Vol. 3 N0. 657 Thursday, July 4, 2013 N150 Vol. 4 N0. 922 Thursday, August 21, 2014 N150

CBN defends new charges on ATM transactions

Fashola signs N11bn 2014 reordering budget

P.8

Ebola: WAEC bars sick candidates

Emefiele P.6

Police promote Mbu, 18 others

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

TOLA AKINMUTIMIABUJA

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, yes-terday threw more

light on its recent circu-lar on the fees/charges on the extended use of other banks’ Automated Teller Machines, ATMs.

The apex bank lsited

eight reasons for the desir-ability of the move for im-proved customer service delivery and overall benefits of the nation’s financial sys-

Jega rules out masked security operatives in 2015 electionsUS promises to help conduct successful poll P.4,6

...from Nov/Dec examinationsLagos gets N200m to fi ght scourge

TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE AND FRANCIS SUBERU

The West African E x a m i n a t i o n s Council, WAEC,

has warned sick candi-dates for the forthcom-ing November/December 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Exami-nation, WASSCE, to stay away from the examina-tion centres.

This is even as the La-gos State government yesterday confirmed that

Iraqi militants behead American journalist in Syria P.50

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Buhari, Atiku, Ikimi make APC BoT list

The headquarters of the Nigeria Football Federation, popularly known as Glass House, gutted by fire in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

FIRE GUTS NFF GLASS HOUSE P.52

THE EBOLA VIRUS SCOURGE

Doctors call for shift of Osun Osogbo festival

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net2 Thursday, August 21, 2014News

CBN justifi es new charges on ATM transactions

FG approves N200m for Lagos

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

L-R: Acting Governor of Taraba, Alhaji Garba Umar; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; Vice-President Namadi Sambo and President Goodluck Jonathan, at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

ROTIMI FADEYIABUJA

President Goodluck Jonathan has ap-proved the release of

N200m to Lagos State as Fed-eral Government’s support to combat the outbreak of Ebola virus disease

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, dis-closed this at a press briefing at the end of the Federal Ex-ecutive Council, FEC, meet-ing in Abuja.

The minister also dis-closed that the United States Government would soon do-nate to Nigeria 30 body scan-ners for measuring tempera-ture, saying that it would be deployed to ports of entry and exits in the country.

He noted that Nigeria cur-

rently had 12 cases of Ebola virus disease, including the Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, who was the index case

The minister said those who had been treated of the disease did not pose danger to the society and, therefore, should not be stigmatised.

He noted that only two persons were now with the virus in the country, includ-ing one doctor and one nurse who were part of the team that managed the index case and were currently on treat-ment at the isolation ward.

The minister noted that the latest death recorded from the virus was the Con-sultant Physician at the First Consultant Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, who was exposed to the disease

while treating Sawyer.“Indeed she had to physi-

cally restrain this infected person from escaping from hospital when the latter at-tempted to do so having been communicated that he was Ebola positive.

“If that index case had es-caped hospital at that stage, it would have spelt disaster for Nigeria. As many more primary contacts would have been very difficult to track.

“There is no doubt that Dr. Adadevoh is not only dedi-cated, committed and com-petent doctor but she showed rare courage, rare sense of duty, service and patriotism to her country,” Chukwu said.

On plans to immortalise Adadevoh, the minister said government was consider-ing some options but could

not disclose them. “Government is consider-

ing a number of options but I cannot say that for now be-cause no decision has been taken. Already, government appreciates not only her, the only thing is that she was the leader and did something as the leader of the team that showed the courage and pa-triotism she had as a doctor,” he said.

On the financial con-tributions by Nigerians to the fight against the virus, Chukwu said Atedo Peter-side, through his foundation donated N100,000 per bed per day to affected private hospi-tals, stressing that the first beneficiary would be the First Consultant Hospital, Lagos, where the index case was managed.

He said the hospital, which has 40 beds, would

receive N4m from the foun-dation to assist it to continue to pay staff who had been asked to stay at home since it was closed as a result of the confirmed case of Ebola virus. The minister noted that the Federal Govern-ment was still requesting the experimental drug, called TKM Ebola, from a company in Canada to combat the dis-ease.

Chukwu also said the let-ter from Osun State Gover-nor Rauf Aregbesola to the President requesting that the state be allowed to hold the Osun Osogbo festival was still under consider-ation

He said that the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Edem Duke, had directed that the scheduled National Festival of Arts and Culture to be

tem.The bank in a statement

by the Director, Corporate Communications Depart-ment, Mallam Ibrahim Mu’azu, said the clarifi-cation became necessary following mixed reactions from commentators and the need to explain the ra-tionale for the measure taken to ensure that ATMs function to the satisfaction of customers.

It explained that cash withdrawal at the ATMs of a customer’s bank re-

mained free still, adding that “Remote-on-Us” trans-action is when a card hold-er goes to the ATM machine of another bank other than his or her own bank to make a withdrawal”.

The bank stated that in December 2012, in collabo-ration with the Bankers’ Committee, transferred the payment of N100 fee on “Remote-on-us” ATM cash withdrawal transactions to issuing banks and that the N100 was not removed but was only transferred to customer’s bank to pay

and this was intended to encourage the use of ATMs nationwide.

It also noted that hav-ing sufficiently raised customers’ awareness, the first three “Remote-on-us” transactions in a month remained free for the card holder but paid for by the is-suing bank.

According to the apex financial system regulator, the N65 charge only applies when a customer withdraws cash from another bank’s ATM other than that of his/her bank and that the mon-

ey starts to apply from the 4th transaction at another banks’ ATM in a month.

The statement also ex-plained that the charge was not intended to discourage financial inclusion and that the CBN would not endorse any anti-customer policy.

It pointed out however that charging of fees on interbank networks was a widely acceptable practice.

Justifying the reasons for the new fees/charges on the extended use of other banks’ ATMs, the apex bank stated that these include the

need to ensure that custom-ers got better services, to in-crease healthy competition among the banks and the astronomical increase in volumes of transaction at other banks’ ATM due to the free cash withdrawal.

Other reasons are the wear-and-tear and the frequency of servicing the ATMs have increased significantly; abuse of the use of ATMs through countless daily withdraw-als by customers, a devel-opment which has led to increase in cash transac-

tions, which negate the bank’s cash-less policy.

In addition, the bank stated that the cost of maintaining ATMs had be-come expensive and that this requires economic incentive for owners to deploy and maintain the machines; and that if a part of this cost went on unabated, the banks might be forced to reject transac-tions coming from their customers at another bank ATMs, thereby frustrating the interoperability of pay-ment systems.

hosted by Ebonyi State in September be postponed in-definitely

The minister said the Federal Government had not sacked resident doctors, saying that they had not been coming to work for the past two months.

According to him, the doctors are not part of the success story on the control of Ebola disease in the coun-try, adding that the govern-ment will soon review the residency programme,

“I want us to put things in perspective. Government did not sack anybody; it is true that they themselves have not been working for almost two months, except those in private hospitals.

“Resident doctors in both federal and state hospitals have not been working for almost two months now and they have not participated in the control of this Ebola virus disease, they have not played any role.

BOLADALE BAMIGBOLAOSOGBO

Medical and Dental consultants’ Asso-ciation of Nigeria

Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo branch, yesterday called for the postponement of the cel-ebration of Osun Osogbo festival slated for Friday to avoid outbreak of deadly Ebola Virus in the state.

In a release issued by the association, signed by the chairman of the As-sociation, Doctor Adebayo and the secretary, Doctor Olajumoke, the Associa-

tion, it said the postpone-ment became imperative to curb the spread of the rampaging Ebola disease.

The statement noted that the Association has set up in place a plan to ensure that LAUTECH Teaching Hospital is not caught unaware by the dis-ease, urging the state Gov-ernment not to take chances on the matter.

It enjoined political and religious leaders, spiritual healing centres, families, associations and other bod-ies to discourage gatherings and activities that could promote close contact with infected persons.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 3Thursday, August 21, 2013

Jonah David JangGovernor, Plateau State/Chairman NGF

PLATEAU STATE GOVERNMENT

CONGRATULATIONS!

His Excellency

GEN. IBRAHIM BADAMASI BABANGIDA, GCFR

Former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Government and people

of Plateau State join your

associates and family in

congratulating you and

thanking the Almighty God

for his favour as you mark

your

73rd Birthday.

We pray for good health and

peace upon you in the years

ahead.

We won’t allow masked operatives during 2015 election –Jega

L-R: PRO, I-Nigerian, Mr. Yushau Shuaib; PRO, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Mr. Okeh Emmanuel, and National Coordinator, I-Nigerian, Mrs. Ada Apiafi, during the National Conference on Security Issues in Nigeria, in Abuja yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI

L-R: President, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, NAPE, Mrs. Adedoja Ojelabi; Chief Petroleum Engineer, First Exploration, and Petroleum Development Company Limited /Guest Lecturer, Dr. Saka Matemilola, and chairman of the occasion, Chief Chamberlin Oyibo, during the 2014 Technical/Business Meeting of NAPE, in Lagos, yesterday.

L-R: Former Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Philips (rtd); her successor, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade, and Governor Babatunde Fashola, during the swearing-in of Atilade in Lagos, yesterday.

L-R: National Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prof. Wale Oladipo; National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu; U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, and Deputy Counselor for Political Affairs, U.S Embassy, Mary Johnson, during the visit of the ambassador to the party’s headquarters in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

OMEIZA AJAYI ABUJA

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral

Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega yesterday said that the use of masked security agents would not be allowed during the 2015 general elections

Jega also decried the over-zealousness of secu-rity operatives deployed for election purposes.

The INEC chairman spoke at an interactive ses-sion he had in Abuja with both local and interna-tional Civil Society Organ-isations, CSOs, involved in monitoring elections in the country

He described as “highly worrisome”, the emerging trend whereby hooded se-curity men were deployed to safeguard elections.

According to him, secu-ritymen deployed for elec-tions must be identifiable to ensure that the electoral system is transparent.

He said: “In recent times, we have witnessed an in-creased presence of hooded security operatives during elections. This is an emerg-ing trend which is highly worrisome and which needs to be addressed in good time. Security agents who are deployed on elec-tion duties should not be masked, the doctrine of transparency requires that they should be identifiable.

“We will not allow such persons during the 2015 elections. Any security personnel deployed for the election must be someone identifiable such that if anything happens we will be able to know who to hold responsible.”

The INEC chairman also condemned the over-zealousness of security op-eratives deployed for elec-tion purposes, especially the August 9 governorship election in Osun State.

He said some staff of the Commission and nine members of the Nation-al Youth Service Corps,

NYSC, who were engaged as ad-hoc staff, were erro-neously arrested and kept in detention for over 12 hours.

According to him, the staff were arrested around 9pm on the eve of the elec-tion while on their way to the Registration Area Cen-ters, RACs, which was pro-vided for them by the Com-mission.

“They were not released until about 6am the next day, a situation that almost disrupted the distribution of electoral materials in some areas.

“It was sheer luck that we still managed to open the polling units early, oth-erwise, there would have been disaster. We took a serious view of that and re-ported the matter to all the appropriate authorities be-cause at a point we became worried that some persons wanted to undermine our effort,” he said.

He however said the ap-parent militarization of the election did not detract

The Federal Govern-ment yesterday awarded a N31.2bn

contract for the evacua-tion of electricity from the 40-megawatts capac-ity Kashimbilla Dam in Takum local government area of Taraba State.

The Minister of State for Power, Mr. Moham-med Wakil, disclosed this to State House correspon-dents after the weekly Federal Executive Coun-cil, FEC, meeting presided over by President Good-luck Jonathan.

Wakil said that the proj-ect was awarded to SCC Nigeria Ltd with a comple-tion period of 18 months.

“The amount is N31.2bn in favour of Messrs SCC Nigeria Ltd.

“By the time we add 40 megawatts to the national grid, it is going to comple-ment the existing power that we are generating in the country.

“Apart from the fact we are also going to gain from the 40 megawatts this will now also lead to creation of employment in that

community.“While we can have

the formal and informal employment, engineers, artisans and others will benefit from this,” he said.

Information Minister Labaran Maku also added that the contract approval followed a memo tabled before the council by the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo.

“The company had al-ready installed the tur-bines in the course of the implementation of the project.

from the credibility of the exercise.

He said: “In fact, the two elections proved that there was a high correlation be-tween the massive deploy-ment of security and the willingness of people to come out and vote.

“Apart from over-zeal-ousness on the part of some of the security men

on the field, we discovered that people actually felt more secured to exercise their franchise. The key lesson our politicians need to learn from the two elec-tions is that the era has gone when they relied on corrupt electoral officers or security agents to manipu-late elections.

“In this era, any politi-

cian that intend to win elec-tion must reach out and convince the voters, be it through ‘stomach-infra-structure’ or otherwise.

“The only guarantee to win election now is to let the voters come out to vote for you, which in turn means that you must first of all convince them on your credibility.”

FG approves N31.2bn electricity evacuation contract for Kashimbila Dam

...decries over-zealousness of security personnel in Osun

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net4 Thursday, August 21, 2014Photo News

National News

THE EBOLA VIRUS SCOURGE

Scientists decry lack of capacity laboratories

MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

The Federal Govern-ment, yesterday, de-nied reports of new

cases of the deadly Ebola virus disease in Nigeria.

A statement made avail-able to National Mirror by the Special Assistant to the Minister of Health, Dan Nwomeh, said reports of five new persons tested positive to the virus were untrue.

The statement said: “The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, wishes to reiterate that at present, Nigeria has only two confirmed cases of

Ebola Virus Disease. This clarification follows media reports of five new cases in Lagos State. This report should be disregarded.

“The minister reiter-ates that any doubtful in-formation on the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria should be veri-fied from the Office of the Honourable Minister of Health who has the sole authority to announce confirmed cases as far as disease epidemics in Ni-geria are concerned.

“The minister further reassures the public that any new confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease will be announced by his

office promptly.“However, as at 7pm

today (yesterday), there is no other confirmed Eb-ola Virus Disease case in Nigeria outside the two that are currently under treatment at the isolation ward in Lagos,” the re-lease stated.

Five persons had died of the disease in the past few weeks, including the Liberian, Patrick Sawyer,

who imported the disease into the country.

The late Nigerians comprise of two nurses and a doctor who attend-ed to the Liberian and a protocol officer with the ECOWAS Commission who helped Sawyer to hospital after he took ill upon arrival at the Mur-tala Mohammed Interna-tional Airport, Lagos.

At his last briefing in

Lagos, Chukwu said 189 persons were under sur-veillance over the dis-ease.

Eleven Nigerians, in-cluding those who have died of the disease and the patients that are be-ing treated for the disease have been tested positive to the virus, according to the minister.

Out of the figure, five have been treated and dis-

charged from the isolated wards where victims of the disease are given medi-cal care.

Ebola has killed about 1200 people in four coun-tries of the West African region since it broke out in March this year in Guinea.

Other countries where casualties have been re-corded from the disease are Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

ADEOLA TUKURU ABUJA

In the aim to prevent spread of Ebola Vi-rus Diseases (EVD) in

Nigeria, the Abuja Medi-cal Laboratory Scientists (AMLS) has called on the Federal government to provide them with level 4 capacity laboratories, say-ing that one’s available in the country presently are mere diagnostic laborato-ries.

The Chairman of the Association in FCT chap-ter, Dr Casmir Ifeanyi ,in an interview with Nation-al Mirror said the kinds of facilities to handle the issues of Ebola cases in the country are not yet in place adding that “How many PCR centres do we have in country, we can’t even study tissues be-cause we don’t have this facilities and capabilities here”.

He said the laboratory components and the con-tainment haven’t been built, adding that labo-ratory is key to contact, laboratory is key to sur-veillance and there is the need to build capacity of our laboratories.

He further urged that the Ministry of Health should engage the Medi-cal laboratory scientist in Nigeria and drive the process of facilitating a focal training of medical laboratory scientist who will treat others and set

up laboratories that will provide diagnosis.

Dr Casmir cited an example with Uganda, “Uganda is a country that is smaller than Kano state in Nigeria, they had this outbreak successively and they have been able to con-tain it.

“Initially they had deaths that were in thou-sands, when they had the subsequent one it was re-duced to a hundred and the last case was reduced to a less than 6,” he said.

Ifeanyi commended the activities of the Federal Government who tackled the outbreak by declar-ing it a National Health Emergency and for mak-ing funds available.

“The Minister of Health have also respond-ed appropriately to the index case of Ebola in Nigeria and the matters relating to Patrick Sawyer who brought the outbreak into Nigeria and also the secondary and direct con-tact are been handled cor-rectly”.

At the FCT level, the Chairman said they are collaborating with the FCT Health and Human secretariat by creating awareness to residents to ensure the outbreak.

He further called on Eateries, Restaurants, Ho-tels and public places in the Federal Capital Ter-ritory (FCT) to provide chlorine pumps for its consumers.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba (left) watching as a policeman is being dressed in a bomb proof kit with a detector at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

WAEC bars sick candidates

FG debunks reports of new cases

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 5Thursday, August 21, 2014 News

five additional suspected cases of Ebola Virus Dis-ease, EVD, had been re-ceived.

It said the fresh suspected cases were brought in yesterday.

WAEC gave the warn-ing as part of efforts to curb the spread of the deadly disease which had so far killed five persons in the country.

The examination body noted that it had pre-pared to curb the spread of the virus by provid-ing preventive measures in its centres, including hand gloves, masks and sanitisers.

The Lagos State Com-missioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, while briefing journalists, said two of the fresh suspected cases were secondary contacts.

He added that the re-maining three were pri-mary contacts with the late Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, who imported

the disease into the coun-try.

According to the com-missioner, the fresh suspected cases have increased the number of patients in isolation wards from two to six.

He said that one of the suspected cases was a Li-berian brought into the isolation centre from the Murtala Muhammed In-ternational Airport.

Idris, however, said that the Liberian had since been released, hav-ing tested negative to EVD.

He said: “Till date, we have recorded eight suspected cases, five of which were brought in yesterday. We have 12 confirmed cases on the whole out of which five have died and five have been discharged. We are currently following up on 213 contacts while 62 have completed the 21-day follow-up.

“Yesterday, we record-

ed the death of the Senior C o n s u l t a n t / E n d o c r i -nologist of First Consul-tant Hospital, Obalende, Lagos, Dr. Stella Shade Ameyo Adadevoh, who took the initiative to inti-mate the ministry about the index case and subse-quently to her credit, the moderate containment achieved.”

Idris said the Lagos State Ministry of Health was continuing the con-tact-tracing, now shift-ing from primary to sec-ondary contacts.

The commissioner added that the mode of spread remained mainly transmission from an infected person in an in-fective state and from in-fected animals.

He said: “This is call for vigilance as human transmission is only achieved by physical contact with a person who is acutely and grave-ly ill (fever being a key sign) from Ebola virus

through body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, breast milk, semen and vomits.

“Burial ceremonies where mourners, includ-ing family members, have direct contact with patients who died of Ebola have also played a role in the spread and direct contact with dead bodies should be mini-mised at this period.”

On whether a patient could request for ad-ministration of an ex-perimental drugs like Nanosilver, Idris said the possibility of that hap-pening was very low as no certified doctor would be willing to administer an unapproved experimen-tal drugs on a patient.

He said testing positive to EVD was not a death sentence if detected ear-ly, even as he encouraged anyone who manifested the symptoms to give up themselves for proper test and medical care.

6 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday August 21, 2014 News

OBIORA IFOH AND OMEIZA AJAYI

The Police Service Commission, PSC, has approved the

promotion of the Commis-sioner of Police in the Fed-eral Capital Territory, FCT, Mbu Joseph Mbu, to the

next rank of Assistant In-spector General, AIG.

Equally promoted are 18 other commissioners of police, CPs, to the rank of AIGs.

The officers are Ambrose O. Aisibor, Adebayo Ajileye, Umaru Abubakar Manko, Joel Kayode Theophilus, Wilfred Eje Obute, Felix Os-

OBIORA IFOHABUJA

The United States Ambassador to Ni-geria, Mr. James

Entwistle, has said that the US Government would support the Federal Gov-ernment to ensure a suc-cessful general election in 2015.

He stated this yesterday in Abuja while paying a courtesy call on the Na-tional Working Commit-tee, NWC, of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP.

Entwistle said the U.S. would support the Nige-rian government because of the long-standing re-lationship between both countries.

“From our own histori-cal experience, we under-stand the importance of elections. The United States will support the Nigerian people in their quest to ensure a credible and transparent election that they want and de-serve.

“That is what we stand for, and as part of that, I will try to be in touch with all parties to un-derstand them, so that we can be knowledgeable about the electoral pro-cess here.

“I think it is incum-bent on all of us to work towards this; history shows us that one elec-tion can make the differ-ence. It may not happen overnight, but genuine change in every society

is only possible in a true democratic process,’’ the ambassador said.

He advised Nigerian politicians against vio-lence during elections, saying he that such was threatening democracy across the world.

The envoy, therefore, encouraged potential party candidates to pub-licly commit themselves that they would not en-courage, foment or en-gage in violence before, during and after elec-tions.

Entwistle added that it was necessary for politi-cians to begin to make such commitments from now till the 2015 general elections.

PDP National Chair-man, Alhaji Adamu Mu`azu, in his response, assured that the PDP un-der his leadership would ensure that its aspirants were subjected to party primaries.

This, he said, would ensure that the will of the people prevailed at all elections.

He stressed that the PDP believed in inter-nal democracy, adding that its doctrine of one-man-one-vote would be observed at all elections.

Mu`azu added that the outcome of the recent-ly-concluded Ekiti and Osun state governorship elections was an attesta-tion of the commitment of PDP leadership to transparent elections.

US promises successful poll in 2015

‘Nyako’s ADC collected N50m security votes yearly’

Police promote Mbu, 18 others to AIGs

L-R: Delta State Deputy Gvernor Amos Utuama; Commissioner for Information, Barr. Chike Ogeah; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, and Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, during the governor’s condolence visit to the family of the late Mr. Sunny Ofili in Asaba, yesterday.

LIVINUS MENEDIYOLA

The seven-man Jus-tice Bobboi Umar judicial panel of

inquiry, constituted by the Adamawa State govern-ment, to probe the admin-istration of former Gover-nor Murtala Nyako over an alleged N82bn debt hangover yesterday began sitting in Yola.

Acting Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, set up the panel to probe the debt reportedly owed between June 2007 and June 2014 by the ex-governor.

At the sitting, startling ‘revelations’ were made as to how Nyako’s aide-de-camp, ADC, Hassan Sani, allegedly fleeced the state of funds meant for some departments and agen-cies of government in the state over the seven-year period the regime held sway.

Among the allegations of financial malfeasance leveled against Nyako ad-ministration was that of yearly sleaze of N2.5bn by the ex-ADC, a deputy superintendent of police, DSP, whom the panel said would be made be return the funds to the ‘last pen-

ny’.Sani, according to the

panel probing the activi-ties of the former gover-nor, perfected a scheme whereby security votes to the tune of N50m and oth-er funds allocated to some departments and agencies of government running into several millions were diverted.

Following its discovery, the panel put the annual figures of the funds alleg-edly siphoned by the ADC at a conservative figure of N2.5bn.

The panel, National Mirror gathered, is al-ready in the process of

communicating the po-lice, his employers, to make the ex-ADC cough out N15million monthly, from the said loot, which is to be repatriated to the state’s coffers.

Testifying before the panel sitting at the high court complex in Yola, the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry for Lo-cal Government, Mr. Ken-nedy Dauda, said the 21 lo-cal government councils in the state had been con-tributing N48m monthly as assistance to the police, and that the amount col-lected was being handled by Nyako’s ADC.

ita Uyanna, A. J. Abakasan-ga, Jubril Olawale Adeniji, Ibrahim M. Maishanu and Godfrey E. Okeke.

Others are Chintua Ama-jor-Onu, Lawal Tanko, Us-man Akila Gwarry, Kalafite Helen Adeyemi, Yahaya Garba Ardo, Irimiya F. Yer-ima, Olufemi A. Adenaike and Patrick Dey Dokumor.

A statement signed by the Assistant Director, Press and Public Relations in the Commission, Ferdi-nand Ekpe, said all the ap-pointments took effect from yesterday.

“The promotions became necessary to fill the vacan-cies created by recent retire-ments/promotions in the

An FCT High Court yesterday refused the bail applica-

tion of the two suspected terrorists who allegedly hijacked The Vine Inter-national Academy, Nyan-ya, school bus.

The suspects are Vic-tor Essein, 39, of Udobana Street, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and Bassey Uboh, 49, of Iwuru Village, Akank-

pa local government area of Cross River State.

In his ruling, Justice Velantine Ashi, held that ``there is nothing urgent in this application.’’

Ashi, a vacation judge, refused the application for bail, remanded the ac-cused persons at the Kuje Maximum Prison, and re-turned the case to the trial judge.

Counsel of the accused persons, Mr. Omoloja Ad-egoke, had filed a motion for bail pending their ar-raignment.

Prosecutor John Ijag-bemi had opposed the ap-plication for bail, arguing that the accused persons were being tried for felony.

According to him, the offence attracts a maxi-mum punishment pursu-

ant to Section 6 (b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision Act) and the Section 341 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, recalls that the case had earlier been slated for July 24 before Justice Sylvanus Oriji, but could not hold because of the judicial workers’ strike.

Court denies suspected bus hijackers bail

Force and to re-invigorate and reposition zonal and other commands headed by AIGs, to help tackle the country’s current security challenges,” the. commis-sion said.

In another development, the acting Inspector-Gener-al of Police, IGP, Mr. Sulei-man Abba, has lamented the extent of dilapidation at the senior police officers’ quarters in Abuja.

Abba spoke when he inspected the 480-hectare MD Abubakar Barracks in Abuja.

He said he made some startling discoveries when he visited the quarters last week, but added that he had

given orders to make the place more habitable.

“About a week ago, I visited the quarters where most of our senior officers, that is, from the rank of deputy commissioners of police and above, reside.

“That is in the Central Area, directly opposite the Force Headquarters, and I made quite some disturb-ing discoveries, and as I speak to you, efforts are be-ing made to make that place more habitable,” he said.

The IGP added that he was in the barracks for an on-the-spot assessment with a particular intention to identify those areas that required urgent attention.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 7Thursday August 21, 2014 News

The Defence Head-quarters, (DHQ), yesterday de-

scribed that the soldier who granted interview to the BBC is an impos-tor.

This is contained in a statement posted on the Defence Headquarters website (www.defencein-fo.mil.ng), monitored by News Agency of Nige-ria, (NAN) in Abuja.

“The degree of cow-ardice is not in the char-acter of a real soldier of the Nigerian Army.”

It stated that the se-ries of lies contained in the alleged responses of the faceless person referred to as a soldier confirmed the whole ar-rangement as another step of the mischief makers working for ter-rorists.

“No soldier has been

sent on any mission without being armed. Each soldier answers for his action in terms of discipline.

“Anyone who knows the military reward for mutiny will not join an-other person to try it.

“The overwhelming majority of the Nigerian soldiers remain as brave and disciplined as ever,” it stated.

It stated that the Army would not join any ren-egade, coward, deserter or those trying to incite mutiny in the military to betray the nation at a time like this.

It stated that the claim of the soldier in the in-terview was false, point-ing out that “soldiers are not being sent to die’.

“We are daily improv-ing on weapons and equipment rapidly.”

SAIDAT ALAUSA

The West African Ex-aminations Coun-cil WAEC, has said

intending candidates for the West African Senior School Certificate Exami-nations, WASSCE, No-vember/December 2014 private, who were unable to register during the nor-mal registration period, can still register and sit the examinations, as ‘walk-in-candidates’.

Addressing journalists at the head office in Lagos, the Head of National Of-fice, Charles Eguridu, said the initiative is to enable candidates that would like

to write the examination but could not register be-fore the end of the registra-tion period, register and write the examination.

According to him, the registration will com-mence on August 26 and continue throughout the duration of the examina-tion with N25,000.

He added that the walk-in-candidates would only be able to sit for the exami-nation in cities and towns where the council’s offices are located.

He also explained that unlike before, candidates for the walk-in-candidates can register without prej-udice to the minimum number of subjects.

INUSA NDAHIMAIDUGURI

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State yesterday

directed that 1,000 bags of processed wheat and maize, as well as assorted drugs be delivered to hun-dreds of people that have been trapped at Banki, a border town between Ni-geria and Cameroon, fol-lowing border closure by

Cameroon’s authorities for fear of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease.

Usman Zanna, a mem-ber of the Agric Trans-formation Committee of the state government said the governor gave the directive following reports that the people of Banki had ran out of food and could not go to Bama because Boko Haram insurgents had blocked the road.

Fake soldier granted interview to BBC, says DHQ

NSCDC recovers over N1bn from job racketeers

APC BoT: Buhari, Atiku, Ikimi, 71 others make list

Voters being registered at Orolodo Unit of Omu-Aran Ward 2 in Kwara State, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Men and officers of the Nige-rian Security

and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have recovered over N1 billion from over 600 persons arrested for embarking on illegal re-cruitment activities over the years, its Head of Pub-lic Relations, Mr. Emman-uel Okey, has disclosed.

Speaking at the Forum of Spokespersons of Secu-rity and Response Agen-cies, FOSSRA, and the Media interactive parley, convened by I-Nigerian Initiative in Abuja yes-terday, Okey also said 380 vandals from across the country were also arrest-ed between January and July this year.

The latest fraudster

was one Michael Ogun from Edo State who was arrested in a suburb of Abuja recently with N495 million and other foreign currencies found in vari-ous bank accounts.

While disclosing that over N900 million had been refunded to vic-tims, he advised Nigeri-ans seeking employment with NSCDC to be wary of those peddling fake employment websites and bank accounts as the corps does not invite ap-plications through the internet nor demands payment for employment forms.

Of the number ar-rested, 10 have already been convicted by differ-ent courts of law while

364 others are undergo-ing prosecution by either the Economic or Finan-cial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Police or NSCDC officers.

Giving a further break-down, Okey said 293 people were arrested for vandalis-ing oil pipeline and gas in-stallation while the remain-ing 87 were apprehended for destroying or stealing electricity, telecommunica-tion and railway infrastruc-ture.

He lamented the light convictions that some of the vandals were given and blamed it on available legal lacuna in the form of discretion given to law en-forcement agents to either rely on the Legal/Penal Code or the Miscellaneous

Offences Act.In the same vein, the

corps registered 61 private security companies within the period under review while 132 others are in dif-ferent stages of processing. Seventy eight of them were sealed off for contravention and a sum of N180 million was generated from issu-ance or renewal of licences.

Speaking on efforts to counter terrorism, Okey said the corps is presently strengthening surveillance and intelligence gathering mechanism, staff training and retraining and pur-chase of necessary equip-ment adding that NSCDC officers are actively in-volved with other security agencies in insurgency hotspots.

OBIORA IFOHABUJA

The All Progressive Congress (APC) has appointed about 74

persons to form its Board of Trustees (BoT), even as the party holds its first National Executive Com-mittee (NEC) meeting to-day.

Among prominent members of the party that made the list are former head of state, Muham-

madu Buhari, former Vice president Atiku Abuba-kar, former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, chiefs Tom Ikimi, Ogbon-naya Onu, Bisi Akande and Audu Ogbeh.

Other prominent mem-bers are Baba Magaji, Kawu Baraje, Tony Mo-moh, Timi Sylva, Yusuf Garba Ali, Aminu Bello Masari, all the APC serv-ing governors and their former counterpart, Sena-tor George Akume and

Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, among others. National Mirror reliably gathered that some appointed BoT members met at the Na-tional Secretariat of the Party yesterday while some notable members were not in attendance.

A source at the party of-fice told some journalists that the board has fixed next week for its first meeting to elect its execu-tive members after the first national convention

of the party. The source also dis-

closed that the party would have its first Na-tional Executive Commit-tee (NEC) meeting today.

Investigations revealed that the party may settle for a South East man as the board chairman while secretary may come from the North central.

Under the APC consti-tution, the role of BoT is advisory and intervening during critical issues.

…arrests 380 vandals

WASSCE: WAEC announces registration of walk-in-candidates

Shettima empowers victims of Cameroon border closure

Fashola signs N11bn 2014 reordering budget

L-R: Training Instructor, LAGBUS, Hassan Olasunkanmi ; Head, Bus Captain Training, Babatunde Shoderu; Human Resources Officer, Sumbo Anifowose, and Training Instructor, Mustapha Akeem, at the female drivers’ recruitment and training exercise in Lagos, yesterday.

Lagos gets new CJ

Traditionalists want regulatory board

Ogun police arrest cleric for rape

FEMI OYEWESOABEOKUTA

Ogun State police command has ar-rested a minister

with Cherubim and Sera-phim church for allegedly raping a 32-year-old lady in the church premises at Odogbolu, Odogbolu local government area of the state, while conducting a “deliverance” prayer ses-sion on her.

The suspect, identified as Segun Alawode, 37, was said to have been picked up from his C&S church in Sabo area of the town by police anti-crime operatives attached to Odogbolu Divi-

FRANCIS SUBERU

Lagos State Gover-nor, Babatunde Fashola, yesterday

signed a bill to reorder the state’s 2014 budget.

Signing the bill at the Conference Room, State House, Alausa, Fashola said the current health and se-curity challenges as well as the reversal in school fees at the Lagos State University, LASU necessitated the ad-justment in the budget.

MATTHEW IRINOYE

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, yesterday swore in

a new Chief Judge, Oluwa-funmilayo Atilade, follow-ing the retirement of the former CJ, Ayotunde Phil-lips, on attaining the man-datory retirement age of 65.

The swearing-in ceremo-ny held at the Governor’s Office, Alausa, ushered in Atilade as the 15th chief judge of the state and the fifth woman to occupy the post.

Fahola, in his brief re-marks, noted that the re-tired chief judge, Philips, kept her word of oath and reformed Lagos judiciary during her tenure in office.

The governor, however, urged the new chief judge to adhere strictly to the rule of law while discharging her duties.

Earlier, the state At-torney-General and Com-missioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye, noted that following the exit of Philips, it was necessary for the state to have a new chief judge.

Ipaye said in that regard, section 271(1) of the consti-

BOLADALE BAMIGBOLAOSOGBO

Adherents of the traditional reli-gion in Osun State

have demanded the estab-lishment of Traditional Religion Board.

According to Chief Idowu Awopetu, the chairman of Traditional Religion Worshipers As-sociation, TRWA, Osun branch, the board, if even-tually established, would regulate activities of the followers of the traditional religion in the state.

In his address at the grand finale of this year’s edition of Isese Day in Os-ogbo, Awopetu who com-mended Governor Rauf Aregbesola for his sup-port for the traditionalists, called for the introduction of Ifa as subject in public schools, as well as estab-lishment of a regulatory board to promote and check excesses of members.

He said the traditional-ists welcomed with great enthusiasm the inclusion of Ifa religion in Opon Imo, tablets of knowledge given to public schools students

The adjustment totaling N11.66 billion did not in any way affect the initial size of the 2014 budget which still remains N489 billion.

According to the gover-nor, the ordering was also necessitated to cater for “some hazard allowances and those types of things for people who do hazard-ous work and lately the unplanned but now compel-ling need to improve capac-ity to overcome the chal-lenge of the imported Ebola Virus.”

Explaining the effect of the reordering, Commis-sioner for Finance, Ayo Gbeleyi, said the difference was between the capital and recurrent expenditure, not-ing however that the change was not really significant.

Gbeleyi said, “In this regard we have a total of N11.66 billion of our budget reordered. This is made up of N7.2 billion reordered into recurrent expenditure and N4.46 billion into capi-tal expenditure, so it’s just a slight reduction of one per

cent in favour of recurrent expenditure.”

It would be recalled that the governor had two weeks ago, written to the state House of Assembly to re-quest a re-ordering of the 2014 budget to address some exigent and pressing issues in the state.

The budget re-ordering, according to Fashola, was necessary to meet demands for more public services, which are “sufficiently compelling and cannot wait until 2015”.

tution provided that “ the appointment of a person to the office of the chief judge of a state shall be made by the governor of the state on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, subject to the confirmation of the appointment by the House of Assembly of the state.”

He added that the judi-cial power is extended to all matters between persons and government or author-ity and any person in Nige-ria.

It would be recalled that the state House of Assem-bly confirmed Atilade for the position on August 11, 2014 after she was screened following her nomination by the governor.

Atilade told the lawmak-ers during the screening exercise that she had spent half of her life working for the state judiciary and became a magistrate at 30 years in 1982 and thereafter judge in 1996.

In her speech, she prom-ised to continue with the good work embarked upon by the retired judge to de-congest prisons and ensure speedy dispensation of criminal cases.

by the government, but la-mented that Ifa as a course of study was yet to be in-troduced in schools in the state.

While calling on govern-ment to support the tradi-tionalists in their bid to de-velop Ifa School in Masifa, Ejigbo Local Government Area of the state, Awopetu said teaching of Ifa can help to correct misbehavior among youth.

Responding, the gover-nor reassured adherents of different religions in the state of level playground and urged them to con-tinue to pray for peace and remain peaceful in their re-lationship with followers of other religions.

To allow traditionalists celebrate the day, Osun state government had de-clared a public holiday.

... two others for armed robbery

Gov. Aregbesola

sional headquarters after relatives of the lady report-ed the matter to the police.

The command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, told jour-nalists yesterday in Abeo-kuta, the state capital that the pastor had instructed his victim to hold on to some candle sticks during a special deliverance prayer session before he “suddenly and forcefully pulled off her wears and had carnal knowledge of the lady right in the church.”

“The anti-crime team attached to Odogbolu Divi-sion of Ogun State Com-mand apprehended him when the victim and her

relations stormed the Po-lice division to notify the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the division of the pastor’s misdeeds and to seek justice from the po-lice.”

Adejobi added that medi-cal reports received by the command on the matter confirmed that the pastor committed the offense and that he also confessed to committing the crime.

The PPRO also said the matter has been transferred to the Anti-Human Traffick-ing and Child Labour Unit of the Department of Crim-inal Investigation of the command, stressing that Alawode will be charged to

court as soon as investiga-tion was concluded on the matter.

In another development, the PPRO stated that the police mobile patrol team deployed to the Lagos/Ibadan expressway has ar-rested two suspected armed robbers at a petrol station along the expressway while they were blocking the ex-pressway in an attempt to rob motorists and commut-ers of their belongings.

Adejobi gave names of the two suspected armed robbers as Usman Sunday, 28, and Richard Olabode, 27, both of who he said lived together in the Sabo area of Sagamu.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netSouth West Thursday, August 21, 20148

States, fi rms raise N53bn from bonds market

Police corporal dismissed for robbery

Governance ‘sleeping’ in Ondo —APC

Communities warned against disrupting power projects

L-R: Chairman of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, National Governing Board, Chief Gordon Bozimo; Ekiti State Deputy Gov-ernor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu; Commissioner for Youths and Sports/ Chairman of the State NYSC Governing Board, Mr. Kayode Olaosebikan, and the NYSC State Coordinator, Mr. Tobias Ibeh, during a visit on the deputy governor, recently.

Some state govern-ments and quoted companies raised

N53.48bn from the bonds market of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, in the first seven months of 2014.

A News Agency of Ni-geria, NAN, analysis of bond transactions between January and July yes-terday in Lagos showed that N15.08bn was raised through corporate bonds, while N38.4bn was through government bonds.

An analysis of the bonds further showed that Dana Group of Compa-nies, during the period un-der review, raised N4.5bn through a corporate bond with coupon rate of 16 per cent.

Nigerian Aviation Han-dling Company NAHCo Plc, sourced for N2.05bn, at a coupon rate of 15.25 per cent.

La Casera Company Plc floated a corporate bond worth N3bn at a coupon rate of 15.75 per cent, FSDH

Funding Special Pur-pose Vehicle, SPV, raised N5.53bn, at coupon rate of 14.25 per cent.

In the period also, the Ekiti State Government raised N5bn at a coupon rate of 14.50 per cent, while the Nasarawa State Government floated N5bn bonds, with a 15 per cent coupon rate.

The Niger State Govern-ment issued bonds worth N12bn at a coupon rate of 14 per cent, whileits Kogi State counterpart raised N5bn.

