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Abia State
governor, Theodore Orji yesterday signed into law the 2010
appropriation bill of N65.7 billion after the state House Of Assembly
had adjusted it from the earlier N60.5billion submitted to it by the
executive.

Presenting the 2010 appropriation bill to the governor at the Government House, Umuahia, the Speaker of the Abia House, Agwu U.

Agwu, said the
House increased the total budget outlay after due consultations with
the state’s planning commission in order to capture the excess crude
oil fund due to the state, which was originally not included as part of
the revenue.

The speaker, who
said the inflow has made it possible to increase capital estimate,
added that funding for the salary of certain workers, hitherto omitted
in the fiscal estimates, was accommodated.

“With this 58.3 per
cent recurrent and 42.7 per cent capital estimates budget, it is our
strong belief that government will continue the good work of tackling
the challenges of road rehabilitation and construction, rural
electrification, water supply, health care delivery, agriculture and
education among other vital sectors of the economy, with a view to
giving Abians the desired democratic dividends this fiscal year’, he
said.

Mr Agwu also said
that the provisions of the 2010 appropriation bill are meant to help
the state government fulfil its campaign promises to the different
constituencies, especially as it seeks fresh mandate from the
electorate in the 2011 general elections.

He said the present
set of lawmakers have, since 2007, passed 50 bills and over 100
resolutions for the good of the state. He added that members of the
House see the 2010 Appropriation law as a veritable legal instrument
with which this government can leave an indelible mark in the history
of Abia State by using it to impact on the masses whom they have sworn
to represent.

Speaking after
signing the 2010 appropriation bill into law, Mr Orji described the
exercise as a milestone in the life of the administration and expressed
gratitude to the House for her cooperation with the executive arm of
the government, saying this has contributed to the achievement recorded
by his administration.

Budget of expectation

He said that the 2010 budget is a budget of expectation which will be religiously implemented.

According to him,
the government has put measures in place to ensure strict
implementation, and charged all those responsible to ensure strict
compliance to the implementation.

Mr Orji who
admitted the financial difficulties confronting the state and its
effect on the people promised that by the first week of June, salary
arrears owed workers in the state will be cleared by the government.

He said that his
administration will soon ascertain the vacancies available in the
ministries with a view to offering employment to the teeming unemployed
youths of the state which is a priority of his administration.

The Kaduna State House of Assembly on Thursday
confirmed the Commissioner for Finance, Muktar Yero as the new deputy
governor. Mr Yero’s endorsement followed his nomination by state
governor, Patrick Yakowa following a letter dated May 21 which was
addressed to the Speaker of the House, Ahmed Jumare.

The letter was read on the floor of the House by the Majority Leader, Alhaji Bashir Aliyu.

Jonathan Kish (AC-Kaura) and Mustapha Bawa
(ANPP-Zaria City) supported the nomination and cited relevant sections
of the 1999 constitution which qualified Mr Yero for the position.
After several contributions by members in favour of the nominee, Kish
later moved a motion confirming the nominee and this was seconded by Mr
David Umar (PDP-Kachia).

The motion received a unanimous endorsement by the legislators as Jumare put it to voice vote.

The House Committee Chairman on Information,
Suleiman Ibrahim, later told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the
legislature followed due process in approving the appointment of Yero.

Mr Ibrahim (PDP-Sanga) said there was no need for
screening as the nominee had undergone a similar process before his
appointment as commissioner.

The 42-year old deputy governor was born on May 1,
1968, in Zaria city, and had his early education at the LEA Primary
School, Anguwan Kaura, between 1974 and 1980. He attended GSS Ikara and
GDSS Zaria between 1980 and 1986, after which he obtained his diploma
certificate in banking, BSc Accounting and MBA from ABU Zaria between
1988 and 2003.

Mr Yero did his National Youth Service at the Ogun
State Bulk Purchasing Corporation in Abeokuta between 1991 and 1992 and
later worked with Ahmadu Bello University Zaria as an accounts officer.

He joined the defunct Nigeria Universal Bank in 1993
and left to work at NALADO Nigeria Ltd as the Chief Accountant and
later Director of Finance and Administration between 1997 and 2007.

It was from this position that he was appointed the state’s finance commissioner by the then governor, Namadi Sambo.

Officials of the
Anglo-Dutch oil and gas major, Shell are at loggerheads with local
fishermen at Bonny Island, home of the multibillion naira Nigeria
Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Plant, over an alleged oil spill in Oloma
community.

