Leadership news by LEADERSHIP Newspaper

SATURDAY No. 458 N300

15.11.14

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

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Plateau Communities Where Unclaimed Mining Ponds Are ‘Graves’ Cover Story, PAGE 11

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Tambuwal Receives APC Presidential Nomination Forms PAGEs 5

@leadershipNGA

5 Die, 6 Injured As IED Laden Car Explodes In Kano News , PAGE 7

Suswam Escapes Death On Eve Of 50th Birthday 15 injured, 5 cars damaged in auto crash

One of the vehicles damaged in the convoy of the Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, and his deputy, Chief Steven Lawani, when the convoy was involved in an accident on Makurdi-Gboko Road, yesterday. Photo By Nan

Abdulsalami, Shettima, Gusau, Binta Yar’Adua, Dantata Condole With Nda-Isaiah Pa Ndanusa Isaiah lived a fulfilled life, says Bishop Jarumai at service of songs

> Page 6

chibok diary 215 DAY

Leadership weeKeNd Saturday, November 15, 2014 CHibok tweets @MichaelSkolnik Whatever happened to that Nigerian Government + Boko Haram deal? #BringBackOurGirls @girleffect #BokoHaram’s been kidnapping girls for years. One thing is clear: it’s time for things to change

Members of the #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group dressed in black attires, to mourn the students killed in Potiskum, Adamawa State on Monday.

@Bukkyshonibare Day 213 of abduction 42 days to Christmas 49 days to New Yea

PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO

@mercyson12 Fate of #chibokgirls still uncertain @biggnosa Just like #freeajstaff you will soon forget about #bringbackourgirls.. Let’s bet! @EkyShirley It’s been 214 days. Its almost Christmas. Lord, please ease the anguish of those parents and let the powers that be. @goodereseh GEJ Nigeria will sincerely vote for you if you bring back the missing girls. @goodereseh A nation where 200+ girls are still missing isn’t safe at all. The govt should guarantee your safety vote wise now @SharonDAgostino 7 months! We cannot forget over 200 girls in Nigeria who are depending on us to keep the world aware of their captivity @goodereseh Every1 of us ll be celebrating this Xmas N new year wit our family.Wat abt d missin girls fam? Who ll they celebrate wit? @AishaYesufu Your voice alone can be done that makes it happen. Do something even if alone. COMPILED BY agBO augustInE

Again, Boko Haram Attacks Chibok ByChikA MefOr And ejike ejike, Abuja

The Boko Haram sect has finally attacked and reportedly captured Chibok community, after LEADERSHIP had exclusively reported of the impending attack on Thursday. Confirming the report, the chairman of Chibok community in Abuja, Hosea Abana Tsambido said members of the Boko Haram sect attacked his community in Borno state even as the military and civilian JTF are battling the terrorists for the soul of the village. ”Yes, they invaded Chibok yesterday, around 3pm. I also heard that Chibok is still under attack. I heard that the military and the JTF Civilians are battling them. And I pray that they win this fight so that my community will be safe again.

“Many villagers have escaped the area and many houses have been torched. I also heard that some people were killed but for now I don’t know the number of people that died. We pray that the military and the JTF gain an upper hand and win the battle. That is my prayer,” the chairman said. Recall that the Vice Chairman of the Chibok community in Abuja, Mutah Nkeki had raised the alarm of the impending attack on the Chibok community. According to an exclusive report by LEADERSHIP on Thursday, Nkeki had said his people from home in Chibok had received information of a planned attack and take over of the town because it is the only secured town in that area. “I received a call from our people at Chi-

bok that they got Information that the Boko Haram sect members were coming to attack Chibok. Our peolple were frightened. Everybody was looking for where to hide. We, here in Abuja could not sleep. We were all worried but we thank God that this morning, we were told that our people were safe,” Nkeki explained. After all the earlier information revealed, it appears that noting was done to protect the village and the lives and property of Chibok community were left at the mercies of the Boko Haram terrorists. It would be recalled that on April 14, this year, the insurgents succeeded in abducting over 200 girls in the Government secondary school , Chibok and till now, the government and the security agents are yet to rescue these girls.

our stand Saturday, November 15, 2014

Rising Number Of Internally Displaced Children

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) recently disclosed that there are about 6000 children in its internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in Adamawa State. The agency also stated that 760 of the children in its various camps in the North Eastern part of the country are unaccompanied, meaning their parents either died in the attacks on their communities by insurgents or they abandoned them out of frustration, leaving them orphaned. Daily, children are among the victims of attacks in that part of the country. Some manage to escape, while many not so fortunate are killed. But escaping is just one hurdle scaled; the next challenge is surviving after they escape. While children are not the only ones displaced as a result of the attacks, their situation is the most disturbing. There are reports of children who die from physical exertion, hunger and thirst while fleeing insurgents’ attacks. In a report, survivors of the recent attack on Mubi in Adamawa painted a graphic picture of how children

died in the bush, just as some pregnant women who went into forced labour lost their lives and those of their unborn children in the bush. Families who lost their children while fleeing the attacks also have sad tales to tell. Some parents have died from grief over their missing and dead children. It is no news that children are usually among the worst hit in crisis situations. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA) in a report said that of the 300,000 IDPs in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, 70 per cent of them are women and children who fled their homes in early

Ag. Editor Catherine Agbo Deputy Editor Kazeem Akintunde Editorial Board Safiya M. Adamu, Chairman Christian Ochiama, Deputy Chairman Standards Aniebo Nwamu, Director ’Lara Olugbemi, Assistant Director

2013. We are disturbed by these statistics, because the affected parts of the country were already burdened with a huge number of youths who were not in school. What hope, therefore, is there that the population of out-of-school children in that region will be reduced, with the constant displacement of children and burning down of the few available schools? While the government is making arrangements to secure the schools, we urge it to first secure the lives of these innocent children, caught up in a conflict that is not of their making. In our opinion, the condition of the children in the camps should make the government and its agencies come to terms with the reality that Boko Haram is not only attacking the present, but also the future of the nation that these children represent. If the government’s talk of Nigeria’s economy being one of the largest in the world by 20:2020 is to be realised, it is our view that it must begin to take decisive steps to protect its young people and put in place structures to ensure their access to formal education now.

Founder Sam Nda-Isaiah

Group Managing Director Azubuike Ishiekwene Group Executive Directors Michael Okpere Dr Kazeem Durodoye Divisional Directors Iyobosa Uwugiaren Salisu Alhassan Bichi General Managers Aminu Abubakar Sule Abdulmumin Balogun Zipporah D. Tanko Joy Adekanye

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LEADERSHIP is a national paper symbolically embedded in the nation’s capital. We shall stand up for good governance. We shall defend the interest of Nigerian people even against their rulers, and we shall raise our pen at all times in defence of what is right. These are the values by which we intend to be assessed. We shall never, ever for any reason forget the noble reason of our coming into being: For God and country!

my secret life

Saturday, November 15, 2014

I Got Into Trouble Once For Sneaking Out To A Party – Maryam Yusuf,24, Fashion Designer My parents are...Alhaji Yusuf Yunus and Hajiya Sherifat Yusuf who are both Civil Servants. I grew up...in a Muslim home which was strict but with lots of love showered on us; mum is more of the disciplinarian in the family, keeping everyone grounded. I’m the third of four children. My favorite childhood memories...always wanting to visit my aunts because of the goodies they would spoil me with. The craziest thing...was when I once sneaked out of the house to go for my friend’s birthday party one night and I was caught and dealt with. My biggest regret is...turning down an admission offer to study abroad because I was offered a course totally different from what I always wanted to read. As a child... I wanted to be a doctor but as God would have it,I am now a fashion designer, answering the fashion call. I found myself...in fashion due to lack of employment and also my passion for it. I started by coming up with my own designs and sketches. My greatest support...comes from my big sister who is one of the few people who motivates and inspires me. When I look in the mirror...I see a strong,brave and great woman who will one day be known to change the world with fashion. Five ways to describe me... stylish,fashionable,beautiful in and out,strong and a woman who believes in her dreams. One thing I could change about myself...is to put on some weight. You might not know it... but I am friendly. Fashion to me...is like music; there are so many notes, all you need to do is play around with them. You just have to make your own tune to make you different. Advice for breaking into fashion...be willing to start from the bottom; you’re not going to have a shining moment right away. Stay late and volunteer to do glamorous projects. The fashion industry is hard work but it comes with joy at the end. The last time I cried...was last month but I really can’t remember the reason. I’m afraid of...

Advised A governorship aspirant under the PDP, in Jigawa State, Arc Aminu Kani has advised politicians in the state to allow a level playing ground for those seeking political offices in order to have free and fair elections. Speaking shortly after submitting his expression of interest and nomination form in Abuja, Kani noted that some of the contestants were not satisfied with the outcome of the just concluded congress elections as it was marred by irregularities.

Called A former senate president, Senator Ameh Ebute has called on the people of Benue North West senatorial zone to ensure that rotation and change is achieved in the senatorial seat of the zone in the forthcoming general elections. Speaking in Abuja, Ebute noted that time has come for the people of the area to rise and fight for a common cause to ensure that equity, fair play and democracy is allowed to prevail in the 2015 senatorial election in the area.

Assured The chairman, Good Homes Development Company Limited, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu has given an assurance that his company would deliver in good time the proposed 100,000 nationwide workers’ housing scheme. Speaking during the signing of agreement between the company and the FCT administration in Abuja, Ukachukwu disclosed that the housing units would be affordable to average Nigerian workers.

Yusuf

heartbreaks,betrayals and cockroaches. You may call it my weakness... but I will keep being nice and friendly. Life has taught me...never to be discouraged and always keep focused. I used to...confide in people before but now I find myself keeping a lot to myself for obvious reasons. I see...in five years’ time, Threads and Buttons being a brand to be reckoned with all over Nigeria and beyond and I also see myself happily married with children, Insha Allah.

Stated

A Life In brief Born 24 years ago to the family of Alhaji Yunus and Hajiya Sherifat Yusuf, Maryam Biodun Yusuf, a graduate of Agricultural Economics from the Federal University of Technology, Minna has had a strong passion for fashion since she was young. The ambitious and very focused lady is determined to make a difference in the world of fashion through her Abuja-based brand called Threads and Buttons which she started two years ago to cater for detailed female clothes, especially easy-towear chiffon and ankara outfits. Interview By Amina Alhassan

Photo By Maryam yusuf

The Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) has stated that the policy of President Goodluck Jonathan would transform the long relegated automobile industry in the country if allowed to run its course without being politicised. Speaking in Abuja, the president of the association, Comrade Michael Ajayi Omonayin (JP) said there is need to allow the present administration continue it's good works of providing enabling environment for

NEWS 5

Saturday, November15, 2014

Suswam Escapes Death On Eve Of 50th Birthday ...15 Injured, 5 Cars Damaged

One health tip daily Time to Exercise Any Time!

BY SOLOMON AYADO, Makurdi

Barely 24 hours to his 50th birthday, Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam yesterday escaped death by the whiskers when his convoy was involved in a ghastly accident with two commercial vehicles. Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Steven Lawani was also involved in the accident and also escaped unscathed. The accident occurred at about 11 am at Angbaaye village, a border community between Makurdi and Guma local government areas of the state. Angbaaye is located on the busy Makurdi-Gboko road. The governor was heading to Mbatierev in Gboko local government to commission a road project while his deputy was on the trip to commission a tree planting project at Wannune in Tarka local government. They were all on the same convoy. LEADERSHIP WEEKEND reports that no fewer than 15 persons including security aides, drivers on the convoy of the governor and passengers in the commercial vehicles were badly injured. Three jeeps on the convoy including the governor’s official car were damaged beyond repairs,

LIVING TO BE 100

Suswam

just as two of the commercial vehicles were also completely destroyed. According to witnesses, the Toyota wagon car that had a head-on collision with one of the vehicles on the governor’s convoy was coming from Gboko, heading in the direction of Makurdi, the state capital, when it encountered the convoy. It was gathered that the driver of vehicle was on high speed when the accident occurred. The driver of the commercial vehicle, LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered, lost control and rammed into another vehicle that was parked off the shoulder of the road to pave way for the convoy before it collided with the governors official car. Security aides and journalists

attached to the governor who narrowly escaped death narrated that the security backup jeep of the governor somersaulted three times and landed into the bush. The governor who assessed the level of damage and the severe injuries sustained by the victims immediately ordered that they should be evacuated to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi for urgent medical treatment. Reacting on the incident, Suswam described the accident as fatal and thanked God for saving his life, that of his deputy and the entire aides on the convoy who survived the crash. He noted that the ugly incident does not in any way portend any political or traditional implication.

We all know that exercise can prolong our lives, but many people say they simply don’t have the time. In our busy routines, it may be difficult to find an hour or two every day to go to the gym or take a fitness class. I tell them that there are many opportunities to exercise throughout their day. My advice: take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park your car a few blocks away from where you’re going. Cut the lawn with a manual mower. Sweep the floor with a broom instead of a vacuum. Wash dishes by hand rather than using a dishwasher. Walk to get your newspaper don’t have it delivered to your door. Every bit of physical activity adds up!

2015: Tambuwal Accepts Presidential Nomination Form ... Says he will conclude consultations soon BY By Edegbe Odemwingie and Bode Gbadebo, Abuja

Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal on Friday accepted the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential nomination and expression of interest forms which were collected on his behalf. Tambuwal however stated that he would conclude consultations on his presidential bid “soonest” and get back to Nigerians on his final position. On Thursday, some members of the House of Representatives and other political associates collected the presidential nomination and expression of interest

forms on his behalf. Lawmakers that converged at the Speaker’s residence to present the nomination form to him, included Hon. Zakari Mohammed (APC-Kwara), Hon. Emmanuel Jime (APCBenue), Hon. Aliyu Gebi (APCBauchi), Hon. Rotimi Makinde (APC-Osun), Hon. Suleiman Yahaya Kwande (APC-Plateau). Others are Hon. John Dyegh (APC-Benue), Hon. Solomon Olamilekan (APC-Lagos), Hon. Babatunde Adejare (APCLagos), Hon. Umar Mohammed Bago (Niger-APC), Hon. Sani Muhammed amongst others. The Speaker who drove himself into his residence at 3:25pm went into an hourlong meeting with his fellow legislators and other political associates. Recall that the security detail attached to Tambuwal were recently withdrawn after the Speaker defected to the All Progressives Congress

(APC) from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Addressing newsmen after the meeting, Tambuwal said he was overwhelmed by the show of solidarity and confidence reposed in him. “Brothers and sisters, I must say that I am moved by this show of love and commitment to the oneness of Nigeria and the progress of the country by what has been demonstrated this evening by my friends across the divide of this country. This talk about whether I should run for this or that has been on for a while. As I was about to round off my consultations, these my friends came in to say, ‘we are drafting you’. I thank you most sincerely for identifying me as such a personality that posses some of these qualities to be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am humbled by this gesture. “I must say this is almost akin

to what happened in 2011 after our general elections when I left my Federal Constituency of Kebbi/Tambuwal to Abuja and my colleagues in the House of Representatives and several Nigerians in consideration of the need for us to have a stable, focused and progressive House of Representatives, decided that I should become the Speaker of the House of Representatives. “To God be the glory and with every sense of humility, we have done fairly well in the leadership of the House and I am sure that is part of what you have identified as the trait of leadership in me in the way we have been able to manage the House of Representatives. Therefore, I will count my colleagues, 359 of them in the House of Representatives that have showcased me by giving me their support to get to where I am today and also very serious and well meaning

Nigerians to contest and vie for the most coveted office in the nation. “Having said this and having heard of what you have said, I have accepted to collect this nomination form and go and conclude my consultations and come back to Nigerians soonest on what should be my final position on this matter. Earlier, Hon Peter Edeh (APC - Ebonyi) spoke on behalf of the lawmakers and other political associates who presented the forms to Tambuwal. He said Tambuwal was the right man to emerge as president in 2015 because he was a unifier who had an impressive track record as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Edeh said, “we are of the firm belief that these are very uncommon times in Nigeria, the country is facing ➔ CONTINUES ON PAGE 6

6 NEWS

Saturday, November 15, 2014

2015: Tambuwal Accepts Presidential Nomination Form ➔ FROM PAGE 5

enormous challenges and having examined everything that’s going on in our nation, we are convinced of the need to find a solution and to bring our country into a country of our dreams. We have decided to come to urge Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal to consider presenting himself as a candidate for the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We did this in the conviction that Alhaji Tambuwal is a unifier, his track records as speaker of the house has proven him as a unifier, somebody who can bring the people together and make them work together as one, somebody who can energise Nigerians to fight for the country that we all desire. This is a leader who despite all the malaise in the country has till date not been dented of corruption. He is known to be very detribalised.” Vice President’s security detail attack journalists on way to Tambuwal’s house Earlier on, security detail attached to the vice-president, Namadi Sambo yesterday attacked some journalists

who were on their way to cover the presentation of the nomination forms to the Speaker. The journalists in a nine-car convoy were attacked around Aso Drive Junction (close to the Three Arm Zone) as the Vice President made his way back to the Presidential Villa after the Friday Jumat prayer at the National Mosque. Trouble started when a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Buba K, ordered the arrest of one of the journalists, Mr.Emman Ovuakporie (a Senior Correspondent with Vanguard Newspaper) over allegations that he beat a security cordon mounted by the vice president’s security detail. Explanations by the Vanguard journalist that one of the mobile policemen attached to Sambo’s security convoy allowed his vehicle pass through the barrier fell on deaf ears as the DSP insisted on arresting the journalist and impounding his vehicle. A brawl followed at the scene after other journalists protested the arrest. Further explanations that the team of journalists were on official assignment to

cover the presentation of the presidential nomination forms to Tambuwal further enraged the security detail. The face-off between the presidency and the House Speaker is well reported. Recently, the security detail attached to Tambuwal were withdrawn after the Speaker defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In an attempt to disperse the protesting journalists who had begun to cause a scene, a mobile policeman, Corporal Ayubu Ayefu threatened to shoot a cameraman with the Africa Independent Television (AIT) Femi Akinpelu. Ovuakporie and Akinpelu are both attached to the House of Representatives Press Corp. Corporal Ayubu Ayefu pointed his cocked AK 47 rifle at the AIT cameraman as he attempted to film the incident. “Look at my name tag, nothing will happen. If you don’t leave this place immediately with your camera and your vehicle, I will shoot you. Now move!” the corporal thundered. Tension was however calmed down when a senior

Tambuwal

Department of Security Service (DSS) operative who ran into and witnessed part of the scene, alighted from his vehicle, approached DSP Buba and appealed to him to douse the tense situation by releasing the detained journalist. Making the point clearer, he said, “Officer (Buba) I came down because I recognised your face. Your boss was my class mate in the university and I want to let you know that

you are biting more than you can chew here,” the unnamed DSS operative warned. The vice president’s security details later freed the detained journalist after intense pressure from the team of journalists and a crowd that had gathered. Efforts to get a reaction from the vice president’s men proved futile as several telephone calls to his media aide, Umar Sani were not answered.

