) and one,abnormal(S) which isHbAS who run the risk ofpassing the abnormal Hbto their children, so thatif two carriers have chil-dren they could have chil-dren that have the condi-tion. People with AS aresaid to have the trait butare normal and usuallyhas no problems.

As a result of the twoabnormal hemoglobin,the red blood cells (RBC)lose their normal shapeand assume a sickle shapehence the name. This ab-normal shape causes theRBC to be destroyed eas-ily and to cause blockagesin small blood vessels re-sulting in anemia andpains.

Some of the features ofthis disease are anemia,jaundice (yellow eyes),recurrent bone pains(back bones and longbones of the arms and

legs), chest pain and alsoseveral manifestationsand complications whichcould affect practicallyall organs of the body re-sulting in frequent hospi-talization and blood trans-fusion.

lHow do people get thedisease?

People only get this dis-ease if they have two ab-normal haemoglobin,having got each abnor-mal haemoblobin fromeach of their parents. It isnot an acquired condi-tion in that people areborn with it and do notdevelop it after birth.Though some of the symp-toms and signs associatedwith the disease do notmanifest themselves un-til later, the diagnosis canbe made at birth by con-ducting laboratory tests.

l How can it be pre-vented or avoided?

Sickle Cell Anaemiacan easily be preventedby certain simple actionswhich include geneticcounselling, premaritalor preconception counsel-ling (this simply is seeinga trained medical person-nel for counsel) as well asgenotype testing. The aimof this is two fold whichare first informing peopleabout the condition andalso ensuring that theyget correctly tested sothat armed with informa-tion about the disease andalso their own genotypesmay be able to make de-cision to avoid havingchildren who have thedisease.

lIs there a cure for thedisease?

There is no known curefor sickle cell anaemiathough there are proce-dures such as bone mar-row transplantationwhich have been donethat have attempted toachieve that feat withsome results but these re-sults are not readily re-producible and they arevery costly to undertake.Other challenges withtransplants asides fromcost are those of gettingcompatible donors andmanaging post procedurecomplications. This pro-cedure is not yet avail-able in Nigeria. Also,there have been claims of

quint5essential@yahoo.com

Dr. Franklin T. Osungwu(0802-324-6319)

HEALTH

with

cure which are un-founded and mostly false.There are medicationsthat are known to im-prove the quality of life ofsufferers as well as reducefrequency of crisis forthem and also reduce hos-pital visits. My advice isthat care be sort alwayswith a qualified medicalperson and if for any rea-son one is unsatisfied withservice given one shouldseek another qualifiedmedical person.lWhat is a sickle cell cri-

sis?The Sickle Cell Crisis is

an untoward usuallypainful event that couldoccur to someone withsickle cell anaemia. Thecommonest form of crisisis the bone pain crisis orpain crisis, the sequestra-tion crisis usually in chil-dren in which there is ac-cumulation of blood in thespleen causing low bloodlevels left for circulation(anemia), aplastic crisiswhich is actually due to akind of infection resultingin low blood levels (ane-mia) because the bonemarrow is unable to pro-duce red blood cells. In theevent of a crisis the par-ent or guardian shouldensure that the child istaken to see a medicaldoctor.

In closing I will also adda number of tips that ev-ery care giver or parentof a sickle cell anaemiapatient should know.Some are related to thingswhich may trigger off acrisis. They are:l Always consult a

medical doctor for bothroutine visits and whenin crisis.(This should notbe compromised).lAvoid exposure to cold

weather or rain.l Avoid excessive

physical exercise or activ-i ty .l Ensure that the af-

fected person takes goodquantity of fluid daily.lPregnancy should be

managed by experts forpeople with SCA.l Avoid dehydration

(sweating, excessive heat,alcoholic binges).l Manage actively

emotionally stressful situ-ations by providing sup-port.lEncourage to partici-

pate in support groupse.g. Sickle Cell Club.

lage last weekend en-couraged the studentsto make the event anannual programme soas to alleviate the healthchallenges faced by thepeople of the area.

He stressed that itwas his desire as well asthat of government toensure the well-being ofthe people hence he de-cided to support thestudents by providingfinancial assistance tothem for the purchase ofdrugs as well as otherlogistics that would takethe services to thegrassroots.

Luka pledged thatwhen the need arises toexpand the programme,the state governmentwould also assist the stu-dents so as to make theprogramme a success.

While the deputygovernor appreciatedthe sacrifice made bythe students to take theoutreach to the lessprivileged, he stressedthat the gesture wouldnot go unrewarded.

Speaking at the occa-sion, the president,NASAPS, Ichuku Ombu-gadu who said that theprogramme was in

fulfilment of the mottoof the association whichis “Building a healthysociety,” added thatwhat better way to builda healthy society thanto address the healthneeds of the less privi-leged in society.

She noted that theassociation has taken itupon itself to reach outto the poor of societywho were not privilegedto get the best of medi-cal treatment and at nocost at all.

The NASAPS presi-dent further explainedthat “The Team” whichis made up of trainedand practising nursesand doctors had alsoprepared referral formswhich they would use torefer cases that werebeyond them to the ap-propriate specialists fortreatment.

Ombugadu, who ex-plained that the associa-tion was embarking onthe programme for thefirst time in NasarawaState, thereafter assuredthat NASAPS has alsodecided that henceforthit would hold theprogramme in the stateannually.

From TOR VANDE-ACKA, Lafia

Deputy Gover

nor of Nasa-rawa State,

Dameshi Luka, haspartnered NasarawaState Association ofPharmacy Students(NASAPS), Univer-sity of Jos, on a medi-cal outreach thatwould lead to thetreatment of severalhundreds of personsin Akwanga LocalGovernment Area(LGA) of the state.

Among the servicesexpected to be pro-vided include de-worm-ing exercise, HIV andHepatitis screening/counselling services aswell as general diagno-sis that would lead tothe provision of drugsfor the patients.

Drugs that were dis-pensed during the out-reach include analge-sics, antibiotics, vita-mins and supplements,anti-malarial and paedi-atric syrups among oth-ers

The deputy governorwho flagged up the pro-grammed at Ningo vil-

Monday, January 28, 2013, National Accord

Nasarawa Dep. Governorpartners students onmedical outreach

is placed on casualiza-tion.

“I don’t know if thestate Commissioner forHealth, Lagos State, is amedical doctor, if he is,is a bloody commission-er who treated doctorsin such a manner. Whywill he (Lagos Commis-sioner) treat profession-als in a such way thatthey(employees) didnot have any optionthan to accept the job insuch condition becauseof unemployment facingthe country,” he em-phasized.

Uduaghan, however,condemned casualiza-tion syndrome, adding“I think it is a very seri-ous matter. It is not thefault of the affectedmedical doctors, I don’tblame the doctors be-

cause some of them aredesperate to securejob.”

On the part of DeltaState, Governor Udu-aghan explained that 20medical doctors recent-ly employed as casualsfor Rural PrimaryHealthcare Scheme,16of them had been ab-sorbed while the re-maining doctors hasbeen mandated to beabsorbed into the ser-vice immediately.

Meanwhile, our cor-respondent checks re-vealed that all the min-istries and agencies inDelta State have not lessthan 30 to 40 casual staffeach, certainly not med-ical doctors, that has notbeen absorbed into theservice for the past tenyears and above.

Uduaghan raises alarm over

casualization of medical doctors

By OCHEI MATTHEW,Asaba

Governor EmmanuelUduaghan has raised thealarm over the casual-ization of some medicaldoctors in the employ ofsome states’ govern-ments in Nigeria.

Dr. Emmanuel Udu-aghan who made thesubmission at the wrap-up plenary session of theongoing First NationalHealth Summit of Nige-rian Medical Associa-tion (NMA) in Asabaweekend said casualiza-tion is not acceptable inany guise in the profes-sion. He blasted thestate Commissioner forHealth, Lagos State, Dr.Olajide Idris on the re-cent recruitment ofmedical doctors, which

lllllBlasts Lagos State Health Commissioner overrefusal to absorb some casualized doctors

23National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESIN A

NEWSPAPER ORGANIZATIONAre you searching for a job? Do you want to work in a newspaper organization? If your answer is yes,here is an opportunity for you to prove your mettle. Due to reorganization going on in our operationsaimed at placing our newspaper in a strategic position to face the growing competition in the mediaindustry in Nigeria, we are pleased to welcome applications from suitably qualified professionals tofill the following vacant positions in Abuja, Lagos, Makurdi and Jos.

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR (Abuja)QualificationB.Sc/HND/Diploma in Mass Communication/English/Linguistics/Journalism/Social Sciences or any other acceptablequalifications from a reputable institution.ExperienceThe candidate for this position must have a practical experiencein the entertainment aspect of journalism.

SPORTS EDITOR (Abuja)QualificationB.Sc/HND/Diploma in Mass Communication/English/Linguistics/Journalism or any other discipline from a reputableinstitution.ExperienceThe person for this position must be professionally qualified andcompetent and should be able to run the sports pages.

PRODUCTION EDITORS (Abuja/Lagos)QualificationB.Sc/HND/Diploma in Mass Communication/Computer Studies/Data Processing/English Language/Journalism or any otherqualifications that may be acceptable.ExperienceProducing a quality newspaper is the job of a dedicated,hardworking and cool-headed production editor. Our idealcandidate must show evidence of practical experience.

ADVERT MANAGER (Abuja)QualificationB.Sc or its equivalent in Mass Communication, Advertising orMarketing. Membership of professional bodies such as APCONwill be an added advantage. Suitably qualified FEMALEcandidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

ExperienceHe/She must have at least 10 years experience on the job,especially in the newspaper industry. The candidate should be ago-getter.

ADVERT EXECUTIVES (Female) (Abuja/Lagos/Makurdi/Jos)

QualificationB.Sc/HND/Diploma in Mass Communication/English Language/Linguistics/Marketing/Social Sciences or any discipline.

ExperiencePractical experience is important but not compulsory as thoseemployed will be trained on the job.

FACILITIES OFFICER (Abuja)QualificationB.Sc or equivalent in Estate Management/PublicAdministratorin/Mechanical Engineering/Electrical/ElectronicEngineering or any other qualification or discipline that may beacceptable.ExperiencePractical experience is important, but a qualified candidate whodoes not have employment experience may be considered.

GRAPHIC ARTIST/PAGE PLANNER (Abuja/Lagos)QualificationB.Sc/HND/Diploma in Information Technology/ Graphics/Computer Studies/Data Processing/Structural Programming orany other qualifications that may be acceptable.ExperienceCandidates should be at home with at least two of theseapplication packages: Adobe PageMaker, Adobe InDesign,CorelDRAW and Adobe Photoshop..

Method of Application Interested applicants should forward their applicatons and detailed CVs within two (2) weeks of this advert to:

Admin Manager,The Accord Newspapers Limited,Suite 005, Transpharm Plaza,Opposite Jabi Motor Park,Jabi District,P. O. Box 6488, Garki,Abuja.E-mail: theaccordnewspapers@gmail.com,

nationalaccord@gmail.com

1. Entertainment Editor 2. Sports Editor

3. Production Editor 4. Advert Manager

5. Advert Executives 6. Facilities Officer

7. Computer Graphic/Page Planners

24Monday, January 28, 2013, National Accord

interview

What do you consideryour main challenge sinceyou became the Vice Chan-cellor?

My first challenge is that Ihave lost my weekends. Hith-erto, my weekends used to bespent in my house; visiting oneor two friends and then I usethe major part of it to rest athome. But now, I have foundout that the position of vice –chancellor is almost 24/7 be-cause things are very dynamicand nothing is static. You leavethe campus around 3:30pmand then next minute, you findout that your attention isneeded. Most of the time, Ispend the weekend at the office.But nevertheless, I have en-joyed my new assignment andso despite challenges, I amhappy to be ‘there to serve thepeople and will continue to doit better.

How do you describe therecent disturbance at theuniversity?

On the little disturbance weare having, yes it is very un-fortunate, but we have takenvarious measures to tackle theproblems. The problem hasbeen with us for a while onlythat the frequency of its occur-rence has increased of recent.But we have taken the mea-sures and employed morehands. We have more securityagents patrolling the troubledspots that we have identified oncampus for the last six months.We have really reinforced thesecurity strength of the staff oncampus. We are quite comfort-able now since we have staffthat cooperate with us, in or-der to tackle the problem. Weare on top of it. Whenever youhave a set up like a universityand with all our borders, wehave to constantly be on ourguard. We have reinforced thesecurity strength of the univer-sity and we hope and pray thatwe will not witness such again.We have got the assurance ofthe security agencies in townand they have increased theirsurveillance of the place.

What are the expecta-tions of the university com-munity from your adminis-tration?

You will discover that sincewe started, we met peace andtranquility on campus and Iam very determined to consoli-date on that. Again to assureour people on and off-campusthat laboratory equipment forresearch are being given seri-ous attention. In fact, govern-

Quality of education not as bad as people

ment has promised to assist usin achieving this. We knowthat it is not only about facili-ties, but also about furtheringeducation to improve the ca-pacity of the staff. The univer-sity has started training itsacademic staff, especially theregistry, the security and allthose working at the internetcentre. We will give them theopportunity to advance theirstudy for the growth of the uni-versity. We have started thatand very soon, others will fol-low because we are having thetraining in batches. In sixmonths to a year from now,staff of the university wouldhave improved the efficiencyof their work with the requisitetraining we have to carry outfor them. The training will notonly be done in the institution,the university will also exploreways of sponsoring the staffabroad.

Is there any plan to ex-ecute new projects?

We are supposed to startthree projects for which the fac-ulty of education and that ofarts are included. The multi-purpose hall is the third. In re-spect of the money for theseprojects, you should know thatwe have various categories ofapproval. These are some ap-provals that are beyond thelimit of council and some be-yond the limit of management.These three projects are abovethe limit of management andcouncil approval, based on this,we have to take the documentto the federal ministry of edu-cation for approval.

I am happy to tell you thatapproval has been given for thetake-off of two of the project bythe ministry of educationwhich came out about twoweeks ago. As a matter of facts,we are expecting the financialbacking from TETFUND anymoment from now. The projectwill surely take off in the nextone week and I will soon go toAbuja to collect the necessarydocument and thereafter, thecontractors will start theirwork.

lllllProfessor AbdulGaniyu Ambali, Unilorin VC

in, garbage out, good qualityin, better product out and viceversa. This means that what-ever is happening in the uni-versity, we are just making useof what we are being fed with.The responsibility is not onlythat of the university becausethe university is coming in atthe middle of the educationaldevelopment of an individual.You have the nursery, the pri-mary and the secondary schoolbefore you come to the univer-sity.

