Daily times e-Newspaper issue 9

Curbing Oil Theft Through Modular Refineries P10

Sperm Banking/ Egg Freezing: An P14 Insurance Baby Zone

DAILTY TIMES SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014

Ebola, Isis Tops UN General Assembly Agenda

FG’s Integrated Infrastructural Master Plan Will Spur The

Diabetes Is 7th Leading Cause Of Death

VOL. 1, NO 9

Ankara: King of All Fabrics!

London to Host Euro 2020 Finals

APC May Not Live Beyond 2015 –PDP T

P7

By Funmi Salome Johnson here are allegations that PDP in Kwara state is divided. What is your reaction to

Arsenal Targets Yobo

P 16

The Scottish Question

P 28

I Will Sue Air France –Lami

P 19

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SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

news

Group Mourns Yemi Afolayan

By Funmi Salome Johnson

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risun Igbomina a socio cultural group of people of Kwara has described the death of the All Progressive Congress APC scribe, Hon .Yemi Afolayan as an immeasurable loss to the people of Kwara south and the state though avoidable.

The president of the group chief Gbenga Awoyale who stated this shortly after the burial of the late scribe said that Afolayan was an astute and grass root politician who contributed immensely to the growth of PDP, his community and the country at large.

He recalled that “Prince Afolayan was a political Adviser to Governor Bukola Saraki, a member Kwara state House of Assembly, former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Kwara state and Secretary APC contributed immensely to good governance, peace and tranquility in the state.

Awoyale who noted that despite Afolayan being an acolyte of the Sarakis’, it was rather unfortunate that neither Senator Bukola Saraki nor the state Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed deemed it fit to visit the late Afolayan when he was sick for close to three weeks.

In his words, “how on earth would Bukola and Ahmed

abandoned Afolayan while he needed their assistance most, adding that to send Afolayan to an Indian hospital for treatment won’t be much because he was a committed loyalist of the Sarakis rather they went on partying and distributing customised electrical gadgets to their supporters while this is not enough, Gov Ahmed led another team to London for a birthday party of the former first lady as if they were doing bazaar. “ Bukola Saraki nor Gov. Ahmed could have earmarked just N2 million to fly him abroad for treatment rather the duo were busy dancing at the birthday bash of the former first lady while one of their core loyalist was reel-

ing in pains a stone throne to their houses, noting that if it were to be Baba Saraki he would have visited his house no matter how busy he was”, Awoyale disclosed.

The Orisun chief said it was Afolyan’s closeness to the Saraki dynasty that earned him the chairmanship slot of the old Irepodun but for three times Bukola was in town during the three weeks Afolayan was sick; he did not dim it fit to visit the ailing APC scribe.

“I have said it severally that Bukola can never be compared with his late Father because the father was a caring and accommodating leader of the people. On more than three occasions late Olusola Saraki despite

his age travelled to Inishan, Oko in Irepodun council area to visit or mend fences for late Afolayan; he was the one who handed Afolayan to Bukola Saraki that he was a loyal and reliable person that Bukola should bank upon, but to Bukola is too arrogant and full of himself.”

He warned those following Bukola to be weary of him as he is still likely to meet out the same treatment to them.

He said Afolayan will be greatly missed by the group because he was a founding member of the group and the first meeting was held in his office. He however prayed God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

PDP Consensus Presidential Candidate: Obuh Congratulates Jonathan

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ront running Gubernatorial Aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, Sir Anthony Chuks Obuh, has congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan over his recent adoption by the national structure of the party as PDP consensus presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections.

He said the decision of the party is the best thing that has happened to the nation’s advancement in entrenching and consolidating good governance and constitutional democracy.

He also urged Nigerians to take advantage of the adoption of Mr. President by voting massively for him so as to ensure the continuity of the lofty socio-economic policy objectives of the transformation agenda which has yielded inestimable economic growth and infrastructural developments across the country.

Sir Obuh in a statement released Sunday, enumerated some of the achievements of president Jonathan to include; the gigantic electricity projects and the liberalization of the power sector which has improved power supply across the country, the construction and establishment of several Al-Majari schools in the North, construction and rehabilitation of federal trunk ‘A’ roads across the six geopolitical zones.

The Delta PDP principal gubernatorial aspirant who was recently endorsed by the

PDP Delta Central Leader, Chief Ighoyota Amori and the people of Delta Central as their consensus candidate for the 2015 governorship elections, further posited that he will emulate the result oriented leadership style of President Goodluck Jonathan, which is essentially anchored

on humility, equity, justice, hard work and good conscience, pointing out that his thirty two years of service to the good people of Delta State as a civil servant exposed him greatly into the inner workings of government and governance.

He said the experience

gained overtime will be deployed in ensuring that the three senatorial districts in the State are developed in accordance with the needs and aspirations of Deltans.

He further described President Jonathan as a highly detribalized, quintessential politician and patriotic leader who

has demonstrated uncommon zeal and proactive leadership strength, adding that he deserved to be re-elected in 2015 so as to improve upon the gains so far recorded in the past years of his progressive and all inclusive government of unity, love and socioeconomic advancement.

2015: Groundswell As Balewa’s Son Vows To Challenge Jonathan

By Lara Adejoro

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he son of Nigeria’s First Republic Prime Minister, Dr. Abdul Jhalil Tafawa Balewa weekend said he would contest the 2015 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement released by the Chairman, Tafawa Balewa Campaign, Lagos, Mr Taiwo

Alao and made available to Daily Times, Dr Balewa condemned plot by the leadership of the party to demoralize other presidential aspirants.

He said, “I am not intimidated by the decision of the PDP governors and the party to support the second term aspiration of President Goodluck Jonathan”.

“What type of democracy do we have? Is the PDP a communist party? Where is

the place of internal democracy?”

He said the greater majority of Nigerians had been yearning for a leadership capable of fulfilling their high expectations and aspirations.

“What Nigerians need and where they want the country to be in future are paramount issues. We need to put our ideas before the people and allow them to decide”.

Promising to make Nige-

ria an industrialized country, Balewa said his administration would ensure zero unemployment, better education, maximum security and increased power supply, “Nigeria needs to move from Third World to First world” he said.

On financial muscle to withstand the pressure of a presidential contest, Balewa insisted that good Nigerians would support him fully.

Schools Resumes For New Academic Session in Ondo By ‘Tosin Ajuwon, Akure

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n line with the Federal Government directive, all public and private schools in Ondo State today resumed for the 2014/2015 academic session and activities.

Already, the state government has provided necessary steps to address the current challenges resulting from the fear of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, and for the safe landing of pupils and students in their respective schools.

On Friday, the Ministry of Health and Education in the state had an enlightenment and sensitization programme for Principals and the Head teachers of schools across the three senatorial districts of the state.

At the programme, they were given opportunity to ask questions on ways of curtailing the spread of the virulent disease in their schools.

Experts, invited from outside the state also took the teachers through various rudiments of hand washing and personal hygiene.

Addressing journalists after the programme, the State Commissioner of Education, Mr. Jide Adejuyigbe said all schools in the state have been equipped with necessary measures to curtail the spread of the disease.

Adejuyigbe added “It is not the equipment you have but the knowledge inside to do the right thing at the right time to combat the Ebola Virus Disease.

“Normal hygiene is important at every interval by washing our hands always with soap. The equipment is not detecting Ebola but just suspecting persons with high temperature.

“We have such ready for all the schools in the state and we are providing two minimums of the buckets for the schools both public and private schools”.

Also the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, through its chairman, Mr. Ojo Fanimokun said “NUT didn’t say, we should close schools indefinitely but said government should try as much as possible to provide gadgets before resumption.

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22 -28 2014

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news

Ebola, Isis Tops UN General Assembly Agenda

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orld leaders gather in New York this week to tackle a host of crises: the violence Islamic State militants are wreaking in Iraq and Syria, the exponential spread of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa and deadlocked negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

There is little hope the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly will achieve much in the annual five-day marathon of speeches. But on the sidelines, U.S. officials plan

to lobby allies for pledges of concrete military assistance to help defeat Islamic State, whose hardline Sunni Islamist fighters have taken over swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said more than 140 heads of state or government will attend the assembly’s annual “general debate”, which begins on Wednesday and ends Sept. 30. He noted an unusually large number of serious conflicts: in the Middle East, Africa and Ukraine.

“The world is facing multi-

ple crises,” Ban told reporters.

“All have featured atrocious attacks on civilians, including children,” he said. “All have dangerous sectarian, ethnic or tribal dimensions. And many have seen sharp divisions within the international community itself over the response.”

U.N. officials and delegates say the top issue for Western and Arab leaders is the rampage of Islamic State militants, who are blamed for a wave of sectarian violence,

beheadings and massacres of civilians.

“Together, we will address the horrendous violence in Syria and Iraq, where conflict and governance failures have provided a breeding ground for extremist groups,” Ban said.

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to use the U.N. podium on Wednesday to call for more countries to join his coalition of more than 40 nations to prevent IS from expanding its territory.

The United States has been bombing IS targets in Iraq for the past month but has yet to bomb Syria.

The White House said it was unlikely that Obama would meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani while both are in New York this week.

But Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at which they are expected to discuss Iran’s atomic program and IS. On Friday, Kerry told a spe-

IDPs Reject Relief Materials

By APC In Adamawa

Group Rejects El-Rufai’s Governorship Ambition

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pressure group under the auspices of Kaduna Patriotic Youths for Development (KYPD) has berated former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufa’i over his plan to contest the 2015 gubernatorial election in Kaduna State.

The group warned citizens of the state from voting ElRufai describing him as an accidental politician who doesn’t have respect for humanity.

This was contained in a statement by the group signed by its National Coordinator, Mr. Danladi Husseini Abubakar and General Secretary, Ishaku Kefas Irimiya made available to newsmen in the state yesterday.

The group described the former minister’s recent comments against CAN’s president as a direct attack on all Christians in the country as well as the Church of God. “Kaduna people must be wary of this accidental politi-

cian, who has no respect for human dignity. We fear for the people and we want them to reject El-Rufai and halt his inordinate political ambition even before the primary election of his party. It is clear that his arrogance has not left him and he certainly plans to unleash another regime of tyranny on the people,” the group said.

KYPD said as a state with diverse ethnic and religious groups, the former minister has already lost the support of Kaduna people, through his regular accusations of the CAN leadership.

The group calls on the former minister to retract all his negative comments and should desist from using abusive words against the leadership of CAN in future.

“We also call on the leadership of CAN and indeed all Christians in Nigeria to ignore El-Rufai. His noise is mere show of desperation from a man lacking direction while lost in the wilderness.”

cial meeting of the Security Council that Iran could play a role in helping tackle IS, an apparent shift in the U.S. position. Both Iran and the United States have ruled out military cooperation.

In addition to speeches by Obama, Rouhani and other high-profile leaders, other important attendees making their U.N. General Assembly debut this week include Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

I Boko Haram: ‘Shekau’ Killed, 5 Others Surrender – DHQ

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efencce Headquarters on Sunday said they might have scored a strategic victory in the current battle against the Boko Haram terrorists operating in the North East.

According to senior military and intelligence sources, “It is getting more certain that, on September 17, during a desperate attempt to capture

Konduga, in Borno state, in the insurgents’ delusion to eventually marching on and capture Maiduguri, terrorists’ commander who had been mimicking the late Abubakar Shekau in recent videos might have been finally killed”, it stated.

The security sources said the suspected demise of the Boko Haram leader is responsible for the scattering of the sect members in different

independent locations in the neighbouring countries, especially in Cameroon noticed in recent days.

The sources cautioned that “the process of confirming that the dead body we have is the same as that character who has been posing as Shekau is on-going. He is definitely a prominent terrorist commander. I don’t want to say anything about this yet please.”

nternally Displaced Persons (IDPs from Madagali, Gulak, Michika and Bazza local government areas of Adamawa State have rejected relief materials donated to them by Adamawa State chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Binta Garba Masi.

The IDPs said what they needed at this time was peace enterprise for them to return to their homes and continue with their major preoccupation which was farming.

Hon. Masi was accompanied by members of the state exco of the party to Ribadu Square, the venue of the distribution of the relief materials.

The displaced persons maintained that no amount of food or relief materials would solve their problem, unless something urgent was done to enable them go back to their ancestral homes.

“All we need is peace not assistance with relief materials,” the aggrieved IDP’s told Masi.

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

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world news

Rebel Group and Political Party in Yemen Sign Ceasefire

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he government in Yemen have announced on Sunday that the president, rebel group and political party have signed a ceasefire.

“The document calls for an immediate ceasefire and end-

ing all forms of violence,” the written statement said. “It also calls for the formation of a technocratic national government, which will work to enhance government transparency, implement economic reforms, in addition to continuing

military and security reforms.”

The U.N.-brokered deal will end a month of tense protests

by Houthis that essentially halted life in the Yemeni capital and resulted in hundreds of people being killed or injured.

The death toll over the last

week in Sanaa exceeds 150, a senior Defense Ministry official said. Over the past 24 hours, at least 35 people have been killed, the majority of whom were government troops or Sanaa civilians.

The official said at least 900

Sanaa.

The Interior Ministry ordered troops not to clash with Houthi militants. A senior Interior Ministry official explained that the government wanted no bloodshed, to ensure that the Houthis would sign the deal.

Ghani Elected New President of Afghanistan

Afghan Military kills Militants in Clashes

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n the latest attack on militants in Afghanistan, least 51 Taliban militants have been killed by military operations across the country since Saturday, the country’s interior ministry said Sunday.

“Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) carried out cleanup operations in Kandahar, Zabul, Logar, Ghazni and Helmand provinces over the past 24 hours.

As a result, 51 armed Taliban members were killed, 32 wounded and five others were arrested by the ANSF,” Xinhua quoted a ministry statement as saying.

The security forces also confiscated light and heavy rounds ammunition, the statement said. However, the casualties on the side of security forces are not known.

Furthermore, the Afghan police detained four armed militants in northern Kunduz province after they tried to attack a security checkpoint, a provincial police spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Taliban, who have been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, in its counter-claim rejected the ministry’s statement.

Afghan security forces took the full operational lead from NATO-led troops in June last year.

The war-torn country is due to take over the responsibility for its own security from foreign troops by the end of 2014.

More than 41,000-strong NATO-led foreign troops, down from the peak of 130,000 in 2010, are currently deployed in Afghanistan.

people were injured over the past week.

Protests in Yemen turn de On Sunday, hours before the sides agreed on the ceasefire, Houthi gunmen seized strategic military positions, including the Defense Ministry in

Chinese Destroyers Arrive Iran’s Port

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n a bid to better the ties between the two countries, Chinese destroyers have arrived at Iran’s port of Bandar Abbas, Iranian media reported Sunday.

The four-day visit is the first time a Chinese naval vessel has called at a port in the Islamic republic, across the Gulf from Bahrain where the US Fifth Fleet is based.

The two navies will conduct joint search and rescue exercises and training for

maritime accidents, according to Admiral Hossein Azad, a senior commander of the Iranian navy, quoted by media.

Iran’s navy has boosted its international presence over the past few years, in particular to help guard commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden against pirate attacks.

Ships from Iran’s navy have called at Chinese ports in the past.

Iran and China have greatly enhanced their trade and economic relations in recent

years.

China has become Iran’s largest trading partner.

Trade between them is this year expected to exceed $45 billion, despite the economic and banking sanctions against Iran because of its controversial nuclear programme.

China is among so-called P5+1 states (the United States, Russia, China, France, UK and Germany) negotiating with Tehran in the hope of ending more than a decade of crisis over the nuclear issue.

shraf Ghani Ahmadzai has been elected President of Afghanistan, and his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, is CEO, Afghanistan Independent Elections Commission chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nooristani announced in a news conference in Kabul on Sunday.

Nooristani didn’t disclose the percentage of their votes from the June runoff election.

He also didn’t take any questions from journalists.

Ghani and Abdullah signed a power-sharing agreement earlier Sunday after months of infighting over allegations of voting fraud and manipulation.

The U.S. State Department congratulated both candidates, as well as the people of Afghanistan, “who courageously went to the polls to vote on April 5 and again on June 14, defying Taliban threats to exercise their right to vote and to take their part in advancing democracy in Afghanistan,” according to a statement.

The statement also recognized incumbent President Hamid Karzai for 13 years of “strong leadership.”

The lengthy dispute between Ghani and Abdullah had put off the selection of a successor to Karzai and raised fears of increased instability in the fragile, war-torn country.

But the two rivals embraced after signing a deal for a national unity government in a televised ceremony in the capital, Kabul, on Sunday.

Under the agreement, Ghani will create by decree the position of chief executive officer for the runner-up.

The CEO role will have prime ministerial functions until the constitution can be amended to create a permanent position of prime minister.

The deal also calls for the two candidates’ teams to share senior government positions equally between them.

The political impasse in Afghanistan this year had come as the Taliban continued to mount deadly attacks on highprofile targets and fought fiercely for control of important areas.

As the U.S.-led war effort against the militants winds down, most NATO troops are due to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of this year.

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22 -28 2014

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africa news

Kenyatta Reaffirms Kenya’s Fight Against Islamists

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Bomb kills Two Policemen in Egypt

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bomb blast has killed two policemen and injured so many others near Egypt’s foreign ministry on Sunday, the Interior Ministry said, in the most serious attack in Cairo in almost three months.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack which killed two police lieutenant colonels. But the operation resembled ones carried out by Islamist insurgents seeking to topple the U.S.-

backed government.

