ANPP Zones Presidency To The North.

After an exhaustive meeting that lasted all night, the national caucus of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), yesterday agreed to pick its presidential candidate in the 2011 elections from the northern part of the country. The caucus zoned the posts of the national chairman and secretary to the south and the north, respectively.

With the decisions, the race for the chairmanship of the largest opposition party in the country at tomorrow’s national convention in Abuja, is now open to the four aspirants from the southern part of the country. They are the first executive governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oyegun (Edo); the incumbent national publicity secretary, Emma Eneukwu (Enugu); former national secretary, George Moghalu (Anambra) and billionaire businessman, Harry Akande (Oyo).

The two other aspirants from the north, namely Gambo Magaji (Gombe) and the national deputy chairman (north) Yusufu Musa (Plateau) are expected to withdraw from the race.

The meeting had been convened to streamline the number of aspirants for the chairmanship position ahead of the two-day convention. It was also necessitated by the agitation by some top northern members of the party as well as other groups, to who wanted to rezone the chairmanship seat to the north. Those at the meeting were the national chairman of the party, Edwin Ume-Ezeoke and all the members of the national working committee, state chairmen of the party, members of the Board of Trustees, the leadership of the party in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

A source at the meeting said the decisions were near unanimous as only one person voted in support of the zoning of the chairmanship position to the north.

Oyegun In The Race

However, one of the aspirants and his supporters resisted the proposal and insisted on the status quo and he subsequently voted accordingly.

“Some people tried to insist that our party chairman should come from the north but it was not a popular proposal. However, at the end of the day, everybody voted for the retention of the position in the south and the secretary in the north and our presidential candidate will come from the north also,” our source said.

Mr Eneukwu, who is also the outgoing national publicity secretary of the party, confirmed the decision during a telephone interview with our reporter yesterday.

He, however, declined to give details of the resolutions at the meeting.

Mr Odigie-Oyegun was also cautious in his response, although the former Edo governor said he was still in the race and will not step down for anybody.

Since the birth of the ANPP in 1998, two of its substantive chairmen, Mahmud Waziri and Yusuf Ali came from the north while the other two, Don Etiebet and Mr Ume-Ezeoke were from the south.

On the other hand, its first presidential candidate, Olu Falae is a southerner while Muhammadu Buhari , a northerner was its candidate in 2003 and 2007. Mr Buhari had earlier this year defected to the newly-former Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) where he hopes to contest the 2011 presidential election.

Cameroun lay claims to Obudu Cattle Ranch

STILL basking in the euphoria of the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula to it through the World Court ruling at The Hague in 2002, indication has emerged that Cameroun has perfected plans to claim the ownership of Obudu Cattle Ranch Resort in Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State. However, the Cross River State government has described such claims as an empty threat, saying “it can never happen, because it is a day dream.”

Reacting to the development in Calabar, on Tuesday, the Director-General of the Cross River State Border Communities Development Commission (SBCDC), Mr Leo Aggrey, said the matter was still considered an unsubstantiated rumour by the state government.

According to Aggrey, “the Camerounians are threatening to take over the Obudu Ranch Resort, the Cross River State tourism haven. This is quite surprising and we are not treating this matter with levity. I have already forwarded a memo to the state governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, concerning this new threat.”

He, however, described the development as an “empty threat” as anything serious on that would have been decided at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague ‘’as was the case with the oil-rich Bakassi.’’

Aggrey, who noted that the nation’s loss of Bakassi to Cameroun was painful in terms of potential revenue from the area and the displacement of Nigerians resident in the area, maintained that “the state government would not fold its arms and allow Obudu Cattle Ranch to be illegally claimed again.”

On Bakassi, Mr Aggrey said the state government had continued to accord priority attention to the needs of the displaced Bakassi people in respect of their plight, stating that a number of projects had been outlined for them to cushion the effects of their relocation.

The DG said although the State Emergency Management Agency(SEMA) had addressed certain needs of the displaced persons, a lot more needed to be done to assuage them, stressing that his commission had outlined areas of priorities and needs that the government was poised to address for the displaced.

‘’Bakassi matter is a creation of the partition for Africa. And the Cross River State government is very passionate about the Bakassi people and the boundary areas of the state,’’ Aggrey added.

