Nigerian observer 04 02 2014

The Nigerian

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol. 38 • NO. 412 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 20 14 • N100. 0 0 NUTRITIONAL HEALTH AND DIETETICS

Page 14 Regimen To Cure Constipation

PERSPECTIVE Pages 16-17 Nigeria Police Force

Not Yet A Friend?

Orhionmwon Sole Administrator gets tenure extension

By KEN ABU BENIN CITY – Edo State House of Assembly has adopted a resolution extending the tenure of the sole administrator of Orhionmwon Local Government Council in the state.

The extension of the tenure of the sole administrator by 1 month followed the expiration of the 2 months earlier pronounced by

parliament following the suspension of the chairman and members of the legislative arms of the council for allegedly embarking on an unauthorized foreign trip.

The pronouncement of

one month extension by parliament for the sole administrator was sequel to the reading of a letter dated January 29, 2014 from the office of the Governor on the report of Continues on page 2

is to have proper democracy.

“What I mean is that whatever people say, whether they reflect briefly on it or not, Nigerians are now well aware of their rights and what they expect from government. “ In APC, we have

reduced it to two, your security and sound economic management.

“We have to secure this country and manage it properly. I think people have suffered enough, they are now prepared to listen and I believe they are listening and are cooperating.”

APC will wipe out insecurity

KADUNA - The Former Head of State and Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday said the party would wipe out the insecurity bedeviling the nation.

Buhari said this on a explain themselves to current affairs the nation, they are programme on Liberty given a ride in Radio, Kaduna.

Presidential jets, when According to him, the others do it, you go and APC is also determined lock them up or you to improve the economic harass them. That is not status of Nigerians. the way to do things. “ Like I have said, we “ There is also this have to properly secure problem of insecurity in and manage this country. the land, both physical “You cannot deny and material which the citizens their rights to All Progressive express their own opinion Congress is about to and allow some people to wipe out, God willing.” brazenly threaten the He stressed the need corporate existence of for the entrenchment of the country. proper democratic “ And instead of inviting system in the country. them and asking them to “ All we are fighting for

- Buhari

Buhari said Nigerians were also interested in having free and fair elections, which was key to multi-party democracy. “ We went to court before now to make sure that this multi-party

democracy takes firm root in the country.

“Our objective as a party is to ensure that the system will be strong enough to guarantee security and prosperity for this country.”

... As Ize-Iyamu urges massive turn out for registration

By TUNDE EIGBIREMOLEN

BENIN CITY – The former Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG) and leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has urged all eligible Edo residents to come out enmasse to register as members of the party in the exercise which kicks of tomorrow, Wednesday, February 5, 2014 across the country.

Pastor Ize-Iyamu gave the charge yesterday in

Benin City, while speaking on the membership registration exercise of the party, which he noted was a rare opportunity for all Edo residents upto 18 years and above to join the winning party and be part of the historic achievement of the APCled government in Edo State.

According to the APC leader in Edo State, “I want to encourage all Edo citizens and residents alike, not to spare any moment to be

TIT BIT “Every ambition comes with its own difficulties; which are not necessarily the handiwork of the enemies”.

- Kingsley-Ogbeide-Ihama

part of history, right from the village, ward and town levels in Edo State, by getting registered as members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Edo State”.

He explained that the modalities for getting registered are very simple and cost free, , adding that the registration centres Continues on page 2

INAUGURATION: Secretary to Edo State Government, Professor Julius Ihonvbere (right) welcoming to Government House, the Director, Mactstacoprime, Mr. John Obaigbo (left) and Gregory Otsu, Mactstacoprieme Partners, to Government House, Benin City on the occasion of the inauguration of the state Trade Fair Steering Committee by the SSG. Photo: MOSES OBOH.

Edo raises 2014 Trade Fair Committee

By CLIFFORD AGBAJOR

BENIN CITY - The Steering Committee of this year’s (2014) Edo State Trade Fair has been assured of the state government’s support.

The Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG), Prof. Julius Ihonvbere gave the assurance while inaugurating the trade fair steering committee in Benin City, yesterday.

He noted that the massive investment in the infrastructural development of the state by the Oshiomhole-led administration has in no small measure attracted

private investments into the state.

The SSG observed that the state government does not believe in public ownership of business, hence it is doing all within

its reach to encourage private investors to come into the state, while it (government) provides the necessary support that would enable such investors to succeed.

