...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62382

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015**

Mr & Mrs

COLUMNISTS:

Continues on Page 5

How Obasanjodestroyed PDP

•P.20

GOV POLLS: Okorocha, Okowa,Udom, Ugwuanyi win

GOVERNORS-ELECT @ A GLANCENAME STATE PARTYNasir el-Rufai Kaduna APCAminu Tambuwal Sokoto APCAbubakar Sani-Lulu Bello Niger APCKashim Shettima Borno APCJibrilla Bindow Adamawa APCAkinwumi Ambode Lagos APCAbdulfatah Ahmed Kwara APCAminu Masari Katsina APCMD Abubakar Bauchi APCUmar Ganduje Kano APCIbrahim Geidam Yobe APCAbdulAzeez Abubakar Zamfara APCAbiola Ajimobi Oyo APCIbikunle Amosun Ogun APCSamuel Ortom Benue APCTanko Almakura Nasarawa APCIfeanyi Ugwuanyi Enugu PDPDave Umahi Ebonyi PDPEmmanuel Udom A-Ibom PDPIfeanyi Okowa Delta PDPIbrahim Dankwambo Gombe PDP

Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta, PDP.

Emmanuel Udom,A-Ibom,PDP

Akinwumi Ambode, Lagos,APC

Hurricane Buharimakes landfall

By Our Reporters

LAGOS — FIGTHINGthe battle of political

life, Governor RochasOkorocha of Imo State,yesterday, won his re-election contest andretained his status as theonly All ProgressivesCongress (APC)governor in the South-East geo-political zone.

This came as PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)

Aminu Masari, Katsina,APC

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi,Enugu, PDP

Samuel Ortom, Benue,APC

Rochas Okorocha, Imo, APC

•Pages 48, 49 50, 51, & 52

14

Go to court, INECurges aggrievedcandidates 54

7

5 killed as churchcollapses in Enugu

•P.44

Kobo coins andfailed monetarystrategy

•P.19Time to applythe breaks

•APC wins 19 states, leading in four others

•PDP wins A-Ibom, Ebonyi, Enugu, leading in Taraba, Rivers, Delta

•Ajimobi breaks re-election jinx in Oyo

•PDP wins 7 House seats in Lagos as Ambode wins

Aminu Tambuwal,Sokoto, APC

Abia governorship electionresults stalemated

Prof Tamunodies at 83

11

Nasire l -Rufai,Kaduna,APC

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 3

CMYK

4 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

CMYK

POCKET CARTOONVanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015—5

Continues from Page 1

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

WATER the plant you want to grow. Put yourattention on what you want to manifest in your

life — Take Heart Quotes.

Your attitude becomes your reality. The Law ofAttraction states that “you get what you think about;your thoughts determine your destiny”, and that’strue, but how do we really know what we arethinking? That’s easy, take a look at your currentattitude and you’ll know.

You could spend each and every day ‘Thinkingabout what you want your life to be, the Law ofAttraction key in beautifully with how you feel. Ifhow you feel conflicts with any thoughts, you willinevitably attract things to support your feelings.

If you spend 20 minutes every morning thinkingabout your ideal life but then go through the rest ofyour day dissatisfied because you feel like your lifeisn’t what you want it to be, your negative attitudeis going to attract more of what you have and willnegate all the positive energy you want to attract toyour life. Stay focused. Be the dream and live yourideal life.

Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, official addressing voters before casting theirvotes at Bourdillon Road polling unit, Ikoyi, Lagos during the governorship and state Assembly elections,Saturday. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

Governorship candidatesin Delta (IfeanyiOkowa), Akwa Ibom(Udom Emmanuel),Enugu (IfeanyiUgwuanyi and Ebonyi(Dave Umahi) won theirpolls in style.

Meanwhile, withferocious intensity, theAPC, yesterday, sweptinto its kitty most of the29 governorship seatscontested at theweekend. The hugevictory has catapultedthe party to the enviableposition of the dominantparty in Nigeria.

With the results an-nounced at press time,the APC won in 19 statesand was leading in Pla-teau and Kebbi stateswhile the Peoples Dem-ocratic Party (PDP) won

in Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi,Gombe and Enugu andwas coasting home to vic-tory in Rivers, Delta andTaraba.

This came as the PDPmade in-road to the La-gos State House of As-sembly winning six seatsfor the first time as APC’sMr Akinwunmi Ambodewon a tightly contestedgovernorship electionbeating PDP’s Jimi Agba-je.

Meanwhile, SenatorAbiola Ajimobi, yester-day, broke the re-electionjinx, which has doggedOyo State politics since1983 by winning the gov-ernorship polls afterfencing off SenatorRasheed Ladoja of theAccord Party; Christo-pher Alao Akala of theLabour Party and Teslim

Folarin of the PDPamong others.

States where the APCwon the governorshipare Kaduna, Sokoto, Ni-ger, Borno, Adamawa,Lagos, Kwara, Katsina,Bauchi, Kano, Yobe,Zamfara, Oyo, Ogun,Benue, Imo, Nasarawa,Jigawa and Benue (seetable).

Umahi winsEbonyi inlandslidevictory

Ebonyi State DeputyGovernor and PDP Gov-ernorship candidate,Engr Dave Umahi wonthe April 11 governor-ship election after scor-ing 289,867 votes to beathis closest rival, EdwardNkwegu of the LabourParty, who polled 124,817 votes. The governor-ship candidate of APC,Senator Julius Uchacame third with 27, 583votes.

Announcing the resultat the Independent Na-tional Electoral Commis-sion (INEC’s) headquar-ters in Abakaliki, theState Collation Officerand Vice-Chancellor ofNnamdi Azikiwe Univer-sity, Prof. Joseph Ah-aneku declared thatUmahi had met all theconstitutional require-ments and returnedelected.

Meanwhile, the stategovernor, Chief MartinElechi was defeated inhis home town in IkwoLocal Council, as he wasunable to deliver his pre-ferred candidate, Nk-

wegu.

APC’sAbubakarwins inBauchi

In Bauchi State, MrMohammed Abubakar ofthe APC won the gover-norship election.

Abubakar scored654,934 votes to beat hismain challenger, AuwalJatau of the PDP whoscored 282,650 votesacross the 20 local coun-cils of the state.

Abubakar won in 19 lo-cal councils while Jatau,who won only in Bogorolocal government area ofthe state where he polled16,980 votes as againstthe APC which had 9,914votes.

The Bauchi State re-turning officer, Moham-med Kabiru Faruk, a Pro-fessor and Vice Chancel-lor of the Federal Univer-sity, Kashere, GombeState who announced theresults at the INEC officein Bauchi returnedAbubakar as the winnerafter meeting all the re-quirments.

El-Rufaiprevails inKadunaas Yeroconcedes defeat

Kaduna State Gover-norship candidate of theAPC, Mallam Nasir ElRufai emerged winner ofthe contest, beating hismain rival,incumbentGovernor Mukhtar Ra-malan Yero of the PDP.

Governor Yero conced-

ed defeat even before thefinal announcement ofthe results in favour ofthe former Minister ofthe Federal Capital Ter-ritory, FCT.

El-Rufai tweeted thatGovernor Yero had calledto congratulate him.

El Rufai tweeted at3:20pm yesterday say-ing, “I just received aphone call from Gov.Mukhtar Yero congratu-lating me for winning theKaduna guber election. Ithanked him too”.

Meanwhile, the return-ing officer for Kadunastate Gubernatorial elec-tion, Prof. Jafar MakauKaura, declared MallamNasir El Rufai of the APCas the governor elect ofKaduna State at 6.20p.m.

APGA sweepsAssemblypolls inAnambra

Results of 25 out of the30 House of Assemblyseats in Anambra Statehave been declared bythe INEC, with the rul-ing All ProgressivesGrand Alliance, APGA,in the state winning all.

The state ResidentElectoral Commissioner,REC, Mr. Edwin Nwat-arali, who gave details ofthe Saturday’s polls inthe state, said that therewould be elections onApril 18, 2015 in fourstate constituencieswhere the exercise wasinconclusive.

The result of AnambraWest state constituencywas still being collated atthe time the REC wasbriefing reporters.

Areas where therewere inconclusive pollsinclude Aguata 1 constit-uency (where electionwill be repeated at Ugaward), the whole of Ek-wusigo constituencywhere a chieftain of oneof the political parties ledthugs to cart away elec-tion materials before thecommencement of theexercise on Saturday, aswell as in Anaocha 1 con-stituency, where there

would be repeat electionin five polling units atAdazi Ani, one pollingunit at Adazi Nnukwuand Agulu Wards 1, 2, 3and 4.

In Anaocha 11 constit-uency, there would be arepeat exercise at NriWards 1 and 2.

The 25 constituenciesalready declared forAPGA were Aguata 2,Ayamelum, AnambraEast, Awka North, AwkaSouth 1, Awka South 2,Dunukofia, IdemiliNorth, Idemili South, Ihi-ala 1, Ihiala 2, Njikoka 1and Njikoka 2.

Others were NnewiNorth, Nnewi South 1,Nnewi South 2, Ogbaru1, Ogbaru 2, OnitshaNorth 1, Onitsha North2, Onitsha South 1, On-itsha South 2, OrumbaNorth, Orumba Southand Oyi.

Oyo: Ajimobibreaksre-election jinx

Governor Abiola Ajimo-bi has become the firstgovernor to govern OyoState twice.

He defeated two otherformer governors in thestate to clinch victory ina keenly-contested elec-tion.

This came as AccordParty refused to sign theresult sheets. The secre-tary of the party, NureniAdisa, said he was direct-ed by his party not tosign, claiming that themandate of his party hadbeen stolen.

The former governorswho contested with theincumbent governor areOtunba Adebayo Alao-Akala of Labour Partyand Senator RashidiLadoja of Accord.

At press time, Ajimobihad won 20 out of the 33local governments in thestate leaving Ladoja withonly seven and Akalawith six.

Ambode winsLagos gov poll

Continues from Page 45

GOV POLLS: Okorocha, Okowa, Udom,Ugwuanyi win

6 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

3 killed, property destroyed as APC,PDP supporters clash in Ife

OSOGBO—NO fewer than three people

were feared killed in Ile Ife,Osun State yesterday,following violent clashesbetween supporters of AllProgressives Congress,APC, and the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, inseveral neighborhoods in thetown.

Two of the victims,according to sources, werekilled at Gbodo area of thetown during a fight involvingsupporters of the two parties.

It was reliably gatheredthat the two victims of Gbodoclash were siblings of a

By Gbenga Olarinoye notable politician in the area,whose house was also razedduring the crises.

It was further gathered thathostilit ies between theparties began on Fridaywhen their supportersclashed at Enuwa area.

During the fight, eyewitnessessaid cutlasses and charms werefreely used, as people ran indifferent directions to escape fromthe scene.

An impeccable source toldour correspondent that theOoni of Ife, Oba OkunadeSijuade, was said to havesummoned leaders of bothparties to his palace Fridayevening, when it wasbecoming obvious that people

would not come out to votebecause of the crisis that wasspreading to all parts of Ife.

The source added thatviolence resurfaced onSaturday in some areas in thetown, when suspected politicalthugs clashed at Ayetoro,Otutu, Gbodo, Ita-akogunareas and engaged in gunduel for several hours.

“After the clash in Ayetorohere, a lifeless body was seennear the road leading out of thisneighborhood, but we were alltoo scared to come out. Manypeople were also injured andproperty damaged.

“In a house at Gbodo, thehoodlums damaged fourvehicles. Also, around Ita

Akogun, property, mostly cars,were damaged”, a residentsaid in telephone chat.

Also in many areas in Ife Eastlocal government area,property were damaged, whileunspecified number of peoplewere injured during clashes bysupporters of APC and PDP,following the outcome of theHouse of Assembly electionresults.

At the time of filing thisreport, fight still rages in manyparts of Ife and efforts to getthe reaction of Commissionerof Police in charge of electionin the state, Mr. ValentineNtomchukwu, proved abortiveas he could not be reachedthrough his mobile line.

AKURE—NO fewerthan two persons were

shot dead by Naval officersin oil rich Ilaje area of OndoState weekend, following theviolence that trailed theHouse of Assembly electionsin the state.

Addressing newsmen inAkure yesterday, theResident ElectoralCommissioner in the state,Olusegun Agbaje, whodisclosed this, said thosekilled were electoraloffenders.

Agbaje added that eightguns, six mobile phonesbelonging to INEC ad-hocstaffs and other materialsbelonging to the commissionwere recovered from thehoodlums.

He said the hoodlums,acting the script ofpoliticians, hijacked electoralmaterials meant for Ilaje atabout 7:35am on Saturdaybut the timely intervention ofthe Naval officers saved theINEC officials.

Speaking on the electionresults, Agbaje said over35,000 voters weredisenfranchised in the73units in Ilajeconstituencies whereelectoral materials werehijacked by the hoodlums.

The REC pointed out thatthe violence in Ilaje councilareas led to the cancellationin several polling units withthe total registered votersthat had effect on the finalresult if elections were notcancelled in those pollingunits.

Agbaje said the returningofficers for the twoconstituencies were forced todeclare the results underduress by armed thugs whothreatened their lives.

He, however, declared thatthe commissionsheadquarters would be in aposition to decide on theveracity of the results of thetwo constituencies.

“The Commissionheadquarters will have todetermine whether to cancelthe results, announce it or fixanother time for theelection,’’ he said.

Agbaje said there werepockets of security breachesin some local governmentareas.

He listed the areas toinclude Akoko NorthWest, Akoko South West,Ese Odo, Idanre, Ilaje,Irele, Okitipupa,OndoEast, Owo and Ose.

Two shot deadin Ondo asPDP winsmajority seatsin Assemblyelections

By Dayo Johnson

LAGOS—TEN piratesweekend in Lagos,

engaged some navalpersonnel on patrol along thewaterways in a gun battle intheir bid to hijack a foreignship which was bringing inrefined petroleum product intothe country.

They however, bowed to thesuperior fire power of theNavy, as one of them wasarrested in the process , whileothers fled.

But the suspect, identified asShola Sama, denied being apirate, stating that he was onlya businessman.

The pirates, said to havebeen in two boats, interceptedthe foreign ship, MT IMAS.Some of them were said tohave succeeded in enteringthe ship, when a Navy ship onpatrol swooped on them.

Flag officer CommandingWestern Naval Command,Rear Admiral Jonathan Angosaid: “As part of ourpreparations and actions forthe just conducted election, wedeployed our ships to coverthe inland waterways and alsoto protect ships and patrol theterritorial water.

''Fortunately for us, one of theships, MT IMAS, raised analarm around 0120 that it wasunder attack by pirates andone of our patrol boats that wasclose by went immediately toher rescue and in the process,saw two boats loaded withpirates and there was anexchange of fire.

''We managed to dislodgedthe pirates from the attack. Weinjured a few of them and wealso captured one of themwhom we brought here for forproper investigation.

“Their intention was to boardthe vessel and either kidnapthe foreigners on board or stealthe product. Or take the shipas ransom and go and sell theproduct somewhere . But thealarm raised through thedistress channel which we allhave, foiled their attempt.

“This is part of measures weare taking to assure Lagosiansespecially and Nigerians ingeneral that the Nigerian Navyis very much ready for thesecurity of the water ways

''If there is any miscreants orhoodlum who think they canuse the water ways to cause anyharm or damage, we want to letthem know the Nigerian Navyis very much ready and up tothe task to prevent them fromdoing that”.

I'm a not a pirate but abusinessman — SUSPECT

However, the 31-year-oldfather of two said he was onlya businessman and not apirate. He explained that heusually sold food to local andforeign crew members onboard ships on the high sea.

Asked why he was arrested,Sama said: “On the day inquestion, I went to sea to collectpetroleum product from mycustomers. I had just a 50 litresjerrican with me. I was with myyounger brother Gbenga. Mosttimes, we drove round the sea.I am not the only in thebusiness.

''On that day, I had N400,000with me. After filling the keg, aboisterous wave came and atthe same time, a vessel thatwas pumping sand passed,causing the wave to hit my boatand it capsized. I attempted torescue my younger brother butthe wave pushed me away. Atthat point, I started shouting for

Navy arrests one during gun battle with 10 sea pirates

...I'm a bizman, not a pirate — SUSPECT

help, on sighting a shipapproaching. One of the crewmembers said they shouldthrow a rope to me. When theydid, I begged them to allow mecome in, that I was theircustomer. Later, their captaincame and asked one of his mento throw a lifebuoy to me and Iwent into the boat.

When I got in, they askedwhat I was doing and Iexplained. But the next thingI saw was Naval personnelwho brought me to the base.

I am a businessman, not apirate. I supply food , rechargecards and fruits to crew memberson ships like Oluwa Seun,Princess Oge, Adebunmi, SeaPioneer, e.t.c . I have a chatteredboat which takes people into thesea. Most times, when theybought things from me, theywould give me diesel or kerosenein exchange ,which I sold”.

The suspect according to theFOC will be handed over to theappropriate security agency atthe end of investigation.

By Evelyn Usman

.Suspected pirate, Shola Sama

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 —7

Children fetching water from a public tap during governorship and House of Assembly elections in Suleja, Niger State,on Saturday. Photo: NAN.

Gunmen rob family conveying remainsof son killed by robbers

By Perez Brisibe

EKU — GUNMENsuspected to be robbers,

operating along Eku-Sapeleroad, Ethiope East LocalGovernment Area of DeltaState, weekend, robbed afamily conveying the remainsof their son, EfeOnosakponwha, who was a

victim of the lastWednesday’s robbery attackat Eku by over 20 gunmen.

The incident, Vanguardgathered, occurred at about5:10 p.m., Thursday, aroundOkerekpo axis of Eku-Sapele road while membersof the Onosakponwhafamily, including mother ofthe deceased, were

transporting his remainsfrom Warri General Hospitalto Eku for burial.

According to a femalemember of the family, whospoke on condition ofanonymity, the family droveinto the robbers whodisposed them of N90,000cash and other valuables,despite the presence of a

corpse in the car.The source said: “Oweing

to the gravity of the gunshotwound Efe sustained, hewas referred to the WarriGeneral Hospital fortreatment where N110,000was demanded fortreatment.

“His mother went back toEku to source for themoney but was only able toraise N90,000. Upon herreturn, she was told thather son, who was shot onthe buttocks, with the bulletexiting through his groin,was dead.

“It was while they weretransporting the remains oftheir son back to Eku thatthey drove into the robberswho equally rob anddisposed them of their cashand other valuables despitethe presence of a corpse inthe car.”

5 killed as church collapses in EnuguBy Francis Igata

ENUGU — NO fewer thanfive worshippers died on

Saturday, following thecollapse of St. AnthonyCatholic Church Cathedralat Oduma in Aninri LocalGovernment Area of EnuguState.

An eyewitness revealedunder anonymity, yesterday,

in Enugu that the incidentoccurred between 8pm and9pm following a downpour.

The source said theworshippers were in aprayer meeting when theincident occurred.

Confirming the incident,the Police Public RelationsOfficer, PPRO, Enugu StatePolice Command, Mr. EbereAmaraizu, said the cause of

the incident was not yetknown.

He said: “Yes, I can confirmto you that five persons diedfollowing the collapse of St.Anthony Catholic Churchbuilding at about 8pm but weare yet to know the cause.

“It is not yet clear as to whatbrought about the collapse ofthe building, but we havecommenced full investigationsinto the incidence.”

Managerdocked overalleged N67.7mtheft

Man slumps,dies in Bauchipolling unit

By Suzan Edeh

BAUCHI — A 38-year-old man has slumped and

died on a queue at a pollingunit in Bogoro LocalGovernment Area of BauchiState, Saturday.

According to the PublicRelations Officer of BauchiState Command, the incidenthappened while the man waswaiting to be accredited toenable him vote duringgovernorship and stateAssembly elections.

He said: “On April 11, 2015at about 15:30 pm, one MrBulus Tsanmani, 38 years, ofGwaranga ward in BogoroBogoro Local GovernmentArea of Bauchi State slumpedon queue while awaitingaccreditation at his polling unitin Gwaranga ward.

“Police patrol team attachedto Bogoro division visited thescene and rushed the victimto General Hospital, Bogoro,for treatment where he waslater certified dead by amedical doctor. The corpsewas deposited at the mortuaryfor post-mortem examination."

By Onozure Dania

LAGOS— A MANAGERwith Nigerian Bottling

Company, NBC, Limited,Olubusoye Abayomi, who isin charge of Plant/Logisticshas been arraigned beforean Ebute-Metta Chiefmagistrate’s court, sitting atOyingbo for allegedlystealing N68,703,480belonging to the company.

The police prosecutor,Inspector Richard Odigie,told the court that thedefendant, who is in hisearly 40s and others still atlarge, committed the offencebetween June 2011 andJune 2014, while acting asthe manager in the twocapacities.

Odigie said the act wasdiscovered when a forensicaudit was conducted on thecompany’s account, addingthat following the discovery,the defendant was handedover to the police forprosecution.

The defendant, who isfacing a two-count chargebordering on conspiracy andstealing, was docked beforeMagistrate I. O. Adelaja.

However, the defendantpleaded not guilty to thecharges levelled againsthim by the police.

Children playing football on Ebute Road, Ikorodu, Lagos State duringthe Governorship and House of Assembly elections. Photo: LamidiBamidele

8 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

POLLS: One of the foreign observers of the governorship and states Houses of Assemblyelections making an enquiry from an Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC officialat a polling unit in Obalende, Lagos during the Saturday election. Photo by Kehinde Gbadamosi

55 Corps members released after24-hour hostage in Nasarawa

Two killed asAPC, PDPsupportersclash inLagos

LAFIA—NOT less than 55 corps members, who

were ad hoc staff of theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission,INEC, deployed to serve aspresiding officers inNasarawa State were heldhostage for 24 hours inAssakio, Ashige and Adogiin Lafia local governmentarea on Saturday.

The corps members, whowere rescued by securitymen and brought to theINEC Headquarter office inLafia at about 4.00pm wherecollation of election resultwas ongoing, said they wereheld hostage by the hostcommunities because therewere no INEC returningofficers to collate and returnelection results from thecommunities.

One of the detained corpmembers Mr Adamu Anzaluexplained that the voters inthe areas refused to let themgo because the returningand collation officers failedto show up after the electionhad been held peacefully.

Anzalu stated further thatthey tried severally to put acall across to the returningofficers but they refused topick their calls.

The host communities who

By Abel Daniel

alleged foul play insisted thatif the returning officers did notshow up they would notrelease the presiding officers.It was after the securityofficers intervened andpleaded with the communitiesthat the detained corpsmemebers were released. Thepresiding officers from Adogi

and Ashige however left theirelectoral materials includingthe election result with thehost communities.

The Resident ElectoralCommissioner, Alh. AbdullahiDanyaya while addressingthe rescued corps memberssaid he would ensure thematerials in custody of the

communities were returned tothe commission.

He also assured that hewould not cancel elections inthe areas.

It would be recalled thatAssokio and Ashige ward hadtheir election resultscancelled in the last electionfor irregularities.

LAGOS—RESIDENTS ofLagos and environs

have been urged to ignore arumoured re-emergence ofthe dreaded Ebola VirusDisease, EVD, in Lagos. Therumour, which begantrending on the social medialate on Friday night threw awide section of the populaceinto wild panic even as someresidents began makingpreparations to leave the city.

Facebook alertVanguard gathered that the

purported message entitled“Ebola Returns to Nigeriaafter Killing 3 and infecting12” , continued to circulateon Facebook, WatsApp andTwitter, into Saturday, the dayof the Gubernatorial andStates Houses of Repselections held nationwide.

According to the report,one of the alleged victims,one Mr. George Lawal,showed major signs of the

disease which causedneighbours to raise alarm.

“He was immediately takento an undisclosed hospital inLagos where he later died.Doctors confirmed he wasstruck with the Ebola flu. Theyare believed to have mademajor contacts with at least 12people who are at large.Please, share the news andreport any suspected victim tonearby authorities,” themessage stated.

It's not true, expert saysBut debunking the rumour,

a health official and Ebolaexpert Dr. Lawal Bakaredescribed the message asmalicious and a figment of theimagination of the originator.

Bakare, who is Founder andspokesperson for “EbolaAlert”, the official Ebolanotification body for Nigeria,told Vanguard that theanatomy of the message initself is false. In an Official@EbolaAlert notification,Bakare remarked: “We found

a fast spreading false rumourof Ebola cases in Nigeria. Therumour was initiated by anirresponsible blogger who liedthat there are cases of Ebolain Nigeria just to generatetraffic to her website. We willneed your powerhouse to helpus tackle this rumour.''

...Urges caution“In order to prevent what

happened during the Ebolaoutbreak where people weretold to drink salt water andsome ended up losing theirlives, we are doing this to letyou know ahead of this rumorand to also tell your friendsand neighbours. The rumouris false; there is no knowncase of Ebola in Nigeria.”

In his argument, Bakaresaid the World HealthOrganization, WHO, inpartnership with the NigerianCentre for Disease Controland the Lagos State Ministryof Health, have trainedhospitals across Lagos andother parts of the country on

how to report any suspect caseof Ebola.

“In fact, we had an extensivetraining and no health postnor hospital will call a bloggerto report such information.“We will be one of the first toknow if there is Ebola in Nigeriaand be sure we will notifyNigerians through official andappropriate channels. Kindlyhelp broadcast this as far aspossible. Thank you,” hepleaded.

'Visit EbolaAlert socialmedia platforms'

He urged Nigerians to visitthe EbolaAlert social mediaplatforms for regular updatesand inquiry on Ebola aroundthe world and also visitwww.ebolaalert.org for dailyupdates.

Nigeria was declared Ebolafree on October 20, 2014. Atotal of 20cases were recorded ofwhich seven died and 11recovered. A total of 25,226 caseshave been recorded so farworldwide, of which 10,587 died.

L A G O S — T W Opersons were killed

in a fight that broke yesterdaybetween supporters of thePeoples Democratic PartyPDP and All ProgressiveCongress APC, in Oguduarea of Ojota, following theoutcome of the result ofSaturday’s governorshipelections.

Over 15 vehicleswindscreens parked around the scene were reportedlyshattered by the rampaginghoodlums.

Information atVanguard’s disposal had itthat supporters of thewinning party were tauntingthose of PDP at Araromi streetimmediately the result asannounced.

An argument whichdegenerated into a fight over allegation that thewinning party rigged theelection in the statereportedly ensued betweenthe supporters in theevening.

But the Police said only onelife was lost in the mayhem.

Dangerous weapons weresaid to have been freely usedby the warring supporters asthe fight reportedly spread toAlhaji Abass street whereseveral vehicle windscreenswere shattered and innocentpersons attacked.

It reportedly took theintervention of militarypersonnel attached to OPMESSA to bring the situationunder control.

Policemen from Area ‘H’were also sighted patrollingthe area with a view toforestalling any likelyreprisal attack.

Contacted, spokes personfor the Lagos State PoliceCommand, Kenneth Nwosu,explained that “somehoodlums around AlhajiAbbas Street, Ogudu thisevening engaged in a freefor all fight and damagedvehicles and other propertiesof innocent persons.Operatives are already ontheir trail and will soon roundthem up and bring them tojustice. One person waskilled in the fracas. Normalcyhas been restored .

‘’The Commissioner ofPolice, Lagos State PoliceCommand, CP CornelusAderanti, has ordered amassive crackdown onthese hoodlums. Lawabiding citizens are enjoinedto go about their normal butlawful businesses.’’

By Evelyn Usman

Expert allays fears, as Ebola scare hits Lagos

By Sola Ogundipe

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 9

EU envoy scores Nigerian economy low

POLLS: From right; Akin Orebiyi, independent national Electoral Commission, INEC ResidentElectorial Commissioner in Lagos; Prof Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, Returning Electoral Officer,Lagos and Alhaji Abiodun Amosu, HOD, Electoral Operation, Lagos during the officialannouncement of the 2015 governorship election in Lagos, yesterday. Photo by Akeem Salau.

Says it favours the rich at expense of the poor

Tasks incoming govt to ensure rich people pay tax on income

By Demola Akinyemi

ILORIN—HEAD ofEuropean Union

Delegation to Nigeria andEconomic Community of WestAfrican States, AmbassadorMichel Arrion, has frowned atthe state of economy inNigeria which favours the richat the expense of the poor andtasked the incomingadministration to ensure thatthe rich pay taxes on theirincome.

'Why terrorism persists'Arrrion also attributed the

prolonged terrorist onslaughtsin northern parts of the countryto the hopelessness of the armyof unemployed youths andwrong ideology.

The envoy spoke during acourtesy call to the leader of AllProgressives Congress (APC)in Kwara state, Senator BukolaSaraki, in Ilorin at theweekend,

Arrion also expressed concernthat there was a cleardistinction in the prevailingNigerian economic situation,which seems to give way to therich at the expense of the poor.

According to him,” Nigeriais in a serious situationregarding public finance andbudget. You have no control ofthe international price of theoil. Again in the short term,the new government will haveto look at the budget,probably it will have to cutexpenditure, but moreimportantly, it will have toincrease the revenues.”

“Here, I’m sorry to say, butyou have to put in place abetter tax and fiscal systemwith more equity in the systemand probably the rich willhave to pay taxes on theirincomes. So income tax onindividuals will have to beimplemented gradually, butyou have to start somewhereby increasing value added tax(VAT) and duties.

...Wants new tax regime“It is very unfair because if

you are rich or you are poor,you pay the same VAT be it 5or 10 per cent rich or poor. 5per cent for a rich guy is not aproblem. 5 percent for a pooris very serious. So the secondquestion of the economy isabsolutely a top priority.

“The third one, which ismore in the medium and longterms, is really to build whatI call the institutions to reallywork on the role of thejudiciary, the role of theparliament, to be a prompter.You have to build your systemthat we hope will remain by-partisan. Because today, youhave two parties and we thinkit is good in terms of democraticdevelopment to have check andbalance system within thefederal system.

...Urges better synergybtw FG, govs

“So I hope also that the new

government will be able todevelop a better dialoguebetween the FederalGovernment and the voice ofGovernors’ Forum. Theyhave a role to play. Today,you have PDP governors, youhave APC governors. Why?Let’s have a globalgovernors forum. Thegovernors’ forum at theexecutive level is alsoimportant for the federalexecutive council to interact.I would say that there are alot of innovations that youcan relatively easilyelaborate to improve thedialogue between the federaland the states government”

On Boko HaramOn the issue of Boko

Haram the envoy said

government must adopt asoft approach in de-radicalizing those that hadbeen hypnotized by theideology of Boko Haram inthe NorthEast.

He explained that a battlecould be won easily ifnecessary strategies weredeployed promptly, sayingthat to win a war or peacewas an uphill task.

The diplomat said uponwinning the terror battle, thegovernment must develop acounter-terrorism policy topermanently nip the uglytrend in the bud.

Arrion sets agenda forthe Buhari ondwindling economy

Arrion, who also setagenda for the President-

elect, General MuhammaduBuhari, on the dwindlingeconomy, urged the incominggovernment to cutexpenditure by plugging allleakages and improve on itsrevenue sources.

He tasked the new centralgovernment to enter into asustainable synergy with theforum of state governors witha view to building betterdialogue, which would inturn affect the nation’s socio-economic issues positively.

...Give plaudits to INECThe envoy praised the

Independent NationalElectoral Commission(INEC) for setting precedentswith the manner the 2015general elections wereconducted, saying it would

serve as a template for Africanstates preparing for elections.

Arrion said, “one has tomake the distinction betweenthe short term, medium termand long term. The short termcertainly is to address thequestion of insecurity- BokoHaram. It is obvious. Nigeriahas to recover fullsovereignty on the NorthEast.But it is enough to win abattle. To win the battle iseasy but to win a war or peaceis much more difficult.

“Tomorrow you can recoverthe control of the territory, butyou will not have destroyedBoko Haram because it wouldhave been embeddedsomewhere. You will comeback again and again in fiveor ten years. So in a shortterm, you have to win thebattle. But you have shortterm to address the rootcauses of Boko Haram

'Hopelessness, youthunemploymentresponsible forrestiveness'

“There are many reasonsand many explanations forBoko Haram. But oneelement is certainly thehopeless situation of theunemployed youths pluswrong ideology. So oneshould not under-estimatethe role of sectarianism andsome deviations of sect.

After winning the battle,you need to develop counter-terrorism policy and what theoffice of the NSA called softapproach.

“You have to de-radicalisepeople. You will haveprisoners; those prisonerswill have to be de-radicalised; their families,their brothers and Imams willhave to be de-radicalised. Sothat is one thing.”he said.

ABUJA—THE AbujaElectricity Distribution

Company (AEDC) yesterdaysaid that the 50 per centreduction in electricity tariff bythe Nigerian ElectricityRegulatory Commission(NERC) does not affectresidential consumers underthe R1 and R2 tariff categories.

This clarification iscontained in a statementissued by Malam AhmedShekarau, Head, PublicAffairs of the company, in

Abuja.The statement said that the

clarification becamenecessary in view of themisconceptions by some ofits customers that the recentreduction by NERC was forall categories of electricityconsumers.

It said the misconceptionhad made some customers toresist payment of theirelectricity bills.

According to thestatement, the tariff for

customers in the R1 and R2tariff class was not adjustedin the last tariff adjustmentby the NERC.

It said the reductionannounced by NERC wasmeant for commercial andindustrial customers only.

NERC had said thatresidential customers underR1 and R2 would not also seeany reversal or reduction intariff as it was the industrial,commercial and high-endresidential consumers whose

tariff was increased.NAN recalls that NERC had

explained earlier on that theincrease in tariff forresidential consumers wasfrozen until June this year.

The statement said that thecompany would ensure totalcompliance with NERCdirectives on tariffs andsundry issues.

It urged its consumers toalways settle their electricitybills promptly for betterservice delivery.

No tariff reduction for residential customers — AEDC

‘Address root causes of Boko Haram'

10—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Whoever winsin Lagos isp e o p l e ’ schoice - Mbu

....As Agbaje congratulates Ambode

By Dapo Akinrefon

By MonsuruOlowoopejo

My victory changes 60yrs of Lagos history—AMBODE

APC hails INEC for cancellingIlaje polls

LAGOS State governor-elect, Mr. Akinwunmi

Ambode, yesterday said hisvictory at the April 11 polls haschanged 60 years history ofthe state, even as it marked thecommencement of social andmoral contracts.

Ambode, in his acceptancespeech made after theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission, INECdeclared him winner of the2015 Lagos State governorshipelection, noted that no onewould be victimized for votingagainst him at the polls.

He stated that the victory wasan outstanding feat, saying“By affirming your faith in theAPC and in me, you have, forthe first time in 60years,married progressivegovernance at the nationallevel with progressivegovernment at the state level.

“I am humbled that you haveplaced your trust and faith inme. The love of this state andour common belief in what wecan accomplish, our belief inwhat this state already is, andin what it is destined tobecome binds us together in asocial and moral contract ofhigh purpose.

“I shall honor that contract

with every fiber of my being. This day I pledge to you that Ishall devote myself tobringing even greaterprosperity, growth and

development to every inch ofthis state, that I shall build onthe legacy and progress of theBola Tinubu and BabatundeFashola administrations, I

Says no one will be victimised for not voting him

shall bring the best of Lagosinto my government and Ishall make you proud andglad that you chose me asyour next governor.’’

THE governorshipcandidate of the Peoples

Democratic Party, PDP, inLagos State, Mr Jimi Agbajeat 6.40 p.m yesterdayreportedly called tocongratulate the AllProgressives Congress, APC,governorship candidate, MrAkinwumi Ambode foremerging winner of the April11 polls.

The APC governorshipcandidate defeated Agbaje ina keenly contestedgovernorship election.

Agbaje, who wished thegovernor-elect well, said helooked forward to seeing abetter Lagos under Ambode.

When contacted on phone,Agbaje told Vanguard; “I justmade a phone call tocongratulate Mr. AkinwunmiAmbode, the governorshipcandidate of the AllProgressives Congress,”Agbaje said.

Lagos PDP petitions INECMeanwhile, the Lagos State

chapter of the PDP yesterdaypetitioned the IndependentNational Electoral

Commission, INEC, overalleged non usage of theSmart Card Readers duringthe April 11 governorshipelections in the state.

In a protest letter signed bythe State Legal Adviser, MrAdeleke Adefala, the partycalled on the ResidentElectoral Commissioner, REC,in Lagos to suspension of thecollation and release of theresults pending investigationinto the complaints.

The party in a petitionentitled: “RE: Fraudulent Useand Non Usage Of The CardReader During The 11TH Aprilgovernorship and StateAssembly Elections”, allegedirregularities in some localgovernment areas.

The party stated that “ourcandidates have brought to ourattention that contrary toelectoral rules and guidelines,the newly introduced cardreaders were not used in thefollowing local Governments:Epe, Babagry, Mushin,Ikorodu, EtiOsa, Alimosho,Ikeja, IbejuLekki, LagosIsland and some parts of otherlocal governments.”

While the party argued thatthere were no proper

accreditation of voters, itdescribed as a “denouncementof the sanctity of the votingprocess.”

In addition, the Lagos PDPalleged that “there werenumerous complaints of frontand uploading of the cardreaders with fictitious namesbefore commencement ofaccreditation in areas wherecard readers were used i.eLagos Island, Ikorodu, Kosofe,Lagos Mainland andBadagry.”

Calling for the suspension ofthe collation and release of theresults pending investigationinto the complaints, the partysaid “a simple step is forINEC to present for inspectionthe data from the card readersallocated to the abovementioned Local Governmentareas since the INEC premisesis WiFi enabled, the cardreader can be accessed forinstant verification. In theinterest of justice, fair play andelectoral transparency and theconfidence reposed by theNigerian voters in INEC as averitable institution ofdemocratic tenets.”

“We demand that thisinvestigation be conducted

immediately. The first step isthe immediate suspension ofthe collation and release of theresults,”the party stated.

L A G O S — T H EA s s i s t a n t

Inspector-General ofPolice, Zone 2, MrJoseph Mbu, yesterdaysaid that whoever wonLagos Stategovernorship election,did so on merit.

Mbu told journalists atINEC Office in Lagos,where the electionresults were beingcollated, that whoeveremerged winner was thepeople’s choice.

“We have done our best.I am not in possession ofthe figures, but I know itwas a keen contest,” hesaid.

He said that no arrestwas made by the policeduring Saturday ’sgovernorship and stateassembly polls, “becausethe people wereorderly. ”

According to him, fewincidents were recordedduring the polls but theywere minor and did notwarrant arrest.

“There is no perfectionon earth, but both thepeople and the securitymen did well,” he added.

The two majorcontestants in the Lagosgovernorship electionwere Mr AkinwunmiAmbode of the AllProgressives Congress,APC, and Mr Jimi Agbajeof the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP.Ambode however wonthe election.

L-R: Mrs Bolanle Ambode; Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, APC Governor Elect for Lagos; HenryAjomale, APC Chairman, Lagos, and Deputy Governor Elect for APC; Dr Idiat Oluranti Ade-bule, during the celebration of Akinwunmi Ambode Winner of Lagos state Governorship Electionheld at Party Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos state, yesterday. Photo: Akeem Salau

By Dayo Johnson

AKURE—THE AllProgressives Congress

APC, in Ondo State hascommended the IndependentNational ElectoralCommission, INEC, fordeclaring the elections in theIlaje constituenciesinconclusive followingalleged election malpracticesduring last Saturday's electionin the state.

It’s Chairman in Ilajecouncil area of the state Olumide Ikuopenikan, saidthat the election wasmilitarised.

Ikuopenikan said in astatement in Akure: “Wereceived the position of INECon the Ilaje stateconstituencies election held onApril 11, 2015 withsatisfaction.

“For declaring the electioninconclusive, INEC has

affirmed our earlier positionthat the election was indeedmilitarised.

“I commend INEC forlooking into our complaintsand acting in the interest ofjustice and democracy despitethe pressure from governmentand its agents seeking to railroad INEC into theirundemocratic plots.

“However, our opinion is thatthe election ought to havebeen cancelled outrightlyinstead of declaring itinconclusive.

“The election wascharacterised with violence ofunimaginable magnitudeorchestrated and supervisedby agents of the governmentof the day.

“The sonorous sound ofgunshots and the rate at whichguns were freely used by hiredthugs reminded the people ofIlaje the gory tales of theNigeria civil war."

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015—11

AMOSUN’S VICTORY: PDP kicks, alleges irregularities

By Daud Olatunji

A B E O K U T A — T H EPeoples Democratic Party,

PDP, in Ogun State has kickedagainst the declaration of Sena-tor Ibikunle Amosun as winner ofthe governorship election in thestate. The party said: ‘’The de-velopment is clearly not a true re-flection of Ogun people’s wishand it will be challenged appro-priately.”

The Independent NationalElectoral Commission in the statehad declared Amosun who is thecandidate of the All ProgressivesCongress as governor-elect hav-ing polled 306,988 votes to de-feat the PDP governorship can-didate in the state, PrinceGboyega Isiaka who polled201,440 votes.