ANPP set for convention, may dump zoning

AS preparation for the national convention of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) scheduled for this weekend heightens, there are indications that it may jettison its zoning arrangement, and allow a free-for-all contest. This follows the reported decision of the party’s National Caucus to zone its chairmanship to the South.
Two South-West and South-South zones of the party had, in separate communiqués in June, this year, adopted the candidature of the erstwhile head of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Harry Ayoade Akande, as the party’s next chairman.
Chief Don Etiebet from the South-South had served a five-year tenure as the chairman. The out-going Chairman, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke from Anambra State, is serving the slot of the South-East. Akande is from the South-West that is yet to hold the office.
However, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) chieftains have said the elders in the North will not join the train of those who may want to use the contentious issue of zoning to destabilise the nation. They equally dissociated themselves from the on-going debate on zoning within the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
And, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau has expressed interest to vie for the presidency of Nigeria in the forthcoming 2011 polls.
Shekarau, who spoke to reporters at the Kano Government House however remarked that the bid, which would be made formal on August 5, this year, is not a do-or-die affair.
The governor ruled out the possibility of contending with former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida who is rumoured to be plotting to move into the ANPP if the PDP supports President Goodluck Jonathan’s purported bid to contest the 2011 polls.
The governor said there was no way Babangida can stand on his way because he would not satisfy the provision of the ANPP’s constitution (Article 9, Section 9 sub-sections 3, 4) that stipulates that anybody vying for the position of the presidency on the platform of the party must have been a member for not less than 12 months.
But some notable leaders of the ACF including the former Minister of Mines and Steel and chairman of the Political Committee of the Northern Socio-Cultural Group, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Gusau, said that the forum must not shy away from any political development that may undermine the interest of the North.
The Guardian source yesterday in Abuja disclosed that the caucus of the party which met on Tuesday night actually zoned the chairmanship position to the South, but it was not clear, which geopolitical zone of the south it was zoned to. The decision, it was learnt, was influenced by a serving governor and a former governor of the party, now a senator.
An influential governor of the party was, however, not invited to the meeting. The chairman of the sub-committee of the Convention Committee, Chief Kunle Ogunade in a telephone conversation, confirmed to The Guardian yesterday that the party’s position had been zoned to the South.
“It was rumoured initially that the position had been zoned to the South, but there was serious apprehension when it was being rumoured that it has been zoned to the South-East. That has been adjusted. What is happening now is that all the aspirants will have to go to the field,” he said.
In their separate communiqués signed by all the leaders in Ibadan and Port Harcourt respectively, the two zonal caucuses hinged their support for Chief Akande on the fact that the South-West zone has not produced the national chairman since the inception of the party 12 years ago.
The South-West caucus said its demand for the slot was legitimate and fair, considering the fact that the zone remains the only one that has never produced the national chairman.
“The South-West zone also resolved that the only candidate the zone adopts and considered credible and capable as to successfully lead the party in the capacity of the national chairman, is Chief Harry Ayoade Akande.”
The South- South caucus of the party at its meeting in Port Harcourt on June 12, 2010 expressed its support for the zoning of the position of the national chairmanship to the South-West during the forthcoming convention “since it is on record that the other two zones have had a fair share of one complete tenure each in Chief Don Etiebet and Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke respectively.
“The chairman of the ACF, Gen. Ibrahim B.M. Haruna (rtd) who, in his opening remarks, insisted that the nation’s constitution must guide all political actions in the country, said that the debate on zoning was not the same with either the issue of the constitutional amendment which the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo embarked upon in the dying days of his regime to elongate his tenure or the non-remittance of letters to President Goodluck Jonathan by late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua which necessitated the “doctrine of necessity” that necessitated reactions from the Forum.
The ACF’s position on the debate was made known by the national chairman of the Forum during a “round-table discussion” on issues affecting northern unity in Kaduna, yesterday.
Haruna spoke as he also lamented over the level of disunity in the zone occasioned by non-co-operation between the organs of ACF and most of the 19 state governors in the north.
Among those who attended the “round table discussion” include, Gen. Haruna, Alhaji Saidu Barda, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, Mr. Hassan Hyet, Brig.-Gen. David Bamigboye, Maj.-Gen. David Jemibewon, Col. Musa Shehu (rtd), Alhaji Yusuf Idris, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Gusau, Dr. Nasirudeen Usman, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed, Hajia Halima Alfa, Alhaji Audu Sule, Mohammed Abdul and Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed.
Others include Alhaji Bala Sokoto, Mr. Anthony Sani, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, Alhaji Garuba Mohammed, Alhaji Ahmed Jalingo, Isa Kachako, Sheik Jarma, Gen. Garba Wushishi (rtd), Mr. John Paul, Burka Zarma, Idris Wada, Alhaji Aminu Attah and Mustapha Ahmed.
The chairman of the Political Committee of the ACF, Alhaji Gusau, had also lamented over what he described as the lukewarm attitude of some northerners to issues concerning the region, pointing out that “we should examine ourselves and see whether we are still one (North)”.
Gusau, who stressed that “this should not be the beginning of the disintegration of the North” pointed out that “most northerners now see themselves first as individuals before seeing themselves as northerners”, adding that the “North should harmonise its interests with national interest even as North needed its unity now more than before.”
However, in the address by Haruna entitled: “Viability of ACF as a vehicle of northern hegemony and its limit”, he stated that there was little or nothing that ACF could do as the matter fell within the purview of a political party which was designing how to share power as it deems fit.
According to Haruna, ACF is not a partisan organisation and therefore, constrained by its own constitution to dabble into political matters.
He, however, advised politicians on the need to “seek to promote democracy” by finding “workable system that would affect good governance in a multi-party democratic practice”.
Haruna added: “Recent political events have given rise to questioning the role, purpose and limits to the role of the ACF in the political ferment engendered by PDP in post-Obasanjo’s regime and the passing on of President Umaru Yar’adua.
“In as much as the Obasanjo’s Constitutional Reform Agenda was to promote his third term and subsequent self-succession, the same cannot be said of this later day zoning and rotation (PDP agreement), which can be enforced by the PDP or amended by them as they had done in the past.
“PDP, zoning and rotation do not call for any amendment of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria or even the Electoral Law even though it is the custom of our political practice, on the sharing of power. It therefore remains in the purview and political perspective of a political party to share power as they deem fit in adopting as their tactics for cohesion of their party, for promoting federal character, national unity and party loyalty.
“Therefore, the ACF as an umbrella body of the historical northern region can only fulfill its purpose as set out in its Constitution. It is a consultative forum of the people of the erstwhile northern region.
“While the ACF has been engaging its efforts to encourage unity in the North and promote security and peace in the North and indeed Nigeria, it is constrained by its constitution and therefore it cannot leap into the bounds of a political party’s domestic affairs or the preserves of the 19 northern governors.
“We have to remind ourselves that in the Nigerian Federation (not confederation), we practice presidential system (not parliamentary cabinet system where the prime minister is first among equals), where its 150 million people, in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory; its 774 local councils and its over 250 ethnic nationalities each have to expressly seek to promote democracy and have to find workable system that would affect good governance, in a multi-party democratic practice.
“In our growth in democracy we seek to build a plural, cultural society that shuns domination or marginalisation of any group and promotes the upholding of fundamental human rights.
“The ACF is in a hierarchy and at the epic piece, not PDP umbrella, one finds that it is composed of former “Arewareans” who had ruled in Nigeria.
“Regrettably, the body’s relationship has not been strengthened because of weaknesses in the contact between the state governor and the former national leaders.
“This has affected northern unity and the effectiveness of ACF. The resolve of the ACF to face its common challenges depends on the strength of its foundation and that is the state chapter.
“The chapters need a healthy interaction with the governors of their states, state authorities and their various ethnic people, to generally; nurture a non- partisan plural society.
“Whereas the ACF has reached out to meet with chapters, patrons and members through visits and general meetings and has submitted memoranda, to governments and commissions, the ACF, has yet to receive reciprocity from northern political and influential personalities to demonstrate some mutual desire to consult or co-ordinate our search for progress.
“However there are good signs, yesterday – we dialogued with the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF): there have been calls in certain quarters that ACF should demonstrate the qualities or effectiveness by acting as a principal, supervisor and dictators instead of consultants.
“We need to further better understanding of our different roles. To bridge the gap some patrons had noted that the lack of extensive discussions involving the top tier and lower tiers of ACF is the main cause and therefore suggested that ACF should initiate a meeting of leaders and elders.
“ACF therefore incorporated the leadership and elders’ meeting as a part of its 10th anniversary programme.
“The meeting was held on April 28, 2010. It was scantly subscribed and its agenda was tentative. Following what seemed whimsical at the meeting, the leadership requested that the ACF secretariat should in-not-so-distant date organize an all inclusive and embracing meeting to promote discussions by the leadership and the elders of ACF.
“It is to be noted that this meeting and the previous one were not conceived or motivated by the recent debates on Zoning and Rotation.
“While we recall that the ACF had throughout the debates on the Non-transmitting of the President illness; and the ‘doctrine of necessity’ conjured by the legislature maintained as its policy that whatever course a debate takes or decision that is taken should be a decision that is consistent with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the laws.
“The ACF’S policies and activities are founded on this premise of constitutionalism of its own constitution as well. We at ACF rein our Northern sentiments and emotions because we desire to become a leading civilized society under the laws, ethic, morality and the tradition and customs, so well established”.

