...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62003

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013**

Mr & Mrs

CONFAB FALLOUT:

My grouse withOshiomhole, by Nyiam•He talked down on committee, he says•Edo Reps caucus blasts Nyiam•Traditional rulers disown him

COLUMNISTS:

•P.19

Continues on page 5

•P.17

•P.44

FOR SOKOTO UNIVERSITY—From left: Governors Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Sule Lamido (Jigawa ); Rotimi Amaechi(Rivers); former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu; Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State and theSpeaker House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal after the official opening of the newly constructed Sokoto StateUniversity, Sokoto, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Jonathan, Atiku,Tambuwal,others mournAkhigbe

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM & EMMAN OVUAK-PORIE

BENINCITY—AMEMBER of the

Presidential AdvisoryCommittee on NationalConference Col.Tony

Nyiam (rtd), who en-gaged in a shoutingmatch with Edo State

N ige r i anot broke— FG

Sambo, Wikemeet ASUUleaders•Raise hope of end to strike

10

8

Lagos markets shut as Akiolu instals new Iyaloja

P.41

Allegedkidnapkingpin,Kelvin,docked —P.6

—P.6

2 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 3

4 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013

POCKET CARTOON

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—5

LIFEWORDSBY PASTOR ITUAH

CONFAB FALLOUT:My grouse with Oshiomhole— Nyiam

Continues from page 1

JONATHAN IN ISRAEL—President Goodluck Jonathan (L) and the Is-raeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing a news confer-ence in Jerusalem, on Monday.

There is a seed of greatness in every individual,it takes patience to discover this seed; to plant andnurture it into greatness require great patience.Mixed with sacrifice and discipline it becomes trulyoutstanding.

The people who get on in this world are the peo-ple who get up and look for the circumstances theywant, and if they can’t find them, make them

— Bernard Shaw

TWO men fell on hard times. Try as they might,they couldn’t find work. They heard that a mu-

seum was willing to pay $50 apiece for live rattle-snakes so, in desperation, they decided to catchsnakes.

Outfitted with a net and basket, they hiked to aremote area renowned for its large snake popula-tion. But as they scaled a steep ledge, rock gaveway and they tumbled down a slippery bank into adeep pit crawling with rattlesnakes.

One of the men quickly sized up the situation andshouted to his friend, “Look! We’re rich! We’re rich!”I find this story hilarious but it is a very good prin-ciple to illustrate the intensity of seeing only thepossibilities in all situations. Maybe the feller inthe snake pit didn’t fully appreciate his predica-ment. But in most situations, I believe there is asunny side.

Steve Goodier puts it beautifully: “I’ve learnedthat my greatest power may well be my power tochoose my outlook.” As Abraham Lincoln wiselysaid, “most people are about as happy as they makeup their minds to be.” The truth is, I can choose toview tough times as growing times, I can choose tosee life challenges as seasoning for unfoldment,and I can choose to focus on whatever good thereis to be found in living.

Governor, ComradeAdams Oshiomhole atMonday’s sitting of thecommittee in Benin,which led to his resigna-tion from the committee,gave reasons for his ac-tion yesterday.

His explanation not-

withstanding, Edo Repscaucus in the House ofRepresentatives werejoined by traditional rul-ers and youths from thestate to declare ColNyiam persona nongrata in Edo State. TheAll Progressives Con-gress, APC, on its partsaid the disruption of

Oshiomhole’s presenta-tion before the commit-tee has vindicated theparty’s decision not tobe part of the proposedconference.

At the committee’s sit-ting last Monday, ColNyiam was said to havejoined some people whoheckled GovernorOshiomhole while hewas making his presen-tation which eventuallyprevented the governorfrom continuing with hisspeech.

In his defence yester-day, Nyiam alleged thatGovernor AdamsOshiomhole made "sar-castic remarks” againstthe proposed NationalDialogue, asserting thatgovernors who are in thehabit of kicking againstthe laudable efforts ofPresident GoodluckJonathan should wait forthe response of Nigeri-ans.

Nyiam who was askedif he has resigned, said:‘’The situation is that Ihave not told anybody inthe public that I haveresigned”.

Reacting to his alterca-tion with GovernorOshiomhole, he ex-plained that the gover-nor was "talking downon people and he is notsupposed to do that be-cause our job is to meetwith the people and notthe governor since wehave paid him a courtesyvisit earlier”.

His words: "Governorswho have a penchant forinsulting the President

or making sarcastic re-marks against the senseof judgment of the Presi-dent of Nigeria shouldbe ready to tolerate re-sponse from Nigeriancitizens to tell them no.The committee’s role isadvisory, we need toconsult with the peopleto advise us and we willthen synthesize the peo-ples' opinion and usethat to advise the Presi-dent because we believethat we need to work to-wards a peoples-drivenconstitution which wenever had in our history.

"We thought we shouldstart a bottoms-up ap-proach from the grass-roots to the top. The at-titude was that thereshould be no talkingdown on the people weare supposed to engage.Based on this principle,the key feature of ourconsultation was to meetwith the people but outof courtesy we pay cour-tesy calls on the gover-nors or the royal fatherin the city. We have fol-lowed this procedurestarting from Akurewhere Governor Mimikogave us audience in hisoffice.

"Governor Mimikocame to the venue andkept quiet throughout.We left Akure and wentto Jos, we went throughthe same procedurewhere the Middle Beltpeople, the Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba commu-nity and all the majortribes of Plateau, allaired their views includ-ing Tivs, Idomas, Igalaand others. In all thesemeetings all of themwanted a conferencewhich is ethnic nation-alities-led.

WhatOshiomhole toldus — Nyiam

"We left Jos and wentto Minna, we wentthrough the same expe-rience with GovernorBabangida Aliyu andmost people there toospoke in terms of ethnonationalities representa-tions. We went toCalabar, we wentthrough the same expe-rience. So we came toBenin, where GovernorOshiomhole shifted thetiming and that changedthe time we were sup-posed to meet the Obaof Benin. We saw thegovernor for at least 40minutes and he startedgiving us tutorials as ifwe are children; he toldus that he was a productof Kaduna, that he hadhis children in Kaduna.

"He went on to now at-

tack the idea of ethno-nation. He argued thatwe are going to cel-ebrate 100 years nextyear so what are we go-ing to talk about? I coun-tered that. He arguedthat we don’t need a con-ference, but with all thetroubles we had, for aleader to say we don’tneed a conference isvery sad. It is an insulton the intelligence ofNigerians. In Kenya re-cently after the elec-tions, there were lots ofkillings that led to a con-stitutional conferencewhich turned Kenyafrom a unitary system toa true federalism.

"With that background,he now came to thevenue after the BeninDevelopment Forumspoke. He came late andafter listening, he askedfor an intervention, hetook the micro phoneand then decided to re-peat the lecture, treatingpeople like students andcastigating the FederalGovernment. More of-fensive for me was thathe was talking down onthe elders there, that theidea of them coming to-gether there was a wasteof time.

"These two things, onetalking down on peopleis contrary to the phi-losophy of our people.We had former gover-nors there, elders, tradi-tional rulers. Secondlywhen we are in an inter-active session with thepeople, it is not for agovernor to come andtake over the stage,grandstanding. This is agovernor that spoke over40 minutes when wewere with him. This ideaof governors trying torun down the President,a governor abusing theoffice of the President tomake insinuationsagainst the office of thepresident, to criticisepeople’s ability for selfexpression, is unaccept-able.

"So when people

started booing the gov-ernor, I went to the chair-man to remind him aboutthe rules of our commit-tee. The chairman saidwe should give him achance to continue. Hecarried on with his de-rogatory remarks and itwas at that point I thensaid no, not again. WhenI said that, by this time,his aides tried to comeat me, but when I sus-pected that one was atmy back I stood up, thensat down.

"Not long, after a groupof people came towardsthe table, it was thenthat the DSS people ad-vised that my life wasnot safe and I was takenaway for safety. The Di-rector of the Departmentof State Service, DSS,mounted securityaround us; the Commis-sioner of Police came tosee me and they broughtsecurity. The Policedrove us all out of EdoState because of fears ofattack. So contrary towhat they said that Imobilized thugs, it is nottrue, it was Edo peoplethat protected me,” henarrated.

ApologyThe Presidential Advi-

sory Committee on Na-tional Dialogue has how-ever apologized to Gov-ernor AdamsOshiomhole of Edo Stateover the behaviour of ColTony Nyiam (rtd). In aletter signed by Chair-man of the Committee,Senator FemiOkurounmu, and enti-tled: “Dialogue Commit-tee condemns unrulybehaviour,” it said: “ThePresidential AdvisoryCommittee on NationalDialogue wants to put iton record that we notedthe sad incident at to-day’s (Monday’s) Inter-active Session with Ni-gerians from the SouthSouth held in BeninCity, Edo State.

“The Committee

Continues on page 9

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

2 women,othersarraigned forN135m theft

BY ONOZUREDANIA

SHUT DOWN: Maboreje Market, like others in Lagos State, were shut because of the official inauguration of Iyaloja-General of Lagos, yes

BY IKECHUKWU NNO-CHIRI Pleads not guilty

Alleged kidnap kingpin, Kelvin docked

ABUJA— THE hithertomost wanted kidnapper

and alleged kingpin of anarmed robbery gang that ter-rorised the South-South andSouth-East regions of thecountry, Kelvin OniarahEziegbe, was yesterday,docked before an Abuja ChiefMagistrate’s Court sitting atWuse Zone 2.

Kelvin, who was arraignedalongside two of his foremostgang members, FrankAzuekoh and HarunaMomoh, were said to have,among other criminal activi-ties, masterminded the recentabduction of a Senior Advo-cate of Nigeria, SAN, ChiefMike Ozehkome, one Dr.Chudi Nwike, and ProfessorHope Eghagha.

It will be recalled that a com-bined team of soldiers and op-eratives of the Department ofState Services, DSS, had onSeptember 25, arrested theaccused persons at an undis-closed hotel in Port Harcourt,Rivers State.

The same day, a shootouthad occurred between Kel-vin’s ‘boys’ in his countryhome, Kokori, Ethiope EastLocal Government Area, DeltaState, and soldiers, who ar-rested the Chief Priest (Ose

Igba) of Kokori, accused ofproviding spiritual guidanceand charms for Kelvin and hisgang.

The DSS, in the First Infor-mation Report it entered be-fore the court yesterday, main-tained that kidnap activities ofKelvin, who was likened to thearmed robbery linchpin, Law-rence Nomayanugbon Anini,fearfully revered as OvigboThe Law in the defunct BendelState, extended into the south-western parts of the country.

AccusedSpecifically, the trio, who

were marched into the courtpremises under tight security,were said to have betweenFebruary 2, 2012, and Septem-ber 24, 2013, at Kokori, Asaba,Warri, Port Harcourt andBenin, areas Delta, Rivers andEdo states, and along Benin-Abuja Road, Abuja FCT, “con-spired with Rufus Ovwigho,Ese Oghenerojakor and oth-ers now at large to kidnap forransom, the persons of MikeOzekhome, Dr. Chudi Nwike,Professor Hope Eghagha andmany others.”

The government prosecutortold the court that the accusedpersons ambushed and at-tacked a Federal Prisons ve-hicle conveying some mem-bers of their criminal gang,resulting in the death of some

Police and prisons officers.

ChargeThe charge preferred against

them yesterday further read:“That you further conspired tounlawfully import prohibitedfirearms from Libya for thepurpose of kidnapping, rob-bery and related criminal ac-tivities and you thereby com-mitted the offence of:

“One (1), criminal intimida-tion punishable under Section397 penal code, (2) kidnap-ping punishable under Sec-tion 274 penal code, (3) rob-bery punishable under Section298 penal code, and (4) crimi-nal conspiracy to commitfelony punishable under Sec-tion 97 penal code.”

Meanwhile, the accused per-sons pleaded not guilty to thecharges.

Consequently, counsel to thegovernment, Mr. CliffordOsagie, applied for an adjourn-ment, saying the DSS wouldneed more time to conclude in-vestigations into the chains ofoperations of the kidnap gangwith a view to unmasking theirsponsors.

Osagie said: “Your Worship,because of the nature of the

case and need to conduct athorough investigation intothe activities of the suspectswith a view to unearthingthose sponsoring them, it isimperative we plead for timeto enable us conclude investi-gation and come out to proveour case.”

Besides, Osagie, urged thecourt to, in view of the natureof the matter, remand the ac-cused persons in custody ofthe DSS pending conclusionof the investigation, a requestthat was granted by ChiefMagistrate Usman AhmedShuaibu.

Bail applicationMeanwhile, counsel to the

accused persons, Mr. J. O.Eguere, expressed his inten-tion to file a formal applicationfor the temporary release of hisclients on bail, pending thedetermination of the caseagainst them.

The court refused an appli-cation by the defence counselthat the accused persons beremanded in Kuje, Suleja orKeffi prisons, even as Magis-trate Shuaibu adjourned thecase till November 27 for fur-ther hearing.

LAGOS— THE Eco-nomic and Financial

Crimes Commission,EFCC, yesterday, ar-raigned two business-women and a man along-side their companies be-fore a Lagos High Courtsitting in Ikeja over al-leged stealing of N135million belonging to LilyPond Container Ltd.

The defendants areOpeyemi Egbeyemi 50;Tejumola Okemakinde,28; Olukayode Adeoye,32 and Tejumola DovytesVentures Ltd., Whales &Chase Nigeria Ltd andTejumola Onike Enter-prises Ltd.

They were arraignedbefore Justice OlutoyinIpaye.

Counsel to EFCC,Fadeke Giwa, told thecourt that the defendantsconspired with one IreneEgbeyemi, now at large,to steal the money be-longing to Lily Pond Con-tainer Ltd., between Mayand September 2011, atApapa area of Lagos.

Justice Ipaye orderedthat the defendants be re-manded in prison cus-tody and adjourned thematter till November 11for hearing of their bailapplications.

ZUBA (FCT)— A ZubaGrade 1 Area Court in

the Federal Capital terri-tory, Monday, sentencedHassan Tanko, 20, a mo-torcyclist of Sabiri-DeiDei, FCT, to 3 months inprison for cheating.

The Presiding Judge,Mallam AlhassanKusherki, sentencedTanko after he pleadedguilty to the one-countcharge of cheating.

Kusherki, however,gave the convict an op-tion of N10,000 fine. Healso ordered the convictto pay N16,000 as com-pensation to the com-plainant.

The prosecutor saidTanko deceived one Sun-day Chado in April andcollected N16,000 fromhim with a promise to renta room for him.

Okada manjailed 2years forcheating

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—7

erday. NAN PHOTO.

76-yr-old woman escapesfrom kidnappers den

OLOMU— MRS. OtitiEsegba, a 76 year-old

grandmother, escaped fromthe den of her abductors aboutfive hours after she was ab-ducted, Monday.

She was abducted at 2a.m.

Says ‘I prayed and they slept off’by a five-man kidnap gang atAkperhe community in Olomukingdom, Ughelli South LocalGovernment Area of DeltaState and taken away on a mo-torcycle to their den at OviriOlomu.

Mrs. Esegba is the motherof the Managing Director ofBen-Segba Technical ServicesLimited, an oil servicing firmin Ekpan.

Same day, a medical practi-tioner, Dr. Richard Kofi, a na-tive of Okpare community,also in Olomu kingdom wasseized as he was entering hisclinic in Ughelli. He also es-caped from his kidnappers.

Prior to the Esegba and Kofiepisodes, a lawyer, Mr.Omonemu, was kidnapped bythe gang and kept for 20 daysbefore he regained freedom.

Mrs. Esegba, whose pleas tothe kidnappers to free her fellon deaf ears, said she beganto pray that God should makethe two kidnappers guardingher to fall asleep. She said theyactually fell asleep. That waswhen she ran.

The other three had left togo and abduct more victims,saying they needed moremoney.

She told Vanguard: “At about2a.m., while I was asleep, Iheard a deafening noise butbefore I knew it, two heavilyarmed men stormed into thehouse and seized me afterpulling down my door.

“Three others, also armed,joined them and ransackedthe house, took my jewelries,my clothes and money. Theystarted beating and hittingme with guns.

“Thereafter, I was draggedonto one of the waiting mo-torcycles, popularly known asokada. One sat behind meand the three others took theother okada. The one seatedbehind me held my mouthand I was blind-folded.”

When she escaped, a fisher-man took her in.

She said: “He took me to hishome at a place I later foundout to be Oviri-Olomu, afterhearing my story.

“At his home I found out thathe was married to my niece.They clothed me as I was al-most naked.”

“This man called my peopleat Akperhe at 6a.m. They cameand alerted Oviri communityleadership. That is my story.”

BY EMMA AMAIZE &AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE

Mrs. Otiti Esegba.

45-yr-old man incourt over N5.9m fraud

‘The State of Lagos does not exist'

LAGOS— A 45-year-oldbusinessman, Bala

Ibrahim, was yesterday re-manded in prison custody forallegedly defrauding BankPHB, now Keystone Bank, ofN5.9 million.

Justice Olutoyin Ipaye of aLagos High Court sitting inIkeja, ordered that he be re-manded in prison after he wasarraigned.

The defendant was broughtto court by the Economic andFinancial Crimes Commis-sion, EFCC. He is facing atwo-count charge bordering onobtaining money by false pre-tence and giving false infor-mation.

The EFCC counsel, FadekeGiwa, said that Ibrahim, onFebruary 23, 2009 at Ikeja,fraudulently withdrew the

money, which was wrongfullycredited to his bank account.

She alleged that the defend-ant gave EFCC officials falseinformation about the transac-tion that took place.

Giwa said the offence com-mitted is contrary to Section 8(a) and (3) of the Advance FeeFraud and Other Fraud Re-lated Offences Act of 2006 andSection 39 (2) (a) of the EFCCEstablishment Act of 2004.

However, when the chargewas read to the defendant, hepleaded not guilty to thecharges against him.

The trial judge further di-rected that the Zonal Directorof Legal Aid Council of Ni-geria should send him a legalrepresentative, since he hadno lawyer to represent him incourt when he was arraigned.

The judge adjourned thecase to November 19 for trial.

BY ONOZURE DANIA

LAGOS— A Lagos HighCourt judge, Justice

Ebenezer Adebajo, yesterday,faulted the prosecutorial powerof Lagos State using The Stateof Lagos, which stalled the trialof a teenager and three personsaccused of armed robbery.

The defendants, Jamiu Saka,

16; Yusuf Lateef, 19; ChukwudiOnwuharanye, 18 and DavidOnokpise, 19, were said to haveon May 19, 2012, invaded Sow-ers Ministry International dur-ing a vigil, whilst armed withguns and cutlasses, and robbedthe General Overseer of saidchurch, Apostle Nelson Opara,of his handset and money.

The defendants were ar-raigned on a three-count

charge, offences contrary to Sec-tion 295(2) (b) of the CriminalLaw of Lagos State 2011, andthey had pleaded not guilty.

When the matter came up incourt, yesterday, with the de-fendants in dock, the statecounsel, Olaitan Soetan, toldthe court that the matter couldnot go on as The State of Lagoswas used as prosecution.

Justice Adebajo subsequently

adjourned the matter to Decem-ber 19 for ruling to be deliv-ered on the prosecutorialpower of Lagos State using TheState of Lagos.

The judge ruled: “Section 3of the Constitution is headedStates of the Federation. It isby virtue of this section that aState belonging to the Federa-tion, note the use of the word‘of,’ is named as Lagos. Thuswe have Lagos State.

“This application is broughtagainst The State of Lagos. It

is a State belonging to Lagos.Does Lagos own a State? Whois Lagos or what is Lagos?

“Lagos exists by virtue of Sec-tion 3 of the Constitution and itcomprises of named local gov-ernment areas. To say The Stateof Lagos is to refer in my opin-ion to a State that belongs toLagos.

“It is not the same thing asLagos State. It is for this reasonthat I do not accept that the partyagainst whom the application isbrought exists.”

BY BARTHOLOMEWMADUKWE

LAGOS— A 37-year-oldman, Babatunde Gbolahan,

was yesterday arraigned beforea Lagos High Court inIgbosere, for allegedly beatinghis wife to death.

Man, 37, accused of beating wife to death

The defendant, who was ar-raigned for manslaughter,pleaded not guilty to the chargeinstituted against him by thePolice.

According to the charge,“you, Babatunde Gbolahan,committed the offence on Octo-ber 13, 2009 at 9, Olatunji

Street, Mushin, Lagos at7.40p.m.”

It was gathered that the de-fendant had an argument withhis wife, Yemisi, which led to afight and he beat her to deathwith a belt and stick.

State counsel, Mr. W. A.Quadri, informed the court that

the offence contravened Section325 of the Criminal Laws of La-gos State, and urged the courtfor an adjournment to enablehim produce his witness.

Presiding judge, JusticeAishat Opesanwo, subse-quently, adjourned the case toDecember 2.

BY BARTHOLOMEWMADUKWE

8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWU-RU & JOSEPH ERUNKE

UN urges Cameroon not to expelNigerian refugees

Nigeria cash-strapped but notbroke, says FG

Jonathanpresents2014 budgetNov 12

ABUJA —THE FederalGovernment said yester-

day that Nigeria was not brokebut admitted that the countrywas having cash flow prob-lems.

Accountant-General of theFederation, Mr. JonahOgunniyi Otunla and the Di-rector-General of Budget Of-fice, Mr. Bright Okogwu,stated this while answeringquestions from members of theSenate and House of Repre-sentatives Joint Committee onAppropriation and Finance.

Both explained that unlikecertain countries with similarexperience which had startedborrowing monies to pay sala-ries of their workers, Nigeriawas not yet doing that.

Mr. Okogwu said the coun-try was still financially buoy-ant and had been meeting allits obligations, adding that theeconomy of the country wasnormal except what he de-scribed as “inadequate fundsin circulation.”

No cause for alarmHe stressed that there was

no cause for alarm, as accord-ing to him, the governmentwas on top of the situation.

The government representa-tives who were at the meetingheld to consider the 2012-2014Medium Term Expenditure

Framework, MTEF, earlier for-warded to the National Assem-bly by President Jonathan pre-paratory to the 2014 budgetpresentation in November, in-sisted that Nigeria was finan-cially firmed.

“Nigeria is not broke but it iscurrently having cash flowproblems”, Otunla respondedto question put to him by Sena-tor Ahmed Makarfi.

Cash flow problemsOn his part, Okogwu said

though, the nation currentlyexperiences cash flow problems

from time to time; it does notsuggest that it is broke.

Nigeria not broke“Nigeria is not broke. We

may have cash flow problem.But countries like Greek andSpain are broke. They arenow approaching their inter-national neighbours for bailout but Nigeria has not donethat and we are nowhere nearthat situation at all”, he as-sured.

Mrs Maria Alade, DeputyGovernor, Central Bank ofNigeria, CBN, who repre-

sented CBN Governor,Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, at theevent was, however, evasivein her reaction to a similarquestion.

She said:“As Bankers of theFederal Government, it is notour duty to tell the nationwhether she is broke or notbut we can tell her the amountshe has in accounts atanytime but since the AGFand the DG, Budget haveclearly declared that Nigeriais not broke, we in CBN alsobelieve so,” she said.

OPENING: From left: Sokoto State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mukhtari Shagari, former Heads of State, General MuhammaduBuhari and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'adAbubakar III, and Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, at the official opening of the newly con-structed Sokoto State University in Sokoto, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

THE UN’S refugee agencyon Tuesday urged

Cameroon and other nationsnot to expel Nigerians whohave fled their homes amidfighting between Boko HaramIslamist rebels and govern-ment troops.

“With the recent escalation ofviolence in north-east Nigeria,UNHCR is today advising allstates against forced returns ofpeople to the region,” spokes-man Dan McNorton told re-porters.

“We are also urging that bor-ders be kept open for Nigeri-ans fleeing the country andwho may be in need of inter-

national protection,” headded.

UNHCR’s concerns focuson Cameroon, the choice ofrefuge for most of the 10,000Nigerians who have fledduring a sweeping govern-ment offensive against therebels that started in May.

McNorton said UNHCRwas alarmed by reports ear-lier this month that 111 peo-ple had been forced byCameroon’s security forcesto return to Nigeria from aborder village in Cameroon.

Fifteen people were killedin the border zone during theincident, although it was not

clear who was responsible, hesaid.

The remaining individualsfled back to Cameroon andwere detained, and UNHCRwas working with officialsthere to assess whether theywere refugees.

“In light of the security situ-ation in northeastern Nigeria,people fleeing are likely tomeet the criteria for refugeestatus,” said McNorton.

Chad and Niger have alsotaken in Nigerians escapingthe fighting, but there havebeen no reports of forced re-turns from those countries, hesaid.

Inside Nigeria, meanwhile,an estimated 5,000 peoplehave fled their homes.

BY EVINUS NWABUGHI-OGU

A B U J A — P R E S IDENT Goodluck

Jonathan said yesterdaythat 2014 budget propos-als will be presented onTuesday, November 12,2013 before a joint sessionof the National Assembly.

This has put to rest sus-picions already makingthe rounds that the Presi-dent would not presentthe proposed budget be-fore December.

It will be recalled thatthe 2013 budget arrivedthe National AssemblyOctober last year.

The date for the presen-tation of the budget fol-lowed a letter dated Oc-tober 23 which was ad-dressed to the Speaker ofthe House of Representa-tives, Hon. Aminu WaziriTambuwal and read atplenary yesterday byDeputy Speaker, EmekaIhedioha.

The President wrote: “Iwrite to crave your kindindulgence to grant methe slot of 12:00 noon onTuesday, November 12,2013 to enable me for-mally address a Joint Ses-sion of the National As-sembly on the 2014Budget."

UN honourslate Achebe

NEW YORK—THEUnited Nations has

devoted Friday, Novem-ber 15, 2013 to late Pro-fessor Chinua Achebewho died last march inBoston, US.

Achebe was once a UNGoodwill ambassadorfrom 1999 to 2005. Theevent holds at DagHammarskjold LibraryAuditorium, UN Head-quarters, New York.

In an invite sent to Van-guard by the United Na-tions SRC Society of Writ-ers and United NationsSRC Film Society, the glo-bal body said the event fea-turing music, film, read-ings and recollections byfamily and friends, is partof Achebe’s 83rd post-humous birthday celebra-tions.

On its website, theUnited Nations Popula-tion Fund, through itsExecutive Director, Dr.Babatunde Osotimehinsaid, “Mr. Achebe will for-ever be credited for hisleading role in shapingthe course of Africa’s lit-erary traditions and forconveying its authenticvoice to the world atlarge.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—9

CONFAB FALLOUT:My grouse with Oshiomhole — Nyiam

Continues from page 5wishes to state its unequivo-

cal commitment and that of itsmembers to the principles ofdemocratic discourse. Al-though we take special ex-ception to the unruly conductof one of our members whojoined the crowd in shoutingdown the Comrade Governorof Edo State, Adams AliyuOshiomhole, while he wasgiving his remarks, the ses-sion continued and endedpeacefully.”

The Committee continued inthe letter dated October 28,2013 that “we want to empha-size that the Committee willlisten to all shades of opin-ions in the areas of its man-dates and will not henceforthcondone the kind of unac-ceptable behavior we wit-nessed in Benin City.

“The Committee wishes toexpress its sincere apprecia-tion to the Government andpeople of Edo State for pro-viding support to the Com-mittee in its assignment inthe state.”

Edo Reps caucusblasts Nyiam

Meanwhile, the Edo Statecaucus of All ProgressivesCongress, APC in the Houseof Representatives, yester-day, condemned Nyiam’s re-

ported attack on Oshiomholeeven as the caucus identifiedwith the party’s governors indistancing themselves from theplanned National Dialogue.

Addressing newsmen, yester-day, the caucus led by the Mi-nority Whip of the House,Samson Osagie said the behav-iour of Nyiam when the Dia-logue committee visitedOshiomhole showed that theconference was bound to fail.

Other members of the caucusat the briefing include RepsRazaq Bello-Osagie, PeterAkpatason, Jim Adun andAbubakar Momoh. Osagie saidthe outburst of Col Nyiam at themeeting was uncalled for.

Osagie said “we are miffedthat at a meeting convened tolisten to the views of Nigerianson the necessity or otherwise ofa national conference, a gover-nor could be disallowed for air-ing his personal views simplybecause it was unpalatable tosome members of the Advisorycommittee, which is supposedto be an umpire and their un-informed tribal jingoists.

“We wish to condemn instrong terms, the action of ColNyiam and his co-travellers atthe said meeting and to restatethe position that their action hasbetrayed the motive behind theproposed dialogue.

“We however commend DrFemi Okurounmu, chairman ofthe Advisory Committee for

calling Col Nyiam to order,and urge Nigerians to bevigilant at all times as somepersons are determined tocoerce others to accept theirviews and thereby compro-mise the basic tenets of de-mocracy

Traditional rulers,Edo youths declareNyiam persona nongrata

Also, traditional rulers andyouths of Edo State underthe aegis of Ariababho YouthAssociation, yesterday, de-clared Col.Tony Nyiam (rtd),persona non grata in EdoState, following his outburstat the South South sitting ofthe confab committee inBenin City, Monday.

They called on the Presi-dent to urgently replace himif he was yet to resign hisposition, saying “he hasshown that he is unfit for thisjob given to him by the Presi-dent.”

In his reaction, theEsogban of Benin Kingdom,Chief David Edebiri, said: ‘’Iwant to call on the Presidentto remove Nyiam because healmost set the whole placeon fire. He misbehaved andwe advise the President, ifhe wants to succeed to re-place such a person. If, be-cause he is a member of the

committee one cannot air hisviews, people cannot expresstheir views freely due to hisarrogance, it means he is notfit to partake in the businessof this nature.”

We have been vindicated -APC

Similarly, the AllProgressives Congress(APC) has condemned thedisruption of Gov. AdamsOshiomhole’s presentation,saying the action has vindi-cated the party’s decision notto be part of the proposedconference.

In a statement issued inLagos, yesterday, by its In-terim National Publicity Sec-retary, Alhaji Lai Moham-med, the party said the Com-mittee must be ashamed thatone of its members led theuproar that was put up inBenin on Monday.

‘’The truth is that in propos-ing the conference, the gov-ernment has no sincerity ofpurpose, does not believe inengaging in any dialoguewith anyone but itself andhas only used it to distract theattention of Nigerians fromthe total absence of govern-ance and sense of directionby the Jonathan Administra-tion.

N255m armoured car scandal: HouseC'ttee continues hearing today

BY UDUMA KALU

THE WORLD Bank hasranked Nigeria 147th

among the best places for doingbusiness.

It also ranked the country as the122nd for best countries to start abusiness.

The report released, yesterday,said Nigeria’s low ranking ismainly caused by electricity prob-lems, where the country is ranked

World Bank ranks Nigeria 122nd bestplace for business

185th out of 189 countries evalu-ated. The first African country onthe list is Rwanda, ranked 32nd.

The report said in Africa, 66 percent of countries enacted at leastone reform last year, against 33 percent in 2005, adding that nine Af-rican countries make up the top 20most improved in terms of businessregulations since 2009: Benin,Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana,Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Rwanda,Sierra Leone, and Togo.

The report said economies are

ranked on their ease of doingbusiness, from 1 – 189. A highranking on the ease of doingbusiness index means the regu-latory environment is more con-ducive to the starting and op-eration of a local firm.

This index averages thecountry’s percentile rankingson 10 topics, made up of a va-riety of indicators, giving equalweight to each topic. Therankings for all economies arebench-marked to June 2013.

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & EM-MAN OVUAKPORIE

ABUJA — THE Housecommittee on Aviation

investigative hearing on al-leged purchase of N255millionbullet proof cars by the Minis-ter of Aviation continues today

amidst doubts that Aviation Min-ister, Princess Stella Oduah willhonour the summons asking herto appear before the committeetoday.

A member of the committeeand spokesman of the House,Zakari Mohammed told Van-guard, yesterday, that “the hear-

ing must continue and must beconcluded within the stipulatedone week that the House gaveus.

“We gave the minister enoughtime to re-align her travelschedules to enable her showup today.”

It will be recalled that Oduah

had written a letter dated Octo-ber 25 asking the committee toshift the date of her appearanceto November 4.

The committee too had coun-tered her letter insisting that shemust appear today.

All seems set for the final phaseof the investigative hearing fixedfor today.

Chairperson, House Commit-tee on Aviation, NkeurukaOnyejeocha, weekend, said theinvestigative hearing on the al-leged purchase of N255millionbullet proof cars by the Minis-ter of Aviation, Stella Oduahwould be suspended till shecomes back from Israel.

Onyejeocha said the “essenceof our suspending the probepending when she comes is toensure that she gets a fair hear-ing. The truth is that you cannottry somebody in her absence andget a clearer picture of what tran-spired.

"We will not sit till Wednesdaywhen the Minister must haveconcluded all her transactions inIsrael.”

NAPEP:SenateuncoversN12bn fraud

...N10bntrapped inmicro-financebank

ABUJA — THE Sen-ate, yesterday, un-

covered N10 billion be-longing to the NationalPoverty Eradication Pro-gramme, NAPEP, that gottrapped in some failed fi-nancial institutions in thecountry, while N150 mil-lion meant for the supplyof spare-parts for the tri-cycles, otherwise knownas Keke NAPEP, wascarted away by a contrac-tor.

The Senate made thediscovery while grillingthe Co-ordinator ofNAPEP, Alhaji MurktarTefawa Belawa over N12billion poverty reductionfund.

The agency claimed itlacked the structuralframework to possibly re-cover the missing fundsand that it had been un-able to recover the moneybecause some of thebanks had ceased to ex-ist.

The Senator AhmedLawan-led Committee onPublic Account also dis-covered how the agencypaid additional N171 mil-lion as Customs dutiesfor the spare-parts thatwere not supplied andanother N605 millioncarted away by someKeke NAPEP operatorson the umbrella of KekeRiders Association of Ni-geria, KRAN.

The agency was allegedto have also paid anotherN1.4 billion for projectsthat were not verified bythe Auditor General of theFederation.

Representatives of theAGF at the session, toldthe panel that some of thecontracts, which theagency had paid for wereyet to be verified.

National Coordinator,NAPEP, Alhaji TefawaBelawa, told the commit-tee that beneficiaries ofthe intervention fundfailed to remit anotherN700 million revenueand that the agency hadsince written the Eco-nomic and FinancialCrime Commission,EFCC, on how Auto BanLimited had disap-peared with the saidN150 million paid for thesupply of spare-parts.