Egypt has faced rising Islamist militant violence since the army deposed President Mohamed Mursi last year and cracked down on his Muslim Brotherhood movement.

The challenge has become more complex since Islamic State militants seized parts of Iraq and Syria in June and declared a caliphate, inspiring other militant groups including some based along Egypt’s border with chaotic Libya.

Islamic State established

ties with Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis and has been coaching Egypt’s most lethal militant organisation, security officials and a commander in the group told Reuters.

Smoke was rising and people ran after Sunday’s blast along a sidewalk in the neighbourhood of Boulaq bu Eila, just behind the Foreign Ministry, which is located in a high rise building beside the Nile.

The blast caused a tree to fall on a car. Blood stained a busy intersection beside a

crowded market.

While the death toll was low, any attack in the capital is bound to cast doubt over the security forces, who have vowed to end Islamist militant bloodshed that has hammered the tourism industry, a pillar of the economy.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was army chief removed the Muslim Brotherhood from power, has repeatedly expressed concerns about militancy in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East.

ust one year after Westgate was attacked, Uhuru Kentatta has promised that Kenyan troops will keep fighting Islamist militants in Somalia until peace and stability is restored to the region.

Militants belonging to Somalia’s al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab attacked Nairobi’s upmarket Westgate shopping mall on Sept. 21, 2013, killing at least 67 people in an attack that evolved into a four-day siege.

Al Shabaab, which is fighting Kenyan and other African soldiers who are part of a U.N.-mandated African Union force in Somalia, has repeatedly threatened more attacks on Kenyan soil if the country does not withdraw its troops.

“We have all seen the gains made from our defence forces’ assignment in Somalia.

We must not betray Kenyans by suggesting that the work be abandoned uncompleted,” Kenyatta wrote in an article published in Kenya’s Sunday Nation newspaper.

“We owe it to our country as well as our brothers and sisters in Somalia to stay the course until the mission is completed so that East Africa

and the Horn of Africa enjoy peace and stability.”

Memorials for those who died at Westgate are being held in various parts of the country, including the site of the attack.

The opposition CORD coalition which stood by President Uhuru Kenyatta during the Westgate assault but has since blamed the government for security failings called in July for the withdrawal of Kenyan troops from Somalia.

A poll by Ipsos Kenya published on Saturday showed most Kenyans also want the soldiers to leave the neighbouring Horn of African nation. Just 19 percent of those surveyed thought Kenyan troops should stay in Somalia as they are.

Kenyatta

Egyptian Court Upholds of Islamists Bill Clinton Says More Has To Be Done to Fight Ebola DeathnSentence Egyptian court cent of Egypt’s 86 million

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nitiatives from the United States, Britain, France and other countries to help fight the Ebola epidemic that has been spreading exponentially in West Africa marked a “good beginning,” former President Bill Clinton said on Saturday, but said the world will need to do more.

“We’re still a little behind the curve but we’re getting there,” Clinton told reporters in a conference call, a day before his charity, the Clinton Global Initiative, was set to begin its 10th annual meeting in New York.

A chartered 747 jet, carrying the largest single shipment of aid to the Ebola zone to date and coordinated by CGI and other U.S. aid organizations, departed New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Satur-

Clinton

day afternoon bound for West Africa.

The shipment of 170 pallets containing gloves, gowns and other protective equipment for medical workers will be met by government officials and local aid workers, and distributed to some 200 healthcare facilities on Mon-

day, said Thomas Tighe, chief executive of the Californiabased aid group Direct Relief, which collected the 100 tons of emergency medical aid.

Because Sierra Leone on Friday started a three-day government-ordered lockdown that prohibits most people from leaving their homes

as health workers and others go door-to-door to educate people about Ebola and isolate the sick, the volunteers who will off-load the Direct Relief supplies have been staying at the airport for days.

The plane will continue on to Monrovia, Liberia, to deliver the rest of its cargo: 2.8 million gloves, 170,000 protective gowns, 120,000 masks, 40,000 liters of premixed oral hydration solution, and 9.8 million doses of medications. The protective equipment can supply 280 healthcare workers treating Ebola patients for one year.

Since the outbreak was detected in March, Ebola has infected at least 5,357 people, according to the World Health Organization, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and killed an estimated 2,630.

It has also spread to Senegal and Nigeria.

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upheld death sentences on Saturday against five Islamists convicted of charges including killing a policeman and carrying weapons, judicial sources said. Judge Moataz Khafagi had referred the case to the country’s highest Sunni Muslim authority for consideration, a necessary step before any execution can be carried out.

The men were charged in connection with an attack on a church in January in the western Cairo suburb of 6 October City.

The police and army have come under increasing attack in the past year by militants opposed to former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the army’s ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi following protests against his rule. Coptic Christians, which make up about 10 per-

people, have also been targeted by Islamist militants.

Egypt has drawn criticism from foreign governments and rights groups after another court sentenced to death hundreds of alleged supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood in mass trials.

The men sentenced on Saturday did not have any clear affiliation. One of them is on the run, the sources said. Two other men were sentenced to life in prison, though all the sentences can be appealed against. The Brotherhood says it is a peaceful organisation but Cairo does not distinguish between it and other groups based mainly in the Sinai Peninsula which openly espouse violence against the government.

Sisi launched a crackdown on Islamists after Mursi’s overthrow and has said the Brotherhood would cease to exist under his presidency.

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holiday destination

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

Seychelles

Seychelles: Paradise of Islands S

By Iyanu- Oni Orisan

ome scholars assume that Austronesia seafarers and later Maldivian and Arab traders were the first to visit the uninhabited Seychelles. The British and the French contested ownership of the Island between 1794 and 1810, the British later gained ownership after Jean Baptiste Quéau de Quincy, French administrator of Seychelles successfully negotiated the status of capitulation to Britain which gave the settlers a privileged position of neutrality.

Major Langauges spoken in Seychelles is English, French along with Seychellois Creole.

As the islands of Seychelles had no indigenous population, the current Seychellois are composed of people who have immigrated. The largest ethnic groups were those of African, French, Indian, and Chinese descent, Seychelles, with a population of 90,024, has the smallest population of any African state Seychelles stands out in countless tropical island fantasies. Beautiful boulderstrewn beaches, untamed jungles, thriving coral reefs, and UNESCO-listed nature reserves are just some of the many attractions of the archipelago’s 115 islands in the country, which are the peaks of a vast underwater plateau.

The Seychelles lie close to East Africa, near the equator.

Almost half their total land area is protected, and many of the islands are contained within marine sanctuaries.

On land, visitors can hike mountain trails, bask on the ravishing beaches, rock climb, photograph the unique flora and fauna, and dine on mouth watering Créole cuisine. Aquatic pursuits abound in the clear azure water. Diving, snorkeling, surfing, and sailing are all world class, and the Seychelles boast of some of the richest fishing grounds in the world.

The larger, granitic inner islands of the Seychelles (primarily Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue) are the most developed for tourists with much luxury five-star resorts. Mahé is home to the small capital, Victoria, as well as the inter-

national airport, cruiseship port, and the beautiful Morne Seychellois National Park.

On Praslin Island, visitors can explore the UNESCO-listed Vallée de Mai, while sleepy La Digue shelters some of the world’s most breathtaking beaches. The outer islands are mainly uninhabited low-lying sand cays and small coralline islands and atolls. Fishing is superb here and anglers will find exclusive fishing lodges in Desroche Island, Alphonse Island, and Farquhar Atoll.

Anse Intendance One of Mahé’s most beautiful beaches, this small and secluded crescent of sand on the island’s south coast is a favorite surfing spot thanks to its frequent big swells and wild waves. The lack of a protective reef makes swimming a little rough when tradewinds blow from the southeast, but

sunbathers, beachcombers, and photographers will enjoy this picturesque, palm-framed strand at any time of year.

Turtles nest along the powdery shores here.

Morne Seychellois National Park The largest national park in the Seychelles, Morne Seychellois National Park covers more than 20 percent of the area of Mahé. Within its lush borders lies the mountain chain named after its highest point, Morne Seychellois, which reaches a height of 905 m and overlooks Victoria. Hiking trails ascend into the park from the village of Danzil, passing tea plantations, and offering spectacular views of the southwest coast of Mahé from the mountain slopes. Walking west through the park, hikers will reach the Baie Ternay and Port Launay

Marine Parks. To the northwest lies the hamlet of Bel Ombre and the isolated beach at Anse Major.

Victoria Named Port Victoria in honor of the British queen after her coronation, the small capital of the Seychelles is the only seaport in the country. One of the main tourist attractions is the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens.

Established almost a century ago, the gardens encompass 15 acres of native and exotic plants as well as flying foxes, giant tortoises, and an orchid garden. Modern buildings of concrete and glass have sprouted up in recent years and the few remaining colonial buildings lie around Freedom Square. The most prominent historical structure is the clock tower. Erected in 1903, it was modeled on Little Ben,

a small version of Big Ben in London.

Overlooking the square, St Paul’s Cathedral is built on the site of the first church of the Seychelles, which was destroyed by a freak cyclone in 1862. At Rond-Point de l’Indépendance, in the centre of the city, a statue of three pairs of bird’s wings symbolizes the origins of the population in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Shoppers head to Sir Selwyn Clarke Market where locals sell fish, fresh fruits, and vegetables, and the many craft shops offer souvenirs ranging from ship models to pearl jewelry. For an overview of the flora and fauna of the Seychelles, visit the Natural History Museum, which also displays a few historical artifacts.

Bird Island Once known as Îles aux Vaches for the population of dugongs (sea cows) in the area, Bird Island harbours a population of migratory sooty terns, which swells to 1,500,000 birds during the May to October breeding season. Birders and photographers can climb raised observation platforms for clear views of the nests. Other species on the island include fairy and noddy terns, cardinals, ground doves, mynahs, crested terns, and plovers.

Giant land tortoises are also in residence, and the nearby Seychelles Bank is renowned for its big-game fishing. Visitors can access the island via a 30-minute flight from Mahé.

Aldabra Atoll A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Aldabra is the world’s largest raised coral atoll. The central lagoon fills and empties twice a day through four channels, re-

vealing mushroom-shaped pinnacles known as champignons. Tiger sharks and manta rays often prowl the shallows, and the atoll is home to thousands of birds, including the white-throated Aldabran rail (the only flightless bird in the Indian Ocean). Also on view are lesser and great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, dimorphic egrets (found only here and in Madagascar), Aldabra sacred ibis, greater flamingos, and the malagasy kestrel. In addition to its rich avian life, Aldabra is the habitat of 200,000 giant land tortoises - five times as many as the Galapagos.

La Digue Island The fourth largest island in the archipelago, La Digue is a haven for nature lovers and those seeking a glimpse of traditional island life; bicycles and oxcarts are popular modes of transport. Stunning white sand beaches and granite rock outcrops rim of the coast, and beach connoisseurs will find one of the planet’s most picturesque stretches of sand and sea here, Anse Source D’Argent.

Other sightseeing attractions include the Veuve Nature Reserve, home to the endangered black paradise flycatcher, also called “the widow” because of its streaming black tail feathers, and L’Union Estate where visitors can horseback ride and visit the copra factory, vanilla plantation, and several old Creole houses. Diving and rock climbing are also popular things to do on the island, and hikers will enjoy La Pass to Grand Anse Trail, which threads past French colonial houses through woodlands and marsh areas to gorgeous Grand Anse beach.

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014

7

politics

APC May Not Live Beyond 2015–PDP Chief Gbenga Awoyale is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the President General of Orisun Igbomina, a socio-cultural group for the people of Kwara State. In this interview with Daily Times, he spoke about the unfolding events on the political turf in Kwara State. He also enjoined President Goodluck Jonathan to declare his ambition to seek re-election for a second term in 2015.

By Funmi Salome Johnson

T

here are allegations that PDP in Kwara state is divided. What is your reaction to this?

If anybody tells you that Kwara PDP is divided, such person doesn’t really know what democracy is all about.

In an ideal democratic setting, there is need for disagreement and later agree on issues for the growth and development of the nation. Therefore, what we are witnessing in Kwara PDP is nothing but pure democratic practice where the views of all are being heard before decisions are taken.

For example, in Kwara PDP, the current executive council was constituted by the party members not by any ‘godfather’ by way of imposition.

Also, as the 2015 gathers winds, aspirants have started expressing their interests in one position or the other in which party primaries will later determine who become the flag bearer unlike before when everything was determined in the ‘Great Hall’ of the Sarakis. Our members have since returned to their respective wards in preparation for the electioneering exercise; they are currently busy sensitizing and mobilizing their kit and kins.

Now tell me, how many aspirants have come out in APC to ask for anything? None!

This is because, their leader, Dr. Bukola Saraki is yet to anoint any one of them. You can even see that Governor Ahmed cannot even declare his ambition to re-contest; he is seriously afraid. Is that politics? We are actually clamouring for transparency, accountability and sense of belonging by all members irrespective of their background to prevail in the polity. So for us in Kwara PDP,

we are united committed and also dedicated to the cause of gaining freedom for our people.

However, it is clear that since Bukola Saraki heard about the ambition of the longest serving Security Adviser in Kwara State, Mallam Yinka Ahmed Aluko, to contest for the senatorial position of Kwara Central Senatorial District in the next election, he has dropped his ambition to re-contest based on his understanding that his ex-aide is more rooted than him and more over, he was instrumental to his becoming Kwara State Governor. It was Mallam Yinka Ahmed that brought him to the fore and also introduced him to the political terrain in Kwara state.

With the endorsement of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for a second term by the people of Kwara state, how would you describe the stand of PDP in the state?

All these endorsement stories you are hearing are cooked and staged managed.

Nobody is endorsing him, he is only deceiving himself.

Ask him what he has done that people are endorsing him for. He only hired some organized groups and paid them peanut so as to get the nod of his godfather. He has forgotten that the people of Kwara are not fools. Where was he when they signed the zoning pact that eventually paved way for him to emerge as the PDP candidate then?

It is now time for the zoning principle to take effect.

If you take a look at Kwara State, you see that most of the projects embarked upon are not in any way developmental nor desirable. Workers are crying of lack of promotion and lack of salary increment; they are de-motivated and do not have the driving will to perform optimally. No single road was constructed.

What you see around is the

patching of roads; nothing more. Go to flower garden area along GRA and pipeline road along Offa Garage and you will see that the APC government is unable to repair to completion the less than five metres bridges for many years now. So who is fooling who? Few weeks ago, some ex-councillors protested over non-payment of their arrears of allowances.

Also, just last Wednesday, some students also protested and demonstrated to the State Government House over nonpayment of their bursary allowances. So, going by all these, APC government in Kwara is nothing but a show of incompetence.

What is your advice to the people of Kwara State and

Nigerians at large ahead of the 2015 general election?

My advice to the people of Kwara State is for them to remain calm, resolute and committed to the cause of “Freedom for Kwara” in 2015.

They should also beware of political fraudsters that are all out to achieve their selfish interests as this will hamper the realisation of the set goals.

Also, to the PDP family, they should endeavour to set it and get it right for the sake of our future and that of the generations yet unborn. Meanwhile, to Nigerians, let us continue to support the transformation agenda of President Jonathan and shun all forms of violence and terrorist attacks and the maiming and killings of innocent souls.

Sir, there have been agitation from some quarters calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to re-contest in 2015. What is your take on this?

I want to start by congratulating President Jonathan on his numerous achievements in promoting democratic practice despite the numerous challenges facing the nation.

If you take a critical look at the current administration, you will agree with me that it has surpassed the previous governments in terms of infrastructural development, the rule of law and fair play.

Not only that, the emergence of Dr. Jonathan as the Nigeria’s President in not only amazing, it is also a testimony to the fact that he was ordained by God. Be that as it may, the endorsement of Mr. President for a second term is not in any way a mistake.

It is a well deserved honour that must be given to him and must also be followed up in order for it to become realistic. You will also agree with me that with the mammoth crowd and large turnout witnessed during the zonal rallies of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN, as well as other organized groups are clear indications that President Jonathan is really on ground. Also, the various road projects such as Benin-Ore, Lagos-Ibadan, Mokwa-Makera, KotangoraJega, Kabba-Ilorin express ways among others that are under construction are not only developmental but also desirable to the people of the areas respectively. In fact, most of the projects in Lagos State are executed by the federal government while Governor Raji Fashola is taking the glories.

Similarly, the revival of railway transport system will not only bring the rate of road accidents in the country to the barest minimum, it will also go a long way in meeting the demands of the downtrodden.

He has not only performed well, he has really transformed the Nigerian economy. By and large, I know that with a unity of purpose among Nigerians, I am optimistic that Nigeria will soon overcome the insecurity challenges it is currently facing.

Don’t you feel that the APC is really strategizing to wrestle power from the ruling PDP? How many are they in the APC that you are talking about? Ask them what their mission, vision, and agenda for the people of Nigeria are. If you look at their line up, you will discover that the brains behind the formation of the party are no longer there. Where are the likes of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, Nuhu Ribadu, Tom Ikimi, and Chief Segun Osoba among several others? As I speak with you, they are all formidable members of the PDP. They have all dumped APC and not only that, they also left with their political structures; thereby leaving APC with people of selfish political interests. When you even look at the circumstances that led to the formation of the party, you will not expect that the party will live beyond 2015.

What is the stand of General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) in the democratic practice? Has he forgotten that he was the same person that brought the second republic to a meaningless end when he overthrew Alhaji Shehu Shagari-led civilian government in 1983? So what does he wants in democracy?

