...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62116

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014**

Mr & Mrs

ZAMFARA MASSACRE:

COLUMNISTS:

HENRY BOYO

•P.48

•P.54

•I counted 61 bodies—Survivor•B'Haram kills 18 APC supporters, 7 others•Some commanders are B'Haram mercenaries — Soldier•The unnamed soldier is an impostor —Olukolade

7

Continues on Page 5

Some of the burnt houses in Unguwar Galadima community in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State where no fewerthan 70 persons were killed, weekend. PHOTO: Salisu Maradun. SEE ANOTHER REPORT ON PAGE 59.

Death toll hits 200BY UDUMA KALU,

NDAHI MARAMA &SALISU MARADUNWITH AGENCY RE-

PORTS

GUSAU — DEATH toll in weekend's

massacre in UnguwarGaladima community inZamfara State, yesterday,hit 200.

This came as governor ofthe state, Abdulaziz Yari,who visited the village, yes-terday, broke down in tearson sighting corpses ofwomen, children and otherresidents of the village lit-tering every part of the vil-

Nigeria, now Africa's largesteconomy

11

Gunmen invadechurch,murder70-yr-old man

6 ...as GDP hits $510bn

RationalPerspectives

Why Ebikeme,Clark’s sonwas released

•Gov Yari visits Unguwar Galadima, buries 79

CMYK

P.8

WORLD HEALTH DAY:3.5bn persons at riskof vector-bornediseases —WHO

2—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—3

4—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

POCKET CARTOONVanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—5

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

Continues from page 1

LIFEWORDSBY PASTOR ITUAH

A dreamer is one who can only find his way bymoonlight and his punishment is that he sees thedawn before the rest of the world—Oscar Wilde.

Always have a way to look ahead.

We all have potential and, whether you realize itor not, your desire to do or be more than you areis your best indicator of future success —SteveGoodier.

Did you know that Albert Einstein could not speakuntil he was four years old and did not read untilhe was seven? His parents and teachers worriedabout his mental ability. Or that Beethoven’s mu-sic teacher said about him: “As a composer he ishopeless?" What if young Ludwig believed it?

When Thomas Edison was a young boy, his teach-ers said he was so stupid he could never learn any-thing. He once said: “I remember I used to neverbe able to get along at school. I was always at thefoot of my class...my father thought I was stupid,and I almost decided that I was a dunce.” What ifyoung Thomas believed what they said about him?

When F. W. Woolworth was 21, he got a job in astore, but was not allowed to wait on customers be-cause, according to his boss, he “didn’t haveenough sense.” I wonder if the boss was aroundwhen Woolworth became one of the most success-ful retailers of his day.

REBASING NIGERIA'S GDP: From left: Minister of Financeand Coordinating Minister of Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Super-vising Minister of National Planning, Amb. Bashir Yuguda and Statistician-General of the Federation, Dr Yemi Kale, at a news conference on Rebasingof Nigeria's GDP, in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN.

lage. Our correspondentsaid the governor andother officials participatedin the burial of 79 peoplekilled in the attack by thecattle rustlers.A survivor of the weekend'smassacre, yesterday,confirmed counting 61 bod-ies even as the corpses wereburied in mass graves.

This came as no fewerthan 25 people, includingpoliticians who were ontheir way to Maiduguri,the Borno State capital toattend the All ProgressivesCongress, APC,stakeholders meeting/con-gress were slaughtered bysuspected Boko Haram ter-rorists in separate attacksin Gwoza council area andalong the Maiduguri- Biu

road.A Nigerian soldier has

also alleged that somemilitary commanders weremercenaries of the BokoHaram sect and were paidby its sponsors. Militaryspokesman, Major Gen-eral Chris Olukolade, how-ever denied the allegation.

30 people killed—Police

On the Zamfara massa-cre, Police spokesman, MrLawal Abdullahi, said that“30 people were killed andseveral others injured” inthe attack.

According to him, “theincident happened inGaladima during a meet-ing of community leadersand representatives of vigi-lante groups who were dis-cussing ways to thwart

armed robbers and cattlerustlers.

One of the survivors whosimply gave his name asBabangida from neigh-bouring Kaduna, saidmore than 61 people diedin the attack.

According to him, “wecounted 61 bodies from thescene of the attack lastnight, while many peoplewere wounded and I waslucky to escape."

He implored the securityforces to stem incessant at-tacks by Fulani rustlers onvillages in the area.

Our reporter, however,said he counted up to 250bodies that littered the com-munity.

How the communitywas attacked

Vanguard gathered thatthe attackers were said tohave obtained an intelli-gence report of a meetingbeing held in the commu-nity by vigilante teams andthe communitystakeholders on how tocontain the invaders.

While the meeting wasongoing, they invaded thetown on motorbikes witheach bike carrying threemen clutching guns andother dangerous weapons.

On arriving the town, theattackers started shootingat anyone in sight includ-ing women and children.Many victims were shotfrom behind.

Hundreds of bodies lit-tered the town as thosewho could run escaped into the bush. The gunmenalso set a number of housesand shops ablaze.

After the attackers hadleft, members of the com-munity embarked upon theunpleasant task of retriev-ing the bodies and bury-ing them in mass graves.

The Emir of Dansadau,Alhaji Husaini Adamu,

told our reporter: "This isnot the first time the peo-ple of the area would befacing such problem buttoday's attack was the worstof its kind in the history ofkillings in this area."

The Emir, therefore,called on the authoritiesconcerned to, as a matterof urgency, take immediatemeasures to address theproblem.

A s s i s t a n tInspector-General of Police(AIG) Zone 10, MammanSule also in his remarkswarned the vigilantegroups to desist from hold-ing such meetings whichhe described as illegal.

He said the gunmen in-vaded the town becausethey perhaps got the infor-mation that the meetingwas to find a way of attack-ing them.

Gov Yari visits,weeps

Zamfara State GovernorAbdulaziz Yari, who visitedUnguwar Galadima, yes-terday, broke down in tearson sighting corpses ofwomen, children and otherresidents of the village lit-tering every part of the vil-lage.

The governor who wasreceived by the Emir ofDansadau, Alhaji HussainiAdamu, explained thatthey counted more thanone hundred dead bodieson the sport and more arestill been counting.

Boko Haram kills 18APC suppoters,7 others

In a related develop-ment, no fewer than 25people including politi-cians who were on theirway to Maiduguri, theBorno State capital to at-tend the APC stakeholdersmeeting/congress were,weekend, slaughtered bysuspected Boko Haram ter-rorists in separate attacksin Gwoza council area andalong the Maiduguri- Biuroad.

Sources said: “About 18delegates of the APC whowere on their way to attenda second stakeholdersmeeting slated for Sunday(yesterday) were am-bushed by suspected ter-rorists.

Our correspondent alsolearnt that seven motoristsand passengers were shotdead by suspected terror-ists along theMaiduguri-Biu road a fewmetres away fromGwargube village.

The Maiduguri-Biu roadhas become a death trap inthe past few weeks, ashardly a day passes with-out cases of road attacks bythe terrorists, despite thepresence of security opera-tives patrolling the road.

A member of the vigilanteyouth, a.k.a Civilian JTF,who did not want his nameto be mentioned, in a tel-ephone call said: “A groupof terrorists, yesterday, laidambush to some motoristsand passengers along theMaiduguri-Biu road andkilled many people beforethey invaded Gwargubevillage and solicited sup-port from the villagers orrisk deadly attacks.

On the 18 people sus-pected to be APC del-egates who were am-bushed in Gwoza, a survi-vor who attended the meet-ing, yesterday, told our cor-respondent after the meet-ing that 18 of his kinsmenwere slaughtered by terror-ists few minutes after theirvehicle had passed thescene of the attack.

Nigerian soldiersare B'Haram merce-naries —Soldier

Meanwhile, a Nigeriansoldier has alleged thatsome military commanderswere mercenaries of theBoko Haram sect. In a re-port published by the VOAHausa Service, an un-named Nigeria soldier nar-rated how corruption andshortchange of soldiers’funds by commanderspushed Nigerians soldiersto partner with BokoHaram against their nation,resulting in the deaths ofthousands of Nigerianssince 2009.

In an exclusive interviewwith the VOA’s HausaService, the unnamed sol-dier described how hismilitary unit, based in theBorno State was ambushedby Boko Haram fighters.

The soldier said the com-mander of a nearby mili-tary unit, based in the townof Bama, recently soughtassistance from his unit incarrying out a raid.

He said when the twomilitary units joined up,they were given differentuniforms. The Bama unitcommander gave his owntroops green uniforms.The soldier said his unitreceived “desert camou-flage” uniforms.

When the troops reachedthe battle area, the soldier

said the commander of thebetter-equipped Bama unitsuddenly withdrew hisforces, leaving the remain-ing troops to fend for them-selves against Boko Haramfighters.

Speaking in Hausa, hesaid: “We had only lightarms and our men werebeing picked off one afterthe other.”

The soldier also said herecognized some of theBoko Haram fighters as hisformer military trainers inKontagora.

“We realised that some ofthem were actually merce-naries from the Nigerianarmy... hired to fight us.”

This soldier and othershave said that too often,commanders have pock-eted money that was sup-posed to be used to helpequip units.

The unnamed sol-dier is an impostor—Olukolade

Denying the allegationof collaboration betweensome military commandersin the North-East andBoko Haram insurgents,the Director of Defence In-formation, Maj-Gen. ChrisOlukolade, argued that acase of impersonation can-not be ruled out to createwrong impressions for thepublic.

He, however, assuredthat the military was prob-ing the purported confes-sion of a soldier which al-leged that some army com-manders were working to-gether with Boko Haram.

According to Olukolade,“Ordinarily, the Nigeriansoldier is too disciplined tobe involved in that kind ofutterances on radio. Let noterrorist propagandistshide under the guise of notwanting to disclose theirsource to present impostorsas representing Nigeriansoldiers.

“We do not agree that heis our soldier; we believevery strongly that he is notour soldier. We are stillstudying the interview toconfirm the motive. At themoment, we suspect thatthe intention is to createwrong impressions andcause disaffection."

Zamfara massacre: I counted 61bodies —Survivor

6 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

2 robberysuspectskilled inshoot-outwithPolice

Gunmen invade Ogunchurch, murder 70-yr-old man

‘How house-help killed my magistrate wife'

Survived by 6 wives, over 20 children

GENERATORECONOMY:Powering businessat Area 1 ShoppingComplex, Garki,Abuja, yesterday.NAN PHOTO.

A B E O K U T A —PANDEMONIUM

broke out, yesterday, inIjebu Igbo in Ijebu NorthLocal Government Area ofOgun State when gunmeninvaded St. John AnglicanChurch, Oke Sopein, andshot dead a 70 year oldman, Otunba TolaOkuneye, A.K.A. Ajagajigi.

Vanguard gathered thatabout 10 gunmen arrived intwo vehicles, entered the

church and shot the man onthe head.

An eyewitness, whopleaded anonymity, said:“When the Pastor started hissermon around 11am, about10 boys came in and wentstraight to where Ajagajigisat and shot him on the head.

“We were shocked andeverybody was jittery as theservice ended abruptly. Somepeople, especially, the elderlypeople, are still in shock as Iam talking to you now.

“No one can say anything

about his death. He is not apolitician. If he were one,we would have thought thathis political opponentscarried out the act. Thechurch has been deserted,except some few people whowere with the Pastor.”

A resident’sobservation

A resident of the area saidthe death of the man maylikely be traced to some ofthose he has legal matterswith in court.

He said: “Otunba is not apolitician. But he had issuesto settle with some people.

“I know that he has a lotof cases in various courtsand from my littleobservation we cannot ruleout a connection betweenthose cases and thisincident.”

The remains of thedeceased, who is survived bysix wives and over 20children, has been depositedat Ijebu-Igbo GeneralHospital's mortuary.

When contacted, the OgunState Deputy Police PublicRelations Officer, AbimbolaOyeyemi confirmed thetragic incident, sayinginvestigation had commen-ced to unravel the reasonbehind the assassination.

Oyeyemi explained that itwould be too early to link the

incident to politics, addingthat an autopsy would becarried out on the body.

Gov Amosun reactsMeanwhile, Governor

Ibikunle Amosun of OgunState has assured thatgovernment will do its bestto get the killers Okuneye.

Governor Amosun gave theassurance during acondolence visit to the familyof the deceased and the sceneof the incident.

The governor said: “Theheinous manner with whichthe life of a good citizen, whohad invested in security, wasterminated is uncalled for.

“I don’t know why men ofthe underworld willterminate the life of a manwho will not hurt a fly. Theyeven went as far as carryingout the dastardly act in thesacred house of God.

The governor wasaccompanied by the stateCommissioner of Police,Ikemefuna Okoye; Director,Department of State Services,Mr. S. Charanchi, andmembers of his cabinet.

A son of the deceased,Gbenga Okuneye andPresiding Bishop, St John’sAnglican Church, OkeSopein, Ijebu Igbo, Rt. Rev.Gbetogo Kuponu, thankedthe governor for the visit andconcern.

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA— CHIEFWole Timeyin, husband

of the slain retired magistrate,Olufunmilayo, said yesterdaythat his wife's killer had laidsiege in their compound for 24hours before he struck.

The 70-year-old widowersaid: “Unknown to us, the boyhid in the gatehouse overnightbefore he struck the followingday, having monitored ourmovement, knowing that mywife was the only person athome after I had gone out.”

The 21-year-old house-help,identified as David, wasreported to have slaughtered

his former boss withmatchet few weeks after hewas sacked for stealing.

Timeyin, a pharmacist,explained, “we never owedhim any salary. Rather, weused to pamper him andmake him comfortable.

“We provided a conduciveenvironment for him. Asyou can see, the room weallocated to him has allneeded facilities.”

While recalling whathappened shortly before hiswife was allegedlymurdered, Timeyin saideven after he was arrestedfor stealing, the familypleaded for his release so

that he would not end up injail.

He said: “We counseledhim several times, but wenever knew he was a devil inhuman skin. Is it a wrongthing to have saved him fromending up in prisons?”

The widower said he wouldcontinue to miss his spouse,lamenting that since thedemise of his wife he wasyet to come to terms withwhat befell him.

He said: “My wife was amother, and I am going tomiss her. No day passes thatI will not remember her. It isunfortunate that it has to belike this.

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

E N U G U — T W Opersons, described

by the police asnotorious robbers, werekilled in Nsukka, EnuguState, on Saturday whenthey engaged securitymen in a gun battle.

A statement from theEnugu State PoliceCommand said thesuspected robbersattacked a filling stationon Enugu Road in theearly hours of Saturdaybefore they met theirwaterloo.

The statement by thespokesman of thecommand, Mr. EbereAmaraizu, said one ofthe suspects was shotdead instantly, while theother died on the way tothe hospital.

It said a third suspectescaped with bulletwounds.

The statement said thesuspected robbersstormed the fillingstation on a motorcycleand began operationbefore the policeresponded to a distresscall.

It said the policerecovered one Barretapiston with sevenrounds of liveammunition, onemotorcycle, one locally-made pistol with onecartridge and someamount of money.

It identified the deadsuspects as Sunday Ezeand Obinna Eze.

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 7

DAME tasks media stakeholders to embrace regular training

LAGOS —TO strengthenprofessional capacity in the

media industry, the NigerianPress Organisation, incorporatingthe Newspaper Proprietors’Association of Nigeria, NigeriaUnion of Journalists, NigerianGuild of Editors, and other mediabodies have been charged toestablish a well-structured MediaCapacity Building Fund forcontinuous training and re-training of journalists.

This call was part of thehighpoints of the day-longcapacity building workshoporganized last week for journalistsby the Diamond Awards forMedia Excellence in Lagos.

According to the organisers, theworkshop, with the theme:“Widening the Pools ofExcellence”, was “aimed atdeveloping journalists’ capacity,especially in deficient areas that

were identified in DAME entriesover the years”. That way, it ishoped that “the goals ofimpacting positively on theNigerian media developmentlandscape can be furtherenhanced through robustreporting that the public can trustand use”.

The training was DAME's wayof keeping faith with the promisemade last November during the22nd DAME presentation. Mr.Lanre Idowu, a DAME trustee,had said such training would beorganised to address theperceived poor quality of entriesin some categories which forcedDAME not to reward them in thelast few years.

At the workshop, theparticipants who were drawnfrom various media organisationsacross the country were firstexposed to a general sessionwhich examined such core areas

as Instilling Journalistic values;Deepening News judgment andPresentation; and ImprovingResearch & Writing skills.Thereafter, a Roundtable session,moderated by four facilitatorsexamined the application ofissues raised at the three earliersessions, covering HealthReporting, Sports Reporting,Insurance and Capital MarketReporting and GeneralReporting. From the round tablediscussion, facilitators andparticipants identified variousstory lines and also tinkered withapproaches to them for moreeffective reporting.

Sponsored by Punch NigeriaLtd., Sovereign Trust InsurancePlc, and Vintage Press Ltd, theworkshop had in attendancerespected names in the industrywho served as facilitators. The listincluded Mr. Lanre Idowu,

DAME Trustee, and Editor-in-Chief of Media Review, Mr. TedIwere, Managing Director,Daily Independent NewspapersLimited; Mr. Femi Kusa, formerEditor-in-Chief of TheGuardian; Dr. Bisi Olawunmi ofthe Mass CommunicationDepartment, Bowen University,Iwo; and Mr. Taiwo Obe,erstwhile editor, Media Reviewand Vice Chairman ofHarpostrophe.

Others were Mr. JideOgundele, former Banker andDeputy Editor (Business) of TheGuardian; Mr. Tam Fiofori,Photographer and filmmaker;Mrs. Wale Sokunbi, EditorialPage Editor of The Sun; Mrs.Tinu Odugbemi, ExecutiveDirector, Head HighInternational, and Mr.Ikechukwu Amaechi, formerEditor of Daily Independent.

Nigeria’s GDP hits $510bn ...now Africa’s largest, 26th globally

ABUJA—NIGERIA’Snominal Gross Domestic

Product, GDP, now stands at$509.9 billion, making thenation’s economy the largest inAfrica and the 26th in the world,according to the preliminaryresults of the rebasing exercise ofthe federal government.

The Coordinating Minister forthe Economy and Minister ofFinance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, announced this at a pressconference jointly addressed withthe Statistician-General, S-G, Dr.Yemi Kale, in Abuja yesterday.

The GDP is the market value ofall final goods and servicesproduced within a country in agiven period. It is aninternationally recognizedindicator for measuring the sizeof an economy in a given periodof time.

The rebased estimates indicatethat the nominal GDP for Nigeriawas much higher than previouslyestimated . In 2010 the estimatewas $360. 644 billion; in 2011 itwas $408.805 billion; and 2012$453.966 billion.

The growth rate is driven by theservices sector with it contributingabout 51 per cent of the GDP.

The rebasing exercise on theNigerian economy which alsosaw the Per capita rising to $2,688, covered 2010 to 2013.Nigeria has moved on the percapita scale from 135 to 121stposition.

This is after more than twodecades of the last exercise in1990, far beyond the UnitedNations Statistical Commission,UNSC, recommendations thatcountries should rebase theirnational accounts (GDP) estimatesevery five years.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala saidthat the results had beensubjected to a six-manindependent panel of reviewersled by Prof. Olu Ajakaiye , as wellas, representatives of multilateralorganizations, especially theInternational Monetary Fund, theWorld bank and the AfricanDevelopment bank.

According to her the policyimplications of the new figureswere that the nation has a largercapacity for consumption and thusmake Nigeria more attractive tointernational and local investors.

She admitted however, that thegovernment needed to buildsocial safety nets to close theincome inequality gap in thecountry saying, “inequality hasbeen rising so we need to buildsocial safety nets meant to takecare of those at the bottom of theladder”.

The minister added however,that the oil and gas sector alsoneeded federal governmentattention, as according to her, asector with over 15 per centcontribution to the GDP cannot beignored.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala also saidthat the sudden leap of the largecontribution of the services posed

a challenge for the governmentto take more measures for astronger manufacturing sector, inconjunction with the organizedprivate sector.

The new figures indicated adebt to GDP of 11 per cent, downfrom 19 per cent but the ministersaid that the federal governmentwould continue to be prudent inits debt portfolio to avoid asituation in which the countrycould fall into a non-sustainabledebt trap, as was the case, in thepast.

In his presentation, the S-Gsaid that the past GDP estimateswere less than the real positionof the economy and that there wasneed to take another look at thenation’s poverty rate.

The S-G said however, that“GDP is a macroeconomicaggregate that depicts the totalityof economic output within anation’s borders. While it depictshow rich a nation is, this is notnecessarily the same as showinghow rich the individuals in thenation are, due to the problem ofunequal distribution of wealth.

Methodology

On methodology, Dr. Kaledisclosed that preparatory workfor the rebasing exercisecommenced in the last quarter of2011.

He said several activities wereundertaken, some of whichinclude the on-goingdevelopment of a Supply & UseMatrix, field surveys for certaineconomic activities which werenot adequately capturedpreviously, validation with sectorexperts as well as theinternational developmentpartners.

S-G added that three majormethodological pillars were usedto compile the rebased GDPestimates: the System of NationalAccounts (SNA 2008 version), theInternational Standard IndustrialClassification (ISIC Revision 4);and the Central ProductClassification (CPC version 2).

Wholesale and retail trade wasthe economic activity with the

most notable changes betweenthe old and new GDP series. Thisis attributable to the effort madeby the NBS during the rebasingexercise to capture more of theinformal sector.Telecommunications andinformation services; motionpictures and sound recording;cement production; food,beverage and tobacco;construction and real estatesectors also witnessed significantchanges.

Reps react

Members of the House ofRepresentatives who reacted tothe newly published Nigeria’snominal Gross Domestic Product,GDP, which now stands at $509.9billion, described it as a positivedevelopment in the right direction

According to the lawmakers,since it is quite sometime thatsuch an estimate was made publicit will create some doubts in theminds of Nigerians but that notwithstanding, it is a welcomedevelopment.

Chairman House Committee on

Appropriation, Rep John Enoh,PDP, Cross River, an economisthad this to say,”I know that sinceit has been a long time suchstatistics were published, it maycreate some doubts in the mindsof Nigerians but all the same it isa welcome development”.

Also speaking in the same vein,Rep Tajudeen Yusuf, PDP, Kogi,an economist described it as awelcome development worthcheering but insisted that “ourpoor infrastructural facilities mayweigh it down”.

Jobless graduates:development is on paper

Nigerian graduates, WalterTakim and Odunayo Ayansina,who are still looking for jobs saidthe government should beashamed for it to have publishedsuch statistics in spite of thecurrent situation of the country’seconomy which has remained inthe downward trend.

They argued that Nigeria couldnot even be rated the best in the

West Africa sub-region.Walter Takim in his reaction

said; “In fact, as I speak with youNigeria is not among the bestcountries in the West African subregion, even in the standard ofWest Africa as far as am concernedis not operating the best economyso far, in fact when we are dealingwith the world economy Nigeria’sname should not even bementioned in the first place, weare still struggling to come out ofthis developing system.

“As an underdevelopingcountry we should not sayanything about our economy, weshould be struggling to get out ofpoverty.

“There is still circle of povertythat is permeating our system,what are we talking abouteconomy when youths cannot getjob. I am not happy with thecountry.

Odunayo Job, anothergraduate noted that; “It is notgetting better for me, when wehave about 69 percent living onless that N6000 monthly.

BY EMMA UJAH, EMMANUELELEBEKE, EMMAN OVUAKPO-

RIE, GABRIEL EWEPU &CALEB AYANSINA

DRAW: Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State (4th left), his deputy, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (2nd left) and Commissioner for Finance, Mr Ayo Gbeleyi (left) with winners of 2nd batchof Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme at the draw in Lagos on Friday. Photo by Bunmi Azeez.

8 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

AS Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark this

year’s World Health Day, theWorld Health Organisation,WHO, has raised alarm over thethreat of vector-borne diseases onmore than half the world’spopulation, even as it called forhigher priority on vector controlto save lives.

Also, the Nigerian MedicalAssociation, NMA, has called forthe establishment of anaggressive, well-funded andsupervised environmentalmanagement programme totackle menace of disease ladenorganisms which havecontributed to the huge diseaseburden in Nigeria.

In a statement, WHO called fora renewed focus on vector controland better provision of safe water,sanitation and hygiene – keystrategies outlined in its (WHO’s)2011 Roadmap for the control,elimination and eradication ofneglected tropical diseases, whichsets targets for the period 2012–2020.

Some of the vector bornediseases includes malaria,dengue, leishmaniasis, Lymedisease, schistosomiasis, andyellow fever – carried bymosquitoes, flies, ticks, watersnails and other vectors.

Every year, more than onebillion people are infected bythese diseases and more than onemillion die.

The theme for this year -“Preventing Vector BorneDiseases”, and the slogan “Smallbite, big threat” is targeted atemphasizing that these diseasesare entirely preventable.

Vector-borne diseases affect thepoorest populations, particularlywhere there is a lack of access toadequate housing, safe drinkingwater and sanitation.Malnourished people and thosewith weakened immunity areespecially susceptible.

Speaking on the Day, WHODirector-General, Dr MargaretChan explained that “A globalhealth agenda that gives higherpriority to vector control couldsave many lives and avert muchsuffering. Simple, cost-effectiveinterventions like insecticide-treated bed nets and indoorspraying have already savedmillions of lives,” No one in the21st century should die from thebite of a mosquito, a sandfly, ablackfly or a tick.”

Mosquito-borne dengue, forexample, is now found in 100countries, including Nigeria,putting more than 2.5 billionpeople - over 40 percent of theworld’s population - at risk. InNigeria, malaria is classified themost deadly disease.

“Vector control remains themost important tool in preventing

outbreaks of vector-bornediseases,” says Dr LorenzoSavioli, Director of WHO’sDepartment of Control ofNeglected Tropical Diseases.“Increased funds and politicalcommitment are needed tosustain existing vector-controltools, as well as medicines anddiagnostic tools – and to conducturgently needed research.”

Speaking on the development,NMA President, Dr. OsahonEnabulele, expressed worry thatNigeria is still grappling withissues of development at the veryfoundational levels.

“It is a known fact that Vectorsare most commonly found in areasand habitations characterised byscarcity of potable water, poorhousing conditions, poorenvironmental hygiene andabject poverty, succinctlysummarised by the WHO as“Communities left behind by

development”.“NMA is of the view that not

until an aggressive, deeplycommitted, well-funded andsupervised environmentalmanagement program isinstituted, Nigeria may not heavea sigh of relief in her fight againstthe menacing unsolicitedadvances of the disease ladenorganisms which haveundoubtedly contributed to thehuge disease burden in Nigeria,”the statement stated.

“We expect the three tiers ofgovernment to enforce strictimplementation of enablingpublic health and housing laws;institute measures for properwaste/sewage disposal and otherpreventive measures, constructroads with standard and wellmaintained drains,” he stressed.

They further called onGovernment to ensure thatNigerians are vaccinated against

vector-borne diseases that havepreventive vaccines, whileproviding drugs for known vector-borne diseases.

He advised Nigerians not toabandon the ideals of personalhygiene, environmental andhome sanitation, as well as otherhome grown innovative vectorcontrol measures.

The NMA president appealedto the mass media, NationalOrientation Agency, Federal andState Ministries of Information toreligiously disseminate genuineand accurate information aboutdisease outbreaks and modalitiesfor containment.

He further expressed concernabout the dwindling budgetaryallocation to the health sector,which he said was capable ofincapacitating agencies ofgovernment in rendering theirstatutory and contingency roles inhealthcare delivery.

World Health Day: 3.5bn persons at riskof vector-borne diseases – WHO

BY CHIOMA OBINNA &GABRIEL OLAWALE

DECORATION: National Coordinator, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Special Mar-shal, Mr Sini Kwabe (left), decorating the Executive Director, National Veterinary ResearchInstitute, Vom, Dr Mohammed Ahmed as a Special Marshal yesterday. He was being assistedby Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone RS4, Mr Yakubu Attah (right.)

FG approves new charges on port operations

Stop Labourfrom shuttingdown powersector, NECAappealsto FG

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

LAGOS—NIGERIAEmployers Consulta-

tive Association, NECA,weekend called on theFederal Government towade into the dispute be-tween organized labourand electricity distributioncompanies to avoid wors-ening not only the powerstation in the country, butalso, the Nigerian econo-my.

At a briefing in Lagos, Di-rector General of NECA,Mr. Segun Oshinowo,warned that shutting downor picketing the distribu-tion companies as threat-ened by the National Un-ion of Electricity Employ-ees, NUEE, as was the caseof Jos Electricity Distribu-tion Company, would fur-ther worsen the economicsituation of the country.

Oshinowo implored theunion to follow the laiddown procedures in resolv-ing industrial disputes inthe country, arguing thatthe way to go was not theway of impunity, not pick-eting or strike.

Reacting to the recentshut down of Jos Electrici-ty Distribution Companyfollowing the threat byNUEE to begin a picketingof the electricity distribu-tion companies over al-leged anti-labour practicesamong others, Oshinoworeasoned that what the un-ion did with the support ofthe state chapter of Niger-ia Labour Congress, NLC,was a display of “wantonimpunity in the name of in-dustrial relations.”

NECA Director-Generalinsisted that every respon-sible and well meaninginstitution in this countryshould respect the rule of lawin the pursuit of its mandate,warning that “failure to dothat will simply create a stateof anarchy. When we have astate of anarchy, anythingcould happen from thatpoint onward.”

NUEE had on Tuesdaylast week, threatened to be-gin to picket the distributioncompanies over alleged anti-labour practices includingde-unionsation and causali-sation of workers.

He said “The action ofthe union is completely outof place. It is a wanton dis-play of impunity in the nameof industrial relations.

IN a bid to revamp thenation’s postal system, the

Federal Government hasapproved and commenced thecollection of stamp duty chargeson all transactions in theseaports.

Although, details andmodalities for collection stillsketchy as at the time of fillingthis report, Vanguard howevergathered that the charge wasalready being collected at theairports in Lagos.

It was however gathered thatthe new payment is pegged atN50 duty stamp on everydocument pertaining totransaction through NigerianPorts Authority to terminaloperators, shipping companiesand the Nigeria CustomsService.

Sources close to the office ofthe Post Mster General told our

correspondent that the newcharge is not out of place as itis in line with the provision ofsection 89 of the stamp duty Actcap S.8 law of 2004.

The stamp duty charge isexpected to be collected by boththe Nigerian Port Authority(NPA) and the Nigeria CustomsServices respectively on behalfof the Nigerian Postal Service(NIPOST).

Meanwhile, NIPOST hasaccredited a private firm;Goldtrack Limited as its officialpostal agent on the duty stamp.

The private firm is expectedto provide and supply thespecialised stamps to portusers so as to stream line itscollection and availability.

Vanguard chanced on asensitisation briefing toshipping agents at one of thedaily berthing meetings lastweek at Tin Can port inLagos.The chief executive of

the collecting firm; reportedlytold the meeting that the stampduty collection is in line withthe NIPOST Act. The meetingalso had the Port Manager ofTin Can Island port; Mr.Babatunde Longe inattendance.

The company told themeeting that, apart fromrevenue collection forgovernment, it is also meantto restructure postal servicesacross country which hedescribed as being taken overby the internet.

He noted that in everytransaction on shippingdocumentation and customsdocumentations, there will beN50 stamp duty charge.

He explained to therepresentatives of all shippingcompanies operating at Tin CanIsland Port in Lagos that thecharge is an added avenue forgovernment to earn revenue.

BY GODWIN ORITSE

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—9

BY INNOCENT ANABA

BY OLAYINKALATONA

LAGOS—A Federal HighCourt sitting in Lagos, has

held that it has the jurisdiction toentertain the charge against Mr.Fola Daniels, Commissioner forInsurance and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of National InsuranceCommission, NAICOM.

Daniel is charged on a six-count of criminalmisrepresentation of facts anddeliberate falsehood.

He was accused of deliberatelymaking maliciousmisrepresentations againstAlliance and General InsuranceCompany Ltd, to some agencies,with the intention of damagingthe reputation of the company.

But before the ruling by thecourt, the prosecution hadinformed the court that it intendedto withdraw the charge againstDaniels.

Daniel’s counsel had at the lastadjourned date, challenged theservice of the charge on his client,arguing that the manner ofservice of the charge, robbed thecourt of jurisdiction to entertainsame, since the accused was notpersonally served.

Trial judge, Justice OkonAbang, who noted that the matterwas adjourned for ruling, said he

NAICOM BOSS CASE: Court insists onjurisdiction

would go ahead to deliver hisruling, despite the prosecutioninforming him of its plans to

withdraw the charge by a letterfrom the Attorney General of theFederation, AGF.

Justice Abang in his ruling,

LAGOS—SOCIO-EconomicRights and Accountability

Project, SERAP, has described theincrease in tuition fees forstudents of Lagos StateUniversity, LASU, as unfair andretrogressive.

It called on the governmentto “urgently reverse theincrease as we consider thisto be manifestly unfair, unjust,discriminatory and

Increase in LASU fees violates right to education—SERAP

AWARDS: Globacoms' No1 Trade Partner, nationwide, Alhaji Anthony Mohammed of Easy& Quiet, flanked by Globacom's Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mohamed Jameel (left),Globacom's Divisional Director, Enugu, Mr. Mike Ehumadu (2nd left), Globacom's DivisionalDirector, Abuja (2nd right) and Globacom's National Sales Coordinator, Mr. David Maji,(right) and others, after Mohammed's emergence as the No 1 partner, at the Glo Partners'Awards in Lagos.

held that a failure to sign theservice copy of a charge couldnot affect the jurisdiction of thecourt.

BY ABDULWAHABABDULAH

retrogressive.”In a letter dated April 4, 2014

and signed by its ExecutiveDirector, Mr. TokunboMumuni, SERAP urged thestate governor to use hisposition to reverse the fees,saying,”by reversing thetuition fees, your governmentwill be demonstrating itssacred duty to promoteequality in the society, andshowing respect forinternational law requiringstates to move towards freehigher education when setting

fees policy.”The group also asked the

governor to “establish afellowship system that wouldenhance equality ofeducational access forstudents from disadvantagedgroups.”

SERAP expressed concernsthat increased fees limited accessto education for students fromdisadvantaged backgrounds anddirectly violated the right toeducation, saying, “If the fees areallowed to stand, society as awhole will suffer.

“We believe that next inimportance to freedom and justiceis access to quality education,without which neither freedomnor justice can be maintained.

“The increased tuition feeshave constituted a disincentive topoorer students attending LASU,because we continue to receivereports of decreasing level ofenrolment to the school dueprimarily to the increased fees.

“We believe that the increasedtuition fees discriminate againstpoorer students. As most studentswishing to attend LASU cannotdo so on the grounds of theireconomic and social conditions,their right of access to educationis clearly being severelycurtailed, if not extinguished.

“A hike in fees cannot be in thebest interests of the child, whichis a fundamental principleentrenched in international law,

in particular, the UN Conventionon the Rights of the Child, whichNigeria has ratified.”

It explained that "theInternational Covenant onEconomic, Social and CulturalRights to which Nigeria is a partyprovides that, higher educationshall be made equally accessibleto all on the basis of capacity, byevery appropriate means, and inparticular by the progressiveintroduction of free education."