10—Vanguard,WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

Lagos markets shut as Akiolu instals Tinubu-Ojoas Iyaloja-General

....Ikorodu traders decrymarkets’closure

LAGOS — ALL major markets in Lagos Metropolis

were yesterday shut to allowtraders attend the coronationceremony of Mrs. FolashadeTinubu-Ojo, daughter of theformer Governor of Lagos state,Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as thenew Iyaloja- General of Ni-geria.

The coronation ceremony waspart of the activities to com-memorate the 70th birthday ofthe Oba of Lagos, Oba RiliwanAkiolu at the Iga-iduganran,Lagos Island local government.

It will be recalled that the lastholder of the Iyaloja-Generaltitle, late Alhaja AbibatuMogaji, the mother of Tinubudied on Saturday June 15, thisyear, at the age of 96.

When Vanguard visited some

of the major markets in the state,shops and stalls were locked forthe coronation ceremony.

Some of the affected markets

included Rauf Aregbesola Mar-ket, Iyana-Ipaja, Alimosho Lo-cal Government, Ketu, Mile 12market and others.

ing in front of their lockedshops. While some customerswho had visited some of thesemarkets left with their hopesshattered when they were in-formed of the closure.

Speaking with Vanguard atthe Mile 12 market, Mrs. AdaNwachukwu said; “I am hereto transact my business that isto buy some tomatoes but withthis closure. I have no optionthan to leave. I pray that themarket will be opened tomor-row.”

Meantime during the installa-tion Oba Akiolu advised the newIyaloja to be diligent and com-mitted to the service of human-ity.

He said the position was im-portant to the development ofmarket activities in Lagos Stateand Nigeria at large.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu saidin a separate interview that thenew Iyaloja was capable of coor-dinating market activities in La-gos State.

She said Tinubu-Ojo was un-der the tutelage of the late IyalojaGeneral, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji.

“The position of Iyaloja comeswith lots of duties and responsi-bilities.

“It is expected that she willsucceed with her sense of matu-rity, respect for elders and dili-gence,” she said.

Tinubu also advised the Iyalojato use her office to ensure pros-perity of traders in Lagos State.

Mrs Hawawu Asindemade,the Iyaloja General and Chair-person, Osun Market Board,dismissed criticisms that Tinubu-Ojo was too young for the posi-tion.

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPE-JO & PRISCA SAM-DURU

SHOPS AT Ikorodu marketwere, yesterday, under lock

and key as traders were barredfrom displaying their wares dueto the installation of a new mar-ket leader.

It was gathered that the closurewas as a sign of solidarity to thenew Iya Oloja.

The same situation was wit-nessed at the popular Owodespare-parts market.

A situation of near pandemo-nium, however, broke out atIkorodu market when at about9.30a.m., people scampered forsafety even without knowing thecause of the uproar.

It was later gathered that offic-ers of the market task force wentafter traders who defied the or-der, and confiscated their goods.

Others quickly closed theirshops, causing passers-by andcommuters to scamper for safetyas they misconstrued the opera-tion for a riot.

Fashola presents 2014 budgetestimate today

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

LAGOS — GOVERNORBabatunde Fashola of La-

gos State, will today present abudget proposal for the 2014 fis-cal year to the state House of As-sembly for consideration andeventual ratification.

The budget estimate, which isstill being kept secret, is expectedto exceed the this year of N497.277billion which showed a slight in-crease of 1.08 percent over that of2012 of N485.3 billion.

Expected at the presentation are;the former governors of Lagosstate, leaders of All Progressives

Congress, APC, National As-sembly members representingthe state, State Executive Coun-cil members, council chairmen,traditional leaders, market menamong other party supportersas well as other concerned citi-zens and groups.

Labour toshut portsnation-wideover unpaidwages

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

LAGOS — MARI-TIME Workers Un-

ion of Nigeria, MWUN, hasdirected workers in the na-tion’s ports to down toolsand shut operations nation-wide on Friday over al-leged refusal by NigeriaPorts Authority, NPA, toTally clerks and onboardsecurity members of theDockworkers branch ofMWUN, eight mouths sal-ary arrears.

Vanguard gathered thatthe leadership of the uniontook the decision after themanagement of NPA wasalleged to have offered topay only three out of eightmonths arrears, which theunion leaders did no onlyreject, but label the man-agement as insensitive tothe plight of workers.

According to one of thelabour leaders who spoketo Vanguard on conditionof anonymity, the ExecutiveDirector, Corporate Serv-ices, met with our leader-ship where he said "theycan only pay three out ofthe eight mouths. This isnot acceptable and in fact,it is insulting. The workersare not demanding for bo-nus or Father Christmas gift,but the salaries that theyhave worked for. I can tellyou in confidence that byFriday, the ports will beshutdown across the coun-try.”

INSTALLATION: From left, Chief Folashade Tinubu-Ojo; a Lagos white cap chief; Alake ofEgbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo; Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the Oba of Lagos, ObaRilwan Akiolu, during the installation of Chief Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, as Iyaloja General ofNigeria, by Oba Rilwan Akiolu, at Iduganran Palace, Lagos Island, yesterday. Photo: BunmiAzeez

The usual influx of custom-ers at the markets was com-pletely absent, as only a cou-ple of traders were seen stand-

ASUU STRIKE: Sambo meets stakeholders

NAMA slams N35m bill on KaboAir

BY BEN AGANDE & LAIDEAKINBOADE

ABUJA — VICE Presi-dent Namadi Sambo,

yesterday, met briefly withstakeholders in the nation’seducation sector with a viewto ending the four month-oldstrike action by the AcademicStaff Union of Universities,ASSU.

Supervising Minister ofEducation, Mr. Nyesom Wikeand the leadership of ASUUled by its National President,Dr. Isa Fagge also met sepa-rately.

Wike also led the educationstakeholders at their meetingwith Sambo, but declined tospeak with reporters at the

end of the brief meeting.Other members of the del-

egation included the Execu-tive Secretary of the NationalUniversities Commission,

Prof. Julius Okojie as well asthe Vice Chancellor of theUniversity of Ibadan, Prof.Isaac Adewole, among oth-ers.

By LAWANI MIKAIRU

THE NIGERIAN AirspaceManagement Agency,

NAMA, yesterday, sent a billof N35million to the owners ofKabo Air over the recent dam-age of the agency’s naviga-tional aids at the Sokoto Inter-national Airport.

It will be recalled that on

October 6, a Boeing 747 air-craft belonging to the airlinewith some pilgrims on boardon landing at the airport, hitarray of antenna of the Instru-ment Landing System-ILS onRunway 26.

Instrument Landing System-ILS brings an aircraft to thecentre-line of the runwayduring final approach tolanding.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—11

Ekiti PDP prunes guberaspirants to 9

APC members accuse Ajimobi ofmarginalisation

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

ADO EKITI — THE PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, in

Ekiti State has trimmed the numberof governorship aspirants in its foldfrom 29 to nine

Any candidate presented by theparty would face the incumbent gov-ernor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the AllProgressives Congress, APC, in2014 governorship election in thestate.

The state Chairman of the party,Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe, said inAdo Ekiti, yesterday, that the deci-sion was taken in the interest of thepeople of the state

Ogundipe who spoke through hismedia aide, Mr. Femi Omolusi, saidthe State Working Committee of theparty will select a viable and seri-ous-minded candidate.

Though, the party did not makepublic the names of the aspirants

that made the list, Vanguard gath-ered that the nine aspirants werethose said to be more serious andhave what it takes to govern thestate, known as 'Fountain of Knowl-edge.'

On the issue of consensus thathas rocked the party, Ogundipesaid it was only the national secre-tariat of the party that could decideon the process to be adopted inchoosing the party ’s standardbearer.

The PDP chairman, however,hailed all the aspirants for their ef-forts in mobilising people to theparty.

He said: “The effort of the aspir-ants in galvanising support for ourgreat party is laudable. They havebeen going round, giving messagesof hope to our members and assur-ing them that our party will returnto power in the state next year.”

BY OLA AJAYI

IBADAN — THE crisis in the Oyo State Chapter of the AllProgressives Congress, APC, resurfaced, yesterday, as

some members of the party complained of being marginalised

come to term on the need to submit tothe ethos of progressive politickingwhich the APC promises. They continueto do the wrong thing the same wayand expect good results.

“If we may ask: Where is the sin-cerity in the action of a governor whopreaches reconciliation but remainsundaunted in his winner-takes-all ex-hibition? His hatchetmen in ‘IntegrityParliament’ are still lording their inor-dinate interest over and above those ofthe genuine party faithful, yet the gov-ernor cannot checkmate them.

“Where is the commitment topeace in our party as well as to its suc-cess in future elections when the gov-ernor has never deemed it fit to reachout to party leaders and majorstakeholders, who refuse to worship athis feet for good reasons?

"Democracy is about the people andany attempt to sideline them would notbe in the interest of Oyo APC as weapproach 2015."

Afenifere condemns Edoconfab face-off,FG/ASUU stalemate

BY DAYO JOHNSON

AKURE — A socio-political group,

Afenifere, yesterday, re-viewed the incident thathappened at the sittingof the Presidential Advi-sory Committee, PAC,on National Confer-ence/Dialogue in Edostate and described it asembarrassing.

The group, however,asked the Senator FemiO k u n r o u n m u - l e dcommiittee not to betaken aback by such dis-tractions, but to moveforward with the na-tional assignment.

This was contained ina communique issuedafter a meeting in Akureby the leaders of thegroup at the countryhome of its chairman, PaReuben Fasoranti.

The group also ap-pealed to both the Fed-eral Government andAcademic Staff Union ofUniversities, ASUU, toshift ground on the con-

tending issues whichhad led to the closng ofuniversities for over fourmonths.

Afenifere's PublicityS e c r e t a r y , Y i n k aOdumakin, who read thecommunique after ameeting, said the groupwas not happy with theincident which was a di-version “from the richand real presentationmade by the real stake-holders”

The group, however,commended the advisorycommittee for handlingthe situation in a matureway.

“We commended theadvisory committee forthe mature manner theyhandled the whole issueand we advise them tomaintain their cool asthey go around meetingstakeholders.

“They are bound tomeet provocations in thecourse of their businessand as a committee theymust patiently listen toall shapes of opinions.”

The group said that theconsultations embarkedupon by the AdvisoryCommittee has been im-pressive with the turn-out of the ethnic nation-alities.

On the four mouth oldstrike, Afenifere calledon the Federal Govern-ment and the strikingASUU to shift ground byfinding a middle coursein resolving the four-month old strike.

Panelrecommendsdemolition of81 Ondofilling stations

BY DAYO JOHNSON

AKURE — NO fewerthan 81 petrol filling

stations may be demol-ished across Ondo Stateif government approvesthe findings of a panel ofenquiry set up to deter-mine the appropriatenessof their locations.

The panel which sub-mitted its findings to thegovernor, Dr. OlusegunMimiko in Akure, alsodiscovered that another311 were illegally estab-lished across the state.

It also recommendedthat 34 other filling sta-tions be converted forother uses.

Governor Mimiko inau-gurated the panel in Aprilthis year with the mandateto determine the appropri-ateness of location of fillingstations, interface with own-ers on approval and makerecommendations to thegovernment.

Its chairman, Mr. DareAragbaye, a permanentsecretary in the state trans-port ministry while submit-ting the report, said hispanel discovered that a to-tal of 311 filling stations il-legally established outwhich 81 are to be sealed.

Receiving the report Gov-ernor Mimiko frowned atindiscriminate siting of fill-ing stations in every nookand cranny of major citiesacross the state.

Mimiko noted that it isthe responsibility of anyresponsible government toguarantee safety of livesand property of its citizenry.

He vowed to bring tobook any officer found cul-pable in the illegal approvalof petrol outlets.

PROGRAMME: Mrs. Bola Fashola, Regional Director, International Association of African Non-Gov-ernmental Organisations; Mrs. Remmy Diagbare, Editor, Vanguard Allure; Mrs. Ngozi Eze, CEO, SelfaidIntegrated Services, Project Coordinator of IAAN, and Alhaji Sulaiman Yerima, Founder, NorthernFriends of the South South and Adviser, IAAN, at the post summit meeting programme of IAAN, atProtea Hotel, Maryland, Lagos. Photo: Oscar Ochiogu

by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.They also alleged that the governor

did not demonstrate enough sincerityand commitment to the efforts aimed atbringing all the stakeholders togetherto put the new party on a sound foot-ing.

The party members under the aus-pices of Network for Change, said in astatement by its Coordinator, Mr.Olufemi Eriola that, “the governor wasdeliberately foot-dragging on embrac-ing genuine peace process in Oyo APCbecause he has made up his mind onfrustrating most heavy-weight politi-cians to enable him pocket the partycompletely.

“It is worrisome to note that thegovernor and his cronies, largely drawnfrom the defunct ACN, have not yet

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

BY FUNMI KOMOLAFE

Rivers denies factional PDP’s claim of movesto dump Amaechi

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

Crisis brews in Labour Party overChairman’s tenure

AdaptNigeria’slegal systemto socialchanges—Utuama

‘N807minadequateto trainnon-violentyouths’

Ijaw youths barricade E-West Road over outcomeof IYC election

BY SAMUELOYADONGHA

BY FESTUS AHON

BY EMMA AMAIZE

PORT HARCOURT—RIV-ERS StateGovernment

has denied claims by the fac-tion of Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, in the state, led byFelix Obuah that six commis-sioners in the state were setto dump Governor RotimiAmaechi for Obuah’s factionof the party in the state.

It will be recalled that Gov-ernor Amaechi was suspend-ed by the party some monthsbefore he and six other gov-ernors floated the new PeoplesDemocratic Party, nPDP.

The state government also,said the allegation by the PDPthat the governor had instruct-ed his aides to register withAll Progressives Congress,APC, was untrue.

The state factional PDPChairman, Obuah had allegedthat there was already a splitin the cabinet of the state gov-ernment with some of thecommissioners set to crossover to his faction. Obuah alsoin a statement, said that thegovernor had ordered hisaides to register with APC.

In their separate responses,the state Commissioner forInformation, Mrs Ibim Semen-itari and the Chief of StaffGovernment House, Port Har-court, Mr Tony Okocha, de-

scribed the allegations byOduah as untrue.

According to Mrs Semeni-tari, the state executive coun-cil was firmly united and itssupport for Governor Amae-chi was total.

She said: “It is obvious thatthe achievements of GovernorAmaechi far exceed what theGrass Roots Initiative, GDI,can bring against the admin-

istration. Amaechi’s cabinetremains intact. No commis-sioner has any plan to resignand no commissioner is join-ing GDI.

“The commissioners in thiscabinet have a commitment todeliver to Rivers peoplebased on the vision of ourleader, Governor Amaechi.We do not have any plan todo anything that will even

remotely affect the progress ofRivers people.

“To join GDI, or even to re-late with them, will not be inthe interest of Rivers people,as GDI’s only interest is to lootthe resources of the people.”

On his part, the Chief ofStaff, Government House, PortHarcourt, Mr Okocha, saidthat the allegations by the par-ty were laughable.

YENAGOA—IRATE Ijawyouths, yesterday, barri-

caded the Mbiama section ofthe East-West Road connectingBayelsa State, in protest overthe outcome of the Ijaw YouthCouncil, IYC, worldwide elec-tion held in Yenagoa.

The protest which started inYenagoa, followed the electionand declaration of Mr UdengsEradiri as the President of theforemost Ijaw youth body.

A trailer was used to barricadethe road, as commuters comingfrom the Port Harcourt and East-ern part of the country could notaccess the Bayelsa stretch of theroad.

Also, travelers from Delta andBayelsa axis could not connectthe Rivers stretch of the road.

The action of the youthscaused serious gridlock on theroute, as commuters werestranded.

Though Udengs Eradiri, aformer Secretary General of IYCwas adjudged winner of thecontentious poll held in Yane-goa, Bayelsa State, by the Sun-ny Diritolofari-led ElectoralCommittee, the protesters al-

leged that the exercise wascharacterised by electoral fraud,purportedly perpetrated by topofficials Bayelsa State Govern-ment with total number of vot-

ers exceeding the number ofaccredited voters.

Members of the ElectoralCommittee were secretlymoved out of the venue of thepoll at 10am under heavy se-

CRISIS over tenure elon-gation is brewing in La-

bour Party, over alleged plansby the party Chairman, ChiefDan Nwanyanwu, to seek astraight third term in office.

Stakeholders, including theNigeria Labour Congress,NCL, have meanwhile ex-pressed concern over the pub-lic perception of the LabourParty as a party without politi-cal ideology, which now offersitself as a platform to politiciansof all sorts under the leader-ship of Nwanyanwu.

Nwanyanwu was first elect-ed chairman of the party in2004. Under his leadership, theparty has maintained control ofone state, Ondo and made lit-tle political incursions in An-ambra, Enugu and Plateau

States.Besides Ondo State, where

the incumbent governor, Dr.Segun Mimiko, has been en-dorsed for his labour friendlypolicies, the national executivehas been flayed in some cir-cles for offering the party as aplatform to anti-labour politi-cians in many states.

Party officials confirmed thatthe party is due to hold its 3rdConvention this December, butthere is anxiety that the con-vention may not produce achange in leadership or lean-ing of the party, as it wasfeared that Nwanyanwu wouldbe railroaded back to office.

The acting General Secretaryof NLC, Mr Chris Uyot, saidthat Congress was not una-ware of the disquiet in the La-bour Party and would initiatesome interventions which he

said, may not be publicised inthe media.

Among those who have tak-en the fight to Nwanyanwu isthe Deputy National Secretaryof the party, Mr BabatundeAyelabola, who has sent a peti-tion to the chairman of the par-ty.

Ayelabola said: “All well–meaning party members andsupporters are looking forwardto the convocation of the 3rd LPConvention and you (Nwan-yanwu) handing over as Na-tional Chairman after spendingalmost a decade in that highlyexalted office. I am constrainedto point out the obvious due tosome unclear signals that youjust might be interested in self-perpetuation as the party chair-man; such a step will not au-gur well for either you or theparty and I would have other-wise considered such signals asbeing nothing but rumours.”

UGHELLI—DELTAState deputy gov-

ernor, Prof Amos Utua-ma, SAN, has said thatNigeria’s legal systemneeds to adapt to newsocio-economic changes,if it must serve the inter-est of the people.

Utuama, at a lectureon State of the Law, dur-ing the Nigerian Insti-tute of Advanced LegalStudies, NIALS, annualfestival of Legal Schol-arship, at University ofLagos, Lagos, said thatlaw, by nature, was anattribute of organisedsociety.

He also bagged theNIALS’s Gold MedalAward for OutstandingService and Commit-ment to the mandate ofthe Institution.

Noting that there wasno perfect system of law,“as law, whether enact-ed or judge-made, hasthe tendency to becomeformal and rigid,” hethat said the festival oflegal scholarship was anovel way of celebratingthe achievements of theInstitution.

WARRI—NIGERDelta Youths for

Positive Attitude Changeand Progress, NDYPACP,has said that the N807million approved lastweek by the Federal Gov-ernment for the trainingof 2,700 non- militant Ni-ger Delta youths in in-formation technologyand agriculture, wasmeager, compared to theamount budgeted for ex-militants.

Though, the groupcommended PresidentGoodluck Jonathan andMinister of Niger DeltaAffairs, Elder GodsdayOrubebe, the NationalPresident, Mr. Em-manuel Enisuo, notedthat ex-militants were notonly given training, butscholarship and opportu-nities all over the world.

curity due to the protest and height-ened tension.

According to the protesters, thedelegate list was allegedly alteredand large number of soldiers andpolice deployed to the venue to lockout original delegates for the poll.

PATRON’S DAY LECTURE: From right: Deputy Majority Leader, Federal House of Repre-sentatives, Hon. Leo Ogor; Secretary to Delta State Government, Comrade OvuozourieMacaulay and his wife, Stella, during a “Patron’s Day” Lecture in commemoration ofMacaulay’s birthday organised by the Isoko Grassroots Movement, in Ozoro, Delta State.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—13

JTF arrests Kelvin’s allies,kidnappers of Edo judge

BY SIMONEBEGBULEM

Journalists seek legislation to compel politicaloffice holders give account of their stewardship

Bayelsa’ll participate in funeralof First Lady’s mum —Dickson

BENIN—A twenty-two year-old self-

confessed member ofKelvin Onyiara’s kid-napping gang, Apkpe-vwe Richards (aka 2Mark), yesterday, saidthat the kidnap kingpin,who was arrested by se-curity agents last Sep-tember, had over 300trained abductorsspread across severalcells in the Niger Deltaregion.

Richards, who was pa-raded along other sus-pected criminals by menof the 4 Brigade/Sector1 Joint Task Force, Op-eration Pulo Shield, inBenin City, Edo State,confessed to being partof a cell that abductedEdo State High Courtjudge, Justice DanielOkungbowa, and wasalso involved in the kid-nap of a security expert,Ona Ekhomu and hiswife, Victoria.

The suspect, who wasarrested along with acache of arms and am-munition, a Prado jeep,which the 4 BrigadePublic Relations Officer,Capt Roselyn Managbe,said was identified byOkungbowa as his, aBMW car marked LagosGC 484 EKY, charms andother items, admitted tobeing recruited into thegang by one Rufus.

Captain Managbesaid: “In the efforts of 4Brigade/Sector 1 JointTask Force, OperationPulo Shield, NigerianArmy to combat crimewithin its area of respon-sibility, 19 Battaliontroops deployed at Koko-ri community in Ethiope

East Local GovernmentArea of Delta State, onOctober 18, 20134, fol-lowing a tip-off and adistress call about thekidnap of one Dr OnaEkhomu and his wife,Victoria, at Benin-AuchiRoad, at gunpoint in agun duel, arrested oneRichards.

“In the course of inves-tigation, the suspect,who hails from Okweira-ka Village, Kokori, Del-ta State, admitted to thecrime and revealed thathe and his accomplicescarried out an operationon Benin-Auchi Roadand kidnapped one DrOna Ekhomu and hiswife, who was rescuedunhurt by the Joint Task

Force.“The suspect also re-

vealed that he startedlife as a commercial mo-torcycle rider before go-ing into illegal oil bun-kering and later gradu-ated to kidnapping un-der the tutelage of Mr.Kelvin Onyiara, whowas arrested sometimein September 2013, bythe Joint Army and Di-rectorate of SecurityService, in Port-Har-court.”

Also paraded by themilitary anti-crime outfitwere three suspectedarms dealers, over al-leged trade in arms andone Kefas, for paradinghimself as a military per-sonnel.

BY SAMUELOYADONGHA

Y E N A G O A —BAYELSA State

governor, Mr. SeriakeDickson, yesterday, vis-ited Ambemebiri, Okri-ka, hometown of lateMrs. Charity Oba,mother of Dame PatienceJonathan, First Lady ofthe country, in OkrikaLocal Government Areaof Rivers State.

Dickson, according tohis Chief Press Secre-tary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, met and hadconsultations with thewife of the President aswell as assessed the lev-el of preparedness forthe funeral, slated forThursday and Friday,this week.

Dickson expressed sat-isfaction with the prep-arations and re-assuredthe bereaved family ofthe resolve of the gov-ernment and people ofBayelsa State to supportthem all the way in en-suring the success of thefuneral programme.

He promised to lead ahigh powered delega-tion of current and pastgovernors and deputygovernors, past and cur-rent members of the Na-tional Assembly from allthe Ijaw speaking areasof the country, Speakersand members of stateHouses of Assembly,members of State Exec-utive Councils, amongothers, to participate ful-ly in the funeral of lateMrs. Oba.

A SABA—MEDIApractitioners have

called for a legislation tocompel political officerholders, both electedand appointed, at all lev-els of governance, to beaccountable to the peo-ple.

Speaking at a two-dayworkshop organised bythe Delta State Govern-ment in collaborationwith United Nations De-velopment Programme,UNDP, media practition-ers drawn from both gov-ernment and private or-ganisations, said that

such a legislation wouldnot only give a sense ofbelonging to the citizen-ry, but put the officers ontheir toes as they wouldno longer see govern-ance as a private enter-prise.

In a statement after theworkshop, by Mr. AustinOgwuda, of Vanguard,Frank-Whyte Osabohienof Delta BroadcastingService, DBS, and Obi-akor Ebere of AIT, thejournalists advocated “alegislation to compelboth the elected and ap-pointed representatives

of the people at all lev-els of governance to beaccountable to the peo-ple through mandatoryperiodic presentation oftheir score cards. Suchaccount of stewardshipshould be subjected topublic scrutiny and themedia should exercisethe constitutional re-sponsibility of verifyingthe authenticity or oth-erwise of the claims byinvestigating the cost ofproject, quality of workand whether the con-tracts were awarded inline with due process.”

14—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

BY TONY EDIKE

Catholic church dismisses alleged slappingof priest by Ngige

BY ENYIM ENYIM

Confab: Why Nigeria stagnates, byIgbo leaders

Say nobody builds a superstructure on faulty foundation

AWKA—THE Catholic Diocese of Awka yesterday

denied reports by a section ofthe media that Senator ChrisNgige slapped a Reverend Fa-ther, Everistus Ezeokwenna atthe burial of the former Bishopof the Diocese,late PaulinusEzeoke.

Speaking at a news confer-ence at St. Patrick’s CatholicChurch, Awka, the AnambraState capital, the Chancellorof the Diocese, Rev. Fr.Chuddy Peter Akaenyi saidthat there was no iota of truthin such reports.

Akaenyi described as unfor-tunate, a situation wherebysuch rumour found spaces onthe pages of some newspapersas well as in the electronicmedia.

His words: “Senator ChrisNgige attended the funeral

ENUGU—IGBO leaders yesterday gave reasons why

Nigeria has continued to stag-nate both politically and eco-nomically, saying that ‘’no onebuilds a super structure on afaulty’’foundation.

According to them, “As a na-tion with enormous natural andhuman resources, Nigeria hasrefused to grow in line with theaspirations of her founding fa-thers.

Nigeria not working’’Nigeria is not working and

cannot work because it nowexists on a faulty foundation.The fundamental problem isstructural. It is therefore timeto review and fine-tune thebonds binding us as a nation,in preparation for the chal-lenges of a new global order,”Ohanaeze stated.

The people spoke when theNational Dialogue AdvisoryCommittee visited the SouthEast geopolitical zone inEnugu, noting that as a mat-ter of urgency the committeeshould send an executive billto the National Assembly toensure the legality and integ-rity of the proposed nationaldialogue.

Referendum

Leaders from the zone alsodemanded that the outcome ofthe conference should be sub-jected to a national referendumto enable it become the consti-

tution of the Federal Republicof Nigeria without any altera-tion.

Insist on equalrepresentation

They also insisted on equalrepresentation of the six geo-political zones by 60 delegateseach. The position of the zonewas articulated in a memoran-dum presented by OhanaezeNdigbo to thecommittee.

The memorandum wassigned by President Generalof the association, Chief GaryIgariwey, Secretary General,Dr Joe Nwaorgu, Ezeuzu

Awka, Obi Gibson Nwosu,former Senate President,former Senate President,Ken Nnamani, former gov-ernors, Okwesilieze Nwodoand Sam Egwu; Prof UkwuI. Ukwu, Chief MbazulikeAmechi and AmbassadorL.O.C. Agubuzo.

Among the issuesOhanaeze listed for discus-sion at the conference in-clude political structure ofthe country, forms of govern-ment, power of the tiers ofgovernment/devolution, rev-enue and fiscal federalism,derivation and distribution.On citizenship

Others are citizenshiprights, structure of the ArmedForces and other securityagencies to improve the se-curity of life and propertyownership by Nigerians, ju-dicature, population,census,religion and secularism aswell as place of traditionalrulers and institutions.

They then implored thecommittee to rise to the chal-lenges of true patriotism byensuring that the recommen-dations of the conferencewould lead to the realizationof the dreams of the found-ing fathers of the country.

Gov Chimelauds FGon nationalconfab

ENUGU—GOVERNOR Sullivan

Chime of Enugu State,has lauded the proposednational conference, say-ing it is capable of pro-moting unity among Ni-gerians.

Chime spoke when theNational Dialogue Advi-sory Committee paid hima courtesy visit inEnugu.

Represented by theSecretary to the StateGovernment, SSG, Mr.Amechi Okolo, the gov-ernor said that his ad-ministration was com-mitted towards ensuringpeaceful and fruitful na-tional dialogue.

“We applaud the es-sence of this exercisebecause we know it willjustify the continuedunity of our country,”Chime said.

Earlier, the Chairmanof the committee, Dr.Femi Okunroumu, saidthat the committee was inthe state for the processof consultation with allNigerians.

Okunroumu said thatthe visit would enablethe committee discussthe mode of operationsfor the conference withpeople of the state.

He said that the com-mittee was mandated toensure that the outcomeof the dialogue was peo-ple-oriented.

The committee, he said,has the mandate to dis-cuss all issues on theminds of the people.These range from howlarge the people expectsthe conference member-ship to be and how theywant delegates to be cho-sen.

He recalled that in thepast, government used tochoose delegates for con-ferences, but that itwould not be business asusual.

“The committee is heretoday for the process ofconsultations to discussthe mode of operation forthe conference.

“Such consultations arenecessary because thepresident wants it toemanate from the peopleand not to be imposed onthem. The president alsowants to show convinc-ing evidence that he hasno hidden agenda,rather, he has the inter-est of the people atheart,” he said.

ceremony of mother of ourbishop on the October 24, thisyear. He was among manyother dignitaries that gracedthe occasion and what I amhearing now is very strange tome. I was there and I did notsee what people are saying nowor writing in the press.

”I want to tell you that thereports that Senator Ngigeslapped a Reverend Father isabsolutely false and I repeat,absolutely false. Anybody orgroup of persons may decideto say anything to achieve any-thing. But we are not in poli-tics and nobody can use thechurch for any political inter-est.

”Three policemen were beingstopped by Father (Everistus)but some people in their rude-ness and desperation to enterthe place pushed the gate openand many people who were not

invited surged into theplace.

”The policemen thatpushed the gate open werenot attached to Ngige andthey did not even attack orslap the Rev. Father as al-leged.

The three police officerscame back and apologized tothe Father for being rude atthe gate. They apologized tohim one by one.”

He said that Ngige hadeven left the scene when thesaid incident happened andhe had to call Ngige back tothe venue to identifywhether the policemen werehis security details.

According to him, Ngigecame back andsaid that theywere not attached to him.Akaenyi stressed that thethree policemen forcefullyand rudely opened the gate

to the premises during theburial however, came withanother dignitary while theirmaster was entering theplace.

He pointed out that noCatholic priest would havegranted interview to thepress on the matter withoutpermission from the dioceseas reported in some of theprint and electronic media.

Speaking separately on thematter, Senator Ngige who isthe All Progressive Congress,APC governorship candidatesaid the report was the handi-work of APGA, which he saidwas "sinking and now look-ing for any straw to hold."

According to Ngige, itwould have been the heightof irresponsibility for a soldierof Christ like him to slap arepresentative of Jesus Christfor any reason.

SUMMIT: From left: National Coordinator, Traders' Rights Initiative, Mr. ChristopherOkpala, former Minister of Foriegn Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe and Dr. Okey Ikechukwu,at the South-East Economic Summit in Enugu.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 15

CMYK

16—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

Zamfara mulls mining law

Death toll in Yobe's Army, Boko Haramclash hits 128

THE varieties of demons that exist in Ni-

geria are an interesting mixagainst which we daily dobattle. There are malaria-causing, diarrhoea-inflictingand headache-distributingdemons. And, believe it ornot, some demons are spe-cialists in polio apportion-ment. Of course, enemiesare always around to directthe demons to the ‘right’persons. For the doubtingThomas, a night in my areawill do the same job thoseholes in Jesus’ palms andside did. On certain days ofthe week, ears are assault-ed by verbal wars againstdemons of unbelievablekinds and the enemies thatdirect them. Definitely, onFridays, kiss sleep farewell.

You still do not get me?The five churches in my areahave decided that the weap-ons of their warfare are car-nal. So public address sys-tems connected to creakyamplifiers are on maximum

Do they pray for Dangote?

BY OBOH AGBONKHESE ing and distribution. Just thatright now, he is the only rea-son all the churches in myarea should go into over-drivein battling demons. I will notmind one bit. This time, I willgladly supply the name of theoffending demon: electricity-sabotaging demon!

If the power project he isspearheading ‘makes sense,’a revolution would have start-ed. Ten kobo will begin to buylollypop again and my barber,who took another look at myhead and began to chargeN300 will repent. N300! InEgan! Where is that? Exactlythe point. Even the state gov-ernment does not know.Dangote must succeed. Thenew owners of privatisedPHCN? I do not trust them.Not yet.

But I doubt if these warriorsremember Dangote in theirprayers. They are too busy. Atthe camps that infest the La-gos-Ibadan Expressway,church workers sweep upused condoms the morningsafter vigils. Some fight anti-marriage demons, while oth-

ers move around in search ofmiracles. A sub-group are soconcerned about makingheaven, they destroy theearth. No wonder God keptthe location of the Garden ofEden secret.

‘Christian’ means Christ-fol-lower. And Jesus re-fired him-self by going up a mountainat intervals. Afterward, Hesimply speaks and all obey.Speak, not shout. He oncewent up the mountain withsome of His disciples. Whenthey saw how demons werereally taken care of, theyasked Jesus to allow them stayup there. Selfish demons!

I do not know Islam’s takeon demon bursting. I wouldhave to ask my colleague, Ish-ola Haroon Balogun, but makehim talk to me in English, hissmooth Arabic frightens me.

Meanwhile, my landladyhas cut down a vital source offree Vitamin C - a pawpawtree - close to my door. Theoffence? Demons gather onthe tree every night. Whilepawpaw demons caused hersleepless nights of bindingand casting, they were batsthat informed me of very fat,rich, yellow fruits ready forplucking!

It is just my opinion.

volume. Add the noise frompower generating sets to themix and you have to pitythese demons, because howthey manage to retain theiridentities in the din and con-fusion is a feat. They are con-stantly subjected to ‘kill,’‘die,’ ‘fire,’ and ‘redirect.’

Some nights, about two orthree of the churches, wheth-er by accident or design, gointo demon battles simulta-neously. That is when I pic-ture all the demons dying offfrom constant collision withone another, considering thebarrage of missiles from com-peting voices. But since thevigils still hold on schedule,the demons must be surviv-ing on the principle of fission:hit split-up, hit split-up. Noend. So the battles continue.

Meanwhile, the perceivedenemy has gone to hustle forthe day after a quiet one-on-one with God. But the war-riors must rest and preparefor another showdown or,when they go to work, per-form below capacity. AlikoDangote? I have not di-gressed at all.

