Kidnapping - soldiers declare war in Abia

The Joint Task Force (JTF) tackling the menace of kidnapping in the south-eastern part of the country yesterday allegedly killed 172 persons suspected to be members of the different kidnapping gangs that have been terrorising residents of Abia State and its environs.

President Goodluck Jonathan had ordered deployment of military personnel to Abia State in the wake of high-level insecurity, including kidnappings in that part of the country.

The kidnappers allegedly fell to the superior gunpower of members of the JTF during a gun duel at the different parts of the state. It was also gathered that some 237 suspected members of kidnapping gangs that have been operating in the state have been arrested by the task force. The JTF, it was also learnt, has so far questioned seven local government chairmen in Abia State alone.

A competent police source who disclosed this to LEADERSHIP in a telephone interview from Umuahia, Abia State capital, also added: "So far I can say we have succeeded by 70 percent, because business houses, including banks have opened for businesses. private schools have resumed. In short, lives have returned to normal and we hope to consolidate on this."

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hafiz Ringim in a telephone chat stated that he can not confirm the casualty figure, "but I can tell you that, there have been casualties and we also made some arrests, including prominent Abia State residents. That is not the issue, the issue, is what we have been able to achieve in this short period and I can tell you that a lot have been achieved. Because banks in the state have returned back to work and there is relative peace in major cities of the state presently."

The police boss stated further that some security operatives had soiled their hands in the dirty business of criminality, stressing that those found wanting have been identified and shall be dealt with accordingly.

Ringim said that his dream is to leave Abia state and its commercial city of Aba, in peace. "We want to leave Aba, the way Aba used to be in those days. We cannot afford the activities of criminals in our midst, there is law and order in this country and it must be respected by all residents of Nigeria," the IGP stated.

He stated that his vision is to take kidnapping to zero level in Nigeria within the shortest possible time, arguing that no country progresses in the atmosphere of insecurity and fear. According to him, kidnapping is as worst as terrorism and armed robbery, stating that, every country that had advanced in the socio-economic life of the citizens must rise-up against criminalities of all phases.

Leadership

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HIV-positive muppet to star in Nigeria's 'Sesame Street'

Big Bird and the Cookie Monster have some new friends, but they're a long way from "Sesame Street."

One of America's best-loved children's shows, which began life on a fictional New York street over 40 years ago, is about to land in Nigeria under the title of "Sesame Square" -- bringing with it some distinctly West African twists.

The show stars Kami, a girl muppet who is HIV-positive, has golden hair and a zest for adventure; and Kobi, an energetic, furry, blue muppet whose troublesome escapades help others learn from his mistakes.

In a country with a population of over 150 million -- where, according to the CIA World Factbook, nearly half are under the age of 14 -- the show will address some of the biggest challenges faced by young people in the region: AIDS, malaria, gender inequality, religious differences -- as well as many positive aspects of Nigerian life. In the case of Zobi, this is characterized by an obsessive love of yams -- a staple food in the Nigerian diet.

"We have a very focused health and hygiene umbrella concept area that we're concentrating on," Naila Farouky, senior director of international projects at Sesame Workshop, told CNN. "This is something our local advisors have prioritized -- something that absolutely has to be addressed on the show."

In one episode, Zobi gets tangled up in a mosquito net, much to the amusement of the local kids. But there's an important message behind the antics -- mosquito nets are the best way to prevent infection from malaria on a continent where, according to the World Health Organization, a child dies from the disease every 45 seconds.

There are also an estimated 278,000 HIV-positive children in Nigeria, according to the National Agency for Control of AIDS.

However, like its American predecessor, "Sesame Square" is not solely focused on health and social issues, but a host of essential learning skills.

Farouky told CNN, "The thread of the show continues to be about basic life skills -- literacy, numeracy and pre-school education."

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind "Sesame Street," received a $3.3 million grant to produce the show for five years, from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and President Barack Obama's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief.

So how did the producers go about adapting such an iconic show for a Nigerian market?

"If we're writing scripts for programs in Nigeria, the writers will be Nigerian scriptwriters," explains Farouky. "We'll often look for people who already have some experience in writing, but because we're aware [of] the format that we use and the methodology that we use, we'll provide training on how to write."

According to Farouky, collaboration is at the heart of the production process. "We work with our local teams to find ways in which we take the content that's important to them, to infuse the project with the cultural values, making sure we know which the taboo issues are and which are not," she told CNN.

Farouky recalled how, when making an Egyptian version of Sesame Street called "Alam Simsim," the character of Oscar the Grouch was firmly rejected on grounds that he glorified living in a garbage can -- something at odds with the cultural values of the region. Were there any similar issues in the making of Sesame Square?

