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PDP plots to frame up Jega, Tinubu – APC 6

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L-R: Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun; former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and an elder, Deacon Victor Durodola, during a novelty match organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) to commemorate Obasanjo’s 78th birthday, at the M.K.O Abiola Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta...on Wednesday

INSIDE

Life&

TIMES Thursday March 5, 2015

MTN’s earnings dip as Naira 28 falls

After three marriages, Nigerian 6 ‘lesbian’ pleads against deportation

Korede Bello On his trade mark wink

Winners set to emerge at the AMVCA L5 P

Much ado on the ban of Fifty Shades of L5 grey P

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Politics Page Three

Editorial Electricity tariff for industries

f the threat by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) becomes a reality, the country may be witnessing an unprecedented closure of factories and layoff of workers from the labour force. Members of the association are piqued by what they describe as the outrageous billing system by the electricity distribution companies (DISCOS). According to them, the new tariff order Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO 2.1) that came into effect on January 1,2015 was paralysing their operations. This development was coming barely one month after the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved a new tariff for industrial/ commercial consumers in the country. We cannot but sympathise with manufacturers and other industrialists over this sad development. Our position is informed by the fact that while generating and distribution companies are unable to increase electricity supply, they have been relentless in hiking tariff to industrial and domestic consumers. In what would seem an irony and paradox, we find electricity tariff growing at an exponential rate, even as power continues to retrogress at arithmetical rate. This is even against the background of continued promise by the Federal Government and private electricity companies to increase power supply. Curiously, the privatisation exercise has not helped matters, as it is yet to translate to more kilowatts on the grid anywhere. Just two three weeks ago, industrialists in Onitsha, Anambra State went on protest over the 95 percent increase in

electricity charges. Incidentally, the most reason given for the tariff hike is to recoup the losses that DISCOS were facing and the new price of gas. We insist that there is no justification for compounding the woes of industries by imposing a tariff hike to compensate an inefficient system. If the hike is aimed at pleasing investors, it then subjects industries and their owners to double jeopardy. We insist that they should not pay for the services not rendered. The ideal thing is to work towards supplying enough and constant power first, which would then warrant tariff increase. As it stands, the vast majority of industries in the country run on private generators most of the time with the attendants fuel costs and equipment maintenance. It is a crying shame that Nigeria with a population of 170 million generates a paltry 4,000mw of electricity, while the facilities continue to deteriorate due to poor maintenance, paucity of investment and inadequate supply of gas. Rather than become an apologist for the inept electricity companies, NERC should sit up and act as a professional regulator by ensuring that industries are not cajoled into paying for electricity not supplied. Besides, the impression given during privatisation was that those who bought the DisCos and GenCos had the financial wherewithal and technical competence to improve on what they met. Sadly, they are yet to meet the expectations of Nigerians while the promised power supply has remained a mirage.

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Checkmating an irritating pastime Sam Nzeh ÏÏÏIf

the legal maxim, ‘He who alleges must prove’ is to be strictly adhered to in Nigeria, then most politicians and political parties would by now not only be in serious trouble but also behind bars. This is because, in this season of electioneering, allegations and counterallegations appear to be the pastime of political parties and public office seekers with most of the allegations unfounded and unsubstantiated. And all these are in

attempt to gain popularity and curry favours from the electorate. The trend came to a head last week when the PDP Presidential campaign spokesman, Chief Fani-Kayode, alleged that the APC vicepresidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had sworn to an oath to resign after six months for former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to take over as vice president if the APC candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), wins the coming election. While the furore generated by this was yet to die down, the spokesman of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,

Words On Marble :

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joined the fray, alleging that the PDP Presidential campaign spokesman was suffering from substance abuse. Both parties have threatened to sue each other and are demanding damages running into billions of Naira. As both parties wait to have their day in court, there seems to be no end in sight to the spate allegations by political parties and their candidates. Must political parties, their officials and office seekers walk this route? Should concocting allegations be the hallmark of politics in Nigeria? Let politicians who are peddling all sorts of allegations give us a break.

STATEMENTS BY THOSE WHO MATTER

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Publisher

Fidelis Anosike

Group Managing Director

Editor, Standard, Archives and Special projects

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Deputy Editors

Noel Anosike

Doyin Awomosu

Group Managing Editor Gabriella Osamor

Editor

Yinka Olujimi

Tunji Okegbola

Yemi Ogunsola Sam Nzeh

Bureau Chief, Northern Operations Celestine Okafor

Group News Editor

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Editorial Page Editor

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Segun Adio Okay Osuji

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Andrew Ekejiuba

Head of Operations Innocent Nwankwo

Adetayo Adelaja Emmanuel Ogbonnaya

Head ICT (Shared Services) Banjo Ayorinde

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The opinions expressed in the articles published in this newspaper are solely those of the authors. Articles may be reproduced, provided that the original source is indicated.

Olusegun Obasanjo

Hillary Clinton

Winston Churchill

If I am not above the law, nobody in this country can then claim to be above the law.

Voting is the most precious right of every citizen, and we have a moral obligation to ensure the integrity of our voting process.

If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

5 News

Why we sought shift in election date, by CDS Segun Adio

Group News Editor

ÏÏÏThe

Nigerian military on Wednesday explained why it sought for the shift in the general election from the dates earlier scheduled for them. Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, on Wednesday, in Lagos said that the military called for postponement of the election because it coincid-

ed with the period it was taking delivery of military hardware it had long ordered for at the dawn of the Boko Haram insurgency. The CDS said this while receiving items and drugs worth over N70 million donated by the Association of Pharmaceutical Importers of Nigeria to the Nigerian Armed Forces to assist in the war against insurgents. The military chief denied political consideration behind the call

for the shift in the polls. He also explained why it took longer period to respond to the attacks and killings by the Boko Haram sect. He explained that now that the hardware have been delivered, it has no choice than to move to crush the insurgents operating in the North Eastern part of the country. Said he: “I do not want to bring politics into it. Whoever wants to bring politics into what we are

doing, it’s left for him. I want whoever that is saying that to know that war machines are not picked up from the shelf. If it were, we would not have got them. “When you make orders, it takes time to produce and it takes time also to train on them. So we did not place the orders today. We had placed orders before now and when they started coming we asked for more time to combat the insurgents before the elections

and I can guarantee you that there is no politics in the demand for shift in date, it just because we were receiving the equipment.” Air Chief Marshal Badeh said that part of the overall strategy of tackling insecurity in Nigeria is to build a synergy with the civil populace, especially for support and vigilance in reporting the activities of suspicious elements and the movements of insurgents.

Police, students clash in Delta over fees, several injured Joe Ogbodu Warri

ÏÏÏPolice

L-R: CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele; Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Minister of State for Finance, Amb Bashiru Yuguda during a meeting to resolve the lingering fuel Crisis across the country in Abuja… on Wednesday PHOTO: TEMITOPE BALOGUN

15 parties threaten to boycott election Mathew Dadiya Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

controversy over the propriety of using card reader machine for the conduct of the general election slated for March 28 and April 11, 2015 has taken a new dimension as fifteen political parties and five presidential, governorship and National Assembly candidates, on Wednesday, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to jettison the idea or face boycott of the

Gas project: Ijaw, Itsekiri resolve differences

elections. Addressing journalists in Abuja, the parties said the concept of using card readers for the election as being planned by INEC has a lot of implications which may negatively impact on the conduct of a credible, free and fair elections on March 28 and April 11. Spokesman of the political parties and national chairman of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Dr. Onwubuya Break-forth, said the first disadvantage is that the device

is relatively a new technology that has not been tested or tried in a kind of mock election or previous formal elections prior to this time. “Therefore, we the concerned group of leaders of political parties, presidential candidates, governorship and National Assembly candidates, hereby request INEC to stop forthwith, the proposed use of the card reader for this March 28 and April 11 general election or we may consider boycotting the election,” he said.

Monday Osayande

Rising from a peace parley conveyed by the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the two groups resolved to make room for peace, as well as ensure that the more than 16 billion United States dollars Gas City project takes off successfully. Addressing the press shortly after the meeting, representatives of

Asaba

ÏÏÏThe

Ijaws and Itsekiris, on Wednesday in Asaba, resolved their differences over the Gas City Project and appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to fix a date for the groundbreaking ceremony.

in Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area, on Wednesday, allegedly opened fire on hundreds of students of Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, after a peaceful protest by the students turned violent. The students, who were protesting hike in school fees, as well as ultimatum to pay up their school fees by Monday, or be stopped from writing the first semester exams, were said to have burnt some cars in the institution after the protest turned violent. Some of the rioting students, however, marched through the streets of Ozoro to the palace of the traditional ruler, HRM Antho-

ny Ogbogbo Ibuka I, where they also registered their protest. The protesting students, who barricaded the ever-busy OzoroKwala-Asaba expressway, had forced vehicles to detour, as some of the rampaging students, who had been grudging the hike, were said to have damaged private vehicles along the expressway. A source told Daily Times that policemen deployed to the scene by the institution’s management opened fire on the protesters and arrested some of them. Three of the students were injured in the process and rushed to a nearby hospital, the source said. Some of the placards bore by the protesters read: ‘Reduce our school fees now’, and ‘Return to the old school fees’.

Dangote Foundation donates N20m scholarships to indigent students ÏÏÏThe

Dangote Foundation yesterday made a scholarship donation of N20 million to James Hope College Agbor, in Delta state. The scholarship was to cover the selected indigent students’ school fees all through the secondary school years. Presenting the donation at the school premises in Agbor, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, said education was central to the development of the society and as such of concern to the Foundation. “Education is key for future development of our youths and

the society pointing out that most countries of the world referred to as developed achieved the height because they placed premium on education”, she noted.

Gbaramatu, Ugborodo and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) commended Governor Uduaghan for the intervention and disclosed that all the issues involved had been resolved for the project to come on stream. Mr. Austin Oboroegbeyi, who spoke on behalf of Ugborodo people,

said: “We agreed that the Gas Industrial City would be named after Ogidigben, and the Deep Sea Port would be named after Gbaramatu. All parties agreed that because of the importance of the project, the groundbreaking should be done as soon as the president and NNPC can work out a date.

Dangote

News 6

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

PDP plots to frame up Jega, Tinubu – APC Ï j ƆƕôƏƆ ƑƇƇƆƏƈ ƇƏ ƌ ƒƆƏƄ Ƌ Ɨƈ ƏƏ Ɔ è ƕ ƏƑƋƈ ƍ ƏƐƕ Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

ÏÏÏAn end appears not in sight

to the war of words between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) as the rescheduled general election draws near. The spokesman of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday accused the PDP of plotting to frame up the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral

Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega. To achieve the alleged plot, according to the APC, Jega’s bank account would be credited with a huge sum purportedly paid by the national leader of the opposition party, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. After that, a public announcement of the discovery would be made and the INEC chairman would be arrested, to further throw spanners into the works of the coming election and to remove Jega as the chairman of the commission. In its reply, the PDP called the

APC a party of lies and declared that the APC spokesman is suffering from diarrhea of the mouth. Mohammed, who addressed the media in Lagos, alleged that the PDP members do not want the elections to hold. He listed the alleged plot of the PDP to put a halt to the coming elections in a series of scenarios. He alleged: “There is a plot to transfer a humongous amount of money into the bank account of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and then claim that the money came from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC in order to jus-

Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, plaiting the hair of a new APC convert during Door 2 Door campaign in Bonny Island, Rivers State…on Wednesday

After three marriages, Nigerian ‘lesbian’ opposes deportation from UK Ngozi Okafor London

ÏÏÏA

Royal Court of Justice (RCJ) in the United Kingdom on Tuesday heard arguments against deportation by a Nigerian woman, Ronke Apata, who claims that her life will not be safe in Nigeria. Thrice married, 47-year-old Apata claims to be a lesbian. She entered the UK in 2004 with a forged Swaziland passport. The RCJ, UK’s equivalent of Nigeria’s Supreme Court, has reserved judgement in the matter.

The judge of the court, John Bowers QC (Queen’s Counsel), heard the judicial review case in which she is asking that her deportation order from the United Kingdom be quashed on the grounds that she is a lesbian and a refugee and that her life will be in serious danger if she’s removed from the UK to Nigeria, particularly now that anti-gay law is in operation in Nigeria. Two of her former marriages were in the UK, and she had previously been refused indefinite leave to stay based on those two marriages - one of which was to a Briton, the other to a Mr

Bamidele. Her third marriage is to a European national. She told the court through her lawyer Abid Mahmood that even while living in Nigeria, her life was in danger and she had to conceal her sexuality. Her lawyer also told the court that it took Apata years to come out as a lesbian even in the UK. However, the Crown’s lawyer, one Mr Bird, picked holes in her argument, saying if she was truly a lesbian, she would have come out openly before March 2014 when the deportation processes Continued on page 12

tify the ongoing plan to sack Prof. Jega so he won’t organise the elections. Beyond Jega, there is also a plan to credit the bank accounts of some key national institutions with huge amounts of money purportedly from our party, the APC, ostensibly to compromise those institutions. “There is plan to use some political parties that are satellites of the PDP to push for the postponement of the elections again. The plot is to get the parties to address a press conference to say the elections should not hold in the Northeast until September 2015 because of the ongoing counter-insurgency battle there. The intention is to make sure Jega’s tenure expires before the polls, so that they can appoint a malleable card-carrying member of the PDP as INEC Chair to conduct the polls. “There is a plan to use the security agencies to intimidate key opposition leaders as well as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and telecommunications service providers to disrupt voice and data transmission, especially in APC strongholds, on election day. As we have said earlier, the telephones of our leaders have been bugged and their movements are being daily monitored. Top on the list of the security agencies to be used against the opposition is the DSS, which will be used to compel all Resident Electoral Commissioners in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to hand over the names and telephone numbers of all INEC’s regular and ad hoc staff who will conduct the elections, as part of the Jonathan Administration’s rigging plans. It is no longer news that a signal has been sent to all state commands of the DSS to get the list of all INEC Returning Officers and Ad hoc Staff before March 10th. “There is also the ongoing illegal recruitment of over 500 new cadets into one of the country’s security outfits, 50% of whom are from the home state of the outfit’s top brass, in violation of the provisions of the Constitution, especially as the recruitment does not reflect the Federal Character “Nocturnal meetings are being held between various heads of national security agencies and the leadership of the PDP to undermine the coming elections; “The Presidency has retained the services of two Israelis and a Belgian who are currently holed up in the Aso Rock Villa to hack and corrupt INEC computers on election day, with the trio having already been paid 25 percent of their

contract fees upfront. “There is an ongoing effort to compromise the card reader, which the Jonathan Administration sees as inimical to its rigging plans. “Huge funds are being provided for retired and serving security personnel to buy up PVCs, with the hope that they can be used once the card reader is compromised. Remember, gentlemen, that there is a case in court seeking to declare the use of the card reader in the forthcoming elections unconstitutional. “In the days leading up to the elections, the Jonathan Administration is planning to give the opposition the Ekiti treatment by massively arresting key opposition leaders, with a view to destabilising their ranks, putting them away and paving the way for a free rein of their rigging agents. Towards this end, thousands of signed blank detention orders have been procured. “As part of the plan to implicate our leaders, illegal substances may be put into their checked-in luggage during local and international flights. That is why we are calling on our leaders to travel only with their carry-on baggage. Let me say that the detailed plans by the desperate Jonathan Administration and the PDP are part of the massive intelligence we are receiving daily from patriotic Nigerians, within and outside the government, who are eager to see the organisation of a free, fair, credible and violence-free elections that will catapult Nigeria to the league of truly democratic nations. “We have decided to share the information we are receiving with Nigerians because we believe that no power is strong enough to stop a people who are determined to effect change in the way and manner they are being governed, and that the ultimate power resides in the people. We have no doubt that the information will fortify the local and international observers who are coming for the elections, in addition to enhancing the vigilance of the citizenry before, during and after the polls”. In his reaction, the Director of Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said that the APC is only preparing the ground for its imminent defeat. Also, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Olisa Methu, declared that the fresh allegations were a conclusive proof that the APC is a party of one week, one lie. Fani-Kayode, in a press statement, declared: said Mohammed, Continued on page 12

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Oil spill: Reps demand N400m compensation from Agip Henry Omunu & Augustine Aminu Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

House of Representatives has directed the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) to pay the N400 million compensation to Umu-Eze Iwerrie community of Aboh, in Ndokwa Local Government area of Delta State following the environmental pollution caused by the oil giant’s ruptured gas pipelines. This follows the resolution of the House passed on Wednesday, when lawmakers unanimously adopted the motion sponsored by Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, drawing attention to the extensive en-

vironmental pollution caused by Agip gas pipelines on December 23-29, 2009. Consequently, the House mandated its committees on environment and gas resources to investigate the claims made by the affected community and prevail upon the oil company to pay compensation demanded by the UmuEze Iwerrie community. The House committees are expected to report back to it within three weeks. While moving his motion, Ossai said even though Agip was notified about the leakages from its gas pipelines, the company negligently failed to repair the damaged pipelines until six days after

the incident. He said further that the heavy and extensive emission polluted the environment and adversely affected the health of the people of the host community, many of whom were consequently hospitalised. “The pollution damaged crops, surface water, marine life, roofs of houses, vegetation and also cause the death of hundreds of domestic and wild animals, as well as poultry”, the lawmaker added. He said the post-impact assessment carried by officials of Delta State, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Agip and leaders of the host community on December 29, 2009,

L-R: Deputy Programme Manager,Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme ( NSRP), Mrs. Priscilla Ankut; Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri and Commanding Officer, 435 Base Service Group, Nigerian Air Force, Squadron Leader Ronald O Ejiga, at the Nigerian bloggers and social media workshop held at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos… on Wednesday Photo:

Stop desecrating religious institutions, APC tells Jonathan Andrew Orolua Abuja

ÏÏÏ The

All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) has condemned the tactics of President Jonathan of using religion to gain sympathy, in order to remain in office. A statement from the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the campaign and signed by Malam Garba Shehu, said it was surprising that the President had turned worship centres into platforms for making official statements or announcing government policies. He said this absurdity defied the norms of government prac-

tices, and that the President was deliberately doing so “in the belief that the manipulation of religious sentiments would cover up the multitudes of his epic failures.” Shehu said using worship centres as platforms for making major official statements could create precedents that the country would not be able handle in the future. He said if Jonathan’s predecessors did not use the mosques or churches to make official statements of public importance, it was wrong for Jonathan to start something that was already sending the wrong message. The statement said with the

exploitation of religion for political gains, President Jonathan and his PDP-led government had lost any basis to accuse its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, of being a religious “bigot” or “fanatic”. Meanwhile, the APC presidential campaign said it was scandalized by reports of money being allegedly shared among religious leaders by President Jonathan in order to buy their conscience. The APCPCO said it was incredibly embarrassed as to why a government would allegedly seek to bribe religious leaders, in order to cover up its misdeeds and get re-elected, despite its incompetence and non-performance.

advised the oil firm to effect immediate repairs of the damaged pipelines and pay compensation to the host community. He however expressed worry that Agip hasn’t only blatantly refused to pay the N400million compensation to the host community, but has backed out from further negotiating with the host community to reach an agreement on the payment of a fair compensation. “The recruitment of 2,000 teachers that he promised to employ last year is now a mirage; Ondo State, being the richest in the South-West, after Lagos, has nothing to show for all the monies accrued to it from the Federation Account.

PIB: Lawyer loses bid to compel NASS

Peter Fowoyo

ÏÏÏMoves by a lawyer, Mr. Oki-

ogbero Edhebru, to compel the National Assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill has hit the rocks. A Federal High Court, in Lagos, on Wednesday, struck out an ex parte application seeking a mandamus order compelling the legislatures to pass the bill. Justice Ibrahim Buba struck out the application filed by the lawyer for lacking merit. Edhebru, in suit FHC/L/ CS/1906/14, had asked the court for “a judicial review of the applicant’s right to wit an order of mandamus compelling the National Assembly, their agents and privies to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” He sought a declaration that the failure, neglect and refusal or omission of the National Assembly to pass the PIB had denied him and other Nigerians access to investment, a situation, which he argued, had led to unemployment and slow economic growth. According to Edhebru, the failure of the National Assembly to pass the PIB had occasioned the violation of the rights of Nigerian citizens, which, he said, the court was duty-bound to protect. The judge equally held that the request of the applicant was tantamount to asking him to go too far in the exercise of his power.

7 News Impeachment: Court restrains Ebonyi Assembly Moses Oyediran

ÏÏÏ

An Abakaliki High Court, presided over by Justice John Igboji, on Wednesday, granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the Ebonyi State House of Assembly from proceeding with any impeachment processes against the state governor, Chief Martin Elechi. The order followed a motion exparte brought by Governor Elechi against the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku and the Chief Whip, Hon Kingsley Ikoro, on behalf of fourteen other members of the Assembly and five others, seeking an interim restraining order against the first to the third respondents. Joined in the suit are Ebonyi State House of Assembly, the State Chief Judge, Commissioner of Police, Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice of Nigeria. In the motion filed by Chief G. Tagbo Ike on behalf of the plaintiff, Elechi asked the court to grant him the order pursuant to order IV Rules 3 and 4 (IV) and (V); Order V rule 7(B) and (D) of fundamental rights (enforcement procedure) rules, 2009 praying the court for the following orders among others: (a) An interim injunction restraining the 1st to 3rd respondents against the applicant without causing the applicant to be served with notice of impeachment pending the determination of the substantive application, (b) An interim injunction restraining the fourth respondent from constituting the panel of seven persons.

