boko haram - We won't negotiateunder conditions — FG

...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 61746

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012**

Mr & Mrs

•PG.17

•P.41OCHEREOMENNANNA

Probe activitiesof banks,registrars — Stakeholders

•Go ahead with negotiation — Tambuwal, Fasehun, others •No, it's dangerous — Lar, Agoro •We didn't kill Gen. Shuwa — Sect

We won't negotiateunder conditions — FG

Continues on Page 5

DELESOBOWALE

LES LEBA •P.40

•P.37

SULTAN MEETS PILGRIMS—Sultan of Sokoto, Dr Abubakar Sa’ad Abubakar 111 (left) addressing the 2nd Batch ofOsun pilgrims, during his tour to all pilgrims from Nigeria, at Reea Bakhsh, Mecca, Saudi Arabia yesterday.

BY CLIFFORDNDUJIHE, LUKA

BINNIYAT, GBENGAOLARINOYE, DAPO

AKINREFON, SIMONEBEGBULEM, GABRI-EL ENOGHOLASE &

NDAHI MARAMA

LAGOS—THE Federal Government

said, yesterday, that itwill not negotiate with

•P 6Six Ph.D, 704 MastersDegree holders apply fordrivers' job in Dangote Group

FG, ACN tradewords overRibadu report

•P.6

BOKO HARAM:

•P.6Death row convictsmust die — Oshiomhole

•P.15Israeli contractors soldNigeria $240m fake drones

2—Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012

CMYK

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012—3

CMYK


CMYK

POCKET CARTOON

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE


LIFEWORDSBY PASTOR ITUAH

Continues from page 1

Boko Haram: We won't negotiate underconditions — FG

“EVERY day I try to uplift my humanity by beinghuman, doing something beautiful for someone,even a kind thought is a gift of love. A kind deedfrom you, may not cost much, but this maybe ahaven for someone in need. Uplift your humanityand be kind...even kinder.” —E. R.

ACCORDING to Joy Bell C, a writer, somepeople feel that spiritual enlightenment is

achieved through the denial of oneself; but the truthof the matter is that, even if you deny yourself manythings, go and live in a mountaintop, and nevermingle with other people, and do not have the op-portunity to be there for others through giving ofyourself, what then is the use of enlightenment.

True enlightenment comes to a person whereverthey choose to serve life. The key factor is attentionand awareness. Be good at whatever you do andenjoy doing it. Taking time to reconnect with yourinner life is beautiful but an enlightened soul isthoughtful, caring, giving, and endearing being.

Just be kind and if you already have thatvirtue...Then be kinder.

TODAY is all you have, that is why it is called“The Present.” It is a gift indeed, use it well,

because each day comes only once in a lifetime!

Islamic sect, BokoHaram under condi-tions, even as mixed re-actions have trailed thedeclaration by the sect ofits readiness for dialogueto end series of suicidebomb attacks in manyparts of the north.

While some urged gov-ernment to go aheadwith the dialogue, oth-ers cautioned against theidea saying it would becounter-productive.However, the Presi-dency said it would dis-cuss with the groupwithout preconditions asdemanded by the sect.

This came as thegroup denied killingGeneral MohammedShuwa and others whowere killed inMaiduguri, weekend.

Among those whookayed dialogue withBoko Haram are Houseof RepresentativesSpeaker, Hon AminuTambuwal; Second Re-public Governor of oldKaduna State, AlhajiBalarabe Musa; Mem-ber of the House of Rep-resentatives, Mr. DanielReyenieju; Arewa Youthsand Founder of theOodua Peoples Con-gress, OPC, Dr.Frederick Fasehun, whohowever, cautionedPresident GoodluckJonathan against involv-ing former MilitaryHead of State and Presi-dential candidate of the

Congress for Progres-sive Change (CPC),General Buhari in thenegotiation.

Those opposed to themove include SecondRepublic Governor ofPlateau State, ChiefSolomon Lar and Na-tional Leader of NationalAction Council, NAC, DrOlopade Agoro.

We’ve had enoughof bloodshed– Tambuwal

Speaking with news-men at the funeral cer-emony of father-in-lawof the member repre-senting Esan NorthEast/Esan South East ofEdo State, Mr FridaiItulah, at Uromi,Speaker Tambuwal saidgovernment should nothesitate to go for thetalks, if that would bringpeace.

Said Tambuwal, whoinsisted that the outcomeof the constitutional re-view by the NationalAssembly would not besubjected to a referen-dum, because a referen-dum is unconstitutional:“I will encourage ourleadership to engage theleaders of the sect (BokoHaram) in the dialogue;if that will bring peace,we should go for it. Wehave had more thanenough bloodshed of in-nocent Nigerians andgovernment should doeverything possible, in-

cluding dialogue withBoko Haram, to bringthis to an end.”

He said the decision ofthe leadership of Con-gress for ProgressiveChange to reject pro-posal by Boko Haramappointing its presiden-tial candidate in the lastelection, GeneralMuhammadu Buhari, asthe sect’s representativein the proposed dia-logue with the FederalGovernment, should bethat of the retired ArmyGeneral and not theparty.

It’s wrong to talkwith facelesspeople – Lar

However, pioneer Na-tional Chairman of theruling People’s Demo-cratic Party (PDP), ChiefSolomon Lar, opposedthe move, saying it waswrong to negotiate witha violent group, whoseleaders are still anony-mous

Fielding questionsfrom reporters inKaduna, Lar said: “Idisagree completely todialogue with BokoHaram, unless they showtheir identity that Mr. X,Y, Z is Boko Haram andthis is his rank. Forthem to name some peo-ple to be their repre-sentatives, who arethey? They are facelesspeople, let them comeout and reveal theiridentity. It is not enoughfor the sect members tonominate some people tonegotiate on their behalf. Let us know who is whoamong them. Let themcome out in the open andidentify themselvesrather than being face-less.

“Again, hasMohammadu Buhari ,Alhaji Ali Mungonu andothers nominated by thesect members agreed torepresent them in thedialogue with the Fed-eral Government?

“During the NigerDelta militantancy, somepeople came out andsaid they were the lead-ers of the militants. Thatwas very reasonable andthat was how the latePresident MusaYar ’Adua was able totackle the problem ofmilitancy in the NigerDelta. The Niger Deltamilitants were not face-less like Boko Haram.Why didn’t Boko Haramfollow the example of themilitants by showingtheir faces?”

We didn’t killGeneral Shuwa– Boko Haram

However, Boko Haramhas denied the killingsof Major-GeneralMamman Shuwa (rtd)and other politicians andelders in Borno State,saying it had no handsin the alleged assassi-nations in Maiduguri,the Borno State capital.The denials were made,yesterday, in a tele-con-ference by thesect'sacclaimed spokes-man, Abu MohammedAbdulaziz with news-men in Maiduguri.He said: “People are say-ing that we have handsin the killing of MajorGeneral Shuwa. Wedon’t have any problemwith this elder states-man. He is a responsi-ble person and he hadnot said anything wrongagainst Boko HaramSect. This is why I amstating clearly that wehave no hands in thekilling of this man. Thesame also applies to thekillings of MustaphaFlawama, an associate ofSenator Modu Ali Sher-iff; and other politiciansand elders recently inthe state.”Abdulaziz also warnedthose who allegedlyspread the rumours thatthe Boko Haram sectkilled Gen. MammanShuwa last Friday at hisGwange residence inMaiduguri.

He reiterated that thesix personalities ap-pointed by the BokoHaram to mediate withthe Federal Governmentstill stands, insisting that“these are the elderstatesmen and person-alities that we trust andwill become witnesses,in case of any betrayalson the part of govern-ment at the state andfederal levels.”He listed the mediatorsto include Dr ShettimaAli Monguno, Maj-Gen.Muhammadu Buhari,Shiekh Ibrahim Yusuf,Shiekh Ibrahim Salisu,Mamman Nur, ShiekhAbu Abass and himself(Abdulaziz).

Govt to negotiatewithout precondi-tions – Presidency

If the Boko Haram sectis genuinely ready fordialogue to end thespate of suicide bombattacks in many parts ofNorthern Nigeria, theFederal Government willoblige the group but notwith unjust precondi-

tions.According to Special

Adviser to PresidentGoodluck Jonathan onInter-Party Affairs, Sena-tor Ben Obi, BokoHaram’s demand for therelease of their detainedmembers as a precondi-tion for the negotiationis not proper.

Obi, who spoke, week-end, after an award cer-emony organised by theAssociation of AnambraState Development Un-ions (AASDU) for distin-guished Anambra citi-zens in Apapa, Lagos,said the government hadbeen calling for dia-logue and would en-gage Boko Haram in dia-logue if the group wasserious about it.

“We have been callingfor dialogue. In a situa-tion where you have up-rising there is need tojaw-jaw. I think if theyare truly and seriouslyinterested in picking dia-logue, we should en-gage them in dialogue.”

Asked if the govern-ment would meet someof Boko Haram’s pre-condition for dialoguelike releasing all theirmembers being held indetention, he said: “Youdon’t place conditionsbefore security agencies.If a man is a criminaland has been arrestedfor criminality you don’ttell people to releasehim, it is not their duty.You go to court and letthe court release him.But they want to engagein dialogue, yes theyshould be engaged indialogue not with anyprecondition.”

Don’t involveBuhari inmediation – Fasehun

Welcoming the move,OPC Founder, DrFredrick Fasehun, how-ever, cautioned Presi-dent Jonathan againstinvolving Buhari in thenegotiation.

Fielding questions

from newsmen in Ile-Ife,Osun State during themaiden edition of Ooniof Ife, Oba OkunadeSijuwade annual lectureseries organized by theIfe Business School inhonour of the Ooni,Fasehun stressed thatBuhari could not nego-tiate on behalf of Nige-rians or the Federal Gov-ernment because thepersonality of Buhari inthe negotiating teamwould further aggravatethe problem in the coun-try.

He said Buhari couldnot represent the inter-est of the governmentand Nigerians well inthe committee as he hasa grouse with the Fed-eral Government overhis defeat by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan inthe 2011 presidentialelection. He opined thatthe dialogue betweenthe federal governmentand the sect, if achieved,would bring about peacein the country.

It’s condemnablearm-twist —Agoro

On his part, DrOlopade Agoro pickedholes in the sect askingthe Federal Governmentfor a peace parley inSaudi Arabia.

His words: “Mentionmust be made of the factthat Boko Haram insur-gents have continuedwaging deadly waragainst Nigeria in thepast two years with lossof well over 2000 inno-cent lives of Muslims,Christians and the un-committed; thousandsmore badly injured andor incapacitated andwith loss of valuablesworth billions of Naira.

“The most pertinentquestions therefore to beasked at this stage are:Why was Saudi Arabiathe suggested venue andall those mentioned asmediators being Mus-lims?

Continues on page 13


6 Ph.D, 704 Masters holders amongapplicants for drivers job in Dangote

100 Lagos-Kano drivers needed, 13,000 applied

LAGOS — THE uglyu n e m p l o y m e n t

statistics of Nigeria hasbeen highlighted by thenumber of applicationsfrom higher degree andfirst degree holders whosought employment asdrivers in Dangotegroup. The staggeringfigure stands at 13,000.

Of the 13,000applications received bythe Dangote Group forthe Graduate ExecutiveTruck Driver, there weresix Ph.D, 704 Mastersand over 8,460 Bachelordegree holders.

Speaking during thementor-ship meeting ofthe World Bank YouthForum, Chairman ofDangote Group, AlikoDangote, said that thecompany only needed

100 drivers, but receivedthe overwhelmingapplications.

According to Dangote,most of the applicantswere from reputableuniversities and had theneeded quality.

He said: “All thesethings are verifiable, andthey all graduated fromreputable institutionswhich is satisfactory; andour plan is to eventuallymake them selfdependent.

“Despite the fact thatthe drivers get tripallowances on each tripalong with their salaries,the arrangement is thatthey will own the trucksat no interests orrepayments after theymust have reached300,000 kilometres,

which is about 140 tripsfrom Lagos to Kano anda hard working drivercan complete in twoyears, while lazy onescan take maximum of fouryears.”

Analysts believe thatthe three tiers ofgovernment have notdone enough to createemployment or createenabling environment forthe organised privatesector to employ moreNigerians.

In a growing economy,it is rather shocking thatPh.D and Mastersdegree holders areseeking placement asdrivers.

Martin Onyilokwu ofMedia DevelopmentInitiative believes thatthe revelation is a wake

up call for governmentto go beyond rhetoricand start theimplementation ofcredible programmes toimprove the livingcondition of Nigerians.

He said:“It is no longerenough to claim that theeconomy is growing by thisor that per cent. The truthof the matter is that Nigeriais not witnessingappreciable development.We have a situation wherethe living standard of thepeople is at an all time lowas exemplified byinsecurity, poverty,unemployment, massivecorruption, executive andlegislative recklessness.There is a need forgovernment to wake up toits responsibility.”

FG, ACN trade words over Ribadu reportLAGOS — THE ActionCongress of Nigeria (ACN)has accused the FederalGovernment of deliberatelysabotaging the PetroleumRevenue Special TaskForce, headed by Mr. NuhuRibadu, following thecontroversy that marred thepresentation of the taskforce’s report last Friday.

Meanwhile, the FederalGovernment has, however,reacted to the statement bythe ACN, saying the partygot it wrong.

In a statement in Lagos,yesterday, by its NationalPublicity Secretary, AlhajiLai Mohammed, the partysaid the decision to appointtwo members of thecommittee, Mr. SteveOronsaye and Mr. BernardOtti, to positions in the

NNPC while the task forcewas still working on itsassignment was adeliberate booby trap.

It said if the FederalGovernment did not haveany ulterior motive, it wouldhave waited for the taskforce to complete itsassignment before namingOronsaye into the board ofthe NNPC and Otti as theDirector of Finance of thesame body.

It said: "Alternatively, bothmen should have resignedtheir membership of thecommittee the moment theywere given the plum jobsto avoid the apparentconflict of interest. The factthat they stayed on, only todisparage the report of thetask force so openly andferociously at the end, is the

clearest indication yet thatthey were meant to play thatexact role of spoilers."

ACN got it wrong—FG

In its response signed bySpecial Adviser to thePresident on Media andPublicity, Dr Reuben Abati,the government said: “Thiscommittee and othercommittees hadgovernment officials, andex-staff as members. Theywere not set up as quasi-judicial bodies but ascommittees of wise andknowledgeable men andwomen who would offeruseful advice and in gettingsuch useful advice there isnothing wrong inencouraging the

participation of a broadcategory of personsincluding insiders andoutsiders.

According to thestatement, “this committeeand other committees hadgovernment officials, andex-staff as members. Theywere not set up as quasi-judicial bodies but ascommittees of wise andknowledgeable men andwomen who would offeruseful advice and in gettingsuch useful advice there isnothing wrong inencouraging theparticipation of a broadcategory of personsincluding insiders andoutsiders

“If Lai Mohammed haddone his home work, hewould have discovered thatthere were serving

government officials on thePetroleum Industry Bill TaskForce, chaired by SenatorUdoma Udo Udoma, andwhich submitted its reportin June, its technicalcommittee was chaired byEngr Osten Olorunsola ofthe Directorate of PetroleumResources (DPR).

"Similarly, the RefineriesTask Force headed by DrKalu Idika Kalu had all theManaging Directors of theRefineries as members.And in fact, themembership of the RibaduCommittee includedrepresentatives of the FIRS,Federal Ministry ofFinance, Attorney Generalof the Federation/Ministerof Justice, DPR, NNPC,and Accountant General ofthe Federation."

Death row convictsmust die — Oshiomhole

Says he has no apologiesBY EMMANUEL

AZIKEN, POLITICALEDITOR

LAGOS — GovernorAdams Oshiomhole of

Edo State has said that twodeath row convicts in thestate deserve to die, sayinghe owes no apology overhis stance which he saidwas in exercise of his dutyas governor.

In a robust defence of hisposition, Oshiomhole, in aninterview, said that eventhough he had the choiceof exercising theprerogative of mercy on theconvicts, he had chosen notto do so, given the natureof the offence of the twomen whose convictionswere upheld by theSupreme Court.

He said: “God can havemercy on them, but I amunable having regard to theoverall circumstances of thecase, namely, killing anddismembering the body ofyour victim and wanting tosell some of the parts andyou ask me in the name ofhuman rights, let him live.”

The two death rowconvicts, Daniel Nsofor andOsayinwinde Agbomien,are presently at the centreof an international humanrights campaign to be freedfrom execution followingthe governor’s assent totheir execution followingthe affirmation of their guiltby the Supreme Court.

Nsofor was convicted onJune 19, 1996 for torturinghis female victim and killingher while Agbomien wasfound guilty of robbing,killing and dismemberingthe body parts of his ownvictim.

Oshiomhole noted: “I amconvinced that those peopleneed to die. In the interestof society they need to dieunder the law. The rule oflaw is different fromresolutions by some NGOsand nations are notgoverned by NGOresolutions.

“As a governor, Isubscribed to an oath ofoffice which says that Ishall obey the constitutionof the Federal Republic ofNigeria, including all lawswithout fear or favour. Icannot be afraid to sign thedeath warrant of a man whohas been found guilty ofmurder.

“I have no apologies, Ididn’t sentence them todeath. I am not the one whoaccused them, they wereaccused by those theyharassed. They have beentried, they have takenadvantage of the appellatecourts all the way to theSupreme Court of the landand they were found guilty.The law also says that

having been found guiltyand sentenced to death, thegovernor could exerciseprerogative of mercy, but Isay that I have no mercy onthose who kill. Why shouldyou compel me to havemercy on those who kill?”

“We must have a balancedview of human rights inwhich the rights, not onlyof the man they killed, butthe right of his relations andmuch more importantly, tosend a clear message towould be murderers, thatwhen you kill a humanbeing and you are caught,you are likely to die. If youdon’t want to die, thenabstain from killing. Ifcriminals abstain fromkilling, fewer people wouldbe killed by robbers andother murderers and that isthe truth.

“If you tell me that theman killed and has a rightto life, I refuse that.Amnesty should not behypocritical about it, wehave the recordsworldwide. Nations aregoverned by their nationalvalues and it is debatablewhether those who excusemurderers in the eyes ofGod whether they are betterhuman beings than thosewho insist that ‘if you killthat you too should be killedif found guilty of killing’.

