Fresh worry over PDP’sunity as peace tour ends

PROF. Chinua Achebe’s bur-ial plan may be announced

this week by his family in Ogi-di, Idemili North, AnambraState. And as at yesterday, The

Guardian observed that thegate to the family home of theliterary icon at Ikenga Ogidiremained locked.Despite several knocks at thehuge entrance of the familyresidence located along theOgidi-Abatete-Ezi Owellehighway, there was no re-sponse.

But Rev. EmmanuelObianagha, a cousin to theAchebe who spoke with TheGuardian disclosed that thelate novelist’s family waspreparing for the announce-ment of his death officially inline with the Ogidi tradition. According to him, though thenews is everywhere, Ogidi eld-ers and the kinsmen have totell the public in their tradi-tional way before other cere-monies could follow.Obianagha who lives very

close to Achebe’s countryhome at Ogidi, also appealedto the Federal Government togive the literary icon a stateburial for his role in bringingNigeria to the internationalscene.“The red cap chiefs, our re-

UNLIKE a fresh sense ofhope that the reconcilia-

tory tour of the People’s Dem-ocratic Party (PDP) wasexpected to engender, itrather raised the fear of a per-sistent crack in the party yes-terday. This fear was born out of theabsence of the leaders of theparty from the reconciliatorytour grand finale, which tookplace in Abuja yesterday. Theevent recorded poor turn-outby public officers elected onthe platform of the party.The event, which was also

used to celebrate the one yearanniversary of the BamangaTukur-led National WorkingCommittee (NWC) of the par-ty, was done without thephysical presence of Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan whois the leader of the party.

The Chairman of the party’sBoard of Trustees (BoT), ChiefTony Anenih, was equally ab-sent.Akwa Ibom State Governor

and Chairman of PDP Gover-nors’ Forum, Godswill Ak-pabio and Idris Wada of Kogi

State were the only governorsin attendance.Senate President David Markand Deputy Speaker of theHouse of Representatives,Emeka Ihedioha, are currentlyin Ecuador to attend the 2013meeting of the Common-wealth Parliamentary Associa-tion (CPA).Only four deputy governors

from Gombe, Niger, Kwaraand Rivers State were in atten-dance too.

Vice President Namadi Sam-bo, who represented Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan,commended the party leader-ship for embarking on the rec-onciliation, saying that thestrength of PDP had contin-ued to be the unity of its mem-bers.He noted that with unity andpeace, the party would bestrong enough to tackle theopposition.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

TheGuardianwww.ngrguardiannews.com

Conscience, Nurtured by TruthMonday, March 25, 2013 N150Vol. 29, No. 12,506

From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh(Abuja)and Abiodun Fagbemi (IIorin)

Assistant Parish Priest, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Gwagwalada, Rev. Fr. Dominic Uduak (right) blessing the palm fronts during the Palm Sunday celebration to mark Jesus Christ’s Triumphant entry into Jerusalem in Abuja…yesterday.

Achebe familyset to announceburial plan

Nigeria, others seek input to draft statute on monetary fund - Page 5

From Uzoma Nzeagwu, Awka

AFRESH dimension has beenadded to the controversy

over the state pardon grantedby President GoodluckJonathan on March 12, 2013 tothe former Chief of GeneralStaff (CGS), Gen. Oladipo Diya

(rtd). Diya also served as theChief of Defence Staff (CDS) in1993.Contrary to insinuations thatDiya and others who were im-plicated in the phantom coupof 1997 during the regime ofGen. Sani Abacha were grant-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

This is our first statepardon, says Diya • ‘Clemency differentfrom state pardon’

MORE ON PAGE 10

By Seye Olumide

• Jonathan, Anenih, govs, others absent • Tukur rules out candidates’ imposition• ‘Opposition governors to defect to PDP’

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 20132

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 NEWS 3

ACN, ANPP, NBM pay tributes

Imbibe his teachings, NLC urges FG

From Adamu Abu, Abuja

FROM the Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN) has come a

glowing tributes to therenowned Nigerian writer andnationalist, Chinua Achebe, de-scribing him as a global iconfor all time and an outstand-ing Nigerian brand.Also, the National Chairman

of the All Nigerian PeoplesParty (ANPP), Dr OgbonnayaOnu, extolled Achebe’s virtues,describing him as a patriot ofuncommon vision.The world Head of the Neo-Black Movement (NBM) ofAfrica, Mr. Bemigho Eyeoyibo,also described Achebe as aglobal intellectual titan.In a statement issued in Lagosyesterday by its NationalPublicitySecretary, Alhaji LaiMohammed, the party de-scribed Achebe’s death as amonumental loss not only toNigeria but to the entire world,judging by the tributes thathave been pouring in fromaround the world since his de-mise last week.ACN said that apart from his

rarefied achievements in theliterary field and his scholarlyexcellence, Prof. Achebe was anationalist, not minding thecontroversy generated by hislast book, ‘’There was acountry,’’ hence the promi-nence given to the news of hisdeath by newspapers andother media organisations

across the country.‘’Prof. Achebe’s nationalist

and democratic credentialswere unassailable. He lovedNigeria with a passion andused the platform offered byhis global exposure to call at-tention, time and again, to theyears of misrule in his home-land, which must have left agaping hole in his heart till hebreathed his last.‘’In one of his most poignantacts, he twice turned down thenational honours bestowedon him by the FederalGovernment to show his dis-approval for the brigandageand anti-democratic antics ofthe government of the day, es-pecially as it concerns hishome state of Anambra,where a sitting governor wasabducted in the full glare ofthe police by scoundrels whoalso pillaged and plunderedstate institutions.‘’By that singular act, he gavehope and voice to Nigerians,who have been tormentedendlessly by those who holdpower but lack the responsi-bility attached to it, those whosubstituted national interestswith their personal, parochialinterests, and those who haveturned Nigeria into a laughingstock in the comity of nationswith their endless looting ofthe national treasury,’’ ACNsaid.The party said with his out-

standing works of literature,especially his all-time great

Nnamani Centre canvasses holiday for intellectual giant

THE Ken Nnamani Centre ForLeadership and

Development has called on theFederal Government to de-clare a public holiday in hon-our and appreciation of thelate Prof. Chinua Achebe andwhat he represented duringhis glorious lifetime.According to the Executive

Director of the centre, Prof.Ebere Onwudiwe, in his eu-logy, the day should be calledChinua Achebe Day. ‘‘Thereshould be a public holiday inhonour of Achebe whose in-tegrity and courage in the serv-ice of our fathers land was non-pareil. Onwudiwe said only a few

people could be said to havedone what the late foremostAfrican novelist had done.‘‘Few have done more for ourinternational image thanAchebe, a great lover of this po-tentially great and loveablecountry of ours. The nationmust show its gratitude tohim. Achebe used his God-given talent to fight the goodfight. He courageously de-fended the dignity of Africansagainst the assaults of somewestern writers and most im-portantly against Nigeria’s po-litical leadership that heblamed for most of our na-tional problems.’’

Ex-minister, Umeh, others extol literary icon’s virtuesFrom Lawrence Njoku, Enugu

FIRST Republic Minister ofAviation, Chief Mbazulike

Amechi, said yesterday the lateProf. Chinua Achebe would beremembered as a detribalisedNigerian who believed in fair-ness for every section of thecountry.He told The Guardian that

“Achebe’s death is a very bigblow on Igbo patriotic groupand intellectual world”. Achebe, according to him, wasan outspoken Nigerian patriotwho believed so much inNigeria.“In his last book, There Was a

Country, he chronicled the per-ceived injustices done to Biafraand some sections of the coun-try started attacking him forsaying the truth. That attackand debate that arose from the

Groups mourn, task govton reward systemFrom Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu,Benin City

TWO groups, the Coalitionto Save Nigeria (CSN) and

the Benin National Congress(BNC), yesterday describedProf. Chinua Achebe as amodel for self-integrity just asthey urged PresidentGoodluck Jonathan to build areward system that would en-courage Nigerians to be patri-otic citizens.In a statement, the National

President and NationalSecretary of CSN, PhilipUgbodaga and MatthewEdaghese, said: “His deathcame at a time that our coun-try is passing through un-precedented leadership chal-lenges in the 52 years of itschequered history. He spentthe better part of his life clam-ouring for a focused and re-sponsible leadership inNigeria. Indeed, in his book:In The “Trouble with Nigeria,”he eloquently and bluntlystated that the Nigerian prob-lem was squarely the failureof leadership and the unwill-ingness and inability of ourleaders to rise up to the chal-lenge of personal examplewhich are the hallmarks oftrue leadership. That wasmore than 30 years ago. Verysadly, his clinical diagnosis ofthe problems of Nigeria re-main true today.“He turned down several na-

tional ‘honours’ by successiveadministrations in Nigeria inprotest against the misad-ministration and despotismof its leaders. In respect for thelife and times of Prof. Achebe,we call on President Jonathanto rescind his controversialpardon recently granted tosome Nigerians, especiallythose whose acts in the pastgreatly undermined the hugepotential of our country andcontributed to the sorry stateNigeria now finds itself wherethe majority live in penuryand abject poverty while itsfew leaders live in opulence.”

Literary society, Akunyilimourn

PROMINENT members of theAbakaliki Literary Society,

(ALS), including SenatorAnthony Agbo and Mr. OnweJohn Onu, have joined otherNigerians to mourn ChinuaAchebe. They described him asthe greatest brand ever pro-duced in Nigeria.Also, former Minister of

Information andCommunications, Prof. DoraAkunyili, said: “As we say inIgboland when an extraordi-nary person dies, the Iroko hasfallen. I feel a sense of personalloss because Prof. ChinuaAchebe was not only from mystate, Anambra, but was alsoone of my heroes and role mod-els right from my days at theUniversity of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN), where he taught untilthe road accident that madehim to relocate to the U.S.A,where there are better facilitiesto enable him to continue towork.”Agbo, who is the immediatepast vice chairman of theSenate Panel on Federal CapitalTerritory, (FCT), stated that withthe death of the foremostwriter, “a great epic story hascome to a solemn end”, addingthat Achebe “belongs to a classof minds and characters thatdo not appear in multiples in acentury”.While urging the Igbo, Nigeria

and Africa to honour the fore-most author “in a manner thatshould befit an extra-ordinaryglobal icon”, Agbo, who is apoet and author, noted thatAchebe remains “the greatestbrand Nigeria has ever pro-duced”.In a statement, Onwe, who is

former Special Adviser toGovernor Elechi on PoliticalMatters, declared that Achebe isnot dead since, according tohim, with Things Fall Apart hav-ing been translated to over 60world languages, read andstudied by millions all over theworld, Achebe merely transitedto paradise of fecund muses”.

book were his greatest credit.He was vocal in condemningcorruption, stealing andabuses in this country, a voiceindeed is lost”, Amechi said,adding that Achebe would beaccorded the full burial rites ofa Christian and Igbo titledholder.Former national chairman of

Justice Party, Chief RalphObioha, in his reaction, said, “itis a great loss to Igbo nation.This is one indefatigable voicethat has stood firm in defenceof his people. He was a giantthat the Igbo will not forget in along time to come. This eventhappened at the most unfortu-nate time when the Igbo are atthe threshold to lead Nigeria. Itis really painful.”The embattled former chair-

man of All Progressives GrandAlliance (APGA), Chief Victor

Umeh, said: “Africa, Nigeria,Igbo nation have lost one of thegreatest people God ever gavethem. He was a great literarymind, consummate Nigerianand complete Igbo man. Hisfight against corruption andbad leadership in Nigeria is sec-ond to none. From his books,The Trouble with Nigeria andThere Was a Country, he cap-tured his vision and account ofwhat made Nigeria underde-veloped in the midst of abun-dant resources.

“No doubt, in his death,Nigeria and Africa have lost aneloquent voice against injus-tice, corruption, oppressionand bad leadership. The vac-uum created by his death willbe very difficult to fill inNigeria.”According to Umeh, “Prof.

Wole Soyinka and a few others

should continue the strugglefrom where Achebe bowedout. Our condolence goes toNdigbo and Nigeria for the lossof a courageous and gallantcrusader for social justice andgood leadership. Our consola-tion lies in the fact that he didhis best for Nigeria before de-parting but regrettably, couldnot see a Nigeria of his dreambefore death.”The All Progressives Congress(APC) South East Zone, in astatement by its PublicitySecretary, Osita Okechukwu,condoled with Nigerians andthe immediate family ofAchebe over the demise of thegreat writer.“Achebe, for us, was one of thegreatest literary and moralvoices of our time, worldrenowned novelist and cul-tural ambassador.

By Andrew Iro Okungbowa

novel, Things Fall Apart, Achebewas – and remains even indeath - undoubtedly one ofNigeria’s best brands thatneeded no government pa-tronage to market all over theworld.In a statement issued on his

behalf by the party’s NationalPublicity Secretary, Mr. EmmaEneukwu, Onu said: “It is withpain and shock that I receivedthe news of the transition toeternal glory of one ofNigeria’s intellectual stars,Prof. Chinua Achebe.“He was a patriot of uncom-

mon vision, an intellectual pil-lar of universal appeal andwith a distinct literaryprowess. He was also an ad-ministrator of profound con-victions and above all, an illu-minating pathfinder, whose

From Saxone Akhaine,Northern Bureau Chief

VICE President of the NigeriaLabour Congress (NLC),

Comrade Issa Aremu, has urgedthe Federal Government to im-bibe the teachings and literarystruggle of the late ChinuaAchebe for the transformationof the nation’s economy andpolity.In a statement by the Labour

leader yesterday in Kaduna, hesaid: “We join the rest of theworld to mourn the exit of aglobal icon, literary giant and

great patriot, Prof. ChinuaAchebe, who reportedly died onThursday March 21, 2013 inBoston, U.S.A during an illness.“We bear witness that the late

Achebe had long been an up-beat patriot and a pan-Africanoptimist at a time it was riskyand unpopular to do so. It istrue that founding fathers likeDr. Nnamdi Azikwe, ObafemiAwolowo, Ahmadu Bello, RajiAbdallah, Mokgukwe Okoyeand Mallam Aminu Kano trulypolitically decolonised Nigeria,Chinua Achebe almost single-

handedly culturally liberatedAfrica”.While extolling some of the

works of Achebe, Aremu arguedthat “Things Fall Apartwritten in1958 is the first original con-scious African narrative thatbrought to the fore the pre-colo-nial African values of hard work,enterprise, dignity of labour,worship, family, community,successes and tragedies, con-trary to the colonial receivedwisdom that Africa had no his-tory”.

According to him, “it is mis-leading to assess Achebe post-humously based on his last con-troversial work and a civil warmemoir, entitled, There Was ACountry”, stressing that “the lategreat chronicler had himselfmodestly accepted as muchthat there is some connectionbetween the particular distressof war, the particular tension ofwar, and the kind of literacy re-sponse it inspires”.Aremu further stated that “the

life and times of Achebe cele-brate dignity of labour. He didnot live on graft and stolengoods but his mental labour. Hewas really a global workingman. To honour ChinuaAchebe, Things must just Fall inplace for Nigeria”.

The labour chief urged theFederal Government to ensurethat all that Achebe worked andfought for through his literaryworks are never in vain, addingthat the government mustbraze up to the challenge ofmoving the nation to greaterheights.

works placed him on themountain top. He remainedtireless in his resolve of show-ing the way for others to fol-low.“In his writings, he showed ex-traordinary skill and ability. Hewas able to bring AfricanLiterature to the attention ofthe world at a time that neitherAfrican Literature nor Africanauthors received any seriousattention. As the widely ac-claimed father of AfricanLiterature, his contributions toknowledge will continue to in-fluence the thoughts of manygenerations yet unborn.”“I join several others who

mourn to salute this great sonof Nigeria and Africa and a dis-tinguished citizen of the world.Surely, his timeless legacieswill live after him.”

CHINUA ACHEBE (1930 - 2013)

From Leo Sobechi, Abakaliki

4 NEWS THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

‘Clemency different from state pardon’CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Tukur rules out candidates’ imposition“The decision to embark onthe reconciliatory tour is toproperly position the party toface future challenges,” hesaid.PDP National Chairman, Ba-manga Tukur, said that hisleadership of the party hadcontinued to ensure that par-ty manifesto was fully trans-lated into reality.According to him, the drive toensure greater performanceby PDP government was partof what informed the recon-ciliation.He pledged that the PDP

would be made to adhere tothe dreams and vision of itsfounding fathers. Tukur ruledout imposition of candidatesfor the next general elections.Akpabio dismissed allega-

tions of a silent crisis withinthe party that could cause thedefection of some of its gover-

nors to other political partiessoon.“I must say that the peace inthe party now is remarkable.The PDP governors are totallyand fully behind our party’snational chairman and theNWC. Also, PDP governors aresolidly behind PresidentGoodluck Jonathan and theparty.“The peace in the PDP is send-ing jitters to the oppositionand that is why they are busyspreading falsehood in news-papers that eight governorsare planning to defect fromPDP to other parties. I havepersonally spoken with 22PDP governors and they haveall denied the story. To thecontrary, the opposition par-ties will be shocked whensome governors elected ontheir platforms will defect toPDP,” he said.He said the formation of thePDP Governors’ Forum had

clearly created political prob-lems for opposition parties,pointing out that that waswhy the forum was receivingmedia attacks from the oppo-sition.The party began its reconcil-iatory tour to the six geo-polit-ical zones on March 15, 2013. Itwas meant to facilitate theunity of the party. It beganfrom the South-West inIbadan.The National Publicity Secre-tary of the party, Olisa Metuh,had said: “The reconciliatorytour is meant to reconcile allinterests, groups and con-tending issues in the partythat posed threat to party’sunity and cohesion.”Metuh, however, declared

that there was no conditionattached to the reconciliatoryprogramme, adding that itwould be strictly restricted tothe party’s constitution.On whether the exercise

would address the issue of al-leged refusal of some statechapters of the party to re-ad-mit some former members,the party’s spokesman saidthere was no plan to discrimi-nate against anybody intend-ing to be re-admitted. Meanwhile, the reconciliato-ry tour was the PDP leader-ship’s response to a plethoraof crises that were ravagingthe party in almost all thestates of the federation.Among the knotty issues hadbeen the question of authen-tic party executive in AlhajiBamanga Tukur’s home-state,Adamawa, the controversialremoval of former scribe,Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,who was allegedly foisted onthe National Working Com-mittee (NWC), and the per-ceived ambition of some

governors who may threatenPresident Jonathan’s interestin 2015, as a result of whichthere now exists a PDP Gover-nors’ Forum.The party had been faction-alised in states like Ogun, La-gos and Abia, among others,where it has worked to wooback the aggrieved membersahead of 2015 general elec-tions.The crises had at one time sotaken up political discoursethat the Political Adviser toPresident Goodluck Jonathan,Ahmed Gulak, admitted: “Yes,there are challenges in theparty, but Mr. President is try-ing his best to resolve them inthe interest of the party andthe nation.“I can assure you that Mr.

President will not allow the

ed pardon by the Gen. Abdul-salam Abubakar-led adminis-tration, the former CDS saidhe was only given clemency.During a press conference inLagos on Thursday, Diya said:“Some people mix up themeaning of clemency and

state pardon. What Gen.Abubakar granted us wasclemency, which was differentfrom the state pardon Presi-dent Jonathan granted to oth-ers and me on Tuesday, March12, 2013.”

According to him, “theclemency was the authorityvested in the Head of State torelease us from our variousplaces of detention. I was re-leased from the PotiskumPrison. If there were noclemency, the sentence wouldstill have been on, which wasexecution. Our ranks were notrestored, nor our entitle-ments. If what Abubakargranted us was pardon, imme-diately we were released fromprisons, all payments due to uswould have followed but thatwas not done. Even my person-al security, the one for my fam-ily and my house would have

Achebe family may announce burial plan this weekgent, the president-general,Ogidi Town Union and otherprominent indigenes of thetown are rallying round toplan for the burial arrange-ment. Between now and East-er, I am sure there will be anannouncement on the burialarrangement”, he said.Paying Achebe tributes, he

said the late writer was a manof the people who inspired theindigenes to go to school. He said Achebe was former

president-general, OgidiTown Union and that he wasalso a titled chief “Ugo bee norji” (the eagle that perches onan iroko tree), and that thecommunity witnessed amplepeace and felt the impact of

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 his leadership.The cleric who lamented thathis death had left Ogidi com-munity devastated, added:“We have lost a precious giftfrom God. You cannot discussNigeria without mentioningAchebe. He left a very big vac-uum that will take a lot to befilled.”A close neighbour to the

Achebe family at Ogidi, JuliusObidike, said the death hadthrown the town into deepmourning.“A great iroko has fallen, Ogi-di community has lost a greatson and the loss is irreparable.We cannot have another

Chinua, even though thereare many other members ofthe Achebe family”, Obidike

noted.He recalled that Achebe wasinvolved in a motor accidentin the 1980s while travelling ina chartered Peugeot 504 wag-on, which left him crippled.The Head of Department, Eco-nomics, Nnamdi Azikiwe Uni-versity, Awka in AnambraState, Dr. Uche Nwaogwugwu,in his tribute said his deathwas a great loss to the Igbo na-tion.“Achebe laid the foundationfor Igbo anthropology, cul-ture and history, so we shouldmove on to the next level. Thejob is now left to the Igbo tocontinue from where hestopped”, Nwaogwugwu,said.According to the Chairman,Igbo World Assembly (IWA),Nwachukwu Anakwenze,Achebe was to be honouredthis weekend at the CISA/IWAretreat at Staunton Virginia.

Anakwenze describedAchebe as a great man and ac-ademic star who was fearlessto tell the truth as he saw it.

crisis in his party to affect na-tional interest and well-beingof Nigerians. The President ison top of the situation and isalready achieving results. Iwant to tell you that soon, thisparty’s problem will be a thingof the past.”Meanwhile, Kwara State Gov-ernor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, hasdenied a report published in anational newspaper (not TheGuardian) that he planned toleave the PDP alongside sevenother governors ahead of the2015 elections.Speaking through his SeniorSpecial Assistant on Mediaand Communications, Dr.Muyideen Akorede, Ahmedsaid there was no iota of truthin the report and dismissedthe publication as the handi-work of mischief-makers benton causing disaffection inPDP.

Rivers flays refinery’s reaction to fire outbreak

THE Rivers State has de-scribed as insensitive thefailure of the Port Harcourt re-finery fire service departmentto respond to a fire outbreakat Ogoloma community inOkrika.The Commissioner for Infor-mation, Mrs. Ibim Semenitaritold The Guardian that thestate government would for-mally express its disenchant-ment to the management ofthe Nigeria National Petrole-um Corporation (NNPC).But a source at the refinery

that pleaded anonymity dis-closed to The Guardian that

From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt the management never gavesuch directives.

Community sources dis-closed to The Guardianthat thefire started at about 5 a.m. at aprivate resident at Ogolomacausing serious pandemoni-um. This spurred the councilto contact the refinery, but of-ficials of the fire departmentsaid they have been directednot to respond to external fireincident.Following the failure to se-

cure the assistance of the re-finery fire team, thecommunity people rallied to-gether and extinguished thefire and prevented it from

spreading to other buildings.At the end, over 23 personswere injured and have beenhospitalised.Outraged by this, the Com-

missioner for Informationcondemned the attitude ofthe refinery officials.“There was a fire outbreak inOgoloma community in Okri-ka, the NNPC refinery firetruck refused to send when re-quested to assist despite thefact that it was their host com-munity. The community hadto battle until the Rivers StateFire Service arrived to put outthe fire. The NNPC reaction ismost unfortunate and unac-ceptable,” she said.

been returned through par-don and not clemency.”Several newspapers as well assome human right activistsand legal practitioners react-ed to the pardon, describingit as a “double pardon.”Diya, however, cleared the is-sue, saying: “As a former CDSand that, by interpretation, isthe highest you can attainprofessionally in the armedforces. Up till now, policemenare still guarding me and notsoldiers. Even the securitymeant for my house and myfamily, as a former CDS, hasnot been restored but nowthat a pardon has been grant-ed, I would not be surprised ifa formal letter is written tome as a former CDS and every-thing will take proper and of-ficial shape from the verydate the letter stipulates.”The former CDS said the Pres-ident did not err by grantingthem pardon as “what wewere granted before wasclemency.”

Diya

NEWS 5THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

From Bola Olajuwon, Abidjan,Cote d’Ivoire

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (second right) with members of the Lagos State Government Nollywood Upgrade Project: Actor/Director, Kunle Afolayan (left); DeputyChief of Staff, Moji Rhodes; film-maker, Tunde Kelani (right) and Managing Director, Indian National Film Development Corporation (INFDC), Nina Lath Gupta (middle), during a meet-ing with the Indian National Film Development Corporation in Mumbai, India.

Nigeria, others seek input to draft statute on monetary fundAPLAN to railroad the ongo-

ing sixth Joint Yearly Meet-ings of United NationsEconomic Commission forAfrica (UNECA) and AfricanUnion (AU) with African Min-isters of Finance, Planningand Economic Developmentin Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, to ap-prove the draft statute onAfrican Monetary Fund (AMF)at the weekend was halted bykey members of the continen-tal “Big Five.” Three members of the five -

Nigeria, South Africa andEgypt - which were supportedby a majority of member-states at the meeting of ex-perts, based their oppositionon lack of inputs into the draftstatute, non-availability ofcopies of the document aswell as lack of formal notice ofits adoption on order paper ofthe day. Also, stakeholders in plan-

ning and development have

canvassed the need for Africancountries to stop abandoningnational development plansmidstream and rather adopteffective strategies for result-oriented development on thecontinent.And realising the need for

proper co-ordination of devel-opment planning as well asthe need to exploit the advan-tages of knowledge-basedelectronic platform for devel-opment, the AU and UNECAyesterday launched an onlineproject called African Devel-opment Planners Network.Now operational and ready

for use with the most recom-mended features in place, in-vitation would be sent topotential stakeholders to par-ticipate on the network andfor member-states to nomi-nate focal persons to co-ordi-nate individual states’participation on the platform.UNECA and AU top officials

had made serious efforts toget the document okayed dur-ing the presentation of a re-port on establishment of aPan-African Stock Exchange,discussions on African Invest-ment Bank and implementa-tion of the African Charter onStatistics and Strategy for Har-monisation of Statistics,among others. However, representatives of

member-states of SouthAfrica, Nigeria, Egypt, Demo-cratic Republic of Congo, Su-dan, Chad and Tanzaniaopposed the move one afteranother. One of Nigeria’s representa-

tives at the meeting, Mr. IkpeAudu Obaike, requested thatthe organisers “should allowconsultation among stake-holders in Nigeria for properinputs to be made into thedraft statute and then it can bepresented to the meeting ofministers for recommenda-

tions and deliberation by theSummit of AU Heads ofStates.”Obaike, who intimated the

meeting of his Minister of Fi-nance’s query on what bene-fits Nigeria stands to gain incontributing huge sum ofmoney as indicated in thedraft statute, said he has nopower to commit Nigeria tomonetary contributionswithout clarification fromthe Nigerian governmentand the minister.South Africa also took simi-

lar position, complainingabout the feasibility of the ac-tual capital achieving resultssince the AMF was designedto take over the responsibili-ties of International Mone-tary Fund (IMF), which hadrelegated Africa to the back-ground in the past. The AU Director of Depart-

ment of Economic Affairs, Mr.Rene Kouassi, had observed

By Wole Shadare

Security worries as bureau de change operators return to Lagos Airport

BARELY two weeks after theywere evicted, illegal bu-

reau de change operatorshave found their way back tothe Murtala Muhammed In-ternational Airport, Lagos.Though they are yet to dis-

play their wares of huge dif-ferent currencies at the carpark, they hang around inlarge number soliciting forcustomers, who need to sell orbuy foreign exchange.Their modus operandi is not

different from what it used tobe - they mill around the carpark, where all manner of so-cial vices are committed,mostly under the cover ofdarkness.When The Guardian visited

the area yesterday, many ofthem were seen beckoning ontravellers and other airportusers, trying to outdo one an-other to sell their wares.The Federal Airports Authori-ty of Nigeria (FAAN) had, afterthe death of two policemen byrobbers, barred them from

the area, but this seems notenough to deter them. The operations of bureau de

change had always attractedrobbers to the airport and en-virons. The recent robberytwo weeks ago, precisely atabout 9.00 p.m., left two po-lice officers dead, alongsideone of the bandits.FAAN Spokesman, Yakubu

Dati, had taken reporters tothe area after the incident,where he announced that theauthority had barred the op-erators from the area. Dati

had hinged the incessant rob-bery attacks at the airport tothe activities of the operators.Not a few believe that the car

park is a den of robbers as allshades of nefarious activitiestake place there. The area lackssecurity. There are also insinuations

that the newly-installed CloseCircuit Television (CCTV) maynot be working and if theywork, they can hardly captureimages because of the dark-ness that pervades most partsof the airport.

By Wole Oyebade

Hope rises for new anti-tobacco bill, campaign

SMARTING from the disap-pointment of the National

Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB),which failed to get PresidentGoodluck Jonathan’s assent, anew vista of hope is on thehorizons for proponents ofthe new anti-tobacco bill cur-rently before the House ofRepresentatives.The bill, sponsored by the

lawmaker representingKosofe Constituency of LagosState, Dayo Bush-Alebiosu,scaled the second reading atthe weekend and has beenpassed to the House Commit-tees on Health and Justice forverification.In an interview with The

Guardian yesterday, Bush-Alebiosu said the overwhelm-ing support the bill receivedon the floor of the Houseraised new hope for tobaccoregulation and control in thecountry.According to Bush-Alebiosu,it is gratifying that none of hiscolleagues raised any objec-tion against the bill.He said: “And the level of sup-port that a bill gets at the floorwill determine whether it willbe passed or not. In this, wehave no doubt that it will bepassed by the House.“The arguments against to-

bacco, the most addictivedrug in the world, are so com-pelling and no one raised ob-jection but simply rallied

behind it. We want to ensurethat its provisions do not of-fend any existing law, so it hasbeen sent to the House Com-mittees on Health and Justiceand they will report back tothe House soon.”The new bill, when passed,

will replace the NTCB towhich President GoodluckJonathan refused assent,though he did not explainwhy, as mandated by the con-stitution should any bill bedenied assent. The absence ofa tobacco control law hindersthe domestication of theWorld Health OrganisationFramework Convention onTobacco Control (WHO FCTC),which Nigeria signed eightyears ago.

Meanwhile, one of the majorcampaigners against tobaccoin the country, the CoalitionAgainst Tobacco (CAT), saidthe lawmakers’ support was agood omen for the anti-tobac-co struggle in Nigeria. CAT co-ordinator, Toyosi Onaolapo,said her group was in supportof Alebiosu’s bill to ensure thedomestication of the FCTCthrough the National TobaccoBill.She noted: “We believe that

the bill will save lives lost to to-bacco use and also preventyoung people from smoke ad-diction.”Alebiosu, who is also the

Chairman, House Committeeon Treaty and Agreement, saidthe new bill provides stiffer

control measures for the con-trol of sales and use of ‘mostaddictive drug in the world.’“Someone has to look after

our 70 per cent population ofilliterates that need to be pro-tected from the hazard ofsmoking and second-handsmoking. We have to protectour kids that are often the tar-get of the tobacco industryand are now smoking fromtender age of 12,” he said.“Also, we have to ask, how dowe protect our passive smok-ers that though have right tolife but are often the victim oftobacco-related deaths? Theyhave the right to speak upagainst tobacco smoking. Youhave the right to smoke if youchoose to, but not around mein the workplace or publicplaces.”

that the issues raised were notnew and had been discussedseverally, adding that discus-sions were held with IMF offi-cials on the AMF statute andthe institution okayed thedocument.He called for an extra-ordi-

nary meeting of committee ofexperts for today (Monday)before the beginning of min-isterial meeting since therewas no fund to organise an-other conference on the issue.Nevertheless, following the

insistence that copies of thedocument be taken to their re-spective governments forconsideration and com-ments, the chairman ruledthat feedbacks on the mattershould be returned to AU sec-retariat in three weeks to facil-itate its consideration at theAU summit.

Kaduna CAN commends Yero

FOR his style of leadershipand the development

strides that he has made injust 100 days in office, KadunaState Governor, Mukhtar Ra-malan Yero, has earned thepraises of the state’s chapterof the Christian Association ofNigeria (CAN).CAN made the observation ata prayer session at the WesleyMethodist Cathedral,Kaduna, where the governorwas represented by hisdeputy, Ambassador NuhuBajoga.In his sermon, the MethodistArchbishop of the North,Revd. Oche Job, extolled Yero’sleadership quality, sayingthat “he is as obedient as thelate (Patrick) Yakowa and assuch, it is as if the deceasedgovernor is still in power.”According to him, before

Yero became governor, hehad personal interaction withhim and discovered that he(Yero) was never a religiousbigot, adding that he hadshared thoughts on religiousdifferences between Muslimsand Christians with the gov-ernor, and both agreed that“only uneducated personshide under religion to causecrisis.”Meanwhile, the Kaduna CANChairman, Bishop GeorgeJonathan Dodo, remarked:“We have reached a stage toask ourselves whether we arereally ready to work for com-mon good in view of the inse-curity in the country.“However, we assure Yero ofour prayers. Kaduna Councilof CAN stands by him, but weare urging him to live up to ex-pectation in curbing the secu-rity challenge.”

From Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief

PDP youth leader, othersurge support for govt

THE People’s DemocraticParty (PDP) National Youth

Leader, Mr. Denis Alonge-Niyi,has charged the party’s youthwing to fully support the Fed-eral Government’s “transfor-mation” programme in orderto realise their leadership po-tentials.Niyi, who spoke yesterday at

the inauguration of South-South zonal executive com-mittee and stateco-ordinators of the PDP’s Ru-ral Empowerment AdvocacyProject (REAP) in Calabar, re-marked that “it is normal torefer to the youths as leadersof tomorrow, but now wewant to be the leaders today.” He described REAP as anoth-er uncommon laudable pro-gramme fully supported bythe PDP national secretariat.Meanwhile, the REAP ZonalCo-ordinator, South-South,Mr. Tony Gbeleso, describedthe inauguration as a dreamcome true.“REAP aims to reach out to

the people in the rural areas,”he said. “We want to empowerthe rural people, especiallythe youths” who would beempowered through variousschemes in order to give themsense of belonging.Meanwhile, the Cross River

State co-ordinator of REAP, Dr.Otu Achibong, has describedas unfortunate the absence ofthe PDP state executive attheir inauguration despitethe invitation extended tothem.However, he stressed that

their absence would not deterthe group from functioningoptimally, as REAP has alreadybeen established in all thecouncil areas in the state.

From Anietie Akpan, Calabar

Fayemi, Falana fault $100mCentenary City plan

FEDERAL Government’splan to build a $100 million

Centenary City in commemo-ration of Nigeria’s 100 yearsanniversary was at the week-end described by Ekiti StateGovernor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi,and Chief Femi Falana (SAN)as another effort to squanderresources.Fayemi, who was a guest lec-turer at the second VerdantZeal ‘Innovention’ lecture se-ries in Lagos, said the project,though beautiful in design,would amount to nothing forthe country.Stating that the project was amis-placed priority at thiscritical moment in the life ofthe nation, Fayemi said itwould have been most appro-priate to use the year 2014 cen-tenary celebration as soberreflection and a time to col-lectively determine what itmeans to be a Nigerian.“It should have been a periodto reflect on the brand, ‘Nige-ria’, and the Nigerian Deoxyri-bonucleic Acid (DNA) as agrand design to begin the re-building process of the coun-try that we all would love tosee,” he said.Secretary to the Governmentof the Federation (SGF), Any-im Pius Anyim, some days agodisclosed that plans were atadvanced stages for the Cen-tenary City project, coupledwith its planned listing on theNigerian and London StockExchange.On his part, however, consti-tutional lawyer and humanrights activist, Falana, de-scribed the project as anotherploy to “find food for the boysand not about Nigerians,”adding that “if you are plan-ning to celebrate 100 years ofcolonialism or when Nigeriawas amalgamated, it shouldnot be by pouring moneydown the drain.

By Wole Oyebade

• Stakeholders chart path to effective planning, launch online platform

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 20136 NEWS

Lagos allays fear over gas flaring in Badagry

Former Minister for Health, Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi (left); President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, OlumideAkintayo, Chairman of the occasion, Foluso Phillips and Director-General, NAFDAC, Dr Paul Orhii, during the inaugura-tion of Akintayo as president of the society, and investiture of the new fellows at MUSON Centre Onikan, Lagos …yes-terday. PHOTO: OSENI YUSUF

By Tunde Alao

APPARENTLY in reaction topublic outcry, the Lagos

State Government hasallayed the fear of its citizensover gas flaring in communi-ties on the bank of theAtlantic Ocean, near Badagry.The villagers, comprising

Ajido, Imeke, Araromi andAgemuwo, raised alarm onthe health implications fromthe flaring by West AfricanGas Pipeline Company(WAPCO), which has alsodrawn the irk of civil societygroups.Speaking on the develop-

ment, the General Manager,Lagos State EnvironmentalProtection Agency, LASEPA,Mr. Adebola Shabi, who con-firmed the development,said his office had visited thearea to assess the situation.According to him, LASEPAand the affected company,WAPCO has already assessedthe situation and succeededin putting in place somemeasures that has drasticallyreduced the intensity of gasbeing released into the air.Shabi said that when the

information got to his officeat the initial stage, theagency had already conclud-ed plans to sanction the com-pany for not informingLASEPA before embarking ongas flaring in the state.He said: “We have been to

the site two times to carryout assessment and the com-pany told us their chal-lenges. The company did notinform us before embarkingon gas flaring. If they hadinformed us, we would havebeen able to sensitise thecommunity on what they areabout to face.” The company’s challenge,

according to Shabi, was theblockage of the gas pipelinesthat were vandalised byunknown persons. Thepipelines are through whichWAPCO is supplying gas toits customers in the WestAfrican countries thatinclude: Cotonou, Togo,Ivory Coast and others.“It was as a result of the

firm’s inability to transportits products that necessitat-ed the need to release theexcess into the air to protectthe storage from bursting. Asituation that may be moredangerous than what we arewitnessing now”, said Shabi,but assuring the efforts areongoing to ensure that nor-malcy is brought into theenvironment.He regretted that what is

happening in Badagry is sadand unfortunate becausegas-flaring has the tendencyof polluting the immediateand the wider environmentand has serious conse-quences on the health of the

people.It was said that about 170

million standard cubic feetof gas per day (MMscfd) wasthen being flared in Ajido,Imeke, Araromi andAgemuwo areas of Badagry,but that “the quantity hasreduced drastically”, said theLASEPA boss. As the controversy over thegas flaring gets heightened,Human Right Activists,Environmental RightsGroups and others have beenexpressing their concernsover the issue.

One of them,Environmental RightsAction/Friends of the EarthNigeria (ERA/FoEN), lament-ed the situation and said thatthe organisation had led agroup of women to protestagainst the gas flaring,which had affected theircommunities.“ERA/FoEN as an organisa-tion raised the alarm on thedangers of the flares inBadagry, which the commu-nity people say usually lit inthe night to deflect atten-tion. Comparing what is happen-ing in Badagry to the NigerDelta where there are over200 gas flare locations, theorganisation noted that thesituation has contributed tothe decrease in life expectan-cy in the affected communi-

ACN elders commend Aregbesola for good governanceAFTER a critical x-ray of all

issues, the Elders’ Council(Igbimo Agba) of the ActionCongress of Nigeria (ACN) haslauded the giant developmentstrides being made byGovernor of the State of Osun,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.At a meeting held in Ilobu,

Irepodun Local Governmenton March 22, 2013, the Council(Igbimo Agba) took a criticallook at all the programmes ini-tiated and being executed byAregbesola and resolved topublicly commend him fordoing a good job in spite ofdaunting challenges of gover-

nance bequeathed to him bythe immediate past adminis-tration, which ruled for seven-and-half-years in the state.In a communiqué signed by

the chairman of the Council,Mr. Sola Akinwumi, theIgbimo, which also commend-ed the National Chairman ofthe ACN, Chief Adebisi Akandefor his matured leadership,also commended the Osungovernor for his administra-tion’s laudable strides in urbanrenewal, development of roadsand other infrastructure, edu-cation and empowerment.According to the politicians,

the achievements ofAregbesola has made themproud and lifted the popularityof the Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN) among the peo-ple of the state, who theynoted, are marveling at thesheer size and depth of theprojects going on all over thestate.The Council particularly stat-

ed “that Ogbeni has made theIgbimo Agba proud by his vari-ous developmental activities,especially in the areas of roadinfrastructure, urban renewal,O’School, O’Uniform and oth-ers too numerous to mention”.

Tension in Plateau over killings by gunmenFrom Isa Abdulsalami, Jos and Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt

Ex-minister urges Northern leaders to help end Boko Harammenace

RESIDENTS of several parts ofPlateau State are living in

fear, while some are weighingreprisal options over consis-tent attacks and killings bygunmen suspected to beFulani herdsmen or Tarokstock.There is therefore tension in

Southern zone of the stateover the killing of 10 residentsof Yelwan Shendam who wereon a business trip, onThursday to Dampar in IbiLocal Government Area ofTaraba State.