Abdulsalami, Shettima, Gusau, Binta Yar’Adua, Dantata Condole With Nda-Isaiah ...Pa Ndanusa Isaiah lived a fulfilled life, says Bishop Jarumai at service of songs BY ISAIAH BENJAMIN, Kaduna

More prominent Nigerians have continued to condole with the Founder of LEADERSHIP Group and All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, Sam Nda-Isaiah, over the demise of his father, the late Pa Clement Ndanusa Isaiah. Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Borno State Governor, Shettima Kassim, Minister of Defence, Gen Aliyu Gusau, Hajiya Binta Yar’Adua and Alhaji Sayyu Dantata, Dr Shettima Mustapha, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal, Ahmed Joda, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed, Dr. Ahmed Mora, are some of those who called and visited to commiserate with the NdaIsaiahs. Others include former

Late Ndanusa Isaiah

Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi, Alhaji MI Yahaya, Arik Air Chairman, Sir JIA Arumemi-Ikhide and Ifeko Omogui as well as the President, Pharmaceutical

Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mr. Olumide Akintayo, Senator Haruna Aziz and Mohammed Babangida, all of whom either visited or called to express their condolences.

Meanwhile, at the service of songs held in honour of the late Pa Ndanusa Isaiah at the Praise Cathedral Church, Kaduna, yesterday, Bishop Edwin Jarumai of the International Praise Cathedral Abuja, in a sermon, said late Pa Clement Ndanusa Isaiah’s death may be painful but is more of a moment of celebration because he died a fulfilled man, adding that death is not the end of the matter. He said death is not the last answer here on earth as there would be a moment of reunion when those who died in Christ would be re-united again. “Pa Nda-Isaiah was a simple and humane person and humble to the core, he had a vision and purpose under God. “He left a legacy found out by the children and they are doing well in their respective endeavours. I urge you all that while we grief, let us grief with hope, knowing full well that someday, we will be reunited

with Baba in the presence of God,” Jarumai said, but asked, “how many of us will be part of the reunion on the last day?” Speaking earlier, the presiding Bishop of the International Praise Cathedral Church, Bishop Fred Addo, described the late Pa Ndanusa Isaiah as a great man who died seeing all his children doing well with none of them giving him trouble. During the service of songs, the deceased’s eldest son, Sam Nda-Isaiah took the first scriptural reading from the book of 1st Corinthians 15 Verse 50-58. Among those who graced the service of songs were the Group Managing Director of LEADERSHIP, Mr Azubuike Ishiekwene and the Group Executive Director, Mr. Mike Okpere. The remains of the late Pa Ndanusa Isaiah who is survived by his wife, children and many grandchildren, would be laid to rest today in Minna, Niger State.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

5 Die, 6 Injured As Bomb Laden Car Explodes In Kano By Abubakar Salihi, Kano

A car carrying Improvised Explosive Device, (IEDs) has exploded killing five people with six injured, including 3 policemen at a filling station around Hotoro quarters of Tarauni local government area of Kano State. Kano State Police Commissioner, Alhaji Adenrele Shinaba who confirmed the incident to newsmen, said that a car exploded on Hotoro road, close to a police checkpoint

killing five people and injuring six including three policemen at the checkpoint. An eyewitness, Yahaya Adamu, confirmed to Leadership Weekend that a loud explosion was heard at about 7:pm shortly after the Muslim Maghrib prayer, at a filling station near the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Mega Depot, Kano. “A car carrying IED’s got into a filling station, Magarsuku Nigeria Ltd and detonated explosives

which killed the station manager, Shehu, his assistant Aminu Yakubu, aged 25, Mannir and others,” Adamu said. Auwalu Yakubu, senior brother to late Aminu who met our reporter at the Murtala Muhammed City Hospital, told him that he lost his brother in the blast which occurred at about 7:pm in Magarsuku Filling Station, Hotoro area – a company his brother has been working with for some years. According to Auwalu, his parent’s

house is across the road from the filling station and he was just leaving for his house when he heard a loud explosion. He added that he later realized that it was the filling station where his brother works that was bombed. Other victims met at the hospital, Haruna Muazu and Sulaiman, both tanker drivers, were discharging petroleum product in the filling station when the bomb exploded, leaving them with various degrees of injuries.

short news Kidnapped Ribadu’s Brother Escapes From Abductors Alh Sani Ribadu, the younger brother of the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has reunited with his family after escaping from his abductors. Sani, who is a former chairman of Yola South local government and a former member of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, was kidnapped by unknown armed men at his farm along Yola-Fufore road last Sunday. A statement by one of their family members, Hon Abuzarri Ribadu, stated that the abduction of Sani Ribadu had thrown the family into disarray as they spent sleepless nights searching and praying for him. “To the glory of God, our brother escaped unhurt around 2am on Friday from the bush around Girei local government, where he was being kept.” By Mohammed Ismail, Yola

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2015: Atiku Holds Closed-door Meeting With Lagos Lawmakers A former vice-president and a presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar and members of Lagos State House of Assembly on Friday evening held a closed-door meeting. The meeting, which lasted-for about one hour, was held at the Speaker’s conference hall in the Assembly complex. What transpired at the meeting was however not disclosed to newsmen. While interacting with newsmen on national issues immediately after the parley, the former vice president lamented that the federal government had lost the battle with members of Boko-Haram since the insurgency started in the north east five years ago. According to him, “the federal government has lost ground to Boko Haram. It is more than five years that the insurgency attacks started.” Atiku noted that members of the vigilantee group that was raised to fight the insurgents, had regained two villages, saying that Adamawa is fighting back. By Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani, La-

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Gubernatorial aspirant in Kano State, Engr Bello Sani Gwarzo (3rd left) receiving the party’s nomination form from the national organising secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.

Malami, Offor, Businessman Battle Over Abuja Property BY Reuben Buhari, Abuja

A three-justice panel comprising Abdulkadir Jega (presiding judge), Justice Joseph Tine Tur and Justice Mooren Adumein of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, has cleared the way for the accelerated hearing of a case over the ownership of a choice piece of land in highbrow Asokoro area of Abuja on which a Nigerian in diaspora, Mr Imokhuede Ohikhuare, built two duplexes. Trouble started when the former Nigerian envoy to South Africa, Ambassador Shehu Malami, claimed ownership of the land and claimed to have transferred it to Sir Emeka Offor. At the resumed hearing of the matter on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, the Appeal Court justices acceded to a

plea by the team of counsel to the appellant, Mr Paul Erokoro (SAN), Mr S.I. Ameh (SAN) and Mr Femi Falana (SAN) to withdraw some applications they had before the court, which recent developments in the matter had made irrelevant. However, the justices were surprised when Chief Udechukwu (SAN), lead counsel to Ambassador Malami and Sir Ofor informed the court that he had already filed an appeal at the Supreme Court ahead of the Court of Appeal’s hearing on the matter. Evidently eager to get the hearing going well, the justices of the Appeal Court also asked all parties to the case to consider all motions and applications tangential to the substantive matter before the court for possible withdrawal, in the

light of the latest developments. On December 13, 2013, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the appellant and admitted additional evidences into the case which were not disclosed to the lower court by the plaintiff. In a swift court process by their lordships which lasted for about two hours, the justices cleared all the motions and applications militating against hearing the substantive matter. Consequently, the Appeal Court fixed January 21, 2015 for the proper hearing on the appeal on the substantive issue. However, the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), which had sometime last year asked the court to join the appeal, whose plea was granted by the court, withdrew from the matter at the latest hearing.

Patience Jonathan’s Visit To Bayelsa: Two Kids Killed In Stampede By OSA Okhomina, Yenagoa

Two kids were yesterday reported dead following a stampede at the Samson Siasia Stadium, venue of the distribution of economic empowerment items and commodities to indigenes of Bayelsa state by the First Lady,Dame Patience Jonathan. The kids,according to

eyewitnesses,were crushed to death in a stampede provoked by armed security men including men of the Joint Military Task Force code named Operation Restore Hope. Leadership Weekend gathered that the stampede occurred at about 6:30pm following the firing of tear gas to scare away the crowd of women and youths wait-

ing to collect the commodities slated for distribution. The programme,which was organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government through the MDGs conditional grant scheme and office of the first lady,attracted a huge crowd of youths and women in the state.

An eyewitness, Beauty Igoniwari, said though the official ceremony had been performed by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and dignitaries had departed from the venue,the security operatives swooped on the multitude of women and ordered them out of the stadium complex, saying the goods would no longer be distributed due to night fall.

Police Arrest 62-year-old Robbery Gang Leader, 32 Others In Delta Determined to get rid of all forms of criminal activities in Delta State, police detectives at the state police command have arrested a 62-yearold man, Peter Mukoro and 32 others for robbery activities in three Delta communities after they allegedly robbed some unsuspecting persons. The police acting public relations officer in the state, ASP Preston Roland who confirmed the arrest, disclosed that the 62-year-old father of four, upon interrogation, confessed to being the gang leader of a group of bandits robbing residents of Issele-uku, Issele-azagba and Ubuluokiti communities in the last two months. It was gathered that the suspect gang leader led the police detectives to their hideout in a thick forest, leading to the arrest of the 32 others. ASP Roland further disclosed that upon the arrest, the suspect confessed to the crime, saying that four of their gang members who got wind of the police search escaped. He said that the police detectives recovered two pump action rifles, four long double barrel guns, two long single barrel guns, three life cartridges, two Lifan motorcycles, 34 handsets, 32 laptops and a wallet containing a vigilante group identity card and illegal task force identity cards with N2,500 and 50,00. By Kola Eke-Ogiugo, Asaba

Saturday, November 15, 2014

10 PHOTO NEWS

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Scenes From The Service Of Songs In Honour Of The Late Pa Clement Ndanusa Isaiah, Held At The Praise Cathedral Church, Kaduna, Yesterday.

L-R: LEADERSHIP Founder and All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, Sam Nda-Isaiah; his wife Zainab, Managing Director, LEADERSHIP Holdings, Abraham NdaIsaiah, his wife Namso, and another family member during the service of songs at the Praise Cathedral Church, Kaduna, yesterday.

The deceased’s eldest son, Sam Nda-Isaiah taking the first scriptural reading during the service of songs.

L-R: Presiding Bishop, International Praise Cathedral Church, Bishop Fred Addo and the deceased’s son, Rev Abraham Nda-Isaiah.

Presiding Bishop, International Praise Cathedral Church, Bishop Fred Addo, in a sermon during the service of songs.

The deceased’s wife, Mrs Eunice Ndanusa Isaiah (m) and other sympathisers during the service of songs.

One of the deceased’s sons, Jonathan Nda-Isaiah (2nd left), being consoled by his wife, Monica (left) during the service of songs.

L-R: Group Managing Director, LEADERSHIP, Azubuike Ishiekwene, LEADERSHIP Founder, Sam Nda-Isaiah and LEADERSHIP Group Executive Director, Mike Okpere, during the service of songs. Photos by Gbenga Abiola.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Top soil excavated from the ground

Plateau Communities Where Unclaimed Mining Ponds Are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gravesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Over 100 years after mining activities commenced in parts of Plateau State, many of the mining ponds in the state have been left uncovered posing risk to residents of the areas, just as the mining activities threaten the well-being of the people. ACHOR ABIMAJE reports

lateau State was the home of mining activities by the Europeans before the discovery of oil in Nigeria. Before the oil boom, mining was one of the major sources of revenue generation in the country. Visits to the 12 local government councils in the state revealed cases of abandoned mining ponds. These council areas include Jos North, Jos South, Bokkos, Jos East, Bassa, Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, among others. About 60 per cent of productive farmlands has been destroyed as a result of mining activities as well as abandoned ponds. The owners of the land find it difficult to cultivate the lands because of the negative

impact of excavation. Some of the minerals being mined in Plateau State include Iron, Magnetite, Tin, Columbite, Lead, Zinc, Tantalite, among others. LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that mining pond reclamation in the state would cost the state government over N100 billion. By 1913, there were 108 mining companies registered by the Royal Niger Company and in 1943, tin mining on the Plateau was at its peak as there were about 80,000 African workers. Until 1960, Jos was the sixth largest producer of tin in the world. It was gathered that a 225-kilometre land space was taken out by tin mining. In the 1970s, Nigeria produced

an average of 10,000 tons of tin-ore annually. Experts estimated that miners on the Plateau dig up six million tons of soil every year. Sitting on a vast mineralrich Plateau, Jos and its surrounding areas became prosperous and famous as a result of tin mining activities. But the areas' wealth came at a price for locals as tin mining has gradually destroyed much of the land in Jos and its environs. Like in the Niger Delta region, a lot of degradation has taken place; farmlands have been ravaged due to these activities without a corresponding compensation for the landowners. Consequently, the over 100 years of serious mining in Jos

has left a derelict landscape covering some 300 square kilometres of wasted land. Many locals opined that decades of tin mining have left them a legacy of polluted water supply, impoverished land and even radioactive waste. In places such as Bukuru, Rayfield, Shere Hill and Anglo Jos, life-threatening gullies left over from past mining activities could be seen everywhere. Alarmingly, effluents from nearby industries have seeped deep into mines and into turned water holes. The topsoil has also been washed into streams in neighbouring villages and these streams are used for CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Many locals opined that decades of tin mining have left them a legacy of polluted water supply, impoverished land and even radioactive waste

12 cover story

Saturday, November 15,

Plateau Communities Where Unclaimed Mining Ponds Are ‘Graves’

One of the abandoned ponds in Bukuru

➔ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 drinking and other domestic purposes. Also at risk of being contaminated is the underground water in the area. In addition, locals use soil left over materials from the abandoned mining sites including heavy metals to build houses. Environmentalists expressed fears that people living in these houses could be at risk of being exposed to unhealthy effects of radiation. As if that is not enough, a by-product of Tin mining, radioactive waste also affects the health of the people. The soil dug up at mining sites contains this radioactive waste. Mine tailing which contains natural occurring radioactive materials (NORM) has been said to be dangerous to people's health. Investigations revealed that over 4,000 mining ponds dot the land scape of Plateau State. Some of these ponds constitute a threat to human and animal lives in the state and also constitute environmental hazards to the people. A very good size of farmland has been destroyed as a result of the abandoned mining ponds which littered the state. Sometimes, animals and human beings, especially children, fall into the ponds and get drowned. A family of five driving in a private vehicle recently ranover into one of the abandoned ponds and all of them drowned. LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that the Plateau State government through the ministry of mines has called on the federal government to provide compensation or funds to reclaim these ponds in the

state. Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Jos on the development, an elderstatesman, a Berom elder from Du District of Jos South local government council, Da Toma Jang Davou said mining activities started in the state as far back as the 1930s and the 1940s when the British wanted raw materials to sustain the production of armament. According to him, British companies who engaged in these mining activities went against the international mining laws which said that before any mining activity is carried out, the top soil removed should be kept aside, and after the excavation, the pit should be refilled with the top soil in other to reclaim the land. He lamented that contrary to these expectation, the ponds have been left uncovered, thereby becoming death-traps to people and animals as many persons including children have fallen into it and died. Davou stressed that by this development, soil erosion was being encouraged because the top soil which is supposed to be the fertile part of the land for the farmers’ use has been removed, adding that such was an ecological disaster. "The people have been impoverished; they are living below the poverty line. After 1960, colonialism ceased and Nigeria became independent but our rights as a people have not been honoured by successive governments. They refused to attend positively to the reclamation of these mining ponds and this development creates poverty in the land; the population increases while land decreases and the fertility

of the land is eroded. "People now try to reclaim the land by using artificial fertiliser which has negative effects on them as there are diseases like high blood pressure, kidney failure, hypertension and the life span of the people is shortened. The Berom people used to live up to 120 and 150 years before now but because of the ecological disaster, the people only live between 45 to 50 years now," he lamented. Davou appealed to the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, come to the aid of these communities which have been neglected and are suffering as a result of mining activities. He stated that the people need about N1.8 trillion to fully reclaim the land destroyed from the 1930s to date as well as for the restoration of fertility to the land, human capacity development, raise the standard of the people who are living in abject poverty; education and re-orientation for the people to live a better life and the provision of infrastructure that would sustain their lives and give them comfort. "Jonathan and his transformation agenda should look at this menace with the sympathy that it deserves. He has a human heart and should not forget these devastated communities as other successive governments have done in the past," he said. Also speaking on the challenge, Mr Joe Maina (Turaki Gambar) who lives in the Tudun Wada area of Jos North local government council lamented the lack of concern by governments at all levels to address or reclaim the deadly mining ponds.