“The second person wasa man who killed a woman.He robbed the woman,raped the woman andkilled her. And then he wasfound guilty of this offenceby the Supreme Court ofNigeria and you tell me,though he has killed, lethim live. I say no. If he haskilled, let him die too. I amnot the one who says heshould die, it is the law.

From left: Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Engr. Emeka Eze; Director ofCompliance Certificate, BPP, Alhaji Gambo Muasu and Director Special Procurement, BPP, Ayo Aderibigbeat the 4th conversion examination for procurement officers in ministries and the agencies, in Abuja,weekend. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.


BY PETER EGWUATU

I pray for our oil to dry up—Ezekwesili

Med-view 2012 Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia on their arrival at the MurtalaMuhammed Internatuonal Airport, Ikeja, Lagos,weekend.

Asks FG to urgently tackle unemployment

LAGOS — THE FederalGovernment, weekend,

was advised to quicklytackle the rising rate ofunemployment in thecountry as its rate wasestimated to be around 40per cent of the entirepopulation.

The immediate past WorldBank’s Vice President forAfrica, Mrs. ObyEzekwesili, who gave theadvice also said: “I am oneof those Nigerians who arepraying for Nigeria oil todry up so that ourgovernment can quicklytake immediate actionstowards diversifying thenation’s source of revenue.Alternative to oil shouldemerge immediately tocure the oil politics in ournation.”

Speaking as a guestspeaker at the 16th SuccessDigest Enterprises AwardsPresentation Dinner,weekend, in Lagos, theformer World Bank’s VicePresident and also arecently appointed memberto the Board of Directors ofBharti Airtel in Africa, said:“Nigeria ruins itsopportunities to groweconomically with the likesof Singapore, Malaysia etcthat had theirindependence almost thesame period with ourcountry, simply becauseNigeria lacked theinstrumentality ofentrepreneurship of thepublic sector which hadhelped its contemporaries

to grow tremendously.”She further advised that

a census on unemploymentshould be carried out,saying: “The problem ofunemployment requires amore aggressive method oridentity towards addressingit, than what is currentlybeing done. I acknowledgethat the government fromthe blue print isdemonstrating an effort toaddressing it. The effortshould be enhancedconsidering the havocunemployment is creatingin this country.

Census onunemployment

"Government at whateverlevel should be responsiblefor addressing this andcreate jobs. Half of ourpopulation is youth withinthe ages of 18 and 32, butabout 40 per cent of ourpopulation is unemployed.There is an average of twomillion new unemployedyouth every year joining theexisting stock year by year.I suggest that a census ofunemployed youth be donein Nigeria immediately.”

While speaking on thetopic entitled: “Nurturingan entrepreneurialmindset” Ezekwesili said:“Government has aresponsibility to the peopleby providing necessaryand adequate infrastructureneeded to boost theeconomy. Taxation andother levies should not bea hindrance to business ifgovernment is able to

provide every amenityneeded by entrepreneurs asit is in the United States thatis regarded as father ofcapitalism.

“Public sector hasresponsibility for describingthe direction and vision itwants the economy to go.Public sector requiresquality leadership to buildgood nation. For a newNigeria to emerge, we needa public sector that hasentrepreneurial mindsetthat should be able to spurthe private sector towardsachieving economicgrowth. Our governments

have underperformed overseveral decades as thecountry has been drivenwith people with deficit ofintegrity, lack of confidence,lack of competence andabove all lack of structuralinnovation ability.”

Ezekwesili alsoadvocated that skilled andwell diagnostic programmeof entrepreneur bedeveloped anddecentralized throughoutthe community withinNigeria as part of the waystowards reducing thealarming rate ofunemployment.

Tukur, PDP govs in battle ofwits over Adamawa

BY HENRY UMORU

ABUJA—STRONGindications have

emerged that the NationalChairman of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,and state governors electedon the PDP platform arelocked in a battle of witsfollowing their grievancesover some of the decisionsof the National WorkingCommittee, NWC.

The governors asgathered, yesterday, areparticularly not comfortablewith the dissolution of theAdamawa State ExecutiveCommittee with fear that ifserious action was not takenby them against the

Bamanga Tukur-led NWC,there might be a repeat ofthat in their respectivestates where the governorswill no longer have controlover party members anddelegates.

It would be recalled thatthe national leadership ofthe party recently dissolvedthe Adamawa State chapterand replaced with acaretaker committeeappointed by the nationalleadership.

The governors, asgathered, are demandinga reversal of the dissolutionor face a major fight fromthem, just as plans were onto recruit members fromtheir states at the NationalAssembly.

Rivalry between PDPgovs, Tukur

The rivalry between thePDP governors and theirnational chairman startedthree weeks ago when theNational Publicity Secretaryof the party, Olisa Metuhannounced the sack of theAdamawa State executivecommittee.The sacked state commit-tee was loyal to the stategovernor, Murtala Nyako.

Following the dissolution,the NWC set up a caretakercommittee headed byAmbassador UmarDamagun, from Yobe State,to manage the affairs of theparty in the state till a newexecutive is elected.

Not comfortable with whathappened, Nyakoimmediately rushed to theNWC where he apologisedfor the action of theAdamawa State chapter.

When confronted by jour-nalists after the parley withthe NWC members, theAdamawa State governorsaid: “There is nothingwrong in begging. It is avery busy time for us inAdamawa. We had electionthis year, we have the men-ace of Boko Haram, we hadflooding, we are very busy.

“Sometimes when youare busy, the way we are,omission is inevitable. So,whatever omission,shortcoming we haveobserved about our conduct,we extend our regret.”

But that apology did notdouse the brewing tensionas the party in the statewent to court to challengethe decision of NWC. Thecourt in an interiminjunction ruled for a returnto status quo and restrainedthe NWC from takingfurther action on the matterpending the determinationof the substantive issue.

Worried by thedevelopment, the PDPgovernors, led by chairmanof the Nigeria GovernorsForum and Governor ofRivers State, Mr. ChibuikeAmaechi had to join thefight, just as the JigawaState governor, SuleLamido was said to havemet with Tukur to impresson him of the need toreverse the sack of theAdamawa PDP executive.However, that effort did notyield fruit.

After Lamido came,Amaechi met with Tukurlast Tuesday in Abuja forhours on the same issue ofthe Adamawa State chapter.

Bakassi: FG moves to appease C-RiverBY SONI DANIEL,

REGIONAL EDITOR,NORTH

ABUJA —I N D I C AT I O N S

emerged, yesterday, thatthe Federal Governmenthad begun moves toappease the governmentand people of Cross RiverState over the economicand political lossessuffered by the statefollowing the ceding of theoil rich Bakassi Peninsulato Cameroun.

Vanguard learnt thatafter last week’s meetingbetween the VicePresident Namadi Sambowith Cross River StateGovernor and theChairman of the RevenueMobilisation and FiscalAllocation Commission inAbuja, specific

instructions had beengiven to the agency tobegin the immediatecalculation of appropriateamount of money to thestate, which lost its littoralstatus and payment of 13per cent derivation to itsneighbouring Akwa IbomState.

Specifically, theRMAFC is to work outwhat is acceptable to thestate and the FederalGovernment and makepayment to the state withimmediate effect.

Similarly, the sourcesaid the N300 million thestate was getting monthlyas at 2008 when theNational BoundaryCommission said that thestate was no longerentitled to oil revenuehaving lost its oil wells,

and was put in an escrowaccount, might also bereturned to the state.

Although Vanguardcould not get the exactfigure approved by theFederal Government forthe state, a competentsource said the amountmight be close to what thestate was getting from the13 per cent derivationfund before the 76 oilwells were given to AkwaIbom State last July.

A top governmentofficial, who did not wantto be named, said that theFederal Government washiding under the lawsetting up the RMAFC togive out the funds to CrossRiver State to stave off anyresentment from the stateagainst the President orthe PDP, which has been

in control of the state since1999, in the next election.

The section of the lawmakes it possible for theFederal Government toput aside some money forany state that suffers somelosses beyond its control.

It was, however,gathered that the amount tobe given to the state wouldbe for a specific period tobe determined by theRMAFC.

A source who is familiarwith the plan by the FederalGovernment to ‘settle’Cross River State, noted thatthe move might not beunconnected with efforts bythe centre to appease theaggrieved natives of thestate, who feel betrayedtwice by the governmentthey worked for during thelast general elections.


CMYK


From left: Dr. Olufunmi Olatunji, Dr. Jide Idris, Commissioner for Health; Mr. Babatunde Fashola,SAN, Lagos State governor and Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, Cordinator of Eko Free Health Mission withMaster Anuoluwapo Masha, a patient on his bed, during the presentation of the latest beneficiaries ofthe deformity corrective surgery programme to Lagos State Governor, at one of the General Hospitalsin Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

NAFDAC assures visitorsat Lagos Trade Fair

SECURITY CHALLENGES:Pray for Nigeria Police – Adeboye

BY OLAYINKA LATO-NA

THE GENERALOverseer of the

Redeemed ChristianChurch of God, RCCG,Pastor Enoch AdejareAdeboye has urgedNigerians to pray forand cooperate with theNigeria Police Force inview of its efforts to curblingering securitychallenges in thecountry. Speaking during aspecial prayer session

for members of theNigeria Police at thechurch headquarters inEbute-Meta, PastorAdeboye said there isneed to intercede formembers of police forceas they face lots ofchallenges and attacksduring the cause ofdischarging their duties. Appreciating the effortof the security agentsand also praying that Godwill continue to guide,protect and give themnecessary wisdomneeded in discharging

their duties, the man ofGod prayed that God willexpose the bad eggsamong the force andthose soiling the image ofNigeria Police. In his words: “We praythat God will exposethose perpetrating evilamong the NigeriaPolice, give themwisdom, protect themand meet all their needsand defend them.” In his response, TheInspector General ofPolice, IGP, Mohammed

Abubakar, who wasrepresented byCommissioner of Police,Lagos Airport Command,Mr. Olatunji Caulcrickappreciated the gestureof RCCG in organisingsuch a special prayer formembers of NigeriaPolice. He also charged hiscolleagues to upholdrighteousness in all theiractivities, and neverrelent in dischargingtheir duties in ensuringthere is peace anddecorum in the country.

Bode George urges support for Jonathan.Condemns Okada restriction in Lagos

LAGOS – CHIEFOlabode George, the

former Deputy NationalChairman of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,has urged Nigerianpatriots to re-assert theirvoices in the collectivegood of Nigeria and givethe needed support tothe Presidency tosucceed. He spoke in a lectureon 'Nigeria, the Searchfor Collective Sacrifice,'at the late HerbertMacaulay AnnualLecture series onSaturday in Lagos. George said: “Everypatriot must stand withPresident GoodluckJonathan in this difficultperiod of the nation’slife.

“We must not intimidateor harass a well-m e a n i n g ,h y p e r c h a l l e n g e dnational leadershipsimply because it is thefanciful thing to do. “As a good patriot, Istand firmly withPresident Jonathan as hegrapples with the difficultchallenges of governinga highly complex societylike our own. “He is daily confrontedwith all the twists andturns of managing theaffairs of the nation witha very tasking balancingact.” According to the PDPchieftain, the Presidenthas a formidableassignment and cannotbe perfect.

“Voices will still beraised in disagreement.But I am convinced thathe means well for thisnation. “Everyone must submithimself or herself to thegoverning authorities,for there is no authorityexcept that which Godhas established. “ Consequently, he whorebels against theauthority is rebellingagainst what God hasinstituted, and those whodo so will bringjudgment onthemselves.” George, however,condemned the newLagos State Traffic Law,insisting that it should beimmediately scrapped. He assured that a PDP

government, if elected in2015 in Lagos, wouldnever ban commercialmotorcyclists in Lagos. George noted that someof the roads where thecommercial motorbikeswere restricted in Lagoswere federal roads, “so,the Lagos governmenthas no legislative controlon such federalgovernment freeways. “The restriction,therefore, is a purelegislative anomaly.”Also speaking, MrOwolabi Salis, a 2011governorship aspirant ofthe PDP in Lagos, said“no nation growsoptimally withoutsacrifice from itscitizens.”

More support for Lagoon Statecreation

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

AS THE 2012 TradeFair began weekend

in Lagos, NationalAgency for Food andDrug Administration andControl, NAFDAC, hasassured visitors of awholesome exhibition. The Agency had lastFriday stormed theexhibition ground withits product monitoringsurveillance with a viewto ensuring that nounregistered product isexhibited at the fair. The Public RelationsOfficer of the Agency,Mrs. ChristianaObiazikwor who spokeon behalf of the DirectorGeneral of the Agency,Dr. Paul Orhii explainedthat already the Agencyhas deployed all itsregulatory departmentsto the fair holding at theTrade Fair Centre atOnikan in Lagos Island.

“The Agency has fullydeployed its cuttingedge technology,Truscan Machines, toinstantly determine thestatus of some regulatedproduct on exhibitionwhen necessary.“These activities willprovide full rangecoverage of the entiremarket; reinforce theconfidence that shoppersvisiting any exhibitionstands will have accessto wholesome products,”she added. Orhii explained thatthe major focus of theAgency at the fair wouldbe on education andawareness creationaimed at enhancingpublic understanding ofrequirements andprocesses needed for theregistration of NAFDACregulated products.

FLOOD VICTIMS:Groups call for transparency

BY BARTHOLOMEWMADUKWE

A RETIREDP e r m a n e n t

Secretary in the LagosState Government andincumbent Chairman ofIkorodu OgaD e v e l o p m e n tAssociation, IKODASS,Otunba LamidiGbadamosi, has calledon all Lagosians tosupport the on-goingclamour for the creationof Lagoon State out ofthe present Lagos State. Addressingrepresentatives of thevarious social clubs,p r o f e s s i o n a lassociations and ethnic

groups in IkoroduDivision, who paid himcourtesy call at theIKODASS Secretariat, aspart of the preparationsfor the forth-coming OgaDay Celebrations,Gbadamosi stressed thatonly the creation ofLagoon State could bringabout even developmentto all areas of LagosState,. “Creating Lagoon Statewould reduce conges-tion in Ikorodu and othermajor towns in Lagoswhile the proposed statewould guarantee therelease of allocation fromthe commonwealth forthe development of allthe rural areas.

LAGOS – TWO civilsociety groups, the

Socio-Economic Rightsand AccountabilityProject, SERAP, andTearfund, yesterdaycalled for transparencyin the distribution ofrelief materials andfunds to flood victims. The groups made thecall in a joint statementsigned by the UK-basedTearfund’s CountryRepresentative, Mr.Danladi Musa, andSERAP’s ExecutiveDirector, Mr.Adetokunbo Mumuni. According to thestatement madeavailable in Lagos,

about 431 people havebeen killed whilethousands have beendisplaced as a result ofthe flood which started inJuly. The groups allegedthat relief materials andfunds allocated to caterfor the needs of floodvictims in several partsof the country were notreaching them due tocorruption andb u r e a u c r a t i cbottlenecks. They said there wasneed for the FederalGovernment to ensurethat the needs of thevictims were met.


Akala dissociates self, aidesfrom Ajimobi wife’s ordeal

BY OLA AJAYI

IBADAN— FORMERGovernor of Oyo

State, Otunba AdebayoAlao-Akala, hasdistanced himself andhis loyalists from lastweek’s moneylaundering allegationagainst wife of theincumbent Governor,Mrs. Florence Ajimobi.

He said those whomade the allegation werenot genuine members ofthe Peoples DemocraticParty.

Akala advised Ajimobito watch those whodonated their relatives tohis cabinet.

He stressed it wasbaseless for members ofthe Action Congress ofNigeria to be insinuatingthat authentic membersof the PDP were behind

the allegation.“I am sure that he

knows them. Thosebehind the allegedmoney laundering arethe PDP members whodonated some people toAjimobi’s cabinet”, hesaid.

The ex-governor gavethis hint at the executionof constituency projectsof Ayoola Adeleke, alawmaker representingOgbomoso NorthConstituency inOgbomoso.

Describing the rumourthat it was PDP memberswho started it as a merewishful thinking, headded: “The truth of thematter is that the ACNleadership is just makingbaseless allegationsagainst the PDP over themoney laundering issue.

“I want Governor

Ajimobi to know thatthose behind the rumourare not true andauthentic members of thePDP. Rather, they are theones who went to theACN to support himwhen he was contestingthe governorship electionin 2011”, Akala noted.

“I don’t know thesource of information ofthat online mediumwhose name is not evenfamiliar.

However, I have beenconcerned about thecontinued allegation thatit was the PDP membersthat triggered theinformation. As far as Iam concerned, if any PDPmember is to beconcerned, it has to bethose who betrayed theparty by supporting ACNduring the election”.

Obasanjo suggests way out ofalleged LGs funds deductions

BY DAUD OLATUNJI the local governmentmoney or even ask themto pay as you all know.And that is what ishappening in most of thestates and that is not theintention of creating thelocal governments.

“It is not the states thatshould be sitting on thelocal government moneywithout recourse to theirlegislature andappropriation process,”Obasanjo said.

He thereforesuggested that; “Sincethe national Assembly istalking aboutc o n s t i t u t i o namendments, may be it is

also important to talkabout amending the localgovernment laws.

“So that there will be nomeans or way the stateswill ambush the localgovernment money andthere will also be a wayto call the localgovernments to order;called to account, or heldresponsible.”

In his remarks, thenational president ofALGON, had earlierhinted that Obasanjoremained the father oflocal governmentadministration havingspearheaded the 1976local governmentreforms.

Ilaje monarch plans tobuild mega-city

BY DAYO JOHNSON

AKURE — THEP r o m i n e n t

traditional ruler in the oil-rich Ugbo Kingdom inIlaje Council area ofOndo State, the Olugboof Ugboland, ObaObateru Akinruntan isplanning to construct aMega Royal City whichwill be the first of its kindin Africa.

Also a palace with 14royal rooms, a courtyardand seven royal sittingrooms, among otherfacilities, which is underconstruction on abouttwo acres of land, will be

completed by Januarynext year at a cost of overN1.5bn.

Oba Akinrutan,speaking after a specialprayer and thanksgivingsession to mark his thirdanniversary on thethrone in Ugbonla, saidthe Mega Royal City willhave a refinery, auniversity, a technologyschool.