If we convince ourselvesthat the quality is declining,then let’s all watch what we arefeeding the university with. Itis a collective responsibility. Wehave to encourage our state andlocal government to improvethe quality of graduates theyare giving the university. Iknow some state governmentsare doing their best.

The University of Ilorin, orany university for that mat-ter, has a defined catchmentsplace to serve which meansmajority of our product shouldcome from that particular lo-cality. The quality of productsthat we have in those states ef-fect the university. I personallywant to encourage our stategovernment to please improvethe quality of products theyare giving us in the university.

What is your administra-tion doing to tackle the prob-lem of accommodation oncampus?

Accommodation of studentsis one of our priority areas. Thegovernment has given us thego-ahead to encourage the pub-lic to come and partner with usunder the Build, Operate andTransfer (BOT) arrangement.I use this opportunity to thankand acknowledge the society oncampus. Many of them haveerected facility to accommo-date the students and even oneof the buildings was opened tostudents. Right now we aretalking with almost three de-velopers, who are ready tocome and invest within theuniversity.

And, I am sure before theend of the session or early nextsession, we are still going to con-tinue to encourage people be-cause right now the universityhas a population of 34,000 stu-dents and the facilities that wehave on campus accommodatejust 3,000. So, you can imag-ine the gap between the needsand available facility. We arestill going to encourage andpartner with the public tocome and build more hostels toaccommodate students on cam-pus because it is better and saferfor students to be on campus,they are under our control, butonce they are outside, we havelimited jurisdiction. We hopeand pray that more people willheed our call to come and buildmore hostels within the cam-pus.

think – Unilorin VCIn his first official meeting with journalists,the new Vice Chancellor of the Universityof Ilorin, Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali,a professor of veterinary medicine, spokeon sundry issues affecting the institutionand how to tackle the challengesconfronting the country’s educationsector. KEHINDE AKINPELU was there.Excerpts:

We are still awaiting theapproval of the Faculty of Art.That of the educational multi-purpose hall will take off nextweek. Also, council has ap-proved university waterproject, which will take off anymoment from now. I assurewithin the next three months,the water that will be taken oncampus and to serve our friendswill come from the university.

We also have central labo-ratory project and we are topof it. Very soon, the process willbe completed and we hope thatbefore the end of the year, itwould have been in place. Wehave other projects that we arehoping that before the end ofthe academic session, they willbe completed. I can assure youthat we have good hands andthe financial backing is there.What is left now is for us to iden-tify good contractors that willfinish these projects withinrecord time.

Again, we are at an ad-vanced stage and talking witha lot of partners and just re-cently, we had a contact in theUnited States and he is linkingus up with Harvard and Kan-sas State universities. We areat advance stage of collabora-tion which will yield a lot of re-sources and other inputs fromour partners. They have ex-pressed their willingness to as-sist both in terms of suppliesand manpower training. We

look forward to that.What is your reaction to

the perception in certainquarters that there is asharp decline in the qualityof university education orproducts in the country?

The quality of education isnot as bad as we think; I wasinteracting with one formerVice Chancellor who lives in theUnited States and he said thatmost of our doctors are practic-ing there. If our education isbad, the people in the UnitedStates will not recruit them.Once you don’t finish yourMBBS in the UK and you wantto practise there, they subjectyou to their medical councilexamination. This means thatour doctors that are there havebeen undergoing this examina-tion and been passing it. So, ifthe quality was bad, thatwouldn’t happen. Of course, wecannot generalize and that iswhy the National UniversitiesCommission (NUC) and otherprofessional bodies are con-stantly monitoring and accred-iting program- mes in the uni-versity.

Again, if you have well-trained and competent teach-ers, the quality of the productwill improve. We have to alsotake cognizance of the fact that universities are getting theirstudents from the product ofsecondary schools in the coun-try and as you know, garbage

Again, if you have well-trained and competent teachers, the qualityof the product will improve. We have to also take cognizance of thefact that universities are getting their students from the product ofsecondary schools in the country and as you know, garbage in, gar-bage out, good quality in, better product out and vice versa. Thismeans that whatever is happening in the university, we are just mak-ing use of what we are being fed with.

Despite that Isoko nation is the thirdlargest ethnic group in Delta state andsecond region to discover oil and gasin 1958 after oil was first discovered incommercial quantity in Nigeria in 1956near Oloibiri, Rivers state, the regionhas been totally relegated to thebackground. In the time past, Isoko,Itsekeri and Ijaw were vigorouslyagitated for Coast State which Warri asthe headquarters but such effort couldnot see the light of the day as a resultof some political powers that be in thestate. One of the problems presentlyconfronting Isoko is the inability ofgovernment to organize youthenlightenment programs that wouldhelp to build intellectual structure inthe region than sponsored violence bysome unscrupulous and deviouspoliticians in the land.

On 27th December 2012, onedynamic and energetic young Ivrogbo-Irri man, Jerome Edafe Asedegbega,the youngest son of Odiologbo of thecommunity organized a well-attendedyouth educative programme which wastagged as “Erudite Forum Group” toenlighten the community youths oneducational development in allramifications which the crème de la

crème of sons and daughters of thecommunity were there to contributetheir creative ideals to make Ivrogboyouth be sought after in the nearestfuture. This programme brought outthe total darkness of Ivrogbo youths tosee the light of education and nothingmore. Political or economic revolutioncan begin if all Isoko youths are well-informed in terms of educationalorientation and not to be used by onedubious politician as thugs ordistraught messengers in the region.

Sadly, Isoko nation only has twolocal governments, Isoko south andIsoko north with population of about3 million people with 19 clans and over40 villages, there is no presence ofgovernment development in theregion. Some Isoko communities are

Isoko nation:A wake up

call forrevolution

lllllGovernor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State

flying sons and daughters that comefrom the community.

Some Isoko educated youths havedecided to draw the attention of DrEmmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State toreconstruct some of the derelictprojects by preceding governments inthe region. Umeh Road is one of theprojects of Uduaghan led-governmentthat has been given full attention towithout dithering through the socialmedia with the support of oneprominent lawyer of Umeh communityand others.

Since Isoko division was created in1963 out of the then Western regionand Delta State in 1991 precisely, Isokonation is totally marginalized bypowers that be. Over 100 oil wells andgas flaring stations are sited in Isokoregion, yet some unscrupulouspoliticians and individuals havedecided to take the region to thecleaners through their sponsoredviolence. Uzere community has been inconflict over leadership tussle amongtraditional rulers and others. Isokocommunity is into farming, fishing andtrading while its land space is 1724kilometers square and located inupland. Isoko people are industriousto the core. Though Delta State is oneentity, unity is not bonded as a resultof ethnic conflagration in the regionover the years.

Some Isoko people have contributedlargely to the developmental progressof Isoko region in likes of Hon. DicksonEbegbare, Otunba Isaac Emiyede,Eng.r Johnny Onozefe, Engr. SolomonOkpithe, Prince Frank Egbodo, Dr. BenObi, Hon. Benjamin Essien, ChiefGregory Akpojene, Hon. Macaulay

Ovuzourie and others. These peoplehave used their personal resources togrow the vision of Isoko nation in oneway or the other. Isoko nation is knownfor political appointments thancontesting for positions ofgovernment in the state. The likesChief John Kpokpogri and Prof. SalibUmukoro that contested under thePDP in 2011 as governorshipaspirants which many thought anIsoko son would emerge as agovernor, but politically betrayedIsoko region for monetary benefits.No Isoko man or woman has heldsensitive political position at thefederal level except at the state level

where Uduaghan appointed someIsoko sons and daughters in keypositions of his administration. IDUand other leadership bodies are inmute and not ready tformidable leadership in Isoko land.

Comparison must be aborted out ofIsoko leaders in the region.

Even the Anioma people arestrongly agitating for governorship in2015 as well as their own statecreation while Isoko region is stillwaiting for Uduaghan’s governmentto fix Isoko leadership for them andthe Urohobo nation is not left out interms of political agitation for stategovernorship in 2015 too. Urohobopeople are more enlightened in thepolitical development of Delta stateand has the highest number of localgovernments in the state.

It is time for Isoko nation to wakeup from slumber and not play secondfiddle in Delta politics in 2015.Isokonation cannot remain “Obi is a boyin Delta politics. Those Isoko

By GODDAY ODIDI

Sadly, Isoko nation only has two localgovernments, Isoko south and Isoko north,with a population of about 3 million peoplewith 19 clans and over 40 villages, there is

no presence of government development inthe region. Some Isoko communities are

accord classifiedPUBLIC NOTICE

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Associationhas applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registrationunder Part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. BABATUNDE ADEYEMI - PRESIDENT2. SOJI NESTRO DOSUNMU - SECRETARY3. BALOGUN ABISOLA - TREASURER4. AJUWON BAMIDELE - MODERATOR

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:1. To foster spirit of unity.2. To conduct educational and social programmers and other.

activities of mutual benefit to the association and the school.

Any objection to this REGISTRATION should be forwarded to theRegistrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, 420, TigrisCrescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, PMB 198, Maitama, Abuja within28 days from the date of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

NIGERIAN MODEL HIGH SCHOOL OLDSTUDENTS ASSOCIATION

(Alakara Idi Oro Lagos)

PUBLIC NOTICEURBAN-RURAL INTEGRATED

SUPPORT FOUNDATIONThe general public is hereby notified that the above named Foundationhas applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, for registrationunder Part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. DR.OFILI UGWUDIOHA - PRESIDENT2. OLUSEGUN OLAREWAJU ADEBAYO - SECRETARY3. BALA DZUKOGI - MEMBER4. SIMON IHEANACHO MARK - MEMBERTHE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:1. Enhancement of rural development.2. To identify the specific economic and social needs of communities

in the rural areas, encouraging and supporting high qualityeconomically and social life within those in the rural areas.

3. To provide monetary support and man-power training to ourmembers in the rural areas.

Any objection to this REGISTRATION should be forwarded to theRegistrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, 420, Tigris Crescent,Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, PMB 198, Maitama, Abuja within 28 daysfrom the date of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

HERBERT UGO FOUNDATIONThe general public is hereby notified that the above named Foundationhas applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, forregistration under Part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. ONWUEGBULA HERBERT UGOCHUKWU - CHAIRMAN2. HENRY OSUJI - MEMBER3. BENEDICT AKPOZEMAYO - MEMBER4. ANTONIA EKECHUKWU - MEMBERTHE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:1. To organize lecture, training and skills acquisition for youth.

empowerment and eradication of poverty in the society.2. To distribute free bible and other Gospel materials to the needy.3. To counsel people on how to transform poverty to genuine wealth

through the fear of God.Any objection to this REGISTRATION should be forwarded to theRegistrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, 420, TigrisCrescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, PMB 198, Maitama, Abuja within28 days from the date of this publication.

Signed: J.K. NANA,CROWN KINGS CONSULTANCY CO

08037769526, 08155553659.

PUBLIC NOTICE

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Foundationhas applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, forregistration under part ‘C’ of the companies and Allied Matters Act1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1.CHIEF (DR) OSITA EMMANUEL OKEREKE2. NEWTON NDUBUISI NECHI3. LAURA CHIBUZO OKEREKE4. GERDA TOLRER5.ONYINYE BELINDA NDUBUISI6.DR PAUL NNAMCHI7.HENK BOUWENS8.EVANGELIST MIKE IKOKU9.DOROTA PAZOL THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:1. To carter for the less privileged once in the society.Any objection to this REGISTRATION should be forwardedto theRegistrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, 420, TigrisCrescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, PMB 198, Maitama, Abuja within 28days from the date of this publication.

Signed: IWUAGWU NNAMDI IGWE & IGWEATTON, JJ.SUITE 85/90 BEFS PLAZA UTAKO ABUJA

SUPPORT FOR THE HOPELESSFOUNDATION

PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE

TRUE BELIEVERSINTERCESSORY MINISTRY

PUBLIC NOTICEPUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Ministryhas applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for Registrationunder Part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1.HELEN MMAETE UMANA2. DAVID EDIKAN UMANA3. MADAM AGNES .E.EYO

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:1.To preach the Gospel2.To increase the ministry of God on earth3.To promote teaching of the Bible.

Any objection to this REGISTRATION should be forwarded to theRegistrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, 420, Tigris Crescent,Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, PMB 198, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days fromthe date of this publication.

Signed:AKOR EMMANUEL U.ESQ

This is to inform the general public of the loss of

original Hand-Over Letter and Power of Attorney

from MALAM MUSA MOHAMMED to MRS

OMOWUNMI OLUSESI in respect of Flat 11, Block

G3, Ministry of Finance Quarters, Wuye District,

Abuja.

All efforts to trace the said documents proved

abortive. Malam Musa Mohammed and the general

public to please note.

Signed:

MRS OMOWUNMI OLUSESI

LOSS OF DOCUMENTS

26 National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

PUBLIC NOTICE

DISABILITY RIGHTSADVOCACY CENTER

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Center hasapplied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, for registrationunder Part ‘C’ of the companies and Allied matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1.IRENE OJIUGO PATRICK -OGBOGU2. PAUL NWABUIKWU3. JAMILA HARUNA

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:1. To raise awareness on the health and welfare needs of people with

disability (WWD) in Nigeria.2. To advocate at National and International levels, policies and actions

which further the human rights of PWDS and WWDS.

Any objection to this REGISTRATION should be forwarded to theRegistrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, 420, Tigris Crescent,Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, PMB 198, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days fromthe date of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

THIS SPACE IS FOR SALE

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FOR SALE

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FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIACOMPANIES & ALLIED MATTERS ACT

PRIVATE COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARE

NOTICE OF FINAL GENERAL MEETING OF MVV DECONNIGERIA LTD (RC 778205) GIVEN PURSUIT TOSS.478,481),CAMA AND UNDER THE WINDING UPPROCEEDING RULES.

TAKE NOTE THAT THE FINAL GENERAL MEETING OF THEABOVE COMPANY SHALL BE HELD AS SCHEDULLEDBELOW.