Therefore, by the time the Mr. President declares, we expect that more people from the opposition angles will join the train towards transforming Nigeria beyond 2015.

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

8

politics

INEC And Its Controversial Polling Units

By Ugochukwu Onyeocha

W

hen the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the creation of an additional 30,027 polling units (PUs), the electoral agency in the estimation of many Nigerians did not anticipate the kind of backlash it would receive. That singular announcement no doubt has become the most vexatious controversy in Nigeria’s political cycle as the nation prepares for the forthcoming 2015 general elections.

The recent proposal from INEC to establish the additional Polling Units is purportedly to decongest existing units in the bid to ensure that not more than 500 voters will be allocated to a polling unit. This, according to the electoral umpire would help to facilitate logistics and administration of voting in the 2015 elections.

At the moment, there are 119,973 polling units scattered across the country. An additional 30,027 would bring the total number of polling units to 150,000. The criteria for distributing the new polling units, according to Professor Jega, are based on the “85 per cent proportionality and 15 per cent equality.”

Still at the draft stage, the decision if implemented, means that all the states in the country are to get equal 15 per cent increase (that is 121 additional polling units) to the number of polling units they already have, while the remaining 85 per cent will be distributed based on the number of voters in each of the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Of the additional 30,027 new polling units, 21,615 were allocated in northern Nigeria, while 8,412 were allocated to the states in the south. This decision has apparently sparked widespread condemnation and name-calling from the southern region which is argued to be more populous than the northern region irrespective of the land mass of the North and also strengthened by the recent insurgency up North.

As a result, if this sails through, out of the 30,027, the entire Northern region would be at advantage by 21,615 additional polling units while the Southern region would make do with 8,412 polling units being what would be left. A further breakdown of the figures based on Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, shows the North West as the biggest gainer with 7,906, followed by the North Central at 6,318, North East at 5,291, South-west at 4,160, South-south at 3,087, the FCT at 1,200 and the South-east as the big-

gest loser with 1,167.

A survey of the approved reallocation of 150,000 polling units shows that Lagos was leading with 11,565 polling units. Lagos now has 11,023 new units. The new units are proportionally distributed based on the previous number of units. Kano State, which has 10,127 polling units, comes a close second to Lagos. The state has 9,809 new units.

Going by this arrangement, one can imagine Abuja having more polling units than the whole of the Southeast. That is incredible but sadly true.

Rising from a recent meeting, the Southern Peoples Assembly called for the resignation of the Chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega, over the lopsided allocation of the additional polling units. The pan-Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, also rejected the creation of additional units and passed “a vote of no confidence” on Jega, over his ability to conduct a free and fair election come 2015.

Recently, the umbrella body of the North, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna State rejected the allocation of additional polling units

Jega

by the Independent National Electoral Commission, noting that the exercise was skewed to favour the Southern part of the country.

After several fumbling responses by several staff of INEC, Jega held a press conference where he attempted to clarify the issue. First, he noted that the exercise was done to decongest over-crowded PUs and

dispersing voters as evenly as possible among all the PUs. This is to be achieved by splitting large PUs such that they have an average of 500 registered voters. Thus, the creation of additional PUs was to cater for the splitting of large polling units as well as new settlements not serviced by any of the existing PUs. In doing this, the exercise also sought to locate PUs more effectively within commuting distances of voters, given that movement is usually restricted on Election Day. Furthermore, the exercise was done to relocate the PUs from ‘in-front of’ private houses, and such other unsuitable places, to public buildings or where this is not possible, to public open spaces where tents can be provided. The exercise also sought to locate the PUs inside classrooms or such other suitable enclosures, in line with international best practices.

Jega further explained that the distribution of the additional PUs was based on need, with the parameters listed above. He demonstrated that the determination of the overall number of 150,000 PUs and its distribution across the states was based on the figure of 70,383,427 registered voters and estimated new voters after verifying with the use of Automated Fingerprint Identification Software (AFIS), which eliminated cases of multiple registrations. He explained further that INEC was mindful of the political nature of the exercise, hence it took the decision to ensure that: (i) no state lost any polling unit from its stock of existing PUs, no matter the statistical outlook when the voter population is disaggregated into

units of 500 persons; and that (ii) each state got some additional polling units from 15 per cent of the total being newly created on the basis of ‘equality principle’ regardless of the number of PUs already existing in each state in comparison to the voter population.

Understanding INEC’s Rationale On August 12, 2014 the commission reportedly held a meeting, where according to the commission’s secretariat director, Ishiaku Gali, the decision was taken for the planned creation of the new polling units.

Gali, in a bulletin issued by the commission on August 19, a week after the meeting, said the creation was aimed at decongesting existing polling units across the country. In a later date, Jega announced that “the fairest and most logical criterion to use in distributing the 150,000 PUs nationwide is the number of registered voters.” The current structure of polling units was created in 1996 by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECOM), which created 120,000 polling units and 8,809 wards known as registration areas. Currently, the INEC has pegged the total number of existing registered voters at 70,383,427 and according to Jega, the exponential growth in Nigeria’s population, as well as severe demographic shifts resulting from new settlements in major urban areas since 1996, has solely influenced the need for the additional polling units to be created.

The Conflicting Figures Jega, while justifying the need for additional units, argued that the rise in population with corresponding increase in the number of eligible voters was clearly manifested during the 2011 voters’ registration exercise. According to him, at the end of that exercise, “having subjected the data gathered in the field through the Automated Fingerprint Identification Software (AFIS) to defect and eliminate duplicate registrants, the commission put the total number of registered voters at 70,383,427.”

It is true that out of the 30,027 new polling units created by INEC, 21,615 will be in the north (including the FCT) and only 8,412 will be in the south. That is a ratio of 72 to 28.

It is also true that with adjustments, the total number of polling units in the south will decrease from 48% to 45% and the total for the north plus FCT will increase from 52% to 55%.

All these should skew eyebrows. But before conjuring motives, it is important to ask proper questions, study and interrogate the data. Important questions to ask could include: Why is this so? What are the parameters CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22 -28 2014

politics

9

Suntai’s Return: In The Eyes Of Nigerians

By Augustine Aminu

A INEC And Its Controversial Polling Units CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

used? How logical are those parameters? What alternative parameters exist and how sound are they?

Using the number of voters per state as a base and equality of states and existing gaps per state as criteria for distribution, INEC, according to Jega allocated the additional 30,027 polling units the following way: North-east, 5,291; North-central, 6,318; North-west, 8.806; FCT, 1,200; South-east, 1,167; South-south, 3,087; and South-west 4,158. Predictably, but unfortunately, some Nigerians have criticised the exercise as lopsided and as designed to favour a region of the country. Among others, they have questioned why FCT will have additional 1,200 units and the entire South-east will have just additional 1,167 and why the north will have more than 70% of the new units.

These are legitimate concerns.

Before examining these concerns, it is important to state that the assumption fuelling the heat is that the number of polling units will determine electoral outcome. There is no correlation between the two. True, access to polling unit can affect voters’ turnout. But that case will stand only after it has been shown that voters in a particular region have more access to polling units than their counterparts in another. This has not been done. And most importantly, electoral outcomes will be determined by the number of registered voters and voters’ turn-out, not the number of polling units.

INEC decided that no state would lose polling units and went ahead to allocate 15% of the new polling units to all the states and FCT on the basis of equality. This means all states irrespective of whether they had more or less than they should have, got 121 additional polling units each. In effect, states that had excess kept their excess and still got additional 121 units each but zero on the basis of need because they had more than they need already.

The remaining 85% was allocated

on the basis of need, which was determined by how many additional polling units will be needed to have 500 voters per polling unit in each state.

This means that the combination method as against need alone represents a loss of 1.3% for the FCT and 0.7% for the North-central; while it represents a gain of 1.7% for the North-west; 6% for the North-east; 9.3% for the South-west; 9.6% for the South-south; and 16.3% for the South-east. Also, while the total number of the new polling units is 55% to 45% in favour of the north, it is also true that the actual number of registered voters is 58% to 42% in favour of the north.

Rising also to address the controversial issue, the House of Representatives has revealed plans to probe the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s recent creation of additional 30,000 polling units (PUs) ahead of 2015 polls.

The Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon Victor Ogene, in a reaction to the development, assured that the House Committee on Electoral Matters would interface with various aggrieved interest groups with the view to avert crisis ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

It is hoped that the parley being proposed by the lawmakers will help to douse the tension already in the country and also help the electoral body explain better to the people instead of just giving out press releases which does not really placate the persons it is intended to educate.

Prof. Jega is one man who is unNigerian in his disposition to his duty. He is one of the very few who can apologise when he is wrong. It would be safe to assume that he will apologise soon to Nigerians over the recent controversies caused by the recent decision of INEC under his watch. For Nigerians who demand the immediate cancellation of this proposed plan, it is also good

cabal whose members are close to brain-damaged Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State has flown him back into Nigeria. Suntai arrived in the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja last weekend where he was hurriedly taken to Asokoro amidst tight security.

In June, Mr. Suntai was flown to London’s Wellington Hospital for

additional treatment of brain injuries. Two Taraba State officials who have seen him recently said that Mr. Suntai’s physical and mental illness is still very much in evidence. “He is too tired, cannot sit down or talk for more than a few minutes at a time, and is not able to remember basic things,” one of the officials disclosed.

Even so, the cabal around the governor is intent on instigating a power struggle by claiming that Suntai is adequately recovered from his extensive injuries and is fit to run the state.

Some days back, the state executive wrote a letter to the Taraba State Assembly in Jalingo urging the legislators to set up a medical panel to ascertain Suntai’s state of physical and mental fitness to lead the state.

Lots of Nigerians have lined their voices to the plight of Tarabians and the ill governor by saying the governor should be allowed to continue his medical treatment and relinquish power to his deputy. In this vox pop, some of them express their views thus:

Alkali Mohammed is a civil servant in Abuja

D

anbaba is still mentally sick, the people of Taraba Should stop deceiving their selves, and Suntai is medically unfit to rule.

Amin S. Bello is the vice chairman Gwale Kano

M

Asaju Tunde former Consultant at National Assembly Nigeria and British High Commission Abuja

y opinion is that he should hand over, if we want progress because Nigerians are aware of every move of the Taraba unpatriotic cabal.

Amina Alhassan is an Editor with Leadership newspaper, Abuja

I

don’t know why they have to force him to come back. It is clear that he is still not ok and therefore not able to govern for now.

Samaila Aruwan is a political analyst As it is now, there is a lock jam and deep mistrust. It has turned out to be a power struggle between two blocks, not for development purposes but economic and political interests to the detriment of Taraba state development and the people.

I

frankly don’t understand what the return of Danbaba truly means. Has he returned as a convalescing citizen with a heart of gratitude for a rare and second chance at life? Or is he an unwilling puppet whose strings are being pulled by a selfish cabal who would rather prop him up for their meal ticket than face the reality that this man is invalid and needs all the care away from public eye?

From the little clip of video I saw, it is evident that he is mentally unbalanced. This means he should be left to convalesce and not exposed to ridicule. But it appears his wife and some of his political friends want to keep him up to satisfy their own cravings for power. It’s a crying shame to watch. It goes to show how things run in Nigeria without regard to scruples and natural dictates. He should be made to resign by proxy, so that he can enjoy the generous retirement that goes with his last office. That is the best the system owes him; failing which, he should be impeached and made to lose all.

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

10

business

Curbing Oil Theft Through Modular Refineries

By Ugochukwu Onyeocha

N

igeria is indeed a major player in the business of crude oil and energy around the world. She is the eighth largest oil exporting country in the world and the largest in Africa. The impact of oil and gas towards making the economy of Nigeria the largest in the continent cannot be over-emphasized as oil accounts for a huge chunk of the earnings of the nation. However, despite its position in the scheme of things globally as it relates to the oil and gas sector, it is highly regrettable that the largest economy in Africa still spends a huge chunk of its budget on importation of petroleum products.

All economic indicators suggest that Nigerians are still suffering in the midst of plenty, due to huge product importation; crude swap activities; the menace of crude theft; and vandalism that have characterised the oil-dependent economy.

Insufficient Production Capacity Nigeria has four refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna with about 445,000 barrels per day (bpd) combined capacity, but the refineries are now at their lowest capacity due to some technical hitches identified by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). With a demand of no less than 41 million litres daily needed for the Nigerian market alone, the existing refineries are in

no position to aid the nation in meeting the daily consumption needs of the people.

Over the years, there has been the agitation for the construction of more oil refineries in the nation to help the existing refineries live up to its expectation of meeting with the amount needed daily for the Nigerian populace and also the needs of other nations that look up to the country in and out of the continent of Africa but these agitations have always remained a dream that has not seen the light of day.

In other words, the most populous nation in Africa, with a population of more than 160 million inhabitants, therefore relies on foreign fuel supplies for 80 per cent of its requirements because of inadequate refining capacity.

While many Nigerians and experts wonder the delay in the construction of more refineries in the country, some also wonder why the existing refineries have failed to live up to its assignment of catering for the daily requirements of the nation despite the billions of dollars allotted to the repairs and maintenance of the refineries. The inability of the existing four refineries in the country to meet up with the production of crude sufficient to meet the daily need of Nigerians to a large extent has led to the rise in pipeline vandalism and the number of illegal refineries mostly in the Niger Delta region.

Illegal Refineries Over the years, the government, experts and some Nigerians have posited various approaches that can be used to tackle the current level of oil theft and vandalism in the country. One of the measures suggested by some Nigerians has been the call on the federal government to legalise the number of illegal refineries in the country to aid the existing government refineries. This, some have argued would help the country arrest the level of theft since most of the operators of the illegal refineries are those who vandalise equipments and installations.

However, it is true that illegal oil refineries in Nigeria thrive on illegal oil bunkering, stolen crude oil, and vandalism of oil pipelines and other installations. Without a doubt, these illegal oil operations are reprehensible and should not be condoned for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it is improper and criminal for citizens of this country to destroy oil installations in their bid to steal crude oil as feedstock for illegal refineries.

Secondly, it is lawless to set up any kind of refinery without going through the licensing process with the relevant government agency – Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR. Thirdly, it is most inappropriate for anybody, Nigerians or Foreigners, to steal crude oil belonging to the Nigerian State with impunity.

Finally, and perhaps the most wor-

risome is what the illegal oil refiners do with the residue (black oil) from crude oil distillation process. There are serious environmental issues involved regardless of whether they dump the ‘black stuff’ into the river or simply incinerate it.

Modular Refineries Having addressed the complications in endorsing illegal refineries, one sure bet in addressing the shortfalls and challenges in crude refining within the country is the establishment of Modular Refineries around the country. The call for the establishment of modular refineries has been ongoing over the years now and their benefit to the nation in general is massive.

Taking a cue from one of the leading oil nations in the world, Saudi Arabia, it has been discovered that the Saudi Arabia’s Petrochemicals and Plastics Sector boasts of a combined $1.4 trillion worth of investment opportunities through 2020.

Saudi Arabia produces 49 unique petrochemical products; contributing 1.1 percent to Saudi’s GDP in 2011 and accounted for 11 percent of the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the GDP. Saudi Arabia produces 49 unique Petrochemical products.

Of the 59 petrochemicals projects currently in the pipeline and valued at approximately $48.5 billion, an estimated 7 percent are “Greenfield” projects. Looking ahead, Saudi Arabia plans to spend approximately

$91 billion over the next 10 years to build new plants, expand existing ones, and integrate refineries with new or existing petrochemical units.

Nigeria must adopt this module if it is to measure up with other oil producing nations and generate more revenue.

Some experts have stated that the first solution to filling the gap should not be to import, but to locally satisfy this demand. Long term thoughtful strategy is very important. Personal primitive acquisition of wealth is not the solution. Therefore, setting up modular refineries at strategic demand locations would be a stop-gap pressure reducing measure to the product demand challenges. Fuel shortages will be greatly reduced if the companies/investors issued with licenses were committed and not use the licenses as a launch pad to seek contract for crude oil export.

For Prof Godwin Igwe, the Director, Centre for Gas, Refining and Petrochemicals, Institute of Petroleum Studies, University of Port Harcourt, the need for modular refineries cannot be over-emphasized. According to him “Modular refining is flexible and it is a cost-effective supply option for crude producers in remote regions. This is particularly true where there is a need to adapt rapidly to meet local demand. Relatively low capital cost, speed and ease of construction are key advantages of a modular refinery”.

In comparing modular refineries

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22 -28 2014

11

business

Curbing Oil Theft Through Modular Refineries to conventional refineries, Igwe says that the four big refineries have different product slates and processing units, that’s why they are conventional refineries. A modular unit specifically targets specific products, e.g., gasoline, kerosene, diesel, etc.

Speaking further, he says that “Setting up a modular refinery will enable employment opportunities to be created for the citizens. We need to convince and persuade the government of the economic benefits from modular manufacturing processes. The government is shy from adopting this system because of the fear of subsidising for crude oil, just like the current NNPC petrol stations. If the modular refinery entrepreneurs could justify economically, net present value and return on original investment, the government will sell crude to them at prevailing market value. For modular refineries, our marginal field operators are in a better position to operate since they produce the crude to be refined without going through all the licensing processes.

Speaking also on the need for the establishment of modular refineries, the Managing Director, Frontier Oil, Dada Thomas in a chat with our correspondent, urged the Federal Government to also look into exploiting modular refineries and create conducive operating environment for the operator to thrive.