Nigerians tired of PDP, says Oshiomhole Titus Akhigbe

Benin ÏÏÏGovernor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has taken a swipe at the Federal Government for buffeting Nigerians with excuses, saying Nigerians were tired of waiting in vain for the party to get its acts right and were yearning for change to return the country to the path of glory. Speaking on Wednesday, when over 3,000 members of the Edo State Welders Association paid him a thank-you visit at the Government House, Oshiomhole said in spite of the media hype from the PDP Federal Government about revolution in the agriculture sector, he was surprised to read in the newspapers that the country still imported rice.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Politics Victor Umeh National Chairman and Senatorial Candidate for Anambra Central District

2015 POLLS

Uneasy calm in Anambra

s Doris Nnabuenyi, Awka In spite of the rescheduling of the forthcoming general election, Anambra State political climate has been alive and bustling with activities. There are three major political parties in the state jostling for the national and state assembly seats. Though there are other political parties in the state, political observers in the state see them as mere pretenders in view of the featherweights that constitute the stakeholders in those parties.

Though the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is the political party in power, the party in the last one year has been deeply enmeshed in internal wrangling as a result of the last Local government election primaries. The primaries allegedly short changed the actual winners in the chairmanship and councillorship seats with accusing fingers pointing at the national leadership of the party. As a result of the in-house fighting, the National Chairman and Senatorial Candidate for Anam-

bra Central District, Chief Victor Umeh is neck-deep in a battle to win the election. Umeh’s woes stem from the insistence of the party to retain him as chairman while he has a ticket for the senate a development that most party members have described as most unfair. Similarly, the outcome of the National Assembly primaries which led to the defection of two incumbent House of Representatives members to the All Progressives CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

IMPEACHMENT:

Why Elechi must go, by Odefa A member of the Ebonyi State house of Assembly, Hon Odefa Obasi Odefa, representing Onicha East Constituency in this interview gave reasons why the assembly is bent on removing the state Governor, Martin Nwachu Elechi from office. Excerpts: How many members are involved in the impeachment move? Today, we have 18 members of the Ebonyi House of Assembly. The other constituencies are not involved. The representatives from there have violated the Constitution and they have been suspended. Why impeachment process against Governor Elechi? We have a governor who is an unlistening governor. We have a governor that acts and behave like an Emperor. There is a time to say ‘No’. He never knew his ward chairman by the time he would be elected. He

Elechi

ZWINGINA

Why we must vote against Buhari

Wale Akintunde, Yola Former Deputy Senate leader, Prof. Silas Zwingina has charged Adamawa People’s Democratic Party (PDP) faithful to vote against the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, General Mohammadu Buhari in the forthcoming general elec-

tion. According to him, a victory for Buhari will result into untold hardship ‘for most of us politicians because of his ‘hatred’ for us in whatever positions we might have held in the past. The Adamawa PDP Southern Senatorial candidate admonished PDP members on the need

admitted that severally. Besides, some projects are conduit pipes for draining the state’s lean resources. We have Oferegbe Water Scheme located in his own village; Ocheno City (secretariat complex). There is no crisis about impeachment, there is no going back. The law did not say that when you commit a crime, you should not be dealt with. He has violated the Constitution of Nigeria and he must be dealt with. Impeachable offences Early in December, the governor singlehandedly constituted caretaker chairmen for all Local Government committees; he identified them; he appointed them; he screened them; he swore them in all by himself. Sect 7 (1) of the constitution is explicit that there shall be a democratically elected local government council which is guaranteed. His appointment of Local Government caretaker

to work hard to stop the victory of the APC presidential candidate whom he said has an agenda to send some people to jail. Professor Zwingina while speaking during a PDP meeting in Yola, stated: “we have to stop Buhari and his plans to build more prisons to jail politicians. You know Buhari, he will send

is not constitutional. He did not allow the caretaker committees to becleared by the House. There are so many boards and commissions that have overstayed their tenures like Local Government Service Commission; Ebonyi State Civil Service Commission; Universal Basic Education Commission, they have all overstayed their tenures. They are all supposed to come for screening but they did not. When we asked him, he claimed that he was misguided by his Attorney General. We asked him to make necessary correction but that has not happened till today. Financial impropriety Ebonyi Cement Company Limited which was to take off for NIGERCEM is owned by the people of Ebonyi. But he gave his younger brother in-law, Arch Edward Ukaegwu 175 million CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

us to jail with very high terms of imprisonment and it is the lucky ones among us that will get the least term of 50 years”. In view of this, most of the members of ousted Gov. Murtala Nyako’s kitchen cabinet who are under probe by the EcoCONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Politics

APC and fate of 2015 polls in Anambra CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Congress (APC) has not helped matters. Chief Emeke Nwogbo of Awka North and South Federal Constituency left APGA due to the alleged imposition of Chief Godwin Ezenagu on the party as its candidate. Also, Chief Afam Ogene of Ogbaru Federal constituency left the party for APC as a result of alleged irregularities in the conduct of the primaries which saw the emergence of the state assembly Speaker, Mrs. Chinwe Nwaebili as candidate. The two gladiators defected to the APC with their structures and political block votes and this indeed sent dangerous signals about the fate of APGA in these two constituencies. This may possibly rub off negatively on the fortunes of the senatorial candidates of APGA in Anambra North and Anambra Central respectively. Though Anambra North has a strong contender for the senatorial seat in Chief Dubem Obaze, but the party in the area has to go the extra mile in ensuring that the APC do not spoil their candidate’s chances. In Anambra south, it is expected that Dr Earnest Ndukwe, APGA senatorial candidate would make the difference, but the presence of incumbent Senator Andy Uba in the PDP poses a potential problem for the party and so is the case in Anambra Central where former governor Peter Obi who is now of the PDP is campaigning vigorously for the National Assembly candidates of the party. It is no longer news that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State is a hotbed of controversy following the unending internal leadership crisis.

The party is contending with lots of litigations in the court over who are the authentic candidates of the party in the three elections. As a result of this tussle, party members have continued to defect in droves to the APC which they feel is crisis-free and a safe heaven. A case in point is Chief Forth Dike incumbent member of the National Assembly for Ihiala constituency who is now in the APC as its candidate. Also some constituencies and local government leaders of PDP are already campaigning for the APC on protest over the changing of the party’s list of candidates by the Appeal Court. The Appeal Court in its judgment affirmed the list presented by the National working Committee(NWC) and dropped that of the state executive which had been on the INEC list based on a federal High Court order. In the forgoing, political watchers are of the view that the crisis in APGA and PDP is a great advantage to the APC which conducted a peaceful primary election and has apparently put its house in order. Similarly, the political mileage of the APC and its presidential candidate Major Gen Muhammadu Buhari(rtd) has indeed re-energised the APC in Anambra State. Recently, former governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju left the PDP to join APC; and this is yet another high point scored by the APC in Anambra. It is also not in doubt that the South East Leader of APC and former Anambra State governor, Senator Chris Ngige still commands the respect and popularity in the area and till date, most electorate still feel that he is the strongest voice for them at the National level.

Ernest Ndukwe

“In Anambra south, it is expected that Dr Earnest Ndukwe, APGA senatorial candidate would make the difference.”

Obi

“In the forgoing, political watchers are of the view that the crisis in APGA and PDP is a great advantage to the APC which conducted a peaceful primary election and has apparently put its house in order.”

Ngige Also, the presence of former National Assembly members who are also APC candidates in the election have also enriched the party’s chances. Chief Phil Agbasi is candidate for Nnewi Federal constituency, Chief Celestine Ughanze is for Oyi- Ayamelum while Ralph Okeke is for Anambra East and West Federal constituencies. Also the perceived marriage between APGA and PDP appears to have deepened the woes of the two political parties following the confusion over whom to vote for in the general election. While APGA is pushing for votes for its candidates in the National and State Assembly elections and vote for President Goodluck Jonathan in the Presidential

“Recently, former governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju left the PDP to join APC; and this is yet another high point scored by the APC in Anambra.”

election, the PDP in Anambra dismisses the directives contending that it is PDP all the way. Against this backdrop, the Anambra electorate are fast changing the tide of the game insisting that the voting pattern would ultimately create confusion in a long run. They allegedly feel that the cold war between APGA and PDP would only end up throwing up unpopular candidates in the name of party loyalty, hence, they are believed to be going the way of APC which they claim is crisis free and better focused for the general election. But the APC is advised not to go sleep or become complacent over their latest profile as it may also backfire against its fortunes.

Chinwoke Mbadinuju

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Hon. Chukwuma Nnazunku, Speaker, Ebonyi state House of Assembly CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

shares; One Linus Mbam, 25million shares; Ebonyi State government 50 million shares. Who are they holding those shares for? How much did Mbam, Ukaegwu paid for those shares and how much did the state government paid for its shares? Nobody knows up till now. Oily mess It is said that there is oil deposit in Ebonyi at Eda. His son went to the national archives and obtained the full details. They wanted Ebonyi to become an oil producing state. But the son was the one going all over the state. The company was formed and the same Ukaegwu got 100 million shares, his son, Elechi Nnanna Elechi, 25 million shares, state government, 50 million shares. How could a state governor use his state resources to enrich his family

Odefa

“Enough is enough in Ebonyi” like that? When the Commissioner made a memo to him and suggested to him that the shareholders should be distributed to the three geopolitical zones of the state, he questioned it. The commissioner had come to the House Committee investigating the deal to explain his roles. Loan saga Our Governor took a N6 billion loan from First Bank in

2013 without recourse to the House of Assembly; last August he took another N3 billion from UBA without recourse to the House of Assembly. In fact, they are re-paying the loan now till May. In 2015, we allowed the governor to take a bond of N15.5billion which has been spent. When you ask questions on how the money was spent, they ask the age of your grandfather to compare whether your grandfather was there when they were District

Officers. Genesis of the problem We in the house said no, that we shall not be part of that and the problem arose. That the governor formed a company and gave his son the shares; is it Pius (Anyim, Secretary to the Government of the Federation) that did that? Anyim has no interest in what is happening here. He has a lot of job in his hands. All these crises would have been averted but he refused to lis-

ten. The CABN has intervened, many prominent leaders have intervened but he would not listen. To him, those of us in the House are bunch of kindergartens. Labour Party connection The governor brought his brother in-law, Ukaegwu, to run for governorship election under Labour Party ticket. On the International Trade Centre in Abakaliki and Lot 3 CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Why Buhari must not be President – Zwingina CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Zwingina

nomic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on alleged corruption charges have moved from APC to PDP. Notable among them is the former Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Kobis Aris Thimnu and the commissioner for Local Government, Dr. Salihu Bakari who have joined Ribadu’s campaign train among others.

“As you know, there is no way you will hold office in Nigeria and could be free if the authorities want to get you. “Buhari is determined to send people to jail and even APC governors are now not comfortable with him and that’s why many of them are not following his campaign team”, Zwingina said. He said President Jonathan was far better than Buhari and needed to return to continue his

transformation agenda. “Let me tell you, Jonathan is 1000 times better than Buhari and that’s why people resolved to vote for our candidate, President Jonathan,” said he. Zwingina also urged the people to elect Malam Nuhu Ribadu as governor and all other PDP candidates in the state. Speaking at the meeting, Ribadu, pleaded for the unity of PDP in the state if it must emerge

victorious at the election. “If you vote me, I promise you that I will not betray you. I met just recently with Mr. President and he showed concern over the level of underdevelopment in Adamawa with the promise that Adamawa is among the states he will accord priority in terms of federal projects. “In 2011, we gave the president 65 per cent and I promised him that this time around we

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

International Politics

NETANYAHU

Beware, Iran poses threat to the world In an address to a joint meeting of Congress, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel warned against what he considers an ill-advised nuclear deal being negotiated with Iran. He is worried that Iran could develop a nuclear bomb soon, and expressed regret for the political attention the speech had received. Pounding his finger on the lectern, Mr. Netanyahu vowed that the Jewish people would defend themselves against aggression in ways they never could before founding of the state of Israel. “The days when the Jewish people remain passive in the face of genocidal enemies — those days are over,” he vowed. “Israel will stand,” he pledged, even if that meant it had to “stand alone.” Invoking the Holocaust and one of its most famous survivors, Elie Wiesel, Mr. Netanyahu said Mr. Wiesel’s work gives meaning to the words “never again.” Mr. Wiesel, in the audience, rose to a standing ovation, bowed and waved. “I wish I could promise you, Elie, that the lessons of history have been learned,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “I can only urge the leaders of the world not to repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said. Mr. Netanyahu argued that Iran’s government was weaker than it looks, given years of sanctions and the falling price of oil. They need the deal more than you do,” Netanyahu told Congress. The Israeli prime minister said there was still time to roll back Iran’s nuclear program and that the world should not settle for delaying the inevitable. “A pilot cannot fly without a plane,” he said. “Without thousands of centrifuges, Iran cannot

make nuclear weapons.” Lawmakers offered a standing ovation to Mr. Netanyahu’s direct challenge to Mr. Obama’s push for a deal with Iran. “For over a year, we’ve been told that no deal is better than a bad deal,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “Well, this is a bad deal. It’s a very bad deal. We are better off without it.” Mr. Netanyahu said Western nations did not have to accept the deal that Mr. Obama is negotiating with Iran. “We don’t have to bet the security of the world on the hope that Iran will change for the better,” he said. “We don’t have to gamble with our future and our children’s future.” He urged any negotiations to insist on three things: that Iran stop aggression against its neighbors; stop supporting terrorism; and stop threatening to destroy Israel. “If Iran wants to be treated like a normal country, let it act like a normal country,” he said to loud applause. Raising the specter of a nuclear “tinder box,” Mr. Netanyahu said

“Iran could have the means to deliver that nuclear arsenal to the far reaches of the earth including every part of the United States.”

Netanyahu the proposed deal would lead to a more dangerous Iran and a Middle East littered with nuclear bombs. He suggested that with a stronger economy, Iran would gobble up its neighbors and that kicking the can down the road was not a solution. He also warned that Iran might become a bigger financier of global terrorism. “This deal won’t be a farewell to arms, it will be a farewell to arms control,” he said. Mr. Netanyahu compared Iran first with the extremist group, then with the rogue regime, using the latter as an example of a country that flouted sanctions and inspectors to get nuclear weapons.

He said that Iran “plays a pretty good game of hide and cheat” with United Nations inspectors and that restricting its nuclear program for 10 years was a small price to pay for concessions. Mr. Netanyahu said the deal being crafted by the United States and other world powers with Iran would provide a short “breakout time” in which the country could develop a nuclear bomb. “Because Iran’s nuclear program would be largely intact, Iran’s breakout time would be very short,” Mr. Netanyahu said. He warned that Iran might develop a bomb by violating the restrictions placed on it by a deal, adding that “inspectors document

violations. They don’t stop them.” But he also warned that Iran might be in a better position to develop nuclear weapons in a decade, even after submitting to the 10-year deal. “Iran could have the means to deliver that nuclear arsenal to the far reaches of the earth including every part of the United States,” the prime minister said. “It doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb, it paves Iran’s path to the bomb. Mr. Netanyahu concluded with a message from Moses, saying “be strong and resolute.” He said, “May Israel and America always stand together, strong and resolute.”

“Elechi is in PDP, his son, inlaw in LP” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

international Market, more than N2.5 billion was paid to him without execution. The project is lying wasting and uncompleted.

Elechi

Anti-party activities He brought his son and was funding him with the funds of the Local Governments. His first son is also the Senatorial Candidate in Ebonyi Central. He kept deceiving Jonathan that he is with him. He has committed anti-party activities. He is not supporting

PDP. Gross misconduct For the impeachment, he has committed gross misconduct. We are on course. His CPS said that the governor has not been served. We have served him through his office and the media which is part of modes of serving a governor with such a notice. If the governor receives it, the courier service received it, radio and television announcement made and newspapers published it then, he has been served. It is up to

him to respond or not. Conspiracy against the House Members have been so angry that people say Umahi is sponsoring us. The deputy governor has prevailed on us not to go ahead but he is still doing it. Last Monday, we invited the commissioners to defend their budget but they did not show up because the governor told them it did not matter. Attack on the House We also invited the so called

shareholders to come and defend the series of petitions against them, but they, in concert with some of the commissioners conspired with the governor on the way to stop us and the option was to invade the House to stop us. We alerted the police that the people wanted to attack the House. By 1am they went and set fire to the Assembly. The Police and the Fire Service were prompt in putting out the fire. Their aim was to burn down the entire complex. The impeachment procedure is on.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Nigerian ‘lesbian’ opposes deportation from UK Continued from page 6

Fuel scarcity: Long queue of motorists on Herbert Macaulay Way in Abuja... on Wednesday

Photo: Temitope Balogun

began. Bird argued that after all, the UK is liberal and not against same sex relationships like in Nigeria. He also reminded the judge that the lower courts had found her claim of being a lesbian not credible. Mahmood also argued that Apata is an LGBT – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual – activist and that because of her activism and association with the social group, she may be tortured in Nigeria if the Home Secretary is allowed to go ahead with the deportation order, which had been served on her twice. Her lawyer also threw into the basket of arguments the international obliga-

tions to which the UK is a signatory, arguing that she ought to be protected from deportation to Nigeria. But the Crown lawyer prayed the court to dismiss her application, arguing that her human rights will not in any way be breached and that the UK is not obliged to provide refuge for a foreign national who entered the country fraudulently. He prayed the court to uphold the rulings of the earlier courts and to allow the Secretary of State go ahead with the deportation. Bird argued further that the UK would not be breaching either her Refugee Conventions Rights or her Human Rights, having fraudulently entered the country in 2004 with a forged Swaziland passport.

PDP plots to frame up Jega, Tinubu, APC alleges Continued from page 6 made “a series of absurd and clearly ludicrous claims and allegations.” He continued: “It is clear that these claims and allegations are nothing but the paranoid ranting of a paranoid little man that is working for a paranoid party. Rather than trying to prepare his masters’ minds for the defeat that is coming their way, Lai Mohammed has come again with his verbal diarrhoea.” He continued: “The truth is that we are not strategising to shift the election dates. We are not trying to frame up Jega. We have no plans to plant any illegal substance in the bags of any of the leaders of the APC whenever they travel. We are not trying to compromise the telephone numbers of any of the INEC officials. President Jonathan is not planning to arrest opposition leaders before the elections. The Presidency has not retained the services of any foreigner to corrupt or compromise INEC computers on Election Day and we are not planning to do any of the other reprehensible things that they have alleged. The truth is that if they were in our position, these are the sort of sordid things that they would do. Such dirty things and filthy tactics are a way of life and an art with them. But for us, such things are alien, perverse and unacceptable. “The PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation is not surprised that the APC is resorting to peddling falsehood in order to gain public sympathy. For quite some time now, the party has been displaying its expertise in the cheap propaganda for which it is well-

known. We take exception to their fiction and false claims and we will not take this matter lightly. “These spurious allegations follow a well-documented pattern of lies that only recently saw them falsely claiming that an interview conducted by one of its sympathizers at the Abuja Transcorp Hilton Hotel was conducted by a so-called independent journalist in the UK. The whole world now knows that, on that occasion, as on many other occasions, the APC told a barefaced lie. “This new smear campaign against the PDP-led Federal Government is clearly propelled by the fact that the APC knows fully that it has gone as far as it can go with its propaganda and deceit and that it will be thoroughly beaten by the PDP at the polls in the upcoming elections. “The APC and its leaders are simply unraveling and falling apart

at the seams. They are the ones who had perfected a plan to rig the forthcoming elections through the lopsided distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). They were very comfortable with the fact that 34 percent of registered voters had not collected their PVCs as at February 14 just before the presidential election was postponed. “The APC and its leaders said that they were ready for that election when it was obvious that the PVC collection rate in the north, comprising some of the traditional strongholds of their presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, was higher than the collection rate in the south, the traditional support base of our candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan. “We are happy that many eligible voters are now going out to collect their PVCs. We know that the APC and its leaders are not happy about this development because

Jega

Tinubu

they had wanted to railroad themselves on the nation through a compromised and rigged election. How can they be happy when the advantage they obviously enjoyed before the postponement of the February 14 presidential election has now been removed? Metuh said that the string of false alarms and outright lies that characterized Wednesday’s press conference addressed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) have clearly justified its profiling as a party of ‘one week, one lie’. Metuh in a statement in Abuja said that the opposition, in its penchant for falsehood, failed to realize that under the current financial system, it is practically impossible to transfer the so called humongous amount of money into any bank account without the source being traced by relevant independent financial monitoring bodies like the EFCC. “In any case, we note that the allegation by APC is suspect and betrays an attempt to cover-up. “We ask: is it that the APC has already been paying monies into accounts of INEC officials and some institutions of government with a view to compromising them and is now using the allegation as a subterfuge to distract the financial monitoring agencies and cover its tracks? “We challenge the APC to come out clear on the actual link between its leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, whose antecedents and reputation are well known to all, and the said transfer plot? “Was Tinubu’s name also dropped by the APC as a strategy to pre-empt findings by anti-graft agencies in a bid to cover a crime?