The murdered entrepre-neurs, made up of sevenMuslims and three Christianwomen, were allegedly way-laid and ambushed by somesuspected Tarok youths aboutfour kilometres after a villagecalled Walu in Langtang SouthLocal Government Area ofPlateau State.

Six of those killed, whosecorpses have been recoveredand buried according toIslamic rites in Yelwa onThursday, were identified asAlhaji Sabo Yusif, MalamAdamu Abdullahi, AlhajiLawal Maikifi, Malam Sale ToriPapa, Alhaji Habibu Adam andMalam Bala Muhammad a.k.aLady Guy.The full identities of the threeother victims, two Igbo ladiesand an Ngas woman were stillto be identified, even as inten-sive search was mounted sinceFriday to recover the body of atenth victim of the attack,identified as AbdullahiBaduku Haliru, who was driv-ing one of the two Peugeot504 cars in which the businesspeople were travelling.Also, Christian worshipers inWase, Yelwa and LangtangSouth LGA of Plateau Statestayed away from church serv-ices yesterday because of fearof being attacked.

A source, who pleadedanonymity, said that most ofthe churches in Mavo villagein Wase were deserted as onlyfew worshippers were seen atthe church premises duringthe services.However, speaking against

the backdrop of terroristattack in the northern part ofthe country, former Minister

of Aviation, Alabo GrahamDouglas has called on theNorthern elders to supportPresident Goodluck Jonathanto end the menace of BokoHaram in the country.The ex-minister, who is a para-mount ruler in AbonnemaKingdom in Akuku-Toru LocalGovernment Area of RiversState, said the elders and lead-ers of the Niger Delta regionplayed major role to end themilitarisation of the region.Douglas in a media chat withjournalists in Port Harcourt atthe weekend expressed worrythat the terrorism in the Northwas destroying the economyand development apart fromseveral lives lost in the men-ace.According to an eyewitness,

who narrowly escaped fromthe attackers who killed theYelwan Shendam 10, Tarokyouths who were armed withAK 47 riffles, machetes andother deadly weapons killedhis co-travellers at about 4.30p.m. on Wednesday, while ontheir way to sell their wares onThursday, which is the weeklymarket day in Dampar.The rampaging youths, he

said, shot and killed some ofthe travellers, while the otherswere brutally murdered withthe machetes after theyattempted to escape.A day after the incident, a

detachment of policemenfrom the Divisional PoliceOffice in Mabudi, the head-quarters of Langtang SouthLocal Government Areamobilised to the scene andrecovered five of the corpses,which they deposited at themortuary of the LangtangGeneral Hospital in LangtangNorth council.There was palpable tension inYelwa town on Thursday afterthe corpses of the deceasedwere taken to the town for bur-ial.On Friday, however, a power-ful delegation of traditionalrulers from Langtang SouthLocal Government Area,accompanied by the AreaCommander of Police incharge of Plateau South, aswell as the divisional policeofficers for both LangtangSouth and Shendam local gov-

ernment areas, visited Yelwa tocommiserate with families ofthose murdered, and also topacify residents of the town.Last Wednesday’s killing of

the 10 travellers was precededby the rustling of at least 400cows belonging to some Fulaniherdsmen by suspected Tarokyouths, in the week before last,in Yamini, also in ShendamLocal Government Area ofPlateau State.That incident resulted in massexodus of Yamini and Lakushitowns all in the area, for fear ofpossible attack on the villagesby the aggrieved Fulani pas-toralists.Earlier in the same week, a

simmering dispute betweensome Tarok and Fulani com-munities in Mavo village ofWase Local Government Areaof the state, led to the killing ofat least 10 persons, mostlyFulani herdsmen.It will also be recalled that

similar circumstances led tothe violent disturbances thatculminated in the massacre ofat least 600 residents of YelwaShendam in May 2004, there-by resulting in the impositionof a State of Emergency inPlateau State, and the suspen-sion of the then governor,Chief Joshua Dariye.Wase is about 250 km from

Jos, the Plateau State capitaland the clash between the twotribes had led to the imposi-tion of state of emergency onPlateau State in May 2004.The source further said some

residents of Mavo Communityin Wase LGA have started relo-cating out of the communityin droves. He said some of thedisplaced persons have startedrelocating to the LangtangNorth, while some are relocat-ing to other neighbouringstates.

Similarly, the Special TaskForce STF deployed to restorelaw and order in the crisis rid-den city of Jos has been calledupon to collaborate with secu-rity agencies in Taraba and

Nasarawa State to avert crossborder infiltration of terror-ists following the fresh vio-lence that led to the killings ofinnocent persons in Wase.This was contained in a com-

munique signed by theDirector of Miyetti Allah CattleBreeders Association ofNigeria (MACBAN), AlhajiAliyu Mohammed, Chairman,Jukun DevelopmentAssociation Wase Council,Musa Umar Mavo and the

Commissioner of Informationand Communication, YiljapAbraham after a crucial meet-ing of Government, SpecialTask Force and Communityleaders in Wase LGA andissued to journalists in Jos atthe weekend.

ties, (the Niger Delta),adding that the same chal-lenges, which Niger Deltacommunities face, are nowbeing felt in Badagry. At the wake of this environ-mental degradation, theChairman, Olorunda LocalCouncil Development Area(LCDA), Mr. Abudu Amida,said the pollution hadcaused untold hardship tothe people in the councilarea.

Lamenting the peoples’predicament, Amida said thegas company is located atAjido, yet the flaring of gasstill affects the people whostay at Olorunda area.

“In the night we cannotsleep because of the noisethat the gas flaring gener-ates. The whole environmentis hot to the extent that itaffects the fan and air condi-tioners in our homes”,Amida bemoaned, addingthat the whole situation isnot safe for the health of thepeople living around thatarea, hoping that solutionwould be found as soon aspossible before things getout of hand.The Council Chairman saidhe had written to the govern-ment of Lagos State and alsosent a bill to the councillorsof the local government inorder to prevent furtherharm to the community.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 NEWS 7

Secretary to Oyo State Government, Waheed Akin Olajide (second right); Mr. Sola Giwa of Harrison George con-tracting firm (left); Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ibadan branch Controller, Adebayo Bashiru (right); Chief ofStaff to Oyo State Governor, Adeolu Akande (second left) and Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure,Kayode Adepoju (third right), at the presentation of library documents and lecture theatre to the TechnicalUniversity, Ibadan PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

Court orders Julius Berger, others to pay lawyer N25m for assaultBy Yetunde Ayobami-Ojo

FOR unlawful physical assaulton a lawyer in the premises,

an Imo State High Court sittingin Owerri, presided over byJustice Nonye Okoronkwo, hasawarded the sum of N25 mil-lion against Julius BergerNigeria Plc and others for thegross violation of the funda-mental right of a Lagos-basedlawyer, Emeka Ozoani.

In a copy of the judgmentmade available to The Guardian,Justice Okoronkwo held that:“The arrest or attempted arrestof the applicant within thecourt premises in Owerri afteradjourning his case, in fullglare of his clients present andothers and subjecting him tosuch indignities that attractedthe attention of lawyers in thepremises including the ChiefJudge of the state, is the mostun-becoming of the policerespondents and shows again,the flight of decency and deco-rum in some of our publicinstitutions.

“I have no doubt that thepolice respondents have nohiding place, no subterfuge inSection 35 (1) (c) as that savingclause in the constitution doesnot avail them;

“I am not in any doubt and I

find and hold that the respon-dents are in disgraceful viola-tion of the fundamental rightsof the applicant particularlyunder Sections 35, 34 and 41 ofthe Constitution of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria;• “I agree that in the circum-

stance of this case, the appli-cant is entitled to exemplarydamage, which I assess at N25million against the respon-dents jointly and severally;• “As indicated above, therespondents shall jointly andseverally pay the applicant thesum of N25 million for grossviolation of the applicant’s fun-damental right to personal lib-erty,” Justice Okoronkwo held.

Other respondents alongsideJulius Berger to pay the N25million jointly and severallyare the Inspector General ofPolice, the Assistant InspectorGeneral of Police (AIG) Zone 9Umuahia, Mr. P.S. Njoku (prose-cutor) and Peter B.Ogunyanwo, DCP Zone 9,Umuahia.

Also, the judge declared thearrest and physical assault onthe applicant inside the OwerriHigh Court premises onJanuary 24, 2012, by armedpolice officers as a gross viola-tion of the applicant’s funda-mental rights to personal liber-

ty, dignity of his person not tobe subjected to torture, inhu-man and degrading treat-ment as provided underSection 34(1)(A) and Section 35of the 1999 Constitution.

He also restrained the defen-dants from continuing orattempting to arrest the appli-cant for any reason connectedwith the suits delineated No.HOW/581/2007 and Appeal No.CA/OW/146/2010 while pro-ceedings are pending.

Further, Justice Okoronkwodeclared that the respondentsowe Ozoani a formal apologyand N200,000.

Ozoani’s application filedbefore the court brought pur-suant to Order 11 of theFundamental RightsEnforcement Procedure,Rules 2009 on October 3, 2012,for the enforcement of his fun-damental rights asked for thesum of N50, 000, 000, 000(fifty billion naira) as special,general and specific damages.

His application was support-ed with a 59-paragraph affi-davit with 14 documentaryexhibits bound in volume 209pages while Julius BergerNigeria Plc filed a 61-point, 16-page affidavit and annexure ofcomparable prolix.

The police respondents also

Stakeholders blame slow growth on graftFrom Niyi Bello, Akure

THE 2013 session of the annu-al Iju Public Affairs Forum

(IPAF), an initiative of theLadipo Adamolekun PublicLibrary, which provides a plat-form for promotion of knowl-edge through healthy and inci-sive discourse on issues ofnational development, hasidentified corruption as themajor bane of Nigeria ’sgrowth.

The forum, which was set upby its convener, LadipoAdamolekun, septuagenarianprofessor of PublicAdministration in 2006, andwhich has become a yearly rit-ual for academics to brain-storm, therefore, recommend-ed an all-out war against graftfor public institutions to deliv-er on their mandates.

Lead Speaker and NationalProgramme Manager, StatePartnership for Accountability,Responsiveness and Capability(SPARC), Dr. Joe Abah, set thetone for the discussions in alecture he delivered, titled:“Pockets of Effectiveness InNigerian Public Service andLessons For AcceleratingNational Development”.

In the lecture delivered to amodest but rich gathering of

NMA, UNAIDS charge govt,others on TB, HIV From Chukwuma Muanya(Lagos) Emeka Anuforo(Abuja) and Joseph Wantu(Makurdi)

PERTURBED by the risingcases of Tuberculosis (TB)

in the country, the NigerianMedical Association (NMA)has called on the FederalGovernment to immediatelycommence mass vaccinationof the citizenry as a steptowards the eventual eradica-tion of the disease.

Also, the Joint UnitedNations Programme on AIDS(UNAIDS) and health leadersfrom Africa and other inter-national organisations havelaunched a new push to accel-erate progress against TB andHuman Immuno-deficiency

Virus (HIV)/Acquired ImmuneDeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Meanwhile, Benue State resi-dents have been advised topresent themselves for earlyTB diagnosis and treatment toavoid complication.

The NMA further called onthe Federal Government tomake the fight against TB oneof its centenary anniversaryprojects by massively invest-ing in TB research activitiestowards the discovery of themuch-needed anti-TB vaccine.

Minister of Health,Onyebuchi Chukwu, at theweekend listed Nigeriaamong 22 high burden coun-tries that contributed 80 percent of the estimated 8.7 mil-lion new TB cases globally in2012.

NMA said in a statement tomark the World TB Day yester-day that TB, an infectious dis-ease caused by the acid andalcohol fast bacteriaMycobacterium tuberculosis,was still ravaging the countrylargely due to poor fundingfrom Nigerian governmentfor intervention programme.

Of the interventions againstthe disease in Nigeria, only 28per cent funding comes fromthe country, the association ofdoctors lamented.

Calling attention to what hedescribed as evolving donorapathy, NMA President, Dr.Osahon Enabulele, said: “TBcontrol activities is anotherarea of poor performancewith only 71 per cent budgetimplementation; only 28 percent came from domesticsources and 48 per cent fromthe Global Fund, an interna-tional funding partner of theUnited States government, an

observation considered asominous.

The initiative, according to astatement from UNAIDS, wasformally launched yesterdayin Mbabane, Swaziland.The initiative includes a pack-

age of new investments worthmore than N19.8 billion (US$120 million), which will beused to expedite progressagainst TB and HIV in the next1,000 days. The global bodywill work with South AfricanDevelopment Community(SADC) countries to achievethe international targets ofcutting deaths from TB andHIV-associated TB by half by2015.

Important commitmentsoutlined in the statementinclude the full integration ofTB and HIV services, new part-nerships with non-traditionalpartners, a reinforcement ofprogrammes and services andnew and innovative methodsof financing the response tothe two diseases.

UNAIDS Executive Director,Michel Sidibé, said: “A thou-sand people living with HIVdie every day of TB on theAfrican continent, this is unac-ceptable. “This initiativebrings momentum, commit-ment and renewed energy,which will produce resultsand improve the lives of mil-lions of people across theregion.”

Commander, Nigerian AirForce Hospital (NAFH), AirCommodore B.B. Okunola,made the call at the weekendat the 45 NAF Base Hospitals,Makurdi, during a seminar aspart of activities organised tomark this year’s WorldTuberculosis Day.

‘Why Nwoye won’t be sworn in’From Terhemba Daka, Abuja

AS the 72-hour  ultimatumhanded down to House of

Representatives to sack thelawmaker representingAnambra East-West FederalConstituency, ChriscatoAmeke, and replace him withformer president of NationalAssociation of NigerianStudents (NANS), TonyNwoye, expires, the House hasinsisted that the request can-not be granted unless theAppeal and  SupremeCourts  discharge the casesbefore them.The parliament said it would

not succumb to blackmailand be stampeded to swear inNwoye because the matterwas still being decided by thecourt “and the House wasdetermined to obey the ruleof law and allow the judiciaryrun its full course on the con-t r o v e r s y . ”

There has been a protractedcontroversy over who is thebona fide representative of theAnambra East-West FederalConstituency of AnambraS t a t e .

Chairman of the HouseCommittee on Media andPublic Affairs, ZakariMohammed, who gave theclarification at theweekend,  said the matterbetween Ameke and Nwoyewas a pre-election case andthe  Electoral Act was veryclear on pre-election,hence  the Speaker, being alaw-abiding public official,would not violate the law.

Ahmed signs N96.4bbudget bill

KWARA State GovernorAbdulfatah Ahmed has

signed the 2013 AppropriationBill of N96.4 billion into law,with a pledge that it would beimplemented to the letter andensure speedy service delivery.

Meanwhile, House ofAssembly Speaker, RasakAtunwa, has commended thestate government for its fullimplementation of the 2012budget.

Dr. Ahmed described thequick passage of theAppropriation Bill by theLegislature and his signing it into law as major strides towardsservice delivery to the people.

Speaking during the signingat Government House at theweekend, he emphasised thathis administration would con-tinue to review the implemen-tation of the budget to deter-mine when and if there wouldbe the need for a supplemen-tary bill on it.

intellectuals, public adminis-trators and politicians at Iju,Akure-North Local Council ofOndo State, Abah, whose SPARCis being funded by the UnitedKingdom’s Department forInternational Development(DFID), selected some institu-tions in Nigeria as having thecapacity to be described asPockets of Effectiveness (POEs)in a general atmosphere of rot.

He listed the National Agencyfor Food and DrugAdministration and Control(NAFDAC), the Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission(EFCC) and the Federal InlandRevenue Service (FIRS), as insti-tutions of government thatexhibited efficiency in theiroperations as revealed by astudy that compared their per-formances with organisationsthat have similar mandate.While identifying factors such

as leadership, management,technical capacity and publicsupport as traits that con-tributed to the success of theagencies, Abah stated howeverthat there are also binding con-straints “that no matter what isdone, unless they areaddressed, valiant efforts willcome to naught.“One such constraint is corrup-tion which lies at the heart of

the underperformance of pub-lic sector organisation in manydeveloping countries.” He therefore urged stakehold-ers in the Nigerian project, ifefficiency in government busi-nesses is desired, to musterenough political will to curbthe menace of corruption.According to him, “there is aclear and urgent need to tacklethe menace of corruption, abinding constraint to organiza-tional effectiveness.“Alas, despite all EFCC’s efforts,corruption is still with us andsome would argue that, inNigerian parlance, it has evenmoved to the next level in thelast five years since Ribadu wasforced out. TransparencyInternational ratings, based onperceptions, will certainlyappear to back this up.”Participants at this year’s ses-sion include Dr. BunmiFamosanya, Ekiti State Head ofService who was the discussant,Professor Tunde Adeniran, for-mer Minister of Education,Akin Adaramola, former OndoHOS and Commissioner forEconomic Planning, Dr. LaoyeAdegoke, retired OndoPermanent Secretary, SenatorNimbe Farukanmi andrenowned poet, Odia Ofeimumamong many others.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 20138 NEWS

APGA NWC dumps Umeh, disowns appeal

Transporters want govt to tackle insecurity

From Leo Sobechi (Abakaliki) andChuks Collins (Awka)

FOLLOWING indicationsthat the Court of Appeal,

Enugu Division, would todaybegin hearing in the appealfiled by the embattled for-mer chairman of the AllProgressives Grand Alliance(APGA), Victor Umeh, againstthe judgment of Enugu HighCourt, which removed himfrom office as national chair-man, members of theNational WorkingCommittee (NWC) may havedistanced themselves fromhim. In what appeared to be com-pounding Umeh’s woes, 18out of the 27 members of theparty’s NWC members at anemergency meeting in Awka,Anambra State, passed a voteof no confidence on thesacked national chairmanbased on what they termedworrisome developmenttrailing the February 8, 2013,Enugu High Court judgment.The position was contained

in a statement issued by the

former NWC members aftertheir emergency meeting inAwka on March 3, 2013.While indicating that “all ofus who endorsed this state-ment are direct victims ofthe Enugu High Court judg-ment, which dissolved theNWC organ of the party”, Mr.Ejike Uche and MallamSadique Masalla, deputynational chairman, Southand North, who read thestatement at the weekend,added that Umeh never car-ried them along in takingdecisions that bothered onthe survival of the party.“For instance, the judgmentof the Enugu High Court ofFebruary 8, 2013, which nulli-fied the APGA Convention of2011, affected us individuallyand collectively.Unfortunately, as membersof the NWC, Umeh never con-sulted us on his decision toappeal the judgment,” theyalleged.Part of the statement read:

“We have resolved to abideby the judgment of the

Enugu High Court in theinterest of the party. We haveweighed all the options avail-able for the advancement ofthe political fortunes of ourparty, APGA, and come to theconclusion that pursuing thejudgment of the Enugu HighCourt is merely self-serving,unprogressive and a show ofvendetta capable of stiflingthe growth of our party.“We will, however, pursue

the other option of conduct-ing a fresh national conven-tion as directed by the courtsince such approach stillaffords us the opportunity to

From Hendrix Oliomogbe (Asaba)Lawrence Njoku (Enugu) andTaiwo Hassan (Lagos)

• Igbo group urges talks over Kano killings

WORRIED by the increas-ing insecurity in the

country, especially therecent bomb blasts in Kano,transporters and logisticsexperts have condemned the

Commissioner cautionsagainst politicisingsiting of schoolsFrom John Akubo, Dutse

THE Jigawa SateCommissioner for

Education, Prof. HarunaWakili, has cautioned againstthe needless tussle for emiratesupremacy in the distributionof state institutions. Meanwhile, the Maternal andNewborn Child Health(MNCH) Partnership has com-mended the state governmentfor the 100 per cent budgetaryincrease for MNCH in 2012.

The commendation wasmade yesterday in statementby MNCH ProgrammeManager, Mustapha UmarBabura and made available toThe Guardian in Dutse.Wakili stated this against thebackdrop that the Emir ofGumel, Ahmed MuhammadSani, was alleged to haveraised an eyebrow over the sit-ing of the state university inKafin Hausa rather thanGumel.Wakili, who made the call in

his office, said the establish-ment of the new state universi-ty in Kafin-Hausa was toensure even distribution oftertiary institutions across thestate.

Union, hospital chief differ on SSS invitation From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City

THERE is a fresh crisis at thePsychiatric Hospital, Uselu,

Benin City, as the Senior StaffAssociation (SSA) of the hospi-tal yesterday accused itsManaging Director, Dr.Sunday Olotu, of refusing togive a written approval tosome officials of the union tohonour an invitation by theState Security Services (SSS).But Olotu’s spokesman, Efe

Stewart, denied the allegationyesterday when contacted onphone, adding that the man-agement of the hospital hadnot received any formal letterfrom the officials for permis-sion or had it received anycorrespondence from the SSSinviting its staff.A statement yesterday by theunion’s legal adviser, KelvinOkafor, which was madeavailable to journalists,alleged that Olotu refused togrant a written permissionfor the chairman and secre-tary of the SSA, KennedyOriakhi and Theophilus Osifo,to honour the SSS invitationwith a view to punishingthem for leaving the officewithout permission and toalso create the impressionbefore the SSS that they haverefused to honour its invita-tion.

dastardly act, urging theFederal Government tourgently check the uglytrend, especially in theNorth.

Meanwhile, a group,Makaodinma Ndigbo, yester-day asked the leadership ofIgbo apex socio-culturalorganisation, OhanaezeNdigbo, to immediately con-voke an Imeobi (highest deci-sion organ) to discuss therecent Kano blasts. In a statement, the Delta

State Council of NationalUnion of Road TransportWorkers (NURTW) said thatthose who were engaged inthe dastardly act shoulddesist from their actions.

The NURTW Chairman,Ifeanyi Obi, explained thatthe bomb blasts affected peo-ple from all walks of life asthere was no religious, age,or professional distinction atmotor parks.Also, a transport and logis-

tics expert, Obiora Madu,told The Guardian yesterdaythat the bombing had rub-bished the success theFederal Government claimedit recorded in its efforts atreducing terror attacks inthe country.Madu, who said the bomb-

ing may make logistics com-panies convoying goods tothe northern part of thecountry to reconsider theiractivities, added that suchfirms were wary of the act.He said the bombing wouldhave adverse effects in termsof human cost because someof the transporters may boy-cott those routes consideredto be high security riskunless governmentimproved security of livesand property.

According to him, thebombing would have eco-nomic implication on trans-

portation because truck-own-ers may also hike charges onsuch risky routes due to inse-curity.Also speaking on the issue,

Deputy Managing Director ofABC Transport Plc, Jude Nneji,said the bombing of luxurybuses in Kano had brought tothe fore the need for bettersecurity in the transport sec-tor.He added that such security

measures should includescreening of passengers andgoods at motor parks beforebuses or other vehicles take-off.He, however, added that the

Kano bombing would maketransporters abandon someof the northern routes, butrather they would have toupgrade their security meas-ures.

In a statement issued inEnugu by its national presi-dent, Nze Orji Nwankwo andsecretary, Ugonna Onah, thegroup insisted that time hadcome for the Igbo to take adefinite stand on the orgy ofkillings in the country, espe-cially as it affected Ndigbo.

Makodinma Igbo said the lat-est attack was an indicationthat those behind it were on amission to annihilate theIgbo, wondering how longlives of people from theSouth-East would be wastedin the power struggle of thecountry.“We have not held political

power in Nigeria. We are stillbegging and asking thatNigerians see reason why theeconomic and political mar-ginalisation of the Igboshould be halted. However,while we reel and mourn oursituation, it has been com-pounded by reckless killingsand massive destruction ofproperty belonging to theIgbo”, they said.

re-contest our positions andstill remain NEC membersof the party. That Umeh, whounilaterally appealed thejudgment without consult-ing all of us, is on his ownand no longer enjoys ourconfidence”.

The NWC members furthersaid they would plead to bejoined in the appeal suit filedby Umeh since according tothem, “we shall also bedirectly affected by any out-come of the court judg-ment.”

Govt seeks uniform miningsystem with Sudan, others From Lillian Chukwu, Abuja

TO check resource flight, theFederal Government has

stressed the need to develop aunified mining system withSudan and Africa in generalto boost the minerals andmines sector.Minister of Mines and Steel

Development, Musa Sada,said there was need to raise acommon mining regime inensuring value addition tothe mineral resourcesexploited. He added that theproposal was to forestall theproblem of flight of mineralresources from Africa, whichwas militating against thegrowth of the minerals andmetals sector.The minister stated this at

Chief of Staff, Government House, Minna, Joshua Bawa (left); the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)Chairman, Mahmud Enagi; the Deputy Governor, Ahmed Musa Ibeto; DSP Timothy Jamberlang; his bride,Maryann Zara Omameh and her father, Mr. Emmanuel Omameh, at the traditional wedding between Jamberlangand Omameh in Abuja…at the weekend

the weekend in Abuja duringa courtesy visit to his office bythe Ambassador, Republic ofSudan to Nigeria, Dr. TagelsirAli.In a statement signed by theAssistant Director, Press,Ministry of Mines and SteelDevelopment, Stephen Kilebi,the minister said that “one ofthe best ways to move for-ward is to cooperate, joinforces among ourselves toadd value to the minerals andbe shielded from being short-changed to ensure commonexploration regime.”Ali expressed delight on the

existing cordial relationshipbetween the two countrieswith about eight millionNigerians resident in Sudan.

The ambassador listed cop-per, uranium and gold asmineral resources with hugemining potential in Sudanand that about 20 miningcompanies exploiting goldhad a trade volume of 3.6 bil-lion dollars in 2012.Sada listed various reforms

ranging from legal and insti-tutional frameworks posi-tioned to develop Nigeria’sminerals and metals sector.He noted that the reforms

prompted the establishmentof the Nigerian Institute ofMining and Geosciences inJos, Plateau State, which offerscourses in mining projectdevelopment, mining engi-neering and minerals’ explo-ration.

In what appeared to be compounding Umeh’s woes, 18out of the 27 APGA NWC members at an emergencymeeting in Awka, Anambra State, passed a vote of noconfidence on the sacked national chairman based onwhat they termed worrisome development trailing theFebruary 8, 2013, Enugu High Court judgment.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 9

WorldReportRebels seize presidential palace inCAR, Bozize fleesSELEKA rebels in the CentralAfrican Republic yesterdaysaid they have seized the pres-idential palace in Bangui afterPresident Francois Bozize fledthe capital.Reports suggested the presi-dent had gone to a neighbour-ing state. France’s foreignminister confirmed his exit.The rebels, involved in an on-off rebellion since December,say Mr. Bozize failed to hon-our a peace deal.One of the rebel leaders on theground, Colonel DjoumaNarkoyo, was quoted by AFP assaying: “We have taken thepresidential palace. Bozizewas not there.”He said the rebels were plan-ning to move on to the nation-al radio station in Banguiwhere rebel leader MichelDjotodia planned to make aspeech.Intense gunfire was reportedas rebels advanced throughBangui.“The rebels control the town,”said a spokesman for the pres-idency, GastonMackouzangba. “I hope therewill not be any reprisals.”

A Paris-based rebelspokesman said the rebel

leadership was telling itsfighters to restrain from “loot-ing or score-settling”.But Amy Martin of the UN’shumanitarian agency, OCHA,told the BBC World Servicethat residents in the capitalhad begun looting.“The situation in town is

chaotic in the sense than com-

ISRAEL said it fired into Syriayesterday and destroyed amachinegun position in theGolan Heights, from whereshots had been fired at Israelisoldiers in a further spilloverof the Syrian civil war along atense front.It was not immediately clearwhether Israel held Syriantroops or rebels responsiblefor what a spokesman forPrime Minister BinjaminNetanyahu said had been adeliberate attack on Israelipatrols in the occupied terri-tory.Israeli forces “destroyed a

Syrian machine gun nestthat fired twice in the last 24hours on Israeli patrols oper-ating to safeguard the bor-der,” the spokesman, OfirGendelman, said on hisTwitter page.Shells have fallen several

times inside Israeli-con-trolled territory duringSyria’s civil war. Some of theincidents have drawn Israelireturn fire.Syria’s southern provinces

bordering Jordan and Israelhave become an increasinglysignificant battleground asthe capital Damascus - inSyria’s south - comes intoplay and President Bashar al-Assad’s forces fight hard to

prevent rebel advances.The Israeli military said oneof its vehicles was hit late onSaturday by shooting fromacross the Israeli-Syrianceasefire line on the GolanHeights, but no one was hurt.Israeli military spokesmanLieutenant Colonel PeterLerner, said, “Our under-standing is that it wasn’tstray fire.”After a second incident onSunday, Israeli soldiers“responded with accuratefire toward the Syrian postfrom which they were firedon”, the military said.Defence Minister Moshe

Yaalon said in a statementthat Israel viewed shootingfrom Syria “with severity”and would not allow “theSyrian army or any other ele-ment to violate Israeli sover-eignty by firing at our territo-ry”.Israel captured the Golan

Heights from Syria in the1967 Middle East war andannexed the strategicplateau in 1981 in a move thathas not won internationalrecognition.“Any ... fire from the Syrianside will be answered imme-diately by silencing thesources of fire when we iden-tify them,” Yaalon said.

munities are looting proper-ties, private properties, even apaediatric hospital we under-stand has been looted,” shesaid.“Our main concern right nowis at the community level,with the looting and the possi-ble tensions between variousethnic groups.”

Jinping arrives in Tanzania, focuses on trade ties

Musharraf returns to Pakistan despite threats

Israel fires into Syria after attack on troops

THE leader of the opposi-tion Syrian NationalCoalition (SNC), Ahmed Moazal-Khatib, has resigned.In a statement on his

Facebook page yesterday, Mr.Khatib said he was leavingthe job as he wanted to workwith more freedom than anofficial institution allowed.He had promised the Syrianpeople he would resign ifwhat he called certain redlines were reached, he said.He appeared to criticise theworld community for notdoing enough to stop twoyears of bloodshed in Syria.His resignation comes a dayafter European Union foreignministers failed to resolvetheir differences overwhether to exempt Syrianrebels from an arms embar-go.Mr Khatib, who was electedhead of the SNC in November2012, is seen as a respectedand unifying figure in Syria.But he caused controversy byoffering talks with SyrianPresident Bashar al-Assad, oncondition that 160,000 pris-oners were freed.The opposition had previ-

ously insisted PresidentAssad step down before anytalks begin.Mr Khatib’s resignation

comes days after GhassanHitto was chosen as primeminister in rebel-held areas,an appointment that he isthought to have objected to.But he said he would contin-ue to work with colleagueswho were seeking the free-dom of the Syrian people.“I announce my resignationfrom the National Coalition,so that I can work with a free-dom that cannot possibly behad in an official institution,”he said in the statement.“For the past two years, wehave been slaughtered by anunprecedentedly viciousregime, while the world haslooked on,” Mr Khatib added.“All the destruction of Syria’sinfrastructure, the detentionof tens of thousands of peo-ple, the forced flight of hun-dreds of thousands andother forms of suffering havebeen insufficient for theinternational community totake a decision to allow thepeople to defend them-selves.”

Syrian opposition leader Khatib resigns

THE United States Senateearly Saturday voted topass its first annual budgetfor the federal governmentin four years, but the sym-bolic bill has slim chance topass the Republican-ledHouse of Representatives.By a vote of 50 to 49, theupper chamber of the U.S.Congress passed the federalgovernment’s 2014 fiscalyear budget plan startingon October 1. The Senatefailed to pass an annualbudget for the federal gov-ernment since 2009, evi-dence of the fierce fiscal

wrangling betweenDemocrats andRepublicans.The bill called for $975b inmore tax revenue andanother $975b in govern-ment spending cuts in thecoming decade.The House on Thursday

also approved its 2014 fiscalyear budget blueprint forthe federal government. Thebudget plan failed to passthe Democratic-controlledSenate, as it called for signif-icantly reducing income taxrates and repealing theObama healthcare law.

U.S. Senate passes first budget in four years

AFRICANdancers and a 21-gunsalute welcomed ChinesePresident Xi Jinping in Dar esSalaam yesterday at the start ofan African tour that underlinesthe continent’s strategic impor-tance for China both for itsresources and as a marketplace.Visiting, Tanzania, South Africaand Republic of Congo on hisfirst trip abroad as president, Xiwill aim to build on expandingeconomic relations that manyAfricans see as a healthy coun-terbalance to the influence ofthe West.He might also address con-

cerns in Africa that the conti-nent is exporting raw materialswhile spending heavily toimport finished consumergoods from the Asian economicpowerhouse.“He will be looking to tone

down the feeling that China isjust here to exploit resources. Ithink that is going to be hismain job,” James Shikwati,director of the Nairobi-basedInter Regional EconomicNetwork think tank, toldReuters.Xi was due to hold trade talkswith Tanzanian PresidentJakaya Kikwete before a statebanquet yesterday. Today Xiwill deliver his first policy

speech on Africa.He will then head to South

Africa for a summit of leaders ofthe world’s major emergingeconomies, known as theBRICS, tomorrow andWednesday, and could endorseplans to create a joint foreignexchange reserves pool and aninfrastructure.The proposal underscores frus-trations among emerging mar-kets at having to rely on theWorld Bank and InternationalMonetary Fund, which are seen

as reflecting the interests of theUnited States and other indus-trialized nations.The east African seaboard is

hot property after huge gas dis-coveries in Tanzania and neigh-boring Mozambique. Chineseoil company CNPC this monthacquired a 20 percent stake inthe Eni Mozambique offshoreproject worth $4.21 billion, link-ing one of the planet’s biggestuntapped gas resources withthe fastest growing gas con-suming country.

‘No evidence of third-party involvement’ in Berezovsky’s deathTHERE is no evidence so farthat a “third party” wasinvolved in the death of BorisBerezovsky, police say.Earlier, the Russian tycoon’s

house in Berkshire was giventhe all-clear after it wassearched by police for chemi-cal, biological and nuclearmaterial.

Thames Police said MrBerezovsky, 67, was found by anemployee dead on his bath-room floor on Saturday after-noon. The door was lockedfrom the inside.A Home Office post-mortem

examination is to be carried

out.Mr Berezovsky emigrated tothe UK in 2000 after falling outwith Russia’s president, andwas granted asylum in 2003.Police are currently treatingthe death as unexplained,while scenes-of-crime officersare currently inside the proper-ty carrying out a full forensicexamination of the scene.“It would be wrong to specu-late on the cause of death untilthe post-mortem has been car-ried out. We do not have anyevidence at this stage to sug-gest third party involvement,”Detective Chief Inspector Kevin

Brown of Thames Valley Policesaid.“The investigation team are

building a picture of the lastdays of Mr Berezovsky’s life,speaking to close friends andfamily to gain a better under-standing of his state of mind.“We are acutely aware of thelevel of interest into his deathand are focused on conductinga thorough investigation as wewould with any unexplaineddeath.”Mr Berezovsky’s body was

reportedly found by an employ-ee, who called an ambulance at15:18 GMT on Saturday.

South African peacekeeperswho suffered some casualtieshave retreated to their bar-racks and are seeking safe pas-sage to the airport, Ms Martinsaid.She added that Bangui has

been without power sinceSaturday, and that this meantwater had also been cut.

FORMER Pakistani President,General Pervez Musharrafyesterday arrived in Pakistan,ending four years of self-imposed exile and defyingdeath threats.A protection detail of heavilyarmed commandos met himafter his plane from Dubaitouched down in Karachi air-port. A mass rally in the citywas cancelled.General Musharraf plans to

lead his party in the May gen-eral election.Meanwhile, 17 soldiers were

killed by a suicide bomber inthe north-west of Pakistanovernight.They were attacked at a secu-rity checkpoint in the tribalregion of North Waziristan,close to the Afghan borderand a known stronghold ofthe Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants.A recent Taliban video threat-ened Musharraf with snipersand suicide bombers.Musharraf moved throughthe aisles of the plane greetingsupporters, shaking hands

and having his photo taken tothe bemusement of regularpassengers.There were chaotic scenes

with journalists scramblingover seats as the journeybecame a mini campaignrally.Musharraf told the BBC he

felt emotional about return-ing to Pakistan, but he said hehad mixed feelings because ofthe risk to himself and his sup-porters.When the plane landed, hissupporters on board cheered

and shouted “Long live PervezMusharraf”.He faces a string of chargesincluding conspiracy to mur-der, but on Friday thePakistani authorities grantedhim protective bail in severaloutstanding cases, freeinghim from immediate arrestonce he sets foot in Pakistan.One of the charges is that hefailed to provide adequatesecurity for opposition leaderBenazir Bhutto after shereturned from exile in 2007.Two deadly explosions, in

which nearly 140 people died,greeted her arrival in Karachion 19 October. She was killedthat December at a rally inRawalpindi.A few hundred supporters

gathered near the airport, tocelebrate his arrival accordingto the BBC’s Orla Guerin.Earlier, the former leader, 69,tweeted a photo of himselfaboard the plane, writing:“Settled in my seat on theplane to begin my journeyhome. Pakistan First!”In Dubai, the smiling generaltold a reporter the event feltlike a wedding party.

Bozize

10 THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

Politics

Diya

There’s difference between clemencyand state pardon, says Diya Former Chief of General Staff(CGS), Gen. Oladipo Diya(Rtd), who was implicated ina phantom coup attempt in1997, was pardoned recently,along with others, byPresident Jonathan, whom,he says he owes a lot ofappreciation, and to millionsof Nigerians, and theAlmighty God, who stood byhim and his colleagues dur-ing their trial. The formerChief of Defence Staff (CDS)spoke to reporters, includingSEYE OLUMIDE, onThursday in Lagos.

DID former Head of State, Gen.Abdulsalami Abubakar grant

you pardon?Some people mix up the meaning

of clemency and state pardon. WhatGen. Abubakar granted us wasclemency, which was different fromthe state pardon President Jonathangranted to the others and me onTuesday, March 2013.

The clemency was the authorityvested in the Head of State to releaseus from our various places of deten-tions. I was released from  thePotiskum Prison. If there were noclemency, the sentence would stillhave been on, which was execution.

Our ranks was not restored neitherour entitlements. If what Abubakargranted us was pardon, immediate-ly we were released from prisons, allpayments due to us would have fol-lowed but that was not done. Evenmy personal security, the one for myfamily and my house would havebeen returned through pardon andnot clemency. I would like to appreciate the role of

the Inspector General of Police, whohas been providing me with policesecurity wherever I go. It is not hisduty to do that but he exercised thatpower through the permission ofthe President.

Do not forget that I am a formerChief of Defence Staff (CDS) and that,by interpretation, is the highest youcan attain professionally in thearmed forces. If you become CDS,

you are like the commander of thearmed forces exercising your powersthrough the president.

Up till now, policemen are stillguarding me and not soldiers; eventhe security meant for my house andmy family, as a former CDS, had notbeen restored but now that a pardonhas been granted, I would not be sur-prised if a former letter is written tome as a former CDS and everythingwill take proper and official shapefrom the very date the letter stipu-lates.Why did you choose to serve undersuch a tyrannical government head-ed by Gen. Sani Abacha?

Permit me to use the word of myfriend, Chief Ebenezer Babatope,who said that he would have regret-ted if he did not serve in that govern-ment. I am also saying that theadministration of Gen. Sani Abachaassembled one of the best cabinetsthat had ever been assembled by anygovernment in this country.

Name any gentle and credible char-

acter that did not participate in thegovernment? Are the likes of formergovernor of Lagos State, Alhaji LateefJakande, Dr. Alex Ibru, Chief OluOnagoruwa, and respected andprominent people from the northernpart of the country and other crediblecharacters?I can never see anybody that will say

it was an error for him to serve in thatcabinet. I do not see anything thatwas wicked and tyrannical in thatgovernment but we are all humanbeings. It got to a point that we looked at the

situation in the country and we hadto make some suggestions but unfor-tunately, our suggestions did not gowell with some people and that waswhy, during my trial, I made thatstatement: “Where is so and so? Oh!This is a conspiracy and I am the tar-get.” I said it openly and I knew what Iwent through that night after thespeech.

Anyway, that experience is now his-tory but I am now referring to the

Oputa Panel Report. Of course, thegovernment did not publish thereport but it was on the Internet andeverybody read it.

I want President Jonathan to imple-ment the recommendations made inthe report. I am saying this for thebenefits of a lot of civilians, who wentthrough torture during the period.The panel listened to everybody thatwas involved and made recommen-dations. I am pleading that the presi-dent should unveil and implement it.

If I may draw a parallel between theOputa Panel and the Truth andReconciliation Commission set up inSouth Africa to look into severalissues relating to what we wentthrough, the South African govern-ment implemented the recommen-dations of the commission and thisreally did a lot to strengthen the rela-tionships among the peoples of thecountry and made them to be peace-ful.

