The Nigerian
PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol . 39 NO.047 • FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2014 • N 100.00 ART AND CULTURE Page 19
Oba Eweka II Patriarch of Art and Culture
EBS repositioning: Govt restates BENIN CITY – Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Louis Odion has restated that government is committed to repositioning Edo Broadcasting Service,
commitment
EBS, for effective service delivery. Mr. Odion gave the assurance when the newly inaugurated
EBS Board paid him a familiarization visit in his office in Benin City. Mr. Odion noted that the Comrade Governor did a good job judging
from the role call of people that made up the Board. While urging the Board members to complement efforts so far made by government at equipping Continues on page 2
Ebola
HEALTH MATTERS Page 21
Addressing problem of Unsafe abortions
Edo calls for...vigilance scare in Anambra
BENIN CITY - Edo State Government has announced that there is no trace of the deadly Ebola disease in the State. The Government however advised the people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious case to the nearest health facility. The State Commissioner for Health, was need for everyone Dr Aihanuwa Eregie at a to be extra vigilant to press briefing, yesterday prevent the virus in (Thursday), said the state Edo State because of Ministry of Health in the highly contagious collaboration with the nature of the disease. The Commissioner World Health Organisation explained that Ebola (WHO) and other health partners have carried out virus is a deadly viral disease surveillance infectious activities in all parts of the hemorrhagic disease state to ensure early that affects humans is usually detection of any outbreak and from and the timely transmitted containment and control of infected persons to another by direct close same. The Commissioner said contact through body since a case of the deadly fluids and secretion. She said that many Ebola Virus has been animals including confirmed in Nigeria, that
Monkeys, Chimpanzees, Bats, Antelope, Porcupines, gorillas amongst others, are known to be the hosts, adding that signs of the disease include sudden onset Fever, weakness, muscle pains, headaches and sore throat followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and impaired kidney and liver functions.
Dr Eregie said the disease may progress to internal and external bleeding, organ failure and consequently death noting that the disease initially manifest like other ailments like malaria, typhoid fever, hepatitis, cholera, diarrhoea, Lassa
fever and meningitis. The Health Commissioner said the disease can be diagnosed through laboratory tests and can be prevented by avoiding contact with likely infected animals (dead or alive) and
infected persons and corpses of victims, in addition to adhering to strict personal hygiene. She stressed that any suspicious case in the community should be reported to the nearest health facility, the Local Continues on page 2
... Bush meat vendors close shops ABIDJAN - Most bush meat vendors in Abidjan, have closed shops following the fear of outbreak of the dreaded Ebola virus. The closure was ordered by Cote d’Iviore government as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus. A survey at Abobo Palmerer, an Abidjan settlement that hosts several bush meat and palm wine spots, showed that most of them have closed down. Abobo Palmerer, for instance, which used to be a beehive of activities before the outbreak of Ebola, is currently a
shadow of its self. Bush meat which used to be a common sight even in the open markets, especially in Ajame, Belleville and Angre are no longer found on the vendor’s table. Some vendors who spoke to newsmen said that the patronage for bush meat had seriously dwindled due to the fear of the disease. Mr. Koassi Noel, a major bush meat dealer told newsmen that the government’s directive stopping the consumption of bush meats forced him to pull out of the business.
TIT BIT “If the lips of liars were easily recognisable; some persons would have been going about with hoods over their faces. - Kinglsey Ogbeide-Ihama
“The government directed people to stop consuming bush meat since some of it are said to be carrying the Ebola virus,” he said. Mrs. Awa Dramane, also a vendor, said she stopped for fear of Continues on page 2
RECEPTION: Edo Must Unite Political Group for Oshiomhole recently held a reception for members. R-L: Chief Emmanuel Iyase, the Ihaza of Udo, APC Senatorial Leader, Barr. Gentleman Amegor, Rt. Hon. Razak Bello-Osagie, member, representing Oredo Federal Constituency, House of Representatives, the Chief Host, Comrade Tony Kabaka Adun, Hon. Aguebor, Hon. Isede Osarobo and Comrade Picollo, SSA to the Governor on Entertainment.
Govt promotes 1,130 teachers, others
BENIN CITY – Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has released the Promotion of 1,130 Junior Secondary School Teaching and Non Teaching Staff. Executive Chairman, of SUBEB, Prince Stephen Alao made this known yesterday while
briefing newsmen on the activities of the Board. He said the list of benefiting teachers have been released and pasted at the SUBEB Headquarters, Block D, 5th Floor, Secretariat Buildings
Sapele Road. According to him, individual letters are being signed and ready for collection at the various Local Government Education
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said
formulation and implementation of its
Authority. The Board C h a i r m a n congratulate all promoted teachers on their elevation and hoped that the gesture of government would be an impetus for
the teachers to greater production in the collective responsibility of Educating the Child. He however, thanked the teachers for their painstaking patience while the process of releasing the promotion lasted.
Why we emphasise policy implementation BENIN CITY – Edo government places much - Oshiomhole State Governor, emphasis on effective policies and benefits of dividends of programmes, in order to sustain peoples
Continues on page 2
News
Why we emphasise policy implementation
Continued from page 1 democracy. He stated this while declaring open, a seminar to mark the 2014 Nigeria Public Service Day in Benin City. Governor Oshiomhole whose address was read by the Deputy Governor Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu said the public service which is the machinery for the formulation and implementation of government policies and programmes, must gear up to effectively discharge its functions. Dr. Pius Odubu asserted that the present public service is a departure from what the present government inherited on assumption of office in November 2008. The deputy governor pointed out that the various welfare packages government has implemented are guided by the belief that only a highly motivated public service can perform creditably the task of transforming the State. He commended the role of the various trade unions at ensuring the industrial harmony in the state. Chairman at the seminar and former state Head of Service, Mr. Anthony Edokpayi urged the senior civil servants to be polite and subordinate themselves to the political leadership of their various ministries, whom he
said are representatives of government. Head of Service, Mr. Jerry Obazele posited that the actualization of any government policy would he a mirage without
a virile public service. He said the state government has never relented in its efforts at building competent public service in the state, hence
the training and retraining of all categories of officers. The throne of this maiden edition of the seminar was of The Role of the Senior Civil Servant in police Formulation and Implementation.”
EIRS boss assures group of support
By VICTOR OMOALU
BENIN CITY – The Chairman of Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Chief Sir Oseni Elamah yesterday gave nod to the Heartbeat celebrities Award (HBCA), an NGO, ahead of its forthcoming 2014 award ceremony scheduled for this month. The EIRS boss gave the endorsement when he played host to the leadership of the organisation in Benin City. Chief Elamah pointed out that the event which is expected to attract personalities, especially in the entertainment industries as well as other stakeholders who could use the avenue to adequately sensitize and educate the entertainment practitioners on their civic rights and responsibilities regarding payment of taxes to the government. He pointed out that one of the key focus of the agency was aimed sensitizing, enlightening and educating the populace on tax administration and their roles, adding that the agency would partner any means that would help educate the people towards tax remittance. Elamah, however assured the organisation of the agency’s
support towards achieving success. The organisation’s president, Esosa Eweka Ekhaese told Chief Elamah that their visit was to formally acquaint him with the body and its activities slated for August this year. Ekhaese extolled the phenomenal transformation of the State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, which he said was made possible through
the internal revenue generation of the state championed by Chief Elamah. “The Landmark is already on ground; people can now see what the government is doing and a lot of things have changed,” stated Ekhaese. He said the programme was also being organised as part of their effort towards contributing their quota to the development of the state, as the event would afford revenue officials the necessary avenue to acquaint entertainment practitioners of their tax responsibilities.
EBS repositioning
Continued from page 1 the station to enable it competes favourably with other broadcast media, the commissioner advised staff of the station to apply themselves to the job. The information commissioner stressed the need for more vehicles in the newsroom to enable reporters go round their beats saying that a broadcasting station is defined by news gathering.
Chairman of the Board, Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan commended the Comrade Governor for the on-going work in EBS maintaining that the Board will do all it can to complement his effort. Hon. Omorotionmwan solicited for support in the area of staffing, mobility and funding. The Board Chairman said that the Board will not take over the day-to-day running of the station sighting the doctrine of separation of powers.
Edo calls for vigilance
Continued from page 1
Government or state Ministry of Health immediately. She stressed that there is no cure and vaccines to prevent it yet and advised health workers to observe standard precautions at all times including hand washing routines and use of personal protective equipment. Meanwhile, The Anambra Commissioner for Health, Dr Josephat Akabuike, announced yesterday that a hospital has been sealed off and its workers and patients quarantined due to Ebola disease scare. Briefing journalists in Awka, Akabuike said the measure followed information received by the government that a man
whose body was brought back from Liberia at the weekend, might have died of the killer disease. He said that information available to the government indicated that the body was brought back from Liberia through Lagos and deposited in the mortuary at Nkwelle-Ezenaka in Oyi Local Government of the state. “Part of the briefing is to tell you what we are doing to make sure we don’t allow the deadly virus to come into the state. “What actually called for this is that we have a report that a corpse was brought through Lagos and the deceased was said to have been taken from Liberia where of course you know there are cases of the disease. “The corpse was said to have been brought to Nigeria and
... Bush meat vendors close shops
Continued from page 1
contacting the disease, saying“ they said that bush meat are sources of Ebola virus, so I don’t want to contact it’’ “If you can contact it by eating an animal that has the virus, there is no way one who handles it for sell will not contact it,’’ she said. Also speaking to journalists, a meat seller Mr. Saleef Rahim said he stopped the business because government officials burnt all the bush meat he had displayed for sale in his shop. “They came here and I was unlucky, they destroyed all the meat I had dried and displayed for sale, so I decided to stop,” he said. Meanwhile, the
government of Cote d’Ivoire had said it would undertake surveillance measures at the borders to prevent the outbreak of the disease in its territory. The Director-General, National Institute for Public Hygiene, Simplice Dagnan, said the risk of Ebola spreading in the country was high, as a result of the massive movement of people from already affected countries. Ebola fever, a contagious disease whose cure is yet to be discovered, appeared for the first time in a northern town of former Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. Current statistics say the disease which resurfaced in Guinea in April 2014, had spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone resulting in hundreds of deaths.
deposited somewhere in Nkwelle-Ezunaka and the ministry was alerted and that is why we are taking all these measures.” The commissioner said that Governor Willie Obiano had already directed the Police Command in the state to cordon off the place until the necessary tests were carried out. He further said that Federal Government had also sent medical experts from the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, to Anambra to carry out the test at the hospital premises. Meanwhile, Ebola has been blamed for 672 deaths in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organisation. Sierra Leone has declared
a state of emergency and called in troops to quarantine epicentres of Ebola, joining Liberia in imposing tough controls to curb the worst ever outbreak of the virus amid fears it could spread beyond West Africa. Meanwhile, a Liberian man was confirmed to have died from the virus in Lagos last Friday. In a measure of rising international concern, Britain on Wednesday held a government meeting on Ebola, which it said was a threat it needed to respond to. The outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever, for which there is no known cure, began in the forests of remote eastern Guinea in February, but Sierra Leone now has the highest number of cases.
Oshiomhole condoles with El-Rufai BENIN CITY - Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has commiserated with former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mallam Nasir ElRufai on the death of his son, Hamza. In a condolence message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, Comrade Oshiomhole said: “we learnt with rude shock, the death of your beloved son, Hamza, in a car accident. I wish to offer my profound condolence and the commiseration of the people and Government of Edo State on this sad incident. Our hearts are with you and the entire El-
Rufai family at this very difficult period. “While we grieve over his death, we take solace that Hamza was a son in whom the family was proud as he had started to carve a niche for himself through a dint of hard work and intellect. “This trying period, no doubt, calls for a renewed faith in the Glory and Majesty of Almighty Allah, from whom we all come and to whom we will all return. “Our supplication is for Almighty Allah to, in His infinite mercy, receive his soul with His love and forgiveness and bless him with Aljannah firdausi. We also pray Almighty Allah to give you and the entire El-Rufai family the fortitude to bear the great loss.”
APC chieftains commend Tony Kabaka, others By LUCKY EFESE BENIN CITY - Comrade Tony Kabaka Adun, the Senior Special Assistant to the Edo State Governor on Neighbourhood watch and Mr Buddy Buddy Eboigbe, the Chief Executive Officer of Buddy Buddy Hotel Limited, Idogbo Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, have been commended for their initiatives to make APC, a most formidable party in the state and move it to the next level. The commendation was made Wednesday to The NIGERIAN OBSERVER, during a grand reception in honour of the members of Edo Must Unite Political Group for Oshiomhole held at Asophi Entertainment premises along Adesuwa Grammar School Road, GRA, Benin City by APC, Edo South Senatorial Leader, Barr. Gentleman Amegorand a member representing Oredo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives in the National Assembly, Rt. Hon. Razak Bello-Osagie. They both thanked the Organisers of the epoch event for their tireless efforts in organising and codinating the youths across Edo South Senatorial District excellently. In his inaugural speech, the Chief Governor and Chairman, Akugbe Ventures Limited, a tax consultant firm to the Edo State Government Comrade Tony Kabaka Adun, noted that his decisions to organise reception for the members of the political group was to give them orientation about the unprecedented a achievement which this present administration of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole as Governor of the state has recorded. He pointed out that this administration had massively empowered youths across the state which had hitherto been undermined by the previous administrations and coupled with the infrastructural developments which the state had witnessed in recent time were the reasons for establishing Edo Must unite political Group for Oshiomhole body under the committee of communities chairmen in Edo South Senatorial District and thanked all those who honoured the call up to the reception, just as he urged his members to support the Governor and APC set goals. The chairman of the occasion, Chief Emmanuel Iyase, the Ihaza of Udo thanked the organizers and the member of the political group who are mainly youths for coordinating themselves devoid of rancour. He recounted how some self
centred members of APC attempted to destroy the party because of their inordinate ambitions to forcefully get into power even if rejected by the people. He particularly made reference to the doomed days of PDP to the state and that it was divine answers to the life and cry of the people that brought in Governor Oshiomhole and advised the youths to remain focused and steadfast in appreciating goodwill of the governor in the state. In a related development, the special guest of honour, Barr. Gentleman Amegor, said that he was short of words as regards what he saw. He told the mammoth crowd that comrade Tony Kabaka Adun was his political son, who had distinguished himself in all facet of life. The Edo South Senatorial leader that he found it expedient to answer this invitation practically because of the digital roles he, Tony Kabaka had played to not only consolidate and sustain democracy in the state, but also ensured that dividends of democracy got to the grass roots. He advised the youths not to relent in their efforts in pursuing set goals that are progressing to the people and eschew all forms of act that is capable of damaging their reputations just as he assured them of his continuous support to the party to remain in power infinitely in the state. In the same vein, Rt. Hon. Razak Bello-Osagie posited that the gathering was manifestation of the love the Edo people had for the Comrade Governor. He stressed that he had to honour the invitation, irrespective of his health challenges because of the implicit respect and confidence he had for Tony Kabaka and described him as a “God Gift” to the Edo people and beyond. He therefore urged youths to rally supports around him to transform the state to a greater height and promised to work in alliance with the governor to continue to empower the youths in the state. The occasion had in attendance, all the communities chairmen and their youths in the seven Local Government Areas that made up Edo South, some Special Aides to the governor, party members including some Christians and Muslims faithful, who have passion for comrade Adams and APC in the state. Others are barrister Idahosa Moses, who also spoke about APC government in the state positively, community elders in Oredo chapter of APC and all the staffers of Akugbe Ventures Limited among others.
Govt changes Boards’ inauguration date
By ADAMS OYIBOKE BENIN CITY - The inauguration of the Boards of the Produce Committee, Committee on Protection of Government Property, Edo Development and Property Authority and the Rural Electrification Board earlier scheduled to hold today, Friday, August 1, 2014 will now hold on Thursday, August 7, 2014.
Government in a statement yesterday said it regretted the inconvenience the postponement may cause the Chairmen-designate, members-designate of the Boards and Committees and their numerous friends and well wishers. However, the inauguration of other Boards and Committees will hold as earlier scheduled, according to the statement.
Inside Edo Mrs Asemota For Burial EGUAHOLOR-ISI - The final burial ceremony of the Late Mrs. Iguokundia Asemota (nee Omosemwenyaru) begins today August 1, 2014 at her residence in Eguaholor-Isi in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State. The late Mrs Asemota is survived by Mr. Stephen Asemota, Mrs. Caroline Imadiyi, Mr. Osasere Asemota, Barr Joseph Asemota, many grand children and great grand children.
Faulty Transformer Repaired, Ready For Installation-BEDC By ANDY EGBON
Edo State Deputy Govrnor, Dr. Pius Odubu being welcome to the venue of a seminar organised by the State Government for Permanent Secretaries and officers on Grade Level 17 in the State Civil Service.
BENIN CITY - Authorities of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) said the 15 MVA power transformer supplying electricity to some parts of GRA in Benin City which was faulty has been repaired and ready for installation. However, the BEDC Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Curtis Nwadei in a chat with newsmen said the constant rainfall and the flooded nature of the installation site is
LASG Generates N120bn From Tax In 6 repaired before the 2015 “Now that the allocation LAGOS- The Lagos State tenure expiration of the Months the Federal Internal Revenue Service from administration. Late Mrs. Iguokundia Asemota
Iyalekhue To Be Installed Rotarian President By IKPONMWOBA OSAZEE JOEL
BENIN CITY- The Rotary Club of New Benin, R.I Dg140 Nigeria will on Saturday August 2, 2014 install Rotarian Joe Iyalekhue as the Club’s president. The ceremony which is slated to begin at 12:00noon at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre, Airport Road, Benin City will also feature the presentation of awards to deserving Rotarians. Meanwhile, there will be a thanksgiving service on Sunday, August 3, 2014 at Christ Chosen Church, No 56 Virginia Street, between 2nd and 3rd East Circular Road, Benin City.
• Rtn. Joe Iyalekhue
(LIRS) has said it generated more than N120 billion from taxation between January and June this year. The Executive Chairman of the service, Mr Tunde Fowler, told newsmen in Lagos that 90 per cent of the taxes were generated from the organised private sector and civil servants. Fowler said that the remaining 10 per cent came from the informal sector, mostly market women, artisans, commercial drivers and taxable individuals in the state. He said the state had relied on the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to implement its budget following the dwindling statutory allocations. The chairman said the increase in the IGR to N237 billion in 2013 from N15 billion in 1999 were the fallouts of sustained mobilisation and tax education in the state. “In 1999, Lagos State generated N15 billion from IGR but last year it increased to N237 billion, an increase of N222 billion within 14 year “There has been a steady growth in tax payment in the state,” he said. He projected that this year’s IGR would improve beyond the previous years. Fowler also said that any development required money, adding that the IGR would further bridge the statutory allocation from the Federal Government. “Any transformation will require money and you can’t transform without funding.
Government is reducing due to drop in oil revenue, we must look elsewhere to meet up with our budget,” he said. He said the generated revenue would be used to ensure the state had good
roads, improve health services and adequate security. Fowler assured the residents of the state that 200 roads in the state would be
The chairman urged the residents to endeavour to pay their taxes regularly, adding that the money was being used to implement the state’s budget.
Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu (arrowed) in a group photograph with Permanent Secretaries in Edo State at a seminar organised by the State Government for all Permanent Secretaries and Officers on Grade Level 17 yesterady in Benin City yesterday. Photo: MOSES OBOH.