LAGOS—TEACHING hasbeen described as the most

vital and strategic profession fornational development as its rolein producing educated anduseful persons in the societycannot be underestimated

Director General, Public ServiceStaff Development Centre,PSSDC, Mrs. OlubunmiFabamwo, made the assertion inLagos at an induction courseorganised for newly recruitedteachers in conjunction with theTeachers Establishment PensionsOffice, TEPO.

According to her; "teachers arecrucial to transmitting andimplanting social values such asequality, tolerance and culturalunderstanding."

Expert harps on importanceof teachers She advised the newly

employed teachers to takeadvantage of the training inlearning the ethics, norms andvalues of the teaching profession.

In order to have a robust coursecontent, TEPO in collaborationwith PSSDC designed a wellstructured training that isintended to launch the newteachers into the rudiments of theprofession.

The course content containssessions such as; EffectiveClassroom Teaching andManagement, SchoolImprovement Strategies, ThePublic Service Structure: Its Rules,Regulations, EstablishmentMatters, Ethics of the TeachingProfession and PersonalDevelopment Strategies.

LAGOS—GENERALOverseer of The

Redeemed ChristianChurch of God, PastorEnoch Adeboye hasurged parents to imbibeGodly virtues in theupbringing of theirchildren in line withbiblical teaching.

Adeboye made thisstatement during theApril edition of thechurch's monthly HolyGhost Service at theRedemption Camp,L a g o s - I b a d a nExpressway, Ogun Statewith the theme: “Great andmighty seeds.”

Ministering to parentsand children during theprogramme which featureda special anointing servicefor children, PastorAdeboye stressed the needfor parents to show goodexamples to their wards,explaining that it is in linewith the scripture.

He maintained thatchildren were largely theproducts of familyupbringing.

Adeboye lamented thatmany parents do notdevote quality time withtheir children, noting thatsome do not even know orcare about how theirchildren lived anymore.

He blamed moraldecadence in the societyon the inability of parentsto inculcate soundteaching to their childrenat early stages of their lives.

LONDON—SENATOROluremi Tinubu has

donated 20,000 US dollars(N3.2 million) as take-offfund to assist Nigerianstudents studying in variousuniversities in the UnitedKingdom.

Tinubu made the donationon Saturday in London at anaward ceremony by theAssociation of NigerianAcademics UK (ANAUK).

The lawmaker, who wasrecognised for her“Outstanding Contribution toEducation in Nigeria,”stressed the need for theassociation to set up a fundto assist students with tuitionand other challenges.

Adeboyetasksparents onchildupbringing

Tinubu donates $20,000to Nigerian students in UK

She said her donation was atake-off fund, and appealedfor more support for theassociation and other bodies.

Tinubu said: “This awardbeing bestowed on me todaywill help renew mycommitment in youthempowerment, and willinspire others to do more forthe improvement of thesociety.

“I have no doubt thatmembers of ANAUK, andother Nigerians in Diaspora,are in a vantage position torealise the nature ofchallenges that we need tosurmount in order to catch upwith the best global practiceof development.”

10—VANGUARD, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

BY GBENGAOLARINOYE

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

ADO EKITI—THE PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,

has postponed the plannedvisit of President GoodluckJonathan for the flag off of thecampaign of its gubernatorialcandidate, Mr. AyodeleFayose.

The postponement came onthe heels of the alleged refusalof Ekiti State Government toapprove the usage of OluyemiKayode Stadium for the event.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti,yesterday, the DirectorGeneral, Ayo FayoseCampaign Organisation,Chief Dipo Anisulowo,expressed dismay over therefusal of the stategovernment to approve theusage of the stadium.

According to him, the partyhad written to PresidentJonathan to inform him thatthe date was no morerealisable based on the latestdevelopment

He said: “We are nowexpecting another date fromMr. President when the flagoff will hold.”

Anisulowo, however, addedthat his organisation might nothave any other option than touse Federal Highway for thecampaign, should the stategovernment remain adamantover its request.

STADIUM USE DENIAL: PDP postponesJonathan's visit to Ekiti

According to the DG, theaction of the state governmentwas contrary to the tenets ofdemocracy and underscoredthe deep hatred the governorhas for the opposition parties.

According to him, the partyhad on March 28, 2014written a letter to the State

Government to allow theparty use the OluyemiKayode stadium to host thePresident, but expressedresentment that Ekitigovernment replied on April2 through a letter signed byone P.O. Dada of the SportsCouncil, refusing them the

right to use the stadium.“The Ekiti State stadium

belongs to Ekiti people. Thepublic utility is being fundedby the people’s money. It is,therefore, surprising that thepeople of Ekiti, who aremembers of the oppositionparty are being denied theuse of public utility," he said.

MEMORIAL SERVICE: From left: Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, his wife,Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Deputy Governor, Professor Modupe Adelabu, husband of the deceased,Mr. Lanre Olayinka, during the first memorial service for the former deputy governor ofthe state, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka, at the Emmanuel Cathedral (Anglican Communion), AdoEkiti, yesterday.

AKURE—THE IndependentNational Electoral

Commission, INEC, in OndoState has declared the lastSaturday's Ilaje/Ese Odo FederalConstituency by-electioninconclusive.

Mr. Babatunde Adeyemi, thereturning officer for the election,made the announcementyesterday at Igbokoda.

But the ruling Labour Party, LP,has expressed shock at what ittermed ‘the reluctance of INECreturning officer to declare thewinner of the by-election into Ilaje,Ese-Ondo Federal Constituency’.

The INEC returning Officer forthe election, Mr. Adeyemiexplained that the decision todeclare the poll inconclusive washinged on the fact that thedifference of about 1,300 votesbetween the purported winnerand the runner up was far lessthan the number of cancelledvotes.

He pointed out that over 7,000voters could not participate in theelection.

According to him; “This hasviolated the electoral law andhence the need for INEC toconduct supplementary electionsin areas where elections could nothold.

BY DAYO JOHNSON

INEC declares Ondo by-election inconclusive“I cannot return the Labour

Party candidate despite pollingthe highest number of votes asthe electoral law empowers INECto declare such electionsinconclusive.”

Adeyemi added that INECwould announce the date for asupplementary election whereelections could not hold.

But a statement by LP StateChairman in Akure, Chief DeleAkinyele said: “It is instructive

to note that the election tookplace and returns were made in21 out of 22 wards that made upthe Federal Constituency.

“The returning officer’s dutyis to collate the lawful votes fromvarious units and wards, anddeclare the candidate thatscored majority of lawful votes.

“The election tribunal, whichwas constituted by the Presidentof the Court of Appeal has thesole responsibility and duty to

determine any complaint ofirregularity or compliance, ornon- compliance with the law.

"The use of the word‘inconclusive' introduced by thereturning officer to abort the willof the people will not beapplicable in this case becausethe only condition for declarationis that, the candidate must scoremajority of lawful votes; whichhas been satisfied in this case."

OSOGBO—THE rulingAll Progressives

Congress, APC, in OsunState, has welcome its majoropposition PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,candidate for the August 9governorship election,Senator Iyiola Omisore intothe race.

Senator Omisoreweekend emerged as thePDP candidate after hedefeated three otheraspirants at the statecongress.

APC in a statement inOsogbo, yesterday, by itsDirector of Research,Publicity and Strategy, Mr.Kunle Oyatomi said: “Theemergence of IyiolaOmisore from a kangarooprimary of the PeoplesDemocratic Party over theweekend is typical of a partywhose ground norm forpolitical engagement isgangsterism.

“We all expected it, evenhis co-aspirant has had towithdraw from the race. Thedevelopment makes thingseasier for it."

APCwelcomesOmisore intoOsun guberrace

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA—THE crisisrocking the Labour Party

in Ogun State has taken adangerous dimension as afaction of the party hasaccused the one loyal toformer governor of the state,Otunba Gbenga Daniel ofthreatening Olabode Simeonand others.

The faction led by theembattled Chairman of theparty, Olabode Simeon,weekend, during thestakeholders’ meeting at theparty Secretariat in Abeokuta

Ogun LP faction alleges death threatThey 're jesters—Daniel

declared that the recentcongresses held by Daniel’sfaction was an affront on thejudiciary system .

Simeon said despite thepronouncement by a FederalHigh Court in Lagos that thestatus quo should remain,Daniel’s faction still wentahead to hold congresses andelect new leaders.

Addressing newsmen afterthe party ’s registers werehanded over to partyChairmen in all the localgovernment areas, Simeonsaid his faction would file a

committal proceeding againstDaniel’s faction fororganising congresses whenthe case was in court.

But in a swift reaction,Daniel's faction describedmembers of the other factionas jesters that should not betaken seriously.

The Publicity Secretary ofthe party loyal to Daniel, DejiKalejaiye , however, warnedthe other faction to desistfrom character assassinationof the former governor or riskbeing sued.

ADO EKITI—GOVERNOR Kayode

Fayemi of Ekiti State,yesterday, described hislate deputy, Mrs.Funmilayo Olayinka as aselfless woman who livedfor the service of thepeople as her first yearmemorial service washeld.

Speaking at theCathedral Church ofEmmanuel, Ado-Ekiti,venue of the programme,Fayemi commended thepeople of the state forcontinually showing loveand affection to the latedeputy governor.

Fayemi called on thecivil servants andpolitical office holders todedicate themselves tothe service of the people,saying Olayinka wouldforever be rememberedfor her sense ofcommitment anddedication to the people.

Fayemieulogiseslate deputygov

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 11

Why Ebikeme, Clark’s son was released

Come to our rescue, Delta Christians urge UduaghanBY FESTUS AHON

BY EMMA AMAIZE &SAMUEL OYADONGHA

AWARD: Mrs. Comfort Omoko (left) being decorated with the MBE award by QueenElizabeth II, recently.

Slain Deltalawyers:Midwest BarForum urgesIG, DSS tofish outkillers

UGHELLI—CHRISTIANAssociation of Nigeria,

CAN, Patani Local Govern-ment Area Chapter, DeltaState, has appealed to thestate governor, Dr. EmmanuelUduaghan, to intervene inthe threat to lives and prop-erty of Christians in Patanitown, following alleged movesby the Amateri/Seigben reli-gious cult devotees to coercethe Christian community toobserve their period of silence.

CAN, in a letter to the gov-

WARRI—MR. EbikemeClark, son of Ijaw na-

tional leader, Chief EdwinClark, who was kidnappedlast week in Delta State, hasbeen released.

Delta State Police Commis-sioner, Mr. Ikechukwu Adu-ba, meanwhile, said that theleader of the kidnap gang,identified as Joshua and an-other man who provided theboat used to whisk Ebikemeto the kidnappers’ den andseveral others, had been ar-rested by the police, which iscontinuing with the investiga-tion despite the release.

He said: “Based on intelli-gence, the Area Commanderswooped on the leader of thegang and the man who pro-vided the boat. Before theyknew it, it was the kidnappersthat were begging and thatwas how Ebikeme was re-leased.

“As far as we are concerned,we have made more arrests.The ring leader, Joshua, iswith us. The man who provid-ed the boat and some otherassociates are in our custody.We are happy that membersof the public, Delta WaterwaysSecurity Committee, DWSC,Tompolo (Government Ekpe-mupolo) and the military, allmobilised to effect his re-lease.”

Highly placed securitysources confiding in Van-guard, yesterday, said:“Ebikeme was hurriedly re-leased by the kidnappers be-cause of the siege by the po-lice, DWSC, Warri; Tompolo,and other former Niger Deltaagitators and Ijaw youths, whocombed everywhere forthem.”

Ebikeme confirmed his re-lease at 7.30 a.m in a chatwith Vanguard.

Meanwhile, the Ijaw YouthCouncil, IYC, worldwide, hasdescribed the release ofEbikeme as a triumph for thecollective will against crimi-nality.

Spokesman of IYC, EricOmare, in a statement, said

that the decision of Ijaw youthsto join forces with securityagencies in the search for theabducted son of the Ijaw lead-er was a clear demonstrationthat crime could only thrive ina society where it is condonedand given tacit support by mem-bers of the society.

A source told Vanguard thatChief Clark was briefed as soonas information came that his sonhad been freed by the kidnap-pers at a community in BomadiLocal Government Area of thestate.

It was gathered that the kid-nappers gave Ebikeme N5,000for his transport, before fleeing.

My experience, byEbikeme

Speaking to Vanguard afterhis release, Ebikeme said: “Itis a clear case of kidnapping forransom. Somebody from my vil-lage kept watch on me for twomonths. They took me from myvillage towards Bayelsa Stateaxis. They believed that theywill be able to extort moneyfrom my father and me, person-ally.

“I was disappointed thatthey will kidnap somebodylike me, the son of ChiefClark after all that my fatheris doing for the develop-ment of the Niger Delta andthe country. Can you imag-ine, they spoke to my fatherrudely on the phone, sayingthey did not care about himbeing their father, that allthey wanted was for him topay ransom.

“On Saturday night, I be-lieve they were under pres-sure as they were movingme from one hide out to an-other. I found myself in sev-eral places. A call came tothem that they should dropme within three hours, Ithink it was from Tompoloand they began to beg methereafter, that they are introuble and that I shouldhelp them.”

Ebikeme said he was sur-prised his captors were moreafraid for their lives underthreat than him, who theywere holding captive.

“The one that hit my headwith a gun knelt down andbegged me that I should not

allow him to go to jail. Theywere all saying that theywere in trouble and that Ishould plead for mercy forthem. I saw that they wereall disgruntled that at theend of the day, they did nottake anything from my kid-nap, they were calling mil-lions, as if it was very easyto make money. I think theyhad planned to buy cars anddo many things with the ran-som they planned to collectwith the way they were la-menting about the misfor-tune that suddenly befellthem.

“The kidnappers asked meto help them beg govern-ment for amnesty and thatthey should not kill them andtheir family members. At astage, I was now the personthat was consoling them.”

Ebikeme commended theDelta Waterways SecurityCommittee for its efforts insecuring his release, addingthat the committee arrestedall the family members of thekidnappers they could lo-cate, noting that same weak-ened his abductors.

BY SIMONEBEGBULEM

BENIN—THE Mid-west Bar Forum,

MBF, of the Nigerian BarAssociation, NBA, hasdescribed the killing oftwo lawyers in Delta State,as a calculated attempt tointimidate the Bar and theBench in the discharge oftheir duties.

It called on the Policeand Department of StateSecurity, DSS, to investi-gate the matter and fishout the perpetrators.

MBF, in a statement byits chairman, Chief FredOrbih, SAN, noted thatprior to the murder, “Ho-race Dafiaghor, had re-portedly complained tothe court, colleagues andthe police of threats to hislife, which he had been re-ceiving through phonecalls.

“It is instructive that onthe aforementioned datethat both lawyers weremurdered, they were saidto be on their way to courtin the morning. Informa-tion filtered in later in theday that Dafiaghor and hissaid junior colleaguewere shot at close rangeon their heads and bothof them died on the spot.The assailants did nottake any valuable itemfrom the deceased col-leagues.”

Vowing not leave anystone unturned in its bidto ensure that the perpe-trators were brought tobook, it noted “we takeexception to the surrepti-tious attempt to intimidatethe Bar and the Bench inthe discharge of their du-ties.

" Let it be known that theForum will defend the in-tegrity of the Bar and theindependence of the ju-diciary at all times nomatter the circumstances.

“We call on the Inspec-tor General of Police, As-sistant Inspector General,AIG zone 5 Benin, theCommissioner of PoliceDelta State and the Direc-tor of DSS to carry out aprompt and thorough in-vestigation into the kill-ings, with a view to bring-ing the perpetrators andtheir sponsors to bookwithin the shortest possi-ble time,” it stated.

ernor, said that there was“brewing tension in Patani townbetween the Christian commu-nity and the Amateri/ Seigbenreligious cult devotees occa-sioned by a letter of threat whichis in total breach of our consti-tutional rights as Christians,written to us through the pal-ace cultural committee of Kabo-wei Kingdom on March 27,2014.”

CAN, in the letter by the chap-ter’s Chairman, Rt. Rev EdafeEmamezi and others, allegedthat in 2006, the faithful of thereligious cult launched an at-

tack on the churches in Pa-tani, “especially the Angli-can Church because of thesame issue, which led to thedamage of property worthmillions of naira and bodilyinjuries of various degreesfrom machete cuts inflictedon our members.

“We thought from your in-tervention in 2012, that thethreat and attack on thechurches in Patani town hadceased, but we are surprisedthat the palace cultural com-mittee, with total disregardto the office of the governor,

is again asking the church-es to observe their period ofsilence in this period ofEaster, which is very signif-icant to the Christian faith.

“We all know that all overthe world, Christianity is theworship of God, the father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, andasking the churches to re-main silent this period ofEaster amounts to telling thechurches to close shop, be-cause this is a season of cel-ebration, especially the PalmSunday procession that re-minds us of Jesus’ royalty."

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

G b a r a m a t ucrisis: Youthleader laudsmonarch'sintervention

Edo PDP flays govt's reawardingof hospital contract

BY GABRIELENOGHOLASE

BENIN—EDO Statechapter of Peoples Democrat-

ic Party, PDP, has said that the stategovernment was toying with thelives of the people of the state byre-awarding the contract for thebuilding of the flagship hospital inthe state, the Benin Central Hospi-tal, which partially collapsed dur-ing construction two years ago.

It will be recalled that the EdoState Government had, last week,re-awarded the Central Hospitalproject to Messrs S & A Construc-tion Company with a contructionperiod of 12 months.

However, the PDP, in a statement,weekend in Benin, by its stateChairman, Chief Dan Orbih, chal-lenged the state government to pub-lish the report of the panel thatlooked into the collapsed hospitalbuilding.

Orbih said that the state govern-ment was creating a future disasterby cutting off a section of the build-ing, instead of complying with thereport of the panel which recom-mended that the entire building bepulled down.

VISIT: From right: Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State; Christine Quinn Burtt ofCQB & Associates, Inc.; Resident Country Director, International Republican Institute, Ni-geria, Robina Namusa, and the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, during avisit to the governor, at Government House, Yenagoa.

Aerocommencesoperations atAsaba airport

He said: “We cannot fold ourhands and watch this govern-ment endanger the lives of inno-cent people. The lives of the peo-ple are important to us as an im-portant stakeholder. We chal-lenge the Edo State Governmentto publish the report of the find-ings of the panel. We will chal-lenge this in court as we will notallow more people to be killed inthis project.

“The initial sum of the projectwas N2.7 billion. They later in-creased it to N3 billion before thedisaster. Now, they have come outto say that they have re-awardedit. We ask the state government,how much of the initial sum waspaid the old contractor and howmuch was paid the new contrac-tors?”

The party noted that the con-tracts were being awarded in thestate without due process andaccountability.

He berated the government forembarking on the teachers’ com-petency test at a time an injunc-tion restraining the state govern-ment from conducting the testhad been granted by a court.

AERO Contractors,one of Nigeria’s

leading airlines, beginsscheduled flights at Asa-ba Airport, Delta State,today, with Lagos andAbuja as the initialroutes.

This brings to three thenumber of airlines oper-ating flights from Asaba,as Overland and Arikhad been on the routesince the airport openedfor commercial serviceson July 13, 2011.

According to the flightschedule issued by Aero,daily operations intoAsaba begin from Abujaat 10.10 a.m., and departfor Lagos at 11.45a.m.The return flight fromLagos departs for Asabaat 14.45 p.m., while theAbuja flight leaves at16.20p.m.

The entrance of Aeroreinforces the status ofAsaba Airport as one ofthe busiest and most vi-able in the country.

After commencing com-mercial flight operationson July 13, 2011, AsabaAirport has handled6,331 flights and 192,651passengers at the end ofOctober 2013. This isaside from the 18 flightsand 63 passengers han-dled before commercialflights began, bringingtotal operational resultsto 6,349 flights and192,714 passengers.

Mr. Chike Ogeah, Del-ta State Commissionerfor Information, speakingon the entrance of Aerointo Asaba, said thedream of Governor Em-manuel Uduaghan ofbuilding a hub in Asabais on track.

“It is still early in termsof the number of airlinesand the destinations be-ing serviced. Moreroutes will be opened asmore airlines join theAsaba operations," hesaid.

THE traditional ruler ofoil-rich Ogulagha

Kingdom, HRM, KingJoseph Timiyan and ChiefTunde Smooth, the Boloweiof Obotobe Kingdom, havebeen commended for theirresolve to end the disputebetween Chief GovernmentEkpemupolo (Tompolo)and Chief Michael John-ny and seven others in de-tention.

A youth leader in Oker-enkoko community, Gbar-amatu Kingdom, Mr. TimiOluba, made the commen-dation, yesterday in Benin,Edo State. He also thankedTompolo for initiating thereconciliation process.

He said: “I have confi-dence in the ability of Ogu-lagha monarch and ChiefSmooth to resolve the mat-ter satisfactorily in the in-terest of peace.

“Tompolo took the bestdecision by initiating theprocess for reconciliation."

UC RUSAL denies cannibalising ALSCON

UC RUSAL, opera-tors of the ALS-

CON smelter plant atIkot Abasi, Akwa IbomState, weekend, deniedaccusations that it hadcannibalised the alumin-ium smelter plant.

The company said in astatement by MorenkoElena, of the Internation-al Media Relations office

in Moscow, that it had infact taken efforts to sellobsolete assets to mini-mise losses, adding thatthis was one of the manyfactors that led to thesuspension of primaryaluminium production atthe smelter in March2013.

He said: “A key precon-dition for ALSCON’s

successful operation isan uninterrupted supplyof natural gas. However,the lack of a reliable gassupply has been a majorobstacle to the develop-ment of ALSCON. Sinceit was re-commissionedin 2008, ALSCON hassuffered six lengthy dis-ruptions to its gas sup-ply, resulting in a com-

plete cessation of alu-minium production andlosses of about US$60million, as well as longreconstruction periods.This has meant that dur-ing its entire history, thesmelter has operated atless than 20 per cent ofits production capacity.”

Accuses government of toying with people's lives

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—13

Obiano set to crush crimes in Anambra...invites Israeli security expert to summit

THE GOVERNOR of Anam-bra State, Chief Willie Obi-

ano, has taken his on-going waragainst crime in the state to a dif-ferent level as he drags a worldfamous Israeli security expert,Moshe Keinan, to the state’s firstsecurity summit holding April 10and 11 this year.

Since he came into office lastmonth, Governor Obiano hasdemonstrated uncommon resolveto stamp out violent crimes in thestate, launching an all-out offen-sive against kidnappers andarmed robbers.

Defection: INEC challenges court’spower to declare Okorocha’s seat vacant...seeks dismissal of APGA’s suit

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

Chief Adisa Adeleye, columnist with Vanguard Newspapers, and his wife,Omolola, cutting his 88 birthday cake with their children and grand-children,during a special prayer and luncheo, at the New Castle Hotel, Anthony, La-gos weekend. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor

From left, Chief Adewale Okunuga; Alhaji Jide Eko; Chief Adisa Adeleye,celebrant, and Alhaji S. B. Daranijo, National Chairman, Nigeria Opportu-nities Industrialisation Centre, NOIC, during Chief Adeleye's 88th birthdaycelebration.

CHIEF ADELEYE CELEBRATES 88TH BIRTHDAY

ABUJA — THE Indepen-dent National Electoral

Commission, INEC, has chal-lenged the jurisdiction of the Fed-eral High Court, sitting in Abuja,to declare the seat of GovernorRochas Okorocha of Imo Statevacant, following his defection tothe All Progressives Congress,APC.

In a motion filed before the HighCourt, the electoral body soughtthe dismissal of the suit institutedagainst Governor Okorocha by hisformer party, the All ProgressivesGrand Alliance, APGA.

It will be recalled that APGAhad in a suit filed by its lawyer,Mr. Victor Odjemu, asked courtto declare Okorocha’s seat vacantand order that the deputy gover-nor of Imo State, be sworn -in totake over since the governor hadjoined another party which man-ifesto and policies were differentfrom APGA’s.

Insisting that Okorocha washolding in trust a mandate givento him by APGA and thus couldnot transfer same to a differentpolitical group, APGA, told thecourt that its decision to seek the

immediate removal of the gover-nor culminated from a meetingheld by its National ExecutiveCommittee, NEC, in Abuja onAugust 3, 2013.

It urged the court to, in the al-ternative, either okay the deputygovernor as a viable replacementfor Okorocha or direct that thespeaker of Imo State House ofAssembly or any officer next inline to the position of the gover-

nor, who is a member of the plain-tiff, APGA, be sworn-in to pilotthe affairs of the state.

Aside Okorocha, INEC and ImoState House of Assembly wereequally joined as the 2nd and 3rddefendants/respondents.

In a preliminary objection dat-ed March 21, INEC, through itslawyer Mr. Ibrahim K. Bawa, in-sisted that having regard to theprovision of Section

251(l)(p)(q)(r) of the 1999 Con-stitution, as amended, the subjectmatter of the suit was outside thejurisdiction of the high court.

According to INEC’s prelimi-nary objection, a copy of whichwas obtained by Vanguard, “Theclaims of the plaintiff in this suitare contained in the originatingSummon and affidavit in supportof same.

Our target is to take over Enugu Govt House in 2015 — APC

He set up a Joint Task Forcemade up of the police, the army,the navy and the para-military totake the battle to the men of theunderworld who had made partsof the state unsafe for a while.

Mr. Keinan’s involvement inthe coming summit is a clear dem-onstration of the resolve of thestate government under Gover-nor Obiano to leave no stone un-turned in finding a lasting solu-tion to the challenge of insecurityin Anambra State.

Moshe Keinan is the founderand owner of MKGroup Consul-

tancy, Security & Instruction LTD,a Tel-Aviv based company thatteams up with experts on diversefields of security with specializa-tion in intelligence, police, pris-ons, ports and airports securityamong others.

An academic director in Nation-al Security Studies at Galilee Col-lege, Mr. Keinan’s main interestsare mostly in the areas of securityknowledge, planning and execu-tion, operations and intelligence,national defence, strategy andhuman simulations and instruc-tion.

ENUGU — AHEAD of the2015 general elections,

All Progressives Congress,APC, said it had set a targetto take over Lion Building,the Enugu State seat of pow-er.

APC set the target, following

the successful conclusion of itsward congresses across the260 wards in the state.

Briefing journalists in Enu-gu, yesterday, chairman of theCongress Committee, UcheOnyeagocha, said APC wasnot only prepared to make animpact in Enugu State in 2015,but had set a target to take over

Lion Building from the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP.

Onyeagocha said it waswrong for anybody to assumethat APC had no ground inEnugu State, adding that theparty had seasoned politicianswho had contested elections atthe national, state and localgovernment levels, but lost be-

cause security agencies aidedPDP to rig the elections.

“We have people like Oke-chukwu Ideke. We have peo-ple like General J.O.J Okolo-agu. We have people like Osi-ta Okechukwu. These are peo-ple who have contested sever-al elections but only lost be-cause they were rigged out."

Chime’s successor'll come from Enugu North —NnamaniBY JOSEPH ERUNKE

ABUJA — FORMER Sen-ate President, Nnamani

Ken, has disclosed that the Peo-ples Democratic Party, PDP, willfill a candidate for governorshipof Enugu State in the 2015 gen-eral election from the northernpart of the state.

Nnamani said all stakeholdersin the party from the state hadalready reached a consensus thatGovernor Sullivan Chime’s suc-cessor should emerge from Enu-gu North senatorial zone.

The former Senate President,who is a delegate at the ongoingNational Conference, told news-

men, yesterday, that settling forsomeone from that part of thestate was aimed at ending thecontroversy surrounding the 2015governorship election in EnuguState.

He said the development was

the outcome of a reconciliatorymeeting among PDP stakehold-ers in the state.

He said: “Enugu State does notseem to have any successionproblem because we have a con-ventional understanding that

when Enugu East completed itseight years, it went to Enugu Westand after Enugu West, it is onlyproper that governorship powershould go to Enugu North. It isnot written anywhere, but it is con-ventional.

Imo Policeinterrogate 2overbeheading ofwoman

OWERRI — TWOsuspects are now

telling Imo State PoliceCommand all they knowabout the gruesome be-heading of 66-year-oldMrs. Josephine Okorie atIbiasoegbe, Oru East LocalGovernment Area of thestate.

Confirming the incidentbefore her re-deployment,the former Police PublicRelations Officer, PPRO,Mrs. Joy Elemoko, said thesuspects were helping thepolice in the investigation.

Vanguard gathered thatthe suspected ritualists laidambush for the haplesswoman when she washeading back home fromher farm at about 9a.m. anddecapitated her.

It was also gathered that“the suspected ritualistsquickly scampered intosafety and abandoned thedecapitated head whenthey heard the voice of an-other woman who waspassing through the lone-ly path.”

Narrating the gory tale toanxious newsmen that be-sieged the area, the latewoman’s son, Mr. MondayOkorie, recalled that it wasthe woman who raisedalarm that attracted othervillagers to the scene.

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

BY TONY EDIKE

CMYK

14—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

Nigeria, not extremely poor, Presidencyrefutes World Bank's classification.Says ‘enemies’ manipulating facts to disparage government

ABUJA — THE Presidency,yesterday, denied reports bysome media houses and publiccommentators that Nigeria wasextremely poor, saying facts werebeing manipulated to disparagethe present administration.

According to the Presidency, itis not true that Nigeria is ex-

BY HENRY UMORU tremely poor, contrary to interpre-tations of a recent statement bythe World Bank President, JimYong Kim, who indicated thatNigeria was among the world’sextremely poor countries.

A statement by the Senior Spe-cial Assistant to the President onPublic Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe,yesterday, said: “It is not correctand is a deliberate misrepresen-

tation of facts meant to disparagethis administration.

”What the World Bank chief saidwas that ‘ two-third of the World’sextremely poor are concentratedin just five countries : India, Chi-na, Nigeria, Bangladesh and theDemocratic Republic of Congo…

“If you add another five coun-tries as Indonesia, Pakistan, Tan-zania, Ethiopia and Kenya, the

total grows to 80% of the extremepoor.

”While government appreciatesthe challenges of poverty eradi-cation and wealth creation amongthe populace and is doing every-thing to address same, it will befalse and uncharitable for com-mentators to use the statement asa basis for concluding that Nige-ria is extremely poor or that theNigerian economy is one of thepoorest in the world.

”China, which is the world’ssecond largest economy and In-dia which is the world’s fourthlargest economy, could never havebeen classified by the World BankChief Executive as extremely poorcountries and this is also applica-ble to Nigeria, which has consis-tently been rated as having a pos-itive economic outlook by variousinternational agencies and is alsothe fastest growing economy inAfrica.

“The fact is that this same WorldBank recently promoted Nigeriafrom a low income ranking to amedium income ranking econo-my in recognition of what it called‘ efforts of government in reduc-ing the level of endemic povertyin the country.

ABUJA — National Examination Council, NECO,has raised an alarm over the effect Boko Haraminsurgency would have on conduct of future exam-inations in the northern part of the country.

Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of NECO, Pro-fessor Promise Okpala, stated this,weekend, whileannouncing release of the General Certificate ofEducation, GCE, examination results of November/December last year in Minna.

He said: “During the conduct of the examination,the council was faced withchallenges associated withinsecurity in some parts ofthe country.

“The challenges affectedthe overall time-line for theconduct of the examination,marking of the result scriptsand the release of the re-sults scripts.”

Also announcing the re-lease of the results, Pro-fessor Okpala said therewas a remarkable improve-ment in candidates’ perfor-mances in the core subjects,English and Mathematics,compared with the situationin the previous years.

He said of the 51,759 can-didates who sat for the ex-amination, 31,201 scoredcredits in Mathematics,while 28,113 candidates,representing 48.7 per centof the candidates scored

credit in English Lan-guage.

He said Zamfara record-ed highest cases of mal-practice in the examination,with 6.14 per cent, followedby Imo with 5.28 per cent.

Okpala said the FederalCapital Territory andBayelsa State, recordedzero per cent in cases ofexamination malpractice.

Okpala, who noted thatthere had been improve-

ment in NECO results inthe last three years, attrib-uted it to its collaborationwith stakeholders and se-curity agents, especially theNigeria Security and CivilDefense Corps, NCSDC.

Boko Haram: NECO raises alarm.Releases 2013 Nov/Dec GCE results.Records 48.7%, 53.8% passes in English, Maths

BY LAIDE AKINBOADE

ABUJA — EMBAT-TLED Minister of In-

terior, Abba Moro, has tak-en full responsibility for therecent ill-fated recruitmentinto Nigeria ImmigrationService which claimed 16lives and begged for for-giveness from Nigerians,especially affected families.

Moro, who made the ap-peal at a media briefing,weekend, said his intentionwas genuine but lamentedthat the exercise turnedtragic.

“I think that I will ordi-narily ask Nigerians forunderstanding in this mat-ter, understanding the in-tention, understanding themotive behind the whole

thing of an open, transpar-ent recruitment exercise.

“That is the first of its kindinto the services of InteriorMinistry that was intend-ed primarily to give em-ployment to Nigerians, ir-respective of their back-grounds, connections, con-tacts in government or thebusiness circle,” he said.

Moro said the exercisewas intended to correct allthe ills of the past and giveeverybody an open oppor-tunity to get employment.

He added: “For me, it isa personal loss because theexercise, in the first place,took place within the Min-istry of Interior, organisedby the Ministry and its ser-vices and so whatever con-sequences, positive or neg-

ative, that have come andin this instance, negative,I, as the Minister of thatMinistry, under whose pur-view this exercise tookplace, where people losttheir lives, certainly takefull responsibility.

“I want to say repeatedlythat the death of theseyoung Nigerians whowould have added value tohuman resource asset ofthis nation is highly regret-table. And for the families,I insist that my heart goesout to them because I am afather too.”

Moro insisted that he didnot have any disagreementwith either the board or theImmigration Services’ offi-cial over the recruitment.

'I accept full responsibility'BY VICTORIA OJEME

NIS recruitment: Please, forgive me,Abba Moro begs Nigerians

3 DGs ofNCAA neverchangedwithin 3 yrs—Dati

THE ALLEGATIONthat three Directors

General of the NigerianCivil Aviation Authority,NCAA, were changed with-in three years has been de-bunked by the agencyspokesman, Mr. YakubuDati.

Dati was reacting to astatement credited to aformer DC-10 pilot with thedefunct Nigeria Airways,Capt. Dan Omale, thatsuch a change carried outby former Minister of Avia-tion, Princess Stella Odu-ah was “unprecedentedanywhere else in theworld.”

He added that “with sucha high turn-over of theheads of the NCAA, insta-bility in the system becomesinevitable and it is nowshowing.”

Dati said: “Dr. HaroldDemuren was the Director-General, NCAA, until 2012.Oduah met him in that po-sition and he continued inthat office until 2012 whenhis statutory tenure ended.No substantive Director-General of NCAA was ap-pointed until early 2013,when Capt. Fola Akinkuo-tu was appointed Director-General of NCAA by thePresident.

“Where are the three Di-rectors-General that werechanged? As a matter of fact,Capt Akinkuotu, the sec-ond Director-General wasonly recently removed.”

Dati also denied that AirOperator Certificate, AOC,and licences for charteredoperations were biased,saying that only persons ororganisations that met thestringent standard require-ments were given the ap-proval to operate.

