Video - Documentary on Nigerians in Chinese prisons for drug smuggling

Deji Bedemosi presents an in depth report on the plight of Nigerians in Chinese prisons.

Spain denies Nigerian athletes visas

Nigeria may not participate in the IAAF World Junior Championships as the Spanish Embassy in Lagos denied her athletes visas yesterday.

Tempers rose as the athletes who were at the Embassy early yesterday morning, protested the attitude of the Consular officials by blocking the entrance to the Embassy with their cars, requesting that they be attended to. But the officials remained adamant.

The applications for the visas had been submitted two weeks ago, but officials of the Embassy kept dribbling the athletes and officials. The team was scheduled to travel last night to catch up with the event, which starts this morning, but traveling is most unlikely as a result of the denial of issuing them visas.

Officials of the Embassy insisted that visas couldn't be issued because the officers who were supposed to stamp the passports were not on seat. They asked the team to report on Tuesday morning(today).

"We gave them our passports two weeks ago. We were supposed to travel on Saturday, but they assured us that visas will be issued on Monday.

"By 2.30pm yesterday it dawned on us that there wasn't going to be any visa for us to travel. From the look of things we may not be going to the championships, because it is late for us now," said Jide Josiah, Athletics Federation of Nigeria vice president.

"What kind of injustice is this? After all our training we are being told we can't travel," said Maria Osifo, one of the coaches on the trip

Solomon Ogba, the AFN President, said they met all the conditions set by the Spanish embassy.

Vanguard

Zimbabwe fed up with stubborn Nigerian illegal immigrants

The Immigration Department has expressed concern over Nigerian nationals who attempt to frustrate deportation processes by making frivolous applications to the Supreme Court after being arrested for staying in the country illegally.

This comes after a Nigerian was recently arrested in the city after being found without the required documents to stay in the country. Cletus Chukwuka Anueyiangu had his case dismissed on Wednesday last week at the Supreme Court after he challenged both his arrest and conviction.

He is still in custody and awaiting deportation. Assistant Regional Immigration Officer Mr Francis Mabika said Anueyiangu, who was residing in Braeside, entered into the country sometime in 2004 on a holiday before he went back to his country.

"He then attempted to enter into the country on 7 May, 2005, but was equivocally denied entry," he said.

It is believed that Anueyiangu then sneaked into the country, but was arrested and deported on June 15, 2005.

He sneaked into the country again using fake names and another Nigerian passport.

In 2006, Anueyiangu and two other Nigerians applied for and were issued with a Zimbabwe Investment Licence and they formed a company called Ideal Clothing Manufacturing based at the Gulf Complex.

Immigration officers found out about the company and launched investigations.

Anueyiangu then joined the Pentecostal Assemblies of Zimbabwe where he was a student pastor. On February 6 this year, further investigations carried out revealed that he was once deported.

"On 12 February, 2012, he made an urgent chamber application which was dismissed with costs by Justice Mavhingira on February 29, 2012," said Mr Mabika.

"In the course of the court proceeding, as a way to cover his tracks and as an afterthought, his counterparts went on to renew the Zimbabwe Investment Licence which had since expired on 15 December 2011 and presented the renewed licence in his supplementary affidavits without justifying the action."

Anueyiangu's wife was also ordered to leave the country, but she went into hiding before making an urgent chamber application to interdict the Immigration Department from arresting her knowing fully she had no legal right to stay in the country.

Anueyiangu also made the Supreme Court application against the High Court ruling, but it was dismissed with costs.

"Clearly, Nigerian nationals have shown an inclination towards frustrating due processes of law," said Mr Mabika.

"The dismissal of the application is a clear testament of the supremacy of law in Zimbabwe. Aliens do have a corresponding obligation to observe the laws of Zimbabwe."

Last year, more than 100 foreigners were arrested and deported for illegally operating businesses like grocery shops and restaurants in violation of Zimbabwe's immigration and investment laws.

The Department of Immigration said most of the culprits were Nigerians and Chinese.

The Herald

Nigeria still ranks very high in infant and maternal mortality index

Nigeria still ranks high the list of countries with high maternal and infant mortality rates with a ratio of 545 per 100,000 live births on the maternal mortality index and 75 per 1000 live births on the infant mortality index; these figures are from the UN World Population Prospects and the Institute for Health Metric Reports (2010).

Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Festus Odimegwu, who disclosed this while speaking at a press conference to commemorate this year's World Population Day (WPD), added that the Federal Government had budgeted $3m annually to provide free family planning facilities for Nigerians.

Although some progress had been made since the release of the report, he said a lot more still needed to be done to prevent the avoidable deaths; stressing that only 58 per cent women had access to ante-natal care.

Odimegwu, who represented by the NPC Commissioner in the FCT, Mr. Sani Suleiman, outlined grim statistics of the health status of reproductive women aged between 15 and 49 in Nigeria.

"Fifty-two thousand, nine hundred women and girls die every year from pregnancy-related causes. For every woman that dies, at least 20 others suffer morbidities such as obstetric fistula, infections and disabilities.

Twenty-three percent of women between 15 and 19 are already mothers or are pregnant with their first child, 20 per 1000 children die before the age of one month while 35 per 1000 die before their first birthday," he lamented.

The NPC chairman added that interventions are being carried out in partnership with the UN Fund for Population Activity (UNFPA) to promote family planning, maternal health, sexuality education and HIV/AIDS prevention services.

Earlier, UNFPA's National Program Officer for Reproductive Health Commodity Security, Mrs. Nike Adedeji, said the organisation was currently working to manoeuvre the cultural and religious impediments to the promotion family planning usage in Nigeria.

This, she said, was carried out with the aim of educating leaders of religious and traditional institutions on the need to allow child spacing to preserve the health of mothers and children.

She further added that Nigeria had no excuse on its 10 per cent use of contraceptives, noting that even countries that may be regarded as stables of the major faiths (Italy and Saudi Arabia) already record about 80 per cent use of family planning methods which has helped them to reduce infant and maternal death rates.

This Day

Ex-militants give president Goodluck Jonathan ultimatum

Niger Delta Ex militants Phase 3 has given President Goodluck Jonathan two weeks ultimatum to give its members their entitlements or they will return to the creeks and blow pipelines.

The national chairman of the group, which parades about 10,000 members in the nine oil producing states, Julius Joseph, said the Federal Government was yet to keep to its terms of agreement after they surrendered their arms two years ago.

He said members of his group had endured for so long. "If the government is not ready to give us our entitlements then they should return our arms. We are hungry; we want to go back to the creeks", Joseph stated.

"We have tried to reach the president through the Minister of Niger Delta, but the minister has refused to attend to us. We have tried different means of dialogue but nobody is listening to us. We even wrote a petition to the Senate President but there was no response.

"We are open to dialogue. But government doesn't want to dialogue with us. They want to dialogue with Boko Haram that is faceless. We are not faceless yet they don't to dialogue with us".

The group's vice chairman, Henry Gomerome, said the Federal Government was supposed to pay them a monthly salary of N65, 000.00, for over two years, saying nothing had been paid. He added: "It is for that reason that we blocked Lokoja road in December last year. We were actually heading for Abuja but we were stopped at Lokoja. We are going to block another major road if our demands are not met.

Vanguard

Video - The young and the jobless in Nigeria

Al Jazeera program examines the causes and possible solutions to increasing unemployment in one of Africa's richest nations.


Al Jazeera

Nigerian banks make it in top 1000 global banks

Nigeria's top nine banks that featured in the Banker's top global 1000 banks 2012 have a combined tier one capital of $11.699 billion as against the $11.332 billion they had in last year's top 1000 banks. This showed a slight improvement in the tier one capital of the Nigerian banks.

