The Nation Newspaper

Category: Business

  • AfDB, IITA to release early varieties to farmers in flooded states

    The African Development Bank (AfDB) agricultural-assisted programme is to partner with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to support farmers with early yields varieties in flood-affected states.

    The national Co-ordinator of AfDB Community-based agricultural and rural development programme, Dr Ibrahim Arabi gave this assurance in Yola.

    Arabi, who stated this after a meeting with the state government officials and affected farmers, said that the measure was to curtail imminent food crisis as a direct consequence of the floods. He said the effort was to intervene in the imminent food crisis in some flood affected states in the zone.

    “The bank has concluded arrangement with the management of IITA to urgently provide and release early yield varieties of maize, cowpea, rice among others to farmers in flood affected states to curtail the imminent food crisis,” Arabi said.

    He said that the short-time varieties to be provided were to replace the already submerged crops whenever the flood subsidised and was expected to be harvested within 60 days to 80 days this year.“Anytime from now, when the flood begin to subsidise, farmers should start planting the seeds because we still have two months or more of rain season in some parts of the country and that period would enable them grow the crops,” he said.

    Arabi, who is the Zonal Director, North-East, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that among the beneficiary states were Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kwara and Kaduna. He also said there was arrangement to extend the provision of the seeds to other affected states.The director expressed shock on the level of devastation caused by the flood, especially on farms and urged the federal and state governments to sit and find a lasting solution to the disaster.

  • Onne FTZ attracts N930b, says Aganga

    The Onne Free Trade Zone (FTZ) has attracted   N930 billion ($6billion) worth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) since inception in 1997, it was learnt yesterday.

    The Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, disclosed this yesterday at the 2012 Oil and Gas Trade and Investment Forum, in Onne, Rivers State.

    He also said that the Federal Government’s new visa policy, which allows foreign investors to get their visas at the point of entry, is currently operational.

    The Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone he said, is adjudged the single largest and fastest growing Free Zone in the world dedicated to the oil and gas industry.

    Acknowledging that globally, FTZs are known to have the largest job creation capacity, he said records have shown that every job in a Free Trade Zone creates two additional jobs through a multiplier process.

    Aganga stressed that the development of a viable Free Trade Zones was critical to the actualisation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda, adding that the Ministry of Trade and Investment was committed to making  the country’s FTZs the hub of trade and investment within Africa and globally.

    Aganga noted that the new visa policy was part of the Federal Government’s investment climate reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

  • Jonathan approves N600b for NPC projects

    President Goodluck Jonathan has approved a sum of N600 billion for developmental projects in the National Population Commission (NPC), within five years, NPC Chairman, Eze Festus Odimegwu said yesterday.

    Speaking in Abuja when he received in audience, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission, Mr. Ocaga Marti who led his team to the NPC, Odimegwu explained that the money will be raised from different sources.

    With the fund, government he said, is set to reposition the NPC for effective date gathering agency.

    A presidential committee on the development of the Central Demography Data, Odimegwu said has been set up under the chairmanship of the Vice President Namadi Sambo with the technical support of NPC.

    His words: “We have come up with a new vision to actually make sure that NPC becomes the centre of excellence for population data in Nigeria. So that we can lead that demography field for our national development and global competitiveness.

    “We have a mission to be the best population agency in Africa by 2017. Making sure we provide a better means for all users across board internally and externally.

  • Hustle, bustle of shopping for school items

    With a new academic session fast approaching, it is time to shop for school items.

    Buying such items at the beginning of a new academic session can be challenging for parents, particularly the busy ones.

    In a world where many children are struggling with academic overload and growing demands on their time, parents are expected to provide them with the materials to ease their learning.

    Parents can make the best use of this weekend to shop for their children’s’ needs.

    This is the period parents flood shops selling school items to buy things their children need for the new session.

    For prudent management of the funds available, parents should make a list of everything their wards need and work through it; they should tick off items as they buy them.