Govt, banks seal N500b deal for real sector

A NEW vista was on Wednesday opened in efforts to revive Nigeria’s manufacturing sector as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Industry (BoI) and commercial banks in Nigeria put pen to paper to execute a N500 billion deal to fund the power and manufacturing sectors, thereby marking a remarkable departure from words to action.
The deal, which was supervised by Vice President Namadi Sambo at a ceremony at the Presidential Villa, aims to revolutionise funding for the real sector and breathe life into the ailing industries.
The fund is to be disbursed to beneficiaries at a concessionary interest rate of not more than seven per cent and with a tenor of 10 to 15 years. It covers lending and re-financing of projects, restructuring of existing portfolios to manufacturers and support for investment in industrial clusters’ power supply.
The deal was signed just as the Governor of the CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi yesterday briefed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the performance of the Nigerian economy in the second quarter of 2010, with the Council urging the CBN “to realign economic policies to the financial reforms” as a way of encouraging “credit flow into the real and strategic sectors of the economy.”
Vice President Sambo who was obviously overwhelmed by what he termed as “the creative intervention” by the CBN team said: “The sector has suffered immensely from infrastructural problems and access to credit, especially the manufacturing sector suffered. The manufacturing sector is critical to our Vision 20:2020 and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)targets.
“This realisation obviously influenced the CBN in its latest efforts. This is a creative initiative to revive and improve access to credit to SMEs and improve liquidity for the participating banks. It will also create employment.
“It is a reprieve for those borrowing as it would enhance the liquidity of the banks. Our banks need to drive the economy and meet global competitiveness. The money is in two components. One part is N200 billion for small and medium enterprises, and the manufacturing sector. Already, approval has been granted for over 60 per cent of the fund. The second component is for funding for the power sector.
“This intervention is coming when government is initiating several other efforts to revive several sectors of the economy. For the first time, a government in this country is coming up with a total package to address the problems of the economy. I wish to praise the CBN management for driving the process. I am glad that the banks have also bought into the scheme. I hope that the banks would match the efforts of government within the stipulated time.”
Speaking earlier, the Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi stressed that the growth of the economy was dependent on the growth and resilience of the real sector.
He said: “Things must change. We believe that the banking industry can be the catalyst for the sector. Every bank that has participated in the N130 billion we disbursed is to contribute its own share by at least N65 billion. Beyond providing finance, we are providing advice and impact assessment to aid the growth of the manufacturing sector.
“What we are doing now is a key mandate of the CBN which has over the years been relegated to the background. We will henceforth ensure that the developmental roles of the CBN would be refocused. It is a new era for all of us. Our target is economic growth, poverty alleviation and wealth creation.”
On her part, the Managing Director of BoI, Evelyn Oputa, described the occasion as historic while the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) urged the banks to change their attitude and embrace lending to the real sector. President of MAN, Bashir Borodo praised the CBN’s efforts, saying it is “the way to go.”
At its meeting with Sanusi, the FEC approved January 1, 2012 as the effective date for convergence of accounting standards in Nigeria with International Financial Standards (IFRS). It urged the CBN to shield the newly established Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) from the sharp practices and financial engineering of the past that have plunged global and natural economies into avoidable crisis.
Sanusi’s report to the Council explained that the nation’s economy is “on sustainable growth, especially the non-oil sectors led by agriculture, retail trade, services and construction.”
He added: “There had been steady growth in GDP moderation in inflation. Inter-bank rates and other money market rates including lending also moderated. The foreign exchange market was substantially stable, while the recovery in the capital market continued. However, the growth in monetary and private sector credit aggregates remained sluggish.”
He regretted that Nigeria has “an economy in which you do not have power. If you don’t have electricity, you cannot attract investors. You cannot improve production. We don’t have power because the reforms that ought to have been carried out in four years have not been done. We keep talking and talking and talking and we have not yet created the right environment. I am saying that we have got to have a regulator (especially in the power sector). We have got to have good input for gas pricing. It will encourage investment. Deregulate electricity prices. This N7 is a myth because nobody can get power at that price. Ghana is paying N22. If we increase it to N22 and you increase gas prices, investments will come into power. We have not done that. That is the issue.
“We are spending N500 billion subsidies on petroleum products and nobody will invest in refineries if they believe that their business model is predicated on government subsidy. We are borrowing N500 billion on subsidies every year. We are borrowing money and we are leaving future generations to pay the debt. And the benefits of these subsidies are far outweighed by the long-term cost to the economy. So, the reality is that the government is not pursuing the right economic policies. And nothing in the banking reform will fix the economy unless you fix policy. And I say this as an adviser to the government.”
The Minister of Information and Communications, Prof Dora Akunyili told journalists at the end of the Council session that the body resolved that the CBN and the Economic Management Team should properly coordinate to ensure that the nation’s economic reforms are properly channeled towards the real sectors of the economy.
Said Maku: “Council appreciated the candour and depth of the CBN governors’ report on the economy especially his determination to press ahead with critical reforms in spite of pressures from vested groups to derail the reforms which have saved the nation’s financial sector from deep crisis. The need for deeper reforms in the energy, petroleum and power sectors was emphasized to realign economic policies to the financial reforms to encourage credit flow into the real and strategic sectors of the economy.”
Speaking on the January 1, 2012 effective date for convergence of accounting standards in Nigeria with International Financial Standards (IFRS), Akunyili, noted that “accounting standards are benchmarks for the preparation of financial statements by private and public institutions. Individual nations used to set their accounting standards until the widely reported financial
 scandals involving WorldCom and Enron in 2001.”
The Council approved the contract for the development of irrigation on 1,500 hectares of land and associated infrastructure, being Phase 1 of Tada-Shonga irrigation project located at Tada-Shonga in Kwara State. It is to cost a total of N3.26 billion.