Reacting to Amosun’s declara-tion, the party, through the Gboye-ga Nasir Isiaka Campaign Or-ganization declared thegubernatorial election “as veryunfortunate and a travesty stagedto help the APC achieve victory”.

The party in a statement signed by Director of Media ,

Ifekayode Akinbode , said “whereas , INEC declared APCthe winner with 307,008 votes andthe PDP coming second with201,440 votes, we are not oblivi-ous of the clear manipulations,misrepresentations, underhanddealings and outright rigging bythe APC; and most unfortunatelywith the culpability of INEC.

“ Let us quickly state emphat-ically that we are displeased withthe outcome of the governorshipelection particularly as being ir-regular in most aspects.

“ However we must state a fewfacts here to support our prelimi-nary position. Before the elec-tion, we alerted that huge num-bers of uncollected PermanentVoters Cards (PVCs) were in thepossession of APC stalwarts withthe intention to give same to theirparty members for use with ac-tive connivance of compromisedcorps members and INEC staff.

“This was indeed what hap-pened. Secondly, on the elec-tion date, Ogun people troopedout and actually voted for the PDP.As at 3pm we were actually re-ceiving good results from all over

the state as results were beingannounced and posted from var-ious polling booths.

“ This was the situation untilSen. Amosun defied the elector-al law and moved out of his poll-ing zone into other areas of Abe-okuta and then to Sagamu, Otaand Ifo local government areaswith a full retinue of buses.

“ What followed were reports of

result falsification, harassment ofour party agents and other irreg-ularities. Clearly, the huge votesfrom Ogun central local govern-ments of Abeokuta North Abe-okuta South, Odeda, ObafemiOwode as well as Ado Odo/Otalg in Ogun West Senatorial dis-trict were a true reflection of therigging. It is in the light of theforegoing that our legal officers

and the party are looking at theresults and they shall come upwith a clear position on this elec-tion that was marred with grossirregularities. We implore our sup-porters, party faithfuls and indeedOgun people to remain calm. Weappreciate the support, trust andconfidence reposed on PrinceGboyega Nasir Isiaka.

“He remains committed to mak-ing Life More Abundant for themasses and so shall it remain.God bless Ogun State”, the partysaid.

Prof Tamuno dies at 83

I B A D A N — AProfessor of Histo-

ry and former Vice Chan-cellor of the University ofIbadan, Emeritus Pro-fessor Tekena Tamuno,has died.

He died at the of ageof 83.

The erudite professordied in Ibadan on Satur-day afternoon. The Sec-retary of Nigerian Acad-emy of Letters, NAL, andfellow historian, Prof.Olutayo Charles Adesi-na, described the deathas very sad.

He said: “Professor Ta-muno was an extremelycerebral historian andforemost scholar of thehumanities, who com-bined the rigour and

flexibility needed for abetter understanding ofhis field.”

In his words, Prof.Francis Egbokhare said,“For a man of his kindof stature as an intellec-tual and administrator,he was unbelievably ac-cessible to the youngerones, unlike others whowould strut like Emper-ors. If you were withhim, you may forget hewas not with your agemate. But, more impor-tantly, he was a manwho had great faith inGod”.

President GoodluckJonathan at Tamuno’s80th birthdaycelebrations in 2012 haddescribed the eminenthistorian as an asset tothe nation, and an

By Ola Ajayi

RESULT:From right: Professor Duro Oni presiding/collation officer (right)announcing Governor Ibikunle Amosun as winner of governorship election11-04-2015 held last Saturday in Ogun State; Dr. Dickson Atiba INEC Admin-istrative Secretary and Chief Timothy Ibitoye Ogun State resident electoralCommissioner during the press briefing to announce the results PHOTO BYWUMI AKINOLA.

Prof. Tekena Tamuno

edifice of knowledgeepitomizing the capacityof Nigerians to be amongthe best in the world intheir chosen profession.

The Presidentremarked that Tamuno’sbirthday was “not acelebration of age, but ofresourcefulness andcharacter.” Hecongratulated the widelypublished historian forall his achievements inlife, and prayed God togive him more years tocontribute ideasthat would help to bringpositive transformation tothe country.

For the Rivers StateGovernor, ChibuikeAmaechi, Tamuno hasbeen a source ofinspiration and honourto the people of RiversState, adding that hehad always beenavailable any time theState was in dire need ofhis knowledge andresourcefulness for heradvancement, especiallyin the field of education.

The late don was bornon January 28, 1932 inOkrika, Rivers State. Heattended St. Peter'sSchool, Okrika, 1938-46;Okrika Grammar School,Okrika, 1947-51; Univer-sity College, Ibadan,1953-1958; Birkbeck Col-lege, University of Lon-don, 1960-62; and Co-lumbia University, NewYork City, U.S.A. 1965-66.

snatching ofballot boxesand stuffing ofsame in thesel o c a t i o n s .Same manipu-lation hap-pened enroutethe collationcentres.

“It was forthese reasonsthat some PDPagents refusedto sign the re-sults sheets;yet the umpirewent ahead toannounce re-sults despitethe overvoting,

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Wike leads in Rivers governorship pollBy Jimitota Onoyume

THE results so far collatedat the Independent

National ElectoralCommission, INEC, RiversState office in Port Harcourt,shows that the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, won in15 local government areas outof the 17 councils so farreleased for the governorshippoll.

The All ProgressivesCongress, APC, has so farwon in two local governmentareas.

The remaining resultsare expected from therescheduled polls onSunday, which took placein Abua Odua, ward 1,Asari Toru ward 13,Bonny ward 13, Degemawards 11,12,13, Emohuaward 4, and Obio/Akporwards 15 and 16.

Meanwhile, thegovernorship candidatesof three political partiesin Rivers State havecalled for thecancellation of thegovernorship and Houseof Assembly elections in

the state.The candidates are Dr

Dakuku Peterside of the APC;Charles Harry, AllProgressives Grand Alliance,APGA and Rev. MinaibimHarry, Social Democratic Party,SDP.

The APGA candidate,Charles Harry, who spoke onbehalf of the others, called onINEC to cancel the electionbecause it was marred byirregularities.

Harry said thugs allegedlymade away with electionmaterials and fired gun shotsto scare voters, in order to

manipulate the electionresults.

"In Buguma, headquarter ofAsari-Toru Local Government,there was no accreditationbecause there were no electionmaterials in place.

‘’Elsewhere, thedisenfranchisement of Riverspeople was taken to a levelunprecedented in the historyof electioneering in the state.There was intimidation,harassment and outrightmanipulation of the electoralprocess,” he said.

Harry said they were awarethat some arrests were made

by the police of thoseallegedly compromising theelection.

Mr Dakuku Peterside of theAPC, said the election wascharacterized by widespreadviolence that made itimpossible for the people tocome out to vote.

He urged INEC to cancel theelection and fix a new date fora re-run.

In her reaction, the ResidentElectoral Commissioner forthe state, Mrs Gesila Khan,said elections weresuccessfully held in the state.

She said the commission had

cancelled elections in ninewards and ordered a re-runwhere it was established thatno election took place.

Meanwhile, African Centrefor Leadership Strategies andDevelopment has called forthecancellation of the exercise.

Humphrey Bekaren, whobriefed newsmen in PortHarcourt, said as observers,they were dissatisfied with theelections, stressing that it wascharacterized by rigging,violence and manipulations.

According to him, no votingtook place in some centres theyvisited in Port Harcourt.

“We request all lovers ofdemocracy to join us in callingfor outright cancellation of thephoney elections,” he said.

DELTA POLLS:Ofobruku,Mariere,Oharisi, otherswin Assemblyseats

By Festus Ahon,Perez Brisibe &

Ochuko Akuopha

A S A B A — T H Eincumbent member

representing Uvwie LocalGovernment Area in DeltaState House of Assembly,Mr Efe Ofobruku of theSocial Democratic Party,SDP, has been re-electedfor a second term afterbeating the candidate ofthe Labour Party, LP,Joseph Agbamu, whopolled 10,541 votes tocome second.

Also, the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,House of Assemblycandidates in UghelliNorth I, Mr Sam Mariere,Ughelli Noth II, Mr EricOharisi, Okpe andUghelli Southconstituencies, SheriffObovworhowrhi andReuben Izeze, won theirrespective positions whileJohnson Erijo won inIsoko constituency II witha total vote of 12,930 tobeat his closest contender,Ferguson Onwo of the AllProgressives Congress,APC, who polled 9,943votes.

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015—13

PDP wins governorship election in A-Ibom

By Emma Amaize,Festus Ahon, EgufeYafugborhi, Perez

Brisibe, Godwin OghreTheresa Ogbolu &Ochuko Akuopha

POLLS: Uduaghan commends Deltans forpeaceful conduct

Daubry winsBurutuconstituencyII in Delta

GOVERNOR EmmanuelUduaghan of Delta State

has commended Deltans for con-ducting themselves peacefullyand orderly during the governor-ship and House of Assembly elec-tions in the state.

Uduaghan, in Abigborodo, War-ri North Local Government Areaafter casting his vote at Unit One,Umuegbe Primary School pollingunit, said information he receivedfrom security agencies indicatedthat voters behaved well, addingthat the development was a plusfor Deltans as well as the securityagenda of the state government.

He commended IndependentNational Electoral Commission,INEC, for improving on its con-duct of the presidential election,particularly in ensuring that itsstaff and election materials arrivedpolling stations early.

“INEC's conduct of the gover-norship and House of Assemblyelections in Umuegbe PrimarySchool polling station, Abigboro-do Ward Six, was an improve-ment on its conduct of the presi-dential election. INEC officialsand election materials arrived thepolling station at 8. 55 a.m., whileaccreditation started at 9. 52 a.m,”he said.

Governorship candidate of Peo-ples Democratic Party, PDP, Sen-ator Ifeanyi Okowa, who cast hisvote at 1.40p.m., at Eghoma Pri-mary School, Ward 2 Unit 3, OwaAlero, Ika South Local Govern-ment Area, expressed satisfactionwith the exercise, saying, “Nocomplain so far except for someminor hitches which have beenrectified.

“It will definitely be a peacefulexercise and will come out as freeand fair,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Labour Partygovernorship candidate, ChiefGreat Ogboru, alleged electoralirregularities in five local govern-ment areas in the state, lament-ing moves by some individualsto sabotage the efforts of INEC inconducting free and fair elections.

Speaking at his Abraka resi-dence, Ogboru alleged: “We haverecorded series of irregularities infive councils including parts ofEthiope East, Bomadi and IkaNorth East.

“PVCs were brought in theirhundreds and used to vote with-out being authenticated by thecard readers. We are havingmixed feelings about the electionsand are documenting these ob-servations.”

On his part, the All Progres-sives Congress, APC, governor-ship candidate, Olorogun O'tegaEmerhor, commended INEC forthe smooth conduct of the polls.

Addressing newsmen after hisaccreditation in Evwreni, Emer-hor commended INEC for the useof card readers, describing sameas a worthy process aimed at en-suring credible accreditation forthe electoral process.

Also at Erevweni, Samuel Mar-ierie, PDP House of Assemblycandidate for Ughelli North Con-stituency I, accused his oppo-nents of ballot snatching in Oro-gun wards. He noted that despitethe set backs, he was confident ofwinning the election.

At Orogun, the Labour Partysenatorial candidate for Delta cen-tral, Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege incompany of his wife, voted about2:05p.m., in Unit 19. Describingthe turnout as impressive, Omo-Agege, said: “Deltans deserve tobe governed by the people theychoose to govern them and noother candidate fits more than theLP governorship candidate, Og-boru. “Though we have receivedreports of abnormalities, especial-ly in Delta Central where there isa wide spread of non-availabilityof result sheets, we want INECto do the right thing as we won’taccept anything short of that.”

Accreditation and voting went

on smoothly in parts of Ughelliand its environs as scores of elec-torate came out to cast their votesin peaceful manner while securi-ty agents manned strategic posi-tions to forestall breakdown of lawand order.

In Owheologbo, Isoko NorthLocal government Area, the Sec-retary to the State Government,Ovuozorie Macaulay, com-plained about shortage in votingmaterials dispatched to the coun-cil. Macaulay, who commendedthe voters for turning out en-massand conducting themselvespeacefully, stated that INEC failedto address the shortcomings ob-served during the presidentialelections.

According to him, “The exerciseis very peaceful. The only thingthat would have caused troublewas that in the presidential andNational Assembly elections theybrought only 74, 000 ballot papersout of the accepted 107, 000 forthe council."

Emami step-mother de-tained

Former PDP chieftain in Warri,Chief Ayirimi Emami, who defect-ed to APC recently, raised alarm

that his step-mother, Mrs. Eliza-beth Emami, was detained forhours, allegedly by Ijaw youthsat Kurutie, who also harassed andbeat up other innocent travellers.

But, PDP chairman in WarriSouth West council, Chief BoroOpudu, who acknowledged thatEmami spoke to him about his stepmother, dismissed the allegationof tension on the waterways, say-ing there was calm from informa-tion available to him.

“I complained to the Residen-tial Electoral Commissioner, RECand he promised that it would becorrected in the governorship andstate assembly election. Theybrought again 74, 000 deprivingus about 38 percent of our votingstrength. For me that is unaccept-able; that being unfair to the peo-ple of this council. That is a wayof discouraging us and reducingus and I think they are not beingfair to the Isoko people.”

He noted that despite the chal-lenges “there is nothing we cando; we are not going to say wecannot vote because of that be-cause it is trap they are setting sothat we get upset and pull out sothe party we are will lose.”

MR KennedyD a u b r y ,

candidate of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, inBurutu constituency II, hasbeen declared winner ofSaturday's House ofAssembly election inBurutu constituency II.

According to the resultsannounced by theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission,INEC, the PDP candidatescored 27,642; Labour Party233 and All ProgressivesCongress, APC, scored 70.

Daubry, who was re-elected for a second term,thanked the people of hisconstituency for the freshmandate given to him, assuring that he willconsolidate on hisachievements in the lastfour years.

He also enjoined theyouths to remain peacefuland maintain the existingpeace in the area, adding“Though I have mader e m a r k a b l e achievements and impacted on the lives of mypeople, however, by thegrace of God in the next fouryears, we shall do more forthem.”

THE Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, candidate,

Mr Udom Emmanuel, hasbeen declared winner of thegovernorship election in AkwaIbom State.

Announcing the result of theelection, yesterday in Uyo,Returning Officer for theelection, Prof. James Epoke,said Emmanuel scored 996,071 votes to defeat his AllProgressives Congress, APC,opponent, Mr Umana Umana,who polled 89, 865 votes.

Other results, according tohim, are Sen. Helen Esuene

of Labour Party, 8,600 votesand Accord Party candidate,Mr Samuel Akpan, whopolled 10, 598 votes.

Epoke said that Emmanuelwon in all the 31 localgovernment areas in the state.

He said that the totalnumber of registered voters inthe state was 1,548,531 while1,158,624 voters wereaccredited for the election,adding that total valid votescast in the election was1,110,580.

Voided votes, he said, were12, 256 and total votes cast

were 1, 122, 836.“By the provision of the

Electoral Act, Emmanuel,having scored the highestnumber of votes cast in theelection, is hereby declaredelected,” he said.

Speaking to newsmen on theoutcome of the election, MrPaul Ekpo, PDP Chairman inthe state, appealed to all thecontestants to accept theresult.

Ekpo said: “I hope othercandidates who contested thiselection will allow peace toreign as President GoodluckJonathan did.”

Oshiomholewades intoEkiadolorCollege ofEducationcrisis

By SimonEbegbulem

BENIN—GOVER-N O R

Adams Oshiomholeof Edo State has wadedinto the crisis between thestaff and management ofthe state- ownedEkiadolor College ofEducation now known asTayo Akpata University,Benin City.

Lecturers of theinstitution have been onstrike in the past twoweeks over alleged failureby the management of theinstitution to pay theirsalaries and allowancesowed them totalling overN50 million.

The governor whothrough the Peace andConflict ResolutionCommittee, led by Gen.Charles Airhiavbere,described the persistentcrisis in the institution asdisturbing, vowed to finda lasting solution to theproblem after thecommittee met with the

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio and wife, Unoma, embracing Mr. UdomEmmanuel and wife, Martha, after the declaration of Mr. Udom Emmanuel as winner of April11, gubernatorial election in the State.

14—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

POLLS: Accept official results, INECtells contestants ...urges losers to go to tribunals

By Joseph Erunke

A B U J A — T H EIndependent National

Electoral Commission,INEC,yesterday, asked contestants inSaturday’s governorship andState Assembly elections to acceptall results officially declared by it.

This was even as it urged thosenot satisfied with the outcome ofthe polls to seek redress at thetribunal.

It,however, promised to launcha full-scale investigations intocases of violent incidents in moststates of the federation during the

conduct of the polls.The Commission’s

chairman,Professor Attahiru Jega,in a statement, through his ChiefPress Secretary,Mr. KayodeIdowu, tasked every citizen tomaintain peace as the results ofthe elections were beingprocessed.

“The Commission calls on everycitizen to maintain the peace asthe results of the governorship andstate Assembly elections are beingprocessed, and to accept theofficial outcomes, INEC stated.

It emphasised that winnerscould only emerge after collation

of the official results and on thebasis of the requirementsprescribed by the legalframework.

INEC reminded aggrievedpoliticians that the constitutionallyrecognised way of channelinggrievances arising from electionconduct in Nigeria was theelection petition tribunals

It said:”Any aggrieved personsor groups are encouraged to seekredress at the tribunals.”

The Commission, which notedthat overall, many parts of thecountry remained relativelypeaceful during the

elections,regretted that the pollswere marred by violent incidentsin most states,promising to carryout thorough investigations.

“Some states, however,recorded a significant number ofviolent incidents, the mostaffected being Rivers, Akwa Ibom,Cross River, Ebonyi and Ondo.

“INEC’s records show thatthere were 66 reports of violentincidents targeted at polling units,the Commission’s officials, votersand election materials.

“These were in Rivers State (16incidents), Ondo (8), Cross Riverand Ebonyi (6 each), Akwa Ibom(5) Bayelsa (4), Lagos andKaduna (3 each), Jigawa, Enugu,Ekiti and Osun (2 each), Katsina,Plateau, Kogi, Abia, Imo, Kanoand Ogun (one each).

“The Commission isinvestigating these incidents andwill do everything within in itspowers to bring culprits tojustice.”

INEC said its generalassessment showed that theelections went very wel.

“According to preliminaryreports, 88.9 per cent of pollingunits opened for accreditationbetween 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. acrossthe country. Only 5.2 per centwere yet to open as of 1 p.m. Also,73 per cent of the polling unitshad commenced voting by 2.30p.m.

“The process of accreditationwith Smart Card Readers was alsosuccessful in a majority of thepolling units. Initial challengeswere recorded in Edo and Abiastates, but the technical teamsdeployed to support the stateswere able to resolve the issues ina timely manner,”it added.

N-Central, N-East battle for Senate presidency.Ahmed Lawan, Akume, Saraki, Goje among contestants

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA—THE battle forSenate presidency

appears to have shifted betweenthe North Central and NorthEast geo-political zones amongthe most ranking members,following the Senate StandingOrder that favours long years

of service in Senate.The 7th Senate is expected to

come to an end about June 2 thisyear, while the Senateleadership is expected to beconstituted for the 8th Senatewithin the week.

At present, the Senatepresiding officer, SenatePresident, David Mark, is fromBenue State of the North Central

alongside the Senate MinorityLeader, Senator George Akume,while Senator Abubakar Sarakiwho is also one of the contendersfor the position, from Kwara State,is also of the North Central get-political zone.

But there is a political bloc fromthe North East that feels that theSenate presidency had been inthe North Central for about eight

years and even the Senateminority leader and the peoplebehind this ‘power must rotate’,are projecting Senator AhmadLawan from Yobe State.

Also from the North East and apossible candidate for the Senatepresidency is Senator DanjumaGoje, a former governor of GombeState.

With a simple majority in thechamber, lawmakers of the AllProgressives Congress, APC, areexpected to fill these positions: theSenate President, his deputy,Senate Majority Leader, deputyand the Chief Whip and deputy.

It was gathered that thoseprojecting the emergence ofSenator Lawan from North Eastwere said to have taken theirargument to the APC leaders thatsince the North Central had beenoccupying the seat 2007,”it wastime to look elsewhere and thatin the spirit of cohesion and senseof unity, the North East shouldoccupy post.

Nigerians in Diaspora drag Oba Akiolu to ICCBy JohnboscoAgbakwuru

ABUJA—NIGERIANS inthe Diaspora have

reported the Oba of Lagos, ObaRilwan Akiolu, to theInternational Criminal Court,ICC, in The Hague,Netherlands, over his recentthreat against the Igbo residentsin Lagos, and likened thethreat to the hate speech that

triggered Rwandan genocide. The Lagos Monarch had

recently threatened that if theIgbo residents in Lagos did notvote for his preferred candidatein the just concludedgovernorship election in Lagosstate, they would be thrown intothe Lagos lagoon.

Infuriated by the threat,Nigerians in Diaspora, underthe auspices of theTransformation Ambassadors ofNigeria, TAN, went on protest

to the ICC and Nigeria HighCommission in London, sayingthe threat was too weighty tobe ignored.

The group noted that such athreat should not be treatedwith levity and called on theICC to investigate it before arepeat of the Rewandangenocide in Nigeria.

Spokesperson of the group,Chris Nsoedo, pointed out thatNdigbo "are always at thereceiving end of any crises, even

when they don’t have any handin such ugly developments."

Nosedo said that time had comefor the government of Nigeria tobe pro-active in preventingincessant attacks on the South-Easterners, known for theirpositive contribution to theirhostile host communities byensuring that the haters of theIgbo, like the Lagos Monarch,were decisively dealt withaccording to the dictates of thenation’s constitution.

DG clears airon promotionscandalrockingNSITF

A B U J A —MANAGING

Director of Nigeria SocialInsurance Trust Fund,NSITF, Munir Abubakar,weekend, cleared the air onthe promotion scandalrocking the Fund.

According to him, everypromotion is guided by thefederal character policy.

The board andmanagement had beenaccused of favouritism inpromotion by a section ofthe workers, a developmentthat brought bad bloodamong the old and newstaff, which generatedunhealthy environment inthe organisation.

But the ManagingDirector denied any form offavouritism in promotion ofworkers in NSITF andrather said that everyworker was treated fairlyaccording to the rules.

Fielding questions on thealleged scandal afterreceiving an award onbehalf of the Fund from acoalition of 40 Non-G o v e r n m e n t a lOrganisations, NGOs, inAbuja, Abubakar saidpromotion of staff wasalways done in strictcompliance with theprinciple of federalcharacter, equity andfairness.

He said: “Our promotionis executed based ongovernment policy, whichmeans we are guided byfederal character, if wedon’t, we would answer tothe National Assembly.

‘’It is possible somepeople have somegrudges, but in everythingwe do, we ensure equity,we must ensure balance.”

He also denied theallegation of usurpation ofmanagement powers bythe board, although, heacknowledged that it wasnot possible to satisfy all thestaff in promotion exercise.

By JohnboscoAgbakwuru

JUBILATION: All Progressives Congress suporters, jubilating with the Kaduna Stategovernor- elect, Malam Nasiru el-Rufai, at the party office hqtrs, in kaduna, yesterday.Photo: Olu Ajayi

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015—15

Umeh urges Jega to cancel govelections in S-East states

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

NATIONAL CHAIRMANon All Progressive Grand

Alliance, APGA, Chief VictorUmeh, has called on ProfessorAttahiru Jega, IndependentNational Electoral, INEC,Chairman, to cancel thegovernorship and State House ofAssembly elections in South Eastfor alleged snatching of electionmaterials by people allegedlyworking for the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP.

Chief Umeh also asked INECto prosecute INEC officials andPDP agents for treasonable felonyfor for what he called electoralterrorism and for not allowing theelectorate from South East to electthe candidates that will representthem at all levels of governmentin the country.

“If every time there is an electionthe Igbo people will not beallowed to elect their leaders, whywe are still here, if they want war

let them have it and break up thecountry because we are a peoplethat have been held down for over48 years now, the Igbo peoplehave never been themselves.

“You will conduct election,people will win, you have theresult sheet and they will go andchange it today, in my ward Ihave collected all the 18 pollingbooths results, APGA won in allthe polling booths, wait and listenmay be tomorrow you will hearthat we lost in my ward, in thelast election I won here in all thepolling booths with 2084 votes,but I heard that in the result theyannounced I lost in my ward,” hesaid.

According to Chief Umeh,todaythere is governorship and House

of Assembly electioneverywhere in Nigeria, therewere reports of good elections inthe North and in the South Westbut in the South East, thegovernorship elections are nottaking place in the states they aresupposed to take place “I willrather call on Prof. Attahiru Jegato cancel the governorshipelection in South East andarraign all the INEC officials andthe PDP agents and prosecutethem for treason, when you donot allow people to elect theirleaders you are now takingpower forcefully, and it amountsto treason, what they arecommitting in Igbo land istreasonable felony, and God willpunish all of them,” he said.

He alleged that a formergovernor of Anambra State wasseen personally spearheadinghijacking of election materials atAgulu.

He said: “He was not doing itthrough proxies, he personallyhijacked electoral materials on 28of March, the same thing they didin Nri, all in Anocha LocalGovernment Area.

“We also got reports that somepeople went to Ozoubulu inEkwusigo Local GovernmentArea as early as 5am to carrythe election materials and theResident Electoral Commissionerhas cancelled the election in theLocal government Area, and itwas done by the same PDPpeople.

... Abia in particular

A G U L U Z I G B O(ANAMBRA)—CHIEF

Victor Umeh, the NationalChairman, All ProgressivesGrand Alliance, APGA, has called

for the cancellation of the Abia Stategovernorship and the state Houseof Assembly elections over allegedirregularities.

Speaking with newsmen at

Aguluzigbo in Anaocha LocalGovernment Area of Anambraafter casting his vote on Saturday,Umeh described the entireexercise in Abia as a sham.

He said: “From the reports sofar gathered, there were nomaterials on ground and collationofficers with result sheets couldnot be found. There are alsoreports of fake security personnelmoving about in the stateintimidating people.”

Umeh, who is also theAnambra Central senatorialcandidate of APGA, called for thearrest of some officials of theIndependent National ElectoralCommission, INEC, over thealleged irregularities in Abia.

ENUGU GOV

RESULT: APCvows tochallenge itin tribunal

E N U G U —LEADERSHIP

of the All ProgressivesCongress, APC,yesterday rejected theresult of thegovernorship electionheld in the state onSaturday in which theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission,INEC declared thePeoples DemocraticParty, PDP, candidate,Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, asthe winner.

Addressing a pressconference in Enugu,yesterday, shortly beforethe final result wasreleased, state chairmanof the party, Dr. BenNwoye, thegovernorship candidate,Mr. Okey Ezea and hisrunning mate, Mrs.Juliet Ibekaku,unanimously vowed tochallenge the resultlegally.

The PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,standard bearer inEnugu State, IfeanyiUgwuanyi, was declaredwinner of thegovernorship electionwith a total score of482,277 against hisclosest rival, the APCgovernorship candidate,Mr. Okey Ezea, whopolled 43,837.

Embattled Ezea toldnewsmen, yesterday, that“ what was witnessedyesterday (Saturday) aselection was a sham.

‘’There was also ballotbox snatching, physicalinjuries from PDP thugsunleashed on APCsupporters. Over 5,000thugs chased away oursupporters. I was almostkilled.

“It is a case of police aidingand abetting thuggery,even the INEC staff werecompromised too.Therefore, we are saying asfar as we are concerned,there was no election inEnugu State.

‘’We, therefore, call onINEC to cancel the electioncompletely and order afresh one where police fromoutside the state will cometo supervise.”

Reacting, the state policecommand’s spokesman,Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, said“that is not true as policedo not vote, but providesecurity for voters andthose conductingelection.’’

By Austin Ogwuda

Suspected thugs attack DSS official inEnugu State

hand and leg. They spared mylife because l denied being asecurity agent,” he said.

Reacting, the Chairman ofIgboeze-South LocalGovernment, Mr. Festus Ozioko,described the situation as‘unfortunate’ and urged INEC tocancel results from Itchi Ward 1

and Ward 11 as loyalists of otherpolitical parties were not allowedto vote by the thugs.

“The manhandling ofEmmanuel, who is on officialassignment, is highlycondemnable. This is crude andirresponsible,” he said.

PDP's victory in Enugu, a reflection of voters' wishes— Gov Chime

GOVERNOR SULLIVANChime of Enugu State

has described the victory of thePeoples Democratic Party, PDP,governorship candidate inSaturday ’s election, Hon.Ifeanyi Ugwanyi, as a truereflection of the wishes of thepeople of Enugu State.

The governor in a statementsigned by his Chief Press

Secretary, Chukwudi Achife,also said the party’s sweep ofall the House of Assemblyseats in the electionsconfirmed the status of theparty as the most popular andacceptable party by Enugupeople and thanked thepeople for their unshakeablefaith in the new course of goodgovernance championed by

the party.He assured the people that

the incoming administrationwould never deviate from thenoble path.

He also, commended INECand security agencies for thepeaceful conduct of theelections, saying they lived upto their mandates.

CELEBRATION: Enugu State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime (centre), accompanied on the right by his sister, Mrs. May Oji; DeputyGovernor, Rev. Ifeanyi Nwoye; his wife, Mrs. Rita Nwoye; Mr. Tochukwu Chime (son), Mrs. Adaora Chukwu (daughter), State Chairmanof the PDP, Chief Ikeje Asogwa; Member-elect for Enugu North/Enugu South federal constituency, Hon. Chime Oji, and Mr. EmekaChukwu (left), as he cuts a cake to mark his 56th birthday celebration, at the Governor's Lodge, Enugu, yesterday

IBAGWA-AKA (ENUGUSTATE): DEPARTMENT of

State Services, DSS, official inIgboeze-South Local Governmentin Enugu State, Mr. PreyeEmmanuel, was attacked bysuspected political thugs at Itchiduring Saturday’s elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria,NAN, correspondent whomonitored elections in the area,observed that the situation in thecommunity, the country home ofthe APC governorship candidate,Mr. Okey Ezea, got votersscampering for safety, followingsporadic shootings by the thugs.

Speaking with newsmen on hishospital bed in Ibagwa-Aka,Emmanuel said that he wasmonitoring the conduct of theelection when armed thugsattacked him, saying that they didnot want any security man.

“They beat me to pulp. lsustained injuries on my head,

16—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Put Nigeria first, WSR tells politicians

VICTORY PARTY: Enugu State governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime flanked on his right by the state’sGovernor-elect, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; the Deputy Governor-elect, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo; the DeputyGovernor’s wife, Mrs. Rita Nwoye, Deputy Governor, Rev. Ifeanyi Nwoye; SA to the President onNEPAD, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze; Mrs. Stella Ngwu and state Chairman of the PDP, Chief Ikeje Asogwa,Minister for Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo; Mrs. May Oji, Ozo Mmamel, Mr. U.S.A. Igwesi, EnuguNorth Senator-elect, Mr. Chuka Utazi, left, among other dignitaries, during a victory party at theGovernor’s Lodge, Enugu, yesterday.

By Emmanuel Elebeke

THE Women’s SituationRoom-Nigeria (WSR-

Nigeria) has charged Nigerianpoliticians to shun violence andput Nigeria first in all theirelectoral contests.

The group gave the chargewhile making observation on theApril 11 elections for theGovernorship and the StateHouse of Assemblies in ninestates covering the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.

A statement by the group saidthe call became necessaryfollowing WSR-Nigeria's

perception that with theannouncement of thepresidential elections and thestakes becoming higher, anindication that the potential forviolence would grow higher,hence the need for early warningand early response pre, duringand after the April 11th elections.

Following this, it said the WSRproceeded in setting up of asecond physical Situation Roomin Port Harcourt, Rivers State,one of the states identified as aflashpoint for violence.

According to the group,available reports from itsobservers and the general public

indicated that generally, thecommencement of accreditationstarted on time as the INECofficials arrived in good time andthe massive failure of the cardreaders reported during thePresidential election wasminimal.

''The WSR-Nigeria notes withconcern the electoralmalpractices that wereexperienced in some pollingunits across the country; inNasarawa State, we receivedreports of the electorate beingchased away and mass thumbprinting being done byunknown persons; in AnambraState in Ekwusigo LGA wereceived a report of the electionsmaterials being seized at theRAC centre; in Jigawa State

Polls observerscall forcancellation ofRivers result

PORT HARCOURT—International election

observers, yesterday, called forthe cancellation of theGovernorship and House ofAssembly elections in Rivers.

The leader of African Centrefor Leadership Strategies andDevelopment, Mr HumphreyBekaren, who spoke on behalfof the observers, made the callin Port Harcourt.

He said the observers wereshocked that INECdisregarded the widelyreported violent irregularities tobegin the process of declaringresults in the state, stressing, ''We request all lovers ofdemocracy to join us in callingfor the outright cancellation ofthe phony election. Unless thisis done, we would have sownthe seed that could eventuallygrow into providing a shade offear and death over us.”Bekaren said what happenedin Rivers was a far cry from whatelection should be. '' What wesaw did not meet internationalstandard of electioneering, noteven the ones set by theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission INEC.”

The Resident ElectoralCommissioner for Rivers, MrsGesila Khan, said INECcancelled election in centreswith reported electoralmalpractices. She said re-runelections took place in six localgovernment areas in the statewhere electoral malpracticeswere reported.

Oba of Lagosprays forpeacefulco-existence inLagos, Nigeria

THE Oba of Lagos,Alhaji Rilwan Akiolu,

yesterday, organised aprayer session for peacefulco-existence in Lagos andNigeria in general.

During the prayer thatwas conducted at the IgaIduganran Palace of theroyal father on LagosIsland, Oba Akiolu said theprayer was imperative forpeaceful co-existence inLagos and Nigeria ingeneral, after peacefulconduct of the generalelections in the state.

While urging differenttribes in Lagos to work forthe progress of the state, theroyal father appealed to thepresident-elect, retiredMaj. Gen. MuhammaduBuhari, to assist Lagos inrepairing most of thedamaged federal roads inthe state.

Akiolu, who spoke inYoruba language, said thatwhen Buhari came to hispalace during thecampaign period, he wasthree hours behindschedule.

He said that Buharicomplained of bad roadsadding that he told him thatwhen he becomes thepresident he should helpthe state to reconstruct theroad.

The Oba said he was surethat God would give himthe power to do it.

Akiolu urged theincoming Governor ofLagos, to do what hepromised the people.

The prayer wasconducted by ImamMujitabah Giwa, theAlawiye of Lagos and hisleague of Imams.

Giwa prayed for peacefulcoexistence in Lagos andalso for political leaders inthe country.

Some traditional rulers inLagos as well as white capchiefs were present at theprayer session.

Chief Rasak Okoya,Chairman of EleganzaGroup was also amongsome dignitaries present.

there were incidents of thedestruction of card readers by apolitical party and snatching ofballot boxes,while in Edo Statethere were reports of buying ofvotes on the queue by somepolitical parties.

''Reports of violence rangingfrom arson, violence againstwomen, shootings, intimidationby heavily armed men have comein from Abia, Nasarawa, Rivers,Abia, Lagos, Anambra, Delta,Rivers, Imo, Gombe, Benue andAkwa Ibom States.''

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015—17

Gov, state Assembly elections around Nigeria

Nigeria's Vice President-elect, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (middle); All Progressives Congress, APC,National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (4th right), and Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. AdejokeOrelope-Adefulire (4th left), and other APC members, jublilating at APC 's victory in Lagos, yesterday.Photos: Joe Akintola, Dare Fasube, Olu Ajayi, Wunmi Akinola, Akeem Salau & Lamidi Bamidele

From left, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Lagos State Deputy Governor-elect, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, and Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs.Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun, His wife, Funso; Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, and others,in a motor cade , during victory procession in some part sof the Abeokuta, the OgunState capital, yesterday.

From left, Professor Isaac Adewole, Retuning Electoral Officer, Lagos State; AkinOrebiyi, INEC Resident Electorial Commissioner in Lagos State, and Joseph Mbu,Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, during the declarationof APC governorship candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, as the winner of 2015 election,at INEC office, Sabo, Yaba, Lagos.

A woman in purdah, casting her vote, in Minna,Niger State.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, casting her voteat Bourdillon unit, Ikoyi, Lagos. Mohammed Babangida, at polling unit, in Minna.

Prince Johnson Erijo (right), and Dr. Osafile,Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,Returning Officer, during the presentation of Certificateof Return to Prince Ejiro, who won Isoko SouthConstituency 2 seat in the Delta State House of Assembly.

Minister of State Agricultural Resources, Asabe Ahmed,going through accreditation process at PU 020, Minna.

Governorship election accreditations going on at Unit17 Ward 02, Redeemed camp, Obafemi Owode LocalGovernment Area, Ogun State.

OPINION

18 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2014

By Rogers Ochela

OPINIONFCT ministFCT ministFCT ministFCT ministFCT minister deserer deserer deserer deserer deservvvvves commendation, noes commendation, noes commendation, noes commendation, noes commendation, not vilift vilift vilift vilift vilificationicationicationicationication

•Mr. Ochela, a social critic, wrote fromAbuja.

WITH the successful conclusion of thePresidential and National Assembly

elections on Saturday 28th March 2015 andthe emergence of Gen. Muhammadu Buharias the elected President of the Federal Republicof Nigeria on the platform of the All ProgressivesCongress (APC), a lot of energy and ink havebeen expended by commentators, includinghack writers and pseudo-analysts, whospecialize in muddling the political water orworse still, fouling the fresh air Nigerians arecurrently savouring.What makes Buhari’s victory pivotallyimportant is the fact that this is the first time inthe history of the nation, an oppositioncandidate has defeated an incumbent presidentin an election, a significant milestone that willhelp shape the history of Nigeria’s electoralcontest for years to come.Of equal epochal significance is the display ofstatesmanship by President GoodluckJonathan, who, against the grain ofexpectations of enemies of Nigeria’s unity, putnational interest above his personal pride andinterest, when he accepted the verdict of thepeople by putting a call across to GeneralMuhammadu Buhari to congratulate him onhis victory.This exemplary act of statesman-ship byPresident Jonathan, which is in sync with hisoverall attitude to governance, removed thearrow, in a manner of speaking, from the quiverof those fanning the embers of war ahead ofthe election, a situation that actually frustrated

the murderous ambition of those who allegedlystockpiled arms and ammunitions preparatoryto instigating crisis of unimaginableproportions.Understandably, this has elicited spontaneousoutpouring of congratulatory messages fromNigerians of all walks of life for the Presidentand the President-elect as well as Nigerians forthe democratic achievement.Surprisingly, while many Nigerians are stillreeling in celebration for achieving anothersignificant milestone in the onerous quest tostabilize the nation’s fledgling democracy,some spoilsports, probably operating on adifferent wavelength, are engaged in thereckless and unholy enterprise of hurlinginvectives on some public officials whose onlycrime is to execute their assignments with thesingle-minded devotion of a religious devotee.One of such public officials who have been atthe receiving end of these harbingers of hateand malice is the Hon. Minister of FCT, SenatorBala Abdulkadir Mohammed. And what is hisoffence? It is his unabashed loyalty to theoutgoing President and uncompromisingfidelity the administration’s TransformationAgenda, Jonathan’s handmaiden for theaccelerated development of the nation in allramifications.

Being the most legitimatizing factor in theJonathan administration and havingcontributed more than any of his ministerialcontemporaries to the successful execution ofthe Transformation Agenda, Senator BalaMohammed must be barbecued and the solidreputation he has built in the last four yearsmust be torn to shreds as the lifespan of thisadministration throttles to its terminus on May29.To achieve their selfish aim, they have beenpeddling all manner of allegations against theminister and his children, overtly orchestratingtheir spurious involvement in several corruptand shady deals. But the pertinent question is:how on earth would any sane mind, which isnot idle, conjure up such fallacious story whennone of the minister’s children has done anycontract under the FCT Administration duringthe tenure of Senator Bala Mohammed asMinister?It is equally sad to note that the unsubstantiatednay unfounded allegations have been extendedto some Directors of the FCT Administration,including the Director of Treasury, AlhajiIbrahim Bomoi, who has become the butt oftheir rabid attacks because he has stood hisground, refusing to pay huge sums of money asransom over threat of negative media reportsby his current blackmailers and their sponsors.Bala and Bomoi’s seeming offence ostensiblystems from their objection to the business asusual syndrome.Judging from the antecedents of those behindthis campaign of calumny, it is so easy to discernthat their sole aim of picking on the FCT

Minister and the Director of Treasury is simplyto create disaffection between them and theincoming administration of GeneralMuhammadu Buhari. But their evil intentionwill fail because the General as a man ofintegrity and conviction who is a highlyexperienced statesman will not easily swayedby such useless antics aimed at scoring cheappolitical points. It is on this note that it isnecessary that well meaning Nigerians areadvised to ‘shine their eyes well-well’ so as notbe deceived by the cheap antics of professionalblackmailers masquerading as mediapublishers, who have been waging a relentlesswar against the minister ’s laudableachievements, especially the highly innovativeland swap programme which is aimed atbridging the yawning housing gap in thenation’s capital.In spite of the nebulous efforts of his traducers,the truth is that Senator Bala Mohammedunarguably remains one of the most successfulFCT Ministers ever. His achievements speakfor themselves.On several occasions, Bala Mohammed haschallenged his critics to take him up on issues,point out the gap in his style of administrationand flaws in the execution of projects andproffer better alternative. The minister cannothave all the solutions to the problems besettingthe FCT. He means well. Contrary to the harshunmerited judgment of arm chair critics, hehas performed creditably well to thesatisfaction of his principal, President Jonathanand above all, unbiased Nigerians. Hissincerity of purpose has certainly never been indoubt. So, he should be left alone.

