no facts from jonathan on fuel crisis—buhari

...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62410

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015**

Mr & Mrs

COLUMNISTS:

•P.19 •P.29Pull-out inside

Wounded lionon the rampage

Change forpolitical unityand economicdevt

Continues on Page 5

•Says govt has not provided information on current issues•Lauds Joda committee, seeks broader final report•Commends Jonathan again for conceding defeat•Senate directs committees to investigate fuel crisis

RELOCATION OF TANKERS:N120m monthlyeconomic boom toOgun

Open letter toGeneralMuhammaduBuhari •P.17

APC TRANSITION COMMITTEE—President-elect,Muhammadu Buhari (7th left) and members of the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, Transition Committee,during the presentation of Interim Report of the committee at the Defence House, Abuja,Yesterday.

By LevinusNwabughiogu,

JohnboscoAgbakwuru &

Joseph Erunke

A B U J A — T H Epresident-elect,

General MohammaduBuhari, yesterday,lamented that the out-going administration ofPresident GoodluckJonathan has failed to

We need drastic reforms, civilservice reduction if Buharimust succeed— El-Rufai

•Pgs 52 & 53

42 killed in Benue,Plateau attacks

8

VillageHeadmaster,FemiRobinsondies at 75•He tried tochangeentertainmentindustry— son

14

No facts from Jonathanon fuel crisis—BUHARI

MAY 29 HANDOVER:

CMYK

2 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015—3

CMYK


CMYK

POCKET CARTOONVanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 —5

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

Continues from Page 1

No facts from Jonathan onfuel crisis—BUHARI

When you want to attract something into yourlife...think about what you have asked for and makesure that your actions are mirroring what youexpect to receive— B Byrne

TO become who you want to be in life then actupon the inner picture, as if everyone you meet

is part of your intention to attract ideal people intoyour life. Share with others your needs and desires.

Talk to experts who might be of assistance, andstate your desires. They’ll want to help you. Don’texpect anyone else to do the work of attracting theright people for whatever you seek, be it a job,admission to college, a financial boost.

Be proactive and stay alert for a sign ofsynchronicity, that is when an experience occurs onetime too many drawing your attention to somethingthat is important for you to do in the moment. Andby all means, do avoid resistance thoughts; suchnegativity only affirms what you do not need in yourlife. Remember, if you focus attention on otherpeople’s lives, you tend to attract those things youdo not want to yourself.

VISIT—President Goodluck Jonathan receiving President of NigerRepublic, Mahamadou Issoufou during a visit to the State House, Abuja,yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

provide the in-cominggovernment with all thenecessary informationneeded for a smooth take-off next week, particularlyon how to tackle thecurrent fuel scarcity in thecountry.

The President-electspoke on a day the Senatedirected its committees onPetroleum Resources (Upstream andDownstream ) toimmediately commenceinvestigation into theremote and immediatecauses of the fuel crisis inthe country.

The Senate directivewas sequel to the motionby the Deputy SenateMajority Leader, SenatorAbdul Ningi, who hadcalled on the lawmakersto pay serious attention tothe fuel crisis that hadcreated great hardship forNigerians at the moment.

Senator Ningi wonderedwhy a country that hasabundant oil resourcesshould face the kind ofbiting scarcity that hadincreased the suffering ofNigerians.

But the Deputy SenatePresident, IkeEkweremadu, whopresided over the plenary,noted that since theDeputy Senate Leaderraised the motion underpersonal explanation, thesenate would not debateit but would ratherapprove his prayers.

Senator Ekweremadusaid: “Ningi’s prayers aresimple andstraightforward. He isasking us, asrepresentatives of thepeople, to direct ourcommittees on upstreamand downstream, to findout what is currently goingon in the oil sector andpossibly find a way ofaddressing it.

“In that regard, we nowask our committees onPetroleum Resources (Upstream andDownstream), to find outwhat is going on and whatthe government is doingabout it and report backon Tuesday next week.That is our wish”

Meanwhile, GeneralBuhari, who spoke whenthe APC TransitionCommittee headed byAmbassador Ahmed Jodasubmitted an interimreport of the committee tohim, also said the out-going governmentmisunderstood the termsof reference of thecommittee, thinking hewas already running aparallel government.

Ahmed Joda had earliertold General Buhari thatthe governmentcommittee headed byVice-President NamadiSambo refused to providehis committee withnecessary information tomake better decisions.

According to Joda, thecommittee had to rely onits initiative andassistance from theorganized private sector,the Lagos BusinessSchool, internationaldevelopment partnersand members of the publicto draw up a plan.

The committee'smission

In his response, Buharistated that the aim of thecommittee was not toindict anyone, but to makeadequate preparations forthe task ahead.

He said: “The in-cominggovernment wasmisunderstood. It is notthat we are preparing for

indictment. What we aretrying to get is a startingpoint, where exactly weare going to start from.

“We have seen the debtprofile now and theperformance of theeconomy. The question is,what can we do about itespecially the urgent oneslike social security, lack offuel in the country andfraud? The list is endless.I thank you for what youhave done and I hope thatthe subsequentsubmission by thegovernment will makeyour job easier and moreefficient and tell us whereto begin from.

“What we expected wasfor the out-goinggovernment to make apresentation to thiscommittee and for thiscommittee to study thedocument and makesubmission to the in-coming government.

“For your simplemindedness, you went towork. But unfortunately,this committee wasaccused of running aparallel government.From then on, thiscommittee wasconstrained to take thisinitiative and break intovarious sub-committeesand assigned varioustasks to study the mostimportant issuesnationwide and see whatthey can put on record.

Commendation forJoda committee

“I thank you very muchfor this effort which youhave made and I want toassure you that we willfind time to read yourinitial report and when thegovernment decides tofinally present to you theirown records, you willstudy them and mergewith the report of thevarious committees andpresent to the in-cominggovernment.

“My expectation wasthat each ministry willmake its ownpresentations. Thepoliticians know that theyare going, while thebureaucrats who do thejobs know they arestaying.

“They are the ones whoare going to do the job andthey are going to beavailable to help cross-check the information. Ithink that this researchyou have made will helpthe incoming governmentto cross-check theinformation on papergiven by the outgoinggovernment”.

While making thepresentation earlier, Jodasaid that though theFederal Government did

not make any input in theinterim report, thecommittee was expectinggovernment report today,stressing that availabilityof useful tips from thegovernment wouldtremendously help in thefinal report of thecommittee.

Buhari thanksJonathan again

Meanwhile, GeneralBuhari has againcommended PresidentGoodluck Jonathan forconceding defeat at theMarch 28 polls andaverting crisis in thecountry.

Buhari, who gave thecommendation in Abuja,yesterday, when hereceived NigerienPresident IssoufouMahamadou, saidPresient Jonathan’s actionturned around Nigeria’snervous political process.

He said: “The Nigerienpresident purposely cameto congratulate me on myvictory and PresidentJonathan for the maturityand statesmanship that heexhibited by acceptingthat he had lost theelection.

“His action actuallydoused tensions andaverted crisis in Nigeria.

“Not only Africa but theworld has commended thePresident for that becauseif he had disputed theelections, there wouldhave been crisis in thecountry.

“That is what peopledon’t want, not onlyNigerians but othercountries. So, he came tocommend PresidentJonathan for his courageand statesmanship.”

Buhari added that theNigerien president hadalso come to showsolidarity andacknowledge Nigeria’simportance on thecontinent.

He said that but forcolonialism, Niger andNigeria and all countriesliving along the borderwere one as they sharedsimilar cultures, religions

and mannerisms.

Nigeria'simportance inAfrica

“As he rightly puts it, ifNigeria sneezes, the restof Africa catches coldbecause of its importance,population and resources.

“So, Nigeria and NigerRepublic are one entity asone singer from Nigerputs it in his lyrics. Weshare a 1,500 kilometre-long border with Nigerwhich stretches fromChad to Sokoto, and allthe people living alongthe borders on either sidesare same people.

“The colonialistsseparated these peoplewhen they partitionedAfrica at the Berlinconference in 1885. Theyseparated the Fulanis,Kanuris and the Hausasfrom their brothers whoare presently in Niger.

“They separated theYorubas of Nigeria andthe ones in BeninRepublic. They alsoseparated the Fulanisand other tribes whowere living together asone along the Cameroonborder.

“So, all these countriesaround us were a singleentity with people ofsimilar culture andreligion before theybecame separated buttime has changed and wethank him for remindingus of our history ofbrotherhood.”

Why I visitedNigeria

—MahammadouEarlier, Mahammadou

said he was in Nigeria toconvey the gratitude andsalutation of NigerRepublic for the peacefulconduct of the electionsheld in spite ofchallenges.

“President Jonathanconceded defeat and thisact will have a lastingimpact and influence onpolitics in Africa, WestAfrica and Africa atlarge."

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

EdwinClark losesgrandson

By Henry Umoru

A B U J A — O B A R OO k o r o d u d u ,

grandson of former FederalCommissioner forInformation and SouthSouth leader, Chief EdwinClark, is dead, aged 27.

Chief Clark, whoannounced this in astatement yesterday, saidObaro was a final yearmedical student in theUnited States of America.

According to thestatement, Obaro is the sonof Dr. Godwin Okoroduduand Mrs RebeccaOkorodudu, the eldestdaughter of Chief EdwinClark.

His remains arrivedNigeria yesterday forburial at Ovu, his father’shome town, in Delta State.

ABEOKUTA—A teenager,Rachael John, 19, and a

nine-year-old girl (nameswithheld) have been arrested bymen of Ogun State PoliceCommand for allegedlykidnapping a nine-month-oldbaby.

The Police Public RelationsOfficer in the state, MuyiwaAdejobi, who disclosed this ina statement yesterday, said the

suspects were neighbours of thebaby’s mother at Egbe Street,Ijebu-Ode.

Adejobi said police detectivesattached to Ilese Division,Ijebu-Ode, made the arrest atold toll gate, Ijebu-Ode, onWednesday.

He said the suspectsallegedly demanded for N2million for the baby to bereleased.

Adejobi said the mother ofthe baby reported to police,

when she noticed that thesuspects had taken away thebaby.

He said police detectivesimmediately swung intoaction, and traced the suspectsto Ogbere, Ijebu-Ode, wherethey were arrested.

The PPRO said one of thesuspects had, through a letter,threatened to deal with the

baby’s mother, adding that itwas neighbours who saw thebaby being taken away thatalerted the mother.

He said: “The Commissionerof Police in Ogun State, ValNtomchukwu, has directed thatthe matter be thoroughlyinvestigated without delay, andnecessary action taken forjustice to prevail in the case.”

Teenagers arrested forkidnapping nine-month-old baby

Demanded N2m ransomBy Daud Olatunji

M A K U R D I — T H Eseventy-two years old

mother of Mr. Orker Jev,

House of Representativesmember-elect for BurukuFederal constituency, MamaMwuese Jev, has beenkidnapped.

Vanguard learned from areliable source that theseptuagenarian was takenaway on Wednesday nightfrom her home at Tombo Mbalain Buruku Local GovernmentArea of Benue State by

unknown armed men.The source said: “The armed

men stormed the woman’shouse in a car at night fall andstarted shooting, scaringeverybody away from herTombo Mbala residence.

“Some men walked straightto her house, while anotherwaited in the vehicle; theytook her and drove away,heading towards Gboko-Makurdi Road.”

When contacted on phone,son of the victim and two-termmember of the House ofRepresentatives, Mr. Jev, whoconfirmed the development,said the armed men kidnappedhis mother from her Tomboresidence at about 8pm.

He said he could not tell thedestination the abductors tookthe aged woman, lamentingfurther that the gang was yetto open up any channel ofcommunication with herchildren and other familymembers.

He said: “We do not knowwhere they took Mama. Theyhave not spoken to anymember of the family and ourmajor concern at the momentis her health condition.”

Contacted, Benue StatePolice Public Relations Officer,Assistant SuperintendentAustin Ezeani, who confirmedthe incident, said thekidnappers took theseptuagenarian in a red ToyotaCamry car.

Ezeani, who stated that thecommand had commencedinvestigations into the matter,said the whereabouts of theabductors was still unknown.

House of Reps member-elect's motherkidnapped in Benue

By Peter Duru

AGGRIEVED commercialmotorcyclists at Era area of

Badagry, Lagos, havethreatened to avenge the killingof their colleagues by motorpark touts, otherwise known asagbero, during a fight overcollection of levy on Tuesday.

A visit to the communityyesterday revealed that one ofthe deceased commercialmotorcyclists, simply identifiedas Lawal, was allegedly hit witha charm.

Two others, said to havesuffered same fate, hadreportedly been dischargedfrom the hospital and taken toan undisclosed herbal home forfurther treatment.

Residents had fled the area.Those that returned and othersthat stayed back remainedindoors, with their childrenwithdrawn from school. Shopsand business centres were stillunder lock and key.

‘Lawal wasn’t working’One of the motorcyclists, who

gave his name as Benjamin,said 35-year-old Lawal waskilled at Adele Bus Stop.

He said: “Lawal was not evenworking on that day (Tuesday).When he was accosted by theabgeros, he told them he wasnot working and hence wouldnot pay the N50 levy.

“They insisted he must pay,which led to a heatedargument, during which he wasattacked with local charms.

‘’He spun several times beforefalling down dead. Two otherpersons, who came to know

TOUTS vs OKADAMEN: Reprisal attacks loomin Badagry, as community initiates Oro

what the problem was, were hitwith the charm. But they did notdie, as they were rushed to anearby hospital, from wherethey were transferred to atraditional home.”

A member of Landlord/Resident Association in thecommunity, who spoke oncondition of anonymity, toldVanguard that almost allcommercial motorcyclists in thecommunity were from KogiState.

‘The touts were boasting’He said: “When the crisis

occurred, the touts claimednobody could do anything tothem because they were omoonile (indegenes), while themotorcyclists are strangers.

“Even when the aggrievedmotorcyclists went to theresidence of the mother of thetouts that hit Lawal with charms,she boasted that they could notdo anything, calling thembastards.

“That was what made them(motorcyclists) set the houseablaze. They proceeded toanother building owned byanother tout and also set itablaze.”

Vanguard gathered that familymembers of the motor park toutshad abandoned their homes.

Consequently, the communityhad to initiate Oro (a nightmasquerade) to restore peace asthere were reports of plans ofreprisal attacks by both partiesat midnight.

Vanguard gathered that somewomen caught in the crisis wereinjured, stripped naked andshops looted.

By Esther Onyegbula

Houses set ablaze by okadamen. PHOTO: Esther Onyegbula.

UNKNOWN gunmen havekidnapped a woman on

her way to drop off her childrenat school in Aba, Abia State.

The victim, whose name couldnot be ascertained at the timeof the incident, resides atUmuobe, Ovom 1, along OpoboRoad area of Aba.

Eyewitness accounts said thekidnappers used their vehicleto block the woman as sheapproached Road 8 Junction,Federal Housing Estate,Ogbor Hill, and ordered herkids out of the car.

A resident of the area, whodeclined to have his name inprint, said the gunmenattempted to kidnap the

woman’s husband two weeksearlier, but missed their target.

At press time, it was not clearif the kidnappers hadcontacted the victim’s familyfor ransom.

Spokesman of Abia StatePolice Command, EzekielOnyeke, a Deputy Superin-tendent of Police, could not bereached for comments.

Gunmen miss man, abduct wifeBy Felix Ogbonna


LAGOS—FOUR personsescaped death by the

whiskers yesterday, as a privateVolkswagen bus with numberplates, LSB 28 CP, suddenlywent up in flames on IkoroduRoad, Lagos.

Although the vehicle wastotally burnt, the quickintervention of law enforcementagents and fire fighters savedoccupants of the vehicle frombeing roasted.

The incident caused panicamong road users, many of whoscampered for safety.

Eyewitnesses said the inci-dent, which occurred around2.37p.m., was a result ofelectrical sparks as the vehiclemoved towards Anthony area.

The eyewitness said theincident caused traffic gridlock,which in turn caused commutersto be stranded.

Director, Lagos State FireServices, Razak Fadipe, urgedmotorists to ensure theirvehicles were in good conditionbefore embarking on a journey.

Four escape death in bus fireBy Bose Adelaja

The bus in which the four were travelling. PHOTO: Bose Adelaja.

JALINGO—A group,Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth

Frontier, CCTYF, has accusedthe Divisional Police Officer,DPO, in charge of Takum LocalGovernment Area of TarabaState of fuelling the recent crisisthat killed 25 persons in thearea.

Chairman of the group, Mr.Goodman Dan-Adahida, whomade the allegation at a mediabriefing in Jalingo yesterday,also said his group haduncovered plans for furtherkilling in the area.

He said the declaration of theDSP Akpovwovwo J. A., that thekilling of five Kuteps youthswas carried out by Tiv peoplewas responsible for the reprisalkillings by angry youths ofKuteps.

KillingsThe reprisal attack led to the

killing of over 80 persons anddestruction of property inTakum.

Dan-Adahida said: “The Tivpeople of Taraba State were notat war with their Kutepsbrothers until when DPO ofTakum, Akpovwovwo J. A.,brought in five corpses ofKuteps and sarcasticallyremarked without any evidencethat Tiv were behind the killingsof the Kuteps persons.

“Our investigation revealedthat the problem in Takum is farfrom over as we have uncoveredfresh plot by the Fulaniherdsmen, who have beenclashing with Tiv for long, towoo some Kuteps natives intoan alliance to cause acatastrophic mayhem on Tivpeople in the area.

“We condemn in strong termsthe killings of innocent peoplein Takum and call on thesecurity agencies to fish outthose behind the killings.

“We call on Taraba StateCommissioner of Police toimmediately removed the DPOof Takum, who hascompromised the security in thearea, and send in more security

men to complement the effortsof the force on ground to put offthe constant killings of peopleand destruction of propertywithin the area.”

Police reactReacting to the allegation,

Taraba State Police PublicRelations Officer, ASP JosephKwaji, said the command didnot receive any report of suchaccusations on the DPO.

Kwaji said the accusation bythe group lacked substance,stating further that the DPO didnot belong to any of the tribesand could not, therefore, beaccused without evidence.

He said: “We posted the DPOto Takum to maintain law andorder. He was in Takum toprotect lives and property andhe has been reporting to thecommand constantly.

“It would be a shock to hearsomeone accusing the DPO ofsuch, but to be sincere with you,

we are not aware of suchdevelopment.”

Tiv youths accuse DPO of fuelling Takum crisis

Not possible—POLICEBy John Mkom

AKURE—THE academicenvironment of Adeyemi

College of Education, Ondotown, Ondo State, has againbeen thrown into mourning asa final year student of thecollege, Timilehin Akinsiku,slumped and died while onexcursion to a tourist centre in

Osun State.Three workers of the

institution, including acouple, Pastor FolorunsoAkinseye, Mrs BeatriceAkinseye and another PastorFestus Akinsoyinu Fadakinteand seven others had died inan auto crash at Kajola village,near Ore, two weeks ago.

The final year student was

said to have died while onexcursion to Erin-Ijesawaterfall in Osun State withother students and executivemembers of the Student UnionGovernment, SUG, of theinstitution.

Vanguard learned that theexcursion to the tourist centrewas the climax of the annualstudents' union week in the

institution.Late Timilehin was in the

English LanguageDepartment in the college.

Tired at excursionAll the students that

reportedly embarked on theexcursion were hale andhearty and in joyful mood asthey climbed the hill.

Vanguard gathered thatthose who were tired whileascending the hill, waited torefresh by taking water andsnacks they brought along forthe excursion.

However, the unexpectedreportedly happened whilethe students were descendingthe hill as the deceasedreportedly kept complainingof tiredness to his colleagues.

Some of them helped him byholding his hands andfanning him. He was said tohave finally slumped andother student rallied roundhim to apply first aid treatmentbut could not revive him.

He was reportedly carrieddown from the hill and rushedto a hospital in Ilesha from thetourist centre, where furtherefforts to revive him provedabortive.

Timilehin was laterconfirmed dead by the medicalpersonnel, who attended tohim in the hospital he wasrushed to by his colleaguesand workers at the touristcentre.

SUG dispels rumourMeanwhile, the SUG

President, IsiakaKamorudeen, has dispelledrumours that the lateTimilehin was murderedduring the excursion.

His denial was to put to restinsinuations in the collegethat the late final year studentwas murdered. Kamorudeen,who described the suddendeath of Timilehin asunfortunate, said he slumped.

The President added that allthose that took part in theexcursion showed no sign ofsickness, but added that theywere in joyful mood allthrough the visit until theunfortunate incident occurred.

The state Police Commandsaid the authorities of theinstitution were yet to reportthe matter to the DivisionalPolice Officer, DPO, in Ondotown.

Final year student on excursion slumps, diesBy Dayo Johnson

LAGOS—TWO men, IsmailaOladosun, 28, and Monday

Paul, 35, have been arraignedbefore an Ikeja Magistrate’sCourt over allegations ofrobbery and firearms.

This came on a day anotherman, Odutoye Adekunle, 27,was charged before an IkejaMagistrate’s Court, Lagos, overalleged stealing.

Oladosun and Paul were saidto have committed the offenceon September 6, 2014, at theFederal Highway PatrolBarracks, Ikeja, Lagos State.

They were arraigned on athree-count charge of robberyand firearms before ChiefMagistrate A. O. Akinde.

When the matter was read tothe suspects, they pleaded notguilty. The plea was, however,not granted by the magistrate,who adjourned the matter tillJuly 14 for mention.

Meanwhile, Adekunle, whowas before Chief Magistrate Y.O. Aye Afunwa, was furtheralleged to have fraudulentlyconverted to his personal use,one 40-foot container, valued atN4,000,000, property of oneChimezie Innocent Obias.

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

Magistrate Afunwa grantedthe defendant bail in the sumof N500,000 with two suretiesthat had verifiable addressesand adjourned till July 1.

2 docked for robberyBy Jane Echewodo


Mu’azu, Anenih were not forced out—Secondus

By Ben Agande

Says NWC members won't resign

A B U J A — A C T I N GChairman of the

Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, Prince Uche Secondus,has dismissed reports thatthe erstwhile chairman ofthe party, Alhaji AdamuMu‘azu and formerchairman of the Board ofTrustees, BoT, Chief TonyAnenih were forced toresign their positions onWednesday.

Speaking with StateHouse correspondentsyesterday, Secondus alsoaffirmed that the remaining11 members of the NationalWorking Committee, NWC,of the party will not resignbut rather dedicatethemselves to rebuilding ofthe party.

According to him, it wassimply coincidental that thetwo men resigned theirpositions on the same day.

Secondus who succeededMu‘azu on Wednesdayspoke after a meeting withPresident GoodluckJonathan at the PresidentialVilla, Abuja.

Speaking against thebackground of calls by someother stakeholdersincluding Governor AyodeleFayose of Ekiti State andpresidential campaignspokesman, Chief FemiFani-Kayode, that theremaining members of the

NWC should follow Mu‘azuout, Secondus said there wasno basis for that given that theNWC officers’ stay in officewas tenured.

Debunking insinuationsthat Mu‘azu was forced outas chairman of the party, hesaid: “You know that is notright, it is unconstitutional,because the chairman did thatvoluntarily, and the BoTChairman also did thatvoluntarily. Some of the

others have tenures, at theend of our tenure if we arere-elected, fine, if not that isthe right thing to do. Thereis no reason for us to resignbecause we have workedhard."

On the coincidence of theresignation of both the formernational chairman and theformer BoT Chairman, hesaid: “Sometimes it happensthat way. Nobody forced themto go.”

Explaining the purpose ofhis visit to the villa, he said:“I just came here to interactwith our leader, Mr.President.”

Asked on expectations fromthe party, he said: “Sittingback to reorganize and thenre-invent our party, and toassure our teemingsupporters and members thatthe party is intact without anyproblem.”

MEETING: Chairman, National Council on Privatization, Vice President Namadi Sambo(right) receiving a souvenir from the Director General, Bureau for Public Enterprises, BPE,Mr. Benjamin Dikki during the valedictory board meeting of the BPE at the State House,Abuja, yestersday. Phot: Abayomi Adeshida.

42 killed in Benue, Plateau attacksBy Peter Duru &Marie-Therese

Nanlong

JOS — ABOUT 42people were, yesterday,

reportedly killed in Benueand Plateau States duringseparate attacks byunknown gunmen.

Twenty seven personswere said to have beenkilled in some communitiesin Barkin Ladi LocalGovernment Area ofPlateau State while 15others were killed at thepopular Kyado Market inUkum Local GovernmentArea of Benue State,bringing the total numberof those killed in the twoneighbouring states to 42.

The victims in PlateauState were killed during anight attack despite thecurfew imposed on thearea.

In Benue, the victimswere killed Wednesdayafternoon when unknown

armed men opened fire ontraders at the market even asmany, including children,also sustained varyingdegrees of injuries at themarker popularly known forits booming yam trade.

However, Barkin Ladi inPlateau was one of the sevenlocal governments wherecurfew was imposed butnight attacks had beengoing on daily for aboutthree weeks now with manypeople mostly women andchildren being killed.

Chairman of the council,Emmanuel Loman, whoconfirmed the attack,yesterday, blamed theincident on some Fulaniherdsmen who he saidattacked both Ninji and Poppvillages without provocation,killing 20 persons.

He said: “As I talk to you, Iam at the mass burial of 27people killed by the Fulaniand their mercenaries. Theact is being perpetrated bythe Fulani who live in the

communities and aided bytheir mercenaries. Theattackers want to makeBarkin Ladi anotherSambisa forest at all cost.”

He, therefore, called onsecurity operatives to beproactive as the situationwas getting out of hand.

On Riyom attack

Residents of the area andneighbouring Riyom LocalGovernment Area had beenalso under severe attack inthe last three days withmany residents relocating toother areas for fear of beingkilled.

Also, in Makurdi, theBenue State capital, an eyewitness told Vanguard thatthe gunmen, who wereabout six in number,stormed the ever busymarket located close toWukari, along the Benue-Taraba State border, at about12:30pm at the peak oftrading activities

“They stormed the marketin a commando manner,when business activitieswere at peak at about12:30pm, and suddenlyopened fire on the tradersand their customers, most ofwhom were trading in tubersof yam.

“There was pandemoniumeverywhere, people,including children, startedscampering in differentdirections but unfortunately,about 13 persons were killedby the gunmen, while manyalso sustained injuries.

“After the sporadicshooting which lasted about10 minutes, the gunmenretreated to the car theycame in and drove off."

Contacted, Benue StatePolice Public RelationsOfficer, PPRO, AssistantSuperintendent, ASP, AustinEzeani, confirmed thekillings, saying the policerecorded the death of threepersons and five cases ofinjuries in the incident.

PHCN'sseverancepaymentsgulpN389.58bn—FG

ABUJA —S E V E R A N C E

payments to workers ofthe defunct PowerHolding Company ofNigeria, PHCN, have sofar gulped more thanN389.58 billion from thenational treasury.

The exercise involvedpayments to no fewerthan 46,744 or 98 percent out of the 47,913bonafide staff, whoreceived overN373.17billion as theirfinal entitlements as wellas some 2,791 retirees,who got more than N16.41billion.

Director General,Bureau of PublicEnterprises, BPE, Mr.Benjamin Dikki, revealedthis yesterday tomembers of the NationalUnion of ElectricityEmployees of Nigeria,NUEE, who came toprotest in his office inAbuja.

Dikki was quoted astelling the union in astatement made availableto Vanguard, that only1,169 of the 47,913workers of the defunctPHCN and about 1,516retirees have not yet to bepaid.

The disclosure was saidto have followed aprotest by NUEE, led byits National President,Comrade Mansur Musa,who went to the bureau’soffice in Abuja to protestthe non-payment ofseverance benefits tosome of their members.

For the workers, heexplained that theoutstanding numberincluded those that hadexited PHCN before theseverance paymentcommenced; those beingprocessed for validation;and those yet to beidentified by PHCN asbona fide workers.

While the outstandingretirees are made up ofthose who have so farfailed to turn up forverification or were stillundergoing furtherverification, and the nextof kin of the deceased staffthat could not produce theletters of administration.

Dikki also said for theactive staff, the number ofbeneficiaries wasprocessed in 30 batchesand the retirees in 11batches.


Success of 2015 polls proved doomsdayprophets wrong — Jega

Calls for electoral offences commissionWhy we had pockets of violence, intimidationBy Joseph Erunke &

Caleb Ayansina

ABUJA — CHAIRMAN ofIndependent National

Electoral Commission, INEC,Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday,said the successful conduct ofthe 2015 general electionsproved doomsday predictionswrong.

He also attributed much of theproblems faced by thecommission during theelections to attitude of thepolitical class, unsettled legalframework and apathy amongthe electorate.

Jega, who made the commentwhen he received a delegationled by Mexican Ambassador toNigeria, Marco Antonio GarciaBlanco, in his office in Abuja,insisted that some predictions,especially in some westernmedia, suggesting that theoutcome of the elections mightlead to the end of the countryhad proven to be false due tothe generally free, fair, credibleand peaceful conduct of theelections.

He said: “We are, indeed,very happy that our electionsturned out to be well and tohave been recognized bothnationally and internationallyas free, fair, credible and alsopeaceful.

"Leading to the election, someimpressions had been created,particularly in the internationalmedia as if this may be the endof our country. Thank God itwas doomsday prediction whichturned out to be false.”

Better than 2011elections

Jega, who was delighted bythe offer to share experienceswith other countries, explainedthat though the 2015 electionswere not perfect, they weremuch better than 2011 andadmitted that there was roomfor improvement.

The INEC chairman said:“We know that the election hasnot been perfect; we know thatit was better than 2011, but thereis also a lot of scope forimprovement and that is whywe welcome every opportunityto visit other countries and tosee how they do their ownelections and to be able toexchange ideas and to alsolearn good practices which wecan continue to adapt to ourown circumstances forcontinuous improvement of ourown electoral process.”

MoUHe appreciated the efforts of

the Mexican Embassy in thesigning of a Memorandum of

Understanding between bothcountries in sharing electoralexperiences and urged thatsuch bilateral relationship beextended to other sectors.

“You facilitated the signingof the Memorandum ofUnderstanding which hasbeen very useful, many ofour staff have benefited byparticipation in someconferences. All theseexperiences have beenuseful and beneficial and wecherish the opportunity,” hesaid.

Earlier in his remark,Ambassador Marco AntonioGarcia Blanco had said hismission to the commissionwas to transmitcongratulatory message for agreat job the commission didin the last electoral process.

He said everybodyrecognized the key roleplayed by the commission inthe successes achieved in theelectoral process.

He called on theleadership of INEC to shareexperience with his countrywhich, according to him, isvery important in improvingthe electoral process inMexico.

“Your expertise, knowledgeand wisdom will be a greatasset to our electoral body.With experience sharing,Mexico will benefit a lot,” hesaid.

Blanco advocatedcontinuous strengthening ofexisting bilateral relationshipbetween both countries

Meanwhile, Jegaattributed much of thechallenges the commissionfaced during the last

elections to attitude of politicalclass, unsettled legalframework, apathy amongelectorate.

Other factors highlighted bythe INEC chairman includeinsecurity, technologicalchallenges with the cardreader, vendor issues,inadequate voter education aswell as poverty.

Electoral OffencesCommission

Jega, who confidently saidthe institutions of democracywere gradually gainingground in Nigeria, called forthe establishment of anElectoral OffencesCommission, as part of effortsto step-up performance in thefuture.

He spoke at the 8th nationaldevelopment summit oftraditional rulers with thetheme, ‘ConsolidatingNigeria’s Peace and Unity inDemocratic Advancement,’ inAbuja.

Represented by one of hiscommissioners, Dr IsraelIgbani, Jega noted that thecommission concentrated onthree focal points, namelystructure, policy and plans, toensure a successful conduct ofthe elections.

“Guided by the lessonslearnt from 2011, in ourpreparation for the 2015elections, INEC concentratedon three focal points, namely:Structure, Policy and Plans,”he said.

C hallengesHe further explained that

the commission in carrying out

its responsibility, wasconfronted with numerouschallenges such as insecuritywhich necessitated the shift inthe dates of the elections fromFebruary 14 to March 28 andApril 11 for the Presidentialand National Assembly andGovernorship and StateAssembly respectively.

According to him, theextension allowed securityforces to regain some areaslost to terrorists.

“As a result, the electionswere held under relativelypeaceful conditions,notwithstanding scatteredpockets of violence andintimidation in a few areas,”he said.

He noted that the attitude ofthe political class in Nigeriahad always presented a greatchallenge to every electoralmanagement body in thecountry, saying with thewinner takes all syndromecame a high level ofdesperation to capture powerby all means necessary.

Hate speeches andcampaigns

He also noted that hatespeeches and campaignswere rampant during theelectioneering period.

Jega further noted that it wasso unfortunate that thecommission pursuit electoralreform, but lamented that“this could not beaccomplished before theelections.”

He added that apathyamong the electorate,particularly concerning thecollection of the PermanentVoters’ Cards, PVCs, could

not be overlooked.He said: “In spite of the

concern of some citizensabout the smart card reader,its yielded remarkable resultthough not without someinitial hitches as is commonwith new technologies.

“Also, some of the vendorsfrom whom electoral materialswere purchased did not liveup to their contractualobligations and could notcope with the commission’stight deadlines.

“Diverse languages barriers,culture and tradition alsoposed major challenges to thedelivery of voter education/enlightenment.

“The difficult economicsituation (poverty) in oursociety was manipulated bypoliticians to easily mobilizesome youth for recklesspolitical foot soldering.”

How to address thechallenges

To address thesechallenges, INEC boss saidpolitical parties must imbibethe principle of internaldemocracy to complementefforts of the commission,while calling for the creationof Electoral OffencesCommission to apprehend,investigate and prosecuteoffenders.

He said: “The commissionis moving into the next phaseof careful, strategic planningand preparation for futureelections. To improve ourelectoral process, INEC andstakeholders will have toensure the followings;Continuous voters’registration procedures mustbe put in place and sustained.

“Distribution of PVCsshould be carried out moreregularly, efficiently andeffectively. The process andtiming of recruitment andtraining of ad-hoc staff mustbe reviewed.

“Voter education andenlightenment must bestepped up to further reduceto its barest minimum theissues of voter apathy,violence and electoraloffences.”

Chairman of the SummitGoverning Council, the Abe1, Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom,HRM Emmanuel Sideso,called on the President-elect,Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, toensure the constitutionalempowerment of traditionalrulers.

He said: “It is our hope thatsoon after your assumption ofoffice, constitutionalempowerment of traditionalrulers shall be achieved,against many years of feetdragging on the matter.

‘’We also want to re-echo thecall for the appointment of aSpecial Adviser to thePresident on chieftaincyaffairs, to enhance grassrootsgovernance.”

People queuing for feul at a filling station due to scarcity of the product, yesterday.


Ejigbo market torture victim demands justice

Traders paralyse activities at Fashola’s officeBy Monsuru

Olowoopejo

CustomsinterceptsN122.5msmuggledgoods inLagos

By AbdulwahabAbdulah & Bartholomew

Madukwe

LAGOS—ACTIVITIES atthe office of the Lagos

State governor, Mr. BabatundeFashola, were yesterday,halted for several minutes byhundreds of traders of AladeMarket, Ikeja, protesting theplanned demolition of themarket by Ikeja LocalGovernment.

The protesters, who stormedthe office of the governor atabout 11:00 a.m, lamented thatthe planned demolition of theover 30-year-old market woulddisplace 1,000 traders whodepend on it for theirlivelihood.

The protesters who defied thescorching sun besieged thegovernor’s office, armed withplacards with differentinscriptions, some of whichread: 'No to demolition ofAlade market,' ‘we are theoriginal owners of the shops,’‘Fashola please save us fromdemolition of Alade Market;’‘Don’t displace us and‘Enough of demolition ofmarkets in Lagos.’

Vanguard gathered that thelocal council had concludedplans to relocate the traders toa site close to the AllenAvenue canal where 120 shops(a figure that represents 10percent of the traders) wasconstructed for them.

The protesters accused theIyaloja of the market, Mrs.Elizabeth Adenuga, ofconniving with officials of the

council led by Mr. WoleOgunlolu, The ExecutiveSecretary over the planneddemolition without carryingthem along, saying: “We gotwind of the planneddemolition on May 18,through a letter from thecouncil demanding N150, 000from each trader as relocationfee.”

President of the ConcernedTraders, Mrs Sulola Odunsi-Dania, said the council initiallymade the move to demolish themarket in 2003 but the stategovernment denied anyknowledge of the planneddemolition.

Her words: “We told themthat they can’t dislodge the1,000 traders. There are about120 shops at the new placethey want to move us to. Howdo we share 120 shops among1,000 traders? What will bethe fate of others? The placeis not even environmentallyfriendly. It is right inside thecanal."

Another trader, Mrs.Olukeku Kupoluyi,lamented: “It is not habitable,it is a slum. The shops thereare not even up to 1,000.There are just 400, and thereare no access roads. It is notgoing to be okay for all of us.

It is not manageable, it willnot go round, there is noprovision for security and itis even flooded.”

Meanwhile, all efforts toreach the Executive Secretaryof the council, provedabortive, but in a notice titled:“Final Notice of Relocationand Payment of N150,000Relocation fee” with referenceNo. IKJ.GEN. 1213. Vol. 12/129, signed by the ExecutiveSecretary of Ikeja LocalGovernment and sent to theshop owners, the councilurged the traders to pay themoney between May 19 andJune 1, 2015.

CIPM INDUCTION: From left: Mr Sunday Adeyemi, Registrar/CEO, CIPM; Mrs IfeomaAdeniyi, National Treasurer, CIPM; Mr Anthony Arabome; President/Chairman of Council,CIPM; Mr Victor Eburajolo, CIPM Patron and Past President and Guest Speaker, Mr WaleAdediran, HR Director, Flour Mills of Nigeria, during the 19th Induction Ceremony ofChartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, CIPM, at Civic Centre, inLagos. Photo: Diran Oshe.

IKEJA—MRS. AjokeAgomo, who was tortured

alongside two of her wards forallegedly stealing pepper,yesterday, appealed to an IkejaHigh Court to do justice to theircase.

Agomo made the plea whiletestifying at the trial of 10 personsaccused of committing the crimeat the Oba Morufu InternationalMarket in Ejigbo, in Lagos, onFeb. 11, 2013.

The defendants are beingprosecuted before JusticeOluwatoyin Ipaye by the LagosState Directorate of PublicProsecutions.

Those standing trial are themarket leader, Isiaka Waidi (61),Buhari Yusuf (22), AbdullahiHaruna (20) and Saheed Adisa(29).

Others are Lateef Tijani (37),Ahmed Adisa (65),AzeezAkinosun (36), Jimoh Busari (50),Adekunle Adenuga (38) andOloruntoyin Dauda (46), the

woman leader of the market.The defendants are facing a 19-

count charge bordering onconspiracy, attempted murder,sexual assault, maliciouslyadministering poison, obtainingmoney by false pretences anddeprivation of liberty.

The Directorate of PublicProsecutions, led by Mrs IdowuAlakija, alleged that thedefendants, who are members ofthe Oodua Peoples Congress,OPC, had tortured Agomo, herdaughter, Nike Salami and herstep daughter, Juliana Agomo.

Earlier during yesterday’sproceedings, the court granted aN250,000 bail to each of thedefendants with two sureties inlike sum.

The prosecution, thereafter,proceeded to call its first witness,Agomo, who narrated their ordealin an emotion laden voice whichwas translated into English andHausa.

Agomo told the court how thefirst defendant (Waidi) came to herhouse on the day of the incidentlooking for her daughter, Nike,

and forcefully taking her to themarket over allegations of theft.

The witness said she ran outto look for her husband and bothof them proceeded to the marketto meet Juliana and Nike nakedand being tortured.

“The first defendant nowpulled me over, stripped menaked and rubbed pepper mixedwith gin on my face and privatepart.

“They beat me with canessaying that I am the mother ofthieves,” Agomo said.

She said her children weresubjected to the same treatmentdespite her appeals to thewoman leader of the market.

According to her, thedefendants later demandedN250,000 from her husband fortheir release but he onlymanaged to raise N20,000.

The witness said: ”After somuch pleading, they finallyaccepted the money and allowedus to go.

“The first defendant later cameto our house and told the ownerto eject us, which he did out offear.

“We started sleeping at amechanic workshop and the littlebaby I was taking care of diedduring the process.

“I am not saying that anybodycaused it but it was because wewere sleeping on the street.”

She said, following thedevelopment, her husbandraised some money and sherelocated to her home townwhere she was told to forget hertraumatic experience.