According to him, these ponds have claimed many lives, regretting that people could not farm on their ancestral lands as a result of heaps from mining activities. “Only yesterday, two of the cows grazing in the field fell into one of the ponds in my area. Up till now, the dead bodies are still left there because we are unable to retrieve them. These white men came, destroyed our land and left. Today, the land is not good for farming and other human activities, we are left counting our losses,” he added. Monday Mandik from Bokkos LGC, one of the council areas that is worse hit as a result of mining activities, told LEADERSHIP Weekend that about 80 per cent of the land belonging to their community was affected. According to him, most of the lands are as good as nothing because no crop could be grown on it as the fertility of the soil has been washed away. "At times, children get drowned in the ponds and domestic animals fall into them," he added and called on the government at all levels to come to their aid so as to reclaim the ponds that constitute a nightmare to their community. Considering the benefits of mining to the nation and the fact that Plateau state is the major player, it would just be fair that the nation shares in the burden of Plateau people by means of compensation to alleviate the suffering of the people. The federal, state and local governments have to come together to partner with the private sector to mitigate the radiological impacts of mining especially on the health of the people.

A family of five driving in a private vehicle recently ranover into one of the abandoned ponds and all of them drowned

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Happy

BIRTHDAY We pray that God Almighty will continue to protect you and grant you good health and long life in JESUS mighty name, (Amen).

Happy birthday, and God’s blessing! Courtesy: • Chief Mrs. H.A Balogun (Mother-in-law) • Mrs Wuraola Gbolahan • Elder & Deaconess Bolatiwa • Pastor & Pastor (Mrs.) Remi Balogun • Pastor & Mrs. Segun Balogun • Mr. & Pastor (Mrs.) Sina Adegunle

RT. HON. GABRIEL TORWUA SUSWAM pH.D, CON

Executive Governor, Benue State

Saturday, November 15, 2014

close up 17

Saturday, November 15, 2014 Tell us about your journey into the music industry.

I started music in a Celestial Church when I was growing up in Warri with my late Mum and left to another Church before I relocated to Lagos six years ago and started the music hustle on the streets, clubs and various studios. Life as an upcoming artiste was very rough and tough. Nobody wants to invest in what they’re not sure of, but I made it to this level through hard work, God’s grace and mercy. My music has grown to the point where it’s paying off. I started the hustle from square one to where I am today. No matter how successful or rich you are, you still want to achieve more and pray for more blessings; and to get more blessings you have to keep saving and hustling. Yes, I’m making money right now, but the thing is, as the Bible says, “Seek thee first the kingdom of God and every other thing will be added unto thee”. The money, success and every other thing is your comfort, but the hustle is the focus. I was a music director in Church for 15 years but I diverted to secular music because I got to a point where I needed to step up my game. However, I do soul lifting songs that teach and spread love, the grand norm of existence, rather than corrupting the youths. I use my music as an instrument to make a difference. As a music insider, how do you view the Nigerian entertainment industry today?

The industry is really growing big. In Africa, Nigeria has the biggest entertainment industry and right now Nigerian music is inspiring the world. I think in the next four or five years, we will be signing American artistes back here in Nigeria, because we have the platform and it’s growing from strength to strength. So, I’m proud of our industry.

I think in the next four or five years, we will be signing American artistes back here in Nigeria, because we have the platform and it’s growing from strength to strength

What’s your opinion of the annual LEADERSHIP Awards which you attended recently?

The experience was okay. I assimilated a lot of information from our leaders- their real opinions, ideas and plans for Nigeria. I’m happy to be a Nigerian but I’m also crying in my heart. I wonder if these leaders really feel what the masses feel, because when they want to get into power they promise a lot of things, but when they get there, look how things turn out. When I die and reincarnate, I would still want to come back as a Nigerian because obviously Nigeria is a blessed country. So, I wish that everything said in the conference will make Nigeria a better place.

the souls of men. So, the government can use music to liberate militants and the restive youths. They should from time to time, organise musical concerts and minister to youths. It would keep their souls free of evil plans. Some people can get angry when commands are issued to them, but music teaches, urges subtly and liberates without opposition. Music is life and can be used as a strong tool to liberate restive souls. My music is inspiring the world. Better Pikin and Kolobo are everywhere. I bless God that I have the best fans in Nigeria and my fan base is growing from strength to strength. I appreciate God for that. Recently, in an interview you revealed that you were a fisherman, tell us more about that.

I’m from Warri and I grew up with my grandmother who was a fisherwoman. So, I used to accompany her to fish all the time. I know how to swim and fish well. How do you handle your female admirers?

Harrysong

I Was A Music Director In Church For 15 Years - Harrysong Beta Pikin crooner Harrison Tare Okiri aka Harrysong, in this interview with ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM dishes on his inspiration, female fans, as well as other sundry issues. It’s a good thing to honour those that have done well. It must have been tough for the organisation to select the awardees. I’m here as Harrysong; im a musician not a politician, but I must say all the governors that got awards deserve it. If it’s said that you have done well, it means you must have done well and they are encouraging you to do better. I hope as LEADERSHIP Newspapers recognised them, they will do better. I wish them

the best. What’s your relationship with KCee like?

He’s my elder colleague and like an older brother to me. We are signed to the same label and he’s the vice president of 5 Star Music (our label). So, basically we are family. What inspires your music?

I’m inspired by everything around me, life and nature. Music penetrates and liberates

I try as much as I can to reciprocate, because it feels good when women appreciate your songs and what you are doing. It makes your songs sell. So, personally, I make my female fans feel good about me and my music. What’s the secret of your fame and popularity and advice to upcoming artistes?

The secret is hard work and I have people who believe and support me financially. I also have a platform that backs me up. As for upcoming artistes, be focused, hardworking and pray to God for guidance. What are the challenges you’ve faced in the industry?

It has been quite challenging but e dey de bodi (it is in the blood). Like I said earlier, I was a music director for 15 years before venturing into full scale musical production and performance. So, music forms a large part of my life, more than any other thing. I grew up with music and I have been living music. For me, music is not hustling to make money and be famous. No! Music for me is what I must do to be fulfilled. It is fun for me. I was born to sing and perform. Even when I am in the studio producing, I don’t feel fully fulfilled. I want to be with my fans, performing. What next from Harrysong?

Expect more singles from me. I’m going to drop one more single and a video before the end of the year.

18 e-FEATURE

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Top 10 Music Producers In Nigeria Creative producers are usually the brains behind high quality songs that command regular airplay on radio and television in Nigeria. That these songs are often talked about and fancied across the country is a testament of the quality of work producers put into making the beats. ADERIBIGBE TOLULOPE writes about the most highly sought after music producers in 2014 who have made their mark in the industry.

elow are the top ten music producers the country has to offer: 10. Cohbams Asuquo: Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo is a talented musical producer known for his extra ordinary ability to create classic and timeless music. Artistes seeking to make impact in their career run after him. Apart from playing a huge part in Asa’s highly acclaimed international album ASA, he has worked with other highly rated artistes, including 2face Idibia, Banky W, Yinka Davies, MI, Omawunmi, Darey Art Alade, Styl Plus, Bez, Rooftop Mc’s, Charly Boy, Djinee and many more. Apart from producing hit tracks like Strong Ting, If You Ask Me, Kedike, Banky W’s Yes/ No, Praiz’s Rich and Famous, his highly anticipated first official single titled Ordinary People was released on the 1st of January this year and it didn’t fail to impress. This year, he produced a national agricultural anthem, Cocoa na Chocolate by Dbanj and Mo’ Chedda’s Destinambarri. He is currently the CEO/ head of productions of CAMP (Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions) and he charges up to N500,000 to produce a track. 9. D-Tunes born Adesanya Doyinsola, he produced Iyanya’s hits Kukere In 20 minutes, then Your Waist, Flavour, Sexy Mama. He also did Sean Tizzle’s Sho Lee and the artist, The Journey album. It is not surprising he won producer of the year at the Hip Tv Headies awards in 2103. This producer with a penchant for making hit tracks is the producer behind Sean Tizzle’s hit song which has been getting rave reviews so far. He has also worked with other artistes like Yemi Alade, Efa, Mbryo, Faze, Ruggedman, 9ice, TuFace, Tony Totch, Reminisce, Dammy Krane, Flossick. D-Tunes is the CEO of Difference Entertainment and currently charges N500, 000 and above to produce a single track. 8. Masterkraft: Kicking off his professional career with Kennis Music, Masterkraft is no doubt one of the most diverse producers in town. From gospel to soul to RnB and Jazz, he has

shown he’s on top of his game which is why the calibre of artistes he has worked with is not surprising. Banky W, Sound Sultan, Phyno, Flavor, Jaywon, Sammie Okposo, Timaya, Lynx, Bracket, Capital F.E., M.I, J. Martins and Sound Sultan are just some out of a long list. His hit tracks include Fine lady by Lynxx, Flavour’s Kwarika (Remix) ft Fally Ipupa, Girl by Bracket ft Wizkid, Chinny Baby by Flavour and Timaya’s Ukwu. Iyanya’s Away, Nana by Bracket, Banky W’s Jasi are serious club bangers also produced by him. Mastercraft currently charges N400, 000 to produce a single track. 7. Del B: Ayodele Basel is responsible for D’banj’s Why Me, General Pype’s Its Ok, Jebele by Kween, KCee’s Limpopo, an undeniable jam as well as Wizkid’s On Top Your Matter. Del B also produced Oko mi by Waje, Seyi Shay’s Irawo, Baby Mo by Tiwa Savage, Kcee’s Give It 2 Me featuring Flavour, and another monster single, Shake by Flavour. Orezi’s trending hit track, You Garrit was produced by none other than Del B. His production fee varies from N100, 000 to N500,000. 6. Selebobo: Udoka Oku is versatile singer,dancer, songwriter, producer and graphic artist. He is responsible for Yemi Alade’s ground breaking single, Johnny. Currently signed to the Ubi Franklin/Iyanya owned TripleMG, he is responsible for not only Yemi Alade’s hit track Johnny, but also Flavour’s Ada Ada and Balance For Me by Dipp. Oroma Baby, Yoyo as well as Angelina and Say Yeah from the TripleMG group album were all produced by Selebobo. He charges 300,000 and above for beats. 5. Pheelz: Philip Moses is the in-house producer for Olamide. Pheelz’ production of Baddest Guy Ever Liveth which contains tracks such as Durosoke, Anifowoshe, Rayban Abacha, Eleda Mi, Baddo Love, Turn Up, among other countless hits is enough to take the young man seriously. Away from Olamide, he has worked with other artistes, including Vector in Popular & Mo Eazy. He

Don Jazzy

produced major anthems this year like Lil Keshi’s Shoki, and Awon Goons Mi by Olamide. He is an all-round, vast, creative producer who is currently getting the attention of artistes and music lovers alike. He currently charges N200,000 and a little above the amount for his productions. 4. Wizzy Pro: Nifu Haruna is an artist under one of the most popular record labels in the whole of West Africa Dem Mama Records. He is one of the official producers of Timaya, Faze, Dammy Krane, Skales, EME, Patoranking, Runtown, Frank d Nero, Mike Anyazodo, 2-shotz, He dropped his official single and worked with Skales, Patoranking and Runtown on the single, Emergency. His production of trending hit tracks like Patoranking’s Girlie ‘O’ (both original and remix ft Tiwa Savage), Phyno’s O Set ft P-Square, Successful by Runtown, Phyno & Runtown’s Anama-Achi Vers-Achi as well as Tonite by Patoranking ft Faze, is enough to show he’s taking the music business seriously. He charges 200,00 for his singles. 3. Legendary Beatz: Two brothers, Uzezi Oniko and Okiemute Oniko- the combination of these young

DEL B

men is indeed legendary. They have been instrumental to lots of hits in the past, starting from the Azonto freestyle by Wizkid. They produced the debut Star Boy single, Caro which gained lots of attention. They have produced hits like Baddest Boy for EME, Mo’Cheddah’s Ko Ma Roll and Brymo’s Ara. They are also the brain behind popular songs like Emi Ni Baller by Chidinma featuring Illbliss and Tha Suspect and Sound Sultan’s Kokose, Drop by Wizkid featuring Wale, Reminisce, 2 Mussh, L.A.X featuring Wizkid, Caro and Ginger, which are all major hits of 2014. Ibadi by May D, Wizkid’s new single Ojuelegba. They charge N400,000 and above to produce a track. 2. Shizzi: Sheyi Akerele was behind Wizkid’s Love My Baby, Davido’s Damiduro and Harry Songz’ Taiye Kehinde. As signed under the HKN Gang, 2013 saw him birth two massive hitsSkelewu and Gobe for Davido. He was also the producer of Wande Coal’s highly controversial Baby Face and Go Low. He produced highlife infused Runtown’s Baby Answer. In April; he co-produced Davido’s Tchelete featuring Mafikizolo which got massive airplay. He also produced

MultiChoice Africa’s Rise Up featuring Davido, Tiwa-Savage, Sarkodie, Diamond, Mzytikal and Lola Rae. Shizzi has worked with Sasha, Harrysong, OD Woods, Naeto C, Sauce Kid, Wande Coal, Wizkid, D’Prince and May D. Shizzi currently charges between N400, 000 and N500, 000 to produce a song. 1. DonJazzy: Michael Collins is a producer, song writer, recording artiste and philanthropist. He was CEO, MoHits Records and teamed up with one of Nigeria’s iconic entertainers, D’banj, to create Oliver Twist, one of the biggest tunes out of Africa yet. As the CEO of Mavins Records, he has produced massive hits like Dorobucci, Surulere by Dr Sid, Wande Coal’s The Kick, half of Tiwa Savage’s debut album, including chart topper Eminado and blessed his blood brother, D’Prince with his Goody Bag single and the Frenzy album. Don Jazzy has also worked with other big acts including Kanye West, Jay Z, Darey and Naeto C, among others. It is no wonder he gets our No1 slot. He rarely produces for other artistes but close sources say he won’t charge less than a million naira to produce a track.

scoop 19

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Egyptian’s The Square Provokes Solomon Nda–Isaiah Entertainment Deep Insight At AFRIFF Ricochet 08116759802

nda_is@yahoo.co.uk

any might not know who Chioma is and a lot will definitely say they have never heard of the name Chioma Ude in the entertainment industry. She is no one but the founder and executive director of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) which was completed last week in Tinapa Calabar. I want to use this medium to hail Chioma Ude and her wonderful team for putting up this great festival. Everything about the event was well packaged starting from the airports from Lagos, Abuja and other places to the venue. All that attended were given a treat that will keep lingering in their minds. It was, indeed, jolification from day one to the last day. It is only a few people in the entire world that can sit down and put up a powerful event like the Africa International Film Festival. She started three years ago and it’s becoming better and greater. The slim and charming Chioma made it point clear that this is just the beginning, promising that subsequent editions would be more colourful. Let me take you through her full opening speech, it reads: Emedi! Welcome to Calabar, the futuristic centre of tourism in Africa for the 2013 edition of Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) holding at the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, Calabar, Cross River State. You know that I will like to keep it short and simple but I doubt that it would be that easy this time, sit back and allow me take you through this journey that is my dream. AFRIFF is an annual showcase of the African cinema industry. Our vision to raise global awareness for the vast potential that this industry holds and its impact on the continent’s economy. We wish to provide a bridge for collaborations with international counterparts for mutual knowledge exchange that will help accelerate the development of the sector. Now in its third year, the festival has gained a significant place on the annual African entertainment calendar, getting bigger and better with each passing year. This year, there will be a series of red carpet premieres, screenings of a diverse array of movies from all around the world, discussion, networking events and scenic excursions. We intend to institutonalise this project and create a world class vehicle that will celebrate Africa and continue to positively represent Nigeria globally, while adding tangible value to the development and promotion of the local entertainment industry. Our choice and ensuring

partnership with the government and people of Cross River State guarantees showcases of some of the most amazing scenic sites that abound in Nigeria. Cross River has become Nigeria's premier tourism destination with its beautiful beaches, historical sites, stunning flora, water falls and lakes. The people are very friendly and the food is delicious with rich and diverse menu. It is a great place to visit and an exiting component for all who visit to get a first-hand experience of "fascinating Nigeria". There are several attractions like the resort in Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, where most of the festival activities took place with an array of leisure facilities like "The Tinapa Lakeside Hotel"; an 8-screen digital camera cinema, international standard restaurants serving both African and Western cuisine; a night club, a games arcade and a mini amphi-theater. There is a water park comprising a collection of children and adult size pools, water slides, a wave pool (surfers delight),a lazy river as well as a bar and restaurant and a movie production studio commonly referred to as "Studio Tinapa" or "Nollywood" which presently is the most modern production studio in Nigeria. Cross River State hosts other fascinating spectacles like the biggest street carnival on the African continent, The Calabar carnival; the world renowned Obudu Ranch Resort - an amazing resort that only compares to ski resorts in Deriver, without the snow though. It also has a 4km long cable car ride with breathtaking views of the hill tops 5,200 feet above sea level and assortment of rare animal species. Those who have been here swear that you can actually touch the clouds whilst there. Other places to see are old residency museum, covering the history of slave trade from Cross River; the breath-taking Ikom monolith - a series of volcanic-stone monoliths constructed sometime between 2500BC and 1AD; Agbokim waterfalls and the Afi mountain wildlife sanctuary. The Cross River National Park is home to a variety of rare and endangered animal species, including the Cross River Gorilla. Join us to share in this amazing African experience along with other players in the film and entertainment industry from around the world. Indeed it was an amazing experience, well done Chioma you did well; you are a good event person. More grease to your elbow. Ride on sister! If you have never been to Calabar try and make it your next holiday spot.Cheerio!

