Nigerian observer 19 08 2013

1 MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2013THE NIGERIAN

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol. 38 NO.296 • MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2013 • N100.00

FOCUSPgs. 16/17

INT’LFEATURES

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ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS: Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the DG/CEO ofNational Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Dr. (Mrs.) Negeri Bensonand Mr. Timothy Okewor during the Agency’s visit to Government House, Benin City. Photo: CHARITYOZIGBO-ESERE.

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Combating OilTheft In Nigeria:

MattersArising Continues on page 2

Workers To Resist NASS

IGR: Oshiomhole commendsEIRS boss

Continues on page 2

Continues on page 2

Govt demolishes illegal structures in Evboriaria

Environmental ProtectionEdo To Partner FG

Continues on page 2

Group honours Odubu, others

Removal of Minimum Wage From Exclusive List

By VICTOR OMOALU

Dr Ayuba Wabba,President of the Medicaland Health Workers’Union of Nigeria(MHWUN) made thisknown in an interviewwith journalists in Awkayesterday.

He said the Senatehad tinkered with theprovision in the constitu-tion amendment in con-travention of the Interna-tional Labour Organisa-tion’s (ILO’s) convention

AWKA - Nigerian workers have threatened toresist the removal of minimum wage from the ex-clusive list to concurrent list in the new consti-tution by the National Assembly.

in dealing with minimumwage, freedom of asso-ciation and collectivebargaining.

He said that already,the Trade Union Con-gress (TUC) and NigeriaLabour Congress (NLC)had petitioned PresidentGoodluck Jonathan onthe issue.

He said they had alsopetitioned the Senateand House of Repre-sentatives that the or-

ganised labour would doeverything within itspower to mobilise Nige-rian workers to resist

such exploitative ten-dencies.

“You are aware thatbefore now, the 1979,

1999 constitutions andall previous constitutionshave captured minimumwage under the exclu-sive list.

“This was taking intocognisance that there isan ILO convention deal-ing with it,” he said. Continues on page 2

Wabba commendedthe House of Repre-sentatives for not con-sidering the amend-ment, and seeing rea-sons that it was a directcontravention of ILOconvention, which Ni-

BENIN CITY – Aforemost socio-cultural

By ANDY EGBON/RAYMOND OSOGBE

group in Edo Southsenatorial District, theBenin Forum hashonoured electedpolitical office holders in

Edo South SenatorialDistrict of the state.

They are, Edo StateDeputy Governor, Dr.Pius Egberanmwen

Odubu who was electedwith Governor AdamsOshiomhole and thechairman and

GOVERNOR AdamsOshiomhole of EdoState has pledged thestate government’scommitment to partnerwith the FederalGovernment’s NationalE n v i r o n m e n t a lStandards andR e g u l a t i o n sEnforcement Agency(NESREA) to tackleenvironmental problemsin the country.

Oshiomhole wasspeaking weekendwhen he grantedaudience to theChairman and ChiefExecutive officer of theNational EnvironmentalStandards andR e g u l a t i o n sEnforcement Agency inBenin City.

According to theGovernor “we needi n t e r - m i n i s t e r i a lapproach sometimes.Some of the floodingdisasters we areexperiencing in EdoState was as a result ofnegligence on the part of

BENIN CITY – TheEdo State Governor,Comrade AdamsOshiomhole has hailedthe Executive Chairmanof the Edo State Internal

Revenue Service(EDIRS), Chief (Sir)Oseni Elamah for hise x c e p t i o n a lperformance andcommitment towardsoptimizing the revenueprofile of the state.

This was containedin a letter dated August15, 2013, signed by the

Chief of staff, Hon.Patrick Obahiagbon onbehalf of the governor,and addressed to theEDIRS boss.

According to the letter,“I write to commend theefforts of themanagement and staffof your board inincreasing the revenueprofile of the state since

your assumption ofleadership of the board,despite all odds.

The governor whoexpressed hisappreciation for ChiefElamah’s untiring drivetowards boosting therevenue base of thestate despite theattendance hazards andchallenges describedthe achievement as notonly phenomenal, but adil igence and

some engineersinvolved in the designingof roads.

“The monster we arecontending with atQueen Ede is a result ofthe design error arisingfrom the construction ofthe Benin-Asaba roaddualization. Now thatthe road has beendualised, some peoplehad been driven fromthe community as aresult of flooding whichought to have been fixedimmediately but wasneglected and now it isa huge disaster and isgoing to cause billions ofnaira to fix”, he noted.

The Governorexplained “Nigeria haslaws that are observedonly in breach. It is notfor us to lament thebreach of the past but to

put an end to it. We mustensure thatenvironmental laws areenforced strictly andsteps are taken to makesure that the violationwill attract sanction”

He argued “if we don’tprotect the environmentwe cannot haves u s t a i n a b l edevelopment. We mustdo our part asindividuals and

EDO StateGovernment hascommenced thedemolition of all illegalstructures inGovernment land andacquisition in Edo State

The exercise wascarried out onGovernment layoutlocated at Evboriaria inBenin-City.

The StateCommissioner for Landsand Survey, Barr.Osikhena-Boih Donaldled top officials of the

Ministry of Lands &Survey to the layout andwas disappointed at therate people encroachedand build onGovernment land


Group honours Odubu, others Iguobazuwa youthsmark World Youth Day

News

Environmental Protection Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

65 per cent of Edos involvedin Agric - Commissioner

WorkersContinued from page 1

Govt demolishes illegal structures

By DANIEL EDOBOR

Continued from page 1

Don’t use religion tocause breach of peace

IGUOBAZUWA – Youthsfrom the 10 wards in OviaSouth West LocalGovernment Area of EdoState recently converged onIguobazuwa headquarters ofthe council to mark the 2013World Youth Day.

The Youth Chairman in thearea, Pharmacist KingsleyIgbe in his address at theoccasion appreciated theyouths for their steadfastnessand commitment to thepeace and harmony in thearea.

He described them as

disciplined and patrioticcitizens of the locality whoare never identified with vicesand other anti-socioactivities.

While urging them toengage themselves inproductive enterprise, theyouth chairman used theoccasion to call on wellmeaning individuals, groupsand or organisations to assistthe youths to be more usefulto themselves.

He, however, appreciatedthe local governmentauthority for giving youths inthe locality, a greater senseof belonging.

geria is a signatory.He said that it was only the

senate that had tinkered withthe provision, taking the pow-ers and giving it to the StateHouses of Assembly to makelaws on general wage.

He described the proposalas “a call for chaos”.

“The organised labour in itsentirety will resist any attemptto remove minimum wagefrom the exclusive list.

“Any constitutional amend-ment on it must take into cog-nisance the yearnings andaspirations of the workers.

“We went to the collationfrom local governments tothe constituency levels, thoseissues were never can-vassed.

“All the states we have vis-ited there was no voting forthe removal of minimumwage from the exclusive list,the report is there at the na-tional assembly,” Wabbasaid.

SOKOTO - The Sultan ofSokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar hascalled on Nigerians to desistfrom using religion and eth-nicity to cause a breach ofpeace, and violence.

“We should never use ourreligious, cultural or ethnic af-filiations to perpetrate or en-courage violence, insecurityor sow the seeds of discordand disunity.

“Such obnoxious factorsshould also never be used byany selfish and unpatriotic Ni-gerian in whatever guise tooverheat the nationís polity,”he added.

Abubakar spoke at a spe-cial Sallah lunch with theleaders and members of theresident communities inSokoto at the weekend.

According to the Sultan,violence breeds violence and

under-development whilecausing mayhem or violencein whatever form or for what-ever reason does nobodyany good.

“There will not be anymeaningful socio-economicdevelopment in a societywhere violence and chaosprevail.

“God has created us withdiverse religious and ethnicbackground to co-exist har-moniously as a united force.

“These differencesamongst Nigerians were al-lowed by God to unite us notto separate and disunite us,”Abubakar said.

The monarch promised thattraditional institutions in thecountry would not relent intheir determined effort to en-sure the sustenance of anindivisible country.

councillors in the sevenBenin Local GovernmentAreas who were elected atthe last local governmentelection.

It was at a cocktail partyheld at the palace of theBenin Monarch, His MajestyOba Erediauwa under theauspices of the Benin forum.

Governor Oshiomhole saidthe honour was to remind theelected officers not to seetheir new position as anexcuse to rest on their oars.

The governor who wasrepresented by the Chief ofstaff, Government House,Benin City, Hon. Patrick

Obahiagbon urged them toalso see the honour as astatement that the Beninforum, the Oba and thetraditional institution arewatching everyone.

On his part, Dr. Odubuassured that “we will notdisappoint Edo people, wewill fulfill our electioneeringpromises”.

Recalling that theOshiomhole led governmenthas positively transformedthe state, the deputygovernor noted that all thecandidates of the ActionCongress of Nigeria (ACN)for the last local governmentelection were carefullyselected.

Appreciating the forum forthe honour done them, heacknowledged the front rowposition that members of theforum have always taken inmatters affecting thecollective interest of thesenatorial district and thestate generally.

“Often, you have foughtdoggedly against unjustactions directed at our peoplewhile skillfully articulating wellstructured and logicalopinions on behalf of Beninpeople on national issues”,he said.

He added that, “yourunwavering efforts atreversing some of thesenegative trends arecommendable and we urgeyou not to relent”.

Describing the forumgesture as a more show ofsolidarity, Dr. Odubuappreciated the Oba forgiving his consent to thehosting of the event.

According to Dr. Odubu,“what this tells me is that thegood people of Benin

Kingdom supported the ACN, now APC in Edo State”.

This, he said causedGovernor Oshiomhole toimmediately on assumptionof office in November 2008embark on a fact basedplanning for the short andlong term basis for thepurpose of re-invigorating thedecayed infrastructure of thestate.

In spite of what the stategovernment had done so far,Dr. Odubu disclosed that thestructural design for manyroads have been completedand now awaiting for awardof their contracts.

Chairman of Benin Forum,Chief David Edebiri said: theevent was organized onbehalf of the Benin Monarchto honour his subjects whowere recently elected in twoseparate elections”.

Chief Edebiri asserted”,Dr. Odubu deserved thehonour, having regard to hismeritorious service, as afederal legislator and as atwo term deputy governor ofthe state”.

Dr. Odubu has greatlyinfluenced the politics of thestate with his humane nature,high sense of responsibilityand undivided loyalty to hisboss and traditionalinstitution of our land”, hesaid.

Chief Edebiri said thelocal government officers“are eminently deserving ofthe honour because of theirattitude and generalbehaviour during thecampaign” that precededtheir election.

“Because of the rightattitude of the candidates andtheir leaders, the electionturns out to be the most

credible, free and fair inNigeria contemporaryhistory”.

“We enjoined you toremain focus and dedicatedto the tenets of honesty,probity and forthrightness”,adding that because of theirindividual pedigree,expectations from the peopleare very high.

He charged them toemulate the proactivness ofGovernor Oshiomhole,whom he said is in theforefront of all the 36 statesin Nigeria in terms ofinfrastructural developmentand provision of socialamenities.

“With the deputy governorwho himself is a consummatepolit ician and prudentadministrator overseeing theaffairs of the localgovernment, councils, I wantto assume you that you havenothing to fear in facing thedaunting challenges”, he toldthe council functionaries.

“I wish to assure you ofthe full support of our royalfather, the Benin Forumwould continue to maintainclose contact with every localgovernment chairman”.

“The Omo N’Oba N’Edowould be delighted to seenew urbanized townshipspringing up in your area,thereby stopping the currentrural/urban drift, he added.

The ceremony had inattendance, members of thestate executive council,including the state Head ofService, Princess (Mrs.)Ekiuwa Inneh, and herhusband, Commissioners forWorks, Barrister OsarodionOgie, his counterpart in theTechnical, Vocational andTertiary Education, BarristerWashington Osifo,Chairman, Ambrose AlliGoverning Council, Prof.Gregory Akenzua, formermembers of the StateExecutive Council, EngineerJackson Eribo, Chieftains,ACN (now APC), YorubaCommunity led by thePresident, Alhaji RasheedShola, Ibo Community led bythe President General, ChiefLuke Abbas and Chairman ofEdo State Oil and GasProducing AreasC o m m i s s i o n(EDSOGPADEC), Barr.Vincent Uwadia.

despite several warnings andnotices to that effect.

The Lands and SurveyCommissioner also stressedthat any person that builds onGovernment Land withoutauthorization or validallocation and approvals willhave themselves to blamebecause the illegal structures

will be brought down.He then added that those

covered or listed for as builtsurvey should immediatelycome for regularization orrisks the loss of suchproperty.

Barr. Osikhena-BoihDonald appealed to thegeneral public to beware ofland racketeers who violate

Government laws and allenquiries about Governmentland should be directed to theMinistry of Lands & Surveyfor better clarification to avoidembarrassment.

During the demolitionexercise at Evboriaria layoutall il legal structures thatviolated the State’sacquisition were broughtdown.

The Commissionermaintained that the exercisewould be sustained andadvised all individuals andmembers of the public toproperly carry out checks atthe Ministry of Lands andSurvey, Secretariat Building,Sapele Road before partingwith their money for anypiece of land at Evboriarialayout.

Those who accompaniedthe Commissioner for theexercises were thePermanent Secretary, Barr.Duke Osunbor, AssistantSurveyor General, Mr.Godwin Osayande, Directorof Lands, Mr. Aghama-Enofeand Mr. Henry Enabulele, theSecretary Land UseAllocation Committee alongside with Security Agencies

commitment to duty.According to him, “A case

in point of such hazards is therecent episode with the localbranch of the NigeriansAirports Authorities, in whichyou were painfully subjectedto unnecessary experience.

“This experience is highlyregrettable,” the statementadded.

The governor howeverexpressed the belief thatsuch challenges would notdeter Chief Elamah effortsand enthusiasm to do more.

community, as non-governmental organizations,Federal and State agencieson the issue of environment.We must be united and wemust create sufficient time todeal with issues andarticulate medium and longterm strategies”.

Oshiomhole disclosed thatEdo State has done a coupleof things to protect theenvironment and deal withpeople who are looking atshort economic gains withoutlooking at the long termconsequences.

“We live in one world andeverybody must beencouraged regardless of

your level of development topay attention to theenvironment”, he added.

Earlier, the DirectorGeneral/Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Dr Ngeri Gbenebocommended the Governor forhis development strides inthe state.

According to her, “theopening of roads to thehinterland is a case in point.This has boosted theeconomy of the state.”

She disclosed, that theagency plans to set up anoffice in the state which willhave a hundred percentjunior staff and twenty fivepercent senior staff andsolicited for officeaccommodation.

Continued from page 1Elamah

BENIN CITY – Edo StateCommissioner for Agricultureand Natural Resources, Hon.Abdul Oroh, has said thatabout 65 percent of thepopulation in the state isinvolved in Agriculture.

The number comprised ofyouths and women whorepresent half of the farmingpopulation in the state,according to thecommissioner.

Hon. Oroh made his knownwhile fielding questions fromthe International ConferenceCoordinator of the 3rd

International Conference onAfrica’s IndigenousStimulations (ICAIS3), Mrs.Hilda Akanni who visited thecommissioner in Benin City.

Oroh maintained that thestate is a major producer ofmost indigenous stimulants,including Kola, bitter kola,alligator pepper, moringaoleifera, adding that he wouldconsult with the officials andthe ministry to attend theconference that would teachthem what the stimulantscould be used for.

While reiterating stategovernment’s commitment todeveloping agriculture as away of ensuring food security,raising income for farmers aswell as making it business forthe citizens, especially theyouths, he emphasized thatgovernment has created theenabling environment forfarming business to strive inthe state.

This, he said has attractedso many local and

international investors whohave seen the investmentpotentials of the state.

The commissioner told thecoordinator that Edo housesthe major oil palm producersin the country, adding that thestate is the second largestproducer of oil palm, 6th incocoa and first in cassavaproduction in the south-southregion and 15th in the country.

Speaking on the success ofthe first ever Agro-businesssummit held in the state in2012, commissioner Orohsaid the event which heconceptualized was to sellsome ideas to the world,saying that, it has so faryielded multiple results.

Enumerating othersachievements so farrecorded in the agriculturalsector, he told thecoordinator that the state wasbeing considered for fishcage farming by the FederalMinistry of Agriculture andRural Development, the N1billion naira loan accessed byfish farmers and the FadamaIII loans which was alsoaccessed by farmers in thestate.

Other achievements, hesaid were the training ofsome youths from the 18local government areas atthe I.O. Institute of Agricultureas well as the Libya returneeswho were also trained at theAgriucultural DevelopmentProgramme (ADP), anextension of the ministry andwere subsequently formedinto co-operatives to enablethem access loans.


Inside EdoOwan East Mass Transit To

Ply Lagos, Abuja Routes

Be United, Commissioner UrgesSocial Workers

LG Boss Assures SchoolsOf Adequate Infrastructure

Afuze Erosion To Receive Govt Attention

AFUZE-EMAI – Owan EastMass Transit, a transportationoutfit of Owan East LocalGovernment Council is soon toextend its operations to Lagosand Abuja routes in order tocater for the interest of herindigenes in the locations.

The Council Chairman, Hon.(Barr.) Jimoh Ijegbai disclosedthis when he inspected the on-going construction of an ultra-modern motor part and ashopping complex in the MassTransit premises in Afuze.

He said that apart fromcatering for the interest of hercitizens going to Lagos or Abujafrom Afuze, the initiative of ashopping complex would helpboost commerce and equallyenhance the Council’s internallygenerated revenue.

Hon. Ijegbai, who is also theEdo State Secretary of ALGON,said that with the expansion ofthe Mass Transit routes, morebuses would be purchased tocomplement the existing fleet of22 buses.

He expressed satisfactionwith the spate of work on theshopping complex and advisedthe contractor to deliver theproject as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, staff and drivers

of the Mass Transit havecommended the CouncilChairman for the prudentmanagement of the council’sresources, which they noted,culminated in the purchase ofthree additional hummer busesand repairs of several brokendown ones within three monthsof assumption of office.

Spokesman of the drivers,Mr. Johnbull Oisakede said theyare particularly happy that theMass Transit has witnessed atremendous growth since thecoming on board of Hon. (Barr.)Jimoh Ijegbai’s administration.

He appealed to the Chairmanto use his good office to givepermanent appointment todrivers whose appointmentshave been on casual basis justas they pledged their unalloyedloyalty and support to theadministration.

Hon. (Barr.) Ijegbai in hisresponse implored them to be ofgood conduct, courteous,dedicated and dutiful in thedischarge of their duties.

He promised to increase thenumber of buses in the fleet, justas he assured that thoseemployable into permanentcadre would soon have cause tosmile.

AFUZE EMAI – TheChairman, Owan East LocalGovernment Council, Hon.(Barr.) Jimoh Ijegbai hasreiterated that the GovernorAdams Oshiomhole’s policy ofone child, one desk would bereplicated in all schools in thelocality in Afuze.

Hon. Jimoh Ijegbai said thisin Afuze when he played hostto members of the Ao-AyeElite Club of Ikhin, in BeninCity led by Mr. AkinAkhidelor.

While commending themfor the visit, he said he is wellacquainted with the problemsIkhin Community is facing interms of development.

He assured that theproblems are notinsurmountable and in sodoing he has started theconstruction of newclassrooms block at EkpengaPrimary School, Ikhin whilethe school will also benefitfrom the distribution of desksand chairs soonest.

The Owan East Councilboss assured that there wouldbe even distribution of thedividends of democracy acrossthe eleven wards of the LocalGovernment Area.

Spokesman for the club andSecretary, Mr. Tunde Omueti

AFUZE-EMAI – TheChairman, Owan East LocalGovernment Council, Hon.(Barr.) Jimoh Ijegbai has saidthat the erosion problemravaging some parts of Afuze,the administrative headquartersof the local government wouldsoon be addressed.

The Council boss gave thisassurance when he inspected theon-going construction ofdrainages along Sikpoba,Obofoni and Akhigbe Streets,which stretches across two

kilometers in the locality. In order to address the

erosion problems within theseareas he said his administrationis adopting a wholistic approachwhere all the flood water wouldbe channeled into theUgbomeda River.

The Council boss noted thatthe erosion problem in OwanEast was assuming a worrisomedimension, hence hisadministration has decided totackle it headlong before itbecomes more problematic.

He said he is impressed withthe level of work done on theerosion site and advised thecontractor handling the projectto speed up work and ensure theproject is completed soonpossible.

Meanwhile, the CouncilChairman has chargedcontractors handling the variousprimary school projects acrossthe local government tocomplete them within eightweeks and according tospecification.

Hon. (Barr.) Ijegbai gave thecharge during ongoinginspection tour of projectsembarked upon by hisadministration.

He expressed concern at thelevel of job done at theOkpohumi Primary School sofar and therefore ordered thecontractor to speed up work inorder to meet the schedule timefor completion.

The Council boss howeverexpressed satisfaction with thejob so far done at the Uanhumi

Primary School and disclosedthat the renovated sixclassrooms block at EvbiamenGrammar School would beready for commissioning soon.

Other projects inspectedwere the three classrooms blockand headmaster ’s office atOdion Primary School, Uokha;Ogholugbo Primary School,Imafu-Osi; Inumai PrimarySchool, Ikao; AbadahiguaPrimary School, Amoya-Otuoand Ojeaboni Primary School,Otuo.

BENIN CITY – Edo StateCommissioner for LocalGovernment and ChieftaincyAffairs, Chief Lucky James hascalled on members of theNigerian Association of SocialWorkers (NASOW) to beunited in order to form a unitedfront.

The commissioner disclosedthis is Benin City during acourtesy visit by the executiveand members of theassociation.

Commissioner Lucky Jameswho was represented by thePermanent Secretary in theMinistry, Rev’d Solomon

Ohonba urged the visitors toevolve strategies that wouldensure all social workers arecaptured by the association.

He assured the association ofthe ministry’s support atensuring that government givesit a greater sense of belonging.

State Chairman of theAssociation, ComradeChristian Oseghale said, theirvisit was to acquaint theministry of the existence of thebody in the state, its usefulnessand the need to draw its

members from the councils.According to him, the

association was formed for thepurpose of providing a forumwhere professionals andscholars at all levels ofgovernment, Non-Governmental Organisations

and self-employed personserving in areas/sectionsDirectly concerned withfinding solution to socialproblems could come togetherand devise means of promotingthe quality of their services.

Comrade Oseghale furtherdescribed social workers as thewatchdog of government.

had in his address remarkedthat the Council boss has set apace for others to follow,stressing that in less than 100days in office, Hon. Ijegbai hasturned Owan East LocalGovernment Area into aconstruction site.

Mr. Omueti howeverappealed to the Council bossto pay greater attention to someproblems facing IkhinCommunities and the entireOwan East in terms of portablewater supply, maintenance ofroads through the use of roadmaintenance workers,provision of soft loans tofarmers, enhancement ofsporting events and facilities inall primary and secondaryschools in the locality.

The newly renovated referral centre in Afuze by Hon (Barr) Jimoh Ijegbai’s administration PHOTO: ODION AFIEHOBE

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (right), presenting a souvenir to the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretaryfor African Affairs at the US Department of State, Washington, Ms Eunice Reddick (left) during her courtesy call on theGovernor at the Lagos House, Ikeja.


Across The NationCommercial Farming

Ebonyi To Train 2,600Volunteers

Rural Projects: World Bank SpendsN810.6m

FG To Spend N1.7 Trillion On Salaries AgencyDistributesRelief Ma-

terials

Private School Owners Protest Closure

covering two years.Receiving the delegationg, the

acting governor, Alhaji IbrahimAliyu, assured that the projectswould be sustained, especiallywith the training of the benefit-ing communities on the manage-ment of the projects.

He also assured that the coun-terpart fund for two years, wouldbe paid,adding, “consideringthe impact of the projects onpoverty reduction, we wouldalso solicit for extension of sup-port from the bank”..

cial farming.‘’More so, the training will

develop their capacity and en-hance their skills for self-reli-ance as well as make them be-come employers of labour,’’Nwasum said.

He added that it would alsoexpose them to differentbranches of agricultural produc-tion such as rice farming, ani-mal husbandry, fishery, bee-keeping, snail-rearing andpiggery, among others.

The commissioner said thatthe initiative was part of thegovernment’s transformationagenda in the agriculture sectorof the economy, adding that, itwas aimed at boosting food pro-duction in the state.

He described commercial ag-riculture as a lucrative businessand called on the youth to de-velop interest in farming to im-prove their revenue base with aview to boosting the nation’seconomy.

ABAKALIKI-The EbonyiGovernment says it has con-cluded arrangements for thetraining of 2,600 volunteer farm-ers in commercial farming.

Mr Romanus Nwasum, Com-missioner for Agriculture andNatural Resources, newsmen inAbakaliki that the volunteerfarmers would be drawn fromthe 13 local government areas ofthe state.

‘’The youth volunteer farmerswill be trained on various tech-niques involved in modern ag-ricultural practises as well as getexposed to the new technologyinvolved in the business.’’

He said that government washoping that the skills acquiredwould assist them to embracecommercial farming.

‘’This initiative is line withthe state government’s transfor-mation agenda in the agricul-tural sector of the economy andit is designed to encourageyouths to venture into commer-

KADUNA- Some propri-etors of Private Schools inKaduna State on Wednesdayprotested over the closure oftheir schools by the state gov-ernment.

The state government hasrecently closed down 457 ille-gal private schools operatingwithout registration, poor in-frastructure and non-conduciveenvironment for learning.

The Proprietor, DialogueGirls Computer SecondarySchool, Ungwan Dosa, MalamMahdi Shehu, told newsmenthat although his school wasfully registered with the gov-ernment, it was closed“ for rea-sons best known to the author-ity”.

Shehu said the school had

MINNA-The Minister ofState for Finance, Dr YerimaNgama, said in Minna that theFederal Government wouldspend about N1.7 trillion onsalaries this year.

Ngama recalled that aboutN1.6 trillion was spent on thesame goal last year, arguing thatsuch huge expenditure on non-capital projects was not healthyfor the nation’s economy.

The minister made the state-ment when he visited Govern-ment House, Minna in companyof states’ commissioners of fi-nance.

They were in the state for theNational Council on Finance andEconomic Development(NACOFED) meeting.

Ngama said that before Presi-dent Olusegun Obasanjo left of-fice, he set up a committeeheaded by Malam Nasir el-Rufaito devise ways of reducing thehuge recurrent expenditure.

“The committee discoveredthat a good number of civil ser-vants were redundant and noteven qualified to occupy somepositions. So they were weededout.

“But immediately MusaYar’Adua came in, some peopletook advantage of his sicknessand went to court to make surethat everybody that was sackedwas returned.

“And that is why we could not,at the federal level handle oursalary problem because we in-creased the salaries.

“We thought the number ofredundant staff would be let goso that you can have concise civilservants with higher salaries.”

According to him, the countrycannot continue to spend thismuch on recurrent expenditure,given that some of the establish-

ments are not productive.“There are establishments we

don’t even know how manypeople are employed there. Ev-ery company should have workchart.

“Every person would representa responsibility. If there arepeople that do not fit anywhere,then you don’t need them,” hesaid.

Ngama said the recent reportby the World Bank, showing over10 million of Nigeria’s childrenwere out of school, was a clearindication of the kind of restruc-turing needed to revamp thecountry.

“The statistics of the numberof children that are out ofschool, showed that Yobe Statehad 64 per cent; Borno State,68 per cent and Zamfara State,72 per cent.

“The statistics showed thatthe best state in the north isworse than the worst state in thesouth.

“And we are getting the samemoney as states in FAAC. Sowe need to ask ourselves whatis the problem.

“This is because it is notabout the money but whatcomes out as well. So there area lot of questions that we needto address,” he stated.

ployed some medical person-nel to offer health-care servicesto the affected persons.

“We have distributed reliefmaterials to flood victims inBabura, Gumel, Gagarawa,Hadejia and Malam-madorilocal government areas,” hesaid.

The secretary said that offi-cials of the agency were stillin the field to estimate thevalue of properties destroyedby the flood before more assis-tance would be rendered to thevictims.

He said that the flood rav-aged 12 local government ar-eas of the state while fivepeople were injured.

Ibrahim said that officials ofthe National Emergency Man-agement Agency (NEMA) andNigerian Red Cross Societywere currently in the state toassess the extent of damage.

DUTSE- The Jigawa Emer-gency Management Agencyhas commenced distribution ofrelief materials to flood victimsin the state.

The Executive Secretary ofthe agency, Alhaji AliyuIbrahim, disclosed this on inDutse in an interview withnewsmen.

He said that the agency hadreleased 100 bags of rice and50 bags of millet to the victims.

He said that 50 bags ofmaize, macaroni and spaghetti,among others materials, werealso provided.

Ibrahim said that the stateMinistry of Health had de-

them pending approval of therequest for extension of thebank’s financial support in sub-sequent years.

He expressed delight that thestate had adhered strictly to theconditions set by the bank forthe execution of the projects,especially as it affected povertyreduction.

He however called for thesettlement of pending counter-part funding of N200 million,

BIRNIN KEBBI - TheWorld Bank has spent aboutN810.6million in facilitatingthe execution of 322 rural com-munity development projectsin Kebbi state in the past fiveyears, the Bank’s official, DrStanley Garuba, has said.

