ChamsAccess Repositions, Expands Technology Solution

Chams Plc

ChamsAccess Limited, a subsidiary of Chams Plc, has announced expansion of its capacity to deliver innovative technology solutions to banks, non-bank financial institutions and corporations in Nigeria.
Announcing the expansion plan in Lagos, the technology firm said it commenced business as a strategic business unit within Chams Plc, and has witnessed rapid growth into an autonomous business in less than a decade.

To further drive its growth and expansion, the firm also announced the appointment of a new Managing Director, Funke AlomoOluwa.
AlomoOluwa’s focus, according to the company is to expand and consolidate its leadership of the financial technology market in sales, deployment and maintenance of Automated teller Machines (ATM), financial card solutions and printers, Point of Sale terminal (PoS), as well as Access Control Terminals and self-service interactive kiosk to banks, non-bank financial institutions and corporations.

The new MD also has the mandate to assist financial services clients of ChamsAccess to benefit from the firm’s expertise and longstanding partnership with global financial technology solution providers that include DataCard Corporation, KingTeller and Bitel.

"As banks strive to align their Pan-Nigerian operations with the cashless initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which is part of national payments system reforms, they are facing many significant challenges. Most importantly, as they stabilise operations in alignment with the CBN policy, it is imperative for banks to invest in solutions that will strengthen their e-business and promote e-channels benchmarked against global banking standards," AlomoOluwa said.
She added: "Achieving all of this while running a bank on a day-to-day basis puts enormous pressure on executive and management teams and this is where ChamsAccess has such a significant role to play.”
She disclosed that ChamsAccess is well-equipped to offer innovative solutions supported with technical capacity to meet the challenges facing banking, non-banking financial institution and corporations in the areas of financial technology, card solutions and printers, as well as access control terminal deployments.
Excited by the potential of the Nigerian technology market, AlomoOluwa believes that her firm is playing a key role in unlocking value, as well as in facilitating broad-based growth and development of the technology sector.

AlomoOluwa brings a wealth of strategic management experience in payments system, financial technology, and financial administration into her new role. Prior to her appointment, she was General Manager, ChamsCity, a strategic business unit of Chams Plc, with investment in digital malls equipped to drive online transactions, biometric data capture, e-learning and e-testing as well as large-scale data management and call centre facilities. AlomoOluwa is an Alumnus of the Lagos Business School Executive MBA programme, and holds a degree in Computer Science and Economics from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. She is also an associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Nigeria, Others Share Green Solutions for Development Challenges

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) logo

Representatives from some 150 countries are currently gathered at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya, to tackle development challenges and discuss ways to harness environmentally-friendly solutions developed in the global South.

During the five-day Global South-South Development Expo, which began on Monday, Oct 28, Government ministers, business leaders and experts will focus on this year’s theme, ‘Building inclusive green economies.’

“The transition to inclusive green economies is essential to the economic and social development of countries all over the world,” said UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner. “However, no one nation, community or agency has all the answers.

“This is why so many inspirational initiatives have gathered at this Expo – a mirror to the collective creativity of nations, cities, companies and citizens – to galvanise action that will place the global South on the pathway to a sustainable, low-carbon, green future.”
During the Expo, which was organised by the UN Office of South-South Cooperation and hosted by UNEP, delegates would be able to attend and participate in forums and roundtables which seek to highlight successful South-south initiatives and experiences that are benefiting the environment, economic development and job creation. They would also explore the role that this type of collaboration would have in the years beyond 2015.

Other topics to be discussed in the 16 partnership forums include green growth, business between China and Africa, youth volunteerism and the role of oil and gas in the transition to a green economy.

South-south cooperation is the exchange of resources, technology and knowledge between developing countries. Today, over $5 trillion in reserves are held by countries of the global South, which now also account for 47 per cent of global trade.

“Solutions originating in the Global South are delivering results around the world,” said Deputy-Secretary General Jan Eliasson.

Also in attendance was Vice-President of the High-Level Committee of the UN General Assembly on South-South Cooperation and Deputy Permanent Representative of Hungary to the UN Zsolt Hetesy. “This expo is a concrete expression of the partnerships we need for the path we seek,” he said.

“Over the past three decades the Global South has witnessed unprecedented growth and expansion of incomes, bolstering of trade, lifting of hundreds of millions from poverty and emergence of a growing middle class,” said Hetesy. “Much, in this unfolding phenomenon stems from a very noticeable surge in the practice and advancement of South-south cooperation by Member States, organisations of the United Nations system, other intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, and other stakeholders.”

Courier Operators Give FG Ultimatum to Reverse License Fees

Omobola Johnson, Communications Minister


The 291 registered courier operators in Nigeria have told the federal government to either extend the yearly renewal of their operational fees from one-year to a three-year period, or reverse to the initial fee of N250, 000 per annum.

The operators lamented the high cost of the yearly renewal of their license fees, which is currently pegged at N500,000, insisting that the fee was killing and putting them out of business.

The courier operators were also calling for the speedy passage of the bill that would establish an independent courier commission, which is before the National Assembly. They also wanted state governments to revisit the ban on motorbikes, popularly called Okada. They explained that the ban had adverse effect on their businesses since they use motorbikes for mail deliveries.

The operators spoke in one voice at the Third Nigerian Courier Summit that was organised by the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) in Lagos.

Managing Director, Big Courier Limited, Mr. Abu Ahmed, while expressing the views of courier operators at the summit, said courier business remained lucrative and capable of generating millions of jobs.

He therefore called on the government to revisit most of its policies on courier operations, in order to position the industry for global competition.

Several other operators that spoke at the summit, blamed the travails of the courier sector on government, in the area of multiple taxation, and high cost of yearly renewal of licence fees, which they said, were posing serious threat to the survival of courier operators.

They complained that state governments are imposing multiple fees on courier operations and they want governments to streamline their tax collection process across states. The operators frowned on a situation where they pay the same tax as soon as they move from one state to another, and called for the intervention of the federal government on the issue of multiple taxation.

The Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, who was represented at the summit by the Director, Post and Telecoms, Mr. John Ayodele, said: "The role, which the courier industry plays and will continue to play in the socio-economic development of countries, cannot be over-emphasised. According to her, apart from facilitating domestic and international trade, the industry remained a great employer of labour, especially for youths of all categories.
She promised that government would do every thing possible to promote courier business in the country.

"The present administration under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan is leaving no stone unturned to create an enabling environment for business enterprises to thrive," Johnson said.
Addressing the issue of independent regulatory commission that should be outside the control of NIPOST, the Postmaster General of the Federation, Ibrahim, Mori Baba, said the current courier regulation by the Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) of NIPOST, had remained a huge burden on NIPOST, since it has its own courier operation, the EMS Speed Post, to manage.
He said NIPOST was fully in support of an independent regulatory commission as it is done in other countries of the world. He promised to table the resolution of the summit before the federal government, to expedite action on all resolutions reached at the summit

Chairman of Silverbird Group, Mr. Ben Murray Bruce, who was the guest speaker at the summit, re-emphasised the need for independent postal regulator, insisting that it would promote and ensure the implementation of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) of government, as recommended by the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

Africa Rice Congress Advocates Increased Investment, Benefits for Smallholders

Bags of rice consignment

Africa's largest gathering of rice industry experts, policy makers and farmers representatives has asked the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) to "stimulate national, regional and global partnerships to help develop Africa's rice sector".

The call came at the end of the 3rd Africa Rice Congress in the Camerounian capital of Yaoundé. Attended by more than 650 delegates from 60 countries, including 35 African nations, the event was co-organised by the Africa Rice Centre and FAO.

Africa is expected to produce 27.2 million tonnes of rice this year, up by 2 per cent over last year, while reducing its dependence on imported rice, according to a FAO release.
Nigeria, which is largely a rice-importing country, is trying to push her local brands to the fore and impose high tariffs on imported rice in a bid to stimulate local production and consumption among her 160 million citizens, majority of who prefer the foreign brands.
In its final declaration, the congress also called for increased investment in the modernisation and mechanisation of Africa's farming and in aggregation of farm output, while safeguarding land rights of smallholders and improving livelihoods. It also urged the strengthening of farmer organisations to ensure that farmers capture a fair share of value added in the value chain and more encouragement for the development of public-private partnerships.

In support of promising productivity growth in the African rice sector - especially in the sub-Saharan region - FAO is looking to strengthen its commitment to rice production in the region with a particularly strong focus on sustainability.

Speaking at the congress, FAO Assistant Director-General, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department, Ren Wang, said the organisation was in a strong position to help accelerate the already good growth in rice productivity in Africa.
"AfricaRice and the Global Rice Science Partnership are excellent engines for the production of new technologies. I believe FAO can strengthen its role as a partner in these important activities," he said.
"What is needed are the networks and relationships to ensure successful new technologies - once tested and proven - can be scaled up to reach the millions of farmers who need them. This type of development work is one of FAO's strengths," he added.