To say Dangote is a won-derful and adventurous busi-nessman, is stating the obvi-ous. But no, he has not di-versified into demon packag-

When they saw how demons werereally taken care of, they askedJesus to allow them stay up there.Selfish demons! ,

,

L-r: Kabiru Rabiu, Group Executive Director, BUA Group; Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, Chairman, BUAGroup; Obafemi Oba Otudeko, Director, First Bank of Nigeria; Chief Oba Otudeko, Chairman, HoneywellFlour Mills, and Chief Arisekola Alao, at the conferment of an honourary degree on Abdulsamad Rabiuand Chief Oba Otudeko, during the fifth convocation of Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State

GUSAU—THE ZamfaraHouse of Assembly,

yesterday, said it would enact alaw to regulate mining activitiesin the state.

Secretary of the HouseCommittee on LocalGovernments and ChieftaincyAffairs, Yusuf Sabo, who said thisat a stakeholders meeting on leadpoisoning issues in Gusau,organised by Global Rights, anon-governmental organisation,noted that the lawmakers’concern followed the rampantcases of deaths caused by illegalmining in the state.

Sabo said that the House haddirected its committee onenvironment to liaise with other

stakeholders on the matter to getrelevant information for draftingthe proposed law.He expressed the readiness of thelegislature to partner with anyorganisation in efforts to draft thebill, stressing, “as legislators, wehave to protect the lives of thepeople we are representing.Although it is the duty of theFederal Government to regulatemining, but as legislators in thestate, we can formulate a law thatwould guide mining operations.”

Sabo, however, commended theFederal Government and theZamfara Government for carryingout environmental remediation inareas of the state that were affectedby lead poison.

KANO —GOVERNORRabiu Kwankaso of Kano

State, yesterday, said the stategovernment would establish1,452 post-literacy learningcentres for graduands of the firstbatch of its basic literacyprogramme.

Kwankwaso, represented by his

deputy, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje,made this known at the 2013International Literacy Day at theGovernment House, Kano.

He said his administration’sprogrammes in the areas ofadult literacy and non-formaleducation programmes were allgeared towards eradicating allforms of literacy in the state.The governor who said the stategovernment would also enrol403,700 learners of basic literacyin the state, added, “There is noway meaningful developmentcan take place in the face ofilliteracy.”

Supervising Minister forEducation, Mr Nyesom Wike,in his comment said the FederalGovernment was committed toaddressing the low literacy rateand its negative implication inthe country.

Wike, who was represented byHajiya Aishatu Bello, saidgovernment’s literacy initiativeswas in line with the nationaldevelopment target. Hecommended the state governorfor his giant strides in theeducation sector.

Kano to build 1450 learning centres

THE number of those whodied in weekend’s clash

between the military and Islamicmilitants has been put at 128.Military and hospital reportssaid, yesterday, that the five-hour-long battle between BokoHaram extremists and troops inYobe State killed at least 95militants, 23 soldiers and eightpolice officers.

Last Monday, 35 bodies inmilitary uniform were reportedlybrought to a morgue inDamaturu after a coordinatedassault by Boko Haram targetingthe security forces, a hospitalsource said.

Police and residents said largenumbers of Boko Haram fighters,some in vehicles and some onfoot, stormed Damaturu afterdark. Armed with guns andexplosives, they attacked andtorched four police buildings,sparking a fierce, hours-long gunbattle with the security forces.Extremists reportedly set ablazefour police command posts and

an army barracks where theylooted vehicles and weapons.Police and witnesses said at leasttwo civilians died — a manbelieved killed by the insurgentsand a civil servant shot by soldiersfor breaking the curfew.Last Friday, the Joint Task Force,JTF, clashed with Boko Harammilitants in Borno and Yobe statesleaving 95 militants dead, themilitary said.Heavy gun battle continuedthroughout the weekend as theJTF troops attacked the militantsin different locations aroundMaiduguri and Damaturu, two

strongholds of the deadly sectsince 2009.This development came on theheels of security reports that theBoko Haram sect was planninga massive counter-attack onstrategic economic interests andJTF positions in the North east. Also last Thursday, troopskilled 74 members of BokoHaram in an air and groundassault, the military said onFriday,. The offensive onThursday targeted Boko Haramcamps in the remote villages ofGalangi and Lawanti in Bornostate..

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—————1717171717

, ,

OPINION

Why Stella may get hergroove back

“It is better to escape with difficultythan to be caught with difficulty.” -Hausa Proverb.

A 1998 movie titled "How Stella GotHer Groove Back", adapted from

Terry Sullivan’s bestselling novel of thesame title was a huge success. It wasabout a married, successful woman whowent on a vacation alone and then fellin love with a much younger man. Thegripping drama showed the womanstruggling between submitting to herdesire for love and companionship andresponsibilities to her family and career.She made difficult decisions whichallowed her to rediscover her prioritiesand core loyalties in the end. That washow she got her groove back.

I am being reminded of that movie bythe events around the Minister of Avia-tion, Mrs Stella Oduah. Our own Stellais going through her own personal crisisand could quite possibly get her grooveback as well. This Stella has many thingsgoing for her, and it is not so much aquestion of what choices she makes nowin the context of the crisis, but how otherfactors influence the outcome of her cri-sis.

The story of the two bullet-proof vehi-cles allegedly bought at highly inflatedprices without following prescribed ex-penditure guidelines, using funds froman agency of the Ministry, violating de-cisions of the national assembly, threat-

ening to end careers of a few civil ser-vants, agitating anti-corruption activistsand mobilizing the Minister’s kith andkin to defend her are all too familiar toNigerians. The President was reportedlyangered and embarrassed by revelationsinvolving a Minister he is particularlyclose to. A powerful panel of three wasset up to investigate, before bothPresident and Minister Oduah travelledto Jerusalem to pray for peace and goodgovernance for Nigeria.

The public, meanwhile, has been dai-ly regaled by new ‘facts’ and discover-ies, including the outpourings of an en-raged legislative committee. Now thatMr President, Stella Oduah and a mem-ber of the three person investigationpanel, the National Security Adviser areback, perhaps the investigations, at leastfrom the executive arm, could commence.But it is safe to caution Nigerians not toexpect too much out of all this heat. This

Stella too could get her groove back.This is not an administration with a

distinguished record for going againstloyalists, and this Stella has earned herstripes of loyalty in more ways than eventhe administration can reveal. The Pres-ident had sacked Ministers identifiedas having conflicting interests; or fail-ing to curb insurgencies, or botching aninterest in a youth organisation; or beingnominees of rebellious PDP titans. Buthe has not touched Ministers and otherpowerful officials who sit over gapingholes in revenues from oil and gas re-sources, or the management of our econ-

omy. The pension and fuel subsidyscams are scandalous not just by theirsheer scale and audacity, but by the factthat it is conceivable that powerful in-terests behind them are yet untouched.

It must be a new low we have struckas a nation, when the President will aska former Head of the Civil Service ofthe Federation, the National SecurityAdviser and a military officer to investi-gate allegations that a minister pur-chased two vehicles illegally.

The President only needs to call in theDG of BPE, the Permanent Secretary ofthe Ministry and his Director of Financeand head of Internal Audit, the Auditor-General of the Federation and the CEOof NCAA and his officials if he reallyneeds to get personally involved in theinvestigation, because Stella Oduah isno ordinary Minister. In one sitting, hewould have all the facts around this pur-chase. Better still, he could direct a dis-

creet investigation if he wanted to putsome distance between him and the in-vestigation, and he will still have all thefacts.

As the investigation panel gets readyto sit down, it should brace itself forsome possible surprises. It could hearthat the Minister had nothing whatso-ever to do with the purchases. She couldclaim that everything was done byofficials below her. Documents can gomissing so much so that there will beno evidence at all that the vehicles werepurchased with the approval or consentof the Minister.

Different documents can surface thatcontradict each other to the point whereserious doubts will be cast on every el-ement of the transaction, particularlycost and purchase transactions. Officialswill swear and deny roles and blameother officials without supporting docu-mentary evidence. In fact, the commit-tee could come across evidence that

there were no bullet-proof vehiclesbought for the use of the minister at all.Monies will still be in accounts, intact.Enemies and mischievous civil servantsand spokesmen will be blamed for cre-ating an elaborate falsehood.

The National Assembly will huff andpuff, but it will be stymied by the sametactics. Its integrity will be stretched andchallenged by a stonewalling strategywhich will only allow it to recommendthat the President sacks Mrs Oduah anda few public officials. He won’t, if he isnot convinced that it is in his best interest.There are others just within reach withthe same sentence, still waxing stronger.

This is a very bad time for the Presi-dent to lose proven loyalists. Mrs Odu-ah may quite possibly have crossed afew lines, but there will be many in theinner caucus of the Presidency watchingvery closely to see where the Presidentwill draw his own line. With oppositionbuffeting the ship and political sharksswirling around at the smell of blood,would the purchase of two vehicles, oreven an entire fleet by Mrs Oduah justifyher sack?

Intolerance againstcorruption

What will the President gain by sack-ing her? Will it improve his record forintolerance against corruption? Will itmake other Ministers and governmentofficials sit up and take notice of a newregime in place at the Villa? Will he sackher over vehicles when her cheerlead-ers say she had done well, in spite ofrecent air crashes? Will he sack her andrisk losing a trusted ally who may becentral to the harvest of a necessary warchest for the 2015 elections? Will he sackher and risk the ire and support fromher and kith and kin who will think thathe is playing to the wrong gallery?

It will be comforting to say that the caseof Mrs Stella Oduah will test the Presi-dent’s commitment to accountability andintegrity of political office holders. Butthe administration’s record in dealingwith breaches at the highest levels byloyalists is not exactly enviable. Loyaltyhas been a major currency in this ad-ministration. Loyalty, that is, of thePresident to valued allies such asAlamieyeseigha, or loyalty to thePresident by Ministers and seniorofficials.

It will be difficult for the President toreplace a loyal ally such as Stella Odu-ah at this time when he needs loyaltymore than any time. For this reason, thisStella may get her groove back with afew bruises. But then, again, the Presi-dent could surprise the nation.

BY ISRAEL UMOH

THE props are ready. The stage is set. The organisers areworking round the clock. Major participants are

engrossed to the rituals of rehearsal. Not long from now,the main event debuting the sixth edition of this year’s AkwaIbom Government 9,999 Christmas Carol Night will unfoldin a more grand scale that many may perceive to be betterthan the previous editions.

The carol night which forms a common platform inbringing different choir groups, gospel artistes, preachersand tourists both locally and internationally is a signaturetune to commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ duringthe yuletide season and thanking God Almighty for Hislove and mercy to Akwa Ibom people and government overthe year. A pet child of Akwa Ibom Governor, Chief GodswillAkpabio, the event offers a blend of unique vocal and digitalrendition of medley and lyrics as well as a repository ofcolourful visual decorations, dances, costumes and lightingeffects. It creates ambience and solemnity among theaudience.

Unlike the previous editions of the glamorous event, thisyear ’s edition will be a showpiece of talented andexceptionally gifted gospel singers spiced with other sideattractions. The Director of Protocol to the Governor, Mr.Aniekpeno Mkpanang gave an insight to the vivaciousevent. “We have raised a 200-man band Ibom Choral and

Orchestra comprising a 100-man classical mass choir, a50-man orchestra choir, 35 singers, 10 instrumentalists and10 lead singers. We have also raised Akwa Ibom Voices tosing as ensemble comprising Aity Dennis Inyang, PastorGoody Goody, Folake Umosen, Linda Etukudoh, Fadabasi,Freke Umoh and Nathaniel Bassey. They would have back-ups,” he hinted.

Music stars of national and international reckoning arealso billed to perform during the carol night. For instance,Israel Houghton, a US internationally recognised worshipleader, recording artiste, song writer, producer and a five-time Grammy Award winner and Lionel Peterson, a worldrenowned South African Gospel legend, famous for megagospel hit -’Jabulani Africa’ will sing at the event.

Others are Sinach, an international worship leader ofPastor Chris Oyakhilome’s Believers Love-WorldIncorporated, also known as Christ Embassy International,notable for over 200 songs such as "Awesome God", "Moreof You" and "From Glory to Glory", among others; FrankEdwards, a Nigerian exceptional, versatile and multipleaward-winning gospel rock artiste and one of the musicambassadors of Christ Embassy International Church,known for such hit singles as “You too dey bless me” and

“Omemma”, among others as well as St. Kitts and NevisNational Mass Choir.

Beyond the music and razzmatazz, the yearly event issignificant in many ways, particularly as a spiritual bloodtonic, good governance booster, Christian life support,revenue fibre and “Gilgal of Nigeria”, elixir to Akwa Ibompeople and Nigerians as a whole. One, the event helps toopen up the State to first–time visitors to behold theuncommon transformation ably exemplified by theAkpabio administration in the last six years and five months.

Before now, some people had argued that much revenueallocation was given to the South-South region, yet manyinfrastructure were not executed to justify the huge amount.The Akpabio administration has turned the negativeperception to superlative performance through executionof high quality, people-oriented projects.

Two, the event is a remarkable celebration of Akwa Ibomnow nick named the “Gilgal of Nigeria”, thus re-enactingthe era of the biblical Gilgal in ancient Israel where peopleresorted to for solutions.

Continues tomorrow on pg 18

Heralding A'Ibom Govt Christmas Carol Night

Stella Oduah

*Mr. Umoh , a commentator on national issues,wrotefrom uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

This is not an administration with a distinguishedrecord for going against loyalists, and this Stella hasearned her stripes of loyalty in more ways than eventhe administration can reveal

OPINION

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

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

BY BOBSON GBINIJE

“Father, let me be able to fulfill theexpectations Of my friends and disappoint the hopes ofmy enemies.” - Abraham Lincoln

LIKE Zeus on Mount Olympus, Nigerianswere transported with celestial joy and

they soared on the wings of ecstatic delight,following the eight wonder world visit of thethen President Bill Clinton of America. EveryNigerian, especially those in the FederalCapital Territory rose to the occasion withzealotry and patriotism. By everyconventional and accepted canon ofdiplomacy and international relations, itwas a huge success.But what made it a more consummatesuccess was the vote of thanks delivered byAlhaji Ghali Na’Abba, the then Speaker ofthe House of Representatives. Bill Clintoncharacteristically delivered a very powerfulspeech in which he took a cross sampleanalysis and an encyclopedic overview ofNigeria’s problems, touching on our mutualinterest as democratic nations, the need foreconomic symbiosis and our commonhumanity.He said: “You have begun to walk the longroad to repair the wrongs and errors of thepast and build bridges for a better future.The road is harder and the rewards areslower than all hoped it would be when youbegan. But what is most important is thattoday you are moving forward. And I amhere because your fight for democracy andhuman rights, for equity and economicgrowth, for peace and tolerance, your fight

P P P P Politicians and the dearoliticians and the dearoliticians and the dearoliticians and the dearoliticians and the dearth of oratth of oratth of oratth of oratth of oratorical deorical deorical deorical deorical dextxtxtxtxterityerityerityerityerityis America’s fight and the world’s fight”. Thiswas most reassuring, as it drew a thunderousapplause from the House.Mr. Clinton felt the pulses in our social,religious, historical, political and culturallife as a people. His speech was all-embracing and omni-directional. On unity,cultural diversity and religious schisms hesaid: “Your religious diversity and yourethnic diversity is –a great opportunity if wecan find unity in our common humanity, ifwe can learn not only to tolerate ourdifferences, but actually to celebrate ourdifferences,… if we are torn by ourdifference, then we become less than the sumof our parts.”His speech was a magnum opus and averitable tour de force, delivered in classicalcadence, aplomb style and laced withgesticulative theatrics and the brilliance ofdiction. An earlier welcome address read bythe then Senate President-Anyim Pius Anyim– though terse and illuminating- lackedgrandeur. If Okadigbo,Ojukwu,BolaIge,Okereke, Wole Soyinka and ProfessorOpubor were here, I had lamented.Definitely, the then President Obasanjo is nota very fine speaker, but he can make hispoints clear. On that occasion we needed menwho possessed the gift of the garb likeAnyaoku, Ojukwu, Bola Ige, ProfessorOpubor, Zik, Tafawa Balewa, etc.Then came the moment of glory for thespeaker of the House of Representatives,Na’Abba to move a vote of thanks. I was

jittery initially. But he started beautifully well.His style was chameleonic, but the rhythmwas there. It was a blend of Fabian dictionand encyclopedic poetry. I leapt from myseat, shouting Hallelujah, Hallelujah, andHallelujah that God provided us withNa’Abba on that very day.He started with vulpine proclivities by givinga personal eulogy on Bill Clinton. He said:“It is common knowledge that PresidentClinton is highly revered and respected bymany democrats all over the world. Your visithere has afforded all Nigerians and indeedmembers of our legislature the opportunityto tell and demonstrate how much we loveand respect you. Never in Nigeria’s recenthistory has the visit of a foreign head of stateattracted the interest of Nigerians all overthe country”. This of course, is the truth,Na’Abba took the opportunity to solicit forthe assistance of the American Governmentin encouraging and defending our inchoateand nascent democracy. He pleaded thatNigeria and America could work to upliftthe dignity of man, uphold democracyvalues, promote trade and investment,enhance science and technology, and makeour society a better place to live in. He spokelike Cicero.His oratorical dexterity drew moltenmagma from the crater of a passive volcano.The thunderous and clamorous plaudit fromthe applauding multitude shook theNational Assembly from turret top tofoundation stone. It was a splendid

demonstration of the power of the word.He took a swipe on the excesses of theexecutive. He gored and tossed the executiveson the horns of a political dilemma. He said:“We must learn to respect and strictly adhereto the principles of separation of powers asenshrined in the constitution and give eacharm of government its due constitutionalrights. A situation where the legislative armis glaringly denied the exercise of itsconstitutionally-guaranteed oversightfunctions, and in effect therefore, beingemasculated with a view to the whims andcaprices of the executive, is not onlydisturbing but portends great dangers forour young democracy”.His argument was methodical, hisdeductions self-evident and his applicationstriking and most effective. His thinking wasvery incisive, his appraisal realistic andjudgement decisive. It struck a chord in theintuitive perception, it heightened theintellect and the creative zeal andsynchronized thought pattern.We give then and now great plaudit andhonour to Alhaji Ghali Na’Abba forrekindling the glory of diction and oratorywhich has become a scarce commodity inour present breed of politicians.God Bless Na’Abba.

Odimegwu’s NPCcontroversial exit

WHEN Mr. Eze Festus Odimegwu was appointed in June last year as the

Chairman of the National Population Com-mission (NPC), it was received in severalquarters with mixed feelings. Those whoknew him as a first class brain and systemreformer applauded President GoodluckJonathan’s choice, saying for once Niger-ia was going to get it right in ensuring acredible demographic database for plan-ning and development.

Odimegwu’s tenure at the Nigerian Brew-eries PLC saw a speedy turnaround of alegacy factory that was almost on its kneeswhen he was appointed. But at the sametime, the master brewer allowed his dizzy-ing success to become his undoing, as heexhibits a lot of indiscretion and lack ofself-restraint. It was with this trait that heplunged into the murky world of politicsand was forced to leave his coveted posi-tion at the NB PLC.

No sooner had he taken over the mantleof leadership at the NPC than he made acostly public statement condemning thepopulation census of 2006, saying Nigeria

has never had any credible census. Hemade other allegations that required morematured handling. As population and cen-sus matters carry a heavy political capitalin Nigeria, it was easy for Northern politi-cians to read meanings into his utterancesand go on a warpath with the Federal Gov-ernment.

In fact, Governor of Kano State, Dr. Rab-iu Kwankwaso, visited the President anddemanded the sack of Odimegwu. ThePresidency was forced to issue the NPCChairman a humiliating query. It did notcome as a surprise when on October 16ththe Federal Government announced theresignation of Odimegwu and its accept-ance by the Presidency.

Odimegwu ought to have known that cen-sus, particularly the episode of 1962/63,was a precursor of the political crises thatled to the military coups and the Biafra-Nigerian war. It is an extremely sensitivematter, which is why traditionally, heads ofthe Population Commission were rarelyheard or seen and often only spoke to thepublic with prepared speeches.

Odimegwu could have corrected what hesaw as the flaws of the system without rais-ing the dust that led to his downfall. It wasnot as if Nigerians did not know that some-thing was wrong with our census or thatOdimegwu lied.

To a wise person there are many thingsbetter left unsaid, at least publicly, and cen-sus matters in Nigeria fall into this catego-ry.

We urge the Presidency to ensure thatOdimegwu’s successor is a person with theiron will to correct the wrongs of the sys-tem and the patriotism to give Nigeria in2016 a census that will help us to plan forthe progress and development of our na-tion.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—————1919191919

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CMYK

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,THEY are extremely ambitious

and determined. They alsowield enormous powers and arewithout the shred of a doubt themost influential clique ofPresident Goodluck Jonathan’skitchen cabinet. Should thePresident’s term in office end today,the collective actions of thesewomen would in a sense determinehistory’s verdict on his presidency-a failed presidency of corruptpower abusers. I am talking of thewomen in the President’s life, aclose-knit unit of blood andpolitical relatives, including hiswife, his mother and three of hisown ministers- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Diezeani Allison-Madueke and Stella Oduah. Theleast troublesome of this powerfulquintet but whose ‘innocent’actions are no less distracting, ifnot diminishing for the President,is his mother. Witness her recentdonation of hostels to a universitybeing constructed in hercommunity. An obviouslymagnanimous act in a countrywhere students often live inhabitations that are better suitedto beasts and other lower creatures

Goodluck Jonathan’s women (1)Goodluck Jonathan’s women (1)Goodluck Jonathan’s women (1)Goodluck Jonathan’s women (1)Goodluck Jonathan’s women (1)of the animal kingdom but whichnonetheless raises fundamentalquestions as to the financialsource of the ‘first’ mother’s kindlygesture.

Where does an elderly lady neverknown for any act of publicphilanthropy get the financialmuscle to embark on her suddenact of charity? Knowing howpublic funds are so often put intoprivate ends, how many Nigerianssincerely believe the President’smother was, in fact, spendingmoney made from the sweat of herpersonal labour? Which is to saythat some acts of kindness raisenagging moral issues that are noteasily resolved by the apparentaltruism that motivated them.

But the President’s mother is justa ‘Sweet Mother’ in the typicalNigerian sense, a mother enjoyingthe privilege that comes with herson’s success. She has notobviously set out to offendNigerians’ sense of propriety in themanner the President’s wife sooften does. Patience’s case isbeyond ‘brief case’, to put it in aFelaic parlance. Thank God thebacklash from the crisis she cooked

between her husband and herstate’s governor, Rotimi Amaechi,seems to have left her a littlechastened and relatively quiet onthe national scene, it has notstopped her exporting her peculiarsense of power, privilege andpolitical insensitivity beyond theNigerian shores as with heraccepting an honourary doctoratefor God knows what from auniversity in South Korea at a timeNigerian universities have beenunder lock for well over a semesterof an academic calendarfollowing a lingering crisis in theeducation sector.

The kind of award Mrs.Jonathan got often come

with heavy financial and materialdonations to the awardinginstitution and we can guess, asNigerians, who would be pickingon her behalf the bill for suchexecrable expenditure. Nigeriansknow too much of Mrs. Jonathan’snoisy foibles to detain us here.Talking about it very often givesome the misleading impressionthere might be something personal

with criticizing her. But maybethere is. For what can be morepersonal than speaking truth tocorrupt power; the appropriationand privatisation of power andmisuse of public funds at a timethe vast majority of Nigerianswallow in squalor?

But beyond the domestic femaleencumbrances on the President isthe ‘peculiar mess’ of three of hisfemale ministers who seem to becourting controversy in a mannerthat leaves one wondering if theyare presidential agentprovocateurs at a time thePresident can do with lesscontroversy.

It was ex-President OlusegunObasanjo who in recent memoryfirst made a conscious attempt tobring women into government ina way that has made some of themvery prominent names in thecountry’s politics. Obasanjo didn’tonly want to give women aprominent face in governance, heknew where to bring out the bestin them. He went out of his way tosniff them out wherever they couldbe found. Space would not permitone to list the number of womenthat were products of the Obasanjoyears and how well theydischarged their remit. But thelikes of Dora Akunyili, ObyEzekwesili and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala owed their prominencetoday to their time in the Obasanjoteam. But that era, despite some ofits controversies as to the trueworth of the role of these women,now looks like the golden age ofwomen participation in publicservice.

What we see today are self-aggrandizing females who seemperpetually concerned withthrowing their weight aroundwithout any obvious achievement

to their names. Not even Okonjo-Iweala whose double designationas Minister of Finance andCoordinating Minister of theEconomy, whatever that means,can point to what positive role hercontinued stay in government hasachieved for Nigerians. Okonjo-Iweala’s intervention in thenegotiation between ASUU andGovernment brought the talks toa halt. Her so-called ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ role in that episode is nowclouded in infamy as was her roleduring the fuel crisis in January2012.

She seems determined to portrayherself as a lackey of foreignfinancial institutions thatspecialise in ramming down bitterpills down Nigerian throats. Butwe all remember how shenegotiated her own dollar-denominated salary when shejoined government. Some of ussupported this as we thought it wasan honest way not to land in thecorruption bog that snaresNigerian public servants. I deploreany attempt, as claimed by theMinister ’s spokesman, PaulNwabuiku, to incitefundamentalists against her. I’m,however, slow to believe this as Iam of the nonsense that StellaOduah’s alleged purchase offanciful armoured vehicles, her so-called travails, was the handiworkof ‘political enemies’. But if claimsof Iweala’s role in the ASUU affairis true, then she is one with thecowardly fundamentalists who areopposed to what they call Westerneducation and its corruptinginfluence. The difference is in theirmotive. They are anarchists whohate Westerners. She probably,simply, doesn’t see the need whyNigerians should have universitiesor a good public education system.

•Mr Okanlawon is Director, Bureau ofCommunications and Strategy, Office ofthe Governor, Osogbo, Osun State.

WITHIN a period of five days, theVanguard newspaper turned its

attention to Osun, South-West Nigeria inwhat is supposed to be its duty to educateand inform the public. Its editorialof Friday, October 18, 2013, focused on theongoing innovative reforms in the educa-tion sector in the state. That of Tuesday Oc-tober 22, 2013, titled “Curbing government,churches showdowns” dwelt on what it cap-tured in its words, as “an alarming increasein crisis of confidence between the state gov-ernments and religious organisations.”

These two editorials have done more thanmaking commentaries on a governmentpolicy. They went out too far in their judge-mental nature premised on wrong observa-tions and assumptions.The ongoing education reform in the stateis tailor-made to suit the best desire of thecurrent administration to produce the totalman from the current generation of innocentchildren whose future had earlier beenmortgaged through neglect whichculminated in the decay of unimaginabledimension.

It is on record that the school reform is aholistic exercise arrived at after wideconsultations with all stakeholders, boththose who run the education and to thosethe policies are targeted.

It was after the consultations culminatingin an education summit in 2011, which waschaired by the Nobel laureate, ProfessorWole Soyinka, that the implementationbegan.

The programmes have gone far with hugebeneficial effects to both students andparents. That some people expressed theirstrong feelings over the process of re-classifying the schools means people arewell acquainted with government’sprogrammes in the first place. Then, the greyareas, if any, have been sorted out in a win-

Re-Osun education rumpus etcBY SEMIU OKANLAWON win situation.

But a situation in which ill-informed mindsfabricate outright lies, spew falsehood andturn facts on their heads in blind disregardto truth of the situation as captured in thesaid editorial must be discouraged.In the first instance, the re-classification doesnot include merger of public and missionaryschools. The merger only affects schoolssolely funded and run by the government.Anyone with a contrary information andexample can bring out for the world to see.And these schools, whether they bearChristian or Islamic names, were those onestaken over by government since 1975through the recommendations of theEbenezer Asabia Commission, which alsorecommended the owners be paid handsomecompensations.

For example, while Baptist High School,Iwo is one of the schools taken over since1975, the Baptist had founded anotherAipate Baptist Church Grammar School,also in Iwo which is run by the missionaryand so does not fall within the school re-classification scheme. The erroneous beliefis that the name of a school tells its owner.This is far from the truth. So, no publicschool is earmarked for merger with anymissionary school.The editorial alleged that the reform woulddeprive Christians of many schools as wellas pitch Christians against Muslims. Onewonders how this could be so whengovernment has not and will not trespass onschools owned and run by missionaryorganisations. Hence, it is an error of judge-ment to say merger would deprive Chris-tians or Muslims of their schools when gov-ernment only busies itself with making pub-lic schools more functional.To say that this policy would pitchChristians against Muslims amounts tohasty judgement lacking merit.In Osun, every religion is allowed to express

itself without let or hindrance as enshrinedin the 1999 Constitution of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria. How then does thispitch one religion against the other?When this government commenced the firstmost grand, colourful celebration ofChristian festivals in Osun and supportedthe burial of one of the leading lights ofChristianity in Nigeria in person of the lateProphet T.O Obadare, were Christians pittedagainst Muslims? When this governmentdecided to build the Open Arena in Ileshafor Christians’ interdenominationalservices, which would accommodate morethan 200, 000 worshippers, were Muslimsand Christians pitted against themselves?

What Vanguard should ratherenunciate and celebrate is how a

Governor has promoted fairness amongpeople of all faiths to a new height that isworthy of emulation by all lovers of peaceand justice.We feel that what we need is understandingand tolerance not under-estimation andutterances that are capable of stokingembers of resentment, bitterness, dislike,hatred and antipathy among diverse peoplesand religions.The reasoning that single school uniformruns counter to pride and distinction ofmultiple uniforms also testifies to the hastyconclusion which underpinned the write-ups.

For the avoidance of doubt, rather than asingle uniform, public schools in Osun havethree different uniforms according to theclassification of the schools. There is aunified uniform for the Elementary Schools,another unified uniform for Middle Schools

and yet another one for the High Schools.Besides, government also factored business,productivity and employment into thisschool uniform scheme. Thus, the materialsfor the uniform (batik) were sourced,produced and sewn within the state.

The demand in the locally made materialhas shot up production of the material, whilethe sowing has brought about theestablishment of the Omoluabi GarmentFactory, managed by an indigenousuniform designer, Sam & Sara. OmoluabiGarment Factory has created employmentfor over 3, 000 youths in the state today withapparent capacities for expansions in thefuture.

The claim that students now pass

What we seetoday are femaleswho seem perpetu-ally concernedwith throwingtheir weightaround withoutany obviousachievement totheir names

through a tough time going to school addedto the fallacies of the editorial.Government has not placed any extraburden on the students because their schoolsare in their neighbourhood. And that is why,to avoid such burden, government left theschools in the rural areas out of the re-classification exercise. So, wither the truthin all the claims alleged in the editorial?Finally, we must restate the fact that the RaufAregbesola administration is not averse tocriticisms. However, we are of the opinionthat such must be based on facts lest areputable paper unwittingly serves theparochial interests of those who for thehungry search for power, want to paint whatis a laudable and well-thought-outprogramme in bad light.

What we need is understanding not under-estimation and utterances that are capableof stoking embers of resentment and antipa-thy among diverse peoples and religions

20—Vanguard,20—Vanguard,20—Vanguard,20—Vanguard,20—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30,,,,, 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013

I HAVE this tendency to stumble onmedical emergencies outside the

hospital setting. In 1996, I compiledmany such incidents in an article titled" Fight or Flight - The Good Samaritan"in a UK medical journal.

Talking about "flight", an incidentoccurred recently in the arrival hall ofour Murtala Mohammed Airport.

As we disembarked we were slappedin the face by a tremendous thick humidheat. Midway down the long corridor, Iobserved an middle-aged lady sweatingas we headed towards the non workingescalator into the Immigration Hall.

I helped her down the steps with herbag.

With that sense of duty typical ofdoctors, I observed her in the BaggageHall, where to our dismay, the conveyorbelt had failed. Bags were beingdelivered by hand.

Pandemonium soon ensued.Megaphones blared out passengernames whilst the same passengersyelled asking whose name was called.

In the cacophony of chaos I'd lost sightof my lady passenger.

A crowd had gathered beside thesecond ( also non functioning ) conveyorbelt. "What's going over there?" I askedan orderly.

"A woman has fainted, sir".Getting through the crowd without a

Airport collapsewhite coat or stethoscope wasimpossible.

Calls of "Let me through" "Im a doctor"fell on deaf ears.

Instead I heard : " She's sick" "Maybeits AIDS" and "Where's the airport clinic?"

Someone said "The woman hascollapsed."

Someone added "The whole airporthas collapsed. I quickly improvised.

"Yea Auntie.." I yelled, so loud, theentire Hall froze for a moment. " Help!Let me see my Auntie, O!!"

It was like Moses parting the Red Sea.I found her flat on her back."Are you all right?" I asked. She did

not respond but was breathing.Her wrist pulse was weak and faint."Please give me a hand." I requested

help to place her on her side and Iopened out her airway.

We then lifted her legs up on a chairto increase venous return of blood to herheart.

After a few minutes of fanning with anewspaper, she began to mumble somewords.

In this authoritative role I was able todisperse the onlookers and assure themthe woman will be fine.

The rest, as the cliche goes, is history. I shall now explain the probable cause

of this woman's close call to thechequered flag of life's Formula One

race and whyI haved e d i c a t e dtoday's articleto thisincident.

H e r

problems began as she stepped out ofthe cold cabin air into the hot humidityof the airport corridors. Without airconditioning, the temperature changeprobably caused her blood vessels tovasodilate to get rid of the excess bodyheat.

Blood vessels tend to tighten up(vasoconstrict) in cold temperatures topreserve our body heat. That is howfrostbite develops.

It was not the hot air per se, but theTRANSITION from cold to hot air, afterbeing immobile for many hours, thatprobably precipitated her collapse.

With non functioning escalator andconveyor belts and the presence ofunderlying illness and medications (shewas on anti hypertensives), climatecontrol in the airport is NOT a luxury,but an absolute necessity.

Despite the pleasantries of mostimmigration, customs, baggagehandlers and airport staff, returninghome through Murtala MohammedAirport remains stressful sometimes,

and may carry some not insignificanthealth challenges.

Why this article and why now?On Friday October 25th 2013, I read

this on three different channels on TV:"A former MD of the Nigerian Civil

Aviation Agency,........., has stated thatthe Agency spent N643 million onSECURITY and UTILITY VEHICLES in2013"

I started to wonder how much it coststo keep an escalator working, to get abelt to rotate continuously around a balland cogwheels, and to have a box ofice blow cold air out of a few holes.

Its not rocket science.But what do Iknow?I am just a humble doctor.