APC Calls For Revival Of Coal Deposits ENUGU - The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-East in Enugu called on the Federal Government to facilitate the revival of the coal deposits in Enugu State. The call is contained in a statement made available to newsmen by the party’s spokesman in the zone, Mr Osita Okechukwu. It said this would help to increase the revenue base of the country. The statement however lamented the delay in the planned seismic survey to
determine the quantity of the deposits. “The delay is not healthy for the development of the state and the country at large,’’ it said. The statement said the delay was also restraining international interventions and competitive bidding on the project. “President Goodluck Jonathan promised the people of the South-East during the party’s zonal rally for the 2011 presidential election, that he will revamp the Enugu coal deposits to produce over
1,000 megawatts of electricity. “The federal government should fulfill this promise to generate more revenue and improve the standard of living of the people of the area. “Enugu State is sitting on top of a huge coal deposit worth billions of dollars,’’ it said. The statement appealed to the Federal Government to keep the people of the area abreast of latest developments on the project as a way of ensuring good governance
frustrating the installation process. The transmitter is one of the two supplying electricity to areas in GRA, including parts of Sapele Road, Etete quarters, JBS Estate, first and second Ugbor Road, Adesuwa Road, Oko Community, parts of Airport Road which was taken to Lagos for repair about a month ago. Consequently, Mr. Nwadei said this had led to been power shedding among affected communities. He therefore enjoined the affected communities to show understanding and be patient with BEDC as all that needed to be done to restore normalcy to power supply in the locality is already in place.
Christ Embassy Holds Special Service Tomorrow
BENIN CITY- It will be a moment of fresh outpouring of God’s awesome spirit as Christ Embassy, Benin Zone 2 hosts the Benin Zonal Pastor, Pastor Mary Owase at an early morning service tomorrow, Saturday, August 2, 2014. The meeting will hold at the church’s auditorium, 23, Ivbiye street, off New Lagos Road, Benin City at 7am. The Head pastor of Christ Embassy, Benin Zone 2, Pastor Oma Ola-Jeffrey said in a statement that the zonal visitation will be a time of impartation and spiritual upliftment for the brethren. “We are privileged to host this wonderful man of God with extra-ordinary grace at a time like this. “I encourage everyone to come and experience the great outpouring of God’s spirit as our esteemed Zonal Pastor brings God’s word afresh”, Pastor Oma Ola Jeffrey wrote in her invitation programme.
• Pastor Mary Owase
News Labour Party Set For Congresses KANO - The Labour Party (LP) in Kano State said that it had concluded arrangements for the conduct of its ward, local government and state congresses. The Public Relations Officer of the party’s Caretaker Committee in the state, Alhaji Isah Yakasai, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Kano. He said the ward congress would be conducted on July 31 while the local government and state congresses would be held on Aug. 2 and Aug. 4 respectively. According to him, the exercise will be conducted under the supervision of the Deputy National Chairman of the party (North-West), Mr Umaru Mohammed.
Yakasai said the party’s new leaders were expected to emerge through consensus arrangement, adding that if that failed, election would be held at the three levels. “We have directed the 44 Local Government Caretaker Committees to come forward with names of consensus candidates but if that is not possible, elections will be conducted. “We are using this opportunity to call for the cooperation of all members to ensure hitch-free congresses in the state’’, he said.
Monarch Urges Disengaged Mobil Staff To Remain Calm
Secretary to Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Vice President Namadi Sambo and President Goodluck Jonathan at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja recently.
Poverty, Exclusion, Ignorance Hinder Child’s Education – Stakeholders LAGOS - Some education stakeholders has identified poverty, exclusion and parents’ ignorance as some of the factors militating against the right of a child to education in the country. The stakeholders made the observation in interviews with newsmenin Lagos. Chief Yomi Otubela, Chairman, National Association of Proprietors of Private School (NAPPS), Lagos State, told newsmen that exclusion and poverty were the greatest obstacles against education of a child in Africa. “Governments can put a law in place which will mandate a sizeable number of places in public schools to be reserved for disadvantaged groups,” he said. The official called for sensitisation programmes by various human rights groups on the rights of the child to education. Otubela, also the Principal Consultant, Lagooz Schools, advised that governments should effectively enforce child rights laws. He said that governments should uphold the right of the child to education through the provision of qualitative education at affordable cost. “The judicial system must also be equipped to enforce this right under the law,’’ he said. Mrs Roslyn Nojimu-Yusuf, Head of Department of Primary Education, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, called for conducive learning environment to promote a child’s right to education.
L-R: Enugu State Co-ordinator, National Youth Solidarity Support for Goodluck Jonathan (NYSSJ), Dr. Odumeh Maxwell; National Co-ordinator NYSSJ, Mr. Ejikeme Odumegwu; PDP Enugu State Deputy Chairman, Mr. David Ajah and Director, Research and Planning NYSSJ, Mr. Romanus Ezeh, during a courtesy visit to PDP Enugu State recently.
Aviation Stakeholder Cautions Chidoka Against Partisan Politics
IKEJA - (Lagos State) The President of the Aviation Round Table, Mr Dele Ore, urged the Minister of Aviation, Mr Osita Chidoka, not to play partisan politics in the sector. Ore, who spoke at a news conference in Ikeja, said that involvement in partisan politics could jeopardise the minister’s agenda for the industry. He urged the minister to also take stakeholders along for the development of the industry. “We cannot afford to play politics anymore with the aviation industry,’’ he said. Ore also urged the minister to ensure that regulations were strengthened to sustain the country’s Category 1 status and advised him to support the private operators by designating them as ‘flag carriers’. Saying that such support would enhance domestic
operators for global competitiveness, he urged the minister to look into the overdependence on Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt airports. “Effort should be made to encourage domestic carriers to
ply domestic routes currently abandoned for low passenger traffic. “The minister should ensure that the airports across the country are not abandoned.
Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), has restated the organisation’s commitment to establishing a strong investors protection framework in the nation’s capital market. Onyema said that organising an investors’ clinic for journalists by the NSE in Lagos was part the efforts to engender an all stakeholders commitment, especially newsmen.
He said the NSE would ensure enhanced investor protection through the Investor Protection Fund (IPF) to boost investors’ confidence in the nation’s bourse. Onyema said the approval of the IPF rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would strengthen investor protection in the market. He also said that the NSE
“The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria should be assisted to embark on the expansion of the Murtala Muhammed International Cargo Airport which is long overdue,” he said.
IKOT -Abasi (Akwa Ibom) The Paramount Ruler of Ikot Abasi in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, Edidem Udo Ntukobom, has urged the disengaged staff of Mobil Producing Nigeria to exercise restraint over their terminal benefits. Ntukudom made the call in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom, when more than 1,000 youths and women came on a peaceful protest to his palace. He said that dialogue was the best way to solve crisis in the country. He added that he would assist the protesters take their complaints to the legislators representing Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency in the National Assembly. “Thank you for conducting yourselves and the maturity you exhibited during the protest. “Everything is being done to ensure that Mobil pays the money, tell your people to be patient. “I will push the member representing Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency to be fast in his report in the House on the matter,’’ he said. Ntukudom said that their request would receive attention when the National Assembly resumes sitting after the Sallah break. The Leader of the disengaged service contract workers of Mobil, Mr Eshiet Ubong, said that no fewer than 1,444 ExxonMobil workers were relieved of their jobs. He said that they were demanding to be paid N11.4 billion as terminal benefits by the company. Ubong said the non payment of the terminal benefits had caused untold hardship to their members, adding that some had died due to terminal diseases. “Some of our members are critically ill, some don’t even have money to take care of their families and some don’t have homes to live in because landlords have displaced them,’’ he said.
Investors Clinic For Journalists To Engender LAGOS - Mr. Oscar Stakeholders’ Commitment - Expert Onyema, the Chief Executive was committed to a robust financial literacy framework programme to enhance investor understanding of the basics of investment. According to him, a robust financial literacy will enhance investors’ understanding of investing around portfolio construction, asset allocation and risk diversification. Onyema said the NSE had organised over 287 investors education workshop across the
country through its 13 branch offices to enhance retail investor protection. He said that its X-Gen trading platform had improved the overall quality of market experience for all stakeholders. Onyema said the new trading platform had provided direct market access for both the buy and sell sides and mobile access through smart phones for retail investors.
News NLC, TUC Commence Indefinite Strike MAKURDI - The NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Benue, has ordered its members to embarked on an indefinite strike with effect from July 31, if the government fails to meet their demands. This is contained in a communiqué jointly signed by the NLC Chairman, Mr Simon Anchaver and his TUC counterpart, Mr Ordue Tartenger in Makurdi after their meeting. The two unions in the communiqué are calling on the Benue government to reverse the reduction of workers’ salaries or face the wrath of the workers. The unions also expressed worry over the decision of government to unilaterally deduct salaries of workers in spite of the position of the organised labour that it would resist attempt to reduce workers’ salaries. “The joint session observes with dismay the nonpayment of minimum wage to pensioners and the non-implementation of 15 per cent and 2.5 per cent increment to pensioners. “We also observe that primary school teachers are yet to enjoy the full implementation of the minimum wage, they should also be paid alongside with other workers,” the communiqué said. The organised labour called on the state government to refund excess tax deduction from its members since 2011 and refund all deductions made in respect of the national housing funds.
Join Contributory Pension Scheme Firm Urges State Govt
President Goodluck Jonathan Jonathan (2nd left), consoling a victim of Emab Shopping Mall bomb blast at Miatama General Hospital in Abuja recently.
Royal Navy Pledges Cordial Relationship LAGOS - Commander Tom to the UK,’’ he said. With Nigerian Navy backAlade, Tredery, the Commanding noted that the Officer of the Royal Navy Ship HMS Iron Duke, has pledged that his crew would maintain good relationship with the Nigerian Navy. Tredery said this while speaking with newsmen during his visit to the Western Naval Command Headquarters (WMC) at Apapa, Lagos. The commander, received by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Rear Adm. Ilesanmi Alade, said he and his team would train with Nigerian Naval personnel in the next few days while in Nigeria. “We are looking forward to training together over the next
few days while we are on port and also to operating and exercising together. “We are going to arrange the training, that is including navigation, engineering, damage control, fire fighting and also boarding and security operations,” he said. Tredery also added that the role of the Navy was to work together and to make sure that safety and freedom were in place on the seas regardless of the problems of piracy and other crimes on the sea. “When there is a crime at the sea, it affects every nation because so much of the world’s trade flows by sea. “So it is important that the
civilian ships and merchant navy are able to operate confidently to make sure world trade moves smoothly,” he said. Tredery, who also spoke about the HMS Iron Duke, said it was a frigate of over 20 years old, which had been deployed from the United Kingdom for about five weeks. He also said that the Iron Duke would be away for about six months patrolling in the Atlantic North and the Atlantic South Ocean. “We have visited about four countries so far and we will probably visit six or eight countries more before we get
Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State immunising a child during vaccination of children against polio in Bauchi recently.
Nigerian Navy had control over its territorial waters adding that the responsibility of ensuring security of the Nigeria maritime domain was that of the Nigerian Navy. “Nigeria Navy is poised to take total control of the Nigerian waters to rid it of any form of illegalities. Alade added that foreigners who had been perpetrating illegalities on the Nigerian waters were being arrested. He gave the assurance that anyone arrested for illegal oil bunkering would be dealt with appropriately.
LAGOS - The Managing Director of the Future Unity Glanvills Pensions Ltd., Mr Usman Suleiman, has appealed to state governments to join the contributory pension scheme. Speaking with newsmen Suleiman said that at present, only 15 out of the 36 states had joined the scheme. “The states have continued to exhibit lukewarm attitude to the scheme and this is not good for their workers. “And among the states that have joined, majority of them have not complied fully with the requirements. “The pension fund administrators will continue to tell workers to ensure that their various state governments keyed into the scheme. “If they do not, it is the workers who will be losing out of the many benefits that the scheme has to offer to those already in it. “With each delay in joining the scheme, workers due for retirement will not find it easy to collect their benefits as well as collect their monthly pension on time,” he said. Suleiman said that most of the pension fund administrators had accounts in the states that joined the scheme, adding that his company was present in 11 of the 15 states. He said the administrators had resolved to be in the business of continually putting smiles on the faces of the retirees. According to Suleiman, the operators will not leave any stone unturned in moving the pension fund forward.
Regional Director Predicts Bumper Harvest MINNA - Mr Sunday Edibor, the Regional Director of Agriculture, North Central Zone, has predicted bumper harvest for farmers in the area in view of easy access to farm inputs. Edibor made the prediction in Minna on Wednesday while interacting with journalists. “There will be a bumper harvest in the North Central Zone this 2014 farming season because the Federal Government has made it easy for farmers to redeem farm inputs such as fertiliser and improved seeds.’’ Edibor said that the Federal Government’s collaboration with private investors had made access to input easier and affordable. “The introduction of the
private partners to enable farmers to get their inputs has been a huge success and we will continue to improve on it.’’ The regional director said the inauguration of the largest rice mill in Doma, Nasarawa State, by President Goodluck Jonathan would trigger the export of the commodity. “The Olam Integrated Rice Mill in Doma, Nasarawa State, will definitely boost the economy of people leaving in that place and encourage local and foreign export of the commodity. “More of such laudable industries are required in the economy by dedicated leaders to move the nation’s economy to another height,’’ he said.
South West Fayemi Signs Into Law Bill Establishing 19 New Councils
The General Manager, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, Pastor Monday Aigbe (right), receiving a gift from a staff of the company, Mr. Roland Osakue who presented it on behalf of the Company’s Co-operative Society during its AGM in Benin City yesterday. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.
ADO-EKITI –Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti has signed into law a bill for the establishment 19 additional local government areas in the state. Fayemi signed the bill following its passage by the House of Assembly after approval was given to the result of the referendum conducted earlier. The governor said the policy was not meant to set a trap for the incoming administration of the Governor-elect, Mr Ayodele Fayose. Fayemi said he decided to create the councils to fulfill the promise he made to the people while campaigning for re-
Don’t Panic When You See Soldiers On Election OSOGBO -The Osun State Government has Day, Osun Govt Tells Residents advised residents not to be scared of large numbers of security personnel deployed to the state for the August.
9 governorship election. Mr Bola Ilori, the Special Adviser on Environment
Confab: AAUA VC Donates Allowance To Indigent Scholarship Scheme AKUNGBA -Akoko (Ondo State) Prof. Femi Mimiko, the Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA ), has donated part of his allowance from the National Conference in Abuja to the university’s scholarship scheme for indigent students. Mimiko announced this at a reception held in his honour for his roles at the four-month National Conference held in Abuja. He said that it was part of the demonstration of his avowed belief that education should be for all, irrespective of one’s background. “There is a particular programme that is so dear to my heart and I know that there are so many indigent students on our campus. “Under the University Advancement Office, we had thought of floating a scholarship scheme into which we will pull funds from everywhere. “And I can see that in the future, the funds will be so big that every student that has the need will be able to draw from it. “I had decided before I left Abuja to donate part of my allowance into the scheme’s account as a seed fund to support indigent students of AAUA,” Mimiko said. The vice chancellor expressed delight that the students were going about their activities smoothly. “It is good that members of staff and students have kept the campus clean and green. I give kudos to all on this.” He advised the students,
especially their leaders to always appreciate the critical place of leadership and have the courage to make hard choices that would define their future for good. “At all times, leaders must consider the wider implications of all their actions and what all of these mean for their constituents. “Your mission should be how to contribute to the stability of your university. It was not for nothing that AAUA was rated the best state university in Nigeria in 2013,” he said. Mimiko promised that the university would further pay attention to issues that were of critical importance to students. On the epileptic power supply ravaging Akungba community where huge population of students were resident and other student-related issues, the vice chancellor said there would be intervention soon. “We will seek ways of working with the community to intervene in the electricity situation in the town. “We will keep upgrading our infrastructure. “As a matter of fact, we may be able to have a few more classrooms for use during the upcoming semester examinations. “On transportation, we may be able to deploy a few more tricycles to ease movement around the campus. “We are going to explore the possibility of constructing a number of Bus Relaxation Centres on the road to the Umaru Yar ’Ardua Lecture Theatre.
and Sanitation to Governor. Rauf Aregbesola, gave the advice while addressing journalists in Osogbo. Reports state that the All Progressives Congress (APC), had opposed the deployment of soldiers for the election. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supported the deployment of security men, including soldiers, to ensure violence free polls. Ilori said Governor. Rauf Aregbesola was not contesting the deployment of security men to the state since they were to protect lives and property. “The opposition to the use of the military is not only in the interest of the political class, but the future of the country’s democracy. “The military is already
de-politicised, why are we bringing the institution into political affairs again? “What we are now concerned with is that the security officials on election duty should not be
used by a particular political party to the detriment of others. “Security men should not arrest people indiscriminately’’, he emphasised.
election. He promised that the state government would bridge all noticeable gaps in the policy to ensure smooth take off of the policy before the end of his tenure on Oct. 15, 2014. Fayemi explained that the Assets Sharing Committee of the House had visited the affected councils and submitted its report to him. He promised to implement the recommendations in the reports thoroughly to ensure smooth take-off of the councils. Fayemi added that the people had been yearning for creation of additional councils long before he came to power in 2010. He then promised to do everything within the confine of the country’s Constitution for effective functioning of these councils before the end of his administration. “Soon, we will appoint transitional political functionaries that will begin the process of take-off of these councils for rapid development at grass-roots level where the bulk of our people live,” he said.
Army Inaugurates Court Martial To Try IBADAN - Maj.-Gen Erring Personnel Emmanuel Abejirin, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2nd Division Nigerian Army, Ibadan, has inaugurated a general court martial to try erring personnel within the division. The GOC said at the inauguration that the Court Marshal became necessary to dispose of some disciplinary cases which by the provisions of military law could not be tried summarily. He said the cases included stealing, forgery, defilement,
rape and murder. He said members the court martial, led by Brig. Gen Felix Agugo, were selected based on rank, seniority, general service knowledge and wealth of experience. “Let me note at this point that military justice is in consonance with democratic order; hence military law and administration of military justice are not arbitrary, “Military justice is based on due process in conformity with extant laws, especially the constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Armed Forces Act,’’ he said. He urged members of the court to ensure that every step or action taken in the trial process conformed to the law. “In view of this, I wish to note that military justice is key to achieving military efficiency and discipline, “This court is empowered to determine the guilt or otherwise of accused persons who are to be presumed innocent until proved otherwise,’’ he said.
A cross section of members of Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, Pastor Monday Aigbe (right), receiving a gift from a staff of the company, Mr. Roland Osakue who presented it on behalf of the Company’s Co-operative Society during its AGM in Benin City yesterday. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.