Garuba,who led a WorldBank delegation that came tothe state to monitor the

projects, told the Acting Gover-nor of the state, Alhaji IbrahimAliyu in Birnin Kebbi, that 247projects had been completedwhile 75 others, were on-going.

He said that funding of theprojects by the bank would stopin December 2013, while thestate was expected to sustain

fulfilled the requirement to ranacademic activities as effortswere also put in place to correctsome of the lapses observed bythe authority.

Another proprietor, MrOchehe Ochehe of AmmegaModel School, Romi, said hisschool had met the requirementset by the government since2004 to operate nursery, primaryand secondary schools.

Ochehe, however, said thestate government did not givehim any notice before closing theschool.

Also speaking to newsmen theproprietor, Dan Fodio Schools,Malam Aminu Salisu, deniedthe allegation that the schoolwas not fully registered.

He, however, said that the

school had not been paying theannual renewal fee to give himlicence to operate academic ac-tivities.

Mr John Achenye, the Propri-etor of Holy J. Academy, de-scribed the closure of his schoolas a mistake as his papers werecomplete and up-to-date.

The Commissioner for Educa-tion, Muhammad Usman, how-ever, denied the allegation thatthe ministry did not notify theaffected schools.

He said the affected institu-tions were given enough time tocomply with the law to enablethem continue with their activi-ties but they failed to met theconditions.

CONVENTION: The Spiritual leader of Christ’s Chosen Church of God International, Most Snr. Apostle(Dr) Joshua Osasuyi (middle), Snr. Apostle Dr. David Unuefe-Ikhuiwu (left) and Snr. Apostle (Dr) JosephOnaghise (right) at the 2013 International Convention of the church. Photo: MOSES OBOH

CONVENTION: The Spiritual leader of Christ’s Chosen Church of God Interna-tional, Most Snr. Apostle (Dr) Joshua Osasuyi praying for the congregation atthe service. Snr. Apostle Dr. David Unuefe-Ikhuiwu (left) during the conven-tion. Photo: MOSES OBOH


Plateau Govt Wants Potato Research Institute

Agency Urges Women To EmbraceBio-Tech

40-Yr-Old Bridge CollapsesAcross The Nation

FG To Begin Peer Review Mechanism

“Before this unfortunate situ-ation, a journey to Enugu Statefrom the area took about 30minutes but now its lasts forsome hours.

“Indigenes of the area whowish to access their communi-ties from Abakaliki now haveto get to Enugu through theEnugu-Abakaliki expresswayand then take Abani to reachthe place,” he said.

Nwokpor said it was the sec-ond time the bridge was cav-ing-in in three years.

He urged the people to exer-cise patience, adding that thegovernment would expediteaction on the new bridge it wasconstructing beside the failedone.

Conducting journalists and a

ISHIELLU (EBONYI)-The 40-year-old EguhuoBridge in Agba, Ishiellu LocalGovernment Area of EbonyiState has caved in after a down-pour.

The rainfall paralysed eco-nomic activities in the area asvehicles could not gain accessto communities in the area.

The affected communities areOgboji, Eguhuo, Eguotu,Eguogiji and Onunweke.

The bridge link the area toAmagunze in Enugu state.

Chief Julius Nworkpor, whorepresents the area in the stateassembly, told newsmen thatthe situation had made it im-possible for the people to gainaccess to their communitieswith vehicles.

to our people what will harmthem.

“I encourage you to think howyou can engage biotechnologyto improve your agriculturalyields to produce food for thiscountry.

“No matter what you say,largely, the food we feed on inthis country today is producedby people like these wonderfulladies. It is no mistake that wehave brought you here today totrain you,’’ Thomas said.

In his message, the Director-General, NABDA, Prof.Bamidele Solomon, said thatthe agency was in collaborationwith SHESTCO to reach thepeople at the grassroots.

Solomon said that the agencywas training the women to availthemselves of the agency’s bio-technology activities.

“What we are talking aboutis not politics. It is for thepeople to overcome the painsof farming and make agricul-ture a very pleasant and profit-able venture.

“We are talking about ourability to attract young men andwomen who will take to agri-culture as a business venture.

“We also need to get to thegrassroots because that iswhere over 70 per cent of ourpopulation resides.

“These are the people who

KWALI (FCT)-Prof. SundayThomas, the Director-General,Sheda Science and TechnologyComplex (SHESTCO) has en-couraged women to take advan-tage of biotechnology to boosttheir agricultural yields.

Thomas gave the advice inAbuja at the training programmeon biotechnology organised bythe Biodiversity and ClimateResearch Group, a professionalgroup of SHESTCO.

The D-G, who spoke at theprogramme organised forwomen in Kwali Area Council,FCT, said by so doing thewomen would be contributingtoward the nation’s quest forfood security.

The training entitled: “En-hancing Food Security and Miti-gating against Climate Changethrough Agricultural Biotech-nology’’ was organised in col-laboration with the NationalBiotechnology DevelopmentAgency (NABDA).

Thomas said that SHESTCOwas interested in the use of bio-technology to reduce diseaseand improve agricultural yieldsin Nigeria.

“We are interested in passingthis technology to women andletting them know that usingbiotechnology to increase agri-cultural production does notcause any harm.

“As far as we are concernedin this complex we will not pass

produce the food we eat, evenin the urban area. Without car-rying them along, we willachieve very little,’’ Solomonsaid.

He said that biotechnologywould make them better moth-ers by empowering them to bein a better position to contrib-ute more toward their families’needs.

He disclosed that the AfricanDevelopment Bank (AfDB)-supported Fadama IIprogramme also planned to in-ject its uncommitted fund,amounting up to three million

enhance the productivity of po-tato before considering fullfledged potato research insti-tute,’’ he said.

Barko said that the state gov-ernment would collaborate withthe institute and work out waysto enhance the performance ofthe out-station toward boostingpotato production.

The commissioner also saidthat the government was alsodiscussing with private investorson the issue of processing.

“We want to start processingthe crop into French fries, chips,starch, potato flour and a lot ofother products that can be de-rived out of Irish potato.

“The economic value of potatois enormous and we shall try tomaximize them,’’ he said.

everything about Irish potato inthe country.”

He said that the institute, ifconverted, would solve the prob-lem of weeds and bacteria,through the breeding of highyielding and disease-resistantvarieties.

“We also believe that with theclimate constantly changing, weneed seeds that will adapt to allseasons and consistently ensurehigh yields.’’

The commissioner said thatthe Plateau Government openeddiscussions with the institute’sauthorities three weeks ago onthe possibility of the conversion.

“At the discussions, we wereasked to first collaboratestrongly with the institute to

JOS- The Plateau State Gov-ernment has requested the Fed-eral Government to convert theJos out-station of the NationalRoot Crops Research Institute,Umudike in Abia, into a PotatoResearch Institute.

Mr. Steven Barko, the stateCommissioner for Agricultureand Natural Resources, madethe call in an interview newsmenin Jos.

Barko explained that Plateaucurrently produces more than 90per cent of the Irish potatoes inNigeria and identified its biggestchallenge as the dearth of cleanseeds.

“Currently, most of the seedsvarieties cultivated in the stateare imported from Germany andthe Netherlands at a very highcost.

“Plateau, as the largest pro-ducer of Irish potato in the coun-try, has a lot of potential with67 per cent rate of return on in-vestment.

“With seven high yielding va-rieties of export quality and withpotato being cultivated on morethan 571,060 hectares, the stateis producing 90 per cent of thepotato in Nigeria but faces cleanseed challenge.’’

He said that if the Plateau out-station of the research institutewas converted into a full fledgedpotato research institute, such ameasure could go a long way insolving the problem of seeds.

“If our request is granted, theinstitute will commence seed tis-sue culture and breed good seedthat will give high yields.

“Currently, our yields are low;just an average of 12 tonnes perhectare and sometimes evenless.

“Although with the introduc-tion of the Agricultural Servicesand Training Centre, farmers,who have access to their servicescan obtain yields of up to 25tonnes per hectare, but our ulti-mate target is to reach the high-est yield performance of thecrop.

“If good seeds are made avail-able, there is the potential for 80tonnes per hectare which couldbridge a huge gap of 80 tonnesto 25 tonnes per hectare.

“If we can get up to 50 tonnesto 60 tonnes per hectare, thatwill be wonderful; it will change

on Tuesday.The statement said that the

Head of the Service, AlhajiBukar Aji disclosed this at theend of the monthly meeting ofPermanent Secretaries held inAbuja.

According to the statement,the exercise is scheduled to holdsimultaneously at the Ecologi-cal Fund Office and the FederalMinistry of Works on August15.

Aji said that the process in-volved permanent secretariesevaluating each others’ perfor-mance in order to maintain andenhance their quality.

According to him, presenta-tions will be made by each per-manent secretary on the generaloverview of the activities andchallenges of his/her ministry.

It said this would be followedby an interactive session with

ABUJA-The Office of theHead of the Civil Service of theFederation is to start the imple-mentation of a Peer ReviewMechanism for Permanent Sec-retaries in the Federal CivilService.

This is contained in a state-ment signed by Mr TopeAjakaiye, the Director (Com-munications) for Head of theCivil Service of the Federation

team of engineers round thebridge, the state’s Commis-sioner for Works and Transport,Mr. Chukwuma Nwandugo,said the bridge caved-in due toheavy traffic.

“The pressure weakened thebridge and forced the abutmentto cut off from the metal rein-forcement.

“The unity bridge beside itcould have been completed be-fore now, but it was discoveredit was poorly designed andcould pose serious threat tousers,” he said.

The commissioner said thecontractor, who is now dead,did a shoddy job on the foun-dation design which forcedwork to stop on the project.

He urged the people to bepatient, adding that the govern-ment would expedite action towork on the bridge to ensurethat economic and social activi-ties returned to the area.

dollars into the Irish potato valuechain development programmein the state.

“We hope to tap into suchprogrammes and explore ourpotential for higher productiv-ity,’’ he said.

the reviewing permanent secre-taries.

The statement said that Ajiand the reviewing team wouldalso make on the spot assess-ment of the ministry’s premisesand facilities.

It said that he would also in-teract with directors and execu-tive members of the Joint StaffUnion to assess progress andareas of challenges in the min-istry.

This initiative, he said waspart of efforts being made toreposition the Federal CivilService and evolve a well-mo-tivated, professional and ethi-cal workforce.

He said that the programmewas expected to create anorganisational environment inwhich ethical conduct was pro-moted and demonstrated.

CONVENTION: The Spiritual leader of Christ’s Chosen Church of God Interna-tional, Most Snr. Apostle (Dr) Joshua Osasuyi admonishing members duringthe 2013 Convention held in Benin City. Photo: MOSES OBOH

CONVENTION: The Spiritual leader of Christ’s Chosen Church of God Interna-tional, Most Snr. Apostle (Dr) Joshua Osasuyi speaking to members of thecongregation during this year convention. Photo: MOSES OBOH


South-West

Law On Medical PracticeGov Fashola Calls For Review

Health Sector Needs More Founda-tion, NGO’s - Health Minister

Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Maria Brewer (left), with Nigeria’s ambassador to theU.S., Amb. Ade Adefuyi, at the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission in Abuja recently.

Auto Crashes Claim64 Lives - FRSC

FestivalCommittee

SeeksUNESCO As-

sistance

L A G O S - G o v e r o n rBabatunde Fashola of LagosState has called for urgent re-view of the existing laws onmedical practice in Nigeria.

Fashola made the call inLagos at the Annual GeneralMeeting and Scientific Confer-ence of the Nigerian MedicalAssociation (NMA), LagosBranch.

The governor was representedby Dr Femi Olugbile, the Per-manent Secretary in the stateMinistry of Health.

He said that the laws guidingmedical practice in the countrywere “archaic’’.

The reports say that the con-ference had the theme: “ Liti-gation in Medical Practice: AnEmerging Trend”.

Fashola said: “The medicallaws needed to be reviewed inorder to address the gaps in themedical legal system.

“Only in Nigeria are laws thatpertain to medicine so archaic.

“They need to be brought upto date in reference to new prac-tice and procedures.’’

The governor said that moralobligation was the only thingstanding where legal bound-aries did not exist.

“In the olden days, doctorsused to be supercilious super-men, and you were lucky if theydeigned to see you after twohours of waiting,” he said.

Fashola said that the idea ofa superman doctor over a patientshould be erased.

He said that there was resis-tance to change from lawmak-ers and medical practitionerswho, he said, wanted to con-tinue to make decisions for pa-tients.

The governor said that itwould be impossible for doctorsto continue to make decisionsfor patients who, he said, werebecoming aware of their rightsand taking their grievances tothe courts.

“You should earn the trust of

OSOGBO-The FestivalWorking Committee of the 2013Osun Oshogbo Festival calledfor financial assistance from theUN Educational ScientificOrganisation (UNESCO).

The Chairman of the commit-tee, Chief Popo Bolarinwa,while addressing newsmen inOsogbo, said that any financialopportunity was yet to be givento support the festival since theenlistment of Osun Grove as aWorld Heritage site.

Bolarinwa said: “Since 2005when Osun Grove wasrecognised no financial assis-tance from UNESCO or theFederal Government has beenreceived.’’

He commended the sponsors- MTN, Nigerian Breweries andGrand Oak (Schnapps producer)for their support, calling onOsun devotees and visitors tothe 2013 Osun Osogbo festivalto do everything in moderation.

The annual Osun Osogbo fes-tival, kicked off on August 12,with fun fares as devoteestrooped out in hundreds for thecelebration.

Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, theAtaoja of Osogbo, supported byhis chiefs was seen dancinground the major streets of theancient town.

The festival continues withactivities such as Ataoja Foot-ball Challenge final Competi-tion and a festival film show.

paigns to check over-speedingby motorists during the period.

He said the first phase of thecampaign, tagged “OperationShield 3,’’ is scheduled to holdfrom August 18 to August 25.

LAGOS- The Minister ofHealth, Prof. OnyebuchiChukwu, has called for estab-lishment of more foundationsand Non-GovernmentalOrganisations (NGOs) to ad-dress the growing needs of thenation’s health sector.

Chukwu, represented by DrYewande Jinadu, the ChiefMedical Director, FederalMedical Centre, Ebute Meta,Lagos, made the call at the for-mal presentation of the MosesAdekoyejo MajekodunmiFoundation (MAMF) in Lagos.

The reports say that MAMFwas founded in 2000 by the lateDr Moses Majekodunmi, thefounder of St. Nicholas Hospi-tal, Lagos.

Chukwu said that founda-tions, NGOs, frequent lecturesand seminars would create av-enues for the development ofthe sector.

“Credible foundations andNGOs will contribute im-mensely to the growth of thesector, as more areas of atten-tion will be tackled promptly.

“All these are crucial for con-tinuous development in themedical profession,” he said.

Chukwu commended the pri-vate sector’s involvement inNigeria’s healthcare system,especially to end medical tour-ism in the country.

Prof. Oladipo Akinkugbe, theChairman at the occasion, saidthat good foundations had con-tributed immensely to thegrowth and development ofmany nations.

“It is worthwhile to set upfoundations as these add to the

your patient by being profes-sional and informing him of hisoptions in order to make properdecision,” he said.

On medical insurance in thelight of rising medical litiga-tions, Fashola said that the bestway to avoid being sued wouldbe for doctors to properly com-

port themselves.He said that rise in litigation

could also lead to rise in falseclaims.

“We do not want a medicalsystem where the primary in-come of certain lawyers comesfrom medical court cases.

“Doctors should be able to

growth and development of dif-ferent sectors in any nation.

“We have had foundationssuch as the Ford Foundation,Rockefeller Foundation andmany others.

“These foundations havemade great impact, not only totheir nations, but to individualsand the global community,” hesaid.

Dr Olufemi Majekodunmi, the

Chairman of the foundation, saidthat MAMF was set up to cre-ate positive impact on Nigeria’shealth sector.

According to him, thefoundation’s aim is to create apositive impact on the health,education and welfare of Nige-rians with particular emphasison medical issues relating towomen and infants.

Also, Dr Dapo Majekodunmi,a director of the foundation, said

IBADAN- The Federal RoadSafety Commission (FRSC) inOyo State said that 64 people losttheir lives in various automobilecrashes between June and July.

Mr Godwin Ogagaoghene, theFRSC state Sector Commandersaid this in an interview withnewsmen in Ibadan.

He also said that 185 peoplewere injured in the 53 crashesduring the period under review.

Ogagaoghene, however, saidonly one life was lost during therecently concluded Sallah holi-days period, between August 6and August 11.

He said that 23 people werealso injured in seven crashes in-volving 44 victims during theholidays.

The FRSC boss attributed mostof the crashes to over-speeding.

Asked what could be done tominimise accident rate,Ogagaoghene said that motoristsmust adhere to speed limits, onthe highways, at all times.

“Lots of people still over-speed, especially on the express-ways and they do this by takingadvantage of our logistic chal-lenges at the slightest opportu-nity.

“We are trying to curb this bydevising a new strategy wherebywe use our mobile patrol to goahead of traffic to maintain a setspeed limit,’’ he said.

Ogagaoghene added that, tocheck accidents in the “ember’’months, the FRSC would flag-offa series of sensitisation cam-

protect themselves without re-sorting to unnecessary proce-dures that waste time andmoney, while patients’ rightsneed to be protected,” he said.

The NMA Chairman in LagosState, Dr Francis Faduyile, saidmedical litigation was a realitywhich the medical professioncould not afford to ignore it.

that MAMF would also pay at-tention to some other areaswhich would be of benefit toNigerians.

“Particular attention will beon girl-child, scholarship en-dowments, provision of books toschools, transportation and sus-tenance of medical outreaches,”he said.

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State (2nd right) and his aides at the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commis-sion in Abuja recently.


LagosAPC ’ll Ensure ChangesIn Nigeria - Lawmaker

Fraud: Estate Developer Arraigned

Building CollapseExpert Urges Tribunal

To Be Diligent

End Strike, NAPTAN Appeals To ASUU

the sureties should be a prop-erty owner in Lagos Stateand must produce evidenceof three years tax payment to

dence of building collapseby ensuring that rightfulprofessionals, materials andmethods were used at con-struction sites.

“The newly introducedTribunal should get to workimmediately by first sealingoff any building that is adanger to lives and prop-erty,” he said.

Omeife noted that the is-sue of building collapseneeded to be tackled effec-tively because of the in-creasing rate in Lagos.

It will be recalled that thestate government, on June25, inaugurated the tribunalto check rampant cases ofbuilding collapse.

One of the functions of thetribunal is to report to thestate government any nearcollapse building forprompt action.

LAGOS - A property con-sultant, Mr Chucks Omeife,has advised the Lagos StateTribunal of Inquiry intoBuilding Collapse to be dili-gent in the discharge of itsduties.

Omeife, the President, Ni-gerian Institute of Building,told newsmen in Lagos thatthe essence of the tribunalwould be defeated if the lawswere compromised.

He said that there weremany buildings that wereabout to collapse, especiallyin the reclaimed areas of thestate.

According to him, effectivedischarge of duties is the onlyway the tribunal can achievethe motive behind its estab-lishment by the state govern-ment.

Omeife said that the tribu-nal was set up to check inci-

his residence.He said that when each of

the victims went to occupythe apartment, he discoveredthat the developer had rentedit out to other persons.

The prosecutor said thatwhen the victims sought torecover their money, the de-veloper absconded.

Osuyi said that the of-fences contravened Sections285 and 312 of the CriminalLaw of Lagos State, 2011.

Reports say that fraud at-tracts 15 years imprison-ment.

The accused, however,pleaded not guilty to all thecounts.

The Chief Magistrate, MissS.O. Solebo, granted him bailin the sum of N2 million withtwo sureties in like sum.

Solebo ordered that one of

LAGOS - A real estatedeveloper, Ishola Salauden,has appeared before an EbuteMeta Chief Magistrates’Court, Lagos on a 210-countcharge of defrauding 111accommodation seekers ofabout N1 billion.

Thir ty-seven-year-oldSalaudeen, who resides atNo. 59, Oriola St., KetuAlapere, Lagos, was chargedwith stealing and obtainingby false pretences.

The Prosecutor, Mr. G.O.Osuyi, said that the accusedcommitted the offences be-tween April and July at hisresidence.

Osuyi said that the devel-oper collected variousamounts of money from 111accommodation seekers inthe guise of securing thesame mini flats for them at

pearance, every human be-ing has something to offer”.The legislator expressed joyon the day of her birthday.She said the tragedy of oldage is not that one is old butthat one is young, addingthat life begins at 40.

On her empowerment pro-gram, Omowunmi Edet ex-plained “I want to touch lifeof over 180 people in myconstituency, it is a way tosay thank you to my peoplebecause they gave me theirmandate”.

Present at the occasionwere Hon. Lola Akande,Hon. Akinlola RahmotaHassan, Pastor TimothyOmosanu and other digni-taries.

However Hon. LolaAkande, deputy leader of theHouse, describedOmowunmi Edet as a reli-able, humble, and trust wor-thy representative of herconstituency.

Items donated to the needywere deep freezers, fridges,generators, hair dressingmachines, bags of rice etc.

LAGOS - The chairmanLagos Assembly House com-mittee on establishment andtraining, Hon. OmowunmiOlatunji Edet, representingOshodi-Isolo, has assertedthat All Progressives Congress(APC) will bring changes intoNigeria in year 2015 and over.

She made the predictionduring celebration of her 40thbirthday and empowermentprogram at SOS village Isolo.She explained that APC is aconglomerate of AllProgressives.

Hon. Omowunmi Edet la-mented that there is no secu-rity in Nigeria, explaining thatthe primary function of gov-ernment is to provide securityof life and property. She added“with the birth of AllProgressives Congress (APC)changes are coming to Nige-ria. Hon Edet urged people tomove with the train ofchanges.

On her attainment of 40thyears of age, Hon. Edet said“I am happy to be 40 years old,when it comes to destiny youcan not predict the will ofGod”. She sermons further“never judge a man by his ap-

years now take up to six orseven years, and we really donot think it is funny.

“We still believe that thelecturers should give govern-ment one last chance by al-lowing the gradual release offunds for what they are agi-tating for, annually.

“Now that governmentknows the cost of their needs,let us work towards accedingto the one they can releasenow and wait for the others.

“Having said this, we alsowant to assure that if govern-ment fails to live up to its re-sponsibility by ensuring thatthey keep to their terms ofreleasing these fundsinstalmentally, we the par-ents, will join ASUU in thestruggle, “ he assured.

University lecturers, underthe aegis of ASUU, had onJune 30 embarked on what itdescribed as ‘total, compre-hensive and indefinite strike‘across the country.

The lecturers were agitat-ing the non-implementationof some part of an agreementthey entered into with theFederal Government in 2009.

As a result of the strike,both the union and the Fed-eral Government had beenholding series of consulta-tions without arriving at acommon ground.

At a recent meeting, Gov.Gabriel Suswam of BenueState, who is also the Chair-man, Universities Needs As-sessment Committee, hadexpressed optimism that thestrike would soon be over, asanother meeting had beenscheduled for August 19.

five or six, you should starthaving a re-think.

“That is why I say theyshould try and shift groundsa bit and go back to the class-rooms because our children’sproductive years are beingwasted, “ he said.

He said that already, gov-ernment had estimated anddocumented what was neededto upgrade and improve theuniversities.

He said that governmentwas expected to live up to itsresponsibilities by ensuringthat it released bits of the to-tal amount every year.

“The consequences of thisdeadlock are that our childrenare suffering undue hardship.

“A course that ordinarilyshould last for four or five

there were other areas of theeconomy equally jostling forattention.

“I want to appeal to thelecturers to please revisitwhatever offer the FederalGovernment is puttingacross.

“I have come to terms withone or two things as govern-ment has come out to declarethat it would need betweenN90 billion to N100 billionto fund the universities.

“Government, through theFinance Minister, has said itcannot afford that now andI expect ASUU members tounderstand where they arecoming from.

“The moment you ask for10 things and you are given

the state government.She adjourned the case to

September 9 for mention.

LAGOS - The NationalParent Teacher Associationof Nigeria (NAPTAN), hasappealed to members of theAcademic Staff Union ofUniversities (ASUU) to re-consider their negotiationwith the Federal Governmentin the interest of students.

The National Publicity Sec-retary/Public Relation Of-ficer (PRO) of the Associa-tion, Chief DeoluOgunbanjo, told newsmen inLagos that there was need forASUU to reflect on the offersso far made by the govern-ment.

Ogunbanjo said that therewas no way governmentwould be able to accede to acomplete package of the lec-turers’ demands, adding that

L-R: Chief Medical Director, St. Nicholas Hospital, Dr. Moses Majekodunmi; Very Rev. Yinka Omololu andLagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, at a health and Education for All Programme inLagos recently.

From 2nd left: Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Alhaji Yahya Miya;Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sagir Saleh and Vice Chancellor, Abubakar TafawaBalewa University (ATBU), Prof. Muhammad Hamisu, at the Foundation LayingCeremony of the ATBU College of Medicine, Gubi Campus in Bauchi State re-


Across The NationOil, Gas Pool ‘II BenefitInsurance Industry - Operator

Association Calls For CensusOf Herdsmen, Livestock

Heart Diseases In ChildrenPaediatrician WArns Women

Against Exposure To Radiation

Reduction In UnemploymentMonarch Commends

Role Of New Varsities

Offa LG PollTo HoldAug 31

Bizman Arraigned OverN9.1m Fraud

ENUGU-A paediatrician, DrIkenna Nwokoye, has identifiedexposure to radiation bypregnant women as a majorcause of heart diseases inchildren.

Nwokoye, who heads thepaediatrics department at theEnugu State UniversityTeaching Hospital, Enugu, toldnewsmen that an unprotectedpregnant woman should not beexposed to any form ofradiation.

“Undue and prolongedexposure to radiation is one ofthe factors that cause heartdisease in children, so too muchexposure to radiation such as X-

ray should be avoided so as notto cause problems for the childin the womb.

“Apart from radiation, thereare many factors that can leadto disease in the heart and theseare grouped in two areasnamely, acquired and congenitalor structural heart diseases,’’ hesaid.

Nwokoye said the structuraldisease was in-born and usuallyoccurred at the formation stagein the womb especially if therewas a defect in thechromosomes that could lead toa hole in any of the chambers ofthe heart.

He said the acquired factorscould be from the environment,

after the birth of the child, fromage five to 15, which could beas a result of some bacterial,fungal or viral infections.

The pediatrician said thatmaternal illness could alsoaffect the heart of children in thewomb, especially pregnantwomen with uncontrolleddiabetes.

He said that drugs for thetreatment of epilepsy andconvulsion in pregnant womenas well as women on hard drugscould also lead to heart defectsin their babies.

“Some drugs for the treatmentof epilepsy and convulsion inpregnant women as well as harddrugs could lead to heart defects

in babies.“Toxic chemicals from

industries like the chemical forthe manufacture of paints andsome native medication couldalso lead to problems in theheart,’’ he said.

“Genetic factors also affectthe hearts of babies, if one ortwo family members have heartdiseases, it is likely for the babyto have the disease,’’ he said.

Nwokoye said that thetreatment for heart diseasedepended on the clinicalmanifestations in the patients assome could come with sorethroat, fever, skin infections orblueness of the lips.

LAGOS - A businessman,Olanipekun Okeowo, 40, whoallegedly defrauded another manof N9.1 million in the pretext ofselling a car for him, hasappeared before an EjigboMagistrates’ Court, Lagos.

Okeowo, who resides atEjigbo, Lagos, is facing a four-count charge of obtaining underfalse pretences and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Cpl. FemiAdeleye, told the court that theaccused committed the offencesbetween June, 2012 and May,2013 at No. 1, Inri ProsperityEstate, Oke-Afa, Ejigbo.

Adeleye said that the accusedfraudulently obtained a HondaCross Tour Sports Utility Vehiclevalued at N6 million from oneElija Ayodele in June, 2012.

He said that the accusedobtained the said car fromAyodele in the pretext ofassisting him to sell it and usethe proceeds to procure aHummer H3 jeep.

The prosecutor said that theaccused sold the vehicle but didnot procure the Hummer jeepand did not remit the money tothe Ayodele.

Adeleye said that sometime inMay this year, the accusedfraudulently obtained N3.1million from Ayodele in theguise of selling a jeep to him.

The prosecutor said thatOkeowo stole the money fromAyodele.

He said that the offencescontravened Sections 285 and312 of the Criminal Law ofLagos State, 2011.

However, the accused pleadednot guilty.

Section 312 (3) provides themaximum of fifteen yearsimprisonment for personsconvicted of fraud.

The Magistrate, Mr P. E.Nwaka, granted the accused bailin the sum of N300,000 withthree sureties in like sum, andadjourned the case till October28 for mention.

HADEJIA (JIGAWA) -Emir of Hadejia, Jigawa, AlhajiAdamu Maje, said the newlyestablished federal universitieshave reduced unemploymentin the country.

Maje said this when hereceived the Vice Chancellor ofthe Federal University, Dutse,Prof. Jibrila Amin, in his palacein Hadejia.

He said that the newuniversities had brought a lotof development in those stateswhere the institutions weresited.