    Divide your list into two; one part for those items you need to purchase once in a session —schoolbags, scissors, textbooks, cardigan, shoes, uniform and others. The second part should have items that will be replenished during the school year, like notebooks, stationeries and other consumables.

    The list will also ensure you don’t buy more than you need or spend more then you have.

    It is proper for school supplies to be bought before resumption. It saves stress and money. Being ready when it counts matters.Avoid last-minute trips to the stores.

    Endeavour to shop with your children. It is interesting, fun and less stress for you. You are sure to get more comfortable items for them, because they will be opportuned to pick what they want and what suits them most.

    Like everything else, school items have fashion trends. Don’t let your child end up disappointed if all the latest designs are sold out before you get to the market.

    The Nation Shopping spoke to some parents while they were shopping at the Idumota Market, Lagos, during the week.

    Mrs Theresa Omokaro, a housewife, said “I am now doing the last set of shopping for items like stationery and shoes. It was easy getting all items since the prices are still reasonable. I have four children who go to school; I have been able to get uniforms for them. The only problem I have is the branded items such as Hannah Montana lunch box which my children like; it is more expensive. Aside that, I have got everything else.”

    Mrs Latifat Usman , also a housewife, said “I have three children in secondary school and I’m finding it very difficult because of the prices and I am a single parent. Since 2005, I have been taking care of my children on my own since I do not receive any help from their father. So, I have to walk so that I can find prices which will suit my pocket; I have to do lots of walking to find the right places to buy from too. Time is catching up with me since this is the last week of shopping so I have to try to get some bargains on the items I still have to buy for my children.”

    Mrs Elizabeth Otoide, another housewife, said: “I find this shopping harassing because I have to do much searching. However, I have managed to buy the majority of items needed for school. Now, all that is left are the smaller items which I am buying right now. The prices are reasonable, so, it makes it easier to pick up the necessary stuff for my two kids. I will finish my last minute shopping today,” she said.

    Don’t leave it too late to start shopping for essential items for a new term, particularly shoes and uniform. You might end up not getting your choice and the child’s size. Buy items that enhance the school year for students.

    Some school supplies are necessary year after year, no matter what class a child is in. When planning for a new school year, it is safe to invest in Colored pencils, Eraser, Graph paper, Hand sanitizer, Organizer/planner, Pocket dictionary, Public Library card, Scissors for boarding students, Markers, Paper clips, Pens/pencils, Pencil sharpener, Spiral notebook, Tissues, razor blade, etc.

    However, extra supplies will be necessary. Requirements differ from school to school and class to class.

     

    Shopping for school bags and lunch boxes

    When it is time to start a new school year, most kids want a new school bag and lunch box. Therefore, when shopping for a school bag, look for sustainable materials, like leather, wool,or cotton.

    Stainless steel water bottles

    Stainless steel water bottles keep your children free from plastic toxins. They also last a longer time, so these bottles can be used for more than one year. Kid Konserve stores situated in Lagos Island makes some great sustainable lunch kit, with complete recycled organic cotton napkins, cotton lunch bags, stainless steel food containers and drink bottles.

     

    Note books, pens and pencils

    You can purchase these items in bulk, which helps keep the cost down. Pencils and pens either come in wood or plastics. They are of different colours and designs. Each pack cost less than N500

     

    Uniform

    When purchasing school uniform, look for good cotton fabrics, they last longer. The manufacturing of clothing has become a chemical based process, so avoid these harmful chemicals by purchasing natural fabrics.

    Art supplies

    Crayons are one of the school supply staples for young children. Unfortunately, traditional crayons are used mostly in schools today, probably because they are cheaper. The penciled crayon are better but more expensive, they are also higher in quality. They produce a smoother and richer colour when used. When looking for earth friendly markers and highlighters, search for brands that are made of plastic. The Red apple school supply is a store where you can find a variety of earth-friendly art supplies also situated in Lagos Island.