Company officials
on the ground in Bonny, who did not want their names in print, are
blaming the spill on third party interference. But the locals blame the
incident on ‘internal conspiracy.’ The Seafood Dealers and Farmers in
Niger Delta (OFSDF/ND), an association of fishermen, told journalists
on Thursday that they were bracing for a showdown with Shell over the
spill, which they say the oil company must take responsibility for.

Shell’s wellhead
12 is located in Oloma, and the facility is suspected to be rusty.
Before now, the company has been making efforts to upgrade the facility.

Spokesperson for
the group, Richard Abbey, who is also chairman of its board of
trustees, said news of the spill came to the Oloma community through
fishermen who were fishing within the well 12 waters.

“Eye-witnesses
informed us that the Shell wellhead had spewed oil into our sea and
fish ponds and as such, contaminating the water and aquatic life in the
process,” he said.

“The matter was
reported to the Rivers state Ministry of Environment, which swiftly
rushed down and was joined by Shell officials and representatives of
Oloma community in a Joint investigation team (JIV) to ascertain the
cause of the robust spill. It was in the cause of investigation that we
gathered that about 10,000 barrels of spill has devastated the area.”
Mr Abbey said the way the pipe was broken showed it was an act carried
out by experts.

“We found out that
vandals harvested the pipe to gain access to the crude, more surprising
was that the wellhead was professionally shut down to enable them
execute the crime and that has left us bewildered,” he said. “We know
that only Shell staff have what it takes professionally to shut down
the well head. We also know that security operatives and surveillance
contractors are 24 hours on ground to secure the pipelines, hence our
insistence that it is an internal conspiracy by Shell.” The oil company
however insisted that “the sabotage is community based.” That tends to
foreclose any form of compensation to the community.

But Mr Abbey said
there is need for Shell to put together another team to ascertain how
the wellhead was shut down. He said it was on record that neither Oloma
community nor any other in Bonny has ever been involved in
vandalization of Shell facilities.

“Since the
occurrence of the said spillage, our fishermen in Bonny River have been
suffering untold hardship, making ends meet have been a problem and
this is endangering the lives of our family members and dependants’’,
he said.

Kano State
governor, Ibrahim Shekarau has taken a swipe at the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly plunging the nation into a
political quagmire by not implementing the recommendations of the
electoral reform group headed by former chief justice of the Supreme
Court, Mohammed Uwais.

Mr. Shekarau also
tasked the Federal Government to stop paying lip service to its anti
corruption crusade by revisiting allegations of fraud allegedly swept
under the carpet since the PDP assumed the leadership of the country in
1999.

The Governor, who
paid a private visit to Akure, the Ondo State Capital, blamed the PDP
for not practicing the principle of check and balances enshrined in the
nation’s constitution.

According to him,
the expected reforms in the nation’s political system would be an
illusion if the leadership of the National Assembly continue to treat
allegations of corrupt practices against notable politicians with kids
gloves.

He wondered why the
national assembly members have failed to tackle the power sector probe
despite the fact that some members of the committee were allegedly
accused of sharp practices while carrying out the assignment.

The Governor who
specifically referred to the eight years of former President Olusegun
Obasanjo, said the former head of state ruled the country unilaterally
with the legislators totally folding their arms without checkmating his
activities.

He said the problem
of the country is not only how to choose the nation’s president, but
the calibre of lawmakers we have in the national assembly.

“The PDP had been
in power for 11 years, we are not getting anything in return. The power
sector probe was being swept under the carpet and they are claiming
that it was a PDP affair. Money meant to bribe the committee of the
National Assembly handling the probe was put on the table as evidence,
but nothing was heard about it,” he said.

“Who becomes the
president is not the only problem with country. Though it is part of
the problem, you should stop blaming the president because 80 percent
of the senate and house of representatives belong to PDP. If credible
people are there to checkmate them, they will not lead the country
astray.

‘Obasanjo was there for eight years, he was doing as he likes and nobody checked him.

Look at the power
sector they said they are investigating, have you heard anything about
it, they have swept everything under the carpet ‘What do you expect
from these lawmakers when some of them were rigged to the assemblies.
The moment the root is ungodly, there is no way you can get it right.
God will never listen to you”.