The monarch said that theuniversity had created jobopportunities and enabledmany youths in the state tohave access to highereducation.

Maje lauded the ViceChancellor for setting highstandards for the new federaluniversity in the state.

“I know the standard of thenew school because when mychildren applied to theuniversity, they could not gainadmission due to their lowscores in their JAMB exams.

DAMATURU-The MiyettiAllah Cattle BreedersAssociation (MACBAN) inYobe has advised the FederalGovernment to conduct censusof livestock farmers and their

animals for proper planning.Fielding questions from

newsmen in Damaturu on thefrequent occurrence of clashesbetween farmers and herdsmenin some parts of the country,

Chairman of the association inthe state,Alhaji Mai-AliyuUsman, said correct statisticswere vital for success to berecorded in efforts at resettlingherdsmen.

According to him, settling ofnomadic livestock farmers “goesbeyond land demarcation” as asolution to the problem ofconflicts between farmers andherdsmen.

“The efforts by FederalGovernment to settle nomadiccattle rearers would only besuccessful when we haveadequate statistics on livestockand farmers.

“There must be acomprehensive statistics toestablish the population of thefarmers and their livestock,which would determine thefacilities required,” he said.

The chairman urged thecommittee on settlement ofnomads, to involve allstakeholders and the targetedbeneficiaries .

“Collate their opinions forthem to be carried along for asuccessful exercise,” he advised.

LAGOS- An insuranceoperator, Mr Gbenga Ogunko,said that the Oil and Gas Poolset up by the Nigerian Insurers’Association would build thecapacity to underwrite oil andgas policies.

Ogunko, Executive Director(Business Development)Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc.,gave the assurance in aninterview with newsmen inLagos.

“With a pool for oil and gas,the industry can take advantageof the Nigerian Local ContentLaw and take over theunderwriting of oil and gaspolices.

“Now, oil and gas policies are

ceded to foreign insurancecompanies because there are nocapacities locally to do it.

“This also means huge capitalflight,’’ he said.

Ogunko said that insurancebusiness relied on pool of funds,and that the funds were investedto make returns.

He said that premiums oninsurance policies werescientifically fixed, and thatinsurance companies madeprofits by managing risks.

According to him, fundspooled together by insurancecompanies are investable fundsthat can help in the developmentof other sectors of an economy.

IIORIN- Kwara StateIndependent ElectoralCommission has fixed Saturday,August 31, for the conduct offresh elections into Offa LocalGovernment Council, an officialhas said.

The Chairman of theCommission, Dr UthmanAjidagba, announced the plan inIIorin at a news briefing.

He said the conduct of thefresh local government electionin Offa was in compliance withthe judgment of the state HighCourt delivered on February. 22,2013.

He said that an appellate courtin another judgment delivered onJuly 23 ordered similar freshelections for all councillorshipseats in Offa Council area.

The chairman said that sincethe state of emergency declaredby the state government in Offaon February 5 had been lifted, itwas imperative to conduct freshelections for the posts.

Ajidagba said all candidates,who took part in the last electionsheld in the local governmentarea, were eligible to participatein the new polls.

He said the October 26 date forthe conduct of the localgovernment elections in theremaining 15 areas stillremained.

The chairman promised thatthe commission would be fair,honest and transparent to allregardless of party inclinationsor background.

Meanwhile, the commissionhas commenced a sensitisationtour of the 16 local governmentareas of the state for the conductof the October 26 localgovernment elections.

The tour started with Barutenand Kaima local governmentareas of the state.

The chairman, who led othersix commissioners of thecommission on the tour, solicitedthe assistance of the politicalstakeholders in the two localgovernment areas to ensure thesuccess of the election.

“The school did not influenceit because of my status, I amimpressed,” he said.

the Vice Chancellor had saidthat he visited the Emir tosympathise with him over theflood that ravaged his domain.

DeputySpeaker,

Kaduna StateHouse of

Assembly, DrDogara Mato(R), with the

Majorityleader, Mr

DavidGurara,

speaking toNewsmen onthe impeach-ment of thespeaker in

kadunarecently

L-R: Bauchi State Chairman, Nigeria Youth Orgainisation (NYO), Alhaji Mohammed Dauda;Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Sirajo Abdullahi and Zonal coordinator, Alhaji Abdullahi Barau,during NYO News Conference on relocation of Tafawa Balewa LGA to Bununu in Bauchi


AbujaInclude Non-Crop Farmers In Agric

Transformation, AFAN Urges FG

Refuse Collection: Residents Commend AMAC

NIPOST To Offer e-ServiceFor Rural Communities

Management of Water, SanitationFG To Collaborate With NGO

scheme. Arosanyin added that activitiesinvolving the non-crop sectorshould be continuous since theyspanned through the year. He said it was only when in-puts were channelled to the non-crop sub-sector that there wouldbe a holistic approach to inputsdistribution to farmers throughGES. He, however, expressed opti-mism that something urgentwould be done in the non-cropsub-sector before the end of theyear. ‘’The ministry is doing wellboth in terms of arable and treecrops because I am aware mil-lions of seedlings of oil palm andcocoa are being released to farm-ers through the GES system. ‘’So, in the crop sector, effortsare being geared up to bridge thegap. But even within that cropsector, most farmers that werecaptured last year cannot get in-puts this year,’’ Arosanyin said. He stressed that the associationraised the issue at the inceptionof the inputs distribution duringthe year, adding that this set offarmers could not redeem inputsfor the year. The GES scheme is a FederalGovernment initiative under theAgricultural TransformationAgenda, aimed at subsidisingthe cost of major agriculturalinputs, such as fertilisers andseeds. Under the initiative, farmersaccess inputs through an elec-tronic distribution channelknown as the e-Wallet. The condition of the e-Walletscheme stipulates that a farmerregistered under the schemepays 50 per cent of the cost offarm inputs while the federaland state governments pay 25per cent each. One of the requirements for thescheme is the national farmers’registration exercise, wherefarmers’ data are captured intothe ministry’s central data bank.

ABUJA - The All Farmers As-sociation of Nigeria (AFAN) hasurged the Federal Governmentto include non-crop farmers inthe Agricultural TransformationAgenda (ATA). Dr. Tunde Arosanyin, the Na-tional Financial Secretary ofAFAN, made the call in an in-terview with newsmen in Abuja. He observed that the livestockand fishery sub-sectors were notadequately catered for underATA. ‘’We have highlighted theseareas and this is an issue that weraised sometime last year andwe believe that the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Develop-ment is looking into these sub-sectors. ‘’Agriculture, like you know, isvery vast. We have the crops sec-tion; even within the crop sec-tion we have the arable and thetree crops,’’ Arosanyin said. He stated that farmers, espe-cially in the livestock and fish-eries sub-sectors, had not ben-efitted from the Growth En-hancement Support (GES)

a platform for Youth WASH andstakeholders’ dialogue, panel dis-cussion, employment opportuni-ties and education orientation onimproving access to water andsanitation. “More importantly, the YouthSummit provides an opportunityfor youth groups around the WestAfrican region to share variousprogrammes being implementedin the water and sanitation sec-tor that addresses challenges ofclimate change.”

He said that in line with the UNGeneral Assembly’s 2010 decla-ration of water as a human right,youths would be instrumental toaddressing the nation’s water andsanitation crisis. “The water and sanitation crisisin Nigeria calls for urgent atten-tion as it has the potential to cre-ate jobs for the nation’s teemingpopulation while also saving thecountry from the onslaught of cli-mate change. “The forum is aimed at creating

organisation, indicated the inter-est of the ministry in partneringwith the organisation towardorganising the first NationalYouth WASH Summit in Nige-ria. The Permanent Secretary, Fed-eral Ministry of Water Re-sources, Mr. Baba Faruk, saidthat the collaboration was aimedat creating employment and aplatform to engage youths in thedevelopment of best practices inthe water sector.

ABUJA - The Federal Minis-try of Water Resources says itwill collaborate with the YouthWater and Sanitation Networkin highlighting the managementof water and sanitation in thecountry. This is contained in a state-ment issued by the Youth WaterSanitation and Hygiene (YouthWASH) initiative and madeavailable to newsmen in Abuja. The statement signed by MissJoy Okeagu, Secretary of the

He said that in addition to ru-ral areas not having options,they also did not have comput-ers while those with computersmight lack the financial capa-bility needed for connectivity,if any. Baba said that the challengeswere the reasons the federalgovernment was working hardto ensure that e-service facili-ties were extended to ruralcommunities. It would be recalled recallsthat the postmaster-general haddisclosed that NIPOST wouldestablish more cybercafés soonin all the post offices nation-wide to meet the demand of thepublic. He said, “As far as the presentage of information is con-cerned, internet users can ac-cess the internet in the NIPOSToffices. “This is why we want to en-sure that we put in place in al-most all the post offices, nation-wide, so that those who cannotafford to have computers,internet and printers, can go tothe nearest post office.” He said that the user shouldbe able to make enquiries onthe Internet, download, andprint copies and send the docu-ment through NIPOST facili-ties.

the rural communities. “Our emphasis actually is look-ing at the rural areas, becausethe rural areas do not have op-tions; but for those of us who arein the cities and so on, we mayhave options. “Therefore, we believe if thepost office is adequately posi-tioned in terms of IT equipment,connectivity, and power supply,then the people do not have totravel in Kilometres away fromtheir villages and homes totransact government businessesor even to transact their personalbusinesses. “In essence there will be e-ser-vices for them,” Baba said.

ABUJA - Alhaji Ibrahim Baba,the Postmaster-General, Nige-rian Postal Service (NIPOST),has said the service plans to in-troduce e-service in rural com-munities to enhance service de-livery. Baba told newsmen in Abujathat it was necessary for ruralcommunities to be empoweredwith Information Communica-tion Technology (ICT) to enablethem to access information. He said that urban areas en-joyed better services because ofavailable IT equipment, betterconnectivity, and power supplycompared to what obtained in

could be channelled into achiev-ing good sanitation. “You see, what we don’t knowis that most of these little goodhabits help to build up a decentfoundation that blessings flowfrom. “Let us look at this simple wayof collection of refuse; whenpeople get used to it. it wouldgo a long way to ensure a cleanerenvironment. “I really commend the effort ofAMAC and the Satellite TownDevelopment Agency; theyshould sustain it for it will go along way to reduce indiscrimi-nate disposal of refuse,’’ Brown

ABUJA - Some residents ofKaru and Jikwoyi areas of theAbuja Municipal Area Coun-cil (AMAC) have commendedthe efforts by AMAC and theSatellite Development Agency(STDA) on refuse collection. In separate interviews withnewsmen in Abuja, the resi-dents urged the agencies tosustain the exercise. Mrs. Uzoma Ekeh, a teacher,said she was happy when shesaw an evacuation truck alongthe main streets in her areapacking the waste. “When we start seeing posi-tive impact of people en-

trusted with certain responsibili-ties, it becomes easier for peopleto adjust to change. “I strongly believe that if it con-tinues this way, people will be ac-customed to keeping their refusein a place since they know thatpeople will come along to collectit.” She said that this would discour-age indiscriminate dumping ofrefuse and help ensure a clean en-vironment free from unpleasantodour. Another resident, Mr. AlloyBrown, a pharmacist, observed thata fraction of the money peoplespent on health-related issues

said. Mrs. Anna Oye, a trader, notedthat since the arrival of the truck,the packing of refuse at the mar-ket had improved tremendously. “This evacuation of refuse bygovernment is very good be-cause we market people gener-ate greater chunk of the refuseand now that they come aroundwe hand it over to them. “It helps to keep the marketcleaner and pleasant; it is reallygood because it is re-echoing thesanitary feelings of our oldendays. “I pray that it will be sustainedas well as monitored to makesure that everyone is complyingwith the mood of the change,”Oye said. Hajia Meumunatu Abubakar,the Head of the Environment

Department in AMAC had ad-vised residents to take the issueof environment seriously.He said that the agency had beentrying to cope with the challengesof sensitising the people to theneed to take care of the environ-ment. It would be called also that Mr.Azeez Sanni, the EnvironmentalHealth Officer with the SatelliteTown Development Agency, hadurged residents of the FCT toensure proper management oftheir waste. He said the agency was collabo-rating with all area councils inthe FCT to ensure that refuse wasproperly managed and disposed,to engender a clean and safe en-vironment for the citizenry.

Faruk recalled that the Policyand Strategy for MainstreamingYouth in Water and SanitationResource Management was ap-proved at the African MinistersCouncil on Water EXCO meetingin Cairo in June. He explained that in line withthe policy approval and Nigeria’sTransformation Agenda, the min-istry would partner the youth ini-tiative toward the implementationof the strategy in the country.

L-R: Executive Director, Corporate Services, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Mrs. LolaAbiola-Edewor; Director of Administration Mrs. Christiana Afabor and Managing Director, Alhaji UmaruIbrahim at the NDIC Management Conference with female employees in Abuja recently.

Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria(SMEDAN), Alhaji Bature Masari, presenting cash award of N500,000 to the Nigerianteam that won the Students For Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) WorldCup 2013 Competition in Abuja recently.

1 0 MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2013THE NIGERIAN

Business + EconomyOkonjo-Iweala Wants Emphasis On Capital Projects

By Govs

Housing Project: Gov Imoke Halts Work

Aftermath Of Banking CrisisCommercial Banks Sign Resolution

MINNA - The Minister of Fi-nance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealahas expressed concern aboutstates expending their resourceson salaries and operational costrather than on capital projects.

Okonjo-Iweala said this inMinna at the National Councilfor Economic Development(NACOFED) conference.

She said that there was theneed for states to make strategicchoices about how to spend theirallocation from the federationaccount.

“The structure of our publicexpenditure is lopsided, at thefederal level and in most states,our budgets consist mostly ofrecurrent expenditures such aspayroll and overhead expenses.

“Yet, we continue to havemore demands for more recur-rent spending.

“At present, ASUU wants gov-ernment to pay N92 billion inextra allowances when the re-sources are not there and whenwe are working to integrate pastincreases in pensions,’’ she said.

According to her, we need tomake choices in this country aswe are getting to the stage whererecurrent expenditures take thebulk of our resources and peopleget paid but can do no work.

Okonjo- Iweala, who is alsothe Coordinating Minister forthe Economy, said that at the fed-eral level, there had been recentprogress in improving public fi-nancial management in the coun-

individual should go on inAtimbo axis till further notice,”Imoke warned.

He alleged that the federal au-thorities had gone ahead to ex-ecute the housing project with-out an approval from appropri-ate state agencies.

The governor cited adverseenvironmental effects on the hostcommunity as part of his deci-sions to stop work at the site.

He said that the State Govern-ment would not fold its arms andwatch anybody expose citizenryto “untold hazards or distortingthe ecosystem occasioned by thedepletion of the swam.”

He said that if the federal au-thorities continued the project,the community would be ex-posed to erosion and aggravatedflooding to which the area wasalready prone to.

He said these developments

aging Director, UBA, Mr PhilipOduoza , said that there hadbeen significant improvement intransaction in the five newsstates where the policy had beenintroduced.

The five states are Abia,Anambra, Ogun, Kano and Riv-ers.

“ When we started this year,we started with cash transactionof about N8.3 billion as at July2013, it has moved up to N13.6billion which is substantial.

“ In January last year, the num-ber of point of sales in the sys-tem was about 5,900 and todaythat number has increased sig-nificantly to 120,000,’’ he said.

On agriculture, the ManagingDirector, Fidelity Bank, MrReginald Ihejiahi, said thatbanks looked at how best to re-inforce the progress made so faron the sector and how to fix thevalue chain.

“What is clear is that for thebanks to lend (the banks are anx-ious to lend) we need to have anew generation of agro-businessentrepreneurs.

“We need access roads andthat’s what will make the costof entrepreneur lower, we needpriority in power,’’ he said.

tem, we have N21 trillion worthof assets held by 24 banks butthe proportion of which they holdthose assets differ.

“So, for each bank, the totalassets of 0.5 per cent of that isremitted, and for the off balancesheet items, they will calculate33 per cent of their off balancesheet item and take another 0.5per cent of that,’’ she said.

On the 50 per cent withdrawalof public sector fund throughCash Reserve Requirementpolicy, the Managing Direct,Zenith Bank Plc, Mr GodwinEmeifele, said that the CBNGov, Malam Sanusi LamidoSanusi took time to justify thepolicy.

“The reason being that thereis a lot of liquidity in the systemand the Central Bank had takentime to look at the balance sheetsof banks and observed that theliquidity ratio was very strong.

“ And there was the need towithdraw some of the liquidityin the system to be able toachieve its primary mandate ofmacroeconomic stability andalso achieve stable exchangerate,’’ he said.

On cashless policy, the Man-

try in the past three years.The Director, Banking Super-

vision, Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), Mrs Tokunbo Martins,said this in Abuja when shebriefed newsmen on the out-come of Bankers Committeemeeting.

“One major event that tookplace today was the signing ofthe Resolution Trust FundDeed. The deed is between thebanks. The intention is to coverthe cost of banking crisis thatwe had two or three years ago.

“Initially, what we had inplace was a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) wherethe banks on their own agreedto contribute 0.3 per cent of theirtotal assets to the cleanup of thebanking system at that time,’’she said.

According to her, with thedeed in place, the banks haveagreed to contribute 0.5 per centof the total assets and 0.5 of 33per cent of their off balancesheet items to the sinking fund.

She said that the intentionwas to ensure safe “and therewould be no incident of fallingback to tax payer’s money.

“Currently in the banking sys-

ABUJA - Commercial banksnationwide have signed theResolution Trust Fund Deed tohelp cover the cost of the bank-ing crisis witnessed in the coun-

try.The minister said that govern-

ment was paying close attentionto the management of thecountry’s foreign and domesticdebt.

She said that the ministry wascollaborating with the DebtManagement Office to get a

clearer picture of outstandingdebts incurred by state govern-ments.

The coordinating ministeralso urged state governments tokeep “an eagle eye on domesticborrowings’’.

According to her, the FederalGovernment is working hard todiversify the economy as part ofits strategy, thereby reducingover dependence on the oil sec-tor.

Okonjo-Iweala said that ef-forts were also on to grow thenon oil sector such as agricul-ture and infrastructure.

“We are working to improveour non-oil tax revenue collec-tion. Recently, we hired inter-national consultants to conducta diagnostic exercise on thebottlenecks in our tax collec-tion process.

“They compared our officialregistry of companies at CACto the official taxpayers’ data-base at FIRS.

“The result was that 75 percent of registered firms wereactually not in the tax system,in addition about 65 per centof registered tax payers had notfilled their tax returns in thepast two years.

“Overall, it was estimatedthat an additional N80 billioncould be obtained if we im-proved our tax systems, giventhe recent decline in our oilrevenues. This is additionalmoney which is urgentlyneeded.’’

Okonjo- Iweala also stressedthe need for all states to adoptthe Fiscal Responsibility Com-mission 2007 Act.

“We need to cooperate moreon our fiscal policies since alltiers of government operate inthe same economy.

“We will need to coordinatemore on how we spend ourmoney, what we spend on andalso when we spend it on.

“This will help us manageliquidity in the economy andkeep our macro-economic indi-cators stable,” she said.

In his remarks, Vice Presi-dent Namadi Sambo, said thatthere was the need to reducerecurrent expenditure to sus-tainable levels, while increas-ing capital projects.

Sambo was represented bythe Minister of National Plan-ning Commission, DrShamsudeen Usman.

The Vice President said thatfollowing the OrunsayeCommitte report, the FederalGovernment had taken steps to

reduce waste as well as dupli-cation of government agencies.

“Consequently, recurrent ex-penditures will be trimmed fur-ther from 71.5 per cent in 2012,to about 68.7 per cent of the2013 budget, while the capitalvote is expected to increase to31.3 per cent from 28.5 per centin 2012,’’ he said.

Sambo said that the govern-ment was working to restructureexpenditure through its transfor-mation agenda by improvingcapital expenditure in infra-structure to create employmentand a business friendly environ-ment.

“The annual budget of ouradministration is predicated onfour main pillars, namely macro-economic stability, structuralreforms, governance and invest-ments in priority sectors.

“It is our belief that the effortof the Federal Government inthis regard would be comple-mented by those of the states andlocal governments.

“So that together we can laysolid foundation for sustainableeconomic growth,’’ he said.

Sambo urged participants todeliberate and come up withworkable solutions that wouldhelp to improve public financein the country.

Dr Yerima Ngama, the Minis-ter of State for Finance in hisclosing remarks, thanked theNiger State Government forhosting the conference.

“We need to work moreclosely in tackling various pub-lic services which fall on theconcurrent list such as deliver-ing health and education.’’

Ngama said that he was opti-mistic that the nation’s economywould be on sound footing in thenear future, following the imple-mentation of government’s vari-ous economic developmentstrategies.

The conference was attendedby states commissioners for fi-nance, accountants-general aswell as permanent secretaries ofministries of finance from the 36states.

CALABAR - The CrossRiver Government has orderedthe Federal Ministry of Lands,Housing & Urban Develop-ment to stop work at the siteof a proposed federal housingscheme.

Gov. Liyel Imoke of CrossRiver, who gave the order inCalabar, said the “stop workorder” was on grounds of en-vironmental impacts viola-tions.

The reports say that thehousing scheme is located inthe mangrove forest of CalabarMunicipality.

Imoke, who was representedby his Deputy, Mr EfiokCobham, during an on un-scheduled inspection visit tothe site along the AtimboSwamp, said that the violationsshould be remedied.

“Henceforth no further de-velopment by any agency or

were capable of impacting nega-tively on the ecosystem in thehost community.

The Commissioner for Envi-ronment, Mr Sandy Onor, saidthat the project would negativelyimpact on the state which, hesaid was the 25th bio-diversityhot spot in the world.

Onor said that the Cross RiverGovernment would ensure thatits environmental and forestrypolicy and programmes meant toconserve and protect the envi-ronment were adhered to.

He said the state had madeprogress in projecting its ecosys-tem, pointing out that it woulddo everything within its powersto ensure the tempo was sus-tained.

‘The state stands to lose itsstatus as the beneficiary of theUN Programme on ReducingEmissions from Deforestationand Forest Degradation, whichCross River remains the onlybenefiting state in the country,”he said.

L-R: Chairman, NLC Oyo State, Mr. Olarewaju Bashir; Former Petroleum Minis-ter, Prof. Tam David-West; ASUU National Treasurer, Dr. Ademola Aremu andothers at the town hall meeting of ASUU, University of Ibadan Branch in Ibadanrecently.

L-R: Secretary General, Association of Federal Health Pensioners of Nigeria(AFHPEN), Mr. Biodum Oladimeji; National President of the Association,Lawrence Akinbola and the Legal Adviser, Mr. Peter Ekundayo at the electionof new executives of Jos University Teaching Hospital Branch of the Associa-tion in Jos recently.


NSE DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (EQUITIES) AS AT FRIDAY(16/08/13)Stocks Open Close Change Deals Units Value

7UP 74.2 74.2 0 6 31,310 2,155,383.00

ABCTRANS 0.93 0.9 -0.03 11 346,371 313,451.40

ACADEMY 1.76 1.76 0 3 17,730 31,204.80

ACCESS 11.2 11.01 -0.19 175 44,473,998 492,304,563.83

AFRIPRUD 1.88 1.88 0 27 47,096 89,313.75

AGLEVENT 1.4 1.54 0.14 10 240,075 366,884.25

AIICO 0.93 0.94 0.01 53 4,443,030 4,176,258.64

ARBICO 5.6 5.6 0 1 36 181.44

ASHAKACEM 23.07 22 -1.07 31 250,093 5,526,868.95

ASOSAVINGS 0.5 0.5 0 2 1,000,000 500,000.00

BECOPETRO 0.5 0.5 0 1 100 50

BERGER 9.61 9.61 0 4 11,065 97,258.40

BETAGLAS 13.18 13.18 0 7 49,451 665,204.18

BOCGAS 6.5 6.5 0 1 55 383.9

CADBURY 48.31 50.9 2.59 56 369,118 18,709,154.83

CAP 43.65 43.65 0 14 26,316 1,072,644.00

CAPHOTEL 4.55 4.55 0 1 10,600 43,460.00

CAPOIL 0.5 0.5 0 1 3,000 1,500.00

CCNN 9.3 9.3 0 22 148,744 1,384,153.60

CHAMPION 19.35 19.35 0 29 139,095 2,558,449.53

CHAMS 0.5 0.5 0 4 75,000 37,500.00

CONOIL 33 33 0 26 131,435 4,137,364.15

CONTINSURE 1.15 1.16 0.01 6 20,533,900 23,129,787.21

CORNERST 0.5 0.5 0 7 268,000 134,000.00

COSTAIN 1.18 1.2 0.02 28 1,033,833 1,233,900.10

COURTVILLE 0.66 0.69 0.03 25 2,635,500 1,774,454.00

CUSTODYINS 1.58 1.48 -0.1 29 3,117,800 4,674,541.67

CUTIX 1.99 1.8 -0.19 7 127,593 229,968.20

DANGCEM 192 190 -2 54 1,236,867 235,263,586.81

DANGFLOUR 9.5 9.5 0 40 480,767 4,567,312.20

DANGSUGAR 11.06 11.08 0.02 65 1,137,926 12,671,725.06

DIAMONDBNK 6.8 6.7 -0.1 71 30,971,600 210,526,496.30

DNMEYER 1.58 1.58 0 3 7,218 10,321.74

DUNLOP 0.5 0.5 0 1 20,000 10,000.00

ETERNA 2.87 2.9 0.03 7 223,804 647,283.60

ETI 14.68 14.67 -0.01 72 2,010,933 29,564,553.62

EVANSMED 4.74 4.74 0 1 600 2,562.00

FBNH 16.62 16.36 -0.26 463 69,684,902 1,149,021,283.88

FCMB 4.4 4.39 -0.01 65 3,139,395 13,763,954.17

FIDELITYBK 2.84 2.85 0.01 87 4,399,347 12,341,074.65

FIDSON 2.05 2.06 0.01 20 510,500 1,050,795.00

FLOURMILL 78.56 78.56 0 53 178,441 13,737,175.92

FO 38.91 40 1.09 36 172,212 6,621,442.34

FTNCOCOA 0.5 0.5 0 1 100,000 50,000.00

GLAXOSMITH 65 65 0 7 21,160 1,344,130.70

GNI 0.5 0.5 0 1 30,953 15,476.50

GUARANTY 25 25.01 0.01 304 13,928,703 347,988,205.24

GUINEAINS 0.5 0.5 0 1 370 185

GUINNESS 265 265 0 30 37,269 9,388,659.45

HONYFLOUR 3.2 3.2 0 29 958,110 3,065,116.60

IHS 2.67 2.6 -0.07 14 710,400 1,898,069.00

IKEJAHOTEL 0.79 0.79 0 1 12,000 10,200.00

INTBREW 21.45 21.45 0 33 462,651 9,872,059.60

IPWA 0.95 0.95 0 5 114,636 99,665.95

JAPAULOIL 0.51 0.52 0.01 41 2,070,197 1,069,114.22

JBERGER 73 71 -2 9 83,229 5,945,365.50

JOSBREW 1.06 1.16 0.1 2 150,000 174,000.00

LASACO 0.5 0.5 0 1 20,000 10,000.00

LEARNAFRCA 1.7 1.7 0 6 95,200 159,826.62

LIVESTOCK 4.58 4.13 -0.45 29 635,452 2,629,429.76

TOP 10 GAINERS TOP 10 GAINERSStock Close LossDANGCEM 190 -2JBERGER 71 -2UNILEVER 63 -2ASHAKACEM 22 -1.07OANDO 12.2 -0.6LIVESTOCK 4.13 -0.45STANBIC 17.2 -0.3FBNH 16.36 -0.26ACCESS 11.01 -0.19CUTIX 1.8 -0.19

Stock Close GainNESTLE 935 5CADBURY 50.9 2.59WAPCO 96 1.9NB 169.5 1.6FO 40 1.09NASCON 11.2 0.78AGLEVENT 1.54 0.14JOSBREW 1.16 0.1TRANSEXPR 1.05 0.09NAHCO 6.26 0.06