“Whilst we note that nothing is beyond a desperate party like the APC, which has continued to manifest its crass lack of integrity, we charge relevant agencies to immediately investigate the allegations and possibly unravel its evil plots. “We have also noted the hues and cries of the opposition regarding the issue of PVCs and Card readers for the elections but Nigerians are not short in their memory to recall that it is not the PDP but APC that had issues with security agencies over attempts to hack into INEC’s data base and to clone the PVCs. “It is also not the PDP but the APC that has complicities with some compromised INEC officials on biased distribution of PVCs in select states especially, Lagos and other APC states.” the PDP said. The ruling party also debunked allegations of plans to use security agencies to intimidate or implicate opposition leaders describing such as “part of APC’s worn out antics of attempting to use nuisance alarm to heat up the system having failed to articulate credible manifesto to secure genuine followership among Nigerians.” “Nigerians are aware that this is not the first time the opposition would be raising such alarms just for Nigerians to find out that they are lies. We have here a group of people who are being haunted by failure and self inflicted woes. APC has all along been deluding itself as a government in waiting with some phantom popular image it created for itself in the social media. Now that reality has dawn it in the face, it has resorted to deploying all manners of antics in a failed attempt to win the sympathy of Nigerians”, it said.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

International 14

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

US, Iran resume nuclear talks after Netanyahu warning

38 dead in Tanzania floods

Secretary of State, John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, have launched a third day of nuclear talks, on the heels of a Tuesday speech by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who spelled out before the U.S. Congress why he believed an Iran nuclear deal would be dangerous for the world. Kerry and a four-party delegation that included Under Secretary Wendy Sherman and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz exchanged cordial greetings with Zarif and his team as the two sides sat down for talks, Wednesday morning, in the resort city of Montreux, Switzerland. Heading into the meeting, Zarif was asked by reporters if he was excited about Wednesday’s sessions. He stopped, smiled and shrugged, saying: “Are they exciting? Are we supposed to be excited?” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 3, 2015.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 3, 2015.

Tanzania has killed, at least, 38 people and left hundreds of others homeless, police in the Shinyanga region have told the BBC. The downpours were accompanied by hail and strong winds meaning many people had no chance of escaping, senior police officer Justus Kamugisha said. The rains have severely damaged mud houses and blocked roads, making rescue operations difficult, he added. More than 60 rescued people are being treated for their injuries in hospital. The BBC’s Hassan Mhelela in Tanzania says most people in Shinyanga make their living by subsistence farming. But the weather has wreaked havoc on the landscape and crops of maize and cotton have been destroyed and livestock killed, he says.

ÏÏÏU.S.

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, third left, meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, third right, for a new round of nuclear negotiations on Wednesday.

Tuesday in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he felt a “profound obligation” to speak out about an issue that he believed threatened the survival of his country. Addressing a joint meeting of Congress, he said an Iran nuclear agreement would be a “bad deal.” It “doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb, it paves its path to the bomb,” he said. On Wednesday, the State Department released in statement

in which it took issue with some of the comments that Netanyahu made about Secretary Kerry. In his speech, Netanyahu said Kerry had “confirmed” that Iran could “legitimately possess” 190,000 centrifuges enriching uranium by the end of a longterm nuclear agreement. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Kerry, in Congressional testimony last month, actually said that if there is a civilian power plant that is

“producing power legitimately and not a threat to proliferation, you could have as many as 190,000 or more centrifuges.” President Barack Obama speaks at the White House about Iran and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, March 3, 2015.President Barack Obama speaks at the White House about Iran and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, March 3, 2015.

Uganda denies troops build-up along Sudan border ÏÏÏUgandan

troops based in South Sudan are not massing

Museveni

S’Sudan frowns at UN sanctions

along the Sudan border, Ugandan military officials said on Tuesday, after Sudan’s state news agency reported 16 000 Ugandan soldiers were due to arrive near the frontier. Sudan’s Suna news agency on Monday said Ugandan soldiers were massing near the border to fight rebels opposed to President Salva Kiir’s government, a move that Sudan finds “unacceptable and presenting a danger to Sudan’s stability”. “That is a bad lie. Ignore it,” Uganda’s military spokesperson,

ÏÏÏThe

government of South Sudan has warned that the imposition of any US-backed sanctions would be counter-productive and harm the peace process. Foreign Minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin said that sanctions would be a burden on the people. The US has warned that an arms embargo and other punitive measures are possible if the two sides in South Sudan’s con-

Paddy Ankunda, told Reuters in a text message. Senior Sudanese government officials said Suna’s report was representative of Khartoum’s concerns. “The second issue is Uganda’s hosting of Sudanese rebels so this is a very serious step for us,” a senior Sudanese official told Reuters. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and Sudanese leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir, two strongmen who came to power in late 1980s, have had a historically fraught relationship.

Uganda sent troops to South Sudan soon after clashes broke out in Juba, the capital, and spread to major oil producing regions in December 2013. Uganda has been credited with giving South Sudan’s military an edge over rebels loyal to Kiir’s former deputy Riek Machar. A representative of those rebels, Goi Yol, at peace talks in Addis Ababa agreed with the Suna report and warned the troop movement could “escalate the war” at a time when the two sides are within reach of a deal.

flict cannot agree a deal. Talks between the government and rebels are taking place in Ethiopia. Limited sanctions on South Sudan were imposed by the UN Security Council on Tuesday. “Those who frustrate peace must begin to pay the price,” US Ambassador Samantha Power said. But Mr Benjamin said sanctions would “not only hinder the

peace process but will inherently be felt by our countrymen and women down to the very basic level”. “We need to remove obstacles obstructing peace not create new ones,” he said in a statement. A resolution unanimously agreed by the Security Council does not specifically name South Sudan President Salva Kiir or rebel leader Riek Machar as possible targets for the sanctions.

ÏÏÏFlooding in north-western

Ukraine coal mine blast kills 33, traps 30 ÏÏÏA suspected gas blast at a

coal mine in a rebel-held region of east Ukraine is believed to have killed 33 people and trapped 30, the rebels told the BBC. At least 14 miners were also injured at the Zasyadko mine, which saw Ukraine’s worst mine disaster nearly eight years ago when 101 were killed. Anxious relatives of miners have gathered at the scene to await news. There are fears the rebels lack the resources to deal with the disaster, the BBC’s Tom Burridge reports. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has demanded access to the mine for government rescuers and police. A mine union official, Mikhail Volynets, told a Ukrainian TV channel there had been no fighting in the area in recent days. While Ukraine’s economy has significantly shrunk since the conflict began in April, many coal mines continue to operate in the conflict zone. In the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev, speaker Volodymyr Hroisman announced that 32 people had been killed and called for a minute’s silence. However, he later retracted the figure, saying instead that one person was dead and the fate of 32 others was unknown.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

15 Opinion

Tinubu and North’s strategic response

Lewis Chukwuma

uring the 2nd World War, the Allied forces intelligence detected a coup plot against Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler. They did a curious thing; they tipped-off the Gestapo, the dreaded German secret service. The Gestapo thoroughly checked out this strange ‘favour’ from the enemy and confirmed that indeed there was a plot against their leader. With its famed efficiency they promptly crushed the coup plot and all those involved. From historical analysis the Allies had good reason to warn their German enemies of a plot against Hitler. They wanted Hitler whom they read as an overambitious but incompetent leader to remain in power, as this would make victory easier. They didn’t want to gamble on the emergence of an unknown and perhaps more competent General to make life more difficult for the Allies. This is history. But apparently a replay of history in a different version is currently afoot in Nigeria. In what appears a proactive strategic response to allegations gaining serious ground that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has a secret agenda of eventu-

ally becoming president in case of an APC victory, segments of the Northern political elite are reportedly reaching out to President Goodluck Jonathan to cobble a deal and properly position the region come 2019. What is the kernel of this new controversial development? First, a significant part of what is playing out hinges on the alleged uncertain health status of General MuhammaduBuhari, the presidential candidate of APC. APC’s vice presidential candidate, Prof. YemiOsinbajo continues to stridently deny claims by the PDP that should his party win the coming presidential election he would honour a secret deal with Bola Tinubu and resign after six months in office and hand-over to the Asiwaju with Buhari’s green light. This scenario will automatically position the ambitious Asiwaju to constitutionally succeed Buhari should the Fulani General become unable to continue in office. Prof. Osinbajo is seen as a very loyal protégé and stooge of Tinubu. According to the PDP, Tinubu, has compelled Professor Osinbajo to swear to an oath and sign a resignation letter that after six months in office, he would quit as the vice president, in the unlikely event his party wins. Not folks to allow grass grow

under their feet, the APC fired back through its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPO) vehemently denying the charge. According to Mohammed, the allegation was designed to divert attention from “the runaway success of the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. But the Peoples’ Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO), apparently privy to a well-kept secret insisted that Tinubu planned to replace Osinbajo six months after, if the APC wins. The APCPCO, in its own statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said there was no iota of truth in the claim. To give an unsettling credibility to their allegation the PDP enlisted what transpired between the revolutionary cleric, Pastor Tunde Bakare, the ACN and CPC in 2011. A coalition initiated by the Asiwaju Tinubu’s ACN with General Buhari’s CPC floundered when Bakare (Buhari’s running mate then) declined to write and sign a resignation letter that would have brought in Tinubu as vice president should the coalition have won the 2011 presidential poll. Clearly, Bakare is nobody’s stooge – then and now. It could be recalled that in an interview with Kadaria Ahmed

in July 2013, the firebrand pastor-cum-politician was asked whether his refusal to step down contributed to the breakdown of the proposed merger between CPC and ACN prior to the 2011 elections. According to Bakare, “It was not stepping down that was the issue; it was resigning on paper with my signature, to sign as Vice President of Nigeria. I said, ‘No, I can’t do that. I can resign as Tunde Bakare, a candidate, but I cannot resign as Vice President, an office I have not occupied. That is illegal.” This controversial scenario even lends more credence to Governor Ayo Fayoshe’s claim that General Buhari remains Tinubu’s candidate for today and that the North would choose theirs at the expiry of President Jonathan’s final term in 2019. This picture is perhaps being unwittingly reinforced by the unmatched intensity – both financial and logistical – that Tinubu has single-handedly poured into the Buhari presidency project. It could be recalled that to the chagrin of many northern political elite, especially the former Vice-president AtikuAbubakar and Governor Kwakwanso of Kano State, Tinubu adroitly swayed the outcome of APC’s presidential primary that yielded a landslide victory for General Buhari.

Buhari: Addressing questionable characters around him

Paul Omoruyi

n Saturday February 14th, the day Nigerians were supposed to cast their vote for who they want as their next president, I was with some friends in a quiet suburb in Texas, USA. The last thing on our minds (at least for me) was politicking. We wanted to just sit back, socialise, listen and dance to good Afro beat after a busy workweek! Out of the blues, a rather young and impressionable Nigerian lady asked me whom I would vote for if I were in Nigeria. For a minute, I went into a spill of my issues with President Goodluck (GEJ) and General Buhari (GMB). Suddenly it dawn on me that despite all my vociferated grouse with both candidates, it is still my civic responsibility to cast a vote (if I am eligible!) for a candidate. In that moment, I felt I needed

to finally make up my mind on who to throw my support behind. So I took a mental flight and ran through the virtual score card list of things that I need from the next president of Nigeria. While it was very easy for me to complete Jonathan’s scorecard, I found it somewhat challenging to fully score Buhari. Understandably, as the incumbent, Jonathan’s record stares us in the eyes every day in the last six years. “You still have not told me who you will vote for”, the lady interrupted my mental flight. “If it is Buhari people like Tinubu, Amaechi and some others currently around him have questionable characters. Buhari cannot tame Tinubu if he becomes president. Tinubu will run Nigeria like he did Lagos. There is just something about Tinubu that is odoriferous to me”, she said. She has a point here, I thought. Buhari might not have the greedy and rapacious propensi-

ties to loot Nigeria, but what about those that he will depend on to run the government with him? Obviously, due to the concomitant of aging, the General is somewhat frail now and might not have enough juice anymore to pursue and stop the nefarious activities of those with questionable repute in his cycle. “Didn’t you see what Tinubu wanted to do with Pastor Bakare? He and those around him wanted Bakare to sign a resignation letter even before the 2011 election. Believe me my brother, if Buhari wins, Tinubu and his cronies will hijack the government. Osibanjo is just an election figurehead candidate. If ever they win, Osibanjo will be thrown out like a piece of rubbish; Tinubu and his close circle of friends will ramp up their activities”, she concluded. “Sister, you have a very valid point there. I guess we need them to actually debate each other like other countries of the world so that undecided Nigerians will

have the opportunity to hear them address key issues like this”, I caved in to her views since I have nothing to counter her assertions Few days after that discussion, I was perplexed that PDP media operatives started peddling the same exact sentiments as if they were eavesdropping on the young lady’s concerns. Her assertions raised some alarm in my head. I think PDP need her as Director of Publicity as opposed to their current one who appears to have multiple personality disorder. More and more people I talk to appear to be looking closely at potentially voting for Buhari. But they are concerned about the General capitulating to the ravenous politicians in his party. If Buhari wants to get the vote of those currently undecided Nigerians, he would have to convince them that he would be “his own man” and not allow crooked politicians in his party to hijack his government (if he wins!) without prosecuting them.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Features

INFRASTRUCTURE:

Seven years after NUGA Games: UNN sports facilities lie fallow

Years after the University of Nigeria, Nsuka (UNN) hosted the Nigerian Universities Games (NUGA) 2008, under former Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chinedu Nebo (now Minister for Power and Steel), the nation’s premier institution’s multi-million naira uncompleted sporting facilities are now in a state of decay. MOSES OYEDIRAN reports from Enugu.

pointed his successor, Prof. Batho Okolo as the 2008 NUGA Local Organizing Committee LOC chairman and appealed to institutions, corporate bodies and individual sponsorship to build facilities for the hosting of the games. However, several years after the games had ended, most of the facilities have been abandoned despite the millions donated for the purpose of building the facilities. Okolo, having resumed duty

Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had ap-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Uncompleted hockey pitch

How God saved me from armed robbers - Ogbuenyi, FCT Minister’s aide Special Assistant on Media to the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nosike Ogbuenyi was face-to-face with armed robbers last Christmas eve. IDU JUDE brings an account of the ordeal.

Ogbuenyi

Still smarting from the near-death encounter with dare devil car snatchers nine weeks later, Special Assistant on Media to the FCT Minister, Mr. Nosike Ogbuenyi told Daily Times that, coming face to face with armed robbers, especially on a Christmas eve, is an experience no one prays for. His story: “It all happened on the 24th of December 2014 at 7. 15 p.m.I had left my office at 7:05pm. However, while I stopped briefly to receive a phone call very close to a bus stop, some armed robbers suddenly blocked my with their own vehicle. Even though I was inside the car with the entire glass windows wound up and air conditioner on, it did not deter them. “That was how I was attacked by car snatchers at gunpoint.

All the three men, who came down from the red-coloured car were armed with pistols. As they threatened to shoot me , I had no choice than to open the door and left my self to fate.” Though the car was on automatic lock, Ogbuenyi told Daily Times he had to alight because given the manner of the threats he had a feeling they would have shot him inside his car if he had hesitated to come out. They later took the car keys and his mobile phones. But that did not let him go. “Despite surrendering all I on me, one of the robbers continued threatening to shoot me. It was sad that rather than collect the car and leave me to go , they fired a shot that seriously injured me.” The irony was that Ogbuenyi

was observing a traffic rule that forbids motorists from making phone calls while driving, otherwise, perhaps, he may not have been cornered by the robbers. “I am not one of those that make phone calls while driving. The law, especially the Federal Road Safety Commission and other agencies frown at such practice. So that was how it happened. In my pool of blood, I was rushed to hospital by good Samaritans and I am now out of hospital. It was God who saved me otherwise I would have died.” Ogbuenyi was first treated in a federal staff hospital before taken to the Nigeria-Turkish Hospital. Could the robbery, especially the shooting be linked to the

“I am not one of those that make phone calls while driving. The law, especially the Federal Road Safety Commission and other agencies frown at such practice. So that was how it happened’’

sensitivity of his job as SA to the FCT Minister? “I do not suspect anyone. I do not think they attacked me based on my job due to my person. Rather, I thought I was trailed by the attackers; because I was driving a type of vehicle they wanted to snatch. The car was a Toyota Corolla 2011 model. I am still not of the belief that anyone was behind the attack”. There was also the timing of the attack which happened only ten minutes after leaving the office. “On the fateful day, I was busy working with three of my colleagues in the FCTA, and we worked till 7.00 pm before we agreed to hold for further meeting at 7.30 pm. I never arrived CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

19 Features

‘Many of the facilities have been abandoned at UNN’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

as LOC chairman quickly branded himself “MR NUGA” and boasted to the world that UNN would host the best NUGA games in the history of the competition with sophisticated sporting facilities. The games attracted sponsorship from notable donors like Enugu State Government, the then Director General, Nigerian Stock Exchange Commission, Prof. Ndi Okereke; Diamond Bank PLC, United Bank for Africa Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Intercontinental Bank Plc, Globacom, Dangote and other individuals and corporate bodies. Before the commencement of the games, Constain Construction Company, which handled work at the Akanu Ibiam Mainbowl Stadium abruptly stopped work and later moved its equipment out of site when the then LOC Chairman, Prof. Okolo, assumed office as Vice Chancellor owing to irreconcilable differences between the sponsor of the project and the university. However, the entire sports arena has remained grounded and uncompleted with reptiles and other animals now making

use of the facilities. Daily Times can authoritatively reveal that not even a single block has been added since Prof. Nebo left office as Vice Chancellor. When the immediate past VC, Prof Okolo, who superintended the games in 2008, assumed office as Vice Chancellor, most people had expressed optimism that the sporting facilities’ would be completed under his administration. They were however disappointed when all through his five years at the helm of affairs in the university, Okolo did not give the project the anticipated attention. Daily Times also recalled that at a press briefing preceding the games, Okolo was quoted to have said: “The idea behind the facilities we are putting in place is to have modern, up-to-date facilities that are capable of hosting global sporting events. It shouldn’t be that it is only when we are bidding to host that we should be running around to upgrade our facilities.” A staff of the university who spoke to Daily Times described Okolo’s inability to complete the projects he initiated as coorCONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Abandoned generator plant house

Ogbuenyi: ‘The Police Force needs a reappraisal to meet new challenges CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

for that meeting because of the robbery attack.” The location and hour of the attack is also a matter for security concern. “It took place along Airport road (Umaru Yar’Adua Road) near Dantata Bridge. It is only two kilometres from my house. And few people were standing nearby who ran for their dear lives upon hearing the gunshot” In retrospect, Ogbuenyi considered his experience and wondered at the depravity of the society today. “ The level of criminality in the society has reached a dangerous level extent that the police and other security agencies need a reappraisal to meet with

new challenges. I am of the opinion that the police should employ the use of decoys or snares in trapping armed robbers. Just like fishermen and hunters do when they want to catch a prey. He spoke more on this ploy;“ For example,assuming my car was bullet proof, I would not have obeyed the robbers when they asked that I come down. I would have disabled the central lock of the car door when they were trying to force me out because they would have shot me inside the car if I disobeyed”. Ogbuenyi however acknowledged that everyone cannot own a bullet proof car “No. What I’m recommending is the use of bullet proof cars as decoys by the police in crime fighting; I mean the type of cars

that are very attractive to criminals. The vehicles can also be equipped with high calibre security alarms. Police anti-robbery squads pretending to be civilians can use bullet proof cars such as Toyota or Honda saloon to attract unsuspecting car snatchers. “And these can be placed strategically at crime flashpoints. They can be positioned on Airport Road, Kubwa Express Road, Abuja - Keffi Road, Nnamdi Azikiwe Ring Road etc. This should be done also at night and day time. The police may use plain clothes officers posing as civilians in these bullet proof cars, while fully armed antirobbery personnel would lay in ambush. If this is done, many

unsuspecting robbers fall for the traps”.

would

Does he think the Close Circuit Television, CCTV could make a difference? “Yes we already have the CCTV at some spots and I think they work in some parts in the FCT. What I am advocating is to complement the CCTV. But in view of its capital intensive nature, it cannot be easily placed everywhere. I recommend we start putting them in place.I am suggesting that some new tactics be used as well. “The police can be deployed at such lonely places such as Airport Road, to lay ambush while such costly vehicles are parked to attract robbers.It beat the imagination; and from what I

heard, there are always robberies and car snatching on Airport Road and Kubwa express roads. In the Christmas period , the police recovered more than 50 vehicles from November to December. My own car is yet to be recovered.” Ogbuenyi’s observation of two types of car thefts “I can tell you that there are two types of car thefts; one is the stealing of cars at parking lots, homes and other places, while the owners are not there; the other is the forceful disposition of the car driver at gun point. My suggestion is that aside APCs (Armoured Personnel Carriers), there are other unsuspecting ways of getting CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Features 20

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

UNN: Home

of abandoned projects

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

dinator of the games, as unfortunate, adding that even after succeeding Nebo as VC he still failed to complete the project. “I understood that Globacom agreed to construct the Akanu Ibiam stadium complex and was said to have mobilised its contractor to site only for Prof. Okolo to go against the agreement and demanded the complete payment of the contract sum to the LOC or see that the university sealed off Globacom business premises which housed Conoil Petroleum, Glo Shop and Equitorial Trust Bank situated at the gate of the university. “And even after the payment

of N150million, the contract sum, by Chief Mike Adenuga, the CEO Globacom, to Okolo for the completion of the stadium it was still abandoned. I was disenchanted at the comment made by the incumbent VC, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba that he won’t probe Prof. Okolo’s administration after he took over office from him,” the staff said. Investigation revealed that the only project completed before the commencement of the games in 2008 was the squash pavilion, allegedly built and handed over to the university by Dangote Group of Companies. When Daily Times visited the games village at both EnuCONTINUED ON PAGE 21

Front view of the stadium

Abandoned swimming pool

‘Policing Abuja at night is big challenge’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

vehicles to fight this menace. I know there is Anti-robbery squad in place, but the personnel should be given more sophisticated equipment to track down criminals in the FCT”. While agreeing that the police cannot do all the policing alone, he has some advice for every Nigerian, whether mobile or not. “My advice to FCT residents is that self and community policing are other ways to complement the security agencies. I advise that people who can afford

The Dantata bridge Abuja

CCTV should purchase them for thier homes and surroundings. CCTV’s are built to capture images which can be passed to the police. “Also I can say that the FCT is and still remains the best secured place in Nigeria. But we have to warn that residents should know that many criminals are always attracted to the FCT to steal. People are advised to be always cautious of those they see around them”. Ogbuenyi is confident the police will recover his car “Even though the vehicle

is yet to be recovered, I do not doubt the ability of the police to recover it. They have done it before and my case will not be an exception. The police in Abuja are very professional and efficient. And the FCT administration has been assisting the m. The administration had on several occasions extend financial assistance for the purchase of equipment for patrols. But the greatest challenge is how to police Abuja at night. So, I say they have to do more especially starting 6:30pm to 6:30 am”

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

21 Features

The main stadium arena

Lectures take place at stadium complex CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

gu and Nsukka campuses last week the facilities had become dilapidated and a mockery of sort as lectures also took place at the Akanu Ibiam Stadium Complex among all manner of other non-sport activities. Walking through the village at night is risky, according to students, who said the games village had become a den of hoodlums. Daily Times also recalled that in 2012, one Onyebuchi Okonkwo, a 300 level Physics and Astronomy student committed suicide at the hockey pitch of the games village. The cricket pitch is now littered with tissues, sanitary pads, excreta etc. The swimming pool built to Olympic standard by same firm (according to Okolo) that handled the Beijing Games pool

The hockey pitch

during the NUGA games, is now infested with reptiles and is a no-go area to swimming enthusiasts. Students of UNN, however, believe that the administration of the current VC, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, which came into office last year, could redeem the now battered image of the games village and restore the university’s dignity by completing the sporting facilities. Time will tell if Ozumba will live up to expectation by completing the 2008 NUGA facilities or he will allow them to degenerate further.