INEC Targets 70mVoters, Seeks Additional N10bn

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega yesterday gave an insight into the number of Nigerians expected to be registered in the new voters’ registration underway.

He said the commission is targeting over 70 million registrants. Nigeria’s population stands at about 140 million.
INEC may conduct the two-week fresh voters’ registration between the last week of October and the first week of November.
Jega who spoke with journalists in Abuja also explained how the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) were redeployed, stating that the deployment was mostly done to avoid cultural alienation and truancy among the electoral commissioners.
“If we deploy all the equipment and all the logistics that are required, in two weeks we will have the capacity to register up to 70 million registrable voters. This is the planning we have made,” he said.

The INEC chairman said further: “So, the challenge now is to have the money and to give the contracts and get everything ready before or latest by the third week of October. Of course, this is not a formal announcement but for planning purposes that is what we are working on. If we are able to have a procurement process and say that by the first or second week we have all the equipment deployed, obviously we may want to do it earlier. I don’t want to start reading headlines tomorrow that INEC will do registration of voters on so, so date.”
Also, the commission said it would require another N10 billion to cover hazard and sundry allowances for the voters’ registration exercise, bringing the total to about N82billion that the nation may have to cough out for the exercise.

This latest financial request is contained in the official bulletin of the commission.
According to the bulletin, the money will cover the funding gap of almost N10 billion in the commission’s budget for voters’ registration.
Sundry expenses such as hazard allowances were not captured by the budget and INEC leadership apparently glossed over the allowances, which are obligatory
Even the N10 billion may not be sufficient, the INEC bulletin said, as it still has to be augmented.
Jega said in the bulletin: “If this is provided, we will do a credible election.

The INEC chairman told journalists: “It will cost as much to do a clean-up of the voters’ register and produce a fresh one. If we are doing a cleaning up and to do it credibly, it will still be costly but it will be slightly less costly than a fresh voter’s registration.
“But if we are going to spend so much money to clean up, why don’t you do a fresh one. That was why as a commission we decided that the best option is a clean, fresh voters’ registration. It may cost as much but certainly it will cost more to do a fresh voters’ registration.

“But the difference is so slight that you may as well go fresh. Taking this timeframe of the 9th of November being the final date of actual conduct of registration, we decided that we will do the exercise in the last week of October and the first week of November. It means that all the equipment we need must be available and must be deployed before the fourth week of October. If we deploy all the equipment and all the logistics that are required, in two weeks we will have the capacity to register up to 70million registrable voters.”
Accordingly, Jega said: “That is the planning we have made. So, the challenge now is to have the money and to give the contracts and get everything ready before or latest by the third week of October. Of course, this is not a formal announcement but for planning purposes that is what we are working on. If we are able to have a procurement process and say that by the first or second week we have all the equipment deployed, obviously we may want to do it earlier. I don’t want to start reading headlines tomorrow that INEC will do registration of voters on so, so date.”

He also said: “I have no doubt that given this extension we’ve got, which means that registration can now go on for up to four months from now, we will now be able to undertake a fresh voters’ registration exercise, which will be much more credible than what we have presently. “
The INEC boss added: “As I said, it is a Herculean task to achieve both goals with the available time. However, we have to do it because of the provisions of the law, which we have sworn to uphold. If the law changes to give us more time, it would be better.

“But until that happens, we shall continue with our planned schedule. Let me tell you that we are determined to succeed if we have the necessary funds on time. From the Executive ,we got very favourable indication about the willingness to give us all the funds that we require on time for the conduct of a fresh voters’ registration and I have had a follow-up with the Minister of Finance and they have obtained the details of what we needed and how soon we need it.
“And I left that meeting greatly encouraged that all our needs will be met and if and when that is done I think the issue of funding will be adequately taken care of. By my interaction with the Executive arm, I must have the money by the second week of August.”
On the deployment of RECs, Jega said the commission posted the commissioners to states where they would not need much time to acclamatise while also not sending them to their states of origin.

“We decided that since we are going to embark on fresh voters’ registration, it does not make sense to post RECs to states where they would have some, if you like, cultural alienation where it would take them time to acclamatise to get to know people, to get to understand the office and processes and to be able to anticipate problems and deal with them.
“And you know, they will be dealing with challenges of accommodation, bringing their families and getting schools for their children like many of us are facing now. And if their minds are focused on that, they cannot give their full attention to preparation for the voters’ registration, which is more immediate, not to talk of elections itself.

“So, we agreed that while we will not take people to areas where it will take them a lot of efforts to adjust, we will also not take them to their states of origin. So, as much as possible, we said we would post RECs to their own zones and as much as possible even in their own zones, not to states that are contiguous to their states of origin.
“That is also to avoid truancy. If somebody is from Kebbi and you post him to Sokoto, for all practical purposes if he has a house in Kebbi, he may decide to be coming to work from Kebbi and you cannot get optimal work from such a person.

“If it is from a state that is not contiguous to his, he or she may minimize how frequent he or she makes trips and so on. You will also deal with the problem of pressure if you post people to their own states. It is speculated widely in newspapers that many of the RECs were probably nominated by state governors. So, you will also run into a problem by taking people back to their states. Even if they have integrity and are above board, they will still come under enormous pressure. So, we decided we will post people to their zones as much as possible and to states not contiguous to theirs.