According to him, the private operators could make meaningful impact in the nation’s refining sector, if they are encouraged.

Modular or mini-refineries, from simple diesel production units to more sophisticated cracking refineries, are increasingly becoming a flexible and cost-effective supply option for crude producers in remote regions. This is particularly necessary where there is a need to adapt rapidly to meet local demand.

Relatively low capital cost, speed and ease of construction are key advantages of a modular mini-refinery.

Two 30,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), units producing high octane unleaded gasoline, LPG, diesel, kerosene and fuel oil can be installed in an 18 month time window, with a budget of 150-200 million dollars. Modules from 4,000 bpd up to 30,000 bpd primary distillation capacity can be added together with debottlenecking to create a refinery of 100,000 bpd or more.

Adopting this cost-effective measure, according to industry analysts could save the nation about N971 billion incurred on fuel subsidy last year.

The Nigerian Navy had also confirmed that the nation is losing the sum of $20 billion annually to crude oil theft, which might be minimised by creating employment for the ag-

gressive youths.

The situation brought to the fore a number of unimplemented modular refinery projects in the country. For example, the status of the $4.5 billion (about N697 billion) modular refinery project of which the Federal Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Nigerian-American joint venture capitalist, Petroleum Refining and Strategic Reserve (PRSR), remains uncertain since 2012.

The MoU, was signed between the Ministry of Trade and Investment and PRSR, provided for the construction of six modular refineries with combined refining capacity of 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day that would have been constructed in the country within 18 months by PRSR. Each modular refinery, when functional, will refine up to 30,000 barrels of crude per day, producing up to five million litres of petrol, diesel, kerosene and Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO).

According to provisions in the MoU, the first two refineries had been slated to begin full operation within 12 months; that is by the end of the first quarter of 2013. Barely, eight months after the expiration of the target, the fate of the project remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, Honeywell International Inc recently said it sees a market for readymade modular refineries in oil producing countries such as Nigeria.

President of Honeywell’s oil and gas service unit, Rajeev Gautam, said, the modular building of oil and gas equipment helps reduce cost overruns and construction time.

“The capital outlay for any 100,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery is about $1.5 billion, while a 24,000

bpd modular refinery is roughly $250m. Therefore, it is easier to access funds for the modular refining modules (through US Ex-IM Bank),” he said.

Most refineries in Africa tend to be medium to large-scale refineries, perhaps because of the state of technology at the time they were built.

This article is about presenting a cost- effective and timely option, as represented by the modular refining format.

Government Endorsement Also, some key government officials have lent their voice to the call for the establishment of modular refineries. Recently, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State said that the state Government was in support of those calling for the establishment of modular refineries across the Niger Delta region in place of the illegal ones being destroyed as part of the measures to get the youths gainfully employed among other benefits.

Dr Uduaghan said it was important for the people of the Niger Delta to guard against pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft because such dangerous activities destroy the environment and made the government lose billions of dollars which could aid in the development of the nation mostly the rural communities where these products are extracted from.

According to him, it was also important for them not to engage in such nefarious activities observing that oil spillage degrades the environment for a long period of time.

“Crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism are not just economic loss, they are also, environmental challenges because if the oil finishes tomorrow, the damage to the environment continues and it will take years

to clean,” the Governor said.

“Our people, the people of Niger Delta should understand the damage involved in pipeline vandalism on the environment; we appeal to them not to get involved in crude oil theft as it affects our own people and the environment, we should all be involved in protecting the environment.”

Also, the Commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta, Major General, Emmanuel Atuwe, said the government should encourage the establishment modular refineries, to buoy the nation’s refining capacity.

Atuwa stressed that establishment of such refineries would go a long way in addressing the problem of unemployment in the country, and ultimately prevented crude theft and vandalism.

According to the Petroleum Act, any entity operating in the oil and gas sector should register and get approvals from the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

The DPR had licensed 18 private refinery operators since 2002, but many of them are yet to put up any structure due to what they described as unfavourable crude supply terms from the government.

The operators are demanding for some waivers that would guarantee return on investment. This included selling of crude at lower rate compared to international rate, as well as deregulating the market.

Other Benefits Revenue streams and pay-back periods are faster with the modular refining format, than with the larger capacity refineries.

However, it is necessary to point out that the major short-coming with modular refineries are that the plants

are semi-automated and less laborintensive, i.e. not many jobs can be created directly. For instance, 20 to 30 personnel can operate a 24,000 bpd modular refinery. Most of the spin-off jobs created are of a secondary nature, and based on the location of the site.

In summary, modular refineries are simple, efficient and fast to start up. Such refineries usually operate at optimal capacity at all times. The relatively small investment cost allows for private investors to enter the refining business much easier.

It also enables government to build the bigger capacity refineries using the modular format, but in incremental stages. However, government- built modular refineries should have full conversion facilities (i.e. catalytic reformers and naphtha hydrotreaters) to enable the refineries produce premium motor spirit, PMS or petrol.

Hurdles and the Role of Government The major hurdle to implementation is political in nature. Petroleum products, by their characteristics, are linked to all transport systems and so private ownership of refineries carries with it some national security implications.

Secondly, the daily cash flows that attend such business will likely confer enormous political capital and influence on private owners. As a result, government officials are unlikely to provide a clear framework and incentives that permit indigenous private investment in the refining business.

However, the Nigerian Government can also adopt the modular refining format in constructing medium to large-scale refineries and in partnership with Chinese NOC’s.

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

12

relationships She’s Crazy: But Her Marriage Is Over Twenty Years!

By Ngozi Ndubisi

S

ommi is a very daring girl growing up and everyone kind of predicted trouble for her. But Not So! Till date Sommi has ended up good in all her endeavors.

During her traditional marriage, her sister-in-law (who had not met her before then) took one look at her and declared to her brother “are you sure about her? It’s not too late to back out now!”

This year Sommi celebrated twenty-one years of marriage. It has been one dare after another and to top it all, she is married to a very conservative man who would not even give her a kiss in their sittingroom, if their window blinds were not drawn, for fear of being seen. Isn’t that a laugh? But through all her stunts, their marriage is still glowing.

How did she keep her marriage going for so long?

Sommi heartily, she told this story.

During the first year of our marriage, we were invited to a thanksgiving service that never wanted to end. At some point, I got uncomfortable with my bra because I was never used to wearing one.

I somehow removed the bra folded one cup into the other and stuffed it into my husband’s breast pocket and we promptly forgot about it.

Sometime later, offering was being collected row by row by this delectable usher who stood at the end of each pew as the people passed the basket. My dear hussy forgot he had my bra in his pocket; he dug his hand into his pocket, thinking the bra was a hanky pulled it out in order to reach his wallet. Christ! It was a sight.

The beautiful piece of clothing unfolded itself, low and behold, the straps came dangling down, and I could not let such a wonderful sight go. I just turned to the usher and in a teary voice said, “He’s a cheat!” the usher full of holy anger snatched

the basket from my husband’s hands, and practically ran out of the church.

My dearest hussy, could not believe what just happened, he just bent down, got my bag, grabbed my hands and matched me out of the church.

His hand guiding my waist as we dashed to the car. As we were leaving, we saw the usher with some others talking and I couldn’t stop myself; I turned looking at her like ‘please help me’. The poor heart, kind of made a move to reach out her hands towards me as my husband opened my side of the door and gently pushed me in.

And to my amazement, I saw my husband give the girl a thumbs up as he drove past her and then busted out laughing. At the end of the street he stopped the car turned to me, gave me a kiss and said ‘you, my dear, are a star’ And he started kissing me in public.”

Boy! Was that something or what? I could only sit and stare at this innocent looking forty something year old lady that looks far too young for her age. I had to ask for more, and then I remembered I am due to post my next article. So I quickly asked her to help my readers have that kind of blissful loving relationship she had with her husband and how they managed to keep their love going after twenty odd years?

Tips For a Long Lasting Love Affair With Your Spouse •FALL IN LOVE OVER and OVER AGAIN: Rechoose/love each other every day. Send love cards, letters, poems or text messages to each other.

•DON’T LEAVE EACH OTHER WITHOUT A HUG AND/OR A KISS: Give each other something to look forward to as you come back home to each other.

•BE SELFLESS AND BE COMMITTED TO MAKING YOUR PARTNER

YOUR TOP PRIORITY: Sacrifices should be made on both sides. But, be the willing partner to risk all for the sake of the marriage.

•DON’T WORRY ABOUT MONEY. Money is a game, look for ways to work together as a team to win it.

•STOP CORRECTING YOUR PARTNER’S UNRELATED FACTUAL ERRORS

ALSO STOP THE ‘I TOLD YOU’ SYNDROME. Yes mistakes will be made but don’t rub it in. Learn to let go of being right, some of us tend to have the “I’m always right” mentality.

•ALWAYS SEE THE BEST IN EACH OTHER: Be consumed by love, focus on the point where you no longer see anything but love.

If you focus on what bugs you, all you will see is reasons to be bugged.

•BE HONEST WITH EACH OTHER, BUT NOT BRUTALLY: Say how you want things done, be open and explicit about it or suffer silently.

•FORGIVE IMMEDIATELY: Focus on the future rather than carrying weights from the past, this will keep you forever young and you’ll be made.

•PRAY TOGETHER: THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER!

Question Of The Week: If your wife did what Sommie did to you, what would you do? e- mail your answer(s) to: ngozindubisi2013@yahoo. com

Tip Of The Day “That person you married yesterday is not the same person today.

Always find the new person everyday to cultivate and love.”

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014

13

relationships

I

f you want a girl to fall in love with you, chances are that you’ll have to go that extra step to win her over. That’s okay, though, because you’re probably willing to do anything it takes. Follow the suggestions in this article to get a girl to fall in love with you. Love is an art, not a science, so try to think of these steps as fluid guidelines.

Take care of yourself first. If you want a girl to fall in love with you, you need to show her that you’re capable of loving yourself first. Practice good hygiene, wear nice clothes and exercise and eat right to keep your body feeling strong and healthy. When you show people that you’re worthy of love by loving yourself, she’s much more likely to agree!

Live your life. Who wants to get into a serious relationship with someone who just sits around all day? If you want her to fall in love with you, get out there and show her that you live a great life. Go out and do the things that make you happy, fill your life with learning and exploration, and pursue your dreams. Always work hard and girls will fall for you in no time.

Show her your lovable qualities. People don’t just decide with whom they want to fall in love. Love happens because the people involved have lovable qualities. Love often develops over time, so your job is to show the girl that you’re worth being around. Let your personality shine through, and give her the chance to see who you really are and what you have to offer. A good lovable quality to have is kindness. Be kind to everyone and go out of your way to help people. Don’t be selfish, but rather selfless. Help others achieve their dreams. Your girl will be very impressed.

Be funny. Get a sense of humour. It’s no secret that girls love guys who can crack a joke or be funny. Practice jokes on your friends often, and learn the jokes that work and the ones that don’t work. When you’re alone with a girl, telling a joke can be a great way to break the tension.

Be playful. One of the most important things girls look for in a partner is playfulness. So you want to be playful because she probably thinks that playfulness is attractive. How can you be playful? Make a boring routine, like studying; make it interesting and funny by turning your math problem into a song, for example. Don’t take things too seriously. And most importantly, be able to laugh at

Making That Girl Fall In Love With You

yourself.

Have confidence. To be genuinely lovable, you have to believe that you are worth being around. Most girls aren’t attracted to people who are constantly putting themselves down. So be confident, but not cocky. Know what you are good at. Don’t brag about it or show off, but put these things into your routine and don’t be afraid to let them shine every once in awhile. If you do feel the need to take a jab at yourself, make sure you present it as a joke. Laugh at the mistakes you make and the stupid things you do, as well as the things you don’t like about yourself.

“Seriously, you DO NOT want me to ask you to dance. I’m a terrible dancer.

Get to know her. Getting to know her is about more than just memorizing her birthday and where she was born. Spend time with her, build trust, and come to appreciate the things about her that she doesn’t often show. Learn about her fear of water (and why she’s afraid) or learn about her most embarrassing moment (and help her laugh it off). Understand how she thinks and what she believes. This will help you love her as a complete person, and she will appreciate that more than you can understand.

Find out what she likes to do; Then do those things with her. Doing something that you

know she likes has the added advantages that she feels comfortable and safe doing it. If she’s comfortable when you’re out on a date, she’s more likely get close to you, hold your hand, or even kiss you. Whether she likes surfing, horseback riding, shopping, or baking, it’s a good idea to try to involve her in what she likes doing best.

Ask her friend what she enjoys doing in her free time, or ask her yourself if you’re feeling brave.

(Fortune favors you.) That way, she’ll know that you’ve taken the time to find out what makes her tick, and that you’re ready to go that extra mile to make sure she’s happy.

Take her out on great dates.

Bonding over something she likes doesn’t need to be a date, but if you want love to blossom, you’re going to have to ask her on a date at some point.

When you’re ready to take that step, try someplace familiar like the movies, a coffee shop, or a dance. Maybe try taking her to an amusement park or a haunted house; studies suggest that excitement or a sense of danger on a date helps release a chemical in the brain that bonds the two people together.

Be strategic about whether you call it a “date.” Generally, if you’ve already won the girl over, you want to make it clear that you’re going on a date.

That’s because she expects you to take the next step, and she

wants to make sure you’re both on the same page. But if you haven’t won the girl over yet, it’s probably best to slow-play the courtship, and win her over as a friend before you move on to the romantic relationship.

Sometimes, the girl will resist a romantic relationship if she’s not sure about whether you’re good friends.

Give her space. This doesn’t mean playing hard-to-get, but give the girl control over what happens next. Suffocating her and bullying her into a relationship will do the opposite of what you’re hoping for.

Show her you respect her life outside of you; when you give a girl room to breathe, she will often come to love you on her own terms. When you give her space, avoid being too distant.

Keep calling her regularly and showing her that you’re interested. If you’re shy, don’t give her too much space or she’ll think you’re not interested.

You’re going to have to come out of your shell a little bit if you want to get her attention.

Don’t judge her. Don’t judge any girl that you develop feelings for. They are their own person, with their own qualities just like you are. We all do things that drive other people crazy or seem weird. If she does stuff that you can’t even try to understand, then she’s just not the girl for you. That doesn’t make her a bad person

and you shouldn’t be mean to her about those things.

Eliminate all expectations.

Love lives in the absence of pressure. Letting go of your expectations will help you to relax, which will make you more appealing to a girl than if you are uptight and worried. Teach yourself to expect nothing from the girl so that you cannot be disappointed. If she does fall in love with you, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Remember that there are plenty of fish in the sea. If this particular girl doesn’t work out, there will be other girls. If you don’t get that special girl to fall in love with you, try not to get moody and sad about it. It may feel good to pity yourself, but girls don’t really think it’s attractive.

Respect her thoughts, feelings and emotions. Try to see everything from her point of view. Show her you appreciate and admire her opinions. More than that, you can try to adopt her point of view.

Be honest and genuine with yourself and with her, always.

Honesty builds trust, but once the trust is broken, it never returns. From that moment on, your words will be suspect.

Reveal your true heart and soul.

Do not fear to “bare all”.

Be willing to listen and communicate. The most important aspect is to learn to listen patiently and passively as a “sounding board”. The

understanding that you gain will help to communicate in a caring and helpful way. As part of this process, recognize her wants and needs. Be truly open to her expressions and feelings, both verbalized and held deep within.

Accept her individuality.

Work to understand what make her unique. Actively celebrate her uniqueness and work to promote and enable her to pursue and develop the core activities which bring her happiness and satisfaction.

Help her achieve her dreams.

Much like giving her space, you should help her do the things that she wants to do for herself. This will usually mean letting her spend time working on the things that she wants to work on, like school or a skill, or doing those things with her.

When she sees that you are someone who supports her in the things she wants for her life, she’ll know that you’re exactly what she needs.

Show dedication and commitment. Be there for her always, as a friend and a confident. Forgive her weaknesses quickly and work to fortify the best in her. Similarly, be open to her making you into the best person you can be. Committed love is a partnership, where you both bring out the best in each other. Hold yourself to that standard, as you get her to fall for you and beyond.

health

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

14

Sperm Banking/ Egg Freezing: An Insurance Baby Zone W A

By Lara Adejoro

ith sperm banking and egg freezing, chances of a successful pregnancy and allowing infertile women procreate even at a later age is made possible.

The worry a woman go through when she gets married late or when she is not sure of ever getting married is defiled with egg freezing. Also, single women and women with infertile male partners all benefit from the existence of sperm banks.

Egg freezing is a clinical method of harvesting eggs from the female ovaries and preserving and storing them in a viable state for future use. While, sperm banking is a clinical method of preserving and storing donated sperms from individuals in such a way that they maintain their viability for longer period.

Sperms could also be harvested from the epididymis or testis through surgical procedure in patients with azoospermia or aspermia.

According to a clinician anatomist and reproductive endocrinologist at the Baptist Medical Centre, Obanikoro, Lagos Dr Emmanuel Gbeleyi, “the challenges of bearing children in late marriages, after a sudden death and people with infertility issues can be tackled by early sperm banking and egg freezing.

Explaining further he said, “In women, there is a fixed amount of eggs that the ovaries can produce right from birth and these keep reducing with age until menopause.

The quality and quantity of the eggs also reduce with age. For pregnancy to occur, it involves quantity eggs and healthy sperm. This has posed a big challenge on the ladies who couldn’t get married early enough or not sure of getting married,” he said.

Why Freeze Your Egg Or Bank Your Sperm?