However, the combined tier one capital of the nine banks is this time around slightly above the $9.842 billion of Standard Group of South Africa, the biggest bank in Africa and the 112th in the world. Standard Group's tier one capital dropped from last year's figure of $12.6 billion to this year's $9.8 billion. This fact is contained in the 2012 edition of The Banker magazine top 1000 global banks, a publication of Financial Times of London.

Bank of America which occupies the first position in the global ranking has a capital base of $163.626 billion. It is followed closely by JPMorgan Chase with a capital of $142.450 billion. The third position is occupied by HSBC, a British bank with a capital base of $133.179 billion. China has three banks in the top ten positions while Japan has just one.

The Banker magazine's endorsement has become an instrument that central banks and bankers seek after as a marketing tool. The low level of capitalization of Nigerian banks when compared to international standard is a challenge to regulators who are at the moment busy fragmenting the industry.

The Banker in its benchmarking of the top 1000 global bank said that Zenith Bank PLC had, as at 2011 financial year, a total tier one capital of $2.398 billion as against the $2.405 billion of last year. This makes Zenith Bank the biggest bank in Nigeria, the 7th in Africa and the 322nd in the world. It is followed by the first generation bank, First Bank, with a total of $2.262 billion in 2011 as against its last year's figure of $2.221 billion shareholders' stake in the bank known as tier one capital. First Bank occupies the 2nd position in the Nigerian banking sector, 8th in Africa and 338th in the globe.

The third highly capitalised bank in Nigeria by the standard of Bank of International Settlement (BIS) is GTBank with a tier one capital of $1.478 billion as against the $1.362 billion of 2010 financial year. By tier one capital ranking, it is Nigeria's 3rd biggest, 11th in Africa and 455th in the world. Access Bank followed closely with a capital of $1.054 billion as against the $1.149 billion it had last year making it the 4th largest bank in Nigeria, 15th in Africa and 541st universally.

United Bank for Africa (UBA), one of the oldest banks in the country, as at the 2011 financial year end had $1.003 billion compared to the $1.037 billion capital in 2010 making it one of the internationally recognised strong banks in the country. It is by this classification, the 5th largest bank in Nigeria, 16th in Africa and 563rd in the world. Fidelity is next with $867 million as against the $904 million tier one capital the previous year, making it the 6th biggest bank in Nigeria, 17th in Africa and 618th in the world. First City Monument Bank followed closely with $683 million compared to the $854 million capital base it had a year before. It thus becomes the 7th largest bank, 22nd in Africa and 710th in the world. Skye Bank has $665 million compared to $695 million it had previously to feature as the 721st top banks in the world, 24th in Africa and 8th in Nigeria.

However, the Nigerian banks did not rank among the top five in Africa. Zenith which is the most capitalised bank in the country ranks 7th as against its last year's 6th position in the continent. The top three banks in Africa are all from South Africa. Standard Bank Group topped the Africa chart with a capital base of $9.842 billion and is in the 112th position globally. The second is the FirstRand Bank Holdings, South Africa with a capital base of $8.471 billion. The Needbank Group Limited, also of South Africa, came third in the top 25 banks in Africa with a capital of $5.123 billion.

Attjariwafabank of Morocco, an Islamic Bank, is fourth with a capital base of $2.786 billion. Investec of South Africa came 5th in The Banker ranking of the top 25 banks in Africa with a capital base of $2.519 billion. According to The Banker, two Nigerian banks featured in the capital adequacy ratio measurement. Fidelity Bank, The Banker said, has a capital to asset ratio of 28.8 per cent, making it the soundest bank in the country. The report also said that First City Monument Bank with capital to asset ratio of 23.89 made it to the 1000 soundest capital to asset ratio banks in the world.

According to The Banker, going by the Bank of International Settlement measure, Zenith was the only Nigerian bank that attained the 1000 soundest BIS ratio of 36.

The Banker in the 2012 review of Africa Banking landscape said: "African banks suffered in this year's Top 1000 ranking from the weakness of their currencies, many of which fell sharply against the US dollar in the second half of 2011. South African banks were among the hardest hit, with the rand sliding almost 19 per cent versus the US currency last year, though Standard Bank retained its position as the largest bank on the continent by tier one capital and assets.

"Yet, while the latter rose 12 per cent in local currency during 2011, assets fell from $201billion to $183 billion in dollar terms. This was also largely the reason why Standard Bank's tier one capital decreased from $12billion to $9.8 billion in 2011, causing it to drop from 94th to 112th in the ranking - leaving Africa without any bank in the Top 100.

"In last year's Top 1000, Standard Bank had doubled the tier one capital of its nearest rival, FirstRand, which had $6 billion. FirstRand has closed the gap substantially and has $8.4 billion of such capital in this year's ranking. It was helped, however, by its financial year ending on June 30, 2011. In the 12 months prior to that date, the rand actually strengthened against the dollar, Standard Bank's year ended on December 31.

"Last year, 30 African banks made it to the Top 1000, whereas this time, 31 did. The continent's banks still account for a small proportion of global tier one capital, collectively making up 0.98 per cent of the total in the Top 1000, down slightly from last year. Mauritian banks, assisted by the rupee being one of the few African currencies to hold its own against the dollar in 2011, were some of the fastest risers in this year's ranking. Two of them, Mauritius Commercial Bank and State Bank of Mauritius, were among the four African banks that increased their tier one capital the most.

"Angola's banks also had a good year. Banco de Poupança e Crédito is a new entrant to the Top 1000, after its tier one capital rose 31 per cent to $705m. Banco Angolano de Investimentos, Angola's biggest lender, saw its tier one capital increase by 11 per cent to $708m and assets expanded by a hefty 42 per cent to $12billion. This caused it to climb the global assets ranking from 674th to 596th.

"While Nigerian lenders did not move up the tier one ranking significantly, Access Bank's assets increased 93 per cent to $10.3 billion, thanks to its takeover of local rival, Intercontinental Bank. This led it to move from 805th to 635th in the assets ranking. Togo-based Ecobank moved from 609th to 498th in terms of assets, thanks mainly to its acquisition of Nigeria's Oceanic Bank.

While European banks count the cost of the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis, China is leading the emerging markets into a new era of banking dominance. But the established markets of the US and Japan should not be forgotten.

It will come as no surprise that 2011 was the year when the Eurozone crisis dragged the global banking sector backwards. Assets and tier one capital in The Banker's Top 1000 World Banks ranking continue to grow, although at a much reduced rate to last year's ranking. But aggregate profits, which had staged two years of recovery since the financial crisis, reversed by one per cent, to stay only just above the $700 billion mark.

Vanguard

Italy to help train Nigerian police and paramilitary

Nigeria's efforts to rein in raging insurgency in some parts of the country has received a major boost, as the Italian government yesterday disclosed its intention to train officers and men of the Nigerian Police and other Paramilitary agencies on how to combat terrorism and other violent crimes.

Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margerita Boniver, disclosed this when she led her country's delegation of the Special Envoy for Humanitarian Emergencies on a courtesy visit to the Nigeria's Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro.

Speaking on the occasion, she expressed the desire of her government to help stem the crisis in Northern Nigeria by building the skills of local security agencies, especially in forensic investigation and how to defend the citizenry from terror attacks.

Though she did not give details and the form the assistance would look like, she however said that her home government was unhappy with the level of senseless killings in parts of the country, particularly the north, where she said Nigeria witnessed more violent crimes.

Expressing serious worry with the development, Bonivers said, she would personally do all within her capacity to bring in other forms of assistance to the police, NSCDC and other Para-military agencies , stressing that effective policing remains one of the core ingredients of democracy.