Faulty zoning plan

Shekerau also
condemned the zoning arrangement of the ruling Peoples Democratic
Party, saying the arrangement was limited to the party .

“I am not a PDP
man, zoning is a PDP affair, it is the party’s palaver, it is only
members of the party that can tell you what led them to take that
decision in 1999. Once you miss a sincerity of purpose, you miss
everything. Myself and my party are not party to that decision.

‘we have been
hearing claims and counter claims, but as far as ANPP is concerned, the
issue of leadership is a matter of identifying the right people with
credibility who can deliver. What an ordinary Nigerian is looking for
is social justice.

“ The agitation for
zoning is as a result of lack of mutual trust, we must not allow the
issue of zoning to lead us into continuous mistrust. The more you over
play the issue of zoning, the more you are sending the message of
mistrust. Since our constitution do not support zoning, we must try to
preach to Nigerians to look forward for credible leaders”, he said.

Running for president

While fielding
questions on whether he would contest in the 2011 presidential
election, Shekerau said he had bowed to pressure from his supporters to
contest for the exalted position.

He however said that his decision to contest for the presidential election would be based on his party’s rules and regulations.

“We have a party
process and until my party presents me as their presidential candidate,
I am not yet a candidate. So, when the whistle is blown by my party and
read out the conditions, criteria and the time table, I want to let you
know that I will place myself in that process”.

If found guilty of
marriage to a child, Ahmed Yerima, a senator and the former governor of
Zamfara state faces five years imprisonment, the director of legal
service, National Human Rights Commission, Olukayode Sebanjo have said.

Mr. Sebanjo made
the assertion in Abuja on Wednesday when he led a team of human right
officers to the national assembly to prove a case against Yerima before
the senate committee on Ethics and Petitions.

Mr Yerima is
accused of marrying a 13 years old daughter of his Egyptian driver and
the Human Rights Commission say it is a violation of Child Right Act
Federal Capital Territory where the marriage was contracted. The Child
Rights Act is fully domesticated in Abuja, the federal capital
territory.

Mr. Sebanjo argued
that if the marriage been contracted in Zamfara where the Act is not
domesticated, the Commission would not have bothered much about it
because the Child Rights Act which Yerima is accused of flouting is not
domesticated in Zamfara, where he was governor for eight years.

Although Yerima was
present at the plenary earlier in the day, he was absent at the hearing
and no mention was made of his appearance or reason for absence.

The National Human
Rights Commission delegation added that when proven, that Yerima
violated the Act the punishment would be five years in jail or N500,
000 or both.

“Section 21 of that
act stipulates that no person under the age of 18 years is capable of
contracting a valid marriage and accordingly a marriage contracted is
null and void and of no effect whatsoever and the punishment is
stipulated in section 23 of that same act, which says the person who
marry a child or whom a child is betrothed or who promotes the marriage
or who betroths a child commits an offence and he is liable of
conviction to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of 5 years
or both such fine or imprisonment,” the Director said.

Not above the law

When asked by the
senators what the Commission wants the Senate to do about the Yerima’s
case, Mr. Sebanjo told the Committee on Ethics and Petition to
investigate the issue thoroughly and ascertain the age of the girl and
her mode of entry into the country.

The human rights delegation also countered Yerima’s arguments that the age of his bride is misrepresented.

“Whether she is 13
years or 14 years, under the law operational in Abuja which is the
Federal Capital Territory, she is regarded as a child under the Child
Right Act 2003. If a marriage truly took place between Senator Yerima
and the 13 years or 14 years old child, the laws are there as to what
the Act,” Mr. Sebanjo argued.

He also dispelled Mr Yerima’s argument that his actions were compliant with Islamic laws saying that under any law,

whether Christian, Islam, Ogun or atheism, the Child Right does not permit marriage under the age of 18 years.

A Federal High
Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, adjourned the money laundering trial of
the former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, for six months.

Jack Tilley-Gyado,
counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which
had brought the case against Mr. Kalu, asked the court to adjourn the
trial since the matter was also before the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
The organisation said it wanted its case to wait until the
determination of the appeal. Awa Kalu, counsel to the former governor,
also asked the court to adjourn the matter, but to do so indefinitely.

Mr. Kalu’s lawyer
told the court that there were two more appeals coming from the case,
and that one of those appeals had not even been fixed for a hearing. He
repeated his call for the court to adjourn the case indefinitely so
that his client would not face the possibility of going to trial while
his any of his appeals were pending.