  • Etisalat introduces Easywallet Mobile Money

    Etisalat Nigeria has launched easywallet mobile money service, a secure and user-friendly SIM Application for Mobile Money payments and transfers. Easywallet, which is offered in partnership with leading Nigerian banks including FirstBank, GTBank, Stanbic IBTC and Zenith, is a more convenient and secure platform which allows Etisalat customers’ easy access to their preferred mobile money scheme for conducting secure money transfers and payments.

    With easywallet, Etisalat aims to bring mobile money closer to the customer and drive the CBN’s cash-less policy by growing the use of mobile payments and making it easy to use.

    The launch of easywallet is a landmark in Nigeria and progress towards mobile money adoption, as it is the first fully secure Mobile Money SIM application offered to customers with the easywallet application installed on their SIM cards. This unique application supports multiple languages – English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba and works across all makes and models of phones, smartphones and even tablet devices.

    Speaking at the media launch held at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans, said the company’s strategy is to be a leader in providing its customer with cutting edge and secure channels for Mobile Financial Services.

    “Research has shown that mobile-banking and mobile-payments can help lower the transaction costs of money transfer, increase the flow of money by making it easier to send smaller amounts and introduce those without bank accounts to a means of secure financial management. By enabling people to use their mobile phones as mobile wallets, we hope to deliver lasting benefits not just for our customers, but also for the Nigerian economy.

    We believe the benefits of Etisalat easywallet to our customers will be immense and also has the potential to transform the way we handle and manage money in Nigeria. Mobile phones have already improved the African way of life in so many ways and it is exciting to think it now has the potential to replace notes and coins and give all of our customer’s access to world-class banking services”.

    Explaining the features of easywallet, Chief Commercial Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Wael Ammar said: “Easywallet allows users an easy and secure way to perform financial services using their mobile phones from any part of the country. This service works on all Etisalat SIM cards and customers are only required to register with any of the schemes in order to start using easywallet. Customers are not charged from their airtime for any transactions from the mobile money SIM menu.”

    Etisalat customers using the easywallet service are able to pay bills, pay for goods and services, receive and send money to friends and family, send and receive money to bank accounts, withdraw cash, top up their own airtime account or top up someone else’s and manage their bank accounts.

  • Choosing the right photo album

    Photographs preserve memories. So, we have to protect photographs to keep memories alive. The album comes in handy here.

    Photo albums have changed over time. They are purely purposeful picture binders’ for protecting and arranging photographs. They come in black, white, brown, blue, green, pink, natural and multi and are sold for between N2, 500 and N30, 000

    Some albums have plastic slots to insert pictures in while others have nylon or paper slot. There are cheap plastic mini-albums made by Walmart, or heavy leather albums from departmental shops around you.

    The time that passes never comes back. It is an absolute fact, but the presence of photo albums makes the statement partially true. Whenever you visit a place or attend an important occasion, you capture the precious moments with your camera to keep it with you forever. A photo frame or album acts as the best medium through which an individual gets an opportunity to look at his past and relive the moments once again. From childhood to old age, an album is a partner of the individuals throughout life.

    Other types of albums available are; John Jewis, Deva, Kolarz, Artfile, Caroline gardner, Emma Bridgewater, Hello kitty, Aspinal of London, Jan Constantine, Sanderson slip-in photo album, Metropolis suedethe which is 6 by 4 long in size among others

    The saffron diamond heart wedding photo album as its name implies is exclusively a wedding album. It is made with an ivory fabric and it is a thoughtful and long lasting way to celebrate a special day. It is presented in a white box to keep it safe for years to come. It is a lovely gift to give to any newly wedded couple.

    A newly wedded couple, Mr and Mrs. Christopher Okafor were presented the saffron diamond heart wedding photo album at their wedding last weekend, and they have this to say: “I and my wife were given one of the saffron diamond heart wedding photo album as a wedding gift. It is romantic and perfect for us. It is modern too; we don’t like old fashioned and traditional looking albums. I would recommend this album for all newly wedded couple. It is good value for money”

    No matter how small an album is, it can hold as many photographs as possible depending on its size. Do remember to insert photographs as you get them.