According to him: “Themega city project is myidea but I am partneringwith foreign investors,the state government andother relevant agenciesof government to make ita reality.

“We will have arefinery, a university, atechnology schoolbecause here in Ilaje.

“Most of our people areteachers. We will buildstate-of-the-art schools,primary, secondary andtertiary so that ourpeople will enjoy thebest things of life.

“Already some of ourchildren in the variousschools across thecountry and overseas areenjoying scholarshipswhich we instituted andthis will also continue.

Speaking on theconstruction of a newpalace, the Oba said thatthe cost will increase bythe time all the necessaryaccessories andmaterials needed toequip and furnish thepalace to taste, areinstalled and completedby the end of next year.

From left: Justice Bola Babalakin, retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Dr. Wale Babalakin, SAN, sonof the Honoree; Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, Osun State Deputy Governor and Justice Aloma MiriamMukhtar, Chief Justice of Nigeria, at the 4th Annual Public Lecture organised by the Osogbo Branch ofthe Nigerian Bar Association in honour of Justice Bola Babalakin in Osogbo, weekend.

A B E O K U T A —F O R M E R

President OlusegunObasanjo has called forthe review of the localgovernment laws tocheck the allegedexcesses of the stategovernors against thethird tier of government.

He condemned thelevel of performance atthe local governmentsacross the country,lamenting that theessence and ideals of thecreating the crucial tierof government has beendefeated.

Obasanjo stated these,weekend when thenational executives ofthe Association of LocalGovernment of Nigeria,ALGON, led by theNational President, Mr.Nwabueze Okafor paidhim a courtesy visit inhis Abeokuta residence.

The ex-Presidentdeclared that review oflocal government lawswould stop the allegedwide claim that somestates are ‘ambushing’the council funds, whichaccording to him, isunconstitutional.

He said “ when webrought the reformnationally, we then saidit is the third tier ofgovernment. That inother words means thatthe local government isthe closest governmentto the people.

“If the localgovernments are toperform, they must beready to endure and besustained. I do notbelieve that it is theresponsibility of the stategovernments to garnish

Eight German experts arriveOsun for week-long visit

FOLLOWING THEtrip of Gov. Rauf

Aregbesola last May toattract investors fromGermany, an eight-mandelegation of experts ofdifferent and comple-mentary competenciesfrom the FederalRepublic of Germanyarrived in Osun Stateon Sunday to begin aweek-long visit to on-going agricultural andother projects in thestate.

The team of expertsdrawn from Germanagriculture sector,farmers’ co-operativesystem, soil scientists,animal husbandry andothers are expected totour the Cattle Ranch atOloba Farm, Iwo Farm

settlement, Toro Farm inIwo and Feg-Agro Farmin Iloko-Ijesa.

A statement by theDirector, Bureau ofCommunications andStrategy in the Office ofthe Governor, Mr. SemiuOkanlawon, explainedthat the visit is beinghandled by the QuickImpact InterventionProgramme (QIIP).

The experts, he said,will also feature atechnical review sessioninvolving the Ministryof Agriculture and FoodSecurity, Ministry ofCommerce, Co-operatives andEmpowerment, theOsun State University,among others.

NCC seals off firms sellingpre-registered SIM cards

BY DAYO JOHNSON

AKURE — THEN a t i o n a l

C o m m u n i c a t i o nCommission, NCC, atthe weekend stormedOndo State and sealedoff the premises of somecommunication outfits forengaging in illegalregistration and sale ofSIM cards.

One of the outfitslocated in Akure, thestate capital was allegedto have registered SIMcards with fictitiousnames usingphotographs in thealmanac and sold sameto subscribers at higherprices than what is beingsold in the market.

Two of the workers ofthe company werearrested and detained atthe Police station.

In an interview, the

Head of Enforcement ofthe NCC, Mr. EfosaIdehen said thecommission had beentracing the activities ofthe company over time.

According to Idehennine machines beingused for the illegalregistration had beentraced to Ondo State,adding that three out ofthe machines had beentraced to the sealedcompany.

Idehen said thoseengaged in the illegalregistration had beenfrustrating the efforts ofthe Commission to havereal data base of GSMsubscribers.

He said theCommission may need toevolve a new policy withservice providers toensure properregistration of GSMservice subscribers.


Oluasiri oil field belongs toBayelsa —Commissioner

VP’s chopper renders 78-yr-old woman,4 others homeless in C-River

Confusion trails dissolution of LGcaretaker c'ttees in Edo

BY SIMONEBEGBULEM

BY JOHNBOSCOAGBAKWURU

CALABAR—IT wasa double tragedy for

a 78-year-old Mrs. BessieObi and four other occu-pants of a mud housewhen the wind generat-ed by the helicopter car-rying Vice President Na-madi Sambo pulled downthe house while landing.

The incident took placeat Buanchor, a rural com-munity in Boki Local Gov-ernment Area of CrossRiver State, when theVice President visited thearea recently devastatedby landslide from sur-rounding mountings, silt-ing rivers and streamsthat led to widespreadflood which renderedmany homeless.

The septuagenarian wasrescued by officers ofCross River State Emer-gency ManagementAgency, SEMA, and theircounterparts from Nation-al Emergency Manage-

ment Agency, NEMA,from the three room mudhouse, though some of theproperty of the occupantswere destroyed.

The Vice President wasunaware of the incidentbut the state Director–General of SEMA, Mr.Vincent Aquah, who as-sessed the damage, sym-pathized with the oldwoman and the other oc-cupants of the house,promising that the inci-dent would be addressedshortly.

Buanchor community,Katabang, Orimekpangand Boje in Boki LocalGovernment Area, as wellas some communities inIkom Local GovernmentArea, were heavily flood-ed on account of the land-slide. Statistics fromSEMA showed that 1,311farms, two mills, oneschool, four bridges, nineculverts and 187 build-ings were affected by thelandslide and flood inBoki Local GovernmentArea.

B ENIN—CONFUSION continues to

trail last Monday's disso-lution of caretaker com-mittees in the 18 localgovernment councils ofEdo State by the stateHouse of Assembly.

After the announce-ment of the dissolution,Governor Adams Oshi-omhole met with thecouncil chairmen lastWednesday, disclosingthat he was yet to receivethe resolution of theHouse.

Following that com-ment, some of the coun-cil chairmen went backto their domain withtheir supporters jubilat-ing that they were askedby the governor to con-tinue in office, whilesome of them refrainedfollowing the resolutionof the House.

Vanguard, however,observed that the gover-nor did not specificallyask the council chairmento go back to work asclaimed by some of them,but only explained thathe was yet to receive theresolution of the House.

However, the situationgave impression thatthere was conflict be-tween the executive andstate legislators.

But Vanguard learntthat the governor dousedthe tension, weekend,when he met with theleadership of the Houseon the issue and as it

seems, the caretakerchairmen have beensacked as resolved by thelawmakers.

Reacting to the matter,former Deputy Speakerof the state House of As-sembly and Special Ad-viser to the Governor onLegislative Matters,Omo Ezomo, said therewas no conflict between

the two arms of govern-ment in the state, addingthat “the executive andthe legislature have beenworking harmoniouslyand that was the reasonfor the progress we havemade in the state.”

He said: “There is noconfusion between whatthe governor said andthe lawmakers' resolu-

tion. There are proce-dures of doing thingslike this and that is whatthe governor and thelawmakers are following.

“We should all ensurethat the harmonious re-lationship between thetwo continues to existand not trying to createtension where there isnone.”

Boro lauds Uduaghan forDESOPADEC appointment

FOLLOWING there-constitution of

the board of Delta StateOil Producing Areas De-velopment Commission,DESOPADEC, a formermember of the immedi-ate board, Mr. JohnsonBoro, has commendedGovernor EmmanuelUduaghan for giving

him the opportunity toserve.

In a press release madeavailable to newsmen inWarri, Boro speciallythanked the governor forthe opportunity givenhim out of the array ofpersonalities in UghelliSouth Local GovernmentArea to serve the peopleof the area.

VISIT: From right: Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal; Hon. Pally Iriase andMr. Samson Osagie, during the Speaker's stop-over at Benin Airport, Edo State, weekend. Photo :Barnabas Uzosike.

Debt ratio of world's besteconomies five times higherthan Nigeria's —DMO

BY JOHNBOSCOAGBAKWURU

CALABAR—DIRECTOR General of Debt

Management Office,DMO, Abuja, Dr. Abra-ham Nwankwo, has saidthe debt ratio of most de-veloped countries asChina, India, Britain andGermany, with the high-est reserved fund, wasfive times higher thanthat of Nigeria.

Dr. Nwakwo stated thisin Calabar at a stake-holder ’s forum organ-ized by Cross River StateDebt Management De-

partment.He said: “Countries

borrow to finance certainproject. That includesChina, India and Ger-many which have thehighest reserve from theWorld Bank.”

He said countries bor-row, not just to financeprojects, but because ofcertain benefits that ac-crue to the people in thebuilding of strong insti-tutions.

He said no seriouscountry in the worldcould do without borrow-ing from the World Bankand other financial insti-tutions.

BAYELSA State Government yesterday

insisted that the Oluasirioil wells/oil field which isa subject of dispute withRivers State belongs to itbut assured of its determi-nation to ensure a peace-ful resolution of the issue.

In a statement yester-day, Bayelsa State Com-missioner for Informationand Orientation, DeaconMarkson Fefegha, said:“For now, there is nopending litigation overthe Oluasiri oil wells/oilfield between Rivers andBayelsa States since theSupreme Court struck outthe suit by Rivers StateGovernment challengingBayelsa State’s owner-ship of Oluasiri oil wells/oilfield.

“Between 1996 and2006, Rivers State Gov-ernment wrongfully col-

lected several billions ofnaira from the federationaccount accruing from theOluasiri oil wells/oilfields, which was wrong-fully allocated to it by theFederal Government.

“It is pertinent to notethat the 11th edition of theAdministrative Map ofNigeria has not been setaside by the NationalBoundary Commission orany court of law. Further-more, since the creation ofBayelsa State, it is the11th edition of the admin-istrative map of Nigeriathat defines the bounda-ry between the two states.Therefore the RevenueMobilization Allocationand Fiscal Commission(RMAFC) was perfectlyright in attributing andpaying the revenue accru-ing from the said oil wells/oil field to Bayelsa State."


Slain HPM: Family alleges Policecomplicity

Uduaghan returns DESOPADEC listto Delta House for re-appointmentBY AUSTIN OGWUDA

Amaechi’s driverelectrocuted in Govt House

BY JIMITOTAONOYUME

A S A B A — D E LTAState governor, Dr.

Emmanuel Uduaghan,has sent back to the stateHouse of Assembly forre-appointment, namesof members of DeltaState Oil Producing Ar-eas Development Com-mission, DESOPADEC,sacked by the legislators.

Six members of the im-mediate past board, in-cluding the erstwhilechairman, made the new list sent to the Housefor screening and confir-mation, while three oth-ers did not make the newlist.

Those on the list in-clude Mr. OritsuaKpogho, returned asChairman. Others wereMr. Michael Diden,Kingsley Otuaro, Dr.Henry Ofa, JosephOgeh, Chukwudi Eke,Kenny EkenechukwuOkolugbo, Festus Utua-ma and Chief Christo-pher Obiuwevbi.

Dropped from theformer list of board mem-bers sacked by the law-makers were JohnsonDafelite Boro, Benedic-ta Izuegbu and Dr. Pe-ter Egedigbe .

Members of the StateHouse of Assembly had,during sitting last Sep-tember 12, sacked theformer 9-member Com-mission, led by Mr. Orit-sua Kpogho, which wasinaugurated by Gover-nor Emmanuel Udua-ghan on August 25 last

year, after the exit of thepioneer Chairman,Chief Wellington Okiri-ka.

The House had moveda motion stating: “Thishonourable House, inaccordance with section12 of the Delta State OilProducing Areas Devel-opment Commission Act,2006, as amended, dohereby dissolve the DES-OPADEC Board with im-mediate effect for lack of

performance and totalinefficiency of duty.”

The nominees are to bescreened on Thursday.

Meanwhile, DeltaState Commissioner forSpecial Duties (DESO-PADEC), Mr. TimiTonye, has assured Del-tans that the 50% of the13% oil derivation fundof the state allocated toDESOPADEC by thestate government wasbeing judiciously ex-

pended for the benefit ofoil producing areas.

He said at a pressbriefing in Asaba: “Del-ta State Oil ProducingAreas DevelopmentCommission, DESOPA-DEC, was established bylaw of Delta State Houseof Assembly in 2008 asan interventionist agen-cy to assist in redirectingthe age-long neglect ofthe oil producing area ofDelta State.”

BY FESTUS AHON

UGHELLI—FAMILY of the slain

Head of Personnel Man-agement, HPM, of IsokoNorth Local GovernmentArea, Delta State, Mr.Benjamin Chegwe, hasaccused the Police ofcomplicity in the murderof their son.

The deceased was re-portedly murdered in hisfarm on September 30, inKwale, Ndokwa WestLocal Government Areaof the state.

The family, in a state-ment by Mr. Emeke Che-gwe, described mediareports credited to theState Police Public Rela-tions Officer, PPRO, Mr.Charles Muka, as corpo-rate falsehood and anattempt by the police toabsolve itself of complic-ity in the murder of the

deceased.The family alleged:

“The fact on ground isthat Benjamin was luredinto an ambush jointlylaid for him by one Mo-modu Osuya, a vigilan-te and youth leader fromOgume town and fourpolicemen from KwalePolice Station.

“The Fulani herdsmanwho has been reported-ly arrested by the policewas nowhere in the sceneof crime on the day inquestion, neither wasthere any sporadic gun-fire from any quarterwhatsoever as alleged bythe Police.

“Benjamin died afterbeing weakened by asingular bullet whichwas fired at close rangeinto the lower abdominalregion through his rightthigh. Same bullet cameout through the left.

“There is also evidencethat after the gunshot,Benjamin did not die im-mediately but was delib-erately left to die in thepool of his blood, ex-plaining the almost threehours interval betweenthe time he was shot andwhen he arrived in thehospital, a journeywhich otherwise wouldhave taken less thantwenty minutes drivefrom where he was shot.

“We, therefore, urge allsympathizers and mem-bers of the public to re-main calm and await afull press briefing. Ourconfidence is in justice;our confidence is in theInspector General of Po-lice.

“Mr. Benjamin Cheg-we was a seasoned localgovernment administra-tor who has served Del-ta State meritoriously."

Leadership crisis in Ugborodocommunity deepens

BY SONI DANIEL

ABUJA—A FEWdays after the res-

ignation of Akwa IbomState deputy governor,Nsima Ekere, a PortHarcourt-based medicalpractitioner, Dr. SamuelUdonsak, has indicatedhis interest to succeedGovernor Godswill Ak-pabio in 2015, if he getsthe support of the Peo-ples Democratic Party,PDP.

Udonsak, who was one

of the candidates thatcontested the 2007 pri-maries of the party, madeknown his political inter-est when he met withstakeholders in his EketUrban Ward 4 and thoseof Eket Federal Constit-uency at the weekend.

The cardiologist toldthe people that he wasnot just making a claimto the slot in 2015 butwas working in line withthe zoning arrangementput in place by the PDPin the state and at thenational level.

Udonsak eyes Akpabio’s job

BY INNOCENTANABA

THE leadership crisis in Ugborodo com-

munity, Warri South- WestLocal Government Area ofDelta State, deepened,weekend, as a follower ofChief Thomas Ereyitomi,was allegedly killed andanother seriously injuredby youths suspected to beloyal to one Mr. DavidTonwe. Vanguard gathered thatthe deceased, identifiedas Gift Obazuaye, 26, wasallegedly ambushedalongside 20 other loyal-ists of Chief Thomas Erey-

itomi by over 40 youths ledby one Smart Atumu. One Roland Atete wasallegedly injured duringthe attack. According to a reliablesource, the youths wereallegedly hired fromDghegele, a neighbour-ing community, to un-leash terror on the unsus-pecting youths on theirway to Ugborodo commu-n i t y .The source, who pleadedanonymity said: “Rolandis in the Warri CentralHospital receiving treat-ment, while the deceasedbody of Gift has been de-posited in the mortuary."

PORT HARCOURT— ONE of

the drivers attached toGovernment House, PortHarcourt, Mr. Ibiba Jack,was electrocuted, week-end, at his official resi-dence in GovernmentHouse.

Chief Press Secretary tothe Governor, Mr. DaveIyofor, said Jack died inthe early hours of Satur-day, adding that he waselectrocuted in his officialr e s i d e n c e .

He said GovernorChibuike Amaechi andhis wife were deeplytouched by the demise ofthe driver.

His words: ”GovernorAmaechi and his wife,whom Ibiba worked withdirectly, are indeed deep-ly shocked and saddenedby this unfortunate loss.They sympathize with thebereaved family.”

A source in GovernmentHouse told Vanguard thatthe Jack died while tryingto rescue a man from be-ing electrocuted and inthe process, stepped on anaked wire.

CONVENTION: Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, President, Christian Association of Nigeria, (left) and Gener-al Superintendent of New Covenant Gospel Church, Rev. Felix Omobude, during the annual conven-tion of New Covenant Gospel Church, in Benin City, weekend. Photo: Barnabas Uzosike.

Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012 — 13

BY TONY EDIKE

Alleged contract scam: SFU quizzesOnitsha LG officials

BY PETER OKUTU

Ebonyi ACN chair allegesthreat to life

ENUGU—THE Special Fraud Unit,

SFU, of Nigeria PoliceForce, Milverton Ikoyi,Lagos, has interrogatedsome officials of OnitshaSouth Local GovernmentCaretaker Committee inAnambra State over N300million fraud allegedly

uncovered in the councilrecently.

Some top officials of thecouncil were said tohave withdrawn themoney from the council’streasury under thepretense of paying forthree road contractswithin the commercialcity but no job was done

on these roads whichthey claimed wasawarded and executedfully by faceless contrac-tors.

This is coming even asofficials of the Economicand Financial CrimesCommission, EFCC,Enugu zonal Office,have reportedly com-

menced investigationsinto some petitions re-ceived from AnambraState alleging monu-mental fraud in the localgovernment system.

