Archive for nigeriang

The Lekki toll gate tussle

28/03/2010 No comments

The Lekki toll gate tussle

The thought of
going to, and returning from work has become a nightmare to Ayodele
Oyeleke, a bank employee. He resides in Ajah and his office is at
Onikan, Lagos Island. He spends an average of six hours (one quarter a
day) on traffic any day he goes to work.

“I tell you, it is
terrible. If you don’t live in this area you will not understand. I
spend like three hours going to work and three hours coming back, due
to traffic. This is even because I always try to leave early. Around
4am every morning I’m already on my way. Even at that, some days I get
to work after 7am. I tell you, I’m fed up. I’m seriously looking for a
house on the Mainland, maybe around Surulere,” Mr. Oyeleke said.

The Lekki-Epe expressway, which links Mr. Oyeleke’s neighbourhood with Lagos Island, is notorious for traffic jams.

With the rapid
urbanisation of Lekki, Ajah and other towns in that region, the
expressway became the way home for many, resulting into too many
vehicles plying the relatively narrow road.

On April 2006, the
Lagos State government, through the Public Private Partnership, engaged
Lekki Concession Company (LCC) as the concessionaire for upgrading and
expansion of the 49.5 kilometre road in Build-Operate-Transfer model.
The contract stipulates that LCC will operate and maintain the road for
30 years and then transfer it to the state government.

Months after the
expiration of the 36 months scheduled for the first phase of the
project, it has just gone a distance of less than five kilometres.

As a result,
adjoining roads get blocked while traffic is deviated to alternative
routes. The movement of construction workers and vehicles create a
hectic traffic situation.

“It’s even worse
these days; they started this their construction since. I don’t know
why they are not fast. They should round it off on time so that our
suffering will stop. These days, if you don’t come out on time, let’s
say 4am or 5am, just know that you want to go late that day. I had
spent up to one hour on this road from Ajah to CMS (a journey of about
30 minutes on free-flowing traffic),” said Helen Ifejiofor, a
salesperson in a boutique in Victoria Island, who also resides in Ajah.

The complaints of
commuters on the Lekki-Epe expressway are numerous, ranging from those
who claim to have lost jobs because they were kept in traffic longer
than they planned, to those who said they have developed waist pain and
other health conditions as a result of sitting for long hours
(sometimes in uncomfortable commercial buses) in the midst of endless
fumes from vehicles.

“But the traffic
congestion is a smaller issue compared to these toll fee they said they
want to start collecting by May this year”, said Samson Ovie, an
interior decorator who resides in Lekki.

On the LCC website
(www.lcc.com.ng) there will be three Toll Plazas in all. The first will
be located near the Palms Shopping Complex (Km 3); the second near
Chevron (Km 13); and the third near Crown Estates (Km 23). The toll,
according to the company, is the only means through which the company
will recoup its investment.

The announcement of
the commencement of toll collection in May 2010, which was billed to
start in the last quarter of 2009, has caused ripples, especially among
residents of Lekki and Ajah.

In their
advertorial in a national daily titled, ‘The fraud called toll
collection on Lekki-Epe Expressway’, the residents condemned the
intention of LCC to collect toll before completion of the project.

“If we may ask,
what is the urgency about toll collection in a 44-kilometer road, out
of which only a 2-kilometer stretch has been completed? It is laughable
and inconsistent with global standard practice to hear that a road
concessioning assignment with a life span of 30 years is already
attracting toll collection when only 5% of work has been done. LCC
obviously knows that this is fraudulent because expectedly, the period
from commencement to completion, which in this case, would have been
from 2006 to 2009, should ordinarily be taken as gesticulation or
‘test-run’ period,” read the advertorial which is a sequel to an
earlier one titled: ‘Lekki-Epe Expressway Expansion, Right Now a Curse’.

Opposition to the toll collection is mounting. For Mr. Oyeleke, it is a ‘No’.

“There is no way
I’m going to pay toll on this road. Maybe when they finish it and I see
how nice it is I may be motivated to pay, but not now. I know that many
people won’t even pay. It will cause a very big problem if they want to
force us to pay,” he said.