The South African government, onits own, did a lot to appease the peo-ple and this went a long way in stabil-ising the country and putting themon the path of development.It is unfortunate that many civilians

were framed into the 1997 phantomcoup just because of me. Honestly, Ihad never met many of them untilwe got to prison. I never knew manyof the junior officers; they may haveknown me being a senior officer but Inever knew them.

For instance, I never met with thelate Col. Akiode, who died in prisonand yet, he was tried along with mefor alleged coup. All theses issueswere dealt with in the Oputa Panelreport. It was a panel set up with pub-lic funds and it sat for almost threemonths in Abuja, Lagos and severalother places. Why should the reportbe kept unattended to?Do you hold any grudge against thepeople that implicated you in thephantom coup? As a Christian, I don’t. Our Lord Jesus

Christ taught us in the scriptures toforgive those who offended us so thatour Father in heaven can also forgiveus.

I thank God that I am still alive andmy families, too, are alive. Honestly, Idon’t hold anything against anybodybecause if I do, I will not have the freeconscience to continue to thank Godfor saving my life. As a matter of fact, one of the victims

of the phantom coup told me duringour travails that one thing he wassure of was that I would not die. Theperson told me while we were in thedetention that he was sure that I was-n’t going to be executed.

I really want to appreciate PresidentJonathan and all those who stood byus during the period. I want to saythank you to all the people of Nigeriaand those in the international com-munity for the kind of support theygave during the period. I am even told that one of those, who

stood face to face with me during theordeal, is now paralysed and any timeI kneel to pray, I always rememberhim and beg God to forgive him. Inever pray for anybody to be in thatsituation. Now that you have been granted par-don, are you nursing any politicalambition?Of course, no! I do not have any polit-

ical ambition now. I wouldn’t say Iam not into politics because allNigerians, who make observationsabout the situation of developmentin the country, are in a way or theother involved in politics.

If I say I am not in politics, then Iwouldn’t have the right to make com-ments on any issue, but I do notintend to go into partisan politics atleast for now.As a former Chief of Defence Staff,what do you think about the securitysituation in the country?

I am not in the position to assist inthe security situation in the nation.During my time in the army, therewas nothing like Boko Haram; therewas no serious internal threat to oursecurity then. If you ask any infantry soldier today,

he will tell you the basic military tac-tics to deal with an enemy is fire andmovement. you fire the enemy andmove ahead. But now, when you fireand the person that you fire is com-ing towards you and he will not runor bulge, that requires another tacticsentirely.

The type of enemy we are talkingabout is even ready to die; he hasalready wired himself with explosivesand doesn’t care if he explodes andperishes with you.

I believe President Jonathan is put-ting his best together to address thesituation and if he discovers there isneed to change whatever tactics he iscurrently using to address the securi-ty situation, he will definitely do that.The president is in the best positionto decide on what to do.

WHy is the South-South Forum of the Lagos PDPhaving a separate executive in the state?

It is for the purpose of mobilisation of the South-South people in Lagos ahead of the 2015 elections.We inaugurated the executives of each of the sixSouth-South states in Lagos, believing that it willhelp to mobilise our people here.

For instance, an executive representing AkwaIbom would be in a better position to talk to peo-ple from the state, and likewise others. We are actu-

ally trying to mobilise all the South-South indi-genes to join the Lagos PDP.Are you planning to run a parallel executive withthe state PDP?We are not doing anything parallel; we are mere

pressure groups complementing the efforts ofthe executive. We are members of the party, butmost of our people in Lagos voted for the PDPduring the 2011 presidential election because ofPresident Goodluck Jonathan. But when it cameto the governorship, we all saw what happened.

We are trying to mobilise our people so thattheir focus will be entirely on PDP in all electivepositions. Why are the South-South people not represent-ed in the Lagos PDP executive?

We are trying to address that issue. The South-South people constitute 30 per cent of the 70 percent of non-indigenes in the Lagos PDP and yet,

we are not represented in the state executive. Thisis totally unacceptable to us and that is why wecontinue to say internal democracy must reign.In the ACN, an Igbo man is the publicity secretary;

so, why must the PDP continue to push non-indi-genes around? If the Lagos PDP wants us to get toour people, then, we must be represented in theexecutive.Has the issue surrounding the election of theLagos PDP executive been resolved?The Musiliu Obanikoro-led committee was set up

to look into the issues, but it is unfortunate thathe promoted his own interest above the party’sinterest. He was supposed to resolve a problembut he ended up creating more problems. Peopleshould throw away their personal ambition forthe interest of the party.

The national secretariat is setting up anothercommittee to look into the problems and resolve

them, following a letter from the South-Southpeople informing it that there is no peace yet inthe party. They are looking into it.What are the major challenges of PDP in Lagos,being the only state in the Southwest it has neverwon since 1999?

There are moles within the Lagos PDP. Theyappear as PDP in the day and ACN in the night.Until we fish them out, we will continue to haveproblems. I do not know who they are, but weneed to fish them out.

Another thing is that as long as PDP continuesto push non-indigene members around, it willcontinue to have challenges. There is the need tostart to project the interest of non-indigenes inthe Lagos PDP because they are in the majority.PDP has a better chance to take Lagos from theACN in 2015 if the party can work on non-indi-genes.

‘Lagos PDP must integrate non-indigenes to win in 2015’ Chairman of the South-South Forum of theLagos State chapter of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP), Mr. SundayEkanem, told SEYE OLUMIDE that non-indi-genes should be accorded some representa-tion in the party state executive.

• Urges Jonathan to implement Oputa Panel report

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 11

TheMetroSectionTHE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201312

The victim, Peter Unode

THE Delta State Police command hasrescued Major-General Peter Unode(retired) who was abducted by sus-pected kidnappers last Wednesday atEkiugbo Town, along Ughelli/Warri Ex-press road in Ughelli.A combined team of detectives andanti-terrorism squad of the commandrescued him at the weekend.Delta State Commissioner of Police,Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, explained thatthe moment the kidnappers of the 67-year-old retired senior officer calledone of his sons to demand a ransom ofN50million, “we started monitoringthe call with the aid of the serviceproviders and other intelligence re-ports gathered from the scene and wewere able to trace their location to abuilding in Akiwe village, Ozoro inIsoko North Local Government Area,where the retired General was bound,chained to a chair and blindfolded byhis captors.”“The abductors later reduced the sumto N450, 000 and described a place inEkiugbo, where the ransom would bebrought to them. I told the General’sson to play along and he gave them theimpression that he was bringing themoney on Saturday morning. Theywere waiting for the money when my

officers, led by the Divisional PoliceOfficer (DPO) of Ozoro, stormed thebuilding,” Aduba said.The police boss added that the kid-nappers opened fire on sighting thepolice. According to him: “When police-men got to the hideout, the kidnap-pers sighted them and opened fireon them but the hoodlums couldnot match the superior fire power ofthe police operatives who killed oneof them and arrested two others. Thesuspects are currently being interro-gated and they have made usefulstatements. Police has also declareda manhunt for the suspects who es-caped.”Aduba said detectives are currentlycombing surrounding bushes in thearea in search of the suspects who es-caped with bullet wounds.

He has also advised hospitals in thearea to report to the police if anybodywith bullet wounds is brought in fortreatment or risk prosecution, addingthat the command is determined to ridthe state of kidnappers and other crim-inals.He noted that the building, which hasbeen fingered as kidnappers den,would be demolished.Narrating his ordeal, Unode said: “Iwent with one S.O Oyino who deals onbamboo sticks, along the Ughelli/Port-Harcout expressway to see his stock.On getting there, we saw one Toyota Si-enna, parked close to the caravan,where the bamboos were kept.“Then we saw the owner of the Siennaspace bus defecating close to the cara-van and we expressed concern. Weasked him why he was doing thatthere, because we were in company of

BriefsHow we rescued Major General in Ughelli, by police

THE Redeemed ChristianChurch of God (RCCG),Lagos Province 23, Area 3, willhold its Let’s Go a fishing Pro-gramme on Friday, March 29,at Bello-Adeniyi Junction. Me-chanic /Car Wash Open Space,Bello Street, Lagos at 9.00a.m.With the theme: The stone isrolled away, Pastor AmosEmovon and other anointedmen of God will minister.There will be free food andmedical check-up.

another man who wanted to buy 200pieces of bamboo from Oyibo, he wasdiscussing with us. After a while, wesaw Oyibo discussing with the manand as I moved closer, they stoppedthe conversation and the manzoomed off in his Sienna.”He continued: “After few minutes, theSienna resurfaced and two boysemerged from it with pump actionguns and they were saying; na you saymake our oga pack shit? They werethree in the car, but only two came outand that was how I was bundled awaythrough Amekpa.”“After a while, I was blindfolded andwhisked away. As we were going, theysaid I should give them N50 million,otherwise they would waste me. And Itold them I do not have that kind ofmoney and that I am a retired ArmyGeneral.”“They took me to their hideout; a liv-ing environment. People in the areawere speaking Isoko; the boys guidingme were also conversing in Isoko. Iwas hearing the sound of vehicles andmotorcycles; the place was close to abusy road. And from that Wednesdaythat they took me until the police res-cued me, I refused to eat food. I livedon water all through,” he said.He added: “ They later reduced theransom to N20 million, later camedown to N15, N10 and N5 million andthe boys felt insulted when my soncalled them negotiating N450, 000.They were angry and seriously tor-tured me. The mosquitoes were nothelping matters too as they were bit-ing me seriously. The mosquitoes tookadvantage of me because I was prop-erly chained to a chair and helpless.“I was chained on my ankle; my

knees were tied; my hands were tied;my mouth was tied and I was stillunder blindfold. I was subjected to allforms of inhuman treatment.”

RCCG, Province 23, Area 3holds special programme

Banjo

THE monthly meeting of UpUghievwen Elite Club holdson Easter Sunday, March 31,2013 at 2.00p.m. at Mr. HenryKojo’s residence, 1, Henry KojoStreet, Adeba, Ibeju Lekki.A statement by the General-Secretary, Dr. Isaac Makilolo,advised all members to attendas vital resolutions would bemade.

Up Ughievwen EliteClub meets Sunday

IN a rare expression of love for special children, wifeof the Lagos State governor, Emmanuella Fasholaat State House, Marina, hosted the Down SyndromeFoundation Nigeria (DSFN).The event, held at the weekend, was in commemo-ration of this year’s World Down Syndrome Day(WDSD) celebration in Lagos.About 200 children living with the developmentalcondition, their parents and relations were in atten-dance. Others are officials of the foundation, repre-sentatives of NGOs caring for Down syndrome andmembers of the Committee of Wives of Lagos StateOfficials (COWLSO).Fashola, who is also the COWLSO Chairperson, inher address said the gesture was to stay closer tothose that really need her.According to her, “I felt it would be appropriate tohave them around today, feel them and know whatis happening to them in commemoration of thisspecial day. It gives me a sense of living to be in themidst of those that need me,” Fashola said.She noted that the children, though have disabili-

ties, but also possess incredible spirit and show oflove that everyone could emulate.Fashola added that loving the special ones andmeeting their needs are duty that humanity has be-stows on all.Speaking on the theme of WDSD 2013, “I want towork”, Fashola urged all Nigerians to extend handsof love to children with disabilities to enhance theirintegration into the society.In her words, “They are gifted by God and I haveseen that they can do a lot because they have beentrained. We need to welcome them into the society.“Even if we cannot employ them, we can patronisetheir products. I have bought their baked productsseverally and they are really good.”Fashola thanked parents that did not in hopeless-ness and fear of discrimination kept their disablechildren behind closed doors, but gave them theopportunity to develop like any child.President of the foundation, Rose Mordi had ear-lier thanked Fashola and well-meaning Lagosiansfor the support they had given to the foundation inthe last 12 years.

Mordi noted that though she is not a Lagosian, butwhat began as an attempt to raise her last child, bornwith the disability 25 years ago, had been enlargedby Lagosians to bless many children and brought thefoundation international recognitions.The state government has been sponsoring some ofthe children to India for corrective surgery amongother support.The foundation, according to Mordi, has three pro-grammes of early corrective medical intervention,early education and vocational training and processof social integration.Down syndrome is the most common chromo-

some abnormality in humans. It is typically associ-ated with a delay in cognitive ability and physicalgrowth, and a particular set of facial characteristics.WDSD was made official in 2011 by the United Na-tions, to raise awareness for the condition and sup-port for people living with Down syndrome.The commemoration in Lagos also witnessedplaque presentation to Fashola, entertainment bythe children, dining and wining, plus amazing dancesteps by the Down syndrome group.

Fashola celebrates children living with Down SyndromeBy Wole Oyebade

Banjo, 75, passes onARENOWNED educationistand wife of a traditionalruler in Sagamu, Ogun State,Olori Victoria WuraolaOlayinka Banjo (nee Ogunade)has died at the age of 75.Her remains will be taken toSagamu for interment on Fri-day, April 12, 2013, Ogun Stateafter a funeral mass at St. Paul’sCatholic Church, Ebute MettaLagos. Her husband is theOlori’tun of Itun-nla, Oke, OffinSagamu, Ogun State. She is survived by childrenamong whom is the SouthWest Zonal director of LegalAid Council, Mr Samuel Ayo-dele Banjo and grandchildren.

AWORKSHOP on “Manag-ing Advertising MediaComplexity - the WinningWays” holds on Wednesday,March 27 at the SheratonHotel, Lagos.It is organised by ServeWellLtd., a consulting firm on allaspects of marketing com-munications.According to the PrincipalConsultant, Mr. AyoOwoborode, the event is awake-up call to mediahouses and organisations,which deploy advertising asa tool. Participants expected at theworkshop include market-ing managers of mediahouses, advertising agencybrand managers, brand mar-keting managers, as well asregulatory organisationsconcerned with marketingcommunications.Speakers at the event in-clude Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya, anadvertising media expertand Owoborode.

Workshop on AdvertisingMedia holds Wednesday

By Odita Sunday

OSUN State Governor, RaufAregbesola has com-

mended indigenes of Ife andModake for putting their dif-ferences aside and allowingpeace and harmony to prevailin the area.He said the disposition of thepeople in the area to peacefulco-existence has sign-postedmeaningful development, say-ing they are kinsmen whocannot be separated byhuman factor.

Aregbesola who spoke week-end at a book presentation en-titled: “At the City Gatere”held at the Centre for BlackCulture and International Un-derstanding (CBCIU), Osogbonoted the historical factorwhich brought the two com-munities together stressingthat the course of unity, peaceand love must be sustained atall times.Represented by the Commis-sioner for Information andStrategy, Chief Sunday Akere,he said the two communities

have over decades becomeone and cannot be outdoneby any kind of crisis.According to the governor,describing Ife and Modakekeas two communities is to be-labour their differences,whereas, in truth, the twotowns can hardly be sepa-rated.He noted that the rested cri-sis that ravaged the area was atragedy,which should neverbe allowed to rear its uglyhead again.He described the author,

whose root straddles bothcommunities, as a living ex-ample of the unbreakablebonds between Ife andModakeke saying this bondlives on in her being andmind as well as many otherswho share similar root withher.The book chronicles the his-torical link between the com-munities and themisunderstanding,whichlater snowballed into a fullblown communal war inwhich many lives and valu-

able property were lost.Aregbesola added that thebook would help bring aboutunderstanding on issues thatcreated the problem as wellas project how the problemwas managed. He com-mended the author, AbiolaOluyemi for the timing of thebook, which, according tohim, would help enlightenthe people on the effort of hisadministration at promotingpeace, harmony and goodneighbourliness among thepeople.

Osun governor commends peace between Ife, Modakeke peopleFrom Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo

When policemen got to thehideout, the kidnapperssighted them and opened fireon them, but the hoodlumscould not match the superiorfire power of the police opera-tives, who killed one of themand arrested two others

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 METRO 13

Photonews

Photonews

Students of Agidingbi Senior Secondary School, Lagos celebrating World Water Day. With them are: Communications Manager,Nigerian Bottling Company, Yomi Onakoya (left), Vice Principal, Agidingbi Senior Secondary School, Mrs. Gladys Nsaka, IkejaPlant Manager, Dayo Omotosho and Public Affairs Manager (Lagos and West), Ifeoma Okoye, both of Nigerian Bottling Com-pany at the celebration of the United Nations World Water Day in Lagos ...at the weekend

Manager, Tantalizers, Doyin Eqwakide (right) celebrates with one of the 25th customer promotions winners, Mr.Ken Obi at the Satellite Town outlet, Lagos...

Moderator/former Managing Director, Samsung West Africa, Mr. Idorenyen Enang (left); Chief Host and Group Man-aging Director, Verdant Zeal Ltd, Mr. Tunji Olugbodi; Guest Lecturer and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi;Chairman of the Event, Mr. Bola Akingbade; and Keynote Speaker, Mr. Udeme Ufot, during the Verdant Zeal LectureSeries, tagged “Beyond Branding: Building Lasting Values for Nigeria’s Growth" in Lagos… on Friday.

Partner, Tax Advisory and Regulatory Services, Deloitte, Mr. Oluseye Arowolo (left); Partner, Bloomfield Advocate& Solicitors, Mr. Kunle Obebe; and   Managing Partner, Hybrid Solicitors & Consult, Mr. Bimbo Atilola, during theMovexpat Expatriate Management Summit in Lagos...

PHOTO: TOYOSI AJAYI

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

PHOTO:SUNDAY AKINLOLU

AN organization of seniorcitizens of Nigeria, LieberUnity Friendship Foundation(LUF) has called on the Fed-eral Government to create aministry for the elderly. Thiscall was made by Founderand General Secretary of thefoundation, Kelvin Lawrence,at its first quarterly meetingand health check, which tookplace in Surulere, Lagos onSaturday. While addressing the elderlyat the event, Lawrencelamented the plight of seniorcitizens in the country, ask-ing how it could be resolved. He further said that the LUFfoundation had entered theyear 2013 with greater deter-mination to find a lasting so-lution to the social and

economic problems of re-tired Nigerian workers, in-cluding the aged and theelderly in the society. “We are more concernedwith the critical situation,where the cost of living is be-coming unbearable,” he said.Lawrence resolved thatsomething drastic must bedone this year to provide ef-fective relief to the retiredworkers.According to him: “The rateat which the elderly aredying in the society, as a re-sult of inadequate healthcareand poverty, is quite alarm-ing and embarrassing to thecountry.”He lamented the poor atti-tude of political office- hold-ers towards the elderly, whilefurther calling on the FederalGovernment to establish aministry for the elderly to en-

sure better attention forthem. Lawrence explained that LUFwas set up to improve thehealth and economic condi-tions of the elderly, create aforum for interaction amongthem, create a forum for theadvancement of the care ofthe elderly, assist them to en-gage in simple business activ-ities to mitigate the ravagingpoverty as well as mobilize tostop the incessant delays inpayment of the benefits andother entitlements and advo-cates for the right of the eld-erly.“Bear in mind that no mat-ter how strong you may betoday, one day, you willsurely grow old. Also bear inmind that no matter howlong you may wish to work inyour offices, one day you willretire or be retired,” he as-serted.

Foundation tasks govt on creationof ministry for the elderly

AS part of efforts towards reducing maternalmortality among rural women in Edo state,Women’s Health and Action Research Centre,(WHARC) with support from the T.Y DanjumaFoundation has renovated a healthcare centrein the state. The healthcare centre, the Oligie-Ottah Primary Health Centre (PHC) located inOrhionmwon L.G.A of Edo state, also serves thefour communities of Oligie, Ottah, Idumodimand Wire-Ake. Lady Winifred Onyeonwu, Chair-man Board of Trustees, WHARC, who officiatedat the commissioning of the renovated Oligie-Ottah PHC, disclosed that the commitment torenovate the health centre is part of efforts tocompliment the state government in the healthsector and to bring free maternal health serv-ices of the state nearer to the people at the grass-roots.According to her, the Oligie-Ottah PHC whichbefore now was in a state of disrepair with leak-ing roofs, shaky foundation, broken locks andeasily accessed by goats and rodents, now havedoors with locks, a beautiful roof, delivery beds,baby cots and has been freshly painted.

“It is no wonder that this has greatly increasedpatronage of the facility as women who hadhitherto refused to patronise the facility be-cause of fear of it collapsing on them can nowcome to the health centre to receive medicalservices”, she said.The Project Officer of WHARC, Ms. Osasu Aigbo-gun, also explained that upon renovation of thePHC in February this year, “data collected fromthe health centre revealed that there has been adrastic increase in the number of deliveries asonly two deliveries were each recorded in theprevious months while nine deliveries wererecorded in the month of February, after therenovation.”Edo Officer for T.Y Danjuma Foundation,Oluwatomi Ajayi, assured members of the com-munity that more attention would be given interms of efficient rural healthcare deliverythrough provision of well-equipped PrimaryHealth Centres across the state aimed at reduc-ing maternal/child mortality in support withthe Women’s Health and Action Research Cen-tre, (WHARC).

WHARC, T. Y. Danjuma Foundation renovate health centre in Edo

By Adunola Adeniyi and TolulopeOkunlola

Founder, Ile-Adura Mose Orimolade Tunolase Cherubim & Seraphim Church, Baba Aladura Samuel  Ademola Ajakaiye, (mid-dle)  Superintendent Apostle Prophet  Boye  Ajakaiye (right), Chairman, Amuwo Odofin Local Council, Special Apostle AyodeleAdewale during  the church procession to mark this year’s Palm Sunday celebration at FESTAC Town, Lagos… yesterday

A cross-section of Cherubim and Seraphim Church kids, Oke-Olu Street, Iponri Street, Lagos celebrating PalmSunday...yesterday

Editorial

14 THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

The Kano bomb blast LETTERS

Conscience is an open wound; only truth can heal it. Uthman dan Fodio 1754-1816

Pope Francis, servant of truthSIR: With deep joy I offerCardinal Jorge Mario

Bergoglio my warm congrat-ulations and most ferventgood wishes on his electionto the papacy. Jorge MarioBergoglio is a man rich inspiritual passion, humility,self-denial and love for thecause of God and of man. AsPope Francis, he brings to thepapacy a brilliant philosophi-cal, and, in particular, theo-logical mind that hasembraced a vision of broadspiritual and ecclesiasticalhorizons: personal holiness,missionary outreach com-bined with constant concernfor unity, and the necessaryintegration of spiritualityand institutional ministry.

His episcopal motto“Miserando atque eligendo”has strengthened and guidedhim in his tireless anduncompromising efforts

aimed at defending and pro-moting the Catholic faith andits morals against modernerrors in an age in which theCatholic Church has sufferedunprecedented persecutionand martyrdom.

The new pope has alsoworked to encourage studiesaimed at increasing knowl-edge of the faith so that thenew problems arising fromthe progress of science andcivilisation can be answeredin the light of the word ofGod. The aim for which he hasalways strived has been toserve the truth, seek to knowit ever more thoroughly andmake it ever more widelyknown.

May the Lord lavish hischoicest heavenly rewardupon our new Vicar of ChristFrancis 1.• Paul Kokoski,Ontario, Canada.

FOUNDER: ALEX U. IBRU (1945 – 2011)

TSS bombing of five passenger luxury buses a week ago in Kano is a clearescalation of the insecurity in the northern part of the country. It is also to

date, the most dastardly action of the insurgents against peace-loving citizens.No fewer than 70 persons were killed in the blasts, while several others suf-fered various degrees of injury. It is despicable, inhuman, reprehensible andhighly condemnable. For its huge human casualty, and its threat to the con-tinuing existence of the country, the suicide bombing is not one that govern-ment should treat with the usual promise of bringing the perpetrators tobook, while in fact, little is done in furtherance of that promise. There mustnow be a concerted effort by government to secure Nigerians, seek viable waysof ending the orgy of mindless killings, and the spreading instability in thecountry.Reports said a vehicle laden with bombs rammed into the fully-loaded busesat their point of exit from the public park, causing a huge explosion. The buseswere heading to Port Harcourt and Lagos. Incidentally, the bombing came inthe wake of recent optimism by security agencies that the Boko Haram men-ace was being brought under control. During an official visit to Yobe andBorno States, President Jonathan turned down the call for amnesty for the mil-itants, stressing that amnesty could not be granted to ‘ghosts’. It was clearly infurtherance of the renewed confidence in the fight against the group. Aboutthe same time, the Army Chief, Lt. General Ihejirika declared that the declinein the spate of bombing by the militants was as a result of the killing of theprincipal bomb expert in the service of the insurgents. Yet, the Kano masskilling occurred just as the security agencies in the country were reveling insuch self-assessed success. Since then, it has been all quiet from the securityagencies and the government as a whole, even as the incident has rightly pro-voked national outrage. It has also, raised tension in the country, especially inthe south-east from where most of the victims hailed. As condemnation from the government, ethnic nationality organisations andwell-meaning Nigerians trailed the bombing, there is palpable apprehensionthat the violence could lead to a wider conflict which would task the unity ofthe country, if serious steps are not taken urgently to end it. This prospect istoo grim to contemplate in a country that went through a fratricidal civil warin the past, and whose scars remain even today. The possible ramificationshould, therefore, be a cause for serious concern to all Nigerians. It raisesfresh questions as to the motivation of the Islamic militants. Is it the creationof a Sharia state in a multi-ethnic and secular Nigeria? Is the countryenmeshed in a clash of civilizations? Is it political and, therefore, sheer powerstruggle? Politically, the Nigerian state has been accommodative enough. Thecountry is a member of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and itsconstitution provides for Sharia jurisprudence for individuals so desirous ofit. And if it is about power struggle, this is better done through the instru-mentality of democracy, and its procedures are well-laid out in the basic lawsof the country. The point is that there is an urgent need for a proper articula-tion of this particular challenge facing the country, and how to resolve it.It has become clear that the change of the National Security Adviser has notyielded any shift towards resolving the crisis. Indeed, the insurgents seemedto be undaunted by the security forces, despite big votes for security by thegovernment, an amount far above the combined budget for education andhealth. There is now an urgent need for a new institutional measure to handle the

worsening security situation in the country similar to the homeland securityinitiative in the United States after the September 11, 2001 bombing. Allied tothis is the need to isolate the core states of the militants for special securityoperation. The Nigerian army has the capacity to tackle this, but it should bedone not with a mindset that sees the solution to the problem as solely mili-tary. The government’s strategy should be underpinned by the principle of anall-option strategy which permits other engagements with the militants, andwhoever can wield influence over them. Dialogue outside public scrutinyreadily recommends itself. It is to be preferred to the current poor politicalcommunication in which divergent opinions are put on the public domain byseveral government functionaries in ways that are overly contradictory. Sinceit is obvious that there is a religious dimension to the crisis, people with deepand better knowledge of the faith should be enlisted in the dialogue.Amnesty as being canvassed by some people is equally important, but it is dif-ferent from dialogue, and it may come after the latter. The Defence structureof the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) should be enlisted inthe fight against the insurgents, more so as there seems to be both active andsleeping cells across the sub-region. The involvement of the structure willprove invaluable to the fight against the insurgents. Besides, the governmentshould come out with a considered statement on the recent escalation of vio-lence. After all, the security of citizens is what government is all about.

Yes Nigerian movies should inspireSIR: I read with a lot ofexcitement the article writ-

ten by Nzeamaka Richard inThe Guardian of February 28,2013 and I will say kudos tothe man for such a timelyarticle. As he rightly submit-ted (and I am also in congru-ence with him), the Nigerianmovie industry could do bet-ter than they are doing interms of quality, content andoutput. My finding as a scien-tist with lots of analyticalslant is that the movies lackmoral content. Nigerianmovies, all seem to start withfun, enjoyment, and largessand end same way. How doyou explain the case of a 45year-old lady living alone,wielding lots of influence,driving expensive cars andpeddling arms and drugs? Iam most certain that theseacts are what we see in otherclimes far from ours.

One thing these films aresupposed to do is to impactpositively on our youths whoare the future of the society,but they rarely do so. In myinteractions lately withfriends, they see Nigerianmovies as lacking in moralcontent, which is seriouslyneeded now in the characterformation of our youths. Ourchildren, especially the girlswho watch these moviesneed parental guidance todiscern their positive andnegative aspects. The factors that can influ-

ence a child are varied — cur-

rent opinions, movies/films,ideologies and diverse inter-pretations of history.Without the required mentalstability, all these can lead toconfusion. That is why chil-dren should have clear anddeep-rooted ideas to keepthem on the right trackstowards the supreme good.The movies/films are verita-ble instruments for mould-ing currents of opinion andgood criteria in young peo-ple as an objectively bad

action cannot become goodbecause one has the rightintentions. An error will always be an

error even if the one commit-ting it has good intentions.The truth is that, the movieindustry albeit growing eco-nomically and providing themuch-needed jobs for youngpeople could inspire moreon moral grounds than it isdoing at the moment.• Emmanuel Afunwa,Trans Ekulu, Enugu.

TheGuardianConscience, Nurtured by Truth

BUSINESS 15THE GUARDIAN, Monday, , March 25, 2013

BusinessBusiness Interview P54

First Bank emerges best retail bank in NigeriaFOR the second year run-ning, First Bank of NigeriaPlc has emerged the BestRetail Bank in Nigeria for2012.

At an award ceremony,which was organised in con-junction with Asia’s mostprestigious retail bankingevent, the Excellence inRetail Financial Services 2013Awards at Westin Chosun,Seoul in South Korea onThursday, FirstBank beatother contenders in a three-month evaluation process,which was based on a bal-anced and transparent score-card that was used to deter-mine the ranking of variousretail banks in Nigeria.According to Chris Kapfer,

Director of Research of theAsian Banker, the organisersof the event, First Bank waspicked based on its perform-ance as market leader indeposits and retail loanswith a huge lead compared

to its competitor. It is the first financial insti-

tution in Nigeria to cross thefive million mark in issuedpayment cards, the onlybank to issue an ATM card in15 minutes, its wide reachand good financial perform-ance as well as its strongfocus on customer service.“FirstBank has a large cus-

tomer base of six millionpeople and a large marketshare in retail loans anddeposits. The bank grew itsretail loans by over 44 percent in 2012, besides its rev-enue and operating profit.With its wide reach and goodfinancial performance, FirstBank of Nigeria stood strongon our balance scorecard”,he said.FirstBank’s spokesperson

and Head of Marketing andCorporate Communication,Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuneysaid the Bank is relentlesslydeepening its retail domi-

nance with the launch ofinnovative products andservices, tailored to suit thechanging times and evergrowing customer base. “Emerging the ‘Best Retail

Bank in Nigeria’ for 2012 aftera stringent three-monthevaluation process is a clearindication of the effective-ness of our strategy withregards to sustaining busi-ness services and retail finan-cial products which, obvious-ly, has positioned our cus-tomers as first at all times”,she saidThe award ceremony was

witnessed by about 150 sen-ior bankers from 29 coun-tries across the Asia Pacific,the Middle East, Central Asiaand Africa. The award pro-gramme is administered byThe Asian Banker andreferred by prominent glob-al bankers, consultants andacademics. It is regarded asthe most prestigious of itskind in the region.

Careful budget planning critical to socio-economic development

NIGERIA’s external debtstock profile may have

inched up, as the NigerianLiquefied Natural Gas(NLNG) has secured the nodof South Korean Export-Import Bank, for a $360 mil-lion (N56.8 billion) facility,with a maturity of nine andhalf years.

The loan agreement willhowever, be signed tomor-row, according to hintsfrom NLNG. NLNG spokesperson, GloriaIkpene, who confirmed thedevelopment to TheGuardian yesterday, said“the loan is yet to be signed.It is expected to be signed onMarch 26 (tomorrow) andwe have to wait till that datebefore much can be saidabout it.”

A statement from theKorean Export-Import Bankstated that the transactioncomes under the state-owned South Korean bank’sprogramme of providingexport credit and guaranteeto support Koreanexporters.Specifically, the loan was

scripted to part-fund pur-chase of six vessels worth$1.3 billion by NLNG.“Nigeria LNG, gas exporterof the state-owned NigerianNational PetroleumCorporation (NNPC), signeda contract with two SouthKorean shipyards – SamsungHeavy Industries Co. and

Italy in Europe, Turkey,Mexico and the United Statesof America.“In recent times, NLNG car-goes have been delivering tothe Far East, Middle East,South America, and theUnited Kingdom through itsexisting customers, and viaits spot Master FOB agree-ments with several compa-nies. Volumes have gone asfar as Japan, South Korea,Taiwan, China, India,Kuwait, Brazil and Wales.This has positioned the com-pany as a global player in thegas industry”, the statementadded.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Enterprise Bank Limited, Mallam Ahmed Kuru (Middle), with two of the bank’sExecutive Directors, Niyi Adebayo (left) and Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, at a business meeting of the bank in Lagos at theweekend.

NLNG secures$360m loanfrom S’Korea

Hyundai Heavy IndustriesCo. – for six LNG vesselsworth $1.3 billion.”According to the bank,

NLNG appointed GuarantyTrust Bank Plc and France’sBNP Paribas in February, toraise $1.6 billion for the sixLNG carrier ships. A bankingsource said the fund raisingscheme is expected to closeby the end of this month.South Korea’s EXIM bank

also said Korea’s state-runtrade insurance firm-- K-Sureand Korea Finance Corp willprovide an additional $360million loan for the two ben-eficiaries of the NLNG con-tract.In an official statement, theEXIM bank stated the loanswould help Koreanexporters win more deals inAfrica.NLNG stated in its 2013 factsand figures that it currentlymanages 16 long term LNGSales Purchase Agreements(SPAs) executed with 11 buy-ers on a Delivered Ex-Ship(DES) basis. It added that these buyers

include Enel, Repsol GasNatural LNG (Stream), Botas,GDF Suez, GALP GN, BG LNG,Endesa, ENI, Iberdrola, ShellWestern LNG BV and TotalGas and Power Limited.“The long term LNG buyerstake delivery of their vol-umes in receiving facilitiesspread across the AtlanticBasin in countries such asSpain, France, Portugal and

By Roseline Okere

BUSINESS THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201316

IHS to build, leaseback 1000 towers in Nigeria, Ghana, othersdisclosed that it is in talks witha couple of African operators,to build and leaseback 1,000towers.IHS said with the incidences

of outsourced networks now

on the rise and as telecom-munications companiesfocus more on their corecompetences with substan-tial tower-roll outs, it will bethere to provide the infra-structure needed for them tomake their services availableto this large and growingmarket.

With Nigeria already get-ting covered in its tower rollouts for operators, the inde-pendent tower infrastruc-ture company informed thatGhana and Sudan are com-ing on stream.

Speaking at the fourthyearly general meeting atthe weekend in Lagos, theVice Chairman and GroupChief Executive Officer ofIHS, Issam Darwish said oneof the roles of the company isto provide an environmentin which operators canachieve their objectives in acost-efficient manner, stress-ing that as the companyexpands into other African

countries, best practices arebeing deployed to ensure itretain synergy, similarity ofoperations and quality ofservice, irrespective of theenvironment or country.

Darwish, who said medi-um to short-term goals ofthe company lie in the areaof its use of renewable ener-gy, noted that to maintain itsposition as leader in theNigerian market, IHS willcontinue its expansion drivethrough the managing,building and acquiring ofadditional towers, while nur-turing tactical partnershipswithin and outside the coun-try.

“Electricity from Nationalgrids have been backed upby battery systems anddiesel generators, however,with costs of maintainingthese systems on the rise andthe overall fall in the pricesof solar and wind assistedpower systems, we canexpect to see increasingnumbers of towers and sitesconverted to run renewableenergy systems”, Darwishstated.

Darwish said finding acleaner alternative and a lesscost prohibitive source ofpower has remained a prior-ity for the company, “withsignificant in-roafs madethus far and with our laid-down policy on the reduc-tion of carbon emissions, theuse of renewable energy isnow a workable course of

action and a reality.“Within the year under

review, IHS has test-run ahybrid solution with encour-aging results and it is expect-ed that coupled with othermodifications, savings canbe made for both IHS and itsclients, while improving onthe impact of operations onthe environment.”

The Group CEO projectedthat as data services becomethe next frontier of growthin the telecoms sector, thecompany expects to a corre-lating rise in the use ofnewer technologies such as3G and 4G networks, whichwill translate to more usersand new segments for whichinfrastructure will berequired.

To the Chairman, MallamBashir Ahmad El-Rufai, withthe telecommunicationsindustry continuing with itsgrowth and contributions tothe GDP rapidly at about32.83 per cent in 2012, theexpansion opportunities arestill available in the market,declining ARPU, shrinkingcapital expenditure budgetand intensive regulatorypush for improved servicequality have made infra-structure sharing and collo-cation in particular, themost viable cost manage-ment initiative for networkoperators.

To capitalize on the oppor-tunities, Ahmad El-Rufai saidIHS raised N19.62 billion dur-

ing the last financial yearthrough the issuance of 7.6billion preference sharesand more than doubledtower assets, partly attribut-able to the acquisition ofover 400 sites from Visafone.“The share issue brought to

IHS some of the most presti-gious institutional investorsin Africa, including theInternational FinanceCorporation (IFC), EmergingCapital Partners (ECP),Investec and FMO”, he stated.

While the revenue grew byonly 2.3 per cent, theChairman explained that thecomposition of revenueschanged significantly andhas set the company for solidgrowth, stressing that thecompany recorded aturnover of N15.2 billion,with Earnings before inter-est, tax depreciation andamortization (EBITDA) roseby 5.3 per cent to N1.5 billiondue largely to growth in col-location, which was thehighest margin product line.

Ahmad El-Rufai disclosedthat mainly as a result ofrecent preference sharesissued, shareholders’ fundshave risen to N252 billionfrom N8.5 billion in the pre-ceding year. “In affirmationof the special focus on collo-cation, the companyincreased purchase of fixedassets to N18.1 billion, anincrease of 236 per cent overthe preceding year”, headded.

Financial sector sustains bullish profile on the ExchangeBy Bukky Olajide

By Adeyemi Adepetun

IN its medium to long-termagenda for its next fiscal year,

telecommunications infra-structure provider, IHS Plc has

ATURNOVER of 1.561 billionshares worth N16.636 bil-

lion in 25,255 deals weretransacted last week on thefloor of The Exchange in con-trast to 2.550 billion sharesvalued at N21.694 billion thatexchanged hands in the pre-vious week in 29,335 deals. The financial services sectoraccounted for 1.211 billionshares valued at N11.312 bil-lion exchanged handsinvestors in 15,414 deals.

Specifically, the bankingsub-sector was the most

active during the week(measured by turnover vol-ume) with 921.900 millionshares worth N9.471 billionexchanged by investors in10,723 deals. Volume in the banking sub-sector’s transactions waslargely driven by activitiesin the shares of Access BankPlc, UBA Plc and GuarantyTrust Bank Plc. Trading inthe shares of the threebanks accounted for 453.380million shares, representing49.18 percent of theturnover volume recordedby the subsector for theweek.

Also traded during theweek were 192 units ofNewGold Exchange TradedFunds (ETFs) valued atN476.541 million executedin 4 deals compared with atotal of 577 units valued atN1.405 million transactedlast week in seven deals.Besides, 1,700 units of FGN

bonds valued at N1.992 mil-lion were traded during theweek in 18 deals in contrastto 2,020 units valued atN2.422 million transactedlast week in 20 deals

On index movement, theNSE All-Share Index appreci-ated by 556.80 points or 1.69percent to close on Friday at33.506.88 while the marketcapitalization of the listedequities on the mainboardincreased to N10.722 trillion. Also, the Bloomberg NSE 30

Index appreciated by 18.88points or 1.20 percent toclose at 1,597.35.For NSE Lotus II, it appreci-

ated by 77.58 points or 3.68percent to close at2,184.34,while the BloombergNSE consumer goods,Bloomberg NSE banking,Bloomberg NSE Insurance,and Bloomberg NSE Oil/Gasdepreciated by 0.94 per cent1.32 per cent 0.86 per centand 1.36 per cent respective-ly.