‘‘Walking through the village at night is risky, according to students, who said the games village had become a den of hoodlums’’

Section of indoor games

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5 , 2015

Today in History Compiled by ‘Tunji Okegbola

Cartoons from our Archives

1919 Two national parks preserved, 10 years apart 1929 David Buick dies On this day in 1929, David Dunbar Buick, the founder of the Buick Motor Company, died in relative obscurity and meager circumstances at the age of 74. In 1908, Buick’s company became the foundation for the General Motors Corporation; however, by that time David Buick had sold his interest in the company. Buick was born in Arbroath, Scotland, on September 17, 1854, and moved with his family to Detroit, Michigan, as a child. As a young man, he worked in the plumbing industry and developed, among other inventions, a successful process for bonding porcelain enamel to cast-iron bathtubs. During the 1890s, Buick became interested in automobiles and the gasoline internal combustion engine. In 1903, he founded the Buick Motor Company. The following year, William Durant, a titan of the horse-drawn carriage

industry, invested in Buick’s company, which was by then based in Flint, Michigan. That same year, the company made a total of 37 autos, known as the Model B. By 1906, Buick had lost control of the business and sold his stock, which would later be worth millions of dollars. Two years later, in 1908, William Durant made the Buick firm the cornerstone of his newly formed holding company, General Motors. Durant soon acquired Cadillac and Oldsmobile, among other car companies. In 1923, Buick built its 1 millionth vehicle. The Buick brand would play a key role in General Motors’ rise to become the world’s largest automaker by the early 1930s (a title it held until 2008, when it was surpassed by Japan-based Toyota). Today, Buick is GM’s entry-level luxury brand and one of the auto industry’s oldest nameplates.

1946

1946 Churchill delivers Iron Curtain speech In one of the most famous orations of the Cold War period, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill condemned the Soviet Union’s policies in Europe and declared, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” Churchill’s speech was considered one of the opening volleys announcing the beginning of the Cold War. Churchill, who had been defeated for re-election as prime minister in 1945, was invited to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri where he gave this speech. President Harry S. Truman joined Churchill on the platform and listened intently to his speech. Churchill began by praising the United States, which he declared stood “at the pinnacle of world power.” It soon became clear that a primary purpose of his talk was to argue for an even closer “special rela-

Daily Times March 5, 1961

Churchill delivers Iron Curtain speech

tionship” between the United States and Great Britain—the great powers of the “Englishspeaking world”—in organizing and policing the post-war world. In particular, he warned against the expansionistic policies of the Soviet Union. In addition to the “iron curtain” that had descended across Eastern Europe, Churchill spoke of “communist fifth columns” that were operating throughout western and southern Europe. Drawing parallels with the disastrous appeasement of Hitler prior to World War II, Churchill advised that in dealing with the Soviets there was “nothing which they admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for military weakness.” Truman and many other U.S. officials warmly received the speech. Already they had decided that the Soviet Union was

bent on expansion and only a tough stance would deter the Russians. Churchill’s “iron curtain” phrase immediately entered the official vocabulary of the Cold War. U.S. officials were less enthusiastic about Churchill’s call for a “special relationship” between the United States and Great Britain. While they viewed the English as valuable allies in the Cold War, they were also well aware that Britain’s power was on the wane and had no intention of being used as pawns to help support the crumbling British empire. In the Soviet Union, Russian leader Joseph Stalin denounced the speech as “war mongering,” and referred to Churchill’s comments about the “English-speaking world” as imperialist “racism.” The British, Americans, and Russians-allies against Hitler less than a year before the speech—were drawing the battle lines of the Cold War.

1953

Joseph Stalin dies

1953 Joseph Stalin dies On this day, Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union since 1924, died in Moscow. Like his right-wing counterpart, Hitler, who was born in Austria, Joseph Stalin was not a native of the country he ruled with an iron fist. Isoeb Dzhugashvili was born in 1889 in Georgia, then part of the Old Russian Empire. The son of a drunk who beat him mercilessly and a pious washerwoman mother, Stalin learned Russian, which he spoke with a heavy accent all his life, in an Orthodox Church-run school. While studying to be a priest at Tiflis Theological Seminary, he began secretly reading Karl Marx and other left-wing revolutionary thinkers. The “official” communist story is that he was expelled from the seminary for this intellectual rebellion; in reality, it may have been because of poor health. In 1900, Stalin became active in revolutionary political activ-

ism, taking part in labour demonstrations and strikes. Stalin joined the more militant wing of the Marxist Social Democratic movement, the Bolsheviks, and became a student of its leader, Vladimir Ilich Lenin. Stalin was arrested seven times between 1902 and 1913, and subjected to prison and exile. Stalin’s first big break came in 1912, when Lenin, in exile in Switzerland, named him to serve on the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party— now a separate entity from the Social Democrats. The following year, Stalin (finally dropping Dzugashvili and taking the new name Stalin, from the Russian word for “steel”) published a signal article on the role of Marxism in the destiny of Russia. In 1917, escaping from an exile in Siberia, he linked up with Lenin and his coup against the middle-class democratic government that had supplanted the czar’s rule.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

23 News

Abuja natives berate APC over Jonathan’s farmland Idu Jude Abuja

ÏÏÏIndigenes of the Federal Capi-

tal Territory (FCT) have vowed, on Tuesday in Abuja, to list thousands of opposition members, as well as ex-leaders of the nation, who had secretly acquired farmlands in Abuja

in the past, should the vicious attack on Mr. President continue. The indigenes vowed to wage war against the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its media attack on President Goodluck Jonathan’s ownership of a farmland in the nation’s capital, describing the action as cheap blackmail.

Specifically, the natives affirmed that the acquisition of a farmland by President Jonathan was to boost employment and address food security that has become major development challenges in the country. Addressing journalists in Abuja, the Secretary General of Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Organ-

isation (AOIYO), Comrade Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf, noted that the attack on the President over the farmland was politically motivated and a deliberate attempt by the opposition to divide the Abuja natives ahead of the rescheduled general election. While fielding further questions from newsmen, the youths’ scribe

maintained that past political leaders in Nigeria are owners of either choice estates or farmlands in the FCT, warning that the organisation would be compelled to mention names of past leaders, including those of the opposition, who owned estates or massive farmlands in the territory.

TUC backs Osun civil servants, NUAHP strike

L-R. GM United Health Care, Dr. Olusegun Akele; Co-ordinator, Nigeria Entertainment Industry Health Insurance (NEIH), Mr Seun Apara; Chairman Coson, Chief Tony Okoroji and MD Health Care, Tosin Awosika at the NEIH convention held at Sheraton, Ikeja… on Tuesday PHOTO: TAOFEEK BABAJIDE

ÏÏÏThe Trade Union Congress

State council, consequent upon the expiration of his tenure in office, and the subsequent election and inauguration of the present executive committee on March 6, 2014, though he had shamefully refused to come to terms with the transition that was always sure to come. “He, therefore, represents nobody but himself and his paymasters in the state government, who have found in him a willing tool to use and sponsor in their bid to undermine the legitimate interests of the working class. “Naturally his anti-union posture has rightfully caused him to be ostracized by all TUC members in the state and also earned him an indefinite suspension from the congress by a resolution of the National Executive Council (NEC).

...Says PVCs has recorded 80.2 percent collection

Tosin Ajuwon

Lateef Ibrahim

ÏÏÏReligious

Be independent of govt control, cleric tells mission schools

Polls: Jega’s rumoured planned sack won’t distract us –INEC Abuja

ÏÏÏBarely three weeks to the

forthcoming general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has vowed that it would not allow anything to distract it from giving Nigerians the most credible, free, fair and transparent polls. The commission maintained that it would remain very focused in its preparations for the polls, notwithstanding the rumour of the planned removal of its Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega. Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Dr. Chris Iyimoga, gave the assurance at a press confer-

Monday Agu Jnr.

ÏÏÏThe Federal Executive Coun-

cil (FEC) has approved N2.44 billion for procurement, installation and training of auto-testing laboratories equipment and tools. The tools would be installed in designated auto-testing laborato-

ence yesterday in Abuja. Dr. Iyimoga stated that the commission is working towards a successful general election slated for March 28 and April 11. He said: “We are not distracted; we are very focused. The country should expect nothing than the best from INEC in this year’s general elections.” Dr. Iyimoga, who is one of INEC’s National commissioners, made it clear that only President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly can determine when Professor Jega would leave office. The tenure of the INEC chairman will come to an end in June this year. There are, however, speculations that he might be asked to proceed on compulsory

Jega

leave before the end of his tenure. Reacting to this on Wednesday, Dr Iyimoga said: “This is not an area I should dabble into. The appointment of the chairman of the commission is the responsibility of Mr. President and it has an endorsement of the National Assembly, and whatever position that is to be taken has to come from that end.”

(TUC), Osun State council, firmly supports the proposed strike by its affiliate, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Osun State branch, as well as the on-going strike by the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), LAUTECH, Osogbo. The state council of the congress called on members of the public and, particularly the media, to disregard the contrary statement recently made by former chairman of the council, Oladele Francis Adetunji, whereby he purported to dissociate the council from the said strikes and struggle of its affiliates. “In accordance with the Constitution of TUC, Adetunji ceased to be the chairman of TUC, Osun

Akure

institutions have been admonished to jettison the continuous agitation for assistance from the government in the running of their schools in the country. The Head of Apostolic Faith Secondary School in Emure-Ekiti, Mr. Muyiwa Ogunleye, gave the advise on Wednesday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, while fielding questions from journalists. Mr. Ogunleye said religious institutions, mostly the missionary schools, should be independent of government affairs, adding that they are institutions to instill the fear of God in the heart of children, even at the early stage. He noted that mission schools have served as a good avenue for parents to bring up their children

in the way of the Lord, while it has also been excellent in the area of academics. “Sending children to mission schools would add value to their upbringing, as they will have faith in themselves and their creator,” he said. According to him, the Apostolic Faith Secondary School in Emure-Ekiti, created in June 2007, has produced well trained graduates, who are now making success in their respective chosen careers.

FEC approves N2.4bn auto-testing laboratory equipment ries in Lagos, Enugu and Zaria. Briefing State House correspondents after Wednesday’s council meeting, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, said the procurement would help ensure vehicle safety

and environmental protection, as well as the quality of automotive products in Nigeria. The tools are Lot II: supply, installation and training on auto-testing laboratory equipment for emission laboratory, Lagos, in favour of

Messers AVL List GMBH Austria, 4,801,939.79; Lot II: supply, installation and training on auto-testing laboratory equipment for auto component laboratory, Enugu, in favour of Messers Mustang Advanced Engineering (USA) Afram Nigeria

Ltd., in the sum of 4,626,531.00; Lot III: supply, installation and training on auto-testing laboratory; Equipment for auto testing laboratory equipment, Zaria in favour of Messers AVS Nigeria/Artec Testnology, Netherlands, 1,202,783.40.

News 24

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

FG laments varsities’ low absorption capacities

Shekarau

Augustine Okezie Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

Federal Government has frowned at the declining absorption capacities in the universities resulting into the admission rate as low as 20 per cent of eligible candidates, who sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) annually. Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who made the revelation, during a press briefing , in Abuja, at a news conference to unveil activities marking

2015 Commonwealth Day Celebration, said out of 1.7 million candidates who sit for UTME annually, only a fraction of them were able to secure admission into existing universities. Shekarau further noted the conventional Nigerian higher education system was hard pressed to meet the demands of the evergrowing population of the country for highly accessible, affordable and qualitative education. Shekarau, however, said the Federal Government had strengthened the Open and Distance Learning (ODL), in line with the objective of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), to which Nigeria was a major donor, to alleviate the problem. According to him, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), operating the ODL, had been at the vanguard of improving access and equity in Nigerian education sector, since its inception in 2003. He said: “ODL has been embraced as an effective alternative mode of learning, ensuring that higher education is not kept for the limited and exclusive few.”

Court orders INEC to issue YDP registration certificate Andrew Orolua Abuja

ÏÏÏA

Federal High Court, in Abuja, on Wednesday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to issue Young Democratic Party (YDP) registration certificate and accommodate its participation in the general election scheduled for March 28 and April 11. The order was contained in a judgement delivered by Justice Ahmed Mohammed on the suit filed by YDP, an association that approached the court, in October, last year, after INEC ignored its application. The implication of

the court order is that the electoral body may order a reprint of the ballot papers if it elects not to appeal against the judgment. The judge held that YDP was deemed registered to participate in all elections organised, when INEC failed to inform the then political association of its decision not to register it as a political party, within 30 days of receiving its application, as required under Section 78 (4) of the Electoral Act, 2010. According to the document in court, INEC received the association’s application on April 1, 2014 but only notified the applicant of its decision not to register it on September 15, 2014.

UNIABUJA is broke, can’t pay salaries, says VC Augustine Okezie Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Abuja, Professor Michael Umale Adikwu, has said the institution was broke and finds it difficult to meet its financial obligations. He disclosed this to reporters, in his office, in Abuja, and admitted also, that the varsity was going through lean times, as in shortfall in both internally generated revenue (IGR)

and allocations from Federal Government. He said: “One of the challenges currently plaguing the university is the issue of salary payment. Now, we don’t have enough money for salary. The varsity’s purse is somewhat lean. Since I became the captain of the varsity, we’ve been dependent on money from our IGR. We look at other places to pay salary. That is very serious. I think commitment to staff in total, on the part of government,

must not be left hanging.” Adikwu also described the problem of intercampus bus shuttles in the university as another imposing challenge. “We are not happy ferrying our students from the minicampus, which is quite far from here. If we are on one campus, it would be much better for us’’, he added. On the issue of admission racketeering, the Vice- Chancellor maintained that it was not peculiar to UNIABUJA alone,

as it happens to all Nigerian universities. He recalled: “This thing happens in all Nigerian universities. I know the practices in all Nigerian universities. There are state universities where you have to pay some money to be offered an admission.’’ “We have looked at it very critically and it will go down in the next admission season. Even the last admission we did was racketeering-proof.”

DPR shuts 11 petrol stations in Akure …As fuel scarcity bites harder in Sokoto

Tosin Ajuwon, Akure and Nasiru Suleiman, Sokoto

ÏÏÏThe

Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), on Wednesday, sealed-off no fewer than 11 petrol filling stations, in Akure, the Ondo State capital. The filling stations were shut down for refusing to dispense fuel to consumers at the Federal Government, newly-approved pump price of N87 per litre. Daily Times learnt that many of the filling stations were selling between the rate of N100 and N110 per litres, which is illegal. It was observed that other filling stations, which sold at the approved pump price, had long queues of customers. Meanwhile, fuel scarcity continues to bite in Sokoto State, as long queues resurfaced in all the major petrol filling stations within the metropolis and environ, Daily Times has observed. Investigations revealed that, only few petrol stations had fuel to dispense, aside the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega stations in town. Some major petrol stations on Gusau Road, and other parts of the state, were shut down for lack of the product. One of the fuel attendants who gave his name as Francis at one of the fuel stations

on Gusau Road said, for over a week now, his station had not got supply. He said busi-

ness was dull. Apart from the NNPC mega stations, which sold

fuel at the approved pump price, there were others that sold at N135-N140 per litre.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;East CAN warns against volatile utterances Daniel Jolly Bauchi

Ă?Ă?Ă?The

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), North East zone, has advised Christians and Nigerians, generally, to avoid utterances and actions that can fan the embers of violence, considering the already prevalent insecurity of lives and property in the country. Chairman of CAN North East zone, Reverend Shuiabu Byal gave the advice on Wednesday in Bauchi at the NUJ Secretariat, while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the meeting of Christian leaders of the zone held in Bauchi on Tuesday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hate speeches must be stopped, because they can be offensiveâ&#x20AC;?, he said. He also commended

the Nigerian military for, gradually, curtailing the insurgency in the North-East region, just as he called on well-meaning Nigerians to curb the activities of irate youths and political thugs, ahead of the March 28 presidential election. Byal said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let us appreciate the Federal Government through our gallant soldiers and security agencies, who have and are still upholding Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sovereignty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The allied forces have also contributed meaningfully since insurgency is not against one country. We appreciate them and pray that the insurgents will waste away,â&#x20AC;? he said. He, however, lamented that Nigeria was yet to develop a workable political arrangement that guaranteed a truly united, peaceful

and prosperous nation. On the forthcoming general election, he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We must not forget that everybody should shun all forms of politico-religious violence during campaigns, during and after the elections. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Politicians, their followers and the electorate, must not react negatively to crisis by burning places of worship, killing of innocent people or destruction of properties. We must not allow the violence of 2011 repeat itself.â&#x20AC;? He commended the Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Rilwanu Adamu, for sending the district head of Bauchi and some traditional rulers to the Church to appeal to Christians from the southern Nigeria, not to run away for of fear of violence during the

Air traffic controllers may down tools March 15 Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

Ă?Ă?Ă?The Nigerian Air Traf-

fic Controllers Association (NATCA), has said that there will be no further dialogue with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), should it fail to implement the agreement on staff welfare and equipment replacement. A statement signed by the National Secretary of NATCA, Olawole Banji, added that in the eventuality of NAMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure to do the right thing, then NATCA would go on strike by March 15, 2015. Banji said NATCA would not inform the management of its resolve to proceed on strike, adding that it had given NAMA management two weeks to conclude then

approved process of the proposed harmonised allowances for the workers as agreed on January 18, 2015. According to him, NATCA had painstakingly made efforts to win the understanding of the simple majority of members in its agitation for improved working conditions, especially, the replacement of obsolete equipment at various locations in the country and an enhanced welfare package. NATCA had, in the last few weeks, threatened to embark on a strike, following the inability of NAMA to implement all the agreements reached by both parties. Meanwhile, the Aeronautical Information Service (AIS), the body responsible

for generating information to pilots and the public, had, recently, threatened to confront the management of NAMA, for playing politics with professional issues in the organisation. Babatunde Shittu, AIS president told Daily Times that the management had relegated his members and make it look as if only NATCA was the professional body in NAMA that was always agitating for improved welfare package, without considering other bodies. According to Shittu, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In AIS Manual, Document 8126, Chapter 3, Paragraph: 3.1.2.3 refers: AIS officers should be remunerated, at least, at the same level as personnel in the AGA, COM and ATS Divisionâ&#x20AC;?.

Political parties sign peace pact in Benue Freddie Adamgbe

Makurdi Ă?Ă?Ă?Ahead of the general election, political parties and their candidates have signed an agreement to ensure credible and violentfree general election in Benue State. The candidates, during a meeting at the Police Officersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mess, Makurdi, organised by the Benue State

Police Command and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), three governorship candidates and chairmen of political parties in the state, have agreed to run an issuebased campaign, devoid of religious incitement and ethnic or tribal sentiments. Speaking on the occasion, running mate to the governorship candidate of the

Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Mr. John Ngbede, who represented his boss, said he and his supporters were ready to do everything necessary to ensure a peaceful election. He, however, lamented the attacks on their party, during some of their campaign outings and commended efforts by the Police and INEC in ensuring peaceful elections.

I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spite my deputy, says Niger Gov Saka Bolaji Minna

elections. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Religious and community leaders must exert their authority on their followers and encourage them to be peaceful. We must continue to preach peace and be united as brothers and neighboursâ&#x20AC;?, he added. Byal, who was accompanied by Christian leaders from Taraba, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Borno and Bauchi State, added that CAN did not identify with any political party or candidate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We disassociate ourselves from such baseless and void statements of partisanship. We have not endorsed or champion the cause of any party or candidate, but we are praying for righteous leaders to win at the 2015 general electionâ&#x20AC;?, he said.