The Italian minister who however stated that the solution to the Boko Haram attacks in Northern Nigeria would include addressing the security and socio-economic problems in the area, commended the steps so far taken by Nigeria Government, in a bid to combat the menace.

She also expressed condolence of her nation to the Nigeria Government, over the loss of lives in recent bomb blast in the country.

In his response, the minister of interior , Comrade Abba Moro expressed his appreciation to the Italian minister for finding time to visit him in spite of her tight schedules.

Onovo, told the Italian envoy of the willingness of the Nigerian government to collaborate with them in any area of training which is aimed at building the capacity of the officers and men of the Nigerian Police and other security operatives, with a view to advancing proactive policing.

He said that with the deep interest shown by Italy in the areas of crime prevention and control, it will equally help to protect investments by its citizens in the country.

He posited, "terrorism having assumed international dimension, the federal Government is exploring all possible avenues to ensure that the act is completely eradicated in the country".

The minister further reiterated the determination of President Goodluck Jonathan's led administration to properly secure the nation's boarder's, ensuring that, only foreigners who have legitimate business are allowed into the country.

Leadership

Arsenal FC tour to Nigeria this year cancelled

Arsenal Football Club of England will no longer visit Nigeria this summer as planned earlier.

The Club made the announcement on its official website (arsenal.com) on Thursday evening.

"Arsenal.... is reluctantly postponing its proposed trip to Nigeria this summer", the statement reads in part.


Reasons :
The Club claimed it took the decision as a result of complexities linked to the planned game against Nigeria on Saturday, August 5 in Abuja.


Arsenal marketing director, Angus Kinnear said: "Bringing a top-level club to an international market is always complicated and logistically challenging.

With the proposed match in Nigeria planned for early August, we could not get comfortable on everything needed to satisfy our requirements, so we have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone the team's visit."

Kinnear continued: "We have a huge and loyal following in Africa, and we are sorry that the team will not be visiting this summer. However, we have a long-term commitment to Nigeria and we are already making plans for a visit next summer.

"In addition, we also have some exciting forthcoming activities planned with our commercial partners in Nigeria - Emirates, Airtel and Malta Guinness, which will kick off in the next few weeks."

Emirates are the presenting partner of the Arsenal 2012 Tour and Boutros Boutros, divisional senior vice-president of corporate communications said: "Emirates shares

Arsenal's disappointment that the team's visit to Nigeria has been postponed."

He added: "We look forward to working with Arsenal to bring the Club closer to its loyal Nigerian fans through new initiatives over the coming months."

Arsenal's decision to make such an eleventh hour turnaround is not going down well with their teaming supporters in the country, as some who spoke on the issue expressed disappointment with the team's inability to keep to its promise.

Daily Trust

Related story: Arsenal FC postpones Nigerian tour

Arsenal FC postpones Nigerian tour

The much hyped Arsenal pre-season tour of Nigeria, which was to have kicked off with a match against the Super Eagles on August 5 is now off following the decision of the English club to postpone the trip.

In a posting on the club's website Thursday, the London outfit said: "Arsenal Football Club has announced it is reluctantly postponing its proposed trip to Nigeria this summer."

The Gunners declined to go into specific details for the postponement but only said: "The club has taken the decision as a result of complexities linked to the planned game against the Super Eagles on Saturday, August 5 in Abuja."

According to the Arsenal Marketing Director, Angus Kinnear: "Bringing a top-level club to an international market is always complicated and logistically challenging. With the proposed match in Nigeria planned for early August, we could not get comfortable on everything needed to satisfy our requirements, so we have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone the team's visit."

Kinnear continued: "We have a huge and loyal following in Africa, and we are sorry that the team will not be visiting this summer. However, we have a long-term commitment to Nigeria and we are already making plans for a visit next summer.

"In addition, we also have some exciting forthcoming activities planned with our commercial partners in Nigeria - Emirates, Airtel and Malta Guinness, which will kick off in the next few weeks."

However, the club's decision may not be unconnected to the fact that the pitch of the Abuja National Stadium, where the match was to have taken place, is not in very good condition.

According to reports about N30 million will be needed to get the pitch back into its proper shape but even if the money is available there might not be enough time to complete the grassing before the now cancelled friendly.

Only recently Sports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said the Federal Government could not be armtwisted into rushing to fix the stadium on account of Arsenal's visit to the country.

Speaking during a visit to his office by the Board and Management of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Abdullahi said: "I was told that Arsenal wants to come to Nigeria on a playing tour, but it is not a national team. It is only a private football team coming on a training tour of Nigeria. So whether Arsenal is coming on a training tour to Nigeria does not concern the Federal Government.

"If we want to talk about how we are going to improve our pitch, it has nothing to do with Arsenal coming to play in Nigeria!"

Only a fortnight ago a security team from the London club was in the country to check on security and other logistics ahead of the much publicised tour.

It was learnt that the club, not satisfied with the medical facilities in the country, had even planned to bring a state-of-the-art mobile clinic, which would have accompanied the team to venues of the three matches lined up for the Gunners during their visit to Nigeria.

Meanwhile one of the club's principal sponsors, Emirates has also reacted to the news, which broke Thursday evening.

Emirates are the presenting partner of the Arsenal 2012 Tour and Boutros Boutros, divisional senior vice-president of corporate communications said: "Emirates shares Arsenal's disappointment that the team's visit to Nigeria has been postponed. We look forward to working with Arsenal to bring the Club closer to its loyal Nigerian fans through new initiatives over the coming months."

All further updates on Arsenal's future activities in Nigeria will be communicated on www.Arsenal.com, the report concluded.

The trip would have been the Gunners' first to Africa's most populous nation and would have come on the heels of a whistle stop visit by former Premier League champions, Manchester United a few years ago.

This Day

Related story: Arsenal FC tour to Nigeria this year cancelled

United Nations begins investigation on smuggled weapons between Nigerian and Libya

United Nations has sent a team of experts on Libya to Nigeria to investigate alleged smuggling of weapons into the country.

The Coordinator, United Nation Panel of Experts on Libya, Salim Raad, who led the panel to the Ministry of Interior, said the team was in Nigeria to investigate the alleged smuggling of weapons into Nigeria from Libya.

Salim urged Nigeria to provide report about illegal weapons as the UN has placed sanctions on weapons entering or going out of Libya.

Responding, Interior Minister Comrade Patrick Abba Moro, said considering the security challenges in the country particularly the Boko Haram insurgency, the government cannot rule out the smuggling of weapons into the country from Libya.

He reiterated the resolve of Nigeria to implement UN recommendations on trafficking of arms.

Daily Trust

Super Eagles move up in FIFA rankings

The Super Eagles of Nigeria has moved two spots from 60 to 58 in the latest FIFA rankings released yesterday by the World football governing body. Nigeria has also moved into the top 10 ranked sides in Africa. During the past month, Nigeria recorded a lone goal victory over Namibia and a goalless draw against Malawi both in 2014 World Cup qualifying games.


Then the Eagles defeated Rwanda 2-0 in the Africa Nations Cup qualifier to book a place in the draws for the 2013 editions today. Ivory Coast still remains the number one ranked team in Africa and 16 in the world. Followed by Ghana which is 33rd in the world.


Spain which won their third consecutive international title in the just concluded European championship maintained their first position while finalists Italy moved six places from 12 to six. Semi-finalists Portugal also moved five places from 10 to fifth position while the other semi finalists Germany are now second.



Despite England's disappointing Euros they moved two places from sixth to fourth while Holland which exited at the first round in the Euros without a single point slipped down four places from fourth to eight. Brazil is in the lowest position since the inception of the FIFA rankings as they are 11 down and out of the first 10 for the first time.