By SOLOMON NDa-isaiah, Abuja

Dedicated to the hundreds of innocent protesters who were brutally murdered during the recent revolution that swept through Egypt, The Square, Jehane Noujaim’s Oscar-nominated documentary, became a topic of discourse among Nigerians and other guests at AFRIFF 2014. The film highlights how resolute the masses can be in the demand for their rights, defying the divide and rule syndrome usually devised along religious and ethnic lines. Participants expressed that there is so much to learn from the story, especially by

kelani

Nigerian leaders as they seek elective offices in the 2015 elections. Staged at the popular Tahir

Square, Cairo, Egypt, the film takes its title from the place of the showdown that ousted the tyrannical regime of Hosni Mubarak, known to have held Egypt down for over 30 years. Some of the notable names at the event are, Tunde Kelani, Charles Novia, Andy Amenechi, Beverly Naya, Rita Dominic, Moses Ewang, Linda Ejiofor, Chika Chukwu, Kalu Ukeagwu, Gideon Okeke, Chelsea Eze, Mahmood Ali-Balogun. The festival, which ends today, will be rounded off with a closing night film, Hard To Get, and an award ceremony.

Belvedere Vodka Celebrates Toke Makinwa At 30 By SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos

Last Saturday, 8th November, 2014, Belvedere, the “World’s Original Super Premium Vodka” hosted radio personality, television host and vlogger, Toke Makinwa to a magnificent Sex And The City inspired birthday party. Held at Oasis MedSpa Ikoyi, it was the cynosure of eyes as the crème de la crème of the entertainment world – media darlings, personalities and film stars turned out in glam force to toast Toke’s 30th. The fun and frolics filled evening had just about everything – rib-cracking impromptu performance from Julius Agwu, a SATC quiz anchored by Eku Edewor, and a nostalgic game of Musical Chairs an-

On-air personality Toke Makinwa (middle) flanked by music artist, Sasha P (left) and Eku Edewor, during her birthday bash in Lagos

chored by Denrele-Edun. Guests were treated to themed vodka cocktails– Cosmopolitans

and Moscow Mules– courtesy of Belvedere Vodka as well as other spectacular treats, including vodka infused yoghurt. Canapés were served out of martini glasses by Chef Eros; the Sex and the City theme didn’t stop there. Guests were treated to a complete desert table designed to incorporate the quintessential elements synonymous with the classic HBO series – martini glasses, city skylines, handbags, shoes, designer jewellery etc. Some of the guests at the event include Omotola Jalade-Ekehinde, Yaw of Wazobia FM, Gideon Okeke, Eku Edewor, Bolanle Olakanni, IK Ogbonna, Iceprince, Ann Ogunsulire, Jude Okoye and many more.

Oritsefemi, D'Banj Shoot Double Wahala Remix Video By SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos

Double Wahala fame, Ortisefemi Majemite has hit Los Angeles, United States of America with Dapo ‘D Banj’ Oyebanjo, to shoot the Double Wahala remix video. After the last video he released with Davido (Sexy Lady), the Mercies Of The Lord crooner arrived US on Sunday to team up with the Koko Master to shoot the highly rated video. The video, which is being directed by Moe Musa, will hit television screens any

D'Banj and Oritsefemi

moment from now, according to Oritsefemi’s media manager, Tijani Adegbola. “Oritsefemi traveled to Los Angeles, USA to team up with D Banj to shoot the video. He has been on this video for almost three months. Part of the video was shot in Malaysia while others were shot in Los Angeles and Miami USA,” he said. However, the Delta State-born star artiste released a new song a few days ago, entitled Culture. The song is enjoying tremendous popularity online and on air.

Nollywood Movie Distribution: E-FORCE To The Rescue By SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos

An outfit, E-Force, has taken up the gauntlet to solve the protracted problem of distribution in the entertainment industry, The company aims to bridge the gap between the market for movies\music and the populace, bringing the products to the

nearest stores. E-FORCE has already secured over 100 outlets in Lagos and is procuring new outlets for Nollywood and entertainment products in other parts of Lagos, Ota, Port Harcourt and now, Abuja. According to Sola Fajobi, principal partner and CEO of E-Force, the company is filling the niche that has given pirates free reign to operate,

because of the dearth of legal outlets/stores where consumers can purchase the latest movies and music albums. E-force offers access to the largest warehouse of DVD's, CD's, books, magazines, decoders, e.t.c, at wholesale prices. "E-Force is a. child of necessity and the biggest distribution network so far," he said.

20 BLITZ

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Nike Oshinowo Joins TV Show Wagon By SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos

Ex-beauty queen and fashion icon, Nike Oshinowo, is back with a bang with an allencompassing television show. Tagged “Late Night with Nike Oshinowo”, the program to be aired weekly from Thursday November 27, 2014 on African Independent Television (AIT), is an electrifying entertainment and lifestyle late night talk show showcasing the best of art, culture, music, politics and pop-culture. In a media briefing held in Ikoyi, Lagos Oshinowo stated that she had been working on the show for about a year, adding that 'Late Night with Nike Oshinowo’ will be an extension of her personality and hobbies, injecting life and

R-L: Mr Trevor Henry, Arik Air, vice president, Global Sales and Distribution; AIT general manager Jire Kuforiji; Chief Nike Oshinowo, host of Late Night with Nike Oshinowo and others, during the media briefing

fun into weekday evenings and bringing a vast array of local and international celebrities from the world of arts, cinema, music, and politics into

viewers’ living rooms. “At long last, I’m having the opportunity to do part of what I love which is to talk on TV wirth a live audience. Nigerian viewers will be privy to entertaining conversations from the people they most want to hear from. Anyone and everyone who is moving the needle on pop culture will be welcome on the Late Night with Nike Oshinowo couch. My team has researched and is bringing to Nigerians what will become a part of their family routine,” she added. Hosted by Nike Oshinowo, season one of the weekday show is set to debut with a live studio audience; an inhouse celebrity DJ; and would feature journalist and social commentator, Cheta Nwanze.

My-Rainbow-Books Announces 2014 National Kids Award Ceremony By Oguntola Tunde, Abuja

In furtherance of efforts to bolster the reading culture and boost self-confidence in creative writing in children, MyRainbow-Books Limited said it is set for the 2013/2014 National Creative Writing Competition and annual award ceremony for children. The ceremony, which will be held in Abuja, will have in attendance distinguished guests, including key stakeholders in the education sector, school owners and representatives, winners of the competition as well as parents and friends of participants and nominees. A statement made available to LEADERSHIP, signed by the president, My-Rainbow-Books Limited, Mrs Isang Awah said, ‘’ the award ceremony to be held in November is supported

Isang Awah

by a number of companies as well as E-Gaps, an NGO that is committed to bridging the gaps in the public education system." The team of judges for the competition include notable writers, Chika Unigwe, Dr Fatima Akilu, Tade Ipadeola and Chuck Houston, an academic advisor at Harvard University.’’

According to the statement, "The competition is organised to help develop children’s creative thinking and writing skills. It is our way of giving back to the society. We decided to make it free-to-enter so that money or the lack of it would not bar any child from participating in the competition. As expected, the competition attracted so many entries from within and outside the country, even as far as Australia." ‘’We are positive that the competition is contributing to generating interest in reading and writing, and I believe that the publication of the stories and poems will inspire and encourage all children, including those whose stories are not featured in the book, to keep writing. I also believe that the book is a platform for young writers to be expose."

Eku Edewor, Siyabonga To Anchor Channel O Awards By SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos

In about a fortnight, music fans across Africa and beyond will be glued to their TV set when Channel O celebrates the biggest night in African music, the 2014 Channel O Africa Music Video Awards. To be broadcast live from Nasrec Expo Centre in Soweto, this year's event will be hosted by screen goddess, model and presenter, Eku Edewor and seasoned TV presenter, Siyabonga “Scoop". The Channel O Africa Music Video Awards is the only public voting annual music video awards show broadcast around the continent that exclusively features African artistes. Voting takes place across a wide range of

Eku

digital platforms, including the web and mobile sites. Davido competes with Sarkodie, Cassper Nyovest and two others for the Most Gifted Male Award. Tiwa Savage, Sheyi Shay, Thembe Seete, Bucie and Lizha James compete for the Most Gifted Female award category.

Patoranking will slug it out with 4 others, including Cassper Nyovest for the Newcomer Award category. With 9 more award categories to be competed for, the Most Gifted Video category has the stiffest contest bringing up an array of 12 artistes who have shone in the last one year under review and they include Dr Sid’s Surulere FT Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage’s Eminado FT Don Jazzy, Sarkodie’s Illuminati, Burna Boy’s Run My Race, AKA’s Congratulate and Diamond’s Number One, to name a few Co-anchor, Eku Edewor is a graduate of English and Theatre from the University of Warwick, trained as an actress at the New York Film Academy and is known for gracing the covers of magazines and interviewing stars on DSTV’s 53 Extra.

Dr Barclays Ayakoroma and other dignities during the unveiling of the book Trends In Nollywood recently

Trends In Nollywood A Must Read For All Movie Lovers By ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM, Abuja

It was a well-attended event when Dr Barclays Ayakoroma, executive secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, on Monday in Abuja lauded Nollywood for putting the country in the big leagues on the international filmmaking scene. Speaking at the launch of his book entitled “Trends in Nollywood’’, Ayakoroma said Nollywood’s achievements encouraged him to write the book. “As a teacher and scholar in the performing arts, I am encouraged to make this humble contribution to tell the story of how it all started and the path to where we are today. The nation’s positive image is tied to its film industry,” he said. He commended the industry for “showing that the Nigerian people can earn a decent living by working in this global industry, a growing multi-billion industry.” Speaking at the event, Kingsley Kuku, special adviser to the president on Niger Delta Affairs, noted that Nollywood had come of age and had been making significant contributions to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “This performing arts sector is also contributing to the nation’s employment drive with the engagement of our youths and creating a positive image for the country,” said Kuku, who was the chairman of the occasion. He urged guests at the launch to donate generously

to support the drive and energy of the author in documenting the evolution of the industry for posterity. In his remarks, chief host, Dr A.J Turner, the Obigbo Mikimiki 1 of Opume Kingdom in Bayelsa, also noted that Nollywood contributed immensely to the revenue profile of the country. “Between 2003 and 2007, Nollywood was adjudged the largest film industry in the world after Hollywood and Bollywood. “Recently, UNESCO also affirmed that Nollywood is the second biggest film industry in the world after Hollywood and its implications are very clear to us all. “It is therefore imperative for stakeholders to harness the available human resources in the industry to fully exploit its potential,’’ he said. Prof. Emeka Nwabueze of the department of Theatre and Film Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka, who reviewed the book, described it as an excellent piece. According to him, the book is unique, comprehensive, factual, and was written with a powerful combination of passion and balance. “This book carefully demystifies the erroneous conception about Nollywood; it does not delve into unnecessary repetitions and polemics. “It is written with astonishing energy of mind and delicacy. It is therefore an important resource for anyone interested in the exigencies of contemporary life,’’ he said.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

ISSUE 159 NovEmbEr 15, 2014.

techLIFe

natUraL machIneS IntrodUceS 3d prInter For Food

>43

tax havenS BUkar dIpcharIma

Powerful orator

mYLeS mUnroe

Life and time of life coach extraordinaire The internationally renowned preacher and transformational leader died living out his purpose in life while teaching others to do so.

trended

StUFF

LIFeStYLed

IndULGe

Barack Obama’s gum chewing antic offends Chinese Web users

The world’s most spiritual places

Coming of age: The bullet ant initiation in Brazil

The new HM6 Space Pirate Watch

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Know-all

THAT'S inSide THiS iSSue

32 sTuff BELIEVE THIS! Watching horror movies can burn up to 200 calories, just like a 30 minutes walk

28 TRENDED

31 DEspOTs AND DICTATORs

35 LIfEsTYLED

30 whAT's up?

29 TOp TEN STarTIng BLockS 27 PROUDLY NIGERIa

• Bukar Dipcharima Powerful orator

28 TRENDED

• Barack Obama’s gum chewing antic offends Chinese Web users

29 TOP TEN

• Expensive Celebrity engagement rings

30 WHaT'S UP

• Philae lander makes historic touchdown on comet

STuFF

THE BIg STorY

31 DESPOTS aND DIcTaTORS • Argentina’s Juan Manuel De Rosas

32 STUff

• The world’s most spiritual places

33 fORbIDDEN kNOWLEDGE • Cheat on your partner

34 aRTIcULaTE

• The green façade Austria house

35 LIfESTYLED

• Coming of age: The bullet ant initiation in Brazil

36 DOERS

• Anna Wintour : Fashion’s fiercest success

37 Tax HaVEN

THE rEguLarS

43 TEChLIfE

44 DREss sENsE BoXED

• Believe this • Fact Box, Do You Remember • Hong Kong, every money When? Strictly For JJCs maker’s friend 44 cULTURED! • Switzerland, money paradise • Etiquettewise, Superstitions, • Shocking Foodfacts • Psychology Ideas, Useless Proverbs, Excusez moi • Singapore, technology sales Information, Business 45 DESIRabLES hub Blunder, Quick Quiz, • Super rich Jersey 46 MINDfUL • Espionage, Discovered • Monaco, easy come land of • Crossword, WordSearch, • Sounding Clever, Sudoku, Homework, money makers Sounding Great, Spotlights, Bookshelf • Panama, no prohibition zone • Know Why, 47 a La caRTE • The Cayman Islands, • Celeb Info, Teeny • Crazy Tricks, Gentleman's millionaires joint • Fascinating Facts, Words, Laugh-Out-Loud • Cash flow hub, Luxembourg • Keepsakes, 48 bONUS Pack • Germany • Just Unbelievable, Fast • Seen & Overhead, English • Bahrain Forward Phrases, Keepsakes

43 TEcHLIfE

• Click Click,

Buzzstop Prince William and Kate Middleton are having a girl. Their daughter will be fourth in line to the throne of England, a Wednesday report said. China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang proposed a friendship treaty with Southeast Asian countries and offered $20bn in loans on Thursday but held firm on the line that Beijing will only settle South China Sea disputes directly with other claimants. The United States hit back Wednesday at allegations by the Nigerian ambassador of failing to help fight Boko Haram militants, saying there had been “a great deal” of US aid to his country. While the women of The View in no way condone anyone hitting anyone, the four cohosts on Thursday, all seemingly supported a male subway rider who was caught on video slapping a woman in the face after she struck

him first. More than three years into the massive cleanup of Japan’s tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant, only a tiny fraction of the workers are focused on key tasks such as preparing for the dismantling of the broken reactors and removing radioactive fuel rods, reports said Wednesday. Two hundred bishops rose to their feet Monday and gave a protracted standing ovation to Cardinal Francis George, a former president of the bishops’ conference, who will step down next week as the archbishop of Chicago. A court in the Hong Kong has rejected an appeal by pro-democracy protest groups against injunctions that require demonstrators to leave areas of the city that they have been occupying for six weeks, reports said Thursday. The UN Security Council met for the 26th time

in emergency session on Ukraine on Wednesday, again without taking action, as the UN warned of a possible return to “full-scale fighting” in the rebel-held east. A jail inmate in Ohio, who beat a child-rape suspect who died a few days later, was sentenced on Wednesday to five years in prison. A Miami woman gave birth to healthy quadruplets, reports said Thursday. An event doctors say only happens naturally once in 700,000 births. Angelina Jolie forced her husband Brad Pitt to miss the George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin wedding, reports said Wednesday. According to the report,they were invited and Brad gave George his word he’d be there but Angie vetoed the trip at the last minute to pull a power play and diss Amal.

Content Victoria Usman, Abisola Alawode, Love Adeyemi, Faith Kure DeSIGn/LAYoUt Matthew Akhabue ACTING EDITOR Catherine Agbo

group

FoUnDeR Sam nda-Isaiah GRoUP MAnAGInG DIReCto DIReCtoR Azubuike Ishiekwene GRoUP eXeCUtIVe DIReCtoRS Michael okpere, Dr Kazeem Durodoye FeeDbACK AnD MAILS Cognoscenti is published as an insert in LEADERSHIP Weekend. A number of the articles in this pullout are sourced from diverse sources. Please do send your feedback and enquiries to cognoscenti@leadership.ng or send us a tweet @LeCognoscenti

Saturday, November 15, 2014

StartingBlocks South Africa has the highest number of asylum seekers in the world.

africanFacts

THE PACESETTING PAGES

The only museum dedicated to Judaism in the Arab world is in Tunisia.