News Kwara Gov Charges Butchers On Qualitative Leadership By LUCKY AFESE
ILLORIN - Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed of Kwara State, had charged Butchers across the country on the need for qualitative leadership to adhere to the desired objectives. He made this assertion recently in his office in Illorin, the state capital while receiving the national president of the Butchers’ union of Nigeria, Chief Dr. John Osamede Adun, JP who led the executives and members of Butchers Union in South-West Zone, including Kwara State, on a courtesy visit to the governor. Governor Ahmed noted that Butchers, as noblemen and women played a very pivotal role in boosting the economy of the country and that he felt related to see the Butchers in his office. He stressed that Butchers’ Union was among the organized group associations, he had been looking forward to have a smooth alliance with her good governance through economic driving force in Kwara State in particular and the entire country at large and specifically made reference to a group of artisans which he clamoured to be incorporated in cooperatives. The Governor, who chided the butchers on poor service delivery as bane of economic development in Nigeria, being their critical roles in food chain supply, system, however, urged them to be strengthened and remained focused towards good policy principles. According to him, I am surprised that the union was not in anyway represented in the ongoing national conference where it ought to have been represented adequately the members voices could have been heard for policy making. In his remark, the national president of the union, Chief John Osamede Adun, thanked the governor for the reception. He pointed out that, he was
in Kwara State, the state of harmony, to sensitize his members for effective policy making in the state. Chief Adun posited that what informed his decision to take the sensitization meeting of the South-West Zone, including Kwara of the butchers’ union to the state was as a result of his passion for the state, especially with due regard to the governor ’s exemplary leadership. He informed the governor that he had mandated his members to work closely with him to transform Kwara State to a greater height, just as he solicit for an assistance from the governor to enable his union in Kwara State to have efficient Abattoir like the same gesture the Oyo State government donated to the Butchers’ union in Ibadan. The Governor who frowned at the attitude of the butchers in allowing some unscrupulous politicians to design policies for their use, however, commended the pragmatic and proactive efforts of the national president in ensuring a formidable union of the magnitude and assured them of government commitment to actualize their objectives in the state. The Governor recounted
severally how he had brought the issues of the butchers’ union to the council members during economic council meeting with the president. He described Chief Adun as a dogged fighter whose vast administrative dispositions have endeared him to this progressive feat of not only sustaining the temple of justice in the union, but also for bringing the meeting to Kwara State and tasked the union to have an input on cattle rearing and to establish a strong communiqué on policy making for rule of law just as he harped on integration for development. The governor, who attributed the current crises rocking the country to indolence and greed however, suggested preservation automated and cooling van for easy transportation of meats by the union. He assured the union of his government readiness to build a standard abattoir for it in Kwara State. In a related development, the Butchers also visited the commissioner of Police in Kwara State, CP Ambrose Ojiemundia Aisabor, who was blessed to receive the national president, Chief John Osamede Adun and his members in his office.
The police boss described the national president as a men of wisdom, who had distinguished himself in all facet of life. He recounted how he first met Chief Adun, as an officer in the Edo State Police Command and noted that they have both maintained a good relationship even though he was from Edo State by origin. The national president, Chief Adun, informed the police boss that he was at Kwara State for a sensitization
meeting with his members in the South-West Zone, including Kwara State and that he had solicited for the cooperation of the police boss to create a peaceful atmosphere for his members in Kwara State, particularly as it affects fighting a sub-standard meat for consumption in the state. CP Aisabor, who advised the Butchers to eschew crimes however, assured the national president of his administration resolve to work in tandem with the policy of the union to create
an enabling environment in the state. Chief John Osamede Adun was accompanied by the South-South national Vice President, Prince Peter Oguigo, the South –West Coordinator of the union, the Kwara State Chairman, his counterparts from, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Osun and Ondo States. Others are Hon. Melo Edokpolor SSA to Governor Oshiomhole on commerce, Staff of Edo Line Transport Company Limited among others.
Bauchi State Chairman on Polio Immunisation and Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Billyaminu, immunising a child during vaccination of children against polio in Bauchi recently.
Protection Fund: NSE Reassures Stakeholders LAGOS - The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has reassured capital market stakeholders that the Investors Protection Fund (IPF), re-launched in 2012, to protect investors would soon be operational. The Head, Legal and Regulation Division of NSE, Ms Tinuade Awe, gave the assurance on the sidelines of an Investor Protection Clinic for journalists in Lagos. Awe said the six months delay in the operation of IPF already approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) followed the auditing of the
funds from inception. Awe said the NSE needed to ensure proper audit of the fund from inception to date to ensure its smooth take off and operation. According to her, the Exchange could not embark on payout of claims without proper auditing of the fund. She said that the NSE contracted the auditing of the funds to PriceWaterCoppers, adding that the audit was at the final stage. Awe said that the fund when operational would cover losses incurred due to NSE revocation
of broker/dealer licences and bankruptcy of dealing firms. She also said that the NSE would embark on an investor enlightenment programme to ensure proper understanding of the fund’s operations by retail investors. Awe explained that retail investors would have proper understanding of the fund during the payment of first tranche of verified claims to investors. Reports state that the NSE has yet to commence compensation of investors under its IPF six months after the operational
L-R: JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge and Senator Hosea Agboola, during inauguration of Rehabilitated UCH Annex in Sepeteri/Atisbo LGA of Oyo State recently.
rules was approved by SEC. Mr Oscar Onyema, NSE Chief Executive Officer (CEO), had recalled at the Exchange’s review of the 2013 market activities in January, that the first batch of aggrieved investors would soon be resituated. IPF was established to give investors a statutory backed avenue for reducing the losses
they suffer as a result of bankruptcy. It will also cover losses arising from insolvency, negligence or wrongdoing by dealing members. Checks by newsmen revealed that the fund’s board of trustees were still battling with the verification of about 300 claims submitted by individuals and companies.
Insurgency
Britain Pledges Support For Nigeria LAGOS - The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Andrew Pocock, has said his government was ready to support Nigeria in providing security in the Gulf of Guinea. Pocock made this known in Lagos at a news conference on board “HMS IRON DUKE”, a visiting British War Ship. “Britain is a friend to Nigeria and is ready to support Nigeria in ensuring that activities of piracy and other illegal activities in the Gulf of Guinea are tackled. “The security of Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea matters profoundly to the British Government. “We are, therefore, going to be working closely with the Nigerian Navy in ensuring that challenges of insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea are checked. “We are ready to support Nigeria in the fight against illegal fishing, poaching, piracy
and huge revenue losses along its coast,’’ he said. Pocock also restated his government’s commitment to building capacity of the Nigerian Navy, adding that the visit of some British companies to Nigeria was to showcase technological solutions to the nation’s security challenges. The captain of the ship, Cdr. Tom Tredray, said that the British Navy was in Nigeria to train their Nigeria counterparts. According to him, the twoday training will enhance the Nigerian Navy’s skills in navigation, engineering, maintenance of small boats, fire fighting and information exchange. “We believe we can jointly develop economicallysustainable technology, training and support solutions to achieve an integrated maritime security sector for the Nigerian Navy.
Across The Nation
Terrorists Use Female Bombers - Mba
ABUJA - The Police Public Relations Officer ACP Frank Mba, on Wednesday in Abuja said international terror organisations use female suicide bombers in attacks because they are less suspicious. Mba, who was answering questions at the National Information Centre, said the use of females in suicide attacks was not new. “Established international terror organisations use female suicide bombers, the major reason is because women, generally raise fewer suspicion, particularly when there are security layers. “If you have been following the trend of terrorism worldwide, you will understand that the use of a female suicide bomber is not new. “But, it is a new trend in our own part of the world’’, he said. The force spokesman, however, said a new counter-
Committee To Ensure Implementation Of Confab’s Recommendations Underway
soldiers in combat operations’’, he said. Mba appealed to parents and Local Government authorities across the country to support efforts to stamp out street hawking by young girls, particularly among minors. Earlier, the coordinator of the centre, Mr. Mike Omeri, said
the insurgents had resorted to using young girls because something had gone wrong with their strategy. “This trend of using young people clearly shows that there is something wrong with main recruitment arm of the insurgents. “Citizens are becoming more
aware and so the tendency is to recruit those who do not know what they are doing, young people as young as 10 years. “Boko Haram is so deadly and this underscores the seriousness of the campaign that our country is engage in order to flush out the insurgents’’, he said.
President Goodluck Jonathan (middle) at the scene of Emab Plaza bomb blast at Wuse II in Abuja recently.
KANO - Three persons were confirmed dead in Kano when a female suicide bomber carried out an attack at the entrance of Kano State Polytechnic. The Commissioner of Police in Kano, Mr Aderenle Shinaba, who made the confirmation while briefing newsmen on the incident, said seven persons were injured in the attack on the school. Shinaba said the incident happened at about 3.30 p.m. when some graduates of the college were checking their deployment for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on a list pasted at the gate of
the institution. He said that the bomber, who detonated the explosives hidden on her body and two other persons were killed in the explosion. “We are in a very difficult situation where we have a new dimension of suicide bombings in the state. “This calls for vigilance and intelligence gathering on the part of everyone. “The issue of teenage female bombers also calls for vigilance and serious attention of law enforcement agents; it is a fight for all of us,’’ he said. It would be recalled that no fewer than eight persons died in two bomb attacks in Kano on Sunday. The incidents were carried out by suicide bombers, a male and a female. The male attacked worshipers at St. Charles Catholic Church along Zungeru Road in Sabon Gari and killed four people. The female bomber detonated the explosive she concealed in her dress, blowing up herself and three other women who had queued to buy kerosene at a filling station at Kofar Nassarawa area of the metropolis.
terrorism strategy was being developed to address the new trend in the country. “We are developing counterterrorism strategies to deal with that. “By our rules of engagement and by our culture too, male security operatives generally are not allowed to search
females. “You will see increase in female security personnel on roads and in other places where stop and search exercises are being carried out. “Nigerians should be prepared to see more female police officers, bomb disposal experts, DSS operatives and
Female Bomber Kills Self, 2 Others
- Sen Ida
KATSINA - (Katsina State) The National Conference will set up a committee to ensure that its recommendations were implemented, Sen. Ibrahim Ida, a delegate from Katsina State, has said. Ida, elder statesmannominee at the confab, announced this when he briefed newsmen in Katsina on Wednesday. He said some of the recommendations reached by the delegates required constitutional amendments while others do not. He said the committee would ensure that the recommendations were channeled to the appropriate quarters for implementation in good time. Ida added that the conference succeeded in profering solutions to most of the contentious issues in the country. He urged those who would implement the recommendations to put the interest of the nation first before any other interest and “do the right thing for Nigeria.’’
Fire Ravages Commercial Bank ATM Gallery In Lagos
Beddings for the newly rehabilitated Univrsity College Hospital (UCH) Annex in Sepeteri/Atisbo LGA of Oyo State recently.
Nigeria’s Ambassador To Liberia Had No Contact With Ebola Victim - Ministry
ABUJA- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that Nigeria’s Ambassador to Liberia, Chigozie ObiNnadozie, had no contact with Patrick Sawyer, the 40year old Liberian national who died of Ebola virus in Lagos last week. A statement issued by Mr. Ogbole Ode, the Ministry spokesman, blamed the Federal Ministry of Health and Lagos state officials for the misinformation.
The recalled that ObiNnadozie had been erroneously identified in the media to be among the 59 persons who had contact with Sawyer. The Liberian finance ministry employee, who is a naturalised American, died in Lagos last week after contracting the disease from his sister in Liberia. Despite showing early symptoms, Sawyer flew on a commercial flight from
Liberia to Nigeria, via Togo but died five days later in Lagos. A statement from the ministry said: “Ambassador Obi-Nnadozie did not at any time have any contact with Mr Sawyer either by way of being in the same building or vehicle or a given location. “The ambassador is still at her duty post in Monrovia. The federal health authorities together with
their Lagos state counterparts may wish to cross-check this for more accurate information.’’ Meanwhile the Australian government has warned their citizens to avoid travelling to affected areas in West Africa, including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. A total of 672 people have been killed by Ebola virus in these countries.
LAGOS - Business activities were stalled at a branch of one of the commercial banks located at Ijaiye, a suburb of Lagos, after fire ravaged its automated teller machine (ATM) gallery. The fire which also gutted the right wing of the bank’s administrative block was said to have started at about 7 a.m. A source at the bank who pleaded anonymity told newsmen that no life was lost in the fire. According to the source, a detachment from the Lagos State Fire Service responded on time and brought the fire under control. Meanwhile, the bank has directed its customers to use other branches for their transactions following the temporary closure of the branch.
Abuja Executive Stress Can Cause Bad Breath - Dentist
President, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited Co-operative Society (BNCLMPCS) (left), Vice President, Mr. Eghosa Idehen and a member of the Executive Committee, Mr. Sylvester Oboh during the 2013 Annual General Meeting of the co-operative in Benin City yesterday. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.
ABUJA - Dr Machu Abraham, Managing Director, Graceland Oral and Medical Care Initiative, Abuja, has advised Nigerians to take time to rest while they work in order to avoid bad breath. Abraham told newsmen in Abuja that it was important to avoid stress during working hours by moving around and taking water to maintain healthy lifestyle. “There is the executive bad breath; somebody comes to office from eight o’clock till about 10p.m.; he
Doctors Urge FG To Implement PPP Scheme In Hospitals
ABUJA - Some members of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) have urged the Federal Government to implement the Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP) scheme in government hospitals to improve quality of health care delivery in the country. The doctors, who are part of the ongoing nationwide strike called by NMA, spoke to the newsmen in Abuja. They said that PPP would stabilise activities in the hospitals and increase efficiency in service delivery. One of the medical doctors, Dr Titus Ibekwe, who is the National Vice President of NMA, said that PPP would help to develop the health sector. “In my opinion, PPP is a welcomed development; this is because it will definitely make services rendered in hospitals
more efficient and effective. “You find PPP in developed countries; the sections in the hospitals that generate money such as the laboratories and pharmacies should be run by the private sector, Then, the health sector will be developed, ’’ Ibekwe said. On his part, Dr Jibril Abdullahi, the National President of the Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), said
inevitable and has to be achieved in Nigeria. “It is important because it has been realised that hospitals cannot survive without the private sector. “This is because the private sector is more organised, focused and result oriented, so the government must align with the private sector to achieve quality health care delivery in hospitals.’’
Commission For Mass Literacy Clamours For More Funds
ABUJA - Alhaji Jibrin Paiko, the Executive Secretary of National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Formal Education clamoured for more funding to pay teachers. Paiko told the newsemen in an interview that the commission lacked funds to pay teachers who were facilitating the adult
Council Scribe, Others Solicit Citizens-Govt Collaboration GWAGWALADA - (FCT) The Secretary, Gwagwalada Area Council, Alhaji Usman Yahaya, has solicited the collaboration between the citizens, security agents and government in the fight against insurgency in the country. Yahaya, who made the call in an interview with newsmen stressed that security was the business of all citizens. He said that the current state of increasing insurgency required constant synergy between the citizens, security agents and government to stem the scourge. Yahaya commended the Federal Government’s efforts in fighting insurgency in the country and urged all citizens to be security-conscious at all times by helping security agents with useful security tips. He said that as a measure to ensure that peace reigned in Gwagwalada, the council was holding monthly meetings with its traditional and political leaders to discuss and sensitise the people on security issues.
that PPP could work if it was implemented partially. “It is an alternative that can work provided it is done partially, while keeping in mind the importance of the tertiary hospitals in the training of health care workers at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels,” he said.
According to Abdullahi, the government can start with the concession of laboratories, and maybe, the pharmacy unit that are not direct points of clinical consultation and procedures. He pointed out that Nigerians needed a health care system devoid of politics. In his contribution, the National President of the Guild of Medical Directors (GMD), Dr Tony Phillips, said “PPP is
has forgotten that there is breakfast, there is lunch and dinner; he is stressed. “This one is very prone to chief executives; so, we normally advise them, yes, nobody is stopping you from working hard in your office but take time to rest. “If maybe you stay for four, five hours in your seat, take a walk, maybe take your coffee, take your water and just have a rest; don’t work throughout seven days in a week. “Your mouth can be clean but the stress that is inside you will bring out the bad breath and that one is very difficult to cure because it is you that will cure it. “So we advise that if you are a chief executive mellow down because the work will still continue even if you are not there, so you take one thing at a time.’’ Abraham, therefore, urged Nigerians to always take time out to rest after working hours to promote good health.
“On a monthly basis, the council holds meetings with its traditional and political leaders to discuss the security challenges among other developmental issues. “We tell citizens to collaborate with us by providing useful security information to ensure that peace prevails in the area and they have been collaborating with us. “This, by and large, explains why we have been enjoying relative peace here in Gwagwalada because security should be regarded as everybody’s business,’’ he said. In his remarks, Prof. Chiwendu Williams, the Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Gwagwalada, said the Federal Government was doing its best in finding solution to the challenge of security. “The Federal Government to me is doing its best in finding a lasting solution to challenges of Boko Haram insurgency, although its best may not be good enough.
and formal education sector. “The major challenge we have is how to pay the teachers’ salary, we do not have funds to pay them,’’ he said. According to him, under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), it is the State Universal Basic Education Commission (SUBEC) that pays teachers’ salary and we do not have such packages. “We believe that even our own programme and the states agencies for Mass Education Programme need to access the UBEC funds to pay the teachers’
salary. “We are clamouring for a situation where the state commissioners of education will put SUBEC and agencies for mass education together in order to develop a work plan to access UBEC funds. Paiko said that this would go a long way to funding the formal and non-formal education subsectors. “Our facilitators are supposed to have minimum qualification
of NCE but because of the inadequate funding, they are not properly paid, ‘’he said. He said that the commission was also making efforts to improve and maintain the quality of teachers being engaged as facilitators. The secretary said in terms of capacity building, 11 people were trained from each state as master trainers in a pilot programme and at the state level. He said that 131 facilitators had so far been trained in four local governments in each of the
states. He said that the commission had also developed 17 trade areas vocational education curriculum for adult literacy education. According to him, we have sent it to the reference committee on education and it will be passed to the joint consultation committee on education which is coming up next week for adoption. Paiko said that the commission was collaborating with UNESCO to revitalise adults and youth literacy in the country.
L-R: Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr. Benjamin Dikki; Chairman of the occasion, Malam Yunus Usman and President, Just Friends Club of Nigeria (JFON), Mr. Jerome Green-Amakere at the annual lecture of JFON in Abuja recently.
Health A State Wide Broadcast By Hon Commissioner For Health, Dr Mrs Aihanuwa Eregie On Ebola Disease Alert In Edo State By UTI A. UDOH
My dear people of Edo State, I wish tobring to your attention that a case of Ebola Virus Disease has been confirmed in Nigeria: This was diagnosed in a Liberian visitor in Lagos. Arising from this, there is the urgent need for all of us to be extra vigilant to pr Ebola Virus Disease in Edo State, because this deadly disease is highly contagious and N i g e r i a n s particularly Edo indigenes are widely travelled people. Ebola Virus Disease is a deadly infecuous viral haemorrhagic disease that ‘affects humans. It is caused by a virus called Ebola virus. This yirus is usually transmitted from infected animals tohumans and from one infected person to another by direct close contacts through body fluids
and secretions. Many infected wild animals havebeen implicated, these include; monkeys, chimpanzees, bats, a n t e l o p e , porcupines, gorillas amongst others. The symptoms and signs of this disease include; sudden onset of fever, weakness, muscle pains, headaches and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and impaired kidney and liver functions. The disease may progr to internal and external bleeding, failure of organs and consequent death. It is important to state here that this disease presents like many other disease conditions such as; malaria, typhoid fever, hepatitis, cholera, diarrhoea, Lassa fever and meningitis. .The definitive diagnosis of Ebola Virus Disease is from laboratory tests. Prevention of
Ebola is by avoiding contact with ppssible infected wild animals (dead or alive) and avoiding close
washing our hands regularly, washing fruits and vegetables before consumption and practicing safer sex.
at the Local Government or State Ministry of Health immed Health care workers are in
Dr. (Mrs.) Aihamuwa Eregie, Edo State Commissioner for Health.
contact with infected persons and corpses. ‘This is in addition to keeping our environment clean at all times,
Any suspicious case in the community should be reported to the nearest health facility, the disease surveillance and notification officer
addition expected to observe standard precautions at all times including hand washing routines and use of
personal protective equipment. The treatment for Ebola Virus Disease is symptomatic and there is no cure and no vaccines to prevent it. It is important to emphasize that p Ebola Virus Disease is not in Edo Statç. The Ministry of Health and health workers in the State in collaboration with WHO and other partners carry out disease surveillance activitjes in al parts of the State to ensure early detection of any outbreak and the timely containment and control. We must all join hands with Government to prevent Ebola Virus Disease and other diseases in our State by observing the p r e v e n t i v e measures we have stated and quickly report any suspected case. God Bless Edd State!