Enquires made in order to get LCC’s reaction on this were not replied as at press time.

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newstoday

Dreams die hard

27/03/2010 No comments

Victoria Oruwari
has the presence of a diva -on or off the stage. After her recital at
the MUSON centre, there’s just enough time to take some questions and
rest her voice for the night. The confidence with which she answers
each question is similar to her majestic stage performance: cool, calm
but in control as she melodiously turns out European classical and West
End musicals. Her accompanying pianist and fellow Trinity College
alumnus, Babatunde Sosan describes her as ‘extremely gifted’ with a
wide knowledge of instruments and music history.

Dream come true

Discovering she
could sing at the age of nine, there was no stopping Oruwari, until she
had to endure five years in secondary school, unable to study Music
because she was blind. You wonder if her dream would have survived if
she’d stayed in Nigeria. “Not so much I must say, because if I’m to be
really honest, the system here doesn’t support disabled people as much
as they do abroad. Here, for example, people are too quick to say ‘you
can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ I spent five years in Queens
College, not studying music because they said I couldn’t study it. I
got to England, all my fellow blind friends were studying music. People
don’t want to take risks because they are scared of what could go
wrong, but in England they think of a way round what could go wrong, so
there’s no can’t. They try everything possible to make sure I can go
round the stage and do all the things that I want to do. I have a dream
and they help me make it come true.”

It was not all easy, though as there were times when Oruwari felt she was fulfilling the wrong dream.

“I remember when I
was auditioning to get into Trinity College of Music, it was getting a
bit too hard and then sometimes in the middle of the course, because
the courses are so intense, your teachers have to criticise you every
time and everyday you are getting criticised about your instruments.
One day you get up and think ‘what’s the point of all this?’ but at the
end of that day, you’ll still think, ‘This is what I want to do.’ Also
coming out of school and looking for record companies; it’s very
difficult because everything depends on how the package looks.” After
trying various record companies, “You are thinking when is this going
to work?”

That was not enough
to deter the dogged Oruwari, though. With her undisputed talent, there
was no way she would let go of her dream. “One thing I didn’t do was
forget my dream. I had always wanted to be a singer from the moment I
heard (Tchaikovsky’s) ‘Once upon a dream’ from ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and
kept hold of that dream.”

Born to perform

The confidence
comes to the fore again when I ask Oruwari why she chose classical
music. “Because it is not based solely on image, you have to be good at
what you do and I like the idea of working hard at something. A lot of
popular music is not always properly done and yes, I love to listen to
it or enjoy it. But at that level, I don’t feel on the same level that
I feel when I perform classical music.”

Her role models are
stage and screen divas Julie Andrews from ‘The Sound of Music’ and
Barbara Streisand, both big-voiced women, who cannot help but captivate
any audience whenever they perform. However, I ask Oruwari why she has
chosen both artists. “Because they both had long-lasting careers and
whatever they do just seems to be perfect.”

One other thing
pleases Oruwari apart from her passion for performance. “Of course, the
performing, I was born to perform. I love teaching, don’t get me wrong,
but for me to work, the student has to be willing and wanting to learn
as much as I was willing to learn. When I’m with a very good student,
it’s the same as I feel when I’m performing. I love teaching because
whenever I help achieve something with their voice that they haven’t
achieved before, I find fulfilment in that.”

Singing for charity

Her musical skills
are also not limited to performing and teaching. “A lot of times, I
write songs and they are quite simple. Some of them are gospel, some of
them are ballads and I’m looking for a producer to put them together.
But most of the time, I’ve been focusing on my music because that’s my
strongest point. I play the piano, but not professionally. I would not
play in front of an audience as big as that (referring to the one at
the Agip Recital Hall). I would be nervous, but when I teach my
students how to sing, I play for them. So as long as I’m not the one
who’s at the centre of attention, I’ll play.”