Ă?Ă?Ă?Niger State Governor,

Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has said that he did not spite the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Ibeto, by handing over the administration of the state to the Speaker, House of Assembly, Alhaji Adamu Usman, when he went on vacation recently. Aliyu made the clarification in Minna on Wednesday, when he swore in three Commissioners into the State Executive Council. Reacting to the issue for the first time, Aliyu declared that he had had a good working and personal relationship with Ibeto. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In fact, I did not spite the Deputy Governor, as far as I am concerned, he is still the Deputy Governorâ&#x20AC;?. Explaining that he had

to hand over to the Speaker because the Deputy Governor had written to him that he was to travel for the lesser hajj on February 19, the same day he also wanted to travel. According to Aliyu, he saw the deputy governor on the television attending a meeting of the APC where he had defected and assumed that he would leave for the lesser hajj from Abuja. Aliyu added that he had no option than to hand over to the Speaker as provided in the 1999 Constitution as amended, saying that if the Speaker had been unavailable, he would have handed over to the Chief Judge. Saying that his relationship with Ibeto had always been very cordial to the extent that it became a point of reference in political circles across the country.

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Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Health

s Quote Globally, governments face a tremendous challenge to find the political will to deliver safe and clean water to their communities - Adelegan Solomon, President, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE)

Mama Togo’s spot

Beware! herbal concocti0n may be poisonous Stories by Lara Adejoro

o.adejoro@dailytimes.com.ng Consumption of locally brewed herbs, concoctions and powders for its medici-

nal, soothing and intoxicating properties predates the advent of orthodox medicines in Nigeria’s health industry. However, experts warn against indiscriminate intake of herbal concoctions as

they may be poisonous. The use of traditional medicines cuts across every human strata of the Nigerian society; even Nigerians resident in advanced countries are quick to request, and call for medicinal herbs, concoctions, powders and other indigenous medicines from their Nigerian based relatives, friends; not minding the fact that, generic drugs, advanced health care personnel, services and facilities abound there. Traditional medicine practitioners and pharmacists have continued to make bold claims that there is no ailment that there are no locally made medicines for. They boldly claim that some of these medicines are ‘wonder drugs,’ ‘one drug suit all’. This is more compelling as many Nigerians including the well informed and educated strongly rely on herbal medicine for the treatment, cure and management of most ailments. Some also revert to these herbal medicines when they could get no remedy from orthodox medicine.

Nuts help cut death rates Researchers have found that a diet high in nuts is linked to lower mortality - associated with death rates cut by as much as a fifth. The results, published among the latest online papers from JAMA Internal Medicine, comes from three large prospective cohort studies. These involved 71,764 people living in the southern US with mostly low incomes - black and

white people, men and women - and 134,265 Chinese people one a cohort of men, the other of women - living in Shanghai, China. The findings highlight a substantive public health impact of nut/peanut consumption in lowering cardiovascular disease mortality given the affordability of peanuts to individuals from all socioeconomic status backgrounds.

‘‘At times, I wonder whether some of the concoctions will not be contributing to organ diseases like kidney disease’’ Treatment of haemorrhage pile, malaria fever, weak libido, typhoid fever top the range of sicknesses many Nigerians rely on herbal drugs and medicines for treatments. The proliferation of herbal medicine brewing and vending spots in the major cities and towns in Nigeria, especially the commercial city of Lagos is a disquieting trend especially the ‘over the counter approach’ of dispensing locally made drugs by female mobile vendors. When Daily Times visited some brewing centres at the Ikeja axis of Lagos, people from all walks of life were seen taking medicinal shots of the plant part extracted for acclaimed health purposes. A traditional brewing centre in the indigenous Ipodo community in Ikeja, accessible through a foot path beside the Olowu Street branch of First Bank of Nigeria Plc, is where Mama Togo’s brewing spot located.

Continued on page 27

‘About 7% of kids worldwide have attention deficit disorder’ About 7 percent of children worldwide have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), new research concludes. This estimate - which differs significantly from other recent appraisals - is based on data from 175 prior studies conducted over nearly four decades. The approximation could help public health officials determine whether ADHD is over diagnosed or underdiagnosed in their nation, state or community, said lead author Rae Thomas, of Bond University in Australia. “Prevalence estimates act as an anchor,” said Thomas, a senior research fellow at the university’s Center for Research in Evidence-Based Practice. “When people hear that number, they think, ‘This is much more or much less common than we thought.’ How common a condition is may impact how clinicians view symptoms,” he added.

Kids with attention deficit disorder

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

‘Some concoctions may contribute to organ diseases’ Continued from page 26 Her Ipodo brewing spot also serves as the marketing spot, where she dispenses her herbal brew to customers, in an environment littered with dirt and an open foul-smelling drainage runs across her stall. It was observed that the herbal drugs are stored in a re-used plastic bottles. To her patrons, locally brewed medicinal herbs, concoctions and powders are the first and last resort when it comes to treating themselves of ailments. “I’ve taken lots of orthodox medicines severally to treat my malaria, they are not working but with this Agbo, I’m getting relieved and better now,” our correspondent overheard one of the patrons saying to a fellow customer. Sex stimulant is the most sought after of all local herbal concoctions as patrons fall over themselves to get a shot of any brew acclaimed to boost sexual performance. There are alcoholic and water variants depending on how a buyer prefers it. One striking discovery is that indigenous herbal medicines have no dispensary measurement, the quantity taken is consequent upon the desire of the customer. However, new consumption kits have emerged though as some patrons now use plastic cups with straw, as against the use of nylon pouch; take-away is also available which is served based on the dictates of the customer. Speaking, former Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos, Professor Akin Osibogun, said: “For most of the Agbos and concoctions, I’m not too sure they are subject to requisite pharmaceutical norms and tests. You don’t know whether some of them contain things that are poisonous, some of them may contain things that are useful. “Usually, the way drugs are made is that whenever you are extracting drugs, you remove those things that you don’t need from them before NAFDAC registers them, but for the Agbos and concoctions, I guess they are taken raw and because of that, they are taking both active and un-useful substances combined together. “At times, I wonder whether some of the concoctions will not be contributing to organ diseases like kidney disease and then some of them, nobody is telling you about the dose, they just give you like 3 in a day and some of them use alcohol as their base, the alcohol

intoxicates and you might end up taking more than necessary,” Osibogun said. Also, Dr. Ariyibi Nasir, a consultant public health physician at LUTH, also condemned the indiscriminate use of herbal concoctions especially the ones mixed with alcohol. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), further research is needed to ascertain the efficacy and safety of several other practices and medicinal plants. Unregulated or inappropriate use of traditional medicines and practices can have negative or dangerous effects. Health experts’ hope traditional herbal medicine will play a critical role in global health, though ethical questions are still being raised, questions that bothers on social value, scientific validity and favourable risk–benefit ratios of locally made herbal medicines; some of which are not faced in more conventional drug development. “We can work on that, what we need to do is to do a lot more research on them so that we can extract the ones that might be dangerous. We need to regulate and investigate their use. We need to find out what are their constituents and see whether those consequences are safe and efficient,” Osibogun added.

Prof. Osibogun

NHIS will subsidise maternal, child healthcare, says Femi Thomas

Thomas

Akor Ejumene, Abuja The prospects of health insurance coverage for 40 per cent of Nigerians by the end of 2015 are growing impressively, given the ever-increasing nationwide clamour for the Community-Based National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The latest expression of this was the recent flag-off of the programme for the people of Gwiwa Sire, in the Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Addressing the community at the occasion, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Chief Executive, Dr. ‘Femi Thomas, stressed the commitment of the Scheme to further ease access to effective healthcare for Nigerians, by

High-salt diet may ward off infections Most people consume more salt than they need and therefore have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the two leading causes of death worldwide. But a study published by Cell Press in Cell Metabolism reveals that dietary salt could have a biological advantage: defending the body against invading microbes. A high-salt diet increased sodium accumulation in the skin of mice, thereby boosting their immune response to a skin-

27 Health

infecting parasite. The findings suggest that dietary salt could have therapeutic potential to promote host defence against microbial infections. First study author Jonathan Jantsch, a microbiologist at Universitätsklinikum Regensburg and Universität Regensburg, says the study suggests that increasing salt accumulation at the site of infections might be an ancient strategy to ward off infections, long before antibiotics were invented.

providing subsidy for the Community Based Health Insurance Programme (CBSHIP), through payment of premium contributions for all registered pregnant women and children under five (5) years of age, for a period of three years. According to the Thomas, NHIS has cumulatively expended over N1.2 billion to provide care for pregnant women and children below 5 years of age since 2008 in Kebbe, Yabo, Binji, Tangaza, Sabon-Birni and Isa Local Government areas of the state. While assuring that the NHIS/Sokoto State partnership would further yield positive results with the flag-off of Gwiwa Sire Mutual Health Association Community-Based Health Insurance, the NHIS focal person commended the State Government for its efforts in promoting the health status of the indigenes, through its pro-active measures at addressing health issues in the state. Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Gwiwa Sire Mutual Health Association, Alhaji Abubakar Usman Basakwace, commended the management of NHIS for its effort towards the take-off of the programme, stressing that the overwhelming support of the Scheme at various stages has resulted in the successful launch of the programme in the state. He assured the Scheme of the association’s high level of com-

mitment to the programme, which he noted, is being demonstrated by its members through their warm embrace of the programme, thereby setting a standard worthy of emulation within and outside the state. Basakwace called on the state government to provide the association with a piece of land to build a healthcare facility within the community, in order to bring healthcare services to the door steps of their members. In his reaction, the Governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Wamakko, who was represented by the Commissioner for Livestock and Animal Health, Alhaji Garba Sanda, implored the community to maximize the opportunity provided by NHIS to better the health status of the people, as this will guarantee their social wellbeing and economic prosperity. According to him, NHIS since inception has contributed positively to the development of the state by making healthcare services easily available to its people, adding that the NHISMDGs/MCH project has been a huge success, while the Tertiary Social Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) of the Scheme is currently running well in the state. He gave the assurance that Sokoto state would partner with NHIS to bring the benefits of health insurance to the people of the state.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Business Times

MTN’s earnings dip as Naira’s fall continues Emmanuel Ogbonnaya Weaker oil prices and its effect on the Nigerian economy is raising serious concerns among shareholders in Africa’s largest telecom provider MTN Group, which posted an 8.7 percent rise in full-year earnings on Wednesday after a revenue boost from Nigeria. Despite not being listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the West African country contributed nearly 37 per cent of MTN’s total revenue, while its’ South

African home market where it is publicly listed made up for about 27 per cent. While Nigeria’s performance was below MTN’s own expectations after regulatory and operational challenges, its revenue increased by more than 12 per cent. “In Nigeria some level of uncertainty remains with regards to the implications of the oil price and currency fluctuations, which may lead to slower economic growth,” MTN said in a statement. With operations in nearly two

dozen countries, the company expects to add 17.5 million customers in 2015, more than a quarter of them in Nigeria alone. MTN said diluted headline earnings per share, the main measure of profitability in South Africa, rose to 1,527 cents in the year ended December from a restated 1,404 cents a year earlier. The increase was in line with MTN’s guidance that headline earnings per share would come in 5-15 percent higher. It declared a 1,245 cents per share total divi-

dend. Revenue grew 6.4 per cent after MTN raised customer numbers by 7.5 per cent to 223.4 million subscribers. The company said data revenue was a key driver of growth, climbing 33 per cent to contribute nearly a fifth of overall revenue. MTN, which has operations in nearly two dozen countries across Africa and the Middle East, said it would invest nearly 80 per cent more capital in South Africa in 2015.

Abubakar

NACCIMA assumes chairmanship of OPS Charles Okonji

(L-R) Acting Director General of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Janet Omisore; Acting First Counselor in the Embassy of Cote D’Ivoire in Nigeria, Mr. Luciey Kouakou; Cote D’Ivoire Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Kone Epouse Toure Maman; NACCIMA 2nd Deputy National President, Iyalode Alaba Lawson; National Treasurer, Arc. Thomas Awagu and a member of NACCIMA Women Group, Mrs. Tudun Taiwo, during the Ambassador’s courtesy visit to NACCIMA Secretariat in Lagos on Tuesday.

BoI advocates protectionist policy for local manufacturers Emmanuel Ogbonnaya The Bank of Industry (BoI), has pledged to sustain support for local manufacturers, stressing that protectionist policy for indigenous producers should also be expanded, as it is necessary to curb the importation of all products that can be made locally. Making the call in Ogun State, after a tour of Momas Electricity Meters Manufacturing Company Limited and WEMPCO steel and ceramics production facilities, the Managing Director of BoI, Rasheed Olaoluwa, observed that local manufacturers had the capacities to meet local demand and end reliance on foreign alternatives, with the enactment of protectionist policies.

According to Olaoluwa: “A major strategic step we can take here is to protect local firms that can produce what Nigeria needs; we do not need to import what we can produce.” Olaoluwa, commended the level of technology installed at the Mamos meter production facility, such as the integrated electric circuits and semi-conductors, he also lauded the robust payment system developed by the company, which can support payments through mobile phones. BoI’s MD, at the WEMPCO plant, which converts steel billets to wire rods for the production of wire mesh, nails and other finished products, noted that the facility was the first of its kind in the country.

“We are seeing a company that is producing to international quality standards. Government should do all it can to protect them, there is no justification for the continued imports; ex-factory price here is even cheaper than imported alternatives. He noted that supporting companies in this manner, would scale up their human resource capacities and curtail export of Nigerian jobs to other countries. Olaoluwa, reiterated that government’s Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan was meeting its objectives and that the country was already on the right track to being self-sustaining. He disclosed that BoI, is on the verge of launching a renewable off-grid electricity concept that would be commercially viable

and the ministry of power is assisting the development bank secure licenses for its take-off. “We noticed a lot of talk about diversification of sources of power, what we do is to take the lead and encourage the private sector. We are using it to demonstrate to the business community that offgrid power is possible and viable, hopefully other banks will follow suit,” he said. In his remarks, the managing director of WEMPCO, Tung Robert, said: “BoI is really helping the industrialisation of Nigeria and without their help, we would not had long-term facilities that have helped us sustain the production process especially in power generation.”

Following the Organised Private Sector (OPS) handover meeting held at Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) house, Ikeja recently, the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has taken over the Chairmanship of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) for the next one year. The NACCIMA National President, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, took over from the President of MAN, Chief Frank Jacob.

DMO offers N95bn FGN bonds to subscribers Adesola Akindele Nigeria plans to raise 95 billion naira ($476 million) by selling sovereign bonds with maturities ranging between 5 and 20 years on March 11, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said on Wednesday. The debt office said it will raise 35 billion naira in 5-year bonds and 35 billion naira each in the 10 and 20-year paper, using the Dutch auction system. The DMO gave the breakdown as follows: N35,000,000,000 at 15.54 per cent for the 5-Yr Re-opening (FEB 2020); N30,000,000,000 at 14.20 per cent FGN for the 10-Yr Re-opening (March 2024) and N30,000,000,000 at 12.1493 per cent FGN for 20-Yr Re-opening (July 2034) All the bonds are a re-openings of previous issues and the result of the auction is expected to be published on March 12, the DMO said.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

29 Labour

FG created 1.4m jobs in 3yrs – Okonjo-Iweala Stories by Joy Ekeke Yasin, NURTW President

NURTW pledges prompt distribution of election materials The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Nasarawa State has pledged to ensure prompt distribution of election materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the forthcoming general elections. Mallam Usman Matu, Secretary of NURTW in the state, made the pledge at a stakeholders meeting in Lafia on Tuesday. According to Matu, the pledge is pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between INEC and its National Body towards ensuring prompt and proper distribution of election materials to various polling units across the country. ``NURTW will be fully involved in the 2015 general elections because there is agreement between INEC and NURTW for conveying electoral materials’’, he said. Matu stressed that the synergy between INEC and NURTW was as a result of the successes recorded by the two organisations in the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States. ``In view of this, INEC now calls on NURTW to enter into contract to convey all electoral materials.’’ He said NURTW officials had been well sensitised on guidelines to follow in delivering the materials in good time and shape. The secretary expressed confidence that NURTW officials would carry out the assignment without bias. He advised people to avoid politics of bitterness and all forms of violence before, during and after the upcoming elections. He said no meaningful progress can be made in an atmosphere of rancour.

In its efforts to curtail unemployment, the Federal Government on Monday disclosed that it created 1.4 million jobs in the past three years. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said this at a conversation meeting on government policies, programmes and activities organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Abuja. While acknowledging that unemployment was one of the major challenges facing government, the minister said that efforts were ongoing to adequately address the challenge. ``The administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is working tirelessly to create 1.8 million jobs in each year but we have made tremendous impact by creating 1.4 million jobs in the past three years. ``This shows that we are making progress in developing the economy of the country.’’ According to her, the president is also making progress to create about two million jobs in the near future so as to bridge

the unemployment gap. She said that the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWin) programme had also created about 22,000 jobs. It is an innovative business plan competition aimed at job creation by encouraging and supporting aspiring entrepreneurial youths in Nigeria to develop and execute business ideas. In addition, he said that the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SUREP) programme was also creating jobs for youths. `` It is also worthy of note that the Graduate Internship Scheme of SURE-P has placed many Nigerian graduates on jobs while some of these graduates have been employed by their employers.’’ The minister also added that the present administration had been active in bringing other improvement to the economy through institutions that can help youths have access to their houses in the future. She said that actualizing this prompted the ministry to introduce a mortgage scheme that would facilitate this goal.

ILO re-affirms workers’ right to strike A breakthrough has been made at the International Labour Organization following two years during which employers at the International Labour Organisation brought the UN body’s global supervisory system to a standstill, in an attempt to eliminate decades of ILO jurisprudence supporting the right to strike. Union and employer representatives have now reached an understanding at a special ILO meeting last week to end the impasse, based on recognition of the right to take industrial action, backed by explicit recognition from governments of the right to strike, linked to ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association. The agreement comes on the back of a hugely successful in-

ternational union mobilisation on 18 February, which involved more than 100 actions in over 60 countries in support of the right to strike. Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said: “Having created the crisis, employer groups and some governments were refusing to allow the issue to be taken to the International Court of Justice even though the ILO Constitution says it should be. We’ve now managed to negotiate a solution which protects the fundamental right of workers to take strike action, and allows the ILO to resume fully its work to supervise how governments respect their international labour standards obligations.”

Okonjo-Iweala

McDonald indicted in 1 billion corporate tax evasion On February 25 in Brussels, the IUF’s regional organisation EFFAT along with a coalition of European and American trade unions unveiled a report about McDonald’s deliberate avoidance of over 1 billion in corporate taxes in Europe over the five year period 2009-2013. The report outlines in detail the tax avoidance strategy adopted by McDonald’s and its tax impact both throughout Europe and in major markets like France, Italy, Spain and the U.K. The practice essentially consisted of moving the European headquarters from the UK to Switzerland as well as using intra-group royalty payments and channelling them into a tiny Luxembourg based subsidiary with a Swiss branch. Between 2009 and 2013, the Luxembourg-based structure, which employs 13 people, registered a cumulative revenue of 3,

7 billion, on which it reported a meagre 16 million in tax. McDonald’s has faced widespread criticism in Europe and globally for the low wages and poor working conditions at its restaurants. In the U.K., for example, workers have protested McDonald’s practice of “zerohours contracts”, which leaves workers without any guarantee of regular work or stable income. In Asia/Pacific IUF affiliates a campaign against “zero-hours contracts” in the fast food industry was recently launched with demonstrations in New Zealand and Philippines. Actions against this model are planned in Ireland. Details of the report will be presented to Members of the European Parliament, Commission officials as well as to the European Commission’s Platform for Tax Good Governance.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

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Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Politics 18

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

Features Features

Health

Victor Umeh

s News

National Chairman and Senatorial Candidate for Anambra Central District

2015 POLLS

Uneasy Politics calm in

Thou Grand litical p the las enmesh as a res ment el The change chairm seats w ing at the par As a ing, th Senator

Anambra Beware! herbal How saved US, Iran resume IMPEACHMENT: Seven God years after NUGA International 14 me from armed nuclear talks Why Elechi must concoction Games: 26 IMPEACHMEN UNN sports robbers after Netanyahu go, by Odefa facilities lie P26 Healthmay bes P18 38 dead in fallow resume nuclear US, Iran P 8 Why E -Ogbuenyi warning talks P14 Tanzania poisonous floods INFRASTRUCTURE:

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, March 5, 2015

pointed his successor, Prof. Batho Okolo as the 2008 NUGA Local Organizing Committee LOC chairman appealed to Daily Timesand Nigeria institutions, corporate bodies Thursday, March 5, 2015to and individual sponsorship build facilities for the hosting of the games. However, several years after the games had ended, most of the facilities have been abandoned despite the millions donated for the purpose of building the facilities. Okolo, having resumed duty

Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had ap-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Uncompleted hockey pitch

after Netanyahu warning ÏÏÏ ÏÏÏ How God saved me from armed robbers - Ogbuenyi, Quote

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015

VOL. 1. NO.59

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dailytimesng Mama Togo’s spot