TOP 10 LOSERS

MANSARD 2.29 2.28 -0.01 7 1,533,300 3,496,040.00

MAYBAKER 2.45 2.4 -0.05 15 515,977 1,241,143.15

MBENEFIT 0.5 0.5 0 3 27,100 13,550.00

MOBIL 119 119 0 16 19,625 2,203,170.00

MRS 36.14 36.14 0 2 1,540 50,096.20

MULTITREX 0.66 0.66 0 12 400,000 270,000.00

NAHCO 6.2 6.26 0.06 26 290,942 1,810,398.65

NASCON 10.42 11.2 0.78 70 1,406,190 15,417,433.78

NB 167.9 169.5 1.6 170 1,151,337 195,552,567.35

NEIMETH 1.4 1.4 0 5 56,409 74,989.88

NEM 0.66 0.72 0.06 18 985,263 700,662.40

NESTLE 930 935 5 62 255,501 239,227,792.38

NIGERINS 0.5 0.5 0 2 25,000 12,500.00

NNFM 29.7 29.7 0 2 18,574 533,898.00

NPFMCRFBK 0.8 0.83 0.03 9 686,300 507,240.00

OANDO 12.8 12.2 -0.6 193 3,826,888 48,117,235.92

OKOMUOIL 43.75 43.75 0 53 386,040 16,981,141.70

PAINTCOM 1.87 1.7 -0.17 4 208,700 356,169.00

PORTPAINT 5.56 5.56 0 5 85,000 456,200.00

PREMPAINTS 10.93 10.93 0 1 30 295.2

PRESCO 36.29 36.29 0 13 76,967 2,683,503.28

PRESTIGE 0.55 0.55 0 2 31,820 16,228.20

PZ 37.6 37.6 0 66 395,808 14,987,565.16

REDSTAREX 4.84 4.69 -0.15 16 327,998 1,503,665.02

RESORTSAL 0.5 0.5 0 4 260,365 130,182.50

ROYALEX 0.52 0.52 0 2 34,660 17,830.00

RTBRISCOE 1.55 1.42 -0.13 19 272,639 399,090.09

SCOA 5.32 5.32 0 2 10,000 47,900.00

SKYEBANK 4.06 4.05 -0.01 139 9,175,565 36,883,370.41

SOVRENINS 0.5 0.5 0 1 50,000 25,000.00

STANBIC 17.5 17.2 -0.3 28 446,392 7,616,425.78

STERLNBANK 2.75 2.75 0 37 3,930,958 10,694,803.39

THOMASWY 0.67 0.67 0 6 82,290 60,071.70

TOTAL 155 155 0 14 25,864 3,810,423.00

TRANSCORP 1.37 1.3 -0.07 55 6,850,971 8,983,913.92

TRANSEXPR 0.96 1.05 0.09 12 247,420 259,791.00

TRIPPLEG 2.29 2.29 0 2 910 1,883.70

UAC-PROP 18 18 0 18 173,495 2,902,568.68

UACN 61.89 61.89 0 33 90,322 5,414,226.97

UBA 7.85 7.91 0.06 192 7,470,737 59,113,666.63

UBCAP 1.26 1.25 -0.01 54 2,634,658 3,289,034.64

UBN 11 10.9 -0.1 54 484,967 5,411,211.96

UNILEVER 65 63 -2 55 762,575 48,040,467.50

UNITYBNK 0.52 0.55 0.03 39 4,947,680 2,717,385.40

UNIVINSURE 0.5 0.5 0 1 120,000 60,000.00

UPL 4.1 4.1 0 24 202,186 824,231.80

VITAFOAM 4.3 4.3 0 9 52,092 204,074.04

VONO 0.62 0.62 0 3 11,266 7,660.88

WAPCO 94.1 96 1.9 73 802,171 76,871,191.97

WAPIC 0.75 0.8 0.05 14 548,150 431,975.45

WEMABANK 1.09 1.05 -0.04 27 673,292 705,362.21

ZENITHBANK 20.95 20.84 -0.11 191 5,939,300 122,958,413.97



THE cloudy rainbowof the west has become somischievous that even thegreatest propaganda of

unsung heroes has sunkin the pacific of timelessbetrayal of trust. On ac-count of this internationalmischief transformed intoa beast of burden whichdrives international im-passe and national may-hem to the gallows of bothself distrust and endlessPandora. Much as wewant the rain of reprisalsto fall on the hectors,however, the eccentriccloud of peace must beconceded to take its prideof place. Suffice it to saythat the vector of peace-ful existence has beencompromised and themelting point of peace hasbeen the demise of nego-tiations. Permission isgranted to adduce thatbeing rigid is good, beingflexible is better and ex-ercising a great dosage ofdiscretion is much re-quired. The cross sectionof continents haveevinced over the yearsthat a vent of discord hasbeen opened as an orificebetween injustice and thejustice of the day in thatthey have become ob-scure and manically elu-sive. Just as the term jus-tice is subjective, so thedecisions handed downby international courts aresubjectively objective. Wethe people of knowledgebelieve that the astro-nomic rise of armed con-flict is more of a questionof function rather thanfactor. The functiontheory is that an avalancheof nations cross pollinatesthe idea of reason andhumanity as such justify-ing why attacks arelaunched because the ae-gis of humans being af-fected would come on thescene as a defense. Thearmed conflicts shouldnot be a function of rea-sons but that the prin-ciples of humanity are not

applied as a factor of vio-lations but as a functionalapproach to embarking onboth non international andinternational armed con-flicts. I am who I am whenI say I am who I want tobe. This is the foundationof international politicsand this is why compla-cence has ravaged mostinternational decisions.Politics has become a toolin the hand of most nationsto extinguish the tyrannyof equality. My peoplehave become prisoners ofconscience in their ownland both voluntarily andinvoluntarily. Alas, I amwell informed that the daysof tyrannical rule is virtu-ally coming to an end andthe spate at which the endof man’s inhumanity toman draws near is expo-nential. Are we strangersin the land of the living?Then if the answer is no,why then do we permit theupsurge of in undisci-plined rulers bathing in theinfluence of the office theyoccupy. We are not pup-pets to be controlled invol-untarily. Many people suf-fer from consistent gangrape in India they havebecome prisoners of con-science in China, the dep-rivation of their right to selfdetermination in a lot ofnation as these have takencommon place in the pal-ace of nativity. It hasproven to me a reoccurringdecimal that the crescen-dos of politicalmarginalization and eco-nomic instability have her-alded ninety nine percentof global problems cur-rently in issue. Amidstthese challenges, we havedecided to survive whensurvival is for the jungleand good living for thepeople of God. The great-est brickbat of man is nothatred, wickedness, andcomplacence but that manlacks the zest to love genu-inely. I must confess thatrecords have made history

but history has not maderecord. Is it true that poweronly comes through thebarrels of the gun?

CHILDREN OF WAR

(International Humani-tarian Law)

Alas! The very essenceof war is lost.

Take my children homefor no cost.

Oh! Oh! Please we needa gale of changes.

The dunes of a war childhave covered us thus,

In the midst of a troubledworld with loose hinges.

We live in a less humani-tarian world.

We have a chance ofpeaceful, but divided finelines.

Vietnam is lost. Nazismhas been submerged

I hear the high soundingeffect of drones,

Causing so much of tearswith nowhere to run.

rebel against the trigger.Child soldiers will never

die of death.But die to the very rea-

son of our living ancestors.Invisible but artful state

Children have becomeboth fathers and mothers

The ironical situationwarmongers find so exter-nal like the ruana

People are now plantedin supplanted homes offalse protecting powers.

Scavengers in times ofarmed conflicts they havebecome.

Deliverers in the time tocome they shall beget.

As bullets are about to

EnvironmentThe Waste Lands Of Human

Rights Law

of war they have intro-duced.

The crimson is no longerred to a child of war

Oh! Gas chambers andcrematoriums have takenthe haven of our passageto the great beyond

Shall I despair? Shall Ibe hopeful? Perhaps Ishould.

Lets together treat thewounds like the firewoods to be fetched.

LawWith

IKHUEBOR VIKRAMOSARUMENContinued from last week

Protect the children tillthey come to full bloom tobe clenched.

Live a life to fill the veryculture of life’s drench

Fly like the seabird thathardly perch.

We must see them as thenotochords of peacefulexistence.

They are the spottedwinged birds in war.

Thus the agony of thechild; the painless tormentof a war child.

The pitiful moments ofa crying man, let alone achild of war.

War children and chil-dren, who experience war,are not one and same

Time and again, I hearthe whimpering of a tor-mented child soul.

Finally divulging the se-crets of the hearts in beadsof perspiration.

My painless sleep, theirhopeless dreams.

Their tasteless meal, mydelightful meal

My blissful night is here,while they pray for a nightto heal

Drenched in the morn-ing mist of thought

As we walk with themtill the end.

“Many people suffer from consistent gang rape inIndia they have become prisoners of conscience inChina, the deprivation of their right to self determina-tion in a lot of nation as these have taken commonplace in the palace of nativity. It has proven to me areoccurring decimal that the crescendos of politicalmarginalization and economic instability have her-alded ninety nine percent of global problems currently


InterviewNew Pre-Paid Meters Obtainable In45 Days. Now Out In Benin District

Electricity consumers manywho now prefer the prepaidmeters to the analogue oneshave cried foul recently overthe scarcity of prepaid meter orits non-availability. However,Babatunde Fadipe, the man incharge of public affairs, PowerHolding Company of Nigeria,(PHCN) spoke to TundeEigbiremolen, Assistant Editor,IKIKA CLARA and ENONINAUNUERRI on the availabilityof prepaid meters among othersissues.

What is all the noise aboutunbundling PHCN all aboutand the implication forPHCN?

The issue of unbundlingPHCN is basically a governmentpolicy, it is the unbundling thatmade the behemoth calledNational Electric PowerAuthority (NEPA) to be brokeninto small pieces in terms ofpower distribution. We had onetransmission station, with theold National Power Authority(NEPA). Then it was one bigfamily and now it has beenbroken into pieces. Unbundlingsimply means losing up the bigNEPA. The implications arenumerous which means at thefederal level, that of coursemeans that the decision makingprocess has been made easierand faster, that is also, decisionmaking process is made faster.

We also heard that PHCNdoes what they call loadshedding to enable someconsumers have power but alot of people have beencomplaining that perpetuallyit is done to punish them. Inplaces like Evbuotubu a lot ofcomplaints abound so why theland shedding? What are thechallenges involved in loadshedding?

Well, load shedding isbasically a product ofinadequacy, okay? I mean letstake very simple analogy todemystify that word itself. Youhave one Comrade Bus fromOgba Zoo, may be somestudents went there onexcursion, may be 5000students. Definitely, oneComrade Bus cannot take 5000students. And you don’t havemore than one Comrade Busgoing to Ring Road. We look atthe number of students that canbe taken by one Comrade Busat a time. It means that oneComrade Bus has to go severaltimes before it can complete thepicking. Now, let’s go to theissue of transformer.

In most areas we have a 5000KVA transformer. There iscarrying capacity limit for a 500KVA transformer. Apart fromthe domestic level I and the

commercial level we also havewhat we call federal limitationmay be you have a 15 KVAtransformer at a place likeG.R.A because theirtransformed station is closed tothe police headquarters, aroundSSS we have about 2transformers there 15 KVAtransformers one of them has anumber of small, smalltransformers which it can carry.If it goes beyond that thetransformer is programmed togo off on its own. Other wise,you will lose the entire thing. Itcuts off the greater number ofpeople than may be putting itoff. Some areas we are not justcutting off some areas but youwill also be cutting off for a longtime because the replacement ofthat equipment itself is capitalintensive, so if the money is notimmediately there you cannotbut leave them out of supplyuntil you have the funds to dosuch replacement in loadshedding. It is a product ofinadequacy whether in terms ofpower itself that is generated orit terms of the equipment at anylevel. It is basically a product ofinadequacy.

Question: we know that theJonathan administration is sopassionate about powerreforms. As an insider and astake holder, is the presentadministration doing enoughto give Nigerians power?

I think before thisadministration, governmentordinarily is a continuousexercise. Now, before thisadministration they have beenable to bring the vibrancy of thepower sector. Right fromObasanjo regime, upto Yar-radua, Jonathan administration,there have been a consistentmovement or direction ofprovision of adequate electricityfor Nigerians and, of course thatitself informed why governmenthas even gone ahead to see thatwe must have the privatizationof power sector to take care ofinadequate electricity forNigerians, and of course, that initself has even madegovernment to ensure that it seesto the end of the privatizationprocess. For me, I think thegovernment is doing a lot andeven beyond the privatization.You will see the government ispursuing with a lot of zeal theissue of the national integratedpower project which also startedbefore this administration,okay? now that organ itself is a

special purpose vehiclemanaged be delta power holdingcompany of Nigeria, that bodyis the one managing the nationalintegrated power project. Nowin the entire power projects theirgeneration which is themanufacturer, they are intransmission which is the bulkreader and their retail gettinginto homes and certain level intothe industries just like thatessentially government, that hasbeen doing a lot thatgovernment is going to privatizePHCN, it doesn’t mean thatgovernment has taken its handsoff the provision of electricity,Niger Delta power holdingcompany of Nigeria is still thereas a special purpose vehicle tocontinue to invest in capitalproject in the generation andtransmission centers Okay?Then the World Bank is still

there to do some other projectsthen you still have ruralelectrification agency that stillattend to other issues.

Why is it so difficult to getpre-paid meters nowadays?What is the challenge PHCNis facing and what steps arebeing taken to obviate them?

The issue of non-availabilityof pre-paid meters or the delayin getting them for customers isstill being tied to the issue ofinadequacy that is raised earlier.But thank God that it is beingtaken care of right now. InBenin\District, we are set to seta record. With the newarrangement it helps us put ameter where a costumer is not

disadvantaged, we are not at adisadvantage because there is aneutral habitat to measure thevalue of energy the costumer isconsuming. So, essentially thatproblem that we had sometimeago where meter was notavailable, where there werecomplaints, those things aresettled already. We start a newscale because costumers willpick a customized teller in theoffice in the zone because wecover four states of the countrythat is out of 36 we cover thatarea that means they can go toour offices in Edo, Delta, Ekitiand Ondo states to pick up thecustomized teller. You go to thebank make the payment, and

that teller is their official receiptthat they have paid and theirmoney is in our custody. So wehave eliminated the possibilityof diversion of the costumersmoney in any form worth soever,

In time past, costumers willgive us complaints about whathappened to my bank draft somany complaints, but this timearound you are the ones holdingyour receipt. The moment youwalk to the bank it will not be Igave money to one fake PHCNworker. You walk to the bankyourself make your paymentyou are very sure if the moneyis in the bank we get to see itbecause we must get in touch

with the bank and the bank willadvise this costumer has paidand the bank will give us theinformation.

Am a bit satisfied withthat explanation but there issome thing that also bordersme, it is these prepaid metersthat are difficult to secure.What is the challenge?

No, my point is that at apoint in time we ran into somestormy, weather but as I speakto you right now when youcalled for this interview, I waswondering whether some powerof clairvoyance was at play,because as from tomorrow weare going to start the newmetering policy on Monday,

here the 5th of August, asdirected by Nigerian regulatoryministry.

What is the policy allabout?

It is called the creditadvancement paymentimplication. The summary isthat costumers will give usmoney we will buy meters forthem, we install the meter andthey refund the meter cost. Themeter cost is lower than themeter amount they will paybecause they are somecomponent that the meter costcannot be refunded to them overa period of time, the practiceinitially was for PHCN tocollect the entire money and notrefund anything but this timearound the meter cost will berefunded by knocking of thefake charge component of thepayment for electricity thatcostumers make monthly thatstage and they add another 1000,2,000 we will get up to 10,00megawatt load will suddenlygrow. Electricity is like a men’slevel of affluence or a salaryearner when you were earning5,000 you find out that your

level of expenditure was at thelevel of #5,000 you find out thatyour expenses will grow to thatlevel let government increase itto 20,000 or 30,000 you find thatagain that your expenses willmove to that level, so that is theway electricity is, the more youhave of it the more you find yourneed for electricity growing Itell people with my own andsense of humility with my statusin life. Today if I pay 5,000 or6,000, 7,000 per month is nottoo much because I havechildren who will still be on thecomputer most of the time, orplaying computer game,watching television, usingelectricity most of the time forone or two things may be mysocial status again usingwashing machine my age nowif am consuming 5,000 to10,000 is not too much but bythe time I grow older myconsumption is ready to dropbecause they are so many thingsthat will not attract me again sothe point am making a lot ofNigerians that are in this agebracket that are consuming theyneed alot of energy so themoment we increase power wesee that all there suppress loadwill come up immediately andpeople will start consumingthem so the more we have of itthe more we use. But you seethat is still physical to the publicespecially the distributionaspect of it and the generationgovernment is doing essentiallyis build power stations and thenprivatize it of course the basicreason for that is very clear theis capital intensive for you tohave the capital of this you needto have the consumptionfinanciers that will bringtogether their money and its notis some thing you pick up theshaft like that is some thing thattakes a bit of time the investormay not be as patient.Government has the socialresponsibility to the people thengovernment can then over takethat process, complete it andthen sell to the investors andrecop its money andgovernment has not lost whathas only happened is thatgovernment has tied downcapital for a bit of time that hecan regain back like 36 in 48 orin 48 months as the case may be.

What mega watt are weuploading on now? Becausethey keep telling us that wehave reached some certainplace, so what mega watt isrequired for Nigeria andwhere are we right now?

Well the issue of mega watt ifyou are talking about the issueof Nigeria electricity is such thatthere is no amount of it that willbe too sufficient because themore you have of it the more theneed you have for it ok yousuddenly find out that if youmove above the 6,000 that seemto be around now if we moveabove.

Babatunde Fadipe

Babatunde Fadipe, PHCN Public Affairs Manager, Benin District (right) fielding questionsfrom our Assistant Editor, Tunde Eigbiremolen

“Well the issue of mega watt if you are talking about the issue ofNigeria electricity is such that there is no amount of it that will betoo sufficient because the more you have of it the more the needyou have for it ok you suddenly find out that if you move above the6,000 that seem to be around now if we move above.”


By EMMANUEL EGOBIAMBU

IssuesPlace Of Technology

In Crime Fighting AN African proverb has itthat though one cannot stopthe bird from flying above thehead, but the same person canstop it from making a nestover the head. This saying hasaptly described the crime rateglobally. Although crimecannot be stopped totally, butit can be reduced. Globally, the rate of crimehas grown astronomically.On daily basis, the media isawash with headlines of onecrime or the other. Fightingthis increasing spate of crimehas become tasking to thesecurity operatives. The caseof Nigeria is not different.With the Boko Haram sectmaiming hundreds of people,there could be no other timein the nation’s history, exceptthe civil war, that fightingcrime has been moredaunting. However, withtechnological advancementsthat is affecting all facets oflife, crime fighting hasreceived additional impetus.Globally, technologicaldevelopments have proveduseful in curtailing the rate ofcriminality. Although Nigeria is yet toget to that level oftechnological progress likecounties as U.S.A and thelikes, technology has aidedthe fighting of crime. Recently, a Police Officer,was video taped demandingfor bribe from a motorist inLagos. The security agentwas caught on tape “begging”for N25,000 from themotorist. As soon as themotorist got out of the scene,the video clips of the policeofficer asking for money,went viral. This made theNigerian Police Force,headed by the InspectorGeneral, M.D Abubakar, todismiss the officer, saying“the force will not toleratecorruption.” The age haspassed when crime wasfought by just arrestinganyone found at the scene ofthe crime, when the realculprits must have left. With technologicaldevelopment, crimes can nowbe fought with higherprecision, greater results andin a timely manner. In thistechnological era, the needfor proper recording ofpersonal information cannotbe undermined. If a working

national criminal andbiometric databases aremanaged efficiently, it will goa long way in forestallingcrime. These databases,would normally containfinger prints and DNA ofindividuals. If any crime iscommitted, hair, skin cellsand other genetic evidence incrime scenes will normally beexamined. When suchevidence matches with thedatabases, the perpetratorscan be apprehended easily. Similarly, these databaseswill help in no small measureto get individuals withcriminal record noted. InNigeria, there is little or norecord of hardened criminalswho have terrorized thecountry. However, a properdatabase will help thesecurity operatives inmonitoring the activities ofthese people even if they areoutside the country. According to Cable NewsNetwork, CNN, “we leavesmall clues about our lives allover the internet likefingerprints.” In a recentsurvey in the US where 1,221federal, state and local lawenforcement who used socialmedia, four out of fiveofficials used social media togather intelligence duringinvestigations. The surveynoted that this way of tacklingcrime via the social media,has a 2.8% margin of errorand that facebook is the mostfruitful social network for lawenforcement. Major breakthroughs havebeen made in combatingcrime via the social media. In2008 the US, dismantled alocal street gang and arrested71 people after a nine-monthinvestigation by using socialmedia to identify keymembers. The CincinnatiPolice in collaboration withthe University of Cincinnati’sInstitute of Crime Science,created databases ofinformation scrapped fromsocial networks, existingpolice records and phonerecords, then used software toanalyze the data and establishlinks between suspects(CNN, August 30,2012). Following the recenthorrific bomb blasts at theBoston Marathon, the policewere able to gleaninformation speedily fromdozens of social media video

clips. This subsequentlyaided security officials totrack down the suspects of thebomb blasts. In addition, various devicesbased on GPS technology arefinding their way into urbanpolice work currently. TheIndian government, after astring of high-profile gangrapes, is developing a GPSthat allows the wearer to senda message to the nearestpolice station by pressing abutton. The GPS system will

pinpoint the location of thewearer. The GPS watch alsohas an inbuilt camera that canrecord up to half an hour(BBC, January 30,2012).With GPS tracking systeminstalled in cars, building andothers, explosives can bedetected easily. Also, close CircuitTelevision (CCTV) hasproved of immense benefit totracking down criminals.These CCTV’s are installedin major roads and flashpoints in crisis-prone area toprovide surveillance for lawenforcement agents.

According to Washington DCMetropolitan PoliceDepartment Spokesman,Lieutenant Nicolas Breul,CCTV cameras are placed atdifferent locationperiodically. These cameras,he noted, are not monitoredlive, but the tapes can bereviewed if a crime occurs inthe observed area. “These arevery instrumental in picking

evidence. They haverecorded shootings and othercrimes. They are veryeffective and help to detercrime,” Breul said. As common as mobilephones are to most people, itis a veritable tool instemming the upward rise incrime rate. In GuyanaRepublic, The Ministry ofHome Affairs has launchedthe “I paid a Bribe” websiteto enable people to provideinformation in relations to thepayment of a bribe for publicservices rendered at anypublic office/agency under

the purview of the Ministry.The site allows people toprovide information on thebasis of anonymity. TheMinistry also has aBlackberry Messenger(BBM) application thatcitizens can send images,sound recording, video etc ofcrime in their area. A reviewof the use of the facility forthe period July 18 to

December 14, 2012 revealedthat 51 reports were made tothe police by members of thepublic from which 52offences were identified. TheGuyana Police Force wasable to make seven arrestsarising from the reports. A police detective in Albany,US, James Miller, says hisdepartment has been workingfor the past years withtechnology to prevent crime.One of the new technologicaltechniques been used is e-reporting. Miller says,“Officers carry laptops andtake reports at the scene andimmediately download theinformation. From there, it ishandled by the crime analystswho map the entire city withreal-time data.” This will thenenable supervisors todetermine crime trends moreefficiently and use resourcesrightly. Besides, most countrieshave adopted predictiveanalytics to detect crime.

Using analytic software, theymap out criminal trends toidentify locations that mayneed more security. InAmerican cities asWashington, New York andothers, these system are inplace. In 2010, the Memphisauthorities in United States,worked with IBM to trackillegal activity and predictwhere it might happen next.A commander with theMemphis Police said,“Memphis Police

Department now has theinvaluable insight all of ourstaff can use to specificallyfocus investigative and patrolresources with the goal ofpreventing crime and makingour neighbourhood safer.” At this critical period wherecrime is growing in leaps andbound, the country cannotjust fold its arms and watch.Although, the issue of financeand the level of technologicalpenetration in Nigeria may beadduced as drawbacks to theuse of technology in fightingcrime, expert opinion shouldbe sought to input it intocrime fighting. Technology will help thesecurity officials in gettingone step ahead of the “badguys.” Government mustdevelop the political will, asnot being complaint withtechnological tools will leavethe nation behind in its questto combating the rising crimelevel threatening its corporateexistence.

“Also, close Circuit Television (CCTV) has proved of immense benefit to trackingdown criminals. These CCTV’s are installed in major roads and flash points in crisis-prone area to provide surveillance for law enforcement agents. According to WashingtonDC Metropolitan Police Department Spokesman, Lieutenant Nicolas Breul, CCTVcameras are placed at different location periodically. These cameras, he noted, are notmonitored live, but the tapes can be reviewed if a crime occurs in the observed area.”

Mohammed Abubakar, Inspector General of Police


FocusCombating Oil Theft In Nige

needs to be addressed. Eversince the commercialdiscovery of crude oil andlater natural gas, and theexploration and productionactivities that came with thisdiscoveries, it did not onlybring in International OilCompanies (IOCs) like Shell(SPDC) and others into thecountry, it also came with itsattendant challenges andgrievous problems that arenow constituting threats tothe national economy, thelivelihood andenvironmental well-being ofthe Niger Delta area, wherethese exploration andproduction activities arepredominant.THE PROBLEM To fully understand thisposition, and have a broadknowledge of how thenation is daily loosingenormous wealth throughthis illegal means oflivelihood in the oil and gas/condensate sector, there isneed for us to re-examine thesituation with crude oil/condensate theft in the NigerDelta region and perhaps,shed more light on its “root”causes. For a start, there are twomajor sides to the illegal oilactivities that have beencausing the nation a greatdeal. On the one hand, thereare those who cut andmutilate oil/gas/condensatepipes and Flow Lines to stealcrude oil, condensate orrefined petroleum products;and there are those whowillfully destroy pipelines tocreate room for economicopportunities (likecompensations for oilspillage etc), and others whodo so for the purpose ofstealing oil tools andequipment, including valvesor at the height of it, themovement of an entireChristmas Tree (also knownas Well-Head) to be resoldto another end user. Like we have alwaysemphasized; poverty,unquenchable greed, blatantignorance and selfishnessare amongst the underliningroot causes of all the illegaloil bunkering, oil tools and

equipment theft and about85% of oil/condensatespillage in the Niger Deltaregion. With ‘poverty’ takingthe lion share as the rootcause of most crude oil orcondensate theft, howeverthat of ‘large scale’ illegalbunkering is caused by theinsatiable greed of someselfish wealthy individuals,some of which are ingovernment circles. Somelocals cut pipelines to getcondensate to eithermix with fuel and sell on theroad side or they use it in itsraw form. Others put ‘hot taps’ onpipelines to siphon crude oil/condensate for sale totankers or barges for onwardtransportation toneighboring and overseacountries. This is the largescale dimension of crude oil/condensate theft, and as aresult of the lucrative natureof the illegal trade, thosewho are into it find itdifficult to pull out. However, the fact stillremains that the increase inthese illegal businessesstarted like a small cancerand gradually spread togrievous dimensions thattoday, the nation’s economyis paying dearly for it. Butcrude oil/condensate theft(illegal bunkering) is dailyencouraged by therelevant Security Operativesof the Navy (in the deepseas, creeks, water ways),the Security Operatives (inthe land areas) and others. Let us understand the factthat no single barrel of crudeoil or condensate can bemoved out from the NigerDelta area, especially inlarge scales (be it the creeks,sea, land areas) without theassistance, connivance,cooperation and knowledgeof the Navy concerned, andsome top powerfulmembers/power brokers ofhost communities inquestion. In other words, itis a “network of connivanceand cooperation” between

and within these individualsstated that has sustained theillegal trade of crude oil/condensate theft, especiallythose in large scales that costthe nation greatly. This large-scale illegalbunkering as the nameimplies, involves the use ofbig vessels and large bargesto move crude oil orcondensate to overseas.These acts are usuallyperpetuated by some highlyplaced individuals in the

communities? And becauseof the large money involved,these “crude oil/condensatethieves” invest so much inthe Nigerian politics, evendown to the Executives ofhost communitiesconcerned, just to ensuretheir illegal business thrivesundisturbed. By sponsoringselected persons into theExecutive arm ofgovernment at Federal,State, Council andcommunity levels, their

that takes place within theland areas and creeks of theNiger Delta areas. The big question is;Where are the Navy instopping this illegal trade,especially on our waters?Their involvement is theonly simple explanation thathas allowed this illegal oiltrade to thrive all these years.The Nigerian Navy and theother Security Operativeswith their top officers; thatare usually drafted to securethese national oil and gasassets in the Niger Delta

vessimpothe that timebargreleowndealpartsmonthinkmedwitncrudillegbeen

illegal trade is protectedfrom the claws of the lawand eyes of the public. TheNavy that are also involvedbecomes the icing in thecake of this illegal trade. This is the apex height ofthe whole illegal bunkeringtrade. But that of the small-scale illegal bunkeringinvolves the use of tankers,containers, drums etc to sellstolen condensate which ismixed with petrol and soldon the road side, and ofcourse the ‘Killer Kerosene’.We also have those whospecialize in “illegal refiningof crude oil”, that has nowgradually become awidespread phenomenon

region, are believed to be theworst allies of illegal oilbunkerers. To save theirface, especially when illegaloil bunkering activitiescause much stir in the public,and the people get nosy oftheir exercise, some NAVALofficers pretend to covertheir involvement. The mostsignificant of such ‘face-saving’ tactics is the act ofthe periodic seizure ofbarges and vessels ladenwith stolen crude, and thedestruction of same in thehigh sea. When reports, accusationsand counter-accusationsbegin to rise, they explodefake (counterfeit) barges and

sentengcondpipecouunfoare the ‘get tonceothegoatpictubehitrad AsomPetr(PTIDeltOlu