One of such petitionsbefore the anti-graftagency came fromNjikoka Local Govern-ment Area where 12members o f the dis-solved Caretaker com-mittee accused the Chair-man, Dazza OnyeiboUdeozor, the Head ofService, Dr. C.M.Afunugo and the Treas-urer, Mr. Andy Orakweluof perpetrating fraudrunning into millions ofnaira through paymentfor unapproved and non-executed projects as wellas inflation of contracts.

The SFU operatives,sources said stormedOnitsha South local gov-ernment about two weeksago and arrested some topofficials who were detainedin Lagos before they weregranted bail, following theintervention of some top of-ficials of Anambra StateGovernment.

ABAKALIKI—EMBATTLED Chair-

man of Action Congress ofNigeria, ACN, EbonyiState, Elder Samuel Igwe,weekend, alleged that hislife was under threat fromsome desperate politiciansscheming to destabilize theparty for their own selfishinterest. Speaking with Vanguard,Elder Igwe explained thathe had been receiving

strange calls and threaten-ing text messages from hid-den mobile numbers for along time now and calledon Governor Martin Elechito immediately intervene inthe matter. He further stated that hewould continue to exposethe nefarious activities ofpoliticians whom he de-scribed as political jobbersthat go from one politicalparty to another withoutany aim of moving it for-ward but to destabilise it.

Why we're partnering NDDC, others,by IRDC boss

W ARRI—CHAIRMAN of Itsekiri Oil

and Gas Producing/Im-pacted Communities Devel-opment Committee, IRDC,Chief Ayirimi Emami hassaid his leadership waspoised to partner the NigerDelta Development Com-mission, NDDC, Ministry ofNiger Delta Affairs, DeltaState Oil Producing AreasDevelopment Commission,DESOPADEC, and otherdevelopmental agencies toavoid duplication of projectsin IRDC communities.

The IRDC boss gave theexplanation at Escravos,Warri South West, duringthe commissioning of over100 housing and trainingcentre projects executed byIRDC under ChevronGMoU.

Lamenting the poor gov-ernment presence in the 23IRDC communities, de-spite their contribution tothe nation’s economy, ChiefEmami wondered why of-fice of Minister of NigerDelta Affairs was not situ-ated in the Niger Delta toenable the Minister better

appreciate the sufferings ofthe people.

Chief Emami blamed thecurrent stalemate betweenIRDC and Chevron on theGMoU renegotiation on the“equal opportunity clause”which states that people ofthe host communities seatfor the same examinationwith other Nigerians on theissue of employment, call-ing for priority to be givento indigenes of IRDC com-munities on the issue ofemployment “as alreadybeing implemented by an-other oil major, Mobil.”

From left: Mr. Partrick Ekeji, Director-General, National Sports Commission; Vice President NamadiSambo, representing President Goodluck Jonathan; Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State; chiefhost and Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, during the flag off of 18thNational Sport Festival, tagged Eko 2012, at Tesilim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, weekend.Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

Boko Haram: We won'tnegotiate under conditions—FG

Continues from page 5

Dialogue isnecessary– Balarabe Musa

Also speaking, AlhajiBalarabe Musa said adialogue with the sectwould help to solve theproblem. He said: “Thething is this, let the dia-logue take place so thatwe can know who theBoko Haram really areand also know what theystand for. Before now, wedon’t know anything. Weknow that there is BokoHaram and that it is anIslamic sect but there isno proof of it. The dia-logue will prove thatthere is an organisationthat is aggrieved andthat will be a step to-wards solving the prob-lem. So, the dialogue isabsolutely necessary. Atthe moment now, we haveseen unnecessary kill-ings, we don’t know whoactually is responsible forthat, we don’t know theirobjectives or grievances.It is a dialogue that willenable us know how totackle it.”

It’s a welcomedevt— ArewaYouths

Concurring, The ArewaYouth Consultative Fo-rum, AYCF described themove as a step in theright direction.

National President ofthe group, Alhaji YerimaShetimma said “it is wel-come development ifonly the Federal Govern-ment has the politicalwill. We have been call-ing on government to ar-rest the former governorof Borno State, since thegroup was formed."

Dialogue isnecessary– Reyenieju

In like manner, RepReyenieju urged the gov-ernment to explore the‘dialogue option’ irre-spective of the reserva-tions expressed in certainquarters. He said itwould amount to act ofcourage and statesman-ship for Mr. President togo for dialogue, addingthat wars that were wonthrough dialogue alwaysresult into lasting peace.

CMYK


ENUGU—SOME unidentified persons

last weekend set fire tothe over N20 million

BY TONY EDIKE

Arsonists destroy N20m cocoa,palm plantation in Enugu

Belform cocoa and palmtree plantation atAgboefiugo UmuaramIkem, Isi-Uzo Local Gov-ernment Area of Enugustate.

The farm’s consultant,Odu Okim, who con-ducted newsmen roundthe 4-hectares palm oilplantation, narrated thatthe over 2000 palm

stands were raised asnursery from Ikom inCross River State andplanted early this year.

Okim stated that he andother farm managerswere surprised whenthey came to the farmand met the palms up-rooted and set ablaze bypeople suspected to benatives of neighbouringIsu-Ehamufu community.

Okim described the actas “economic sabotage”,especially at this periodthat government was en-couraging investment inagriculture, saying theincident had constituteda serious setback for theinvestors and would ob-viously affect the numberof employed farm attend-ants.

He charged both theIsi-Uzo Local Govern-ment, Enugu State gov-ernment and the FederalMinistry of Agriculture tocommence full scale in-vestigation into the arsonin order to bring the cul-prits to book.

Foundation mobilises supportfor flood victims in Anambra

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

AWKA—A non-governmental organisa-

tion, Anambra Responds,set up primarily to mobi-lise support for proper re-habilitation of victims inAnambra State, hascalled on good-spiritedindividuals and organi-zations to key into theprogramme to lesson theburden of those affectedwhen they return to theircommunities.

Special Adviser toPresident GoodluckJonathan on technicalmatters, Nze AkachukwuNwankpo, whose organi-sation, DionysiusNwankpo Foundation, issponsoring Anambra Re-sponds, said during hisvisit to some camps of theflood victims in AnambraState, that the Foundationwould sponsor two volun-teers from each of the 60 af-fected communities in thestate to join other profession-als in various fields to as-sess the extent of damageof houses and crops and

Mimiko decries poor use of satellite tech by govt

ABUJA—ONDO StateGovernor, Dr.

Olusegun Mimiko, hasdecried the attitude of theFederal Government tothe application of Satel-lite technology, sayingNigeria could achieve itspotential if the FederalGovernment harnessedthe untapped potentialsof the technology.

The governor statedthis when he paid a cour-tesy visit to the Head-quarters of NigerianCommunications Satel-lite in Abuja.

report to officials of theNGO for rehabilitation andreconstruction.

According to him, themove became necessarybecause the impact of theflood will be felt more whenthe victims return to theirhomes to discover that mostof their life savings hadgone with the flood.

Nwankpo said: “The gov-ernment of Anambra Statehas set up the AnambraState Flood CoordinationCommittee and created 23camps in which it has con-tinued to provide medical,sanitary and relief materi-als to the victims. Manygood spirited indigenes ofthe state have also visitedthe camps and donated re-lief materials.

“President Jonathan, inaddition to the interventionf the National EmergencyManagement Agency,NEMA, has provided N500million for the AnambraState flood victims and setup a national committee onflood relief and rehabilita-tion to mobilize nationaland global support."

ENUGU—THE taskforce set up by Enugu

State governor, SullivanChime, to monitor privatehealth facilities in the statehas closed down three pri-vate hospitals for failing tomeet the required standard. The task force has alsosummoned proprietors ofsome hospitals for question-ing over poor state of theirtheaters and wards.Speaking to newsmen,shortly after the monitoringexercise by members of thecommittee at the weekend,Commissioner of Health,Dr Fidelia Ugwu, ex-plained that the task forcewas set up with a mandateto ensure that private hos-pitals met the standard set

Enugu shuts three hospitalsover poor standard

BY EMANUEL ELEBEKE

by the state Ministry ofHealth. Ugwu, who spokethrough the Director ofMedical Services, StateMinistry of Health,Enugu, Dr NdubuisiEjeh, said the task forcewould continue to carryout the monitoring ofhealth institutions in or-der to effectively regulatetheir practice. He said: “We just movedaround and visited aboutseven health facilities, theexercise is a continuous one,the objective of this exerciseis to ensure that our healthfacilities give the requiredservices and also to ensurethat when people go to hos-pitals they will get satisfac-tory services.”

He said it was surpris-ing that the Federal Gov-ernment had over timeundermined the infinitepotentials that abound inthe Satellite, which couldbe used to transform the

fortunes of the countryand promised to partnerwith the agency in de-ploying broadband tech-nology in all schools inOndo State.

BIRTHDAY: Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State (middle) and others cutting the cake at Umueriflood displaced persons camp to mark Ojukwu's 79th birthday at Umuleri, Anambra State, yesterday.

BY TONY EDIKE

CMYK


... as FG deniesMelaye's allegation ofN29bn contract scam

‘Isreali contractors sold Nigeria$240m non-functional drones'

SEMINAR: From left— Ms. Ama Pepple, Minister of Lands Housing andUrban Development; Senator Bukar Ibrahim, Chairman, Senate Committeeon Lands, Housing and Urban Development, and his Vice, Senator 'GbengaAshafa, during the 3rd Annual Social Housing Seminar in Abuja.

NIGERIAN defenceand security equip-

ment contractor, Alh.Rabiu Hassan, yester-day, alleged that someIsraeli security contrac-tors (names withheld)were fleecing the nationof huge sums of moneyin hard currencies by sup-plying either non-func-tional equipments or col-lecting mobilisation feeswithout making supplies.

The contractor told jour-

nalists in Abuja that at atime the nation was facingdire security challenges,three Unmanned AerialVehicles, UAVs, popularlyknown as drones, suppliedby the Israelis were rottingaway in a hangar in Beninbecause they were non-functional.

He added that even atthat, Nigeria was made topay far more than the costof the most sophisticateddrones currently used by

United States of America,USA.

Hassan, who said he hadpetitioned the Presidencyand relevant anti-corrup-tion agencies, said al-though he was a contractorhimself, he had to cry outfor a probe into the activi-ties of the affected compa-nies with a view to arrest-ing the situation.

He said: “As we talk, thereare three Unmanned AerialVehicles, which are popu-larly called drones, sup-plied by the Israelis whichhave never worked. Theyare parked right now at ahangar in Benin. Theyhave never worked sincethey were supplied.”

He said the non-func-tional drones cost the na-tion $240 million, addingthat the Israeli behind thedrones deal had operatedin the country for over adecade and had infiltratedthe top echelon of succes-sive administrations in thecountry, where he had en-trenched himself.

He equally disclosed thatanother set of two Israeliswere on the verge of seal-ing a deal for leasing twospy satellites to Nigeria ata cost considered to be an-other rip-off as they hadasked Nigeria to pay 145million Euros for a project,which cost had been put at$40 million by Imagesat, themanufacturers in Israel.

Hassan said: “I have per-sonally gone to Israel andfound out from the manu-facturers what the cost is.It is $40 million for thetotal project. It is curiousthat they (contractors)are quoting 145 millionEuros.

“The Israeli companydoes not quote in Euros,they only quote in dol-lars. Nigerians must askquestions: is there anysuch contract at $145 mil-lion? This can’t happenelsewhere in the world.”

BY CHRIS OCHAYI The projects include theCanalisation/River Train-ing of Foupolo-BulouNdoro Creek in BurutuLocal Government Area,awarded to First Marine&Engineering ServicesLimited on February 2,2011 at the cost ofN2,370,668,252.

Canalisation atOdoubou, OgbabagbeneBurutu, awarded toOgbosite InternationalLimited at N1,259,233,750, and theLand Reclamation/Shore-line Protection project atOgbobagbene, awardedat the cost of N2,431,040,173.

All the projects are sitedin communities withinBurutu Local GovernmentArea of Delta State.

It would be recalled thatDino Melaye, ExecutiveSecretary of Anti-Cor-ruption Network, re-cently alleged that overN29 billion had been si-phoned through a list offictitious contracts by theministry.

He said the contractsincluded land reclama-tion/shoreline protectionand canalisation in theNiger Delta.

CMYK

BURUTU—PRESIDENCY, weekend,

discredited the allega-tions made by formermember of the House ofRepresentatives, DinoMelaye, that the Minis-try of Niger Delta Affairsawarded fictitious con-tracts to the tune of N29billion in the Niger Delta.

Special Adviser to Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathanon Projects Monitoringand Evaluation, ProfessorSylvester Monye, who ledthe Presidential team ona fact-finding mission tosome communities inBurutu Local Governmentof Areas in Delta State,said contrary to the alle-gations, the projects actu-ally existed. He addedthat work was ongoing atthe project sites.

Besides, the traditionalleaders of the two commu-nities, where the projectsare sited, havecommended the FederalGovernment for puttingthe projects in their com-munities, which they de-scribed as viable projectsthat will transform thelives of the people.

OPINION

16 — Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012

*Dr. Omigbodun, an environmental expert, wrote fromLagos.

BY AKINTOLA OMIGBODUN Toll charges on a reconstructedLagos-Ibadan expressway

THE Federal Ministry of Environment, FMEnv,has placed on public display a draft report of an

Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, study of theeffects of the implementation of proposals for theexpansion and modernization of the Lagos-IbadanExpressway. The report was submitted by Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited. The public canread the report at FMEnv offices at the GreenBuilding, Maitama and the Brown Building, AirportRoad, Abuja; Games Village, Surulere, Lagos as wellas in FMEnv state offices in Ibadan and Abeokuta.The report is also available at State Ministry ofEnvironment offices in Alausa, Lagos; Ibadan, OyoState and Abeokuta, Ogun State as well as at LocalGovernment Area Headquarters in Ikeja and Kosofein Lagos State; Owode, Ifo, Odeda, Odogbolu, Isaraand Sagamu in Ogun State and Idi Ayunre, Oyo State.

The report is on display in order to give the publican opportunity to comment on issues related to thereconstruction and which issues could potentiallyaffect them. Also, comments should be made on howthe reconstructed expressway could best servemotorists, transporters, industrial/commercialinterests and communities whose primary access ison the expressway.

The report indicates that the reconstructedexpressway will have three lanes on each of thenorth-bound and south-bound carriageways betweenthe interchange at Ojota, Lagos and the interchangeby the former toll-gate in Ibadan. Toll plazas will beprovided on both sides of the expressway at Warewa,Sagamu interchange and Dekkit Quarry near Ibadan.There will also be interchanges at Ibafo, Mowe and

Ogere. The project cost is put at N120 billion but thereport does not mention the probable level of tollcharges that would sustain loans to be obtained forthe reconstruction.

Any new construction is expected to beenvironmentally and socially sound and economicallyviable. With interest rates at about 20 per cent, loansfor construction would aggregate to about N170billion by the end of a three-year construction period.Income from toll charges on this expressway wouldhave to be between N30 billion per annum and N40billion per annum for the project to be viable withinthe concession period of 25 years granted to Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited.

An alternative route would have to be providedfor motorists who do not want to pay toU

charges. Fortunately, the Lagos State Governmenthas commenced work on the reconstruction of theroad link between Mile 12, lkorodu Road and theIkorodu Town Roundabout as a dual carriageway witha Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, corridor in the centre ofthe road. This will be the first leg of an alternativeroute and the Federal Government should reconstructthe road link from Ikorodu Town Roundabout toSagamu as a dual carriageway which will serve asthe second leg of an alternative route from Ojota toSagamu and onwards.

Traffic delays that are sometimes observed on theexpressway in the region of the Redemption Campshould be permanently removed. The Redeemed

Christian Church of God has, from its own resources,provided a bitumen-surfaced road link fromSimawa, crossing the River Owuru at Ebute Bonwuand thus establishing the first road link betweenthe expressway and the Ikorodu-Sagamu road. Aninterchange should be provided on the expresswaywhere the road from Simawa joins the expresswayat the southern gate of Redeemer’s University andu-turns should no longer be permitted on thisportion of the expressway.

The Ogun State Government, OGSG, has anindustrial estate at Ogijo, a town on the Ikorodu-Sagamu road in Ogun State, near the border withLagos State. The Ogun State Government haspreviously considered an east-west road link fromOgijo to the expressway. There exists a goodopportunity now for the OGSG to identify andacquire the land corridor for the route from Ogijoto an interchange on the expressway somewherebetween Arepo, Punchplace and Magboro. Thereare benefits from a second road crossing RiverOwuru and any motorists using the interchange willpay toll charges at Warewa if travelling southwardsand just before entering the expressway if travellingnorthwards.

NOT counting the Petroleum Industry Bill,for the second time this year, a report on theoil industry is generating a storm before thereis a chance to consider it. While the House ofRepresentatives report was truncated overallegations that committee members werecompromised, the report of thePresident’s Petroleum Revenue Special TaskForce, was presented last week withcontroversy.Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, chairman of the task

force and his deputy, Steve Orosanye,disagreed over the report before PresidentGoodluck Jonathan. The controversy beganwith the leaked report which the task forcedisowned, but Orosanye said the reportwhich listed debts to government, losses ofrevenue, with a notable example in the under-pricing of feedstock gas was “flawed”.“For Liquefied Natural Gas, the price at

which the feedstock gas is sold to NLNGseems too generous, compared to pricesobtainable on the international market. Theestimated cumulative deficit between valueobtainable on the international market andwhat is currently being obtained from

Another Oily RAnother Oily RAnother Oily RAnother Oily RAnother Oily ReporeporeporeporeportttttNLNG, over the 10-year period, amounts toapproximately US$29 billion,” the reportsaid.The report made harsh remarks, mostly

known, about government’s poor funding ofits obligations to the joint venture partners,loss of crude and slack processes for revenuecollections ranging from signature bonus totaxes. It is official again that the oil and gassector operates with standards that arechallenging to monitor.Orosanye, a former Permanent Secretary at

the State House and former Head of CivilService of the Federation, said the figures inthe report were not verified and that somemembers neither saw nor signed the final

draft. Mr Bernard Otti, another task forcemember supported him. The President askedthose with contrary views to submit theirobjections to the Chief of Staff or the Ministerof Petroleum Resources.Two other members, Sumaila Zubair, the

acting secretary and Ignatius Adegunle saidOrosanye and Otti, never participated in themeetings.“No matter how good the efforts that have

been put into this exercise, as long as theprocess is flawed and that report is one thatcannot be implemented. I don’t know whatthe report contains. Some of the figures thatwere in the draft report were un-reconciledfigures and I did say in that meeting that wehave institutions responsible for this figures,”Orosanye told the President.Like the beleaguered report before it,

government has enough information in theMallam Ribadu report to act, if it wants tosalvage a vital sector of the economy.Members with objections to the reportshould use the window the President offeredthem to add their positions. There will neverbe a perfect report on our oil and gas sector.