Bala Mohammed haschallenged his critics totake him up on issues

THE mounting excitement about the results ofthe 2015 elections hardly leave room to considerany encumbrances to the change that has beenpromised since the herald of that buzz that atthe beginning seemed like one of those slogansthat manage to exist till the end of the campaign.Change is here, it appears, to stay. It is asweeping change that would have profoundimplications for the way we do things. Changehas affected the central government for the firsttime in 16 years.

At the beginning of the renewed democraticexperiment in 1999, clear majorities were notavailable at the National Assembly. However,with the dynamics of politics, the oppositionparties kept losing grounds that the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, often danced its way tofavourable decisions on issues it pursued.Change would affect the National Assembly too.The All Progressives Congress, APC, countingon its victories, and sympathies it could generateon issues, would be able to get enough numbersto do its work.

WinnerWinnerWinnerWinnerWinners Are -s Are -s Are -s Are -s Are -NigeriansNigeriansNigeriansNigeriansNigerians

Nigerians are basking in the luxury of thepeaceful conclusion of the elections, seemingly

patience for change to visit their corners,wherever they are, could be exhausted quickly.In the states, the issues are local, direct andmore disturbing. Expectations of a bandwagoneffect (people voting for the same party in thestates as the one at the centre) did not work. Insome places, the belief was that local issues werebetter treated as local. However, makinggovernments more responsive to the needs ofthe people is a common yearning among ourpeople. Election promises have not changedmuch in more than 60 years.

The promises of education, employment, healthservices, housing, electricity, potable water, rails,roads and other means of transportation areindicators of the state of our development. Theheightened concerns about security, shrinkingdemocratic spaces, access to justice and nigglingservices most public institutions provide, shouldbe other areas where Nigerians expect to “win”.Failure to attend to these matters in sustainablemanners, by exploring the linkages they bear,threatens every opportunity for our country’sdevelopment.

Whether we count our victories at the centre,states or local government areas, the mostimportant thing is to run governments that wouldlook after the interests of our people. The winnersin the elections are Nigerians, the ordinarypeople, millions of whom have no political partymembership, but trooped to vote for change. Theyare waiting for the content of change. One hugeadvantage the new governments would have isthat the revelry could give them opportunities ofhands on experience for the practical sides ofimplementing vast promises made during thecampaigns.

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 —19

CMYK

•Mr. Nwankwo, a public affairscommentator, wrote from Lagos.

By Uchenna Nwankwo

TTTTTask befask befask befask befask before the Buhari presidencyore the Buhari presidencyore the Buhari presidencyore the Buhari presidencyore the Buhari presidency

mobile library of Nigerianpolitics. A politician, journalistand lawyer, he has been activelyinvolved in politics and electoralcontestations for sixty four years.In 1954, he was appointed a fulltime Organizing Secretary of theAction Group, AG.

When the Treason Trial of theopposition AG held in 1962/63, hewas accused of being trained inNkrumah’s Ghana as an armedcombatant in order to overthrowthe Nigerian Government. He wasAccuse Number 29, sentenced,extradited to Nigeria andincarcerated in the KadunaPrisons. In the Second Republic,he was a leader of the oppositionUnity Party of Nigeria.

By the mid 1990s, Nigeria wasin the grip of a militarydictatorship that was eliminatingopposition, incarcerating themand forcing many into exile.Many choose to make peace withdictatorship, and make somemoney to the bargain. Adebanjowas one of those who stoodgallantly on the side of theNigerian people. It was at thispoint I met him.

The leading opposition group,the National Democratic

Time tTime tTime tTime tTime to apply the breakso apply the breakso apply the breakso apply the breakso apply the breaksCoalition, NADECO was indisarray with its ranks infiltratedand a number of its leading lightsin exile. There was the need torebuild, strategize and present analternative Transition Programmeto the endless one by the military.A core of the opposition leadershipbegan to meet in the GRA, Ikejahome of Pa Alfred Rewane who wasour chairman while ChiefAnthony Enahoro was his deputy.Despite the precarious situation wefound ourselves and the dangerthat the goons of the regime couldswoop on us, it was educatingseeing old war horses like Rewane,Enahoro, Senator AbrahamAdesanya and Adebanjo exchangebanter. Those of us like ChiefCornelius Adebayo and Dr. BekoRansome-Kuti who were not ofthat generation could only lookon.

In this rebuilding process, ourChairman, Rewane wasassassinated and his deputy,Enahoro, had to go into exile. Theleadership fell on men likeAdesanya and Adebanjo who neverrelented until that ingloriousregime became history. Theimmediate post-Abacha periodwas a precarious one in which thecountry was in danger of

disintegration. It took leaders likeAdebanjo to calm nerves andwork with the new regime totransit to civil rule.

Two things I know about ChiefAdebanjo, he has disdain formilitary rule and rulers, and ispassionately committed tofederalism and the restructuringof the country. These may haveswayed him to endorsing thePresident Goodluck Jonathancandidacy. Whatever the case, heis entitled to his politicalpreferences, I therefore found itrepulsive when vicious attackswere unleashed on him. Now thatthe elections are over, I expect the

attacks to stop. But they have not. Isee references to him as a Yoruba“dealer” a pun on leader. He isaccused of selling his patrimonyto President Jonathan. If Adebanjowanted to sell out, he would havedone so decades ago but he stoodfor principles even when it couldhave cost him his life.

I think the singsong that thosewho supported a particular partydid so for pecuniary reasons whilethose who supported some otherparty , did so for patriotic reasons,is out of sync. Beyond respect forelders and peoples right to politicalpreferences, the fact that peoplelike Adebanjo had made sacrificesfor our country and democracyshould be acknowledged; theirpersons deserve respect.

I have also read post-electionattacks on perceived opponents,one of them referred to those in theopposing party as “vultures” thatmust be continually resisted. Suchcampaigns are dangerous. Theyare like the pre-genocidecampaigns in Rwanda whenthose in opposition were calledcockroaches. What do you do withcockroaches but to eliminatethem? The first time I heardpeople being referred to asvultures was during the 1993-96political disagreements inOgoniland and these resulted inquite tragic consequences for thepeople.

Regardless of our politicalpreferences, we need to be carefuland mindful of what we say so asnot to threaten the country’sstability. Oba of Lagos, RilwanBabatunde Osuolale AremuAkiolu at 72, being a senior lawyer,retired Assistant Inspector Generalof Police and of Edo ancestry, knewthe implications of the threats heissued to Igbos who may not votefor his preferred governorship

candidate. He thought he could getaway with such impunity only toend up creating an unnecessarypolitical storm in the country.

There are also those who havetaken to the social mediaattacking people in the South Eastfor voting overwhelmingly for thePDP. For such commentators, Igbosneed to be punished for the politicalchoice most voters in the regionmade. First, let me state that whileall other regions had politicalposts their elites hanker for whichmight have determined the votingpattern in those areas, the SouthEast appears to have voted basedon conviction and principles.Secondly, politics should not allbe about positions to be shared byelites. Castigating a whole peopleor profiling them, should beavoided.

Things need to be made easierfor in-coming PresidentMuhammadu Buhari; he isgoing to preside not just overthe 15,424,921 people who votedfor him, but also over the12,853,162 who voted forPresident Jonathan, and the overmillions of votersdisenfranchised because INECcould not give them theirpermanent voters card. Ratherthan continuing quixotic battlesin the media over the elections,we should think about improvingour electoral system that saw atotal of 28,278,083 voters castingtheir ballot where we had68,833,476 registered voters.

Buhari will be president over170 million Nigerians ; it is thisbigger picture and the future ofour country we should focus. It istime to apply the brakes onunhelpful acrimony, insults andthreats. There is work to do.

Things need to bemade easier for in-coming PresidentMuhammaduBuhari; he is goingto preside not justover the 15,424,921people who votedfor him, but alsoover the 12,853,162who voted forPresident Jonathan,and the overmillions of votersdisenfranchisedbecause INEC couldnot give them theirpermanent voterscard

THE immediate task before the in-coming Buhari government is to restore

unity in this extremely divided country.General Buhari has truly persevered andhas secured victory at the rougher ends ofpolitical struggle in the country; he nowneeds to win the peace by playing the role ofunifier in this battered country. There willbe two sides to the achievement of this goal–the short and long-term aspects. The short-term aspect of the task before the in-comingAPC-led Federal Government will involvetitular reassurances that despite the electoralbattles that we have just fought and the lop-sided voting pattern that emerged, theBuhari administration would extend a handof fellowship to all sections of the countrythrough a process that does not discriminateor deprive any section of any rights, privilegeand adequate representation in government.In this regard, it will be difficult andinadvisable for the Buhari government tooverlook certain foundations andenactments laid down by the PDP-ledgovernments of the last sixteen years in itsentirety. It is expected that the APCgovernment will sift through theseenactments and copy or adopt some of themfor a smooth running of the country.

In my assessment, one such enactment ofthe PDP-led government at the centre thatcannot be ignored by the in-coming APCgovernment is the practice of zoning ordistributing six highest offices in governmentand the party among the six geopoliticalzones of the country. The zoning formulaadopted by the PDP ruling elite since 1999is founded on the tenet that the following sixmost important political offices must at anygiven time be distributed or rotated amongthe six geopolitical zones in the country.These are the offices of President, Vice-

President, Senate President, House Speaker,Party Chairman and lastly, though not theleast, Secretary to Government of theFederation (SGF). It is expected that at theexpiration of the life of six consecutivegovernments to be produced in the countryfrom May 1999, each geopolitical zone inthe country will have tasted of or held eachof these positions once.There is also theunderstanding that when the presidentcomes from any zone in the North, theChairmanship of the party would go to asouthern zone that has not previously heldthe Chairmanship, and vice versa; ditto forthe vice-presidency. The formula hasnothing to do with voting patterns or whatnumber of senators or House ofRepresentatives members the party garnersfrom whatever zone. As long as there is evena single House member or senator from azone that can so represent the zone or fillthe quota within the National Assembly theformula is deemed applicable, especiallywith respect to the Legislature.

This zoning formula was threatened afterthe 2011 federal elections due partly because

the Southwest had few PDP members in theHouse of Representatives and the revolt bysome Northern legislators over thecontinuation of the Jonathan presidency ata time the Northwest felt Jonathan shouldhave vacated the position and allowed acandidate of Northwest extraction to run forthe presidency under the PDP banner. As aresult the Southwest lost the opportunity toproduce the House Speaker, which was dullyallocated to the zone. (I had cause tocomment on the matter at the height of thezoning palaver of 2011 in an article entitled‘Calling the Southeast Political Leaders toOrder’, published byThe Guardian of June8, 2011.) The orchestrated denial of theposition to the Southwest, as it were, was tocause a lot of disaffection and subsequentresentment against the PDP-led FederalGovernment in the Southwest. And thiscontributed immensely to the defeat ofPresident Jonathan in the 2015 Presidentialelection, especially in the quaint middlingSouthwest.

I imagine that as things are,the APC wouldwant to give every zone a sense of belongingby allocating one of these six importantoffices or positions to each zone, as has beenvirtually ‘institutionalised’ by the PDP. Thequestion that arises now is: given the factthat the positions of President, Vice-Presidentand Party Chairman have been taken up bythe Northwest, Southwest and the South-South respectively, how does the partyallocate and distribute the three remainingoffices of Senate President, House Speakerand Secretary to Government of theFederation (SGF) among the threeremaining zones - the Northeast, North-Central and Southeast?

For the records, in the current Republic,the Northeast has held the position of Vice-President for 8 years under Obasanjo andParty Chairman under Jonathan; the North-Central has held the position of PartyChairman for 8 years under Obasanjo andSenate President for 8 years under Yar’Adua/Jonathan; and the Southeast has held theoffice of Senate President for 8 years under

Obasanjo and SGF for 4 years underJonathan. Given this scenario, neither theSoutheast nor the North-Central qualifiesto hold the office of Senate President in thein-coming Buhari government. The positionshould therefore go to the Northeast. Thatleaves us with the two positions of HouseSpeaker and Secretary to Government ofthe Federation.

From the records, neither the North-Central nor the Southeast has held the officeof House Speaker in this Republic. Thereforethey both qualify to hold the office underthe coming Buhari presidency. But theSoutheast will have only two APC legislatorsin the in-coming House of Representatives,though I do not know whether they are newcomers to the House or returnee oldmembers.It is germane that where theSoutheast has a duly qualified person, itshould produce the House Speaker, so thatthe two arms of the federal legislature areheaded by a northerner on the one part anda southerner on the other, while the office ofSGF goes to the North-Central which hasnot held the office before. However, wherethere is no qualified person from theSoutheast for the office of House Speaker,the Speakership should go to the North-Central for now while the remaining officeof SGF reverts to the Southeast for at leastanother four-year stint, given that the zoneproduced the current SGF who will becompleting his four-year tenure by May2015.

Implementing this action-plan should, inmy humble opinion, help reassure allconcerned and hence give the governmentthe scope to concentrate effort on the morearduous tasks that beckon for attention andthat should lead to the achievement ofsocial, economic and political advancementof the country. I shall deal with this lattermatter, the long-term aspect of the taskbefore the Buhari presidency, in subsequentwrite-ups.

From the records,neither the North-Central nor theSoutheast has held theoffice of House Speakerin this Republic.Therefore they bothqualify to hold the officeunder the comingBuhari presidency

CHIEF Ayo Adebanjo, 83, is a

20 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

OPINION

By Sunday Alifia

*Mr. Alifia, a political analyst, wrote from Ibadan, OyoState.

How Obasanjo destroyed PDP (1)

Heading fHeading fHeading fHeading fHeading for a one paror a one paror a one paror a one paror a one party systty systty systty systty system?em?em?em?em?

OUR people have a saying: “o na abu agbachaa oso a guo mile” – after

the race you count the number of milesyou covered. Now that the presidential racehas been concluded, we can begin to askourselves what happened, why theyhappened and what they portend for ourpolitical system, democracy and goodgovernance. A new party, the AllProgressives Congress (APC) and brandnew president, General MuhammaduBuhari, are waiting to assume power atthe centre, we can start asking thosequestions right now.

Why did the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) lose the presidential and NationalAssembly elections? Why did theunthinkable happen, whereby theincumbent president, Dr. Goodluck EbeleJonathan, failed to get re-elected for asecond term? Why has the erstwhile“largest party in Africa” shrunk to the“largest opposition in Nigeria”? Why didthe PDP which, in its heydays in powerand glory used to boast that it would rulefor sixty years, lose out after only sixteenyears? Why did PDP suddenly die inNorthern Nigeria? Why is it waxingstronger in the South East and South-Southwhile making a marked resurgence in theSouth West?

There is a quote I found very profoundthe moment it was invented. Ever since,each time I apply it to an unfoldingsituation, it always fits. In 2001, whenformer President Olusegun Obasanjo wastrying to get rid of the then Speaker of theHouse of Representatives, Alhaji UmarGhali Na’Abba, reportedly he toldObasanjo to his face: “Mr. President, lookinto the mirror. You will see the trouble withNigeria there!” Obasanjo who ruledNigeria for eight years with the PDPis theman who almost single-handedlydestroyed the Party. Other factors thatworked against the Party merely rode inthe wake of his annihilating power.

The PDP was formed by the remnants ofthe political forces that were thrashed byGeneral Muhammadu Buhari after heseized power in 1984. They had gatheredto save Nigeria’s democracy from Abacha,who had intended to transmute into acivilian life president and become anotherOmar Al Bashir of Sudan or HosniMubarak of Egypt. They included Dr. AlexEkwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, AlhajiAbubakar Rimi, Alhaji Sule Lamido, ChiefBola Ige and others. Unfortunately, themilitary and the Northern politicalestablishment decided to impose GeneralOlusegun Obasanjo, who was in jail, onthe party in order to assuage the hurt theyinflicted on the Yorubas over their

annulment of the June 12, 1993presidential election.

When Obasanjo took over, he did notunderstand (nor care about) the missionand vision of that political movement. Hecould not institutionalise its ideals,manifestoes and programmes. Instead, hemade it the hottest vehicle for achievingpolitical power. One of the ways heachieved this was by ensuring that theburgeoning opposition parties such as theAll People’s Party (APP) and the Alliancefor Democracy (AD) never survived letalone thrived.

Obasanjo, in cahoots with GeneralIbrahim Babangida, sent moles such as thelate Admiral Augustus Aikhomu and lateron, Chief Don Etiebet, to emerge asNational Chairmen of the APP, and afterdestroying that party, they returned to PDP.He enticed the pioneer National Chairmanof the APP, Alhaji Mahmood Waziri, intowhat he called the “Government of

National Unity” (GNU) in 1999, and theparty became rudderless. Later, he did thesame with the late Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, former National Chairman andlater, running mate of General Buhari ofthe All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP).These were the methods he used toweaken the main opposition, ANPP.

The other opposition party and alliancepartner of the APP, the Alliance forDemocracy (AD),was not spared.Obasanjo, in his so-called 1999 GNU,invited Ige to become his Minister ofJustice and Attorney General. But inDecember 2001, just when the politicalatmosphere towards 2003 was beginningto warm up and Ige was getting ready torevive the AD, he (Ige) was brutallymurdered in the presence of his securitydetails. Till date, the killers have never beenidentified and brought to book. It was oneof the celebrated political murders of theObasanjo era that he has yet to accountfor.

Obasanjo also infiltrated the ranks of therather gullible leadership of the YorubaAfenifere. He convinced them to supporthim and give him the home base heneeded to assert his leadership in his Party.Afenifere fell for this bait, campaigned forObasanjo and the PDP won the South WestStates in 2003, except Lagos, whereGovernor Ahmed Bola Tinubu, whorefused to go along with the plot, held sway.The AD and its Afenifere socio-culturalguardian later collapsed. Tinubu, a veryastute and visionary politician, formed anew political party, the Action Congress(AC), which later became the ActionCongress of Nigeria (ACN), which, in turn,became the locomotive or lead facilitatorof today’s victorious All ProgressivesCongress (APC).

Before I go on, let us briefly discuss thelessons of these political crosscurrents. IfPDP, as currently embodied, wants to

survive and bounce back soon, it MUSTresist any offer of “Government of NationalUnity”. It is a poisoned chalice whichObasanjo used to kill the opposition andmake the PDP a self-destructive monster.Its defeat at the just-concluded electioncould be the elixir it needs to repower andbounce back. But that can only happen ifthe party shuns the temporary lures of officeand favours that the APC federalgovernment might dangle in the name ofa “unity” government.

PDP and longthroat politics

Take it or leave it, the APC has won theelection to operate the federal governmentfor four years. It must be allowed so to do.It can then take the accolades and blamesfor its performance or non-performance.The APC Federal Government will bedoing Nigerian a great disservice if itadopts the “monkey come chopbanana”tricks Obasanjo used toemasculate the opposition between 1999and 2007, and PDP will be the greater foolsif they fall for the trick. They will robthemselves of the bounce-back impetus. Ifthey yield to “long-throat” temptations,Nigeria will lose the PDP as the alternativeto the APC and we will return to the evilsdays of a dominant one party system.

Having destroyed the opposition,Obasanjo, not having the benefit of thepolitical tutoring of the original foundingfathers of PDP, could not build a party basedon anything. The PDP stood for nothing.There was no PDP way of running theeconomy, the social services, infrastructuraldevelopment; in short no PDP way ofgoverning. PDP became relevant only asthe most viable party to contest and winelections. Those who lost elections in PDPwent to other smaller parties to try theirluck. Whether they succeeded or failed,they ultimately returned to the PDP. Thatwas the ignominious fate that ambitiouspoliticians like Alhaji Atiku Abubakarsuffered.

One of the reasons that PDP collapsedin Northern Nigeria was that APC in 2014,became the party where people could runto and win elections, unlike before whenthere were no other alternatives. Certainfactors led to the APC being seen as thenew preferred party in Northern Nigeria.Invariably, former President OlusegunObasanjo had a BIG hand in it! He did itby employing the chicken’s strategy. Ourpeople say: “ihe okuko na erigh, yaabosaa”- whatever the chicken does noteat, it will scatter. See you on Thursday.

If PDP, ascurrentlyembodied,wants to survive andbounce back soon, itMUST resist any offerof “Government ofNational Unity”. It isa poisoned chalicewhich Obasanjo usedto kill the oppositionand make the PDP aself-destructivemonster

IS Nigeria heading for a one party system? Areopposition parties being swallowed by the waves of

CHANGE that is blowing across the country? Is the PDPboat sinking considering the spate of defection? What kindof opposition would the left-over be? These are questionsthat have agitated in my mind since the dismantling ofPDP's wing from the centre few days ago.

I hope it would not go this way because, for a robust anda healthy political environment, the opposition must existto keep the government in power on its toes. The countrydid not enjoy this since 1999, until the birth of ACN thatswept South-West in 2011 general elections.

A glance at the the history has shown that carpet crossingor defection from one political party to another has becomesynonymous with Nigerian politicians who dump platformswhich bring them to power at the slightest provocation orarguments or when their ambitions cannot be realized insuch a political platform.

Monetary inducement and ethnic considerations are alsosome of the reasons for carpet crossing by politicians rightfrom the pre-independence era through the First Republic

to the present dispensation.Nigeria recorded its first political carpet-crossing when

several of the defunct Western Region House of Assemblymembers of National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon(NCNC) led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe decamped to ActionGroup (AG) led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1951, givingAG control over the House and causing the leader of NCNCto beat a retreat to his ethnic base, the then Eastern Nigeriawhere he formed the ruling government.

During the Second Republic, 1979-1983 Chief AkinOmoboriowo, Chief Fagbamigbe, Senator Lai Joseph allof Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) defected to National Partyof Nigeria NPN), and at the end Chief Fagbamigbe was

Federal Capital. Equally, in the Second Republic, SenatorN.N. Anah of the defunct Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) headedbyDr.Nnamdi Azikiwe, defected to National Party of Nigeria(NPN).

The first major political carpet-crossing in the FourthRepublic was carried out by the then Vice President to ChiefObasanjo, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who defected to ActionCongress (AC) in 2007 at the peak of his political battleswith his boss, Obasanjo. Equally, Senators Wahab Dosummuand Musuliu Obanikoro, Dr. Kingsley Ogunlewe and lateFunsho Williams, all defected from Alliance for Democracy(AD) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Bola Tinubu,Bisi Akande and Lam Adesina, all of the then Alliance forDemocracy (AD) moved to Action Congress (AC), whileSegun Mimiko left PDP to LP.

So, from the above back ground, one can clearly deducethat the brain behind jumping ship has been to satisfy one'spolitical ambition and not neccessarily to alliviate thesufering of the downtrodden. Again, I will gladly be sayinghere that the defectors are playing games over ourintelligent and of course, capitalizing on the vulnerabilityof the poor masses.This is not smartness but a pomotion ofevil in the society. It is high time we stop deceiving theelectorate.

gruesomely murdered whileChief Akin Omoboriowo,former Deputy Governor ofOld Ondo State onlyescaped being hacked downby whiskers courtesy of theprotection extended to himfrom the FederalGovernment, as he had torelocate to Lagos, the then

This is notsmartness buta promotionof evil

CMYK

APRIL 13, 2015

Continues on page 22

BY OMOH GABRIEL

The external debt profile ofstates has shown that LagosState has the highest with a

profile of $1.087 billion, followed byKaduna State with a total of $234million. Cross River State followedclosely with an external debt profileof $131.469 million. Other states withrelatively large external debt are Edo$123 million, Ogun $109 million,Bauchi $87million, Enugu $62million, Katsina $78 million, Osun$67 million and Oyo State $72 million.

Federal Government’s domesticdebt on the other hand stood at$47.05 billion or N7.9 trillion, whilethose of the states stood at $10.97billion or N1.708 trillion. FederalGovernment’s domestic debt is madeup of N4.792 trillion bonds, N2.815trillion Treasury bills and N296.2billion treasury bonds.

According to figures published bythe Debt Management Office inAbuja, the total debt stock of theFederal Government and the 36states of the federation including theFederal Capital Territory amountedto N11.243 trillion or $67.726 billion.States and the Federal CapitalTerritory as at 31st December 2014,had a domestic debt profile of N1.707trillion or $10.967 billion.

But as at June last year, states inthe federation had a domestic debtstock of N1.551 trillion or $9.963billion. The Federal Government’sshare of the rising external debt thenstood at $6.363 billion. A breakdownof the debt showed that $3.146 billionof the debt owed by states wereborrowed from multilateral institutionwhile $118.9 million were bilateralloans. In the case of the FederalGovernment $3.652 billion wereloans sourced from multilateralinstitutions while a total of $2.793billion were loans obtained from

FG's external debt, States' debt profileon the rise

CMYK

22 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Cover Story

Continues on page 23

Continues from page 21

The focus is on the roles oftechnology and

vocational education inenhancing entrepreneurialskills that will equip studentsfor entrepreneurship educationin Information andCommunication Technology(ICT.) driven technologicalenvironment. The world hasbecome globalized and thefuture prosperity depends oncomparative advantage. Thiscomparative advantage hingeson people and their technicalor technological sophistication.Towards this, some crucialentrepreneurial and technicalskills needed by the studentsin colleges of education(technical), polytechnics anduniversities to meet the trendsin a global economy isanalyzed.

Technology education is to beconsidered as the key agent oftechnology development,either as a way of developinghuman capacity, increasing theshield work force form o d e r n i z a t i o n ,industrialization,environmentaldevelopment or asa matter ofp e r s o n n e lf r e e d o m ,d e v e l o p i n gcapability andempowerment.Te c h n o l o g yeducation isi n c r e a s i n g l yrecognized to becentral to both theorigins of technologicaldevelopment and challengesand to the prospects forsuccessfully dealing with them(Alam, 2009).

Decision makers at all levels,need timely, reliable access toknowledge generated bytechnology and technicaleducation to introduce rationalpolicies that reflect a betterglobal understanding ofcomplex technical, economic,social, cultural and articleissues concerning the society,and our environment.Technical decision making andpriority setting is an integralpart of overall developmentplanning and formation oftechnology developmentstrategies. Above all,technology education is ahuman right and, as such,should receive priority in theallocation of national resources.It has become very necessarynot to only keep technology

Vocation and technical education – a keyto improving Nigeria’s development Pt 4

education bound to the role ofmanufacturing skilledmanpower but also to economicdevelopment and globaleconomy. In Nigeria,technology education waspreviously not seen asfundamental for nationaldevelopment, or for theeconomic development, but forthe school dropouts, and othersocial and politicaldevelopment within the nationand for individuals. Hallak(1990) argues that technologyeducation is also linked tohuman resources developmentand that this has an impact onmore than just economicgrowth, but also an impact onthe wider development ofindividuals and societies.According to him, it contributesto:

(a). Individual creativity,improved participation in theeconomic, social and culturalroles in society.

(b). Improved understandingof an individual and heirrespect for others, thus

promoting socialcohesion andm a t e r i a lunderstanding

(c) Improvementin health andnutrition.

(d). Improvedchances ofe c o n o m i cdevelopment.

(e). Improvedt e c h n o l o g i c a ldevelopment.

(f). Socio-cultural change.(g). Democracy and equality(h). Ecological development/

quality of life (increasingpeople’s awareness of theirenvironments).

From our analysis so far, it isclear that modernization andeconomic development,depends on investment andappreciation of modern trendsin technology education.According to Woodhall (1997)investment in technologicaleducation and trainingproduces benefits for theindividual and for society aswhole.

The roles of technical andvocational education inenhancing entrepreneurialskills using information andcommunication technology isvery important in training forself-employment, self-relianceand skills acquisition now thatgovernment cannot employevery graduate.

Technologyeducation isto beconsideredas the keyagent oftechnologydevelopment

China Export-Import Bankand the funds the FederalGovernment raised fromEurobond.

The DMO said, however,that the Federal Governmentdebt is sustainable as its debtsustainability analysisshowed that the debt/GDPratio was only 2.4 per cent.The bulk of the FederalGovernment loans wereconcessionary with lowinterests and longmoratorium.

Based on the rising debtprofiles of state governments,the Federal Government lastyear directed banks not togrant fresh loans to stategovernments until they gotthe relevant approval andclearance from the FederalMinistry of Finance. TheFederal Government haddefended its decision todissuade banks fromgranting unsecured loans tostate governments, saying itwas to protect the states fromexcessive accumulation ofdebts.

The Minister of State forFinance, Bashir Yuguda, hadsaid that the decision was notaimed at stalling thedevelopment efforts of thestate governments. TheMinister said that most of thestates have beenexperiencing difficulties inservicing their existing debtsand it would not be advisableto allow them take freshloans.

Mr. Yuguda, who wasdelivering a lecture titled:Nigeria’s Economic Policiesand Reforms: An Assessmentof the Real and InformalSectors, said the country’s

overall debt profile,particularly those of the stategovernments, was scary.

Though he did not providespecific details then, theMinister emphasised theneed for the states to continueto look inwards for othersources of revenue to pursuetheir developmentprogrammes.

Nigeria’s total public debtstock, external and domestic,according to the DebtManagement Office, as atDecember 2014, stood atabout $67.73 billion orN11.2 trillion, which is about

Government’s external debtwas $4.14 billion as againsta total debt stock of bothfederal and stategovernments of $6.5 billion.

As at June last year,Federal Government’sborrowing from multilateralinstitutions amounted to$3.826 billion while loansfrom bilateral sourcesmainly China Exim Bank andEurobond amounted to$2.537 billion. In the caseof states, a total of $2.904billion was sourced frommultilateral institutions;$108.9 million was obtainedas loans from bilateralsources, thus making thestates’ total outstandingexternal debt as at June2013, $3.013 billion.

Director-General, DebtManagement Office, Dr.Abraham Nwankwo had saidlast year that although thedebt profile had increased,he assured that the debtremained sustainable at aratio of 12.51 to the GrossDomestic Product, GDP. TheD-G also said that themanagers of the nation’sdebt would apply morecaution in furtherborrowings in order not torun into the crisis of debtoverhang, which the nationonce suffered.

His words at the time: “Thesovereign debt is doing well.Currently, our totalsovereign domestic debt forboth federal and states andthe FCT is about N8.9 trillionand external debt is about$9.38 billion. Our currentdebt/GDP ratio is about12.51 per cent which ismuch lower than the 56 percent total public to GDP for

N1.2 trillion higher than the2013 figure of N10.04trillion. A breakdown of thefigures showed that externaldebt, including those of thestates, was $9.71 billion orN1.63 trillion.

As at December 2013, thetotal stock of external debtwas $8.821 billion indicatinga rise of $556 million in thefirst half of 2014. But as atDecember 31, 2012, Federal

FG's external debt, States'debt profile on the rise

Listing - From left: Executive Director, Business Development, Nigerian Stock Exchange,Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri; Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza; andGroup CEO, United Capital Plc, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sanni; during the official listing of N30.5billion UBA Bond on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos

As at December2013, the totalstock of externaldebt was $8.821billionindicating a riseof $556 millionin the first halfof 2014

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 23

Cover

CMYK

Continues from page 22

Over the last few yearshowever, policymakers havesaid that Nigeria has beenexperiencing a growthturnaround and conditionsseem right for launching ontoa path of sustained and rapidgrowth. President GoodluckJonathan had attempted toseize this opportunity to builda diversified economy able toprovide jobs and improvedwelfare for Nigerians.Although the economy is saidto be the largest in Africa, ithas not been translated intoputting food on the tables ofmany Nigerians. It was agrowth without development.Yes, it is time for Mr. President-elect to think economy, speakeconomy, dream economy andact on the economy.

Renowned Professor ofEconomics, Professor JeffreySachs has long identified ruraland urban integration;infrastructure and familyplanning as the critical factorsto the transformation of thenation’s economy and itsemergence as one of the toptwenty economies in the world.The problem that needed to betackled is the duality of thenation’s economy. The dualitybetween the formal andinformal sectors is animportant factor in the lack ofcompetitiveness of the non-oilsector. Addressing the dualityof the economy is thereforevital for strengthening andsustaining job creation.

P r e s i d e n t - e l e c t ,Mohammadu Buhari will dohimself and the nation a lot ofgood by embarking on a

What Buhari must do to moveNigerian economy forward

Nigeria’s economic potential is well known. The country’s considerableresource endowment and coastal location ordinarily should allow the

emergence of a strong growth pole for Sub-Saharan Africa. Over the years,Nigeria has realised very little of this potential. Instead, its history has beenmarked by economic stagnation and associated with declining welfare and socialinstability.

nationwide consultation. Heshould consult with theorganised private sectorleaders, leaders of the informalsector, the old, young,community leaders, leaders ofthe various ethnic groups in thecountry, market women,traders, professionals andstudent leaders.

The consultation should seekanswers to questions such as:'If you were the President ofNigeria, what would you dotake make Nigeria a nation ofequal opportunity for all?' Heshould solicit for ideas andways to move Nigerianeconomy forward. By so doing,he will under stand the dreamsand aspirations of the ordinaryNigerian. It would give him anidea of what the averageNigerian craves for.

Buhari must avoid themistake of past leaders whofelt they knew it all and thusbungled the opportunity tomobilise the ordinaryNigerians for productivepurposes that would havemade the nation great. ThePresident-elect must avoidpower hangers-on that aboundin the party and presidencystructure that could hold himcaptive and deprive him of theknowledge of happeningswithin the country.

Consulting widely will affordhim the rare opportunity to

heal the wounds of the viciouscampaigns undertaken by bothparties and politicians duringthe 2015 electioneering. It willreunite the various warringsections of the Nigerianfractionalised regions to cometogether as one to face acommon purpose of building avirile economy.

This effort also has theadvantage of reconciling

those who are hurting andfeeling marginalised within

the Nigerian polity and couldforge the much needed unityin the country and encouragepeople to buy into hisprogrammes. What has beenlacking in previousadministrations in Nigeria isthat the populace has not beensufficiently mobilised and theFederal Government has notgotten the support of theordinary Nigerian to buy intogovernment programmes andprojects. This has been thebane of the economy as thosewho felt alienated look for waysto sabotage the system. Thisgovernment needs the supportof every Nigerian for it toembark on economic revival.Across the globe, knowledgeeconomy has put nations inhigher pedestal than naturalresources endowment.

Buhari must set measurableeconomic goals and targets. Hemust come out with a cleareconomic blueprint andformulate achievable policiesand strategies to bring about atruly diversified economy.

He should state in clearterms when he expects thenation to achieve at least 40per cent dependence on oil.He should come out with atarget date when receipts fromoil will no longer be shared butmust be kept aside for therainy day as is done inNorway. This is the only way

by which Nigeria can be curedof the Dutch disease.

Behari should as a matter ofurgency state when he expectsNigeria to stop the madness ofimportation of refinedproducts. He should not allowthe endemic importation ofpetroleum products longerthan necessary.

He should call managers atNNPC and in unequivocalterms, tell them that therefineries must work within aspecified time frame. Heshould go further to ensurethat all the abandoned NNPCfacilities for the distribution ofpetroleum products across thecountry are rehabilitated andput into immediate use. Heshould equally call those whomilk Nigerians through theimportation of generators to around table talk and get anundertaking from them thatthey will no longer stand in theway of power generation anddistribution in the country.

Finally, Buhari shouldappoint ministers based onintegrity and capacity toperform. He should ditch theethnic arithmetic of appointingministers on basis of staterepresentation. If he mustappoint ministers from states,they must be men and womenwho can perform, who canmobilise Nigerians.

It must not be based onpatronage. Then he wouldhave started the changemantra that swept him topower.

Buhari shouldappointministers basedon integrity andcapacity toperform. Heshould ditch theethnicarithmetic ofappointingministers onbasis of staterepresentation

countries of Nigeria’s group.However, this is not an

indication that Nigeria canafford to borrow withoutcaution. In spite of the re-basing which means we havemore capacity to borrow, weare not going to borrow withoutcaution. In fact, we are goingto be more cautious, especiallybecause our Tax:GDP ratio islow. Many economic agents donot pay their taxes.”

Dr. Nwankwo had also saidthat the Eurobond initiativewhich commenced in 2011 withthe floating of the $500 millionEurobond had positivelychanged the profiles ofNigerian corporateorganisations and theirability to raise long-termfunds from the internationalcapital market.

The Federal Government

raised additional $1 billionfrom the international capitalmarket in 2013 followingwhich several Nigerian firms,especially banks, went to theinternational capital market toraise funds for theiroperations.

According to him, sixcompanies issued nine bondswithin the last one year, fromwhich about $3.4 billion wasraised. The DMO boss saidhis team would ensure that thefunds raised from the capitalmarkets both at home andoutside, were utilisedprofitably in the interest of thenation’s economy.

The D-G disclosed that thefunds raised from theEurobond had been deployedto very critical sectors of theeconomy, requiring urgentfinancing to boost the

economy, especially, theelectricity power,agriculture, solid mineralsand the dualisation of theAirport and Kubwa roads inAbuja.

Dr. Nwankwo said that histeam has managed thenation’s debt in line with thenational priority needs with aview to creating full values forfunds borrowed in order toensure maximum benefits tothe economy.

His words, “we have tailoredthe nation’s debt managementin accordance with ourpeculiarities. We have useddebt management to leveragedevelopment of the privatesector and it has helped themto raise money to boost thereal sector such as

electricity power supply.“We have to develop the

capital market to developlong-term debt instrumentsuch that rather than what thebanks have been used to interms of giving out 91 dayloans, we now have debtinstruments of up to 20 years.We have made it possible forthe companies to float theirown bonds in the domesticmarket such that between 2005and 2013, 23 companies raisedN223 billion.

“The implication is that withoperators in the real sector ofthe economy being able toraise long-term funds, theycan expand their businesses,increase productivity andcreate more jobs across thecountry on a sustainablebasis.”

In August last year, two

international rating agencies,Standard & Poor’s and Moodyhad upgraded Nigeria’s creditrating because of improvedfinancial stability andoptimism over reforms to thebanking and electricitysectors. Moody upgradedNigeria’s rating assigninglocal and foreign currencyissuer ratings of Ba3 to thegovernment. Standard andPoor ratings raised its long-term foreign and localcurrency sovereign creditrating to BB- with a stableoutlook. This is three pointsbelow investment grade,from B+. This brings its viewin line with Fitch’s rating.

The three foremost ratingagencies in the world have allnow agreed that Nigeria ismanaging its resources betterthan before.

manufacturing, solidminerals, agriculture and

FG's external debt, States' debt profile on the riseFG's external debt, States' debt profile on the riseFG's external debt, States' debt profile on the riseFG's external debt, States' debt profile on the riseFG's external debt, States' debt profile on the rise

24 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

CMYK

Business & Economy

BRIEFING - From left: Laura Oloyede, MD/CEO, Communications Hub Africa Ltd; IsraelBolaji, Manager, Public Relations and Communications, Startimes; Somoye Habeeb,Marketing Manager and; Ayokunle Idowu, Content Manager during Startimes Media briefingon the unveiling of new channels on Startimes platform in Lagos. Photo Lamidi Bmidele.

National President,Biofuel Farmers

Association, Mr KayodeAdebiyisaid said that Nigeriacould get up to N10 billionannually from the export ofJatropha oil.

Adebiyi said in Ibadan thatthe country could also earnabout N5 billion annually fromdomestic utilisation of theJatropha bio-crude oil.

“Through the supply of theoil to communication

Nigeria can get N10bnannually from export ofJatropha oil - Expert

companies and industries fortheir power diesel alone, onecan generate up to N5bbillion. Just last year, therepresentative from aJapanese company came toNigeria to request for 5, 000metric tones of the oil onmonthly basis.

“So it can get up to N10billion from such a businesstransaction,” he said.

The president urged theFederal Government to pass a

bill of 10 per cent inclusion ofJatropha oil into any dieselpowered engine includingautomobile.

“If the bill is enacted, it willencourage consumers to cometo the processors and farmersto source for the oil; there willbe a flow of fund to thegrassroots,” he said. Adebiyiadvised the government todirect the Bank of Industriesand that of Agriculture tosupport relevant

organizations with funds toproduce more biofuel in thecountry. “The renewableenergy division under theNNPC should be mandated towork on Jatropha and relatewith biofuel farmers.

“The government canintroduce renewable energyinto secondary and tertiarycurricula and mandate agricinstitutions to go intoplantation of the crop to createawareness,” he said.