Wang said FAO was working on a new initiative that would help realise the full potential, productivity and production of Africa's major rice ecosystems. It would also promote the use of quality seed as well as secure the production of certified rice seeds for efficient and sustainable rice production.

"We have an established and successful strategy in FAO's Save and Grow campaign. We want to apply these sustainability principles to rice in Africa," he added.
FAO's Rice Market Monitor predicted that the 2013 rice harvest in Africa would yield 27.2 million tonnes (or 17.8 million tones on a milled basis), 2 per cent above 2012's output. It said West African countries and Egypt would drive much of this growth, but a strong recovery in production is also expected in East Africa.

Wang said this increase in production was clearly good news, helping to reduce Africa's dependency on increasingly expensive imported rice. FAO predicts imports by African nations will drop to 12.6 million tonnes, or 7 per cent down from the 2012 record level of imports. Much of this decline in imports reflects expectations of reduced deliveries to West African countries, especially Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Togo, many of which can count on increased domestic production to meet their needs.

On the last day of the congress, FAO co-organised a ministerial forum featuring government ministers from Cameroun, Senegal, Chad, The Gambia and Mali, where the issues of land tenure and government policies in relation to private investment were discussed.

FG Moves to Address Gender Imbalance in ICT Career

Computer network

> The federal government, through the Ministry of Communications Technology, has concluded arrangements to launch three initiatives that will empower Nigerian women and girls to pursue career in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the country.

> The minister, who lamented the low participation of women and girls in ICT, said the initiative was specifically designed to bridge the gap between male and female participation in ICT.

> Speaking on the planned launch of the initiatives in Abuja, Johnson said less than 23 per cent of women had skills in ICT, and that by 2015, 90 per cent of formal employment must have ICT skills, according to global projection. She therefore insisted that Nigerian women and girls must be encouraged to show interest in ICT and develop skills in the sector, so as to be part of the global workforce by 2015.

> According to Johnson, five Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government have signed a memorandum of understanding to drive and fund the initiative, in collaboration with some selected partners like Huawei, Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN), Women's Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Finance.

> The MDAs include the Ministry of Communications Technology, Agriculture, Water Resources, Health and Works.

> Aware of various global reports that reveal the growing digital between men and women in the adoption of ICTs, which are critical for empowering and impacting positively on the lives of all women and girls, Johnson said: "The ministry is set to launch three different initiatives that will empower women and girls in Nigeria."

> The initiatives are the Smart Woman Nigeria initiative, Training of 1000 Girls in ICT and the ICT Girls Club.

> The initiatives will be launched in phases, beginning with the launch of the first two initiatives on November 4, 2013 in Lagos, and the third initiative in January, 2014, aimed at promoting and sustaining the inclusion of women and girls in ICT.

> The objectives of the Smart Woman Project, according to Johnson, would be to promote the development of women in Nigeria, through ICTs. It will also allow women in Nigeria to connect with one another, share their knowledge and learn from each other to achieve their goals.

> The Smart Woman Project is expected to be delivered in two phases, with the first phase that will build a community of women that will subscribe to the Smart Woman Project services, through their digital device like mobile phones, tablets and personal computers PCs. The women will pay a subscription fee between N160 to N320 per month, to receive content daily on a wide range of issues like career tips, parenting, health, finance, leisure, among others.

> The second phase of the Smart Woman Project will be extended to women that will receive targeted content, via text messages, free of charge. The content will include life skills, money management, legal issue, health, safety and security, among others.

> The of the training of 1000 girls in ICT project, according to the minister, would be to inculcate 1000 girls in ICTs, and select the best 200 for further training and internship with Huawei Technology company.

> The objective of the ICT Girls Club, Johnson said, would be to create an enabling environment in selected schools, to encourage young girls to embrace ICTs.
> The Girls Clubs will teach animation, website development, blogging, software development, graphics design, games, computer programming, Johnson stated.

PDP Moves against Dissension, Directs States to Set up Disciplinary C'ttees

PDP Chairman, Bamanga Tukur

*Group demands apology from Obasanjo over Nyako's imposition

In a last ditch effort to clamp down on growing dissension within the party, especially from members of its breakaway faction, the New Peoples Democratic Party, (New-PDP) and other erring members within the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Wednesday directed the setting up of disciplinary committees in all states.
Also, members of the PDP in Adamawa State under the aegis of Save Adamawa State Movement (SASM) have demanded an apology from former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his alleged imposition of Governor Murtala Nyako on the state.

The directives to the 36 states and FCT to set up a states’ disciplinary committee is coming barely one week after the party inaugurated a National Disciplinary Committee headed by the second republic Minister of Transport, Dr. Umaru Dikko.

There have been growing members of the mainstream PDP defecting to the Abubakar Baraje led New PDP. As a result, the police have been having running members with the factional PDP from Gombe, Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Rivers, Kaduna and other states of the federation.

According to a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, the party said the directive to set up the states’ disciplinary committees was in line with the letters of the constitution of the party.
The directive to set up a disciplinary committee is not limited to the states and FCT alone, but to the six geopolitical zones, 774 local governments areas and throughout the wards.

PDP, in the statement, said: “In keeping with the focused determination of the national leadership of the (PDP) to ensure discipline and loyalty at all levels, the national chairman, Tukur, has directed the party leaderships at the zones, states, local government areas and wards to establish disciplinary committees in accordance with the provisions of Section 57(1)(2) of the constitution of the party 2012 (as amended).

“The committees are to strictly comply with the provisions of the PDP constitution and the principles of equity and fair hearing in dealing with all disciplinary cases at their various levels.”

Meanwhile, a pro mainstream PDP in Adamawa State with the name, Save Adamawa State Movement (SASM) has demanded for an unreserved apology from Obasanjo for the alleged imposition of Nyako on the state.
SASM in a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Albert Stephen, said Obasanjo had wronged the people of the state by imposing Nyako who is not a politician in the first place.

Berating Nyako for under-performance in the state, SASM said: ''It was his failure to perform that made Obasanjo to remove him as military administrator of Niger State. General Ibrahim Babangida also removed him as Chief of Naval Staff.

"In fact, Babangida had to create the office of Deputy Chief of Defence Staff to enable him ease out Nyako, who was allegedly running down the Navy. As a civilian governor, his record is nothing to write home about.”
Accordingly, the group urged Obasanjo, to as a matter of urgency and utmost necessity, tender a public apology to the people of the state, noting that already, Prof. Jibril Aminu who was part of the conspiracy against the people of the state has since apologised for the misdemeanor and crime against humanity.


SASM further described Obasanjo as a man who has a history of never forgiving anybody who offends him, saying: “Like an elephant, he never forgets. He fooled the North into believing he loves them. But like they say, a leopard does not change its spots.

“In 2007, he imposed am ill Umaru Yar'Adua as president, knowing full well that he would not last the distance. The implication of this, is that the North has been and will most likely be out of power for more than 30 years. This is the punishment for the north for his (Obasanjo) travails in the hands of General Sani Abacha.

“In Adamawa State, he also imposed Governor Nyako on the people due to the alleged misunderstanding he had with his then Vice-president, Atiku Abubakar. Obasanjo reportedly begged Atiku for his support in the 2003 elections.


“The question then is, what did Obasanjo see differently in a man he described as a failure in 1977, that in 2007 he had to impose him on Adamawa State?”

Jonathan: Internal Democracy, Stability, Panacea for Economic Growth

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said internal democracy, as well as internal stability was the panacea for economic stability.

He also said it was practically impossible to have a meaningful development without peace.
The president dropped the when he received the 2013 Africa Peace Award from the United Religions Initiatives (URI) at the Presidential Villa.

He said in an atmosphere of rancour and violence, development would be at the lull, adding that differences cannot be resolved through the barrels of the gun.

"Even when countries are fighting at the end of the day they will still come to the dialogue table to resolve their difference. They have hardly solved their difference through the barrel of the gun, even if you had the most sophisticated weapons to fight, they will still come to negotiate otherwise you can never live in peace.

"So let me call on all Nigerians especially the young people, if you come to the South of this country you hear about militancy, kidnapping and if you go to the North you have this issue of Boko Haram. For us to develop our country, we must all embrace peace. There is no way the government can perform magic when the people are shooting guns, because economic growth and development is in the hands of the private sector," the president said.

Jonathan expressed joy that the leadership of the African Union and ECOWAS are now interested in helping African states to achieve peace.

According to the president, "there cannot be economic development without peace. For you to develop economically there must be peace and political stability. So the leadership of African Union and ECOWAS have changed and we believe that we must help ourselves and help our states and govern our states the way it should be governed. If there are crises we should intervene and that has been helping us significantly"
Jonathan, who dedicated the award to all Nigerians, promised to continue to play the roles that would enhance peace and guarantee political stability in the country, noting that economic growth, development and stability are tied to political stability.