“Ebola Virus Disease is a deadly infecuous viral haemorrhagic disease that ‘affects humans. It is caused by a virus called Ebola virus. This yirus is usually transmitted from infected animals tohumans and from one infected person to another by direct close contacts through body fluids and secretions.”
THE House of Representatives recently organised a public hearing to gather opinions on Foreign Donations Bill currently before the lawmakers. The bill titled “An Act to Regulate the Acceptance and Utilisation of Finance/Material Contributions of Donor Agencies to Voluntary Organisations and for matters related connected therewith” has generated so much furor in development circles. THE bill states that no voluntary organisation is allowed to accept funds from international donors without the permission of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC. By this regulation, the ICPC would be mandated to approve funds for Civil Society Organisations, and individuals who receive international funding for different programmes. WE strongly oppose the Bill for a number of reasons: The Bill proposed by Hon. Eddie Mbadiwe, appears to be a duplication of duties assigned to the Special Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML. MBADIWE, at the committee meeting held on July 3, said he sponsored the bill with the intention to promote and defend civil society organisations. This of course, is a lie because, Civil Society do not need government’s bureaucracy for its defense. Instead, the bill if allowed to sail through will stifle Civil Society Organisations, block many from accessing international support and weaken their activities which includes amplifying the voices of the poor and vulnerable groups in the society. MBADIWE also said there was consistent abuse of contribution made by the international community and the bill would help control inflow of money into Nigeria. He also noted that funds meant for CSOs have ended in the hands of terrorists. This is a blatant lie because whereas Civil Society
THE NIGERIAN
Stop CSOs Foreign Donations Bill
Organisations have been receiving funds from international agencies for over one hundred years of Nigeria’s amalgamation history, terrorism became an issue and manifestly so in the past two-three years of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration; that is why most observers believe that a section of the north who do not want him as president are the brains behind Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria. ALL over the world, it is said that government alone cannot finance development and meet the various challenges facing all citizens that informs the entry point of other development partners such as Civil Society to fill such gaps as the private sector is usually preoccupied with profit maximization. IT is a truism that hundreds of local CSOs and voluntary organisations receive donor funding from international partners to pursue developmental projects across Nigeria yearly, Mbadiwe, a consultant Biochemist/ Industrialist, and an inexperienced first-term member of the House of Representatives representing ldeato North/South constituency of Imo State do not have clear understanding of the working of Civil Society now accepted by the United Nations and Governments all over the world as key partners in development. IT is important to emphasise that funds of CSOs are usually channeled towards
sustainable development, public office holder accountability, good governance, I improvement of access to quality healthcare services, polio eradication and HIV/AIDS care and control in Nigeria among others. If the proposed bill is made law, such funding henceforth would only materialise if the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, approves it, a task which SCIJML is already assigned to do. THERE are laws already governing the utilisation of money used by civil society organisations and it is the duty of government to enforce these laws. There are extant laws, which regulate civil society organisations, making it possible for these organisations to be held accountable for the utilisation of their funds. In addition to these laws, are policies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, policy that makes it mandatory for all NGOs to comply with its SCUML rules. IN as much as we are against terrorism, we do not support the destruction of democratic structures in the guise of combating terrorism as being canvassed by the Bill. IT is our considered view that Civil Society Organisations cannot be made to suffer, under the pretence of enacting a new law to tackle terrorism. The strength of Civil Society Organisations is based on the fact that they were independent of the government, given the peculiarity of government in Nigeria, the proposed bill latently seeks to muzzle this independence and now make them government dependent organisations. THE bill poses a threat to the freedom of civil society organisations. It is a covert threat to their right to free speech, and by extension, a threat to the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. It is against these facts that we urge members of the National Assembly to throw away the Bill and cosign it to the wastebasket where it actually belongs.
Insight
GOOD leaders help others shine and grow. The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. - Nelson Henderson I am holding in my hand a graceful, inspirational book entitled Rambans Ladder: A Meditation on Generosity and Why It is Necessary to Give by Julie Salamon. The book is based on the teachings of Ramban, a physician and philosopher who, more than a thousand years ago. developed Ramban’s Ladder, which outlines the various forms of giving from the lowest handing out money begrudgingly, as one might to a panhandler -to the highest, helping someone become self-reliant. I have long been meditating on the whole issue of generosity as an important quality of leadership: observing leaders who had it, and those who lacked it. When we think of generosity, our thoughts automatically drift to gifts of money or charity. In the context of leadership, there are other gifts that don’t have a monetary value, but whose value is beyond price. These include giving someone a chance; giving someone the benefit of the doubt: and giving others a reason to want to work for you. It entails giving others latitude, permission to make mistakes, and all the information that they need to do the job. It’s giving them the authority that goes with responsibility — its giving them due credit for their ideas. In a nutshell, all of this translates to generosity of spirit, a quality we admire in leaders. Generosity, a word which once meant of noble birth,’ used to be associated with members of the aristocracy who, by virtue of their
privileges, were expected to show generosity towards those in lesser standing. A leader too, by virtue of her position, and the power and privileges that she holds relative to those she leads, has the same expectations and obligations. A prime obligation is to lead with a generous heart, and to be guided by a nobility of mind. A leader’s generosity has a positive spreading effect conversely, its absence has a series of negative consequences that, if a leader paused to reflect on them, may stop her in her tracks. I am a firm believer that people need more than just ‘a nice job close to home. Most people want to find meaning in their jobs -they want to feel that they are a part of something bigger and something better. They want to know that what they do matters. A leader with a generous spirit understands this need, and connects the dots for people- the dots that help them see how the work they perform, no matter how small it may be in the scheme of things, has a bearing on the ultimate vision of the company. There is a well-known anecdote that is related by Tom Peters about a hospital in the US that treats cancer, During a series of staff interviews, an interviewer asked the housekeeper what her job entailed, She responded, “I help to cure cancer.’ Somewhere in that hospital, a leader connected the dots for this individual, and made her feel that she was an integral part of the hospital’s mission- Do you do that for the people who do the work in your unit or organization? There is a lot of talk these days about lack of engagement in the workforce. Imagine how engaged people are when their leader makes them feel that they are a fundamental
Leading W By BAMIDELE MICHAEL
part of the success of the organization; that everyone, from the receptionist or clerk to the c e o, constitute a binding thread, tightly interwoven into the company fabric -each equally doing its part to give the fabric its strength. A leader with a generous spirit delegates not just routine work, but understands about delegating worthwhile work that becomes a gift of development and growth for someone else. How we love those leaders. These are the leaders that make us want to get out of bed in the morning and go to work to give that person the very best that we have to offer. These are the leaders who get our discretionary effort, every day. And what about gifts of information? In a survey on effective motivation published by 1000 Ventures, one of the top items that individuals want in the workplace is the ability to be ‘in’ on things. This was rated 9 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Managers ranked this item as I This is a large chasm in understanding. The quickest way to satisfy this need in constituents is to share information. We have all come across some leaders who are inclined to hoard crucial information as the currency of power. Leaders with a generous spirit give employees a chance to get under the hood and to be a part of the inner circle. Freely and generously sharing know-how, expertise, and ideas is not only beneficial for employees - its a smart way
of doing business. Albert Camus said: Real generosity toward the future consists in giving all to what is present: How often, as leaders, we are so focused on future achievements, on realizing the vision of the organization, that in the process, we neglect the people who are there. A
where, without intending it, we exclude others; and we often only consciously notice that we have excluded them when they have become disengaged. Self-absorption inherently prevents generosity. Once in a while, it helps to stop and ask oneself: Am I giving enough to the
pure sense is altruistic, do still get something b from it: surprise dividend the form of a recycling goodwill, a surplus cooperation, and the sh satisfaction of seeing ano benefit from our giving ourselves, our time, attention, our knowledge, very best that we have offer those who cross
leader of a successful software firm confessed to me once that she woke up one day realizing how much she had disconnected emotionally from the people who did the work in her organization, while focusing on the strategic imperatives of the company. Today, we have a tendency to be too self-absorbed. We become self-involved to the point
people around me? There is an African village where the greeting words for good morning’ or hello’ are: l am here if you are here. Imagine the gift we give others when we are fully present with them — when we truly see them. Perhaps this is what Ralph Waldo Emerson meant when he said: “The only gift is the gift of thyself”. Bill Clinton ended a speech to a 6,000member audience with an exhortation “See more people.’ This preceded his reference to all the people who do the clean-up work behind the scenes after the audience leaves. Do we give thought to the people who are unnoticed in our organizations, those who quietly work in the background? While generosity in its
paths at work or life. We never know w opportunities we may h missed in life by showing tight-fisted. It is hard receive anything if we d open our hands to give. As a leader, giving peo the gift of not just appreciation for good w but our genuine admira for their talents, is genero of spirit at its pinnacle. T is the difference betw saying to someone: ‘G job” versus This was p genius; or “I apprecia your help versus ‘I coul have done it without y When it comes to genu praise, like the sun at h noon, give resplenden When you see good w say it, and say it from heart, just as you though Free up the thought, and it breathe -let it fly out th
“A leader with a generous spirit delegates not just routine work, but understands about delegating worthwhile work that becomes a gift of development and growth for someone else.”
Insight
With Generosity
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in the form of generous words, and watch what you get back. Giving is ultimately sharing. Here are some practical tips to enhance our generosity of spirit:
1 Give people a sense of importance In Adele Lynn’s book, In
person? 3. Give people visibility Giving people visibility in your organization is a special gift we bestow to help others shine and grow. I encourage you to think how you might give people more access to senior executives, and more access to your boss. Consider as well that people like to know that their boss’s boss knows the great contributions they made to a project, or about their significant effort in writing a report that does not bear their name. Knowing that our leader is representing us well to upper management is a high- octane motivator, and engenders fierce loyalty. 4. Give anonymously Real generosity of spirit is
doing something for someone without their knowledge. Think of one or two deserving people in your organization that you can help by planting a careerenhancing seed on their behalf- perhaps saying something positive about their work to someone in authority? 5. Know when to forgive Martin Luther King said that The old law of an eye for on eye leaves everyone blind.’ Consider how harboring vindictive thoughts, even though so compelling at times, is nothing but violence to oneself. A characteristic of a generous person is a total lack of resentment its in effect being too noble, too
big for that. Who do you need to forgive? What do you need to let go? 6. Give encouragement Look around you and pick someone who needs encouragement, and resolve to give them that. Consider that some people have never received encouragement in their life-not from teachers, not from bosses, not even from parents. 7. Give opportunity One of the most valuable gifts we can give someone is giving them a chance. Is there someone right now to whom you could give a second chance to prove themselves? If so, what active steps can you take to create the right circumstances for them to
succeed? What doors can you open for someone who is well deserving, but not well positioned to be noticed. 8. Share your knowledge and experience Resolve to become a philanthropist of know-how. What knowledge, expertise, or best practices can you share with others as a way to enrich them? For inspiration, read about other leaders who practice teaching in their organization for everyone’s benefit -for example, Jack Welch, whose calendar was filled with hundreds of hours spent teaching thousands of GE managers and executives at the company’s training center at Croton-on-Hudson or the ex-CEO of Intel, Andy
Grove, who devoted considerable amounts of time to teaching newly hired and senior managers his philosophy on how to lead in an industry where innovation goes stale very quickly. 9. Give moral support Public speaking is known to be among the greatest fears experienced by millions of people. The next time you attend a presentation given by an apprehensive team member, practice giving them moral support. The simplest of generous acts are abstaining from checking your Blackberry, giving the odd nod in agreement, and practicing looking with kind eyes. Finally, take some inspiration from Walt Whitman’s beautiful words: “The habit of giving enhances the desire to give.” Giving is like budding a muscle. It requires practice and persistence – once it becomes habitual, you will emerge as a strong leader.
Youths: Leaders Of Tomorrow, Why Not Today?
Search of Honor: Lessons from Workers in How to Build Trust, we learn that 55% of workers value giving people a sense of importance’ as the number one item for building trust in the workplace, Consider what small actions you could take intentionally today to make people feel that the work they do is important, and that they themselves, as people, are important to your team. 2. Give feedback, not criticism If giving frequent criticism is your style of management, consider some of these questions: Is your motivation genuine, or is it to gain points? Are you picking the right moment? Are you stopping to reflect how you might deliver the feedback while still honoring the other
WE have heard the popular cliché times without number that “the youths are the leaders of tomorrow”, and we have grown tired of hearing a cliché that is only meant to promote engagement and public responsibility in the youths. How can the youths be leaders of tomorrow, when they have not even been given a proper chance to prove their potentials in today’s world? As Nobel laureate in Literature, Pearl S. Buck, puts it, “though the young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible, and achieve it generation after generation”. The youths are not just leaders of tomorrow but also leaders of today because there cannot be a tomorrow, if today does not exist. So how can the youth rule effectively tomorrow, if they are not given the opportunity to prove their potentials today? Over the years, we have heard and seen youths who have done incredible things; youths who posses exceptional passion, skill and commitment. We heard of various youth-led groups who understand that leadership isn’t a position but something that anyone
By UTI A. UDOH
can do at anytime. Youths who understand that leadership is not by ability but responsibility. We have heard of youths who stand up and so what they think is right to make life better for others. Youths who organise charitable activities for those in need, stand as human right activists for the oppressed, write books about their own challenging experiences and do many other acts of leadership and selflessness. Youth that have made great name for themselves and their country through great innovations and inventions. So it is highly disappointing that in a great country like Nigeria, youths have been relegated to the backstage and are being counseled with “youths are the leaders of tomorrow”, what happens to today? Take a look at the people who hold high positions in our country, you will find out that they are mostly papas and ‘mamas’. The Youths are not given the opportunity to create, innovate and display their great potentials.
To the papas and Mamas, the youths are people with great stake in our country, they have valuable knowledge and skills to contribute not only to the future, but also to today. When the youths are seen as people that are meant only to rule tomorrow, we consequently cheat the nation out of valuable expertise, passion, creativity and energy. However, it is highly necessary for our leaders to begin to see the youths as a distinct group with specific skills and abilities rather than simply resort to staid clichés such as “youths are the leaders of tomorrow”, youths are the future”, youths are the next generation of leaders”, blah,
blah, blah. Moreover, to confer the youths with the crown of tomorrow’s leadership is in effect robbing them of their ability and responsibility to be leaders and ideators of today. This does nothing but subject the youths to a state of passivity, ineptitude and intellectual servitude. The youths are not only leaders of tomorrow but of today and tomorrow. Therefore, our leaders in Nigeria are implored to begin to see the youths as partners rather than people in a temporary biological stage of human growth. This leaders of tomorrow as they say need to be nurtured today, they need to be allowed to prove their potential by giving then the chance to participate, and innovate.
As Steve Burkey stated, “participation is an essential part of human growth, that is development of self confidence, pride, initiative, creativity, responsibility, cooperation… this process whereby people learn to take charge of their lives and solve their own problems, is the essence of development”. The Nigerian youths and youths all over the world are henceforth charged to see themselves, not as leaders of tomorrow. They should not wait for tomorrow to come before they take the bull by the horn. It is time for the Nigerian youths to wake up and take the pains of responsibility. The youths have a crucial and essential role to play in the society of today and of the future and if the youths are allowed to participate or contribute to the affairs of the country, it will help in creating a better Nigeria.
“So it is highly disappointing that in a great country like Nigeria, youths have been relegated to the backstage and are being counseled with “youths are the leaders of tomorrow”, what happens to today?”
Art Alive
(Continued from last week) INA Eka festival of UteOkpu people is also significant in instilling love of charity as a clear demonstration of patriotism and nationalism in the people of Uke-Okpu community. The festival also serves the purpose of promoting personal hygiene and environmental sanitation of the whole town for a joyous celebration. During this period, the people pray to their national deity and ancestral spirits for blessings of love, peace, progress and unity of the people. They see it as a medium to thank their deity and ancestral spirits for what they have done for them and then solicit for more blessings especially on their farm crops. The Ina Eka festival affords the people the opportunity which they see as a rare gem for the subjects to have a warm handshake of fraternization with the Obi during this period of hermitage. The activities strewn along the lines are programmed. Before hand, when it becomes certain that Ina Eka is atl hand, Agbala (a display with song) is called. This is done with stentorian voice sandwieched with pageant young men in display of valour. This exercise is not to play to the gallery but it is done to invoke both the quick and the dead to the consciousness of the oncoming festival, Ina Eka. This is closely followed with the Obi-in council communing together to fix a day suitable for the festival. The celebration, which must not be less than the mystical seven days which should not terminate on Afor or Eke day ‘Igbu/ Ibe Agborh; which is highly ritualized, marks the end of the ceremony. Ina Eka festival takes place in the month of December. It commences with Asua (an elder) performing his
With Francis Odupute
Ina Eka Festival
traditional rites. All chiefs with rotatary title with some traditional functions in charge of the eight villages in UteOkpu visiting the Obi to pay homage in order of village placement. After him, (Asua) other chiefs both hereditary and honorary pay their homage to the Obi with any presents they deem fit. This is done in order of seniority of installations. They go with the members of their families to grace the occasion. Village heads in charge of all the eight villages of Ute-Okpu kingdom with few of their elders pay their homage to the Obi with presents in the order of seniority. Takes place. After this all sons and daughters abroad pay their homage to the Obi with presents. In all cases, visitors are enter- tained. Next, on the fifth day of the ceremony, the Obi visits his head chiefs in their villages for him to be known by his subjects. He may combine two or three nearest villages to save time if the so desires. On the six day, the Obi visits the Onuawuwa (a particularly shrine) to pray for the peace and progresss of the entire community, accompanied by his elders, the Omus (the witch docters) and the traditional doctors. Conclusively, on the seventh day which is the last day of the festival, all dancing groups assemble in white or richly costume at the Obi’s palace, singing in praise of the Obi in thanksgiving to God and their ancestors. While this is going on,, the Obi, dressed in richly costume, is seated on his throne and being fanned with the “Ezuzu Uje” (bigfan) by the “pages”. The two swords (Ada and Ebeni) bearers all well
FRANCODUS ON FRIDAY
By MARY YOUNG
polished glittering are carried by the bearers, standing on the right and left hand sides of the Obi. Completion of Ina Eka Festival. The “Ina Eka” festival culminates with resounding ceremonies which begins at about 10.00am in the morning dances and other cultural displays and activities which are outlined below. After the Obi’s appearance in richly dressed costume and is seated on the throne being fanned with “Ezuzu”, (big fan) the Omus (women witch doctor) and the traditional doctors perform their
incantation, all singing in praise of the Obi and the usual heralding song of “Iyare” accompanied by trumpeters and the Odu (Elephant Tusk, horn) blow intermittently. This is followed by the “Ida” bandsmen displaying at the Ogwa Obi (the king’s court) singing. “Ojeme lare Oko-Oje lare” meaning the king is coming. All other dancing groups shall keep the areana in a festive mood. As this is ongoing all special guests, other guests and chief are seated in the arena (front of the Ogwa) in the booths. The above memtioned ceremonies are celebrated between
10.ooam and 2.00pm. Then at 2.00pm precisely, an announcement heralding the appearance of the Obi to the arena is greeted with booming of seven cannon shots. As the Obi arrives, he is borne on his arm in wide white handkerchiefs by his arms bearers, accompanied with the “Imadas” (sword beares) dressed half nude with beads known as “akpolo” of different colours worn araind their waist with rich cloths put on both front and back with well polished brass bangles or beads. All the people will rise as the Obi appears in the arena. He is led to the throne in the “Ogwa” flanked on the left and right by all the elders from the eight villages – Ikpara and ndichies. The Olotu’s seats are also specially arranged. The chiefs who accompany the Obi are all dressed in white apparel with beads and no caps on. They sit on the arranged seats preserved for them. The Omu and the traditional herbalists are in a comspicblously arranged places that is strategic. In the meantime, His Highness the Obis message to his people at this time is a greeting done eith by a written address or oral message expressing his joy and gratititude to the people and also highlighting the significance of the occasion. When the message is
delivered, the Obi rises to thrill his spectators to the “Uje dance” and the drum. The Obi then dances with his chief who holds his two hands, his relatives and a free for all dance for about 30 minutes. Then the Obi retires to his chamber to rest, while visitors are entertained to all sorts of dances and drinks. After this the Obi performs the “Ibe Agborh or Igbu Agborh” rite which he does at exactly 5:30pm because of its significance. He does this by emerging again in another regalia to perform the last part of the ceremony known as “Ibe or Igbu Agborh” which in then days was performed by beheading a slave but to this time a live dog, a pumpkin or a gourd is used and in the way it is done in the ancient days is secret which is known only to the Obi and the Executioners. After this, he moves to the “uje square” which is close to “Ihu Awuwa”. At about 6:30pm, the Obi and some elders and those concerned with the ceremony proceed to the “Ihu Awuwa shrine while those who are not connected with the ceremony or ritual stop at a point to wait for the Obi and his group to return. The Obi returns to the palace immediately after this ceremony accompanied by his wives, other women and relatives who sign off the festival with the “Egugu Dance in which they sing in a very low tune in file-singing. The women are dressed with rich cloths tied around the chest with bare body, they have a special “Hair do” called “Okuku” with some “Ejije” (beads decorations) on the hair and some worn on the back with brass ankile bangles too. Some elders daughter of the late Obi may join in the performance of the Egugu dance if they are willing to.