Summary of transactionsshowed that 22 equitiesappreciated in price duringthe week lower than 41 equi-ties of the preceding week.45 equities depreciated inprice higher than 37 equitiesof the preceding week. 130equities remained constantduring the week in contrastto 119 equities of the preced-

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 17

BUSINESS THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201318

Multi-Trex partners CRINon cocoa output,standardisation

AS part of efforts to enablethe nation to meet the2020 deadline of countrieswithin the European Unionon the quality and certifica-tion of cocoa exports fromNigeria, Multi-Trex IntegratedFoods Plc and the CocoaResearch Institute of Nigeria(CRIN) have signed a pact toachieve the objective. The Memorandum of

Understanding between thetwo organisations, would seethe firms developing cocoaseed gardens for hybridcocoa, in order to aid produc-tivity and effective standardis-ation of the crop.Speaking at the signing of theMOU and distribution of farmequipment to farmersthrough its CocoaDevelopment Initiative,Managing Director of Multi-Trex Integrated Foods Plc,Dimeji Owofemi, explainedthat the move became neces-sary in order to ensure thatNigeria’s yields on cocoaimproved and met interna-tional standards.According to him, if the qual-ity of cocoa yields was notimproved, Nigeria’s cocoaindustry might lose its attrac-tiveness among its buyers, asonly certified cocoa would beaccepted for purchase global-ly from 2012.Already, it is believed thatmany of the farms are main-taining old tired trees onsmallholder plantations, thusnecessitating the need to con-solidate and help farmers getaccess to better techniquesand improved finance.Owofemi said: “As early as1999, we established a sizeablecocoa plantation, whichtoday serves as a crucialsource of high qualityseedling for supply to farmersto boost production. Multi-Trex also developed key initia-tives geared towards furtherboosting production of highquality cocoa beans inNigeria. These initiatives arebeing implemented in collab-oration with relevant govern-ment agencies and interna-tional organisations such asWorld Cocoa Foundation,USAID-MARKETS, CocoaResearch Institute of Nigeria,among others.“Over the years seedlings

were being distributed tofarmers with little or no effect.We decided to undergo theseed garden process, whichwould see the realisation of anew gestation period of 18months for cocoa comparedto the four years where farm-ers have to wait for yields.“This programme is believedwould aid sustainable farm-ing and bridge unemploy-ment gaps as some of the seedgardens acquired in Afonja,Oyo State and Ogun State,would be ceded to farmers inthe long term.”Executive Director, CRIN,

Prof. Malachy Akoroda com-mended the firm for the ini-tiative noting that the MOUwould deepen the firm’s rela-tionship with CRIN and aidedthe development of seed gar-dens, quality cocoa productsand increased productivity.He, however, urged the farm-ers present, to use the equip-ment donated by the firm toadd value to their cocoa pro-duce.

Group Head, CocoaDevelopment Initiative, Multi-Trex, Dipo Sofoworaexplained that the initiativefocused on efforts to ensurethat farmers got adequate

By Femi Adekoya

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 19

BUSINESS THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201320

Fidelity Bank winsAfrican oil, gas dealof the year award

THE Project FinanceMagazine, a publication of

the Euromoney Plc, UK hasadjudged Fidelity Bank Plcthe winner of The African Oil& Gas Deal of the Year 2012.

The award recognisesachievement and excellencein getting projects built,bought or refinanced. Fidelityalongside GTBank, DiamondBank, Zenith Bank and otherinternational banks and legalfirms won the award with the$1.5 billion syndicated financ-ing for the 2012 DrillingProgramme of the NigerianNational PetroleumCorporation/ExxonMobilJoint Venture through theirSpecial Purpose Vehicle RDPFunding Limited.This, the organisers said, wasthe most interesting financ-ing to emerge not only fromNigeria but also from theAfrican upstream sector. “The$1.5billion deal builds on theJVs earlier receivables-baseddeals, including the $600 mil-lion satellite field financing,which closed in 2005 andbacked the development oflive specified fields, and the$1.42NGLII refinancing whichclosed in January 2011.”

Whereas the satellite andNGLII financings related todiscrete assets and will bering fenced from the latestdeal, the 2012 drilling pro-gramme financing isdesigned to back a more gen-eral programme of drilling atall the four oil mining leasesthat it owns. “All of thesedeals demonstrated thatthere was healthy bankappetite for uncovered com-mitments to the joint venturegiven the operational histo-ry,” Project Finance said.

Receiving the award,Managing Director/ChiefExecutive Officer, FidelityBank Plc, Reginald Ihejiahi,said that the award furtherdemonstrated the bank’scommitment to the develop-ment of the Nigerian econo-my. Ihejiahi, who was repre-sented by the GeneralManager, Operations, SamObijiaku, specifically notedthat Fidelity Bank hadenhanced market competi-tiveness through improvedinfrastructure, quality servicedelivery system andincreased nationwide spread.He explained that FidelityBank had garnered a greatdeal of experience from itspast involvements in oil andgas contract finance andpromised to deploy thiswealth of experience in thedevelopment of the localeconomy.The Project Finance Awards,

started 14 years ago, are forinnovation, deal repeatabili-ty, best practice, problemsolving, risk mitigation, valuefor money and speed of deliv-ery in the financing of largeand small infrastructure proj-ects. The organisers identifythe deals that serve as bench-mark in their respective mar-kets, in their terms, pricing orin introducing lenders tonew asset types.Other winners from other

countries includedDevelopment Bank of SouthAfrica for the funding of theR4 billion 50MW concentrat-ing solar power plant locatedin Northern Cape province,South Africa, StandardChartered Bank for financingthe $2 billion Deep miningexpansion to Zambian cop-per mine and Lloyds whichwon the European IPP Deal ofthe Year 2012 Award for the $1billion 884.6MW gas-firedproject located nearManchester, UK.

Chief Executive Officer, Best Man Games Limited, Mrs. Nimi Akinkugbe (left), General Manager, Institutional Investment and Corporate Finance, Kakawa Discount House, Mrs. Abimbola Wright;Country Representative, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Ms. Sarata Kone; and Executive Director, Junior Achievement Nigeria, Mrs. Kunbi Wuraola, during JuniorAchievement Nigeria’s 2013 Financial Literacy Day Dialogue, entitled ‘More than Money’, held in Lagos.

BUSINESS 21

S’Africa to boost trade ties with Nigeria, as Multichoice invests in content development

THE South Africa’s Consul-General, Ambassador

Mokgethi Monaisa haspledged South Africa’s com-mitment towards enhancingcooperation between the busi-ness communities of the twocountries, to achieveincreased trade and invest-ment.

Speaking at the NigerianSouth-African Chamber ofCommerce Breakfast pro-gramme in Lagos recently,Monaisa described Nigerianenvironment as a vibrant onethat gives opportunities toattract Foreign DirectInvestments (FDIs) into thecountry.

He said that there had beenan increase in the number ofSouth African multinationalsoperating in the Nigeria mar-ket, with over 100 SouthAfrican companies now doingbusiness in Nigeria.

He urged  Nigeria  to exploreopportunities created by thevolume of trade and invest-

ment that kept risingbetween Nigeria and SouthAfrica.Monaisa noted that the trade

relations between SouthAfrica and Nigeria endorsedthe evident need for bothcountries to foster closer eco-nomic co-operation and tothat effect, a need forimproved trade relations.

He added that Nigeria repre-sents a significant export mar-ket for South African goods inWest Africa.

“Nigeria is a vibrant societythat graps opportunities todo business. It is rated themost popular and largestmarket with an advantageover some other Africancountries. There exists oppor-tunities which could be ofbenefit to both Nigeria andSouth Africa that remainunder-exploited and there isneed for it to be explored, spe-cially in the areas of trade andinvestment, as well as in thearea of exchange of technicalexpertise,” he said.

The Managing Director of

Multichoice Nigeria, JohnUgbe, at the occasionannounced that as part of thecompany’s commitment toenhance Nigerian industrialsector growth, it had investedover $94 million in NigerianContent Development in thepast seven years.

The company, which is cele-brating its 20 years of invest-ing in Nigeria, according toUgbe also invested over $30million in mobile technology.

Ugbe said that the companywas committed to partnerwith local entrepreneurs, gov-ernments and broadcastersin Africa to bolster the econo-my while maintaining thehighest levels of service andproduct, even as it continuedto tailor its operations to suitlocal needs.

He, however, identified theparlous state of infrastructureas major challenges facingNigerian entrepreneurs, not-ing that if government wouldput measures in place to tack-le the problem, it would facili-tate rapid economic growth.

He described Nigerian busi-ness environment as a toughbut dynamic one, noting thatwith current trend in innova-tions, Nigerian, as an emerg-ing market “is a place to be.”

“Nigeria business environ-ment is a dynamic market,tough and challenging but anexciting market. It is a marketthat drives innovation, if youdon’t have innovative skills;you are out of the way. Wewant to continue to investhere but if we have infrastruc-ture, it would facilitate busi-ness growth,” he said.

“We have invested over $12million (N2 billion) in acquir-ing new Abuja office, with car-riage of five local TV stationsat no cost to the operators.Provided CSI, launch MRCs in234 schools at cost of $ 2 mil-lion (N320 million) andaudio-visual learning for over50,000 students in 24 states,”he said.“We have over 700 staff mem-bers employed. Operates outof eleven offices nationwide.Also we provide services

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

through 54 dealers operatingvia 110 offices nationwide andprovide employment to over5000 Nigerians (staff, dealers,

By Helen Oji retailers, production cast &crew) both direct & indirect,”he added.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201322

BUSINESSTHE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 23

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201324

InvestmentWatchPublished in association with

Free On-Line Securities Trading PlatformINTRODUCTION

INVESTMENTfund basically refers to a pool of funds,but our focus in this edition of INVESTMENT ONEeducation series is to highlight the features, typesand benefits of some investment funds and howinvestors can use the available platform to invest inthe Nigerian capital market.Investment FundsInvestment funds are investment vehicles createdfor the principal objective of collecting assets andresources from investors and channeling thoseresources and assets into a portfolio of financialinstruments such as stocks, bonds and other marketsecurities. An investment fund is a vehicle that allowsa number of separate and unrelated investors, agroup of individuals or companies, to make invest-ments together.Investment funds are often set up to offer small retailinvestors the chance to have their investments man-aged by professionals via a diversified basket of invest-ment vehicles and instrument at an affordable cost.It also offers wealthy individuals who may for sever-al reasons which will be discussed later; choose todeploy their investment into a fund to be managed.By pooling their capital, investors can share costs andbenefit from the advantages of investing largeramounts, including the possibility of achieving abroader diversification among a number of differ-ent assets and thus spreading their risks. There aremany possible arrangements in the way an invest-ment fund can be set up and operated, generallydepending on the needs of the fund’s investors.Features of Investment Funds• DiversificationIn order to reduce the risk, fund’s assets are allocat-ed to different investment types. Fund’s assets maybe distributed in investments in various securities,economic sectors, countries, regions and by othercriteria, in this way reducing the influence and pro-tecting investors from the collapse of any single classof investment or company.• Professional managementFunds have skilled and competent full-time profes-sional managers who research and spot suitableinvestment opportunities. The time, effort andexpertise they devote to investments far exceed thoseaffordable to a single investor and this ensures thatthe portfolio is managed efficiently.• Taxes in accordance with the Personal Income Tax Law, theyield of private individuals from transactions ininvestment fund certificates are not subject to theindividual income tax; and investment funds are notlegal entities, which means that no income tax isapplied on them• Cost efficiencySince funds manage a large number of investments,the trading and research costs are spread amonginvestments.• High liquidityInvestments in investment funds (open-end funds)can be made every day, and the invested assets canbe obtained within just few days, depending on thefund. • Access to investment platformThese funds offer investment platforms withoutrequiring a lot of money to enjoy profits from dynam-ics of securities markets. A small investor has accessto practically any securities market worldwidethrough making an investment in a respective fund.TYPES OF INVESTMENT FUNDS• Mutual FundsA mutual fund is a type of professionally managed

fund consisting of stocks and/ or bond. It is also knownas a collective investment scheme. Money is pooledfrom many investors to purchase securities. Under thescheme, the assets of the fund are held in trust by atrustee on behalf of the investors. The assets are man-aged by a fund manager. Investors have a right to sharein the assets of the scheme proportionate to the num-ber of units they hold in the scheme. Mutual funds areregulated by law and available to the public.Types of Mutual Funds- Open-end fundsOpen-end funds are the most common type of mutu-al fund and they are readily available through sever-al investment firms in Nigeria. Most open-end fundsalso sell units to the public every business day on thesecondary market on the Nigerian Stock Exchange(NSE); these units are also priced at net asset value. Aprofessional investment manager oversees the port-folio, buying and selling securities as appropriate.- Closed-end FundsClosed-end funds have been declining in popularitybecause investors who no longer wish to invest in the fund cannot selltheir units back to the fund (as with an open- end fund). They mustfind another investor in the market willing to buy their units fromthem. The funds generally issue units to the public only once throughinitial public offering and they are managed by professional invest-ment managers.• Index Funds An index fund is made up of a collective investmentscheme (usually a mutual fund, or exchange-tradedfund) that aims to replicate the movements of an indexof a specific financial market (i.e. Nigerian StockExchange’s ASI, New York Stock Exchange’s S&P 500),or a set of rules of ownership that are held constant,regardless of market conditions.An index tracker is designed to beat market returnsby holding all of the securities in the index, in the sameproportions as the index. Other methods include sta-tistically sampling the market and holding "represen-tative" securities.Among its prominent features, index fund is said toprovide broad market exposure as it covers a compre-hensive segment of the market, is simple and easierfor investors to follow and understand, low operat-ing expenses due to less transaction cost and cost ofsales.• Balanced Funds A balanced fund combines a stock component, a bondcomponent and sometimes, a money market compo-nent in a single portfolio. The objective of these fundsis to provide a balanced mixture of safety, income andcapital appreciation. The strategy of balanced fundsis to invest in a combination of fixed income and equi-ties. A typical balanced fund might have a weightingof 60% equity and 40% fixed income. The weightingmight also be restricted to a specified maximum orminimum for each asset class. Several investmentcompanies are currently offering this type of funds inNigeria.The fund is suitable for investors who desire to enjoya balanced exposure of their investment to both longterm growth and income producing assets, with min-imal exposure to capital erosion. It is very liquid, read-ily available and can be purchased and sold on all busi-

ness days on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.• Bond FundsBond funds describe a type of investment that investsprimarily in bonds or other types of debt securities.Depending on its investment objectives and policies,a bond fund may concentrate its investments in a par-ticular type of bond or debt security such as govern-ment bonds, treasury bills, corporate bonds,Eurobonds, bankers acceptance, commercial papersor a mixture of types. The securities that bond fundshold will vary in terms of risk, return, duration, volatil-ity and other features. All bonds are subject to two market risks: the risk ofindividual default on a bond, and interest rate risk.Bond funds have no identifiable maturity date andtend to be extremely liquid. This means that a marketto purchase the fund back from the investor almostalways exists. Investors can purchase bond fundsthrough banks, brokers, fund managers, or even pen-sion and retirement plans and pay annual manage-ment fees. Bond fund are currently being offered by afew investment fund managers in the Nigerian mar-ket.• Unit Investment Trusts FundsUnit investment trusts or UITs issue shares to the

public only once, when they are created. Investors can redeem shares directly

with the fund (as with an open-end fund) or they may also be able to sell their

shares in the market. Unit investment trusts do not have a professional

investment manager. Their portfolio of securities isestablished at the creation of the UIT and does notchange. UITs generally have a limited life span, estab-lished at creation.• Exchange-Traded FundsA relatively recent innovation, ETFs combine charac-teristics of both closed-end funds and open-end funds.Like closed-end funds, ETFs are traded throughout theday on a stock exchange at a price determined by themarket. To keep the market price close to net asset val-ue, ETFs issue and redeem large blocks of their shareswith institutional investors. The exchange traded fundis often structured as an open-end investment compa-ny. ETFs have been gaining popularity around theworld and the Nigerian Stock Exchange recentlylaunched a gold denominated ETF product in partner-ship with New Gold Issuer Ltd, a special purpose com-pany registered in South Africa. • Money Market Funds The money market consists of short-term debt instru-ments, mostly Treasury bills. This is a safer place toinvest. The returns are low compared to other invest-ment funds such as equity funds, but there is less riskof losing principal invested. A typical return is twicethe amount you would earn in a regular checking/sav-ings account and a little less than the average certifi-cate of deposit (CD).• Hedge FundsA hedge fund is an investment fund that aggressivelymanages portfolio of investments using advancedinvestment strategies such as including selling short,leverage, program trading, swaps, arbitrage, and deriv-atives in both domestic and international marketswith the goal of generating high returns.Hedge funds are usually used by wealthy individualsand institutions (they are not sold to the public or retailinvestors). Hedge funds use aggressive strategies thatmay be unavailable to mutual funds. Hedge funds are

Employees of INVESTMENT ONEand its subsidiaries, or any sponsor(s) of the contest, their respective advertising and promotion agencies, their parent, subsidiary and affiliated compa-nies, as well as members of their immediate families and households (including children, spouses and siblings and/or persons living in the same households as such persons, whether

related or not) are not eligible for participation.Join us next week Monday to learn more on how you can invest in capital market instruments to help you achieve your investment goals.

Kindly let us know if you have found this article useful. Please contact us at: enquiries@investment-one.com.You can download related articles on INVESTMENT ONEeducation series at www.investment-one.com.

exempt from many of the rules and regulations gov-erning other mutual funds, which allows them toaccomplish aggressive investing goals. They are typi-cally open-ended, meaning that investors can investand withdraw money at regular, specified intervals.Some offshore fund managers provide access to hedgefunds.• Equity FundsAn equity fund is an open or closed-end fund that

invests primarily in stocks, allowing investors to buyinto the fund and thus buy a basket of stocks moreeasily than they could purchase on their own.Generally, the investment objective of this class offunds is long-term capital growth with some income.There are literally thousands of equity funds out thereand each has unique characteristics. One of the greatest advantages of equity funds isinstant diversification. Also, it is usually easier and lessexpensive to invest in equity funds than to buy eachand every stock in a fund's portfolio. Equity funds arealso cheaper; they are a way to avoid the often highertransaction costs and lower liquidity associated withtrading individual stocks.Criteria for Accessing Investment Funds ManagersBefore entrusting your money to an investment fundmanager or buying units of the funds, investors mustcritically analyze the following indices:- Investment objectiveAn investor must set parameters defining what invest-ment objective is being sought, such as; is the fundfor a specific project or event? Is it for short or longterm? Is it income - or safety of fund drive. By clearlydefining these questions, an investor will be betterguided in selecting investment funds.- Risk appetiteIn view of the fact that an investor risk appetite is

often dependent on age, position in life and othervariables that are not common to all individuals, thereis a need to consider in one’s risk profile when choos-ing investment funds. Some funds are deliberatelyaggressive, investing more for equities, in the hopeof higher returns, but by that fact, more risky than,say, a bond funds. - The Fund Manager ProfileA thorough research on the profile of the investmentfund manager is a prerequisite for any investor whodesires to deal with only approved fund and licensedfund managers, and this can easily be obtained fromthe Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A backup to SEC listing is to search out fund managing com-panies with integrity and competence backed bygood corporate governance and due process history. - The Fund's track recordIt is important to benchmark the performance of a

fund with other funds in the market as well reviewthe financial statement, literature and brochure mate-rials to have an insight on the fund’s overall perform-ance.- Fee StructureBecause some investment funds charge more than

one cost line, it is important for an investor to have allthe cost lines spelt out, read and understood beforecommitting to invest in a fund.- Operating ModalitiesInvestors must ask to know the details of how an

investment operates so as to avert unnecessary diffi-culties that may arise in future.The above list of investment funds is not exhaustive,but has been highlighted based on their availabilityin the Nigerian capital market. The choice thereforeremains that of the investor and his ability to sift outthe essential information requisite for making wellinformed investments decisions.

Virtual Investment Simulator

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 25BUSINESS

26

InsuranceTHE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

Pensions regulators to capture informal sectors in CPS

DETERMINED to bring thebenefits of the new

Pension Reform Act 2004 tothe informal sectors, theNational PensionCommission (PenCom) andPension Operators of Nigeria(PenOp) are closely workingtogether to bring the infor-mal sectors of the economy tojoin the contributory pensionscheme (CPS).Industry sources disclosed

that the commission was cur-rently working on the reviewof guidelines that would gov-ern the inclusion of this sec-tor of the economy into thescheme.He said that although the

pension system as we have itwas still largely geared

towards ensuring peacefulretirement for people in theformal sector of the econo-my, but the regulatorsrealised that the informal sec-tors was by far larger than theformal sector, hence the needto bring the retirement sav-ings account to the sector.According to him, the new

pension system was built onaccountability and trans-parency, quite unlike the olddefined benefit schemewhere you hear of disappear-ing pension funds, longqueues of elderly peoplewaiting for pension pay-ments, but under the CPS, theclients had access to theirretirement savings accounts(RSA) and they could alsomonitor the contributions

and growth of their pensionsover the period of their activeyears of service.The chief executive officer ofStanbic IBTC PensionManagers Limited, Dr.Demola Sogunle, one of theleading pension fund admin-istrators, speaking recentlyon the uniqueness of the newCPS said: “We are transparentin every aspect of our busi-ness with transaction notifi-cations on all contributions,quarterly statements andwith our quarterly pensionnotes and newsletters, wemake it easy for our cus-tomers to understand every-thing that affects theiraccounts with us as we posi-tion ourselves to be thenation’s foremost pension

solution providers of thewidest customer accessibilitywith over 210 branchesnationwide, our uniquenessis also reflected in the safetyof funds under our manage-ment, a high degree of liquid-ity in our assets, reasonableinvestment return over medi-um, long term and a robustrisk management frame-work.”He said: “For the past eight

years, the industry under thePension Reform Act of 2004,has flourished and grownremarkably. Stanbic IBTCPension Managers as a com-pany, promptly and consis-tently pays over 25,000retirees on a monthly basisand this number keeps grow-ing steadily.

Chairman, Technical Committee, Mutual Benefits Assurance plc, Dr. Moses Ajaja; Group Managing Director of the company Mr Akin Ogunbiyi, vice chairman,Mr. Akin Opeodu, and Chief Yemi Soladoye, Manathrging Director, Risk-Guard Africa Limited and consultant to the company, during a meeting with journestsheld in Lagos recenty

NAICOM tasks stakeholders on risingindustry management expensesTHE alarming increase in

management expensesreported in the financialreports of insurance compa-nies may be giving theNational InsuranceCommission (NAICOM) seri-ous concern, as the regula-tors are taking measures tocorrect the anomalies in theindustry.

To check this trend, thecommission enjoined share-holders to scrutinise finan-cial reports closely at theyearly general meeting anddemand explanations fromthe boards in the interest ofinvestors.

In a one-day workshoporganised by the commis-sion for Executives ofShareholders’ Association

and Independent Directorsof Insurance Companiesheld in Lagos, the forumidentified that 80 per cent ofthe premium generated inthe industry are expendedon management expenses,the highest in the continent.

The workshop with thetheme: “Improving invest-ment attractiveness of theNigerian insurance indus-try”, speakers chargedshareholders to insist onaccountability and trans-parency in the managementof insurance entities.Besides, shareholders elect-ed into the audit committeeshould be men and womenof integrity and knowledge-able in financial issues to beable to detect some of theanomalies in the system.

The fora identified that thatwas one of the major factorsthat tend to weaken thefinancial stability of theinsurance companies,adding in most other coun-tries, management costrange between 25 to 30 percent, but in Nigeria it costsabout 80 per cent of the year-ly premium volume to gen-erate businesses.Management expenses in

the industry The Guardianlearnt included – commis-sions, overriding commis-sions, wages, business pro-curement expenses, as wellas gifts to staff in the officesof both the insured andsome broking firms, alongwith other hidden commis-sions converted in theprocess by insurers own

staff. The Director, Supervision

(NAICOM), Mr. NicholasOpara, in his paper“Corporate Governance andFinancial Reporting Issues”said that in the insuranceindustry, we have casewhere certain extraneousincome that were not sup-posed to be included in theaccounts were reported inthe accounts.He said: “There are cases wehave, showing certain extra-neous figures that arebrought into the accountsthat should not be there.Why is it that insurance com-panies are not striving toincrease production in avery large market withuntapped opportunities,rather they use rate under-

cutting to undo themselves.For instance, in 2009 gov-ernment projected aboutN26 billion, for insurance,premium for group life, atthe end of the day, due torate cutting and infightingamong themselves, insur-ance companies did not getup to one-third of the pro-jected amount. You discoverthat while production isshrinking, our underwrit-ing expenses are growing. Itis a fact that if you priceinsurance products verywell, your premium is sup-posed to take care of claimsexpenses, underwritingexpenses and still leavegood profit for you.”

However, DeputyCommissioner forInsurance (Technical),Mallam Ibrahim Hassan, inhis remarks said that thecommission had also facili-tated through the adoptionof the InternationalFinancial ReportingStandards (IFRS), improve-ments in financial reportingpractices in the insuranceindustry in line with inter-

national best practices. Thisshould be able to attract for-eign investment to theinsurance sector.According to him, we also

directed that all infractionsshould be well reported inthe annual accounts of com-panies. This was for you toraise questions during annu-al general meetings, becauseit is what should come toyou as dividend that is beingused to pay fines for avoid-able offences.

He said: “We would alsowant you to be mindful ofreported operating expens-es in the books of the compa-nies. A situation where hugeproportion of premiumincome ends up as operat-ing expenses is not veryhealthy. “Our business here, there-

fore, is to apprise you on thevarious initiatives the com-mission has taken to makethe industry attractive toinvestors both local and for-eign in order to enlist ourinvolvement in our efforts totransform the insuranceindustry.”

Mutual Benefits targets 22,000new jobs in industryTO flag-off the retail insur-

ance distribution asgrowth strategy in the insur-ance industry, MutualBenefits Assurance Plc is tocrate 22,000 new jobs in linewith the manpower need forthe insurance industry by2015. Coming under the Market

Development andRestructuring Initiatives(MDRI), the company hasalso set aside N1 billion asproject seed fund for prod-ucts, product distributionand customer service.Group Managing Director ofthe company, Akin Ogunbiyi,speaking at an interactivesession with journalists inLagos, explained that theMDRI was a business modeland road map in consonancewith the Mutual Benefitsbusiness objectives, as thecompany believed in thebeauty of possibilities.According to him, insuranceanywhere in the world espe-cially in developed countriesof the world were actuallytools for wealth creation, andthere was really no growth ordevelopment that couldactually come unless theinsurance industry wasstrong, reliable and was ableto play the role as majormover of the economy.

Besides, he said that theNigerian economy was a renteconomy where everythingdepended on the federal gov-ernment, everythingdepended on the nationalbudget, but if the nationaleconomy had to witness thegrowth and development itdesired, the private sectorhad to be well mobilisedthrough enabling environ-ment, through policies and

programs that would actual-ly allow direct foreign invest-ment to be channeled to theright sector of the economy.In that case, a board com-

mittee headed by Dr. MosesAjaja was set two years ago tostudy the entire MDRI docu-ment, which identified thataccess to insurance was amajor problem, thus Mutualtargets 200 new offices slat-ed for opening between 2012to 2015, 32 opened in 2012,the number to reach 70 byDecember, 2013 to bringexisting and new offices ofMutual Benefits nationwideto 96 by December 2013. Besides, 22,000 new jobs in

line with the manpowerneed for the industry by 2015under the MDRI to be creat-ed collaborating with thevarious states, federal gov-ernment agencies and alsobusiness membershiporganisations.He said that 50 new prod-

ucts developed along social,demographic, trade groupsand risks peculiar to eachsegment in Nigeria, no moreoff he shelf product for every-body. The first batch to berolled out in April 2013.Also, distribution channels

encompassing the tradition-al, micro-insurance, takafulconcerts involving the use ofpartner agents aggregatorsbancassurance, mall outlets,faith organisations, businessorganisations, insurancebrokers, franchise man-agers, are on the scale,adding: “We are determinedto create somethingabsolutely exceptional andremarkably different usingconnecting minds to create anew future for the Nigeriainsurance industry.”

By Joshua Nse

By Joshua Nse

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 INSURANCE 27

UK exempts small firms from national insurance

UP to 450,000 smallbusinesses will no

longer pay national insur-ance contributions fromnext year, Britian’sChancellor of Exchequerclaimed on Wednesday inwhat he described as “thelargest tax cut in the budg-et”.

But even as GeorgeOsborne set out measuresintended to boost cash-strapped small businesses,he faced criticism for notholding off on plannedincrease in business rates.

He introduced anemployment allowance,which removes the first£2,000 off the employers’national insurance contri-butions, which he said wastaking a “tax off jobs”.The allowance will cost

almost £6bn over fiveyears, and means that athird of all employers inthe country are paying “nojobs tax at all,” said thechancellor.“For the persons who set

up their own business andthinking about taking ontheir first employee – ahuge barrier will beremoved. They can hiresomeone on £22,000, orfour people on the mini-mum wage, and pay nojobs tax,” he said.But the tax change is not

expected to come into

effect until next year, andthe cut to corporation taxfor big business to 20 percent by 2015 brings therate into line with the onesmall business arecharged for the first timesince 1973.Roy Maugham, tax part-

ner, at accountants UHYHacker Young, warnedthat the unification of thecorporation tax rate couldhave implications forsmall businesses. “Theconcern is that small busi-nesses will be tripped upby what is not explicit inthe budget. Currently,companies on the mainrate will pay corporationtax in quarterly install-ments, while smaller com-panies will pay once ayear. Unifying the ratesimplies that small compa-nies will now be expectedto pay corporation taxevery quarter,” Maughamsaid.

While the Forum ofPrivate Business wel-comed the change, thelobby group’s head of poli-cy Alex Jackman said: “Ouronly disappointment withthis is that it’s 12 monthsaway, and that’s a mightylong way off.”Jackman had hoped for areduction in businessrates – which will haverisen 13% in three years

after April’s planned 2.6%rise. Retailers reckon thiscould cost £175m a year.“Ask any small businesseswhat they wanted to seefrom this budget andmany will have said:‘action on businessrates’,” added Jackman.

The British RetailConsortium, which repre-sents high-street stores,had also hoped for actionon business rates:“Pressing on with a third-successive substantialbusiness rates rise is verydisappointing. Freezingrates would have made areal difference to ourtroubled high streets andthe communities that relyon them.”

With lending to smallbusinesses down 25 percent in real terms since itspeak in 2009, and almost10 per cent lower than in2006, small businesseswere also eager for infor-mation about the busi-ness bank that has beenadvocated by the businesssecretary, Vince Cable.More details are due to beunveiled on Thursdaywhen it is expected thatthe government will con-cede that the state-backedbank will not become afully-functioning entityuntil autumn 2014 whileit waits for state aidapproval from Europe.

China to be most dynamic insurance marketCHINA will be the coun-

try with the biggestincrease in primary insur-ance premiums worldwideuntil 2020, a study pub-lished by the world’slargest reinsurance com-pany said.Followed China on theMunich Re list was theUnited States and Japan.Premium income for the

insurance industry in theAsia-Pacific region willdouble by 2020, accordingto the study.Five of the top 10 expectedglobal primary-insurancegrowth markets will be inthe Asia-Pacific region,both in property and casu-

alty insurance and in lifeinsurance.Rising consumer savings

are fueling demand for lifeand health insurance, theMunich Re study showed.According to a report bySwiss Re, health insurancewas the fastest-growingsector in China’s life insur-ance sector last year, andthe trend will continuethis year.Anna Zhao, manager with

Healthcare & Life SciencesChina under the UK tradeand investment section ofthe British embassy, saidthat now is the best timefor foreign institutions toinvest in China’s health-

care industry, includinghealth insurance.A summit focusing oninternational healthcareand health insurance willbe held during the BeijingFair, which is scheduled toopen on May 28. A numberof foreign insurance com-panies have confirmedtheir attendance.

On the marketing chan-

SOVEREIGN Trust InsurancePlc has taken another giantstride by ensuring that someof its personal line productsget into the nook and cran-ny of Nigeria with the adop-tion of a nationwide radiocampaign in local dialects. The campaign is designed

in two modes made up ofprogramme sponsorshipand airing of commercialjingles in Yoruba, Hausa andPidgin in some selectedradio stations across themajor commercial cities inthe country. The citiesinclude Lagos, Oyo, Ogun,Port-Harcourt, Enugu,Sokoto, Kano and a host ofothers. One of the major products

on offer is the company’sflagship product with theacronym SWIS-F, (SovereignWellbeing InsuranceScheme for the Family). Theproduct is a general person-al accident, GPA policy withvaried features and benefitsdesigned to cater for thefamily in any eventuality. The premium for this pack-age is N1,500 per annum.

The benefits range fromout-of-work benefit result-ing from any form of acci-dent; covers medicalexpenses of the insuredarising from accident, pay-ment of wellbeing lump-sum and gives free cover forthe fourth child under theage of 17. Features include10 per cent no-claim bonus,affordable and flexible pre-mium payment, coversstrike and civil commotionand has no geographicallimitation.

With the current cam-paign, the underwritingfirm is set to promote prod-ucts under the MarketDevelopment &Restructuring Initiative,MDRI. These products arebasically designed to caterfor Third Party liabilitieswhenever the need arises.They consist of the ThirdParty Motor Insurance,Occupiers’ Liability,Builders Liability and theProfessional HealthcareIndemnity Insurance. Forpersonal line products,prospective customers

across the country can buyt h eHouseholders’/Houseowners’ policy, Fire & Burglary andAll Risks Insurance for everyof their private belongingsin any of Sovereign TrustInsurance offices across thenation.

Sovereign Trust drivespenetration in local dialects

nel side, bancassurancestill dominated the mar-ket, especially for middle-sized insurers, accordingto a report by Deloitte.Shin Kong-HNA Life insur-ance, for instance, saw 78percent of its premiumincome coming from ban-cassurance, the biggestdriver for its 373.4 percentpremium growth last year.

The biggest advantage ofthe bancassurance, indus-try insiders said, is thecomparatively low costwhen expanding rapidly.In emerging Asia, P/C pri-mary insurance premiumscurrently grow an averageof11 percent annually. This istwice as high as the sec-ond-placed region, Eastern

Europe.“China, India andIndonesia will be the topthree growth countries inP/C, with an averagegrowth of above 12 percentover the forecast period(2012-2020) in China andIndia, and almost 10 per-cent in Indonesia,” MunichRe Chief EconomistMichael Menhart said.

Managing Director, Royal Exchange Healthcare Limited, Dr. Pius Ofulie, Managing Director, Royal Exchange General Insurance, Mr. Olutayo Borokini,Group Executive Director, Marketing & Sales Alhaji Auwalu Muktari and Managing Director, Royal Exchange Prudential Life Assurance, Mr. WaleBanmore, during the interactive forum with journalists held in Lagos…recently.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201328

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

StockwatchIn association with Lead Capital

29

MAJOR equity markets around theglobe moved downwards as their

various indexes lost marginal points. Inour universe of sample equity markets;the NASDAQ, S & P 500 and Dow Jonesgained points by 0.28%, 0.27% and 0.39%respectively at the end of last week. InEurope, The FTSE 100 and France CAC 40lost points by 0.75% and 0.17% respec-tively, while the German Dax indexgained points by 0.39%. In theAsia/Pacific region, Nikkei 225 gainedpoints by 2.06%, while the Hangsengand BSE Sensex lost points by 1.74% and3.97% respectively. In Brazil, the Bovespalost point by 2.36% while Russia’s RTSINDEX lost points by 2.73%. On the localsetting, NSE ASI closed at 33,361.96recording 0.47% appreciation at the endof the week’s trading.

IN this week, the totalvolume appreciated by30.10% and value tradedappreciated by 19.47%. Aturnover of 1.69 billionunits of shares valued atN18.17 billion was record-ed, in contrast to aturnover of 2.55 billionunits of shares worthN22.40 billion that wasrecorded in the previousweek.Volume this week was

driven by activities in theshares of ACCESS, ETI, UBA,GUARANTY, TRANSCORP,UNITYBNK, ZENITHBANK,FBNH, FIDELITYBK andSKYEBANK.

During the period under review, twenty (20)stocks recorded price appreciation com-pared to forty four (44) that depreciated in theprevious week, WEMABANK was first on the topgainers chart to close with 10.74%, followed byFIDSON with 9.80%, OKOMUOIL with 7.27%,PRESCO with 6.38%, WAPCO with 5.56% andNNFM with 4.99%. Other gainers in the top tencategories were DANGCEM with 4.90%, BOCGASwith 4.89%, OANDO with 3.83% and NESTLE with3.33%.On the flip side, forty eight (48) stocks depreciat-ed in price last week compared to twenty nine(29) that depreciated a week ago. JAPAULOIL ledon the price losers’ table with 17.95%, followedby IPWA by 12.37%, ABCTRANS by 11.94%, UBCAPby 11.92%, WAPIC by 10.07%, JOHNHOLT by 9.30%,LIVESTOCK by 9.05%, AIRSERVICE by 7.80%,ACCESS by 7.60% and NIGERINS by 5.56%.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Stock Market Report for the week Friday, 15thMarch to Thursday 21stMarch, 2013

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201330 STOCKWATCH

COMPANY’S RESULT CONTINUE ON PAGE 51

Lead Capital Stock Valuation

31

Artist impression of the Buena Vista estate, Lekki, Lagos

Illustration of the Eko Pearl Towers in Eko Atlantic City, Lagos

Investors unveil Eko AtlanticCity’s Pearl Towers in Lagos

DREAM to create a liveableambience on the Lagos

Lagoon under Eko Atlantic CityProject, is gradually becominga reality as investors haveunveiled a 24-storey “Eko PearlTower”, which sod turningmay be done soon.

The multi-storey residentialtower is located on the‘Harbour Front” within theLagos brand new city, promot-ed by Eko Pearl Nigeria Limitedin association with ESLAInternational.

The design indicated that ithas a pool and terrace levelfloor, a technical, ground and

basement floors, both dedicat-ed to 345 parking places and48 storage rooms. Three types of apartments are

provided, known as “Typicalapartments”, duplex apart-ments and pent house floor.Typical apartments are locatedstarting from the first to the18th floor, with typical apart-ment floor occupying a total of394 square metres.

AMCON has acquiredBuena Vista estate, achoice residentialscheme on the corri-dors of Lekki-EpeExpressway from FirstBank Nigeria Plc.More than N5 billionwas invested by thebank for the develop-ment of 750 apart-ments, which hasExxonMobilCooperative Societyas a major stakehold-er in the project.

Projects Pilling work has commenced at the Pearl Towers inEko Atlantic City, which was designed to providespace and infrastructure to house 250,000 peopleand become the workplace for a further 150,000 inLagos. The 24-storey structure, comprises apart-ments and pent houses

NEW realities are risingwith the dawn of the

financial reform in the coun-try, with Federal agencieswielding the ‘big stick’ in sur-prise moves to rescue somecommercial banks enmeshedin real estate transactions inthe course of providing mort-gage for  prospective home-owners and financing proj-ects.  � 

Senior officials of AssetManagement Corporation ofNigeria (AMCON) have beenstriking relentlessly, takingover assets - buildings andestates in attempt to free upvaluable resources; enablingbanks focus on their coreactivities and providing anopportunity for banks to selloff non-performing Loans(NPLs), in what the authoritieshave termed ‘a fresh resolve tomop up funds trapped in realestate developments.’�    One of the projects in the eye

of the storm is the Buena Vistaestate, occupying a land areaof about 100 hectares.

Each floor consists of oneentrance hall, two sittingrooms, a dining room, one liv-ing room, one kitchen, four-master bedrooms, one guestbathroom, one laundry andthree balconies, among others.

Besides, duplex apartmentsare located on the 19th-22ndfloors. It also has similar fea-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

Japanesearchitect, ToyoIto wins 2013Pritzker Prize

Cameron Green,where luxuryblends withnature

Stakeholdersendorse estateagents’ registration,query levies

Page 39

Page 33

Page 35

By Tunde Alao

Promoted by Messrs CityscapeInternational Plc, the ambi-tious housing estate wasexpected to gulp a whoopingN7 billion on completion atAlpha Beach along the Lekki-Epe expressway.

Though developed in phaseswith financial backing of FirstBank of Nigeria Plc to the tuneof N5.7 billion, over 300 unitsof houses out of the total 755housing units, was subscribedto by members of ExxonMobilCooperative Multi-PurposeSociety Limited. Checks revealthat the entire project wouldhave been completed within18 months and the first phaseof 100 units was supposed tobe delivered in 12 months,that’s 2007.  But the project

AMCON takes over Buena Vista estateover First Bank’s N5.7b loan deal

Mortgage FinanceBy Chinedum Uwaegbulam, Assistant Housing & EnvironmentEditor

Homes & PropertyTHE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

THE GUARDIAN, Monday March 25, 2013HOMES & PROPERTY32

Why Abuja land Swap is a panacea for infrastructural deficitAbuja is 37 years old and

by all intent and purpos-es, the city is today a reality.The initial intention of thefounding fathers of theFederal Capital Territory(FCT) was to build a brandnew unity city for allNigerians devoid of encum-brances as all originalinhabitants found withinthe precinct of the 8,000square kilometers were tobe resettled outside the des-ignated Territory.

The FCT has a comprehen-sive master plan coveringthe entire 8,000 squarekilometers; adequately tak-ing care of the FederalCapital City (FCC), which is250 square kilometersdefining by the phases ofthe city’s development aswell as the Area Councilsand the Satellite Townsexpected to be feeding thecity centre.

The entire master plan ofthe FCT, which includes theFCC, Area Councils/SatelliteTowns are projected to caterfor 3.1 million people in aland of about 8,000 squarekilometers when it is fullydeveloped by the targetyear 2000. But unfortunate-ly today, the population ofFCT and in particular theAbuja metropolis, whichcan conservatively put atfive or six million people;while the actual physicaldevelopment is still within

Phases I and II respectively. Meanwhile, the physical

development of the FederalCapital City is structuredinto four phases with about74 districts including theThree Arms Zone, CentralBusiness District andKukwuaba National Parktaking care of the GreenAreas, transportation corri-dors, as well as other servic-es needed for any moderncity.