However, in his
ruling, Justice Adamu Bello, noted that in the past he had declined
calls to adjourn Mr. Kalu’s case indefinitely, saying that doing so
would be “tantamount to a stay of proceeding.” He adjourned the case to
November 25, 2010, so that the appellate court would have ample time to
make its decisions and the parties involved could plan their next line
of action.

The men of the Nigeria Immigration
Service on Tuesday evening apprehended the arrow head of a group that
allegedly specializes in human trafficking, Sunday Edet in Ado-Ekiti,
Ekiti State.

Mr. Edet, who operates under the
auspices of a company named Eko Employment Services was said to have
allegedly ferried to Ekiti State tens of people in the last five years.

The suspect while being interrogated
confessed that he was not alone in the business but working with
middlemen residing in Cross-River State.

Mr. Edet who explained that he made at
least N80 000 from each of his victims, named some personalities in
Ekiti State as some of his accomplices.

He said he had not committed any crime
by bringing the 51 teenagers to the state, because some rich people
usually requested for these set of people.

“I was only being magnanimous by
assisting the 51 teenagers to get jobs in order for them to be able to
feed themselves. I venture into the business because quite a lot of
people were putting pressure on me to help them recruit house-helps,”
he said.

NEXT gathered that the arrest of the
kingpin was made possible when men of the Immigration Service stormed
his hide-out in a Guest House in Oke Ureje area of Ado-Ekiti and
successfully rescued two new catch of the traffickers.

It was gathered that the victims,
Blessing Enal Usang (18) and Emmanuel Ibiang(17) were transported into
the state a fortnight ago.

Forced to work

While narrating her ordeal, Ms Usang
said she was picked from Calabar, Cross-River State by Omini Effiom(45)
her sister’s husband with a promise to get her a job.

She said she was picked in the street
by Mr Effiom without previous notice and was transported to Ekiti
State, adding that Messrs Edet and Effiom made sexual overtures to her
which she rebuffed. She said she was given a beating of her life after
she refused the duo’s overtures.

While praising the men of the
Immigration Service, who came to her rescue, Ms Usang said, “I am
impatient to return to my parents”.

Mr Ibiang, who is a sickle cell
patient, while narrating his experience in the hands of the alleged
human traffickers, said he was given to an old woman in Ifaki-Ekiti
before he was refused because of lack of strength to work under hard
condition.

Sources close to the Immigration
Service disclosed that the traffickers and their victims would be moved
to the office of National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in
Persons and other related matters (NAPTIP) in Lagos for rehabilitation
or reunion with their families.

The source disclosed that the culprits
and victims wouldn’t have been transferred to Lagos if there had been a
remand home in the state.

Two days after a daring bank robbery attack
reportedly claimed the lives of two soldiers in Ihiala, Anambra State,
the state police command on Wednesday refuted the report and announced
the killing of four of the robbery suspects.

The Anambra State police spokesperson, Emeka
Chukwuemeka, stated that contrary to some media reports that two
soldiers were killed in the robbery attack, it was actually the robbers
that lost four of their men in the ensuing shoot-out after the robbers
had raided three banks.

“The police did not record any casualty in the
shoot-out but the robbers who lost four men from injuries sustained
during the encounter,” he said. “Neither was any other casualty
recorded in the attack.”

He said that a combined team of special units of
mobile police officers took part in the operation which lasted well
into the night as the remnant of the fleeing robbers were pursued into
the bush.

Although he acknowledged the arrest of some of the
robbery suspects, he could not however give their number, even as he
said investigations were still on.

A 20-man armed robbery gang yesterday reportedly
terrorized the community in a spree of robberies of three banks, and
carted away over N6 million. The bandits, who were said to have
operated in three vehicles; a Hilux truck, a Mitsubishi L300, and a
Sport Utility Vehicle, allegedly killed two soldiers in the operation
that reportedly lasted three hours.

Eyewitness accounts said the robbers used
sophisticated weapons during the operation, including dynamites, to
blow up the strong rooms of the said banks.

The gun fight

The accounts further stated that it was while the
robbers were celebrating their loot and spraying money on bystanders at
a local, Nkwo Ogbe, market in the area, that a combined team of
anti-terrorist squad and special anti robbery squad (SARS) swooped on
them.