SOME months back, it wasreported that Nigeria losses$5 billion annually to oiltheft (also known as illegaloil bunkering). We were notsurprised at all at thisrevelation owing to the factfor several years now; wehave been hammering onthis and identifying thenegative impacts of oil thefthas brought to the nation’seconomic well-being. Therevelation was made knownthen by the Country Chair/Managing Director of ShellPetroleum DevelopmentCompany Ltd (SPDC) andVice President-ProductionShell Africa, Mr. MutiuSunmonu, when headdressed the HouseCommittee on PetroleumResources (Upstream) andthe Navy; investigating the“unprecedented upsurge ofillegal oil bunkeringactivities in Nigeria’s coastalregion”. According to reports then,what many saw as surprisingwas the absence of the Chiefof Naval Staff, GroupManaging Director (GMD)of the Nigerian PetroleumCorporation (NNPC), theDirector of the Departmentof Petroleum Resources(DPR), Managing Directorof Chevron, among otherkey stakeholders. We hopeto shade more light on thishere for a betterunderstanding. Mr.Sunmonu also advised thenthat, “There must be politicalwill by all stakeholders to beable to fight illegal oilbunkering. Every tier ofgovernment must beinvolved in the fight againstillegal oil bunkering”. Andthis is a fact. In the report, Nigeria wassaid to be losingapproximately 150,000barrels of crude oil to illegaloil bunkering daily and $5billion annually. Mr. MutiuSunmonu who also raisedthe alarm on the activities ofoil thieves, said the trend, ifnot properly checked, wouldspell doom for the country’seconomy. This is very true,and we totally agree with theShell (SPDC) boss that this

By ZIK GBEMRE

society, government circlesand the Navy, with theknowledge of somepowerful host communitylocals. There is no way crudeoil and condensate theft cantake place, without theknowledge and cooperationof some locals of host

“However, the fact still remains that the increase in these illegalbusinesses started like a small cancer and gradually spread to grievousdimensions that today, the nation’s economy is paying dearly for it.But crude oil/condensate theft (illegal bunkering) is daily encouragedby the relevant Security Operatives of the Navy (in the deep seas, creeks,water ways), the Security Operatives (in the land areas) and others.”


economy respectively. However, there arereported instances whereintelligence from relevantstakeholders and locals haveintimated IOCs aboutobserved oil spills, but their“delay in response”, usuallydo not help matters. TheNigerian PetroleumDevelopment Company(NPDC) subsidiary of theNNPC, is evenworst, because they do notrespond at all to oil/condensate spills reported.We do not wish to discussfurther about the issue of oil/condensate spillage, butthere is need to include thisamongst issues to be lookedinto and addressedholistically under the subjectmatter. Let us understandthat, in the face of the usualendless wait by the locals ofhost communities in theNiger Delta, for thegovernment to fulfill all thepromises made pertaining todeveloping the region, thepeople aresometimes forced to “attractthe attention of thegovernment and oilcompanies” by laying siegeon oil pipelines.THE WAY FOREWARD For the way forward asregards calming the tide ofillegal oil bunkering (crude/condensate theft), the firstpoint of call that seriouslyneeds to be looked into, is to‘cleanse’ the rank and file ofthe Navy that are designatedto monitor our water waysand the land areas where oiland gas assets are situated.These security operativesseriously need to be shed offthe saboteurs amongst them,who connive, collude withand support these criminalsthat perpetrate illegal oil/condensate bunkering. There is also need for thegovernment and its relevantagencies to register orcomprehensively update, allmarine vessels, barges andtankers with their rightfulowners, stating clearlyspecific purposes for

Focuseria: Matters Arising

sels that are of lessortance to them, to givepublic the impressionthey are working. Most

es, the real functionalges and vessels seized areased to their original

ners upon a negotiatedl where the accomplices with mouth-watering

ney settlement. Come tok of it, despite all the

dia hype, we are yet toness a single top knownde oil and condensategal bunkerer that hasn prosecuted and

speech, was beating aroundthe bush in a matter thatrequired suggestions/advice,towards putting an end toillegal oil bunkering thathas continued unabated, inspite of the heavysurveillance of the Military,(the Navy other securityoperatives), patrolling thewater ways, creeks, deep seaand land areas of the NigerDelta region. It was reportedthat Obasanjo was lamentingthe huge loses of the nation,as a result of the large scaleillegal oil bunkering in the

(pointing his fingers at thetop Military-Army and Navyofficers seated there).” Thisstatement, from the fearless,bold and activist king,clearly shows that “theillegal oil bunkering issue isbeyond what we are seeing.”The host communities are toblame, the military, thepoliticians in governmentcircles, especially bothformer and present stategovernors and VicePresidents and their wives,children, concubines(mistresses), are equally to

locals for ‘economicopportunities’, it seriouslyboils down to abject povertyand blatant ignorance of theadverse effects, such actionshave on the naturalenvironment. The deliberateacts of some hostcommunitydwellers to cut oil/condensate pipelines tocreate employmentopportunities for themselvesor create room foroutrageous compensationscan be regarded as one of the‘self-inflicting’ challengesfacing the Niger Delta areas.To discourage the‘compensation mindset onoil spills, it is a matter ofpolicy that no compensationshould be made by 10Cs likeShell (SPDC), if it wasestablished through a JointInvestigation Visit (JIV) thatany said oil spill was causedby third-party interference,also known as sabotage.However, there is a loopholein this policy. And thatis, any contractor awardedthe spill Clean-up/Remediation Job will stillrely on local labour to do thejob. And just because of thathope of getting a temporaryClean-up jobs that may justlast for couple of weeks ormonths, some hostcommunity locals are readyto indulge in pipelinevandalisation. There are also timeswhere oil/condensate spill &remediation contractors ofIOCs deliberately sponsorlocal miscreants of otherhost communities (otherthan theirs) to burst/cut oilpipelines to causeenvironmental spills, so thatthey (contractors) can lobbyfor such spills & remediationcontracts. We can see thewhole complicated situation.Government bodies on theirpart like the National OilSpill Detection andResponse Agency(NOSDRA), Federal

Ministry of Environment,Department of PetroleumResources (DPR), that arecharged with the regulatoryand supervisoryresponsibilities of theactivities in the oil and gassector, are not helpingmatters because they dependon the IOCs to take care oftheir logistics before theycan perform. With this sortof scenario, how objectiveand strict will thegovernment agencies be,when it comes to regulatingthe activities of the industry?Also, where are the budgetsof these governmentagencies to carry out suchactivities? The remaining fewinstances of oil spill causedby pipeline/equipmentfailures, are also bedeviledwith a lot of challenges. Wewill not be mixing words tosay that most of the oil/condensate pipelines in theregion are somewhat ‘weak’,due to frequent clampingand re-clamping (repairs) ofvandalized pipelines. Overthe years, particularly inrecent past, we are awarethat IOCs like Shell (SPDC)have been known to go intoareas where oil/condensatespills have occurred, containthe situation by clamping thepipelines, and ensure theenvironment returns to itsnormal status. But tocomplicate issues, the hostcommunity locals have beenknown to sometimes delay/prevent granting ‘access’ forthe IOCs to contain Spills forClean-up and Remediation.Or sometimes theydeliberately delay innotifying I0Cs concerned, inother to allow maximum‘spread’ of the oilspill and of course, thecompensation and jobopportunities that wouldcome out of this. We can seehow the locals have willfullysometimes positionedthemselves to benefit fromoil spills and illegaloil/condensate bunkering, allto the detriment of theenvironment and the

tenced appropriately foraging in illegal oil/densate bunkering andeline vandalization in thentry. It is only the

ortunate poor locals thatoften used as fronts by‘big boys’, which usuallythe full wrath of the lawe in a blue moon. Anders that are used as scape-ts to cover-up the biggerure of the hidden-handsind the whole illegal oile.

At a stakeholders forummetime ago at theroleum Training InstituteI), Effurun near Warri,ta State, former Presidentsegun Obasanjo in his

Niger Delta, right in front oftop military and (Navy andArmy officers) who wereparticipants at the saidstakeholders forum. When it was time for thethen Chief BenjaminOkumagba (JP) OON, wholater became the Orosue(King) of Okere-UrhoboKingdom in Warri, to speak,he went straight to the pointand expressed that: “YourExcellency (referring toformer President Obasanjo),if you are searching forthose engaged in illegal oilbunkering in the NigerDelta, search no morebecause the culprits arethese ones sitting here

Continues on page 20

blame. The lucrativenature of the illegal oil/condensate trade hasmade it so. As regards the willfulcutting of oil pipelines bysome host community

“However, there are reported instances where intelligence fromrelevant stakeholders and locals have intimated IOCs aboutobserved oil spills, but their “delay in response”, usually do nothelp matters. The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company(NPDC) subsidiary of the NNPC, is even worst, because theydo not respond at all to oil/condensate spills reported.”


Leadership

The Leader’s JourneyWith

Bamidele Michael08064496136

Continues on page 19

OLD ways die hard. Amidall the evidence that our worldis radically changing, wecling to what has worked inthe past. We still think oforganizations in mechanisticterms, as collections ofreplaceable parts capable ofbeing reengineered. We act asif even people were machines,redesigning their jobs as wewould prepare an engineeringdiagram, expecting them toperform to specifications withmachinelike obedience. Overthe years, our ideas ofleadership have supportedthis metaphoric myth. Wesought prediction and control,and also charged leaders withproviding everything that wasabsent from the machine:vision, inspiration,intelligence, and courage.They alone had to provide theenergy and direction to movetheir rusting vehicles oforganization into the future.

But, we are surrounded bytoo many organizationalfailures to stay with thisthinking. We know, forexample, that in many recentsurveys senior leaders reportthat more than two-thirds oftheir organizational changeefforts fail. They and theiremployees report deepcynicism at the endlessprograms and fads; nearlyeveryone suffers fromincreased stress at theorganizational lives we havecreated together. Survey aftersurvey registers our loss ofhope and increaseduncertainty for every majorinstitutional form in oursociety. Do we know how toorganize anything anymore sothat people want to engage inproductive and contributingwork?

But there is good news also.We have known for nearlyhalf a century that self-managed teams are far moreproductive than any otherform of organizing. There isa clear correlation betweenparticipation andproductivity; in fact,productivity gains in trulyself-managed workenvironments are at minimum35 percent higher than intraditionally managedorganizations. And in allforms of institutions,Americans are asking formore local autonomy,

insisting that they, at theirown level, can do it betterthan the huge structures oforganizations now in place.There is both a desire toparticipate more and strongevidence that suchparticipation leads to theeffectiveness and productivitywe crave.

With so much evidencesupporting participation, whyisn’t everyone working in aself-managed environmentright now? This is a verybothersome question becauseit points to the fact that overthe years, leaders consistentlyhave chosen control ratherthan productivity. Rather thanrethinking our fundamentalassumptions aboutorganizational effectiveness,we have stayed preoccupiedwith charts and plans anddesigns. We have hoped theywould yield the results weneeded — but when they havefailed consistently, we stillhaven’t stopped to questionwhether such charts and plansare the real route toproductive work. We justcontinue to adjust and tweakthe various control measures,still hoping to find the oneplan or design that will giveus what we need.

Organizations of all kindsare cluttered with controlmechanisms that paralyseemployees and leaders alike.Where have all these policies,procedures, protocols, laws,and regulations come from?And why is it so difficult toavoid creating more, even aswe suffer from the terribleconfines of over control?These mechanisms seem toderive from our fear — ourfear of one another, of a harshcompetitive world, and of thenatural processes of growthand change that confront usdaily. Years of such fear haveresulted in these byzantinesystems. We never effectivelycontrol people with thesesystems, but we certainly stopa lot of good work fromgetting done.

In the midst of so much fear,it’s important to remembersomething we all know:People organize together toaccomplish more, not less.Behind every organizingimpulse is a realization that byjoining with others we canaccomplish something

important that we could notaccomplish alone. And thisimpulse to organize so as toaccomplish more is not onlytrue of humans, but is foundin all living systems. Everyliving thing seeks to create aworld in which it can thrive.It does this by creatingsystems of relationshipswhere all members of thesystem benefit from theirconnections. This movementtoward organization, calledself-organization in thesciences, is everywhere, frommicrobes to galaxies. Patternsof relationships form intoeffective systems oforganization. Organization is

a naturally occurringphenomenon. The worldseeks organization. seeks itsown effectiveness. And so dothe people in ourorganizations.

As a living system self-organizes, it develops sharedunderstanding of what’simportant, what’s acceptablebehaviour, what actions arerequired, and how theseactions will get done. Itdevelops channels ofcommunication, networks ofworkers, and complexphysical structures. And asthe system develops, newcapacities emerge from livingand working together.Looking at this list of what aself-organizing system

creates leads to the realizationthat the system can do foritself most of what leadershave felt was necessary to doto the systems they control.

Whenever we look atorganizations as machinesand deny the great self-organizing capacity in ourmidst. we, as leaders, attemptto change these systems fromthe outside in. We hope tochange our organization bytinkering with the incentives,reshuffling the pieces,changing a part, or retraininga colleague or group. Butthese efforts are doomed tofail, and nothing will makethem work. What is required

is a shift in how we thinkabout organizing. Where doesorganization come from?Organization occurs from theinside out, as people see whatneeds to happen, apply theirexperience and perceptions tothe issue, find those who canhelp them, and use their owncreativity to invent solutions.This process is going on rightnow, all over ourorganizations, in spite of ourefforts at control. People areexercising initiative from adeeper desire to contribute,displaying the creativity thatis common to all living things.Can we recognize the self-organizing behaviours ofthose in our organizations?Can we learn to support them

and forgo our fear-basedapproaches to leadership?

Belief in the SystemTo lead in a self-organizing

system, we have to askourselves, “How much trustdo I really have in the peoplewho work here? Have theydemonstrated any of theseself-organizing behavioursalready?” This question oftrust leads to a moment ofdeep reflection for any leader.Those leaders who haveembraced a moreparticipative, self-organizingapproach tell of theirastonishment. They areoverwhelmed by the capacity,energy, creativity,commitment, and even lovethat they receive from thepeople in their organization.In the past they had simply

assumed that most peoplewere there for the money, thatthey didn’t care about thewelfare of the wholeenterprise, that they were self-serving and narrowlyfocused. No leader wouldvoice these assumptions, butmost leader behaviours revealthese beliefs. Does the leaderbelieve that his or her visionis required to energize thewhole company? Does theleadership team keepsearching for new incentivesto motivate employees as ifthey have no intrinsicmotivation? Does theorganization keep imposingnew designs and plans onpeople and avoid realparticipation like the plague?

Every so often, we openourselves to a moment oftruth and realize the conflictbetween our behaviours andour deeper knowledge. As onemanager of a company said tome: “I know in my heart thatwhen people are driving in towork that they’re notthinking, “How can I mess

things up today? How can Igive my boss a hard time?’ Noone is driving here with thatintent, but we then act as ifwe believed that. We’re afraidto give them any slack.”

Most of us know that aspeople drive to work they’rewondering how they can getsomething done for the.organization despite theorganization — despite thepolitical craziness, thebureaucratic nightmares, themindless procedures piled upin their way. Those leaderswho have opened toparticipation and selforganization have witnessedthe inherent desire that mostpeople have to contribute totheir organizations. Thecommitment and energyresident in their organizations

takes leaders by surprise. Butin honoring and trusting thepeople who work with them,they have unleashedstartlingly high levels ofproductivity and creativity.

Strategies for ChangeIf we think of organizations

as living systems capable ofself-organizing, then how dowe think about change inthese systems? The strategyfor change becomes simplerand more localized. We needto encourage the creativitythat lives throughout theorganization, but keep localsolutions localized. Mostchange efforts fail whenleaders take an innovationthat has worked well in onearea of the organization andattempt to roll it out to theentire organization. Thisdesire to replicate successactually destroys localinitiative. It denies thecreativity of everyone excepta small group. All livingsystems change all the time,in new and surprising ways,

“In the midst of so much fear, it’s important to remember something we all know:People organize together to accomplish more, not less. Behind every organizingimpulse is a realization that by joining with others we can accomplish somethingimportant that we could not accomplish alone. And this impulse to organize so asto accomplish more is not only true of humans, but is found in all living systems.”


Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of Health

Leadership WithBamidele Michael

08064496136

Health Issues

... Leader’s Journey Continued from page 18

Making Air Free From DiseaeBy OKEOGHENE OGHENEKARO

discovering greatereffectiveness, bettersolutions. They are not actingfrom some master plan. Theyare tinkering in their localenvironments, based on theirintimate experience withconditions there — and theirtinkering shows up aseffective innovation. But onlyfor them. Information aboutwhat has worked elsewherecan be very helpful. However,these solutions cannot beimposed; they have to remainlocal.

This highly localizedchange activity does not meanthat the organization spins offwildly in all directions. Ifpeople are clear about thepurpose and true values oftheir organization — if theyunderstand what theirorganization stands for andwho it shows itself to bethrough its actions — theirindividual tinkering willresult in system widecoherence. In organizationsthat know who they are andmean what they announce,people are free to create andcontribute. A plurality ofeffective solutions emerges,each expressing a deepercoherence, an understanding

of what this organization istrying to become.

The primary task of being aleader is to make sure that theorganization knows itself.That is, we must realize thatour task is to call peopletogether often, so thateveryone gains clarity aboutwho we are, who we’ve justbecome, who we still want tobe. This includes theinterpretations available fromour customers, our markets,our history, our mistakes. Ifthe organization can stay in acontinuous conversationabout who it is and who it isbecoming, then leaders don’thave to undertake theimpossible task of trying tohold it all together.Organizations that are clear attheir core hold themselvestogether because of their deepcongruence. People are thenfree to explore new avenuesof activity, new ventures andcustomers in ways that makesense for the organization. Itis a strange and promisingparadox of living systems:Clarity about who we are as agroup creates freedom forindividual contributions.People exercise that freedomin the service of theorganization. and their thewonderful sense of

camaraderie that emerges aseveryone gets engaged inmaking the organization workbetter than ever before, evenin the most difficult ofcircumstances.

Sustainability, NotEmployability

I believe there is oneprinciple that should beembraced by all organizationsas they move into the future,and that is sustainability. Howcan we endure over time?What about us is worthsustaining long-term? Thisfocus flies in the face ofcurrent fashion. Ourinfatuation with fleeting“virtual” organizations missesan important truth: We cannotcreate an organization thatmeans something to its peopleif that organization has no lifebeyond the next project orcontract. We cannot promisepeople, for instance, onlythree years of employment —with vague assurances of theirfuture “employability” — and

expect the kind of energy andcommitment that I’vedescribed.

Employability in lieu ofmutual commitment is a cop-out. We seem to focus on it asa response to the graveuncertainty we feel about thefuture. Since we can’t predictmarkets, products, customers,governments, or anything, wedecide not to promiseanything to anyone. Toomany leaders are saying, ineffect, “We don’t know whatthe future will be or how tomanage this uncertainty, solet’s think of our employeesas negotiable commodities.”What they’ve really said is“Let’s buy flexibility bygiving up loyalty.”

Commitment and loyaltyare essential in humanrelationships. So how can wepretend we don’t need themat work? The real issue is thatwe don’t know yet how toengage people’s loyalty and

yet maintain the flexibility werequire. But leaders should besearching for creativeanswers to this dilemma, notignoring it by settling on thenonsolution of so-calledemployability. Employabilityis a far more destructivepractice than we haveimagined. The organizationsthat people love to be in areones that have a sense ofhistory and identity andpurpose. These are things thatpeople want to work for. Thebelief that a company hasstood for something in thepast is a reason to want tomove it into the future.

The Real Criteria forMeasuring Change

You know when you walkin the door of an organizationwhether people want to bethere or not. The sense ofbelonging (or not) is palpable.Yet few change efforts takethat into account — and fartoo many end up killing theorganization’s capacity formore change. To measurewhether a change effort hasbeen successful. we need to

ask, “Are people in theorganization more committedto being here now than at thebeginning of this effort?” Interms of sustainability, weneed to ask if, at the end of thischange effort, people feelmore prepared for the nextwave of change. Did wedevelop capacity or just stagean event? Do people feel thattheir creativity and expertisecontributed to the changes?

If we’re focused on thesequestions as indicators, we cancreate organizations that knowhow to respond continuouslyto shifts in markets andenvironments, organizationsthat have learned how toaccess the intelligence thatlives everywhere in thesystem. We will havesupported people’s innatecapacity to deal with changingconditions because we willhave learned how to engagethem. We will have honouredtheir innate capacity for self-organization. And they willrespond with the initiative andcreativity that is found only inlife, never in machines.

BIDEMI, a widowed pettytrader, feels her life iscrumbling because all herchildren frequently go downwith cold.

Joshua, her five-year old son,has just been discharged fromthe hospital after treating adebilitating cold. After medicaltests, the doctor said Joshuahad a respiratory tract infectionthe symptoms which Bidemi’sthree other children are alreadyhaving.

She then wonders what couldhave caused this.

The doctor, however, told herthat he suspected her threeother children were infectedbecause they, perhaps, sharednot well-ventilated room andbreathed the same air with theinfected one.

Medical experts have, onmany instances, stressed theneed for clean environmentwhich is also free from pollutedair for good living.

Dr Kenneth Iregbu, a clinicalmicrobiologist, says influenza,pneumonia, tuberculosis,common cold, acute bacterialmeningitis, among others aresome of airborne diseases.

According to him, thesediseases are caused bypathogens and distributedthrough the air by inhaling theinfected or contaminated air.

“Like tuberculosis istransmitted through thesmallest particle of air, thatenables it to remain suspended

in the air for a long time.“Some infections you

acquire when you are in closecontact, like in a crowdedenvironment, sleeping besidean infected person and theperson sneezes or coughs ortalks, or if the person’s hand iscontaminated and you shake.

“For instance, if you havethe virus that causes catarrh,just by shaking someone andthe person touches his eyes ornose, one can get that infection.

“So, in terms of the air, itdepends on the type of particlethat carries them and the levelof risk; if people are in acrowded place and someone issneezing without taking thenecessary precautions, he caninfect almost everyone withinone or two metre-distanceinstantly.

By and large, Iregbu believesthat it is better to prevent thanto treat airborne diseases,insisting that one of thecardinal things to do aboutprevention is not to be aroundthe sufferers of any of theairborne diseases.

He also cautions sufferers toensure that they don’tcontaminate the air, advisingthem to cover their mouth withhandkerchiefs or paper tissueswhen they cough or sneeze.

“Such used handkerchiefsand paper tissues must also bedisposed of properly and handsmust be washed properly under

running water.“Rooms and houses must be

properly ventilated withadequate windows so that thewind can blow across andremove whatever iscontaminated and dispersesthem.

“People should avoid raisingdust to prevent infections;although vaccination againstthese infections is one of thebest ways of prevention,vaccines are limited only to afew of the infections such astuberculosis, influenza andmeningitis,’’ he says.

Further to these precautions,Iregbu advised schoolauthorities not to over-crowdthe classrooms, stressing thatchildren must be taught basichygiene rules such as handwashing as a way of diseaseprevention

“The classroom should bemopped with water not swept,so dust is not raised and ensurethe classrooms are wellventilated, we prefer a well-ventilated classroom to aclassroom with fans.

“Parents have a big role toplay by teaching the childrenbasic hygiene rules andensuring that they take their

medication.“People must make sure to

protect the environment, byprotecting the environment;you are protecting people whowill come into thatenvironment,’’ he notes.

To stress the need foravoiding contaminated air, the

International Union againstTuberculosis and Lung Disease(The Union), has always beencampaigning against “sharedair’’ from the crowd.

It says a setting in whichpeople share air in crowdedneighbourhoods, publictransportation and publicfacilities, such as health clinics,schools and prisons, is abreeding place for airborne

diseases.The Union states that the

overall acute respiratoryinfections kill more than 4.5million adults and childreneach year worldwide.

“Globally, there are anestimated 156 million cases ofpneumonia each year, 97 percent in developing countries.

“Pneumonia is the leadingcause of death in childrenunder five years whiletuberculosis, an opportunisticairborne infection, is theleading cause of death amongpeople living with HIV,’’ TheUnion says.

The Union says the risk isalways greater where people inweak health, such as the agedor people with compromisedimmune systems, come intocontact with people who are ill.

However, The Unionunderscores the need for properinfection control againstairborne diseases to achievesafe air for everyone,particularly in public places.

It calls on parents, schoolauthorities, hospitalmanagement, governmentauthorities and individuals toensure that the environment isprotected by making shared airsafe for everyone.

“You know when you walk in the door of an organization whetherpeople want to be there or not. The sense of belonging (or not) ispalpable. Yet few change efforts take that into account — and far toomany end up killing the organization’s capacity for more change.”


Focus

Combating Oil TheftIn Nigeria ... Continued from page 17

acquiring such facilities.The registered/updatedvessels, barges and tankersmust then be constantlymonitored by the assignedagencies to ensure that theyare not used for operationsother than those for whichthey were registered for inthe first place. This isbecause; these facilities areused by illegal oil bunkerersto steal crude oil orcondensate across theborder. There is also needfor our borders, especiallythe water ways, to bestrengthened with adequatesecurity and

surveillance. We also believe it is

expedient for thegovernment to make itmandatory for IOCs andnational oil companies toacquire their own vesselsand tankers, instead ofhiring from ‘Third-parties’like is observed. Most ofthese third parties are knownto have used suchequipment/facility to stealoil and condensate, underthe guise of working for theoil companies. Thesemeasures must be pursuedwith vigour andcommitment.

Corruption andeconomic sabotage cannotbe eradicated on mere moralpersuasion and wishfulthinking. The Governmentat all levels and their variousagencies and SecurityOperatives must be on boardto address this problem thatis seriously causing thenation public wealth, whichought to

have been used for thebenefit of all. Those foundwanting, must be brought tobook and made to face thefull wrath of the Law, nomatter how highly placedthey may be.

Moreso, since it hasbeen identified that‘poverty’ is the major rootcause of illegal bunkering inthe country, which has madethe host community locals to

be ‘deceived’ by others toperpetrate the illegal trade,it is therefore imperative forthe government at all levelsto holistically address thepoverty level in the NigerDelta and the country atlarge. It is rather unfortunatethat over the years, theNDDC, the Ministry of theNiger Delta and StateGovernments of the NigerDelta region have donepractically little or nothingto address the issue ofpoverty and developmentalchallenges facing the NigerDelta. They prefer to wastethe accrued revenue andpublic resources for theirself-centered interests,rather than for the good ofall. Most public-orientedcontracts awarded on paperswithout anything to showforth on ground. Those(officials) in the NDDC andthe Ministry of NigerDelta, for instance,collaborate with contractorsto misappropriate fundsmeant for developmentalprojects and programmes.The situation is so bad thatthe EFCC recently disclosedthat it will intensify effortsto prosecute NDDC officialsand contractors who connivetogether to misappropriatebillions of Naira meant forprojects and programmeexecution. These are someof the issues the governmentneeds to address.

Every public official atthe Federal, State andCouncil levels shouldearnestly strive to addressthe issue of poverty in theNiger Delta, this will in-turnaddress every other issues ofinsecurity and illegal oilbunkering. If the NDDC,Ministry of the Niger-Deltaand all the other StateDevelopment InterventionCommissions; always havetheir projects/programmesawarded for the purpose of“sustainable Development”with all sincerity of purpose,

we are very sure that bynow, the Niger

Delta region would haverapidly developed more thanwhat is at the moment.

Where the hostcommunity locals are stillwallowing in abject poverty,while “the few” privilegedNiger Deltans ingovernment circles areliving in stupendous

affluence of ill-gottenwealth.

The poverty level havemade many host communitylocals to be susceptible tobeing used by illegalbunkerers to siphon crudeoil and condensate.

Like we said before, nostranger can go into theinterior areas and creeks ofthe Niger-Delta region tosteal crude oil or condensatewithout the involvement,cooperation or connivance

of the host communitylocals concerned. But if theissue of poverty and alldevelopmental challenges inthe region are holisticallyand sustainably addressed, itwill be practically difficultfor the host communitylocals to get themselvesinvolved in such illegaltrade, since they will beeconomically

comfortable like we see in

over sea countries and theircitizens. But that is not thecase today. It is appallingthat most communitycontracts are awarded (bythe NDDC, the Niger-DeltaMinistry and Commissionslike DESOPADEC) topeople who do not have thecapacity, capability and

commitment to deliver.Imagine NDDC or theMinistry of Niger-Deltagiving a contract tosomebody who has no office

of his/her own. Where theyhave office, they do not havethe equipment/materials toexecute jobs. Or sometimescontractors deceive theCommissions/Ministry ofNiger-Delta with theconnivance of their officialsby showcasing offices andequipment that

are not theirs, and once thecontract is awarded, that isthe end of the story. Webelieve host communityp r o j e c t s / p r o g r a m m e scontracts should be awardedon merit and provenintegrity and not onsentiments or ‘interests’affiliations.

Another way forward is

for the Federal Governmentto consolidate establishedDiplomatic relations withneighbouring Africacountries, emphasizing theneed for them to sensitizetheir people/oil marketers tofollow the legal channel oftrade by dealing directlywith the NigerianGovernment if they wantcrude oil or other petroleumproducts. This should alsoapply to foreign countries ofEurope and America as well.These countries should beasked to worn their nationalsinvolved in this illegal oil/condensate bunkering tradewith Nigerians, to desistfrom it. During the dayswhen militancy in the NigerDelta region waspredominant, some foreigncountries are known toexchange arms and

ammunitions for crude oil/condensate. In other words,steps have to be taken by theNigerians Government todiscourage foreign countriesto patronize Nigeriansoutlets of this illegal oilbunkering trade.