A total of 133 international 'A' matches have been played in recent weeks, made up of 31 EURO 2012 matches, 60 qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazilâ„¢, 15 CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and 27 friendlies.


Africa's top 15


1 Cote D'Ivoire (16)


2 Ghana (33)


3 Algeria (35)


4 Libya (39)


5 Mali (40)


6 Zambia (41)


7 Egypt (42)


8 Tunisia (43)


9 Gabon (45)


10 Nigeria (58)

Leadership

Americans living in Nigeria warned of Independence Day threat

The US embassy in Nigeria on Wednesday warned its citizens about threats to American targets through the independence holiday week in the west African country grappling with an Islamist insurgency.

"The U.S. Mission in Nigeria is issuing this emergency message to inform U.S. citizens of potential threats against U.S. installations during the July 4 holiday week," said a statement posted on the embassy's website.

Nigeria's capital Abuja was hit by fresh violence late on Tuesday, when a blast went off outside a shopping centre popular with both foreigners and locals.

US citizens in Abuja remain barred from visiting places of worship as well as nearby commercial establishments and must return to their homes by midnight, according to the embassy statement.

The Boko Haram Islamist group, responsible for scores of attacks in recent months, has repeatedly attacked churches, typically on Sundays and holidays.

The embassy "is working with the government of Nigeria to implement additional security measures," through the July 4 holiday week, the statement also said.

Last month, Washington designated three Boko Haram leaders as global terrorists, a move it said was aimed to help stem the violence in Nigeria.

Boko Haram, which has previously threatened to strike US interests, has claimed attacks that have killed more than 1,000 people since the middle of 2009.

AFP

Related stories: U.S. identifies Boko Haram leaders as global terrorists 

 U.S. concerned about Boko Haram attacks on media and churches 

Nigerian Rotimi Babatunde wins Africa's top literary prize

Described as Africa's leading literary award, the 2012 Caine Prize for African Writing has been awarded to Nigerian Rotimi Babatunde for his short story entitled Bombay's Republic published in the Mirabilia Review.

Chair of the judging panel, Bernardine Evaristo announced Babatunde as the winner of the £10 000 prize at an awards dinner held on the evening of Monday, 2 July 2012, at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Evaristo said, "Bombay's Republic vividly describes the story of a Nigerian soldier fighting in the Burma campaign of World War Two. It is ambitious, darkly humorous and in soaring, scorching prose exposes the exploitative nature of the colonial project and the psychology of independence."

Babatunde's fiction and poems have been published in Africa, Europe and America in journals which includeDie Aussenseite des Elementes and Fiction on the Web and in anthologies. He is a winner of the Meridian Tragic Love Story Competition organised by the BBC World Service and his plays have been staged and presented by institutions which include the Halcyon Theatre, Chicago and the Institute for Contemporary Arts. He is currently taking part in a collaboratively produced piece at the Royal Court and the Young Vic as part of World Stages for a World City. Rotimi lives in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Also shortlisted were:

• Billy Kahora from Kenya for Urban Zoning


• Stanley Kenani from Malawi for Love on Trial


• Melissa Tandiwe Myambo from Zimbabwe for La Salle de Départ


• Constance Myburgh from South Africa for Hunter Emmanuel

Alongside Evaristo on the panel of judges this year included cultural journalist, Maya Jaggi; Zimbabwean poet, songwriter and writer Chirikure Chirikure; associate professor at Georgetown University, Washington DC, Samantha Pinto; and the Sudanese CNN television correspondent, Nima Elbagir.

As the winner, Babatunde will be given the opportunity of taking up a month's residence at Georgetown University, as a writer-in-residence at the Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice. The award covers all travel and living expenses and will also be invited to take part in the Open Book Festival in Cape Town in September 2012 and events hosted by the Museum of African Art in New York in November 2012.

Previous winners

Last years' winner, Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo has subsequently been awarded the highly regarded two-year Stegner Writing Fellowship at Stanford University, in the United States.

Previous winners are Sudan's Leila Aboulela (2000), Nigerian Helon Habila (2001), Kenyan Binyavanga Wainaina (2002), Kenyan Yvonne Owuor (2003), Zimbabwean Brian Chikwava (2004), Nigerian Segun Afolabi (2005), South African Mary Watson (2006), Ugandan Monica Arac de Nyeko (2007), South African Henrietta Rose-Innes (2008), Nigerian EC Osondu (2009) and Sierra Leonean Olufemi Terry (2010).

Biz Community

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50 Cent loses legal battle to Chinua Achebe

Compensation begins for the bereaved families of Dana Air victims

About nine families of the 153 persons who died in the June 3 Dana air crash, Tuesday collected part payment as compensation from the airline as stipulated by the conventions guiding the aviation sector.

The payment also came on a day the airline received completed insurance forms for 68 victims, four of which were members of staff of the company and had been submitted for verification.

Also, the airline presented cheques Tuesday to the displaced residents of Iju-Ishaga, an outskirt of Lagos, who were affected by the crash as part of efforts to ensure their proper rehabilitation.

Confirming the payment, Dana Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Tony Usidamen, said the airline was fully aware of the mandatory requirement by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), for interim benefits to be paid to the families of the victims within 30 days of the accident.

Accordingly, he said the airline's lead underwriter in Nigeria had begun the compensation process by issuing interim benefit cheques to nine claimants yesterday, following the legal verification of their documentation and next of kin status.

While advising claimants to come to the chambers of Yomi Oshikoya & Co, appointed by the insurers in Lagos, in order to conclude advance payment formalities, Usidamen however said the airline was in contact with all other families who have submitted relevant documents to the airline's Crisis Management Centre (CMC) in Lagos and Abuja. Admitting that some of the bereaved families were yet to come to submit their document because they were still mourning, the airline said advance payment claims would be concluded on case by case basis as at when claimants find it convenient to come forward. He said: "We appreciate that the statutory payments cannot compensate for any of the precious lives lost in the accident but we hope that it will lessen the pains of the families knowing that they are not alone in these extremely difficult times.

"Dana Air shares in the pains of the affected families and continues to offer every form of assistance required by the hospital management and overseas laboratory to ensure that the process is completed as soon as possible, so that the families can lay their loved ones to rest.

"Depending on the update from the Chief Medical Director of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Prof Wale Oke, on Monday, more DNA samples have been collected and will be sent to the United Kingdom for testing shortly."

While noting that investigations are ongoing, he said the airline will continue to co-operate fully with and offer all support to the investigating authorities. However when contacted, Mr. Mike Uchegbu, who lost his brother, Chukwuebuka, in the crash said he was not aware of any compensation by the airline, neither could he identify any other family that has been paid.

He said: "I don't know if people were compensated as the airline is claiming because my family did not receive any payment from them. They cannot say we have not finished documentation because everything required document is with them.

"You just informed me that nine families have been compensated but what is that minute number compared to the higher number of persons that dies in the crash? By law, the families are supposed to be compensated within 30 days and yesterday marked a month of the crash."

This Day

Related stories: Video - Dana Air crash major setback for Nigeria's aviation industry

Video - Investigation begins on crashed Dana Airliner 

NYSC members protest deployment to crisis prone states

Hundreds of corps members for the 2012 Batch ‘B’ yesterday besieged the Gowon House headquarters of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abuja, seeking immediate redeployment from the northern states over fears of Boko Haram attacks.

The corps members, mainly from the South-West, South-East and South-South geo-political zones, sought immediate re-deployment from states such as Yobe, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Adamawa, Bauchi and Borno.