DATE: 28TH day of FEB,2013VENUE : V12 BNL LIFE CAMP JABI-ABUJATIME: 4:00 PM (PROMPT)

AGENDA1. PRESENTATION AND CONSIDERATION OF THE

LIQUIDATOR’S REPORT2. PRESENTATION AND CONSIDERATION OF THE

FINAL ACCOUNT S OF THE COMPANY3. DISSOLUTION OF THE COMPANY4. AOB5. CLOSING

DATED THIS 25TH DAY OF JANUARY 2013.

Signed:Barr. AMAGWULA AUGUSTUS OBINNA LIQUIDATOR:

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The Managing Director/CEOof Nigerian Export Import Bank(NEXIM), Mr. Roberts U. Oryamet with the Patrons of theMiners’ Association of Nigeria atthe NEXIM House in Abuja tofurther deliberate on a strategicframework the Bank and theAssociation are developing tobetter structure and attractsustainable investments to theSolid Minerals sector. .

In a statement issued by theCorporate CommunicationDepartmentof the Bank, themeeting with the Miners’Association was essentially agesture by its patrons to discussissues of mutual cooperationwith NEXIM as a follow-up tothe interactive business dinnerorganized by the Association inconjunction with the FederalMinistry of Mines & SteelDevelopment.

Presenting the Bank’s strategicinitiative and market focus to theAssociation, Mr. Orya reiteratedthat Solid Minerals is a cardinalsector for the Bank under itsMASS Agenda. Till date, theBank has committed more thanN2.5b or 9% of its total portfoliosince August 2009 to the sector.

For the NEXIM MD, this doesnot scratch the surface of thesector’s requirement if Nigeria isto take advantage and benefitfrom the huge mineral depositswith which God has blessed thecountry. Solid minerals miningis a high capital intensive areaand requires strong Governmentintervention to unlock its hugerevenue and job creationbenefits for the country.

Using statistics from theMining Cadastre Office and theNigerian Geological SurveyAgency factsheets, Orya statedthat, Nigeria is endowed withmore than 33 commerciallyviable solid minerals whichcould be exploitedincludinggold, lead-zinc ore (Galena), ironore, columbite, ilmenite,cassiterite, uranium, copper,molybdenite, manganese,wolframite, rutile and diorite,bauxite, gypsum, talc, bentoniteand barite, rock salt, gem stones,kaolin etc.When it is consideredthat some of these minerals arein very dense deposits, onebegins to appreciate the picturebetter. For example, Nigeria hasidentified talcdeposits exceeding40 million tonnes in locationssuch as Niger, Osun, Kogi, Ogunand Kaduna states),over 3 billionmetric tonnes of iron ore

billion tonnes; almost twice theamount of existing reserves ofcrude petroleum withNigeriancoal being one of the mostbituminous in the world owingto its low sulphur and ashcontent and therefore the moste n v i r o n m e n t - f r i e n d l y .According to Orya, there arenearly 3billion tonnes ofindicated reserves in 17identified coal fields and over600 million tonnes of provenreserves. He then wonderedwhy, despite all these huge andcommercial reserves of worlds’most sought-after minerals.

Yet, according to theNationalBureau of Statistics, solidminerals sector contributes lessthan 1 per cent to Nigeria’sGross Domestic Product (GDP),as against its erstwhile 10 percent contribution prior to crudeoil exploration while SolidMinerals contributed 9% ofSouth Africa’s GDP in 2011. InSouth Africa today, according toavailable statistics, miningcreates one million jobs (500000 direct and 500 000indirect) and accounts for about18% of GDP (8.6% direct, 10%indirect and induced) as well asbeing a critical earner of foreignexchange at more than 50%,and accounting for 20% ofinvestment (12% direct).

Accordingly, for NEXIM, thecritical issues ranges from howto get the Government andother stakeholders to properlystructure the mining sector,increase funding, and attractmuch need investment capital;infrastructural development forthe industry especially theestablishment ofinternationally certifiedlaboratories and setting up ofinternationally recognized andendorsed mining calendar forNigeria as prevalent in otherregimes with dedicatedattention to solid mineralexploitation.

In his response, the Presidentof the Miners’ Association, Mr.Sani Shehu thanked theNEXIM Bank management forits commitment and support tothe members in the quest toopen up the solid mineralsector. According to him, “…theAssociation is overwhelmed bythe passion of the Bank for thegrowth of mining industry inNigeria and for supporting theplayers in the industry toactualize their aspiration…”

He agreed with Mr. Orya that

on mining to enable ani n v e s t m e n t - f r i e n d l yenvironment. Healso identifiedpaucity of fund as a majorimpediment to the growth ofthe mining sector and requestedNEXIM Bank, based on thecommited support to theAssociation members thus far,to strengthen efforts to get theFederal Government to providemuch needed funding to theindustry.

Shehu explained that miningis a capital-intensive projectwhich requires long-terminvestments before itspotentials could be fullyrealized. He noted that India,which is less endowed with solid

minerals than Nigeria, currentlyearns 75 billion U.S. dollars(about N11.3 trillion) annuallyfrom solid minerals. Accordingto him, “It took South Africamore than 15 years of steadyinvestment to get there and thecountry now earns over 30billion dollars (about N4.5trillion) annually from the sub-sector,” he adds.

Going further, he informedthe NEXIM Management thatthe Association is now a‘national industry association’whose membership includes allcategories of licensed miners,and are better to positioned tosatisfactorily meet the Bank’sconditions to secure facilities to

boost their activities especiallyin the areas of beneficiation andvalue addition.

He specially thanked Mr.Orya and the NEXIM team onthe ‘…speedy attention given tothe applications from membersof the Association…‘ andassured the Bank that they willalways ensure to recommendmembers of proven integrityand track records that reallyneed the support to grow theirbusiness.

He also indicated that theAssociation will continue to playproactive role in policyformulation andimplementation regarding themining industry.

lllllHon. Ihuman Solomon Commissioner for Cultural and Tourism, Nasarawa State, presenting awardto the best fisher man during the Umaisha Fishing Festival.

NEXIM and Miners Association of Nigeria renewcommitment to bosting investments in solid minerals

The NigerianC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission (NCC) has set anew tariff cap of N4 perShort Messaging Service(SMS) for all domestic off-net SMS with effect fromFebruary 5, 2013.

NCC, which said it will not placea price cap on international SMSfor now, disclosed that thedirective to this effect had beencommunicated to all theoperators including MTN Nigeria,Globacom, Airtel and emerging

NCC pegs SMS tariff at N4from one network to another, likefrom MTN to Etisalat.

The directive, which was signedby the Director, Legal andRegulatory Services of NCC,Josephine Amuwa, issued Friday,said the NCC arrived at the newprice cap after due considerations ofthe submissions made by theoperators at various consultativemeetings.

Amuwa said having evaluatedand analysed SMS trafficinformation provided by theoperators, the Commission noted

for off-net SMS.According to her, the operators

also urged the commission not toset a cap for international SMS dueto the fact that interconnect ratesfor international SMS were outsidetheir control as it is terminatedthrough international carrierservice providers in variousjurisdictions.

Indeed, Amuwa said that thecommission took the decision basedon these considerations, and in theinterest of striking a balancebetween sustaining operator’s

ARTainment

28 National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

Tension in Nollywood asAfrica Magic announcesAMVCA nominees today

Cultists almost killed meover a girl – Denrele

Kate Henshaw becomesSamsung’ Mobile Nigeria’snew female ambassador

There is much tension inNollywood at the mo-ment as practitionersawait the announce-ment of nominees forthe first Africa MagicViewers Choice Awards(AMVCA) to be an-nounced today (Mon-day, January 28, 2013).

According to find-ings, no one is sure whowill make the list to be-gin the search for themost popular in the 26categories of the awardsto be judged by theviewers.

The main awardsceremony will hold in

Lagos in March 2013.The event is organisedby Africa Magic andMultiChoice Africa.

AMVCA was createdto celebrate both on-the-screen and behind-the-scene African tal-ents. 28 awards are upfor grabs.

Adenrele Edun, thecontroversial on-airpersonality, currentlyworks with the SouthAfrica-based ChannelO.

He shares a bit of hislife in this revealing in-terview:

I, Denrele“I’m an angel, I’m a

devil. I’m sometimes in-between. Sometimes I’ma million colour andsometimes I’m black andwhite. I’m as bad as it canget and good as it can be.I’m just all-extreme. Youtry to figure me out, younever can. But I’m nice toa fault. I can go out of myway to please people. Mymother calls me, ‘Abnor-mally Abnormal’ and myfather calls me ‘One oflife’s unexplainable mys-teries’.

My ideal woman“My ideal woman

must be able to dance onextreme high heels. That,to me, is one of the sexiestattributes a lady canhave. To say she mustlove kids and be God-fear-ing is to say the obvious.Don’t quote me on that.My ideal woman is a ladywho is not afraid orashamed to flaunt hersexuality. And if we arein public and a man doesnot look at my lady, itmean there is somethingwrong somewhere. So theideal woman that Istrongly crave must be ahead turner!

“She should be able tocook; you might look atme like a broomstick, butI eat a lot. And this is very

important, the woman Iwill spend the rest of mylife with should have awild streak because I wakeup every morning with aloud shout (screams). Iexpect her to do same(screams louder). I likemy woman to have agood reading culture andshe should be able to talkbecause me I am achatterbox.”

Why I’m not mar-ried

“I’ve not accomplishedwhat I’ve set out toachieve. Besides, I am abit afraid of the lifetimecommitment right now.I really want to take sometime to have unlimitedfun before I jump thebroom with my best girl.I’m really praying for thebest.

Most embarrassing

moment“My most embarrass-

ing moment was some-time ago at an event inone of our universities: Istrolled into the nightwith one of my girlfriendsand we ran into thedreaded cult guys oncampus, Wahala! I was inmy 6” high heel shoes, notthis 9" I have on. Theywanted to deal with mebecause I was dating theirboss’ girlfriend. Theywanted to strip me nakedand break my legs, so Itook to my heels. Theythought my high heelshoes would slow medown when they chasedafter me with dangerousweapons, but I ran withmy heart in my mouth.Oh, I ran like a winchwithmy legs almost touchingthe back of my head!”

Nollywood actress

Kate Henshaw is the

new female ambassa-

dor for Samsung Mo-

bile Nigeria.

Although the tele-

coms company has

not officially an-

nounced this, insiders

tell us the 41-year-old

actress was picked

because of her suc-

cessful run with tele-

coms service provider

GLObacom and her

role as judge at the Ni-

geria’s Got Talent TV

show.

We reported yes-

terday, that Storm 360

rapper Sasha P had

ended her one-year

deal with Samsung

since December 2012

and unlike colleague

Banky W who is re-

turning for his second

year,, Sasha is no

longer in the picture.

We could not im-

mediately reach Hen-

shaw for comments.

Multiple awardw i n n i n gactress, model

and entrepreneur,Susan Peters, is now amother following herrecent adoption of a

Nollywood actress adopts babycute baby girl in OgunState.

The Benue Stateborn 32-year old,couldn’t conceal herexcitement and joy atbeing a mother as she

tweeted: “Motherhood,loving it with my newbaby from Ogun State!SPF Benue Pikin. Meand mother in OgunState! SPF Benue Pikin!Proudly Idoma!”

lllllSusan Peters (holding the child), poses with the child’s mother (left)

news

lllllMakurdi lllllJos lllllLafia lllllAbuja

Cardinal Onaiyekan visits CanadaBy GABRIEL GWAJIME

Catholic Archbishop of Abuja,John Cardinal Onaiyekan isscheduled to visit Ottawa,

Canada from February 4 to 5, this

An itinerary for the visit releasedby Rev. Fr. Cosmas Ajawara (a priestfrom Orlu Catholic Diocese of Nigeria,now on sabbatical in Canada), saidthe former President of the ChristianAssociation of Nigeria (CAN) isscheduled to pay a courtesy call onthe Nigerian High Commissioner toCanada, His Excellency, Chief OjoMaduekwe, on February 4.

According to Rev. Fr. Ajawara, theCardinal is expected to lead theNigerian community in an Inter-Faith Ecumenical Prayer Service, atthe embassy.

Between 4.00 and 5.50pm sameday, the Cardinal is to deliver a publiclecture at St Paul’s University(Amphitheatre) entitled “BeyondReligious Tolerance – BuildingBridges of Inclusion in our

30 Monday, January 28, 2013, National Accord

At least 245 people have beenkilled in a nightclub fire causedby a pyrotechnics show in the

southern Brazilian city of SantaMaria, a police official has said.”Thereare 245 dead and 48 in the hospital,”Major Cleberson Bastianello, amilitary police commander in thesouthern Brazilian city of SantaMaria, told the AFP newsagency.Bodies were still beingremoved from the Kiss nightclub,according to Major Gerson da RosaFerreira, who was leading rescueefforts at the scene for the militarypolice.Ferreira said the victims diedof asphyxiation or from beingtrampled, and there were as many as500 people inside the club when thefire broke out.Luiza Sousa, a civilpolice official in Santa Maria, toldReuters news agency the blazestarted when a member of the bandor its production team ignited a flare,which then set fire to the ceiling. Thefire spread “in seconds,” Sousasaid.Rio Grande do Sul State’s health

FOREIGNHundreds killed inBrazil nightclub fire

secretary, Ciro Simoni, saidrespirators from all over the statewere being sent to the scene.SantaMaria is some 300km west of the state

•The fire reportedly started after a band playing in the club set off a flare, ignitingthe ceiling [AFP]

capital of Porto Alegre, and it is acollege town with a large populationof students.

Source: Agencies

Police have arrested about 40activists demonstrating inAzerbaijan’s capital Bakuagainst President IlhamAliyev’s government, and insupport of residents of anorthern town were protestswere crushed earlier this week.

More than 100 protesters gatheredin central Baku on Saturday, somechanting “Freedom!” and calling forthe resignation of Aliyev.Policeswiftly stopped the protest, forcingdemonstrators out of a park and thenarresting some in the street.

The protest was triggered by unrestin Ismailli, about 200km northwestof Baku, where police used teargasand water cannon on Thursday todisperse hundreds of protestersdemanding the resignation of aregional leader.

Cars were torched and a hotel setablaze in a night of rioting.Unrest inIsmailli reflected frustration at whatsome Azeris see as an overbearinggovernment, corruption and a largedivide between rich and poor in themostly Muslim Caspian Sea nation ofnine million where many lack jobs,money and prospects.