“So, these are the parameters that we have used in posting. The person that people are talking about was in Ekiti. Originally, she is from Ogun State. So clearly she cannot be taken back to Ekiti or Ogun. If she is taken to Lagos, it will be contiguous to her state of origin. So, the only way visible for me was to post her to Ondo and I posted her to Ondo.”
On the deployment of the controversial Ekiti REC, Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo, Jega said: “As far as I am concerned, Ondo is not Ekiti, it is a different place. But then people are saying well INEC is conniving with PDP and it is now posting people to a state where there is opposition so that this Lady who was alleged (a wild allegation yet to be proven) to have done some dirty work in Ekiti now is being taking to Ondo so that she can do allegedly another dirty work against opposition.

“What I can tell you is that nobody has spoken to me to request for the posting of any REC. I am very glad that nobody did so because I had already resolved that whoever requested for posting, I will never do it. So, I have done this posting given the framework we established as much as possible and to the best of my ability within the discretion that I have.
“As far as I am concerned really, all the apprehensions and fears are neither here nor there. The issue is whoever is posted to a state if they do something wrong, it should be reported and that will be a basis upon which we can assess their performance in their states. Really, as far as the issue is concerned, we have done our best; we will continue to do our best. If problems arise subsequently we will see how we can deal with them.

But I can defend the posting that I have done for RECs. There is no malice intended, it was done very rationally, if you like even very scientifically, because certain parameters have been taken into consideration in doing this.”
Meanwhile, Jega has put the funds required by the commission to conduct credible voters registration exercise at N74 billion instead of the earlier figure of N72 billion.
He also said the equipment purchased for voters’ registration during the tenure of the former INEC Chairman Prof. Maurice Iwu were substandard.
Jega told the Senate Committee on INEC during an interactive session yesterday that credible results from the 2011 polls is dependent on the timely release of the fund, preferably by August 11 to enable the commission prepare adequately for the task ahead,

"The big IF is getting the resources when we need it; if we don’t, then, forget it,” Jega told the Senator Isiaka Adeleke-led committee.
He explained that off-the-shelf purchase of 120,000 data capturing machines from the manufacturers for the elections would cost $2,000 per one, amounting to about N32 billion, but that the manufacturers were insisting on going through their distributors, which according to him, would cost about N52 billion.
Jega also said an additional N22 billion was needed for training, voters education, logistics and allowances, bringing the sum total to N74 billion.
He, however, told the committee that the commission was still working on the possibility of securing direct purchases from the manufacturers with a view to saving cost, adding that it was in order to be on the safe side that their budget was taken from the angle of middlemen prices.

On the existing register, Jega said: “The voters register is simply incredible; equipment purchased in 2006 are substandard; the computers have outlived their life spans; the best thing to do now is to plan procurement of 120,000 registration machines, it is not a waste because registration is continuous.”
He also informed the committee that he was yet to ascertain the correct figures of available machines as some were allegedly donated to schools, organizations and individuals including staff and that the commission was currently conducting an audit of the equipment.
The committee, however, assured the INEC team of Senate’s cooperation, urging them to always come for consultations and assistance where necessary.

FG May Take Loans To Fund Power Projects, Others

VICE PRESIDENT Namadi Sambo on Friday said that the Federal Government was looking towards the direction of concessionary and cheap loans as a way to surmount the huge funding challenges being encountered in its quest to provide adequate infrastructure for the teaming Nigerian population.
He stated that “power is an emergency issue and takes precedence in implementation of government programmes.”
Vice President Sambo while receiving the contractors handling the National Independent Power Projects in Sapele, Calabar and Uromi Power plants, said the Federal Government was strategizing on ways to meet the funding requirements for infrastructural development in the country.
He stated that the Yen Credit facility recently resuscitated by the Japanese government to which Nigeria is privy would go a long way in assisting Nigeria to meet her infrastructural needs.
Vice President Sambo urged the delegation to partner the Federal Government in setting up Coal Power Plants, considering the huge deposits of coal in Nigeria, which runs into trillions of tones, citing the Gombe deposit.
He also called on the Japanese company to consider partnering with government in the provision of Hydro Power Projects like that of Mambilla and rehabilitation of the Jeba Hydro Power Plant, adding that Nigeria has several large, medium and small dams that can accommodate hydro power plants.
Sambo assured the contractors that government would assist companies that are ready to partner with her in providing adequate infrastructure in the country by helping to secure such facilities as insurance cover, guarantees from reputable international organizations like the World Bank (MIGA) unit, Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and African Development Bank (AFDB).
Vice President Sambo commended Marubeni for the progress made so far in handling its power projects, but expressed concern over the lack of coordination among the contractors and other stakeholders handling power projects.
Earlier, the spokesperson of the delegation Mr. T. Mamiya, informed the Vice President that the Japanese government had an overseas development assistance programme under the Yen Credit, which offered cheap and concessional loans, which must be accompanied by feasibility studies on identified projects.
Mamiya further disclosed that the Japanese Government in 1984 funded a feasibility study on the possibility of setting up a Coal Power plant in Nigeria, the report of which had been submitted to the Ministry of Power. He used the opportunity to call on government to tap the facility in rehabilitating the Jebba Hydro Power Plant.