•Dr. Femi Ogunyemi, FRCA,FWACS, is a member of the British PainSociety, American Pain Society, theNorth American NeuromodulationSociety and the Aerospace MedicalAssociation. He is a Diplomate of theAmerican Academy of PainManagement and a Fellow in PainMedicine from Emory University.

WANT to live long? Want to share in the secret ofthose who live to a ripe old age?With a bit of luck and thesesimple health tips, you couldachieve such goal.STRESS LESS - There’sevidence that learningrelaxation techniques early onis crucial. A diet rich in fruitsand vegetables is also crucial,as is laughing: It releasesendorphins in the body that actas natural stress busters. Plus,a good laugh gives your heartmuscle a workout.EAT LESS - Recent research inhumans has linked calorierestriction to lower incidencesof age-related health problems,including cardiovasculardisease, diabetes andAlzheimer’s.Keep in mind that calorierestriction is an easy diet to dounsafely, however. Start bylimiting simple sugars andflours, and pack your mealswith dark leafy greens andother vegetables.OPT FOR HERBALREMEDIES - Herbs haveimpressive abilities to heal.They can alleviate high bloodpressure, stimulate the nervoussystem, destroy germs andboost the immune system.Something as simple as greentea can help improve yourimmunity and your health.MAKE FRIENDS - Studiesshow that people with strongfriendships tend to have morerobust immune systems and areless likely to succumb toinfectious diseases. Strike up

at least two conversations everyday with someone you haven’ttalked to before. And aim tolisten more than you speak; themore airtime you givesomeone, the more generoushe or she will be with personaldetails.STAY Ph BALANCED -According to somepractitioners of alternativemedicine, the body is healthiestwhen its systems arefunctioning midway betweencompletely acidic andcompletely alkaline (i.e., pHbalanced). When pH levels fallbelow that midpoint, the bodysuffers from a condition calledacidosis, which even in minor

Secrets of people who live long

• A good night’s sleep is essential for health because it boosts immune function.

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

NAFDAC tasked on safermedicines

stress, sleep loss has adegenerative effect on yourhealth, and lack of sleep is tiedto compromised immune

cases can cause fatigue, rapidbreathing, stomach problemsand confusion.EAT GARLIC - Garlic can actas a powerful antioxidant andantibiotic, as well as cut theduration and the number ofcolds you catch.In addition, garlic has provedefficient in reducing bloodpressure and triglyceride andcholesterol levels.DETOX REGULARLY - Youcould benefit from a detoxprogramme, most of whichrequire you to limit meats andavoid wheat, sugar, dairy,caffeine and alcohol.TAKE MORE NAPS - Just like

KEYPLAYERS in thehealthcare sector; notablyhygiene and healthcare, have harped onthe need for Nigeria to take acue for accelerated development

function.Consider drinking a cup ofcaffeinated beverage rightbefore your nap. It will takeabout 20 minutes for thecaffeine to travel through yourdigestive system, and you canfit in a short snooze.

of medicines that is relevant toNigerians and Africans as awhole.

In line with this, the NationalAgency for Food and DrugsAdministration and Control,NAFDAC, has been tasked toreduce complexities in productrequirements so that Nigerianconsumers can access thecheapest and most effectivemedical solutions.

The regulatory body must alsocorrect the incidence of parallelimport especially in the area ofimporting goods that are alreadylisted and registered in Nigeria.

Noting this at the ReckittBenckiser/University of IbadanInternational conference tagged;“Medicine Regulation of Claims”under the auspices of the Centrefor Drug Discovery, Developmentand Production (CDDDP), theexperts advocatedestablishment of betterpartnerships.

Director -General, NAFDAC,Dr, Paul Orhii, emphasised theneed for standardising herbaltherapy in the country given thepharmacological effect of variousherbal products available toconsumers.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 21

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING

CBN Exchange rate as at 29/10/2013

108.94 +2.01

98.40 +0.55

107.3 -1.8

2,686.00 -27.00

499.60 -3.70

DOLLAR 55.07 155.57 156.07POUNDS 250.7947 251.6034 252.412EURO 213.6554 214.3443 215.0332FRANC 173.0306 173.5885 174.1464YEN 1.5921 1.5972 1.6024CFA 0.3074 0.3174 0.3274WAUA 239.2499 240.0214 240.7928RENMINBI 25.4864 25.5691 25.6517RIYA 41.3465 41.4798 41.6131KRONA 28.6429 28.7353 28.8276SDR 240.0484 240.8224 241.5964

SON raises alarm overcloning of Nigerian fabrics

From left: Mr. Anvp Srivastava, Commercial Manager, Nestle Plc, Mr. Basile Kouamen, Factory Manager Flour Gate, Mr.Adewale Ojo, Country Business Manager-Nestle Waters, Mr. Dharnesh Gordhon, Managing Director/CEO, Nestle NigeriaPlc, Dr. Abimbola Ajayi, Head of Nutrition, Lagos State Ministry of Health, guest speaker and Mrs. Iquo Ukoh, MarketingService Director, during the launch of Nestle Pure Life Protect Water with ZINC, held at Ilupeju, Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

STANDARDS Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has raised

alarm over cloning of Made-in-Nigeria fabrics by dubiouspeople.

“Look at Daviva and Excel-lence, for example; most Nigeri-

THE Director General ofSmall and Medium Enter-

prises Development Agency ofNigeria, SMEDAN, BatureMasari, has said that Micro,Small and Medium Enter-prises MSMEs contributes46.54 percent to Nigeria’sGross Domestic Product, GDP.

Masari made this disclosureduring the post-humuos awardto Late Maria Sokenu, formerManaging Director of defunctPeoples Bank, who died along-side 116 others on board ill-fated Bellview Airline thatcrashed in Lisa, Ifo, OgunState in 2005, by the Associa-tion of Professional WomenBankers (APWB) for her con-tribution to the association andthe economy.

Sokenu was special adviser tothe Ogun State governor onemployment generation andpioneer president of the APWBfrom 1983-1991.

The SMEDAN DG while de-livering a lecture on the themeof the association’s 30th anni-

MSMEs contribute 47% to Nigeria’s GDP — SMEDAN

ans do not know that they aremade in Nigeria, because theyhave been cloned by dubiouspeople who go abroad, make in-ferior ones and return to Nigeriaunder same producer name, andthus running the local industryaground,” said Engr. Bede

Obayi, Head of Department, In-spectorate and Compliance,S O N .Bede said the agency’s fightagainst substandard products inthe textile sector has begun withthe seizure of N20 million worthof inferior textile products across

different markets in Lagos state.He said that the seizure was in

line with the FederalGovernment’s agenda to revampthe textile sector.

He said most of the textile firmsin the country have gone mori-bund not because of Federal

Government’s negligence or ca-pacity failure but because of in-ferior cloned products in the mar-k e t s .Obayi, who led the agency’spolice to the markets, said whathappens is that some of the prod-ucts, though produced in Nige-ria, are taken outside the coun-try by unscrupulous Nigerianswho connive with foreigners toclone them and bring to Nigeriaunder same product name, butthey are inferior and sold cheapwhich the local producers can notcope with.”

“SON will get to the root of thematter by finding the smugglers’routes, locate and fish out themain culprits; seize and destroythe textile fabrics because theyare substandard

He urged buyers of Nigerianfabrics to always check for NIStrademark before buying theproducts, saying that any prod-uct that fails to meet MandatoryConformity AssessmentProgramme (MANCAP) will betaken from the market.Obayi noted that quality shouldbe maintained based on the pre-scribed standard and should notbe lowered based on any factor;if it is to be allowed in the Nige-rian market.He said the products seizedwere as a result of careful inves-tigation and not witch hunt asinformation on their location andexistence was at hand before theraid.

Earlier, Dr. Joseph Odumodu,Director General of the SON, metwith importers of electric bulbsand automotive battery into thecountry.

versary: Strategic Positioning ofEntrepreneurs for EconomicDevelopment, said the impor-tance of entrepreneurshipacross the world cannot be overemphasised as research hasshown that MSMEs are criti-cal to the growth and economicdevelopment of nations, con-tributing not less than 50 per-cent of GDP on the average,with the resultant effect of in-come generation, wealth cre-

ation and poverty alleviation.“In Nigeria, according to the

2010 National Survey onMSMEs by SMEDAN & NBS,we have over 17.2 millionMSMEs, employing 32.4 mil-lion Nigerians and nominallycontributing 46.54 percent ofthe nation’s GDP at the periodunder review.”

He said in order to strategi-cally position MSMEs for eco-nomic development in Nigeria,

one of the strategiesSMEDDAN has adopted thatneeds to be sustained isstrengthening entrepreneursalong the value chain ofthe typical businesscycle. He said from start-ups, the body looks at thebusiness conception/ideageneration, project iden-tification, feasibilitystudy, business plan,

BY FRANKLIN ALLI

BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU sourcing for finance,programme execution andimplementation, evaluationand control, sales/marketing.

THE Economic and Financial CrimesCommission, EFCC, has charged

the media to exercise its constitutional dutyin sensitising the public on the ills of cor-ruption, economic crimes and the eco-nomic implications on national develop-ment.

Chairman of the Commission, Mr.Ibrahim Lamorde, said this while address-ing newsmen at the workshop on Eco-nomic Crimes Reporting, organised byEFCC in Lagos.

Speaking through his representative, theDirector of Operations, EFCC, Mr. Olaolu

EFCC challenges media on financial crimes

BY UDEME CLEMENTAdegbite, he stressed that corruption wasthreatening all sectors of the economy in-cluding the media. He said, “The media’spotential to inform and educate the peopleis crucial for us. We believe that on ourown we cannot win the war against cor-ruption without a buy in by the people.The media must exercise its constitutionalmandate as the fourth estate of the realmwith the highest sense of responsibility toenhance economic growth and develop-ment. Issues about corruption and eco-nomic crimes are sensitive and there is theneed for media to always verify their factsto ensure accuracy in reporting financialcrimes.”

CMYK

22—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

CMYK

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TOinsuranceandyou@yahoo.com

Introduction

That most

Nigerians notonly crave toown and drivec h o i c eautomobiles,but give toppriority, aboveall other basice s s e n t i a lneeds of life isn oexaggeration.

Also, its nooverstatementto saya u t o m o b i l eowners andusers hardlycan appreciatethat the bestand mostm o d e r napproach tosecure andprotect theirv a l u a b l e s

Protect your vehicle witha comprehensive cover

By Dr. WoleAdetimehin,

Managing Director,Jully Insurance

Brokers andImmediate Past

President, CharteredInsurance Institute of

Nigeria, CIIN

assets- motor vehicles againstthe risk of fire, theft,accidental damage includingthird party liabilities is byeffecting or buying a motorcomprehensive protectiveinsurance cover.

The lack of knowledge andor awareness of what a motorcomprehensive insurancecover offers in terms ofprotective benefits, rights andprivileges is primarily thereason(s) why prospectivebuyers often opt to buy themotor Third Party insurancecover, which merely coverstheir legal liabilities to thegeneral public or third partiesas an owner or user of a motorvehicle.

Other factors underlying thepreference for Motor ThirdParty covers or outrightly notbuying any form of coveragainst the comprehensivecover include:

- Inability of motor vehicleowners and users to value orgive priority to the effectiveprotection of their assetagainst potential risks andliabilities which they areexposed.

- The supposedly perceivedlack of confidence andassurance that their benefits,right and privileges can beobtained, secured andenjoyed with ease under theirmotor insurance contracts.

- Most Nigeriansinadvertently or ignorantlystill perceive the cost of buyinga motor comprehensiveinsurance (i.e. premium) asbeing outrageously high andunaffordable.

Improving the knowledge ofNigerian buyers of motor

insuranceand theirperceptionof theinsurancem a r k e t ,insuranceproducts,operators& serviceprovidersincludingt h efunctionsof theirRegulator-NAICOMr e m a i n sthe onlyl a s t i n gpanacea,which willr e q u i r et h ecollectiveresponsibilityof allstakeholders.In effect,f u r t h e r

education of Nigerians thatwill enhance their level ofinsurance awareness will goa long way in enabling themto appreciate the scope andbenefits of buying a motorcomprehensive cover.

What iscomprehensive motorinsurance cover?

As the name implies,motor comprehensive

insurance is the widest scopeof cover available compared toother types of cover in themotor insurance class ofproducts in the market.

The cover or benefits offeredby a motor comprehensiveinsurance which is a lot moreembracing include:

- Loss or damage to theinsured vehicle by fire, theft,and accidental collision.

- Legal liability for damageto other vehicles and damageto property belonging to ThirdParties, often subject to astandard limit.

- Legal liability for death orbodily injury to Third Parties– (often unlimited)

- Legal cost and expensesincluding solicitors feesincurred in defence of anycourt litigation consequentupon prosecution after anaccident subject to the consentof the insurers.

- Others benefits althoughsubject to a standard limitinclude medical expenses forthe insured and spouse, coverfor personal effects, vehicletowing fees to the garage ofrepairs.

BRIEFBRIEFBRIEFBRIEFBRIEF

Millions of Americansare expected to lose

their insurance becausetheir current plan does notmeet the new AffordableCare Act standard,according to a new report.

The Affordable Care Act,also known as Obamacare,states that insurancepolicies in effect as of March23, 2010 would be“grandfathered” into effect.This means customerswould be able to hold on totheir existing policy eventhough it does not meet thenew Obamacarerequirements, which wentinto effect on October 1,2013.

But in the time since theAffordable Care Act wassigned, the Department ofHealth and Human Servicesadded stipulations thatnarrow the so-calledgrandfather provision. Anypolicy that was significantlychanged – for example: thedeductible, co-pay, orbenefits, among otherfactors – would not begrandfathered.

MillionsMillionsMillionsMillionsMillionscould expectcould expectcould expectcould expectcould expectcancellationcancellationcancellationcancellationcancellationletterslettersletterslettersletters —Report

President of the NigerianInstitute of Marketing of

Nigeria (NIMN) Mr. GaniyuKoledoye has said thatpersonal relationship is animportant tool that should betaken seriously if theinsurance industry wants togrow.

Koledoye who made theassertion while delivering apaper titled, ‘Marketing &Sales of Insurance as anIntangible Product’ at themaiden insurance consumers’forum organised by AlmondProductions Limited in Lagos,said that such relationshipbinds the customer and theoperators together.

According to him, mostoperators know little ornothing about their customersand are mostly concerned withonly renewal of theirpremium, adding thatinsurance industry will moveforward and grow penetrationwhen they start to relate onpersonal level with thecustomers.

In the same vein, Chairmanof the forum, Mr. Ogala Osokawho was represented byformer Managing Director/CEO of ContinentalReinsurance Plc, Mr.Adeyemo Adejumo called onoperators to reach out to thepublic by contributing to thesociety.

He said that CorporateSocial Responsibility is one ofthe ways insurance industrycan give back to the societyand grow the industry, addingthat the insurance operatorshave taken a lot from thesociety and there is need forthem to give back to thesociety whether individuallyor collectively.

He further urged consumers

Insurers frown at non-enforcement of insurance laws

to read and examine thedetails of their policydocuments before they gointo any contract, adding thatignorance is not an excuse ofthe law.

According to him,insurance business is acontract which is bindingbetween the insured and theinsurer, adding that betterknowledge of the policy willenable the customer and theoperators to relate better.

He however frowned at thenon-enforcement of the law bythe federal and stategovernments, noting that thereare a lot of laws that have beenestablished by the InsuranceAct but none of these laws arebeing enforced by thegovernment.

He said that laws such as thegroup life, building insurance,motor insurance etc, if enforcedeffectively will help to deepeninsurance penetration andgrow the gross premium of theindustry.

On fake insurance policiesbeing issued at licensingoffices in the country, theformer President of CharteredInsurance Institute of Nigeria(CIIN) and Chairman ofAlpha Choice InsuranceBrokers, Mr. Sunny Adeda,called on the NigerianInsurers Association (NIA), toput an end to such racket,adding that the business isillegal and must be stoped bythe umbrella body ofinsurers.

Adeda frowned at a situationwhere customers are forced topurchase fake insurancedocument after they havealready acquired a genuinemotor insurance policy froma registered company.

In response, the NIADirector General, Mr. SundayThomas assured consumersthat urgent steps are beingtaken by the Association in

ensuring that such offices inthe country are closed down.

According to him they areworking with each stategovernment to ensure thatsuch offices are closed andinsurance is sold at theauthorised outlets.

Continues next week

Managing Director, UAC Restaurants, Mr. Derrick Van Houten (middle) and team membersat the opening of Mr Bigg’s Restaurant, Ikeja Shopping Mall, Lagos.

Stories by ROSEMARYONUOHA

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 23

BRIEFSBRIEFSBRIEFSBRIEFSBRIEFS

Stories by ROSEMARYONUOHA

From left: President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB),Mr. Ayodapo Shoderu, sharing some thoughts with the former Head of Interim NationalGovernment, Chief Ernest Shonekan, during Shoderu’s investiture as the 17th President ofthe NCRIB in Lagos.

Former Head of State andHead of Interim

Government, Chief ErnestShonekan has decried the lowcapacity of insuranceoperators to underwritespecial risks despite the hugenumber of brokers in thecountry.

Shonekan expressed thisview at the investiture of Mr.Ayodapo Shoderu as the 17thPresident of the NigerianCouncil of RegisteredInsurance Brokers, NCRIB, inLagos. Shonekan observedthat in spite of the number ofunderwriters and brokers inthe industry, Nigeriancompanies still lack capacityto underwrite some specialrisks.

He, therefore, urgedinsurance brokers to brace upto the challenges ofprofessionalism, industrydented image andagricultural insurancepolicies.

According to him, there isneed for insurance companiesto move out of the box andexpand their businesses to beable to underwrite biggerbusinesses stressing thatwhen Nigerian companies aregiven some special risk in oiland gas, they run abroad.

Shonekan, who was thechairman of the investitureprogramme, enjoined allstakeholders in the industryto join forces to formulatecreative policies inagriculture, oil and gasbusiness, adding that theoperators should learn fromSouth Africans.

Although Shonekan notedthat the insurance industry

Shonekan decries low capacity inspecial risks underwriting

image has dramaticallyimproved in the last decade,he noted that there are roomsfor improvement.

According to him, brokersare at the forefront of insurancebusiness and they serve asmidwives for insurancebusiness without which manyunderwriters would have nobusiness to underwrite.

Shonekan said that all overthe world there is rapidimprovement in the image ofthe industry, but enjoinedpractitioners to avoid cuttingcorners in expanding theirindividual businesses,improve on usage oftechnology to transactinsurance businesses saying

that professionalism isessential.

Shonekan who believed thatsomething must be done toincrease revenue of insurancesector to enhance itscontribution to the nation’sGross Domestic Product(GDP), said that people oftenforgot that insurance couldrally banking sector as thecase in other jurisdictions.

However, he enjoined theincumbent president of thecouncil to brace up to the taskof leading the largest body inthe industry to the PromisedLand and to always assist theindustry when the needarises.

Also speaking at the event,

the Commissioner forInsurance, Mr. Fola Danieleulogised the outgonePresident of the council whoincidentally was the firstfemale president, Mrs. LaideOsijo. He further pledgedthat the Commission wouldnever shut its windowsagainst the council.

A special guest of honourand an insurance expert,Chief Joe Irukwu alsopledged his unalloyedsupport for the incumbentpresident and donated 200books valued at N820,000 tothe library donated byAyodapo Shoderu for NCRIBbuilding.

BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

FBN Life, the insurancearm of First Bank of

Nigeria Plc has said that itsproducts offerings will help inincreasing insurancepenetration in the country byat least two per cent.

Managing Director of FBNLife, Mr. Valentine Ojumahstated this while addressingnews men during a productmedia fair in Lagos.

He said that FBN Life hasbeen confronting thechallenges of poor insurancepenetration and hopes that itscontribution to the insurancesector will help to move thepenetration level from 0.5 percent to over five per cent, in

FBN Life to deepen insurance penetration throughproducts offerings

the next five years.“When we started, there was

no structure to support thesystem but we have over 100,000 policy holders, makingFBN life one of the mostreliable insurance companiesin the country.

“We have six individual lifeproducts. With that, in anotherfive years, we will move from0.5 to two per cent penetrationin insurance,” he said.

“We have made tremendousprogress within three years,despite the fact that theinsurance industry in Nigeriais fragmented. It has lowcapacity and penetration. Butthese are the challenges weare coming together to

confront. We have moved frompaying zero claims to overN900 million. We are the onlybrand new registeredinsurance company that hasgrown to become number fourin specialist life insurance,”he added.

He explained that FBN Lifedeclared profit to shareholdersand in the next couple ofmonths would be going intogeneral insurance business.

Speaking further, Head ofAlternative Distribution,Ayodeji Bankole said thatalternative distribution hasbeen another way of reachingcustomers to accept insuranceproducts.

He said, “If FBN Life canget at least 20 per cent of First

Bank customers to subscribeto insurance, they would havemade significant progress inachieving better penetration.”

On group life insurance, hesaid, “It is sold basically tocorporate organisations. It iscoming from the backgroundof the government policy thatevery organisation with aminimum of five employeesshould have an insurancecover.”

This, he said, was to protectthe dependents’ of theemployees from unduesuffering in event ofeventuality,” noting that, “Itis necessary to join hands andpromote this law so that otherorganisations would key intoit.”

Insurers playingcatch-up ondigitalengagement

Australian insurers havemade inroads into

digital engagement withcustomers in the motorsector but lag in other areas,according to a global surveyby Ernst & Young.

“You can get quotes andbuy car insurance online, sothat’s relatively mature,”Performance ImprovementLeader for InsuranceAndrew Taggart said.

“But other categories suchas life insurance and homeand contents are lessmature.”

Australian insurers mustact fast to keep up withconsumer expectations,especially younger ones, hesays.

“In Australia, theincreasing level of churnwithin both life and generalinsurance can’t be ignored.”

The industry isconservative by nature, witha history of “low customertouch”, he says. It mustreject the mindset of talkingto customers once a year atrenewal time and onceevery seven years forclaims.

NSW bushfireclaims hit$145 million

Loss estimates from theNSW bushfires have

risen to $145 million,according to InsuranceCouncil of Australia (ICA)figures.

Some 1041 claims hadbeen lodged with insurers asof today, the council says.The number is continuing torise, as residents returnhome and find propertydamage.

More than 90 per cent ofdamaged or destroyedproperties have beenassessed, ICA says.

“Assessors will continuethis review process and alsobegin inspecting damage inareas not previouslyaccessible,” ICA CEO RobWhelan said.

IAG says its AustraliaDirect and CGU businesseshave so far received about600 claims.

It is too soon to giveaccurate cost estimatesbecause fires are stillburning and assessors areunable to gain access to allaffected areas, it says.

IAG has a maximum first-event retention of $150million under its catastrophereinsurance program for thiscalendar year.

24 — Vanguard,24 — Vanguard,24 — Vanguard,24 — Vanguard,24 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30,,,,, 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—25

DIARYDIARYDIARYDIARYDIARY

PreviewPreviewPreviewPreviewPreviewNew inventions

shaping life and living

Select ICT eventsSelect ICT eventsSelect ICT eventsSelect ICT eventsSelect ICT events

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Mobile heart

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THE versatile HeartMonitor from

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Unlike current porta-ble heart monitors, theAliveCor Heart Monitoris not integrated into asmartphone or smart-phone case. Instead, thepocket-sized sensor isembedded in a plate thatcan be attached to theback of a mobile deviceor case.

The monitor communi-cates with thesmartphone via ultra-sound picked up by thephone’s microphoneand does not requireB l u e t o o t h — w h i c hmakes it more energyefficient.

Because the HeartMonitor can be usedwith lower-cost Androidphones, it could be par-ticularly useful in devel-oping countries.

,

,

EDITED by Adekunle Adekoya

GITEX Technolo-gy Week 2013.

Holds 20-24 Oct2013 in Dubai, UAE.

FUTURECOM2013. Holds 21-24

Oct 2013 in SaoPaulo, Brazil.

SAP TechEd 2013.Holds 21-25 Oct

2013 in Las Vegas,USA.

Broadband WorldForum Europe 2013.

Holds 22-24 Oct2013 in Amsterdam,

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Continues on Page 30

MINISTER of Comm u n i c a t i o n s

Technology, Mrs.Omobola Johnson hassaid that for Nigeria to bea software capable coun-try in the knowledgeeconomy, more start-upswere needed in softwarecoding, and assured thather ministry will inter-vene in software codingacademy through neces-sary support.

Although the numberof start-ups in softwarecoding will increase withtime, the Minister, saidthat all hands must be ondeck if the country mustachieve a robust and vi-brant software industry.

Lamenting that billionsof naira leaves the coun-try every year as licenseand other fees to foreignsoftware companies, MrsJohnson said that Niger-ia has enough capacityto build software codewarriors for global com-

petitiveness, urging over100 students from terti-ary institutions partici-pating in the softwarecontest to use softwarefor job creation.

At the event which at-tracted a capacity audi-ence including universi-ty vice-chancellors andthe United Nation offi-cial, the minister said:“We need to tackle the

broader challenge ofhow we take our promis-ing software developersand software engineersand help them to becomeentrepreneurs that can

take advantage of oppor-tunities,” she said.

Be more innova-tive

She charged local soft-ware engineers to bemore innovative andoriginal, saying “thisyear’s theme is a goodone as it not only speaksof the importance of soft-ware as a tool to improve

productivity in the work-force, be it public or pri-vate sector but also al-ludes to the to the rolethat software plays, dare

I say in the transforma-tion of economies.

“Software has indeedaccelerated productivityin the workplace , forexample the simple wordprocessing tools andspreadsheet tools thatwe had in the 80’s to themore encompassing of-fice productivity toolssuch as the MicrosoftOffice suite” she said.

An assessment of Ni-geria’s software industrylandscape, according toher revealed that thecountry needed to focuson innovation amongothers to tackle this chal-lenges.

‘We have to keep sightof the fact that brilliantlywritten lines of codemust still be consideredas building blocks for thesuccessful software com-panies that must be ourultimate target in build-ing a viable software in-dustry”, she explained.

BY EMEKA AGINAM

How do we deal with cur-riculum in the universitiesto drive entrepreneurship?Digital literacy is the key.

Nigeria must recognize thedivision between vocation-al and academic training

FUTA WINS ISPON 2013 SOFTWARE CUP: From left; Oladapo Oluwadara Glory, Aboluwarin OlaOluwaDavid and Banjo Mofesola Paul of the Federal University of Technology, Akure Special Adviser, ICT, toCross River State Governor, Odo Effiong, Professor Tapio Varis, and ISPON President, Chris Uwaje, pre-senting the winner's trophy to the students at the TINAPA Resort, Calabar. Photo by Emeka Aginam.

Nigeria needs moresoftware start-ups

TecnodeploysBBM on itsphones

Research saysNigeria laggingin marketindicators

ASSENT to the foodscience and technologysafety bill before thePresidency will reducefood poisoning andreposition Nigeria forglobal competitiveness.

This was the position ofparticipants at the justconcluded 37th annualinternational conferenceand annual generalmeeting, AGM of theNigerian Institute ofFood Science andTechnology, NIFST heldin Abuja last week.

Although, the food sup-ply chain from farm totable in Nigeria isundergoing considerablepositive transformations,the existing food safetypractices in theproduction, processing,packaging, storage,t r a n s p o r t a t i o n ,distribution and market-ing of food for local andinternational markets arefrom satisfactory and sorequires urgentintervention of Presidentby signing the NigerianCouncil of Food Scienceand technology billwould enable farmersachieve world bestpractice in foodprocessing by applyingthe right science andtechnologies.

The programmeentitled, ‘‘Food Safety:Critical Pathway toSustainable GlobalCompetitiveness andPublic Health,’’ broughttogether food expertsfrom the academia anddifferent agencies todiscuss on perennialchallenges and safetyissues posed by foodborne diseases toNigeria and to findsolutions to them.

In his address, theMinister of Health, Prof.Onyebuchi Chukwu saidthe theme of the

‘Foodscience,safety law'llmake Nige-ria competi-tive’

Customer isking, forumremindsoperators

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

ICT: FGlaunches bidto empowerwomen, girls

Continues on Page 30

—JOHNSON

26— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

A leading smartphones brand,

TECNO Mobile, hasannounced its collabora-tion with Blackberry onBBM mobile applica-tion.

According to VicePresident, TECNOGroup, Mr. Arif Chowd-hury, this collaborationis a unique one that willenhance the brandfeasibility of bothTECNO and BlackBerry.

He said that theagreement signed lastmonth allows BlackBerryMessenger to bepreloaded on TECNOsmartphones.

With this, customerswho buy TECNOphones will find theBBM applicationalready preloaded andthis is available in 20countries. For thosecustomers already usingTECNO phones, it willbe possible to downloadthe application throughthe Google play store.

“This collaboration isnot only good news forTECNO and BlackBerry,but also and especiallyfor customers. IndeedBlackBerry users whowant to keep their BBPIN while usingTECNO phones can

Tecno deploys BBM on its phonesnow make it possiblethrough the newapplication versioncoming soon,” Arif said,adding that, “We arevery proud of thiscollaboration. It is ourobjectives not only forNigerians and indeedAfrica as a whole toacquire smartphonesand enjoy a smart lifebut also to be able to usethe phone to its maxi-mum benefit and that iswhy we collaboratedwith BlackBerry topreload BBM on allTECNO smartphones.

Chowdhury added thatTECNO phones will bepreloaded with BBMand also with the newPalmchat version.“Palmchat is an applica-tion which allows you tocreate thousands of newfriends around you andall over the world, thesetwo applications comple-ment each other verywell,” he concluded.

Vice President forBBM at BlackBerry Mr.Andrew Bocking, said:“BBM is a very engag-ing messaging servicethat is simple to use,easy to personalize andhas an immediacy that isnecessary for mobilecommunications,” Withmany people now usingTECNO smartphones,this is absolutely the

DESPITE all thegrowth potentials

of the Nigerian telecom-munications sector, a re-cent report has declaredthat Nigeria was laggingbehind than many otherAfrican countries in anumber of market indica-tors.

The research howeversaid that to get the wheelof success rolling, thecountry must find a cor-rect mix of regulatory ini-tiatives and necessary in-terventions needed to en-courage greater competi-tion among market play-ers.

Nigeria’s telecommuni-cations market is fully lib-eralised, highly competi-tive, and evolving withtime. Since 1992, a widerange of regulatory initi-atives has been undertak-en to open up the marketto private operators to pro-vide products and servic-es across the entire spec-trum of ICT market seg-ments. These initiatives,particularly in relation tomarket entry, have result-ed in an impressive 53%compound annual growthrate (CAGR) in overallfixed and mobile subscrip-tions since 2001. Quarter-ly telecommunicationssectoral growth is up to35%, and the sector’s an-nual contribution to GDPwas estimated at 6.73% in2012.

But the report however,said, "in spite of the wide-ly publicised successes,sector performance reviewindicated that Nigeria,was lagging behind manyother African countrieswith respect to a numberof market indicators.

"By using nationally rep-resentative householdsurvey samples, its 2012ICT Access and UsageSurveys in 12 Africancountries showed thatNigeria ranked 5th withrespect to mobile penetra-tion and 5th in terms ofindustry perception of theeffectiveness of domestictelecommunications regu-lation.

"In terms of RIA’s broad-er Pricing TransparencyIndex, Prepaid Mobile for2012, Nigeria ranks 17thout of 46 countries interms of the affordabilityof the cheapest prepaidmobile product from adominant operator, and13th out of 46 for afforda-bility of the cheapest mo-bile prepaid product fromany operator".

The 2012 RIA NigeriaICT Access and UsageSurvey also found thatthere was a general para-dox in Nigeria’s telecom-munications market – ofperformance on the onehand and deficiency onthe other – and that thisparadox exists across all

Research says Nigerialagging in market

indicators

the sub- sectors of the mar-ket.

"For example, mobile te-lephony is experiencinghuge growth simultane-ous with a fixed sector ina downward spiral. Thepenetration of fixed te-lephony is a meagre65,914 households, or0.3% of total householdsin the country, in spite ofthe fact that the RIA ICTSurvey found ample de-mand for both fixed andmobile telephony prod-ucts. As a result of thisanomaly in the voice te-lephony market segment,there has been virtuallyno fixed-line competition(in voice, data or internetprovision) to the mobilecompanies. The fixed sec-tor has been experiencinga persistent downwardslide, while the mobilenetworks have at timesbeen overloaded withvoice and internet traffic.Consumer pressure onmobile networks is nowcreating significant qual-ity of service (QoS) prob-lems, as the vacuum infixed services is putting atremendous burden onmobile operators to deliv-er good quality voice,data and internet servic-es – which could other-wise have been providedthrough fixed networks(if, inter alia, the regula-tion of the fixed sectorhad been effective).

"Internet uptake ap-pears strong, but at thesame time computer pen-etration is limited andfixed household internetis virtually non-existent.The RIA Nigeria ICT Sur-vey of 2012 found thatonly 3.4% of households,or 747,025, have a fixedinternet connection, and62% of internet users goonline primarily via theirmobile phone. It has beenreported that 58.1% of Ni-gerian web traffic was viamobile handsets and oth-er mobile devices in No-vember 2012 (Stat-Counter Global Stats,2012). The poor penetra-tion of fixed householdinternet is directly linkedto absence of the fixedlines over which internetaccess products (e.g.ADSL) are typically deliv-ered; low penetration ofcomputers; and inade-quate power supply".

The RIA Nigeria ICTSurvey found that themajority (62%) of non-in-ternet users were eager touse the internet if it couldbe made available withinroughly 30 minutes’ walk-ing distance from wherethey reside. And 50% ofmobile subscribers sur-veyed said that cost is themain limitation on in-creased calling activitywhile 60% of mobile sub-scribers said they wouldmake more calls if costswere lowered.

WHILE BrianFriendeducation soft-

ware solution continues tomake inroads in theNigerian educationsystem, Anambra Stategovernment hasdeployed the software topower its educational sys-tem.

Similarly, the Cross Riv-ers State government inpartnership with IT&CNetwork Limited, has justconcluded a similar de-ployment for over tenthousand (10,000) teach-ers, while a fresh deploy-ment for fifteen thousand(15,000) teachers in AbiaState will soon commencewith the same partner-ship.

Already, the NUT LagosState chapter, accordingto the company is current-ly engaging some organ-izations in talks aboutdeploying over forty-fivethousand (45,000) licens-es for all teachers in La-gos State.