Proudly Nigeria Bukar Dipcharima

powerful orator The people who today are known as Nigerians owe their existence to a number of founding fathers who never gave up on the now sovereign State. One of such people is Bukar Dipcharima, a man who many have come to know as one of the most under-acknowledged of this group. An orator and politician to the core, Bukar Dipcharima was born in 1917 in Maiduguri. He began his education at Elementary School, Dikwa after which he proceeded to Middle School in Maiduguri and later, the Katsina Higher Training College where he specialised in Geography, English and History. He was an early entrant to politics, joining the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), the major existing political party at the time in 1946 after the enactment of the Richards Constitution which allowed more indigenous political participation. In 1947, along with NCNC leaders, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Adeleke Adedoyin and Olorun Nimbe and a few others, he was part of the delegation on tour in London to make claim and objections to certain acts in the Richards Constitution. A year later in 1948, Dipcharima left politics to work for John Holt as a manager, and having enjoyed the experience, he resigned in 1954, to re-join politics for the second time. This time, he chose affiliation with the dominant party in the north, the Northern People’s Congress (NPC). He was elected as a native authority councillor in charge of prisons and the police and later as a member of the Federal House of Representatives. In this capacity, he was appointed as the parliamentary secretary for the minister of transport in 1956. He was later made a minister without portfolio the following year and in 1958, the minister of commerce and

Bukar Dipcharima at the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States General Assembly resolution in New York, December 12, 1974.

industry. As minister of commerce, he announced the government's support for a motion suspending trade with the apartheid ruled South Africa and sought fairer terms of trade for African nations. One of Dipcharima’s assignments

in his party the NPC was to make Bornu safe for the party. He and Kashim Ibrahim, another member of the party who was also from Borno mobilised members of the army, their police department, the Emirate Council and all the force at their command to achieve this task. He used his power of oratory to educate the people on reasons why their affiliation must be for NPC and to a large extent, they were convinced. He and his compatriot on the job, Kashim Ibrahim saw their party through tremendous victories over many years fighting off opposition and mobilising party members for the party. In the 1957 election, the NPC won 23 seats to the Yerwa Town Council as against the 8 won by their number one opposition, the Borno Youth Movement (BYM). His fame soon spread to the western world as traditional leader of Bornu and as a Kanuri man who had made good even in Lagos. A well-travelled man, Dipcharima, unlike his northern and Bornu compatriots was so exposed he dared to serve as a resolute member of the defunct NPC, and was efficient, able and progressive in outlook and in his approach to problems connected with his ministry and others of the nation. His contribution to the debates in the federal parliament reflects his unwavering determination to ensure that only the best is good for the nation. His love for the nation and modest political play is worthy of embracing for our new generation politicians.

STricTLY fOr JJcs Kick money changers off our roads Every way is a way to make money in Abuja. Though not a good saying, many adapt this as a guide when they do business and celebrate their efforts if by their calculations, they make profit at the end of the day. The newest but not so new business that is blossoming in the FCT these days is that which the money changers do. These people, who have taken over the Abuja-Kubwa express way particularly in Deidei, go to the bank, get clean notes through ways that are obviously not legal, to do yet another business that is not legal either.

The worst part is that they make unnecessary huge sums off us yet we help them to remain in business with our patronage. As residents of Abuja, it is our collective responsibility to eliminate illegal practises from our dwelling however possible. And the good news here is that eliminating the money changers is easy, it only requires that you don’t patronise them. If you must spray clean notes at that party, talk to your banker about clean notes. Make sure you do that early and not on the Thursday before the Saturday you plan to do

the unnecessary public display. This way he or she has enough time to see if there’s a way to help your pride. If that does not work, use what you have, period! The only difference in this case is that you might have to put the money in an envelope in which case you have to deliver it quietly, which is a better way anyway. Resolve to not giving these lazy men posing as hustlers 300 naira on every 1000 naira you change. Decide instead to give that extra amount to help a neighbour who you genuinely see to be helpless.

iBrahim imam

Outspoken compatriot

Ibrahim Imam is known to many as a tempestuous character, powerful orator and one of Bornu's greatest sons. He founded the Borno Youth Improvement Association (BYIA) in 1949 after serving as general secretary of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC). He was largely responsible for the expansion of the NPC in Northern Nigeria when he was with the party. He later became a political ally of Chief Awolowo when the party joined the Action Group in 1958. Ibrahim Imam was born in Yerwa and grew up in a highly religious and sophisticated environment. The fluency with which Amsami spoke the Arabic language ensured that he got on very well with the first batch of British administrators like Major Augustus McClintock, W.P. Hewby and later H.R. Palmer, who apart from being administrators, were also Arabic scholars. This influence with both the British and also with the Shehu of Borno, made him to rise in esteem in the Borno Court so much that he virtually became the first modern Waziri of Borno. The second youngest child of his father's eight male children and one daughter, Ibrahim Imam received Koranic and Western education which culminated at Katsina College from where he graduated in 1938. A trained engineer in the public works department, Imam worked as supervisor of works towards the end of World War II. The Maiduguri Airport remains one of his most notable organisational achievements, the building of which he mobilised workers for. He combined almost effortlessly his councillorship in charge of social services with his membership of the Shehu's Council. He enjoyed doing his own things and earned respect doing that as a public servant and a politician. In 1951, Ibrahim Imam was elected to the Northern House of Assembly in Kaduna in what seemed like he was being co-opted into the system. Subsequently, Ibrahim Imam emerged the General Secretary of the NPC and was instrumental in welding what was originally vague motley of individuals and officials into a well-structured party. He soon resigned from the party almost without a second thought and returned to his old job at the works department in Borno, only to be forced out before long due to his radical views. Thus, business became his next point of call and was later invited to be the patron of the Borno Youth Movement which he accepted.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

StartingBlocks

4.5,000,000,000 Number of years that have gone by since the Solar System was formed according to scientists from the European Space Agency.

150,000,000 Number of records Irish band U2 have sold worldwide.

The BuzzworThy sTuff oNLINe

Trended Barack Obama’s gum chewing antic offends Chinese Web users The US President, a known user of Nicorette, a gum used to stop smoking cravings, was seen chomping away at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Chinese Internet users, used to far greater levels of formality from their leaders, branded him an ‘idler’ and a ‘rapper’. Yin Hong, a professor of journalism at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, took to the Sina Weibo micro-blog service to voice his disapproval. He said: ‘We made this meeting so luxurious, with singing and dancing, but see Obama, stepping out of his car chewing gum like an idler.’

Bono cheats death after his private jet door falls off while in the air Bono and four friends cheated death recently when a rear door of their private jet fell off mid-flight. The Irish rock star was on board the Learjet 60 D-CGEO making the two-hour afternoon trip from Dublin to Berlin. He was the only member of U2 on the plane; as band mates Larry Mullen, the Edge and Adam Clayton. The group were lined up to accept an award at the Bambi International Music awards in Berlin, but Bono flew out early to attend a diplomatic function with the German minister of economic cooperation and development, Gerd Mueller. But when Bono and his crew reached the German coast, flying at about 8,000ft, the tailgate of the plane became detached. A source close to the singer said: ‘He was extremely lucky; the plane could have gone down.

Funny web Amy Childs mistakes the Ebola virus for a band during red carpet interview

She’s made a fortune out of playing the ditz. But Amy Childs has taken her cluelessness to a whole new level after mistaking the deadly virus Ebola for a band. The gaff occurred when the former TOWIE star was being interview by The Revolution Will Be Televised presenter, Jolyon Rubinstein on the MOBO’s red carpet in London last month. Jolyon questioned: ‘Have we done enough to prevent the spread of Ebola?’ To which a perplexed Amy responded: ‘What?’ The video then cuts to the presenter saying: ‘You know Ebola is going to be huge, don’t you?’ Then an enthusiastic Amy replied: ‘I might be a big fan after tonight… I think it will be absolutely amazing.’

Jealous woman who forced her fiancé to take a lie detector test every day finally marries him A woman who forced her fiancé to take a lie detector test to prove he has been faithful every time he left the house has married him. Debbie Wood, 43, from Leicester was so afraid her boyfriend, now husband, Steve Wood, 31, would stray she even combed his phone, email accounts and bank statements for signs of infidelity several times a day. But she has now put her fears to one side and married Mr Wood in a Halloween ceremony. Mr and Mrs Wood made headlines last year after she was diagnosed with a rare condition, Othello Syndrome that causes delusional jealousy. She had even banned him from watching women on television or looking at pictures of them in magazines. ‘I think he’s gorgeous, but that’s not the issue - it’s about whether or not I can trust him not to look at other women while he is out on his own,’ she had said.

Viral Chinese man spends $86,000 on 99 iPhone 6s to impress a girl he wanted to marry but she says no A Chinese man’s heart and wallet has suffered after he proposed to his girlfriend by spending $86,000 on 99 identical iPhones. The unnamed man from Guangzhou, in Guangdong province, south China, spent the equivalent of more than 17 years the average worker’s salary on Apple’s latest mobile phone to win over his woman for life. However, despite laying out the 99 iPhones boxes in a heart shape, the man was turned down. Photos of the standoff between the smitten man and uninterested woman went viral on Weibo, a Chinese micro blogging site. The man can be seen in photographs standing in a heart made out of 99 boxes containing Apple’s iPhone 6. He had also invited all his colleagues to stand in a ring around his iPhone heart and witness his marriage proposal. According to Weibo bloggers,

the man asked the young lady to step into the heart where he offered her flowers and a life of marital bliss. What she actually said to him has not been reported, but witnesses said she well and truly rejected him. It is not known whether she took a phone as payment for her embarrassment and the waste of time. But from all accounts the rejected suitor now has the job of trying to get some of his money back selling the phones at a discounted price.

Shocking video shows men taking advantage of a woman pretending to be drunk A new YouTube video gives a terrifying portrayal of the vulnerability of drunk women - and the shocking lengths that some men will go to in order to take advantage of their inebriated state. The video, which was created by social media entrepreneur Stephen Zhang, follows a young woman - who is pretending to be seriously intoxicated - as she tries to find her way home from Hollywood Boulevard. Throughout the video, the young woman, who introduces herself as Jennifer, appears to be sipping from a beer can as she staggers from one man to another asking for

directions to her bus stop. During the four-minute video, Jennifer approaches five different men and each time makes clear that she needs to find a bus which will take her home to Culver City. Introducing the video, the woman briefly explains the details of the experiment, saying: ‘Hey guys, today I’m on Hollywood Boulevard, I’ve had a little too much to drink. Let’s see if anyone will help me to get home.’ Shockingly, of the five men featured, only one actually offers her assistance, while the rest attempt to lure her back to their homes - despite her obviously drunken state.

STrange Bizarre condition causes woman to grow fingernails instead of hair Since 2009, 32-year-old Shanyna Isom has been suffering from a mysterious skin condition that causes fingernails to grow out of the hair follicles all over her body. The mystery illness is so inconceivably strange that even after five years, doctors have no idea what is wrong with her. According to physicians treating her at the Johns Hopkins Medical Centre, in Baltimore, Shanyna is the only person in the world suffering from the bizarre disease. It all started in 2009, when Shanyna – then a law student at the University of Memphis – suffered a massive asthma attack. She went into the emergency room where she was given a large dose

of steroids. Soon after, she developed an allergic reaction to the steroids, and her skin began to itch uncontrollably. Although she was prescribed Benadryl and other allergy drugs , her condition kept getting worse. “It was uncontrollable and we didn’t know what it was.”

Saturday, November 15, 2014

StartingBlocks Running a 41km trek in less than 3 hours is against the law in Iceland.

DUMBlaWS

Offensive gestures directed at government motorcades, especially giving them finger, is strictly prohibited in Zimbabwe.

OF EVERYTHING THAT'S WORTH ITS SALT

expenSive CeleBRiTy enGaGeMenT RinGS

Knowles

Hilton

Trump and Knauss

S/n Celebrity

Giver

amount

Beyonce Knowles

Jay Z

$5,000

Paris Hilton

Paris Latsis

$4,700

Melania Knauss

Donald Trump

$2,000

4 5

Kim Kardashian Jacqueline Kennedy

Kris Humphries John Kennedy

$2,000 $1,500

Jennifer Lopez

Ben Affleck

$1,200

Catherine Zeta Jones

Michael Douglas

$1,000

Angelina Jolie

Brad Pitt

$250

Halle Berry

Olivier Martinez

$200

Jessica Simpson

Eric Johnson

$100

MOST viSiTeD COunTRieS, 2014

France

United States

Spain

S/n Country

number of visitors increase on previous year

France

84.7 million

2 per cent

United States

69.8 million

4.7 per cent

Spain

60.7 million

5.6 per cent

4 5

China Italy

55.7 million 47.7 million

3.5 per cent 2.9 per cent

Turkey

37.8 million

5.9 per cent

Germany

31.5 million

3.7 per cent

United Kingdom

31.2 million

6.4 per cent

Russia

28.4 million

10.2 per cent

Thailand

26.5 million

18.8 per cent

SHOCKinG

FooDFaCtS

It is illegal in Australia to kill an animal with a name.

Free range, cage-free eggs have 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2 times more omega-3s, 3 times more vitamin E, 7 times more betacarotene than the commercially-produced variety.

SightS along Pikk Street – tallinn 1. Maritime Museum Model ships, antique telescopes and other seafaring memorabilia are gathered together in the Old Town branch of the Maritime Museum. The museum is housed in the interior of a drumshaped tower known as Fat Margaret. 2. The Three Sisters This trio of 15th-century houses represent Gothic Tallinn at its picturesque best. The southern most of the sisters has a facade with arched and circular niches. 3. Oleviste Church Towering above the Old Town’s northern end, the Oleviste Church is famous for its soaring steeple, which was the highest in the world when first built in 1500. 4. Former KGB Building This 19th-century apartment block was once the HQ of the Soviet security department. Little sign of its sinister role remains. 5. RohelineTurg One of the smallest green spaces in Tallinn, this park overlooks the junction of Pikk and Olevirnaqi. Once the site of a vegetable market, its name means ‘Green Square’. The dainty Orthodox chapel at the end of the park dates from 1909. 6. House of the Blackheads At No.26, Tallinn’s most famous facade is studded with reliefs by the Dutch stonemason Arent Passer. Particularly exquisite are the plaques portraying duelling knights, just above the firstfloor windows. 7. The Canute Guild This striking 19th-century mansion in English neo-

Maritime Museum

The Three Sisters Hotel

Tudor style was once home to the Canute Guild, an association of artisans who took their name from King Canute IV. The building now serves as a dance theatre. 8. Draakoni House Built in 1911, this fine Art Nouveau building (now an art gallery) owes its name to the flamboyant facade decorations - a pair of black- winged dragons sprawling above the firstfloor windows. 9. The Great Guild Built in 1407 when the guild of Tallinn’s merchants wielded considerable power, this building is an outstanding example of Tallinn Gothic. 10. Maiasmokk Site of a cafe for 200 years, Maiasmokk (Sweet Tooth) is a Tallinn institution. Sweet- makers can be observed at work behind the counter of the cafe’s sweet shop.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

StartingBlocks BY THE NUMBERS

THE RoSETTa MiSSioN

$1.58 BillioN

Amount that has been spent on the Rosetta mission so far.

316

MillioN Number of time signals from the Rosetta spaceship travel before they reach the earth.

CELEBINFO

BOXOFFICESTATS

None of the Beatles knew how to read music. (Paul McCartney eventually taught himself.)

Action comedy movie Ride Along was made with a meagre $25m but has made $154m worldwide since it’s debut.

WHAT'S UP

IN-THE-NOW HappENINgS arOuNd uS

Philae lander makes historic touchdown on comet In just over 50 years of space exploration humanity has landed spacecraft on Venus, the moon, Mars, Saturn’s moon, Titan, and two asteroids. Now a new object can be added to that list: a comet.

KiloGRaMME Weight of the Philae lander.

Number of years the Rosetta spaceship trailed the 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko.

135,184 KM/H

The speed at which the Rosetta spaceship travelled.

2993

KiloGRaMME Weight of the Rosetta spaceship.

METRES Wingspan of the Rosetta spaceship.

Number of years that has gone by since The 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko comet was discovered.

Five simple words marked the fulfilment of an extraordinary feat of space exploration on Wednesday November 13, 2014 when scientists announced: ‘We are on the comet.’ To cheers and hugs, ecstatic experts delivered the news that a machine the size of a dishwasher had dropped onto an icy rock more than 4.8 million km away. Andrea Accomazzo, the Rosetta flight operations director, added: “We cannot be happier than we are now.” The $1.58bn Rosetta mission aims to unlock the mysteries of comets, made from ancient material that predates the birth of the solar system. In the data Rosetta and Philae collect, researchers hope to learn more of how the solar system formed and how comets carried water and complex organics to the planets, preparing the stage for life on Earth. Space agencies have sent probes to comets before, but not like this. In 1986, Nasa’s Ice mission flew through the tail of Halley’s comet. In 2005, the agency’s Deep Impact spacecraft fired a

massive copper block at comet Temple 1. But none before now has landed. The feat marks a profound success for the European Space Agency (ESA), which launched the Rosetta spacecraft more than 10 years ago from its Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. Since blasting off in March 2004, Rosetta and its lander Philae have travelled more than 6 billion kilometres to catch up with the comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko, which orbits the sun at speeds up to 135,000km/h. “We are the first to do this, and that will stay forever,” said Jean Jacques Dordain, director general of the ESA. Going further, he said ‘Esa and its Rosetta mission partners achieved something extraordinary today,’ said Dordain. ‘Our ambitious Rosetta mission has secured another place in the history books: not only is it the first to rendezvous with and orbit a comet, but it is now also the first to deliver a probe to a comet’s surface.’ ‘After more than 10 years travelling through

space, we’re now making the best ever scientific analysis of one of the oldest remnants of our solar system,’ added Alvaro Giménez, Esa’s director of Science and Robotic Exploration. ‘Decades of preparation have paved the way for today’s success, ensuring that Rosetta continues to be a gamechanger in cometary science and space exploration.’ ‘Hollywood is good, but Rosetta is better’ - said the UK Space Agency CEO Dr David Parker. Despite revelations that the lander has touched down on the comet using its harpoons, scientists said that it had not yet deployed its anchors which meant that it was not completely attached to the surface. The surface was much softer than they expected, so there were some concerns that it was not securely fixed on the comet – although from a software point of view things seemed to be fine. Whatever happens, the Rosetta mission has already rewritten the history of our solar system.’