Agomo said it was in December2013 that a human rights activist,Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, tracedher to the place after watching avideo of the incident.

According to her, the policelater came and took her to theState Anti-Robbery Squad officein Lagos and took her statementfor further investigations.

“I was later told that they havearrested the people who did it.

“I want the court to do justice,”she said.

The matter was adjourned tillJuly 14, 15 and 16 for cross-examination of the witness.

As DPP begins trial of perpetrators

L A G O S — T H EF e d e r a l

Operations Unit, FOU,Zone 'A' of the NigeriaCustoms Service, NCS,says it has intercepted205 seizures of smuggledgoods with a Duty PaidValue, DPV, of N122.5million.

The Public RelationsOfficer of the command,Mr Uche Ejesieme,disclosed this whilespeaking with newsmenon in Lagos, yesterday.

He said: “The unit wasable to effect 205different seizures ofassorted, offending andprohibited items with aDuty Paid Value of N122,521,030.

“Some of the seizeditems include foreignparboiled rice, 53different seizures indifferent locations andthose different seizurestranslated into 3,003bags of 50kg parboiledrice, with a Duty PaidValue of N19, 501,306.

“For smuggled frozenpoultry products, we had45 different seizuresfrom different locationstranslating into 6,713cartons of the productwith a Duty Paid Value ofN36, 250,000.20.

“We also had seizuresof vehicles coming fromunapproved routes andsome of them trying toinvade payment ofappropriate taxes andlevies and in that regardwe intercepted 46 ofsuch vehicles.

“Thirty-three of themwere used vehicles and65 of them were scrapsand the DPV was N36,220,500.”

Ejesieme said that thecommand also made 61seizures of generalmerchandise such as,new and used textilematerials,foot wears,vegetable oil, mosquitoinsecticides, spaghettis,soaps, wine and usedtyres.

According to him, theDPV of the generalmerchandise seizure isvalued at over N30.5million.

He stated that thecontroller in charge of thecommand, Mr. TurakiAdamu, had assured thatthe unit would not relentin its efforts to rid thearea of smugglers.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 — 11

Violent clash: Fayose imposes dusk-to-dawncurfew on Ado-Ekiti

Soyinkaadvocatesestablishmentof roadsafety clubsin schools

Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former Governor of Ogun State (left) and Chief Tayo Oyetibo,SAN, one of his counsel going through Ogun State regional plan documents inside courtroomduring the resumption of alleged corruption case against him at High Court 3, Isabo,Abeokuta, yesterday. Photo: Wunmi Akinola

By Gbenga Ariyibi

A D O - E K I T I —GOVERNOR Ayo

Fayose of Ekiti State hasimposed a dusk-to-dawncurfew on Ado-Ekitimetropolis

Fayose, who arrived thestate late Wednesday eveningfrom Abuja, gave the orderwhile addressing Hausacommunity at Atikankan areaof Ado Ekiti, said the curfewbegan yesterday eveningbetween 6pm and will last till6am today.

Fayose equally ordered thesecurity agencies to arrestwhoever flouted the order.

He urged the Hausacommunity to see the wholeissue as one of those things,promising that justice will bedone in the case.

He said: “You said you loveme, this is the time you haveto show this love. I want toplead with you to submitwhatever lethal weapons youhave in your possession to thepolice. And if you refuse to dothis, whether you are Yorubaor Hausa, the police will arrestyou.

“Nigeria belongs to all of usand for the sake of our country,I plead with you to allowpeace to reign."

The governor boasted thatthe matter will be thoroughlyinvestigated and those foundto be connected with thewanton destruction would bemade to face the full weightof the law.

Responding, Chairman ofHausa community in EkitiState, Alhaji Adamu Imam,appealed to the governmentfor monetary assistance tothose whose property weredamaged during the crisis.

Imam said the names of theperpetrators of the violentattack had been compiled andwill be made available to thegovernor and security

agencies for necessaryactions.

Residents of Ado Ekiti wereyesterday seen going about theirbusinesses unmolested, whilebanks, business centres andshops which had closed forbusiness were opened tocustomers.

However, some shops aroundthe Oja-Oba/ old garage areawhere most of the damage andlooting took place on the day ofthe mayhem still remained under

lock and key at press time.

Police denycasualty figure

Meanwhile, the state PoliceCommand has denied thecasualty figure quoted in respectof the violence by somepublications.

According to the Police imagemaker in the state, DSP AlbertoAdeyemi, in a statement, "Noone died as a result of theviolence as of today (yesterday)

contrary to reports, only twopersons sustained pelletwounds while 22 otherssustained various degrees ofinjuries.

“All the injured were taken toPolice clinic in Ado-Ekiti wherethey are being treated and areresponding to treatment.”

Adeyemi urged residents togo about their lawful businessesas enough securityarrangement had been made toforestall a recurrence.

Ondo police parade 30 suspectsBy Dayo Johnson

A K U R E — T H I R T Ysuspected criminals,

including two inmates thatescaped during Ekitijailbreak last year, wereyesterday paraded by theOndo State Police Command.

Addressing newsmen inAkure, Commissioner of

Police, Isaac Eke, said:“Twelve of the suspectsparaded were armed robbers,five suspected cultists andmotorcycle snatchers amongothers.”

Eke said one of thesuspected armed robbers,Femi Olowoporoku 38, whorobbed five banks in Owo,killed and stole the telephoneof one of the policemen in 'A'Division, Sgt Olayemi Yinka,had been arrested.

According to him, the twoinmates that escaped duringEkiti jailbreak, Tope Daramolaand Banji Adedayo, haveequally confessed tocommitting other robbery casesincluding Ekiti bank robbery.

According to him, the twosuspects escaped from Adoprison last November 30.

The police chief added thatone other suspect, SegunAkinseye, and two other nowat large robbed one KomolafeRemidayo of his vehicle, aToyota Sienna bus withnumber plate KJA 790 CH.

Other items carted away bythe five-man robbery gangincluded N1.6 million cash,five assorted mobile phonesvalued at N200,000 and other

valuables.The commissioner said on

receipt of the complaint,detectives attached toSpecial Anti-Robbry Squad,SARS, in Akure swung intoaction and through forensicanalysis carried out on oneof the phones, the threesuspects were apprehended.

He said: “On interro-gation, they confessed tocommitting the crime andother robbery cases,including Ekiti bank robberyand that both were inmatesthat escaped during the Ekitijailbreak.

Eke added that thesuspects mentioned thenames of other members ofthe gang and also confessedto be among the robberygang that robbed a handsetdealer in Igbara-Oke.

According to him, one ofthe suspects, Banji, wastaken to Iro Street forinvestigation by detectives ina bid to arrest other fleeinggang members.

Also paraded were threesuspects arrested forallegedly kidnapping formerOdua Peoples Congress,OPC, leader, Tayo Alao.

NSCDC ex-officials protestdelayed entitlements

By Ola Ajayi

IBADAN — RETIREES of theNigeria Security and Civil

Defence Corps, NSCDC,yesterday, protested to the NUJPress Centre, Iyaganku to registertheir displeasure with the FederalGovernment over allegedinjustice by the leadership of theagency.

The pioneer ex-staff of NSCDC,who sent a Save-Our-Soul to theFederal Government claimed thatover 20 of their colleagues haddied as a result of unpaidentitlements.

Led by Mr. Lateef Yussuf, theretirees described as painful theway they were neglected despite

joining the scheme at tender agesand spending all their productiveyears in service.

He said: “If the authoritiesconcerned could immediatelycome to their aid by paying themtheir backlog arrears of benefitsalongside other entitlements,while their service lasted, theymight have not died.

“Despite all our efforts duringelections and monthlyenvironmental sanitation foryears, the Federal Governmentneglected us. We wantgovernment to employ some ofus who are still strong enough towork while some of us that areageing should be paid off.”

ABEOKUTA —NOBEL laureate

and the first chairman,Federal Road SafetyCommission, FRSC,Professor Wole Soyinka,has urged themanagement of FRSC toform road safety clubs insecondary schools acrossthe country.

Soyinka said the callwas to reach out tostudents in secondaryschools to imbibe roadsafety culture.

He said this yesterdayat Asero motor park,Abeokuta, during the roadsafety advocacy megarally with the theme:‘Towards an enduring saferoad culture in Nigeria.’

He said: “I mustcommend the corps fortheir commitment to duty.It must be stressed thatthey had repositioned theagency for betterperformance.

“I want to recommendthat the FRSC shouldensure Road Safety Clubsare formed in secondaryschools, just as there arePress Clubs.

“The FRSC is thepreventive medicineagainst accident on ourroads.”

The Corps Marshall,FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi,said the Abeokutaprogramme was part ofthe agency ’s three-pronged strategy ofadvocacy, education andenlightenment, inreducing accidents onthe roads.

He said the agencywould continue toengage the drivers andother stakeholders inother parts of the state,such as Ijebu Ode,Sagamu, and Ilaroamong others.

He said, “We believe inadvocacy, education andenlightenment. Thismeans we will constantlyengage the drivers, andother stakeholders in thiskind of programme.

“This is what we will bedoing regularly. But wewant them commercialbus drivers to supportus.”

Oyeyemi also warneddrivers againstoverloading, usingtelephone while driving,drinking.

By Daud Olatunji


Delta Assembly recommends revocation ofland allocated to faceless persons

CMYK

IYC tackles unemployment in N-Delta

By Samuel Oyadongha

Ibusa youthspetition IGovercolleague'sallegedmurder

Oshiomhole begs Edo workers to shelveplanned strike

By Gabriel Enogholase

By TommyAnaduaka

By Festus Ahon

ASABA—THE five-manad hoc committee set up

by Delta State House ofAssembly to investigate landallocations in the state in thelast four years, hasrecommended the revocationof some plots of land allegedlyallocated to facelessindividuals.

Some of the plots inquestion, according to thechairman of the committee, MrSam Obi, were allegedlyallocated to a former minister(name withheld) and two newgeneration churches atdifferent locations, in the statecapital, Asaba.

Obi said the committee at itssittings invited the present andimmediate past commissionersof Lands, Survey and UrbanDevelopment as well as keyofficials of the ministry whomade oral presentations anddocumentary evidence beforethe committee.

He said: “The committee hascarefully and exhaustivelyexamined the issuessurrounding the allocation oflands made by the Ministry ofLands, Survey and Urban

Development in the past fouryears and came out with farreaching recommendations forthe approval of this House.”

Majority Leader of theHouse, Mr Monday Igbuya,in a motion seconded by theDeputy Majority Leader, MrJohnson Erijo, moved for thereceipt of the ad hoc

committee report for furtherconsideration.

The Speaker, Mr PeterOnwusanya, however, ruledthat the debate on the reportbe deferred to the next sittingof the House to enablemembers peruse the report forquality debate andcontributions.

Meanwhile, the House, at itsplenary, screened andconfirmed the appointment ofnominees for secretaries toUdu and Aniocha North LocalGovernment Areas. Thosescreened were, Dr EdwardOgheneovo, Udu and MrPatrick Onochie, AniochaNorth.

Former minister to lose land

YENAGOA—IJAW youths,under the aegis of Ijaw

Youth Council, IYC, worldwide,met in Yenagoa, Bayelsa Statecapital, to x-ray the condition ofIjaw and Niger Delta youths,especially beneficiaries of theamnesty programme with a viewto getting them employed.

The IYC noted with concern thatthe companies operating inIjawland and the Niger Deltaregion were still maintaining thepractice of recruiting theirpersonnel from Lagos and otherparts of Nigeria where they havetheir head offices to the detrimentof Ijaw and Niger Delta youthswho are unemployed.

Spokesman of IYC, Mr. EricOmare, in a statement, said thatunder the Presidential Amnestyprogramme, oil companiesoperating in the Niger Deltaregion whose oil production andrevenue have increased as aresult of the peace ushered in bythe programme ought to engagethe amnesty programmebeneficiaries who have beentrained.

He said though thousands ofNiger Delta youths who arebeneficiaries of the amnestyprogramme, through states andfederal government interventionsand personal efforts have

acquired skills in different fields,especially in the oil and gasindustry in some of the bestschools and training centres allover the world, they remainedunemployed.

He added that in the past, theexcuse the companies operatingin the Niger Delta gave was thatthe youths were unemployable in

the sense that they did not havethe requisite training.

“This is no longer tenable asmany Niger Delta youths arenow well trained and even cametops in their classes in theirtrainings abroad. Accordingly,the youths who met under theauspices of the Ijaw YouthsCouncil with other Niger Delta

ethnic nationalities youth organ-isations in solidarity attendanceresolved as follows:

“That henceforth, no companywould operate in Ijaw land andthe Niger Delta region withoutemploying Ijaw and Niger Deltayouths, who are eminentlyqualified to work in suchestablishments in all categoriesof their workforce."

...sets up c'ttee to engage companies

BENIN—FOLLOWINGthe planned three-day

warning strike by workers inthe Edo State Civil Serviceover alleged deduction ofeight percent from their May2015 salaries as pensioncontributions with effect fromMonday next week, GovernorAdams Oshiomhole hasappealed to them to stay actionon the proposed strike.

He also promised to meetwith them in the shortestpossible time.

Oshiomhole, in a letterthrough the Commissioner forEstablishment and SpecialDuties, Didi Adodo, to theChairman, State PublicService Negotiating Council,said his inaction on the

union’s letter was as a resultof his busy schedule.

It will be recalled that theEdo State Government,through the Head of Service,Mr. Jerry Obazele, haddenied the claim by the statebranch of the Nigeria LabourCongress, NLC, that it hadappointed Pension FundsAdministrators,explainingthat it wasyet to appointPFAs for thes t a t eworkforce.

It alsomaintainedthat the lawsetting upthe PensionContributory

Scheme allows the individualworker the right to choose hisor her Pension FundAdministrator.

YOUTHS from the 10quarters of Ibusa, in

Oshimili North LocalGovernment Area ofDelta State, havepetitioned the InspectorGeneral of Police, IG,Mr. Solomon Arase,urging him to ensure theimmediate arrest andprosecution of all thosefound culpable in themurder of a youth in thearea, Mr. EmekaOnianwa.

In a petition by theyouth leader of thecommunity, theyexpressed dismay overthe manner the police inDelta State was handlingthe matter, especiallywith no arrest madesince the incident, aswell as allowing all thosefingered in the incidentto go about freely andboasting that nobody cando anything to them.

Appealing to the IG touse his good office tobring the culprits to book,they noted that theyouths of the area, out ofthe respect they have forthe rule of law, haddecided not to cause anytrouble in the area overthe killing but urged himto act on their behalf.

AWARD: Mr. Akpoyoma Ogbe, Chairman, Delta State Independent Electoral Commission(left) and Mr. Samuel Menshia, Speaker, West Africa Students Union Parliament, during thepresentation of an award to Ogbe in Asaba, yesterday. Photo: Nath Onojake.


We've empowered 30,000 agitators from thecreeks —Kuku

By Emmanuel Elebeke

Rep, 40 others for PDP Disciplinary C'tteein Delta LG

Oshiomholemoves toboost IGR,sets up board

Alpha-MayClub marks30thanniversarytomorrow

By SimonEbegbulem

By Egufe Yafugborhi

THE Special Adviser to thePresident on Niger Delta

and Chairman, PresidentialAmnesty Programme, PAP, Mr.Kingsley Kuku, has said thathe was not afraid of probe bythe incoming administration,adding that it will take anangel for his successor to attainthe feat he recorded in the lastfour years of his leadership ofthe Amnesty office.

Speaking, yesterday, at athank you visit and hisinvestiture as Patron of YorubaYouths, in his office in Abuja,Kuku boasted about hisachievements, pointing outthat he has raised the bar forhis successor to build uponhaving empowered about30,000 youths through thespecial training scheme of thePresidential AmnestyProgramme in the last fiveyears.

He said, though the numbermight seem insignificant whencompared with the populationof the country, the programmehas, however, succeeded inreducing youth restivenessand unemployment in thecountry, particularly in the oilrich Niger Delta region.

He added that with thesuccessful implementation ofthe amnesty programme in thelast five years, he said, the

nation’s crude oil productionnow stands at between 2.2million barrels and 2.4 millionbarrels per day.

“So far, no fewer than 2,000of the ex-militants havecompleted their Bachelors andMasters degrees in variousfields while others are still

schooling in the best privateuniversities in the country andabroad.

“I am happy that I haveraised the bar, the stakes arehigh for whoever issucceeding me. I pray for thesuccess of that person becausethe success of my successor is

going to be the conclusion ofthis programme, the way itwas planned and I will reallywant the beneficiaries to finishtheir various studyprogrammes. I do believe thatthis is not for the studentsalone but for the country as awhole,” he added

Delta Central commended forsupporting Amori

WARRI—THE PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,

in Udu Local GovernmentArea, Delta State, is toinvestigate AustinOgbaburhon, member,representing Ughelli/Udufederal constituency in theHouse of Representatives and40 other members for allegedlyworking against the party’sinterest in the last generalelections.

Those to face a seven-mandisciplinary committeeinaugurated on May 15, aftera meeting of the Udu PDP atits secretariat, are drawn froma list sent by the Delta StatePDP leadership to that effect.

The committee chaired byChief Samuel Brigue, isexpected to invite thesuspended members forinvestigation into the

allegations levelled againstthem and recommendappropriate sanctions wherenecessary.

Inaugurating the committeeat its meeting, Udu PDD

Chairman, SamUwhujowhovwo urged themembers to discharge theirduties with every sense ofresponsibility so as tostrengthen the party for futurechallenges.

ALPHA-MAY Club,the Itsekiri

professional / elite men’sclub of Lagos, will markits 30th anniversarytomorrow with a lecturetitled The Itsekiri Nation,May 29, 2015 andBeyond, at the OakwoodPark Hotels (formerlyProtea Hotel), byChevron Roundabout,Lekki, Lagos, at 11:00am. The guest speaker isChief Rita Lori-Ogbebor,the Igba of WarriKingdom, while theChairman is Barr.Godfrey Etikerentse.Guests will beentertained after thelecture.

RSIEC planning to use APC membership register forLG polls, Rivers PDP alleges

BENIN—GOVERNORAdams Oshiomhole

of Edo State has taken apractical step to boost theInternally GeneratedRevenue, IGR, of the statewith the inauguration ofthe Edo State InternalRevenue Service Board.

Speaking at theinauguration of the boardin his office, the governorsaid there was the needto build strong institutionsrather than strongindividuals if the countrywas to make progress.

He said: “We have sinceestablished the Edo StateBoard of Internal Revenueand the idea is to createan institution that is notgoing to be bogged downby the usual civil servicebureaucracy. We do needto be able to collect taxesand do so efficiently andto ensure that taxescollected are reflected inthe accounts ofgovernment.

“The taxes we collect,little as they are, haveeven reduced and yetgovernment is stillworking on projects invarious areas. TheFederal Government,immediately after theelections, abandoned itsprojects. We will notdeceive our people on theeve of elections. For us,service is the reason whywe are in government andwe must sustain it.”

THE Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, in Rivers State,

has accused the Rivers StateIndependent ElectoralCommission, RSIEC, ofconcluding plans to use themembership register of the AllProgressives Congress, APC, forthe conduct of the localgovernment polls in the stateslated for May 23.

Berating the RSIEC forcompromising its responsibilityand promoting illegality in thestate, Rivers PDP Chairman, MrFelix Obuah, in a statement byhis media aide, described thealleged RSIEC’s collaboration asregrettable.

Obuah said that the action of thestate electoral body amounts towishing to right an illegality withcriminality simply to justify thehuge sum of money paid to themby the outgoing Governor RotimiAmaechi.

Dismissing the plot as an effortin futility, Obuah lauded thecourage of the other 13 politicalparties in the state for shunningAmaechi’s inducements andwithdrawing from the purportedcouncil elections.

He reassured the affectedparties of the supremacy of therule of law which must bevigorously pursued by the PDP-

led government to ensure thatevery political party was givenequal opportunity and fairness to

participate in any political contest.Obuah noted that it would be

anti-democratic to foist illegally

constituted councils on the stateand same must be resisted at anycost.

By Fredrick Okopie

COMMISSIONING: From right: Mrs. Mary Badeh, President of Defence and Police OfficersWives Association, DEPOWA, and wife of the Chief of Defence Staff; First Lady, Dame PatienceJonathan; Mrs. Helen Mark, wife of the Senate President and the Chief of Defence Staff,Chief Air Mashal Badeh, during the commissioning of DEPOWA's Skill Acquisition Centre,by the First Lady, in Abuja, yesterday.

THE President of MosogarElite Forum, Mr.

Monday Odaka, hascommended the people ofDelta Central senatorialdistrict for their overwhelmingsupport for Chief IghoyotaAmori at the last re-runelection.

Speaking at a ceremony afterthe senator–elect, Chief Amori,was presented with hiscertificate of return in Asaba,

Odaka said that the trust thepeople have for Chief Amoriled to his victory at the poll.

He described Amori's victoryas remarkable, as it came at atime when the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, wasfacing a tough opposition inthe district.

According to him, the groupwill not relent in supportingChief Amori because he hasbeen at the fore front ofpromoting the cause of thepeople and the Urhobo nation.

CMYK


CMYK

PRESENTATION: From left, Professor Lawrence Ezemonye, Deputy Vice Chancellor,Administration; Professor Faraday Orumnwense, Vice Chancellor, University of Benin;Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shakarau, and Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, duringpresentation of letter as Chancellor of UNIBEN to the Emir of Kano, at his palace.

Week-long presidential inaugurationbegins today in Abuja

By Charles Kumolu

THE PRESIDENTIALInauguration Planning

Committee, PIPC, wouldcommence today with Jumatprayers at the NationalMosque in Abuja.

A statement by the office of

the Secretary to the FederalGovernment of the Federation,SGF, said the processesleading to the transfer ofpower, would end with aninauguration gala night onMay 29, 2015.

There would also be a churchservice and thanksgiving at

the National EcumenicalCentre on May 24, whileinauguration dinner would beheld at the State HouseConference Hall in Abuja onMay 28, 2015.

The high point of the weeklong programme is theswearing in ceremony, which

comes up on May, 29, 2015 atthe Eagle Square in Abuja,while inauguration luncheonwould follow on same date atthe State House Banquet Hall.

The statement further saidthe car parks to be used byguests for the inaugurationdinner are the Supreme CourtCar Park and Federal Ministryof Justice Car Park.

In addition, it said that thosewho will attend the swearingin ceremony are expected touse the following car parks;Old Parade Ground Car park,Federal Ministry of Works CarPark, Federal Ministry ofLands Car Park and AbujaGeographic InformationSystem Car Park.

Continuing, the statementadvised those coming for theinauguration dinner to use theSupreme Court Car Park andEagle Square Car Park,adding that dignitaries comingfor the Presidential Luncheonwould be conveyed directlyfrom the swearing in venue tothe State House.

Apart from the Jumat prayersand Church service, otheractivities are strictly byinvitation.

FG licenses Edwin Clark University, anotherBy Laide Akinboade -

Oriere

ABUJA—THE FederalGovernment, yesterday, saidNigeria was still in dire needof more universities toaccommodate the teemingyouths seeking admissions into

tertiary institutions in thecountry.

Minister of Education, MalamIbrahim Shekarau, stated this inAbuja, while presentingprovisional licences to twoprivate universities- the EdwinClark University Kiagbodo,ECUK, Delta State and

Hezekiah University, Imo State.Shekarau said it was imperative

for the nation to establish moreuniversities to accommodate mostNigerian students as only 40percent of those seekingadmissions were enrolled inschools.

Presenting the licences to the

owners of the proposeduniversities, Shekarau, stressedthe need for their sustenance evenas he warned that ‘’qualityshould not be compromised...’’

His words: “Nigeria is still indire need of more universitiesand the system is not able toaddress up to 40 percent of itsenrolment.

“As the number of universitiesincreases, quality of services inour universities must be improvedupon.”

He, however, said that thelicences can only be issued towell-managed institutions afterthree years of probation.”

Speaking in an interview withnewsmen sahortly after theceremony, the Chairman of ChiefEdwin Clark Foundation,Ambassador Akporode Clark saidthe university would provideleadership and ensure goodstandards.

“In our area which is neglected(Ijaw) there is no privateuniversity. We believe the birth ofthis university, will have amultiplier effect on our society.

“We are determined to sustainthis university. We are determinedto make the university a successbecause we see it as a majorcontribution and we are quiteconfident in sustaining ourefforts,” he said.

The university has alsoproposed an initial enrolment of500 students in the take-offfaculties and a total students’enrolment of 6,360 at the 10th yearanniversary.

Femi Robinson of Village Headmaster fame dies at 75

By Benjamin Njoku &Anozie Egole

ELDEST SON of veteranactor Femi Robinson who

passed on, Wednesday, at theage of 75, Wole Robinson hasdescribed his late father as “agreat man” who tried as muchas possible to change hisenvironment, while he lived.

The legendary actor died, onWednesday, at AyodeleHospital, Fagba, in IfakoIjaiye area of Lagos.

In a career that spanneddecades, late Femi Robinsonshot to lime light with his mostpopular role as second‘Headmaster ’ in thenationwide series ‘VillageHeadmaster’ which aired onthe Nigerian TelevisionAuthority,NTA in the 70s.

Confirming his father ’sdemise , Wole said thedeceased tried as much as hecould to change the world

around him.“ He tried as much as he could

to change the world. He had hispersonal views about life. He wascommitted to truth and he put hismind and character to pursue hisvision and passion. He tried asmuch as possible to change hisenvironment, the entertainmentindustry, aviation industry, andarts and culture industry. But asGod would have it, his death was

not good enough.He has been credited with

several deeds in broadcasting,arts and aviation. He was anembodiment of ideas. He was aman that never gave up, but hecould not beat this one,” the sonsaid in a statement.

Femi’s demise came few weeksafter the entertainment industryalso lost another veteran actor,Peter Bruno

Meanwhile, paying tribute tothe deceased, President of theAssociation of Movie Producers,Mr. Zik Zulu Okafor, said FemiRobinson was part of thegeneration that brought TV seriesto the limelight in Nigeria. “Femiwas one of the veteran actors thatinspired what we have today.Those were part of the generationthat brought TV series to thelimelight. I think, he will begreatly missed. He was a greatactor.”

In his own tribute, veteranactor, Jide Kosoko, said: "FemiRobinson was a trueprofessional. “ He has

contributed immensely to thegrowth of the entertainmentindustry in Nigeria. I pray forhis soul to rest in peace,” hesaid.

Describing the deceased as“an icon”, actress BenitaNzeribe said, "Femi Robinsonwas one of the people whostarted acting ever before thebirth of what we now know todayas Nollywood."

A graduate of University ofIfe, now Obafemi AwolowoUniversity, Femi Robinson firstfeature in a production afterplaying the role of Odewale inOla Rotimi’s ‘The Gods are notto Blame.’

He trained as a PublicRelations expert, Business andTheatre Administrator, and wasthe pioneer Director of Programsof the Ogun State Television(OGTV).

Other cast and crew of theVillage Headmaster who havedied include Justus Esiri, ObaFunsho Adeolu, Chief SegunOlusola, among others.

Late Femi Robinson

OgwuamaAutonomousCommunitylinksOkorocha'sre-election toprojectsexecuted

THE PEOPLE ofO g w u a m a

Autonomous Community inAhiazu Mbaise of Imo Statehave attributed the re-election of the stategovernor, Owelle RochasOkorocha to the variousdevelopmental projects hisadministration embarkedupon in the last four years.

A statement by theOgwuama leaders ofthought, Mr OguwikeNwachuku, Chief TimothyPaul Okorocha and ChiefThomas Ohaeri singled outthe people –orientedpolicies of the Okorochagovernment to include thefree education programme,the infrastructuraldevelopments in the areasof roads, Health and theInnovation in the fourth tierof government which hasbrought government closerto the people.

The leaders of thoughtthen advised the Governorto draw closer to the peopleof Mbaise aselectioneering is now overto build a State that will bethe envy of Nigerians.

While soliciting for moregovernment presence inMbaise, they noted that,though federal legislatorselected from the State aremainly from the oppositionparty, the governor must tryto work with them to attractthe desired developments‘as a tree cannot make aforest.'


CMYK


INAUGURATION: Governor Martin Elechi (2nd left), inaugurating the ultra-modern Ebonyi pipe factory at Ezzamgbo,yesterday. With him are other dignitaries. Photo: NAN

Okorocharetains freeeducation, asImo plansprobe ofIMSU strike

O WERRI— IMOState governor,

Chief Rochas Okorocha,has reassured the peoplethat the free educationpolicy of hisadministration would bevigorously pursued inhis second term in office.

He also promised thatall necessary sacrificeswould be undertaken toensure that the freeeducation programmeremained the majorthrust of hisadministration.

The governor, whoarrived the SamMbakwe InternationalCargo Airport,yesterday, evening, wasreceived on arrival byclose aides andassociates.

He took exception tothe industrial actionembarked upon bylecturers at Imo StateUniversity, pointing outthat the action of thelecturers was uncalledfor.

“It was unthinkable thatthe university teacherscould embark onindustrial action over oneand a half monthssalaries, when somestates in the country havenot been able to pay theirworkers for more than tenmonths,” Okorocha said.

The governor hintedthat the action of thelecturers would becritically looked into tosee whether it was donein good faith or an act ofsabotage or blackmail,since the stategovernment had beenliving up to itsresponsibilities to theuniversity since it cameon board in 2011.

He said: “The economyof the country is in a veryprecarious condition.Since the country ’sindependence, theeconomy has not been asbad as it is at the moment.

‘’The incomingPresident, GeneralMuhammadu Buhari,needs the fervent prayersand support of Nigeriansto turn things around forbetter.”

The governor noted thatthe condition called for aperiod of absolute sacrificeby cutting down the costof governance, at least by60 per cent, for thegovernment to be able tocope.

By Chidi Nkwopara

Eulogies pour in asburial rites forChukwumerije begin

ISUOCHI—THE body of late SenatorUche Chukwumerije was,

yesterday, laid in state at Unity Square,Nkwoagu, Isuochi, in UmunneochiLocal Government Area of Abia State,his home town, amidst eulogies.

By Nwabueze Okonkwo The body, which arrived the square atabout 3p.m., from Enugu, wasaccompanied by his children, SenatorEnyinnaya Abaribe, Chief Ben Ndi Obi,chairman of the national burial committee;Prof. Alphonsus Nwosu, among others.

First to eulogize him was Senator BenObi, who described him as a man of manyparts whose legacies were indelible, while

HANDOVER: Gov Chime in desperate bid toinstal principal officers of Enugu Assembly...To sign PFA bill into law today

By Francis Igata

ENUGU—WITH barely sixdays to the end of his

administration, Governor SullivanChime of Enugu State may haveperfected plans to foist his preferredcandidates as principal officers ofEnugu State House of Assembly forthe incoming administration of thegovernor-elect, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

A dependable source, whoconfided in Vanguard, said theplans were hatched at a meetingpresided over by Governor Chimeat Government House, Enugu, lastnight, with 16 re-electedcandidates of the 24-memberHouse.

But Chief Press Secretary to theGovernor, Mr. Chukwudi Achife,in a swift reaction, said he was notaware of any meeting between thegovernor and the House members-elect.

However, sources said thegovernor pencilled down EdwardUbosi, representing Enugu-EastConstituency as speaker; Donatus

Uzogbodo, Oji-River constituency,deputy speaker and ChineduNwamba, Nsukka constituencyand also the factional speaker aswould-be Leader of the House.

The House split into two factions,following the impeachment noticewhich the speaker, Eugene Odo,and 14 others ordered the clerk toserve on Chime over allegedfinancial misconduct.

Eight members of the House haddisagreed with Odo’s faction,prompting a purported suspensionof Odo and the election of ChineduNwamba as new speaker.

However, it was said that thedesperation to foist principalofficers on the incomingadministration may have infuriatedthe governor-elect,Ugwuanyi, whohad lost sleep over the stand-offbetween Chime and the House.

Peace pactThe governor-elect had convened

a meeting of the 24-member Housein his residence where it wasagreed that both camps shouldmaintain the statusquo for twoweeks to enable him proffer a

lasting solution to the crisis.But the pact did not last up to 24

hours as the chairman of PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, in the state,Ikeje Asogwa, hurriedly organiseda meeting where he presentedNwamba as new speaker, a movethat angered speaker Odo’sfaction.

The source further disclosed thatChime’s bid to instal principalofficers of the House infuriatedUgwuanyi, who was said to havewondered why an out-goinggovernor would be interested inwho led the House when he wasout of office.

Indications also emerged thatChime may sign the theContributory Pensions Scheme,CPS, Bill into law today.

Enugu State has not been part ofthe CPS in the past eight years ofadministration of Chime, just asthe state refused to implement theN18,000 new minimum wagesalary scale for workers.

This has made it impossible forPension Funds Administrators,PFAs, to manage issues relating toworkers’ pensions in the state.

the President-General ofIsuochi DevelopmentUnion, GeorgeMgborukwe, said the latesenator made manycontributions to his kinsmenin particular, Abia State andNigeria in general.

Others, who eulogizedthe deceased wereOgbonna Azubuike, hisSpecial Adviser, who notedthat his death was thedemise of an enigma.

He added thatChukwumerije was knownfor his honesty, disciplineand dedicated to service,while the traditional rulerof Isuochi, Eze G. I.Ezekwesiri, and a memberof national burialcommittee, Dr. Ejike Orji,said he led a battle againstthird term and fought forthe oppressed andvoiceless.

His children, includingChika Chukwumerije, saidthey could not believe thattheir father was dead now,adding, however, that theway he stamped his feetwhen it came to matters ofnational interest was theway he would knock at thegate of heaven and thedoor would be opened untohim.

Late Uche Chukwumerije

CMYK

CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 —17

Open letter to GeneralMuhammadu Buhari

Dear General Buhari,

SIR, as a democrat and apatriot, I place my faith

and trust in you; the notion ofchange sustains me, and Ihave to say, fuels me with thehope that I had completely lostsome six months ago.

I am a Delta woman withchildren, hoping in a fewyears for grandchildren. Lastweek while driving throughmy state on my way back hometo Abuja, I was dismayed tosee the same gas flares stillburning that have burnedsince I was a child. The flaresare a constant reminder to us.

I know that the change youhave promised us will includea fundamental overhaul of thepetroleum sector, from theMinister, through to policy, tothe way we see ourselves asan oil producer, andultimately to how we bestmonetise this commodity. I wasonce a commodities andfutures trader myself when Ilived abroad and worked inwealth management forMerrill Lynch; so, my opinionis not completely uninformed.

We must recognise the era

we are in. The exigencies ofthe petroleum sector in the21st Century are not what theywere in the ’70s, ’80s or ’90s.In 2015, it is more than likelythat having had some 10 yearsof steady price rises, we willnow be contending with oilprices oscillating between thelow $30 per barrel and with abit of luck, in two to three yearsrising to a steady $80 , give ortake.

Given this scenario Sir,questions need to be asked:

· How do we reposition ourpetroleum industry, not just interms of name–plate stature asbeing a faithful and compliantOPEC member, but how do weuse that tool to better the livesof Nigerians?

· How do we sustain or gainmarket share for our lightcrude or our LNG, given thattoday the US is energy self-sufficient, and in East Africayou have the burgeoning gasproducers who from a cost andFDI (foreign directinvestment) perspective arecompetitive, and may well befavoured for investment overthe next 10 to 15 years?

· How do we manage ourreduced oil revenue whilst atthe same time trying todiversify Nigeria’s economy?

· How do we credibly dealwith the issue of rehabilitatingand /or privatising refineriesin a world where refiningdoesn’t always pay, and it mayprove cheaper, albeit counter-intuitive on face value, toimport refined products thanto refine them locally? Weneed our refineries in Kaduna,Port Harcourt and Warriworking at optimum capacityboth for our national security,but also as being symbols thatNigeria is not a basket-case ofkleptomania. Twelve monthsshould be sufficient to get

•General Muhammadu Buhari, President-elect

them up–and–running.· How do we deal with the

matter of deregulation, toensure that pumps all over thecountry all have PMS andDPK, as well as Lagos andAbuja? We are 36 states of theFederation and we demand tohave product at uniformnational price. We look for aderegulation that benefits thesuffering masses and not justthe business tycoons. It ispainful to hear a PetroleumMinister tell us that her onlyachievement (supplyingPMS) is giving us somethingthat Nigerians as the fifthlargest OPEC producershould regard as a right.

· How do we deal withNNPC so that their fine careerpersonnel are energised andgiven the confidence withinthe corporation to do their jobsproperly and demonstratetheir ability? We as a nationhave invested billions in thestaff of NNPC. They areprofessionals who, given theright leadership, can makeNigeria proud. They needto commercialise theircorporation; I am certain theyare aware of that. Give themthe right leadership, Sir.

· How do we turn ourupstream sector into one inwhich we can focus onincreasing our oil reserves, aswell as focussing onincreasing well-headproduction to 4mm barrels per

day? This will help secure thefuture of our children andallow for the diversification ofNigeria’s economy.

In answer to thesequestions, there are evenmore questions:

Firstly, what do we (not wantbut) NEED in a PetroleumMinister?

Come May 29th, Nigerianeeds to hit the groundrunning. The best hands andminds must be brought to thetable to perform the greatescape and re-direct Nigeriaout of the mess we are in. Forwhat it is worth, I would liketo see an oil minister who:

Is not known forextravagance (sorry, thiswould not normally be aprerequisite, but given ourmost recent history, it hasnecessarily become one.)

Knows her/his brief – not justacademically, but actually… .practically… demonstratively.

Has an antecedentreputation to uphold…becausethere is hardly a moreeffective accountability checkthan that.

Has the wherewithal tocomport her/himselfinternationally, and give theimpression to the world thatNigeria has indeed changedand is open for business,particularly in those sectorsthat require our counterpartsto take us seriously. Ministersare the barometer for how theworld sees us; they are themost important ambassadorswe have.

Is driven by the principlethat she/he does not want tofail, is guided by soundintuition, is steered by hands-on experience and isconstrained by reserve.

Appreciates the enormity ofthe task ahead and appreciatesjust how important it is forNigeria that things are doneright in the petroleumsector…and can distinguishbetween right and wrong.

Seasoned professionals like Prof. Tam David-West,Odein Ajumogobia, Omamofe Boyo and Michael Prest - who have relevantexperience and integrity -spring to mind as suitablepossibilities...

Yours truly,

Responses to:[email protected] to 0802 747 6458 OR0811 675 9752 (texts only).PLEASE KINDLY NOTETHAT UNLESS YOUREQUEST ANONYMITY,YOUR COMMENTS MAYBE PUBLISHED, WITHYOUR NAMES ANDCONTACT DETAILSATTACHED.

Unoma Giese, a friendwho likes to be known as“Numero Unoma”,recently sent me a goodarticle she’d written andI’d like to share someexcerpts with you.

The article is styled asan open letter toP r e s i d e n t - E l e c t ,General MuhammaduBuhari, and it echoes alot of my own viewsabout oil industry andNiger Delta issues, inwhich I have a specialinterest because I comefrom an oil-producingarea and was afounding member of thePresidential Oil/GasSector ReformCommittee that draftedthe original version ofthe Petroleum IndustryBill.

I know that thechange you havepromised us willinclude afundamentaloverhaul of thepetroleum sector,from the Minister,through to policy,to the way we seeourselves as an oilproducer

Unoma Giese

OPINION


By Jackson Ekwugum

OPINIONMuch ado about the Delta guber resultsMuch ado about the Delta guber resultsMuch ado about the Delta guber resultsMuch ado about the Delta guber resultsMuch ado about the Delta guber results

I HAVE watched with utter dismayO’tega Emerhor’s attempt to

discredit the results of thegovernorship and House of Assemblyelection in Delta State. Not a few inDelta are amused and puzzled by hisantics given the obvious facts on theground that APC and Emerhor did notstand a chance of winning thegovernorship election in the State.According to the results published byINEC, APC scored a paltry 67, 825and failed to win in any of the localgovernments including Ughelli Northwhere Emerhor hails from. Thequestion to ask Emerhor is: Was healso rigged out in his local governmentthat was won by the Labour Party? Ifindeed that is the case, does that notprove that he is a political light weighteven in his own local government?

Instead of conceding victory andconcentrate on rebuilding and unitinghis party, which currently has threefactions, Emerhor has chosen toengage in shameless propaganda. Ihave heard people say that all hisbluster is for political relevance; acleverly designed scheme to gain theattention of the APC nationalhierarchy for a possible ministerial

* Mr Ekwugum, a journalist, wrotefrom Lagos.