Cinfores Limited is anindigenous company de-veloping various educa-tional solutions includingschool management infor-mation system for schooladministration andmanagement (eCampus& eSkool) that are pres-ently running in varioustertiary institutions andprimary and secondaryschool accros the country.

It would be recalled thatthe solution has been suc-cessfully implemented inLagos State with theNigerian Union of Teach-

Anambra, C-River deploy BrainFriend for e-learningers, (NUT) in the firstquarter of the year.

The Brainfriend soft-ware comes ready withover fifty thousand(50,000) questions,answers, andexplanations coveringover forty-two (42) teach-ing subjects of the prima-ry through the seniorsecondary school, careerguide covering majordisciplines offered inNigerian and some otherWest African universities,the Nigerian nationalcurriculum, and over fifty(50) e-books on theelementary andsecondary schoolsteaching subjects and lotsmore. Interestingly, thesoftware also has a mobileversion for smart phones,

which can be downloadedfrom the Google playstore.

This makes it easilyaccessible to users who donot own orhave access toa laptop/desktopcomputer.

Reviewing the solution,Anambra State governor,Mr. Peter Obi withexcitement expresseddelight in the solutiondeveloped locally byyoung Nigerians whoevidently have theirhearts bent on improvingthe plights of Nigerianschool children.

“I am impressed withthis product, especiallywith the fact that it wasindigenously developedwith local content thatsuits the nation’s

education system. Theseare the kinds of peopleand products we want tospend time with inpartnership especially oneducation and ICTmatters,”, he said

Speaking on some of theinteresting engagements,Head, BusinessDevelopment of Cinfores,Mrs Jachi Briggs hopedthat before long,Nigerians will heave asigh of relief as thecompany is in talks witha number of stategovernments, federalgovernment parastatals,m u l t i n a t i o n a lorganisations, andindividuals to deploy thesoftware across thecountry.

PRESENTATION: Lixin Cheng, Chairman/CEO of ZTE USA, here presentsthe new ZTE Grand S to Houston Rockets star forward Chandler Parsons andteam CEO Tad Brown during a celebration in which the company was named theofficial smartphone of the Houston Rockets.

right time to bring onboard BBM applicationon TECNO phones toallow its numerouscustomers enjoy the bestof interactions withfamilies and loved ones.

TECNO mobile phonesare using the popularandroid system, whichhas already won theheart of most mobilephone users worldwide.

BY EMEKA AGINAM

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 27

THE African businesscommunity is

adopting the use of mo-bile devices very rapid-ly. This is the main con-clusion drawn from thesurvey conducted by theAfrica Business Panel,involving about 1,776African business profes-sionals.

The survey demon-strated that about 67 percent of Africa's businessprofessionals use desk-tops, versus 94 per centusing laptops. The tab-let, a relatively new mo-bile innovation, is al-ready adopted by 47 percent of players in the Af-rican business world. 76per cent use a smart-phone, which is morethan the use of the clas-sic mobile phone (64%).Nine per cent possessboth a private and a com-pany smartphone. How-ever, there are reasonsfor this massive migra-tion, which the surveyalso highlighted in its

How African professionals migrate to mobiledevices

reports.

SecurityLaptops are best pro-

tected. 87 per cent of lap-top owners in the surveyhad software security in-stalled. For desktops, 76per cent made use of se-curity, for tablets, 46 percent, while the least pro-tected are smartphones(44%). People find it dif-ficult to install securitysoftware because of highcosts, lack of urgencyand complexity.

UsageSmartphones are used

most frequently. 65 percent of participants inthe survey use theirsmartphones severaltimes a day, 54 per centuse their laptops just asfrequently, with users oftablets following at 44percent. 22 per cent nev-er use their personally-owned mobile phones forwork related communi-cation as opposed to thesmartphone, of which six

percent of the ownerssay they never use it.

Future useAsked about expected

future use, the rise ofmobile devices is con-firmed by survey partici-pants. 60 per cent expecta surge in the use ofsmartphones. For thetablet and the laptop,responses in perceivedincrease were 58 and 44percent respectively. Onthe other hand, askedabout which devices par-ticipants expected astrong decrease in use,32 percent indicated thedesktop, versus only fourper cent for both smart-phone and tablet.

Blackberry still abig brand in Africa,iPhone comes thirdafter Samsung

Samsung is the lead-ing smartphone brand inAfrica. 30 per cent of re-spondents that have apersonal smartphone,

have a Samsung. Black-berry is runner-up (22%),iPhone comes in thirdplace (19%), prior to No-kia (11%), HTC (6%),Sony Ericsson (2%), LG(1%) and Motorola (1%).The - smaller - market forcompany owned smart-phones is led by Black-berry (31%), followed bySamsung (25%) andiPhone (23%).

The survey which wasconducted between Au-gust and September,2013, had in total, about1766 Business Profes-sionals from the conti-nent of Africa participat-ing in this research. 73percent of these partici-pants were said to be ei-ther senior managers,executives, directors orbusiness owners. Theparticipants represent awide range of Africancountries, with the maincontributors coming fromNigeria (19%), South Af-rica (18%), Kenya (14%),followed by Ghana (5%),Tanzania (3%), Zambia(3%) and Angola (3%).

GLOBACOM haslaunched a new

communication packagecalled Vigicom to assistmembers of the VigilanteGroup of Nigeria (VGN)to effectively performtheir duties by freely com-municating with each oth-er while on duty.

Specially conceived tosupport vigilante groupsacross the country, thepackage, called Vigicom,will in addition also allowmembers of vigilantegroups to communicatewith their families at nocost.

Speaking at the launchof the product in Abujaover the weekend, Com-mander General of theVigilante Group of Niger-ia (VGN), Alhaji Ali Soko-to said Vigicom will helpin effective local policingof remote areas and alsoassist in gathering neces-sary intelligence aboutcriminals. He endorsedthe Vigicom product andthanked Globacom forcoming out with such awonderful service.

Globacom's Head ofPublic Sector, Mr. TundeAmunikoro said, "commu-nication is key to securityand that was why Glolaunched the package toassist local vigilante

Glo boosts security withVigicom for vigilante groups

groups to become moreeffective in dischargingtheir duties."

“The essence of Vigicomtherefore is to enable se-curity men to send orreceive alerts and reachout to critical stakehold-ers, particularly in dis-tress, without being en-cumbered by the non-availability of rechargecards even in the remot-est part of the country," hesaid.

"Take for instance armedsecurity men deployed onthe highway from Mokwato Bida to secure travel-lers against robbers. Howwould they be able to com-municate with each otheras well as their headquar-ters and families in caseof emergencies withouthaving to recharge; con-sidering that rechargecards are not available onhighways?? With Vigi-com, that challenge isover," Amunikoro said.

According to him, allvigilante members needdo is pay a monthly rent-al of N1,000 and commu-nicate with othermembers of the groupand their families whohave the special lines forfree, throughout themonth without incurringextra airtime cost.

AT the just concluded 2013 annual sci-

ence and technology con-ference and exhibitionheld at the Lagos Busi-ness School, Ajah, LagosState, the General Man-ager, VConnect GlobalServices, Africa’s largestsearch engine , Mr Rus-tagi Deepankar has saidthat the company has alsobrought over 800,000small and medium enter-prises online.

While asserting thatVConnect is Africa’slargest search engine, hesaid that the company isa

localised search enginecreated to help Nigerianslocate service centres andbusinesses around themrather than relyinginformation from limitedsources; which sometimeslead to waste of time.

According to him, thesearch engine does notonly provide informationfor emergency situations,but has gained thepeoples’ trust as morethan 3,000 businesses areadded and verified daily.

“In ensuring trust to itsregistered businesses,VConnect carries out anintensive verificationprocess on all businessesregistered on its websiteto assure users they cando business with them”,he said.

He cited the example of

VConnect powers 800,000SMEs online

a VConnect businessowner who while beinginterrogated at a foreignairport gave his businessdetails and showedmeans of identification butwhen the immigrationsofficer was not convincedand asked for more proof,he referred him to theVConnect website. Thishelped establish that hewas the owner of alegitimate business inNigeria.

According to him,VConnect is focused onhelping SMEs in Nigeriaby taking them online andbuilding trust in theirbrands.

According to him, aresearch carried out byNigeria CommunicationsCommission, found thatthere are about 50 millionNigerians online dailyand according toSMEDAN, there are 17million small andmedium enterprises, 4million of which are fullstructured businesses.

Most SMEs, he said areprone to using one-on-one sales methods,promoting businesses totheir friends, neighbours,mosques and churches,

“These businesses arethe small giants waitingto erupt. Combined, theywould make a big fish.This big fish does not haveany power until we infusethe power of digitaltechnology” Deepankarfurther stated.

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

BY EMEKA AGINAM

ETISALAT Nigeria,last week, joined ef-

forts with its partners,Montgomery West Africato set up first Customercentric summit in Niger-ia, challenging fellow op-erators, at the end of theevent, to hold sacred theage long adage that 'cus-tomer is king.'

Etisalat said the threedays event was necessaryfor it to also remain fo-cused to its customer-cen-tric strategy that custom-ers must come first onquality service delivery.

At the maiden Custom-er Centricity Summit heldat the IntercontinentalHotel in Lagos recentlyThe three-day event wasthemed ‘Service Experi-ence – What does Cus-tomer Centricity Mean forBusiness?’

The summit howevershowcased and exploredinnovative strategies indesigning, implementingand managing evolvingmultichannel customerexperience in Nigeria’sdynamic customer envi-ronment.

Panel discussions at theevent, focused on whatcustomer centricity meantand how businesses canachieve it. The speakersalso examined what cus-tomers considered to beexcellent service experi-ence, standard servicedelivery, customer expe-

Customer is king, forum reminds operators

WORKSHOP: From left, Director Police Services, Ministry of Police Affairs,Ms Nura Batagarawa, Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Mr Femi Ogun-bayode, CEO Bufferzone Ltd. Mr Akin Fadeyi, Chairman House Committee onPolice Affairs Hon. Usman Bello Kumo and Communications Manager, Buffer-zone Ltd. Miss Adebola Adeyeye at the Stakeholders Forum on Public Safety &Security Workshop held in Abuja on Monday.

rience transformationstrategies, customer satis-faction, digital servicedelivery and the effects ofinternal changes on cus-tomers.

Meanwhile, ManagingDirector, MontgomeryWest Africa, Tori Abiola,highlighted the impor-tance of paying attentionto what mattered to thecustomer, declaring that"customer experience isabout emotions and emo-tions are about people.

Also, the Chief Com-mercial Officer, MatthewWillsher, said that ‘’Etis-

alat understands how torespond to rapidly chang-ing customer needs,through interaction. Thishas helped manage andforestall more issues.Continuity is a key focusas well, in going a stepforward to provide value.When customers pay, theypay for value,’ he said.

Willsher identified inter-action platforms to in-clude digital media andround-the-clock care thatmake customer accesspain-free. He said that "byinteraction, an organiza-tion is able to collate cus-

tomer issues, pay atten-tion and create long-termsolutions. Also, the abili-ty to speak with custom-ers in their locationsshould be at the forefront.This is why Etisalat hashundreds of CustomerExperience Centresacross the country whilekeeping online care linesopen 24 hours for easyglobal experience as wellas focusing on specificmarket segments. Themission is to keep peoplefirst and satisfy customersalways. We prescribe thisto others, because itworks" he added.

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

28 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

BY JACOB AJOM

The Super Eagles defeat by the Jordanian nation-

al team in Amman Mondaydid not come as a surprise toSuper Eagles chief coachStephen Keshi. He raised thealarm before the match whileexpressing worries about thereadiness of the Nigeria Foot-ball Federation to support thehome-based Eagles ahead ofthe CHAN championship.

The coach has asked for longcamping in order for the play-ers to blend as a unit. Beforethe Jordan friendly, Keshi toldreporters that he expected atough match because

“Jordan has been togetherfor a while and they play Uru-guay in the World Cup play-off, so we are playing a verystrong team and it would be adifficult game,” Keshi warnedahead of the first-ever clashbetween the two countries atthis level.

Even at that the Afcon win-ning coach did not expect adefeat for his wards as he stat-ed that the boys had shownsome promise. “Their perform-ance is okay. They are reallypushing hard to be there. It’snot easy, some of them are newand it’s their first time, so Iexpect the early panic I haveseen from them,” he said.

“But in all, I am impressedat their fitness level. We willcontinue to do our best but it’s

CHAN:CHAN:CHAN:CHAN:CHAN:EaglesEaglesEaglesEaglesEaglesdefeatdefeatdefeatdefeatdefeatheightensheightensheightensheightensheightensKKKKKeshi’seshi’seshi’seshi’seshi’sfffffearearearearearsssss

just that the time is too shortfor us to do anything beforethe Jordan game.”

The defeat is an eye openerand a call for serious work onthe team as the technical crewis yet to identify players that

will go to South Africa.Another fear is some of the

players in the present teammay be out of the country soonin search of the proverbialGreener Pastures. Players likeSunday Mba, Azubuike

Egwuekwe and a few otherswho shone in the just con-cluded Glo Premier Leagueseason may not be in thecountry by January whenCHAN be held in South Afri-ca. Nigeria are expected to

New Rangers of Enugu coach, John Obuh

has said his dream is to charta new course for the club andstop the many years of bar-ren run.

Obuh replaced Okey Emor-di, who quit his post on thefinal day of the past season.

At his presentation aftersigning for the Flying Ante-lopes, as Rangers is called,the former Flying Eagles han-dler said “It is an honour forme to be saddled with thetask of leading Rangers backto a trophy-winning side itused to be. It’s a big chal-lenge, which I hope to carryout successfully,” he vowed.

Obuh has long been linkedwith Rangers ever since hequit as coach of the country’sU20 team, but several Rang-ers top officials had deniedthis connection.

Obuh has coached severalclubs including Sharks,Kwara United, Niger Torna-does and Wikki Tourists.

My mission in RangersMy mission in RangersMy mission in RangersMy mission in RangersMy mission in Rangers– Obuh– Obuh– Obuh– Obuh– Obuh

open training camp for CHAN in De-cember.

The Eagles are drawn against hostsSouth Africa, Mali and Mozambiquein the first round of the tournamentstrictly for players featuring in theirvarious local leagues in Africa.

Serena poSerena poSerena poSerena poSerena powwwwwererererers s s s s •Lifts the Billy Jean King Trophy

Serena Williams came back from a set

down to take the WTA Championships final2-6 6-3 6-0 against Li Na.

Williams started slowly as Na took advan-tage of an opponent still clearly feeling theeffects of an injury picked up in Saturday’ssemi-final win over Jelena Jankovic.

But the American rallied and Na barely hada look in during the second and final sets asWilliams won her fourth WTA Championships

•Keshi

•Super Eagles

•Coach Obuh

•Serena Williams and Li Na

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 29

past Napast Napast Napast Napast Natitle.

In the world of tennis in which thewindow of success closes at alarming-ly fast rates by age 30, Williams is act-ing like a teenager.

Williams sank to her knees after fir-ing a backhand winner on her secondmatch point and becoming the eighthwoman to win 11 or more titles in ayear - and the first since MartinaHingis had 12 in 1997.

Franck Ribery leadsthe way as European

champions BayernMunich boast six playersin the 23-man shortlist forthe 2013 Ballon d’Or

BaBaBaBaBayyyyyern dominatern dominatern dominatern dominatern dominateeeeeBallon d’OrBallon d’OrBallon d’OrBallon d’OrBallon d’Orshorshorshorshorshortlistlistlistlistlisttttt

announced on Tuesday.Ribery, 30, who contributed

significantly to his club’streble triumph last season, isjoined by teammates PhilippLahm, Thomas Mueller,

Manuel Neuer, Arjen Robbenand Bastian Schweinsteigeramong the nominees, whoare selected by FIFA’sFootball Committee andexperts from France Footballmagazine.

All players nominated forthe award are currently basedin Europe, with Real Madridwinger Gareth Bale andLiverpool’s Luis Suarez alsonamed alongside previouswinners Lionel Messi andCristiano Ronaldo.

The list will be whittled

down to three players in earlyDecember, with national teamcaptains and coaches, as wellas a select group of mediarepresentatives, voting for thewinner, who will beannounced on Jan. 13 inZurich.

Robert Lewandowski, ofChampions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund, is alsonominated to complete aseven-strong Bundesligacontingent, the biggest singlegrouping from a Europeanleague.

Paris Saint-Germain strikerZlatan Ibrahimovic is joinedby teammates EdinsonCavani and Thiago Silva aswell as Monaco forwardRadamel Falcao to give Ligue1 four representatives.

Following his spectacularfour-goal burst againstAnderlecht in the ChampionsLeague last week, Frenchmedia believe Ibrahimovic, 32could sneak up on the rails topip four-time winner Messi,regular candidate Ronaldoand Ribery.

Messi’s Barcelonacolleagues Xavi and AndresIniesta are included, as isNeymar, whose spectacularstart to the European chapterof his career has increased hisprofile still further. Summersigning Bale, after a fine finalyear with Tottenham, joinsRonaldo as Real Madrid’ssole representatives.

Former Madrid man MesutOzil makes the list, formingpart of a Premier League-based quintet which also

features Robin van Persie,Eden Hazard, Yaya Toure andSuarez. Italian veteranAndrea Pirlo of Juventus isSerie A’s sole representative.

The man who led Bayern tothe summit of European clubfootball last season, JuppHeynckes, heads the ten-strong shortlist for the FIFAWorld Coach of the Year forMen’s Football with fellowretiree Sir Alex Ferguson alsoin the running.

Ballon d’Or shortlist: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/

Wales), Edinson Cavani (Paris StGermain/Uruguay), RadamelFalcao (Monaco/Colombia), EdenHazard (Chelsea/Belgium), ZlatanIbrahimovic (Paris St Germain/Sweden), Andres Iniesta(Barcelona/Spain), Philipp Lahm(Bayern Munich/Germany),Robert Lewandowski (BorussiaDortmund/Poland), Lionel Messi(Barcelona/Argentina), ThomasMueller (Bayern Munich/Germany), Manuel Neuer (BayernMunich/Germany), Neymar(Barcelona/Brazil), Mesut Ozil(Arsenal/Germany), Andrea Pirlo(Juventus/Italy), Franck Ribery(Bayern Munich/France), ArjenRobben (Bayern Munich/Netherlands), Cristiano Ronaldo(Real Madrid/Portugal), BastianSchweinsteiger (Bayern Munich/Germany), Luis Suarez (Liverpool/Uruguay), Thiago Silva (Paris StGermain/Brazil), Yaya Toure(Manchester City/Ivory Coast),Robin van Persie (ManchesterUnited/Netherlands), Xavi(Barcelona/Spain).

•Cristiano Ronaldo

•Lionel Messi

•FranckRibery

30 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

BY EMEKA AGINAM& EMMA ELEBEKE

Nigeria needs more software start-upsContinues from Page 25

‘Food science,safety law'llmake Nigeriacompetitive’

Governor of Cross Riv-er State, Senator LyelImoke told the gatheringthat future survivabilityof the country lies in thestudents start-ups thathave participated in thesoftware competition.

Represented by hisSpecial Assistant on ICT, Odo Effiong, the gov-ernor told the students touse software solutionsdeveloped for the contestto solve problems intheir local communities,saying that his govern-ment is promoting the2013 national softwarecompetition with N7.5million.

However, 70 percent ofthe fund, it was learntwill go to the winnerswhile the remaining 30percent will be kept asseed fund for mentoringand innovation.

Accordingly, N2 mil-lion will go to the firstprize winners, N1.5 mil-lion to the second win-ners while N1 million

will go to the third win-ners.

For Professor TapioVaris from the UnitedNation in his key notespeech, recent trends inICT s put emphasis onthe innovation strategyfor education and train-ing, which according tohim must be embraced byNigeria for future surviv-ability.

While urging the Nige-rian government to ben-efit from the UNESCO/IITE e-learning pro-gramme, he said thatthere may be need fornational policy on e-learning and establish-ment of a pilot project fora UN e-learning centerfor ECOWAS in TINAPA.Part of his recommenda-

tion was that Nigeriashould ensure that edu-cation environment isintegrated with knowl-edge laboratories andtechno-enabled lectures.

With a youth popula-tion of about 60 per cent,he further recommendedthat Nigeria shouldbuild the capacity andcapability to demystify-ing technology innova-tion

Need forsmart trainingSimilarly, Professor Pat

Utomi during the plena-ry session told the gath-ering that there wasneed to have smart train-ing for the smart society.

While admitting thatentrepreneurship was

creating value, he toldthe student to be innova-tive in software develop-ment so as to face thechallenges of the globallabor market after grad-uation.

“How do we deal withcurriculum in the univer-sities to drive entrepre-neurship? Digital litera-cy is the key. Nigeriamust recognize the divi-sion between vocationaland academic training asan intervention strategyin the digitaleconomy,"he said.

President of ISPON,Chris Uwaje earlier inhis welcome addresswhile admitting that tel-ecoms are significantand very important not-ed that the current appli-cation strategy may notrescue Nigeria fromemerging digital knowl-edge colonization in thenear future.

Convinced by the factthat of the country's ina-bility to compete in theheavy technology indus-try, in the next thirtyyears, he said that con-

ventional wisdom dic-tates that the country's90% telecom centric focusagainst 10% creativetechnology and IT/soft-ware innovation may re-sult into developmentjeopardy in the main-stream of Informationsociety.

Technology equi-librium needed

He noted that what thecountry needs is technol-ogy equilibrium innova-tive strategy whereequivalent resources isstrategically deployedsimultaneously to stimu-late innovation in bothcritical sectors and ob-serve their GDP valueadded to the nationbuilding development.

While advising the stu-dents to become softwareentrepreneurs for globalcompetitiveness, he saidthat, “If the goals of re-tooling the workforce isto facilitate wealth crea-tion, enhance our com-petitive edge in the glo-bal knowledge Olympi-ad and ensure as well assustain national surviv-ability, then we who aregathered here today inTinapa Knowledge cityare duty bound to discov-er the lasting solutions.”

Of 24 teams that com-peted in the first round,ten were shortlisted inthe second round afterwhich three teamsemerged 1st, 2nd and3rd in the final round ofthe competition that sawOlaoluwa Aboluwarin,Oluwadara Oladapo andMofesola Banjo as thefirst prize winner withEnchanter as the projectname in the 2013 ISPONsoftware competitiongrand price.

The three students wereselected after four daysof creative work in akeenly contested soft-ware competition involv-ing about 70 studentsfrom 21 schools from Ni-gerian tertiary institu-tions at the Nigerianknowledge city, Tinapa,Calabar, Cross Riverstate.

Team 1 from CovenantUniversity, Otta withAnti-cultism social edu-cation media won thesecond prize with AtivieRaymond, Orogo Alanu-nioluwa as team mem-bers.

Also, Team Efficacyfrom Obafemi AwolowoUniversity, Ile-Ife camethird with team membersincluding Moyin Adeye-mi, Adegoke Obasa andAdeyemi Olaoye .

However, 24 teams indifferent categories in-cluding mobile app, webapp, desktop app, andmobile game had com-peted in national soft-ware completion andconference sponsored byMain One, NigerianCommunications Com-mission, NEXIM Bank,NITDA among others.

Continues from Page 25

conference was apt atthis time whenglobalization andinformation technologyhas made the world aglobal village.

He said that foodprocessing and handlingis a major determinant ofnutritional status of agiven society.

And with malnutritionestimated to becontributing over 50 percent of mortality amongchildren under five yearsin Nigeria, heemphasized the need forall stakeholders tocollaborate in order toimprove the quality offood processing inNigeria, using modernscience and technology.

In his own address, theDeputy Speaker of theHouse ofRepresentatives, HonEmeka Ihedioha said theNational Assembly iscommitted to ensuringeffective regulation andenforcement of highprofessional standardswithin the foodprocessing andagricultural sectors theeconomy.

He said that Nigeriahas the potentials to feedits citizens but lacks theenabling laws andtechnology know how todo so.

“A nation that cannotfeed its populace isvulnerable to social crisisand insecurity andexternal manipulations.This is why the NationalAssembly is firmly insupport of the efforts tomove the country awayfrom a mono-culturaleconomy and accord foodand agricultural sector arenewed attention in thescheme of things”, hesaid.

According to him,part of the efforts of theNational Assembly toencourage the industrywas demonstrated in theenactment of the law”that gave the existence ofthe NIFST a legalbacking.

EMPOWERMENT: From right, Director, Women Affairs, Dr. Ijeoma Unaogu,Director, ComTech Ministry, Olawale Edun, Communication Technology Minis-ter, Mrs. Omobola Johnson and Dr. Chii Akporji, Special Adviser/Chief of Staffto the Coordinating Minister of Economy yesterday in Abuja during a pressconference to announce initiatives to empower women and girls in ICT. Photoby Emeka Aginam.

AWARE of the growing digital divide

between men and womenin the adoption of ICTs todevelop their potentials,the Ministry of Commu-nication Technology yes-terday in Abuja unfoldedplans to launch three dif-ferent initiatives thatwould empower womenand girls.

The innovative initia-tives including the Smart-Woman Nigeria initiative,MCT 1000 ICT Trainingfor Girls and ICT GirlsClubs were developed bythe Ministry of Commu-nication Technology, Ag-riculture, Water Resourc-es, Health and Works.

The Minister of Com-munication Technology,Mrs. Omobola Johnson ina press conference tospeak on the arrangementfor the launch of the ca-pacity building projectssaid that the Ministry inpartnership with Hauwei,will launch SmartWomanNigeria, MCT 1000 ICTTraining for Girls in La-gos next week while theICT Girls Clubs will belaunched in January 2014,to promote and sustainthe inclusion of womenand girls in ICTs.

With 23% few womenonline than men in devel-oping countries, she saidthat twelve schools, two ineach geo-political zone ofthe country are expectedto benefit from the pilotproject which will be ex-tended to others schoolsacross the nation.

To achieve this, she saidthat these five Ministrieshave signed MOUs withthe Ministry of WomenAffairs and Finance todevelop the potential and

ICT: FG launches bid to empower women, girls

earning power of womenand deliver on specificservices that will impactpositively on the lives ofNigerian women.

Although the names ofthe states and schoolswere disclosed at presstime, SmartWoman Ni-geria project, she saidseeks to promote the de-velopment of women inNigeria via Informationand Communication Tech-nologies (ICTs).

The project’s target, shesaid was to have 20,00women using and receiv-ing content from Smart-Women Nigeria by end ofthe first year of the project.

She said that the figureis expect to increase riseto 60,000 by the end of thesecond year and 100,000by the end of the thirdyear respectively.

ICTs can help the devel-opment of women by help-ing them to be more effi-cient and effective in theirjobs, careers, and busi-

ness and to generate newemployment opportuni-ties. It also has the poten-tial to significantly con-tribute to increasing thesocial welfare ofwomen,“she said.

The SmartWoman Ni-geria Project, according toher will allow women inNigeria to connect withone another, share theirknowledge and learn fromeach other; and throughthat empower themselvesto achieve their goals,adding that the projectwill provide an afforda-ble means for Nigerianwomen to receive, in atimely manner, accurateinformation that is rele-vant to their needs.

The project to be deliv-ered in two phases, shesaid would l provide anaffordable means for Ni-gerian women to receivein a timely manner, accu-rate information that isrelevant to their needs.

According to her, the

objective of Phase one ofthe initiative was to build-up a community of wom-en that will subscribe tothe SmartWoman servicethrough their digital de-vices including (phone,tablet, PC, among others.

These women, she ex-plained will pay a sub-scription fee betweenN160 to N320 per monthafter which they receivecontent daily on a widerange of issues rangingfrom career tips to parent-ing, health, finance, lei-sure etc.

In Phase two of theproject, the SmartWom-an Nigeria, Johnson saidwill be extended to 'bene-ficiary' women who willreceive targeted contentvia text messages free ofcharge. Such content,she said will include lifeskills, money manage-ment, legal issues, health,safety and security etc.and specific informationfrom participating Minis-tries.

VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguard, , , , , WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 , 2013 — 31

32 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

,

,

NEARLY two decadesafter Bayelsa State was cre-

ated through an independenceanniversary broadcast by thenHead of State General SaniAbacha, the mood across the stateis still euphoric.

This was evident from the spir-it of oneness that pervaded theentire state during its recent 17thyear anniversary celebration.

The series of activities whichattracted prominent Nigeriansfrom all walks of life to the state,provided an avenue for a reviewof how far and well Bayelsa hasprogressed since its creation.

Despite being regarded as oneof the smallest states in the coun-try, in terms of population andland mass, Bayelsa is endowedwith vast natural resources. Thismakes the state a major contribu-tor to Nigeria’s oil wealth.

It was expected that the oilwealth would have translated intooverwhelming prosperity, butsome past administrators havebeen accused of not using the oilproceeds to transform the state intothe Glory Land it was meant tobe.

Vanguard Features,VF, how-ever learnt that a new Bayelsa isbeing created from the creeks ofthe Niger Delta. This must haveinformed the euphoria that greet-ed the well-attended anniversa-ry celebrations. ‘’Yes I am proudto be a Beyelsan and an Ijaw man.This state is a legacy that everyIjaw person must help to grow inevery facet. Without malice to pastadministrations, this government

Bayelsa bubbles at 17,relishes landmarks

By CHARLES KUMOLU is creating a new Bayelsa. You cansee I am here in GovernmentHouse not as an official but as aconcerned indigene to celebrateBayelsa at 17,’’ an excited EbiereMarkson told VF.

The high point of the anniver-sary celebrations was a public lec-ture convened by the state gov-ernment.

Legacy for everyIjaw person

Those at the lecture entitled:“Good Governance as a Panaceafor Promoting a Stable and Sus-tainable Democracy”, includedformer Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives, Alhaji GhaliNa’Abba; former Governor of An-ambra State, Dr. ChukwuemekaEzeife; Chief Ebenezer Babatope;Chief Diete Spiff; Dr. EdmundDaukoru; Rear- Admiral JohnJonah (retd.); Speaker, BayelsaState House of Assembly, Konbo-wei Friday and the Chief Judgeof the state, Justice Kate Abiri.Na’Abba who chaired whatturned out to be a robust debateon how best to deepen democra-cy, observed that the choice ofthe topic was in line with the factthat Governor Dickson is a firmbeliever in the power of democ-racy.

He posited that every democra-cy must not be lacking in legiti-macy, direction, performance, ac-countability and fairness. These,he noted translate into good gov-ernance. Quoting the late liter-ary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, hesaid: “Good governance is the

palm kernel with which democ-racy is eaten. Any democracywithout good governance is onlydemocracy in nomenclature. Bygood governance, it is meant thatthe state operators are providingtheir citizens with what is gener-ally referred to as the dividendsof democracy,” he said.

The former Speaker, who couldnot hide his admiration for thevarious ongoing developmentalprojects in the state, puncturedthe general assumption in Nige-ria that dividends of democracyinvolve provision of potable wa-ter, food, good roads or electrici-ty.

‘’Dividend of democracy is nei-ther the provision of potable wa-ter, food, good roads, electricityor any of such. These categoriesare just a small tip of the iceberg.According to the United NationsDevelopment Program,UNDP,good governance has five mainuniversal principles. These arelegitimacy, direction , perfor-mance, accountability and fair-ness,’’ he explained.

Town hallmeetings

These principles, he said, areevident in the manner the stateis being governed. Backing hisargument with examples,Na’Abba said: ‘’Many times sinceyou were elected, Nigerians havewatched with keen interest howyou organise town hall meetingswhere you discuss the problemsof your state with the public witha view to reaching a consensus

on issues relating to governance.Through this mechanism, youhave been able to establish politi-cal stability in Bayelsa.’’

Chief Babatope who was theguest speaker, noted thus: “If wehave not effectively ensured thatthe democratic, constitutional andreligious rights of Nigerians arevery well respected and protect-

ness, communication and ac-countability. The governmentshould operate in such a way thatthe public sees easily what activ-ities are undertaken by it, and howthe activities are performed,” hesaid.

For him, what Dickson institut-ed is novel. He regretted thatduring his tenure as governor ofold Anambra State, it never oc-curred to him to convene a publicforum to give the people an in-sight into the workings of the state.

Town hall meetingsThe transparency briefing,

which was held at the BanquetHall of the Government House aday after the lecture, attractedBayelsans from the various strataof the society. The forum which isheld monthly, was the 16th edi-tion. Addressing Bayelsans dur-ing the transparency briefing, theGovernor explained that themuch talked about €60 millionloan is tied to direct aid from Po-land. He pointed out that it is nota loan facility as being peddledby the opposition.

He described the financial as-sistance tagged “Tied Direct Aid,TDA”, as interest-free and is aimedat financing the proposed Mari-time Academy at Okpoama in theBrass Island area of the state.

Dickson stated that his admin-istration is not taking any loanfrom any bank or government,rather the Polish Government hasagreed to finance the proposedMaritime Academy and recoup itsinvestment in 30 years.

His words: “The Polish Govern-ment offered to work with us tobuild a Maritime Academy whichis like a university. We wanted amaritime academy in Brass Is-land. This State has the poten-

A new Bayelsa is being created from thecreeks of the Niger Delta; this must haveinformed the euphoria that greeted thewell-attended anniversary celebrations

Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson (right) presenting a souvenir to the former Speaker of the Federal House Representatives,Hon. Umar Ghali Na’abba (2nd right) during a public lecture organised as part of activities to celebrate the 17 years of the creation of BayelsaState in Yenagoa. On the left is former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope.

tials because of our maritime na-ture. We want to dominate themaritime industry going for-ward.”

The Deputy Governor, Jonah,who made a presentation of thestate’s financial position, saidthe gross inflow was N13.7billion.A further breakdown shows thatstatutory allocation stood atN2.5billion; Derivation Fund -N8.6 billion; SURE-P-N1.5billionwhile the state did not receive anyfund from the excess Crude Ac-count and Augmentation for theMonth of August.

He also stated that total deduc-tions at source came toN2.71billion comprising a Bondloan of N1.2billion, foreign loansamounted to N12 million whilerefund of overpayment on the re-vised Excess Crude Account from2008 to 2009 stood atN187.8million representing the32nd payment out of 72 install-ments.

ed under the administration ofPresident Jonathan, our countrywould have succumbed to themachinations of the Boko Harampeople and their sponsors”

Continuing, he said: “I hatereading ill-motives on any groupof organisations or persons. I,therefore, will not accuse the BokoHaram people of allowing them-selves to be used by some evil-minded politicians.’’

Former Anambra State Gover-nor, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife alsolauded Dickson’s style of gover-nance. He commended the Gov-ernor for the transparent mannerhe had run the state since assum-ing office, adding that a govern-ment is said to be transparentwhen information about its activi-ties are accessible to the public.