CMYK


,,

OPINIONLagos traffic law and ban on OkadaBY ADEWALE KUPOLUYI

*Mr. Kupoluyi, wrote from Fed. Varsity ofAgric.Abeokuta, Ogun State.

“

THE decision of the Lagos Stategovernment to ban the operation of

commercial motorcyclists on major roadsin the state has generated a lot of misgivingsthat could lead to a complete breakdown oflaw and order, if not checked.

The Lagos State Governor, BabatundeRaji Fashola (SAN), has recently assentedto a new stringent traffic laws that will soonbecome operational in the state.

The new law spells out the offences andpunishments attached. For example, withthe exception of fuel tankers and long buses,trailers are now barred from plying theroads between 6.00 am and 9.00 pm whilecommercial motorcycle operators are notto ply major trunks, such as Ikorodu Road,Funsho Williams Avenue, Apapa-OshodiExpress, Lagos-Badagry and Lekki-Epeexpressways.

Motorists are also forbidden to makephone calls, eat, count money or engage in‘other dangerous activities’, while on thewheel.

Pedestrians are also forbidden to cross theexpressways as they are now to compulsorilyuse the pedestrian bridges. Violation of these

laws attracts between N30,000 andN50,000 fines or imprisonment up to threeyears, among others.

Specifically, Section 3 (1) of the trafficlaw prohibits the riding, driving orpropelling of a cart, wheel barrow,motorcycle or tricycle on the majorhighways in Lagos.

As the Governor has remarked, peoplewho ordinarily should be law-abiding,suddenly flout every law immediately theyfind themselves behind the wheel in Lagos.

Therefore, to guarantee the free-flow oftraffic and to ensure that the movement ofinvestors coming into the state is nothindered, the introduction of the lawbecomes necessary.

Governor Fashola also lamented therampant cases of accidents caused byokadas, making their unfortunate victimsconfined and bedridden in varioushospitals and medical emergency centres.

The state government then moved aheadand barred the cyclists from plying 475routes in the metropolis. Violent reactionshad greeted the enforcement, which has

resulted in the destruction of governmentproperties by some aggrieved persons.

The restrictions of okada on the routes andthe worsening fuel scarcity have made manyLagosians stranded as they were forced totrek to their destinations.

Although, the menace is not peculiar toLagos State alone, it is the same story inother major cities across the nation.

No doubt, every attempt to sanitise andrestore order to the chaotic roads should beembraced, especially going by the trafficsituation in Lagos. That is what anyresponsible government should do.

But in doing this, the necessaryenvironment should be put in place to ensurethat the introduction of the new law is notan attempt at paying Peter to rob Paul.

The relevance of okada in the scheme ofthings cannot be over-emphasised, not onlyin Lagos but the nation in general.

Presently, the available modes oftransportation infrastructure areinadequate for a city of about 20 millionpeople.

The existing road is seriously under

pressure as the Bus Rapid Transit servicespassengers often cramped onto the buseswhile many would-be commuters are alwaysheld-down in long queues awaiting the BRTbuses for the next turn that may never come.

Alternatively, the Keke-NAPEP is just abigger okada and does not offer much. Ithas only succeeded in increasing theaverage cost of transportation and trafficcongestions within the city. They are equallyoperated by the same people of the samebrains behind the operation of okadas, interms of traffic law compliance.

Hence, in the absence of sufficient carsand buses, commercial motorcycles remainthe most practical and easily accessiblemeans of transportation which a largepercentage of the populace rely on.

The astronomical rate of unemploymentin the nation has led many young people toembrace riding of okada for a living.

Continues on Pg .19 (Viewpoints)

AN Igbo adage says: "Ndi na-asun'olu n'olu, mana ochi (na akwa)

but otu". Languages differ but laughter(and crying) sound the same. No twohuman beings are exactly the same. Notwo cultures are exactly the same. Theworld is full of diversities, even to theextent of human species having so manycolours on their skin. But once you openup anyone from anywhere we are all thesame inside. If you subject any humanbeing to extreme emotional thrill ofsadness or joy they will react just thesame. I delved into this amateurpsychoanalysis due to a sobering seriesof experiences I have been privilegedto witness since one week of my stay inNew York City. I told you all that I wouldpay quality attention to issues that drawsome parallel with situations back homein Nigeria. After all, the USA is a societywe model Nigeria after. In our size,diversity and constitutional aspirations,we are more like America than Britain.Since last Sunday October 28th 2012when the Hurricane Sandy blew in fromthe Caribbean, life as Americans knowit on the East Coast, has never been thesame. Sandy has knocked the stuffingout of citizens of a country that pridesitself as the greatest nation on earth.

As I observed in an earlier dispatch,the experiences Americans have gonethrough in the past eight days bring tomind the devastation of 9/11. Sandyturned American citizens into ThirdWorld folks. I saw New York and NewJersey and their residents reduced tosituations familiar in Nigeria as a resultof our underdevelopment, corruptionand poor leadership. On Thursdaymorning last week, our plush "refugeecamp" off Parsons Boulevard, Jamaicadistrict of Queens Borough, New York,woke up to a sumptuous breakfast. Leon,an Investigator and Counsellor with theNew York City Council and Chief Abogo,a California-based businessman whocame to buy supplies in New York, andI, set off in Leon's Toyota Landcruiser toattend to our respective schedules forthe day. I had planned to nose aroundthe city and find out how the electoralauthorities were shaping up for theTuesday presidential election after sucha devastating rupturing left behind bySandy. There were fears that the electioncould be postponed in some parts of theNorth East. I was also to attend amedical check-up. But all these were notto be.

The power outage that affected 7.5million people and businesses had farmore greater consequences thancontemplated by anyone. People(including those who had defied thewarnings of the authorities) had to fleetheir homes due to the power cut toescape from the cold and hunger since

Day fuel scarcity groundedNew York

all the food they stocked up in theirfridges were rapidly decaying. Schoolswere closed for a week, and publictransportation was severely restricted. Toreduce the traffic nightmare aroundManhattan (the Lagos Island of NewYork) the authorities isssued an order

had until his dashboard turned red andwe had to return home to a nearby Mobilstation.

Fuel queues everywhere

All over the city there were miles andmiles of vehicles queued in front of

gas stations that had no gas. Our Mobilwas no different. Somehow, cutomerssuspected that the Indian operators ofthe station were hoarding the fuel andrefused to leave. Vehicles blocked

everywhere and other motorists foundit difficult to use the roads. The policewould have none of that. They came intheir squad cars and after conversingwith the station's operators, it was agreedthat gas should be sold to enable somevehicles get into the queue and out ofthe roads. The dealers also agreed tosell to those who came with jerry cans(is that familiar?). Within a jiffy, motoristsraided a nearby convenience store andlined up with their cans. By the time wewent there to acquire one, the police hadordered them to stop selling because thesituation at the pumps was turningchaotic. After failing to get people tocomply with directives to be orderly thepolice ordered the immediate stoppageof sales. They sealed off the station withyellow tape with the inscription: CRIMESCENE DO NOT CROSS. All vehicleswere asked to leave the station. Ourshad completely run out of gas.Surprisingly, the four police officers onduty, including a young lady, offered topush the SUV into a parking lot, eventhough the three of us could have doneso easily.

Long wait for fuel

For hours, about fifteen people stillhung around the station, in hope

that something would happen. Theywere all there: Whites, Blacks, Chinese,Indians, Arabs, and of course, usAfricans. Most clutched their red cansand looking expectantly in the directionof the Indian salesman, but no show. Hedared not defy the orders of the policewho had long left the scene. Much later,a lone Black policeman returned to thestation, conversed with the attendantand drove away. The salesman calledthose of us still around and announcedthat gas could become available thefollowing day all over the city whenvessels from Pennsylvania refinerieswould have arrived. He said police hadpermitted him to sell to a few people incans by midnight if we would come back.Based on this agreement we alldispersed at 6.30pm. The only differencebetween what we saw that day and thesituation in Nigeria, was that there wasno "black market" fuel hawkersanywhere. Nobody around couldremember the last time there was fuelscarcity in New York. There could beprice hikes (and price reductions!) butno scarcity. Even in Nigeria, we neverwitnessed fuel scarcity before the 1990s.The "black market" only developed as aresult of prolonged scarcity occasionedby racketeering and profiteering. If thescarcity should persist in New Yorkracketeering is sure to follow. Languagesdiffer. Laughter (and crying) are thesame.

requiring that any vehicleentering Manhattan mustcarry at least three occupants.They should have sparedtheir breath because on thatThursday morning, motoristswoke up to find there was no"gas" (as they call it here) tofuel their vehicles. Leon, aformer broadcaster with theNigerian Television Authority(NTA) who has lived in NewYork for over twenty years,knew all the gas stations inthe city and was confident hewould get a place to fill thetank. We used the little we

A crowd at a gas station in the New York cityborough of Queens

New York fuel shortage cause franticscramble

The only differencebetween what we sawthat day and the situationin Nigeria, was that therewas no "black market"fuel hawkers anywhere.Nobody around couldremember the last timethere was fuel scarcity inNew York. There couldbe price hikes (and pricereductions!) but noscarcity

CMYK

42 — Vanguard42 — Vanguard42 — Vanguard42 — Vanguard42 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, , NOVEMBER 5, , NOVEMBER 5, , NOVEMBER 5, , NOVEMBER 5, 20122012201220122012

THE race betweenU.S. President

Barack Obama and Re-publican challenger MittRomney remained in adead heat ahead of Tues-day’s election, accordingto a Reuters/Ipsos dailytracking poll released onyesterday. Of 3,805 like-ly voters polled national-ly, 48 percent said theywould vote for DemocratObama, while 47 percentsided with Romney, aformer Massachusettsgovernor, the pollshowed. The results fallwithin the poll’s credibil-ity interval, a tool used toaccount for statistical vari-ation in Internet-basedpolls. Obama and Rom-ney have been locked ina neck-and-neck race forweeks. Over the week-end, both were makingfinal appearances in afew crucial states, hopingto sway a shrinking num-ber of undecided votersand to encourage theirsupporters to get to thepolls.

The presidential race,which has hinged formonths on a handful ofstates, converged on onecity in Iowa on Saturdayas President BarackObama and RepublicanMitt Romney each madea last-minute appeal forsupport before Tuesday’selection.

With the race in a deadheat nationally, both can-didates touched downbriefly in Dubuque, aMississippi River city of58,000 people, as theysprinted across the coun-try in a bid to secure anypossible advantage beforeElection Day.

In an airport rally earlyin the afternoon, Romneyurged supporters to try tosway friends and neigh-bors who back Obama. Hesaid he would reach outto Democrats as well ifelected - a stance thatcould appeal to indepen-dent voters who have lit-tle stomach for partisangridlock.

“I want you to reachacross the street to theneighbor, who has thatother sign in his frontyard. And I’m going toreach across the aisle inWashington, D.C., to thepoliticians who are work-ing for the other candi-date,” Romney told about2,000 people.

Six hours later, Obamareminded about 5,000

Obama, Romney scramble for votes in swing Statespeople in a park in down-town Dubuque that hehad started his first pres-idential bid in Iowa in2007, and highlightedsuccesses of his time inoffice, such as ending thewar in Iraq and expand-ing access to healthcare.

“After two years of cam-paigning and after fouryears as president, youknow me by now. Youmay not agree with everydecision I made, you mayhave sometimes beenfrustrated with the paceof change. But you knowthat I say what I meanand I mean what I say,”Obama said.

A new poll by the DesMoines Register news-paper showed Obamaleading Romney by 47percent to 42 percent inIowa, though the surveyshowed the presidentbarely edging his oppo-nent on the critical ques-tion of which candidatewould do better fixing theeconomy.

Earlier in the day inOhio, Obama hammeredRomney for opposing hisbailout of the auto indus-try and said his challeng-er tried to scare workersby saying inaccuratelythat Chrysler planned to

shift jobs to China.About one in eight Ohio

jobs is tied to auto manu-facturing, and the bailouthas helped Obama winover some of the whiteworking-class voters whoare heavily backing Rom-ney in rest of the country.

“I’ve been a Republicanfor 35 years and I’ve nev-er voted for a Democraton the federal level - un-til now,” retiree PatrickDorsey said as he waitedfor Obama to speak. “Eco-nomically, Romney’s justgoing to make the richricher.”

Tight race in pollsRomney will have a

hard time winning theWhite House if he does

not carry Ohio, and aReuters/Ipsos poll re-leased on Saturdayshowed him trailingObama by a statisticallymeaningless margin of 1percentage point in thestate. Other polls showhim trailing by a largermargin in Ohio.

The race for the WhiteHouse remains effective-ly tied at a national level,with 47 percent backingObama and 46 percentsupporting Romney, ac-cording to a Reuters/Ip-sos daily tracking poll re-leased on Saturday.

Still, analysts sayObama holds an edge inmany of the eight or ninecompetitive states that will

determine who controlsthe White House. Reu-ters/Ipsos polls releasedon Saturday showedObama leading by 3 per-centage points in Virgin-ia but trailing by 2 pointsin Colorado. The twowere dead even in Flori-da. All the results werewithin the credibility in-terval, a measurement ofthe accuracy of onlinepolls.

Other surveys general-ly show Obama leadingby narrow margins inWisconsin, Nevada andNew Hampshire. Rom-ney is considered to havethe edge in North Caro-lina. Romney has triedto expand the battlefield

over the past week tostates that had been con-sidered beyond hisreach.

“We win Pennsylvania,we save America inthree days,” Romney’svice presidential run-ning mate, Paul Ryan,said at an airport rally inthe state capital, Harris-burg. Ryan is due to vis-it Minnesota on Sun-day, another state thathas been considered sol-idly Democratic. Rom-ney himself is due tospeak in Pennsylvaniaon Sunday. Obama offi-cials say the Romneycampaign is visitingthose states out of des-peration because he hasbeen unable to establisha clear lead in other bat-tleground states.

Nevertheless, theObama campaign is dis-patching Vice PresidentJoe Biden’s wife, JillBiden, to Pennsylvaniaand former PresidentBill Clinton to Minneso-ta. Capping Saturday’stour, Obama made a jointappearance with Clintonbefore an enthusiasticcrowd of 24,000 - one ofthe largest of his cam-paign - at an outdoorarena in Bristow, Virgin-ia. The Dave MatthewsBand provided thewarm-up act.

BY GBENGA OKE in US

WITH 48 hours leftfor Americans to

vote for their next Presi-dent, the devastated ar-eas affected by HurricaneSandy might not partici-pate fully on Tuesdayselections as electricity hasnot been restored back tomajority of the countieswhere elections shouldhave taken place.Government has beenworking around the clockto ensure every citizen ofthe state affected have achance of voting by Tues-day but how that will berealized is still sketchy.

Although some peopleare expecting a change indate for the polls, that isunlikely as it was said thatelections has been shift-ed in the past but not aPresidential election.

It is however stated thatinstead for elections to bepostponed, the votingtime could be extendedacross the states that isaffected by Sandy.

•A rescue worker and a woman affected by Hur-ricane Sandy in New York City

Fears of vote shift looms in Sandydevastated areas

When Vanguard soughtwhat is likely to happenin any cases of HurricaneSandy like this, it waslearnt that the Congresshas powers to changedates of elections only ifmany states are badly af-fected not when less than20percent of the UnitedStates is affected towardsa Presidential election.

It was said that the Con-stitution gives Congresspowers to quickly recon-vene to set date for Pres-idential elections and con-gressional elections but itis not likely in this elec-tions.

In New York and NewJersey, some part of thestates are still withoutelectricity and this willaffect voters turnout bad-ly except for people thatexercised their rightthrough the early voting.

However, governmentin both states have beenputting last minutechanges by providingadditional voting centersahead of tuesdays presi-

dential polls.Ohio is not left out as

well as some part of thestate is still without elec-tricity but it was learntgovernment is doing ev-erything humanly possi-ble to ensure electricityreturns to ensure peoplehave the opportunity ofvoting. However, electionoppression has been go-ing on some parts of

Ohio, a major swing statefor both presidential can-didates. Ohio Secretary ofstate went up to SupremeCourt trying to stop Ear-

ALL may not be wellwith the Republi-

cans Party as HurricaneSandy seems to have po-larized the party especial-ly with the praise singingof the President by Gov-ernor Christie of New Jer-sey.

Governor Christie, aRepublican was one of thebiggest critic of PresidentObama’s administrationand he has personallyattacked the Presidentduring campaigns andduring the National Con-vention of the party that

Sandy exposes GOP crisis in New Jerseytook place in Florida.

It was observed that thecoming of HurricaneSandy was more of bless-ing to President Obamabecause the situation hasmade the President a herosought of among Ameri-cans who now believethat he could work acrossparty in the interest of themasses.

Christie has howeverbeen at logger-head withhis party since his praisesinging of the Presidentfor his quick interventionfor New Jersey after the

devastating Sandy ren-dered millions homeless.

One of the Republicanparty men that openly at-tacked Governor Christieincludes Robert Murdochwho said there is need forChristie to once againshow his allegiance toMitt Romney ahead ofthe elections.

But Christie against allodds has maintained hisground stating that heowed nobody any apolo-gy and that he does notgive a damn about whathis party feels.

ly voting in the state sim-ply because PresidentObama is leading with6points clearly in theswing state.

•Obama •Romney

CMYK

VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguard, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, , NOVEMBER 5, , NOVEMBER 5, , NOVEMBER 5, , NOVEMBER 5, 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 — 43 — 43 — 43 — 43 — 43

AS the battle for thepresidential elec-

tion comes to a crucialend tomorrow, the Re-publican party is vigor-ously pursuing their lastchance to take control ofthe Senate and the stateof Pennsylvania toppedtheir list — as Demo-crats remained cautious-ly optimistic that they’dretain their narrow ma-jority.