The clinician anatomist

Who You Marry Affects Your Career Success –Study

new study suggests that the personalities of husbands and wives affect their spouse’s success in the workplace, adding that a spouse who is more conscientious enables their partner to succeed more at work.

The researchers, from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, will publish their findings in the journal Psychological Science.

The study was by an assistant professor of psychology Joshua Jackson and co-author Brittany Solomon - a graduate student at the university.

“Our study shows that it is not only your own personality that influences the experiences that lead to greater occupational success,” says Jackson, “but that your spouse’s personality matters too.”

But Jackson and Solomon say their study suggests these patterns exist subtly every day, influencing performance in contexts removed from the home and the spouse.

Results from their research show that working spouses who scored highest on indicators of career success tend to have spouses who scored high on conscientiousness in the personality test.

Commenting on their findings, Jackson says: “The experiences responsible for this association are not likely isolated events where the spouse convinces you to ask for a raise or promotion. Instead, a spouse’s personality influences many daily factors that sum up and accumulate across time to afford one the many actions necessary to receive a promotion or a raise.”

Indoor Falls May Shorten Longevity

W

and reproductive endocrinologist said with sperm banking and egg freezing, you can get from your sperms and eggs when you need them: Such as for In vitro fertilisation (IVF) and Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A lady can get sperm from the bank to get her pregnant. Infertile couples can get sperm and eggs from the bank to make babies “A lady can get married late and go to the bank and get some of her donated eggs to make babies. A young widow can get her husband sperm from the bank to make babies for him. You can make children even after death. It gives you the opportunity to bank viable and quality eggs and sperm before you start aging.”

When To Insure Your

Baby Notably, ladies start getting concerned when marriage is coming late, especially in Africa because the higher the age of a lady, the lesser her chances of getting pregnant. Hence it is better for a lady to have all her children at an early age.”

Dr Gbeleyi said the best age range is between age 18 to 26 while on the average 27 to 35 and the poor range is from 36 to 45.

Set Backs One of the factors causing setback for sperm donation and egg freezing is cost.

Another factor according to Gbeleyi is the electricity challenge facing the country.

“Sperms and eggs can only be stored temporarily for the purpose of assisted reproduc-

tive techniques in Nigeria due to the electricity challenges in many parts of Africa” However, the expert said, the cost is far better than what you will spend when battling infertility issues, which you might likely not get result.

“You cannot monetize a young widow being able to have children for her husband after his death. So many people have taken and still taking this advantage all over in advanced countries.”

Success Rate Success rates for pregnancy using sperm donation are dependent on many factors including the age and health of the recipient.

Other factors needed to be put into consideration according to Gbeleyi include recep-

omen in their eighties who fell indoors, rather than outdoors or from a height like a ladder, died sooner than their peers, a new French study finds.

Indoor falls could be an indicator of frailty and a sign that protective measures should be taken, say the authors.

The study was led by Sebastien Bailly, a researcher with Hospices Civils de Lyon in France. He and his co-authors wrote in the journal Maturitas, “The mean survival time of women with inside falls was nearly 1.6 years shorter than that of women with other falling profiles.”

Women with frailties, for example, “who experienced outside falls or falls from height had no increased mortality despite more serious injuries,” the researchers note.

“Among community-

dwelling women, some fall more frequently than others,” the study team concludes.

“These women should draw the caregivers’ attention because their falls may be indicators of frailty.

Non-injurious falls are also of concern because women experiencing this type of fall may suffer from unfavourable underlying conditions and be at risk of short survival.”

“The study is very well done,” Dr. Kathleen Walsh told Reuters Health. “It has been shown in prior studies that for indoor falls the mortality tends to be worse, and longevity is diminished,” said Walsh, who was not involved in the French research.

Walsh, a geriatric and emergency medicine specialist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison said, family members shouldn’t panic and tell their elderly loved ones that they need to move into assisted living after they’ve had a fall.

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014

15

health

Bullied Children More Likely To Have Depression As Adults

A

new study has found that children who revealed they had been bullied by their brothers or sisters several times a week or more during early adolescence were twice as likely to report being clinically depressed as young adults to be self-harmed within the previous year compared with those who had not been bullied.

The findings, published in the journal Paediatrics and conducted by the Universities of Oxford, Warwick, Bristol and UCL, suggest interventions are needed to specifically target a form of bullying which it says, to date, has been largely ignored by academics, policy makers and

clinicians.

Lead author Dr Lucy Bowes, from the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford, said: ‘Forms of bullying where victims are shoved around the playground or targeted at work have been well documented, however, this study uncovers a largely hidden form of bullying. Victims of sibling bullying are offered little escape as sibling relationships endure throughout development.

“We are not talking about the sort of teasing that often goes on within families, but incidents that occur several times a week, in which victims are ignored by their brothers or sisters, or are sub-

jected to verbal or physical violence.”

The link between being bullied by their siblings as a child and later mental health disorders was found to be similar for both boys and girls.

Victims were more likely to be girls than boys, with this form of bullying more common in families where there were three or more children.

Older brothers were often the perpetrators. On average, victims reported that sibling bullying had started at the age of eight.

Co-author Professor Dieter Wolke, from the Department of Psychology and Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing at the University of

Warwick, said: ‘Social learning and how to behave with peers starts at home, and when siblings are bullied it can have serious long- term consequences as we found in our study. It is important that parents set clear rules about what is allowed in conflicts and they should intervene consistently when their children maltreat each other repeatedly.’

Children who said they had been frequently bullied by siblings were more likely to report increased feelings of anxiety. However, anxiety was not found to be a significant effect after individual and family characteristics had been taken into account, reports Science Daily.

Diabetes Is 7th Leading Cause Of Death

A

new gene associated with fasting glucose and insulin levels in rats, mice and in humans, has been discovered by researchers.

Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death, and experts estimate diabetes is an underreported cause of death because of the co morbidities and complications associated with the disease.

A collaborative research team led by Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) scientists has identified a new gene associated with fasting glucose and insulin levels in rats, mice and in humans. The findings are published in the September issue of Genetics.

Leah Solberg Woods, Ph.D., associate professor of paediatrics at MCW and a researcher in the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Research Institute, led the study and is the corresponding author of the paper.

The authors of the paper identified a gene called Tpcn2

in which a variant was associated with fasting glucose levels in a rat model. Studies in Tpcn2 knockout mice also demonstrated the difference in fasting glucose levels as well as insulin response between the knockout animals and regular mice. Finally, Dr. Woods’ team identified variants within Tpcn2 associated with fasting insulin in humans. Tpcn2 is a lysosomal calcium channel that likely plays a role in insulin signalling.

Glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction are key underlying causes of type 2 diabetes.

“Genome-wide association studies in humans have identified 60+ genes linked to type 2 diabetes; however, these genes explain only a small portion of heritability in diabetes studies. As we continue to identify genes and variants of interest, we will evaluate them in multiple models to understand the mechanism of disease,” said Dr. Solberg Woods.

Our Bodies: Home To An Average Of Five Viruses’

R

esearchers from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, have found that our body is home to an average of five viruses responsible for numerous illnesses, although it is unclear whether they have positive or negative implications for health.

Strains of HPV were found in around 75 per cent of participants’ skin samples and 50 per cent of nose samples, while new strains of the virus were found in both skin and nose samples.

“Almost everyone is familiar with the idea that a normal bacterial flora exists in the body,” says study co-author Dr. Gregory Storch, a virologist and chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Dis-

eases at the university. “Lots of people have asked whether there is a viral counterpart, and we haven’t had a clear answer. But now we know there is a normal viral flora, and it’s rich and complex.”

The findings, which form a part of the Human Microbiome Project funded by the National Institutes of Health, were recently published in the journal BMC Biology.

The research team, led by Kristine M. Wylie, PhD, an instructor of paediatrics at the university, collected 706 samples of bodily fluids from 102 healthy adults aged 1840. The samples were taken from participants’ nose, skin, mouth, vagina and stools.

All participants were closely screened to ensure they had no viral infections, and

they were eliminated from the study if they had been diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV) in the past 2 years, or had a form of active genital herpes in the last 2 months.

For each sample, the researchers used high-throughput DNA sequencing that enabled them to detect a wide range of viruses.

Seven families of viruses identified, including HPV and herpesvirus.

Among 92 per cent of participants, at least one virus was detected, with some participants harbouring around 10-15 viruses. On average, each participant harboured five viruses. The researchers say they were surprised to find so many.

“We only sampled up to

five body sites in each person and would expect to see many more viruses if we had sampled the entire body,” says Wylie.

From the samples, the team detected seven families of viruses. These included viruses responsible for non-sexually transmitted herpes - herpesvirus 6 and 7. These viruses were detected among 98per cent of participants who were sampled from the mouth.

Strains of HPV were found in around 75per cent of skin samples and 50per cent of nose samples, while new strains of the virus were found in both skin and nose samples.

Around 38per cent of female participants had HPV strains in vagina samples, with many of these harbouring strains associated with increased risk of

cervical cancer, such as HPV 16 and HPV 18.

The researchers also identified adenoviruses - responsible for pneumonia and the common cold - in the majority of samples.

It is possible, the researchers note, that the viruses identified were lurking infections from years before. But Wylie says that dormant viruses usually reside in cells rather than bodily fluids, which is where the viruses were found in this study.

Commenting on their findings, the team says: “This study is the first to use highthroughput DNA sequencing to describe the diversity of eukaryotic DNA viruses in a large cohort of individuals who were sampled at multiple body sites. This analysis

demonstrates that there is a ‘normal viral flora’ in generally healthy, asymptomatic individuals.”

They admit that it is unclear as to whether the viruses are beneficial or detrimental to health, but they hypothesize that the viruses may boost the immune system’s response to harmful pathogens in some cases, while increasing the risk of infection in others.

“It’s very important to know what viruses are present in a person without causing a problem and what viruses could be responsible for serious illnesses that need medical attention,” says Dr. Storch. “While more research remains, we now have a much clearer picture of the communities of viruses that naturally exist in healthy people.”

sports

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

16

Controversy Trails Keshi’s Appointment

By Mu’Sodiq Adekunle

D

espite being ranked as the number one coach in Africa and 14th in the world by the Football Coach World Ranking last Friday afternoon controversy still trails the appointment renewal of the Nigeria Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, The future of Stephen Keshi as the Super Eagles coach may still be clouded in mystery after it was learnt that the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Football Federation are yet to decide on renewing his contract with the national team.

The coach’s contract ended with the Eagles’ round of 16 defeats to France at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but talks over a new contract have stalled with the NFF stating that they could not pay the N15m per month salary Keshi is asking for.

Sports minister, Tammy Danagogo, intervened by asking Keshi to take charge of the team for the 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa on a caretaker basis.

But the coach has come under scathing criticisms for the Eagles’ performance in the defeat 3-2 to Congo at home before holding South Africa to a 0-0 draw in Cape Town.

Amidst reports that the federation was set to hand the former Nigeria captain a new deal before the next AFCON qualifier against Sudan in October, the Special Adviser on Media to the Sports Minister, Patrick Omorodion, said the ministry was not aware of any negotiation between the NFF and the coach.

He said the minister only

appealed to Keshi to be in charge of the team on a caretaker basis because the negotiation between the NFF and Keshi broke down due to the crisis in the federation.

“The minister promised that if the NFF couldn’t raise the money to pay, the National Sports Commission would.

But after the two games, he said the NFF will decide who they want; if they want Keshi, no problem. If they say they want someone else, no problem,” Omorodion said.

“The minister was concerned about the first two qualifiers of the team. I don’t know if the NFF have made up their mind to give Keshi the job. I am not aware if they have informed Keshi of a new contract but we didn’t discuss anything about that. I spoke with the federation and they said they have not finalised anything with Keshi,” he added.

The NFF spokesman, Ademola Olajire, denied knowledge of any deliberation between the football body and Keshi, over a contract renewal.

Olajire said, “I don’t know anything about Keshi’s contract or whether the NFF is discussing with him or not.

Let’s be patient; in a week or two, we will know the true situation. The match (versus Sudan) comes up next month and we are very much aware of that.”

Keshi however declined to comment on his future with the national team.

“Why don’t you speak with the FA? Its better you speak with them. I don’t want to make any comments on the issue,” Keshi told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

Mu’Sodiq Adekunle with Agency Report

E

ngland will at last stage another major football tournament after Wembley was awarded the final and semi-finals of Euro 2020 in Geneva on Friday.

The UEFA Exco voted in favour of Wembley over Munich’s Allianz Arena for the marquee matches in a tournament being staged in 13 cities across Europe, the brain child of UEFA President Michel Platini..

After the doomed bid to hold the World Cups in 2006 and 2018, this was the first successful campaign by the FA since the decision in Lisbon 1992 to award Euro 96 to England.Wembley Stadium will host the final and semi-finals of Euro 2020 after the English national stadium saw off competition from Munich’s Allianz Arena at a UEFA ExCo vote in Geneva on Friday The UEFA vote for Wembley – held in an eyesore exhibition building in Geneva was regarded almost as a foregone conclusion with the big FA party including England manager Roy Hodgson, FA chairman Greg Dyke and past and present Ministers of Sport Helen Grant and Kate Hoey, London Mayor Boris Johnson’s Commissioner for sport.

UEFA regard Wembley as their favourite stadium on the continent, especially with its money-making potential from the tier of 17,000 corporate seats. The ground has hosted UEFA’s flagship Champions League final twice in the last four years.

It was a complicated secret ballot with the 17-strong voting UEFA executive, which includes Manchester United director David Gill not involved in any vote involving their own country.

Arsenal Targets Yobo

A

rsenal is exploring the free transfer market in a desperate attempt to ease their defensive problems, states a

report.

The Gunners’ lack of depth in defence was apparent on Tuesday night when Arsene Wenger was left with just three senior defenders for their 2-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund.

The club is looking for a central de-

fender to provide cover for Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny.

Clubs can still sign free agents despite the transfer window closing on September 1.

Scouts have been asked to examine short-term options Diego Lugano and Joseph Yobo, who are both available and have been discussed at the club’s London Colney HQ. The pair have Premier League experi-

London to Host Euro 2020 Finals

ence — Yobo for Everton and Norwich and Lugano with West Brom — which is key for the Gunners.

Any moves, though, are a way from fruition with the club still considering their options.

There was at least some good news for Wenger on Wednesday when scans on the right ankle of Jack Wilshere, injured in Germany, revealed no serious damage.

Yobo

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014

17

sports

Ronaldo

By Mu’Sodiq Adekumle

W

hat makes a football club strong and fearful is the caliber of players and coach it possesses. This is one of the key factors that yielded Real Madrid’s success in the last European Champions League. Daily Times examines what will be the Champion’s League defensive champions if its star players leave.

It is getting down at La Liga as colourable players in the league have begun to seek move to other leagues. Except Lionel Messi, who is yet to indicate his intention to leave Barcelona Football Club, many others have.

While Cesc Fabregas and Angel Di Maria have already move to Chelsea and Manchester United Football Clubs in England, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale won’t reject a bountiful deal from high ranked Premiership Clubs.

In fact, Ronaldo is already showing strong interest in joining his old club, Man Utd, while Bale already says he might return to Spurs at any moment. Ronaldo wants Manchester United return - but only after becoming Real Madrid’s record goal scorer. The Portuguese is keen to move back to Old Trafford in 2016, once he has surpassed Raul’s mark of 323 goals for the Spanish side.

Ronaldo only signed a new long-term contract last September, with the new deal running until 2018.

Earlier, he said, “I’ll be here five more years. I just want to win trophies for this club. I will be honest with you – everyone knows I was in Manchester for six years, but Manchester is in the past. Now my club is Real Madrid. This is my home, my family is here, and I’m really happy here.”

But his stance has changed in recent months, however, largely due to the club’s transfer policy, and in particular the summer sales of Angel Di Maria, whom he tried to keep at the club until the very last minute, and Xabi Alonso.

A source said, “Cristiano talks about United all the time. The club had a difficult time last season, but he expects them to return to the top very soon. He is seduced by the idea of finishing his career at Old Trafford. He has great memories - it was his happiest time as a footballer.”

Bale

Di Maria

Imagine a Real Madrid Without Ronaldo, Bale, Di Maria Mesut Ozil departed for Arsenal in similar circumstances to Di Maria last year and although Madrid went on to enjoy a successful season, Ronaldo feels the club could have achieved more during his time in Spain, believing the current policy for signing players has restricted Madrid both at home and in Europe.

Since moving from United for a record €94m deal in 2009, the forward has won one Liga title, two Copas del Rey, one Spanish Supercopa, one Champions League title and a Uefa Super Cup. With 257 goals in 252 games for Los Blancos, Ronaldo is already within sight of the club’s all-time top goal scorer: Raul.

The former Spain striker netted 323 times for the Spanish side and at his current rate, Ronaldo will overtake his former team-mate early in 2015-16.

In a related development, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has rued missing out on signing Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo earlier in his career says reports.

The Gunners boss endured nine years without a trophy before winning the FA Cup final in May, with Chelsea’s Drogba and Ronaldo of Manchester United contributing to the drought.

Also, Real Madrid star Gareth Bale says he still has a great affinity for former club Tottenham and has hinted that he could return to north London in the future.

The Wales international sealed a world-record €100 million move to the Spanish capital last summer and has already won the Champions League, Copa del Rey and Uefa Super Cup during his time with Los Blancos.