BIRTHDAY: Pastor Ituah Ighodalo (left), presenting a post-humous award to Mrs. Sereba Agiobu-Kemmer on behalf of her late husband, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, Lagos State First Lady (2nd left), andChief Sonny Kuku, during special thanksgiving service, at Trinity House, Victoria Island, Lagos,yesterday, to mark 53rd birthday of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7 , 2014 —15

PRESIDENT JONATHAN'S DAUGHTER WEDSPresident Goodluck Jonathan’s daughter, Faith Sakwe’s traditional marriage toPrince Godswill Edward held at Kpansia in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Saturday.

From left: Vice President Namadi Sambo; Chief TonyAnenih, Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,Board of Trustees, and President Goodluck Jonathan.

From left: President Goodluck Jonathan; the new couple, Prince & Mrs Godswill Edward; FirstLady, Patience; groom's father, HRH Osim Edward; Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa Stateand his wife, Rachael.

From left: Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, GovernorDickson and Vice President Sambo.

From left: Ven. Ikana Kune, Vicar-General, Anglican Diocese of NigerDelta West; President Jonathan; Governor Dickson and Dr. Reuben Abati,Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, during the Churchservice at St. Peter's Deanery, Yenagoa.

From left: Mrs Margret Obi, wife of Mr. Peter Obi, former Governorof Anambra State; Mrs Roli Uduaghan, Delta State First Lady, andGovernor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State.

Minister of Niger Delta, Darius Ishaku and hiswife, Anna.

From left: Vice President Sambo, Senate President, David Mark, and DeputySpeaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha.

Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State andhis wife, Obioma.

From left: Authur Ezeh, Ifeanyi Ubah and ChiefTony Chukwu.

CMYK

OPINION

16 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

BY OSATO GIWA-OSAGIE

*Prof . Giwa-Osagie wrote from Lagos.

Killing us softlyIN a famous major musical hit by the

Black American female singer RobertaFlack, she described a man as “killing hersoftly, with his song”.When one listens carefully to the song it isclear exactly what she means. When achange, be it painful or pleasant, is appliedsoftly and persistently, it can easily haveattained deleterious proportions before thevictim realises it. When one looks at manythings in Nigeria, one easily realises howthings creep up on us and end up the waythey are.Let us start with the irresponsible wastageof food at our many social events, officialand private. The caterers whether out ofignorance or in order to charge their clientsmore, and more, serve far more food thanany reasonable person can consume. Thisis in addition to plates full of so-called“small chops”. You only need to observe asyou leave a social event how much foodhas been part-eaten or left uneaten on thetable. Caterers normally negotiate paymentdue on a per plate or per person basis, sothey really do not make more profit byserving embarrassingly large portions orgiving persons who are all dressed up hardmeat on the bone which ends up uneaten. Ihave seen many men in flowing robes notattempt to eat the full plates and large piecesof meat on bone served to them. As youlook around you will see meat, fish andchicken floating in oil. Perhaps, one shouldnot be surprised because the catering, orcooked food business, is one that Nigeriansthink anyone can engage in, as if, if you can

cook you are a caterer. The person hiring acompany to cater for his party often doesnot make enough effort to ascertain thecredentials of the company. People oftenwonder why Nigerians are dropping deadthese days. I suggest that our party caterersby their practices are killing us softly! Whatmakes this situation worse is that these badfood serving practices also permeate mealsserved in many homes.These are many occasions when the soundof electricity generators echo in my earseven when no generator is on. My clothesoften smell of diesel at the end of each day.We know that noise pollution can deafenwhile hydrocarbon fumes can and do kill,how be it, through cancer or respiratory,skin and blood diseases. We also ingesthydrocarbons through the soil in which ourfood is grown. The failure of successivegovernments, both Federal and state, to finda sustainable solution to our energydrought, but instead themselves encourageincreasing use of generators and diesel, is asignificant way of killing us softly. Whyshould any State House, Federal or state,have standby generators? Why shouldofficials and directors of power companieshave standby generators? They are allkilling us softly! Their attitudes sustain thelack of solution to our energy problems.Have you noticed how mobile phonecompany masts spring up in our country?Many of these towers are very close if noton top of buildings housing people? Whatis the evidence that the bombardment ofhumans by the emission of these

commercial ventures is safe for us to be soclose to? Do any of our massively profitabletelecommunication companies spend orplan to spend funds to find out? Of course,they will not unless their regulatory bodyinsists. They are killing us softly!At school we were taught that “democracyis the government of the people by the peoplefor the people”. That democracy wasassumed to be participatory democracy. Isdemocracy participatory when the meansof participating is unattainable by the vastmajority, and participation becomes agame of restricted musical chairs when thesame names change designation? Thissystem ensures that so-calleddemocratically elected persons have noconsideration for the electors as they do notneed them to be elected. They are killing ussoftly.Government is meant to be for us all. If andwhen you need to renew any license orregistration in a government agency, it isnot unusual to find that new requirementshave been introduced to ensure you paymore and more to government, and withoutdue notice or any apology. Should this behow citizenry is treated? The impunitywhich with governments do things and donot feel they need to explain or listen tothose suffering under their impositions isamazing.They demand more and more and do sobecause we have given them mandate torule us. Yes, to rule us, but not to kill us!One should also consider whether any bankin Nigeria does any banking? May be they

do with and for the multi-nationals and bigcompanies. For small companies, theyshow very little interest and give littlesupport. Many ensure that the securitiesthey request for an overdraft are akin towhat they expect from large companies.Some even refuse to hand back yourcollateral when you have paid off capitaland interest. Whose banks are they?Definitely not for the ordinary man or smallcompanies. To make matters worse theCentral Bank of Nigeria has allowed banksto participate in all kinds of investmentsafter re-phasing through the use of holdingcompanies. They are all killing us softlyfor private investors cannot compete withthe massive funds of the bank. Banks owninsurance companies, health maintenanceorganisations, and mobile phonecompanies, to name some things bankshould not be owners of.Is there hope at all? People say a hopelesslife is no life. From time to time, man seesthe reduction of massive power, wealth andgreed to near nothing. You would think thatwe would learn from this, but we do not.But we can refuse to be killed, in any wayand insist that what should be ours must beours. The lesson of history has been oftenthat arrogance and thoughtlessnessdisappear, when we refuse to be killed softly!We continue to live in hope of a bettertomorrow, but starting today.

SCARCITIES create desperation. Theauthorities are ignoring this fact as theymangle the future of Nigeria with policies thatdo not serve even the present. Millions of ourpeople cannot access the basics for living.They strive, they toil, yet at the vital

moments, governments and theirorganisations are to play a role, effortsdissolve into nothingness and in mostcircumstances, deaths follow. The most currentmode of death is stampedes.After the Nigeria immigration Service, NIS,

recruitment exercise that claimed 19 lives, weare still paying minimal attention to crowdmanagement. Worse still, we are not thinkingof ways of handing such exercises withoutthousands of people being assembled andsubjected to dehumanising conditions.Those who die become history.At the University of Benin, scores of

prospective students were injured during astampede that resulted from poor managingof an admission screening exercise.Thousands of students were being herded intothe venue through narrow gates that aptlycaptured the suffering the authorities hadlined up for them.Hours of waiting without clear directives

Another StampedeAnother StampedeAnother StampedeAnother StampedeAnother StampedeIgnoredIgnoredIgnoredIgnoredIgnored

about the screening, indications thatuniversity staff were helping their relationsinto the hall, and the uncertainties thatscarcities breed, resulted in the basic instinctof the crowd to force its way into the hall.Security personnel had an easy option when

the setting became rowdy. They shut the gates.Those behind squashed others on the gates.Moments after, hundreds had been floored;they became foot mats for others. It was amiracle that only a life was lost.Could the exercise not have been done in

smaller batches in the university’s variousfacilities? Could computer-based systems nothave been used to determine those whoqualified for admission? What is so importantabout the physical examination of candidates?

Why must thousands be assembled at facilitiesthat are inadequate for their numbers? Howdo security personnel, untrained in crowdcontrol, become the ones daunted with thesetasks?As with the NIS case, we may hear remedies

like awarding the injured automaticadmissions, admitting three people from thefamily of the dead to the university. Nobodyappears perturbed by the signals that thesestampedes are giving. Nobody thinks thatsomething is wrong about our organisationswhen they cannot execute simple tasks thattechnologies manage with seamless easeelsewhere.The growing scarcity of resources like jobs,

admission places in higher institutions,especially universities, medical facilities,drinking water, food, infrastructure(antiquated or poorly maintained whereavailable) are consequences of poorgovernments’ investment of our resourcesover the years.Stampedes and scrambles – with more deadly

consequences - would become more commonunless governments address matters thatwould create more opportunities, open moregates, instead of shutting them.

CMYK

CMYK

APRIL 7, , , , , 20142014201420142014

Continues on page 18

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING

CBN Exchange rate as at 04/04/2014

107.20 +0.75

-99.55 +0.56

171.0 -3.152,951.00 -23.00

16.86 -0.19

DOLLAR 154.74 155.24 155.74

STERLING 255.3829 256.2081 257.0333

EURO 213.4793 214.1691 214.8589

FRA 175.2236 175.7898 176.356

CFA 0.3057 0.3157 0.3257

WAUA 238.1654 238.9349 239.7045

RENMINBI 24.8557 24.9365 25.0173

RIYAL 41.2607 41.394 41.5273

KRONA 28.5941 28.6865 28.7789

SDR 238.934 239.7061 240.4781

YEN 1.5128 1.5176 1.5225

Says 22-35% interest rate threat to NIRPIMF says rates are declining in other economiesPrivate sector crowded out of borrowing

A drop in interest rate willassist manufacturers andother operators in Nigeria to

grow the economy. This is theconsensus of the Organised Private

High interest rates killingeconomy — OPS

By OMOH GABRIEL,FRANKLIN ALLI &NAOMI UZOR

Sector, OPS, and other economicoperators in the country. At themoment, interest rates range between22-35 percent, which they decry to betoo high for any productive venture.Interest rate is the price paid formoney borrowed from banks. TheCentral Bank of Nigeria, CBN, haskept the rate at which it lends to banksat 12 per cent, which serves as the

barometer for the direction of interestrate charged by banks.

While banks pay a paltry threepercent on savings account, theycharge about 22 percent for money lentto customers. The margin betweensavings and prime lending rate hasbeen increasing over, time thus makingcost of funds in Nigeria one of thehighest globally.

The OPS has therefore called on theCBN to ease its monetary policy rateof 12 percent, saying it is fuelling hikein interest rate and cost of borrowedfunds to manufacturers bydevelopment finance institutions andcommercial banks in the country tobetween 22-35 percent.

But the International MonetaryFund, IMF, in its World EconomicOutlook report for April, which set theagenda for the 2014 Spring Meetingsof the Bretton Woods institution, saidthat real interest rates worldwide havedeclined substantially since the 1980sand are now in slightly negativeterritory. The ten-year global realinterest rates, a weighted average ofsafe real interest rates across countries,has declined from an average of 5½percent in the 1980s, to 3½ percent inthe 1990s, to two percent between 2001and 2008, and to slightly negativeterritory in 2012.

According to the IMF, “The cost of

MEETING: From left, Chairman, Forte Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola, President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, andPetroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke during the Economic Management Team meeting presidedover by President Goodluck Jonathan at Aso Chambers, State House, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida.

Cover Story

CMYK

18 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

Continued from page 17,

,

Nigeria is a country ofabsurd economic

realities. The 13th largestcrude oil producer in theworld and the second largesteconomy in Africa earn anestimated $2.2 million a dayin oil revenue. Yet, its GDPper capita, at just over $1,400,is among the lowest for thecontinent and 54 per cent ofits 148 million people live onless than $1 per day. Thefigures are especiallyshocking because of theabundance of naturalresources primarily oil andnatural gas, and massiveagricultural potential basedon its climate and significantrural population.

Human development datafor Nigeria has remainedpersistently bleak despite aconsiderable upturn in thecountry’s economic fortunessince 2000. The UNDP ranked

Breaking the Nigerian povertycycle through entrepreneurialrevolution (1)

the country 80th in a povertysurvey of 108 developingnations that focussed onsevere deprivation. Theagency gave Nigeria aHuman Poverty Index of 37.3,placing it below moreimpoverished Africanneighbours with far smallereconomies like Rwanda andMalawi. Significantly, thestudy looked not just atincome destitution, but also atsecondary aspects includingeducation, access to healthcare, standard of living andlife-expectancy. More than 67million Nigerians aredocketed as poor according tostandard definitions, while 35per cent of the total populationlive in extreme poverty.

These recent trends areespecially worrying becausethey parallel a significant butcontradictory improvement inNigeria’s macro-economic

performance. Before thecurrent global financial crisisset in, Abuja had beensuccessful in wieldingsubstantial positive change inits overall balance sheetsthrough a process of re-prioritisation and economicreform since 1999. A slew ofmeasures, includingprivatisation of several steel,petrochemical, mining andport entities helped developthe non-oil sector, bring downinflation and boostinternational currencyreserves. Nigeria alsosuccessfully negotiated withthe London and Paris clubs todo away with a large part ofits foreign debt.

However, World Bankresearch confirms that evenduring periods of relativeprosperity, poverty levelsremained unabated in thebroadest sense, and actuallyworsened during successivepositive growth periods.

Between 1972 and 1980,for instance, the

Nigerian per capita incomeshot up from $1,300 to $2,900based on rapidly escalatingoil prices. A subsequentdecline in global oil revenuesdragged down per capitaincome, consumption andexpenditure to critical levels.However, Nigeria neglectedinvestment in humandevelopment projects andcontinued to pump borrowedfinances into capital-intensiveenterprises. The fallout wasthat the dramatic rise innational fortunes bypassedthe majority of Nigerians, asevident from the negligiblerise in per capita consumptionfigures for the same period.

The differential effect onpoverty levels in rural andurban areas for the coincidingperiod is equally startling.Because of a simultaneousworsening of incomedistribution, rural povertydeclined slightly while thenumber of urban poor gained.However, the worst-off werealso the worst losers, as thepopulation living in extremepoverty across Nigeriaswelled up from 10 million to14 million. The obviousexplanation behind this is thatpolicy makers sorely failed toshare the increase in wealthequitably.

The obviousexplanation

behind this isthat policy

makers sorelyfailed to sharethe increase in

wealthequitably

Continues on page 19

capital has also fallen but to alesser extent because therequired return-on-equity hasincreased since 2000. Overthe medium term, real interestrates and the cost of capital arelikely to rise only modestlyfrom current levels.

Part of the reason is cyclical:the extremely low real rates ofrecent years reflect largenegative output gaps inadvanced economies.” Thebody in its study said that realrates and the cost of capital arelikely to remain relatively loweven when output gaps areeventually closed.

While interest rates in somecountries are as low as two tothree percent, in Nigeria, theprime lending rate is abovetwo digits, making the cost offunds too high formanufacturers andentrepreneurs.

The OPS chiefs who spokewith Financial Vanguard onthe apex bank’s interest rateregime and its effects on smalland big businesses and theeconomy as a whole, said “Weare worried of the highMonetary Policy Rate (MPR)at 12 percent, which nowkeeps the interest rate highand expensive to borrowers asno bank would lend tocustomers at single digit,which is below its cost of 12percent.”

Manufacturers Associationof Nigeria (MAN) arm of theOPS, in its 2013 EconomicReport, noted that the interestrates on facilities givento MAN members rangedfrom seven percent to 35percent in 2013 (including theBoI/CBN intervention

High interest rate killingeconomy — OPS

window of seven percent).“With the monetary policy

rate (MPR) still maintainingthe same level at 12 percentin the last couple of years, itwas difficult for manufacturersand indeed the real sector toaccess funds for operations aswell as for expansion,” saidMAN.

MAN further noted that“provisional figures fromCBN show that credit toprivate sector fell from its levelin December 2012 by N26.98billion to N15.258.3 billion inthe first quarter of 2013. At thislevel, it was 46.4 percentlower than the proposed targetof 46.2 percent for 2013 fiscalyear, but 8.1 percent above thelevel reported a year ago.

“The MPC led by thecentral bank governor, stillleft the key monetary policyrate (MPR) consistently at 12percent aiming at ‘easymoney ‘ at the disposal of thebanks by introducing a 75percent cash reserve ratio(CRR) on public sectordeposits.

“ The higher CRR — whichis the minimum balance thatthe banks are expected to keepwith the apex bank — is atightening measure intendedto check excess liquidity in thebanking system and this hasthe consequences of crowding-out private sector borrowing.

“This move, which isexpected to drain about N950billion of extra liquidity fromthe banking system, aremonies that may otherwisehave gone to credit expansionto aid investment and jobcreation. Arguably, the CRRhike and other tighteningmeasures in the past havecorrespondingly led to a

reduction in loan availability,making them more expensive.

Bank loans to the privatesector in Nigeria

climbed 7.0 percent in May2013, from a year earlier,according to CBN data, whichis below the apex banks loangrowth target. Any slowdownin loan growth will be a dragon the economy, whichexpanded by 6.6 percent in thefirst quarter of 2013, awayfrom 7.0 percent in fourthquarter 2012.

“The level of financialleverage in the economy isalready low as total credit toprivate sector at N15.6 trillionis just 34.3 percent of the 2012nominal GDP of N45.4 trillion.The equivalent level for Chinais 187 percent and 70 percentfor South Africa respectively.

According to MAN, “Fromour studies, we havediscovered that in the last 10years, interest rates chargedMAN members by banks havebeen at an average of 19.9percent for most of themanufacturing sub-sectors,with an all time low of 16.4percent average in the firsthalf of 2012. Individually,some companies are chargedas much as 35.0 percent andas low as 7.0 percent for thosewho source their funds fromthe Bank of Industry (BoI).

“The disparity is viewedfrom the risk classifications ofthe companies with themultinationals being favouredwith lower rate as against theSMEs, which are viewed as‘high risk portfolio transactioncustomers. The interest ratesdeclared to be charged bybanks range from 14.0 percent

BRIEFING: From left, Managing Director, Frontiers, Frankly Speaking on Radio, MuyiwaAfolabi; Chief Financial Officer, Sterling Bank Plc, Abubakar Suleiman, and Executive Director,LEAP Africa, Iyadunni Olubode, at a media briefing on Sterling Bank’s ”Get Ready For Work”- aprogramme for NYSC members, fresh graduates and those seeking employment held in Lagos.

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 19

,

,

At the nationallevel, the FederalGovernment tookover all themineral resourcesin the land but thetitle to such landcomes from thestate. This lack ofa well definedright to propertyhas become asocial malice thatis hunting thenation. Each day,hundreds ofNigerians diefighting over oneform of property orthe other.

Continued from page 18

to 27.0 percent. Bigger andolder companies attract thelower limit of rates, while themedium, small and newercompanies attract high rates.Higher interest rates ofbetween 28.0 to 35.0 percentare usually charged as a resultof default by companies inprevious loan facilities givento them.

The Nigerian average primelending for last year asdeclared by CBN at 16.6percent in comparison furtherhighlights the high cost offunds which manufacturers arefaced with in Nigeria andwhich is one of the factors thathave stunted the growth of thesector”.

In the same vein, AbubakarBadru, NACCIMA President,noted “With the currentinterest rates hoveringbetween 17 percent and 28percent and for a growingeconomy like ours, it will bedifficult to achieve the desiredeconomic growth and motivateindigenous entrepreneurs tocreate businesses since theywill not be competitive withtheir foreign counterparts whoobtain fund from theircountries at single digit andinvest in the Nigerianeconomy.

An industrialist and formerNACCIMA president, Dr.Simon Chukwuemeka Okolo,added that government hadbetter adopt fiscal and

monetary policy managementstrategies that can lower thehigh interest rate and cost offunds to single digit regime.This he said would enablemanufacturers across board tothrive and create the muchneeded jobs for Nigeriateeming unemployedgraduates.

According to him, highinterest rates beget high costof funds, which have usheredin crippling industrial climateand factory closures across thecountry.

Okolo argued that unlessthe problem of high

interest rate is tackled, therecently launched NigerianIndustrial Revolution Plan,

NIRP, might fail to achieve itsthrust like other such previousgovernment ambitious plans.

The Lagos Chamber ofCommerce and Industry,LCCI, amplified the OPSconcerns, noting, “The creditsituation is still a majorproblem for investors in theeconomy.”

“For the last couple of years,lending rate was well above 20percent. As a result, manysmall businesses still haveserious challenge in accessingcredit even at this high rate.The tight credit situation is amajor inhibiting factor to thecapacity of domesticenterprises to the advantage ofthe robust Nigerian market,”said Muda Yusuf, Director

General Lagos Chamber ofCommerce and Industry.

“Credit challenges affectproductivity andcompetitiveness. It also limitsthe capacity of smallbusinesses to create job andretain existing ones. Wereiterate our call for both fiscaland monetary authorities towork together to ease the creditconditions, especially forSMEs and more importantlydomestic economy. This iscritical as well as to stem thegradual crowding out ofdomestic entrepreneurs byforeign investors.

This is also necessary tomake the current growthtrajectory more inclusive,” saidLCCI.

High interest rate killing economy — OPS

The challenge facing Nigeria today is not being tackled at the roots. Itseems the symptoms are what those in position of authority are chasingafter. It is like chasing shadows. The war between the Fulani cattle

rearers and the Beroms, the South-South and the country at large, the variousclashes among communities that have led to loss of lives in Nigeria, are allabout right to land or claims of ownership of one property or the other. The

A nation without defined property rights willcontinue to be at war with itself

dichotomy between the Northand South is all about right toproperty. The struggle overresource control is aboutproperty rights. The call forfiscal federalism is aboutproperty rights.

The question of state oforigin as basis for accessingoffice and position is aboutright to property in thecountry. One would havethought that the NationalConference would lookcritically at this issue andproffer long- lasting solutions.The dispute over land andproperty ownership has beenthe bane of modern Nigeria.

In days past, community andfamily ownership of propertyhad made it difficult forindividuals to make final claimto some property. The socialsetting therefore, encouragedcommunal land and propertyownership. Down the line,with the national economywithout a well defined right ofindividuals to propertyownership, the communitycontinued to set the pace forland and property ownership.

Over the years, many thatordinarily would have hadaccess to land that would haveyielded some resources forthem to live on, were deprivedof access to such property. Atthe national level, the FederalGovernment took over all themineral resources in the landbut the title to such land comesfrom the state. This lack of awell defined right to propertyhas become a social malaisethat is haunting the nation.Each day, hundreds ofNigerians die fighting overone form of property or theother.

The key driver in PresidentGoodluck Jonathan’sTransformation Agenda ismassive investment. This iswhy the ministries of

Commerce and Industry weremerged to form the Ministryof Industry, Trade andInvestment. While it isimportant to seek to attractforeign direct investment intothe country, creating theministry is no bait for foreigninvestors to want to come toNigeria. Globally, investors areinterested in places wherereturn on their investments ishigh. Nigeria certainlyqualifies as investors havefound out that they reaphigher benefit if they invest inNigeria. The few that havedone so have found this to betrue. Yet, Nigeria is not ahaven to foreign investors.

There must be reasons whythey shy away from Nigeria.Many investors out there whospeak privately to Nigeriansat investment fora are quick topoint out that in Nigeria, thereis no sanctity of contract andproperty rights are not clearlydefined. Most foreigninvestors see this as the mostinhibiting factor that scaresaway would-be investors. Theyare not worried about the lackof infrastructure as is alwaysclaimed by those who explainaway the Nigeria situation.Shell, Mobil, Chevron, MTN,UACN and others know toowell the infrastructuraldeficiency in the country, yetthey invested and are reapingthe benefits.

The truth is that both localand foreign investors are waryof investing in Nigeriabecause the state and itsagents have no respect forproperty rights and sanctity of

contracts. They are worriedthat if they invest in Nigeria,their investment can be takenover by the state. The recenttermination of Lekkiconcession agreement byLagos State Government, thetaking over of private banks bythe Sanusi-led CBN areexamples of such impunitythat scare investors away fromNigeria.

Property rights, according toProfessor Pat Utomi,constitutes a major part of theconstitutional arrangementthat makes an economyadvance. Now, until this entitycalled Nigeria has aphilosophical understandingof what property rights means,Nigeria is not going to makeany major economic progress.

To say the least, investorsare scared and skeptical aboutNigeria because there isimpunity, and property rightsare not guaranteed. Sanctity ofcontract is a general idea thatonce parties duly enter into acontract, they must honourtheir obligations under thatcontract. Contracts have beenbreached with impunity byfederal and states agents andservants who outrightlydisregard or disobey courtorders.

Normally, before any foreigninvestor commits his capitalinto a project, he will want tobe assured that there shall bestability in the investmentregime. That is to say, thewhole or key aspects of theagreement will be respectedby the host state and that therules of the game will not be

c h a n g e dunilaterally.The foreigninvestor needssuch anassurance notonly as ameans ofensuring thathe realises thee x p e c t e dbenefits for hisshareholders,but also toconvince othersponsors of theproject thatthe project willg e n e r a t eenough capitalto pay off theirloans and meettheir supplyrequirements.T h e s eobjectives mayonly berealised if theterms of thei n v e s t m e n tagreement arerespected bythe host state.Hence, for that reason, theprinciple of sanctity of contractis regarded as one of the mostimportant legal concepts inthe investment process.

The Federal MilitaryGovernment in 1978promulgated the Land UseDecree in which it delegatedauthority over land allocationto the 36 states and their localgovernments in an effort toensure that rural and urbanpopulations had access andsecure tenure to land. While

the physical landarea is under thecontrol of stategovernments, them i n e r a l scontained in suchland belongs tothe FederalGovernment inthe Mineral Act.While a corporatebody or individualseeking land forinvestment goesto the state toobtain certificateof occupancy, hehas to obtainmining leaselicence from theFederal .Government.

It is thisconfused and lackof definedproperty rightsthat have resultedin the contentionbetween theF e d e r a lGovernment andthe states as towho owns what.

E n f o r c i n gindividual rights

to property in the Nigeriancourts is tortuous, time-wasting as it takes years to getjudgments and is costly. Inmost cases, federal agencieswithout due process encroachon individual property rights.Is Nigeria going to continuelike this forever? There mustbe a break from the past.Nigerians must brace up anddo the right thing. A welldefined property rights rule ofengagement is what Nigerianeeds, not nationalconference.

Business & Economy

20 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

CMYK

Business & Economy

UBA to partnerMIGA ondevelopmenti n f r a s t r u c t u r efinancing inA f r i c a

The United Bank forAfrica (UBA) Plc is set to

partner with MultilateralInvestment Guarantee Agency(MIGA), the political riskinsurance and credit enhancementarm of the World Bank Group, tomobilise capital for importantinfrastructure projects in Africa.Michel Wormser, Vice Presidentand Chief Operating Officer ofMIGA revealed the collaborationplan with UBA during a workingvisit to UBA House in Lagos onMonday. Speaking during thevisit, Wormser said the proposedpartnership with UBA wouldexplore areas MIGA can increaseits support to UBA towardsincreasing its investment intoemerging markets in its countriesof operation.

He disclosed that MIGAprovides political risk insuranceand credit enhancement productsthat can help mobilise UBA’sinvestment into projects with highdevelopment impact. “UBA isplaying a prominent role as aninvestor in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa , and MIGA canhelp UBA increase its investmentsin these new markets,” he stated.

Deloitte expands toRwanda

Professional services firm,Deloitte, recently opened a

new office in Rwanda in line withits strategy to consolidate the firm’soperations and further cement itsmarket leading position across theAfrican continent.

The opening of an office in EastAfrica - based in the Rwandancapital, Kigali - adds to the DeloitteEast African offices in Nairobi andMombasa, Dar es Salaam, Kampalaand Addis Ababa.

In June, Deloitte agreed tointegrate its operations in Africawith a new structure for East andCentral Africa, which comprises theoperation and growth of the EastAfrican and Central African outfitsand the Central African onecomprising of Malawi, Rwanda,Zambia and Zimbabwe. Throughthis, Deloitte has clustered togetherits existing well-establishedpractices, thus expanding the firm’sreach and level of expertise toultimately assist clients withoptimising their business acrossthe continent. Lwazi Bam, DeloitteAfrica Chief Executive Officer,referred to the opening of the Kigalioffice as a landmark achievementfor Deloitte Africa. The Kigali officewill offer tax, consulting, enterpriserisk, audit and financial advisoryservices.

PRESENTATION: Mr Mideno Bayagbon, Editor of Vanguard here presents copies ofVanguard and Sweet Crude to Managing Director of Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr. AndrewFawthrop (left), during a visit of Vanguard management to Chevron. In the middle is MrDeji Haastrup, General Manager, Policy, Government & Public Affairs, Chevron NigeriaLimited.

BY FAVOURNNABUGWU

The United NationsIndustrial Development

Organisation, UNIDO, ispromoting Inclusive andSustainable IndustrialDevelopment, ISID, inNigeria to harness the fullpotential of industry’scontribution to theachievement of sustainabledevelopment and lastingprosperity for all.

The Director-General ofUNIDO, Mr. Yong Li,during his three-day maidenvisit to Nigeria in Abuja,disclosed that the agencyhas committed $1.6millionto the nation’s NationalIndustrial Revolution Plan,NIRP, to support Nigeria.

According to him, “Theprovision of the cashsupport base will help tocomplement the presentadministration’s efforts atrepositioning the real sectoras the key driver ofeconomic growth throughjob creation and increasedcontribution to GrossDomestic Product”.

While reeling out theOrganisation’s coreobjectives, he said,”UNIDO is worldorganisation that solelyconcentrates on industrialdevelopment. We have anew mandate of inclusiveand sustainable industrialdevelopment; we wouldpromote sustainableindustrial developmentwhich has been supportedby all the internationalcommunity member statesof UNIDO, includingNigeria.

“We are excited to launch1.6 million dollars for aproject to make impact inthe industrial revolution planin Nigeria. I have a verydeep impression about thegood relationship betweenNigerian government andUNIDO for so many years.

“Now, we are going tostart a new page, a newpage on industrialdevelopment and I need tocommend your effort andsuccess on newimplementation of industrialpolicy and nationalindustrial revolution plan aswell as national enterpriseindustrial programmewhich will lead yourcountry to a new road ofprosperity.

Li also officially openedthe National QualityInfrastructure ProjectOffice, NQIPO, situated atthe Bank of Industrybuilding in Abuja, noting thatthe project which wasfunded to the tune of EUR

UNIDO partners Nigeria on inclusive,sustainable industrial development12 million will be implementedwith the assistance of UNIDO.

He said the project will help toimprove the quality of Nigerianproducts, while commendingthe federal government forsupporting him during hiselection last year and forsupporting UNIDO’s ‘Inclusiveand Sustainable IndustrialDevelopment Programme.

He said the document is amanifestation of member states’support for and confidence inthe agency, and highlightsUNIDO’s critical expertise andexperience in the field of

inclusive and sustainableindustrial development, and inforging new developmentpartnerships.

Lending his voice, UNIDO’sCountry Representative, DrPatrick Kormawa, expressedsatisfaction at the establishmentof National QualityInfrastructure Project Office, ata time Nigeria is promotingindustrialisation as the basis ofits economic development.

In fact, there is not a singlecountry in the world that hasreached a high stage ofeconomic and social

development without havingdeveloped an advancedindustrial sector. The worldneeds inclusive and sustainableindustrial development to do itspart in seizing the moment andcontributing to the commongood.”

UNIDO, as the specializedagency of the United Nationssystem mandated to promoteinclusive and sustainableindustrial development andinternational industrialcooperation, is well-placed tomake a significant contributionto this process.”

Some exhibitors at the 25thEnugu International Trade Fair have

appealed to the Federal Government to takepractical steps to boost indigenous technology.

The participants said that the governmentcould do so by injecting more funds intoresearch to improve the technology.

Mrs. Ifeoma Akagu, a director at the ProjectDevelopment Institute, Enugu said the institutewas yet to realise its mandate due to paucityof funds.

Akagu, who is the Director of IndustrialPromotion, Information and Documentation,said the institute has the mandate to promoteindigenous technology.

“Our mandate involves the promotion ofindigenous private sector participation inmanufacturing and industrial sectors. It alsoinvolves the development of capital goods topromote the growth of small and medium scaleenterprises to substitute imports at prices andcosts that local entrepreneurs can afford,” shesaid.

Exhibitors want FG to supportindigenous technology

Akagu regretted that the fund given to theinstitute for its various projects was inadequateand hampered its activities.

“Most of the facilities we have were pickedup at different locations after the civil war andthey are obsolete. Our facilities have beendilapidated by landslide and erosion and we aresupposed to build a factory, but no money,”she said.

Akagu said that the institute’s products arefashioned in line with local needs andinternational standards.

Akagu said that some of the products includedinsulated communal garri fryer, corn sheller,grinder, and ceramics utensils. She appealed tothe federal government to show morecommitment to indigenous technologicaladvancement with a view to creating jobs.

Mr. Ogbonna Okoro, a lecturer/technologistat the department of electrical engineering inthe University of Nigeria, Nsukka said thatinnovation requires funds.

Executive Pro

Andrew L. Fa

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 21

CMY

Business & Economy

PENCOM issues401 compliancecertificates toPFAs

The National PensionC o m m i s s i o n

(PENCOM) issued 401compliance certificates toPension Fund Administrators(PFAs) in the third quarter of2013. PENCOM statusreports was contained in latestedition of the commission’squarterly publication knownas “Penlife’. According to thepublication, 467 applicationswere received for the issuanceof compliancecertificates, while 66applications were turneddown. It said that the rejectedapplications were due toinadequacies which includednon-remittance of pensioncontributions for theappropriate period and non-provision of group lifeassurance for their employers.

“In the third quarter of 2013,the commission received 467applications for the issuanceof compliance certificates, outof which 401 certificates wereissued, while 66 applicationswere turned down due tovarious inadequacies.

Huawei growsprofit by 34%

Huawei, a globalinformation and

communications technology(ICT) solutions provider, hasannounced a 34 percentgrowth in its profit for the 2013financial year. The company,in its financial statement forthe 2013 financial yearreleased to the investingcommunity, experiencedgrowth across all its businessareas in 2013, achievingsteady growth and salesrevenues of CNY239 billion(USD39.5 Billion), up 8.5percent year-on-year (11.6percent YOY growth in USD),and net profit of CNY21 billion(USD 3.5Billion). Thecompany, however, noted thatEurope, Middle East andAfrica (EMEA) region took up36 percent of the revenue .Briefing news men on thecompany’s strategy and 2013performance during HuaweiAnnual Report Launch,Huawei Rotating and ActingCEO Eric Xu disclosed thatthe company ’s financialperformance was strongacross all business areas in2013, achieving steady growthand sales revenues of CNY239billion, up 8.5 percent year-on-year (11.6 percent YOY growthin USD), and net profit ofCNY21 billion.

AGM: From left: Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, Director, Obinna Ufudo, President/CEO; Tony O.Elumelu, CON, Chairman; and Chinedu Eze, Company Secretary during the 8th Annual GeneralMeeting of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria(Transcorp) Plc at the Lagos Oriental Hotel,Victoria Island Lagos.