Echeruo, Nigeria’s ICT Billionaire

FRESH from a plethora of victoriesof Nigerians at the recent generalelections in Britain comes anothercheery news that US-based technologygiant, Apple, bought Hopstop.com,owned by Nigeria’s Chinedu Echeruo,for US$1 billion or more than N200billion.

The business, which Echeruoestablished in 2005, developedmobile applications that enable iOSand Android systems users to,among other things, monitor trafficand find their ways to nearby busstops and subways, thus enrichingthe quality of mobility in more than300 cities.

Described as a “serialentrepreneur”, Harvard andSyracuse-trained Echeruo, in 2010,sold another of his companies,Tripology.com to American traveland navigation company, RandMcNally, leveraging hisexperience as a former staff of JPMorgan Chase and AM InvestmentPartners.

By this feat, Echeruo weighs in as thefirst Nigerian to emerge as a Dollarbillionaire through knowledge andinnovation in the informationtechnology world. He joins otherfamous people of other descents whoare flying flags of Nigeria, and Africain charting the frontiers of knowledgeand shaping the world’s future.

Nigerians like Echeruo are, indeed,shoring up the image and prestige ofthe Black man by creating much soughtafter value and proving that knowledgeis not about race or colour. It isimportant his inventions extend tosolutions to some of the numerouschallenges that blight our country, and

continent.Echeruo is a product of Kings

College, Lagos, which bears a testimonyto the quality of education thatflourished on our shores. This shouldprompt our leaders to redouble theirefforts at revitalising our educationalsystem to enable our teeming youth tomake more meaningful contributionsto the development of the country andhumanity.

His achievements should inspiremore of our young people toexplore their talents in the positiveuse of information and computertechnology, which has continuedto prove that innovation can catapult

anyone from obscurity to instantworldwide fame – and stupendousmaterial wealth. This should promptmany of our youth who are wastingtheir talents by deploying them tocrimes, ruining other people andbooking for themselves a date with thelong arms of the law, to redirect theirtalent.

Echeruo comes from a line ofillustrious intellectuals. Hisgrandfather, a University of LondonEnglish graduate, taught at StellaMaris College, Port Harcourt. Hisfather Professor Michael JosephChukwudalu Echeruo one of Africa’sleading literary icons, was ViceChancellor of Imo State University, anda Professor of Modern Letters at theUniversity of Syracuse in New York since1990. Late Senator Emeka Echeruo, hisuncle, taught Agricultural Engineeringat the University of Nigeria Nsukka.

We congratulate Echeruo and hopeour youth find inspiration in hisachievements.

slot. If that is the case, I would havethought a better way to go about thatis to seriously begin the hard work ofrepositioning the APC in Delta andtransform it into a formidableopposition to the ruling PDP. At themoment, it has to be said that the onlyviable opposition to the PDP in Deltais in the person of Chief Great Ogboruwho, rather dubiously, keeps movingto a different political party at everyelection.

During his congratulatory visit to thePresident-Elect, Emerhor canvassedfor General Muhammadu Buhari’ssupport for the cancellation of theDelta Governorship and House of

Assembly results because, in hisestimation, they are not credible. Inparticular, Emerhor alleged that thereis a discrepancy between the numberof accredited voters as captured bythe electronic card reader and theresults declared by INEC. Those whohave followed this story will recall thateven before the results wereannounced, Emerhor was alreadycalling for the cancellation of theresults because, according to him,card readers were not used during theelection. It is ironic that the sameperson is now claiming that the cardreaders captured over 700,000votes according to his figure. Thequestion is: when did Emerhor realisethat card readers were used during theelection? Now that he has admittedthat card readers were used, what arewe to make of his initialpronouncements that card readerswere not used? And did the cardreaders show that he scored more thanthe 67,825 declared by INEC? Deltanswill like to know.

According to media reports, thebanker-turned politician told Buharithat Deltans were poised to vote forchange like all other parts of thecountry but for the alleged violenceand intimidation of APC supporters.This is nothing but crass opportunism.While there were constant mediareports about political violence andkillings in some states, it was so in

Delta. I was in Delta during thegeneral elections and most peoplethere will testify that the electionsgenerally were conducted in apeaceful atmosphere. And they are ata loss as to how Emerhor can makesuch a wild allegation that has nobearing with the reality on the ground.

It was evident from his remarks toBuhari that Emerhor expected Deltansto vote for APC just because “Deltacannot afford to be in opposition.”That is the type of hollow campaignthat Emerhor ran in Delta; a campaignthat was based on sentiments, notfacts, hype without substance, andexclusionism at the expense ofinclusivity. Before Buhari’s victory,Emerhor was so preoccupied withbeing recognised as the legitimateUrhobo candidate that he did notarticulate a programme for Deltansthat is specific, credible, andmeasurable. He frequently talkedabout ending “16 years of PDPmisrule” but we were not told how. Yethe thought Deltans, as informed asthey are, would vote for him justbecause APC is at the centre. Deltansknow better than that. They know thatbeing in “opposition” is not a deathsentence; that, in fact, it can be ablessing in disguise as we have seen insuch states as Lagos and Anambra.

Emerhor was sopreoccupied withbeing recognised asthe legitimateUrhobo candidatethat he did notarticulate aprogramme forDeltans that isspecific, credible, andmeasurable

CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015—————1919191919

CMYK

His Excellency, may soon be onthe run

THE Nigeria Labour Congress ,NLC, theApex labour organisation for all

workers, announced five months ago, that11 state governments had not paidDecember salaries to their workers.

The President of the NLC, Mr.Abdulwahed Omar, who made thecomment in an ‘End of Year Message’stated that three of the states, Benue,Plateau and Osun, were also owingbetween three to eight months workers’salary arrears. In fact, most states owedworkers salaries. Citizens carried the yokeof debts, which have not translated to anyimprovements in their lives. They thus,live continuously in hard times.

The Debt Management Office, DMO’sexternal debt figures, without addingdomestic debts, show Lagos as Nigeria’smost indebted state with $1.17 billion debt,followed by Kaduna with $234 milliondebt, Cross River ,$142 million, Edo $123million, Ogun $109 million, Bauchi $88million, Katsina $79 milllion, Osun $74million, Oyo $72 million, and Enugu $69million. The states that are least indebtedare:

Taraba N4.56 bn, Borno N4.61 bn,Delta N4.85 bn, Plateau N6.19 bn, YobeN6.25 bn, Benue N6.62 bn, Abia N6.76bn, Zamfara N7.11 bn and Kogi N7.16bn.

Osun State is one of Nigeria’s pooreststates, but it ranked 9th in the list of themost indebted states in the country. Oneof its debt-accumulating activities was theN11.4 billion sukuk, which madeheadlines in 2013,but left the state withseveral projects abandoned and workers’salaries left unpaid for months. In spite of

this, the Osun State Governor managedto retain his seat in 2014, elections,exposing the weakness of Labour, in thatstate. Our politicians have deliberatelywhittled down the power of NigerianLabour, by compromising them one wayor the other, in order to continuouslydeceive the people.

These Governors who owe workerssalaries, rushed into Bonds and debts, andby so doing pledged the future of theirstates, as they would repay these debtsover long time. They recently visited thePresident Elect, asking for money to paysalaries, but knowing that hard timesawaits him too, Gen. Muhammadu BuhariGMB, was not enthusiastic with theirrequests. Some of them will have realisedthat hard times have come, but almostall of them, including those who could notpay salaries will try to carry on withexpensive and wasteful lifestyles, hoppingaround in chartered flights, with endlessconvoys on the roads, and long list ofirrelevant aides, while passing the burdento the citizens.

A Governor that refused to pay thesalaries of workers in his state had nojustification whatsoever to receive his

salaries, hence Benue and Plateauworkers succeeded to push their Governorsout, while the rest managed to stay put.Life should be made very uncomfortable,for any Governor, who dares to oweworkers a dime, in any month. He shouldbe rejected by workers from that samemonth. All his deceitful events should beshunned by workers, and informationabout his financial dealings and life styleshould be exposed to Lawyers who willdrag him or his acolytes for investigations.

Since these governors are likely not tocut their costs, they will pass the weightand burden to citizens through all sortslevies, and licenses in the name ofInternally Generated Revenue, IGR. Theywill unleash suffering through things likeCow, Sheep, goat, food, water borehole,Vehicle Driving and Training, TV, Radio,Motorcycle, bicycle, parking, guttercleaning, and house repainting, andPeper-soup joint fees and licenses, togenerate revenue. Now that they havewon elections, these Governors will re-introduce all those things andenforcements, on roads and streets thatinfuriated citizens, which they kept at bayduring campaigns.

It is feared that austerity measures maybe unleashed on the citizenry which couldfurther aggravate the suffering of theordinary worker. The incominggovernment does not seem to offer anyencouragement to us, with their dailycomplaints of empty treasury, and hugedebts they will inherit, etc, leaving someto wonder if they do not realise that Nigeriaexpects them to come and effect change.

Governors will slap themselves on thewrist with reductions in one or twofreebies, and call it ‘sacrifice’ and thenslam full sufferings on the people. GMBmay therefore have to look inwards andcut some costs such as the PresidentialFleet, the cost of running the State House,reduction in the number of aides who addno value to governance, taxing the rich,etc. The Excellences, should agree on a

template of Aides, staff and convoys, acrossthe nation, to cut wastefulness ingovernance.

Already, workers continue to bear thebrunt of the devaluation of the Naira. Yet,we provide our own water, electricity,houses, with no good roads,no goodtransport system, no good health caredelivery, security leaves a lot more to bedesired, we spend hours in traffic snarls,now, with no petrol to run our cars etc.The weight of additional austeritymeasures with its attendantretrenchments will be too heavy forNigerian workers, and many of them willjust die under the pressure!

Austerity will fuel corruption as peoplewill try to survive, and it will lead to anincrease in crime rate.

Instead, moneys should be recoveredfrom Governors, Senators, and Politicalappointees, who have enrichedthemselves, through bargains. The publicshould be involved through a rewardsystem, to expose crimes and stealing byformer and incumbent leaders.

From News paper reports, over 12 ex-governors who won senate seats in theMarch 28 election, and 3 incumbentgovernors have cases of corruptionranging from misappropriation of publicfunds to money laundering hanging overtheir necks. We don’t need to look too far,as corrupt persons can be identified bytheir lifestyles before and after holding anoffice in government.

The EFCC, ICPC,and Police,should befunded, and encouraged to achieverecovery of 90 percent of stolen moniesfrom leaders, than jail terms, throughreward system for target recoveries.

If the change Nigeria have voted for willinclude proper fight against corruption,then some of these Excellences should beconsidering alternatives which mayinclude to abscond ! Let’s watch them.

Send Opinions & Letters to:[email protected]

THERE is a wounded lion on therampage in Africa. Before the

attack on him, President PierreNkurunziza of Burundi and hispride had killed at least fourteenpeople, injured over two hundredand sent tens of thousandsscampering into exile especially onthe shores of Lake Tangayika andinto Rwanda.

I was in neigbouring Rwanda,and there was a lot of concernabout the situation in Burundi andthe influx of refugees. But onWednesday May 13, 2015, thenews of a coup to topple Nkurunzizaspread. I was worried that it wasthe Army, because, in Africanhistory, the Army, which isgenerally neo-colonial,complicates matters. More so inBurundi where it had been split adecade earlier.

The coup attempt, led byGeneral Godefroid Niyombare,failed and a triumphantNkurunziza rode into Bujumbura,seeking and exerting his pound offlesh. Even unarmed protesterswere treated as armed rebels.

Any country I visit, I have ahabit of talking with variousstrands of society. When I was in

Wounded Lion on therampage

Bujumbura in January 2014, Itried to probe into the politicalunder current, and discoveredthat political tension was not farfrom the surface. Yes, there wereattempts at reconciliation andnational rebirth, but it was a farfrom settled polity. That was whyI thought that the President’sdivisive decision to run for anotherfive-year term which resulted inmass protests from April 26, wasill advised.

As we say, in this part of Africa,it is clear that Nkurunziza has ‘nohome training’ or ‘was not properlybrought up’. Indeed, the models ofleadership in the Africa of the late1960s to the early 1990s weremainly cranky soldiers who afterseizing radio stations, shot theirway into the presidential palaces.

But why do so many Africanleaders cling to power even if it isdetrimental to the interests of theircountries? Some have argued thatthe post-independence model ofWestern democracy we adopted, isalien to African culture. ThatAfrica tends to be monarchical.Indeed there are many Africanleaders with the mindset of ancientmonarchs; people who want torule to eternity and then get power

passed to their sons. These are thecases of Gnassingbe Eyadema inTogo who ruled for thirty eightyears, with his son, Faure takingover; and Omar Bongo who ranGabon for forty one years beforehis son Ali, took over.

There was of course the farcicaldrama played out in the CentralAfrican Republic where onDecember 14, 1977 at the BanguiStadium, President Jean-BedelBokassa changed the country intoan ‘Empire’ and crowned himselfthe Emperor. He sat on a goldenthrone shaped like an eagle withwings outstretched, wearing acrown with a 138-carat diamondworth $2 million, and apparelscosting $5 million. The entireceremony set the impoverishedcountry back by some $20million. Three years later, theclearly demented man wasoverthrown.

Despite these, it is untrue thatAfricans are wedded tomonarchism because we are notmore monarchical than theEuropeans.

On the other hand, Nkurunzizamay be suffering from messianichallucinations; that is, leaders whobelieve that without them, theircountries cannot survive. Thismay be why we have dinosaurs asleaders in many countries.Leaders like Zimbabwe’s RobertMugabe, Angolan, Jose Eduardodos Santos, Paul Biya of Camerounand Uganda’s Yowerei Museveniwho have ran their countries, anaverage of 33 years apiece,abound. But the example of NelsonMandela who despite his cult-likefollowership spent only one termin office, smashes the myth ofmessiahs.

The Third Term Disease whichPresident Olusegun Obasanjo triedto infect Nigerians with, isactually an Ebola-like infection.This is why African leaders whowere quick to condemn the coupattempt, also have the duty to callNkurunziza to order. Why woulda leader endanger the good healthand well being of his country byclinging to power? But I am notconfident that they or the AfricanUnion (AU) would be willing orcourageous enough to tell him thetruth.

Although the AU has removedthe clause of ‘Non- interference’ inthe internal affairs of membercountries, but the mindset has notchanged. In practice, the militaryintervention of Tanzania underMwalimu Julius Nyerere inUganda in April, 1979 which sentclownish Field Marshall Idi Amininto the dustbin of history haddestroyed that provision in theOAU/AU Charter.

So why don’t African leaders tellthemselves the truth? Jeramogi

Oginga Odinga, one of Africa’soutstanding post independenceleaders told me in an interview Ihad with him in Zanzibar twentytwo years ago, that the OAU isactually a trade union (club) ofAfrican leaders where they protectthemselves from the Africanpeople.

Burundi which becameindependent on July 1, 1962 hasbeen quite unfortunate. Its politicalvolcano erupted in September1972 during which between200,000 and 300,000 Hutuswere killed and another 300,000fled into exile. Sixteen years later,some 150,000 Hutus weremassacred in clashes with thearmy. The 1993 assassination ofPresident Melchior Ndadaye, led toa decade civil war which theFebruary 28, 2005 Constitutiontried to resolve. It was under thatconstitution that the then GoodGovernance Minister, PierreNkurunziza became president fora five-year tenure. He was re-elected five years later for a finalsecond term, now he insists on aThird Term. His reason is that itwas the Parliament, not thegeneral electorate that elected himpresident for his first term.

Nkurunziza may be technicallyright or wrong in his argument fora Third Term, but is it worth somuch bloodshed and instability forhis country? Is his ambition worththe blood of Burundians? An IdiAmin might have insisted inrunning, no matter the costs, butdefinitely, not a Nelson Mandela.

One reason why leaders likeNkurunziza fester on the Africancontinent, is the lack of SocialMovements comprising workers,students, the informal sector,conscientious intellectuals andother progressive forces who canbring pressure to bear on the AU orany African leader.

By Clement Udegbe

•Mr. Udegbe, a legal practitioner,wrote from Lagos.

One reason whyleaders likeNkurunziza festeron the Africancontinent, is thelack of SocialMovementscomprisingworkers, students,the informalsector,conscientiousintellectuals andother progressiveforces who canbring pressure tobear on the AU orany African leader

These Governorswho owe workerssalaries, rushedinto Bonds anddebts, and by sodoing pledged thefuture of theirstates

20—Vanguard, FRIDAY 20—Vanguard, FRIDAY 20—Vanguard, FRIDAY 20—Vanguard, FRIDAY 20—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, , MAY 22, , MAY 22, , MAY 22, , MAY 22, 20120120120120155555

Planned demolition of structures: PCRCofficials sue for restraint, appeal to Fashola

By Evelyn Usman

AREA ‘’M’ Police AreaCommand located in

Idimu, a Lagos suburb, is pres-ently wearing a new and in-deed befitting look, thanks tothe magnificent building erect-ed by the state government aspart of its effort to support thePolice. Before now, a nim tree,otherwise known as dongoya-ro, served as a makeshift officefor policemen at the Area Com-mand. Consequently, police-men and officers were left withno option than to arrange theirtables and chairs under the treewhich served as shade, comerain or sun shine , from wheresuspects were prosecuted. Sus-pects were reportedly detainedat the Idimu Police divisioncells from where they werecharged to court. This went onuntil 2012 when construction ofa gigantic two- storey buildingbegan.

But when Vanguard Metro,VM, visited the Area Commandrecently, it was observed thatthough the two-storey buildinghad been completed, it was yetto be occupied by policemen.It was also discovered that theArea Commander occupied anoffice not befitting a senior Po-lice officer.

On further investigation, itwas gathered that the police-men were eagerly awaiting thecommissioning of the buildingbefore they would move in. Thedelay in commissioning thebuilding was attributed to is-sues surrounding the planneddemolition of the existing Po-lice Community Relations Com-mittee, PCRC, structures in theArea Command.

While the contractor reported-ly insisted that the structures-PCRC’s administrative office,its multi-purpose hall, a four-bedroom bungalow built for theDivisional Police Officer, achurch and mosque-should bedemolished to allow for addi-tional construction of struc-tures, the PCRC is of the viewthat its structures also served avital purpose to the benefit ofthe Area Command.

Worried by the planned dem-olition of its structures, mem-bers of the PCRC recently helda meeting where they appealedto Governor Babatunde Fash-ola to either give the existingstructures a befitting face-lift orallocate an alternative structureto them.

Addressing journalists, chair-

man, PCRC , Area ‘M’ Idimu,Prince Michael Oyeniyi, clari-fied that the committee had nointention to stand in the way ofthe state government or fightwith it. He also refuted a re-port that the committee was de-manding for monetary com-pensation over the planneddemolition by government.

He said: “We have not de-manded money from the stategovernment, and nobody isfighting with the government;we are also not against the de-velopment activities of the AreaCommand. What we are inter-ested in is that it’s eitherthey(government) give our ex-isting structure a facelift,restructure and give it back tous in order to preserve ourlegacy or another structure isprovided for us rather thandemolishing it. This land wasallocated to us by the NigeriaPolice and we have spent a lotto bring it to where it is today.The sweat of PCRC membersmust not be in vain, as we haveassisted the Nigeria Police. ThePCRC play a complementaryrole to the Nigeria Police. Itwas established by a former In-spector General of Police, EtimInyang. If this demolition takesplace, it is likely for it to goround other PCRCs nation-wide, and this will discourageus from what we have beendoing”.

He noted that the committeehad written several letters toGovernor Fashola on theplanned demolition but ex-pressed doubt if he receivedthem. One of the letters datedFebruary 12, 2015 and signedby the committee’s lawyer,OlaSobowale,and addressed toGov Fashola, the Inspector-

General of Police and the La-gos State Commissioner Police,read in part: “The structures tobe affected by the ...planneddemolition to wit: existing ad-ministrative office of the AreaCommander, existing PCRCmulti-purpose hall, existingDPO residence(four-bedroomapartment) for the DPO IdimuDivisional Police station), ex-isting church and mosque atArea ‘M’ Command, Idimu.

“The existing Area Com-mander’s administrative officeis the ...engine room fromwhere the entire operationsand logistics sustaining andensuring the smooth runningof Area’M’ Police Commandare being coordinated. Theaforementioned structure beingthe nerve centre of the AreaCommand, if demolished with-out a functional substitute tosame being put in place for aseamless change over, will pa-ralyse the operations of theArea Command.

“Having the DPO ‘s residencewithin the premises of the AreaM Police Command where the

Idimu divisional police is situ-ated, gives any DPO servingat Idimu the advantage of a 24-hour daily presence at work.The aforesaid planned demo-lition of the said DPO’s resi-dence without an immediatereplacement will cancel out theaforementioned advantage.

“The present church andmosque within the Area ‘M’Police Command also affordmen and officers of the AreaCommand the opportunity topractise their respective faithswithout the said practice in-volving loss of man hours as-sociated with having to go faraway from their duty posts inthe bid to fulfill the obligationsof their faiths.

“The present multi-purposehall serves as the corporate of-fice of the PCRC from whereactivities of PCRC in all policestations under the Area M Po-lice command Idimu, LagosState are coordinated. Themulti-purpose hall also servesas as transit camps /hostel forMobile police officers who areon special assignments within

the precinct of the Area M com-mand , Idimu.

“Much as our client appreci-ates that the Ministry of Worksand Infrastructure Lagos Statemeant well in the aforesaidplanned demolition, we pleadmost humbly that your excel-lency should intervene in thematter with a view to having amore workable and environ-mental friendly concept anddesign for Area M Police Com-mand, phase 11”.

However, in response to oneof the letters, the Lagos StateMinistry of Works and Infra-structure, claimed it was un-aware of any plan to demolishthe PCRC’s structures, describ-ing it as rumour. The responsewhich was conveyed in a letterdated March 2014 and signedby T.A. Araego on behalf of theMinistry’s Permanent Secre-tary, read: “You may recall thatthe meeting that was held withthe representatives of yourcommittee led by Dr. F.O. Ola-dun and by the project team ofthis Ministry led by OlaogunK.A., the position of the gov-ernment was...that no decisionhas been taken whether to de-molish the existing structuresor not and that the closeness ofthe setting out of the adminis-trative block being complainedof was done as it was approvedby the Ministry of PhysicalPlanning and Urban Develop-ment.

“In the light of the above, Iam directed to inform you thatyour correspondence should bechannelled to the Ministry ofPhysical Planning and UrbanDevelopment if there are fearsconcerning your structures asgovernment does not knowanything about the rumour.”

•Prince Michael Oyeniyi •The Mosque inside Area M Police Command, Idimu

•The Church also located there

If this demolitiontakes place, it islikely for it to goround otherPCRCs nation-wide, and this willdiscourage usfrom what wehave been doing


CMYK

The Nigerian Electricity Consumers Advocacy Network,

NECAN, has accused the Distri-bution companies of extorting cus-tomers by billing them for unsup-plied power.

This is even as customers inIsashi areas in Lagos state haswarned DISCOs marketing offic-ers in the area not to venture en-tering the areas with the notion todisconnect resident until there isimprovement in the power supplydeliver to the community.“In a chatwith Vanguard, the Interim Presi-dent of NECAN, Mr. Tomi Aking-bogun, said “There is a big chal-lenge in the billing system of theDISCOs to customers because tariffis so high with the bills pegged ata constant and increasing rate de-spite the drop in power supply tomake up for such demands fromthe public.”

According to him, the power sec-tor is faced with total collapse. “Theactions of the DISCOs and GEN-COs are not yielding positive re-sults, as they seem to show moreinterest in generating money with-out maximum satisfaction to Nige-rians.

He added that the SMEs andother businesses are suffering dueto their inability to meet up de-mands as they spend over 20 per-cent of their income on fuellinggenerating sets. “Due to this lin-gering issues associated in the in-dustry, I can say something isdeeply wrong with both the GEN-COs and the Distribution compa-nies because the customers on theirpart are ready to pay high as longas they see the dividend of whatthey are paying for," he said.

The NECAN boss howevercharged the incoming administra-tion to investigate, probe culpritsassociated with all forms of irregu-larities in the power sector, as wellas put in place measures thatwould help rid the system of ex-tortion customers presently expe-rience.

In the same vein, a residence ofthe affected community, KennethIkechukwu, observed that powersupply to community is not encour-aging yet they are being givingexorbitant charges at the end of themonth as bills.

“How can one be paying for whathe did not buy? It is very unfortu-nate that these companies owingthe defunct PHCN assets are notbothered with the plight of custom-ers, but instead they are alwaysconsistent in collecting moneymonth end.

NECANaccusesDISCOs ofextortion

By Favour Nnabugwu

Micro, Small andM e d i u mE n t e r p r i s e s

(MSMEs) in the country haveemployed 60 million people froma total number of 37 millionMSMEs according to theMinister of Trade, Industry andTrade, Dr Olusegun Aganga.

He said the MSMEs currentlyaccounts for 48 percent of thenation’s Gross Domestic Products(GDP),

Aganga, who unveiled thepublic presentation of the newNational Policy on MSMEs andthe results of the 2013 NationalMSMEs Survey in Abuja saidthe policy is aimed at improvingthe ability of Nigeria’s MSMEsto compete effectively in local,regional and global markets.

“The reversed national policyserved as another directintervention of this administrationto cultivate micro, small andmedium enterprises, therebyincreasing their contribution toGDP growth which is roughlyabout 48 percent today”.

“The National MSME Policyenvisions an MSME sub-sectorthat can deliver maximumbenefits of employmentgeneration, wealth creation,poverty reduction and growth tothe Nigerian economy. This isbecause everywhere in the world,MSMEs are the biggestemployers of labour.” he said.

The new MSMEs policy andthe 2013 National MSMEssurvey conducted by the Smalland Medium Enterprises

Development Agency of Nigeria(SMEDAN) in collaboration withNational Bureau of Statistics(NBS) also outlined the generalparameters, benchmarks anddirections within which MSMEs’programmes, interventions andinitiatives will be designed,implemented, monitored andevaluated.

The Minister said the federalgovernment is surprised to findthat a substantial number of allthe businesses operating in thecountry under the SMEsumbrella are in fact, micro

enterprises, stressing that thefindings should influence the waypolicies driving the sector are

MSMEs employ 60m Nigerians,accounts for 48% of GDP —AGANGA

By Ediri Ejoh & MildredIbrahim

The Policy is aimedat improving theability of Nigeria’sMSMEs tocompete effectivelyin local, regionaland global markets

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL

CBN Exchange Rate as at 21/ 05 /15

$66.40 1.37

$132.70 -3.30

$3,176.00 51.00

$12.50 -0.09

DOLLAR 196 196.5 197POUNDS 303.4076 305.1842 305.9607EURO 219.9128 218.6487 219.0246FRANC 208.7105 209.2429 209.7753Y E N 1.621 1.6252 1.6293 CFA 0.3149 0.3249 0.3349WAUA 275.16 275.862 276.5639RENMINBI 31.5926 31.5737 31.7547RIYAL 52.2625 52.3958 52.5291KRONA 29.2036 29.2781 29.3526 SDR 274.694 275.3948 276.0955

60.30 1.32

being crafted and implemented.“MSMEs are globally

regarded as the backbone of anyeconomy. MSMEs contribute toimproved living standards. Theybring about substantial localcapital formation and help inachieving high level ofproductivity and capability.”

He continued, “They havealso been identified as a vehiclefor employment generation andproviding opportunities forentrepreneurial sourcing,training, development andempowerment.”

Nigeria’s ‘Lost Year’ deterring investors— RenCap

Nigerian consumerstocks are

struggling through a“lost year” as a slumpin oil prices buffets thenation’s economy,according toRenaissance CapitalLtd.Fuel shortages aremaking it harder todistribute goods ascompanies includingGuinness Nigeria Plc,Nestle Nigeria Plc, andUnilever Nigeria Plcgrapple with a slowingeconomy and weakerlocal currency, saidBenjamin Samuels,head of equities at the

Moscow-based investmentbank that focuses onemerging markets.Investors will also shun thecountry’s banks until there’smore clarity on how they’reresponding to the risk ofhigher defaults because oflower crude prices, he said.“Some see 2015 as a lost yearfor growth and margins” inconsumer stocks, he said in aninterview in Lagos. “The costof imports has gone throughthe roof with the decline of thenaira,” Samuels said.Companies are facing“challenges arounddistribution and weakersales,” he said. Growth slowed to 4 per centin the first quarter from 5.9

per cent in the last threemonths of 2014. Nigeriawhich derives 90 per cent ofexport earnings from oil, hasbeen hit by the Brent variety’s40 per cent drop since June.The naira has depreciated 19per cent against the dollarover the past 12 months.Nigerians have faced longqueues for fuel in recentweeks in a country that relieson imports to meet more than70 percent of domestic needs.While the governmentguarantees cheaper fuel bysubsidy it’s struggling to paymarketers the differencebetween the landing price ofrefined oil and the fixeddomestic rate as low crudeprices deplete revenue.

BRIEFING: From left: Mr. M. S Omidi, Cultural Attache, Iran Embassy; His ExcellencySaheed Koozechi, Ambassador of Iran to Nigeria; Mr Mohammed Kanny, Director, ParsRastak Co. and Mrs Janet Omisore, Deputy DG, National Association of Chambers ofCommerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, at a press conference on theforthcoming first Iran solo exhibition in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele


CMYK

Unity Bank Plc hasstated that itsrenewed strategy

following completion of itsconsolidation has startedbearing fruits as it recorded agrowth from a loss position ofN33.64 billion in 2013 to aprofit position of N13.6 billionin 2014, just as the Net InterestMargin, NIM improved overthe last three years.

The Managing Director/CEO, Unity Bank Plc, Mr.Henry James Semenitari, whodisclosed this at the bank’spresentation of its Fact Behindits financials for the year 2014at the Lagos floor of theNigerian Stock Exchange,NSE said “Our renewed andgrowth strategies are strictlythat of operational efficiencyderived from our businessmodel and strategic intent.The result has led toimprovement in all key indicesas already shown in our 2014result.”

He stated that the growth isexpected to continue in theforeseeable future, stressingthat the bank has focused onemerging middle marketbusinesses and entrepreneurs,in line with its vision of retailbank of choice.

Speaking to the capitalmarket community, Semenitarisaid “Our focus on the ruraleconomy is premised on itsstrategic importance to firstlevel agriculture,entrepreneurship andattainment of financialinclusion strategy of reachingout to the unbanked populace.”

According to him “Wesuccessfully completed our

Unity Bank rebounds to profitability

rights issue and specialplacement of about N40 billion.The offer was oversubscribed.”

While commenting on thebank’s financial performance, hesaid “The bank has recordedimprovement of 219 per cent inoperational efficiency with a costto income ratio reduction from284 per cent as at December2013 to 69 per cent as at 31stDecember 2014. Our weightedaverage cost of funds improvedto 5.4 per cent in 2014, from 8per cent in 2013, on account ofthe growth in low cost deposits.”

Other performance indicatorsaccording to him include the Net

We successfullycompleted ourrights issue andspecial placementof about N40billion

Interest Income, NIM which hasgrown steadily over the last threeyears, just as the liquidityposition being stabilizing. “ Wehave recorded significant dropin costs, illustrating efficiencygains” he added.

On the outlook for the bank,Semenitari said “Our projectionsfor 2015 include : NIM 70 percent; Return on Equity 23 percent; Return on Assets 4 percent; Capital Adequacy 10 percent; Liquidity Ratio 40 per centand cost of funds 5 per cent. Thefuture is bright as agricultureremains a major strategic focusof the bank based on its historicstrength.”

bY

… As liquidity position stabilises

AGAINST CANCER :From left ,Head, Legal and Regulation Division, Nigerian StockExchange (NSE), Ms Tinuade Awe; Group Managing Director/CEO, Diamond Bank Plc, Mr.Uzoma Dozie; winner, 2015 NSE Corporate Challenge, Esther Obiekwe of Diamond Bank Plc;Head, Corporate Services Division, NSE, Mr. Bola Adeeko; Executive Director, Market Operationsand Technology, NSE, Mr. Ade Bajomo and Executive Director, Business Development, NSE,Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri at the 2015 NSE Corporate Challenge in a 5-kilometre walk, run or jogthrough the busy business district of Lagos in the fight against cancer.

By Peter Egwuatu

Friesland Campina WAMCONigeria Plc has recorded a turnover

of N126 billion turnover for the financialyear 2014, representing an increase of5.14 per cent from the 2013 financial year.

The Managing Director ofFrieslandCampina WAMCO, Mr. RahulColaco, who disclosed this to newsmenduring a media chat said “ WAMCO willbe celebrating its 60th anniversary onSaturday in Lagos. The company'scommercial and financial performanceremained satisfactory in spite of the harshbusiness environment. Turnoverincreased by 5.14 per cent from N120.26billion in 2013 to N126.44 billion in 2014.Profit Before Tax (PBT) howeverdecreased by 14.55 per cent from N19.31billion to N16.50 billion as a result ofsignificant increase in the cost of dairyraw materials, which was not fully passed

on to consumers; increased operatingexpenses; and the write-off of ExportExpansion Grant already taken into profit inthe previous year.”

He further disclosed that the Board ofDirectors recommended a final dividend ofN4.33 per ordinary share of N0.50 each tothe Shareholders having paid an interimdividend of N3.91 per N0.50 in November2014. The Shareholders approved the finaldividend during the Annual GeneralMeeting, AGM held recently bringing thetotal dividend paid out to N8.24 per N0.50share in the year under review.

On the outlook for the company, Colaco said“ Considering the economic activities alreadyplaying out this year 2015, headwinds areexpected from falling oil prices with its impacton Government earnings and consumerspending, tighter monetary and fiscal policies

which aim to boost revenue through higherreceipts from income tax and a strongerperformance from the private sector, devaluationof the Naira and rising inflation rate. It is thereforeexpected that the Nigerian business environmentin 2015 will be challenging. The Company willhowever continue to invest in its brands,capabilities and people to ensure that it maintainsits leadership position in the market.”

According to him "Over the last 60 years, Peakhas continued to be strong throughout the severalchanges in the market," said Rahul Colaco,Managing Director of FrieslandCampinaWAMCO.

"We attribute our success to two things. First,our focus is to consistently nourish Nigerianswith quality dairy nutrition in order to reach theirPeak. Second, we continually explore ways ofstanding out of the crowded shelf and touchingevery part of the consumers’ lives."

Stanbic IBTCpartners IEBusiness Schoolon loan financedeal

Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc hassigned a direct financing

agreement with IE BusinessSchool, a leading businessschool in Spain, to helppeople acquire the relevantskills in entrepreneurship andbusiness.

The partnership will seeStanbic IBTC provide loanfacilities for students enrolledin IE’s top ranked MBAprogrammes.

The collaboration will beoperative for an initial periodof one year starting from May2015, and will be renewablefor another year. Under thescheme, participants whohave been admitted by IE forits Masters programmes, wouldqualify for financing fromStanbic IBTC Bank under itsUnsecured Personal Loanscheme. Beneficiaries who arenot existing customers ofStanbic IBTC Bank will berequired to open an accountwith the bank. The bank wouldbear up to 100 percent of thevalue of the programme basedon prevailing interest rate.

Speaking at theMemorandum ofUnderstanding, MoU, signingceremony in Lagos, ObinniaAbajue, Executive Director,Personal and BusinessBanking, Stanbic IBTC Bank,said the partnership fits into theinstitution’s goal of fosteringeconomic empowermentthrough strategic interventionsthat enable individuals andbusinesses realize theiraspirations.

He noted that it was thepursuit of this objective thatinformed the creation of theStanbic IBTC BusinessLeadership Series, which made itsdebut last year, to build a newcadre of leaders among people andbusinesses in Nigeria. Similarcapacity-building initiativesspanning various sectors of theeconomy, including MSME,transport and logistics, trade andfinance have also been organizedby the Stanbic IBTC Group on anongoing basis to supportindividuals and businesses,Obinnia stated.

“The partnership with IE opensanother window of opportunity toempower people for self-development and actualization. Itis in sync with our operatingmantra, which is moving forward.

“At Stanbic IBTC Bank, we aremindful of the fact that socio-economic growth anddevelopment are anchored onsound education and robustinfrastructural base. Thisconviction underscores ourstrategic interventions incritical sectors of the economy,including education,” he said.

Friesland Campina WAMCO records N126.4bn turnover

...

… To hold 60th anniversary, Saturday

By Peter Egwuatu


MEMBERS of the PoultryAssociation of Nigeria,

PAN, has called on the Federalgovernment to stem the tide ofsmuggled poultry products intothe country as over 1.2 millionmetric tons of poultry productestimated at about 2.75 billiondollars get into the countryillegally annually.

Speaking at the 3rd edition ofthe Nigeria Poultry Summit,President of the association, Dr.Ayoola Oduntan disclosed thatthe continued smuggling ofpoultry products is deprivingthe country foreign exchangeand job opportunities forNigerians.

“The biggest part of poultryindustry is broiler businessesand in this country we produceabout 300,000 metric tons ofchicken annually in which weare consuming about 2 milliontons of maize. This aspect alonehas enabled us to engage over500,000 maize farmers withoutputting into consideration otherpeople that will be taken partbefore it reaches the end user.

“Let’s now imagine thenumber of jobs that would havebeen created in poultry industryalone if we can put a stop toabout 1.2 million metric tons ofchicken smuggled into thecountry on yearly basis. Weestimated about 2.75 billiondollar that is living this countryso that this smuggle chickencan come in.”

“Nigerians need to realise thatthis smuggled chicken isresponsible for several healthissues we are having in thiscountry, due to the presence ofhigh level of bacteria in thechicken coupled with high toxicchemical that are used to

Nigeria loses $2.8bn to smuggledpoultry products —PAN

preserve it just to ensure it getsto our market at cheaper rate.”

Commending the efforts ofNational Agency for Food andDrug Administration andControl, NAFDAC, FederalMinistry of Agriculture,FMARD and NigerianElectricity RegulatoryCommission, NERC and otherstakeholders for their supportsin restructuring the agriculturesector in the country, Oduntannoted that the challengeexperience this year by theindustry is severe.

“2014 and 1st quarter of 2015was very tough for poultryindustry in Nigeria, we areattacked by various challengesranging from Avian Influenza,the outbreak of Avian Influenzain the poultry sub sector in

January this year is moreendemic than the 2006/2009outbreak, when we had a totalof 25 states affected withpopulation of about 1.2 millionbirds, but in 2015, it affected 18states with over 1.4 million birdsjust in five months.”

Oduntan explained thatthrough the constructiveengagement of the governmentby the association, all handswere on deck to ensure thedisease never spread beyond 18states out of 36 states of thefederation. “The association, incollaboration with departmentsof veterinary, animal productionand husbandry and healthservices have been able to buildthe farmers capacity throughvarious forms of training at alllevels.”

THE Ogun state government hasentered into partnership with the

British-American Tobacco NigerianFoundation (BATNF) on human capacitydevelopment and materials empowermentof women poultry farmers in the threesenatorial districts.

Speaking at the certificates presentationfor the first set of women farmers who weretrained on poultry value chain in Abeokuta,general manager, British-AmericanTobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF),Abimbola Okoya, declared that thefoundation was established with the visionto reduce poverty in Nigeria Communities,targeting all divisions within the state.

Okoya said the training was first in theempowerment process designed to buildcapacity of women small holder farmersand equip them the needed materials,adding that “with the training received bybeneficiaries, we believe they would put

Ogun, BATN train women farmers in OgunBy Daud Olatunji into practice, all they had learnt to

properly manage their farms andmarket their farm produce to increasetheir productivity, income and makelife more meaningful.”

Also, Ogun state commissioner foragriculture Ronke Sokefun, disclosedthat government would roll outincentives to encourage massiveinvestment in various sectors ofagriculture, especially poultry andanimal production, explaining thatpartnership with Btitish-AmericanTobacco Nigeria Foundation was partof the State public private partnershiparrangement.

Sokefun said one of the focuses ofthe State government was to empowerrural dwellers by engaging andenriching them through Public PrivatePartnership (PPP), adding: “We alwaysencourage and facilitate Public PrivatePartnership for the benefit of ourfarmers. We want them to improve

Nigerians need torealise that thissmuggledchickens areresponsible forseveral healthissues we arehaving in thiscountry due tothe presence ofhigh level ofbacteria in thechicken

By Gabriel Olawale

SUMMIT: (L-R) Representative of Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service,Assistant Comptroller Binga Panunga; Treasurer, Poultry Association of Nige-ria, PAN Imo State branch, Mrs Ijeoma Nwachuckwu; Chairman of the occa-sion, Alhaji Muhammad Adam and President of PAN, Dr. Ayoola Oduntan at the2015 PAN National Summit, in Lagos.