Aliyev succeeded his father in 2003and has tolerated little dissent in theoil-producing former Sovietrepublic.”Our patience came to anend. People are very unhappy withthis regime.

We demand a change of power inour country,” demonstratorMalakhat Nasibova said at the protestin Baku.

Source: Agencies

Dozensarrested

afterAzerbaijanprotests

•Saturday's protests were held in re-sponse to a crackdown on similar dem-onstrations in the town of Ismailli[Reuters]

The ongoing conflict in Mali willlikely dominate the African Unionsummit which has started in AddisAbaba, as regional leaders try tospeed up the deployment of anAfrican force there.

Following a security meeting onFriday, the AU resolved to bolster thestrength of the African-led force in Mali,or AFISMA, and gave member states oneweek to commit troops to the mission.

“We definitely know, based on the

Mali to dominate African Union summit

first assumptions... that the force sizewill have to be significantlyaugmented,” AU peace and securitycommissioner Ramtane Lamamra toldreporters after the security meeting.

Lamamra said AFISMA’s strengthshould be increased “to better respondto the needs on the ground,” butdeclined to give numbers.

The mission is intended to support the

weak Malian army, which has beenboosted by the recent French militaryintervention, in its battle againstinsurgents who seized swathes of Mali’sdesert north following a coup last year.

“So far only about 1,000 of thoseAfrican soldiers are in Mali, and most ofthem are nowhere near the front line,”said James Bays, Al Jazeera’sdiplomatic editor, reporting from AddisAbaba. “So there will be questions aboutthe speed of deployments, with some

observers wondering if African nationsare waiting until the French finish thebig battles.”The United Statesannounced on Saturday that it wouldsend tanker aircraft to refuel the Frenchjets flying missions over Mali.TheFrench intervention won praise fromdelegates at the summit, including BoniYayi, the president of Benin and theoutgoing chairman of the AU.”I want

to salute France,” he said, adding thatthe AU’s response to the crisis in Malihas been slow, and that France’s actionwas something “we should have done along time ago to defend a membercountry.”Sudan and DRC also high onthe summit’s agenda on Sunday is theslow progress on oil, security and borderdeals between Sudan and SouthSudan.South Sudan’s president, SalvaKiir, and his northern counterpartOmar al-Bashir met Friday for face-to-face talks ahead of the summit. The twoleaders signed a series of agreements inSeptember that have yet to beimplemented. Kiir blamed the delay onKhartoum after meeting with Bashir.“We have upheld our side of theseagreements. Sudan has not,” he told theAU security council.Other key issuesremain unresolved, including thecontested Abyei region between the twocountries.Diplomats said leaders werealso expected to discuss recent unrest inthe eastern Democratic Republic ofCongo, where M23 rebels took over thekey town of Goma before pullingout.They have since agreed tonegotiations with the Congolesegovernment, but the talks have beendragging.The AU summit, officiallythemed “Pan Africanism and AfricanRenaissance”, will kick off the 50thanniversary celebrations of thefounding of the Organisation of AfricanUnity, the predecessor to theAU.African leaders are also set to selecta new AU chair to replace Yayi, theoutgoing chairman; the post rotateseach year on a regional basis. Ethiopianprime minister Hailemariam Desalegnis slated to replace Yayi, according toEthiopia’s foreign ministry.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

•South Sudan's president met with his Sudanese counterpart before the summit todiscuss a range of issues [Reuters]

National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

foreign31

Drug trafficking fuels addiction in Sierra LeoneF

reetown, Sierra Leone -Leaning against a wall, hiseyes red and glazed over,

Patrick Hindowa described how hespends his days getting high. “I gotno job here,” he explained.“Whatever [drugs] I’m going to beable to do, I’m going to do. BecauseI really don’t have nothing.”

Huddled at the end of a narrowalleyway downtown, Hindowa andtwo friends shared stories ofaddiction and life on the street.

“My mother died, my father died,”recalled Bakar Sesay. “Since then -since I was a kid - I chose the streetlife. Coke and all that.” The 20-year-old said that he has used drugs sincehe was seven.

The group listed heroin as theirfavourite, with freebased cocaine aclose second. When hard drugs werenot available, they turn tomarijuana, alcohol, amphetamines,or prescription pills - anything,really. “From the time we wake up,‘till the time we go to sleep,” onesaid.

Substance abuse has long been aproblem for the impoverished WestAfrican country. Throughout the1990s, a civil war gainedinternational notoriety for the roleplayed by drug-fuelled teenagers,who committed atrocities andlaunched an anarchic attack on thecapital. The effects of marijuana,alcohol, and amphetaminescontributed to the violence. Whenthe conflict ended in 2002, manycombatants returned home addictedto those substances.

In recent years, harder drugs -cocaine and, to a lesser extent,heroin - have become increasinglyavailable, authorities and healthpractitioners say. They blame WestAfrica’s growing role as a transitroute for the global narcotics trade.Cocaine comes from Latin Americaand heroin from Southeast Asia,officials explained, and throughsuch countries as Guinea-Bissau,Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Thedrugs then continue on to Europeand North America.

In one high-profile case in 2008,for example, Sierra Leone’s Ministerof Transport and Aviation wasdismissed for his allegedinvolvement in the landing of anairplane carrying 700kilograms of cocaine. And inDecember 2011, police seized ashipment of cocaine reportedlyen route from Ecuador.

Spillover effectAs smuggling activity has

increased, there’s been a spillovereffect. According to the UnitedNations’ 2012 World DrugReport, “increasing trafficking ofcocaine through the coastalcountries of West Africa is leadingto an increase in cocaine use… withcocaine use possibly emergingalongside heroin use as a majorproblem”.

Dr Edward Nahim, an adviser tothe Sierra Leone National Drug

Enforcement Agency, explained thatit is common for drug handlers to bepaid with portions of the productthey’re moving, which iscontributing to a growingproliferation of those narcotics inSierra Leone.

“These international traffickersdon’t work with money; that is theproblem,” Nahim said. “They paypeople with the drugs, and that ishow these drugs stay behind.”

The only certified psychiatrist inthe country, Nahim estimated that80 per cent of the patients he seesare suffering from “drug-inducedpsychotic disorders”. He noted thatfor now, the majority of those casesstem from heavy abuse of alcoholand high-grade marijuana, but thathe is also observing an increase inthe use of cocaine and heroin.

Ibrahim Samura, assistantsuperintendent for Sierra Leone’snational police force, also said thatdrug abuse is on the rise. He

described the situation as“alarming,” and linked it to “anincrease in gangsterism”.

“They use [drugs] more than isnecessary, and it spurs them tobehave abnormally and do thingsthey wouldn’t do in their rightsenses,” he said. “They kill, theyrape, they smoke marijuana, theycarry weapons and do criminalactivities.”

Samura called attention tolegislation passed in 2009 thatcreated stiffer penalties for drugtrafficking. In March 2010, the UNsecretary-general’s representativeto Sierra Leone praised suchefforts , but argued that toeffectively tackle Sierra Leone’s drugproblem, the country’s highunemployment rate for youngpeople must first be addressed. Someseventy per cent of youth wereunemployed or underemployed in2010, according to governmentstatistics.

Hidden in a congested area ofdowntown Freetown is the so-called“Lumley Street Cartel Ground”. Downa narrow entrance, barely visibleamid a throng of market stalls, thecollection of shacks is a hub for thedistribution and use of drugs in thecapital city.

Sitting on a chair off to one side ofthe unadorned space was an oldwoman - reportedly the wife of apolice officer - with a long scarrunning down one side of her face.She refused to speak to journalists,but directed two of her dealers to actas escorts. For the next 30 minutes,the men moved through alabyrinthine network of alleys andside streets, to join a small group ofyouths who were willing to talk abouthow drugs were affecting their livesand communities.

‘I gotta do drugs ... to wake meup’

Alimu Kamara said that everythinghe has goes to drugs. “I won’t comeout of there [drug dens] with onepenny,” the 24-year-old said. “All Ido is smoke smoke smoke da brown-brown [heroin].”

Kamara and two childhood friendsshared tattoos marking them asmembers of a gang called “Cens CoastHood”, which they said distributeddrugs across the country. The youngmen said they didn’t know where therelatively recent influxes of cocaineor heroin were coming from. “Byplane, by boat - I don’t know,” oneshrugged. Their only concern was theimmediate need to get high, a prioritythey said was common among street-level dealers.

•Patrick Hindowa found himself addicted to cocaine and heroin after he began dealing drugs [Travis Lupick/Al Jazeera]

Authorities are racing to get aid toMozambique after torrential rainssparked flooding across vast areas ofthe country’s south.According to theUnited Nations, 36 people have beenkilled and a further 70,000 aredisplaced.Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasareports from Chokwe, one of theworst-hit areas.

Source: Al Jazeera

Southern Mozambiquecrippled by floods

National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

foreign31

Drug trafficking fuels addiction in Sierra LeoneF

reetown, Sierra Leone -Leaning against a wall, hiseyes red and glazed over,

Patrick Hindowa described how hespends his days getting high. “I gotno job here,” he explained.“Whatever [drugs] I’m going to beable to do, I’m going to do. BecauseI really don’t have nothing.”

Huddled at the end of a narrowalleyway downtown, Hindowa andtwo friends shared stories ofaddiction and life on the street.

“My mother died, my father died,”recalled Bakar Sesay. “Since then -since I was a kid - I chose the streetlife. Coke and all that.” The 20-year-old said that he has used drugs sincehe was seven.

The group listed heroin as theirfavourite, with freebased cocaine aclose second. When hard drugs werenot available, they turn tomarijuana, alcohol, amphetamines,or prescription pills - anything,really. “From the time we wake up,‘till the time we go to sleep,” onesaid.

Substance abuse has long been aproblem for the impoverished WestAfrican country. Throughout the1990s, a civil war gainedinternational notoriety for the roleplayed by drug-fuelled teenagers,who committed atrocities andlaunched an anarchic attack on thecapital. The effects of marijuana,alcohol, and amphetaminescontributed to the violence. Whenthe conflict ended in 2002, manycombatants returned home addictedto those substances.

In recent years, harder drugs -cocaine and, to a lesser extent,heroin - have become increasinglyavailable, authorities and healthpractitioners say. They blame WestAfrica’s growing role as a transitroute for the global narcotics trade.Cocaine comes from Latin Americaand heroin from Southeast Asia,officials explained, and throughsuch countries as Guinea-Bissau,Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Thedrugs then continue on to Europeand North America.

In one high-profile case in 2008,for example, Sierra Leone’s Ministerof Transport and Aviation wasdismissed for his allegedinvolvement in the landing of anairplane carrying 700kilograms of cocaine. And inDecember 2011, police seized ashipment of cocaine reportedlyen route from Ecuador.

Spillover effectAs smuggling activity has

increased, there’s been a spillovereffect. According to the UnitedNations’ 2012 World DrugReport, “increasing trafficking ofcocaine through the coastalcountries of West Africa is leadingto an increase in cocaine use… withcocaine use possibly emergingalongside heroin use as a majorproblem”.

Dr Edward Nahim, an adviser tothe Sierra Leone National Drug

Enforcement Agency, explained thatit is common for drug handlers to bepaid with portions of the productthey’re moving, which iscontributing to a growingproliferation of those narcotics inSierra Leone.

“These international traffickersdon’t work with money; that is theproblem,” Nahim said. “They paypeople with the drugs, and that ishow these drugs stay behind.”

The only certified psychiatrist inthe country, Nahim estimated that80 per cent of the patients he seesare suffering from “drug-inducedpsychotic disorders”. He noted thatfor now, the majority of those casesstem from heavy abuse of alcoholand high-grade marijuana, but thathe is also observing an increase inthe use of cocaine and heroin.

Ibrahim Samura, assistantsuperintendent for Sierra Leone’snational police force, also said thatdrug abuse is on the rise. He

described the situation as“alarming,” and linked it to “anincrease in gangsterism”.

“They use [drugs] more than isnecessary, and it spurs them tobehave abnormally and do thingsthey wouldn’t do in their rightsenses,” he said. “They kill, theyrape, they smoke marijuana, theycarry weapons and do criminalactivities.”

Samura called attention tolegislation passed in 2009 thatcreated stiffer penalties for drugtrafficking. In March 2010, the UNsecretary-general’s representativeto Sierra Leone praised suchefforts , but argued that toeffectively tackle Sierra Leone’s drugproblem, the country’s highunemployment rate for youngpeople must first be addressed. Someseventy per cent of youth wereunemployed or underemployed in2010, according to governmentstatistics.

Hidden in a congested area ofdowntown Freetown is the so-called“Lumley Street Cartel Ground”. Downa narrow entrance, barely visibleamid a throng of market stalls, thecollection of shacks is a hub for thedistribution and use of drugs in thecapital city.

Sitting on a chair off to one side ofthe unadorned space was an oldwoman - reportedly the wife of apolice officer - with a long scarrunning down one side of her face.She refused to speak to journalists,but directed two of her dealers to actas escorts. For the next 30 minutes,the men moved through alabyrinthine network of alleys andside streets, to join a small group ofyouths who were willing to talk abouthow drugs were affecting their livesand communities.

‘I gotta do drugs ... to wake meup’

Alimu Kamara said that everythinghe has goes to drugs. “I won’t comeout of there [drug dens] with onepenny,” the 24-year-old said. “All Ido is smoke smoke smoke da brown-brown [heroin].”

Kamara and two childhood friendsshared tattoos marking them asmembers of a gang called “Cens CoastHood”, which they said distributeddrugs across the country. The youngmen said they didn’t know where therelatively recent influxes of cocaineor heroin were coming from. “Byplane, by boat - I don’t know,” oneshrugged. Their only concern was theimmediate need to get high, a prioritythey said was common among street-level dealers.

•Patrick Hindowa found himself addicted to cocaine and heroin after he began dealing drugs [Travis Lupick/Al Jazeera]

Authorities are racing to get aid toMozambique after torrential rainssparked flooding across vast areas ofthe country’s south.According to theUnited Nations, 36 people have beenkilled and a further 70,000 aredisplaced.Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasareports from Chokwe, one of theworst-hit areas.