"This award is dedicated to my people and my country Nigeria. We couldn't have been qualified for this award if my people did not encourage me.

Nigeria, somehow, God has given us that unique privilege to be fairly more robust than some of our African countries and we are one of the African countries that the whole world look up to, to assist in one way or the other. So this award is for Nigeria and not for Goodluck Jonathan.

"We would continue to do our best. For me as an individual I will continue to play my role in spite of the challenges. Let me use this unique opportunity to call on all Nigerians and all the people of the world to embrace peace. You cannot talk about development when you are fighting" the president stressed.

While presenting the award to Jonathan, the Regional Director of URI, Ambassador Mussie Hailu, said the award was in recognition of President Jonathan's immense contributions to religious harmony in Nigeria and peace keeping operations under the United Nations.

"We have been following with great interest the great role the president play in his country, West Africa and Africa as a whole since he took office as President of Nigeria. We commend his leadership qualities in West African sub region in particular as ECOWAS Chairman and also lauded the current transformation agenda of his administration," Hailu said.

He explained that the award was non- monetary, but to honour people who have distinguished themselves and exhibited exceptional leadership qualities.

According to him, previous recipients of the award are the former President of Mozambique, Joaquin Chissano, Girma Woldegiorgis of Ethiopia, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso.

Troops Kill Scores of Boko Haram Terrorists in Borno

Armed soldiers

Scores of suspected members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect have been killed in Borno State during attacks carried out by ground troops and members of the Nigerian Air Force.

Speaking to journalists in Maiduguri, Captain Aliyu Danja, who stood in for the spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Lt. Col. Mohammed Dole, said with the support of the air force, some Boko Haram camps were attacked in Gowok and Marguba villages, leading to the death of scores of terrorists.

He said some of the terrorists who fled the camps into the bushes were pursued by troops.
Danja added that the terrorists' camps were sighted through the assistance of members of the public who volunteered information.

The informants had told the military that a group of suspected terrorists was sighted crossing the Maiduguri-Damaturu federal highway in Kaga Local Government Area of the state.

He said based on the information, the military mobilised troops for the attacks during which a large number of the terrorists were killed and their camps destroyed.

He added that those who escaped during the attacks fled towards Marguba village but were pursued and killed.

Danja said after tracing the fleeing terrorists to Marguba village, where scores were also killed, others who escaped the second raid again headed towards Gubio Local Government Area, which is located in the northern part of the state.

Danja said the operation was still ongoing as troops were pursuing the fleeing terrorists, adding that with the commitment and dedication of the ground troops and the air strikes, the military is optimistic that none of the fleeing terrorists will survive the operation.

Danja who however said he would not be able to give the actual number of terrorists killed, added that as soon as the operation is over, the division would make public the number of terrorists killed.

Dangote Makes Forbes List of Most Powerful People in the World

Alhaji Aliko Dangote

•Putin knocks off Obama to top list

Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote hit another milestone Wednesday when he was listed by US-based magazine Forbes as one of the most powerful people in the world.

Dangote, who was ranked 64th out of the 72 persons recognised by Forbes, was one of two black people that made the list. The other being UK-based Mohammed Ibrahim, founder of Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

Topping this year’s list of most powerful people was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who knocked his US counterpart, Barack Obama, off the top spot. The US president held the title last year.

According to Associated Press (AP), Obama has been on the top of the list every year with the exception of 2010, when Hu Jintao, the former political and military leader of China, was number one.

The annual World’s Most Powerful list is made up of heads of state, financiers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs and the list represents the collective wisdom of top Forbes editors, who consider hundreds of nominees before ranking the planet’s top 72 power-brokers.

This year’s list features 17 heads of state who run nations with a combined GDP of some $48 trillion — including the three most powerful people, Putin, Obama and Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China.

The 27 CEOs and chairs control over $3 trillion in annual revenues, and 12 are entrepreneurs, including new billionaires on the list, Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote (No. 64), founder of Dangote Group, and Oracle’s Larry Ellison (No. 58). This year’s list has 28 billionaires valued in excess of $564 billion.

In addition, there are 13 newcomers on the list who include Pope Francis (No. 4), Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee (No. 41), Volkswagen’s Martin Winterkorn (No. 49) and the South Korean President Park Geun-hye (No. 52).
There are just nine women on the list, but that is an improvement on both 2011 and 2012 which featured six women leaders and the inaugural list from 2009 included only three.

Two of the world’s most important NGOs run by women feature on the list - Christine Lagarde (No. 35) who leads the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Margaret Chan (No. 59) who steers the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Below are the top 10 most powerful people on the Forbes list:

• Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
• Barack Obama, President of the United States of America
• XI Jinping, General Secretary Communist Party of China
• Pope Francis, Roman Catholic Church
• Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
• Bill Gates, Cofounder Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve
• King Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King of Saudi Arabia
• Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank
• Michael Duke, CEO Wal-Mart

Salami Was Unjustly Treated, Say Uwais, Tinubu, Soyinka, Others

Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais

•Retired jurist: I've no regrets

Dignitaries, including a former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Wednesday revisited the circumstances that led to the exit of former President, Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, from office, with a verdict that President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Judicial Council (NJC) were unfair to him.

They spoke at the launch of a book, entitled, ‘Isa Ayo Salami: Through Life and Justice’, where the retired jurist recalled why he got into trouble and said he had no regrets for the steps he took while in office.

Salami, who retired from the bench early in October, was on suspension for over two years for alleged insubordination and conduct unbecoming of a top judicial official.

Uwais, a former chairman of the NJC in his speech, said the council was wrong when it suspended Salami, adding that the president had no role to play in the suspension of Salami. He cited section 153(2) of the 1999 Constitution to support his position.

He explained that since all the committees of the NJC set up to investigate Salami did not find anything against him, the council ought not to have asked him to apologise.
He said: “It follows that Justice Isa Ayo Salami has been unfairly treated by the NJC. It is disturbing, to say the least, that the NJC, whose membership consists of eminent and experienced judges and lawyers, should act in the manner they treated Justice Salami.”

He noted that Salami was suspended for over two years, adding: “To the best of my knowledge, this is the longest period in the history of the Nigerian judiciary that a judicial officer had been sent on suspension for alleged misconduct.”

Before asking him to proceed on suspension, Uwais said the NJC should have asked Salami to explain why he refused to apologise to the then CJN, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu.

In his contribution at the book presentation, Tinubu said the way Salami was edged out of the bench portended a grave danger for the judiciary and attributed his travails while in office to political persecution.

He added that Salami ran into trouble because he refused to pervert the course of justice by delivering judgments against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that enabled the people of Ondo, Ekiti, Edo and Osun States to reclaim the mandate they freely gave out to winners of the 2007 governorship election in the four states.

He said rather than being vilified, the retired jurist deserved to be celebrated as an emblem of justice in the country.

Tinubu, a national leader of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which one of the NJC committees accused Salami of having an unholy relationship with, deplored the allegations that the retired jurist was a sympathiser of the party.

He said: “Whenever the history of the Nigerian judiciary is told or written, the name of Justice Ayo Salami, former President of the Appeal Court, will occupy a place of supreme honour and respect. Many have said he is the finest jurist of this generation. They may well be right.

“Justice Salami represented the judiciary a true democracy needs. We are yet to achieve this judiciary simply because those in power do not want it. They do not want judges who are objective arbiters of the law.

“They want jurists who cheer for them not jurists who cherish the law. They want judges who believe power and might are the law not judges who believe in the power and might of the law.
“For being forthright and objective, Salami was taken from his deserved position on the bench by the ruling party. An innocent man was made to suffer, pilloried for the sin of being good and forthright. Those who forced him into retirement saw him as an obstacle because he did not play favourites when it came to the law; he did not play at all.

“He held the law in great esteem and protected it as one should protect the cornerstone of a just society.
“Salami's account is the story of Nigeria. Nigeria stands in the cross winds of history. Unless we find more men with the gravity and sobriety of Justice Salami in the judiciary, we shall be swept in the wrong direction by the terrible gales of unbridled ambition and mean power.”

Tinubu lamented that the PDP-led federal government wrongfully ended Salami's career because he refused to sacrifice his integrity and subvert the course of justice in order to whip other judges handling election cases in which the ruling party has interest.

“Justice Salami will remain the thorn in the flesh and the hammer in the minds of those who seek to clip justice to gain undue political power and advantage. Yet nothing they do can eclipse his courageous contribution to democracy and to the restoration of hope in our judiciary.

“Someday, Nigeria shall erect a monument in his name. But the best monument to give this man is a living one. Let us continue to demand electoral reform. Let us demand judicial independence so that other jurists can act in the spirit of this man we today honour.

“If we do this, Nigeria would have executed the proper turn to its better future. And whenever the story of the judiciary of this nation is told, the name Ayo Salami will find powerful and true mention,” he added.

