8 NEWS
THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012
USA stops ex-mayor, general from South-South Summit over insecurity T
HE American Embassy in Nigeria yesterday stopped an ex- Mayor of New York, Ruddy Giuliani and the 17th Chief of Staff of the US, Mike Mullen from attending the South/South Economic Summit in Asaba, the capital of Delta State,citing insecurity. The Americans were already in Lagos enroute Asaba when officials of the American Embassy advised them against proceeding to the summit venue. The duo were scheduled to address the forum. News of the development was broken to the audience at the talks by the Chairman of the Summit Organising Committee and Publisher of ThisDay,Prince Nduka Obaigbena. A fuming Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State called the action of the American embassy an exaggeration of the security situation in Nigeria. He wondered why foreign oil workers continue to live in remote locations in the Niger Delta exploiting the nation’s natural resources despite security advisory issued by their respective countries His words, “If a foreigner thinks Asaba is unsafe, how come foreign expatriates in the oil industry are living in remote villages of Niger Delta where they are exploiting natural resources to their own profit and gains? “I think before Giuliani left the U.S he was assured of adequate security in Nigeria. For me, this issue of insecurity is being over exaggerated by the West and our foreign partners. I am not saying we don’t have the problem but it is not peculiar to the country. “When New York was bombed, did people stop travelling to U.S? People were still going there, that did not deter them. But what they are doing now is giving the dog a bad name in order to hang it. “I think the West and our development partners should review their strategies for the mutual benefit in the partnership. And as leaders of the country, there is need for us to stress our advantage .For in-
•Oshiomhole fumes Okungbowa AIWERIE, Asaba
stance we have a population of over 150 million people. “And one is further puzzled that the West is complaining about the safety of their nationals in Nigeria and thus have undertaken a policy of withdrawing their citizens, how come they continue to import their goods into our country because there is a market here.” Oshiomhole also took on commercial banks for the
high interest rates,saying this is a disincentive to economic development of the nation. The South South governors,rising from the summit,called for the unbundling of the Federal Government operational structures with a view to making the centre less attractive. It is also to make government devote more attention to security. Besides,the governors recommended the diversification of the nation’s economy. Governor Godswill
Akpabio of Akwa Ibom,speaking for the forum, said: “The system we have now has a structural defect; we have too much agencies. The Federal Government must unbundle the agencies and focus on development. “ If the centre is too attractive, we will continue to have the malaise that we have been having since the past 50 years. “We must unbundle the Federal Government; we must have revenue formula that gives more money to the
•From left: Prof. Wole Soyinka; Vice President Namadi Sambo; Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State; and Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River State during the opening ceremony of the 2nd South- South Economic Summit in Asaba on Thursday
Kidnappers kill ex-lawmaker’s daughter, injure wife in Anambra DAUGHTER of Sir A n t h o n y Ezechinwoye, former member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, has been shot dead by suspected kidnappers. The ex-lawmaker’s wife,Veronica,was injured. Fifteen year old Chisom Ezechinwoye and her mother were riding in the family’s Mercedes Benz 190
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Odogwu EMEKA Odogwu, Nnewi car on Thursday evening when a five-man gang blocked the car close to All Hallows Junction, Onitsha,apparently to force them to stop and kidnap them. Mrs Ezechinwoye was shot on the legs while resisting the hoodlums’ feverish attempts to drag her into the
booth of their own car. One of the bullets hit Chisom killing her instantly. Chisom was an SS2 student of Mercy Secondary School, Umuoji, near Onitsha. Sir Anthony who represented Idemili North in the state House of Assembly between 2007 and 2011 said of the incident:”My wife who is a pharmacist and a member of the Idemili North Transition Committee, was re-
Boundary disputes between states in South-East to be resolved — Obi
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OVERNOR Peter Obi has called for speedy resolution of boundary disputes to sustain harmonious co-existence and stability in the country. Governor Obi spoke when the management team of the National Boundary Commission paid him a courtesy call at Government House, Awka. The Governor noted that land had remained one of the most contentious issues in the country and should not be allowed to become a source of discord. He explained that the State has maintained good and peaceful neighbourliness with the eight states surrounding it. Governor Obi noted in particular, the need to resolve the land dispute between Anambra and Enugu State over the Omasi farm
states and the local governments. The Federal Government must lessen its weight; it must remove itself from what can be done by the states and local governments and focus on development. “ He challenged the Federal Government to resolve the issue of insecurity in the country, especially the menace of the Boko Haram sect, saying “if there was bombing in London and it was brought to an end; if there was 911 in the US and it was brought to an end , we will like to see Boko Haram brought to an end in six months.”