“Government is transparentwhen there is openness of accessto government information-wherethe people/civil servants are opento citizen’s request for informa-tion. Transparency requires open-

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 33

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA,Owerri

Izombe: Whenpeace returnsto strife-torncommunity

BEFORE the discovery andextraction of oil in Izombe,

Oguta Local Government Areaof Imo State, the rural, peace-ful town was something any-body would wish to be his an-cestral home. Things howeverchanged abruptly with the ad-vent of oil. The town startedexperiencing difficult times.

At some point, the town wascompletely a no-go-area be-cause of very serious intra-com-munal strife. No villager be-lieved in the other person. Con-fusion reigned supreme.

Property of varying shapesand worth, including publicand private buildings and his-torical artifacts, were eitherburnt or destroyed. Apart fromthe damage to property, manypeople lost their lives and thosewho were lucky to survive theonslaught sought refuge inneighbouring communities.Izombe sadly transformed intoa ghost town.

Return of sanity: It took yearsto achieve peace. Survivingthe peace was equally a differ-ent ball game, but when some

sanity returned, the peoplegladly commenced the processof reintegrating and rehabili-tating the returning refugees,as well as reconstructing dam-aged buildings.

In the process, some con-cerned people of Izombeformed a group known as JisikeRegional Development Foun-dation, JRDF. This group hasturned out to be a community-driven development organisa-tion in the area. The organisa-tion’s target is to upgrade theliving standards of the peopleand ensure sustainable growthand development through aglobal memorandum of under-standing, GMoU, with oil com-panies operating in the commu-nity.

Vanguard Features gatheredthat JRDF was founded in 2005to represent Obeabo and Umu-nwama autonomous communi-ties. The body has since en-tered into and signed a GMoUwith Chevron Nigeria Limited,Imo State Government and oth-er stakeholders to work togetherto create a climate of mutualunderstanding, promotion ofdevelopment and peace in thecommunity. This understand-

ing will equally create theneeded peaceful atmospherefor the oil company to performits operation without hindrance.

Although this agreement hasits challenges, it has howeverinspired constructive effortsand commitments in taking re-sponsibility and positive actionto actualise the desired needsand aspirations of Izombe peo-ple.

The process has continued toprovide the platform for otherstakeholders to participate inthe development and transfor-mation of the communities. Inthe last eight years of theGMoU, the community has re-corded more successes andcontinued to add value to lifeand living. What is more inter-esting is that the capacities ofJRDF members have been builtand continually strengthenedto take advantage of the abun-dant opportunities, as well asbring meaningful developmentto the communities.

Past projects executedunder the GMoU

Tremendous progress wasmade in providing solar-pow-ered water projects in seven vil-lages. They include Umuele,Umuakpa, Ubagwugwu,Amaudo, Umuowerre and Ndi-awa, all in Obeabo and Umun-wama communities.

The body has equally con-structed a one-block of 20 lock-up stores at Ekewell Market,installed a 500KVA transform-

er with high and low tensiondistribution lines in Ugbele vil-lage and constructed two townhalls in Eziama and Okwudorvillages.

With the transfer of commu-nity scholarship administrationto JRDF in 2010 by ChevronNigeria Limited, the body hasprovided yearly scholarship topost-primary and post-second-

al support projects have beencompleted in Umunwama GirlsSecondary School. As at thelast count, 20 youths from thecommunity are currently beingtrained at the National Metal-lurgical Training Institute, On-itsha, Anambra State.

What makes this hospitalproject embarked upon by thecommunity very laudable is thatthere is no functional hospitalto serve the needs of the entireOguta South. The hospital hasNurses and Doctors’ quarters.With the commissioning of thishospital and installation ofstate-of-the-art facilities, thefour communities in Izombeand the neighbouring towns inOguta local council area cannow access the facility.

In a message delivered at thecommissioning ceremony onbehalf of the General Manag-er, Policy, Government andPublic Affairs, PGPA, ChevronNigeria Limited, Mr. DejiHaastrup, said the projectswould not have been realisedwithout the support and coop-eration of the villagers.

“We are excited about theprogress being made by theJRDF since the GMoU wassigned in 2005. Today, we arehappy that numerous achieve-ments in the last year includethe completion and commis-sioning of the Umunwama Cot-tage Hospital, the procurementand installation of two 500KVAtransformers with high and lowtension distribution lines, aswell as the numerous econom-ic empowerment initiatives, in-cluding the tricycle revolvingloan scheme”, Haastrup said.

He was particularly happythat without the support andcooperation of the communities,they would not have realised

*The Umunwama Cottage Hospital

,

,

their dream of making theGMoU model an effective so-cial performance model.

Chevron’s PGPA, who wasrepresented by the GMoU Co-ordinator, Eastern Operations,Mr. George Iluwa, was also ofthe view that “these partner-ships have added significantvalue to communities in ourareas of operations and we willlike it to be sustained throughenabling business environ-ment”.

The greatest success of theGMoU is in meeting its objec-tives of making communitiestake the driver’s seat in theirown development and ensur-ing huge empowerment andcapacity building opportunitiesget to their people.

Like the Chairman of JRDFsaid, “the GMoU model isworking and leaving lastinglegacies in our communities”.

ary students from the area.In 2011, JRDF initiated eco-

nomic empowerment pro-gramme under a revolvingloan scheme with the purchaseand distribution of 27 tricyclesas poverty reduction strategy.The body hopes to extend thisgesture to another 30 benefi-ciaries before the end of thisyear.

New projects: The organisa-tion has recently completedand commissioned N134.6 mil-lion projects. They includeUmunwama Cottage Hospitalas well as two electricityprojects. Two 500KVA trans-formers have been installedand energised. Similarly, hightension and low tension distri-bution lines have equally beenextended to homes, as part ofthe rural electrification pro-gramme of the organisation.

Toilet facilities and education-

At some point, the town was completely ano-go-area because of very serious intra-communal strife. No villager believed in theother person. Confusion reigned supreme

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34—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

Fake documents tarnish credibilityBY VERA SAMUEL

ANYAGAFU

IT has been discovered thata large number of Nigerians

who seek visas to migrate tovarious countries of choiceabroad, are being denied entry,based on the fact that thedocuments they submitted to theembassies for processing, werediscovered to be fake and notissued by the right Nigerianissuing authorities.

In addition to this, most victimswere not entirely truthful with theinformation they supplied whilefilling out their forms. It is evenmore worrisome to realise thatthese unfortunate applicants hadto part with large sums of money

to procure these fake documentswhich they used to back up theirvisa applications.

Although some of theseembassies in Nigeria periodicallyadvise visa seekers on thedangers behind presentation offake documents, using a proxyand or patronising embassy touts,applicants most often than not,still end up falling prey tofraudsters.

In line with theaforementioned, the ConsularOfficer, United States Embassy,Abuja, Ryan Feeback, at theCyprian Ekwensi Centre for Artsand Culture, counseled Nigerianstudents on the need to be truthfulwith visa applicationdocumentations stressing that the

major reason behind visa denialwas fake documentation.

Ryan said, “Consular officerswould always detect fakedocuments, and are not alwaysimpressed when applicants donot follow basic instructions andthen go out to pay someone toproduce fake documents or fillout the application on their behalf.When you come in with fakedocuments your credibility will betarnished and you would denyyourself the opportunity to studyor to ever travel to the U.S.”

Confirming Ryan’s declaration,Lawrence, a lecturer at LagosState University, LASU, whospoke to Vanguard ConsularAdvisory, disclosed thatpresentation of fake visa

documentation was responsiblefor his visa denial at the UnitedStates embassy, thereby, cuttingdown his dreams of ever studyingat any institution of learning inthe U.S. Lawrence said, “I got toknow an agent through one of myfriends who disclosed that thesaid visa agent assisted one of hisrelations to procure a visa toEurope.

“I was charged a total sum ofN720, 000 to get me a UnitedStates student’s visa within twoweeks, counting from the date themoney was paid. I depositedN500, 000 of the agreed fee, andpromised to pay him the balanceof N220, 000 as soon as thedocuments were handed to me.”

Oblivious of the fact that a U.S

intermediary to obtain, Lawrenceignorantly paid the agent themoney they both agreed for theservices rendered. Armed with thedocuments, he sent in hisapplication for onwardprocessing, but was disappointedwhen he was refused visa basedon the fact that the documents heprovided were fake and not fromthe right Nigerian issuingauthorities.

He said, “I became sodevastated, having foolishly lostall my savings to a fraudster, whoclaimed that he was capable ofgetting me a visa with the help ofa visa officer at the U.S embassy,and when it dawned on me that Iwas duped, I resigned to fate”

Lawrence’s case applies to alarge number of Nigerian visaseekers. Forthwith, intendingtravellers, who seek visas to enterdifferent countries of choiceabroad, should in their interest,ensure that they desist frompatronizing touts, as well assubmitting fake documents, asindulging in such acts, wouldonly get them defrauded andfrustrated.

BY NNAMDI OJIEGO

IAS rescues UK visaapplicants in Nigeria

•IAS Director, Ono Okeregba

visa was notsomething oneneeded to employthe services of anagent or

F O L L O W I N Gt h e

commencement ofImmigration AdviceService (IAS) operationsin Nigeria, NigerianU.K visa applicants,would henceforth,experience stress freevisa applicationprocesses, as the U.Kbased organisationpromises to bringsuccour to the teemingpopulation of NigerianU.K visa applicants.

Speaking at thelaunch, the Director,Immigration Advice

informed team, IAS iscommitted to deliveringworld class visa servicesto Nigerian U.K visaapplicants”

He added, “IASrepresentation inNigeria would ensurethat applicants whoseprevious visaapplications wereunsuccessful, either as aresult of improperdocumentation and orlack of comprehensivesupporting documents,are made to go througha judicial review.”

Okeregha also notedthat most Nigerians werebeing denied visa based

on provision ofdocuments that arefraudulent and not fromthe right Nigerianissuing authorities,stressing, ‘these, to alarge extent haveregrettably contributedto majority of them beingdenied visa to variouschoice countries abroad.I urged prospective visaapplicants to engage theservices of IAS for propervisa documentation,administration andappeal.”

Service, OnoO k e r e g h a ,expressed that anumber ofNigerian U.Kvisa applicantshad encountereds e v e r a lu n p l e a s a n texperiences inthe attempt toobtain variouscategories of U.Kvisas, thus theneed for ac o m p e t e n ti m m i g r a t i o nrepresentation inNigeria to assistapplicants achieve asmooth through visaprocessing.

Okeregha said, “Ouraim in Nigeria is to reachout to prospectiveNigerian U.K visaapplicants, throughproviding them withprofessional advice onproper visadocumentation andproceedings in order toavoid visa refusal. Withour experienced and well

L E I S U R ETHOUGHT FOR TODAY

VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguard,,,,, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30,OCTOBER 30,OCTOBER 30,OCTOBER 30,OCTOBER 30, 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 — 35 — 35 — 35 — 35 — 35

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KAPTAIN AFRIKA in “Princess Shii’ By Andy Akman

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TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” By Lanre Kehinde

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HOME AND ABROAD by Lawrence Akapa

By Richard Eromosele

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

TAURUS: Opposition between the Moon and Pluto may in-duce personality clashes you don’t need at lest for now. Whatcan help you now is love and your being persuasive. Think ofthe future.

GEMINI: Positive events that started yesterday will continuetoday. Rely more on your ability to be as bold as necessary sothat you can get things done your own way at work.

CANCER: Good luck will smile at you. Romantic interludethat started last yesterday may become excitingly louder andmelodious to the satisfaction of your soul.

LEO: If you allow domestic pressure to affect your workingpattern, your senior colleagues may not understand and makethings a bit more difficult. IF you’re stable, you will have moreto gain financially.

VIRGO: After snappy aggressive approach exhibited by youyesterday ,you are back at your being pleasant self to the ad-miration of others. This is the wrong time to take law and it’sagents for granted. Youngs-at-heart are favoured so also com-mercial activities.

LIBRA: Some of you will wake up from slumber and realisemistakes about your finances early enough and make amend-ment but those who are reckless will commit more blunder.Beware of joint venture.

SCORPIO: Although erratic people from unexpected quar-ters may oppose you openly, your being self assertive will earnyou both victory and financial success. Then tomorrow willprove more successful.

SAGITTARIUS: The more ambitious you are the better foryou. Then you will need to ignore those with queer character-istics within your working arena.

CAPRICORN: Mixed trends are indicated. If you take goodadvice from your cool headed friends, you will benefit morethan you imagine, but if you take to unpredictable attitude,you will today start fire that will burn with great intensitytomorrow.

AQUARIUS: If you take the veterans within your base forgranted, they will fail you painfully. Yet here is a lucky day foryou when your being secretive and self reliant will earn yousuccess. Be more ambitious.

PISCES: Some of the people around you may get on yournerve via careless remarks, you must not allow them todisorganise your plans. The closer you are to the influentialpeople the better for you.

ARIES: “Money is the root of all evils” says an adage. And ifcare is not taken, money may set you and some other peoplefiercely against each other to the detriment of your cause. Becautious.

Dear Joshua,I am deeply interested in Astrology: and the way you

analyse people is great, keep it up. Kindly tell me whateveryou think I should know about my life together with myluck, social life and my lucky number.

Oyetoro, Abia.

Dear Oyetoro,Thank you for your words of encouragement. Too many

things are important but I think what both your immediateand far future have for you must be revealed to you so thatyou will be prepared.

Mars in Aquarius together with Uranus are pointers to anactive social life. The more influential social circle you be-long to, the better for you. You’re the cool-headed type be-loved by many but once your anger manages to fly off, itcan be very difficult if not dangerous; it’s because of yournatal Pluto. Yet they keep coming your way.

Saturn can not help forcing challenges on your way, luck-ily for you however, you have what it takes to live up to thechallenges. And as Saturn will never deny it’s worthy nativethe deserved success, it also gives recognition.

Saturn or no Saturn, good relationship bet Mars and luckyJupiter when you were born, are green tumb for WEALTH;you will be wealthier more than having liquid cash; nobodycan stop your becoming wealthy.

Best colours for you include YELLOW, golden, black butnot coconut white. Your sleeping posture should be on East/West axis with your head to the West.

5 is your destiny number, 9 is your ambition, 8 is yourexpression, your other numbers are 1, 6, 7 & 11. Thus, theyare as superior as listed.

Between now and your 44th year on earth (three and halfyears) women, money, youngster will greatly feature in yourlife and a few publicity cum commercial success equallyindicated for you.

However come your 45th year (around that period) toughchallenges which will border on stiff competition, avoid-able accident, treachery and money will come your way.

Although it sounds somehow, it’s the needed tonic for andor pillar for an endless cycle of success that will follow.Therefore whatever can be shaken to the foundation or beuprooted by that time should not be initiated now.

The future is truly brilliant for you.

What is my luck?

Are you a senior tenant? (1)ARE you ingood term

with your landlord?I mean, do you havean excellent rela-tionship with yourlandlord? If yes,congratulation!I want to ask you

a simple question:how many yearshave you lived inthe house - tenyears, twenty years,thirty years etc?How many years? I

was discussing witha neighbour theother day and hetold me he has livedin a house for awhooping twentyeight years, twenty

eight years, I ex-claimed! That’slong enough tobuild your ownhouse. That’s longenough to be yourown landlord or is ita crime for you tohave your ownhouse? ...

36—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

A'Ibom setfor 9,999Carol Night

BY KENNETHEHIGIATOR

‘DESOPADEC committed to projectscompletion'

AVIATION SCANDAL: BASA dealimportant than Reps' probe, says forum

Etche monarch laudsAmaechi over new stools

BY FESTUS AHON

PAPA LondonIghomrore of

Orhumaro quarters inUvwie Local GovernmentArea of Delta State, aged101, is dead.

Late Papa London wasthe first Secretary-Gen-eral of Urhobo ProgressUnion, UPU.

He is survived by chil-dren, among whom areMr. Anthony Ighomroreand Mr. PatrickIghomrore, Delta StateHouse of Assembly aspir-ant under Peoples’ Demo-cratic party, PDP, in 2011.

Burial arrangement willbe announced later.

Passage

PREPARATIONS areon for the hosting of

the sixth edition of AkwaIbom Government’s9,999-member choirChristmas Carol Night.

Director of Protocol tothe Governor, Mr.Aniekpeno Mkpanang,said in Uyo that theplanning committee hadraised a 200-man bandIbom Chorale and Or-chestra comprising a100-man classical masschoir, a 50-man orches-tra choir, 35 singers, 10instrumentalists and 10lead singers to beef upthis year’s edition.

Mkpanang, who isalso the Senior SpecialAssistant to the Gover-nor on Protocol, addedthat the committee hadreduced Brass Bandfrom a 200-man to a 100-man band.

He said national andinternational artistessuch as IsraelHoughton, LionelPeterson, Sinach, FrankEdwards, Omemmaamong others, will be atthe event.

Akwa Ibom voices,such as Aity DennisInyang, Pastor GoodyGoody, Fadabasi, LindaEtukudoh, NathanielBassey, Freke Umoh,and Folake Umosen willalso feature at the Carolnight.

THE Middle-Belt/South-South Forum has flayed the

order given to the Minister ofAviation, Princess Stella Oduah,by the House of Representativesto leave the signing of BilateralAir Service Agreement, BASA,with Israel and return to thecountry to appear at the publichearing, probing the acquisitionof armoured vehicles by the Ni-gerian Civil Aviation Authority,NCAA.

The House Committee Chair-man on Aviation, NkirukaOnyejeocha, had after the pub-lic hearing last Thursday, orderedthe Minister to leave Israel andappear at the public hearing to-day, or the House would orderher arrest.

However, a chieftain of the fo-rum and the former Military Gov-ernor of Delta State, ColonelDavid Dungs (rtd) flayed theHouse for the order.

He said that the signing of airservice agreement with Israelwas more important than theprobe, as all Christians in Nigeriawere looking forward to a directflight to Israel, adding that theprobe should not be used to scut-tle that chance.

Dungs said while the forum didnot see anything wrong with theprobe, the House could shift thedate for the hearing until the min-

ister returns home, remarking thatthe Committee Chairman,Onyejeocha, might not under-stand the importance and the sen-sitive nature of the agreement, al-though she is a Christian.

He said: “The BASA signing issomething that had beenplanned, so they should wait for

the minister to come back becausethe agreement is more beneficialto the country than the probe.

“Even during the military era,things did not work that way. Is-sues of national interest are givenpriority. The Chairman of theCommittee may not understandthat you cannot just abort some-

thing that took a long time toplan.

“It is an important agreement,which is above everything inter-nal that the House wants to do.So she should be allowed to com-plete the BASA deal, then theycan ask her to come and appearat the public hearing.”

UGHELLI— MEMBER representing Ughelli South,

Udu and Uvwie local governmentareas on the board of Delta StateOil Producing Areas Develop-ment Commission,DESOPADEC, Mr. FestusUtuama, has said that the com-mission was committed to thecompletion of ongoing projects forthe benefit of the oil bearing com-munities across the state.

Speaking while inspecting theultra-modern primary schoolbuilding project embarked uponby DESOPADEC in Ovwor com-munity, Ughelli South, Utuamasaid that the commission was key-ing into the three point agendaof the state government.

He commended Obakpor En-gineering Limited, the contractorhandling the projects, for the pace

and quality of work done, assur-ing that the commission wasworking relentlessly to ensurespeedy completion of the project.

He said that the commissionwas leaving no stone unturnedin its resolve to ensure that itsprojects were awarded to only

competent contractors, so as topave way for the execution ofprojects to specification.

Utuama commended the peo-ple of the Ovwor community fortheir peaceful disposition and pro-vision of the right atmosphere forthe completion of the project.

NATIVES of the three clankingdoms in Etche ethnic

nationality have commendedGovernor Rotimi Amaechi of Riv-ers State on the recent upgrad-ing and recognition of their age-long traditional chieftaincy stoolsby his administration.

The three clan kingdoms in-clude Igbo-Agwurasa, theAgwuru-Ozuzu and theAgwuru-Okehi kingdoms inEtche Local Government Area of

the state.HRM Eze Austin Amaechi at

his palace in Igbo-Agwurasakingdom, one of the new first classstool titles, said that the dividendsand impact of upgrading of thechieftaincy stools would go a longway in bringing the people at thegrassroots closer to governmentfor speedy development.

He said: “In the history of ourpeople, the Igbo-Agwurasa clankingdom will never forget thatGovernor Amaechi played a vitalrole in bringing the people at thegrassroots closer to government,especially the upgrading and rec-ognition of the Igbo-Agwurasa tofirst class chieftaincy stool.

“This is something our peoplehave been patiently waiting for,so we can be independent.

“Governor Amaechi embarkedon a familiarisation tour to Etchecouncil six years ago.

“We are happy over this devel-opment and our people are readyto support Governor Amaechianytime he beckons.”

Union raises alarm over dangerous P'Harcourt jetty

PORT HARCOURT— MA-RINE transporters at the

Nemba Waterside in PortHarcourt, Rivers State, havecomplained that the dangerousstructure of the ruined NembeJetty has caused the death ofsix passengers this year.

Nembe Branch Chairman ofthe Maritime Workers Union of

Nigeria, David Teke, said somepassengers slip and fall into thewater while trying to negotiatethe dangerous jetty to boardboats.

He said: “The jetty is too high.We want it reconstructed to di-rectly connect the water so thata passenger does not have tojump and stretch his or her legsbefore entering a boat.

“If the condition remains the

same without anybody comingto our aid, we may go on massprotest to tell the world what weare passing through.

“We cannot continue to foldour hands and watch people getkilled due to the bad conditionof the jetty.

“Nigerian Maritime Adminis-tration and Safety Agency,NIMASA, has visited the jetty,yet nothing has been done.”

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

RETREAT: Fromleft— Mr. AtikuDambatta, HeadO r g a n i s a t i o n a lR e s o u r c i n gDepartment, DebtManagement Office,DMO; Dr. AbrahamNwankwo, Director-General, DMO, andSenator Uzamere at athree-day retreat withthe Senate Committeeon Local and ForeignDebts held in Benin,Edo State. PHOTO:Barnabas Uzosike.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—37

Urhoboholds confab

ATAMU Social Clubwill hold an interna-

tional conference for theUrhobo people on Satur-day, November 2, taggedUrhobo: This House MustNot Fall.

Speaking on the eventbilled for the ConferenceCentre of the PetroleumTraining Institute, PTI,Effurun, Delta State,President of the club,Johnson Agagbo saidthere was need for Urhobopeople to be proactive intackling the challengesconfronting them.

Chairman of the Organ-ising Committee of theconference, AbrahamOgbodo said ProfessorSam Oyovbaire will bechairman; Ovie of UvwieKingdom, father of theday, while speakers in-clude Dr. SunnyAwhaefada, ProfessorRose Aziza of Delta StateUniversity respectivelyand Professor BenOghojafor of the Univer-sity of Lagos.

VISIT: From left— Director of Highway, Ministry of Works, Mr. Bala Dan Shehu; Wlliamvan Hout; Executive Chairman, LEE Engineering & Construction Limited, Dr. Leemon Ikpea;Works Minister, Mr. Mike Onolememen; Jos Platenburg; Permanent Secretary, Ministry ofWorks, Abubakar Koro Mohammad and General Manager, Business Relations, LeeEngineering & Construction Limited, Godwin Abhulimen, during a courtesy visit by LEEEngineering and its foreign partners to the Ministry of Works headquarters in Abuja.

Delta Central: Party agents call for probeinto beating

BY FESTUS AHON

NPC,WAIFEMpartner onVision 20:2020 goals

Convention

IN line with the policyof the Federal Govern-

ment to reposition Niger-ia’s economy to beamong the top 20 econo-mies by 2020, the Na-tional Planning Commis-sion, NPC, has partneredWest African Institute forFinancial and EconomicManagement, WAIFEM,to map out sound econo-metric models and fore-casting techniques tomake short and long termeconomic projections.

The Director, Macro,NPC, Mr. Tunde Lawal,who addressed partici-pants at the opening cer-emony of the trainingworkshop on macro-eco-nomic modeling and fore-casting for officials of theCommission, said thatmodeling and forecastingwere key instruments ineconomic planning, policyformulation and imple-mentation for theeconomy to thrive.

Director General ofWAIFEM, Prof. AkpanEkpo, on his part, said:“Econometric modelingand forecasting help inunderstanding the opera-tion of the economy andenhances policy decisionmaking process both at themacro and micro levels.”

BY UDEMECLEMENT

CEPEJ lauds Jonathan on nat'l confab c'ttee

MRS Oreoluwa ModupeOdunuga, nee

Odunewu, is dead.She died on Friday, Octo-

ber 18.According to the family, she

would be buried after a Chris-tian wake keep on Tuesday,November 5, at Queens Col-lege Hall, Yaba, Lagos andfuneral service on Wednes-day, November 6, at Commu-nity Hall, Sam ShonibareStreet, Surulere, Lagos.

Odunuga for burial

A civil awareness andnon-political organi-

sation, De NorsemenKclub, will, between No-vember 7 and 9, hold its5th annual convention inUyo, Akwa Ibom State.

International Presidentof the organisation, Mr.Tony Eteng, said that theconvention will feature apublic lecture on HIV/AIDS, to be delivered bya renowned interna-tional anti-AIDS cam-paigner, Mr. Eze Iyeme.

He said the theme ofthe lecture is HIV/AIDS:Coping with and Curb-ing the Pandemic in Sub-Sahara Africa, addingthat a medical expert,Dr. Udeme Asibong anda civil rights activist, Mr.Chibuzor Nwogu, willalso speak at the event,which will attract notableNigerians from all walksof life.

UGHELLI— YOUTHleader of Peoples Demo-

cratic Party, PDP, in UghelliNorth Local Government Area,Delta State, Mr. Victor Ohare,yesterday, appealed to theleadership of the party toprobe the alleged attack onthe party ’s agents sent toEvwreni during the October 12Delta Central by-election.

PDP’s agents had allegedthat they were beaten up bysome of the community youthsbelieved to be members of theparty and All ProgressivesCongress, APC.

Noting that the party agentswere mobbed and chased outof the units, Ohare said: “I hadto rescue them and take themto a hotel in Evwreni.

“I later heard that the othertwo agents were beaten up, ar-

rested by some party chieftainsand locked up in police cell forhours.

“All efforts to secure their re-lease on bail did not yield anypositive result until the Presi-dent General of the commu-nity, Mr. Solomon Ukumor,stepped in and secured theirrelease on bail.

“What surprised me was thatit was PDP that attackedagents of the party in Ewvreni.

“It is clear that the PDP wardexecutives do not have the in-terest of the party at heart.”

‘Our experience’Narrating his ordeal to news-men in Ughelli, Mr. EmmanuelOgbebor said: “We were 10agents that were sent by PDPto man the 10 units in Evwreni.I was PDP agent in Unit 3.

“As soon we entered thetown, we were introduced toPDP ward chairmen.

“Surprisingly, we wereasked to leave the community,that we are not indigenes ofthe community and that theelection was to be conductedonly by Evwreni people.

“What baffled us most wasthat we were beaten up in thepresence of some PDP chief-

tains, while two of us were ar-rested and detained from 1pmtill 6pm.

“I managed to escape withother seven agents through abush path. One of us lost hisphone and cash during theattack.”

Also giving his account, Mr.Efe Ebrudu, said: “I and oneAfokeya Kenneth were seri-ously beaten up after whichwe were arrested and de-tained for over four hours.

“We were taken to the po-lice station by some partychieftains, while the othereight persons managed toescape.”

AS the observance of Octo-ber as the dedicated En-

ergy Conservation month drawsto a close, the Lagos State Gov-ernment has assured residentsthat it would not stop reinforc-ing the key messages of theConserve Energy Save Money,CESM, campaign.

The government said the cam-paign was not a one off thing,as it would be sustained untilLagosians internalised energyconservation practice and makeit part of their day-to-day wayof life.

The General Manager, LagosState Electricity Board, LSEB,Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi, made

the explanation during the fi-nal lap of the public enlighten-ment campaign on energy con-servation at the Energy Expe-rience Centre in Lagos.

She said: “The reason we didthis in the first place was be-cause people were not enlight-ened. We are not under anymisconception that because wehave been doing this for onemonth, the whole of Lagos willknow.

“One thing we are sure of isthat when we continue with thismessage, we will keep reinforc-ing it to Lagosians and makesure that energy conservationis priority to them.”

NATIONAL Coordinator ofCentre for Peace and En-

vironmental Justice, CEPEJ,Sheriff Mulade hascommended PresidentGoodluck Jonathan for the in-auguration of an advisory com-mittee to work out modalitiesfor the conduct of a fruitfulnational conference.

Mulade, who made the com-

mendation in Ughelli, DeltaState, said that the call for anall-embracing dialogue byvarious stakeholders was longoverdue.

He said: “The plethora of po-litical and socio-economicproblems confronting Nigeriain recent times make this movecritical.

“And the national conference

provides the right platform toaddress these challenges andcorrect existing anomalieswith a view to putting thecountry on its right path andpreserving its unity.”

He enjoined Nigerians, ir-respective of political, ethnicor religious affiliations, tosupport the initiative, charg-ing the Senator FemiOkurounmu-led panel towork assiduously, consult andcome up with an acceptableframework towards facilitatinga comprehensive dialogue.

Lagos assures on energy conservation

38—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

Anambra 2013: APC blames destructionof party bill-boards on APGA

Imo toestablish 4specialisthospitals

Abia gives15 buses toto schools

Umuahia market relocation, dream come true —Gov Orji

BY ANAYO OKOLI

UMUAHIA—GOVERNOR Theodore

Orji of Abia State, hasdonated six 30-seaterbuses to students of thefive tertiary institutionsin the state, saying theywere rewards for goodconduct.

Orji also donated nineother buses to conveyschool pupils and stu-dents to and from theirvarious schools in Abaand Umuahia, bringingthe number of buses do-nated to schools to 15.

Orji said that there hadnot been any students’unrest in the state sincethe present administra-tion came into office andcommended the studentsfor their good behaviour.

The schools that wouldbenefit from the largesseinclude the Federal Gov-ernment-owned MichaelOkpara University of Ag-riculture, Umudike as wellas the Abia State univer-sity, Uturu; Abia StatePolytecnic, Aba; College ofHealth Technology, Aba;College of Education Tech-nical, Arochukwu and AbiaState University TeachingHospital, Aba.

AWKA—ALL ProgressiveCongress, APC, in

Anambra State has placed thealleged destruction of 114 of itsbill boards at the door steps of theruling All Progressive Grand Al-liance, APGA -led administrationof Governor Peter Obi.

This was contained in a state-ment Mr. Okelo Madukaife onbehalf of Dr. Chris Ngige Cam-paign Organisation, in Awka,yesterday.

Ngige is APC’s gubernatorialcandidate for the November 16election in the state.

The statement read, ‘’Our at-tention has been drawn to thepropaganda piece ‘Ngige pullsdown Obiano’s bill board,’which has been circulated onthe internet by a paid AnambraState Government/APGAwriter.

’’In the first place, Ngige hasnot pulled down anyone’s bill-boards and is not likely to doso in spite of the provocationsby the APGA camp using gov-ernment apparatus to pulldown over 64 billboards anddestroying more than 50 oth-ers belonging to Senator Chris

OWERRI—THE ImoGovernment has

said it would soon estab-lish four specialist hos-pitals to cater for complexcases and ensure the effi-ciency of the healthcaredelivery system in the state.

Governor RochasOkorocha announced thiswhile inspecting ongoingconstruction work at theOwerri North New Gen-eral Hospital in Naze, nearOwerri.

He listed the hospitals tobe established under thisnew arrangement to in-clude the gynaecology,paediatrics, psychiatricand ophthalmology spe-cialist hospitals.

“The aim is to ensure thatthe people of the state donot travel abroad again formedical services,” the gov-ernor said.

Okorocha said govern-ment would use some ofthe 27 new general hospi-tals under construction inthe state for the hospitals.

Ngige, the candidate to beat inthe elections. Ngige has sincemoved on with other creativeways of reaching the voters inAnambra State which is con-tinuously evolving.

’’Our candidate is not astranger to persecution and his

strength and popularity ispartly owed to his tremendouscapability to keep his eyes onthe ball, by not resorting to re-venge, when the bottom lineeffect could be counter pro-ductive. We understand thediscomfort and disquiet cre-

ated in the Anambra StateGovernment circles and theAPGA fold, because theirplan is to draw Ngige outinto the field on a full-scalecombat, a plan that was de-veloped as part of a seven-point agenda to compromisethe November 16 elections.”

BY GBENGA OKE

PRESS CONFERENCE: Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Viola Onwuliri(left) addressing a joint press conference with her Palestine counterpart, Ryad Almalky,after a bilateral meeting between Nigeria and Palestine in Ramallah, Tuesday.

DEACON EMMANUELOgugua Obi, aged 82, of

Awkuzu, Anambra State, isdead. His remains have sincebeen laid to rest at his hometown, Awkuzu.

He is survived by the widow,son, grandchildren, sisters,and other relations.

Late Ogugua Obi

Passage

UMUAHIA—GOVERNORTheodore Orji of Abia State,

has said that the effective reloca-tion of the central market inUmuahia which had hitherto dis-rupted development as it occupiedthe better part of the capital city isa long dream come true.

In a statement in Umuahia, yes-terday, by his Special Adiver onPublic Commuication, Mr. BenOnyechre, The governor said: “Iam particularly thankful to thetraders and indeed all the indi-genes of the state for their encour-agement and support which

played a major role in my determi-nation to relocate the market onceand for all.

“The realisation of this projecthas become a veritable gamechanger because it will expose thedevelopmental efforts of the gov-ernment as it will also serve as agateway befitting of the capital city.

“The demolition of the old mar-ket is not only a natural expansionof the capital city, but will also availbreathing spaces to the inhabitantsof the city as it has pulled the wool

from the eyes of doubting Tho-mas’s most of whom had thoughtthat government would not sum-mon the courage to carry out itsresponsibilities, particularly suchthat will add value to the lives ofthe people by enhancing the us-age of existing amenities.

“This government has built astate of the art market were oldand new traders have beenpeacefully relocated. The chal-lenges we have had in the past

is that some critics who aresworn enemies of the state willnever tolerate the developmentof Abia so that they will continu-ally flaunt their wealth, intimi-date the people because theywant to be calling the shots, butfortunately, people are politicallymore conscious as they havecome to realise their rights andprivileges in a political spacewhere any man can aspire toany position.”