The Osun State Govern-ment during the period also floated bonds worth N11.4bn, at a coupon rate of 14.75 per cent.

The Managing Director, APT Securities and Funds Ltd., Malam Garba Kurfi, commended the return of corporate bonds in the market.

He said the global finan-cial meltdown of 2008 was responsible for investors’ loss of confidence in the eq-uities market.

HAKEEM GBADAMOSIAKURE

The Ondo State Po-lice Command has arrested and dis-

missed a police corporal, Omini Nkanu, over his involvement in armed rob-bery.

This was disclosed by the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Isaac Eke, who also said no fewer than 31 other suspects had been arrested by the men of the state police command in the last one month.

Eke, who stated this while briefing journalists on the activities of his men in curbing crimes in the state, said the corporal snatched a Toyota Camry car from one Oretan Olu-wadamilare on the July 24 around Oba Ile in Akure North local government area of the state.

The commissioner, however, said nemesis caught up with Nkanu when a team of Federal Highway Patrol attached to Abia State intercepted him on his way to dispose the car.

Nkanu, with Force No. 399471 and attached to the Oba Ile Division of the

The Nigerian Insti-tution of Electrical and Electronics En-

gineers, NIEEE, yesterday warned communities un-der electricity distribution companies’ network to de-sist from disrupting ongo-ing power projects across the country.

The association’s secre-tary, Mr. Ajibade Hafeez, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos.

Hafeez urged the Feder-

al Government to enforce subsisting laws and penal-ise communities that dis-rupt power projects.

He said the hostile na-ture of some communi-ties and the vandalism of electricity infrastructure might compel the govern-ment to relocate projects from such communities.

Hafeez also condemned what he called ‘incessant extortion’ by some commu-nities, and the disruption of ongoing projects in their areas.

HAKEEM GBADAMOSIAKURE

The Ondo State Chap-ter of All Progres-sives Congress, APC,

yesterday charged the state government to wake up to its responsibilities of provid-ing good governance for the people, saying governance had gone to sleep since the second coming of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Its state chairman, Hon. Isaacs Kekemeke, who gave this charge in Akure yester-day, also called on the ruling Labour Party, LP, govern-ment in the state to redefine its priority, “rather than investing in projects which are not.”

According to the APC leader, the government ought to concentrate on add-ing value to the lives of the people and the development

“Communities should support and cooperate with the government in sorting out extant commu-nity resettlement issues or risk having the power asset relocated from their areas.

“With the level of obsti-nate attitudes exhibited in some of the communities, I think the government should come down hard on those with a penchant for disrupting ongoing power projects within their locali-ties,’’ he said.

Hafeez urged commu-

nity leaders to assist in monitoring government’s equipments within their locality.

He suggested that secu-rity personnel be drafted to power projects should be rotated yearly before the personnel become fa-miliar with the communi-ties.

The secretary also sug-gested the drafting of community leaders to the security management of ongoing projects to safe-guard infrastructure.

them.“Government owes the

people of the state a duty to function both at state and local government levels. I appeal to government to release funds to ministries, departments and parastat-als for quick the recovery of all government activities in the state.”

He condemned the ‘pull-ing down’ of the Owena Motels over the govern-ment’s desire to construct Shoprite and a five-star ho-tel, saying it was a welcome development if only the government showed genu-ine commitment towards the project so that it would not be another abandoned project.

“As a party, we are not opposed to the building of the mall, but we are afraid that somebody should not pull down what we have for

a non-feasible project that may not come to realisation.

“We tell the government, if it has demolished this legacy, that it should be com-pleted in a short time. We want a time lag.

“Some people are agitat-ing that this should take place somewhere else, but it depends on the government. So, the government should be held accountable and deliver the project in time. This must not be another doomed project.”

Kekemeke also advised the state government to desist from imposing un-reasonable tax, saying, “too many activities are being taxed, and this amounts to suffering for the people of the state. Government should think of avenues of creating employment by re-vamping all the moribund industries.”

of the state. Kekemeke said the re-

cent groundbreaking of Shoprite, a shopping mall, by the governor was not the priority of the state, saying efforts should have been darted at completing the project in record time.

The APC chairman also urged the state government to release funds for the local governments, Ministries, Department and Agencies, MDAs, for developmental purposes and should stop the ‘one-man’ administra-tion of the state.

Kekemeke’s words: “We are concerned about the va-cation that Ondo State Gov-ernment has since gone on.

“Our officers are not functioning again; local government councils are no longer doing noticeable projects because of the non-release of funds allocated to

IGP Abba

state command, however, confessed to the snatching of the car at gun-point, say-ing the robbery was carried out with some members off his gang now at large.

The police boss said the corporal had been dis-missed from the force, add-ing the suspect would soon appear in court.

The commissioner also informed that a murder suspect, Busayo Ayowele, will soon face the wrath of law for killing one Antho-ny Idowu, her man friend.

According to the police boss, the suspect, Busayo, called his man friend and doused him with petrol be-fore setting him ablaze.

He said: “A case of at-tempted murder involving the lady was transfered to the Department of Crimi-nal Investigation, Akure, from Fanibi Division.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 9Thursday, August 21, 2014 South West

Community rejects ‘Okorocha’s monarch’

Enugu State Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi (right), addressing newsmen after providing evidence to the impeachment panel constituted by the State House of Assembly in Enugu, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Gov. Okorocha

2015: Abia monarchs bicker over guber zoning GEORGE OPARAABIA

Prominent Ukwa/Ngwa monarchs are divided on the deci-

sion of the Peoples Demo-cratic Party, PDP, Abia State chapter to zone the 2015 gubernatorial ticket to the people of Abia South senatorial zone.

However, a section of tra-ditional rulers from Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South and Osisioma local government areas who met at the palace of the tradi-tional ruler of Ezeukwu of Ngwaukwu, Eze Bernard Enweremadu, have rejected the controversial zoning in favour of the Abia South, as another group of monarchs from Isiala Ngwa South have also thrown their sup-port behind the zoning deci-

CHRIS NJOKUOWERRI

The ripples generated by the purported installation of a

new traditional ruler for Obinugwu Community in Orlu local government area of Imo State is rising up, as the people yesterday reject-ed Mr. Stanley Nwangwu, Governor Rochas Okoro-cha’s appointed monarch.

They also vowed to fine any indigene of Obinugwu seen exchanging even greet-ings with Nwangwu the sum of N50,000.

Some members of the community who spoke to National Mirror said the interim sanction against Nwangwu, whom they claimed was from Arondi-zuogu in Ideato local gov-ernment area of Imo State, would be extended to other members of his family.

Speaking to newsmen, the youth leader of Obinug-wu Community, Mr. Uchen-na Ohaonu, wondered why Okorocha was bent on set-ting Imo State on fire, say-ing, “It is callous and irre-sponsible on the part of the governor to foist a foreign-

er on us. We will resist it.”According to him, “an

enlarged Obinugwu Com-munity meeting of her in-digenes at home and in the Diaspora will soon be con-

verged to impose tougher sanctions on Mr. Stanley Nwangwu until he returns Governor Okorocha’s poi-sonous gift and probably relocates to Ogboko Com-munity in Ideato South.”

The youth leader que-ried: “Have you ever seen where a man and his wife alone goes to receive Eze-ship staff of office, with-out any indigene of his community accompanying him?

“Governor Okorocha never gave any Eze in Imo State a jeep, but he bought one Tokunbo Jeep for Stan-

‘INEC, others aided PDP’s bye-election victory’GEORGE OPARAABIA

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in

Abia State has accused the Independent National Elec-toral Commission, INEC, the security agencies and government officials of aiding the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to win last Saturday’s bye-election for Aba South State Constituency.

But INEC has swiftly de-nied the allegation, saying there was no evidence to support the claim by the op-position party.

In a statement signed by the APC deputy public-ity secretary, Onyioha Ony-ioha, and made available to journalists in Umuahia, the party alleged: “There is demonstrable evidence of irregularities and fraud perpetrated by PDP with the connivance and cooper-ation of sitting government officials at federal, state and LGA levels, and members of election management agencies, including the In-dependent National elec-toral Commission, INEC, the Nigeria Police, Nige-rian Civil Defence and Se-curity Corps, NSCDC, and others.”

According to the state-ment, “Irregularities were evident in the distribution of election materials to vot-ing centres, voter accredita-tion, voting, collating and returning of election re-sults and materials, as well as stealing of ballot boxes and materials.”

It further said that ir-regularities were most pro-nounced in wards 2, 4, 6 and 7, where it alleged intimi-dation, snatching of ballot boxes, seizure of recording materials and stealing elec-tion booklets.

The statement also al-leged that the election was

ley Nwangwu. This ex-plains the whole charade,” he stated.

Ohaonu maintained that Ilomuanya remained their revered traditional ruler. “He remains our Obi of Obinugwu in whom we are well pleased. Okoro-cha cannot tell us who our monarch is.

“Eze Ilomuanya brought

autonomy to us, tarred our roads; gave us water and light. What has Okorocha done for us to warrant this wicked act against us?

“We advise Stanley Nwangwu to stay off Obinugwu Community in his own interest because when the chips are down I wonder if Okorocha can save him,” he warned.

marred by public apathy, disenfranchisement and in-timidation, among others.

It, therefore, rejected the final result, saying it was not a true reflection of the will of the electorate.

“APC Abia Chapter is convinced it won the said election on merit, and de-served to have been an-nounced as winner, but for the shenanigans described above. While we call on our supporters to remain calm, we wish to assure them that we are studying the facts of the matter to ascertain any options for redress avail-able to the party.”

But the INEC has de-scribed the allegation as un-true. Reacting to the state-ment on phone, the Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the Commission, Mr. Edwin Enabo, said there could not have been such fraud and malpractices as alleged by the APC since the party’s agents were on ground and signed every document re-lating to the election.

Enabor said though there was a case of ballot box snatching in one of the polling booths, it was not enough to cancel the results, which he said, did not substantially mar the outcome of the election.

He said the commission took care to ensure that the election from the particular booth was cancelled. The PRO denied the allegation of fraud and malpractice in any part of the constitu-ency during the by-election.

sion.The pro-zoning mon-

archs, after their meeting held at the country home of a former commissioner for information and a re-nowned human rights law-yer, Dr. Anthony Agbazuere at Ikem Nvosi, resolved to dissociate from the former’s position.

They resolved to support the power shift as advocated by Governor Theodore Orji and the PDP.

As the controversy rag-es, political analysts are expressing fear that if the apparent disagreement con-tinues unchecked, the peo-ple of Ukwa/Ngwa might play themselves into the hands of their rivals, and eventually confer unexpect-ed advantage on the aspi-rants from other senatorial zones already in the race to

grab the highest political position in the state.

In the six-point reso-lution endorsed by the pro-Abia South 28 mon-archs, the traditional rul-ers pledged their support and loyalty to the ‘equity-keeping’ administration of Governor Theodore Orji, through his commitment to zoning.

The monarchs, in the resolution, commended the governor for being the first and only one since the cre-ation of the state to cham-pion the cause of Ngwa-land by insisting on equity, justice and fairness in the distribution of political of-fices.

“We the traditional rul-ers of Isiala Ngwa South local government area sup-port the zoning formula of the ruling party in the state,

the PDP, which has been spearheaded by our dynam-ic governor to allow the gov-ernorship seat to come to Abia South senatorial zone.

“That by hindsight, we see the zoning of the gov-ernorship position to Abia South senatorial zone as a guaranteed progression to the realisation of the Ngwa dream being championed by our equity keeping gov-ernor, Chief Orji.

“That we endorse the governor for the senate come 2015 because of his outstanding performance as governor, and we pray the governor and the PDP to grant the people of Isiala Ngwa South the same eq-uity in our relationship and understanding with Isiala Ngwa North in the seat of the House of Representa-tives.” INEC boss, Jega

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014South East10

Delta: Police nab 4 persons for pilfering 1,301 PVCs THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHENWARRI

Delta State police command yester-day said it has ar-

rested no fewer than four suspected hoodlums for snatching 1,301 permanent voters cards from officials of the Independent Nation-al Electoral Commission, INEC, in Ughelli South and Ethiope East Council Ar-eas of the state.

This is coming after Na-tional Mirror had reported weekend of a plot to attack INEC officials undertak-

ing the distribution of the voter cards in the state, due to the absence of security.

A statement from the state Police Public Rela-tions Officer, DSP Celesti-na Kalu, however, disclosed that out of the missing PVCs, a total of 1,157 have been recovered while search is on to recover the remaining.

According to the state-ment, the suspects stole 503 in units 17 and 18 of Jeremi Ward 2 in Oginibo, country home of former minister of state for edu-cation and governorship aspirant, Chief Kenneth

Shell commits $3m to national welding centre JULIUS OSAHONYENAGOA

As part of its commit-ment to the develop-ment of local capac-

ity in welding engineering in Nigeria, the nation’s larg-est offshore oil producing company, the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCO, has committed about $3 million to the completion of the Na-tional Centre of Excellence for Welding Engineering and Technology located in Benin, the Edo State capital.

The centre, which is ex-pected to be the largest and best equipped in Africa, will play host to a number of

facilities including welding laboratories for mechani-cal, corrosion and chemical test, under-water welding and diving operations, Non-Destructive and Destructive Testing laboratories and research facilities that will allow the academia, the in-dustry and researchers to work in a conducive envi-ronment.

The president of the Nigerian Institute of Weld-ing (NIW) and the West African Welding Federa-tion (WAWF), Dr Solomon Iyobosa Edebiri, disclosed this while chatting with newsmen on plans towards the commissioning of the multi-billion naira facility

by year end.According to him,

SNEPCO had not only tak-en over the completion of the welding laboratory, the company had also ordered and delivered all necessary equipment, in addition to providing two giant power generating plants to the complex so operations could begin immediately.

Edebiri said with the centre operational, it would save the nation over $10 bil-lion in revenue that is being spent on tests and other re-lated services in the oil and gas industry outside the country.

He said the Petroleum Technology Development

Gbagi, while another 654 PVCs were snatched at Ekakpamre unit 12, both in Ughelli South.

Kalu gave the names of the arrested suspects as one Bulless Mrikugbe ‘m’, Raymond Justus Ese ‘m’, Josiah Shetode ‘m’ and Fe-lix Obokan.

“However, the 503 PVCs were later recovered aban-doned near the garage in Oginibo town.

“Investigation is in progress while all the re-covered PVCs have been released to the electoral officer for Ughelli South LGA on bond,” the state-

ment added.The PPRO added, “In the

same vein, on 17/8/2014 at about 1730hrs, one Egugwu Mulaka ‘m’, a youth corper and Distribution officer for unit 6 Erho-Abraka reported at Abraka police station that on 16/08/2014 one 144 PVCs meant for dis-tribution in the above unit were stolen from him by unknown person(s).

“Four persons suspected by the Distribution officer have been arrested and are helping the police in-vestigations while efforts are on to recover the stolen PVCs.”

L-R: Director of Publication, Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communication, Mr. Samuel Iyoyo; Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Cordelia Peterside, and Director, Public Enlightenment, Mr. Paulinus Nsirim, at a media sensitisation campaign on Ebola, in Port Harcourt, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Gov. Dickson

OSAHON JULIUSYENAGOA

Representatives of the six commu-nities in Nembe

Kingdom in Nembe local government area of Bay-elsa State, whose youths were alleged to be plotting to blow up the Obama Flow Station and the owner of the flow station, Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC, has been summoned by the Assistant Inspector Gen-eral of Police, AIG, Zone 5.

Security sources con-firmed that a meeting has been fixed for today be-tween both parties after the petition by represen-tatives of the aggrieved communities of Obama, Olugbobiri and Ogboinbiri over the alleged refusal of Agip to honour a contrac-tual agreement reached on pipeline surveillance and anti-illegal bunkering work on pipelines belong-ing to the Obama Flow station and Tebidaba flow station, reached the police high command.

It was learnt that the agreement was reached on May 24 in Port Har-court, Rivers State and

Police summon Agip staff, community leaders over fl ow station

signed by representatives of the aggrieved commu-nities, Nyenye Kuro Math-ias (Obama), David Lyon (Olugbobiri), Tonye Kiri (Ogbonbiri) and Doogood (Ogbobiri) and the repre-sentatives of Agip, Fotana Salvado (CRV Manager) and Giovani Azzarulu (Transport Manager).

National Mirror gath-ered that the refusal of the Agip oil company to honour the agreement may not be unconnected with the alleged influence of the state’s deputy gov-ernor, Rear Admiral John Jonah, in pushing the job to Nembe local council led by Eminah Benneth, to handle through a yet-to-be established Task Force on illegal bunkering.

The aggrieved youths claimed that the alleged hijack by the deputy gov-ernor may be politically motivated against per-ceived opposition in the representative of Obama Flow Station, Nyenye Kuro Mathias, which might lead to violent attack on the Obama Flow Station that had never been attacked in the last 35 years of exis-tence.

Bayelsa ex-militant leaders disown Ogun boss

Fund (PTDF) and the Nige-rian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) were also play-ing strategic roles towards completion of the complex.

He said as part of goals to improve local content in the oil and gas industry, the PTDF was committing a lot of resources to build human capacity for the industry.

He said that with the NCDMB facilitating the in-volvement of the interna-tional oil companies in Ni-geria, the synergy between the IOCs with PTDF and NCDMB, the importation of welding personnel and services would soon be-come a thing of the past.

OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

Ex-militant leaders, under the aegis of the Leadership for

Peace and Cultural Devel-opment Initiative, LPCDI, yesterday disowned the for-mer member of the Upper Chamber of the Movement for the Emancipation of Ni-ger Delta, MEND, Comrade Eris Paul, known as Gen-eral Ogunboss, over his al-leged derogatory comments against the state governor, Seriake Dickson.

According to the group, the claim by the former MEND leader on the alleged attempts on his life by some unknown persons allegedly sponsored by officials of the state government was not known to them.

They, however, promised to ensure a process of peace-ful settlement of the raging war of words between the ex-militant leader and Dick-son.

The group in a statement issued yesterday in Yenagoa

and signed by the National Coordinator, Pastor Reuben Wilson, cautioned that if any ex-militant leader had any personal issue with the governor, such should face it on his own without drag-ging the entire ex-militant leaders into the issue, add-ing: “Those making the claims should leave frivoli-ties and embrace peaceful resolution of conflicts.”

He called on those ag-grieved to adopt appropriate means of resolving conflict rather than engaging in acts that will distract the president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and Dickson from carrying out their statutory duties of governance at the federal and state levels.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Thursday, August 21, 2014 11South South

PRISCILLA DENNISMINNA

The Leprosy Mis-sion, Nigeria, TLM, has said out of the

over 3,000 reported cases of leprosy annually, five states top the disease transmission chart.

It said Zamfara, Kebbi, Benue, Jigawa and Benue states have records of 200 and above cases in the

country. TLM also stated that

unless local, state and fed-eral governments protect, respect and fulfil their fi-nancial agreements in the fight to rid the nation of leprosy, the disease would remain on the increase

It decried the situation whereby 98 per cent of funds used by TLM were from donor organisations outside Nigeria.

Five states top leprosy chart

L-R: Special Adviser on Projects to Bauchi State Governor, Mr. Aliyu Jibrin; State Airport Consultant, Mr. Begha Nyakome and team leader, National Hajj Commission, Capt. Talba Alkali, during the commission’s inspection of Bauchi State International Air-port for 2014 Hajj operations, on Monday. PHOTO: NAN

INUSA NDAHIDAMATURU

The Yobe State House of Assembly yes-terday approved a

virement of N4.15bn in the 2014 budget for the comple-tion of ongoing federal and state roads in various parts of the state.

This is even as members of the Assembly passed a vote of confidence on Gov-ernor Ibrahim Gaidam for his good working relation-ship with the legislative arm of government and delivery of dividends of democracy with “transpar-ency and accountability” to the people that voted him into office.

Reading the request of the governor for the vire-ment, Speaker of the House, Hon. Adamu Dala Dogo, said it was imperative to make some transfers within the Ministry of Works’ ap-proved 2014 budget to com-plete ongoing federal and state roads before the end of this financial year.

His words: “In line with the provisions of the 2014 Appropriation law, the Sec-retary to the State Govern-ment in his August 14, 2014 letter of request for the ap-proval by this Honourable House to effect virement in the 2014 approved bud-get where a total savings of N4.15bn is made from some codes in respect of the capital expenditures for the Ministry of Works to augument construction of federal and state roads within the same budget for the attainment of govern-ment’s set objectives within

Yobe Assembly approves N4.15bn for projects

The Operations Man-ager, TLM, Mr. Pius Ogbu Sunday, made the disclo-sure at a training work-shop organised for media practitioners on ‘Reduc-ing Leprosy-Related Stig-ma and Discrimination’ in Minna.

According to him, 10 states -Niger, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Cross Rivers, Sokoto,

Borno, Bauchi and Benue had between 100 and 199 reported cases, followed by seven states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, with 55 to 99 cases.

He said in 2012 alone, 3,805 cases, comprising 332 children were report-ed, adding that out of the total figure, Niger State recorded 172 cases, out

of which 32 children were with the disease.

On the TLM’s decision to organise the workshop for journalists in Niger State, the operations man-ager said: “There is still a serious issue; a concern in Niger State, because there are communities living with the plights of leprosy that cannot be imagined.

“They are being stig-matised and discriminat-ed against and the media has a role to play to kick it out of Nigeria, Africa and the world.”

The manager added leprosy can be totally eradicated, if it is given the same commitment as the Wild Polio Virus, WPF, and now Ebola Virus Dis-ease, EVD.

the year under review.”He said with the approved

virements, the completion of federal roads by the min-istry of works would gulp the sum of N1.05bn, while N3.1bn was to be expended on state roads.

Meantime, the state’s lawmakers yesterday passed a vote of confidence on the governor for his good working relationship with the legislative arm of government and transpar-ency and accountability in office.

YOBE STATE UNIVERSITYKM. 7 Gujba Road, P.M.B 1144, Damaturu, Yobe State

(Offi ce of the Registrar)INVITATION FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION OF CONTRACTORS FOR 2014 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEEDS II PROJECTS

Ibrahim Jaji MaudeRegistrar

Signed:

The Yobe State University, Damaturu plans to construct six (6) blocks of classrooms (9 each) upstairs using the Federal Government’s Funds under NEEDS II

CONSTRUCTION OF SIX (6) BLOCKS OF CLASSROOMS (UPSTAIRS)Interested and competent contractors with experience in similar projects are requested to submit pre-qualifi cation documents arranged in the following order for consideration:a) Evidence of Registration and Incorporation of Company by Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC);b) Company’s Income Tax Certifi cate for the last three (3) years (CTC); c) Evidence of Registration with the University in the relevant category;d) Company’s Audited Accounts for the last two (2) years (CAA);e) List of key staff with evidence of profi ciency and experience (where applicable);f) Evidence of Financial Capacity and Banking Support;g) Verifi able list of similar works successfully completed in the last two (2) years with names of clients, evidence of award and completion;h) Equipment and technological Capacity (where applicable);i) VAT Registration and evidence of VAT Remittance;j) Evidence of Community and Social Responsibility (CSR); and k) Payment of Twenty Thousand Naira (N20,000:00) pre-qualifi cation materials processing fee.

Two copies of the pre-qualifi cation documents should be addressed and submitted to the Registrar, Yobe State University, Damaturu in an envelope marked 2014 NEEDS II PROJECTS to reach him not later than two (2) weeks from the date of this publication.Please note that this is not an invitation to tender and only successful applicants will be invited to tender.The University does not go into correspondence on account of unsuccessful applications. CHANGE OF NAME

ADISA: Formerly known and addressed as Adisa Abusat’ Oluwanike, now wish to be known and addressed as Sanni Abusat’ Oluwanike. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria Stockbrokers Limited & Registrars and General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAMEADEOGUN: Formerly known and addressed as Adeogun Grace Funmilayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Ayanlade Segun Grace Funmilayo. All former documents remain valid. Osun State SUBEB and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAMEAKINKUNMI: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinkunmi Opeyemi Tosin. now wish to be known and addressed Mrs Agidigbi Opeyemi Tosin. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public should take note

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014North12

PRISCILLA DENNISMINNA

Niger State Governor, Dr. Mua’zu Baban-gida Aliyu, has said

the declining returns from the Federation Account for many months running has left state governments struggling for survival.

He said the low returns had really hindered de-velopmental efforts in the states, adding that the last allocation to his state was down with over N100m.

Aliyu made the disclo-sure after inaugurating the Board of Niger State Transport Authority, NSTA, with the former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Comrade Mohammed Erena, as its chairman and the Local Government Ser-vice Commission, with a re-tired permanent secretary, Mr. Peterson Kaura, as the chairman.

The governor stated that at the FAAC meeting for July, the Minister of State for Finance, Alhaji Isah Yuguda, hinged the devel-opment on illegal bunker-ing and vandalisation of oil pipelines in parts of the country.

He, however, stressed the need for state governments to start looking inwards for more revenue, lamenting that due to the persistent shortfall of funds from the Federation Account, some states have been unable to pay the salaries of workers for upwards of 20 months.

The governor also said the decision to dissolve the former Local government Service Commission was due to infighting among the members, while commend-ing the management of the state transport authority for its good leadership that kept its vehicles on the roads de-spite charging lower rates.

Dwindling federal allocation crippling states –Aliyu

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 13Thursday, August 21, 2014

Politics

Confab report at the mercy of National Assembly

Barring any last-minute change of plans, the National Conference would today be formally closed by President Goodluck Jonathan, who will also receive its final reports. OBIORA IFOH, GEORGE OJI, WOLE OLADIMEJI, OMEIZA AJAYI and UBONG UKPONG examine few issues that could flaw the report and conclude that ultimately, the National Assembly might just hold ‘the yam and the knife’.

This morning will witness yet another remarkable day in the political annals of this country as Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan will formally declare the

National Conference closed. Jonathan had, earlier, in March 17, inaugurated the conference with 492 delegates.

Did it achieve its set objectives?The final report of the conference, which will be sub-

mitted to the president today, will still have to be sum-marised and would most probably be sent to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill.

It is the lawmakers that would ultimately decide the fate of this conference and if in the end, the report is thrown away, can one then conclude that the conference really achieved its aim?

Perhaps, only those that convoked the conference can truly say they had any motive for doing that and if such motives were met.

Inaugurating the National Conference on March 17, President Jonathan made it clear that he had no hidden agenda. Rather, he said the confab “is therefore convened to engage in intense introspection about the political and socio-economic challenges confronting our nation and to chart the best and most acceptable way for the resolution of such challenges in the collective interest of all the con-stituent parts of our fatherland.”

Derivation, otherwise known as resource control, is one issue that has always heated-up the polity, and so, it was one of the issues that the confab was set up to prof-fer solution to. However, rather than taking a decisive position, the conference recommended that government should set up a technical committee to determine the ap-propriate percentage on the issue and advise government appropriately.

How did the reports of previous conferences fare?Nigeria had a National Constitutional Conference in

1994/1995. As the name implies, a constitutional confer-ence of that nature would always give birth to a new con-stitution. It has been said severally, that it was the report of that conference that the General Abdulsalami Abuba-kar regime dusted up to “give birth to” the 1999 Constitu-tion.

In 2005, Nigeria had a National Political Reform Confer-ence, NPRC, which result never saw the light of day due to so many competing or conflicting interests.

In July 2013, president Jonathan also set up the Presi-dential Committee on Review of Outstanding Issues from Recent Constitutional Conferences. All these never really amounted to anything for the generality of Nigerians.

This was perhaps why many of them continued to strongly agitate for a Constitutional Conference, Sover-eign National Conference, a Conference of Ethnic Nation-

alities, Political Conference, National Reform Conference, National Rebirth Conference and National Conference.

Is the confab another political gimmick for Jonathan’s 2015 ambition?

No doubt, the convocation of the National Conference brought the needed breathing space the nation needed at a time political tension was at the boiling point. The almost five months of gross engagement of the volatile political class, both opposition and ardent supporters of the pres-ent administration in a roundtable to discuss a way out of the political logjam facing Nigeria as a nation, did the magic of containing the diverse extreme emotions.

Before the conference came into being, the political class was sharply divided between the progressives, who would go to any length in making sure that President Jonathan abdicates office to the North come 2015 and the conservatives. Belonging to the progressive camp are the very vociferous opposition political parties marshalled by the All Progressives Congress, APC, ably led by former military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari and the former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

This camp which has successfully galvanised all the op-position elements into a single party platform, APC and

had managed to pile pressure on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led government with the defection of five gov-ernors of Adamawa, Rivers, Kwara, Kano and Sokoto into its fold alongside their millions of supporters, a develop-ment that almost crippled the government. PDP had react-ed quickly by sacking its national chairman with the hope of stemming further depletion from its ranks.

Another formidable force against Jonathan’s govern-ment came from the Northern elite and oligarchs under the directives of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, who are insisting that President Jonathan was an usurper and has not respected the power rotation arrangement which clearly favoured a Northerner to succeed the late Presi-dent Umaru Yar’Adua.

Influential political leaders, including past Heads of State, such as Ibrahim Babangida and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo openly flirted with the opposition, against the continued stay in office of President Jonathan.

To further heat up the polity, lawmakers at the lower chamber of the National Assembly under the leadership Speaker Aminu Tambuwwal even contemplated impeach-ing the president. They had delayed budget passages, or-dered the President to sack one aid or the other and in some other cases, demanded lofty privileges such as auto-matic ticket for 2015 among others.

Even within the executive, there were cases of insub-ordination with the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, openly challenging some government policies and allegedly leaking documents to the press. Some ministers were sacked for profligacy and corruption, while Service Chiefs were humbled out.

While all these were going on, the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents climaxed with its exploits claiming thousands of lives in virtually daily uninhibited attacks, particularly in the North. The abduction of over 200 Chibok schools girls in April by the sect literally brought

Jonathan Kutigi

hPeimeo

mtah

IT IS THE LAWMAKERS THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY DECIDE THE FATE OF THIS

CONFERENCE

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

14 Politics National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014

Confab report at the

MANY SEE THIS CONFERENCE AS A POLITICAL COUP

AGAINST THE OPPOSITION, AN EXECUTIVE WAY OF DEALING

WITH NOSY POLITICIANS

Nigeria to its knees, a development that forced the inter-national community to classify Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation.

Nigeria really faced a difficult year but with the convo-cation of the conference, focus significantly shifted, with both oppositions and supporters of President Jonathan now agreeing that there was need to protect the nation’s sovereignty, at whatever cost. Nationhood for the first time, took a centre stage, relegating politics to the background. Either by coincidence or preference, President Jonathan refused to be drawn out on his political ambition for 2015.

Now, the confab has ended on a good note and from Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s timetable, political parties are expected to conclude their primaries by November. It is expected that everyone with one political ambition or the other will begin to speak up, Jonathan inclusive.

Should the President open up on his much expected interest, he will be doing that on a less tensed political climate brought about by the conference, thus raising the question of the real reason the talk show was instituted as it has become clear now that the final report of the confer-ence cannot be discussed by the present National Assem-bly. Many see this conference as a political coup against the opposition, an executive way of dealing with nosy politicians who are bent on truncating the second term agenda of the President.

Insecurity, threat to National Assembly consideration of confab report

Indications have emerged that the present security challenges in the country, especially the Boko Haram in-surgency in the North, would be strongly considered by a larger segment of the National Assembly, to stall the de-sired consideration of the confab report that would soon be forwarded to it for onward constitution amendment.

Before the confab was conceived, there have been serious terror activities, bombing, kidnapping and threats to divide the country with Boko Haram categorically asking South-erners to leave the North and Northerners to return home.

The heat was quite much, which many believed formed the major reason that President Jonathan instituted the conference to see if some of the Nigerian questions could find answers to enable peace, love and unity to return.

However, in spite of this, the challenges are still here, in almost a worse state, especially considering the issue of Northern Presidency in 2015 and President Jonathan’s un-wavering decision to continue in office for another term.

With the present tension, the consideration of the con-ference report and possible amendment of the 1999 con-stitution to make it a legal document for implementation, may further aggravate the existing tension and worst se-curity state in the country.

Consequently, experts believe that the National Assem-bly would rely on the security state of the country to stall the consideration of the report.

APC and Northern lawmakers were alleged to be the groups that would make things difficult for the report, us-ing this insecurity perspective as their standpoint.

They have been said to be very unhappy with the per-sistent insurgency in the North and the convocation of the conference, believing that the whole essence was about President Jonathan’s ambition to continue in office at the expense of northern Presidency.

Automatically, that segment of lawmakers would likely argue that the nation is not at rest to bring such issue up for consideration now and as such they are likely to con-clude that the President was not bothered about the chal-lenges confronting the nation, but only interested in con-stitution amendment, should the Presidency brings up the confab report for consideration by the National Assembly.

For over 120 days now since their abduction, by Boko Haram insurgents, the girls of Government Girls Second-ary School, Chibok, Borno State, have remained in captiv-ity, and more abductions have been reported.

The Efforts by the Nigerian military, including foreign allies, to free them have remained unsuccessful and on a daily basis, hope of their return has remained dashed.

Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, apart from be-

ing a health issue, has become another big national secu-rity issue, especially in the South-West, where the APC is dominant, also require attention as it directly affects the masses.

It is clear, that the North and APC, are patiently wait-ing to mobilise their lawmakers to stop that report if and when it is finally presented to the National Assembly by President Jonathan. They are likely to ask him to bring the missing girls first before bringing the national confer-ence report.

Thus, the APC, northern lawmakers and some sympa-thetic PDP lawmakers from the South, are likely to agree that there must be a bit of stability in the country before they could proceed to talk about national conference re-port, and this is capable of sending the report into ever-lasting coma.

Gauging the likely reaction of NASS It is at the discretion of President Jonathan to handle

the National Conference report the best way he deems fit. However, the most likely action of the President is to send the final report to the National Assembly as a draft execu-tive bill. And since most of the recommendations impinge on constitutional issues, the bill will be referred to the con-stitutional amendment committees of both chambers of the National Assembly to be incorporated into the consti-tutional-making process.

If the President acts on the report on time, it would be presented to the current 7th National Assembly. If on the other hand, the President is slow on the report, it will then be forwarded to the 8th National Assembly, which is ex-pected to come into being in June next year.

However, should the President forward the report to the National Assembly, there are already some positive signs that the lawmakers would be disposed to considering the report expeditiously. For instance, Senate Leader, Senator

Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River Central), was reported recently as assuring that the National Assembly would ex-pedite action on the recommendations from the National Conference if President Jonathan sends a bill derived from the report to the federal lawmakers.

Fielding questions from newsmen in Calabar recently, Ndoma-Egba said: “Whether you call it draft or not, they will still have to submit it to the President who appointed them. What he (President) does with the report is left to him. If he sends it to the National Assembly, we will deal with it with the dispatch and importance it deserves.”

What is however doubtful is how far the current Na-tional Assembly could go with the report if it is eventually forwarded to it by the President. Already, it has concluded

Mark Tambuwal

2014 draft constitution’ll Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, a former minister and delegate from Jigawa State to the just concluded National Conference, in this interview with WOLE OLADIMEJI speaks on the confab, the position of the North at the confab and the implementation of the report by the Presidency. Excerpts:

What is your impression of the just concluded National Conference?

The conference ended on a high happy note because it achieved harmony among all the delegates from various sections of the country. We are very happy about the con-clusion of the conference, we are happy about the report of the conference. If you notice, we have agreed as a con-ference to look at those amendments that have been filed, that we are expecting to have been incorporated into the main report and that is one of the resolutions of the con-ference, they have accepted to look at each and every one of the recommendations for an amendment or inclusion and they promised to incorporate them before the return date of the final report would be submitted. We have done so, we are going to look very carefully to ensure that all the incorporated recommendations have been done and it would be well and good for everybody.

You had press conference where you alleged of new draft

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 15PoliticsThursday, August 21, 2014

mercy of National Assembly

the 2014 constitutional amendment of the 1999 constitution and handed the remain-ing process to the states for their own input as required by the amendment procedure. It is currently awaiting the return of the documents sent to the 36 states Houses of Assembly to see which of the issues up for amendment would pass the 2/3 require-ment stipulated by the constitution.

It is perhaps most likely that the report might not be ready to be transmitted to the National Assembly by the President before the February 2015, general election. This is because the line-up of political activities from now till the general elections would not enable the President enough time to conclude work on the conference report

before sending same to the national As-sembly.

In the possible event that President Jon-athan is returned to office the second time, there are indications then that he would have enough time to tinker with the report of the confab and then send same to the in-coming National Assembly to be incorpo-rated into the new amendment of the 1999 constitution, which would be initiated by the fresh congress.

Some recommendations in the report, if faithfully implemented would take Nige-ria a step forward. Hence, rather than just throwing the report away, the lawmakers should endeavour to sift through and do all they have to do in the interest of the public.

Buhari Ndoma-Egba

give Jonathan fresh eight-year tenure –Dalhatu

Confab report and 2015 budget presentationThe 2015 budget presentation by Presi-

dent Jonathan between now and Novem-ber this year to the National Assembly may likely affect the presentation of the Nation-al Conference report to the lawmakers.

Obviously, the budget is meant for the election year, definitely, government would not like any delay like that of 2014 budget signed into law around June this year. The President and his economic team would be saddled with the responsibility of coming up with budget estimates as quickly as pos-sible so that it could be brought to the Na-tional Assembly between September and October this year.

Facing this onerous and very important task for the easy conduct of the 2015 gener-al election, the President may not have that luxury of time to begin to study the three volumes report of the conference and the presentation to the National Assembly. The report has to come to the National As-sembly in the form of an Executive Bill, a process which in itself is a bit cumber-some. The issue of budget would be the ut-most priority of both the Presidency and the National Assembly. All the agencies concerned with the budget process would be engaged preparing the estimates for each ministry and their parastatals and any little distraction may affect the entire budget process.

Having considered all these variables, the likelihood of the President presenting the conference report to the 7th National Assembly is remote and if the president,

baring all odds, decides to present the con-ference report, the tendency is there for the National Assembly not to touch the report because there would be too much pressure on them from every quarter.

Due to the nature of the conference report, there have to be intense lobby by the President because many Nigerians ac-cepted the convocation of the conference with a pinch of salt, believing that it would be a futile exercise, and that nothing good would come out of it. Some believed that the President has an agenda in convoking the National Conference; an agenda that is borne out of selfish reasons while others believed that the conference was a diver-sionary tactics, especially when the nation was facing instability occasioned by the current wave of insecurity.

2015 general elections and party primariesBy next month, most elected and intend-

ing elected officers would be preparing for their parties’ primaries to pick candidates who will contest in the general elections. INEC will also be tidying all the loose ends for the smooth conduct of the election and by then, members of the National Assem-bly would have returned to their various constituencies to participate in their par-ties’ primaries, except for those not re-contesting. These processes would greatly affect sittings in both chambers; therefore, even if President Jonathan presents the re-port of the confab, the lawmakers may not have the time to attend to it, thus making the report to dust till the inauguration of the next assembly.

constitution being written by the confer-ence, or did you do the press conference in error?

No, we have conducted the press confer-ence where we indicated our outright re-jection and disagreement, that we are not going to recognise any document outside volume 1,2 and 3 of the conference report. Volume 1, 2, and 3 are the documents ad-opted today and no more; any document emanating from outside these three vol-umes are not going to be the documents approved by the plenary of the conference today. What we objected to was the sudden and the surprising appearance of some documents called 2014 new draft constitu-tion and the bill that was supposed to ush-er in the constitution. We have called the attention of the leadership that unelected people are not capable to create or recom-mend or draft or append in this conference to any document as the new constitution, that was why we called the press confer-ence at the hotel, we rejected it. We told the leadership, we had meeting with them, and we told them that any suggestion or intro-duction of any new constitution is totally unacceptable to all our delegation from the North and that we will not recognise it.

Happily we are bold to say, this morning there have been no single mention of any of the two documents we have rejected.

So we are quite pleased at the conclusion, we think those three documents adopted are the three documents we recognised as the report of the conference. Even among those three, it is the conference decision that every one of us could look at it and send any remark or amendment or report or call attention of the leadership that certain decisions made were not included and incorporated into the final report and that was not limited to Northern delegates alone. It is open to all other delegates in the conference and I understand every other section of the country has looked at the documents and has made appropriate rec-ommendations for the understanding of the conference.