ABUJA-THE govern-m e n t

Poland has concludedplans to partner with Nige-ria in fish production in or-der to achieve self suffi-ciency in producing thecommodity.

This was disclosed by theDeputy Minister ofEconomy of Poland,Andrzej Dycha, during acourtesy visit to the Minis-ter of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, Dr.Akinwumi Adesina inAbuja.

Dycha said his countrywas attracted by the enor-mous fish production poten-tial in Nigeria and seeks toestablish a bilateral rela-tionship where Poland willprovide modern fish pro-cessing facilities for the pro-duction of fish in Nigeria.

He said the visit was toexplore areas of interest inthe agricultural sector andalso to strengthen the ex-isting relationship betweenthe two countries.

He was accompanied bythe Polish Ambassador toNigeria, Mr. NiesioCowsles, added that bothcountries can also partnerin the area of agriculturalproduction and storage thatwill benefit them.

Responding, the Perma-nent Secretary Architect.Sonny Echono, who repre-sented the Minister of Ag-riculture and Rural Devel-opment, Dr. AkinwumiAdesina, said Nigeria waswilling to widen the exist-ing relationship with Polandin the agricultural sector inthe areas of increasing cropyields, expansion of pro-cessing facilities, packag-ing, reduction in post har-vest losses and sustainableland utilisation.

Echono further stated thatthere was need for bothcountries to also mentionedexpand production and pro-cessing of animal productsas well as establishment ofworking relationship be-tween their agricultural re-search institutions .

It will be recalled that theNigerian Research/FishingVessel MV Bayagbonawhich was commissioned in2014 by the First Lady,Dame Patience Jonathanwas built in Poland.

By Gabriel Ewepu

Poland topartnerNigeria onfishproduction

their livelihood and also beemployers of labour even throughfarming.”

She however, revealed that thewomen poultry farmers in Ogun statewould be allocated with free agriculturalproduce marketing outlets at therecently commissioned, State-ownedFarmers Mart, Asero in Abeokuta southlocal government area in order to furtherempower women farmers in the state,noting that the farmers’ mart is a rightavenue to market their produce.

Responding on behalf of otherbeneficiaries, Elizabeth Oyenumadecommended the Ministry ofAgriculture’s partnership with theBritish-American Tobacco NigeriaFoundation (BATNF), but appealed tothe partners to fast-track theempowerment process with neededmaterials and tools in addition tohuman capacity developmentorgainsed for women farmers.


CMYK

New vehicle import policy underway...as stakeholders review NAC policy, demand sustainability

By Godfrey Bivbere,Godwin Oritse &Chizoba Nwazu

THE Federal Governmentis to introduce a new

vehicle import policy that willforce importers to include theChassis number, enginenumber and VehicleIdentification number in theirimport documents to enablegovernment track the historyof every vehicle shipped intothe country.

Even as stakeholders in theNigerian maritime industryreviewed the NationalAutomotive policy on vehiclesand called for a clear cutbreakdown of the policy tomake it workable.

Disclosing the position ofgovernment in Lagos at atown hall meeting puttogether by the NationalAutomutive Council, NACand Ship and PortsCommunication, AssistantComptroller General, ACG, ofCustoms, Banke Adeyemi,said that the new policy willcommence next month.

According to the Customsboss, “On our ITC platform,we held a meeting with allshipping companiesoperating in Nigeria and thatvessels coming into Nigerialaden with cars henceforthfrom June 1, most carry thechassis number, enginenumber and VehicleIdentification number.

“If a vessel is carrying avehicle, the manifest shouldnot call it vehicle orautomobile, the real namethat the vehicle should bementioned and when yougive the chassis number,engine number and VehicleIdentification number, we areable to trace the age of the carwhich will enable us ascertainthe proper duty that is to bepaid on it.

“As time goes on, we aregoing past the era of interfacebetween stakeholders at theport because by the time webuild in your bill of ladencontaining the above into thesystem, we will be able todetermine the kind of cars andthe duty that they aresupposed to attract.

“And in our data base, thereare so many tools that arethere, we have classificationtool, valuation tools, thesystem will automatically givethe value after processing thechassis number, enginenumber and VehicleIdentification number, gettingthe appropriate age, whetherit is a prohibited import or animport that should pay the 35percent levy because the 35percent levy is another policyintroduced by government tohelp the automobile industry.”

While commending the man-agement of NAC for its effortsso far in developing the auto-mobile industry but the bosshowever stressed that thereare a few gaps that needed tobe filled by the Council.

She explained that as a resultof the absolute prohibition ofexportation of scrap metal, itis imperative for NAC to takeadvantage of the policy byinvolving the private sector inthe exploitation of that sectorof the automobile industry.

She suggested that the NACmanagement should provide adepot where scrap metal canbe collected and from where

From left: Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC;Chief Chris Orode, Maritime Consultant and Prince Olayiwola Shittu, NationalPresident of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA at afunction in Lagos.

private sector operators whorequire it can go to. She alsocalled for a data base ofavailable scrap metal in thecountry to be created the NACmanagement, as well as thenumber of private sectoroperators in the industry foreasy planning, she concluded.

Meanwhile, Chairman ofthe Port Consultative Council,(PCC), Otunba Kunle Folarinsaid that if the policy is notwell articulated, it could endup as another white elephantproject.

Folarin also said that thekey to the success of the policyis competitiveness which willeventually lead to the growth

of the automotive industry.He opined that the issue of

quality must be takenseriously in the course ofimplementing the policy.

“We must get the policy rightthis time around, the middleand low level classes ofNigerians are worst hit by thefailed automotive policy.” headded

Speaking in similar vein, theNataional Publicity Secretaryof the Association of theNigerian Licensed CustomsAgents (ANLCA), Mr. KayodeFarinto noted that the newauto policy had failed evenbefore it was brought beforestakeholders.

LADOL begins local fabrication, integration forEgina project

THE Lagos Deep OffshoreLogistics (LADOL) base has

commenced the fabrication andintegration for the $15billionEgina project being executed byTotal Upstream Nigeria inpartnership with CNOOCSapetro and Petrobras .

Disclosing to newsmen inLagos, Managing Director ofLADOL, Dr. Amy Jadesinmi saidthat the workshop, painting andassembly are ready just asfabrication will commence inanother two weeks.

Jadesinmi also said that theinvolvement of LADOL in thefabrication and integration for theEgina project is not just for thedevelopment of the priject, but forthe life time of the project.

She explained that facilities likeLADOL across the country needto be expanded so as to meet thedemand of the oil and gas andmaritimer sectors.

“Facilities like LADOLcurrently in Nigeria are notenough and the few one we haveneed to be expanded”she said

Dr Jadesinmi further explainedthat facilities like LADOL reducesthe cost of the entire Egina projectadding that it was cheaper to thefabrication and integration inNigeria than outside the country.

“We are sub-contractor toSamsung Heavy industries, weare their local partners and

Samsung has the technicalexpertise to run the project andthe fabrication and integrationpart of the Egina project is worth$300million.” she added

The Total-operated Egina hasbecome the first FPSO withintegration onshore, incompliance with the 2010Nigerian Content Act.

Contrary to the projected10,000 tons of fabrication andconstruction, Jadesinmi disclosedthat about 12,000 tons offabricated metals are expected tobe churned out annually at theLADOL base for the Eginaproject.

On the move by the FederalGovernment to create amonopoly at Intel terminals,Jadesinmi advised that whateverpartnership the governmentwant enter with Intels, let it beas transparent as possible.

She noted that the moreservicing firms like LADOL areinvolved in oil and gas projectsin Nigeria, the cheaper theseprojects become.

Conflictingcourtjudgementsnot good forjudiciary— Intels

INTELS Nigeria Limited hassaid that the conflicting

ruling by the Federal HighCourt in Port Harcourt andLagos is not a good testimonyfor the nation’s judiciary.

General Manager of Intels,Mike N. Epelle, who disclosedthis in Onne, said the Lagosruling by the same court withoutrecourse to the one earlier madeon the same matter in July lastyear in Port Harcourt, cancreate confusion as to which ofthe rulings is to be obeyed.

Epelle noted that the FederalHigh court in Port Harcourt lastyear gave a judgement infavour of Nigerian PortsAuthority, NPA and the Bureauof Public Enterprises, BPEwhen the matter was taken tocourt by one other terminaloperator challenging thelimitation of handling of oil andgas cargoes to specialisedterminals dedicated for thatpurpose alone.

The Intels boss said that thePort Harcourt judgment was notchallenged till date butwondered why the same courtshould have conflicting rulingon the same matter.

According to him, “it is quiteunfortunate that a federal highcourt sits in Port Harcourt andgives a judgement; a federalhigh court in Lagos issues anorder contrary to the judgementof the federal high court, thesame federal high court and inthe same country, there is onlyone federal high court.

“Maybe we need to look atour judicial system. The courtcannot pass a judgement; thesame court in another divisionis making another ordercontrary to subsistingjudgement of the same court, itcan lead to chaos, it can evenlead to a situation where thecitizens do not know which oneto obey or which one to follow.

“Steps are being taken to putthese things right and in theirproper perspectives,” he noted.

On the directive by the NPA,Epelle said “it is even comingrather too late. There has beena judgement by the FederalHigh court; maybe this is anopportunity to share thatinformation with all of you.There is a judgement by theFederal High court PortHarcourt some time July, 2014,in which the federal high courtpronounced on the letterswhich were written by NigerianPorts Authority, NPA and theBureau of Public Enterprises,BPE, at the time of theconcessioning exercise.

Facilities likeLADOL acrossthe country needto be expanded soas to meet thedemand of the oiland gas andmaritimer sectors

By Godfrey Bivbere

By Godwin Oritse


YOUNG Nigerians arebenefiting from Hilton

Hotel worldwide largest glo-bal career event showcasingthe many opportunities avail-able in the hospitality indus-try.

Throughout the month ofMay, Hilton Worldwide hotelsand corporate offices aroundthe globe are hosting hun-dreds of events to inform thoselooking for employment, in-cluding young people, aboutthe vast array of exciting op-portunities available to all inthe hospitality industry.

Transcorp Hilton Abuja haskeyed into the event, which

is part of Bright Blue Futures,a global program that encour-ages Team Members to do-nate their time and expertiseto help young people achievestability and bring hope totheir communities, preparingthem for a brighter future.

Participants have been join-ing Hilton Worldwide TeamMembers for events rangingfrom résumé clinics, to careerspeed-networking, as well aspresentations from TeamMembers on their careerpaths.

Since last week, TranscorpHilton Abuja, in conjunctionwith an NGO, ACE Africa

Charity, has been hostingseries of career events thatsaw students of GovernmentSecondary School Durumi,Pupils of Durumi PrimarySchool and selected youthsfrom the communities learn-ing about careers in the hos-pitality industry from theTeam Members of the hotel.

The events included CVwriting workshops, careershow, job shadowing and a10-day job internship pro-gram for 20 selected youths.

Etienne Gailliez, GeneralManagersaid, “Young peo-ple continue to face chal-lenging employment

prospects, so it is moreimportant than ever to makesure they receive informa-tion and advice about theoptions available and theskills and attributes they willneed once they embark ontheir chosen careers.”

“We are passionate aboutraising awareness of the oppor-tunities the hospitality industryoffers and we are delighted tobe doing this through one of ourbiggest ever careers eventsacross the globe.” The hotelmanagement rewarded themost outstanding youth withemployment at the end of the10-day internship programme.

HiltHiltHiltHiltHilton Hoon Hoon Hoon Hoon Hotttttel takel takel takel takel takes yes yes yes yes young Nigerians on career in hospitalityoung Nigerians on career in hospitalityoung Nigerians on career in hospitalityoung Nigerians on career in hospitalityoung Nigerians on career in hospitality

WHEN the call came fromTopCom if I will be will-

ing to join them for this year’sIndaba Travel exhibition inSouth Africa, I asked to be giv-en time to discus with my edi-tor. Though , I was at homewhen the call came through, Itold my wife that I might betravelling to Durban, SouthAfrica.

Before she uttered any word,my daughter who was sittingclose by said ‘’Daddy, don’t youknow what is happeningthere?’” . I asked what? Pre-tending not to know where shewas heading for. She answered“ Xenophobia.”

I laughed and my wife justadded, be careful. That wasthe same advice given by myDeputy Editor, Eze Anaba, “becareful.”

So, I set out on the appoint-ed date with other selectedtravel trade stakeholders forthe trip to Durban , the citywhich evokes different imagesto different people.

After making the journeyfrom the Murtala MuhammedAirport in Lagos to Oliver Tam-bo International Airport in Jo-hannesburg, aboard SouthAfrican Airways for almost sixhours, I could not wait to flyto Durban to have a deservingrest . And that was what I hadchecking into the SouthernSun Elangeni & MaharaniHotel, Durban.

Situated on the spectacularDurban beach front, SouthernSun Elangeni & Maharani isundoubtedly the brightest staron the Golden Mile.

From my room on the 29thfloor of the hotel, I woke up thefollowing morning to see thebeautiful sun splashed on thecity’s finest beach front of gor-geous stretches of goldensands, separated by artificialpiers. Tourists and locals jog-ging while some were surfing.

I didn’t know I was going toget immerse in the beauty ofthe beach, until later in the daywhen the South Africa Tourismtook the over 150 hosted jour-nalists from around the worldthat converged in the city ofDurban for the Indaba on atour.

We were split into a group offour in order to experience thebeauty of the city of Durban ina truly South Africa way. Eachof the group experience a dif-ferent face of the city and itssurroundings with activitiesranging from Shark cage, div-ing to a luxury yacht cruise, acultural and heritage immer-sion as well as rickshaw rideon the foremost beach front.

As my group of adventurersset out from the InternationalConvention Centre (ICC), wehad the fortune of having theCEO, South African Tourism,Thulani Nzima and Hollywoodactor, Hakeem Kae-Kazim.

With Kazeem posing someriddles, one of the answers tothe riddles showed that our firstpoint of call will be the famousMoses Mabhida Stadium thathosted some of the matches ofthe 2010 World Cup in SouthAfrica.

Moses MabhidaStadium tourA mere 500 steps separate

one from the city’s most spec-tacular view from the top ofthe stadium that dominates theskyline with its gorgeous archand curves. There are two waysto get to the top of the 106mhigh arch. There’s the SkyCarride for those who can’t wait toreach the top, and then thereis the Adventure Walk forthose who are up for a bit of aworkout.

As we set out for the tour ofthe stadium, some chose theadventure of going up thefamed stadium arch. As theleader of the group, Jessica, ajournalist from Australia;Nontsikelelo, a South African

based journalist and I decid-ed to join the South AfricanTourism team led by Nzima onthe leisurely 20-minute walkto the top.

As others were beingstrapped for the adventure, Ihad a change of mind, but thatdid not stop others as they setfor the big swing platform

where they took the brave leapinto the stadium bowl.

I didn’t have the guts, soalso was Nontsikelelo, whodecided to return after climb-ing the 500 steps to get to thetop.

Under the watchful eye ofqualified instructors, Nzimatook the first jump into the bluesky of Durban that sunny af-ternoon, followed by Kazeemand then Jessica. As theyjumped off , they made terri-fying sounds.

Ushaka Marine WorldThe team moved to uShaka

Marine along the beach front.uShaka Marine World in Dur-ban developed out of a visionto create a world-class enter-tainment .

uShaka Marine World Incor-porates fresh and sea water,natural materials, the re-cre-ation of a wreck of a 1940’scargo ship, with the 5th larg-est aquarium in the world byvolume of water, coupled withindigenous African imagery,

lush vegetation and maritimeimages of the Port of Durban,plus a water slides amusementpark, uShaka is a complete‘Marine World’.

The park is tastefully themedwith a focus on family enter-tainment in terms of fun, ex-citement, friendliness, image-ry, activities, education andunique experiences, groupedinto five distinct areas.

Since I failed to summonenough courage to take a jumpat the Moses Mabhida Stadi-um, I took the challenge to goshark hunting at the uShakamarine world.

The Shark cage experiencepresented a greater challengeas one immersed himself intoa world of living sharks. It wasdifficult breathing under thewater,but was encouraged byIndeewari, a fellow journalistfrom Sri Lanka, to go underwater. Some sharks circle thecage whilst others glide slowlypast. The Shark Dive is theeasiest way to get close tothese magnificent creatures.

Dolphin WorldThe beloved dolphins, in-

cluding the world-famousGambit, enthralled us withtheir grace and strength intheir new and enormous 1200-seater stadium.

We sat in the speciallydesigned viewing windowsthat enabled tourists to seethe animals both above andbelow the water.

After exploring the beauty ofthe marine world, the teamjoined the other journalists atthe KwaMuhle Museum whereeverybody was treated toentertainment of traditionalsongs and dances.

On approaching KwaMuhleMuseum one is immediatelystruck by the elegance of thearch lined veranda and largesturdy copper coveredentrance doors

As I returned to my hotelroom, I was thinking of the bestway to capture my experienceback home that Durban isindeed not about xenophobia.but a delight-somedestination.

DURBAN : Beyondxenophobia, a city of delights

By Jimoh Babatunde

Dolphin show at the uShaka Marine World. Pix by Jimoh Babatunde .

The park istastefully themedwith a focus onfamily entertain-ment in terms offun, excitement,friendliness, im-agery, activities,education andunique experienc-es, grouped intofive distinct areas

26—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

MU'AZU'S resignation wasalmost followed

immediately by that of Chief TonyAnenih from his office aschairman of the party’s Board ofTrustees, BoT. For Anenih, it wasthe second time he would bestepping down from the sameoffice as chairman of BoT, havingbeen first forced out in 2007.

This time around, Anenih in aletter to President GoodluckJonathan made public onWednesday night said hestepped down to enable thepresident take up the position ashe claimed to have verballycommunicated to the presidentearlier.

The developments in the PDPflowed from the party’s poorperformance in the recentgeneral elections.

The governors, led by theChairman of the PDP Governors’Forum and outgoing governor ofAkwa Ibom State, GodswillAkpabio; Ekiti State governor,Ayodele Fayose, PresidentGoodluck Jonathan’sPresidential CampaignSpokesman, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, had been pushing forthe sack of the Muazu ledNational Working Committee,NWC, voicing their lack ofconfidence in him and blamingMuazu and the NWC forleading the party to what theydescribed as the worst electoralperformance in Nigeria’s recentpresidential, governorship andlegislative elections.

PDP: Unending intriguesAFTER weeks of intrigues, the embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, AlhajiAdamu Ahmed Mu'azu on Wednesday finally bowed to pressure and resigned his position as chairman ofthe party.

BY HENRY UMORU

Continues on page 28

Indeed, barely twelve hours tothe resignation of Mu‘azu, ChiefFani-Kayode had on Tuesdaydemanded the sack of majorityof the members of the NWC,alleging that they betrayed thePresident.

With the pressures unrelenting,Mu‘azu’s support within theNWC was also ebbing and it wasnot a shock that on Tuesday nightit was resolved that he shouldhand in his resignation. What

threat or form of coercion thatwas used on him remains amatter of conjecture but allusionswere being made to issues thatflowed from the conduct of theprimaries among others as actsof intimidation exerted on him.

However, in going, hiscolleagues in the NWC decidedthat Anenih, who they perceivedas a threat to them should alsogo.

Few hours after Muazuresigned, Anenih’s own letter ofresignation addressed to thePresident was also received bythe PDP NWC staving off earlierthreats issued by the NWC ofdire consequences onThursday.

Prior to his resignation, therewere shuttles between Anenih’sAsokoro residence and thePresidential Villa on the need forhim to resign to allow forinjection of fresh blood into theparty.

When Mu' azu submitted hisletter, pressure was said to havebeen mounted on the BoTChairman, with some membersof the NWC said to have beensent to his house to get the letterhe wrote to the president.

In line with Article 32(2(c) ofthe Constitution of the partywhich stipulates that theChairman and Secretary of theBoT shall serve a term of fiveyears and no more, Chief Anenihwould have been left withanother two years to hold on tothe position because he waselected in 2013.

Anenih's

letter

Anenih in the letter dated May20, 2015 and titled: “Notice of mydecision to step down asChairman, Board of Trustees ofthe Peoples Democratic Party”,said that his decision wouldenable President Jonathan toassume effectively thechairmanship of the BoT.

The letter reads: “YourExcellency will recall that in aconversation I had with you a fewweeks ago, I had offered to stepdown from the office of theChairman of our party’s Boardof Trustees and proposed tohand over to you as its newChairman in a ceremony thatwould have taken place on the23rd of May, 2015. I had alsorepeated this position in oursubsequent meetings.

“As a follow up to the aboveproposal and in view of thecurrent state of affairs in ourparty, I have decided to formallyput my offer in writing to enableyou effectively assume theChairmanship of Board ofTrustees or approve a processthat will enable any othermember of the BoT who isconsidered competent, toassume the position.

“Kindly accept, therefore, thisletter as notice of my decision tostep down from the position ofChairman of the BoT of our partywith effect from today, the 20thof May, 2015.

“I am happy to inform you that,I remain a loyal foundationmember of our great party and

will continue to pray for theprosperity of Nigeria, our party,and for you and your family.

“Your Excellency, kindly acceptthe expression of my highestregards.”

Accepting his letter ofresignation, PDP NationalSecretary, Professor AdewaleOladipo who said the partyreceived the letter and waswishing him well in his futureendeavour, however, questionedAnenih’s stance that he wasresigning to allow Dr. Jonathanwho would leave office nextFriday to take over the office.

“Consequent upon theresignation, the Secretary of theBoard of Trustees, Senator WalidJibrin holds forth pending theelection of a new BoTChairman,” the nationalsecretary said in an unhiddendisavowal.

Wednesday was the secondtime that Anenih would vacatethe office albeit under conditionsnot exactly dictated by him.Almost eight years ago he wasedged out from the office byformer President OlusegunObasanjo.

Anenih became the PDP BoTchairman as he was seen as themost experienced of them all andhe came at a time the party wasfaced with major challenges,mostly from within. When hecame, his leadership contendedwith the seeming feud betweenthe presidency and the NigeriaGovernors’ Forum, NGF.

He also came at a time someloyalists of Obasanjo like ChiefBode Mustapha, PrinceOlagunsoye Oyinlola weresacked from the NWC of theparty, even as the South-Westcongresses believed to be infavour of the Obasanjo’s campwere also cancelled.

Anenih’s stewardship of theBoT came when the partyexperienced its most criticalchallenges including the

•Anenih: Resigned•Jonathan: Will he take up Anenih's offer?•Mu'azu: Forced out

Prior to hisresignation, therewere shuttlesbetween Anenih’sAsokoro residenceand thePresidential Villaon the need for himto resign to allowfor injection offresh blood into theparty

I will answer thisquestion byappealing toNigerians tosupport Buhari’sadministration and see whetherhe has or lacksthe vigour to runthe country


CAN you assess the justconcluded general elections inthe country?

It was a successful electionduring which Nigerians spokewith their votes and chose theirleaders into various electiveoffices including the office ofthe president.

The elections also laid to restthe much talked aboutdisintegration of Nigeria as acountry. We thank God formaking it possible amid fearsand apprehension. Nigeriansmust also appreciate thepersonal contribution of theout-going President, GoodluckJonathan who conceded defeateven before it was concluded.This to an extent , dousedtension across the country.

What lesson has the outcomeof the elect ions taughtNigerians?

I don’t know what lessons theelections had taught Nigerians,but personally speaking, it hasshown that there is a limit towhich we can rely on the media,including the so called socialmedia. The media hype on theelections was so high that youwill think Nigeria was going tocollapse.

To God be the glory, theelect ions have provenpessimists wrong that the mediacould speculate, create tension,but Nigerians would make uptheir mind on how to move thecountry forward.

It is also a great lesson that,in spite of what people say orwrite, God has destined whatwould happen and what wouldbe. If not that, Buhari wouldnot have emerged thepresident, if all the negativethings said about him wereanything to go by. The lessonthat I also learnt is that theNigerian electorate is now moreenlightened than before andcan differentiate between whatthey want and what they don’twant.

As one who served underBuhari what do you thinkNigerians should expect from

With Buhari it'll bebusiness unusual— SOLEYE, EX FINANCE MINISTERDR. Onaolapo Soleye, served for twenty months as minister of finance in thefederal cabinet constituted by Maj-General Muhammadu Buhari in his stint asmilitary head of state between January 1984 and August 1985. A former lecturerat the University of Ibadan, Soleye, 82, in this interview gives a personalexperience of his working relationship with Gen. Buhari affirming that changeindeed is coming Nigeria’s way from next Friday. Excerpts:

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

him?I expect discipl ine and

austerity which will later in theyears lead to buoyancy of oureconomy. I expect him to turnaround the fortune of Nigeriafor better, turning her economicwoes to economic gains for thecountry and Nigerians. I expecthim not to compromise hisfrankness, straightforwardnessand thoroughness in the nameof anything. In anything he willdo as the president, I want himto always place the interest ofNigerians and not his party, theAPC at heart.

No doubt, because he is nowa politician, his party wouldhave some elements ofinfluence on him but heshould always rememberNigerians that voted him intopower. He must not compromisecritical values he believed in likehis anti corruption stand. Underno circumstance must heconcede to people who in theirlives, they have known nothingexcept corruption. He must byhis actions and utterances letthem know that the situationhas changed.

You served as a minister offinance, under him and with theeconomic situation in thecountry today, what should bethe thrust of financial policiesyou would like Buhari to adopt?

It is not only his financialpolicies that are necessary, hemust also maintain nationalstability. There are other manyareas in our national life whichhe must address. If he wants tosucceed in office, I suggest thathe starts by addressing theinabi l i ty of many stategovernments to pay workerssalaries. Ordinarily, one maywant to say that it is not theFederal Government that isowing them, but he should notforget that he is the Presidentof the Federal Republic ofNigeria.

It is shameful and a nationaldisgrace as well as unethicaland great disservice forgovernments not to payworkers that they are using toexecute their programmes. Iurge Buhari to address the issueas soon as he assumes office.

The President-elect a lsoneeds to get the cooperation ofthe trade unions in the country.As much as workers welfareshould not be jettisoned by him.I want to canvass that thereshould not be wage increase forthe f i rs t two years of hisadministration.

Since the f i rs t two yearsshould be sacrifice, I also, wantto canvass reduction in the costof running government by at,least 50 per cent. I am of theopinion that we are, wastingmoney in running government.I find it scandalous that oursenate president earns morethan the US president. That isspendthrif t which must beaddressed. Although mysuggestion may meet with stiffopposition from members of ourNational Assembly, I think, thisis the best for Nigeria at thiscritical moment of her economiclife.

How do you want Buhari tohandle the series of newappointments by Jonathan fewweeks to his exit from office?

My reaction is that he is stillthe president and can still makeor mar irrespective of whatanybody or group says. Allthese things some people aresaying about the appointmentsJonathan is making in thetwilight of his administration are

nothing but pettiness. The taskbefore Buhari’s administrationis enormous thanappointments , this I wantNigerians to note. He can’tsucceed without nat ionalstability and discipline whichwe lead to eradicat ion orreduction of corruption in thecountry.

Do you think Buhari of todaycan still have vigour to effectthe desire change in Nigeria?

I will answer this question byappeal ing to Nigerians tosupport Buhari’sadministrat ion and seewhether he has or lacks thevigour to run the country. Assomeone who had the chanceof working with him, I know hewill run this country well.

He is a man who is highlyreligious, fears God and hasabsolute confidence in thoseworking with him. Even as amilitary head of state, he wasnot as dictatorial as many of hisadversaries want Nigerians tobelieve.

I remember very well that therewas a s i tuat ion when hecrossed the name of somebodyfrom a list of contract broughtto him for approval not by methough, but I went to him toknow the rat ionale and heexplained that he did not wantto be blackmailed. He is such aperson who carries along hissubordinates in the scheme ofthings.

There was also an incidentwhen the Chief of Air Staff tooka proposal to him to purchasealpha jets or do something.What the Chief of Staff was

expecting was that Buhari in hiscapacity as the commander-in-chief would just say ‘minister,go ahead’.

But the service chief got theshock of his life when Buhariasked him to get in touch withthe finance minister. In a militaryregime, that was s trangebecause the Chief of Air Staff,Chief of Defence Staff, andother securi ty chiefs wereexpecting the Head of State tocal l the minister and say‘Minister, call your perm sec,and see what you can do’, butinstead, Buhari would say goand convince the minister offinance.

That is Buhari’s personalityfor you and I don’t think he haschanged. So, I expect thosewho will work with him to bearthis in mind. As much as he willhave confidence in them, theymust know, that, they will beunder careful monitoring andmake sure that they don’tbetray the confidence he willrepose in them.

Should Buhari probe theoutgoing administration ofPresident GoodluckJonathan?

To me, probe is diversionaryand when you talk about it, youcontinually look back, whenactually you are supposed to bemoving ahead. Probe wastes alot of time and I want to advisethat Buhari should lookelsewhere. But If in the courseof running the country, hecrushes people along his way, Iam sure he wil l have the

•Soleye: Buhari needs national stability to work



With Buhari, God has visitedNigeria — Okafor, Rep-elect

PDP: Unending intrigues

With Buhari it'll be businessunusual — SOLEYE, EX FINANCE MINISTER

Continues from page 27

Continued from page 26

MR. Chike Okafor, aformer Commissioner forFinance in Imo State saysthat people of questionablepedigree may not makeGen Muhammadu Buhari’scabinet list. He also spokeon other issues. Excerpts:

DO you think that democraticinstitutions have the

capacity to tackle corruptiongiven their activities in the last16 years?

No institution was designed toencourage corruption but whatwe have had over the years isabsence of quality leadership. Inrecent times, conscious effortshave not been made to fightcorruption. That is regrettable.

The question is, do we havethe right people heading theinstitutions? We need aPresident, who is ready to fightcorruption. Working with theright people in the legislature isalso important. We need to havea President, who will work withthe legislature and judiciary tofight corruption.

Apart from that, we need tohave the right leadership in thestates and local governmentswho must also be on the samepage with the right leadershipat the federal level. God hasvisited Nigeria through theelection of Buhari, we know hisantecedents and have no doubtabout his capacity.

Going by the combined effortsof different politicians whoensured his victory, do you thinkBuhari would be fearless in thefight against graft?

If he has a minister who isfound guilty of corruption, he isexpected to fire the minister.Every institution that is corruptwill be sanitized.

His War Against Indisciplinesucceeded then even withoutdemocratic institutions. Nowthere are institutions like theNational Assembly and judiciary

that will provide checks andbalances.

Nigerians are tired ofcorruption and impunity andthey have elected a leader whois also prepared to work for them.They know him to beincorruptible. The man who isgoing to emerge as SenatePresident, Speaker of theHouse of Representatives andother principal officers of the twochambers already know what toexpect from Buhari and theexpectation of the averageNigerian.

They know that the right thingto do is to complement the effortsof the President.

On possible impeachmentshould Buhari becomeauthoritarian

No one can use the legislatureto checkmate a man who is onthe right track. Nigerians are nolonger naive. We are no longerstupid. For instance if thepresident says he will notdisobey traffic rules, will theNational Assembly say no that?

This is a man, who will onassumption of office, dissolveall institutions and appoint

Nigerians with integrity to headthem. It is not for you to use yourpowers as a legislator to fight thepolicies and visions ofgovernment that appears to beon the right path.

Do you think the anticorruption agencies aspresently constituted are strongenough to fight corruption?

We are going to follow theconstitution and there is nowhere in that corruption islegalised. If he needs a newlegislation, he can send a bill tothe National Assembly. Butlooking at our existing anticorruption laws, there aresections that are draconian.Those sections can be lookedinto.

The laws are there and whatwe need to do is to apply them.We have the Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission,the Independent CorruptPractices and Other RelatedOffences Commission, theSpecial Fraud Unit of theNigerian Police and otheragencies saddled with theresponsibility of tacklingcorruption.

•Fayose: Welcomedexit


By Johnbosco Agbakwurudefection of five governors elected on the platform of the party.

He was the National Campaign Adviser of the PDP for the 2015Presidential election and played stabilising and interventionist rolesduring the campaigns especially when things were not going well,he was said to have intervened severally, but unfortunately, the PDPlost the election.

Undoubtedly, Anenih has left office with one major wish yetunrealised. That is his failure to realign his native Edo State to thePDP. It was expected that he would use his influence as BoT chairmanto influence the political developments leading to the 2016governorship election. Not a few in the camp of Governor AdamsOshiomhole in Edo State would rejoice and gloat over thedevelopment.

Muazu came on board in January 2014 to replace Alhaji BamangaTukur, who himself, came on board March 24, 2012.

Mu'azu came on a rescue mission at a point the party was severelybleeding on account of the problems that arose during Tukur’sleadership of the party.

The problems were climaxed during the August 31st SpecialConvention organised to right the wrongs that were made duringthe March 2012 National Convention when the party split into twoparallel NWC, when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and fivenorthern governors staged a walk out. They later addressed a pressconference to announce the formation of what they tagged new PDP.

The former Acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji AbubakarKawu Baraje named himself the National Chairman with Sam Jajabecoming Deputy National Chairman and Prince OlagunsoyeOyinlola the National Secretary.

The governors who stormed out of the Convention venue wereSule Lamido of Jigawa; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Aliyu Babangidaof Niger; Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto state; Musa RabiuKwankwaso of Kano; and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa.Followingthe irreconcilable nature of these problems, governors AbdulfatahAhmed of Kwara; Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto state; MusaRabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and ChibuikeAmaechi of Rivers dumped the party for the opposition, All ProgressiveCongress, APC, leaving Sule Lamido of Jigawa and Aliyu Babangidaof Niger behind.

Unfortunately, Muazu who came to help put the party right andwas called a game changer, could not change things as he could notbring back the governors who left the party. There were also subtlesigns of discord within the NWC as he was accused by some of thenational officers of running a running a one man show.

Lack of internal democracy andindiscipline continued duringMu‘azu’s stewardship and wasclimaxed by the adoption of theright of first refusal in which theparty made a mockery of internaldemocracy by adopting Dr.Jonathan as a consensuspresidential candidate.

Even though almost everyoneopenly supported the right of firstrefusal, within,it never really wentdown well with most peopleespecially from the north and thisbecame a scar in the party thatnever healed. Some of thegovernors also had their way infoisting unpopular candidates onthe party and this led to thedumping of the party for the APC. The PDP lost in such stateswhere candidates weresupposedly imposed on thepeople before the very eyes of Muazu as in Adamawa, Niger, Katsina,Jigawa, among others.

There were allegations that Muazu betrayed the PDP and workedagainst Jonathan, just as there were issues raised relating tomisappropriation of funds before the very eyes of Muazu. Before hisvery eyes, PDP lost woefully in his home state, Bauchi State wherehe served as governor for eight years, a state where the Minister ofthe Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Senator BalaMohammed and Governor Isa Yuguda were said to be on ground.

Muazu’s resignation on Wednesday as chairman of PDP was areplay of the past tortuous history of the PDP. Since the party came topower, only two chairmen, Barnabas Gemade, who was refused asecond term and Ahmadu Ali, served out the stipulated term in officewithout a forced removal.

Many others were humbled out of power through intimidation andblackmail. One weapon of intimidation used in coercing a number of

Okafor: Nigerians are tired of corruption

cooperat ion of Nigeriansinstead of probe.

How do you want him to handlethe problematic oil subsidy andpower sector?

As a former minister in chargeof ministry of petroleum, he willknow how to handle the issue. But I want to appeal to him tohandle the issue with nationalinterest.

Do you think Buhari has the

skill to fight politicians whomade him president?

There is a limit to decadencethat Buhari wil l tolerate ,whether anybody or groupfinanced his election or not.Having worked with him, I knowhe is a very disciplined andcourageous man.

Let us wait and see whetherhe could do that or not, but if itis the same Buhari that I workedwith as f inance minister,

politicians should not expectbusiness as usual.

I am sure he will not fightthem, but he will let them seereasons why certain thingscannot be going on. So,Nigerians should brace up foraustere period if they wantNigeria to be a better country.They must be ready tocooperate with him as well asready to make unconditionalsacrifice.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015—29

IT is just another week to thechange-over to a new

administration following theunexpected defeat of the rulingparty, the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP). The victoriousparty, All Progressives Congress(APC), under the leadership ofa former army general anddictator, Muhammadu Buhari,who appeared to have become aborn again into a world ofenviable and delightfuldemocracy, looks fully ready. The assumption is that Buharicould turn out to be a genuinedemocrat.

It should be a moment ofhappiness for those who haveclamoured for a ‘change‘ (whichhas happened) to expressthemselves in a fruitful re-examination of past political andeconomic policies which seemedto have hampered national unityand rapid economicdevelopment. In that context,re-appraisal should not beinterpreted to mean a wholesalecondemnation of previousaccomplishments of the previousgovernments.

Of recent, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the CoordinatingMinister for the Economy andMinister of Finance, has beenbusy defending the record ofJonathan government inbuilding a virile economy andleaving a sound legacy behind. There is no doubt that the presentadministration has tried itspossible best, and that theFinance Minister has beenoutstanding in managing a verydifficult but stubborn economy. If positive economic results arepaltry, the fault may necessarilybe somewhere else. The ideaof a change, it is generally

Change for political unity andeconomic devtassumed, may be a way to findthe missing link betweenabundant mineral and humanresources and prosperity.

Some observers point outalways that there should be nodirect link between Nigeria andpoverty since the country isblessed with all factors that makefor economic development. Since 1960, various governments(military and civilian) have

promised a glorious era ofpolitical and economic stability,but that goal is elusive and fastlyreceding. There is that necessityas an under-developed(developing) nation to escapefrom the old vicious circle of lowlevel of income, low level ofsaving, low level of investment,low level of output and low levelof income. It therefore, wouldrequire a combination of prudentfiscal and commonsensemonetary measures to moveaway from poverty into anamazing prosperity.

An observable mistake of theoutgoing government is itspathetic failure to integrate themonetary and fiscal policies topave the smooth way towardseconomic development andprosperity. However, it is oftenclaimed by the supporters of thepresent government that the goalof macro-economic stability hasbeen achieved with price andforeign exchange stabilityrecorded.

In fairness to them, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has piloted the state of theeconomy towards a level of

stability with a tolerable growthrate of about 4 per cent, inflationrate of less than 10 per cent andstable exchange rate of N165/$ in2014. However, in 2015 theyear of the elections, exchangerate worsened to about N200/$ inthe black market (official rate isN197), inflation rate rose to 8.7per cent (from 8 per cent in 2014),and unemployment figure wasconfigured at about 29 per cent(worst among youths). It couldbe said that yes, there was aperiod when macro-economicstability was achieved in 2014, butat a huge cost of highunemployment, electric epilepsy,closure of manufacturing plantsand general insecurity. In thepursuit of price stability, themonetary policy of thegovernment has created greatdistortion in the economy andaffected steady growth. It isnecessary to allow prices to risein order to allow for economicgrowth – a tolerable price risewould be necessary in some cases.

A more glaring fault of theeconomic policy of the presentgovernment has been its failure

to adhere to one of Dr. Heller‘sfundamental principles ofeconomic development – toreduce, where they exist, theextreme inequalities in wealth,income and consumptionstandard which undermineproductive efficiency, offendjustice and indirect politicalstability. There is no doubt thatNigeria today, is that of extremewealth and abject poverty –where lush green and lovelyestates lie side by side with slumsand shanties (abode of manyNigerians). That descriptiondoes not fit in nicely with thedreams of many citizens as atIndependence in 1960.

The dismal picture paintedabove is to show vividly thatbeyond the glamorous chant of“change” (which has nowhappened), there isresponsibility of action, to befollowed later by accountability. The searching light has beenluminously beamed on the socialand economic misfortunes of theoutgoing administration, whichmeans that the nextadministration will not beclueless.

In an era of dwindling oilrevenue to the federalgovernment, the newadministration will face the riskof reducing expenditure in theface of ceaseless demands (aspromised during electioncampaigns). The false policy willbe that of reducing capitalexpenditure, thereby, deepeningrecession and increasingunemployment and poverty. The right policy is that whichtailors expenditure to income byreducing wasteful spending ongovernance.

There is nodoubt thatNigeria today, isthat of extremewealth andabject poverty –where lushgreen and lovelyestates lie sideby side withslums andshanties

Orji is leaving behindhappier people in Abia— Ntoh Abia Finance Commissioner

By Dapo Akinrefon

WHAT are some of thethings Governor

Theodore Orji is leaving behindas he winds up hisadministration?