Adebiyi, however, noted thathis organisation workedtirelessly to create awarenessabout the Jatropha crop andsupport farmers in theproduction. “We arecollaborating with NOA tobring the advantage of thecrop to the notice of the public,we do sensitizationworkshops, outreaches, radiojingles etc. But we needsupport financially to acquireland for planting. We call onthe government and wealthyNigerians to help, throughloan or any other form ofassistance,” he said.

NB’s Ace Rootshits IbadanNigerian Breweries NB

Plc stormed the ancientcity of Ibadan with the tradelaunch of its new product, AceRoots in Ogbomosho, Oshogboand Ilesha/Esa-Oke tradezones.

According to the company’swhile speaking at the tradelaunch in Ibadan the ZonalBusiness Manager – West,Opeyemi Oluwalusi, Ace Rootsis a product of painstakingresearch and response toconsumers’ retailers anddistributors’ demands and theresult of Nigerian BreweriesPlc’s in-depth consultationswith critical stakeholders beforeits intervention in the herbalmix section of the beveragedrink market.

“At NB, we love to respond toconsumers’ demands. You willbear me witness that yourfeedback from consumers andcritical stakeholders havecontinued to play critical rolesin our decision makingprocess. When our competitorcame up with her brandsometimes last year andstakeholders like you and ourteeming consumers startedasking when is NigerianBreweries going to come outwith her own brand of herbalmixture drink? We respondedby appealing to you to exercisepatience as we need time tocarry our proper research andconsultation with you(retailers, distributors),including teeming consumersand other critical stakeholdersbefore we can make a decision.The result of that painstakingresearch and consultation iswhat we are launching andunveiling to you here today –Ace Roots,” he said.

Speaking further in hisOluwalusi stated that Ace Rootsis produced for the wellbeingand welfare of consumers inmind. “Ace Roots takes thehealth, wellbeing and even thepocket of the consumer intoserious consideration before itdebuts. The herbal mix comeswith the lowest sugar contentin the Nigerian market today.Whereas there are herbalmixtures with as much as fivecubes of sugar, Ace Roots hasvery low sugar content of justone cube of sugar. Aside this,Ace Roots is made with actualherbal juice extract from age-long roots, leaves and herbs.It’s alcoholic content ismoderated at 6 percent, that’sa little higher than lager beerand slightly lower than stoutbeer beverages. Moreimportantly, Ace Roots isentering the market with greatvalue that takes the consumers’purse into seriousconsideration.

Among SeventeenAfricans recognised

as Young Global Leaders(YGL) in 2015 by the WorldEconomic Forum (WEF)thirteen are to benefit fromthe Dangote Fellowshipinstituted by DangoteFoundation.

The African youngsterswere part of the 187 youngleaders from 66 countrieshonored for leadershipand service to society bythe WEF, while theDangote Fellowship,created by the WEF andAlhaji Aliko Dangote,President/ CEO, DangoteGroup was designed toincrease the quality andquantity of young Africanleaders across thecontinent by supportingthe engagement of African

111113 African Y3 African Y3 African Y3 African Y3 African YGL tGL tGL tGL tGL to benefo benefo benefo benefo benefit frit frit frit frit from Dangoom Dangoom Dangoom Dangoom Dangottttte fe fe fe fe felloelloelloelloellowshipwshipwshipwshipwshipBY PROVIDENCEOBUH

YGLs in the community, suchas those from smallenterprises or the non-business sector.

In a statement, Dangote saidthe institution of thefellowship award was his ownway of contribution to theintellectual development ofexceptional young peopleof African descent, saying,“The Fellowship helps YGLsfrom Africa attend YGL andWorld Economic Forumevents and funds theorganization of an YGL AfricaEducation Module.”

Also, Director and Head,Young Global LeadersCommunity at the WEF, Mr.John Dutton, said: “The WEFhas announced the leadersunder 40 who are shaping thefuture of industry and society.About half of the new class ofYGLs come from emergingeconomies with 17 from sub-Saharan Africa. The list of

YGLs has a strongrepresentation from womenleaders and is split 50-50between business and non-profit sectors (academia, artsand culture, civil society,policy and government,media and socialentrepreneurs)”.

Dutton added that the classof 2015 joins a communitywhich has been growing insignificance since it began 10years ago, saying, “Currentand former YGLs include 11heads of state andgovernment, 10 heads ofFortune 500 companies, 15UN Goodwill Ambassadors,six Guinness World Recordholders, four Oscar winners,three Olympic gold medalists,two Nobel Prize winners andan astronaut.

“The YGLs include theworld’s most pioneering,next-generation leaders whohave developed in their

journey to produce positive,tangible impacts in theircountries, industries andsocieties. The class of 2015,together with the communityover the past 10 years, showshow the future of businessand public leadership isbecoming moregeographically diverse, morevaried in its expertise, moregender-equal, and ischallenging established waysto get things done.”

The community provides itsmembers with a peer networkthat challenges them to notonly do more, but to be more. Being part of the YGLCommunity is atransformational experience,where leaders turn theirpersonal success into global significance and positiveimpact in their countries,industries and areas ofexpertise

Thegovernment canintroducerenewableenergy intosecondary andtertiary curriculaand mandateagric institutionsto go intoplantation of thecrop to createawareness

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 25

Business & Economy

Promasidor NigeriaLimited has

complained about lowparticipation of journalists intop media houses in its QuillAwards.

The Awards is a platformto reward journalists in thecountry with befitting prizesfor dedicated news reportageall year round.

Head, Legal/PublicRelations, Mr. AndrewEnahoro , who led a team ofthe company’s Managementon sensitization visit toVanguard Head office inLagos, observed thatjournalists from prominentmediums in the country havenot really shown interest asdesired by the company.

He called on journalists totake advantage of theopportunity and submitentries for the 2015 QuillAwards, stressing “it iscrucial that journalistsparticipate actively andsubmit entries to justify theefforts management ofPromasidor is committingtowards the awards.”

He said that the companyis making series of efforts towake up participation injournalists because the newManaging Director loves thework of art and would rathercommit efforts towards it ifjournalists do not showinterest towards the awards.

He also said that there isneed for journalists to showphysical attendance at the

Participation of top media in QuillAwards low — Promiasidor*Photojournalists to win camera worth N1m

By FRANKLIN ALLI &ROSEMARY ONUOHA

event and it will gladden thecompany if only journalistswill come out in large numberand support their colleagueswho are receiving awards byattending the event.

Charles IgbiniduManaging Director of TPTInternational (Promasidor ’sPR Agency), added thatalthough the number ofentries have beenencouraging, yet , for me Ikept saying that there aresome media houses that havenot been participating.”

He listed the target areasfor entries as follows:Industry, CSR, Brand,education, children; photostory, nutrition and futurewriter category.

He explained that thesecategories were deliberatelychosen because of the focusof Promasidor; and that in

terms of participation byjournalists more still needs tobe done.

“We have different categoryof prizes; the prize for overallwinner is one month trainingat Thompson ReutersFoundation and one weekattachment in a major mediahouse in UK. The last overallwinner last year did it atBBC. For the photojournaliststhe winner goes home with ahigh-end camera worth N1million. Since the awardsstarted, I have been veryjealous of the photojournalists for what they takehome. The price is reallyhigh.

“The first edition of theawards was held in May 2013and the stage is now set tohost the 2015 edition. Entryopens on 29th January 2015and qualifying entry runsfrom 1st may 2014 to 30th

April 2015,” he disclosed.

151 Products Limited, theorganiser of the annual

agriculture/food exhibition(AGRIKEXPO) has adjusted thedate for this year ’s edition,following demand from many tradevisitors, farmers and exhibitors.Accordingly, the event earlierscheduled to hold in April has beenshifted to November 5 - 7, 2015.

In a statement, Project Director,Mr. Eppellee Oluwadara, said thenew date is in consonance with theEuropean Union Conference onAgriculture, and convenient formany international class exhibitorsand visitors.

According to him, considering theadjustment in Nigerian 2015election timetable, it is wise toallow new government appointees

Organisers shift Agrikepo on exhibitors demandtime to settle in to work after theelections.

According to Mrs. Paulette vanTrier, Economic Counselor to theEU, Agrikexpo would be a goodopportunity for various stateagricultural development boards toshowcase investment opportunitiesafter the elections to major playersfrom various EU member countrieswho would be attending aconference during the exhibition.

Also, the national co-coordinator,NABG, Emmanuel Ijewere,commended the shift in date as itwill rally the agribusinesscommunity for a more robustparticipation, as it will give moretime for preparations, saying“Agrikexpo remains a formidablenetworking opportunity for

agribusiness development inNigeria.”

Mr. Oluwana Dayo, MarketingManager of the organisingcompany, reaffirmed that all wasbeing done to ensure a high-value-added event for exhibitors,including those engaged inprocessing, packaging anddistribution of food/beverages aslocal companies prepare to processfor exports.

The President of the NigeriaBritish Chamber of CommercePrince Adeyemi Adefulu alsoconfirmed that a forum was beingput in place using the occasion ofthe Agrikexpo to boost agri/foodtrade between Nigeria and the UK.

Airtel CSR initiativerescues woman, youthThe Corporate Social

Responsibility, CSR ofAirtel Nigeria, ‘Airtel TouchingLives’ has once again shownthe need to help persons withchallenges.

Life in a rural community canbe difficult and people stillstruggle to have a decent life,it is more difficult for people thatare single and do not havesupport from their family; Thestory of Mama Mercy, a barrenwho in most of her life hassuffered rejection from herfamily and community.

Life has not been kind toMercy Wbiabia from Nonwa, arural community located outsidePort Harcourt city, she is aconsiderable farmer who doesnot have a farm of her own. Shelives in a mud house where partof the house has collapsed. Sheis struggling to look after herselfand her sister son, SundayNomubari who is like a son thatwas left with her.

According to James Wbiloyiiwho nominated Mercy, he saidwhenever he travels home tomeet his Aunt, she always tellshim how she has beenhumiliated; intimidated;sometimes beaten and alsorobbed of her food. He said henominated her in order for herto get help from Airtel TouchingLives programme.

Dufil to give out N20mairtime to consumersDufil Prima Foods Plc,

Indomie manufacturersay consumers will win overN20 million recharge cards ifthey buy a cartoon of its productin a promo tagged: Indomie-in-carton promo.

The promo will affordconsumers of its IndomiePepper Chicken and OrientalFried Noodle brands theopportunity to win up to N1,000instant recharge cards in eachcarton of the SKUs, said theBrand Manager, Indomie, Mr.Amber Yadav.

Mr. Yadav said that thepromotion would produce atleast 300,000 winners,declaring that over N20 millionworth of recharge cards will bewon.

“We are excited by theopportunity to excite ourconsumers and we believe thatthey will appreciate and takeadvantage of the opportunity.We consider it an obligation andcommitments of our company toconstantly reward, connect withour numerous consumers whilebuilding excitement inappreciation for their patronageand loyalty towards the brand.”

Cross section of Airtel Staff during a roadshow on Airtel Smart Connect in Lagos.

It is crucialthatjournalistsparticipateactively andsubmitentries

26 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Banking & Finance

VISIT - From left: NDIC MD/CE Alh. Umaru Ibrahim receiving a souvenir from the MD/CEO Aso Savings & Loans, Mr. Hassan Musa Usman who led his management team on acourtesy visit to the NDIC Senior Management in Abuja.

Nigeria DepositInsurance Corporation

(NDIC) has said that theacquisition of Union HomesSavings and Loans Plc by AsoSavings & Loans (UHSL) Plcwill further promote publicconfiedence in the bankingsystem.

Managing Director/ChiefExecutive of NDIC, AlhajiUmaru Ibrahim, made thisremark when theManagement of Aso Savingsvisited him in Abuja. He said,“This laudable initiativewould not only give alldepositors and staff of theUHSL a new lease of life, itwould also go a long way topromote public confidencein the banking system."

According to Umaru, thetask before the managementis to maintain the confidencereposed on them by theirBoard, shareholders and thesupervisory authorities byensuring higher performanceand quality service.

He enjoined the mortgagebank to embark on a processof effective communication ofits turnaround plan with aview to promoting confidenceand trust of its depositors. Hetherefore advised them toestablish a toll free Help Deskand other effectivecommunication channels suchas radio and television jinglesand talk shows to reach out toexisting and prospectivecustomers in order to

Acquisition of Union Homes willpromote public confidence —NDICovercome potential risks ofrumours which may triggera run on both Aso Savings &Union Homes.

Responding, Aso Savings'Managing Director/CEO, Mr.Hassan Musa Usman,expressed his appreciationto the Corporation for itssupport in resolving the

Union Homes problem. Heassured the NDIC of fullimplementation of therecommendations profferedby the supervisoryauthorities that wouldensure sound managementof both institutions. Heinformed the Corporation’sManagement that

henceforth, Aso Savings Plcwould control about 92percent of the shares of UHSLPlc, adding that the twoinstitutions would bemanaged independently forsix months before their finalmerger.

First Bank of NigeriaLimited, a subsidiary of

FBN Holdings Plc haslaunched its Sierra Leonesubsidiary, FBNBank SierraLeone, thus enhancing itsambition to expand itsfootprint across Africa. In astatement announcing thelaunch of the FBNBankSierra Leone, the Bank said,“FBNBank Sierra Leone wasformerly registered asInternational CommercialBank (ICB). This unveilingcomes on the heels of theagreement reached byFirstBank and InternationalCommercial Bank FinancialGroup Holdings Ag(ICBFGH) for the acquisitionof a 100 percent equityinterest in ICB Sierra Leone.

The launch furtherconsolidates FirstBank’sposition as the largestcorporate and retail bankingfinancial institution in sub-Saharan Africa (excludingSouth Africa) with presencein Ghana, Guinea, Gambia,Sierra Leone and Senegal aswell as presence in the UKand Representative Offices in

FirstBank boosts regional expansion bidwith FBNBank Sierra Leone

Johannesburg, Abu Dhabiand Beijing. The expansionrepresents FirstBank’sstrategic objective to maintainsignificant market share,expand its pan-Africanfootprint and diversifyearnings while deliveringvalue to shareholders.

FBNBank Sierra Leone isstrategically positioned tofoster greater collaborationand provide better service forthe country ’s public andprivate sector clients, and thegeneral public at large. TheBank leverages FirstBank’sinternational network,business expertise, which ispart of the diversifiedsynergies of the FBN Groupto offer innovative,convenient and securebanking services to itscustomers and better seize theemerging opportunities in thelocal market.

Speaking on thisdevelopment, the GMD/CEOof FirstBank, Bisi Onasanya,said, “The launch ofFBNBank Sierra Leonefulfills one of the criticalstages of our ambition to

steadily broaden and build amore diverse footprint acrossAfrica. We are committed todeveloping a multi-local

business model that broadensour geographic revenue basewhile providing enhancedservice delivery to our newcustomers and equityparticipation to localinvestors.”

SterlingBank holds53rd AGMSterling Bank Plc will

holds its 53rd AnnualGeneral Meeting (AGM) onThursday April 30, 2015 inLagos.

The Bank in a statementsigned by the CompanySecretary, Mrs. Justina Lewasaid the Directors of the Bankat the AGM will receive theAudited FinancialStatements for the yearended 31st December, 2014,together with the Reports ofthe Directors, Auditors andthe Audit Committee; declarea Dividend; elect/re-electDirectors; approve theremuneration of theDirectors; authorize theDirectors to fix theremuneration of the Auditorsand elect members of theAudit Committee.

Key extracts of the auditedreport and accounts of theBank for the year endedDecember 31, 2014 releasedlast week at the NigerianStock Exchange (NSE)showed appreciable growthin all key performanceindices, sustaining thestrong performance outlookof the lender in spite ofindustry-wide headwinds.

For instance, Sterling BankPlc announced grossearnings of N103.7 billionand a profit before tax ofN10.7 billion, an increase of13 percent and 15.4 percentover its 2013 figuresrespectively.

Major highlights showedthat net interest income leaptby 20.1 per cent to N43.0billion in 2014 as againstN35.8 billion recorded in2013. This was driven mainlyby an 11.4 per cent growthin interest income to N77.9billion, which far outweighedthe 2.2 per cent increase infunding costs to N34.9billion. This underlined theincreasing cost efficiency ofthe lender as cost of fundsdropped from 6.1 per cent in2013 to 5.3 percent in 2014.Similarly, non-interestincome grew by 18.3 per centfrom N21.8 billion in 2013 toN25.7 billion in 2014. Thiswas boosted by an 82.2 percent growth in net tradingincome to N6.8 billion.

The Bank continued tostrengthen its mid andbottom-line performances asits increasing focus on costreduction credit risksmanagement and operatingefficiency cushioned macroheadwinds and retainedvalue for shareholders.

The Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Jibril Aku,has said one of the best ways to grow money is making

investments. Aku gave this advice recently while lecturingstudents of Government Secondary School, Lugbe, Abuja onthe topic “Growing Your Money” as part of Global Money Week.

He described investment as something that is purchasedwith money and expected to produce income or profit, statingthat, investing money reduces risk of theft, spending and giveschance for the money to grow.“Generally, investments arebroadly divided into ownership (equities) and lending (debt).The higher the risk involved, the higher the return and interestrate; the longer the period of investment, the higher the interestrate,” he said. The Ecobank boss also took the students throughinvesting in real estate, precious objects, bonds, mutual funds,adding that “just like you eat good food and take vitamins toprotect your body from sickness and allow you grow, you needto protect your money and investments in a similar way bygetting insurance.” He explained that “Stocks are securitiesthat allow you become a part-owner of the company whosestocks you purchase. Examples of stocks are shares. Whenyou buy the shares of a company, you are given a sharecertificate and entitled to dividends only if the company makesa profit.

Ecobank boss offersstudents investment tips

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 27

Banking & Finance

PRESENTATION - Executive Director, Corporate, International & Investment Banking,Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Emeka Okonkwo, presenting keys of Hilux Patrol Vehicle equippedwith security gadgets to Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr Kayode Aderanti. With them are DCP J. B Kokumo in charge of Operations and Sam Agbanusi, Head of Corporate Securityand Safety, Union Bank.

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

The Central Bank ofNigeria (CBN) has spent

$4.7 billion to defend the nairathis year, even as the nation’sexternal reserve fell to $29.6billion week.

Data published by the CBNon its website show that theexternal reserve fell by $189million from $29.778 billion onApril 2nd to $29.589 billion onApril 9th. Consequently the

CBN spends $4.7bn to defend naira*Interbank lending rates rise by 150%

reserve has fallen by $4.879billion since December 31st

2014.Commenting on

developments in the nation’sforeign exchange market inthe first quarter of the year,Managing Director/ChiefExecutive, FinancialDerivative Company Limited,Mr. Bismarck Rewane saidthat the apex bank has so farspend $4.7 billion to defendthe naira this year, adding thatthe nation’s external reserve

import and payments coverhas fallen to 4.8 months, 1.2months below theinternational standard forhealthy external reserve.

Rewane also stated that the13 per cent appreciation of thenaira in the parallel market inthe last two weeks to N197 perdollar from N225 was due toelection sentiment andelimination of fear premium.He predicted that theappreciation would soon bereverse and the naira would

depreciate further because thefundamentals remainunchanged. “At the parallelmarket, the naira will trade atN215-N220 against the dollaragain”, he said”.

Rewane advised theincoming government of theGeneral Mohammudu Buharito allow the naira find its truevalue, calling for reduction ininterest rate and easing ofmonetary policy stance.

Meanwhile lending rates atthe interbank money marketshot up sharply last week dueto cash outflow for dollarpurchase, investment ingovernment securities anddebit for Cash ReserveRequirement (CRR)

Data published by FinancialMarket Dealers Quote(FMDQ) show that interestrate for Collateralised lending(Open Buy Back) and Calllending rose by over 150percent each. While interestrate on Call rose by 185 basispoints to 28.67 on Fridaypercent from 10.17 percent theprevious week, interest rate onCollateralised lending (openbuy back) rose by 176 basispoints to 27.17 percent onFriday from 9.5 percent.

Kawaka Discount House inits weekly InterbankNewsletter reveals that theCBN withdrew N110 billionfrom banks for the CashReserve Requirement (CRR)for March. This in addition tooutflow of N293 billion fortreasury bill purchase causedthe amount of idle cash in theinterbank market to drop tozero from N326.44 billion onTuesday.

Union Bank of Nigeria Plc(UBN) has deployed the

Oracle FLEXCUBE UniversalBanking Solution 12.0; a newcore banking application tomodernise its infrastructure,improve operating efficiencyand customer service delivery.

To help improve businessoperations and enhance thecustomer experience, UBNdeployed the latest version ofOracle FLEXCUBE as thesingle operating platform forits countrywide network.

As one of Nigeria’s top tierlenders with an extensivenetwork of over 320 branchesacross Nigeria, the bank seeksto better its operations with thenew platform to address itscorporate, retail andinvestment banking needs,thereby positioning itself as ahighly respected provider of

Union Bank deploys Oracle FLEXCUBE toenhance customer experience

quality banking services inNigeria.

Mr. Yomi Akinade, ChiefInformation Officer (CIO) ofthe bank said with the newplatform, the bank would beenhancing and standardisingits operations across thecountry by leveraging on thecapabilities of the newtechnology. “We will have acommon operating platform inour extensive network of over320 branches across Nigeria,” he said.

Mr. Akinade disclosedUnion Bank went live with thenew platform on April 7, 2015,a quick review of currentbanking platforms in theindustry shows that the newtechnology puts lender at thetop with this state of the arttechnology.

He said since the bank

embarked on restructuring in2010; his team hasimplemented well over 70technology projects.

“There are three (3) keyareas on the over 70technology projects, whichinclude: improving customers’services, securing customersand the bank’s data as wellimproving our productivity asan institution,” he affirmed.

The new platform is in linewith the bank’s goal ofbecoming a highly respectedprovider of quality bankingservices within six (6) areas offocus according to Mr. EmekaEmuwa, GMD/CEO of UBN ata media parley on March2014.

“The six (6) major areas ofcommitment we are focusingon include: quality ofcustomers experience, quality

of client base, quality of talent,quality of banking platform,quality of professionalstandards and quality of thebanks’ earnings.”

Mr. Akinade affirmed thatduring the time of theupgrade, customers and thegeneral public may experiencesome challenges, butmeasures have been put inplace to ensure continuousseamless service delivery incase of disruptions duringimplementation.

“As you well know, when yougo live with a major massivecomplex project like this, therewould be teething issues. So,there are challenges andcustomers should understandthis; but is for their own longterm benefit; because wewould have a much moresuperior service offering whenthe system runs fully,” headded.

Stanbic IBTCgets ISO27001certification onIT securityStanbic IBTC Bank, a

member of StanbicIBTC Holdings Plc, hasreceived the ISO/IEC 27001certification. The certificationfollows an extensive andpainstaking standardizationprocess on informationsecurity by the bank.

The ISO/IEC 27001 is aninternationally recognizedbest practice framework for aninformation securitymanagement system, whichhelps businesses to identifyrisks to important informationwhile putting in place theappropriate controls to helpreduce such risks.

Mr. Pietro Foschi, StrategicDelivery Director at BritishStandards Institution (BSI),affirmed that Stanbic IBTCBank complied with therequirements of ISO/IEC27001 certification, whichentails development,operations and maintenanceof the processes related toservices provided andmanaged by the bank’sInformation and Technology(ICT) Department. BSI is amultinational businessservices provider whoseprincipal activity is theproduction of standards andthe supply of standards-related services.

UBA deploys“Finacle 10x”Customers of United

Bank for Africa (UBA)Plc deployed of a new andimproved IT platform;“Finacle 10x”.

The new IT platform willenable customers carry outquick, efficient and secureservices via the bank’s e-platforms such as internetbanking, mobile banking. It also improves the uptimeperiod on the bank’s e-Channels like the POSmachines and ATMs.

“We embarked on this majorupgrade of our systems tosimplify our processes andsignificantly improve thecustomer experience acrossall channels including e-channels like smart phones,tablets, phablets, laptops anddesktops. UBA customers cannow enjoy faster, richer andmore secured services onthese channels using ourinternet banking application‘U-Direct’ and our mobilebanking application ‘U-Mobile’.

28 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Corporate Finance

Operators in theNigerian capital

market have said that foreigninvestors that have beenexiting the stock market indroves in the last couple ofmonths will find their way backto the market following asuccessful conduct ofpresidential election.

They, however, cautioned thelocal investors against herdinvestment, saying that theircoming back will possibly fuelunnecessary price increases.

Status of foreign portfolioinvestment outflow on theNigerian Stock Exchange,NSE, according to availabledata showed that total foreignoutflow dropped to 51.08percent in the month ofJanuary, 2015 from 53.36percent in December 2014.

It went further down to103.53 percent in the month ofFebruary, while year-to-date(January - February) the figurehas dropped by 132.68 percent.

Monthly foreign portfolioinvestment, FPI, transactionsat the Exchange which wasN99.11 billion at the end ofJanuary 2015 increased toN133.95 billion (about $0.68billion) at the end of February2015, up 35.15 percent fromJanuary 2015.

In comparison to the sameperiod in 2014, total FPItransactions decreased by 1.71percent, while the totaldomestic transactionsdecreased by 19.03 percent.However, FPI outflowsoutpaced inflows which wereconsistent with the sameperiod in 2014. Commentingon the outcome of the election

Return of foreign investorsimminent on successfulelection – OperatorsBy NKIRUKA NNOROM in relation to foreign

investment inflow to theExchange, Bola Ajomale,Managing Director, NASD Plc,said the foreign investorswould return to speculate onthe secondary market.

“As speculators, they couldcome in, make a quick profitby driving up prices and exitvery sharply, leaving localinvestors with high pricedsecurities. It is thereforenecessary for our localsecondary market investingcommunity to be more alert

and proactive,” he said.“Secondly, I would love to see

foreign investors come intothe primary end of the marketwhich is far more constructiveand helpful to the economicprogress of the nation. It wouldbe good if both public andprivate sectors encourage thisto happen, Ajomale said.

Speaking further, he said thatthe recent rally seen in themarket is as a result of portfolioactivity and not significantlyimproved corporateperformance.

He said: “The rapid rises wesee in the market is justportfolio activity and notsignificantly improvedcorporate performance. Themarket is doing a pretty goodjob at increasing transparencyand corporate governance andI believe it would beadvantageous if the President-elect encourages thisphilosophy through policy.”

Adding his voice, Mr. TolaOdukoya of Dunn LorenMerrifield AssetManagement, said: “I believethe return of foreigninvestors has started alreadyas indicated in the strongperformance of the equitymarket specific governmentbonds in the last couple ofdays.” He observed that thekey issue is for the country tomaintain some appreciableconsistency in several keypolicies that have contributeddirectly or indirectly toincrease in direct and portfolioinvestments (by both domesticand foreign investors).

He added that theconsequent bolstering andincrease in confidenceamongst investors willsustain, and possibly improve,the performance of the market.

Stanbic IBTC Bank has concluded a US$90 million line of credit facility from the

Netherlands Development Finance Company,FMO. The purpose of the facility is for StanbicIBTC Bank’s on-lend to small and mediumsized companies for the financing of projectsin the infrastructure sector, which includeagriculture, oil and gas, power, ports, telecomcompanies, etc. within Nigeria. The facilitywill run for a term of five years.

The facility was provided to Stanbic IBTCBank by FMO along with EuropeanFinancing Partners (EFP) and DEG -Deutsche Investitions- undEntwicklungsgesellschaftmbH).

Commenting on the transaction, the ChiefExecutive of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. YinkaSanni, noted that the commitment of thelenders shows the confidence they have inthe Stanbic IBTC brand.

He further emphasized that the facility willenable the bank continue its SME sectorgrowth efforts and move the economy forward.

On his own part, Linda Broekhuizen,FMO’s CIO said: “This second facility toStanbic IBTC Bank is further testimony to thelong and good relationship between theStandard Bank Group and FMO. This

Stanbic IBTC Bank secures $90m credit from FMOBy NKIRUKA NNOROM syndicated loan facility will assist Stanbic

IBTC Bank in expanding its leading role infinancing of infrastructure development andproviding long term funding to small andmedium sized companies, contributing to jobcreation in Nigeria.”

The primary lender, FMO, is a Dutchdevelopment bank that was established in1970 by the Dutch Government, commercialbanks, the national employers’ association,labour unions, and private investors, in orderto make investments in private sector projectswithin developing countries and emergingmarkets.

FMO is present as a development financepartner in over 80 different developingcountries and emerging markets around theworld. The company’s mandate is to providelong term capital for projects in thesecountries, thereby, maximizing developmentimpact with a methodology designed toensure that FMO’s return on investment isnot just financial but also has positiveenvironmental and social effects.

The secondary lender, DEG, is a subsidiaryof KfW andone of the largest Europeandevelopment finance institutions. For morethan 50 years, DEG has been financing andstructuring the investments of privatecompanies in developing and emergingmarket countries.

Afriland Properties Plc hasannounced a profit

before tax of N1.74 billion forthe year ended December 31,2014, representing a 311percent increase compared tothe corresponding period in2013.

Consequently, the Board ofDirectors and the managementalso declared a total dividendpayment of N499.6 milliontranslating to 40 kobo perordinary share, which wasunanimously approved byshareholders at the 2nd

Annual General Meeting,AGM, which held in Lagos.

The company’s total assetsalso increased to N8.1billionfrom N4.2 billion during theperiod under review,representing 92.86 percentincrease, while the profit aftertax grew by 439 percent.

Addressing the shareholdersat the meeting, the ManagingDirector/Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Afriland Properties Plc,Mrs. Uzo Oshogwe, statedthat the company’s financialperformance is an evidence ofits operational excellence, acustomer centric culture andhigh corporate governancestandards, adding “Ourdeliberate focus on excellentdelivery has prompted us toincrease our full-yearperformance”.

In her remarks, thechairman, Erelu AngelaAdebayo, said the upturn inthe company’s net earnings isattributable to improvedoperational efficiency andfocus on value creation.

According to her, “We areprepared to further strengthenour balance sheets andbusiness model this year bytapping into the opportunitiesthat will be created in thebuilding and constructionsector.” “We are equally poisedto take advantage of otherstructural reforms of the federalgovernment, which hopefullywill impact the housing sector,”Adebayo added.

Afriland Properties Plc is aproperty development andmanagement company thatoffers end-to-end servicesalong the real estate valuechain from management tojoint-venture investments.

With a portfolio size of overN8 billion and one of thelargest land banks in Nigeria,Afriland Properties ispioneering the opportunitiespresented by an institutionalapproach to real estate, servingniche markets throughoutAfrica.

Afriland Propertiesgrows profit by 311%,pays 40 kobo dividend

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

AGM - From left: Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Peter O. Ashade and Chairman, Chief(Mrs.) Eniola Fadayomi, at the Africa Prudential Registrars Plc’s Annual General Meetingheld in Lagos

Return of foreigninvestors hasstarted alreadyas indicated inthe strongperformance ofthe equitymarket

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 29

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30 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

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Homes & Housing

The housing sector is seenas an important sector for

stimulating economic growth inmost developed countries.Indeed, housing constructionindices are some of the mostcommon measures used byanalysts to gauge economictrends in OECD countries.

Today, housing andconstruction sector stillaccounts for only 3.1 percent ofthe GDP of Nigeria, Africa’slargest economy with a GDP ofN80.3 trillion ($510 billion) asat 2013. Despite the size of theNigerian economy, mortgagedebt to GDP is only about 0.5percent.

Minister of Finance/Supervising Minister of theEconomy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, noted at a recent WorldBank forum, highlighted thepotential contribution of thehousing sector to nationaldevelopment in three possibleways. First, she noted that thesector can serve as animportant contributor toeconomic growth. According toher, the housing sector has atremendous multiplier effect onthe broader economy. “Housingcontributes to GDP through twomain channels, namely: privateresidential investments, suchas, construction of new homes,and also via the consumptionspending on housing services.There are also secondaryeconomic impacts of thehousing sector. Housingwealth is often a largecomponent of net personalwealth (about half of netpersonal wealth in the USA).And in developed countries,housing wealth/assets canoften be used as collateral tostimulate additional privateconsumption and

*Affordable housing development

Stimulating economic growththrough housing finance

By YINKA KOLAWOLE investments,” she stated.Okonjo-Iweala also noted that

the housing sector can supportjob creation and economicinclusion. “The job creationpotential for the housing sectoris enormous in Africa andother developing countries. InIndia, each new housing unitgenerates 1.5 direct and 8indirect jobs. In South Africa,each housing unit creates 5.62direct jobs and 2.5 indirect jobs.

But the key point is that thesector can also help promoteeconomic inclusion by creatingjobs for our craftsmen andartisans such as masons,plumbers, welders, electricians,painters and so on. It isestimated that for every newhouse built 3 direct and 8 newindirect jobs are created.Unlocking the housing sectorwill mean the creation ofthousands of jobs forarchitects, builders,plumbers, welders,electricians, painters,” shedeclared.

The minister said thehousing sector also providessocial benefits by contributingto community - and nation -building. “We know thathome-ownership often givescitizens a true stake in theircommunities. After owning ahome, many citizens tendnaturally to be concernedabout the provision of public

goods in their communities -from schools, to clinics, tosecurity. These are intangiblesocial benefits which a stronghousing sector can help togenerate,” she remarked.

Sonnie Ayere, pioneeringCEO of the Nigeria MortgageRefinance Company (NMRC),said that the company, whichwas launched in January 2014,is expected to unlock the valuedrivers within related businesssectors further increasingmultiple lines of incomes forbusiness. He added that lowerincome households areexpected to benefit fromNMRC through direct jobscreated by the construction ofnew housing units and servicesrequired to build a home anddeliver it to the final customer.“We expect to see an estimated490,000 additional sustainablejobs over the next coming years.The wages earned by workersand profits earned bybusinesses during theconstruction period are spenton other local goods andservices. This generatesadditional income for localpeople, which is spent on stillmore local goods and services,and so on,” stated.

When Governor BabatundeFashola inaugurated the LagosState Home OwnershipMortgage Scheme (LagosHOMs), he remarked thatseveral jobs were created onconstruction sites that havebenefitted 134 constructioncompanies, 459 sub-contractorsemploying over 1,168 persons,seven consultancy companiesand 5,442 suppliers, artisans,labourers and numerouscitizens who are employed inthe supply chain of sand,gravel, wood and fittings, aswell as food vendors andtransports.

Indeed, the impact ofhousing development goesbeyond the valuable socialbenefits of providing shelter,not least of which is givinghomeowners a true stake intheir community.

Housing wealth/assets can often beused as collateralto stimulateadditional privateconsumption andinvestments

If you have an extra sum of money andwant to invest it, maybe you should

consider real estate. Generally, propertiestend to increase or hold their value,depending on certain conditions, which iswhy they are considered a safe investment.They retain their value due to thephenomenon of inflation, since at least itsprice tends to increase with inflation;although this is not strictly a business, noris it a capital loss.

However, a property can often increasetheir value over inflation. Often this is dueto the dynamics of supply and demand ofproperties in the location in which theproperty is located, either because it is in afashionable district, or because aninfrastructure project has increased itsvalue. It is better to buy land as a businessstrategy because the value of any propertyusually tends to rise along with the price ofinflation. Even a piece of land on which

How to make money from real estatenothing is built does not lose its value overtime. However, building some kind ofhousing or commercial property on that landwill double its value since you can sell orrent it, thereby recovering your investment.

There are several ways to invest inhousing, whether a house or an apartment.You can buy a property and put it up forrent or lease, thus obtaining a fixed monthlyincome. If the house in which you live istoo big for you, you can sell it and buy twosmaller houses, one to live in and the otherto rent. A few investors in real estate like tobuy second-hand housing, remodel andadapt to sell it later, thus obtaining aconsiderable economic benefit. Other formsof investing in housing include buying andremodelling a property to be sold later. Thisform of business with real estate is usuallycommon among developers and agents, itusually involves a large capital but itsreward is a considerable economic benefit.

Resort rewards loyalcustomersResort Savings and Loans

Plc has instituted a rewardsystem for all those whomaintain a certain minimumbalance in their accounts overa period of time.Head Business Development, Mr Yemi Popoola made thisknown recently in Lagos on thebank’s efforts at putting smileson the faces of its teemingcustomers. According to him,“the bank has over timeintroduced numerouscustomer-friendly productswhile the reward system is thebank’s own way of giving backto its customers."Our customer base is growingby the day and a lot of peopleare getting to identify with us.The only way we can makethem have a sense of belongingis to ensure that they are notonly rewarded for banking withus, but also for introducingother customers to allmortgage related products.”Popoola gave a brief analysisof the account opening dynamics which include butare not limited to opening of aResort Reward SystemAccount, building up of teamby introducing othercustomers to open accountswith the bank and thatautomatically qualifies such aperson to become a teamleader while the people introduced become his teammembers. The gift we give ourcustomers will becommensurate with thebalances maintained in theiraccounts with the bank.”

Town planners demandtax-free buildingmaterialsNigerians would

continue to pay morefor accommodation in majorcities until the cost of buildingmaterials is subsidisedthrough tax holiday.

Executive Secretary ofAssociation of Town PlanningConsultants of Nigeria(ATOPCON), Mr Ayo Adejumo,said high taxes are responsiblefor the high cost ofaccommodation in major citiesin the country. He urged theFederal Government to providetax relief for local manufacturersand importers of buildingmaterials. According to him, ifgovernment can grant taxholidays to the producers ofbuilding materials, it will go along way in reducing the cost ofbuilding houses in the country.Adefuro also called for provisionof enabling environment forprivate estate developers tostrive by providing them withproper incentives, credits andmortgages.

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Insurance

PRESENTATION - Chief Executive Officer, Kind Insurance Brokers, Mr. Elijah Omirin(m) presenting plaque of recognition to a guest lecturer at a monthly meeting of the LagosArea Committee (LAC) of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Dr.Lemmy Omoyinmi while LAC Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Oduwole watches.

Nigerian election will benefitAfrican economy —AXABy FAVOUR NNABUGWUwith Agency report

Chairman and ChiefExecutive Officer ofAXA Insurance, Mr.

Jean-Laurent Granier has saidthe country’s free and fairelection will help to boost theeconomy of the entire Africancontinent.

Though, Grainer said theinsurance group does not wishto be political but believed thatNigeria exemplary electionhas assured the growth of itsinvestment in the country.

According to him, “We arenot making a politicalinterpretation of this outcome.This reinforces and confirmsour will to grow in Nigeria.

“The stake in Africa Re willallow AXA to get a morecomplete understanding oninsurance markets’ evolutionacross the whole continent,”Granier said.

“We’re selecting placeswhere we want to go becausewe think a country has criticalsize and is ready fordevelopment of insurance.”

Nigeria has about 60registered insurancecompanies, according to thenational regulator. Amongfactors that companies shouldincorporate into risk modelswhen underwriting in Nigeriais the unusually high numberof building collapses, PwCsaid in a March 30 report. Inthe last 12 years, this has

happened to an estimated 30buildings, it said.

Mansard has increasedannual revenue by more than20 percent in “these last yearsand this company can keephaving high growth,” Graniersaid, without giving a targetfor this year.

Since March 31, whenBuhari won the election,Nigeria’s benchmark stockindex has climbed 15 percentto levels not seen sinceNovember last year. It’s theNigerian Stock Exchange AllShare Index’s longest streakof gains since September2012.

The victory by Buhari,marked the first time an

opposition candidate beat asitting president sinceindependence from the U.K.in 1960. And while more than80 people were killed duringthe election campaign,according to the EuropeanUnion, and there were someallegations of rigging, mostinternational and localobservers called the voterelatively free and fair.

Insurance penetration inNigeria, as measured as apercentage of premiums togross domestic product, was0.68 percent in 2012,according to a KPMG reportin August. That compareswith a 3.5 percent average forAfrica and 15.4 percent in

South Africa, the continent’sbiggest insurance market,according to figures fromPriceWaterhouseCoopers inOctober.

Before its Nigerianacquisition, AXA hadoperations in six Africancountries, including Moroccoand Senegal, whichcontributed 436 million eurosto revenue last year. “AXA isstudying opportunities toenter other African countriesthrough acquisitions or bystarting new businesses.Countries like Kenya caninterest us, Ghana too,”Granier said.

AXA has disposed of 8.9billion euros ($9.7 billion) ofassets in developed marketssince 2010 to invest in faster-growing nations, includingAfrican markets. InDecember, it spent 198million euros to buy amajority stake in Mansard,Nigeria’s fourth-largestinsurer. Last month, Paris-based AXA completed thepurchase of a 7.2 percentstake in pan-African reinsurerAfrica Re for $61 million

In Egypt, AXA has set up ateam of about 10 people andis “very confident to startquite soon” with operationsonce local authorities grant alicense, Granier said.

Insurance premiums tend toincrease faster than economicgrowth in Nigeria and Africancountries, as companies andhouseholds adjust theircoverage to “catch up” withrising living standards,Granier said.

“The corporate insurancemarket was first to developand now the market forindividuals is opening,” hesaid. Health insuranceproducts sold throughcorporate or individualpolicies, car-insurance needsand micro-insuranceinitiatives are contributing toinsurance expansion inNigeria, as in other fast-growing African markets, hesaid”.