Oruwari is also
given to doing some charity work. “I sing songs for charity. Like over
Christmas, I went to some old people’s homes in England. In winter,
it’s cold and miserable and they can’t come out with people to enjoy
all the fun that’s outside. So I thought I’ll take Christmas to them. I
also go to some outreach programmes to sing to children from very
troubled backgrounds, so I use music to inspire them. At that moment,
they are doing work with me, they are not thinking of their problems. I
also do youth music mentoring where I go to schools where children have
disabilities and I talk to them about what their dream is and I teach
them very feasible ways of achieving those dreams.”

Hers is a story of
a dream achieved and for her everyone else’s dreams should be
fulfilled. “Everybody who has a dream should keep hold of their dream.
If you have a dream, then your hard work is channelled towards that
dream. As long as you get your determination going, you’ll get to
wherever you want to be.”

She’s on the way to
being where she wants to be but Oruwari just is not done yet. “I want
to sing for the rest of my life. I want to go around releasing albums.
I would also like a recording contract with a reputable recording
company so I can record more songs. I want to be a classical crossover
singer because a lot of the time, people cannot relate to strict
classical music because it’s either quite intimidating and they don’t
really understand it.

In the future,
Oruwari hopes to perform her own works on stage. “I will produce
something. I just have to find a producer who understands my voice and
understands what I want to do with my music. It’s a hard gamble and you
just can’t pick anybody.”

She ends the
interview with a message to her audience and aspiring singers with
disabilities. “My aim with my music is to integrate people more and to
let everybody come to my concert and enjoy what they hear. I want to be
a source of inspiration to a lot of people. I have worked hard to get
to where I am and can believe that everyone else who has dreams of
another nature can achieve that through hard work.”

entertainment

LeBron stars as Cavs win eighth in a row

26/03/2010 No comments

LeBron James led
Cleveland to an eighth consecutive victory as he scored 38 points in
the Cavaliers’ 105-92 away win over the New Orleans Hornets.

James tallied five
of his nine assists in the third quarter, where the league-leading
Cavaliers (57-15) went on a 16-4 run to build a 16-point lead.

“They picked us apart defensively,” said Hornets forward David West.

“I think LeBron was
able to get himself going and getting other guys (involved). When
they’re doing that, it’s tough to beat them.” Second-year forward J. J
Hickson scored 20 for the Cavaliers, who welcomed back centre Zydrunas
Ilgauskas for the first time since he was traded to Washington last
month before being released and re-signing with Cleveland.

Marcus Thornton led the Hornets (34-39) with 20 points.

Chris Paul had five points in his second game back following a 25-game absence due to a knee injury.

New Orleans has
lost four of five games and are almost certain to miss out on the
playoffs while the Cavaliers move closer to posting the best record
throughout the regular season for the second successive year.

Cleveland controlled the game from the outset and shot 57 per cent from the floor.

James himself made 15-of-22 shots, Delonte West had 15 points off the bench and Antawn Jamison put up 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Jamison was
acquired in a deal that temporarily shipped out Ilgauskas, but the
7ft-3in center is back with the team he has spent his entire 11-year
career.

“I tried not to force anything,” Ilgauskas said after finishing 0-for-2 with his one point coming from a free throw.

“I felt like I was
in space, the floor was very huge for me today. I expect it to shrink
up with each game.” New Orleans stayed within striking distance until
midway through the third where the Cavaliers pulled away.

Paul had seven
assists and played 31 minutes, 10 more than he saw in his return on
Monday. Rookie point guard Darren Collison proved more effective,
however, adding 17 points and seven assists.

Reuters

Sports

Tiger will cope with hecklers

26/03/2010 No comments

European Ryder Cup
captain Colin Montgomerie, who faced his share of hecklers in the
United States, believes Tiger Woods will be able to cope with any abuse
that comes his way on his return to golf.

Woods, who has not
competed since his marital infidelities became public in November, has
admitted to being nervous about the reception that awaits him on his
return at the U.S. Masters next month.

“I heard when he
said he would be nervous to come back and that’s the first time I’ve
ever heard Tiger say those words, it’s going to be interesting,” Briton
Montgomerie told a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the Arnold
Palmer Invitational.