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Stuff

p32

spiritual places Apart from being spiritual places, these buildings appeal to every eye.

p35

bullet ant initiation Young boys of the Sateré-Mawé tribe mark their coming of age with ants.

p36

Anna Wintour She’s fashion’s most famous editor who this year will be honoured hugely.

that will tickle your fancy

Big Ideas

despots and dictators

Argentina’s Juan Manuel De Rosas A ruthless tyrant who concocted the ‘Sum of Public Power’ – a principle by which the powers of the legislature, the civil service, and the military are combined and delegated to the executive office. The Sum of Public Power endowed Rosas with immunity from being deposed, from criticism or dissent, and from punishment. It granted him the authority to rule the life or death of people, to enact law governing people and property, to declare war or peace with other countries, to set taxes, to designate ministers, and so forth. Rosas put the Sum of Public Power in practice assisted by spies, sycophantic propagandists, and the Mazorca (a secret political society that degenerated into a band of assassins) and, in the process, created a climate of terror. He was adulated and fawned on in public but behind this cosmetic facade lurked a society in turmoil. Plots were hatched against him and General Justo Jose de Urquiza mounted an army with the purpose of dethroning Rosas and enacting a constitution. Roundly defeated by Urquiza, Rosas lived out his days in exile in England, as a farmer in Southampton.

Some philosophers have claimed that happiness is the greatest good. But what do they mean by ‘happiness’? The doctrine known as hedonism, originating in ancient Greece, largely associates happiness with pleasure. In contrast, Aristotle and others associate happiness with leading the good life, which consists of using reason both in thought and as a guide to virtuous action. Both interpretations of happiness are found in the aim of utilitarianism, which is to achieve ‘the greatest happiness of the greatest number’. This is a goal that many politicians lay claim to, and in the American Declaration of Independence, ‘the pursuit of happiness’ is numbered as a fundamental human right. However, some have suggested that the pursuit of happiness is itself a source of unhappiness. Others associate happiness with contentment and contentment with servility a pig may be happy in its muck, but it is not free.

Russia’s Empress Anna She once punished a trio of nobles by ordering them to impersonate hens. For each of the three, a large basket was shaped into a nest, padded with straw, and lined with newly laid eggs; the baskets were arrayed in a ballroom, and the offenders were costumed in feathers and directed, on pain of death, to squat on the nests and brood and cluck. Displeased with her relative Prince Michael, Anna commanded him to marry a notoriously ugly old scullery maid. Michael then was subjected to the most humiliating wedding celebrations ever devised: Empress Anna had ordered a magnificent public procession comprised of drunkards, cripples, deformed persons, derelicts, and freaks, followed by a parade of carriages pulled by pigs, dogs, and goats while the newlyweds took up the rear in a cage mounted on a shambling nag of an elephant. This farmyard fiasco concluded when the fantastic entourage reached the banks of the frozen river at the city’s edge. As a wedding gift, Empress Anna had constructed an enchanting ice palace: The honeymooners’ boudoir had been completed to the last detail and included an elegant four-poster bed, mattress, and pillows, all sculpted from ice, and accented by festively glacial decorations. Guards were posted at the doors so they couldn’t leave.

What do you mean? Mosquito repellants do not repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito’s sensors so they do not know you are there. The Ramses brand condom is named after the great Pharaoh Ramses II, who fathered more than 160 children. Camera shutter speed B stands for ‘bulb’,

Answer:

Who wrote the longest letter ever written?

USELESS INFORMATION

The longest lwtter ever written was written by the students of a spiritual group in India in 2010. The letter was addressed to God.

QUICKQUIZ

Happiness

Scotchgard is a combination of the words Scotch, meaning ‘Scotsman,’ and a misspelling of guard, meaning ‘to protect.’

Stuff

Saturday, November 15, 2014 that will tickle your fancy

HISTORIFIC

King Goujian of Yue in China used to place a row of convicted criminals at the front of his army before any battle. They would cut off their own heads to scare his enemy’s army.

SCIENTIFIC

There are 8 times as many atoms in a teaspoonful of water as there are teaspoonfuls of water in the Atlantic Ocean.

The world’s most spiritual places Vatican City St Peter’s Basilica stands over what is believed to be the tomb of the Apostle St Peter. Tradition holds that he was martyred in around AD64 in an adjacent stadium called the Circus of Nero – crucified headdown at his own request, so as not to emulate Christ. The Ancient Egyptian obelisk that now stands in the middle of St Peter’s Square, transported to Rome at the orders of Emperor Caligula in AD 37, would have witnessed the scene. Mecca The words of God were first delivered to the Prophet Muhammed in AD 610 in a cave high above the city of Mecca, where he liked to meditate. Muhammed declared Mecca the first city of Islam and the Ka’aba stone cube became the primary focus of the religion, to which all Muslims turn when they pray, wherever they are in the world. Stonehenge The stone slabs of Wiltshire’s most famous site were erected at the end of the Stone Age, in about 2600 BC, probably dragged from the Marlborough Downs 40km away. This feat would, by some estimates, have required teams of some 600 workers for each stone. Earlier, in around 3,000 BC, more than 60 smaller ‘bluestones’ (the colour they go when wet) were, it seems, brought from the Preseli Hills in Wales, a journey that would have required dragging them on sleds overland and on rafts along rivers, over a distance of some 400km.Why? Nobody knows, but for centuries every generation has devised its own theory. Omaha Beach There’s a profound stillness now at

the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer. Neat ranks of crosses and stars of David fan out across the manicured lawns. Down below, on the sands where many of these men died, the atmosphere is barely less sombre and sacred. Many battlefields have a certain sanctity to them; at Omaha Beach it derives, ultimately, from the knowledge that much blood was spilled on this wet shore – the blood mostly of very young men fighting a decisive engagement in a grand and deeply righteous cause, the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation. Lascaux This is one of the world’s most precious art treasures: an underground gallery with walls and ceilings covered with paintings and engravings some 17,000 years old. Soon after it was discovered in 1940 by four local teenage boys and their dog, it became known as ‘The Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art’. The Lascaux cave is alive with animals – cattle, horses, deer, pictured with extraordinary dynamism and skill, running, overlapping, some huge, some tiny, some just silhouettes scratched into the soft limestone walls. Many of the animals pictured are extinct: aurochs (a kind of wild cattle); the elk-like megalocerous; rhinoceros present in Ice Age Europe; the mysterious deer with two long, straight horns, nicknamed ‘the unicorn’ but never identified. Santiago de Compostela A the top of the Monte do Gozo ‘Hill of Joy’ two statues of pilgrimmonks wave their arms to greet the first site of their goal, the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. This is the very last hill on the Camino Frances (French Road), along which, for more than 1,000 years, pilgrims

in their millions have come, from all over Europe and beyond. Santiago de Compostela is Christianity’s third most important pilgrimage destination, after Jerusalem and Rome, reaching the height of its fame and popularity in the early Middle Ages. Mount Athos The best-known fact about Mount Athos is that women are not allowed. With rare exceptions, they have not allowed for more than 1,000 years. The population of some 2,000 Eastern Orthodox monks and their Mount Athos lay assistants are all male, and all over the age of 18. Mount Athos is really a peninsula 50km long. Dotted all around the coast, and sprinkled here and there inland, are 20 large Orthodox monasteries. The monks – who now come from all over the world – lead austere lives of prayer and work. Potala Palace In Lhasa (‘Place of the Gods’), the capital of Tibet, China, the most resolute pilgrims make painfully slow progress towards the Potala Palace: three and a half paces forward, raise hands to the heavens, bend, lie flat on Mecca the ground in prostration, rise, repeat. Around the base of the palace they will encounter another pilgrimage route, called the Kora, travelled by hundreds of people every day as they make their way clockwise around a path punctuated with sacred images. Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood This ornate and glittering church was designed as an exclusive tribute to a tsar: Alexander II. It marks the place in St Petersburg where his blood was spilled: the site of a bomb attack that led to his death in the Winter Palace a few hours later. Omaha Beach

WORlD OF ESPIONaGE

quESTIONS yOu'll NEvER aSk

Brazil builds direct Internet cable to Europe to avoid US spying

How do I bring up using a condom with my partner?

The government of Brazil is to construct a transatlantic cable across the Atlantic Ocean in order to avoid having its Internet traffic to and from Europe intercepted by American intelligence agencies. According to reports, the fibre-optic cable will stretch for 5,632km from the north-eastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza to the Portuguese capital Lisbon. It will cost the Brazilian government in excess of $185m, but it will allow the country’s existing Internet traffic to and from Europe to travel without going through cables owned by American service providers. According to Brazilian officials, the construction of the cable is among several steps announced by the Brazilian government aimed at disassociating its communications infrastructure from American companies. The move follows revelations made last year by American defector Edward Snowden that the US National Security Agency specifically targeted Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s personal communications as part of its intelligence-collection efforts targeting Brazil. In response to the revelations, Rousseff cancelled a

Talking about how to have safer sex with your partner is very important. While it might be embarrassing at first, it is absolutely necessary if you’re going to share the intimacy and responsibility of sex. One of the easiest ways to bring it up is just to take a deep breath, be direct, and say what you feel. Highlight the importance of protecting yourselves against diseases. (Remember, it is possible that one of you may already have an STD, even if you don’t have symptoms of it yet.) Discuss the importance of protecting against an unplanned pregnancy. Talk about the responsibilities that would arise if you didn’t use a condom and you either spread an infection to your partner, or pregnancy occurred. Using a condom will help protect both you and your partner. Bringing up the topic of using a condom may be a little awkward at first, but you and your partner will both be glad you did.

planned official state visit to Washington and accused the US of having committed ‘a breach of international law and an affront’ against Brazil’s sovereignty. The planned fibre-optic cable connection to Europe will be overseen by Telecomunicacoes Brasileiras SA, Brazil’s state-owned telecommunications conglomerate, known commonly as TeleBras. The company’s president, Francisco Ziober Filho, said in an interview recentlythat none of the $185m that will be spent on the project will end up in the pockets of American companies. For over a year, experts have been warning that the Snowden revelations about the extent of the NSA’s global communicationsinterception activities might undermine the American telecommunications sector, insomuch as it could undercut America’s role and influence in global Internet governance. Many countries, Brazil included, are beginning to actively reconsider their dependence on US-managed Internet networks that host the content of social media sites, cloud computing databases, or telecommunications exchanges.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

BRANDED

SPORTSFACT

In 2010, Wal-Mart offered over 1 million products online.

SoundingClever

paradigm

A model from the Greek paradeigma: a model. Audrey Hepburn was the paradigm of success at a young age, winning an Oscar for her very first movie, Roman Holiday.

Kevin De Bruyne & Cesc Fabregas have more assists (both 9) in the league this season than any other player in Europe's top 5 leagues.

FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE

THINGS not everyone should know how to do

Cheat on your partner

Stuff

that will tickle your fancy

June 1983

spotlights

sophistry

The use of unsound arguments, especially with the intention of outwitting someone from the Greek sophistes: a sophist (someone who reasons with witty but unsound arguments). When clients asked fraudster Bernard Madoff about his investment strategies, Madoff would use complicated language and sophistry to confuse them.

defray

To give money to cover (an expense) from the French defrayer: from de(experiencing removal), and frai: cost.If you are unemployed, the government will pay you a jobseeker's allowance to defray your outings.

Nimbus

A large rain cloud from the Latin nimbus: cloud. I rushed home to grab an umbrella after I saw the nimbuses overhead.

SOUNDING GREAT hallmark A conspicuous feature or characteristic, especially a positive one. After several weeks of overwork, lost sleep and anxiety, she too experienced the painful sore throat, fever and throat-tightening constriction that were the hallmarks of diphtheria, and she took to her bed, unable to do any more for her ravaged family.

FILM Trading Places

A snobbish investor and a wily street con artiste find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

MUSIC Ringo Starr Whether you are a man or a woman, it’s time to face the fact that monogamy is unnatural. Sexual fidelity is virtually non-existent in nature (sure, some species, mostly birds, are socially monogamous,’ but few are sexually monogamous). We all come from a long line of successful breeders and it is hard-wired into our genes to play away from home. Did you know that 85 per-cent of human cultures before the JudeoChristian homogenisation were polygamous? So what’s the best way to do it? 1. The most important rule is DON’T GET CAUGHT. Cheated-on partners can do some extreme things when they discover they’ve been duped. 2. Don’t date two people in the same city; otherwise you’re bound to bump into one while out on a date with- the other. 3. When you’re on a date, always answer your cell phone; ignoring calls is a quick route to raising suspicion. 4. Develop a reputation in your relationships of being a bad liar; allow yourself to get caught lying badly over something trivial and your partner won’t suspect that you could give

lessons to Richard Nixon. 5. Be prepared for double-dating to take up twice your energy; eat healthily and exercise regularly: you’ll need every bit of stamina you’ve got. 6. If you’re living with your partner, never bring your affair home, as alien pubes in the soap dish or between the sheets are a dead giveaway. 7. When covering your tracks, always base your lies on the truth and pay attention to small details. Also, don’t lie unless absolutely necessary: if you lie all the time, no one will believe you. 8. If your partner suspects that you’re lying, burst into tears or break something. 9. Don’t be tempted to spill the beans if your partner suggests a threesome or swinging; it may be a trap to make you fess up to your cheating. 10. If your partner discovers you’ve been cheating and you can’t see yourself spending the rest of your life together, it is the ideal time to break free and get out. There’s no point acting all repentant and spending months trying to rebuild trust for a relationship with no longterm future.

In My Car is a single by The Beatles’ former drummer, Ringo Starr, and included on his ninth studio album Old Wave.

TELEVISION Blackadder

In the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother.

EVENT Papal visit

On the 16th, the Pontiff of the Catholic Church at the time, Pope John Paul II, arrived in his native Poland.

BIRTHDAY Shane West

Hollywood actor, Shane West, who rose to fame for his acting in such movies as A Walk to Remember, celebrated his 5th birthday on the 10th.

DEATH Stan Rogers

Canadian folk musician and songwriter Stan Rogers, who was noted for his rich, baritone voice and finely crafted, traditionalsounding songs died on the 2nd at the tender age of 33.

Stuff

Saturday, November 15, 2014 that will tickle your fancy

9.7

metre

ARTICULATE The green façade Austria house

The width of the Seikan Tunnel in Japan.

Total number of muscles a cat has in each ear.

Why do some particles have mass while others have none? According to current theory, photons, which are particles of light, have no mass, while other particles, such as electrons and quarks, do have mass. Quite what the difference is, and why there is a difference at all, is unknown. According to supporters of the Higgs boson theory, a ‘Higgs field’ permeates the entire universe and interacts with mass-less particles to give them mass. This is another problem that the large Hadron Collider may throw light on. But whether that light can be transformed into mass is another matter.

What killed most sailor in an eighteenth-century sea battle?

This unusual detached home applying the principles of an Escher painting in architecture displays a volumetric facade covered in a soft synthetic grass, pierced by weirdly placed staircases and large windows adorned with other windows. Yes, it is a lot to take in, but focusing on each detail at a time gives us a complete view of this green residence in Frohnleiten, Austria. Designed by Reinhold Weichlbauer and Albert Josef Ortis of Weichlbauer Ortis Architects, the single family home can be looked at as an exploration of the connectivity between nature and architecture. The concrete structure covered in greenery has vertical corner windows interrupted by another window placed horizontally, shaping a cantilevering railing. Simple concrete stairs leading nowhere construct a fairy-tale scenario, while the surrounding green scape participates in creating a picturesque surrounding. Although the house is having some parts that are odd but it really gives a special characteristic. Windows and doors are suspended horizontally in front of large windows to serve as handrails, fixtures placed on the facade in an almost improvised and seemingly out of context with an unorthodox approach to architecture. The house’s structure is defined by concrete boxes arranged over three levels - basement, ground and first - with the entrance next to the lower-level carport. Inside, apart from a glass door overlooking a sheer drop at the top of a regular staircase, the house is a picture of domestic bliss, with light, airy rooms accommodating a family of five. An exquisite work of archeitecture.

How many moons does the earth have? Certainly, the moon is the only celestial body to observe a strict orbit of the earth. But there are now six other ‘Near-Earth’ Asteroids which do follow the earth around the sun, despite being invisible to the naked eyes. The first of these ‘co-orbitals’ to be identified was Cruithne, a three – mile – wide satellite, discovered in 1997 and since then, six more have been identified, named: 2000 PH5, 2000 WN10, 2002 AA29, 2003 YN107 and 2004 GU9. Many astronomers would say they are not moons but they are certainly more than just run- of- the- mill asteroids. Like earth, they take roughly a year to orbit the sun.

KNOW WHY... …you should drink lemon water in the morning Not only does the warm water help to stimulate the GI tract, but the lemons are believed to stimulate and purify the liver. It also helps digestive acids with digestion and elimination. Citrus fruits like lemon are high in vitamin C and ascorbic acid. Vitamin C can help fight colds and also maintain healthy skin and the antioxidants can combat aging factors. The ascorbic acid helps iron absorption which also plays a role in immune function. If your body is in a chronic ph imbalance, it’s susceptible to disease. Even though lemons seem acidic, they are extremely alkalising and a great way to ensure your ph balance is where it should be especially if your diet is heavy in meat, cheese and alcohol. Lemon water is a natural diuretic, which means it helps your body flush liquid and toxins along with it. The citric acid can also help maximise enzymes which stimulates the liver.