The Uche Ahubelem’sHuman DevelopmentCenter, U.A.H.D, has

said that it is committed torising a new generation ofgreat leaders, businesstycoons and nation builders.

Accordingly, the Centerheld its first leadershiptraining themed ‘life-provensecrets of success’ in Lagos.

The training geared towardsmotivating youths tobecoming better individuals,discover and maximize theirinborn potentials had over ahundred participants. Eachinteractive session allowed

UAHD restates commitment to raising business tycoonsBy ESTHER ONYEGBULA

NAICO changesto NAIPCOThe National Association

of InsuranceCorrespondents (NAICO)has rebranded and will nowbe known as the NationalAssociation of Insurance &Pension Correspondents(NAIPCO).

NAIPCO which is made upof insurance and pensioncorrespondents of mediahouses in Nigeria rebrandedand adopted a new name toreflect current realities andstatus.

According to theAssociation, “The namechange became necessary toaccommodate our expandingresponsibilities, whichrequire that we coverInsurance and PensionSectors, hence the need toaccommodate the pensionindustry in our name andacronym.

NAIPCO remain resoluteand committed to contributingto the deepening of theinsurance and pensionindustries in Nigeria.

Russia looks toChinesecompanies forreinsuranceRussia is looking to

Chinese companies toreinsure major infrastructureprojects, hoping they canreplace Western firms thathave pulled back after twointernational ratings agenciesdowngraded Russia’s creditrating to junk earlier thisyear.

Representatives from theChinese and Russiangovernments and insuranceagencies met to discuss theissue earlier this month.

The two parties agreed tocreate a “joint reinsurancecapacity in the form of a poolof Russian and Chineseinsurance companies.

The agreements couldconcern insurance andreinsurance for multibillion-dollar projects like Russia’sPower of Siberia gas pipelineto China and Turkish Streampipeline to Europe.

The two sides discussedusing their nationalcurrencies — rubles and yuan— rather than U.S. dollars forinsurance payments, NikolaiKorolyov, deputy head ofRussia’s Federal TourismAgency and head of theRussian delegation said. Noprecise amounts were namedduring the discussions, headded.

participant to interact withfacilitators.

While encouragingparticipants at the event, theorganisers persuadedparticipators to acquireknowledge, overcome fearand shyness, embrace hardwork and be persistent to besuccessful.

Managing Director ofBrickwall Group ofCompanies and investmentAnalyst Uche Ahubelem, said“We are raising a newgeneration of great leaders,business tycoons and nationbuilders because nationbuilding isn’t aboutinfrastructure but the mentalre-orientation of the citizens.

Many who are seekingemployment are supposed tobe employers of labour butwithout the right mindset andapproach to unlock the multi-billion dollar companies inthem. Imagine what the worldwould be if we all determineto live to our full potential”.

“The problem we have inNigeria today is because wedon’t invest in human capitaldevelopment, a lot of youthsare going wayward and offthe track and living the livesthat they were not originallymeant to live the best thingyou can do for a young manis to channel his passion andenable him get to the zenith.”

32 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

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“Let there be light”

It was in my Junior (third year) atthe university, in the USA, when I

undertook a study titledCOMPARATIVE RELIGION, whenthe discovery was made. Until then Iwas under the mistaken impressionthat there were two religions in theworld – Christianity and Islam. But,very soon, after arriving in the US in1964, armed with an AmericanGovernment Scholarship, a thirdreligion was added to the list –Judaism. But, it was not until 1966 thatthe revelation came through thiscourse that there are more than 1000religions worldwide. Among the mostcommon beliefs of virtually allreligions in the idea that God/Allah/Yahweh etc ordered light to be createdas a pre-condition to other acts ofcreation and development.

Granted our nation faces severalproblems calling for urgent attention– mostly Boko Haram and generalinsecurity, corruption, unacceptablyhigh unemployment, equitabledistribution of the dividends ofdemocracy, infrastructure, education,health, etc – but, one item on thenational agenda which will speed upprogress on the rest is POWERSUPPLY. Supply has been emphasizedbecause, the outgoing governmentsand its Ministers of Power, as well aspraise-singers, had wasted their time

Buhari, let there be light – power firstand money during the campaignspointing to increased generatingcapacity. What they failed tounderstand, or, more likelydeliberately ignored is the matter ofdistribution; meaning supply to homes.Let me illustrate what is meant by thisfrom my days as a Marketing/Salesexecutive.

Most brands fail because the brandowners fail to bring the product closeenough to the consumer. Infant milkis an example. Every nursing motherknows that when you have a babyyelling for food at two in the morning,the baby milk in a store, miles away,is a distinctly different product fromthe one in the refrigerator. Jonathan’sMinisters, who became jesters withtheir failed promises on power supplyhad concentrated on productionwithout taking corresponding steps to

ensure that the power reachesconsumers. Till today, the daily powersupply to Nigeria is under 4000MW,irrespective of what the productioncapacity is. That level of power outputcannot get us anywhere.

It is remarkable that the best Nigeriahad been able to do was achieved inDecember 2012, when we attended4517MW of power supplied. That wastwo years and three months ago. Thatfeat, hardly worthy of a nationdestined for greatness, had not beenequaled since. The most obviousquestion is: what had the governmentbeen doing in twenty seven months ifit could not, at least, maintain thatlevel? Worse still, if in two years, thenation had actually lost ground, whenare we ever going to progress? Clearly,no progress had been made in twentyseven months if today we cannotreceive 4517MW steady supply. Moreto the point; how could the outgoingPresident, knowing the lack ofprogress in power SUPPLIED havekept the Minister who had failed himand the nation so woefully? And, howcould the out-going President tellNigerians that he had fulfilled hiscampaign promises? Were wepromised that there would be noprogress on power supply in twentyseven months, while officials earnedtheir huge emoluments? When wassuch a promise made to us?

President-elect Buhari mustrecognize that there will be no

significant progress on all fronts untilthere is substantial increase in powersupply. To this he must address himselfurgently. Unfortunately, that willrequire going and digging up a lot ofdirt buried by his predecessors.Several contractors are still seating onour funds for contracts not fullyexecuted ot even totally abandoned.It would amount to monumental follyto go around seeking for loans toundertake the task on hand whenObasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan haddrawn down billions of dollars toincrease our capacity to 10,000MWwithout doing it. Articles which willfollow will detail the list of knowncontracts which are yet to yield results.Something must happen. Thecontractors must either complete thejobs or refund our money.

All economies, even from primitivetimes, have always run on energy; themore a nation can generate the fasterit can transform the resources at itsdisposal to benefits for its people. Welag behind because we are currentlyfailing to generate the power to makerapid progress. Buhari can change alot of things simply by altering thepower supply situation as fast aspossible.

Once he gets that underway, he canstart chasing the crooks who stole ourfunds. Even there, he would need tofast track. There is already sufficientinformation in the public domain frohim to start with – before going intothe secret official files which will revealmore information. He will receive allthe help he needs from me – whetherhe asks for it or not.

One item on thenational agendawhich will speedup progress onthe rest isPOWER SUPPLY

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34 —Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

E-Commerce

C

CEREMONY – From left: Executive Director, Corporate and Investment Banking, StanbicIBTC, Victor Williams; Investment Officer, Africa, Netherlands Development Finance Company(FMO), Gerrit van Kampen; Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Yinka Sanni; and PortfolioAnalyst, Financial Institutions, Africa, FMO, Sander Verhulp during the signing ceremony fora $90m credit facility to Stanbic IBTC by FMO in Lagos

JumiaappointsFrancisDufay toheadsubsidiary inCôte d’Ivoire

Online retailer,Jumia.com has

formalized the appointmentof Francis Dufay as the headof its subsidiary in Côted’Ivoire.

This announcement followsthe appointment ofFatoumata BA with whomFrancis Dufay led JumiaCôte d’Ivoire since April2014, to the position ofManaging Director.

Francis Dufay will beresponsible for driving theexpansion of the first e-commerce website in Côted’Ivoire. The French bornwho took the reins of thestart-up in a context ofconsistent growth intends toconsolidate this trend and toposition Jumia as a majorplayer in retail. FrancisDufay cut his teeth at theconsulting firm McKinsey &Company where heremained for four years.Specialist in e-commercestrategy for Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, he joinedAfrica Internet Group in 2014within Jumia Côte d’Ivoire.

He holds a Master ofScience from HEC Parismanagement school, aMaster in Management ofCologne University and, anMBA from the NorthwesternUniversity - Kellogg Schoolof Management.

This appointment marks anew phase of growth forJUMIA Côte d’Ivoireemphasized by several keythemes: Extension ofJumia’s presence inside thecountry with new branches,increasing of onlineassortments (furniture,appliances, mobile phonebrands) offering a newservice dedicated tocompanies and reinforcingrelationships with localdistributors.

“Everything we do has onegoal: Always improve ourservice and satisfy ourcustomers. It is the only wayJumia will gain theconfidence of the populationand strengthen its position asthe leading e-commercedestination in Côte d’Ivoire”,said Dufay after the officialannouncement of hisappointment.

Stories by JONAHNWOKPOKU

Stakeholders in the e-commerce sector have

called for sustainability in thepolicies of the outgoinggovernment on InformationTechnology.

They argue that the currentadministration has startedplausible policies thatdemands continuity tocontinue driving the growth ofthe sector in Nigeria.

Speaking to Vanguard on theexpectations from theincoming government,Founder, Drinks.ng, LanreAkinlagun said the gainsmade in the information andcommunications sector mustbe sustained through theretention of the currentminister of ICT, Dr. OmobolaJohnson.

He said: “It is difficult to sayexactly what the incomingwill do but we in the IT sectordo hope that he retains theminister of communicationtechnology because the ladythat was there was committedand had lots of plans onground that are yet to beimplemented and do not needto be abandoned. This isbecause, as this governmentis leaving, there will be noway to ensure that thoselaudable plans are followed.”

Also speaking, Founder/CEO Hotels.ng, Mark Essiensaid: “Buhari’s governmentshould continue the policieslaunched by the Minister ofCommunications Technology,Omobola Johnson, which hasled to a surge in ‘serious’ e-

SSSSStaktaktaktaktakeholdereholdereholdereholdereholders call fs call fs call fs call fs call for sustor sustor sustor sustor sustenance ofenance ofenance ofenance ofenance ofIT policies by incoming govtIT policies by incoming govtIT policies by incoming govtIT policies by incoming govtIT policies by incoming govt

commerce start-ups.”He said: “To drive economic

growth with special regard tothe e-business sector, theBuhari government shouldcreate an environmentconducive to foreigninvestment into IT startups.”

He pointed out that, “Thiselection will probably be thebest thing that has happenedto Nigeria in terms of foreigninvestment. It does not have

to do with Buhari directly, butrather the fact that Africa’sbiggest economy had apeaceful election where thesitting president lost, andpower was handed overwithout any issues. The newlyelected president is wellknown for his stance againstcorruption, and the fact thathe could be elected peacefullyshows that Nigeria has‘grown up’ and can now be

seen as stable economy.”On his part, Founder/CEO

Privateproperty.com.ng, FemiTaiwo while noting thatBuhari’s government mustprovide electricity, said:“Allocating resources forinfrastructural development,while making policies thatwill assist the growth of thetechnology sector; for instancegiving internet serviceproviders a tax holiday, givingthem the go ahead to dig theroads to lay fibre optic cableswhich will help in bringingdown the cost of providinginternet access to everyNigerian, remainsimperative.”

He added that, “Governmentmust partner with the privatesector in creating a fund fortechnology entrepreneurs sothey can have access to capital.This can be done through themeans of incubators andresearch labs.”

Kaku.com.ng, a discoverywebsite has launched

in Nigeria.The platform allows people

search and locate placeswhere they can hang out withfriends, family or loved onesbased on budget andpreferred location.

Kayode Oyewole, co-founder of Kaku.com.ng,told Vanguard that thewebsite was inspired by thedearth of centralised portalwhich offers qualityinformation on public placesin the country.

According to him, “It was aresult of a personal

Kaku.com.ng launches in Nigeria to drive local pubs searchexperience. In 2014, I wastrying to find affordableplaces where I could hang outwith a friend based on alimited budget; after gettingreferrals from a few friends, itdawned on me that there wasreally no centralized webservice which offered qualityinformation on fun places. Irealized that existing siteswere

limited and didn’t providebudgetary ranges of listedplaces. I also discovered Iwasn’t alone in this, withmany of my friends alsolooking for places to hangouton birthdays, weekends and

holidays. At that point, Irealized word of mouthreferrals weren’t enough andso in

a bid to solve this problem,I decided to develop asolution that would addressthat need.”

On the Kaku.com.ng, usersenter their preferred locationsand the budget which theyintend to operate within andthen choose a preferredservice, e.g. restaurant,entertainment, pizza etc .Thewebsite conducts a search andgives them a list of placesthat meet their criteria. Usersget to see a basic description

of the place, pictures, andthey also get to see otherusers’ reviews of the place orhow it’s rated. They can alsorate and review after visitinga place, and sharephotographs as well.

Oyewole said:“Kaku.com.ng is the onlyplatform that takes intoaccount that an averageindividual is working on abudget and that’s at the coreof what we do. We provideusers with ease and optionsin relation to their budgets.Our platform also offers anawesome user experience.”

Nigeria’s lender,Guarantee Trust Bank,

GTBank has made incursioninto electronic business withthe introduction of SMEMarket Hub that will provideopportunities for small andmedium enterprises to movetheir businesses online.

The new platform will serve

GTBank makes incursion into e-commerce with SME Market Hubas an online directory forbusinesses and is aimed atempowering entrepreneurs inNigeria and contributing tothe growth and development ofthe country’s economy.

Speaking on the launch of theplatform, Chief ExecutiveOfficer of GTBank, SegunAgbaje said: “With the

introduction of the SMEMarket Hub, GTBank hasprovided SMEs an e-commerceplatform that allows small andmedium business ownerscreate and maintain an onlinepresence and expand theirbusiness frontiers to newmarkets and millions of buyersthat are online.”

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 35

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36 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Micro-Finance

The Institute ofC r e d i t

Administration, ICA,has called on theP r e s i d e n t - e l e c t ,General MuhammaduBuhari, to set up anational agency thatguarantees access toloans by SMEs, and notto disburse loan tothem.

In a recommendationto GMB, madeavailable to FV, signedby Registrar/CEO,ICA, Prof. Chris Onalo,“Such agency can becalled – NigerianCredit GuaranteeCorporation (NCGC).Surprisingly, up tilltoday, Nigeriangovernment is still notdreaming of creatingthis national platformthat would support thedevelopment ofSMEs.”

Onalo pointed outthat the corporationwould serve ascollateral and securityfor SMEs who want toborrow money and donot have, only if theNCGC is set up by thefederal governmentwith strong capital baseand very robustoperating fund.

“This is the practicein other countries. Thewell-functioning ofcredit in any economyis a pre-condition forenterprise and trade todevelop and thrive.The granting and stateof credit in anyeconomy has importantimplications for bothfinancial stability andprivate sectorsustainability. AsNigeria’s economy isstill susceptible toexternal shocks, thewell-functioning ofcredit is crucial for oureconomy to grow.

“We must bring it toyour attention that the

Enhancing FinancialInnovation & Access(EFInA) has urgedMicro finance Banks(MfBs) in the country todevelop innovativesavings products toencourage the 25.5million adults currently

EFInA urges MfBs tEFInA urges MfBs tEFInA urges MfBs tEFInA urges MfBs tEFInA urges MfBs to deo deo deo deo devvvvvelop prelop prelop prelop prelop product foduct foduct foduct foduct forororororadults saving at homeadults saving at homeadults saving at homeadults saving at homeadults saving at homeStories byPROVIDENCEOBUH

saving at home to savein a micro finance bank

In a survey reporttitled “The Landscape OfFinancial Inclusion AndMicro finance InNigeria,”

EFInA cited irregularincome; unemploymentand proximity as the topthree barriers for nothaving a MfB account.

“With over 85 millionadults without a micro

finance bank account,finding new ways ofreaching out to thismarket is a majorchallenge for microfinance banks . Newways of thinking andinnovation in productand service offerings areneeded to attract thefinancially excludedpopulation. MfBs needto develop products/services that are

uniquely tailored tomeet the needs of thelow income populationand ensure that theyfully understand thebenefits of theseproducts.

“MfBs need to tailorloan products to suit thespecific needs ofconsumers. Factors toconsider

when designing loan

products include quickaccess, repaymentperiod, low interestrates and flexiblecollateral requirements.

“MfBs should developinnovative savingsproducts to encouragethe 25.5 million adultscurrently saving athome to save in amicrofinance bank,”

EFInA said, adding thatmicrofinance should beextended beyondbranches by usingtechnology such asmobile phones and POSdevices.

“Take micro financeservices closer to thecustomer through agentbanking by leveragingnon-bank channels suchas retail stores,restaurants, petrolstations,” EFInA said.

ICA advocates agencythat guarantees accessto loans by SMEs

poor attitude to credit,especially to publicloans provided byg o v e r n m e n t ’ sdevelopment financeinstitutions, and lack ofa robust regulatoryregime for the DFIsector to operate is afundamental threat tothe health of theNigerian economy. Yourgovernment is expectedto be committed toenhancing theregulatory regime; yourgovernment is expectedto enhance creditregulations byproviding greaterprotection for thecountry ’s DFIs,” hesaid.

O t h e rr e c o m m e n d a t i o n sinclude: First amongyour priorities shouldbe to address thenation’s urgenteconomic, social andsecurity situation, and tobuild a strong economyfor the future; Yourapproach no doubtshould be to focus veryquickly on structuralreforms, fiscalresponsibility andinvestment; You willquickly gain local andglobal acceptance if youdrastically cut cost ofdoing business inNigeria; The CentralBank of Nigeria is toosaddled with too manythings, you may need tolook at this; There isneed to stream down thefunctions of the CentralBank of Nigeria to makeit more functional andefficient with itstraditional monetarypolicy moderationmandate; Nigeria mustengage free marketeconomy in order toachieve overallresilience in economicactivity, employmentand fiscal performance;among others.

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 37

38 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 39

40 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

CMYK

Economy

As the president-elect,Mohammadu Buhari,

gets ready to assemble hiseconomic team so muchworries appear in the horizonwith the release of the DoingBusiness 2014 Report showingNigeria much behind most ofthe West African economies inmany important indices.

Doing Business sheds lighton how easy or difficult it isfor local entrepreneur to openand run a small to mediumsized business whencomplying with relevantregulations. It measures andtracks changes in regulationsaffecting 11 areas in the lifecycle of a business whichincludes: starting a business,dealing with constructionpermits (if your business

Stories byEMEKA ANAETO,Economy Editor

requirements setting up apermanent structure); gettingelectricity; registeringproperty, getting credit,protecting investors, payingtaxes, trading across boarders,enforcing contracts, resolvinginsolvency and employingworkers.

In all the 11 areas Nigeriawas ranked among top five inonly four areas, while takingdistant ranks beyond tenthposition in all others in the 15-nation economic sub-region.

Nigeria came first on theease of getting credit forbusinesses affirming therobust efforts of the ministryof finance and the co-ordinating minister of theeconomy, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who had put in placeseveral interventionistfunding windows for smalland medium enterprises bothdirectly by the government as

well as through commercialbanks in the last three years.

The next good performance

•Muhammadu Buhari

was the country ’s secondposition in the sub-region inthe area of ease in resolvinginsolvency issues. This givespass mark on the nation’scommercial law and litigationwhich many observers believestill has much to be done. Thesub-region is led by Coted’Ivoire in this indicator.

The other good performancewas the country ’s thirdposition in the sub-region inthe area of strength of investorprotection. The two countriesahead of Nigeria are SierraLeone and Ghana, with first

and second positionsrespectively.

Generally on the ease ofdoing business, the reportranked Nigeria fifth amongstEcowas countries, with Ghanaleading the region followedby Cape Verde, Sierra Leoneand Liberia all ahead ofNigeria in that order.

However, it’s mostdisappointing to find Nigeriaat the bottom of the ladder insome critical areas such aselectricity access which drivesbusinesses and henceeconomic growth all over theworld. Also being in thebottom of the ladder in thearea of property registrationand perfection isdisappointing as most foreigninvestors generally shy awayfrom this aspect of directinvestment due to thisweakness.

For a regime (in-coming)that has promised little in thearea of the economy duringthe electioneering campaignmany economy observers andoperators are not optimisticwith the prospects of majorturn-ups in the next two tofour years (mid-term and firstfull term) in the country’sranking in the DoingBusiness scorecards.

However they are yet to becategorical until the teammembers are named which isexpected to come in about twomonths time.

As the National Bureau ofStatistics (NBS) prepares to

announce the inflation update forMarch, 2015 (Q1 round-up)economy analysts are expectingfurther push up not just for theMarch, 2015 but also indicatingfurther rises in the months throughsecond quarter 2015 and beyondgoing by some underlying factors.NBS is set to release the figuresofficially by Thursday this week.

This forecast is coming despite therecoveries Naira had recordedagainst US Dollar in the periodunder review (March-April).Analysis of the foreign exchange rateof the local currency indicated thatthe value of the Naira appreciatedagainst the US Dollar by 1.98 percent from US$/N203.06 in February,

Doing BusinessScorecard tochallenge Buhari’seconomy regime

Inflationary pressures to intensify in Q22015 to US$/N199.11 at the end ofMarch, 2015. However, economistsat First Securities Discount HouseLimited (FSDH) observed that anumber of imported transactionswere carried out in the month ofMarch at an exchange rate range ofUS$/N210 – US$/N225. Theytherefore posit that local prices areyet to fully absorb the impact of the15.26 per cent devaluation of theNaira experienced in the month ofFebruary 2015.

Consequently they anticipate thatthe full effect of the devaluation willat some point in time during thecourse of the year reflect in theinflation rate and this should resultin a spike to 11 per cent, indicatingthat inflation rate may exceed theCentral Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

target range of 6 - 9 per cent.The FSDH Inflation model

indicates that the price movementsin the consumer goods in March2015 would increase the ConsumerPrice Index (CPI) to 168.47 points,representing a month-on-monthincrease of 0.96 per cent. The modelalso estimates that the increase in theCPI in March will produce aninflation rate (year-on-year) of 8.6per cent, higher than the figurerecorded in the month of February.

Looking ahead, according toFSDH analysts, the inflation rate forthe month of April 2015 is expectedto be higher than the March 2015figure.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) for themonth of February 2015 had pushedthe Headline Index to move up by

8.4 per cent year-on-year, as against8.2 per cent in January, 2015. CPImeasures inflation rates and theincrease reflects rising cost of goodsin the economy.

In the last CPI Report NBS saidall the components that contributedto the index increased at a fasterpace during the period, noting thatthe only exception was Recreational& Culture which also increased butat slower pace.

According to the report, Foodprices as observed by the Food Sub-index increased at a faster pace inFebruary partly due to increases inprices of imported food items. TheImported Food Sub-index increasedby 8.8 per cent (year-on-year), thehighest increase recorded sinceFebruary 2013.

Generally on theease of doingbusiness, the reportranked Nigeria fifthamongst Ecowascountries, withGhana leading theregion

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 41

CMYK

Aviation

By LAWANI MIKAIRU

Chairman, AirlineOperators of Nigeria,

AON, Captain NoggieMeggison has tasked theincoming administration ofRetired GeneralMuhammadu Buhari toquickly address the case ofmore than 500 Nigerian pilotswho are currentlyunemployed, adding that thisis the most pressing amongthe issues agitating the mindsof operators. Addressingaviation reporters in Lagos ,Meggison said “we must nothesitate to add that the taskto rebuild the aviation andairline sector must remain oncourse in the light of manyissues that domestic operatorshave consistently put on thefrontier burner forgovernment’s attention”

He said the number ofunemployed pilots isincreasing from the current200 to an astronomicalnumber when the over 100student pilots’ sent to Jordanby the Kano State governmentwould graduate later thisyear.

“This is in addition to the 52youths trained under theFederal Government Amnestyprogramme as well as thefresh batches of 100graduating from the NigerianCollege of AviationTechnology, NCAT, and the 40from International AviationCollege, IAC, in Ilorin, KwaraState.”

Meggison said unlesssomething fast is done, suchdevelopment constitutes adisincentive to the growthand development of theNigerian aviation industry.

He said well over 400

AAAAAON tasks Buhari tON tasks Buhari tON tasks Buhari tON tasks Buhari tON tasks Buhari to addresso addresso addresso addresso addressunemplounemplounemplounemplounemployyyyyed Nigerian piloed Nigerian piloed Nigerian piloed Nigerian piloed Nigerian pilots’ casets’ casets’ casets’ casets’ case

Nigeria licensed aircraftengineers are also out of job,urging the FederalGovernment to put in place anemployment policy thatwould ensure these aviationprofessionals are engaged byboth indigenous and foreigncarriers operating in thecountry.

According to him, the issues agitating the minds ofoperators, which are notlimited to the following ,include : “The need foraircraft maintenance hangarin the country. The exclusionof domestic airlines by theCentral Bank of Nigeriawindow. The skyrocketingprice of aviation fuel.Multiple tax regime byaviation authorities todomestic carriers .Theremoval of Value Added Tax

(VAT) on air transportationas other modes oftransportation , includingforeign airline operating inand out of Nigeria who arealso not paying VAT.”

“Improvement of service delivery by aeronauticalagencies. Access to singledigit loan by financial

institutions. Engagement ofmore Nigerian pilots /engineers by foreign carriers(over 500 pilots andengineers youthsunemployed ). Multipleentry points granted foreigncarriers. Inadequate airportfacilities and day time onlyoperation of most of ourairport."

He further said “We hopethat as the incomingadministration settles downin office, it will put a strongaviation policy in place andengage AON on how to movethe strategic and air transportsector forward to a placewhere we should be.Aviation is a majorcontributor to Nigeria'seconomy and GDP (from 0.4percent to 10 percent in 2years.

By LAWANI MIKAIRU

The Chairman ofDiscovery Air, Engr.

Babatunde Babalola,weekend, said that theregulatory agency, theNigerian Civil AviationAuthority, NCAA, was wrongto have suspended its AirOperator’s Certificate, AOC,in January this yearfollowing the allegedmaltreatment of itspassengers in December2014. Rather, the airline saidwhat NCAA ought to havedone was to ground itsoperations pending when theissues were resolved.

Babatunde added that the

NCAA erred by suspending our AOC —Discovery Air boss

suspension of its AOC hadled to massive business lossfor the airline and hoped itssuspension would be liftedvery soon for its workers toreturn to work.

He insisted that the offenceof the airline did not warrantthe suspension of its AOCand stressed that since theairline was not involved in anaccident, its AOC ought notto be revoked by NCAA. Hetherefore called forconsistency in the regulationsof the agency.

Babatunde further revealedthat since its operations weregrounded, the airline had lostat least N1bn. The loss of theN1bn according to him

included charters, scheduledoperations and otherrelationships that would havebeen onboard if the airline’sAOC was still intact. Theairline’s operations weresuspended on January 8,2015. He emphasised that theletter written to themanagement of the airline onits suspension ordered it toaddress three issues before itwould be allowed to return tooperations.

The issues according tohim are refunding of airfaresto its passengers who werenot satisfied with the way andmanner they were treated bythe airline, payment ofcompensation to the

passengers and welfares ofstaff, which he said had beenresolved by the airline.

He agreed that the airlinehad some little financialissues before it wassuspended, but requiredbridging loan to sustain itsoperations from financialinstitutions.

He added, “On the salarywelfare of the workers, wehad a meeting with them topay them for the months theyhave worked and even theJanuary that we weresuspended. The other thingwe did again was to issuethem post-dated cheque forthe backlog of salaries weowed them.

SAHCOL getsEuropean UnionACC3 validation

The European Union(EU) has designated

the Skyway AviationHandling Company Limited(SAHCOL) as a 3rd countryEuropean Union AviationSecurity Validated RegulatedAgent.

According to Mr BasilAgbarumi, General Manager,Corporate Communications,SAHCOL, the validationcertificate was issued toSAHCOL after an onsiteconfirmation of theimplementations of thesecurity controls, which werecertified to be in compliancewith the objectives of EU/EEAbound air cargo and air mail.

He said “According to theEU regulations 173/2012 and1082/2012, all air cargo andair mail entering theEuropean Union from Third Countries Airports, otherwisecalled ACC3 should bevalidated and approved bythe appropriate authority froma European Union state to beable to transport securedcargo to the EuropeanUnion.”

EU found“issues “ withGerman aviationregulator

A European regulatorfound “issues” with

Germany’s aviation authorityin a regular review of airsafety enforcement, theEuropean Commission saidon Saturday.

Its statement did not saywhen the review was carriedout, but the Wall StreetJournal said the Commissiontold Berlin in November “toremedy the long-standingproblems” - months before therecent Germanwings crashthat killed all 150 peopleaboard. The Journal cited twopeople familiar with thematter as saying EU officialshad found the aviationauthority, theLuftfahrtbundesamt (LBA),had a lack of staff, whichcould have limited its abilityto carry out checks on planesand crew, such as medicalchecks. Vetting of airlinecrew is in the spotlight afterthe German budget airlineflight crashed in the FrenchAlps. French prosecutors saythey believe co-pilot AndreasLubitz crashed the planedeliberately.

Laboratory technician and NAFDAC staff

We hope thatas theincomingadministrationsettles down inoffice, it willput a strongaviation policyin place

42 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Tax Matter

The Nigerian Tax System

The Nigerian tax system hasundergone significant changes

in recent times. The tax laws arebeing reviewed with the aim ofrepealing obsolete provisions andsimplifying the main ones. Taxationin Nigeria is within theadministrative purview of the threetiers of government, i.e. federal,state, and local governments asstated in the constitution, with eachhaving its tax space delineated bythe Taxes and Levies (Approved Listfor Collection) Act.

In pursuing a vibrant tax fiscalpolicy, the Nigerian government hassince 2002 embarked on series of taxreforms at the federal level.Beginning with the Federal InlandRevenue Service (FIRS)Establishment Act, 2007, the drivehas been on institutional reforms andmodernisation of the Nigerian taxsystem at the federal level. Thesereform efforts cut across tax policies,tax laws and tax administration.

Tax PoliciesTax policies are general statements

of procedure, which guide thethinking and action of all concernedtowards the realization of the statedtax objectives. The tax policies ofNigeria are to:

a. pursue a low tax regimewhich aims at reducing individualtax burden and thereby encouragingsavings and investments;

b. move from the traditionalcoercive method of taxation tovoluntary compliance;

c. engage in taxpayereducation through publicenlightenment;

d. deliberate movement ofemphasis from income tax toconsumption tax which is less proneto tax evasion;

e. introduce self-assessment toencourage taxpayers participation inthe tax assessment process which ismore realistic in approach anddemocratic in nature; and

f. reduce tax evasion andavoidance using the due process oflaw and the mechanism of anefficient tax administration.

In an effort to consolidate andachieve the objectives above, theFederal Inland Revenue Servicecollaborated with the Ministry ofFinance and the Joint Tax Board tolaunch the National Tax Policy in2012. The National Tax Policy is adocument that will revolutionize theNigerian tax system and place it atpar with global practice. It is a bigstep in the modernization of theNigerian tax system and provides afirm basis for tax legislation andimprove the efficiency of tax

Taxation:The Swivel of theEconomy (2)

administration by laying downguidelines and regulations. It alsoenhances the climate for doingbusiness in the country.

Tax LawsThe various legal instruments put

solution - a solution designed to meetthe needs of developing countries thatwish to increase their control overstate revenue. The specific objectivesof ITAS is to make operations faster,increase voluntary compliance,increase revenue generated fornational development and improvethe efficiency and skills competenceof employees in the FIRS.

Overall taxation as a concept shouldbe viewed as a pivot, if not the pivotof economic development and theplatform upon which fiscal policies aredeveloped and implemented.

In this regard, expenditure beingthe other plank of fiscal policy mustalways be tied to revenue and, giventhe general consensus thatexpenditure should as much aspossible be based on available andsustainable resources, taxationprovides the best option for achievingthis harmony between revenue andexpenditure especially in developingcountries. In this way, taxation wouldplay a key - if not the central role insustaining fiscal policy in anyeconomy.

PLANNING TO FILE YOURRETURNS? DO IT BEFORE THEDUE DATES!

It takes more than just paying yourtaxes to be a good taxpayer, you mustensure you pay on or before your taxliability is due; if every taxpayerdecides to pay their taxes only whenthey feel like, or when it is convenientfor them, then they probably may notpay at all since there may never besuch a time that is ‘convenient’ to pay.For this reason, the tax laws aredrafted in such ways as to ensure thattaxes for a particular period are notcarried over to other periods.

The statutory date required for aparticular tax type to be remitted orfiled is called “due date”. Anytaxpayer who remits or files returnsafter the statutory due date isconsidered late and this attractscertain penalties. The Federal InlandRevenue Service (FIRS) is saddledwith the responsibility of ensuring thattaxpayers remit and file their taxes asand when due, and also enforce

penalties where there is lateness. Thelax laws are actually considerate asthey give adequate time to allowtaxpayers prepare to make paymentfor each tax type.

TAX TYPES AND THEIRSTATUTORY DUE DATES

Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE): PAYE isexpected to be remitted by theemployer on behalf of the employeeafter deducting the appropriateamount of tax from the employee’smonthly salary. The deducted tax isexpected to be remitted not later than10 days after the end of the month forwhich the tax was deducted or dutyto deduct arose, i.e. 10th of the monthafter the month deduction was made(Operation of the Pay-As-You-Earn(PAYE) Scheme Regulations Section7(1)). Annual returns must howeverbe filed with the relevant tax authority,not later than 30 days after the end ofthe year of assessment – this is usuallytaken as 31st January of thesucceeding year (Operation of the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) SchemeRegulations Section 10(1)). Failure ofthe employer to deduct or havingdeducted (failure) to pay to therelevant tax authority within thestipulated time from the day theamount was deducted or the time theduty to deduct arose, amounts to anoffence under the Act. Section 94(1)of PITA (as amended) stipulates apenalty of N5,000.00 on conviction,plus N100 for every day in which thefailure continues in addition to theprincipal amount to be remitted.Section 81 (3) of PITA stipulates apenalty of N500,000.00 for corporatebodies and N50,000.00 for individualsfor late filing of annual returns uponconviction.

Personal Income Tax (PIT): Due datefor filing PIT is 90 days after the endof the year, this is usually taken as31st March of the following year (PITASection 41(3). The penalty for latefiling of PIT is the same as that of PAYEas prescribed in the PIT Act in Section82.

Value Added Tax (VAT) &Withholding Tax (WHT): FIRSInformation Circular 9304 on VATprescribes that returns should berendered on or before the 21st day ofthe Month following that in which thesales/supply was made. A taxableperson who fails to submit VAT returnsas stipulated is liable to a fine ofN5,000 for every month in whichfailure continues (VAT Act Section35). The same date applies to the WHT.Failure to deduct or to remit afterdeduction attracts a penalty of 10% ofthe amount of tax to be deducted inaddition to the amount itself plusinterest at prevailing rate (PITASection 74(1) as amended).

Company Income Tax (CIT) &Education Tax (EDT): CITA Section55(3)(a & b) explains that anycompany that has been in existencefor more than eighteen (18) months isrequired to file returns every year notlater than six (6) months after the endof its accounting year. For a newcompany however, returns is expectedto be filed within eighteen (18)months after the company wasincorporated or not later than six (6)months after the end of its firstaccounting period; whichever isearlier. A company can apply inwriting for an extension of the datefor filing their returns for a particularyear, provided the application is madebefore the statutory due date and thatthe company shows a good cause forthe inability to meet the statutory duedate. The penalty for late filing of CITas spelt out in the

in place to ensure the realization ofthe tax policy objectives of thegovernment have also beenundergoing series of reviews andamendments. The notable ones are:PITA CAP P8 LFN 2004 (as Amendedin 2011), Transfer PricingRegulations, 2012, and currently, theredrafting of all tax laws in plainEnglish which is on-going.

Tax AdministrationThere has been a repositioning of

tax administration system rangingfrom tax campaigns, automation ofprocesses, to entrenching a vibranttax refund mechanism. TheIntegrated Tax AdministrationSystem, ITAS is the biggest of therepositioning efforts. It is arevolutionary tax administrationsystem that will ease tax payment aswell as administration.

ITAS is designed to increase revenueyield on a phenomenal scale. It is tobe implemented with the StandardIntegrated Government TaxAdministration (SIGTAS) software

In pursuing avibrant tax fiscalpolicy, the Nigeriangovernment hassince 2002embarked on seriesof tax reforms atthe federal level

Advertising & Promotions

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 43

CMYK

LAUNCH - From Left: Opeyemi Oluwalusi, Zonal Business Manager – West, Ayodeji Oke,Regional Trade Marketing Manager, Ibadan Brewery and Joseph Bodunrin, RegionalBusiness Manager – West at the trade launch of Ace Roots, an innovative herbal mix fromthe stables of Nigerian Breweries Plc in Ibadan.

Advertising is a massiveglobal business. Each

year millions of Naira are spentin attempts to influenceconsumer decisions to persuadethem to spend more onproducts.

The psychology ofconsumerism comparesconsumer trends and thisexplains what ad agencies cantell about the mindsets ofconsumers-taking an in-depthlook into various issues, andhow new shoppers cope, andwhat effect it has on consumers.

According to the WorldHealth Organization, WHO,the term malnutrition generallyrefers both to under-nutritionand over-nutrition, but for mostuses, it refers solely to adeficiency of nutrition.

The Nigerian Public HealthCare System has put in placepolicies and measures to stemmalnutrition, especially amongchildren and mothers. Some ofits efforts include the promotionof Iodine fortification, VitaminA fortification and theMaternal, Neonatal and ChildHealth program. The evidenceshows that a lot more stillremains to be done.

Experts in nutrition teach thatour foods can be classified intofats, carbohydrate, proteins,fruits and vegetables. A properbalance of these food willprovide good health. Animproper balance will bringpoor health, sickness and canresult in early death.

Fruits and vegetables providevitamins and minerals.Proteins supply building blocksfor the body while Fats andcarbohydrate provide heat andenergy to the body. Therecommended proportion offruits and vegetables in a dishshould be at least 25 percent,while 75 percent should beprotein, carbohydrate and fats.

Advertisement Blue Band &health campaignStories by PRINCEWILLEKWUJURU

This should inform the dailydiet of everyone to ensurehealthy living.

Fat is one of the three mainmacronutrients; the other twobeing carbohydrate andprotein. Fats (lipids) are animportant nutrient for healthyliving and serves bothstructural and metabolicfunctions. Fats help transportVitamins A,D,E and K in thebody, and are important for skinand eye health and cognitivefunction. There are twoessential fatty acids (EFAs) inhuman nutrition: Alpha-

linoleic acid (an omega-3 fattyacid) and Linoleic acid (anomega-6 fatty acid). Otherlipids needed by the body canbe synthesized from these and

other fats. Examples of fats areolive, canola, palm oil, soymilk,and nuts.

Since its launch, Blue Bandhas grown with the country andmade several improvements onits formulation to retain itsposition as the brand of choiceamong consumers. It iscertified by the NationalAgency for Food and DrugAdministration and Control(NAFDAC) and endorsed bythe Nutrition Society of Nigeria(NSN). Blue Band is fortifiedwith Vitamin A, B6, B12, D, E,Folic acid and Niacin.

From April 18, 2015bouquet prices on

StarTimes, NTA Star pay –TVwill increase by between 20 to35 percent as a result of newdevelopments and contentofferings.

The new offerings include,Iroko Play, Iroko Plus, AMCSeries, Star Zone and Star

StarTimes increases price, adds more channelsSport Focus. Star Sport Focuscame live in March, otherchannels will be viewed bysubscribers from May 1.

Public Relations Manager,Startimes, NTA Star-TVnetwork, Mr. Israel Bolaji,made the disclosure, whilesaying that the increase isnecessary because of the new

developments and contentborne out of the company’sdesire and commitment to offervalue by enhancing access,improving content and byfurther breaking barriersbetween the people and theplatform and deepening digitalTV penetration in Nigeria.

“Our efforts are also gearedtowards closing the huge gapbetween the people and DigitalTV switch campaign, bycreating a robust and improveddigital television experiencethat is constantly refreshed.Increasingly, more Nigerianscan also gain access to animpactful and explosive digitaltelevision experience,” hestated.

Bolaji explained that with allthese offerings and value, ourdecoder is available for N990with N2400 minimum rechargeof any choice bouquet for newcustomers while our bouquetprice is now Basic for N1,200,Classic for N2,400 and Uniquefor N3,600 monthly respectivelyeffective from April 18.

In what seems like a dream comes true,one of the country’s leading noodles

brand, Indomie, from the stables of DufilPrima Foods Ltd has doled out 100 Ipads tolucky winners of the just-concludedIndomitable Sticker Promo.

Other prizes given include 20,000 goodybags, 30,000 comic books and several otherprizes. The promo which started late last year,witnessed huge participation from all acrossthe country.

For the Indomitable Sticker Promo,participants were required to flash a

Promo: Indomie gives out 100 IpadsBy PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU& CHIOMA OBINNA

particular code embedded in every Indomiepack. Once a participant flashed that code,the phone number is automatically saved ina database. Phone numbers are then randomlyselected from the database for winners toemerge.