The impatient youths who were visibly afraid of Boko Haram attacks in the northern parts of the country declined all entreaties from workers of the NYSC to first resume at their states of posting before seeking re-deployment, which is the usual process.

“We prefer to die here instead of being killed by Boko Haram in the North”, some of them said, insisting that it was too risky to even set foot on the states.

They blocked the entrance of Gowon House, preventing movement of vehicles in and out of the premises even as a corps member said: “Let them give exemption letters, that is better than serving in Borno State”

However, Director of Mobilisation, Mrs. Mercy Kolajo, said that the corps members have to report to camp first before they could be considered for re-deployment.

According to her, redeployment can only be done in the states where they have to fill forms and not at the headquarters.

“The 2012 Batch ‘B’ prospective corps members who have collected their call-up letters from their institutions should immediately proceed to their respective orientation camps for registration and camping exercise. Whoever is interested in seeking redeployment should make a request for relocation while in camp.

“We appeal to parents to let their children go. They are going to be safe.  NYSC knows what to do in the case of states with challenges”, she said.

Also, Direct of Public Relations, Mrs. Abosede Aderibigbe, added that any corps member who feels threatened has the right to apply for re-deployment, adding that loitering around the headquarters will not help.

Meanwhile, a group under the aegis of Young Journalists’ Forum, has tasked the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Ministry of Youths Development on the security of lives of youths deployed to the ‘troubled zones’.

The forum, in a statement signed by its President, Ayodele Samuel, and Secretary, Zacheus Somorin, urged the relevant security agencies to deploy strategies and manpower that would guarantee the lives of these future leaders.

The statement read: “The NYSC remains a unifying factor in our nationhood with the primary aim of fostering national unity and not national disaster in the course of serving their nation and humanity.

“We call on all security agencies, state government and indeed all peace-loving Nigerians to partner with the commission in ensuring an absolute protection and safety of all corps members in their states.”

Also, the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) said the inability of the federal Government to arrest, prosecute and punish armed hoodlums in parts of Bauchi, Yobe and Borno states who only last year massacred more than a dozen participants of the NYSC scheme makes it a crime against humanity for the same government to deliberately deploy other sets of graduates to the volatile states in the North to be exposed to even more deadly violence.

HURIWA in a statement jointly signed by its National Coordinator and Media Affairs, Emmanuel Onwubiko and Miss Zainab Yusuf, called on government to either disband the NYSC scheme or convert it to compulsory one year non-combat military service whereby the participants would only be restricted to work in military formations spread across the country.

The non-governmental organisation stated thus: “While we note that in recent years, some young Nigerian graduates from the South who were deployed to the North for the compulsory one year national service have lost their lives to the activities of political hoodlums and armed insurgents, the Federal Government has sadly failed to bring these perpetrators to face the consequences of their dastardly crime in the competent courts of law”.

“We are even the more shocked that the same government that has failed to restore law and order in the volatile northern states, has also decided to deploy thousands of young graduates mainly from the South to serve in these violence-prone states such as Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Kano and Plateau. We reject this unwise action by the Federal Government in its totality and we appeal to leaders of conscience in all segments of the society to publicly denounce this move to send out young, innocent, unarmed Nigerian youths to be slaughtered by armed hoodlums”, HURIWA affirmed.

Guardian

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Baby factory syndicate discovered in Rivers, Nigeria

Police in Rivers State have smashed a syndicate, that specialised in selling new babies. Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Ben Ugwuegbulam, who confirmed the development to Vanguard, said the Police arrested a husband and his wife involved in the illicit trade.

He said the two specialised in kidnapping girls and arranging for them to get pregnant, while they would hide the pregnant girls in their custody until they delivered.

Ugwuegbulam said the suspects confessed that as soon as the girls deliver, they would sell the babies. He said: “Rivers State Police Command had arrested one Chigozie John and his wife, Akwarama  and rescued three pregnant women held as captives in the suspects place or residence somewhere in Akpajo.

“On interrogation, the husband and wife confessed to the offence of trafficking in new babies and further admitted that the three pregnant women found in their house were procured to deliver babies that would be sold as soon as they were delivered of their babies.”

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Nigerian extradited to America over $45 million health care fraud

Godwin Chiedo Nzeocha, 45, a naturalized United States citizen originally from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has been returned to the United States to stand trial in a $45 million health care fraud case, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced on Thursday.

Nzeocha was charged October 19, 2009 with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, 39 counts of health care fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and three counts of money laundering in relation to his role in the City Nursing Services of Texas Inc. health care fraud conspiracy.

United States security agents were unable to arrest Nzeocha after he was charged in 2009 but was later arrested in Nigeria and extradicted back to Houston on Wednesday 27th June, 2012.

The accused person has since Wednesday made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate George C. Hanks, Jr., where the United States requested that he should be remanded in federal custody pending further criminal proceedings.

According to the indictment, Nzeocha signed patient file documents as the provider of physical therapy services he was not qualified to provide and, according to evidence provided during trial of his alleged co-conspirators, which were not, in fact, provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

The indictment also alleges Nzeocha handed out cash payments to recruiters who brought Medicare beneficiaries to City Nursing and to Medicare beneficiaries in return for signatures on blank patient treatment forms.

To date, five people have been convicted in this massive health care fraud conspiracy, including City Nursing's owner, Umawa Oke Imo, who is now serving 27 years in prison.

Nzeocha faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the health care fraud, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and money laundering charges, upon conviction. A conviction for mail fraud carries an additional maximum punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

This case has been investigated by the FBI, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, and the Texas Attorney General's Office-Medicare Fraud Control Unit. Special thanks is extended to the Nigerian government and the Office of International Affairs in the Justice Department's Criminal Division, who provided assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Julie Redlinger is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

Leadership

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The big kerosene fraud in Nigeria

Nigerians have been forced to pay as much as N150/litre of kerosene instead of the government subsidised rate of N50 because the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, chose to sell kerosene to depot owners rather than retail outlet owners as required of it.

A Report by the Technical Committee on Payment of Fuel Subsidies, submitted to Mr President and exclusively obtained by Vanguard, revealed that the NNPC flouted the policy on its monopoly to import kerosene, which comes in as Dual Purpose Kerosene, DPK, at subsidized rate to serve the masses.

Rather than deliver the product to retail outlet owners so that it could benefit the masses for which it was being subsidized, the NNPC, instead, chose to sell it for patronage, or what the committee described as "rent" to depot owners.

The struggle to buy Kerosene, an household commodity for cooking, becomes more challenging even at a NNPC petrol Station in Lagos. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele

The depot owners who got the product at N40.90/L ex-depot price, in turn sold it to marketers and retail owners at between N115 and N125/L depending on the operator, a development that led to the masses buying the product at 300 per cent increase at N150/L instead of the recommended price of N50/L.

"The distribution of DPK which was being imported solely by NNPC was skewed in favour of depot owners who have no retail outlets. Two-thirds of the kerosene sold by NNPC between 2009 and 2011 was sold to depot owners and "middle men" who in turn sold the product to owners of retail outlets at inflated prices of between N115.00 and N125.00 per litre (compared to the ex depot price of N40.90), leaving consumers to pay higher prices than the N50.00 per litre directed by Government," the report said.

It added: "For several years now, the country has been incurring huge subsidy bills for kerosene and its citizens are not receiving the benefit - instead the country has been financing "rent" for the middlemen."

NNPC has many mega stations and retail outlets

MOMAN - is the Major Marketers Association of Nigeria, which members include Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc; Total Plc; MRS Oil Plc (formerly Chenron Oil Nigeria); Forte Oil Plc (Formerly AP); Oando Oil Plc; and Conoil Plc. The association controls nine per cent of retail outlets with 2,453 owned by members

IPMAN - Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, own in joint venture with Purebond of UK, the Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company, NIPCP Plc, and has about 23,026 member retail outlets to control 85 per cent of the retail market.