Why are we ticklish? Laughing when tickled is a strange mixture of physiological and psychological responses. Generally speaking, it is the most sensitive areas of the body that are most likely to be ticklish but this is not always the case. Feet, for example, are usually more ticklish than hands, even though they are less sensitive. There also seems to be an element of surprise needed for tickling to work properly, which may explain why we cannot tickle ourselves. As with laughter, it has been suggested that tickling is a form of communication, but recent research has suggested that ticklishness may not be confined to humans and apes, and that the vocalisations of tickled rats have a lot in common with those of tickled human babies, which is very difficult to reconcile with any psychological theories of tickling.

Cannon balls fired from men o’ war didn’t actually explode, they just tore through the hull of the ship causing huge splinters of wood to fly around the decks at high spped, lacerating anyone with range. British naval ships of the period were often rotten and unseaworthy. Many of the officers had no idea how to sail, fight and control their men. Hernias caused by manhandling acres of wet canvas were so common that the navy was forced to issue trusses. To cap it all there wasn’t a single pay rise for a century. At close range, a 32 – pound ball was capable of penetrating wood to depth of 60cm. the best way to stop splinters was to use a type of wood found in the south- eastern USA which resisted splintering. As well as being one of the hardest woods, the live Oak is the state tree of Georgia and a symbol of strength and resistance for the southern states.

What’s the single largest manmade structure on earth? Opened in 1948, the fresh kill’s landfill site named after the Dutch word kil meaning ‘Small River’ soon became one of the largest projects in human history, eventually trumping the Great Wall of China as the world’s largest manmade structure. The site is 12 square km (4.6 miles) in area and, when operational, twenty barges, each carrying 650 tons of rubbish, were shipped in every day. Had Fresh Kills continued to stay open as planned, it would have grown to be the highest point on the Eastern Seaboard. At its peak the dump was already 25m (over 80 feet) higher than the statue of Liberty. Under local pressure, the landfill closed in March 2001, only to reopen again to cope with the enormous amount of debris created by the destruction of the World Trade Centre. But it is now completely shut down. Arguably, there are structures which are spread across more space – the US road network, perhaps? The internet? The GPS satellite network? – But the Fresh Kills landfill is the largest single cohesive structure.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Stuff

Lifestyled

Coming of age:

The bullet ant initiation in Brazil In the Brazilian Amazon, young boys belonging to the indigenous Sateré-Mawé tribe mark their coming of age when they turn 13 in a bullet ant initiation.

An initiation a boy has to do to become a man in this tribal community is painful, to say the least – he has to withstand being stung by not one, but a swarm of bullet ants. The initiation goes as so: they search the jungle for bullet ants, these ants are first rendered unconscious by submerging hundreds of them in a sedative herbal solution. The ants are then weaved into a leaf net gloves with the stingers pointed inwards. An hour or so later, the ants wake up angrier than ever, and the initiation begins. Each boy has to wear the gloves for ten minutes and the real pain starts after the gloves are taken off, when the toxins kick into action and the boy’s whole hands are swollen. Enduring the pain demonstrates the boys’ readiness for manhood -- so crying out would demonstrate weakness. Each boy will eventually wear the gloves 20 times over the span of several months before the initiation is complete. When finished, the boy’s hands and part of his arm

Enduring the pain demonstrates the boys’ readiness for manhood -- so crying out would demonstrate weakness. are temporarily paralysed because of the ant venom, and he may shake uncontrollably for days. The only protection provided is a coating of charcoal on the hands, supposedly to confuse the ants and inhibit their stinging. Bullet ants are rated number 1 in the Schmidt Sting Pain Index (SSPI), meaning they have the most painful sting (some say it’s like being shot by a gun)! The pain caused by this insect’s sting is purported to be greater than that of any other hymenopteran which led to the bullet ant deriving their name from the pain of their sting. It is described as causing waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that continues unabated for

up to 24 hours. The ant is thought to have evolved its sting to ward off any predators that would normally unearth them. The practices of the Satere-Mawe are a stark contrast to the urban world, where initiation rites are as simple as going to college, getting a job and moving out of your parents’ home. But it’s different in tribes like these because men generally have little contact with young boys in the tribe, who spend most of their time with the women. But after the initiation is complete, the boy is taken away from the women’s world and introduced to that of men. It sounds primitive, but perhaps it is no different from a father taking his son out fishing or camping, or just spending time with him. Remember: one ant’s sting is like being shot, and there are hundreds of ants woven into the gloves. How painful could this experience get, having to endure the ritual twenty times before they earn that title. What a painstaking, long process to be endured.

that will tickle your fancy

teeNy How to overcome shyness Join a social group (or several) Practice meeting new people and you’ll get better at it. Obvious, right? If you want to grow, you have to get out of your comfort zone regularly. This enables you to make more friends and get involved in conversations. Opening up and loosing up, thereby creating a conducive chatting environment rather than the usual way of feeling uncomfortable because of shyness. This is one of the most important way to overcoming shyness. Whenever you are feeling shy, view the situation as an opportunity for growth Realise that the fear will never go away. You just get better at handling it. Try to recognise when you are feeling shy, and say to yourself, “I’m feeling shy now. If I can push through and do the thing my fear is trying to keep me from doing, next time it won’t be so hard.” over time, the most rewarding experiences tend to occur when you turn towards fear rather than running away from it. Short term pains, long term gains. Environment is stronger than will power If you want to overcome shyness, it makes sense to surround yourself with lots of confident and outgoing people. It’s just like any sport you might play: the fastest way to improve is to regularly compete with an opponent who is better than you. If you only practice with or play against people who are weaker than you, you are not likely to improve very much. Of course, you should try to find someone who is not only better than you, but who is also willing to support you in your efforts to improve. When it comes to overcoming shyness, the best people you can surround yourself with will be confident and outgoing people who desperately want you to succeed. They will act as your cheerleaders as well as your coaching staff. Learn to love yourself It is hard to let the real you shine if you do not like who you are. As such, you might want to go about accepting your imperfections (some of them will never go away, so you better make peace with them) and working on your character before concerning yourself too much with overcoming shyness. You will find that as you become more accepting of yourself, you will no longer seek permission from others to act natural. Develop new skills Competence helps build confidence. Find out what you are passionate about and become really good at whatever that is, then build up skills to supplement that passion. So if you really like fashion design, put in the time and effort to become a good fashion designer. Learn how to sketch designs, learn how to mock up those designs on screen, learn how to make your own clothes, learn how to build a portfolio website, learn how to market yourself online, learn how to catwalk, learn how to put on a fashion show, dabble in other creative habits that help you come up with new designs, learn about selfemployment… and on and on and on. With each new skill, you grow more confident in your abilities. You start to believe in yourself. Shyness takes a back seat.

Stuff

Saturday, November 15, 2014 that will tickle your fancy

SHOPAHOLIC

Ooze timeless elegance in the natural short coat from Mark Kaufman furs for just $2,500.

LADYLIKE

When faced with life's minor setbacks, a lady does not act like a victim.

fitnessdorm Relax before bed

Anna Wintour

Fashion’s fiercest success

She’s fashion’s most famous editor with 25 years at style bible Vogue under her belt so it’s hardly surprising that Anna Wintour OBE will receive the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2014 British Fashion Awards. The iconic editor-in-chief of American Vogue and artistic director of Condé Nast will be honoured during the ceremony at the London Coliseum, on December 1, for her tremendous contribution to the fashion industry. So who is the woman behind the black sunglasses, pageboy bob and frosty demeanour? A stellar businesswoman, that’s who. Anna, now 65, is the daughter of Charles Wintour, the famed then-editor of the London Evening Standard newspaper nicknamed ‘Chilly Charlie’, and philanthropist Elinor Wintour. Clearly keen for independence, Anna dropped out of her pretentious finishing school and moved to London where her career began at Harpers & Queen magazine in London in 1970. In 1983 she joined Condé Nast as creative director of American Vogue and in 1986 returned to England to become editor in chief of British Vogue. In July 1988 she re-joined American Vogue in her current position. In March 2013, Ms Wintour was named the artistic director of Condé Nast. Speaking about her hopes for the glossy fashion bible she’s made her own, Anna told the Telegraph at the time: ‘I want Vogue to be pacy, sharp, and sexy, I’m not interested in the super-rich or infinitely leisured. ‘I want our readers to be energetic, executive women, with

money of their own and a wide range of interests. ‘There is a new kind of woman out there. She’s interested in business and money. She doesn’t have time to shop anymore. She wants to know what and why and where and how.’ She did just that. Garnering enough financial backing to revitalise the magazine (which was losing out in the figures to Elle), she restored it to glory. She spearheaded using celebrities on her covers and mixing up designer and high street fashion. The September 2004 edition, under her editorship, had 832 pages, which is the most ever for a monthly magazine. She is also responsible for founding the careers of esteemed designers such as Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen. She is also hugely charitable and uses her name for the good. She has been actively involved in fundraising, particularly for AIDS research and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1990, she played a strategic role in developing the fashion industry’s AIDS charity, the CFDA/ Vogue initiative through which she helped raise over $20m. From 1995 to the present, Ms Wintour has co-chaired sixteen fund-raising galas which together have raised nearly $130m for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. In 2003, Ms Wintour

directed the establishment of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, an unprecedented initiative and award designed to aid emerging American fashion designers struggling to build successful businesses in the wake of 9/11. In September 2009, in response to the devastating consequences of the economic downturn, she developed Fashion’s Night Out, a global initiative designed to promote the retail industry, restore consumer confidence and celebrate fashion. In 2014, she spearheaded the fashion industry’s involvement in Born Free Africa, an organisation aiming to eliminate mother-tochild transmission of HIV by the end of 2015, using funds from a dedicated clothing line comprised of pieces by world-renowned fashion designers who are also mothers. She has since involved Victoria Beckham in the charity. Wintour, who is famously good pals with Roger Federer and starts each day with a game of tennis, has also thrown herself into politics. In February 2012, she co-hosted a fundraising event for President Barack Obama with actress Scarlett Johansson. As for her personal life, she divorced David Shaffer, with whom she has two children, and now resides in New York with long-time boyfriend, investor Shelby Bryan.

Poor-quality sleep prevents our self-regenerating mechanisms from repairing and restoring us at cellular level, resulting in a tired and dull complexion. However, sleeping difficulties can be helped by adopting a simple relaxing routine at the end of the day, designed to help you unwind.

Before performing this pre-sleep routine, have a relaxing warm bath or shower, and a warm drink such as a herbal tea made with camomile or lime flower, or a simple mug of warm milk with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top. Get yourself comfortable in bed, with only a very dim light and no music or television to distract you. Pause between each step and breathe easily for a moment before continuing. • Lie on your back with a low pillow under your head. Close your eyes and breathe regularly and evenly. • Start by tensing all the muscles in your legs and feet, hold this position for a few moments, then slowly release. • Tense your arms and clench your hands into fists, hold this position for a few minutes, then slowly release. • Tense the muscles in your abdomen for a few moments, then slowly release. • Tense your shoulders and hunch them up towards your ears, hold this position for a few moments, slowly release. • Finally, screw your face up into a grimace, hold this position for a few moments, then slowly release. • When you have finished, lie still and simply breathe, noticing how your body feels ... you may find that you fall asleep before the end, which is, of course, the ideal end to a pre-sleep routine! Relaxed muscles will help you to obtain good-quality sleep and e nourishment that brings.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Stuff

that will tickle your fancy

FASCINATING FACTS ANCIeNT CITIeS ThAT people STIll lIve IN Damascus, Syria Established: 10,000 BCE Population: 1.7 million Damascus was seat of Islamic power in the seventh century BCE; later, the centre of the Muslim world moved to Baghdad. Alexander the Great conquered Damascus in the fourth century BCE and became its first western ruler. Plovdiv, Bulgaria Established: 6,000 BCE Population: 380,000 This ancient city was once named Philippopolis, after Philip II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great). It was a major Roman city before it came under the rule of Ottoman and became part of Bulgaria in 1885. Fayyum, Egypt Established: 4,000 BCE Population: 310,000 The Greeks founded this city as ‘Crocodilopolis,’ so called because the area was the centre of the cult of Sobek, the crocodile god. It was famous for producing beautifully painted death masks of mummies. Varanasi, India Established: 1100 BCE Population: 1.2 million Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges River, has produced many artistes, writers, religious leaders and philosophers. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, located near Varanasi. Xi’an, China Established: 1100 BCE Population: 8.2 million The world famous ‘Terra-cotta Army’ of some 8,000 life-size statues was discovered in Xi’an in 1974. The city is famous for its rock music. Cholula, Mexico Sydney: Australia Established: 1788 CE Population: 4.5 million Sydney is the oldest city in Australia, but its only 504th oldest city in the world. Native people have lived in the area tens of millennia. The city is most popular for its opera in the Sydney opera house.

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THE BIG STORY

Tax havens

Offshore tax havens spread by new computing and telecommunications provide an unprecedented tax shelter, enabling rich citizens and corporations to escape the national tax system. Wealthy tax evaders save millions, while public services and infrastructure in their home countries, as well as on the small island havens, remain drastically underfunded.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

TAX hAvens

The Cayman Islands, millionaires joint In the Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory situated in the western part of the Caribbean Sea, people who are looking to evade their taxes get the full package. They do not have to pay for personal income taxes, capital gains, corporate taxes, and payroll taxes. The country does not even withhold tax on foreign clients. The Island is one of the largest and most popular financial centres in the world. They provide a wide range of products and services that can be used to develop almost every conceivable tax and asset protection strategy. The super-rich hold up to $32trn, or 46 per cent of the world’s total economic output and in tax havens such as the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands have no income taxes, capital gains taxes, profits tax, or estate taxes. Bank secrecy laws are among the strictest in the world with criminal penalties for unauthorised disclosure. The law allows companies

to be formed with a minimum of paperwork. Shares can be held anonymously in bearer form or by nominees. The law regarding the formation of trusts is highly developed and allows an excellent level of flexibility, asset protection, and privacy. The Cayman Islands is what is known as a ‘booking centre.’ Wealthy individuals immigrating to the United States, generally stop off in a tax haven such as the Cayman Islands. US residents and citizens pay income tax on their worldwide income and estate tax on all property, wherever located. Before settling in America and becoming subject to its tax laws, an individual will strip himself of his ownership rights. This is accomplished with corporations or trusts which allow the advantages of control and enjoyment of the assets without the disadvantages of high income and estate taxes.

Cash flow hub, Luxembourg One of the members of the European Union, the United Nations, Benelux, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, and NATO, Luxembourg is a country that reflects political consensus as it is in favour of economic, military, and political integration. The country’s capital city, which is also the largest, is the city of Luxembourg. In the Tax Justice Network report, the country got a Financial Secrecy Index value of 1,621.2 and a Secrecy Score of 68, which renders it at third place on our list. In Luxembourg, foreign companies have access to deductions and holding structures that can slash their tax bills from the 29 per cent headline corporate rate to close to zero. Often, they pay little or no tax on income from royalties, dividends, interest, proceeds from liquidations or capital gains. The country’s wealth comes from helping companies not pay taxes

in the countries where the value was created. And the business has made Luxembourg, whose population is only 550,000, the world’s richest country on a per capita basis. The wealth is rooted in thousands of jobs for bankers, lawyers and auditors. There are 149 banks registered here. The mutual-fund sector ranks second in size after the US’s, with $3.3trn in assets under management. The country is a hub for cash flows. Using complex structures and the favourable tax regime, companies move hundreds of billions of dollars a year in and out. Over a decade, investments held by foreign businesses in Luxembourg quadrupled to $3.2trn, more per capita than in any other country, according to OECD data. It is also Europe’s centre for e-commerce. EU rules allow online retailers based in Luxembourg to levy its sales tax, lower than other countries’, for digital purchases around the continent.

Other tax havens Germany

Germany makes it easy for people to open offshore bank accounts. However, this has also resulted in the increasing number of individuals opening such accounts so they can evade their taxes. German corporations structure their international subsidiaries in such a way that the most profitable ones are located in the countries with the lowest tax rates. Corporate tax paid by corporations makes up only 2.8 per cent of the government’s total tax revenues of €561bn. Germany’s army of wage-earners contributes the largest share.

Bahrain

With Secrecy Score of 78 and being recognised as having the freest economy in the Middle East, Bahrain can easily be your

target as an attractive tax haven country. The country derives 70% of its revenue from Abu Safa oilfield, shared with Saudi Arabia. Despite no income tax here, citizens are required to contribute 7% of their total income to the government, while expatriates pay 1%.

Delaware

A number of states in the US act as tax havens, with Delaware being a key example. An office at 1209 North Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware is host to over 200,000 companies including Ford, General Motors, Coca Cola, KFC, Intel, Google and Hewlett Packard. Only about 80 people work in the building. If you want corporate secrecy, staying at home is best. Delaware delivers it all for anyone who asks.

Malta

In the global game of financial Monopoly, the small Mediterranean country Malta has become one of German industry’s preferred locations in the time since it joined the European Union in 2004. Companies like Lufthansa, Puma, BASF, K+S and Fraport have their offices in the town of St. Julian’s, near the “Stiletto Gentleman’s Club” and the pubs where foreign language students drink themselves into oblivion.