Source: Al Jazeera

Southern Mozambiquecrippled by floods

The residents of Nyanya inthe Abuja Municipal AreaCouncil (AMAC) of the FCTwill soon experience aconducive atmosphericcondition as AMAC and theFederal Capital DevelopmentAdministration (FCDA) planto jointly tackle the trauma inthe area. Chairman of thecouncil, Hon. Micah Y. Jibarevealed this to NATIONALACCORD during an interview

at the Town Hall Meeting heldrecently at the new GarkiTown Hall, Apo, in Abuja,which was organized byAMAC, tagged “New YearTown Hall Meeting.”

The Chairman stated thatthe rural-urban migration toAbuja city in search of whitecollar jobs has created adensity population in Nyanya.As a result, he said, it alsocaused

traffic congestion andenvironmental degradation.

“Everyday people troop intothe city of Abuja. They don’tstay in any other place but inAMAC. That is why you can seeNyanya congested,” heexplained.

Micah further stated thatthe issue of motor parks is tototally disengage thosemotorists operating by theroadside and create anotheralternative. However, headded that AMAC will work incollaboration with FCDA totackle this unpleasant

situation the issue of Nyanya.“We have it at heart. We aregoing to join hands with theFederal Capital DevelopmentAdministration to make surewe bring a lasting solution,” heassured.

Similarly, a PDP stalwartand former chairman ofAMAC, Hon. Kyauta Yepwi,gave kudos to the currentAMAC chairman, especiallyfor harnessing peace in thecouncil.

Kyauta stressed that

By DOMINIC AKPENSUEN without peace, there will be nodevelopment. He also advisedthe chairman to ensureadequate security withinAMAC and its environs.

In a goodwill message, theSapeyi Garki who was theRoyal Father of the Day at theoccasion, Alhaji UsmanNgakupi, appreciated thechairman’s efforts and advisedhim to continue with his goodworks. Alhaji Ngakupi urgedMicah to also focus on areas ofhuman capital development.

On his part, the formerNigerian High Commissionerto The Gambia, Amb. AyubaNgbako assured Hon. Jiba ofa second term in office butdrew his attention to the factthat he needed to do more inthe area of education.

The Town Hall Meeting waswell attended by the membersof PDP in the FCT, as well assome traditional rulers inAMAC. Meanwhile, awardswere given to some partymembers who were said tohave performed well.

Kado traditional ruler lauds AMACover electricity intervention

The traditional ruler ofKado village in AbujaMunicipal Area Council

(AMAC), Danlami Audu, hascommended the efforts of thearea council for harkening tothe appeal of the communityfor a new electricitytransformer needed to solvethe lingering electricityproblem in the area.

Speaking when a team of thecouncil officials, including thecouncillors led by the AMACchairman visited the area on “aprojects inspection tour” toselect communities in thecouncil, Audu thanked thechairman for providing a newelectric transformer to thecommunity, which hadhitherto remained in darknessfor a long time.

He, however, appealed forassistance to expedite thecommunity’s efforts towardsinstalling the transformer forimmediate use by theresidents, to ensure that thepurpose of its procurementand donation to thecommunity is not defeated.

Furthermore, thecommunity leader said, inaddition to provision ofenergy, the community is inneed of other social amenitiesto make life better for theresidents of the area.

This, he said, is particularlythe provision of a health clinicas the community has none tocater for its people’s healthneeds.

While responding, thecouncil chairman, Hon. MicahJiba, assured the communitythat within one weeks’ time,the council would expedite

By KINGSLEY DANTANI,Abuja

…Kagini community appeals for electricity

(AMAC) of the Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT) has appealedto the Power HoldingCompany of Nigeria (PHNC)and the FCT Minister, SenatorBala Mohammed to providethem with electricity to boosteconomic activities in the area.

The spokesman of theresidents, Mr John

Emmanuel, who spoke tojournalists in Kagini, alsocalled on the FCT minister torehabilitate the dilapidatedroads in Kagini, lamentingthat the community had beenneglected in the area of basicamenities.

He charged the residents tobe united for the upliftment of

the community, appealing alsoto the village head of Kagini,Alhaji Isah J. Gbegbe to use hisposition to liaise with thegovernment of the day to bringrapid development to thecommunity.

This was even as he accusedthe chairman of AMAC offailing to focus on theinfrastructural developmentof Kagini.

lllllSenator Bala Mohammed

The Karu SeniorMagistrate’s Court, Abujahas convicted one Auta Yako,50, of Kugbo Market, forbeing a wizard and incitingpublic disturbance.

Prosecutor, Francis Udofia, apolice corporal, had told the courtthat Yako confessed openly tohave the power of witchcraft onJanuary 12, 2013.

“With the power, he was able tokill one Emma Danjuma at Kugbo.He said other people will alsodie,” the prosecutor told thecourt.

Udofia said the claims causeddisturbance and a breakdown ofpeace in the area.

He said the offence contravenesSection 114 of the Penal Code.

The accused pleaded guilty tothe charge, saying: “I was comingback from the farm when I heardthat some people were planningto kill me.

“I then ran to the police stationfor safety. I confessed all thathappened. I have witchcraft. Itwas one Fulani woman who gaveme the powers.

“I was able to kill one Danjuma.I was planning to kill anotherperson when the news of myinitial deed came to the notice of

Man, 50, confessesinvolvement in witchcraft

the people,” he admitted,pleading however for leniency.

The magistrate, Mr BashiruAlkali, convicted Yako andordered him to be remanded inKeffi Prison until January 28,2013 for sentencing. (NAN)

Car dealercharged for

cheatingA businessman, Marshall

Williams, 27, residing at 64Nsukka Street, Garki, Abuja,appeared at an Upper AreaCourt in Mararaba,Nasarawa State, on Monday,charged with breach of trustand cheating.

The police prosecutor, MrSteven Kwaza, said the matter wasreported at the Sani Abacha RoadPolice Station by one Bibot Kevinof the Federal Capital Develop-ment Authority on December 13,2012.

Kwaza added that Kevin handedover his Peugeot 406 salon car,valued at N950,000, to Williamsin October 2012 to sell for him.

“He said he was a car dealer, sohe gave him the car to sell forN900,000 but he remitted onlyN570,000 to him.’’

The prosecutor said the accusedconverted the remaining money tohis personal use.

The accused pleaded not guiltyto the charges against him.

The Senior Magistrate, Mr

A 70-year-old Fulani leader,Ahmadu Mohammed, of LugbeVillage, Abuja has been sentencedto seven days imprisonment by aLugbe Area Court, Abuja, forcontempt of court.

Lugbe Fulani leader bags 7 days imprisonment over contemptone Arbu Nal of Lugbe Village.

He said Mohammed did notshow up in court or produced thesuspect until the court orderedhis arrest.

“For disrespecting the

for the destruction of his farmproduce by the latter’s cows.

The defendant had agreed incourt to pay Jibrin the money butdid not fulfilled the promise.

When Nal was arrested,

METRO33National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

PHCN official diesmysteriously in Garki

saw the deceased before 6pm during the Nigerian andZambian football match.

According her, the uglyincident got to the notice ofher family when her youngerson waited to see the lateAkhidimen to come out toreact on the Nigerian match

An official of the PowerHolding Company ofNigeria, Maitaima branchin the Abuja MunicipalArea Council of thefederal capital territory,Mr. Aienoben Monday

Akhidimen has kickedthe bucket over a yet tobe identified cause.

National Accord gatheredfrom the deceased landladyMrs. Chinyere Ejike that theincident occurred betweenthe hours of 6 and 7 pm onFriday, adding that she last

but couldn’t hear from him,on that note decided to checkon him only to his surprisessaw a black cat ran out thedeceased room and uponmoving further to the roomto discover that Mr.Akhidimen was lying facedup on a chair with the eyestuned white open which ledthe young boy to hurriedlyinform his family of what hesaw, she said.

On sighting the situation,the landlady said sheinformed her husband whoquickly alerted thesurveillance officers of theNigeria Police at the forceheadquarters in Abuja, whoaccompanied them to theapartment and discoveredthat the late Mr. Akhidimenwas no longer breathing andthey immediately took hisbody to the mortuary at theNational Hospital Abuja.

National Accord furthergathered that the lateAkhidimen had sinceDecember last year, afterhis statutory retirement onthe 21th February 2012decided to relocate hisfamily members to his hometown in Edo State, and latercame back to Abuja thisJanuary to pack the rest ofhis belongings only to meethis untimely death.

When our reporter visitedthe deceased residence itwas learnt that his wife Mrs.Ana Akhidimen whoarrived Abuja Saturdaywith the four children, wascrying profusely stressedthat although all had notbeen well with the lateAssistant Manager, hishuge physique and livelydisposition neverpresented a clue to manythat his health was bad.

Meanwhile, Mrs.Akhidimen said the remainsof the deceased is sti l lundergoing autopsy andwas being awaited by familymembers for burial in hishometown in Edo state.

Every effort made to getfirst hand information fromthe police officer handling theinvestigation (namewithheld), on what led to thedeceased death provedabortive at the time of filingthis report.

The Congress for ProgressiveChange (CPC) in the FederalCapital Territory (FCT) said ithad concluded agreement toalign with the Action Congressof Nigeria (ACN) in Abaji tosupport the candidature ofHon. Abdulrahaman Ajiya whois also called “Aba Yaro”, toensure the success of the partyin the March 16th councilelection.

The FCT Chairman of theCPC, Alhaji Isah Ramad, saidthat with the alliance, the CPChas decided not to feed anycandidate for thechairmanship election, but togive the ACN, the party’s totalsupport, because feeding anycandidate for thechairmanship position fromthe CPC, will be an obstructionto the success of the ACNcandidate.

“We are supporting ACN, anopposition party 100per cent,because, we want to totallyscrap PDP out of Abuja politics,they have deceived our peopleenough, and wherever weknow that we can win, we arealso asking ACN to understandwith us and allow us feed ourcandidate and they should alsogive us their 100per centsupport.

“Just like what we did inAbaji where we know that theycan win, we have given them100per cent support and theyare aware of our support andthe support of our members.We are also calling on otherparties that we are in alliancewith, to give us their completesupport where we can win, sothat we can actualize ourpolitical desires.

“If because of our selfishinterests and we say no to whatis best for the people, then,chose to jeopardize the goodplans of alliance that canunseat the PDP and ensurechange, we will not get it right.We cannot do it alone, we needto come together as one andbecause united we are, thestronger we will become. So,everybody should be willing tomake sacrifices for us to achieveour political desires,” he said.

Council poll:Abaji CPC,

ACN allianceto unseat PDP

UPP candidate to run forAMAC councillorship election

As the council polls in theAbuja Municipal Area Council ofthe federal capital territorydraws close, Prince IkennaIheme has joined thecouncillorship race in the citycentre ward to contest for thepost of a lawmaker in AMAC.

Prince Iheme who iscontesting the councillorship onthe platform of UnitedProgressive Party, UPP, one ofthe newly registered politicalparties led by Chief ChekwasOkorie spoke to ourcorrespondent in Abuja ahead ofthe Area Council polls.

He, however, explained thathis decision to join thecouncillorship race was born outof the desire to usher in a betterdeal for the residents of the CityCenter Ward.

According to him, “a lotneeded to be done to improve thesanitation of the ward’’.

“I am in the race to correctthose things that are not in placein my community.

The City Centre Ward is thePresidential ward. It is notsurprising therefore to seebeautiful road networks, edifice,gardens and abundant watersupply. But a lot more needs tobe done to improve on the

While commenting on hispolitical platform, the UnitedProgressive Party,Prince Ihemenoted that, “though it is a newregistered political party, butwhat Nigerians yearn for is abetter condition of living and nomatter the political platform,religion or tribe, Nigerians areprepared to stand by you.”

He said his party is ready togive voice to the voiceless insociety; hence the nationalchairman of the party was theonly party leader that opposedthe recent ban on mini-busoperators in the Federal CapitalCity.

Also Speaking on the presentleadership of the AbujaMunicipal Area Council, AMAC,the councillorship candidateacknowledged that a lot has beenachieved, but noted that thereare still areas of neglect

such as sanitation,entertainment, educationamong others.

He therefore solicits thesupport of the residents to givehim the opportunity to serve hispeople.

Stories by KINGSLEY MADAKI

sanitation of the ward.I am coming in to fill a

vacuum. My campaign sloganis tagged: “the City Centre Wardmust be better’’.

The present situation is good,but we have to make it better forthe good people of the ward,” hesaid.

•Chief Chekwas Okorie

… As Abaji PDP candidate sues for peaceThe chairmanship candidate

of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Abaji Area Council ofthe Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Hon. Yahaya Gigbe, saidsince the adoption of zoningsystem by the council, the partyis witnessing tremendous peaceand progress for winning theMarch 16tharea council election.

Gibge who made this knownto Journalists at the party’scampaign at South/East ward ofAbaji, said most of the oppositionmembers feel that it is the onlysolution for peace to reign in thecouncil.

According to him, “I amsatisfied with the increase of theteaming supporters within Abajitownship as everywhere is filledwith members showing loyalty

and commitment to the successof the party in the forthcomingelection”.

The vice chairmanshipcandidate, Hon. MohammaduYakubu, who was a formermember of the All NigeriaPeoples Party (ANPP), called onthe people of his ward (south/east) to dump ANPP and pitchtent with the PDP for animprovement of social amenitiesin the council.

He said that presently, noparty can compete with theruling PDP in Abaji, that for thisreason, the 10 political wards ofthe council have witnesseddifferent infrastructuraldevelopment for the bettermentof their lives.

He called on the opposition

parties to join the PDP andsupport Hon. Yahaya Gigbe whois Gwari by tribe and the onlyaccepted candidate from therural area, which comprises ofseven political wards, while him,within Abaji township that hasthree wards to complete the tenpolitical wards of the council.

The party secretary, AlhajiAlhassan Suleiman, also calledon opposition parties in thecouncil to embrace peace andshun fabrication of issues, thatwill bring disunity amongcommunities, saying that noamount of fabrication of issuescan change the party supportersfrom working assiduouslytowards the victory of the PeopleDemocratic Party candidate inthe forthcoming election.

34 National Accord, Monday, January 28, 2013

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Court arraigns Benincitizen for defrauding

2012 and Oct. 23, 2012.Falode said Glambo-Koami

was entrusted with some vitaldocuments belonging to thecommission and that he seizedthe opportunity to impersonatethe commission’s director offinance.

He added that “Glambo-Koami authorized the transferof CFA 82,118710, which is

An employee of theECOWAS Commission,Michel Glambo-Koami ,

has been arraigned before anAbuja senior magistrates’ courtfor allegedly defrauding thecommission of over N25million.