In the resultant gun fight, two persons believed to
be soldiers were allegedly killed, and five members of the robbery
squad arrested, with a sum of about N6 million recovered from them.

Arms recovered from the gang include seven AK-47 riffles, two general purpose machine guns, and two rocket grenade propellers.

It is so hard doing business here. The entry barriers to entrepreneurs who are not into trading are so high.

The requirement to
pay two-three years rent in advance; to spend an equivalent amount
renovating the high cost premises; to buy a generator, fuel and service
it; to secure and pay for your own source of water; to hire staff
simply to manage those services: plumbing, electrical,
air-conditioning, generator. All of this before you can focus on your
business and customers. It is too much!

A long established
and successful community for whom business is also hard, but not as
tough, is the Lebanese community. They have their own model of doing
business in Nigeria – the Lebo model – as it is fondly called, and it
supposedly works. It is profitable. Their set up and operating costs
are kept low. Members of the community are employed and engaged in the
success of the venture – be it food and beverages, hospitality,
manufacturing, construction and other sectors.

What is it that
makes Lebanese-owned ventures more sustainable? What do they know or do
that helps them weather the harsh business climate, after all they face
the same economic and HR issues.

They have similar
pressures to support extended family, to provide jobs and contacts, to
visit home during festivals and holidays.

Findings from anecdotal research are that, in general:

* The Lebanese set up businesses as their livelihood, not as business investment or future institutions

* Their businesses
are family businesses. There is an expectation of family members and
children to be loyal and to do their duty by serving in the business
and securing the livelihood of the larger family

*They are
integrated into their communities in whichever country they are settled
in. Their children go to local schools and the Lebanese school is open
to others

*They are religious and participate with Nigerians in the rituals of the two major faiths

*As individuals, they do not put on airs and graces, or ‘big-manism’ no matter how wealthy they are

*They rarely get bigger than their businesses or seek to be celebrities in their own right

*They get their
hands dirty in their businesses, so no aspect goes unnoticed by the
boss, and the staff know this. They are not too big to clear restaurant
tables, for example

* As contractors,
they expect to give and receive favours and yet, crucially, they
generally deliver the goods, though sometimes at minimum standard

*They are skilled at relationship management and make loyal and useful friends in business and politics

*They produce and
sell what they know well, and from competitive sources that they can
control, like other Lebanese businesses here or in Beirut.

The elements of
their model have principles that, when compared to our own businesses,
make it glaringly clear why they are able to sustain a business for
years rather than be serial entrepreneurs.

The Naija model

The Lebanese keep
it simple. Everyone reports to the head of the family, who has the
responsibility and ultimate authority. We make it complicated; delegate
responsibility but not authority. Some staff report to the owner, not
to their boss.

Their family
members contribute time, expertise, money, and most importantly,
loyalty. Our family members tax our time, expertise, money, and most
devastatingly, our trust.

They don’t over-spec even for a luxurious look. We make it grand. Compete with the best worldwide.

They seek volume, and the large medium-low end of the market. We seek exclusivity and the top end of the market.

They don’t
over-promise, except through exuberance. We promise the moon, and
expect our customer to understand that we tried very hard to get off
the earth.

They manage the
business themselves. We own it, get others to manage it, but make the
day-to-day decisions. The owner only brings in business. He does not DO
the business.

They have a back
office and someone whose only job is to handle money before passing it
on to the accountant. We leave our staff to handle cash as it comes in
without check and balances. When we are tired of money going missing,
we get an accountant and leave him/her to both approve AND make
payments!!

Both they and we
personally sign all cheques. Very important!!! But it does not leave
room for the business to grow exponentially – just to remain small and
profitable.

They bring in
relatives to manage branches. We employ strangers as a favour to
friends, family, and to the big wo/men who send CVs to us.

If a family member
disappoints, they discipline them, forgive them and try again, or
select another family member. We swear never to employ another family
member. It is better for strangers to cheat us! I know this is a very
broad generalisation. Actually, some Lebanese businesses do not fall
within this mould and many Nigerian businesses do make us proud. Yet,
there are clear and diametrical differences in how the two communities
approach business, especially where family members are involved.

There is a lot that
we can do as business owners to ease our lives; to manage our
businesses more cost-efficiently with greater benefit to our
communities; to motivate our staff to be more responsible; and to make
our decisions less sentimental, and less influenced by international
branding and personal status. We are the ones who will benefit. What
are we waiting for?