So far so good, it will be a joyfulexit because the Ochendogovernment has fulfilledpromises made. This is agovernment that is leavingbehind peace, justice, equityand fair play.

You can see that before, theUkwa Ngwa bloc wascomplaining of marginalisation,and this government said no,that they are part of the state;that they cannot be strangers intheir own land. Abia North andCentral have taken their share,and it is now the turn of the AbiaSouth zone to take their ownshot. You can see how someenemies of progress werekicking, but today the people inthe state are happy that justicehas prevailed.

ABIA State Commissioner for Finance, Dr Phillip Ntoh, inthis interview, talks about what the outgoing governmentof Theodore Orji left behind for his successor and how theincoming Federal Government should treat Ndigbo.Excerpts:

Aside the happiness andpeace fully established, thelegacy projects of thisgovernment, doted round theentire state, speak volumes.

The government is alsoleaving behind financialstability. Abia today is a statethat is financially stable.

Some other states went to thebond market, but Abia neverwent to any money market toborrow money or to sell bond.All that we did was to serviceloans which we inherited frompast administrations. So we areleaving behind a stablegovernment, a state withoutgodfatherism. If you know Orji,you will know that immediatelyhe hands over, it’s over for him,unless you invite him for anyadvice. Of course he will be fullyengaged in Abuja as a senator,unlike some godfathers withnothing to do unless with statetreasury.

When Governor Orji came onboard, he inherited so muchthat in the first one month, you

saw a situation that the bankswere coming for renegotiationof loans. The in-cominggovernor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu,will not face such mess, as he isstarting from a very soundfooting.

What he only needs to do is tohit the ground running becausehe is inheriting a very stablestate, one that is financiallystable. We are leaving behindpeople that are happy. It is thereason you see everybodycelebrating him.

Do you think the in-cominggovernor has what it takes tosustain Orji’s legacy projects?

Yes, Ikpeazu can sustain thelegacy of the Ochendoadministration. I don’t have anydoubt in my mind that he willdo well. Government like youknow is a continuum.

His government will not be likethe one Orji inherited where thetransition was not smooth. But

PDP: Unending intrigues

what we will have now is a verysmooth transition, it’s just for himto continue to concretise on whatis on the ground. Abians madethe right choice by voting forhim.

The major opposition in thestate, All Progressives GrandAlliance (APGA), said it willchallenge the result of thegovernorship election at thetribunal. Do you have anyproblem with that?

I think it is one of theattributes of politics in under-developed countries. The onlyperson that did something thatis western is PresidentGoodluck Jonathan thatcongratulated his opponent(Buhari) even before theelection result was finallydeclared. So I will call on otherNigerian politicians to emulatehim. What he did showsstatesmanship, it shows thelove he has for his country.

I am not surprised, but one isconfident that the tribunal willdo its work. There is no doubtthat Ikpeazu will win anytime,anywhere. He is equally lovedby the people.

them out of office was the charge of corruptiongiven that about half of those who occupied theoffice had charges of corruption hanging overthem before entering the office.

After the resignation of Muazu, Fani- Kayodewho noted that he has been vindicated, however,insisted on a total overhaul of the party with theresignation of other members of the NWC for

the party to return to its former glory. “I am glad that about seven hours after I said

somebody should resign, somebody listenedand stepped down. Every single one of themshould go.”

With the position of Fani- Kayode and othersthat most members of the NWC must go andwith the festival of resignation in the PDP, thequestion is who is next on the board to stepaside, resign or be sacked.


•Ntoh: Ikpeazu is startingfrom a sound footing

CMYK

CMYK



By Ebun Sessou

Can you refresh your memoryon what your world was likebefore and after the kidney

transplant?Before the kidney transplant, I tried

to handle the problem privately. Atfirst, I spent over N5 million tomanage it. Some people also assistedme, especially Lagos Stategovernment which gave me the sumof N16 million for the transplant. Butthe real battle started after thetransplant. The impression we usallyhave, is that once the transplant iscarried out, the trouble is over. It is adifferent experience here because oncethe transplant is done, you woulddiscover that you have to maintain thatkidney every month with almost athousand dollars. For some people,the drugs don’t help much because itis a lifetime thing. And it depends onhow financially stable you are tomaintain the kidney. Some canmaintain it for as long as 15 to 20 years,while many others don’t survivebeyond two to three years. It dependson your maintenance culture.

For you, what is the challenge?It is the challenge that comes with

everybody that has a transplant whichis maintenance. The drugs and yourhygiene level has to be extremely highbecause your immune system is downby the reason of the drugs you aretaking and the challenge comes withdifferent things. For instance,someone like me who is not diabetic,by the reason of the drugs I am taking,my glucose level has started rising.

And by the reason of those drugs, Ihave to be using insulin. So, it comeswith its own side effects and differentpackages. Although everybody hasdifferent experience, it is impossibleto live without one or two challenges.To maintain that balance is not easy.

How many months were you downwith kidney failure?

Before the transplant, it was overthree years. I was maintaining it onmy own for three years. It was not atthe stage where I needed thetransplant. Mine was borne out of theresult of blood pressure caused by mybad sleeping patterns. Whether youlike it or not, the body needs some restand if you deprive it of rest, you willdefinitely develop High BloodPressure. That was what caused myproblem. Some people develop heartand kidney problem at the same timewhich is more complicated . But I wasnot in that category. I started sufferingfrom kidney failure about five yearsago.

You said your problem emanatedfrom the fact that you were not havinga enough rest. What could have been

responsible for that, considering theliving condition in this country?

Research indicated that one out ofseven people is predispose to renalfailure. And the number is increasingper day. Some are even at the stagewhere it could be curbed, but theywouldn’t know because of our attitudeto health.

Our lifestyle pattern is built with

stress and if we don’t have an effectivesupport system to curb the stress,then, we are in serious trouble. So, itis something I believe that as apeople, we have to adjust our stresspattern. For instance, before mykidney collapsed, I used to sleepbetween 3.30 a.m and 7 a. m becauseI believe in hard-work. Everything, Ihave achieved in life is through hard-work. No god-father or connection ofall sort. All I have is my name which Iworked for it. I was over working thebody without undergoing medicalexaminations.

It is a common knowledge thatartistes indulge in excessive drinkingand smoking which predispose themto series of health problems?

I won’t totally agree, although it ispart of it. At the same time, I won’tadvise people to indulge in recklessdrinking because there are otherorgans that can be damaged includingthe liver. People should learn to dothings in moderation including thefood we eat. For instance, I stoppeddrinking seven years ago and when

AFTERMAAFTERMAAFTERMAAFTERMAAFTERMATH OF MY KIDNEY TRANSPLANTTH OF MY KIDNEY TRANSPLANTTH OF MY KIDNEY TRANSPLANTTH OF MY KIDNEY TRANSPLANTTH OF MY KIDNEY TRANSPLANT:::::

I spend almost$1000 monthlyto stay alive—OJB JezreelTalented singer and producer, Babatunde Okungbowaa.k.a OJB Jezreel who underwent a kidney transplantin India, two years ago, was recently hit with a negativestory that he’s suffering from another kidney failure.In this interview with WG, OJB explains thecircumstances that gave rise to the rumour, and whatlife has been after the transplant.

Whether you like itor not, the body needssome rest and if youdeprive it of rest, youwill definitely developHigh Blood Pressure.That was whatcaused my problem

Wizkid, YemiAlade battle withChris Brown,Nicki Minaj at2015 BETawards

Is it back to thebasics withBlackberry Classic?


Synopsis

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they checked on me, there wasnothing wrong with my liver.

Recently, news went viral online thatyou were down with kidney relateddisease again. How did you receivethe news?

Initially, when I heard about it, Ilaughed over it because I just returnedfrom India. I run a foundation wherewe invite experts from India to runfree screening on people so as to knowtheir renal status. After my trip fromIndia, I went to Calabar for one or twomeetings and on my way back, I heardthat I was on the hospital bed. I hadto be checking myself to be sure that,I was not dreaming. So, I laughed atthe whole thing initially. But, whenthe news persisted, then I felt therewas need to respond so that my fansknow that I am fine. I think, theproblem emanated from the fact thatpeople don’t know that, once youundergo a kidney transplant, youmust be going for regular check-ups,having at the back of your mind thatyour immune system is very low. So,anything can happen. Sometimes, youare advised to stay in the hospital fortwo days so as to take your anti-bioticto clear your body. You don’t use theregular anti-biotic and it is a normalthing to do. That was why I was sodisappointed that people did notcheck their facts before publishing thestory online. Any kidney transplantpatient is expected to be in thehospital every month, while for some,it is every week depending on theseverity of your case. The last time Iwent for check-up was a month ago. Ispent two days in the hospital becauseof infection. We were warned on howwe shake hands with people at socialgatherings and as a celebrity, I cannotrefrain myself from hand-shakes. Thewriters went ahead to say that, theyspoke to some doctors who confirmedthat I was down with kidney failureagain. It’s a libelous statement. I wassurprised how the whole story cameabout and I feel that people shouldcheck their facts before publishingtheir stories.

How would you describe your stateof health?

I am far better than the way I wasbefore the transplant. Although it isimpossible to say, you are completelyfine. I am hopeful. Kidney transplantis not the end of it. And I am lookingforward to next year when I will becelebrating my golden jubilee. And Ibelieve nothing will stop it.

What’s your daily routine like afterthe transplant?

I walk around the compound onehour everyday. I do a lots ofvegetables. The first meal I have everymorning is cucumber or garden eggs.

I eat in moderation. My water contentis 70 percent which is more than everyother thing.

I don’t take alcohol. I rest more noweven if I am not feeling sleepy. So,everything has changed about me. Ichoose what I do now unlike in the pastwhen I engage in all sorts of jobs. Apartfrom my health challenge, I am notgetting younger anymore. I will be 50years next on July 4. So, I don’t seemyself competing with the young oneson stage.

Are you insinuating that, yourcondition has affected your career?

Not at all. The point I’m making isthat I am a father and I am happy tosee my children growing in the industry.I devote most of my time now to takecare of my health and also, to evolvefrom being an artiste to producer andexecutive director. Now, I think moreof owing the stage; to be at thebackground and that’s what ishappening. It is no longer business asusual. It’s more of project now.

...And your other plans?I run a foundation called OJB

Foundation. It is borne out of myexperience as a kidney transplantpatient. Now, we run a free screeningon people to know their status. We alsosponsor dialysis for patients. We aretrying to use the opportunity to push apressure group to government. Kidneytransplant is very expensive and themaintenance is a lifetime thing. Wehave written a proposal to the federalgovernment but we are yet to get aresponse. We are hoping that theincoming government would listen tous. At least, the dialysis should be fullysponsored by the federal government.It is a big project for individual toembark upon.

So, what lesson did you learn fromyour experience?

I learn to take life more seriously.When I was a little younger, I can’timagine dying. I don’t think, it waspossible to die but with this experience,I realized that you can just die like that.We were fifteen that went through thetransplant but we were not more thaneight patients that survived the ordeal.. Now, I value each day as it passesand appreciate God for His mercies.

I spend almost$1000 monthlyto stay alive

Ooops! Noah is Gone is an end-of-the-world children’s comedy that tellsthe “untold story of the animals thatdidn’t get on the ark” through the eyesof land-based Nestrian Dave and hisson Finny.

Directed by Toby Genkel and SeanMcCormack at Ulysses Filmproduktionin Hamburg, Germany, the film is aEuropean co-production that alsoinvolves Moetion Films (Ireland),Fabriqued’Images (Luxembourg), andGrid Animation (Belgium).

Oops! Noah Is Gone

CMYK


EIGHT contemporaryAfrican artistes including

Wizkid, Yemi Alade, Sarkodiefrom Ghana, and Aka from SouthAfrica have been nominated forBest International Act fromAfrica at this year’s edition of theprestigious BET awards.

The organizers of the awardannounced the nominees duringthe week. Other nominees areThe Soil(South Africa),Stonebwoy (Ghana), Fally Ipupa(Democratic Republic of Congo)and Sauti Sol (Kenya). Inaddition, Tanzanian supermodelMillen Magese (Tanzania) hasbeen awarded the inaugural‘Global Good Award’ inrecognition of her philanthropicefforts in Africa.

The BET Awards 2015premieres simultaneously onBET(DStv channel 129)andBET2 (DStv channel 135 andGOtv channel 23) on Tuesday 30June.

However, Chris Brown andNicki Minaj lead the BETAwards with an impressive sixnominations. Chris Brown isnominated for ‘Best Male R&B/Pop Artist,’ two separate nods inthe ‘Best Collaboration’ category,two nominations in the ‘Video ofthe Year ’ category and the‘Viewers’ Choice Award.’ NickiMinajis nominated ‘BestCollaboration’, ‘Best Female HipHop Artist’, ‘Video of theYear ’,two nominations for‘Viewers’ Choice Award’ and‘Best Group’ as a member ofYoung Money.Beyoncéand LilWayneround it out with fournominations each. Beyoncé isnominated for ‘Best Female R&B/ Pop Artist’, ‘Video of the Year’,‘Video Director of the Year’, andthe coveted ‘Viewers’ ChoiceAward’.Lil Wayne is nominated

Wizkid, Yemi Aladebattle with Chris Brown,Nicki Minaj at 2015 BETawards

TO usher in the Pentecost on May 24, the Felicia MichaelSoS Foundation, House of Ogugua Michael Egbumokei

and Yellow Craig holds the season 2 of Catholic PraiseConcert,CPC, tomorrow’s evening at the University of Lagos(UNILAG) Main Auditorium.

Themed ‘Dare to Praise’, the concert will kick off with theHoly Mass.

Nigeria’s leading and brightest prospects for Gospelmusician, Kenny K’Ore, Prisca D Nightingale, FLO Rocka, DeSupreme Gospel According to Dance (DESUGAD), GoodyBama Orchestra, Peace Makers, The Resurrection Choir, AxiosChoir, St. Cecilia Choir Unilag, Kellar Thrillz-Fix Crew, amongothers will perform at the event.

The concert is part of the organizers’ own way of ushering inthe Pentecost which come up on May 24.

More interesting for the concert is the involvement of twotwins, Kenny and Prisca. Both are ‘latter’ twins (second intheir respective sets).

Dare to Praise drawsstars to UNILAG

for ‘BestCollaboration’,‘Videoof theYear ’,‘Viewers’Choice Award’,and ‘Best Group’as a member ofYoung Money.

This year alsomarks a specialmilestone for theBET Awards as itcelebrates its 15th

anniversary at theNokia Theatre onSunday 28 June.

The networksrecognizes artists,entertainers, and athletesacross 20 categories with theBETAwards 2015nominations. Thenominations are selected byBET’s Voting Academy, which iscomprised of fans andentertainment professionals inthe fields of television, film, music,social media, digital marketing,sports journalism, publicrelations, and the creative arts.

“This year ’s nomineesshowcase a diverse group oftalent that includes longstandingentertainers, breakoutperformers, and outstandingathletes,” said Stephen Hill,BET’s President of Programming.“We congratulate all of the talenton their remarkable contributionsto the world of entertainment andlook forward to them joining usin celebrating 15 years of the BETAwards.”

Added Alex Okosi, Senior VicePresident & Managing Director,VIMN Africa, “We are thrilledthat African artists and achieversare once again given this globalplatform to celebrate theircontribution to African andAfrican-American culture throughour BET Awards franchise.”

THE Lagos InternationalJazz Festival may have come and

gone, but memories of the three daysevent, which ran from April 30 throughMay 2, will linger in the minds of thosewho were part of the historic festival.

Held at the Freedom Park, Onikan,Lagos, the show boasted of four stageswhere over a 100 artistes took turns toperformed their hit songs.With the likesFemi Leye, Jimi Sholanke, Fabianmounting the stage to thrill jazz musiclovers, the show proved to be anexperience of a life time. Unlike theprevious editions, this year ’s wassymbolic in many ways as RashidLombard, the founder of the Cape TownInternational Jazz Festival, was on handto spice up the show, ensuring that themegacity of Lagos was integrated into theglobal jazz tourism circuit.

Leading the pack of jazz musicians atthe show was a Nigeria-Internationalmaster percussionist and two-timeGrammy winner, Lekan Babalola whoalongside Herbert Kunle Ajayi, DanielIsele, Biodun Batik, Prince Eji Oyewole,Jimi Solanke among other celebrated

How Jimi Solanke, Femi Leye,others rocked the stage

•Jimi solanke on stage

LAGOS INT’L JAZZ FESTIVAL:

By Iyabo Aina musicians caused jazz fever on the audience withtheir old tunes.

The show was kicked off with a screening offilm facilitated by the American Embassy entitled,‘Legends Of Jazz. Therafter there was a lectureseries delivered by Rashid Lombard titled ‘Jazzfestivals as a driver for tourism and economicgrowth’ and veteran broadcaster and Jazz criticBenson Idonije also gave a paper titled ‘Thepower and essence of Jazz – Fela as casestudy’.Ayoola Sadare shared his journey into the worldof Jazz from 2005 till date. Later in the day acocktail was held in honour of the Jazz impresarioand special guest of honour that had music loversand others dignitaries, friends and well wishersin attendance.

•Wizkid

•Chris Brown

•Yemi Alade

•Nicki Minaj

CMYK

# TrendingVanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015—33

Osuofia steps outwith daughters!Comic-actor, Nkem Owoh popularly known as Osuofia was all

smiles during the week when he stormed Upfront BookingsAgency in Lagos, accompanied with his beautiful daughters to renewhis endorsement deal with the telecommunications giant, MTN. Thisis the first time, the actor will step out with daughters. In a photouploaded online, Osuofia posed with his daughters, indicating thathe’s really enjoying fatherhood. Last week, the likes of Tiwa Savage,Don jazzy, Iyanya, Banky W, Harrysong among others renewed theirdeals with MTN.

Thumbs upfor D’banj !D’banj’s profile is steadily on the rise at the

international scene.President of World Bank,Mr Jim Kim earlier in the week commended themusic star for dedicating his latest song,“Extraordinary” to Women empowerment andraising awareness about poverty and other relatedissues. The song was dropped a week ago.

Jim Kim wrote about D’banj on his Linkedinpage: ‘I recently met one of Nigeria’s mostdynamic performers, the singer-songwriter,D’Banj. Last year, D’Banj spearheaded acampaign urging African governments to increasetheir investments in agriculture. This year, hedevoting his attention to the African Union’s Yearof Women Empowerment. I am honoured, D’banjis the first artiste to participate in our new series,“Music4Dev”, encouraging global artistes to raiseawareness about poverty and related issues.”

It would be recalled that D’banj was one of theworld stars who performed at the World Bank’sEarth Day event in Washington a few weeks back.He premiered the new song shortly after the eventas the first artist to participate in the World Bank’snew series, ‘#Music4Dev.’

Uche Ogbodoon her birthday‘I have no regrets’

Nollywood actress, Uche Ogbodo was a year olderlast weekend. And to celebrate her birthday,the controversial actress took to her facebook

page to share her joy with fans.Recounting her story, she wrote, “The year 2015 has

brought me hope and lots of happiness. For the lessonsI learnt along the way, I have no regrets. Rather, I havelearnt to stand taller no matter what may come to me.It’s a new year for me. A new hope, a new opportunityto soar. I am thankful to God for the gift of life, myprecious daughter, my supportive family,my verywonderful friends and ever supportive fans. This day isso special to me and I shall live to remember all thelove I got in one day. Chai! { dancing Shoki} ????.”

Though, Uche has moved on, her fans are stillwondering loudly whether she will ever reconcile withher ex-hubby, Ato Ubby. Sorry! The actress once vowednever to have anything to do with her past.

Tiwa Savage’sscam alert

Barely five months after Tiwa Savage’simpostor reportedly duped a politician andManaging Director of a Lagos-based travel

agency, the sum of N500,000, to perform at hispolitical declaration party, the heavily pregnantsongstress has raised alarm following another fakeTwitter account.

Her verified account on Twitter being@TiwaSavage, the Mavin records first lady duringthe week warned her fans to beware of a fakeaccount with the handle: @Tiwa_Savage1. “Guys,this is a fake handle: @Tiwa_Savage1.”Highlifesinger Flavour and Reekado Banks have initiallyissued scam alerts on accounts impersonating themon social media,”, she tweeted.

After three years of ground breakingsuccess at its flagship location along

Olosa Street, Victoria Island, the conceptstore L’Espace will be moving to a newlocation within Victoria Island and will nowbe run solely by co-founder, IsokenOgiemwonyi.

The first multi-brand concept store whichlaunched in 2011, was co-founded byWonuola Okoye and Isoken Ogiemwonyi andis purely dedicated to Nigerian fashiondesign, beauty and lifestyle, creating a

solid platform for both emerging andestablished brands. It was created after asuccessful three years of Le Petit Marche -the foremost Nigerian designers market in2009 driving discovery and bridging the

fashion retail distribution gap in Nigeria.“It’s been an incredible six year journey in

deepening our visions to impact the NigerianFashion Industry,” the co-founders said in astatement. “We look forward to theadvancement of the Nigerian Fashionindustry which we are both passionateabout.”

The current flagship store L’Espace will beclosed for business in preparation for the newchapter which kicks off in July.

L’Espace closesshop, relocates

•Uche

•Tiwa Savage •D’ Banj

Wonuola Okoye

CMYK


By ANINO AGANBI

WHAT is Lagos statedoing to reducematernal mortality?

I am an ambassador ofmaternal and child mortalityreduction in Lagos state. Wehave to thank the govern-ment that has put a lot ofthings in place. There arehealth centers all over thelocal government andLCDAs. Basically the healthcenters must know theirlimitations so that wherethere are complications, theycan be taken to the generalhospitals instead of every-body rushing down to thegeneral hospitals resultingin long waits. We continueto educate and enlightenour people. The governmenthas put a lot of things inplace like jingles and otherstuffs on TV to tell peoplewhat the government isdoing.

People find it easier tovisit the traditional caregiver, what can be done toaid them in reducingmaternal mortality?

There has also been acommittee put in place thatworks with the traditionalbirth givers especially forthose who do not want togive birth in hospitals orthose that believe in thetraditional way of delivery.

Maternalhealth ispriority inLagos State- Funmi Tejuosho

Maternalhealth ispriority inLagos State- Funmi Tejuosho

The risk of maternal mortality in Nigeria has, to a very largeextent, made a lot of people sit up, take notice and look out forwomen who are expectant mothers. This has enabled the publichealth sector through the aid of the Lagos State Government doeverything within its power to reduce the mortality rate ofmothers and also that of infants. Hon. Olufunmi Tejuosho,(Lagos State House of Assembly) airs her views with Lipstick onan issue that weighs heavily in the minds of others.

We also educate thosetraditional care givers sothey can also know theirlimitations and not wait untilit becomes a sorry state. Wetell them what things to lookout for so they know theycannot handle that thinganymore and then they can

now refer that patient ormother to the hospital.These things have helped inreducing those casualtiesthat we have been having.The care givers have to beregistered so you just don’tgo to any care giver that isnot registered. You have todo ante natal and all otherthings to get yourselfprepared for child birth.

Are there things put inplace to prepare women forsafe delivery?

There is also a kit given toexpectant mothers so theycan have what is needed forthe day of delivery. All thosethings are sterilized and putin packages so that whenthey are needed they can beopened and put to use. Theyalso put us as ambassadorsto monitor these things andto see how things are goingin your local governmentand other local governmentsthat are near you becausethe nearer the better andeasier. We need to knowwhere the boundaries are tobe able to understand thosewe can easily reach. We arealso supposed to let themknow the importance ofgoing to the hospital andchecking their blood pres-sure and knowing the signsof swollen ankles amongothers. It also helps themunderstand that breastfeed-

ing also helps in puttingimmunity into the child.

Those are the kind ofthings we continuously tellthe mothers in our constitu-ency. The state governmentalso has town hall meetingsthroughout the year to makesure they understand whatthe mortality issue is.

Are there laws in placeand what are the challengesensuring these laws areeffective?

Yes, we have the laws onhealth and they are veryclear. We have to under-stand that when you go tothe clinic and you have togo to the General Hospital,they will refer you to theGeneral Hospital and youalso do not need to pay. It’seasier to go through theproper process. The peoplein those clinics are trainedto attend to the mother andchild. Where they can’thandle it, it is not because ofinexperience but because offacilities. You call them inadvance that you are comingso that mother and child areokay. There are also regis-tered blood banks put inplace in case of emergenciesfor the mother and the child.All these things are alreadyin place due to the fact thatthe Lagos state governmentis forward looking and it hasbeen working very well.

The Lagos state govern-ment has also put in placethe laws for health insur-ance thereby enablingpeople get treatment bypaying stipends monthly.With the law on mother andchild, there are no challeng-es at the present time. Theonly thing we advise is forthe people to understandwhere to go.

A lot of people blamehealth workers for maternalmortality, what is youropinion on that?

A lot of women do not dieafter child birth. For some,once they get through theprocess they are home free.The medical team makessure that the placenta has tocome out after the baby andthat it is not cut anywhere toavoid internal bleeding.These are simple things weneed to know. Those that dieare those that go to quackdoctors. We advise that it isnot every tiny little mush-room place you run to. Withthe Lagos State Govern-ment, we are able to save alot of women at the presenttime by putting everythingin place. The Lagos stateGovernor has made it apriority that apart from thedoctors doing their work, wecan follow them up toensure things are goingwell.

A lot of women donot die after childbirth. For some,once they getthrough the pro-cess they are homefree. These aresimple things weneed to know.Those that die arethose that go toquack doctors. Weadvise that it is notevery tiny littlemushroom placeyou run to


CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE: Developing strategiesto combat maternal mortality in Nigeria

By Esther Onyegbula

IN a bid to strategize andfind lasting solutions tocombat maternal, newborn

and child mortality in Nigeria,Champions for Change held aworkshop for stakeholders andadvocates of improvedhealthcare for women andchildren in Nigeria. Theworkshop which is the secondin its series is centered ondeveloping strategies to combatmaternal, newborn and childmortality in Nigeria.

According to organizers, thesix-day event held in Lagos isintended to strengthen theadvocacy capacity of Nigeriancivil society individuals andorganizations in their efforts toreduce the country ’sdevastating rates ofreproductive, maternal,newborn, and child health(RMNCH).

Theresa Kaka Effa (CountryRepresentative Champions forChange) stated that “Thisedition is focused on advocacyplanning and budgetary

advocacy. Budgetary advocacyis critical to the implementationof the National Health Act toensure access to sustainableand high quality maternal,newborn and child health care

services”.She lamented that in Nigeria,

one in thirteen women die inpregnancy or childbirth, and12% of children die beforereaching the age of five. To

Experts advocatefinancialindependence,fitness for women

By Prisca Sam-Duru

OWING to how startlingthe statistics on womenand money have become,

experts are advising that womenbecome proficient investors. Thisis coming on the heels ofdiscovery that more and morewomen especially as they becomeolder, are not educated orprepared to take care ofthemselves financially.

Women are known to spendtheir entire lives, taking care oftheir families but lack the abilityto care for themselves especially,financially, rather they depend onhusband or partner, a boss, familymember or government.

It was on this premise that thePublic Affairs Section of theUnited States Consulate, Lagos,organized a FinancialIndependence & CapacityBuilding Program for Womenthemed, “Take Charge of YourFinancial Future”

The event featured threespeakers. And before they tookover the podium, there was adocumentary on women in thelikes of Chief Executive Officerand founder, Ruff n Tumble, MrsAdenike Ogunlesi. She shared

address these devastatingchallenges, C4C is investing inNigerian advocates who areleading the fight for healthymothers, children, and families.C4C provides Nigerian leaders

with intensive leadershipdevelopment and executivecoaching, strengthens partnerorganizations throughadvocacy funding and technicalassistance, and supportsNigerian networks tocollaboratively advance theRMNCH agenda. Recognizingthat pregnancy and child birthrelated complication is theleading cause of death foradolescent girls globally, C4Calso supports innovativestrategies for engaging youngwomen in RMNCH advocacy.

This engagement will includea national convening ofRMNCH leaders at a Summitin 2016. The workshop wasfacilitated by Grace KaimilaKanjo with assistance fromRufaro Kangai and TheresaKaka Effa. The facilitation teamalso had Aminu Magashi andEsther Agbon, both fromEvidence for Action. It wouldbe recalled that the firstworkshop held last year focusedon advocacy strategydevelopment, approaches toengage traditional andreligious leaders in RMNCHadvocacy.

how she began, her success storywhich included how Ruff ‘n’Tumble has stood the test of timein addition to her becoming anemployer of labour. Ogunlesihowever enumerated challengesher business is facing whichincluded lack of electricity which

remains a major problem, ban ofimportation of fabrics andcorruption.

She narrated an uglyexperience she had in Zurichwhere she was disrespected whenauthorities saw her NigerianPassport. At this point she becameemotional. They told her thatthere’s nothing good in Nigeriabut she took time to explain thatNigerians are good people withso much goodness.

The Public Diplomacy Officer,Rhonda Watson who threw opendiscussions on the theme of theprogramme, stated that US isalways having programmesaimed at women empowermentbecause when women areempowered, the family andsociety are empowered addingthat if women are at the forefront,there’s always peace.

Women empowerment she

said, is critical for theadvancement of society stressingthat, the more educated womenare, the more likely family sizereduces and this leads toreduction in the level of poverty.

Mrs. Watson informed theguests that the Consulate focusedon financial fitness of women inorder to sensitize them on the needto always have vision of what theyare aiming for as well as plans forretirement. To have financialindependence, Watson stated thatit is important that every woman“Remove self limiting beliefs,work on herself, remove everynegative belief system that limitsher, take concrete action to realizeher dream. You cannot befinancially fit when in debt. So,focus on what you really need, gettraining to help you achieve yourgoal. Read more so as to gatherinformation on the area you wantto venture into and also, choose

role models that help you buildon your dreams.”

In her presentation, NimiAkinkugbe, C.E.O., BestmanGames Ltd, advised women notto procrastinate. Women she said,“Live longer than men so wemust save for the future.” Owingto the dwindling foreign reserve,decline in global oil prices,devaluation of naira, increasedtaxes and high interest rates, Nimiwho gave out free copies of herbook titled, A-Z of PersonalFinance to all the participants,emphasized that every womanneeds both a short and mediumterm goal. “Track your expenses,have a budget, shop with a list ofnecessary items and live belowyour means.”

She advised that women “Avoidshopping with friends who arericher, Invest in yourself, identifyyour talent, nurture it andimprove on yourself.”

The CEO of Assist-2SellProperties Limited,Chukwunonso Ume-Ezeoke onher part, stated that only wisewomen invest heavily and wisely.She advised that women shouldbegin early to save for the futureinsisting that every woman mustown a piece of property if not more.Chukwunonso gave security,heritage, hedge against inflation,stability and retirement, etc, asreasons women must own a pieceof property. She further advisedsingle ladies to choose husbandsthat will support their dreamsrather than those that will forcethem to end their careers.

The PublicDiplomacy Officer,Rhonda Watsonwho threw opendiscussions on thetheme of theprogramme, statedthat US is alwayshavingprogrammesaimed at womenempowerment

•Mother and child

•Cross section of participants

36—Vanguard,36—Vanguard,36—Vanguard,36—Vanguard,36—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, MAY 22 MAY 22 MAY 22 MAY 22 MAY 22 20152015201520152015

CMYK

With PRINCE OSUAGWUPRINCE OSUAGWUPRINCE OSUAGWUPRINCE OSUAGWUPRINCE [email protected]

08050498513


By Prince Osuagwu

Did Blackberry goprodigal? Did it miss itsway, hiding its

traditional rich enterprisefeatures and outlook in a newlook Blackberry 10 series?Was Blackberry’s CEO, JohnChen right, early 2014 when henoted that the way to track backto the successes that made thesmartphone the toast of everybusiness man in the days of yore,was to go back to the basics? Theanswer to these questions mayactually be in the affirmitivelooking at the latest offering, theBlackberry Classic.In a new management, newgoals and policy direction, whileassuming office as the BlackberryCEO, Chen had promised thatBlackBerry’s short flirtation withtouchscreen-only phones will betaking a step back. Part of hispolicy direction was that thecompany’s new phones will

“predominantly” have physicalkeyboards.It was a policy of returning to thecorporate and governmentemployees, who need and prefera quality physical keyboard. Thiswas the core audience it wasfamous for. In any case,BlackBerry’s touch-only phonesdidn’t do so hot but rather, at atime, brought a huge loss of upto $1 billion.Although the back to basicsmission may have started withBBQ10 and more recently theBlackberry passport, it is howeverin the Classic that one sees theblackberry of old inrepresentation.The Classic may share samehardware with Q10 but it’s interms of quality of material,finishing touches, attention todetails, it’s clearly a morepremium, executive device.Besides, the Classic offers 60percent more screen space, 50percent longer battery life and a

browser that is three times faster.The device also features theBlackBerry 10.3.1 operatingsystem, a 1.5 GHz QualcommSnapdragon Processor, 2GBRAM, 16GB of device storage.This is also expandable by up to128GB via uSD,The device also dorns a 2MPfront- and 8MP rear-facingcamera with enhanced opticsand upgraded imaging sensors.There is also a BlackBerry Blendfeature, a nifty feature that linksmessaging and content across allof a user ’s devices whileBlackBerry Hub enables the userto manage all e-mail, texts,BBMs, phone calls and socialmedia in one place.The device also features theBlackBerry Assistant, thecompany’s first digital assistantthat can be used with voice andtext commands.The feature intelligentlydetermines how to respond toyou based on how you interact

Is it back to the basicswith Blackberry Classic?

BY LAJU IREN

Imagine that after being out ofpower for a long time, power

suddenly comes on. ‘Up NEPA’you shout, and rush to do yourlaundry before the supply is cut.As you sort through you laundry,you realize that your clothes aretoo many for the drum of yourmachine. You decide to dividethem into batches, hoping to washthem one after the other.However, just when you arealmost done with the first batch,power goes out, leaving yourlaundry half done. It can be pretty frustrating.That’s why LG electronics’ new

front-load washingmachine with TWINWash will sound likegood news to you. Thisrevolutionary designenables two separateloads to be washedsimultaneously. With aspace-efficient “miniwasher” in the pedestal,overall cycle times arereduced with fewerloads required.In a related

development, LG accounted for12.4 percent of all washingmachines sold in 2014, makingit the number one washingmachine brand worldwide for theseventh time in a row. In front-load washing machines, LG wasagain the top brand globally in2014 for the sixth consecutiveyear with 14.7 percent marketshare and number one in thehighly competitive U.S. marketfor the eighth straight year.“LG has been able to dominatethe global market throughconstant development ofinnovative washing machinetechnology and design,especially our 6 Motion Direct

Drive motor and TurboWash™technologies,” said HyunwooJung, General Manager, HomeAppliances division, LGElectronics West Africaoperations, LG Electronics WestAfrica operations. “Innovativefeatures, reliable performanceand outstanding design continueto be key selling points for LGpremium appliances, andcustomers seem to agree.”The company says that thesuccess LG washers can beattributed to a number ofinnovative advances in washertechnology. For example, theDirect Drive motor, attacheddirectly to the washer’s drum,which increases performanceand durability.

LG’s 6 Motion technology has atouch as delicate as handwashing, helping to reducewrinkles and damage to clothes.Another important innovationhas been the TurboWashtechnology, which uses highpressure water particles thatdramatically reduce washingtime.

with it – if you type, it respondssilently, if you speak, it speaksback and if you activate overBluetooth, it speaks back withadditional context because itassumes you might not haveaccess to the screen.No wonder, at launch, Chensaid: “We listened closely to our

By Maximilian Anosike

The name, Willis Carrier,might not strike a chord

amongst even technologyenthusiasts. But for every blastfrom an air conditioner that coolsyou from the scorching heat, youhave him to be thankful to.Carrier invented the first modernelectrical air conditioning unit in1902. Since then, individuals andcorporations have built on hisbrain child to make the world a‘cooler place’-literally. It was nowonder therefore, that whenSamsung Electronics recentlyorganised an Air Conditionerforum in Lagos, about 180 peoplewere in attendance.

The forum also doubled asavenue to launch the World’slargest capacity Digital Variable

customers’ feedback to ensurewe are delivering thetechnologies to power themthrough their day and thatfeedback led directly to thedevelopment of BlackBerryClassic,”

How Twin washreduces laundryhassles

•LG Twin wash

Multi- Super system AC whichthe company says has the world’sfirst and largest single capacityoutdoor of 26 Horse Power. It iscredited as the next-generationmodular system in the world ofhigh-efficiency air conditioning.These air conditioners comeequipped with R410A gas, whichis, eco-friendly and SmartInverter compressors capable ofreducing energy consumptionup to 40% in line with globalstandards. The air conditionerscan handle up to 50 metres inpiping length as against theconventional 10 meters.

Speaking at the forum,Managing Director, SamsungElectronics West Africa, Mr.Brovo Kim said: “We want tokeep our stakeholders abreast ofthe level of market research thatgoes into designing andproducing Samsung airconditioners and coolingsolutions, which are especiallysuitable for Africa and theNigerian climate.”

Also speaking at the forum,Director, Consumer Electronics,Samsung Electronics WestAfrica, Mr. Sunil Kumar, saidthat Nigerians are astutecustomers who are always on thelookout for the best.” dual digitalinverter system and a smartmanagement system,” Kumarstated. Samsung also launchedair conditioners with a 5 yearwarranty on compressors,keeping in mind the energyconservation and eco friendlystandards being set in the airconditioning environment.

Air Conditioners,technologyNigerians can bethankful for

•Samsung DVMs

•Blackberry classic


ONLY very few cities in the world canmatch the cost of living in Abuja,

the Federal Capital City of Nigeria. Ofall Abuja’s mounting needs, as in all newcities, housing remains the most acute. Itis so bad that one-room self-containedgoes for up to half a million Naira in thecity centre, and only slightly less in theadjourning districts.

For strategic reason, addressing thehousing need in Abuja has always beennecessarily in the front burner of most FCTadministrations. While many FCTministers attempted to build houses,Mallam Nasiru El Rufai, when he was theminister of the FCT, took a differentapproach by introducing an urban masshousing scheme, using public privatepartnership, PPP, model.

What El Rufai did was to provide swathesof land for estate mass building which ledto the phenomenal springing up of manyestates mainly in the Lokogoma andGuzape Districts where dozens of estatesare being developed and housingthousands in the last decade.

Winning Clause Estate is one of thesenew estates. What stands Winning ClauseEstate developers out, however, is the firm’speculiar triumphs which are enduring andoffer a shining example to others who maywish to venture into estate development,especially in the FCT.

To place the triumphs and travails of theWinning Clause in perspective, it isimportant to note that the rush for Abujaland is more like gold rush of the yore.This has led to land business becomingthe most lucrative and create the euphoriathat Abuja is a sort of Eldorado. And likein all moving businesses, scammers havesince crammed the Abuja land businessand have made it very difficult to knowwhich land in the market is truly genuine,as the title deeds may be sold and resoldto different people, who are often left tosort out themselves.

The experience of Winning Clause hasnothing to do with purchasing a title deed.Theirs was a direct allocation from theFederal Capital Administration. But onmobilising to site, they discovered that acertain Saraha Ltd was on ground andlaying claim to the same land. What wasmore, Saraha had allocated the plots tointerested buyers to build and work hadcommenced and reached various stages.As Winning Clause was sure it had rightstanding with the allocation, the firm rana check on the papers relied upon bySaraha, only to discover that the papers,to say the least,were irregular.

From the Winning Clause tangle withSaraha, the collusion of some fraudulentstaffers of FCTA land administration is soobvious. What is not clear is what thegovernment is doing to root out suchofficials and their outside collaborators,which has made land acquisition even formass housing development so foggy.

When initially the efforts of WinningClause to resolve the matter with Sarahafailed, they headed to court and won, and

have since taken over. Those who weredeceived into buying plots in the land andbuilding would have been in a fix were itnot for the kindheartedness of theproprietor, who graciously inherited suchliabilities, while developing the estate asa model in the Federal Capita Territory.

While the Winning Clause and Sarahatwist lasted, the former came under quitesome public odium and made to look likethe aggressor. Even Development Controlof the FCTA, came under opprobrium aswell, as they too were accused of takingsides. But the court processes provedbeyond all doubts that both WinningClause and Development Control of theFCTA were victims of land scam andpropaganda, respectively.

From the travails of Winning Clause,which is similar to what many other estatedevelopers are going through in the FCT,it has become so obvious that the entireland for estate development will have tobe reviewed to weed out land scammersand lighten the burden imposed by thecumbersome process on developers who,in actual fact, are only helpinggovernment to deliver on one of thecardinal responsibilities of government,which is housing for citizens. Granted thatestate development is a business venturealright, but its intrinsic value togovernment responsibility is sofundamental that those who are involvedin it need special attention and protection,in the manner government grants waiversin certain interest areas.