Beware! herbal concocti0n may be poisonous

Flooding in north-western Tanzania has killed, at least, 38 U.S. Secretary of State, Globally, governments face people and left hundreds of othJohn Kerry and Iranian Foreign a tremendous challenge to ers homeless, police in the ShinMinister, Mohammad Javad Zaryanga region have told the BBC. if, have launched a third day offind the political will to deliver The downpours were accomnuclear talks, on the heels of safe a and clean water to their communities - Adelegan panied by hail and strong winds Tuesday speech by Israeli Prime Solomon, President, meaning many people had no Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amalgamated Union of chance of escaping, senior powho spelled out before the U.S. Public Corporations, Civil lice officer Justus Kamugisha Congress why he believed an Service Technical and said. Iran nuclear deal would be danRecreational Services The rains have severely damgerous for the world. Employees (AUPCTRE) aged mud houses and blocked Kerry and a four-party delroads, making rescue operaegation that included Under tions difficult, he added. Secretary Wendy Sherman and More than 60 rescued people Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz are being treated for their injuexchanged cordial greetings with ries in hospital. Zarif and his team as the two The BBC’s Hassan Mhelela in sides sat down for talks, WednesSpecial Assistant on Media to the Honourable Minister of day morning, in the resort city the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nosike Ogbuenyi Tanzania says most people in was face-to-face with armed robbers last Christmas eve. IDU Shinyanga make their living by of Montreux, Switzerland. U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, third left, meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, third right, for a new round JUDE brings an account of the ordeal. subsistence farming. Heading into Ithe meeting, Zar- of nuclear negotiations on Wednesday. ‘‘At times, But the weather has wreaked if was asked by reporters if he About 7 percent of children wonder was excited whether about Wednesday’s worldwide have attention-defiTuesday in Washington, Is- in which it took issue with some “producing power legitimately havoc on the landscape and cit/hyperactivity disorderNetanyahu sessions. Hethe stopped, smiled raeli Prime Minister of the comments that Netanyahu and not a threat to prolifera- crops of maize and cotton have someOgbuenyi of (ADHD), new research condestroyed and livestock and shrugged, saying: “Are they said he felt a “profound obliga- made about Secretary Kerry. tion, you could have as many as been Elechi cludes. Still smarting from the All the three men, who came was observing a traffic rule that sensitivity of his job as SAhe to says. concoctions killed, exciting? Are we supposed to beThistion” to speak out about ancar issue In his speech, Netanyahu said 190,000 or more centrifuges.” - which differs near-death encounter with estimate down from the red-coloured forbids motorists from making the FCT Minister? excited?” hefrom believed threatened had driving, “confirmed” Irannot one President Barack other recent will notdare bedevil car snatcherssignificantly nine that were armed with pistols. As the phoneKerry calls while other- that “I do Obama not suspect anyone. I “I am of Wale Akintunde, Yola Israeliweeks Prime Minister appraisals - threatened is of based survival his on country Addressspeaks at the White about later, Special BenjaAssistant they to data shoot. me , I wise,could perhaps, “legitimately he may not have possess” doHouse not think they attacked me contributing tothe FCTbefore from 175 prior studies conductthose that make on Media tospeaks Minister, had no choice than to open the been cornered by the robbers. based on my job due to my min Netanyahu ing a joint meeting of Congress, 190,000 centrifuges enriching Iran and Israeli Prime Minister Former Deputy Senate over nearly four decades. Nosike Ogbuenyi told ed Daily and left my self to fate.” not one of those that person. Rather, I thought I was a organ joint Mr. meeting of Congress hedoor said an Iran nuclear agree- “I am uranium by the end of a long- Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech leader, Prof. Silas Zwingina diseases The approximation Times that, coming face to face Though the car could was on auto- make phone calls while driving. phone calls while trailed by the attackers; because on Capitol Hill in Washington, has charged Adamawa People’s ment would be a “bad deal.” It term nuclear agreement. to Congress, March 3, 2015.Presihelp public health with armed robbers, especially matic lock, officials Ogbuenyidetold Daily The law, especially the Federal I was driving a type of vehicle Democratic Party (PDP) faithful like kidney driving. The March 3, a Christmas 2015.Israeli termine whether ADHD isalight overpath “doesn’t block to the State Commission Departmentand spokeswomdent law, Barack Obama on eve, isPrime an experiTimes he had toIran’s because Road Safety they speaks wanted toatsnatch. The car to vote against the All Progresdiagnosed or underdiagnosed in Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ence no one prays for. His story: given the mannerits of the threats otheran agencies frownsaid at such was a Iran Toyota Corolla 2011 modbomb, it paves path to the Jen Psaki that Kerry , in the White House about and disease’’ especially the sive Congress (APC) candidate, their state or communi“It all happened the 24th of nation, he had a feeling they would have practice. So that was howtestimony it hapel. I Benjamin am still not of the belief speaks before a joint on meeting bomb,” he said. Congressional last Israeli Prime Minister General Mohammadu Buhari ty,had said lead Rae Thomas, December at 7. 15 p.m.I shotauthor him inside his car if he pened. In my pool of blood, I Federal Road Safety that anyone was behind the atof Congress on 2014 Capitol Hill in On Wednesday , the State De- month, actually said that if there Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, A suspected gas blast at ain the forthcoming general elecof Bond University in Australia. leftofmy office at 7:05pm. tack”. Treatment haemorrhage pile, Howev- had hesitated to come out. They was rushed to hospital by good Washington, March 3, 2015. released in statement is a civilian that is March 3, 2015. estimates as and er, while I stopped briefly to“Prevalence re- partment later took the caract keys his Samaritans and I ampower now outplant of There was also the timing of in a rebel-held region coal mine Commission and

‘About 7% of kids worldwide have attention deficit disorder’

FCT Minister’s aide

ZWINGINA

Ukraine coal Why we minemust blast kills vote 33, traps 30 against

Nigeria’s sustainable potential Stories by Lara Adejoro

o.adejoro@dailytimes.com.ng

Consumption of locally brewed herbs, concoctions and powders for its medici-

nal, soothing and intoxicating properties predates the advent of orthodox medicines in Nigeria’s health industry. However, experts warn against indiscriminate intake of herbal concoctions as

Nuts help cut death rates

Joel B. Carboni

ÎÎÎI

have lived in the global melting pot of the United States all of my life. Through my work with Green Project Management® (GPM®), I have travelled throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia experiencing the best of what each culture has to offer. Looking at Nigeria through the eyes of a global citizen, I see something special. The best of not just for Africa but the world. Nigeria holds the key to Africa’s sustainable future. In 1996, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka wrote Towards a Sustainable Vision of Nigeria. One phrase sticks out and is as relevant in 2015 as it was 19 years ago. He stated “To be a visionary is unfashionable we know, in the sphere of realpolitik, and the task

is made even more utopian when any grouping seeks to identity and structure, among others, a practical, sustainable vision. For a nation that has sunk so low however, one that has squandered its potential in a way that criminalises almost every citizen by the mere act of belonging, we have nothing left to lose but the loftiness of our vision. That vision, a sustainable one, must inform the laying of the foundations of a new Nigeria.” I titled this article “Nigeria’s Sustainable potential” as the foundational building blocks necessary to realize monumental achievements towards a green and sustainable economy are there. Now, it is just a matter of solidifying them for the long term. The 2015 budget projection looks to be a move in the right direction of sustaining the domestic economic growth and development. The focus on agriculture and infrastructure sectors is a key component with 750,000 entrepreneurs being targeted within the next five years under the Youth Employment in Agriculture Program and the Implementation of the National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) aimed at industrialising and diversifying the economy.

These are positive strategies however Nigeria must dig deeper. In order to unlock Nigeria’s sustainable potential; it must take on the challenge of establishing a progressive society, a society that fosters innovation, opportunities for women and the security of all her citizens. It must become more forwardlooking nation, one that can harmonize the long term needs of its people for economic prosperity, social progress and overall wellbeing. The keys to achieving these goals can be found in two places. The first is to transition more towards a low-carbon and resourceefficient economy through greater control of the oil and gas sector. Moreover, successfully implementing the Local Content Act, that will up-scale the non-oil sector into sources of employment and revenue for the country. The commitment to achieving these targets looms large as globally, the relationship between sustainable development, green growth and good labor market performance, while not automatic, are mutually reinforcing. Investing in renewable energy, waste management, sustainable forestry, green technology can serve as economic drivers, stimu-

Researchers have found that a diet high in nuts is linked to lower mortality - associated with death rates cut by as much as a fifth. The results, published among the latest online papers from JAMA Internal Medicine, comes from three large prospective cohort studies. These involved 71,764 people living in the southern US with mostly low incomes - black and

ÏÏÏ

malaria fever, weak libido, tyan anchor,” said Thomas, a seceive phone call phoid fever topathe range of very sick- close to mobile phones. But that did not hospital. It was God who saved nior research fellow at the unia bus Nigerians stop, somerely armed me otherwise I would have nesses many on robbers let him go. Center Research all I on died.” suddenly myfor withversity’s their “Despitefor surrendering herbal drugs and blocked medicines own vehicle. Even though in I wasEvidence-Based me, one of thePractice. robbers continOgbuenyi was first treated in treatments. “When people hear that numinside the car with the entire ued threatening to shoot me. a federal staff hospital before The proliferation of herbal mediber, they think, ‘This is much glass and windows wound cine brewing vending spotsup and It was sad that rather than col- taken to the Nigeria-Turkish more or much less common air conditioner on, itin did not lect the car and leave me to go , Hospital. in theUgandan major citiestroops and towns based in along the Sudan border, Ugandan Paddy Ankunda, told Reuters in a thought.’ common them.the commer- than we they firedHow a shot that seriously Nigeria, deter especially South Sudan are notI was massing military officials a condition is may impactsaid howon Tuesday, Could attacked injured me.” textthe message. robbery, especially cial city of“That Lagoswas is how a disquietclinicians view symptoms,” he car snatchers gunpoint. irony was thatnews Ogbuenyi the shooting be Sudanese linked to the afterThe Sudan’s state agency ing trendby especially the ‘overatthe Senior government added. counter approach’ of dispensing reported 16 000 Ugandan soldiers officials said Suna’s report was locally made drugs by female mowere due to arrive near the fron- representative of Khartoum’s bile vendors. tier. concerns. “The second issue is When Daily Times visited some Sudan’s Suna news agency on Uganda’s hosting of Sudanese brewing centres at the Ikeja axis Monday said Ugandan soldiers rebels so this is a very serious step of Lagos, people from all walks of life were seen taking medicinal were massing near the border to for us,” a senior Sudanese official shots of the plant part extracted fight rebels opposed to President told Reuters. for acclaimed health purposes. Salva Kiir’s government, a move Uganda’s President Yoweri MuA traditional brewing centre in that Sudan finds “unacceptable seveni and Sudanese leader Omar the indigenous Ipodo communiand presenting a danger to Su- Hassan al-Bashir, two strongmen ty in Ikeja, accessible through a foot path beside the Olowu Street dan’s stability”. who came to power in late 1980s, branch of First Bank of Nigeria “That is a bad lie. Ignore it,” have had a historically fraught rePlc, is where Mama Togo’s brewMuseveni Uganda’s military spokesperson, lationship. ing spot located.

Buhari

go, by

A member of the Ebonyi State house of Assembly, Hon Odefa Obasi Odefa, representing Onicha East Constituency in this interview gave reasons why the assembly is bent on removing the state Governor, Martin Nwachu Elechi from office. Excerpts:

Why impeachment process against Governor Elechi? We have a governor who is an unlistening governor. We have a governor that acts and behave like an Emperor. There is a time to say ‘No’. He never knew his ward chairman by the time he would be elected. He

con sta Of in (se T pe ba wh sh ha of wi I E no car cal he ed sw S is a d gov gu of

to w of dat da t P spe in Y Buh mo You

How many members are involved in the impeachment move? Today, we have 18 members of the Ebonyi House of Assembly. The other constituencies are not involved. The representatives from there have violated the Constitution and they have been suspended.

the attack which happened only

of east Ukraine is believed to other agencies frown ten minutes after leaving ofhavethe killed 33 people and trapped fice. thebusy rebels told the BBC. at such practice. “On the fateful day,30, I was working with three ofAt myleast col- 14 miners were also So that was how it leagues in the FCTA, and we injured at the Zasyadko mine, worked till 7.00 pmwhich before saw we Ukraine’s worst mine happened’’Uganda sent troops to South Suagreed to hold for further meet-

Uganda denies troops build-up along Sudan border ÏÏÏ

late job creation and national development while mitigating environmental and social challenges. S’Sudan The second, andfrowns most UN critical, exists on aatmore fundamental level. sanctions It requires a movement from the public sector for national sustainability policies that coincide with the commercial sector widely embracing ethical and sustainable business practices with both forming a unified front against bribery and corruption in all its forms. Corporations must also look across borders at sustainability leaders among counterparts from other nations, set goals and be determined to raise the bar locally. The number of organizations that practice sustainability reporting through the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to become the norm, as well as active participation in the UN Global Compact by Nigerian CEOs. Establishing stronger ties to global entities that drive sustainable development directly will naturally elevate Nigeria’s status among developed nations and will encourage regional participation by West African Nations. The additional benefits of having a national increase in sustainability reporting will yield in a greater ability to plan, Continued on page 27

disaster nearly eight years ago ing atbroke 7.30 pm. arrived dan soon after clashes outI never 10119were killed. CONTINUEDwhen ON PAGE in Juba, the capital, and spread Anxious relatives of miners to major oil producing regions in December 2013. Uganda has been have gathered at the scene to await news. credited with giving South SuThere are fears the rebels lack dan’s military an edge over rebels loyal to Kiir’s former deputy Riek the resources to deal with the disaster, the BBC’s Tom Burridge Machar. A representative of those reb- reports. Ukrainian President els, Goi Yol, at peace talks in Ad- Petro Poroshenko has demanded dis Ababa agreed with the Suna access to the mine for governreport and warned the troop ment rescuers and police. A mine union official, Mikhail movement could “escalate the war” at a time when the two sides Volynets, told a Ukrainian TV channel there had been no fightare within reach of a deal. ing in the area in recent days. While Ukraine’s economy has significantly shrunk since the peace process but will inherently conflict began in April, many be felt by our countrymen and coal mines continue to operate women down to the very basic lev- in the conflict zone. In the Ukrainian parliament el”. “We need to remove obstacles obstructing peace not create new in Kiev, speaker Volodymyr Hroisman announced that 32 people ones,” he said in a statement. A resolution unanimously had been killed and called for a agreed by the Security Council minute’s silence. However, he later retracted the does not specifically name South Sudan President Salva Kiir or figure, saying instead that one rebel leader Riek Machar as pos- person was dead and the fate of 32 others was unknown. sible targets for the sanctions.

monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of government policies, while estabÏÏÏ lishing a firm trajectory up the global value chain. For corporations, through compare-and-contrast activities, they will establish greater market differentiation, risk mitigation, investor and consumer confidence. It also paves the way for a greater bond with Millennials entering the workforce as they place significant importance on doing the right things the right way. A quote that has been popping up on social media sites depicts a CEO and CFO holding a conversation where the CEO asks, “What happens if we train our employees and they leave?” to which CFO responds, “What happens if we don’t and they stay?” This is a great message about investing in your best assets: your workforce. An even more powerful message could read, “What happens if we invest in our employees, and we lack the ability to change?” In a 2013 a survey of 1000 CEOs was conducted by Accenture and the United Nations Global Compact that spanned 27 industries in 103 countries, among them, 93% regarded sustainability as a key to business success.

Kids with attention deficit disorder

The government of South Sudan has warned that the imposition of any US-backed sanctions would be counter-productive and harm the peace process. Foreign Minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin said that sanctions would be a burden on the people. The US has warned that an arms embargo and other punitive measures are possible if the two sides in South Sudan’s con-

This outcome indicates that there is little argument that organizations are realizing that they must become more sustainable and must “get in shape,” the question that is most commonly asked is “how?” The key lies in aligning organizational values and priorities harmonizing with strategy and execution. Organizations must adopt structures that encourage a systems approach to thinking by breaking the rigid silo models to increase buyin from all levels towards strategic initiatives. If Nigeria’s is to increase its collective capacity for change and become a leading sustainable nation, placing a premium value on innovation while ostracizing bribery and corruption is critical. Sustainable ‘potential’ can then become reality and will usher in a wave of national pride for every citizen as Wole Soyinka so eloquently stated “by the mere act of belonging.” Dr. Joel B. Carboni is the President and founder of Green Project Management Global, with services available in over 145 countries and territories. He holds a Ph.D. in Sustainable Development. Joel.carboni@ greenprojectmanagement. org.

Published by FOLIO COMMUNICATIONS LTD, Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja. website: www.dailytimes.com.ng; email: info@dailytimes.com.ng. Tel: 018447948. EDITOR: YINKA OLUJIMI News Hotlines: 08138773277, 08173901838. Advert Hotlines: 08169118913, 08075038528

Life&

TIMES Thursday March 5, 2015

Korede Bello On his trade mark wink

Winners set to emerge at the AMVCA L5 P

Much ado on the ban of Fifty Shades of L5 grey P

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday March 5, 2015

www.bglgroupng.com

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday March 5, 2015

L3 Interview

What being a member of Mavin Dynasty taught me Korede Bello

Mutiat Alli He is charming and down to earth, Korede Bello is his name but known by music lovers as the African Prince. He shot into limelight after love Naija and ever since, the mega super star has not relented from releasing hits and club banging songs. The 18 year old guitarist, songwriter, singer and composer is currently scoring musical points in the Mavin Records Camp in just a year of being singed to heart to heart chat, he reveals his sojourn into music, how he met Don Jazzy and his plans for the future. How did you decide to have the wink as your trade mark symbol in every video you feature in?

into senior secondary school,

rica. Being part of this label is blessing. That means you have to work hard. You have to be up and doing. You also have to have a global mind. Don Jazzy is one of the

by recording my songs in the

met. Despite his position, he

it was a different ball game.

secondary school.

mility. He is one of the biggest

any problem with you getting involved with music at such an early stage?

Africa, but when you are sitting with Don Jazzy, it feels like you are sitting with your

and one of the reasons is because they support me and would put their money on anything that would make me

that much to be humble. An-

- likes to pursue knowledge beronment, friends and my counis a waste. One has to keep try. learning until you are not able What would you say is your greatest achievement so far? My ability to glorify God with is that learning is continuous. my song through my single, Godwin, and it is being re- How have you been able ceived massively globally. That to cope with female fans is my greatest achievement. especially?

love music and they love supporting their son. The only issue they had, especially my mother, was my staying out late. She did not want me to stay out late because as mostly at night and my mother did not really like that. Aside

you watch me winking in any

Don Jazzy is his openness to is probably one of the things that have gotten him that far. You cannot do it on your own.

dancing to my song, it really makes me happy. You know, to be able to do a song that the old, and young would be able to lis-

should have been in the reverse as how are my female fans coping with me rather. am sharing the love with them

that the music industry is currently appreciating my kind of music and style; Godwin song is my own way of appreciating the almighty for all he has done for me and what he is

session. They are big fans of Korede Bello . How did you meet Don Jazzy? can never be grateful enough. once it is time, it is actually your time. The truth is that if anyone had told me about would say it was a big lie but

endorsement deal click na godwin. This song is a blend of everything,highlife, afro-pop and the likes.

now. A lot of people listen to your songs but it takes just one person to make a difference in your life. That is what

How did you get involved in music?

have learnt from him which

ten to

What should your fans be expecting from you?

here. But of them all, humility is prime. People call me humble as Don Jazzy.

say is that they should expect the very best from Korede Bello and Mavin records soon.

How would you describe your kind of Music? it is sweet music which but by how it makes you the listener feel. My kind the content and purpose because we musicians are life givers; we give life to people through the song we render. My music could be pop, RnB, classic, jazz as the case may be but the most important thing of it is that it should be able to appeal to the listeners. Which artiste would you love to work with in the nearest future? -

music and it fell in love with was always participating in so-

just took one person to listen to it and introduced me to Don also astounded by what they heard and they introduced me to Don Jazzy. He invited us to the studio with my manager, Casmir, we recorded some he heard my song, and he called me a mega super star and that was it.

my school in acting, dancing and singing competitions. My

What have you learnt from your association with him

with my friend when we were in primary six and that is when

Mavin Records is about the biggest record label in Af-

These days we get to see musician make cameo appearances in movies; When should we expect to see Korede in Nollywood movies? Lets keep

and dance to but still be able to glorify God really goes a long

What attracted to you music in the real sense? her; music has been toasting me for a very long time right in the real sense, my parent back then played lots of records in the house with our turntable, a compact disc player and listening to this ignited and strengthens the love of music in me. Music actually all my songs which made me popular in school back then.

the brand ambassador. And it is an amazing thing for me.

How long does it take you to dress up for an event? time though but in all fairness my hair usually take lots of

Life&

You are now an associate member of Information Management Africa, what has it got to do with your music? mass communicaas a musician, we are mass communicating to millions of people around that

Editor Nkarenyi Ukonu n.ukonu@dailytimes.com.ng 08029030427

very proud of that and its effect is overwhelming.

someone

How would you describe yourself? Korede Bello is an easy going young dude, lover boy and most importantly a shy guy. Korede is a life giver who appreciates nature and the peo-

great upcoming artist people

brand represents a youthful brand, a youthful Africa. My brand value is young, easy going, upright, accessible, and most importantly, fun loving. God ultimately is the

lationship with God.

some A-listers on my album. began to listen to the songs played by my parents; they both loved different kinds of songs. My father loved the indigenous music while my mother preferred foreign mu-

Any endorsement deal?

Are you in a relationship?

How does it make you feel that your new single, Godwin, is currently enjoying massive airplay?

Prince- Korede Bello in …..”.

woodin Nigeria as their brand

myself doing it. And there

fan base.

erything we do here in Mavin records always comes turns out dramamtic lol, so yeah! A movie is not out of reach so my fans should expect to see a trailer coming soon “ Star-

Akintayo Opeoluwani o.ogunjimi@dailytimes.com.ng 08126223784

Korede’s

Mutiat Alli m.alli@dailytimes.com.ng 08115557378

fact file

school at age 7 his wink and Bellovhair style. lowers on social media his musical career deal with woodin.

Isaac Oguntoye i.ogundoye@dailytimes.com.ng 08069489893 Quadri Olowolagba 08029745478 Graphics Austine Agbovi a.agbovi@dailytimes.com.ng

Movie Gist L4

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday March 5, 2015

Stories by: Mutiat Alli

Who wins at the AMVCA on Saturday? ….as Kunle Afolayan, Rita Dominic, Ayo Makun battle Amstel Malta’s 4Million cash prize.