The Federal CapitalTerritory, hitherto plannedto be completed within 24years with the Phase I of theFederal Capital City expect-ed to accommodate230,000 people while thePhases II, III and IV wereexpected to provide forabout 585,000; 640,000and 1.7 million peoplerespectively. But sadly, it isonly about 25 percent of thecity’s development that hasbeen completed to date. Thereasons advanced by vari-ous FCT Administrationsare paucity of funds.This lack of funds coupledwith ever influx ofNigerians from all walks oflife into the Federal CapitalTerritory has made metro-politan management near

Land Matters

FCT Minister

In this treatise, MUHAMMAD HAZAT SULE, an Assistant Director andChief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister argued that Abuja Land Swapinitiative is capable of changing the face of FCT, opening up land, houseownership to ordinary Nigerians and ensuring reduction of house rentacross the city.

impossible with shantiesspringing up in all existingvillages across the FederalCapital City.

The Federal Governmenthas been able to provideinfrastructure in almost allthe seven districts of thePhase I of the FederalCapital City namely;Maitama, Asokoro, Garki I,Garki II, Wuse I and Wuse II.Others that recorded appre-ciable percentage of infra-structural presence are theCentral Business DistrictUtako, Jabi, Gudu; while theprovision of infrastructurein districts such asMabushi, Katampe,Katampe extension, Jahi,Wuye, Guzape and a host ofothers in the Phases II & IIIhave infrastructure partial-ly provided.

According to experts, overN30 billion is required toprovide a world class infra-structure in a single districtand the resources is notforth coming as about N46billion is only being provid-ed in the 2013 appropria-tion for all services in theFederal Capital Territoryincluding the much neededbasic infrastructure. Theseappropriations in the past

were hardly released fully.The question is; should the

FCT Administration wait forthe ever-diminishingFederal allocation to pro-vide infrastructure in thedistricts? Will it be wise forthe FCT Administration tofold its arms to wait formanna to fall from heaven?

From all ramifications, wehave a problem in ourhands; we either confront itheadlong or fold our handsto allow the problem multi-ply.

The option is either enactan obnoxious law to pre-vent Nigerians from migrat-ing into the FCT or look out-side the box to fast track thephysical development ofAbuja considering the hugedemographic changes. Theformer, no doubt cannot bean acceptable option inNigeria.  

It is believed that historywill forgive a person for tak-ing a wrong decision butwill definitely not forgiveanybody who refuses totake a decision at all.Anything can be deducedfrom this action of the FCTAdministration to fast trackthe development of theFederal Capital Territory

but history will surely bekind to Senator BalaAbdulkadir Mohammed fortaking this proactive deci-sion at this point of ourchronicle by deeply lookingfor credible alternativesource of financing infra-structural development inAbuja. This was why theAbuja Land Swap ModelInitiative was conceptual-ized to take Abuja to greaterheight.

The Land Swap simplymeans, provision of infra-structure in exchange forland by the investors thathave the financial muscleand technical expertise. Theinvestor is expected torecoup investment fromthe sales of plots of land at apremium price.

Meanwhile, the primaryinfrastructure which theinvestor is expected to pro-vide in the earmarked areasinclude detailed districtdesign and the bill of engi-neering; agreed kilometersof roads of varying specifiedsizes within the districts;storm water drains; sewerlines, water distributionlines, street lightening; elec-trical power distributionstations; telecommunica-tion ducts as well as minisewage treatment plants.

A situation where suchprojects may be abandonedmidway has been ruled outbecause the developershave delivered their busi-ness plan that shows theirtechnical capacity, financialcapability and managerialcompetence to the FCTAdministration before com-mencement of the project.

It may be recalled that theinvestors from on set paidthe FCT Administration thesum of N350 million onpresentation of businessplan to fund physical plan,preliminary design,detailed engineeringdesign, survey plan, feasibil-ity studies and preparationof legal agreement which isa pointer to the fact thatthese 10 districts under theAbuja Land Swap Modelhave been conceived to seethe light of the day.

During the signing cere-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

33

CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

Cameron Green, where luxury blends with nature

SEEKING an apartment ina choice estate that has a

fusion of form, function,nature and combination ofbeauty and serenity,Cameron Green is the placeto be, especially for thehigh-income earners.Located at the heart of res-idential quarters in Ikoyi,Lagos, access to the multi-billion’ naira estate builtby UAC PropertyDevelopment Company Plc(UPDC), is multi-direction-al. Either throughObalende, Osborne Road,Second Avenue, Falomoand adjourning streetswithin the neighborhood.Cameron Green, which is

sitting on a parcel of landmeasuring 11,000squaremetres in the highbrowIkoyi area of Lagos, indeedblends luxury with nature.The estate, according to

the site engineer, Mr.Mumeen Abdulkareem, Ccommands investors’ con-fidence and interest, asthree out of the fourdetached houses, whichcomprises the Phase 1 ofthe entire project, hadalready been sold out as atlast weekend.

By Emmanuel Badejo

One of the completed detached duplex in Cameron Green estate

Prime Estates Real Estate

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201334

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 35HOMES&PROPERTY

Japanesearchitect, Toyo Ito wins 2013Pritzker Prize

Architecture

Ito’s buildings have been praised for their fluidbeauty and balance between the physical andvirtual world. Throughout his career, he hastried to establish a connection between insideand the outside conditions, an effort evident inhis lightweight structures that use materialslike mesh, perforated aluminum and permeablefabrics.

AJAPANESE architect whobroke from modernismand designed a library thatsurvived his country’s cata-strophic 2011 earthquake,Toyo Ito, was awarded hisprofession’s top honour, thePritzker Architecture Prize,recently.

Ito, who also createdLondon’s Serpentine GalleryPavilion in 2002, was recog-nised for the libraries, hous-es, offices and other build-ings he has designed inJapan and around the world.Judges commended the 71-year-old for improving the“quality of both public andprivate spaces”. He willreceive $100,000 (£62,000)at an awards ceremony inBoston in May. Past winnersof the annual award, dubbedas architecture’s Nobel prize,include Frank Gehry, IM Pei,Tadao Ando, and RenzoPiano.Accepting the honour, Itosaid whenever he completesa design he becomes“painfully aware of my owninadequacy, and it turns intoenergy to challenge the nextproject”.“Therefore, I will never fix

my architectural style andnever be satisfied with myworks,” he said in a state-ment.US Supreme Court JusticeStephen Breyer, who servedon the jury, said Ito had“inspired many architects,critics and members of thegeneral public alike”. “Along with all othersinvolved with the PritzkerPrize, I am very pleased thathe has received the award,”he said.Ito’s buildings have beenpraised for their fluid beautyand balance between thephysical and virtual world.Among his notable designs

include the curvaceousMunicipal Funeral Hall inGifu, Japan; the transparentSendai Mediatheque libraryin Miyagi, Japan; and the spi-ral White O residence inMarbella, Chile.“His buildings are complex,yet his high degree of synthe-sis means that his worksattain a level of calmness,which ultimately allows theinhabitants to freely developtheir life and activities inthem,’’ said Chilean architectand jury member AlejandroAravena.Ito began his career atKiyonori Kikutake andAssociates after he graduat-ed from Tokyo University in1965, going on to found hisown architecture firm in1971. His works have been exhib-

ited in museums in the US,England, Denmark, Italy,Chile and numerous cities inJapan. Chinese architectWang Shu won the prize lastyear - the first Chinese citizento do so.

Nicolai Ouroussoff, thenthe architecture critic of TheNew York Times, remarkedin 2009 that Mr. Ito hadrepeatedly been passed overfor the Pritzker “in favor of

designers with much thin-ner résumés.” Looking back over his careerMr. Ito said he is particularlyproud of the SendaiMediatheque, his librarycompleted in Sendai, Japan,in 2001. The building’sdesign is dominated bystructural tubes that sup-port the floor plates and pro-vide circulation, pathwaysthat the Pritzker jury said“permitted new interior spa-tial qualities.” But Mr. Ito is also proud ofthe building’s significance asa project that was meant towithstand an earthquake. (Itwon a Golden Lion Award atthe 2012 Venice ArchitectureBiennale.) A video of theinside of the building takenby someone under a tableduring the earthquake in2011 went viral. “ The building shook andswayed violently; everythingcascaded from shelves anddesks onto the floor,” thearchitecture critic AdaLouise Huxtable wrote in TheWall Street Journal. “Ceilingpanels appeared to swingdrunkenly overhead. But theMediatheque did not col-lapse. It stood firm againstthe massive seismic forcesthat were tearing otherbuildings apart; the basicstructure did not fail.” Mr. Ito has been active in

the recovery effort. Herecruited three young archi-tects to help him develop theconcept of Home-for-All,communal space for sur-vivors. In his book “Toyo Ito:Forces of Nature,” edited byJesse Turnbull and pub-lished last year by PrincetonArchitectural Press, Mr. Itowrites, “An architect is some-one who can make suchplaces for meager mealsshow a little more humanity,make them a little morebeautiful, a little more com-fortable.” The citation said Mr. Ito con-sistently couples his person-al creative agenda with asense of public responsibili-ty. “It is far more complexand riskier to innovate whileworking on buildings wherethe public is concerned,” thejury said, “but this has notdeterred him.” Though perhaps not as wellknown as architects like RemKoolhaas or Frank Gehry, Mr.Ito rose to prominence withthe completion of his stadi-um in Kaohsiung, Taiwan,built for the World Games in2009. And he has received his

share of awards, including,in 2010, the PraemiumImperiale, which recognizeslifetime achievement inareas of the arts not coveredby the Nobel Prizes. But Mr. Ito said he doesn’tworry about status or archi-tecture competitions. “Wecannot predict what we willwin or we won’t win,” hesaid. He said he just needs to beable to do the work he wantsto do. These days thatincludes flatware, called Mu,introduced in Paris by theItalian company Alessi. Mu

One of his architectural designs...Museum of Architecture, Imabari, Japan

Toyo Ito Tama library

Toyo Ito

means hexagon in Japaneseand refers to the six-sidedshape of the handles, whichresemble chopsticks. The pat-tern complements Ku, theporcelain service Mr. Ito cre-ated for Alessi in 2006. He has also been drawn topractical retail projects like abuilding for Tod’s, the Italianshoe and handbag company,and the facade of theMikimoto Ginza 2 flagshipstore — both in Tokyo. And hecontinues to design ambi-tious public projects like theTaichung opera house,whose porous exterior hasbeen likened to a giganticsponge, and the Tama ArtUniversity Library, an irregu-lar grid of concrete arches. Born to Japanese parents inKeijo — now Seoul — in 1941,Mr. Ito moved to Tokyo injunior high school and thenattended the University ofTokyo, where architecturebecame his main interest. Hewent on to graduate in 1965and began working at thefirm of Kiyonori Kikutake &Associates. In 1971 he left tostart his own studio, calling itUrban Robot (Urbot), whichin 1979 became Toyo Ito &Associates, Architects. Many of his early works wereresidences — including onein a Tokyo suburb called“Aluminum House,” whichconsisted of a wooden framecompletely covered in alu-minum, and a home for hissister called “White U,” whichgenerated considerableinterest in his work. Throughout his career, Mr.

Ito said, he has tried to estab-lish a connection betweeninside and the outside condi-tions, an effort evident in hislightweight structures thatuse materials like mesh, per-forated aluminum and per-meable fabrics. That fluidity pervades proj-ects like his World Games sta-dium, critics said, which donot conform to conventionaldefinitions of modern archi-tecture. “It reflects his longstandingbelief that architecture, to behuman, must somehowembrace seemingly contra-dictory values,” Mr.Ouroussoff wrote in hisreview of the building.“Instead of a self-containedutopia, he offers us multipleworlds, drifting in and out offocus like a dream.”

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201336

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 37

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201338

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 39HOMES&PROPERTY

Stakeholders endorse estate agents’registration, query leviesBy Tunde AlaoReal Estate With the proposed registration of all estate agents in Lagos , the newly creat-

ed department, says that it would no longer be business as usual and an allcomers affair. Experts argue that the new policy will also give the profession-als the desired respect and confidence

POISED to rid the fold ofsharp and fraudulent

practices, stakeholders inthe estate agency havethrown their weight behinda new policy directing freshregistration of estate agentsbased in Lagos with thenewly established LagosState Real EstateTransaction Department(LASRETRAD), a unit in thestate’s Ministry of Housing.At a forum last week, the

stakeholders, however, seekrole in the implementationof the new policy in thestate.Series of complaints of

fraudulent activities bysome estate agents hadnecessitated the formationof the new department,which event’s attracted theNigerian Institution ofEstate Surveyors andValuers (NIESV), developers,government officials, offi-cials of the different groupsof estate agents’ practition-ers, during which problemswithin estate agency prac-tice were examined. Speaking on the impor-tance of the meeting, theGuest Speaker, Mr. AdeIpaye, said LASRETRAD, wasput in place by the govern-ment to facilitate good gov-ernance and best regulatorysystem that is required in acivilized community.

Ipaye, who is the LagosState Commissioner forJustice and AttorneyGeneral said, there wasneed to ensure protectionof all stakeholders thatinclude the landlord, ten-ants, developers, includingestate agents, whose activi-ties informed the establish-ment of the new regulatoryagency, the LASRETRAD.The Commissioner said by

the time all the recognizedagents are on the register ofLASRETRAD, it would be dif-ficult for the fraudsters tocontinue their evil actswithout being apprehend-ed and stopped.In his comment, ManagingDirector, UPDC, Mr. HakeemOgunniran, endorsed theneed to regularize the activ-ities of estate agents, addingthat, such registrationwould put developers in aposition to identify quali-fied agents that they cantransact business with.“Registration of estateagents with governmentagency is a step in rightdirection. We have beendealing with agents fromtime to time. But this meet-ing and decisions we aretaking here today willattract more members to usand we will all supportLagos State in its efforts tosave innocent residentsfrom becoming victims offraudulent practices”.

The 2nd Vice President,Nigerian Institution ofEstate Surveyors and Valuer,Dr. Bolarinde PatunolaAjayi, noted that thereshould be sanity in estateagency business.He was of the view that con-sidering a lot of woes thatmany residents have gonethrough in the hand ofestate agents, it is high timethat sanity must is broughtto bear on the activities ofthe agents. “With compulso-ry registration of all theagencies with this depart-

ment, it would no longer bebusiness as usual. It would-n’t be all comers’ game.Besides, the new policy willgive the profession thedesired respect and confi-dence by the public”.From the representative ofthe Rent and CommissionAgents of Nigeria (RCAN),came the allegation thatgovernment is transactingbusiness with some facelessagents, especially, in all itshousing estates.

Besides, the group alsoexpressed concern over thelevies that would now be

collected by LASRETRAD,asking whether it wouldend numerous levies andtaxes being collected by thelocal governments andother government agencies.Answering, the SpecialAdviser to the Governor onHousing, Mr. Jimoh Ajao,said the new agency wouldreview the situation.

From the Association ofProperty Leasing of Nigeriacame the question if thisnew regulatory agencywould not phase out realestate association in Lagos,since it appears that it wants

to perform the functions ofthe various associationsthat made up of real estateagents.The group also warned thatin an effort to enforce thenew laws, they were opposeto making use of the securi-ty agents, especially, thepolice, arguing that leader-ship of the various associa-tions are in position toassist the government andbring any erring member tobook.“We know our people. We

know how to get them. Allwe want is for government

to trust us. Also we wantgovernment to bring downthe registration cost”, not-ing that high cost of regis-

tration is capable of aidingor influencing sharp prac-tices.Earlier, GovernorBabatunde Fashola, repre-sented by the Head ofService, Mr. AdesegunOgunlewe, said the purposeof the new department is toensure that those who havethe necessary qualification,the integrity and of profes-sional competence are inthe business of estateagents.“We will not fold our arms

and allow fraudulent few tocontinue to fleece our peo-ple in the name of doingbusiness. Many people bor-row money, some doingcontributions and at theend of the day, some peoplewill continue to dupethem”.

Governor Babatunde Fashola

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201340

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 41

42 HOMES&PROPERTY THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

AMCON takes over Cityscape’s Buena Vista estateone of the subscribers, Mr.James Benjamin Walleyalleged that his money wasembezzled by the society andpetitioned Economic andFinancial Crime Commission(EFCC).

In a letter titled “ EmbezzledN4.5million AgainstExxonMobil Staff CooperativeMultipurpose SocietyLimited” and addressed to theEFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim

Lamorde, the subscriberalleges that he applied to buytwo detached four bedroomduplexes with servant quar-ters off-plan in 2005 at N20million each, with under-standing that all costs associ-ated, and the readiness of theproperties within two yearsfrom the payment of  10 percent deposit plus administra-tion cost. � 

dragged till 2011, leaving somuch debt for the financiers.�Specifically, two foreign con-struction companies  - MessrsDemar Engineering andConstruction companyLimited, Texas, USA handledthe provision of infrastruc-ture while China NationalDecoration Group Limitedwas saddled with the actualconstruction of the houses. �   

The estate has two housetypes - the Buena VistaExecutive, which comes with aseparate swimming pool. Theother house type is known asthe Classic. To buy into BuenaVista estate, all the prospec-tive buyers deposited 10 percent of the value of the apart-ments and another 10 percent was due on completion.Cityscape International prom-ised to arrange 80 per centmortgage for a period of 10years. The prices of the housesrange from N18 million for the3-bedroom terrace house toN55 million for the 5-bed-room detached houses. �   

Amongst first class facilitiesand infrastructure promisedthe subscribers include roadswith interlocking pavingstones, covered undergroundline drains, walkways, exter-nal perimeter fence, gatehouse, low internal soft ele-mental fences between houseunits (900mm high)) andrecreational facilities. Othersare street lighting, electricityto be supplied to each plot byunderground cables, land-scape and horticulture. Theestate also has provision foreducational and recreationalfacilities.  

Signs that the project wasswimming in troubled waters

emerged when subscriberscould not be allocated theirhouses, after fulfilling theirown part of the bargain,prompting the developer toallay fears through a forum.The company’s ManagingDirector, Mr. AkinwaleAkinmusire assured them ofCityscape’s resolve to over-come some of the challengesin the estates. However, thechallenges could not tackledbefore the take over byAMCON. �   

Senior officials of First Bankconfirmed to The Guardianthat the facility was sold toAMCON in line with the direc-tive of Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN). “The facility for the con-struction of Phase 1 of the proj-ect was granted to Cityscape(the developer) in January2006 and the constructionwas expected to be completedwith 12 months. However, theproject ran into major opera-tional hitches and was notcompleted until June 2011. Thedelay translated to significantvariation n the cost of infra-structure and buildings. � 

“As a result of the said delayin completion faced signifi-cant challenges and could notdeliver completed houses toExxonMobil Staff (EMS) withinagreed time lines, eventhough EMS had made partialpayments for the house. It iskey to mention that allocationof houses is subject to full pay-ment of the contracted saleprices by the subscribers,which to the best of ourknowledge is yet to be effect-ed. � 

“Based on the challengesrecorded on the project,Cityscape was unable to serv-ice the facility granted by FirstBank despite all accommoda-

tions and forbearances grant-ed by the bank to work out theexposure. Therefore, theaccount became non-per-forming, and in line with theprovisions of AMCON Act andas directed by CBN, the loanwas sold to AMCON being aneligible asset. � 

“We wish to state that inter-est of all subscribers who hadeither made partial or full pay-ments for the houses were

advised to AMCON and notedaccordingly. Our recommen-dation is that the ExxonMobilstaff should engage the devel-oper for the allocation of theirhouses upon full pay-ments.”�     

The development has alsounearthed accusation andcounter accusations amongmembers of the ExxonMobilCooperative Multi-PurposeSociety Limited. For instance,

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 43

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201344

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 45HOMES&PROPERTY

Developer launches Eko Atlantic City’s Pearl

Mortgage Finance

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

3Invest plans real estate investors’ network

tures like the previous apart-ment, except that it has alounge, one kitchen andpantry and two balconies. Theupper level is designed as oneliving family room, four mas-ter bedroom and two bal-conies.There are also five under-

ground parking space and twostorage rooms for the duplexapartments, while there is pro-vision for four undergroundparking spaces, and one stor-age room for the typical apart-ments.

Two penthouse apartments,located on the 23rd and 24thfloors measured 627 squaremetres per floor. It featuresone entrance hall, three sittingrooms, one dining room, alounge, one living room, onekitchen, four master bed-rooms, a guest bathroom, onemaid room, a laundry and fourbalconies, with 52 parkingspaces are dedicated for theleisure of the residents’ guests.A document made available

to The Guardian, revealed thatEko Pearl Towers are designedaccording to British standards,with the exterior walls of all

main facades built of two lay-ers, solid block in exterior andhollow blocks in the interiorside.The buildings are of roof ter-race, basement walls, watertank, made of vandex, or simi-lar, while elevations areasphalt coating paint underexterior stone cladding.Windows and doors are of alu-minum material, includingthe rolling shutter in bed-rooms.Painted wooden doors are fit-

ted to the storage and maidroom, a typical door at thefloors are wooden door

veneered with “walnut”,including the service entrance.The doors and staircase, tech-nical rooms and lobby areinstalled with fire rated steelmaterials, while stainless steelbalustrade with glass claddingfor balconies.The floor finishing is of Epoxicoat, or similar for basement,and Mass dyed ceramic usedfor the storage and driverrooms in the basement. Thelobbies and stairs at basementare of marble and stone.A senior official with the LagosState Government, who com-mented on the project, noted

that a vision of many years agois gradually turning into reali-ty. “Almost seven years agowhen the former Governor ofLagos State, Bola AhmedTinubu, conceived the idea ofEko Atlantic City, it looked likea mission impossible. Indeed,to some, it was a mere fantasy.But today, apart from sand-fill-ing of 50 percent of the totalland mass allotted for the proj-ect, pilling exercise on someplots by subscribers in prepa-ration to the emergence ofphysical structure is equallyongoing, thus, put paid to thespeculation of whether the

project is a mirage or a reality”,said the official who pleadednot to be mentioned.Also last week, during the visitby the President of Lebanon,General Michel Suleiman toLagos and his brief visit to theEko Atlantic City site, it wasrevealed that the first phase ofthe sand filled portion hasbeen subscribed to, with a size-able portion of the secondphase, also being bought bydevelopers.Speaking on the project, theManaging Director of EkoAtlantic City, Mr. David Frame,noted that the project is receiv-ing acceptance from sub-scribers, both individually andcorporately.Frame informed that the

development is in six phases.“Five phases are for physicaldevelopment to be sold out tothe developers, while the sixthphase would be developed forthe infrastructure, facilitiesand equipments needed forthe city.He hinted that the first phasehas been fully exhausted, withonly seven plots remaining,while a considerable portionof the second phase has alsobeing subscribed to.“So far we have succeeded in

the sand filling of almost 50percent of the entire sitemarked for development. Andhopefully, in the next 20months, most of the sub-scribers would have com-menced real development”, hesaid, adding that by 2017, 10million square metres wouldbe fully developed.Price varies for the scheme.While “land locked” locationattracts $1,250 per squaremetres, locations such as“Ocean View’ or “Water Front”goes for $2,500 per squaremetres.

SMARTING from previousengagements of the sector

operatives, one of Nigeria’semerging real estate invest-ment service companies haslaunched an innovative con-cept that enables investors tofund real estate deals and inreturn gain equity interest.

Known as Real EstateInvestor Network (REIN), theplatform is established on thefundamentals ofCrowdfunding, which isessentially a collective effortof individuals who networkand pool their money, usuallyvia the Internet, to supportefforts initiated by other peo-ple or organizations. This con-cept has been in practice for anumber of years and has beeneffective in many interestingways both for non-profitcause models such as Kivaand for profitable modelssuch as KickStarter.

Promoted by 3InvestLimited, the network isexpected to ensure thatNigeria’s Real Estate createmore wealth, increasesemployment and meets thereal estate requirements ofmillions of private and corpo-rate citizens. It will also con-tribute significantly to theexecution of additional proj-ects by coordinatinginvestors’ funds in the net-work in order to develop andoperate income-producingReal Estate assets for the bene-fit of all membersIn a statement, the company

said: “REIN takes the strengthof this concept and applies itto simplify how we invest inreal estate today enabling3Invest and its partners playan evolutionary role in pio-neering this in Nigeria. Weenable investors to fund realestate deals and in returnthey can gain an equity inter-est in that investment. Ourplatform is open to registered

3INVEST member clients tobuild their network but canalso be subscribed to throughour 3INVESTORS Loyalty pro-gramme, according to 3InvestManaging Director, Ms RuthObih.

The network will belaunched next month at theProperty Buyers’ Forum (PBF)organised by 3Invest at thePorsche Centre, VictoriaIsland, Lagos. “We also intendto showcase REIN interna-tionally during the summerwhen we take our campaignto Europe and Americathrough our InternationalProperty Tour (IPT). We willbegin with three cities of theUnited States in May and visitmajor cities in Europe beforethe end of the year”. PBF is a Real Estate Market

place designed to help devel-opers sell investment portfo-lios through exposure, tohigh net worth individuals,Medium – high incomeinvestors, A-list Nigerian

celebrities and Individual ororganization ” who haveexpressed an interest ininvesting in viable real estatetransactions.Obih stated: “Our platformwill not only provide a superi-or networking enterprise, butwill allow qualified investorsto collectively fill fundinggaps in quality real estatetransactions. REIN will con-tinue to assess additionalways to expand and broadensources for funding withinour model. “Having operated in the sec-tor over the years andthrough our intelligencegathering, it is clear thatNigeria’s Real Estate can con-tribute far beyond its currentthree per cent to the nation’sGross Domestic Product(GDP). Besides other chal-lenges such as land titling,skewed policy frame work,and a fluctuating investmentenvironment; one major chal-lenge that impacts develop-

ment in the industry is theunavailability of reasonableinvestment funds.”

She said: “Real Estate hasproven over the decades to beone investment window withcompetitive advantage overothers because of its proclivi-ty to great returns in the faceof value depreciation, eco-nomic crunches and dimin-ishing rates of return oninvestment in other sectors.

“We understand the prob-lems developers face to getfunds, we understand thepaucity of funds in the sys-tem, and we also understandthe fears of investors to putmoney into Nigeria’s not-very-friendly investment envi-ronment. With REIN, it is ourcommitment to mitigatethese challenges. The sponsorwill know the investors andvice versa and both partiescan work together as mem-bers of the same network, andthe risk, where it cannot bemitigated; is shared.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32

46 HOMES&PROPERTY

Cameron Green, a fusionof luxury, nature

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

mony of Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) withthe Land Swap investors,recently FCT Ministerremarked that basic termsof relationship between thegovernment and theinvestors include detaileddesign and provision ofinfrastructure in the dis-tricts within a maximumperiod of 48 months; strictcompliance with theFederal CapitalDevelopment Authority(FCDA) specifications andstandard for district infra-structure works.

He also warned that nodeveloper should com-mence real property devel-opment or sale of any plotof land in the district until35 percent of functionalinfrastructure works hasbeen achieved. All these areno doubt a win, win situa-tion to all stakeholders inthe ‘Abuja Project’.    

In order to safeguard theinterest of the governmentand people of Nigeria bynot allowing the investorsto short change them,Senator Mohammedrevealed that 15 per cent ofthe Rights of Occupancyshall be released to thedeveloper on evidence oftransfer of 15 percent of theinfrastructure cost to theProject Account; 80 percentof the Rights of Occupancyshall be released on thebasis of interim measuredcertificates, the minimumvalue of which shall not beless than 20 percent of theinfrastructure works.

While insisting that fiveper cent will be retained tillafter the retention period of12 months, the Ministerannounced that the Rightsof Occupancy would bedeposited in a bank mutual-ly agreed by the parties.

He emphasized that the

tion to achieve this lofty ini-tiative”.Alhaji Jibrin added, “This isthe first time we are seeingthis kind of a thing happen-ing in the Federal CapitalTerritory; we have neverbeen called upon to talkabout own areas.”

The Gomo stressed, “I wantto assure you that we willcontinue to support youradministration to ensurethat genuine legacy is leftbehind”.

The lesson to be learntfrom their endorsement isthat, if, the original inhabi-tants can easily key into theinitiative with all theseaccolades, then Nigeriansirrespective of tribal, reli-gious or political inclina-tions have surely gotten afair deal.

If the FCT Administrationis able to deliver these 10new districts as envisaged,deliver the Abuja Rail trans-portation system, completethe World Trade Centre, theMillennium Towers as wellas fast track the provision ofinfrastructure to theSatellite Towns sincePresident GoodluckJonathan has rejuvenatedthe Satellite TownsDevelopment Agency(STDA) for that purpose,then the history of Abujawill indeed change for thebetter and become envy ofthe foes.

Abuja Land Swap ModelInitiative is capable ofchanging the face of Abujabecause the decision hasthe potentials of openingup land ownership andhouse ownership to ordi-nary Nigerians with totalreduction of house rentacross the territory forthose who cannot afford tobuild one, the buck stop onyour table to take responsi-bility for that decision tochange your entire life.  

structure of the total proj-ect cost shall consist con-struction cost, financingcost, professional fees, resi-dent supervision cost, 12months operating cost,resettlement and compen-sation cost as well as Returninvestment.The Minister at the ceremo-

ny reiterated that the FCDAwill appoint a consultant toensure that the execution ofthe works is done in accor-dance with its specifica-tions with the consultancyfee being factored in thetotal project cost to bemade available by theinvestor.

Under the agreement,FCDA is to retain at least 40percent of buildable plotsin the district to be allocat-ed to Nigerians through theLand Use and AllocationCommittee.  

The Abuja Land SwapInitiative will definitelysolve myriads of problemspreviously associated withprovision of basic infra-structure especially inade-quate funding, springingup of shanties in the heartof the city, deliberate abuseof the Abuja master plan,daily migration of peopleinto Abuja from the 36states of the federation,which has of course, led tooverstretching of the exist-ing facilities and services.

No wonder, some FCT tra-ditional rulers such asGomo of Kuje, AlhajiHaruna Tanko Jibrin and Sa-Peyi of Garki, Alhaji UsmanNga-Kupi recently jointlyendorsed the Land SwapInitiative because accord-ing to them, “the package isjuicy and we are waiting forit to materialize”.

The Gomo of Kuje specifi-cally said, “We shall contin-ue to pray for you(Minister), cooperate andsupport your administra-

Benefits of Abuja landSwap scheme

When media personnelvisited few days ago, all thedetached houses, are beg-ging for occupation, hav-ing been completed. ThePhase II, comprising of twoblock of 28 flats made of 10units of four-bedroomflats, 10 units of three-bed-room flats and eight unitsof one-bedroom flats,according to Abdulkareem,would be deliveredbetween June and July2013.

Tastefully designed, thenew estate came with pic-turesque landscape filledwith ample trees and lushvegetation in line withUPDC’s goal of sustainabili-ty. The estate has 4 – 5 bed-room detached houseswith Boys Quarter. Eachhouse, built on 1,000square metre land, has itsown swimming pool.

In the visibly impressiveblock of flats are recre-ational facilities for resi-dents’ comfort. Theyinclude Swimming Pool,

taken from a very deepaquifer, which requireslesser energy treatment tomeet the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) stan-dard, drains are buried toavoid erosion effect ofopen drainage, 30 percentbuilt area for maximiza-tion of soft and hard land-scaping.

Justifying the ‘Green’ inthe name of the luxuryestate, the ManagingDirector of UPDC, Mr.Hakeem Ogunniran, dur-ing the ground breaking ofthe estate had said that the‘green’ in the name of theestate captures his compa-ny’s environmental sus-tainability campaign.��“Our campaign in thepast two years in design,concept and execution hastaken particular note ofthe issue of environmentalfriendliness and sustain-ability such that every-thing we have done so farare in line with our newphilosophy in thatrespect,” he said.�

Gymnasium, Lawn Tenniscourt and Children’sPlayground. Othersinclude: Easy Drive way,ample parking lots for resi-dents and visitors, bore-holes and water treatmentplant as well as sewagetreatment plant, PHCNelectricity and stand bygenerator.

Designed by the architec-tural firm of PophamWalter odusote andCompany, Cameron Greenwas built by BrunneliConstruction CompanyLimited.

“To ensure its unique-ness, the estate wasdesigned to retain some ofthe existing nature trees topreserve the originalecosystem, it is well-spacedbuildings to allow free flowof air and prevent conges-tion, low flow shower andfaucet fixtures to minimizewater shortage and largetall windows for good illu-mination and natural crossventilation”, Abdulkareemsaid.

He added that water was

February 13 January 13 P.H (%)Block N N9 x 9 per one 150 160 16 x 9 per one 120 150 1

Block WorkCement per tonne (50kg) per bag 1800 1900 0.5Cement per tonne (50kg) 20 bags 35,000 36,000 2

EarthworkGravel per tipper load 23,000 27,000 6Unwashed gravel per tipper 16,000 19,000 2Granite per tipper load 27,000 32,000 2Sharp sand per tipper load 15,000 18,000 1.5Soft sand per tipper load 16,000 17,000 1

Timber Hardwood2 x 6 x 12 1100 1000 12 x 4 x 12 600 500 -1 x 1 x 12 700 750 0.5

Softwood2 x 2 x 12 200 250 -2 x 3 x 12 250 350 1

Plywood (White)3 x 4 x 8 3,500 2,400 11 x 2 x 8 2,300 2,000 -1 x 4 x 8 2,300 1,600 1

Panel DoorsFlush door (plain) 4,000 3,800 -Flush door (laminated) 15,000 15,000 -

RoofingCorrugated iron sheet per bundle 10,000 9,500 -

Super Asbestos4 X 8 (per piece)) 1600 1300 14 X 6 (per piece)) 1500 1700 1

Nails1 inch per bag 6,000 6,500 -3 inch per bag 5,500 5,000 -4 inch per bag 5,000 5,000 -

Glass Work2 x 4mm (plain) - 60 -2 x 4mm (obscure) - 60 -2 1/2 x 4mm (plain) 75 75 -2 1/2 x 4mm (obscure) 75 75 -3 x 4mm (plain) 90 90 -3 x 4mm (obscure) 90 90 -3 x 5mm (plain) 115 115 -3 x5 mm (obscure) 115 115 -

Aluminium Lourve BladeUnic 8 blades per piece 440 440 -Unic 6 blades per piece 420 420 -Unic 4 blades per piece 280 280 -

PaintsColour Emulsion (high) 2,700 2,700 -Colour Emulsion (low) 2,700 2,700 -White Emulsion (high) 2,800 2,800 -White Emulsion (low) 2,800 2,800 -Colour Gloss (high) 2,700 2,700 -Colour Gloss (low) 2,700 2,700 -White Texture (high) 4,700 4,700 -White Texture (low) 4,700 4,700 -Wood Coating (high) 2,800 2,800 -Wood Coating (low) 2,400 2,400 -

Sanitary FittingVitrous Suite with tap - 5,500 -Twyford (W/C) with big wash hand basin 14,500 15,500 5Hindstan (W/C) with big wash hand basin - - -Shower Curtain and rail 1000 1000 -80 x 80 shower tray 3000 3000 -Stainless towel rail 350 350 -Ariston Water heater (80 litres) 27,000 25,000 2Thermacool water heater (50 litres) 19,000 19,000 -Ariston water heater (50 litres) 18,000 18,500 5

Wall TilesCeramic (white) 6 x 6 x 88 pieces 1,200 1,200 -China 20 x 20 x 16 1,200 1,100 -China 25 x 40 1450 1,400 -

Floor Ceramic Tiles14 x 14 (Brazil) 1,700 1,450 0.513 x 13 (Spain) 1,550 1,350 -45 x 45 (Spain) 2,000 2,200 -

Vitrified30 x 60 Pack 3,500 3,100 450 x 50 Pack 1,600 2,000 460 x 60 Pack 2,000 2,500 -

Marra Italy40 X 40 glazed 3,500 3,500 -40 X 40 mall 3,200 3,200 -30 X 30 Aristea 1,700 1,700 -

Reinforcement12mm (93 pieces) per ton 160,000 145,000 116mm (93 pieces) per ton 176,000 160,000 0.58mm (153 pieces) per ton 125,000 110,000 -10mm (153 pieces) per ton 135,000 145,000 -20mm (53 pieces) per ton 123,000 145,000 -

The Guardian’s building materials’price review (February 2013)

HOMES&PROPERTY 47THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

Agency seeks development plan for Abuja satellite townsUrban Development

Housing

From Terhemba Daka, Abuja

AMID increasing popula-tion in the Federal

Capital Territory (FCT), theauthorities have pledged tostreamline the provision ofcritical infrastructure inthe physical developmentof satellite towns in com-pliance with the AbujaMaster Plan.

FCT authorities made theundertaking at a three-dayretreat organized for thestaff of the Satellite TownsDevelopment Agency(STDA) in Minna, NigerState. The participantswere drawn from workerson Grade level 13-17. Theywere tasked to develop astrategic plan that wouldhelp to improve the stan-dard of living and environ-ment through the provi-sion of infrastructure andaffordable housing.

The retreat, according tothe organizers was fash-ioned to enable the mem-

bers have a clear directionand understanding of thefederal government’s agen-da for the residents of theSatellite towns in the FCT.

Minister of State for theFederal Capital Territory(FCT) Olajumoke Akinjideexplained that the retreatwas specifically designedto develop a strategic planfor the STDA, set out rolefor effective urban plan-ning, develop a strategicplan for the first five yearsand beyond. It will alsohelp to tackle issues andchallenges of repositioningit in the areas of gover-nance, communication,finance, employment gen-eration, community drivenprogramme, access to alter-native fundings, securityand enhance a good rela-tionship between STDA andFCTA secretariats, depart-ments and agencies.”

The former co-coordina-tor, Abuja MetropolitanManagement Agencyunder the El’ Rufai FCTadministration, Mrs.Jummai Kwanashie saidthat no meaningful devel-opment could be achievedin the satellite towns andindeed the nation’s capital

Ogun getshousingmonitoringcommittee

THE Ogun State Ministryof Housing has set up a

three-man committeeto monitor all housingprojects by the govern-m e n t .

A statement by theInformation Officer of theministry, Mrs AdeyinkaRichard, said the commit-tee is saddled with theresponsibilities of ensur-ing that all contractors pro-vide quality houses in gov-ernment’s schemes.

The committee will alsoensure contractors deliverwithin record time. Themembers are Director,Quantity Surveying, Mr.Gabriel Aluko, DirectorA r c h i t e c t u r a lServices, Mr. SulaimonOladipo and the Director,Administration andSupplies, Mr. DejiS o w u n m i .

Meanwhile, the StateCommissioner forHousing, Mr. DanielAdejobi has assured thatworkers in both the Stateand Federal GovernmentCivil Services would benefitfrom the State’s housingprogramme.

Adejobi who gave thisassurance in Abeokutawhile fielding questionsf r o mjournalists revealed thatthe State Government wasalready making franticeffort to control popula-tion density in majortowns through develop-ment ofnew towns across the State.

Describing sustainablehousing programme  as agradual, continual andreplicable process of meet-ing the housing needs ofthe populace, theCommissioner called onprivate investors to joinhands with governmentsi nthe provision of affordablehousing for the masses

He said the call becamenecessary to complementefforts of both the Stateand Federal Governmentstowards reducing housingdeficit in the country.

without the political will ofthose in authority.

“During the El’Rufaiadministration there wasthe political will to ensurethat the satellite towns aredeveloped. But you areaware that after El’Rufai,STDA was scrapped. So,there has to be the politicalbacking for those inauthority. And you knowthat with political backingthere has to be a correspon-ding availability of fundingto develop.

“There has to be the righttype of professionals puton place and furthertrained and provided withthe necessary funding tocarry out the task of provid-ing the engineering infra-structure and to providefunctional, efficient andcost effective services in thesatellite towns of the FCT.”

“The plan is already on theground. What is left isfunding. The roads youneed to develop immedi-ately, the towns and settle-ments and the varioussocial facilities to be pro-vided for the people. Allthat is required is to budg-et enough money to makeprogress,” she said.

Acting Director, STDA Mr.Tukur Ibrahim Bakoriposited that the FederalCapital City has been devel-oping faster than the satel-lite towns; hence the STDAwas reviewing the original

FCT Master Plan so as toachieve the sectoral devel-opment of the satellitetowns.

The Director of Finance,STDA James Agubaluexplained that the retreat

was therefore designed tolook at the challenges ofthe STDA and fashion outthe way out and play therole the agency is expectedplay in the development ofthe satellite towns. 

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201348

The Environment With the predicted growth of world’s population from 7 billion to 9.1 billion by2050, Worldwatch says that the development is putting a strain on waterresources to meet increased food, energy, and industrial demands. But thereare many other pressures, including increased urbanization and overconsump-tion, lack of proper management, and the looming threat of climate change.