Would you say that the North got what they wanted at the conference?

Yes, the North has gotten what we want-ed. What the North wanted at all times is the cohesion and unity of this country. To-day you have seen unanimity among the delegations at the conference, you have seen unity among Nigerians, and you have seen us singing the old National Anthem together.

To us from the North, that is the impor-tant victory and other aspect of the nitty-gritty of the constitutional provisions. That is the nature of conference in a coun-

try like Nigeria with polarity of tribe, reli-gion and other differences. Nobody will get everything, everybody must get something and that is what we have gotten today and we are pleased with our own achievement. Delegates are happy; everybody got some-thing to show for the efforts we have spent in the last five months we were at the con-ference.

It is suspected that your major grouse at the press conference was the third term agenda embedded in the new draft constitution, how far have you been able to resolve this?

Well, the issue of third term agenda was embedded in the so called new draft constitution of the Federal Republic of Ni-geria 2014. If you adopt a new constitution and call it 2014 and you are able to pass it through parliament and various legisla-tives houses, what that in effect create is that there would be totally a new constitu-tion that would not be called 1999 constitu-tion as amended but would be 2014 consti-tution, that automatically give all existing elected people opportunity of two term of four years, because that would be embed-ded in the new constitution and they would be legitimately qualified to contest and re-main in office for the next eight years. This has happened before in this country, some

governors who had contested election un-der the previous constitution like Yobe, Kogi and Taraba, when they came up to re-contest election people said no they could not because they would have more than two terms, but the court said no, that new constitution comes with new provisions, new rights and new opportunities.

This is where the agenda of third term comes in but not so many people under-stood us when we are saying so but I hope now that I have told you, it is clear enough for you to understand us. You get a new constitution it gives fresh opportunities to people to contest and we do not think it is healthy for political development of this country.

Dalhatu

Politics National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 201416

Tambuwal charges politicians to emulate Dogara

We’ll ensure a level playing fi eld in 2015 –Jang

Two APC women caught with 57 PVCs in Kwara

2015: Ikom women endorse Senate Leader for another term

2015: Nobody can divide Katsina APC –Kanti Bello

L-R: Catherine Weiss, from DFID; Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, Clement Nwankwo, and Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, during the Nigeria Civil Society Situation dialogue with INEC in Abuja, yesterday.

RICHARD NDOMACALABAR

Ikom Women in Poli-tics, IWP, yesterday ad-opted Senate Leader,

Senator Victor Ndoma-Eg-ba, to represent the people of Cross River Central senatorial district at the hallowed upper chamber of the National Assembly for another term again.

Briefing journalists in Calabar, IWP National Chairman, Secretary, Publicity Secretary and Matron, Mrs Philom-ena Owan, Mrs. Nkongha Daniel Eyam, Lady Ada

Nchor- Takim and Mrs Dorathy Ofot-Ogar respec-tively, said that after care-ful examination of Ndo-ma-Egba’s track records and having weighed other contenders who claimed to be aspiring for the seat, they discovered that the Senate Leader is more vibrant to lead and repre-sent the people.

They added that it was on this premise that they threw their weight behind his return to the Senate for an-other term, given his robust scholarship programme, initiated for over 500 in-digent students to pursue

JAMES DANJUMAKATSINA

Forces plotting to divide the All Pro-gressive Congress,

APC, in Katsina State will not succeed, so says Kanti Bello, who added that the party has come to stay and would win several seats in the coming general elec-tions.

Speaking with newsmen yesterday, the APC chief-tain and former senator said nobody can divide the party, adding that anyone trying to do so would not succeed in his quest.

Bello said the intention of the APC is not just to win the governorship and other political seats in the state come 2015, but to also win the presidential and most of the National As-

WOLE ADEDEJIILORIN

Two women in pos-session of 56 Per-manent Voter Cards,

PVCs, were caught in Ilo-rin, Kwara State, and are now being held by the Di-rectorate of State Security, DSS.

The women, said to have been caught by vigilant members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at Omoda area, attempting to scan the PVCs at a business centre, told National Mir-ror at the PDP secretariat before they were whisked away by DSS men that they are members of the opposi-tion All Progressives Con-gress, APC, sent on an by chieftains of the party.

They said they came with the cards to Ilorin from two wards in Asa Lo-cal Government Area of the state to accomplish the mission.

PDP state chairman, Iyiola Oyedepo, told news-men that the women were seen with the cards when they wanted to do photo-copies at a business centre around Omoda round-about in Ilorin.

He said that a member of the PDP who saw the women quickly alerted the leadership of the party, who arrested and handed them over to the DSS after they could not give convinc-ing explanations about how

sembly seats. The former senator, who

is eyeing APC’s governor-ship ticket, said though he was yet to declare, he had already mapped out strat-egy on programmes to im-plement should he become governor.

Bello said if elected, he would concentrate on the development of education, health and agriculture sectors, as well as ensures youth empowerment.

He said attention would also be given to the devel-opment of existing dams for irrigation and potable water generation as well as transforming the state so-cio- economically.

He called on party offi-cials to ensure justice and equal representation for all APC members, particular-ly gubernatorial aspirants.

they came about the cards.Alleging that the pos-

session of the cards by the women was part of plots to manipulate next year’s gen-eral election in the state, Oyedepo said the people would have been lynched but for the quick interven-tion of the PDP leadership.

Speaking with the Na-tional Mirror on the matter, APC Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Suleiman Buhari, said the two women; Mis-ilimat Kadiri and her part-ner, who refused to disclose her name were ‘association leaders’ in the party who were carrying out the par-ty’s instructions.

His words: “There is nothing wrong with their action. PDP is only making an issue out of the matter. They are leaders of their associations from Asa. We gave them the instruction to collect PVC cards of their members and photo-copy. That is all.”

EZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Aminu Tam-

buwal, has charged po-litical office holders in the country to emulate the member representing Bo-goro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa federal constituency, Hon.

JAMES ABRAHAMJOS

Plateau State Gov-ernor Jonah David Jang has assured cit-

izens of the state of a level playing field during the forthcoming 2015 general elections

Jang gave the assurance yesterday during a civic reception organised by a

Yakubu Dogara, in provid-ing dividends of democ-racy to the people whose mandate they hold in trust.

Tambuwal made the declaration in Bauchi, at the empowerment pro-gramme Dogara organ-ised to alleviate poverty in his constituency, adding that his call became im-perative as there was the

group, Mhiship like Minds, in honour of Gombe State Resident Electoral Commis-sioner, REC, of the Inde-pendent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Istifanus Ishaku Dafwang, held at the Hill Station Hotel Jos, the state capital

Stressing stressed that his administration has al-ways provided a level play-ing field for conduct of free,

academic courses at under-graduate, post-graduate and doctorate degree levels.

IWP also said Ndoma-Egba’s free computer literacy programme on-going at the Cultural Cen-tre, Calabar, had impacted so much on youths of the state, describing him as a leader who is not tired of providing solutions to problems of others.

Enumerating other projects he attracted to the district which endeared him to it, IWM identified the National Specialist Hospital in Ikom Local Government Area of the

state, a dam project in Boki, erosion control proj-ect in Abi, ultra modern Law Faculty building at the University of Calabar, rehabilitation of Abaka-like-Cameroon road, NDDC water project in Akparabong, renovation of Ikom Police station, Army barracks in Afii and rehabilitation of the State Security Service office in Ikom among others.

It said: “What drive our interest most is his pas-sion for educational devel-opment of youths; those who criticises him are not sincere to themselves.”

need to consolidate on the gains of democracy, which is the vanguard of effec-tive development.

The speaker said that empowerment materials Dogara made available to his constituents were indi-cation of his desire to im-prove the lives of the people at the grassroots and cush-ion the effects of poverty in the federal constituency.

Tambuwal said: “I am happy to identify with Hon. Dogara because he is an asset, not only to the House of Representatives, but Nigeria as a whole, be-ing a lawmaker whose ex-perience has been felt by Nigerians.”

He also used the occa-sion to caution Nigerians against political, religious and ethnic differences, pleading for unity among Nigerians irrespective of

whatever difference may exist among them.

Charging the peo-ple of Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa federal constituency to support Dogara ahead of the 2015 elections, Tambuwal said that Dogara’s choice as the people’s representa-tives was a golden oppor-tunity for them.

He stress that Nigeria needs credible leaders like Dogara, whose politics has positively impacted on the area and has kept faith with his campaign promises, saying Dogara as a treasure.

Attributing the cur-rent economic impover-ishment in the country to poor leadership, the Speaker promised to ex-plore appropriate laws to meet the yearning and as-piration of Nigerians.

fair and credible elections as attested to during the last local government poll in the state, Jang, repre-sented by his Commission-er for Education, Nanle Dashe, noted that Prof Daf-wang has carried out his assignment with sincerity, urging him to continue to do a good work, especially now that the general elec-tions is around the corner.

Refl ections on our national paradoxesIf the founding fathers of Nigeria were

to stir from their graves and look at the nation, they would not see the Nigeria

of their dreams. Certainly not the kind of nation they had envisioned and striven to actualise through their seminal political engineering. Rather they would see a na-tion reeking with disunity and fear, and pandemonium and stagnation. While these four depressing nouns “disunity, fear, pan-demonium and stagnation” might have apt-ly captured our realities for decades, they are by no means mere fortuitous sequence of lexical items by this writer.

The words are, ironically, just the direct opposites of the lexemes in the “national motto” enshrined in Section 15 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The said sec-tion provides that the “Motto of the Fed-eral Republic of Nigeria shall be Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress.”

With the prevailing insecurity in the land and the resultant spate of mindless killings, destruction of properties and their pernicious effects on the economy and quality of lives, it is one of the ironies of our times that the nation now seems a perfect negation of everything each of those ideal concepts in the national motto denotes. But the paradoxical discrepancy between stated objectives and actual re-alities is not confined to the motto alone; it extends, more palpably, to the virtues de-scribed as “national ethics” under Section 23 of the Constitution. The said section states “The national ethics shall be Disci-pline, Integrity, Dignity of Labour, Social Justice, Religious Tolerance, Self-reliance and Patriotism”

To project the palpable incongruities be-tween our behaviours and the overtly stat-ed ethics would certainly require writing of volumes of encyclopedia-sized treatises. Let us briefly examine each of the virtues against the backlight of our experiences. What amount of discipline inheres in our socio-political and cultural contexts? How often do you see Nigerians jumping queues at public places in defiance of social eti-quette, and in glorification of indiscipline? Do our policy makers set targets and re-main committed to them in consonance with disciplined mindset? What about fi-nancial discipline, and moral discipline, too? At the lowest rung of the ladder, you see people urinating or even defecating openly in public places with utter shame-lessness. Where is discipline?

Everyone will agree that if ever there is one scarce commodity in Nigeria, it is men and women of integrity. The extent of corruption in the land is a direct index of want of integ-rity in a sizeable segment of Nigerians.

What of dignity of labour? Many civil servants are not only lazy, they see their

offices as avenues for self-enrichment; the government itself has no workable blue-prints for efficient, dynamic labour-force. People also have the attitude of looking down on many jobs for being lowly and me-nial as if white collar jobs are the only ones essential in the society.

As for social justice, is our socio-political and economic order not structured in such a way that the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer? In justice sec-tor for instance, you would realise the poor’s access to justice is not only curtailed by the exorbitant cost of adjudication, it is also hampered by selectivity. We read in the dailies about a roadside mechanic who was sentenced to “death by hanging” by an Oleh High Court in Delta State, for stealing a car stereo!

This is happening in a nation where in-fluential politicians, who stole hundreds of billions of naira from public treasury find judicial refuge in plea bargaining - the farci-cal contrivance through which they give up a negligible fraction of the loots in exchange for watered-down, slap on the wrist sentences.

And religious tolerance? My God, reli-gious what? Thousands of innocent souls have died via inter-faiths-belligerence, thus underscoring the shame that our various faiths have always proved incapable of har-monious co-existence as a result of mutual intolerance.

Now, who is talking of self-reliance? We cannot even rely on ourselves just to refine our natural products like crude oil, having to import refined PMS from abroad. Don’t we spend hard-earned foreign exchange to im-port necessities, luxuries and even vanities?

Our rate of reliance on foreign expertise is so painfully enormous that it is debatable if we can survive without foreign dependency. In every household in any modern Nigerian city today, 98 percent of all items, utensils, fitting and fixtures are imported.

And patriotism? Where are the patriotic Nigerians? May be one in a thousand!

The pertinent question here is why is our national character so diametrically op-posed to our self-chosen, much-vaunted na-tional motto cum ethics? We must remind ourselves that wishful thinking has never accomplished anything laudable; people as rational and sentient beings must purpose-fully and tenaciously work towards accom-plishment of whatever worthy goals they have set for themselves.

OUR RATE OF RELIANCE ON FOREIGN EXPERTISE

IS SO PAINFULLY ENORMOUS THAT IT IS DEBATABLE IF WE

CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT FOREIGN DEPENDENCY

FRYNDUBUISI

fryndubuisi@nationalmirroronline.net (08023016709 SMS only)

Professor Ndubuisi is of the Dept of Philosophy, UNILAG

EXISTENTIAL HUMANISM

The search for free and fair election in Nigeria has been an uphill task. There are few election results that

have not been contested with the Supreme Court serving as final arbiter, in some cases. The conservative nature of the legal system makes it difficult to have an ideal given the immense resources expended on litigations by politicians. Aside from the resources spent in contesting elections re-sults, the energy and times wasted in these legal maneuverings have been a major source of distraction for elected leaders. There are instances where litigations take up to 80 percent of the tenure of elected of-ficials. And because of the high stake on public offices and the do-and-die mentality of politicians, all kind of things are done to compromise the integrity of judicial of-ficers, law enforcement agents handling electoral cases.

Aside the above, the violence that is as-sociated with elections in the country has become problematic and a source of con-cern locally and internationally. This has

rubbished our image and the excitement associated with democracy. In the 2011 gen-eral elections young graduates on the one year national youth service scheme were massacred for no just cause, and up till now the culprits are yet to be apprehended. That is in addition to the destruction of lives and property of innocent Nigerians that did not commit any crime. The perpetrators of these heinous crimes never paid for the crimes nor the relatives of victims compen-sated.

How to escape this ugly perennial situ-ation has become a big debate. This could have accounted for the drafting of military for security duties during polls. The threats of war and mayhem that trailed the recent governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states were frightening. It was as if the heaven was going to fall. It is to the credit of INEC that the two elections went with-out serious incidents; at least, independent observers adjudged them to be free and fair.

The calm recorded in the two states dur-ing the polls is believed to have been made possible by the heavy presence of military men. There were no ballot boxes snatch-ing or stuffing; and more importantly there was no post elections violence as was the case in 2011. It is a big irony that the violence-free elections we have had were those ‘secured’ by the military junta. The 1999 general elections that ushered in the government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo were violent free even though the outcome remains disputed. The same gose for June

12, 1993 presidential election that was ad-judged the freest in the country’s political history.

In spite of the outcome of Osun and Eki-ti elections, not a few Nigerians are critical of the drafting soldiers to secure the states, especially at a time the nation is faced with very serious security challenge. The oppo-sition parties, especially the APC, opposed the use of soldiers, describing it as a ploy to intimidate the opposition. They cited the massive arrest and detention of high rank-ing officials of the party during both Osun and Ekiti elections, and accused the mili-tary of working for the ruling PDP.

President Goodluck Jonathan, however, defended the deployment as necessitated by the serious security challenge facing the country and the need to ensure security of lives and property of Nigerians. Defending the development, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) argued that using soldiers during elections did not

violate any provision of the Electoral Act. Its chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, at-tributed the high turnout of voters in both Osun and Ekiti elections to the heavy pres-ence of security personnel.

It is curious, however, why there was heavy military presence during elec-tions when there are policemen, civil de-fence corps and SSS. These are security personnel that are gentle and civil when dealing with members of the public as op-posed to the military that rely on the use of maximum force to get result. The ar-gument against the police is their relative vulnerability to compromise. The public has come to see them as men and women that are ready to look elsewhere during infraction of the law as long as there is benefit accruable to them. This is sad and regrettable.

The Federal Government has a respon-sibility to make adequate provision for the protection of lives and property during and after elections because our politicians’ do or die mentality. We are yet to attain a level where election losers are courageous enough to congratulate the winners. That is part of the danger inherent in heavy and unrestricted investment in elections. It may not be wise at this stage of our democratic experiments to compromise the issue of security for Nigerian voters, politicians and INEC officials, the most vulnerable to political violence.

However, it is imperative we work to-wards demilitarization of elections.

On the militarisation of elections THE THREATS OF

WAR AND MAYHEM THAT TRAILED THE

RECENT GOVERNORSHIP ELECTIONS IN OSUN AND EKITI STATES

WERE FRIGHTENING

Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs. Pseudonyms may be used but must be clearly marked as such.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 17Thursday, August 21, 2014 Views

KAYODEKETEFE

kketefe@nationalmirroronline.net 08032147720 (SMS only)

CRITICAL STROKES

18 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Arresting the spread of Ebola Virus Disease

Hundreds of people were reported killed by chemical attacks in the Ghouta region of Syria. The attacks oc-curred during the Syrian Civil War, when several opposi-tion-controlled or disputed areas of the Ghouta suburbs of the Markaz Rif Dimashq district around Damascus, Syria, were struck by rockets containing the chemical agent - sa-rin. Hundreds were killed in the attack, which took place over a short span of time in the early morning.

August 21, 2013August 21, 1986

Carbon dioxide gas erupted from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within 20-kilo-meter range. A pocket of magma lies beneath the lake and leaks carbon dioxide (CO2) into the water, changing it into carbonic acid. Nyos is one of only three known exploding lakes to be saturated with carbon dioxide in this way. Others were Lake Monoun, also in Cameroon, and Lake Kivu in Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Red Cross announced that a famine was striking Tajikistan, and called for international financial aid for Ta-jikistan and Uzbekistan. A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors, including crop failure, population imbalance or government policies. This phe-nomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic and increased mortal-ity.

ON THIS DAY

The recent outbreak of the Ebola Virus Dis-ease (EVD) in Nigeria

is an alarming public health sore. Before now, the dis-ease was confined to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three most affected coun-tries. But in the past three weeks, Nigeria has joined this infamous league. Going by the last count, at least five persons have been killed by the dreaded virus. According to the World Health Organ-isation (WHO), no less than 1,100 persons have died in the four affected West Afri-can countries. Scarily, the virus is amplified by a mo-bile population, especially as the countries in West Africa share common borders. It is pertinent to note that before the present Ebola scourge, not much was done by the au-thorities in these countries, especially Nigeria, to put in place effective containment measures.

The problem became ex-acerbated when the virus was discovered to have been brought into the country by the late Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer. Since then, both the federal and state authorities have been fight-ing a rear guard battle to stop its further spread. Sadly, too,

it took the nation’s health authorities’ a long time to educate Nigerians on the dangers posed by the Ebola virus and how it can be con-tracted. And due to the lack of knowledge, many people took to devising unconven-tional and ridiculous ways of either prevention or cure. In itself, that presented more of health hazards to a popu-lation caught between the panic of an impending Arma-geddon and the doomsday. For the avoidance of doubt, the virus, present in bodily flu-ids, including sweat, is most infectious at the end-stage. Research shows that when the virus penetrates the body, it immediately takes action to block interferon-based sig-nals.

The result is that the im-mune system fails to engage and destroy the virus in the very early stages of infection. Consequently, the virus is free to run amok and infect as many cells as possible, ulti-mately leading to death. Two weeks ago, the WHO formal-ly declared an international public health emergency in response to what its Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, called “the largest, most se-vere, most complex outbreak” of the deadly Ebola virus “in

the nearly four-decade his-tory of the disease.” Apart from inflicting enormous hu-man toll, the spread of EVD in West Africa has laid bare how unprepared the world is in protecting and treating thousands of Africans whose lives are threatened by an extremely dangerous disease for which there is no sure cure.

The drugs that could po-tentially treat those already infected and the vaccines to protect healthy people from infection are all in the earli-est stages of testing. And even if they do pass clinical trials, they cannot be pro-duced in large quantities quickly enough to stem the exploding epidemic anytime soon. Many international drug companies also have little interest in devising treatments or vaccines for Ebola because the potential for profit is small. Tradition-

al public health measures, like finding and isolating pa-tients already infected, trac-ing their contacts and using stringent infection-control procedures in hospitals, re-main the best bet for contain-ing the epidemic in Nigeria at present. That is why the state of emergency declared by the Federal Government and the quarantine measures seem the only options to curb the spread of the virus.

This situation is, indeed, grave and scary. It is un-derstandable that the FG is making strenuous efforts to assure the populace of its determination to halt or minimize the risks asso-ciated with the Ebola dis-ease, including preventing people from moving from place to place. But there still exists the apprehen-sion that it will be even more difficult to respond to the outbreak if people’s movements are restricted. The Ebola virus can be stopped, but instead of hysteria, it needs a serious commitment of people and resources. This is a tragic, painful, dreadful, merci-less virus, and it’s the larg-est, most complex outbreak known to the country’s history.

THE EBOLA VIRUS CAN BE STOPPED, BUT INSTEAD OF

HYSTERIA, IT NEEDS A SERIOUS COMMITMENT

OF PEOPLE AND RESOURCES

August 21, 2001

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

BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, OFR PUBLISHER

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Thursday August 21, 2014Editorial

This year, a total of 1, 692,435 can-didates sat for May\June Senior School Certificate Examination

(SSCE) conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) across the country. Only 1,605,613 of them, represent-ing 94.87 per cent have their results fully released so far, while the remaining candi-dates’ results are pending for one reason or the other including malpractice. The students were tested in 76 subjects, in all. But unfortunately, the results like those before it in the recent years, was that of mass failure of candidates.

Giving the statistics to announce the re-sults at a media briefing in Lagos last week, Head of Nigeria’s National Office of the council, Mr. Charles Eguridu, said in all, only 529,425, representing 31.28 per cent of candidates obtained credit passes and above in five subjects including English language and Mathematics.

The implication of this outing is that the remaining 69.72 per cent of the candidates have no minimum requisite academic quali-fications that can secure them admission into any higher institutions of learning in the country this academic calendar.

And this development when compared to the last two years’ results shows a marginal decline in candidates’ performance in the exam. For example, while only 38.81 per cent of candidates managed to obtained credit passes and above in five subjects including English Language and Mathematics in 2012, the percentage declined to 36.57 per cent last year.

The WAEC boss fumed at the develop-ment. He noted that the questions with which the candidates are being tested across subjects each year are based on the syllabus and therefore the council cannot for any rea-son reduce the standards.

While he acknowledged the fact that the students, schools, governments may have their own part of the blame, Eguridu, a master’s degree holder in psychology from the University of Lagos, Akoka, placed the lion-share of the blame on the doorsteps of parents.

According to him, most state govern-ments as well as schools are adopting dif-ferent methods that will enhance students’ performance, not only in exams, but also character formation, but most parents are not just complementing the efforts.

He explained that unlike those old days when parents supervised their children’s home works and guided them towards hard work in their studies and proper upbringing,

many of the contemporary parents are not doing that.

Eguridu, who is a former head of depart-ment, WAEC’s International Examinations in Accra, Ghana, explained further: “Par-ents are too busy looking for money and all sorts without minding what happens to their children’s education. Everyone seems to have forgotten that those who excel in life do what others are unable to do, going the extra mile, burning night candles to achieve success in their studies. So, it will be unfair to continue blaming the school or teacher or

even the government for the steady decline in the students’ performance. Nigeria has a robust school system that is far better than other nations in the sub-region. We cannot also say that the students have not done well. Nigerian students performed comparatively well, compared to other stu-dents in other West African nations where WASCE is also being held, particularly in Mathematics. And therefore, it is the parents that have failed in their responsi-bilities, since they have abdicated their re-sponsibilities to teachers.”

Agreeing with Eguridu, the South- West Coordinator of Parents/ Teachers Associa-tion of Nigeria, Deacon Olusoji Adams, told National Mirror that many parents truly do not bother about quality of education their children are exposed to.

He explained that experience had shown that many parents prefer attending political rallies and meetings to attending parents/teachers’ forum where issues concerning the development of their children educa-tion will be discussed.

In the recent years, it has been mass failure of candidates in the May/June and by extension, November\December Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). And over the years, government, schools, as well as the students were objects of blame for the development. But this time around, the examination body that conducts the exam has traced the major blame to the doorsteps of parents. TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE reports how.

Students in exam hall

‘Incessant strikes, bane to economic development’

How varsities can remain relevant, by Ibidapo-Obe

Why our new fee regime is irreversible —OAU

SSCE: WAEC blames parents for mass failure

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

• I agree —PTA boss

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 19

IN CONJUNCTION WITHEducation Today

Thursday, August 21, 2014

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“The setting of this University is ‘Superlative’ and ‘Impressive’, with nothing of its kind that I have seen so far in the country or anywhere else” (Gen. Dr. Yakubu Gowon, GCFR,)

202221

L-R: Head Teacher, Babcock University Staff School, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, Mr. Israel Aja; Vice-President, Institutional Effectiveness, Babcock University, Prof. Constance Nwosu; Vice-President, Financial Administration, Mr. Luke Onuoha and Chairperson, Babcock University Schools Manage-ment Board, Dr. Janet Ola, during the graduation ceremony.

Lawal

TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE

The Lagos State government has sent no fewer than 15 Mathemat-ics teachers in the state public

secondary schools for retraining at the National Mathematical Center in Abuja.

The state Commissioner for Educa-tion, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye disclosed this, saying the effort was to make the participants more effective in class and in turn improve their students’ perfor-mance in the subject.

She advised them to come up with new methods of teaching and make the sub-ject more interesting and appealing to students in order to improve their perfor-mance in external examinations.

While identifying maths as a major challenge to many students, Oladunjoye noted that the subject was the bedrock of development of any country.

“That is why I am imploring the par-ticipants to come up with new knowledge and skill from the training and be able to impart these on their colleagues back home,” she advised.

The beneficiaries include: Mr. Mufutau Olabiyi of Dairy Farm Secondary School, Agege; Mrs. Regina Egbe of Muslim Ju-nior College, Egbe; Mr. Ismaila Salami of Epe Senior Grammar School, Epe; Mr. Ganiyu Qudri of Boys’ Senior Academy, Lagos Island; Mr. Adesesan Mureni La-wal of Government Senior College, Su-rulere and Mr. Olawunmi Oguntoyinbo of Mainland Senior High School, Main-land, among others.

Lagos retrains maths teachers for effectiveness

SAIDAT ALAUSA

The Deputy Vice- Chancellor, Babcock University, ilishan – Remo, Ogun State, Prof. Iheany-

ichukwu Okoro has urged the govern-ment to be honest in their promises to workers in the country.

He said this was necessary to avoid incessant strikes which according to him has caused unquantifiable eco-nomic and social set back in the na-tion in the recent times.

He stated this during the 24th grad-uation and prize giving ceremony of Babcock University Staff School, Ilis-han-Remo, Ogun State, recently.

Prof. Okoro who was the guest speaker at the ceremony commended the efforts of the newly appointed Minister of Education, Malam Ibra-him Shekarau for getting the striking polytechnics and colleges of educa-

Incessant strikes, bane of economic development —Don

tion lecturers back to class. He therefore, advised the minister to

use his wealth of experience to stabi-lise the educational system in the coun-try.

In his paper titled “Education is the best legacy” he said that true education is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental and the spiritual powers of a person.

He therefore said good and faith-based education is the best legacy a parent can bequeath to the child. “You may give your child money and prop-erty but without proper education, he won’t be able to manage them”.

The mother of the day, Prof. Con-stance Nwosu congratulated the gradu-ating students and reminded them that they are future leaders.

She advised them to be good ambas-sadors of their families, their school and the nation.

Speaking at the occasion, the head

teacher of the School, Mr. Israel Aja said during the year efforts were made to ensure that Seventh- day Adventist Philosophy of education which has to do with the education of the head, hand and the mind of a person and Federal Ministry of Education’s curriculum were followed and maintained.

While giving God the glory for a successful academic year, he said the school has continued to perform excel-lently in competitions in and outside the state.

To the graduating students, Mr. Aja told them to depend on God and make hard work their watch word.

He appreciated Babcock University School Management Board Chair-person, Dr. Janet Ola, Principal of Babcock University High School, Mr. Timothy Adetayo, Parents Teacher Association Chairman, Dr. Kolawole Olaiya and all the staff for all their support.Fashola

Abdul-Azeez Lawal was one of your students at An-

sarudeen High School, Isiwo, Ogun State between

1972 and 1976. He was that young brilliant boy who was the head of Dramat-ic Society as well as the school Imam.

He had gone to several schools for further studies

and held different big posts in the academic circle after he left Isiwo and today, he is the Rector of the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu.

He has this to say about you sir.

“Although I would not say that other teachers were not equally good dur-ing my days at Ansarudeen High School, Isiwo, our

Arabic teacher, Alhaji Ari-yayo Azeez, to me, was the best of them all.

He was a born teacher and good mentor. Al-though, he left the school before I graduated from there, the little period we spent together was event-ful. He was a disciplinarian and workaholic. He taught us how to make a career and succeed in it, among others and honestly speak-ing, all that I gained under his tutelage is still helping

aware that he is currently with the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) as the Director of Programmes.

“I wish him well and I

strongly believe that his children and grand-chil-dren will have been reap-ing his good work on other children. Thank you sir and God bless you.”

TEACHERTo my best

Arabic teacher, Ansaru-deen High School, Isiwo, Ogun State (1972-1976)Alhaji Salaudeen Ariyayo Azeez

If you can read this, then you have a reason to be grateful. Show your appreciation to your best teacher during your secondary school days in this column. Send us a ‘Thank You’ note, including your full names, current status and the years you were taught by your teacher. You can also send us your current picture plus that of your teacher where possible.

To my best Teacher Column, National Mirror, P.M.B. 10001 Marina, Lagos, email: eferaro@ya-hoo.co.uk

me today. He really impact-ed not only on me but on most of us his students at Isiwo.

“It has been long that I saw him last, but I am

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net20 Thursday, August 21, 2014Education Today

Many students are distracted, accord-ing to him, from their studies by social media and frivolous activities with many parents not mindful of such behaviour.

“I know of Lagos State, for instance, hardly you will see up to 10 per cent of parents attending PTA meeting at any given time. You won’t see them but they can go en masse to party rallies and meet-ings where they will share cups of rice to them. Those that are not even interested in partisan politics will rather stay at home watching television when they are supposed to be in PTA meeting. ”

He stressed that the situation becomes worse when an idea to raise money to em-ploy temporary teachers who would be teaching some subjects like Maths, Eng-lish and the sciences with no adequate teachers is mooted.

“You won’t see many of the parents again from the next meeting and they are the ones who will be blaming government and schools for their children’s failure,” he added.

Adams, however, pointed out that it was high time parents took the educa-tion of their children more seriously and stopped blaming government and schools for their laxity.

Public Relations Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria, Caroline Oghuma (centre) and guest speaker, Mr. Mai Atafo with the students of University of Lagos, Akoka, during the programme at MultiChoice head office in Lagos.

L-r: Registrar, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Dr. Modupe Ajayi; Guest lecturer and Vice- Chancellor, Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe; FUTA’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor(Academic), Prof. Adedayo Fasakin and his counterpart in charge of development, Prof. Tolulope Akinbogun at the institution’s Sixth annual registry lecture, recently.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

Group spreads spelling bee nationwide

MultiChoice tasks female undergraduates on career

The second edition of the spelling bee competition targeted at prima-ry school pupils between ages eight

and 14, which was launched in Osun State by Young Educators Foundation, is being opened up to more states across the federa-tion.

According to the organisation’s Coun-try Director, Mrs. Eugenia Tachie-Men-son, the successful implementation of the pioneer edition in Osun State where the eventual winner was rewarded with an all-expenses-paid trip to the 87th Scripps National Spelling Bee of the United States of America, as a guest, has encouraged the organisation’s decision to extend it beyond Osun.

She said the competition, which is de-signed to inculcate the basic imperatives of effective communication in the pupils, impacting improved spelling skills in them, and increase participants’ vocabu-lary, pronunciation and accurate word us-age, will in no small measure aid the coun-try’s educational goals.

The foundation according to her, is a non-governmental organisation that pro-motes literacy and education, and fran-chise holders of Scripps National Spelling Bee, USA for Ghana in partnership with PDR Media Service Nigeria and Business Interactive Consulting International.

The foundation therefore explained that the second edition of the competition which is being opened to all the 36 states across the country will formerly com-mence in November with a call for enroll-ment of schools.

Tachie-Menson explained that the max-imum number of schools per state will be 25 while the selected teachers from these schools will undergo a one-week training to be led by Linguistics trained officials from Ghana.

SAIDAT ALAUSA

A cable network, MultiChoice Ni-geria, has tasked female students in tertiary institutions to prepare

themselves for hard-work on the comple-tion of their studies to ensure their success in life.

The advice was given by Mr. Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Marketing of the company, while welcoming some fe-male students of the University of Lagos

TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE

The Vice-Chancellor, Fed-eral University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi State,

Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe has em-phasised the need for universi-ties that want to remain strong and relevant in the future to embrace the revolution Infor-mation and Communication Technology (ICT) has brought to university administration.

He made this observation as a guest lecturer at the sixth An-nual Registry Lecture of the Fed-eral University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) held at the insti-tution last Thursday. He spoke on: “Universities of the future: Roles of the Stakeholders.”

Ibidapo–Obe, who is also a for-mer Vice-Chancellor of the Uni-versity of Lagos, Akoka, advised Nigerian universities to place premium on intellectual proper-ty production through purpose-ful research and development.

This, to him, is achievable through specialisation and branding, rather than broad-based teaching.

He said the university that would be relevant in future will always occupy the “driver’s seat” in knowledge generation and transfer.

He said this was because ev-ery university is expected to pro-

How varsities can remain relevant, by Ibidapo-Obe

(UNILAG), Akoka, to his office during this year’s Take-a-Girl-Child-to-Work initiative, commemorated annually by MultiChoice Nigeria, in partnership with the South Afri-can High Commission and UNILAG.

The group of 20, all final year students, were selected from various disciplines rang-ing from Law, Economics, Mathematics and-Statistics, Philosophy, Engineering, Psychol-ogy, English, among others.

Mabutho introduced the visiting students to MultiChoice’s work culture, which he said, was anchored on hard-work, honesty,

integrity and team effort. He said that MultiChoice, though an em-

ployer of equal opportunity, prides itself as a champion on the empowerment of the girl-child.

“As you set your eyes on graduation, it is important that you begin to think about your career and what you will like to do with your life once you start working. Re-member that hard work and honest dedica-tion to your calling will pay off in the long run,” he counseled.

Earlier, Caroline Oghuma, Public Rela-tions Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria, com-mended the girls for their enthusiasm and urged them to make the most of the day be-ing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the participants.

“We are glad to be a partner in this ini-tiative because it concerns the future of the girl-child. When you train a girl, you empower a generation. When you expose a girl to a work environment, you assist her in her career choice, future life and engage-ments,” she said.

Mr. Mai Atafo, a fashion icon, spoke with the girls on “A Career in Fashion”. He urged the students to embrace creativity as a way of life, encouraging them to consider a ca-reer in fashion to boost the country’s econo-my and reduce unemployment.

vide solution to such challenges as poverty, war, insurgency, ter-rorism, famine and flooding con-fronting the society.

Speaking further, the don noted that Nigerian universi-ties need constant collabora-tion with other world class in-stitutions and research centres to remain relevant in the 21st Century.

Ibidapo-Obe, however, la-mented the poor funding of university education in the country and called on relevant governments and other stake-holders to critically look into the issue of funding, deterio-

rating infrastructure, dearth of funds for research, university autonomy, students’ unrest and constant industrial actions, among other important issues with a view to taming the trend.

He said, “It is obvious that unless urgent revamping of the system is undertaken, the sur-vival of the universities in the country is at a great risk. “One of the gaping flaws in the sys-tem is that there is too much of government in the set-up and operation of these institutions and this bureaucracy kills in-novation, creativity and inven-tiveness.”

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adebiyi Da-ramola, represented by his deputy in charge of Academ-ics, Prof. Adedayo Fasakin, said: “To build a university of the future, there is need to first assess our relevance and level of competitiveness in terms of output and professionalism.

“Since the registry is the hub of the wheel that runs the university and a reflector of the university’s reputation and attainment, it is impor-tant to build the capacity of its members so as to ensure its ef-ficiency and relevance.”

SSCE: WAEC blames parents for mass failure

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 21Education TodayThursday, August 21, 2014

Olarewaju

Why our new fee regime is irreversible —OAU

OAU campus has been shut for more than two months due to stu-dents’ protest, how can you justify the closure?

The closure is to allow peace to reign and to let public know that the univer-sity management has respect for hu-man lives and property. The Senate of the university decided to close down the campus when the students were protesting the minor adjustments in the fees payable by them and we felt that being the best university in Nige-ria for the fourth time running now, we should be able to use what we have as a standard and maintain such standard because the financial standing of the university could not in all be used to sustain the standard that OAU is noted for all over the world.

What are the details of these new fees?

Let me begin by giving you the back-ground to the new fee regime so that we will all understand the issue. The uni-versity did not just wake up overnight to increase its fees. The management felt the economic realities does not sup-port the payment of N5,300, N7,800,and N10,300 per session by each student de-pending on the courses of study which had been on for quite some years.

The university in conjunction with the senate decided that the fees should be adjusted to N19, 700 for those in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, while those in Sciences should be paying N33, 700. Are we saying that this money is too much for students in this univer-sity in this 21st Century? The economic realities of this country would not al-low us to continue with the old rate, which had been on for the past 14 years. And when you consider those who use the facilities on the campus, you find out it is the students who consume more. For instance, the university pays as much as N30 million electricity bill on monthly basis and more than 92 per cent of this electricity is consumed by the students because they are on the campus 24 hours using electric stoves, boiling rings and several other power consuming objects, yet they are the ones unwilling to pay. So, if truly we want to sustain the academic sanctity of our school and our rating as the best university in Nigeria, the school man-agement decided that it would be good to have more contribution from the parents to support what we get from the Federal Government in maintain-ing our standards. But the students de-cided to be unruly, and when the dem-onstration was turning violent, the

After more than two months of closure over students’ protest against the increment of fees, authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, have announced the coming Sunday as a resumption day for academic activities with stern warning to students to steer clear of trouble. In this interview with TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, explains reasons behind the fee increment and why it is irreversible. Excerpts:

university management in conjunc-tion with the senate decided to shut down the school.

But you claimed the university had never increased fees in the last 14 years, what about the N20, 000 acceptance fee introduced about three years ago and other minor increments?

What happened then was a kind of adjustment in the accommodation. We all know that the university’s yearly business is to maintain the halls of residence by putting in new facilities which cost money and if we look at it closely, you will agree with me that the students themselves know the reali-ties on ground because when they go outside campus to rent a house, they know how much they pay and they also know that when Power Holding Company of Nigeria takes electricity, they have no right to protest because they know it is not the fault of the landlords but anytime there’s electri-cal failure in the university environ-ment for just a day, you will see them chanting ‘war’ songs. The acceptance fee is part of the internally generated revenue for new students here. The students who are being asked to pay this fee are not yet our students be-cause until the acceptance fee is paid and it should be clearly noted that this fees is meant for new students alone and not an additional fees to returning students.

It could be truth that the eco-nomic realities and the dwindling allocation may not support the needs of the university, but have you also considered the fact that

most of the parents are also on N18, 000 minimum wage?