He therefore urged members of the trade fair steering committee to do their best so as to ensure the success of the fair, adding that the state Continues on page 2

to check corruption in Nigeria.

Tambuwal made the pledge at a public hearing on a bill to establish the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency

organised by the House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes.

The bill seeks to establish the Nigerian Financial Intelligence

Agency as the central body in Nigeria responsible for receiving, requesting, analysing and disseminating financial Continues on page 2

Reps vow to check corruption ABUJA The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday in Abuja said that the house was determined

News

Orhionmwon Sole Administrator gets tenure extension Continued from page 1

the committee of inquiry

into the alleged unapproved foreign trip by the chairman, ViceChairman and the councilors.

The House Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters was mandated to fortune the report on the

unauthorized foreign trip by the chairman of Orhionmwon and others, with a mandate to submit

Edo raises 2014 Trade Fair Committee Mastacomprime Partners

Continued from page 1 Limited for organisation and

government will on its part provide necessary assistance.

The State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Barr, Maconald Obasuke said Edo State trade fair has not held since 2009 due mainly to the inability of the past leadership of the Benin Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture to engage other stakeholders in the commerce sub-sector.

The commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Idahosa Osayuware, however expressed delight that the present leadership of the chamber has been able to reach out to competent organisation that has experience in the conduct and hosting of trade fair, hence the state Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently midwifed the signing of a francise agreement between the Benin Chamber of Commerce and

hosting of Edo State trade fair.

He noted that to ensure successful hosting of the 2014 trade fair in the state, capable hands were chosen from both public and private sectors to serve as the fair steering committee members.

Responding, the chairman of the 2014 Edo State trade fair steering committee, Mr. Austin Atakpu expressed the hope that with the support of the state government, the trade fair will be a successful one.

He stressed the need for local

were also easily identifiable

centres and get registered, with your two passport photographs and INEC voter’s card.”

It will be recalled that last year, in the wake of the political alignments and reallignments to break the hegemony of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and form a formidable opposition, some political parties collapsed their

2015:

government councils in the state to participate in the trade fair to further boost the event, just as he assured that members of the steering committee will do their best to ensure that the fair scheduled for June, 2014 in Benin City, is successful.

Other members of the trade fair steering committee are; Ms. Idahosa Osayuware, Mrs. Yemi Keri, Barr. Gregory Otsu, Mr. John Obaigbo, Mr. Ibrahim Usman, Mrs. Blessing Irabor, while Mr. Joel Edionwe is to serve as Secretary.

APC leaders in UK advocate in next year’s election in credible polls victory Nigeria.

LONDON - The leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the United Kingdom has canvassed for a free, fair and credible election in 2015.

This followed INEC’s release of election time table for next year.

The Woman leader of APC, U.K Chapter, Mrs. Pauline George Bakare Taiwo said All

Progressives Congress in the U.K made up of Alhaji Garuba Sani as Chairman, Aminu Ahmadu Deputy Chairman and Dr. Ibrahim Emukpaire and General Secretary are currently mobilizing Nigerians in the U.K. in the need to support the new party with a view to clinching

... As Ize-Iyamu urges massive turn out Continued from page 1 for registration structure and formed a merger resulting in the

and accessible to all and sundry. While the procedure and requirements were well spelt out.

“The registration we are talking about is into the new party, the APC, and I must emphasise that registration is free; you get registered at no cost. All you need is to go the INEC Polling Unit which serves as registration

formation of the All Progressive Congress.

The major political parties in the merger were the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) which later announced its pull-out.

Reps vow to check corruption

Continued from page 1 laundering and terrorism. and other information to law enforcement and security agencies.

“The House of Representatives of the Seventh Assembly is fully determined to do everything possible to check the haemorrhage of our national resources.

“We must make sure that the people we represent benefit from the democratic system they have sacrificed so much to make possible,’’ he said.

Tambuwal said that the country had witnessed the consequences of the reckless and cavalier manner that public officials and civil servants manage public funds.

He said that billions of Naira got missing in this country every year as a result of mismanagement and outright theft of money belonging to Nigerians.

The speaker said that this level of financial impunity was possible because of dubious accounting procedures and the lack of a specialised agency.

He said that the establishment of the agency would create a harmonious inter-agency relationship between various inter-related organisations.

In a remark, Rep. Adams Jagaba (PDP-Kaduna), the Chairman, Drugs Narcotics and Financial Crimes, said that the bill if passed, would curb money

its reports in a week’s time.