Glambo-Koami, residing at

Asokoro, Abuja and a citizen ofthe Republic of Benin, wascharged with breach of trust,conspiracy, impersonation,misappropriation, cheating,theft and forgery.

The prosecutor, ASP. OlutopeFalode, told the court that theaccused and two otherscurrently at large, committedthe offences between July 6,

equivalent to N28, 867,393.65from the ECOWAS accountwhich has 250900561010 as itsnumber into a Diamond Bankaccount, Cotonou branch.

The prosecutor said that thesum was subsequently sharedinto two separate accounts ofEco Bank, Lome branch withaccount number7170811412765301 and accountnumber 7090811412765301.

The prosecutor said theaccused persons forgedsensitive financial documents,which they used in making thetransfers with the intent todefraud the commission.

However, Glambo-Koami,denied the allegations and hiscounsel, Mr. David Daniel,prayed the court to grant himbail.

The prosecutor objected tothe bail, saying the accused wasnot a Nigerian citizen and thatit would be difficult to trace hiswhereabouts if he jumped bail.

“The other two accusedpersons are still at large and theInterpol are finding it hard toarrest them as they have alreadyfled the country,’’ theprosecutor added.

Falode said that due to theconduct of the accused, he hadbeen dismissed by the ECOWASCommission, which would havestood as an authority for him.

The presiding magistrate,Mrs. Ramatu Guma adjournedthe case to January 28, 2013 forruling on the bail.

Drama ensued at theZone 2 Magistrates courtin Abuja when anaccused, Mansir Muazu,18, of no known address,tr ied to escape frombeing taken back toprison.

Muazu, in the guise ofgoing to urinate, took tohis heels , in spi te ofbeing escorted by apoliceman.

Policemen and prisonwardens who werepresent chased andapprehended Muazu.

Visibly shaken, Muazuscreamed and asked to bepardoned and attributedhis action to the devil.

“Forgive me, I don’ tknow what came overme, it is the devil thatmade me to do i t ,” hesaid.

The accused is standingtrial before MagistrateAminu Eri for allegedlycausing gr ievous hurtand was remanded inprison when he failed toget somebody to take himon bail.

Drama incourt assuspecttries to

escape

FCT Police nab two menover land racketeering

The police have arraignedMurtala Yissa and JamesAdebayo, both of Kubwavillage, Abuja, before anAbuja senior Magistratescourt for allegedlyconspiring to steal a land.

The prosecutor, SergeantUmoh Inah, told the court that thematter was lodged at the FCTpolice command on March 29,2012 through a petition by theland owner, Alhaji Garba Adamu.

Inah said Adamu, who boughtthe land from the original owner,Danjuma Bako, approached Yissato assist him to re-sell it.

He said Yissa conspired withAdebayo and changed the nameon the documents of the land.

The prosecutor said the land inquestion, measuring 1,000 squaremeters, is located at No. 445,Kubwa extension 2, Abuja.

He said an investigation at theBwari area council revealed that

the land only bore the nameDanjuma Bako as the originaltitled owner.

The offence contravenedsections 97, 348, 364, 366 and140 of the penal code. However,the two accused persons pleadednot guilty.

The chief magistrate, Mrs.Oyebola Oyewumi, granted bail tothe accused in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties each in likesum.

She said that one of the suretiesmust be a civil servant of GL 12and above, while the other couldbe anybody but both must residewithin the court’s area ofjurisdiction.

Oyewumi said the accusedpersons should be kept in prisonuntil their bail conditions weremet and adjourned the case toFebruary 12, 2013.

lllllIGP Mohammed Abubakar

Court remands man in prison for bigamyAn FCT chief

magistrate’s court hasremanded one BernardOghenekevwe, in prisonfor 15 days for allegedlycontracting an unlawfulmarriage with anotherwoman while stillmarried.

The chief magistrate, Mrs.Oyebola Oyewumi said theaccused shall be remanded inprison for 15 days to enable theprosecution conclude itsinvestigations on the matter.

Oyewumi ordered theprosecution to ensure that theinvestigation was concluded

Albert Okara in a firstinformation report (FIR)against the accused said thaton August 25, 2012, one JoyceOghnekevwe, filed a petition.

Okara said that thecomplainant, who is the wifeof the accused, had filed herpetition to the AttorneyGeneral of the Federationwhich was referred to thecommissioner of police forinvestigation.

According to Okara, theaccused has concealed thetruth of his previous marriageto the complainant and madeher believe that he is a

Rosemary BrownOghenekevwe.

“During his subsistencelawful marriage, which he hadconcealed, he deceitfully tookthe complainant to the AMACregistry and conducted a freshmarriage with her’’, Okarainformed the court.

Okara also told the courtthat when the complainanthad discovered the pranks theaccused had played on her, shedemanded for explanationsafter which he threatened todeal with her.

He also informed the courtthat his subsistence lawful

deceived and fraudulentlyobtained N5 million from herthrough manipulation.

He said that the accused wascharged with the offences ofcriminal breach of trust, re-marrying during the life timeof a wife, concealment ofprevious marriage andcriminal intimidation.

He said the other offencesare; giving false information tomislead public servant andfabrication of false evidencewhich are all contrary tosections 331, 384, 385, 164,157 and 140 of the penal code.

The accused person,

(CPC).He said it was lawful for an

accused to apply for bail afterhis plea, adding that theaccused person had noprevious criminal record.

Okara, however, objected tothe bail of the accused personthat some of the offences ofthe accused were notordinarily bail-able.

He said the investigation ofthe matter was still ongoingand would take the police toother countries like Norwayand the UK for investigation.

He applied to the court byvirtue of section 129(4) of the

Stories by KINGSLEYMADAKI

Retired Falconsmidfielder PerpetuaNkwocha has lamented

what she called a lack of futureSuper Falcons squad.

The Sunnana Sk striker wassaying this recently while in

From AYO BADRU, Lagos the Falcons as she could scoreno more than two as Nigeriafinished a dismal fourth at thetournament.

Nkwocha still smarting fromthat failure told futaa.com thatshe is afraid that the power ofFalcons may be coming to end

No future Falconsyet – Nkwocha

OshiomholeSplashes N41mCash Reward

On Edo Athletes

Levante coachdefends Martinsafter loss

INSIDEINSIDEINSIDEINSIDEINSIDE

Page 39

Page 39

Reina ponders overBarcelona, ManUnited options

Page 37

playing.“We have a wealth of talent

but that is not the only thingthat makes the national team.

“There should be a level of

No future Falconsyet – Nkwocha

commitment by the youngerplayers. If we have that,together with the talent, wecan once again rule Africa,“Nkwocha concluded.

Malian Eagles unhappy in victory

lllllNkwocha in action for Super Falcons

Reina ponders overBarcelona, Man United options

Liverpool goalkeeper PepeReina is reportedly faced withthe option of choosingbetween Barcelona andManchester United, when thetime comes for him to move inthe summer.

The Spanish internationalhas been linked with a moveaway from Anfield during amajority of this season, duringwhich he has struggled forconsistent form.

Mundo Deportivo believethat this summer he will facea choice of two clubs -Barcelona or ManchesterUnited, with any potentialmove also likely to have a sayon David de Gea’s future.

It is believed that Barca areconsidering bringing the 30-year-old back to Camp Nou inthe summer, as they search fora replacement for Victor

Valdes, who is likely to be onhis way out after confirminghis intention not to renew hiscontract beyond June 2014.

Reina’s experience throughBarcelona’s youth ranks and inthe first team over a decadeago is thought to make him aviable candidate to fit in fromthe summer.

However, it is alsounderstood that United arelooking at the shot-stopperand, according to sources closeto the player, have alreadyapproached him about apossible switch from rivalsLiverpool.

Should he opt for that move,which he is described as opento but for the rivalry betweenthe two English sides, then itis seen that Barca could turnto De Gea.

Mundo Deportivo alsoreports that De Gea has beenmade available for transfer bySir Alex Ferguson, who is said

tories from AYO BADRU,Lagos

Sneijderto wearjerseyNo.14

New signing atGalatasaray WesleySneijder will be handedthe No.14 jersey at hisclub we gathered.

The Inter midfielderfinally reached a deal withGalatasaray late Sundayevening and will sign athree-and-a-half yearcontract on Monday afterundergoing a medical.

"I am very happy withmy agreement withGalatasaray ,"Snei jdertold the club's own TVchannel.

Sneijder will undergo amedical with Galatasaraylater today according to astatement released on thePublic Disclosure Forum(KAP) thereafter theconditions of his deal willbe made public and theplayer will sign thecontract after his medical.

Sneijder was expected toarrive at Istanbul AtatürkAirport at 15:30 GMT

The 28-year-oldmidfielder will hope to hitthe ground running aftera protracted transfer saga

Continued from page 36

Eaglesunhappy in

victory

but the celebration did notlast long as expected thanksto the situation back homewhich had turned Mali to aglobal spotlight for negativereasons.

The players and officialswere taken aback by thedevelopment which hasseen troops from Europeand Africa battling toprevent insurgents fromseizing power from thegovernment.

Each time they speak tothe media they highlightedtheir worries for theupheaval back home.

to consider him toolightweight for the PremierLeague.

The former Atletico Madrid

man is seen as another optionfor Barcelona and one that, ifUnited sign Reina, would berelatively more attainable too.

lllllReina

AFCON 2013: 10-man Ethiopiahold defending Champions

After being reduced to 10men in the first half,Ethiopia came from agoal down to force thedefending champions

Zambia to a score drawat the Mbombelastadium.

2012 Africa Cup of Nationsdefending Champions

Zambia came off from asloppy start to take a 1-0 halftime lead against a 10-manEthiopia in a Group ‘C’opener that kicked off at

1800hrs from the MbombelaStadium on Monday beforeAdane Gima struck in thesecond half to draw levelterms.

A chipped pass forward inthe 4th minute of added timewas headed around thecorner by Chansa, runningaway from goal, and came tothe incoming CollinsMbesuma on the edge of thebox who chested it into thespace beyond the defendersand then, with the ballbouncing nastily, struck acontrolled bobbling finishacross the keeper into the farcorner give the Chipolopolothe lead.

Substitute Addis Hintsaplayed a penetrative ballforward, his first touch tofind Saladin Seid on the edgeof the box. Seid controlledthe ball and pushed it intothe area for the onrushingAdane Girma who crunchedhis shot past Mweene at thenear post to level the score at1-1.

How we lost to Insurance - Bolowotan Player

lllllAlgeria team

Bolowotan defensivemidfielder, Shola Brossa,who captained the teamagainst Bendel Insurancehas sensationallydisclosed how BendelInsurance pipped his sideby 2-1 in Matchday 5encounter of the NigeriaNational League(NNL)Division B game in Beninon Saturday.

Shola says,” we lost the gamein the first half, our defensewere unable to stop Insuranceattack, going forward we alsomissed two clear-cut chanceswhich could have given us anequalizer, we were so hopefulof taking points in Benin but

Stories from AYO BADRU,Lagos

we failed to take our chances,He stressed further” we

created a lot of havoc for thehome side in the second haveof the game, but we missed itagain, we have learnt one ortwo lessons from this gameand we are going to improveupon it,” he said.

The game began under aconducive atmosphere atSamuel Ogbemudia stadiumwith the Female FIFA badgerefeere, Nwogwu Uloma at thecenter of the pitch, Insurancekicked the ball first as the firsthalf gets underway.

Both sides started the gamewell with beautiful dispay ofthe round leather game,Bolowotan defence lost therhythm of the game in the 4thminutes of play, Iyayi

Atiemwen opened the scoresheet for Bendel in the 5thminutes after a well-workedmove, he ran throughBolowotans’ defence anddribbled passed the keeperand hit the back of the net,game continues with the hostleading by one goal to nill.

Shola Brossa of Bolowotanpassed the ball to OmuduCharles, Omudu set upOgunlewe Demola right in thebox of the host but Demolafailed to leveled the score lineas he shot the ball wide,Bolowotan got another goalscoring chance which couldhave restored confidence intothe team, through Demolabut he misses the beggingchance, afterwards, Insurancedominated the game,

unsettled Bolowotans’defence, Cyrian Uche doubledthe lead for the home side inthe 41st minutes, first halfended by 2-0 in favour ofBendel Insurance.

Bolowotan came out well inthe second 45 minutes, theygot a goal in 48th minutes asDemola Ogunlewe redeemedhis game as he pumped in agoal in the visitors yard, hisgoal threw the home team offbalance, Bolowotan thencontrolled the play of thegame right from thebeginning of second half tillthe final 90 minutes,Bolowotan pacy attacker,Newman Musa saw yellow ashe impeded Bendel defenderwhen he was contesting forthe ball in the air, Bolowotan

created a lots of chances butBendel goalie Enaholo Joshuawas on duty as he made greatsaves, Bolowotan made threechanges as they went insearch of goals, WilliamMemme came in forUgochukwu Nwankwo,whileDemola Ogunlewe came outfor Saidu Abubakar andOmudu Charles wassubtituted for Odunlade Paul.

Bolowotan pressed forwardas they piled more pressureon the home team, OthukeJacob got a beautiful passfrom William Memme, hetapped the ball forward,dribbled pass the defendersbut failed to hit the back of thenet. Game ended by 2-1 asBendel Insurance beatBolowotan.

Algeria Captain MehdiLacen has insisted that hisside will take the search forvictory very seriously, whenthey play Tunisia at the RoyalBafokeng stadium on Tuesday22 January.

Both countries will meet inthe Group ‘D’ tie, and withtournament favorites, Coted’Ivoire and Togo waiting, avictory will ensure some sortof advantage to whoever gets

“It’s a very important gamefor us, but we are wellprepared, Mehdi told BBC

Algeria target

victory over Tunisia“We’re aiming at winning

this game that is crucial for ourcontinuation. We’re ready forphysical and psychologicalduels, he continued, alludingto the tension that alwaysfollows matches involvingthese North Africanneighbours.

“There are only three gamesat the group level, so we’reready to make any effortpossible,” he said.

The tournament kicked offon Saturday 19 with twogames from Group ‘A’

Nigeria reaffirms itssupremacy as the undisputednumber one wheelchairtennis playing nation inAfrica on Sunday eveningwhen they recorded a 3-0 winover Egypt to retain the BNPParibas World Team Cup

W/Chair Tennis: Nigeriaqualifies for World TeamCup, retain African title

proved that their one-sidedwins in their previous gameswhere they have beatenMauritius and Ghana werenot flukes as they made theEgyptians look like beginnersin the 12-nation tournament.