“I hear he has been
up for a practice round (at Augusta) already. He’ll get over those
nerves and he will be as determined as anyone has ever been on a golf
course to prove that he is still the number one player in the world
and, in my opinion, the best player ever to play the game,” he said.

Montgomerie, who
was jeered by U.S. fans in the past — notably at the 1999 Ryder Cup in
Brookline — and threatened to stop playing Stateside, said if anyone
could cope with distractions on the course it was Woods.

“He has a spotlight
and it has been on him for the last 10 years. It’s amazing how
sometimes you see him swing a club and it comes down and just stops,
incredible how he has that control to stop the club at that speed.

“So he has been
used to this most of his professional career. I don’t envisage any
problems arising from that at all. He is the most focused sportsman I
have ever known and I think he will adapt accordingly,” said
Montgomerie, the European Ryder Cup captain.

“Being such a
controlled environment, I think he is being very wise selecting the
Masters for his return and believe me, he wouldn’t be playing in the
Masters if he didn’t think he could win.”

The Arnold Palmer
is an event Woods has won six-times, including the last two editions at
the Bay Hill course, just down the road from his home in Windermere,
but the host is without the world number one this year.

“I will say we are
disappointed that Tiger isn’t here to play…on any of the other
issues..I have an opinion, I will keep it till a later date to give
it,” said Palmer.

A four-times
Masters winner, Palmer faced only cheers and applause from the
galleries in his time on the tour and he said he would find it hard to
handle any heckling of the kind Woods might have to deal with this year.

“It would probably
bother me. I’m a sensitive person by nature and it would effect me to a
degree. It is certainly not something I would look forward to,” he said.

Palmer sounded skeptical about how sharp Woods would be.

“You can’t get very
sharp not playing. Even just practicing won’t do it. I think to be
sharp, you have to compete, you have to be in the mood to compete.

“Now you can say, (take off) a couple of weeks, that would be one thing; but five months, you know..,” he said.

At the same time though, Palmer is expecting Woods to be in among the contenders at Augusta.

“Absolutely, I think that is the nature of the beast – he’s a competitor.”

Reuters

Sports

Lagerback returns for Home Eagles

26/03/2010 No comments

New
Super Eagles coach, Lars Lagerback will return to the country today
from South Africa to watch the Home Eagles file out against the Mena of
Niger in Sunday’s African Nations Championship qualifier. The match
will be held at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Sunday.

The team, led by
Daniel Amokachi, will be hoping to overturn a 2-0 defeat they had in
the first leg in Niamey by scoring at least three goals to eliminate
their West African opponents.

Lagerback left for
South Africa on Tuesday to inspect the Eagles camp at the Hampshire
Hotel in Durban, ahead of the commencement of the Mundial and he is
expected in Abuja today. The Swede tactician will use the opportunity
to assess some of the domestic league players who would be capable of
earning a call up to the national camp for the build-up to South Africa.

Nigerian soccer
fans are anxious for the first list to be released by the former Sweden
national team handler, who has been monitoring the performance of his
players across Europe following his appointment last month. He was in
the stands when the Eagles team B, largely dominated by players from
the Nigeria Premier League, defeated Congo DR in an international
friendly.

Lagerback’s focus

One of the players
Lagerback is hoping to give a second chance of assessment is Bayelsa
United’s defender, Chibuzor Okonkwo who represented Nigeria in the U-23
team that won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Football Tournament
in Beijing. He can play both as a defender and a midfielder and his
versatility and high work rate could earn him a call up for the
pre-World Cup programme under the new boss.

Lagerback is also
looking at defensive options after identifying the backline as the
major challenge in the national team and the likes of Ike ThankGod and
Mutiu Adegoke would be hoping to get a chance while Ahmed Musa, the
league’s top scorer with 14 goals as well as 12-goal star, Osas Idehen
will hope to defeat Niger to impress Lagerback. Musa, who plays for the
Northern outfit, Kano Pillars is hoping to make his debut in the
national colours after getting the call-up from Amokachi following the
first leg defeat.