Diplomaticallyengaging the internationalcommunity to supportembargo against illegalbunkering will go a longway to address this problem.When there are no morebuyers of crude oil throughthe back door, those sellingwill be discouraged andforced to discontinue withthe illegal trade.

We strongly condemn

Deizani Allison Madueke, Minister for Petroleum

“Diplomatically engaging the international community tosupport embargo against illegal bunkering will go a long wayto address this problem. When there are no more buyers ofcrude oil through the back door, those selling will bediscouraged and forced to discontinue with the illegal trade.”

the deliberate acts ofsabotage and all the criminalactivities that go withpipeline vandalisation. Fortwo wrongs cannot make ‘aright’. However, westrongly urge that the localsin the host communitiesshould carefully weigh thedire consequences of their‘actions’ as it affects thenatural environment andtheir future generations.The willful destruction ofone’s natural environmentfor ephemeral gains, paintsa negative picture of ‘thecharacter’ of thegovernment at all levels, todaily strive to sustainablyaddress the issue of povertyand needed development inthe Niger Delta region.There is need for allstakeholders alike, to playtheir we urge.


OpinionArchival Matters

Velocity Of Olayiwola AfolabiBy MICHAEL ODIGBE ANYONE close to me

know I celebrate people ofhonour, benevolence,kindness, vision, hardwork,honesty, scholarship, piety,courage and truthfulness.Certainly, not wickednincompoos, pretenders andmediocres. It is for this reason I tookinterest in BarristerOlayiwola Afolabi since2009 when he began todemonstrate his passion forhelping the disadvantagedand neglected in our society.That is a long time ago asyou can see. Unfortunately, it is onlytoday most Edo people arewaking up from theirslumber to realize they havein their midst a man whotruly cares for people in thelower cadre of society. I metone of these people last weekat social location. Hecouldn’t understand why Iwas pouring encomiums onthe Ekiti-born Barr.Olayiwola Afolabi forsustaining his velocity ofbenevolence in Nigeria. The man observed: “Whyall the praise for the lawyer?Is it because he gavescholarship to three studentsof Interest Group of School,Ugbowo on its graduationday in July 2013? OtherNigerians do a similarthing…” I smiled: “But do you knowthat on the occasion hebagged an award forempowering the youths ofNigeria? Do you know whyhe has been conferred withthe notary public award orwhy good people pray forhim daily?” The man didn’t respond tomy question but staredblankly at me. As he did, Irecalled the visit of EdoState’s secretary togovernment, Prof. JuliusIhonvbere, to the

ARCHIVES ANDR E C O R D SDEPARTMENT in Benin inJanuary 2013. during thevisit, he had discovered theplace in shambles. Out of astaff strength of 30, thedepartment now only boastof 6 while the buildinglooked like a rat-hole.Displeased by his findingshe promised to reposition thedepartment because heappreciates its importance ins o c i o - e c o n o m i cdevelopment. Like him, I prioritize datagathering and recordkeeping because it assists mein making authoritativepronouncements on issues.Hence, I was able to tell myco-discussant that Barr.Olayiwola Afolabi’s velocityof benevolence for theunder-privileged in Nigeriais very engaging. Becauserecorded facts from myarchives are there to supportmy claim. A little peep into myarchives but let’s begin from2010. Among other things,he gave a new motor-cycleand a bag of rice to a one-handed man for making ahobby of repairing roads inBenin metropolis withbroken stones. To appreciatewhat Barr. OlayiwolaAfolabi did, you shouldrealize that in this city someof us drive in Sodomite waysthat almost run over thephysically – challengedmending our roads. On January 26, 2011, Barr.Olayiwola Afolabi donatedan undisclosed sum ofmoney to triplets in responseto a public appeal from theirparents, Mr. and Mrs.Obiozor, for help. After hisdonation, Barr. OlayiwolaAfolabi joined in calling onmembers of the public tocome to the distressedcouple’s assistance.

In December 2012, hestepped out again. This time,he, gave out two awards. Thefirst one went to Mr. Isibor,a junior staff of Edo Ministryof Justice for hardwork. Healso got a deep freezer as areward at a ceremonyattended by JusticeCromwell Idahosa, ChiefJudge of Edo State. The

second award of the yearwas given to Miss OghagbonAgbivbiosa, best female ofEdo City Transport Service,for her accident-free drivingin 2012, punctuality andgood manners. This year 2013, Barr.Olayiwola Afolabi’s charityinclude the following. On

February 28, 2013 helaunched an annual schemefor two indigent but best lawgraduates of UNIBEN andAUU. Each one of them willbe entitled to a wig and gownafter being duly nominatedby their dean of law faculty.Then, on 11th August, 2013he donated N20,000 to a

policeman in hospitalfollowing an encounter withrobbers in Edo State inwhich three others died.Barr. Olayiwola Afolabi isnot only into giving outawards and donations fromhis widow’s bowl of wealth,he is also a publiccommentator that bluntly

speaks out his mind on allstate as well as nationalissues. For instance on June16, 2013 he was on People-Talk-To-People programmeof Independent Radio, Beninduring which he spoke onOshiomhole’s ban of Okadain Benin metropolis. On theoccasion, Barr. OlayiwolaAfolabi said that he had noquarrel with the ban but itsshort notice.

He canvassed for 3-6months’ leeway before theban takes effect to give theOkada riders enough time toadjust and meet thechallenges of the ban. Later on 6th August, 2013he commented on thepending local governmentelection in Ovia North-EastLocal Government Area. Hisremarks: “Since APC wasregistered by INEC, it meansA.C.N. is no morerecognized in law. So, ifA.C.N fields a candidate, itis illegal. Only APCcandidates can now contestthe local governmentelections.” Mentoring pupil lawyers atthe bar is another activityBarr. Olayiwola Afolabi is

engaged in. during theirlearning period at hischamber, he never fails toemphasise to them the tripleimportance of hardwork,honesty and prayerfulness inlegal practice if they want tomake a successful career ofit. No short corners for him.Also, all intern lawyersalways leave at the end oftheir tutulage with law booksdonated to them by him. A portrait of Barr.Olayiwola Afolabi isincomplete without sayinghe is a judicial activist also.As one, he has persistentlyadvocated for decent courtrooms and welfare packagesfor the bench. In 2010 hebegan to plead for instance,that official vehicles shouldbe provided for all judgesand magistrates in Edo State.By 2013, the governmenthas met this requirement tohis greatest satisfaction. Because he is equally ahuman rights campaigner,Barr. Olayiwola Afolabi hasa passion for accepting thebriefs of oppressed clients.That is why he took up Rev.David Ugolor’s case whenhe was wrongly incarceratedfor the murder of OlaitanOyerinde, former principalprivate secretary of Comrade– Governor Oshiomhole. Tothe glory of God, Barr.Olayiwola Afolabi was ableto rescue Rev. David Ugolorfrom the jaws of the state andsome disingenuouspolicemen. He gave DavidUgolor freedom. Indeed, there is so much tocelebrate about Barr.Olayiwola Afolabi. All onecan add here is that he is oneof those persons in Edo Statewhose velocity ofbenevolence increases daily.Hence the God he servesnever lets him down. Afterall, as wise men say “givingis a form of true worship. Let’s all join him in helpingthe disadvantaged andunder-privileged in Nigeria.When you help others, youare only helping yourself.Much more, you are layingup treasures there in heaven.What does it profit a man togain the whole world andlose his soul by despising thepoor? Nothing …Nothing…and Nothing!!!

“A portrait of Barr. Olayiwola Afolabi is incomplete without sayinghe is a judicial activist also. As one, he has persistently advocatedfor decent court rooms and welfare packages for the bench. In 2010he began to plead for instance, that official vehicles should beprovided for all judges and magistrates in Edo State. By 2013, thegovernment has met this requirement to his greatest satisfaction.”

• Barr. Olayiwola Afolabi


Science WithOYAKHILOME CEMENTINA

The Fresh Water Habitat

THE amount of water here fluctuates dueto season variations. The organisms found in this zone, duringthe rains are covered with enough water,but during dry season, they are exposed,because the quantity of the water has drieddown, due to the severity of sunlight. There are optimal temperature, lightintensity and wind action in this zone.Plants Found In This Zone They include sedges, bambos, algae,raffia palm.Animals Found In This ZoneThey include crabs, water snails, dragonflies, water snakes, toads, frogs, mosquitolarva and pupa.Water Surface They receive enough sunlight, nutrientsand oxygen. There is optimum rainfall and wind inthis zone.Plants PresentThey include water lecture, duck-weed,microscopic plants and water hyacinth.Animals PresentThey include scorpion, tadpoles, waterbog, free floating plants and beetles.Body of Water Light and wind actions are reduced inthis zone. There is high content of carbon (iv)oxide. There is low oxygen content.Plant PresentPhytoplanktons and ceratophylumAnimals PresentFishers, flatworms, mosquito pupa watersnails, fishes and larva.Bottom of Water There is low light intensity in this areaThere is darkness all the time hereThe oxygen content here is very low,while the carbon (iv) oxide is very high. There is nutrient accumulation here dueto lack of water currents. Plants PresentAlgae and bacteriaAnimals PresentInsect larvae, fishes, molluscs, crabworm.

THEY are found on the surface of the land. And they tendto flow into the sea. They occupy a small portion of the earthssurface compared to the marine and terrestrial habitats, outon the other hand, the importance they have to man is greaterthan that of the marine and terrestrial habitat.

Characteristics of Fresh Water HabitatVariable temperature with Depth and season Generally water has a unique thermal properties that would

combine to minimize temperature changes which are highspecific heat, high talent heat of fusion, latent heat ofvaporization, while the highest density of water occurs at atemperature of 4oc that is why water becomes lighter bothabove and below this temperature. And that is why wheneverthere is a slight temperature variation in water it affectsaquatic life because most aquatic organisms have a narrowtolerance.

Relatively Small Body of Water The water body, are relatively small and most times, they

are often isolated from each other, either by land or by sea.Low Salt Content The salt concentration is very low compared to marine

watersShallow WaterFresh water habitats are shallow, they include lakes and

ponds which makes them relatively small body of water.TransparencyInside the waters are suspended materials like slit, clay,

and algae etc, which makes it difficult for light penetrationthereby limiting productivity of the primary producer. Ingeneral, the water is turbid in nature.

Current The water current in these zones are limited hence

productivity is limited on one hand causing the influence ofthe distribution of vital gases, salt and small organisms isfound in the habitat.

Respiratory Gases Gases here are limited on one hands, because the water

contains delayed substances, which will subside or. envelopethe oxygen content in the waters.

Types of Fresh Water We have two types, they are stagnant water or standing

water or lentic habitats e.g lake, pond and swamp. Running water or lotic habitats e.g. spring, streams or

rivers. STANDING WATERSPuddlesThere are temporary bodies of fresh water that may last

for a few days or weeks.PondsThey are temporary permanent bodies of water known for

their shallow and small size. They may last a few hundredsto thousands of years. The temperature is uniform at alldepths. Oxygen content varies, it is higher in the day timeand lower at night, due to photosynthetic activities of thevegetation.

Lakes They are bodies of water, surrounded by land, they are

known for their age, depth and the stagnant nature of theirwaters. Lakes are affected by temperature turbidity, oxygenconcentration and wind. These characteristics depends onhow deep or shallow the lake is. The deepest lakes in theworld are Baikal in Siberia and Tanganyika in East Africawhile the largest of all fresh water lake is lake superior inCanada.

They are isolated ecosystems. Shallow lake are less than8 metres deep, have sunlight penetration noted for variationsin temperature between their surface water and bottomwaters. They have a uniform oxygen concentration and arefairly turbid in nature.

Zones of Fresh Water HabitatBottom of WaterBody of WaterWater SurfaceThe Edge of the Water

Characteristics OfFresh Water Habitat

“Generally water has a unique thermal properties that wouldcombine to minimize temperature changes which are high specificheat, high talent heat of fusion, latent heat of vaporization, while thehighest density of water occurs at a temperature of 4oc that is whywater becomes lighter both above and below this temperature.”


View Point

By SANDRA ORIAKHI

How Far Can ReligiousFreedom Go?I hope you will

appreciate this advert:“CHANGE OF NAME: I,formerly called Charitynow wish to be called andknown as Aisha. Evidently,when religion changes, theadherent’s name must alsochange. Pentecostalchurches and the Islamiccommunity in Nigeria totake note”. What apeculiar way to begin anarticle. Of course, peculiarcases demand peculiartreatment.

The case of CharityUzoechina, daughter ofPastor RaymondUzoechina, of theRedeemed ChristianChurch of God, Abuja, isindeed, a peculiar one.

Although we know for afact that we are all entitledto our freedom of religionas enshrined in theNigerian constitution of1999, the sudden switchfrom Christianity toIslamic religion in the caseof Charity Uzoechina isone which is bound toprovoke reactions from allwho get to read about thisstory.

Charity no doubt, is awell brought up child. Shewas trained and nurturedaccording to the doctrinesof Christianity. Thingswere obviously going wellwith the Uzoechina’sfamily, until six monthsago.

It all began when Charitygained admission into theFederal Polytechnic, Bida,Niger State. Charity lefther Abuja residence forschool, and since then, hasnot set foot in her home,neither did she reveal her

change of religion to anymember of her family.

Pastor Uzoechina,Charity’s father, did nothave any clue as to whatwas going on until 1 March2013, when he got a callfrom an aide of the Emirof Bida, inviting him to thepalace as soon as possible.

At the Palace, he met twowomen and his daughter.He was then informed thatthe women brought hisdaughter to the palace aftershe embraced Islam. Theyhave already taken herthrough the rudiments ofIslam; withdrawn her fromthe polytechnic, renamedher Aisha, and startedlooking for an Islamicschool for her.

All these developmentscame as a rude shock toPastor Uzoechina. At thistime, he could no longercurtail his anger. Hedemanded that they givehim back his daughter, butthey turned him down.Their refusal was on theground that only the Emirhad such power to allowthe girl to go with him.When he was broughtbefore the Emir, PastorUzoechina was also turneddown and asked to comeback the following week.

On March 4, PastorUzoechina received apaper from two personswho said they were fromBida Sharia Court 1. Theyasked him to sign, but hedeclined. When he cameback the week agreed

upon, to take back hisdaughter, he was told thatshe was now under thecustody of the ShariaCourt which also grantedCharity protective custodyin the Emir’s palace for thetime being.

The Sharia Court 1 saidthat they came to thedecision when thedaughter approached themfor protection on the

grounds that the fatherwould kill her if shereturned home with him.

Reacting to the decisionof the court, PastorUzoechina denied theallegation that he wouldkill his own daughter. Hehowever, called on therelevant authorities to

intervene and give himback his daughter. Heinsists that his daughter hasbeen hypnotized andbrainwashed intoaccepting Islamic religion.

Meanwhile, nobodyhas heard Charity’s versionof the story until shefinally opened up whenshe was contacted onphone by VanguardNewspaper. In thetelephone conversion, shecalled on Nigerians,

including her own familyto leave her alone topractise the religion of herchoice, which to her is thebest religion anyway. Hearher: “I did it on my nobodyforced or enticed me tobecome a Muslim. Iconverted to Islam on myown. Am I the first to

convert to Islam inNigeria? So what is it?”Vanguard, 28 July 2013.

Charity also made itknown that she was notinterested in going back toher father’s house, as sheis comfortable at the EtsuNupe’s Palace. She furthersaid that she can sue herfather to court if he doesnot leave her to practiseher religion as she desires.

The burden on PastorUzoechina is by no meanslight: this is a pastor in areputable PentecostalChurch, the RedeemedChristian Church Of God,whose majorpreoccupation is to convert

people from the Muslim toChristian faith. And nowhe is faced with theopposite case – as it were,the converter must beconverted, no thanks to hisdaughter. It is painful!

All the same, his originalcase of abduction cannotbe pursued further as hisdaughter who is an adult –24 years of age – hasadmitted that she acted onher own volition andwithin her rights underSection 38 of theConstitution of the FederalRepublic Of Nigeria,1999, which stipulates that“Every person shall beentitled to freedom ofthought, conscience andreligion, includingfreedom to change his

religion or belief inworship, practice andobservance.”

Again, the element ofcompulsion that is requiredin an abduction case hasbeen removed by theinvitation of PastorUzoechina to the palace.The way we know them,abductors and kidnappershardly invite anyoneexcept in their demand forransom. That was not thecase here.

One thing is abundantlyclear here: No right isabsolute, not even the rightto exercise full controlover your own biologicalchild. With all the

constitutional guaranteesaround us, it is clear thatone man’s right to swinghis arm must stop wherethe other man’s nosebegins. Essentially, PastorUzoechina’s control mustalso stop where Charity’s(oops, Aisha’s) religiousfreedom begins. In thecollision of rights, no onecan be sacrificed for theother. After all, they areboth adults.

For now, PastorUzoechina’s has tocontend with the wisecounsel of JosephCampbell: “We must bewilling to let go of the lifewe planned so as to havethe life that is waiting forus”.

“For now, Pastor Uzoechina’s has tocontend with the wise counsel ofJoseph Campbell: “We must be willingto let go of the life we planned so as tohave the life that is waiting for us”.


Evbayo-Osa-Okungbowa (C)Corn. Aigbe Jonah (5)Hajia Fatima Umoru (T)Osas Osadolor (C)Odion Ehiorobo (S)Omoregbe Orhue (T)Mrs Osayande Joy (P)Miss Imarhiagu Isoken (S)Mrs lzegbe lyawe (T)Adun Emmanuel (C)Noruwa I. Nelson (S)Alfred AigbeRev. Amos EhigieEvang. Alice EhigiePastor Charles AtumaAndrew Uhenbor Oliha (P)Mrs Omotunde Alimuetu (S)Umukoro Christiana (T)lkechukwu Ezeh (P)Tochukwu Avuvu (S)Tochukwu OnyekwereSule Samuel (P)Omokhagbor Isaac (S)Batholomew Regina (T)Efosa Erumwunse (C)Emmanuel Aigbedo (S)Uyiekpen lgiebor (T)Kingsley Agbaragbonse (C)Amowie Aisosa (S)Usiosefe Endurance (T)Peter Omoruyi lgbinedion (C)Com. Henry Ekhosa Uwumagbuhun (S)Saturday Odaro (T)Micheal OvensiriOsazee FelixAkpan OviasogiePastor Innocent O.OjebunRobert .0. ArasormwanDns. E.A.O. EmelikeElvis Ajieh (C)Fidelis Ujiagbedion (S)God’s Power Aimuirovbeaki (T)David lsiraogie Osemudiamen (P)Valentine Obadoni (S)Angela Favour lleabumah (T)Olalokun Soji, (P)Agbonkpolo Crane lkponwosa (S)Uwuango Ehizogie (T)Comfort Aghedo (P)Juliet Agho (S)Christy Owie (T)Enoguan Felix (C)Ekhator Monday (S)ldahosa Edwin (T)Sunny Nwajiei (C)Mike lmagoh (S)Ehibhiator Richard (T)Chief E.O. Otaru (JP) (C)Kelly lkhide (S)Okevanwo Juliu Lawani (T)Ayomotor Peter (C)Oyeibhor Friday (S)lkharo Yunus (T)Osakpamwan lyekoretin (C)Enaruna Osaretin (S)Mrs Amen Osakpamwan (T)John Osadiaye (C)Harrison lgbinedion (S)Blessing Ogieriakhi (T)Com. lfaluyi Obasogie (C)Austin Jesus (S)Osarumwense Fregene (T)Nosa Enogheghase (C)Lawrence Omegu (S)Stephen Aghama (T)Rev. Dr. Isa Ineomon OjeifoNdidi OjeifoFaith EdionPaul lmade (C)Prince Owanlengba (S)Obas Wilfred (T)Rev. Samuel NjighaRev. Pastor Mrs NjighaFrank UmakhiheFrank Aha (C)Amedu Benedict (S)Vincent lyayi (T)Bright OmorodionOsamede DennisOmoregbe A. Adeyemi

PUBLIC NOTICE

The general public is hereby notified that the under-listed organizations have applied to theHonourable Commissioner, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ezoti Street, Benin City, Edo Statefor registration under the Edict No. 7 of 1985.

NAMES/ADDRESS OF ORGANIZA-TIONSFriends of Common Interest, 9A, Etinosa Street, Off M.M.WayBenin City.

De Supreme United Club, 5, Ediagbonya Street, Off UwaifoOff Siluko Road, Benin City.

Caring Mothers Club, 65, Erediawa Street, Off UpperSokponba Road, Benin City.

Ultimate Brotherhood Club, 10, Idahor Street, Off UweluRoad, Benin City.

True Vine Mission, 3, Gab Akpata Street, Off Okhoro Road,Benin City.

Tailoring Association Usen, 13, Okemole Street, Off MissionRoad, Usen.

Noble Royale International, 2, Igun Lane, Benin City.

Arokpagiegbe United Club, Ebelle- Okpekpe, Etsako East L.G.A.

Obagienevbosa Youth Association, Obagienevbosa Km12,Benin/Sapele Road, Benin City.

Great Star Club, 53, Old Benin/Auchi Road, Urora, Benin.

Palace Schools Old Boys Association,Office of the Secretary to The Oba of Benin, Oba Palace.

All Directors Club of Benin, 20, College Road, Aduwawa, BeninCity.

New Hope Baptist Church, 22, OdenoreStreet, Off Imuetinyan Street, Off Uwasota Road, Benin City.

The Great One Love Club, 10, Omo- Edokpolor Street, OffAlohan Street, Off Dumez Road, Benin City.

Niger Delta Youth EmpowermentForum, 12, Osagie Street, Off Dumez Road, Benin City.

World Safety Organization, 1, Oba Market Road, Benin City.

Osasumwen Ladies Club, 95, Sokponba Road, Benin City.

The Destiny Brithers’ Club of Benin,254, Upper Sokponba Road ,Benin City.

Authentic Social Club of Benin, 2, Amayo Street, Off KojoMotor, Benin City.

Committee of Friends Igarra, 398, Old Auchi Road, Igarra,Akoko Edo L.G.A.

Aluminium Fabricators And Roofing Association, IkelebeSport Arena, Auchi.

Akugbe Social Club, 1, Osakpamwan Street, Iguelaiho, OviaSouth West L.G.A.

Eghosasere Co-operative Club, 7,Omigie Street, Uwasota Road, Benin City.

Ogbe N’aghidi Youh Association, 5,Iwebo Lane, Ogbe Quarters, Benin City.

Unity Association of A.T &P Workers, Okomu, Ovia SouthWest L.G.A.

Divine Goodnews Christ Mission, 8, Unity Street, Ekpoma.

Unity Lorry Drivers’ Association 2, Egbede Lane, Off NewLagos Road, Benin City.

Kingdom Life Gospel Church, Ukpenu, Ekpoma, Edo State.

Uromi Tillers Association, Paramount Hotel, Old Ubiaja Road,Uromi.

Great-Lovers Brother Club, 1st Power Line, Ogida,UsehQuarter, Benin.

PRINCIPAL OFFICERS/TRUSTEES

Any objection to the registration should be accompanied with a sworn affida-vit and Non-refundable fee of N2,000.00 or N3,000.00 for organizations withinand outside Benin City, respectively, to be forwarded to the Honourable Com-missioner, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ezoti Street, Benin City within 14days of this publication.

International FeaturesFallen Chinese Political

Star To Go On TrialDISGRACED Chinese

politician Bo Xilai goes ontrial Thursday on corruptioncharges in a case crafted tominimize damage to theCommunist Party and avoidexposure of party infighting orhuman rights abuses.

Sunday’s announcement ofa trial date for the formerrising political star putsChina’s new leaders on trackto wrap up a festering scandalas they try to cement theirauthority.

The former party secretaryof the major city of Chongqingfell from power last year inChina’s messiest scandal indecades. It exposed themurder of a Britishbusinessman by Bo’s wife anda thwarted defection bid by hisformer police chief.

Bo will stand trial in theIntermediate People’s Courtof the eastern city of Jinan oncharges of taking bribes,embezzlement and abuse ofpower, said a one-sentenceannouncement on the court’smicroblog account. Theannouncement was alsocarried by the official XinhuaNews Agency.

Most trials in China last lessthan one day and Bo, 64, isalmost certain to be convicted.

Bo’s downfall followed afailed defection attempt by hispolice chief at a U.S.consulate, which embarrassedChinese leaders. The chiefexposed a litany of complaintsagainst Bo that gave politicalrivals ammunition to attackhim.

Bo, the son of arevolutionary leader, was amember of the party’s 25-member Politburo. But healienated other party leadersby aggressively promoting hispersonal image and launchedcampaigns in Chongqing thatinvoked the radical era of the1960s and ’70s.

The charges against Boappeared to be crafted to makehim look like a rogue leaderbrought down by hubris andimmorality. That would allowChinese authorities to avoidquestions about how theparty’s unchecked powerenabled Bo’s misconduct.

The court could avoidallegations of wiretappingconducted by his former topaide and the use of torture inan anti-crime crackdown.Judges could avoid askingabout asset seizures fromChongqing entrepreneurs.

“These charges were tailor-made for Bo Xilai in view ofthe sentence that they wanthim to get,” said Zhang Lifan,a historian and politicalanalyst in Beijing.

“They decided how longthey wanted to have Bo Xilailocked up for, and thenaccording to that sentence,they made the appropriatecharges,” Zhang said. “Butthese charges have left out alot of things that he is

responsible for.”Bo’s case was the last major

unfinished business from theonce-a-decade handover ofpower that began lastNovember. Holding his trialnow means the new leadershipcan wrap up the scandal beforethey head into a party meetinglater this year that is meant toproduce a blueprint for China’seconomic development.

The outcomes of criminalcases against senior figures suchas Bo are usually decided inadvance in secret negotiationsaimed at securing thedefendant’s cooperation. Bo isonly the third politician atPolitburo level to be tried ongraft charges in recent decades.

“When the indictment wasfinally announced, it meant thatsome sort of agreement wasreached between the Politburo’sCentral Committee and BoXilai,” said Zhang Sizhi, aneminent lawyer who hasrepresented many defendants inhigh-profile political cases.

Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, receiveda suspended death sentence lastyear after confessing topoisoning a Britishbusinessman, Neil Heywood.Such sentences usually areconverted to long prison termsif a convict is deemed to haverepented.

The party also wants to presenta spectacle of justice for theChinese public and a warningto ambitious politicians not todefy the central leadership.

“They want to say “you haveto obey the central leadership’,”said Dali Yang, head of theUniversity of Chicago Center inBeijing. “It’s not simply aboutcorruption. It’s also aboutcentral-local relations, about theneed for senior local officials ...to pay heed to the centralgovernment’s guidelines and nottry to build independentkingdoms.”

Authorities are trying tominimize potential disruptionduring the trial.

Fang Hong, a Chongqingforestry official who was put ina labor camp for a year forcriticizing Bo, was taken bypolice to a lodge in themountains where he was told tostay until the trial is completed.Fang had said last month on amicroblog that he wanted toattend the proceeding.

Song Yangbiao, a Beijingreporter in Beijing known as asupporter of Bo, was detained inearly August after he posted acall online for people to protestoutside the courthouse. A writerwho uses the pen name Lu Qiand describes himself as a closefriend of Song said the reporterwas released on bail after abouta week.

Official announcements aboutthe charges against Bo havegiven no details.

But a person with directknowledge of the case said Bois accused of accepting bribesamounting to more than 20million yuan ($3.3 million) and

embezzling 5 million yuan($820,000) while he was in aprevious post in the eastern cityof Dalian.

The abuse of powerallegation is related to thecover-up of the murder by hiswife in late 2011 and thedefection attempt by his formerpolice chief, Wang Lijun, saidthe person. He asked not to beidentified further due to thecase’s sensitivity.

Analysts say the chargesunderscore the party’s attemptto keep the scope of allegationsagainst Bo limited in order toprevent his case fromundermining confidence inparty leaders or their politicalsystem.

“It’s almost like open heartsurgery, or laser surgery,” saidKerry Brown, a former Britishdiplomat in Beijing and headof the China Studies Center atthe University of Sydney. “Youwant to do the operation withas little collateral damage aspossible.”

Questions that appear to havebeen left unaddressed includewhether Bo should be heldaccountable for waging an anti-gang crackdown in Chongqingthat ran roughshod over thelegal system.

The crackdown resulted in2,000 arrests, 500 prosecutionsand 13 executions, includingthe former director of the city’sjudicial bureau. Allegations oftorture and shakedowns by lawenforcement officials werecommon.

Bo also appears to have beenspared some of the moreserious accusations faced byhis former police chief andright-hand man, Wang,including carrying out illegalsurveillance.

Wang was convicted ofputting people under electronicsurveillance, which suggestedhe used bugging, wiretappingor computer monitoring.Websites abroad that followChinese politics said Wangwas helping Bo gatherinformation on other leaders.

Zhang, the veteran defenselawyer, said authoritiesappeared to be avoidingmentioning this charge eventhough Bo might be to blamein order to skirt larger questionsabout political factions andparty infighting.

“There is no question thatWang Lijun was not acting onhis own accord,” Zhang said,adding that acknowledgingthat would lead to too manyuncomfortable questions.