Jude Uwaize set Nigeria on

In the doubles which wasturned to a formality, Yusufand Uwaize combined to beatthe Mohammed’s (notrelated) 6-2, 6-0 for a perfectouting.

However, Nigeria’swomen’s team, who are

Cisse gets jersey No. 99 in QatarDjibril Cisse has joined

Qatari side Al Gharafa onloan until the end of theseason - and will wear jerseyNo 99.

Harry Redknapp has allowedthe 31-year-old to leave after hewas deemed surplus torequirements following the N 2billion (£ 8 million) signing ofLoic Remy.

Remy scored on his debutagainst West Ham after latchingon to a Adel Taarabt through ball.

Cisse, who has made 21appearances in all competitionsfor the Rangers this season, willtravel to the Middle East where

he will link up with formerPortsmouth manager AlainPerrin.

He posted a goodbye tweetbefore he left: -Thanks to all theQPR fans and sorry i didn’t do asgood as last season. Thanks for allthe support and no doubt we arestaying up #COYRS.

QPR, who are battling forPremier League survival at thefoot of the table, confirmed theswitch this afternoon.

They posted on their officialTwitter feed: -R’S FRONT-MANDjibril Cisse has put pen to paperon a loan deal with Al Gharafa.

The west London clubearned a valuable point atUpton Park after Remyput them a goal up in thefirst half.

West Ham pressed and

CAF demands extra security for Ghana

The Confederation ofAfrica Football isdemanding animprovement insecurity at the NelsonMandela Bay Stadium,venue for Ghana’sgroup matches at the

From AYO BADRU,Lagos

2013 Africa Cup ofNations.

Fol lowing a p i tchinvas ion in separateinc idents by two fansduring the Black Stars ’opening Group B matchagainst DR Congo, whichf inished 2-2 on Sunday,CAF has written to the LOC

to ensure pitch security inPort Elizabeth.

The Leopards have alsobeen warned about theconduct of their fans.

“The Board decided toaddress a warning letter tothe LOC advising them thatthey need to reinforce theSecurity in Port Elizabeth,

a CAF Disciplinary Boarddecision stated.

“The Board also decidedto address a warning letterto RD Congo as the visitingteam is held responsible forthe behaviour of the irsupporters (Article 83.3 ofCAF Disciplinary Code).

A Congolese fan in the

55th minute, managed toenter the field of play andthe same inc ident wasrepeated at the 65th minutewhen another fan enteredand ran in the field of play.

Keitasends

warningto Ghana

Oshiomhole Splashes N41mCash Reward On Edo Athletes

Edo state governor,Comrade Adams Oshiomhole,over the week splashed awhooping sum of N41 millioncash reward on the statecontingent to the justconcluded 2012 NationalSports Festival, recently heldin Lagos.

The governor, who held areception for the athletes at theOgbemudia Stadium in BeninCity, frowned at the win-at-all-cost attitude as displayed bysome states. He lamented thatsuch disposition does notaugur well for sportsdevelopment.

He announced a cashreward of N1m, N300,000and N200,000 respectively foreach Gold, Silver and Bronzemedals respectively won at the

The coaches and officialsthat led the athletes to thefestival were not left out of thelargesse as the governorannounced a cash reward ofone million naira each forevery gold winning coachwhile other coaches receivedN300, 000.

Oshiomhole who said thespirit of the festival is graduallybeing eroded by the win-at-all-cost antics of some states said,“when a state governmentdecides to use and hire athletesas if they were mercenarysoldiers, just to recordachievements, that for me isnot the spirit of the NationalSports Festival and it isimportant that the NationalSports Festival must makeconscious efforts to stop thesemalpractices, these corrupttendencies’’, he stressed.

“We cannot be talking ofcorruption in the economy,

lllllMartins

Mali’s Seydou Keita hascautioned Ghana that theyare a much better team thanthey were last year, after theStallions collected all threepoints from their first outingin Group B of the 2013 AfricaCup of Nations.

The 33-year-old captain,whose goal gave the Eaglesan opening win against Nigerhas already served notice oftheir ambitions in SouthAfrica.

“We’re ready for this Cupof Nations, he toldFIFA.com.

“It’s an importantcompetition in many waysfor Mali and we don’t wantto mess it up. We need towork our socks off and makesure that Mali can be proudof its children.

The clash with Ghana inPort Elizabeth on Thursdayis the first meeting sinceMali beat the Black Stars 2-0 to finish third in the lastedition.

Keita says Mali is animproved side and hasreason to aim high.

“The team has grown up.We’ve got more experienceand more confidence toothanks to the last Cup ofNations.

“Of course, there’s been achange of coach as well, withAlain Giresse, who did a lotfor us, having left. Patrick[Carteron] is in charge nowand he’s already taught us alot. We also have some newplayers who are making theirown contribution.

“One thing is sure, though:we’re not worse than wewere in 2012. We believe wecan win the title and we want

referees are never listed toofficiate in internationalmatches as assistant refereesor main referee. Now we areplaying in the Nations Cup andthere are no Nigerian referees.I think the sports authoritiesmust do everything possible toremove corrupt practices fromthe National Sports Festival sothat the spirit of the Festival isnot lost.”

The state won a total ninetythree medals at the Festival,made up of 25 Gold, 24 Silverand 44 Bronze medals.

The stars of the state at theFestival were a femaleSwimmer Victoria Ajakaiyewho won 5 Gold and 2 Silvermedals; Weightlifter GideonAigbefor who won 3 GoldMedals and female Gymnast,Melvin Amenaghawon whowon 2 Gold Medals.

From ISESELE EZEKIEL,Benin-City

Levante coach defendsMartins after loss

Levante coach, Juan IgnacioMartinez, has jumped to thedefence of Obafemi Martins,following the 2-0 loss toAtletico Madrid on Sunday.

The former NewcastleUnited striker leads allgoalscorers for Levante withsix strikes, but he has notscored since December 9,when Levante destroyedMallorca 4-0 in the League.

“They had more bite inattack than us. We lacked thatfinal pass and to be moredaring than them. Already bythe second goal we hadallowed them to play morecomfortably, Martinez said,

“The goal came on a playthat we were warned about,they are very dangerous on thewings. He further said,implicating the defenders

“Falcao was quiet, but the

team played with an intensityand vigour that made them adifficult opponent.

Levante have now lost threeconsecutive games in allcompetitions.

Reina ponders overBarcelona, Man United options

Liverpool goalkeeper PepeReina is reportedly faced withthe option of choosingbetween Barcelona andManchester United, when thetime comes for him to move inthe summer.

The Spanish internationalhas been linked with a moveaway from Anfield during amajority of this season, duringwhich he has struggled forconsistent form.

Mundo Deportivo believethat this summer he will facea choice of two clubs -Barcelona or ManchesterUnited, with any potentialmove also likely to have a sayon David de Gea’s future.

It is believed that Barca areconsidering bringing the 30-year-old back to Camp Nou inthe summer, as they search fora replacement for Victor

Valdes, who is likely to be onhis way out after confirminghis intention not to renew hiscontract beyond June 2014.

Reina’s experience throughBarcelona’s youth ranks and inthe first team over a decadeago is thought to make him aviable candidate to fit in fromthe summer.

However, it is alsounderstood that United arelooking at the shot-stopperand, according to sources closeto the player, have alreadyapproached him about apossible switch from rivalsLiverpool.

Should he opt for that move,which he is described as opento but for the rivalry betweenthe two English sides, then itis seen that Barca could turnto De Gea.

Mundo Deportivo alsoreports that De Gea has beenmade available for transfer bySir Alex Ferguson, who is said

tories from AYO BADRU,Lagos

Sneijderto wearjerseyNo.14

New signing atGalatasaray WesleySneijder will be handedthe No.14 jersey at hisclub we gathered.

The Inter midfielderfinally reached a deal withGalatasaray late Sundayevening and will sign athree-and-a-half yearcontract on Monday afterundergoing a medical.

"I am very happy withmy agreement withGalatasaray ,"Snei jdertold the club's own TVchannel.

Sneijder will undergo amedical with Galatasaraylater today according to astatement released on thePublic Disclosure Forum(KAP) thereafter theconditions of his deal willbe made public and theplayer will sign thecontract after his medical.

Sneijder was expected toarrive at Istanbul AtatürkAirport at 15:30 GMT

The 28-year-oldmidfielder will hope to hitthe ground running aftera protracted transfer saga

Continued from page 36

Eaglesunhappy in

victory

but the celebration did notlast long as expected thanksto the situation back homewhich had turned Mali to aglobal spotlight for negativereasons.

The players and officialswere taken aback by thedevelopment which hasseen troops from Europeand Africa battling toprevent insurgents fromseizing power from thegovernment.

Each time they speak tothe media they highlightedtheir worries for theupheaval back home.

to consider him toolightweight for the PremierLeague.

The former Atletico Madrid

man is seen as another optionfor Barcelona and one that, ifUnited sign Reina, would berelatively more attainable too.

lllllReina

AFCON 2013: 10-man Ethiopiahold defending Champions

After being reduced to 10men in the first half,Ethiopia came from agoal down to force thedefending champions

Zambia to a score drawat the Mbombelastadium.

2012 Africa Cup of Nationsdefending Champions

Zambia came off from asloppy start to take a 1-0 halftime lead against a 10-manEthiopia in a Group ‘C’opener that kicked off at

1800hrs from the MbombelaStadium on Monday beforeAdane Gima struck in thesecond half to draw levelterms.

A chipped pass forward inthe 4th minute of added timewas headed around thecorner by Chansa, runningaway from goal, and came tothe incoming CollinsMbesuma on the edge of thebox who chested it into thespace beyond the defendersand then, with the ballbouncing nastily, struck acontrolled bobbling finishacross the keeper into the farcorner give the Chipolopolothe lead.

Substitute Addis Hintsaplayed a penetrative ballforward, his first touch tofind Saladin Seid on the edgeof the box. Seid controlledthe ball and pushed it intothe area for the onrushingAdane Girma who crunchedhis shot past Mweene at thenear post to level the score at1-1.

How we lost to Insurance - Bolowotan Player

lllllAlgeria team

Bolowotan defensivemidfielder, Shola Brossa,who captained the teamagainst Bendel Insurancehas sensationallydisclosed how BendelInsurance pipped his sideby 2-1 in Matchday 5encounter of the NigeriaNational League(NNL)Division B game in Beninon Saturday.

Shola says,” we lost the gamein the first half, our defensewere unable to stop Insuranceattack, going forward we alsomissed two clear-cut chanceswhich could have given us anequalizer, we were so hopefulof taking points in Benin but

Stories from AYO BADRU,Lagos

we failed to take our chances,He stressed further” we

created a lot of havoc for thehome side in the second haveof the game, but we missed itagain, we have learnt one ortwo lessons from this gameand we are going to improveupon it,” he said.

The game began under aconducive atmosphere atSamuel Ogbemudia stadiumwith the Female FIFA badgerefeere, Nwogwu Uloma at thecenter of the pitch, Insurancekicked the ball first as the firsthalf gets underway.

Both sides started the gamewell with beautiful dispay ofthe round leather game,Bolowotan defence lost therhythm of the game in the 4thminutes of play, Iyayi

Atiemwen opened the scoresheet for Bendel in the 5thminutes after a well-workedmove, he ran throughBolowotans’ defence anddribbled passed the keeperand hit the back of the net,game continues with the hostleading by one goal to nill.

Shola Brossa of Bolowotanpassed the ball to OmuduCharles, Omudu set upOgunlewe Demola right in thebox of the host but Demolafailed to leveled the score lineas he shot the ball wide,Bolowotan got another goalscoring chance which couldhave restored confidence intothe team, through Demolabut he misses the beggingchance, afterwards, Insurancedominated the game,

unsettled Bolowotans’defence, Cyrian Uche doubledthe lead for the home side inthe 41st minutes, first halfended by 2-0 in favour ofBendel Insurance.

Bolowotan came out well inthe second 45 minutes, theygot a goal in 48th minutes asDemola Ogunlewe redeemedhis game as he pumped in agoal in the visitors yard, hisgoal threw the home team offbalance, Bolowotan thencontrolled the play of thegame right from thebeginning of second half tillthe final 90 minutes,Bolowotan pacy attacker,Newman Musa saw yellow ashe impeded Bendel defenderwhen he was contesting forthe ball in the air, Bolowotan

created a lots of chances butBendel goalie Enaholo Joshuawas on duty as he made greatsaves, Bolowotan made threechanges as they went insearch of goals, WilliamMemme came in forUgochukwu Nwankwo,whileDemola Ogunlewe came outfor Saidu Abubakar andOmudu Charles wassubtituted for Odunlade Paul.

Bolowotan pressed forwardas they piled more pressureon the home team, OthukeJacob got a beautiful passfrom William Memme, hetapped the ball forward,dribbled pass the defendersbut failed to hit the back of thenet. Game ended by 2-1 asBendel Insurance beatBolowotan.

Algeria Captain MehdiLacen has insisted that hisside will take the search forvictory very seriously, whenthey play Tunisia at the RoyalBafokeng stadium on Tuesday22 January.

Both countries will meet inthe Group ‘D’ tie, and withtournament favorites, Coted’Ivoire and Togo waiting, avictory will ensure some sortof advantage to whoever gets

“It’s a very important gamefor us, but we are wellprepared, Mehdi told BBC

Algeria target

victory over Tunisia“We’re aiming at winning

this game that is crucial for ourcontinuation. We’re ready forphysical and psychologicalduels, he continued, alludingto the tension that alwaysfollows matches involvingthese North Africanneighbours.

“There are only three gamesat the group level, so we’reready to make any effortpossible,” he said.

The tournament kicked offon Saturday 19 with twogames from Group ‘A’

Nigeria reaffirms itssupremacy as the undisputednumber one wheelchairtennis playing nation inAfrica on Sunday eveningwhen they recorded a 3-0 winover Egypt to retain the BNPParibas World Team Cup

W/Chair Tennis: Nigeriaqualifies for World TeamCup, retain African title

proved that their one-sidedwins in their previous gameswhere they have beatenMauritius and Ghana werenot flukes as they made theEgyptians look like beginnersin the 12-nation tournament.