    You could recognise each of your photo albums by labeling different titles to them, they should be labeled from the outside in these manners; baby album, toddler album, travel album, family get-togethers, landscapes, cityscapes, candid shots, pet album, Christmas/Holidays album, wedding album, grandchildren’s album, retirement album, etc it’s all about being creative.

    A very creative medium is a series of photographs that tell a story, an album can contain different kinds of photographs and can be labeled as general album. You could also have a theme while going through a pile of old pictures.

    Where you place your albums determines whether it will last long or not. They can be placed on bookshelves, or inside the living room. They can also be displayed proudly on coffee tables. You could use antique pie cabinet to store yours if you like.

    However, the best place for your albums to live is where you spend your social time. Albums in kept in a concealed place can get heat damage .It is best to keep these irreplaceable momentous of your life in your own special area, where you can reach it when you need it.

    In preparing to organise a photo album, gather all photographs into one collection. This doesn’t mean they should be arranged in one book. It means that you should find all loose photos from their various locations around the house and keep them in one central area. Add new ones to this same collection site, whether it is a stack of photo boxes or one large container. Be sure that the container’s substance will not cause the photos to fade or wear in any way. Keeping the pictures in one way will make it easy to find them when you’re ready to organize an album.

    The next thing to do is to select a suitable album. Choose one that will fit with your home’s decor if you like or one with a cover that you simply find attractive. Make sure the plastic photo sleeves will accommodate the size of photo prints that you have. In fact, you may have prints of various sizes, so you may need several different sizes of photo albums. Coordinate their covers or keep them distinct to help interested family members find the set they’re looking for by the album’s cover design or by their labels.

    Arrange the photos in a specific pattern. For many families, chronological order works nicely. That way, you can literally watch the development of a loved one over several years of time. With the person, you can observe changes in styles, trends, fashions, and modes with regards to homes, clothes, automobiles, and other photo props. Or you may decide to arrange your photos by family grouping. In other words, one album can be devoted to your immediate family’s pictures. Another may contain pictures of your more distant relatives, such as uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Then you may want to create another photo gallery for your co-workers, neighbours, friends, and special relationships.

    Have the habit of giving a photo album gift. Family members who don’t collect pictures or who may not have a camera will appreciate a small, hand-held photo album of precious memories they may have forgotten.

    Pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. Start “writing” your family autobiography today through the collection and organisation of priceless photographs that will tell your family’s story for generations to come.

    There are times when your loved ones are not with you but still you get a chance to see them and feel their presence with the help of photo albums. One of the most memorable moments in an individual’s life is the birth of his child. When a baby is born, the ambience is completely filled with joy. Capturing such a moment is a lifetime memory and hence preserving it carefully is the most important thing. Buying birthday photo albums for preserving the memories related to your first parenthood experience would really be a great decision. In addition to albums for birthdays, Christening photo albums are also available for the infants.

    The birthday photo albums for children, as the name implies, are meant for preserving the memories related to the birthday celebrations of children. With the passage of time, you capture their ‘first-times’, which is one of the most significant phases of the parent’s life. Starting from day one to date, you can record each and every moments related to the birthday celebrations of your child.

    After the birth of the child and before his consecutive birthdays, comes his Christening event. Christening is an occasion when a child is assigned his name which constitutes his unique identity for later stages. To protect the moments of this occasion from getting damaged, a separate category of albums is available that is known as christening albums. The christening photo albums have come in varied designs with simple and sober cover pages that enhance their beauty to a great extent. The cover pages may also contain some sentimental messages specifying the importance of the occasion. However, not only the outer cover, but the inner meaning of the messages engraved within the Christening photo albums is also significant to look for while selecting an album for the purpose.

    Protecting the photographs within birthday photo albums does not only give the parents a chance to remember their loved ones who are not there with them, but they also help the infants go through the moments when they grow up. And this serves to be the most important benefit of preserving the memories of the past times within the birthday or christening photo albums. Just buying an album and putting the photos in a scattered way is not a good way. To keep it protected in a real sense, you should arrange the photographs in a sequence so that the children could cherish and remember those moments accordingly.