APC stalwart debunks rape allegationBY SIMON EBEGBULEM

BENIN CITY—A stalwart ofAll Progressives Congress,

APC, in Oredo Local Govern-ment Area of Edo State, Mr.Moses Idahosa, yesterday, de-scribed as wicked and mislead-ing, a report in the social me-dia that he raped one JoanNwadike in Benin City.

Idahosa, who expressedshock over the report, said thereport had damaged his imageand asked the Osun Statebased- newspaper to retract thestory or face legal action withinthe next fourteen days.

His words: “ I was reallyshocked when my friends in-formed me about what was writ-ten on the internet that a girlalleged that I raped her, that isuntrue. I have never met, seenor known anybody called Joanin my entire life. Infact as Godwill have it, the picture theyused as the woman was a fake

Sen Agbo donates buildingto Catholic church

A B A K A L I K I — Anon-serving Senator

from Ebonyi, Chief AnthonyAgbo, yesterday, donated hisduplex to the CatholicChurch, Abakaliki in the state.

Handing over the buildingworth millions of naira and itsdocuments to ArchbishopBishop Michael Okoro,Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki

one.“This wicked people went

and took my picture in myfacebook account. How thestory came about, I do notknow, it beats my imaginationthat somebody can cook upsuch damaging story aboutme. The report has caused meand my family serious embar-rassment and I have written

to the media house to retractthose lies or I will take legalaction.

While calling on the pub-lishing outfit to retract thestory in its entirety, Idahosasaid he had already reportedthe matter to the police whilehe is still holding discussionswith his lawyer.

Diocese, the donor said it wasin fulfilment of a promise hemade to God “over a press-ing need” in 1994.

He said: “I begged God fora favour in 1994 with a prom-ise to give my first propertyto Him in return; when Icompleted this buildingseven years ago, I decided toredeem my promise.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—39,

FESTIVAL: From left, Chief Great Ogboru, Secre-tary, National Democratic Coalition, NDC; ChiefAyo Opadokun, Professor Ajayi Boroffice, his wife,Dr. Boroffice, and Executive Chairman, Ifako-IjayeLocal Government, Mr. Oloruntoba Oke, during aspecial choir festival of Ikate Baptist Church,Surulere, Lagos.

CONFERENCE: From left, Dr. Obafemi Raphael,PRO; Dr. Qumas Olasukanmi, Chairman, and Dr.Oyekunle Timothy, Secretary, all of HerbalTherapy Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter,at a press conference.

CONFERENCE: From left, Pastor Ben Ewuzie,Rector, Redeemers International Leadership Acad-emy; Sola Ajimoti, Media, and Mr. Fred Egbekile,during a press conference on the coming Redeem-er's International Leadership Academy 3-dayChurch Accounting workshop and leaders forum,in Lagos.

AWARDS: Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa, UBA,Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza, presenting the Most Valuable Performer, MVP,Award to Lawal Kolawole, a third time winner, and Executive Director,Human Resources and Customer Service, UBA Plc, Obi Ibekwe, duringthe special recognition awards ceremony for UBA MVPs, at the Bank’sHead Office, in Lagos.

OPENING: Senator Oluremi Tinubu (middle), flanked by Managing Director &Chief Executive Officer, AFKAR, Mr. Allen Ballard (right), and Legal & PersonnelManager, Mrs. Adesola Falaiye, during the opening week of AFKAR Printing &Publishing Company Limited, Ikeja, Lagos.

SHOW: American actor and comedian, Deray Davis, and Nigerian popularcomedian, Basketmouth, performing at Africa's biggest comedy show, GloLaffta Fest, at Thisday Dome, Abuja.

PRESENTATION: From left, Akwa Ibom State Liaison Officer (Lagos), Mr. JosephEtem; celebrant, Mr. Victor Ayara; Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information,Mr. Aniekan Umanah, and Special Assistant to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State(media), Deacon Jackson Udom, at the public presentation of Victor Ayara's gospelmusical album, 'Grace Personified,' at Testimony Place, Victoria Island, Lagos.

PRESENTATION: From left, Mr. Akinsola Omoniyi, Area Business Manager, AirtelLagos North; Mrs. Lynda Muibi, Trade Marketing Manager, Lagos North; Mrs. OjuadeOluwaseun, Education Officer, Ifako-Ijaye Local Government Area; winner of N1million in the on-going Airtel Red Hot promo, Mr. Aremu Adewale, and Mr. FatuadeAyobanji, Area Business Manager, Lagos North, Airtel, during the presentation ofcheque to winner, at Airtel Express Shop, Ogba, Lagos.

CEREMONY: From left, Marketing Executive, Old Mutual Nigeria,Chikezie Ogwo; Captain of Ikeja Golf Club, Ladies Section, BoseRansom-Kuti; Vice Captain, Ikeja Golf Club, Ladies Section, AngelaAdegboyega, and General Manager, Cutler Ogilvy PR, Laura Oloyede,during the closing ceremony of 13th Ikeja Golf Club Ladies Open2013, co-sponsored by Old Mutual, in Lagos.

40—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

4,000 ghostprimaryschoolteachersdiscoveredin Sokoto

Beware ofNyako,stakeholderstell APC

Save education sector from totalcollapse, ex-minister tells FG

BOKO HARAM: Islam abhorskilling of innocent souls — Sultan

VISIT—Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo presenting some documents tothe Hungarian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations, Mr.Peter Szijato during a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.

SOKOTO—APPARENTLYmiffed by the continued

killing of innocent people, es-pecially in the North-Eastzone of the country by BokoHaram adherents, the Sultanof Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’adAbubakar III, yesterday de-clared that Islam abhors thekilling of any innocent soul.

“The Sokoto SultanateCouncil, all traditional rulersand the generality of the Mus-lims, have dissociated them-selves from such dastardlyacts.

“Islam abhors the killing ofany innocent souls withoutfollowing the due legal proc-esses,” Abubakar said.

The News Agency of Nigeria,NAN, reports that Abubakarspoke when the former Headof state, Gen. AbdulsalamAbubakar, paid him a courtesycall.

“We are always committed tothe growth and developmentof Islamic religion, but in linewith its teachings and law.

“Muslims should even per-suade non-Muslims to jointhe religion by their good con-ducts and strict adherence tothe Islamic law.

“We should, therefore, livepeacefully with our Christianbrothers and not attempt tokill them,” the Sultan said.

The Sultan commendedAbubakar for his dexterity andcommitment to peace andunity in Nigeria, and globally.Earlier, Abubakar extolled thesterling virtues of the Sultan,describing him as a pillar ofpeace, unity and peaceful co-existence.

“The Sultan has been facili-tating peace, unity and under-standing between Muslimsand Christians in Nigeria andbeyond,” the former head ofstate, said.

He stressed the need for theuse of dialogue to resolve allthe problems of Nigeria, add-ing that this could be done inspite of the diverse religious,cultural and ethnic differ-

ences.Abubakar who told the Sul-

tan that he was in Sokoto toinaugurate the state univer-sity, commended Gov. AliyuWamakko, for transformingSokoto State.

NAN reports that, formerVice President AtikuAbubakar and Gov. MurtalaNyako, were among the dig-nitaries at the inauguration.

GUSAU—THE people of Birnin

Magaji town in ZamfaraState have threatened to‘’seek self help,’’ in a bidto curtail the activities ofarmed robbers who havemade life unbearable inrecent months in thearea.

This was even as theZamfara State policecommand has said that itwas doing everythingpossible to put an end tothe activities of the hood-lums, particularly thoseterrorising herdsmen invarious towns and vil-lages in the state.

Already, the people re-portedly lynched threesuspected armed robberssaid to have been terror-ising them few days ago,as according to them,the government hadfailed to protect the vil-lagers.

The Police Public Rela-tions Officer, DSP LawalAbdullahi who spoke onthe issue explained thatthe policemen now patrolthe areas day and nightand expressed hope that‘’we will get them (hood-lums) and bring

ROBBERY:Zamfaratownthreatensresort toself help

BY ZAKARI MARA-DUN

MINNA—ONE timeMinister of Educa-

tion, Alhaji Dauda Birman hasasked the Federal Govern-ment to revisit the demandsof university lecturers by ful-filling its promises to them, tosave the education sector fromtotal collapse.

Birma spoke in an interviewwith Vanguard in Minna,Niger State capital said thatsince the government enteredinto an agreement with thelecturers under the aegis ofthe Academic Staff Union ofUniversities, ASUU, it shouldhonour its obligation to ASUUand enter into fresh negotia-tions with the union in areaswhere it found it difficult tomeet up.

“All along, it was very clear

BY WOLE MOSADOMI that ASUU had been talkingof an agreement. It was not apiece of paper they wrotethemselves. It was an agree-ment between the ASUU andthe Federal Government andI will therefore say, the Fed-eral Government should gothe extra mile to see what itcan do about it,” he said.

On whether the FederalGovernment had the re-sources to meet up with thedemands, he said it was bet-ter for the authorities not tohave entered into the agree-ment than entering and notfulfilling it.

“I am not in governmentnow and so I would not knowabout their resources butwhat am saying is that if youdon’t have the resources tofund an agreement, youshould endeavour not to en-

ter into it at all.“Like a father would tell his

children that today, we are notable to give you the type of foodwe were giving you before andtherefore you have to make dowith the food available now.However, if a parent is eatingsomething different from whatthe family is eating, the familywill be suspicious and there-fore, the father must be verytransparent, open and accom-modating.”

Also commenting on the le-gitimacy of ASUU demands, hesaid his experience as a minis-ter of education about 15 yearsago showed that the sector waspoorly funded, adding that forthe sector and the country toreally move forward in allspheres of life, all tiers of gov-ernment must be readyto increase their funding of edu-cation appropriately.

S O K O T O — T H ESecretary of

Sokoto State UniversalBasic Education Board,SUBEB, Alhaji IbrahimDingyadi, says the stategovernment has discov-ered about 4,000 ghostprimary school teacherson its payroll.

“The ghost teacherswere uncovered afterfour-month verificationof all the teachers in the1,965 primary schoolsacross the state,”Dingyadi told the NewsAgency of Nigeria, NAN,in Sokoto yesterday.

The secretary said theexercise was conductedjointly with the statechapter of the NigeriaUnion of Teachers, NUT,and the state House ofAssembly’s Committeeon Education.

Dingyadi also said theexercise was success-fully conducted betweenJuly and October 2013.He said the salaries ofteachers in the state dur-ing the period were paidthrough table payments.

BY UMAR YUSUF

YOLA—THE AllProgressives Con-

gress, APC, has beenasked to be wary of Gov-ernor Murtala Nyako ofAdamawa State who wasmoving to decamp fromthe ruling People’sDemocratic Party, PDP, tothe new party.

The 21 local govern-ment chairmen of thedefunct Action Congressof Nigeria, ACN, Con-gress for ProgressiveChange, CPC, and theAll Nigerian PeoplesParty in Adamawa State,made this known at anews conference in Yola,yesterday.

They further said thatNyako was not fit for themission of the newAPC, adding that it wasdangerous to throw thedoors of the new partyopen for people like him,after he had reportedlycaused crisis in the StatePDP.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—41

Jonathan, Oshiomhole,Uduaghan, Tambuwal,others mourn Akhigbe

BY EMMA AMAIZE,AUSTIN OGWUDA, SIMON

EBEGBULEM, BEN AGANDE,BASHIR ADEFAKA & DAYO

JOHNSON

PRESIDENT GoodluckJonathan, has commiserat-

ed with the family of AdmiralMike Akhigbe over the death ofthe former Chief of General Staffin a United States hospital. InFugar, Etsako Central LocalGovernment Area of Edo State,home town of the late AdmiralAkhigbe, authorities of the tradi-tional council have declared threedays mourning for the formerNigerian number two man.

Meanwhile Governor AdamsOshiomhole of Edo, former gov-ernor of the state, Chief LuckyIgbinedion, former deputy gov-ernor, Dr Peter Obadan allmourned Admiral Akhigbe, yes-terday. Also, Delta State gover-nor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan,Governor Olusegun Mimiko ofOndo State, Speaker of theHouse of Representatives, MrAminu Tambuwal, former Minis-ter of Communications during theGeneral Sani Abacha regime,Major General Tajudeen Olan-rewaju, have joined in mourningAkhigbe.

President Jonathan in a state-ment by his aide on Media andPublicity, Dr Reuben Abati, said:“While Vice Admiral Akhigbemay have left the world of the liv-

••Council declares three days mourning

General Staff” the statement add-ed.

The President said he believedthat Vice Admiral Akhigbe willbe especially remembered andhonoured by present and futuregenerations for serving with dis-tinction as military governor ofLagos and Ondo States, and asChief of General Staff in the mil-itary administration that mid-wifed the current democratic dis-pensation in Nigeria and beganthe commendable re-profession-alization of the Nigerian ArmedForces after decades of involve-ment in politics.

He prayed that God Almightywill comfort all who mourn ViceAdmiral Akhigbe and grant hissoul eternal rest.

Elder brother of the deceased,Chief Akemoh Akhigbe, said “Itis devastating, particularly afterthey wrote that my brother wasdead when he was still alive. Wethought he could make it but hegave up Monday midnight. Weare devastated because he wasfather of all.”

Markets, shops closed atFugar: Following his death, mar-kets and shops were closed at Fu-gar. Traditional rulers and eldersheld marathon meetings over thesad incident. The late Admiralcreated the council and broughtdevelopment to the area whenhe was Chief of General Staff.

The Chairman of the council,Mr Emmanuel Momoh, said “It

the death of Vice Admiral Akhig-be, an elder statesman, a pan-Nigeria nationalist, a man of un-common qualities and an illus-trious son of Edo State.

“Vice Admiral Akhigbe’s trackrecords as former military Gov-ernor of Lagos and old Ondostates, as Chief of Naval Staff andChief of General Staff areindelible. He no doubt dis-charged his duties creditably andleft huge imprints in the sandsof time.

“Indeed, we owe him a greatdebt of gratitude for his invalua-ble contributions which led to thenascent democracy beingenjoyed in the nation today. InEdo State, Admiral Akhigbe wasa pillar of support as he hadcause to disagree with his politi-cal party at several times whilechampioning a good cause for thestate.

“Vice Admiral Akhigbe, nodoubt, had lived his life to thefullest and made indelible markboth as a disciplined military of-ficer and as an administrator.“His death has no doubt robbedEdo State and Nigeria of one ofher brightest minds.

“We feel even more pained thatdeath robbed us of Vice AdmiralAkhigbe at this time while we stillmourn the passage of another il-lustrious son of the state, Profes-sor Omo Omoruyi. However, aswe mourn, we take solace thathe contributed his best and gavehis all to the state and the coun-try. For these, the people andGovernment of Edo State aregrateful and proud. I pray Godto grant the soul of the departedVice Admiral peaceful eternalrest in His bosom and grant thefamily the fortitude to bear theloss,” it stated.

He was a disciplinarian—Uduaghan

Governor Uduaghan in a state-ment by his press secretary, Fe-lix Ofou, described the formernumber two citizen as a discipli-narian who lived a spartan lifeand insisted that the interest of

the masses must be consideredbefore critical national decisionswere taken.

The governor applaudedAkhigbe’s pro-people initiatives,resulting among others, in hisjoining hands with General Ab-dulsalami Abubakar to return Ni-geria to civilian democracy inMay, 1999 as well as helping tonurture it.

“Admiral Akhigbe was a finenaval officer, a gentleman andpatriot who rose to the pinnacleof his career, including beingappointed as the Chief of Gen-eral Staff or number two to Gen-eral Abubakar. And it is to theircollective credit that Nigeria wasreturned to civilian democracy inMay, 1999,” he said.

Governor Uduaghan recalledthat Akhigbe, after leaving office,joined forces with other patriotsto nurture the country’s fragiledemocracy, opposing any sug-gestion for the military to returnto power. “He joined partisanpolitics and was against the useof force or thuggery in winningelections.He was one of the ex-generals who admitted that mili-tary rule was an aberration andhelped to stem its tide.”

An exemplaryofficer—Mimiko

Governor Mimiko, in a mes-sage, said the late Akhigbe wasan exemplary officer whose lifeafter retirement was also worthyof emulation. He said the formerMilitary Administrator of OndoState was part of the develop-mental process of the state as hecontributed his quota to itsgrowth.

Mimiko said his death was notjust a great loss to his immediatefamily but also an irreparable lossto the nation, adding “with hiswealth of experience, it was tooearly for him to leave at 68.”

Noting that he will be sorelymissed, Mimiko said the familyof the departed should be proudof the legacies he left behind andbe consoled by the memories ofhis worthy life, even as he prayed

that God grant him eternal restand his family the fortitude to bearthe loss.

On his part, Chief Igbinedionsaid “Nigeria and Edo State inparticular have lost a fine gen-tleman, a worthy Naval officer,who we all will miss dearly. It issad and I am devastated like eve-ry other person that came in con-tact with our late brother, Admi-ral Akhigbe.”

Obadan, on his part said “wehave lost an honest, disciplinedand principled politician. I don’tknow how to describe him any-more, but just to say he was agood man that hated injustice,oppression. God knows best andmay his gentle soul rest inpeace.”

A gentleman officer—Tambuwal

Speaker of the House of Rep-resentatives, Tambuwal, in a state-ment by his Special Adviser onMedia and Public Affairs, MalamImam Imam, described Akhigbeas a gentleman officer whosecontributions, and that of hispeers, towards restoration of de-mocracy in Nigeria in 1999 willremain indellible in the annalsof Nigeria’s history.

He said Nigerians will foreverremain grateful to the Abdulsa-lami Abubakar-led regime,which Akhigbe served for theirdiligence and commitment toensure the return of democracyto the country.

“As a proof of his commitmentto democratic ideals, Akhigbecontinued to render selfless serv-ices to the nation post-1999 untilhis death on Monday. Nigeriahas lost one of its eminent sons.I extend my condolence to hisfamily, Fugar community in EdoState, the Nigerian Navy and Ni-gerians as a whole,” he added.

He effected our releasefrom prison—Olanrewaju

Major General Tajudeen Olan-rewaju, in a message from hisLondon home, said that thememories of the good days ofAkhigbe and of the many goodhe did especially for working loy-ally with his boss and formerHead of State General Abubakarin effecting immediate releasefrom prison of officers involvedin the phantom Diya coup of1997 including himself can nev-er be wished away in a hurry.

“Admiral Akhigbe’s death ispainful and heartbreaking. Hewas a patriot statesman, loyal tohis boss and the country. He wasbold, courageous and principled.In spite of opposition from a pow-erful element in the ProvisionalRuling Council, PRC, at that time,he stood his ground with Gener-al Abubakar and other membersin the ruling council to grant usclemency over the 1997 couptrials. The late Admiral was anAdmiral that any nation wouldlove to have. I sympathise withthe Akhigbe family over the lossof their bread winner. As a col-league, I have lost a personalfriend,” said the former minister.

President Jonathan believes that Akhigbewill live on forever in the hearts and minds ofall whose lives he touched positively duringhis long and remarkable career of nationalservice in military commands and in the polit-ical offices he held as a military officer

Akhigbe

is a big blow to us, this was thetime we needed him most be-cause the council executive weresworn in early this year, so weneeded his advice as a father buthe is no more. But we take sol-ace in the fact that he lived a goodlife, he got to the peak of his ca-reer, he achieved a lot and heleft a good mark.

“There is no way the history ofNigeria is written today and hisname will not be mentioned. Onour own we have accepted it, thecouncil has declared three daysof mourning and as time goes onewill know what to do next. Hewas our ambassador, our rolemodel, a fighter who spoke thetruth at all times. We will misshim,” he said.

Oshiomhole mourns

Oshiomhole, in his condolencemessage by his Chief Press Sec-retary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, said:“It is with a sad heart that I mourn

ing, President Jonathan believesthat he will live on forever in thehearts and minds of all whoselives he touched positively dur-ing his long and remarkable ca-reer of national service in mili-tary commands and in the polit-ical offices he held as a militaryofficer.

“He also commiserates with of-ficers and men of the NigerianNavy, which Vice Admiral Akhig-be once led as Chief of NavalStaff, as well as the governmentand people of his home state,Edo, on the passage of the verycourageous officer, who patrioti-cally served his country to thebest of his God-given abilitiesthrough out a most distinguishedcareer in the Nigerian ArmedForces.

“The President joins Vice Ad-miral Akhigbe’s family, col-leagues and subordinates in theNigerian Navy, friends, associ-ates and all who knew him inmourning the former Chief of

,

,

42 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—43

ASUU should please considerour children---Bishop Akinola

WHAT will be your message to Nigerians at a

time like this?I wish to reiterate that the time

is now for Nigerians to shunall acts that are inimical to theprogress and peace of the na-tion. By this I mean that the wellbeing of the nation is a jointresponsibility to be shoulderedby all and sundry. The entire

from people of knowledge forthat long. So they have madetheir point, we identify withthem. I also know that govern-ment has made some inputs. Iwas told that N100 billion wasgiven to them. If what they areasking for is what they told us,

they should please go back toclass now. That’s my take.

National Conference: Somepeople say it’s just another talkshow. Is that your position too?

My question is why were theycalling for it all these while?

They were asking for Sover-eign National Conferen-ce,not a National Conference.

They always have politicalreasons for making noise,sometimes to stall you, some-times to make things difficultfor you, sometimes to harassyou, sometimes to intimidateyou. I’m saying, what is in-con-sistent as far as I’m con-cernedis that the noise which was re-peated for too long was for sov-ereign national confer-ence.

Nationalconference

When the president hasyielded to their call for a talk-shop, they said no that is de-ceptive. So maybe if they toldus why they were calling, theynow tell us the real reason whythey are saying no now, it maybe effective.

The outcome of the confer-ence will still be subjected toratification of the NationalAssembly...

But that makes sense becausethese are the elected represen-tatives of the people. Whatev-er it is, the president may havepolitical undertone for acced-ing to calls for dialogue; butsince you have been calling forit, you should at least say thankyou for implementing this. Tome, maybe because I’m a cler-gy-man, that’s how we do. Iwould have expected that ifyou knew you didn’t want it,tell the people to stop. Wewould have known those whoare for and those who areagainst. That’s just my position.I’ll keep on saying, I’m notspeaking for government, I’mnot against them, I’m justspeaking for sensibility.

BISHOP Taiwo Akinola, founding instrument of Rhema Christian Ministries, in a recent interview with SAM EYOBOKA, inpreparation of the 22nd annual convention of the church and official dedication of its newly completed Champion PeaceCathedral which was started in January 2007, enjoined Nigerians to weigh the consequencies of their actions on posterity.The convention, he said, would start on Sunday with a theme; "Riding on the high places," with Bishop David Oyedepo,Bishop Jide Orire, Dr. Kunle Alli, Bishop Bayo Adejola, Bishop Victor Akilla, Bishop Columa Niboro (from Ohio), BishopBiodun Akinteye, Apostle Tomowewo Mike, Bishop Kayode Agbeyomi (from Atlanta), Bishop Israel Alaya and Apostle DavidRivera (from Florida USA) in attendance. From the political scene, former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjoand the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun amidst other dignitaries from far and near, are expected to gracethe occasion. Excerpts....

BISHOP TAIWO AKINOLA: "I am pleased toobserve that about 92 per cent of Nigerianssupport the Anti-Same-Sex Marriage Bill passedby the Senate."

They always have political reasons formaking noise, sometimes to stall you,sometimes to make things difficult for you,sometimes to harass you, sometimes tointimidate you

MEMBERS of Word ofLife Bible Church, War-

ri literally painted the city ofWarri red last Saturday as theytook to the streets in prepara-tion of this year's Jubilee WordFestival, the church's 26th an-nual con-vention.

They sang and danced to highvoltage music wafting from bigloud speakers mounted onbeautifully decorated trucks ina rally to sensitise residents forthe event.

Men and women dressed insmart attires participated in theprocession which started atEdjeba Teaching Centre andmoved on through AirportRoad, Ogunu, Ogbuwangwe,then on to NPA, EkuredeItsekiri, Olu Palace Road,Ajamimogha and terminated atOkere Market.

They were distributing hand-bills as they marched along thestreets. Between November 10and 17, residents of Warri, its

Word of Life paints Warri red for Jubilee 2013

environs and others from dif-ferent parts of the countrywould converge at the city forthis year ’s unique spiritualexperience. Theme of thisyear’s convention is ‘RecoverAll’.

The event hosted by the Wordof Life Bible Church will havean array of local and internat-ional ministers in persons of theNational President, PFN, Dr.Felix Omobude, presidingbishop of TREM, Dr. MikeOkonkwo, Bishop Tudor Bis-mark, Bishop John Francis,Evangelist Tim Storey, BishopRobert Kayanja and BishopDeitra Walker.

A statement by the chairmanof the Directorate of Pastors,Pastor Sam Akpoviroro said thevenue for the festival is the35,000-seater InternationalGospel Centre of Word of LifeBible Church on AjamimoghaRoad, Warri.

There would also be musicministrations at the festival,

featuring Uche Agu, KenolyBrothers and Frank Edwards.Of course Milk & Honey Choir,the music ministry of Word ofLife Bible Church would alsobe ministering.

Time for the meeting hasbeen set for 3:00 p.m. daily withservices at 6:30 a.m. and 9:30a.m. on Sundays.

Akpoviroro said the sensitisa-tion programme will continueon November 8 with all thenine districts of the churchwearing special coloured T-shirts representing eachdistrict are expected to marchthrough the entire state withhandbills advertising the pro-gramme.

According to him, theprocession will converge at thechurch's IGC, Warri where theCAN president and GeneralOverseer of the church, PapaAyo Oritsejafor, along with hiswife Mama Helen Oritsejaforare expected to pray for them.

By SAM EYOBOKA NO economic system,political structure or

social contract will do well inNigeria until we deal with themindset that breeds corrup-tion and fosters injustice, thegeneral overseer of Charis-matic Renewal Ministries(CRM), Cosmas Illechu-kwuhas said, reports CALEBAYANSINA.

Illechukwu, who describedtransformation as ‘change ofmind’, however, score the Na-tional Orientation Agency(NOA) low for poor perform-ance, noting that if they hadlived to their responsibility,“we would have covered moregrounds in the transformationjourney as a nation.”

The cleric, who stated this,while delivering a lecturetagged; ‘The change agentswe need – The price for nationtransformation’, in Abuja, said“until we have a leader, whois above board and who is will-ing, if need be, to be a martyrin the cause of transformingNigeria, the change we need

No structure works in Nigeria,until…---Illechukwu

will remain a mirage."He further said that many

people were blaming the na-tion's backwardness to the cur-rent political structure. Hewondered why all politicalsystems adopted from ad-vanced countries had donewell in their countries, butfailed in Nigeria?

“I seem to be boxed into oneconclusion; while politicalstructures may be important,it seems not to be the mainchange we need in Nigeria.The problem of Nigeria is notin structures and systems, butin Nigerians.

“We are religious but notspiritual, we are manipulativeand not hardworking, we aresmart but dishonest, we loveto wield power but not to beaccountable. We love wealthbut reject morality, we promotenepotism and disdain merit,we are inve-terate ego-trippers and contem-ptuous ofhumility, we thrive on chaosand fearful of orderliness,” hesubmitted.

tures admonish us to pray forthose in authority. Hence, weof this glorious commission aswell as all Christians will con-tinue to lift all office holders;from the President to state gov-ernors and local governmentchairmen in prayers. We praythat the spirit of the living Godwill adequately supply themwith wisdom to steer aright the

92 per cent of Nigerians sup-port the Anti-Same-Sex Mar-riage Bill passed by the Sen-ate.

Your take on the four-monthold ASUU strike....

I identify with the concern ofmembers of ASUU. I think byand large, they have good casefor the thing they are calling

our attention to.There’s deca-dence, there’slack of infra-structure in ouruniversities. Weknow that weneed more fi-nances, but Iwant to pleaseappeal to them;they have madetheir point, theyshould please goback to class inthe interest of thenation and inparticular, ourchildren. If anyof them havechildren in theseschools, theywouldn't liketheir children tobe disconnected

ship of this great nation.I wish to commend the Fed-

eral Government for her recentdeclaration before the UnitedNations Human Rights Coun-cil that it will not bow to inter-national pressure to allow samesex marriage in the country.Yes, it is not only against thecultural and traditional valuesof Nigerians, but it is also anti-society and clearly against di-vine morals. Moreover, I ampleased to observe that about

citizenry should exhibit matu-rity and sound judgment espe-cially as we move towards thenext election.

I also enjoin us all to weighthe consequences of our actionson posterity. Nigeria belongsnot only to us but also to gen-erations yet unborn. We allshould shun all forms of hypoc-risy and inconsistency so thatwe can proudly present a wor-thy legacy to our children andchildren's children. The Scrip-

44—44—44—44—44—VVVVVANGUANGUANGUANGUANGUARD, WEDNESDARD, WEDNESDARD, WEDNESDARD, WEDNESDARD, WEDNESDAAAAAYYYYY, OCTOBER 30, 2013, OCTOBER 30, 2013, OCTOBER 30, 2013, OCTOBER 30, 2013, OCTOBER 30, 2013

Share your problems and releaseyour burden. Write now to Dear

Bunmi,Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B

1007, Apapa, Lagos. orbunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Bunmi,I’ve been with this guy for

over two years and we now livetogether. We’re very much inlove. The problem is that he’sgot a very high s.x drive.

He wants to make love everynight, and if possible twice aday! I’m quite happy makinglove once a week, at most twice.

Is there anything he can doto lower his libido?

Ify, by e-mail.

Help! He’s addicted to lovemaking!Dear Ify,The question you need to ask

yourself is this: does he wantto lower his libido? He may behappy with his drive— in whichcase, you shouldn’t be askinghim to change. On the otherhand, he shouldn’t expect youto make love if you’re not upfor it.

You need to compromise byfinding ways to bridge the gapbetween you. One good way is

to negotiate to make love a lit-tle less than he wants, and alittle more than you want.

Or you could find ways tomake it more attractive for you.Why not let him know you’rehappy for him to help himselfsometimes instead of involvingyou?

Whatever you do, make sureyou keep talking the problemthrough, so this doesn’t mar thegood relationship you both enjoy.

Dear Bunmi,With all these talks about the

joys of intimacy, I find it em-barrassing to let you knowthat the thought of love mak-ing leaves me cold.

I am currently in a relation-ship and everything isgreat— except that I don’thave any s.x drive.

To me, the drive is not a big deal

I am in my 20s, have a joband enjoy being with my boy-friend, but have never had asatisfying session.

My partner gets irritatedwhenever I make excuses toavoid intimacy and the end-less rows we have are givingme stress. Can you help?

Veronica, by e-mail.

Dear Veronica,Low libido can be caused by

temporary things such as stress.But if you’ve never really likedintimacy, it’s a different kettle offish.

You need to have a medicalcheck-up as soon as you can asa lifelong lack of desire could bedown to a hormonal imbalance.

Also, messages about s.x youreceive in childhood, particularlyfrom your mum, could be puttingyou off. You may have also learntto fear it because of a single up-setting event in your life—abuse, painful intercourse or sim-ply having it when you were tooyoung. You need to be referredto a counsellor for professionalcounselling.

Furthermore, a partner who’simpatient over your lack ofdesire won’t help matters—he’ll just make you more anx-ious about the whole thing.

Explain this to your partnerand ask him to understandand support you. Seriouslythough, if not liking intimacydoesn’t actually bother you,then why do anything aboutit?

It is not compulsory! But youneed to find a partner whofeels the same way.

Dear Bunmi,Recently, I fell in love with a

handsome banker who I had tointeract with as I too work in abank. We flirted outrageouslyand swapped phone numbersand for months, we stayed intouch. He’d call me late atnight after we’d talk for hours.

However, when I plucked upthe courage to ask him wherehe saw things going, he toldme I was just a friend. I ac-cepted this as I had no choice—I have no intention of throw-ing myself at him.

So why does he keep on call-ing me all the time and flirtingwith me if he doesn’t wantsomething more? I’m confused.

Timi, by e-mail.

Dear Timi,One thing you must know is

the fact that people flirt— andthey do so for a lot of reasons;because they enjoy it, be-cause they like the admira-tion or because they like thegame.

But that doesn’t mean theywant a relationship with eve-ryone they flirt with. It doesn’teven mean they’re free tohave a relationship.

You did the right thing bychecking what this man hadin mind— and to accept it.What you need now is to learnthat not all flirting leads onto something serious.

Sometimes, it is just a bit offun.

What exactly does he want?

Dear Bunmi,I got married early last year

because I was pregnant. I lovemy husband and daughter butmarriage is not as interestingas I thought it would be.

We both have good jobs andmy mum helps in looking afterthe child when I’m away in theoffice. I also have a fairly wellbehaved maid.

Yet I’m not happy. I see theyears ahead stretching out likethis and I feel disillusioned.

I don’t even know if my hus-band feels the same way as Ihaven’t discussed it with him

in case he feels hurt. Pleasehelp.

Omorode, by e-mail.

Dear Omorode,Don’t panic. A lot of new

brides experience doubts simi-lar to yours— not about theirhusband but about being mar-ried. Here are some top tips fornew brides, who are wonder-ing if they did the right thing:

Don’t expect your weddingday to make life perfect; it’sjust the beginning of a newphase, not a guarantee forhappiness. Give yourself a

realistic period to work out howto live together. You shouldthen stick with this for at leasta year.

Swap notes with your spouseon how you see your relation-ship: compare expectations andmake sure you’re in sync.

Take time to be individuals,keep up with friends, followyour interests— so you feelyou’re in control of life.

Remember, you don’t have tobe married in the same way asyour mum and dad were.Checkmate the marriage youwant— in your own style.

Why is marriage such a bore?

My ex forced himself on me

Dear Bunmi,For 18 months, Greg and I

had a very strong relation-ship and the lovemaking wasgreat. Unfortunately, and forno reason, I fell out of lovewith him and had to breakthings off.

He was really devastated inspite of the fact that I let himdown as gently as I couldbecause he was very nice tome.

I’m now in another relation-ship and happy. Some fewweeks ago, I met Greg at alecture and he invited me tohis flat for a drink. Since weboth remained good friends,I went with him.

He told me he had a fewgirlfriends and I was genu-inely happy for him. I’dscarcely touched my drinkwhen he was all over me. Iwas shocked.

He pinned me to the couchand started having s.x withme and hurting me in theprocess. I asked him to stopseveral times, but he didn’tuntil I was able to free myhands and grab him roundthe throat to get him off.

He showed no remorsewhatsoever and had the guts

to tell me I shouldn’t findlovemaking with him so re-pulsive since we were oncelovers.

He still wants us to befriends. What I can’t under-stand is why a man, who wasonce a gentleman, could turninto a brute.