Before OAU decided to increase the fees, we did our homework very well. We went round most of the federal universities including the University of Lagos, Akoka and we discovered that out of all these universities, OAU was the only uni-versity where students were paying the most ridiculous fee. We had our points and the Senate of this univer-sity ratified everything, and it gave the management of the university go ahead. We must understand the fact that the Senate comprises professors from various disciplines of different faculties of this university. And on the case of parents earning N18, 000 minimum wage, are you saying be-cause of that, the university should not charge fees? The students that you are soliciting for, most of them uses BlackBerry, some of them are on monthly subscription of N5, 000 for different communication networks. If N5, 000 x 12 is 60,000, a student in this university who does that should be able to accord his or her educa-tion priority. Anywhere in the world, OAU remains the university with the cheapest fees. Apart from this, you would agree with me that most of the students here attended private prima-ry and secondary schools where they paid minimum of N40, 000 per term making N120, 000 per session. Are we saying that in all honesty, somebody whose parents could afford N120, 000 in a year at secondary level won’t be able to pay less than N80, 000 for uni-versity education? Or is it because we had made it lesser for people to come in when the economy of this country was buoyant? The students’ position cannot in anyway be justified.

So is the university saying its doors should be locked against children of the poor?

That is not possible and that is why the management has introduced new measures to accommodate the indigent students.

The Senate in conjunction with the VC has set up bursary and scholar-ships committee for the indigent stu-dents. We felt that brilliant students should not be deprived of having their educational attainment because we are all citizens of this country and so the business of the standing com-mittee is to assess the applications from the indigent students in a fair manner so they can be assisted.

Quality education, essential for national development —Commissioner

Group lauds MOUAU’s achievement

Strive for excellence, pupils told

SAIDAT ALAUSA

The Ogun State Com-missioner for Edu-cation, Science and

Technology, Mr. Olusegun Odubela has observed that education was essential for national development and remained the best legacy any government can be-queath to its citizens.

He made this disclosure while delivering a keynote address at the Professor Ebenezer Otesile Annual Debate and Quiz competi-tion among the secondary schools in Ogun State held at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) recently.

In a paper, titled: “Quali-tative and affordable edu-cation: Essential for na-tional development,” the commissioner noted that the quality of education

given to the people would determine the level of de-velopment of the nation as well as the behaviour of the citizens.

Odubela, who was repre-sented by the Director, Edu-cation Inspectorate Service and Teachers Development in the ministry, Mr. John-son Odeyemi, lauded the initiative of the Associa-tion of Veterinary Medi-cine Students (AVMS), College of Veterinary Med-icine of FUNAAB, and the pioneer Dean of College for organising such an in-teresting programme.

He said it was in tan-dem with the state govern-ment’s vision for primary, secondary and technical education, to completely overhaul its curriculum to empower students not only in the cognitive but also in the affective and psycho-motor domains.

DENNIS AGBOENUGU

A non -governmental organisation, Cen-tre for Reform Edu-

cation Initiative (CREI), has applauded the Vice-Chan-cellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, Professor Hillary Edoga for transforming the institution into a world class citadel of learning with massive state- of-the- art infrastructure.

Executive Director of the group, Hon. Chinwe Ugwu said MOUAU was fully com-mitted in promoting lofty

educational programmes, good governance, as well as supports all tiers of gov-ernment in addressing the numerous challenges of hu-man capital development in the country.

He noted that the perfor-mance of Edoga’s admin-istration was very impres-sive, adding that Edoga has really proved that he is a good manager of both hu-man and material resourc-es.

Ugwu maintained that Edeoga had raised the bar of the University of Ag-riculture, Umudike, and should be commended for that.

The 2014 graduating students of Grand-mates Secondary

School, Okota, Lagos, have been advised to always strive for excellence not only in their academic pursuits but also in other lawful engage-ments.

The Director of the school, Mr. Olusola Adepoju who gave the advice also asked them to be good ambassadors of the school and their fami-lies.

He however acknowl-edged the parents’ invest-ment in their children educa-tion and development, saying good upbringing of children is a collective responsibility.

In her speech, the Prin-cipal of the school, Mrs. Toluwase Ijeoma charged the graduating students to always remember the won-derful experience they had shared together, saying the world outside secondary school was a big one, which could only be enjoyed by those with vision. “There would be no teachers to run after you, so be wise as a ser-pent and gentle as a dove. Do everything with moderation and seek wisdom in whatev-er you do.”

The principal also warned the graduands against bad influence as the go into the world.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net22 Education Today Thursday, August 21, 2014

I WONDER IF THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF IS AWARE OF THE DEPTH OF THE PROBLEM AND THE POTENTIAL

IMPLICATION ON HIS TRANSFORMATION AGENDA.

Education as I see itby Tosanwumi Otokunefor

info@alphaedufoundation.org08030904461 (email/SMS only)

Waslat Schools, Olowogbowo, Lagos Island, Lagos, held its 14th graduation ceremony recently. The programme, held at the schools hall, was well attended and featured career talk, drama and songs presentations, as well as dance competition, among others. The highpoints of the event are presented in images below:

WAEC results, barometer of a mismanaged educational system

Waslat Schools hold graduation ceremony

Graduating students of the School with the proprietor, Alhaji Wasiu Adumade-yin (in black cap) and the guest speaker from the Lagos State University, Ojo, Dr. Saheed Ahmad Rufai, at the event.

Proprietor of the school, Alhaji Wasiu Adumadeyin (6th left) with guests at the event.Outgoing head boy, Damilola Awonusi (left) handing over the Staff of Office to his successor, Kabir Olayeri

A student entertaining guests

The headline in the Van-guard newspapers of Au-gust 11, 2014 aptly captures

the mood of most Nigerians on the release of the results of the Senior School Certificate Exami-nation conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC); Mass failure as WAEC releases results!

This heralds the beginning of another season of lamentations, the yearly ritual that follows the release of May/June and the Nov/Dec SSCE results by the WAEC and the National Examination Council (NECO) respectively; a ritual oc-casioned by the consistently poor performance by Nigerian students in these examinations over these many years.

According to Mr. Charles Eguri-du, Head of the WAEC National office in Nigeria, only 529,425 of 1,692,435 candidates that sat for the May/June examination ob-tained credits in five (5) subjects and above, including English Lan-guage and Mathematics.” This represents a 31.28% pass rate and a marginal decline in performance compared to the 38.81 and 36.57 percent pass rate achieved in 2012 and 2013 respectively. However, to many Nigerian, this is a huge blow to their dreams of an im-proved and qualitative educational system which they had believed would catapult them from the pres-ent grinding poverty to a better life

tomorrow. The gravity of this per-formance is even more profound when viewed against the backdrop of the highly prevalent examina-tion malpractice which permits even stack illiterates to secure five credits, including English lan-guage and Mathematics without seeing the four walls of a second-ary school classroom.

It is pertinent to note that the poor performance in the senior school certificate examination is not a recent development or ac-cidental occurrence in Nigeria. From the records at our disposal, the pass-rate in the May/June WASCE for the past seven years has fluctuated between 20.04 to 38.81 percent. The performances in the Nov/Dec examinations are

even more atrocious. Furthermore, performances in

the science subjects have been ex-tremely poor with pass rates dip-ping below one percent in some subjects. It is profound that this situation is unfolding at a time when the man at the helms of af-fairs in the nation was in the edu-cation profession before climbing into the exalted position of Presi-dent of the most populous nation in Africa. Our expectations of a golden era in educational devel-opment at his inauguration have however been scuttled by the lack luster performance of his appoint-ed administrators in the educa-tional sector.

The most worrisome aspect of this development is that no solu-

tion appears to be in the horizon. Sometimes, I wonder if the Presi-dent himself is aware of the depth of the problem and the potential implication on his transforma-tion agenda. And there is also a potential implication on national unity as educational backward-ness is often accompanied with economic problems leading to different forms of social unrests. In the recent past, less than zero point one percent of candidates secured the five credits required for admission into Nigerian uni-versities in a state in the north east. The outbreak of violent in-surgency in the same region can only further aggravate the prob-lem. All these are likely to affect the ability of the nation to pursue and realise her aspirations in the various fields of science and tech-nology.

Unfortunately, there has been no concerted effort to turn around the situation. Dilapi-dated and overcrowded facilities still feature prominently in our educational system. The teach-ers training process is very inef-ficient and the teachers employ-ment process still shrouded in corruption and sharp practices and aggravating the phenomenon of teachers who cannot read and write. Meanwhile the State Gov-ernments are sponsoring many unprepared candidates to sit for the West African School Certifi-

cate Examinations at great costs but very little returns. Examina-tion malpractice still remains the preferred method of achieving suc-cess in many public examinations as long as there are no penalties.

At the federal level, the govern-ment seems to lack the political will to take the bull by the horn. The managers of our educational system seem to have no personal stake in the system as their off-spring are taking advantage of the functional and well funded educational system in the West at great cost to the Nigerian public. Appointment of a competent and dedicated education minister seem to have been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.

The minister of state for educa-tion recently reeled out his “im-pressive” achievements in the ed-ucational sector to party faithful in the Peoples Democratic Party; but the ordinary Nigerian who wears the shoe knows where it is pinching. The qualities of teach-ers, teaching and learning have not improved; until then there will be no improvement in the educa-tional sector.

The President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan should remem-ber that it is the functional educa-tional system of the past that gave him the opportunity to become the President of Nigeria; he should not deny others this same oppor-tunity!

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Education Today 23Thursday, August 21, 2014

What prompted you into campus poli-tics?

All is by interest. I started by paying rapt at-tention to public discussions on campus and in the country at large. In the long run, my at-tention got shifted to political issues and that’s how it started. I developed interest in changing things for better in public leadership by seek-ing political power. That was why in 100 level, I contested for the post of class representative and I lost. Second semester was not too differ-ent when I contested for the office of the As-sistant General Secretary of my faculty, I lost again but by the grace of God and the effort of men around me. I have contested for sixteen other political offices in the institution after then and I won all.

Which of the posts have you held before now?

I was the local government coordinator, ‘Ribadu For President’ campaign team in Ondo State in the 2011 general election cam-paign, I was the P.R.O of the National Union of Ikale Students (OAU chapter) in 2012, I was an honourable member of my faculty Student’s Association Parliament for three years (2010-2013) during which I served in several house committees like Chairman of the Project Monitoring Committee, secretary of the Audit Committee to mention but a few. I also served in the audit committee of my department for three years and rose to become the com-mittee chairman in the third year. I was also privileged to serve as the General Secretary of NAOSS in OAU and I later became president in the 2012/2013 session.

How would you describe your emer-gence into this your current office?

It was an indication of the fact that there is hope for change in the political system of the country, because the senators voted against money influence. I had not up to one percent of what some of my contenders spent in so-liciting support and votes but in the end, the total votes cast for me was more than that of the three other contestants sum together. The victory is a relief and an encouragement for me to serve my fatherland more.

What is the role of the legislative arm in fostering unity among students?

As popularly known, we are law makers. But our roles goes beyond making laws, we are to check the activities and official responsibili-ties of the executives. We are also expected to

Edited by: Saidat Alausasaidat_alausa@yahoo.com 08027633686

Be well-behaved, registrar tells students

NHIS boss charges students on health scheme

Sandwich students of the University of Ilorin, UNILORIN, Kwara State,

have been told to imbibe the eth-ics guiding students’ conduct in the university if they are to have a smooth sojourn in the univer-sity.

The Registrar of the institu-tion, Mr. Emmanuel Obafemi, gave this charge recently during the orientation programme or-ganised for the 2,500 sandwich students, who have just been of-fered admission into the universi-ty’s Institute of Education (IOE).

He said the university had become the most desirable aca-demic destination for prospective students, explaining that the uni-versity has been able to achieve this enviable level of develop-ment through adherence to the highest standards based on the values of excellence, academic integrity, respect, diversity, ac-countability and overall ethical conduct.

“The need for code of ethics is to develop a sense of individual responsibility on the part of each member of the community to participate actively in maintain-ing our standards, to foster an en-vironment of trust, honour and respect within the community”, the Registrar said,

He added that “for the stu-dents, it is to enable them em-brace the norms and values as well as to educate them about their rights and responsibility as community members”.

In his speech at the ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of the uni-versity, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Am-bali, congratulated the new stu-dents and charged them to key into the university’s drive for quality education.

Fagbemigun

L-R: Dean, School of Arts and Social Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. David Otubanjo; Guest lecturer and Provost, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Noforija-Epe, Lagos State, Prof. Olu Akeusola and NOUN’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic, Prof. Nebath Tang-lang at NOUN’s 5th inaugural lecture... on Tuesday.

offer support appropriately where necessary which results in strengthening our unity. All these responsibilities at the students’ arm of legislature is all in a bid to foster continued unity and development for the entire student populace

What in your view, is the solution to the constant rivalry between the execu-tive and legislative arms on campus?

The solution is actually not as complex as most people think. It only requires that a leg-islator recognises the office of an executive and respectfully carry out the function of check-mating his activities. And in recipro-

cal, an executive willingly presents himself with all respect for scrutiny. Whenever the law is respected and checks and balances observed, tension will be reduced within the polity.

Some people believe that student unionism is a means for students’ lead-ers to collect money from politicians, what is your position on this?

I totally disagree with that. But the act is conspicuously obvious and very abysmal. It is a product of lack of leadership orien-tation on the part of those in position. I, as a student and the senate president, will al-ways frown at such act. Though, I agree that it exists, however, it is not universal

How can politics among students be free of rife and corruption?

Yes it can with the proper mentality, and that will only happen if we all search for, and get the correct orientation through peri-odic reading and review of our political ac-tivities. Students engaging in politics should embrace the spirit of sincerity of purpose.

Should Nigeria go back to parliamen-tary system and which is better between presidential and parliamentary system of government?

In my own view, neither is bad. It’s not the system of government that matters but the leadership charisma and the sincerity of purpose on the path of those at the helms of affairs. Nigeria will thrive well on any sys-tem of government if its citizens allow such.

The State Coordinator, Na-tional Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Abeoku-

ta, Ogun State, Mr. Emmanuel Boore has enjoined students at tertiary institutions to make use of the Tertiary Institutions Social Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) by the government to enhance easy access to affordable and qualitative health care.

He said this while on a sensiti-sation visit to Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FU-NAAB), recently.

According to him, this is neces-sary so that government aim of establishing the scheme will be achieved.

‘Any system of government okay for Nigeria’A 24-year-old Israel Fagbemigun is the newly inaugurated Senate President of the National Associa-tion of Ondo State Students, NAOSS. In this interview with KEMI BUSARI, OAU, Ile-Ife, the 400- level Microbiology student of Obafemi Awolowo University speaks on national and domestic legislative is-sues. Excerpts:

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net24 Thursday, August 21, 2014

NANS inaugurates joint campus committee in AnambraEMEKA ONWUDINJOUNIZIK AKWA

The Zonal Secretariat of the Na-tional Association of Nigerian Students (NANS Zone-B) has

announced the new leadership of the Anambra State Joint Campus Commit-tee Members who will pilot the affairs of the campuses in the state for the next one year.

The zonal Coordinator of NANS, Ike-chukwu Okorie while dissolving the former committee members led by Ken-neth Okeke advised the new members to be law abiding and follow the tenets of NANS charter of demands and as well endeavour to always consult the zonal secretariat for advice.

He added that the committee was carefully selected and constituted after a rigorous scrutiny by the zonal secre-

tariat.The new committee chairman, Un-

egbu Edozie-Jude from Anambra State University, said he will use his experi-ence as a student unionist to harness the potentials of students and campus-es within his jurisdiction.

He therefore solicited for the support and cooperation of everyone to deliver his selfless service to his people with love, integrity and fear of God.

UNILORIN shows superiority at NUSSA Games

Don blames government, parents for increased violence in Nigeria

The University of Ilorin, Kwara State showed class at the just concluded 11th Nigeria Univer-

sity Staff Sport Association (NUSSA) Games held at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Edo State.

The university came seventh on the medals table with a total of six gold med-als, eight silver medals and four bronze medals.

A total of 34 Universities participated in the one-week games that ended last Sat-urday.

The university won Gold medals in 100 Metres Women, 200 Metres Women, Squash, Marathon Race, Badminton Men’s Doubles,and Table Tennis Men’s Doubles.

Speaking on the achievement, the Uni-versity Director of Sport, Professor Abim-bola Adesoye, said he was inundated with goodwill messages from NUSSA officials on the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by the university athletes.

“The attitude and character of our ath-letes really showed that we are better by far”,

He added that “our staff has shown that they are mature and they have exhibited high level of sportsmanship even in the face of provocation; and the officials of the games are even commending their brilliant display.”

The Director thanked the Vice-Chancel-lor of the university, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, and the university management for their unfailing support before, during and after the games.

SAIDAT ALAUSA

Moral decadence among youth and increased cases of violence in the country has been attributed to

the unsupportive attitude of the govern-ment and bad family background.

The Vice Chancellor of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, JABU, Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State, Professor Sola Fajana at a teens’ programme held in the Christ Ap-ostolic Church, Yaba, Lagos State, high-lighted the characteristics of a 21st century youth.

He said family and societal influence largely contribute to a child’s mental, spiri-tual, academic and social growth.

He also said, “Religious knowledge and civics are no longer compulsory in schools; whereas, the Bible is not silent on many of the social and ethical issues with which we are confronted today.”

Speaking further, Prof. Fajana urged parents to show love to their children as it would help take their minds off peer pres-sure.

He added that young people in the 21st Century will know more and have access to vastly greater quantities of information than ever before and possibly know more than their teachers, but good examples lay down by the elders and the government, can help influence positively their high tech savvy and put them on the right track.

L-R: Secretary, Nigerian Academy of Letters, NAL, Prof. Dele Layiwola; Honoree, Dr. Olatokunbo Gbadebo and President, NAL, Prof. Munzali Jibril, during the investiture of Gbadebo as an honorary fellows of the academy at the16th Convocation and Investiture of Fellows held at the University of Lagos, recently. PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

We’re striving for world-class status, says FUNNAB VC

Nigeria’s development aspiration lacks synergy, says expert

SAIDAT ALAUSA

The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeoku-

ta, FUNAAB, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, has reiterated the institutions’ management determination to make the university a world-class in-stitution.

He disclosed this recently during a three day Intensive training workshop, organised by the Directorate of Grants Management (DGM).

Represented by his deputy in charge of Academics, Prof. Waheed Adekojo, the Vice-Chancellor stated that the uni-versitys’ strive for world-class status was being achieved by developing the capacities of staff; both academic and non-teaching while admitting aca-demically-sound students.

According to him, “we want to be at par with our colleagues worldwide”.

He added that every one contribution would make FU-NAAB to be at par with the

best universities in the world. In his presentation, the Guest

Speaker at the occasion, who is the Secretary-General, Associa-tion of Vice-Chancellors of Ni-

should be identified. He advised that universi-

ties should take advantage of NgREN, an innovation of the Federal Government, which FUNAAB was already connect-ed to through networking with other Nigerian universities and the rest of the world.

Earlier, the Director of Direc-torate of Grants Management (DGM), Dr. Kolawole Adebayo, stated that five African coun-tries were represented at the workshop, as he expressed his gratitude to management for making the workshop a reality.

gerian Universities (AVCNU), Professor Michael Faborode, said research was pivotal to economic growth, adding that it also ad-dressed societal challenges.

He noted that being a good teacher entailed being a good re-searcher.

Professor Faborode, whose presentation was titled, “Grant Management and Administra-tion Conflict or Compliments?”, stated that researchers should not conduct research just for the fun of it but for development, adding that before conducting a research, the core competencies

JAMES ABRAHAMJOS

A member of the Directing Staff of the Na-tional Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos, Prof. Aja

Akpuru Aja has called on the three tiers of govern-ment to bridge the gap between the intelligentsia and political class in the country.

Aja in a chat with National Mirror in Jos, the Plateau State capital said the call had become nec-essary in order for Nigeria to move forward as a country.

According to him, lack of synergy between the

intelligentsia and the political class has been a ma-jor factor militating against the nation’s quest for development.

He said injecting fund into the universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of edu-cation by government cannot achieve the nation’s development aspiration without connecting the knowledge framework embedded in research and development innovations.

Professor Aja further decried what he called the domination of African markets by the Europeans and other developed countries attributing it to” under utilisation of the intellectual capital in the country.”

Oyewole

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 25Thursday, August 21, 2014 Education Today

z

‘Last week’s Thursday’ is wrongTHE TROUBLE

WITH AN AVERAGE NIGERIAN IS THAT HE/SHE DOES NOT READ ON A DAILY

BASIS

Ebola: Parents differ on extension of school holidayMARCUS FATUNMOLEABUJA

For many parents, ex-tension of holiday for primary and second-

ary schools by the Federal Government over the Ebola virus disease is an unpopu-lar decision.

Yet, to some others, the extension is a welcome de-velopment that would help guarantee the health of their children.

Outbreak of current Ebo-la scourge in the West Africa sub-region began in Guinea in March this year. It has since spread to Liberia, Si-erra Leone and Nigeria, with about 2, 127 reported cases and 1,145 deaths out of which Nigeria has 12 suspected and confirmed cases with four deaths.

Senior Special Assistant to Nigerian President on Youth and Students Matters,

Mr. Jude Imagwe, disclosed the postponement of school resumption in Abuja recent-ly without disclosing how long this will end.

While the decision of the Federal Government could

be justified on the fact that children are most vulner-able to the disease when it becomes a national emer-gency. President Jonathan has declared Ebola virus disease in the country as an

emergency like other West African countries ravaged by the disease.

In the contrary, except where there is strike by teachers, children or stu-dents are not supposed to

Students on their way to private coaching in Lagos

be out of school for a long period. A recent situation in Benue State where primary school pupils were shut out of school for nearly a year attracted widespread con-demnations.

It thus brings up ques-tion such as if Nigeria does not conquer Ebola virus, will schools remain shut? Should government open the schools while its ef-forts to contain the virus continue, will there be ad-equate measures to protect the children against the disease?

Some of the parents in-terviewed by our reporter bore their minds on the development. Mrs Adaeze Alex is a civil servant and mother four. Her twin girls have just been promoted to primary four.

She said: “It is a good decision that the President deferred resumption of schools. But, keeping chil-dren at home for this long a period is my fear. My husband and I have to go to work; nobody stays with the children at home. They are susceptible to doing what they would not do while in school. And, except for those who go for lesson, the probability that children on holiday will read on their own is very low.”

A father, Ajuda Moses, and resident in the nation’s capital said: “This sessional break, I think lasts for about seven weeks. Suspending resumption date may not truly be applauded by all Nigerians; but it is very pro-active taken by the govern-ment to save our children.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY News Re-view of August 17 welcomes us today: “Nigeria’s 2014 National Conference

ended last week’s Thursday.” This way: ei-ther last Thursday or Thursday, last week. ‘Last week/week’s Thursday’ is wrong. The day does not belong to the week!

Another regular blunder: “Police arrest man over (for) murder, sex with dead women in Ebonyi”

National Mirror of August 7 takes over: “Osun 2014: Parties’ last minute (last-minute) campaign strategies”

Did you know that Britons say ‘go to the poll’, while Americans use ‘go to the polls’?

“Nigeria, for all intent (intents) and purpos-es, is a developing nation.”

“In the military heydays (heyday) when they were in charge….”

“…Nigerian marketers need to avail them-selves with (of) both theoretical and practical tools to practice (practise) effectively.”

“StarTimes sensitizes young scholars on (to) digital migration”

“How Nigeria (Nigerian) football can move forward”

The first contribution this week is from Mr. Kola Danisa (07068074257): “Graduates check-ing their NYSC postings in Kano were killed when a female suicide bomber…diffused (det-onated, not defused) the bomb….” (THE NA-TION ON SUNDAY, August 3)

Still on the preceding medium: “Ex-Gov Oyinlola writes (writes to) Jonathan, set to dump PDP” Note that the excerpt is American English while the corrected version is British Standard English.

“Ebola: Liberia, S/Leone, Guinea seal-off (seal off) virus-heat areas”

“Osun State is in the focus of the nation as

the people go to the poll next (this) Satur-day, August 9, 2014.” ‘Next Saturday’ in this context means August 16! Similarly, ‘last Saturday’, going by August 3, implies August 2. Do you follow the sequence? Also know that ‘go to the poll’ is British English while Americans say ‘go to the polls’.

“LCCI commends FG over (for/on) in-dustrial revolution programme”

“…most fuel efficient (fuel-efficient) Jaguar ever”

Let us welcome The Niche on Sunday to this column for the first time. Its July 20 edition goofed: “…Nigeria’s quest for per-manent (a permanent) seat at (in/on) the United Nations Security Council.”

Lastly from THE NATION ON SUN-DAY under review: “Our rather unenvi-able ranking in the league of corrupt na-tions attract (attracts) dishonour….”

April 2014 edition of Political Econo-mist offered readers just three impropri-eties: “In Barcelona Juwah struts Nige-ria’s broadband potentials (potential)”

“The occasion came to an end at about 5pm (sic)…” ‘At about 5 p.m.’ smacks of confusion. ‘At 5 p.m.’ means on the dot while ‘about 5 p.m.’ indicates shortly be-

fore or after 5 p.m. So, to now write ‘at about 5 p.m.’ is simply ridiculous. Just use intelli-gible timing (one of the two as appropriate-ness demands).

“The scene of the ghastly accident that killed the majority leader in.…” Any acci-dent that results in the loss of (human) life is a fatal one; not a ghastly mishap.

“He got missing in action at Ikeja before he was picked up in an abandoned car in the outskirt of the cantonment. “ (The Guardian, July 25) Action phrase: on the outskirts….

“A leader is not really necessary because bush men roam about together in small family bands.” Delete ‘about’ as ‘roam’ en-compasses its function.

“…that is why they are performing cred-itably well.” (Radio Nigeria, July 25) Econ-omy of words: simply creditably—no need for ‘well’.

“We therefore want to appeal to all con-cerned to ensure that fresh students settle down early enough for their academic work on the campuses this year.” (Nigerian Tribune, July 25) I urge the Ibadan edito-rialists to settle down to Standard English language application.

“We recall instances in the past when confirmation of nominees were (was) with-held by the legislature until their illegiti-mate and illegal demands had been met.”

“Their conduct in a few cases have been disappointing.” You don’t need to be a pur-ist before observing the subject-verb dis-agreement. Get it right: Their conduct….has (not have).

“Another feather on his cap” The stan-dard expression is ‘feather in one’s cap.’

“Then there is the case of a specialist

hospital built a stone throw from an under-utilized and ill-equipped teaching hospital.” (The Guardian, July 25) The idiomatic expres-sion known to good taste is ‘a stone’s throw’.

“Commissioner rescinds decision, hon-ours Assembly’s summon” Henceforth, I may be compelled to cause a summons (or sum-monses, as the case appears) to be served on newspapers!

FeedbackELUCIDATORY Note: “Good riddance (to

bad rubbish)”, an informal idiom, is said when you are pleased that a bad or unwanted thing or person or something of poor quality has gone”, E.g. we’ve got rid of the old computer system, and good riddance to bad rubbish is what I say (CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH, Page 1074).

“Good riddance” is an exclamation express-ing relief that something or somebody has been removed, e.g. Good riddance to bad rubbish (WORLD BOOK DICTIONARY, Page 1795).

“Members/men/people of the (criminal) un-derworld”, meaning “criminal” (or criminals), this has long been a cliché in Standard British English (SBE). In Nigeria, it has become one of the grossly overworked popular expressions of contemporary life”, so asserts Professor David Jowitt, author of the book, entitled: NIGERI-AN ENGLISH USAGE: An Introduction (Page 210).

I have said it time and again that the trouble with an average Nigerian is that he/she does not read on a daily basis. After graduation from the university, reading becomes a closed book to him/her. Bring Back the Book and #Bring back our Girls! God Bless Nigeria! (Bayo Oguntunase/Adorobaba1952@yahoo.com) .

26 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014

L-R: Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Prof Suleiman Bogoro: Director, Project Management TEtfund, Arc . Abu Matthew and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education Alh Aminu Goro during an Oversight Visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Education to Tetfund Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

Arik Air

FLIGHTSCHEDULE

Lag-Abj:07.15, 09.15, 10.20, 13.05, 15.20, 16.20, 16.50,18.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun).Abj-Lag: 07:15, 09.40, 10.20, 12.15, 15.15, 16.15, 17:10, (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun); 12.15, 15.15, 16.15 (Sun) Lag-PH: 07:15, 11.40, 14.00, 16.10, 17.15 (Mon-Fri); 07.30, 11.40, 15.50 (Sat) 11.50, 3.50, 17.05 Sun) Abj-PH: 07.15, 11.20, 15.30 (Mon-Fri) 07.15, 16.00 (Sat) 13.10, 16.00 Sun)PH-Abj: 08.45, 12.50, 17.00 (Mon-Fri) 08.45, 17.30 (Sat) 14.40, 17.30 (Sun) Abv-Beni:08.00, 12.10 (Mon-Fri/Sat)08.56, 12.10 (Sun) Benin-Abj:09.55,13.30

Lagos- Abuja (Mon-Fri): 07.00, 08.50, 12.00, 16.30. Abuja- Lagos (Mon-Fri): 09.00, 14.00, 15.00, 18.30. Lagos-Yola (Mon-Fri): 8.50am. Yola-Lagos (Mon-Fri): 13.00. Lagos- PHC (Mon-Fri): 17.00. PHC-Lagos: 19.00. Abuja-Yola: 11.00. Yola-Abuja: 13.00. Lagos-Abuja (Sat): 08.00, 08.50.Abuja-Lagos (Sat): 10.00, 15.00. Lagos-PHC (Sat): 17.00. PHC-La-gos (Sat): 19.00. Lagos-Yola (Sat): 08.50. Yola-Lagos (Sat): 13.00

Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun), 12.30 (Sun) 16.45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) Lag-Benin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat)Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat) 14.00 (Sun)Lag-Owe: 7.45am, 2pm daily

Med-View Airline

Aero Contractors

27

Francis EzEm

The Cargo Defence Fund CDF has said that many of Nigerian mineral export-

ers have been made to fall prey to foreign buyers, who defraud them in the course of their internation-al business transactions because most of the documentations are faulty and do not conform to in-ternational standards.

CDF is an arm of the Nigerian Shippers Council NSC, charged with the responsibility of educat-ing Nigerian exporters on their export documentations and also help them pursue their cargo claims in situations where they are shortchanged.

Secretary of the CDF Ms. Azu-ka Ogo, who spoke in Lagos, said most of the trade documentations made by the mineral exporters were always faulty and do not con-form to known standards, which many fraudulent buyers of their capitalized on and so most of the time, the Nigerian exporters would make shipments while the exporters will refuse to pay.

She disclosed that the fund intervened in the mineral trade sector after it received incessant complaints from miners and sol-id mineral exporters that their mineral exports were devalued or even rejected by the overseas

DaviD auDuWITH AGENCY REPORTS

International Air Transport Association, IATA, has urged Airlines to maintain air links

with Ebola-hit regions in West Africa that need connections to the outside world, after more car-riers put flights on hold.

The industry needs only to screen passengers at airports in infected areas, apply rigorous procedures including isolation when handling suspected cases, and disinfect planes afterward, IATA said, citing World Health Organization advice that avia-

tion constitutes a “low risk” for Ebola transmission.

“They have been very clear that travel and trade bans are unnecessary,” Raphael Kuuchi, IATA’s vice president for Africa, told the body’s Africa Aviation Day conference in Johannesburg. “Unless this advice changes we hope that countries working hard to eradicate Ebola continue to benefit from air connectivity.”

IATA commented after Kenya Airways Ltd., Africa’s third-larg-est carrier, said Aug. 16 it would cease flying today to Liberia and Sierra Leone -- which together with Guinea are the focus of the

Ebola outbreak -- on the advice of the Kenyan health ministry. That’s after Korean Air Lines Co. (003490) said it would end trips to Nairobi on Aug. 20 because of the risk of infection spreading there via services from West Africa.

While some carriers have elected to stop serving affected nations as a precaution, others may be reaching a “commercial decision” based on a decline in travel demand to and from affect-ed countries as news of the out-break makes headlines around the world, Kuuchi said.

“Airlines are within their rights to take whatever caution-

ary measures they deem neces-sary,” Kuuchi said in a separate statement.

South Africa’s government today responded to a newspaper report suggesting travel to the country has been hurt by the Eb-ola outbreak thousands of miles away, saying the story referred only to a handful of travelers can-celing trips.

“There is no need to incite pan-ic and speculation on the tourism industry,” Communications Min-ister Faith Muthambi said in an e-mailed statement. “South Afri-ca is safe and is still an attractive destination for tourists.”

Why foreigners defraud Nigerian mineral exporters –CDF

IATA urges airlines not to boycott ebola-hit nations

28 33

Telecoms: Adding impetus to healthcare

services delivery

HTC reveals cut-price One M8 Windows phone device

Competition’ll drive improved products quality

BusinessNational Mirror

www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014

31

partners.It was gathered that on a close

examination of the cases brought before it, the CDF discovered that most of the transactions did not have appropriate documentation backed by any laboratory test lo-cally and so the local operators were at the mercy of their inter-national partners.

“The nature of complaints we have received from Nigerian trad-ers cover short landing/handling of cargoes, non delivery of car-goes, non shipment, fraud, delay,

theft, government inaction, time bar, illegal charges, prolonged court cases, lack of understand-ing of process of foreign arbitra-tion and excessive bank charges”, she said.

It was also gathered that these Nigerian exporters have also been grappling with non-payment of export proceeds, devaluation of export proceeds, unfair contract terms, rejection of export com-modities, poorly drafted and ne-gotiated contracts, among several others.

According to her, in addition to these challenges, there was also lack of local certification of Nigeria minerals, a development that handicapped the fund when it tried to initiate a legal fight against the overseas partners.

It was gathered that it was in view of the vacuum that existed in the nation’s mineral trade in terms of certification that the CDF had to come in to make case for the establishment of a state-of-the-art laboratory in the country to breach the gap.

HTC reveals cut-price One M8 Windows phone deviceThe handset maker HTC

has unveiled a new smartphone that runs a

Windows Phone operating sys-tem.

The modified One M8 is be-ing sold at roughly half the price of the same handset run-ning Google’s Android.

This is the first time the struggling manufacturer has released a Windows smart-phone in more than two years.

One analyst said the new device was “almost certainly financially supported” by Mi-crosoft, in an attempt to gain a foothold in the US market.

The new phone, which comes with Windows Phone 8.1 pre-in-stalled, is available exclusively through US network provider Verizon.

When bought with a 24 month contract, it is priced at $99 ap-proximately 50 per cent cheaper than the Android One M8.

“Consumers love the HTC One M8 and today’s introduc-tion extends that enthusiasm to new audiences hungry for choice in their mobile experi-ence,” said Jason Mackenzie, president of HTC Americas.

He added: “Microsoft shares our vision, and that’s why we

committed to bringing the Win-dows Phone platform to the HTC One M8.”

The Taiwanese firm, which originally made its name sell-ing early versions of Windows phone handsets, has preferred Android devices in recent years.

However it has recently lost out to rivals such as Samsung, and while its flagship handset, the HTC One, received good re-views, these did not translate into strong sales.

In April, HTC posted losses of 1.88bn Taiwanese dollars $63m for the first three months

of 2014, compared with a profit of T$85m a year earlier.

Shares in HTC have dropped by 38 per cent in the past year.

Daniel Gleeson, an analyst at the consultancy IHS Technolo-gy, told the BBC the move was a “big thing for Microsoft as they want a big push for Windows phones in North America”.

“Microsoft is desperate for other manufacturers to develop Windows smartphones, and they almost certainly financial-ly supported HTC to make this phone,” he added.

“Microsoft needs to kickstart the whole Windows Phone eco-

system. Its apps do not get up-dated at the same frequency as Android or iOS equivalents.”

As for the pricing of the phone, Mr Gleeson said, this was an attempt by HTC and Mi-crosoft to position themselves as a cheaper alternative to the upcoming new iPhone.

Earlier on Tuesday, HTC’s chief executive Peter Chou un-veiled another new phone in Tokyo, aimed at the Japanese market.

The updated J Butterfly mod-el, the HTL23, features a plastic body, but is otherwise similar to the Android One M8.

BHP Billiton plans to spin-off some of its assets into a new $14bn metals and min-

ing company in order to simplify its operations.

The world’s biggest mining firm also posted a rise in annual profits of 23 per cent to $14bn, missing analysts’ forecasts.

BHP chief financial officer Gra-ham Kerr will head the new com-pany, which will contain the alu-minium, coal, manganese, nickel and silver operations.

The new entity, called NewCo for now, will list on Australia’s stock market.

It will also have a secondary list-ing in South Africa. However, the proposal still needs to go through a shareholder vote and be approved by regulators.

BHP’s London-listed shares fell nearly 4% following the announce-ments.

BHP said the demerger will al-low it to focus on core businesses in iron ore, copper, coal, petroleum and potash production.

“By concentrating on what we do best, the development and op-

eration of major basins, we can improve our productivity further, faster and with greater certain-ty,” BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie said in a statement.

Analysts said they had been expecting the spin-off, which is ex-pected to be completed in the first half of 2015.

“Cash from an asset sale is no longer critical to the group,” David Lennox, a resource analyst from Fat Prophets in Sydney said.

“Removing underperforming businesses has become critical in the battle to generate shareholder returns and allocate capital.”

BHP ranks among the world’s largest producers of major com-modities which include alumini-um, coal, copper as well as silver and uranium. The company also holds substantial interests in oil and gas.

Last week, the company said in a statement that it is looking into ways to further simplify its corpo-rate structure, to “retain the ben-efits of diversification, generate stronger growth in cash flow and a superior return on investment”.

BHP Billiton to create new metals and mining company

Food prices are rising in parts of Russia and experts say the state embargo on

imports of Western food appears to be making things worse.

Since the ban was imposed on 7 August imported pork used in pro-cessed meat in Moscow has gone up by 6 per cent, Russian business daily Kommersant reports.

In St Petersburg food pric-es have risen 10 per cent. That inflation occurred even be-fore the impact of sanctions.

Russia’s ban on many Western foods is retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine.

The St Petersburg govern-ment’s economic policy chief, Anatoly Kotov, said the pork price had risen by 23.5 per cent and chicken by 25.8 per cent.

On Monday, Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he did not expect the ban on food imports to lead to price rises or shortages in the shops. But he also said he hoped the ban - introduced for a year - would not last too long.

Nina Oding, an economist at the city’s Leontief Centre, criti-cised “clumsy efforts by the state somehow to regulate price for-mation”. She said such efforts had failed in Soviet times, when goods simply disappeared from the shelves, and in Russia in the 1990s.

“We’re heading for restricted choice, more monopolistic ten-dencies, prices will rise - and we’re already seeing the start of that process,” she told Russian business website RBK.

Kunle Azeez

An indigenous Information Technology, Brain Inte-grated Systems Limited,

BISL, has joined the race for the tablet market in Nigeria with the introduction of its own brand of tablet christened ‘BrianTab iw10’.

BrainTab iw10 came into ex-istence following BISL’s part-nership with technology giants, Intel and Microsoft and powered by Intel Atom processor and has the windows 8.1 with office 365 in built.

“The BrainTab iw10 is de-signed to help people experience the power of Intel Atom proces-sor and Windows 8.1 easily with the main objective to being to make work easy and play hard,” said Chairman of Brain Integrat-ed Systems Limited ,BISL, Mr. Tunji Balogun.

Country Manager, Intel , Mr. Bunmi Ekundare, stated that the BrainTab 1w10 is a world class de-vice which combines the technol-ogy of Microsoft and Intel.

The device boasts of enhanced features including Intel Quad –

Core 1.33-i.8 GHz Bay Trial –T pro-cessor, Intel HD Gen 7 graphics, 10 point capacitive touch screen, to make switching between favou-rite apps more fluid. It also has eight hours of battery life.

Industry Information Com-munication Technology stake-holders at the launch described the device As a novel innovation from an Original Equipment Manufacturer, OEMs, in Nigeria.

Also commenting on the Bri-anTab iw10 General Manager Microsoft, Kabelo Makwane said “The tablet is much more than an ordinary tablet. The Brian Tab iw10 Windows Tablet gives you the power of touch and exciting ways to share, play, create, inter-act and enjoy. All the great apps you need are in the Windows Store and you can surf the web with the touch-perfect Internet Explorer. The USB Ports lets you connect to external devices while your Microsoft Accounts lets you share your tablet with other us-ers but not your personal infor-mation, helping you keep things separate.”