DAPPMA - Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association are the owners of the tank farms and petroleum storage facilities and only 403 member outlets and controls only four per cent of the market. Yet, they got between 60 and 70 per cent of the kerosene.

Further investigations revealed that because kerosene comes in as DPK, the depot owners preferred to divert the product for aviation turbine kerosene, ATK, or Jet A1, to reap higher profits from the product as opposed to selling it as House Hold Kerosene, HHK, which the masses rely on for domestic energy to cook their foods and light their lanterns.

Yet, the NNPC collected the sum of N331.55billion as kerosene subsidy for 2011 alone, when hardly any Nigerian could buy the product at N50/L.

This has remained since 2009, a situation that led to the acute scarcity of kerosene for the greater part of the last three years.

The report, which revealed how oil marketers and petroleum dealers allegedly perfected series of fraud through products imports that led to the payment of over N2 trillion as subsidy claims in 2011 alone, also showed that in all the established cases of malfeasance, the regulatory agencies colluded with the concerned parties to boycott due process for the importation of the particular product.

NNPC flouted presidential directive

In the case of kerosene, the situation was so bad that late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, on June 15, 2009, ordered the NNPC to stop making further deductions as claims for subsidy on kerosene.

"In spite of a directive issued by President Yar'Adua on June 15, 2009 that NNPC should cease subsidy claims on kerosene, PPPRA resumed the processing of kerosene subsidy claims in June 2011 and NNPC resumed the deduction of kerosene subsidy claims to the tune of N331 ,547,318,068.06 in 2011," the report revealed.

The report noted that: "The current lack of regulation (of subsidy claims) has led to NNPC's introduction of practices that are not permitted or recognised by the current PSF guidelines that if unchecked by NNPC's internal control mechanisms may allow for significant leakages."

Checking fraud through forensic audit

To discontinue the criminalities, the committee called for a forensic audit of the NNPC's subsidy payment process. This it said, is because "while the committee conducted detailed reviews of several aspects of the subsidy payment process, it noted that the process for NNPC is significantly more complicated than the process for the private sector and would require a thorough forensic audit."

It therefore urged the Federal Government to "appoint consultants to carry out the forensic audit of the NNPC subsidy claim process. This is without prejudice to the committee's recommendations on the process from its high level review."

It further recommended that such audit should cover, among others:

- Funding for subsidy paid to NNPC

- Process for determination of products imported by NNPC

- Documentation for NNPC's transactions for imported petroleum products

- Verification of documentation with NNPC's suppliers and other agencies involved in the discharge of petroleum products - e.g. DPR, PPPRA, Government auditors, independent inspectors, e.t.c.

- Review of documentation submitted to PPPRA by NNPC

- Review of PPPRA's certification process for NNPC subsidy claims

- Reconciliation of the deducted subsidy claims from the proceeds of crude oil sales by NNPC to the subsidy claims certified by PPPRA.

Committee's recommendations

Since the poor Nigerians were obviously not getting the benefit of the huge cost to the nation in kerosene subsidy, the committee further urged the federal government to also: Allow both private importers who meet the eligibility requirements of the PSF guidelines and NNPC to import kerosene and pay kerosene subsidy under the PSF. The role of private importers in the distribution of the product should be monitored properly by PPPRA and DPR. Eliminate the current financing of rent for a few by restricting NNPC's local distribution to only groups that own significant retail outlets - i.e. MOMAN, IPMAN and NNPC Retail at the approved ex-depot price.

The Committee recommends that NNPC's roles in the downstream petroleum industry be regulated appropriately by the existing regulatory agencies in the industry i.e. PPPRA and DPR.

The Committee recommends that:

- PPPRA must always regulate and determine the quantity of products to be imported by NNPC in line with its mandate and the current allocation process for NNPC. All importation of products by NNPC (within or outside PPPRA approved quotas) must be approved by PPPRA. A rigorous process of volume control that will facilitate identification of red flags will reduce malpractices in subsidy claims.

- That accounting best practices should be adopted by NNPC to enable separate audit trails of sales proceeds of imported and locally refined petroleum products and to determine the cost of domestic refining of petroleum products.

- That Government should always give documented and clear directives to avoid ambiguity, indiscretion and to encourage compliance. Given the significant financial impact of the NNPC subsidy process on the finances of the nation, appropriate steps should be taken by Government to document and legalise the process for NNPC's subsidy claims in a transparent and unambiguous manner.

- That the relevant Government agencies such as PPPRA and DPR in line with their mandates as regulators and others such as the Ministry of National Planning, Federal Bureau of Statistics e.t.c. using the information at their disposal on locally refined, imported and stored volumes of petroleum products should be mandated by Government to continually determine the nations' daily consumption levels of petroleum products independent of the industry operators.

- The allocation of kerosene directly to marketers with retail outlets, specifically IPMAN, MOMAN and NNPC Retail based on the strength of their retail outlets. This will ensure that the impact of the subsidy will be felt by the masses. In addition, the permit to import DPK should be liberalized to include the marketers who meet the eligibility criteria under the PSF guidelines and the subsidy regulated under the PSF scheme as currently obtains for PMS.

In the long run, the option of using cooking gas should be explored. It is expected that the cost of subsidising kerosene would be saved if more Nigerians embrace the use of LPG. In addition, the Committee is unable to recommend payment of subsidy claims on DPK in view of the extant presidential directive of June 15, 2009.

The Committee

It would be recalled that the idea of the Technical Committee on Subsidy was hatched on February 28, 2012, and was meant to "review outstanding claims for fuel subsidies," as fallout of the stakeholders' meeting of the downstream petroleum sector.

The meeting was chired by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy/Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okojo-Iweala, who constituted the 10-man committee on April 17, 2012, headed by the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.

The terms of reference included to authenticate the backlog of outstandingpayments of subsidy payments to marketers in 2011; verify the legitimacy of backlog of claims already submitted by marketers for 2011; and review any other pertinent issues that may rise from the exercise.

Other members included the Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Dr. Bright Okogu; Director General, Debt Management Office, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo; Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Jonah Otunla; Executive Secretary, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPRA, Mr. Reginald Stanley.

Others were the Group Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, NNPC; and representatives of the CBN, Bankers Committee as well as major and independent marketers.

Vanguard

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Nigerian black market oil traders offer huge discount to international traders

Criminals in the country’s oil sector, who claim to have privileged access to crude oil, are offering the commodity at huge discounts to interested traders.

Oil traders, however, view the deals as too good to be genuine, as documents from the criminals’ companies show that spot cargoes of several hundred thousand barrels of crude can be picked up at discounts of up to $10m.

Traders in the oil sector told Reuters that the documents were suspiciously flawed.

According to them, this indicates that financial crimes in the country have definitely hit the oil industry.

The obscure firms involved in the fraudulent activities include one United-Kingdom registered company purporting to be near the top of a sales chain in which oil cargoes can change hands up to half a dozen times before being refined.

Two of the firms said they were able to sell oil cheaply because of special access to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s contracts.

The NNPC, in a bid to warn oil marketers of scammers in the sector, had placed a “Scam Alert” on its website drawing attention to the “unsavoury characters purporting to be bona fide staff of the NNPC or contractors to NNPC or purchasers of Nigerian crude oil or contractors to the Nigerian government.”

Industry analysts said the difficulty faced by the present administration in making reforms during time of considerable doubt over who was responsible for selling oil was one factor enabling the fraudsters.