Also in the list of the new players invited after the first leg is
John Owoeri, who is remembered for his role in the Flying Eagles squad
that won the silver medal at the 2005 World Youth Championship in
Holland.

Sports

Gombe as Pillars’ stepping stone

26/03/2010 No comments

It
has just got to be a win for Kano Pillars tomorrow when they take on
northern rivals Gombe United tomorrow in the week 26 match-up of the
Nigeria Premier League. A win because that is the only way they can
keep the pressure on Enyimba, who are ahead by just two points, and
they can pull away from Kwara United who are tied on points with them.

A win will take them to the top, at least till Enyimba play Sharks on Sunday in Aba.

While it could look
easy for Pillars on paper, considering that they have defeated every
team that has come to Kano this season, except for the draw with the
League’s defending champions, Bayelsa United, last December. However,
how they will cope without their main firepower remains to be seen.
Ahmad Musa, the League’s top scorer with 14 goals, has joined the Super
Eagles Team B for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) qualifier
against Niger in Kano on Sunday, while they will also be without
Solomon Okpako, the versatile midfielder who is also with the national
team. If they slip up in Kano on Saturday they might regret letting
former star, Bello Korfamata, join Heartland of Owerri.

But all considered,
it doesn’t look like there are going to be any upsets on Saturday.
Gombe’s away record have been anything but impressive. They have lost
10 out of 12 away matches, with such an abysmal record against Pillars,
they stand no chance. But in the first meeting this season, Pillars
crashed at Gombe by two-nil. Both sides have clashed thrice in Kano,
but the only time Gombe got any result was the 1-1 they got November
2005 at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

Gateway looking at the exit

In other matches
for Saturday, all eyes will be on Gateway of Abeokuta, or is it Ilaro?
Toyin Ayinla will get his baptism of fire, after the Loveday
Omoruyi-led Gateway technical crew was given the boot last week for
poor performance.

Ayinla, “a son of
the soil” of defunct Abiola Babes fame, has a lot on his hand with
getting a team rooted at the bottom, with trap door to division 1
already opened to them, out of relegation trouble. This is not the
first time Toyin Ayinla is handling a team at the top flight. He once
did so when the Swede’s coach of Kwara United went AWOL. As the
assistant, he handled the team until he was sacked at the end of the
season, despite the good job he did. Then he handled a team that has a
tradition of wanting to win, as opposed to the Gateway team that all
their years in the top flight has been about fighting relegation.

But it does look as
if his first day at work might be “football made easy by weak
opposition”, going by the fact that the Ranchers Bees they will be
sizing up on Saturday has not won on the road this season, and it
doesn’t look like that might change at Ilaro tomorrow. All their ten
matches on the road were lost, so it is almost a certainty Ayinla will
open his stint with a win. But the big question his: will he steer the
Abeokuta side out of relegation with 12 matches to go?

In the other match
of the day, the defending champion, though not worthy of the name at
the moment, take on title chasing Rangers of Enugu at the Samson Siasia
Stadium. If anything, it is Rangers that needs the result most. Last
Sunday, their title hope was dealt a severe blow when they played to a
goalless draw with Lobi Stars in front of their home fans. With 39
points, nine more than Bayelsa, they are in the fourth position tied
with Niger Tornadoes on points. So anything short of a win, the Enugu
side is out of the top four.

Sports

The end is in sight

26/03/2010 No comments

Barca can’t get tired now

Messi did not score
against Osasuna so we may expect the little Argentine maestro to make
up for lost time against Mallorca. It was the often criticised Zlatan
Ibrahimovic that needed to rescue Barcelona from a poor position.