In a keynote address, Soyinka said Nigerians had adopted a “siddon look” attitude to the many injustices taking place in the country.

According to him, resigning to fate was not the best option as he urged Nigerians to protest against injustice.

He recalled many unresolved assassinations, including that of a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the late Chief Bola Ige, and called on the authorities to resolve these murders even as he said there were enough trails that could lead to unravelling the killings.
He noted that while grave injustices were being committed, state agencies were busy arraigning suspects for forging documents to get visas.

He also said the national conference being proposed by Jonathan should be used to dig into the past, adding that no nation could move forward without understanding its past.

“The national conference – if it does take place - must insist on a standing commission, an independent judicial commission to exhume that past and re-open its case files. The late (Umaru) Yar’Adua was not courting votes when he ordered the police agencies to re-open such files and provide the nation with answers. Please recall that I did meet Yar’Adua both in company, and immediately after, on a one-on-one meeting during the upsurge of MEND violence.

“His order had been issued even before those meetings, at the very beginning of his tenure, and was a response to the consciousness of a huge, ominous cloud that weighed upon both governance and the governed polity.

“That undertaking was a call for national exorcism, without which the nation not only continues to live a lie, but invites the perpetuation of the homicidal culture of impunity,” he added.
Also speaking, Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, expressed concern that Salami, a senior member of the bench, could not get justice from the judiciary and wondered what would happen to an ordinary Nigerian.

He also agreed with Uwais that NJC did not treat Salami fairly.
He bought 250 copies of the book on behalf of 11 progressive governors.
In his speech, Salami restated the facts surrounding his suspension and said he had no regrets for refusing Katsina-Alu’s request to pervert the course of justice.

He said: “I realise the public interest that my feud with the NJC and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Katsina-Alu has generated. It is obvious that people want to know what the fuss was actually about, and briefly put, this is it.

“I was invited by the then CJN, Justice Katsina-Alu, to his chambers on the 8th of February, 2010 using Justice Dahiru Musdapher’s phone, and when I got there, I met them together. He (Katsina-Alu) instructed me to direct the justices on the Sokoto Appeal to dismiss the appeal of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) governorship candidate and I responded that I could not do so.

“Contrary to the deposition of Justice Katsina-Alu that he called me into his chambers in respect of leakage in the judgment of Sokoto matter, which he gathered from petitions, there were no petitions against me or the justices in the Sokoto appeal panel as at the 8th day of January, 2010 on the Sokoto matter or any other matter.

“Ironically, the petitions in question only emerged on the 15th of February, 2010 seven days after I had unequivocally informed the CJN that I would not direct a competent court on what its judgment should be.

“After showing me the petitions on the 15th February, he asked me to disband the Sokoto Appeal Panel in view of the petitions. I responded that I would not disband the panel as the petitions did not contain any allegation of impropriety against the members.

“The investigating panel set up by the NJC under Justice Umaru Abdullahi rejected his claim that there was allegation of leakage in the petitions as well as his defence that the judgment had leaked. In spite of this, they concluded that he was acting in good faith. On this, I won't say more.”

He said he was happy he refused to pervert the course of justice, adding that disbanding the panel or persuading them to dismiss the appeal was not the right thing to do.
“It would have offended the principle of the independence of the judges which I so much respect and believe in,” he added.

He said it would have been hypocritical for him to appear in public and talk of honour and integrity if he had agreed with Katsina-Alu to pervert the course of justice.
He said: “But I am proud to be here today to talk about these values. I have no regret about what I did and the God of truth has vindicated me. All the NJC committees’ reports have said that Salami did no wrong as well as the report of the committee set up by the Nigerian Bar Association.”

With Six Bulletproof Cars, Duty Waivers, Concerns Persist over Cost

Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah

•BMW could face questions under FCPA, Bribery Act
•Cars imported for sports festival were later resold

What is the actual cost to Nigerian taxpayers of the two BMW bulletproof cars and other armoured cars ordered by the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, in the face of air accidents occasioned by poor capacity and meagre resources in the nation’s airworthiness regime?

This is the question that came to the fore when the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Wednesday revealed that the two BMW bulletproof cars purportedly bought by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for Oduah were imported into the country duty free and with the approval of the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The Customs Comptroller General, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, made these disclosures at the resumed sitting of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, which is investigating the controversial transaction.

The disclosure by customs is coming on the back of new startling revelations that were made in another probe conducted by the Senate Committee on Aviation into the operations of the airline industry that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) also bought four armoured cars, two of which were for Oduah. The other two were procured for the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. George Uresi.

Of the four cars procured by FAAN, two Lexus armoured limousines were said to have cost N60 million each, while the cost of the remaining Toyota Prado armoured cars was yet to be disclosed.

With the new information that has been brought to the fore, concerns have been expressed by customs sources over why the armoured cars, which ordinarily would have attracted 35 per cent duty, but were granted waivers, were still bought by both government agencies at such astronomical costs.
In particular, lawyers informed THISDAY yesterday that given the fact that Coscharis Group, which is the duly authorised dealer of BMW cars in Nigeria has been cited in the scandal, the German auto manufacturer could face questioning in the US under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) that addresses accounting transparency requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and another concerning bribery of foreign officials.

In 2012, Japanese firm Marubeni Corporation paid a criminal penalty of $54.6 million for FCPA violations when acting as an agent of the TKSJ joint venture, which comprised Technip S.A., Snamprogetti Netherlands B.V., Kellogg Brown & Root Inc. (KBR), and JGC Corporation.

Between 1995 and 2004, the joint venture won four contracts in Nigeria worth more than $6 billion, as a direct result of having paid $51 million to Marubeni to be used to bribe Nigerian government officials.

Also, BWM stands the risk of being investigated under the Bribery Act, a UK far-reaching legislation that covers the criminal law relating to bribery and corruption.
During the House probe yesterday, the Customs Service also informed the Aviation Committee that the armoured cars were part of a fleet of 300 cars for which the Federal Ministry of Finance granted import duty waivers in November 2012.

The comptroller general, who was represented at the public hearing by the Deputy Director, Modernisation, Research and Economic Reforms, Mr. Manaseh Jatau, said the waivers were originally granted to the Lagos State Government in respect of vehicles to be used during the 18th National Sports Festival, Eko 2012.

According to the customs, the import duty waiver was granted on the understanding that Coscharis Motors would be the importer of the vehicles. Jatau told the panel that the import duty on the 300 vehicles amounted to N10 million.

He explained that such waivers were usually for a period of one year and that the Nigeria Customs cleared the cars within the period stipulated under the law.
The financiers of the car purchase, First Bank of Nigeria, said it merely financed a car loan scheme for the management cadre of the NCAA.

Mr. Seyi Oyefeso, who gave testimony on behalf of the bank, said issues about the cost of the vehicle were a matter for the NCAA and the car vendors, Coscharis Motors.
In his testimony, Chairman of Coscharis Group, Mr. Cosmas Maduka, denied any underhand deals in the transaction, insisting that it followed due process.
In an apparent outburst of emotions, Maduka said a lot of negative things had been said about his organisation because of this transaction, which had undermined his reputation as a businessman and his organisation.

He said the insinuations that his company inflated the prices of the cars and might have been involved in money laundering were politically motivated.

He challenged those who doubted the deal to make direct enquiries to BMW in Germany which would give clarifications on the bulletproof vehicles.
Some members of the House Committee on Aviation had insisted that the vehicle were sold above the market price.

But Maduka explained that there was no fraud in the duty waiver and NSA’s clearance because Coscharis had a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the federal government on such imports for special events.

He said usually, his company would provide cars for such public events from its stock, while processing the ones for which waivers had been granted by the government.

Some committee members also raised concern about the apparent discrepancies between the particulars of the vehicles contained in the NSA’s approval letter and the particulars of the vehicles they saw at the Abuja airport when they went on oversight as part of the investigations.

The Coscharis team swore that all its cars had valid documents and was prepared to tender them before the panel.

At yesterday’s hearing, Oduah was again absent. A letter from the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. George Ossi, said Oduah was still in transit on her way back from Israel and was expected to touch down last night.

Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, said the committee would give her up till 10 am today to appear and present her own defence in the transaction.

According to Onyejeocha, the appointment will be the final given by the committee as it would not be sitting on the matter after today.

She said while nobody was under trial, the extensions already granted were to give all parties the opportunity of a fair hearing on the matter.

Meanwhile, two other agencies in the aviation sector yesterday told the Senate Aviation Committee that they were not involved in the purchase of the armoured vehicles.

This came with fresh revelations that FAAN bought 202 more vehicles, which might not have necessarily followed due process.

While appearing before the Senate committee yesterday, Director General of the Nigeria Metereological Agency (NIMET), Mr. Anthony Anuforom, and his counterpart in the Accident and Investigations Bureau (AIB), Captain Muhtar Usman, asked the committee to leave them out of the car scandals, insisting that they were not involved in the transaction.