Presenting the prizes to the first 20 winnersat its headquarters in Lagos, Brand ManagerDufil, Mr. Amber Yadav, said the motivationfor the Indomitable Sticker promo wasessentially to put smiles on the faces ofconsumers by giving them the opportunity towin fantastic prizes. In the same vein,Manager Public Relations and Events Dufil,Mr. Tope Ashiwaju said that the promo wasabout making consumers happy.

Fayemi to chair NationalMarketing SummitFormer Governor of Ekiti

State, Dr. John KayodeFayemi will chairman the 2015National StakeholdersMarketing Summit holding inLagos next month. The summitis slated for May 5, 2015,organized by Marketing Edgemagazine, a brands andmarketing publication.

In a statement signed byDeputy Editor-in-Chief of thepublication, Mr. Wole David,the former governor whocommended the magazine forthe initiative has indicated hisintention to chair the Summit.

The summit which is insessions; the lecture and theawards will have Chief OluFalomo, former chairman ofAdvertising PractitionersCouncil of Nigeria, APCONpresides over the BrandsExcellence Award in theevening. In the morningsession, brand and marketingexperts including formerAPCON Registrar, Dr. JosefMolokwu and ManagingDirector, Noah’s Ark, Mr. LanreAdisa will be exploring‘Roadmap to Marketing in theAge of Global Oil Glut’ and‘Nigerian Advertising in aGenerational Shift’.

Chi adds 25% moreto Hollandia milkChi Limited, brand

owners of HollandiaEvaporated milk says it hasadded 25 percent extra milk tothe brand. This was disclosedby the Managing Director ofthe company, Mr. DeepanjanRoy in a statement where hesaid: “ we want to drawconsumers’ attention to the 25percent extra milk in HollandiaEvaporated milk 215gram packwhen compared to othercompeting brands at the sameprice.” According to him, “weare committed to ensuring thatour loyal consumers continueto get value and satisfaction formoney whenever they buythe brand.”

Giving a brief history of thebrand, he stated: “the milk isthe first milk brand in Nigeriato be packaged in Tetra pak,taking product packaging andconvenience to a whole newlevel. The product is designedto provide consumers withcreamy, great tasting, highlynutritious and affordableevaporated milk in handy 215gpacks. “Hollandia EvaporatedMilk’s 215g unique packagingensures supreme convenienceas the innovative Pour, Cap &Keep pack eliminates thehassles of milk storage and thedesign ensures longer safetyfrom spoilage andcontamination.”

Blue Band hasgrown with thecountry and madeseveralimprovements on itsformulation

Business & Economy

Email:lesleba@lesleba.com, lesleba@gmail.comBlog page:www.lesleba.com/blog2Website: www.lesleba.comTel:0805 220 1997

44 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

CMYK

Some manufacturers ofmade-in-Nigeria cars may

soon join their counterpartsglobally as they havecommenced exporting theirvehicles to other AfricanCountries.The Director General,National AutomotiveCouncil (NAC), Alhaji AminuJacal disclosed this in astakeholders meeting inLagos recently.Jacal said an Nnewi-basedcar manufacturing company,Innoson VehicleManufacturing (IVM)Company is already in thelead as they have alsoexported their brands to

Nigerian car manufacturers commence exportationneighbouring Ghana, whileanother Nigerian basedmanufacturer is exporting toSouth Africa and CentralAfrican Republic for peace-keeping operations.“They are also exportingmore Nigerian vehicles toRwanda and in fact thePresident of Rwanda usesvehicles made in Nigeria,” hehinted, adding that althoughSouth Africa remains a hub ofvehicle assembly in Africabut that in no distant time,Nigeria may take over as thehighest vehicle manufacturerin the continent.The Director-General furtherstated that the council had

carried out research inEconomic Community ofWest African State (ECOWAS)countries on how toencourage vehicleexportation within the subregion, stressing that theNigerian manufacturers weregiven incentives toencourage vehicleexportation although otherforeign investors are alsoinvolved in the arrangement.“The incentives we gave outto the various investors areto encourage export, because in West Africa we arethe only country that canestablish assembly plants,”Jacal noted.

Omoh Gabriel - Group Business EditorBabajide Komolafe - Deputy Business EditorClara Nwachukwu - Energy EditorPeter Egwuatu - Asst. Business EditorYinka Kolawole - Snr Bus. CorrespondentFavour Nnabugwu - Insurance CorrespondentGodwin Oritse - Maritime CorrespondentGodfrey Bivbere - Maritime CorrespondentMichael Eboh - Energy ReporterFranklin Alli - Industry/Agric. ReporterIfeyinwa Obi - Maritime ReporterRosemary Onuoha - Insurance ReporterNkiruka Nnorom - Capital Market Reporter

CONTRIBUTORSPrincewill Ekwujuru - Media/MarketingJonah Nwokpoku - E-CommerceNaomi Uzor - IndustryProvidence Obuh - Micro FinanceLAYOUT - Graphics Department

The absence of primarykobo coins in our

currency profile has becomeaccepted as the norm by boththe public and our monetaryauthorities who, curiously,don’t seem to also care.Nevertheless, in everysuccessful modern economy,the utility value of primarycoins is conversely wellrecognized because of thevital role they play. Indeed,the absence of primary coinsis often indicative of amonetary strategy, whichconstantly fails to keepinflation within internationalbest practice levels below 2%.

It is, therefore, worrisomethat our economic technocratscan be so impassive despitesuch a debilitating marketambience, not to recognize theinflationary push, forexample, of adopting higherdenominations of N5 or N10to serve the purpose thatprimary kobo coins shouldserve.

In this manner, prices ofgoods and services becomeprogressively, marginallyinflated to the chagrin of thesacrificial consumer.Meanwhile, in thoseeconomies where inflation issuccessfully managed atbelow 2%, prices are stillquoted with primarydenominations of cents andpence to give vendors acompetitive space in themarket. So why are the utilityvalues of primary coins notrecognized by Nigeria’smonetary authorities? Theubiquitous Secondary schoolstudent learns that inflation isgenerally the product of toomuch money chasing fewgoods. The relevant question,then, is what is the source oftoo much money thatceaselessly inundates thesystem; does surplus Naira

Kobo coins and failed monetary strategyfall compulsively like rainfrom heaven, and if not, whichgovernment agency creates orcontrols the supply?

Well, in modern economies,the power to print or createmoney is primarily vested ina nation’s Central Bank,which is also mandated tocreate opportunities forcommercial banks to similarlyexpand or contract theavailability and cost of creditin line with the perceivedneeds of the economy.Regrettably, in our case, as inthe case of other failedeconomies, this collaborationbetween the Central Bank andcommercial banks have, overthe years, created exceedinglysurplus Naira against betterjudgment, such that ExcessNaira purchasing valuesconsistently prevail againstrelatively modest output/supply of goods and servicesto fuel inflation.

Thus, the poverty levelinduced by the unceasing fallin the purchasing value of allincomes, particularly that ofthe poor, is actually theproduct of the prevailing‘anti-social’ partnershipbetween commercial banksand the CBN in themanagement of Nairasupply. Inexplicably, theCBN has persisted instrategically, inducing liberalNaira creations whichcommercial banks receive asdeposits and in a bizarretwist, lend back to the CBNwhenever the Apex Bankembarks on borrowingperceived market surplusNaira so as to reduceconsumer demand andrestrain inflation.

Clearly, as belatedlyadmitted by Ex-GovernorLamido Sanusi, thecommercial banks lend back tothe CBN with interest rates in

excess of 10%, the samegovernment allocations theyreceived as deposits with zerointerest. Projections of CBN’s2015 liquidity mop upoperations suggest that,commercial banks, primarily, would earn overN600bn as interest chargesfrom such “useless”borrowings which make noimpact on stimulatingindustrial activity, as theborrowed funds are simplykept idle in order to reducethe extent of perceived surplus

were auctioned at a fractionof their original cost.

Curiously, no one wassanctioned for this hugewaste; surprisingly, howeverbarely eight months later,Soludo came up with a freshAgenda to produce a newcurrency profile thatredenominated (read asredecimalzed) our currency,such that N100 became N1,while the existing N1 becameone kobo. This was probablyin recognition of the failure ofthe earlier exercise, whichobviously did not considerpurchasing power as a criticalissue for acceptance. However, late PresidentYardua was probably notconvinced that it wasdefensible to produce two setsof currency profiles in a singleyear, and therefore ruled,despite the supposedautonomy of the CBN, that theproject be put on hold. Regrettably, Soludo’sproposal for redenominationwas lumped together with ahealthy recommendation,after over four years of denial,that part of federal allocationsshould be effected in dollarsin order to reduce theunceasing flow of Nairasupply that fuels inflation.Nevertheless, the Nairaexchange rate has sinceplummeted by over 40%,while inflation averaged 7%annually for 8 years, leadingto a loss of close to 60% ofNaira’s purchase value since2007.

Incidentally, despite CBN’spromotion of electronicplatforms, for claimsettlements, Nigerians stillcarry significant cash valuesfor a wide range oftransactions. In this event,former CBN Governor LamidoSanusi, sought to introduce aN5000 note to facilitate

portability; Nigerianshowever quickly recognizedthat this was a sure path tothe eventual issue of N10, 000and N20, 000 notes if the rootcause of inflation, i.e. thesurplus cash syndrome, wasnot successfully addressed;consequently, the publicoutrightly rejected Sanusi’sN5000 note.

Nevertheless, it is alsoobvious that the introductionof increasingly higherdenominations would presentaccounting challenges suchthat with untamed inflation, abottle of coke could easily costN1000 as was the case inGhana when 10,000 cedisexchanged for $1 beforeGhana restructured itscurrency with 4 decimal pointsin 2006-7, to make one newGhana cedis equal to $1.5.

Expectedly, the unarrestedflow of excess cedi supply,which induced double-digitinflation over the years, hasonce again humbled the cedito an exchange rate of 3.6cedis to one dollar or moregraphically 36000 cedis to onedollar before re-denomination8 years ago.

The time is probably ripe fornaira redenomination by saytwo decimal points so thatN2=$1; in this manner, wewill bring back and enjoy theeconomic utility of portabilityand the competitive attributesof primary kobo coins.

Additionally, the adoption ofdollar certificates forpayments of dollardenominated revenue willultimately tame the source ofsurplus Naira and restraininflation below 3%, as thisarrangement will create amarket surplus of dollarsagainst Naira and inevitably,gradually improve the Nairaexchange rate below N2 =$1once Naira is redenominatedby two decimal points.

SAVE THE NAIRA, SAVENIGERIA!!

Naira in the market and avertthe threat of inflation.

The former CBN Governor,Prof Chukwuma Soludo, whopresumably, could not beignorant of the inflationaryimpact of systemic surplusNaira on the purchasingpower of our currency,curiously embarked on thefutile re-introduction ofprimary kobo coins in 2007. Billions of Naira wasexpended on the productionand the collateral campaignfor adoption of the new coinsin denominations of N2, N1and 50K.

Predictably, the coins wererejected by the public, becausethey commanded no realvalue. Ultimately, the coins

The time isprobably ripefor nairaredenominationby say twodecimalpoints so thatN2=$1

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015—45

POContinues from Page 5

Ambode as winner atabout 7. 30 pm havingsatisfied all the require-ments in line with theelectoral act

He said both partiesscored 25 percent ofvotes cast in 20 local gov-ernment areas.

While describing theexercise as one of themost credible elections inthe country, Adewole ex-pressed his appreciationto INEC officials, securi-ty agencies, IG, Sule-iman Abba and AIG, Jo-seph Mbu and other se-curity agencies for pro-viding adequate securi-ty as there was no record-ed life loss throughoutthe exercise.

Representatives of eachof the contesting politi-cal parties later signedthe result sheets.

Ambode, in a swift re-action to his victory asposted on his facebook,thanked all Lagos resi-dents for trusting himand promised to fufill allhis campaign promisesin collaboration withthem.

He said: “Thank You

Lagosians we promise toserve you better. Thankyou for trusting APC, wewill work harder to serveyou better.”

Cancelled votes

Some results were can-celled in some pollingunits in areas like:Mushin, Kosofe, AgegeAlimosho, Epe. The elec-toral officers said the re-sults were cancelled forelectoral offences such asover-voting and thug-gery.

Elliot, LaiMohammed’s son,others declaredwinnersas Obanikoro,Ajomale’s sonslose

The opposition PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)has made in-road into theLagos State House of As-sembly, winning six ofthe 18 seats so far de-clared. Results for 22constituencies are beingawaited. Among the six

PDP House members-elect is an Igbo, Mr Eme-ka Idimogu elected torepresent Oshodi-IsoloConstituency II.

This is as Nollywoodstar, Desmond Elliot ofthe All Progressives Con-gress (APC) won in Su-rulere I constituency andLai Mohammed’s son,Folajimi also of the APCwon the Ikeja I seat.

Meanwhile, SenatorMusiliu Obanikoro’sson, Babajide and ChiefHenry Ajomale’s son,Olayinka, failed to wintheir constituencies. Ba-bajide ran in Eti-Osa IIwhile Olayinka soughtfor the Oshodi-Isolo IIseat.

Alhaji Lai Mohammedis the National PublicitySecretary of the APC;Ajomale is the LagosState Chairman of theAPC while SenatorObanikoro is Minister ofState, Foreign Affairs.

Those elected include:Desmond Elliot (Surul-

ere I), APCMrs Mosunmola San-

godara-Rotimi (Surulere

II), PDPMr Folajimi Moham-

med (Ikeja I), APCAdedamola Kasunmu

(Ikeja II), APCMr Wasiu Sanni (Lagos

Island I), APCMr Giwa Sha-

kirudeeen (Lagos IslandII), APC

Mr Adekanye Oladele(Lagos Mainland I), APC

Mr Moshood Olaren-waju Oshun (LagosMainland II), APC

Hon. Funmilayo Teju-osho (Mushin I), APC

Hon. Olayiwola Ola-wale (Mushin II), APC

Dipo Olorunrinu(Amuwo-Odofin I), PDP

Hakeem Bello (Amu-wo-Odofin II), PDP

Mr Mudashiru Obasa(Agege I), APC

Mr Ishahu Gbolahan(Eti-Osa I), APC

Mr Kazeem Alimi (Eti-Osa II), APC

Mr Oluwa Olatunji Fa-tai (Ajeromi-Ifelodun II),PDP

Mr Shokunle Hakeem(Oshodi-Isolo I), PDP

Mr Emeka Idimogu(Oshodi-Isolo II), PDP

PDP wins 19House seats inOndo as two die

The PDP in Ondo Statewon 19 of the 24 houseof Assembly seats de-clared by INEC in thelast Saturday electionjust as two hoodlumswere shot dead for hi-jacking electoral materi-als.

It’s main oppositionAPC secured five seatswhile the results of Ilaje1 and 11 constituencieswere declared inconclu-sive.

The PDP won inIdanre, Ifedore, EseOdo, Akure South 1,Akure North, AkokoSouth East, Akoko NorthWest 11, Akoko NorthEast, Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo,Irele, Odigbo 1 andOdigbo11, Okitipupa 1and Okitipupa 11, OndoEast, Ondo West 1 andOndo West 11, Ose, andOwo 1.

The opposition APCwon the seats in Owo11,Akoko North West 1,

Akoko South West 1, Ako-ko South west 11 andAkure South 11.

Addressing newsmenin Akure yesterday on theoutcome of the Saturdaypoll, the Resident Elec-toral Commissioner Olu-segun Agbaje said thatthe two electoral offend-ers were shot dead byNaval Officers in the oilrich Ilaje areas of thestate.

Agbaje added thateight guns, six mobilephones belonging toINEC Ad-Hoc staff andother materials belong-ing to the commissionwere recovered from thehoodlums.

Speaking on the elec-tion results Agbaje saidover 35,000 voters weredisenfranchised in the 73units in Ilaje constituen-cies where electoral mate-rials were hijacked by thehoodlums.

Agbaje said that theelection was characterizedby low turn out of votersacross the state and pock-ets of security breaches in

APC sweeps gov polls

Continues from Page 58

46—Vanguard,46—Vanguard,46—Vanguard,46—Vanguard,46—Vanguard, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, APRIL 13, APRIL 13, APRIL 13, APRIL 13, APRIL 13, 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015

NO less than 100 health professionals in Onitsha,

Anambra state have undergonehands-on skills training in vari-ous health fields includingCardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation,CPR, proper usage of a defibril-lator machine, and the use of anEpinephrine pen for anaphylaxisor severe allergic reactions.

At the training sessions con-ducted by the Anambra BusinessCoalition, ABC, a Public PrivatePartnership, of the Anambra Stategovernment in collaboration withRISE Health Corporation, RHC,a US-based organisation repre-sented locally by RISE Clinic Ni-geria at Adazi-Ani in AnaochaLGA,

The training was aimed atboosting manpower developmentin the health sector, in prepara-tion for the challenges ahead inthe health sector reforms in thestate,under a Memorandum ofUnderstanding between the stategovernment and RHC.

Speaking at the event, the state

100 healthprofessionals acquirespecial skills inAnambra State

• Participants at the training session being conducted by officials of RISE Health Corporation, USA.

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccinesdivision of Sanofi, in partnershipwith the Association of PublicHealth Physicians of Nigeria,APHPN, Lagos Chapter, havecalled for an effective andsustained food safety and hygiene

By Nwabueze Okonkwo

quality assurance system to be inplace in the country.

Speaking at a media forum toherald this year’s World HealthDay with the theme “Food Safety”and slogan: "From Farm to Plate,

Make Food Safe", a public healthphysician and APHPN member,Dr. Omotomilayo Odugbemi,observed that food safety is an allcomers’ affair and does not stopon the plate.

Odugbemi who gave anoverview of food safety in thecountry, said the main aim is toprevent food borne illnesses (foodborne diseases and foodpoisoning).

“Everyone has a role to play. Itis multisectoral andmultidisciplinary involving aneffective team work of all thoseresponsible and use of mass andsocial media.

“Food safety is theresponsibility of all includingconsumers. People have to seethe need for ensuring food is safefor human consumption byplaying their part.” Odugbemiargued that people should makeinformed and appropriate foodchoices and embrace acceptablebehaviours, know common foodhazards, how to handle foodsafely and if applicable read/usethe information provided in foodlabelling.

In the view of General Man-ager, Sanofi Pasteur EnglishSpeaking East & West Africa, PaulNjoroge, “Creating a forumto raise

awareness on the importance ofpreventing food and water-bornediseases, awakening all stake-holders from governments to pro-ducers, providers and consumerson their role in ensuring sustain-able food safety and the provisionof superioir and innovative vac-cines for the prevention of dis-eases will culminate to theachievement of our vision of aworld in who no one suffers ordies from a vaccine-preventabledisease.”

Njoroge who recalled the rec-ommendation of the World HealthOrganisation, WHO, that vaccinesare available to protect more than26 infectious diseases, said SanofiPasteur has a broad range of vac-cines protecting against 20 infec-tious diseases includingfoodborne and waterborne dis-eases such as typhoid and chol-era.

Also speaking, Head of PublicAffairs, Sanofi, Nigeria andGhana, Mr. Oladimeji Agboladecalledfor improved awareness onthe part of food handlers and foodproducers. “Food can becomecontaminated at any point ofproduction and distribution, andthe primary responsibility lieswith food producers and the widercommunity,” he noted.

Sanofi Pasteur, APHPN advocate food safety standards

• L-R: Mrs. Kehinde Daniel,Chairperson Institute of Hospitality Nigeria; Dr Kehinde Daniel,PastChairman, APHPN; Mrs Ovy Ohioze, Head,Business Operations, Sanofi Pasteur; Dr Doyin Odubanjo,Chairman APHPN; Dr. Kubie Layeni-Adeyemo, Director Occupational Staff Health Services, LagosState, and Dr Tomi Odugbemi during World Health Day media forum organised by the APHPN inconjuction with Sanofi Pasteur in Lagos last week. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye

By Sola Ogundipe

The training wasaimed at boostingmanpower develop-ment in the healthsector, in prepara-tion for the chal-lenges ahead in thehealth sector re-forms in the state,under an MoUbetween the stategovernment andRHC

Governor, Willie Obiano, said itwas also to stem the tide of "braindrain phenomenon" which ispresently at an alarming propor-tion and which led to the exodusof highly skilled healthcare pro-

fessionals out of the country toseek greener pasture, and also toinstitute proper training arrange-ment to boost manpower devel-opment within the health sectorin the state.

Obiano acknowledged the factthat the state’s health profession-als drifting to the developedcountries were looking for greatercareer opportunities, higher sal-ary scale and better living condi-tions, which explained why thestate administration is out to finda lasting solution to the challenge.which he said is currently crip-

pling the country's health sectoras it leads to a deficiency of quali-fied healthcare workers to prop-erly carter for the growing popu-lation.

Obiano said as one of the pri-mary objectives of the HospitalRe-engineering Project, HRP, thenewly established Anambra Busi-ness Coalition, ABC, was de-signed to provide over 30,000professional training hours tobuild the healthcare workforce inthe state by the end of 2017.

The programme, supervised byChief Executive Officer, RISE

Clinic Nigeria, and Dr. Hien Tran,Vice-President, RISE Health Cor-poration, USA, kicked weekendat White Castle Hotel, Neni,Anaocha LGA, when the ABChosted its maiden Basic Life Sup-port trainings for over 100healthcare professional studentsand community members.

Participants from different com-munities including OrumbaNorth, Ogbaru and Anaocha LGAreceived e area received trainingfrom experts Neurology Unit atEden Medical Center in North-ern California.

WORRIED by theproliferation of food and

water borne diseases such astyphoid, cholera and otherdiarrhoeal diseases in Nigeria,

Vanguard, MONDAY Vanguard, MONDAY Vanguard, MONDAY Vanguard, MONDAY Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, , APRIL 13, , APRIL 13, , APRIL 13, , APRIL 13, 2015—472015—472015—472015—472015—47

No foul play orspiritual undertone— Palace

Epe boat mishap:

•Victims did not wear life jackets

ON April 2, 2011, the Epecommunity in Lagos State

was thrown into mourningfollowing the death of its formerlocal government chairman,Mufutau Remilekun, whodrowned along with one otherperson.

Not only was the incident atragic one in the history of thetown, it also affected its politicalfortune and stability due to thefact that the incident occurred fewdays to the general elections thatyear.

Four years after the boatmishap which sent Mufutau tohis early grave, a similar incidentwas recorded on Saturday March28, 2015, the day set aside for themuch awaited presidential andnational assembly elections inthe country.

On that fateful Saturday, fiveillustrious sons of the land,including the Olu of Epe’s son,lost their lives, no thanks to aboat mishap which occurredaround 2pm when the victimswere heading to a polling boothto cast their votes.

Forces beyondcontrol

Though their intention wassolely to exercise their civic rights,it had ended as a journey of noreturn or a mission that wastragically aborted by forcesbeyond their control.

Nine passengers were on boardthe ill-fated boat from MarineRoad to Mahusa. Fivepassengers met their tragic endwhen the boat capsized a stone’sthrow from the polling booth. Thedead included two siblings,Gbolahan and WaleMogaji(Wale was a director inthe Lagos State Ministry ofChieftaincy Affairs; Aremo KunleAdewale, an All ProgressivesCongress, APC chairmanshipaspirant for Epe localgovernment; Muiz Bello andSamsideen Agoro.

The incident had triggeredshock and confusion among theresidents with many, saying ithad a spiritual undertone, whileothers dismissed this, attributingit to an act of God. The victims

have since been buried accord-ing to Muslim rites. Indeed thosein the position to know used theoccasion of the Fidau prayers lastweek Saturday to dismiss anyinsinuation linking the death ofthe deceased to any foul play orspiritual undertone.

Last Monday, Vanguard wasin Epe community where TheSecretary to the Eko-Epe palace,Alhaji Otunmuniru Ishola, hadthe opportunity to bare his mindon the incident when VanguardMetro, VM, visited last week. Heassured that the tragiccircumstances surrounding thedeath of the deceased would notput undue pressure on thepeople or undermine the politicaldetermination of the town to dowhat is right.

VM observed during the visitthat the bill boards displaying thevictims’ photographs wereplaced at the entrance andjunctions of the town althoughthe palace said the communityhas accepted the incident in goodfaith. The palace secretary whodescribed the incident asunfortunate, said the communityhas prayed against similaroccurrences in the ancient town.He said the community does notascribe any spiritual or traditionalimplication to the incident, areason why the deceased were

buried in different locations andnot at the river bank, accordingto traditional belief. Ishola toldVM the incident has attractedpeople from far and wide whohave been paying condolencevisits to the town.

Epe community comprises Eko-Epe and Ijebu-Epe with Olu ofEpe, Oba Shefiu Adewale andOloja of Epe, Oba KamorudeenAnimasawun as the traditionalrulers. Before the tragic incident,a traditional festival, Kolajolu (amasquerade festival) was to takeplace on Saturday April 4 but thiswas postponed as a result of theFidau prayers.

The secretary also said theincident was a set back to the

AS part of its activities toencourage civic and

selfless responsibilities in Lagos,Spirit of Lagos, a behaviouraltransformation initiative, hasannounced it would hold anaward ceremony on May 27,2015 to celebrate individual andcorporate citizens of Lagos whohave displayed selfless, civicresponsibility and neighbourlyacts to effect positive change inLagos in the last few years.

Olaniyi Omotoso, ProjectDirector, Spirit of Lagos,announced this at a press briefingon Wednesday, April 8, 2015,saying that the ceremony, taggedCitizens’ Day, is part of ongoingSpirit of Lagos activities toencourage Lagos residents torestore, share and protect thosevalues that made Lagos great.

He informed that the awardsceremony which will be in threecategories – individual, publicservice and corporateorganizations – will be chaired byHis Excellency, Babatunde

Spirit of Lagos awards citizensFashola, Executive Governor ofLagos State at a grand event tocommemorate the 48th year of thecreation of Lagos State.

The individual categoryincludes Lifetime AchievementAward – for an elderly citizen,living or dead, who has impactedpositively on the state; Award forCommunity Development – fora citizen who has impactedpositively on his/her community;Award for ExceptionalCommunity – for a communitythat has been able to doexceptional things throughcollaborative efforts; and Awardfor Exceptional Youth– for ayoung resident between the agesof 18 and 25 , with a strongcommitment to societal good.

The Public Service categoriesinclude Lifetime AchievementAward, Role Model Award andRising Star Award, and willreward employees of the LagosState civil service who havedemonstrated dedicated andexcellent performances in thedischarge of their duties.

The corporate organizationscategory will recognize andhonour socially responsiblecorporate bodies – multinationals,emerging corporate bodies andsmall and medium scaleenterprises – that have, in verytangible ways, given back to thesociety in which they operate.

According to Omotoso: “Theaward is to inspire andacknowledge good behavior aswell as engender and sustainattitudinal change among Lagosresidents. The search for theseexceptional citizens andorganizations will extend all the57 LGAs/LCDAs in the state andwill give residents the opportu-nity to identify and nominatethose who they feel are worthyof the awards in their localities.”

He informed that a panel ofjudges made up of men andwomen of impeccable characterand standing in the society willbe appointed to screen andshortlist the prospectivenominees.

Stories by Bose Adelaja

community due to the fact thatall those who died were illustrioussons of the land. “The Mogajiswere blood brothers who travelledhome from overseas to supporttheir friend, while Muiz andAdewale have done theiraccreditation and wanted to casttheir vote when the boatcapsized,” he informed. Goingdown memory lane, the secretaryattributed the incident tooverloading, saying none of thevictims wore life jackets duringthe boat ride. They had all donetheir accreditation but only Muiz’wife had cast her vote as she wasescorted to the Riverine areaBooth 016 Ere-Ise, Epe. But thevictims never returned to their

polling booths before the inci-dent. ‘’They went there in a big-ger boat but returned in a small-er boat. Everything was goingwell until they got to the middleof the sea,’’ he said mournfully.

The monarch mourns: TheOlu of Epe ,Oba Shefiu OlatunjiAdewale was said to be greatlytouched by the incident thoughhe was not available forcomments. But the secretary saidthe king was making every effortto recover from the shock of theincident. “The king is picking upvery well, he had come to termswith the reality of the tragic inci-dent and normalcy has returnedto the town.”

Club houses record lowpatronage: In spite of the Eastercelebrations that Monday, clubhouses and relaxation centresrecorded low turn out of people,although the palace secretary didnot comment on this.

Political activities: Politicalmeetings were held in some partsof the town as some residentsclaimed the political activitiesshould not be allowed to sufferdue to the tragic incident. AlhajiIshola was optimistic that thetown would still present otherillustrious sons for politicaloffices.”We usually look unto thePrince for chieftaincy matters buthis death has created a seriousvacuum and this will not be easyto fill. Our consolation is that wehave many illustrious sons anddaughters who can handle statematters. Epe is an APC town andwe shall not relent because wehope to win the next elections,”he said.

Alhaji Otunmuniru Ishola

The king ispicking up verywell, he had cometo terms with thereality of the tragicincidente andnormalcy hasreturned to thetown

CMYK

48—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

A HURRICANE is a hugestorm that normally clears

almost every physicalimpediment on its way.

Hurricane Buhari had beenlong in formation. When it madelandfall two weeks ago, itcomprehensively removed thehands of the Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP from the gears ofgovernance at the presidencyand parliament.

It was such a comedown for aparty whose officials not too longago boasted that they would rulethe country for an uninterrupted60 year stretch.

Unlike most hurricanes thatlose momentum and savagery asthey go inland, HurricaneBuhari after two weeks was notless savaging as indicationsshowed from the governorshipand state legislative elections atthe weekend.

Nationalparty

Governor Sule Lamido, one ofthe nine men who first conceivedthe idea of a national party in 1998and which eventually crystallisedinto the PDP, had until few weeksago stood like a colossus inJigawa State and had virtuallyrun the opposition out of town.

Reflective of his toweringpolitical image in the state,Governor Lamido had boasted ofdelivering the state to the PDP’spresidential candidate in the

Hurricane Buhari makes landfall

•Buhari: President-elect

EGOS were bruised when long-standing patrons who for long dictated thepace and pattern of policies and politics were buried after the governorshipelections last weekend.

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

2015 election, PresidentGoodluck Jonathan.

In the end not only did he failto deliver the state to his party,his candidate also failed to grab25 per cent of the votes.

All three All ProgressivesCongress, APC, Senatecandidates also rode on thecoattails of Buhari’s victory to winthe three Senate seats for theAPC.

Those who thought that theNational Assembly election wasa fluke for the APC candidatesin Jigawa State, would havebeen shaken to the roots with thephenomenal results that emergedfrom last weekend’sgovernorship election which sawGovernor Lamido’s chosensuccessor lose out in the contestto Buhari’s man.

Alhaji Ibrahim Ringim,Lamido’s chief of staff for eightyears and before then, chief ofstaff to his predecessor wasthrashed in the election thatmany had before the advent ofthe Buhari phenomenon taken asa shoo-in for the governorship.

The defeat of GovernorLamido’s man was despite thegovernor’s acclaimed ranking asone of the best performinggovernors of the 2007 to 2011 set.

It was not just in Jigawa. InBenue a state that the PDP hadsteered almost unchallenged fell

had almost always deflected thewaves from berthing in Katsinaand Kaduna GovernmentHouses. However, last weekend,the PDP embankments easilycollapsed on the strength of whatsome psephologists attributed tothe restraining influence of thecard reader.

Gen. Buhari had before nowalmost always had a problemwinning the governorship for hisparty on account of the internaldivisions among his localsupporters in his home base.

However, this time, the generalhad cleaned his home of all suchchallenges and was able to makea near clean sweep of thegovernorship and almost everyelectable office in Katsina Statedespite the sway of anincumbent PDP governor.

Even more remarkable is thefact that Governor IbrahimShema has in his two terms justlike his predecessor, the lateUmaru Yar‘Adua been acclaimedfor his excellent performance inoffice.

It was particularly bad for thePDP in Kaduna State where theparty lost to the APC despitebeing the government in powerand being the home state of theincumbent and outgoing vice-president, Arc. Namadi Sambo.

The result was particularly

remarkable as the PDP failed tomobilise the votes from itstraditional strongholds inSouthern Kaduna.

It was a sweet revenge also forBuhari in Bauchi when herecovered the state after whatassociates claimed was thepolitical treachery of the outgoinggovernor of the state, Isa Yugudawho after coming to power on thecoattails of the Buhariphenomenon in 2007 decampedfrom the former All NigeriaPeoples Party, ANPP.

Buhari’s conquest of thepolitical space, however, stillremained what some allege to bea sectional wonder. The South-South and Southeast remainedalmost unaffected by theravaging Buhari phenomenon.

Despite the APC’s strengthand structures in Akwa Ibom andRivers States, the party wasunable to make significant gainsin the elections that wereaccording to almost everyaccount marred by violence andwere allegedly manipulated.

Reflective of the PDP’sdetermination to create afortification against the Buhariphenomenon in the Southeast,Vanguard learned of themobilisation of some of itsnational officers to the region inthe days before the election.

Fighting offthe attacks

One of the national officers,Chief Olisa Metuh, wasreportedly well engaged infighting off the attacks by theAPC in Imo State and that fromthe All Progressives GrandAlliance, APGA, in Abia State.

Remarkably, the difficulties ofthe PDP in Abia State whereAPGA was yesterday seriouslyfacing off a challenge from thePDP was largely removed fromthe Buhari effect.

In Adamawa State, the Buharihurricane also ravaged what wasleft of the political weight of theformer anti-graft czar, MallamNuhu Ribadu who moved frombeing a failed presidentialcandidate to a failedgovernorship candidate.

Remarkably, the PDP for thefirst time lost control of the stateto another party on the wave ofthe momentum for Buhari.

For some inexplicable reasons,Buhari failed to win thepresidential election inNasarawa State despite havingan incumbent APC governor inoffice two weeks ago.

However, Governor Al Makura,however, recovered to win thegovernorship for himself lastweekend putting some fibre tohis own political mettle.

An exceptional survivor wasGovernor Ibrahim Dankwambo ofGombe State who survivedpenultimate’s rout of the PDPacross the state to stage himselffor a second term inaugurationon the platform of the PDP.

It was such acomedownfor a partywhoseofficials nottoo long agoboasted thatthey wouldrule thecountry foranuninterrupted60 yearstretch

like a pack of cards to the APClast weekend.

The development in Benuewas, however, not too surprisinggiven the difficulties of the PDPin navigating the rough terrainsset by the outgoing government’sinabilities of paying salaries tocivil servants in the public servicedominated state.

Despite past waves of theBuhari phenomenon, the PDP

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015—49

KADUNA: In Kaduna,former Minister of the

Federal Capital Territory (FCT),Mallam Nasir el-Rufai,defeated Governor MuktarRamalan Yero, who incidentallyis the incumbent.

The death of Patrick IbrahimYakowa paved way for Yero’semergence as the governor ofKaduna State.

It was assumed that with theimage of Vice President NamadiSambo, who also hails from thestate, Yero would have had asmooth ride.

Growingpopularity

But that was never to be. Thegrowing popularity of Mallamel-Rufai and the Buhari tsunamiwere factors that contributed tothe APC gaining upper handin the governorship polls.

And the PDP lostIt was not a surprise that the

PDP lost out in somegovernorship and assemblyseats across the federation.

The reason for the PDP’sdismal performance in thesecond batch of the polls couldbe attributed to the outcome ofthe presidential andparliamentary elections, where

GOV POLLS: Defeat of the incumbentsTHE April 11 governorship and State House of

Assembly elections recorded some major upsets at the endof the exercise.

Perhaps this can be attributed to the recent victory of thePresident-elect, Maj-Gen Muhammudu Buhari (retd) at thepresidential polls a forth night ago where he defeated theincumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan.

By Dapo Akinrefon

•el-rufai

•Yero

Buhari mauled the presidentdespite the power of

incumbency. The party also lostout in Adamawa,Jigawa,

Bauchi, Katsina, Niger andBenue states where second

term governors handpicked theparty’s candidates to replacethem in office.

•Jonathan

LARGELY, the 2015 contesthad the trappings of the

last governorship election in2011 when the formergovernor, Alhaji DanjumaGoje adopted incumbentGovernor IbrahimDankwambo as both hispolitical god son andcandidate for the office.

It was an epic battle thatbrought together four friendswho got divided consequentlyupon their parallel interests.

They included Goje, hiserstwhile Commissioner forFinance, Inuwa Yahaya,Dankwambo who then justresigned as the Accountant-General of the federation andUsman Nafada who was theDeputy Speaker of the Houseof Representatives.

GOMBE: A fight between old friends

Continues on page 50

Goje’s interest inDankwambo obviouslystranded his relationship with

Yahaya who had earlierindicated interest in the firstoffice.

The development did notalso go down well withNafada who also went for theposition.

Remarkably, all of them werein the PDP then and Goje,being the godfathersucceeded eventually in hispreferred choice.

But things have sincechanged for the quartet.

Goje, Yahaya, Nafada hadall ditched PDP for APC wherethey all sought the mandateof Gombe North and Centralrespectively. Fortunately, theywon.

Governorshipticket

For Yahaya, thegovernorship ticket that wasdifficult for him in 2011 camehandy in 2015 courtesy of the

same Goje who never wantedhim.

Analysts say this washowever a conspiracy to edgeDankwambo out having fallenapart with Goje.

Anyone who is familiar withGombe politics wouldobviously not underestimateGoje’s influence.

True to predictions, Gojedemonstrated his politicalfinesse on March 28 NationalAssembly election, defeatedhis former godson and formerchairman of his Akko Localgovernment, Alhaji KumoBello.

The APC also won the othertwo Senate seats.

But the April 11 contest haspulled a surprise to manypeople who thought that Goje

•Goje •Dankwambo

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

Winners have been in a joyful mood while the losers arealready sulking over defeat.

Both the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the AllProgressives Congress, APC, recorded defeats in some oftheir strongholds in the governorship race.

While the APC made some inroads to the PDPstrongholds, the latter did not rest on its oars.

50—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

THE voter apathy thatmarked the governorship

and state assembly electionsacross Nigeria, represents asharp contrast to theimpressive enthusiasmdisplayed by voters duringthe presidential election.

It is a development that hasleft many wondering whatcould have suddenly erodedthe new-found interest in theelectoral process, which manythought had come to stay.

The low turnout was soobvious that every part of thepolitical divide was grippedwith fear over what itportended for the exerciseand the polity.

The development propelledparty chieftains, officials ofIndependent ElectoralCommission, INEC andvoters to express concern.

However, some key issuesbelieved to be responsible forthe dismal participationinclude: the effect ofPresident GoodluckJonathan’s loss, Major-General MuhammaduBuhari’s factor, functionality ofthe Smart Card Readers(SCRs), fear of violence, poorvoter education and INECfactor among others.

Smart cardreaders

In spite of local andinternational commendationstrailing the usage of the SCRsduring the presidential poll,many voters still have little orno confidence in the device.

Their indifference towardsthe SCRs which wasintroduced to minimiserigging, stemmed from thepeculiar technical flawsassociated with its usage.

Given that these challengesaccounted for the inability ofsome to vote during thepresidential poll, the fear ofrecurrence was rife during thegovernorship elections, hencethe decision not to participate.

Some, who spoke toVanguard during thegovernorship cited thescepticism over SCRs asresponsible for theirindifference.

After-effect of PDP’s lossEven though most post-

election predictions hadforetold Buhari’s triumph overJonathan, a few who weresurprised by the victory arestill sulking.

Most affected in this regardare committed members of thePDP and a chunk of thePresident’s admirers.

This element manifested somuch in places where votershad come out en mass duringthe presidential election.

The bandwagon effect on the

POLLS: Why apathy stole the show

By Charles Kumolu

PDP, which has beenmanifesting through the waveof defections to the AllProgressives Congress, APC,no doubt seems like a mortalblow and and resulted in thepoor enthusiasm displayed onthe election day.

Buharifactor

It is not in dispute thatBuhari literally became amovement in the days leadingto the presidential poll.

It was this popular appealthat saw him shattering all thebarriers that had historicallynurtured voter’s apathy in thecountry.

For most analysts, thisunprecedented interest in thepolitical process displayedduring the presidential poll,was not unconnected to thedesire for change whichBuhari seems to epitomise.

With the objectives behindthe popular enthusiasmachieved, many were not tooconcerned about thegovernorship exercise, whichthey felt mattered less.

Fear of violenceIncreasing wave violence

across Nigeria which hasbecome the saddestcommentary about the generalelections, also discouragedvoters from voting.

The worst hit are traditional

volatile states across thecountry where pockets ofviolence were recorded before

and during the elections.Even in states not known for

high incidents of electoralviolence, local rivalry amongparty supporters, unarguably,increased the level of apathy.

Reported cases of electoralviolence recorded during thegovernorship elections inRivers, Akwa Ibom, Plateau,Ebonyi, Benue, Kebbi andBauchi, speak volumes abouthow the fear of violencescared people away from thepolling units.