08023680030
• STOP THE BLAME GAME: Ending extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition in the home doesn’t just happen. It begins with family planning
Art And Culture
With AMBROSE EKHOSUEHI
Traditional Rites Of Marriage Culture TRADITIONAL rites of marriage culture are observances during a marriage between a bride and a groom ceremony. Marriage assures an ordered means of providing parents for potential descent, and the man who has paid bride wealth for a child’s parents is the legal and social father. Many forms of descent and affinity are found in societies. Descent consists of three fundamental types which is reckoned through males on the father’s side, Females on the mother’s side, and dual descent on which a person belongs to both sides. The basic social unit is the family, and to understand a society it is necessary to learn the sanctions and customers of marriage, with the arrival of external forces, the traditional ways of living, the old systems and values relating to the association among husband, wife and kinsmen must harmoniously related. Marriage is a formal union of a man and a woman, two persons of opposite gender to the exclusion of other persons; therefore it is an abomination to see lesbian or gay marriage. (Lesbian-sexual intercourse to one’s own sex- homosexual or gay). On arrival, the host, the bride’s families welcome the visitors, the groom or suitor’s families, presenting a bowl of Kola-nuts and drinks. The suitor’s families make formal statement on the specific purpose of their mission, to enter into marriage union with the host’s daughter namely to be considered for their request. Both families would trace their descent and relationship to establish
the existence of rules as it affects marriage systems, to prevent marrying from certain family, either of blood relation or of certain kindred. This helps the basic knowledge of family groupings based on patrilinean, matrilineal, and the rights and obligations of members. In the olden days, a baby girl may be betrothed to a man for his son, but nowadays a suitor introduces a spinster to his parents. The Bridegroom identifies his bride among the girls in waiting. In the most ancient, seven of such girls may be presented for identification. As usual in many cultures, the period for the boy and the girl to know each other and for the decision to wed, constitute the period of courtship. It may take some years before the wedding. The effort to strengthen the friendship between the families must continue to examine their cordial relationship. At the ceremony, on the wedding day the couple will receive prayer, blessings and advice from both families and friends. Each is advised on the duties of a wife and of a husband, on child bearing, childcare, on cooking and care of the homes. The mother of the Bride by custom is required to stay at her own apartment with some of her family, where she receives her own portion of the Bride price. The guests then present their own gifts as custom demands. A bowl of cola-nuts, palm wine, a bottle of Honey, twenty tubers of yams, bunches of plantain, a tin of palm oil,
coconuts, an antelope leg. The spinster would be asked if she accepts the suitor for marriage, if she does, prayers would be offered for both and the Kola-nut would be shared as well as the drinks.
the Bride and the groom, the solemnization of the marriage is undertaken. From the time immemorial, cowries the ancient currency and later coins to paper currencies, twelve
confident of the marriage, obedient and submissive to the husband. It is an alliance between the two families. It gives the children born in the marriage, legitimate rights. It is a
The family of the groom would be requested to pay the youths of the household if it had not been done earlier, then pay the mother of the Bride ,the portions of the Bride price, who in turn would confirm their satisfaction. When the Bride’s family is satisfied that the interested parties, maternal and youths endorse the union of
pounds sterling had been the fixed Bride price, that is today’s 12 x 250 naira. The implications of Bride price are of great importance. It is the seal of the marriage contact and a sign of the validity of the couples. It is a form of protection of the wife in the matrimonial house. It solidifies the marriage by making the woman
compensation for the transfer of service of the woman. It is the ratification of marriage between members of two families who were related to become one and properly validated in marriage relation. The suitor, the Bride groom is asked to kneel down in front of the father- in-law. The father or guardian of the suitor-Bridegroom
stands behind him placing his hands on the shoulders of the bride groom and on the call of the first name seven times, the Bride is married to the man and thereby placed on their laps, first the father or guardian, and then securely to the husband. When sending the spinster to the suitor, there the spinster shall be called Bride (Oha) and the suitor husband (Odo) Traditionally a girl can not be Oha, Bride in the parent’s home. Obstacle (Ughunghun) can not hinders at the parents house. The rites of cutting or removing obstacles can only take place when the Bride goes to the Bridegroom house, specifically in the evening. A married Benin Woman specially should not expose her breasts, her abdomen, her tights when dressed and must be covered for they are sacred temples and dignity in the beauty of woman hood. Finally the rite of a complete marriage culture is the “Ikewu” where the newly marriage wife cooks the first food for the husband and the households. This rite seals up the marriage at the seventh day and it is the bond that makes the children born in the marriage by the woman to be called legitimate children in the traditional rites of marriage culture.
“Traditionally a girl can not be Oha, Bride in the parent’s home. Obstacle (Ughunghun) can not hinders at the parents house. The rites of cutting or removing obstacles can only take place when the Bride goes to the Bridegroom house, specifically in the evening.”
Issues Issues THOUGH there may be genuine reasons for workers to embark on industrial action, but the regularity of strikes in Nigeria is worrisome. Economic experts say that if the incessant strikes are not checked, Nigeria’s quest to be among the top 20 economies by the year 2020 may not be realised. Stakeholders who spoke on the backdrop of the current strike by members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), noted that most of the time, the raison d’ etre of workers’ strikes border on welfare and other pecuniary issues. A professor of Economics at the University of Abuja, Sarah Anyanwu, said that generally, incessant strikes have adverse effect on the economy. According to her, some of the effects are loss of national output, fall of Gross Domestic product (GDP) which was recently re-based, manpower loss and man-hour loss. She said that the strikes in various sectors were having effects on the economy as they caused costpush inflation and increase in the poverty level. “ When there is strike, goods and
services are not available, while demand will be high resulting to inflation. “More so, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is affected, because you will not have investors trust if the system is not stable as a result of frequent strikes. “Our development objective of being among the top 20 economies by 2020 will not be realised when there are reoccurring lull in production of goods and services due to industrial actions. The don said that when schools embark on strike, the
Curbing Incessant Workers’ Strikes In Nigeria
manpower that should be produced for the economy is affected. According to her, the loss of lives of breadwinners due to doctors’ strike causes poverty and puts pressure on families, society and the economy. Anyanwu said that incessant industrial actions also increase political agitations as opposition politicians would always cash-in on such situations. Mr Emeka Oraba, a Social Commentator, said that growth and development, whether in the health, education or any other sector, is a continuous process. He said that the nation loses millions
BY CHIJIOKE OKORONKWO
of naira in capital flight because of the rising number of Nigerians seeking admission in foreign schools and those seeking medical treatment abroad. “When an academic process gets interrupted with strike, all ongoing research get abandoned or delayed; students keep their books in shelves and when the strike is called off, both students and lecturers are mentally weak.
“At the end of the day, they graduate with mere certificates instead of knowledge that could impact on the economy. “In the health sector, many talented and gifted adults and children have died during doctors’ strike. “Incessant strikes in our education sector has brought about an exodus of Nigerian students to universities in Ghana, South Africa, UK, U.S.A, India and even Malaysia.’’ He said that all efforts to curb medical
“When an academic process gets interrupted with strike, all ongoing research get abandoned or delayed; students keep their books in shelves and when the strike is called off, both students and lecturers are mentally weak. “At the end of the day, they graduate with mere certificates instead of knowledge that could impact on the economy.”
tourism will be futile if the hospitals are always closed because of strike. According to him, even people who ordinarily will receive medical attention in Nigeria, can be pushed into medical tourism; hence the loss of foreign exchange. On the incessant strikes by members of the NMA and JUSUN, stakeholders want parties to come to amicable resolution in order to avoid loss of lives and denial of justice. “ Government hospitals are not functioning, while the courts are not sitting. “ Where do they want somebody who has a bail application to go to since the courts are not sitting,’’ a litigant who came to a Federal High Court in Abuja, when the JUSUN strike started lamented. Even though the amount of money lost
as a result of the numerous strikes embarked upon by workers cannot be qualified, the amount lost during the 2012 petroleum subsidy strike was put at about N300 billion. The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who gave the figure said that the amount was not more than that because the economy was not totally shut down during the sixday strike. She said that if the economy was totally shut down, the country would have lost about N500 billion for the period the strike lasted. The amount quoted by the minister was lost only in six days; that shows the adverse effect of incessant strikes on the national economy generally. Stakeholders want the government to do all within its powers to check incessant strikes, especially in the key and critical sectors of the economy. (NAN)
Issues Health Matters Addressing Problem Of Unsafe Abortions By ODIMEGWU ONWUMERE
UNSAFE abortion has lingered as one of the chief factors for the increasing maternal death rate in the country. The level at which unsafe abortion is destroying the lives of young Nigerian women has become a cause for concern among many Nigerians. In a recent figure relayed by the President General of Umuada Igbo Nigeria and in the Diaspora, Dr. Kate Ezeofor, it was reprehensibly pragmatic that more than 34,000 young women in Nigeria die from abortion and its complications every year. This, according to Bankole and Henshaw et al, means that 1 in 10 Nigerian women have an abortion in her lifetime. The source sustained that there are 760,000 abortions cases every year in Nigeria, 60 percent of which are unsafe. These figures even look like a charade compared to a survey conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2007, which divulged that over 25% of young women in Nigeria have their first sexual intercourse by the age of 15; and by the age of 18 years, over 60% of adolescents have had sexual intercourse, many leading to unwanted pregnancy, hence abortion. At the age of 18, according to specialists, many are of the view that unwanted pregnancy cannot be avoided. But this is not the view of many parents and guidance. They said that no sensible parent would want to lengthen an Olive Branch to his or her daughter who got pregnant when she was not old enough to bear the consequences of the outcome. In that view, a State Police Command apprehended a 21-year-old man that was identified as Ib Remigus, for the suspected murder of his 16-year-old girlfriend, who was identified as Ifeayinwa, through abortion pills. That was not even as men of the Bauchi State Police Command arrested four people in connection with the death of a 23year-old pregnant lady, whose corpse was abandoned in Guru Village in the state. Many of the girls have died in unsafe abortions out of ignorance. A young man in Rivers State confessed to the police recently of giving his now ex-girlfriend, an abortion pill he camouflaged as an antibiotic. The ex-girlfriend was barely 18yrs old. There was an unconfirmed story of a respected fertility doctor who caused her pregnant girlfriend to take medication that caused her to abort a barely two-months-old fetus. A quack nurse was also arrested by the police detectives in Ondo State over the death of an 18-year-old girl. The victim’s name was given as Omolayo Afolabi, whom the nurse from hell was said to have helped lapse a two-monthold pregnancy in Iju/Itaogbolu area of the state. In Delta State, exploration revealed that about 23 young ladies, who sought their superfluous pregnancies ended, reportedly died after they consumed some herbal abortion mixture from a quack. Health professionals were worried that many of the victims could have not died if not for what they termed anti-pregnancy regulations by some religious bodies. In ?September ?17, 2013 ?the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria had reiterated its concern and vehemently kicked against attempts by foreign organisations to introduce what it termed as “sickly values into the country, such as same sex marriage and abortion.” Apparently, the bishops also condemned the use of condoms. The Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri, the same year, tackled Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State for signing what it characterized as “anti-life legislation” into law in the state; forces compelled the governor to rescind his position. On Sunday ?17, ?2013, ? Senate President David Mark reaffirmed that the fight against the legalisation of abortion and homosexuality in the country remained. The Senate President had made this known in Abuja at the first plenary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). But investigation revealed that while most of the girls indulge in illicit sexual intercourse which often leads to unwanted pregnancy, many of them said that they were forced by the men or peers into it.
For example, two girls aged 15 and 19, according to a report provided by a non-governmental organization (NGO) known as IPAS, which says that it seeks to offer superior approach into the productive rights of women, had this confession of two young women: “After he forced me to have sex, he started sending my friend, a girl, to talk to me, because he knew I was mad at him and did not want to see him again. My friend convinced me that such things happen to every girl, so I should get used to it. So, I forgave the boy and went back.” The other said: “One day, he told me that he wanted to introduce me to his relatives who would help in getting us married: I went there. He was alone. He locked the door; he threatened me saying: how could he marry me if I
Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of Health
behaved like this? He beat me when I tried to get out.” Whichever way, abortion has become a game of a sort that any young woman who has not had knowledge of it has a mindset that she is not ‘wise’ or have not ‘grown’. Health experts are alarmed over this menace, decrying that the future is bleak if the ugly situation is not curbed. Professor Olasurubomi Ogedengbe, an obstetrician and gynecologist (OB/GYN) at one of Lagos’ apex public hospitals reportedly explained that there are no guidelines about who can perform abortion, where it can be done, until what gestational age… a butcher can do an abortion and say it was to save a woman’s life, either. This is invariably making mockery of how abortion has been bastardized in the country. However, one out of every five cases of pregnancy has been said to be unwanted and unplanned for by the pregnant persons; which professionals have said could be the result of consensual or aggressive sexual meetings like rape or incestuous contraventions. In the opinion of connoisseurs, Nigeria’s abortion law came into existence in 1861, which they said although legalises abortion, but part of the provisions of that law still makes abortion a criminal
offence. Nigerians are, conversely, of the view that the law belongs to the 17th Century. According to them, it does not tally with the dictates of modern times. In a 2010 account, Lemmy Ughegbe, the Guardian bureau office, Abuja, noted how the human rights advocate brought to limelight the position of Sarafina Ojimaduka, an advocate of Female Reproductive Rights, during a training of journalists conducted by IPAS. In the words of Ojimaduka as reported by Ughegbe: “Criminalising abortion drives women from hospitals where they could get better medical attention and make them resort to the use of quarks and crude means all in the bid to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.” Post Abortion Care Network, PAC-Net, which brags as a multi-disciplinary network of individuals and organizations caring for victims and would-be victims of abortion and its complications, and improving women’s reproductive health and rights, had said that it was out to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in Nigeria through effective post abortion care and related reproductive health services, to promote women’s health and uplift their reproductive rights. Considering some sections of the law that could help women overcome quackery, Ughegbe had said: Specifically, Section 228 of the Criminal Code provides that “any person who, with intent to procure miscarriage of a woman whether she is or is not with child, unlawfully administers to her or causes her to take any poison or other noxious thing, or uses any force of any kind or uses any other means whatever, is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.” Ughegbe went further, saying that Section 229 of Criminal Code provides that “any woman who, with intent to procure her own miscarriage, whether she is or is not with a child, unlawfully administers to her or causes her to take any poison or other noxious thing, or uses any force of any kind or uses any other means whatever, is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.” Ughegbe also reiterated that: By a simple rule of interpretation, the phrase “any person” employed in Sections 228 and 229 of the Criminal Code acknowledges that besides medical doctors, there are other health care providers that render such services and specifically section 229 seems to suggest that all that the law requires of them is “Reasonable care and skill”. R V Bourne (1938). The import of this provision is that sadly, the law has failed to protect women from unsafe abortion in the hands of unqualified persons. The statement goes more that the Criminal and Penal Codes, premised on a law based on a law, which came into force over a century and a half ago, can no longer respond to the realities of the modern times and instead leave the women vulnerable to unsafe abortions and their attendant complications. Nonetheless, Nigeria is signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), yet stipulations yielding assured reproductive health rights to women under the CEDAW regime are out-of-the-way, because they are yet to be cultivated by the Nigerian state through the acts of legislatures, hence there is a moral inconsistency around abortion in the country. This variation is where law, religion, health and human rights crisscross.
“Health experts are alarmed over this menace, decrying that the future is bleak if the ugly situation is not curbed. Professor Olasurubomi Ogedengbe, an obstetrician and gynecologist (OB/GYN) at one of Lagos’ apex public hospitals reportedly explained that there are no guidelines about who can perform abortion, where it can be done, until what gestational age… a butcher can do an abortion and say it was to save a woman’s life, either. This is invariably making mockery of how abortion has been bastardized in the country.”