  • Nokia unveils Asha Smart phones

    Global phone manufacturer, Nokia has launched in Nigeria, a new range of Asha smartphones to further expand its successful Asha family.

    There are 10 Asha devices available in more than 130 markets, providing young, social consumers with a choice of phones to match their lifestyles.

    Speaking at the launch of the new range, Mr Kesiena Ogbemi, Campaign Marketing Manager, said the two new phones; Nokia Asha 305 and 311 are full-touch devices designed to provide an incredibly rich, smartphone-like experience to consumers who want to be set free from excessive data consumption costs and short battery life.

    While the Nokia Asha 305 is a fun and affordable phone, featuring the exclusive Easy Swap dual SIM, Nokia Asha 311 is a fast and fluid 3.5G capacitive touchscreen device, powered by a 1GHz processor to provide a great internet experience. Both devices offer a new, fully re-designed touch user interface, combining the proven ease-of-use from Nokia’s heritage with digital design innovations specifically fit for the purpose.

    “By introducing the Nokia Asha 305 and 311 Touch phones to the Nigerian market, we’re accelerating our commitment to connect the next billion consumers. These phones deliver on what young, urban people value most — a great-looking device; and an intuitive and affordable experience for connecting through the internet, to their friends and to a world of entertainment, web apps and content.” said Olajide Adeyemi, Retail Marketing Manager, Nokia West- Africa.

    Adeyemi said buyers of Nokia Asha 305 and 311 will be qualified for an amazing 30-day promo, starting from September 18. Every day of the promo, consumers who send the IMEI numbers on the pack of their purchased phones to 20050 will stand the chance of winning any of these; a trip to Dubai, Children’s school fees support, Lagos Business School short course, a sofa set, Airtime for six months, movie pass for two people for a year, a shopping voucher at Shoprite or Twice as Nice, a Nokia Lumia 9000, a Nokia 808 PureView, six months weekly voucher, a 6kva generator, a luxury watch, a DSTV PVR and one year subscription, an inverter, a High Definition TV, a five burner gas cooker, a refrigerator, a weekend stay at an Upscale hotel, a laptop, a home theatre system, a microwave oven or luxury Swarovski earrings amongst others.

  • Experts caution food manufacturers on use of preservatives

    Food exporters should seek enlightenment on proper use of preservatives to prevent their products from being rejected abroad because of the use of tainted ingredients, a don, Prof Tola Atinmo has said.

    Atinmo, the President Federation of African Nutrition Societies (FANUS), said food producers should use only the best quality of raw materials.

    Atinmo,a professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, University of Ibadan, said more enlightenment was needed on management of compounds causing taints and off-flavours in food.

    Many food products have failed to make foreign markets for not complying with higher standards of food safety.

    Immediate President of the Mycotoxicology Society of Nigeria, Dr. Olusegun Atanda said ensuring food safety is crucial, if the agriculture sector wished to expand export trade.

    A lecturer in the Department of Bio-Sciences and Bio-Technology, Babcock University, Prof Dele Fapohunda, said since the major difficulties facing food export businesses relate to the quality of products, adding that the government should ensure businesses strictly implement international standards, to avoid having their products seized.

    He urged the government to strengthen the agric commodities and food exports inspection system to ensure that what is taken out meet international standards. He said consistent rules for the industry will make food export safe.