Although Bale’s decision to force a move to Madrid angered many Spurs fans, the 25-year-

Taekwondo: Korean Ambassador Cup Shifted for Safety

old hopes they understand his decision to leave and he admits he would welcome a return to a club where he spent six happy years.

He said, “I’ll never forget the great European nights at White Hart Lane. They were amazing. Tottenham will always have a place in my heart. I hope the fans still love me even though I’ve moved on. I love Spurs fans; you never know, I could come back one day.

“I hope they understand that obviously Real Madrid is a massive, massive club and that they respect my decision. From the moment Madrid put the offer in, it was difficult. [Tottenham] was somewhere I felt so comfortable and so happy.”

Bale scored 15 goals for Madrid last season, notably netting in both the Copa del Rey and Champions League finals against Barcelona and Atletico, respectively.

Mu’Sodiq Adekunle

N

igeria Taekwondo Federation has postponed the 2014 Korean Ambassador Cup Championships.

The event, which was scheduled for September 12-14, will now hold from December 1315 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.

The President of the NTF George Ashiru, said, “The organising committee of the KAC 2014 has decided to postpone the tournament to ensure the safety of our athletes and

guests.”

However, he said registrations for the competition would continue until October 30, adding that health measures would be taken to ensure the safety of all participants at the event.

He added, “All teams are expected by this time to ensure all the athletes have medical clearance, health insurance, and full personal equipment.

“The organising committee will also ensure the training of the officials and LOC on appropriate health management procedures to ensure a safe and hitch free tournament.”

18

fashion

Ankara:

King of All Fabrics!

By Adeonke Akinola

A

frican prints, popularly called Ankara is mainly associated with Africans. Although it was originally manufactured for the Dutch Indonesian textile market but West Africans became more interested in it hence, the African print was born. So, Ankara changed to reflect more of African culture and lifestyle.

Ankara is one of the cheapest traditional fabrics and goes for everyday use, while other African fabrics like Aso Oke are reserved for special occasions.

The fabric is known to symbolise African fashion, with different bright and exciting colours and patterns springing up.

And since it is always lovely and trendy to mix colours and prints, Ankara can be mixed with others fabrics like lace, ofi and chiffon. It is also good when mixed with different patterns of Ankara embellished with sequins, beads, stones, buttons and even feathers. Ankara fabric can also be nice on a pair of jeans.

Interestingly, Ankara has been weaving its way through the fashion channels, including the New York fashion week, with Hollywood celebrities flaunting different styles of it.

Ankara is not only made for dresses, it can also be used for accessories like statement neck lace, bangles, hair clip, shoes, handbags and clutches.

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22 -28 2014

people I Will Sue Air France –Lami

19

Lami Philips isn’t your regular kind of singer, she is into Soul music which is considered tough but she sure knows how to hold her own. Catching up with her on the Island on a very busy Wednesday, Lami was of course warm and calm, willing to tell you anything you wanted to know; such a jolly good fellow. She opened up over on sundry issues from her career, to her recent encounter with Air France where her luggage got missing in transit, to her marriage and fashion sense.

By Opeoluwani Akintayo

W

hat have you been up to lately?

I don’t think there’s much at the moment. We are working on the album. I just got back mixing the live portion of the album. And the studio portion, I’m doing most of the collaborations in Lagos and we are almost done with that. It’s most challenging when you have collaborations working with your schedule and the other person’s schedule.

How many tracks do you have on the album?

It won’t be more than 13 even though we’ve recorded about 25 songs.

Why? Because I think that when you have too many songs on an album, some of them won’t get the chance to breath.

And I want to put just what I’m sure my fans will want to listen to now.

Some of them may be of free downloads later on.

What’s the title and who did you collaborate with I don’t want to say that yet until we are done. I want it to have the element of surprise.

So when should your fans expect the album to drop?

Fingers crossed, I will say February next year.

You’ve been all over Twitter lamenting over your lost luggage on Air France. Has your luggage been found?

No I haven’t got my bag back and I’m very happy to talk about that.

What actually happened?

I went to Europe and my last stop was Paris. I came back to Lagos and my luggage didn’t arrive with me and that’s the first time it has happened to me. The whole time I’ve been going back and forth and I haven’t heard anything from them yet.

That was when?

Two weeks ago So what are they saying?

They are saying absolutely non-

sense because they can’t tell me where my bag was last seen and their record says it was last seen in Lagos and that’s absolutely impossible because whenever I come to Lagos, I stand in front of where the bags are being offloaded and so, it’s impossible for any other person to have stolen my bag.

Unfortunately, what I’m getting as feedback on social media is that Airfrance is known for always losing people’s luggage. Usually, I’d be quiet about things like this but I think it’s important to hold the corporation responsible when they mess up. This is a huge mess up for somebody like me because I move around a lot and when I don’t have my things, it makes me so inconvenient and I wasn’t the only one affected, there were four other people with the same complaint. And because I have the leverage of the social media, that’s why I can speak up and I’m going to complain and make this a big deal.

Yes because I know it’s been on for days on the social media I’ve been shouting about it because it’s just not good enough. This is 2014 when you have everything in place to make sure that things get where they’re supposed to so, it’s very disheartening and they can’t even tell me where it is.

And you haven’t been called for a meeting?

I haven’t heard anything from them!

They’re replying on social media that they are looking for it. It’s a bright yellow suitcase so you can’t even tell me that somebody mistook it for theirs. It just shows their level of incompetence and my lawyer is already filing a suit against them. I’m not going to be quiet about it.

So when are you filing the case?

We will go to court when everything is set.

Are you sure it was among the luggages that were checked in?

Yes because I was given a baggage tag and I still have my tag with me so, they have no story. But according to the regulation, you have to wait for 21 days after which if your luggage is not found, you can go to court and it’s almost 21 days and that’s what I’m waiting for.

What’s inside the bag?

My clothes, shoes, bags and accessories. M perfumes, wristwatches and the regular female things.

You’ve been active on social media these days, posting pictures and all that which wasn’t so…

Honestly speaking, I’m not the social media type. I’m not into this chatting because it’s a lot of work for me. But the fantastic thing is that Instagram allows you to post on Facebook and Twitter at the same time.

That’s why it seems I’m everywhere.

So, it’s easy for me to just post a picture and put a comment on Instagram and then send them to my Twitter and Facebook. If you watch on my Twitter feed, you’d see that I’m not as active but I’m trying You’ve also been featuring in other artistes’ videos unlike in the past I really believe in time and chances.

I believe in seasons. When the first album came out, I needed time to rest because everything happened too fast for me. When I came to Lagos, I didn’t know that when I put songs out there, it was going to move as fast as it did.

So, it moved faster than I expected and I found myself shooting videos and travelling a lot. So, I started recording for the second album and the first thing I needed to do was chill out, spend some time with my husband and my daughter, then get my bearing for a proper team for the second album, and that too doesn’t come easy because Nigeria is weird when it comes to finding the right people. But now that the album is almost done, I feel like I can do some other things. I go out more than usual although I am still selective.

I don’t show up in everybody’s video.

Banky is my close friend from when I came back into Nigeria. He’s one of the first artistes that I met. He called me and gave me like an hour to show up and shoot the video. He was also in one of the first videos that I shot, ‘Nothing Do You’. I gave him like 24hours notice as well. So, there are people like that who have your back so, whenever they need you, you just have to show up.

I totally saw a new Lami in that video because I didn’t know you can act. Aren’t you thinking about going

into acting soon?

I actually was in theatre when I was in London, and I’m reading some scripts right now but, it has to be the right thing for me. One of the things here is that when a singer things that she can act or when ac actress thinks that she can sing so, it’s always good for you to do what is critically put together and not just cheap things. So, I’m ready different scripts and I have one that I’m very close to accepting.

You are one of the soul singers we have in the country but it’s surprising not to see you into deals with MTN, Globacom and the rest. Why?

I don’t weigh my success with things like that. Although it’ll be fantastic to have something like that but generally speaking, soul music is still finding its feet in Nigeria and in terms that we don’t have a lot of people who comprehend the music. I’ve been blessed to start working with a good working agent and they understand my brand more and they also work with different brand so, if it comes that a brand wants to endorse me then, that’s fine. I think it’s the new fad but not everyone can be a brand ambassador. I’m not killing myself over it. I’d rather be paid a good

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

20

people news

leisure

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

I Will Sue Air France –Lami Desmond Elliot Commences Political Campaign

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

money for the gigs I do which happens anyway so, I’m content with that.

Why is that you don’t show off your husband on social media like other female celebs do?

I have been doing that but not as often. You have to prayerfully find a proper balance between your private and public persona. I see music as my job.

If I was working in a bank, I wouldn’t put my husband’s picture on the checks that I sign or on documents. But once in a while, I do put it out there because I want people to know I have a fantastic husband and a good home life. But he’s also an individual who’s doing his own thing and I have to respect that. I also think that sometimes when you over indulge the public thing, you give them the right to have an opinion about certain things. But when we were on vacation, I put up a lot of pictures about what we are doing but I try to put the focus on myself so it doesn’t get too much because I’m very protective about my marriage as it means the world to me.

When is your daughter getting a sibling? She should be about 5 years now? (laughs)For me, my husband and I are just taking our time.

We both have very busy lifestyles and I consider myself one of the luckiest mothers in the world. So whatever we do, we love to do it properly. She will have a sibling in God’s time or are you God?(laughs).

Do you have other businesses aside music?

Yes, primarily for now.

I’m sure you’d have had some embarrassing moments on the job Not really. What’s funny is that what other people consider embarrassing, I see it as funny. I’m not really sensitive like that. If a fan says something funny or stupid to me, I’d rather laugh it off. My friends and I don’t take things like that too seriously. There was a time I tripped on red carpet and my friends and I sat there the whole time and laughed over it. We weren’t embarrassed about it.

You don’t have friends in the industry. Why? That’s what you think.

By Opeoluwani Akintayo

N

Aside Waje, who and who are your friends?

I’m close to a lot of people.

For example, I completely adore Sasha and I have some of them who we meet up at my house and hang out but we are very private people and don’t feel the need to post pictures for all to see. I’m very passionate about the women in the industry and they are close enough; I don’t think there’s an artiste I don’t consider my friend. They also know that I don’t get close to people easily but when I do, I do everything necessary expected of me as a friend- Waje, Omawunmi, Tiwa, Sasha, Toke, Omoni Oboli, Mowe Abebe, there’s a group of us, Fade Ogunro, Toolz, Rita Dominic; they are all my friends.

It seems you like wearing low hill shoes a lot despite your height I’m a shoe person and if I go shopping, I might spend 90% of my budget on shoes, few tshirts and easy pants- it’s the way I am. I’m a simple person.

I like being comfortable unless it’s a red carpet event. I’m short and I like the fact that I’m short(laughs), and when I’m walking, I walk very fast so, I don’t like anything holding me back. I like trainers a lot.

Few of you are into soul music in Nigeria, are you not thinking about spicing it up I don’t go into the studio thinking to do soul music. I write and then we put it together. People listen to soul music and think its melancholy because it’s soft. There are different types of soul music- funk soul, afro soul, rap soul and the likes. But apart from that, soul

ollywood actor turned politician, Desmond Olusola Elliot, has already started his political campaign ahead of the 2015 elections.

Desmond, who will be running for a seat at the Lagos State House of Assembly come 2015, practically dragged his colleagues in the movie industry with him on the campaign train.

The likes of Yoruba actress, Bimbo Thomas and fellow acmusic has a really long way to tor, Odunlade Adekola, were go in Nigeria, but even hiphop with him to win over the hearts had a long stretch before it of residents of Iponri in Lagos started being this accepted. For me, I’m not about trying to fit in because that’s boring. I want to listen to my music in like 60 years and be proud of what I’ve done. So I don’t care if it’s fast or slow, as long as it comes from my soul then, I’ll do it

State.

Bimbo Thomas and Adekola took turns in charging the people and soliciting for sup-

port and votes for Elliot after which he spoke to the people.

We hope he gets what he wants. Best of luck.

never to back down on the path of controversies? Unfortunately for her, we can’t really feel her music the way we

feel her raunchiness.

We hope she gets to work and be known for something more credible!

Yvonne Nelson Debunks Dating Rumours

been wagging on how she got the money for it.

Many said the car was probably bought by her new boyfriend, the one pictured above.

Reacting, the beautiful actress lashed at the media for cooking up stories about her.

According to her, the car was bought with her own money and not from a man’s sweat as wildly speculated.

Yvonne then hinted that she’s still single and searching and is not planning to settle down with any man soon.

Obviously she has found it difficult to love again after Iyanya jilted her.

Maheeda Is Back To Her Root!

What won’t you be caught wearing?

I’m not skinny so whatever I wear should flatter my body.

I would have loved to wear something skimpy but that was when I was 16 and size 6. But now, I an 8/10 size and I don’t judge people who dress in a certain way. Like I see J.Lo and I’m jealous because she’s over 40 and still looking hot. If I could get myself to that stage maybe, I could want to show a side of belly but it’s not a prerequisite for being classy. Being beautiful is understanding your body and package it well.

I like my body and just want to be toned that’s all. But I’m not able to walk in Nigeria because the roads are bad but I walk a lot whnever I’m in Europe Hope your husband doesn’t restrict you when it comes to socializing?

He’s even more social that I am. He wishes I go out more but when we are both free, I go out with him and enjoy it. He’s my party buddy.

What else are you looking at aside your album?

I want to travel round Africa and immerse myself in African cultures because I have to incorporate their music tunes into mine. I’ve learnt not to over plan. I just take things one at a time.

By Opeoluwani Akintayo

F

or a while now, Nigeria’s self acclaimed queen of social media raunchiness, Maheeda took a break and we were beginning to relax from seeing those eyepopping pictures of hers.

But now, it seems her retreating isn’t to surrender because she’s back, back to what we know her for.

The sexy mother of one re-appeared rocking a bigger earring on her navel, a pink bra and pant, showing off her waist tattoo. It seems she can never change!

Well, what do you expect from someone who has sworn

By Judith Frank Edet

G

hanaian star actress, Yvonne Nelson, recently acquired a brand new car and tongues have

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014

21

metro (south)

By Joy Ekeke

B

efore the late 80s, the night soil men popularly called agbepos were object of ridicule as they were being mocked by young and old. Today, shit business has taken a new dimension as many now make millions from this odd job. Daily Times writes on the business now and then and the health implication for those in the business.

It was a breezy evening in the 1980s, in the shanty suburb of Orile Iganmu; the toilet was full to the brim and smelling badly. The entire neighborhood was a stench. Then came the man, dressed in a pair of black trouser, tucked in rain boots and handkerchiefs tied around his mouth, he moved from house to house evacuating human waste.

He enjoyed much freedom because his identity was largely unknown. In spite of his mode of dressing, the children often mocked him as they enjoyed singing behind him. Well, the kids paid dearly for their actions at times as the night soil man would either pour the content of his bucket on them or drop his bucket full of excreta in front of their residence. This was the life of the night soil men or Agbepo meaning bowl carrier as they were called then.

Some years ago, shit business was not a business anyone would love to go into for any reason whatsoever. It was a business that was despised by many because of its smelly nature.

However, the story is different today as the advent of technology had brought about serious improvement in the business.

For Alhaji Yaya Saliu, when he started the business of sewage and waste water evacuation forty years ago he was very cautious in the way he managed information about the profession.

He was conscious of the fact that it was generally despised in the society, so much so that they were popularly called agbepo or shit bowl carrier.

According to Saliu, he had to keep the nature of his job a top secret from his friends an especially his family members.

“My family lived in Ibadan while I do my shit business here in Lagos. I made sure that what I do for a living was a top secret to my family and in-laws for fear of being ostracised and being looked down upon. To them at that time, I was in Lagos doing business. I dare not let them into what the real nature

Wealth In Waste:

Shit Business Thrives of my business was. It was when things began to look up for me and I had something to show for the dirt I carried that I showed my true colour at home. I was too scared to tell my wife. Even when some members of my family discovered, they were mad at me. But when my wife came to join me in Lagos and saw that I was living fine, she immediately accepted my job,” he said.

Today, Saliu is fulfilled. He is currently the chairman of the Alausa branch of the sewage association and for him, shit business is indeed a very serious and lucrative one.

He is a proud owner of two sewage evacuation trucks operating in Lagos. He lives in his own house in Lagos and has also built two others in Lagos and in his home town in Ilorin. In addition, all his children are graduates from various prestigious universities in Nigeria.

The 65-year-old, who recently acquired a tipper truck, confidently spoke with Daily Times and was quick to show off his newly acquired Mitsubishi Montero Sport.

“Your mess is our job was a slogan Saliu coined for himself which he says is his motto.

Saliu recalling his journey

with a feeling of nostalgia, said; “after learning on the job for six months, I had to toil for another one year before I could buy my own truck for N600, 000.”

Saliu further remarked that his first truck even decades after is still standing and it is a constant reminder of how far he has come in the business. He attributes this to proper maintenance and love for a job that has accorded him the good things of life.

Saliu’s story is just one of out of many others told by hard working men who evacuate sewage from countless households and offices around the country. Although they have chosen to dabble into a business that many consider only fit for the never-do-well in the society, they continue to make cool cash.

He further recalled that long before the pit latrine gave way to flush toilets, otherwise called ‘water system, and its accessory the septic tank in 1986, the night-soil man or agbepo held sway, but the story is now different.

“We have risen beyond the stigma that was once attached to the profession. I must say this business can be very lucrative, depending on your skill and the condition of your evacuation

truck. Moreover, the government now regulates the business.