Netherlands

The Netherlands is home to almost 20,000 ‘mailbox companies, corporate shells set up by foreign companies and wealthy individuals who use them to reduce taxes on royalties, dividends and interest payments. Globally some 1,165 companies use Dutch

tax shelters to reduce or eliminate taxes on royalties and patents.

Qatar

Based on Forbes 2012 ranking, Qatar achieved GDP (gross domestic product) of US$88,222, pushing it to top the world’s richest country in the world. It’s 1.7 million population country has no taxes on personal incomes, dividends, royalties, profits, capital gains and property, thanks largely to its natural gas reserves – the world’s third largest. However as its citizen, be prepared to pay 5% of your income for social security benefits; while employers contribute 10% for the fund. Qatar is pouring money into infrastructure, including a deep water seaport, an airport and a railway network primarily for the 2022 World Cup.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

TAX hAvens

Hong Kong, every money maker’s friend In the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong is one of the world’s fastest growing secrecy jurisdictions or tax havens today. Its growth is based largely on the fact that it is the premier offshore centre for a fast-growing China, as well as rapid growth more generally in Asia - and also, to a lesser extent, because of the displacement to Hong Kong of some secrecy-based activity from Europe and North America, amid limited crackdowns there since 2009. Hong Kong’s official designation as a ‘Special Administrative Region’ of China and its basic law stating that it enjoys ‘a high degree of autonomy’ from China in all matters except foreign relations and defence, points clearly to its ‘offshore’ status. Indeed, China has supported Hong Kong’s secrecy facilities in the face of international pressure. In this and other respects, the Hong Kong – China link resembles Britain’s links

with its three crown dependencies and 14 overseas territories – of which 10 are recognised secrecy jurisdictions: partly independent from Britain yet also partly linked to and supported by it. Hong Kong’s financial success stems partly from the fact of its world-class port geography and, more importantly, it’s partly-in, partly-out relationship with China. At least on paper, Hong Kong accounted for just under half of all foreign investment into China in 2011. Hong Kong’s secrecy score of 72 places puts it at the higher end of the secrecy scale, roughly on a par with Panama and Singapore. It offers a wide range of offshore services including tax exemptions, transfer pricing facilities, escape routes from Chinese exchange controls, and various forms of financial secrecy including the use of opaque companies and trusts that can assist tax evasion and other crimes.

USA, big brothers of confidentiality Most financial experts agree that the United States is a primary location for international business. The presence of good banks, advanced infrastructure, a consistent legal system and a stable government are all characteristics of the United States that are taken for granted. However, many people do not realise the enormous tax benefits given to ‘non-resident aliens’ making passive income in the United States, or earning income outside the United States and simply using the USA as their own personal ‘offshore tax haven.’ The United States does not tax non-resident aliens for most interest income or dividend income derived from the United States. There is zero capital gain on profits from investments for nonresident aliens. There is zero tax on income earned outside the USA. Only active United States derived

income is taxed. Also, various tax treaties give a United States company certain tax advantages when doing business outside the USA. Foreign investors can invest in the United States virtually tax free – in structures that are legally protected from risks and, currently, with secrecy. With fairly simple planning, a foreign investor can avoid tax on interest as well as gains from sale of securities – all protected by the legal system and effectively the government guaranteeing the solvency of the financial system. As for secrecy, Delaware or Nevada are quite accommodating. In these states, a foreign company or individuals can form a limited liability company and open a bank account, but if the investor does its or his business outside the United States, there is no US tax or reporting.

Other tax havens Gibraltar

Also known as the Rock, Gibraltar is a pretty safe place to store your money and it’s not difficult to understand why. Gibraltar is a tax and money haven as there is no capital gains tax, estate tax, sales tax, VAT (value-added) tax, inheritance tax or other such taxes. There is a relatively low tax on income, withholding and property and estates though. Tax haven Gibraltar imposes a flat low tax of 10% on all offshore business companies or Gibraltar non-resident companies.

Isle of Man

If you’re looking for a place to store some money from your government’s eyes but don’t want to leave town, then you can open up an account in the Isle of Man. You don’t

even have to live here to do so. Believe it or not, Isle of Man, with 28 successive years of growth, actually has Triple-A (AAA) sovereign rating from Moody’s, AA+ from S&P (Standard & Poor) and even IMF’s recognition as a well-regulated offshore financial centre. Hence, you can see tons of big banks here.

Andorra

If you want to live a long time and hold onto your money, then it doesn’t get any better than Andorra, a tiny country sandwiched between Spain and France in Western Europe. The average life expectancy of a local is 85 years, 4th highest human life expectancy – that’s a long time to save some nice tax-free money. Tourism, its main industry, brings in foreign dollars and tax haven rules apply.

The Bahamas

Among the wealthiest Caribbean countries, the Bahamas’s economy heavily depends on tourism and offshore banking – about 70 per cent of government revenue comes from duties on imported goods. While there is no personal income tax, employees have to contribute 3.9 per cent of their salary, up to a maximum of $26,000 annually, for a form of social security called National Insurance; while employers are required to contribute 5.9 per cent of a worker’s salary for the same scheme. Meanwhile, self-employed individuals are charged 8.8 per cent. With Secrecy Score of 83, you can remain anonymous by opening a bank account in the name of an offshore company and you’re set to enjoy online banking facilities – trade

stocks, options, bonds, hold assets secretly and literally transfer your ill-gotten money from elsewhere to the Caribbean banks here with maximum secrecy.

Dominica

Dominica is perhaps one of the best tax havens where you should park your money. There’s no income tax, capital gains, corporate tax, estate tax, withholding tax, inheritance tax, gift tax and whatnot. The Dominica International Business Companies (IBC) Act which was passed in 1996 guarantees that that IBC offshore companies incorporated in tax haven Dominica are exempted for a period of twenty (20) years from local taxation and Stamp Duty. Dominica Offshore Companies can be formed by persons of any nationality.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

TAX hAvens

Switzerland, money paradise Steeped in a long tradition of international banking, Switzerland is the world leader in financial opacity for a lot of reasons including the fact that the country implements an extremely high level of secrecy when it comes to the financial assets of its clients. While it is true that there are other jurisdictions that allow for even greater secrecy such as obtainable in the Bahamas and Bermuda, Switzerland beats them all because the country operates on a much larger scale considering that the bank accounts managed in the country are operated on a massive scale. In Switzerland, it is not a crime for someone, whether a citizen or a foreigner, to evade taxes,

but it is a criminal offense if any Swiss banker or a group of corporate directors violate Switzerland’s official secrecy laws. Because of this, the rich who had been overtaxed in their own countries have for decades, been flocking to Switzerland to take advantage of fiscal perks most of its 26 cantons (equivalent of states) are offering to well-heeled expats. These wealthy foreigners, mostly from developing countries, can negotiate lump-sum taxation, a figure based on five times the rental value of their Swiss property. To qualify for the flat-rate tax deal, they are not allowed to work in the country but must have a net wealth of at least $2m. This system has attracted more than

5,000 affluent expatriates to this nation of only 8 million people, including singers Tina Turner, Phil Collins and Shania Twain; actress Sophia Loren; as well as Ikea’s founder Ingvar Kamprad. Although wealthy foreigners collectively shell out about $700m in federal and local taxes, they save millions that they’d have to pay in their home countries. Switzerland, only grudgingly conform with disclosure agreements among developed countries while courting tax evaders in developing nations. The country’s widespread involvement in the administration and use of trusts, foundations and offshore companies remain a major barrier to tackling tax evasion and illicit financial flows.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

TAX hAvens

Singapore, technology sales hub Due to its low tax rates, Singapore, the island city-state in Southeast Asia is used by multinationals, especially technology companies such as Google and Apple, as locations for sales hubs or corporate headquarters. Singapore is considered by many as one of their best choices for opening offshore bank accounts. Almost anyone can open such a bank account without experiencing any hassle. This is one of the major reasons why Singapore was graded with a Financial Secrecy Index value of 1,118 and a Secrecy Score of 71 by the Tax Justice Network. The country, with tax rates that top out at 20 per cent and no capital gains tax, is synonymous with wealth. In 2012 almost $40bn was sent to Singapore, which led the payments table despite being only Australia’s fourth-largest import market that year. Singapore is tipped to overtake Switzerland to become the

largest global offshore wealth centre in terms of assets by 2020, according to London research firm, WealthInsight. Although Switzerland easily retains its offshore banking crown with $2.8tn in assets under management, or 34 per cent of the global private banking industry, Singapore is now the world’s fastest growing market with $550bn under management at the end of 2011, up from just $50bn in 2000. A loss of confidence among wealthy American and European investors in bank secrecy laws and independence in traditional banking hubs, combined with increasingly stringent banking regulations, are playing in Singapore’s favour. Safe and clean, the city-state bills itself as a tropical refuge with exclusive residential enclaves, a marina for super yachts, two casinos, fine dining, high-end boutiques and an annual Formula One race that brings in the global jet set.

Super rich Jersey Apart from its history of pirates and Viking invasions, stunning castles, award-winning beaches and seafood, Jersey, a 5-by-9-mile island just off the coast of France belonging to the British Crown is also known for warehousing nearly $2trn of the world’s wealth. In 2013, this island quietly rose to the top spot of the global rankings of offshore tax shelters, as measured by the Global Financial Centres Index, edging out other big names in the business like the Cayman Islands, Monaco, Gibraltar, the British Virgin Islands and Cyprus. Yet because it is so small and tends to shirk publicity, many have never heard of it. The island of Jersey is a law unto itself riddled with elite, secretive insider networks, typically linked to the financial sector. Walk into any bank on the island and anyone, not just the superrich, can open

an offshore bank account without depositing a cent. In the island’s glittering capital city of St. Helier, surrounded by yachts, champagne lounges and diamond shops, financial services professionals pack the streets, lined with nearly every global bank and a sprinkling of hedge funds. For decades, this society with no checks and balances has largely depended on offshore trusts, the mainstay of the island’s wealth management sector, which attracts capital inflows from around the world. Jersey also hosts hedge funds, shadow banks and has specialised in offshore securitisation of loans. The island’s sophisticated wealth management structures, notably its trust industry, keeps the island open to tax-evading/taxavoiding and other illicit financial flows from around the world especially from developing countries.

OverlOOked tax havens Seychelles

A group of islands located in the Indian Ocean, Seychelles is one of the fastestgrowing offshore tax havens. One of the biggest advantages here is that the island offers a tax-free benefit to International Business Companies (IBCs). Moreover, the country has no requirements for companies to report income, directors or shareholders, and it enjoys low annual licensing costs. Seychelles also has very stringent privacy laws. One of the reasons for Seychelles’ favourable climate for offshore business services is that it currently relies on tourism for income and wishes to diversify into less cyclical markets.

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is a small German-speaking country with a long history as a tax

haven to the rich. It is considered the only country in the world with more registered companies than people. The country has a low unemployment rate and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. As part of its EU ascension, Liechtenstein has signed a withholding tax on interest gained, although the secrecy laws within the banks are still quite strict. Liechtenstein allows for virtually tax-free holding companies that pay no income tax but must pay a small percentage (1%) on capital holdings.

Vanuatu

Vanuatu is considered a pure tax haven and has no income tax for residents or foreigners. Instead, the government raises money through a Value Added Tax (VAT) and import duties. However, as Vanuatu was

targeted and criticized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it reluctantly agreed to comply — at least partially — by improving banking transparency so that the country could be removed from the OECD blacklist.

Belize

This English-speaking country in Central America is one of the best tax havens in the world and a member of the British Commonwealth. Bordered by Mexico to the northwest and Guatemala to the south and west, this nation has largely escaped the global crackdown on tax havens. The legal system is based on British common law, has strict bank privacy laws and does not have any financial information exchange policies with the US, except where drug

trafficking and terrorism are suspected. To help accomplish this, Belize has a ‘know your client’ rule when it comes to banking. Currently, Belize has no capital gains tax or estate tax, and under certain provisions, non-residents and offshore companies are able to repatriate their earnings tax-free.

Campione d’Italia

Campione d’Italia is a small enclave of Italy that is surrounded by Switzerland. Although the area is technically a part of Italy, it enjoys a special status: Residents enjoy no income taxes, and the area makes use of Swiss banks and facilities. The area is located an hour’s drive from Milan, and is thus very accessible. As gambling laws are less stringent than in either Italy or Switzerland, the area derives much of its revenue from such activities.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

TAX hAvens

Monaco, easy come land of money makers Like all tax havens, Monaco loudly denies what it is, a notorious tax haven. Its biggest offering is its lack of income taxes for residents – and it will hand out residency permits to people who have enough cash to impress it and who can afford its property prices. The world’s wealthy have flocked to Monaco for decades, from Formula One drivers and celebrities to wealthy retirees and City millionaires who fly to and from the UK just infrequently enough to avoid falling into the UK tax net. But it’s not just wealthy residents who get special treatment. If you live elsewhere but send your money there, you can escape tax too, and Monaco won’t tell HM Revenue and Customs about your stash: there is no treaty with the UK obliging Monaco to cough up any information. But it’s not just wealthy residents who get special treatment. If you live elsewhere but send your money there, you can escape tax too, and Monaco won’t tell HM Revenue and Customs about your stash: there is no treaty with the UK obliging Monaco

to cough up any information. Monaco, the tax haven on the French Riviera, is experiencing a luxuryhousing boom that includes the world’s most expensive penthouse as developers prepare for an influx of millionaires and billionaires escaping higher taxes or a loss of banking privacy. One in three of Monaco’s 38,000 residents are millionaires, according to a study by Spear’s magazine and WealthInsight. As that number increases, home values will rise by about a fifth by June 2015, according to London-based Savills. That would almost erase losses sustained since the market’s 2007 peak. Recently it was revealed that more than 2,000 Britons in Monaco are costing the UK economy £1 billion a year in lost tax revenue – that’s a lot of money in tax avoidance. Monaco is simply irresistible for millionaires and billionaires from around the world who want to spend time and money by day on the Riviera and by night in the Monte Carlo.

Panama, no prohibition zone Panama has a longstanding reputation as a tax haven, given that over 50 per cent of international investments are not taxed in the Caribbean country. The country’s economy has been going from strength to strength recently, despite the worsening financial crisis in the US and Europe. Panama’s GDP grew by over 10 per cent in 2012 and was slated to expand by a further 8.5 per cent the next year, according to government estimates. The country is widely used by individuals and corporations as a base for their foreign operations and is notable for the combination of tax and business advantages it offers. A major reason for the popularity of Panama is its location. It is the link between North and South America, and it includes the famous Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific. Its total land area is 29,700 square miles. The majority of these people (60 per cent) live off the land. The capital, Panama City, contains most of the urbanised

population and most of the rest live in the other major city, Colon. Colon’s significance, economically, derives from its free port facilities. Other reasons for Panama’s popularity as a tax haven include their no currency exchange and transfer of funds controls in Panama. No approval need be obtained for the transfer of dividends, interest, royalties other profits or for repatriation of capital. Companies are permitted to repatriate all profits, dividends and management charges. There are no tax treaties in Panama; as a result, no exchange of tax related information with other countries is possible. The laws of the country only permit the submissions of accounting records, files, correspondence or other documents to foreign authorities with the express permission of the Courts of Panama. Information sharing treaties are limited to drugrelated offences. All other revelations are expressly prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution.

ProPerty safe havens Canada

The US housing market is in intensive care but across the border in Canada, the story is very different. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is rising by the day in the area of sales. According to reports, Brits tend to prefer Eastern Canada, because it is only five to seven hours’ flight from the UK, and has plentiful leisure and ski resorts around Newfoundland and Quebec. The country has a French-style buying process. A notary carries out convincing, and transaction costs are often 15 per cent of the price. You pay 25 per cent capital gains tax when you sell but, unlike the rest of North America, Canada is still seeing capital gains. Because space is plentiful, the choice is vast. There are ski chalets in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, for as little as

£200,000, while timber lodges in parts of the Rockies can be even less.

Mauritius

Long a favourite with holidaymakers, this island is open to foreign buyers thanks to a scheme to encourage investment. Most people would be happy enjoying the water sports, unspoilt beaches and charming villages that dot this Indian Ocean idyll, but now there are financial perks too. If you pay £310,000 or more for a villa or apartment in a designated coastal zone, you will also have the right to become a Mauritian resident, and enjoy low levels of personal and business tax.

South Africa

This is a country like no other. Beyond its cities lies endless countryside with

vast open plains, unspoilt villages and a burgeoning wine culture; all in the glow of a wonderful year-round climate. The country is also a natural destination for Britons. Cape Town is only two hours ahead of London, and everyone speaks English. To make it even more attractive, house prices are low by global standards. Onebedroom apartments in Cape Town can cost just £60,000 and a three-bedroom house is £200,000. What’s more, local agents say South Africa’s economy has avoided European and North American volatility.

Barbados

Barbados retains an aura of prestige and a reputation as a safe haven. This is because its legal and political systems are similar to Britain’s. There are daily international flights from the UK, Canada and the US,

so tourism and rental rates are high for holiday homeowners wanting to earn a living from their investment. Overseas buyers are welcome, and there is no capital gains tax. Mortgage availability, even for foreigners, remains good.

Kenya

Emerging holiday home locations are few and far between, but Kenya is seeing “consistent growth,” according to Bob Woodhams of Knight Frank, despite the financial crisis and fears of terrorism. There is a 40-plus week tourist season in parts of the country, making this an attractive buy for those wanting rental incomes. Most land is government-owned, so foreigners buy on pre-built resorts, many of which have a mix of beachfront and interior wildlife.