BY NAOMI UZOR

The Nigerian Associationof Chambers of

Commerce, Industry, Minesand Agriculture (NACCIMA),has called on the FederalGovernment to ensureefficient and effective securitysystem that promotesbusiness/investment climate,as well as guarantees livesand properties of the citizens.

The National President ofNACCIMA, AlhajiMohammed Abubakar, saidthat Public-PrivatePartnership (PPP) could beadopted through acollaboration with NACCIMAand private security agenciesto achieve a lasting solutionto the war against crime,terrorism and other vicescurrently besetting the nation.

He said the worsening stateof insecurity in Nigeria,especially the sectarian

NACCIMA calls for effective security topromote investment

violence in the North andkidnapping in the South-South and South Easternparts of Nigeria resulting inserious threat to lives andproperties, as well asresurgence of armed banditryand robberies have hamperedthe operations of its membersin the zones.

According to him, some ofthe challenges being faced bythe NACCIMA members is,late release of budgets;highly politicisedenvironment in whichbusiness and economicactivities are pursued,resulting in some conflictingpolices/goals that affectoptimal efficiency in servicedelivery and advocacy pursuitand inability to effectivelyengender closer chamber-government relation asdesired in representing andlobbying for the interests ofour members.

“The timing of our budgetssuch as crafting, submissionto the legislators fordiscussion and subsequentsigning into law by Mr.President, C-in-C, andpresentation to the nationrequire serious attention. Aneat budget should reach thepresident in November whileevery Ministry, Department,and Agency should receivetheir release in December toenable them startimplementation in theensuing year” he said.

Abubakar said there is needfor the provision of adequateinfrastructure, especially inthe areas of power supply andtransportation and toaccelerate the completion ofthe on-going power sectorreforms so as to improve thepresent generating powercapacity of below 4000MW to10,000MW by December2014.

Nigeria may becomeAfrica's biggesteconomy when the

National Bureau of Statisticspublishes revamped data thisweek. The National Bureau ofStatistics is set to release grossdomestic product figuresbased on 2010 productionpatterns in the first timeNigeria has overhauled thedata in two decades. A reportwas expected to be releasedat a press conference in thecapital, Abuja.

The revision may boost thesize of the economy by asmuch as 60 per cent tobetween $384 billion and$424 billion, according to

RRRRRebased GDP likebased GDP likebased GDP likebased GDP likebased GDP likely tely tely tely tely to mako mako mako mako makeeeeeNigeria Africa’s No. 1 economNigeria Africa’s No. 1 economNigeria Africa’s No. 1 economNigeria Africa’s No. 1 economNigeria Africa’s No. 1 economyyyyy

London-based RenaissanceCapital Ltd., lifting Nigeriaahead of South Africa in theWorld Bank’s globalrankings.

“This will make itincreasingly hard forcompanies looking at Africato overlook Nigeria,especially considering thesize of the domestic marketand its potential,” SamirGadio, a strategist atStandard Bank (STAN) GroupLtd. in London, said in an e-mailed response to questions.

The World Bank calculatedNigeria’s GDP at $263 billionin 2012 and South Africa’s at$384 billion. The West African

nation’s population of 170million is more than threetimes bigger than SouthAfrica’s. Nigeria is followingGhana and Zambia inrecalculating the size of itseconomy. When Ghana, aWest African oil and goldproducer, rebased its data in2010 in a similar exercise, thevalue of GDP increased by 75percent to about $31 billion.The economy of Zambia,Africa’s second-largest copperproducer, increased by 25 percent to about $24 billionfollowing data revisions inFebruary.

Regardless of the new GDPnumber, investment in oil-

producing Nigeria isconstrained by power andinfrastructure bottlenecks,corruption and weakgovernance. Nigeria’spower supply is less than a10th of South Africa’s, whilethe West African nation wasranked at 144 out of 177countries on TransparencyInternational’s CorruptionPerception Index last year.

“Addressing theseshortcomings will probablyhave much more impact oninvestment than theperception that Nigeria isnow a bigger economy,”Gadio said. The revisionswill increase the number ofindustries measured by thestatistics agency to 46 from33 and give greaterweighting to sectors, suchas telecommunications,financial services,insurance, real estate andfilm-making. The newnumbers will probablylower Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio, while reducingthe proportion ofgovernment revenue toGDP.

Nigerian Poverty“Crucially, what is not

always clear is howgovernments then respondto these new ratios,” DavidCowan, an Africa economistat Citigroup Inc. inLondon, said in an e-mailed response toquestions. “Do they thinkthey can borrow a lot more,or do they think the bestpolicy response is to boosttax revenue? The latter isclearly the better policyresponse.”

The naira has dropped 2.1percent against the dollarthis year and was tradingat 163.89 on the interbankmarket as of 11 a.m. inLagos, the commercialcapital. Per capita GDP inNigeria is estimated at$2,666, according to datafrom the World Bank,compared with $11,255 inSouth Africa. The NBS’smost recent poverty survey,published in 2012, showsthat 61 percent of Nigerianswere living on less than adollar a day in 2010, upfrom 52 percent in 2004. Inthe desert northeast, whereAmnesty Internationalestimates at least 1,500people have been killed thisyear as security forces battlea Islamist insurgency,poverty rates may be evenhigher. Nigeria emergingas the biggest economy inAfrica “changes nothing interms of the challengesfacing the economy — theneed to buildinfrastructure,” Cowansaid. “Nigeria will remaina poor country in terms ofper capita income, evencompared to South Africa.”

ofile

awthrop

22 — Vanguard, MONDAY,APRIL 7, 2014

CMYK

Banking & Finance

By BABAJIDEKOMOLAFE

STUDY - From left: Austin Okere, Group CEO, Computer Warehouse Group Plc; HenryEgbiki, Regional Managing Partner for West Africa, EY; Mitchell Elegbe, MD/CEO,InterSwitch and Paul Kokoricha, Partner, African Capital Alliance at the presentation ofPrivate Equity Study, conducted by EY in Lagos.

DIAMOND BANK:Weathering the storm oftight monetary regime

The Central Bank ofNigeria (CBN) hasbeen pursuing a

tight money supply policywith the aim of curtailinginflation. The monetarytightening howeverassumed anunprecedented dimensionwhen the apex bankincreased the portion ofdeposits that banks mustkeep as cash (cash reserveratio or CRR). For publicsector or governmentrelated deposit, the CRRwas first increased to 50 percent in July, and then to 75percent in January. Forprivate sector deposits, theCRR was recentlyincreased to 15 percent.Cumulatively, theseincreases led to thewithdrawal of about N2trillion from banks.

The effect of monetarytightening

The increased CRR onpublic sector deposit alonedenied banks theopportunity to use aboutN1.5 trillion to lend andmake money. Theimplication is that for banksto make more money, theywill have to look beyondgovernment deposits forfunds. Also the increasedCRR on private sectordeposits imply that banks

,

,

have to strategise to mobilisemore deposits from individualsand organisation. Mostimportantly, they have to seekfor what is called cheap depositor low cost funds, which aremostly deposits in savings andcurrent accounts.Consequently, the CBN’spolicy sparked off competitionfor cheap deposits amongbanks. The ability of any of the24 banks to increase growthand profitability is thusdetermined by its ability tomobilise more of such funds.

Diamond’s Bank 2013performance

The performance of DiamondBank Plc in the 2013 operationyear indicates that the bank wasable to discharge itselfcreditably in this regard. Thebank proved its mettle bymobilising additional N296billion from the banking publicin 2013. This caused its depositbase to swell beyond the N1trillion mark, to N1.206 trillionat the end of 2013, from N910billion in 2012. The additionaldeposits, according to Mr. AlexOtti , Managing Director/ChiefExecutive of Diamond Bank,were mostly low cost funds.

The increased deposit fromlow cost funds, allowed thebank to lend more to theeconomy. During the year, itgranted N104 billionadditional loans, and thusincreased lending to customersfrom N585 billion in 2012 toN689 billion in 2013.

The strategic deployment ofincreased low cost depositsachieved during the year isreflected in the differencebetween the interest the bankpaid depositors (interestincome) and the interest itearned from lending (interestexpense), which is known asnet interest income. This roseby 12.5 percent from N72.29billion in 2012 to N81.33 billionin 2013.

In addition to generatingmore income from lendingactivities, Diamond Bank alsoshowed its ability to generateincome from non-traditionalsources by recording 46.2percent increase in OtherIncome from N23.8billion in2012 to N34.8billion in 2013.

Consequently, the bank wasable to make 18.5 percentadditional profit, as profitbefore tax (PBT) rose to N32billion from N27 billion.Commenting on theperformance of the bank, Ottisaid, “We are pleased to

announce that Diamond Bankhas exceeded its N30 billionprofit guidance to return aprofit before tax of N32 billionin 2013. This result is rootedin our strength to attract low-cost deposits and deploy theseinto various assets at profitableyet acceptable risk levels. TheBank’s PBT was achieved fromgross earnings of N181.2billion, an increase of 27percent over N143.0 billionearned in the previous year.The Profit After Tax (PAT) forthe year grew by 29 percent toN28.5 billion as against N22.1billion recorded in 2012. ThePAT resulted in earnings pershare of 197k for the year”, Ottisaid. The improvedperformance of the bankenhanced its balance sheet sizeand shareholders’ funds. Whilethe former grew by 33.3 percentfrom N1.18 trillion to N1.52trillion, the later rose by 27.7percent to N138.7 billion fromN108.6 billion.

The effect of the performanceof the bank is being extendedto shareholders in the form of30 kobo dividend per share. Itwould be recalled that theprevious year, the bank did notdeclare dividend, a situationthat did not go down well withsome of its shareholders. Butthe management pleaded that2013 would be different. Andit has delivered on thispromise.

Deposit mobilisationinitiatives

That is also the reason whyDiamond Bank has been ableto attract more deposits at lowcost. In 2008, long before tightmoney supply forced banks tofocus on mobilising savings,Diamond Bank introduced asavings promotion taggedSavingsXtra with total prizemoney of N200 million. Thestar winner went home withN50 million. To qualify,“existing and new customersonly need a SavingsXtraaccount with Diamond Bankand need to maintain a balanceof at least N5, 000 toautomatically qualify for thedraw. Every additional N 5,000held will add one more chance.The promotion is now in its fifthyear, with Season Six, whilethe Bank has given away overN2 billion in prize money. Inthe process Diamond Bankearned the reputation has abank that deliver on itspromises, and as a bank thatencourages savings. Thisattracted more customers toopen account with the bank,and thus the increased incheap deposits for the bank.

In addition to this, the bankalso embraced the challenge ofserving small and growingbusinesses by setting up afocused unit to drive MicroSmall and MediumEnterprises (MSME)initiatives.

This result isrooted in ourstrength to attractlow-cost depositsand deploy theseinto variousassets atprofitable yetacceptable risklevels

Chinese banks toundergostress test

The China BankingRegulatory Commission

(CBRC) has said it will conductregional and national stresstests after banks saw a spike inbad loans last year, reflectinggrowing concerns over creditrisk.

“All (CBRC) offices,supervisory departments, mustorganize stress tests of bankinginstitutions in a timely mannerso as to analyze the impact ofunfavorable situations inindividual banks and thebanking system and urgebanking financial institutionsto make emergency plans,” theregulator was quoted as sayingin guidelines sent to banks inMarch.

Chinese banks’ non-performing loan (NPL) ratiorose to 1.0 percent at the endof December, its highest levelin two years, the CBRCreported in February. It wasunclear; however, to whatextent the latest guidelines area departure from previouspractice. “Commercial banksall have to submit stress testresults to the local CBRCbranch every quarter.

The Big Five banks reportinga rise in their NPL ratiosprobably caused CBRC to putmore stress on this issue,” saidan executive at a mid-sizedbank in Shanghai who isinvolved in preparing reportsfor regulators.

Rupee gains asforeign banks selldollars

The rupee gained onFriday after trading

weaker for most part of thesession on the back of aretreat in domestic sharesfrom record highs and cautionahead of the U.S. monthlyjobs data.

Lack of large demand andforeign bank selling of thegreenback in late tradehelped the rupee notch upsome gains, traders said.

The week, however, wasvolatile and was also markedby heavy dollar buying by theReserve Bank of India (RBI)looking to replenish itsforeign exchange reservesand slow down the rise in therupee. Latest data showedforeign exchange reservesrose by $5.04 billion to$303.67 billion in the week toMarch 28. Sentiment wascautious ahead of monthlyU.S. jobs data later in the dayand ahead of India’s five-week general elections set tokick off on Monday.

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Banking & Finance

LISTING: From left, Executive Director, Business Development, the Nigerian Stock Exchange(NSE), Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Governor of Kogi State, Captain Idris Wada; Chief ExecutiveOfficer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema and Managing Director, Afrinvest Securities Limited, Mr. IkeChioke at the Kogi State Bond Listing Forum & Bell Ringing Ceremony at the exchange in Lagos.

The Kogi Stategovernment will next

month commence the processof raising another N5 billionin the second tranche ofinfrastructure developmentbond. The governor, Capt IdrisWada, stated this at its bondlisting forum and bell ringingceremony on the floor of the

Kogi to raise another N5bninfrastructure bond

Nigerian Stock Exchange,NSE. While addressingstockbrokers at theExchange, in Lagos, Wadaexplained that the firsttranche of the bond wasoversubscribed, adding thatthe proceeds have beendisbursed to various sectorsfor project execution.

Wada, who noted that thebond had given the state an

opportunity for infrastructuraltransformation, said that workhas commenced on seven outof the 11 projects the bondwas earmarked for. Heexplained that the state hascommenced construction of adualised by-pass, a multi linkhighway, which would givethe state capital a befittingstructural transformation. Hepointed out that the state has

Arrangements have been concluded forthe 2014 Annual Stockbrokers

workshop, with subject for discussion tofocus on trade and investment, power andagriculture sectors respectively.

Information available to Vanguardindicated that the two-day national workshophas been scheduled for Wednesday, April23 to Friday, April 25 at Nicon Hilton Hotel,Abuja. In preparation for the annual nationalworkshop, technical sub- committeesmeeting was held where the Chairman, Mr.

Stockbrokers’ workshop focuses trade,investment, power

By PETER EGWUATU Ayodele Adu, the Chief Executive Officer,Morgan Capital and his membersbrainstormed on the resource persons,publicity drive and logistics of the workshop.Adu-led committee held a marathon meetingto align competent resource persons with theworkshop’s sub-themes which are: Fundingagriculture through the capital market,foreign investment initiative for Nigeria,financial inclusion strategies for Nigeria,creating wealth through the NigerianCreative Industry, update on energy sectorreforms and Nigerian Broadband revolution.

Diamond Bank Plc hasmapped out over N600

million to be won at its ongoingDiamondXtra reward scheme.The promo which is in twoparts, says customers will earnsalaries for life to the tune ofN100,000 monthly by onecustomer. Ten customers willwin N1 million for the monthlyprizes. The second part will seefive customers on weekly basiswin N500,000, while N250,000will be won by 15 customers.Speaking at the activationvenue of the reward schemeat Ipaja market, David Otukpe,Product manager, SavingsAccount of the bank saidcustomers who have theDiamondxtra account are liableto earn monthly interest rateson their savings.

He also said that the productallows customers to depositcheques, and dividendwarrants from other banksdirectly into their accounts.

Utokpe further said thatcustomers with the Xtra accountcan make third party paymentswith their cheque books in anyof its branches.

On the whole, a customer canalso apply for one of the bank’sVISA credit cards with a limitof up to 75 percent of its creditbalance. Represent at the venueof the promo were ConsumerProtection council by CamilusAnyanwu and Bright Anaekwufrom.

Diamond Bankearmarks N600mfor reward scheme

By PRINCEWILLEKWUJURU

Polo opensMontblanc shop

Polo Limited, a luxuryshop in Nigeria has

opened shop at the TranscorpHilton Hotel in Abuja. Thepop-up shop offers an exquisitecollection of special editionwriting instruments,timepieces, and leatheraccessories.

Describing the inaugurationof the first Montblanc pop upstore in Nigeria, ManagingDirector of Polo Limited Mr.John Obayuwana, said: “AtPolo, we offer customersexceptional luxury products.Montblanc has always beenpart of our portfolio; to usMontblanc exemplifies thehighest in quality andcraftsmanship and it is a brandrevered by many.”

Obayuwana stated that theshop will afford customers agreat opportunity to appreciateand purchase timeless piecesfrom Montblanc exclusivecollection at their leisure.

By NKIRUKA NNOROMlaunched a 500 housingunits and land toaccommodate the citizensand others in the privatesector.

The governor furtherexplained that the statewould perform a groundbreaking ceremony for theconstruction of 11 storeybuilding in Abuja in thenext two weeks.

He noted that theseprojects would boost itsinternal generatedrevenue (IGR), whilecalling on thestockbrokers “to continueto have confidence in thestate and to fully supportthe second tranche of thebond issuance.

“We are blocking severalleakages; Kogi is astrategic state location withnatural resources, but toleverage on our humancapital and naturalresources has been difficultfor us in our 23 years ofhistory. When I assumedoffice, I found out thatthere is a huge gapbetween our fund andwhat we needed to do totransform the state.

“These projects wouldboost the IGR of thestate,"he added.

In an attempt toreduce the level of threatand Cyber- attack in the

financial sector, ComputerWarehouse Group (CWG PLC),and MAG Tech, a specializedinformation security andintelligence company, recentlyorganized information securitysession in Lagos. During thesession all the decision makerscharged with security infinancial sector, andtechnology experts convergedto deliberate on the newconcept that will curb Cyber-attacks and fraud in theindustry.

The session with the theme:‘Security Operations Centre(SOC) - Financial Services inthe Cyber Attack Era’ createdan avenue for stakeholders toextensively discuss andunderstand the new concept,Security Operations Centre(SOC) as the ultimateinformation security platformrequired to drastically minimizeCyber-attack and threatscurrently being encountered byfinancial institutions.

James Agada, the ChiefTechnology Officer of CWGwhile speaking at the forum

CWCWCWCWCWG, MAG, MAG, MAG, MAG, MAG TG TG TG TG Tececececech moh moh moh moh movvvvve te te te te to curb cyber attaco curb cyber attaco curb cyber attaco curb cyber attaco curb cyber attacks in fks in fks in fks in fks in financialinancialinancialinancialinancialsectsectsectsectsectororororor

said that CWG as a technologycompany goes beyondenabling businesses withproducts and solutions toconcepts that will ensure 100percent security of all thecustomers’ transactions.

According to Agada, productand product knowledge are notadequate to achieve the endresult of any business solution,and hence the need for the newconcept, which is centered onhow to detect and react tofraudulent transactions.

Agada further expressed that50 percent of the transactionsin the industry are running onthe servers that are beingmanaged by CWG’s seasonedand trained engineers. “Ouraim is to ensure that these skillsare internalized in Africa asinformation security is crucialto us and our customers” hesaid.

Nadav Arbel – MAG Tech’sChief Technical Officer, in hispresentation on Darknet andCrime, stated that Cyber-attack

By EMEKA AGINAMis originated from theDarknet which is the illegalpart of the internet.According to Arbel, Cyber-attack occurs when there isdata leakage which may becaused by misconfigurationof a server or other sources.He stated further that noone can run a businessefficiently without being onthe internet and as long asyour business is connectedon the internet, you willexperience some form ofcyber-attack and threat.

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Corporate Finance

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

Shareholders of Africa PrudentialRegistrars, APR, have approved the

N700 million dividends proposed by theBoard and management of the companyfor the financial year ended Dec. 31,2013.

The dividend so approved translates toN0.35kobo per share and will be paid toqualified members on April 4, 2014.

Speaking at the first Annual GeneralMeeting, AGM, in Lagos, theshareholders commended the Board andurged them to adopt a dividend policythat will be sustainable.

Mrs. Bisi Bakare, National Coordinator,Pragmatic Shareholders Association,described the dividend as excellent.

“We recorded earning per share of38kobo and you are giving us 35 kobo.This is commendable, but please we wantyou to look at it again and ensure thatyou adopt dividend policy you canmaintain,” she said.

Also speaking, Mr. Gbenga Idowu,National Coordinator, ShareholdersUnited Front, said the dividend is beyondshareholders’ expectations, while callingon the company to improve upon on thedividend in the years ahead.

Mr. Boniface Okezie, President,Progressive Shareholders Association ofNigeria, said that the 35k dividend is veryimpressive compared with the prevailingrates in the sub-sector.

ConsumerConsumerConsumerConsumerConsumer, tech, tech, tech, tech, techshares lead fall inshares lead fall inshares lead fall inshares lead fall inshares lead fall inUS stocksUS stocksUS stocksUS stocksUS stocksU.S. stocks fell, after

benchmark indexesclimbed to records, asconsumer and technologyshares slumped before thegovernment’s monthly jobsreport tomorrow.

An index of biotechnologyshares plunged 3.5 percent,halting a three-day rally. TheNasdaq Composite Index fell1.3 percent after four straightgains. Barnes & Noble Inc.plunged 14 percent asinvestor Liberty Media Corp.said it will reduce its stake inthe bookstore chain. GoogleInc. Class A and Class C(GOOG) shares eachretreated after stock in thelargest search engineeffectively split.

The Standard & Poor’s 500Index slipped 0.4 percent to1,883.96 in New York afterclosing the past two days ata record. The Dow JonesIndustrial Average dropped40.33 points, or 0.2 percent,to 16,532.67.

U.S. futuresregu la to rprobing speedtraders

The U.S. CommodityFutures Trading

Commission, CFTC, isinvestigating high-frequencytraders to see if they werebreaching the derivativesregulator ’s rules, its chiefsaid on Thursday.

“Staff (is) responding toconcerns brought to us aboutcertain practices, whether itbe spoofing just to give oneexample, whether that’srunning afoul of our rule,”Acting Chairman, MarkWetjen, told reporters duringa meeting.

“And then whether or not itmeets the definition ofmanipulative activity underour statute,” he said.

Many banks and hedgefunds use sophisticatedcomputer programmes tosend large batches of ordersinto equity and futuresmarkets in fractions of asecond, a controversialpractice known as high-frequency trading (HFT).

Proponents of HFT say thefirms make it easier for otherbuyers and sellers to meeteach other in the market, butcritics argue it can causesudden market crashes andeasily mask marketmanipulation or other illegalactivity.

AWARD: From left: Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, Chairman, Lafarge WAPCO;Alhaji Jimoh Owolabi, National Champion award winner and Mr. Joe Hudson,Managing Director, Lafarge WAPCO, during the 2013 Lafarge WAPCO CustomersAward ceremony in Lagos. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele.

APR shareholdersapprove N700mdividend Okezie said that the company needed

to be appreciated for making Nigerianinvestors proud, adding that thecompany ensured proper training andre-training of its workforce for efficientservice delivery.

Earlier in her address, the Chairman,Chief Eniola Fadayomi, observed thatthe company has put strategy in placeto provide clear direction for deploymentof its resources, both human and capital,saying that its vision is to create longterm and sustainable value for itsstakeholders in it chosen markets.

“In order to realise this long termobjectives, the company is making everyeffort to identify and take advantage ofevery investment opportunity that willcomplement its long term strategicobjectives.

“We will continue to look out for theseinvestment opportunities that will helpin increasing value for ourstakeholders,” she assured.

Reviewing the financial performance,Fadayomi said that APR recordedsignificant success despite thecontinuing challenges of the operatingenvironment.

The company’s revenue rose to N1.49billion from N1.03 billion in 2012, anincrease of 35 percent. Its profit after taxstood at N759 million from N562 millionrecorded in 2012

The total assets of the Group stood atN16.4 billion, increase of 95 percent overN8.4 billion recorded in 2012.

Mr. Peter Ashade, APR ManagingDirector, assured the shareholders ofenhanced returns on their investmentsin the years ahead.

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM

The West African Capital MarketsIntegration Council, WACMIC,

has called on its member stockexchanges to align the corporategovernance standards of their listedentities with the Organization forEconomic Cooperation andDevelopment (OECD) principles.

WACMIC is saddled with the task ofensuring successful integration of thevarious stock exchanges in the WestAfrican sub-region.

They also called for harmonization ofminimum listing requirements ofmember countries to ensure they areat par with international best practices.

In a communiqué issued at the endof its 4th ordinary meeting in Abdijan,Cote d’Ivoire, WACMIC enjoined thevarious jurisdictions to set minimumrequirements which will be enforceableby the regulators.

The meeting was held to finalisepreparations for the commencement ofPhase one of the integration initiative.

They expressed appreciation toECOWAS Commission and WAMI fortheir support and efforts in theintegration programme, whilereiterating commitment towardsaccomplishing set targets within thescheduled time frame.

The Council as well adopted theguidelines for the issuance of commonpassports for capital market operators(CMOs) to trade across the region andreviewed the recommendations thatwould enable dealing firms in memberstates to trade securities and settle inmarkets other than theirs through localdealing firms in those markets bymeans of Sponsored Access.

“Members also passed a resolutionfor the adoption of the SponsoredAccess Framework and relatedagreements to be approved by allmember regulators, signaling thecommencement of the integration ofcapital markets in West Africa.

“Additionally, members agreed toensure that the appropriate processesand systems are put in place in therespective jurisdictions to facilitate theimplementation of the SponsoredAccess model of integration, thuspaving the way for jurisdictions tolaunch as they complete their processesand obtain all the requisite approvals,WACMIC revealed in thecommuniqué. Continuing, WACMICsaid, “Members further agreed on theguidelines and procedures forapproving applications under thesponsored access framework.”

They emphasised the need to haveminimum professional qualificationstandards and urged countries withouttraining and certification institutes toimmediately come up with some formof acceptable regime for qualifying andadmitting brokers in the short term witha view to developing a curriculum fortraining its capital market operators,CMOs.

WACMIC urgescompliance withOECD corporategovernance code

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Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 25

Corporate Finance

Uganda, joins Nigeria, Kenya indeveloping derivatives trading

has 16 listings with tradingdone by hand, and “driveimprovements in the marketoverall,” Kalyegira said. TheUSE’s main index dropped1.1 percent this year,compared with a 5.2 percentgain in the Nairobi SecuritiesExchange’s 62-member all-share gauge in neighboringKenya.

Uganda, Africa’s biggestcoffee exporter with a $20billion economy, is joiningexchanges that are set to offermore ways for investors to buyinto sub-Saharan Africa, theworld’s fastest-growingregion after developing Asia,according to the InternationalMonetary Fund. Expansionmay reach 6.1 percent thisyear from 5.1 percent in 2013,the IMF said in January.

Kenya’s bourse plans to start

trading derivatives and real-estate investment funds thisyear, Head of Market andProduct DevelopmentDonald Ouma said in aninterview on Feb. 19.Nigeria’s Nasdaq tradingplatform, which started inSeptember, is set to includederivatives this year,according to the country’sexchange.

Uganda’s second exchangewill create a platform forcross-listings of debt andequities from other Africanmarkets, Kalyegira said in thee-mail March 31. About halfof the bourse’s revenue isexpected to be raised fromlisting fees, he said. ALTXstill has to meet regulatoryconditions including havingmembership of three brokers

independent of each other,according to Kalyegira.“There’s definitely a need todiversify the capital marketsin the East African region,”Julians Amboko, a researchanalyst at Nairobi-basedStratLink Africa Ltd., said byphone today.

The ALTX will givecompetition to the Ugandamarket, which uses a tradingsystem in whichrepresentatives of brokersgive orders to a person whowrites them on a board,according to the USE’swebsite.

Innocent Dankaine, chiefexecutive officer of the USE,is out of the country untilApril 4, according to a personwho answered the phone athis office.

COMPETITION - From left: Chairman, Lagos Boat Regatta, Engr. Jawando;Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Culture & Inter-Governmental Relations, Hon. DisunHolloway; Executive Director (Lagos Businesses); Mr. Victor Ezenwoko; Head, CorporateCommunications, both of Diamond Bank; Mrs. Ayona Trimnell; and Representative of theLagos Black Heritage Festival Consultant (Prof. Wole Soyinka), Mr. Jahman Anikulakpo atthe press conference in Lagos which held prior to the painting competition of this year’sVision of The Child Competition of the Lagos Black Heritage Festival

ECCIMA urgesNPA to cut redtape in goodsclearing

Enugu Chamber ofC o m m e r c e ,

Industry, Mines andAgriculture (ECCIMA) hasadvised the Nigerian PortsAuthority (NPA) to reducebureaucracy at the seaports.The President of theChamber, Dr Ifeanyi Okoye,gave the advice in Enuguduring the NPA Day at theongoing 25th EnuguInternational Trade Fair.Okoye expressed regret thatimporters were still facingundue delays in clearingtheir goods and called forpragmatic approach to tacklethe issue.

He said that thischallenge was stifling theprogress and developmentof the country.

“We are not unmindful ofthe various measures todecongest our ports, but wewish to say that a lot stillneeds to be done,” he said. Okoye said that importers,especially those from theEastern part of the country,were still experiencingundue delays due tounwarranted bureaucracy inclearing their goods at theports. “We call on the NPAto institute pragmatic andproactive approaches inthese negating issues in themaritime sub- sector,” thechamber president said.

OAAN holdsposter Award

Plans are on top gear forthe 2014 Outdoor

Advertising Association ofNigeria, OAAN PosterAward, scheduled to holdMay 15, 2014.

The Poster Award is a toolcreated by Ad practitioners topromote professionalism andcreativity in the Out-Of-Home, OOH, industry.

The Award is aimed atrewarding creativity in theuse of OOH media while alsoraising the bar of thepractice.

Speaking at a media chatin Lagos, Chairman of thePoster Award PlanningCommittee, Mr. Kole Ademulegun, said that theaward which debuted almosta decade ago has become thebenchmark for measuringand promoting creativity andingenuity in the industry,thereby making it one of themost credible and industryendorsed award.

He also confirmed theattendance of the Presidentof FEPE (World body ofOutdoor AdvertisingAssociation) Mr. KarlJavurek, who will be the Special Guest of Honour forthe event.

Ecobank TransnationalInc. (ETI)’s board mustreconsider the speed at

which the pan-African lenderexpands after allegations ofmanagement fraud and poorgovernance, South Africa’sPublic Investment Corp. said.“One of the key lessonscoming out of Ecobank is thatthe pace at which you growis very important,” EliasMasilela, chief executiveofficer of the PIC, the statepension fund that isEcobank’s biggestshareholder, said in an April1 interview in Johannesburg.“Governance issues are asimportant as investmentconsiderations.’

Ecobank’s board replacedCEO Thierry Tanoh lastmonth after the Pretoria-based PIC called for him toquit amid allegations ofmismanagement, which hedenied. That followed aprobe by Nigeria’s regulatorafter Laurence do Rego,group executive director offinance and risk, toldNigeria’s Securities andExchange Commission inAugust that Tanoh and formerChairman Kolapo Lawsonplanned to sell assets belowmarket value.

Founded in 1985, Ecobankoperates in France and 35African countries and hasrepresentative offices in

Ecobank’s largest shareholderseeks evaluation of growth rate

Beijing, Dubai and London.Ecobank reported in Octoberthat profit increased 65percent to $250 million in thenine months throughSeptember as its businessesin Nigeria and Ghanaexpanded.

Whistle-blower Do Rego,who was reinstated lastmonth, also said she waspressured to write off debtsowed by a business headedby Lawson and manipulatethe results of the Lome, Togo-based lender. Tanoh andLawson have denied anywrongdoing.

Lessons Learned“The investors, the

managers of the company, theregulators, and theconsumers, we all have tolearn from thoseexperiences,” said Masilela,whose PIC owns more than18 percent of Ecobank. “Themain lesson for me, is whenyou run companies, you runthem for all stakeholders, notjust for the investors.”

The PIC is Africa’s biggestmoney manager with 1.6trillion rand ($150 billion) ofassets under management.The Government Employees

Pension Fund accounts for 89percent of those assets.

Investors approved a planto improve corporategovernance at anextraordinary generalmeeting last month,following recommendationsby the SEC.

Albert Essien, who wasnamed Ecobank CEO onMarch 12, will focus onconsolidation and makingoperations in eastern andsouthern Africa profitable, theFinancial Times reported thisweek.

Uganda is set to joinKenya andNigeria in

developing derivativestrading as the nation’smarkets regulator approvedplans for another StockExchange in East Africa’sthird-biggest economy.

ALTX Africa Group Ltd.,based in Port Louis,Mauritius, may open theexchange in the fourthquarter, Keith Kalyegira,chief executive officer for theKampala-based CapitalMarkets Authority has said.Trading will include equities,currencies, commodities,government and corporatebonds as well as derivatives,he said.

ALT Xchange Ltd. willcompete with the UgandaSecurities Exchange, which

26 —Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

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Micro-FinanceCommodity index

Skills gap, bane of bakingindustry in Nigeria— HONEYWELL

Stories byPROVIDENEC OBUH

Despite largenumber ofbakeries in the

country, HoneywellFlourmills Plc hasidentified skill gap inbaking.

The company graduated14 bakers, weekend, fromits baking school where

over 300 master bakerswere trained fromdifferent parts of thecountry.

Speaking at thecertificate awardceremony of RegularCourse 24, HoneywellBaking School,Managing Director,Honeywell Flourmills,Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola saidthat it has no intention todrop the quality of any of

its product.Jaiyeola, who made his

debut as MD of thecompany, said that theinitiative is part of its CSRto the people who forman integral part of itsbusiness.

“This is one contributionwe have to make as asocially responsibleorganization because werealise that skill gap existin the baking institution inNigeria, and this is oneway we can bring aboutthe desired knowledgeamong the bakers in thecountry

“The baking school isour own way of givingback to the community byempowering bakers withmodern baking skills andflour handling proceduresthat they can use to runtheir businesses moreprofessionally andprofitably.

“In the school, bakersare taught common breadfaults and how to solvethem, basic selling,marketing, finance andpeople management tipsand how to maximisebakery output through theproduction of fresher andricher bread varieties,” hesaid.

However, he assured onits brand quality, saying,“I want to reassure ourcustomers that we willcontinue to partner withthem in ensuring that ourroute to the market isclearly defined and wewill minimise delays ingetting our productsacross to them.”

Ikorodu residents get cashgifts in Nutricima promo

Ikorodu indigenes,host community of PZ

Cussons Nigeria Plc, lastweek, were beneficiariesof cash gifts from theongoing Nutricima MegaCash Promotion.

Speaking at the chequepresentation ceremony,Area Sales Manager,Nutricima, Mr. AbioyeOhu, said that the promoaims to contribute topeople’s lives, makingfood readily available,enhance businesses andincrease capital, saying,“one of the economicvalue of the promo is toalleviate a lot of peoplefrom poverty andencourage families andpeople to do business.Students who arebeneficiaries can pay theirtuition fee without stress.”

He said that Ikoroduwas picked for thepresentation hence mostwinners emerged fromthe community,stating,”we have one ofour major factories here in

Ikorodu. It gladdens myheart because we producetwo millionaires in thiscommunity, he said.

Some of the winnerswho spoke to FinancialVanguard include: Mr.Thomas Okpakhia, ateacher who won N1million.

According to Okpakhia,“I did not put my mind inthis promo because ofwhat I have seen fromother promo where Iwasted thirty thousandnaira with one of thetelcos. When the drawswhere being made thatwas when I switched offmy phone, but for aJournalist who called meand told me I won.