GOP candidates’ state-ments on rape and abor-tion has proved to beself-inflicted politicalwounds that could costthe party Indiana andundermined its chancesof taking down a vulner-able Democrat in Mis-souri. Incumbent Demo-crats considered in jeop-ardy at the start of theelection cycle managedto counter a barrage ofoutside spending andwere on track to keeptheir seats in Michiganand Florida.

Democrats hold a 53-47 Senate edge but Re-publicans are defendingonly 10 seats Tuesday.Retirements in 10 statesproved the most vexingfor both parties.

Democrats were count-ing on holding the openseat in Hawaii, were un-sure whether formerSen. Bob Kerrey’s latesurge would work inNebraska and consid-ered Virginia, Wisconsinand North Dakota toss-ups. New Mexicoleaned Democratic butwas a bit uncertain afterthe national parties leftthe two candidates —Democratic Rep. MartinHeinrich and formerGOP Rep. Heather Wil-son — to fend for them-selves. Among the GOPopen seats, Republicanshad written off Maine,chalked up Texas andwarily but confidentlycounted Arizona. A lookat the competitive racesthat will decide Senatecontrol:

ConnecticutIn Connecticut, Re-

publican and former

•Robert Murdock, Republican candidate •Claire McCaskil, Democratic candidate •Todd Akin, Republican candidate

Republicans plot Senate take overwrestling executive Lin-da McMahon spentmore than $42 million ofher own wealth on therace for retiring inde-pendent Sen. Joe Lie-berman’s seat, but itlooked like it would beinsufficient against thenumber of Democraticvotes. On the final week-end, Obama stepped inwith his first campaignad appeal for Democrat-ic Rep. Chris Murphy.

The ever-tight presi-dential race, the possi-bility of a Romney winand the potential boostor drag of the candi-dates on down-ballot rac-es meant few were offer-ing predictions on Sen-ate control.

PennsylvaniaFirst-term Sen. Bob

Casey in Pennsylvaniawasn’t on anyone’s line-up of vulnerable Demo-crats six months ago, es-pecially after Republi-cans nominated little-known businessmanTom Smith. But the coalexecutive spent morethan $17 million of hisown money and cut intoCasey’s edge. The Na-tional Republican Sena-torial Committee and theU.S. Chamber of Com-merce jumped in withmoney and ads in the fi-nal week.

Some Democrats sug-gested that Casey hasrun a lackluster cam-paign, a notion his cam-paign manager emphat-ically dismissed.

Maine: In a rare caseof bipartisanship, Dem-ocrats and Republicansagree that independentAngus King likely willwin the three-way raceagainst RepublicanCharlie Summers andDemocrat Cynthia Dill.It will be a loss for Re-publicans who had ex-pected Sen. OlympiaSnowe to sail to a fourthterm, but the moderate

had enough of Washing-ton’s rancor and grid-lock. King has not saidwhether he would cau-cus with Democrats orRepublicans and the out-come of the presidentialelection is certain tohave a bearing on anydecision.

Massachusetts: Demo-cratic challenger Eliza-beth Warren has theedge against Republi-can Sen. Scott Brown inone of the most expen-sive races in the country— $68 million and it’sall candidate spendingas the two agreed to banoutside money. With thebacking of the tea party,Brown won a specialelection in January 2010to fill the seat of the lateDemocratic Sen. EdwardKennedy. Brown hasvowed to be an indepen-dent voice in the Senate,but he’s up against somehard numbers. Obamawill win the state handi-ly and there will be700,000 to 800,000 morevoters than in 2010,many of them Demo-crats and independentswho favor Democrats.

Indiana: Tea party-backed state treasurerRichard Mourdockstunned the GOP inMay when he easilyknocked out six-termSen. Richard Lugar inthe primary. He is giv-ing Republicans fitsagain because he couldlose on Tuesday even asRomney wins the stateand Rep. Mike Pencelikely emerges as thenext governor. Mour-dock had limited good-will after suing in 2009to stop the federal gov-ernment’s bailout ofChrysler. He furtherdamaged his hopeswhen he said in a de-bate that pregnancy re-sulting from rape is“something God intend-ed.” Public and internal

polls show conservativeDemocratic Rep. JoeDonnelly with a lead inthe high single digits.The question is whetherhe can overcome thestate’s Republicantrend. Libertarian An-drew Horning could af-fect the outcome.

Virginia: Former gov-ernors, Democrat TimKaine and RepublicanGeorge Allen, are lockedin a close race. Allen istrying to reclaim the seathe lost to DemocraticSen. Jim Webb six yearsago. Webb decided to re-tire. Kaine has runslightly ahead of Obamain the battlegroundstate, where the presi-dential outcome couldweigh on the Senate re-sults. The race that has

the balance.North Dakota: Both

parties give high marksto the campaign Demo-crat Heidi Heitkamp hasrun this year, but it maynot be enough againstRepublican Rep. RickBerg in the strong Re-publican state and therace to fill the seat heldby Democratic Sen. KentConrad.

Wisconsin: Formerfour-term Gov. TommyThompson is a familiarname to many in Wis-consin. The question iswhether the 70-year-oldRepublican who last ranstatewide in 1998 isseen as history. LiberalDemocratic Rep. TammyBaldwin is counting ona strong turnout in herhometown of Madison. If

ney, called on him toabandon the race. Akinstayed in and is count-ing on support fromevangelicals to lift hisprospects in a state thatwill vote Republican.

Nevada: RepublicanSen. Dean Heller se-cured the seat after a sexscandal sunk GOP Sen.John Ensign. Ethicsquestions have doggedhis Democratic challeng-er, Rep. Shelley Berkley,in a race flooded by out-side cash and ads. Therace is a test of whetherSenate Majority LeaderHarry Reid’s vauntedpolitical operation canpush Berkley to victory.In final push, she loanedher campaign $250,000last month.

Ohio: Republican

attracted some $50 mil-lion in outside spend-ing.

Montana: DemocraticSen. Jon Tester is fight-ing for political survivalagainst Republican Rep.Denny Rehberg in a statethat narrowly went forJohn McCain in 2008but is expected to solid-ly back Romney. Theformer music teacher,butcher and currentfarmer was a surprisewinner in 2006. Demo-crats hope his solid cam-paign this year will tip

elected, Baldwin wouldbe the first openly gaysenator.

Missouri: DemocraticSen. Claire McCaskill,once considered themost vulnerable incum-bent, could be back inWashington if she canhold off Rep. Todd Akin.The Republican severe-ly damaged his candi-dacy in August when hesaid women’s bodieshave ways of avoidingpregnancy in “legiti-mate rape,” and GOPleaders, including Rom-

groups swamped Dem-ocratic Sen. SherrodBrown with some $30million in negative ads,helping to lift the can-didacy of Josh Mandel.The state treasurer whojust took office in Janu-ary 2011 equivocated formonths over the 2009auto bailout, critical inthe state, before finallysaying he opposed it.The outcome of the close-ly fought presidentialrace will affect the Sen-ate race.

•Sherrod Brown, Democratic candidate •Bob Casey, Republican candidate

CMYK


CMYK


,

,

,

,

BY HENRY BOYO

*Mr. Boyo , an economist, wrotefrom Lagos.

BY ADEWALE KUPOLUYI

*Mr. Kupoluyi wrote from the Fed. Varsity ofAgric.Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Concluded

IN what appears to be a well-choreographed script, the

airwaves and the print media havelately been inundated withaffirmations and endorsements ofthe absolute powers currentlyenjoyed by the Central Bank ofNigeria, CBN, under theprovisions of the 2007 CBN Act.The media reports were primarilyculled from the recentpresentations by variousstakeholders at the hearings of theHouse of Representatives JointCommittee on Banking andFinance and Justice. Thesummary of all the presentations,including those of the seeminglypassionate pleas of two formerCBN Governors, was that it wasinappropriate to tamper with theexisting provisions in the 2007 Act.

The appellants also maintainedthat the content of the present Actwas in consonance withinternational best practice; anelder statesman who had earlierserved as CBN boss also cautionedthat our CBN Governor would loserespect amongst internationalpeers if the Act is amended. A vicepresident of the NLC similarlychallenged the legislators forproposing to deprive the CBN ofits independence, while the Housecherished the constitutionalguarantee of its ownindependence.

The CBN on its side alsomaintained that the amendmentswould fuel inflation and alsoobstruct the bank’s ability toquickly respond to evolvingmarket threats.

The apex bank also claimed thatthe CBN’s ability to deliver its coremandate of price stability (i.e.reduce inflation to 1 – 2% andcreate an enabling economicenvironment) will becompromised if the Act, as itscurrently stands, is amended inany way.

From the foregoing, the

proposed amendments may seempurely self-serving. Some criticshave even suggested that theproposed amendment was adevious route to enthronemediocrity and create opportunityfor leakages in the managementof the apex bank. Other critics alsoinsinuated that the proposedamendment to the Act was theLegislators’ payback for Sanusi’simpetuous revelations on thelavish appetite of members of theHouse.

Surprisingly, this writer’s briefpresentation appeared to be thelone voice in the wilderness, whichsupported the proposedamendments.

Consequently, it may beappropriate to actually evaluatethe quality of each of the fiveamendments proposed by theHouse. In reality, the amendmentcovers less than two pages andrelates to just two sub-sectionsunder Sections 6, 7, and 8respectively, and also includes theintroduction of a new Section 48.Incidentally, the existing 2007CBN Act contains 90 pages and54 Sections!

The proposed amendmentsrelate to Board composition,budget preparation, budgetapproval, salary and appointmentof a Deputy in case of absence ofthe Governor.

The 2007 Act provides for 12board members with theincumbent Governor asChairman, while the othermembers of the Board consist offour Deputy Governors of CBN,fiveDirectors of CBN, PermanentSecretary of Ministry of Finance,and the federation’s AccountantGeneral. The preponderance of 10CBN officers out of 12 boardmembers clearly negates theprinciple of accountability andtransparency as the aberrantjudgement of an anti-people andbellicose Governor will effectivelybecome board policy. Ultimately,Nigerians will become the victims

of the impact of such misjudgment.

The anti-people positioning ofCBN’s management in such

national issues as the fuel subsidyimbroglio, and the poorly thought-out proposal for the introductionof the N5,000 note are allreminders of such misjudgements;the inexplicable and arbitraryFather Christmas largesse of theCBN Governor has also raisedconcern. Fortunately, theNational Assembly has belatedlyrecently woken up from its slumberwhile the CBN usurped thelegislative powers for approval ofnational debt accumulation; theerstwhile lacuna permitted theCBN and its associate agencies(Debt Management Office andAMCON) to rapidly accumulateover N8 trillion (about US$48billion) debt for largelyunsubstantiated purposes while thelegislators snoozed!! In view of theN100bn annual sinking fund fordebt repayment in the 2013 budgetproposal, it may take over 60years to repay these loans.

Incidentally, the Commander-in-Chief, President Jonathan, cannotspend a single kobo or borrow onbehalf of Nigeria without priorapproval of the legislature. It isbewildering, therefore, that theCBN Governor and its Board havesuch sweeping and unfetteredpowers as unelected civil servantsunder the existing 2007 Act!

Such absolute powers wouldcorrupt even the most righteous

human being and the House hasconsequently recommended thatSection 6(2) of the Act be amendedby providing that “the CBN Boardshall consist of a chairman, whoshall be either a former CBNgovernor or a former chairman ormanaging director of a bank. Theother members of the proposednew seven-man Board wouldconsist of the (incumbent) CBNGovernor, the PermanentSecretary of the Ministry ofFinance, the Accountant Generalof the Federation, the PermanentSecretary of the NationalPlanning Commission, arepresentative of the FederalInland Revenue Service (not belowthe rank of a director) and arepresentative of the NigerianDeposit Insurance Corporation(not below the rank of a Director).”Contrary to speculation, there isno political appointee on theBoard!

The second proposedamendment to the 2007 Act relatesto Section 6(3)a, which vestsresponsibility for budgetpreparation on the CBN andapproval of same budget by alopsided Board with 10 CBN staffout of the 12-man membership. Inview of the ambience of impunityin our political and economicspace, it would be a miracle toexpect such arrangement to be freefrom the pervasive magnitude offraud in our public administration.The proposed amendmentconsequently correctly deletes theexisting provision for the CBN’sBoard as the sole authority toapprove the apex bank’s annualbudget.

Some critics have observed thatit is the fear of the revelation of theputrid mess in the system that hasinduced CBN’s orchestratedcampaign for the retention of itsabsolute powers.

The House amendmentconsequently introduces a newSection 48, which provides that“the Board shall prepare andsubmit to the National Assemblythrough the President not laterthan 30th September of each year,an estimate of its income andexpenditure during the nextsucceeding year.” Thisamendment would certainly bemore transparent and would alsodemand greater accountability in

the management of the apexbank.”

The fourth amendment pertainsto the leadership of the Board inthe event of absence of theGovernor. Section 7(1) in thecurrent 2007 Act stipulates that theCBN Governor would personallychoose the candidate to act on hisbehalf in case of unavoidableabsence. The proposedamendment replaces the provisionin Section 7(1) as follows:

“The Governor, or in his absencethe most Senior Deputy Governor,shall be in charge of the day-to-day management of the Bank andshall be answerable to the Boardfor his acts and decisions.”

The fifth and final amendmentto the 2007 Act, relates to Section8(3), which currently provides thatsalaries and allowances will besolely determined by the current12-man Board with its itscomplement of 10 CBN’s staff!The current amendment, however,provides as follows:

“The salaries or allowances,including pension and otherallowances payable to thegovernor and the deputy governorshall be as stipulated from time totime by the Revenue Mobilization,Allocation and FiscalCommission, subject to theapproval of the President.”

Fellow Nigerians, please judgefor yourselves who really is beingclever by half. It appears that theCBN is mischievously capitalisingon the burden of credibility ofmembers of the NationalAssembly. In any event, we haveendured CBN’s promises of thedividends of absolute autonomysince 2007; regrettably, theproduct of our forbearance isincreasing debt accumulation anddeepening poverty nationwide inspite of increasing revenue inflow!

Instructively, however, even theadoption of the proposedamendments may not bringsuccour to our blighted economy,if the reconstituted Boardencourages the CBN to continueto maintain its monopoly on theforeign exchange market underthe amended Act!

Save the Naira, save Nigerians!!

CBN’s quest for retention ofabsolute power

CERTAINLY, the eventual ban will resultinto joblessness and increase in crime

rate. Banning them at the moment portendsgrave social and psychologicalconsequences. Therefore, rather than throwaway the baby with the bathwater, the LagosState government should ponder over a fewuseful points.

To begin with, as a matter of urgency, itshould suspend further implementation untilwhen the case is thrashed-out in the court asthe operators, under the aegis of the AllNigerian Autobike Commercial Owners andWorkers Association, ANACOWA, had in thesuit argued that they should not be barred-as some of the roads in the restricted listwere federal roads - listed under the FederalHighways Act, cap F13, Laws of theFederation of Nigeria, 2004.

The claimants also argued that restrictingtheir operations on the said roads wouldviolate their rights to freedom of movement,guaranteed by section 41(1) of theConstitution of the Federal Republic ofNigeria, 1999 as amended. With thesubsisting litigation, the government oughtto have waited for the outcome of the suitagainst the Lagos State Traffic Law 2011,before going ahead with the

Lagos traffic law and ban on Okada (2)

implementation of the traffic laws. On thedetails of the legislation, it has been arguedthat some provisions of the new law appeardraconian. For instance, criminalisingtraffic offences is considered too stringentjust as jail terms should only come in handywhen a culprit’s lawless action causes injuryor death.

In the same spirit, sentencing a person toprison for taking a one-way road in a rowdycity like Lagos - where transport generallyis chaotic and road infrastructure is grosslyinadequate – is deficient.

A recent study, “Compliance with RoadSafety Regulations among CommercialMotorcyclists in Nigeria”, published in theCanadian Social Science Journal (Vol. 8No.1) indicates that rather than focusing onthe okada riders alone, a multi_facetedapproach should be adopted in tackling thechallenge.

The journal stated that there is total non-compliance with some rules such asminimum age limit, motorcycle capacityand number plate, while there are varyingdegrees of compliance with others, withrespect to driver’s license holding, crashhelmet usage, Highway Code awarenessand number of passengers carried per trip,as well as the overhauling of the driver’slicensing scheme and improvedenforcement by the agencies concerned.

The fact that about 42 per cent ofmotorcyclists are not aware of the existenceof the Highway Code, which is expected toguide their conduct on the roads, isindicative of the fact that they did not passthrough the theory and practical testrequired for issuing driver’s license. This isworrisome.

Most Vehicle Inspection Offices, VIO, inthe country have been reduced to revenuegeneration outfits instead of safetypromotion and inspection agencies. Testinggrounds and facilities for the conduct oftheory and practical sessions beforeissuance of driver licenses are no longeravailable.

Reliance on licensed private drivingschools for the certification has merelyshifted the corruption from the publicdomain to the private sector, which areusually not monitored in the sense that theseprivate schools are really not equipped forthe training of motorcycle riders.

The general overhauling of the licensing

system should be done collectively by theresponsible agencies such as the FederalRoad Safety Commission, FRSC, stateVehicle Inspection Offices and the LicensedPrivate Driving Schools.

The Lagos State House of Assemblyshould not be in a hurry but ensure that itdoes a thorough work as far as the new trafficlaw is concerned. It is an opportunity to passa traffic law that will really address theneeds of the state.

As a way forward, there should beconcerted efforts at enforcement. The FRSC,Lagos State Traffic Management Agencyand the Nigeria Police should deplore patrolresources effectively in order to ensure highcompliance with traffic regulations.

The enforcement agencies should alsoflush out corrupt officers among them whocollect bribes to circumvent enforcement,as the real test of the law will be in itsenforcement. It is crucial to note that therewould have been no need for the new law ifthe existing ones had been well enforced.

Over the years, what have bred lawlessnessin Nigeria are simply impunity and endemicofficial corruption and bribery.

Some law enforcement agents arethemselves law-brakers and clogs in thewheel of sanity. They flout the law of theland with impunity. The role of media andpublic enlightenment should be fullyengaged in conjunction with the commercialmotorcyclist unions and relevantstakeholders to bring about the necessarysensitisation.