However, Senate Committee Chairman on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma, pledged that the probe of a range of scandals in the aviation sector would be thorough with a view to ensuring that the sector is salvaged from the mess in which it is currently enmeshed.

Uzodinma made this promise yesterday while formally confirming the purchase of armoured vehicles by FAAN, of which two were meant for the embattled minister.

However, Uzodinma who told journalists yesterday that Senate would get to the root of the matter, also disclosed that FAAN bought as many as 202 other cars.

“Investigation is still ongoing and it will not be fair for me to pre-empt it. FAAN did confirm that among the operational vehicles they purchased, four of them were armoured vehicles, two for the managing director and two for the minister.

“We told them to go back and put everything in writing and make a comprehensive statement on all vehicles purchased, that they bought a total number of 202 vehicles for different operations. So until they come back on Monday, we cannot rush into conclusions.

“The MD of FAAN said they did a funding arrangement with a commercial bank.
“This investigation will be a very deep one so that at the end of the day, we will take a holistic approach and look at how the sector will be repositioned so that all anomalies will be corrected,” he said.
Also yesterday, the Senate stepped down the final passage of the Social Housing Bill meant to aid the provision of mass housing for low-income earners, citing faulty procedural and legal technicalities in its proposed implementation.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Development, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, while presenting the report, said its passage would offer poor Nigerians the opportunity to own houses without stress.

He also said various sources of funds from the private sector had been identified for the take-off and sustenance of the scheme.

The bill was however sent back to the housing committee for further legislation following remarks by some senators that its passage would create a legal and procedural crisis that could affect its implementation.

Ugbade: Brazil Not Yet on Eaglets’ Mind

Golden Eaglets' Assistant Coach, Nduka Ugbade

Golden Eaglets' Assistant Coach, Nduka Ugbade has reireated that the team is not yet thinking of meeting tournament’s favourites, Brazil in the finale of the 2013 UAE FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

Nigeria and Brazil are seeking a record fourth title at this level and there is the small talk that they could both navigate through for an eventual clash on Nov. 8 at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
" We don't want to be bothered with the tag of a favourite and our philosophy remains the same: one game at a time," Ugbade said matter-of-factly."Our objective right from the start was to win our matches and we continue to be guided by that."

Golden Eaglets opened their account at the 15th edition of the global cadet championship with a flattering 6-1 win over defending champions, Mexico; drew 3-3 with Sweden; thrashed Iraq and Iran 5-0 and 4-1 respectively

“It is only in pool and betting that you forecast matches but we are in for a serious business here," noted Ugbade in his characteristic jocular style." We don't have to count the chicks before they hatch and we are looking forward to every game with a winning mentality."

The Golden Eaglets' train move to the 10,877-capacity Sharjah Stadium where they will meet Uruguay in the quarter finals on Saturday.

Caption: Ethiopia’s Head Coach, Sewnet Bishaw or Team

Ethiopia to Play B’Faso

Ethiopia’s Head Coach, Sewnet Bishaw, has disclosed that they are planning to face Burkina Faso in an international friendly next week.
“We want to use this game to prepare well for the 2014 World Cup qualifier return leg against Nigeria,” explained Bishaw. He said the game will take place November 4-5.
The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) also confirmed the friendly yesterday ahead of their return leg against African champions Nigeria in Calabar. Nigeria won the first leg 2-1 and Ethiopia will have to be at their best to win in Calabar.

Burkina Faso beat Algeria 3-2 in another World Cup 2014 play off and will be using the friendly to prepare ahead of the return match.

“We are already training hard preparing for the game. We also have the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup after the World Cup qualifier,” added Bishaw, who has been successful with the national side.

FIFA U-17 World Cup: Eaglets Crush Iran to Play Uruguay in Q’final

Golden Eaglets

Golden Eaglets march to Nigeria’s fourth title in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup remained on course Tuesday following the team’s brilliant 4-1 crushing of Iran in the second round clash in Al Ain.

The three-time champions left no one in doubt of their intentions to cruise past the Iranians at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium. They were three goals up in the first half and added the fourth in the second half. Now, the free-scoring Nigerian lads have set up a mouth watering clash with South American power house, Uruguay in the quarter final with two of its stars, Kelechi Iheanacho and Isaac Success likely to be missing in action through injuries.

Nigeria came out all guns blazing in the opening seconds. Iheanacho, who scored four goals in the opener on this very pitch, fired a vicious shot from the corner of the penalty area inside the first minute that only just flew over the bar.

It wasn’t long after that Chidiebere Nwakali raced through midfield on the end of an elegant heel flick from Zaharaddeen Bello. His shot from way out, however, also went over the goal.

The pressure was mounting on Iran, who’d been so sturdy up to this point in the competition. Nigeria were attacking up both flanks and crossing dangerously, but the storm subsided and Iran began to get some touches on the ball.

And when Nwakali tried to dribble the ball out of defence, he was stripped by Mohammad Bazaj, whose effort from a tight angle after 21 minutes was the Iranian’s first chance of the half.

All that did was make the Nigerians angry. The Eaglets were into the lead just seconds later when Musa Yahaya pulled off an outrageous move to leave his man for dead at the edge of the penalty area.

He sent in a low diagonal ball to Samuel Okon, who sliced in from a tight angle. Two minutes later it was 2-0 for the Africans. Taiwo Awoniyi, on for the injured Success Isaac, pulled the ball across the 18-yard line for Iheanacho, who dispatched his fifth goal of the tournament. It would be the impressive No10’s last action, as he pulled his hamstring shortly after and signaled for a substitute.

Captain Musa Muhammed grabbed a third goal for Nigeria five minutes from the interval, taking advantage of some slack marking to burst into the area and score to make it 3-0 at the break.

The second half lacked the total attacking sparkle of the first, but the Nigerians remained in full control. In the 78th minute, Yahaya dropped his shoulder brilliantly again – pulling out his signature move – before firing low into the corner from 25 yards. Iran managed a consolation goal six minutes from time. Substitute Ali Gholizadeh scored from the edge of the box with the Nigerian defenders suffering from a bit of understandable complacency.

STATISTICS
Nigeria Iran
13 Shots 7
7 Shots on goal 4
4 Goals Scored 1
13 Fouls Committed 23
20 Fouls Suffered 12
9 Corner kicks 0
0 Free Kicks to Goal 0
0 / 0 Penalty Kicks (Goals/Shots) 0 / 0
1 Offsides 1
0 Own Goals 0
0 Yellow cards 2
0 Second yellow card and red card 0
0 Red Cards 0
19 Actual playing time 22
47% Possession (%) 53%


RESULTS
Nigeria 4-1 Iran
Uruguay 4-2 Slovakia
Morocco 1-2 Ivory Coast
Argentina 3-1 Tunisia

Confusion over N18bn SURE-P Fund

There was confusion yesterday on the N18 billion budget for Subsidy Reinvestment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) which the National Assembly earlier diverted but later restored through 2013 budget amendment, as the Director General of Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okogwu, alleged that till date the money was not available for the committee.

Okogwu, who is SURE-P's accounting officer, at a meeting with the committee, disclosed that the money was erroneously restored to infrastructure instead of SURE-P and therefore the mistake had hindered the execution of proposed projects under SURE-P.
Meanwhile, chairman of the committee, Senator Abdul Ningi, expressed displeasure that SURE-P had refused to produce the list of 3,000 graduates it claimed to have employed in each state of the country and paid N10,000 monthly salary each. The sum amounts to N11.2 billion per annum.

According to Ningi, despite the committee demanding the list in the past two months, SURE-P committee had failed to produce it.
He insisted the committee must produce the list of all beneficiaries of the programme across the federation before further action is taken.

"We asked SURE-P to provide the list of 3,000 youths receiving N10,000 monthly. It is up to two months now, we have not received anything. We are not aware that the programme is on and we cannot go further until we are given documentation of people who are collecting money from SURE-P per month," he threatened.

Ningi also regretted that Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had refused to appear before the committee.

Ningi insisted that Okonjo-Iweala must appear before the committee as the minister of finance to brief the committee on how money was disbursed especially with regards to SURE-P.
But responding, Okogwu assured the committee that he would demand the list from SURE-P committee as he further appealed to the senators to do everything within their reach to get the diverted fund restored to SURE-P budget.

Also, yesterday the Senate Committee on Public Accounts heard how a N10 billion meant for the supply of tricycles and disbursed through microfinance banks were never remitted to the committee on National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP).
This revelation was made when the committee chairman, Alhaji Mukthar Tafawa Balewa, appeared before the committee.

The committee was also told that the committee on NAPEP had been unable to recover the money because some of the banks had folded up.
The Senator Ahmad Lawan-led committee also grilled a contractor, Autoban, who was meant to supply 5,000 units of Keke NAPEP but only supplied 1,310.