Indeed, if government grants waivers tocertain important sectors and tax holidaysto foreign investors, estate land allocation,especially in the FCT, ought to receivesimilar governmental concessions: evenif the lands are not made available gratis,it ought to be seriously subsidised, so thatthe developers can concentrate on theprovision of infrastructure within theestates and erecting of structures.

What obtains at the moment leaves somuch to be desired and were it not for theresilience of developers like WinningClause, mass estate development initiativein the FCT would have run into majorcrisis or worse still, remain in doldrumslike the licenses granted to privaterefineries in Nigeria for over a decadewithout any springing up.

The dozens of estates developed throughthe said initiative in the last one decade inthe FCT have no doubt, ameliorated thehousing crisis in the FCT, but a lot moreneeds to be done. The incomingadministration of Muhammadu Buharihas to pay special attention to housing andhelp developers to help the government indealing with the mounting housingchallenges.

The three essential areas wheregovernment can help are liberalisingaccess to land for estate development,plugging the loopholes being exploited byland scammers which include seeing thatthe collaborators both within and outsidegovernment pay for their crimes (evendismissing such people from service is notenough; criminal issues such as land scamcan only be properly resolved through jailterms) and making considerableconcessions to enable developers haveenough reliefs to do more.

The big idea for these robustrecommendations is to develop a full-bodied housing sub-sector which willattract only those genuinely interested inthe sector for its intrinsic values, not justthe pecuniary gains in the immediatepresent. Housing requires long terminvestments, which only the governmentcan inspire and guarantee, so that manymore quality mass housing developers canbe attracted and serious ones already in itcan stay happily.

Abuja housing challenge and WinningAbuja housing challenge and WinningAbuja housing challenge and WinningAbuja housing challenge and WinningAbuja housing challenge and WinningClause Estate exampleClause Estate exampleClause Estate exampleClause Estate exampleClause Estate example

By Law Mefor

By Becky Chukwuanukwu

A lot of fake products abound in theNigerian markets. Fake cosmetics,

fake electrical appliances, fake cannedfood, fake spare parts, fake drugs, fakedesigner shoes and clothing- the list isliterally endless. It is just about a fake ofeverything you can think of. However, withfake drugs, the effect can be so far-reach-ing because it is a matter of life and death.The simplest scenario depicting this wasa sad event which occurred in 1995. Anasthmatic purchased a fake inhaler andwhen she had an attack, she simplyreached for the inhaler she carriedeverywhere with her. It was no use. Sheboarded a bike to the nearest hospital formedical assistance. She passed out on thesteps of the hospital and never regainedconsciousness. A fake drug and not theasthma was her Waterloo. Like her, manyhave died from the scourge of fake drugsin this country.

Enter Dora Akunyili who is bestremembered for her work in the NationalAgency For Food, Drug Administrationand Control, NAFDAC. The agency cameinto the consciousness of Nigerians whenshe took over the helm of affairs. Withsome cooperation, the quantity of fakedrugs in the Nigerian market was reduceddrastically. Her efforts led to increasedpublic awareness about counterfeit drugsand tougher surveillance by the NigerianCustoms. At the height of her battle, fakedrugs worth about N2 billion (US $ 16million) were voluntarily handed over bycounterfeiters or seized after tip-offs fromthe public.

What is happening now? The truth isthat there is a resurgence of fake drugs.Why? Is it that the importers andmanufacturers of counterfeit drugs havefound new ways of beating themechanisms put in place to crack downon the illegal trade? Or has the corruption,which Akunyili said had been the bane ofNAFDAC, returned? Has thesurveillance at the sea and airports beenrelaxed? Do the inspections which led tosurrender of fake drugs, arrest ofcounterfeiters and shopkeepers still takeplace? What about the legislation thatshould support efforts which are alreadyin place? Or is it a combination of all thesefactors? Nothing can be quite asdisheartening to agents as risking theirlives to gather information, arrestingculprits and in no distant time, see themwalk free and in some cases, have enoughinformation to threaten their lives. Noworse morale killer. The penalty for fakedrug producer or importer ranges frompaltry fines to between three months tofive years imprisonment. That ispreposterous for the billions they make,the hardships suffered and the lives lost. Itwas good news to read in the papersrecently that an importer of fake drugswas apprehended. A big fish going by theworth of seized goods worth about abillion naira or more. However, how willthe story end? What of his collaboratorswithin and outside the country? The fakedrug business is worth billions of USdollars and is a powerful internationalcartel. Unfortunately, Nigeria - in fact

many African countries - are where theyare able to do their dirty business (incollusion with people of that country) andget away with it. It is clear that counterfeitdrugs are more of our problem than it canever be for any Western nation. This is abattle we must fight ourselves.Appropriate legislation should be put inplace. Our lives are at stake. No one isimmune.

NAFDAC and other agencies cannotdo it alone without the necessary backingand political will. Enabling environmentand active wooing of multi-national drugcompanies to encourage them to establishtheir factories within the shores of ourcountry should be made a priority. Thesheer volume of drugs we import fromthem is the bait. These companiesestablishing in Nigeria will serve morethan one purpose: the monitoring agencieswill be able to monitor their productionprocesses and ensure that adequatestandards are maintained. This iscurrently an uphill task where what isproduced in far-away Asian countries canhardly be monitored by our regulatoryagencies. In addition, badly needed jobsfor our teeming unemployed youths willbe provided. Also, they will bring in theirresources to fight counterfeiting of theirproducts so they can make profit. Ourlocal manufacturers should be greatlyencouraged. More quality drugs can beproduced by them with governmentsupport. Even when we eventually succeedin getting these foreign pharmaceuticalgiants to come to establish, protectingtheir interests jealously is very important.

Funding research in the use of our richdiverse local flora as raw materials tomake our own drugs ought to be highlyencouraged and promoted. This is agoldmine yet to be tapped. We shouldbegin to look inwards so that over time,the tide will change in our favour.

In addition to these relatively long termplans, it is critical that something shouldbe done now. Relatively mild ailments areno longer easy to treat. The experiences ofphysicians around me tell a whole lot. Myexperiences and those of friends whererelatively mild ailments need trial of drugsfrom different drug outlets before one gets‘lucky’ and gets an original product isdisheartening. In the past few months, fora relatively healthy individual, I have hadquite a few experiences with counterfeitdrugs that I am left pondering: If I havehad as much exposure, how about thosewho are sick and literally depend on drugsto survive? Antibiotics don’t work; acocktail of antibiotics is used to treatpatients thereby encouraging antibioticresistance; wounds and ulcers remainunhealed, compounding the misery ofsick, suffering Nigerians while drainingtheir pockets of scarce resources. Effortsof health care providers are frustrated,making a mockery of diagnostic efforts. How and when will this end? Who willdeliver us?

•Dr. Chukwuanukwu is a lecturer at

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

The return offake drugs

•Mr Mefor, a Forensic Psychologist andJournalist, wrote from Abuja.

If government grantswaivers to certainimportant sectors and taxholidays to foreigninvestors, estate landallocation, especially inthe FCT, ought to receivesimilar governmentalconcessions

It is clear thatcounterfeit drugs aremore of our problemthan it can ever be forany Western nation; thisis a battle we must fightourselves

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 —39

Sanusi’s misreading of forensic reportBy Adams Cooke

THE article by the formerGovernor of the Central Bank

of Nigeria, CBN and the newEmir of Kano, Alhaji SanusiLamido Sanusi, published lastweek in the Financial Times,made fascinating reading notleast because of his amazingability to reach conclusions totallyat variance with those reached bythe writers of the forensic reportthemselves, PricewaterhouseCoopers. This is a trait that hassadly followed the former Gover-nor of the CBN.

During the time of the whistle-blowing, public opinion was sum-marised on a television breakfastprogramme in February 2014, bytwo leading Nigerian lawyers.Liborous Oshomah was of theopinion that the government fellout of favour with Sanusi becausethe suspended governor’s tenurewas characterised by crisis andinconsistencies.

Oshomah stressed that many ofthe decisions taken by Sanusi,while in office, were controver-sial. He mentioned the issue ofthe banking crisis which re-sulted in several banks foldingup and thousands of workersbeing laid off, stressing thatbanks are still unable to recoverfrom it. While commenting onthe controversies exposed bySanusi, Oshomah said the sus-pended governor waited untilthe near end of his tenure to hitthe government he was a partand parcel of.

On his part, Kenneth Odidikadescribed Sanusi as a “verybrilliant man who seemed notto appreciate the enormity of theresponsibilities of the office heoccupied.” Odidika went aheadto label the suspended gover-nor a ‘talkative’ whose gooddiction and spoken English and“musical voice” is mere theat-rics from Hollywood. He said:For a Central Bank governor tobe in every forum, talking bothabout the economy and allthings that are not related to theeconomy, was unbecoming of aCentral Bank Governor.”

He added: “It is rare to see aCentral Bank governor, any-where in the world, speak as in-consistently as Mr. Sanusi.”

Entitled, "Questions on Niger-ia’s stolen billions," Sanusi washis usual pompous, prescriptiveself: praising his personal ef-forts at blowing the whistle onthe alleged $20 billion scam atthe NNPC, rewriting historyand acting as prosecutor, judgeand jury.

"Nigerians did not vote for anamnesty for anyone. The linesof investigation suggested bythis audit need to be pursued.Any officials found responsiblefor involvement in this appar-ent breach of trust must becharged," he said.

He was wrongOne hopes that his royal high-

ness is also ready to face thetruth, as he also cannot hide

under amnesty. The truth is thathe was wrong when he firstwrote his letter to the Presidencyinsisting that $49 billion wasmissing. He was wrong whenhe reversed the figure to $12billion and he was certainlywrong with his insistence that$20 billion was not remitted tothe Federation Account.

Every panel that has investi-gated this matter had reacheda different conclusion than thatreached by Mr. Sanusi, yet heclings to his rather unsupportedallegations.

The inter-ministerial commit-tee that first tried to unravel themystery noted a few discrepan-cies but said no fraud was in-volved. The Senate committeechaired by Senator AhmedMakarfi discovered no wrongdoings and concluded after ex-haustive sessions that moneywas not stolen. Needless to say,that report was wholly adoptedby the upper legislative cham-ber.

However, when Mr. Sanusiand other conspiracy theoristswouldn’t let the matter lie, oneof the leading auditors in theworld, Pricewaterhouse Coop-ers, were contracted to investi-gate.

What the report says So what did the report say?

In an analysis by EdwardOwono on May 11, 2015 in theTribune, PwC found that therewas indeed a shortfall betweenthe amount ($69.34billion) theNNPC received from crude oillifting and total cash ($50.81billion) that the NNPC remit-ted to the Federation Accountfor the period January 2012 toJuly 2013. However, the reportthen goes on to state clearly thatthe “NNPC has provided infor-mation on the difference lead-ing to potential excess remit-tance of $0.74billion”. In otherwords, NNPC actually paidmore, NOT LESS, than whatwas due from it into the Fed-eration Account!

The report showed thatNNPC ran its expenses from themoney it received from crude oiland remitted the balance to the

Federation Account in accord-ance with the law which set itup. PwC found that the ex-penses NNPC actually ran weremore than it had deducted fromcrude oil receipts. So on thatground, it was the FGN thatowed NNPC money and notvice versa.

The PwC audit report, how-ever, finds that there is somemoney that the NNPC has notduly paid to the Federation Ac-count. This is not from the crudeoil lifting that sparked the CBNgovernor’s missive. Rather, itis from two quite unrelatedheads, namely $1.75 billion assignature bonus for divested as-sets and $0.47 billion for unpaidself-assessed taxes and royaltiesof NPDC (a wholly-ownedNNPC subsidiary).

After offsetting the $0.74 billionthat NNPC had overpaid oncrude oil lifting into theFederation Account, the netbalance owed by NNPC to theFederation Account was $1.48billion.

Some challenging ac-counting

So did the report say that anymoney had been misappropriatedor anyone corrupt? No. It at-tested to some challenging ac-counting but did not highlightany fraud or monies that couldnot be accounted for. Evenwhere the report said NNPC waschallenged to explain NNPC’sselling of DPK to bulk DPKmarketers at N40.90 rather thanthe regulated ex-depot price ofN34.51, it immediately pro-vided the explanation of themiscellaneous charges (includ-ing bridging, transport and ad-ministration) that accounted forthe difference.

The report also said that giventhe amount deducted fromcrude oil lifting to defray NNPCexpenses in the audited periodand the fall of crude oil pricesby over 60 per cent since June2014, NNPC’s ability to fund itsoperations was in peril sinceNNPC had no independentsources of revenue, other thanfrom crude oil lifting receipts,meet expenses.

The report recommended thatthe "NNPC model of operationmust be urgently reviewed andrestructured, as the currentmodel which had been in exist-ence since the creation of theCorporation cannot be sus-tained".

This is a point that was madeclear by the minister in the firstfew months of her appointmentsparking the review of the Pe-troleum Industry Bill that hadbeen sitting in abeyance for 12years before her appointment.The PIB is still sitting in the“House” awaiting passage intolaw.

Unrealistic weight of subsidy payments

The minister also mooted theunrealistic weight of the subsidypayments from the federationaccounts, all in a bid to stem cor-ruption inherent within the sys-tem, introduce accountabilityand transparency; but she wasmet by a strong opposition andprotest as she touched on a“sore point”. Many appear tohave a short memory aboutthese valiant attempts by theminister to bring sense into aflawed system. Yet she seems tobe the one many point fingersto when a perceived loopholeis identified.

So to summarise, the reportactually highlighted that theNNPC seemed to operatewithin its constitutive law bydeducting money from crude oillifting to defray its expenses.The report confirmed that theexpenses so deducted ac-counted for the difference be-tween the amounts that NNPCreceived and the amounts thatNNPC paid to the FederationAccount. The report did saythat the law should be changedso that NNPC pays all themoney it receives to the Federa-tion Account (without deduc-tions) and looks for other (com-

mercial) ways to meet its ex-penses. But the report clearlyacknowledged that the currentmodel had been in existencesince the NNPC was created.

The report did not say that anylaw had been broken. The re-port definitely did not allege cor-ruption on the part of any party,person or body. It did notmention the minister in anyunfavorable light or even in-sinuate any wrongdoing on herpart or departure from the le-gal and legitimate norm. Theshortfall in remittance that thereport found was a mere ac-counting event. The moneyis not missing and the minsterhad since instructed the NNPCto make the necessary remit-tance.

So, why is there still such sec-tional aggression to prove thatsomehow the PwC report in-dicts the minister in some way?

Questions about entiresubsidy regime

There is no doubt that thereare questions about the entiresubsidy regime. Many would infact agree that the unremittedfunds could have been put tobetter use. But as the NNPCGroup General Manager,Group Public Affairs Division,Ohi Alegbe, said recently, nei-ther the minister nor the NNPCcould be blamed for not follow-ing a law that was nevergazzetted.

"The process of implementingthe Presidential directive wasnot followed through by theMinister of Petroleum Re-sources at that time as requiredby law, which technically meantthat kerosene subsidy was notremoved.

“Why the royal father appearshell-bent on hanging a tag ofcorruption on the Corporationeven when all the inquiries intohis allegation of unremittedfunds have proved otherwiseremains a mystery to us,” Mr.Alegbe added.

There is a point at which MrSanusi ought to have let thismatter lie. He crossed that pointlong ago and he seems deter-mined to keep going until hisviewpoint is vindicated. It is hisprerogative to use his time ashe pleases - though one hadthought that as the emir of oneof Nigeria’s largest city, hewould have little time for wag-ing his vendetta against awoman minister.

He has, however, succeededin taking charge of the narra-tive of his suspension from theCBN which, according to theFinancial Reporting Council ofNigeria, was due to the follow-ing: ‘’The persistent refusal andnegligence to comply with pub-lic procurement act in the pro-curement practices of the CBN;unlawful expenditure by theCBN on intervention projectsacross the country, deployinghuge sums of money as theCBN did under the watch ofMallam Sanusi without appro-priation and outside the CBN’sstatutory mandate.”

Readers will do well to re-member the real reason behindthe royal father’s exit.

Every panel thathas investigatedthis matter hadreached adifferentconclusion thanthat reached byMr. Sanusi yet heclings to his alle-gations

Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, ex-CBN gov.

40 — VANGUARD, 40 — VANGUARD, 40 — VANGUARD, 40 — VANGUARD, 40 — VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Sha'baan 2, 1436 A.H.

The belief in the wordsof “Lá iláha illallah” isone of the basis for

being a Muslim, to refute alldeities and accept Allah asthe only God and Lord of theUniverse. No one can be aMuslim without believing andadhering to the tenets of of Láiláha illallah.

Lá iláha illallah is the beliefin the divine lordship of Allah(referred to as “rububiyyah”),meaning believing that Allahis the only one power whocreates, gives life and death,and maintains the affairs of allthat’s in this universe.

Lá iláha illallah is the beliefin the divine nature (referredto as “uluhiyyah”), meaningbelieving that Allah is theonly one to whom peopleshould devote their words andactions of worship. Nonetherefore should beworshipped but Him.

Lá iláha illallah is the beliefin the names and attributes ofAllah (referred to as “al-asma’wa’l-sifaat”), which meansaffirming what Allah hasaffirmed for Himself of namesand attributes, and denyingany attributes that Allah hassaid are not His, withoutdenying any of His attributesor likening any of Hisattributes to the attributes ofany of His creation.

Lá iláha illalláh is the pillarof the religion and the ThickRope of Alláh; those whoadhere to Lá iláha illalláh willnever fail in this life and thehereafter.

Verily, the minds of theignorant ones were led astrayand the hearts of the stubborninfidels have earnedmisguidance on account oftheir taking two gods, evenafter the full moon of Lá iláhaillallah has risen.

“So know (O MuhammadSAW) that La ilaha ill-Allah(none has the right to beworshipped but Allah), andask forgiveness for your sin,and also for (the sin of)believing men and believingwomen.” Quran (47:19)

Muhammad (peace be uponhim) embraced this word anddeclared it. So! Fear Alláh theExalted and renew your faithby night and by day bycontemplating the meaning ofLá iláha illalláh.

O you who have wisdom!Seek your means of (eternal)success granted only to thepeople of Lá iláha illalláh.

Surely, Lá iláha illalláh isthe Word of Islam and the keyto the Dwelling of Peace(Paradise).

Verily, the heavens andearth would never haveremained, nor would anyoneacquire safety on the Day ofGathering except by Lá iláhaillalláh.

The humankind wasdivided into two parts andwent two separate ways: agroup of them adhered to Láiláha illalláh and the othergroup strayed away from it.They refused it because theyknew that the religion of theirancestors would be annulledif they embraced Lá iláhaillalláh. All praise is due to HeWho made His slaves differentfrom each other with HisWisdom and Will. Indeed, thisis one of the proofs to Lá iláhaillalláh.

Tuba (a tree in Paradise) isfor those who know themeaning of this testimonial,agree with it and practice itsimplication inwardly andoutwardly. By doing so, theywould be realizing and tastingthe true essence of Lá iláhaillalláh. Verily, woe to thosewho were driven by the devilto fall into polytheism! Theybecame filled to the top withassociating others with Alláhin worship and consequentlyrefused with arrogance to

submit to Lá iláha illalláh.

Have you not heardAlláh’s Statement:“And those whom they

invoke instead of Him haveno power of intercession;except those who bear witnessto the truth (i.e. believed inthe Oneness of Allah, andobeyed His Orders), and theyknow (the facts about theOneness of Allah).” Quran

(43:86)The true essence of Lá iláha

illalláh entails directing allacts of worship, intentionsand thoughts to Alláh Alonerather than any other object.All other objects of worshipare annulled and refuted byLá iláha illalláh. This is whatis meant by disbelieving inTaghut and believing in AlláhAlone, and this is how theheart is purified of anythingthat is not for Alláh Alone, andcleansed from the intention tocommit whatever Alláh hasprohibited or disliked forwhatever He has commanded.

This is the true essence ofLá iláha illalláh, contrary tothe practice of those who utterthis testimonial with theirwords, but contradict it withtheir actions. These people,do not benefit from saying Lailáha illal/ah.

Directing any act of worshipto other than Alláh andassociating any among thecreation with Him in worshipare acts of disbelief, even ifone pronounced La iláhaillalláh a thousand times withhis tongue. It was once saidto Al Hasan Al-Basri: “Somepeople say that those whoproclaim La iláha illalláh shallenter Paradise.” He said, “Yes.For those who proclaim thisword and fulfill itsimplications andrequirements, then saying Lailáha illalláh shall enter intoParadise.” In addition, Wahbbin Munbih asked: “Is La iláhaillalláh not the key toParadise?” He said, “Yes.However, every key hasteeth; if you use a key that hasteeth it will open for you,otherwise it will not open.”

Therefore, these kind ofpeople will not benefit fromproclaiming La iláha illalláhbecause they do not say itfrom their hearts.

Where are those whoassociate none with Alláh inregards to their love, fear,hope and worship? Where arethose who direct theirhumbleness, submissiveness,reverence, intention and

Save your life withLai llah illallah

reliance to Alláh Alone, all thewhile trusting in Him for eachand every thing? All thesequalities are parts of themeaning of La iláha illalláh.

O slaves of Alláh, rush to theforgiveness of your Lord anda paradise as wide as theheavens and earth preparedfor the Muttaqin (the pious).They are those who fulfill theduties and responsibilities ofLa iláha illalláh. They arethose, who have not placedany other iláh (god) alongwith Alláh.

Verily, I am a plain warnerto you from Him. Hold on tothe pillars of La iláha illalláh.Surely, those who reject whatLa iláha illalláh rejects, assertwhat it asserts…, then thisword will elevate them to thehighest grades, the grades ofLa iláha illalláh.

Consider this hadith on thevalue that Allah the Exaltedplaced on La iláha illalláh

Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri said,that the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him)

“Moses (a.s) said: O Lord!Teach me something that I canremember You with and I cansupplicate You with. Allahsaid: “Say ‘La ilaha ill Allah’,O Musa.” He (Musa) said: Allof your servants say this. He(Allah) said: “If the sevenHeavens and those whodwell in them other than Meand the seven Earths are putinto one pan (of the scale) and‘La ilaha ill Allah’ is put intothe other; ‘La ilaha ill Allah’would be heavier.” [IbnHibbaan and Haakim]

The Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said (narrated by Jabirbin ‘Abdullah):

“The best Dhikr(remembering Allah) is Lailaha illallah and the bestsupplication is Al-HamduLillah.” [At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah]

Dear brethren ensure thatyou never forget to make thesewords La ilaha illallah aconstant part of your livingmoments and to live by whatthose words stand for.

•Walimotul qur'an ceremony of Nurul Yekeen, held in Lagos recently.

Verily, woe tothose who weredriven by thedevil to fall intopolytheism!They becamefilled to the topwith associatingothers withAlláh inworship andconsequentlyrefused witharrogance tosubmit to Láiláha illalláh

Sha'baan 2, 1436 A.H.

VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 — FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 — FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 — FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 — FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 — 4141414141

Sha'ban, the best month forsunnah fast

Cross section of participants and dignitaries at a seminar organised by the Security Committeeof NASFAT held recently.

Dr. Mashood Adenrele Fashola, Amir Ahmadiyya MuslimJama’at Nigeria (left) and Alhaji Daud Abiola Raji, formerGeneral Secretary, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria at the63rd Majlish Shoora 2015 held at national headquarters ofAhmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria.

Participants at the event.

Naib Amir South West, Dr. Abdul Yaqeen Habeeb; Naib AmirNorth; Dr. Abdul Ghaniyy Enahoro; NAib Amir East and MaulviAbdul Khaliq Nayyar; Missionary in-charge Ahmadiyya MuslimJama’at Nigeria at the event.

Youth members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria underthe aegis of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Nigeria have stood upto defend the personality of Prophet Muhammad (saw) in a rareprocession in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State South-West Nigeria. The Walk-for-Muhammad procession was part of the group’s 43rd AnnualNational Convention, held between April 30 and May 3, 2015.

In a statement signed by the National President of the group, BroAbdul-Qadir Abdul-Rafi, the group condemned the recent defamato-ry cartoons and insults being hurled at the personality of the HolyProphet of Islam (saw) in the name of Free Speech, especially in theWest. According to him, Muslims “cannot pretend not to have beenaffected by such”. He noted that it was the duty of Muslim groupslike the Majlis Khuddam to protect the honour of the Prophet againstboth internal and external onslaughts.

The procession, which was led by the Amir of the Ahmadiyya Mus-lim Jama’at Nigeria group, Alhaji Dr. Mash-hud Adenrele Fashola,saw over 2,000 youths in customized shirts with inscriptions suchas “Muhammad: Messenger of Peace” walked in a single file overa distance of about five kilometres in Ijebu-Ode. Abdul-Rafi notedthat this singular act of love towards the Holy Prophet was meant toraise awareness about the peaceful message of Islam and His Proph-et. Adorned with different banners bearing messages proclaimingIslamic teachings, the procession ended at the De-Prime Hall, Moli-pa Ijebu-Ode where a symposium on the theme: “The Role of Nige-rian Youths in Peace Building, Reconciliation and National Develop-ment”, delivered by Dr. Abdul-Lateef Owoade, a lecturer at the Uni-versity of Ilorin.

Speaking at the Symposium, Dr. Owoade expressed the need forNigerian youths to be regarded as an important stakeholders in thequest to develop Nigeria and to be actively involved in such endeav-our. The 43rd Annual National Convention (Ijtema) of the MajlisKhuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Nigeria also witnessed other communityservices, which included the provision of free healthcare to residentsof Ijebu-Ode; exhibition of the history of Majlis Khuddam in Nigeriaas well as a public environmental service provided by members.

By Haruna Razaq

AhmadiyyaAhmadiyya youths 'walkfor Prophet (s.a.w)

“Do not antic-ipate Ra-madaan byfasting one ortwo days be-fore it, except aman who fastsregularly, whoshould observehis usual fast.”

IN line with the practiceof Prophet Muhammad(SAW), a Muslim is high-

ly expected to fast in mostdays of the month of Sha‘baan.Although, fasting in thismonth is not obligatory, butmeritorious to the extent thatthe Prophet (SAW) did not liketo miss it. In fact, it is reportedin a hadith that the Prophet(SAW), used to fast so much inthe month of Sha‘baan that hewas asked: “Messenger of Al-lah, I have seen you fasting inthe month of Sha‘baan so fre-quently that I have never seenyou fasting in any othermonth”. He, (SAW), replied:“That (Sha‘baan) is a monthbetween Rajab and Ramadanwhich is neglected by manypeople. And it is a month inwhich an account of the deeds(of human beings) is present-ed before the Lord of the uni-verse, so, I wish that my deedsbe presented at a time when Iam in a state of fasting”.Therefore, as mentioned ear-lier, a Muslims are expectedto fast in the month ofSha‘baan but it should be not-ed that, this fasting must be inline with it etiquette which in-clude, among others: (1) tocommence the fast from thebeginning of Sha‘baan to themiddle of the month, and usethe other part of the month torest before Ramadan, this is inline with Hadith that says: thatthe Prophet (SAW) said: “WhenSha’baan is halfway through,do not fast.” Narrated by AbuDawood (3237); Ibn Hibaan(1651); classed as saheeh byal-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. However, there are

some exceptions from this pro-hibition, as follows: (i) onewho has a habit of fasting,such as a man who habituallyfasts on Mondays and Thurs-days, which he may do evenafter halfway throughSha’baan. This is based onHadith that says: “Do not an-ticipate Ramadaan by fastingone or two days before it, ex-cept a man who fasts regular-ly, who should observe hisusual fast.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1914; Muslim, 1082.(ii) Person who started fastingbefore halfway throughSha’baan, and connects whatcomes after the halfway pointto what came before, (butshould leaves some days be-fore Ramadaan). This is notincluded in the prohibition ei-ther. The evidence for that isthe Hadith of ‘A’ishah (RA)

who said: “The Messenger ofAllah (SAW) used to fast all ofSha’baan and fast all ofSha’baan except a little.” Nar-rated by al-Bukhaari, 1970;Muslim, 1165. This versionnarrated by Muslim. (iii) Onewho is making up missed Ra-madaan fasts. According toAn-Nawawi (RA) said in al-Majmoo’ (6/399): Our com-panions said: it is not correctto fast on the “day of doubt”just before Ramadaan, andthere is no difference of schol-arly opinion on this point …But if a person fasts it to makeup a missed day or to fulfil avow, or as an expiation, that isacceptable, because if it is per-missible to observe a voluntaryfast on that day, it is more like-ly to be permissible to observean obligatory fast… and if aperson has to make up a dayfrom Ramadaan, then he hasto fast it, because the time leftfor him to make it up has be-come very short. But singlingout 15th of Shaban for act ofworship such as fast, tahjud,sadaqah etc. with the believethat it has special reward orthat on this night the fate ordestiny of people is decidedetc. are subjected to criticismby Hadith Scholars. E.g.Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq in FiqhuSunnah p.127 said: “it lacksauthentic proof.” Also SheikhMunajih said: “the 15th ofSha’baan is like any othernight, and there is no soundreport from the Prophet (SAW)to indicate that on this night,the fate or destiny of people isdecided”. We ask Allah tomake us of those who adheretotally to the Quran and Sun-nah of the Prophet (SAW) in-wardly and outwardly.


Jonathan’s men, others shun PDP disciplinarycommittee sitting in Bayelsa

Committee assures on Wike'sinauguration May 29

Emerhorcondoles withOkobia'sfamily

Egbema youths urge DTHA to passDESOPADEC bill before May 29

By Etop Ekanem

Fuel crisis:Compel oilfirms toestablishrefineries,Okpe Uniontells FG

By Egufe Yafugborhi

By Samuel Oyadongha

Ex-NDDCcommissionerlauds IG onwar againstcultism inEdo

By GabrielEnogholase

By Jimitota Onoyume

YENAGOA—THE formersenator representing

Bayelsa East senatorial district,Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange,has shunned the sitting of thedisciplinary committee of thePeoples Democratic Party, PDP,investigating alleged cases ofanti-party activities in the lastgeneral elections in the stateagainst some of the partymembers.

Others who shunned theinvitation of the committeeinclude the state's former DeputyGovernor, Werinipre Seibarugu,former Speaker and actinggovernor of the state, NestorBinabo; former Special Adviser tothe Bayelsa Government onPolitical Matters, DimaroDeinyebofa and the ex-Officiomember of the PDP, JoyceFuoyowei.

Seibarugu said he will not beable to honour the invitation.

In a telephone interview, he toldVanguard that they wereexpecting the leadership of thePDP in the state and GovernorSeriake Dickson to unite the partyrather than embark on witch-hunting.

Seibarugu said he will consultwith his followers and supportersto decide on the next line ofaction.

Chairman of the PDPDisciplinary Committee,Cleaopas Moses, said thecommittee will not be deterred bythe non-appearance of somepersons before it.

He added that the disciplinary

committee will extend to them theopportunity to send in responsesto allegations of anti-partyposture in writing or throughlawyers.

At the hearing of the PDPDisciplinary Committee,yesterday, the summoned partyleaders and aides to GovernorDickson denied charges ofalleged diversion of campaignfunds, campaigns for oppositioncandidates and other anti-partyactivities.

A prominent PDP chieftain fromBrass Local Government Area ofthe state, Hanson Alabo, stunnedthe committee members withdetailed account of how thedivision within the PDP and the

lack of funding by the party ledto the loss of the state Assemblyseat of constituency 1 to thecandidate of the All ProgressivesCongress, APC.

According to him, the divisionand lack of trust among partyleaders in Brass constituency 1led to the defeat of the party.

“We had many politicalappointees in Brass councilincluding the acting chairman ofthe party but the leaders of theparty kept aside partycomradeship and jumped intocommunity politics.

“The PDP leaders went intohiding due to intimidation andharassment by thugs and securityagents hired allegedly by theAPC,” he claimed.

PORT HARCOURT—RIVERS State people

have been told to ignorerumours in some quarters thatthe governor-elect, Mr NyesomWike, would not be sworn in onMay 29.

Chairman of Wike’sinauguration committee, ChiefAustin Opara, who spoke in PortHarcourt, said the party hadlined up a long list ofprogramme for the swearing-inexercise, adding that it wouldbe preceded by a church servicein Port Harcourt on Sunday.

Opara, who is a formerDeputy Speaker of the Houseof Representatives, added thatthe swearing-in ceremony willhold at the Liberation Stadiumon May 29 after which Wike willproceed to Government House,Port Harcourt, to inspect aguard of honour to be mountedby security operatives.

He added that there will beproclamation of the 8th Houseof Assembly on June 1 by Wike,

assuring that the exercise willtake place in the Chambers ofthe state House of Assemblycomplex on Moscow Road.

Opara recalled attempts bypolitical opponents of thegovernor-elect to abort theswearing-in exercise, stressing

that their effort had failed.According to him they made

attempt to secure an injunctionat a Federal High Court sittingin Owerri, Imo State, to stop theinauguration but theirapplication was thrown out bythe judge.

IJAW youths, under theaegis of Egbema Radical

Group, in Warri North LocalGovernment Area, Delta State,have urged the Delta StateHouse of Assembly to quicklypass the bill on restructuringof Delta State Oil ProducingAreas DevelopmentCommission, DESOPADEC,before May 29, 2015.

The youths, in a statement bytheir spokesman, Ami Dada,said: “Restructuring theinterventionist agency is a

welcomed development as itwill enhance more jobs andimprove the living standard ofthe people better than thepresent structure.”

The group explained thatdecentralization of theDESOPADEC board wouldalso bring aboutaccountability, accessibilityand transparency, adding thatthe restructuring will bring theboard closer to the grassroots,who suffers the day to dayactivities of oil and gasexploration and exploitationmultinationals.

THE people of OkpeKingdom, under the

aegis of Okpe Union, havecalled on the FederalGovernment to compel alloil prospectingmultinationals in thecountry to establish theirrefineries, so that the issuesof fuel importation andsubsidy will be finally laidto rest.

President General of thegroup, Mr Patrick Akpotor,during the union’s 85thanniversary celebration inLagos, said: "Oilprospecting firms operatingin Okpeland should bemade to employ our youthsand such clause should beembedded in thememorandum ofunderstanding whichshould also form part oftheir social responsibility tothe kingdom.”

The highlight of the eventincluded the presentation oftwo papers, Okpe Union,yesterday, today and thefuture outlook, by MrEsivwenughwu Josephand Emancipation of OkpeUnion, by Mr MosesAkpobasah.

Akpotor urgedbusinessmen of Okpeextraction to establishbranches of their businessesin Okpeland to createemployment for the youths.

BENIN—FORMEREdo State

Commissioner on the boardof Niger DeltaDevelopment Commission,NDDC, Mr. MatthewIduoriyekemwen, hascommended the InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr.Solomon Arase, for hisrelentless war against cultrelated violence in EdoState.

It will be recalled thatover 25 people have beenkilled in Benin City in thelast two weeks as a result ofcult related clashes andfollowing the development,the IG sent a special teamfrom Abuja to track downthose involved and sincetheir arrival, over 100people have been arrested,including policemen,government officials andstudents.

Iduoriyekemwen, whowas also the MajorityLeader in the Edo StateHouse of Assembly toldVanguard in an interviewyesterday in Benin, that thekillings have become anembarrassment to peoplewho now felt that nothinggood could come out ofBenin, while investors mayhave also felt that the statewas not safe for investment.

By Onoja Innocent

FOLLOWING thedeath of a chieftain of

All Progressives Congress,APC, in Delta State, ChiefNapoleon Okobia, whodied after a brief illness, theparty's governorshipcandidatein the 2015elections in the state,Olorogun O’tega Emerhor,has led a delegation of partychieftains to paycondolence visit to thefamily of the late leader.

He prayed God to grantthe Okobia family thefortitude to bear theirreplaceable loss andurged the children tosustain the good name theirfather left behind.

He said: "Delta APC willsurely miss the wealth ofexperience and the loftypolitical ideas of late ChiefOkobia.”

STAKEHOLDERS FORUM: Anioma APC leaders after a political stakeholders forum heldin Onicha Olona, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.


Abia Assembly member–elect wants FG to fix Aba – Ikot Ekpenehighway

By Felix Ogbonna

MEMBER-ELECT FORObingwa East state

constituency in Abia StateHouse of Assembly, SolomonAkpulonu, has decried thedeplorable state of Aba-IkotEkpene highway and called on

the federal government tourgently rehabilitate it.

In a chat with Vanguard inAba, Akpulonu, who is a formermember of Abia Assembly, saidhis people had been made tosuffer untold hardship as aresult of the bad state of theroad.

“The state of the Aba-Ikot

Ekpene road, which is a federalhighway, has become a nationalembarrassment.

‘’This road has been featuringin the national budget since 2009,yet it has not been done. Thepeople of my constituency whoare predominantly farmers, havebeen made to suffer untoldhardship because they cannot

evacuate their produce to the city.‘’From Onicha-Ngwa and

Nlagu in Abia which are theborder communities with AkwaIbom, you can only go throughbush parts to Aba town becausethe Ukpakiri to Alaoji area iscompletely impassable, not evenby heavy trucks. The federalgovernment should make hasteto fix this road.”

While pledging to sponsor a billto strengthen Abia State RoadsMaintenance Agency, ABROMA,Akpulonu called for a partnershipbetween the state and federalgovernments to ensure federalroads were maintained all yearround.

According to him, “this is theonly way our federal roads willattract the due attention they trulydeserve.”

APGA, Labour Party to collapse into APCin Ebonyi

By Peter Okutu

ABAKALIKI—THERE arestrong indications that

executives and members of AllProgressive Grand Alliance,APGA, and Labour Party haveconcluded arrangement to jointhe All Progressives Congress,APC, in Ebonyi State.

Series of meetings andnegotiations concerning themove had been ongoing in thestate since the victory of PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, at the justconcluded elections.

Vanguard learned that someoutgoing commissioners,Development Centre coordinatorsand caretaker committee chairmenand stakeholders from the 13 localgovernment areas of the state arepart of the individuals makingsuch move.

It was also learned that apartfrom members of APGA and LPjoining the APC, others makingsuch effort to join the party areaggrieved members of the PDPwho felt that their interests werenot protected during the lastelection.

With the ongoing alliance of

APGA, LP and APC in the state,many are still sceptical whetherthe alliance will succeed as theindividuals involved sharedifferent political ideologies.

Vanguard also learned that themass movement into the APC wasa way for the interestedindividuals and groups toallegedly seek political protectionfrom the incoming administrationwhich has threatened to probe alldevelopment centre coordinatorsfor their alleged involvement inmisappropriation of public fundsduring their tenure.

PEOPLE SPEAK By Bartholomew Madukwe(08102479985)

[email protected]

What do you expect from Buhari's govt?

I do not expect a miraclefrom Buhari in the next

10 years. As far as I am con-cerned, he can only face thehealth and petroleun in-dustries. As to other sectorsof the economy, I really donot hope to see him do any-thing. That is my own viewof him. -Mr. Vera Cruz,Civil Servant

In fact, I believe that Bu-hari will perform very

well. He has performedwonderfully in the past, soI have no doubt that he wilperform this time. Thispresent government hasreally dissapointed us in allareas and most Nigeriansare not happy. -Mr. Abio-dun Okuneye, Worker

Buhari's governmentis going to perform

well. The man has integ-rity and has actually as-pired to lead the nation.He has a vision and isout to solve the econom-ic problems of the coun-try. So, definitely, he isgoing to perform. -Mr.Sunny Thomas, Worker

We expect Buhari tomake a shift from the

soft approach to corruptionin the country. He has tobe very dispassionate andput a searchlight on thosesurrounding him. Withouthim doing that, he may notsucceed fighting it fromoutside. -Mr. Eje-IdaguEkaji, Lawyer

I wish Buhari would bringchanges to the power

sector. He should improvethe educational sector andprovide employments foryouths. He should makeroom for youths in govern-ment participation. -Mr.Ayodele Olaleye, Journal-ist

I expect Buhari's govern-ment to perform in the

power sector, security androads. These are the majorthings killing Nigeriansand any government thatdelivers on them shall al-ways get the support of thepeople. And I believe thathe will perform. -Mr. AdeAdebiraji, Civil Servant

Orji tasks new monarchs on peaceBy Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA—ABIA Stategovernor, Chief Theodore

Orji, has issued staff of office to20 new traditional rulers,charging them to maintain peaceand security in their communities.