Pep Guardiola was
not impressed with his team and let that out to reporters after the
match. “We struggled to tighten up and support each other. We lacked
the fluency I had imagined. I have made a mistake; I imagined a game
that has not happened. In the sixth minute I decided to change it. When
Pedro plays with Dani Alves, both are good.” But the performances were
not good on the night. He commended Ibrahimovic for rescuing the
situation:

“When he scores we
do well, because he is a goal scorer. His quality depends on himself
and nobody else.” While Mallorca have surprised all Primera League
watchers with their displays this term, they have not faced an
opposition like the Blaugrana in some time. They currently sit in the
fourth position and have contributed goals from all around the park
with Aritz Aduriz accounting for nine goals. Since they will be playing
at ONO Estadi, they will have the support of their 12th man to bolster
them. Barca cannot afford any slip up with the fixture of games before
them. They play Arsenal, Bilbao and Real Madrid in the next two weeks.

Valencia are doing
well amidst their catalogue of financial woes and have a banker in
David Villa. Villa has scored 18 goals in 26 appearances and is
rumoured to be for sale, more goals will mean more money in the
transfer market. Zaragoza may have to go down again this season to
learn how to stay up.

They have always
had squads that pundits say are too good to go down but they have been
relegated in 2002 and 2008 although to their credit, they got promoted
back to the elite division immediately. They are just two points above
the relegation places. Their Nigerian striker, Ikechukwu Uche who might
have helped in scoring the goals is still out injured.

Season defining match on the cards in Serie A

Roma need to beat
Inter to get to within a point of the leaders and defending champions.
That is a tough task but if there is any side in Italy that has the
Indian sign over Inter, it is the Romans. Leaders Inter Milan ended
their recent dip in form with a 3-0 victory over last place, Livorno to
move four points clear at the top of the table while Roma were made to
work hard for their victory over Bologna.

Their last two
matches in the Serie A have been hard fought draws with Inter having to
come from behind to take a point. Francesco Totti is in a race against
time to be fit for the encounter.

The Giallorossi
will be right back in the Scudetto race if they can beat Jose
Mourinho’s men but Inter have developed more steel with the Portuguese
tactician pulling the strings. The Romans have David Pizarro, Philippe
Mexes and Daniele De Rossi back from bans to bolster the team.

Mario Balotelli
continues to be a bone of contention for Mourinho but as long as Jose
continues to get the results, Super Mario will continue to be on the
sidelines. The Italian of Ghanian parentage seems to have lost his
place to another out of favour player, Ricardo Querasma, who started
against Livorno in Inter’s 3-0 win. He had an assist in that match.

Bundesliga

Bayern will hope
to bounce back from a first defeat in 19 matches when they host VFB
Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena. As negotiations with Franck Ribery
continue, Louis Van Gaal will have an eye on Manchester United’s visit
on Tuesday in the quarter finals of the Champions League. Bayern are
coming off the back of a hard fought 1-0 victory over Schalke 04 in the
semi final of the DFB Pokal Cup on Wednesday with another wonder goal
from Arjen Robben winning the game.

Bayer Leverkusen
have faltered in the last weeks and are following the trend of between
1997 and 2002 when they choke in the run in for the title. Becoming
runners-up in 2000 and 2002 were heart-breaking for supporters as on
both occasions the team had the Bundesliga title within grasp as they
have had all this season before losing to Nurnberg two weeks ago –
their first loss of the season. Visitors, Schalke 04 will be a hard nut
to crack and sit second on the log.

Sports

Kanu: Luck and Longevity

26/03/2010 No comments

The Super Eagles
captain needs no introduction to most Nigerians. Nwankwo Kanu has had a
very successful football career, starting on our shores. He has been
written off several times, only to bounce back in the most unexpected
way. The question is: what part does luck play in this?

Kanu and the fairy god mother

Good fortune has
certainly smiled on him throughout his career. That’s not to take away
from his achievements in any way but in football as in other things in
life, sometimes you need that little bit of luck. We know of other
great sportsmen who have not achieved half as much as him or have seen
a major tournament crown elude them – German international, Lothar
Matthäus never won the UEFA Champions League despite his many other
titles; Tennis legend Ivan Lendl won many Grand Slam titles and broke
many records during his amazing career, some which still stand today
and some only recently broken by either Pete Sampras or Roger Federer,
but he never won at Wimbledon. Yet Kanu is the only Premier League
player at this time to have won Olympic Gold, the Champions League,
UEFA Cup, Premier League and FA Cup. This is no mean feat! Perhaps he
might yet win the World Cup. We shall discuss this another time,
whether Kanu should represent Nigeria in South Africa.