Promoted through social media, Earth Hour has also mutated in some coun-tries into a potent tool to lobby on local issues unconnected with globalwarming

SOME 1.2 billion people-almost a fifth of the world-

live in areas of physicalwater scarcity, while another1.6 billion face what can becalled economic water short-age. The situation is onlyexpected to worsen as popu-lation growth, climatechange, investment andmanagement shortfalls, andinefficient use of existingresources restrict theamount of water available topeople, according toWorldwatch Institute’s VitalSigns Online service

Vital Signs Online providesbusiness leaders, policymak-ers, and engaged citizenswith the latest data andanalysis they need to under-stand critical global trends.It is an interactive, subscrip-tion-based tool that provideshard data and research-based insights on the sus-tainability trends that areshaping our future. It is esti-mated that by 2025, 1.8 bil-

lion people will live in coun-tries or regions with absolutewater scarcity, with almosthalf of the world living inconditions of water stress.

Water scarcity has severaldefinitions. Physical scarcityoccurs when there is notenough water to meetdemand; its symptomsinclude severe environmen-tal degradation, declininggroundwater, and unequalwater distribution.Economic water scarcityoccurs when there is a lack ofinvestment and proper man-agement to meet thedemand of people who donot have the financial meansto use existing water sources;the symptoms in this casenormally include poor infra-

Global ‘water crisis’ looming, Worldwatch warns

structure. Large parts ofAfrica suffer from economicwater scarcity.

World population is pre-dicted to grow from 7 billionto 9.1 billion by 2050, puttinga strain on water resources tomeet increased food, energy,and industrial demands. Butthere are many other pres-sures, including increasedurbanization and overcon-sumption, lack of propermanagement, and the loom-ing threat of climate change.According to the UnitedNations Food andAgriculture Organizationand UN Water, global wateruse has been growing atmore than twice the rate ofpopulation increase in thelast century.

At the global level, 70 per-cent of water withdrawalsare for the agricultural sec-tor, 11 percent are to meetmunicipal demands, and 19percent are for industrialneeds. These numbers, how-ever, are distorted by the fewcountries that have veryhigh water withdrawals,such as China, India, and theUnited States.

Agricultural water with-drawal accounts for 44 per-cent of total water withdraw-al among members of theOrganisation for EconomicCo-operation andDevelopment (OECD), butthis rises to more than 60percent within the eightOECD countries that relyheavily on irrigated agricul-

Recent data shows that about 1.6 billion people face water shortage globally.

The Environment

ture. In the four transitionaleconomies of Brazil, Russia,India, and China, agricultureaccounts for 74 percent ofwater withdrawals, but thisranges from 20 percent inRussia to 87 percent in India.

Policymakers must intro-duce a variety of measures toaddress global water scarci-ty. One important initiativeis to support small-scalefarmers. Much of the publicinvestment in agriculturalwater management hasfocused on large-scale irriga-tion systems. Farmers canalso use water more effi-ciently by taking a numberof steps, including growing adiverse array of crops suitedto local conditions andadopting irrigation systemslike “drip” lines that deliverwater directly to plants’roots.

Climate change will affectglobal water resources atvarying levels. Reductions inriver runoff and aquiferrecharge are expected in theMediterranean basin and in

The annual switch-off is nowbeing followed in locations inthree-quarters of the world’snations and has the potentialto touch hundreds of millionsof lives, say its organisers.

Promoted through socialmedia, Earth Hour has alsomutated in some countriesinto a potent tool to lobby onlocal issues unconnected withglobal warming, they add.In Nigeria, the team launched

its Climate Change Bill peti-tion Campaign, calling for thepassage of the bill by the

National Assembly.Globally, switch-off events wasplanned in more than 150countries, including for thefirst time the Palestinian terri-tories, Tunisia, Galapagos,Suriname, French Guiana, St.Helena and Rwanda.

Newcomers to the campaigninclude Copenhagen’s LittleMermaid, the Statue of Davidin Florence and Cape Town’sTable Mountain, which in 2011joined a list of the “New SevenWonders of Nature”.

“Last year, Earth Hour was fol-

lowed in 7,000 communities,an increase of about 30 percentover 2011,” said Andy Ridley, co-founder of the projectlaunched by WWF.

“The biggest area of growthhas been the Asia-Pacific, theeconomic engine of the planet,where wherever you go now,people are living with the prob-lems of environmental dam-age,” Ridley said in a phoneinterview from Singapore.“If you’re in a big city in China,

you may well be going to workwearing a face mask (against

air pollution), or if you are inthe Philippines, you and yourfamily may well have beenaffected by a super-typhoon,”according to AFP.

Ridley added: “What we arefinding is that environmentissues may be perceived differ-ently in the big cities of Asiacompared with how they areperceived in Europe or theStates. They may not be per-ceived as exclusively greenissues. They are seen as issuesthat are damaging yourlifestyle and potentially threat-ening your family.”

In Japan, where floodlightswill be turned off on Saturdayat the capital’s signature

FROM Sydney HarbourBridge, Buckingham Palace

and the Brandenburg Gate tothe Burj Khalifa tower, theEmpire State Building, the TajMahal and Table Mountain,some of the world’s greatestlandmarks were briefly dark-en last Saturday night forEarth Hour, a campaign nowbecoming a broader vehiclefor green activism.

Earth Hour originated inSydney in 2007 with an appealto people and businesses toturn off their lights for an hourto heighten awareness aboutclimate change, driven by car-bon-emitting fossil fuels.

‘Earth Hour’ evolves into springboard for wider action

The Environment

the semiarid areas of theAmericas, Australia, andsouthern Africa, affectingwater availability in regionsthat are already water-stressed. In Asia, the largeareas of irrigated land thatrely on snowmelt and highmountain glaciers for waterwill be affected by changesin runoff patterns, whilehighly populated deltas areat risk from a combinationof reduced inflows,increased salinity, and risingsea levels. And rising temper-atures will translate intoincreased crop waterdemand everywhere.

To combat the effects of cli-mate change, efforts must bemade to follow an integrat-ed water resource manage-ment approach on a globalscale. This involves watermanagement that recog-nizes the holistic nature ofthe water cycle and theimportance of managingtrade-offs within it, thatemphasizes the importanceof effective institutions, andthat is inherently adaptive.The report highlights that a

region is said to face waterscarcity when supplies fallbelow 1,000 cubic metersper person, and absolutewater scarcity is when sup-plies drop below 500 cubicmeters a year.

About 66 percent of Africais arid or semiarid, and morethan 300 million people insub-Saharan Africa currentlylive on less than 1,000 cubicmeters of water resourcesper person. According to UNWater, each person in NorthAmerica and Europe (exclud-ing former Soviet Unioncountries) consumes at least3 cubic meters per day of vir-tual water in imported food,compared with 1.4 cubicmeters per day in Asia and 1.1cubic meters per day inAfrica. CONTINUED ON PAGE 49

The Environment

The Environment

Conservation

The Environment

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 THE ENVIRONMENT

By Chinedum Uwaegbulam

view every scene of environ-mental harm inflicted by theagency of man as a crimescene. Although we some-times resort to civil actions as ameasure of resistance, we notethat these are not sufficient tostem environmental crimes.Ecocide would be an appropri-ate umbrella law to confrontthe massive lawlessness thatrun rampant across Nigeriaand many nations of theworld.”�

The activist recalled how thefounders of the group bracedall odds to engage in 20 yearsof momentous changesto  defence of environmentalrights. “ I am happy that thefour persons (Oronto Douglas,Nick Ashton Jones, Godwin Ojoand I) who brought this groupto be are still engaged in thedefence of Mother Earth in oneway or the way. I rememberour days of challenging harm-ful big dams in NorthernNigeria, massive logging in

49

FRONTLINE environmentalgroup, Environmental

Rights Action/Friends of theEarth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN)  hassaid that it’s triumph in envi-ronmental struggle was due tothe people’s resolve  to standwith imparted communitiesagainst all pushers of harmfulpractices such as deforesta-tion, land grabs, oil spills, gasflares and pollutions. �  ERA also says that reviewing of

environmental laws in thecountry will  “stop those whoreap profits from environmen-tal damage laws governingthose activities and make itpossible for criminal chargeswith long jail terms to bepressed against individualcriminals and those who hidebehind corporate shields.”� 

Erstwhile Executive Director,ERA/FoEN, Nnimmo Basseywho made the declaration atevent to mark the 20thAnniversary of the organisa-tion in Abuja, last week notedthat over these years, mem-bers suffered persecution,faced afflictions and enjoyedtriumphs.  ERA is also the host

of Oil watch International – theglobal South’s resistance net-work to reckless exploitationof fossil fuels. �  For two decades, ERA powered

by key principles, whichinclude; that every African hasa right to a safe and satisfacto-ry environment favourable tohis/her development as cap-tured in Article 24 of theAfrican Charter of Peoples andHuman Rights. That humanrights are also well defendedwhen ecosystems are respect-ed. �That the promotion ofenvironmentally responsiblegovernmental, commercial,community and individualpractices is best attainedthrough the empowerment oflocal people. �That local peoplehave the right and knowledgeto control local resourcesprow-environment policychanges are best worked forthough non-violent resistance.�    Bassey said: “We havestayed  the course because we

CCDI, UNDP to generate energy from waste

LOCAL innovators havekick-started a pilot proj-

ect that is capable of using asmall-scale fabricated bio-digester system to convertorganic waste into electrici-ty and fertiliser.

The project is being sup-ported by the AfricanAdaptation Programme,which is under theDepartment of ClimateChange of the FederalMinistry of Environmentand United NationsDevelopment Programme(UNDP), and managed byCommunity Conservationand DevelopmentInitiatives (CCDI).

Christened ‘EnergyGeneration from Waste – ALocally Based Livelihood,

ent options from providingstreet lighting to poweringan energy kiosk for batter-ies.

CCDI Director,Programmes, Kofo Adelekesaid: “a fundamental aspectof sustainable developmentin developing countries isthe establishment of afford-able and effective wastemanagement practices,where significant benefitsfor adaptation, mitigationand improved livelihoodscan be gained. In addition toproviding greenhouse gasreductions, these practicesalso offer public health andenvironmental benefits;effective waste manage-ment strategies canimprove the quality of life,promote public health, pre-vent air, water and soil con-

Resource Protection andAdaptation Project,’ thescheme has been completedin a local community inLekki Local CouncilDevelopment Area in LagosState and aimed at establish-ing a locally based integrat-ed waste management strat-egy to reduce waste, gener-ate energy and improvelivelihoods.

The project is presently inits second stage, which isthe operation, training andtesting for optimisationactivities period. The techni-cal partners, MidoriSolutions, will use fish guts,water hyacinth and otherorganic waste in the com-munity, to convert to bio-gas. The biogas will fuel a10KVA generator, which canbe used for a range of differ-

forests in many of ourSouthern States. I rememberour struggles against oil spillsand gas flares. I remember ourbattles against wholesaledestruction of communities bygovernment to pave the wayfor corporate claws to sinkdeeper into our lands. � 

“We have fought steadilyagainst the wasting of our envi-ronment and livelihoods bythe petroleum sector. Theworld’s addiction to carbon-high life has elevated dirty oilcompanies to the level of thegods. Easy oil has now givenway to tough oil. The scrapingof the bottom of the barrel hasthrown up dangerous extrac-tive methods and spewing evermore greenhouse gases intothe atmosphere and sentenc-ing the world to climate catas-trophe. � 

“And while global leaderswould not commit to providefunds for adaptation andresilience building, multiplesof what is needed is beingexpended on wars fought forprofit at the expense dispos-able lives – sometimes in thename of exporting democracy.In the era of peak oil it appearswe have passed over peakdemocracy without attainingdemocracy in the first place.”�

Nnimmo Bassey during the COP 15 protest in Copenhagen

Our ordeal, triumph in ERA’s environmental struggle, by Bassey�

Study hinges poverty alleviation on tougher environmental goals

GOVERNMENTS mustimpose radical limits on

everything from water use togreenhouse gases if they wantto have any chance of endingglobal poverty, a group of sci-entists said.

States needed to tighten cleanair laws, at least halve theamount of water drawn fromriver basins and start cuttingsome environmentally damag-ing pollution, all by 2030, theysuggested.

“The stable functioning ofEarth systems - including theatmosphere, oceans, forests,waterways, biodiversity andbiogeochemical cycles - is a pre-requisite for a thriving globalsociety,” the Australian-ledteam wrote in Thursday’s edi-tion of the journal Nature.

The report was meant to feedinto discussions at the UnitedNations this week on drawingup new targets to take overfrom the global body’sMillennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs) which are due toexpire in 2015.It suggested setting a new aimof ending global poverty by2030 - but said that would onlybe possible if states put moreeffort into preserving the plan-

et while they drove for eco-nomic growth.

Global warming brought anincreased risk of floods,droughts and heatwaveswhich in turn threatened foodproduction and economicdevelopment.The scientists said the existingU.N. guidelines for sustainabledevelopment, or economicgrowth that does not harm theenvironment, needed morestress on environmental pro-tection because of damagefrom a rising global popula-tion.

“The protection of Earth’s lifesupport system and povertyreduction must be the twinpriorities,” the authors wrote.They called for total green-house gas emissions to peak by2020, followed by cuts of 3 to 5percent a year by 2030. Thatwould mark a radical breakwith current trends sinceworld emissions are rising byabout 3 percent a year with nosign of a slowdown.

“If you look back 100 years youcould bring down poverty inEurope by exploiting naturalresources like coal. The worldseemed infinite,” David Griggs,a professor at MonashUniversity in Australia and leadauthor of the study, toldReuters.

tamination. “CCDI hasbeen raising awareness andbuilding capacity for localclimate change action withLekki LCDA, which is locatedin the south eastern part ofLagos and is a rural areamade up of low-incomecommunities around theLagos lagoon and Atlanticcoast, mainly engaged infarming and fishing,” shesaid. Other benefits of thisproject include skills acqui-sition for locals who will betrained to operate the biodigester; provision ofincome generating oppor-tunities; awareness of thesustainable use of naturalresources in waste manage-ment practices andenhanced adaptive capacityto cope with a changing cli-mate.

UN Secretary-General urges greaterprotection for world’s forests

Tokyo Tower, campaigners areintertwining Earth Hour withremembrance of the March2011 mega-quake and tsunami,which unleashed a nuclear dis-aster at Fukushima.

In Russia, activists last yearharnessed the success of EarthHour to secure 100,000 signa-tures for a petition for a law toprotect sea areas around oilexploration sites, says WWF.

Uganda created the first“Earth Hour forest” of 2,700hectares (10.4 square miles) of

GOVERNMENTS, businessesand civil society must com-

mit to protect forests byreducing deforestation, pre-venting environmental degra-dation, and providing sustain-able livelihoods for all of thosewho depend on this preciousecosystem, Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon said.

“Forests are vital for our well-being. They cover nearly athird of the globe and providean invaluable variety of social,economic and environmentalbenefits,” Mr. Ban said in amessage marking the firstInternational Day of Forests.Forests are the most biologi-cally diverse ecosystems onland, home to more than halfof the terrestrial species of ani-mals, plants and insects.Around 1.6 billion people -including more than 2,000indigenous cultures - dependon forests for their livelihood.

Mr. Ban highlighted themany functions that forestshave in the environment andtheir benefits to humans. Forexample, they are the sourceof three-fourths of freshwater,stabilize slopes and preventlandslides, and protect coastalcommunities againsttsunamis and storms. In addi-

tion, more than three millionpeople use forest wood forfuel.Forests also help combat cli-mate change as they storemore carbon than is in theatmosphere.

However, Mr. Ban noted thatthere are several threats tothis ecosystem as urbaniza-tion and large-scale agricul-ture can exacerbate the rate offorest and biodiversity loss.Some 13 million hectares offorest are destroyed annually,and deforestation accountsfor 12 to 20 per cent of theglobal greenhouse gas emis-sions that contribute to globalwarming.

“As weather patterns changedue to climate change, manyforested areas are increasinglyvulnerable.  This underlinesthe urgency of a global, inclu-sive, legally binding climatechange agreement that willaddress greenhouse gas emis-sions and encourage the pro-tection and sustainable man-agement of forests,” Mr. Bansaid.

“We need now to intensifyefforts to protect forests,including by incorporatingthem into the post-2015 devel-opment agenda and the sus-tainable development goals,”he added.

cleared land, which greensplan to fill with half a milliontrees. Campaigners inArgentina are hoping that thisyear’s event will provide trac-tion to protect a 3.4-million-hectare (13,100-square mile)marine zone.

As it grows in visibility, EarthHour is also becoming a tar-get, with critics saying it is lit-tle more than token, encour-ages smugness about combat-ing climate change andignores the needs of develop-ment”

‘Earth Hour’ spurs wideraction for green activismCONTINUED FROM PAGE 48

Civil actions as a measure of resistance are not suf-ficient to stem environmental crimes. Ecocide wouldbe an appropriate umbrella law to confront the mas-sive lawlessness that run rampant across Nigeriaand many nations of the world.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201350

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 STOCKWATCH 51

Weekly Lead Equity Ratings

COMPANY’S RESULT CONTINUE FROM PAGE 30

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201352 STOCKWATCH

What is margin trading?INTRODUCTION

IMAGINE this: you're sitting at the blackjacktable and the dealer throws you an ace.You'd love to increase your bet, but you're alittle short on cash. Luckily, your friend offersto spot you N50 and says you can pay himback later. Tempting, isn't it? If the cards aredealt right, you can win big and pay yourfriend back his N50 with profits to spare. Butwhat if you lose? Not only will you be downyour original bet, but you'll still owe yourfriend N50. Borrowing money at the casino islike gambling on steroids: the stakes are highand your potential for profit is dramaticallyincreased. Conversely, your risk is alsoincreased. Investing on margin isn't necessarily gam-

bling. But you can draw some parallelsbetween margin trading and the casino.Margin is a high-risk strategy that can yield ahuge profit if executed correctly. The darkside of margin is that you can lose your shirtand any other assets you're wearing. One ofthe only things riskier than investing on mar-gin is investing on margin without under-standing what you're doing. This article willteach an investor what he needs to know. THE BASICS Buying on margin is borrowing money froma broker to purchase stock. You can think of itas a loan from your brokerage. Margin trad-ing allows you to buy more stock than you'd be able to nor-mally. To trade on margin, you need a margin account. Thisis different from a regular cash account, in which you tradeusing the money in the account. By law, your broker isrequired to obtain your signature to open a marginaccount. The margin account may be part of your standardaccount opening agreement or may be a completely sepa-rate agreement. An initial investment is required for a margin account,

though it varies from broker to broker. This deposit isknown as the minimum margin. Once the account isopened and operational, you can borrow up to 50% of thepurchase price of a stock. This portion of the purchaseprice that you deposit is known as the initial margin. It'sessential to know that you don't have to margin all the wayup to 50%. You can borrow less, say 10% or 25%. Be aware thatsome brokerages require you to deposit more than 50% ofthe purchase price. You can keep your loan as long as you want, provided youfulfill your obligations. First, when you sell the stock in amargin account, the proceeds go to your broker againstthe repayment of the loan until it is fully paid. Second,there is also a restriction called the maintenance margin,which is the minimum account balance you must main-tain before your broker will force you to deposit morefunds or sell stock to pay down your loan. When this hap-pens, it's known as a margin call. We'll talk about this indetail in the next section. Borrowing money isn't without its costs. Regrettably, mar-ginable securities in the account are collateral. You'll alsohave to pay the interest on your loan. The interest chargesare applied to your account unless you decide to make pay-ments. Over time, your debt level increases as interestcharges accrue against you. As debt increases, the interestcharges increase, and so on. Therefore, buying on margin is mainly used for short-

term investments. The longer you hold an investment, thegreater the return that is needed to break even. If you holdan investment on margin for a long period of time, theodds that you will make a profit are stacked against you. Not all stocks qualify to be bought on margin. As a rule ofthumb, brokers will not allow customers to purchasepenny stocks, over-the-counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB)securities or initial public offerings (IPOs) on marginbecause of the day-to-day risks involved with these types ofstocks. Individual brokerages can also decide not to mar-gin certain stocks, so check with them to see what restric-tions exist on your margin account. A BUYING POWER EXAMPLE Let's say that you deposit N10,000 in your margin account.Because you put up 50% of the purchase price, this meansyou have N20, 000 worth of buying power. Then, if you buyN5,000 worth of stock, you still have N15,000 in buyingpower remaining. You have enough cash to cover thistransaction and haven't tapped into your margin. You startborrowing the money only when you buy securities worthmore than N10,000. This brings us to an important point:the buying power of a margin account changes dailydepending on the price movement of the marginable secu-rities in the account. Later in the tutorial, we'll go over whathappens when securities rise or fall.THE DREADED MARGIN CALL

In the previous section, we discussed the two restrictionsimposed on the amount you can borrow. First, the initialmargin, which is the initial amount you can borrow.Second, the maintenance margin, which is the amountyou need to maintain after you trade. These amounts areset by the Federal Reserve Board, as well as your brokerage.Individual brokerages can have stricter limits, but theFederal Reserve Board sets a minimum initial margin of50% and a maintenance margin of at least 25%. Our focus in this section is the maintenance margin. Involatile markets, prices can fall very quickly. If the equity(value of securities minus what you owe the brokerage) inyour account falls below the maintenance margin, the bro-kerage will issue a "margin call". A margin call forces theinvestor to either liquidate his/her position in the stock oradd more cash to the account. Here's how it works. Let's say you purchase N20,000

worth of securities by borrowing N10,000 from your bro-kerage and paying N10,000 yourself. If the market value ofthe securities drops to N15,000, the equity in your accountfalls to N5,000 (N15,000 - N10,000 = N5,000). Assuming amaintenance requirement of 25%, you must have N3,750 inequity in your account (25% of N15,000 = N3,750). Thus,you're fine in this situation as the N5,000 worth of equityin your account is greater than the maintenance margin ofN3,750. But let's assume the maintenance requirement ofyour brokerage is 40% instead of 25%. In this case, yourequity of N5,000 is less than the maintenance margin ofN6,000 (40% of N15,000 = N6,000). As a result, the broker-age may issue you a margin call. If for any reason you do not meet a margin call, the bro-kerage has the right to sell your securities to increase youraccount equity until you are above the maintenance mar-gin. Even scarier is the fact that your broker may not berequired to consult you before selling! Under most mar-gin agreements, a firm can sell your securities withoutwaiting for you to meet the margin call. You can't even con-trol which stock is sold to cover the margin call. Because of this, it is imperative that you read your broker-age's margin agreement very carefully before investing.This agreement explains the terms and conditions of themargin account, including: how interest is calculated,your responsibilities for repaying the loan and how thesecurities you purchase serve as collateral for the loan. THE ADVANTAGESWhy use margin? It's all about leverage. Just as companiesborrow money to invest in projects, investors can borrowmoney and leverage the cash they invest. Leverage ampli-fies every point that a stock goes up. If you pick the rightinvestment, margin can dramatically increase your profit. A 50% initial margin allows you to buy up to twice as muchstock as you could with just the cash in your account. It'seasy to see how you could make significantly more moneyby using a margin account than by trading from a purecash position. What really matters is whether your stockrises or not. The investing world will always debatewhether it's possible to consistently pick winning stocks.We won't weigh in on that debate here, but simply say thatmargin does offer the opportunity to amplify your returns. The best way to demonstrate the power of leverage is withan example. Let's imagine a situation that we'd all love to

be in - one that results in hugely exaggeratedprofits: We'll keep with the numbers of N20,000

worth of securities bought using N10,000 ofmargin and N10,000 of cash. Cory's TequilaCo. is trading at N100 and you feel that it willrise dramatically. Normally, you'd only beable to buy 100 shares (100 x N100 = N10,000).Since you're investing on margin, you havethe ability to buy 200 shares (200 x N100 =N20,000). Cory's Tequila Co. then locks in Jennifer Lopezas a spokeswoman and the price of shares sky-rockets 25%. Your investment is now worthN25,000 (200 shares x N125) and you decideto cash out. After paying back your broker theN10,000 you originally borrowed, you getN15,000, N5,000 of which is profit. That's a50% return even though the stock only wentup 25%. Keep in mind that to simplify thistransaction, we didn't take into account com-missions and interest. Otherwise, these costswould be deducted from you profit.THE RISKSIt should be clear by now that marginaccounts are risky and not for all investors.Leverage is a double-edged sword, amplifyinglosses and gains to the same degree. In fact,one of the definitions of risk is the degree thatan asset swings in price. Because leverageamplifies these swings then, by definition, it

increases the risk of your portfolio. Returning to our example of exaggerated profits, say thatinstead of rocketing up 25%, our shares fell 25%. Now yourinvestment would be worth N15,000 (200 shares x N75).You sell the stock, pay back your broker the N10,000, andend up with N5,000. That's a 50% loss, plus commissionsand interest, which otherwise would have been a loss ofonly 25%.Think a 50% loss is bad? It can get much worse. Buying onmargin is the only stock-based investment where youstand to lose more money than you invested. A dive of 50%or more will cause you to lose more than 100%, with inter-est and commissions on top of that. In a cash account, there is always a chance that the stockwill rebound. If the fundamentals of a company don'tchange, you may want to hold on for the recovery. And, ifit's any consolation, your losses are paper losses until yousell. But as you'll recall, in a margin account your brokercan sell off your securities if the stock price dives. Thismeans that your losses are locked in and you won't be ableto participate in any future rebounds that may take place. If you are new to investing, we strongly recommend thatyou stay away from margin. Even if you feel ready for mar-gin trading, remember that you don't have to borrow thewhole 50%. Whatever you do, only invest in margin withyour risk capital - that is, money you can afford to lose.CONCLUSIONHere's the bottom line on margin trading: You are more likely to lose lots of money (or make lots ofmoney) when you invest on margin. Now let's recap other key points Buying on margin is borrowing money from a broker to pur-

chase stock. • Margin increases your buying power. • An initial investment is required (minimum margin). • You can borrow up to 50% of the purchase price of a stock(initial margin). • You are required to keep a minimum amount of equity inyour margin account that can range from 25% - 40% (main-tenance margin). • Marginable securities act as collateral for the loan. • Like any loan, you have to pay interest on the amount youborrow. • Not all stocks qualify to be bought on margin. • You must read the margin agreement and understand itsimplications. • If the equity in your account falls below the maintenancemargin, the brokerage will issue a margin call. • Margin calls can result in you having to liquidate stocksor add more cash to the account. • Brokers may be able to sell your securities without con-sulting you. • Margin means leverage. • The advantage of margin is that if you pick right, you winbig. • The downside of margin is that you can lose more moneythan you originally invested. • Buying on margin is definitely not for everybody. • Margin trading is extremely risky.We must emphasize that this article provides a basic foun-dation for understanding margin. It is meant to serve as aneducational guide, not as advice to trade on margin.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 53

54 THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

BusinessInterview

The problem of recurrent expenditureovershadowing capital spending plan hasbeen a developmental issue over theyears. What’s the situation in Ogun State?Really, this is still something we are con-tending with in Ogun State. In the 2013Budget we have attempted to lay moreemphasis on project-based budgetingrather than line budgeting particularly inpursuit of our vision to rebuild OgunState. We realize that in order to accom-plish the enormous task of rebuilding theState, the Budget must lean more infavour of capital expenditure than recur-rent. This is why in the 2012 Budget (thefirst full Budget of this Administration),the Capital Expenditure allocationincreased by about 127 per cent over the2011 capital allocation, giving a 55:45 splitin favour of Capital expenditure. Also inthe 2013 budget, the capital expenditurehas been put at 55 per cent of the totalbudget size of N211.79 billion. The criticalfactor necessary for achieving greatercapital budget split is our ability and thecommitment of all stakeholders to growthe revenue base of the State. How would you assess the budget per-formance last year, against the back-ground of identified legacy challenges?As I said earlier, the 2012 budget was thefirst Appropriation Law to be fully con-ceived and implemented by the current

Administration. Based on our manage-ment accounts (unaudited), our 2012overall budget performance was 63 percent. We consider this to be greatprogress considering that the 2012Budget size was 61 percent higher thanthe 2011 Budget. Through several initia-tives embarked upon by thisAdministration, the Internally GeneratedRevenue (IGR) hit an unprecedented levelof N3 billion in December 2012 from theaverage of N700 million recorded in thepast. Even though sales of land account-ed for about one third of this figure, theIGR from recurrent sources like taxes andlevies, among others, had stabilized atover N2 billion monthly in 2012. Indeed, total IGR for the year was N21.08billion, which was lower than our projec-tion, due to some factors that were main-ly extraneous. In 2013 we are vigorously

targets, as the reform in that sector tooklonger than planned. It will be recalledthat a Judicial Commission of Inquiryinto Land Allocation and Acquisition,covering the period from 2003 to 2011went into operation and for the greaterpart of that year, limited transactions inlands were undertaken.How are you addressing the challengesbeing faced in further raising the IGRprofile?As you know, ability to spend is a func-tion of funds generated. Efforts to signif-icantly improve our IGR are continuous.Since the need to meet our expenditureplan from local resources are germane tofaithful budget implementation, severalstrategies are being worked upon, someof which include an expansion of the taxnet and mobilisation of efforts toachieve its actualization. Essentially, allefforts are geared towards lookinginwards through aggressive collection ofall revenues due to the State. Initiatives are also being undertaken toseek new revenue sources so that ulti-mately, there will be less reliance onfunds from the Federation Account andother external sources. In this line, it isenvisaged that with the implementationof the recommendations from the WhitePaper on the Judicial Commission ofInquiry into Land Allocation and

pursuing all revenue sources.Which factors constrained the state’sefforts to raise further the profile of IGR?After the passage of the 2012 budget, theFederal Government increased the per-sonal allowances available to tax payers,thereby significantly reducing our taxrevenue for the year. For instance, theIGR dropped from N2.3 billion achievedin April 2012 to just over N1 billion inJune, due to the amendment in thePersonal Income Tax Act. Losing such asignificant percentage of monthly rev-enue had a huge negative impact. Also,the revenue of N70.80 billion expectedfrom the Federation Account was notfully realised. The actual receipt fromAbuja for the year was just N45.79 billion.Again, the Bureau of Lands and Survey,which normally accounts for a sizeablepart of our IGR, fell short of its revenue

Careful budget planning critical to

Muoyo

Mrs. Oluwande Muoyo, a chartered accountant, is the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Ogun State. In this interview with Business Editor,ADE OGIDAN, she links well scripted budget planning and execution to the achievement of desired economic growth and development, among others. Excerpts.

Initiatives are also being undertaken to seek new revenue sources so that ulti-mately, there will be less reliance on funds from the Federation Account andother external sources. In this line, it is envisaged that with the implementationof the recommendations from the White Paper on the Judicial Commission ofInquiry into Land Allocation and Acquisition, as well as the completion of ourLand Information System and Geographical Information System project, thestate’s IGR will receive a remarkable boost

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 55

socio-economic development, says Muoyo

Acquisition, as well as the completion ofour Land Information System andGeographical Information System proj-ect, the state’s IGR will receive a remark-able boost.What are the major plans of the state’s2013 budget?As contained in the Governor’s 2013Budget speech, the long-term objectiveof the Budget is to rebuild Ogun State,through budgetary provisions that arebased on sustainable growth. Essentially,under the administration’s five cardinalprogrammes, the budget focuses on theprovision of affordable quality educa-tion; efficient health care delivery; agri-culture production/ industrialisation;affordable housing and urban renewaland infrastructural development/employment generation.For the Education sector, a budget ofN44.28 billion has been slated to com-plete the construction of the 15 modelschools that we started constructing in2012and the construction of 13 others;renovation of 200 SecondarySchools/Technical Colleges across thestate; provision of equipment for sevenGovernment Science, Technical Collegesand some Secondary Schools; rehabilita-tion of 224 primary schools and 764 jun-ior secondary schools; provision of text-books for students and teachers; andscholarship/ bursary awards to studentsin tertiary institutions.For rural and infrastructural develop-ment/ employment generation, N40.42billion has been slated for continuedconstruction of major road projectsState-wide; maintenance of existingintra-city road network; construction ofrural roads; provision of heavy dutyequipment; construction of fire stations;establishment of asphalt plant andmaterial testing laboratory.On our affordable housing and urbanrenewal programmes, N3.34 billion willbe spent on environmental and ecologi-cal issues, N553 million on communitydevelopment; N890 million for electrifi-cation, N8.75 billion on housing develop-ment/ urban renewal. N1.05 billion onland administration, N7.78 billion onwater supply and sanitation; while N5.8billion will be expended on special proj-ects.What about in the areas of health care,agriculture and industrialisation?Yes, in the current budget, N14.75 billionhas been allocated for various projectsgeared towards the achievement of effi-cient health care delivery. The projectsinclude construction of new modelmedium-sized hospitals in each of thefederal constituencies; building of threespecialist hospitals in the threeSenatorial districts, refurbishment of100 Primary Health Care Centres,upgrading of the Central Medical Store,procurement of new equipment for hos-pitals, upgrading of Olabisi OnabanjoUniversity Teaching Hospital, healthinsurance scheme, construction of newnursing schools and construction ofadditional ambulance points.In respect of our agricultural produc-tion, N8.55 billion has been budgeted fordevelopment of model farm estates ineach of the three Senatorial districts,development of plantations; cultivationof about 1, 000 hectares of agricultural

land for crop production under theAgricultural Transformation Agenda, re-introduction of an effective farm pro-gramme in secondary schools, creation ofpoultry multiplication centres/ enhance-ment of livestock projects, pursuit ofaggressive afforestation programme,rehabilitation of government-owned tim-ber company and purchase of processingmachines to upgrade existing small pro-cessing plants.On the Commerce and Industry front,N2.14 billion has been set aside for con-struction of new industrial parks andcompletion of existing ones, productionof mineral maps in the state; renovationof markets, establishment of raw materialdisplay centre and provision of agricultur-al/non-agricultural loans.What implementation strategy have youscripted for the 2013 Budget?First of all, a system of role sharing hasbeen evolved to ensure effective contribu-tions of all stakeholders in the budgetimplementation process. This initiativehas gone beyond the officials in theMinistries, Departments and Agencies toinclude relevant private sector operators.A robust Public Private Partnership (PPP)arrangement is now in place to actualiseeffective pooling together of all resourcesneeded to achieve meaningful implemen-tation of the budget. The issue ofImplementation inertia has been effec-tively addressed and we have put in place,a prudent economic framework to achieveimproved expenditure management.Essentially, we have adopted a systemthat would actualise the stimulation ofbroad-based growth, based on an agendathat focuses on the strengthening of ourpublic institutions, while creating link-ages with relevant partners.In addition, the administration hasevolved a reach-out programme to ensureregular payment of taxes, which fortu-nately has assumed a more voluntary dis-position on the part of tax payers,through their positive assessment of proj-ects that our Administration is executingacross the state. The administration hasput in place a reliable information man-agement system for planning and protec-tion of lives and property and with theeffective monitoring of ongoing and exist-ing projects, we have secured the co-oper-ation of the people in ensuring the pro-tection of public infrastructure. Mostimportantly, the regime of greater trans-parency and accountability nowenthroned in the state has furthersecured the confidence of the people inthe government.On a national level, to what extent do youthink the budget sizes have impacted onthe level of development in state? The budget size determines the numberof developmental projects that can beundertaken for the period under consid-eration. However, if the components ofthe budget do not reflect the needs andpriorities of stakeholders, the size maynot impact directly on the people.Therefore, the budget size will onlyimpact on the level of development to theextent that it reflects the need and priori-ties of the people at all levels. In prepar-ing the Budget, we always ensure that weconsult with the general populace andreflect their inputs in the final Budgetproposals.

The budget size will only impact on the level of development tothe extent that it reflects the need and priorities of the people atall levels.

A robust Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement is nowin place to actualise effective pooling together of all resourcesneeded to achieve meaningful implementation of the budget.

A system of role sharing has been evolved to ensure effectivecontributions of all stakeholders in the budget implementationprocess.

The budget size determines the number of developmental proj-ects that can be undertaken for the period under consideration.However, if the components of the budget do not reflect theneeds and priorities of stakeholders, the size may not impactdirectly on the people.

The administration has evolved a reach-out programme toensure regular payment of taxes, which fortunately has assumeda more voluntary disposition on the part of tax payers, throughtheir positive assessment of projects that our Administration isexecuting across the state.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201356

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 57

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201358

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 59

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201360

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 61

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201362

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 63

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201364

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, June 6, 201165THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

TaxWatch

CONCERN that globalcorporations are avoid-

ing paying their “fairshare” of taxes has recentlygained considerable atten-tion from governments,multinational organisa-tions and the press. Someof the tax avoidance dis-cussion is based on misun-derstanding andmisconception in manycases no thanks to the com-plexities of the tax laws. Butthe real issue at hand isthat the international taxsystem is out of date and inurgent need of overhaul.To better understand whyI say this, it is helpful to un-derstand that for most ofhuman history, the worldhas run on a goods econ-omy. Tax systems evolvedto administer the ex-change of physical prod-ucts, be they bales of

wheat, candy bars or cars.Value creation was tied togeographic location: prod-ucts were generally de-signed, manufactured inand shipped from oneplace – cars, for example,largely came from Detroit,Germany, or Japan. Differ-ences in tax regimes wererelatively few, easy to un-derstand and generallywere comprised of choicesabout legal structure andlocation of the business. Today, the global econ-

omy is driven by suchthings as brand, intellec-tual property and the ex-change of information.Businesses operate byproduct line, often on atleast a regional basis andmore often globally. Taxcodes force decisions to bemade about where torecord something inher-ently global and largely in-tangible: I can downloadan app in London that wasdeveloped in New Delhiand distributed by a com-pany from the Silicon Val-ley. Where is the valuecreated, and how should itbe recorded? As tax codes have evolvedover the years, govern-ments have acted with thebest of intention, but havemade things more compli-cated. They have formu-lated their tax codes toachieve objectives they set,

PwC firms help organisa-tions and individuals cre-ate the value they'relooking for. We're a net-work of firms in 158 coun-tries with close to 169,000people who are commit-ted to delivering qualityin assurance, tax and advi-sory services. Tell us whatmatters to you and findout more by visiting us atwww.pwc.com/ng

About PwC

TheGuardianConscience Nurtured by Truth

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

By Taiwo Oyedele

factoring in various na-tional priorities, such ascompeting to attract in-vestment and create jobs.Corporate tax laws are animportant tool in thisprocess. Because taxes area cost of doing business,governments have enactedlaws intended to attract in-vestment and jobs by min-imising the tax cost. Andcorporations have availedthemselves of the incen-tives governments haveprovided. To obtain the be-haviours they are target-ing, governments shouldalso provide certaintyabout both the protectionthey afford if companiescomply and the conse-quences if they do not. Aswas found in PwC's mostrecent CEO Survey, the lackof certainty -- whether re-garding taxes or otherwise-- is something that hurtsbusiness confidence andimpedes economic activ-ity.

I also believe that the vastmajority of companieshave been genuine in theirefforts to comply with ex-isting laws. Professionalfirms also play a role: mostglobal networks operateunder sets of professionalstandards and networkcodes of conduct that gov-ern what the various firmsdo and for whom they act. Advice is thus grounded in

national and internationallaw, properly disclosed andsupported by actual factsand circumstances. As a re-sult, professional firmsroutinely and regularly ad-vise against certain kindsof tax planning arrange-ments. Nevertheless, the best ofintentions may not havemixed well with, outdatednational tax systems. Anoverhaul is necessary, butwhere do we start?As a matter of fact a viableanswer cannot be found insystems that date from themid-20th century: thespine of how the US taxesinternational transactionswas created in 1962, duringthe Kennedy Administra-tion. In the UK, key ele-ments date from 1965. Thissituation is also the samein Nigeria and manyAfrican countries. The coreof the OECD's model for in-ternational taxation dates

from the 1970's. If tax codesare to adequately reflectnational priorities and val-ues, they also need to re-flect modern reality. There is no easy way to re-solve the issues now facedby governments. It is notreasonable to believe thatany one country can dealwith this issue on a singlecountry basis: the issuesare simply too complicatedand one off actions willsimply risk multiple claimsto taxation of singlestreams of income andgeneral impediments toglobal investment andtrade flows. Governmen-tal cooperation and coor-dination are essential toget to a sensible result thatdoes not discouragegrowth and cross bordertrade and investment.

Recent meetings of the G20and comments regardingthe upcoming G8 meetinghave focused on the needto address the taxation ofinternational commerce.The OECD has recently is-sued a paper on Base Ero-sion and Profit Shifting(BEPS), as a follow on to arequest by the G20. ThisBEPS report does not pro-pose a particular answer tothe issues at hand. It doespresent a framework forconsideration of changesand, importantly, it pro-poses to include in the dis-cussion not onlytraditional OECD member

Taiwo Oyedele is a Part-ner and Head of Tax andCorporate Advisory atPwC Nigeria. He is a reg-ular writer and publicspeaker on accountingand tax matters.

Blog with Taiwo for in-depth analyses, uniqueinsight and superlativeperspective on tax mat-ters:www.pwc.com/nigeri-ataxblog. Subscriptionis free!