"Our program is hosted by two muppets, a boy and a girl," she told CNN. "And because there is an entire region in Nigeria up in the North which is very Muslim, we had to be very sensitive. Even our publicity pictures could not have the muppets hugging, which we would normally have," she explained.

Roughly a quarter of households in Nigeria own television sets, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics, which will inevitably limit the scope of its reach. However, the Sesame Workshop has used a significant proportion of its funding to produce additional learning materials, and is examining ways that it can use radios and mobile phones to help promote the messages in the show.

"[The material] has been developed in a way so it could stand alone, to reach out in communities where there is no broadcast," Farouky said. "So even if a child is not able to watch a television show, they would at least be able to make use of the outreach material."

Although the first adaptation to reach West Africa, "Sesame Square" will be the latest in a long line of region-specific shows around the world, which include "Sisimpur" in Bangladesh, "Ulitsa Sezam" in Russia, and "Takalani Sesame" in South Africa.

CNN

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Video - Alastair Soyode, from farming student to TV Network CEO

He may be the chief executive of a flourishing media company, but the last thing Alistair Soyode wants to be classified as is a media mogul.

"Classify me as someone like a farmer, because that's what I studied," he says as he attempts to describe a career arc that is as unorthodox as his television channel. "I'm a farmer who moved into television."

Soyode founded Bright Entertainment Network (BEN) television, the first and longest-running African and Caribbean-focused television channel in the United Kingdom, in 2002.

Eight years later, BEN TV's mix of entertainment, news and sports programs reaches nearly one million viewers daily -- not bad work for a man who originally came to England to play professional football.

However, his aspirations to become a pro footballer failed to materialize. "I think the chill and the weather didn't allow me to concentrate, so I decided to pack my bags and find something else to do," he says in an interview with CNN's African Voices.

After working in telecommunications and selling mobile phones, Soyode started BEN TV after trying and failing to find an appropriate production company to create shows for a Nigerian television station.

"I couldn't find a black TV station where I could go to ask them for programs ... so I thought 'if I set up a production house, I'll be able to produce a program and supply it to a Nigerian TV station'", he says. "And that's how the idea of BEN television came about."

While Soyode oversees BEN TV from offices in London, his first love is Nigeria, and he has two priorities toward this end. The first is to give something tangible back to his native country; the second to re-brand Nigeria as an iconic nation.

He is the European chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO), set up by the government in 2000 to unite Nigerians living abroad with an interest in contributing to the development of the nation.

Soyode said he recently joined NIDO members in installing solar panels on the roofs of villages in Niger State, giving its inhabitants electricity for the first time.

"We're not just talking about conferences where you go and present a paper and talk and at the end of the day nothing happens," he says. "NIDO is not just talking about things -- we're actually using our resources to build."

Soyode says that while the BEN TV brand may have grown and changed over the past eight years, the focus of the channel remains the same -- to promote the importance of media in African and Caribbean communities and to counter what Soyode sees as a negative worldwide perception of both Nigeria and Africa.

Soyode is also putting together an effort to rebrand Nigeria from the ground up, starting with Nigerians who he says are actively engaged with their communities, in order to reverse negative stereotypes of Africa's most populous country.

"The people in Nigeria need to know that the power belongs to them," says Soyode. "When people are corrupt, we need to challenge it. What is wrong is wrong, so what do we do to change it? The change begins with you."

CNN

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Yar'Adua's brother, Abdul'aziz, quits military for politics

Lt.colonel Abdul'Aziz Musa Yar'adua, younger brother to late President Umaru Yar'adua has resigned from the Nigerian military and may join the race for Katsina Government House.

Daily Trust learnt from sources close to the Yar'adua family that Abdul'Aziz, also known as Audu Soja, may be seeking to actualise his governorship ambition on the platform of the newly formed Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

The source said the late President's younger brother tendered his resignation last week and it has since been accepted by the Nigerian military authorities, and that he had already handed over his official duties last Monday.

The source further confirmed that Yar'adua would be going into partisan politics but said he was yet to declare for any political party until his resignation notice expires at the end of October.

Before his resignation, Yar'adua was a Lieutenant Colonel in charge of records at the army secretary's office at the military headquarters, Abuja. He was closest to late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua amongst the family members.

Since the demise of the former president, rumours have been flying round Katsina that Audu Soja was joining politics and had since started mobilizing towards his ambition to contest the governorship race.

Daily trust gathered that Abul'Aziz is seen as the most appropriate and emerging leader of the late Yar'adua's family due to his acceptability in the family circle as well as his antecedents as a very religious, firm but easy going person.