Before now, some operators carried the shit on their head and with their bare hands. But the Wastewater Management Office was created and it has succeeded in changing the face of the business as all sewage trucks have records and are inspected on a daily basis. Our union holds regular summits where scholars and other experts are invited to give talks” He notes that the association boasts nearly 700 members, nationwide. The body was established in 2009.

Another operator, the Secretary of the Mile 2 garage and Headquarter of the Sewage and Water Disposal Association, Mr. David Avose who has been into the business for some years says the story of the transformation of the sewage business will, however, be incomplete without acknowledging the contribution of the late founder of DMT Toilet, Otunba Isaac Durojaye. The man popularly called Otunba Gadafi, so much pursued the business with pride that he came up with the slogan, “Shit business is serious business.”

Avose who also owns a thriving transport business, adds that he was able to send his children

overseas for higher education from the proceeds of his ‘shit business’.

That claim sounds too good to be real? If you feel that way, you may then have to consider how much it takes to embark on the business as well as the returns. According to Avose “a fairly used five-ton German evacuation truck is the most recommended and it costs between N5m and N6m while the brand new ones go for as much as N13m or N15m. Most of the trucks are imported from Germany, India and Brazil. Also, on the average, the operators usually charge between N15, 000 and N18, 000, or more, to evacuate the sewage. But these fees are relative and largely determined by distance” he said.

He further explained that the business enjoys more patronage in water-logged areas. They add that patronage peaks during the rainy season with a truck making as much as eight or more trips in a day while during the dry season some trucks can make up to five trips.

Rasheed Atunda, yet another operator stated that despite the potential promised by the money in the business, he is sometimes saddened by the attitude of some members of the public

and adds that he is not folding his arms either.

“When some people want to pay us, they drop the money on the ground and then ask us to pick it because they don’t want their hands to touch our own.

They need to remember that we all can’t be lawyers, doctors or engineers and without our services, the society will be unbearable for us all to live in,” he said.

Atanda however noted that this is about to be a thing of the past because change will soon be introduced.

“We will soon launch a new uniform, boots, vests and hand gloves for our members. The supervisory ministry has also given us chemicals to help kill stench during evacuation,” he reveals.

Interestingly, some operators now claim to possess the wit to distinguish between human waste from a high brow area and the one from a slum.

According to Abudulahi who has been in the business for seven years, this can only be achieved by simply putting their sense of smell and sight to the test.

“Mushin Ajegunle and Bariga’s shit is similar because many residents eat the same types of food. Theirs is black or brown and very smelly.

“Victoria Island, Lekki, Ikoyi and VGC shit, on the other hand, is usually watery and light with a tolerable odour.

“I think the latter smells that way because most homes in these areas pour chemicals and disinfectant into their toilet system before, during and after use.

We always pray to get more business from such areas because they pay more and don’t stress us much,” he said.

While speaking with Dr Jim Ebhomien of St Joseph Hospital, he disclosed that people into such businesses are prone to all kind of illnesses due to the nature of their job which entails close contact with faeces.

“It is advocated that these individuals should be properly clothed with personal protective devices (PPD) which should consist of face marks, boots and hand gloves.

Stressing that, when faeces are left unattended to for a long time, putrefaction occurs due to bacterial infestation and a whole lot of diseases would be possible. These disease are transmitted via the feaco-oral route cholera, helminthiasis. After attending to the waste product they should wash their hands with soap, water and disinfectant,” he said.

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

22

metro (north)

By Augustine Aminu

J

ust in case you are not familiar with the Kubwa express way, it is the road that links the FCT to Dutse, Kubwa, all in Bwari area council in Abuja and it also leads to Zuba from where you proceed to Kaduna, Suleja or Lokoja.

Along the express road, adjacent to the Federal Civil Service College, before now is a location you may not probably miss because that is where you see a gathering of hunters displaying their wares, assorted brands of slaughtered animals popularly called bush meat.

The case is different now as the meat sellers sit all day without anyone coming to patronize them. Bush meat delicacy is on the menu of a number of restaurants and especially relaxation centres in cities and villages across the country. It is not unusual for residents of Abuja and environs to stop at the bush meat centre and purchase their favorites which may include but not limited to, antelope, grass cutter, fine boy (monkey), alligator or monitor lizard, bush (guinea) fowl, rabbit (giant rat) and even some species of snakes considered edible.

It is a common sight to see young men excavating large expanses of land in the bush in

Abuja Bush Meat Market: So Much Meat, No Buyers the hunt for rodents or setting traps for other unsuspecting animals. “Increase in population has led to higher demand for survival and these hunters hold a lot of hope for majority of Nigerians who see it as viable means of food and economic survival,” is the position of an indigene of Jama’a local government of Kaduna state who has patronized the

hunter/traders for over three years.

Researchers estimate that about half a million tonnes of wild animals are killed every year in Nigeria, for consumption with possible fears that these animals may eventually go into extinction.

Indeed, some species of wild animals that were abundant a few decades ago are no

longer in existence or difficult to come by. It is believed that low fat content is part of reasons for the craze for it.

According to one of the regular customers, Mrs. Ibe Chukwunonso, “people like bush meat because it has less fat. Bush meat is expensive but it is worth it.”

Asked if she still patronize this joint since the outbreak

of Ebola, she said “how can I use my money to buy death, the disease is deadly and one doesn’t know which of the animals carries the EVD, so the best thing is to avoid eating them for now”.

For the past 10 years, one of the hunters, Babangida Hassan, has stalked animals in and around the wooded hills of Abuja. Married with

six children and an indigene of Zamfara state said, a grass cutter sells for as much as between N4,500 and N5,000, depending on the size.

He says, “I came into this trade as a result of hardship, to enable me meet up with economic challenges and you know, I have to feed and send my children to school.” In periods of drought, Babangida who would not want to disappoint his numerous customers has to travel as far as Kogi state to get bush meat from the hunters there and resell in Abuja.

According to him, “population growth and hunting have driven animals into the deep forest and we have to satisfy the needs of our customers who rely on us because bush meat has become a popular delicacy. With the coming of Ebola, our business has crumbled and we don’t see buyers anymore. We hardly sell a piece of meat in this place.

We want to call on the federal government to consolidate on its efforts in making sure that the Ebola thing is eradicated from Nigeria completely.

“Schools are to resume soon, but as I speak to you I don’t have any savings I can’t even pay my children school fees. We want the government to help us so that we can be back on our feet’s again” Hassan said.

A Black Day At Federal College of Education Kano

By Augustine Aminu, Abuja and Yakubu Salisu, Kano

W

ednesday 17 S e p t e m b e r, 2014 was a day the people of Kabuga, Dukawuya, Gadan Kaya quarters all in Gwale Local Government area of Kano state would live to remember for life, as human flesh became like little particles of stones for the living to run over while seeking refuge for their lives.

It was a fateful day like every other when all students in the college go about their normal lectures.

The school environment was full to the brim as lectures were in top gears against the backdrop that the colleges of education in Nigeria just resumed after a strike that lasted for almost a year.

If the students knew that, that

day was going to be a black day for the college, they would all have remained in their hostels or homes giving up lectures for that day or better still, the college authorities would have declared the day a public holiday.

“The casualty is better imagined than said, dead bodies everywhere, they were more than fifty that I saw while those injured were more than 100 groaning in pain on the ground in their own pool of blood,” Mallam Muhammad Diso, a lecturer at the department of history in the college said.

According to Diso, it was shortly after he left the class and went to the school cafeteria to eat that the attackers came.

“I heard explosions followed by gun shots. A theatre filled to the brim was attacked by assailants” “A lecturer from geography department, Hadiza Gadenya was shot on the leg, the HOD of

history department Malama Bara’atu, fell from upstairs and broke her leg” Diso stressed.

Diso said the new site of the college where the attack took place has the highest number of students because it contained the social sciences and languages departments.

A lecturer who doesn’t want his name in print said, he was in his office when he hard students shouting.

At first he thought they were running to lecture room but he started hearing Allahu Akbar; “It was at that time I knew there was trouble. I quickly joined the run to seek a hiding place and fell from upstairs were I broke my leg. As I was lying on the ground in pains, one of the armed men faced me and fired several shots at me; I thank God that none of his bullets met me. I saw miracle that day.”

For Aliyu Umar a diploma student studying local govern-

ment administration, who is currently receiving treatment at the Murtala Mohammed General Hospital, he said he was at the ETF block when the gun men dressed in suit came shooting everybody in the block “I fell from upstairs and broke my leg. A student died in my room here” pointing to the bed next to his.

Aliyu’s elder brother, Usman Umar said the hospital management is trying their best. “Since we came yesterday, no one has asked us to pay for any drugs or pay for the bed space. We thank God for the lives of those that escaped death in the attack and also thank the hospital management for their efforts” A 12-year-old sachet water seller, Abdulbasi Nasir, who survived the attack, also narrated his ordeal on the day of the incident, saying the bombers had initially asked him and other hawkers to leave the area of the lecture theatre which they

bombed. “After the bomb went off, they turned to us running and opened fire on us, leaving me with a fractured leg”.

When they came, he said “We were playing around the hall when we were told to leave the place and we immediately took to our heels and tried to scale a wall when the gunmen shot at us.

“I actually saw when one of them threw something and it exploded with a loud bang, followed by gunshots,” he narrated.

A student at the college language department NCE 1 who gave his name as Nasiru Inuwa Rimin Kera said, said the attackers were four and divided themselves into two pairs, targeting the language and social sciences theatres respectively.

“A man rushed into our class and shot down our lecturer before turning to the class. The bullet that hit him actually penetrated a lady before hitting

me.”

Maimuna Usman a female diploma student who sustained a fracture said two young men were trying to help her cross over the school fence when one of the shooters dressed in army uniform shot the boys that were helping her down the fence, “they died on the spot but I was only lucky I got a fracture as a result of the fall”.

An ex-student and a close friend of the late Ajanu, Jacob Augustine said “he was dear to me and I had a close relationship with him even after graduation. He treated me like a son.

His death was a shock to me. If not that I saw his lifeless body lying in the pool of his own blood, I would not have believe he was dead. I ran down to his office when I heard about the attack only to meet him dead already. I will miss him and I pray that God reward him for all his kindness and goodness to me. May his soul rest in

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014

23

arts & culture

Eyo: Origin Of A widely Celebrated Festival

By Iyanu- Oni Orisan

T

here are different folktales to how the Eyo originated.

The absence of written history has made it difficult to determine the exact origin of the Eyo festival.

The most held Opinion is that, it started with the commemoration of the late wife of Oba Akintoye who was a princess.

As a result of her royal affinity, her family decided to give her the customary befitting burial for prominent people; Hence, the claim that, that was how the first Eyo festival started.

Others say that the Eyo masquerade is not original to Lagos Island but was brought in sometimes around 1750 by two unnamed personalities from Ibefun and Ijebu communities in present day Ogun State. Some say that owing to the fascinating appeal, they succeeded in introducing it as part of interment rites of passage for the departing Oba at that time; Oba Ado whom

they believed married one of their cousins, Olugbani.

Another version has it that, the main deity Adimu Orisha originated from Ibefun just as Eyo masquerade came as a result of the need to protect the deity from the activities of hooligans who might seek to destroy or steal it.

Those who hold this view say that the traditional iconic staff of the masquerade known as Opambata, was invented as part of the regalia for the purpose of warding off undesirable elements.

Another dimension was added to the supposed origin of the masquerade and festival and as a prominent indigene, Chief Adekunle Alli, opined, “Orisa Ogunran and Orisa Elegbaopopo were originally brought to Lagos from Benin by Chief Olorogunagan Asagbemi, and Chief Olorogunigbesule during the reign of Oba Ado of Lagos, over 350 years ago.”

From time immemorial, the festival which was depicted by the image of a masquerade

in flowing white apparel has grown from a rural festivity to an internationally acclaimed event, attracting both local and international tourists, even though the frequency of such festivities vary depending on who the Oba considers worthy of having such play staged in his/her honour.

According to Alli who is an authority on local custom and history as they relate to people of Lagos Island, unlike other festivals, the Eyo festival isn’t just celebrated for entertainment purposes. Every Eyo festival commemorates a deceased Oba (king) or prominent Lagosian who has had a great impact on the people of

Lagos. The festival has survived for over fifteen decades, with the premiere festival held in 1854, and staged in memory of late Oba Akintoye.

Historically, the Eyo masquerades (Eyo Orisha) are categorized into five groups, Adimu (Eyo Orisha), Eyo Alaketepupa, Eyo Oniko, Eyo Ologede, and Eyo Agere.

Within these different types of masquerades, there exists a hierarchical order. Asides from these hierarchical differences, they also have distinct physical characteristics and functions.

Eyo Orisha is the highest and most respected among the five Eyo groups. They are also

referred to as Adimu Orisha, as they are seen as the closest to the gods.

Eyo Alaketepupa is the second in the order of Eyo groups. They are also called ‘Iyu Oba Olori Eyo Alaketepupa’ which makes the people believe they are the first Eyo cult groups in Lagos.

People refer to them as Laba – the first. The Alaketepupa usually wears a red hat with white tapings around it.

Eyo Oniko is the third in the order and popularly recognized because of the long wooden stick it wields. Oniko wears a yellow hat with black tapings around it.

Eyo Ologede succeeds the Oniko, and can be identified by the stilts that make them tall, and their green hat taped with yellow ribbons.

The last Eyo group is the Agere. It can be identified by its purple hat with light purple ribbon tapings.

Eyo is not an annual festival like some people might think, but it is scheduled at the discretion of the incumbent Oba. To commence Eyo in Lagos, a family sends a message to the Oba of Lagos, who in turn sends word to the traditional priests. Both parties will ask the family for a date they prefer, so that further consultations and confirmation can be done from Ifa (a god). Before the Eyo date, rituals and sacrifices are done to avert bad luck, tragedy or bloodshed as well as for the safe commuting and procession of guests and Eyo groups respectively.

Most of these rituals are done, away from the general public, and can only be performed by members of the Adimu conclave.

On the eve of the Eyo, the Orisha Adimu visits the Imokun to commemorate with the family of the dead, followed by Eyo Oniko, and Eyo Ologede. This is done at about 2 am. When they return, feedback is sent to the Oba, who also visits the Imokun in the early hours of the day. After many of the traditional rites have been performed, at about 7 am, all the other smaller Eyo

groups are now permitted to walk the streets. At this time, the five Eyo groups go to the Oba’s palace in a procession.

Now, Eyo groups can go from place to place visiting and exchanging pleasantries with their friends and loved ones. If any smaller Eyo group meets another superior Eyo, it brings its wooden staff of office (Opanbata) down as a sign of respect and submission.

Most people think that this point marks the end of the Eyo ritual, but about three days after Eyo there’s another cult group called “Akalamekunake” who go to the Imokun to remove the corpse. The public is prohibited from this rite. Also, two to three months later, the Eyo celebrates the “Adabo” – a gathering to congratulate one another on successfully performing the Eyo rites and festival. When this is done, the Oba, his chiefs and the children and relatives of the deceased gather in front of the Oba’s palace to dance. This dance ritual is called “won jo opa.” It is only after this dance that the Eyo festival is considered finally over. Since only one day is open to the public, people believe the Eyo festival occurs only in a single day when in reality it takes about three months for the entire ritual to be conducted.

Eyo Taboos No Eyo masquerade is permitted to cross the Lagos lagoon that surrounds the island.

For the public observers of the festival, certain taboos that shouldn’t be broken include the wearing of headscarves, shoes, glasses, smoking and using umbrella. Also, women are prohibited from braiding their hair in the traditional “shuku” upswift style, unless the ends of the braids are loosened. This is because the Eyo Ologede also has the same hairstyle. In addition, taking photographs of the Orisha Adimu, Ologede and Oniko are strictly prohibited. Photos of the Ikolaba and other smaller Eyo groups are, however, permitted.

technology

24

Tecno Tech:

Looking Into Another Success Story

By Olatunji Makanjuola

O

nly a few years ago, the name Tecno was barely known in the Nigerian market. But today, Tecno Mobile confidently stands amongst the top selling brands in the market space, and even thrives across Africa.

The Tecno success story would not come as a surprise to anyone who knows their efforts to reach these achievements; just like every other success story, there is hard work involved.

Today, Tecno Mobile offers a wide range of high quality products which are competitively affordable, yet meet varying social classes thanks to continued improvement. Tecno Mobile products are best known in the mobile voice and data categories which include smart phones, tablets and a range of feature phones now popular.

Making Use Of The Opportunity It is well known that Nigeria, and Africa as a whole, has a market with vibrant purchasing potentials especially when a brand is able to socially connect with needs posed by the people.

In this region, once a brand can succeed in this vital connection, Africans are known to establish a very strong affinity with such brands.

Tecno Mobile expressed an understanding for Africa’s needs in a market space which was already held by large global brands like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Ericsson and Alcatel. Tecno Mobile also understood the infrastructural challenges existing in the arena and identified consumer behaviours altogether leading to the design and creation of products specially tailored for this market.

One of the most significant milestones of the Tecno Mobile story was the introduction of Dual SIM phones, which were introduced in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. What Tecno was doing was in response to the needs of the people having identified the limitations in power and Telecoms infrastructure across the region at the time. This was a feat which the larger brands at the time did not achieve.

A recent show of Tecno Mobile’s understanding of the behaviours of their target market was the introduction of devices preloaded with apps, and of note is the BBM app (BlackBerry Messenger) being preloaded on some of their devices.