Also, Tijani Olawale, ayoung driver at Pepsidepot Ikorodu, said thathe will invest his moneyinto distribution ofNutricima products buturged that such initiativeis sustained to help theNigerian economy and itspeople.

Mar 28-Apr 03, 2014

PRESENTATION - From left: Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria,Mr. Maurice Newa; Entrepreneur and initiator of UNFIRE, Mr. Mene BlessingOritseweyinmi and Airtel Brand Ambassador, Mike Ezuruonye during thepresentation of cheque to the young Nigerian entrepreneur sponsored bythe telco to acquire skills from world-class mentor and investors at theUnreasonable Institute, Boulder, Colorado, US.

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Homes & Housing Finance

By YINKA KOLAWOLE

Chairman of FederalMortgage Bank ofNigeria (FMBN),

Mr. Bisi Ogunjobi, hasreiterated the importance ofpossession of property titlesto mortgage creation andrefinancing.

He made the remark at astakeholders’ forum, in Abuja,to discuss effectiveimplementation of theNigerian MortgageRefinance Company (NMRC)which was launched recentlyby President GoodluckJonathan. Among otherthings, the forum discussedland availability for affordablehousing delivery, housingconstruction financing,building code and improvingforeclosure processes toenhance housing access.

Ogunjobi said it is verydifficult for FMBN andprimary mortgage banks(PMBs) to create mortgages,talk less of refinancing them,without a system in place thatallows people have titles totheir houses.

“In all the states, if we don’thave a title to a property thereis no way it can be turned intoasset to refinance the bank. Ifyou talk of mortgage, it is anindividual personal titlerelated to a property. Sounless we have a system thatallows each person, eachhouse to have a title itbecomes very difficult for thePMBs and for the FMBN tobe able to create a mortgage.

“Once we cannot create a

Property title critical tomortgage creation — FMBN

mortgage it means we cannoteven refinance the mortgage.Today, only very few of themhave the capacity to createmortgages. If you look at a lotof them, the portfolio whichis on mortgage is verylimited. Once that is doneevery other aspect can beeasily handled, particularlywith the reform that is goingon in the FMBN in terms ofcomputerisation, in terms ofthe e-platform which havebeen introduced whereby ifyou are a contributor of NHFyou can access your accountand know exactly what youare contributing.

“At a stage when yourcontributions come to theaccount then you have analert. But some of theproblems in the past still exist,in that some people paid andthey are not remitted to theFMBN. So the FMBN is notin position to identify whoand who have actually madethat list. At the end of the day,there is confusion and peoplebelieve that they are notgetting value for their money.It is not the number of themortgage banks that mattersbut the effectiveness andcapacity of these mortgagebanks to deliver in providing

mortgage,” he stated.In a related development,

UN Habitat ProgrammeManager for Nigeria, Mal.Kabir Yari, also speaking atthe event, counseled thatmortgage alone should not betreated in isolation of othercomponents of housingdevelopment.

“Mortgage is only onecomponent. Housing hasabout seven components,such as building materials,land, infrastructure, etc.There are so many of themthat are part of the buildingindustry. If they cannotaccess land, how will theybuild houses? If you areallocating land for housing,locate it near jobs, becausehousing is not in isolation initself. Housing is related to somany other economicactivities. It is related toschool, place of work, placeof worship etc.,” he stated.

The Lagos Stategovernment hascriticized the Federal

Government for stoppingconstruction work on the sitesof two housing projects underthe Lagos State HomeOwnership MortgageScheme (Lagos HOMS) atIlubirin and Oyingbo.

Governor BabatundeFashola speaking at an eventin Lagos, to commemorate his2,500 days in office, said thesite for the Ilubirin ForeshoreHousing Project was invadedpenultimate Saturday bysoldiers who erected asignboard that the landbelonged to the FederalGovernment, thus disruptingdevelopment of its housingscheme in the area.

Fashola lamented the actionof the federal government,

Lagos decries FG’s stoppage of HOMS housing projects

noting that the land hadalready been sandfilled bythe state government for thebuilding of about 1,800housing units under theLagos HOMS initiative.

The governor said as hewas driving through the areahe saw a signboard on theland indicating that itbelonged to the FederalGovernment. “IlubirinForeshore land, where wewere about to construct ourestate, was taken over onSaturday by soldiers,” hesaid.

Fashola also disclosed thatsome people similarlybrought soldiers to stop thework on another land atOyingbo where the stategovernment wanted to erect48 flats, claiming that theland belonged to the Federal

Government, adding that asat now, the project has beenstalled.

He insisted that the landbelongs to the stategovernment and that it wasacquired for the state by themilitary administration ofMobolaji Johnson severalyears ago, adding that such‘illegal’ actions by theFederal Government wouldonly stall growth anddevelopment.

Lagos reminds HOMSbeneficiaries of obligations

In the meantime,beneficiaries who emerged atthe first draw of the homeownership scheme have beencharged to always meet upwith all the obligations theownership entails.

Executive Director, LagosMortgage Board, Mrs.Omobola Fashola, remindedthem that proper maintenance

of the houses and promptpayment of mortgages arepart of obligations that comewith owning the houses.

At a forum organised toeducate the winners and takethem through how thescheme works, she stated itwas imperative for thebeneficiaries of the scheme tounderstand the vision behindthe initiative, to bridge thehousing deficit in the state.“We want to ensure that thebeneficiaries understand theresponsibility of owning amortgage. Mortgage is veryimportant to everyonebecause it has to do withshelter, which is one of thebasic human needs.Therefore, we need your helpand cooperation in order toachieve the set target of theLagos State government,which is to deliver 200 homesa month,” she said.

•Reminds beneficiaries of obligations

•Private housing estate development

Kwaracompensates2,000 owners ofacquired land

Kwara State governmenthas compensated more

than 2,000 traditional landowners and farmers whoseland were acquired for publicuse in Lafiagi, Edu LocalGovernment Area of the state.

Director-General, Bureau ofLands, Alhaji YusufAbdulwahab, disclosed this inIlorin while presentingcheques to beneficiaries in 9communities in the area. Thebeneficiary communitiesinclude Bindofu-Essun, Puta,Efagi, Estu-salam, Npagulu,Dumagi, Cheche andLandan.

Abdulwahab said the landwas acquired by the defunctFederal Military Governmentfor the establishment ofLafiagi Sugar Company. Hesaid the company was latersold by the Bureau of PublicEnterprises to BUAInternational Limited, asubsidiary of BUA Group. Hehowever noted that BUAcould not access the propertydue to agitation by traditionalland owners who insisted onbeing compensated becausethe land was not originallypaid for.

Ogun HOCbeneficiariesget Cs-of-O

Governor IbikunleAmosun of Ogun State

has given out Certificates ofOccupancy (C-of-Os) andother title documents to thefirst set of beneficiaries underthe Homeowner’s Charter, aninitiative of the stategovernment introduced lastDecember to enablehomeowners regularise theirlegal status at a discountedrate.

While presenting thedocuments to 10 beneficiariesin Abeokuta, the governorexpressed satisfaction withthe interest so far shown byindigenes in the scheme andcharged those who are yet totake advantage of theprogram to do so.

Amosun explained that theHomeowners’ Charter waspart of his administration’splan to improve the standardof living in the state throughinnovative policies. He notedthat the scheme was designedto ensure that residents of thestate have titled documentson their properties at adiscounted rate and in recordtime.

He said this informed thedecision to extend thedeadline from February 28 to

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 35

CMYK

36 —Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

Insurance

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 37

Australianinsurer jailed

The NSW Supreme Courtin Australia has jailed

Rural & General Insurancefounder Timothy CharlesPratten to three years and sixmonths on charges ofobtaining a financialadvantage by deception.

Pratten has lodged anappeal but was not grantedbail last week and was takeninto custody. He had pleadednot guilty to seven counts ofobtaining a financialadvantage by deception fromthe Commonwealth over taxreturns he had filed.

The court ordered he bereleased after 18 months jailon entering a 24-month goodbehaviour bond. The sentencealso includes 750 hours ofcommunity service.

Justice Stephen Rothmanfound Pratten did not declareincome of more than $2.77million and received afinancial advantage of morethan $1.25 million, being taxthat was not paid.

He said Pratten has highlevels of depression andanxiety, no prior criminalrecord and is the onlyavailable carer for his twodaughters. Justice Rothmansays despite the Crown’ssubmission, the offending isnot “anywhere near thehigher end of ‘seriousness”.

Lawyerfaces ‘lifesentence’ inMutualBenefitsscheme

A 65-year-old FortLauderdale lawyer who

rolled the dice on a criminaltrial — and lost — will learnTuesday whether he willspend the rest of his lifebehind bars.

Anthony M. Livoti Jr. wasconvicted in December ofplaying a supporting role ina $1 billion-plus insurance-investment scam, among thelargest financial frauds inFlorida history.

But because he didn’t cut aplea deal like a dozen otherdefendants — including mostrecently the Ponzi scheme’smastermind — Livoti could besentenced up to 80 years formanipulating trust accountsto keep Fort Lauderdale-based Mutual BenefitsCorp.’s racket going for adecade.

A 12-person Miami federaljury found Livoti guilty ofconspiring to commit fraudand money laundering, alongwith two other counts.

ILLEGAL FEES: NAICOM to

wield big stick on perpetrators

As part of ongoingefforts to sanitise theinsurance industry of

unethical practices, theNational InsuranceCommission, NAICOM, hassaid that henceforth, it is apunishable offencefor insurance companies topay fees on any insurancebusiness transaction except asprovided by insurance law.

In a recent circular signedby Deputy Commissioner(Technical) of NAICOM,Mohammed Kari, theCommission said illegal feessuch as over-ridingcommission, businessacquisition fees and othersimilar fees not provided for,by insurance laws shall not besolicited, deducted, offered orpaid in respect of anyinsurance transaction inNigeria.

Recall that insurers havebeen indulging in payment ofsome illegal fees likeoverriding commission,return premium, businessacquisition fees especially toinsurance brokers in order toattract business from them.

However, NAICOM statesthat an insurer, who grants orreceives such commission, hascontravened Section 53(1)-(3)of the Insurance Act 2003 andwould be appropriatelypenalised.

According to theCommission, “Each insurershall submit a quarterlyreturn on the rebates,brokerage commission andother fees paid out or payable

Stories byROSEMARY ONUOHA

on all its production duringthe preceding quarter to theCommission, not later than 14days from the end of thequarter.”

Moreover, it stated that abroker should submit a copyof his dedicated client accountduly stamped and signed bythe bank and a quarterly

return of the brokeragecommission received ordeducted at source, taxes paidand rebates received duringthe preceding quarter on allbusinesses not later than 14days from the end of thequarter, to NAICOM.

NAICOM warned that noinsurer, broker or its agents

should charge or receivepremiums in excess of theactual premium on aninsurance policy that mayresult in refunding the excessamount paid, with the intentof returning the excess, eitherby cash or otherwise to theinsured, its agents or anyparty thereafter.

The regulator howeverstressed that any insurer thatfails or omits to comply withthe content of the circularshall be penalised in linewith relevant provisions ofinsurance guideline and suchother penalties as may beprescribed by the commissionfrom time to time.

NAICOM pointed out thatthe first report as containedin the circular, covering thequarter 1st April to 30th June2014, shall be submitted notlater than the 14th of July 2014,adding that strict complianceis required.

African insurance market mustget rid of corruption, poverty— A.M BEST REPORT

For the African insurancemarket to thrive,

corruption and poverty on thecontinent will have to beaddressed for it to remainattractive, A.M Best has said

Although regulatory reformsand improved governancecontinue to take hold, theindustry has still beenplagued by a negative imageamong consumers due tofraud and unhealthycompetition, the companysaid.

In its latest report, A.M.Best noted that the growth ofthe insurance industry inAfrica and increasedcompetition frominternational participants willcontinue to be important tothe health and developmentof the insurance sector.

A.M Best however said thatcompanies need to stay

focused on the economic andregulatory environment,given the diversity of marketson the continent.

According to a recent reportby the company, a suddendeterioration in thefundamentals that havehelped to attract foreignparticipants and spurredgrowth of the insuranceindustry could represent risksfor investors. Though recentdevelopments have beenpromising, and growth on thecontinent is expected tocontinue for many years tocome, even as political andeconomic stability stillrepresent importantchallenges for the insuranceindustry in Africa if it is tomeet its potential.

The report states that thegrowth of the industry inAfrica is linked to economic

expansion as well as thesustainability of economicgrowth. Peace and stabilityare key ingredients as manyAfrican markets still facechallenges such as armedconflicts and terrorism.

Ex-broker admits selling bogusinsurance policies

A former insurancebroker admitted to

conspiring to defraudpurchasers of commercialliability insurance byovercharging for policies, aswell as issuing somecustomers bogus policies,U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishmanannounced.

Thomas M. Grubb Jr., 58, ofVoorhees, New Jersey,pleaded guilty before ChiefU.S. District Judge Jerome B.

Simandle in Camden federalcourt to an indictmentcharging him with one countof conspiracy to commit mailfraud and wire fraud.

Grubb was originallyarrested on April 14, 2008,and charged by complaintwith one count of obstructionof justice. On November 5,2008, Grubb failed to appearin court and a warrant wasissued for his arrest.

PROMO: From left: Mrs. Bose Ogundipe, Head, HR, Mr Suneel Vasudevan, ManagingDirector, Mr. Raphael Agbaje, Category Marketing Manager, Standard Milk, and Mr BolaArotiowa, Sales Director, all of Nutricima Limited, during the second e-raffle draw to deter-mine winners in the on-going Nutricima Mega Cash Promo in Lagos.

38 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

CMYK

Tax Matters

Before the advent of theEuropeans, Nigerianswillingly paid their

taxes in kind by renderingfree services such as clearingof bush and fallow farmlands,digging pit toilets, wells, etc.for the benefit of thecommunity as a whole.Properties were usuallyseized whenever there was adefault and such propertiesmight be reclaimed onpayment of money.

Today, the voluntarypayment of taxes in Nigeriahas systematicallydeteriorated as few taxpayersenjoy paying taxesvoluntarily, although manyregard it as a public duty topay tax as required bygovernment and law, which ofcourse comes back to them inthe form of social services.However, some citizensperform this duty but do notsee what benefit they derivefrom it; others still have thesimple mentality that the taxcollector is a public enemy tobe outsmarted by all possiblemeans.

In an attempt to ensure thattaxpayers pay their taxes asand when due, the federalgovernment in the late 1970s,introduced the issuance of theTax Clearance Certificate(TCC) as a tool to enhancerevenue collection. This wasespecially necessary in orderto enable governments andother related third parties to,at a glance, confirm that theholder of the certificate hadin the three preceding yearsof the date of the issuance ofthe TCC, paid his or hertaxes. The logical obverse isthat persons that do not havea TCC are deemed not to havepaid their taxes.

The best description on whata TCC is can be found in thestatutory provision of Section101(1) of the CompaniesIncome Tax Act (CITA) asamended, which provides that‘Whenever the Board is of theopinion that tax assessed onprofits or income of a personhas been fully paid or that notax is due on such profits orincome, it shall issue a taxclearance certificate to theperson within two weeks ofthe demand for suchcertificate by that person, or,if not, give reasons for thedenial’. Reference to theBoard in this provision is theFederal Board of InlandRevenue now the FederalInland Revenue Service(FIRS).

A tax clearance certificatemust disclose, with respect tothe three preceding years ofassessment, of the mentionedtaxpayer, the total profits orchargeable income of thetaxpayer, the tax payable, the

Becoming Tax Certified

By EMBUKA ANNA

tax actually paid andalternatively, a statement thatno tax is due for payment.

Section 101(2) & 101(4) ofCITA, as amended, furtherelucidated that it is amandatory statutoryrequirement that alldepartments of governmentand commercial banks mustdemand for the TCC, for thethree preceding years, of anyperson with whom theyintend to have any dealing inthe areas of applications forgovernment loans, contractsand other businesses,registration of motor vehicles,applications for firearms

license, foreign exchangetransactions or the remittanceof funds outside Nigeria,applications for certificate ofoccupancy of land, buildingplans, transfer of legal title toland, applications for plot ofland, export or importlicenses, pools or gaminglicenses, distributorship,registration of a limitedliability company or abusiness name, allocation ofmarket stalls, etc.

A point of contention withregard to tax assessments andTCC has always beenwhether they are bythemselves final and

conclusive tax documents.Section 76 of CITA, asamended provides that whereno valid objection or appealhas been lodged within thetime provided in the relevanttax law against a taxassessment, or where the totalprofit and the tax payable onsuch profit of a company hasbeen determined after anobjection or an appeal, thedetermined assessment shallbe final and conclusive for allpurposes of compliance withthe tax provisions of CITA, asamended.

There is however no specificSection or provision in the Actor in any tax circular whichmakes the issuance of a TCCa final and conclusiveevidence of the tax paid orpayable for the stated period.The professional view in thisregard is that many TCC aregenerally issued based on thetax returns which are filedunder the self-assessmentprocedure. However, shouldthe tax authority detect anyunder-payment of tax or fraudin the payment or non-payment of tax, the various

tax legislations allow theFIRS to undertake a tax auditand/or issue further taxassessments based on theaudited accounts filed withthe self-assessment forms, orapply the best-of-judgmentprinciple or other methodsallowed under the tax laws toraise further tax assessment.Therefore, the amount of taxpaid and indicated as such ina TCC will be final andconclusive only where it hasbeen adjudicated upon and orfinally determined by ajudicial authority.

So, whenever you plan toapply for a government loanor contract, firearms license,foreign exchange transaction,certificate of occupancy ofland, building plans, transferof legal title to land, plot ofland, export or importlicenses, pools or gaminglicenses, distributorship,registration of a limitedliability company or abusiness name, allocation ofmarket stalls or the remittanceof funds outside Nigeria etc,be sure you are tax certifiedwith the TCC.

,

,In an attempt to ensure that

taxpayers pay their taxes asand when due, the federalgovernment in the late 1970s,introduced the issuance of theTax Clearance Certificate(TCC)

Federal Inland Revenue Services Head Office

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 39

CMYK

Appointment & Promotionsvicahiyoung@yahoo.com 08033348923

SOFTWARE giant,Microsoft, has announced

the appointment of KabeloMakwane as the company’snew country manager forNigeria.

Prior to this appointment,Makwane served as PublicSector Director in MicrosoftSouth Africa.

As country manager,Makwane is to among otherthings, address the challenge oflocal innovation.

With this development, theSouth African born Makwane,will lead the company’s globalshift to offering in one of the

SAT announces Pitso RegionalManager West Africa

Microsoft names Makwane Nigeria country managermost dynamic, innovative andfast growing countries on thecontinent.

Speaking on his appointment,he said “I am extremely excitedto be appointed to lead theNigerian subsidiary during thisdynamic time on the continent.Microsoft is focused onunlocking the economicopportunities of Africa and it isa time when the company canhave real economic impact in thecountry. I believe technology isan enabler at every level ofsociety and I am excited atbeing able to have an impact on

this vibrant and unique country.“While most technology

trends, innovations andconsumer products come fromthe West and the East, Africansare realizing that for us to solvethe continent’s technology-related challenges, we have tofind African solutions. ICTholds transformationalopportunity for Nigeria.Innovation will help the countryleap from the industrialrevolution into the informationera. It is the land of opportunity.There is no place like it.

The renewed emphasis by theNigerian government on theICT sector holds considerablepromise for what technologycan bring to consumers andbusinesses. It gives us anopportunity to use ourtechnology, talent, time andmoney to help create sustainablegrowth in the country andacross the African continent. Iam very happy to bespearheading this continuedinvestment in Nigeria, andcertainly look forward to

working with government,industry, academia and thegeneral public to enable Nigeriato realize its potential throughinnovation. I look forward tounearthing the economicopportunities, especially withsmall businesses to drive jobcreation, and to fostermeaningful 21st century skillsin our youths.

Reacting to the newdevelopment, Hennie Loubser,General Manager of West, East,Central Africa and Indian OceanIslands said “I applaud Kabeloon this exciting new role. Hehas a close relationship with theteam and has been following themarket closely, establishingstrong connections in theregion. His passion and naturalunderstanding of our businessmakes him the ideal candidatefor this role. As a multinationalorganization, Microsoft believesin hiring individuals that canbring global and externalexpertise into different regions,whilst at the same time gainingnew experiences.

SOUTH African Tourism,SAT has announced the

appointment of Mr LehlohonoloPitso as its Regional Manager,West Africa.

As Regional Manager, WestAfrica, he will implement amarketing strategy for all WestAfrican markets and work todevelop and grow trade, mediaand other stakeholder

As part of his appointment, hewill relocate to Lagos, Nigeria,to work out of South AfricanTourism’s first regionalmarketing office on thecontinent.

“We are delighted that wehave, in Hloni, a professional ofhis caliber to manage our newoffice in Lagos and ourincredibly important marketing

tourist arrivals to South Africawere up 15.9 percent. This wasexceptional growth on the backof phenomenal increase inarrivals of 13.8 percent in 2012when Nigerian touristscontributed an estimated R720million to the South Africaneconomy. Moreover, Ghanaianarrivals were growing at 27.3percent by end June 2013.

“West Africa is an incrediblyimportant and valuable marketregion for our destination,” MrNzima says. “The entire Africancontinent, in fact, is ofsignificant strategic importanceto our destination. SouthAfrican consistently recordsexcellent tourist arrival growthfrom all key African markets.South African Tourism made thedecision in 2011 to invest R218million in the African markets.The opening of the regionalWest African office, and Hloni’sappointment, is part of thatgrowth investment.

PRIMA Garnet Africa Group, an integratedmarketing communications group in Nigeria,

has announced the appointment of Dele Odugbemias the new Managing Director, MediaShare, itsmedia independent/management agency.

Until his appointment, Dele Odugbemi workedwith Aegis Media Group in South Africa, and wasresponsible for the business growth and supervisingof the General Motors Account Team in SouthAfrica. He also served as the MD of Ogilvy AfricaMedia.

Odugbemi, an MBA holder in TechnologyManagement, has over 15 years experience inmultinational media account management and hasmanaged key clients like Virgin Atlantic, MTN,Diageo, SuperSport, M-Net, Nestle, Unilever,Motorola, Airtel at both local and international levels.

The media management veteran also worked withthe OMD Network where he rose to the positionof Head of Planning and Innovations at MediaReach

Prima Garnet Africa appoints Odugbemi MediaShare’s MD

OMD Nigeria.Odugbemi, who is particularly strong in

unconventional media placement has beeninvolved in a number of significant transactionswithin and outside the Nigerian advertisingindustry, and as the MD of Ogilvy Africa Mediadid extensive work on the Airtel and other keyaccounts across many markets within the region.

The new MediaShare boss has had broadcomplementary competencies covering mediasponsorships, digital media management andsenior account management.

A former lecturer of lecturer/consultant onTechnology Policy, Odugbemi is a regularspeaker at advertising industry programmesacross the continent.

He is expected to bring in vast and variedindustry experience into the company and groupat large.

THE boards of Afren and First Hydrocarbon Nigeria,“FHN”, has announced the retirement of its Executive

Director, Constantine Afolabi Ogunbiyi, from the organizationafter close to a decade in the service of the company. MrOgunbiyi has been a core member of the executive management

Ogunbiyi retires from Afren

team of Afren since inceptionand has assisted the growthof the company as well.

He held various positions inthe company starting as aSpecial Assistant to theChairman and GeneralCounsel; Associate Director,Executive Director andMember of the Boardrespectively. As ExecutiveDirector he was responsiblefor business developmentand led Afren’s team innegotiating certain keyNigerian acquisitions andcapital raisings.

In 2011, he was appointedas Founding Chief ExecutiveOfficer of First HydrocarbonNigeria Ltd, and played aninstrumental part in theestablishment of FHN, itscapital raising efforts and itsacquisition of interests inOML 26 and OML 113 inNigeria.

Constantine ‘Labi Ogunbiyisaid, “I am extremely proudto have been a part of theestablishment and evolutionof Afren and FHN and tohave been a part of theirincredible successes. "

relationships toe n s u r ec o n t i n u e drobust touristarrival growthfrom West toSouth Africa.

Hloni (as heis known) hasa 17-year trackrecord ofdistinction inthe travel andt o u r i s mindustry. Hestarted hiscareer whilststill a student at

Boston City Campus when hewas chosen to join the HRGRennies Travel LearnershipProgramme which was swiftlyfollowed, upon graduation, byhis appointment as a travelconsultant to Rennies.

He has also worked at AirBotswana and as a salesexecutive at Protea Hotelswhere, after eight months, hewas promoted to SalesManager: Africa.

Hloni joined the Africa teamat South African Tourism fiveyears ago as the TradeRelations Manager: East Africa.He takes up the RegionalManager: West Africa positionafter having served as theRegional Trade RelationsManager: East and West Africa.

work, traderelationshipsand consumerengagementacross theentire WestA f r i c a nregion,” saysc h i e fe x e c u t i v eofficer, MrT h u l a n iNzima.

By the endof June, 2013,N i g e r i a n

40 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

CMYK

Interview

The immediate past ExecutiveVice Chairman/CEO,Honeywell Flour Mills Plc,

Mr. Folaranmi Babatunde Odunayo,retired on April 1st, 2014. Mr.Odunayo retired after 17 years ofmeritorious service. Odunayo,Honeywell's pioneer CEO is agraduate of the then University of Ife,Ile-Ife (now ObafemiAwolowoUniversity). He attended King’sCollege, Lagos and is a Fellow of theInstitute of Chartered Accountants ofNigeria. In this interview with PeterEgwuatu, he spoke on challengesfacing the manufacturing sector,performance of Honeywell Plc in theindustry, agriculture sector and othervital issues. Excerpts:

How has manufacturing sectorfared in Nigeria?

Manufacturing definitely is hard. Ifyou look at the Nigeria economicenvironment, it is obviously not thebest way to make quick money but oneof the best ways to make steady moneyand see what value it is adding to thesociety. Manufactures represent to thecountry the real sector; Manufacturersare people you can locate and find andthe people from the organised privatesector rather than being in trade fromBelgium to Lagos and bringing allkinds of goods. It has not been a rosypath because support frommanufacturing is not well understood.The principal reason is because ofNigerian’s attitude generally. Thosewho are in government, civil servantswho are expected to provide supportcomes from the standpoint of doing alot of favour to the manufacturingsector so the manufacturers have tostruggle through many obstacles inorder to be heard and today theManufacturers Association of Nigeriahas grown to become an advocacygroup that is always advocating goodgovernment andimprove the lot of theprivate sector.

What are the challenges facing themanufacturing sector?

We have many challenges whichrange from inadequate power supply,to lack of road infrastructure, to a tariffsystem that does not supportmanufacturing that can in fact in manysituations support importation ratherthan manufacturing.It is a continuousbattle to condone advocacy sections ingovernment and try to show the gapbetween duty paid for finished goodsin Nigeria and importing the sameitems. Fortunately over the years, wehave recorded good structure withgovernment in negotiatingappropriate tariffs. Fortunately, also inrecent times government has finallyseen that it is best to grant tariffs andtariff adjustment to sectors of theeconomy rather than to individualcompanies that are able to successfullygo to Abuja and get things worked outfor themselves.In the past, you couldbe in same sector with othermanufacturers and some of yourcounterparts that are in samecompetition have favourableallowances and tariffs fromgovernment. Today the governmenthas realised that finally and we getsectoral reviews of tariffs. I found outthat the biggest challenge of cost tomanufacturing is far too many. Smalland Medium Scale Enterprise, SMEshave gone out of business because of

Manufacturersface toomany costchallenges— ODUNAYO

lack of adequate supply of power,because the capital required to investin generating capacity and to maintaina regular production quality is just toohigh. Infrastructure is a major problembecause they are not in best condition.The transport sector also lacks capacityin terms of ability to invest in qualitytrucks for movement of goods andservices. The transport sector today issupported by private efforts of smalland medium scale organisations whostruggle to invest in used trailer trucksin order to earn a living for themselvesand put them on the road. How muchmore different it would have been ifmanufacturers have capacity for masstransit of goods? I will not even speakon mass transit for human beingswhich is also very essential. Insummary what's being said above is:

We have manychallenges whichrange frominadequate powersupply, to lack ofroadinfrastructure, to atariff system thatdoes not supportmanufacturing inthe country

Inappropriate Tariff, InadequateTransportation and Inadequate Powersupply.

In spite of these challenges, howhas Honeywell coped?

Most companies in Nigeria ran outof business because of inappropriatetariffs and also inadequate protectionof manufacturing sector. In our kindof industry, we have been fortunatethat flour and flour products havereasonable protection and somesmuggling too takes place from theNorthern part of Nigeria, but we’vebeen fortunate they are in limitedquantity. If they were in largequantity, the industry would have beengreatly affected. We have survivedbecause of the absence of smugglingof the product in large numbers but itcan easily destroy an industry. As a

company, our survival has beenshaped largely by ability to define ourcustomers, define them in terms oftheir needs,and also define theminterms of the quality of products theydesire. Having defined the customers,knowing what they like, even their agebracket, and income bracket andknowing exactly what they want, wewere able to fashion production andproduction quality toward thesetargets and offer precisely what theyrequire.We always stand abovecompetition in our offering to thecustomers. Good quality productsofferings is one strategy thatguarantees you to know yourcustomers and that has kept ourvolume. It has also helped us tosustain a very strong brand image,brand equity in theminds ofconsumers. The consumers, theyspeak about it and help you to sustaina mandate for your production.

How has Honeywell performed interms of financial indicators?

The company has performedreasonably well. The financial

details of our performance is very openin terms of being available at theNigerian Stock Exchange, NSE but tobe more specific, the company is oneof the best performing in the industrywhich sustains production capacity,which sustains high volume andsustains strong consumer perception.So I think we are one of the topperforming companies in the relativeshort time we have been in thebusiness of flour and other associatedproducts.

What is your market share in theindustry?

You know Nigeria is a very bigcountry of 160 million people and wecan easily boast of a market share thatis almost 15 and 20 % of a market forone company out of 20.

How is the employment policy likein Honeywell?

There is a lot of academic educationbut not a lot of it have been retained.Honeywell does very intense trainingprogrammes but our biggest help hasbeen in a strategy to always ensurethat it is only good people that arerecruited into the organization,regardless of whether somebody isyour relation or friend, only goodpeople are recruited. Themanagement will fail if it does notensure that it is only good people thatare recruited. If you do favour, youalso undermine yourself and alsoundermine the capacity to deliver

,

,

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 41

Interview

The Minister of Agriculturehas been working very hardto see to the improvement ofagriculture and I am veryhappy with that

Fortunately, alsoin recent timesgovernment havefinally seen that itis best to granttariffs and tariffsadjustment tosectors of theeconomy ratherthan to individualcompanies

working very hard to see to theimprovement of agriculture and I amvery happy with that, not only becauseagriculture is my first course, in whichI graduated many years ago. He hasdone a great job so far. I will like tosee a great success with one crop, anycrop, if we can succeed with cassavaand I pray we do so, or we succeedwith corn or whatever we pick, wewould have been able to establish amodel of agriculture in Nigeriasucceeding with the crop. Starts fromplanting seeds, cultural practices,farmer education, credit, thenharvesting, storage, transportationand a lot of marketing. Right now,wedon’t have a workable system that runsacross all these issues in Nigeria. Ifwe can take it up from any crop, it willbecome a model for agriculture inNigeria. I also believe in competitiveadvantage that a country needs to alsoconcentrate on those areas where youhave competitive advantage overothers. It is certain we havecompetitive advantage in cassava,maize, yam, we have many crops thatwe can handle. If we can handlegroundnut which used to be the soulof Nigeria, lets handle this crop andfinally we can substitute these cassavaplant with maize, with wheat to someextent. Let’s do some substitution.What am not too clear about is whetherNigeria has a wheat growingenvironment. I will be glad if we cantake agriculture to a point where wecan actually grow variety of crops inNigeria at economic use and in suchvolume giving a land tenure system

and we can be able to meet the needsof farming. That is something in thefuture that I will personally be glad tosee. In the meantime, what remainsfor us to do is continue to import wheatand continue to spin some others toan increasing percentage untilgovernment is able to offer improvedwheat and varieties from certain areas.

Are you in support of the industryto use wheat?

The way a country should run and

the way it is fair to the consumer isthat you must offer them choices. It isnot the business of the government toregulate what somebody wants to eat,if it is too pricy then you will choosesomething else. We use wheat forbread flour and for the baking ofbread,we should continue to usewheat for bread and also continue toimport wheat for that purpose and

substitute it with cassava until oneday when we can also grow locallywith the volume that is required. Theproblem of the economy in Nigeria isa mono-product economy with oilconstituting the main export and theproblem is not the wheat, the problemis to grow other sources of foreignexchange earnings. Can we growcassava as a foreign exchangeearnings or can we grow maize andexport maize and export cassavachips. Can we export groundnut, can

we export many otherproducts to the pointthat we can generatehigh foreign exchange.If we could triple ourexport earnings,including oil, theproblem will not bewheat, in fact, thesuccess is, it will doubleyour revenue, and youoffer the Nigeriaconsumer whatever hewants, whether hewants some maizeproducts or yamproducts or wheat orwhatever, the consumermust have choices. Ithink we are making toomuch noise about wheatbeing imported, weshould offer substituteforeign exchangeearners, we shoulddevelop the goodspectrum ofagriculture, we shoulddevelop manufacturingto the extent thatmanufacturing inNigeria can alsoprocess raw materialsinto a finished product,and for export. Rightnow, all we have is rawmaterials, there is nomanufacturing inNigeria that is ready tohelp us convert all thisraw materials intoanything not evencocoa, so how can wedevelop our exportearnings?

How is Honeywellcoping with instabilityin the North East?

In Nigeria we aremore concerned

with the instability

in the Northand that is the reason why your

question is relevant. There areunderlining things that are suffering,trade is suffering, commerce issuffering. How are we coping? We areredirecting our efforts in other marketsto see whether we can have someedge above competition. What is notcertain in some areas, may be we can

increase it inother areas. Inthe meantime,the bottom lineis: for anybusiness tosurvive youneed stability,for any nation tosurvive in thelong run youneed stability, if

there is no stability in a nation thenation won't progress.

What is your projection onHoneywell performance in the nextfive years?

From the foundation we have laid,I expect progress and from the projectwe are planning even today am surethat we are going to Sagamu, manyprojects are coming up in food sector.In the next five years I expect that weare going to see a bigger company.

Why are you leaving Honeywellnow?

First of all when you have been in acompany as the CEO for 17-18years,that’s quite a long time in yourworking career, not counting whatyou have done before but when youare also the CEO of a company for 17-18 years, then you are wondering howlong you want to remain the CEO ofthat company and before it begins tolook like the African thing, of the CEOwho does not want to go andespecially if for 20-22 years peoplewho have been working with you havegrown and they are part of the successof the company because only one mandoes not build a house. So, if thereare people who have been part of thatsuccess today and they have becomemen of themselves. I think the bestthing to do is to step aside because ifyou stay longer you find out thatmature men of certain strong skillswhich am very proud of, if you don’tstep aside these strong mature menwill soon find a way to expressthemselves outside the company andif you stay a little longer, you willdiscover there is no one there anymorebecause they have all gone to findtheir own way.

Has there been succession planbefore now?