As tax codes haveevolved over the years,

governments haveacted with the best ofintention, but have

made things more com-plicated.

’

‘

…….. for most of humanhistory, the world hasrun on a goods econ-omy. Tax systems

evolved to administerthe exchange of physi-cal products, be theybales of wheat, candybars or cars. …. Today,the global economy isdriven by such thingsas brand, intellectualproperty, technology

and the exchange of in-formation.

’

‘

..... we must move thediscussion from a cri-

tique of individual corpo-rate decisions and

consider whether our taxsystems stand ready to

reflect our modernneeds and priorities.

These are not simplematters, but we do notlive in simple times and

doing nothing is nolonger an option.

’

‘’

‘

The International Tax System is in Needof an Overhaul

countries, but a far widergroup of interested coun-tries, including those inthe development stage. A comprehensive set of

changes in laws and taxtreaties is needed to createa balanced and mod-ernised tax system that hasthe capability of workingfor the next few decades. Itwill take some time to getit right, including inputsfrom business. Weighingthe costs of delay againstthe long term benefits, it isclear that with concertedand deliberate focus bygovernments, working to-gether, a durable result ispossible in the near term.These are not simple mat-ters, but we do not live insimple times and doingnothing is no longer an op-tion. As the current eco-nomic climate forces adiscussion about what wewant our future to be, andas governments and citi-zens alike begin to con-sider their priorities for thenext years and decades, wemust move the discussionfrom a critique of individ-ual corporate decisionsand consider whether ourtax systems stand ready toreflect our modern needsand priorities. And weneed to get started – now.

Oil & GasWeeklyThe GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201366

in association with

UPSTREAM NEWS

MIDSTREAM NEWS

HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT NEWS

Remi Aiyela,Editor-in-Chief

editor@NOGintelligence.comwww.NOGintelligence.com

DOWNSTREAM NEWS

REGULATORY AGENCY NEWS

Indigenous Participation in UpstreamSector On Track 

OPEC Basket Price Stood At $105.85 On Wednesday

Waltersmith Plans 5,000 barrels per day Refinery  WALTeRSMIThPetroman Oil Ltd, a wholly indige-

nous operator of the Ibigwe marginal field isplanning 5,000 barrels per day capacity mini-refin-ery around the oil field located in the eastern NigerDelta.

The company recently celebrated a successful com-pletion of the first phase of the oil field development,located in the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 16, which wasawarded to it in 2003, with a farm-in agreement withthe Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC)signed in April 2004.

The field currently produces 4,000 barrels of oil perday (bpd) and expects to inch higher to 7,000 bpd afterthe ongoing production optimisation phase is con-cluded.

The company said in a statement that the proposedrefinery would provide alternative source of income.

“The refinery will provide an alternative incomestream especially in the wake of very frequent disrup-tion in export schedules caused by the vandalisationof pipelines in the Niger Delta”,  said the statement.

According to the statement, the mini-refinery willproduce diesel, jet fuel, kerosene and naptha.  

Waltersmith’s Chairman and Chief executive Officer,Mr.Abdurazaq Isa, said his company had spent over$200,000.00 on the feasibility studies for the mini-refinery.

The feasibility was conducted byChemex LLC, theBakersfield, California, United States-based company,which has already built a mini refinery at Ogbele fieldin Rivers State for another marginal field operator.“The reports they submitted indicate that the econom-ics are favourable but we are doing our own due dili-gence,” Isa added.

NEITI Set To Battle Oil Theft, Pipeline Vandalism The Nigeria extractive Industries Transparency

Initiative (NeITI) has stated that it will shift focusto oil theft, oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism inNigeria’s oil and gas industry, in view of the hugerevenue lost by the country through these activitiesin the sector.The Chairman of the National Stakeholders’ Working

Group (NSWG) of NeITI, Mr.LedumMittee unveiledthis plan at a recent meeting of the agency with thepolitical and economic counsellors of member coun-tries of the european Union (eU) to review the activi-ties of the agency.

NeITI said in a statement signed by the Director ofCommunications of NeITI, Mr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orjithat the absence of reliable baseline information anddata on the actual quantity of crude either lostthrough theft, illegal bunkering or pipeline vandal-ism had been responsible for the poor response andspeculation over facts and figures required to dealwith these complex problems.

Mittee was also quoted as saying that full disclosureand public understanding of the quantity of crude oileither lost through vandalisation, bunkering or out-right stealing as well as the enormous cost to the econ-omy in financial terms would help draw national andinternational attention to the urgent need for solu-tions.he noted that NeITI plans to include in its audit tem-

plate for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector these variables asa way forward.

“NeITI hopes to include as part of its independentaudit a template to capture the quantity of crudestolen, quantity lost through bunkering and othersthrough vandalisation and conspiracy.

“By such an exercise, it will be easier to quantify theloss and provide information publicly to raise the pub-lic consciousness,” Mittee said.

he also disclosed that NeITI’s target was to transit itsactivities from merely focusing on transparencythrough accountability to ensuring measurableimpact arising from its operations. This is being donewith a view to ensuring that oil and gas revenues trans-late to good roads, electricity, water, employmentopportunities and poverty reduction.

head of the Political Section of the eU, Mrs BelenCalvo-Uyarra, said the reason for the decision for NeITIto address the political and economic counsellors’meeting was for member countries of the eU to seekways of supporting the efforts of NeITI in enthroningtransparency and accountability in the nation’sextractive sector.

New JTF Raid On Oil CommunitiesTheoperatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) have raid-

ed communities along the creeks and waterwaysof the Niger Delta, arresting 33 persons including threeGhanaians and a Togolese in an onslaught against ille-gal bunkering operations in the region.

The soldiers also arrested three vessels christenedKing I, MV Gift and MV Tiger Fish with the 33 membersofcrew during the multiple raid operations  carriedout between March 1 and 19, 2013.

In the operation, which took the communities bysurprise, the soldiers seized three vessels anddestroyed over 143 bunkering camps used by opera-tors to cook stolen crude oil. The men also seized 8heavy-duty trucks laded with stolen crude, 70 boatsand 214 storage tanks filled with stolen crude oil.

NSCDC Destroys Illegal Refinery InOndo Oxberry Announces First Gulfof Guinea Anti-Piracy WorkshopOxBeRRy Risk Strategies, a maritime security com-

pany based in London known for innovationand development of advanced maritime securitysolutions, publications and products, haveannounced the launch of the first Gulf of Guinea

AT the recent2013 Annual Oloibiri Lecture Seriesand energy Forum organised by the Society of

Petroleum engineers (SPe) in Lagos, stakeholdershad the rare opportunity of appraising the level ofparticipation by indigenous companies in theNigerian Petroleum Industry. The discussion sessionhad representatives of the indigenous companiesand the government in attendance, speaking on thetopic: Indigenous Participation in Nigeria PetroleumIndustry: Are We On Track?

After reeling out accounts of how far the local con-tent initiative has gone particularly in the upstreamsector of the industry, the general submission by thespeakers was that although indigenous participationwas growing, there were still obstacles militatingagainst full growth of the initiative.The Managing Director/Chief executive Officer, WeltekNigeria Limited, Pedro egbe, said he is proud to saywith a sense of conviction that the local content initia-tive is working particularly in the upstream sector ofthe industry although amidst some real challenges.

he said: “I believe the local content initiative or indi-genization policy is working in the petroleum indus-try because indigenous companies have been doingwell despite the challenges faced. Through our umbrel-la body, the Petroleum Technology Association ofNigeria (PeTAN), which was created in 1990, muchprogress has been made by these companies in meet-ing the challenging demand requirements of theindustry. PeTAN has been in the forefront of fightingfor its members for local content implementation.”

“One of the indigenous players, Walter Smith I knowhas been doing well playing on the big stage just asother indigenous companies are equally trying to dosame to catch up with the big players,” he said.

But despite these notches by indigenous companies,egbe says the road to the destination point is still longfor indigenous participation as there are many issuesbegging for attention.One of them, he said is the issueof technology which is a major source of concern forindigenous participation.

“Though a lot of people talk about technology, but itis known that going to school of technology or engi-neering to get knowledge is one thing, the applicationof the acquired knowledge is another. Before anythingwe must try to ask ourselves the questions: Who wantsthe technology and how has the technology been feltin the industry. The industry and companies need thetechnology. State governments also require this tech-nology to grow their economies,” he said. he said the huge gap in the system therefore requires

prompt action to be taken by developing our technol-ogy.

Acknowledging the contributions of the IOCs, egbesaid they have been making real effortsto comply withthe provisions of Nigerian Content Development Actbut noted that right now the system has not shownthat every strata of government is adequately support-ed by technology.he added that it is surprising thatcurrently there is no industrial policy by the govern-ment.he called on the NNPC and IOCs to come togeth-er to design a business model to help deal with this sit-uation.

egbe said community development is another areathat ought to be looked at if indigenous participationis to improve as it is possible oil communities frequent-ly engage in illegal oil activities because of lack of infra-structure in their domains.“We need to consider the level of infrastructural devel-

opment in our oil communities. One of the reasonsfor illegal activities especially unconventional refin-ing in these areas could be that there is no infrastruc-ture. So, infrastructure must be improved so that thecrude oil theft economy can be made unattractive,” hesaid.

he concluded that PeTAN as a body is prepared tocontribute its quota in growing indigenous participa-

tion with the setting up of the Niger Delta energyCorridor (NDeC) through which it is looking at howraw materials required in the industry can be manu-factured and processed locally.

Dr Layi Fatona, Managing Director/CeO, Niger Deltaexploration and Production said he is of the opinionthat indigenous participation has been growingbecause between 1987-2007 about 53 indigenous com-panies were awarded licenses to carry out explorationand exploitation activities in the Niger Delta andAnambra basins.Right now, he said NigerianPetroleum Development Companies (NPDC) and oth-er indigenous companies can boast of about 287, 000barrels of combined oil production per day, which isa relatively significant production achievement whencompared to the situation before now.

he added that indigenous participation can also besaid to be on track as integrated values are being cre-ated by indigenous companies. “Most indigenous companies are making their marks

in the development of gas resources. NDeP is mone-tizing gas and Frontier energy just commissioned facil-ities for this purpose too. This is just a way by whichwe are integrating values in the oil and gas industry,”he said.

however, he said because the terrain is changing,indigenous players are not finding things easy.Forinstance, he said out of the 28 marginal fields licensedin 2003, only eight are yet in production, an indicationthat the environment is becoming harsher by theday.Apart from this, he said the issue of delay in proj-ect approval is a big concern.

“It takes between 3 months to 6 years for approvingdeals and projects whereas it should have been 6months from start to finish. This is a major disincen-tive as investors may be forced to look for greener pas-tures elsewhere due to this bureaucratic process,” hesaid.Community issues, duplication of taxes by both state

and local governments according to him are otherareas of concern citing the case of Rivers state wherehis company is faced with multiple taxes from the gov-ernment.he identified other issues to include the fiscal regime,funding, personnel and human capacity developmentand technology and the unattractiveness of the mar-ginal assets.

he noted that these and other issues have made itimpossible for indigenous companies to contributeimmensely to growing Nigeria’s reserves, as their con-tribution to the daily oil production is a dismal 10 percent.

he made the following recommendation as a wayforward: that the challenges be assessed and analysedfor remedial actions to be taken, that performingindigenous players be encouraged by giving themadditional assets or fields and that in addition to award-ing marginal fields, small to medium fields be award-ed to indigenous players to boost their capabilities.

With these, he concluded that by 2018, the totality ofindigenous participation should be able to do half of

Anti-Piracy Workshop which will be held in Londonin May 2013. The workshop is being launched inassociation with Dryad Maritime, the UK’s largestmaritime intelligence provider.

The Gulf of Guinea Anti-Piracy Workshop will focuson providing an in-depth overview of the complexoperating environment that vessel owners and oper-ators face when trading in the region and guidanceon what can be implemented to mitigate the risk ofbeing targeted. This announcement comes just a few weeks after the

company’s release of Gulf of Guinea: BeyondIntelligence, a specialist report on security and pira-cy in the Gulf of Guinea. The workshop will providean even deeper insight into the security situation inthe Gulf of Guinea and enable attendees to hear fromindustry experts firsthand.

The Gulf of Guinea Anti-Piracy Workshop is beingheld onboard the former Royal Navy Battle CruiserhMS Belfast in London with expected attendance byCSO’s, DPA’s, hSeQ Managers having responsibility forthe security and safety of their vessels operating inWest Africa as well as likely attendance by leading mar-itime law firms and marine underwriters.For more information, email: jbellamy@oxber-ryrisk.com

The OPeC basket of twelve crudes stood at $105.85dollars a barrel on Wednesday, compared with

$106.52 the previous day, emulating the previousweek’s pattern.Introduced on 16 June 2005,  the new OPeC Reference

Basket is currently made up of the following: SaharanBlend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (ecuador),Iran heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq),Kuwait export (Kuwait), es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light(Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (SaudiArabia), Murban (UAe) and Merey (Venezuela).

President Jonathan Confirms Plans For Subsidy WithdrawalIT has become clear that the Federal Government is

finalising plans to withdraw the subsidy on petrolafter reiterating twice within 24 hours that there wasno going back on the new policy.President Jonathanat a recent Nigerian Summit organised in Lagos byThe economist said that the Federal Government wasplanning to fully deregulate the downstreamsector.he, however, noted that his administrationwould hold consultations with relevant stakeholderson how to go about the implementation of the poli-cy.

“We cannot continue to waste resources meant fora greater number of Nigerians to subsidise the afflu-ent middle class, who are the main beneficiaries,” saidPresident Jonathan.he however said the government would first discuss

the proposal with Nigerians before carrying out theexercise to prevent a repeat of what happened lastyear’s mass protests during which the nation groundto a halt for one week.

Barely 24 hours after President Jonathan gave thishint, the Minister of Information, Mr.LabaranMaku,stated that despite the criticism of the policy by someNigerians, the overwhelming majority were now sat-isfied that its implementation was crucial to the scal-ing up of the oil and gas sector so as to curtail corrup-tion and develop the nation.This was alsothe day aftera Federal high Court in Abuja declared deregulationillegal.

Maku said the Federal Government was currentlylosing a lot of money to the payment of subsidy, whileNigerians continue to suffer from lack of infrastruc-ture and paying extra to avail themselves of servicesfrom the oil and gas sector.

Maku,who briefed State house correspondents atthe end of the Federal executive Council (FeC) meet-ing presided over by President Jonathan, said the pres-ident had to suspend the policy in 2012 because of themany calls that were made on him not to implementthe policy.

“Without deregulation there will be no deregulateddownstream sector. Currently the government is los-ing, the people are losing, because we cannot gener-ate jobs. The potential that the oil and gas sector couldhave unleashed on the country is completely truncat-ed. But the effort is continuous, as the governmentwill not relent on its effort to convince Nigerians so asto reverse the trend of Nigerians suffering as a resultof the subsidy on fuel.”

According to the Petroleum Product PricingRegulatory Agency’s pricing template, the landingcost of a litre of petrol is currently N131.10, with totaldistribution margins of N15.49, thus bringing the totalcost to N146.59. The government is subsidising the dif-ference between the pump price and the actual costsof petroleum marketers.The Federal Government had on January 1 2012 dereg-

ulated the price of petrol, a decision that hiked theprice of petrol from N65 per litre to N140 per litre.But the organized labour and other civil society coali-

tions mobilized Nigerians to the street to protestagainst the policy.The civil action paralysed social andeconomic activities, shutting down the country’seconomy for one week.

The resistance by the generality of the public forcedthe government to reverse the policy but raised thefuel price from the then prevailing N65 per litre toN97.

First oil from the Ibigwe field was attained in March2008, after the company had initially put in place anearly production facility, which included a 20,000-barrel capacity crude storage tank.

In 2009, the company embarked on the first phaseof its drilling campaign with the objective of apprais-ing and developing the shallow reservoirs. Followingthe approval by the Department of PetroleumResources (DPR), the company commenced the sec-ond phase of the drilling campaign and the develop-ment of the field with the planned work-over of Ibigwewells 1 and 2 and the drilling of three additional wells.

By Tola Adeniyi

67THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

By Olusola Akinbode

FREEDOM of information is a fundamental human right es-tablished under international law to make the global com-

munity have more access to information held by governmentofficials and institutions. Article 19 of the Universal Declarationof Human rights (UDHR) guarantees freedom of expression.And this encompasses the right to hold opinions and to receiveand impart ideas and information without interference.

Within the human society, either between private parties orbetween government and the governed; nothing magnifies theloyalty effect like the trust engendered by open, honest and di-rect exchange of information and ideas. According to the Decla-ration of principles on freedom of expression in Africa “Public bodieshold information not for themselves but as custodian of the publicgood and everyone has a right to access this information, subjectonly to clearly defined rules established by law” (Article Iv(1) of theDeclaration of principles of freedom of Expression in Africa).

The right to information also takes into cognizance the factthat some information still need to be kept secret and there-fore imposes some limitations. These types of information are:information about the private lives of people, sensitive com-mercial information, and national security information etc.

The use of law to enhance the realization of human rights inmodern times has been of paramount significance. Legislationis more precise and detailed in definition, content and scopeof the issues to be addressed, than what an open textured con-stitutional norm could do. Moreover, courts tend to be morereceptive to the enforcement of concrete legislative rights andduties than broadly framed constitutional or international (hu-man rights) law norm.

The over a decade struggle to get the Freedom of InformationAct became a reality when it was signed into law on May 28,2011, by President Goodluck Jonathan. It also came into forceon that day. In the preamble, the objectives and purpose of theAct is stated as follows:• To provide for public access to public records and informa-tion.• To provide public records and information to the extent con-

sistent with the public interest and the protection of personalprivacy. • To protect serving public officers from adverse consequencesfor disclosing certain kinds of official information without au-thorization. • To establish procedures for the achievements of these pur-poses and for other related matters.

The Freedom of Information Act set out procedures for mak-ing request, coupled with how institutions should deal withrequest for information. It gives access to information to everyperson. Section 1 (1) states that “Notwithstanding anything con-tained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any per-son to access or request for information, whether or notcontained in any written form, which is in the custody or pos-session of any public official, agency or institution howsoeverdescribed, is established”. The following sub section made an-other important provision, which is that a requester or an ap-plicant under the Act needs not demonstrate any specificinterest in the information being applied for. Freedom of In-formation Act contains other information, like obligations ofpublic institutions to maintain records and what constitute apublic institution. Information and materials excluded fromthe scope of application of the Act and modes of accessing in-formation under the Act. Across the world, freedom of information laws places an obligationon public institutions, to carry out auto- publication of differenttypes of information that are of public importance. This practice isknown as proactive disclosure. The proactive publication is also sub-ject to be reviewed and updated periodically (Section2 (3),(4)&(5).

The FOIA in section 2(7) defines public institutions, and alsogave a second definition under the interpretation section (31)of the Act. It states that “Public Institution” means any legislative,executive, judicial, administrative or advocacy body of the Govern-ment including boards, bureau committees or commissions of thestate, and any subsidiary body of those bodies, including but notlimited to committees and sub-committees, which are supported inwhole or in part by public funds or which expend public funds andprivate bodies providing public services, performing public func-tions or utilizing public funds.

The Act further made provision for types of information cov-ered by the Act, and information exempted from General ac-cess under the Act. Although the Act is founded on theprinciple of maximum disclosure, it however exempts somecategories of information from the General right of access,which the law grants to the public. For example, Section 16states “that information that is subject to the following privi-leges: Legal practitioner – client privilege; Health workers –client privilege; Journalism confidentiality privileges; and Anyother professional privileges conferred by an Act.” This ex-emption does not contain any public interest override.

It is however important to note that the exemptions are not ab-solute. Where an overriding public interest is involved or canbe established, even exempted information may be disclosed.Information, which may be injurious to the conduct of inter-national affairs or the defence of Nigeria is exempted and in-formation, which may jeopardize law enforcement activities orinvestigations of the right to a fair trial.

Other section of the law deals with: Timeframe for responsesto request of information, fees and cost of access judicial review,offences and sanctions and the role of the Attorney-General ofthe Federation, who has broad oversight responsibility over allpublic institutions under the Act.

The result of the first detailed assessment of FOIA laws aroundthe world came out in 2011. It was conducted by Access info Eu-rope (Spain) and Centre for Law and Democracy (Canada). Atthe time, 89 national FOIL laws were in existence. The two in-ternational organisations developed an assessment based onlegislation rating.

The tool seeks to assess how well each country’s legal frame-work gives effect to the right of access. The methodology are asfollows: (1) Right to Access-6, (2) Scope – 30, (3) Requesting pro-cedure – 30, (4) Exceptions and refusal – 30, (5) Appeals 30, (6)sanctions and protection 8, (7) promotional measures – 16. TheNigerian law was rated No.35 out of the 89 FOI laws around the worldthat were assessed. In Africa, the Liberia’s FOI Act with 126 points wasrated No. 5 in the world. Ethiopia’s law with 114 points was rated No.10, while South Africa’s law with 112 point was rated No. 12.

Government is the agency or machinery through which thewill of people in a defined territory is formulated, expressed andrealized. The responsible use of that power is good governance.But there is a general deterioration in the quality of servicesavailable to poor people in a developing country like ours. As of-ten said, information is the source of development, and wheninformation in the form of public records are more freely avail-able, the citizenry can then put government on their toes formore accountable governance. It also ensures that members ofthe public have the information they need to participate in pol-icy and decision making.

In Nigeria, the greatest threat to service delivery, which canlead to good governance, is corruption. This is the subversionof public interests and the common good for the personal in-terests of politicians. This is a violation of ethical values, whereethics is perceived as a system or set of moral principles andrules of conduct recognized with respect to a particular class ofhuman actions or governing a particular group or culture towhich a given people in a society belong (Matsheza and kunaka,2002, p.22). • To be continued.• Akinbode is Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights and Em-powerment, Lagos.

FOIA as a catalyst for good governance (1)

OpinionAchebe: The uncrowned Nobel Laureate THE motto of Obafemi Awolowo University

is ‘For Learning and Culture’. No one aca-demic in Nigeria reflects and personifies thatmaxim more than Professor Chinua Achebe.The grandfather of modern English literaturein Africa was both a colossus in learning as hewas a thorough bred and highly cultivated in-dividual in manners and character.

Chinua Achebe’s transition last week tookthe world by storm and he was genuinelymourned by all those who appreciated bothhis writings and character.

His passing on into eternity was a personalloss to this writer.

It was in July 1965 that Uncle Segun Olusolatook me to Chinua Achebe somewhere onBroad Street, Lagos to seek his permission forme to adapt his most celebrated classic ThingsFall Apart, published in 1958 into a play. I hadseen the dramatic elements in the novel anddecided to make a drama out of it. Achebeasked me a few questions and satisfied withmy answers, approved my proposal to adaptthe novel for both stage and television. Am-bali Sanni’s Muslim College, Ijebu Ode pro-vided the funds while the students made upthe cast. The production was taken round thewhole Western region, including Lagos (mi-nus the colony) and was given loud applauseby the likes of Derek Bullock and Dapo Adel-ugba.

That was the beginning of the romance withthis giant of letters, who, seven years laterhosted me and my wife on our honeymoon tohis official residence at the University of Nige-ria Nsukka in 1972.

Achebe gave pride to African writing and to

Africans. For the first time, he provided a lensinto Africa and presented Africa from theAfrican perspective. His writings were Africanbased, but with monumental universal ap-peal. Hence his maiden novel Things Fall Apartgot translated into well over 50 languages andsold over 12 million copies.

Apart from being the greatest writer of proseto emerge from African continent, Achebewrote for the masses. Achebe spoke so that hecould be understood. The beauty of his writ-ings was that he was a most excellent com-municator, believing that the over all purposeof any work of art is communication. Yourwork, be it dance, song, speech, drama, ges-ture, painting must convey a message, andthat message must be comprehended by yourlistener, your viewer or your audience. Any-thing short of that is intellectual garbage.

In fact, Achebe could easily pass for a play-wright of immense stature. There is so muchdrama in all of his novels. And this was the rea-son I started work on The Theatre in Achebe’sNovels. All the characters in his writings arealive and touchable. The trees, the mountains,the rivers and valleys in his novels speak.

Chinua Achebe gave dignity and personalityto art. For him, you do not need to grow a bushon your head, or grow rodents in your hair toimpress on the world that you are an artist ora writer.

Achebe was a man of character. He taught formany years at Nsukka, and no one ever heardthat he drove his female students nuts, norwas he ever accused of befriending or marry-ing his students.

Achebe taught us what a great mind shouldbe. Achebe never went round state governorswith beggar’s bowl soliciting for money or

gratification nor was he ever accused of sleep-ing with his friends’ widows.

Twice Achebe was offered national honours.Twice he rejected them, arguing that he wasnot one that would pose as holy in the daytime and be in cosy alliance in the night withpeople he accuses in the day time.

The millions who have continued to mournAchebe since his transition, do so in deep sor-row and in sincerity, having discovered in theliterary colossus a most genuine and sincerehuman being.

Achebe identified with his Igbo nation. Heshared the pains and sufferings of his people.And never for once did he treat them with con-descension that he was in any way superior tohis clan.

Achebe was mature. He showed maturity inall his dealings. He did not exhibit childish-ness. He was never petty or small-minded. Allthose who had anything to do with him endedup respecting him, because he commandedrespect. Even when he was in his 30s he dis-played unusual maturity and mastery of hu-man relations. As far as Achebe was concerned,a writer or any artist for that matter was firstand foremost a human person with deep hu-man feelings and ethos.

Chinua Achebe eminently qualified for a No-bel Prize before that hitherto prestigious prize

got politicised and became not a reward fordistinction but a reward for those who hadmastered the art and science of boardroompolitics or global arm-twisting.

Although Achebe mentioned lizard in al-most all his works, the honourable man of let-ters never learnt the art of lizarding.

Prose writer Chinua Achebe shared the dis-tinction of being the best in their arts withJohn Pepper Clark and Christopher Okigbowho up till today are the best writers of po-etry, with Professor Ola Rotimi, the best inplaywriting and play production, with EneHenshaw, Wale Ogunyemi and Professor FemiOsofisan as playwrights with greatest rele-vance and profundity. This explains why tome, Achebe remains the uncrowned NobelPrize winner with most authentic claim tothat crown.

The Federal Government of Nigeria must im-mediately commence the process of creatinga national monument to immortalise thisrare genius of both learning and character.Chinua Achebe was not just a writer; he was adistinguished writer with the best and no-blest of human virtues. A non-hypocrite. Anon-bully. Achebe was both a great ambassa-dor of Africa, and a true and respectable spec-imen of the finest humanity.• Adeniyi wrote from Lagos.

Achebe gave pride to African writing and to Africans. For the first time, he provideda lens into Africa and presented Africa from the African perspective. His writingswere African based, but with monumental universal appeal. Hence his maidennovel Things Fall Apartgot translated into well over 50 languages and sold over 12million copies.

The result of the first detailed assessment of FOIAlaws around the world came out in 2011. It was con-ducted by Access info Europe (Spain) and Centre forLaw and Democracy (Canada). At the time, 89 na-tional FOIL laws were in existence. The two interna-tional organisations developed an assessment basedon legislation rating.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

of our Lord Jesus Christ. I was rather distractedand concerned when, a few years ago, I returnedfrom the missions to attend the Holy Week cer-emonies in a parish in my native Calabar. ThePassion Drama, that is a staged play of ourLord’s passion and death, was acted duringboth the Holy Thursday and Good Friday cere-monies. Hence, a dramatized version of the lastsupper was presented after the Gospel on HolyThursday; whilst the death of our Lord wasdramatized during the Stations of the Cross orWay of the Cross on Friday before the ceremonyof our Lord’s passion. I must commend the ac-tors and actresses that day. They acted profes-sionally, and like any good drama, it bothentertained and touched our hearts. However,my question is this: ought we include these dra-mas, no matter how good they are, in the sacredliturgy?Arguing from historical experience, growing

up in the 80s and 90s I don’t recall any such dra-mas during the ceremonies of Holy Thursdayand Good Friday. I recall very solemn and dig-nified ceremonies devoid of any major distrac-tions. Even the readings and homilies werefocused on the passion of our Lord. I do recallthe Stations of the Cross on Good Fridays. Wewere always admonished at each of the 14 sta-tions to ‘think of our Lord and how he...’ experi-enced this or that. The Stations of the Crosswere thereby reflective and prayerful. I was in-vited to reach into the inner spaces of my heartto contemplate the experiences of my Lord.There is power in personal original contempla-tion perhaps with the aid of a sculpture at eachstation or a picture on my prayer book. The Sta-tions of the Cross were a personal encounterwith Christ Himself as long as I disposed myselfwell enough in the calmness of the liturgy aswell as my movements in posture from stand-ing to kneeling at certain stages. The scourgingsun of 3.pm did also help to mortify my flesh asI tried to connect with the Suffering Christ whowas glad I was there for Him. But in comes the staged dramas. These dramascome with a whole cast of actors and actresses,fancy Judeo –Roman costumes, cameras, light-ing, exaggerated voices and worst of all thebloody and brutal Mel Gibsonesque glamouriz-ing of the torture of Christ. Indeed our Lord wastortured and killed in the most inhumane way;nevertheless when you give young boys the un-fettered freedom to represent that torture, theyget into a frenzy and tend to distract rather than

invite to prayer. With the availability of camerasin affordable mobile phones, you will find moremobile phones held aloft rather than prayerbooks during this liturgy. Watching the same ceremonies held in St Pe-

ter’s Basilica in Rome, the central seat ofCatholic liturgy, I do not see any staged dramasduring the liturgy. According to SacrosanctumConcilium Section 124, we are told of the carethat Bishops or Ordinaries have to take in ac-cepting art into the Church. “Ordinaries, by theencouragement and favour they show to art,which is truly sacred, should strive after noblebeauty rather than mere sumptuous display.”Even though, the document is referring to phys-ical works of art such as portraits, paintings andsculptors, this principle can be used on drama.Indeed, parish priests have to watch some ofthese dramas and depictions before they areused. As for me, to be on the safe side, I wouldstick to the old ways and include nothing in thesacred liturgy, leaving it intact for the next gen-eration. Section 127 of the same document invites bish-ops to train and imbue artists with the spirit ofsacred art and the spirit of liturgy. It goes fur-ther to state “all artists who, prompted by theirtalents, desire to serve God’s glory in holyChurch, should ever bear in mind that they areengaged in a kind of sacred imitation of God theCreator, and are concerned with works destinedto be used in Catholic worship, to edify the faith-ful, and to foster their piety and their religiousformation.” This is a grave undertaking and onewonders if young people who meet for twoweeks of drama rehearsal can observe all these. Cardinal Josef Ratzinger (before ascending thePapacy) wrote in the third chapter of his classicThe Spirit of the Liturgy that “Art turns into ex-perimenting with self-created worlds, empty“creativity”, which no longer perceives the Cre-ator Spiritus, the Creator Spirit. It attempts totake his place, and yet, in so doing, it managesto produce only what is arbitrary and vacuous,bringing home to man the absurdity of his roleas creator.” Again, Cardinal Ratzinger is refer-ring here to physical art and I am relating it withcreative drama as art. What baffles me is thateach year, the youths attempt to put in some-thing new into the drama for many reasons liketrying to outsmart the youths of nearby parishor sell their passion DVDs. In the process of in-cluding new and creative things, one could dis-tort and distract.

Cardinal Ratzinger goes on to write that “thesacredness of the image consists precisely in thefact that it comes from an interior vision andthus leads us to such an interior vision. It mustbe a fruit of contemplation, of an encounter infaith with the new reality of the risen Christ, andso it leads us in turn into an interior gazing, anencounter in prayer with the Lord. The image isat the service of the liturgy. The prayer and con-templation in which the images are formedmust, therefore, be a praying and seeing under-taken in communion with the seeing faith ofthe Church. The ecclesial dimension is essentialto sacred art and thus has an essential connec-tion with the history of the faith, with Scriptureand Tradition.” Again if one wishes to relate thisto drama as art, one would have to ask the obvi-ous questions, how many of our young passionactors first of all prepare for the drama by pray-ing and contemplating on the narrative? Whois the person acting Jesus, Mary, John thebeloved disciple etc? Without sounding toojudgemental, do their own lives and attitude aidthe onlookers to pray or do they distract people? I return to the Passiontide Concert at the Mu-

son Centre. I am happy that this religious andartistic event is being organised and held in avenue and setting outside sacred liturgy. Thereis a famous staging of the passion drama held ina village in Germany every 10 years. It is the mostfamous staging of the passion drama but it isheld outside the holy week and outside theliturgy. We don’t want the Philipino type of pas-sion drama where somebody is actually cruci-fied causing a spectre and attention/immensesympathy to the volunteer rather than devotionto our Lord. The Book of Hebrews tells us thatChrist has died once and for all for our sins. Whydo we re-enact the torture rather than spend theenergy and goodwill in loving the unloved inour corrupt society? I should be accused of not encouraging the tal-ents of our youths. So may I recommend that allPassion Dramas be held on a Tuesday or aWednesday of Holy Week merely as a religiousartistic event and not during the liturgy. Peoplewho really wish to watch and remember the ac-tual brutal passion of Christ will attend this sep-arate screening. It is not fair that one sitsthrough the drama whether they like it or notbecause it has been forcefully inserted into a sa-cred liturgy on a holy day of obligation.• Fr. Archibong is of St Patrick’s Missionary Society,St. Joseph’s Kirikiri Parish, Lagos.

IBEGIN with this quotation: “that sound tra-dition may be retained, and yet the way re-main open to legitimate progress, carefulinvestigation is always to be made into eachpart of the liturgy, which is to be revised. Thisinvestigation should be theological, histori-cal, and pastoral. Also the general laws gov-erning the structure and meaning of theliturgy must be studied in conjunction withthe experience derived from recent liturgicalreforms and from the indults conceded to var-ious places. Finally, there must be no innova-tions unless the good of the Church genuinelyand certainly requires them; and care must betaken that any new forms adopted should insome way grow organically from forms al-ready existing. (The Documents of the SecondVatican Council on the Sacred Liturgy Sacron-sanctum Concilium, General Norms section IIIsubsection 23).With this in mind I now launch my reflectionon the place of the Passion Drama in our HolyWeek Liturgies, especially the Good Fridayliturgy. Two days ago I walked into the Or-pheus Music Shop in the Ikeja Shopping Mallin Lagos. After buying a few classical musicCDs, I was handed a few flyers to be distrib-uted in my parish in Kirikiri where I am tem-porarily serving. These flyers advertised thePassiontide Concert, featuring the MUSONChoir conducted by Emeka Nwokedi, to beheld on March 24, which is Palm Sunday in theChurch’s Liturgical Calendar. I have attendedmany similar events like the Nativity story andChristmas concerts. These events have somethings in common: first, they convey a workof art be it music or drama; second, they con-vey a religious message, a meta-narrative thatappeals to and guides all who are in atten-dance; finally, they are not held within a for-mal obligatory Christian liturgy as if they weresacred in themselves. Formal Christian litur-gies such as the Catholic rite of the Eucharistare structures that have been developed andconcretized over the centuries such that an in-clusion or an exclusion will certainly deformit and render it redundant and in no way sa-cred.

During the Mass of Holy Thursday, weCatholics celebrate the events of the Last Sup-per and the institution of the Holy Eucharist.On Good Friday we commemorate the death

Passion drama and Good Friday liturgyBy Joseph Archibong

ernment’s treasury when eventually employed.After the government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari was toppled bythe military in 1983, the former president himself was notspared the critical examining by the succeeding regime. JudgeAjibola, being the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of thefederation, was charged with responsibility of fishing out per-petrators of corruption and embezzlement of public funds. Hav-ing studied the mount-hill of documents before him, day andnight for one week, Judge Ajibola found out that the formerpresident was not in any way close to any corrupt practice.Pronto, Alhaji Shehu Shagari was vindicated and this till datehas endeared Judge Ajibola to him as an unbiased umpire.Unlike many Nigerian public office holders who amassed bil-lions of naira and concealed them in foreign accounts, Prince(Judge) Ajibola, after retiring from the World Court at TheHague, decided to sell all his assets both in Nigeria (startingfrom Bola Ajibola Street in Ikeja, Lagos) and abroad in fulfilmentof his pact with God to found a university – Crescent University,Abeokuta – as a visionary initiative that would cater for the nextgeneration. Whereas his colleagues at the World Court retired tobliss, he chose to retire to contentment and enduring impacton humanity through education. He could have named the uni-versity after himself just like other compatriots in the countrybut since his is for humanity, basically to breed people of moraland academic character in our society, he declined to do thateven against the pressure from friends and associates. He couldalso have kept his hard-earned assets intact without furtherstress or hassles; and he could have been junketing around theworld after retirement from the World Court!In his national and international legal as well as arbitration as-signments too numerous to reflect here, Judge Bola Ajibola issynonymous with integrity, industry, credibility and discipline,the demonstration of which had been evident since his days aspresident of the Nigerian Bar Association.At the time he served at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)to the time he led the Nigerian delegation to the Cameroon-

Nigerian Mixed Commission, he successfully prevented the an-ticipated war between Nigeria and Cameroon with his foresightas some powerful nations of the world were ready to supportCameroon in case the whole matter resulted in war. By andlarge, Nigeria generally gained more in the area of maritime de-lineation, (which enabled the country to gain virtually all itsclaim on the offshore and the onshore, otherwise, we wouldhave been deprived of trillions of our oil acquisition that is stillours till now) and charge written against Nigeria by Cameroonon state responsibility, which the court denied Cameroon, al-though Judge Teslim Elias had written a legal opinion of PactaSunt Servanda that Bakassi was a peninsular belonging toCameroon. Despite his dissenting opinions when he served inthat court, Judge Ajibola made tremendous efforts to prove thatBakkasi belonged to Nigeria.As an elder statesman, Judge Ajibola was appointed to chair thedelegation of not only his home state (Ogun State) but the southwestern states and later the entire south of Nigeria to Confer-ence of Political Reforms in 2005 where divergent views of vari-ous groups were discussed. The delegation successfully securedthe N10 billion Lagos allocation from the Federal Government.In his testimonial letter, Professor Kehinde Okeleye who is thevice chancellor of his Islamic Mission for African Crescent Uni-versity described Judge Ajibola’s doggedness and ability to carryalong his lieutenants in achieving target goals as astonishing,especially for a man close to being an octogenarian.“He is never to be caught in the web of indecision as he pos-

sesses a remarkable zeal for unknotting knotty problems withthought-provoking humour and proverbs”, Prof. Okeleye noted.He has won dozens of awards and honours both within and

outside the country. He also emerged the winner of the presti-gious Sardauna Leadership Award in 2010. Judge Ajibola has putsmiles on many faces as he donates secretly to refugee camps,motherless babies’ homes and hospitals. At 79, he has greatly in-vested in the service of God and that of humanity.• Katib is Public Relations Officer, Crescent University, Abeokuta.

ONE of the few names that reverberate at the internationalstage of our legal profession is His Excellency, Judge Bola Aji-

bola (SAN). The only surviving Nigerian who served as formerworld court judge in The Hague, Judge Ajibola has made ‘his im-pressive footprints on the sand of time having written his nameboldly, in gold, on the wall of history and has been a good modelfor those who seek to be inspired by his exemplary life’.Apart from being the longest-serving Attorney-General and

Minister of Justice at a stretch, Judge Bola Ajibola remains theonly Nigerian who selflessly served his fatherland for over sixyears – between 1985 and 1991 – as a minister without takinghome any salary. What he did remarkably was to pay back to theFederal Government 35 per cent of his regular monthly salary,25 per cent to the Nigerian Bar Association and 40 per cent tocharitable/humanitarian organisations all over Nigeria, whichincluded the Association of the Blind, Red Cross, Red Crescent,Muslim Aid Group, disabled societies in Lagos and Benin and soforth. During this period, he engaged the services of two legalpractitioners that he was paying on his own at the Ministry ofJustice for the publication of the Nigerian Weekly Law Report,which was updated during his tenure. As a man of integrity,Judge Ajibola remained, and still is, an incorruptible jurist as aleader of the bar and the bench.In his days as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, peoplelooking for favours of his office would send in expensive wristwatches, clothes, jewellery, wall clocks and other valuables. Onquarterly basis, all these items would be sold at trade fair whilethe proceeds would be returned into the Federal Governmentcoffers on his directive. Once a job seeker into the Ministry ofJustice brought a new car into his compound, as a ‘gift’. On hisknowledge, Judge Ajibola ordered that the man should be toldto either take his car away from his (Ajibola’s) compound or riska jail term. He queried why a job seeker could be so desperateand counselled that people of that character would milk gov-

Judge Bola Ajibola at 79By Idris Katib

Opinion68

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, June 6, 201169THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

BondWatch Published in association with

(Regulated by the Securities & Exchange Commission of Nigeria)

DLM BOND WATCH: MARCH 25, 2013

Media70 THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

By Chuks Nwanne

Issue

Ahead of 2015, broadcasters strategise for better performanceAS political parties and gladiators gradual-

ly gear up for the forthcoming nationalelections in the country, the NationalBroadcasting Commission (NBC) has beguna sensitisation process that will ensure fairreportage of elections without undue advan-tage for any particular political group. Inline with this objective, the Commissionrecently organised a one-day meeting withbroadcast licensees at the Transcorp Hilton,Abuja, under the theme, Political Broadcasts:Doing It Right.