Also yesterday, the Senate paid tributes to former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Solomon Lar, who passed on in the United States recently after a protracted illness.
Accordingly, the senators urged the federal government to immortalise him.
They also resolved to send a high powered delegation to commiserate with his family, the people and government of Plateau State.

Jonathan to Present 2014 Appropriation Bill November 12

President Goodluck Jonathan

Onwuka Nzeshi and Omololu Ogunmade 
President Goodluck Jonathan will on Tuesday, November 12, present the 2014 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.

This was contained in letters Jonathan sent to the two chambers of the parliament and read at yesterday’s plenary.

The letters read in both chambers of the National Assembly requested the lawmakers to prepare to receive the budget at 12 noon on that day.

The letters written to the Senate and House of Representatives dated October 23, 2013 read in part: “I write to crave your kind indulgence to grant me the slot of 12.00 noon on Tuesday, November 12, 2013 to enable me formally address a Joint Session of the National Assembly on the 2014 Budget.

“While thanking the Honourable Members of the House of Representatives (and Senate) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the constancy of their support, please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.”

The presentation of the new budget is coming about a month later than last year's when Jonathan laid the 2013 budget estimates before the parliament on October 10, 2012.

Also, Jonathan had on September 17, submitted the 2014-2016 Medium Term and Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Policy (FSP) containing a N4.495 trillion budget proposal for 2014.

The proposal, according to MTEF and FSP, will be predicated on $74 oil benchmark.
However, the president's decision to present the budget on November 12 is still of concern to many. This is moreso that the National Assembly is yet to pass the MTEF and FSP, which ordinarily should guide the executive in the preparation of the budget.

However, the Joint Committee of Senate and House of Representatives on Finance and Appropriation held a one-day public hearing on the 2014-2016 MTEF and FSP yesterday.
At the hearing, Director General of Budget Office, Mr. Bright Okogu, defended the $74 oil benchmark for the 2014 budget, saying the higher the benchmark, the bigger the liquidity.

Lawmakers at the hearing had queried the rationale behind reducing the benchmark from the current $79 to $74 when there was nothing to suggest a possible fall of the price of oil in 2014.

But Okogu, who agreed with the observation, argued that nothing suggested the fall witnessed in 2009 ahead of time.

According to him, pegging the benchmark at $74 per barrel was a protective measure, adding that no magic can ascertain what will obtain in the oil market next year.
Okogu also dismissed the perception that Nigeria was broke, submitting that indices, which showed that a country is broke, were not difficult to ascertain.

He further stated that even though Nigeria had cash flow problem, it was still not broke, insisting that countries that are broke have run to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other relevant agencies, seeking a bailout.

On the rational for the reduction of capital expenditure from 32 per cent in the current budget to the proposed 26 per cent in 2014, Okongu said the sudden rise of labour wages from N870 billion in 2008 to N1.7 trillion has continued to have adverse effects on capital expenditure.

He also dismissed the notion that relevant stakeholders were not carried along in the preparation of MTEF and FSP.

However, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), represented by Mr. M.D Jatau, a Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, blamed the indiscriminate granting of waivers to individuals and companies that could conveniently pay duties on their imported products as one of the reasons for the shortfall in revenue.

According to Jatau, the federal government has granted waivers to the tune of N86 billion to different companies this year.
Jatau called for the curtailment of frivolous granting of waivers, saying only those who statutorily required it should enjoy them.

He further said the waivers were having an adverse effect on the agency's ability to meet the N1 trillion target this year. Nevertheless, he said NCS had met 60 per cent of its target.

In the House of Representatives, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, who read the letter on the 2014 budget presentation, however, expressed disappointment at the slow pace of work by standing committees of the House with respect to their oversight responsibilities on the 2013 Appropriation Act.

Ihedioha disclosed that of the 90 standing committees that participated in the oversight of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), only 10 committees had submitted their reports.

He charged the remaining 80 committees to expedite action and submit their reports on or before Thursday.

The House has in the last two months adjourned plenary twice to enable its committees engage the various MDAs on the level of implementation of the 2013 budget.

Each of the standing committees was expected to conduct an appraisal of the budget in the MDAs under their purview and submit their findings to the chamber.
In the same vein, the House was expected to deliberate on the reports to enable the lawmakers decide on how to deal with the new budget proposal.

In a related development, a member of the House of Representatives Razaq Bello-Osagie has raised concerns over the non-submission of reports of various investigations conducted by committees of the House.

Bello-Osagie (APC/ Edo) said there have been allegations in the media that the House has been conducting probes without ensuring that such probes achieved their set goals.

He said such insinuations in the media was not in the best interest of the House as Nigerians might begin to see the lawmakers and the National Assembly as not being serious.

He listed the oil subsidy probe, Rivers State House of Assembly crisis, the recent Apo killings, the Malabu oil block transaction, police pension fund, Dana air crash and assets seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as some of the investigations whose reports the House must bring to a logical conclusion.

In response to the observation, Ihedioha who presided over yesterday's session in the lower chamber, directed all committees to which matters were referred, to conclude their investigations and submit their reports promptly.

Nyiam Absent as Dialogue C’ttee Meets Stakeholders in South-east

Col Tony Nyiam (rtd)

•Sits out meeting at Enugu Govt House car park 
•Commission apologises to Oshiomhole over heckling
•Igbo leaders endorse national conference

Onwuka Nzeshi, Onyebuchi Ezigbo, James Sowole, Adibe Emenyonu and Christopher Isiguzo

The controversial member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, Col Tony Nyiam (rtd), who led a group of suspected party thugs to heckle Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole in Benin City on Monday, was absent yesterday as the committee's train moved to the South-east.

Nyiam, who was identified as the arrowhead of the group that interrupted the governor as he was making his remarks at a stakeholders' meeting, arrived in Enugu along with other committee members but did not take part in Tuesday's proceedings.

At the proceedings, at which many of the governors from the South-east were absent, various groups and individuals in the zone made their submissions on how to ensure the success of the national dialogue.

THISDAY gathered that the embattled Nyiam, who is under pressure to resign his membership of the committee following his misconduct on Monday, was told to stay away from the committee's assignment in the South-east
.
As other committee members moved into the hall for the meeting with stakeholders, a source told THISDAY that Nyiam sat out the meeting in one of the vehicles that had conveyed the members to the state and was parked at the Enugu State Governor's House car park.

A committee member, who described Nyiam's conduct Tuesday as "real drama”, said he later followed the committee members to their hotel.

He said: “He followed us from the governor's house to the hotel. He also checked in. We left him there and went to visit Igwe Nike. He later surfaced at the venue of the meeting and sat in the audience.

“Some few minutes ago, I saw him in the restaurant of Neula Hotel where we have relocated to. I have just learnt that he is saying that his people have asked him not withdraw from the committee.

“He approached the chairman (Senator Femi Okunrounmu) and offered to withdraw his resignation but the latter refused. He said he will keep following us until he hears from the president.

“I overheard him saying that he will keep following us to ensure that we do not mess up what the president wants us to do.”

Nyiam's absence at the public hearing yesterday fuelled speculations that he might have heeded the advice by committee members that he should resign following his misconduct at the South-south zonal public sitting.

Though the chairman of the committee refused to give reasons why Nyiam was absent at the sitting in Enugu when confronted by reporters, it was gathered that other committee members had threatened to resign should Nyiam refuse to abide by their directive, prompting his last minute decision to remain in their vehicle “in the interest of peace”.

He was also said to have stayed back in their bus when the committee went for a courtesy call at the Government House where they were received by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Patrick Okolo, on behalf of the governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime.

Peeved by Nyiam's action on Monday, the committee in a letter dated October 28 to Oshiomhole, apologised to the governor.

Nyiam's misconduct also drew reactions from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party's Edo State caucus in the House of Representatives and the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP).
At yesterday's proceedings, Igbo leaders, led by their apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in their submissions endorsed the proposed national dialogue.

The public sitting attracted prominent Igbo leaders such as a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; Ohanaeze President General, Enwo Igariwey; former Ebonyi State Governor, Dr. Sam Egwu; Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, Ambassador George Obiozor and Chief Enechi Onyia, among others. Chime was represented by the SSG.

In its presentation on behalf of the Igbo, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo said the national dialogue was imperative as it would help in addressing crucial issues about the nation’s continued existence after 100 years of its amalgamation.

In a memorandum presented by its president general, the organisation called on all Nigerians to welcome the opportunity offered by the dialogue for self-assessment “to put our collective experience on the sieve of a national discourse and agree to retain those aspects of our national structure that work, restructure the obvious anomalies, and finally consign to the dustbin of history the aspects that do not work but retard our progress to national greatness.”

On the structure of the national dialogue, the organisation called for equal representation of the six geo-political zones with 60 delegates from each zone, adding that since the conference is about ethnic nationalities, it is expected that each zone will bring ethnic nationalities in their zone as well as special interest groups like women, labour unions, youths, religious groups and the disabled.