Speaking further Balogun stressed that out of the box, peo-

Indigenous IT firm out with own tablet brand

Russian import ban fuels food price rises

ple can enjoy the pre-installed In-tel Explore and Learn App which contain various educational con-tent materials that are of great value to students which also comes with Microsoft services like Skype

The Braintab iw10’s seam-less body comes with a keyboard set that is easy to detach with a weight of 594g, the tab is easy to carry around.

The benefits include a fit On storage and memory, 2GB DDR3 RAM 32 GB eMMC, and MicroSD Slot, expandable up to 64GB. For wired and wireless connections it is embedded with WiFi: 802. 11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0, 3G Network for wireless connection and data transfer, Micro USB incl Mini HDMI incl. adapter, head-phone Jack.

The BrainTab iw10 is available in BISL retail outlet across the country. BISL an OEM have been in existence for 10 years and with its partnership with Intel and Mi-crosoft has been pioneering local assembly and sales of Windows and Intel powered products in the Nigerian market.

L-R: Marketing Manager, Guinness, Dr. Obinna Anyalebechi; General Manager, Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. Martin Mabutho; Head, Sponsored Assets, Globacom, Mr. Gbenga Moses and Head, Corporate and Consumer Electronics Marketing, Samsung, Mr. Koye Sowemimo, during the live screening of new European football season in Lagos recently.

28 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014Business News

Business News

L-R: Chief Financial Officer, Diamond Bank Plc, Abdulrahman Yinusa; Deputy Managing Director, Risk Management, Caroline Anyanwu; GMD/CEO, Dr. Alex Otti; Deputy Managing Director, Retail Banking, Uzoma Dozie; Company Secretary Nkechi Nwosu, and Non-executive Director, Chris Ogbechie, at the Shareholders’ Forum organised by the bank for the Diamond Bank Rights Issue in Port Harcourt recently.

OsahOn JuliusYENAGOA

As the fight against oil theft in the Niger Del-ta continue to dety all

known security measures aim at to checkmating it, the Ijaw Na-tional Congress, IYC, has posited that the first step toward ending it was for the Federal Govern-

ment to show sincerity in its fight against it.

The National President of the body, Udengs Eradiri while say-ing that the government must be ready to fight it with all sincerity, said it was difficult because oil thieves are in higher places in-cluding the Federal government.

Mr. Eradiri who spoke at the inauguration of the leaders of its western zone said the people at

the local level who are mostly er-rand boys for the ‘big men’ were only involved in it because they are struggling for survival, sur-vival from deprivation, degrada-tion and abject poverty caused by damages to its sources of liveli-hood by oil exploration activities.

He said, “Our people are only

their errand boys who are strug-gling for survival, it only the

quest for survival that makes some of our people join in the oil theft.”

He however stated that if the Federal Government was ready to end, they must come down to the table with all interventionist agencies and security agencies to dialogue with the IYC because they know their people and un-derstand the terrain better.

He also said government must

make sure that they improve on the living standard and economy of the people in the creeks and communities because the people must live healthy to help in the fight against oil theft.

He said the IYC was having has herculean task educating its peo-ple as a result of the poverty level in the communities, saying that government must also change it approach to the issue of oil theft.

We need sincerity to end oil theft –IYC president

Citi tells court its Argentina banking license at risk Winners emerge in FCMB’s ‘30th anniversary promo reloaded’

The leading role of Sterling Bank in Agricultural fi-nancing was rewarded in

Abuja yesterday as the Central Bank of Nigeria conferred on the Bank the Best Performing Bank under Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme ,CACS.

The Award was presented to the Bank at the CBN’s Annual Micro, Small and Medium Enter-prises Finance Conference held at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Abuja.

The conferment of the Award to the Bank is in recognition of its commitment to the growth of the Agricultural sector. Ster-ling Bank has disbursed sizeable funds to its customers under the aforementioned scheme.

Speaking at the event, the CBN Governor, Emefele Godwin com-mended the Bank for its support to the Agricultural sector adding

that with the support of Finan-cial Institutions, activities in the Agricultural sector will increase and in the process take its right of place in the Nation’s economy.

Corroborating the remarks made by the CBN Governor, the Regional Business Executive of Sterling Bank; Japhet John speaking on behalf of the Bank MD assured that the Bank will continue to provide funding across the value chain to ensure sustainable growth for the sector.

His words: “Agriculture is an important sector of the economy with high potential for employ-ment generation, food security and poverty reduction. The sector played a key role in the economic growth of the country before the discovery of oil. At Sterling Bank, we intend to bring back these glo-rious days for the sector through adequate funding.”

TOla akinmuTimiABUJA

Another set of lucky win-ners of the First City Mon-ument Bank ,FCMB, Lim-

ited in Abuja and North Region on Tuesday carted homes prizes as the 2nd Zonal/Regional Draws of the bank’s ‘30th Anniversary Pro-mo Reloaded’ Raffle Draws were concluded at the Bank’s Wuse Zone 4 Regional Office in Abuja.

At the end of the draws, a cus-tomer at the Bwari branch, Mr Ose Bayagaji Idasho, won the one million Naira (N1m) prize while others carted away prizes that ranged from LED Television sets, Refrigerators, Generators and DVD players.

Some of the winners include, Mr Anetor Goddon Ebhoria, who won an LED TV; Mr Bello Kayo-de Elias, a staff of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) who won a Generator, and sev-eral others who carted home DVD Players and other consolation prizes.

Speaking at the zonal draws

Sterling Bank bags CBN’s best performing bank award

Citigroup has told the U.S. appeals court overseeing the dispute between Ar-

gentina and hedge funds refus-ing to accept terms of the coun-try’s debt restructuring that its Argentine banking license may be at risk as a result of the standoff.

That is because under orders from U.S. District Judge Thom-as Griesa, Citibank Argentina is barred from distributing payments it will receive from Argentina to holders of a class of restructured bonds that are governed under Argentine law. Meanwhile, the Argentine gov-ernment has demanded that the bank honour its obligations un-der local law.

Citi expects to receive about $5m from Argentina ahead of its next coupon payment deadline of September. 30.

Argentina, whose appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court stalled in June when the high court re-fused to take the case, has flout-ed orders by Griesa that it may not pay creditors who agreed to the restructuring until it pays the hedge funds the full face

value of the bonds they hold. In June it deposited a $539m pay-ment to those bondholders with its trustee, Bank of New York Mellon.

“It is increasingly apparent that the mandatory payment injunctions directed to the re-public cannot be enforced,” Citigroup said in a court filing late Monday, adding that the Ci-tibank injunction could lead to the loss of its banking license in Argentina and its takeover by the republic.

Argentina accounts for a small part of Citigroup’s busi-ness. Its exposure to the country at the end of June from securi-ties and from loans, including those to businesses and consum-ers, was only $2.7bn compared with $1.9trn in total assets worldwide, according to Citi-group’s most recently quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Meanwhile, the New York Post reported on Tuesday that Paul Singer, head of Elliott Management, one of the main holdout creditors in the case, intends to widen his hunt for

assets connected to Argentina’s leaders.

Last week, Elliott won a rul-ing from a U.S. magistrate in Nevada allowing him to push ahead with subpoenas to 123 companies based in the state that have ties to associates of the family of Argentine Presi-dent Cristina Fernandez.

The Post, citing an unnamed source “familiar with Singer’s thinking,” said he intends to use the ruling to issue subpoe-nas to at least two companies controlled by Cristobal Lopez, a friend of Fernandez’s late hus-band and her predecessor as president, Nestor Kirchner.

One of the subpoena targets will be Centenary Internation-al, CTYI.PK, which the Post de-scribed as a shell company list-ed as a penny stock on the U.S. over-the-counter market.

The paper said that Cente-nary, while it has no operations and reported a loss of about $1 million last year, recently signed a 10-year lease for 4,000 square feet of office space near New York’s Museum of Modern Art at a cost of $34,333 a month.

witnessed by hundreds of the Bank’s customers, the Executive Director North Region, Mr. Adam Nuru, described the event as one of the ways the bank was explor-ing to encourage customers to save and get them financially included through rewards and prizes.

In addition, the Regional Di-rector said the 30th Anniversary Promo Reloaded was also a way of showing appreciation to teeming customers for being invaluable partners to the bank in its success story of financial products and services delivery in the country

Nuru, during a chat with the National Mirror, said the initia-tive had been a worthy step as ex-periences since the Promo started showed that “the Bank’s custom-ers have continued to appreciate better how FCMB is supporting their businesses through cash and other rewards being given to winners”, adding that the man-agement of the bank is happy that beyond the prizes being won, more customers are embracing the sav-ing culture which is one of the pri-mary objectives of the exercise”.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 29Thursday, August 21, 2014

Multiple power projects raise Genesis Electricity’s status Kunle Azeez

Successful implementation of a multiple power proj-ects in Nigeria and other

countries over the past nine years has raised the status of Genesis Electricity Limited, (GEL), a full-service energy company providing a broad spectrum of energy solutions, a key player in the oil and gas sector.

This became evident as the company was named African Power Utility of the Year for 2013/2014 at the Africa Utility Week Awards held Cape Town, South Africa recently.

Winners in the annual award are selected by an independent panel of judges based on the nomination of power utilities

in Africa that excel in area of service delivery, project roll-out, technology roll-out, rev-enue protection measures, loss reduction, grid integration and new energy sources.

Genesis Electricity beat oth-er finalists including Copper-belt Energy Corporation, Ke-nya Electricity Transmission Company and Zesco Limited of Zambia to emerge winners in the category.

According to a statement signed by the Communication Advisor, Genesis Electricity Genesis, Mr. Desiree Mc Nabb, Genesis was recognised for its multiple projects deployment in a few countries in Africa over the past nine years and particu-larly for the development of the 84 megawatts off-grid gas-fired power plant at the Nigerian Na-

tional Petroleum Corporation-owned Port Harcourt Refinery Complex (PHRC) in partnership with General Electric and En-gro Corporation.

PHRC is currently the larg-est refinery in Sub-Sahara Af-rica, at 210,000 barrels per day of crude oil processing capac-ity and it is project a wholly privately funded investment project on the back of a 20- year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Genesis and NNPC.

Commenting on the award, Chief Executive Officer, Gen-esis Electricity, GEL, Mr. Akin-wole Omoboriowo, said, “We at Genesis Electricity Ltd (GEL) are elated, and indeed humbled by so great an honour to be rec-ognised with an award of such magnitude.”

Henry IyorKAseMAKURDI

The General Manager of Gotv Mrs. Elizabeth Am-kpa says the company is

supporting digitization by pro-viding decoders at affordable rates in line with NCC specifi-cation for migration from ana-logue to digital broadcasting.

Mrs. Anmkpa who disclosed this during a press conference to mark the launch of the GOtv channel in Makurdi, the Benue state capital further said the channel prides itself on provid-ing the best value pay-TV on the digital terrestrial platform by offering affordable decoders which guarantee subscribers an instant migration to the digi-tal age.

GOtv which makes a debut in The state according to the

General Manager uses the lat-est DVB-T2 technology and of-fers decoders to customers at a retail price of N6900 including 1 month subscription to GOtv Plus and an outdoor GOtenna giving subscribers in Makurdi access to an exciting selection of local and international chan-nels containing news, sport, movies, music, documentaries, religion and children’s pro-gramming.

Mrs. Amkpa who described the people of the state as fun-loving noted that and “GOtv brings to Makurdi lots of enter-taining content that showcases 2baba’s work through its music channels namely, Channel O, Hip TV, MTV Base, Soundcity and PRTV all in crystal clear pictures and sound. For sub-scribers seeking the best of gospel tunes, GOtv also brings them One Gospel.”

Customers of Sterling Bank Plc nationwide have commended the

Bank for instituting a reward system for users of its ATMs during the ongoing ATM activa-tions across the country. They expressed the opinion that such an exercise would encourage the use of ATMs in the country in line with the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Already, some of the custom-ers who used the Bank’s ATMs in Lagos (Adeola Odeku, Idimu branches) and in some branch-es in Port Harcourt were given the one customer experience as they were treated to what was termed Sterling Exclusive offer-ings. They include make-overs, photography sessions with ce-lebrities, saloon services, spa

/relaxation services, fashion incentives, exotic car rides and refreshment.

Speaking on the modalities for the activation, the Bank’s Group Head, Strategy & Com-munications Mr. Shina Atilola explained that customers who carry out transactions on Ster-ling Bank’s ATMs at selected branches will be prompted to experience the One-Customer treatment of their choice from the list of gifts and activities on offer.

With this initiative, he said that the Bank will create a conducive environment to in-teract directly with users of these channels. At the end of the experience, these individu-als, according to him, will have a better understanding of the “One-Customer” proposition.

Standard Chartered has agreed to pay $300m to New York’s top banking regula-

tor for failing to improve money laundering controls.

The British bank has also been banned from accepting new dollar clearing accounts without the state’s approval.

The penalty comes after the bank failed to fixed problems identified in 2012.

“If a bank fails to live up to its commitments, there should be consequences,” the New York State Department’s Benjamin M Lawsky said.

Standard Chartered said it

“accepted” the findings of the New York State Department of Financial Services.

“We are continuing the reme-diation of our AML, anti-money laundering, control issues with the utmost urgency, in addition to improving our compliance programmes generally,” it add-ed.

It said a “small proportion” of its clients would be affected by the suspension of dollar clear-ing for high risk retail clients at its Hong Kong unit, and the banning of high-risk client re-lationships in the United Arab Emirates.

GOtv launches its presence in Makurdi

Sterling Bank’s nationwide ATM activation excites customers

Standard Chartered to pay $300m penalty to NY regulator

JoHnson oKAnlAwon

Access Bank Plc in con-junction with VISA has announced a business

partnership with an online ship-ping company shoptomydoor.com exclusively for Visa cardholders.

This partnership will afford Access Bank Visa Card holders the opportunity to shop online at retailers in the U.S, U.K. and China as well as enjoy exclusive shipping discounts directly to their door-steps.

According to a statement by the bank Access Bank VISA cardholders could now shop from the world’s major inter-national retailers with more flexibility and convenience. “They can make purchases online in these countries as if they are local residents and also have it shipped in a few business days.

“In line with the Central Bank of Nigeria ,CBN’s cashless initia-

tive, this move is seen as part of Access Bank’s efforts at boosting electronic payments, e-commerce and fostering ease of transactions.

“Shoptomydoor.com, who is a global player in the e-commerce and e-procurement industry, of-fers a faster and more effective means of conducting transactions over the internet and is currently being used by millions of custom-ers across the world”, it said.

Executive Director, Personal Banking, Victor Etuokwu, said that the introduction of Shopto-mydoor.com platform was a delib-erate attempt by the bank to make financial services easy and acces-sible to its customers.

“This partnership offers Access Bank Visa Card holders various discount services which include free sign up on shoptomydoor.com portal, free 12 month premium account, continuous discount from selected online stores, 10% discount on low shipping cost till 31st December, 2014 etc. We believe

Access Bank, Visa Card partners on e-procurement services

that our customers will benefit im-mensely from this innovation, and the process is straightforward,” he stated.

Also Head, Card Products Jus-tin Ijeh, said “the Bank’s commit-ment to consistently provide inno-vative products is not just aimed at aligning with the Central Bank’s cashless policy, but also designed to make life easier for its custom-ers”.

While the surge in e-commerce has given rise to concerns about online security, the bank has al-layed the fears of its customers by confirming that its cards are protected with top-notch security tools. In addition to the in-built se-curity mechanism, Access Bank’s VISA Cards are protected and ver-ified by VISA features respectively.

Access Bank has consistently position itself as a Bank of choice through its commitment to provid-ing innovative banking solutions to its customers and growing en-trepreneurs through partnership.

Chairman, Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), retired Gen. Martin Luther-Agwai (right) boarding a train during inspection of the light rail project in Abuja recently.

30 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014Business News

31

Sub-Saharan Africa carries a dispropor-tionate share of global diseases and ac-cording to World Health Organisation

estimates, the region has 11 per cent of the world’s population but carries approximately 24 per cent of global diseases.

The situation is reflected in high maternal and infant mortality as well as low life expec-tancy indices. Nigeria’s Human Development Index rating of 0.471 currently ranks us 153rd in the world.

To put this in context, Ghana’s rating of 0.558 ranks it 135th in the world, South Afri-ca’s rating is 0.629, putting it at 121 and Mau-ritius’ is 0.737, putting it at 80th.

The ability of many sub-Saharan African countries to improve their rating and ranking on the Human Development Index, especially those that relate to health are constrained by several socio-economic and infrastructural factors such as low per capita income, acute shortage of trained medical personnel, con-sidering that Nigeria currently has a mere 16 nurses and midwives per 10,000 population.

It is also noteworthy that over the years, malaria funding has increased nearly 10-fold and major gains have been made in control-ling the disease in developing nations such as Nigeria.

Also, the number of new cases has de-clined by 25 per cent globally, and deaths from malaria have fallen by 42 per cent.

These gains have been made through a combination of interventions, including timely diagnosis and treatment using reliable diagnostic tests and effective drugs.

However, in the fight against malaria, fi-nancial constraint faced by individuals or households has been one of the major prob-lems faced in combating this scourge in Af-rica and Nigeria is not an exception.

As such, many Nigerians cannot afford quality health care due to poverty. Most rely on self medication which, in turn, has ad-verse effects on their health.

“But in the light of this fairly grim picture of our health systems, the role of players in the Information and Communication Tech-nology in helping to drive eHealth thereby facilitating delivery of healthcare services to many Nigerians has become very key,” says Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, in a lecture at the 12th Archives of Ibadan Medicine Inc. Public Honours Lecture held at the University Col-lege Hospital, UCH, Ibadan last month.

According to the minister, globally, Infor-mation and Communication Technology sec-

Telecoms: Adding impetus to healthcare deliveryNigeria’s telecoms sector is supporting efforts at promoting eHealth, as some players in the industry deploy their mobile platforms towards making healthcare services delivery more accessible and affordable for Nigerians. KUNLE AZEEZ reports

Johnson

tor is moving from simply providing basic telecommunications services of allowing people to make calls, send Short Messaging Services and accessing internet to becoming an enabler of all aspects of a nation’s econo-my.

She said ranging from financial services sector to agriculture, oil and gas, education and healthcare services delivery, among others, ICT has continued to be major trans-formation tool for achieving effective policy implementation in each of the sectors.

“If ICTs are applied strategically in a way that they scale cost-effectively, experts say they could be as transformational in health as they have been in other sectors. ICTs are playing key role in improving the accessibil-ity and affordability of health care,” she said, adding that another application of ICTs that is having far reaching impact on access to and affordability of medical expertise is in the field of Telemedicine.

Telemedicine tools enable the communi-cation and sharing of medical information in electronic form, and thus facilitate access to remote expertise. For instance, a physician located far from a reference center can con-sult his colleagues remotely in order to solve a difficult case.

Also providing an idea on how strategic telecoms sector has become to Nigeria’s healthcare services delivery, a former Execu-tive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Commu-nications Commission, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, said mobile technology and telecommunica-tion industry has the potential to help Nigeria address part of its healthcare services deliv-ery challenges.

“There a need to leverage the market pen-etration and unmatched reach of mobile telecoms in Nigeria for healthcare services delivery. Statistics reveal that active mobile

which means, poor people can have unfet-tered access to good and effective healthcare without the usual “out-of-pocket expenses”. It is not always that one has substantial amount of money in the pocket particularly when one is facing health challenges.

Health insurance is a type of coverage that ensures the cost of an insured individual’s medical and surgical expenses are paid by the scheme on the behalf of the insured. It is being provided through this programme to save the masses from self medication, or from shying away from receiving treatment because of cost or other competing needs or considerations.

“MTN is a big player in the Nigerian econ-omy, having a good number of registered Ni-gerians on its database. To be able to reach out to Nigerians, we at NHIS decided to partner with Salt & Einstein MTS and MTN Nigeria on this new initiative to achieve “Universal Health Coverage” for Nigerians nationwide,” says Executive Secretary and Chief Execu-tive Officer of NHIS, Dr. Femi Thomas.

He stated further that “The time has come for us to extend health insurance to Nigerians from all walks of life using mobile technology. With Nigeria’s population in mind, NHIS in partnership with MTN Nigeria and Salt & Einstein MTS is bent on providing more effi-cient health care services to those who indeed cannot afford them. This will help pool risk and share healthcare costs equitably across the population.”

Speaking on the scheme, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Michael Ikpoki, said, “The focus market for the Y’ello health insurance cover are Nigerians who have no health insurance cover principally because they cannot afford the regular health insur-ance services in the market. These individu-als like everyone else, need medical care.”

He, however, stressed that with access to mobile health insurance, they probably would be having occasional challenges pay-ing for medical treatment, because such ex-penses would usually be without or at short notice. It is to take away this burden of im-promptu medical expenses that we are part-nering to introduce this product.”

Ikpoki asserted that the importance of education and sensitisation of the populace about healthcare and commended the NHIS for its drive to provide universal healthcare to Nigerians, leveraging technology.

According to the Managing Director, Salt and Einstein MTS, the mobile insurance ser-vices aggregator, Mr. Lai Labode, Nigeria still has less than 4 per cent of its population cov-ered by basic health care services at this time in our nation’s history.

He added that the partnership between MTN and NHIS will bring health insurance cover to Nigerians who, hitherto, have been excluded from access to good healthcare ser-vices.

Meanwhile, Ndukwe, who is also the Chairman, Salt and Einstein MTS, has stated that the growth in telecoms sector in Nigeria today creates adequate grounds for direct health insurance provision to Nigerians who, without this, would have no access to the NHIS.

telecoms subscription in Nigeria is over 130 million.”

Interestingly, telecoms operators in Nige-ria led by MTN, have also come up with ini-tiative on their networks targeted at driving eHealth or healthcare services delivery to Ni-gerians across the country.

In one of such initiatives, MTN Nigeria, working with Salt & Einstein MTS, recently partnered with the National Health Insur-ance Scheme, NHIS, to launch a health insur-ance programme, which will afford Nigerians who cannot access quality health care, the op-portunity to do so. This health insurance pro-gramme is tagged: MTN Y’ello Health Cover.

The MTN Y’ello Health Cover is an all-in-clusive mobile health insurance programme, which will afford all Nigerians the opportu-nity to access good, affordable and quality healthcare service wherever, whenever the need arises.

Through the programme, the NHIS, work-ing with all the leading Health Management Organisations, HMO’s, have enabled mobile subscribers to opt into a micro healthcare in-surance cover where, they can access a range of pre-defined medical treatments for which affordable premium can also be remitted through the subscribers’ mobile phone.

This enables subscribers under this pro-gramme have access to unlimited number of visits to the hospital with as low as a daily or weekly airtime deduction of N35 and N250 respectively to access effective health care as many times as treatment is needed annually.

The scheme also gives access to a combi-nation of over 7, 000 hospitals and primary healthcare providers nationwide currently registered under the NHIS scheme from which subscribers can choose.

The main objective of the programme is to ensure the removal of financial barriers,

The Time has come for us To exTend healTh insurance To nigerians from all

walks of life using mobile Technology and parTnering wiTh Telecoms is

expedienT

Kpoki

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014

Info Tech

32 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014

Operating systems have be-come so mature and capa-ble, hardware ultimately

is now more interchangeable and interconnected than ever before, with the ability to connect and converge a key component of consumer buying habits.

These are some of the ongo-ing trends on some key prod-ucts being manufactured by the global electronics manufacturer, LG which has continued to rede-fine and shape a newer, smarter world.

According to LG, the result of having more connected devices in existence than human beings is known as having an internet made of objects or ‘Internet of Things’.

This, the company said, refers to how more and more objects are becoming embedded with sen-sors and gaining the ability to communicate and interact with other devices.

Hence, the possibility of cre-ating more complex information networks promise to create new business models, improve busi-ness processes, and reduce costs and risks.

According to LG developers, having intelligent devices that can ‘talk’ to one another has po-tential to alleviate and automate ordinary tasks, saving time, en-ergy and costs for consumers.

With the enduring popularity of smartphones, countless acces-sories have been designed by LG to help users harness the full power of their smart devices.

While these accessories re-main somewhat dormant by themselves, their ability to con-nect with smartphones has led to them becoming an indispensable component of any 21st century digital ecosystem.

For example, the LG Tone In-finim is a Bluetooth headset de-signed to flawlessly sync with the user’s smartphone. The headset has a number of unique features that allow for hands-free smart-phone operation.

Through the headset, users can send and receive calls as well as supply users with operational data for their smartphones.

Tech BoxLG: Converging smart devices with technology

Kunle Azeez

Active telephone subscrip-tions on telecoms net-works in Nigeria have

further increased to reach 131.1 million subscriptions, according to latest data from industry regu-lator.

The latest subscriber status data obtained from the Nigerian Communications Commission this week revealed that, in May this year, the industry recorded additional over 1.8 million active subscriptions.

The new data released for the month of May, 2014 is the latest of-ficial data in the nation’s telecoms market.

The figure increased from 129.3 in April, this year to reach the cur-rent figure has stood at 127.9 mil-lion in January, this year.

According to the NCC data, tele-

density has also increased from 92.42 per cent in April to reach 93.70 per cent at the end of May.

With the development, the country’s access to telephony ser-vices is inching towards reaching the 100 per cent mark.

The teledensity measures the percentage of a country’s popula-tion with access to telecommuni-cations services, as determined by the active subscriber base.

In January, this year, teledensi-ty in the nation’s telecoms indus-try has increased from 91.40 per cent to 92.14.

The figure, however, plunged to 90.78 per cent at the end of March and by end of April, it further rose to an all-time high 92.42 per cent.

Industry analysts say the geo-metric increase in the subscriber base leading to proportional growth in teledensity suggests that access to telephone services

is getting deeper by the day in the country.

With the liberalisation of the nation’s telecoms sector in 2001, the industry’s teledensity has grown in leaps and bounds.

According to NC data, teleden-sity increased from 0.73 per cent in 2001 to 1.89 per cent in 2002 and in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006; it increased to 3.35 per cent; 8.5 per cent; 16.27 per cent and 24.18 per cent respectively.

In 2007, teledensity increased to 29.93 per cent and in 2008, it hit a re-cord 45.93 per cent. Also, with the growth in active subscriber base hitting 74.52 million by the end of 2009, teledensity also reached 53.23 per cent, while the figure rose to 63.11 per cent in December, 2010.

In January, 2011, teledensity 68.49 per cent; 80.85 in 2012 and by the end of December, 2013, the fig-ure rose to 91.15 per cent.

Telecoms subscriptions hit 131 million

Kunle Azeez

An indigenous Information and Communication Tech-nology conglomerate, Com-

puter Warehouse Group Plc, has extended the cloud-based banking technology, MTN Infrastructure-as-a-Service, MTN XaaS, to power the Diamond Y’elloAccount.

MTN XaaS runs on indigenous software from Computer Ware-house Group Plc. designed to pro-vide efficient cloud based banking services in furtherance of the ongo-ing cashless economy initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

Diamond Y’elloAccount is a mo-bile banking product built on MTN XaaS platform to enable MTN sub-scribers, including the unbanked and under-banked populace in Nige-ria enjoy the banking services from Diamond Bank.

The Diamond Y’elloAccount al-

CWG powers mobile banking with cloud technology

L-R: Group Marketing and Communications Director, Genesis Electricity Limited, Ms Desiree McNabb receiving Africa Utility of the Year Award 2013/2014 won by her company from one of the award organisers, Sir Rick St. John at the African Utility Award, AUA, held in Cape Town, South Africa recently.

the pipeline, including SMERP plat-form, PosApp solution and teleport services all form part of the CWG 2.0 initiative where CWG has been working with several partners to deploy solutions and services to the wider Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSME and consumer markets.

According to him, “The teleport services have been announced with SES and will democratize digital broadcasting in Nigeria. Partners like MTN and Diamond bank are making these initiatives real. We ex-pect CWG 2.0 to be a transformative program for not just CWG Plc but also the entire Nigerian economy”

Also speaking at the launch, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Ni-geria, Mr. Michael Ikpoki, said the telecommunications outfit was ready to absorb the anticipated surge into her digital solutions, al-laying fears of disruptions.

A smart devices manufac-turer Samsung on Tuesday announced the availability

of its new flagship tablet, the Gal-axy Tab S, in Nigeria, adding a new, premium device range to its highly popular Galaxy Tab series.

At the heart of the new tablet range is a fingerprint scanner em-bedded in the home button, a fea-ture that made its debut in the Gal-axy Tab S’s smartphone sibling, the Galaxy S5, the objective being to provide consumers with a safe, biometric screen-locking feature.

According to the company, the Galaxy Tab S combines an ad-vanced high definition display technology with a full range of premium content, aimed at provid-ing consumers with an unrivalled entertainment experience.

The device was unveiled at an elaborate event in Lagos. It is al-ready on sale at all Samsung Expe-rience Stores, Operator Stores and at accredited dealer stores nation-wide.

The Galaxy Tab S is Samsung’s thinnest and lightest tablet yet. It features a 10.5-inch screen along-side the most advanced super-AMOLED display on the market,

with a resolution that is twice the high-definition standard associ-ated with other devices in its cat-egory.

The Galaxy Tab S is also pow-ered with enhanced productivity features for effortless multitask-ing, all elegantly housed in a beau-tifully crafted premium design.

In addition to this standard phone-locking function, the scan-ner lets users authorise payments from the device with their unique fingerprints. Up to eight people can use the feature to log into different profiles on the device when it is in multi-user mode.

Speaking at the unveiling, Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Brovo Kim, said the Galaxy Tab S will re-define how technology innovation enhances the quality of life.

Galaxy Tab S: High-end design with biometric scanner

lows automatic account opening just at the dial of a dedicated short code by all MTN subscribers, pres-ently put at 58.4 million.

Speaking at the launch of the service, Managing Director, Dia-mond Bank, Dr. Alex Otti, said the move was aimed at deepening the cash-less initiative, considering that only about 40 million out of the es-timated over 150 million Nigerians have been banked.

He noted that the development would afford millions of Nigerians who have mobile phones but are alienated from banking activities due to procedures to seamlessly key into the formal banking system.

The Chief Technology Officer, CWG Plc, Mr. James Agada, while noting that Diamond Y’ello Account is riding on indigenous technology provided by the Computer Ware-house Group Plc also stated that the technology and many others in

Info Tech

Competition’ll drive improved products quality –Okeme

How would you assess the level of competition in Nige-ria’s marketing environment today?

First, I think Nigeria has become extremely competi-tive. It is always great for marketing, especially for con-sumers. What competition does is that it ensures that every player in the market is at his best. And therefore, all the elements of the marketing mix will be deployed at its best because the fight is really for market share and dominance.

You are going to have in Nigeria a regime where qual-ity of products in the market will continue to improve, because at the end of the day, that is the critical factor in terms of delivery of consumer satisfaction.

Second, you are going to see deliberate effort to ensure thatconsumers get value beyond the functional. That is why there will be a lot of consumer engagement, and we are going to have a lot ofdigital as important tool that will be used to guide engagement.

So, what you see now is a situation where manufac-turers are no longer talking at consumers, now they are involved with a conversation with consumers. And there-fore, the practice will improve the flow of information from manufacturers to consumers and from consumer to manufactures.

In term of value proposition, this will support sharper proposition getting into the market, and therefore the overall consumer experience is going to be enriched. There is a whole lot of pressure on pricing as well, be-cause as you get many players coming into the market, with a lot them engaging consumers on pricing, that will begin to put pressure on pricing.

However, the response of player like Unilever is to in-vest more on consumer values rather than play the price game. What we offer consumers is a holistic experience of the brand and not just the price game. We go for value because we want our products to be valuable for the con-sumers.

Again, what we tend to see in acompetitive marketing environment like Nigeria is that allied industries around brands and marketing will also begin to grow. So, there are a whole lot of research capabilities being built, a lot more research agencies are setting shops. The ones that exist are increasing their capabilities; new ones are en-tering the market.

We see growth and expansion of advertising agencies; we see experiential agencies coming into play and doing what we never thought of before.

We see quite a lot of specialized marketing agencies, some looking after trade environment andsome provid-ing channel supports for marketing. The media is also another area that is benefitting from the growth that we have seen.

In summary, what we have seen of marketing is good for Nigeria; it is good for consumers; it is good for the

Thursday, August 21, 2014 National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 33

Brands & Marketing

what manufacturers are doing is to make sure

now that we are part of that conversation with consumers. we want to

be part of that stuff that is going on in that

consumer space on all the platforms

questions about your brand. They are asking questions, for example, in the tooth paste market, what makes your toothpaste the best toothpaste in the market. Therefore, this has given rise to continuous dialogue with consum-ers.

This is happening because the internet and social me-dia has created a platform where consumers are having conversation about your brand. Once a consumer buys your product and he gets a positive experience, he is go-ing to share it the same way he is going to share it when he gets a negative experience.

So, what manufacturers are doing is to make sure now that we are part of that conversation with consumers. We want to be part of that stuff that is going on in that consumer space on all the platforms. That is where mar-keting has really changed. The traditional tools are just not enough; we now have new tools in place to drive that conversation.

How would you define the market today in terms of seg-mentation to address the various age groups?

One big consumer facts is that Nigeria has a big popu-lation of young people that are age below 30, and that is about 60-70 per cent of the population. Since marketing must evolve to serve the needs of the people, what we are doing today is that we unveil products that will ensure that consumers take action early in life to guarantee their old age.

For example, the Pepsodent we unveiled recently is a brand that we have formulated deliberately to ensure that from childhood you begin to develop the right struc-ture of the teeth so that in your adulthood you maintain that integrity. There is too much of caries, tooth decay, cavity and tooth loss.

It was never like this in Nigeria, but it has become an issue because our diet has changed radically, and there-fore what the brand is doing is to attack a social issue with a product that will guarantee healthy teeth once you are in the right behavior. That was why we brought school children to the venue of the launch to teach the right habit, knowing fully well that when they grow up they not depart from.

With the current security challenges, how has it affected your marketing efforts in terms of distribution of your products to the northern states?

The truth is that when we talk about Nigeria becom-ing a great country, the economy accelerating to become the 20th biggest economy, depending on who you speak to, at the base of it all without peace and security it is not possible.

That is why it is a big concern to all of us about what is going on in a section of the northern parts of the country. We need peace; we need security for us to be able to create the right experience for consumers that will support the growth of our brands, and ultimately the growth of our economy.

So, certainly the current security challenge is affecting our brands because in the epicenter of the whole thing is that we have not been able to distribute our brands ef-fectively; we have not been able to do activations as we would want to around the country; we have not been able to gather people and do consumer education in those ar-eas of the country as we do in other parts of the country.

So, a lot of things are not working, not just for our brands, but for other businesses as well because the right environment for businesses to thrive is what drives eco-nomic growth. Our prayer is thatwe will find a lasting solution to this problems and quickly too.

Director, Brand Building at Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mr. David Okeme has over 18 years experience in Consumer Marketing, Brand Development and Brand Building. In this interview with DAVID AUDU, he explains why marketing practitioners must innovate to meet changing consumer needs

market; and it is good for the industry.I think it is just the beginning. Five years down the line I think Nigeria’s marketing environment will be different and more com-petitive than what we have now.

You did talk about marketing tools used to engage con-sumers now as against brands just talking at consumers, what are those tools and how do brands talk to consum-ers?

Yes, in the past what marketers do is to shoot a 30 sec-ond commercial and put it on the television and that will do the job; the job of announcing that you have a new product in the market. Today, that is no longer adequate for new brands. Today, you have a convergence of media platform,and at the center of that convergence is the con-sumer who is informed and empowered.

Today, the consumer is empowered with a lot of in-formation- through the mobile phones, the TVs, and through the internet. And that is why they are asking

Okeme

34 Thursday, August 21, 2014 National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.netBrands & Marketing

Raumplus, an interior and furniture design com-pany is aligning with the

lifestyle of Nigerian consumers with the unique styling of its fur-niture design for homes.

This is the rationale behind the its Raumplus showroom in Nigeria which showcases dif-ferent designs of international standards to provide solutions in sliding door, room dividers, mo-bile furniture hinge doors, walk-in closet, fitted closets and sloped ceiling.

According to the Chief Ex-ecutive Officer, Raumplus Ni-geria Mr Adeyanju Adelakun individual solutions for living rooms and workplaces require flexibility in utilisation, diversity when it comes to design and well-engineered technique; “these re-quirements have been met by our sliding doors, room dividers and cabinet systems for more than 25 years. In this long time we have in many cases contributed to the clever organisation and lovely designing of living rooms and

offices, thanks to our customized products.”

Speaking on some of the Raumplus customised product design, Adelakun said one prod-uct that will appeal to Nigerian women is the Walk-in closets, most people especially women would love to have a walk-in closet in their bedroom. With a huge va-riety of design options like floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and flex-ible interior systems Raumplus can make sure that this personal interior design dream becomes reality for Nigerians by creating a closet with generous storage space that makes bedrooms look more desirable.”

He added that “For a fitted closet option, raumplus with its innovative and international de-sign can transform the ordinary into something extraordinary, giving customers opportunity to choose from five different inte-rior systems, all of which guar-antee practical tidiness that will ultimately give you a stylish feel”.

Leading pay-TV provider, MultiChoice Nigeria, has tasked female students in

tertiary institutions to prepare themselves for hard-work on the completion of their studies to ensure their success in life.

The advice was given by Mr Martin Mabutho, General Man-ager, Marketing,MultiChoice Ni-geria, while welcoming some fe-male students of the University of Lagos to his office during this year’s Take-a-Girl-Child-to-Work initiative, commemorated an-nually by MultiChoice Nigeria, in partnership with the South African High Commission and the University of Lagos. The group of 20, all final year stu-dents, were selected from vari-ous disciplines ranging from

law, economics, mathematics & statistics, philosophy, engineer-ing, psychology, English, among others.

Mabutho introduced the vis-iting students to MultiChoice’s work culture, which he said was anchored on hard-work, hones-ty, integrity and team effort. He said that MultiChoice, though an employer of equal opportu-nity, prides itself as a champion on the empowerment of the girl-child. “As you set your eyes on graduation, it is important that you begin to think about your career and what you will like to do with your life once you start working. Remember that hard work and honest dedication to your calling will pay off in the long run,” he counseled.

Furniture firm aligns with consumer preferences

MultiChoice tasks female students on work life

As activities marking the 2014 edition of the an-nual OsunOsogbo Festi-

val advance, notable individuals in Osogboland have commended the support from Goldberg, a brand from the stables of Nige-rian Breweries Plc., describing the support as enormous and en-couraging.

The commendations came during the Stakeholders Presen-tation Forum held at the palace of HRM Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Ola-nipekun Larooye II, the Ataoja of Osogboland. The Forum was organised to enable the corporate sponsors brief the Ataoja and members of his cabinet on their

planned activities for the Festi-val.

First to shower encomium on Goldberg for its support was Oba Olanipekun, who noted that Gold-berg’s involvement and planned leveraging activities have sur-passed that of last year, which was the brand’s maiden effort.

He said: “I must state that the support from Goldberg for this year’s festival has been outstand-ing and quite commendable so far. They came on board last year and as expected could not do so much. But this year, Goldberg has shown they mean business; their presence and support have been enormous”.

Osun Osogbo 2014: Ataoja, others commend Goldberg sponsorship

Worldwide mobile adver-tising almost doubled last year, reaching $19.3

billion in 2013, up 92 per cent from the $10.1 bn spent in 2012, accord-ing to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

“These powerhouse numbers directly reflect mobile’s rapidly increasing role as a vital part of the marketing media mix,” said Anna Bager, VP and general man-ager of Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence at IAB, in a state-ment. “In particular, as mobile ad campaigns become easier to plan, create, buy, and measure–in great part due to programmatic strategies–these operational effi-ciencies are spurring the growth of the mobile display ad market. And, this impressive rise in mo-bile advertising is unquestion-ably a worldwide phenomenon, with strong year-over-year up-ticks being seen in every corner of the globe.”

IAB: Global mobile ad spending doubled in 2013The IAB’s report, released in

conjunction with IAB Europe and research firm IHS, showed strong growth in mobile expendi-tures across the world, with Latin America leading, experiencing a 215 percent growth in spending. Next in line was North America, up 122 percent, followed by Eu-rope (90 percent), Asia-Pacific (69 percent) and Middle-East and Af-rica (45 percent).