“If they were wiretappingphones, whose phones werethey tapping? Why do theywant to eavesdrop?” Zhangsaid. “It would definitelyinvolve many relationships andproblems. And right now theyare not willing to raise thesequestions and magnify theproblem.


OpinionInternation Features

Economic Recovery IncreasesCameron’s Political Capital

PRIME MINISTER DavidCameron may be close topulling off one of the mostsignificant feats of hispremiership: delivering a solideconomic recovery ahead of a2015 election.

Two consecutive quarters ofgrowth have shifted the sandsof British politics: six monthsago, MPs in his Conservativeparty warned him that failureto lead the country out ofstagnation could cost him, andthem, the election. Thosefearful voices have fallen silent.

After cutting the biggestbudget deficit since World WarTwo by a third, Cameron leadswhat could be the fastestgrowing major economy in theEuropean Union this year.

“Will the better economicdata change the politicallandscape? Well, economics isthe biggest issue,” said StevenBell, director of multi-assetinvestment at F&C AssetManagement which has about98 billion pounds undermanagement.

“Having pursued a policy ofausterity, the government willget credibility both for prudentmanagement and for therecovery,” said Bell. “They willget the credit for this.”

Britain’s $2.5 trillion (1.59trillion pounds) economy grewby 0.6 percent in the secondquarter after a 0.3 percent risein the first quarter, putting it oncourse to grow by at least 1.4percent this year.

That would be the strongestannual growth since 2010, theyear Cameron forced Labour’sGordon Brown from office byforming a coalition governmentwith the Lib Dems after noparty won an outright majorityin a general election.

Some investors sayCameron’s policies may in factbe partly to blame for therecovery’s long wait. But theystill expect the government tobenefit.

“The recovery could havehappened a lot sooner with a bitmore government support forinfrastructure spending inparticular,” said TrevorGreetham, asset allocationdirector for Fidelity’sInvestment Solution Group,

who has responsibility for $14billion of assets.

“But that is not the waythings tend to work in theminds of the electorate - youcannot say ‘well actually thiswould have happened earlierand we would all be a lotwealthier with a policy thatdidn’t happen’. In reality it isthe strength of the economy atthe time of an election thattends to matter most.”

For Cameron and hisChancellor, George Osborne,the political gamble was alwayson economic growth. But evenas signs emerge that their betmay be paying off, they remaincautious.

Party sources say they areacutely aware of the risk ofpremature triumphalism 21months before the election.

When asked on almost a dailybasis whether Britain is seeing“the green shoots of recovery”,Cameron’s spokesman saysonly that the economy “ishealing” or “out of intensivecare”. He always stresses thattough times still lie ahead.

IT’S THE ECONOMYSTUPID

Staking their reputation onreducing Britain’s debtmountain and nursing theeconomy back to health,Cameron and Osborne knewthey had just a few years tomake inroads into what theysaid was the profligate legacyof the 1997-2010 Labourgovernments.

But as the economystagnated, Britain’s two mostpowerful men were branded“dipsticks” by RupertMurdoch’s Sun newspaper andtheir privileged backgrounds -both went to expensive schoolsand were members of the sameexclusive high-society diningclub at Oxford - were mocked.

One outspoken ConservativeMP even called them “arrogantposh boys” who “don’t knowthe price of milk”.

Cameron’s party lost groundin opinion polls and wasconvulsed by internalrebellions over Britain’s ties

with the European Union andover gay marriage, whileLabour warned voters austeritywas killing off the recovery.

But from services andconsumer spending to houseprices, Britons’ best lovedmeasure of economic virility,

data now shows the world’ssixth largest economy may beabout to do better than at anytime since the onset of the2007-2008 financial crisis.

Under its new governor,Mark Carney, the Bank ofEngland upgraded its meangrowth projection this monthby 0.8 percentage points to 2.5percent in 2014. If achieved,that would be Britain’s fastestannual growth rate since 2007.

“A renewed recovery is nowunderway in the UnitedKingdom, and it appears to be

broadening,” Carney said at hisfirst news conference as Bankchief while unveiling a promise— with caveats — not to raiseinterest rates above 0.5 percentuntil unemployment fallsbelow 7 percent.

While a recovery is

underway, the economy is along way from regaining itspre-crisis strength. Britainremains vulnerable to any moreshocks from the euro zone debtcrisis and voters’ incomes areat some of their lowest levelsin a decade.

Yet ultra-loose monetarypolicy, support for the housingmarket, the potential of NorthSea oil production, and theability to ease the pain ofausterity with tax revenues giveCameron one of the besteconomic backdrops of his

premiership.If he can keep the recovery

on track right up to the nextelection, Cameron’s chances ofwinning - possibly even theConservatives’ first outrightvictory since 1992 - increase.

If he wins, Cameron has

promised an in-out referendumon Britain’s membership of theEuropean Union by the end of2017. Economic growth couldease voter unease atimmigration - one of the driversof anti-European Union feelingin Britain.

LABOURGrowth leaves Labour and its

leader, Ed Miliband, in a toughspot. Labour’s drive toconvince voters it can run theeconomy has fallen flat so far:support for Conservativeeconomic management soaredto 40 percent from 28 percentin June, according to aGuardian/ICM poll.

The poll put Labour’s overallsupport at 35 percent, a merethree percentage points higherthan the Conservatives.Labour’s lead was 12percentage points in the samepoll in February.

Now it is Miliband andLabour finance chief Ed Balls,

rather than Cameron andOsborne, who are mocked bythe domestic press.

After a protester threw an eggat Miliband’s head during avisit to an East London marketin August, the Sun branded him“Scrambled Ed” and cast him

in a cartoon as the broken-eggcharacter from the Englishnursery rhyme HumptyDumpty.

But Labour says improvingeconomic data shows no signs oftranslating into higher livingstandards.

“It may be a recovery for thoseat the top, but it is not a recoveryfor most people,” a senior Laboursource told Reuters. “For most,living standards are beingsqueezed as inflation outstripswages more and more. This iswhat we’re going to be pointingout.”

In a change of tack, Milibandhas put the cost of living at theheart of his economic policy,noting rising costs foreverything from utilities to trainfares.

He plans to attack Cameronwith the slogan: “They’re out oftouch. You’re out of pocket.”(Courtesy Reuters)

• David Cameron, British Prime Minister

“While a recovery is underway, the economy is a long way fromregaining its pre-crisis strength. Britain remains vulnerable toany more shocks from the euro zone debt crisis and voters’incomes are at some of their lowest levels in a decade.”


OpinionInternation Features

Egypt EntersUncharted Territory

Pro Mursi protesters

WITH astonishing speed,Egypt has moved from anation in crisis to a nation inreal danger of slipping into aprolonged bout of violence oreven civil war.

Egypt has becomeincreasingly polarized sincethe Islamists rose to powerfollowing the 2011 revolutionthat ousted autocrat HosniMubarak. Fault linestouching key and potentiallyexplosive issues like identity,the rights of Christians andother minorities, anddemocratic values have neverbeen greater.

The Muslim Brotherhoodand their hard-line alliesstand at one end of a bitterstandoff with secularists,liberals, moderate Muslimsand Christians.

That schism grew afterPresident Mohammed Morsi,Egypt’s first democraticallyelected leader, was ousted ina July 3 military coup. But itwas Wednesday’s deadlypolice raids — with armoredbulldozers and security forcesplowing through two protestcamps — that will beremembered as a turningpoint when what had beenprimarily a political standofferupted into bloodshed.

“The spark of civil war isout,” wrote Islamistcolumnist and author FahmyHoweidy in Thursday’sedition of the independent al-Shorouk daily. “The nation ison the edge of an abyss.”

Adding to the mix is thebranding by the state mediaof Morsi’s MuslimBrotherhood and allies as“terrorists” and growing callsfor authorities to take atougher approach on theIslamists.

In a glimpse of what maybe in store for the mostpopulous Arab state, dozensof revenge attacks and

more than 20 police stations.In one particularly

gruesome attack, four officersin a police station just outsideCairo were killed after thebuilding was shelled withrocket-propelled grenades.The assailants then slit thepolice chief ’s throat, abrutality reminiscent of anIslamist, anti-governmentinsurgency that raged inEgypt in the 1990s beforeMubarak used force tosuppress it, killing and jailing

thousands of Islamists.In response, the

government authorizedpolice Thursday to use deadlyforce against anyoneattacking security forces orgovernment installations.

While the internationalcommunity largelycondemned theoverwhelming use of force toclear out the camps onWednesday, the military-backed administration’s fightagainst the Brotherhood sofar has been supported bymany Egyptians, who aremainly Muslim but object tohard-liners.

“The army and the policewill strike hard and ordinarypeople will be supportive,”prominent rights lawyer andactivist Gamal Eid said.

To such observers, it isbeyond doubt that a majorityof Egyptians supports goingafter the Brotherhood and itshard-line allies.

Millions took to the streetsfor days prior to the July 3coup to call on Morsi to stepdown, angry over what theysaw as efforts to monopolizepower for himself and theBrotherhood, failure toimplement crucial social andeconomic reforms and hispublic quarrels with the

judiciary, the media, themilitary and police.

The mass protests morphedinto celebrations on the dayof his ouster. And a similarnumber responded to a call bymilitary chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to take to thestreets on July 26 to showsupport for his moves totackle “violence and potentialterrorism.”

The military and police alsohave gone after the MuslimBrotherhood and like-mindedgroups on the legal front,arresting dozens includingsenior leaders.

State-run TV andnewspapers, meanwhile, arefilled with commentators andother content full of anti-Brotherhood sentiment, oftenportraying Islamists asenemies of the people andtapping into nationalisticfervor by alleging that theBrotherhood is a violentgroup that is secretly enlistingforeign help against the restof Egyptians and that viewsEgypt as just a part in agreater Muslim nation thattranscends borders.

A backlash againstMohammed ElBaradei’sdecision to resign as interimvice president to protest the

violence illustrated howwidespread is the antipathy tothe Brotherhood and its allies.The Nobel Peace Prizelaureate and former directorof the U.N. nuclear agencysaid he quit because he didnot want to be heldresponsible for bloodshed.

“It has become difficult forme to continue to takeresponsibility for decisions Idisapprove of, and I fear theirconsequences,” he said in hisletter of resignation. “I regretthat those who benefitedtoday are the proponents ofviolence, terror and the moreextreme groups, and you willremember my words to you.”

His resignation earned himpublic rebuke from Tamarod,the youth group thatengineered the mass protestspreceding Morsi’s ouster. Itsaid he was dodging hisresponsibility at a time whenhis services were needed.Even the umbrella ofopposition groups he ledduring Morsi’s year in powerregretted his decision andbemoaned that he did notbother to consult itbeforehand.

A front-page editorial in thestate-owned al-Akhbar dailyon Thursday said ElBaradei’sresignation “amounts to abreach of his position and,consequently, is a case oftreason that should not beallowed to pass withoutaccountability.”

In anticipation of massprotests by Brotherhoodsupporters on Friday,Tamarod, or Rebel, has calledon Egyptians to form popularcommittees to counter anyviolence by the Islamistsduring the demonstrations,proposing a scenario thatplaces rivals face to face onthe streets with a chance ofviolence breaking out.

Already, Islamist hard-liners in the strategic SinaiPeninsula are waging aworsening insurgency againstsecurity forces, with neardaily attacks. Sinai has forseveral years now been roiledin unrest, but the dramaticincrease in the number ofattacks on security forcesthere began as soon as Morsiwas ousted, leading many todeduce that the Brotherhoodand militants in Sinai weresomehow bonded.

“Sure civil war is apossibility,” said Michael W.Hanna, an expert on Egyptfrom the New York-basedCentury Foundation. “It willbe bad, with suicidebombings and assassinationsbut not necessarily anotherSyria or Iraq.” (Courtesy AP)Anti Mursi protesters

clashes spilled over into asecond day Thursday in Cairoand other cities — showingthe capability of Islamists tostrike and laying bare thedepth of their anger overMorsi’s ouster and thecrackdown that left hundredsdead.

Angry young men attackedgovernment and securitybuildings, setting someablaze, cut off roads,damaged or torched dozensof churches and stormed


Health

The Rising Cases Of KidneyDisease And Trauma Of Dialysis

By ANNA ANGBAZO THE increasing casesof chronic kidney diseaseacross all age groups inrecent times have been amajor source of concern tomedical experts.

The experts say thatunhealthy lifestyles andother neglected health tipslargely contribute to thegrowing occurrence of thedisease, particularlyamong young persons.

A study by Prof. AfolabiLesi and Dr TaiwoLadapo, bothpaediatricians at the LagosUniversity TeachingHospital, indicates thatkidney disease amongchildren accounts for 8.9per cent of the reportedcases of the disease in thehospital between 2008 and2011.

Observers, therefore,express concern about theworrying development,citing the case of UchennaEmeka, a 13-year-old boyin Abuja, who wasdiagnosed of renal failure,as an illustration.

Emeka became ill whenhe was in class six of aprimary school and adoctor pronounced that hehad entered the end stageof kidney disease twoyears later.

Emeka says that dialysis— the process of cleansingthe blood by passing itthrough a special machine— is quite painful, addingthat it takes more thanthree hours a day for fivedays.

“I have to drop out ofschool because I could nolonger cope, my parentssold all their plots of land

to put me on the treatment,which is very expensive; Ialways cry for what I amgoing through’’ he adds.

Dr Dorcas Angbazo, aconsultant nephrologist inAbuja, explains that someof the factors that couldlead to kidney failure inchildren includeinfections, congenitalfactors and ingestion oftoxic drugs, especiallyherbs, among others.

She, however, says thatkidney failure is in stagesand could be managedbefore it degenerates intothe “end stage’’ where thesufferers would requirekidney transplant ordialysis.

“Dialysis filters theblood and removes excessfluid; this is what thekidneys normally do whenthey are functioning; acatheter is inserted intoone of the large veins inthe neck or groin.

“The catheter isconnected to the dialysismachine with tubing andblood is removed via thecatheter and tubing,cleaned in the dialysismachine and returned tothe patient via the catheter.

“This procedure is calledhem dialysis but there isanother type of dialysiscalled peritoneal dialysis,in which a catheter isinserted into the abdomenand special fluid isinserted into theabdominal cavity via thecatheter.

“The fluid helps toremove toxins and isremoved from theabdomen after several

hours,’’ she explained.Angbazo emphasises

that kidney failure oftenoccur when the kidneyspartly or completely loseits ability to carry outnormal functions.

She, however, advises

parents against theindiscriminate use ofdrugs by their children,saying that such practicepredisposes them tokidney disease.

She also urges parents todesist from giving theirchildren herbal medicines,stressing that thatmedicines should onlystrictly be given to thechildren, in line withmedical prescriptions.

“A lot of parents do notfollow the instructionsgiven in administeringdrugs to children, whilesome do not consultdoctors for diagnosis anddrug prescriptions,’’ shesays.

However, Angbazo says

that uncontrolled highblood pressure as well asinadequate treatment ofmalaria and hepatitis couldalso cause kidney disease,adding that tobaccosmoking is anothercausative factor.

The nephrologist,therefore, underscores theneed for people toinculcate the habit ofchecking their blood andsugar level at least once or

twice in a year.Dr Ebun Bamgboye, a

consultant nephrologist inLagos, bemoans thegrowing rate of occurrenceof end-stage kidneydisease worldwide, sayingthat urgent medical actionshould be taken to reducethe rate.

She also expresses

concern over the risingprevalence of kidneydisease among the youth,noting that most of thepatients with end-stagerenal disease usually diedue to paucity of funds toundergo regular dialysis,which is very expensive.

Nevertheless, Dr OlatiseOlalekan, an Abuja-basedconsultant physician,stresses the need fordiabetic and hypertensivepatients to go for regularcheck-ups to guard againstcontracting kidneydisease.

He insists that diabetesand hypertension areamong the leading causesof chronic kidney disease,warning that the therapy ofacute kidney disease isvery expensive.

Olalekan reiterates thatpeople should maketangible efforts to controltheir blood pressure,stressing that uncontrolledblood pressure coulddamage the kidneys andother vital organs.

He, nonetheless, advisespeople to cut down their

salt intake, warning thatconsuming raw saltincreases the likelihood ofdeveloping kidneydisease.

The consultant alsostresses the need forpeople suffering fromdiabetes and hypertensiveto desist from smokingand drinking alcohol.

Assessing the impact ofthe disease on the society;observers say kidneyfailure does not just affectthe patient alone, addingthat it also affects the entirefamily members, friendsand caregivers.

They, therefore, call onthe Federal Government tointegrate dialysis into theNational Health InsuranceScheme (NHIS) becausemany citizens cannot affordthe prohibitive cost ofkidney disease treatment.(NAN)

“Dialysis filters the blood and removes excessfluid; this is what the kidneys normally do whenthey are functioning; a catheter is inserted intoone of the large veins in the neck or groin.”


Chelsea Prepare New WayneRooney Bid

Moyes Hails Van Persie, Rooney

• Arsenal’s midfielder Santi Cazorla (right), takes a shot past Villa defender Ron Vlaar

• Arsene Wenger

English Premiership ... English Premiership ... English Premiership

Wenger Shrugs Off ArsenalSack Tale

Fernandinho HungryFor City Success

THE Gunners manager doesnot fear for his job despite atrying summer and a 3-1opening-day Premier League

CHELSEA are preparing tolaunch a final bid of £40million for Wayne Rooneywithin the next two days,according to various reports inthe British media.

Jose Mourinho has made itclear that he sees Rooney as themissing piece in his squad, andwants him to lead Chelsea’sattack. Owner RomanAbramovich is prepared tooffer Rooney a four-year dealwith wages of £300,000 aweek.

However, David Moyesremains adamant he will notsell Rooney, who provided twoassists in United’s 4-1 win atSwansea after coming on forRyan Giggs in the 62ndminute.

And if Chelsea cannotchange United’s stance, theyare set to switch theirattentions from Rooney toRobert Lewandowski, the

FERNANDINHO hasrevealed that he forfeited £4million to realise his ambitionsby joining Manchester City.

The Brazilian midfielder, whowas a £30 million signing fromShakhtar Donetsk, said hewould have made more moneyhad he stayed in the Ukraine.

“Why should people besurprised by that?” he toldBritish Sunday papers. “MaybeEngland should have moreplayers who don’t only think ofmoney.

“If I only wanted money anda comfortable life from mycareer, I would have stayed inthe Ukraine.

“I was in Donetsk for eightyears and I was happy there. Iwon six titles, I knew everyoneand I was a big part of the club.

“But I was presented with thechallenge of coming toManchester City. The owner and

Van Persie and DannyWelbeck scored two goalsapiece at the Liberty Stadiumwhile Rooney, repeatedly linkedwith a move to Chelsea afterfalling behind Dutch striker vanPersie in the Old Traffordpecking order during AlexFerguson’s final season incharge, came off the bench inthe second half.

Wilfried Bony snatched an82nd minute consolation goalfor Swansea on a day when vanPersie confirmed his status asthe Premier League’s leadingmarksman.

“The biggest thing for me isthat Robin has been a pleasure

defeat to Aston Villa thatprompted fury from supporters

Arsenal manager ArseneWenger insists that he has nothoughts of losing his job, withpressure mounting amid adisappointing start to the season.

Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat toAston Villa drew fresh andfurious criticism after theGunners’ inactive close-seasonin the transfer market as, despiteOlivier Giroud’s early strike, adouble from Christian Bentekewas compounded by LaurentKoscielny’s dismissal andAntonio Luna’s late debut goal,with Arsenal looking shaky indefence throughout.

However, the Frenchman isnot giving his future anythought, highlighting hislongevity with the Gunners andthe loyalty that he has shownduring his near-17-year spellwith the club.

“We live in a media world andeverybody has opinions that aredefinite and I have to live withthat,” Wenger told the press.

“In 16 years, I’ve shown myloyalty to this club. My worryis to do well. That’s the onlyworry.

“As long as I’m here, I wantto do well. I’m absolutelyhugely disappointed becausewe’ve come out of a 10-gamerun in the last season withoutany defeat and we start the newseason with a defeat at home.

to work with,” said Moyes.“He is really keen to work to

improve and get better — youmay wonder how he can getbetter.

“His two goals were terrific,the athleticism he showed forthe first and the power for thesecond.”

Moyes, who oversaw the startof Rooney’s professional careerin his previous role as Evertonmanager, added: “Wayne didwell when he came on and madea great run for the one goal anda great pass for the second. Hehelped the team and played apart getting the result.”

Rooney received a standing

ovation from United’s travellingfans when he came on to replaceclub great Ryan Giggs.

“The supporters recognisegood players and theyrecognised that when Waynecame on,” said Moyes.

“He’s got quite a bad kickdown the back of his Achillesand he is still lacking matchpractice. He played well for theteam and he helped set up twogoals.

“Wayne has worked very hardwhen he has been fit. You crossthat white line and enjoy yourfootball and I thought he did thattoday.”

Although Swansea haddominated much of the game interms of possession, Unitedstruck twice to send Moyes inwith a smile at half-time.

Van Persie controlled Giggs’slobbed pass after 34 minutesbefore beating compatriotMichel Vorm from a dozenyards and then, two minuteslater, Welbeck turned in AntonioValencia’s cross.

Van Persie added his secondgoal — a stunning strike from20 yards — after 72 minutes.

Although Swansea’s £12million ($19 million) strikerBony came off the bench tosnatch a consolation, eightminutes from time, Rooney’sthrough ball in stoppage timeenabled Welbeck to lob Vormfor his second goal.

“I think like any manager, towin the game there is always anelement of relief,” added Moyes.“I thought we were incisive, ourfinishing was fantastic.

Borussia Dortmund striker.Lewandowski has one year

remaining on his contract atDortmund, who blocked thestriker’s attempts to emulateMario Gotze in leaving thissummer for Bayern Munich.

However, Chelsea arehopeful of securing their first-choice target. The club believethe bumper fee will convinceUnited owners the Glazerfamily that it is in their bestinterests to sell Rooney.

The Glazers would beunlikely to command such ahigh fee for Rooney after thetransfer window closes as hehas just two years left on hiscontract.

Mourinho is believed to bedesperate to land Rooney, butChelsea think Dortmundwould definitely sellLewandowski at the same

price — and would muchprefer to see him leave forEngland than to join rivalsBayern, who defeated them inlast season’s ChampionsLeague final, for free nextsummer. Lewandowski wouldhave to be persuaded to leaveGermany, though.

Samuel Eto’o, who won thetreble under Mourinho at InterMilan in 2010, is also beingconsidered by Chelsea as ashort-term solution up top.

the people who are managingthe team want to win titles andother trophies, and I wanted tobe a part of that. I came here towin. Of course I will be paid asa professional footballer but theonly thing I am greedy for issuccess.

“In my country, we say thatfootball is like a huge plate offood — well, I want to eateverything because I want towin every trophy I can forManchester City.”

And the 28-year-old revealedthat he could have joined eitherChelsea or Tottenham beforesigning for City.

I know there werenegotiations between Shakhtarand Chelsea. Shakhtar told methey had refused an offer. Therewas also a stage a year ago whenI spoke to people fromTottenham but nothing came ofthat.”

• Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney runs with the ball in front of Swansea City’s Miguel Michu.

MANCHESTER United manager David Moyes praised bothRobin van Persie and Wayne Rooney after his first PremierLeague match in charge of the English champions ended in a 4-1 win at Swansea.


Bremen’sArnautovic

RejectsCelticMove

New Signing Dimitri Payet Lifts Marseille

Levante’sIborraJoins

Sevilla

Ricardo Costa Fires Valencia By Malaga

Bayern’s Guardiola HappyDespite Off-Key Win

Ricardo Costa

Luiz Gustavo CalmAfter Debut Win

Pep Guardiola

Former Bayern Munichmidfielder Gustavo was a trans-fer target for Arsenal but choseinstead to remain in theBundesliga and he played thefull 90 minutes just 24 hoursafter completing his move.

He is now concentrating onhelping the Wolves challengefor a European spot, but he be-lieves any talk of challenging forthe title is premature.

“There are Bayern andDortmund so it’s not going to beeasy — they are leading theway,” he told reporters at theVW-Arena.

“Then there are many clubsbehind them who want toqualify for Europe and have thequality for it.

“We also have very good play-ers, though, and we want to sticktogether and play good football,and of course we want to play arole up there.”

He added of his debut: “I’veonly just got here and not evenhad the time to talk to people atlength.

“But I’m a simple kind of guyand I know what I can do. Myteam-mates made it easy for meand Wolfsburg are a top club.

“Today was just the begin-ning. I still have to get used tomy team-mates and I don’t evenhave a home here yet. When Iget that sorted and my girlfriendis here, then I’ll feel a lot bet-

LUIZ Gustavo is keeping hisfeet on the ground after a dreamdebut for Wolfsburg saw themwin 4-0 against Schalke.

Bertrand Laquait.Evian paid for missing a host

of chances. Nicolas Nkoulounearly equalised before half-time with his strike only justgoing over the crossbar.

Newly promoted Guingampare still without a point afterlosing 1-0 at Saint-Etienne,following a 3-1 defeat at hometo Marseille last weekend.

Fabien Lemoine played aswift one-two with Brandao onthe edge of the area before fir-ing into the top left corner toscore the only goal of the gamein the 52nd minute.

Nice were also reeling froma hefty 4-0 defeat at Lyon lastweek, but they picked up theirfirst points of the new cam-paign with a 2-1 victory overRennes. The match was playedbehind closed doors becauseof incidents in Nice’s matchagainst Lyon in May.

Dario Cvitanich gave Nicea deserved lead in the 20thminute but the home sidefailed to finish off their oppor-tunities and Rennes leveledwith their first chance of thegame in first-half stoppagetime. New loan signing NelsonOliveira was left completelyunmarked to control YassineJebbour’s cross and volleyhome a powerful effort.

Jeremy Pied restored Nice’sadvantage five minutes afterthe interval. Rennes midfielderVincent Pajot was sent off inthe final minute following afoul on Valentin Eysseric.

for the team,” Payet said. “Wehave six points out of six,we’re very happy tonight.We’re managing to find eachother’s rhythm, work well to-gether.”

Andre-Pierre Gignac, whoalso scored last week, brokethe deadlock in the 15thminute. Rod Fanni delivered agood cross toward Gignac onthe edge of the area and theFrance international went pastMensah and fired past

DIMITRI Payet scored histhird goal of the Ligue 1 sea-son to help Olympique deMarseille ease past Evian 2-0on Saturday.

Payet, who signed from Lillethis summer, scored a bracelast week on his Marseille de-but and he was on thescoresheet again Saturday.Mathieu Valbuena freed Payet,who dribbled past defenderJonathan Mensah before slot-ting home a low left-foot shotjust after the hour mark.

“It’s a dream start for me and

Gladbach with Swiss wingerXherdan Shaqiri in for ArjenRobben, while new-signingMario Goetze was included inthe match day squad for the firsttime, but spent the game on thebench.

The result means Bayern havethe maximum return of sixpoints from their openingmatches as they equalled theclub record of 27 Bundesligamatches without defeat.

But Eintracht captainAlexander Meier had a penaltyappeal turned down in the 90thminute and Bayern goalkeeperManuel Neuer admitted theBavarians rode their luck.

Maier had also had a goalruled offside early in the secondhalf, which left Neuer admittinghe had been “hoping” to hear thewhistle at Frankfurt’s 51,500capacity crowd at theCommerzbank Arena.

“It was tight at the end, butwe have only ourselves toblame,” said the Germany goal-keeper.

“That second goal was miss-ing from our game.”

A superb volley from Croatiastriker Mario Mandzukic wasthe highlight of an otherwise off-key performance as Bayernfailed to dominate Frankfurtdespite enjoying 70 percent pos-session.

Guardiola pointed to the factthat he had 15 of his 26-mansquad away on internationalduty last Wednesday with theirrespective nations, allowing himonly limited time to prepare forthe trip to Eintracht.

The ex-Barcelona boss alsosaid he was pleased to see thedefending champions control thegame better than they had donein their 3-1 home win overBorussia Moenchengladbach onthe opening weekend of the sea-son.

“We had much more controlover the game compared to lastweek,” said Guardiola, with hisside level at the top of the tablewith Bayer Leverkusen after thefirst two matches.

“We allowed Gladbach far toomany chances on the break, butit was much better today.

“It’s never easy after an inter-national break, because we onlyhad three days together.

“We still created plenty ofchances, so I’m happy and 100percent satisfied.”

Guardiola made just onechange to the team which beat

wards Markel Susaeta andIker Muniain.

Susaeta finished off a bril-liant combination of one-touch passes from a cornerkick to put Bilbao ahead inthe 28th. Bilbao worked theball away from Valladolid’sarea before new arrival BenatEtxebarria used a no-lookpass to serve Susaeta insidethe box for the forward to firehome.

But Patrick Ebert drilled inValladolid’s equalizer threeminutes later when OscarGonzalez spotted him arriv-ing late to the area unmarkedby the visiting defense.

Muniain was quick topounce and knock in a ballsent off the post by Valladoliddefender Marc Valiente torestore Bilbao’s lead for goodfive minutes after halftime.Ander Herrera nearly ex-tended the advantage whenhe hit the goalframe in the75th.