Also yesterday, Rt. Hon. Uyi Igbe directed a group of protesters led by Barr.

Michael Eguagie protesting the illegal sack of 125 workers of Ovia North-East council by the Chairman, Mrs. Lucy Omagbon, to channel their grievances through a petiton to parliament.

The Speaker further asked the aggrieved sacked workers of the Ovia Norht-East Council to also provide relevant documents confirming their employment status from the local government service commission.

“In essence, the bill seeks to provide legislation for an institution responsible for generating and dispensing information on money laundering, terrorism financing and other financial crimes,’’ he said.

He said that the prevailing institutional arrangement which

placed National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) as a department under the EFCC was an aberration and not in consonance with international best practices.

The legislator said the bill was an attempt to rectify glaring deficiency and further enhance confidence on the Nigeria’s financial climate.

In the inaugural meeting of the APC, U.K. chapter held in London, the party x-rays some salient political issues as it affect the APC resolve to take over power next year.

The U.K. APC woman leader, Mrs. Pauline George Bakare Taiwo commended the National Leadership of the party for their efforts to reposition APC adding that, some notable ills in the country will be corrected when APC government come into power in 2015.

She urged the leaders of the party not to be deterrent with the antics of the ruling party and assured that big shoker awaits them in the polls.

Mrs. Pauline George Bakare Taiwo stated that members of APC in the U.K. are currently maintaining events in the country and would fully participate in all the political activities in Nigeria.

She challenged INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega to write this name in Gold by conducting the freest election come 2015.

The U.K. APC woman leader who is from Esan South East local Government in Edo State commended Governor Adams Oshiomhle for the developmental strides recorded so far in Edo State and sued for its sustenance.

Elamah bags Exceptional Achiever sector.

By VICTOR OMOALU Award While stressing

BENIN CITY – In recognition of his exceptional leadership qualities, the Executive Chairman, Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Chief Oseni Elamah was at the weekend honoured with the Exceptional achiever Award by the Edo Zone Bankers’ Forum in Benin City.

The ceremony which attracted dignitaries from all walks of life, including top government officials, Chief Elamah said it was a pointer to the fact that “All what the Comrade Governor is doing in Edo State are yielding dividends.”

He said on assumption of office, the state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole embarked on building infrastructures with a view to providing an enabling environment for the banking

sector to strive.

Chief Elamah noted that the banking sector has improved because of the state government’s presence in the

the importance of Tax Identification Number, TIN, the Executive Chairman, EIRS, however, urged the institution to file in their annual returns.

The Executive Chairman, Edo State Internal R e v e n u e Service, Chief (Sir) Oseni E l a m a h , addressing the people while displaying his exceptional a c h i e v e r award during the award ceremony in Benin City weekend.

Govt dissolves Urhokuosa CDA BENIN CITY – The Community Development Association (CDA) of Urhokuosa Community has been dissolved with immediate effect while the certificate issued to the body has been revoked and becomes of no consequences whatever.

In a special government announcement signed by the Director of Community Development, Isaac Olorunfemi Okuo, on behalf of the Edo State Information and Orientation Commissioner, the government said the dissolution became necessary following complaints and protest letters received from some members of Urhokuosa Community leading to the discovery that the process leading to the registration and issuance of certificate to the CDA was incomplete, particularly as the claims that the elders and people of the community were carried along were discovered to be false after investigation.

According to the statement,

“the registration of Urhokuosa CDA therefore negates the principles and guidelines set by the federal government and the ministry for registration of CDAs.” The Chairman of the dissolved

CDA, Mr. Sunday Uhunmwoagho, was directed to return the CDA certificate to the Ministry of Information and Orientation within seven days of this announcement or face the wrath of the law.

The statement declared that any person or group of persons that would do any business transaction would do so at their own risk and advised the Egba Police Station to take note.

Officers of the dissolved Urhokuosa CDA include: Mr. Sunday Uhunmwuagho, Chairma; Mr. Endeghe Stephen, Vice – Chairman; Mr. Ighodaro Jonah, General Secretary; Mr. Oyomare Saturday, Asst.

General Secretary; Mr. Osagie Igbinedion, Treasurer; Mr. Iguma Peter, PRO; and Mr. Edorodion Bright, Asst.

PRO.

College of Education crisis

EDHA calls for visitation

By KEN ABU panel BENIN CITY – Edo State House of Assembly has adopted a resolution calling on the state government to urgently set-up a visitation panel to look into the perennial problems of the college of Education, Igueben as it relates to the member of students intake, financial status and employment procedure from 2006 till date.