Succession plan is about training,exposure, selection, because peoplehave to be selected. At the rightmoment, people are ready.Appointment is a final thing that youdo, so there was a selectionarrangement which made it possiblethat at the right moment people areselected to certain positions. Theincoming Managing Director hasbeen very active, from the beginning.

He came up at a beginning level butafter 20 years he has gone to be hisown man,so what can I say to a manthat is skilled and suitable? I can onlywish him the best; he knows exactlyhow to continue and I know he willkeep to the values that we have alwayscherished.

,

,

,

,

result because youare going to usepeople to do it.When we employ,we employ goodquality people andwe bring them in.

What has been theimpact ofagriculture in yourindustry?

First of all, I willspeak abouta g r i c u l t u r egenerally. Topromote agricultureis a major problem inNigeria. TheMinister ofAgriculture has been

42 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

CMYK

Agric

To further ensure foodsecurity and enhance

sufficiency, the Food andAgriculture Organisation(FAO) has partnered theFederal Government throughthe National AgriculturalSeeds Council (NASC) in theproduction and processing ofquality seeds.

Mr. Olusegun Olatokun, theCoordinating Director, NASC,said this has contributed to therapid increment in thecountry’s seeds productionfrom less than 8000 tonnes in2011/2012 to over 150,000tonnes in 2013.

According to Olatokun, thecollaboration is to execute the‘Strengthening National SeedSystems in Nigeria’ project, a

20% CASSAVA FLOUR IN BREAD:Stakeholders seeklegal backing

By JIMOHBABATUNDE

Don’t tell me it is notpossible, if you don’tinclude 10% of

cassava flour in your wheatflour, wait and see what wewill do.”

That was PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo in a chatwith one of the millers whenhis government was pushingfor Cassava flour inclusion inBread.

The millers had alwaysargued that it was notpossible to have 10% inclusionof cassava in flour, butObasanjo who was promotingthe cultivation of cassavavigourously was convinced itwas possible.

So, no wonder when he leftgovernment the policy ofcassava inclusion in wheatflour failed as there was nolaw in the country to back thatpronouncement.

Many investors that wentinto Cassava productionbusiness got their fingersburnt as the ideal of HighQuality Cassava Flourinclusion in wheat wasjettisoned as soon as histenure ended

Effort of the presentadministration to have a lawbacking the inclusion ofCassava flour in Wheat floursuffered a setback in theHouse of Representatives twoyears ago as the membersunanimously voted No to anexecutive bill on the excuse

that compelling manufacturersof flour to include cassavawould amount to compellingNigerians to eat products thatmay be injurious to theirhealth.

But stakeholders in theagriculture explained that theissue of Cassava inclusion inwheat flour is beyond what theNational Assembly thinks asthe bill when passed wascapable of job creation, wealthcreation, poverty reductionand local content utilisation asNigeria today is the highest

producer of cassava in theworld.

This informed why theygathered last week in Abujato take a look at a draft billseeking to make it mandatoryfor the inclusion of 20%cassava in the production ofall flour products in Nigeria.

From farmers to processors;millers to bakers, all gatheredto deliberate on the Bill titled“A Bill for an Act to providefor the Mandatory 20 per centInclusion of High QualityCassava Flour or Sorghum to

Wheat Flour and ItsDerivatives and theEstablishment of a SpecialTax Regime for the MixedFlour”.

Addressing thestakeholders, the

Permanent Secretary,Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs.Ibukun Odusote, said themeeting was conveyed todiscuss the draft CassavaBread Bill which willeventually be passed to theNational Assembly forpassage into law.

Odusote disclosed thatNigeria produces over 40million metric ton per annumof cassava as about 60% ofNigerian farmers areinvolved in cassavaproduction because it is oneof the food security crops.

“Unlike cassava, Nigeria isthe highest importer of wheatin the world with a whoopingsum of N635 billion spentannually.”

She argued that the qualityof wheat imported into thecountry for Nigeriansconsumption is alsoquestionable, adding thatinclusion of 40% cassavaflour in wheat for bread isnot only safe for consumption,“but also improves thenutritional quality of bread byreducing the glycemic index,the factor responsible fordiabetes.”

Mrs. Odusote’s claimsupports that of the Ministerof Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who saidthat the informationthat cassava consumptionwas bad for patients sufferingfrom diabetes, is one of themisguided information beingpassed around so as totruncate the governmentpolicy of including cassava in

FAO, FG collaborate for improvedseed production

By SALIMAT GARBAtwo-year pilot projectlaunched in 2013 with FAOcontributing $345,000 to theseeds sector.

He said the collaborationhas not only aided productionacross the seeds value chainbut has also helped theindustry to modernise itsprocessing facilities whichhave been obsolete.

“Let me start by saying thecollaboration has madeserious impact; the area ofmajor impact has to do withquality of seeds. At the sametime, the support is focusingon capacity development ofthe modern processingfacilities.’’

“Currently, a site and facilityinspection is going on andimmediately after this theproject will address the skillgap,’’ he said.

It is recalled that theproject is targeting five pilotstates: Ebonyi, Ondo,Kaduna, Sokoto and Jigawa,with four staple crops (rice inEbonyi, maize in Kaduna andOndo, sorghum and millet inSokoto and Jigawa).

Strengthening NationalSeed Systems in Nigeria hasthe aim to increase theadoption rate of improvedseeds by smallholder farmers,improve income and ensurefood security in the country.

Meanwhile, Dr LouiseSetshwaelo, the FAOCountry Representative, atthe launch of the project saidthe organisation hopes thatat the end of the project in2015, the seeds law wouldhave been updated tointernational standard.

Nigeria, centreof Obama’spower Africainitiative - FG

The Federal Governmenthas described the

American President BarrackObama’s Power Africainitiative as a uniquelydesigned plan aimed toensure rapid socio-economicdevelopment of the continent.

The Permanent Secretaryin the Ministry of Power,Ambassador Godknows Igalisaid this at a meetingbetween the officials of his theministry and the Americandelegation, led by Deputy-Assistant Secretary, MathewMurray, in Abuja. He saidthat the initiative will alsoassist countries to accessfinance required forinvestment purposes. Igaliwho presided over themeeting, said the focus on thepower sector will open upwindow of opportunities forNigeria’s private sector tofurther consolidate on thegains recorded following therecent transfer of ownershipof Discos and Gencos to theprivate sector.

In a renewed effort tobridge skills gap in the

advertising industry, O2Academy, an arts institute iscurrently training youngNigerians on moderntechniques in advertising.

Speaking, OzoemenaMbanefo, founder,02(Oxygen) Academy, said:

“We have decided to cometogether and help traintalented Nigerians onadvertising. Our desire is toenable them achieve theirdesires. We want to bridge thegap in skills in the industryand cut down unemploymentamong school leavers,” whileaddressing a cross section ofjournalists during its 5th

anniversary in Lagos recently.In addition, he noted that

many sectors of economy arestill bedevilled by structuralchallenges, one of which isskills gap. In themanufacturing sector, forinstance, Dangote hasestablished an institute totrain school leavers on thedemands of the modernindustrial economy. Dearth oftechnical personnel in othersectors such as telecoms,energy, among others, hasalso led to high demands ofexpatriate technocrats, in anatmosphere where youthunemployment rate is 54percent.

O2 Academyaddresses skillsgap in adindustry

“

MEETING: From left, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote(centre) flanked by Director-General, The Federal Institute for Industrial Research (FIIRO),Dr Gloria Elemo and a director in the ministry at the stakeholders meeting on 20% Inclusionof High Quality Cassava Flour or Sorghum to Wheat Flour held in Abuja recently.

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 43

CMYK

Aviation

Dana Air saidImplementa t ionTraining Initiative

undertaken by the airline is

Stories By LAWANIMIKAIRU

Chairman of AirlineOperators ofNigeria, AON ,

Captain Nogie Meggison hascautioned that until Nigeriaestablishes an aircraftMaintenance, Repair andOverhaul , MRO, facility inthe country the aviation sectorwill not optimize the inherentpotential and benefits of thesector.

Speaking in an interview inLagos , Capt Meggisson,who is also the President ofJedAir, said setting up anaircraft maintenance facility inthe country will assist to trainthe horde of aviationprofessionals in the countryincluding aircraft engineers.He said the unfavourablegovernment policy ofgranting multiple entry pointsto foreign carriers intoNigeria has contributed to thestunted growth of indigenousairlines.

He further noted that theunfriendly businessenvironment where operatorsgrapple with multiplecharges has not helped theprocess that would lead toprivate sector playersshowing interest in setting upaircraft repair centres. Hebelieves if some of theintervention fund given bygovernment were channeledinto the establishment ofaircraft repairs facility, theindustry would have madesome progress.

According to him merely

Nigeria must invest in aircraftmaintenance facility — AON

setting up a national carrierwill not alone step up thedevelopment of the sector, asaircraft MROs have thecapacity to create thousands ofjobs and retain huge sums ofmoney in the country thatindigenous carriers spent onthe repairs of their aircraftoversees.

“I don’t think the nationalcarrier is the issue. Ourpolicies are the issue. We hada national carrier in thedefunct Nigeria Airways. One

Lagos cargo,pilgrimsterminals to becompletedsoon

The Managing Director ofthe Federal Airports

Authority of Nigeria, FAAN,Engr. Saleh Dunoma haspromised early completion ofthe Cargo and Pilgrimsterminal located at theMurtala MohammedInternational Airport, Lagos.

Engr. Dunoma made thepledge while on site toinspect the on-goingconstruction works going onat cargo and pilgrimsterminals. He said thecompletion of the terminalwill sanitise the cargo sectionand increase businessactivity.

At the Pilgrims terminal, theManaging Director said thefacility will providecomfortable and decentpassage for both Christianand Muslim pilgrims.According to Engr. Dunoma,the Terminals are designedwith special emphases onsafety and security for theoverall benefit of travellers,airport users as well as goodsand services.

of the main issue was notbeing able to pay for itsmaintenance bills ofairplanes scattered all overthe world including Brazil,Ireland, Germany, France,USA, and Israel,”.

“If you have a nationalcarrier and you don’t exercisethe cabotage law or the FifthFreedom Right of the ChicagoConvention of 1945, we areputting water down the drain.If you have a national carrierand you don’t have MRO, you

are putting water down thedrain.

Those intervention fundsdid not filter down to theaviation sector. The last oneof N350 billion to the aviationand power sectors; the one foraviation actually went to thebanks. It did not come toaviation, and as far as thePresident is concerned, hewould be thinking that itcame to aviation becausethey called it aviationintervention fund.”

Airspace managers at the nation’sairports have been charged to sustainthe current drive for high quality air

navigation service delivery to airlines by theNigerian Airspace Management Agency,NAMA.

The Managing Director of the Agency ,Engr.Ibrahim Abdulsalam, made the charge in Ilorin,Kwara State at the quarterly meeting of theairspace managers from 26 airports across thecountry.

The NAMA boss told the managers that theagency as an air navigation service provider inthe West African sub- region could not afford tolack behind in the provision of quality servicesif the agency must be relevant in the 21stcentury.

According to General Manager, Public Affairs,NAMA, M r Supo Atobatele “ Engr.Abdulsalam said the management would doeverything possible to ensure that most of theglaring operational challenges at the variousstations would be tackled systematically to

Airspace managers charged to key intoNAMA's vision

enhance effective operations.”He assured the airspace managers that staff

welfare would remain the focus of hismanagement, saying that “acquisition ofmodern technology without prerequisitetraining will amount to nothing”. The NAMAboss therefore charged “ the managers tokey into the corporate vision of the agency ofbecoming one of the leading air navigationservice providers in the world.”

“ The Chairman of the forum ,Remi Olajirein his opening speech ,remarked that thegathering of the airspace managers wouldafford them the opportunity to exchangenotes on operational achievements /challenges and profer possible solutionswhere applicable.”

The host Airspace Manager, Godfrey EbeleAbaneme while pledging total loyalty andcommitment of his colleagues to the newmanaging director, called for aggressiverevenue drive at all the stations to achievethe desired corporate goal of a robust agency.

Preliminary training for IOSA process willprepare us for audit — Dana Air

disclosed by the ChiefOperating Officer of theAirline Mr. Yvan Drewinsky.

Dana Air is one of tenairlines benefiting from theIOSA implementation traininginitiative that is 100 per centfunded by InternationalAirline Training Fund (IATF),a non-profit foundation whosepurpose is to bridge thetraining gaps for airlines inregions of the world where itis most needed, with aparticular focus on improvingsafety.

According to Drewinsky “The first stage of theimplementation training is agap analysis workshop, thefirst of three sessions over thenext year, that will give DanaAir a greater understanding oftheir shortcomings in relationto the IOSA standards andrecommended practices(ISARPs) and to provideguidance and tools toestablish action plans towardsISARPs implementation.”

Last year the AbujaDeclaration by the states of theAfrican Union mandated that

all African airlines shouldachieve IOSA status by 2015.The total accident rate forIOSA carriers in 2012 was77% lower than the rate fornon-IOSA operators.

Speaking also on DanaAir ’s commitment towardsachieving a listing on theIOSA directory in line withthe African Union mandate,Drewinsky noted that DanaAir is resolute in adhering toglobally recognized safetystandards and itscommencing preliminarytraining for the IOSA processconfirms the premium theairline places on safety.

“The IOSA ImplementationTraining Initiative is comingat an auspicious time whenDana Airline is looking atreinforcing services as well asseeking the possibility offorming alliances with globalairlines as it aims to operatein line with the highestglobal standards”, said Mr.Drewinsky.

The Manager of the IATF,Oscar Haro, said IATA waspleased to confirm DanaAirlines Limited as one of the

Group picture of pupils, teachers and Nestlé staff that participated in the 2014 World WaterDay celebration at the Nestlé factory in Agbara.

part of the preliminaryprocess to prepare the airlinefor the IATA OperationalSafety Audit IOSA. This was

Economy

44 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

Exactly fourteen months afterconvening the Housing

Retreat in November 2012,President Goodluck EbeleJonathan is launching the NigeriaMortgage Finance Company(NMRC), signaling the beginningof a process that would finallyincrease opportunities forNigerians to own their homes atan affordable price. Today’s eventwill also involve the reinvigorationof mass housing initiatives whichwill, along with the NMRC, givethe housing sector the necessaryfillip to start realising its greatpotential for the good of thecountry.

The country as a whole will gainsignificantly from the unleashingof a sector which has the capacityto transform the entire economythrough millions of direct andindirect jobs as well as many otherancillary benefits. To appreciatethe significance of this, let usconsider a few facts.

Nigeria’s significant housingdemand has been estimated at 17million, with an additional 2 millionunits needed every year. Labourimpact assessment studies incountries with similardemographics and economies asNigeria, estimate that at least 5.62direct jobs can be generated withevery new home, and 2.48 indirectjobs in housing relatedexpenditure. So far, our country isyet to realise this potential. In2012, housing, construction, andreal estate accounted for only 5.54percent of our GDP. This figure islow in comparison to many otherdeveloping countries. Addressingthe housing deficit will have agame-changing impact on oursociety and our communities.

Globally, there is a strongconsensus that the developmentof the housing sector is importantfor stimulating economic growthand job creation in any economy.Indeed, housing construction isone of the most used indices forgauging the economic situation inmost developed countries. TheCase-Schiller index used tomonitor housing starts in the USis a good example. Likewise, inMalaysia, one of the maincontributors to the country’s 8percent per annum three-decadelong GDP growth was the housingand construction sectors. Newhome construction is a majorgenerator of jobs through directemployment in the constructionindustry with significant multipliereffects on other sectors of theeconomy. This is the kind ofpotential that the launch of theNMRC and related initiatives isset to unlock.

This explains why the Presidentmade housing a priority sector inthe Transformation Agenda. As apractical expression of this focus,he directed in May 2012 theconvening of a major presidentialretreat on the housing sector thatbrought all stakeholders togetherto discuss issues of land titling

and land administrationforeclosure policies, access toaffordable housing finance andcost of construction materialsamong others. The second eventwas a Roundtable on HousingFinance which the Presidentinstructed me to convene inNovember 2013. This wasattended by banks, developmentfinance institutions, privatesector players, and public sectorpartners like the Ministry of

Lands, Housing and UrbanDevelopment, and the FederalMortgage Bank - to review andanalyse the potential for housingfinance in Nigeria, and see how toovercome trenchant obstacles.

A major outcome of theRoundtable was the setting up ofa housing finance committeechaired by the Federal Ministryof Finance, and comprising theFederal Ministry of Lands,Housing and Urban Development,the Central Bank of Nigeria,mortgage and commercial banks,supported by the World Bank andthe IFC. The committee wasmandated to take forward the workof developing a facility that wouldsignificantly scale-up access to

By NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA

Affordable housing: Fromdream to realityThe U.S. economy has finally

regained all the private-sectorjobs it lost during the GreatRecession. Yet it took a painfullyslow six years, and unemploymentremains stubbornly high at 6.7percent.

The comeback figures werecontained in a government reportFriday that showed a solid ifunspectacular month of jobgrowth in March. Businesses andnonprofits shed 8.8 million jobsduring the 2007-09 recession; theyhave since hired 8.9 million. Butbecause the population hasgrown since the big downturn, theeconomy is still millions of jobsshort of where it should be by now.

Also, government jobs are still535,000 below the level they wereat when the recession began inDecember 2007. That’s why theoverall economy still has 422,000fewer jobs than it did then.

U.S. employers did add aseasonally adjusted 192,000 jobsin March, just below February’s197,000, which was revised higher.March’s figure nearly matchedlast year’s average monthly gain,suggesting that the economy hasrecovered from the hiringslowdown caused by severeweather in December and January.

The March figures did signalthat stronger gains could lieahead: More Americans withoutjobs are starting to look for one,and paychecks are growing.

US regains jobslost in recession

UK house pricesUK house pricesUK house pricesUK house pricesUK house pricesaccelerate againaccelerate againaccelerate againaccelerate againaccelerate again

House price inflation hasincreased once again,

according to figures from theUK’s biggest mortgage lender,Halifax. It said prices rose by 8.7percent in the year to March, thehighest inflation rate sinceOctober 2007.

Halifax put the increase down toan improving economy, growth inemployment, rising consumerconfidence and low interest rates.However measured on a monthlybasis, prices fell by 1.1 percent inMarch, compared with February.That was only the third monthlydecline in the last fifteen months,and means the average price of ahouse in the UK has actuallyfallen, to £178,249. However priceswere still up over the medium term.

In the first quarter of 2014 pricesrose by 2.3 percent, compared tothe last quarter of 2013.

Along with evidence from theNationwide Building Society thisweek, the figures suggest that therate of house price growth hasrecently slowed.

The Nationwide reported thatprice rises had “moderated” overthe last couple of months.However, over the year as a wholethe Nationwide said that priceshad risen by 9.5 percent.

It also said that the gap betweenprices in London and the rest ofthe UK was now the widest it hasever been, with prices of homesin the capital twice those in therest of the country.

Last week the Bank of Englandreported a sharp slow-down in thenumber of mortgages being takenout in February.

NMRC and the initiative to open up thehousing sector also involves efforts to

improve land titling and land registration,speed up governors’ consent, and improve

foreclosure policies

affordable mortgages for theNigerian people.

The outcome of the committee’swork was the recommendation toset up the Nigeria MortgageRefinancing Company tosignificantly increase the liquidityavailable to mortgageorganisations such as PrimaryMortgage Institutions (PMIs),banks, Housing MicrofinanceInstitutions and other financialactors.

The NMRC is a public-privatesector initiative with majorityshareholding by the privatesector. The federal government isa sponsor and also a shareholder.It is backed by a World Bank zerointerest credit of $250 million witha 40-year tenor and 10 years ofgrace, a very attractive facility.The NMRC will further float anadditional N50 billion in bonds assoon as it is operational to whichinstitutional and other investorscan subscribe. Further bondissuances will take place in aphased manner to significantlyboost NMRC’s resources andliquidity for purchase of bundledmortgage products from the PMIsand other institutions.

The launch of the NMRC andthe initiative to open up thehousing sector also involvesefforts to improve land titling andland registration, speed upgovernors’ consent, and improveforeclosure policies all presentlyimpediments to the properfunctioning of the housingsector. Many states are active inhousing development and haveput in place supportive policies.However, the advent of the NMRChugely expands the horizon ofwhat can be achieved. As such,14 pilot states including the FCTare working closely with thefederal government on thisinitiative. Once they fulfill laiddown criteria in putting in placeappropriate policies, their citizensstand to benefit from greateraccess to affordable mortgages.The Governors of Abia, Anambra,Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Gombe,Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Edo,Enugu, Ondo and Ogun Statesand FCT have signed on to workon the Housing Initiative.

The launch of NMRC andenhanced housing initiative willhave significant multiplier effectson many sectors of the economyunleashing jobs for architects,builders, plumbers, welders,carpenters, painters, interiordecorators, furnituremanufacturing and other alliedsmall scale industries.

•Dr Okonjo-Iweala,Coordinating Minister for theEconomy & Minister of Finance,gave the speech at the launchingof NMRC in Abuja

"

,

,

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Coordinating Minister of the Economy

E- Commerce

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 45

GRADUATION - From left: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Honeywell FlourMills Plc, Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola, Best Graduating student, Mr. Sunday Haruna and Manag-ing Director, Bofik Nigeria Ltd, Mrs. Bolanle Adereti at the 24th Honeywell Baking SchoolGraduation ceremony in Lagos.

As consumer behaviourevolves and newtechnologies emerge,

the term “omnichannel” will beused increasingly within theretail environment.

While a number ofadvertisers have alreadysuccessfully rolled outmultichannel strategies, theneed to place customers at theheart of a digital initiative hasgained even greaterimportance. So, retailers arebeginning to understand thatregardless of how customersinteract with them in the future,shoppers need to be providedwhat they want and when theywant it — whether online, viamobile or in a brick and mortarstore. They are taking a moreintegrated approach which willwork in harmony to generatethe sale and provide a moreengaging overall experiencefor their customers.

Omni-Channel Retailing, anintegrated marketingapproach, is the evolution ofmulti-channel retailing, but isconcentrated more on aseamless approach to theconsumer experience throughall available shoppingchannels, i.e. mobile internetdevices, computers, brick-and-mortar, television, radio, directmail, catalog and so on.Retailers are meeting the newcustomer demands bydeploying specialized supplychain strategy software.

There has long been interestamong retailers in adopting aunified and customer-centricapproach to their marketingand sales. There have alsobeen strategic approach byretailers using various forms ofincentives, all geared towardsdelivering a positive brandexperience by providingpotential customers with moreconvenient purchasingoptions.

With today ’s consumershaving access to multipledevices (e.g. desktop andmobile) and engaging withretailers on a number ofchannels (e.g. social andsearch), sellers have realizedthat they must adopt a singlecustomer view, as it allowsthem to understand how aconsumer’s online behaviortranslates to how he or sheinteracts with a brand offline.A price-conscious onlineconsumer, for example, is likelyto be tempted in-store whenoffered a discount throughanother marketing channel.Case in point, mobilecommerce and performance

How online retailers can leverageOmni-Channel to deepen market

By JONAH NWOKPOKUmarketing are key drivers inenhancing the concept ofomnichannel retailing, as theyprove to be effective in breakingdown the barriers by allowingconsumers to purchase in theirpreferred way.

Some retailers, for example,creatively create a discountcode and make it availableacross multiple channels —print, online and via mobilecoupons. Analysts believe that,“Advertisers should embrace

the benefits of consumers beingconnected while at brick-and-mortar locations rather thanfearing the impact ofshowrooming.”

This, they argue, is because,while online and in-store, apotential customer would beable to read product reviews,check prices and, if the productis not in-stock, order itimmediately through his or hersmartphone to either have itdelivered or scheduled for in-

store pickup, whichever ismore convenient for theindividual. Retailers havebeen relatively quick tolaunch multichannelstrategies, but adopting asingle customer view andembracing anomnichannel approach iskey to future success, asfuture technologicaldevelopments will onlyenhance this further.

In its first push for global acceptance,Kenya’s mobile money, M-Pesa has

extended its text-messaging transactionsto millions in Romania, aided by Vodafone.

Vodafone said it had chosen Romania totarget the seven million people there whostill mainly use cash rather than cards, andothers with bank accounts who could stillbenefit from transferring money by text.

Customers can use M-Pesa to pay forgoods, pay bills, make deposits andwithdraw cash from authorised agents.

“The majority of people in Romania haveat least one mobile device, but more thanone third of the population does not haveaccess to conventional banking,” saidVodafone’s director of mobile money,Michael Joseph.

Services such as M-Pesa have helpedVodafone, the world’s second largest mobileoperator by customer numbers, to supportrevenues and grow customer loyalty at a

Kenya’s M-Pesa mobile moneyheads to Europe

By JONAH NWOKPOKUwith agency reports

time of falling prices for basic telecomsservices such as calls.

The British group launched M-Pesa inKenya in 2007 through its Safaricomoperations. Since then the service hasspread rapidly and in the last 12 monthsit has rolled the service out to itsoperations in Egypt, India, Lesotho andMozambique.

About 16.8 million customers wereactively using the service by the end oflast year, making more than $1.2 billion(720 million pounds) worth of transactionsper month.

Vodafone had 8.3 million customers inRomania at the end of last year.

Vodafone believes that mobile moneycould reach around 10 percent of servicerevenues across its emerging marketsbusinesses over time.” While slow to takeoff in all parts of the world, global mobilepayments are predicted to grow rapidlyover the next few years, with telecomsgroups, retailers and banks all trying tosecure a piece of the pie.

EU parliamentvotes to guard ‘NetNeutrality,’ endroaming fees

The European Parliamentvoted in favor of “net

neutrality” rules, which restricthow phone companies managetheir networks, in a movemeant to prevent blocking ordegrading of certain websitesand traffic.

The rules also include a planfor eliminating roamingcharges — the fees mobile-device users pay when makingcalls or using data outside theirhome country — by the end ofnext year within the EuropeanUnion. EU members willcontinue to review theregulation and the Commissionexpects a final agreement byend of the year. “This is whatthe EU is all about — gettingrid of barriers to make life easierand less expensive,” EuropeanCommission Vice PresidentNeelie Kroes said today in astatement.

Mozilla CEO resignsover support for gaymarriage ban

Mozilla Corp., maker ofthe Firefox Web

browser, said Chief ExecutiveOfficer Brendan Eich resignedafter being criticized fordonating money to an anti-gaymarriage group.

Eich, who also co-foundedMozilla, became CEO inMarch. The controversyconcerned a $1,000 donationhe made in 2008 to a group thatsupported Proposition 8, aCalifornia initiative thatbanned same-sex marriageand was later found to beunconstitutional. While Eichsaid in interviews in recentdays that he wouldn’t resignfor expressing a personalopinion, he changed his mind,according to a blog post byMitchell Baker, Mozilla’sexecutive chairwoman.

Google issues over3m shares

More than 330 millionnew shares of Google

Inc. landed in the U.S. equitymarket last week, completinga two-year process throughwhich the founders of searchengine, Sergey Brin and LarryPage are cementing control ofthe world’s third-biggestcompany. Stock in the largestsearch-engine owner iseffectively splitting via adividend distribution, with theprice of existing Google Ashares, which hold one voteeach, falling by about half.

CMYK

46 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

International Business News

Reuters - The U.S.labor marketemerged surprisingly

strong from the severewinter, with employershiring at a brisk pace and thejobless rate holding near afive-year low.

Nonfarm payrollsincreased by 192,000 jobslast month after rising by197,000 in February, theLabor Department said onFriday. The unemploymentrate was unchanged at 6.7percent even thoughAmericans flooded the labormarket to hunt for work.

“This is a nice number, oneof those Goldilocks numbersthat is decent but not so goodthat it gets fears going aboutinterest rates or the economygrowing too quickly,” saidPeter Tuz, president of ChaseInvestment Counsel inCharlottesville, Virginia.

U.S. stocks traded modestlyhigher, prices for U.S.Treasury debt rose and thedollar was higher against abroad basket of currencies.

The pace of hiring in Marchwas close to Wall Street’sexpectations, but the countfor the prior two months wasrevised to show 37,000more jobs were created thanpreviously reported.

The government’s surveyof employers also foundAmericans were workinglonger hours, while thesmaller survey of householdsfrom which theunemployment rate is derivedshowed a much larger surgein employment. That jumpwas met by a rise in the

VISIT: From left: Femi Olaloku, Executive Director, Treasury & International Banking Group,UBA; Michel Wormser, Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of Multilateral InvestmentGuarantee Agency (MIGA), World Bank Group; Phillips Oduoza, Group Managing Director/CEO UBA; and Solomon Adegbie-Quaynor, Country Manager, Nigeria, International FinanceCorporation (IFC) during a working visit of MIGA Vice President to UBA Head office.

US jobs market shakes offwinter’s icy grip

number of people enteringthe labor force, a show ofconfidence in the jobs market.

The labor force participationrate, or the proportion ofworking-age Americans whohave a job or are looking forone, hit a six-month high of63.2 percent. An evenbroader gauge of labormarket health, thepercentage of working-ageAmericans with a job,reached its highest level

since the summer of 2009.With payrolls and the

workweek both rising, ameasure of total work effortjumped by the most in morethan seven years, suggestingthe economy was beginningto accelerate.

“It looks like the party goeson,” said Rick Meckler,president of LibertyViewCapital Management inJersey City, New Jersey.

An unusually brutal winter

slammed the economy at theend of 2013 and the start ofthis year. Growth was furtherundercut by efforts bybusinesses to trim inventories,the expiration of long-termjobless benefits and cuts tofood stamps.

But data ranging frommanufacturing and servicessector activity to automobilesales have signaled strengthas the first quarter ended.The jobs data did the same.

The economy’s return to asteady pace of job gainsshould comfort the FederalReserve as it scales back itsbond-buying stimulusprogram. However, the still-high level of unemploymentalso should bolster its resolveto keep overnight interestrates near zero for a while.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen haspointed to the unusually largenumber of Americans who areeither suffering a long spellof unemployment or who areworking part-time becausethey are unable to find full-time work as reasons tomaintain an extraordinarilyeasy monetary policy.

The number of Americanslooking for work for at leastsix months fell by about100,000 to 3.7 million inMarch, but the ranks ofAmericans working part-timefor economic reasons rosemodestly. Some economistshad argued a recent rise inearnings might signal atightening in the jobs marketthat the Fed might want tomonitor closely. However,average hourly earnings forprivate employers fell back inMarch, as did a narrowergauge that had been risingmore swiftly.

Managing Director ofCitibank, Mr. Omar Hafeez,has said that effectivegovernance is critical totackling the challenges ofattracting the requiredfinancing for the energysector.

He stated this while makinga presentation at the EnergyFinance Forum organized byCentre for PetroleumInformation in Lagosrecently.

Hafeez who spoke on thetopic: “Matching globalfinance with expanding localenergy sectoropportunities,” said: “Therelevance of local companiesin the oil and gas sector inNigeria is continuouslyincreasing. But it is importantto note that access to capital,whether debt or equity, willdetermine success. Thewider, global pool, if tappedwill open newer vistas for thelocal players. It is critical

Effective governance critical to tackling energyfinancing — CITIBANK MD

Nigeria, Sao Tomehope on newtechnology in jointoil zone

Nigeria and Sao Tomeand Principe plan to use

“non-conventional” oilexploration technology in theirjoint offshore zone and hope tostart oil production within 18months, according to astatement issued by thecountries. Sao Tome, a tinyformer Portuguese colony inAfrica’s Gulf of Guinea, hasfailed to find oil despite beingsurrounded by resource-richneighbours.

“Important decisions havebeen taken about the area andthe organisation, such as theapproval of new technology foroil and gas exploration as wellas production at the Block 1 vianon-conventional methods thatwill allow production to start inan 18 months’ time,” accordingto the joint statement. It gaveno details on what technologywas envisaged. Nigeria pumpsjust under 2 million barrels ofoil a day, making it Africa’slargest oil producer. SaoTome’s government inFebruary short-listed fourcompanies, includingPortugal’s Galp Energia, to bidon two oil blocks in itsexclusive economic zone.

AfDB plans $200mboost for Nigeria’spower riskguarantees

The African DevelopmentBank is in talks with

Nigerian officials to boost thevalue of its partial-riskguarantee for power industryinvestments by $200 millionthis year.

An agreement would see theamount from which eligibleprojects can benefit rise to $380million from $180 million,Bocar Toure, senior energyeconomist at the AfricanDevelopment Bank, said todayby phone from Lagos, Nigeria’scommercial capital.

“The partial-risk guarantee isthere to enhance thecreditworthiness of the bulktrader,” said Toure. “Usually alot of investors that are hesitantwill feel more comfortable withthe guarantee.”

Nigeria is building anelectricity market after handingover 15 state-owned powerutilities to private companies inNovember. In 2010, it createdthe Nigerian Bulk ElectricityTrading Plc to act as a clearinghouse for power generatingand distribution companies.

By JONAH NWOKPOKU that attention be paid togovernance, as it is the singlemost important factor if onewants to be consideredattractive globally.”

Also speaking, Managing ofDirector of Union Bank, Mr.Emeka Emuwa, in an openingremark at the morningsession of the forum noted:“The energy industryremains the key drivers ofthe Nigerian economy butdespite this, its growth hasbeen checkered because oflimited investments in thesector. And that is reflectedin the foreign reserve whichhas remained flat over theyears. And the only waythings are going to improveis by investing. Fiscalpolicies, tough operatingenvironment and the nonpassage of the petroleumindustry bill have madethings more difficult foroperators in the sector.” Healso said that the Nigerianbanking industry is notcapable of meeting the huge

investment needs of the localenergy sector and called formore creative ways forfinancing projects in thesector.

On his part, the ChiefExecutive Officer of M Econsulting, VictorEromosele who spoke oncreatively finding finance forNigeria’s oil, gas and powerprojects, said, “Theoperators need to findsolutions for financing bythinking outside the box.Chief Financial Officers mustunderstand changingmarkets and look for the bestopportunities by matchingstrength with opportunitiesto achieve corporateobjectives.”

Earlier the chairman of theCentre for PetroleumInformation Board ofGovernors, Chambers Oyibo,in a welcome address, said,“The idea of an annual EnergyFinance Forum is to providea specialist platform to shareknowledge and to network atvery senior levels.

Advertising, Media& Marketing

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 47

Nokia has introduced to the market thefamily range of the Nokia X Smartphoneafter launching it at the Mobile World

Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The dualSIM android compatible device comes with afresh, tile-based user interface inspired by theLumia family as well as Fastlane to simplify andenhance the consumer experience.

Speaking to newsmen, Head, Marketing ofNokia, West/ Central Africa, Debbie Shepard,explained that the Nokia X device combinesbeautiful design, quality hardware with accessto the android app ecosystem to provideconsumers with an affordable dual SIMsmartphone in a range of exciting colours.

Her words, “We believe this unique combinationwill resonate with consumers around the worldand set a great precedent for the level of quality

STORIES BY PRINCEWILLEKWUJURU

The Management ofDangote Cement saidthe newly introduced

cement, 3X, represents,“Xtra strength; ‘Xtra life andXtra yield which is for thesafety of human lives ratherthan profits.

The company said that thisbrand will make the companythe only cement company inNigeria that is producing the42.5R cement grade locally.