The violence in these sevenstates led to 16 deaths. Fivepersons were feared killed inBenue; four in Kebbi; twoeach in Rivers and Lagos; andone each in Plateau, Bauchiand Ebonyi.

Poor voter educationIn face of encomiums

pouring in for INEC over the

•Ballot box

credibility of the polls, it isbelieved that the commissionperformed poorly in the areaof voter education.

Though there is a traditionalpre-conceived notion amongNigerians that the outcome ofmost elections is predetermined, in the reckoningof analysts, voter apathywould have been preventedwith a robust voterenlightenment.

INEC had inaugurated theNational Inter-AgencyAdvisory Committee on VoterEducation and Publicity(NICVEP) to ensure propercoordination and monitoringof voter education nation wideand to ensure participation ofmarginalised groups. Butopinions are divided onwhether or not the committeeachieved its objectives.

Given that thesechallengesaccounted for theinability of some tovote during thepresidential poll, thefear of recurrencewas rife during thegovernorshipelections, hence thedecision not toparticipate

would have succeeded in hisquest to unseat Dankwambo.

Luckily for the governor, hewas declared winner.

INEC State returningOfficer, Professor SaminuIbrahim who announced theresult said that Dankwambo

polled a total of 285,369 votesto beat APC ‘s Yahaya whotrailed behind with 205,132votes.

However, the result releasedat the State Collation Centre,also indicated that there wereincidents of ballot boxsnatching at many pollingunits which forced thecancellation of election in

those units.For instance, the Palace of

the District Head of Kasherewhich is Goje’s home townwas razed down.

Meanwhile, the results ofthe state assembly polls werebeing awaited as at the timeof filing this report.

GOMBE: A fight between old friends

Continues from page 49

BEFORE my assumption ofoffice, there had never beenan Ajimobi. I am the first onethat bears the name and I willbe the first Ajimobi to breakthe jinx of second term –Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Given Governor AbiolaAjimobi’s well known speakingabilities, his assertion had beentaken as another of his jokes.

But, as the Chief CollationOfficer for the election, Prof.Ayobami Salami, declared theresults of the governorshipelection yesterday, Ajimobi’s“prophecy” to theconsternation of his politicalfoes turned into a stunningreality.

Since the inception of thePacesetter State, it had almostbecome a spell that no governorwould govern the state for twoconsecutive terms. Except him,all previous governors hadtried and failed to cross thehurdles.

The casualties of that politicalcurse were indeed on paradelast weekend in their desperateeffort to overturn it. Ajimobi waslocked in combat with twoformer governors RasheedLadoja and Adebayo Alao-Akala who had fallen after asingle term each.

As with other governorsbefore him, the Ibadan people,

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015—51

OYO: And Ajimobi broke the jinx

•Ajimobi

By Ola Ajayi

irrespective of the governor’sperformances in office, believeyou are asking too much to beeyeing the second term whereyou have several qualifiedpeople on the queue.

The intrigues that came to playbefore he broke the jinx wereremarkable. Ajimobi was saidto have reserved a senatorial

ticket for Akala just to ease himout of the way. He left it openfor a long time and when Akalaseemed not be interested, thegovernor gave it to Fatai Buhariwho is also a force to reckonwith in Ogbomoso axis.

Still poised to ensure Ajimobidid not win, the oppositionparties came together whenthey noticed that Ajimobi might

be too hard to beat. But, theconspiracy soon vanished asneither Alao-Akala nor Ladojaagreed to step down.

There was no gainsaying thefact that the crisis that finallynailed the PDP to the coffinpaved the way for Ajimobi andmade the race much easier forhim. There was jubilationamong the APC members whenPDP settled for Senator TeslimFolarin as the party ’sgovernorship candidate.

Just few weeks to the election,there were so many subtlemoves to use an Ibadanindigene so that Ibadan peoplecould vote for the candidatechosen. But, Akala, who is fromOgbomoso did not buy the ideaand refused to be part of the

plot and hence decided tocontest on the platform of theLabour Party.

It was on the wake of this thatrumours of a speculatedalignment between Accord andPresident Jonathan emerged.One of the opposition partieswas said to have broadcast thesecret alliance that SenatorLadoja allegedly had withPresident Goodluck Jonathan.Ladoja, however, denied it buthis attempts to wash himself offthe ‘stigma’, was unsuccessful.

Pockets ofviolence

When all these known movesfailed, there was a plan tocause pockets of violence insome parts of the city so thatthe election could bepostponed.

Another factor that probablyhelped Ajimobi to change thehistory of the state was thealleged betrayal by some partyagents who reportedlycompromised and sold out theirloyalty for money.

When it was clear thatAjimobi would win the election,his Commissioner for Works,Bimbo Kolade who was movingon the election day wasattacked by hoodlums whoinflicted injuries on him.

All these failed to change thehistory which was about to bewritten. The results wereannounced and GovernorAjimobi clinched the victory.

IT was a disaster longpredicted to happen. When

eventually the presidentialelection took placepenultimate weekend, itneither passed the benchmarkof the foreign observers northat of many other domesticobservers.

The violence that marred thepresidential election in thestate was as expectedescalated during thegovernorship and legislativeelections given thedetermination of the localchampions to sustain theirpolitical leverages.

In the end as many as sixpersons were killed and manyothers injured in the electionthat as at press time waspredicted to return the PDP topower.

The incumbent governor ofthe state, Governor RotimiAmaechi who marshalled thesuccessful All ProgressivesCongress, APC presidentialcampaign has, however, criedfoul alleging that elections didnot take place in most areasof the country. According tohim the Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP simply wrote

RIVERS: What happened?

results with the assistance ofsecurity men.

To many, several issues ledto the fracas, bombings andshootings that turned the stateinto a war zone and led to therelegation of the peace accordsigned by the PDPgovernorship candidate,Nyesom Wike and DakukuPeterside, governorshipcandidate of APC.

Governorshipcandidate

Even though Rivers isconsidered a stronghold of thePDP, the movement ofGovernor Amaechi into theAPC led to the shift of politicalallegiances that made thestate a battle ground state.

This was especially giventhe fact that the outgoing FirstLady, Mrs Patience Jonathanhails from the state.

One puzzle for many is theincongruity of Amaechidelivering only 65,000 plusvotes to his candidate in thepresidential election when

the PDP scored more than 1,4million votes.

The conclusions by someanalysts posited that thesituation in Rivers can simplybe termed as the more youlook, the less you see.

The First Lady factorThe first lady is seen by

many as the brain behind thevictory of PDP in Rivers State

and though she was not veryvisible in the last days, shewas reported to have returnedto her native Okirika base lastThursday to plan the lastonslaughts against Amaechi’spolitical legacy.

She has been accused offanning the embers of discordin the build up to the generalelections and her factor wasone of the major reasons why

the state became more volatilein the build up to theelections.

During the governorshipelections, some Okrika peoplealso claimed there waswidespread intimidation ofvoters a development thatreportedly made many votersto stay away from the polls.

EthnicityEthnicity was a major factors

that brought about troubleahead of the governorshippolls. There was divisionamong elders in the state onwhom to vote for as the battlewas simply seen as thatbetween the upland and theRiverrine areas.

While it is believed it’s theturn of the Riverrine peopleto produce a governor of thestate, the entrance of Wikeinto the race eventually threwmajority of the people off thebalance.

That was against thebackground of the fact thatWike is from the same Ikwereethnic group that producedAmaechi as governor.

By Gbenga Oke

•Amaechi

THE two men also share theuncommon virtue of having

presided over the most stablechambers of the House ofRepresentatives in the FourthRepublic. Speaker Masari wasthe first and only one to completea four-year stint as a speakerwithout being removed fromoffice. Tambuwal, however,would miss that mark by a fewdays as he would be sworn in asgovernor of Sokoto State few daysto reaching the four year mark.

All other presiding officers ofthe House had their stewardshipstruncated or were called in tocomplete the tenure earliercommenced by someone else.

Politicalintrigues

The first speaker of the Housein the Fourth Republic, AlhajiSalisu Buhari was forced out ofoffice after only few months inoffice and was replaced by AlhajiGhali Na‘abba who completedthe tenure of the House.Na‘abba’s bid to return to officewas swallowed in deep politicalintrigues as he lost the mainelection after easily winning thePeoples Democratic Party, PDPticket. It was widely alleged thathis party worked against him inthe election as it was claimed thatthe leadership of the party didnot want him back in the Houseas a punishment for the troubleshe caused to PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo in the firstterm.

The story of Masari and Tambuwal

FROM PODIUM TO PALACE:

Next month kick-starts a remarkable political encore for two of the country’sforemost parliamentarians. Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of the House ofRepresentatives and former Speaker Aminu Bello Masari will become the firstpresiding officers of the House ever to become governors.

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

In his place, Masari fromKatsina State emerged asspeaker. Masari rode outcontroversies that emergedtowards the end of his tenureafter he made a bid for thegovernorship of his state on theplatform of the PDP.

His bold attempt, however,ended in a political calamity ashe was reportedly schemed outby the then governor of KatsinaState, Alhaji Umaru Yar‘adua. Abitter Masari took his own poundof flesh when he openly sidedwith Governor Peter Odili againstGovernor Yar‘adua in thepresidential primaries of the PDP.His bid failed and it was notsurprising that after Yar‘aduaemerged as president of thecountry that he went into nearpolitical oblivion.

Following the death ofYar‘adua there were reports ofhim trying to emerge among thereformists group in the PDP buttheir efforts were largely ignoredby President Goodluck Jonathanwho eventually sided with thepowerful gang of governors whowanted a sustenance of the statusquo. In apparent frustration,Masari crossed over to team upwith General MuhammaduBuhari and became fanaticallyinvolved in the movement toenthrone Buhari as president onthe platform of the newlyregistered Congress for

Progressive Change, CPC.He also aspired to the

governorship of Katsina State onthe platform of CPC, however, hisbid was swallowed up in theintra-party crisis that bedevilledthe party in Katsina State.Senator Garba Lado, a one-timeclose associate of Yar‘adua wholost out in the PDP after the deathof the president had muscled hisway into the CPC leading to theparty’s presentation of two slates

of candidates for thegovernorship and NationalAssembly elections.

It was no surprise that in thegeneral election that the dividedranks of the CPC lost thegovernorship of the state toGovernor Ibrahim Shema of thePDP in 2011. Masari, however,abided and was able to weatherthe storm this time to emerge firstas the APC candidate and thengovernor-elect.

Speaker Tambuwal’s road to thegovernorship of Sokoto was,however, not as troubled asMasari’s. Tambuwal’semergence as governor-electyesterday was shaped by manypolitical intrigues weaved arounda seeming romantic affection forone of the most energeticpresiding officers of the FourthRepublic.

Tambuwal’s engagement withparliament ironically was helpedby the man he defeated in thegovernorship contest lastSaturday. Tambuwal hadrelocated from Sokoto to Abujaat the advent of the FourthRepublic in 1999 to work as thesenior legislative aide to SenatorAbdallah Wali, the First Senateleader in 1999.

He remained in that office evenafter Wali took the unprecedenteddecision to resign as SenateLeader when Enwerem wasremoved from office despite the

fact that, he Wali, was not indictedfor any offence. Tambuwalremained in office until hedecided to seek election to theHouse of Representatives in theTambuwal Federal Constituency.His decision, however, stoked thebeginning of his departure fromthe political path of Wali as hesought election on the platformof the All Nigeria Peoples Party,ANPP.

Tambuwal was the energeticlegislator whose prospects forhigher office were easy todecipher. In 2007 he againshifted allegiance to the PDP afterthe political meltdown of theANPP in Sokoto State. Heemerged as deputy whip of theHouse that same year despitebeing new in the PDP.

At the beginning of his thirdterm in 2011, Tambuwal weaveda political alliance with PDPmembers in the House to frustratethe zoning permutation of hisparty and emerge speaker of theHouse despite the party’spreference for a candidate fromthe Southwest.

The party leadershipapparently did not forgive him.Tambuwal’s tactful response tothe hostility of the establishmentwas to endear himself to all Housemembers creating one of themost stable chambers of theFourth Republic. His diplomacyand discretion easilyoverwhelmed the subterfugesthat laid against him. LastNovember, Tambuwal eventuallysought political shelter in thenewly created APC and becamethe first speaker of the House ofRepresentatives in the FourthRepublic to have flown the flagof the PDP.

Securitydetails

Vengance was quick in coming,but he weathered it all includinga calculated attempt last year tofence him out from a Housesitting last December. Hissecurity details were alsowithdrawn.

At a point as his popularitysoared within and outside theHouse, Tambuwal became thefocus of political pundits for the2015 presidential contest and itwas not surprising when morethan two dozen House membersbought the presidential form ofthe APC for him last November.However, in the end, with theSokoto governorship zoned tohim as a person by his benefactorsin Sokoto, and with the partyestablishment determined toreap the benefits of the Buhariphenomenon, the speaker optedfor Sokoto governorship.

Yesterday, his quest came tofruition to the consternation of hisone-time mentor, Wali. But almosteveryone who has felt thedexterity of Mr. Speaker knowsthat the Sokoto governorship isa stepping stone to furtherheights.

•Tambuwal •Masari

All otherpresiding officersof the House hadtheirstewardshipstruncated orwere called in tocomplete thetenure earliercommenced bysomeone else

52—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015—53

RESCHEDULEDPOLLS: APCwarns INEC,securityagencies,against bias

By SamuelOyadongha

By Festus Ahon, EgufeYafugborhi, Perez Brisibe

& Ochuko Akuopha

DELTA GOV POLL: Okowa in early lead

ASABA—THE PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,

is leading in results from 14local government areas ofDelta State out of 17 so fardeclared by the IndependentElectoral Commission, INEC,in the governorship election,beating the candidate ofLabour Party, LP, Chief GreatOgboru, who has won in threelocal government areas.

The Collation Officers of thevarious councils in the stateannounced the results at theINEC headquarters in Asabaunder the supervision of thestate Resident ElectoralCommissioner, Mr AniediIkoiwak, with the Labour Partycoming a distant second.

The collation officers startedturning in the results of theelection as early as 5a.m.,Sunday, with the three majorcontending political parties,the All Progressives Congress,APC, Labour Party, LP andPDP, maintaining the top threepositions.

At press time, the resultsfrom 17 councils had beenannounced with the candidateof the PDP, Senator IfeanyiOkowa, in early lead with atotal score of 535,513 voteswhile the candidates of LP,Chief Ogboru and APC,Olorogun O’tega Emerhorpolling 98,775 and 53,600 tocome second and thirdrespectively.

Breakdown of the results asannounced by INEC officialsare as follows: Oshimili North:APC 978, LP 505 and PDP19368. OshimiliSouth: APC1253, LP 1218 and PDP 47938.Bomadi: APC 594, LP 748 andPDP 51974.

Others include Isoko North:APC 4502, LP 748 and PDP51,974. Okpe: APC 3,706, LP7,728 and PDP 12,165. Patani:APC 771, LP 684 and PDP16,421.

Meanwhile, over 200supporters of the LPcandidate, Chief Ogboru,yesterday besieged theentrance to INEC offices inprotest over what theydescribed as electoralmalpractices that trailed thegovernorship and House ofAssembly elections.

The placard-carryingprotesters chanted anti-PDPsongs. The protesters werehowever, repelled bypolicemen, civil defence andother paramilitary securitymen in their hundreds led bythe state Commissioner ofPolice, Mr Alkali Baba, whoblocked the street leading tothe INEC office.

Chief Ogboru, who led theprotesters said he won theelection convincingly andaccused the PDP ofmanipulating and changingthe results overnight to thedetriment of his party.

Calling for the cancellationof the election, based onalleged snatching of ballotboxes in some areas, Ogborualleged that the results fromthe wards were different fromthe ones announced at theINEC office. He also alleged

that the card readers were notused in most of the votingcentres.

Naming Burutu, Bomadi,Warri North, Warri South-West,Isoko North, Isoko South andthe entire Delta North as areaswhere the card readers werenot used, he alleged that“fantastic figures were writtenovernight.”

He insisted that LP would nolonger allow tyrants who havecolonized the state for years tocontinue to rule the state.

He vowed to challenge theresults in court in order toclaim back his victory which,according to him, was beingmanipulated. Ogboru said hewill employ all possible meansto draw the attention of INECto the malpractices and seehow the injustice could beredressed.

He added that Deltans wouldnot be boxed out of the changethat was ongoing throughoutthe nation, adding that DeltaState will not be an exception.

As Ogboru vows to challenge result in court

Edo APC wins 21 out of 24 Assembly seats

By Simon Ebegbulem &Gabriel Enogholase

...as PDP wins Edo South senatorial seat

YENAGOA—A leaderof the All Progressives

Congress, APC, in Bayel-sa State, Chief GodwinSidi, has warned the In-dependent National Elec-toral Commission, INECand other institutions con-nected to the rescheduledstate House of Assemblyelections in the stateagainst compromising intheir responsibilities so asto provide a level playfield for all parties in theelections.

Sidi, in an interviewyesterday, in Yenagoa,accused INEC ofcolluding with the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, toshift the Assembly polls ineight constituencies toApril 18.

Sidi, former YouthLeader PDP South-South,said the reasons advancedby INEC in the state forpostponing the polls inthe eight constituencieswere not tenable, insistingthat INEC should explainthe whereabouts ofelection materials whichnecessitated the shift.

He called on INEC andother institutionsconnected to therescheduled polls tostrictly adhere to theirconstitutional roles andshun partisanship, in thespirit of fairness and inline with global bestpractices.

INEC had, last Friday,rescheduled elections ineight constituencies in thestate namely, EkeremorConstituencies 1, 2 and 3,Kolokuma/Opokumaconstituencies 1 and 2,Sagbama constituencies 1and 2, and Southern IjawConstituency 1, to April18.

The state ResidentElectoral Commissioner,Mr. Baritor Kpagih, hadexplained that the shift inthe affected eightconstituencies in fourcouncils of the state wasin agreement with thestand by stakeholders thatno election should takeplace in the constituencieswithout full complementof ballot papers withregard to the totalPermanent Voter Cardsdistributed.

BENIN—THE AllProgressives Congress,

APC, in Edo State has won 21out of the 24 seats in the stateHouse of Assembly electionsheld on Saturday.

The Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, won three seats inEdo Central senatorial districtof the state.

Meanwhile, unofficialresults in the rescheduled EdoSouth senatorial election inOriomnwon LocalGovernment Area of the state,indicated that the PDPcandidate, Mr MatthewUrhoghide defeated theMinority Whip of the Houseof Representatives and APCcandidate, Mr Samson

Osagie.Results from polling units

indicated that though Osagiedefeated Urhoghide inOriomwon, the poor voter turnout affected his chances ofupturning the about 27,000votes which Urhoghide wasleading with after the March28, National Assemblyelections in six localgovernment areas in EdoSouth.

Meantime, the ResidentElectoral Commissioner inEdo State, Mr Mike Igini, whodeclared that elections havebeen concluded in the state,commended Edo people fortheir support throughout theelections.

Some of the House ofAssembly results in Edo Southindicated that the immediate

past state Commissioner onthe Board of the Niger DeltaDevelopment Commission,NDDC and APC House ofAssembly candidate in IkpobaOkhai, Mr Henry Okwuarobopolled 23,571 as against14,459 polled by the PDPcandidate.

The former chairman of EgorLocal Government Area andAPC House of Assemblycandidate for Egor, Mr CrosbyEribo, polled 19,554 to defeatthe PDP candidate, NosaAdams, who polled 12,233votes. Results from thecollations centres indicatedthat the APC won the entireHouse of Assembly seats inEdo South and Edo Northsenatorial districts of the stateand PDP got three out of thesix in Edo Central.

COLLATION OF RESULTS: Cross section of INEC, political party agents and electionobservers at the INEC headquaters in Rivers State, during the collation of the 2015governorship and House of Assembly election result in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

54—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Police say re-run election in Rivershitch-freeTHE RIVERS State Police

Command, said,yesterday, that it had notrecorded any incident in thesix local governments wherenew elections were takingplace in the state.

Resident ElectoralCommissioner for the state,Mrs. Gesila Khan, had, onSaturday, directed thatelections be held in ninewards located in six localgovernments of the state.

The Public Relations Officerof the command, Mr. AhmadMuhammad, said in PortHarcourt that the commandwas monitoring the re-runelection.

“So far, we have not recordedany incident. Election hasbeen smooth in the areasaffected,” he said.

Elections in Ozuoba Unit 16in Obio/Akpor LocalGovernment Area, accordingto INEC officials and partyagents as saying that theexercise was going onsmoothly.

Mr Sunday Obisike, a PDPpolling agent at the unit, saidthe party was satisfied with theconduct of the election in thearea.

“We have no cause tocomplain so far. The electionhas been going on smoothly,”he said.

The APC agent at the unit,

Mr Nchela Chima, said theparty was also satisfied withthe accreditation and votingprocess.

“ As you can see, peoplehave started voting here.Accreditation was okay and weare impressed with theexercise,” he said.

At Ogbogoro Unit 24, Ward16 in the local government, an

INEC staff who remainedanonymous, said thoughaccreditation did not start intime, the exercise in the unithad been smooth.

Mr Stone Chukwu, aresident of the area, said hecast his ballot and was satisfiedwith the exercise.

‘’ I have voted and I amsatisfied with the voting in our

unit,” he said.However, the All

Progressives Congress, APCagent at the unit, Miss JaneWoko, said they had initialchallenge with the CardReader.

‘’ The challenge had beenovercome and voting is goingon here,” she said.

GOV POLL:

PDP leads innine C’RiverLGAs

By Ike Uchechukwu

CALABAR—THEP e o p l e s

Democratic Party, PDP,is overwhelminglyleading other politicalparties in thegovernorship electionin Cross River State.

From the resultsreleased so far by theIndependent electoralcommission, INEC, thePDP is ahead in ninelocal government areasof the state.

The resultsannounced so far arethat of Bakassi,Akpabuyo, CalabarSouth, Calabarmunicipality, Abi,Bekwarra, Ogoja,Obanlinku, Obubra.PDP is leading in all.

Results of theremaining nine councilsare still being expected.The state has 18 localgovernment areas.

The results weredeclared by returningofficers in the presenceof the ResidentE l e c t o r a lCommissioner, Dr.Sylvester Ezeani andthe Chief ReturningOfficer.

Amaechi accuses policemen of collision with electoral fraudsters

GOVERNOR ROTIMIAmaechi of Rivers

State, has alleged that the

police in the state wereplanning on doctoring thenumber of persons arrested in

Tai Local Government Area ofthe state during Saturday’sgovernorship and House of

Assembly elections.Governor Amaechi in a

statement by his Chief Press

Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor,said “information justreaching us indicates that thePolice in Rivers State want todoctor the statements of about110 persons arrested forelectoral offences and crimesin Tai Local Government ofRivers State duringSaturday’s governorship andHouse of Assembly elections.

“The persons arrestedinclude 75 National YouthService Corps, NYSC,members who are adhoc staffof the Independent NationalElectoral Commission, INEC.They were arrested with theelectoral materials of about 9wards by Mopol 56 in RiversState.

“They were caught thumb-printing ballot papers for amajor political partycandidates in the privateresidence of the partychieftain in Tai.

“We have been reliablyinformed that the police nowwant to doctor their statements,in a bid to exonerate theculprits caught thumb-printingballot papers for the politicalparty in Tai, so that the culpritscan be subsequently released,”the governor added.

Abia governorship election result stalemated

UMUAHIA —THEresults of Saturday’s

governorship election inAbia stalemated mid-wayfollowing the reversal of thecancellation of three localgovernments results by theReturning Off icer, Prof.Benjamin Ozumba.

Ozumba had announcedthe cancellation of resultsfrom Osisioma, Obingwaand Isialangwa North LocalGovernment Areas on thegrounds o f“incontrovertible evidenceof violence” and reportsf rom internat ionalobservers.

The re turning o f f icerreversed the decision afterGov. Theodore Or j i - ledchieftains of PDP consultedwith the Resident ElectoralOfficer, REC, Prof. SelinaOko and Ozumba.

Ozumba sa id the

cancellation was reverseddue to fresh informationconcerning the conduct ofthe election in the threecouncil areas.

He sa id that pol l ingcentres with issues wouldbe isolated and decisionstaken on them later.

The polling agent of theAl l Progress ives GrandAl l iance , APGA, ChiefAhamdi Nweke, hadquestioned the rationalebehind the decision by thereturning officer to reversehis earlier pronouncement.

Nweke ins is ted thatelections did not take placein Osisioma, adding thatthe party would not acceptany result from the area.

He tendered a hand-wri t ten note repor tedlysigned by the Commissionerof Police, Mr Habila Joshak,indicating that electoral

materials recovered fromthe bush in Osisioma werein the police custody.

Joshak, who was presentat the centre , d id notcontrover t Nweke’sassertion.

Proceedings were laterdisrupted a f ter aninternational observer, MsShirle Wilson, from NobleLeadership Ini t ia t ive ,United Kingdom, testifiedat the centre that “electiondid not take p lace inOsisioma”.

Wison said that election inthe area was marred byviolence and snatching ofbal lo t boxes and othere lectora l mater ia ls byhoodlums.

The pronouncementheightened tension at thecentre , leading to theadjournment o f fur therannouncement of results.

The controversial resultfrom Osisioma, which hadearlier been announced,showed that PDP scored42,442, while APGA polled1017.

Meanwhile, results from10 local government areashave so far beenannounced.

In his react ion, APGAgovernorship candidateAlex Ott i described thegovernor ’s appearance atthe collation centre as “anabuse of power, designed tointimidate and exert undueinfluence on the electoralofficials”.

The governor wasaccompanied by theMinis ter o f Sta te forDefence, Rtd. Col. AustinAkobundu, PDP’s NationalPublicity Secretary, OlisaMetuh, and Chief OnyemaUgochukwu, among others.

THANKSGIVING: From left: Cathedral Senior Steward, Abiona Babarinde ; Bishop, LagosWest Diocese, Rt. Rev. Oluyemisi Ogunlere; Cathedral Presbyter, Very Rev. Kolade Odu, allof Methodist Church Nigeria during the Easter Thanksgiving Church Service at the MethodistCathedral, Palm Avenue, Lagos.

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 55

BRIEFING: National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, AlhajiLai Mohammed (middle); Mr Femi Odutade, his Personal Assistant and others at a pressconfernce on national issues by Mohammed...weekend. Photo by Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

PDP Reps member-elect attacked in LagosBy Charles Kumolu

LAGOS—A PEOPLESDemocratic Party, PDP,

House of Representativesmember-elect in Lagos State, Mr.Oghene Egoh was on Thursdayattacked by suspected assassinsat Mile 2 area of the state.

The incident happened at 9: 30pm when Oghene, a nonindigine elected to representAmuwo Odofin/Ifelodun FederalConstituency was returning froma political meeting.

Narrating his ordeal toVanguard, he noted that until theincident happened, he wasoblivious that he was beingtrailed from the Island where hehad attended the forum that wasconvened as part of his party’spreparation for yesterday ’sgovernorship elections.

It was also gathered that hisSports Utility Vehicle, SUV, wasdamaged by the gang of threemen, who rode in a black colouredSUV.

Oghene’s SUV which iscurrently in the premises of AreaL Police Division, Satellite Town,was badly damaged by thesuspected attackers.

Further speaking on his ordeal,Oghene said: “In my life, I havenever come this close to death. Ithank God for saving my life. Iwas returning from a meetingfrom a political meeting at LagosIsland around 9.30pm and Inoticed that my driver wasdriving roughly along theNational Theatre Bridge.

“I cautioned him not knowingwhat was happening and whilehe was driving, I was receivingcalls. When we got to mile-two,there was traffic and all of asudden I heard loud noise insidemy vehicle, only to notice that mycar side glasses had beenshattered completely. I tried

hiding in my vehicle, prayingto God.

“Unfortunately, my drivermoved close to a trailer andhit a Camry vehicle in ourfront. The owners of thevehicle came out but thosewho attacked us ran, thinkingthat the Camry owners werepart of my security details.”

“It was a coaster vehiclethat saved my situation andcarried me to Alakija, whereI boarded a commercial busto Area “L” Police Commandand reported the case. Thiswas about 10.30pm,” he said.

When asked if he has beenreceiving death threats, he said

that in as much as he wassuspecting some politicalundertone, he also urged theelectorate to vote candidates oftheir choice without fear orfavour. I have not received anydeath threats from anyone andI don’t know who could dosuch thing.

''My opponents concededdefeat when we all heard theresults. We should not useviolence as a means for victoryduring or after elections. Myadvice to the masses is to comeout en masse and vote whoeverthey believe would move thestate forward.”

Giving his account of the

incident, his driver, Mr.Sunday Achibong said: “Theywere following us from Ijoraand I drove faster. My bosscautioned me but he did notknow what was going on.When we got to mile-two, theattackers drew me out of thevehicle and our vehicle hit aCamry. My boss managed toescape. It was a terribleexperience.” He said.

The state police spokesman,DSP Kenneth Nwosuconfirmed that Egoh onThursday night reported a caseof attempted assassination,adding that the command isinvestigating the incident.

D O U A L A (CAMEROON)—

THE management ofDangote Cement Plc hasassured the governmentof Cameroon that it wouldhelp shore up localproduction of the vitalproduct following the banon importation of cementinto Cameroon.

The assurance came inthe wake of the formallaunching of thecompany’s high grade42.5 cement type into theCameroonian market aftera successful inaugurationof the company’s 1.5mMTPA capacity cementplant in Douala.

The Dangote Cementmanagement also toldnewsmen during a facilitytour in Cameroon that itappreciated the gesture ofthe Camerooniangovernment and that theban was a vote ofconfidence on the abilityof cement manufacturersin the country, especiallyDangote Cement, to meetand surpass localconsumption demands.

Already, with the additionof the Dangote’s 1.5mMTPA, Engr AbdullahiBaba, a, General Managerand head of Cameroonianfactory, explained that thethree manufacturers ofcement in the country areabout surpassing localconsumption demands andthat Dangote managementare already looking towardsexport prospects toneighboring countries toCameroon.

According to Baba,Cameroon with aconsumption growth of 8per cent, and with a localproduction of 2.9m MTPA,the Dangote managementwas looking at exportpotentials in Chad,Central African Republic,Garbon, EquitorialGuinea and Togo even asthe Company considersfuture expansion.

He explained that theplant has one of the mostrecent facilities of ensuringthat there is no dustemission duringproduction.

The General Managerstated that the companyhas put strategies inplace to achieve 30 percent market share, notingthat there was also plans ofachieving 30 per centexport of total production.

Dangotemoves toproducecement inCameroon

By Peter Egwuatu

A B U J A — F O R M E RMilitary Governor of

Kaduna State, Colonel AbubakarUmar (retd) yesterday urged thePresident- elect, GeneralMuhammadu Buhari, retd to bemindful of those he described asmere fair weather friends as hetakes over governance in May 29.

In a statement issuedyesterday, Umar also urgedBuhari to ignore what hedescribed as the treacherousactions of those opportunists whowere presently dumping thePeoples Democratic Party, PDP forthe All Progressives Congress,APC barely two weeks after thePresidential election.

The former military also assuredPresident Goodluck Jonathan ofhis unalloyed loyalty and

“steadfast” friendship as heprepares to face life outsidepower.

According to Colonel Umar inhis statement, “A famous politicalscientist once warned that”thecareer of a politician is toouncertain to make any firmcommitment to him. “Although Ifind this warning immoral anddistasteful it truly represents theattitude and behavioural patternof most of the so called friendsand loyalists of men in power.Most are mere fair weatherfriends.

“Come 29th May 2015President Jonathan will handoverpower to the winner of the 28thMarch 2015 Presidential electionGen Muhammadu Buhari. Withthis seeming loss of politicalpower he will also lose a largeretinue of friends and loyalists;

people who would swear by hisname a couple of weeks ago. ThePresident like most of hispredecessors will suffer the painof betrayal.

“I however assure him thatthere are still genuine friendswho will be by him through life’schallenges out of power.

“I also wish to advise him toignore the treacherous actions ofthose opportunists who aredecamping from his party, thePDP to APC at this late hour.These are people who will nothesitate to renounce God in theirpursuit of ephemeral worldlypower. They are worthless anda great embarrassment to decentpeople and bad role models tofuture generations.

“Let me use this opportunity todispel the wicked rumour that mycloseness with President

Jonathan has always been onaccount of some material favourshe extended to me. Nothing canbe further from the truth.

''I swear and affirm that I havenever, directly or indirectly, beenawarded an oil or non - oilcontract by President Jonathan orhis Government , as evidence willprove later. What I received andcherish above all is tremendousrespect from the President. Iintend to expatiate on this in duecourse.

“Let me also express myrespect and admiration forPresident Jonathan’s nationalisticand altruistic decision to concedeand congratulate the winnereven before the final results wereofficially announced. ThePresident behaved like thestatesman I have always knownhim to be, thereby saving thecountry assured implosionhad he behaved otherwise.''

...Says they are shameless fair weather friends

Beware of those dumping PDP for APC, Umar cautions Buhari

By Henry Umoru

56 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

Syrian army bombs Aleppo school, kills 9people

A group monitoringthe Syrian war said

at least nine peopleincluding five childrenwere killed in a Syrianarmy air strike that hit aschool in a rebel-heldarea of the country ’ssecond city Aleppo on

Sunday, though the armydenied the report.

A Syrian army sourcetold Reuters the armyhad stepped up attackson rebels since theinsurgents bombarded ag o v e r n m e n t - h e l dresidential area in thenorthwestern city on

Saturday. But he said themilitary had not targetedcivilians.

Aleppo is a majorfrontline in the four-year-old Syrian civil war,a conflict which theUnited Nations says haskilled around 220,000people.

Hillary Clinton has spent more than two decadesin the public as first lady, secretary of state andsenator

Kerry defends presentation onIran nuclear deal

U.S. Secretary of StateJohn Kerry defended

yesterday his presentationof a framework agreementon Iran’s nuclear programafter a differentinterpretation was offered byIran’s supreme leader, anda prominent U.S. senatorsaid Kerry was “delusional.”

“I will stand by every factthat I have said,” Kerry toldABC’s “This Week.”

Iran’s Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei hadstrong words last week

about Iran’s agreementwith major world powers,declaring that once a finaldeal was reached it shouldresult in an immediate endto all sanctions on Iran.

Kerry has said thesanctions would besuspended in phases.

“You know, they’re goingto put their spin on theirpoint of view and obviouslythey’ll allege that we’reputting a spin on our pointof view,” Kerry said of theIranian comments.

US reporter faces ‘espionage’charges in Iran

A Washington Postjournalist detained

in Iran for over eightmonths is accused of“espionage” and “actingagainst nationalsecurity,” thesemiofficial Fars newsagency reportedyesterday.

The report did notelaborate on the sourceof the information, butthe agency is regardedas close to Iran’s hard-liners.

Iranian officials havesaid Jason Rezaian isfacing “security ”

charges and that he willstand trial in the Revo-lutionary Court, whichmainly hears cases in-volving security offens-es.

Rezaian, along with hiswife, Yeganeh Salehi,and two photojournalistswere detained on July 22in Tehran. All were laterreleased except Rezaian,who is a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen. Irandoes not recognize dualnationality.

The Post, U.S. officialsand Rezaian’s motherhave called for hisrelease.

Hillary Clinton declares 2016 Democraticpresidential bid

HILLARY Clintonyesterday put an

end to months ofspeculation by officiallyannouncing hercandidacy for president,giving the formersecretary of state anothershot at cracking thehighest glass ceiling inAmerican politics.

The initial word camein an email to supportersfrom John Podesta, alongtime Clinton ally,then a video launchedon YouTube and a newlylaunched Facebook page

“I’m getting ready to dosomething too. I’mrunning for president,”Clinton said in thevideo. “EverydayAmericans need achampion, and I want tobe that champion so youcan do more than just getby you can get ahead.And stay ahead. Because

when families arestrong, America isstrong. So I’m hittingthe road to earn yourvote, because it’s yourtime. And I hope you’lljoin me on this journey.”

The video was shot lastweek, a campaignofficial told CNN.

Clinton’s part was shot inNew York with the rest ofthe video includes shootsall over the countryincluding Iowa and NewHampshire, a campaignofficial told CNN.

Clinton was at herhome in New York for the

launch of her campaign.She will be making somecalls to top DemocratsSunday, as will hersenior staff, according toa campaign official.

Following the videorelease, the Clintoncampaign sent our apress release detailingher next steps.

“She’s committed tospending the next six toeight weeks in a ‘rampup’ period where herteam will start to build anation-wide grassrootsorganization, and shewill spend her timeengaging directly withvoters,” according to therelease. “In May, onceher supporters in all 50states are organized forhouse parties or to watchover live streams, Hillarywill hold her first rallyand deliver the speech tokick off her campaign.”

Pope sparks row with Turkey, callsArmenian massacre genocide

POPE Francis sparked adiplomatic row

yesterday by calling themassacre of up to 1.5million Armenians 100years ago “the firstgenocide of the 20thcentury,” promptingTurkey to accuse him ofinciting hatred.

Muslim Turkey acceptsthat many ChristianArmenians died in clasheswith Ottoman soldiersbeginning in 1915, whenArmenia was part of theempire ruled fromIstanbul, but denieshundreds of thousandswere killed and that thisamounted to genocide.

At an Armenian riteMass in St. Peter’s Basilicato mark the 100thanniversary of the masskillings, Francis becamethe first head of the RomanCatholic Church to publiclypronounce the word“genocide” to describethem.

Some European andSouth American countriesuse the term to describe thekillings, but the UnitedStates and some others,keen to maintain goodrelations with an importantally, avoid doing so.

Turkey was swift toprotest. “The pope’sstatements, which are farfrom historical and judicialfacts, cannot be accepted,”Foreign Minister Mevlut

Cavusoglu said on hisTwitter account.

“Religious offices are notplaces to incite hatred andrevenge with baselessaccusations,” he said.

The foreign ministrycalled its ambassador to theHoly See back to Ankara,and summoned theVatican’s ambassador,saying Francis’ remarkshad caused a “problem oftrust” in diplomaticrelations.

Pope John Paul II andArmenian ApostolicChurch Supreme PatriarchKerekin II called themassacre “the firstgenocide of the 20thcentury” in 2001, but thatwas in a joint writtenstatement.

Francis, who hasdisregarded many aspectsof protocol since becomingpope two years ago, utteredthe phrase during a privatemeeting at the Vatican withan Armenian delegation in2013, prompting a strongprotest from Ankara.

Catholicos Aram I, the spiritual head of theArmenian Apostolic Church, left, walks past PopeFrancis during an Armenian-Rite Mass tocommemorate the 100th anniversary of theArmenian Genocide, in St. Peter’s Basilica, at theVatican yesterday

Obama meets RaulCastro, launches newera of US/Cuba ties

From left: U.S. President Barack Obama, andhis Cuban counterpart Raul Castro shake hands asU.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (R) looks on,before the inauguration of the VII Summit of theAmericas in Panama City,

ENDING a decades-long standstill in U.S

and Cuba relations,President Barack Obamamet for an hour at theweekend with his Cubancounterpart Raul Castro,the first time the twonations’ top leaders havesat down for substantivetalks in more than 50 years.

The meeting in a smallconference room on thesidelines of the Summit ofthe Americas came as thetwo countries work to endthe Cold War enmity thathad led to a total freeze ofdiplomatic ties. And whileboth leaders proclaimedprogress had been made,a key stumbling blockCuba’s place on the U.S.list of countries that

sponsor terror - remainedunresolved.

“This is obviously anhistoric meeting,” Obamasaid at the beginning of hissession with Castro,claiming that decades ofstrain had done little tobenefit either Cubans orcitizens of the UnitedStates.

“It was time for us to trysomething new,” he said.“We are now in a positionto move on a path towardthe future.”

Castro, who earlier in theday said he trusted Obama,acknowledged there wouldbe difficult stumblingblocks as his nation worksto repair ties with theUnited States.

VANGUARD, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 57

Women cry during the funeral of a student who was killed in the attack onGarissa University, at Mutunguru Catholic church in Kiambu, Kenya at theweekend.

One killed, 150 hurt in Kenyastampede after power cable blast

Astudent waskilled while 150 more

were hurt in a stampedeyesterday when anelectrical blast sparkedfears of a new Islamist attackon a Kenyan universitycampus.

Some students jumpedfrom as high as the fifthfloor of a hostel at theUniversity of Nairobi

campus after the pre-dawnexplosion, vice-chancellorPeter Mbithi told AFP.

“It was total chaosbecause we thought now itis our turn after Garissa,”student Michael Njugunawas quoted by Kenyanmedia as saying.

A shocked Kenya is onedge after the April 2 attack

by Somalia’s Shebabinsurgents on Garissauniversity that killed 148people, almost all of themstudents.

Education Minister JacobKaimenyi said Sunday’sexplosion occurred ataround 5:30 am whilestudents were sleeping onthe university’s Kikuyu

campus about 20 kilome-tres (12 miles) west of thecapital.

“A power cable blew upoutside the student hostel.The hostel itself was notaffected, but the studentsthought it was an attack,”said Mbithi.