Odogwu EMEKA Odogwu, Nnewi land to avoid rancor. The Director General of the Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ahmad said they were in the State for the Joint Meeting of Officials of interstate bound-
aries of Anambra, Enugu and Imo States to discuss progress of works on interstate boundaries and the best ways of ensuring quick resolution of all outstanding issues . Dr. Ahmad regretted that much has been expended in the quest for a lasting solution to the Anambra-
Enugu boundary dispute since 1992. The Director General called on the Federal and State governments to expedite actions towards permanent resolution of boundary disputes and to physically demarcate the boundaries on the ground for ease of recognition.
CBN to conduct 13 year-audit on foreign airlines remittances
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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is planning a 13-year foreign airlines forex remittances audit. The CBN in an April 26 circular, instructed all authorised dealers to submit data on remittances for each year on behalf of foreign airlines. The circular tagged: “Request for Information on Foreign Airlines Remittances for the Period
Collins NWEZE 1999 to 2011” was signed by Director, Trade and Exchange Department, CBN, Batari Musa . He said data on forex transactions should be submitted to his office in both hard and soft copies. The banking watchdog expects all information to be submitted on or before May
3, failing which defaulters will be sanctioned. Analysts predict that the planned audit would assist the apex bank to check the movement of foreign exchange by foreign airlines as the data to be captured would include date of remittances of foreign exchange, name of airline, beneficiaries and the purpose for which such funds were remitted.
turning home from her shop around 6.30 pm, when the five-man gang blocked her and our 15 year old daughter who was sitting in front.They just shot her in cold blood and dragged my wife out to join them inside their car, but she refused crying that she would not enter the car, since they had killed our daughter. “The kidnappers had already fired a warning shot from their AK47 rifle, which scared away those who would have helped . Even as these people looked on helplessly, my wife was fighting with them for close to 30 minutes. They beat her and tore her clothes, down to her under wears. They finally left her after they He said the matter had been reported at the Inland Town police station, and Chisom’s remains now in the mortuary will be laid to rest on Wednesday. He pleaded with the state government to improve the state’s security network to safeguard the lives and property of law abiding citizens. This came as three persons were allegedly killed in Nnewi during a clash between vigilance groups and a group known as ‘Ndi piawa-azu’ from Onitsha that went to take over the Nkwo Nnewi Market.
Navy needs extra budgetary allocation, says Anyanwu Nicholas KALU, Calabar HE Chairman of Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Chris Anyanwu says the Nigerian Navy needs extra budgetary allocation to enable it combat oil theft and other security challenges. Anyanwu said this on Thursday in Calabar when members of the committee paid a courtesy visit to the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Olufemi Ogunjinmi. The Chairman, who was on tour of Navy locations in the country, said that Navy requires more money to acquire the necessary equipment for its operations. Her words, “The funding of the Navy is inadequate, because the Navy requires a lot of money to buy the kind of equipment they need. “I am sure not that it can happen through ordinary budgetary means; there has to be an extra budgetary means to reequip the Navy.” She said the visit to some of the Navy’s operational areas has made them understand some inadequacies of the force in fighting oil theft along the country’s waterways.
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Perpetrators of attacks on media must be defeated, says Uduaghan
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OVERNOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State says the bomb attack on the offices of ThisDay, Sun and Moment newspapers is an affront on the fundamental rights of Nigerians and indeed mankind to basic freedoms. The governor said in Asaba that as organisations that bridge the gap between the government and the governed, the media hold in trust the power of the people to hold its elected representatives accountable, responsive and responsible. Uduaghan said targeting the media depicts the perpetrators of the crime as agents of darkness and evil that must be defeated. He said the attack is all the more illogical because the perpetrators of the crime have always relied on the media to get their message across. “If these people ever had any claim to genuine grievance, they have irretrievably lost it with these attacks. They have unequivocally declared themselves as enemies of the people, not just the government,” the governor said..