  • Agro business opportunities in Kaduna

    Agriculture accounts for an estimated 56 per cent of Kaduna’s Gross Domestic product (GDP) and employs approximately four million people. Kaduna produces 22 per cent of the country’s maize, 69 per cent of soya bean, 36 per cent of cotton and 10 per cent of ground nuts (peanuts) and the state trades’ agricultural produce to neighbouring states. The sector is dominated by wet season planting and an irrigated dry season planting. Most farmers currently produce cereal crops such as maize, sorghum, millet and rice during the rainy season. Cereal crops are exported to surrounding states and are an important source of cash. Kaduna is one of the largest producers of rice in Nigeria and it exports substantial quantities to other Nigerian states and other neighbouring African countries. The state is also an important producer of fruits and vegetables. The government of Kaduna State has laudable polices geared towards intense agricultural activities ostensibly as a means for reducing the level of youth unemployment, giving impetus to the factors that bring rapid socio-economic transformation and the provision of strong base for the take-off of industrial revolution.

    Governor Patrick Yakowa is committed to addressing the relative lack of investment in agriculture by reactivating the extension services to open more opportunities to the teeming unemployed youth and the farmers locked in medieval agricultural practice. This is aimed at stimulating growth. Since the inception of the administration, both the peasant and the medium scale farmers have been the major focus of the Kaduna State Agricultural Development Project(KADP). Some of the yearly activities being pursued vigorously by the KADP, include sales and supply of agricultural inputs such as seeds, irrigation pumps, knapsack sprayers and agricultural chemicals at government approved subsidy of between 40 and 60 per cent to support the farmers. To ensure good quality seeds, the state government in collaboration with the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) and Agricultural Seeds Council, sells improved varieties of seeds during the planting season. Fadama III Project, a World Bank Assisted Project is being implemented in Kaduna in collaboration with the Federal Government in all the 23 local government areas. The development objective of the Fadama III Project is to increase the incomes of users of rural land and water resources on a sustainable basis. The state government is committing N45 million yearly while the 23 LGAs pays N2 million each to ensure effective implementation of the project in the state. Significant achievements have been made in the area of improvement of rural infrastructure, which includes construction of eight Fadama roads of over 30 kilometres and 100 market stalls as demanded by the project beneficiaries. The government is prosecuting its mandate of achieving incremental food and cash crop production through rain-fed and dry season agriculture, as well as livestock, fisheries and honey production, which has undoubtedly increased the farmers lot and improved the their overall standard of living. To this end, the state government has called on investors and entrepreneurs to take advantage of the agro business opportunities that abound and the business climate to come and invest. Concerted efforts have also been made to boost infrastructural facilities.

  • Is this house safe?

    No. There is no safe house. No house, no matter how protected, is safe. Every house, even Aso Rock or the White House, is vulnerable to internal and external attacks. External attack is not as deadly as internal attack. That is because the defense mechanisms within a house could withstand and stave-off the firepower of external aggression to the extent that the attackers could surrender, lay down their arms and take to their heels.

    On the other hand, internal attack is the most vicious. Why? If there is no hatred, haggling and hassling within the file and rank of a household, external force cannot penetrate. In other words, if there were sound unity within the walls of a family, such a family would be indivisible. However, if a kingdom rises against its king, such a kingdom would collapse quickly than sand castle. If a wife joins hands with her children and in-laws against her husband, he would lose. If there are dissenting voices in a church with evil intent,peace cannot reign. If a company board turns the boardroom into a war-room there would be an implosion.

    That is because in a household, a kingdom or a marriage, there are deep-seated feelings, shared secrets and happy moments. When members of the community are united, there would be unguarded moments; moments when the parties are relaxed, reclined, and released. Usually, that is when the enemy within strikes. Aside, the mere fact that the culprit understands workings of the ‘house’ like the back of his hands makes the household an easy prey.

    This was the story of ‘Safe House,’ a movie starring Ryan Reynolds (a CIA rookie overseeing a Safe House in Cape Town, South Africa) and Denzel Washington (CIA’s most wanted rogue agent). In the movie, Washington was captured and driven to a Safe House: a house known to a privileged few and is safe from external aggressions; or so the CIA thought. However, mercenaries who needed Washington struck and overtook the Safe House. Bruised and battered, Reynolds and Washington managed to escape.