Jude Uwaize set Nigeria on

In the doubles which wasturned to a formality, Yusufand Uwaize combined to beatthe Mohammed’s (notrelated) 6-2, 6-0 for a perfectouting.

However, Nigeria’swomen’s team, who are

Cisse gets jersey No. 99 in QatarDjibril Cisse has joined

Qatari side Al Gharafa onloan until the end of theseason - and will wear jerseyNo 99.

Harry Redknapp has allowedthe 31-year-old to leave after hewas deemed surplus torequirements following the N 2billion (£ 8 million) signing ofLoic Remy.

Remy scored on his debutagainst West Ham after latchingon to a Adel Taarabt through ball.

Cisse, who has made 21appearances in all competitionsfor the Rangers this season, willtravel to the Middle East where

he will link up with formerPortsmouth manager AlainPerrin.

He posted a goodbye tweetbefore he left: -Thanks to all theQPR fans and sorry i didn’t do asgood as last season. Thanks for allthe support and no doubt we arestaying up #COYRS.

QPR, who are battling forPremier League survival at thefoot of the table, confirmed theswitch this afternoon.

They posted on their officialTwitter feed: -R’S FRONT-MANDjibril Cisse has put pen to paperon a loan deal with Al Gharafa.

The west London clubearned a valuable point atUpton Park after Remyput them a goal up in thefirst half.

West Ham pressed and

CAF demands extra security for Ghana

The Confederation ofAfrica Football isdemanding animprovement insecurity at the NelsonMandela Bay Stadium,venue for Ghana’sgroup matches at the

From AYO BADRU,Lagos

2013 Africa Cup ofNations.

Fol lowing a p i tchinvas ion in separateinc idents by two fansduring the Black Stars ’opening Group B matchagainst DR Congo, whichf inished 2-2 on Sunday,CAF has written to the LOC

to ensure pitch security inPort Elizabeth.

The Leopards have alsobeen warned about theconduct of their fans.

“The Board decided toaddress a warning letter tothe LOC advising them thatthey need to reinforce theSecurity in Port Elizabeth,

a CAF Disciplinary Boarddecision stated.

“The Board also decidedto address a warning letterto RD Congo as the visitingteam is held responsible forthe behaviour of the irsupporters (Article 83.3 ofCAF Disciplinary Code).

A Congolese fan in the

55th minute, managed toenter the field of play andthe same inc ident wasrepeated at the 65th minutewhen another fan enteredand ran in the field of play.

Keitasends

warningto Ghana

Oshiomhole Splashes N41mCash Reward On Edo Athletes

Edo state governor,Comrade Adams Oshiomhole,over the week splashed awhooping sum of N41 millioncash reward on the statecontingent to the justconcluded 2012 NationalSports Festival, recently heldin Lagos.

The governor, who held areception for the athletes at theOgbemudia Stadium in BeninCity, frowned at the win-at-all-cost attitude as displayed bysome states. He lamented thatsuch disposition does notaugur well for sportsdevelopment.

He announced a cashreward of N1m, N300,000and N200,000 respectively foreach Gold, Silver and Bronzemedals respectively won at the

The coaches and officialsthat led the athletes to thefestival were not left out of thelargesse as the governorannounced a cash reward ofone million naira each forevery gold winning coachwhile other coaches receivedN300, 000.

Oshiomhole who said thespirit of the festival is graduallybeing eroded by the win-at-all-cost antics of some states said,“when a state governmentdecides to use and hire athletesas if they were mercenarysoldiers, just to recordachievements, that for me isnot the spirit of the NationalSports Festival and it isimportant that the NationalSports Festival must makeconscious efforts to stop thesemalpractices, these corrupttendencies’’, he stressed.

“We cannot be talking ofcorruption in the economy,

lllllMartins

Mali’s Seydou Keita hascautioned Ghana that theyare a much better team thanthey were last year, after theStallions collected all threepoints from their first outingin Group B of the 2013 AfricaCup of Nations.

The 33-year-old captain,whose goal gave the Eaglesan opening win against Nigerhas already served notice oftheir ambitions in SouthAfrica.

“We’re ready for this Cupof Nations, he toldFIFA.com.

“It’s an importantcompetition in many waysfor Mali and we don’t wantto mess it up. We need towork our socks off and makesure that Mali can be proudof its children.

The clash with Ghana inPort Elizabeth on Thursdayis the first meeting sinceMali beat the Black Stars 2-0 to finish third in the lastedition.

Keita says Mali is animproved side and hasreason to aim high.

“The team has grown up.We’ve got more experienceand more confidence toothanks to the last Cup ofNations.

“Of course, there’s been achange of coach as well, withAlain Giresse, who did a lotfor us, having left. Patrick[Carteron] is in charge nowand he’s already taught us alot. We also have some newplayers who are making theirown contribution.

“One thing is sure, though:we’re not worse than wewere in 2012. We believe wecan win the title and we want

referees are never listed toofficiate in internationalmatches as assistant refereesor main referee. Now we areplaying in the Nations Cup andthere are no Nigerian referees.I think the sports authoritiesmust do everything possible toremove corrupt practices fromthe National Sports Festival sothat the spirit of the Festival isnot lost.”

The state won a total ninetythree medals at the Festival,made up of 25 Gold, 24 Silverand 44 Bronze medals.

The stars of the state at theFestival were a femaleSwimmer Victoria Ajakaiyewho won 5 Gold and 2 Silvermedals; Weightlifter GideonAigbefor who won 3 GoldMedals and female Gymnast,Melvin Amenaghawon whowon 2 Gold Medals.

From ISESELE EZEKIEL,Benin-City

Levante coach defendsMartins after loss

Levante coach, Juan IgnacioMartinez, has jumped to thedefence of Obafemi Martins,following the 2-0 loss toAtletico Madrid on Sunday.

The former NewcastleUnited striker leads allgoalscorers for Levante withsix strikes, but he has notscored since December 9,when Levante destroyedMallorca 4-0 in the League.

“They had more bite inattack than us. We lacked thatfinal pass and to be moredaring than them. Already bythe second goal we hadallowed them to play morecomfortably, Martinez said,

“The goal came on a playthat we were warned about,they are very dangerous on thewings. He further said,implicating the defenders

“Falcao was quiet, but the

team played with an intensityand vigour that made them adifficult opponent.

Levante have now lost threeconsecutive games in allcompetitions.

ABUJA

NOTES

TONY ELUEMUNOR(telumunor@yahoo.com)

Soon, President GoodluckJonathan’s handlers willdredge up the gumption

from only-God-knows-whereand begin to insult ourintelligence with words abouthow their champion haschanged Nigeria. Perhaps, thatwould not even be as bad as thewrong lessons that would belearnt from the present PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) crisis– the court sacking of theparty’s National Secretary,Mr. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, andthe PDP National Chairman,Mr. Bamanga Tukur’sobedience to the court. The rootcause is that Tukur andOyinlola did not initiallyemerge at the PDP HQ throughtransparent processes. Andthat reminds one of what theformer Independent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC)Chairman, the late JusticeEphraim Akpata, said aboutMr. Barnabas Gemade’selection at a nationalconvention: “his election wasneither free nor fair”. Shortlyafter that, Akpata died! Andsince then, Mr.OlusegunObasanjo’s former friend,former American PresidentJimmy Carter stopped visitingObasanjo. He too condemnedthat “selection”. This nonsenseis on-going – even now. So,nothing has changed!

Yes, many have been rightto point out that Nigeria–notjust the PDP- is on the boil.What many have failed to sayis that President JonathanGoodluck actually broughtNigeria to this terrible impasse.Could you imagine the latePresident Umaru Yar’Aduabeing reduced to a trench-bound fighter in such a nastybrawl, over nothing butObasanjoresq personal controlof the PDP? No is the answer.Yar’Adua quickly rose abovethat mud-level politics. But hedied and Jonathan inheritedpower. But he did not inheritYar’Adua’s transparency andstraightforwardness!

It was in the month of May ina recent year that Jonathanasked an elder-statesman fromthe North to help him build thePDP in his own image andlikeness – just like Obasanjo didafter the 2003 election, wipingoff the influence of opponents,and leaving power in hispersonal hands. I know the dayand hour the consequent phonecall went out to Tukur – fromthe President’s Chief of Staff.Once he was pin-pointed by thepresidency, every opposition toTukur’s becoming PDPChairman was met withmortar artilleries.

I know that Tukur and Nyakoalso have their own personalanimosities – such as eachtrying to make his own son thenext governor of Adamawastate! But such could not have

Between Jonathan

and Yar’Aduabecome terribly relevant ifObasanjo had not single-handedly anointed Nyako stategovernor and if Jonathan didnot coronate Tukur the PDPking. Also, such dog fightswould not have broken out ifpeople were sure that Nyakowould not misuse his powers inchoosing his successor and ifTukur would not abuse his officein ensuring that only those inhis good books emerge stategovernors, say his son forinstance, or have a shot at thepresidency. Yar’Adua wouldhave resisted such sinistermotives in his party henchmen.

And that brings me squarelyto President Jonathan’sfailures. He had crowedrecently that he had sanitizedthe political arena and removedpolitical “gangsterism”. Heapplauded himself that his ownelection in 2011 was FREE andFAIR and without rigging. Andnow, this Oyinlola crisis hasshown Jonathan’s sanitizationsclaims were bare-faced lies.

So, too, did he clap for himselfthat he had cleared the mess onthe transparency front; thenfrom the dirtiest parts of hellemerged the news item that theNigerian National PetroleumCorporation (NNPC), in allsecrecy, was about to acquire ahumongous loan. How on earthcould the NNPC acquire a loanon behalf of everybody inNigeria, that whimsically? Whoauthorized that loan proposal?And instead of addressing theappropriateness of that dastardlyact, all we are being told is that ifthat loan is not taken, NNPC willnot be able to meet its paymentobligations to foreign suppliers.

Are such stuff not captured in theyearly budgets? Does Jonathanembrace extra-constitutionalmeans – like Obasanjo but unlikeYar’Adua?

If yes, what really hasJonathan transformed in hisTransformation Agenda?

Mr. President arrived at AsoRock bearing great hopes that hewould do things refreshinglydifferent. He was relativelyyouthful, he was not just well-educated and had a PhD in hispocket, he had been a Universitylecturer for goodness sake. (Hey,why has none of his formerstudents not come forward to tellus what kind of a universityteacher he was? Why?)

Put differently, why would aman who had all the time latePresident Yar’Adua’s ill-healthand death afforded him toshowcase his leadership talentsstill need to engage in thedebilitating intra-party tug ofwar over who emerges thechairman of the PDP Board ofTrustees? Let me put it this way,if after all the time PresidentJonathan has served as thenational and party leader, hisparty is still not trusted to dothe right thing and ensure thatthe best candidate best able tosecure victory for it in the 2015election is given the partyticket, then Jonathan is a crassfailure.

Seen from another prism, wemay ask: who anointed Mr.Barak Obama for the Americanpresidency? As people began tonotice the qualities of this manwhose former classmatedescribed as “wise beyond hisyears” (hey, did anyone eversay that about President

Jonathan? Can anyone evensay that of him now or later?),he was simply encouraged toaspire for higher and higheroffices and responsibilities. Forinstance, in 2004, he wasspotted by the NEWSWEEKmagazine in the end of the year“Who’s Next” edition aboutleaders to watch. Once, while hewas campaigning for Senate, awhite woman told him starkly:“when you are serious enoughto run to be president, I’ll giveyou my vote”. Then after themuch-storied great speechObama delivered at the BostonDemocratic Party Convention,he was pulled aside as he came offthe podium and was told: “Thetorch has just been handed overto you. Please accept it”. Putdifferently, Obama’s leadershipqualities were ever on display.

Jonathan has said he does notembrace the strong-willedCaesar-like autocratic leadershipmodel. So, perhaps he will not bea modern-day Julius Caesar, buteven Rome had Trajan andHadrian, Antoninus Pius (alsocalled the benevolent) and thewell-respected philosopherthough he was Emperor, MarcusAurelius. There wasCharlemagne who in uniting“contending elements, fosteredthe arts of civilization no less thanof war and earned a prestigesupreme in the Middle Ages, notequalled until four centurieslater by Frederick the Second,called Stupor Mundi or Wonder

of the World” as BarbaraTuchman gushed in the book“The March of Folly”. Fredrickwas to excel in the sciences, arts,parliaments, universities,crusades, politics – everything.So Stupor of What is Jonathan?Africa? Nigeria? Ijawland? Or“Cluelessness” (as those whoderide him would have usbelieve?) He has a few moreyears in office to answer thatquestion).

Can this ever be said ofJonathan (as Tuchman said ofGeorge Washington): He “was aleader who shines among thebest, (with) a character of rockand a kind of nobility that exerteddominion over others, togetherwith a kind of inner strengthperseverance that enabled himto prevail over a flood of obstacles.Around him in extraordinaryfertility, political talent bloomedas if touched by some tropicalsun”. Another historian, ArthurM. Schlesinger says ofWashington’s cabinet membersand legislators: “they werefearless, high-principled, deeplyversed in ancient and modernpolitical thought, astute andpragmatic, unafraid ofexperiment and –this issignificant– convinced of man’spower to improve his conditionthrough the use of intelligence”.If Washington could get thosegems from just a population ofless than three million 18th

century America, why can’tJonathan do better than thatwith Nigeria of today? Why,why, why?

Thinking about this, I easilyremember the late Harvard ProfEmeritus, John KennethGalbraith, who was a close friendof John Kennedy’s and who alsoplayed a key role in Kennedy’sadministration, saying:“government was usually just achoice between the disastrousand the unpalatable.” So far,this is very true of Jonathan’s.And that is Nigeria’s tragedy;even in the EconomicCommunity of West AfricanStates HQ that is in Abuja’sAsokoro District, theCommissioners’ cadre – just 25in number – is dominated byfive each from Ghana andBurkina Faso who pour newentrants into ECOWASbureaucracy as heavily as theNiger flows. Nigeria has oneeffective and one nominalrepresentative there. But checkout the contribution of troops toMali and see who has the loinshare in soldiers and in funds. AndJonathan, Foreign AffairsMinister and Nigerianjournalists slumber on. Moreon this ECOWAS nonsenselater!lllllThe late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua

Monday, January 28, 2012THE BACK PAGE

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lllllPresident Goodluck Jonathan