Rita Dominic and Kunle Afolayan

Choice Award holds on Saturday, March 7th, 2015 at the prestigious Eko Hotels and Suites, Nollywood crossed over who would win what Talented Nollywood producers and actors, Kunle Afolayan, Ayo Makun, Rita Dominic, Zeb Ejiro, O.C Ukeje, Ivie Okujaye and other AMVCA 2015 nominees are up leading premium low-sugar malt brand, Amstel Malta, the as of-

nounces its reward of N1 million cash prize each, to winners of four award categories. According to Edem Vindah, Corporate Media and Public Affairs Manager of Nigerian Breweries, who addressed nominees and guests at the AMVCA Nominees Brunch, held on the 25th of February 2015, at the Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos, the Amstel Malta cash reward will be given to winners of the Best Actor (Drama) and Best Actress (Drama) as well as Best Movie (Comedy) and Best Overall Movie.

Liz Anjorin

and daughter holiday in Newyork

Moji Olaiya, Muyiwa Ademola

others become Unilever ambassador Nollywood actress, Moji Olaiya has disclosed that she received the best gift on the eve of her 40th birthday which held on Sunday, March 1st, 2015 as she was announced as one of the brand ambassadors for Unilever, makers of Lux soap, Omo detergent, amongst others. The single mother alongside colleagues with the likes of Fathia Balogun, Femi Adebayo, Muyiwa Ademola, Bimbo Oshin, Ronke Oshodi-Ojo, Shola Kosoko-Abina, amongst others, have been named Unilever ambassadors. Sources close to the new ambassador has hinted that the deal runs into millions of naira as the stars are expected to attend activities of the company and promote the image of the brand. Excited Moji took to her Instagram page to announce the new deal to her fans.

Muyiwa Ademola, Bimbo Osin, Ronke Ojo, Moji Olaiya, Adebayo and Fathia Balogun

Omoni Oboli launches weblog Lovers of Nollywood diva, Omoni Oboli would be happy to know that she now runs a web log through which she imparts knowledge. In her weblog, the actress describes herself as a 21st century woman, wife, mother and entrepreneur whose life has been exciting. According to Oboli, the weblog is to enable her interact more with her fans as well as to share things about herself, lifestyle, fashion, travels and more. When asked by fans how she has been able to sustain her marriage, Omoni noted that, “ My husband is my friend and we made up our minds that no matter what, we would stay married. So when we quarrel, we know to settle our differences. We try to keep the communication lines open so that we can thrash out issues before they become major problems.”

John Njamah

I can act nude

-John Njamah

Omoni Oboli

Nollywood actor and cinematographer, John Njamah has revealed in a recent interview that he can act stark nude in any movie since it is a job that has to be done right. “I can go to the extreme to play my role, be it romance or any role. I am that kind of person who believe it has to be done right. Even in my directing, I have a way of making my cast do it right and do it realistically,” he said.

Ayo Mogaji, Bayo Bankole

star in Eko Wenjele

Ayo Mogaji and a cast on set of Eko Wenjele

Foremost Nollywood actress, Binta Ayo Mogaji and actor Bayo Bankole fondly known as Boy Alinco Liz Anjorin and daughter Olarotimi Light-skinned actress and CEO Peak-Me-Reloaded, Liz Anjorin is currently enjoying a vacation in far away New York with her 15years old only daughter, Olarotimi Anjorin whose father died soon after she was born years ago. It should be re-called that in 2012, the actress was in the news when she

acquired an exotic Chrysler car and employed a driver whose only responsibility was to take her daughter to school. Insiders reveal that the actress who is presently in Houston, Atlanta is expected to pay a visit to London before her return to Nigeria at the end of the month.

Eko Wenjele. The movie which is a parting gift to the Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola for all his accomplishments in the transformation of Lagos to a megacity tells a story played by Nadine Nnenim whose situation changed from grass to grace. Shot in Lagos and Ogun state and directed by Akin Alabi, Eko Wenjele features other stars like Yemi Shodimu, Aisha Abimbola

Babatunde Owokoniran and Bayo Bankole on set of Eko Wenjele

Daily Times Nigeria

Thursday March 5, 2015

L5 Music Gist

Stories by: Opeoluwani Akintayo

SODOKU Mixed reactions greet Ice Prince’s Banky W premieres video diary on Facebook son’s party photos …as Ice Prince reacts The EME boss and Ciroc brand ambassador, recently took his fans on a guided tour of his luxurious CÎROC Blue Stone experience in

If TV/radio personality, Sammy Walsh had known the support, most especially the insults that would follow her innocent show

the industry, the 8-minute video diary premiered on Ciroc Nigeria Face book page as fans take in

son, Jamal during his 3rd year gig, maybe she would have kept her kisses to herself. Sammy Walsh birthday on Sunday, March 1, and took a picture presently being media. Walsh kissed Jamal directly on the lips, an action Ice Prince’s son which generated a heated argument on the social meyears old. I still kiss dia, each with his or her own opinion about the gesture. While Ice Prince some tagged it as child abuse, othSome unfortunately dragged Walsh by her hair, saying the show of love. she had no right to have kissed the - innocent boy on his lips. manuel Echo said. lated, she has no business French with it. People with their negative kissing and sexually molesting d inthought. The little boy is just three

should be charged! Corroborating Michael, Alabe-

of the island and even experienced a yacht cruise with the artist. The rious 4-day experience on celebration island, where he attended the CÎROC Blue Stone experience late last year. Footage of the event with glimpses of African and International celebrities who were present at also shown.

baby to lock lips with an adult in Reacting to the outburst, Life & Times pus a call across to Ice he saw nothing wrong with Walsh

Banky W

Praiz Ft. Wizkid in ‘Sisi’

Niyola takes kindness to Northern Nigeria Sexy Nigerian singer, Niyola, has extended her heart of kindness to victims of Boko Haram insurgents in the Northern part of Nigeria. The songstress is lending support through her foundawhich she has been using as a means of raising funds the needy. Through the Foundation, donations such as food, clothes, medical supplies, including cash donations can be made to the GTB account, 0139296779.

Niyola

Vector Tha Viper

headlines Airtel/Trace concert video It would be recalled that the Shiga crooner, started a tour of Nigerian universities towards the end of last year. During the tour, the rapper reportedly gave rousing performances as a way of creating awareness for the Airtel/Trace music stars competition which is currently running on television. Vector performed at the event alongside other notable artistes. The event which was held on 28th February, 2015, at the Marquee Ocean View, started with a red carpet at 7pm.

Vector

Speaking with the singer about her Foundation, she said her passion to help the poor, spurred her into reachresponsibility as a nation, as a people, as Nigerians to collectively square the odds in our society. No matter what tribe, religion, or profession, Nigeria is ours. So, I decided to lend a helping hand those people who

Falz goes into clothing business The clothing business recently got another addition to their fold in the person of rising music star, Folarin Falana otherwise known as Falz. the son of foremost human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana joined the growing list of musicians like actress, Genevieve Nnaji and Rugged Man, who have found solace in the fashion. This latest venture which is basically about branded T shirts, is in partnership with the online brand and fashion outlet headed by Jay Osibe. Perhaps his latest venture is to enable him expand his horizon and save for the raining days.

X3M music label act, Praiz Adejo has just released the music video for his hit track Sisi featuring Wizkid. Directed by Unlimited LA and produced by Gospelondabeat, the four-minute video showcases high quality colorful and crisp pictures that complement the stimulating and harmonious beats of the hit track. The video has multiple well designed backdrops and cameos includes; Sammy of X3M music and lots of female video vixens. The track Sisi which appreciates the African beauties all around the world, rican women. When asked about the video, Praiz had this to say: “I am excited that this long awaited video is out because a lot of work has gone into and ful fans. I made this song because I appreciate the beauty of my female fans The award winning R&B sensation is making waves in the industry with his recently released doublebarreled album, Rich and Famous.

Falz

Praiz

Movie & Music Gist L6

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday March 5, 2015

Iyanyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Finito, Lacks real energy Opeoluwani Akintayo Barely two days after the release of Finito boss, Iyanya, dropped the video for the song. Recruiting the services of Zimbabwean video director, Teekay, the video is characterized by scenes of Iyanya and his dance crew exhibiting popular Nigerian dance style, Shoki. With beautiful and classy girls swaying to the song, the 3:31 seconds video features a cameo appearance from TV host, Tim Westwood. Finito was released on November 3,2014, and as at press time, already had 553,437 views on You Tube, ranking it the third on Life & Times music chart. Opening with a club scene, Iyanya and his crew men storm a club, singing impressively to a pretty lady sitting opposite their table. More like taunting the rival group with whom his female target sat with. The dance style move Shoki, was capable of making his rival go green with envy. Of course, those moves worked, as his female

that they are the one to beat. However, at a point, the force with which the dancers took on the dance dwindled. More energy in terms of the song. It was as if the dancers became tired at some point due to the exhaustive rehearsals, leaving no time to properly recuperate before the proper shoot. Even at the time that voices ceased, leaving just the beat to roll, the dancers could have continued with their dance steps. The all-black costume is a nice concept.The underground concept employed, where the rest of the music was more creative here. Also, the video could have also come alive with uniform choreography, especially with the Shoki dance but, everyone was almost doing his or her own thing most of the time. We also wonder why Iyanya Aside the stereotyped beat, the song is a good one, groove. I will score him a 5/10.

nice dance song for anyone who wants to

Running Time: 03:50minutues Directed by: Teekay Produced by: Maleekberry

The Contract

A brilliant shot from Ghana Mutiat Alli

Shot by two-time Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) winner, Shirley Frimpong-Manso, The contract is a movie with a decent storyline coupled with unrelenting story telling skills of the cast and crew of the blockbuster movie that is miles apart from a typical African movie. The choice of characters for this movie was totally apt with the creation of an enormous acting collection in Yvonne Okoro, Hlomla Dandala and Joseph Benjamin who are the key players in the movie The movie is about a successful businessman, Peter Popolampo, also known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tigerâ&#x20AC;?. Despite his

who will take his money, have his child and disappear, Peter begins a roller coaster contract relationship with Abena Boateng (Yvonne Okoro), a crude but clever local girl who is anything but impressed with Pechild, the two opposites must exercise every ounce of will power not to kill each other until the child is born. However, there is plenty of comedy in The Contract but largely unforced which is quite refreshing to see.

force the audience to laugh. Many scriptwriters, directors and actors, in a bid to create comedy, torture the viewer with too much talk, disgusting costumes and makeup as well as elaborate acting, therefore wasting time, effort, and money. Yvonne Okoro does enough justice to the role of a crude but highly intelligent virgin who despite her

And his combination with Okoro was nothing short of an acting success. Despite the overall success of the movie, there are still a few errors. One could still hear echoes in some scenes meaning that the audio was not properly handled. Also, there were scenes that dragged on for too long that one starts losing the plot. It is pertinent to note that as much as there are a few hiccups in the movie, the cinematography is good, sound, costume, make-up, props, lightning are also above average scoring a total of 8/10.

Running Time: 110minutues Directed by: Shirley Frimpong-Manso Produced by: Yvonne Okoro

Daily Times Nigeria

Thursday March 5, 2015

L7 Industry Issue

Nigerian Censor’s Board bans 50 Shades of Grey A move in the right direction? Opeoluwani Akintayo

The Synopsis When college senior, Anastasia

Whether or not to ban a particular movie or song, has been a hot topic of debate in the Nigerian entertainbanning certain movies and music will end anytime soon what with the recent ban of Italian but American produced movie, 50 Shades of Grey. The movie which was released to the Nigerian viewing public, in cingerians already itching to storm the

have their hopes dashed. Why was the movie which was enthusiastically welcomed all over

reason given was because of the sex scenes. tors went with the sex scenes and decide whether the ban was well deserved or not.

involved in indiscriminate sexual activities with men old enough to be If your answer is “none” then,

interview prominent businessman, nan, for their campus paper, little does she realize the path her life will

strangely drawn to Ana, and she to him. Though sexually inexperienced, Ana plunges headlong into an affair true sexual proclivities push the boundaries of pain and pleasure. No doubt, the movie did have a lot of sex scenes, besides, the message it was trying to pass across is way out of place from what we Afriproclivity to sex is still comparable to what obtained in the stone age, but there are certain sexual ideas that are totally abhorred by the African culture. For instance, how many Afwant our teenage daughters, probably still in secondary school, to get

PHOTO SPEAK

about. Ana who is still in high school, secondary school here, goes to interview a business man who is a sexual pervert and who ends up ing her engage in repeated steamy sex with him. Ana later found out

average man, he was a master in the game of masochism, deriving her up, beats her and does other crazy stuffs, all in the name of sex! The movie is not only X-rated, it is disturbing. happen because the movie had too many sex scenes, otherwise the censors board could have easily restricted the viewing hours to late nights and strictly by adults. But

a minor which is so wrong. Despite the ban, you can trust that teenagers would have gotten tired of watching it as it is now so easy to get movies downloaded online. Sadly the trailer of the movie is the most viewed on Youtube, hitting more than 36 million views in less than a

on Youtube, is as good as mine. It is and will be on record that the Censhow in cinemas, the rest now lies in the hands of parents who would do well to tame their wards and steer their interest in it away.. Raising concern over its ban recently was Miss Dee, an On Air uproar steered the social media in the wrong direction instead of enlightening the populace about the true danger behind the movie.

“Telling me the Nigerian censor probably tied the mrs and she vexed and he came and vexed for us”. away the choice for me to go watch

want to but that the interest of teenagers towards such a movie should be protected and channeled towards their studies rather than allow our minors grow up to become perverts. God save us all if any of our daughtrue that such some lost cases exist in our society but such proclivities the movie trailer that has been seen eventually happened to Christian after all he did to her. We probably the girl left shattered or he ended up marrying the girl. But then, how many cases can be easily pointed where such a man ended up in marriage with the girl he almost turned to a beast of no burden all in the name of sexual excitement. This is giving for rising to the occasion. One other pertinent question that begs for answer is why the movie

whether imported or produced localseveral others as empowered by law. Apparently going by the hullabaa Yellow Sun movie which was withheld by the board last year in other to expunge certain scenes that was considered inciteful and capable of whipping up sentiments, the board in not allowing a repetition of the disaffection the withholding of the movie,

cinema owners. Unfortunately, that move proved to be wrong as the few cinemas that showed the Fifty the movie. But for the outcry of the

that the movie was too detailed and approval was given by the same body for the movie to begin showing

Miss Dee who felt her constitutional rights was being trampled on, there is actually no provision in the laws guid-

To answer this, it is pertinent to goals and functions. The body was set up primarily to contribute to the positive transformation of the Nigerian society through the censorship

an X-rated movie or the licensing of porn cinemas. Initial release: 2015 (Italy) Director:

are free to watch whatever they

to preserve freedom of expression within the law, and limit social harm -

Running time: 125 minutes Adapted from: Fifty Shades of Grey

L8 Television

Daily Times Nigeria

Thursday March 5, 2015

Showing on

154 Africa Magic

108 M-Net Movies

01:00

01:40

Thu, 5 Mar | 16 SL

Thu, 5 Mar | 13 L

In this Woody Allen romance, two friends holidaying in Spain get involved with the same painter, but they’re unaware that his exwife will re-enter his life and affect theirs. PenÃ©lope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem. (2008) Woody Allen.

101 M-Net

‘S4/E8 - 4/8’. A government minister is involved in a scam he believes will satisfy his desire for wealth and power. When the deal goes bad, he finds himself on the verge of losing his career, his family and possibly his life.

118 Telemundo

00:00 The Mentalist 00:30 Mind Games 01:30 Riddick 03:30 About A Boy 04:00 Need For Speed 06:05 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 07:00 MasterChef Australia 08:00 The Middle 08:30 The Real Housewives Of Atlanta 09:30 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 10:30 Nebraska 12:30 Mom 13:00 MasterChef Australia 14:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 15:00 Modern Family 15:30 Two And A Half Men 16:00 Suits 17:00 The Fixer 18:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 19:00 About A Boy 19:30 MasterChef Australia 20:30 The Fixer 21:30 Blue Bloods 22:30 The Mentalist

00:00 Fearless Heart 00:30 The Del Monte Dynasty 01:20 The Impostor 02:10 Aurora 03:00 Fearless Heart 03:50 Labour Of Love 05:20 The Del Monte Dynasty 06:10 Aurora 07:00 Fearless Heart 07:50 Labour Of Love 08:40 The Impostor 09:30 Forbidden Passions 10:20 Aurora 11:10 Fearless Heart 12:00 Labour Of Love 12:50 The Impostor 13:40 Forbidden Passions 14:30 Aurora 15:20 Fearless Heart 16:10 Labour Of Love 17:00 The Impostor 17:50 Forbidden Passions 18:40 Aurora 19:30 Fearless Heart 20:20 Labour Of Love 21:10 The Impostor 22:00 Forbidden Passions 22:50 Aurora

124 E!

00:00 House Of DVF 01:00 Keeping Kardashians

128 SONY MAX

00:00 Tough Love

12:30 Eric And Jessie: Game On With

The

14:00 Keeping Kardashians

02:00 Giuliana & Bill

00:15 Unbeatable Banzuke

13:15 Celebrity Style Story Up

With

The

00:40 Unbeatable Banzuke 01:05 Hardcore Pawn: Chicago

15:00 Fashion Bloggers 15:30 Fashion Bloggers

01:55 The Walking Dead

16:15 Celebrity Style Story

03:20 The Smoking Gun Pres-

07:15 Celebrity Style Story

17:00 Keeping Kardashians

With

The

08:00 Giuliana & Bill

18:00 E! News

04:35 Unbeatable Banzuke

09:00 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami

19:00 Lance Loves Michael: The

05:00 Shadowguard

10:00 Kourtney And Khloe Take The Hamptons

20:30 Fashion Bloggers

11:00 E! News

21:00 Christina Milian Turned Up

12:00 Eric And Jessie: Game On

21:30 Christina Milian Turned Up

04:10 Unbeatable Banzuke

06:20 The Smoking Gun Pres-

253 AIT

07:05 The Smoking Gun Pres07:50 Most Shocking Videos 09:40 Criss Angel Mindfreak 10:10 The Smoking Gun Pres-

252 Silverbird

11:05 The Smoking Gun Pres-

10:30 STV Sports Café

12:00 Most Shocking 12:55 Top 20 Countdown: Most Shocking

11:30 Almond Finance & Wealth Show 12:05 Music Africa

Videos

14:05 Boom Town

00:00 AIT Midnight News

12:00 AIT Reports

14:45 Code Name: Pheonix

13:00 Sports Extra

16:10 The Smoking Gun Pres-

14:30 Seekers

00:30 Movie:

00:00 Princess Halliday Show

15:00 Dormitory 8

02:00 Sports Today

13:30 Desperation

01:00 Music Africa

15:30 Brights

02:30 Necter

14:00 Democracy In Session

02:00 Boom Town

16:05 Nickelodeon

03:00 Focus Nigeria

15:00 Matters Arising

02:30 STV Sports Café

17:00 The KKB Show

04:00 What Life Took From Me

16:00 World News

03:00 Local Movie

17:30 Video Wheels Lifestyle

05:00 Oremus

16:30 Nickelodeon

05:00 Symphony

18:02 MTV Base

06:00 Kaakaki

17:00 INEC Half Hour

06:30 Insights For Living

19:00 STV News @ 7

09:00 Delta In & Out

17:30 Tax Matters

07:00 STV AM News

19:30 Taste Of Love

09:30 Inside Out With Agatha

07:30 Today On Stv

20:00 Delta In And Out

10:00 Focus Nigeria

18:00 Jonathan: Work In Progress

09:30 Heart Of The Matter

20:30 Uncommon Transformation Of Akwa Ibom

11:00 The Money Show

18:30 One Mic

17:05 Top 20 Countdown: Most Shocking Videos 19:00 Most Shocking 21:00 Hardcore Pawn: Chicago 22:00 Kenny vs Spenny 22:30 Top 20 Countdown: Most Shocking

NPFL FEVER GRIPS CLUBS

Poster! MONICA SELES

X4,5 Thursday, March 5, 2015

EAGLES JOB:

NFF gives Keshi Friday deadline

ALVES

SET TO DUMP X2

BARCA

BOXING

50 Cent bets $1.6 m on MAYWEATHER, Pacquaio fight X6

Liverpool target Carvalho

Thursday, March 5, 2015

EXTRATIME

EAGLES JOB: NFF gives Keshi Friday deadline

Keshi

Ben Nwachukwu, Abuja

he end to the controversies surrounding the reappointment of Stephen Keshi as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles may not be in sight, as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has given him till Friday to accept the contract or forget the job. Extra Time exclusively gathered that the NFF Board,s while frowning at the media war the coach turned

the contract negotiation to, said the federation will have no option than to look elsewhere if by Friday he refuses to sign. A board member who would not want his name in prints said that the NFF is not happy with the way Keshi is reacting to an issue that should be an in-house. The NFF Executive committee member noted that every contract is negotiable between the parties but the negotiation is not on the pages of the newspapers. He noted that the NFF is the employer while he is the employee and there is nowhere in the world employee decides for the employer the conditions of service.

ALVES close to Barca exit B

arcelona defender Dani Alves is close to signing a pre-contract agreement at an unnamed club, according to the player’s agent. The Brazil international, who has been linked with several top European clubs including Manchester United, is out of contract at Camp

NFF BOSS TASKS REF

ASSESSORS ON EXCELLENCE

Nou at the end of the season, and the Spanish giants have not yet offered him a new deal. Alves’ agent, Dinorah Santana, says the 31-year-old is on the verge of signing for another club, although she says Barca still have time to launch a counter-offer of their own.