The Mexico forward nettedthe first goal of the 2013-14season from a pass by ChoriCastro in the 42nd, and thenassisted Haris Seferovic forthe new signing to get a de-served goal in the 70th.

Castro helped Sociedadconvert their dominant pos-session into the opener whenhe used one touch to playVela clear of the defense. Veladid the rest by coolly chip-ping the ball over the onrush-ing Moya to record the firstgoal of the season.

Moments after DiegoCastro had Getafe’s best scor-ing opportunity, Vela pickedout Seferovic’s run andslipped the ball through forthe Swiss to dink it overMoya from a tight angle andsecure the three points.

Later, Ernesto Valverde be-gan his second stint as thecoach of Athletic Bilbao witha 2-1 win at Valladolidthanks to goals from for-

Mestalla Stadium, RicardoCosta took what proved to bethe winner for Valencia whenMalaga goalkeeper WillyCaballero fumbled his at-tempt to catch a looping highball, with the ball falling forthe defender to stab in.

While Djukic enjoyed hisfirst win, Malaga’s BerndSchuster saw his new teamstruggle to produce scoringopportunities.

The former Barcelona andWest Germany midfieldertook over Malaga fromManuel Pellegrini this off-season and has received asquad depleted of its mainplayers following the exit ofIsco and Jeremy Toulalan,among others.

Carlos Vela scored one goaland set up another Saturdayas Real Sociedad picked upwhere they left off last sea-son by outclassing Getafe 2-0.

WERDER Bremen’s bad-boyAustria striker MarkoArnautovic has rejected a moveto Scottish champions Celtic,according to a report on Satur-day.

“Marko will not transfer there,I have already informed Celtic’smanager,” Arnautovic’s agentRoger Wittmann told Germandaily Bild.

Scottish giants Celtic are re-ported to have offeredArnautovic a four-year contractworth two million euros(US$2.6m) per season, whileBremen had agreed to a transferfor four million euros, butArnautovic has made it clear hedoes not want to move toGlasgow.

The Austria forward, who hasplayed for Holland’s Twente andItaly’s Inter Milan, is under con-tract with Bremen until Junenext year, but has not played inthe Bundesliga since April,when he was suspended by theclub after being caught speed-ing by police.

Arnautovic spent Bremen’sopening game of the season lastweekend on the bench.

Werder’s director of sportThomas Eichin has saidArnautovic has a future at theclub — providing he behavesafter other misdemeanours in-cluding a training ground bust-up in March with a Brementeam-mate.

“He is an important, highquality player. If he brings 100percent of his quality to thepitch, then he is a big plus forus,” said Eichin.

SEVILLA confirmed Satur-day that Vicente Iborra has be-come their latest recruit of ahectic transfer window, signingfrom Levante for an undisclosedfee.

“Vicente Iborra is now offi-cially a Sevilla player after hav-ing signed his new contract thismorning at the Ramon SanchezPizjuan,” said a statement on

the club’s website.The 25-year-old becomes the

Andalusians 11th new signing inrecent months and he is even incontention to make his debutagainst Atletico Madrid on Sun-day night after also taking partin training with his new team-mates on Saturday.

Iborra was a standout per-former in the last two seasonsas Levante achieved their high-est ever league finish in 2011/12 and then reached the last-16of the Europa League last sea-son.

And he is likely to step fill thevoid created by the sale of Chil-ean Gary Medel to PremierLeague newcomers Cardiff Citylast week.

VALENCIA marked coachMiroslav Djukic’s first gamein charge with a 1-0 victoryover visiting Malaga on Sat-urday as La Liga began.

After a dull 63 minutes at

BAYERN Munich manager Pep Guardiola blamed last week’sinternational friendlies for the European champions’ below-parperformance in Saturday’s laboured 1-0 win at Eintracht Frank-furt.


Former FA Chairman SuggestsWorld Cup Re-Bidding Process

Winner Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates with second placed compatriotWarren Weir (right) after their men’s 200 metres final during the IAAF WorldAthletics championships at the Luzhnike Stadium in Moscow

Olympic Champion Kiprotich AddsMarathon World Title

YoboRegretsOpeningDay Loss

Meseret Defar of Ethiopia celebrates winning gold in the Women’s 5000 metresfinal

Ethiopia’sDefar Wins500m Title

Bolt Storms To 200mGold In Moscow

TemileDouble Lifts

MalteseChampions

JOSEPH Yobo said he wasdisappointed his goal was notenough to get Fenerbahce off toa winning start in the Turkishleague.

Fenerbache lost 3-2 in theopening game of the campaignat Konyaspor on Saturday.

Yobo, who gave his side thelead in the 26th minute with adiving header, said he was dis-appointed Fenerbache lost thegame as he would have loved tohave got off to a winning startin the new season.

“I wish my goal gave us all thethree points,” the Nigeria skip-per lamented.

“It’s really a tough situation.We have learnt our lessons andwe need to fix ourselves. Wewere disappointed.

“We have to put this defeatbehind us and now hope to getvictory against Arsenal (in theUEFA Champions League play-off match on Wednesday).”

The highly experienced cen-tral defender has stayed put atthe top Istanbul club amidspeculations in the close seasonthat he could be shipped out onloan.

Yobo’s compatriot EmmanuelEmenike debuted for theIstanbul giants after his big-money move from Russia’sSpartak Moscow, but firedblanks.

ond in 2:10:12 and compatriotTadese Tola took third a further11 seconds back on a warmsunny day in the Russian capi-tal.

Part of a large leading pack formost of the race on a coursewhich included three 10kmloops along the Moskva riverturning at the iconic Red Square,Kiprotich began pushing thepace just after the 30-km markand the group slowly started to

UGANDA’s Olympic cham-pion Stephen Kiprotich showedhe was no one-hit wonder bybreaking Kenya’s strangleholdon the men’s marathon at theworld championships with vic-tory in two hours nine minutes51 seconds on Saturday.

Kiprotich was the surprisewinner at last year’s LondonGames but started as one of thefavourites in Moscow and be-came the first non-Kenyan towin the title since 2005.

Ethiopia’s Boston marathonwinner Lelisa Desisa was sec-

break up.With just over two kilometres

to go, the battle for gold wasbetween Kiprotich and Desisaand the Ugandan finally brokehis rival as they ran through theOlympic Park and entered thestadium alone, waving to thecrowd.

Kiprotich had a quick lookback across the bright blue trackwhen a cheer went up as Desisaentered the stadium but there

was half a lap between them andthe Ugandan ran through the fin-ishing tape with his arms in theair and a smile on his face be-fore bowing to the crowd.

“I realised I could win after40km. Then I just kept pushing.I decided to break off but mycompetitors were strong and Ihad to apply some tactics,” the24-year-old told reporters.

“I prepared for the race reallywell. It is fantastic that I actu-

ing moved as Qatar won theright to host the World Cup onthe basis of a summer bid, us-ing air-conditioned stadia.

“My personal view on this isunchanged. In 2010 FIFAawarded two World Cups at thesame time. It was a controver-sial thing to do and I believe thatFIFA regret doing it now,” hesaid.

“Bidding for a World Cup is aserious business. There is a lotof money and national prestigeinvolved.

“The bid that Qatar submit-ted was a summer bid. It wasaccepted by FIFA as a summerbid so I don’t believe that it isimpossible to hold the competi-tion in the summer.

“It may be undesirable, withfans coming out of cool stadiainto boiling heat clearly an is-sue,” he added.

“But I think the idea of justarbitrarily changing from sum-mer to winter smacks of what Iwould call a false prospectus.”

Qatar beat bids from SouthKorea, Japan, Australia and theUnited States. Russia will hostthe 2018 World Cup.

FIFA should consider a re-bidding process for the 2022World Cup rather than move thecompetition to winter, accordingto former English Football As-sociation chairman DavidBernstein.

Qatar was chosen to host theWorld Cup but temperatures canreach 50 degrees Celsius (122degrees Fahrenheit) in the desertstate during the summer, lead-ing to calls to switch it to ear-lier in the year.

However, that would have se-vere consequences for theworld’s biggest domesticleagues such as the English Pre-mier League which has alreadyvoiced fears over a winter WorldCup.

“My end view is either that itshould be left where it is or thereshould be a re-bidding process,”Bernstein, whose successorGreg Dyke described a summertournament in Qatar as ‘impos-sible’, told the BBC.

“It was a strange award in thefirst place, we all know that.”

Bernstein said he was againstthe idea of the tournament be-

FRANK Temile scored twiceto earn Maltese championsBirkirkara the maximum pointson Saturday.

Temile was on target twice forthe defending champions as theybeat Rabat Ajax 2-1 away fromhome.

The former Nigeria U20 for-ward found the back of the netin the seventh and 45th minutes.

Champions Birkirkara werethus the opening day leaders ofthe 12-team Maltese league.

Last week, Birkirkara beatHibernians 3-2 to win the Mal-tese Super Cup with Temileagain among the goals.

Last season, Temile played fortop Ukrainian club DynamoKiev and has said he expectsgreat things at his new club.

“We have a good squad andthis augurs well for the new sea-son,” he predicted.

complete a hat-trick in the4x100m relay on Sunday, whengold would draw him level as theall-time most decorated athletein World Championship history:he would be alongside Americantrio Allyson Felix, Carl Lewisand Michael Johnson with eightworld titles, but he says thatprospect does not worry makeany extra pressure.

“No, I’m not worried aboutthat. For me I have made my leg-end start, that was the key,” hesaid.

“Now, I’m just adding thegreatness. I’m just going to con-tinue trying to win champion-ships and then look forward tonext Olympics.

“I’ve discussed it with mycoach about what we should do.I was telling him ‘Coach weshould relax next season’.

“But my coach said ‘we needjust to continue pushing, push-ing because it’s good to followup every year with a good yearso your body is used to it.’

“So we’re just going to con-tinue working hard, pushingmyself, continue going to thechampionships day by day andhopefully everything will workout.”

no doubt be bitterly disap-pointed that he failed to matchor better the 19.98 he ran in thesemi-finals, a time that wouldhave secured bronze.

Bolt, the world record holderwith his 19.19 from Berlin fouryears ago, won the 100 metreslast weekend having completedthe sprint double twice at theOlympics and also in the 2009world championships.

He was always in commandfrom lane four on Saturday andhalfway round the opening bendhe loomed over diminutive Brit-ish teenager Adam Gemili inlane five like an ocean-goingliner swamping a dinghy, beforedisappearing into the distance.

After a slow start to the sea-son when he was hampered byinjury, Bolt has been on an up-ward curve in the last few weeksand his 19.73 in Paris six weeksago was the fastest time of theyear before Saturday’s race.

American Tyson Gay, who ran19.74 in June and was the lastman to beat Bolt in a global 200when he won the 2007 worldchampionships, was unable tochallenge him again in Moscowhaving failed a doping test.

On Sunday Bolt will hope to

USAIN Bolt completed yet another crushing sprint doubleand hardly needed to extend himself to achieve it as he took histhird successive world 200 metres title in the year’s fastest timeof 19.66 seconds, despite easing down at the end.

Fellow Jamaican Warren Weirimproved on his Olympicbronze by taking silver in a per-sonal best 19.79 from lane eightwhile Curtis Mitchell wonbronze for the United States in20.04, just preventing anotherJamaican podium sweep as hebeat Nickel Ashmeade by a hun-dredth of a second.

Bolt insisted that the win wasas easy as he made it look.

“There was not any pressure.I went out there, focused, I was

ready to go. It was just aboutrunning a good corner, andthat’s what I did,” he said.

“I’m happy with what I didand happy to have it done. Oneshoot, back to back now, so I’mhappy.”

Britain’s Adam Gemili cameoff the bend in third place butfaded to finish fifth, a superbshowing from a runner who isstill just 19 years old.

Yet the young British star will

MESERET Defar added yetanother global 5,000 metres goldto her bulging collection whenshe won the world title with atextbook performance on Satur-day, aided by her Ethiopian teammates.

Defar, twice Olympic cham-pion and now double worldchampion, also has a world sil-ver and three global bronzes inthe event after an extraordinar-

ily consistent run over the pastnine years and she was neverthreatened in her latest assault.

A pedestrian first half of therace briefly suggested some ofthe fast-finishers might be ableto make a fight of it but with fourlaps to go Defar’s team mateAlmaz Ayana put her foot downand immediately spread thefield.

By the bell it was just the twoEthiopians and Kenya’s MercyCherono and Ayana played herrole of domestique to perfection,towing Defar to the 200m markwhen the favourite blasted clearto win with ease in 14 minutes50.19 seconds Cherono came onto take silver in 14.51.22 aheadof Ayana (14.51.33).

Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibabawon the 10,000 metres earlierin the week.

ally train together with six of mycompetitors, said Kiprotich whois coached by Kenya’s 1992Olympic steeplechase silvermedallist Patrick Sang inEldoret.

It was Uganda’s second everworld championship gold afterDorcus Inzikuru won thewomen’s 3,000 steeplechase in2005.

Peter Some in ninth was thefirst Kenyan finisher for a teamthat was missing twice worldchampion Abel Kirui throughinjury.


Coach Seeks FinancialAssistance For AFN

2013 National Championship

Goal scorerEdiwo (right)a g a i s n tSalomon Jun-ior ofBayelsa onSaturday

Bright Dike Sets Comeback Date

Ahmed Musa Shoots CSKA

Top

3SC StopHigh-Riding

Bayelsa

Ahmed Musa

Car, Cash Gifts For Promoted Giwa FC

Golden Gloves’ Nwakpa PraisesOrganisers For Reviving Boxing In Ni-

geria

medal, finishing in a time of22.32 secs to place third, be-hind, Jamaica’s Shelly-AnnFraser Pryce who posted,22.17 secs for the top spot.

The Ivoirian MurielleAhoure was placed second ina time of 22.32 secs.

The competition which be-gan on Aug.10 ends on Au-gust 18.

A top athletics coach on Saturday called on governmentand corporate organisations to extend financial assistanceto the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to enable it re-organise its programmes.

come next season.A cross section of the play-

ers told MTNFootball.comthat the owner of the teampromised each player andofficial of the team one mil-lion Naira if they made it tothe top flight, while regularplayers will be rewardedwith a car gift each in addi-

GIWA FC are set to re-ceive car and cash giftspromised them by clubowner Chris Giwa for win-ning promotion to the pre-mier league.

The Jos-based club are theonly team from the NigeriaNational League (NNL) whohave so far booked theirplace in the premier league

TROUBLED 3SC defeatedhigh-riding Bayelsa United 2-0 on Saturday in a Nigerialeague Week 26 match to moveclear of the drop zone.

They now have 33 pointsfrom 26 games.

3SC showed purpose fromthe blast of the whistle in theirlast home game to be playedbehind closed doors as they hadthe ball inside net as early asninth minute through SamuelAkinbinu, but the effort wasdisallowed by the referee.

However, on-form strikerKingsley Ediwo scored theopening goal for the OluyoleWarlords in the 18th minute.

Substitute Ighodalor Osagonascored the second goal to sealvictory for 3SC just six minutesafter his introduction forAkinbinu, when he headedhome Mutiu Adegoke’s cornerkick.

Coach Hakeem Busari toldMTNFootball.com it was agood result for his team and thatit is not over for 3SC in theleague as there are matches tobe played.

“If not for the little crisis thatwe had, we would have had adifferent story. No team in theNigeria league that is a pushover, sometimes teams do havecrisis which can come at anypoint in the league, ours cameat the beginning of the secondround, but we are striving hardto get over it, “ Busari said.

“We psyched the players upand it worked for us. We arelooking forward to good gamein the next match and pray forluck as well.”

ers on February 5.Dike has scored five goals

in 12 appearance for Port-land Timbers.

He hit the limelight afterhe scored a fantastic goal forNigeria in a friendly againstCatalonia leading up to the2013 Africa Cup of Nationsin South Africa, but he didnot make the final squad forthe tournament.

“I have been training withthe squad for four weeksnow, I am okay. I am justhappy to be back and readyto get back into the goodform I was in before I gotinjured, even better.”

The Portland Timbersstriker suffered a torn ante-rior cruciate ligament in hisleft knee during a pre-seasongame against Seattle Sound-

NIGERIA striker BrightDike has toldMTNFootball.com he hopesto be back in action bymonth’s end after a long-termknee injury.

“Everything is fine with me.I will start playing matches atthe end of the month,” Dikerevealed toMTNFootball.com

organisers of the 2013 Na-tional Open Championshipfor the rebirth of the sport.

Nwamkpa made this knownin an interview with news-men in Lagos on Saturday.

“I want to thank you peoplefor making boxing come aliveonce more in the country withthis National Open Champi-ons that started in Lagos to-day (Saturday).

“With the series of interna-tional competitions lined upfor the national teams, thiscompetition has come at theright time.

“This will help in the pick-ing of boxers to represent thecountry,’’ he said.

The former Commonwealthchampion told NAN theeight-day event deservedcommendation as it wouldfacilitate identification ofmore hidden talents.

“I was not impressed withthe standard displayed by theboxers at the last NationalSports Festival; the standardof boxing at festival was low.

“Many of the boxers mayhave been technically sound,but they lacked the staminathat good boxers needed toexcel,” he said.

He noted that since the De-cember 2012 festival, therehad not been any competitionat the national level to raiseboxers.

Nwamkpa praised theorganisers for coming to therescue of the boxing andurged them not to relent.

According to him boxing asa combat sport needs constantcompetition to keep the box-ers fit at all times.

“They have been occupiedsince their arrival in Lagosfor the competition goingthrough the accreditation andweighing process in readi-ness for kick off of the com-petition.’’

The competition will runfrom August 17 to August 24at the National Stadium,Lagos.

Former JUTH FC andKano Pillars star AhmedMusa told MTNFootball.comhe is delighted with his matchwinner.

“I am excited with thegoal, it was an important onefor us as we won the game. Iwill keep doing my best formy club to see that we winour games. I am just doing myjob to the best of my ability.It was not an easy match,” hesaid.

Ahmed Musa returned toRussia to join his team onFriday night after helpingNigeria to beat South Africain a friendly on Wednesday.

He grabbed the matchwinner in the 11th minute forhis third goal in five gamesthis season.

Last season, AhmedMusa’s CSKA won the league

AHMED Musa scoredthe winner for CSKA Mos-cow to beat visiting KubanKrasnodar on Sunday andtake them to the top of theRussian league.

CSKA Moscow lead thetable with 11 points fromfive matches pending theoutcome of other games lateron Sunday.

OBISIA Nwamkpa, theimmediate past head coach,Nigeria Boxing Federation(NBF), has thanked the

tion.“We are happy to have

booked a place in the premierleague; we are waiting for ourproprietor to fulfil the prom-ise of one million naira eachif we got the ticket. He is aman of his words, we knowhe will definitely fulfil hispromises,” a player said.

“Nobody gave us chance towin promotion, but we did it.We have made our owner andsupporters happy with thisachievement. Our father,Ambassador Giwa promisedus a million Naira each and acar each for those players whoare regulars.”

“We know he is capable ofit. We know he will definitelygive us, we are eager for theseason to end so we could getthe gifts,” another playeradded.

Yusuf Alli, a 1990 Common-wealth Games gold medallist,was reacting to the inability ofthe AFN to produce top maleathletes for the ongoing 14thIAAF World Championshipsin Moscow.

He spoke in an interviewwith newsmen in Lagos.

According to him, the AFNdoes not have the resources toradically refocus its

programmes.“If the federation has the re-

sources it could have been ableto train all potential medalists,including male athletes.Thetime to act is now.”

He appealed to governmentsand sponsors to rally to thesupport of the federation.

“We need to do more work.The other countries are work-ing, we need to do more workthan engage in only prayers.

“Other countries are invest-ing resources into the trainingof their athletes. The typicalexamples are the Jamaicansand the Americans.

“Our government and spon-sors need to try hard as thecoaches are ready to work.’’

He pointed out, however, thatit was sad that the governmentdid not really have the structureto carry out the work.

Nigeria has so far won a sil-ver and bronze medal, all fromBlessing Okagbare in the longjump and the 200m events inthe ongoing IAAF champion-ships.

Alli said he was happy overOkagbare’s showing in thechampionships, saying: “shehas become the first Nigerianto win two medals at the worldchampionships’’.

He also said that the 14thedition of the championships,remained Nigeria’s best outing.

“This year’s competition isNigeria’s best outing at theworld championships. “She(Okagbare) has really done thecountry proud.’’

Okagbare won the bronze


C M Y K

Evolving A Sustainable Development In The Niger Delta Region

I N a recent TV(Silverbird TV)Programme, one

watched with interest theoutburst of Mr. Evrah ofthe Ijaw National Con-gress on the need for thePresident (a son of thesoil) and Governors of theNiger Delta States tocome down and begin totake actions that will ad-dress the seeming inabil-ity of the “rehabilitated andtrained former militants” tobe gainfully employed.

He bemoaned the abun-dant rubber plantations inSapele region that are un-der-utilised; the fish re-sources that are not ex-ploited; the plantain andcassava farms that areabound in the regionamongst others that re-main untapped.

No doubt, this cry, giventhe “closure” of the am-nesty programme in 2015,an election year and theaftermath, portends a“looming dark cloud” thatneeds to be addressed.While the amnestyprogramme, as initiallyconceived, appears tohave provided a respite forthe oil industry with thestable work environment inthe region and the atten-dant increase in oil produc-tion over the past twoyears, the recent inci-dences of oil theft andbunkering seem to haveonly “relocated” the prob-lem to another dimension.

While appreciating theenormous task of creatingphysical development inthe Niger Delta regiongiven the years of neglect,and the efforts of variousgovernments and agen-cies to provideinfrastructural facilitiessuch as roads, bridges,shoreline protection, etc, itshould be emphasisedthat such projects do notnecessarily provide sus-tainable development.What is crucial should bea more conscious effort toharness, develop andutilise the abundant natu-ral and agricultural re-sources which abound inthe region.

Indeed, developmentexperts are unanimous inagreeing that with the en-dowed human and naturalresources of Niger Deltaregion, a sustainable pros-perity can be achieved ifthey are properly and ad-equately harnessed by thedevelopment of an inte-grated agro-based rural in-dustrialization. Recent sur-veys indicate that the re-gion is blessed with natu-ral and agricultural re-sources, which are preva-lent in the rural areaswhere over 70% of thepopulation reside. Over 75% of this population ac-

Printed and published by Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, 24, Airport Road, P.M.B. 1334 Benin City. Telephone; Lagos: 01 4930929, Benin: 052 257492, 257531Editor: Barr. Solomon Imohiosen (KSJI)-(07030699646), Deputy General Manager-Marketing (08023457566), Assistant General Manager-Advertisement (08023808856) Lagos

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count for the production offood and fibre crops whichdue to lack of post harvestprocessing and conservationresult in a loss of as muchas 40% of the annual pro-duction.

The success story of the

telecommunication sector,with the GSM phone usagenow well over 100 million,goes to show that the eco-nomic gains of our largepopulation are yet to be fullyexploited in solving our other“developmental wants”. Forinstance, with a potential “anegg - a-day- eating” popula-tion of over a 100 million, thiswould translate into an in-

common man.In an earlier article on

“Delta beyond Oil - Harness-ing the Cassava Potential ofthe State” I had emphasisedthat the devastating effectsof the recent flooding expe-rienced nationwide had

brought to the fore the “realagricultural potentials” of therural communities on theone hand and the dearth ofthe appropriate processingfacilities that would haveturned the “prematurely har-vested food crops” into amore permanent and useful

product on the other.From Oshimili South Local

Government areas, throughNdokwa, Isoko North andSouth, Ughelli and BomadiCouncils areas in Delta Statewhere the flooding was se-vere, the predominant foodcrop loss was cassava tu-bers, which has remainedthe widely cultivated crop inthese communities. Evenwhen the flood eventuallyreceded and the little thatcould be salvaged gotten,the ability and facilities toimmediately turn the cas-sava into starch, flour or garriwas a big challenge.

While it is estimated thatabout one-third of the totalnational output of cassavaproduction (average annualproduction of over 35 milliontons in the last 5 years)comes from the Niger Deltaregion where many liveli-hoods depend on it as amain source of food and in-come, the varied economicbenefits and the attendantjob creation and employ-ment opportunities, are yetto be fully exploited.

Using the 50 tons/day Cas-sava Processing Plant ear-lier established by the IsokoSouth Local GovernmentCouncil which sadly likemost government-spon-sored projects has now re-mained idle as an example,the following economic ben-efits are derivable if fully op-

erational:Well over 60 persons will

be employed directly in thefactory and over 1000 per-sons involved indirectly in thecultivation of cassava tubers,supply of other materials tothe factory and distribution ofthe finished products.

With an envisaged annualrequirement of 15,000 tonsof cassava tubers, this trans-lates into the cultivation of750 hectares of farm land atan average farm yield of 20tons per acre.

Such requirement, giventhe renewed focus on agri-culture ought to create farm-ing opportunities within 25km radius of the project lo-cation and a boost to Isokoland.

A financial projection of theoperating expenses of thefactory at full operation indi-cate that the following cashinjection should accrue tothe host community and theenvirons:

Cassava tubers supply in-come of well over N200 mil-lion per annum;

Salaries and benefits offactory personnel at wellover N50 million per annum;

Factory supplies,consumables and other ma-terials at over N30 million perannum;

Other social and generalservices at over N20 millionper annum.

It is this regard that oneconsiders the new empha-sis on “Delta State beyondOil” by the State Govern-ment as timely and shouldfocus, amongst others, onharnessing these naturalendowments through theestablishment of appropriateintegrated agro- based pro-

cessing industries.There is however the need

to holistically address therole of government in thedevelopment and growth ofsuch industrial establish-ments and the administra-tive structures required toensure sustained operations

of such projects once com-pleted. The desired initiativeby the private sector, giventhe enabling environment bygovernment, to establishsuch industries does notseem to be forthcoming.

Whereas the oil industry,for which Niger Delta is typi-cally known, employs only avery small fraction of itspopulation, the agro sectorshave very high employmentpotential. The governmentshould therefore adopt anew economic and industrialpolicy that promotes the de-velopment and growth ofemployment- intensive in-dustries for which the agro-processing sector is fore-most.

The constraints whichhave held back these indus-tries such as plant and ma-chinery acquisition, physicalinfrastructure particularlypower and transport, accessto finance, bureaucratic in-vestment environment anddearth of technical skills andmanpower required for theiroperations on the desiredscale will need to be ad-dressed.

The various state govern-ments in the Niger Deltashould articulate develop-mental policies that will inte-grate the agricultural poten-tials with rural developmentwith the objectives of :

Providing critical infrastruc-ture and social services in

the rural areas;Using agriculture as a ve-

hicle for economic develop-ment and job creation;

Improving the quality oflife and of the habitat in therural areas and reverse thetide of rural-urban migra-tion.

In achieving these objec-tives, Farm Settlementscomplete with a Training In-stitute, mechanised facilitiesand supporting infrastruc-tures, plant and machinerymaintenance workshops,in-farm housing units,should be established instrategic locations in the re-gion with young schoolleavers and the unem-ployed given limited hect-ares for the cultivation of theappropriate crops to meetthe requirements of theagro-processing industriesto be established.

Industrial ProductionParks with clusters thatcombine factory spaces,small and medium scalemanufacturing facilities,workshop units as well asretail units for business-to-business and business-to-consumer sales at one lo-cation should be estab-lished in the region.

It is reckoned that each ofthe clusters should be ca-pable of accommodatingup to 10 separate industrialoutfits and would give directemployment opportunitiesto well 3000 persons andanother 10,000 persons in-directly, providing the rawmaterials, goods and ser-vices, across the region.

Such an aggressive sus-tainable development willno doubt address the seem-ing restiveness and bringabout a more gainful em-ployment of the “repentantmilitants” as well as the mil-lions of peace-loving un-employment youths that re-fused to be “militant” in theregion.

We need to take our des-tiny in our hands and thetime to act is now.

Engr. Adolphus Ojobo, aFellow of the Nigerian So-ciety of Engineers (FNSE),is an Engineering andManufacturing Consultantand a Former Commis-sioner of Works, Edo State.

come generating industry ofwell over N500 million perday if an egg can be massproduced and sold for N5.For an average of 300 days/year, this adds up to N150billion a year. This is in addi-tion to other income sourcesof other poultry productssuch as chicken and its as-sorted parts.

No doubt, with an invest-ment focussed on the Poul-try industry chain link, rang-ing from the raw materials(maize, soyabeans etc) pro-duction, through to feedmills, poultry equipmentmanufacture, actual poultryoperations, marketing, distri-bution and sales of the prod-ucts, a bee-hive of industrialproduction activities will becreated for this sector forwhich the employment gen-erating capacities are betterimagined. The resourcesand technology to achievethis are “no rocket science”as they say, and are withinthe reach of Nigerians andgovernments in the NigerDelta region.

Such sustainable develop-ment should engage the at-tention of the various gov-ernments in the region ratherthan the much taunted con-struction of “new Governor’slodge, Commissioner ’squarters, Police stations,Community halls and otheredifices that add no value tothe life and well being of the

By OKHAREDIA IHIMEKPENBy ENGR A.E. OJOBO, FNSE

President Goodluck Jonathan Godsday Orubebe, Minister for Niger DeltaAffairs

Documents

Nigerian observer 19 08 2013