Reflection
With REV. FR. JOHN DAMIAN ADIZIE PHONE: 08076635886
My Tenth Year Experience As A Priest JULY 24th 2014 remains a memorable day in my life! It was that very day that I was ordained as a Roman Catholic Priest; it was also on that faithful day that God chose me in a very special way to minister to his people as an ordained minister with a special anointing. Last weekend I travelled with my friends and well wishers to my village at Alike Obowo in Imo State of Nigeria to celebrate my tenth year priestly anniversary. It was a wonderful experience! The event was marked with sober reflections and remembrances. I flashed my mind back to ten years ago, how I sat down listening attentively to the liturgical readings during a High Mass that was officiated by the then Bishop Anthony Ilonu of Okigwe Diocese, at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Alike Obowo. Immediately after the readings the next thing I heard was: “Let him who was to be ordained to the order of priesthood come forward… Rev. Mr. John Damian Adizie! I responded with a clear and distinct voice, “Present!” I then stepped forward and knelt down before the officiating Bishop. The Vocation Director presented me to the bishop, saying: “Most Reverend Father, Holy Mother Church asks you to ordain this man, our brother, for service as priest.” The bishop inquired from him: “Do you judge him to be worthy?” The vocation director replied: “After inquiry among the people of Christ and upon recommendation of those concerned with his training, I testify that he has been found worthy.” The bishop said: “We rely on the help of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and we choose this man, our brother, for priesthood in the presbyteral order.” All the people that were present exclaimed with joy: Thanks be to God. One interesting and remarkable thing I still
remember that very day was the litany of the saints. I prostrated at the altar and almost everyone in the Church prayed for me through the intercession of the Saints. The most remarkable part of the ceremony was when the Bishop laid his anointed hand upon my head and offered a silent prayer. All the priests that were present did the same. As each of them laid their anointed hands on me I felt the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon my life. The bishop finally said the Prayer of Consecration. At the end of the prayer, the MC announced with joy: “Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters in Christ, with this laying on of hands and this prayer of consecration our brother has just been ordained as a priest in the Order of Melchizedek. People started jubilating while the investiture was going on. Since then I have been ministering to the good people of Nigeria as a priest. The first place I was posted as a Carmelite priest was at Mount Tabor Carmelite Community, Onuiyi Nsukka where I served as a bursar. The next year I was posted to Mary the Queen Catholic Church Ekpoma where I was also appointed the bursar of the community. From Ekpoma I was posted back to Nsukka community, from there I was posted to Nike Avenue at Enugu. Finally from Enugu community I was posted to our student’s house at Ibadan. During these years of active service in the Lord’s vineyard God used us to establish an Adoration ministry known as the Catholic Adoration of the Holy Spirit. The ministry has so many branches across the country with the headquarter at Maryland Egoro Amede Ekpoma in Edo State. Within these ten years this ministry have established ten different life transforming organizations: namely: 1). The Orphanage of the Holy Spirit, 2) Spiritus Sanctus Nursery/ Primary School, 3) Spiritus Sanctus Secondary School, 4) Adoration Medical
Hospital, 5) Adoration Mental Rehabilitation Centre, 6) Christian Families Organization, 7) Christian Youths Organization, 8) Adoration Widows Association 9) Adoration Prison Apostolate and 10) Adoration Football Club. In addition, God blessed me with the gift of writing and composition. I am a gospel artist, an author and a columnist. I usually post daily reflection on my facebook account: JohnDamianAdizie@facebook.com; and also a weekly reflection every Friday at the Nigerian Observer. I am the
As I reflect back on my ten years experience as a priest I deem it fit to share with you, my dear reader, some of the questions people often ask concerning the priestly vocation. For instance, who is a priest? What are the roles of a priest? What is the difference between the common priesthood and the ministerial priesthood? The word “priest”, is derived from the Latin word presbyter which means an elder. It refers to elders of Jewish or Christian communities. The presbyter is the
word to the people through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ is our High Priest. “We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God… For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrew 4:14-15). He is not just an ordinary high priest; he is a compassionate high priest; a high priest that is directly in touch with our human weakness and
ones St. James refers to as the Elders of the Church (James 5:14). They administer the sacraments, offer the sacrifice of Mass and also participate in administrative works. Every priest is expected to have this same mind of our Lord Jesus Christ. Empathy is one of the qualities of priesthood. With this spirit of empathy, “He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people” (Hebrew 5:2-3). A priest is not a superman.
producer of the Hour of Adoration which comes up every Wednesday at the NTA channel 45, Iruepke. We are using all the available mass media to promote the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. With these you can agree with me that my ten years active service as a priest has been fruitful. I have nothing to regret. I find the vocation of priesthood fulfilling and interesting. I encourage any young man who has the interest to go ahead with the calling and as long as one is doing that for which God has called him, he will never feel lonely or frustrated as some people think.
minister who both presides and instructs a Christian congregation, while the sacerdos, offers sacrifices. In the Christian context a priest is the only one that has the authority to offer the sacrifice of Mass or what is generally referred to as the Eucharistic celebration. The priest performs a mediatorial offices between God and man: “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer sacrifices for sins” (Hebrew 5:1). A priest offers prayers and masses to God on behalf of the people and he proclaims God’s living
suffering. Other priests participate in the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are two participations in the one priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ: the common priesthood and the ministerial priesthood. “The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ’s mission as priest, prophet, and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the faithful are consecrated to be… a holy priesthood” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no 1546). This is what is referred to as the common or universal priesthood. The ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are the ordained ministers. They include the Bishop, the presbyter (Priests) and the Deacons. They are the
He is a weak vessel carrying a sacred treasure. If there is anything the priest need most from the people, it is prayer. As the priest is praying for the people the people are expected to pray for their priests. Just as a tree cannot make a forest; a priest cannot exist without the people. A priest is chosen from the people and ordained for the people. A priest is a minister, a servant of the people while the Pope, the head of the priests is the ‘Servant of the servants of God.’ A priest cannot function without the people. That is why St. Augustine rightly said, while addressing his own flock, “For you, I am a Bishop but with you I am a Christian.” With this, I sincerely thank all those who have made it possible for me to serve as a priest for the past ten years. I will continue to love and serve you as long as I have the breath of life.
“Every priest is expected to have this same mind of our Lord Jesus Christ. Empathy is one of the qualities of priesthood. With this spirit of empathy, “He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.”
International
Syria Army Shelling Near Damascus Kills 12
DOUMA (SYRIA) Twelve people were killed, among them a child, in Syrian army shelling late Wednesday on Douma, a rebel-held town near Damascus, a monitoring group said. “At least 12 people were killed, among them a child and a woman... in fierce shelling by regime troops on several areas of Douma,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “Several dozens more, including children, were wounded,” said the Britainbased group, which relies on a broad network of activists, doctors and lawyers for its reports. Douma is a rebel bastion northeast of Damascus, which has been under suffocating army siege for more than a year. Photo journalist in Douma said the shelling hit several parts of the town, among
them a busy market area. “The shelling came suddenly. One minute, children were playing in the market, the next, there were body parts and wounded people everywhere,” Abd Doumany said. The photographer also described graphic scenes at one of the town’s ill-equipped field hospitals. “The wounded were being treated on the floor,” he said, adding that the hospital he visited reported 28 wounded children. Some of the wounded lay next to pools of blood. Among the severely wounded were small children, he said. Amateur video distributed by activists in Douma showed several visibly wounded babies and children, their clothes covered in blood, some of them lying on the floor in the crowded hospital, as the sound of wailing and crying could be heard.
Erdogan ‘Glad’ To Return Jewish Award - Embassy ISTANBUL - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be “glad” to return an award given to him in 2004 by an American Jewish group, Turkey’s embassy in the US said on Tuesday, amid a growing controversy over the premier’s anti-Israel remarks. The American Jewish Congress had given Erdogan the Profile of Courage award in recognition of his efforts to seek peace in the Middle East but now wants the decoration to be returned after his repeated verbal assaults against Israel over the Gaza conflict. Erdogan has slammed Israel’s attacks on Gaza as a “genocide” of the Palestinian people and compared the actions of the Jewish State to those of Adolf Hitler. “Attempts to depict Prime Minister Erdogan’s legitimate criticisms of the Israeli government’s attacks on civilians as expressions of antiSemitism are an obvious distortion,” Turkey’s ambassador to Washington Serdar Kilic wrote in a letter to the president of the American Jewish Congress Jack Rosen. Rosen had denounced Erdogan, whose office released a copy of the ambassador’s letter, as “arguably the most virulent anti-Israel leader in the world” in asking for the award back. “Prime Minister Erdogan would be glad to return the award given back in 2004,” Kilic added, saying he had been instructed by Erdogan to pass on these remarks. The “absence” of the award would not prevent Erdogan from working for a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and protecting Turkey’s own Jewish community, he added. Kilic described attacks on Erdogan as “an effort to cover up the historic wrongdoings of the Israeli government.”
It was not clear how and when the award would be returned. Erdogan has long portrayed himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause and during the current crisis has made clear he sees himself as the sole Muslim leader standing up for their rights. The Gaza conflict has also put an end to any chance of Turkey and Israel normalising their relations, following the storming by Israel of a Turkish ship carrying aid to Gaza in 2010 that left 10 activists dead. Erdogan famously stormed out of a debate with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Davos in 2009, an action that was followed by a hero’s welcome when he returned home. In the current Gaza conflict over 1,100 Palestinians have been killed, most of them civilians while on the Israeli side, 56 people have been killed, most of them soldiers.
Syria’s war has killed more than 170,000 people, and forced nearly half the population to flee their homes. It began as a peaceful uprising demanding President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, but morphed into a war after the regime unleashed a brutal crackdown against dissent.
BYBLOS (LEBANON) Influential British band Massive Attack dedicated their only Middle East gig to the children of Gaza, openly condemning Israel’s “massacre” of the Palestinians. As the band played in Byblos, in Lebanon, just a few hundred kilometres north of Gaza, swaying music-lovers on Tuesday night held up Palestinian flags as Massive Attack issued a rare, explicit condemnation of Israel’s offensive. In an exclusive interview with AFP, frontman Robert Del Naja said: “This bombardment of an
Massive Attack Dedicate Lebanon Gig To Gaza Children
area that is one of the most densely-populated on earth, where civilians aren’t allowed to leave, is just beyond belief.” Referring to Israel, he said backstage: “In order to protect yourself, do you really want to massacre another people? In the 21st century, it’s beyond belief.” Del Naja, whose Bristol band has enjoyed huge success since the early 1990s, slammed the world’s inaction. “The politicians, they stay silent. It’s perverse, it almost
An Israeli soldier carries a shell as he and his comrades prepare their Merkava tanks stationed along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip yesterday.
Residents of Syria’s Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp, South of Damascus, gather near destroyed buildings to collect food aid yesterday.
Army Breaks Up Protests As Yemen Raises Fuel Prices
SANAA - One woman was killed in protests that erupted in Sanaa on Wednesday after the Yemeni government announced a rise in fuel prices. Witnesses and a medical source told Journalists that the protester was killed as the army fired into the air in an attempt to break up a demonstration near the presidential palace. A security source later confirmed the death to the state news agency and said another protester was injured. The government increased fuel prices after spending about $3 billion on energy subsidies last year, nearly a third of state revenue. Yemen has been trying for over a year to secure a loan of at least $560 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but the fund is pressing for subsidies to be slashed.
Yemen’s finance minister told Journalists in May that the Fund’s board was expected to finalize the deal this month. However, a similar attempt to raise fuel prices by the government in 2005 led to violent protests in which 20 people were killed and more than 300 wounded. The measure was subsequently canceled. Along with pressure from the IMF, the reform has also become more urgent in recent months because frequent militant attacks on oil pipelines have badly hurt Yemen’s export earnings. Sanaa earned just $671 million from exporting crude oil in January-May, down nearly 40 percent from a year earlier. This has also led to a serious fuel shortage as attacks deprive the state of revenue to buy fuel
products, angering the public. Analysts argue that some of the money freed up by the subsidy reform could be used to address the crisis affecting pumps all over the country but especially in Sanaa. According to an official document circulated to petrol stations by the oil ministry and seen by Journalists, the government raised official prices of petrol to 200 Yemeni riyals ($0.93) per liter and diesel to 195 riyals. When supplied despite the shortage, pumps in Sanaa sold a liter of petrol at the official, subsidized price of 125 riyals, below the roughly 300 riyals currently charged on the black market. The price of diesel, widely used for generating electricity,
was 100 riyals per liter officially and 250 riyals on the black market. Wednesday’s protests were largely contained, but security forces remain on high alert as many Yemenis are expected to be on the road yesterday as the holiday marking the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival ends. More civil unrest in the country of around 25 million where a third of the population lives on less than $2 a day - could feed into the country’s general instability which a range of antigovernment forces could try to exploit, including al Qaedaaffiliated militants. Yemen’s president took other measures regarding public sector spending this month, including a feasibility review of stateowned companies and a ban on all but economy class travel for ministers.
suggests they’re not fit for office,” he said. The band accompanied their tracks with a shower of messages flashing on a huge black screen, expressing solidarity not only with the Palestinians, but also with Syrian refugees and with Christians forced by jihadists to flee Iraq. “Gaza has been occupied or under restrictions since 1948,” flashed the screen as Massive Attack played their signature track, Unfinished Sympathy. “8 July Israel starts Operation Protective Edge. Population of Gaza: 1,816,000. Israeli death toll 60. Civilians 7. Palestinian dead 1,200. Civilians 864. In a long history of activism, the band publicly opposed the US and UK-led 2003 Iraq invasion. “Far from making the world a safer place, it was the complete opposite,” said Del Naja. - ‘They make our voice heard’ The concert, which wowed an audience of thousands in the ancient port town of Byblos, just north of Beirut, came after a visit by Del Naja and Grant Marshall to the Palestinian camp of Burj al-Barajneh, in the Lebanese capital. Part of the concert’s proceeds will go to Al-Nakab Centre for Youth Activities, an association working in the camp. Lebanon is home to nearly half
Some Ukrainian Rebels Vent Frustration With Putin DONETSK Ukraine Western leaders may be Vladimir Putin’s biggest critics over the conflict in east Ukraine but the Russian leader is also facing criticism from some of the rebels they accuse him of arming. The European Union and the United States have imposed new sanctions on Russia because they say Putin has not done enough to persuade the pro-Russian separatists to stop fighting and is supplying them with weapons. But there is also frustration with Putin among some of the fighters, even though a rebellion that began with assault rifles, hunting guns and old weapons now has multiple rocket launchers, selfpropelled howitzers, armored vehicles and tanks. Squeezed by the Ukrainian army into their last two strongholds, the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, the rebels complain they are outnumbered and outgunned. “Oh, how we would like to see the Russian army here,” said a fighter who gave his name only as Pavel, standing outside the rebel headquarters in Donetsk, an industrial city about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of the nearest border crossing with Russia. “If they were here, the Ukrainian border would be 300 km away to the west and south. But they’re not coming.” Despite the denials of other rebels, he said the separatists were receiving military equipment, including multiple missile launchers, from Russia. “But that’s only a fraction of what we need. We need people, experienced people. But Putin is afraid of spending Russian funds and his oligarchs’ funds,” he said. Another rebel fighter, who declined to give his name, also voiced frustration with Moscow. voiced criticism was prepared to give their full names for fear of retribution.
International
Iraq Offers Aid To Those Displaced By Militants BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki said Wednesday his government has allocated more than $850 million to assist those displaced by last month’s militant takeover of much of the country, and called on Sunnis remaining in those areas to take up arms against the insurgents. He spoke in a weekly address delivered hours before car bombs in two mostly Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad killed 23 people and wounded scores more as residents tried to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Al-Maliki said his Cabinet is exerting huge efforts to ease the suffering of displaced people, mostly Shiites and Christians who were driven out by last month’s lightning offensive waged by the extremist Islamic State group and allied militants. He said two installments of 500 billion dinars ($429 million) each have been allocated to aid the internally displaced. “We are sad for what our people are undergoing, but the government has taken decisions, spent money in an unlimited way and formed a ministerial committee to deliver aid and take care of the displaced people,” he said. The rapid advance by the extremist group, which captured
Iraq’s second-largest city Mosul and overran much of northern and western Iraq, plunged the country into its worst crisis since the withdrawal of U.S. troops at the end of 2011, with more than a million Iraqis now classified as internally displaced or refugees.
The Sunni militants have carved out a large expanse of land straddling the Iraq-Syria border and declared a self-styled Islamic caliphate. But their offensive eventually slowed upon reaching predominantly Shiite areas of Iraq. Al-Maliki called on those living
in Sunni-majority areas overrun by the insurgents to fight back. “I say to the people of these areas, your participation in clearing these areas has become essential and necessary,” he said. Al-Maliki, a Shiite who has ruled the country since 2006, is under pressure to not seek a
Militias Fight For Upper Hand
US Judge Says Cannot Seize Kurdish Crude For Now HOUSTON - A highstakes dispute over a tanker carrying $100 million in Iraqi Kurdish crude took a surprising turn on Tuesday when a U.S. judge said she lacked jurisdiction given the ship’s distance from the Texas shore and urged that the case be settled in Iraq. Federal magistrate Nancy K. Johnson said that because the tanker was some 60 miles (100 km) offshore, and outside territorial waters, an order she issued late on Monday for U.S. Marshals to seize the cargo could not be enforced. She said the dispute between Iraq’s central government and the autonomous region of Kurdistan should be resolved in Iraq. Overnight Johnson signed an order directing the marshals to seize the 1 million barrels of crude from the United Kalavrvta tanker anchored in the Gulf of Mexico. Tuesday she scheduled a conference to give the two sides a chance to state their case. The ship could simply sail away, though it also
could offload its cargo for delivery to another U.S. Gulf of Mexico port outside of Texas, lawyers said. Baghdad’s lawyers had laid claim to the oil in a lawsuit filed on Monday, saying Kurdistan sold the crude without permission from the central government. The latest dispute over exports reflects Iraqi Kurds’ emboldened steps toward seizing greater political and economic autonomy, with oil sales seen as central to Kurdish dreams of independence that Baghdad opposes. While the sides fought the legal battle in Houston, they pressed the political fight in the courtroom of public opinion. Iraq warned companies against trying to buy other shipments of Kurdish crude after it won the seizure order, while Kurdish leaders asserted their right to sell the oil but said they would face obstacles. “The Ministry of Oil in Baghdad continues to interfere directly and indirectly with KRG oil sales,” said Karwan Zebari, an official with the Kurdistan Regional Government’s representation in Washington.
third four-year term despite his bloc winning the most votes in April’s parliamentary election. Many in Iraq accuse alMaliki’s Shiite-led government of helping fuel the crisis by failing to promote reconciliation with the Sunni Muslim minority, and say he has become too polarizing a figure to unite the country and face down the militant threat.
US Secretary of State John Kerry waves upon his arrival at Palam Air Base in New Delhi recently.
Don’t Laugh Loudly, Turkish Deputy PM Tells Woman
ISTANBUL - One of the most senior members of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government sparked an outcry on Tuesday after declaring that women should not laugh loudly in public. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, one of the cofounders of the ruling Islamicrooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), made the comment while lamenting the moral decline of modern society. “A man should be moral but women should be moral as well, they should know what is decent and what is not decent,” Arinc said in a speech on Monday in the western Bursa region for the Bayram holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims. “She should not laugh loudly
in front of all the world and should preserve her decency at all times,” he added. Turkish women took to social media in droves to denounce Arinc’s comments, posting pictures of themselves deliriously laughing under the hashtags #kahkaha (#laughter) and #direnkahkaha (#resistlaughter) which have now gone viral. The ruling AKP is accused by critics of seeking to erode Turkey’s strict separation of religion and state — the basis of the secular republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Arinc went on to denounce a moral degradation that left society awash with drugs and prostitution, and lashed out at popular Turkish soap operas for encouraging lax lifestyles, in comments quoted throughout the Turkish media and online. He pointed to the use of bonzai,
Rescue personnel survey the wreckage of a TransAsia Airways turboprop plane that crashed, on Taiwan’s offshore island Penghu.
a synthetic drug which has become a craze in some parts of low income Turkish society and is now a serious social problem. “We have to rediscover the Koran. We have gone backwards, morally,” said Arinc. “We have become a very different society.” Arinc also said a man should be strongly “tied to his wife and love his children” while a woman should “protect her husband’s honour”. He denounced the excessive use of cars, saying that if even the “river Nile was filled with petrol”, there wouldn’t be enough to go around. Arinc also slammed the excessive use of mobile phones in Turkish society, with women “spending hours on the phone to swap recipes”. Imitating a Turkish woman on her mobile, he said, “‘Is there nothing else going on? What happened to Ayse’s daughter? When’s the wedding?’” “People should say these things face to face,” he added. His comments provoked a storm among AKP critics, with political tensions riding high as Erdogan prepares to stand in presidential elections on August 10. Erdogan’s main rival in the polls, the mild-mannered former head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, himself took to Twitter to poke fun at Arinc. “We need to hear the happy laughter of women,” he wrote. Anti-Erdogan bloggers responded with even greater anger. “Stop giving us moral lessons and instead count all the money that you have stolen,” wrote one Twitter user, bturkmen, referring to corruption allegations against Erdogan and his circle that surfaced last year.