Further checks revealed, however, that there may be a crack within the family if he decides to challenge the incumbent governor because some of the family members have public endorsed Shema for a second term.

Another hurdle the younger Yar'adua may face, sources say, is that the widow of the late President, Hajiya Turai Tar'adua may not support his candidature. Turai was said to have told her aides recently that she was not interested in supporting any politician or participating in any political activity.

Daily Trust

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Sixteen local banks in Africa's top 100

THE reform exercise in Nigeria's banking industry is after all not a ruse, as 16 Nigerian banks have made the top 100 in Africa, according to the latest ranking by the African Business.

In the latest ranking, Zenith Bank Plc maintained its lead in financial strength across the West African sub-region. A survey carried out by best selling Pan-African magazine, African Business revealed that the financial giant had secured the choice position in the 2009 ranking.

In the Sub-Saharan ranking, Zenith also came first. According to the report, even though the bank's capital valued at $2.2 billion in this year's survey seemed to have downed from $2.9 billion it was in 2009, Zenith Bank appears to hold the number one position up till next year.

Statistics showed that the bank's pre-tax earnings for the first half of the year stood at N25.34 billion, a sharp rise from N12.63 billion for the period in 2009, even as year-on-year gross income fell by 12.8 percent due to low interest rate regime of the apex bank.

Already, as part of further consolidation strategies, new boss of the bank, Mr. Godwin Emefiele has revealed that Zenith bank is currently seeking to expand its branch network at a time it has equally implemented a "strategy of ensuring a large capital and liquidity ratio to protect against harsh operating conditions.

Closely trailed by Zenith according to the survey is First Bank even with a similar drop in capital from N2.8 billion to her current N2 billion. The bank remains the largest in ownership of asset base in the West African region, a factor that has kept it strong even in harsh business operating environment.

The survey further revealed that "although the number of non-Nigerian banks in the top 20 has increased from two to five in one year to include banks from Togo, Gabon, Mali, Coted'Ivore and Senegal, Ghana Commercial bank leads two others within the Top 30 after securing 22 spot.

Giving details of the ranking process, the group said "the Top 100 African banks were ranked according to shareholders' equity as defined by Basle-based Bank for international Settlements (BIS)".

BIS stipulates that commercial banks should hold capital against risk-weighted assets. The BIS definition refers to the banks' soundness or underlying strength - the shareholders' core capital available for absorbing actual or potential losses occurring from non-performing loans, bad debts and investments in risky securities or speculative investment activities.

It said: "We used a $20m capital base as the benchmark for our listing. A number of smaller banks were excluded from the rankings because data on and from these banks is outdated".

"However, we hope to include more banks to our 2006 survey as and when up-to-date data becomes available.

"Banking profitability is calculated before corporate taxes and minority interest payments for end-reporting period. The financial health of a single bank is measured by annual Returns on Total Assets (ROA) employed and Returns on equity (ROE).

"African banking can be roughly split into two systems - sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. The sub-Saharan Top 70 listing is dominated by the 'big five' South African financial giants, notably Standard Bank, ABSA, Nedcor, FirstRand and Investec - the investment bank. African Bank, South Africa's micro-credit specialist, occupies sixth position in our listing, ahead of three of the largest Nigerian banks. In fact, African Bank is ranked as the world's 14th strongest capitalised bank with a total BIS capital ratio of 40.4 percent. This compares with an average of 14 percent for the big five.

Further details showed that "In 2004, South African banks accounted for about 75 percent of the sub-Saharan Africa's total Tier 1 capital, 83 percent of aggregate assets and 70 percent of the total pre-tax profit".

Experts say the new generation of Nigerian banks, led by Zenith International Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and First Bank is emerging as dynamic players in regional markets, adding that in future, there will be fewer but more vibrant mega banks as a result of the consolidation drive currently driven by the on going reforms of the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Mauritius Commercial Bank, Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Barclays Bank of Kenya, the Lome-based Ecobank Transnational, Socit Generale de Banque en Cte d'Ivoire, Banco Fomento Angola, Bank Windhoek (Namibia) and Ghana Commercial Bank, among others, are major financial institutions in their respective markets.

The UK bank Barclays' $5.5bn takeover of ABSA will create the biggest pan-African banking group - managed from Johannesburg rather than out of London. ABSA, ranked third-biggest by assets, is the largest South African retail bank with 6.3m customers, 700 branches, 4,500 ATMs, and about 20,000 staff. According to Barclays, synergies from the two banks should increase ABSA's pre-tax profit by R1.4bn ($223m) per year. ABSA will remain a South African-registered company with its primary listing on the JSE securities Exchange.

Daily Champion

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