Taiye, by e-mail.

Dear Taiye,By going with your ex to his

flat knowing both of youwould be alone must havesent the wrong signal to him.You did the dumping and heobviously hasn’t forgivenyou for that.

It is important that you getthis emotional trauma be-hind you and be wary nexttime you decide to go to anysingle man’s apartmentalone— especially if s.xmight be on the cards.

What happened to you isnot uncommon— but thatdoesn’t make it right. Your exobviously wanted to hurt youas much as he was hurt whenyou dumped him. But he wentabout things the wrong way.He’s the brute, not you andyou should put a lot of dis-tance between you.

I need to tell him of my infection

Dear Bunmi,I caught herpes late last year

from my boyfriend of onlynine months. I was devastatedwhen I learnt that the diseaseis incurable. That it lies dor-mant for a while then showsup from time to time.

My doctor then advised Itell my new boyfriend so weknow when to avoid intimacy.

I haven’t slept with him yetbecause I’m scared he’ll takeit badly and tell people. Whatshould I do?

Janet, by e-mail.

Dear Janet,You do exactly what you’re

doing now— waiting until youfeel comfortable with a guybefore you sleep with him. Atthe very least, wait until youfeel you can trust him andknow for sure that he isn’t thekind of man who kisses andtell.

So hang on for a while.When you do get to the pointof sleeping with him, tell himopenly what the problem is.

If he’s one of the good guys,he’ll step up to the challenge.If he’s not, you’re best offwithout him anyway.

Herpes is a very commondisease and it can be effec-tively managed.

‘You may have also learnt tofear s.x because of a single up-

setting event in your life—abuse, painful intercourse orsimply having s.x when you

were too young. You need to bereferred to a counsellor

for professionalcounselling'

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013—45

•Jega: INEC chairman

IT has emerged that thevoter’s card, the instrument

which enables citizens to casttheir votes for the election hasturned into a marketablecommodity in somecommunities in the state.

Politicians are being accusedof procuring voters’ cards atthe rate of N5000 each in

Sale of voters’ cards boomsSTORIES BY EMMANUEL

AZIKEN & VINCENT UJU-MADU

Aguleri and someneighbouring communities.

It was gathered that gulliblevillagers have been fallingprey to the development andas they part with their voters’card, they inform others andthe business has beenbooming.

A very reliable source saidyesterday that apart fromAguleri, that the business isalso booming in villages in

Anambra East localgovernment area where two ofthe major governorshipcandidates, Tony Nwoye(PDP) and Willie Obiano(APGA) hail from.

It was learnt that followingthe development in the area,people from the neighbouringAyamelum local governmenthave been trooping toAnambra East to also selltheir cards for N5000.

An official of INEC,however, dismissed themarket, saying that with whatthe commission has put onground, it would be uselessfor such cards to be used byanybody.

He however warned that itis an offence for anybody topurchase voters cards, addingthat anybody caught wouldface the wrath of the securityagencies.

PDP State Chairman PrinceKen Emeakayi has

buttressed reasons for putting thesupport of the state PDP machinebehind the candidate, TonyNwoye.

In an interview following theCourt of Appeal judgment,

Why we are behind Nwoye -PDPEmeakayi said that besides theorder of the courts, that Nwoyeoverwhelmingly won the partyprimaries that had several otherparty giants like Prince NicholasUkachukwu, Jerry Ugwoke,Emma Anosike among others asparticipants.

MORE women groupsseem to be falling for the

APGA candidate, WillieObiano.The latest women group topledge allegiance to Obiano isthe Women Door –to –DoorInitiative for Willie ObianoCampaign, which yesterdaydescribed the APGA candidateas the most qualified person tosucceed Governor Peter Obi inview of his rich background inmanaging human and financialresources.

The chairperson of the group,Mrs. Ebele Ejikeme said the

Another women's group falls for Obiano

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

•Obiano: APGA flagbearerAPGA candidate is far aheadof other candidates in termsrelevant issues in theirmanifestos that would help

move the state forward fromwhat Obi has done.

Obi, she observed, hasbrought discipline anddecorum to the governance ofthe state and there is need forsomebody who has track-recordof performance in his previousendeavours to replace him.

“Chief Obiano is the onlyperson among the contestantswho can step into Obi’s bigshoes and that is why WomenDoor- to - Door Initiative forWillie Obiano GovernorshipCampaign has taken it up uponitself to sensitize Anambrawomen on the need to vote forthe APGA candidate on

November 16, 2013,” she said.Ejikeme said the group

would move from house tohouse in all 177 communitiesin the 21 local governmentareas of the state to promote thecandidature of Obiano, addingthat women have the capacityto convince their fellow womenin every household. She saidthey would also use theopportunity to debunk allegedfalsehoods being peddled bythe opposition against ChiefObiano because according toher, they have realized that heis the most credible candidatein the election.

“You know PDP is a law abidingpolitical party, we abide by courtdecisions. Nwoye wonoverwhelmingly the primaries ofthe party after which the FederalHigh Court in its judgment gavejudgment in favour ofUkachukwu and which was why

•Nwoye: PDP candidate

the party obeyed and now, theCourt of Appeal has givenjudgment in favour of TonyNwoye.

So, the party is bound by thejudgment.”

He rebuffed insinuations thatthe court order came after thedeadline for the substitution ofparty candidates saying:

“Going by the provisions of theElectoral Act after submission itis only the courts that can alterthat and that is what the courtdid and it has nothing to do withthe deadline.

Meanwhile, we have been

THE governorshipcandidate of Progressives

Peoples Alliance, PPA, Mr.Godwin Ezeemo has stormedthe commercial city of Onitshawith his five –point cardinalprogrammes code –named“SHAPE”

SHAPE, he explained at thelaunching of his campaign atthe All Saints CathedralChurch field, stands forsecurity, health, agriculture,power and education.

He argued that once thesefive programmes are properlyput in place, the economy of thestate would transform in termsof job creation,industrialization, security oflives and property, qualitativefree education at primary andsecondary levels, qualitativehealth care delivery, amongothers.

Emptypromises

He told the cheering crowd:“I will bring a change that willensure a stable Anambra State.

I will bring a change that willensure that Igbo will no longerbe marginalized.

“I have come home to serveyou and I want to make surethat you enjoy life.

We know that those whoruled you in the past deceivedyou by making empty promises,but I assure you that ourpromises will be fulfilled. “Ihave been deeply involved inphilanthropic activities for thepast 10 years with my personalresources and I assure you thatif you give us your mandate,we will use state resourcessolely for the development ofthe state. “You asked me to

Ezeemo SHAPE’s up campaigncome out to change our statefor the better and here I ampromising that I will serve youwell.”

National chairman of PPA,Chief Sam Nkire said the party

MAJOR stakeholders inthe PDP are meeting

today to deliberate on thecourse of action for thecampaign it was learntyesterday. It would be the firsttime since the revalidation ofNwoye’s candidacy by thecourts last week that majorstakeholders of the party wouldbe meeting.

Expected at the meeting withthe candidate, Comrade TonyNwoye are the senators fromthe state and appointed politicaloffice holders at the federallevel. Also expected aremembers of the House of

PDP stakeholders meet over Nwoye

Representatives and AnambraState House of Assemblyelected on the platform of theparty.

Stakeholders of the party areexpected at the meeting tomake their inputs into thecampaign and also discuss on

how the party would receiveVice-President Namadi Sambowho is expected to flag off thePDP campaign later this week.

THE Ifeanyi Ubah campaignhas protested the destructionof billboards of the LabourParty candidate by agents ofthe Anambra Stategovernment.

The bill boards advertisingthe Labour Party candidatewere reportedly destroyed byagents of the AnambraSignage and Advertisement

Ubah Campaign laments destruction of billboards

Agency who the Labour Partyyesterday described asvandals.

The party ’s NationalChairman, Chief DanNwanyanwu said, “if the stategovernment does not want billboards in the state, it shoulddeclare so and stop beingpetty. This is an illegality thatwill not stand the test of time.”

The Deputy Governorshipcandidate, Dr. Emeka Eze wasalso quoted by the Ubahcampaign to have said: “wepaid all dues and levies forthe billboard.

We cannot understand whythe government isperpetrating this illegality.They should be called toorder.”

campaigning. As you are aware,the name of the candidate is neveron the ballot, it is the politicalparty. We have beencampaigning and we are readyfor the election.”

has given Anambra people thebest candidate who will movethe state to the next level andurged the electorate to votemassively for him.

46—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

AS you enter the politicalarena what would you

leverage on?We will leverage on our

knowledge of the people, of theirissues, of their needs, and ofsolutions and ideas that wealready have been working on.We have even in ourzealousness proposed some ofthese ideas to these clowns whoare pretending to be our leaders,but who have turned out to beonly interested in flamboyance,sirens and looting of ourconscience and common wealth.

We will leverage on our goodworks in these communities andespecially, on the goodwill of ourpeople. We will point to themprojects that we executed in thesecommunities using limited fundsfrom Chevron at the time, andshow them how we would domore with government resourcesthat are meant for them in thefirst place. We will demonstratethat public funds are not to beconverted to use by individualsin government for themselves,their families, cronies and in-laws! From the Ijaw axis to theIsokos and on to the Itsekiris,these people know me; at the riskof sounding immodest, theyknow me as a solid, reliable,

My wonderful plans for Delta South— Prince EmikoPRINCE Yemi Emiko, son of His Majesty, Ogiame Erejuwa II, Olu of Warri, 1951 to 1986, had extensive experience incommunity engagements across the Niger Delta region having served in the community relations departments of Chevronduring his working career. Prince Emiko is now aspiring to represent the Delta South Senatorial District in the Senate from2015 with the aim of continuing his engagement with the communities in the region on the political level. In this interview hearticulates his plans, policies and politics.

BY DANIEL GUMM dependable and intelligentPrince of the Niger Delta.

What has been yourmotivation?

Motivation? What othermotivation do I need? I am an oilman. I have travelled all over theworld, and I have seen what oilmoney has done for oil bearingcommunities in Louisiana, inTexas, in California, which easilyis the most affluent state in theUSA, in Argentina, in Venezuela,even in small Qatar.

But what do we have here?Abject poverty, environmentalmess, and individuals runningour lives aground, because theyare afraid of people with ideas!You see, the Delta South areashould be and, by the grace ofGod and the people, will be ourown Louisiana.

Outside the numerousFlowstations, Platforms and oilwells in the district, we have twovery important Crude Oil TankFarms… one in Forcados inBurutu Local Government area,and the Other in Escravos, inWarri South West. But what havethe people got to show for these?Poverty Distribution Politics, PDP!They do not have even potablewater to drink, except perhapsprovided by Chevron or Shell.

Yet we have people, who claimto be in government? What can

they show us they have donewith over 10 billion accruing toDelta state every month from 13%derivation fund alone, not tomention other statutoryallocations to the state on monthlybasis? Indeed, what canDESOPADEC point to in theItsekiri or Isoko areas as oneconcrete project the people canrelate with?

Even the few projects done inthe Ijaw area, were merepalliatives hurriedly done at theheight of the resistance led byTompolo. Now that they have leddown their arms, what can wesay government is doing to openup the communities to growthand development? The so-called

road project from Warri toEscravos has long beenabandoned! Must we continue tobury our heads in the sand, likethe proverbial Ostrich andpretend that all is well?

My motivation is to provideproper leadership that willherald change and createopportunities for our people toreclaim and rebuild their lives.

Have you held any political orelective office before?

No. But I fail to see thecorrelation between effectiveperformance and politicalappointment or elective positionin the past.

Governor Oshiomole was nevera political office holder in the past,

before he became governor inEdo state.

What is your vision for DeltaSouth Senatorial District?

My vision is to createmomentum that will galvanizeour district into a kind ofLouisiana, or some little Dubaiof sort.

We need to build up the smallvillages and fishing huts intocountry side city centers and linkthem up with bridges, roads,airports and rail networks. Weneed to clean up the beautifulbeaches and build them intoeco-centers, complete withbusiness sites, shopping malls,water parks, complementarycottage industries like fishprocessing, salt production fromthe huge mangrove resources,and world class sports facilities.My friend, it is do-able.

The resources are there. 10billion naira every month meantfor oil producing communities inDelta state can do wonders, ifspent by selfless, focused andserious minded people. I justfinished reading the book writtenby Mohammed bin Rashid, theRuler of Dubai and the man whohas turned that hitherto smalldesert slum into the eighthwonder of the world in under 20years! He titled his book, “MyVision – Challenges in the Racefor Excellence.” Bin Rashidbelieves that the two most criticalingredients needed for leadersto succeed are “selflessness andthe fear of Allah.” Then you musttreat the people as your mostimportant asset, not as a burden,the way our leaders see and treatus in Nigeria!

•Emiko: Delta South can be like Dubai

THE story of former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar

and former governor ofAdamawa State, Mr BoniHaruna, used to be one ofSiamese twins or, better still, thesnail and the shell. They werepolitical soul mates. Theirrelationship was said to havepreceded 1999 when, at theoutset of the current politicaldispensation, Atiku wasunarguably one of the mostimportant politicians in thecountry.

Before then, he had operatedat the highest level of politicsincluding being a top associateof Alhaji Shehu Musa Yar’Adua,the founder of the politicalmachine, Peoples DemocraticMovement (PDM). The chubbyrelationship between Atiku andHaruna at the time the militarydecided to return Nigeria todemocratic governance in 1998must have informed the decisionof the former to pick the latter ashis running mate after emergingas the gubernatorial candidate ofthe Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in their native AdamawaState. They won the election andbecame governor-elect and

Boni Haruna and his burden of loyaltyBY MOHAMMED ABU-

BAKARdeputy governor-electrespectively. But fate was to playsome role in the destinies of bothmen. It was not long after theelection that Atiku was nominatedas the vice presidential candidateof the PDP by General OlusegunObasanjo who had been electedthe party’s presidential flagbearer at the Jos convention.Obasanjo and Atiku’ssubsequent election as presidentand vice president respectivelyled to Haruna, the deputygovernor-elect of Adamawa Statebut now without a governor-elect,being sworn-in as governor. Thismarked the beginning of thepolitical godfather/godsonrelationship between Atiku andHaruna.

Whatever political directionAtiku as vice president took,Haruna as Adamawa governorfollowed. The godfather/godsonrelationship informed thesupport Atiku got from Harunaduring the time the oppositionrose against Obasanjo’s thirdterm bid. Atiku had taken it forgranted that he would succeedObasanjo at the expiration of hisprincipal’s constitutionallyapproved two terms as presidentonly for Obasanjo to initiate aconstitutional amendment

process geared towards thirdterm. Atiku was aghast. The thenvice president mobilised theopposition against the bidespecially at the NationalAssembly where theconstitutional amendment wasquashed. Haruna as governorwas said to have played more thana passing role in the killing ofthe Obasanjo third term bid forwhich some forces loyal to theformer president never forgavehim, and were determined toextract a pound of flesh from him.The consequence is alleged to behis arraignment for abuse of officeat the expiration of his tenure.

He was said to havemisappropriated some N93mwhile in office as governor. Haruna, in his defence, saysthere was no suchmisappropriation. According tohim, the charge shows that onlyN31m was alleged to have beenmisappropriated.

The former governor wants theprosecution to prove its casebeyond reasonable doubt. Now,reports say Haruna may be backin political reckoning as plansare said to be underway tonominate him as a minister byPresident Goodluck Jonathan. Infact by the time you are readingthis, his name may have beenforwarded to the Senate as aministerial nominee forparliamentary endorsement. Themove to make the formergovernor a minister is said to begenerating ripples in somequarters, and that the oppositionhas indeed initiated a campaignagainst the Haruna ministerialnomination using the socialmedia as launch pad. The criticsare said to be contesting thenomination on the grounds thatthe former governor has a graftcase to answer in court. Somelegal experts, however, fault thecritics on the grounds that the

trial does not invalidate Haruna’sministerial nomination so far ashis innocence remainsguaranteed until he ispronounced guilty by the court.

They cite the cases of someformer governors who havepending corruption cases againstthem which, nevertheless, didnot stop their emergence assenators. And the twist to the caseis the claim that Atiku may havebeen pulling the strings to abortHaruna’s emergence as ministerfollowing his fear of losing astrong member of his group tothe Jonathan camp of thefactionalised PDP.

Analysts are quick to sayHaruna is carrying a burden ofloyalty. According to them, if hehas his own mind to serve hisfatherland in the capacity ofminister, his association with theformer vice president should notconstitute a hindrance.

“If it pleases the president toseek the service of the formergovernor once again, especiallyagainst the backdrop of thetransformation Adamawa Statewitnessed under his watch, thenbeing an associate of the formerpresident should be secondary”,one of the analysts said.Nigerians are watching how therumoured Haruna ministerialnomination will play out.*Mohammed wrote from Abuja

•Haruna

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 47

50 — — — — — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013

BRIEFS

Spygate: US weighing changes after allies anger

FACED with a floodof revelations about

U.S. spying, PresidentBarack Obama and keylawmakers say it’s timeto look closely at surveil-lance programs that mayhave gone too far. TheWhite House is consid-ering ending eavesdrop-ping on friendly foreignleaders, a senior admin-istration official said.

The administrationtried to tamp down dam-age yesterday from themonths-long spyingscandal — including themost recent disclosurethat the National Secu-rity Agency had tappedthe cellphone conversa-tions of German Chan-cellor Angela Merkel. Afinal decision about lis-tening in on allies hasnot been made, the se-nior official said.

The White House alsofaces complaints at homeabout the NSA collectingmillions of Americans’phone records andsweeping up Internettraffic and email. TheObama administrationdefends those programsas important in the fightagainst terrorism, butthe House IntelligenceCommittee was to exam-ine tightening their rulesduring a hearing Tues-

day.Asked about the re-

ports of eavesdroppingon world leaders, Presi-dent Barack Obama saidin a television interviewthat the U.S. governmentis conducting “a com-plete review of how ourintelligence operatesoutside the country.”Obama declined to dis-cuss specifics or saywhen he learned aboutthe spying operations.

“What we’ve seen overthe last several years istheir capacities continueto develop and expand,and that’s why I’m initi-ating now a review tomake sure that what

they ’re able to dodoesn’t necessarilymean what they should

be doing,” he said Mon-day on the new TV net-work Fusion.

Media group defends spy leak journalist

THE Inter-AmericanPress Association yes-

terday warned countriesnot to harass Glenn Green-wald, the American jour-nalist who drew attentionto the massive scale of USeavesdropping.

IAPA, which representseditors and publishersfrom the Americas, citedBritain’s arrest of Green-wald’s partner DavidMiranda and the confis-cation of journalistic ma-terial in his possession.

“The British government

has not clarified whetherGreenwald or Mirandaare the subjects of a crimi-nal investigation for the

publication of details re-garding government sur-veillance of private citi-zens’ communications,”the head of IAPA’s pressfreedoms committee, Clau-dio Paolillo, said.

“In our opinion, Green-wald’s journalistic workhas prompted justifiableconcern by governmentleaders and private citi-zens regarding secret gov-ernment surveillance oftheir communications”,said Paolillo, editor of theUruguay weekly Busque-da.

Mandela coup plotters jailed in South Africa

A South African judgehas sentenced 20

members of the Afrikan-er white supremacistgroup Boeremag afterbeing found guilty lastyear of high treason andplotting to kill NelsonMandela, among othercharges.

The state media report-ed that Judge EbenJordaan handed the sen-tences out on Tuesdayto end the decade-longtrial.

The sentences rangedfrom five to 35 years in

the country’s first post-apartheid treason trialafter members of Boer-

emag, or white farmerforce, were found guilty

Iranian sentences Christians for drinking wine during Communion

A court in Iran hassentenced four

Christian men to 80 lash-es each for drinkingwine during a commun-ion ceremony, a Christianadvocacy group and in-ternational news outletsreported.

The sentencing coin-cides with a governmentcrackdown on so-called“house churches” — un-official spots in which

Christians gather in Iranto practice their faith un-detected. The arrests andharsh sentences suggest

Syria sacks deputy PM

last year of plotting tooverthrow the country’sgovernment in the late1990s and early2000. Some sentenceswere suspended due totime served, accordingto reports by South Af-rican TV channel EnCA.

The leader of the groupand four members of itsbomb squad were givensome of the longest sen-tences, having been con-victed of culpable homi-cide and conspiring tomurder Nelson Mande-la.

that despite the moderateimage of President Has-san Rouhani and the out-reach to Iran by the

Obama administration,religious persecution ofChristians in the IslamicRepublic continues.

SYRIA’s deputyprime minister,

Qadri Jamil, was dis-missed yesterday forleaving the country andacting without govern-ment permission aftermeeting U.S. officials inSwitzerland, state mediasaid.

The sacked minister isa member of what Presi-dent Bashar al-Assadcalls the “patriotic oppo-sition” - political partiesthat consider themselvesrivals to the president buthave not joined the 2-1/2-year revolt against hisrule.

“Jamil was dismissedbecause he left his cen-ter of work without prior

permission and did notfollow up on his duties... Additionally, he un-dertook activities outsidethe nation without coor-dinating with the gov-ernment,” said a state-ment posted on Syria TV.

ICC rejects Gbagbo's appeal

THE Appeals Chamber of the Interna-

tional Criminal Court inthe Hague has rejectedan appeal by the formerpresident of Ivory Coast,

Laurent Gbagbo, that heshould be released whilehe awaits trial.The court announced thedecision on Tuesday,dashing hopes for Gbag-

bo to stand trial when heenjoys some freedom -just like Kenyan leaderUhuru Kenyatta and hisdeputy William Ruto whoface similar charges.

Israel returns to U.N. rights forum

ISRAEL appeared before the main United

Nations human rightsbody on Tuesday, end-ing a 20-month boycott ofthe Geneva forum whichit accuses of bias againstthe Jewish state.

Eviatar Manor, Israel’sambassador in Geneva,led its delegation to thesession, held as part ofthe U.N. Human RightsCouncil’s examination ofU.N. member states ev-ery four years.

“It was not an easy de-

cision to make,” Manorsaid in an opening state-ment to the talks.

“But Israel’s unfairtreatment must come toan end. I hope our ap-pearance here today willgo a long way to restoreequality and fairness re-garding Israel in Gene-va, and I am confidentour continued diplomat-ic engagement will even-tually allow our return tofull activity within theCouncil.”

DRC troops cage M23 rebels

THE army in theDemocratic Republic

of Congo, backed by UNforces, has forced M23rebels to retreat to theirmountain holdout nearthe eastern border withUganda, the rebels saidTuesday.

After 36 hours of si-lence, the rebel Move-ment of March 23 (M23)published a statement onits website to say that thewithdrawal was “in noway a sign of weakness”,

but a tactical retreat toBunagana, the base of itspolitical leaders.

After four days of fiercefighting, which claimedthe life of a Tanzanianpeacekeeper, the head ofthe UN mission in theDR Congo (MONUS-CO) said late Mondaythat “practically all M23positions were aban-doned, except for a smalltriangle at the Rwandanborder.”

Cuba gets UN vote againstUS embargo

A record-equalling188 countries on

yesterday condemnedthe five-decade-old USembargo against com-munist Cuba in an annu-al UN General Assemblyvote that signalled hard-ening opposition to USsanctions.

Only Israel joined theUnited States in oppos-ing resolution, the small-est number ever. Lastyear two allies voted withthe US government.

Three Pacific islandstates normally close tothe United States — Mi-cronesia, Marshall Is-lands and Palau — ab-

stained as the barrage ofcriticism of the embargoreached a new peak inthe 22nd annual vote atthe UN Assembly.

China, Iran, which haslaunched a bid to thawrelations with the US ad-ministration, Latin Amer-ican and African nationsall publicly condemnedthe United States.

“The US policy againstCuba is suffering froman absolute internation-al isolation and discred-it and lacks every ethi-cal or legal ground,”Cuba’s Foreign MinisterBruno Rodriguez Parril-la said.

German's Angela Merkel and her French coun-terpart Francois Hollande who were victims of USwiretapping

Glenn Greenwald

Qadri Jamil

Some members of the Boeremag after being foundguilty of plotting to kill Dr. Nelson Mandela

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 51

52 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013

EagletsEagletsEagletsEagletsEagletsContinues from B/P

hours trip by road fromDubai, where theNigerian community havea strong voice andrepresentation.

For the fans, yesterdaywas a day of delight astheir Eaglets, who arestrong contenders for thetitle, repaid their supportwith three beautifulgoals, all coming withinthe space of 2o minutes,to silence the Iranianfans, shouting Iran.

Coach Manu Garbaswitched tactics for thegame as he fielded.Abdullahi Alfa on the leftflank, allowing MusaYahaya to attack from thecentre. In the pastmatches, Yahaya playedfrom the left side of thewing. With injuredSuccess Isaac not dressed

for the game, the Eagletshad problems settlingdown as the Iranianstried to shut them out frommaking their neatpassing games.

The Iranian plotappeared to be workinguntil the 23rd minutewhen left-full backSamuel Okon scored theopener for the Eaglets.He profited from Yahayaand Alfa combination,before threading aright-foot shot passonrushing Iraniangoalkeeper MahdiAmini, who should havedone better with the ball.

Just as the celebrationswere dying down, star-boy Kelechi Iheanacho,put Nigeria 2-0 up with aclever left-foot finish.Taiwo Awoniyi, playing inthe absence of Isaac, wasthe creator of the goal in

the 25th minute. Hebrilliantly rounded uptwo Iranian defenders,allowing Iheanacho tocome into range beforepassing for the Imonative to score his fifth ofthe tournament.

But Iheanacho’s joy wasshort-lived moments laterwhen he got injured andwas substituted byChidera Ezeh. His exitdid not reduce Eaglets’sfirepower as they scoredtheir third of the night inthe 42 minutethrough captain MusaMohammed, who slicedthe ball into the net andimmediately raced to thesubstitutes bench tocelebrate the goal with histeammates.

The party got merrier forthe Eaglets in the secondhalf when Musa Yahaya

put the Nigerians 4-0 up.Iranian goalie Amini wasdejected andinconsolable. He onlyconceded two goals inthe group stage andhere he was shipping infour goals in a singlematch. Yahaya’s goal,which came in the 76thminute,, was his fourth ofthe tournament as hejoins the list of playersbattling for the highestgoal scorer award.

With Nigerian dancingaway into thequarterfinal, AliGholizadeh scored Iran’sonly goal in the 84thminute. No other goalwas scored as Eaglets ranout 4-1 winners to securea heavyweightquarterfinal clash withUruguay at Sharjar onSaturday.

Baby Elephants book final eight spotIVORY Coast beat

African counterpartsMorocco 2-1 in a FIFAUnder-17 World CupRound of 16 tie played atthe Fujairah Stadium inUnited Arab Emirates onTuesday afternoon.

Goals from FranckKessie and JuniorAhissan either side of thebreak booked IvoryCoast’s place in the finaleight of the competition.Younes Bnou Marzoukfound the back of the netfor the North Africanoutfit.

Morocco went into thetie as favourites havingtopped their group, IvoryCoast on the other handended third in group Bbehind Italy andUruguay.

Despite the underdogtag, it was the BabyElephants who got off tothe brighter start.

They had a gloriousopportunity to open thescoring in the fourthminute of the encounterfollowing a foul fromMohamed Saoud onMeite Yakou inside thearea.

Ivory Coast captainKessie duly stepped upand drilled the ball pasta helpless OussaydBelkouch to give theElephants the lead.

Ivory Coast continuedto dominate, and hadopportunities to doubletheir lead through Yakou

who was proving to be areal menace down the leftflank.

The Baby Cubs werestruggling to find theirrhythm and ultimatelyproduce the football thatwas on display in thegroup stages.

Despite having acouple chances ofdoubling their lead beforethe break, the Elephantscame up short, IvoryCoast 1-0 Morocco athalf-time.

Morocco levelledmatters on the hour markthrough Younes Bnou

Marzouk. The Juventusyoungster picked up theball outside the areabefore guiding his effortinto the back of the net viathe post, the goal was themidfielder’s third of thecampaign.

Ahissan restored IvoryCoast’s lead in the 75thminute of the encounter,The Ivoire Academiemidfielder pounced on amistake by the Moroccandefence before firing pastBelkouch.

Morocco piled forwardin search of the winner,but the Baby Elephantsdefence held firm tocontinue their run in theyouth tournament.

Arsenal targetIheanachoLEAGUE leaders

Arsenal are reportedlyinterested in securing thesignature of Nigerianwonderkid KelechiIheanacho, according toSoriebah Kajue.

Iheanacho has been oneof the standout stars at theFIFA Under-17 World Cup,which is currently taking

place in the United ArabEmirates.

The Gunners’ chief scout,Steve Rowley, wasapparently on hand towatch the 17-year-old scorefour goals in Nigeria’s 6-1rout of defendingchampions Mexico in theiropening game in Group F,per Kajue’s report.

Jordan friendly: Eaglesblame referee for loss

SOME players and officials of the Super Eagleshave blamed the 1-0 defeat suffered by Nigeria

in the hands of the Jordanian national football teamin Monday’s international friendly on the centrereferee.

Team Coordinator for the Eagles Emmanuel Attahand Kano Pillars’ Umar Zango echoed the samesentiment Tuesday.

The major talking point was the ‘soft’ penalty kickawarded the hosts which eventually turned out thedeciding factor between the two teams.

“The referee spoilt our fun, the boys played sowell we don’t know why the referee gave the penalty;he was making some funny calls,” Attah lamented.

On his part, Zango also stated that the refereekilled their morale after ‘wrongly’ giving the hostsan advantage with the 42nd minute penalty kickcalmly converted by Jordan skipper Hartem Aqel.

While many agree that the penalty kick was notdeserved, the overall performance of the Eagles isalso being questioned even though it was a newteam with strange bed fellows playing together forthe very first time.

National Youth Games: Nomedals for athletes – Abdullahi

THE Honourable Minister of Sports and Chairmanof the National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji

Abdullahi has declared that medals would not be givento participating athletes and teams in the forthcomingNational Youth Games, which will take place in Abujabetween December 5th and 15th, 2013.

He explained that the reason for this was todiscourage cheating. “Every athlete will get acertificate of participation, and one of the reasons wedecided that there will be no medals is for contingentsnot to have room to bring overage children into thecompetition,” Abdullahi said.

He added that, “the moment we start giving medals,everyone leading athletes to this competition will worryabout their position on the medals table. Therefore,they will do all they can to win.”

Abdullahi stated that athletes competing in thegames would be those enrolled in school, as theirrecords of enrolment would be checked properly.

Keshi satisfied despiteJordan loss

SUPER Eagles coach Stephen keshi is satisfiedwith the performance of his team despite a 1-0

loss to Jordan in an international friendly playedon Monday in Amman.

Jordan captain Hatem Aqel scored a 42nd minutepenalty after a questionable call by the ref.

The Nigerian side fought hard to get back intothe game but was a bit unlucky as they tried to unlockthe Jordanian defense.

OUR HELP IS FROM ABOVE - Golden Eaglets return thanks unto Godyesterday as they beat Iran 4 - 1 to qualify for the quarter final of the U-17World Cup on-going in United Arab Emirates. They play Uruguay on Satur-day.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 53

CMYK

54 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013

FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP UAE 2013: NIGERIIA VS IRAN IN PICTURES

Chidera Ezeh of Nigeria is challenged by Saeid Ezatolahi of Iran duringthe round of 16 match between Nigeria and Iran at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadi-um in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Abdullahi Alfa, Zaharaddeen Bello and Musa Yahaya of Nigeria celebrate their teams win at the endof the round of 16 match between Nigeria and Iran at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on October 29, 2013in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Chidiebere Nwakali of Nigeria celebrates his teams win at the end of theround of 16 match between Nigeria and Iran at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadiumon October 29, 2013 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Eaglets players celebrate their teams win at the end of the round of 16match between Nigeria and Iran at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on October29, 2013 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Nigeria coach, Manu Garuba

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013 — 55

CMYK

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Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

How to Play Sudoku

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

YESTERYESTERYESTERYESTERYESTERDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSTODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLE

Sudoku

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

QUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORD

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

ACROSS: 1, Acid 4, Sob 6, Cage 9, All 10,Spacious 11, Neat 14, Ham 16, Gloss 19,Corridor 21, Tired 23, Calamity 24, Fresh 27,Lay 31, Fume 33, Poignant 34, Tin 35, Cede36, Die 37, Gown.

DOWN: 2, Cope 3, Dock 4, Sporadic 5, Busy6, Canal 7, Ale 8, Glass 12, Scoff 13, Grade14, Hit 15, Moral 17, Orbit 18, Stays 20,Relative 22, Day 25, Route 26, Scene 28, Sped29, Snag 30, Gnaw 32, Mid.

ACROSS4 Liberated (5)7 Smelled (6)]9 Observe (3)10 Seed-case (3)12 Tally (5)13 Implement (4)15 View (5)17 Pester (6)19 Placed (4)20 Fuss (5)22 Twitch (3)24 Ascertained (7)27 Hill (3)28 Demise (5)31 Heroic (4)33 Away (6)35 Rustic (5)37 Ripped (4)38 Ruse (5)39 Barrier (3)41 Circuit (3)42 Small (6)43 Passage (5)

DOWN1 Free (6)2 Suit (6)3 Vitality (3)4 Stunt (4)5 Royal (5)6 Vision (8)8 Bird (4)11 Interrupted (9)14 Solitary (4)16 Agitate (4)18 Loaned (4)21 Bodily (8)23 Yield (4)25 Saturate (4)26 Notch (4)29 Nuclear (6)30 Impede (6)32 Series (5)34 Smack (4)36 Approval (4)40 Encountered (3)

FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013:

Bale, Messi, Ronaldofor top award

(See Centre spread)

Eaglets book q-finalEaglets book q-finalEaglets book q-finalEaglets book q-finalEaglets book q-finaldatdatdatdatdate with Ue with Ue with Ue with Ue with Uruguaruguaruguaruguaruguayyyyy

…thrash Iran 4-1

THE Golden Eagletscontinued to wax

stronger at the ongoingFIFA U-17 World Cuphere when they spankedIran 4-1 in their roundof 16 match held at theKhalifa Bin ZayesStadium, Al Ain City.

After plundering in 14

goals in the group stage,the Nigerians showedtheir sheer class andbeauty with a convincingfirst display that sawthem net three goals tothe delight of thetraveling Nigerian fans,who made the almost twoContinues on Page 54

VICTORIOUS - Bello and Musa Yahaya of Nigeria celebrate their teams win at the end of the roundof 16 match between Nigeria and Iran at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium yesterday. Nigeria won 4 -1.