THREE years after Gaddafi’s fall, the OPEC nation has failed to control ex-rebel militias who refuse to disband and who are threatening the unity of the country. The extent of recent hostilities has increased Western worries that Libya is sliding towards becoming a failed state and may once again go to war. Despite the violence, Libya’s oil production remained at around 500,000 barrels per day, and its oilfields are secure, Samir Salim Kamal, director of planning at the oil ministry told Reuters on Tuesday. That was an increase from earlier this year when unrest pushed output as low as about 200,000 bpd, but it remains well below the usual 1.4 million bpd. While the tribal way of life declined as growing oil wealth attracted Libyans to towns and cities, traditional power structures remain strong in the nation of about six million people. Gaddafi’s strategy effectively amounted to a system of divide and rule, buying off established tribal leaders. In Egypt, the army has proved to be the supreme political force but in the post-Gaddafi era the Libyan militias are fighting for power, influence and oil wealth. Tripoli was quieter on Tuesday than over the last fortnight during which the two brigades of former rebels, mainly from the towns of Zintan and Misrata, have pounded each other’s positions with Grad rockets, artillery fire and cannons, turning the south of the capital into a battlefield. Nearly 200 people have died in Tripoli and Benghazi during the clashes in the two cities, according to the health ministry and local medical officials. A spokesman for the National Oil Corporation said on Tuesday the armed factions in Tripoli had agreed to a brief cease-fire to allow emergency services to fight the blazing fuel storage tanks containing millions of litres of fuel. The tanks are operated by Brega oil company, which is owned by NOC, and store oil for consumption in Libya. Black smoke billowed from one of the tanks hit by a rocket on Sunday near the airport road. The highway and surrounding areas were empty after homes in the area were evacuated, except for occasional militia roadblocks. Fire-fighters were spraying the area with water to cool down storage depots near the fuel tank that was set ablaze to try to extinguish the inferno.
International Features Dissent Quiet With Most Israelis Behind Gaza War
JERUSALEM - Despite Israeli casualties and world criticism, a near-consensus in Israel supports the government’s conduct of the Gaza war, views Hamas as the aggressor and considers outsiders’ moralizing as hypocritical, ignorant or both. And in an echo-chamber fed by ubiquitous updates on Hamas rocket and tunnel attacks, the minority of local voices that do agonize over Gazans’ suffering are being silenced in a way rarely seen in a country long proud of its spirited, democratic debate. A series of recent opinion polls have shown robust support for the war, reflecting years of frustration over rocket fire from Gaza and a new fear of Hamas’ network of tunnels that stretch well into Israel and imperil communities along the border. Opposing views, coming primarily from leftist activists and intellectuals, have been met with threats, insults and charges of treason both in social media and face-to-face. “We are faced with the false, anti-democratic equation that argues that aggression, racism and lack of empathy means love of the homeland,” wrote Israeli author Etgar Keret in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper. Opinions that do not encourage “the use of power,” he added, are derided as “nothing less than an attempt to destroy and annihilate Israel as we know it.” “They want to kill us. We have no choice,” said 39-yearold Jerusalemite Gil Yair, referring to Hamas. “They are holding a gun to our head and we have to take control of the situation.” More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting since July 8, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. On the Israeli side, 56 soldiers have been killed as well as three civilians. Still, several polls this week have shown strong majorities in Israel supported the war and prepared to go on. It all stands in stark contrast to the deep divisions over most issues here — from the large questions of peace with the Palestinians to economic policy and the role of religion in public life. The deep schisms can bedevil policymaking and create bad karma, but they are also a source of satisfaction over how genuine a democracy Jews have built under difficult conditions in the harsh Middle East. A number of anti-war protests held in Israel’s liberal hub, Tel Aviv, have been met by hard-line counter-protesters, who pelted insults and shouted calls for the doves to leave for Gaza. A popular comedian who expressed sympathy for Gazan women and children was unceremoniously dropped from a cruise line’s ad campaign. And a public service announcement created by an activist group was rejected by Israel’s state-owned broadcaster, even though the group was paying for the airtime. In the ad by the group B’Tselem, a solemn voice reads the names and ages of Palestinian children who were killed in the war. Hagai El-Ad, B’Tselem’s director, said it was
meant to “re-humanize” Palestinians in the eyes of Israelis. He said the ad was rejected because it was deemed controversial. “We are living in such an atmosphere where the Israel Broadcasting Authority feels it needs to block even something as straightforward as saying the names of Palestinian children who were killed in Gaza,” ElAd said. “That’s extreme.” The broadcasting authority could not be reached for comment. B’Tselem has in the meantime uploaded the video to YouTube and is appealing the broadcaster’s decision in the Supreme Court. One blogger named Aric Doron addressed the critics in this way: “I recommend (they) go and live in Gaza! If they are killed unintentionally we promise to read their names.” The vast support for the war can be attributed to the tunnel threat, the extent of which — some 30 deep tunnels — has spooked Israelis, and the veritable exasperation with continued rocket fire. It began in 2001 or so with minor projectiles aimed at the sparsely populated border area; now millions of people including those in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are facing serious missiles. Tellingly, even the leftist opposition by and large supports the war and has not complained too loudly about tactics that have led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians. Tzipi Livni, the Cabinet’s leading dove, recently put it this way: “This is the time for us to unite around the understanding that terror must be fought. This is a tough war,
but a necessary one.” In a country where military service is mandatory, Israelis have rallied around the young soldiers fighting in Gaza. The deaths of those in uniform is considered just as tragic as those of civilians, and the media have extensively covered heartbreaking scenes from the funerals of young servicemen. Israeli reporters — who are prevented by law from entering Gaza for fear of their abduction — have not focused as much as outside media on the suffering of Gazans. Although such suffering is mentioned and foreign agency video is broadcast, it is less prominent than in foreign accounts of the situation. The official narrative — that terrorists are hiding among Palestinian civilians and therefore are to blame — is accepted virtually without question. While there is little doubt that Hamas does fire rockets from some built-up areas, Israeli military spokesman have not responded to repeated Associated Press requests to explain precisely why any given building — among the hundreds destroyed — was hit. In three consecutive surveys, the Israel Democracy Institute, a nonpartisan think-tank, found that 95 percent of Israeli Jews considered Operation Protective Edge to be justified; less than 4 percent believed the military was using excessive firepower. The poll surveyed a combined 647 people; the institute did not provide a margin of error because of results were a combination of three different surveys.
IYANOMON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (CDA)
CAVEAT EMPTOR It has come to the attention of the Odionwere and Elders of Iyanomon Community, that, certain individuals or groups of persons have trespassed into the community land by carrying out survey activities and the erection of beacons and landmarks on the community land. This Notice is therefore, to serve as a warning to such individuals or group of persons to desist from such acts as nobody is authorized to carry out any survey or erection of survey beacons without the approval and alienation of same by the Odionwere and Elders of the Community
A member of the pro-Ukraine Donbase Battalion checks an automaric rifle seized from pro-Russians, while patroling the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk recently.
Israel Vows To Destroy Hamas Tunnels JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Israel will destroy the Hamas tunnel network in the Gaza Strip “with or without a cease-fire,” as the military called up another 16,000 reservists to pursue its campaign in the denselypopulated territory. Netanyahu’s vow came as international efforts to end the 23-day-old conflict seemed to sputter despite concern over the
mounting death toll, with more than 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and more than 50 Israelis, almost all of them soldiers, killed since July 8. “We have neutralized dozens of terror tunnels and we are committed to complete this mission, with or without a cease-fire,” Netanyahu said. “Therefore I will not agree to any offer that does not allow the military to complete this important mission for the
security of the people of Israel.” An initial Israeli aerial campaign against Hamas was widened into a ground offensive on July 17. Since then the campaign has concentrated on destroying more than 30 crossborder tunnels that militants have constructed to carry out attacks on Israeli territory. Israel says that most of the 32 tunnels it has uncovered have now been demolished and that getting rid of the remainder will take no more than a few days.
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT PUBLIC DISPLAY EXERCISE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) OF THE PROPOSED GRANITE QUARRY PROJECT AT IYUKU-UZAIRE, ETSAKO WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, EDO STATE
In accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act Cap E12 LFN 2004, which makes it mandatory for proponents of all new major development activities to carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for their proposed projects, the Federal Ministry of Environment hereby announces Twenty-One (21) working day Public Notice for information and comment on the EIA Draft Report submitted by Delmar Plant and Equipment Limited. The Display Centers are: 1) Headquarters Etsako West Local Government Area, Auchi, Edo State. 2) Edo State Ministry of the Environment, State Secretariat, Benin-City, Edo State 3) Federal Ministry of Environment Benin City, Edo State 4) Federal Ministry of Environment, Environment House, Central Business District, F.C.T Abuja. 5) Federal Ministry of Environment, Conservation ((Green) Building. Plot 444 Aguiyi Ironsi, Maitama, F.C.T, Abuja. Project Description: The proposed project activities will involve the drilling, blasting and crushing of igneous rocks into aggregates of different sizes of commercial and construction purposes. The proposed project will be located on a 0.6 km2 quarry site at IyukuUzaire Village in Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo State.
Any person carrying out such acts does so at his or her own risks.
Duration of Display Date: 28th July, 2014— 25th August, 2014. Time 8.00am - 4:00pm Daily.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
ALL COMMENTS RECEIVED SHALL BE FORWARDED TO THE PERMANENT SECRETARY, FEDERAL MINISTRY OP ENVIRONMENT ON OR BEFORE IST SEPTEMBER, 2014. SIGNED: PERMANENT SECRETARY For Honourable Minister.
EVERY FRIDAY WEEK 03, 2014 LAST SEASON RESULT Anderson Richwell 1.2. X. Forecast
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Vanishing Spray To Be Used This Season REFEREES in Premier Limited (PGMOL) which
Vanishing Spray
Everton Confirm £28m Signing Of Lukaku
EVERTON have smashed their transfer record to sign Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea. Everton confirmed they have paid £28million for the 21-year-old and Lukaku has signed a five-year contract on a estimated £75,000-a-week. Lukaku spent last season on loan at Goodison Park and was their leading scorer with 16 goals in 33 appearances, helping the club finish fifth. The transfer smashes Everton’s previous transfer record, which was £15m for another Belgian, Marouane Fellaini. Manager Roberto Martinez made the striker one of his primary summer targets but the player’s involvement in the World Cup and extensive negotiations with Chelsea have taken time. Lukaku joined Chelsea from Anderlecht in 2011, nearly double Everton’s previous transfer record, which was £15m for another Belgian, Marouane Fellaini. It caps a great week for Everton who also tied Ross Barkley down to a new four-
Ronelu Lukaku
year-contract. Lukaku said: “I am really excited about rejoining Everton. I had a fantastic experience last season and a great relationship with the manager, the chairman, the staff, the players and the fans. I can’t wait to get started again and I’m looking forward to a successful season.” Lukaku will wear the number 10 shirt at Goodison Park and will return to the club for Leon Osman’s testimonial on Sunday against Porto after a few days back in Belgium. Manager Martinez said: “Welcoming Romelu Lukaku back to Everton on a permanent basis is the news that all Evertonians wanted to hear. “We know that Romelu is still a young man and the potential that he has is quite unique, and we are desperate to see him enjoying his football and to watch him grow as footballer in the years to come. “The arrival of Rom is more than just a signing, it’s the fruition of a lot of hard work to get the player we wanted. This is a big moment for Everton’s history and the perfect way of getting the squad ready for the
start of the season.” Chairman Bill Kenwright added: “Romelu was a massive part of the jigsaw for Roberto and Everton and nobody is more pleased than me that an 11-month quest
ended at lunchtime today, thanks hugely to the efforts of all parties, including Rom, his representative, Chelsea and, of course, Roberto.” He becomes Everton’s third signing of the season after Gareth Barry and Muhamed Besic.
League matches next season will use the vanishing spray that came to prominence in the recent World Cup in Brazil, it has been announced. The ‘magic spray’ will be used at free-kicks to mark out where the wall should stand 10 yards away from the ball and has been shown to prevent encroachment and speed up play. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: “At the Premier League we are open to developments that enhance the competition and it was clear from watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil that vanishing spray benefited referees, players, and all of those who watched the matches.” Mike Riley, general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials
oversees top-flight referees, was an assessor at the World Cup and recommended it be adopted by the Premier League. He said: “I saw first-hand the benefits of vanishing spray for referees, and for the game as a whole. “The Select Group referees are looking forward to using it during Barclays Premier League matches next season.” The Premier League will use spray produced by 9.15 Fair Play Limit - the same supplier for the World Cup in Brazil. The spray will also be used by UEFA in the Champions League and Europa League it lasts around a minute before it disappears. The inventor Heine Allemagne, from near Belo Horizonte in Brazil, called his company 9.15 Fair Play in reference to the wall having to be 9.15 metres (10 yards) from the free-kick.
International Champions Cup
Liverpool Beat Man City In New York LIVERPOOL exacted mild preseason revenge over Man City with a 3-1 penalty shoot-out win in their International Champions Cup match at New York’s Yankee Stadium. Man City pipped the Reds to the 2013-14 Premier League title last season and also took the lead here, with Stevan Jovetic opening the scoring with a low, right-footed shot in the 53rd minute. Jordan Henderson equalized for Liverpool just six minutes later after fine work by Daniel Sturridge but Jovetic’s second in the 67th minute, another close-range finish after Kelechi Iheanacho’s shot was blocked, looked to have Manuel Pellegrini’s side on course for victory. But Brendan Rodgers’ men weren’t to be denied as Raheem Sterling’s 85th minute finish sent the game to penalties. There, Aleksandar Kolarov, Yaya Toure and Jesus Navas all missed as the Reds took the win. Cesc Fabregas scored his first goal in a Chelsea shirt as Jose Mourinho’s side continued their preseason preparations with a 3-1 win against Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem. Fellow summer signing Diego Costa, who joined in a 32 million pound switch from Atletico Madrid, impressed with two assists but was also involved in a heated exchange with Vitesse captain Guram Kashia. After just three minutes in Arnhem, Costa was released by Nemanja Matic to slip the ball into the path of Mohamed Salah, who slotted home into
an empty net. Fabregas, who Mourinho claims turned down a return to his former club Arsenal in favour of Chelsea this summer, then found the top corner with a delightful free-kick from 25 yards out with 24 minutes gone. Costa set up Matic to make it 3-0 after 76 minutes, but Chelsea were caught napping at the back late on, however, with Uros Djurdjevic heading home a consolation goal. New acquisition Ayoze Perez scored in the second half to give Newcastle a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Perez netted the only goal in the 66th minute when he ran onto a pass from Gabriel Obertan.
Sunderland suffered their first defeat of the preseason when they fell 1-0 to CD Nacional in their second game in two days in Portugal. Patrick van Aanholt debuted for Sunderland, but it was Lucas who scored the winner for the Portuguese side in the final minute. Chesterfield welcomed Aston Villa back from the United States by handing them a 3-1 defeat. Tenadyi Darikwa and Sam Hird scored for last season’s League Two champs in the first half, and though Jack Grealish got one back after the break, Villa could not equalise. American keeper Brad Guzan returned to Villa for the
first time since backing up Tim Howard for the U.S. at the World Cup but could not stop Sam Morsy from restoring Chesterfield’s two-goal advantage late on. Danny Drinkwater’s late strike gave Leicester City a 3-2 win away to Walsall. Wes Morgan and David Nugent gave Leicester a twogoal lead early, but Walsall scored on either side of halftime to level the score. Drinkwater sent a 25-yard shot into the top corner in the 87th minute for the winner. QPR were held to a goalless draw by Southend United. The result was hardly surprising, considering Harry Redknapp sent out an experimental side without a recognised striker.
Manchester City defender Gael Clichy in action against Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen at Yankee Stadium.
Cuadrado Agent Denies Barca Pressure
Juve Move ‘Like A Dream’ Evra PATRICE Evra has described his return to Italy as ‘like destiny’, as he compares his summer arrival at Juventus to ‘a dream’. The France international arrived in Turin on Wednesday night and this morning will undergo routine medical tests before officially being presented as a new signing at Vinovo. For the 33-year-old, it is a second bite at Italian football, following an early and brief stint at Monza 15 years ago. “Yes indeed, for me it’s like destiny,” Evra has told Juve’s official website on arrival. “When I was 17 Italy opened its doors for me to become the player I am now. Today I am truly a happy man. “I cannot wait to start because, it is destiny. To me, it’s like a dream. It’s an amazing feeling to start over again. In Manchester I’ve won everything, whilst the Evra at Juventus has not won anything yet. “Then, with great humility, with a desire to work, to learn even at 33 and to achieve beautiful things. I am one who likes to win, I chose a team like Juve to win and I will do my best to give all that I can for the club, for the fans, for the Coach and for my teammates. “A message for the fans? I am a person that does not sell many dreams, the only thing I can guarantee to the fans is that I will give my best for this shirt. “I have to thank the people not with words, but with action on the field. Forza Juve and I hope to win many trophies.”
JUAN Cuadrado’s agent has categorically rejected claims that Barcelona have been putting pressure on him and the Fiorentina winger to force a move to the Primera Division club. Barcelona’s interest in the Colombia international has been widely reported, but agent Alessandro Lucci says discussions and negotiations over a proposed move have and will always be conducted fairly. He stressed that reports Barca want the player to force his way out by refusing to return to the club after the World Cup could not be further from the truth. “It’s part of my way of being that I don’t talk about my clients, but seeing the media interest has been so big that it could turn into a tsunami, I feel obliged to intervene and explain how things are, and I hope that this will be my first and last dealing with the media on this
Juao Cuadrado
I’ll Earn My Place At Real Madrid - James
JAMES Rodriguez has vowed to prove he is worthy of a Real Madrid place and is willing to play out of position for Carlo Ancelotti. James has been interviewed looking forward. I want to by Colombian radio, with AS win trophies at this great publishing his comments, and club. “I’ve followed Madrid said he hopes to see Colombia since childhood - the days of teammate Radamel Falcao with Zidane, Beckham, Ronaldo, him at Santiago Bernabeu. The World Cup Golden Boot the Galaticos. I loved Zidane. “When I knew Madrid winner also insisted he didn’t wanted me I did everything join Madrid expecting to walk into the first team and will earn in my power to go. It was talked about a while back but his place in Ancelotti’s plans. “I’m happy because being I wasn’t sure. “It means I have to be at a here is a dream fulfilled. Hopefully everything goes high level. I feel ready but I’m coming with great well,” James said. “I’m very excited and I’m humility. Euro Papers: Barca poised to swoop for Reus in 2015 An oversight in Marco Reus’ contract has Dortmund scrambling to keep him at the club, while Bayern plot with des Champions, Cavani told Sami Khedira and Mourinho assembled media he will not be wants one more man! leaving the French champions “I’ll play where the coach unless the club decides to sell wants. I can play left, right, him. forward, wide, Edinson Cavani is confident playmaker…I’ll work hard to he will be plying his trade at the earn a place among the stars Parc des Princes this coming season. “I am certain to stay, why wouldn’t I be? I feel great in Paris,” Cavani said. “I have a contract to respect with PSG. I’m calm. I prefer to be here. I feel good here. But as I have said before, it doesn’t only depend on the player, but also on certain things that can happen at the club.” Cavani was dressed down by PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi following an interview he gave to L’Equipe late last season in which he expressed his desire to talk to Blanc and his technical staff about his position within the team. The Uruguayan revealed that discussion has now taken place, and that he was satisfied with what he had heard. Edinson Cavani
that I have by my side. “I have to earn my place. There are players who have spent years here and I have to respect that.