FF President Amaju Pinnick has told the country’s referee assessors that the new NFF administration is determined to let Nigeria football thrive on excellence, and not on parochialism or ethnicism. Speaking while visiting the assessors during their practical ses-

sion at the FIFA Goal Project, Abuja on Wednesday, Pinnick stated clearly that the primary target of the new administration is the man-atthe-centre. “Our target is the man they call the referee. He plays such a critical role in the course of a football match. That is why we are training

Alves

“We are close to signing for another club, talks are advanced. Barca? Dani is still available, but he will not wait much more,” she said. Alves has made over 200 appearances for Barcelona, winning La Liga four times and the Champions League twice with the Catalan giants. referees. We have now trained 30 referees in two capacity –building exercises in the United Kingdom. “Our objective is to train 50 referees. We will also get to the turn of match assessors, because everyone in the mix is important. I am appealing to you to assess fairly and without being parochial or sentimental.”

Thursday, March 5, 2015

EXTRATIME

GUARDIOLA

RULES B OUT MAN CITY MOVE

Roma can’t give up on Scudetto –Iturbe

ayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola is keen to continue his relationship with the club after insisting he is not waiting for any offers from elsewhere. Guardiola took charge of the German powerhouses in June 2013 and has led them to success in the Bundesliga and in domestic and European cup competition. His time has been dogged by speculation over swapping leagues, most notably to England and to names like Manchester City, with his current Bayern deal set to run out in 2016. However, the former Barcelona boss told a press conference: “Of course I’ll stay here. I haven’t had a contract offer and I am not waiting for a contract offer from anyone else. “I’m happy here at Bayern, my only idea right now is to stay and work for this club here. “I can stay in this club five or six years even. This also depends on the players. I’m not the most important thing for the club.”

Loew

distances self from doping claims

Van Gaal

Van Gaal expects tough fight for UCL spot

anchester United manager Louis van Gaal expects the battle for UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualification to go right down to the wire. Van Gaal says his team are involved in a “rat race” with Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Southampton for the last two Champions League qualification places. United sit fourth in the standings, one place ahead of Southampton and two ahead of Liverpool, who lead Spurs by four points - although the north Londoners have a game in hand. He agrees with Arsene Wenger’s claim that the contest will still be

Loew alive when United and Arsenal take on Hull and West Brom respectively on the last weekend of the season - although he does not know whether the Arsenal manager was right when he said 72 points would be enough to secure a top-four finish. “I don’t think of how many points (it will take), but he is more experienced in the Premier League so I want to believe him,” the United manager said. “But it is going to the last week, I know that.” If Wenger’s estimate is right, United will have to win seven and draw one of their last 11 matches. That will be no easy task given that they have to face five of the other six teams in the top seven before the end of the season.

ermany’s World Cupwinning coach Joachim Loew has distanced himself from allegations of doping levelled at his former clubs Freiburg and Stuttgart. An evaluation commission from Freiburg’s sport medicine clinic claimed anabolic steroids were used at the Bundesliga clubs during the late 1970s and early 1980s. “Doping has no place in sport, I completely disapprove of it, that is as true for me as a player or as the n at i o n a l coach,” L o e w said.

Germany’s head coach played in midfield for Freiburg from 1978-80, then again from 1982-84, while he spent the 1980/81 season at Stuttgart, whom he later coached. Having won the 1984 Bundesliga title, Stuttgart, who are currently bottom of the table, say they will co-operate with any investigation, but want a full copy of the commission’s report to retrace the evidence. “For us, it is hard to give out any information because we don’t have any facts at hand and it happened well before our time,” Stuttgart’s director of sport Robin Dutt said. “Nevertheless, we want to give a water-tight explanation, because we are interested in clean sport.”

Iturbe Striker Juan Iturbe says that Roma’s current hardships are not a good reason to give up hope for the Scudetto. The Paraguayan is slowly returning to first-team action with strong performances coming off the bench against Feyenoord as well as Juventus.

Lyon will bounce back, says Lopes Olympique Lyonnais goalkeeper Anthony Lopes has insisted his club can maintain their Ligue 1 challenge despite a dip in form. His club were beaten 2-1 at Lille last weekend to suffer a first defeat in 12 league outings. They have, however, won just one of their last five L1 games, and now face a tricky away double-header against Olympique de Marseille and Montpellier Hérault SC.

I’m not selling Parma, says Manenti

Manenti

resident Giampietro Manenti denies the possibility of a Parma sale, and claims ‘money is not a problem’. The Gialloblú are in a dire

financial crisis which saw them missing two Serie A matches because they could not cover the costs of the games. The city mayor Federico Pizzarotti even suggested taking away control of the club from Manenti via an auction, to which the President responded that “a sale of the club would go through me”. But the new owner of the Ducali has clarified that his suggestion was merely hypothetical.

“I never said I’m selling Parma,” he stated, in an interview. “I said it was one of three possible solutions. “Money isn’t a problem, now let’s think of our plan for the rehabilitation of the club. “Yesterday we tried to solve the situation, over the next few days – subject to the availability of the city council – we will present our plan. “In the meantime we’ll start paying our employees. Everything else will fall in place accordingly.”

Thursday, March 5, 2015

MO N

IC A

EXTRATIME

SEL

“

MONICA SELES

”

You will never have great tennis champions from England because of the cold and dark, but most of all because people only care about the sport for two weeks a year, and then they’re on to something else. There’s just not a great love of the sport there. —Monica Seles.

I have this terrible dark side to my personality, which playing tennis keeps at bay.

Since I retired, I very much enjoy watching Serena Williams play. While I was playing, she was one of the toughest players I ever faced. Her ground strokes are so solid, her serve is one of the most powerful in women’s tennis, and mentally she is just so strong.

QUOTES ON

PERSONAL INFORMATION

595–122 (82.98%) 53 No. 1 (March 11, 1991)

Monica Seles Yugoslavia (1988–1991) Yugoslavia (1992–1994) United States (1994–present) Sarasota, Florida, United States December 2, 1973 (age 41) Novi Sad, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 1989 2008 (last match 2003) Left-handed (two-handed both sides) $14,891,762 (19th in all-time rankings)

89–45 6 No. 16 (April 22, 1991)

Doubles Career record: Career titles: Highest ranking:

Hopman Cup:

Team competitions Fed Cup:

United States W (1996, 1999, 2000) Yugoslavia W (1991) United States F (2001, 2002)

Grand Slam Doubles results Australian Open: SF (1991, 2001) French Open: 3R (1990) Wimbledon: QF (1999) US Open: QF (1999)

W (1990, 1991, 1992) Bronze medal (2000)

Other tournaments Tour Finals: Olympic Games:

Grand Slam Singles results Australian Open: W (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996) French Open: W (1990, 1991, 1992) Wimbledon: F (1992) US Open: W (1991, 1992)

Singles Career record: Career titles: Highest ranking:

Residence: Born: Place of birth: Height: Turned pro: Retired: Plays: Prize money:

Full name: Country:

Thursday, March 5, 2015

EXTRATIME

Thursday, March 5, 2015

EXTRATIME

TENNIS

DAVIS CUP:

MURRAY BROTHERS

take on USA in

Andy Murray

GLASGOW

ndy and Jamie Murray are back on home soil this weekend in their Davis Cup match against the USA at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. And they’re hoping the home support will help them to a second consecutive win over the A m e r i c a n s following their 3-1 victory last year in San Diego. It’s the 20th

meeting between the famous old trophy’s two founding nations with the younger Murray playing in Glasgow on Davis Cup duty for the first time since 2011. Andy, who sits at No.5 in the world rankings, won both his singles rubbers on his last visit to Glasgow in a 5-0 win over Hungary and said: “We were told the tickets sold out in 10 minutes. “Whether that’s true or not, I have no idea – but I imagine the atmosphere will be great.” The two Murrays will

NEW CLOUD DESCENDS OVER RUSSIAN GP

FORMULA ONE

new cloud may be descending over the Russian grand prix. Last year, although the Sochi race did take place, swirling speculation had suggested it was in doubt due to the Crimean crisis and the Malaysia Airlines MH17 disaster. Now, Russian grand prix promoter OJSC Center Omega has cancelled the Sochi Autodrom’s scheduled for May. The promoter announced that the “cur-

Commonwealth Games gold medal stolen from the home of athlete Kelly Sotherton has been found. The former heptathlete and 400m runner tweeted the missing medal had been found in a post box following a Crimewatch appeal on Monday. It was stolen from her home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, in February. A laptop and money were also stolen. The athlete won heptathlon gold in 2006 in Melbourne, but retired due to injury just before the 2012 London Olympics. The athlete tweeted the discovery was “a great result”. West Midlands Police said a Royal Mail delivery driver found the gold medal on his rounds while emptying a pillar box at the junction of Springfield Road and Fowler Road in Sutton Coldfield. In a message to the force, Sotherton said: “I’m over the moon. Crimewatch seemed to appeal to someone’s better nature. “It must have been a bit of a shock for the postie but I’m glad it was put somewhere safe and can’t wait to get my hands on it again.”

rent exchange rate situation” had affected the “balance between the operational costs and costs of the tickets”. Red Bull’s Erich Wolf said: “Due to the current situation with the international capital markets, our partners in Russia are facing extremely high exchange rates.

be joined by James Ward and doubles specialist Dominic Inglot against a USA side featuring John Isner, Donald Young and the world No. 1 doubles duo of Bob and Mike Bryan. The Dunblane ace knows his team faces an altogether more challenging task on a hard court in Glasgow than last year in San Diego. Jamie Murray

BOXING

50 Cent bets $1.6 m on Mayweather, Pacquaio fight

Mayweather

SOTHERTON’S STOLEN GOLD MEDAL FOUND ATHLETICS

a p p e r, 50 Cent revealed that he will put down a massive $1.6 million bet on the WBA and WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather to beat Manny Pacquaio at the highly anticipated showdown in May. The confident rapper, whose hit songs include ‘21 Questions’ and ‘In Da Club’, said: “Champ, Mayweather, gonna smoke ‘em. It’s going to look like the

CRICKET

ABUSIVE BEHAVIOUR LANDS KOHLI IN TROUBLE

Kelly Sotherton won the medal in Melbourne in 2006.

fight was pumped up for no reason.” It is rumoured that 50 Cent made the bet after speaking to “a focused” Mayweather at a Chris Brown concert last month. Yet, it was only last year that the pair were involved in a bitter row when 50 Cent promised to donate $750,000 to charity if Mayweather could read a page of a Harry Potter book. The boxer replied: “I’d be perfect at reading if it was how I had to feed my family.”

ndia Cricket vice-captain Virat Kohli has been reported to the ICC and BCCI for abusive behaviour towards a senior journalist during a practice session at Perth. The incident occurred when Kohli was found ranting at a journalist in full public view and also hurled a few abuses at him. It later turned out that Kohli’s had intended it for a different journalist. He later apologised through another journalist and the team management chose to play down the incident as a case of ‘misunderstanding’. “Kohli has clarified on the issue.

F o r India, t h e ongoing W o r l d Cup is very important. We need to put all these issues to rest and indirectly has communicated that he Kohli misunderstood the situation. Let’s put t h i s matter to an end,” said Anurag Thakur, the newly elected BCCI secretary. “In future I think these kind of incidents should be avoided and taken care of. I have not spoken to players yet, the team management is there, taking care of all the players’ needs,” said Thakur.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

EXTRATIME

NPFL

ension seems to be mounting ahead of the commencement of the 2014/2015 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) this weekend, as participating clubs are set to size up their opponents in the opening day fixtures. Here, we take a look at the results in opening day fixtures in the past four seasons from 10 teams and make some predictions on how some of these selected teams will fare at the new season. Heartland: The Naze Millionaires will have their hands full when NPFL defending champions, Kano Pillars come visiting. Heartland have been active in the open day fixtures in the last five seasons; they lost on the road 2-0 and 1-0 to Gombe United and Wikki Tourists in 2011 and 2012 respectively. It got worse in 2013 when NPFL debutants at that time, Nembe City left Dan Anyim stadium with 2-1 win, but in 2014 Heartland were able salvage a point at home after a 1-1 draw with Dolphins of Port Harcourt. Prediction: Heartland vs Pillar 1-1. Warri Wolves: The Seasiders have recorded good results in opening day fixtures in the last three seasons; a 1-0 home win against Kwara United, a barren draw away at Enugu Rangers in 2012 and a 1-2 loss at Sharks in 2013. Prediction: Gabros Int’l vs Wolves 2-1. Kano Pillars: NPFL defending champions have shown in the last three seasons that

With Mike Otanwa they start the season with good results; Masu Gida forced a 1-1 draw at Kaduna United in 2011, won at home by a lone goal against Niger Tornadoes in 2012 and recorded a slim win away from home at Wikki Tourist in 2013. Prediction: Heartland vs Pillars 1-1. Shooting Stars: Shooting Stars Sports Club have always started the new season with home games, the Oluyole Warriors recorded a 2-1 win in 2011 and 2012 respectively and in 2013, 3SC started with a 2-0 win over Gombe United. Prediction: Wikki vs 3SC 2-2.

R E V E F L F NP S B U L C S GRIP Enyimba: In 2011 and 2012, Enyimba started the season with wins at home, but lost by a lone goal away at Enugu Rangers in 2013. Prediction: Enyimba vs Akwa United 1-0.

Dolphins: The Pride of Rivers are good to go, an away win in Jos against Plateau United in 2011, home wins in 2012 and 2013 respectively puts them in good stead to win again this weekend. Also, they did well in 2014 to pick a point in Owerri in 2014. Prediction: Dolphins vs Kwara Utd 1-0.

Sharks: The Blue Angels have started twice at home between 2011-2013, a 1-1 draw at home with JUTH FC of Jos in 2011 and a 2-1 win over Warri Wolves, but Sharks lost 1-2 to 3SC of Ibadan in 2012. Prediction: Sharks vs Sunshine 1-1.

Lobi Stars: Lobi Stars have started the NPFL opening day fixtures with a home win in 2013 and 2014, but lost 0-2 away at Gombe United in 2012. Prediction: Bayelsa Utd vs Lobi Stars 1-2. Rangers: The Flying Antelopes were lucky to have started the season at home in the past three seasons, but a visit to Jalingo in 2015 will be a new experience. Prediction: Taraba vs Rangers 1-1.

BOSSO TARGETS CONTINENTAL TICKET

ith the 2015 league season scheduled to commence this weekend, coach of Abia Warriors, Ladan Bosso, has posited that his target is to qualify the club for a continental championship for next season at the very least. Abia Warriors only played in the elite division for the first time last season and came very close to booking a continental ticket on the league table, and Bosso says they will be hoping to go one step better this time. “We almost got a continental ticket last season,” he began. “It was a good outing seeing that it was our first season in the premier league and we came as close as we did. “We were also able to beat some of the most revered teams in the league last season and we are hoping to go further this time by getting a continental ticket by the end of the season,” he said. Abia Warriors are in Jos this weekend for a date against Giwa FC in their league opener and Bosso reckons they must start picking up points as early as possible.

Akwa United keeper, Olufemi Kayode looking set for the new season.

NPFL WEEKEND FIXTURES Saturday, March 7, 2015 Heartland v Kano Pillars Sunday, March 8, 2015 Bayelsa Utd v Lobi Stars Dolphins v Kwara Utd El Kanemi v Nasarawa Utd Enyimba v Akwa Utd Taraba v Rangers

Giwa v Abia Warriors Ifeanyi Uba FC v Wolves Sharks v Sunshine Wikki v 3SC

Akwa United: Akwa United may have had it good in the past three seasons, but a visit to Aba isn’t what Akwa United would have loved to start a new season. In 2012, the club pulled a barren draw away at Rising Stars and recorded a slim home win in 2013 and 2014. Prediction: Enyimba vs Akwa Utd 2-0.

HEARTLAND capture more players

eartland Football Club of Owerri have signed on 12 players to augment their squad for the 2014/2015 Nigeria Professional Football League season. The new signings includes striking trio of Mohammed Mohammed, Emeka Oparaugo and Aoku Chidiebere. Others are two goalkeepers David Obiazo and Uche Nwokeji and two defenders, Wale Doyeni and Akporido Solomon, both from Kaduna United. The rest are Uche Odiche from Warri Wolves and Matthew Emmanuel, from

Heartland Feeders and Iniobong Joseph from Jeunesse Sportive d’Agonlio of Benin Republic. According to a top official, the team is ready for the match day 1 clash against Kano Pillars at the Dan Anyiam Stadium on Saturday. He also said that the management will be trying to motivate the players as much to give off their best to help the fortunes of the club in the year 2015. Meanwhile, the club have also offloaded players deemed surplus to requirements by the technical team led by Coach Erasmus Onuh.

OKPODU LEADS WOLVES IN AIGBOGUN’S ABSENCE

W Abia Warriors coach, Ladan Bosso. “We want to start the season on a very good note and we know we have to do that by winning our games because the league gets tougher from the middle of the season down to the end,” he affirmed.

ith the departure of Coach Paul Aigbogun to England for the NFF organised capacity enhancing programme, Sam Okpodu has taken charge of Warri Wolves for the league opener against newly promoted Ifeanyi Uba FC. In a release made available to the press by the club’s media manager Etu Moses, Aigbogun officially handed over to the other coaches led by Sam Okpodu with an advice to do their best by winning those two matches.

Okpodu said they are happy that the head coach is going to acquire more knowledge which will help the Club to move forward and they hope to gain from him when he returns. Okpodu further assured all stakeholders that they will do a good job and will not disappoint. Meanwhile, Warri Wolves have resumed preparation immediately for the league opener against Ifeanyi Uba FC, who just won the NNL Super 4 in Ilorin.

Missing in action! Warri Wolves coach Paul Aigbogun is in England for the NFF-organised capacity enhancing programme and in his place, Sam Okpodu will lead the side against Ifeanyi Uba FC for their league opener on Sunday.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

EXTRATIME

EXTRATIME B

rendan Rodgers believes Liverpool’s recent revival is thanks to the club’s recruitment in the transfer market. Liverpool suffered a slow start to the season and looked to be missing Luis Suarez following his £75million move to Barcelona. But the Reds remain firmly in the top-four race sitting in sixth position and are unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League games. And Rodgers believes his spending spree last summer of nearly £120m on eight new faces is the cause. The likes of £25m Adam Lallana, £10m Emre Can and £20m Lazar Markovic have impressed in recent weeks. Rodgers said: “The strategy was always going to take that bit

LIVERPOOL

Anfield

of time and unfortunately now players get judged immediately. “If you come in, even at £20million, £30million, £40million, whatever it is, it can still be difficult. We saw Luis Suarez and when he played here in England we all recognised how brilliant he was. Then he goes the other way and it hasn’t been at all easy for him but he’s still a world class player. “For players coming into the Premier League, which is the most competitive league in the world, it was always going to be difficult, especially when they’re young. We just needed to give them time, we needed them to find their feet in terms of how they were asked to play, and now the dynamics of all the players are starting to show.”

fear factor is returning

–Skrtel

S R E G D O R DELIGHTED WITH

Rodgers

artin Skrtel believes Anfield is slowly returning to the formidable venue it became at the end of last season. The stadium was rocking on Sunday after Philippe Coutinho stepped inside and whipped a sensational strike beyond Joe Hart to clinch a hugely important 2-1 triumph over Manchester City. Skrtel insists the Brazilian’s stunning finish prompted decibel levels from the stands which made it difficult for the players to hear each other out on the field, as Kopites urged the team towards a precious three points in the Premier League. “It’s always an advantage to play at home because of the fans and the atmosphere,” Skrtel said. “The atmosphere against City was unbelievable.”

REDS’ RECRUITMENT

Toure advocates trophy for Liverpool

iverpool defender Kolo Toure believes that the club deserve to win a trophy this season. The Merseyside outfit have just one opportunity to clinch silverware this season as they are already out of the Europa League and are highly unlikely to challenge for the Premier League title. The FA Cup remains Liverpool’s only chance of winning their first trophy under manager Brendan Rodgers, but they will have to get past Blackburn Rovers on Sunday in order to reach the semi-finals. Toure, who has been in and

out of the team this season, has already tasted cup final victory with the Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations this season, but he wants to end the campaign with silverware at Liverpool. “It would mean a lot to finish with another trophy - for me it would be massive,” Toure said. “That’s what I’m trying to do. “This club needs a trophy. This club is a great club. People who work here - I think this club deserves something. I hope that will be this season.” In the league, Liverpool are currently two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

Toure

Liverpool prepare £25m bid for

Carvalho

iverpool are reportedly planning a stunning raid for Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho. The 22-year-old defensive midfielder has been linked with a

move to Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. But according to meduia reports, Brendan Rodgers is plotting his own bid for the Portugal ace. Carvalho, who was born in Angola, is

on United’s wishlist as Louis van Gaal plans to bolster his midfield. The Dutchman sees him as an alternative option if moves for Paul Pogba and Kevin Strootman fall through. But Liverpool are in the market for a midfielder with Steven Gerrard set to leave at the end of the season. Carvalho admitted in January he wanted a move to the Premier League.

Carvalho

Skrtel

Rodgers: I should have changed Reds earlier!

rendan Rodgers admits Liverpool’s defeat to Crystal Palace in November convinced him to change tactics to overcome the Reds’ indifferent start of the season. Liverpool made a stuttering to start to the 2014-15 campaign losing three of their first five Premier League matches and seven of their 19 league fixtures before the turn of the year - but have recovered to remain in the hunt for a place in next year’s Champions League competition. The Reds have been in fine form since Christmas, having not lost in the league in 2015, and are just two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United and only three adrift of thirdplaced Arsenal. “I needed to make decisions that would allow us to get back to somewhere near what we had been and the transformation of the team, with everyone talking about the system and how dynamic it is, has been good to see. I should have done it earlier,” Rodgers said with a tinge of regret.