Going back to his
good fortune: Kanu won the Champions League at Ajax and moved to Inter
Milan only to find out about a heart condition which was successfully
treated. Any other player might have been released from their contract
or become familiar with the bench but he went on to add to his CV with
the UEFA Cup. At the Olympics in ‘96, he was our Golden Boy,
spearheading the comeback against Ronaldinho’s Brazil. Arsenal came
next and Kanu often turned out to be the match winner. Nigerians grew
impatient with him as he slowly became the Gunners’ benchwarmer (at
£20,000 a week, I would gladly warm the bench with my bare hands.)
Again, he came away with a more robust CV. Please note that Arsenal
have not won the Premier League since. Perhaps Wenger should invite him
back for a few games in the hope that his luck will bring that elusive
trophy.

The career paths

Not a few were
surprised at his joining West Bromwich Albion (WBA), newly promoted to
the EPL and prime candidates for a relegation battle. They did not
disappoint. Followers of the EPL know that any club lying at the foot
of the table at Christmas definitely ends up in the lower division.
Well, WBA became the first team to avoid the drop. Mr. Good Luck, two
words as opposed to our acting president, then moved to Portsmouth FC,
became their top scorer that season and in the next, scored the winning
and only goal in the FA Cup win, Pompey having not won it for almost
eighty years. This also put them in Europe for the first time. Kanu did
it again over the weekend, scoring Pompey’s winning goal. He has barely
played all season. This is the man that everyone loves to debate on his
‘laziness’ on the pitch. With his club’s ongoing financial troubles,
many are wondering what will happen to Kanu now but I’m sure he’ll pull
a rabbit out of the hat. It won’t be the first time.

He’s also doing his bit to help others, establishing the Kanu Heart
Foundation to treat Africans with heart ailments. That is an indication
that he is aware of his responsibility to give back to others as he has
been given so much. I will borrow from de la Rochefauld: “nature
creates ability, luck provides it with opportunity.”

Sports

Use biometrics to tackle ATM fraud

26/03/2010 No comments

The emergence of
Automated Teller Machine(ATM)

ATM or Cash points, first introduced in 1961 by City Bank of New
York on a trial basis, allowed financial institutions provide their customers
with a convenient way, round the clock, to carry out varying transactions which
included withdrawal of funds, made deposits, check account balance, and later
on included features to allow customers pay bills, etc. There was no need for a
cashier to be present or for a customer to physically visit the financial
institutions premises to carry out such transactions.

ATM technology allows customers carry out the above-mentioned
transactions using an ATM card, which could be a debit or a credit card. An ATM
machine authenticates the card by reading and verifying the magnetic strip,
card number, expiration date, and an already provided or pre-selected PIN
number.

Like with most technological advances, there is always a flaw
which criminal-minded individuals identify and exploit to perpetuate fraud.

Technology is being constantly evolved so that ATM transactions
can be an enjoyable experience to its customers, especially if one has to pay
for goods or services in cash by 1.00am in the morning and has no money.

Biometrics

What better way than using Biometrics, which has successfully
been applied for identification purposes to validate passport and travel
documents, entry into secured areas, and in authenticating or securing
financial transactions, especially in developed nations.

Biometrics can be applied to uniquely identify an individual,
based on his/her physical or physiological or behavioural traits, features or
attributes, which include facial recognition (visage is such an example), DNA,
fingerprint, voice recognition, etc.

There is still the issue of fingerprint spoofing or cloning
(fake biometrics), but it is certainly easier to clone a card number, as it is
currently practised.

In different countries, biometrics technology (fingerprint
authentication to be precise) has been successfully used to combat ATM fraud by
financial institutions such as the Western Bank in the USA, Banco Falabella in
Chile, Groupo Financiero Banorte in Mexico, to mention a few.