Labour, Others Want Polls Shifted

LABOUR and civil society groups involved in electoral matters yesterday unanimously sought the extension of the forthcoming elections from January to April 2011. They believe that with an extension, the electoral management body (EMB) would do a better job of the elections.
A similar suggestion came from a former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who at a colloquium organized by the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER) on Thursday in Abuja said the January date set by the National Assembly as reflected in the newly released Electoral Act was not realistic.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) downplayed the impact of the message, saying it would play according to the constitutional provisions, in respect of the 2011 and other elections. Towards this end, it assured that if the joint National Assembly sitting ratified the new Electoral Act passed by the Senate on Thursday, INEC would make the best use of the remaining time to deliver a fairly credible election.
Speaking when a delegation of the Labour/Civil Society Coalition led by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwaheed Ibrahim Omar visited Jega in his office in Abuja, they affirmed that the current January time line would not guarantee free, fair and credible elections.
Besides Omar, others who spoke at the forum included Dr. Ibrahim Jibo, the Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD); Chairman of the Labour/Civil Society Coalition (LASCO), a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Dipo Fasina, as well as the National Coordinator of the National Association of Persons with Disabilities Dr. Danlami Basharu.
Omar believed the January date was too tight for any credible election to take place in the light of the massive distortions that took place before, especially during the 2007 elections. He advised Jega not to use the existing voter register, saying it would cost more in terms of time and resources to clean it up.
He pledged the support of the coalition to the INEC boss “so long as he remains the same Jega that we used to know over the years, both an activist and an academic.”
Jibo said the nation was in a state of emergency, noting that every effort must be made to ensure that it was salvaged through the conduct of a free, fair and credible election. This, he believed, would help in averting a national calamity and restore the faith of Nigerians in the democratic process.
His words: “Considering the importance of a fresh voter register to the conduct of free, fair and credible polls in Nigeria, the forthcoming elections should hold in April 2011. In this regard, we demand that the amended section 76 (1) and (2) of the constitution which now provides that elections hold between 120 to 150 days to the tenure of the incumbent political office holders should be deferred to take effect from 2015.
“We call on the National Assembly and State Legislators to do everything possible to make this happen in keeping with the demands of the electorate. As you are aware, Nigerians have lost faith in the existing voter register and this fact, you also confirmed during your press briefing.
“The legislature and the executive should immediately appropriate and disburse funds necessary for the conduct of credible, free and fair election beginning with the production of the new voters’ register.”
But Jega, who avoided making any reference to the proposals, however, said INEC was a creation of the law, saying that with necessary logistical support, it would be able to give Nigeria better and more credible elections.
Admitting that the task ahead was arduous, Jega promised that with the support of all stakeholders, including organized labour unions and other credible CSOs, the impact would be minimized.
He welcomed constructive dialogue and engagement from all, including foreign countries.
However, the Action Congress (AC) yesterday assured there was no need for Nigerians to be apprehensive over the order of the 2011general elections as passed by the Senate, saying what mattered was INEC’s ability to conduct fee and fair elections.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed told The Guardian in a telephone interview that what Nigerians wanted was for their votes to count, stressing that the order of the election was immaterial.
But, he maintained that given the level of preparations that would go into the next general elections, January 2011 fixed for the elections was not feasible.
He proposed April 2011 as the earliest date for the general elections, pointing out that from all indications, INEC and all the political parties who were expected to field candidates for the election were not yet fully ready.
Mohammed pointed out that the apprehension over the order of the election by Nigerians stemmed from the public perception of the national assembly members as lacking the necessary patriotism that would make them rise above selfish and partisan interest whenever they were dealing with national issues.
However, given the present situation in both INEC and the political parties, he advocated the invocation of the doctrine of necessity, which would allow for the suspension of sections of the constitution, which dealt with the number of days that election could take place before the May 29 hand-over date.
According to Mohammed, the postponement of the elections till April would allow for ample time to do fresh voters register that would aide free and fair elections next year.
“From my own view, we need an institutional frame work that can guarantee free and fair elections such as voters register, an efficient security outfit, announcement of poll result among others”, he said.
On his part, a former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, described the Senate action as self-protection. He said before the recent amendment of the 1999 constitution by the National assembly, the power to do such lay with INEC under the electoral Act, but with the situation now, such power resides with them.
“There is nothing we can do now, but my worry is that all these things cannot guarantee free and fair election. We are too much in a hurry as a people,” Ogunlewe said.
Mr. Emma Ezeazu of Alliance For Credible Election (ACE) expressed concern that the National assembly is on the wrong side of the law. He said that INEC must surely respond to the development.
But Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu declared that elections can hold in January, and wondered why the INEC that had four years to prepare for the polls could not do so.
He told journalists in Abuja yesterday that he could not understand why civil society organizations (CSOs) that kept insisting, while the constitution review exercise was on, that the National Assembly should adopt the Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee’s recommendation on the timing of the elections should now be asking for a postponement.
He remarked: “We do not want to be seen to be pushing for tenure elongation. If Nigerians want it, we want them to say it loudly. We do not want, as a National Assembly, to be seen to be taking the initiative to shift the election for any reason whatsoever. But what we have done is now to assist INEC because I do not see why they cannot hold election in December. They gave us their concern about the electoral act, the dates set out in which they will do certain things including voters registration which is their major constraint now.
“They are saying that under Section 10 of the 2006 electoral act, everything about voter registration needs to be concluded 120 days before election, so they made a request that we should reduce it to 60 days, so that they will have longer time frame to do registration of voters. We have done that in the Senate version, we are believing that when we go for conferencing that our House counterparts will be able to adopt that as well, so if that happens, they will now have sufficient time to deal with the issue of voter registration. So I do not see whatever roadblock that can stop them from doing election in January.”
“In terms of financing, we want to make it mandatory that they can get the money through the first line charge. All that needs to be done is that if they need money, they will go to the president, if the president sends us a bill, that is supplementary appropriation, we will be glad to pass it and then based on the constitutional provision, they will get it quite easily. So I do not see any reason why INEC cannot conduct a free and fair election in January 2011,” the deputy Senate President stressed.
On the position of Professor Ben Nwabueze that the work of the National and State Assemblies required the assent of President Goodluck Jonathan, Ekweremadu contended that the issue was not whether the respected constitutional professor was right or wrong but what the constitution stated.
He said: “What is important, for me I think the constitution is the answer and history is also a reference point. Now talking about our constitution, section 9 set out procedures for the amendment of the constitution. I say clearly that everything that needs to be done is in section 9 of the constitution. It is exhaustive of all the steps that need to be taken. So, if it had wanted presidential assent, it would have made it subject to section 58 or it would have said so explicitly.
“Let me also say that we borrow that section from the American conditions and then all the amendment spanning over 200 hundred years that were made in the American constitution, there was no time the American President signed the amendment to the constitution. So, if we are inspired by the American constitution, I do not think that we will be going out of step to follow their own example where their president does not sign.”
“And I explained to you why the president did not need to sign,” the deputy Senate President further explained. Sovereignty belongs to the people and since everybody cannot come to the parliament to legislate on behalf of everybody, so they elect their representatives, so if the constitution needs to be amended, it needs to go through the representatives. And if it has gone through their representatives at two levels, both at the federal and the state, I do not think that anybody will expect a president to start

Nwodo Leads PDP Lobby Team to Woo Orji

National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, yesterday led a team from the party’s headquarters in Abuja and neighbouring states to Umuahia to lobby Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State to join the party.

This is the second time in three weeks, the Abia State governor, is being faced with a tough decision of changing his political party.

Orji had joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance on July 2, 2010 immediately he dumped his former party, the Progressive Peoples Alliance on whose platform he was elected governor.