Though some measures were recently adopted to streamline the entry for participation in NNPC’s 2012-2013 term allocations, the results have not appeared since the initial tender document was released in March.

Five written offers from some of the firms showed a close resemblance to official paperwork circulated among traders, including documents attributed to NNPC, stamps from terminal operators and shipping lists with vessels and loading dates.

“They are full of imagination,” a West African oil trader told Reuters, while commenting on the document.

Another oil trader with a London-based oil firm suspected that some of the offers were attempts to resell the oil siphoned off by thieves in the Niger Delta, since the majority of offers were for the local grade Bonny Light.

“A lot of this oil on the side may be bunkered (stolen) and does go to people in the Delta to sell. It is a side business and I think some buyers are doing good business there,” the source, who preferred not to be named, said.

Nigeria’s oil is sold by equity holders including oil majors Total and Royal Dutch Shell, which have a stake in production and via term contracts handed mostly to oil trading firms.

The large number of companies involved in selling oil via term contracts means it can be tough for even experienced traders to tell the difference between real and fake offers.

Industry sources said the number of companies selling Nigeria’s oil increased dramatically after Jonathan’s election as part of a strategy to broaden local participation in the country’s oil sector.

But critics point to this as an example of the cronyism that is helping to buttress support for Nigeria’s political elite.

“It will be interesting to see whether the issuing of the latest crude tender to include Nigerian companies is a return to the political patronage of the past dressed up as increasing Nigerian content,” said an oil industry consulting source in Nigeria.

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Arsenal to play Super Eagles in Abuja, Nigeria

English Premier League club Arsenal will play the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a pre-season match in Abuja on 5 August. It will be the first time the Gunners have played in the West African country.

Nigeria ranked 60th in the latest Fifa rankings face Arsenal who finished third in the English top flight last season. According to promoters, DanJan Sports, agreement has been finalised with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

"We are delighted to announce that Arsenal Football Club will face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Abuja," David Omigie of DanJan Sports said.

"The NFF have agreed that the country will present a strong side as coach Stephen Keshi continue his development process.

"The Arsenal manager [Arsene Wenger] will also use this game to showcase his full squad for the 2012/2013 football season."

The London club traditionally hosts an annual pre-season tournament at the Emirates Stadium, but they opted to postpone the event for a year because of the 2012 London Olympics.

The visit to Nigeria will conclude Arsenal's pre-season tour after playing in both China and Malaysia in July. On their official website Arsenal said: "The club last visited Africa during a tour to South Africa in July 1993, and is returning as a result of the fantastic support which exists for the team, not only in Nigeria, but across the entire continent."

Meanwhile, DanJan Sports also revealed that tickets for the upcoming friendly match with Nigeria will go on sale from July 4 across outlets to be announced soon.

In July 2008, they brought two other English clubs, Manchester United and Portsmouth, to the Nigerian capital Abuja for a pre-season friendly.

As well as the match between the two, Portsmouth also played against Nigeria Premier League side Kano Pillars.

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Convicted Ex-Governor James Ibori's mistress released from UK prison

Udoamaka Okoronkwo-Onuigbo, the mistress of a former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, has been released from a United Kingdom Prison after serving two years.

Okoronkwo-Onuigbo, who was tried alongside Ibori’s sister, Christine Ibori-Ibie, was found guilty of money laundering and mortgage fraud and was sentenced to five years by Judge Christopher Hardy of a Southwark London Crown Court on June 7, 2010.

The two women were accused and subsequently convicted of handling proceeds of criminal transactions on behalf of Ibori while he was governor of Delta State.

The court however ordered that their sentences be served concurrently and Okoronkwo-Onuigbo was released in May.

The ex-convict has since returned to Nigeria and was seen in Abuja recently.

Ibori is presently in a UK prison where he is spending a 13-year jail term.

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Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has fired his defence minister and national security advisor, saying the government needed new tactics to fight the armed group, Boko Haram. The group has intensified its attacks recently. What kind of new tactics will end the violence and is dialogue still an option?

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$6.25 billion US spent a year by Nigerians travelling abroad for medical treatment

Minister of State for Health Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate says Nigerians spend about $6.256 billion per annum to access medical care abroad, regretting that some of the medical services Nigerians spend hard currencies to access abroad are available locally.

Delivering a keynote address at a one-day private sector health summit on 'Unlocking the Market Potential of Nigeria's Private Health Sector' held in Lagos yesterday, the minister said "up to half a billion US dollars leaves Nigeria annually in the form of foreign hospital treatment; a recent study shows that $500 million is spent on medical care in three sub-specialties alone; also a recent study shows that about $250 million per annum is estimated to flow to providers through health insurance system in Nigeria. By extrapolation, this points to about $6.25 billion per annum flowing private health expenditure" he said.

The minister also said most of the facilities Nigerians access broad are privately owned, saying the private health care sector in Nigeria should build capacity and provide superiority services to attract Nigerians to stay home for medical care.

Part of the solution to unlocking the market potential of the health sector, he said, is creating opportunities for the financial institutions to invest in health care delivery in Nigeria. This, according to him, will enable Nigeria to harness the resources and expertise of our medical experts in the Diaspora.

The second main constraints he said is development and enforcement of regulation and policies that stimulate the sector, reduce bottlenecks to effective private sector engagement and cost of doing business in health care.

Reacting on the call by the stakeholders in health care delivery for the government through Central Bank of Nigeria to provide rescue funds for the health sector like other sectors, he said while the option would be explored, government is more disposed to creating the enabling environment so several funding streams could flow in the health sector.

"Our private sector needs to up their game in the quality of medical care that they provide so that Nigerians will stay and access their care here in Nigeria, so we can retain our foreign currency and grow our economy" he said.

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Nigerian Emmanuel Ohuabunwa breaks academic record at John Hopkins University, USA

A 22-year-old Nigerian, Emmanuel Ohuabunwa, has made history at John Hopkins University, United States of America.  Ohuabunwa from Arochukwu, Abia State, has done the nation proud by becoming the first black man to make a Grade Point Average of 3.98 out of 4.0 to bag a degree in Neurosciences in the university. He was also adjudged as having the highest honours during the graduation that was held on May 24 this year.

For his efforts, he has won a scholarship to Yale University to pursue a degree in medicine. Besides, he has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Society, a prestigious honour group that features membership of 17 US Presidents, 37 US Supreme Court Justices, and 136 Nobel Prize winners.

According to Wikipedia, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honour society. Its mission is to “celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences” and induct “the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities.”

 It was founded at The College of William and Mary on December 5, 1776, and thus it is the oldest honour society for the liberal arts and sciences and among the oldest undergraduate societies in the US.

In an online interview with our correspondent, Ohuabunwa, who was born in Okota, Lagos and attended Lilly Fields Primary School, Lagos, said he left Nigeria after his junior secondary school education at Air Force Comprehensive School, Ibadan, Oyo State. 

“My parents moved the whole family when I was 13 years old. I was about to begin SS1 at Air Force, Ibadan. When I got to the US, I was enrolled with my age mates, which meant at 13, I was in middle school. I went to Fondren Middle School, which was in the middle of the ghetto. That was one of the darkest years for me because I encountered a lot of peer pressure. Some of the students, ignorant about Africa, bullied me and called me names such as ‘African booty scratcher’ because to them, Africans were dirty and scratched their butts all the time.

“Some asked me if I lived in mud huts and ate faeces for breakfast. I remember one day, when I was walking to the school bus, a boy came from behind and punched me in the face, called me an African and walked away. It took everything in me not to retaliate. I knew that God had put me in the U.S for a purpose and it did not involve fighting or selling drugs or doing the wrong things.