Back in those days, the African telecoms environment was run by land lines with servicing infrastructure which were underdeveloped yet over-burdened, so they could not meet the dire needs of the market.

Tecno realized that Africa better needed mobile solutions and with options for network provider at that.

Tecno boldly capitalized on the opportunity found in the African market, matched with the willingness of the market to receive the new brand already being dominated by larger players.

ability matched with quality and originality in their products earned the brand a growing customer base and by 2009, Tecno Mobile had become a competent player in the market sector offering low-end mobile products.

An Ideal Strategy One would have thought that a unique and outstanding idea like the Dual SIM would have cost buyers a lot of money… but they introduced it at a friendly rate which consumers welcomed.

Furthermore, in Nigeria particularly, phones which are considered affordable are not usually good in terms of quality and their actual source, with counterfeits thronging the market which even pose various dangers to users (Standards Organization of Nigeria has been on the crackdown of these dangerous devices)… this has not been the case with Tecno devices as value for money has been their order.

Their introduction of afford-

Vanguardngr.com reports: “As battle for supremacy in the mobile phone market intensifies, Tecno mobile says it’s not left out in the global trend of unique brand development, affordability and improvement, as it plans to build plant in Nigeria in 2015.

President of Tecno Phone Dealers Association in Nigeria, TDAN, Mr. Onuigbo Anthony, made this disclosure at its Dealer Conference in Lagos, saying that the Tecno brand is one of the brands that has successfully tapped into a market where people would rather pay less for a good product that performs same functions like others that go for a much more higher price.”

Tecno History Tecno Telecom Limited was established in 2006 in Hong Kong and China. Their operations in Nigeria began in 2007.

Tecno has now become one of the major mobile phone suppliers in the world and one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers in China.

In 2008, TECNO began to focus on Africa as its key market and then launched TECNO brand strategy. With a unique strategy as briefed above, Tecno is now one of the most popular mobile phone brands in many African countries.

Tecno And The Future The Tecno Mobile brand might be perceived as young compared to others but their success story says much more of the brand. With the state of technology today moving faster than ever before, one would want to know what the future holds…

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014

dtn early beginings

Men Of DestinyPart 1 Sir AdeyemoAlakija Of the 33 Founding Fathers of the company, Sir Adeyemo Alakija stood out as the one man to whom the company should pay its greatest credit.

From the very beginning of the company’s incorporation in June 1925, Sir Adeyemo threw in his entire energy to ensure the success of the business and uphold the principles for which the newspaper was founded.

Sir Adeyemo was more than chairman of the Board of Directors. He was the life-wire and moving spirit of the company. He presided over frequent meetings of the board, implemented decisions of the Board and threw in the weight of his popularity to ensure that the Company achieved its objectives.

The life of Sir Adeyemo Alakija was a proud record of achievement. He was born in Abeokuta in1884 and educated at St. Xavier Catholic School, St. Gregory’s Grammar School and CMS Grammar School, Lagos.

He then joined the government service, first serving at the Secretariat before he was transferred to the Education Department and later the Railways.

Alakija later left for Ghana, (the then Golden Coast) and returned in 1903 to join the Railway Department again.

From the Railways, he moved to the Treasury and later to the Posts and telegraphs Department.

In 1910, he left for England to study law and returned three years later, he distinguished himself as a law student, and was awarded a Class 1 Certificate in Criminal Law and Procedure as well as being selected as honoursman and prizeman in the same subjects. On his return to Lagos he went into partnership with equally illustrious brother, Olayinka, who was later became secretary to the Nigerian Printing and Publishing Company.

His soft and persuasive voice and industry soon built a lucrative practice for himself. Despite a busy practice, Sir Adeyemo took keen in-

terest in politics. He played a prominent part in the reinstatement of the deposed Oba of Lagos, Esugbayi Eleko.

In course of time, he was nominated Member for Egba Division in the Legislative Council.

During his tenure of office, he strongly advocated the promotion of more of Africans to ‘European’ posts in the Civil Service and the creation of better opportunities in the Public Service for Nigerian lawyers, In those days all the Magistrates and Crown Counsel were Europeans. He also pleaded with the Government to grant official recognition to the ‘White Cap Chiefs’ of Lagos.

He served in many Government Committees, including the Licensing Board, the Lagos Race course Board of Management, the Prisons Visitors’ Panel, the School Committee and the Lagos & Colony Committee. He was Chairman of the Board of Income Tax Commissioners from July to December, 1929.

Apart from these, he was Secretary of the local auxiliary of the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society and was founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Printing and Publishing Company, Publishers of Daily Times. Perhaps one of his most important services to the country was his selection with Mr. Ernest Ikoli – the only two Nigerians to serve in the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Economic and Social Welfare set up to consider, co-ordinate and make recommendations to the Government regarding the economic and social welfare of ex-servicemen who took part in the Second World War. Three years after he retired from the legislative council, he was nominated to sit on the Governor’s Executive Council. As this was the first time ever a Nigerian had been so elevated, history was made, as a definite constitutional step forward had come to pass. The climax to CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

25

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dtn early beginings

Men Of DestinyPart 1

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

his public career was when a Knighthood was conferred on him.

For his services to lagos and Abeokuta, he was conferred with titles of Baba Isale of Lagos and the Bariyun of Ake, later elevated to Lisa of the Egbas, Such was his pride in these titles that was known by them rather than as ‘’Chief’’.

Aristocratic in taste, he loved the ‘’Sport of Sportsmen’ and was owner of racehorses. Indeed, he was very proud of his stables and loved his horses. He was from 1925 till his death on May 9, 1952, Steward of the Lagos Race Club.

Cecil Hamsworth king In one sense, Cecil King’s entry into the story of the Daily Times was an accident.

Following the decision of the Mirror Board to acquire the Daily Times in December 1947, Cecil King made his first visit to West Africa and on his return , Bartholomew put him in charge of the West Africa operation. Although this proved to be one of Bartholomew’s wisest decisions, he did not give his ViceChairman the responsibility for the sake either of his career or of the prosperity of the Nigerian enterprise.

Mr. King is sure that his then chairman, whom many thought could no longer cope with his responsibilities, was anxious to keep his deputy and, as he says it, rival, away from London as much as possible. In any case, Bartholomew, who made only one brief and entirely futile visit to West Africa, probably did not expect the enterprise to flourish as it later did; so in the ordinary way he might have given the responsibility to somebody less senior.

Mr. King, a tall and powerful- looking figure, was always regarded by associates and acquaintances in London as an aloof personality, academic in his approach to most popular newspaper in Britain. He was educated at Winchester and Christ Church, Oxford, and was the son of a senior Indian civil servant, who later became a professor at Trinity College, Dublin.

The British in West Af-

rica, no less than in London, found him aloof and distant, and the only British official with whom he ever seems to have established close relations was Sir Hugh Foot (Lord Caradon), who was Chief Secretary in Nigeria when king first came here.

Yet with Nigerians, particularly, and with other West Africans too, Cecil King developed a warmth and a friendliness which many of his London acquaintances would not have thought possible. He says himself that he found his West Africa experiences ‘’fascinating’’.

His attitude to junior members of the staff there may have been paternalistic, but he sincerely respected the senior Nigerians he met and more than once contrasted, to their disadvantage, public figures in Britain with those he had known in Nigeria.

In West Africa, Cecil King found he could relax – perhaps it was the spicy food the West African hosts could provide. Perhaps, more seriously, it was the knowledge that he was building up exciting new enterprises, not tinkering with tired old ones.

He even went to Lagos for a rest cure after a particularly worrying period in London – and the world’s news men could not find him.

Cecil King’s attitude to West Africa was summed up by a passage in one of his books. ‘’You hardly ever hear a child cry in West Africa. They are a happy people and often a wise people, and what we all want is happiness and wisdom rather than cleverness and wealth.’’

The Mirror Group paid less than N100, 000 for the Daily Times which was then making trivial profits. Before responsibility was given to Cecil King, Mirror Group representatives had started to introduce changes, but it was Cecil King himself, almost certainly the only British newspaper tycoon who could have handled the Nigerian enterprise without making a political blunder at some stage, whose directives became the guidelines both for management and for newspaper editorial staff.

Mr. King does not pretend that he did not in those early CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

DAILTY TIMES – SEPTEMBER 22 -28 2014

27

dtn early beginings

Men Of Destiny Part 1

days concern himself closely with the contents of the newspaper. He found that there was too much foreign news in Daily Times, which could easily be picked up on radio, but not enough original stories from Nigeria, particularly from outside Lagos, Which might need harder work to find out. He had had, curiously, some experience himself of reporting local Nigerian news. He had been at Enugu on that tragic day in October, 1984, when 21 coalminers had been shot by the police. He felt that this tragedy should be reported in London and he himself sent a news cable about it to the Daily Mirror in London.

For various reasons, although clearly it must have been difficult for him to send the cable, neither the then Sunday Pictorial nor the Daily Mirror used this report. According to Sir Hugh Cudlipp, he had been looking for how to get rid of him; and get rid of him he did, even if he was to return in triumph.

Cecil King did not need to be told that politics were of supreme interest for Nigerian newspaper readers.

From the start, he insisted that the newspaper should be aimed at Nigerian readership and that while it would have to avoid partisanship as between the Nigerian political parties, it would have to declare itself unequivocally in favour of self-government. He felt that a purely political diet was probably not only bad for circulation, but would be bad for Nigeria, and that while there should be no diminution in the political diet offered by the Daily Times, it should be diversified by sport, religion at the proper time, and later by features intended for

women.

In contrast to the British, King found that educated Nigerians were not interested in reports of crime unless secret societies or possibly tribal factors were involved (things have since changed, the success of the two Daily Times off-shoots, Lagos Weekend and the Evening Times, is an evidence). So Mr. King’s recipe for reducing the political temperature was not to ignore the politicians but to ‘’fill the national stage with as many non-politicians as possible.’’

Although he was so deeply concerned with the contents of the newspaper, Cecil King always maintained that its commercial success would be ensured by a sound system of distribution, since rival newspaper, if there were any, tended to ignore commercial considerations in favour of political ones, and so, neglected details of organisation. To him it was the habits and time organization. To him, it was the habits and timetable of the customer and not the convenience of the staff which dictated a production schedule.

He will he would tell you that one his first observations in Lagos was that people tended to be moving around as early as six o’clock in the morning; so that was the time when a newspaper should be available for them and the production and transport schedule should be worked backwards from that point.

Cecil King factually controlled the Lagos and later the Accra and Freetown – operations sometimes directly, and always through the men he sent from London whose management, he believed, would be found tolerable by the Nigerians so long as there was abundant evidence that the intention was to train local people to take over. Although Nigerian politicians frequently exaggerated the degree of control that Mr. King and the London office exercised over the contents of the Daily Times, they were right to see him as the final arbiter until the time when Alhaji Jose took over. He always made it his business to seek out politicians of all persuasions and to find out their views and what they thought of their treatment by the Daily Times.

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2014 DAILTY TIMES

28

opinion

The Scottish Question

By Raymond Imodu-Saliu.

S

cotland, that lush green, mountainous land,- made famous by Adam Smith, David Livingstone, Mary Slessor, William MacGregor , Alex Ferguson and Andy Murray - danced on the world stage Thursday, September 18, 2014.

It was a macabre dance, a spiritual dance, reminiscent of a voodoo procession heading towards the high priest’s shrine. The leader of that procession was Alex Salmond, the First Minister of the Scottish Parliament, leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party.

As he weaved and bobbed to the rhythm of the music, flanked by the multitude of his adherents, his biceps bulged and sweat broke out on his forehead, his fiery eyes fixed onto the prize at the procession end. It was close now, he muttered to himself. The prize was close.

His lifelong ambition - prying Scotland away from the rest of the United Kingdom and proclaiming independence for his people - was at hand.

Nothing was going to stop him now. As he made a last ditch effort to clinch the trophy, he slipped, and tumbled headlong to the ground, raising red dust. As he ambled up to regain his posture, the towering figures of former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, present Prime Minister, David Cameron, former Chancellor of the ExChequer, Alistair Darling and that of Ed Milliband, the Labour Leader got in the way.

The smirk on their faces told the whole story. He had lost out, in this battle of wits, to take the spoils of the oil and the shipyards that dot the landscape. He slumped back into the red earth and the next day, threw his hands up in defeat.

As Scotland tottered on the edge last week, on the brink of excising itself from the rest of the United Kingdom in a referendum that left most of the citizens on a knifeedge, with frayed nerves, uncertainty loomed large on the fate of the 307-year old union of the country and noone was sure which way the pendulum would swing.

The tension amongst the citizenry was palpable.

There was no precedence, nothing to hold onto, except the opinion polls, showing a tight race. It could have gone either way. Scotland could quite easily have won the referendum, severed the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, triggering the worst Constitutional crisis in the history of the United Kingdom.

Even as I write this, three days after the vote and with a 55.30% to a 44.70% victory to the Better Together campaign spearheaded by Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown over Alex Salmond’s Independentistas, tensions still run high and skirmishes have been reported amongst the contenders.

How had things come to this? How had the UK, the bastion of democracy, the home of the rule of law and the guardian of human rights found itself on the precipice?

How had it come close to scoring an own goal?

When the referendum was agreed in 2011, the Government paid scant attention to the possibility that the Yes campaign had any gravitas, expecting a body slam. Even though in the end, there was an almost 10-point lead, nobody expected an almost 45% showing. Now, far from expecting a return to the status quo, the outcome of the referendum has thrown up new constitutional questions about arrangement of powers that may yet change the United Kingdom’s unitary system of government into a federal one.

In the panicked frenzy of the last few days leading to the referendum, the three party leaders, David Cameron, Ed Milliband and Nick Clegg under the guidance of former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown had promised a rash of new Devolution powers to the Scottish Parliament as a sweetener to keep Scotland in the Union.

According to Alan Travis and Tom Clark of the Guardian(UK), “ The “vow” signed by (the three party leaders and published in the Daily Record) promised “extensive new powers” for the Scottish parliament over income tax rates, spending and welfare, committed them to

As Scotland tottered on the edge last week, on the brink of excising itself from the rest of the United Kingdom in a referendum that left most of the citizens on a knifeedge, with frayed nerves, uncertainty loomed large on the fate of the 307-year old union of the country and no-one was sure which way the pendulum would swing.

keeping Scotland’s current share of public spending, and guaranteed to make the Scottish parliament permanent.”

Now that the Union has been secured, the devo max regime, as it is often referred to, has taken on a new reality, and in fulfilment of those

promises, yet new problems have emerged for the establishment.

In the face of this substantial handover of powers to the Scottish parliament, new questions are now being raised over the continuation of the so-called 35-year old Barnett Formula, already agreed to by all the parties which tended to benefit the average Scottish tax payer about £1600 yearly over any other UK tax payer.

The new devolved powers expectedly should even out this advantage. There’s also the West Lothian question, named after Labour MP Tam Dalyell’s constituency who first raised the issue in the failed referendum of 1999, where English votes are being requested for English laws, now gingerly snapped up by Prime Minister David Cameron to shore up its base.

Since Devolution of some powers to the Scottish parliament in 1999, Scottish MPs have not only been able to vote in their parliament over those issues but in addition, could also vote in the national parliament over those same issues whereas the English members of the national parliament in the majority do not have an opportunity to vote in the Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish parliaments.

It is now being proposed that English members of parliament should only be allowed to vote on English domestic issues on alternate days or even to build a new English parliament altogether, as a counterbalance to the other nations who already have theirs, raising echoes of first class or second class parliamentarians.

While Gordon Brown has put his integrity on the line to guarantee the roadmap and timescales through which these new pacification powers can be delivered to the Scottish parliament, Prime Minister David Cameron appears intent on squeezing some political capital from the whole new arrangement.

In a sprightly step straight after the results were released the next day, he came out to champion the West Lothian idea of English votes for English Laws, knowing full well that would diminish Labour’s influence and votes in the parliament because

Labour traditionally has a preponderance of Scottish Labour MPs in Parliament.

In the same vein, he sought to quieten senior Conservatives led by London Mayor Boris Johnson and John Redwood already complaining of a sellout to the Scottish. In this same fell swoop, Cameron sought to gain an advance over Michael Farage’s rightist UKIP from stealing its thunder by quickly championing the rights of the English before UKIP could latch onto it.

None of this is music to Ed Milliband’s ears. He stands to lose the most in this new dispensation. If he loses the 40 Scottish Labour MPs if everyone were confined to their parliaments, he would no longer command a majority of MPs to make a difference. The conservatives have only one Scottish Labour MP while the Lib Dems have 11 MPs. So Ed Milliband is sure not to support any proposals that weaken or remove the voting rights of Scottish MPs as that would be tantamount to political harakiri.

This would not be very advantageous to Lib Dems either. The government is in a bind as to how to redress these problems but House Leader William Hague and Lord Smith of Kelvin now have the remit to publish draft proposals by January 2015 in line with Gordon Brown’s timescales but noone can vouch for when this would actually become law or the form it would take.

Also, Alex Salmond may have taken a bow from centre stage, but no-one should be under any illusion that his absence would suggest a lessening of the Scottish agitation for a clear rout in the immediate future, depending on when the new laws come on stream or whether what is delivered is fit for purposes.

Above all, with 86% participation in the polity, the Scottish masses have come to identify with the process and know their onions. The fervour displayed throughout the process does not suggest that the last word has been heard of the referendum.

How well and fast Westminster delivers the powers promised may well determine how soon rumbles will be heard again on this matter.