“Some students jumpedout,” and “there was also astampede”, said Mbithi.“One student died afterjumping from the fifthfloor.”

Student Spencer Kimanisaid he jumped out of awindow, but onlysustained minor injuries.

“The blast was so loud, Ihad to jump out of bed andrun,” he said.

About 150 were injured,mostly lightly, while 20remain in hospital fortreatment.

“There is no cause foralarm but we canunderstand their fears afterthe recent incident,”Nairobi police chiefBenson Kibue said,confirming that a powercable explosion wasbehind the incident."

The embassy has been closed for several months

Libya violence: Shooting at S/Korea embassyin Tripoli

TWO people have beenkilled and another

wounded in a shootingoutside the South Koreanembassy in the Libyancapital Tripoli, securityofficials say.

Gunmen opened fire froma passing car on a securitypost, killing a guard and acivilian, and wounding asecond guard.

There were no SouthKorean casualties and theembassy was empty at thetime, the country’s Foreign

Ministry said.The militant group Islamic

State said it carried out theattack.

A South Korean ForeignMinistry official, quoted byAP, said the attackhappened just aftermidnight on Sunday.

Three South Koreannationals - two of themdiplomats - were in the

official residence at the time,which is in the samecompound, the officialadded. They were unhurt.

The embassy itself hasbeen closed for severalmonths, but officialscontinue to use it.

Libya has been in turmoilsince the Nato-backedremoval of former leaderMuammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Egypt Muslim Brotherhood verdicts‘blatantly unjust’, says human rights watch

AN Egyptian court’sdecision to sentence

14 men to death and jail37 others accused of tiesto the outlawed MuslimBrotherhood was“politically motivated”and “blatantly unjust”,Human Rights Watch(HRW) said yesterday.

The court condemned

Muslim Brotherhoodleader Mohamed Badieand 13 other seniormembers of the group todeath on Saturday.Amer ican-Egypt ianMohamed Soltan, the sonof a Brotherhood preacherwho received a deathsentence at the samehearing, was among those

sentenced to life in jail.The men were among

thousands of peopledetained after freelyelected Islamist presidentMohamed Mursi wastoppled in 2013 by themilitary under AbdelFattah al-Sisi, who is nowpresident.

2 Malian soldiers killed, othersinjured in landmine explosion

TWO Malian soldierswere killed and

others were woundedyesterday when theirvehicle struck a landmine

in the center of the WestAfrican nation, a defenseministry official said.

The incident occurredin the morning near thetown of Diabaly, around500 km (310 miles)northeast of the capitalBamako, said ministryspokesman Diaran Kone,who gave no furtherdetails.

Diabaly was the sceneof intense clashes in 2013when Malian and Frenchforces fought to driveback al Qaeda-linkedIslamist groups that hadseized the northern two-thirds of the country ayear earlier.

Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula hitby deadly bomb attacks

AT least 13 peoplehave been killed in

separate bomb attacks inEgypt’s Sinai Peninsula,security forces have said.

At least six people diedand 30 others wereinjured in an explosionoutside a police stationin El-Arish.

Elsewhere, sevensoldiers lost their livesand two were woundedin an attack on anarmoured vehicle, nearthe northern town ofSheikh Zuweid.

Militants from the SinaiProvince group,affiliated to Islamic State,

have said they carriedout the attacks.

A statement on a Twitterpage attributed to thegroup read: “Anarmoured personnelcarrier for the army of theapostates wasdestroyed... killing andwounding all aboard.”

Sinai has becomeincreasingly lawlesssince Egyptian PresidentHosni Mubarak wasoverthrown in 2011.Insurgents haveintensified attacks sincehis Islamist successorMohammed Morsi wasousted in 2013.

Opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) leaderHelen Zille

S/Africa opposition leadersteps down

SOUTH Africa’sopposition leader

Helen Zille said yester-day that she would stepdown from her positionat the party congressnext month.

Her departure is seenby many as anopportunity for a blackleader to take the helmof Democratic Allianceas it continues itscrusade to win blacksupport.

Zille, a white womanwho has been the DAleader since 2007, saidher decision not to stand

for re-election was in theinterests of the party.

“Facing the upcomingcongress I have spentmonths wonderingwhether it is time to gonow... therefore, (I)decided not to makemyself available for re-election as leader at theforthcoming congress,”she said in a statement.

The 64-year-old saidshe would howeverremain premier of theWestern Cape, whichincludes the city of CapeTown, and the onlyregion not governed by

Somali refugees flee Yemenfighting to return home

SOMALI refugees inYemen are now

coming back to their war-torn home as fightingrages in the Middle Eastcountry, officials said atthe weekend.

A boat carrying 260Somali refugees, many ofthem women, childrenand elderly, has becomethe latest to dock atSomalia’s Bossasso portin the Puntland semi-autonomous region.

“About 420 people havearrived previously andwe are also expectingmany more,” saidAbdulahi Hashi,Puntland’s deputyinterior minister.

According to theUnited Nations’ refugeeagency, the flow ofrefugees fleeing theHorn of Africa for Yemenhas gone into reversenow that the Middle Eastcountry is engulfed infighting betweensupporters of thepresident and Shiiterebels.

“In the past 10 days,some 900 people havecrossed the Gulf Aden toDjibouti, Somalia’sPuntland andSomaliland,” said astatement by UNHCR,adding that thosefleeing also includedYemenis.

some local governmentareas.

He listed the areas toinclude Akoko NorthWest, Akoko south West,Ese Odo, Idanre, Ilaje,Irele, Okitipupa,OndoEast, Owo and Ose.

Amosun’s victory:PDP kicks, allegesirregularities

The PDP in Ogun Statehas kicked against thedeclaration of SenatorIbikunle Amosun as win-ner of the governorshipelection in the state.

The party said the de-velopment “ is clearly nota true reflection of Ogunpeople’s wish and it willbe challenged as appro-priate”.

The INEC in the statehad declared Amosunwho is the candidate ofthe All Progressives Con-gress as governor-electhaving polled 306,988votes to defeat the PDPgovernorship candidatein the state, PrinceGboyega Isiaka whopolled 201,440 votes.

Reacting to Amosun’sdeclaration, the party,through the GboyegaNasir Isiaka CampaignOrganization declaredthe gubernatorial election“as very unfortunate anda travesty staged to helpthe APC achieve victory”.

The party in a state-ment signed by Directorof Media , IfekayodeAkinbode , said “where-as , INEC declared APCthe winner with 307,008votes and the PDP com-ing second with 201,440votes, we are not oblivi-ous of the clear manipu-lations, misrepresenta-tions, underhand deal-ings and outright riggingby the APC; and most un-fortunately with the cul-pability of INEC.

“Let us quickly stateemphatically that we aredispleased with the out-come of the governorshipelection particularly asbeing irregular in mostaspects.

“However, we muststate a few facts here tosupport our preliminaryposition. Before the elec-tion, we alerted that hugenumbers of uncollectedPermanent Voters Cards(PVCs) were in the pos-session of APC stalwartswith the intention to givesame to their party mem-bers for use with activeconnivance of compro-mised corps membersand INEC staff.

“This was indeed whathappened. Secondly, onthe election date, Ogunpeople trooped out andactually voted for the PDP.

As at 3pm we were actu-ally receiving good re-sults from all over thestate as results were be-ing announced and post-ed from various pollingbooths.

“This was the situationuntil Sen. Amosun defiedthe electoral law andmoved out of his pollingzone into other areas ofAbeokuta and then to Sa-gamu, Ota and Ifo localgovernment areas with afull retinue of buses.

“What followed werereports of snatching ofballot boxes and stuffingof same in these loca-tions. Same manipulationhappened enroute thecollation centres.

“It was for these rea-sons that some PDPagents refused to signthe results sheets; yet theumpire went ahead toannounce results despitethe overvoting, result fal-sification, harassment ofour party agents and oth-er irregularities. Clearly,the huge votes from Oguncentral local governmentsof Abeokuta North,Abeokuta South, Odeda,Obafemi Owode as wellas Ado Odo/Ota localgovernments in OgunWest Senatorial districtwere a true reflection ofthe rigging.

“It is in the light of theforegoing that our legalofficers and the party arelooking at the results andthey shall come up witha clear position on thiselection that was marredwith gross irregularities.We implore our support-ers, party faithful and in-deed Ogun people to re-main calm. We appreciatethe support, trust andconfidence reposed onPrince Gboyega NasirIsiaka.

“He remains committedto making Life MoreAbundant for the massesand so shall it remain.God bless Ogun State”,the party said.

Ahmed winsin Kwara

The Chief ReturningOfficer of gubernatorialelection in Kwara State,Professor Musbau Akanjiyesterday declared thegubernatorial candidateof the All ProgressivesCongress (APC)Governor AbdulfatahAhmed as winner of theelection.

Professor Akanji saidthat Governor Ahmedwho was seeking re-election polled 295,832votes to defeat thecandidate of the PDPSenator Simeon Ajibolawho scored 115,220 votes

and came far secondwhile the candidate ofLabour Party Dr MikeOmotosho polled 2,973 tocome third.

Similarly, the APC asdeclared by the respectivereturning officers won allthe twenty four House ofAssembly seats across the16 local governments inthe state.

Ugwuanyiwins Enuguguber poll

The PDP, candidate inthe April 11 governorshipelection, Mr. IfeanyiUgwuanyi has won with482,277 votes against hismain challenger of theAPC, Okey Ezea whopolled 43,839 votes.

Returning officer of theelection, Prof. HillaryEdoga, Vice Chancellor,Federal University ofAgriculture, Umudike,Abia State, announcedthe result precisely at 3.36p.m. at the INEC office,Independence Layout,Enugu.

The announcement wasfollowed with wildjubilation as residents ofEnugu made bonfiresalong strategic streets inEnugu metropolis.

However, the APCcandidate in a pressconference called for thecancellation of theelection.

“As far as we areconcerned, there was noelection in Enugu State,

so we call on the INEC tocancel the exercise andfix a date for a fresh elec-tion

“We cannot continuewith this rubbish inEnugu State any longer;all of you are witnessesto what happenedyesterday and if that iswhat we should expect inEnugu State, it is veryunfortunate.

“They want to push usout of the politics ofEnugu State but that willnot happen; we shallnever give up,” he said.

BENUE: Ortomwins gov poll

The APC, governorshipcandidate in Benue State,Dr. Samuel Ortom hasemerged the winner oflast Saturday ’sgovernorship elections inthe state.

In the results so farcollated by INEC inMakurdi, from 22 out of23 local governmentareas of the state, Dr.Ortom polled 394,047votes to defeat Mr.Terhemen Tarzoor of thePDP who polled 302,324votes.

Though the votes fromBuruku LocalGovernment Area werebeing expected at presstime, it was not expectedto alter the outcome of theentire result.

As it stands, thedifference between thevotes garnered by the

APC and PDP candidatesis 91,723.

Meantime, the PDPwon 15 of the State Houseof Assembly seats so farreleased by the electoralbody, the APC had 10,Labour Party secured oneseat while results fromfour state constituencieswere still being awaited.

The Speaker of theHouse ofRepresentatives, AminuWaziri Tambuwal, wasyesterday declaredwinner of the Sokoto Stategovernorship election.

The state’s Collationand Returning Officer,Prof. Abdullahi Bagudu ,who is a Deputy ViceChancellor, UsmanDanfodio University,Sokoto, declared thatTambuwal polled thehighest number of votesin Saturday ’sgovernorship election inthe state.

Announcing the resultsat about 7.15 p.m, Prof.Abdullahi Bagududisclosed that the totalvotes cast were 958,736while total valid voteswere 926,682 and voidedvotes were 32,054

Tambuwal polled647,609 votes, while thePDP candidate, Sen.Abdallah Wali scored269,074

The Speaker won in all23 local governmentareas, while his PDPchallenger did not win inany local government.

In the State House of

Assembly election, theAPC won 28 seats, PDPwon two while PDM gotone seat.

Stalematein Abia

There was stalemate inAbia State, yesterday.after the returning officerfor the governorshipelection reversed himselfon the cancellation of theresults in three localgovernment areasfollowing a visit to theINEC office by GovernorTheodore Orji.

Earlier, the returningofficer for the election,Prof. BenjaminOzurumba, had cancelledthe results presented forOsisioma, Obingwa andIsiala Ngwa North on thebasis of allegedirregularities. Thedecision was, however,vehemently challengedby officials of the PDPleading to a stalematethat was only broken afterthe visit of Governor Orjito the INEC office wherehe held private meetingswith the REC.

The decision torevalidate the resultsfrom the three localgovernment areas, has,however, been seriouslyrejected by the APGArepresentatives at thecollation centre. BothAPGA and PDP wererunning neck and neckin the results, at presstime.

APC sweeps gov polls

Continues from Page 45

58—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

From left: Arc. Abimbola Ajayi, immediate Past Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects; MuniraShonibare, Chief Executive Officer, IO Furniture Limited; Arc. Ladipo Lewis, Chairman, NigerianInstitute of Architects, Lagos Chapter; and Arc. Titi Adeleye, Vice Chairman, Nigerian Institute ofArchitects, Lagos Chapter, during a courtesy visit and facility tour of the IO Furniture LTD, in Lagosby members of the Nigerian Institute of Architects.

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 —59

Venezuela envoy seeks retraction ofexecutive order by Obama

By Vera Samuel Anyagafu &Victoria Ojeme

THE Head of Mission,Bolivarian Republic of

Venezuela to Nigeria, Mr.Miguelancel Vecchia, has askedthe United States President,Barrack Obama, to make effortstoward retracting the executiveorder against his country,stressing that both countries havealready severed the diplomaticrelationship shared.

Vecchia, who spoke during apress conference in Abuja, alsostated that the US government,in conformity with internationalobligations, should respectVenezuela’s self-determinationand the right of its people to freelychoose their own path.

According to the VenezuelanHead of Mission, Obama hadrecently authorised new sanctionsagainst officials of Venezuelawhich has sparked reactions fromdifferent countries, expressingthat the US president cited“erosion of human rightsguarantees, persecution ofpolitical opponents, curtailment ofpress freedoms, use of violenceand human rights violations and

abuses in response to anti-government protests, arbitraryarrest and detention ofantigovernment protestors,among others,” as reasons for thedecision.

In a similar development, theHead of Mission suggested thatPresident Obama steer clear of hiscountry’s internal politics,accusing the US government ofplotting to dominate Venezuela’seconomy.

“The United States wants todominate the world, especiallyour country. We have a lot ofresources; mineral resources. Weare rich country and they want totake our resources. Venezuela likeNigeria is rich. Nigeria andVenezuela are almost the samecountry. Nigeria has petroleum,Venezuela has petroleum.Nigeria has rice, Venezuela hasrice. All the natural resources youhave here in Nigeria, we have inVenezuela”, he pointed out.

He further stated that “the USdoes not like our internal politics.They do not like the revolution,former President, Hugo CharegFrias and our current president,Nicolas MaduroMoros. Theywant to take the power of the

the world. This is very differentfrom the United States ofAmerica’s interest,” hesubmitted.

Still embittered with thesituation, Vecchia stressed thatthe US government had madeseveral efforts in the past to takecontrol of Venezuela’s economy,but failed, explaining that “In2010, the president of the UnitedStates removed the visa from ourambassador in the United Statesof America because they wantedan intervention in Venezuela.And we removed our visa to theambassador of United States inVenezuela as well. We havesevered the diplomaticrelationship between our

countries." He also allegedthat the US governmentfinanced the coup d’état of2002 through the enemy ofVenezuela governmentagainst former presidentHugo CharegFrias.

“Who financed this coupd’état against HugoCharegFrias? This is importantquestion. We know it was theUnited States,” he declared,while accusing the US ofplanning to block Venezuela’seconomy.

However, he pointed out thathis government is prepared todefend Venezuela’s economyand flag. “We are peace lovingcountry. And my message toBarrack Obama is, ‘withdrawthis executive order and respectVenezuela. Venezuela is a freecountry,” he concluded.

Turkey, Nigeria to expandtourism and commerce sectors

THE Minister ofIndustry, Trade

and Investment,Olusegun Aganga, hasexpressed the need forTurkey and Nigeria toexpand bilateralrelationships in bothcountries commerceand tourism sectors.

According to theMinister, bilateral tradebetween Nigeria andTurkey currently standsat US$2.5 billionannually, emphasisingthat plans are on theway to expandcooperation betweenthe two countries in theinvestment, commerceand tourism sectors.

While noting thatstrengthening bothcountries' partnershipsin the above mentionedsectors of the twocountries’ economies isimperative to healthierbi-national relations atthe occasion whichmarked TurkishAirline’s firstappearance at theNnamdi AzikiweInternational AirportAbuja, the TurkishAmbassador to Nigeria,Ambassador MustafaPulat, stated thatNigeria is Turkey'smost cherished partnerand the developmentwitnessed in respect of

the maiden flight fromNigeria to Istanbulwas a game changer.

He said that the newdevelopment will hascut down traveldistance betweenTurkey and Nigeria,saying that Istanbul-Abuja connection willmake a big difference,especially for businesspeople and investors,as it willbring Turkeycloser to Nigeria.

Similarly, TurkishA i r l i n e srepresentative, Mr.Ahmet Olmustur, saidthat Turkish Airlinesnow have 261destinations aroundthe world and Abujawill make it 262.“Turkish Airlines hadover 37 destinations inAfrica and Abujabecame the 38th, andmy hope is thatNigeria and Turkeywill continue tostrengthen theirpartnership. It isworthy of note thatTurkish Airlines nowhas five direct flightsfrom Abuja to Istanbulper a week and fromLagos to Istanbul alldays of the week. Inaddition, we also flyfrom Kano to Istanbulfour times per week”,Ahmet said.

petroleum.And for these,they want totake control ofthe internalpolitics inVenezuela”,stressing that,“We do notwant war ormore powers.We just wantto help thepeople around

Map of Venezuela

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YOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

60 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

L E I S U R ETHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard EromoseleSAGITTARIUS: Your creativity quotient within yourworking arena will today be enhanced. You’ll be blamed ifyou keep official issues secrets from your challenges atwork.

CAPRICORN: After a few tension soaked days, you’llhave the needed opportunity to look through windows ofthe world and have your way as well. Magnetic and/or magicdays is predicted for lovers today.

AQUARIUS: Even if you continue to work under pressurevia increased workload, you will have good results to showfor your efforts today. Be steadfast.

PISCES: Better than yesterday. And the more co-operativeyou are today the better for you. Those of you travelling forlove are in for an exciting day.

ARIES: Those of you willing to let go hard feelings atwork are for a progressive day to the betterment of yourfinances. Let go yesterday, move ahead.

TAURUS: Once again, you’ll have the needed opportunityto assert yourself to the administration of others. Both loveand financial success can be yours with efforts. Reasonwith your tried and trusted friends.

GEMINI: You can make it a successful day with positiveapproach on your part. You will be in a better position todefuse tension within your working arena. Try to be moreambitious.

CANCER: Yes! You’re not scared a bit even, whenopposition and/or competition come your way but, if yougive in to diplomatic approach, you’ll fare better today.

LEO: Pressure that came your way suddenly will giveway unexpectedly, today, to the betterment of your course.The more financially ambitious you are today, the better foryou. Be steadfast.

VIRGO: You sincerely believe in intelligent argument ordiscussion. And if you allow your ability to be diplomaticcome to play today, you’ll be better for it. Enjoy your lovelife.

LIBRA: You’ll tend to become both creative andpersuasive to the administration of others. Then thosewho’ve been resisting secret love may slip suddenly andbecome excited.

SCORPIO: Even if opposition persists, supports you aregetting from the influential people will be enough to seeyou through. Yet, the more cooperative you are the better.

What’s my Horoscope?Dear Joshua,According to the date I was born I should be a Libran by my star

but most of the time when I read horoscopes written by both yourselfand foreign Astrologers Scorpio always applicable to me, why?

Kindly tell me how tha planets lined up when I was born and thaday of the week I was born but don’t publish my date of birth.

Ben, Abuja.

Dear Ben,You were born on a Sunday. You were wrong to have taken Libra

as your Sun sign because the Sun was placed in early degree ofScorpio together with many other heavenly bodies. Then with theMoon in Libra when you were born will equally be influential inyour characteristics build up but, you are mainly a Scorpio bornperson

YOUR HOROSCOPE DATADay of Birth = SundaySun Sign = Scorpio. Sun in Zero Degree of ScorpioMoon Sign = Libra: Moon in 5th Degree of LibraMercury in 12th Degree of ScorpioVenus in Zero Degree of SagittariusMars in 1st Degree of AquariusJupiter in 29th Degree of CancerSaturn in 10th Degree of ScorpioUranus in 27th Degree of CancerNeptune in 25th Degree of LibraPluto in 26th Degree of LeoNorth Node in 8th Degree of CapricornSouth Node in 8th Degree of CancerNo planet in earth spar sign, one in available, two in fire, three in

air, four in cardinal, fixed and water star signs hosted five planetseach.

PHYSICAL INFLUENCE = 50%NON-PHYSICAL INFLUENCE =50%PLANET AT HOME = NONEANALYSIS OF THE HOROSCOPE DATAYou are both an intelligent and emotional person. And as there was

planet at home when you were born, too many ideas will alwaysstruggle for prominent place in your mind, thus decision making isdifficult but most times, your intelligence comes to the rescue.

Certainly, you appear to other as a gentle person who can bemistaken for soft fellow but your inner-self is the personality witha steel like will power.

The BeautyWithoutTHE inner cup

and the outside,which is more im-portant? I mean thecontest of the cupand the cup itself,which is more impor-tant?

This question be-comes pertinent be-

cause of the way weare going about ourre-branding project.Can you reform evil?Can you start the pro-cess of reformationwithout? Can the

body be well whenthe head is sick? Lookat the motor vehicletruck/trailer, when onthe reverse, the otherbody stands still. Thisis so because the

head give direction tothe body. Nigeria islike a trailer.

We don’t need towaste billions on re-branding. All weneed is the rightleadership. When theleader does the rightthing, Nigerians willdo the right thing too.

Think about it!

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 61

Awoniyi fires Nigeria to All AfricaGamesA BRACE by striker

Taiwo Awoniyiqualified Nigeria to thefootball event of the 2015All Africa Gamesyesterday as they beathosts Zambia 2-1.

Both teams played outa 0-0 draw in Abujathree weeks ago forNigeria’s Dream TeamVI to go through 2-1 onaggregate.

On Sunday, Zambiaattacked from the onsetand created severalchances, but it was 17-year-old Awoniyi,drafted into the team forthis return match, whoput the visitors ahead on34 minutes.

Zambia continued topile on the pressure andthey were rewarded inthe 76th with theequaliser throughsubstitute Friday Samufrom close range after hewas set up by ShederackMalambo.

However, Awoniyi putthis encounter beyondthe Zambians with justminutes to spare withhis second strike.

Two minutes afterAwoniyi’s winner,goalkeeper Danieldenied Zambia a secondequaliser as he tippedMoses Phiri’s effort overthe bar for a corner.

Mukuka Mulenga andMalambo were torn inNigeria’s flesh andwithin the first 20minutes they forced twocorner kicks and severalgoal attempts.

In the 22nd minute,Sodiq Atanda Ololadealmost put Nigeriaahead when his headeroff a corner kick flewwide.

A minute later, Zambiawere unlucky as aneffort at goal came off thepost.

In the 50th minute,Ronald Kampamba shotwide from close range.

Bolt poses with Obama

WHEN PresidentObama met Usain

Bolt he could not resistjoining the world-classsprinter in striking hispose

The fastest and themost powerful men inthe world met in Jamaicathis week, as USPresident Barack Obamavisited Jamaica andposed with Usain Bolt.

Obama said he ‘had tosay hi’ to Bolt, the fastestsprinter of all time, whenhe became the firstAmerican President tovisit the island since1982.

And when Obama met

Bolt he could not resistjoining the world-classsprinter in striking histrademark ‘lightningpose’.

Murray ties the knot with Kim Sears

In the 56th minute,goalkeeper EmmanuelDaniel made a daring

save off Samu’s striketo keep Nigeria ahead1-0.

Andy Murray and his wife Kim are all smiles aftertying the knot at Dunblane Cathedral

ANDY Murray tiedthe knot with Kim

Sears on Saturday atDunblane Cathedral, asthousands of fans waitedoutside to greet thecouple.

The tennis star, whoannounced hisengagement inNovember last year, tiedthe knot in the 12thcentury cathedral beforea relatively small groupof their family membersand close friends.

Reverend ColinRenwick, led the service.

Hundreds of well-wishers gathered on the

streets around the ca-thedral and one of thebiggest cheer so far hasbeen reserved for JudyMurray, who arrivedjust before 4.00pmlooking resplendent in awhite, to-the-kneeovercoat with a detailedgold dress.The outfitwas topped off with adramatic gold hat.

This morning, thehistoric cathedral sawflorists toting hugebouquets of flowersarrive to decorate thechurch - as hailstonesand showers battered thevenue.

Okocha wants end tocoaching sagaFORMER Nigeria

captain Jay-JayOkocha urged thecountry ’s footballauthority to swiftlyresolve the nationalteam’s managerialvacancy in order toprevent further setbacks.

Daniel Amokachi hasbeen in charge of Nigeriaon a temporary basissince December following

lengthy contractual talksbetween Stephen Keshiand the Nigeria FootballFederation (NFF).

NFF president AmajuPinnick announced twoweeks ago that a two-yeardeal has been approvedfor Keshi to continue buta contract is yet to besigned.

Okocha, who won theNations Cup in 1994 andwas part of the gold-medal winning team atthe 1996 Olympics inAtlanta, believes delaysin the contractual processare hampering plans forthe qualificationcampaign for the 2017Africa Cup of Nations inGabon.

“We need to resolve thiscoaching situation quicklyto prevent anothertroubled qualifying racefor the Nations Cup,”Okocha said.

Ujah nets 10thgoal in Colognethriller

N I G E R I Ainternational

striker Anthony Ujah wasamong the goals as hisGerman Bundesliga sideCologne beat Hoffeinheim3-2 in a five-goal thriller onSunday.

Ujah struck in the 54thminute to give Cologne,who played with one mandown, a 2-0 lead.

He has now scored 10goals in the Bundesligathis season.

Cologne are now 11th onthe league table with 33points from 23 games.

Ike Uche earns Villarrealpoint on the road

IKECHUKWU Uchewas Villarreal’s hero as

he scored to earn them apoint off hosts Getafe ina league game Sunday.

Villarreal are sixth onthe table with 52 pointsfrom 32 games.

Uche scored in the 52nd

minute to put his team infront, but Diego Castroequalised for Uche’sformer club in the 64thminute.

Uche has now scoredsix goals in La Liga thisseason.

Oparanozie looks towards Olympic Games

SUPER Falcons striker, Desire Oparano-

zie, says the next step forthem is qualifying for theRio 2016 Olympic Gamesafter they qualified forthe 2015 All AfricaGames.

The African championsFriday booked theirplace at the All AfricaGames in Congo with an

8-0 trouncing of Mali,and Oparanozie, whoscored a brace in that bigwin, says the next targetis qualifying for the 2016Olympic Games in Bra-zil.

“The next target for usnow is to qualify for theOlympic Games which iswhat we are looking for-ward to.

“We have put the winover Mali behind us nowand we are concentratingon the Olympic Gamesqualifiers because we allwant to participate at theOlympic Games.

“We want to represent ourcountry in Brazil and hope-fully we will get the ticketto the Games when the timecomes,” she stated.

•Awoniyi

•Bolt

CMYK

62 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

,

,

The Egyptianchallenge

THE fear of the Pharaohs is the beginning ofwisdom” is a popular saying that is running

through Nigeria’s football circles.Since the draws of the Nations Cup Gabon 2017

was made public, we have not rested. It has becomefashionable for any sports writer you meet to askyou about Nigeria’s chances in a group that hasEgypt.

Traditionally we have always been paired with theso called minnows in African football, yet failed to,or found it difficult to qualify. This time, Egypt loomslarge. Before now , such a pairing would have beenunthinkable, the two power houses of Africanfootball, normally would have found themselves inthe same pot, but not any more as the seven timeswinners of the diadem could not even qualify forthe two last editions!

What chances Nigeria?The re emergence of coach Stephen Keshi on the

Nigeria football scene coincided with the inabilityto qualify for the Equatorial Guinea/Gabon NationsCup under Coach Samson Siasia. The AminuMaigari led NFF Board spared no funds, efforts andfriendly matches to guarantee the building of a teamthat was to wipe the Nations Cup tears of Nigerians.

With the phrase “work in progress” as the orderof the day, Coach Keshi embarked on a campingand recamping of domestic league players andinvitation of various shades of .players as we builtthe blocks of foundation of a brand new team.

By the time we won the Nations Cup in SouthAfrica , the team had not arrived, yet there was apopular belief that the foundation had been laid andthe nucleus of an emerging Super Eagles built.

That dream was evaporated as ego, “ I am incharge” syndrome, lucre worship, pecuniary abuseand indiscipline contributed in destroying theNations Cup progress. Most of the players that weretaken to the World Cup had no business being therewhile genuine stars were dropped on flimsy excusesas the coach decided to run the team as a personalestate damning popular views of concernedNigerians as to the invitation of fitter and qualityplayers.

But for the forced inclusion of players like OsazeOdemnwigie and Joseph Yobo, our world Cup woewould have been magnified.

The summary of this was that by the time wereturned from the world cup, there was so muchpandemonium in the house of football, on and offthe pitch. That we decided to paper the failure andpretend everything was okay in Brazil cost usdearly, when, expectedly, we failed to qualify forthe Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea.

Just recently we took advantage of the FIFA windowto play two friendly matches against Uganda andSouth Africa and the results of the two matches haveleft a sour taste in our mouths, confirming that wehave embarked on another “work in progress” as

we try another rebuilding process with some funnycharacters appearing on the horizon in the name ofplayers, even as the Nations Cup draw hassucceeded in opening our eyes to the reality of ourcontinued maladroitness.

At this stage, one is tempted to renact the coachhiring drama of the NFF. In an effort to arrest thesituation he inherited, Amaju Pinnick and his boardmet a brick wall that not only forced their hands butexposed them to the “political realities of oursports”. It has gotten to the point where the populacedecided to resign to fate, abandoning the call forthe appointment of a quality coach. Now that thePharaohs are at the door, the call is for a coach, anycoach, “ just give us a coach”

What are our chances?With no team on the ground, with average players

strewn all over the place, our clubs disgraced out ofAfrica too early in the day, ( The reverse is the casein Egypt where domestic players form the nucleusof the National team) our chances are slim, giventhe time available to us before the opening match (June 12)

However , with a coach coming in on Monday( Iwas told,) some of us can now go to sleep and allowhim to navigate the terrain that has been made“simpler” by the luck of the draw. With due respectto Tanzania and Chad, our journey commences onJune 13 AT HOME (capitals mine) against Chad.That should give us the chance to kick start ourcampaign on a safe footing, with two months toprepare for the next clash in September againstTanzania, which is another opportunity to stabilizeBEFORE we face Egypt six months later, AT HOMEfirst and away later all within a week.( March 23-292016)

What the draw implies is that we would havefinished with Egypt before settling down to plot andround up qualification with the last two matchesagainst Chad and Tanzania. Very arithmetic if youask me, yet we could not have asked for a betterdraw.

So, what are our chances? With prayers, bright.See you next week.

Now that thePharaohs are at thedoor, the call is for acoach, any coach, “ justgive us a coach”

“

Kalu raises 2017 AFCON alarmBY JUDE OPARA,Abuja

AS Nigerianscontinue to react to

the 2017 Africa Cup ofNations draw whichpitched the SuperEagles in Group Galongside Egypt, Chadand Tanzania, theNigerian FootballFederation (NFF) hasbeen advised toimmediately hire asubstantive coach tohandle the seniornational team, the SuperEagles so as to avoid thedisaster of not qualifyingfor the championship.

A sports enthusiast,Mascot Uzor Kalu toldSports Vanguard inAbuja over the weekendthat the NFF must avoidthe pitfall of last yearwhich denied thecountry the opportunityof going to defend thetrophy she won in 2013by making haste toemploy a coach.

The 2013 championswho incidentally missedout of the last edition inEquatorial Guinea areyet to have a managerafter Coach StephenKeshi’s contract end inJune 2014.

“It is a high timeKeshi and the NFF puttheir house in order,”Kalu said, adding, “it iseither he is the coachor he is not, we can’ttalk about going to playa Nations Cup qualifi-ers without a strongteam. We don’t have acoach. We always put inlast minute prepara-tions and expect a re-sounding record.

“Go and watch otherAfrican countries, theyhave already startedtraining but we are stilldebating whether Keshiwill stay or not. That iswhy those small Africancountries continuedisgrace us. In Nigeriawe don’t plan. We didnot qualify the last time

and since then nothinghas been done. It willbe a miracle for us toqualify as up till now wedon’t have a team, we

don’t have a coach, soif we don’t qualify forthe next edition of AF-CON, nobody shouldbe angry about it.”

Moses out for ‘severalweeks’

STOKE City manager,Mark Hughes has

revealed that hisNigerian charge, VictorMoses, may be sidelinesfor “several weeks” afterpicking up a hamstringinjury during his side’s1-1 draw with West HamUnited on Saturday.

Moses, who has nettedfour times in allcompetitions this seasonfor Stoke, limped off inthe 44th minute at UptonPark after pulling upwhen attempting a shot.

Speaking after thePremier League contestwhich saw the Potterstake a share of the spoilsagainst the Hammers,Hughes said the injurylooked rather serious.

“It looks like Victor haspulled his hamstring.

“It looks like it is in astrange position as itseems to be right behindhis knee, which isn’t thenormal position you

usually get hamstringinjuries.

“We will get it checked,it may be something thatisn’t to do with thehamstring so it could bethat we get good newsbut we can’t be sure yet.

“If it is a hamstring,then it could be that welose him for a fewweeks,” he said.

•Moses

•Super Eagles players celebrate

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 — 63

Man U thrashnoisy neigh-bours 4-2M A N C H E S T E R

United beat rivalsManchester City for the firsttime in five PremierLeague attempts with astirring 4-2 comebackvictory at Old Trafford.

City’s title defence hadcrumbled heading into thematch amid a run of fivedefeats in seven matchesacross all competitions, butthe champions brieflydisplayed their fluent bestin the early stages - SergioAguero’s seventh goal inderbies after seven minuteswas the reward.

The direct, high-tempoapproach United havefound success with in recentweeks provided their routeback into the match, withAshley Young levellingbefore supplying theammunition for MarouaneFellaini to give the hosts a27th-minute lead.

Although Louis vanGaal’s men were fortunate

to be ahead at that stage,they proceeded todominate their neighbours,who slipped into the kindof lethargic performancenow synonymous with their2015 efforts - heapingpressure on ManuelPellegrini.

Juan Mata, the hero ofUnited’s recent triumph atAnfield, added a thirdmidway through thesecond half amid strongsuspicions of offside andChris Smalling put thegame beyond doubt, withAguero’s late strike - his100th for City – providingscant consolation for thevisitors.

Mandzukic fit for Real testMARIO Mand-z u k i c

has beenpassed fit forA t l e t i c oMadrid’s UEFAC h a m p i o n sLeague homeclash with

Real Madrid followingan ankle injury.

The Croatiainternationalhas missed thelast two gamesafter coach Di-ego Simeonerevealed he

had beensuffering

with a

long-standing injury tohis right ankle.

However, the 28-year-old striker trainedyesterday and will beavailable for tomorrow’squarter-final first leg atthe Vicente Calderon.

Atleti are looking toextend their unbeatenrun against city rivalsReal to seven matchesthis season, having nottasted defeat in the derbyfixtures since last year’sUEFA ChampionsLeague final.

Former Bayern Munichforward Mandzukic hasscored twice against Realin that run, includingthe final goal inFebruary’s 4-0 La Ligarout at the Calderon.

Cesc Fabregas wore a protective mask duringChelsea’s clash with QPR after breaking his noselast week

Fàbregas breaks QPRhearts with late winner

MANAGERS andplayers will point

to the fixtures still to beplayed, arguing thereare potential slip-ups aswell as opportunities stillahead, but this was thekind of result on whichfates are confirmed.

Chelsea’s players gath-ered in front of the awaysupport in the SchoolEnd at the final whistle tocelebrate a victory con-jured with their first shoton target two minutesfrom time that maintainstheir seven-point advan-tage at the top. QueensPark Rangers, their real-ity far grimmer, draggedthemselves from the turfin utter disbelief.

This was cruel on thehome side. Chris Ram-sey’s team had compet-ed aggressively

throughout, arguablyposing the greater threat,only to implode at thelast. Rob Green’s slicedclearance from handsbarely stretched 20 yardsinto his side’s half, EdenHazard collecting anddarting forward at pace.The Belgian exchangedpasses with Oscar beforepulling back for CescFàbregas to place thegame’s only goal insidethe post. Ramsey sank tohis haunches, head inhands and back to thepitch. His team deservedbetter.

ROBIN van Persie islikely to leave

Manchester United thissummer and could joinInter Milan, according toMatt Law of the DailyTelegraph.

With a number ofnewspapers suggestingUnited are willing to letVan Persie go, withUruguay front manEdison Cavani amongthose being lined up toreplace him, Lawsuggested the time maybe right for a parting ofthe ways.

“Interestingly, (Inter

boss) Roberto Mancinitried to take him toManchester City beforeUnited came in so thatlooks a sensible link,” hetold the SundaySupplement.

“It does seem like it’scoming to an end. He’sgot a year left on hiscontract after this oneanyway so they ’llprobably have to pay upthe remaining year but itwill certainly suitManchester United tomove him on and lookelsewhere.

Leverkusensack Spahicafterheadbutt

BAYER Leverkusenhave terminated the

contract of Emir Spahicafter the defender head-butted a steward.

The incident occurredafter Leverkusen’s DFB-Pokal defeat at home toBayern Munich lastWednesday. The Bosnia-H e r z e g o v i n ainternational wasrecorded confronting thesteward, with police setto investigate.

But Leverkusen haveopted to act decisively bysacking the 34-year-old.

“Emir Spahic is anoutstanding footballer,[but] the most recentevidence left us with nochoice,” said managingdirector Michael Schade.

Moutinhohopeful ofanother upset

Monaco midfielderJoao Moutinho saysJuventus are favouritesfor their UEFAChampions Leaguequarter-final clash onTuesday, despite theirSerie A slip-up at theweekend.

The sides meet in Turinin the first leg of theirlast-eight tie, with Juveheading into the fixtureon the back of a shock 1-0 league defeat at thehands of beleagueredbasement club Parma.

Monaco, whoprogressed on awaygoals in a 3-3 aggregatedraw with Arsenal, areon an eight-matchunbeaten run in Ligue 1following a 3-0 win atCaen on Friday.

“Juventus have a greatteam with formidableplayers - a compactgroup who are veryorganised,” Moutinhotold TuttoSport. “We saythat they are thefavourites, but thenArsenal were alsofavourites.

•Mandzukic

•Van Persie

Wayne Rooney jumps on the back of Marauane Fellani in celebration of one ofMan U's goals

CMYK

Van Persie tipped for Inter

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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.

FRIFRIFRIFRIFRIDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSTODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLE

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

CMYK

QUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORD

ACROSS: 1, Close 5, Clever 8, Enrol 10,Parade 11, Arid 14, Nature 15, Halcyon 18,Pep 19, Van 21, Deft 23, Revel 24, Poor 27,Rag 29, Pet 31, Layette 32, Dealer 34, Lane35, Eluded 38, Alder 39, Defend 40, Deity.

DOWN: 2, Lea 3, Search 4, End 5, Clan 6,Exited 7, Repeat 9, Recover 12, Rap 13,Dupe 16, Alto 17, Naval 20, Negated 22,Flat 24, Padded 25, Opal 26, Relate 28,Secure 30, Ten 33, Read 36, Led 37, Eft.

ACROSS2 Feeling (5)7 Demon (5)8 Of towns (5)10 Jacket (5)12 Consume (3)13 Pointed (5)15 Gave (7)17 Led (6)19 Married (3)20 Erased (7)23 Greedy (4)25 Cupola (4)26 Coaxed (7)30 Intelligence (3)31 Proper (6)34 Spanned (7)37 Cash (5)38 Each (3)39 Sag (5)40 Enquired (5)41 Principle (5)42 Rate (5)

DOWN1 Contradict (5)2 Located (5)3 Evaded (6)4 Spoke (4)5 Feared (7)6 Subsequently (5)9 Club (3)11 Cringed (7)13 Onwards (5)14 Sorcery (5)16 Entrap (3)18 Dedicated (7)21 Twelve (5)22 God (5)24 Loitered (7)27 Dance (3)28 Relegate (6)29 Accident (5)32 Managed (5)33 Not ever (5)35 Kind (3)36 Ooze (4)

Man Uthrashnoisyneighbours4-2 •P.63

Fàbregas breaks QPR hearts•Page 63

Murray ties the knot withKim Sears • Page 61

Bolt poses with Obama•Page 61

Awoniyi fires Nigeria to AllAfrica Games •Pg 61