In terms of channels, mobile display had the most growth at 123.4 percent. Mobile search is also up 92.1 percent, mainly driven by smartphone penetra-tion and affordable data plans, the IAB said. “Messaging, itself up 19.4 percent, might not be sharing as much robust growth due to migration from operator-owned messaging services (e.g. SMS and MMS) to alternative platforms. Successful messaging innovation, particularly in Asia, reinforces the commonly held in-

dustry belief that mobile players need to be ahead of the curve,” the IAB said.

Bringing in $9.5 billion in 2013, search remains the dominant segment representing 48.9 per-cent of the total global mobile ad-vertising revenue in 2013 at $9.5 billion. Next in line with a 41.5 percent share of expenditures is display at $8 billion. Messaging takes a 9.6 percent share at $1.9 billion.

“This year’s global mobile rev-enue sizing reveals that growth is driven by a diverse array of developments in the mobile ad-vertising ecosystem,” said Daniel Knapp, director of advertising re-search at IHS, and author of the report. “Improvements in mar-keting technology have enhanced targeting and measurement of mobile advertising, while con-solidation among market partici-pants simplifies the process of reaching large audiences.

DaviD auDu

A marketing research ex-pert, Mr, Michael Umo-gun, has underscored the

need for brands managers and advertising agencies to tap into the huge youths and teens popu-lation to create mileage for their products and services.

Umogun, while analysing the characteristics of today’s youths and the potentials they hold for brands and marketing commu-nications, noted that brands need to take them into consideration while planning their marketing communications strategy if they hope to make meaningful impact.

“The teens and youths in our society are referred to as the leaders of tomorrow. To market-ers and advertisers they are the sovereigns of tomorrow, and it

would be a worthwhile effort to understand how they think, feel and react to marketing communi-cations”, he states.

He said such understanding is imperative as the youths consti-tutes 63 per cent of the Nigerian population (107,000, 000), about the size of the population of Be-nin, Togo, Ghana, Cote D’Ivorie and Guinea put together.

Umogun, a service client manager with Millward Brown, a leading marketing research agency, also identified the vari-ous major attributes of this seg-ment of the population. These include among others their impa-tient nature who wants immedi-ate satisfaction, while expecting brands to cater for their lifestyle by providing experiences beyond the brand.

He states that majority of these over 170 million Nigerians

who use the internet at least once a week are easily influenced by peer group, compare prices and therefore, are more calculative in their judgement.

For marketing communica-tions to impact on them, he ad-vised that advertisers have to work hard to earn their confi-dence and make a friend out of them.

“This requires thinking out of the box to tap into their imagina-tions to co-create packaging, ide-ation, concept development, and to ensure such offer touch their sense of appeal and at the same time respect their opinion.

He stressed that “the young Nigerian today would not play if brands go about their business the usual way, noting that the big-gest challenge facing brands is creating sustainable and profit-able growth.

Advertisers urged to tap youth population to optimise mileage

L-R:, General Manager, GOtv, Mrs. Elizabeth Amkpa; MultiChoice Super Dealer, Mr. Olokpo Adams Olokpo, and Public Relations Manager, GOtv Efe Obiomah, during the launch of GOtv in Makurdi, Benue State renecntly.

Tel: 08023448199 E-mail: mayomipo@yahoo.com

with Ayodeji Ayopo

Brand X-Ray

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 35

I recently discovered that I love eating wheat due to its flexible nature and quality. The product

appeals to me each time and when-ever I could not get it, I always had this feeling of dissatisfaction. However, I later discovered that the product I had been consuming is the whole wheat meal, a quality brand from the Honeywell stable. This further reinforced my belief in the brand as I became a brand advocate and started purchasing it for my father in-law and the old man enjoys the brand too. I have had a feel of the brand and it oc-cupies a place in my heart due to its nourishing value.

My story above exemplifies the reason why it is imperative for ev-ery brand to occupy a significant space in the minds of consum-ers. The space occupied by such brands is premised on the brand positioning. This should be clear

and unique to the target audience. The positioning of any brand goes a long way in differentiating the brand in the market place.

Honeywell’s mission in the market place is to produce con-sistent good quality products for the complete satisfaction of the customers. The brand places high premium on its consumers as it consistently strives to maintain a heritage of quality. The message of the Honeywell brand is an-chored on delivering value to the consumers.

The brand is highly rated amongst the consumers due to the established pedigree of the slogan:” Honeywell, does it well which has been the tag line of the parent brand. Honeywell super-fine foods have an appealing taste of quality and finesse that reso-nates with the target audience. It is to the credit of the brand that it

Thursday, August 21, 2014 Brands & Marketing

Honeywell Superfine Foods: A heritage of quality brands

L-R: Country Manager, Core Group Africa, Sachin Verma, Head of GloWorld, Mrs. Titilayo Ebinisi and Head of Glo Zone, Tunde Alimi at a Press Conference held recently to announce the start of sale of genuine Apple devices at all Glo outlets across the country.

leverages a distinct identity that creates spontaneous acceptabil-ity in the market place. The Hon-eywell brand leverages a unique brand identity that creates a con-nection between the brands and the consumers. Honeywell lever-ages its corporate brand name which has impacted positively on the brands from Honeywell Super-fine foods stable. The Honeywell name offers quality assurances to the consumers. The brands are tailored to meet the taste of the consumers. Honeywell superfine flour has quality brands within

its stable. These are Honeywell Semolina, Whole wheat meal, Honeywell flour and noodles. The Honeywell food brands stand out in the

market place through their heritage of quality.

One distinguishing feature of the Honeywell brands is the abil-ity to anticipate and respond to changing consumer preferences and eating habits. Consumers taste are changing and Honeywell strives to develop brands that are not only healthy but with nutri-tional benefits to the consumers.

The Honeywell flour is whiter than other flour brands and this is the distinguishing feature. It absorbs water than other flour brands. It is also the only flour brand in Nigeria that is certified by the International Standard Organization. The Honeywell Semolina is positioned as a ready alternative to local food items. The brand has elicited huge de-mand from the consumers due to its creamy nature and good look and feel. The Honeywell wheat meal is naturally nutritious and easy to prepare. It is a nourishing meal for the family and it is mixed under extremely hygienic condi-tions. The Honeywell noodles are brand of premium quality posi-tioned as brands that give value for the consumers’ money. The Honeywell brands are indeed an-chored on distinct offerings and superior value to the consumers.

AAAN/APCON discuss way forward for advertising practice in NigeriaDaviD auDu

In the effort to forge a common ground to promote the prac-tice of advertising profession

in Nigeria, the new leadership of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN, paid a working visit to the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON, at the later.s head office at Iganmu in Lagos, recently.

The AAAN team led by the new president, Kelechi Nwosu, was received by the APCON Reg-istrar, Alhaji Garba Kankarofi along with some key staff of the council.

Welcoming the AAAN team, Kankarofi, described them as the face of the new generation in ad-vertising, while hoping they will continue to uphold the tenets and greater vision of advertising such that will propel Nigeria to greater

heights.Earlier, Nwosu briefed the reg-

ulatory body the outcome of the election that brought them to of-fice and their vision to transform advertising practice in Nigeria.

He among others informed the council that AAAN desires to raise the profile of advertising practice in Nigeria to meet with global best practices, which ac-cording to him would entail col-laborating with APCON to create opportunities for members train-ing and retraining.

Nwosu who is also the CEO of TBWA/ Concepts Nigeria dis-closed that part of the new drive of his executive would be to col-laborate with relevant stakehold-ers to build a data base to serve as institutional memory of the industry, as well as embarking on corporate social responsibility campaign where the need exists.

In his response, Kankarofi,

while wishing the new AAAN leadership his cooperation, how-ever urged them to be wary of for-eign agencies who want to set up shop in Nigeria through the back doors.

“Foreign agencies are trying to operate in Nigeria through the back doors. I plead with you to sensitize your members to be careful how they open their doors to these agencies in order not to undermine Nigeria laws, evade tax opportunities, and deny com-petent Nigerians employment opportunities,. We know what ob-tains in other countries”, he noted

The APCON Registrar alsp disclosed that he has been in talk with the minister of information, Mr. Labaran Maku on the need to observe the rules during po-litical advertising and the need to patronize legitimate advertising agencies in Nigeria as the 2015 election knocks on the door.

Inspired by the millions of sto-ries consumers tell about the things they do in their Levi’s,

the company has announced its new global video brand cam-paign, ‘Live in Levi’s’. At the heart of the new campaign is the celebration of real-life moments - from first dates and first-borns to rodeos and road trips and ev-eryday in between.

This is the first work devel-oped out of a unique, customised creative collaboration between FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding), The House Worldwide and the Levi’s brand.

The TV and cinema spot is di-rected by Fredrik Bond and fea-tures a track by the raspy-voiced blues rock musician Jamie N. Commons. It features people, who wear their Levi’s day in, day out, captured from the per-spectives of New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Shanghai. It be-gan airing in late July on cinema screens worldwide.

The colorful print and outdoor campaign was shot by Jason No-cito and captures a sense of raw euphoria and unwavering con-

Famous Grouse Whisky as part of its strategic initia-tive to increase customers’

awareness and deepen market penetration is rewarding its cus-tomers across open markets and supermarkets in key cities all over the country.

The experiential marketing campaign tagged ‘Be part of some-thing famous’ , which commenced in the beginning of the year is built around Mystery shoppers team cladded in Scottish attires

fidence. Featured taglines such as ‘For everybody who’s not just anybody’ and ‘Look good on your way to what’s next’ are at the cen-tre of the campaign.

In August, fashion, music, sports and culture print outlets will show the new Fall 2014 col-lection. In addition, outdoor cre-ative will begin running in late July in key markets including New York, San Francisco, Lon-don, Paris, Berlin, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Mum-bai and Tokyo along with other key cities globally.

“This is more than a cam-paign; it’s an optimistic new direction that reinvigorates the brand’s soul.

The energy, storytelling and iconic jeanswear at the centre of the effort will reinforce what long time loyalists love about the brand and serve to attract new fans around the world. We are celebrating the eternally opti-mistic spirit and iconic product that make the brand great and forever relevant,” said Jennifer Sey, chief marketing officer for the brand.

visiting outlets rewarding shop-pers who purchase two or more bottles of Famous Grouse whisky instantly with refrigerators, home theatres, standing fans, DVDs, pressing irons, t-shirts among oth-er incentives

Many customers who have benefited from this rewarding initiative commended the brand for its laudable marketing strat-egy, which they said will further create more market for the brand through word of mouth.

New Levi’s campaign inspired by consumers

Grouse Whisky rewards customers

European stocks advanced for a second day as A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S and Imperial

Tobacco Group Plc climbed after posting earnings.

Maersk jumped five per cent after the world’s biggest container-ship-ping line raised its full-year profit forecast. Imperial Tobacco added 2.1 per cent after reporting a smaller sales decline than analysts had pre-dicted. BHP Billiton Ltd. dropped 4.1 per cent after the mining company posted annual profit that missed ana-lysts’ estimates.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.4 per cent to 335.02 on Tues-day in London. The equity bench-mark rallied 1.2 per cent on Monday as talks between Ukraine and Russia eased concern about the conflict be-tween the two countries.

“Results have been mostly good until now in Europe, although not spectacular,” said Pierre Mouton, who helps oversee $8 billion at Notz, Stucki & Cie. in Geneva. “For the first time in two years, we have seen an uptick in earnings estimates for Europe. It’s very important especial-ly in the context of relatively weak economic figures for the euro zone.”

Earnings for Euro Stoxx 50 In-

European stocks rise as Maersk, Imperial Tobacco advance

dex companies will probably rise to 220.35 euros on average this year. Analysts projected profit of 217.79 euros as recently as July 30, accord-ing to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The Federal Reserve releases the minutes of its July 29-30 policy meeting tomorrow, while the Bank of England publishes the minutes from its August session. Both central banks are considering when to start raising interest rates in their respec-tive countries.

On Thursday, central bankers including Fed Chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank Presi-dent Mario Draghi meet at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to discuss their out-look for the economy and monetary policy.

A Commerce Department report showed that U.S. housing starts climbed to a 1.09 million annualized rate in July, from a revised 945,000 in June. That was the fastest rate in eight months and more than the me-dian economist estimate of 965,000.

National benchmark indexes ad-vanced in 15 of the 18 western-Euro-pean markets. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 rose 0.5 per cent, while Germany’s DAX rallied 0.9 per cent. France’s CAC 40 increased 0.3 per cent.

The cost of living in the United States climbed in July at the slowest pace

in five months, indicating price pressures remain limited even as the economy picks up.

The consumer price index in-creased 0.1 per cent, matching the median forecast of 80 economists surveyed by Bloomberg, after ris-ing 0.3 per cent the prior month, a Labor Department report showed on Tuesday in Washington. Strip-ping out volatile food and fuel, the so-called core measure also climbed 0.1 per cent, less than pro-jected.

Inflation continues to run be-low the Federal Reserve’s target as sluggish global demand limits companies’ ability to charge cus-tomers more. Restrained increas-es give the central bank’s policy makers room to keep interest rates low well after the projected end of their bond-buying pro-gram in October.

“What’s missing -- and what

Microsoft Corp.’s Azure cloud-computing ser-vice, a critical part of

Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella’s plan to remake the soft-ware company, experienced a ma-jor global outage on Monday that lasted for around five hours.

Azure, which lets businesses access computing resources and run programs via the Internet, was restored after a disruption that affected at least six major components in multiple data cen-ters, the world’s biggest software maker said on its website.

Microsoft’s cloud-computing service, which competes against rival businesses from Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., also experi-enced some outages in August. It’s unusual for cloud-service suspen-sions to affect more than one data center at once, and this is Micro-

the Fed’s waiting for -- is inflation coming from demand, which is going to be consumers bidding up the prices of goods and services,” Jay Morelock, an economist at FTN Financial in New York, said before the report. Those cost in-creases are “usually on the back of increased wages or access to credit, and those are really the two things we haven’t seen.”

Another report showed hous-ing starts surged in July to the highest level in eight months, un-derscoring the recent pickup in builder optimism and showing more traction in the residential real estate market. Beginning home construction climbed 15.7 per cent to a 1.09 million annual-ized rate following June’s 945,000 pace, which was stronger than previously estimated, the Com-merce Department reported today in Washington.

Stock-index futures rose after the reports, extending earlier gains. The contract on the Stan-dard & Poor’s 500 Index maturing in September climbed 0.3 per cent to 1,973.9 at 8:34 a.m. in New York.

Economists’ estimates in the Bloomberg survey ranged from unchanged to a 0.2 per cent ad-vance. The increase in the core gauge matched the June’s ad-vance. Economists had forecast a 0.2 per cent increase, according to the survey median.

Overall consumer prices rose two per cent in the 12 months ended July, following a 2.1 per cent year-over-year advance the prior month. The core measure in-creased 1.9 per cent from July 2013, the same as in the prior 12-month

period. The Fed’s two-per cent inflation

goal is based on the Commerce De-partment’s price gauge that is tied to consumer spending. That mea-sure climbed 1.6 per cent in the 12 months through June.

Energy costs decreased 0.3 per cent in July from a month earlier. Declines in fuel prices have been giving households some relief in recent weeks. The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.45 as of August 17, down from this year’s peak of $3.70 in April, according to AAA, the biggest U.S. auto club.

This report showed food costs advanced 0.4 per cent in July, re-flecting broad-based increases.

Companies such as Smithfield Foods Inc. are seeing a pickup in global demand that is causing prices to climb.

Sales at the pork processor rose 14 per cent to $3.8 billion in the second quarter, thanks to tight supplies and strong domestic and international demand for hogs, the company said in an Aug. 11 statement. Smithfield Foods was acquired last year by Shuang-hui International Holdings Ltd., which is now named WH Group Ltd. and is the world’s biggest pork supplier.

“Although Russia has banned U.S. pork imports, international demand from other countries re-mains strong,” Larry Pope, Smith-field’s chief executive officer, said in the statement. “This, combined with lower domestic protein pro-duction, should support high hog and pork prices for the duration of 2014 and beyond.”

soft’s most severe Azure interrup-tion since some storage tools went offline in February 2013.

Azure is a key part of the “cloud OS,” a term Nadella uses to de-scribe the different technologies Redmond, Washington-based Mi-crosoft can bring together to give customers a consistent experience across different devices. The cloud division, which contains Azure, has an implied annual revenue of about $4.4 billion, Amy Hood, Mi-crosoft’s chief financial officer, told Bloomberg in July.

Nadella, who built up Micro-soft’s cloud-computing business before he was promoted to CEO in February, seldom misses an opportunity to promote Azure, which is part of his “Mobile First, Cloud First” strategy. Nadella’s latest plug for Azure was earlier this month, when he participated

in the Ice Bucket Challenge and doused himself with ice-cold water to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He challenged the CEOs of Amazon and Google to do the same.

Janet Yellen

Consumer prices in U.S. rise at slowest pace in five months

Microsoft cloud service, Azure experiences global outage

36 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014Global News

Chinese media companies ral-lied, sending the Shanghai Composite Index to an eight-

month high, after President Xi Jinping said the nation will build a few groups into influential content providers.

People.cn Co., the online unit of the Communist Party’s newspaper, Shanghai Xinhua Media Co. and Zhe Jiang Daily Media Group Co. all jumped by the 10 per cent daily limit. The Shanghai Composite rose 0.3 per cent to 2,245.33, the high-est close since December 5. China will create several media groups that are strong, influential and cred-ible while promoting the integra-tion of new and traditional media, the official Xinhua News Agency cited Xi as saying.

The government is revamp-ing state-controlled media firms as part of a broader campaign to reform government companies and reduce corruption, according to Tebon Securities Co. Xi’s com-ments also follow a Xinhua report that the country issued new rules this month restricting the dissemi-nation of certain types of news on instant-messaging applications to only authorized media outlets.

“With Xi’s proposal, investors are expecting reforms in the me-dia to speed up and it could be the hot spot for the second half,” said Zhang Haidong, an analyst at Te-bon in Shanghai. “The government wants the media to be more market-

China media stocks lift Shanghai Index to eight-month high

oriented. This will help in reducing corruption and aid in supervision.”

People.cn surged to the highest level since Feb. 24. Shanghai Xin-hua Media jumped for a third day, while Zhe Jiang Daily Media Group rose to the highest since March 18.

The CSI 300 Index was little changed at 2,374.77. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, or H-shares gauge, advanced 0.3 per cent on Tuesday. The ChiNext index of smaller companies gained 0.5 per cent, extending Monday’s 2.6 per cent rally.

The Shanghai index has risen about 13 per cent from this year’s low as monetary easing, accelerat-ed government spending and gains in manufacturing spur specula-tion the nation will meet its 7.5 per cent economic expansion target. The gauge is valued at 8.2 times 12-month projected earnings, com-pared with a multiple of 7.3 for the H-shares gauge, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Larry Page

Xi Jinping

Shinzo Abe

The solar industry is facing a looming shortage of pho-tovoltaic panels, reversing

a two-year slump triggered by a global glut.

The oversupply pushed prices through the floor, making solar pow-er more competitive and driving up demand. It also dragged dozens of manufacturers into bankruptcy, and slowed capital investment at the survivors. With installations expected to swell as much as 29 per cent this year, executives are brac-ing for the first shortfall since 2006.

Scarcity will benefit the biggest manufacturers, including China’s Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co. and Trina Solar Ltd. A shortage may slow development outside the top markets in Asia and North America if suppliers favor their largest customers. Shipments to large, utility-scale solar farms may get priority over smaller, rooftop systems, threatening one of the in-dustry’s fastest-growing markets.

“The cell and module glut has certainly dried up,” said Stefan de Haan, a solar analyst at IHS Inc. “There is no massive overcapacity anymore.”

The looming shortage shows the

Solar boom driving first global panel shortage since 2006

United Kingdom inflation cooled more than econo-mists forecast in July, giv-

ing the Bank of England room to keep its key interest rate at a re-cord low.

The rate of consumer-price growth fell to 1.6 per cent from 1.9 per cent in June, the Office for National Statistics said on Tues-day in London. Economists had forecast 1.8 per cent, based on the median of 32 estimates in a Bloom-berg survey. Separate data showed pipeline inflation pressure eased, with factory-gate prices posting the first annual decline in almost five years.

The BOE kept its key rate at 0.5 per cent this month and Governor Mark Carney said it’s not yet time to tighten policy. Officials on the Monetary Policy Committee are trying to balance a strengthening recovery against subdued earn-ings and inflation that’s below the two per cent target as they debate when to begin exiting emergency stimulus.

“The MPC can afford to leave monetary policy quite loose while inflation pressures are extremely weak,” said Samuel Tombs, an economist at Capital Economics Ltd. in London, one of only two economists to correctly predict the July reading. “We continue to ex-pect the committee to be surprised by inflation’s weakness over the

Japanese stocks rose, with the Topix index advancing for a seventh day, as the yen held

losses amid signs geopolitical ten-sions are easing.

Skymark Airlines Inc. surged 28 per cent as AirAsia Bhd was said to be considering a bid for the carrier, which the head of the Malaysian airline denied in a Twitter posting. Daikin Industries Ltd., an air-con-ditioner maker, added 4.2 per cent after Credit Suisse Group AG raised its rating. Kansai Electric Power Co. climbed 3.6 per cent on a report the utility will apply for a rate increase as early as this autumn.

The Topix gained 0.7 per cent to 1,280.29 in Tokyo, the highest close

coming months.” The pound extended its decline

against the dollar after the data and was trading at $1.6651 on Tues-day, down 0.5 per cent on the day.

The report extends Britain’s stretch of below-target inflation to seven months, exceeding the six-month period that started in June 2009. The BOE cut the key rate to 0.5 per cent in March that year and started its quantitative-easing pro-gramme to battle the fallout from the financial crisis.

In July, the biggest downward ef-fect on inflation came from clothes, as summer discounting by stores took effect later than usual. Overall consumer prices fell 0.3 per cent from June, the statistics office said.

Retail-price inflation, a measure used as a basis for the inflation-linked bond market and wage ne-gotiations, slowed to 2.5 per cent last month from 2.6 per cent.

That means regulated rail fares will increase 3.5 per cent on aver-age next year under government rules that allow ticket prices to rise one percentage point more than RPI inflation. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who faces an election in 2015, limited the increase this year to RPI.

While inflation is below the BOE’s target, it continues to out-pace wage growth, squeezing con-sumers. Earnings fell an annual 0.2 per cent in the second quarter,

the first drop since 2009. The BOE cut its forecast for wage growth last week and Carney said the weak-ness is adding to uncertainty about the outlook for spare capacity and inflation.

In a sign that upward pressure on inflation may remain under control, the ONS said producer in-put prices fell 1.6 per cent in July from June and dropped 7.3 per cent compared with a year earlier. The annual decrease, the biggest since September 2009, was driven by crude oil.

Factory-output prices fell 0.1 per cent on the month and the year. The annual decline was the first since October 2009.

since August 1, and capped the lon-gest winning streak since June 4. All but two of the 33 industry groups ad-vanced. The Nikkei 225 Stock Aver-age climbed 0.8 per cent to 15,449.79. The yen was little changed at 102.57 per dollar after falling 0.2 per cent on Monday.

“Once geopolitical risks are taken away, investors will return their fo-cus to fundamentals,” said Yusuke Kuwayama, a portfolio manager at Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insur-ance Co. in Tokyo. “Japanese stocks are going strong on the back of strong appetite from domestic inves-tors.”

The Topix has rebounded 13 per cent from this year’s low on April 14 amid optimism about the global economy and speculation Japan’s $1.2 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund will buy more do-mestic shares. Individual investors bought a net 451 billion yen ($4.4 billion) of Japanese equities in the week through August 8, the most since the period ended April 11, ac-cording to data from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The Red Cross is close to working out details of a safe-passage plan for a Russian aid convoy intended for southeastern Ukraine. The foreign

ministers of the two countries “had an intense exchange of opinions” during more than five hours of talks in Berlin, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said yesterday.

Israel and Palestinian militants agreed to extend their five-day truce for 24 hours. In Iraq, Kurdish and government forces retook the na-tion’s largest dam from rebels.

Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index added 0.1 per cent today. The equity measure jumped 0.9 per cent yesterday as tensions eased over global conflicts and Dollar Gen-eral Corp. rallied on merger activity. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo sentiment measure climbed to 55 this month from 53 in July, the highest level in seven months.

Skymark Airlines surged 28 per cent to 230 yen, the biggest increase since October 2008. AirAsia, the re-gion’s largest low-cost carrier, is in discussions with financial institu-tions on ways to help Skymark, said a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified be-cause they discussions are private. The Nikkei Asian Review earlier reported that AirAsia is considering options for aid to Skymark.

Mark Carney

U.K. inflation slows more than forecast, supporting BOE stance

Topix rises as geopolitical tensions ease

rapid expansion of solar energy. The industry may install as much as 52 gigawatts this year and 61 giga-watts in 2015. That’s up from 40 giga-watts in 2013, and more than seven times what developers demanded five years ago, according to Bloom-berg New Energy Finance.

The industry has about 70 giga-watts of production capacity, New Energy Finance estimates, includ-ing a significant amount of older equipment that’s not profitable. The supply-demand balance is tighter than those numbers suggest. De Haan estimates capacity at about 59 gigawatts, excluding manufac-turing lines that are out of date or obsolete.

Considering only “factories that are meaningful and active,” supply and demand is “almost on par,” said Luc Grare, senior vice president for the Norwegian panelmaker REC Solar ASA.

The last time supplies were hard to find was in 2006, when the nascent industry installed just 1.5 gigawatts of capacity. The following year, the top Chinese manufactur-ers raised $1.8 billion selling stock to Wall Street to finance new pro-duction capacity.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 37Thursday, August 21, 2014 Global News

Apache Corp., the U.S. oil producer weighing plans to sell international as-

sets after investor pressure, an-nounced the largest discovery in 20 years off the coast of Western Australia.

The Canning Basin may hold as many as 300 million barrels of oil, according to six samples from a well about 110 miles (180 kilo-meters) north of Port Hedland, the Houston, Texas-based com-pany said on Tuesday in a state-ment. Apache holds a 40 per cent stake in the area that includes the Phoenix South-1 well. One of its partners, Carnarvon Petroleum Ltd., rose the most in 24 years on the news.

“This discovery should help increase the attractiveness of the international portfolio to po-tential buyers,” Richard Tullis,

Apache Australia oil find boosts potential sale value

an analyst at Capital One South-coast Inc. in New Orleans, wrote in a note to investors today. The discovery should boost Apache’s value by $2 a share, he said.

Apache last month announced it will sell its stake in two natural gas export projects, including one in Australia, and consider a sale or separation of international assets. The announcement came after Jana Partners LLC, a New York-based hedge fund, disclosed a $1 billion stake in the company and said it was pushing for a split to free up cash for share buybacks and reduce spending risks.

Shareholders are pressuring global energy producers to cut spending and focus on drilling op-portunities in the U.S., where oil output has reached the highest level in more than 25 years.

Oil rig

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is sending the jitters down the spines of Nigerians, something the daily harvests of deaths by the dreaded Boko Haram armed insurgents could not do. But SAM EFERARO writes that the nation wouldn’t have been in hysteria if the authorities had taken precaution.

Shortly after the dreaded Ebola virus disease (EVD) hit the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone

and Liberia, the region’s smallest country, The Gambia, opted to play safe by banning air flights from the infected countries.

This was however not a choice to be considered by the region’s biggest nation and indeed Africa’s largest population, Nigeria. Probably believing that the dis-ease would not spread to the country, no clear effort was made to put in place any measure to detect cases if and when they found their ways into the country.

It has, however, taken the death of an American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, in a private hospital for the nation to realise how costly it is to have remained so pas-sive about the deadly virus now spreading like wild fire in the region.

National Mirror can reveal that apart from several attempts by the Health Min-ister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, to allay fears of the public about the disease, the country did not take any serious precau-tionary measure as advised. No concrete effort was made to screen travellers enter-ing or going out of the country, as evident through the easy entry of Sawyer into the country.

There was no surveillance measure in place at our entry ports while our port health authorities simply carried on as usual, not minding the ravaging virus in neighbouring countries. Nigeria simply ignored the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning, urging countries at risk to adopt some form of preventive mea-sures to protect their citizens.

Thus, while the disease raged on at next border neighbours, there was noth-ing in place to prepare Nigerians for an imminent outbreak in the country. Indeed, doctors in the public sector were and are still on strike and have vowed not to return to work until the government meets their 45-point demands. That was the state of Nigeria’s health care when Ebola struck.

A public health physician who pleaded anonymity confirmed that Sawyer ought to have been quarantined on arrival at the Lagos airport if the country had been proactive enough to rehabilitate its port health services.

“He should not have gone beyond the airport whether or not he was a diplo-mat,” he told National Mirror.

In the same vein, according to him, health workers at the First Consultant Hospital, where the Liberian was rushed, ought to have been more careful if they were fully sensitised about the dreaded disease since the man was coming from an endemic country.

“What made the man get to town was sheer ignorance. He was taken out of the airport because our port health services were simply not in place. It is also the same ignorance that made the hospital to treat him like any normal patient. The mere fact that he was coming from an en-demic country was enough for them to have been more cautious. It is a sign of our general unpreparedness in the country,” he further said.

Indeed, information from the office

tional Mirror. Although both the Lagos State Govern-

ment and the Federal Ministry of Health have been commended for their response so far, experts believe that a lot still has to be done to prevent a looming disaster.

For instance, National Mirror investi-gation reveals that apart from a few estab-lished centres in Lagos such as the Infec-tious Disease Hospital (IDH) Yaba where patients are currently being managed or suspected cases being quarantined, only a few states have established such centres. While the FG has reportedly imported pro-tective wears and safety equipment, they were mainly distributed to government

Isolation centre, Lagos

INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICE OF THE

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER (NSA),

SHOWED THAT THE FEDERAL MINISTRY

OF HEALTH WAS WARNED ABOUT THE EMERGENCE OF THE

DISEASE IN SOME WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND

ADVISED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONARY

of the National Security Adviser (NSA), showed that the Federal Ministry of Health was warned about the emergence of the disease in some West African countries and advised to take precautionary mea-sures to prevent it from entering the coun-try. The warning was allegedly ignored.

It is however obvious that Nigeria can-not afford the EVD epidemic. With its huge population, it could end up with an unprec-edented casualties ever recorded by any nation if the current efforts to contain it are not only sustained but increased.

A public health physician with the La-gos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Tolu Olufunlayo, described the EVD outbreak as an emergency which every-one must rise up to stop in its track and not allowed to spread further. According to her, as the number of infected cases grows, more people become exposed to the risk of infection.

Although she believes both the govern-ment and all its collaborating organisa-tions are currently taking on the scourge with all seriousness, she admits that the nation’s weak health system could be a challenge.

Dr. Olufunlayo however would not want to discuss the nation’s unprepared-ness or seeming carelessness that made it an easy prey for the virus. According to her, what should be of concern to every-one now should be how to prevent further spread of the dreaded disease.

“A lot of things happened with the in-dex case, especially the fact that he (Saw-yer) came in without detection. Yes our health system has been weak but everyone is working very hard. Stakeholders are putting in a lot to contain it,” she told Na-

hospitals. For instance, it was learnt that only about 20 of such wears were allocated to be shared among about 2000 private hos-pitals in Lagos.

Also, the nation is yet to embark on training of health workers to be able to manage cases effectively. Apart from this, the government is yet to announce mea-sures for safe transportation of EVD pa-tients from their locations to the manage-ment centres especially since severely ill patients require intensive supportive care which is still lacking in many hospitals in the country, especially in the rural areas.

Similarly, while the government has been commended for its enlightenment ef-forts on the disease, Nigerians still seem to be largely ignorant about several aspects of the disease as many still rely on rumour and myths being widely circulated every-where in the country concerning the dis-ease.

Some Nigerians now consume kola-nuts, bitter kola and even take their bath with salted water following rumour in the social media that these could cure or pre-vent EVD. A church has also joined the fray with claims that its holy water could cure the virus.

The President, Medical and Den-tal Consultants Association of Nigeria, (MDCAN) Dr. Steven Oluwole, in a state-ment last week disagreed with the govern-ment’s prevention approach which focuses mainly on avoidance of contacts especially handshakes. This approach, according to the statement “ignores that the modes of transportation in Nigeria, which include crowded buses and motor bikes, encourage intimate body contacts that exceed hand-shakes,” warning that citizens were more

Nigeria’s careless entry to 38 National Mirror

www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014 Insight

An Ebola patient being attended to Hemorrahagic boils from EVD

Late Patrick Sawyer

likely to contract the virus while on tran-sit inside vehicles or on motor bikes.

While members of the public have been sensitised on the need to avoid con-tact with dead Ebola patients, most people remain unaware of what to do when faced with the death of loved ones from the dis-ease.

“If what we witnessed during the avi-an flu influenza is the kind of intervention government is planning then, we need to think again. Right now, there is nothing on ground to suggest that we will contain EVD if we have an epidemic,” the anony-mous public health specialist said.

However, in spite of the government’s seeming lackadaisical attitude before EVD found its way into Nigeria, it is be-lieved that prevention could still save Ni-geria from the disaster that is associated with the disease. It is believed that the health ministry still has to come up with more effective preventive measures and ensure such measures reach every home and family across the country.

Experts have also advised on the need to establish measures for the prevention and management of cases in other parts of the country as all efforts seem concen-trated on Lagos where the first batch of cases were reported.

It is also believed that the nation’s awareness campaign must target health workers more rigorously than before. The ministry must reach Nigerian health

ALTHOUGH BOTH THE LAGOS STATE

GOVERNMENT AND THE FEDERAL

MINISTRY OF HEALTH HAVE BEEN

COMMENDED FOR THEIR RESPONSE SO FAR, EXPERTS

BELIEVE THAT A LOT STILL HAS TO BE

DONE TO PREVENT A LOOMING DISASTER

Ebola epidemic map

workers with key messages emphasising the WHO’s standard precautions and in-fection control measures such as avoid-ing any exposure to the patient’s blood and body fluids and direct unprotected contact with the possibly contaminated environment; the need to wear face pro-tection - face shields, medical masks, gog-gles etc - clean, non-sterile long-sleeved gown, and gloves when in close contact (within 1 metre) of patients with EBV, among others.

Meanwhile, new cases and deaths at-tributable to EVD continue to be reported by the Ministries of Health in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Be-tween 7 and 9 August, 2014, 69 new cases (laboratory-confirmed, probable, and suspect cases) of EVD and 52 deaths were reported from the four countries as fol-lows: Guinea, 11 new cases and 6 deaths; Liberia, 45 new cases and 29 deaths; Nige-ria, 0 new cases and 0 deaths; and Sierra Leone, 13 new cases and 17 deaths.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 39Thursday, August 21, 2014 Insight

West Africa is experiencing the largest, most severe and most complex outbreak of Ebola vi-

rus disease (EVD) in history. Ebola out-breaks can be contained using available interventions like early detection and isolation, contact tracing and monitor-ing, and adherence to rigorous proce-dures of infection control. However, a specific treatment or vaccine would be a potent asset to counter the virus.

Over the past decade, research ef-forts have been invested into develop-ing drugs and vaccines for EVD. Some of these have shown promising results in the laboratory, but they have not yet been evaluated for safety and efficacy in human beings. The large number of people affected by the 2014 West Africa outbreak and the high case-fatality rate, have prompted calls to use inves-tigational medical interventions to try to save the lives of patients and to curb the epidemic.

Therefore, on 11 August 2014, WHO convened a consultation to consider and assess the ethical implications for clinical decision-making of the poten-tial use of unregistered interventions.

In the particular circumstances of this outbreak, and provided certain conditions are met, the panel reached consensus that it is ethical to offer un-proven interventions with as yet un-known efficacy and adverse effects, as potential treatment or prevention.

Ethical criteria must guide the provision of such interventions. These include transparency about all aspects of care, informed consent, freedom of choice, confidentiality, respect for the

person, preservation of dignity and in-volvement of the community.

In order to understand the safety and efficacy of these interventions, the group advised that, if and when they are used to treat patients, there is a moral obligation to collect and share all data generated, including from treatments provided for ‘compassion-ate use’ (access to an unapproved drug outside of a clinical trial).

The group explored how the use of these interventions can be evaluated scientifically to ensure timely and ac-curate information about the safety and efficacy of these investigational interventions. There was unanimous agreement that there is a moral duty to also evaluate these interventions (for treatment or prevention) in the best possible clinical trials under the circumstances in order to definitively prove their safety and efficacy or pro-vide evidence to stop their utilization. Ongoing evaluation should guide fu-ture interventions.

In addition to this advice, the panel identified areas that need more de-tailed analysis and discussion, such as:

• ethical ways to gather data while striving to provide optimal care under the prevailing circumstances;

• ethical criteria to prioritize the use of unregistered experimental thera-pies and vaccines;

• ethical criteria for achieving fair distribution in communities and among countries, in the face of a grow-ing number of possible new interven-tions, none of which is likely to meet demand in the short term.

WHO on ethical use of unregistered interventions for EVD

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net40 Thursday, August 21, 2014Cocktail

A German shepherd dog

A Texas woman was so annoyed that her children were

ignoring her calls and texts that she took it upon her-self to create a cell phone app to make them respond.

Sharon Standifird devel-oped the Ignore No More application in order to let parents remotely lock the phones of their non-re-sponsive children. Once the phone is locked with the app, the child has to call a parent-approved contact to get a password to unlock it.

“We need to develop an app that just shuts their phone com-

pletely down and they can’t even use it,” Standifird told CBS New York. “And I started -- literally just started research-ing how to develop an app.”

When the phone is locked, the child will still able to call 911 in case of an emergency.

“Ignore No More is an easy to install app that gives you control over your chil-dren’s phones. If your chil-dren ignore your repeated calls and text messages to reach them, you simply lock their phones until they call you back,” according to the app’s description at the Google Play store.

A New Mexico woman was ar-rested after she

allegedly put poison in her roommates’ food and drinks after they found out she had been having sex with two German shepherds they owned.

Shari Walters was charged with aggra-vated battery, cruelty or extreme cruelty to ani-mals, and assault with intent to commit a vio-lent felony after one of her roommates called authorities in Albuquer-que and reported she had been poisoned.

The 53-year-old was al-legedly upset her room-mate and ex-boyfriend broke up with her after their other roommate found the suspect lying naked and having sex with her dog, Spike.

Walters then admitted to having sex with both her roommates’ dogs.

Later that day, Wal-

Oddities

Woman allegedly caught having sex with dog, poisons roommates

Frustrated mum creates app for her children to call

‘Lady steals $3.99 bottle of wine to visit jailed boyfriend’

A Texas woman was so desperate to visit her boyfriend

in jail that she allegedly stole a $3.99 bottle of wine to get herself arrested and tossed in the clink.

Alicia Walicke of Cedar Park was charged with misdemeanour theft after allegedly lifting a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 from a Shell station and proceeding to down it outside the estab-lishment.

The 22-year-old told re-sponding officers that she wanted to get busted and taken to the Williamson County Jail.

“Walicke advised her boyfriend was arrested earlier that evening by Cedar Park Officers and it was her fault so she want-ed to make things right and go to jail,” according to an arrest warrant, the American-Statesman re-ported.

ters allegedly put rub-bing alcohol and toilet bowl cleaner in both her roommates’ food.

During an investiga-tion into the matter, one of the roommates told

police he was “worried the dogs would contract diseases he was aware Walters had.”

Both roommates re-ceived medical treat-ment and Walters was

sent to the University of New Mexico Hospital for a mental evaluation. The dogs were taken to a veterinary clinic and treated for minor inju-ries.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 41Thursday, August 21, 2014 Capital Market

Global equity mar-kets eased yesterday on a spate of poor

corporate results and the release of Bank of England minutes that showed two of the bank’s policymakers unexpectedly voted earlier this month for an interest rate hike.

Sterling and UK bond yields rose after the sur-prise tilt toward higher Brit-ish rates, while the United States dollar advanced to its highest against the euro since last September on the view the Federal Reserve may be turning less dovish.