Continued from pg. 17

We have enduredCBN’s promisesof the dividendsof absoluteautonomy since2007; regrettably,the product of ourforbearance isincreasing debtaccumulation anddeepeningpoverty

With the subsistinglitigation, governmentought to have waitedfor the outcome of thesuit against the TrafficLaw before goingahead with theimplementation


CMYK

48 — Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMER 5, 2012

WHATEVER it is thattranspired betweenGovernor Aliyu

Wamakko and Moses Osigwe,the Business Manager of thePower Holding Company ofNigeria, PHCN in the Gwuiwadistrict was without theknowledge of the majority of thepeople of Sokoto State.

However, the fallout from thatmeeting is today the cause ofmuch agony in many parts of thestate following the cut off ofpower by the electricity workersin the state.

Private businesses,government institutionsincluding hospitals were as atyesterday without electric powersupply for the third day in thebrutal battle of ego betweenGovernor Wamakko and theNational Union of ElectricityEmployees, NUEE.

The battle arose from what isclaimed to be the allegedextortion of the governor’s localgovernment area, WamakkoLocal Government Area by

BLACKOUT: Electric power shockspolitical power in SokotoSOKOTO is thrown into darkness following a strikeaction by electricity workers protesting the allegedflogging of one of their officials by Governor AliyuWamakko.

BY ABDALLAHEL-KUREBE

PHCN officials in the GwuiwaBusiness Unit of PHCN.

It is alleged that followingpressure on the government bythe people of Wamakko localgovernment, that the governorinvited the PHCN officials tosuggest to government, apermanent solution to theproblem of lack of supply ofelectricity to the area.

After the meeting with thegovernor, PHCN staff allegedlybrought an estimate of N17million to the state government,for, among others, the provisionof a 2.5 MVA transformer.

Though the money wasprovided, the situation, however,did not change leading to tensionin the area.

It was allegedly based on thegrowing tension that thegovernor again invited thePHCN officials led by Osigwe tohis residence in Wamakko onOctober 20 for another meeting.

At the meeting, Osigwe wasalleged not to have shownproper courtesy and reverence forthe person of the governor andhe was allegedly personallyflogged by the governor before

he was handed over to othersecurity aides of the governor forfurther action.

The Sokoto/Zamfara CouncilNUEE in a statement signed byits Chairman and Secretary,Abubakar Sani and YusufAbdulkarim respectively, gavetheir narration of what happenedthat day.

“The Governor personallyassaulted the Business Managerand two other staff who weremercilessly beaten and finallyhanded to his personal securityfor further assault/torture.”

In the statement the NUEEvowed to “withdraw their stafffrom all PHCN formations andtotal blackout across the state tillfurther notice.”

Sokotogovt reactsThe Secretary General of

NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajero alsoentered the fray with anultimatum of 48 hours to thegovernor to issue a publicapology and make reparations to

the injured staff. The ultimatumexpired last Friday.

Governor Wamakko’s responsewas to describe the ultimatum as“phantom conceived, hatched,tended and executed all in theminds of the union leaders forfrivolous gains,” saying theunion cannot be complainant,judge and executioner in its owncase.

In a reaction articulated by hisSenior Special Assistant, Media,Sani Umar, the governor alsoquestioned why, “in spite ofpublic money spent on PHCN,nothing has been there to showfor it.

“Shouldn’t the public findexplanation on why power hasnot been holding, especiallywhere hard-earned money, bothprivate and public, has beengoing into the PHCN withnothing to show for it?”

Wamakko also questionedwhy the union has

avoided probing the allegationthat the affected officialscollected money without

providing the desiredequipment.

“It is important for the unionto note that the governor owesnobody an apology. A fraud hasbeen committed for which amanagement level staff ofPHCN is culpable and must beaddressed. No amount ofblackmail would delete ordiminish the magnitude of thefraud and the state has alreadycommenced legal proceedingson the matter,” he continued.

Wamakko advised the union“to tow the path of valor andtake appropriate steps torestore power to Wamakko townor pay back the N17m receivedin lieu of the service before thepeople lose their patience.”

Sokoto peopleto sue PHCNIn yet another press conference

on Saturday, Sokoto state chapterof Inter-Party Advisory Councilof Nigeria, IPACON threatenedthat if within 24 hours, electricitysupply to Sokoto was notrestored, the people of the statewould have no option than takePHCN to court.

IPACON Chairman, AlhajiAhmed Mohammed observedthat if Governor Wamakko, as anindividual, did what NUEEclaimed he did, the people ofSokoto should not be made tosuffer from an alleged action ofan individual.

“Statutorily, PHCN has asubsisting contract to supply un-interrupted electricity to thepublic, it therefore beats ourimagination hollow to haveobserved that PHCN went aheadand cut electricity supply to thestate on an unsubstantiatedallegation against Governor ofSokoto state,” the statement read.

IPACON also observed thatwith in-patients who are on lifesupport machines in varioushealth facilities in the state,PHCN ought not to havedisconnected the SpecialistHospital from power supply.

“We have in-patients who areon life support machines invarious health facilities in thestate. Water supply is currentlybeing hampered. PHCN shouldnot be un-mindful of the graveconsequences of their actions tothe essential services,” it furtherread.

“Why should the public sufferfrom the action of an individual?;does Governor Wamakko pay ourelectricity bills? Don’t the peopleof Sokoto have a contractualagreement with PHCN? WouldPHCN justify its action ofdenying the people the servicesthey pay for? Isn’t this a totalbreach of contract? IPACONasked.

As a result of the blackout,public establishments as wellas private residences arewithout electricity save forthose who have generators.There is also no water supplybecause there has to beelectricity to pump, treat andsupply water to the public.

,

,The Governor personallyassaulted the Business Managerand two other staff who weremercilessly beaten and finallyhanded to his personal security forfurther assault/torture

VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardCLASSIFIED

A D I G U N — I ,formerly known andaddressed as Mrs.Linda Adigun, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Linda Sawyerr. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

IBAH—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as Mr.Ibah Obumneke, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mr.Lemuel ObumnekeDavid. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

ITAM—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as MissItam Ama Hogan,now wish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Ama BasseyEfiong. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

O J E L O W O — I ,formerly known andaddressed asTemitope AdebisiOjelowo, now wishto be known andaddressed asTemitope AdebisiOlaitan. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Generalpublic please takenote.

O N Y I A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as OnyiaE u g e n eAnayochukwu, nowwish to be knownand addressed asBona OnyiaEugene. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Generalpublic please takenote.

N D U K A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as OdabiIkechukwu Odabi-Nduka, now wish tobe known andaddressed asPrecious IkechukwuOdabi. All formerdocuments remainvalid. WAEC,UNIBEN andgeneral publicplease take note.

N D U K A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as OdabiHope NdukaNnkoye, now wishto be known andaddressed as OdabiHope Nkoye. Allformer documentsremain valid.WAEC, JAMB andgeneral publicplease take note.

U G B U W E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissElohor AndrewUgbuwe, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Elohor Ogaga-Oghene. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

S I O B I S E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissF a i t hO g h e n e k p a r o b oSiobise, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.F a i t hO g h e n e k p a r o b oOpete. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

B E K E O W E I — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissB e k e o w e iCaroline, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Kio BekeoweiCaroline. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicp l e a s etake note.

ODISI—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as MissOdisi RhodaEbidesabofa, nowwish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Iwe RhodaEbidesabofa. Allformer documentsremain valid.General publicp l e a s etake note.

O J A R I G H O — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOjarigho Patience,now wish to beknown andaddressed as Mrs.Iwegbu Patience. Allformer documentsremain valid. DaltaState Polytechnic,Otefe Oghara, NYSCand general publicplease take note.

A K P E D E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissAkpede Tivere Sonia,now wish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Tivere SoniaEgoezu. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

P R E C I O U S — I ,formerly known andaddressed as Mrs.Precious Iduh (formerMiss Morenike ToyinAjayi), now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs. Morenike ToyinIduh. All formerdocuments remainvalid. PHCN, ICANand general publicplease take note.

MARY—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Mary MuzeOdaukwo, now wishto be known andaddressed as MissMitchel MuzeOdaukwo. All formerdocuments remainvalid. UNICAL andgeneral public pleasetake note.

OGBE—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as OgbeDestiny, now wishto be known andaddressed as EkehDestiny OmenoyeAdanne. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Lagos StatePolytechnic andgeneral publicplease take note.

IKECHUKWU—I,formerly known andaddressed as Dr.Friday, IkechukwuOsinachi, now wishto be known andaddressed as Dr.Osinachi, IykeFriday. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Generalpublic please takenote.

ASHETU—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss AtulukwuAshetu Helen, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Helen AchetuAtulukwu David. Allformer documentsremain valid. NYSC,Kogi State University,Anyigba and generalpublic please takenote.

T I M I PA M O — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissTimipamo Yinkore,now wish to be knownand addressed asMrs. TimipamoYinkore Densin. Allformer documentsremain valid.General publicplease take note.

IBIA—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as IbiaIbom Ekpo and IbiaIbom Abara, nowwish to be knownand addressed asGreatman IbomAbara. All formerdocuments remainvalid. The FederalRepublic of Nigeriaand general publicplease take note.

AKEJU—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as MissAkeju MosunmolaSeun, now wish to beknown andaddressed as Mrs.Adegoke MosunmolaSeun. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

N N A M A N I — I ,formerly known andaddressed as NgoziNnamani, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Ngozi Patrick. Alldocuments bearingmy former nameremain valid. Allrelevant authoritiesand general publicplease take note.

U D E A G U — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissUdeagu ChidinmaEvan, also known asMiss UdeaguC h i d i n m aEvangeline, nowwish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Obi ChidinmaEvangeline. Allformer documentsremain valid.General publicplease take note.

RUFUS—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as MissRufus Rebecca, nowwish to be knownand addressed asMrs. RebeccaIvbolagbe. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Nigeria PoliceForce and generalpublic please takenote.

EZEKWE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss ChinweokwuFlorence Ezekwe, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Chinweokwu FlorenceOguejiofor. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Nigeria Securityand Civil DefenceCorps (NSCDC) andgeneral public pleasetake note.

ONOBA—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss OmowumiOnoba, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs. OmowumiPriscilia John Onuh.All former documentsremain valid. FederalPolytechnic Idah, KogiState and generalpublic please takenote.

N W A O D U — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissLinda Nwaodu, nowwish to be knownand addressed asMrs. LindaEkechukwu. Allformer documentsremain valid. NigeriaPolice Force andgeneral publicplease take note.

A M A D I G W E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as Mr.Ezechinyere ObiohaAmadigwe, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mr.Ezechinyere ObiohaDavidson. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Joint Admissionsand MatriculationBoard and generalpublic please take note.

S O D I P O — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOlujoke AbiodunSodipo, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Olujoke AbiodunAdeniji. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

IGBINEDION—I,formerly known andaddressed as MissIgbinedion IvieBlessing, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Asemota IvieBlessing. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Zenith Bank,UBA, NYSC andgeneral publicplease take note.

A K I N L E Y E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissAkinleye AdeolaOluwatosin, nowwish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Sam OladapoAdeola Oluwatosin.All former documentsremain valid.General publicplease take note.

AKOR—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as MissAkor Juliet, nowwish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Aliemeke Juliet.All former documentsremain valid. NigeriaPolice Force andgeneral publicplease take note.

E L U E C H E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissElueche Ijeoma Joy,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Nwanze Ijeoma Joy.All former documentsremain valid. DeltaState Government andgeneral public pleasetake note.

U G W U A D U — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissUgwuadu PatriciaIjeoma, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Oniovokukor PatriciaIjeoma. All formerdocuments remainvalid. FederalMedical Centre,Asaba and generalpublic please takenote.

BANOR—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as MissChinye Banor, nowwish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Chinye Kiyi.All former documentsremain valid. NigeriaPolice Force andgeneral publicplease take note.

A G U N Y A I — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissSusan NgoziAgunyai, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Susan Ngozi Jacob.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

NDUKWE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Mr. ArubikeLekwauwa Ndukwe,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mr.Arubike JohnLekwauwa. All formerdocuments remainvalid. The Polytechnic,Ibadan and generalpublic please take note.

GODWIN—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Mr. Godwin JohnPessu, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mr. IbrahimJereoma Pessu. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

T I M I Y A N — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissTimiyan Werisinde,now wish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Ochor WilfredWerisinde. All formerdocuments remainvalid. NYSC andgeneral publicplease take note.

YOU CAN B O O K Y O U R A D V E RTSAT OU R

L A G O S I S L A N D O F FI C E —VA N G U A R D

M E D I A L I M I T E D ( L A G O S O F -FICE) K I O S K

4 8 E A S T PAV I L I O N T B S ,L A G O S .

VANGUARD'S LAGOS OFFICEO K O C H A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOkocha Isioma Rita,now wish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Rita OkochaIsioma. All formerdocuments remainvalid. NYSC andgeneral public pleasetake note.



Flood c'ttee organisesN100bn fund dinner

Reps summon Accountant-Gen,SGF over N82bn revenue shortfall

Air MarshalUduok loses wife

ABUJA—FORMERChief of the Air Staff,

Air Marshal NsikakEduok, has lost his wife,Nkese.

Nkese Eduok, a one-time President of the Ni-gerian Air Force OfficersWives Association,NAFOWA. She died in anIndian hospital after anoperation.

Eduok, who also servedbriefly as Aviation Minis-ter, confirmed his wife’sdemise to Vanguard lastnight.

Governor GodswillAkpabio and the formerSecretary to the Govern-ment of the Federation,Chief Ufot Ekaette, have

visited Eduok and con-soled the family.

Akpabio, in a message,described late Mrs.Eduok as a great and vir-tuous woman. The gover-nor described her as anepitome of womanhoodand a supportive, caring,assertive, hard workingand religious woman, whowould be greatly missedby Nigerians.

In his tribute, ChiefEkaette prayed God togive the Eduoks the cour-age to bear the huge loss.

Similarly, former Petro-leum Minister, Chief DonEtiebet, said she would beremembered for her workto humanity and her com-munity. He prayed God togrant her eternal rest.

BY SONI DANIEL

ABUJA—HOUSE ofRepresentatives,

weekend, summoned theAccountant-General ofthe Federation, AGF,Jonas Otunla over a rev-enue shortfall of N81.9billion.

The AGF had been di-rected to appear beforethe Public Accounts com-mittee of the Housewithin two weeks.

The committee also

summoned the Secretaryto the Government of theFederation, SGF, AnyimPius Anyim, PermanentSecretary in charge ofEcological Fund in thePresidency, the Perma-nent Secretary in theMinistry of Environmentand the Director of Fi-nance in the Office of theSGF, over the manage-ment of the EcologicalFund from since 2003.

Chairman of the Com-mittee, Solomon

Olamilekan Adeola, toldnewsmen that the Ac-countant-General wasneeded to shed light onthe huge shortage in theaccruable revenue to theFederation in 2006.

He said the SGF andothers invited along withhim were to participate ina broad forum that wouldexamine the use of theEcological Funds.

He said the Account-ant-General, who was tohave appeared before onThursday last week failedto show up.

Adeola said: “The Ac-countant-General wasreminded of the need toappear unfailingly,alongside all the con-cerned agencies in re-lation to pending issuesin year 2006, particu-larly, the Director-Gen-eral, Budget Office andRevenue Agencies, re-sponsible for the rev-enue shortfall amount-ing toN81,904,469,177.27.

“The Accountant-Gen-eral is also to ensurethat all the agencies ap-pearing alongside withhim should provide allthe necessary documentsin relation to the issuethey are appearing on, tofacilitate smooth exami-nation and disposal ofsuch issues.”

On why the committeewas beaming its search-light on the EcologicalFunds, he said: “The Au-ditor-General com-plained of non-specificreflection of special

funds in the FinancialStatements, especiallystatements of assets andliabilities.

“The Accountant-Gen-eral has, therefore, beendirected to furnish thecommittee with detaileddocumentation in rela-tion to the FG’s share ofderivation and Ecologi-cal Account, StabilisationAccount and 3 percentDevelopment of NaturalResources account from2003 to date.

“They must stateclearly the monthly re-ceipts, sources, dis-bursement madetherefrom, list of benefi-ciaries, and balanceavailable.”

The lawmaker said thecommittee was also prob-ing how the Police Re-ward Fund amounting toover N306 billion wasmanaged.

He noted that the man-agers of the Police Re-ward Fund have refusedto honour invitationssent to them to appearbefore the committee. Inview of this, the commit-tee had written its reporton then Police RewardFund.

He did not say whatmanner of sanction thecommittee recom-mended.

Adeola added that thecommittee was also inter-ested in seeing a copy ofthe Presidential Modifica-tion Order that conferredthe powers to manage theStabilisation Account onthe President.

BY OKEY NDIRIBE

BY VICTORAHIUMA-YOUNG

P R E S I D E N T I A LCommittee on Flood

Relief and Rehabilita-tion, weekend, an-nounced Thursday nextweek for a fund raisingdinner to kick-start theplan to raise about N100billion to complimentgovernment’s efforts atbringing succor to thevictims of the recentflood disaster in thecountry.

The Committee, beingco-chaired by the busi-

ness mogul, AlikoDangote and legal lumi-nary, Olisa Agbakoba, ina statement, said it hopedto bring smiles back to thefaces of the displaced per-sons currently being shel-tered in make-shift campsin different parts of thecountry.

Many Communitieswere recently ravaged byflood, which killedscores of people, ren-dered thousands home-less and destroyed bil-lions of Naira worth offarmlands and otherproperty.

CMYK

CMYK

Dr. Joseph O. Okpaku, Sr., President and Publisher of ThirdPress Publishers and Chairman of Telecom Africa InternationalCorporation, is a renowned scholar and expert of strategicdevelopment and global issues. He is regarded as aRenaissance man and a leading 21st Century philosopher.

UNWILLING (truly notunable) to fight dirty,

Barack Obama would comeout looking weak before anAmerican public whose loveof the sport of gladiators un-derpins the popularity of box-ing and the visceral fascina-tion with the violent bodyknocks of their most favouritesports, American football.