The new traditional rulers whocut across 11 of the state’s 17

local government areas were alsocharged to rise to theirresponsibilities of assisting thegovernment in sustaining peaceand security in the state.

Handing over the staff of officeto the new monarchs at theMinistry of Local Governmentand Chieftaincy Affairs, Umuahia,Governor Orji urged them to seethemselves as agents of socio-

economic development.The governor, who urged the

new monarchs to always supportthe government in power, warnedthem against creating rancour intheir communities.

He assured that thegovernment would do its best toensure that the traditional rulerswere comfortable to befit theirstatus.

Nwoko faultsSupremeCourt onconstitutionalamendment

A FORMER memberof the House of

Representatives, PrinceNed Munir Nwoko, hascriticised the NationalAssembly for suspendingfurther action on theconstitutional amendmentprocess in compliancewith the order of theSupreme Court.

Hon. Nwoko arguedthat in every part of theworld, ‘’the judicial arm ofgovernment does notinterfere with the processof making of the law,rather the constitutionalduties of the judiciary isto interprete the law or theAct of parliament when ithas been made.’’

According to him, theSupreme Court overreached itself when itentertained the expartemotion brought before itby the executive arm,seeking to stop thelegislature fromproceeding with theamendment of theconstitution as a result ofthe president’s objections tosome sections of the Bill.

Nwoko, who representedAniocha/Oshimili federalconstituency, said the rightand proper thing for thePresidency and thejudiciary to do ‘’is to allowthe National Assembly toconclude its job, beforeembarking on judicialprocess of correcting anysection of the Act.

He said: ‘’There is no Actbefore the Supreme Courtsince the NationalAssembly has not gone thefull circle of doing its work."

By Hugo Odiogor

PARTY CONGRESS: Obiano's interest joltscontestants

By Enyim Enyim

ONITSHA—ALLEGEDsponsorship of a

chairmanship aspirant, ChiefNorbert Obi by Governor Willie

Obiano for tomorrow’s statecongress of All ProgressivesGrand Alliance has jolted otheraspirants in the race who felt thegovernor should have taken aneutral position.

Some of the aspirants, who

spoke to Vanguard, yesterday,said they were amazed that thegovernor had interest in aparticular aspirant for the party’schairmanship position, instead ofallowing a level playing ground,in line with party’s stance on

internal democracy.The aspirant is a former

commissioner for special duties inthe state.

Notwithstanding, a former statesecretary of the party and formerCommissioner for Lands, Surveyand Urban Development, Mr.Okoli Akirika, still enjoys anoverwhelming support of partymembers who want him to be thenext state chairman.

However, speaking on thematter, Akirika said there wereother capacities he could still servethe party other than chairmanshipof APGA.

“The state chairmanship is notthe only available option open tome to continue my service to theparty, state and humanity.

“Having served as statesecretary of the party, I feel that Ihave the wherewithal, includingmental alertness, competence,youthfulness and team spirit, toserve the party in any capacityfrom the ward to national level,”he said.


NEMAadvocatesjointcoordination

BAUCHI—A chieftain ofPeoples Democratic Party,

PDP, in Bauchi State, BibiDogo, has urged theimmediate past nationalChairman of the party, AlhajiAdamu Mu’azu, to account forhis stewardship of the party asone of the ways to deepen thecountry’s democracy.

Dogo, who describedMu’azu’s resignation as awelcome development, toldnewsmen in Bauchi,yesterday, that the NationalWorking Committee, NWC,should also account for theiractions before and during theelections, especially the N9billion allegedly realized fromthe sale of nomination andinterest forms.

He said: “Mu’azu shouldcome back and hand overofficially, because we learnedfrom the National PublicitySecretary, Oliseh Metuh, thatthe party realised N9 billionfrom the sale of forms.

“He should give an accountof his actions and the moneybecause it is public fund.”

KANO—THE ProjectManager, USAID Fistula

Care Plus Project, Dr. HabibuSadauki, has said over 12,000cases of Vesico VirginalFistula, VVF, are recordedannually in Nigeria.

Dr. Sadauki told reporters inKano that the disorder is moreprevalent in the northern partof the country.

Sadauki revealed that over5,000 cases have beenrepaired, explaining that thefundamental cause of VVF is

culture, poverty and illiteracyamong the citizens.

The USAID Project Managerdisclosed that in Kano Statealone, 10 to 15 new cases arebeing recorded every week invarious hospitals in the state,as he maintained that fistulacan be repaired and preventedif parents educate their femalechild to patronise hospitals forproper delivery, to avoid post-natal danger.

Meanwhile, Director andChief Executive of AfricanFistula Foundation, MalamMusa Isa, has called for a lawto end stigmatisation againstVVF patients in the country.

Isa made the call yesterdaywhile fielding questions fromnewsmen shortly afterlaunching a VVF surgery for50 women at Gambo SawabaGeneral Hospital, Zaria,Kaduna State.

Isa said the call was necessaryin view of the stigma the patientssuffered from their husbands,relations and the general public.

PartnershipSadauki, the USAID Project

Manager, said that under thefistula care, the Nigerianprogramme had worked closelywith partners at federal, statesand community levels to achievethe remarkable success in fistulaservice delivery, which includesprevention, treatment,rehabilitation, research andinnovation.

Dr. Sadauki also explained thatfrom 2007 to 2014, the Nigerianprogramme had supported 9,203fistula repairs at 10 facilities, inpartnership with federal andstates ministries of health as wellas women affairs ministries.

He said other causes of VVFamong young girls are earlymarriage, prolong labour andharmful traditional practices.

Sadauki said consequences offistula are life-shattering for thewomen who experience it and itleaves them with chronicincontinence, social isolationulcer, infections, possibleparalysis or death.

He appealed to the media toengage in vigorousenlightenment campaign to therural communities to sensitisethem on inherent dangersassociated with VVF.

VVF FoundationAfrican Fistula Foundation,

Malam Isa said: “We are alsoplanning to see how we canencourage legislators to sponsora bill on stigmatisation againstVVF patients, especially by theirhusbands.

“The essence of the legislationis to deal with husbands, whodivorce their wives as a result ofthe disease, which makes thevictims fall into trauma.”

He said the surgical operationin Zaria was part of activities tocommemorate the InternationalFistula Day, which comes up onMay 23, every year.

He said the NGO hadrendered such humanitarianservices for many years in Kano,Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara,Kaduna, among other states.

Nigeria records 12,000 cases ofVVF annually

Journalists tasked on awareness campaign

15 cases in Kano weeklyBy AbdulsalamMuhammad

AGM: From left— Mr. Bisi Onasanya, MD/CEO, First Bank Plc; Mr. Bello Maccido, MD/CEO, FBN Holdings and Dr. Oba Otudeko, Chairman, during the 3rd Annual General Meetingof FBN Holdings in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

Dogo said PDP could nothave achieved any furthersuccesses with Mu’azu at thehelm of affairs.

“We welcome his resigna-tion because that is what PDPmembers had been fightingfor before the election.

“Even though the Board ofTrustee, BoT, Chairman, TonyAnenih, has resigned too, itis not enough because all theNWC, state, local govern-ment and ward executivesshould also resign to enableus restructure the party andachieve success.

“I can vividly recall that Idrew the attention ofPresident Goodluck Jonathanto the fact that Mu’azu wasnot capable of winning theelection for the party and that

his continued stay in officewould lead to the party’sdefeat, but he neglected myadvice and now the truthhas finally come out.

“If we work hard, PDP willbounce back in 2019.”

He kicked againstimposition of candidates inthe party saying that it wasa major factor that led to itswoeful defeat during thegeneral elections in thecountry.”

Dogo expressed optimismthat most of the governors-elect, who were PDPmembers that left the partyfor All ProgressivesCongress, APC, because ofimposition of leaders, woulddefinitely come back if theparty was restructured.

Give account of stewardship, Dogochallenges PDP's NWC, Mu'azu

By Suzan Edeh

As foundation provides surgery for 50 victims in Kaduna

MINNA—THE ElectionPetitions Tribunal in

Minna, Niger State, hasreceived seven petitionsrelating to the March 28 andApril 11 elections in the state.

Mr. Oluremi Olagunju,

Secretary to the tribunal,disclosed this in Minnayesterday, saying three of theapplications were for theHouse of Representativesand four for the House ofAssembly elections, adding

that one request was also grantedfor inspection of electionmaterials.

Olagunju assured that theactivities of the tribunal wouldbegin in earnest by the first weekof June.

Niger election tribunal receives 7 petitions

A B U J A — M R .Muhammad Sani-

Sidi, Director-General,National EmergencyManagement Agency,NEMA, says a jointcoordination ofhumanitarian groupsworking at all levels willstrengthen humanitarianactivities in Nigeria.

Sani-Sidi made thisknown during a NEMA/United Nations, UN,working group meeting inAbuja.

He spoke ahead of thecommencement of a jointhumanitarian assessmentin the North-East states ofAdamawa, Borno andYobe.

In his remarks, Mr.Mohammed Safieldin,Deputy HumanitarianCoordinator, UnitedNations System inNigeria, commendedNEMA’s efforts, the UNand other relevantagencies for theirhumanitarian assistanceso far.

LOKOJA—A groupwithin All

Progressives Congress,APC, in Kogi State,Confluence for Change,has called on thePresident-elect, GenMuhammadu Buhari(retd) and the nationalleadership of the party notto disband the stateexecutives of the party asproposed by the state APCElders Forum.

Convener of the group,Ibrahim Isah, who spoketo newsmen in Lokojayesterday, said thosecanvassing for thedisbandment ofexecutives were PDPagents nowmasquerading asmembers of the party withthe aim of causingconfusion.

He also said: “We wishto call on our party tobeware of the antics ofthese people, who arebehaving like greedytenants wanting to pushtheir landlords away fromtheir houses to gainabsolute control.”

PDP spiesin Kogi APC,memberalleges

By BoluwajiObahopo


CMYK

CSR: From left— Mr. Oladimeji Oduyebo, Corporate Services Manager,Fidson Healthcare Plc; Ms Ebele Oputa, Head of Operations; and Mr.Oluwafeyijimi Omobowale, Accountant, both of Children DevelopmentalCentre, CDC, during the presentation of cheque to CDC as part of Fidson’scorporate social responsibility programme.

REPS PDP CAUCUS: From left— Mr. Leo Ogor, Leader, PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, House of Representatives Caucus; Mr. FemiGbajabiamila, Minority Leader and speakership aspirant, and Mr. TajudeenYusuf, caucus member, during the aspirant's meeting with the caucus in Abuja,yesterday. PHOTO: Gbemiga Olamikan.

BEST 11: From left— Mr. Obi Ejimofo, MD, Lamudi.Com.ng; Ibilola Akinla,Head of Verification, Alexander Forbes Consulting; Mr. Fidelis Duker, Founder,Abuja Film Festival; Mr. Bayo Adekanbi, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN; Mr.Anunobi Peterson; Mr. Kareem Abioye, both winners of MTN Best 11 promo;Mr. Richard Iweanoge, GM, Consumer Marketing, MTN, and Mr. JudeUghwujabo, Head, Regulation & Monitoring, Lagos Zonal Office, during Best11 Presentation Trutalk Plus launch in Lagos. PHOTO: Diran Oshe.

VISIT: From left— Mr. James Agada, CTO; Mr. Austin Okere, CEO,both of Computer Warehouse Group Plc; Mr. Valentin Mbozo’o, MD, GIMACand Mr. Valentine Essimbi Jean Valentin, Head Applications, both ofGroupement Interbancaire Monétique de l'Afrique Centrale, GIMAC, duringa working visit to CWG in Lagos.

PRESENTATION: From left— Dr. Henry Nkemadu, Deputy Director,Policy Competition, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC; Dr. MikeOnyia, Commissioner, NCC, and Professor Dominic Okpara, Deputy ViceChancellor, representing the Vice Chancellor, Michael Okpara University ofAgriculture, Umudike, Abia State, during the presentation of ICT textbooksto the university.

HONOUR: From left— Revd Record Akeke, Pastor, FoursquareChurch, Ado Langbasa Lagos; Dr. Henry Ogunjewo, honoured as BestLecturer, Department of History and Strategic Studies, University of Lagos;his wife, Grace; and Prophet Olatoye Raphael, during the institution'sconvocation in Lagos.

GRADUATION: From left— Mr. Dimeji Sofowora, Senior SpecialAssistance to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Protocol; Mrs.'Shade Ashafa; Mr. Tobi Ashafa, and Senator 'Gbenga Ashafa, during thegraduation (Master) ceremony of Tobi Ashafa in National Security and U. S.Foreign Relations Law at the George Washington University, Washington, USA.

REPORT: From left— Lazarus Agbazo, President, GE Nigeria; PatriciaObozuwa, Communications Director, GE Africa; and Penny Shone, GlobalCommunications Director, GE, at the company's presentation InnovationBarometer report on Nigeria in Lagos.

46—Vanguard,46—Vanguard,46—Vanguard,46—Vanguard,46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, MAY 22 MAY 22 MAY 22 MAY 22 MAY 22 20152015201520152015

QUITE a number of Nigerianmothers are yet to adopt proper

ways to feed their infants. Worried bythis development, nutrition experts saymalnutrition and under-nutrition maylinger in the country except mothers areproperly and continuously educated onessential foods for the optimaldevelopment of children.

Malnutrition occurs when the body isdeprived of vitamins and mineralsamongst others. It is estimated that overone million Nigerian children under fivedie annually from malnutrition andvaccine preventable diseases.

Data from the 2013 NationalDemographic Survey, NDHS, show thatNigeria has a stunting rate of 37 percent,wasting 18 percent, underweight 29percent and Exclusive Breastfeeding 17percent. Although, the data is animprovement from NDHS 2003 and 2008respectively, but experts say the situationis still life threatening and thereforeundermines the development of thegrowth of children and the country atlarge.

In a presentation entitled: “Addressingthe multiple burden of malnutritionthrough Micronutrient Fortification”,Head of Nutrition, Federal Ministry ofHealth, Dr. Chris Isokpunwu, saidaddressing micronutrient deficiencies inchildren will not only reduce deaths ofunder-five but would improve theirIntelligence Quotients.

Speaking at the Nestle NutritionHealth and Wellness/ CSV MediaWorkshop in Lagos last week,Isokpunwu stressed the need formothers to give their young onesfortified food. Food fortification is adeliberate practice of increasing thecontent of an essential micronutrient, ina food, so as to improve the nutritionalquality of the food supply and provide apublic health benefit with minimal riskto health. In an insight on theimportance of fortification, he said widely

‘Elimination of micronutrient deficiency willreduce infant malnutrition’

According to experts insufficiency and imbalance in the intake of nutrients issaid to be the leading cause of death among Nigerian children

What you should know about multiple sclerosis disease

Addressing only zincdeficiency in childrencan reduce theincidence of diarrhoeawhich kills ninemillion children a yearby 27 percent andoverall child mortalityby 6 percent

By Chioma Obinna & JenniferAladetan

sclerosis vary, depending on the locationof affected nerve fibres. Some of the signsand symptoms include; numbness orweakness in one or more limbs that typicallyoccurs on one side of your body at a time,or the legs and trunk, partial or completeloss of vision, usually in one eye at a time,often with pain during eye movement,double vision or blurring of vision, tinglingor pain in parts of your body, electric-shocksensations that occur with certain neckmovements, especially bending the neckforward, tremor, lack of coordination orunsteady gait, slurred speech, fatigue,dizziness, and problems with bowel andbladder function.

People with multiple sclerosis maydevelop, muscle stiffness or spasms,paralysis, typically in the legs, problemswith bladder, bowel or sexual function,mental changes, such as forgetfulness ormood swings, depression and epilepsy.

Unfortunately, there is no way to preventmultiple sclerosis or its attacks. For peoplewith relapsing-remitting MS andsecondary progressive MS, treatment with

MULTIPLE sclerosis, MS, is a diseasethat affects the nervous system. It is

believed to be an autoimmune disease, inwhich the body’s immune system attacksits own tissues. This process destroysmyelin — the fatty substance that coats andprotects nerve fibres in the brain and spinalcord and the optic nerves as well as theimmune elements. The connectivity nervestake their signal from the brain and thento the main body. These nerves are coveredby the Myelin Sheaths which is veryimportant for connection signal likeelectricity. When the body cells kicksagainst the myelin sheaths, connection isaffected. Myelin can be compared to theinsulation on electrical wires. When myelinis damaged, the messages that travel alongthat nerve may be slowed or blocked.

It is not clear why MS develops in somepeople and not others. However, acombination of factors, ranging fromgenetics to childhood infections, may playa role. Signs and symptoms of multiple

distributed and widely consumed foodshave the potential to improve thenutritional status of a large proportionof the population, both poor and wealthy.

“Food fortification has the dualadvantage of being able to delivernutrients to large segments of thepopulation without requiring radicalchanges in food consumption patterns.”

Reeling out the impact of deficiencyof micronutrients in children,Isokpunwu explained thatmicronutrients, are vitamins andminerals most of which are not made inthe body, or only in insufficient amounts,

which are required in small quantitiesto ensure normal metabolism, growthand physical well being.

Lack of some nutrients of publicinterest including Vitamin A, Zinc, Iron,Folic Acid, and Iodine may spell doomin the life of a child, he warned.

In Nigeria, about 150,000 babies areborn annually with severe birth defectsdue to maternal foliate deficiency andthis is associated with 1 in every 10 adultdeaths from heart disease.

Continuing he said addressing onlyzinc deficiency in children can reducethe incidence of diarrhoea which killsnine million children a year by 27percent, acute respiratory infection by15 percent and overall child mortalityby 6 percent.

Earlier, Chief Executive, NestleNigeria Plc, Chief Dharnesh Gordhonsaid the workshop was aimed atproviding solution to malnutrition andto prevent further spread. “NestleNigeria is working hard to fully solvethe problem of malnutrition. We also haveto look into the scarcity of drinkable,portable water within our differentcommunities. A better society will makea better consumer.” he added.

The Corporate and Public AffairsManager, Nestle Nigeria, Dr. SamuelAdenekan said in order to foster healthydiets and lifestyle, Nestle is committedto producing nutritious, affordable foodsand vegetables.

“Nestle is also providing nutritionaleducation for children by reaching76,122 kids through their healthy kidsprogramme,” he added. Adenekan alsonoted that Nestle was also encouragingworking mothers to create time tobreastfeed their children even while atwork to enable them to feed with purebreast milk for at least six months.

medicine may reduce the frequency ofrelapses and delay disability.

Treatment for the disorder includeschemotherapy. A vastless surgeon fromItaly, whom his wife also suffered frommultiple sclerosis, had once proposed anideology focusing on the brain. He thoughtthere is something wrong with the bloodcirculation coming to the brain, the bloodis going down, but if you have any problemwith the drainage of blood vessels goingup to the brain, it is either there is a reflexgoing back to the brain and that can affectthe function of the brain mainly because alot of high pigments from the blood canget deposited in the blood vessels and thatresults to damages on whichever part theyoccur.

However, problems caused by thedisease can be detected by ultrasound andif it is controlled, a milogram can be done.If it shows any narrowing, it can be blownand the function improves.

Dr. V. Balaji, Senior Consultant VascularSurgeon writes from Apollo hospital.

OGUN state government has criedout over the spread of malaria, even

as it enters into partnership with aSpanish company, Inesfly, to furthercontrol and eliminate the spread ofmalaria in the state and Nigeria at large.

The company plans to set up an anti-vector paint factory in the country. Thestate Health Commissioner, Dr. OlaokunSoyinka, lamented that malaria hadbecome a complicated disease which hadproven difficult to end over the years.

Soyinka said that the stategovernment would partner anybody or

group willing to assist in the roll-back-malaria task.

“We are not just going to controlmalaria, we will definitely eliminatemalaria. This is a complicated diseasethat is giving us difficult time to controllet alone eliminate. But we won’t relent,”he said.

Nigerians, through production processat the factory, would garner appropriatecapacity to eliminate malaria.

“We have undertaken the process ofpartnering with the Spanish firm so thatthey can help train our people and seethat they develop our most appropriatecapacity in this effort.”

Chairman of the company, Dr. PillarMateo, said the technological paintproduct would eradicate vectors andinsect-pests in homes and environment.

She added that the vaccination wasdone in a bio-rational way by releasingspecial Juvenile Hormone Analogue(JHA), thereby killing the insects to thelarva and all stages of development.

“Inesfly insecticide paint is safe anddoes not affect human and pest and allthe ingredient are encapsulated, “shenoted.

Mateo assured that the product hadbeen approved by the World HealthOrganisation, International Centre forTraining and Medical Research in Spainand the National Agency for Food andDrug Administration and Control,NAFDAC.Samples are to be madeavailable to the state governmentimmediately.

By Dauda OlatunjiOGUN GOVT DECRIES SPREAD OF MALARIA

Ogun govt decries spread of malaria

By V. Balaji

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015—————4747474747

VIRGINIA

KAPTAIN AFRIKA in “Pretty Lunatic’ By Andy Akman

[email protected]

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” By Lanre Kehinde

HOME & ABROAD By Lawrence Akapa

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGSend ySend ySend ySend ySend your datour datour datour datour date and place of bire and place of bire and place of bire and place of bire and place of bir th tth tth tth tth to the Aso the Aso the Aso the Aso the Astrtrtrtrtrologicalologicalologicalologicalological

Counselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, P.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 100000000007, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos

YOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139


L E I S U R ETHOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard EromoselePISCES: UNLIKE yesterday when friends were willingto make sacrifices, their mood may be a bit difficult tounderstand. This is not the right time to take harddecisions about your love life.

ARIES: TODAY’S Moon placement will bring you underthe fire of enthusiasm along your business line but youmust guard against avoidable mistakes. Try to be morefamily minded.

TAURUS: WHAT started yesterday may climax today. Itis wrong to arrive at a decision in haste today.Unnecessary argument can’t help.

GEMINI: BOTH astrological aspects and Moon inCancer are warning you to be very careful with money.And your new ideas concerning financial issues are notsound enough.

CANCER: The Moon in your star sign at hard angle toMars may give you wrong ideas and induce you to takeactions capable of prompting others to resent you.

LEO: Moon’s aspect may today induce others to workagainst your interest but the whole thing’ll not stand thetest of time. Do away with secretive deal at work andtake good care of your health.

VIRGO: A particular affair may come to the head now;and you will either enjoy the excitement or over-reactand complicate things. Don’t allow friends to controlyour life. Separate friendship & money

LIBRA: Expect challenges both at home and along yourbusiness line. Protection of your image should top yourpriority list today. Be less aggressive.

SCORPION: Moon in Cancer does not favour your beingcareless with legal-related issues. And if need be, youmay tarry a while before putting your hands onagreement papers. Think of the future.

SAGITTARIUS: Moon in Cancer highlights yourfinances. Money, movable possessions and other inter-connections may bring you under tension temporarily.Be wise with money.

CAPRICORN: Moon in Cancer star sign will bring youto the limelight and if care is not taken, you would be atthe center of controversy. Be less aggressive.

AQUARIUS: WHAT you were able to sweep under thecarpet yesterday at work may come up unexpectedly now.And it’ll take exhibition of maturity on your part to avoidtrouble. Don’t allow health-related issues to degenerate.Think future & legality.

Characteristics ofGermini

My Dear readers,

Gemini’s element is air while it’s quality is mutable,belonging to positive group of the zodiac. It isruled by Mercury. The air element means you havecharacteristics of the Zodiac sign known for highquality of intelligence. The air element, also makesyou a humorous person who knows how to cool offpressure through ribs cracking jokes, especiallywhen with those you can consider intimate allies.Mutable connection indicates innate ability toexperiment with new and bright ideas that oftentimes lead to change. In fact, Gemini born peoplestrongly believe in the popular saying that “variety(and/or change) is the spice of life.” Mutable isequally related to education, travelling,communication and commercial activities. Thus,you’re a person with many personalities.And if you are not annoyed, everybody loves yourcharismatic approach. But once you lose yourpatience,tongues go wagging unnecessarily and somepeople would wrongly accuse you of unreliability.Mutable aspect influences you to have specialinterest in education and soundness of the mind.Geminians in general are not as crafty as manythink, although you can become an adept at thegame of deception.Literary Gemini gives you ability to write andexpress yourself whichever way you want. Influenceof Gemini makes . Influence of Gemini makes youa person with dual (double) personality. In fact, itis possible for you to exhibit different faces of yourinner personalities at different places.

How was your nightNIGHT ordinarily,

is supposed to bea period of rest.However, for thosewhose duties entailtheir working at night,we can excuse them.But the tragedy of thesedays is that so many of

us have made it aduty to become watch-night, not sleepingand not working.My dear, what is yourproblem? Do youthink your problem isthe worst?

Do you think thosethat sleep have noproblem? Everyone ofus have one problemor the other. Whatmakes the differenceis our attitude, some ofus wear problems on

our faces, some carryproblems in theirhead and some withdignity and promiseof God go about,believing it is wellwith them. How doyou carry yourproblem?Make your nightmemorable.


CMYK

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A B U J A — T H EDepartment of

Petroleum Resources, DPR,is set to release theguidelines for theestablishment of modularrefineries in the country,stating that it plans toshorten the approval timefor licensing of refineries.

Speaking at asensitisation workshop onthe modular refineriesinitiative, Mr. AlfredOhiani, Deputy Director,Engineering andStandards, DPR, disclosedthat the guidelines willreflect the new processesfor the issuance of licences,which will span a period of12 months.

He further stated that theFederal Government wasworking towards ensuringthat 50 percent of Nigeria’scrude oil output is refinedlocally.

He expressed optimismthat the target of increasedrefining capacity would beachieved with modularrefineries, adding,however, that the licensingfee will remain at $50,000,about N10 million.

FG comingwithguidelinesfor modularrefineries

By Michael Eboh

IndonesianBazaar 2015

THE Indonesian TradePromotion Centre,

ITPC, Lagos will tomorrowhost the IndonesianBazaar at its Embassy on 5Anifowoshe Street, VictoriaIsland, Lagos. The bazaarwill be the biggest in threeyears as 25 booths havebeen designated for theexhibition of a wide rangeof Indonesian food, craftand fashion.The Bazaar is sponsoredby Indonesian companies,namely: Wings Group (SoKlin), DUFIL (Indomie)and Kalbe FarmaInternational. The generalpublic is welcome to attendfor a token fee.The Director of IndonesianTrade Promotion Centre,Mr. Nino WawanSetiawan, said that thebazaar will showcasevarious Indonesian Batikproducts and paintings.‘’You will surely have ataste of Indonesian foodsand all guests/ participantswill have the opportunity ofexperiencing our traditionaldance, music and songs.Also children are not leftout as there would be kidscorner,” he said.

By VICTOR GOTEVBE



ABUJA —KADUNA Stategovernor-elect, Mallam

Nasir El-Rufai yesterdayadvocated structural andsystemic reforms of theNigerian civil service and theadoption of a zero-budgetsystem among others as keyissues to be implemented ifthe incoming administrationmust succeed.

El-Rufai who spoke on thesecond day of the policydialogue organized by the AllProgressives Congress, APCcalled for the abrogation of thepermanent secretary cadre inthe civil service asserting it tobe an aberration in thepresidential system operatedin Nigeria.

El-Rufai who accused theoutgoing administration ofmaintaining a culture of greedand corruption that turned itinto a master in destroyingevery good legacy it inherited,further affirmed that theadministration was handingover the worst humandevelopment indices anygovernment would ever passon to a successor.

El-Rufai spoke on the topic“Governance and ImprovingEfficiency in Public Service”which was subsequentlydiscussed by former Head ofthe Civil Service of theFederation, Mr. SteveOransonye, the Director-General, Bureau of PublicService Reforms, Dr. Joe Abahand his predecessor in thebureau, Dr. Goke Adegoronye.The session was moderated bythe former Lead, Public SectorManagement Specialists atthe World Bank, ProfessorLadipo Adamolekun.

While urging the incomingadministration to streamlinethe civil service and eliminatethe permanent secretary cadre,El-Rufai, a former Minister ofthe Federal Capital Territory,FCT, said in running a zerobudgeting system, everyministry and institution ofgovernment must justify itsexpenditure and by thatenthroning transparency andaccountability in the publicservice.

“We must operate a zero-based budgeting system. Letus dump the PDP budget ofsaying every governmentagency must justify everypenny it wants to spend,because what often happens isthat every year they take thebudget of last year and reduceor increase the number so ifwe do that as APC we areimplementing PDP budget.

“We must draw a line and sayno more, let every agencyjustify every penny frompersonnel cost, how manypeople do you have? What aretheir salaries? Why are youpaying them this salary? If itis recorded we would knowwhy you are taking more teathan in any other country inthe world?

“Why do your vehiclesconsume more petrol than allthe vehicles in Kaduna State?We must ask this question andstart the budgeting cycle now;it has to be zero based. InKaduna that is what we aredoing, I am not going to evenlook at the budget that is there,we are going to do a budgetfrom 30 May.

“Permanent secretaries in apresidential system ofgovernment are abnormal.There is nothing likepermanent secretaries. Welearned that nomenclaturebecause we came from colonialtradition and some permanentsecretaries that have refusedto disappear still exist. If thereis one, show me who is apermanent secretary in theUS.

“A permanent secretary is adeputy minister. It is a politicalappointee. He should even becleared by the Senate. So, letus stop all these things aboutpermanent secretary and soon. The highest level in thecivil service in a presidentialsystem of government isdirector.

“The moment you move fromdirector, the civil service careerhas ended and you enter intothe political realm and you willbe treated like a politician.They don’t want to hear it. Butit is the truth and I hope theAPC government willstreamline it.”

Giving details of the publicexpenditure by governmentinstitutions, the governor-electsaid that unless the incomingadministration made drasticdecisions, the road to successwould still be far.

“In the 2007 budget, webudgeted 600 billion naira forpersonnel cost. This is now 1.8trillion which increased threetimes. In 2007, the NationalAssembly budget was N59billion, today it moved to N150billion by 2010 and this year, Iunderstand it is about N130billion. They are feelingashamed of taking too much.What about fuel subsidy? In2007, we budgeted about N279billion for fuel subsidy. In2009, it moved to N257billionand N2.6 trillion in 2011. In2014, it was about N1 trillion.

“Now this is a graphicpicture of how things havedeteriorated in the last five toeight years and I think it isimportant to put this inperspective because whenthings go wrong, it is easy toblame those that are therewithout looking at what legacythey are inheriting.

“What I am trying to sayhere is APC is inheritingperhaps the worst ever set ofhuman development indicesin Nigeria’s history than anygovernment has ever had toface and this change of 2015arose because of this

deterioration actually. Peoplejust got tired of this lack ofprogress and the tendency togo into denials that there wereno problems.

“Now our performance as agovernment will depend ontwo things; first our politicallegitimacy and second, theadministrative capacity. It isthe combination of these two;political legitimacy andsecond, the administrativecapacity that will ensure wesucceed or we fail.

“To improve governance, weneed to develop politicalvision, courage, and politicalwill along with enhancingadministrative capacity.

“It is clear from what I havedescribed that politicalleadership provides the visionand will while the publicservice contributesadministrative capacity and itis impossible to succeedwithout the two.

“The effectiveness of publicservice is vital to progress andwe must all be interested in it.Where is our public service? Iwant to give you a quicksummary of what we found in2005. Our public service hasbeen perceived asdysfunctional, inefficient,corrupt, lacking administrativecapacity and incapable ofattracting the best andbrightest. Those of us oldenough to remember wouldremember that the best

graduates of OxfordUniversity, Cambridge,Ahmadu Bello, and IbadanUniversity used to join the civilservice. Not anymore.

“Our public service is toolarge. We have 1 millionfederal employees andbetween two and three millionin states and localgovernments. So the entirepublic service in Nigeria isthree to four million in size.In 2005, we found that publicservice was aging. Theaverage age was 43 in acountry where 75 percent ofthe population was below theage of 35.

“The public service wasinadequately educated.Seventy percent of publicservice workers had secondaryschool leaving certificatecompared to UK, China or theUS. In China, you need tohave a Masters Degree toeven attempt the civil serviceexams but here we have 70percent with secondary schoolcertificate.

“Our public service is alsoexpensive because itconsumes 60 percent and 120percent of federal, state andlocal government revenue. Insome states like Kano, it wasobserved that the payroll of thepublic service was 120 percentof the revenue of the state.Our public service is outdated.

“Less than 5 percent of thepublic service is computerliterate. The poor pay in thepublic service is also aproblem. The pay hardlycovers for transportation whichaccounts for 80 percent of ourspending in this country, andfinally, there is a completebreakdown of human resourcemanagement in the publicservice and ghost workersaccount for between 15 and 25percent.

“Finally because there havebeen previous reform effortsthat have had limited success,there is an inbuilt feeling inthe public service when youmention reform or you want tocheck something, they justwait because they know youwill leave in four years. Theyare there for 35 years. Thereis a culture of cynicism andchange resistance. So, unlessyou are ready to take reallydifficult decisions they will justdelay you and in four yearsyou are gone and anothergovernment starts from whereyou left.

“I am putting this inperspective because if we aregoing to have to achieveanything we have to go in witha knife and take drastic actionsin the shortest possible time toput things in perspective”, hesaid.

He put the blame for thebleeding economy squarely onthe door post of the outgoingadministration, even as hestated that challenges facingthe APC administration were


El-Rufai advocates drasticreforms and reduction of civilservice if Buhari is to succeed

•Says permanent secretary cadre should be abrogated•Says NNPC is evil, has no right to bankrupt Nigeria•Calls for documentation of all Nigerians

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

PRESENTATION; From left: All Progressives Congress, APC, National Chairman, ChiefJohn Odigie Oyegun; President-elect Muhammadu Buhari and Chairman of the Committee,Alhaji Ahmed Joda during the presentation of APC Interim Transition Committee report atthe Defence House, Abuja, yesterday.

CMYK


enormous.“So what are the challenges

ahead for us? The challengesfor us are only five but theyare big issues; first is risinggovernance cost. Jonathan’slegacy of waste, debt,corruption and institutionaldestruction. One of the thingsI think Jonathan deserves aNobel Prize for is the capacityto take functional institutionsand destroy them within theshortest period of time.

“Functioning institutionsthat we left have beendestroyed and I don’t knowhow; it is magic, Jonathanianmagic. The second is manifestinjustice. We live in a countrywhere 3-4 million people thatwork for the public serviceconsume about 90 percent ofthe revenues of thegovernment.

“That is injustice and wemust ask ourselves whetherthat makes sense. We must ask

country is tracing wrongdoings and criminals.

“People do things and justdisappear. People fromneighbouring countries comeinto Nigeria and just take ourpassports and do things in ourname. The national ID cardscheme is the most importantinfrastructure we need notonly to identify who is aNigerian but to countourselves and eliminate manyareas of wrong doings.

“This project has beenongoing forever. In 2006, Iwas asked to take it over. Wedid organize; we did theNigerian IdentityManagement Commission butit is still ongoing. We need tofinish registering all adultNigerians within the shortestpossible time and give themID cards so that when they dosomething they can be traced.It is a very important humaninfrastructure.

“Secondly, we need to reviewour statues on falsification of

ourselves whether we shouldlive in a country with this kindof perverse prioritization.How can we be spending only10 percent of the budget oncapital expenditure and theentire 10 percent will beborrowed?

“So the entire revenues of theFederal Government aregoing to be spent on runningthe Federal Government sothat one million people thatwork for the FederalGovernment wear nice suitsmeanwhile we don’t haveroads, electricity is notworking, no rail system. Whatkind of people are we?

Proposing solutions to theproblems, El-Rufai said:“Ihave ten points. I am sure theyare not exhaustive, but ten isenough. First we need toaccelerate implementation ofthe national ID scheme. NowI am sure you are surprisedwhy I put that as number onebut one of the biggestproblems we have in this

records and perjury. Nigeriais the only country wherepeople lie on forms, changetheir age, do any kind of stuffwithout any consequencebecause our statues make itvery difficult to convict.

“I don’t think we will makeprogress because it starts fromthere. The moment a personfeels comfortable aboutaltering records it is eveneasier to steal and disappearsince there is no identification.For us in the APC governmentif we want to changegovernment we have to dothis”, he said

He also called for theoverhaul of the NNPC.

“I said NNPC is evil, I meanit. Any organization that cansingly bankrupt the country isevil,” he said.

Mr. Orosanye, who was adiscussant of the topic,suggested that every lawoffender must be brought tojustice.

“Now if you must make


El-Rufai advocates drastic reforms and reductionin civil service if Buhari is to succeed

progress you have to identifywhat the problems are, but ifyou are in self-denial youcan’t make progress. Nowtalking about promotion;people are put in positionsthat they can’t not evendeliver. There are many abusesin the system one of such issexual harassment which goesboth ways.

“There are people who needto have courage to do theneedful and protect when theytake the right decision. You willfind out that if you do the rightthing you may be punishedand if you do the wrong thingyou have yourself beingcelebrated.

“I want to suggest that wecreate a day when we willname and shame people. Letus sanction people, thereshould be consequences forevery action and those inservice should also know whatobtains outside. We have toknow how the market isbecause we need to buildcapacity”, he said.


CMYK


APA drags Okorocha to tribunal, claimsvotes cast outnumbered PVCs

By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI—A newdimension has crept into

the current struggle to wrestgovernorship election victoryfrom Governor Rochas Okorochaof the All Progressives Congress,APC in Imo State.

A petition, EPT/IM/GOV/2/2015, filed before theGovernorship Election PetitionTribunal by the candidate ofAfrican People’s Alliance, APA,Mr. Charles Osita Nnadi,claimed, among other allegations,that the total number of votes castin most polling units in the stateoutnumbered the total number ofregistered voters, as well as thetotal number of eligible voters,who collected their PermanentVoters Cards, PVCs, and the totalnumber of accredited voters.

The petitioners, Mr. Nnadi andhis party, APA, claimed, that thetotal number of votes cast in mostpolling units, particularly IdeatoNorth, Ideato South, AbohMbaise, Oru East, Orsu, Obowo,Mbaitoli, Ikeduru, Okigwe,Nkwerre, Nwangele and Njabalocal government areas of ImoState, were greater than the totalnumber of registered voters, whocollected their PVCs and the totalnumber of accredited voters in theareas in question.

The petitioners also averred thatthe election was invalid as a resultof corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

According to the petitioners, thegovernorship election of April 11,

2015, and the supplementaryelection of April 25, 2015, weremarred and vitiated by substantialnon-compliance with statutoryrequirements, irregularities,corrupt practices, fraud, illegalvoting and mutilation of electionresult sheets that substantiallyaffected them.

They said none of thecandidates was entitled to be

declared winner of the election,and that the exercise should havebeen nullified.

The petitioners also claimed thatthere were cases of ballot boxsnatching, illegal voting andsnatching of election result sheetsby thugs/agents of the first andsecond respondents, GovernorRochas Okorocha and APC,respectively.

The petitioners also accused the

governor and his agents ofindulging in illegal buying andselling of PVCs, through whichthey allegedly induced andprocured illegal and unlawfulvotes across the state, contrary tothe provisions of the Electoral Act.

Vanguard recalls that at the lastcount, no fewer than three caseshad been filed in the tribunal,challenging the victory ofOkorocha.

No regrets as Ebonyi gov, says ElechiBy Peter Okutu

A B A K A L I K I —GOVERNOR Martin

Elechi of Ebonyi State saidyesterday he had no regrets forthe decisions he took in the courseof his eight years administrationin the state.

The governor stated this during

a valedictory press conference tomark activities lined up for theMay 29 hand over ceremony inAbakaliki.

“I have no regrets for sure; Igave allowance for divergentviews during my tenure. We mustdiffer in our views. The right todiffer is a fundamental humanright. We have made tremendous

impact.“My objective is to respect the

right of others. We have beencriticized and I do not haveregrets for anything. My actionswere felt differently by differentpeople. There is nothing I did thatis a mistake,” the governor said.

On the alleged plot by hisadministration to scuttle the May

29 hand over ceremony,Governor Elechi described theallegation as embarrassing andbaseless.

He said: “There is nothingsupporting the fact of theallegation. This is embarrassing.How can I stop the Chief Judgefrom swearing-in the governor-elect.”

Ohanaeze youths urge Ndigbo to support Buhari’s govt

UMUAHIA—OHANAEZEYouths Council has called

on Ndigbo to rally roundPresident-elect, MuhammaduBuhari, saying it would be in theirbest interest to do that, since hissuccess was the success ofNigeria.