It said political parties should not play any part in the selection of delegates, while delegates should be selected based on each zone's natural diversities and composition.

To ensure the legality of the conference, Ohanaeze urged President Goodluck Jonathan to send an executive bill to the National Assembly to give legal backing to the conference.

It further recommended that the duration of the conference should not exceed September next year, adding that issues to be discussed should include the political structure of Nigeria; forms of government/tenure; devolution of power; revenue and fiscal federalism; derivation and distribution; citizenship rights; structure of the armed forces and other security agencies to improve security of lives and property; population and census; religion and secularism; as well as the place of traditional rulers and institutions, among others.

According to the group, the outcome of the conference should be subjected to a national referendum after which without alteration, it should become the nation's new constitution.

Speaking with reporters shortly after the public hearing, Okunrounmu commended the orderly manner the Igbos made their presentations, adding that the turnout showed their commitment and support for the dialogue.

On the absence of governors from the zone from the public sitting, Okunrounmu said it did not affect the committee's sitting.

The committee has also apologised to the Edo State governor over the unruly conduct of Nyiam.
As the committee was apologising, APC, the state caucus of the party in the House of Representatives and CRPP in Edo state condemned the embarrassment caused to the governor at the meeting on Monday.

In a letter signed by Okunrounmu, entitled ‘Dialogue Committee Condemns Unruly Behaviour’ the committee said: “The Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue wants to put it on the record that we noted the sad incident at today’s (Monday’s) interactive session with Nigerians from the South-south held in Benin City, Edo State.

“The committee wishes to state its unequivocal commitment and that of its members to the principles of democratic discourse. Although we take special exception to the unruly conduct of one of our members who joined the crowd in shouting down the Comrade Governor of Edo State, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, while he was giving his remarks, the session continued and ended peacefully.

“We want to emphasise that the committee will listen to all shades of opinions in the areas of its mandates and will not henceforth condone the kind of unacceptable behaviour we witnessed in Benin City.”
Also reacting to Nyiam’s misconduct, the APC said the incident had vindicated its decision not to be part of the proposed conference.

In a statement yesterday by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the committee must be ashamed of itself that one of its members led the show of shame that was put up in Benin.

It called on the committee to either publicly caution Nyiam or excuse him from the committee.

APC expressed shock and disgust that hired thugs, led by an out-of-control committee member, could so primitively treat the governor of a state hosting a meeting of the advisory committee.

It commended Oshiomhole for his maturity and decency despite the indignity meted out to him, adding that his disposition had averted what could have been a violent confrontation.

The Edo State caucus of the APC in the House of Representatives also condemned the heckling of Oshiomhole.

Leader of the caucus and Minority Whip in the House, Hon. Samson Osagie, described the attack as unwarranted and blamed the incident on the presence of “some hired personalities” who were brought to the meeting to embarrass Oshiomhole and the people of Edo State.

Addressing a news conference yesterday, the caucus said it was disappointed that the governor was prevented from airing his personal views at a meeting convened to listen to the views of Nigerians simply because it was unpalatable to some persons.

Osagie said the action of the mob at the meeting had betrayed the motive behind the proposed dialogue.

“We agree with our Comrade Governor that there have been 10 conferences which have yielded no positive results and this present effort is calculated to further fritter away public resources that are supposed to be channelled to public spirited ventures.

“What we need, in our own view, is a leadership that can break all barriers to our national development through purposeful, focused, courageous and visionary policies and programmes of government that will address the intractable problems of insecurity, unemployment, the infrastructure deficit and human capital development,” Osagie said.

In another condemnation, the CRPP said the incident was not only embarrassing but a forerunner of what to expect at the proposed conference.

The CRPP statement by its National Secretary, Dr. Samson Isibor, said Nyiam's conduct was the height of executive rascality and impunity that has now become the order of the day under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led federal government.

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, yesterday also criticised Nyiam’s conduct.
It said the impressive turnout of various ethnic nationalities and other stakeholders at meetings where memoranda were submitted to the national dialogue committee had confirmed that Nigerians were truly yearning for the conference to discuss their future.

Afenifere, in a communiqué at the end of its meeting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, which was presided over by its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, said submissions by various ethnic groups and stakeholders had also revealed their opposition to subjecting the outcome of the conference to the approval of the National Assembly.

The group in the communiqué read by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka
Odumakin, however, expressed surprise that a major stakeholder was involved in the Benin incident.

Letter bomb sent to Northern Ireland minister

A letter bomb addressed to the British government's minister for Northern Ireland has been found at the province's administrative buildings and made safe, police and politicians said on Tuesday.

A 1998 peace deal largely ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland between Protestants who want to remain British and Catholics favoring unification with Ireland, but divisions and tensions remain.

"It was a suspect package containing a viable device, which was made safe at a sorting office at Stormont Castle," a police spokesman said.

Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson said the letter bomb was addressed to Theresa Villiers, who is the British minister for the province. The nearby Northern Ireland assembly was not sitting at time.

Some remnants of the Irish Republican Army do not agree with the peace and power-sharing deal and several letter bombs have been found at administrative offices around Northern Ireland in recent days.

The tensions run deep on both sides, and Protestants have rioted repeatedly in Belfast this year over issues including which flags are used on administrative buildings to the routes of their traditional parades.

"Those responsible for sending this, and other devices, through the post have absolutely no regard for the lives of postal workers and staff working in offices," Robinson said.

On Monday, British police said they charged four men and one woman with terrorism offences and conspiracy to murder following a joint operation between forces in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

During Northern Ireland's sectarian conflict that began in the late 1960s, more than 3,600 people died, including more than 1,000 members of the British security forces.

EU presidency proposes new weakening of EU car rules

Lithuania, holder of the EU presidency, has made a new proposal to weaken rules on how much carbon new cars can emit from 2020, in line with demands from Germany and its luxury manufacturers, EU diplomats said.

New cars stand on a field outside the Audi factory in Ingolstadt near Munich October 29, 2008

The proposal is stoking anger in Brussels, where Germany's negotiating tactics are regarded as heavy-handed.

The latest compromise would allow a phase-in of a 95 grams per kilometer (g/km) limit on auto carbon dioxide emissions until 2022 and increase the number of supercredits, a mechanism that gives companies more flexibility, the diplomats said.

Supercredits allow manufacturers that make very low emission vehicles, such as electric vehicles, to claim extra credit for them, so that they can continue to produce more heavily polluting vehicles as well.

A spokeswoman for Lithuania said the EU presidency was holding consultations on a possible compromise, which environment ministers had said should allow "limited additional flexibility".

A closed-door meeting is expected on Wednesday followed by talks with the European Parliament next week.

One diplomat predicted that an eventual deal could involve a two-year phase-in that would benefit all manufacturers across Europe, without the extra supercredits.

As irritation has mounted against Germany following months of intense lobbying, nations such as Italy and France will be reluctant to hand the competitive advantage of supercredits to Germany, the diplomats said.

German automakers have big plans for electric cars, such as BMW's i3 and fuel cell vehicles, while BMW and Daimler also continue to turn out a luxury fleet of high-performance, high-profit, fuel-intensive cars.

"I understand the need for Germany to protect its industry, but basically this is just the interests of two German companies, and the consequences are quite extreme," one diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

PRESSURE FROM THE TOP

Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken up the cause of the big German carmakers, declaring she was protecting German jobs, and persuaded other EU states to agree to tear up an agreement on 2020 emissions targets that was reached in June.

Once a political deal has been struck after months of EU negotiations, it is unheard of for member states to agree to start all over again.

States such as Denmark, Britain and Sweden said any new deal had to be agreed quickly and must maintain "environmental integrity".

EU diplomats and campaign groups said the latest proposal would be negative for the environment and for consumers who want to burn less fuel.

Researchers at British-based consultancy Cambridge Econometrics found that the European Union would save 70 billion euros ($94.9 billion) per year on oil imports if the 95 g/km target were implemented across its fleet.

Campaign group Transport & Environment said the new proposal, including all the supercredits, could effectively result in a four-year delay of the 2020 target. It called on EU member states and the European Parliament to reject it.

So far Europe has a 2015 CO2 limit of 130 g/km as an average across the EU fleet, a goal many manufacturers are already meeting or very close to doing so.

Can Merkel really be surprised the NSA spied on her?

When Angela Merkel was growing up in communist East Germany, she recalls her parents getting nervous whenever she talked for too long on the phone. "Hang up! The Stasi is listening and it's all being recorded," warned her mother, according to one biography.

A mobile phone simulating a call to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and computer with a series of numbers is seen in this multiple exposure picture illustration taken in Frankfurt October 28, 2013.

But somewhere along the line between her childhood behind the Iron Curtain and becoming chancellor of a united Germany, Merkel apparently lost her fear of eavesdropping.