But there was also a not un-important reason for extraor-dinary caution on BarackObama’s side. This was a verydeep and painful aspect of theAmerican legacy of slaveryand racism—the lynching ofBlack men. Similar to the kill-ing and literal roasting ofBlack men by whites whilehaving a barbecue (or “brie”as South Africans call it) inapartheid South Africa, thelynching of Black men inAmerica, the most horrendousof human “sports”, occupiesa grave spot in the AfricanAmerican psyche, even forthose who never witnessed it.(The lynching scenes in TheGreat Debaters starring Den-zel Washington represent avivid portrayal of this atrocityof human history.)

Now, the most commontrumped up charge for lynch-ing Black men especially inthe American south was thealmost always false accusationthat they raped white womenor looked at them with the in-tent to do so. More often thannot these were either totallyfabricated or, in fact, werefalse accusation made bywhite women whose recklessovertures to Black men werespurned by the Black menwho knew only too well thatthis would be a kiss of death.So humiliated, the white wom-en often claimed that suchBlack men made sexual over-tures to them.

So, although perhaps notmuch talked about in the openor publicly articulated, butactively discussed amongstthemselves during the 2008primary season, many Blackmen and women who hadquickly grown upset withwhat they saw as the racial

Obama: The Second Time Around (2)slur by the Clintons in thequite possibly inadvertent re-marks during the New Hamp-shire primaries, saw HillaryClinton’s unmitigated assaulton Barack Obama as the an-tics of a white woman baitinga Black man so as to provokethe wrath and disaffection ofwhite men. And much as theywanted their Black man tostand up and fight for Blackpride, they too were leery ofthe consequences, especiallynow that victory, unthinkablevictory, seemed possible, evenpalpable. But after the firstdebate and the loud public

of immediate gratification, es-pecially of the sort that wouldbe politically popular even ifineffectual or unsustainable.But he had the faith, good willand the confidence of theAmerican people on his side—of most of them, that is. Mostdramatically, he turned aroundthe auto industry, the flagshipof America’s industrial power.He also saved the banking in-dustry, and Wall Street. Butthis time he would take flackfrom two opposite sides: Theyoung Americans who wouldrather see him “suck it” to thefinancial institutions that theyconsidered greedy if not rogu-ish, and the conservativebankers and prime beneficia-ries of the American dreamwho took exception to the strictregulations that the Presidentput in place to prevent a re-peat of the excesses that ledto the crisis in the first place,most especially the collapse ofthe housing industry.

Employment was a muchtougher challenge. The ex-cesses of the preceding Repub-lican government of George W.Bush which led to the nearcollapse of the economy led tomassive layoffs as businesses

big and small cut back to savethemselves. This would dev-astate especially the middleclass, the mainstay of theAmerican economy and soci-ety as a whole. Realising thatAmerican industry was slowlybecoming obsolete and, there-fore, likely to be less competi-tive in a tougher global econ-omy, Obama decided to put inplace the structure and mech-anism for modernizing Amer-ican industry with the objec-tive of creating many new jobsin new areas such as cleanand alternative energy (in-cluding solar and wind ener-gy), broadband communica-tions and overall research anddevelopment. Again, these areinitiatives with a gestationperiod during which the prom-ise of their efficacy would re-main dormant. In an economythat was hurting and reelingfrom unprecedented unem-ployment, this was a risky pathto take. But there did not seemto be an alternative.

On the global scene, Obamawould take bold steps to with-draw American forces fromIraq, and set in place, themechanism and schedule forwinding down the war in Af-ghanistan. He would huntdown and kill Osama bin Lad-en, the Enemy Number Oneof Americans. This was a featthat Obama would havethought could not but bringhim limitless accolades.Obama would even give amajor speech in Cairo on thenew world that would accom-modate all peoples and reli-gions, especially Christiansand Moslems. The promise,not its realisation, would besufficient to earn him the No-bel Peace Price. But not allAmericans seemed happyabout the global popularity ofthis young, smart Americanpresident with a gorgeous andsuper smart wife and two love-ly and adorable daughters.The Republican Party, or atleast an important section ofit, was not pleased. Somehow,placing misguided partisan-ship before national interests,some of its leaders would vowto spare no effort to ensure thatObama did not succeed aspresident.

BY DR. JOSEPH O.OKPAKU, SR.


ever. Text messages remindingpeople of this infamous quo-tation went viral amongstthose gathered on the Malland clear across the country.It was a wonderful moment inhistory, and even if it took anextra layer of warm clothing totake part in the joyous cere-monies and watch BarackObama, our African son, takethe oath of office as America’s44th president, it was such alittle price to pay.

President Barack Obamawould take office and imme-diately set about preventingthe embattled American econ-omy from bottoming out. Mrs.Clinton would go on to becomeObama’s most senior cabinetmember as the Secretary ofState, effectively the ForeignMinister, a role which she hashandled with exceptional ex-cellence, wisdom, judgmentand loyalty.

The Obama Legacy(2008 – 2012)

President Obama, deployinghis intellectual forte that isuniversally acknowledged tobe one of the best amongstworld leaders, had to makedifficult choices faced with aneconomy gone awry. Therewere no panaceas. In such cir-cumstances, strategic long-term solutions would take pre-cedence over the expediency

proclamation that Hilary Clin-ton had rubbished BarackObama, the young Senatorfrom Illinois had no choice butpull off his gloves in the sub-sequent debate, making itclear that all bets were off.

Barack Obama would go onto defeat Senator Clinton andbecome the presidential can-didate of the DemocraticPar5ty. Hilary Clinton and herhusband, Bill Clinton wouldregain their political compo-sure and stand firmly and gra-ciously behind Barack Obamain the presidential raceagainst Republican JohnMcCain, restoring their placeof pride with Black Americans,other minorities, females andyoung Americans of all races.

The outcome of the battles of2008 is now history. It is al-leged to have been said by awhite American that “hell(would) freeze over before aBlack man would become Pres-ident in America.” It was mostprophetic. On the morning ofTuesday, January 20, 2009, asmany gathered on the CapitolMall in Washington D.C., itwas one of the coldest days

Continues from yesterday

Continues tomorrow

It was a wonderfulmoment in history,and even if it tookan extra layer ofwarm clothing totake part in thejoyous ceremoniesand watch BarackObama, our Afri-can son, take theoath of office asAmerica’s44th president, itwas such a littleprice to pay

,,

Dr. Joseph O. Okpaku, Sr.,yesterday began a series onthe second coming of BarackObama. He flashed back to2008 and a United States ofAmerica that was about tohave it’s first black president.Four years after, and with theworld waiting, Okpakucontinues today on “Obama:The Second Time Around.”

•President Obama


CMYK

54 — Vanguard, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Championship in 1998,the Falcons have wonsix of seventournaments till date,with the only2008 edition hosted byEquatorial Guineaeluding them. ButCoach Kadiri Ikhanasaid on Sunday thatthere is no takingprisoners thistime.

“We are ready for anyteam at this

FalconsContinues from BP Championship. My

girls are highlymotivated with theNigeria FootballFederation havingfulfil led thepledge to improve theirwin-bonuses. Theylove it and they arerearing to go.”

The final match of theAfrican WomenChampionship comesup in Malabonext Sunday.

sports to schools in Del-ta and in April he inau-gurated the professorPatrick Moubogharecommittee to revive soc-cer in secondary schoolsin Delta. Mouboghare isthe commissioner of jun-ior education in thestate. And in the commit-tee are the likes of Ama-ju Pinnick, the Execu-tive Chairman of DeltaSports Commission, Aus-tin Okocha, Victor Ikpe-ba, Davidson Onwumi,Richard Mofe Damijo,Harrison Ochulor, Gow-on Akpadona and Ono-chie Anibeze, the GroupSports Editor of Van-guard Newspapers.

Keshi, Okocha to graceGovernor's Cup in Delta

Continues from BPStephen Keshi and Jay

Jay Okocha are expect-ed to engage in motiva-tional talks with the stu-dents before the kick off.

Delta is determined tochange the fortunes ofsports in Nigeria. Theyheld a sports summit lastweek in Asaba and de-cided to develop andpromote aquatic sportsin Nigeria aside trackand field.

“We will implement thereport of the summit,”Governor Uduaghan as-sured the audience inAsaba.

The school football willbe followed by track andfield according to Dr.Udughan.

been called up for theencounter.

It has been reported insome sections of the localpress that Keshi hascalled up foreign proslike Peter Utaka andObafemi Martins amongstothers but the Nigeriantrainer has dismissed thereports.

“We are working hard tobring in foreign-basedplayers that will play thematch for us but rightnow, we have not invitedany. I never spoke aboutany player. I don’t knowwhere that is comingfrom,” Keshi toldsupersport.com.

No foreign-based EaglesContinues from BP Nigeria have met

Venezuela once withthe Super Eagleswinning the encountermore than nine yearsago, with a goal fromAustin ‘Jay Jay ’Okocha.

Keshi said thismonth’s game againstVenezuela will be used“to try out a couple ofnew things.”

“We will use theopportunity to seeplayers that we havenot seen before. We arejust looking to get thebest players torepresent Nigeriacreditably againstVenezuela in the USA,that’s all,” he said.

Blues

“The officials were verygood. Kevin kept theplayers calm and he letthe game flow. He didn’thave any influence onthe game or the resultand I congratulated himon his performance at theend.“I didn’t speak to myplayers before the gamebecause our team is usu-ally very good.“We are generally a fairteam. There has to besomething really out of

Continues from BP the ordinary for themto react.”Di Matteo’s admira-tion was in stark con-trast to the criticismhe dished out to Clat-tenburg after losing toManchester Unitedlast Sunday.The ref sent off twoBlues stars and al-lowed an offside win-ner before he was re-ported by the club tothe FA for using ‘in-appropriate lan-guage’ to John ObiMikel.

Brazil thrash Libya 13-0BRAZIL have quali

fied for the last 16 ofthe FIFA Futsal World Cupwith a game to spare afteran emphatic 13-0 victoryover Libya in NakhonRatchasima. The reigningchampions were in impe-rious form as they sweptaside Group C’s under-dogs with a display thatshowed just how deter-mined they are to hold onto their title.Libya began the game as-suredly but their resist-ance was finally worndown by a spectacularopener from Gabriel inseven minutes, sentscreaming into the top cor-ner following a quick setpiece. Seconds later, Rodr-gio doubled Brazil’s ad-vantage minute later witha very different type ofgoal, stealing in unmarkedto score from close range,and the same player madeit 3-0 shortly after.Rodrigo showed the otherside of his game on 15minutes, holding the ball

up intelligently for Neto toscore, and Fernandinhoadded a fifth with half-time approaching. The floodgates openedin the second period, witha Mohamed Rahoma owngoal, a second for Fern-andinho and Je’s first

putting Brazil eight aheadwith nine minutes still toplay. Just eight secondsseparated Brazil’s seventhand eighth goals, and an-other two from the on-songFernandinho took the scoreinto double figures soon af-

ter. And there was still timefor Je to complete his hat-trick and set up Rafael toget into the scoring actbefore Libya’s misery wascomplete, as Brazil qual-ified with a flourish.

Sand, Sand Eaglesreturn today

THE delegation ofBeach Soccer

National Team, alsoknown as SupersandEagles, will return toNigeria on Mondayevening following theirparticipation at theS a m s u n gIntercontinental BeachSoccer Tournamentin Dubai, United ArabEmirates. On Sunday, thedelegation, led by NFF1st Vice President, ChiefMike Umeh, was hostedto a well-done lunch bythe Embassy of Nigeriain the United ArabEmirates, located in AbuDhabi. The team finishedfourth in the Eight-Nation Invitational thatwelcomed the bestbeach soccer-playing

countries of the world.Nigeria has continued tomake steady progress inthe unique game sinceparticipating at the FIFABeach Soccer World Cupfor the first time in2006. In Dubai, theSupersand Eagleswered edged 6-3 byBrazil in theirfirst match on Tuesday,before powering back todefeat Switzerland 7-6on Wednesday andoverwhelming Japan 6-5 on Thursday. They lostthe semi final 4-9 toworld champions Russiaon Friday and weresimply unlucky tonarrowly crash 7-8 tohost UAE in Saturday’sthird placematch.

I’ll show you how it’s done— Fergie

ALEX FERGUSONreckons he can

solve Manchester Unit-ed’s spot-kick crisis —by taking the penaltieshimself!

United have nowmissed FOUR pens thisseason after WayneRooney fired wide inyesterday ’s win overArsenal.

Those misses havecome from four differentplayers and boss Fergieis baffled.

He said: “I think I’lltake one myself nextweek — then we’llscore.”

Robin van Persie wasfirst to fail from 12 yardswhen he tried to chipSouthampton keeperKelvin Davis.

Javier Hernandezhad an effort saved inthe league against

Wigan, then Nanimissed againstGalatasaray in theChampions League.

Rooney said: “Thesethings happen and it’sgone now.

“I’m obviously disap-pointed but I’ll move onas we won the game,which is the most im-portant thing.”

HOT SPOT ... Fergieshows how it’s done

ACTION PACKED: Sand Sand Eaglescaptain Olawale Isiaka in hot contest withan opponent during the Copa Lagostournament last year.

THE HonourableMinister of Sports

and Chairman of theNational SportsCommission, MallamBolaji Abdullahi hasreconstituted the Boardof the NigeriaAcademicals SportsCommittee (NASCOM).Businessman, sportsphilanthropist andenthusiast, Mr. YemiIdowu, is to chair the

Abdullahi reconstitutesAcademicals

new Board. Mr. Idowuis a non- executiveDirector at SterlingBank and theimmediate pastChairman of SterlingCapital Plc. He is apatron of sports at thegrassroots, with morethan a decadeexperience insponsorship andmanagement of sportscompetitions andevents.

CMYK


CMYK

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-8944295. Advert Dept: 01-7924470;Hotline: 01-8737028; Abuja: 09-2341102, 09-2342704. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Advert:[email protected]

Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

e-mail: [email protected]

How to Play Sudoku THE VIGILANTE

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

FRIDAY'S ANSWERSFRIDAY'S ANSWERSFRIDAY'S ANSWERSFRIDAY'S ANSWERSFRIDAY'S ANSWERS

VANGUARD, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012

TODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLE

FRIDAY'S SOLUTIONS

ACROSS3 Court (5)9 Bomb-hole (6)10 Greet (6)11 Sidled (5)12 One (4)15 Unusual (4)17 Recede (7)20 Novel (3)21 Free (5)23 Try (4)25 Support (4)26 Shy (5)28 Droop (3)30 Liken (7)33 Bung (4)35 Row (4)36 Figure (5)38 Hue (6)39 Lounged (6)40 Postpone (5)

DOWN1 Scrub (5)2 Custom (5)3 Charge (3)4 Trial (6)5 Employed (4)6 Insane (3)7 Mortal (5)8 Renovate (5)13 Impartial (7)14 Belief (5)16 Breathe (7)18 Subject (5)19 Serpent (3)22 Break out (5)24 Gratuity (3)27 Pliant (6)28 Room (5)29 Culpability (5)31 Passage (5)32 Eat away (5)34 Shoot (4)36 Counterfeit (3)37 Hill (3)

ACROSS: 1, Barter 5, Ascend 9, Music 10,Repair 11, Mature 12, Taken 14, East 17, Led18, Meal 20, Drear 22, Toddy 23, Contort 24,Untie 26, Yield 29, Part 30, Pep 32, Fate 33,Allot 35, Office 36, Signed 37, Hated 38,Reeled 39, Redden.

DOWN: 1, Barred 2, Repose 3, Emit 4, Rural5, Aimed 6, Scan 7, Eluded 8, Deeply 13,Kestrel 15, Arena 16, Tacit 18, Motif 19, Adult21, Roe 22, Try 24, Uproar 25, Trifle 27,Earned 28, Deaden 30, Plead 31, Poser 33,Ache 34, Tide.

IndefatigableFalcons!

Bluespraise refshock

Brazil thrash Libya 13-0 — Page 54

Keshi, Okocha tograce Governor’sCup in Delta

No foreign-basedEagles forVenezuela —Keshi

• Whack C/Ivoire 3 – 1• Play S/Africa in Wednesday’s S/final

THE Senior WomenNational Team,

otherwise known asSuper Falcons, onSunday in Malabo mademincemeat of theirIvorian counterparts toreach the semi finals ofthe on-going 8th AfricanWomen Championship. The Cup holdersexploded throughwinger OgonnaChukwudi and NgoziEbere in the first half,before veteran StellaMbachu scored hersecond of thetournament in thesecond period to takematters beyonddoubt. The fellow WestAfricans got aconsolation later on, butthe Falcons hadcompleted the job andwere already lookingforward to theclash with the BanyanaBanyana on Wednesday.

Both teams will beflown to Bata for that

second semi final, whilehost Equatorial Guineawill entertainCameroon’s Lionesses atthe Malabo Stadium in

Wednesday’s first semifinal.

Since the launch of theAfrican WomenContinues on Page 54

ONE week after Delta State hosted a

sports summit to chart anew course for sports inthe state and Nigeria,Super Eagles coachStephen Keshi will leada cream of ex interna-tionals to the Ogwashi-Uku Stadium Wednes-day at 10 a.m. for thekick off of Delta State’sGovernor’s Cup.

He will join Austin JayJay Okocha, Victor Ikpe-ba, Davidson Onwumi,John Omoghele who are

all ex internationals tograce the occasion thatGovernor EmmanuelUduaghan will also at-tend. The governor willactually do the kick offbefore the two schoolsfor the opening matchwill begin battle for thetitle that will see the win-ners embarking on ayouth tournamentabroad and pocketingN2m and also winninga school bus. GovernorUduaghan is driving thereturn ofContinues on Page 54

CHELSEA finallyended their ref

war.Some people will nev-

er believe it but, after theMark Clattenburg row,Blues boss Roberto DiMatteo was full of praisefor official Kevin Friend.

Despite seeing his sideknocked off the top atSwansea, RDM said:

Continues on Page 54

HEAD coach of theNigerian national

team, Stephen Keshisays no foreign-basedplayer has been calledup for the Super Eagles’friendly internationalagainst Venezuela.

Both nations will clashin Miami, USA onNovember 14 and 24,and domestically-basedprofessionals have since

Continues on Page 54

YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND ... official speaks to JohnObi Mikel

CMYK

boko haram - We won't negotiateunder conditions — FG

Documents

Transcript of boko haram - We won't negotiateunder conditions — FG