The Fed minutes also

Naira remains flat, equities tumble

Global stocks ease after BoE minutes stun markets

JOHNSON OKANLAWON

The Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday said it will cut off

inactive dealing member firms from operating trad-ing activities.

A statement from the Exchange said the dissever is necessary to maintain the integrity of the capital market and further protect investors in the country.

It explained that any dealing member firm that is inactive for six consecutive months.

“The intention is being pursued through a Securi-ties and Exchange Commis-sion approved rule that au-thorises the NSE to revoke the dealing member licenc-es of such inactive firms.

Default: NSE to revoke inactive dealers’ licences

Stock Updates

GAINERSCOMPANY OPENING CLOSING CHANGE % CHANGE

PREMBREW 2.06 2.16 0.10 4.85

AIICO 1.32 1.38 0.06 4.55

LIVESTOCK 0.53 0.55 0.02 3.77

PHARMDEKO 1.14 1.18 0.04 3.51

ETERNA 2.17 2.22 0.05 2.30

CONTINSURE 3.71 3.79 0.08 2.16

NEIMETH 29.19 29.50 0.31 1.06

FIDSON 4.06 4.10 0.04 0.99

CAP 7.20 7.27 0.07 0.97

AFRIPRUD 3.22 3.25 0.03 0.93

LOSERSCOMPANY OPENING CLOSING CHANGE % CHANGE

ROYALEX 0.60 0.57 -0.03 -5.00

CAVERTON 5.88 5.59 -0.29 -4.93

RTBRISCOE 0.88 0.84 -0.04 -4.55

EVANSMED 2.15 2.06 -0.09 -4.19

LIVESTOCK 3.28 3.15 -0.13 -3.96

UBN 8.49 8.26 -0.23 -2.71

WAPIC 0.77 0.75 -0.02 -2.60

SEPLAT 695.00 680.00 -15.00 -2.16

CUTIX 1.89 1.85 -0.04 -2.12

HONYFLOUR 4.09 4.01 -0.08 -1.96

Market indicatorsAll-Share Index 41,789.56 points

Market capitalisation 13.8trn

Source: NSE

come ahead of Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s widely antici-pated address to the annual gathering of central bank-ers in Jackson Hole, Wyo-ming, on Friday.

With US and global stock indices trading close to all-time highs, investors are awaiting a reaffirma-tion of the accommodative monetary policies that have helped spur a global rally in stocks.

“The next leg up is going to come from what we hear on Friday from Yellen,” said Phil Orlando, chief equity market strategist at Feder-ated Investors in New York.

“The market has been a little bit on tenterhooks,” he said.

MSCI’s all-country eq-uity index was down 0.05 per cent, while the FTSEu-rofirst 300 index of leading European shares closed down 0.07 per cent at 1,346.02 points.

A warning from brewer Carlsberg that profits would fall this year due to deterio-rating conditions in Russia rattled European investors.

A cut in its full-year sales forecast by Lowe’s Compa-nies also unnerved inves-tors, though the world’s No. 2 home improvement prod-

ucts retailer also posted better-than-expected sec-ond-quarter results.

The Dow Jones indus-trial average was up 28.71 points, or 0.17 per cent, at 16,948.30 points, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 1.89 points, or 0.10 per cent, at 1,983.49 points.

The dollar broke through resistance at $1.3300 and last November’s high of $1.3295 per euro to trade as high as $1.3275. It also climbed to a 4-1/2-month high against the yen. It was last up 0.22 per cent versus the euro at $1.3290.

Description Price Yield Price Yield

13.05 16-AUG-2016 1.99 103.05 11.29 103.20 11.21

15.10 27-APR-2017 2.69 108.55 11.30 108.70 11.24

16.00 29-JUN-2019 4.86 117.20 11.29 117.50 11.22

16.39 27-JAN-2022 7.44 121.05 12.02 121.35 11.97

14.20 14-MAR-2024 9.57 110.94 12.22 111.24 12.17

10.00 23-JUL-2030 15.92 84.75 12.19 85.05 12.14

Tenor Rate (%)

O/N 14.3333

1M 14.4959

3M 14.7695

6M 15.3457

Maturity Date Bid Offer

20-Nov-14 10.00 10.26

19-Feb-15 10.35 10.92

6-Aug-15 10.25 11.37

Treasury Bills

NIBOR

FGN Bonds

Bid Offer

Closing Market Prices of August 20, 2014

The Fixings of August 20, 2014

“The SEC approved rule provides that where a deal-ing member firm is inactive for six consecutive months, the Exchange shall revoke its licence. The circum-stances of the inactivity are further categorised into vol-untary and involuntary in-activity,” the statement said.

It quoted the Head of Le-gal and Regulation Division, Ms. Tinuade Awe, as say-ing that voluntary inactiv-ity occurs where the dealing member firm has not en-gaged in any trading activ-ity for a consecutive period of six months without being suspended by the Exchange or the SEC.

According to her, the rule provides further that the Exchange shall forthwith re-voke the licence of any deal-

ing member firm that falls into this category.

She said, “Involuntary in-activity occurs where a deal-ing member firm has been suspended from trading activities by the Exchange or the SEC by reason of any infraction committed by that the firm and it has not carried out any trading ac-tivity within the stipulated six months period.”

Awe noted that the pow-ers of the Exchange under this SEC approved rule will be exercised judiciously and will take into account all the circumstances surrounding each individual case as well as the interests of all stake-holders, particularly the in-vestors.

She observed that the majority of the prohibited

practices in the market have been linked to inactive firms and so it is important to stress that the new rule is aimed at further sanitising the market to protect inves-tors.

The Head of Broker Deal-er Regulation at the NSE, Mr. Olufemi Shobanjo, said that the Exchange in exer-cising its regulatory author-ity over dealing member firms shall continue to use the utmost care and dili-gence.

He noted that the NSE is keen to entrench the re-quired catalysts to stimu-late and build a healthy and well regulated market so as to stimulate increasing lev-els of investor confidence in the market.

JOHNSON OKANLAWONWITH AGENCY REPORT

The naira was un-changed at N162.15 to the greenback

yesterday’s market close, as dealers maintained their positions in anticipation of United States dollar supply from oil companies next week.

The unit closed at N162.13 the previous day, broadly at the same level as Wednes-day. The naira gained 0.11 per cent on Monday after some lenders sold the green-back to stay within a regula-tory limit.

Dealers said demand for hard currency had weak-ened after an initial rise last week as importers locked

in at favourable exchange rates following a recent nai-ra rally.

“We expect the naira to trade within the present band of 162 to the dollar this week,” one dealer said, add-ing that it could strengthen as oil companies start their month-end dollar sales.

Meanwhile, the equity market returned to the bearish zone yesterday, after transaction’s log re-vealed a significant feature of bellwether stocks on the losers’ chart.

The All Share Index fell 0.05 per cent to close at 41,789.56 points, in contrast to the increase of 1.07 per cent recorded the preced-ing day to close at 41,812.14 points.

Market capitalisation depreciated N8bn to close at N13.7trn, as against the appreciation of N146bn re-corded the preceding day to close at 41,812.14 points.

Nestle Nigeria Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc lost 0.36 per cent respec-tively, while Seplat Plc dipped 2.16 per cent.

Air Service Plc led the gainers’ table with 10 kobo or 4.85 per cent to close at N2.16 per share, followed by Premier Breweries Plc with six kobo or 4.55 per cent to close at N1.38 per share.

Conerstone Insurance Plc was up two kobo or 3.77 per cent to close at 55 kobo per share, while Costain Plc rose four kobo or 3.51

per cent to close at N1.18 per share.

Sterling Bank Plc appreci-ated five kobo or 2.30 per cent to close at N2.22 per share.

Conversely, Royal Ex-change Plc shed three kobo or five per cent to close at 57 kobo per share, while Caver-ton Plc declined 29 kobo or 4.93 per cent to close at N5.59 per share.

RT Briscoe Plc was down four kobo or 4.55 per cent to close at 84 kobo per share, while Evans Medicals Plc fell nine kobo or 4.19 per cent to close at N2.06 per share.

Livestocks Plc depreci-ated 13 kobo or 3.96 per cent to close at N3.15 per share.

A total of 192.1 million shares valued at N1.83bn were traded in 4,476 deals.

1st Tier Securities1st Tier SecuritiesSector Company name No Of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded Value of Shares(N)

Stock exchange daily equities summary

Sector Company name No Of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded Value of Shares(N)

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, August 21, 2014 Capital Market42

Equities as at August 20, 2014

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 43Young & Next GenerationThursday, August 21, 2014

Leonard okachie & BisoLa aderiBigBe

An education and youth development expert, Mr. Bolaji Ogunseye, has

taken a swipe at the majority of youths who rush into entertain-ment with an unrealistic, some-times intellectually-lazy hope of becoming celebrities, saying rather that they are expected to contribute their quotas towards building a technologically, in-dustrially and socio-economi-cally successful Nigeria.

Osunseye said this recently in Lagos, at as seminar or-ganised by the Youth of All Nations Empowerment Asso-ciation, YOANEA, to commem-orate the International Youth Day 2014.

He stressed that leaving more intellectually-demanding and long-lasting areas of personal development and skill to run after a celebrity status through entertainment, Nollywood or even through sport – is like play-ing lottery.

In his presentation entitled, “The role of the youth in an emerging economy”, Ogunseye said: “I really respect and ad-mire celebrities for their suc-cess and great artistic achieve-ments. And the entertainment

‘Entertainment industry destroying our youths’

Youths queue at the audition of a music reality show

societies, which Nigeria is not.”Ogunseye, who is a policy

analyst, stated further, “Don’t let anybody deceive you – not even Nigeria’s upside-down educational system should be al-

industry creates some jobs.“However, for a 3rd World

country that wants to be co-punted and taken seriously in the comity of nations, you need to target development , skills and competence in those areas that can give you the millions of high-skill, high-income and longer-lasting em-ployments that a country need s to develop technically and industrially.

The US did not first develop Hollywood. They started with manufacturing of cars, equip-ment, steel industry, great sci-entific research, innovation, inventions and military power. Same for Britain, Japan, Swe-den, Australia, other developed, industrial economies, and now China.

“Of course, I love fashion, I love dancing, music, beauty pag-eant, family- dancing competi-tion, etc; but in case you don’t know, the international system or the world today is dominated not by entertainment, but by scientific and technological in-novation, scientific invention, futuristic ideas in business and economic management among others.

“Entertainment industry is great, but entertainment is the past-time of socio-economically and technologically successful

lowed to deceive you – those who would continue to dominate the world are those who have the most advance, international-competitive knowledge, techno-logical, scientific and industrial

–production advantage. The world will never be effectively led by the countries specialis-ing in entertainment, however important entertainment may become.”

He expressed worry that no-body is eduicating Nigeria’s youths systematically and in a structured way about these realities, stressing, “Nobody is providing strategic guidance to our education and skill-build-ing system, to ensure that our youth are world beaters in the fields and disciplines that mat-ter most.”

ToLa akinmuTimiABUJA

A legal practitioner and scholar, Professor Yemi Akinseye-George

SAN, has described the Nige-rian youth as an embodiment of productive capabilities who, if properly mentored, have the potentials of lifting the country out of the socio-economic and moral abyss and reposition the country among the leading na-tions of the world in the near future.

Making this submission at the International Youth Day celebra-tions with the theme “Youth and Mental Health: Nigerian Youth at Centenary,” in Abuja, the legal expert noted that with the cre-ative ingenuities and positive dis-position to national re-building agenda exhibited by the youths during the Centenary Celebra-tions through the social media, he had no doubt that if encour-aged by the leadership through enabling policy frameworks, the youths can reverse the ugly trend in the nation’s socio-economic and political landscape and make Nigeria great indeed.

Youths, key to glorious Nigeria –Akinseye-George

Nigerian youths at a rally

Akinseye-George, who was the book reviewer at the programme organised by the Federal Govern-ment, through the Ministry of Youth Development to mark the global event in the country, said the book captured vividly the se-ries of activities targeted at the youths during the Centenary Cel-ebrations, bringing out the best from youths about their aspira-tions, hope and determination to change the negative perceptions about their fatherland and turn it into a country of opportunities, fairness and justice.

Elaborating on the contents of the 300-page Centenary Youth Book entitled “In Our Minds: Re-flection of the Youth at Nigeria’s Centenary (1914-2014)” which was unveiled by the Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo, on behalf of the President at the forum, the academic and legal icon with strong interest in youth develop-ment, described the book as very high in quality and well illustrat-ed, with the author, Angela, hav-ing recognised that its audience/readers may be predominantly youths.

He said: “This book places the Nigerian youths at the forefront of the centenary celebrations. We

can discuss the fate of our Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan in the creative ability of the Nigerian youth the contents draws into the centenary celebrations, young Nigerians from all parts of the country through their conducts in the centenary celebrations.

“There were several competi-tions set up by the organising committees of this project. In the concept of celebration which lasted for about 20 weeks, a bond-ing emerged, a series of unity, patriotism and self belief as our youths, vibrant Nigerian youths, exchanged ideas, identified chal-lenges and proffered practical solutions to the problems of the country.

“Nigerians who have never met themselves physically interacted online and made very useful sug-gestions to most of the challeng-es, problems of re-current strikes by university lectures, problems of environmental degradation, problems of violence, political violence, problems of increasing rate of accidents on our roads, so many issues, problems of gover-nance.”

While noting the exponential benefits that could be realised from such a positive and cre-ative use of the social media by

young people, who have never met themselves together but com-munication, rubbing minds and brainstorming to find solutions to the problems of the country, he explained that the book under-scored that there is greatness in our diversity as a people and that a motivated challenged and en-gaged youths hold the key to the future of our dream.

Taking the audience, who included youth leaders from various geo-political zones and political interest groups across the country and top government functionaries, including the min-isters of Youth Development,

Mr. Boni Haruna and his Fed-eral Capital Territory counter-part, Senator Bala Mohammed, through a captivating mental in-sight into the10 chapters of the book, the youthful Senior Advo-cate of Nigeria said that the book depicts that the future is brighter than we ever thought it is.

“The book tells us not to de-spair about the future of this great country and at the same time, it tells us that there is work to be done. It brings empirical dimension to the saying,” think not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net44 Thursday, August 21, 2014Young & Next Generation

A storm accompanied Cloud

They float because they are made of water and ice particles. All togeth-er, it’s really heavier more than an

elephant. However, it’s spread out over a really large area, so it’s like an elephant cell

Clouds are the visible part of a con-tinuous cycle in which water evaporates into the air, condenses and returns to Earth mostly as rain. The cycle starts when the Sun warms the Earth, which in turn, warms pockets of moist air. When an air pocket heats up, its molecules bounce around more actively and begin to take up more space. As a result, the air expands and becomes less dense. The sur-rounding heavier air then pushes its way underneath the warm pocket, which rises

Why do clouds float in the sky?

Naomi Mac for semi-finals of TV music game show

Science for kids

like a hot-sir balloon.Only when the water condenses does it

become visible, and when enough drop-lets condense, they form a cloud. Clouds can grow to vast proportions if enough air is heated. A thunderhead can tower up to 12 kilometres high, and half a mil-lion tons of water can be released in a single downpour.

Clouds stay aloft because the droplets are so tiny that they remain suspended on air currents. Each mist particle is mi-nuscule – only one millionth the mass of a final raindrop. They do not have any ap-preciable fall velocity and most of them continue to float with the surrounding air.

Sometimes the larger particles drop

Members of Leo District 404 A1 Nigeria at the celebration of International Youth Day 2014 in Lagos.

StorieS: LeoNArD oKACHie

Leo District 404 A1 Nigeria, the youth affiliate of Lions District 404 A1 Nigeria, joined the rest of the

world to mark International Youth Day 2014, recently with a rally and awareness talk on “Mental Health Matters, Through Engaging our Youths.”

The event ,which was held at the main campus of Tai Solarin University of Ed-ucation (TASUED), Ijagun Ijebu-ode, had several clubs that make up the District present at , including Yabatech Leo Club, Eko Leo Club, Ikorodu Leo Club, TA-SUED Campus Leo Club, TASCE Campus Leo Club, Ijebu-Ode Leo Club, Shagamu Metro Leo Club.

The District President Leo Tosin Akin-wale thankedthe Leos for the turnout particularly Lions Region Chaiperson for Region 5, Lion Saibu Olukunle who also gave a lecture at the event.

Also Speaking at the event the Imme-diate Past District President Leo Shogo Oloshunde encouraged Leos to continue

Leo District 404 A1 marks International Youth Dayto be a shining light among Nigerian youths and urged them to keep on engag-ing each other positively and shun all negative vices.

In a related development, as part of ac-tivities marking the commencement of 2014/2015 Lions Service Year, members of the club led by their president, Leo Akinwale visited the Honourable Com-misioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, Mr. Lateef Aderemi Ibi-rogba. But they were received by the Per-manent Secretary in the Ministry Mrs. Oluranti as well as Directors and senior staffof the Ministry.

In her remarks, Mrs. Oluranti urge the Leos to keep on being good ambassadors of the state and the nation at large, even as she urge them not to relent in their ef-forts as they are the future leaders.

Other members of the delegation in-cluded Leo Shogo Oloshunde (Immediate Past District President), Leo Omolaraeni Olabande (2nd Vice District President), Leo Yinusa Monsuru (District Treasur-er), Leo Funke Ogayemi (Laspotech Leo Club), Leo Kaffy Oshoala (Igbogbo Plati-

num Leo Club).Meanwhile, the club will this Saturday

install Leo Akinwale as the District Pres-ident for the 2014/2015 Lionistic Year.

The event which will take place at the Bespoke Event Centre, Fun Factory, Ita-maga, Ikorodu, Lagos, will also witness the installation of other district officers.

With all six contestants bringing their A-Game on Nigeria’s first TV music game show over the

weekend, the 101- jury members certainly had a tough time judging all equally power packed duel rounds from contestants aim-ing for a coveted spot at the semi-finals.

Contestants Oribhabor Amen, Joseph Udem, Salam Sadiq, Ifeoluwa Adedi-ran, Nonso Iwuchukwu and Naomi Mac brought all their A-game in heated duels leaving sultry singer Naomi Mac to wear the crown sailing all the way to the semi-finals.

Twenty-three- year-old Naomi Mac who describes herself as a product of grace, delivered a vocally flawless ren-dition of All The Man I Need by Whit-ney Houston and went on to win the episode by taking jury members down memory lane with Agolo by Angelique Kidjo securing her own spot at the semi-finals.

The contestants ably represented Ni-

out of the cloud, only to evaporate and be swept up again. At other times they leave the sides of the cloud to be replaced by water vapour from below, which condens-es as tiny droplets. So there is no percep-

Naomi Mac

gerian artistes like Flavour, Omawunmi, Wande Coal and others as they went in-digenous in a bid to impress the 101-jury members for a shot at the mouth watering grand prize.

The final round of the episode proved a tough decision to crack as both contestants Naomi and Ifeoluwa pushed their vocal chords in a heated duel. However, Ifeoluwa made the smartest decision to walk away with 400,000 naira when it was apparent that she did not win the round.

Winning the episode brings amazingly vocally talented Naomi Mac closer to 10mil-lion naira and a brand new car joining Phil-ip, Brenda, Happiness and Rhema in the semi- final round.

The airing times for the show are as fol-lows: Saturdays African Magic 10:00pm, Sundays AIT Network 10:30pm, Sundays WAP TV 10:30pm, Thursdays ONTV 10pm and other stations nationwide. Visit www.starthewinneris.com and follow #StarThe-WinnerIs for more details.

tible change in the cloud’s shape as well as size. The mass of water the cloud holds also remains more or less the same.

What makes this great mass float in the air is its relative lightness com-pared to the mass of air in which it resides. Take an example of a small cloud at an altitude of some 3,000 meters.

Assume that it occupies a volume of 1 cubic kilometre and there is a 1 gram droplet per cubic meter. The total mass of these water particles would be about 1,000 tons, whereas the mass of the air in that same cubic kilometre would not be less than 1,00,000 tons. The heavier air keeps the cloud buoyant.

Herebeanswers.com

Nigerian newspapers

2015 elections: Media tasked on ethics, professionalismStorieS: Leonard okachie

In preparation towards the 2015 gen-eral elections, Nigerian media have been charged to, as a matter of urgen-

cy, undergo huge surgical reforms in the area of ethics and professionalism.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) Malam Sani Adamu, who said this, advised journal-ists to resist manipulation by desperate politicians.

Adamu gave the advice in a paper he presented at a lecture organised by the students of Mass Communication De-partment, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger.

He spoke on ``Nigerian Media, Politics and The Challenge of 2015 Elections’’.

He explained that the media play a crucial role in shaping or influencing fu-ture of the society positively.

``All human beings depend on the me-dia for relevant information about every-thing such as economy, education, health care, politics, agriculture leisure and en-tertainment.

``Today the values we hold, the beliefs we harbour and the decisions we make are all based on what we get from the me-dia,” he said.

However, Adamu reminded media practitioners on what he described as a ``huge responsibility’’ that must be

Guests at the presentation of TheNiche.

guarded by them, government and the citizens.

He said: ̀ `As we approach the 2015 gen-eral elections, the media must be more circumspect. The Nigerian media must, therefore, transit from being a combat-ant force against dictatorial regimes into a force that would safeguard the democ-racy.

``The Nigerian media, as a matter of urgency, must undergo huge surgical

reforms in the area of ethics and profes-sionalism.

``Reporters and their editors must re-sist the manipulation by politicians; live above board; be apolitical, fair and bal-ance in the reportage of the political pro-cess in order to earn the confidence and respect of the society.

``The media must make sure that ev-ery voice is heard in the reportage of po-litical events.’’

Besides, Adamu underscored the need for fairness, balance and objectivity in reportage so as to earn the confidence and respect of the society.

Also speaking at the occasion, a presi-dential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Sam Nda-Isaiah, urged media practitioners in the country to continue to protect and defend democ-racy.

Represented by Hajiya Mariya Baba, the publisher turned politician said that the media was critical to the success of the 2015 general elections.

Nda-Isaiah said that the media has a social responsibility to Nigerians and the World to ensure the credibility of the 2015 election.

He said the electronic, print and so-cial media has the power to change people’s beliefs through the infor-mation they disseminate to the public.

``Nigerian media should through their activities provide guidance for the peo-ple to do that which is right and provide things that will ensure the continued unity and stability of our country,” he said.

The Head of Department, Mass Com-munication, Dr. Tenernge Ende, had ear-lier admonished the students to remain disciplined and committed on the part of seeking knowledge through learning and teaching.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, has applauded the Nigerian press,

saying that it has helped to win back de-mocracy in Nigeria and sustained it.

Anyim, who was represented by his Spe-cial Assistant (Media), Mr. Sam Nwaobasi at public presentation of TheNiche news-paper in Lagos recently, said democracy is thriving in the country today because of the sacrifice made by member of the press.

He urged the press not to relent on its crucial role in the society as the 2015 gen-eral election approaches.

Anyim also acknowledged TheNiche as a quality newspaper, stressing that with the crop of journalists on and the quality articles, he knows it means well for the country.

Meanwhile, quests commended the uniqueness of the newspaper, which de-buted on April 27 as Nigeria’s Sunday ex-clusive.

They praised its rich, incisive content,

Press has sustained our democracy –Anyimas well as depth, presentation, and design, and even urged TheNiche to go daily in or-der to extend the template to more readers.

The presentation, at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, was chaired by for-mer Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Director General, Anya O. Anya.

Also present included Lagos State Gov-ernor, Babatunde Fashola (represented by Media Adviser, Hakeem Bello); Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, (represented by Secretary to the State Government, Mkpa A. Mkpa); ; All Progressives Grand Alli-ance (APGA) National Chairman, Victor Umeh , among others.

In his lecture entitled “The challenge of believing”, Anya lamented the cynicism Nigerians have about their country.

He appealed to the press to help change the negative attitude, saying: “When one surveys the lie of the national landscape – political, social, economic and normative – we may be forgiven if we confidently pro-claim that our nation is presently passing through very difficult times.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 45MediaThursday, August 21, 2014

“But given the national tendency to over dramatise, and even exaggerate the untow-ard, one might be tempted to ask if that were the whole truth.

“For if truth be told, there is no other nation today whose citizens deride her and see speak ever so often in such negative terms of their nation as Nigerians do of Nigeria.

“We are always competing (even within the leadership) in our telling of the most

derogatory and unwholesome tales of our nation. We have all contributed to a new definition of the meaning of patriotism through our negativity.

“We encourage others to deride our na-tion.”

Anya praised the newspaper, saying : “TheNiche, it is fair to say, stands apart from any Nigerian newspaper today in the clarity of its printing, the sharp definition of its photography and the lucidity and readability of its writing.

...TheNiche receives kudos

The chairperson for the Union of Journalists in South Sudan UJOSS Oliver Modi, has expressed

concerns over the level of crackdown the media houses, describing the act as an attack on their work, and urged govern-ment to protect and support journalists.

Modi, said cases of violent acts against journalists have drastically increased since political differences within the lead-ership of the ruling Sudan People’s Lib-eration Movement (SPLM) led to conflict that hit the new nation late last year.

“If you go by the constitution, you find that the government is not against the me-dia. It indeed recognises the role of the me-dia but practically, especially if you follow the developments that take place, you will find that the media is under attack”, Modi said Monday.

He said the weekend’s arrest of Bakhita radio’s news editor and the subsequent clo-sure of the station was an “act indicative of individuals going against the constitu-tion”.

“As at this moment, the news editor re-mains in detention and the radio is closed. I don’t think this is how it should have been handled. There are better ways to have handled it, because journalists are like members of any other institutions. They can make mistakes but they can be addressed through appropriate approach-es and channels,” argued Modi.

He said courts or other means could be used by the government to address the is-sues.

“I think the intention is to force them out of their work or they want the jour-nalists to report in their favour, which is unacceptable. We are not here to work according to the interest of individuals in the government,” stressed the UJOSS chairperson.

“We are for the public. This is exactly

The African Media Initiative, AMI yesterday launched a Pan-African campaign against hate speech in

Nairobi, Kenya, with a panel debate at Pawa254.

The panel discussed the “Limits of Press Freedom” and brought together leading figures in African media.

The #TurnthePageonHateSpeech campaign serves as a call to media lead-ers and operators in Africa to lend their full support to efforts to turn the tide against the rise of hate speech on the continent.

Using the power of the web, also en-gaged thought leaders, journalists, blog-gers, writers, poets, cartoonists, and citi-zens in Africa and across the globe, with the aim of bringing the media and the public’s attention to the devastating ef-fects of hate speech.

Whilst 2014 marks the anniversaries of two momentous events in modern Af-rican history – 20 years since the end of apartheid in South Africa and 20 years since the Rwandan Genocide – many Af-rican citizens continue to witness and live with a surge of intolerance and hate, growing levels of discrimination, and the rise in ethnic and religious funda-mentalism.

According to AMI CEO, Eric Chinje: “Journalists are often used as instru-ments of propaganda. Yet it is in part

StorieS: Leonard okachie

The National President, Radio, Tele-visions, Theatre and Arts Work-ers Union, RATTAWU, Dr. Yemisi

Bamgbose, yesterday urged media work-ers to remain steadfast in their agitation for a media salary structure.

Bamgbose said in Enugu that the lead-ership of the various unions of media organisations had taken the necessary steps to convince the government to implement better working conditions for practitioners.

He advised the government to imple-ment better working conditions for prac-titioners now rather than wait until the unions embarked on strike in agitation for such conditions.

He said, ``I am not supporting any or-ganisation going on a protracted strike action, but if it is an action that will be of benefit to your members then why don’t you go ahead if government is not

Journalists decry frequency of arrests in South Sudan

Association launches campaign against hate speech

Media Workers urged to struggle for salary structure Senegalese editor sentenced

for false news on EbolaA journalist and managing editor

of privately-owned La Tribune newspaper, Felix N’zalé, was

recently handed a one-year suspension sentence and a fine of FCFA one million (equivalent to US$ 2,200) for publishing false news.

He was also ordered to publish the court’s decision in four newspapers in the country.

The La Tribune newspaper on August 11, carried a front-page story titled “5 cases of Ebola in Senegal”. The report is said to have caused panic among the Senegalese people and annoyed the authorities, in-cluding the Minister of Health, Eva Marie Coll Seck.

According to MFWA’s correspondent, the state prosecutor, took up the matter and had the journalist summoned. He was kept in police custody and then later placed under a committal order on August 12.

In a press communiqué, the Ministry of Justice, said the information published by the newspaper could have extremely seri-ous repercussions for Senegal. “This in-formation can place our country in quar-antine by the international community

Media Abroad

Bamgbose

Modi

Senegalese President, Macky Sall

and seriously affect Senegalese desirous of travelling, particularly at a time when people are busy preparing for the pilgrim-age to Mecca.”

N’zalé is said to have apologised to the court at the trial. ‘I’m sorry, I regret the act. I acknowledge that the information is false,” he said.

The journalist is also said to have admit-ted to the court that he did not crosscheck his information before publishing because he trusted his source.

The MFWA is calling on journalists to be professional in their work. We urge them to be a source of public education on the disease instead of causing panic with false information.

what the journalists do. They try to bal-ance their stories by reaching out to all those involved in the issues they are cover-ing,” he added.

Three years after its independence from Sudan, South Sudan appears intolerant to freedom of expression, harassing, arrest-ing and even detaining journalists they consider critical of the regime in power.

Ngor Garang, a South Sudanese jour-nalist said the action of the security per-sonnel in which they closed down Bakhita and arrested its journalist was contrary to what the law says about their prescribed duties in the transitional constitution of the Republic of South Sudan.

“Clearly looking at what the transition-al constitution of the republic of South Sudan says about the work of the security, you find that the constitutional role of the security is limited to collecting informa-tion, analysing it and then advice relevant institutions”, said Garang.

Citing article 159 (3) of the country’s transitional constitution, he said the na-tional security should be professional and focus on its mandate of information gath-ering, analysis and advice to the relevant authorities.

“This is what is in the constitution,

the media’s role to defend and promote people’s rights and ensure that women, children, minorities and other vulnera-ble groups in society are not unfairly and unduly targeted.”

The campaign was shaped through a consultation process organized by AMI in Kigali, Rwanda, in April this year. Me-dia organisations and journalist unions, including the Ethical Journalism Net-work, the African Editors’ Forum, the Federation of African Journalists, and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, to name a few, joined forces to launch this continent-wide campaign.

Speaking in Kigali, the Director of the Ethical Journalism Network, Aidan White affirmed that, “We must promote ethical, tolerant and inclusive journal-ism. Journalist should not regurgitate hateful speech coming from politicians, or community and religious leaders. It is a journalist’s duty to put things in con-text and ensure that what they are saying does not incite more hate and violence.”

The campaign culminates with three days of discussions around the theme at the annual African Media Leaders’ Forum (AMLF), the largest gathering of media professionals on the continent, which this year will take place from No-vember 12 - 14 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

willing to.``But the fact of the matter is that in

the media sector we are not ready to be where the leaders want us to be.

``But if followers are ready and they will be able to back up the leaders then I think the sky is not even the limit.

``We’ve presented our cases even be-fore the Minister of Labour and I think very soon and I mean very soon you’ll hear from us. We’ll call you out. Then it’s left to you to support or to go and sit down.”

The RATTAWU president said that the leadership of the media unions had not lost sleep over the welfare of members.

He called on members to give the needed support to their various leaders as they made the final push to actualise the implementation of the media salary structure.

Bamgbose stated further: “We have been able to achieve something although it may be little and again we are not rest-ing on our oars. You don’t take anything on a platter of gold in Nigeria; you have to struggle for it; so, if you don’t struggle for anything you may not be able to get it.

“Are the media workers, most espe-cially those of us in the electronic and print, really ready to struggle for it in terms of supporting your unions when they call you out to protest or to fight for your rights?``

Bamgbose appealed to workers to stand for their rights instead of the thought that their jobs were sacrosanct that they would not agitate for living wages and better working conditions.

46 Media National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netFriday, August 21, 2014

Thursday August 21, 2014 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

It will be diffi cult for INEC to prepare adequately for the process, it will not be able to do electronic voting in whatever form on or

before the 2015 elections.INEC CHAIRMAN – PROF. ATTAHIRU JEGA

Community Mirror47

BOLADALE BAMIGBOLAOSOGBO

A 78-year-old man, Suraju Balogun, and nine others

have been arraigned be-fore an Osogbo Chief Mag-

istrate’s Court, for alleg-edly conspiring to assault a woman and for breach of public peace.

Others arraigned with him are, Azeez Rauf,27, Oyewunmi Taiwo, 28, Ogundele Sefiu,25, Amao

Olatunji,28, Mukaila Abdullahi,40, Ogunshina Oladele,25, Lasisi Mui-deen,28, Gasali Akino-la,61, and Mukaila Balo-gun,30.

Addressing the court, the prosecutor, Samuel

Idenhi, said the accused persons attacked the com-plainant for allegedly harassing them with offi-cers of the Department of State Security, DSS, dur-ing the last governorship election in the state.

Septuagenarian, 9 others arraigned for assault

SEBASTINE EBHUOMHANBENIN

A 25 year-old des-titute, one Dan-juma, who lived

on a refuse dump site in Benin City, after being abandoned by his family has died.

The physically chal-lenged Danjuma died in front of his uncle’s house, where officials of Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Devel-opment had brought him.

He was said to have been sent out of the home by his uncle, Mr. Arase, before some well-meaning individuals rescued and took him to Faith Medical Centre for treatment.

The former Commis-sioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Florence Igbinigie, said that Danjuma had fully recovered after being discharged from the hospi-tal.

Mrs. Igbinigie said she took the late Danjuma to

FRANCIS SUBERU

The Lagos State Gov-ernor, Babatunde Fashola, has as-

sured displaced residents and traders at Oko Baba plank market that the gov-ernment has no plans to take over the market, say-

ing he would assist them in replacing their wooden structures.

Fashola who visited the market, said he would not evict the traders, contrary to speculation.

The governor ordered the Ministries of Special Duties, Physical Planning and Urban Development

People trying to wade through a flooded road to the Federal Medical Centre in Birnin Kebbi, after a heavy downpour at the weekend. PHOTO: NAN

He further explained that the accused, who were arraigned on seven count charge, conspired with others on the run to assault one Sabiatu Amao, and severing one of her fingers.

He added that the of-fence was committed on August 10, at Ikoyi, a town in Isokun Local Govern-ment area of Osun State.

The accused were also said to have destroyed items that included, chairs, clothes, and food items valued at N130, 000.

The prosecutor added that the accused also as-saulted one Famiyi Taiwo, who was with the com-plainant at the time of the

incident. He said that action of

the men was contrary to and punishable under Section 516, 355, 451, 70, and 249(d) of the criminal code cap 34, vol.11 Laws of Osun, 2003.

But the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Counsel to the accused persons, Barrister Bukola Onifade, applied for bail with assurance that they were ready to stand trial.

In his ruling, Chief Magistrate, Olusola Aluko, committed the accused to bail in the sum of N50, 000 and one surety each,while the case was adjourned to October 21 for hearing.

FRANKA OSAKWE

Two persons have re-portedly died from a suspected rabid

dog bite in Lagos. Commu-nity Mirror gathered that the victims, James Musa, 14, and Aishat Opakunle, 21, living at No. A114 Road 1A, Mologede Estate, Mei-ran, Lagos, were bitten on July 11, 2014 by a mongrel dog belonging to one Mr. Ogundiran in the same estate.

It was gathered that Aishat Opakunle, a gradu-ate and holder of Ordi-nary National Diploma, OND, died on August 8th, while James Makwa Musa, a JSS1 student also gave up the ghost. The suspected dog was said to have died five days later, even as the owner is now on the run.

Reacting to the incident, President of Nigerian Vet-erinary Medical Associa-tion, NVMA, Lagos chap-ter, Dr. Mobolaji Alao, said that both victims showed the vital signs of rabies in human, which include fever, delirium, abnormal

behaviour, numbness and loss of muscle function, saliva drooling, halluci-nation, restlessness, swal-lowing difficulty and hy-drophobia.

While lamenting the un-fortunate loss of the two youngsters, Dr. Alao said the disease would have been prevented through simple immunisation.

“Rabies is a preventable disease and has been com-pletely eradicated in coun-tries such as Australia, United Kingdom, Spain, Greece and Malta. Lagos and Nigeria cannot be ex-ceptions,” he said.

In the bid to stop fur-ther loss of life from ra-bies, the association has called for the removal of all stray dogs on the streets, especially in Mei-ran area of Alimosho Lo-cal Government.

In a communiqué on the deaths, the association appealed to the state gov-ernment, to ensure that all dogs in the area are vaccinated and the own-ers presented with health certificates of their pets from qualified veterinary surgeons.

Two persons die from dog bites in Lagos

the Ministry of Women Affairs after efforts to lo-cate his relations proved abortive.

She said, “Doctors gave him appropriate medical attention and he was look-ing very well. Unfortu-nately, I did not know what happened until the SSG called to say that I dumped a physically challenged man in the ministry.”

A youth leader, Julius Inyangbe, said Danjuma was seen on the street five days ago and looked sick

due to neglect from the family.

When contacted, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Devel-opment, Austin Akhua-mhenkhun, said only the commissionerwas autho-rised to speak on the mat-ter.

As at the time of filing this report, the corpse was yet to be removed from the street, even as his uncle said he was expecting the government to bury him.

to liaise with the resi-dents on how to rebuild the structures in the area, assuring that everything will be done to mitigate the negative impact of the disaster.

It would be recalled that hundreds of residents were rendered homeless as fire gutted Oko Baba

Sawmill and other adjoin-ing communities in the area on Monday.

The fire which started at 9:30pm lasted for eight hours and destroyed many buildings compris-ing of five bungalows, sev-eral bolt up buildings and other properties worth millions of naira.

Benin: 25-year-old destitute dies near uncle’s house

No plan to take over Oko Baba Market - Fashola

Chairman, councillors clash at Ikosi-Isheri LCDA 48

DARE AKOGUN

Residents of Alag-bado in Lagos State, have commended

the police for their re-sponse to distress calls which has helped reduce crimes in the area.

The first Vice-Chair-man of the area, Mr. Foly Owolabi, said the police re-sponse from the Alagbado Divisional Headquarters had contributed immense-ly to the reduction in small arms smuggling in the area.

He said before now, the community was experi-encing civil disturbances caused by hoodlums from the neighbouring states, but since the arrival of the new Divisional Police officer,DPO, Musa Alim, the crime rate has reduced.

He said,“Since the arriv-al of Musa Alim, the police have been fighting crimes vigorously. Alagbado is a border town with many places remaining porous.

“Many times when we make distress calls over the presence of hoodlums

Residents hail police for crime prevention

in any community, the po-lice always responded in good time.

We held a meeting with him last Saturday that in-cluded religious leaders, hotels and schools, so he is very proactive in handling cases,” he said.

However, a resident, Mr. Peter Alabi, stressed that a lot still has to be done to eliminate crimes in the area.

“The police are trying, but they still need to im-prove, as we have situa-tions where things looking like bags of rice and frozen chickens are brought into the state with no proper checks to ascertain their real contents”, he said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net48 Thursday August 21, 2014

Chairman, councillors clash at Ikosi-Isheri LCDA

The police trying to forestall breakdown of order at Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, after the impeachment of the council chairman, yesterday. PHOTO: DARE AKOGUN

Gov. Amaechi

Gov. Fashola

DARE AKOGUN

Pandemonium broke out at the Ikosi -Isheri local Council

Development Area yester-day when the impeached council chairman, Abdul-fatai Oyedele Oyesanya, led some thugs and forcibly gained entry into the secre-tariat.

The Chairman and thugs who came in two buses broke the lock to the gate to gain entry while in-juring the council leader, Hon. Prince Owolabi Tai-wo, Majority leader, Hon. Akinyemi Stephen and a councillor in the process.

Hon. Taiwo said they were attacked with bottles and other dangerous weap-ons after notifying the of-fice of the chairman of the council’s decision.

He said, “The hoodlums led by the chairman’s his son-in-in-law, Dolapo Bashir, Special Adviser on Revenue, Esuola Sakiru Alabi, his sister-in-law, Bio-dun Bakare and two other

aides attacked the jour-nalists and attempted to snatch their cameras.