But Nwodo, who stormed Umuahia in company with Ebonyi State governor, Martin Elechi; Enugu deputy governor, Sunday Onyebuchi; National Vice Chairman of PDP, Olisa Metu and a host of National Assembly members, ministers as well as the executives of Abia PDP, said Orji was considered as a “first eleven” material that must join the PDP team.
“We are here to bring Ochendo into PDP. We’re here on a crusade. We’re here to beg you to come on board a new mission in Nigerian politics,” he said.

The PDP national chairman spoke passionately on the need for the South-east geopolitical zone to unit under the big umbrella of PDP hence he has set out on a journey to bring together all the quality materials available in the zone to drive the new ideology of PDP hinged on good governance and authentic democracy.

According to him, “if we put our first eleven out, they will create a country where everybody will be happy because Nigeria has every ingredient to cook good food and if the right people are not assembled to do the cooking, it would not be palatable.”

Nwodo said Orji had given the new PDP leadership the “olive branch” when he came to Enugu along with Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, even though they are not PDP members, to join in welcoming him after emerging PDP national chairman.
He said the fact that “a galaxy of PDP leaders in the south-east have come looking” for the Abia chief executive meant that he possessed what it takes to be in the PDP.

Orji, who was visibly elated to have become the most beautiful bride, said: “The PDP national chairman has come to wipe my face today after the PPA leadership soiled my reputation and forced me to quit the party.
“He (Nwodo) has come here to tell the world that I am a sellable material; that I possess what it takes to win election, because we’re solidly on ground.”

The governor likened himself to a very beautiful bride being wooed relentlessly by men, adding that for the second time in his political career he was facing a tough task of making a decision, noting that the first time he faced such a situation was his break up with PPA.

He reminded his political suitors that “a lot of things are involved” that would determine his decision this time around, namely his own integrity and the opinion of Abia people that gave him his mandate.

“This is not a decision I can take alone. This is a decision that needs the widest consultation,” he said, adding that he already has APGA ticket.
But even at that, the confidence exuded by Nwodo and other PDP members were strong indications that Orji’s movement to the party has been signed, sealed and delivered.

FG asks UK to extradite Akingbola

CONSEQUENT upon a request from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Alhaji Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, has forwarded an extradition request to the British Home Secretary, Home Office, United Kingdom (UK), to arrest and extradite Mr Erastus Akingbola, former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank, to Nigeria to face trial for charges relating to fraud allegedly committed by him at the bank.

Akingbola was charged with offences of financial misappropriation, money laundering, financial malpractices, corrupt practices and other related offences at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

On August 14, 2009, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sacked Akingbola, along with four other bank chiefs, on account of what the CBN called excessive high level of non-performing loans in the five banks. Ever since the sack, he is reported to have sought refuse in London.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on Thursday, December 31, 2009, had granted a Mareva injunction, freezing local and international assets of Akingbola, amounting to N346,185,841,243.75 and £1,085,515.00.

The assets on which the order was granted include, but are not limited to: shares held in listed companies in Nigeria, including, Intercontinental Bank Plc and Access Bank Plc, among others; shares held in other companies in Nigeria, including but not limited to Tropics Securities Limited; Tropics Property Limited; Tropics Holdings Limited; Summit Finance Company Limited; Tropics Finance & Investments Company Limited; Yankuri Nigeria Limited; Regal Investment Nigeria Limited and Bankinson Nigeria Limited.

The U.S. legal definitions website, explained that a Mareva injunction was a type of court order “of interlocutory relief designed to freeze the assets of a defendant, in appropriate circumstances, pending the determination of a plaintiff’s claim. Mareva injunction is often used to prevent a defendant from transferring assets out of thecourt’s jurisdiction as soon as a claim is served, in order to frustrate enforcement of any ensuing judgment”.

This was attributed to poor corporate governance practices, lax credit administration processes and the absence or non-adherence to the bank’s credit risk management practices and having acted in a manner detrimental to the interest of their depositors and creditors.

In the letter of request, the AGF explained that: “The request for the extradition is made pursuant to the Extradition Act (Designation of Part 2 Territories) Order 2003 (SI2003 No.3334) of the United Kingdom.”

The purpose of the request, the AGF explained, was for the extradition to Nigeria of Mr Akingbola for him to stand trial for the offences for which he had been charged.

The request was supported with an affidavit deposed to by Ibeakaku Nkechi Rita, a deputy Superintendent of the EFCC, and a certification signed by Ahmed T. Almakura, Senior State Counsel for the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The AGF prayed the Home Secretary to grant the request in the interest of justice.

bia Assembly concludes plan to impeach dep gov

Abia State House of Assembly has concluded plans to impeach the state’s deputy governor, Mr Chris Akomas, on the allegation of disloyalty to Governor Theodore Orji, the Nigerian Tribune has authoritatively gathered.

Governor Orji and his deputy were elected on a joint ticket of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) in 2007 in the state, but the cordial relationship between the two degenerated into sour and suspicious one ostensibly because of the re-election bid of Governor Orji.

Investigations conducted by the Nigerian Tribune in the Umuahia seat of power revealed that though the deputy governor still came to office and stayed in his official quarters located within the Government House, the relationship between him and his boss had nosedived to the lowest level due to alleged disloyalty of the deputy governor in recent time.

It was also gathered that the 24-member House of Assembly, which planned to commence the impeachment move when it resumed sitting in few weeks time, had gone on recess immediately it passed vote of confidence in Governor Orji last week, just as the governor left PPA to join All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Zoning is dead -Nwodo •As Orji Kalu plans to return to PDP •Suspended Reps take case to Nwodo

THE zoning policy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is now a dead issue, going by the assertion of the new National Chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, who declared that it had indeed been abandoned since 1999.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, on Wednesday, he was emphatic that the PDP had jettisoned the policy and anyone wanting to contest for any elective position under the party was free to do so.

However, he said that if the party members wanted the issue revisited, he was prepared to set the necessary machinery in motion for a new zoning formula for the party.

Dr. Nwodo spoke, just as it was revealed that former governor of Abia State and chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA), Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, was planning to return to the PDP.

Dr. Nwodo’s position is coming as agitations continue for President Goodluck Jonathan to contest next year’s presidential election against the perceived zoning of the position to the North.