Group Managing Director,Dangote Cement Plc, Mr.Devakumar Edwin, whounveiled the new cement bag,said Dangote is committed tothe safety of human livesrather than maximisingprofits. He maintained thatincidences of buildingcollapses in the country donot only destroy lives andproperties, but also bringabout huge economic lossesto the nation.

Edwin said most of thebuilding collapses in thenation were caused by variedfactors among which poorquality cement is significant,pointing out that the lifetimeinvestment by Dangote was tofurther demonstrate thecompany’s effort to guardagainst unfortunate incidentsof failure of buildings and theattendant loss of lives andproperty.

He said, “Dangote hassince stopped the productionof the 32.5 lower cementgrade,” saying as a corporateorganisation, it values humanlives rather than just makingmoney. According to him,“This is why we are focusingheavily on 42.5 cementgrade, because we believe asa responsible organisation,human life is more preciousthan making profits. Theintroduction of Dangote 42.5,X cement, is not to dominatethe cement industry, but tofollow the acceptable globaltrend, which has also beenadopted by West African

Dangote explains ‘X’ in cement grade

countries like Ghana, wherethe focus is shifting towardsthe 42.5 cement grade as thepreferred quality of cementfor building and constructionactivities.”

The Standards Organisationof Nigeria (SON), also onTuesday formally gaveapproval to Dangote CementPlc to commence the rollingout of 42.5 higher grade ofcement into the Nigerianmarket.

The agency said it hadinspected the company’s

manufacturing facilities across thecountry and found the processes tohave been upgraded to efficientlyproduce the 42.5 cement grade,which provides higher strength inbuilding and construction.

SON made this declaration duringDangote’s pre-media launch of itsnewly-introduced 42.5 cementgrade, Dangote 3X cement, inLagos, stating that the indigenouscement manufacturer had been givenfull certification by the standardsagency to produce the high qualitycement.

Noah’s Ark, hasunveiled anadvocacy campaign

‘Boko Halal’, aimed atensuring that every Nigerianchild has access to qualityeducation.

According to the ad agency, the campaign is designed to push for an advocacycampaign to encourage anddrive the right of the Nigerianchild to education and to serveas a clarion to all Nigerians to stand up for the Nigerianchild’s right to education,especially in NorthernNigeria.

The agency ’s ChiefExecutive Officer, Mr. Lanre

Noah’s Ark launches 'Boko Halal'advocacy campaign

Adisa explained that Boko Halalmetaphorically describes Nigeria asan indivisible book adding that theworld is waiting to read her successstories; hence the need for everycitizen to play their part.

He added that as the nationcelebrated her centenary anniversary,the campaign is to ensure that noNigerian child is left behind.

‘From Zungeru to Enugu toAbeokuta to Abakaliki, this is the timeto send out a new message. This isthe time to let our children know thatthe book, or Boko, or whichever nameit goes by, and whatever language itis written, is the only way to that greatfuture we all like to talk about.,’ headded.As against the Boko Haram’sinsurgency,

Nokia ‘X’ hits marketthat can be achieved in the fast-growingSmartphone market. Users will enjoy signatureNokia experiences including free* HEREMaps, with true offline maps and integratedturn-by-turn navigation, Microsoft services suchas Skype, One Drive and Outlook email as wellas chat applications including BlackBerryMessenger (BBM) and WhatsApp” she said.

Speaking further she noted that “ The devicecomes with a 10.4mm slim, durable monobodydesign further enhanced by 4” scratch-proofdisplay and runs on the Nokia X SoftwarePlatform and is powered by a 1Ghz dual coreQualcomm Snapdragon processor.” NickImudia, Vice President, Nokia West and CentralAfrica, believes that influencers are at the coreof a company’s success.

OPENING: Mr. John Obayuwana, Managing Director of PoloLimited and a friend at the opening of Polo shop at Transcorp HiltonHotel in Abuja recently.

,

,

Customers as Captives– Part One

R.T. Briscoe (Nigeria) Plc is one of Nigeria’sforemost distributors of Toyota cars, among other

things. It also offers after-sales support at its servicecentres strategically located in major cities. Thecompany has been doing business in Nigeria fornearly 60 years. And it appears to have distinguisheditself in the various sectors of the economy it hasventured into.

So when the air-conditioning system of my Toyotacar began to malfunction, it was a no-brainer for meto take the car to R.T. Briscoe. Interestingly, the twocustomer service representatives I met at the companyasked me to deposit N15,000 before anybody couldlook at the car. I found that strange. I thought thecompany was supposed to diagnose the problem withthe car first, and give me an estimate for the repairsfor approval. At least, that was what I was used to,but I was a first-timer there.

I sought the rationale for the deposit and I was toldit was “management policy.” I sought to know whatwould happen to my deposit if I decided not to fixthe car. I was told the deposit was refundable. But Ismelt a rat. I know how difficult it is to get a refundfrom a Nigerian company. Moreover, I didn’t see thesense in taking a deposit in the first place if it would

be refunded in full to acustomer that decides notto go ahead with therepairs. While I was stilltrying to challenge thatmethod of doingbusiness, a customerservice rep pointed outthat technicians werepaid on hourly basis.That “Freudian slip”settled the matter for me.Was it possible that partof the deposit would beconverted to a“diagnosis fee” (for thetechnician’s wages) if Idecided not to fix thecar?

I didn’t wait to find out.I left in a huff and R.T.Briscoe lost me before Icould become acustomer! I drove toMetropolitan Motors inIkeja. Thankfully, theapproach wasrefreshingly different.There was no talk ofdeposit. Instead, the

company quickly diagnosed the fault with my car andgave me an official estimate of almost N26,000 forapproval. I approved willingly. At least, I knewbeforehand what I was letting myself into. Workcommenced immediately, still with no talk of deposit.In fact, while the repairs were on, I dashed to a nearbyATM to get cash for the bill. After the car was fixed, thefinal bill was N1,000 less than the estimate. Again, Iwas happy with the approach at Metropolitan. But thatwas not all. One week later, someone phoned from thecompany to find out how the car was doing and whetherI was satisfied with the work done. You can guess myresponse. If you were in my shoes, which of the twocompanies I encountered would you rather do businesswith?

Let’s get to the point of this story. Why do somecompanies make customers part with money even beforethey know exactly what they are paying for? Is it thatsuch companies are afraid of losing out completely ifcustomers change their mind? Or do they believe thatthe best way to do business is to treat customers likecaptives? If that is so, then such companies have veryweak value propositions indeed. Those organisationsthat try to hold customers captive lose in the long run.

TO BE CONTINUED

I sought therationale forthe depositand I wastold it was“managementpolicy.” Isought toknow whatwouldhappen to mydeposit if Idecided notto fix the car.I was told thedeposit wasrefundable.But I smelt arat.

48 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

Email:lesleba@lesleba.com, lesleba@gmail.comBlog page:www.lesleba.com/blog2Website: www.lesleba.comTel:0805 220 1997

Business & Economy

,

,

Omoh Gabriel - Group Business EditorBabajide Komolafe - Finance EditorClara Nwachukwu - Energy EditorPeter Egwuatu - Head, Capital MarketYinka Kolawole - Snr Bus. CorrespondentFavour Nnabugwu - Insurance CorrespondentGodwin Oritse - Maritime CorrespondentGodfrey Bivbere - Maritime CorrespondentMichael Eboh - Energy ReporterFranklin Alli - Industry/Agric. ReporterEbele Orakpo - Energy ReporterIfeyinwa Obi - Maritime ReporterRosemary Onuoha - Insurance Reporter

CONTRIBUTORSPrincewill Ekwujuru - Media/MarketingNkiruka Nnorom - Capital MarketJonah Nwokpoku - E-CommerceNaomi Uzor - IndustryProvidence Obuh - Micro FinanceLAYOUT - Graphics Department

There can be no end inthe foreseeable futureto a do-or-die fight for

the presidency of our nation.The unbridled struggle forthe position of top dog hasgenerally been motivated bythe attraction of the prospectof almost absolute power overour lives and our nation’sresources, particularly theproceeds from the oil wells ofthe Niger Delta. Indeed, ifincome derived from oil isremoved from the federalpurse, federal governmentwould have to manage on aconsolidated budget of thatin a fraction of annual currentrevenue. The underbelly ofthe arbitrarily created 36states and 774 localgovernments would becomeexposed, as they wouldliterarily collapse withoutwhat some people havedescribed as ‘blood money’from the Niger Delta.

Our political godfathers intheir wisdom have attemptedto bring some sanity to theacrimony, insecurity andinstability generated by thestruggle for the lucrativecentre with the concept ofrotating the presidency alongNorth and South axis or moreloosely, amongst the

Collegiate presidency andnational harmonygenerally accepted sixgeopolitical zones.

However, the constitutionalprovision for a maximum of two– four year terms could meanthat each geopolitical zonewould produce a presidentevery 48 years (that is,assuming that each presidentenjoys control of the treasuryfor eight years). This alsoimplies that all othereminently gifted, qualifiedand socially committedpresidential materials from allother zones would be wastedin every 48 years cycle withlittle chance that the bestavailable candidate at anypoint in time would be the onefrom the geopolitical region inline for the Presidency!

In the above politicaldilemma, particularly wherethe plunder of resources takesprecedence over service andwealth creation, Nigeriansbecome victims of the greed ofa parasitic political class –invariably championed by

autocratic leadership in thelast four decades.

Indeed, the greatest threatto our contrived

democracy is dictatorship! Ifwe want sustainable peaceand stability in this country,our constitution should ensurethat the best availablepresidential materials fromeach geopolitical zone at anyone time have unfettered

access to contest for andbecome President. Ourconstitution should alsoensure that no one personcontrols power long enoughto become so formidable as tosuccessfully engineer termelongation and perpetuate adictatorship!

So, how do we tackle thesepitfalls in a nation in the gripof irrepressible ethnic/regional aspirations for

Nigeria’s ultimate office?Some eminent Nigerianshave rightly argued that thefirst requirement for asustainable, stable egalitariannation should be the adoptionof a truly federal constitution,where the centre devolvesmore of its powers to thestates/regions as the enginesof growth, so that the states/regions will freely exploittheir internal human andmaterial resources and payappropriate dues to thecentral government. Such astructure would motivate eachregion to look inwards anddevelop its own God-givenresources to the best of theirability, rather than wait formonthly handouts fromAbuja.

All regions would be activelyengaged in putting theircitizens to work and we willachieve additional wealthcreation with attendantimprovement in social welfareand security.

In addition, we may alsoconsider the adoption of a six-year collegiate presidency, todouse the tension andattrition created by the usualbattles to instal.

ICAN awards forensic, IFRS certification to members

The Institute ofChartered Accountants

of Nigeria (ICAN) hasawarded the ForensicAccounting and InternationalFinancial ReportingStandards (IFRS) certificatesto some of it members whoqualified in the variousexaminations.

Forensic accounting is amechanism for the global war

against corruption, moneylaundering and terrorismfinancing, even as IFRS is theglobally accepted accountingprinciple.

In the last five and threeyears about 365 and 204members have received theforensic accounting and IFRScertification respectively.

The rising spate andsophistication of fraud in the

public and private sectorspurred the certification,President of ICAN, AlhajiKabir Mohammed said.

He said this at the 5th

induction for graduates of theinstitute’s forensic accountingand certification programmecum 3rd IFRS proficiencycertificate award ceremony inLagos. Mohammed said thatthe capacity building is a

reaffirmation of itscommitment to the war againstcorruption, fraudulent andother social vices that haveimpeded the nation’s smoothmatch to development.

He advised the inductees toconsistently discharge theirduties, encouraging that theydevelop the habit of watchingcrime related films andattending court sessions inorder to avail self withfinancial frauds.

“Globalisation has impactedbusiness transactions, ethics,

financial reporting. Theimpact of globalization on oureconomy in particular, ourcapital market fromimplementation of IFRSremains a major reason ofconcern.

“Following Nigeria’sadoption of IFRS the corporatefinance management hasbeen in the forefront ofbuilding capacity in this area.It is in pursuance of thismandate that certificate ofproficiency are issued todesiring members,” he said.Zimbabwean manufacturers struggle with

cheaper imports

Zimbabwean factories arestruggling to stay open in the face

of cheaper imports from South Africa andChina, the high cost of capital and lackof lending, according to a survey by state-run export promoter ZimTrade. Thesouthern African nation’s manufacturing-capacity use declined to 38 percent inDecember from 44 percent in 2010, RongaiChizema, director of operations, saidtoday in the capital, Harare. ZimTrade isa government agency that promotesZimbabwean exports and lobbies forforeign investment.

Zimbabwe’s economy shrank by 49percent between 2000 and last year, hesaid. “The biggest contributor to that lossis de-industrialization, since mostcompanies have closed.”

Zimbabwe emerged from a decade of

recession in 2009 after President RobertMugabe’s Zimbabwe African NationalUnion-Patriotic Front formed a coalitiongovernment with Morgan Tsvangirai’sMovement for Democratic Changefollowing disputed elections.

The government abolished the localcurrency and allowed the use of the U.S.dollar and other currencies including theSouth African rand, after devaluation ofthe Zimbabwean dollar drove inflation towhat the International Monetary Fundestimated was 500 billion percent. Theviolent seizures of white-owned farmsfrom 2000 decimated farming.

Of the companies surveyed byZimTrade, 40 percent are exporters, whilethe rest sell their products in the localmarket, said Chizema.

The underbelly of thearbitrarily created 36 states and774 local governments wouldbecome exposed, as theywould literarily collapsewithout what some peoplehave described as ‘bloodmoney’ from the Niger Delta

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—49

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NEWS ON BRIEFS

Malaysia flight MH370: Search ships toverify signals

A UK ship with sophisticated detection

equipment, HMS Echo,has arrived in an areawhere a Chinese vesselsearching for the missingMalaysian plane has twicedetected a pulse signal.

Australia’s HMS Shieldis first investigating a pos-sible third signal elsewherein the massive searchzone.

Although none have beenconfirmed as coming fromthe flight recorders ofMH370, families of themissing passengers haveattended a prayer servicein Kuala Lumpur.

The plane disappearedfour weeks ago with 239people on board.

Investigators believe itcrashed in the IndianOcean although no con-firmed debris has beenfound.

Australian co-coordina-tors said yesterday thatnew analysis of satellite

data meant efforts wouldnow focus on the southernpart of the search zone,near where China’s vesselis located.

Air Chief Marshal An-gus Houston said China’sHaixan 01 had redetecteda signal for about 90 sec-onds on Saturday, withinhours of it being heard

earlier.He said the latest discov-

ery was about 2km (1.2miles) away from the orig-inal pulse, and that Chinahad also reported spottingwhite objects on the sur-face of the water about90km away.

“The fact that we havetwo detections - two acous-

tic events - in that locationprovides some promise,”he said.

However he said thesesignals were “fleeting en-counters” that could not beverified until the arrival ofBritish naval ship HMSEcho and Australian de-fence vessel OceanShield.

France pulls out of Rwandagenocide commemorations

THE French government has announced thatit is pulling out of the 20th anniversary com-

memorations today for the Rwandan genocide.The decision follows an accusation by the Rwan-

dan President, Paul Kagame, that France partici-pated in the mass killings in 1994.

Mr Kagame has previously made similar alle-gations, which France has denied.

The French foreign ministry said the remarkswent against reconciliation efforts between thetwo countries.

UN chief says CARpeacekeepers ‘overwhelmed’

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon haswarned that French and African soldiers in

Central African Republic were “overwhelmed” bya “state of anarchy,” a day after Chadian troopsbegan withdrawing from the peacekeeping mission.

During a brief visit to the country on Saturday,Ban appealed for more help and said the interna-tional community was at risk of repeating the mis-takes of the 1994 Rwanda genocide where some800,000 died.

Ukraine: Pro-Russians stormgovernment office in Donetsk

PRO-RUSSIAN protesters have stormed the regional administration building in the eastern

Ukrainian city of Donetsk.About 50 people were reported to have broken away

from a rally of about 2,000 people in the city centre,and got past a police cordon to enter the building.

Donetsk has seen several similar protests in theweeks since pro-Russian President Viktor Yanuk-ovych was ousted.

HMS Echo is is expected to arrive in the area where the Haixun 01 is located withinhours

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—53

54—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

OPINION

,

BY JOHNSON MOMODU

,

MucMucMucMucMuch ado about ch ado about ch ado about ch ado about ch ado about charharharharhartttttered jeered jeered jeered jeered jettttt

*Mr. Momodu, a public affairs commentator,wrote from Benin City, Edo State.

THERE'S a sense in which the larger chunkof what has been written about the use of a

chartered jet by the Minister of PetroleumResources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, mirrorsthe challenges affecting public discourse inNigeria. The matter is being pursued by allsides more with emotion than substance and aclear grasp of the crux of the issue. Even amongthe commentators, very few have done thehomework needed to understand the matterfully. The fallout of this unwillingness toproperly interrogate the issue is that we are allin danger of failing to draw the most pertinentlesson presented by the matter.

To be clear, issues of official conduct in publicaffairs cut across two aspects. There is theethical aspect, which involves the use of soundjudgement and questions of morality. There isthe legal aspect, which, as implied, regulateslawfulness, the lack thereof, and applicablesanctions. Under the ethical aspect, questionsof social good and financial prudence areroutinely raised. Equally, the ethical aspect iswhere queries concerning public sensitivity,standards and best practices are addressed.

On the other hand, the legal aspect governsoperational acceptability according to the law,the quality of conforming to existing rules andguidelines, or “due process” as we like to sayin these parts.

Now that we have set out the variables of

assessing official conduct in public affairs,let us turn fully to the matter at hand.

It has been reported that the NigerianNational Petroleum Corporation, NNPC,spent N10 billion over the last two years inchartering a jet for the use of the Minister ofPetroleum Resources. While this amount iscertainly mind-boggling, the best way wecan approach the issue is to leave out theemotion and subject it to the two variables ofassessing official conduct in public affairs.

Considering that Nigeria, by all indices, is adeveloping country, does it show financialprudence to spend such an amount on officialair transport for the Minister? We should alsoask if such expenditure brings about socialgood, takes into consideration publicsensitivity, meets acceptable standards andbest practices.

To call a spade a spade, the connectionbetween spending such an amount on officialair transport for the Minister and social goodis virtually nonexistent. Moreover, it fails totake into consideration the highly emotionalfactor of public sensitivity.

On the other hand though, aviation industrypractitioners say that global best practicefor busy business executives and high-rankinggovernment officials overseeing time-sensitive

industries such as oil is to lease or charteraircraft rather than buy outright. As such, onthat count, there is nothing ethically wrong inchartering the aircraft.

We may now consider the matter underthe legal count. The question here isstraightforward: Did the NNPC conform toexisting rules and guidelines in leasing orchartering the aircraft under discussion? TheNNPC has provided statutory evidence that itsestablishment Act grants it the authority to leaseand or purchase aircraft. The corporation hasalso submitted that it chose to lease the aircraftbecause it is a more cost-effective option.Therefore, on the legal count it is clear that nolaws have been broken.

However, the crux of the issue - and we areback to that again - sidesteps the legal aspectand lands in the ethical aspect. And it is thereinthat we must draw the most pertinent lesson ofthis matter. For, even though no law has beenbroken, the matter has raised the ire of thepeople and if democracy has anything to dowith “we the people” - as we are forever beingtold that it has - then the people cannot beignored.

The people are right in expressinganger. And the expression of the anger issufficient censure. But those demanding the

Minister’s head are out off line. You do notthrow away an experienced and capableadministrator because of what is clearly alegal deed even if not a popular one.Moreover, we must apply the rule of lawacross board and not selectively, otherwisethe whole point of democracy would bedefeated.

Setting aside all the emotions raised bythis matter, it is clear for all to see what themost pertinent lesson of this matter is:Having the law on your side in the actionsyou take does not necessarily guarantee apeaceful coexistence with the people whomyou have been called upon to serve. It is alsoa worthwhile strategy to consider theconnection between that which is legal andits ethical implications before embarkingon a course of action.

In conclusion, it is not for nothing thatAlison-Madueke was named alternatepresident of the Organisation of Petroleum-Exporting Countries, OPEC. It shows thather minister-colleagues across the globebelieve sufficiently in her abilities as anadministrator, and since she has broken nolaw at home, we are best served by allowingher to continue in service.

IN the Sudan, they are knownas the Janjaweed, which in

Arabic, is said to mean “spirits onhorseback”. The dominant Arabregimes in the countryresponded to increasing armedstruggles for self-determinationby the Negroid indigenousminorities in the Darfur, westernand southern Sudan by armingnomadic Arab pastoralists toattack and terrorise villagesowned by farmers. The farmersand pastoralists had beenhistorically locked in tussles overland down the ages.

Later on, the late Arabimperialist, Muamar Gadhafi,also instigated wars in Chad andamong loose Muslimcommunities in the Sudan. Hesupplied them with arms andfunds in his vainglorious pursuitof regional domination. The easyaccess to arms and the readywillingness by local warlords touse them, with the active supportof the regime in Khartoumbecame the recipe for the Darfurhumanitarian disaster, whichboth the African Union and theUnited Nations mobilisedpeacekeeping forces to curtail.

On Wednesday, 1st of April, Mr.Isuwa Dogo, a formercommissioner in Kaduna State,appeared on Channels Televisionand cried out to the nation thatthe people of Southern Kadunaare on the verge of being wipedout by armed militias fromheaven-knows where. Theycreep up on sleeping villagers atnight and set houses on fire. Theywait for the terrified, screamingoccupants – defenceless men,women and children – to comerunning out for safety. Then, theysystematically shoot, slash andmachete them to death and meltinto the bush like shadows. Thefollowing morning, they are eitherdescribed as “unknown gunmen”or more fancifully as “Fulaniherdsmen” in the media.

Southern Kaduna is the latestlandfall. The experimental theatrewas Plateau State, apredominantly Christian-populated state, as far back as2001 shortly after the Sharia riotswhich swept across NorthernNigeria. There was tensionbetween the mainly Christianindigenous communities of thePlateau around Jos andpredominantly Muslim settlers

Janjaweed in the Middle Beltand Fulani cattle owners, whicherupted into violentconfrontations. Before long, thelatter group responded to theiralleged political marginalisationby sending armed militias oftenperceived to be mercenaries toattack and eliminate villagesduring the night and disappearinto the hills.

As usual, the federalgovernment responded bymobilising the military andsetting up countless committeesto address the problem, to no availeven when, often, elders of bothsides came out to announcepeace pacts. And as usual,Nigerians gradually began toforget the conflict in spite of thedaily grim harvests of death anddestruction. The Plateau crisisceased to be news. And like the

virus that it is, it spread toneighbouring Nasarawa State,which is almost divided evenlybetween Christians andMuslims. The next port of callwas Benue State, anotherChristian-majority state in theMiddle Belt zone of NorthernNigeria. About a couple of weeksago, the so-called invading Fulanicattle-rearers attacked the convoyof Governor Gabriel Suswam andhe narrowly escaped being killed.

The question has been on thelips of baffled Nigerians: what

manner of “Fulani herdsmen”are these that carry sophisticatedweapons, ford the savannahs ofthe Middle Belt, attack villagesin the same typical SudanJanjaweed style and vanish intothin air? What manner of “Fulaniherdsmen” are supplied withfood, arms and ammunition (asBenue elders allege) withhelicopters? Who are thesepeople? What do they want? Whosent them? Who is financing theiroperations? Who is feeding themwith specialised tactical militaryskills to wreak such wicked havocon defenceless citizens? Whereare the security agencies – thePolice, Army, Air Force, Navy,Immigration, DSS, NIA, Securityand Civil Defence (NSCDC) andthe gamut of uniformed andarmed agencies of state created

to secure Nigeria and its citizensfrom external aggression andinternal subversion?

Where is the “federal might”?Where are the state governors andthe local council chairmen withtheir hefty security votes? Andwhere are the communities? Whyis everyone helpless in the faceof barefaced assaults onNigerians in their homes byfaceless invaders? What must wedo?

We must go beyond the reflexof deploying troops to fight the

their target victims. It is not justthe “Fulani herdsmen” that areinvolved; people whose nomadiclifestyle gives them expertknowledge about thecommunities and bushes aroundthem. There is specialisedmilitary and security knowhow,powerful financial muscle andsinister political motive behind allthis. Let the security agenciesfigure them out. The rest of thework will be easy. The armedforces will simply go in andremove the lice from theovergrown hair.

Let us learn from ourexperiences in the North East.The formation of the Civilian JTFshould be replicated in thecampaign against the invaders ofthe Middle Belt. The local youngpeople in the variouscommunities should be organisedto help in reconnaissance andvigilante backup of militaryefforts. It is not going to be easybecause most of the virile youngpeople are now out of the villagesand wasting their lives in theurban centres in search of whitecollar jobs or quick wealth.

A friend of mine from Ogunstate once lamented that many ofthe young people in the SouthWest villages doing manuallabour such as farming, securityand bricklaying jobs are from theNorth. Some of them are not evenfrom Nigeria, but they are in thevillages all over the South, andmost of them, for now, arepeaceful and hardworking. Theyare the ones who are ready to dothe dirty work that local boys haveabandoned for quick money in thetowns.

The mind boggles at what willhappen if the evil men at work inthe North East and Middle Beltzone deploy them to destabilise

the southern grassroots. Unlessthe menace of the “Fulaniherdsmen” is quickly arrested,they will soon move further Southinto the South East, South-Southand South-West, takingadvantage of the fact that most ofthe young population haveabandoned the villages in searchof quick money in the towns andthe Diaspora.

We must admit to ourselvesthat Nigeria has a lot of enemies.Some of them are foreigners, butmost of them are Nigerians. Anold adage says that it is the homerat that informs the bush rat wherethe morsels are hidden. There aremany evil-minded Nigerians whoduring the day pontificate aboutNigeria being an indivisible andindissoluble nation, but duringthe night they conspire to makethe country a difficult place forthose who do not belong to theirgroup. There are Nigerians whoare still nursing the ambition tocomplete the disrupted imperialdesigns of their forefathers, evenin this modern age when suchquixotic adventures are no longerfashionable. Some of thesepeople have openly come out todeclare that unless someone fromtheir part of the country is incharge the nation will never knowpeace. They are carrying out theirthreat in the North East and nowMiddle Belt: two down, threemore to go.

Implacableenemies

Against these implacableenemies the nation must rise. Wemust create economic policies thatwill put young men and womenback into our local communities.We must decentralise publicamenities, introduce youth-friendly large-scale commercialfarming and its attendant valuechains to reverse the urban drift.The enemy will not dare to attacka community that is welldefended by its own virile youthbecause our enemy is a cowardthat crawls in the night.

Besides, with our young menand women living and thrivingin our local communities, ourprecious local languages,dialects, cultures and valueswhich are now threatened withextinction, will be revived.

Unless the menace of the “Fulani herdsmen”is quickly arrested, they will soon movefurther south into the South East, South-South and South-West, taking advantage ofthe fact that most of the young populationhave abandoned the villages in search ofquick money in the towns and the Diaspora

m e n a c e .This requiresmore of ourbrains thanour muscles.The attackersare usingmore of theirbrains thanm u s c l e s .They knowt h elandscape,the settingand theroutines of

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—————5555555555

,

CMYK

,

,

,BY SUNNY IKHIOYA

*Mr. Ikhioya, a commentator onnational issues, wrote fromLagos.

*Mr. Ezukanma, a public affairscommentator, wrote from Lagos.

Killing the people, killingthe business(es)

THERE is the direct killing,like the one happening in the

Boko Haram-ravaged states.Some human beings have to beeliminated for the country tomove forward. So, for anyoneBoko Haram gunned down, it isone less of the bad guys in oursociety; such people are not fitto co-habit with decentindividuals.

There is also the indirectkilling; this can assume variousforms; usually, it involves thirdparties. It is happening everydayin our society, through moneydriven individuals in corporateorganisations who believe morein the turnover of the business,than in the welfare of theworkers.

Perhaps, the greatest killerunder the indirect category is thegovernment. People are dyingdaily by the actions and inactions of the government andthe civil servants initiating thesekiller policies.

It is a known fact that everypolicy of governmentautomatically makesmillionaires of some people -usually, a very negligiblepercentage - while it results inthe impoverishment and death ofmany others. Incidentally, thepeople we have placed there tosee to the welfare of our

common patrimony, seem to beoblivious of the consequences oftheir actions.

In those days, the civil servicewas not an attraction for thebrightest amongst freshapplicants from the universitiesand other tertiary institutions,usually the private sectors -banks, oil companies, blue chipset al - are preferred. Now days, ajob in government civil service orparastatal is more preferred. Thisis because, the job is secure, nomatter what happens; the salaryis guaranteed and paid - courtesyof NLC - and they do not have tobe target driven to remain ontheir jobs. Moreover, theirsalaries are now being subsidisedby so many unearned incomes -ten percent, bribes, outrightstealing - who will challengethem?

And so, these ones, who aregovernment agents, sit in theiroffices and begin to churn outdecrees, laws and policies that arestifling to the ordinary man outthere struggling to make endsmeet. They swoop on offices andharass genuine business concernsstruggling to make ends meet. Ifthe people are unable to accedeto their demands, the businesspremises are put under locks andkeys until they pay, albeit throughtheir nose(s). It is extortion at thehighest level. It is happening atthe federal level, it is happeningin Lagos and virtually, all of the

states in the federation. In thename of multiple taxes andlevies, honest business concernsare being run out of business.Usually, the greater percentageof amount paid goes into theirindividual pockets, while a paltryamount is paid into thegovernment coffer to fulfil allrighteousness. Rumour has it that80% of the landed properties inAbuja belong to civil servants,politicians and other governmentagents. We all know what the truetake home remuneration is for anaverage civil servant. If youcalculate all of the amount hewill earn throughout his workinglife, it cannot fetch him abungalow at the heart of Abuja;but, here we are, with civilservants owning duplexes, notone or two but multiples.

Our government contractorsare crying, the civil servants

register phony businesses andaward the contracts tothemselves; whether it is executedor not, payment is made, as long

as there are papers to cover upthe transactions. The only set ofpeople happy in this country arethe politicians, civil servants andworkers of other FederalGovernment agencies.

That is why they sit down andpass out policies that are notfavourable to the ordinaryNigerian. Meanwhile, they willbe the ones shouting ' Patriotism'and behind, they carry outsabotage. For example: why is itimpossible for our Customs toput a halt to rice smuggling?

Our officials in the agric, tradeand investments, and the financeministries, came up with a policyto encourage local riceproduction. This is patriotic andencouraging - one might say - butif you consider the fact that thispolicy has encouragedsmuggling of over four millionmetric tonnes of rice fromneighbouring countries in oneyear alone, you will, like me, behaving a different opinion. Thispolicy has increased smugglingacross the borders, more than ahundred fold, while our localproduction is threatened.Smugglers are smiling to thebank, the government inCotonou is happy, while genuine,patriotic men and women in theNigerian rice business are beingrun aground.

What kind of government willinstitute policies that will favourother countries to the detrimentof its own citizens. The people ofBenin Republic do not consumeparboiled rice, so all the riceimported into Cotonou aredestined for Nigeria. Rice importthrough the land border is

supposed to be banned, but nowit comes in droves like trafficalong the Lagos-Ibadanexpressway.

What is the solution? Thegovernment should be engagedin guided or phased importsubstitution programmes. Aslong as what we produce locallycannot take care of the Nigerianmarket, there will be room forsmuggling. To eliminatesmuggling therefore, the dutyshould be at par with whatobtains in our neighbouringcountries. Presently the differenceis too wide - Nigeria 110%; Benin35%, now reduced to 5-15% .There is no way our importerscan bring in goods and makeprofit as the current tariff stands.

Government must enter into apartnership with all the Nigerianstakeholders to make the localrice production a reality and notthrough fiat. I was in a gatheringof rice distributors and they votedto continue patronisingsmuggled rice because ourimporters are not bringing ricein.

Our policies must encourageour local players - importers. Thesame should be extended to thetokunboh vehicles and and fishimport policies.

It is wrong policies that causedthe immigration interviewdeaths.

The happiness of the people isthe responsibility of thegovernment, our policyformulators must help us.

People are dyingdaily by theactions and inactions of thegovernment andthe civil servantsinitiating thesekiller policies

Still on the centennial awards

BY TOCHUKWU EZUKANMA

THE Nigerian centenary celebrationwas to honour hundred persons, some,

post-hummus. The number of the awardrecipients was deliberately pegged at onehundred so that it will conform exactly tothe number of years of Nigeria's existence.A number of questions ran through mymind. First, what are the criteria forbestowing these national awards?Ordinarily, national honours are given toa distinguished few that exceptionallyexcelled in different areas of humanendeavour. But in the vast scene ofconfusion and intractable anomaly that isour beloved country, who knows what thecriteria for these national honours will be.Secondly, what if less than one hundredpersons, based on the criteria, qualifiedfor the awards; will unqualified individualsbe added to make up the number? Andwhat if more than hundred persons metthe criteria; will some of them be deniedthe awards, to still keep to the number athundred?

The list of the awardees omitted a numberof outstanding Nigerian achievers andincluded some undeserving individuals.Hogan Bassey should have been on thelist. He was Nigeria’s first world boxingchampion. He won the feather weightchampion of the world in 1957. Thus, hewas a hero of “global sports competition”.Again, Prof. Eni-Njoku, a distinguishedand pioneering academic, should havebeen on it. He was the first Vice Chancellorof the University of Lagos. Before his deathin 1974, he was named the Vice Chancellorof the proposed world university in Tokyo,Japan. Also, missing from the list was Rex

Lawson. He was a trail blazing highlifemusician. He did for Nigerian highlifemusic what James Brown did for Rhythmand Blues and Elvis Presley did for Rockand Roll; he took it to new heights. Andmany other very successful Nigerianmusicians borrowed extensively from hisstyle of music.

Lord Lugard’s post-humus award wasquite apropos. While the ragingcontroversy over the appropriateness andinappropriateness of his 1914amalgamation of Nigeria, remainsinconclusive, without that amalgamation,there would not have been Nigeria (atleast, as we know it today), and thus, mostlikely, nothing to celebrate her centennial.

Ideologicalfallouts

The inclusion of Queen Elizabeth on thelist of awardees was unnecessary. Sheplayed no role in the amalgamation ofNigeria. She became the Queen ofEngland in 1956 after the death of herfather, King George V. That was four yearsbefore the Nigerian independence, and theprocess of Nigerian independence wasalready irreversibly in motion. Thegeopolitical and ideological fallouts of theSecond World War made colonialismuntenable, and therefore, guaranteed thecolonies’ inevitable casting off the colonialyoke of Britain, an imperial power alreadyin decline.