In developing countries such as Nigeria, according to reports,
ATM fraud seem to be committed by mostly individuals linked to bank officers
who are able to provide pin numbers and other relevant information required to
commit such crimes.

With biometrics, such fraudulent incidents can be minimised, as
an added layer of authentication is now introduced that ensures that even with
the correct pin information and in possession of another person’s ATM card, a
fraudster will not be able to withdraw any money since the biometric features
of every individual is unique.

The continuous usage of services such as the ATM will rely quite
heavily on public perception and confidence that it is safe to use it for
everyday transactions that include cash withdrawals, payment of bills, prepaid
phone top up, and a host of other transactions which at the moment can only be
carried out by actually going to one’s local bank.

Investing in Biometrics

As Biometrics technology is becoming cheaper both in its
application and usage, financial institutions need to invest in this technology
as a way of securing transactions, both across the counter and whilst using the
ATM.

It is possible that in securing transactions in this manner,
financial institutions can provide even more services at the ATM which will
generate more revenue and cut down on the amount of services offered across the
counter.

By providing a wide range of services at the ATM, depositors and
customers can conveniently carry out banking transactions round the clock and
reduce the heavy reliance on across-the-counter services, which also is to the
advantage of these financial institutions.

Certainly, a winning business case based on ROI (Return on
investment) can be made for investing in using biometrics to secure ATM
transactions.

In the United Arab Emirates, Barclays Bank in 2007 successfully
implemented biometric technology to secure ATM transactions. In Bolivia and
across the Middle East, Biometrics has been successfully applied as mentioned,
providing confidence and peace of mind to bank depositors and customers in
these countries.

Off course with such technology, combined with further educating
depositors and customers, on the best practice – such as to always change one’s
pin number, not to use obvious numbers as one’s pin number like, one’s date of
birth, car registration number, etc This will certainly all go a long way in
reducing the level of ATM fraud currently experienced in developing countries.
Installing all ATMs in a secure, properly lit environment, with CCTV coverage
will also assist in minimising ATM fraud.

Also, in a country like Nigeria, a review of the relevant
procedures within the financial institutions that caters for how pin numbers
are generated, handled and delivered to the customer (at the least to minimise
the number of people who it passes it through) will also contribute in
combating this manner of fraud.

When the relevant technology is combined with best practice and
an effective procedure, the results can be rewarding but they certainly need to
be deployed hand in hand.

There is certainly no silver bullet method or technology
advocated that will guarantee a 100% eradication of ATM fraud completely (there
never is), since as mentioned, the emergence of new technology everywhere in
the world is followed closely by a subverting technique or method but can
certainly go a long way in minimising it.

The writer is an
international IT and Business Process Consultant.

Money

Nigeria raises 2010 spending plans to N4.3 trillion

26/03/2010 No comments

Nigeria has risen its planned spending for this year to around
N4.3 trillion ($30 billion) from an initial N4.079 trillion proposal, outgoing
finance minister Mansur Muhtar said on Thursday.

“The federal government made some additional submissions into
the budget which were priority areas … It’s now a little above N4.3
trillion,” he said, adding that the final figure would come from parliament,
which is still debating the plans.

The government made the budget additions before the cabinet was
dissolved on Wednesday by Acting President Goodluck, Jonathan in a further move
to assert his authority in the absence of the ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua.

A supplementary 2009 budget, which runs to the end of March, has
allowed Nigeria to maintain government spending while the 2010 budget is
debated, but this year’s spending plans must be passed and signed into law by
the end of the month.

The original N4.079 trillion budget for this year, sent to
parliament in November by Yar’Adua, would have pushed sub-Saharan Africa’s
second biggest economy to a deficit of 4.79 percent of gross domestic product.

Mr. Yar’Adua left Nigeria in November for three months of medical care in
Saudi Arabia, and Mr. Jonathan assumed full executive powers just over a month
ago to end paralysis in government.

Money
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