She called Barack Obama last week to demand clarification of reports that the U.S. National Security Agency had monitored her mobile phone. But the protests ring hollow to those who have warned about omniscient U.S. eavesdropping.

Critics say Merkel is either naive or feigning surprise for her domestic audience.

"Frau Merkel has been listened to since she was a teenager," said Frederick Forsyth, the thriller writer and former Reuters correspondent in East Berlin. "The only thing that amazes me about the furor is that it amazes people.

"Anyone who's been aware of what's been going on the last 30 years would presume all electronic communications are being listened to by someone," he told Reuters.

Before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, East Germany's pervasive Stasi secret police had 2,000 spies and collaborators in West Berlin and West Germany - including a close aide to then chancellor Willy Brandt. It also ran a massive phone-tapping operation to spy on East Germans.

As a young woman in East Germany during the 1970s, Merkel, now 59, was herself approached by a Stasi agent, who tried to recruit her when she was applying for a university job. She turned him down, saying it was not something for her, she later told German television.

The skills of the Stasi's vast network of agents have not gone to waste in Merkel's Germany. Former Stasi cryptographers are now working with the German government, Der Spiegel magazine reported last month.

"SPYING AMONG FRIENDS"

After the eavesdropping scandal broke, Germany summoned the American ambassador for the first time in living memory, in the most serious breach between the two allies in a decade. "Spying among friends is not at all acceptable," said Merkel.

The public outcry has united Germans behind Merkel even though her position may be more of a domestic show than genuine outrage, in particular as she announced her call to Obama just as Spiegel was about to break the story.

In August, during the election campaign, Merkel and her ministers had first played down what they knew of the NSA's PRISM program after reports suggested U.S. spies tapped half a billion phone calls, emails and text messages in Germany in a typical month, and also bugged German offices and officials.

"Merkel is pretending to be surprised," said Christian Lammert, a political scientist at Berlin's Free University. "Privacy is a huge issue in Germany and she's got to do this otherwise she'd have a credibility problem."

Michael Desch, a University of Notre Dame expert on international security, suggested that Merkel, who often uses an unsecured cell phone that security experts warned could be tapped even by hobby hackers, was being disingenuous.

"Revelations that the United States spies not only on its enemies but also close allies such as ... Germany demonstrate the old truism that great powers have no permanent allies, just permanent interests," said Desch.

Some senior German officials take it for granted their calls and emails are monitored. "When you're a member of government, you have to assume it's happening - from all sides," outgoing Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler told Cicero magazine.

"AMERICANS CAUGHT"

For columnist Hajo Schumacher in the Berliner Morgenpost, "the only problem is that the Americans got caught".

Forsyth, whose best-selling novels include "The Day of the Jackal" and "The Odessa File", said the German intelligence agency, the BND, invests heavily in eavesdropping.

"What the hell does she think all those costs are for?" said Forsyth, who covered the Cold War from East Berlin in 1963-64. "Have they no idea what's going on in this world?"

Some Germans view the U.S. eavesdropping of Merkel as a betrayal by the country that did most to defend democratic West Germany from Soviet-backed communist during the Cold War. The issue has dominated German media for the last week.

German authorities have sent helicopters on low-altitude flights to inspect the roofs of the U.S. embassy in Berlin - about 800 meters from Merkel's office - and a U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, German media reported.

Yet the shock and outrage are remarkable considering the history of Berlin, which was split by the Wall until 1989 and was a hotbed of espionage by East and West, where spy exchanges took place on Glienicke Bridge. The United States used West Berlin as a listening post for Eastern Europe.

In August, Merkel said the government had asked internet providers if they had any indications Germans were being spied on. "They all denied it," the chancellor said, adding that she was certain that she herself was not being monitored.

German officials say U.S. intelligence has helped foil half a dozen terrorist plots here in the last decade while Forsyth said Washington might think it has cause to monitor a country where the September 11, 2001 attacks were planned.

"If you're going to use an unsecured cell phone, you're going to be listened to," said Forsyth, who does not use a computer or a cell phone. "The idea that listening to one's ally is something new is complete nonsense."

Push for immigration action targets House Republicans

U.S. businesses, religious leaders and other supporters of overhauling the nation's immigration laws mounted a massive lobbying push on Tuesday to urge a reluctant House of Representatives to tackle the issue before the end of the year.

Protesters calling for comprehensive immigration reform gather on the Washington Mall, October 8, 2013.

More than 600 people from 40 states planned to meet one-on-one with lawmakers to encourage the House to act soon on a top priority of labor groups, Latinos and businesses ranging from apple growers to software companies.

Measures aimed at dealing with the estimated 11 million people who are in the United States illegally have broad support among Democrats and many Republicans in Congress. But Republicans who control the House face resistance from some grassroots conservatives who object to giving millions of undocumented immigrants a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship, which those critics see as "amnesty."

The divisions between conservatives in the Tea Party movement and more pragmatic Republicans have been at the fore in recent weeks during a government shutdown that tarnished the party's public support.

As part of the new lobbying push on immigration, labor advocates planned to draw attention to their cause next month with a hunger strike by several activists on the National Mall.

"The time is now. We need to deliver a message of urgency," Margaret Mimms, the sheriff in Fresno County, California, told a crowd at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

The issue has attracted a broad coalition that stretches across the usual U.S. political fault lines.

Farmers and high-tech firms say they can't find enough qualified workers under the existing quota system for immigrants, while Latinos and liberal groups are pressing for legal status for millions who are in the United States without authorization. Business groups such as the U.S. Chamber and labor unions such as the AFL-CIO have set aside their usual differences to push for a broad overhaul of immigration laws.

"There's no way you can get 11 million people, drop them off, and have them come back. We feel strongly that there is an economy here in our country with no voice," said Fuad Reveiz, a former National Football League kicker who owns an insurance agency in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Reveiz, president of the East Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said he planned to meet with his congressman, Republican John Duncan. Duncan has said he is reluctant to support a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, a central element of a bill passed the Democratic-led Senate.

Advocates for new laws have seen 2013 as their best chance for change in more than a decade because Democratic President Barack Obama has made immigration a top priority and business and labor groups resolved differences that undercut an attempt in 2006.

The Senate passed its comprehensive immigration bill in June. The House had been widely expected to take up the issue this fall, but a budget dispute that led to a 16-day government shutdown early in October and the troubled rollout of Obama's signature health law have preoccupied Congress.

Time is running short for Congress to act this year. The House will be in session for only 18 more days in 2013, and many analysts say progress will be more difficult as the November 2014 congressional elections approach.

The ill will generated by the shutdown also has made action more difficult, many say.

"Immigration reform is ultimately a question of when, not if, but prior to the 2014 midterms now seems out of reach," Guggenheim Partners analyst Chris Krueger wrote recently.

THE REPUBLICAN DIVIDE

Democrats have united behind the effort, but Republicans face conflicting demands on the issue.

Party officials say that with an influx of Hispanics changing the nation's demographics in favor of Democratic-leaning voters, Republicans need to reach out to the Hispanic community to stay competitive in future elections. Republicans' business allies, meanwhile, say the current immigration system is holding back economic growth.

But many of the aging, overwhelmingly white voters who make up the Republican Party's base worry that a legalization plan for undocumented immigrants will drive down wages and make it more difficult for American workers to get jobs.

For many Republican lawmakers who represent solidly conservative districts, fears of a backlash may outweigh concerns about the party's national competitiveness.

To that end, advocates for new laws have amassed a coalition of local law enforcement, evangelical leaders and smaller companies - what they call "Bibles, Badges and Business" - to press their case. Some conservative interest groups, such as Americans for Tax Reform, have taken up the issue as well.

"This has become personal for us," said Barrett Duke, an official with the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant church in the United States. "We do need some hearts to be changed, and we do need God involved."

'KEEP PUSHING IT'

House Republican leaders have said they will not take up the plan that passed the Senate, which would provide millions of undocumented immigrants an opportunity to become citizens.

Instead, the House is likely to vote on a series of smaller bills. Advocates for new laws say they would be happy if the House could pass one or two of them before the end of the year.

That could allow the House and the Senate to resolve their differences and send a final bill to Obama to sign into law. Some key Republicans in the Senate, including Florida's Marco Rubio, now say they prefer that approach.

Fiscal issues could knock immigration off the agenda in January and February, as Congress will have to renew agreements to keep the government operating and extend its borrowing authority. Advocates worry that momentum for immigration changes will die if the House does not act by April.

"Part of our job is to keep pressing that timetable and keep pushing it up as much as you can," Randy Johnson, a top official with the U.S. Chamber, said in a conference call on Monday.

The upcoming 2014 election may make action more difficult, but some groups hope to use the election as a pressure point.

The Service Employees International Union plans to run television ads designed to pressure about 30 House Republicans who could be vulnerable in next year's elections because of the high number of immigrants in their district. They include California Representative Kevin McCarthy, the No. 3 Republican in the House, who represents the Bakersfield area.