In his keynote address at the forum thatbrought together stakeholders in the coun-try’s broadcast industry and representativesof broadcast organisations, the Director-General of NBC, Engr. Yomi Bolarinwainformed that the meeting was conceived asa platform to tackle important issues thathave started staring both the regulators andbroadcast organisations in the face.

“The fish that can see that its water is get-ting shallower can never be stranded. Ladiesand gentlemen, we should not wait until ourwater gets too shallow for our own good. Weneed to urgently put up strategies to avoidbeing stranded. And that is the basic motiva-tion for this family meeting. We need to sortthem out in a timely manner as a family.”

While observing that broadcasting is abusiness close to the hearts of the people,Bolarinwa noted that broadcasting is by farthe most important source of information,as well as of entertainment, for most peoplein Nigeria.

“High level of illiteracy along with the diffi-culty of distributing newspapers (logistics)means broadcasting is the most suitablechoice for news and information for themasses, not to mention the fact that theother may be prohibitively expensive. Mostimportantly, it is easy to relax watch or listento news, especially in today’s digital worldwhere you can watch and listen anywhereany time,” he said. 

As a result of its centrality as a source ofinformation and news, and its growing prof-itability, the DG observed that governmentsand dominant commercial interest have his-torically sought to control broadcasting.

“All too frequently, the publicly-ownedbroadcaster operates largely as the mouth-piece of government rather than represent-ing the whole society. And the private sta-tions are no better; they too operate as themouthpiece of the rich and powerful; bothsides abandon the common man.”

According to Bolarinwa, these trends in thebroadcasting sector are very worrying.

“We are worried because our history is dot-ted with instances when broadcasters havebeen used to the detriment of the nation:From the experiences of the regional broad-casters of the 60s to the rancorous activitiesof the second and third republics, and up tothis Fourth Republic, politicians have man-aged to sneak in on us and use us to achievetheir selfish objectives and, in the process,make complete nonsense of our integrity.Politicians are very good students of power;they go to every length to control the mindin order to control the votes.”

Though the 2015 elections are still far away,the environment is already approachingboiling point. The DG noted that some sta-tions are increasingly coming under pres-sure to polarise along the lines of opposingpolitical divides.

“We need to be very mindful of this powerso that it does not swallow us. We need tonote that the same politicians, who goad usinto doing the wrong things do not hesitateto report us to the Commission when theydo not have their way, whether they have acase or not. It is therefore disturbing that weseem not to have learned any lessons from

all this because, on some stations in this coun-try, certain political parties can never dowrong while others that are classified as oppo-sition are often vilified and lampooned.” 

To the NBC boss, evidence suggesting thatstation managers are compelled by their pro-prietors to slant the news in total breach ofprofessional ethics is cause for alarm for theCommission. 

“Even more alarming is the fact that manymanagers actually comply, ostensibly, inorder to save their jobs. While it is crucial forbroadcasters to be allowed to do their job, wealso remind ourselves that it is necessary to betotally professional in our duties. But evenmore dangerous for our profession and ulti-mately our country, is the near-total absenceof proper gate keeping by station owners, sta-tion managers and editors.”

He described gate keeping as a crucial man-agement function that uses the parameters ofnews worthiness and news value to set theagenda for public debate, and thus fueldemocracy and foster the well being and coop-eration of the various segments of society.

“Through proper gate keeping, broadcasters

are expected to use their expertise and knowl-edge to promote generally accepted social val-ues and norms, especially civic and socialresponsibilities. Since we as broadcasters usethe airwaves to exercise freedom of expressionin trust for all Nigerians, they have a right todemand in return that we worship at somehigher alter than that of professional expert-ise.”

The DG frowned at the unfortunate trendwhere reporters and producers, and often less-er-level employees, appear to enjoy free reignto put on air anything they like without dueregard to professional imperatives, and mostoften enticed by pecuniary or other personalloyalties.

“We seem to have abdicated our responsibil-ity to ensure proper supervision, and haveallowed outsiders to dictate the agenda. Thisfailure to rise above society ethically andmorally is recipe for anarchy, as contemplatedby Dan Brown, the author of Angels andDemons, when he wrote that the media is theright arm of anarchy.”

On the issues of staff members, who commitserious offences against the Code, which puts

the station in trouble, Bolarinwa noted that,“while the station is left to face the conse-quences, the staff member walks free andcrosses over to the next station to causemore trouble. This has happened over andover, and recalcitrant staff members are get-ting away with murder. While theCommission is considering an appropriateresponse to this disturbing development, itmay be appropriate for broadcast stations tobegin to network among themselves to red-flag such dangerous staff and refuse toaccept them in the next station. If we had anactive Nigerian Society of Broadcasters, itwould be in the best position to ensure disci-pline among individual broadcast practi-tioners. This is, therefore a clarion call on allbroadcasters to come together and resusci-tate this important society, for the promo-tion of our profession,” he urged. 

Organised under the chairmanship of thePresident of DBN, Mr. Osa Sunny Adun, themeeting also featured a paper presentationon political adverts and decency by theRegistrar, APCON, Alhaji Garba BelloKankarofi.

At the end of the meeting, participants,with resolve to take the discussion down totheir various stations, issued a commu-niqué. They took an exception to what theytermed near-total absence of proper supervi-sion and gate-keeping by station owners, sta-tion managers and editors.

The meeting also upheld the fact that gatekeeping is crucial and through it, broadcast-ers are expected to use their expertise andknowledge to promote generally acceptedsocial values and norms, especially civil andsocial responsibilities. However, there wereobservations that some broadcasters com-mit serious breaches against the provisionsof the Code, which attract severe sanctions.

The perceived inability of managers of thegovernment-owned stations to say no totheir governors/proprietors is roundly con-demned. Also noted was the challenge of dis-proportionate financial capacity of contend-ing candidates and political parties.

In its recommendation, the meting calledfor an active Nigerian Society of Broadcastersto ensure the progress of their professionand discipline among members. It alsourged stations to ensure balance and giveaccess to all shades of opinions with duerespect to professionalism, the Code and theNBC Act.

The need to reconstitute a political broad-cast forum at state levels to take into consid-eration the peculiarities of each state wasalso recommended. While the Commissionwas urged to invite state governors for freediscussions concerning ethical broadcast-ing, need for broadcast stations to networkamong themselves to red-flag unruly staff,was also canvassed by participants.

In attendance was a former Minister ofState for Information and Communication,Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, eight stateCommissioners of Information and twoPermanent Secretaries.

Similarly, there were 115 proprietors/repre-sentatives of proprietors of broadcast sta-tions of the federal and state governments,public and private stations across the coun-try.

All too frequently, the publicly-ownedbroadcaster operates largely as themouthpiece of government rather thanrepresenting the whole society. Andthe private stations are no better; theytoo operate as the mouthpiece of therich and powerful; both sides abandonthe common man.

A cross-section of participants including Chairman, DAAR Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi (third left)… at the meeting

APCON Registrar/CEO, Alhaji Garba Bello Kankaronfi (left); DG of NBC, Bolarinwa; and President of DBN, Osa Sunny Adun

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 71

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201372

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 73

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201374

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 75

SportsAhead Brazil 2014 World Cup

‘Nigeria, Kenyadraw, a realitycheck’

the East Africans should notbe ignored.

He said, ‘‘here was a teamthat completely outplayedNigeria in the Nairobi gameeven when it lost the match.

‘‘We should not have takenfor granted a team that hassuch tested stars as DavidOliech, Victor Wanyama andNyambura Francis. It alsowants to qualify for the WorldCup that was why it hiredAdel Amrouche to leads itscharge in the qualifiers.

‘‘Keshi knows now that thetask at hand has becometougher and so he shouldwork on the players physical-ly and psychologically to getat tune with current realities.I think they have had enoughof the celebrations.’’

John Ogu, who made hisSuper Eagles debut as a sec-ond half substitute in thegame, agrees with Orji,adding, ‘‘we still have oppor-tunities to make amends.

According to the Portugalbased star, ‘‘what happenedtoday shows that we cannotunderrate any team. But italso brought the character ofthe Eagles. Not many teamswill battle to secure a drawwith just a few minutes of agame left, but if we want toremain at the top we mustnot leave ourselves in suchsituations as we did onSaturday.

“We started soft in a gameagainst the physical Kenyansand we allowed them to bossthe game. It shouldn’t hap-pen again. We need to realisethat we are now the target ofevery African team so weshould buckle up for toughbattles in every game.”

Ogu believes the coacheswould work on all the depart-ments to ensure better per-formance in subsequentgames, adding, ‘‘the goodthing about our team is thatwe have quality players, but

we have to step up our gameif we desire to qualify forBrazil 2014.’’

To Super Eagles spokesman,Ben Alaiya, the result is a bigdent on Nigeria’s journey toBrazil, but one the teamwould correct in subsequentgames.

“It is now back to reality,what you witnessed in thegame was a wake-up call. Theplayers now know they haveto re-dedicate themselves andface reality. I must say that itwould have been difficult hadwe lost the game. Thank Godwe got a point from it, but wewere very unlucky. We had somany scoring chances and we

wasted them.“It shows the Eagles are

human and like true champi-ons they will bounce back toreclaim the lost points. Wehave to go to Kenya and beatthem, show them why we areAfrican champions. I agreethat it was not a great per-formance from us, but we willget it right anywhere theytake us to in Kenya.” 

With Saturday’s result,Nigeria still leads Group Fwith five points, same asMalawi, which beat Namibia1-0 away from home, whileKenya has two. Malawi isbelow Nigeria because it hasscored fewer goals than the

KENYA’S Leader of delega-tion to the Brazil 2014

World Cup qualifier againstNigeria in Calabar onSaturday, Hussain Terry,who said the Super Eagleswere beneficiaries of the ref-eree’s poor judgment in thegame, says the HarambeeStars would pay Nigeriaback in its own coin inNairobi.

Terry accused the refereeof adding more time to thegame to see that Nigeriaequalised, adding that theHarambee Stars weredenied ‘clear penalties,’ andwere also intimidated tofavour the Super Eagles.

‘‘What reason has the ref-eree got to send our coach

out of the game. He acted outa well-written plot all to saveNigeria. That is why Africanfootball is not growing, butwe will get our pound offlesh,’’ he said.

Lamenting the treatmenthis team received since arriv-ing in the country, Terry saidNigeria has ‘‘murdered sleepand will no longer sleep.’’

According to him, ‘‘sincewe arrived here, we havebeen treated badly by theNigerian federation andtoday, the referee completedthe job for Nigeria.

‘‘I am African and there is asaying that a child who refus-es to allow his mother tosleep with not sleep also. Wewill pay Nigeria back in its

own coin in Nairobi,’’ hesaid.

Also threatening of retali-ating for the alleged ill-treat-ment by Nigeria, Kenya’sTeam Manager, Ali Rehamsaid the Botswana refereedid not allow the HarambeeStars expose the SuperEagles. “We are not happy atthe treatment since ourarrival in Nigeria. We hopeto upturn the table in�Nairobi.

Celtic star, Victor Wanyamawas even more forthcoming,saying Kenya was robbed ofa famous victory.  �“We wererobbed. I am disappointedwith the officiating. Addedtime was to be three min-utes, but the referee allowed

it roll into five minutes andthat was when the equalisercame,” blasted Wanyama. ��

According to Wanyana,who is the among the hottestproperties in European foot-ball, “we deserved a win andso we are so disappointed wedid not take all three points.�“But I am very confidentthat when they come toNairobi, we are going to takethree points.”

While others were furiousthat Kenya drew the game,Skipper Dennis Oliech sayseven the draw is a ‘miracle.’�He added, ‘‘we came here toprove a point and that wehave done. It was a very diffi-cult game for us knowingthat we were playing Africanchampions, who paradedgreat stars from Europe.’’

I knew I will score against Kenya,says OduamadiSUPER Eagles savior in the

Brazil 2014 World Cup qual-ifier against Kenya, NnamdiOduamadi, says he knew hewould score in the game evenbefore he joined the fray fromthe reserve bench.

Oduamadi, a second halfsubstitute, got Nigeria’sequaliser in the 1-1 draw wayinto the added to throw thehitherto subdued Calabarfootball fans into celebration.

Speaking after the game,Oduamadi, who made his sec-ond appearance for the sen-ior national team in thegame, said he has studied theKenyans and knew what to doto hurt them.

The Italy-based midfieldersaid, “I saw their weak pointswhile I was on the bench so Iwanted desperately to jointhe action. If I had entered thegame earlier, I would havescored more goals,’’ said themidfielder, who replacedSunday Mba in the 74th

minute.   �  Oduamadi sees Kenya as

well-drilled side, who playedfor a compact game witheverybody fighting for theteam.

“Kenya surprised me. Theymade life difficult for us, but Iam very happy that I scoredthe goal for my country.’’

The Varese of Italy player ishopeful of helping the teamto the Serie A at the end of theseason.

THE axiom a team is as goodas its last result was aptly

demonstrated at the U.JEsuene Stadium, Calabar,where Kenya almost ran awaywith a 1-0 victory over Africanchampions, Nigeria.

It was a Brazil 2014 WorldCup qualifier between the topteam in Group F of the Africanseries and the bottom side,which after two games hadonly a point to its name.

Before Saturday’s encounter,every pundit had predicted awhitewash of the HarambeeStars owing mostly to thepedigree of the Super Eaglesand the head to head statisticsbetween both nations.

In 13 previous meetingsNigeria had 11 wins and twodraws. In fact, the last twomeetings had ended in homeand away victories for Nigeriaen route the South Africa 2010World Cup. 

Again, the Super Eagles hadbeaten Cote d’Ivoire, Mali,among other strong Africancountries to win the 2013Nations Cup, so nobody reck-oned with ‘minnows,’ Kenya,which had not been to theNations Cup in more than adecade. So, the Eagles contin-ued celebrating their NationsCup victory even when it wasjust a few days to the gameagainst the Harambee Stars.

All these while, the Kenyanswere busy plotting theirstrategies against Nigeriawith the belief that theywould get something out ofthe game if things went theirway. They nearly succeeded inshocking the African champi-ons.

Such was the relief stand-inCaptain, Vincent Enyeama feltat the end of the game that hehad to kneel down on thepitch to thank God for savingNigeria’s blushes.

Enyeama said, “I am happy

we drew this match. Had welost, it would have been a dis-aster.” �“We did not play likechampions, we gave them somuch room that they felt athome, doing anything theywanted with the ball. But thisis the end of part one, whenwe meet in Nairobi we willsettle scores.’’  � 

Lamenting the complacen-cy that nearly cost Nigeriadearly in Calabar, SuperEagles former defender,Bethel Orji, said the draw wasa wake up call to the playersand their coaches.

Orji, who came from Aba towatch the game, said he knewthe Kenyans would not beeasy prey going by the waythey went about preparationsfor the match.

‘‘This game is a wake up callfor Nigeria because it hasshown that we cannot takeany team for granted no mat-ter how lowly rated it is.

‘‘Every country wants to goto the World Cup, so they willdo anything to achieve thatfeat. Playing against Nigeria isan added incentive becauseas African champions there isno better team to measuretheir standard in the game.

‘‘I am sure that Keshi and hisboys have learnt a good les-son from the game, whichwould be useful when theymeet again in June. We willbeat Kenya in Nairobi, but theboys must be ready to imposethemselves in matchesagainst such countries asKenya.’’� 

Abia Warriors TeamManager, Ofor Abiayebelieves the Super Eagleswere ignorant of the caliberof players in the HarambeeStars hence they wereshocked by what they met onthe pitch.

According to Offor, Nigeria’slast game against Kenya inNairobi during the 2010World Cup qualifiers shouldhave served as a warning that

Nigeria’s midfielder John Mikel Obi (left) and Kenya’s midfielder Mulinge Ndeto during their FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifying match on Saturday inCalabar. The match ended in a 1 - 1 draw. PHOTO: AFP

Stories from Christian Okpara,Calabar

You have murdered sleep, Kenyans tell Eagles

Oduamadi

SPORTS THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201376

Strategy doesn’t alwayswin games, says EnyeamaSUPEr Eagles captain,

vincent Enyeama has saidthat most strategies don’t winmatches in football, describ-ing the freekick scored byKenya’s Francis Nyambura inthe 2014 World Cup Qualifiers1-1 draw against Kenya as thebest he has ever conceded inhis career.

The Eagles’ goal stopper toldjournalists after the gamethat the Kenyans were luckynot to have conceded moregoals in the encounter.

“In football, there is no strat-egy that you can employ thatwill work against 11players. So,to me, strategy most times,dont work. AC Milan went toBarcelona with their strategybut we all saw what happenedin the match. What thismeans is that luck sometimesplay a crucial role in a game.There were loopholes that theKenyans capitalised on toscore in the first half,” he said.The Lille of France star admit-

ted that the freekick thatearned the Kenyan the goalwas the best he had concededin his entire career. He said: “Ithink the goal the Kenya

scored was from a good freekick. I never expected that aKenyan could play such abeautiful free kick.” 

He continued: “As Africanchampion, we don’t under-rate team because it was thesame thing that happened tous in our first two matches atAFCON. Also as professionals,coming from a cold weatherin Europe and playing undersuch a hot was tough for us.”On the Kenyans, he said: “We

all knew the game was goingto go the way it went becausethe Kenyans did not come toplay at all. They had all theirmen behind ball everytimewe attacked. If they camehere to play, I know theywould have conceded moregoals in the match. We hopeto plan for our next matchesespecially the on in Juneagainst the Kenyans inNairobi.”

For Enyeama, the goalscored by NnamdiOduamadi in the 94th wasvital for Eagles. “When wewere trailing the Kenyans, Iwas just praying every

minute not to lose the matchbecause I have never lost anymatch at home with thenational team,” the formerEnyimba of Aba goaltendersaid.

He, however, expressed con-fident that Eagles would qual-ify for the 2014 World Cup inBrazil, saying, “By the grace ofGod we will make it to Brazilbecause we have a good teamand good coach as we want torewrite history just like wedid in South Africa.

“When we won the AFCONtrophy, we saw that Nigerianswere happy and the mediawrote about it so what weneed the media to do for us isto support and pray for teamto make it good. The mediashould stay with us so that wecan remain focus and makethe country proud,” he said.

He further disclosed that hewould return to his Frenchclub, Lille at the end of hisloan deal in Israel. “I am goingback to France because I stillhave two years remaining inmy deal. I will want to see offmy contract,” he revealed.

HE came in toward the endof the match and

Portugal-based John Obu,who made an impact in thegame, believes playing for theAfrican Champion wasindeed a rare opportunity,which he will take advantageof.

Obu made his debut forEagles in the weekend’s 2014World Cup qualifiers againstKenya’s Harambee Stars andthe lanky player also reiterat-

ed his willingness to keep aplace in the team.“Super Eagles is a good team

and playing for the team is arare opportunity. So, whenyou are in the team you haveto give 120 per cent to ensureyour stay in squad is long. Iam happy to be given thechance by the coach and Ihope to utilise it very well,”he said.

Obu described the 1-1 drawagainst the visitors at the UJEsuene Stadium in Calabar asa good result for the team

THE Super Eagles were yes-terday morning paid a

bonus of $25,000-a-man forbeating Burkina Faso to winthe AFCON in South Africa.

The Nigeria FootballFederation (NFF) could notcome up with the cash to paythe team after they won thecontinental tournament onFebruary 10 in Johannesburgcourtesy of a Sunday Mbagoal. 

A source close to the Eaglesconfirmed to

MTNFoootball.com that theteam has now been paid. 

It was also gathered that thispayment could well havebeen possible after the NFFreceived the payment of thecash prize of $1.5 million forwinning the competition. 

In the meantime, the AkwaIbom State Government fetedthe African champions yester-day in Uyo 

Akwa Government reward-ed the team with Keshi pock-eting N2million, while his

having waited till the finalminutes to score the equalis-er after the Kenyans took thelead in the first half.“I don’t think we underated

the Kenya because football isa game of luck and I believethe Eagles will qualify for theWorld Cup with hard workand the grace of God. TheKenyan team is not a badside and there are no longerminnows in the game. Infootball, you don’t underrateyour opponent because it is agame of luck,” he said.

Vincent Enyeama at the Africa Nations Cup in South Africa

Kenya’s midfielder David Onino (left) vies with Nigeria’s striker Victor Moses during their FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifying match on Saturday in Calabar.The match ended 1 - 1 draw. PHOTO: AFP

HAvING sat out during thelast African Cup of

Nations (AFCON) in SouthAfrica, Super Eagles assistantgoalkeeper, Austin Ejidebelieves his leading role ingoal in still attainable.

Ejide told journalists at theweekend in Calabar that hewas ready to wait for his time. “I am sure I can still make the

number one role in the team

but I am ready to wait for mytime because my time willstill come. What mattersmost for me is the success ofthe team,” he said.

The Israel-based star howev-er, described the 1-1 drawagainst the Kenya’sHarambee Stars as a wake upcall for the team.

He added: “I want to say itwas not a bad result but forus, it is a wake up call and wejust need to continue to workhard to ensure that we makeit to the 2014 World Cup inBrazil.”

Like Ejide, defender KennethOmeruo emphasised theneed for the team to redou-ble its efforts during the sec-ond leg against the Kenyan inJune, saying that the visitorsare not pushover.

“We just need to plan wellfor the second leg and I amhopeful that we are going tomake it to the World Cup. Weneed to continue to workhard and with the support ofthe technical crew coupledwith prayers from Nigerians,we can still make themhappy,” Omeruo said.

BAFANA Bafana coach,Gordon Igesund says he

was very happy withOrlando Pirates midfielderOupa Manyisa when hecame onto the field in the 2-0win against Central AfricanRepublic.

The Bucs midfielder nick-named ‘Ace’ put his foot onthe ball and slowed thegame down, which saw thehome side create severalchances inside the last 25minutes of the game. Theyshould really have scoredsomething like five or sixgoals in the end.

“I was happy tonight withOupa Manyisa when hecame on, he put the foot onthe ball, he kept it nicely.”

“I’m still learning a lot

about my players and theyare learning a lot about eachother as well so this was avery very important gameand the nice thing abouttonight’s game is that Iknow what we have to dowhen we go and play them(CAR) there.

“I’m confident that we cango there and get the pointsas well because we are betterthan this team in a lot ofdepartments and we won’tget carried away, we willkeep working hard and let’shope.

“I think right now as wespeak we are on top of thegroup, which is very nice,let’s see what happenstomorrow between Ethiopiaand Botswana.”

Eagles’ debut excites Obu

assistants received half thatsum. 

The 23 players on the finalAFCON squad got a N1million,while the 17 backroom staffwere 500,000 Naira richer. 

The team presentedGovernor Godswill Akpabiowith the national team No.9shirt as well as the AFCON tro-phy. 

The Eagles have thus farreceived over $9 million incash gifts for winning a thirdAFCON title. 

Finally, Eagles get AFCON final bonus Ejide hopeful of Eagles’ goalkeeping role

Igesund impressed by Manyisa

Sure of Eagles World Cup qualificationBy Olalekan Okusan

By Olalekan Okusan

By Olalekan Okusan

77THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013 SPORTS

How TomTom MVP, Oduamadi,saved Eagles’ blushes in CalabarBy Olalekan Okusan

IT was obvious that Nigeria’sSuper Eagles were far bettertactically than the visitingKenya’s Harambee Stars dur-ing the 2014 World CupQualifiers played at the week-end at U. J. Esuene Stadium inCalabar, but nobody expectedthe match to go the way itwent.From the beginning of the

match, the star-studded Eaglesdominated the game withChelsea’s star, Victor Mosesmaking several incursionsinto their opponent vital area.But the Kenyans, who weredefensive for most part of thegame, thwarted all his efforts.The atmosphere at the stadi-

um was fully charged withexpectant fans hoping for awide-margin victory. But theirexpectations were dashedwhen Kenya’s FrancisNyambura converted one ofthe best free kicks that beatEagles’ skipper, VincentEnyeama for the visitors totake the lead in the 35th min-utes.The goal brought silence to

the stadium with the fans urg-ing the Eagles to equalise. TheEagles responded by makingseveral attempts at goal, whichwas thwarted by the Kenyans.

As the game wore on,Obafemi Martins was replacedwith Ahmed Musa, a change,which produced no result.Nations Cup hero, SundayMba, who failed to re-enact hisAFCON Cup, was substituted

Write us off at yourperil, Cazorla warnsFranceIT is too early to start talkingabout the end of an era withSpain, midfielder, SantiCazorla said yesterday aheadof the champions’ trip to playGroup I leaders France in aWorld Cup qualifier.

Consecutive home drawsagainst tomorrow’s hosts andsurprisingly against base-ment team Finland last Fridayhave left Spain second in thestandings, two points behindDidier Deschamps side withfour games to play.Anything less than a victory

in Paris would leave Spain con-templating the play-offs for abackdoor route to the finals inBrazil.

After exhilarating victoriesat Euro 2008, at the World Cupin 2010 and again at Euro 2012,questions have been asked iftheir cycle of success is com-ing to an end.“It makes no sense to doubt

this team,” Arsenal’s Cazorlatold a news conference at theirtraining base just outside theSpanish capital.“Today in football any team

can make life difficult for you.We still have the same hungerand, of course, you cannot talkabout the end of an era.”Spain have lacked a cutting

edge and struggled to turntheir dominance into goals intheir last two outings, as theirpossession game has lookedslow and predictable at times.On top of that, they have con-ceded late equalisers aftersome uncharacteristicallysloppy defending.“In the last game we lacked

some things,” Cazorla added.“We need more variations, theteam need to convert posses-sion into chances. France willbe different. I don’t know ifthey are going to ‘park a bus infront of the goal’ (as Finlanddid).“Recently they have proven

they have the tools to be ableto play in a different way.”

for Italy-based NnamdiOduamadi in the 74th min-utes.Oduamadi, who was makinga return to the team after hislast outing under formerEagles’ Coach, Samson Siasia,was all over the place trying topropel the attack.As the game got to the 90th

minute, some fans startedleaving the stadium con-vinced that the Eagles wouldfind it difficult to get a goal.

But Oduamadi had otherideas to score the equaliser inthe 94th minutes, as the stadi-um burst out in wild jubila-tion. The goal also preservedthat the Eagles 100 per centrecord in the qualifier.

The Eagles saviour got$5,000 reward as the prizemoney for the Most ValuablePlayer (MVP) award from theofficial candy of the team,TomTom.

An excited Oduamadi told

journalists that he was happygetting back to the team andthat he would continue towork hard for the success ofthe Eagles.“I am very happy scoring the

vital goal for the team and Iwould say I was the happiestperson for salvaging a pointfor the team in the encounter.I will always give my best tothe team and I just needNigerians to continue prayingfor the team,” the Varese ofItaly star said.

He added, “the game waslooking difficult and gettingthe goal at such crucial timewas very important. What Iwill say is that I will not let theteam down because I expectthe Kenyans to play the sameway they played us in this firstleg.”

Aside the TomTom MVPaward, as well as, the $5,000,Oduamadi also got the $2,000Guinness goal scorer award.

Brand Manager, TomTom, Ugochukwu Nwankwo (left); winner of TomTom MVP, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Governor CrossRiver State, Senator Liyel Imoke and Vice President, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mike Umeh, at the 2014 WorldCup qualifiers held at the U.J Esuene Stadium in Calabar at the weekend.

THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 201378

SPORTS 79THE GUARDIAN, Monday, March 25, 2013

Zenith Bank Basketball League

Eagles get N37.5m rewardfrom Akwa Ibom govtAKWA Ibom State govern-

ment has doled out N37.5million to Super Eagles forwinning this year’s AfricanCup of Nation (AFCON).

A breakdown shows thateach of the 23 players got N1million, Super Eagles ChiefCoach, Stephen Keshi collect-ed N2 million, four assistantcoaches received N1 millioneach while 17 officials got N.5million each.

Announcing this yesterday,Governor Godswill Akpabioalso donated one three-bed-room flat to Akwa Ibom-bornSuper Eagles Captain, VincentEnyeama for doing the stateand the nation proud at theAFCON.

Akpabio congratulated theSuper Eagles coaches and play-ers for winning the cup, say-ing, “we celebrate you. To you

the players, you are the icons.For the coaches, we were pray-ing collectively for you. Youare the future of this country.”

He, however, condemnedpeople, who criticise hisadministration for makingdonations to individuals,organisations and the lessprivileged when such are cap-tured as grants in the yearlybudgets approved by the stateHouse of Assembly, stating, ‘’atthis point of our existence,what should be important toNigerians is development,unity and security challengesand not frivolous things.’’

The governor, who com-mended Nigerian FootballFederation (NFF), chief coachand other officials for visitingAkwa Ibom, applauded theEagles for doing the countryproud, remarking, ‘’we hardlysee anything to celebrate

about. That’s why when youdid the miracle you did inSouth Africa, you broughtback the Nigerian spirit. Yougave even a three-year oldNigerian child something tocelebrate by winning the cup.’’Akpabio enjoined the Eagles

to learn from and emulateother players, who have madenames by shunning drugaddiction and drunkenness inorder to be relevant in thescheme of things in the future. He added, ‘’now that God hasgiven you a coach, you have torespect him and be disci-plined. Without discipline,you cannot be successful.’’

Vincent Enyeama hadthanked the governor for theshow of love and generosityon them and asked him tocontinue as an uncommontransformer.

Minister, Iorfa lift Jossy Lad MINISTER of Sports and

Chairman NationalSports Commission (NCS),Hon. Bolaji Abudllahi, yester-day donated N.5 million toailing former Falcons Coach,Joseph Oladipo (Jossy Lad),who has been receivingtreatment since last week atthe University CollegeHospital (UCH) Ibadan.

Apparently concerned

From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan

From Inemesit Akpan-Nsoh, Uyo

about the condition the for-mer Shooting Stars’ playerand coach, the ministermade the cash donation tothe children of Jossy Ladtowards his treatment.He, however, reassured the

family of government’s con-tinuous support to ensurehe gets back on his feet, say-ing, “the government is con-scious of its responsibilitiesto all its sports heroes, eitheractive or retired.”

First Bank, First Deepwater winFIRST Deepwater BasketballClub started the defence of

its Zenith Bank Basketballleague title with an uncon-vincing 63-44 points victoryover Nigeria Customs inAbuja yesterday.

The champions’ perform-ance was lethargic and theteam had to bank on experi-ence to win the game.However, their rivals, FirstBank humiliated NigeriaImmigration 84-17 to recordthe highest margin so far inthe competition. In some other games, AHIP

defeated Taraba Hurricane33-13 while Plateau Rocksdefeated Benue Queens 62-49.

Coach of First Deepwater,Lateef Erinfolami told TheGuardian that his girls playedbelow expectation, which heattributed to the two hours

By Adeyinka Adedipe delay before the game kickedoff.

He said his players wereprobably tired after going tothe game without eating. “Itwas good we got the victorybut the players were not attheir best. They didn’t play toexpectation but getting theopening game victory wasvery important.“The also made fundamen-

tal mistakes unexpected ofplayers of their caliber andone can only thank God thatwe won the game,” he added.

Erinfolami stated that thenext game against FCTAngels would be a differentball game as he expects hisplayers to come out in fullforce against the Abuja team. “Our next game against FCT

will be different as I have toldthe players to dominate thegame and come out with aconvincing victory.

“Our prayer is to see JossyLad standing back on his feetbecause he has greatly con-tributed to the developmentof the game in Nigeria. Wewould always be supportiveto any of our heroes especial-ly in their trying times.”

Also, former Super Eaglesstriker, Dominic Iorfa, wholed Lobi Stars FC to Ibadan toplay 3SC in week three matchof the Nigeria PremierLeague, was at the bedside ofJossy Lad and gave N100,000 to the first son of thesick coach, Wale to supporthis treatment.The minister was in Ibadan

to flag off the Splash FM, aprivate radio stationmarathon race. Over 600athletes, all Nigerians, tookpart in the race. A newentrant, Deborah Pambecame the female champi-on of the 5th annual 42kmSplash FM/ICPC IntegrityMarathon Race, while HarisIsmail from Plateau Stateemerged the new malechampion.

The minister, whileaddressing reporters, com-mended the courage of ChiefAdebayo Akande, the chair-man of Splash FM, who hasbeen funding the athleticsevent for the past five years.He, however, pledged gov-

ernment’ support in elevat-ing the marathon race to aninternational standardwhere foreign distance run-ners would be proud to par-ticipate.

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State (left); with Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi and Captain,Vincent Enyeama with the AFCON trophy during the reception organised for the team in Uyo yesterday.

RISE GROUP

Monday, March 25, 2013TheGuardianConscience, Nurtured by Truth

The YOUTHSPEAK Column which is published daily is an initiative of THE GUARDIAN, andpowered by RISE NETWORKS, Nigeria’s Leading Youth Development Centre, as a substantialadvocacy platform available for ALL Nigerian Youth to engage Leadership at all levels, engageSociety and contribute to National Discourse on diverse issues especially those that are pecu-liar to Nigeria. Regarding submission of articles, we welcome writers‘ contributions by way ofwell crafted, analytical and thought provoking opinion pieces that are concise, topical andnon-defamatory! All articles (which are not expected to be more than 2000 words) should besent to editorial@risenetworks.org To read the online Version of this same article plus pastpublications and to find out more about Youth Speak, please visitwww.risenetworks.org/youthspeak and join the ongoing National Conversations’’.

Also join our on-line conversation @risenetworks 21676F3E

Please send reactions and feedback for YOUTH SPEAK to: editorial@risenetworks.org and 07067976667- SMS ONLY

IRECENTLY saw the movie adaptation ofAlice Walker’s book ‘The Color Purple’

directed by Spike Lee and Starring WhoopiGoldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Gloveramong others. In the movie WhoopiGoldberg’s character Celie Harris has been avictim of abuse all of her life. By the time shewas 14 she already had two children by herfather and they were taken away from her atbirth. She is forced against her will to marrya rich local widower Albert who beats herwhen he thinks she falters, turns her into amaid for his house and a nanny for his over-pampered children. In the long run Celie becomes submissive,

silent and accepting her fate at the hands ofMr. Albert. On the other hand Sophia whomarries Albert’s son Harpo is a spitfire whorefuses to take violence from the men in herlives. When Harpo asks Celie what he shoulddo to make Sofia more submissive andrespectful of him she tells Harpo, ‘Beat her’.Sofia finds out that Celie gave Harpo thiswrong advice and has this to say to Celie:“All my life I had to fight. I had to fight mydaddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fightmy brothers. A girl child isn’t safe in a familyof men, but I have never thought I had tofight in my own house! I love Harpo, Godknows I do. But I’ll kill him dead ’fore I lethim beat me. Now, you want a dead son-in-law, Miss Celie? You keep on advising himlike you doing.”

Celie represents the higher populace ofNigerian women who see domestic violenceas a part of life, the type of norm that Ipreach against, while Sofia represents thestrong, independent, self-evolving blackwoman who refuses to take abuse andstands up against her partner to protect her-self, Sofia is the type of woman that I hold upin this piece.Nneoma and Aloy are a young married cou-ple of six months. Nneoma’s family wantedher to marry a young man who had a prom-ising future and would be willing to supportwith the upkeep of Nneoma’s family. Twomonths after they got married, Alloyslapped Nneoma over a minor argument;she let it pass with the thoughts of it being aonetime action. A month later, Aloy beat herup so badly, her injuries could not be cov-ered up. The fifth month into their mar-riage, Aloy beat Nneoma again, only thistime she had to be rushed to the IntensiveCare Unit of a nearby hospital. Her brothers beat Aloy, got the police to

arrest and lock him up for two nights. WhenNneoma got better, she went home with herparents to recuperate but only after a weekher father told her she would have to returnto her husband’s home. She begged herfather to let her stay because she was afraidof Aloy and what he could do to her. Herfather replied by telling her that no oneforced her into marriage so anything shehad to face in her marriage was entirely hercross. With fear, trepidation and resigned toher faith of misery until death, Nneomareturned to her husband.Keere is a 300 level student in a Nigerian

university in the middle-belt region ofNigeria. She has been dating her boyfriendLawrence for seven months. No one knewLawrence had a mean streak of violence inhim until Keere moved in with him; and theviolence began. Lawrence would comehome from lectures to an already preparedmeal of Semo and Egusi soup with large achunk of meat, he would stare at the food inanger, throw it all away, lock the doors andbeat Keere up for reasons that are stillunknown to me. I remember one time when I heard Keere

screaming; Lawrence had locked the doorsand was hitting her with everything hecould find in sight. Her friends were cryingoutside the door begging Lawrence to letKeere go. When Keere emerged, she lookedbloodied, scared worse than a chicken atChristmas and emotionally stripped of herdignity. I found a way to speak to Keere thenext day and I pleaded with her to leave

rights provision in Chapter IV. I cannot over-emphasise how little lives are valued inNigeria. There is nonchalant attitude of thegovernment to critical matters and the blindeye of the public to problems that stare us inthe face— a key social problem that occursevery day in Nigeria but seems to be withoutgovernment attention or public empathy.The law says one thing but another practiceexists in reality. Women rights are not regard-ed as important and are infringed upon allthe time. The problem is further compound-ed by a patriarchal legal system that governsthe country and a Sharia system in the Norththat places women as subordinates whoserights are not properly defined in regula-tions. My focus here is on domestic violencesuffered by Nigerian women in the hands ofthose who are supposed to love and cherishthem and the betrayal from the people whoshould protect them.According to a research carried out by Think

Africa Press two-thirds of Nigerian womenare victims of domestic violence in theirhomes. This type of abuse can be physical,sexual or psychological. Although men toocan be victims of domestic violence womensuffer disproportionately.

Questions seeking answers for include:Why is domestic violence on the increase inNigeria? How effective are the police inattending to cases of domestic violence?What framework has the government put inplace to criminalise domestic violence? Whydo a large mass of the Nigerian public turn ablind eye to this issue? How can women seekjustice as victims of domestic violence? Whatdo women who have been abused need to doto move on from the tag ‘victim’?To be continued• Mmeje Chima, an unemployed graduate, livesin Abuja

Published by Guardian Newspapers Limited, Rutam House, Isolo, Lagos Tel: 4489600, 2798269, 2798270, 07098147948, 07098147951 Fax: 4489712; Advert Hotlines:

Lagos 7736351, Abuja 07098513445; Circulation Hotline: 01 4489656All correspondence to Guardian Newspapers Limited, P.M.B. 1217, Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria.

E-mail letters@ngrguardiannews.com; www.ngrguardiannews.com(ISSN NO 0189-5125)Editor: MARTINS OLOJA . ABC

Woman, you arenot a victim

By Chima Mmeje

Lawrence, she told me “Chima, he willchange, he is just acting out in the spirit ofhis youth”. Three months later, whenLawrence graduated, he took Keere home tohis family and introduced her as the girl hewanted to marry.Ifunaya works with one of the branches ofFirst Bank in Lagos. She was a victim ofdomestic violence for more than 10 years,and nobody knew what was happeningbecause she always covered her bruiseswell. She stayed in an abusive relationshipfor so long in the hope that her husbandwould get out of his violent character andbecome the man she had married. Whenshe realised that was never going to hap-pen, she wrote a letter to her husband,dropped it on the coffee table took her chil-dren and left. She got a new flat, changedher children’s school and got sole custody ofher kids. Her husband can only see the kidsseveral times a month and the visits must

be supervised because Ifunaya insists that aman who hit her for 10 years in front oftheir children will not be left alone to inter-act with them until he gets counseling forhis problems.My mother told me about a friend of hers,

Chizoba who got married at the age of 22 toa young man who was extremely jealousand incredulously possessive. He wouldlock her up in the house when he was goingto work and would only open the doors forher to step out when he came home. Hebeat her up if his meals were late and apol-ogised with six yards of hollandaise wrap-per. Chizoba ran away two years later froma marriage that had become a prison. Shehad no university degree, no job, no voca-tion, no money, but she had her life.The Nigerian constitution is a huge joke

and a shameful fallacy. That much is a fact.The 1999 Constitution guarantees equalityfor all persons in its fundamental human

According to a research carried out byThink Africa Press two-thirds ofNigerian women are victims of domes-tic violence in their homes. This type ofabuse can be physical, sexual or psy-chological. Although men too can bevictims of domestic violence womensuffer disproportionately

Ifunaya works with one of the branch-es of First Bank in Lagos. She was avictim of domestic violence for morethan 10 years, and nobody knew whatwas happening because she alwayscovered her bruises well. She stayed inan abusive relationship for so long inthe hope that her husband would getout of his violent character andbecome the man she had married.When she realised that was nevergoing to happen, she wrote a letter toher husband, dropped it on the coffeetable took her children and left