“They assaulted jour-nalists and the councillors at the scene, and chased them around the council premises,as we have to run for our dear lives”, he stated.

He said, “When we re-ported the matter at the Ketu Police station, they promised to deploy their personnel to forestall fur-ther breakdown of law and order.

“But this morning, the Chairman and hoodlums came and broke the coun-cil gate, forcing themselves in, and the police did not do anything,” he added.

In a related development, two persons were shot dead in Oto town, Lagos Main-land Local Government Area, as hoodlums contin-ued their reign of terror in the area.

A man was also killed last week, when a gang of hoodlums from Apapa Road attacked residents of Oto to retaliate a previous attack

Community Mirror

FRANCIS SUBERU

The Police Special Fraud Unit, PSFU have uncovered

another baby making fac-tory in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

It was gathered that factory operators sell a baby for N2.5 million and N6 million to barren cou-ples.

The police are also on the trail of a sus-pect, Emeka Precious Chinyere who has been linked to many botched child trafficking.

It will be recalled that two years ago, the SPFU failed to track down the fleeing suspect who is also a medical doctor after a DNA test on a woman Esther Soyebo , who attempted to secure an American visa for a baby indicated she was not the biological mother. Soyebo could not locate the address of the hospi-tal, after claiming she got

there at night and left in the morning.

It was gathered that the fugitive suspect escaped from being arrested by the police, who stormed her residence because some other officers from the Special Protection Unit shielded her.

A source at the Rivers State Police Command, who pleaded anonymity, said that fleeing woman had been on the police wanted list for investiga-tion into the many “ mir-acle children “ , following petitions from embassies.

It was gathered that the discovery followed a peti-tion to the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Special Fraud Unit by the United States of America Consulate to investigate a Nigeria - American , who applied for an American passport for her little baby

According to the US Consulate “one Chris-tiana Ogeyi Omagu , a female Nigerian -Ameri-

can citizen with Nigerian Passport AO49173747 and US passport 458926040, appeared at the consul-ate in pursuance of a US passport for a male child , she allegedly delivered at God’ s Gift Clinic and Ma-ternity, Elelenwa in Port Harcourt , Rivers State

It was gathered that the DNA paternity and maternity tests results by the embassy indicated that the applicant and her alleged husband, Donald Omagu , were not the bio-logical mother and father of the baby in question.

According to the US embassy , the applicant , apart from submitting “ apparent questionable documents , also claimed that a certain doctor , whom she identified as Chinyere Precious deliv-ered her of the baby at God’ s Gift Clinic and Ma-ternity.

Police investigations revealed that the hospital was actually in existence at 16 School Road, Elel-

Police uncover baby factory in Rivers

on them by a gang in the area.

The hoodlums attacked the palace of the Oloto of

Oto, Oba Ganiyu Odesanya and vandalised a number of vehicles in the compound.

It was gathered that

more than 100 hoodlums took part in the attack, while scores of vehicles were vandalised.

Commenting on the at-tack, Oba Odesanya, said he was in his palace when he heard gunshots.

enwa but a nurse, Peace Effiong , who was ar-rested, confessed that no child delivery had ever taken place since she was employed. She told the police that pregnant women, who were due for delivery were usually tak-en to the doctor’s home for “proper delivery.”

Police also revealed that the evasive doctor had for long been on the wanted list for allegedly being responsible for the mystery delivery of some women.

World NewsWe have to come up with a global strategy to fi ght this group (ISIS), which

is structured, has signifi cant fi nancing, very sophisticated weapons and threatens countries like Iraq, Syria and Lebanon

– French President, Francois Hollande

Clashes erupt in Liberia capital, Clashes erupt in Liberia capital, as Ebola death toll now 1,350as Ebola death toll now 1,350 Several million Zimbabweans left

for South Africa and other coun-tries during past economic turmoil. Now, a year after the re-election of long time leader Robert Mugabe, the country is facing new financial hardships.

Many people are lining up in hopes of securing a passport that will allow them to escape their country’s dearth of opportunities and search for work abroad, the As-sociated Press has reported.

Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is estimated at 80 percent, pushing many people try to earn a living as street traders. An informal economy has mushroomed around the passport office, where young men charge $5 to hold a place in the line for those eager to return to bed for a few hours. By 5 a.m., the line stretches for blocks. Hustlers point potential customers to a makeshift studio where a generator powers a photocopying machine and instant photo service.

At least 36 people have been killed in Japan as landslides started by torrential rain hit the outskirts of the city of Hiroshima, including sev-eral children, police and local media have said.

Ten people were also missing, media reported on Wednesday, after a month’s worth of rain fell overnight, loosening slopes already saturated by heavy rain over the past few weeks, Reuters news agency reported.

“There was rain and thunder all night, beating down so hard I was scared to go outside,” a resident told Fuji TV. “I’ve never seen any-thing like this.”

Zimbabwe’s economy takes another dive

At least 36 killed in Japan landslides

India’s Iron Lady released after 14 years

An Indian human rights activist who has been on hunger strike for the last 14 years in protest against alleged army atrocities has been released from a prison hospital in Manipur where doctors had force fed her to keep her alive.

The freeing of Irom Sharmila comes after a trial judge found no evidence to support charges filed in 2000 by prosecutors in the north-eastern state that she was trying to commit suicide by refusing food.

“It is hard for me to believe that I am free now. My battle against injustice and crimes committed by the army in Manipur will continue,” Sharmila told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

WORLD BULLETIN

The outbreak need never have spread from Guinea, health offi-cials revealed to a news agency, except for a herbalist in the re-mote eastern border village of Sokoma.

“She was claiming to have powers to heal Ebola. Cases from Guinea were crossing into Sierra Leone for treatment,” Mohamed Vandi, the top medi-cal official in the hard-hit dis-trict of Kenema, told a news agency.

“She got infected and died.

During her funeral, women around the other towns got in-fected.”

Ebola has killed more than 1,220 people since it emerged in southern Guinea at the start of the year, spreading first to Libe-ria and cutting a gruesome and gory swathe through eastern Si-erra Leone since May.

The tropical pathogen can turn people into de facto corpses with little higher brain function and negligible motor control days before they die.

dan,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi told South Sudan Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Ben-jamin during a meeting in Bei-jing on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said.

“Opening a political dia-logue is the only way for South Sudan to achieve national rec-onciliation,” Wang added.

China hopes that both sides in the conflict can push for an inclusive political process and reach a solution as soon as pos-sible that all sides can accept, Wang said.

The Foreign Ministry cited Benjamin as saying in response that South Sudan attached great importance to China’s suggestions and was willing to work hard to achieve an end to

then, according to diplomats. A 60-day deadline to form an interim government lapsed on Aug. 10, though negotiations continue.

China presses South Sudan over renewed violence

PAUL ARHEWEWITH AGENCY REPORTS

Four residents of a quar-antined Ebola-hit slum in the Liberian capital were

injured yesterday in clashes with police and soldiers sent in to seal off the area, a news agen-cy correspondent and witnesses said.

The violence flared when the security forces went in to evacu-ate a government official and his family from the West Point neighbourhood of Monrovia, which is being contained as part of new security measures over the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization says the death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is now at least 1,350 people.

The latest figures Wednesday show that the deaths are mount-ing fastest in Liberia, which now accounts for at least 576 of the deaths.

The U.N. health agency also warned in its announcement that “countries are beginning to experience supply shortages, including fuel, food, and basic supplies.”

This comes after a number of airlines and shipping services have halted transport to the

Liberia security forces blockade an area around the West Point Ebola center as the government clamps down on the movement of people to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus in the city of Monrovia, Liberia, yesterday. PHOTO: AP

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir

Iraqi militants behead American journalist 50

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 49Thursday August 21, 2014

worst affected capitals of Libe-ria, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

In a desperate bid to halt the disease’s spread, authorities in Liberia have quarantined off a huge slum that is home to 50,000 people. Protests erupted in West Point on Wednesday, where resi-dents threw rocks at police.

It has laid waste to the tribal chiefdoms of Sierra Leone, leaving hundreds dead, but the Ebola crisis began with just one healer’s claims to special pow-ers.

China’s foreign minister pressed his South Su-dan counterpart over re-

newed violence in the oil-rich state, demanding an immediate ceasefire and political dialogue in the country, which is heavily reliant on Chinese investment.

Government troops clashed with South Sudan rebels last week near the capital of Unity State, days after a U.N. Security Council delegation warned of sanctions if either side violat-ed a ceasefire signed in May.

China has played an unusu-ally active diplomatic role in South Sudan and is the biggest investor in its key oil industry.

“An immediate ceasefire is a precondition for a return to peace and stability in South Su-

the violence.The renewed violence will

further strain a shaky cease-fire which was signed in May but violated by both sides since

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday August 21, 2014World News50

France said yesterday it wanted to bring together Arab states, Iran and the main world powers to coordinate a comprehensive response against Islamic State insurgents who control large parts of Syria and Iraq.

Speaking in an interview with Le Monde French President Francois Hollande did not say when such a meeting could be held or who would be invited but said a global strategy was needed to combat the insurgents.

“We can no longer keep to the traditional debate of intervention or non-intervention,” Hollande told Le Monde.

“We have to come up with a global strategy to fight this group, which is structured, has significant financing, very sophisticated weap-ons and threatens countries like Iraq, Syria and Lebanon,” he said.

The Islamic State has captured swathes of northern Iraq since June, executing non-Sunni Muslim captives and minorities, displacing tens of thousands of people and drawing the first U.S. air strikes in the region since Washington withdrew troops in 2011.

Turkish president-elect Tayyip Erdogan looks set to maintain his influence on daily politics after be-ing sworn in next week, with close allies likely to take on cabinet posts in a new government and his eco-nomic team expected to remain largely intact.

Outgoing president Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday that Foreign Min-ister Ahmet Davutoglu was likely to take over as chairman of the party and become the next prime min-ister, rekindling speculation about the shape of the new cabinet.

Davutoglu, an academic who has served as Erdogan’s foreign minister for the past five years, is expected to be confirmed as the ruling AK Party’s nominee for chair-man on Thursday before being formally voted in at an AK general assembly on August 27.

Senior AK officials told Reuters that ministers responsible for the economy would remain in place under Davutoglu, and that close Erdogan allies including his top aide Yalcin Akdogan and intelli-gence chief Hakan Fidan might be given cabinet positions.

Investors have been particularly concerned about the fate of Depu-ty Prime Minister Ali Babacan and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, who have guided the economy towards unprecedented stability in recent years.

tonnes of aid by the start of September.

Three other flights were due to leave Jordan on Thursday, Friday and Saturday carrying 100 tonnes each.

Aid was also on its way by

Kurdish city of Arbil from Jor-dan carrying 100 tonnes of aid including tents, plastic sheets, kitchen sets, and jerry cans.

It was the first consignment in an operation that aims at bringing a total of in 2,410

was proof that the fighters stand for no religion.

The statement was posted on a Facebook page called “Find James Foley,” which his family has used a number of times since his November 2012 disappear-ance. Earlier Tuesday, a red-eyed but gracious Diane Foley said the family would not give an immedi-ate statement when approached at her home by an Associated Press reporter. A priest arrived at the home several hours later.

Foley, a 40-year-old journalist

from Rochester, New Hampshire, went missing in northern Syria while freelancing for Agence France-Presse and the Boston-based media company Global-Post. The car he was riding in was stopped by four militants in a contested battle zone that both Sunni rebel fighters and govern-ment forces were trying to con-trol. He had not been heard from since.

The video released on websites Tuesday appears to show the in-creasing sophistication of the

Islamic State group’s media arm and begins with scenes of Presi-dent Barack Obama explaining his decision to order airstrikes.

It then cuts to a bald man in an orange jumpsuit kneeling in the desert, next to a black-clad mili-tant with a knife to his throat. Fol-ey’s name appears in both English and Arabic graphics on screen, and he is wearing a clip-on micro-phone as he begins his statement. The scene is captured on at least two video cameras and has been edited in a professional style.

“It’s the largest single aid push we have mounted in more than a decade,” UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

The first Boeing 747 of the 10-day operation flew into the Iraqi

A grisly video released Tuesday shows Islamic State militants behead-

ing American journalist James Foley, U.S. officials said, in what the extremists called retribution for recent U.S. airstrikes in Iraq. The militants threatened to kill another captive they also identi-fied as an American journalist.

Separately, Foley’s family con-firmed his death in a statement posted on a Facebook page that was created to rally support for his release, saying they “have never been prouder of him.”

“He gave his life trying to ex-pose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people,” said the state-ment, which was attributed to Foley’s mother, Diane Foley. She implored the militants to spare the lives of other hostages. “Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world.”

Meanwhile, US president promises “vigilant and relent-less” action to bring killers of beheaded journalist James Foley to justice.

US President Barack Obama has vowed that his country will not be swayed from airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) group after it beheaded an Amer-ican journalist, an act he said

France seeks international meeting to tackle Islamic State

Erdogan allies likely to dominate Turkey’s new cabinet

WORLD BULLETIN Iraqi militants behead American journalist •Obama vows to fight IS ‘cancer’

UN launches aid operation for 500,000 in northern Iraq

Hamas leader, Deif, deserves to die –Israeli minister

An Islamic militant standing next to American journalist James Foley

Saar

sassinated when Israel dropped a one-tonne bomb on his house, Deif has already escaped five previous assassination attempts by Israel.

Emergency services spokes-man Ashraf al-Qudra initially said three people were killed in the strike, among them an un-identified man, but later revised the toll down to two. He did not explain why.

Among the dead were Deif ’s second wife, Widad, 27, and his seven-month-old son Ali. Rescue workers on Wednesday pulled the bodies of a 48-year-old wom-an and a 14-year-old boy from the rubble, Qudra said.

Witnesses said at least three rockets were fired at the build-ing, home to the Dalu family, pulverising it into a pile of dust, debris and twisted metal and leaving a huge crater in the

ground where the building once stood.

Appointed head of Hamas’s armed wing in 2002 after his pre-decessor Salah Shehade was as-

An Israeli cabinet minis-ter yesterday justified an air strike on Gaza

that killed the wife and child of Hamas military leader Moham-med Deif, saying he was a legiti-mate target.

“Mohammed Deif deserves to die just like (the late Al-Qaeda leader Osama) bin Laden. He is an arch murderer and as long as we have an opportunity we will try to kill him,” Interior Minis-ter Gideon Saar told army radio.

It was not immediately clear whether Deif had been killed or injured in the strike, which lev-elled a six-storey house in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neigh-bourhood late on Tuesday.

road and sea, with 175 trucks bringing tents, blankets, plas-tic tarpaulins, and household items across borders from Tur-key, Jordan and Iran from UN-HCR warehouses in the region and Europe.

The UN refugee agency said it had launched a huge operation yesterday

to bring desperately needed aid to half a million Iraqis driven from their homes by jihadist rebels.

OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

As the deadline for the collection and submission of the

governorship forms for the Adamawa State gov-ernorship bye-election draws nearer, former member of the House of

Representatives, Emman-uel Bello, has joined oth-er interested aspirants and picked up the All Progressives Congress APC’s, Expression of In-terest form.

Others in the race who have obtained their nom-ination forms included Senator Ahmed Hassan

Aspirants jostle for Adamawa bye-election

Death of marshals: Gombe sues for calm

Boko Haram takes over police mobile training camp Sen. Ali Ndume chatting with journalists during his visit to commiserate with some internally displaced persons by insurgent at-tacks in Madagali, Gulak and Mubi in Adamawa State, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

A group of suspected hoodlums have set a church building

ablaze in Jibia local gov-ernment area of Katsina State.

The church, which has the capacity to seat a hun-dred people, is a branch of the Living Faith Ministry, and was set ablaze last Sat-urday evening.

It was learnt that author-ities of the church and resi-dents around the church area had been reluctant to publicise the incident to avoid negative public reac-tion on the issue.

Sources said the church had come under similar at-tack in 2011 during the post-election violence when a group of angry youths stormed its premises and set it ablaze.

JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

Youth Corps mem-bers will actively participate in the

2015 general elections but must shun actions that con-travene the Electoral Law during the exercise.

Director General Na-tional youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brig. Gen Johnson Olawumi, stated this yes-terday when he visited Batch ‘B’ corps members at the Orientation camp in Katsina State.

Olawumi said as gradu-ates, youth corps members “should shun any act of inducement from any poli-tician,” but work to protect their image and ensure free, fair electoral process.”

He warned the corps

Hoodlums set church ablaze in Katsina

Don’t violate electoral laws, corps members warned

DANJUMA WILLIAMS GOMBE

Following the grue-some murder of two marshals of

the Gombe State Agency for Social and Commu-nity Development behind the palace of Emir of Gombe last weekend by suspected Kalare thugs in Gombe, the Chief of Staff in Gombe Government House, Alhaji Ahmed Yayari, has appealed for

calm in the face of rising activities of the dreaded thugs.

Speaking yesterday at the inauguration ceremo-ny of 11 standing commit-tees of the Gombe Unity and Development Forum, a programme the state government is indirectly funding to address the ris-ing cases of thuggery in Kalare, Yayari appealed to the youths to sheathe their swords before the state is dragged to its murky past

INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

Boko Haram insur-gents have taken over the Police

Mobile Training camp in Limankara village, Borno State.

Limankara is south of Gwoza, which has been in possession of the sect in the last two weeks.

The mobile training camp is patronised by police officers and men from all parts of the country and is located in the midst of hills and valleys between Gwoza and Cameroun.

It would be recalled that the terrorists in-vaded Gwoza two weeks ago, sacked the whole community and hoisted their black and white

flags at different loca-tions, including the emir’s palace.

A source told our cor-respondent that there was heavy fighting be-tween the insurgents and troops before the camp finally fell.

He said: “The terror-ists, who coincidentally engaged troops with sophisticated weapons, succeeded in chasing

Barata, who represents Adamawa south district, and Senator Bindawa Ji-brilla, representing Ad-amawa central. All the as-pirants are to be screened by the party while those who are dissatisfied with the outcome would face the appeal committee.

Bello, who picked his form at the national sec-retariat of the APC, said he was ready for the par-ty’s primary and that he was confident of getting

the party’s nomination. He said, “I’m here to

purchase the nomination form to contest the gov-ernorship primary in Ad-amawa State.

“I have decided to join the race to save Adamawa from further degenera-tion of health and edu-cation systems that have collapsed in the state.

“Unfortunately, the security situation is not helping matters, and for that reason, we sat down

and thought over it and said, ‘look, if APC is the party of hope, it is the progressive party that wants to unite Nigeri-ans, the party that wants to bring about change, we should aspire under the APC in order to find a lasting solution to our state.

“In our state today, over three million youths are unemployed. If you are driving along the roads, all you see in the

villages are youths sit-ting; they’re not even farming. We have ample arable land in Adamawa. If government comes in and organises the farmlands and educates youths on modern tech-niques of farming, you can now develop farms and form cooperative or-ganisations for them and give these out on the ba-sis of families. You’ll find out that the families will be engaged,” he said.

when the dreaded thugs wreaked havoc on peace-loving citizens.

He said operations of the thugs claimed several innocent lives in the state during the eight-year reign of the last adminis-tration and that their ac-tivities had returned even after Governor Hassan Dankwambo took office in May 2011 and banned the Kalare thugs.

He stressed that the ban had not been lifted

and would never be lifted because the government was against Kalare and any other political thug-gery leading to the loss of lives.

The Chief of Staff re-cently made similar dec-laration in the palace of the Emir of Kumo where similar political violence resulted in the admission of six youths at the Kumo General Hospital after a violent clash between two PDP factions.

One of the church mem-bers, who didn’t want his name in print, said they came to church early next day Sunday, only to find ashes and smoke where the church building had been standing.

He said the church members had held a pro-gramme few days before, and had used a generating set as the building was not connected to public elec-tricity.

He described the inci-dent as a “sad develop-ment,” adding that the police had been alerted on the matter and had prom-ised to investigate circum-stances that led to the inci-dent.

The police spokesper-son, ASP Sadiq Abubakar, after call and text messag-es to his mobile line, was yet to respond at the time of filing this report.

members that the NYSC would not take it lightly with any corps member found to be involved in col-lecting bribe to tilt election process in favour of a can-didate.

He called on the corps members to learn the cul-ture, tradition and religion of the communities they would be posted in order to live peacefully with the people.

The state NYSC coordi-nator, Mr. Wilson Abiodun, said 2,073 corps member re-ported for the orientation exercise, with 1,272 males and 801 females.

Abiodun said the camp has 18 doctors, 12 nurses, six pharmacists, and that 141 pregnant women were relocated to states where their husbands reside.

..Bello picks APC nomination form

away security personnel undergoing training at the camp and took over by hoisting their flags.”

Contacted for confir-mation, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Gideon Jubrin said he was not in the of-fice throughout the day, even as he promised to verify the authenticity of the report from relevant authorities.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Thursday, August 21, 2014 51North

‘AFCON trophy, FIFA U-17 cup safe’ JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Fed-eration, NFF, Mr. Musa

Amadu, has assured that no trophy or replica in the Federa-tion’s Cupboard was destroyed in yesterday’s fire that dam-aged most offices in its second

floor.Fielding questions from

newsmen after the fire was quenched, Amadu expressed happiness that the NFF res-cued its silverwares.

“The most important tro-phies which are 2013 AFCON and FIFA Under-17 World Cup are safe. They are in the other side of the floor, upstairs. We

other important documents were destroyed.

“We have to assess the extent of damage, we are all trauma-tized and we have to take time to scrutinize the true situa-tion, but obviously very im-portant documenta to do with federation’s activities and pro-grammes were razed. Archive of all the FIFA videos and tech-

are able to secure those two tro-phies, and they are safe. there is nothing that happened to them.

“I just want to assure all Nigerians that nobody in the federation will do this. This is a very serious crime and I don’t think anybody in his right senses will do this sort of thing,” Amadu said.

He, however, disclosed that

nical reports are inside the ar-chive. They are destroyed,” the secretary added.

Maigari promised that the incident would not in any way affect the Falconets in their on-going campaign in Canada and would not hinder Super Eagles preparations toward qualifica-tion for the 2015 AFCON in Mo-rocco.

Asked about the implica-tions of the incident on the NFF financial transactions, Chris-topher replied, “Transactions files are not in my office; I’m an administrative officer and I pass files to the accountant’s office to work. I just transferred from National Sports Commission (NSC) to this place. I don’t know anything about this place. Why, why my office?”

Meanwhile, the NFF Presi-dent, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, who arrived at the scene around 11.30am expressed shock.

“I was shocked when I got the

in whose office the fire began was not around.

When Mr. Christopher, said to be an Assistant Director of Finance arrived for duty and saw what was left of his office, he wept openly while speaking with reporters.

“I did not leave anything on in my office yesterday. When I left the office, lights were all switched off; we even switched it off from central switch. I am very shocked because it started in my office. Why should this start in my office, why?” he wept.

of the NFF Glass House. Men from the Federal Fire

Service and Julius Berger Com-pany who arrived with nine fire fighting trucks, combined with officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) that share offices with the NFF in the premises to battle the inferno and curbed its spread to the first floor as well as other buildings around.

National Mirror gathered that the fire started when some officials of the NFF were resum-ing duty, but the chief accoun-tant, Mr. Andekin Christopher,

news, but first and foremost one must appreciate Almighty God because no life was lost and we are grateful to Him, and I know that things will come back to normal, as we are going to set up a security panel to get into the root of what actually happened. But it’s really unfortunate.

“We need to seat down as a team and as a board to deliberate on this. But first and foremost, it will require the attention of security agencies to come and investigate the issue to ensure that things get back to normal,” Maigari promised.

JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

The crisis rocking Nigeria Football Federation NFF, took a new twist yester-

day, as an early morning fire razed part of its Abuja Head-quarters in Wuse Zone 7.

The mystery fire which start-ed in the office of the Chief Ac-countant at about 10am, spread rapidly, and before the arrival of men of the fire service, dam-aged the accountant’s office, the ICT Unit and the General Secre-tary’s office on the second floor

52 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday August 21, 2014

SportI want to really take my time to settle in

well for the long season ahead. That’s my plan

–West Brom striker, Brown Ideye

e in my

planeye

Basketball: FIBA chief urges development 55

Fire razes NFF Fire razes NFF Glass HouseGlass House...Maigari to probe incident

Team mates jubilate with Courtney Dike (r) after the Falconets opened scoring in their semi final against North Korea yesterday

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 53Thursday August 21, 2014 Sports

Chelsea goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, wants Petr Cech to remain at

the club, having apparently sup-planted the latter in Manager Jose Mourinho’s goalkeeping hierarchy.

Courtois’s return from a three-year loan at Atletico Ma-drid sparked conjecture about which goalkeeper Mourinho would select as his number one, and it was the 22-year old Bel-gian who started in Monday’s 3-1 win at Burnley.

“I want Petr to stay. Even if he doesn’t play, he can be a lot of help to me in training,” Cour-tois said yesterday.

“I can still learn from him be-cause he has a lot of experience. He can give me good tips about the Premier League, things I might not know at the start.

“He is nice to me. We are training very well and he is still proving he is a great goalkeeper.

“For the team it is better for us to have two good goalkeep-ers. I don’t have a problem if he stays. Hopefully I can play well and stay in the team.”

Interestingly, Mourinho has declared that he wants Cech to stay and fight for his place.

Bayern Munich forward, Thomas Muller, has ad-mitted to rejecting a lu-

crative offer to join Manchester United.

The Germany international, who tasted World Cup glory in Brazil over the summer, is re-ported to have been identified as a top target by Louis van Gaal

He has, however, taken a deci-sion he believes will be of great-er benefit to his long-term ca-reer, with the 24-year-old happy and settled at Bayern.

Muller has spent his entire career to date with the reign-ing Bundesliga champions and sees no reason why he should turn his back on the club to go

after he inherited the manage-rial reins at Old Trafford.

An approach was made, with United eager to bring world-class talent into its ranks as the side seeks a reversal in fortune.

Muller admits a move would have been of financial benefit to him, with the money on offer ‘astronomical’.

chasing a bigger pay packet else-where.

“Of course, I was aware that I could earn more by making that transfer,” he said yesterday.

“The amount that foreign clubs were offering me was as-tronomical. But Bayern is my club and a change was not an is-sue for me.”

Why I snubbed Red Devils –Muller

Dzeko commits to City155 appearances in all competi-tions.

Dzeko scored the vital last-minute equaliser against QPR which paved the way for Sergio Aguero to snatch victory in the finals seconds as City ended a 44-year wait for the title in 2012.

“I’m really happy here at City, it’s a second home to me, so It was an easy decision to stay for the long term,” the Bosnia inter-national said yesterday.

“I’m settled perfectly to life here, I know my team-mates, the club, the team very well

Manchester City strik-er, Edin Dzeko, has signed a new four-year

contract with the club, keeping him at the Etihad Stadium until 2018.

City Manager, Manuel Pel-legrini, was keen to tie up a long-term deal for Dzeko who played a starring role in his side’s Bar-clays Premier League opener at Newcastle on Sunday.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina striker joined City from Wolfs-burg for £27m in January 2011 and has since scored 66 goals in

and I feel like can improve even more.”

The 28-year-old joins Aleksan-dar Kolarov, Samir Nasri, David Silva, Vincent Kompay and Ser-gio Aguero in signing new con-tracts.

Courtois aims curious Cech plea

Courtois

Dzeko

Thomas Muller

54 Sports National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday August 21, 2014

Eagles’ call up excites Salami

AFCON 2015:

ADEOLU JOHNSON

Super Eagles new invitee, Gbolahan Salami, has said the development is a

reward for his performance at NPL side Warri Wolves.

The striker has so far netted 11 times this season for his club.

Salami is one of four home-based players picked for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa.

The others are goalkeeper Ch-igozie Agbim, Kunle Odunlami

PAUL EREWUBA

Former Super Eagles assis-tant coach, Joe Erico, has kicked against the 23-man

Super Eagles’ list released on Tuesday ahead of the AFCON 2015 qualifiers with Congo and South Africa next month.

NFF President, Aminu Maig-ari, yesterday said the 23 players picked for next month’s AFCON qualifiers were named by Coach Stephen Keshi, an assertion that was contested by pundits who ar-gued that the coach had no input.

Erico contended that the list concealed more than it revealed.

“How could a coach who has

The League Management Company, LMC, has launched another Corpo-

rate Social Responsibility, CSR, initiative which aims to deepen the leagues engagement with its public. This initiative confers on a player whose goal was vot-ed as the best by fans, the benefit of choosing a local charity that will share from the N100, 000 prize.

The Wonder Goals Project is a social media interactive scheme that aims to encourage Commu-nity-based engagement by the clubs, showcase the video of goals scored by players in the Glo Pre-mier League and also to recog-

and Christian Osagona.“I am very happy over this in-

vitation,” the former Shooting Stars forward said.

“I have always looked forward to it and it has come. All I can say is that it’s a reward for my hard work thus far for my club in the league.”

He, however, said he would work hard to justify his invita-tion.

“I don’t want to wrestle the jer-sey from any of the established strikers, but I will put in my best to earn a place in the Eagles squad anytime,” he said.

not been contracted pick players for the AFCON qualifiers?

“I suspect that the list is fraught with fraudulence in the sense that some of the listed players like Chinedu Obasi, Igiebor and oth-ers are either injured or unfit.

“How on earth can a coach exclude Ike Uche, Osaze Odem-wingie andVictor Moses? I think everything smacks of deceit and until our football administrators put the nation first in all their dealings, Nigeria football will con-tinue to nose dive.

“Why has a caretaker coach not been named? What is the NFF afraid of? Let them name an in-terim coach while they negotiate further with Keshi.”

nize the circumstance, collective and individual qualities that pro-duced some of the goals.

Every player whose goal at-tracts the highest number of votes will earn N100, 000 from which 50% will be donated to a lo-cal charity of his choice.

Meanwhile, the Editorial Board of the LMC Media has an-nounced Rangers International of Enugu forward, Christian Osa-guona Ighodaro, as the winner of the inaugural week.

Osaguona will be presented his prize money on August 24 when Rangers hosts Dolphins of Port Harcourt at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.

…Erico berates team list

Tennis: Governor’s Cup 2014 faces hitch

Gbolahan Salami last played for Nigeria at CHAN 2014 in South Africa

Charity: LMC launches ‘Wonder Goals’ for players

ADEOLU JOHNSON

The Lagos Gover-nor’s Cup com-petition may

not hold this year, a s organisers are yet to

send invitation to par-ticipants.

Invitations are normally sent in the month of July.

“As I am talking to you, the sponsors are

not even thinking about the pro-

gramme this year,” one

of the o r -g anizers t o l d N a t i o n a l Mir ror in Lagos yes- terday.

“Unlike in the past

when the posters and prepara-tion would have been on top gear, nothing is happening presently,” he explained.

Efforts to get the Coordinator, Prince Tunde Oladunjoye, to re-spond however yielded no fruits as he was said to be out of the country.

The Governor’s Cup started under the leadership of the La-gos State former Governor, Asi-waju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2002.

Cote d’ Ivoire’s foremost player, Claude Nogoran, won the maiden edition with Nigeria making several concerted efforts to win it to no avail.

According to the organizers, the tournament was meant to give Nigerians the required ex-posure and earn some ITF points.

Contender, Christy Agugbon

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 55Thursday August 21, 2014 Sports

President of Dolphins Bas-ketball Club of Lagos, Wale Aboderin, says his team has

been reinvigorated after it emerged second in the Zenith-sponsored fe-male league to push for a ticket for the Zone 3 Africa inter clubs champi-onship ahead of the finals.

“We have a crop of young squad who are determined and hungry for honours and we will be simple in our dreams by first picking the zonal tickets at zonal qualifiers first ahead of the main finals,” Aboderin said in Lagos yesterday.

“It is attainable for us and we want to be the best side in Africa if we can beat all odds to emerge the second-best in Nigeria.”

First Bank Coach, Adewunmi Aderemi, also says his team is ready to make a statement on the conti-nent, a charge he said was handed by the Nigeria Basketball Federa-tion President, Tijani Umar, to the two sides at the dinner marking the decade of the sponsorship of Zenith Bank Plc of women basketball in Ni-geria.

“We will not let Nigerians down as we take on other African clubs,” Aderemi said.

WNBA All-Stars sisters Chiney Ogwumike of the Connecticut Sun, and

Nneka Ogwumike of the Los Ange-les Sparks were named recipients of the WNBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by State Farm for their generosity and charitable ef-forts across the globe.

On the court, the sisters made his-tory in April becoming only the sec-ond set of siblings ever selected with the top overall pick in an American professional sports draft.

Chiney and Nneka’s parents are originally from Nigeria, and the family maintains deep ties to the country. The sisters teamed up with the US Fund for UNICEF to launch a fundraising competition which helps raise funds to support UNICEF programmes, such as the Girls’ Edu-cation Project, that focuses on edu-cation and empowerment for young women in Nigeria.

The Girls’ Education Project aims to give one million girls in Nigeria access to quality learning, provide scholarships for female teachers and establish safe spaces for girls.

The competition aims to engage middle school, high school and AAU basketball teams across the country.

They also recently hosted a bas-ketball clinic for local athletes at St. Bernard’s High School in Uncasville, Conn., and educated the group about the Girls’ Education Project. The clinic included basketball drills and friendly competition, with the sis-ters serving as team captains.

“The huge advantage for Asia is because there are so many venues where the sport can be played in ad-dition we have people who are willing to work hard to achieve their aims. To start with, Africa must work harder to have more rep-resentation at world-level competitions.”

From my experience, there is a lot of talent in Africa and it will be a very strong continent in the future.

“At FIBA, we have recog-nised this and are ready to help in any way possible. We have already started prepar-ing coaches and officials to ensure the game takes the next step forward.

witnessed promising signs from the African nations during his four-year tenure that ends with the FIBA Bas-ketball World Cup in Spain in the middle of next month.

“The gap between teams from Europe or America is not so big at the moment,” Maininisaid.

“It is getting smaller.

STORIES: PAUL EREWUBA

President of basketball world governing body, FIBA, Yvan Mainini,

has advised Nigeria and other African countries to catch up with the rest of the world in the sport.

Mainini said that he had

AfroBasket: Aboderin, Aderemi unveil plans

Why Ogwumike sisters won WNBA award

FIBA chief urges developmentdevelopment

Basketball:

Nigeria’s Alade Aminu (white shirt) in action against Dominican Republic during the Olympic Games

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Editor: SEYI FASUGBA. All correspondence to PMB 10001, Marina, Lagos. Printed simultaneously in Lagos, Abuja and Akure. ISSN 0794-232X.

Vol. 04 No. 921 Thursday, August 21, 2014 N150

WORLD RECORD

The largest target ever sunk by a submarine was the Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano (72,890 tonnes or 160.9 million lb), sunk by

USS Archerfish (Cdr Joseph F. Enright, USN) on 29 November 1944.

Largest object sunk by a submarine

There is no doubt panic among the citizenry over the Ebola virus dis-ease (EVD), which presence in

some West African countries of Guinnea, Sierra Leone and Ghana, is reaching a pandemic dimension. This panic among Nigerians explains the zeal and enthusi-asm with which we embraced the rumour of a preventive therapy in a warm-salt-water bath penultimate Friday morning. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact source of the rumour, but the substance of it was so pungent that it was difficult not to give it a thought in practice.

It was early, about 4.00am that my wife received a phone call asking her to rouse the entire family for the early morning ritual of a warm salt water bath to ward off the Ebola. The caller said he had received a call from Benue State to the effect that the magic remedy of a warm

salt water bath must be applied before 6.00am to be effective. I must admit that I would not ordinarily succumb to such unintelligent and medically unscientific and unsubstantiated talk, but I did take the bath as I regarded it as an inexpen-sive exercise which, if ignored, could turn out to be fatal after all. I think an element of possible truth and credibility in the rumour was the introduction of religious origins in it. Some text messag-es and phone calls said it was the Spiri-tual Head of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua, who gave the prophesy that only a warn salt water bath could keep the Ebola, with no known cure at the moment, away from Nigerians.

It was not difficult to fathom why Nige-rians fell flat for the prank Ebola preven-tion rumour. In the wake of the spread of the deadly virus to Nigeria two weeks ago through the late Sierra Leonean-Amer-ican Patrick Sawyer, the Federal and Lagos State governments sent a delega-tion to meet with Prophet Joshua on pos-sible ways of assisting the country in the prevention of the spread of the disease beyond Lagos. Such measures included the suspension of religious activities like crusades, which usually drew large crowds at a time, to eliminate the contact element in the spread of the disease.

Nigerians were, therefore, rightly believed by those who originated and spread the rumour of a preventive warm salt water bath to be gullible enough to

believe that the government had surren-dered its responsibility for the care of Nigerians to Prophet Joshua whose pro-nouncement on the subject of the dread-ed Ebola disease was sacrosanct. As it turned out, it was a huge hoax, a prank played by a demented mind, spread by a gullible populace among a panicky citi-zenry. The full health implication of a salt water bath may not dawn on us all now but I dare say that while engaged in a spirited attempt to stop contacting Ebola, Nigerians may have thus exposed themselves to another health hazard like skin cancer or hypertension.

I think the citizenry has enough reason to panic even now. In a country where healthcare delivery system is very poor, where doctors are on strike for months on end and the sick are left to die, where drugs, medical supplies and other medicaments and facilities are in short supply and not affordable where they exist, the thought of a ravag-ing disease with no sure cure is debili-tating and shocking. How ready is our

nation to deal with the disease where it to surface, say in Auchi, Orlu or Gusau? It is not enough to seek to quarantine a known EVD victim. Such victims, even if we know they would surely die, must be fed, comforted and given a semblance of good treatment by health workers. Which health workers are ready to risk their lives in the face of the rampaging disease? It is, however, commendable that some effort is being made in this di-rection with the new life insurance poli-cy for medical care givers engaged in the ebola containment effort. The Edo State government, for example, has already designated medical personnel and facili-ties for handling ebola cases should any be found in the state.

The warn salt water bath hoax not only displayed the gullibility of the citi-zenry but, more importantly, it shows how vulnerable the social media can be in the hands of those who have manipu-lative tendencies. For example, Face-book, Twitter, Istagram and other social media applications and platforms have become tools for blackmail, fraud and the spread of outright falsehood. Some Nigerians, out of frustration, see and use social media only as a platform to haul insults and abuses at others.

I have seen disclaimers on Facebook with respect to the origin of the hoax. One Adesewa, a user of Nairaland fo-rum, confessed to have originated it and apologised. The damage had been done enough not to worry about such disclaimers or apologies for spread-ing falsehood on social media. The im-portant thing is that this incident has brought to the front burner of national discourse the need to regulate the use of social media in Nigeria. Users must take full moral and legal responsibility for what they post, particularly with re-spect to matters concerning the security of lives and property.

Comrade JACOBSON, a Public Af-fairs Commentator, wrote from Benin City.

Sport Extra

Management of Spanish club Barcelona yester-day said it will appeal to

the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA upheld the club’s trans-fer embargo until January 2016.

FIFA turned down the Catalan club’s appeal to overturn a two-window transfer ban, which was

originally imposed in April due to concerns over the ‘international transfer of minors’.

Barca spent £128.5m recruiting seven players this summer, includ-ing Luis Suarez from Liverpool, while their suspension was put on

hold during the appeals process.“Regarding the resolution

handed by FIFA’s appeal commit-tee with regards to the transfer and registrations of players un-der 18, FC Barcelona announces that it will continue to defend its

Transfer embargo:Transfer embargo: Barcelona set for FIFA showdown Barcelona set for FIFA showdown

Rosell

Nasamu Jacobson

Guest Columnist

Ebola: Of vulnerable media and gullible citizenry

THIS INCIDENT HAS BROUGHT TO THE FRONT

BURNER OF NATIONAL DISCOURSE THE NEED TO

REGULATE THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN NIGERIA

WORLD CUP WOMEN U20 SEMI FINAL

Nigeria 6 - 2 North Korea

interests to the highest sporting le-gal court, in this case the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS),” a Bar-celona statement said yesterday.