He said: “I said to BBC and I repeat to you again that zoning in PDP has been jettisoned. There is no zoning on the ground right now. Absolutely there is no zoning. In 1999, there was zoning and only one northerner insisted on his inalienable right in the Nigerian Constitution to contest against the zoning arrangement of the PDP.

“The PDP put its foot down and I wrote a letter to him and returned his cheque. That is Abubakar Rimi of blessed memory. In 2003, after four years of Obasanjo, candidates sprang up from across the country. They paid; they canvassed. Nobody returned their money. Nobody wrote them that there was zoning.

“In 2007, there were more candidates from southern Nigeria than northern Nigeria and I think if that election was allowed to hold without interference; maybe anybody among Peter Odili, Donald Duke or Sam Egwu, would have won. They all paid. Nobody returned their money. Nobody stopped them.

Nobody talked about zoning. They all contested. Why zoning now? Why?,” he said.

The party boss added: “We have jettisoned it but we can revisit it. I’m not afraid about revisiting it. If we think that we need to revisit zoning today, let us revisit zoning. But the one we did in 1999, no, no, no, no, it has been jettisoned by PDP itself.

“So those who are talking about that agreement are not following the history of the party. The party has never stopped anybody after 1999 on the altar of zoning. But if they want us to zone now, we will go through the mill. We will start from the National Working Committee. We will prepare a memo on the advantages and the disadvantages of zoning. We will take the memo to the caucus,” Dr Nwodo said.

“The parliament and the government will make their inputs on which way to go. We will take it to the BOT; we drink from their wealth of experience, the conscience of the party; we will modify the scale with their inputs and then we have the final debate at NEC, which takes final decision for PDP.

“Right now, nobody can get up and tell me there was zoning or there is no zoning. If we want to zone, we have to go through this process because the earlier arrangement on zoning is not working any more,” he declared.

Meanwhile, machinery has been set in motion for the possible return to the PDP of former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State, who, it was learnt, had made approaches to the new national chairman of the party.

A senior party source told the Nigerian Tribune, on Wednesday, that Kalu had told Nwodo his desire to return to PDP, even before he was appointed chairman, saying at the time that if Dr Nwodo emerged the party boss, he would rejoin the PDP.

The source revealed that Kalu was now set to fulfill the pledge he made by abandoning the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA), which had been in crisis, the latest being the defection of the Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji, to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Nwodo was said to have discussed the impending return of the former governor with members of the NWC in their meeting in Abuja, on Wednesday, where they agreed to invite him to appear before them on Monday next week.

However, the national chairman of the PPA, Mr Larry Esin, has dismissed speculations that Chief Kalu was about to dump the party for the PDP.

In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Esin said though there had been negotiations with the PDP, Chief Kalu would not join the party.

According to him, “the board of trustees (BoT) chairman is not leaving the PPA. There have been talks with the PDP but he cannot join the party before the 2011 election.”

Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives who are sympathetic to the cause of the 11 suspended members, have commenced moves aimed at recalling them, the Nigerian Tribune has gathered.

Female members of the House, who initiated the move, had been lobbying their male counterparts to put pressure on the House leadership on the need to show mercy to Honourable Dino Melaye and other members of his group.

The lawmakers were intervening because of the political realities facing the suspended lawmakers, especially the possibility that they might not be able to seek re-election in the 2011 election.

Honourable Fatimat Raji Rasaki, who is the vice chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, led other members in the plea for the return of the suspended lawmakers, especially one of the female legislators, Honourable Doris Uboh.

On Monday, however, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dimeji Bankole, alluded to this when he raised the hope on the possible recall of the lawmakers.

Bankole had visited the City Royal Secondary School, Nyanya, Abuja, to apologise to students of the school who witnessed the fracas in the parliament during their excursion and told correspondents that the issue of the suspended lawmakers was being reconsidered.

Moral Prefect of the school, David Sunday, had, in his opening remark during the Speaker’s visit, urged the House leadership to imbibe the spirit of humility as shown by the speaker, who came to beg the students for forgiveness and forgive the lawmakers who were suspended.

Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) 2010/2011 Post UTME Date Out

This is to inform all UTME Candidates who applied for admission into First Degree programmes of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike and scored 180 and above that the Post-UTME screening exercise for the 2010/2011 admission into the University will hold at the University Campus as follows:


DAY I: Thursday 22nd July, 2010:
1. College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.
2. College of Agricultural Economics, Rural Sociology & Extension.
3. College of Applied Food Science & Tourism.
4. College Natural Resources and Environmental Management.
5. College of Veterinary Medicine.

DAY II: Friday 23rd July, 2010:
1. College of Agribusiness and Financial Management.
2. College of Natural and Applied Sciences.
3. College of Animal Science and Animal Production.
4. College of Crop and Soil Sciences.

Eligibility:
All candidates who chose Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike as their First or Second choice are eligible.

Requirements:
Beginning from Monday, 12th July, 2010, candidates are required to register online for the Screening Exercise by logging on to the University’s website at www.mouau.edu.ng. To register, candidates must proceed as follows:

* Get to any of the under listed banks in and around Umuahia to pay the sum of One thousand naira only, being processing fee and collect the registration PIN voucher.

The designated banks are:
* Oceanic Bank International Plc, Umuahia & Umudike.
* Intercontinental Bank Plc, Umuahia & Umudike.
* First Bank Plc, Umuahia.
* Bank PHB, Umuahia.

*Log on to the University website at www.mouau.edu.ng and follow the link for 2010 UTME registration.
*Proceed to complete the online registration form, including uploading their passport photograph and printing out the completed form.
*Registration closes on Tuesday, 20th July, 2010,

Candidates should come to the screening venue at 8.00 a.m. with the following:

1. Printout of the completed online registration form.
2. A copy of the Passport size photograph uploaded with candidate’s full name and JAMB Registration number written at the back.
3. Printout of the JAMB Result.
4. Writing Materials (e.g. Pen, HB Pencil, Eraser, Ruler).

Information on venues for the screening into the respective Colleges would be available on the University website and would also be widely circulated on campus.

Candidates should note that the use of handsets, scientific calculators and other electronic devices will not be allowed at the venues for the screening exercise.

Results of the screening exercise could be accessed at the University Website from July 30, 2010.

Dr. B. N. Adeniji
Registrar.