The group in a statement inUmuahia by the NationalPresident, Mazi OkechukwuIsiguzoro, also called on theincoming President to allay thefears of marginalization ofNdigbo.

It said: “We urge the incomingadministration to allay fears ofmarginalization of Ndigbo bydealing with Ndigbo and othersections of Nigeria with equity

By Anayo Okoli and fairness.“Having been elected as

President of all Nigerians, it iswise for him to disappoint partydie-hards and ethnic irredentists,who may want him to dootherwise,” Ohanaeze Youth

Council said.Isiguzoro also urged the

President-elect not to abandon hispromise of fighting corruption,saying Nigerians voted for himbased largely on that promise.

“Buhari was voted largely

based on his anti-corruptioncredentials. Any government thatfights corruption is a friend ofNdigbo, since a Nigeria drivenby merit and competence ratherthan corruption and tribalism, willfavour Ndigbo."

PDP's scorecard in Delta doesn't deserve encomiums —APC chieftainBy Victor Otigbu

OGBUESHI SAM Abumujor,an APC chieftain, has

condemned Anioma Congress,an umbrella organization forpolitical and socio-economicdevelopment of Anioma, forpouring encomiums on GovernorEmmanuel Uduaghan'sadministration.

Chatting with newsmen,

Tuesday, in Asaba, Abumujorwondered what the outgoingPeoples Democratic Party, PDP,had achieved in the last 16 yearsin the state to warrant encomiumsbeing poured on GovernorEmmanuel Uduaghan'sadministration by the Congress.

Describing the development asperplexing, Abumujor said: “Thescorecard of PDP is so laughableand abysmally low that such

encomiums amount to condoningmediocrity, bad governance andmassive under-development inthe state.

“It is quite strange that agovernment Deltans cannot waitto quit the stage is being praisedby some of our highly esteemedand illustrious elders.

"Are they not also living herein Asaba where the entire townbecomes an oceanic swimming

pool whenever it rains, despitethe countless billions governmentclaims it spent on drainage?”

Warning Deltans to expect moreunder-development andharrowing days ahead whenSenator Okowa, another PDPman comes to power, Abumujorasserted that “only the APC canbring genuine change to Deltaand rescue the people from PDPmisrule.”

NTA Abamournsex-staff

By Felix Ogbonna

STAFF ANDmanagement of

Nigerian TelevisionAuthority, NTA, Channel 6Aba, Abia State, haveexpressed shock over thedeath of their formercolleague, Late Mrs. RuthNjoku.

Mrs. Njoku, whopassed away at the age of56 after a brief illness,became a household namewithin the former Easternregion after making herdebut as the first femaleIgbo newscaster at NTA atthe age of 18 and retired in2013.

In a chat with Vanguard,some staff of NTA Aba,including station’s PublicRelations Officer, PRO,Mrs. Linda Osuala saidNTA Aba, received thenews of Njoku’s death withshock, describing it as apersonal loss.

Osuala disclosed that sheowed her growth on the jobto the late ace broadcasterwho nurtured manynewscasters during hertime at NTA.

“Ruth Njoku’s death is apersonal loss to me andmany others she groomedat NTA. She was a greatbroadcaster; this is why wedescribe her as the NTAAba Golden Voice.

“She was a mother. Shewas a role model. Sheactually trained most of us.I am one of Ruth’s products.From the day I enteredhere (NTA), after listeningto my voice she said I wasgoing to join them in newscasting. She actuallybrought up so many peoplein the broadcast industry.”

Osuala urged NTA staff,friends and the bereavedfamily to be consoled thattheir departed colleagueand relative lived a lifeworthy of emulation.

According to the burialarrangements by thefamily, the body of the lateace broadcaster would belaid to rest on Saturday,May 23 at Umunnekwu-Agbor in Isuikwuato Localcouncil of Abia State after afuneral service atUmunnekwu CommunityPrimary School.

MEETING: From left, Minister of State for Education, Professor Viola Onwuliri; His GraceValerian Obinna, Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Diocese, and Professor Francis Eze, DeputyVice Chancellor (Administration), Federal University of Technology, Owerri, at a town hallmeeting on establishment of private tertiary institutions for sustainable national development,in Owerri, yesterday.

56 — VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MAY 22 , 2015

IS in control of Syria’s Palmyraafter westward advanceISLAMIC State fighters

tightened their grip onthe historic city of Palmyrain Syria, days aftercapturing a provincialcapital in neighboring Iraq,suggesting the growingmomentum of the groupwhich a monitor says nowholds half of Syrian territory.

The twin successes pilepressure not just onDamascus and Baghdad,but also throw doubt on U.S.strategy to rely almostexclusively on air strikes todefeat Islamic State.

Extending its reach in theregion, fighters loyal to theSunni Muslim group havealso consolidated their gripon the Libyan city of Sirte,hometown of former leaderMuammar Gaddafi.

Islamic State said in astatement posted byfollowers on Twitter onThursday it was in fullcharge of Palmyra,including its military bases,marking the first time it hadtaken a city directly fromthe Syrian military andallied forces.

Around a third of the200,000 people living inPalmyra may have fled inthe past few days duringfighting betweengovernment forces andIslamic State militants, theU.N. human rights officesaid yesterday.

Citing what she said werecredible sources, U.N.human rightsspokeswoman RavinaShamdasani in Genevaalso said there were reportsof government forcespreventing civiliansleaving until theythemselves fled and Islamic

State, also known as ISISor ISIL, took control of thecity.

“ISIL has reportedlybeen carrying out door-to-door searches in the city,looking for people affiliatedwith the government. At

least 14 civilians arereported to have beenexecuted by ISIL inPalmyra this week,”Shamdasani said inemailed comments.

The Britain-based SyrianObservatory for Human

Rights said the al Qaedaoffshoot now controls morethan half of Syrian territoryfollowing more than fouryears of conflict which grewout of an uprising againstPresident Bashar al-Assad.

•Free Syrian Army fighters gather on Nahlaya Front in Idlib, inpreparation for an operation to take over Ariha city recently

Wary EU hosts hopefulex-Soviets, underRussian glare

EUROPEAN Unionleaders began a tense

summit in Latvia yesterdaywith ex-Soviet neighboursthat was overshadowed bythe continuing confrontationwith Russia triggered by thelast such event 18 monthsago.

Disagreement over theconflict in Ukraine, and overthe EU’s reluctance to holdout membership prospectsto the six states in its“Eastern Partnership”, hasmarked the preparations.

But as he arrived for theopening dinner in Riga,summit chairman DonaldTusk insisted the bloc wasstill determined to supportits poorer neighbors in theface of Russian anger: “TheEuropean Union stays thecourse despite theintimidation, theaggression, even the war,of the last year,” he said.

Iran aid ship reaches Djibouti waters

AN Iranian aid ship hasreached the outskirts of

Djibouti’s port and iswaiting for a permit to enterafter Tehran agreed to aninternational inspection ofthe vessel with goods forYemen, an activist on boardsaid yesterday.

The Iran Shahed vessel,carrying 2,500 tonnes offood and medical supplies,was previously bound forthe Yemeni port of Hodaidabefore Iran agreed onWednesday to allow theinternational inspection.

“We have arrived outsidethe port of Djibouti and arewaiting for permission toenter,” the activist,Christoph Horstel, toldReuters. “We are being toldright now the permit willtake three to four hours toget.” The move reduces therisk of a potential

showdown between thevessel and Saudi-led forcesenforcing inspections onvessels entering Yemeniports to prevent armssupplies from reaching theIran-allied Houthi rebelsthey have been fighting.

Horstel said once thevessel received permission,a ship pilot would need toguide it into the port fromthe anchorage, which iswithin Djibouti’s territorialwaters.

“I spoke to the coordinatorof the ship and he said it issure we will dock in theport,” he said.

Russia ready to help Iraqdefeat Islamic State—Lavrov

RUSSIA is ready tosupply weapons to

Iraq, Foreign MinisterSergei Lavrov saidyesterday, as the countrystruggles to halt advances

by Islamic State militants.Speaking ahead of talks

in Moscow betweenRussian PresidentVladimir Putin and IraqiPrime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, Lavrov told reportersMoscow would makeevery effort to help theBaghdad governmentpush back the militants.

Islamic State insurgentsoverran the Iraqi city ofRamadi last weekend inthe most significant setbackfor the Baghdadgovernment in a year,exposing the weakness ofIraq’s army and thelimitations of U.S. airstrikes. The group seizedfull control of Palmyra inneighboring Syriayesterday.

•The Russian foreignminister, SergeiLavrov

Netanyahu renews support for two-state solutionwith PalestiniansISRAELI Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahurenewed his commitmenton Wednesday to a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, afterbacktracking on thatpledge during a heatedcampaign for a Marchelection.

Speaking as he met withEuropean Union foreignpolicy chief FedericaMogherini on her first visitto the region, and a weekafter his new governmenttook office, Netanyahusaid:

“We want a peace thatwould end the conflict onceand for all ... I don’t supporta one-state solution, I don’tbelieve that’s a solution atall, I support the vision oftwo states for two peoples.”

He reiterated Israel’slongstanding demand thatany Palestinian stateestablished in land Israelcaptured in a 1967 warshould be demilitarized,and said he hoped todiscuss with Mogherini“how we can advancethat vision forward”.

One the eve of theMarch 17 election, with

polls putting him behindcentre-left rivals,Netanyahu went back ona 2009 pledge to back aWestern goal ofachieving a two-state

solution with thePalestinians, saying hewould not permit aPalestinian state to beestablished under hiswatch.

•Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Ukrainian President PetroPoroshenko insisted he was“not disappointed” with adraft joint statement thatwill reaffirm on Friday onlyKiev and others’ “Europeanaspirations”. But hestressed that a “perspective”of EU accession remaineda goal.

Though they insist theireastern policy is notdirected against Russia, bigEU powers are wary ofprovoking PresidentVladimir Putin by makingbig gestures towardMoscow’s former vassals —a hesitation that frustratessome newer EU members.

Regretting the cautionbeing shown towardUkraine, Georgia andMoldova, Estonian PrimeMinister Taavi Roivas said:“We have to show a veryclear perspective ofmembership already.”

China restates right to securedisputed South China Sea

CHINA said yesterday it is entitled tokeep watch over airspaceand seas surroundingartificial islands it createdin the disputed waters ofthe South China Sea,following a reportedexchange in which its navywarned off a U.S.surveillance plane.

The comments came asthe Chinese air forceannounced its latestoffshore training exercisesin the western Pacific aspart of efforts to boost itscombat preparedness. Anair force spokesman saidthat followed an initialoffshore drill held lastmonth and future suchexercises would likely beplanned.

Speaking at a regulardaily briefing, Foreign

Ministry spokesman HongLei reiterated Beijing’sinsistence on itsindisputable sovereigntyover the islands it hascreated by piling sand ontop of atolls and reefs.

While saying he had noinformation about thereported exchange, Hongsaid China was “entitled tothe surveillance over relatedairspace and sea areas so asto maintain national securityand avoid any maritimeaccidents.

“We hope relevantcountries respect China’ssovereignty over the SouthChina Sea, abandon actionsthat may intensifycontroversies and play aconstructive role forregional peace and stability,”Hong told reporters at adaily news briefing.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MAY 22 , 2015 — 57

Europe migrant terror threatoverblown,say expertsTHE arrest in Italy of a

terror suspect posing asa boat migrant has fuellednightmare scenarios ofjihadist infiltration ofEurope, but experts say thethreat is overblown andattacks by homegrownextremists are more likely.

Right-wing parties haveseized on the incident asproof that groups likeIslamic State (IS) are takingadvantage of Europe’smigration crisis, in whichthousands of refugees aremaking the riskyMediterranean crossing toflee war and poverty.

NATO’s chief JensStoltenberg also warnedthis week that battle-hardened “foreign fighters”who have joined jihadistoutfits in Iraq and Syriacould smuggle themselvesinto Europe by hiding onasylum-seeker vessels.

But analysts say extremistgroups are more interestedin holding territory in theMiddle East than riskingtheir men in flimsydinghies, especially whenthey can rely on radicalisedEuropeans to do the workfor them in their owncountries, they say.

“To send their fighters inmigrant boats that are justgoing to sink is not verysmart,” ChristianNellemann, of theNorwegian Centre forGlobal Analysis told AFP.

“Putting high valuefighters on a migrant boatthat’s likely going to sink,so they might die, or beingpicked up by a naval vesselwhere they would getinterrogated, is not a veryeffective way of sendingfighters to Europe.”

Italy on Wednesdayseized a Moroccan mansuspected of involvementin a deadly attack in Marchon a Tunis museum in

which 21 foreign touristswere killed, three monthsafter he arrived on a boatfull of refugees.

Marc Pierini, aresearcher at the CarnegieEurope institute and formerEU ambassador to Turkeyand Libya said that “thethreat exists, there has atleast been a threat of thiskind by Islamic State, andthere is the recent arrest in

Italy.” “But still this is notthe biggest terrorist threat,as the terrorist attacks in2014 and 2015 in Europewere carried out byEuropean citizens. It is thismethod that is the realgame-changer,” he added.

Recent attacks like theCharlie Hebdo attack inParis in January and theattack on a Jewishsynagogue in Copenhagen

the following month wereall carried out by Europeanson home turf, addedCharlie Winter, aresearcher at the London-based think-tank Quilliam.

“In terms of the wholedesire of Islamic State tocarry out terroristoperations abroad, it’sproven it doesn’t need tosend people abroad,” hetold AFP.

•Migrants wait to disembark from the military ship “Bettica” following arescue operation at sea on May 5, 2015 in the port of Salerno, southernItaly

S/African police arrest thousands in raids

SOUTH African policeyesterday entered a

Cape Town neighborhoodnotorious for gang violence.It was one of severalnationwide raids, inresponse to last month’sattacks on foreigners in thecountry, officials said in astatement. Accompanied bythe military, police stalkedbetween apartmentbuildings, arresting 39people for crimes rangingfrom robbery to drug

possession, according to apolice statement. Nationalpolice authorities said about4,000 people were arrestedas part of the sweep,including 1,650 foreignersliving in the countryillegally.

Authorities also deportedundocumented immigrantsarrested during the raids.

The sweeping raids beganat the end of April inresponse to the violencetargeting foreign migrants,in which seven people werekilled. South African officialscondemned the violence.The government is trying toaddress issues at the root oftension betweenimmigrants and locals,according to a governmentstatement.

Tackling crime has becomeone of the most visibleresponses, with policearound the countryreporting arrests as part of

nationwide raids, known asOperation Fiela —meaning to sweep clean inthe local Sotho language.Despite criticism fromrights groups, police havehailed the raids as asuccess.

South Africa’s image hasbeen tarnished by the

attacks, especially amongits African neighbors.

On a two-day state visitto the Mozambique, SouthAfrican President JacobZuma apologized to theMozambican peoplebecause a Mozambicannational was killed in theattacks.

•A South African police officer, right, pointsat a woman as he and his fellow officers searchfor drugs in Manenberg, South Africayesterday.

Ebola: S/Leone beratesquarantine escapees ascases surge

SIERRA Leone onWednesday berated

the “selfish and shameful”behaviour of people riskinga resurgence of the Ebolavirus by floutingquarantine restrictions, asauthorities announced aspike in cases.

The country’s NationalEbola Response Centre(NERC) spoke out as theWorld HealthOrganization (WHO)revealed the west Africannation and its neighbourGuinea had seen casesquadruple in a week.

Palo Conteh, head of thegovernment-run NERC,told reporters in the capitalFreetown a man who wenton the run despite beingunder quarantine wasresponsible for the enforcedisolation of 52 people.

“Some of the 52 may beinfected because of a selfishand shameful act of a smallnumber of people,” he said.

Saidu Conteh escaped asealed-off section ofFreetown’s densely-populated Moa Wharf slumafter his girlfriend died ofEbola, said the NERC chief,who is no relation.

He evaded capture for aweek but died in a treatmentunit on Sunday, two daysafter being tracked down atanother residence inFreetown by expert Ebolacontact tracers.

Palo Conteh said healthofficials had removed 52people from their buildingand were monitoring themat an isolation unit on theoutskirts of the capital.

The group includes theescapee’s mother and anurse who was said to havebeen massaging him andwashing his clothes,despite repeatedgovernment warnings thatEbola spreads throughphysical contact.

ISIS captures Gaddafi’s town

STANDING guard at his frontline post,Libyan soldier MohammedAbu Shager can see whereIslamic State militants areholed up with their heavyweaponry less than akilometer away.

The militants haveeffectively taken overformer dictator MuammarGaddafi’s home city ofSirte as they exploit a civilwar between two rivalgovernments to expand inNorth Africa.

“Every night they openfire on us,” said AbuShebar, who withcomrades on Sirte’swestern outskirts holds thelast position of troopsbelonging to one of the twowarring Libyangovernments, the General

National Congress, whichcontrols the capital Tripoliand most of the west of thecountry. “They are onlyactive at night,” he said,pointing to the militants’position in a house justdown the road blocked bysandbags. He sleeps in ashed next to his firingpositions where used tankshells litter the ground.

Libya, which hasdescended into nearanarchy since NATOwarplanes helped rebelsoverthrow Gaddafi in a2011 civil war, is now thethird big stronghold for theSunni Islamist group, alsoknown as ISIS or ISIL,which declared aCaliphate to rule over allMuslims from territory itholds in Syria and Iraq.

Aid groups raise fears of escalating violence in S/Sudan

RAPE and killing drivenby revenge is spiraling

to new highs in SouthSudan after 18 months offighting and the worldlooks the other way,according to aid groupsworking in world’syoungest country.

Fighting has forced

thousands to flee theirhomes in recent days andsome 650,000 civilians arewithout access to aid,according to the UnitedNations (U.N.)H u m a n i t a r i a nCoordinator for SouthSudan.

Children as young as

seven have been rapedand whole villages burnedto the ground in the latestviolence, the U.N.’schildren’s fund said. Fourcivilians were killed whenmortar bombs hit a U.N.compound near an oilfieldon Tuesday.

But while images of the

conflict in Syria areregularly in the news dueto widespread use ofsocial media, aid workerssaid it was barely possibleto get a mobile phonesignal in most of SouthSudan so the ongoingviolence received littleattention.

Congo assesses $6.7 billioncontracts with Chinese

CONGO’S government has a 32 percentstake while China has 68percent in the miningproject called Sicomines. It

was created in 2008 butconstruction did not officiallystart until three years later,said Jean Nzenga Kongolo,deputy general manager ofSicomines. It now employsabout 3,000 people, of whom70 percent are Congolese,said Kongolo. To assess theproject’s impact, officialsfrom the World Bank and theUnited Nations visited themines this week.

The project “is truly in theright lines and objectives ofthe World Bank which is tofight against poverty,” saidWorld Bank representativeAhmadou MoustaphaNdiaye. The U.N. officialalso praised the project.

However, critics say a morethorough evaluation of thecontract still must be done.

“The Chinese contract wasnever a win-win ... It wasbadly negotiated,” said civilsociety leader JonasTshiombela.

As part of the deal, China’sRailway EngineeringCorporation and SinohydroCorp. are constructing about3,000 kilometers of roadsand railways in Congo.Universities, hospitals andhealth centers are also beingbuilt, according to theagreement.

58— Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

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participating teams.Meanwhile, thecountries with the oldestplayers are provided bythe European duo ofGermany and Ukraine.

Also, Nigeria’s TaiwoAwoniyi, who is one ofthe members of theGolden Eaglets that wonthe FIFA U17 World Cupin the United ArabEmirates in 2013, hasbeen rated one of theyoungest players towatch out for in thecompetition.

FIFAContinues from BP A total of 504 players

have been selected bythe 24 teams to follow inthe footsteps ofMaradona, Messi andcountless other globalstars who haveshowcased theirpotentials at thistournament.

All eyes will now turnto New Zealand todiscover which of theclass of 2015 can stepinto these legendaryshoes, and there areundoubtedly plenty ofplayers well capable ofdazzling.

electoral act.’The Portugal great and

former FIFA worldplayer of the year saysin a statement sent toThe Associated Pressthat he refuses to goalong with an electionprocess that is designed‘for the delivery ofabsolute power to oneman’ - indicating SeppBlatter.

Figo’s announcementcame hours after anothercandidate, Dutch soccerfederation president

FigoContinues from BP

Michael van Praag, alsowithdrew.

Figo said duringcampaigning heencountered hypocrisyamong federationpresidents around theworld, and that peoplewho wanted to speak outhad been silenced. Hegave no names.

He said FIFA was‘living under adictatorship’ withBlatter, whose re-election is widelyexpected.

FIFA Women W/Cup: Bring the trophyhome

THE NigeriaF o o t b a l l

Federation has chargedthe Super Falcons tosurpass the records oftheir predecessors in1999 when they crashedout of the FIFA WorldCup in the quarterfinals.

The women’s seniornational team arrivedCanada yesterday forthe final phase of theirpreparations for the2015 FIFA World Cup.

The Edwin Okon sideare grouped alongsideUSA, Sweden andAustralia - the groupmany believe to be thetightest in thetournament.

In a farewell speechdelivered on his behalfby Chairman of theNigeria Women FootballLeague and Chairmanof the NFF Women’sFootball Committee, MrsDilichukwu Onyedinma,Pinnick said the presentSuper Falcons have theability and capacity to goall the way.

“I know you girls arerearing to go, havingconquered Mali in a bigway in your lastcompetitive match. Youhave always done thenation proud and I seeyou doing even better inCanada.

“As African champions,I want you to go to theWorld Cup this time witha clear determination todo better than any ofyour predecessors haveever done. Our record inthe World Cup is quarter-final berth, set by theClass of 1999. The NFFwants you to do much

•NFF charges Falconsbetter in Canada, andwe believe you can.”

Nigeria will play theirfirst group game againstSweden on June 8- a re-match of their 1-1 drawthey played in 2007edition in China.

The Edwin Okon side,who are the Africanchampions performedwell at the last Women’sWorld Cup in Germany,losing by the odd goal tothe host nation andFrance, and beatingCanada by the odd goal.

Four years earlier, theFalcons drew 1-1 withSweden and lost 0-2 and0-1 to North Korea andUSA respectively, nodoubt distracted by ill-advised agitation forincrement in matchbonus before the finalgroup game against theAmericans in Shanghai.

In truth, results fromthe last two finaltournaments were animprovement on threestraight losses in 1991and 2003, and buoy thespirit of the Nigeriangirls as they head toCanada.

Stand –in captainOsinachi Ohale said:“We respect the teams inour group, but we do notfear any team. AsAfrican champions, wego in there with a lot ofconfidence. Last year,our U-20 team did verywell at the FIFA U-20World Cup in Canada,reaching the final. Weare motivated by that, aswell as all the efforts ofthe NFF on the team andthe incentives by theNFF President.”

SUPER Falcons havelanded in Toronto,

venue of their trainingtour with high hopesahead of the World Cupkicking off in June .

The team left Abuja onwednesday night aboard an Air Franceairline and landed inParis around 5:45am local time after a five andhalf hour trip. The teamtransited at the CharlesDe Gaulle airport for 5hours before connectingtheir flight to Toronto.

On arrival at theToronto PearsonInternational airport,Falcons were welcomedby Nigeria Deputy HighCommissioner, CharlesN. Onianwa whocharged the girls tomake Nigeria proud.

“ I must first andforemost welcome you toCanada because thetournament we are all

•As Falcons arrive Torontolooking forward to is avery important one. Lastyear, the Falconets didus proud here and nowwe have the SuperFalcons, so expectationsare high and we have nodoubt that you are goingto clinch the cup” saidOnianwa. In his

response, Coach EdwinOkon said that SuperFalcons’ arrival heraldsthe coming of thechampions. “Ourarrival is that ofchampions. We areready and I look forwardto the finals and gettingthe cup here in Canada”Okon enthused.

•Awoniyi

F/Eagles set for 25-hour flight toNew ZealandFLYING Eagles will

be set for a mostdemanding 25-hour flightacross three continentswhen they depart Germanyon Sunday night for theFIFA U20 World Cup inNew Zealand.

The African championsare booked on Emiratesflight, which will departFrankfurt, Germany,Sunday night and arriveDubai early morning the

following day.They will then depart

Dubai later Mondaymorning for Melbourne,Australia, before they headout again to Auckland, NewZealand, to arrive thereTuesday afternoon.

The total duration of these

flights is 18 hours and 35minutes.

And from Auckland, theywill fly out on a local flightto New Plymouth, wherethey will play all their firstround matches againstBrazil, North Korea andHungary.

The duration of that localflight is half an hour.

VETERAN coachKadiri Ikhana

has taken a swipe at theLeague ManagementCompany for suspendingthe Nigeria ProfessionalLeague for three weeks.

A statement signed bythe LMC chairman,Shehu Dikko said: “Youmay wish to recall that westarted the league withblanket provisionalwaiver to the clubs to allowthem comply with allregistration requirementsbefore Match Day 9 whena review will be conductedby the LMC. The breakperiod is a time to revisitclub stadium facilities toremedy observed defectsas the clubs have so faroperated with provisionalcertificates. the LMCchairman said.

But Ikhana, whoseEnyimba is clawing itsway back to form said thebreak in competition wasuncalled for and it willtake the steam out of theteams.

“Its very bad for theLeague, very bad for theteams and its likely to giveus a big set back.''

Ikhana slamsLMC overleaguesuspension

Super Falcons on arrival at Toronto airport


Okpekpe winners to join national teamTHE top 11 Nigerian

athletes at the justconcluded 10 kilometreOkpekpe Road Race havebeen called up to thenational camp ahead of theAll Africa Games andOlympics Games.

According to formerinternational and amember of the AthleticsFederation of Nigeria(AFN), Yusuf Alli, theathletes that performed wellat Okpekpe tournamentwould be considered to bepart of the national campof major tournaments.

Alli said theirperformances qualifiedthem to make the nationalcamp.

At Okpekpe, Plateau’sEmmanuel Gyang ran32.31 and finished 17th tolead Nigeria’s maleathletes at the tournament.

Others are Plateau’s duoof Gideon Goyet, WilliamKefas, while Edo’s OshekuLawrence, who ran34.46secs finished in the4th position.

Other national athletesthat made the cut for thetop 11 are Plateau’s JoshuaHassan and Dapreng Lukaas well as Abia’sU g o c h u k w uChukwumadu and RobertOkam.

In the women’s event,includes Deborah Pam ofPlateau, who ran38.41secs. Others in top 10are Lagos’ OgunkoyaMuibat, Edo’s AsedoQueensly, Lagos’ AnnSeriki, Niger ’s MaryRaphael, Edo’s trio ofAmalawa Emmanuel,Lawani Ruby and PeaceIkerebe.

Scrabble players celebrate Gov Akpabioby Nigerian Scrabbleplayers.

The event, billed for theGovernment HouseBanquet Hall Uyo is alsoexpected to have inattendance, the Akwa IbomState Governor ElectDeacon Udom Emmanuelwho is slated as the Guestof Honour.

To be hosted by the AkwaIbom State ScrabbleAssociation in conjunctionwith the Nigeria ScrabbleFederation, the organizerssaid in Uyo yesterday that“……this Championshiphas been put together tocelebrate and to honour thePillar of Scrabble in Africaand the Grand Patron of theNigeria ScrabbleFederation ( NSF)

THE outgoing ChiefExecutive of Akwa

Ibom State, His ExcellencyGovernor GodswillAkpabio (CON) willtomorrow be treated to a“thank You Championship”

“ It is a special thank youevent for all His Excellency has done towards thegrowth of scrabble not onlyin Nigeria, but in Africa.Thanks to him, Scrabbletoday occupies a pride ofplace in the circle of sportsin Nigeria. Before theadvent of the GodswillAkpabio InternationalClassics, the sport was inthe doldrums, but today it

ranks as one of the mostperforming and wellorganized sport in thecountry with constantevents and programmes allyear round.”

All Board members of theScrabble Federation ofNigeria, all past winners ofthe Godswill AkpabioInternational Classics andVeterans have been invitedto the grand event.

Feyenoord officials laud Shell Cup players

THE Feyenoordtechnical team

currently in Nigeria to trainplayers and coachesparticipating in the 2015Shell Cup footballcompetition have

showered praises on thetalents produced by thesponsors.

Gido Vida, one of theFeyenoord Rotterdamofficials, commendedNNPC /Shell for investing

in the youths consistentlyfor 17 years.

He noted that the younglads taking part in thecompetition showed somuch commitment andnatural talents.

“We have our own waysof impacting knowledgeinto the youths. It has beena great experience for usand I have to salute Shellfor helping in thedevelopment of talents,” hesaid.

Nigeria’s formerinternational, Mike Obiku,noted that the differencebetween the talents inNigeria and those inHolland was the facilitiesenjoyed by the youths inthe Netherlands.

“I am happy to be part ofthis programme since Ialso started my careerhere. It is important that wewere able to engage someof the coaches and weexpect them to impactbetter knowledge of thegames to kids across thecountry. The Shell Cup isa great competitionbecause the focus is ondevelopments of theparticiparts,” Obiku noted.

SPDC’s SustainableDevelopment andCommunity RelationsManager, Mr. Igo Weli,said the target of thesponsors was happy withthe progress of thecompetition so far.

By Jacob Ajom

Channels National Kids'Cup kicks off in Lagos

SEASON 7 of theannual National

Channels Kids Cup beginstoday in Lagos with 16 teamsfrom fifteen states competingfor honours at the TeslimBalogun Stadium, Surulere,Lagos.

According to the technicaldirector of the competition,Alhaji Tade Azeez said theteams have been put in fourgroups. Group A is madeup of 123 Primary School,Niger State, WinnersPrimary School, Ondo,Research Model PrimarySchool, Kaduna and arepresentative from KanoState.

Group B has School RoadPrimary School Abia,Muslim CommunityPrimary School, Osun;Ansar Ud-Deen PrimarySchool, Kogi and NanaPrimary School, Delta.

In Group C, Focal PointPrimary School, Kwara,Christ the King PrimarySchool, Akwa Ibom, Royal

International Primary SchoolOgun and Daemm PrivateSchool, Lagos.

Group D is made up ofEmmanuel Primary School,Ekiti, Eyeanugie PrimarySchool, Edo, RochasFoundation School, Imo andUncle Bayus PrimarySchool, Lagos.

The competition, Azeezsaid will be played in aleague format with the firstand second placed teams ineach group qualifying forthe quarter finals.

This will be on knockoutbasis with the winnersautomatically qualifying forthe semi finals.

There will be aclassification match todetermine the third placedteam. The grand finalecomes up on May 27 tocoincide with children’s daycelebration.

Chairman of theorganising committee, SteveJudo praised theparticipating schools andassured them of a fun-filledtime during the competition.

L-R: International Relations Manager, Feyenoord Academy, Netherlands,Mr. Gido Vader; Head Coach, Feyenoord Soccer Schools and Ex-SuperEagle Striker, Mr. Mike Obiku and Social Investment Manager, ShellPetroleum Development Company, Mrs. Abayomi Adeleye, at the Mediachat on the 2015 NNPC-Shell Cup, in Lagos, yesterday.

CBN TennisOpen:Babalola,Melissacruise on

NEW Tennis sensation,Melissa Ifidzhen

yesterday, cruised into thesemi-finals of the 37thCentral Bank of NigeriaMen and Woman SeniorTennisOpen, when shedefeated PatienceOnebamho 6-0, 6-0 in

one of the quarter-finalmatches played yesterday.

The Russian-bornNigerian who is debutingin the championship willtoday face Beauty Mcleodin one of the semi-finalgames while AanuAiyegbusi who defeatedBlessing Samule 6-3, 6-1will battle with thedefending champion andwomen top seed, ChristyAgugbom.

In the men’s singles, thedefending champion andtournament 2nd seed,Abdulmumuni Babaloladefeated Nonse Madueke6-3, 6-2 to advance to thesemi-finals.

Meanwhile, the men andwomen wheelchair singlesevent entered semi-finalstoday with the mensdefending champion, AlexAdewale and Jude Uwaziealready through to thesemi-finals.

•Akpabio

Brazil confirm Man U star for F/Eagles

FLYING Eagles majorgroup opponents

at the New Zealand 2015FIFA U-20 World Cup,Brazil, have named a verystrong squad for thecompetition.

FIFA yesterday, releasedthe confirmed squads for all

24 participating teams forthe tournament holdingfrom 30 May to 20 June.

The big names in theBrazil squad includeManchester Unitedmidfielder Andreas Pereiraand Kenedy, theFluminese forward who

has been strongly linkedwith English PremierLeague championsChelsea.Pereira was onTuesday named United’sYoung Player of the Yearafter playing a key role intheir U-21s winning the U-21 Premier League title.

•Athletes at the Okpepe Road race

CMYK


CMYK


E M M A N U E LAdebayor will not

be available forTottenham’s final gameagainst Everton onSunday or the club’spost-season tour ofMalaysia and Australiaafter being grantedcompassionate leave.

The striker, who hasonly featured threetimes in the PremierLeague for Spurs sinceNovember, will return tohis home country of Togoin an attempt to sort outthe family problemswhich have plagued hisseason.

Adebayor took toFacebook on Wednesdayto claim that hisbrothers, Kola and Peter,once held a knife to histhroat in order to extortmoney from him duringhis time at Monaco.

He also revealed that

Tottenham give Adebayor compassionate leavehe has contemplatedcommitting suicide‘many times’ and thathis sister Iyabo wouldoften have to convincehim not to kill himself.

Adebayor has beenexcused from trainingthis week and may wellhave played his lastgame for MauricioPochettino as Tottenham

look to offload himduring the summertransfer window.

The former Arsenaland Manchester Cityforward, who has just

over a year left on hiscontract, is beingconsidered by Aston Villaas Tim Sherwood plansfor the departure ofChristian Benteke.

MANCHESTERUnited are

exploring the possibilityof a summer move forGerman legend BastianSchweinsteiger.

Sportsmail can revealthat United managerLouis van Gaal believesthe Bayern Munichmidfielder would bringexperience andEuropean know-how tothe centre of his team’smidfield.

It is understood thattalks have already takenplace last month

Man Utd set to swoop on Schweinsteigerbetween United and go-betweens and that theGermany internationalwould be open to a move.

United have beenasked about their interestin Schweinsteiger threetimes in recent weeks buthave refused tocomment.

However, MailOnlineSport can reveal thatUnited’s interest is 100per cent real.

Schweinsteiger andVan Gaal workedtogether at Munich whenthe Dutch coach was incharge of the Bundesligaclub and developed aclose relationship.

The current Unitedmanager knows that theplayer is the wrong sideof the club’s targeted agerange for new players buthas spoken to chiefexecutive Ed Woodwardand both agree thatSchweinsteiger is goodenough to make anexception.

With a year left on hiscurrent deal at Bayern,Schweinsteiger could beavailable for less than£10million.

He would demandhigh wages and therewould be little sell-onvalue.

LIVERPOOL wingerJordon Ibe and

defender Jon Flanaganhave both signed contractextensions with the club.

Ibe, who broke into thefirst team after asuccessful loan spell atDerby earlier this season,has committed to a newfive-year deal whichsubstantially improvesthe terms he was on fromhis time with theacademy. Liverpoolannounced the deal as a‘long-term’ arrangement.

Flanagan, who was outof contract this summerand is currentlyrecovering from a secondknee operation, hasextended his stay by afurther 12 months.

‘Liverpool are a greatclub and I like thephilosophy here,’ Ibe toldliverpoolfc.com

‘I’ve just been broughtinto the first team and I’veenjoyed the games I’veplayed in. Hopefully Ican just keep doing well

Ibe commits long-termfuture to Liverpool

•Ibe poses with aLiverpool shirt shortlyafter committing hisfuture to the red half ofMerseyside

at the club.‘I just want to take that

into pre-season and thennext season, continuingwith how it’s been sinceI’ve been back here.’

GHANA coachSellas Tetteh has

released a list of 21 playersto form his squad for theupcoming U-20 World Cuptournament in NewZealand.

Joseph Owusu Bempah,who led the team at the2015 African YouthChampionship (AFC) inSenegal earlier this year,has been included ascaptain.

Also in is ManchesterCity’s Yaw Yeboah, votedthe AFC’s best player.

Ghana are in Group B ofthe 30 May to 20 Junetournament, alongsideArgentina, Austria andPanama.

The Black Satellites arethe only African nations tohave lifted the trophy.

Some of those selectedinclude: Kwame Baah(Heart of Lions), SieduMuntawakilu (Hearts ofOak), Lawrence Ati-Zigi(Red Bull Salzburg)

Defenders: KingsleyFobi (Right to Dream),Owusu Bempah (Hearts ofOak), Joseph Aidoo (InterAllies), Joseph Adjei (WaAll Stars), Emmanuel Ntim(Valenciennes), PatrickAsmah (BA United),Patrick Kpozo (Inter Allies)

Midfielders: AsieduAttobrah (New Edubiase),Godfred Donsah(Calgliari), Kofi Yeboah(Wa All Stars), ProsperKasim (Inter Allies), DavidAtanga (Red BullSalzburg), Yaw Yeboah(Man City), CliffordAboagye (Granada), OseiBarnes (Paios Ferriera)

Strikers: BenjaminTetteh (Tudu Mighty Jets),Emmanuel Boateng (RioAve), Samuel Tetteh(WAFA)

Ghana nameUnder-20World Cupsquad

A N D R I YShevchenko

says Gareth Bale needsto get on with his footballif he is serious aboutstaying at Real Madrid.

The Welshman has hada tempestuous season atthe Santiago Bernabeu,where he has borne thebrunt of fans’ criticismmore than one once, butformer Chelsea manShevchenko told BBCSport that Bale must startproving his doubterswrong.

“I think he’s just got tokeep quiet and try to findhis best form,” said the

Shevchenko: Bale needs to focus

Ukrainian, who retiredfrom football in 2012having won a string ofhonours during anillustrious career,including the ChampionsLeague and Ballon d’Or.

•Bale

EMBATTLED — Emmanuel Adebayor

•Schweinsteiger

CMYK

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Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

How to Play Sudoku

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

YESTERYESTERYESTERYESTERYESTERDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSTODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLE

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

CMYK

QUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1, Repeat 5, Meadow 9, piled 10,Judder 11, Ritual 12, Debit 14, Club 17, Dot18, Mere 20, Tamed 22, Waded 23, Gateman24, Repay 26, Dived 29, Eden 30, Bog 32,Care 33, Comet 35, Option 36, Notice 37,Recur 38, Parted 39, Seeded.

ACROSS3 Enquired (5)9 Scanty (6)10 Straight (6)11 Beg (5)12 Thought (4)15 Additional (4)17 Reverence (7)20 Married (3)21 Subject (5)23 Denomination (4)25 Adhesive (4)26 Relaxed (5)28 Skill (3)30 Rehearsed (7)33 Detail (4)35 Manufactured (4)36 Decoration (5)38 Linger (6)39 Reel (6)40 Principle (5)

DOWN1 Moving (5)2 Hell (5)3 Serpent (3)4 Choose (6)5 Cheese (4)6 Performed (3)7 Underneath (5)8 War-horse (5)13 Sweet (7)14 Quickly (5)16 Ebbed (7)18 Soar (5)19 Large (3)22 Demand (5)24 Faucet (3)27 Discussion (6)28 Passage (5)29 Lukewarm (5)31 Flavour (5)32 Disparage (5)34 Present (4)36 Encountered (3)37 Fate (3)

DOWN 1, Reject 2, Podium 3, Aped 4,Tired 5, Merit 6, Edit 7, Daubed 8, Welded13, Boredom 15, Lazed 16, Began 18,Manic 19, Refer 21, Day 22, Wad 24,Recoup 25, Pester 27, Varied 28, Defend30, Boned 31, Genus 33, Core 34, Tore.

U20 W/Cup: FIFA namesF/Eagles youngest team

Tottenham

give Adebayor

compassionate

leave

— Pg.63

2015 FIFA World Cup:'Bring the trophy home'

Figo pulls out of FIFApresidential race

F/Eagles set for 25-hour flight toNew Zealand — Page 60

•••As Falcons arriveToronto Pg.60

LUIS Figo isdropping out of

the election forpresident of FIFA,saying the May 29ballot is ‘not a normalContinues on Page 60

•Figo

THE Flying Eagleshave been rated

the youngest teamheading to the FIFA U20

World Cup in NewZealand.

The competition willhold from May 30 toJune 20, with 24 teamstaking part.

According to FIFA,Nigeria produced anaverage age of 18 yearsand nine months, theyoungest among the

Continues on Page 60

YOUNGEST TEAM — Flying Eagles•Adebayor

READY TO ROAR — Super Falcons

no facts from jonathan on fuel crisis—buhari

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