The honour to Theophilus Danjuma wasmost revulsive. He does not deserve itbecause of his involvement in severalblood letting of the innocent. Every coup,ever carried out in Nigeria, irrespective of

its motive, was wrong, illegal andunconstitutional. The issue with Danjumais not that he plotted and executed a coupand in the process, spilled human blood.After all, there are many other coup plottersin Nigeria whose hands are also soakedwith human blood. These includeChukwuma Nzogwu, Emmanuel Ifeajunaand Muritala Mohammed. The five majorsof the January 1966 coup, in their idealismand messianic sense of mission, thoughtthey could transform Nigeria into adetribalised, corruption-free and egalitariansociety. According to Joseph Garba, theobjects of the Mohammed/Obasanjo coupthat ousted Yakubu Gowon were, amongother things “to overthrow a militarydictatorship and establish democracy”.Other coups in Nigeria were driven by avariety of reasons: both lofty and murky.The inspiration for the July 29th, 1966was fiendish and macabre. That coup thatbrought Yakubu Gowon to power was ledby three majors (Danjuma, Mohammedand Kyari). It is the only coup in Nigerianhistory actuated solely by vengeance andtribal hatred. Not surprisingly, it was thebloodiest coup in Nigeria's history. And,even after they successfully targeted thecentres of powers and seized power, thecoup plotters still encouraged the mass

murder of the innocent: unarmed anddefenseless civilians whose only crime wastheir ethnicity. And by the time thisdeliberate and conscientious mass murderof Igbo civilians in Northern Nigeriaended, it had been, in the words of a Britishreporter in Nigeria, “a pogrom of genocidalproportions”. Still impelled by this profoundvengeance against, and hatred for, theIgbo, Muritala Mohammed, after his 2ndDivision of the Nigerian Army overranAsaba, went on a murderous binge: againmurdering helpless and defenseless Igbomen, women and children.

However, Muritala Mohammed, at somepoint in his life, by his actions showed someremorse for his violent and sanguinarypast. He worked assiduously to makeNigeria a better country. He took bold,decisive and courageous decisions andactions aimed at the betterment of allNigerians; he died in the process. As such,even some of his harshest critics and mostardent detractors can accept that his selflessand committed work, in his later years, toadvance social justice, equity and the ruleof law in Nigeria atoned, to a considerableextent, for his brutal and bloody past andpartially cleansed his blood drenchedhands.

On the other hand, there is nothing,either in words or deeds of TheophilusDanjuma that indicates any compunctionfor his vengeful past. There is no indicationthat he ever had a twinge of the consciencefor having directly contributed to themurder of tens of thousands of Nigerian(Igbo) civilians. The honour to TheophilusDanjuma was tantamount to the extolmentof abhorrent qualities and behaviours thatNigerians, if we aspire to a decent society,must repudiate.

The honour toTheophilus Danjuma wastantamount to theextolment of abhorrentqualities and behavioursthat Nigerians, if weaspire to a decent society,must repudiate

56—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

Continues on page 60

•APC: All eyes are watching

RUN by interim executive committees at all levels, the

ward congresses were to beginthe process of entrenchingdemocratic or elected executivesin the party. Observers have beenon the look out to see how leadersof the APC, a party that emergedfrom the ashes of ActionCongress of Nigeria (ACN), AllNigeria Peoples Party (ANPP),Congress for ProgressiveChange (CPC), new PDP, willhammer out a united front andhave seamless congresses.

In what could pass for abaptism of fire for the party, theAPC recorded mixed fortunes atthe ward congresses. While acouple of states had peacefulexercises with executivesemerging by consensus, thecongresses were postponedoutright in a host of others dueto logistics such as late arrival ofmaterials, as well as violence,accusations and counter-accusations.

Disagreements, petitions andprotests trailed the congresses inLagos and Rivers. States that had

APC’s baptism of fireWard congresses:

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE,DAPO AKINREFON,

CHARLES KUMOLU &LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

SINCE it became a full-fledged political party on July 31, 2013, the mainopposition All Progressives Congress (APC), weekend, had its first politicaltest: ward congresses across the over 10,000 wards of the country.

peaceful exercises include Oyo,Kano, Yobe and Kwara. InBauchi, Adamawa and Plateau,the congresses were postponedindefinitely.

FCT, Jigawa, Niger holdcongresses today: States werethe congresses will be held todayare the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Abuja, Jigawa State andNiger State. While the exerciseswere postponed in Abuja andNiger due to logistics, whichhampered the congresses lastSaturday, that of Jigawa waspostponed to mourn a memberof the party.

Kano holds congressWednesday

In Kano, the ward congress willbe held on Wednesday, DrMustapha Inuwa, the chairmanof the committee charged withthe responsibility of overseeingthe conduct of the exercise, hassaid.

In an interview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) inKano, yesterday, Inuwa said thedecision to shift the congress wasinformed by the late arrival ofmaterials and officials for theconduct of the event, lastSaturday.

“It was not possible to conductthe congress on Saturday asearlier planned because oflogistics problems encounterednot only in Kano State but acrossthe country,” he said.

He noted that the committeewould meet with all relevantparty stakeholders to ensure thesuccess of the exercise onWednesday. The committeechairman added that all requiredmaterials for the congress hadarrived in the state, and sale ofnomination forms for variouspositions would commencetoday.

He urged “anybody wishing tocontest in the election shouldpurchase the forms at designatedbanks.” According to him, allcompleted forms must bereturned to the committee onTuesday in order to conduct thecongress on Wednesday.

He dismissed rumours that theofficers had been selectedthrough consensus, saying thateven if candidates emergedthrough consensus, thecommittee must recordeverything that happened at thevenue.

How Amosun, Osoba avertedbloody clash in Ogun: But forthe intervention of Ogun State

Governor, Senator IbikunleAmosun and a former governorof the state, Aremo OlusegunOsoba, there would have beenbloodletting during the wardcongresses of in the state.Supporters of Amosun andOsoba across the state, at thewards congresses, reportedlyengaged one another over thestructure of the party at the wardlevel.

Tension was high at Igborewhere a faction of the party heldits congress while the other groupheld its congress at FreemanMethodist Primary School andelected leaders for ward 13,Abeokuta North. In a bid toforestall break down of law andorder, Amosun and Osoba racedto the volatile areas and calmedthe supporters.

Addressing the aggrievedmembers of the party, Amosunappealed to them to embracepeace, assuring that all memberswould be allowed to vote.

Only six councils hadcongresses in Oyo: In Oyo State,the congresses took place in onlysix of the 33 local councils of thestate amid tension in Iseyin andOyo West Local GovernmentAreas. It was gathered that partymembers in 27 other councilareas resolved on consensusarrangement to choose theirward executives.

The councils where primarieswere held were Atiba, Oyo West,Afijio, Surulere, Ogo-Oluwa andOgbomoso North. The party’sInterim Chairman, Chief AkinOke, confirmed the developmentin an interview with NAN. The

party in the state.Disagreements, petitions and

protests trailed the APC congressin most councils of the state.

Ogunlusi however advised theparty against going ahead withthe local government congresseswithout resolving all issues thatemanated from the wardcongress. According to him,“The massive protests acrossmost of the local governmentareas is a proof of the shamcongresses held in the state. Inmy ward, Ward C in Ifako Ijaiye,the congress did not hold due tofights among members overallegations that some peoplewanted to manipulate the polls.I personally sent in a petitionover it and will oppose any resultissued from that ward or anyother where congress did nothold.”

Freshcongresses

Indeed, some aggrievedmembers from wards in differentlocal councils, weekend, stormedthe party’s state secretariat,demanding cancellation ofcongresses in some areas. Themembers from Ikeja, Ojodu,Ifako Ijaiye, Agege andOnigbongbo among others,demanded for fresh congressesin their areas. They cameseparately in chartered vehiclesto the APC secretariat, chantingsongs and displaying placards.

Some of the placards read, “Nomore rigging,” “Say no tomanipulation and” “We demandfree and fair congress,” among

congress was, however, marredby threat to peace in some councilareas such as Iseyin and OyoWest where party membersdisagreed on the mode of votingand choice of party leaders.

Ogunnusi seekscancellation in Lagos

Deputy Chairman, House ofRepresentatives Committee onFinance, Mr Otunba AbayomiOgunlusi, has called forcancellation of the wardcongresses held by the party inareas marred by protests andviolence in Lagos State.

He also urged the Party’sCongresses Committee in thestate to put on hold the LocalCouncil congresses billed forApril 15. Addressing Newsmenin Lagos, Ogunnusi, whorepresents Ifako-ijaiye FederalConstituency said that issuesfrom the ward congresses ifunresolved would lead tounimaginable crisis within the

others. Mr Adesanya Oluwaseyi,the APC Youth Leader, Ward D,Ikeja, who was wounded, bledas he led the protest and allegedthat he and other members of hisward that sustained injuries werebeaten up by some thugs.

Also speaking, Mr WaleLarinde, the leader of the protestby Ward D members of the APCin Ojodu Local CouncilDevelopment Area, said theywanted a fresh congress in theward. Mr Adewale Olanisimi,from Ward C in Ojodu, said thatanother chieftain of the partyunleashed thugs on the membersfor refusing to allow himmanipulate the congress.

“You can see our wounds. Evenwomen were wounded as youcan see. We were beaten up forprotesting what is wrong,” hesaid. Speaking to the crowd, DrGaruba Abari, the Lagos StateChairman of the CongressSupervisory Committee, assuredthem that all complaints would

, ,In what could pass for a baptism of firefor the party, the APC recorded mixedfortunes at the ward congresses

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—57

58—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

DERIVATION principle to be applicable to all revenues, includ-

ing Value Added Tax (VAT)”.•A revenue allocation formula that

takes cognizance of items on first linedraw; and shift of items on the Exclu-sive and Residual list to the Concur-rent list.

•Drastic reduction in cost of gover-nance through downsizing of minis-tries, commissions, parastatals, officesof special advisers and special assis-tants.

•A half-yearly report of actual cost ofgovernment to be undertaken by spe-cially created Code of Conduct/Publicprotector’s office answerable to parlia-ment.

• “No expenditures without properappropriation.” All budgets of such en-tities as the CBN, NNPC, NIMASA,Customs and Excise etc., to be laid be-fore the National Assembly.

•A separate office of the Attorney Gen-

items is argued or defended beyondthe mere statement. But an over-viewof the social concerns that they aredesigned to address is at the heart ofthis book.

They are, in this sense, additivesto arguments advanced in Taking Ni-geria Seriously, and When Does ACivil War Come To An End. I makeno claim to special knowledge andhave avoided any such presumption.

This is one citizen’s plea to fellowcitizens: to appreciate the necessityfor a national dialogue, the insolven-cy of a sovereign national conference;and the imperative of facing up to thechallenges of the national questionwith creativity.

I have added lectures and interven-tions which bear direct relevance tothe issues that this particular Nation-al Conference, or any self-respecting

Map of Nigeria

ODIA OFEIMUN

BY ODIA OFEIMUN

ate untrammeled conversations be-tween Nigerian nationalities and eth-nic groups; and how to accommodatethe role that the National Assemblyhas to play if we desire a law-gov-erned approach to the resolution ofthe crisis that Nigeria has faced, al-most as second nature, in over onehundred eventful years.

Internalcolonialism

They were years, let’s not forget, inwhich issues of external and internalcolonialism were compounded by notbeing able to count ourselves proper-ly, not having a proper register of vot-ers, not being able to put every childin school, create real jobs for the ma-jority of those able and willing towork, and defend the sources of ourincomes in a true people’s Republicfree of malfeasance.

A great commitment is what it callsfor. It demands an exercise of will thatwon’t snap when confronted by theinevitability of practice.

I end this book with A Summing Upthat may appear to repeat but actual-ly advances the debates and why thisconstitution must be different.

eral of the Federation; distinct from theoffice of the Minister of Justice

• The office of the Accountant Gener-al of the Federation to be distinguishedfrom the office of the Accountant Gen-eral of the Federal Government.

•All who are convicted for electoralmalpractice shall be banned from run-ning for any office for nine years.

one, would con-sider. Ultimate-ly, I am interest-ed in how whatwas once de-scribed as a geo-graphical ex-pression can be-come a genuinecultural expres-sion; how to cre-

ering vision comes from tapping into thebest that the Nigerian mind has framedin pursuit of a handle to collective aspi-rations. The ideals that they embody of-fer great opportunities for celebratingas well as transcending the challengesof our history.

True, not everyone of the asterisked

I must ac-knowledgethe debt thatthese aster-isked itemsowe to vari-ous constitu-tional con-ference re-ports, civilsociety soi-rees andspecial com-miss ions .The empow-

Ultimately, I am interested in how whatwas once described as a geographicalexpression can become a genuine cultur-al expression; how to create untram-meled conversations between Nigeriannationalities and ethnic groups

,

,

Preface to This Conference MustBe Different (2)

Last Friday we published thefirst installment of this discoursein which Odia Ofeimun madecase for a new constitution thatwould outlast its makers andderive from collective ambitionsthat are not driven by immedi-ate or merely alimentary con-cerns. Today, we conclude thepiece.

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—59

The killing spreecontinues

FULANI REIGN OF TERROR:

•More than 500 killed in less than six months

BY CHARLES KUMOLU &KINGSLEY ADEGBOYE

THEY are supposed to beherdsmen taking care of

their cattle. But they have meta-morphosed into butchers of hu-man beings wherever theymake their abode. That is thestory of Fulani herdsmen whohave turned the farmlands inseveral states in the North intoslaughter fields. Their hosts,who ordinarily should be theirfriends for accommodating

ic insurgent group, have led touncountable number of deathsof innocent Nigerians. Over thepast few years clashes betweenthese herdsmen and farmerswith their horrendous harvestsof death have been reported instatesuch as Benue, Plateau,Kaduna, Niger, Jigawa, Soko-to, Edo, Delta, Yobe and Anam-bra.

As at today, nearly 300 liveshave been lost as a result of thiskilling spree, which has madelife in the affected areas, short,nasty and brutish. The latest in

in Galadima, yesterday, duringa meeting of community leadersand representatives of vigilantegroups who were discussingways to thwart armed robbersand cattle rustlers’’. Butsurvivors said more than 60people might have died in theattack.

Preceding this latest attackwere others since 2012. In 2012a serving senator, Dr. GyangDantong, and the lawmakerrepresenting Barkin Ladi in thestate house of assembly, GyangFulani, were killed bysuspected Fulani herdsmen ata mass burial in Maseh, PlateauState.

On March 10, 2014, BenueState governor, GabrielSuswam, narrowly escapeddeath. His co-envoy was saidto have been ambushed byFulani men. They engagedSuswam and his security aidesin exchange of gunfire at Tee-Akanyi village in Guma LocalGovernment Area.

More than 150 people werereportedly killed recently byFulani herdsmen in an attackon three villages of UngwarSankwai, Ungwan Gata andChenshyi, in Kaduna State. OnMarch 6, no fewer than 25

persons were feared dead inKwande, Katsina-Ala and Logolocal government areas of Be-nue State after suspected Fu-lani herdsmen sacked six vil-lages in the three councils.

Similarly, suspected Fulaniherdsmen killed 55 in BenueState. The herdsmen launchedthe clandestine attack at Gba-jimba, the headquarters ofGuma Local Government Areaof Benue State on March 23.About 19 people were also killedand 15 others abducted in dif-ferent villages of Agatu localgovernment area in Benue stateby Fulani herdsmen on March30, 2014.

Fulanigunmen

Fulani Herdsmen attacked achurch killing three. Onewoman was left widowed for asecond time by FulaniHerdsmen on December 31,2013 in Jos. In a similar attacksix members of extendedfamilies were killed in theirhome in Foron by eight Fulani

gunmen same month.No fewer than 40 people were

left dead by Fulani herdsmenon Novemeber 25, 2013 inBarkin Ladi Jos. Fulani gunmenalso killed 25 Christians inseven villages in Benue Stateon November 9, 2013.

Muslim Fulani herdsmenattacked Christian communitiesin the Guma Local GovernmentArea, killing 22 Christianpeasant farmers and destroyingproperty worth millions of nairaon November 20, 2013.

Fulani herdsmen alsolaunched a coordinated attackon several villages in the stateand killed over 21 persons.They invaded villages andkilled mostly women andchildren, as the men were outin the fields, and burned downmany buildings in the processon 0ctober 12, 2013 in Benuestate.

The orgy of killings did notstop there as about 175 peoplewere killed by Fulani attackersin three Christian villages inBenue State on October 8,2013.

•A Zamfara community burnt down by the rampaging Fulani herdsmen

,

,

them are slaughtered with reck-less abandon. Hardly does aday pass without stories of themurderous activities of thesenomads dotting the headlinesof major newspapers in thecountry. They kill at the leastprovocation that one wonderswhether they attach any valueto human life at all.

Their activities coupled withthat of Boko Haram, the Islam-

this ugly chapter of senselesskillings was recorded, yester-day, with another report thatgunmen believed to be Fulaniherdsmen stormed a meeting inNorthern Nigeria’s ZamfaraState and killed 30 people.

According to Zamfara Statepolice spokesman LawalAbdullahi: “Thirty people werekilled and several othersinjured. The incident happened

As at today, nearly 300 lives have beenlost as a result of this killing spree, whichhas made life in the affected areas, short,nasty and brutish

•A Benue village ravished by Fulani gunmen

THE RAMPAGING HERDSMEN

NEWS FEATURE

60—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

be investigated andtreated.

“My team believes injustice and fair play. Wewill sit to discuss all theallegations and willcommunicate our decisionto the party.” he said.

The protests came assome former members ofthe defunct Congress forProgressive Change(CPC), said that they didnot participate in thecongress.

Mr Blessing Okere, aDeputy Governorshipcandidate in Lagos State inthe 2011 generalelections,told newsmen inLagos that “ the MOU formerging with ACN wasnot followed.

“In the Apapa-IganmuLCDA for instance, wehave seven wards withseven members called theG-7 and all the membersof the G-7 are made up ofall former ACN members.

“The wards have 26positions and only four slotswere given to other partiesthat merged with the ACNwhile the ACN took 22 slotsfor themselves,” he said.

Special Adviser to ImoState governor on PoliticalAffairs (Lagos), Mr.

weekend said that APCwas yet to conduct theparty’s congress in thestate.

Mailantariki howeveraccused members of thenew Peoples DemocraticParty (nPDP) who joinedthe party in the state ofmaster minding the resultwhich was eventuallyannounced on Saturday,describing it as bogus.

Speaking to Vanguard onthe issue, the lawmakerhinted that contestants inthe congresses who hadpaid for their forms wereyet to receive and fill them.

He added that thecommittee sent from thenational secretariat of theparty in Abuja for theexercise was yet to meetwith the stakeholders.

He said: “What they saidare lies. In Gombe as it isnow, the forms forcontestants have not beenfilled. What happened isthat the new PDP hijackedthe committee andmisguided them byintroducing an illegalstakeholders committeethat they are the oneresponsible for the conductof the congress and all that.

“We had expectedyesterday that they would

APC’s baptism of fireContinues from page 56

Ebunola Martins Ebunola,accused the lawmakerrepresenting AlimoshoFederal Constituency inthe House ofRepresentatives ofhandpicking those thatemerged at the wardcongress in Alismoshobefore the exercise.

He also alleged that thelawmaker ordered thugs tointimidate him at a pre-ward congress gatheringadding that the exercisewas a sham.

Ebunola, who said thisin Lagos, noted that themethod that produced theward leaders, was contraryto the directive given bythe party’s NationalLeader, Chief Bola Tinubuthat all aspirants should beallowed to participate.

Efforts to get thelawmaker’s response didnot yield dividends. WhenVanguard called thelegislator on his MTNmobile line there was noresponse.

There was no congressin Gombe –Rep.Mailantariki

A chieftain of APC andmember representingGombe/Kwami/ FunakayeFederal Constituency ofGombe State in the Houseof Representatives, Hon.Khamisu AhmedMailantariki over the

call the real stakeholders totell us the modusoperandi. But to oursurprise, we just heardthey held a meeting withthe stakeholders. Yet wedon’t know who and whothey met. A lot ofcontestants paid for theforms like two, three daysago. They were waiting toreceive the forms.

But they said they couldnot be able to give the formsout yesterday (Friday) untilthis morning. So, thismorning when the peoplegathered at their hotels toreceive the forms around10 am. They couldn’t givethe forms until around 1pm and as at that time,people are receiving theirforms to go and fill so as tobe due for the congresses.

“But already, results hadbeen announcedsomewhere that congresswas held early in themorning. So, it is a veryserious problem because alot of people gathered at thevarious collection centers ofeach ward where weusually conduct ourcongresses but to oursurprise, few individuals..have the results they wroteand now camouflagingand telling people thatcongress held in Gombe.”

,,

You can see our wounds. Evenwomen were wounded as you cansee. We were beaten up for protestingwhat is wrong

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Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014—61

62 — Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

Ronaldo setfor Dortmundrecovery

REAL Madrid forward Cristiano Ro-

naldo is set to recover forhis side’s ChampionsLeague clash againstBorussia Dortmund to-morrow.

The 29-year-oldmissed Los Blancos’ 4-0victory over Real Socie-dad away from home inLa Liga on Sunday witha knee injury.

The Portugal interna-tional took part in Real’straining session on Sun-day that was held be-hind closed doors.

Ronaldo is expected toregain his full fitness byTuesday when theSpanish giants take onDortmund in the secondleg of their quarter-finaltie at Signal Iduna Park.

Real won the first leg3-0 at the Bernabeu lastweek, thanks to goalsfrom Gareth Bale, Iscoand Ronaldo.

BAYERN Munichcoach Pep Guardi-

ola has been dealt an-other injury blow after Xherdan Shaqiri wasruled out of Wednes-day ’s ChampionsLeague match againstManchester United.

The Switzerland inter-national suffered a tornthigh muscle and wassubstituted at half-timeas Bayern suffered a 1-0defeat at Augsburg onSaturday, a result whichended a 53-game un-beaten run in the Bun-desliga for Pep Guardi-ola’s men.

Shaqiri out ofMan U clash

Confidencecrucial forChelsea—Mourinho

THE confidencegained after the 3-0

win against Stoke Cityon Saturday will be ofconsiderable value whenChelsea host ParisSaint-Germain, accord-ing to manager JoseMourinho.

“A third defeat wouldbe very bad for our con-fidence in relation toTuesday ’s match,”Mourinho told Sky onSunday.

“It was important towin, to have again asmile on the players’ fac-es and to get more con-fidence.

“Now we can approachthe match against Pariswith a smile. It’s what weneed for such a difficultmatch and such an al-most impossible job todo,” added the Bluesmentor.

Ibrahimovic outof showdown

ZLATAN Ibrahimovichas been ruled out of

Paris Saint-Germain’squarter-final second legwith Chelsea FC, afterthe club confirmed theSweden forward wouldbe sidelined for up tofour weeks following aninjury picked up againstthe Blues on Wednes-day.

Rodgers: Ref was right to awardsecond penalty

LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers

is adamant that refereeAnthony Taylor was cor-rect to award his side asecond penalty duringthe 2-1 win at WestHam.

However, Rodgerstold Sky Sports: “Thefirst penalty was clear

Wenger slams team for“lack of fight”

ARSENAL’s Champions League future is

in serious jeopardy afterEverton dismantled theGunners 3-0 at GoodisonPark, and Arsene Wengerfears for the mental stateof his squad.

“Was there a lack of fight?You could say that, We haveto go back to basics. Our

and I thought the sec-ond one was a penaltyas well. Jon gets atouch on the ball andtouches it past the goal-keeper. The keeper getsa touch on the ball, butalso takes him. I justhad a quiet word and hethought the keeper haddropped it,” he said.

performance was not con-vincing, not defensively,not offensively. Evertonwas better and deserved towin.”

“I wouldn’t question thespirit of this team,” Wengerinsisted. “They are focusedand want to do well butthey have lost somethingon the confidence front.”

Ancelotti: Real won’tgive up on title

REAL Madrid bossCarlo Ancelotti

vowed the club wouldfight until the bitter endfor the Primera Divisiontitle after keeping up theheat on the top two witha 4-0 thrashing of RealSociedad.

Madrid remained twopoints adrift of Barcelonaand three behind leadersAtletico Madrid with aconvincing win on Satur-day evening, with AsierIllarramendi and GarethBale scoring before Pepe

and Alvaro Morata add-ed the gloss with two lategoals.

“We played very well,intelligently,’’ Ancelottisaid. “We started at avery high pace and hadmore intensity in the sec-ond half. Everyone had agood game and I’mpleased because it wasn’teasy.

“I’m very proud to man-age this team. I haveplayers who like to fightand we’re going to fightuntil the last match.’’

•Wenger

•Ancelotti

•Ibrahimovic

•Ronaldo

•Shaqiri

•Mourinho

PENALTY....West Ham 's goalie Adrian (r) brings down Liverpool's Jon Flanagan (l) to concede asecond penalty during the match at Upton Park on April 6. AFP PHOTO

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 — 63

and free hand he re-quires to succeed, butthe World Cup will bethe destination pointbetween us,” a memberof the NFF board said.

The source, who didnot disclose specific of-fence the coach com-mitted simply said,“Don’t you read thenewspapers? He ig-nores simple officialadministrative direc-tives, fails to pardoneven the most cool-headed and experi-enced Nigerian play-ers. We cannot furtherharbour such incon-sistencies in our fold.”

The NFF, the sourceadmitted appreciatessome of Keshi’sachievements withinthe continent, but thatit was not certain Kes-hi would replicate suchsuccesses on the globalstage.

“Let me inform you,players form synergy

NFFContinues from BP

among themselves andwhen any of them feelsill-treated, others willsubtly queue behind theircolleague, this is the kindof things the federationwants to avoid but insteadof avoiding it, the coachis magnifying it everyday.This we understand is aploy for an excuse shouldthe team fail to deliver inBrazil.”

The NFF technical com-mittee recently issued aquery to Keshi for failureto attend official engage-ment in Abuja.

Secondly, the federa-tion’s technical committeemembers could not fath-om why the coach refusedto invite certain players tothe national team.

Keshi, it was gatheredhas also jettisoned plansfor a technical assistancesuggested to him by thefederation, but ratherchose to go to the WorldCup with a depleted tech-nical crew.

BalogunContinues from BPevening, Balogun saidhe is recovering verywell as he does not feelany pain on the injuredtoe but has beenwarned against rush-ing to train.

“The recovery rate isperfect and by the endof the week I shoulddrop the boot on the toebut I don’t want to makethe mistake of manyplayers who immedi-ately rush back to train-ing even when at themoment I feel no pain.I should be able to tellyou my next move bythe end of the week, but

I will be ready when theEagles are getting back tocamp”, he said.

Balogun again praisedthe NFF leadership head-ed by Alhaji AminuMaigari for the concernthey have shown towardshis recovery and prom-ised to rededicate himselfto the Nigerian causewhen he recovers fully.“From the NFF, to thecoach and all Nigerians,I am very grateful for allthe concern they haveshown me and I pray thatI can repay them when Irecover fully”, he de-clared.

appeared to foul Redskeeper Simon Mignoletin the build up.

The big forward clat-tered into Mignolet,punching him in the facein the process.

Linesman Stuart Burtflagged for an infringe-ment but was over-ruledby referee Taylor who in-sisted the goal stood.

Liverpool’s furious play-ers were urging the ref tolook at the replay on thebig screen inside UptonPark to see the foul andoverturn the decision.

Taylor refused, but you

LiverpoolContinues from BP got the impression he saw

it at half time, especiallywhen he gave Liverpoola second penalty.

Adrian felled Jon Flan-agan in the box and Ger-rard was on hand tosmash home the winnerfrom 12 yards once again.

But it was the Ham-mers’ turn to rage at thereferee as Adrian clearlygot a touch on the ballbefore any contact wasmade.

Discussions about thedecisions will rage on, butall that matters for the redhalf of Merseyside is thatLiverpool march on.

2014 World Cup: ‘Sex in campgood for Black Stars’

Black Stars of Ghana

EX-GHANA striker Augustine

Arhinful believes sexwill be a good omen forthe Black Stars playersduring their participa-tion in the 2014 FIFAWorld Cup in Brazil.

“We have seen teamswho have won theWorld Cup before, withtheir wives going withthem” Augustine Arhin-ful said.

Nigeria coachStephen Keshi has al-ready given permissionto his players to send

their wives and not girl-friends to the tournament,a move former GhanaCaptain Stephen Appiahdescribes as discriminato-ry.

Contrary to what manybelieve, Arhinful in an in-terview with Ultimate Ra-dio said sex is actually nota bad thing for athletes.

“The sad thing is that weare talking about this is-sue not because we don’twant their family to bearound, but [because of]the fact that the playerswill be sleeping with

them.“We have to compro-

mise and stop thinkingnegatively that it’s go-ing to be a distraction tothe Players and so what,sex even in its entiretyis not even bad when itcomes to sports” he add-ed.

There were reportsthat Black Stars Psy-chologist, ProfessorMintah, submitted aproposal to the FA toallow the players tosend their Wives andgirlfriends to the tour-nament, a claim the FAstrongly denied.

Keshi To Okpala: NFF never shared fromEagles money

SUPER EaglesHead Coach,

Stephen OkechukwuKeshi has been re-ported to have de-scribed as ridiculous areport in a nationaldaily at the weekendwhich quoted formerAssistant Coach, Syl-vanus Okpala as say-ing that the moneygiven to the team bythe Cross River stategovernment after lastyear ’s Nations Cup

triumph was shared byNigeria Football Feder-ation officials and play-ers.

Okpala had allegedthat the team head coachStephen Keshi con-vinced the team to partwith some of the moneyso that they could givesome to board members.The initiative was to buypeace as members weresaid to be bitter thatthey were not part of theNations Cup largesse.

A statement from Ea-gles spokesman saidthat Keshi describedOkpala’s comment asnot only untrue but acalculated attempt topitch him against hisemployers.

“I want to assume thatSylvanus was misquot-ed but if not then thereis no truth in such aclaim, because the NFFhas never asked orshared from any moniesgiven to the team bysupporters and wellmeaning Nigerians andstate governments,”thestatement quoted Keshias saying.

The report also quot-ed Keshi saying that hedid not handle pay-ments.

Kids scramble for ‘late entry,’ as Warri tennis coaching clinicbegins

ORGANISER ofthe maiden

Warri Tennis CoachingClinic seems to behaving hectic timecontrolling the huge

number of school children,following high demand forlate registration by someparents who want theirkids to be part of the event.It will serve off today(Monday) at the ShellClub, Ogunu, Warri, Delta

State.The clinic, a grassroots

tennis talent developmentprogramme, will hold inWarri from April 7 to 19. Itis for children between theages of 6-16 years.

It was learnt yesterday

that some parents, whocould not beat the deadlineof free registration, haveresorted to ‘black market’,offering money to buy lateregistration form toenable their kidsparticipate.

Chukwumerije claims goldmedal at 2014 Belgian Open

NIGERIA’s pedigree in taekwondo

received a boost at the week-end when Team Nigeria cap-tain to the 2011 All AfricaGames, Uche Perez Chuk-wumerije clinched a goldmedal at the 25th BelgianOpens.

The tournament, which isa Grade One World Taek-wondo Federation (WTF)-sanctioned competitionhave athletes across theglobe competing to amasspoints for their world rating.

Uche Perez is brother andmentor to triple Olympian,Chika Chukwumerije,whose engagement withthe National Youth Team tothe 2014 Junior WorldChampionships in ChineseTaipei, caused Chika to

miss the opportunity togain vital ranking pointsalongside his older broth-er.

To win the gold, Uchedefeated Rob Van DerPloeg of Netherlands 2-1in a terse opening bout,defeated Josip Mara ofCroatia 14-2 in the semi-finals, before completingthe trilogy by flooring Hi-cham Massaoudi of Ger-many 4-1 in a very tacti-cal final.

The current All Africagold medalist, whose cur-rent World ranking as ofFebruary 2014, is 33, hasearned a valuable 10points that would impactpositively on his worldranking which is due to bereleased this week.

Super Eagles celebrate Afcon victory

CMYK

Team GP W D L GF GA GD PTSLiverpool 33 23 5 5 90 40 50 74Chelsea 33 22 6 5 65 24 41 72Man City 31 22 4 5 84 29 55 70Arsenal 33 19 7 7 56 40 16 64Everton 32 18 9 5 52 31 21 63

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Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

How to Play Sudoku

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

YESTERYESTERYESTERYESTERYESTERDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSTODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLE

Sudoku

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

VANGUARD,VANGUARD,VANGUARD,VANGUARD,VANGUARD, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

QUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDACROSS1 Sluggish (6)5 Swarthy (4)8 Subject (5)9 Donkey (3)10 Consider (4)11 Awful (4)12 Implant (5)13 Trefoil (6)16 Notch (4)18 Cease (4)20 Through (3)22 Pose (3)23 Spike (3)24 Discourteous (4)25 Excuse (4)28 Hung (6)30 Respond (5)32 Settled (4)33 Ripped (4)34 Regret (3)35 Figure (5)36 Require (4)37 Gorge (6)

DOWN1 Coma (6)2 Renovated (8)3 Really (6)4 Consigned (9)5 Varied (7)6 Tart (4)7 Retain (4)8 Golf-peg (3)14 Venerated (9)15 Because (3)17 Nothing (3)19 Interfered (8)20 Whelp (3)21 Ebbed (7)26 Passionate (6)27 Stick (6)29 Rotate (4)30 Ascend (4)31 Weight (3)

ACROSS: 3, Tight 9, Haste 10, Aiming 11,Atone 12, Seed 15, Made 17, Extract 20,Nee 21, Tower 23, Laid 25, Love 26, Noted28, Odd 30, Dreaded 33, Reek 35, Lido 36,Halve 38, Easter 39, Easing 40, Meant.

DOWN: 1, Chase 2, Asset 3, Tea 4, Intact 5,Hand 6, Tie 7, Titan 8, Agree 13, Explode 14,Drain 16, Deleted 18, Towed 19, Gel 22, Royal24, Dog 27, Driven 28, Order 29, Dense 31,Digit 32, Dodge 34, Fare 36, Hem 37, Eat.

NFF won’t renewKeshi’s contractTHE Nigeria Foot

ball Federation(NFF) is not likely to re-new Stephen Keshi’scontract as Super Eaglesmanager after the sum-mer World Cup in Bra-zil irrespective of theteam’s performance.

A source at the footballhouse disclosed that the

federation has startedbracing up for life afterKeshi’s tenure, insistingthat the coach has limit-ed tolerance for candidadvice from the authori-ties.

“I can tell you righthere that Keshi’s con-tract will not be re-newed. Of course, an-

other testcase forhim is theW o r l dCup; wehave giv-en himall then e c e s -sary as-sistance

Continueson Page63

EPL Top 5

I’ll be ready for Eaglescamp — Leon Balogun

FORTUNA Dusseldorf of Germany

and Super Eagles de-fence ace, Leon Adere-mi Balogun, has in-formed he will drop thePOP on his injured toeby the end of this week.Speaking on his healthstatus, on SundayContinues on Page 63

IT WAS a game to forget for referee An-

thony Taylor as his con-troversial penalty hand-ed Liverpool a vital winover West Ham.

But it wasn’t the onlycontentious decision theman in black made on afrantic afternoon in EastLondon.

Liverpool were furiouswith Guy Demel’s goalon the brink of half time.

Steven Gerrard hadonly just put the visitorsin front from the penaltyspot before Demeltapped home from closerange after Andy Carroll

Gerrard sendsLiverpool atop

Continues on Page 63

SKILLFUL: Arse-nal's Aron Ramseyoutwits Everton'sSeamans Coleman(l) during the EPLmatch at GoodisonPark yesterday.Everton won 3-0.PHOTO AFP.

•Keshi

•Balogun

CMYK