    To be at peace, they need to do two things quickly: Stay out of the gunmen’s sight. Find another Safe House. Did they succeed? Yes, they found another Safe House. However, no, they could not stay out of the gunmen’s sight. Why? Washington, an international criminal, had files from renegade MI6 agent. The CIA wanted the files because the content could incriminate a top-level officer.Therefore, the files must be retrieved. The custodian of the files killed. That is why mercenaries were after Washington.

    To lure him closer, the bigwig in the CIA created a semblance of security around him by asking Reynolds to take him to another Safe House. Reynolds did not know what was at stake. Washington knew. Meanwhile, the bigwig inside CIA controlled every move, every attack, and every gun-duel. The big wig was fighting from within. He was the insider enemy. He collaborated with external power to attack the CIA and turned the Safe House into an abattoir. When the Safe House was attacked again, Reynolds found himself on the run with Washington in tow.

    They were running from enemy within and the mercenaries. As Washington told Reynolds in Safe House, “no one is safe.”Exact picture was painted in the US Consulate in Benghazi (Libya) recently where several American citizens and Ambassador Christopher Stevens were killed when gunmen attacked a Safe House. The attackers were protesting against a movie, which depicts Prophet Muhammad in bad light. The concern here is how did gunmen know about the location of that Safe House in Benghazi?

    Definitely, there are enemies within the US Consulate working with the mob. Otherwise, it is usually near impossible for an outsider to have information about the location and security apparatus in place in an environment designed as a secure location. For, after the US officials had evacuated the Consulate by Libyan security forces, another wave of attacks were launched against US officials who had already been moved to a supposedly secure location.

    Just as investigators said in a recent report, the attack was “calculated and organised”. Meaning, the mob had prior, privileged information, someone working in the Consulate with links with the mob spilled the bean. That is what makes an enemy within deadly. It strikes any time, when you are relaxed, reclined and released. That is what makes Boko Haram deadly too. It is an enemy within and without. It has links with some insiders. That is why Boko Haram attacks are usually “well planned.”

    Boko Haram has attacked newspaper houses, churches, mosques, Police formation and other places in the country. However, the recent attack on telecommunications installations in the northern part of the country is further pointer that there is an enemy within. The implication of the attack is to severe communication flow, make it impossible for people and security operatives to dialogue, and thus paralyse activities in that region. Knowing the importance of telecommunication, the act of destroying the installations is targeted at the nation. Such thinking and action may not be too sophisticated for the sect to conceive and execute.

    Nevertheless, it is an insider’s job. Someone or group on the inside is aiding the sect to perpetrate violent acts on the outside.In that light, Nigeria could be likened to a house and Boko Haram as the external aggression with help from the inside. As long as the collaborator within is uncovered, this house is not safe. Once our house is not safe, we, the occupants have no respite. As such, the insiders [who benefits from the acts of terrorism undertaken by Boko Haram] need to be over-powered. That is when the Boko Haram sect, its mindless act of maiming and killing would be forgotten like vapour.

    In Safe House, Reynolds and Washington were running from the mercenaries, from gunmen.We all might as well start runningnow. If I cannot make a call to friends and family in the north and they too cannot reach me, are we not back to the dark days? MTN, Airtel, Glo and Etisalat have invested heavily to ensure telecommunication is as seamless as possible.

    Quality of service may not be as perfect, tariff may not be as friendly, but we can comfortably make local and international calls from our bedrooms. What does Boko Haram sect have in mind by bombing the telecommunication installations? Does it want to make it impossible for you and me to communicate; or, it would rather return the nation to the dark pre-NITEL days?

    Whatever is its agenda, we need to resist Boko Haram. The security operatives should re-strategise with the view to burying Boko Haram. If it cannot be buried, curtail it. If it cannot be curtailed, I do not know what else to do.

    However, this I know: we need a hero, a hero to demystify Boko Haram, a hero to kill the wolf in sheep clothing in our barn, a hero to arrest the enemy within, and a hero to stop the blood-sucking god that is Boko Haram. That is what Reynolds did in Safe House. That is what our hero needs to do to make this house safe for you and me.