“My experience during that year gave me a thick skin. I learned to stand for what I thought was right even when the opposition seemed insurmountable. I also learned to look at the positive in all situations. Even though these kids were bullying me, I was still gaining an opportunity to school in America and nothing would stop me from making the best of this opportunity.

“The shocker was that the kid that punched me in the face was black. I would have expected the blacks to be nicer to me. Nevertheless, I don’t blame those kids because they were ignorant about Africa. All they knew about us was the stuff they had watched on TV or documentaries, showing primitive African tribes, living in the jungle and making noises like monkeys.

 “In regards to the whites, there might have been some minor episodes but again I don’t blame them for it because it is a problem with stereotypes,” he said.

But in spite of this humiliation and racial prejudice against him, the first in a family of three was not discouraged. He faced his studies and was always coming top in his class. After he completed his middle school education, he passed the entrance examination to DeBakey High School for Health Professions. It was at this school that his interest in neurosciences and medicine started.

“By the second year of high school, we were able to interact with doctors, nurses and other administrators in the hospital. The more I learned about medicine, the more it felt like the thing God was calling me to pursue and by being in the US I got a lot of people to support me to do this. Even though in high school, I got to see first-hand what it meant to be a doctor. We studied advanced anatomy and physiology, learned medical terminology, and learned important skills, such as checking blood pressure, pulse rate, and many more.

“I knew I wanted to go to the best school in the US. I had heard that Johns Hopkins Hospital had been ranked the number one hospital in the US for the past 21 years and I wanted to be in that environment.’’

Worried that his parents might not be able to sponsor him to the university, Ohuabunwa purposed to work very hard. He did and when the result of the PSAT came, he performed so well that he won the National Achievement Scholar.

By virtue of this award, he received certificates of recognition from various organisations including senators from the Congress of both Texas and the US. He also received scholarship from the University of Houston; Rice University, Texas A&M Honors College and many more.

He had also won the Principal’s Award during the annual awards ceremony at DeBakey High School.

“During our graduation ceremony at DeBakey, I also won the Award for the Most Outstanding Senior Young Man and the student volunteer award for my volunteer activities in the State of Texas,” he said.

 But his breakthrough came when he won the Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation full scholarship to any university of his choice. He worked hard and gained admission to Johns Hopkins University to study Neurosciences.

But why Neurosciences, Ohuabunwa said, “I studied Neuroscience, because I was fascinated with the brain, its control of our behaviours and how various diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, lead to a decline in its activity. I also minored in Psychology because I wanted to understand disorders in the psyche. What causes bipolar disorders or schizophrenia. I did not just want to label them as crazy but to understand what causes these conditions and how we can treat them,’’ he explained.

 But what does he consider to be the missing links in the education sector of Nigeria when compared with that on offer in US, Ohuabunwa said unpredictable academic calendar, corruption, examination malpractice and inadequate funding were some of the problems confronting his home country’s university sector. These, he said, were absent in the US.

 “There were a few problems with Nigerian higher education that contributed to our emigration in 2003.  The first was the number of strikes that occurred in schools. It took my uncle seven years to graduate with a degree that should have taken him only four years. A second problem was the corruption. We had heard of people going into universities, because they paid someone to look the other way. I also heard of a few cheating scandals, where people would pay someone to take their exams for them or get a copy of the exam a few days before,” he said.

But is he saying that US university system has no such problems at all? Ohuabunwa said, “Although this sometimes occurs in the U.S, it is less common because of the strict security. I remember when taking the Medical College Admissions Test,  test required before one can matriculate into medical school, each student had to get his fingerprints taken every time we entered and left the hall. The whole place was packed with cameras and security staff that monitored everything we were doing. The exam was computerised to make sure that no one saw the test before the actual date.”

Another difference, he said, is that America rewards hard-work while the system also emphasises on a balance between academic life and extracurricular activities.

On how he won the scholarship to Yale, Ohuabunwa said his 3.98 GPA in Neurosciences, and many awards he had won and God’s grace, contributed to his winning the scholarship.

“As at the time of my application for medical school, I had a 3.98 GPA of a 4.0. This made me  the only black student inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa. I was also awarded the Becker Family Scholarship for being the most outstanding student in the Neuroscience major at Johns Hopkins University. Furthermore, by God’s grace, I took the MCAT and scored in the top five percentile.

“That, combined with my hours of volunteer service in different hospitals across the US allowed me to gain acceptance into every medical school I applied to, including Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and Cornell. As the time came to make a decision, I had narrowed it down to Harvard and Yale. Both schools, I enjoyed visiting. Nevertheless, while my parents prayed, they asked God to give us a sign of what school to attend. A few days later, I received a letter from Yale Medical School, offering me a full ride scholarship for all four years. That was the sign from God,” he said.

But would he come back to Nigeria after the completion of his programme, he said yes.

“I am absolutely interested in the health care policy decisions in Nigeria. Because there are many changes that need to occur, I will not rule out the possibility of coming back after my studies, in order to join hands with the leaders to make these changes possible.’’

He added that his ambition is to become a medical doctor specialising in brain surgery.

 “Two weeks ago, my grandmother passed away after a long battle with strokes. Even during emergencies, it was difficult for her to get to the hospital, let alone get treatment. This is a common theme not only in the health care system of Nigeria, but in different countries in the world, where the poor get neglected.

“Second, Nigerian hospitals lack the infrastructure required to compete with major hospitals around the world. It would be an honour to one day contribute to this transformation that is necessary for improvements in Nigeria’s health care sector,” he said.

He, however, advised Nigerian youths who have the wherewithal, to go abroad to study. Ohuabunwa also called on  wealthy Nigerians to invest more in the education of the poor rather than in acquisition of material things.

Ohuabunwa, however, said that his parents, who he described as his greatest role models,  contributed a lot  to his academic feat through Godly training, counsel and guidance. He also did not forget the impact  that his short stay at Air Force school had on him.

 “I was definitely not the brightest at Air Force. At that time, I felt like I spent more time running away from seniors than focusing on my studies. Nevertheless, I learned three things at Air Force that have served me well in the US. I learned discipline, adaptability and resilience. These attributes helped me a lot in US,” he said.

PUNCH

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Foreign diplomats in Nigeria ask for protection

Following increasing wave of terrorism in the country, foreign diplomats, yesterday, cried out to the Federal Government for protection.

The diplomats took their case to the government on a day Senate President, David Mark warned the Boko Haram sect that there is a limit to which the country can tolerate their bomb attacks which have claimed several lives.

The Senate President therefore challenged northern leaders to own up if the problem of Boko Haram is beyond them, saying the sect's terrorist activities will break up Nigeria if they fail to stop them.

The foreign embassies in Abuja, worried by the security challenges in the country, yesterday, took their worries to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Administration for proper assurance on the security of their offices in the territory.

High Commissioners of Trinidad & Tobago, Rwanda and Mali who visited the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed in his office sought improved security around the diplomatic community in Abuja and appealed to the minister to ensure improved protection of lives and property of diplomats in Abuja. The three diplomats are High Commissioner of Trinidad & Tobago to Nigeria, Ambassador Nyahuma Obika; Rwanda High Commissioner, Joseph Habineza and Malian Ambassador, Mahanane Amadou Maiga.

Though, the ambassadors promised to strengthen trade ties between their various countries and Nigeria, they, however, called for enhanced security of the diplomatic community.

The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed assured the ambassadors of the safety of the members of the diplomatic community saying their safety is of utmost importance to the government and that security agents are on top of the security challenge in Nigeria.

According to him, "we will do all it takes to protect lives and property of all residents of the Federal Capital Territory, including members of the diplomatic community".

Vanguard

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