Cavani Staying At PSG
EDINSON Cavani has announced he is “certain to stay” at Paris SaintGermain, dashing Manchester United’s hopes of swooping for the Uruguay international. Cavani, 27, signed a five-year deal at the Parc des Princes after completing an estimated 64 million euro move from Napoli only last summer. However, having been played in a wide position in coach Laurent Blanc’s 4-3-3 formation in order to accommodate Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Cavani’s preferred central striking role, the former Palermo man was said to be unhappy with his lot in the French capital. Seeking a prolific forward, United were reportedly set to make PSG a significant offer for Cavani. But having arrived in Asia with the rest of Blanc’s squad ahead of Saturday’s Ligue 1 season curtain-raiser, the Trophee
James
“Wearing the No. 10 is big. It carries a lot of pressure. I hope I wear this number with responsibility. Madrid is the greatest club in the world.
subject,” Lucci told TMW. “With Barcelona, as is the case with other clubs, I have been in direct contact for a while now. They have expressed their interest, but as yet there have not been any actual negotiations, be it with Barcelona or with any other club. “The Catalan club are represented by serious, professional people who, in the conversations we have had, have never — and I underline ‘never’ — expressed that they would like to use such strategies. And then there is something else I would like to clarify. “With everybody at Fiorentina, my personal and professional relationship, and that of Cuadrado, is extremely good. Should there ever be, in the near future, any major negotiations, they will be analysed and, if necessary, guided to a conclusion in a way that would be satisfying to all the interested parties.” Cuadrado is due to return to Florence next week, when there will be a meeting between the player, his agent and club representatives. The Viola are keen on keeping hold of Cuadrado — who has also been linked with Manchester United — but the club’s director of sport, Daniele Prade, told Sky Sport Italia they would not accept less than 50 million euros for him if he were to leave.
Atletico’s Structure Is Solid, Says Simeone ATLETICO Madrid coach Diego Simeone has reassured fans that the club’s structure is solid, despte the sales of several key players this summer. The likes of Diego Costa and Filipe Luis, key cogs in the capital club’s title success last season, have been sold to Chelsea, while Thibaut Courtois has returned to Stamford Bridge after a loan spell. However, the Spanish champions have signed Mario Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann and Simeone feels they will still be capable of challenging. “We’re working from top to bottom,” he said at a press conference. “Now we will return to Madrid and find another group and we’ll slowly prepare for the start of the season. “Today we have the same structure we have had for three years. Obviously our attacking potential made us grow, but the structure is the most important and ours is solid.”
American Man Sues Ronaldo In ‘CR7’ Trademark Battle
GLOBAL football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is also known to fans by the shorthand CR7, prompting the company behind his line of sleek underwear to target a Rhode Island man who has trademarked the letternumber combination, according to a new lawsuit. In a complaint filed Monday Renzi is seeking the in Rhode Island federal court, court’s declaration that he 43-year-old fitness enthusiast owns the trademark. Christopher Renzi said he had “We just want them to received letters from lawyers leave us alone,” said for the Danish company JBS Renzi’s attorney Michael Textile Group demanding he Feldhuhn. give up the trademark because Attorneys for JBS could it had “imminent plans” to enter the U.S. market with Ronaldo’s CR7 underwear. JBS has also asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Renzi’s trademark, according to court documents.
not be reached for comment. Renzi registered the moniker in 2009 and has put it on jeans and T-shirts, Feldhuhn said. He also has a website advertising a seven-minute fitness workout, also under the CR7 name. According to the complaint, Renzi adopted the mark based on his
initials and the day he was born, October 7. Court materials showed that JBS, which said it holds the “exclusive, worldwide license” to market Ronaldo’s CR7 underwear, believed Renzi trademarked CR7 specifically to profit from Ronaldo’s soaring fame. CR7 was “so closely tied to the fame and reputation
WC Player Set To Donate Bone Marrow To Ill Brother
GREECE international Vangelis Moras has flown to Australia to donate bone marrow to his older brother Dimitris, who is suffering from leukaemia, sport FM radio reported. The 32-year-old Hellas Verona defender, part of the World Cup squad that reached the last 16 at this year’s tournament in Brazil, uploaded a photograph of him with his brother in hospital on his Facebook account. It carried the caption ‘Ready for Action’. In the photograph, taken at a hospital bed, both men are wearing Superman t-shirts. Dimitris, 33, travelled to Australia from Greece in March to visit relatives, but fell ill a week after his arrival. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. The bone marrow transplant is scheduled to take place at the Melbourne Alfred Hospital on Saturday.
of Cristiano Ronaldo, that a connection with the soccer player would immediately be presumed by the general public when encountering” Renzi’s branded clothes, said JBS’s filing with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The 29-year-old Ronaldo, who plays for the Spanish club Real Madrid, is one of the most highly paid and recognizable athletes in the world. He has marketing deals with numerous major companies. His Facebook page has more than 93 million “likes.” One of his latest postings shows a behind-the-scenes underwear photo shoot for a
CR7 campaign launching “next week.” Besides underwear, his brand is already expanding into shirts and shoes. Ronaldo is a more famous user of CR7, Feldhuhn said, “but it’s really based on who’s using it first. We can show we were the first use of the CR7 name in commerce in America.” Feldhuhn added, “They don’t really have the trademark rights because they haven’t used it.” The case is Christopher Renzi v. JBS Textile Group A/S and Cristiano Ronaldo a.k.a. Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro, U.S. District Court for Rhode Island. Case No. 14-cv00341.
Nadal Withdraws From Toronto, Cincinnati With RAFA Nadal will miss two US Injury
Open tune-up events due to a wrist injury that has put his status in doubt for a title defence at the year’s final grand slam. Nadal, who suffered the injury during practice, will have to wear a cast on his right wrist for twoto-three weeks, forcing him to withdraw from next week’s Rogers Cup in Toronto and the following week’s Cincinnati Open. “Depending on the evolution of the injury that will be carefully followed by the doctors, including MRI tests, it will be decided then
Serena Williams
Serena Returns With Win In Stanford SERENA Williams, making her first appearance since her truncated Wimbledon campaign earlier this summer, moved into the third round of the WTA tournament in Stanford with a straight-set win over Karolina Pliskova.
Vangelis Moras with his sick brother
The world number one showed no signs of the virus which curtailed her appearance at the All England Club in June as she downed Czech Pliskova 7-5 6-2 in front of a supportive crowd at the Bank of the West Classic in California.
American Williams, the top seed, was pushed hard in the first set before she opened up in the second to seal victory in 64 minutes. “I thought I played well,” Williams said. “I’m on the right path, I’m excited and I’m looking forward to my next match.” She next plays either fifth seed Ana Ivanovic or qualifier Carol Zhao, a Stanford University student playing her first WTA tournament. Earlier in the day, second seed Angieszka Radwanska was stunned by Varvara Lepchenko, the American who is ranked 59 in the world. Radwanska reached the final in Stanford 12 months ago, but the Poles’ hopes were ended in a 6-3 3-6 6-4 victory for Lepchenko, who beat a
top-10 ranked player for just the third time in 24 attempts. Lepchenko moves through to a quarter-final clash with American qualifier Sachia Vickery, who beat Monica Puig 67(4) 6-2 6-1. Meanwhile, Andrea Petkovic cruised into the last eight with a regulation 6-2 6-2 win over Naomi Osaka, the 16-year-old Japanese who upset Sam Stosur in the first round. Stanford Classic results Second round 1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) 7-5 6-2 8-Andrea Petkovic (Germany) beat Naomi Osaka (Japan) 6-2 6-2 Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) beat 2-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-3 36 6-4 Sachia Vickery (U.S.) beat Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) 6-7(4) 6-2 6-1
the return to competition, initially scheduled for the US Open,” Nadal’s publicist said in a statement. The world number two, who won the Canadian and Cincinnati titles last year, felt pain during practice in Mallorca and tests later revealed the injury, according to his publicist. The injury will delay Nadal’s start to the North American hardcourt season and his preparations for the Aug. 25Sept. 8 U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows. “I’m extremely disappointed that I am unable to defend my Rogers Cup title this year,” the 14-time grand slam winner said in a statement released by the tournament organisers. “Unfortunately I injured myself yesterday during practice and after checking with my doctors I will have to stay out of competition for at least 2-3 weeks.” A three-time winner on the Canadian hardcourts, the event has traditionally marked the start of the Spaniard’s buildup to Flushing Meadows and marks only the second time since he made his Rogers Cup in 2004 that he has missed the stop. “We know Rafa is a fan favourite and our fans will be upset by his absence,” said Karl Hale, Rogers Cup tournament director. “But we also know that if Rafa could play he would as he has a great respect for our event and his Canadian fans.” Even with Nadal’s withdrawal the Rogers Cup has attracted a top field that includes world number one Novak Djokovic, 17-times grand slam champion Roger Federer and Canadian hopeful Milos Raonic. With Nadal’s withdrawal, twotimes grand slam champion Andy Murray moves into the number eight seed, giving him a first-round bye.
Commonwealth Games... Commonwealth Games...
Grenada’s James Lights Up Glasgow With Emphatic 400 Win
Kirani James of Grenada holds his national flag as he celebrates after winning the men’s 400 metres at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
OLYMPIC champion Kirani James lit up the Commonwealth Games with a devastating and graceful run to win gold in the men’s 400 metres. In a Games hampered by big-name withdrawals and weakened fields, the arrival of the powerful Grenadian was a welcome sight at a wet and windy Hampden Park. James took charge of the final from the start and looked in complete control as he finished in a Games record time of 44.24 seconds ahead of South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk and Trinidad and Tobago’s Lalonde Gordon. “I expected to have a great performance,” James said. “I can’t predict the outcome of the event but all I can do is come out here and try my best. “Every championship,
Disappointment Trails Amalaha’s Failed Dope Test
magic to give their best,’’ Amalaha’s positive dope test DR Abdulkadir Mu’azu, Director, Sports Medicine, National Emengo said. would have a negative influence Sports Commission (NSC), has expressed disappointment over Namonet Zakariya, another on Nigerians in Glasgow. the failed dope test by Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha at Glasgow-based Nigerian, told “It will haunt us here for some the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. NAN that the best way to stop time. The people here will Amalaha, who won Nigeria’s doping violation was for monitor the athletes’ constantly remind us that our first gold in Glasgow on Friday in government to provide adequate whereabouts, but the truth is sister cheated to win the 53kg class, failed a sports facilities. that our government is paying weightlifting gold at the preliminary dope test on Tuesday This, he said, would lip service to sports Commonwealth Games,’’ after her A sample showed traces technically enhance athletes’ development. Okorafor said. of banned substances. performance and discourage “We heard how they were He urged the Nigeria Olympic She tested positive for diuretic them from using performancebeing treated in the camp amiloride and masking agent, Committee (NOC) and the NSC enhancing drugs. without allowance. So, how do hydrochlorothiazide, which are to always have a comprehensive Michael Okorafor, a business you expect them to have full banned by the World Anti-Doping plan to avoid such international consultant and director of control of the athletes? Agency (WADA). embarrassment for the country. FingerGrip Ltd., told NAN that “They can’t perform any Mu’azu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Glasgow that the Team Nigeria secretariat was still wondering how the drug violation occurred. “We are constantly talking with these athletes, because we are always with them. We cover their training and competitions. “Back home in Nigeria, we organised series of talks and seminars. We also conducted unannounced searches in their rooms and luggage. “But, you know they are always more wise than those that screen them. However, we are still talking and educating them,’’ Mu’azu said. He said Amalaha’s coach and trainer could be punished or held responsible for the development on complicity grounds depending on the outcome of the B sample Greg Rutherford of England poses for a photograph with his gold medal after wintest. ning the men’s long jump final at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The Director said WADA and the Nigeria Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) would look at the doping codes before making their final GREG Rutherford insists he decision to avoid punishing has banished the assumption athletes unfairly. Similarly, Nigerians in Glasgow that he is a one-hit wonder after but doubts were cast over his with injury and I wasn’t sure if I have also expressed defying a long-term layoff to fitness after he required an could carry on jumping,” he said. disappointment over the incident, take Commonwealth Games epidural injection in the build-up “Now I’ve managed to come describing it as an embarrassment long jump gold in Glasgow. to even make it to qualifying. away with another title. I think a to the nation. The 27-year-old, who won But he proved that he is a few people had written me off Miss Hilda Emengo of the Olympic gold in London, won major championship performer thinking I was a one-hit wonder. National Health Service (NHS) in with his third jump of 8.20m and has vowed to add more But I’m here again and will be Glasgow said the development ahead of South Africans Zarck medals to what is a growing here again many more times. I’m posed a serious danger to the Visser and Rushwahl Samaii. collection. super happy. athlete’s career if the B sample Rutherford picked up a silver “It’s never an easy road and “I want to keep going out there result finally turned positive. medal four years ago in Delhi after what happened last year jumping far and winning medals. “It may not be easy to regularly
Rutherford Delights In Another Home Games Gold
every accolade, is unique in its own way and these Games are no different. I think the crowd really makes it special; the stadium was full at 10am, that says something about Scotland and how much they appreciate track and field.” The 21-year-old James has won Olympic and world championship gold, but he said talk of breaking American Michael Johnson’s world record time of 43.18 was premature. “I’m going to be 22 in September,” James said. “Michael Johnson set the record when he was nearly 32 so I’ve got 10 years to work with.” Greg Rutherford, England’s Olympic long jump champion, provided further delight for the Hampden Park crowd when the selfproclaimed “Ginger Wizard” posed for selfies after leaping 8.20 to win his first Commonwealth gold. “It’s never an easy road and after what happened last year with injury I wasn’t sure if I could carry on jumping. Now I’ve managed to come away with another title,” Rutherford told the BBC. “I think a few people had written me off thinking I was a one-hit wonder. But I’m here again and will be here again many more times. I want to keep going out there jumping far and winning medals.” New Zealand’s double Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams claimed her
third Commonwealth gold medal with a throw of 19.88 and Australia’s Kim Mickle won the women’s javelin title thanks to a Games record throw of 65.96. With England’s Olympic champion Jessica EnnisHill recently giving birth and Katarina JohnsonThompson pulling out of the Games with a foot injury, Canada’s Brianne TheisenEaton had little trouble in claiming the women’s heptathlon title. Theisen-Eaton, wife of Olympic decathlon champion Ashton Eaton, finished with 6,597 points ahead of compatriot Jessica Zelinka, while Derek Drouin ensured Canada won double gold after clearing 2.31 to win the men’s high jump. Kenya dominated the women’s 3,000 steeplechase and claimed a clean sweep of medals as Purity Cherotich Kirui finished in a time of 9:30.96 ahead of Milcah Chemos Cheywa and Joan Kipkemoi. One of the biggest cheers of the session was reserved for David Rudisha, Kenya’s world 800 metres record holder and Olympic champion, who eased through his semi-final to confirm his place in Thursday’s final.
Nigeria Increases Medals Haul MARYAM Usman on
Wednesday won the women’s +75 kg gold to take Team Nigeria to the top of the weightlifting medals table at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Usman scored 125 in snatch and155 in clean and jerk for a total of 280 at the Clyde Auditorium, leaving Samoa’s Ele Opeloge to the silver after a total of 271. Opeloge who was the defending champion made a last-ditch effort to win the gold by attempting to lift 161. But she failed and ended up with 120 snatch and 151 clean and jerk. Tracy Lambrechs of New Zealand won the bronze medal after a total of 237, from 101 snatch and 136 clean and jerk. Usman’s win was heralded by those by Aminat Adeniyi and Odunayo Adekuroye in women’s freestyle wrestling,
with Adeniyi winning in the 58kg and Adekuroye in the 53kg. The women’s success helped Nigeria to move up on the overall medals table to eighth at the end of seven days of competition, with six gold, five silver and eight bronze. But Nigeria’s total haul was made up largely of three gold four silver and one bronze which placed Team Nigeria top of the weightlifting medals table. Success for Adeniyi and Adekuroye also moved Nigeria into third place on the wrestling medals table, after two gold, one silver and five bronze medals. Athletics has also given Team Nigeria one gold and one bronze, while table tennis has brought in one bronze.
Between Oshiomhole And The Witches And Wizards
A COLLEAGUE asked me recently while discussing the subject if I believed in the existence and powers of witches and wizards. I told him I may not doubt their existence but still harboured doubts concerning their powers. My doubt is fuelled by two incidents I personally witnessed several years ago. While in the primary school in my home town our school bell suddenly got missing. All efforts made to trace the bell were fruitless for a few months until a pupil confessed to a witch doctor that he was in possession of the missing bell. According to him, he usually announced his arrival at the coven with the bell and promised to return it. A few days after, the bell resurfaced in the Headmaster ’s office and everyone believed the said pupil, a wizard, had the powers to do just anything including causing the death of men and women. This for me represented a first experience of witchcraft. A few years after the school bell incident, a telegram was delivered to a family not far from my own family compound announcing the death of a prominent son resident in Benin City. A relation was said to have confessed earlier that day that the man had been killed in the coven. The telegram seemed to have confirmed the death. An angry mob descended on the self-confessed witch and had almost killed her when someone advised that a delegation be sent to Benin City to confirm if
actually the man had died. The delegation found him hale and hearty and brought him home to the village to the amazement of all. The family members had seen their son before they started asking how the telegram arrived, who delivered or received it or even how the witch came about making such a false or fake confession. It was obvious the witch had lied. However, the witch died and the man lived and died several years after he was declared dead by the witch. Last week, Edo Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, approved the appointment of 20 new Permanent Secretaries for the state civil service. The appointments, no doubt, were well deserved as the appointees had served in the position of Director for quite some time. Some had been acting as permanent secretaries in their various ministries. For many nearing retirement it was a dream fulfilled and a fitting end to a glorious carrier. And as Comrade Oshiomhole noted while swearing-in 18 of the new permanent s e c r e t a r i e s , government took time announcing the appointments so as to ensure that only the best got appointed. It was, however, not a happy day for two of the appointees (both females) as they were sanctioned by the Comrade Governor for coming late to their swearing-in ceremony.
Comrade Oshiomhole said he wondered what time the two directors get to work if they could arrive late for their own swearing-in. ‘’Your punishment is that you will return to your offices as directors and be sworn-in with the next batch of Permanent
MATTERS IN FOCUS
in their offices. Destiny destroyers were very active in their case. This is not to confirm my belief in the acclaimed magical powers of witches particularly but how else do you explain it that a person asked to be seated at 12.30pm for her own swearing-in
hours after when he swore-in one of the affected permanent secretary-designate. According to Comrade Oshiomhole, he had become aware that the appointee had arrived
as a Permanent Secretary, a position she had been labouring to attain for close to 35 years, would show up when her mates where already subscribing to relevant oaths? If the witches are not to blame I wonder who else takes the blame. Certainly, not Comrade Oshiomhole. The humanity in the Comrade Governor was on display barely 24
early but excused herself to use the restroom when the governor arrived and the ceremony kicked off. The Comrade Governor said he investigated and found the late arrival of the appointee pardonable. He has also admitted that as a mortal he can and do make mistakes but would not be ashamed to reverse
By NASAMU JACOBSON
• Governor Adams Oshiomhole
Secretaries’’. The plight of the two directors immediately reminded me of the stories told us by moonlight while growing up of the powers exercised by witches and wizards. I told myself the two directors were stopped from attaining the zenith of their carrier by the witches and wizards either in their families or
himself when he discovers his errors. This is as it should be. On this issue of the sanction placed on the remaining permanent secretary-designate it is only fair that Comrade Oshiomhole should be commended first for making the appointment and also for enforcing discipline in the service. It is duty of the permanent secretary to give administrative direction to the staff under them. Late coming is not a habit that should be encouraged in the service. However, I appeal to Comrade Oshiomhole to temper justice with mercy and swear-in the only appointee now under sanction. She may suffer double jeopardy if, as the Comrade Governor said, she has to wait to be sworn-in when the next batch is due. This is because one cannot tell when that will be. Aside the psychological trauma she may undergo, it is also possible that her retirement may be due before then. No doubt, she would have learnt her lesson and it would not be too much next time for her to be seated for her occasion twenty fours to the event.
“Late coming is not a habit that should be encouraged in the service. However, I appeal to Comrade Oshiomhole to temper justice with mercy and swear-in the only appointee now under sanction. She may suffer double jeopardy if, as the Comrade Governor said, she has to wait to be sworn-in when the next batch is due. This is because one cannot tell when that will be.”
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