The adoption of the resolution followed the learning of the matters of urgent Public Importance from Hon. Kingsley Ehigiamusoe bothering on the recent protest embarked upon by Students and Lecturers of the College of Education.

Hon. Kingsley Ehigiamusoe in his presentation further said that students of the school in company of their lecturers protested the nonaccreditation of programmes at the institution from 2006 and non-payment of salaries for 5 months from November 2013

till date.

The lawmakers in their opinion appealed to parliament to help in getting the attention of the state government to set-up a visitation panel to look into the problems of the school adding that as a results of the nonaccreditation of programmes at the schools the students are leaving to other College of Education in other states to save the future of their educational career.

Rt. Hon. Uyi Igbe during deliberations lamented that it was painful that students who go to school after 3 years are given worthless certificates owing to the non-accreditation of programmes at the school noting that it is even more annoying when monthly subventions are given to institutions of subsidize education, still problems of non-payment of salaries are disrupting lectures at the institution.

By TUNDE EIGBIREMOLEN

CORE values of LAPO in their daily work which has earned them the respect of their colleagues.

The overall Best Credit Staff, Ilekhuoba Osayuki of Lokoja Region, Katsina – Ala Branch admirably has to his credit a loan portfolio of N39,798,979, savings of N21,645,973.17, clients numbering 1,580 and Borrowers totaling 1,151.

Mr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe who also thanked the long service recipients for their commitment and dedication to the growth and development of LAPO urged them to sustain their service delivery capacity, noting that the only way they could leave a lasting legacy will be to work towards the objective of taking LAPO to the very top and remaining on top.

Several of the recipients interviewed were full of thanks for the recognition accorded them by LAPO and promised to render better services in the years ahead.

They unanimously greed that working for LAPO had enhanced their capacity for service delivery and promised to further promote same through innovation.

LAPO honours 772 staff

BENIN CITY – To reward excellence and further boost the morale of its work force, Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) at the weekend, gave a total of 629 of its staff long service awards for putting in between five and twenty-five years of service while 43 of the staff received Best Credit and Best Non-Credit Staff of the year 2013 awards.

The Managing Director, LAPO Microfinance Bank, (LMFB) Mr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe who was also a beneficiary of the long service award, in his address delivered on his behalf by the Associate Director, Mr. Moses Ehigiamusoe said the outstanding successes recorded by LAPO on all fronts over the years would have been a mirage but for the untiring efforts and commitment of the staff of the organizations.

He particularly appreciated the three Best Staff of the Year Award Winners for their landmark contributions, adding that they exemplified the

News BNCL Assures NIPR Of Publicity BENIN CITY – The General Manager, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL), Publishers of The OBSERVER titles, Pastor Monday Aigbe, has assured members of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relation, (NIPR) of adequate publicity that will encourage the executive officers of the association perform optimally.

Pastor Aigbe who stated this during a courtesy call on him by members of the institute also stated that NIPR is an institution that is relevant in present day socio-economic activities.

According to him, the contributions of NIPR will

also encourage the practice of journalism as well as enhance effective public relations job among members of the association.

He however enjoined members of the institute to be steadfast and focus in the discharged of their official duties.

Speaking earlier, the chairman of the Institute, Mr. Tosa Usuanlele Ovonramwen appealed to the management of BNCL for assistance in the area of coverage of NIPR activities in the state.

The NIPR boss also commended management of BNCL for giving NIPR the needed support, saying it has led to robust relationship over the years.

Representative of 146 Battalion Commander, Capt. Christian Okupe and Operation Manager, PWS Integrated Services, Owners of MV EBBA Vessel, Mr. Chike Ogbeuchi at the handover of MV EBBA in Bonny, Rivers yesterday.

Youth Empowerment: Delta To

Partner With World Bank

Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar IBN Garbai (right), presenting a trophy to Ali Sani the Captain of Young generation FC of Ngomari, winners of this years’ Shehu of Borno Football Championship in Maiduguri yesterday.

Edo Lawmaker Donates 3 Transformers

Constituency Project:

BY KEN ABU BENIN CITY – The member representing Ikpoba-Okha Constituency at Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Jude Ise-Idehen has donated three transformers to three streets in two different wards in his constituency. The streets are Osemwenkhae Street and Odion Street in Ward two and Akugbe Street, Off Dumez Road in Ward six.

Commissioning the transformers after their installations and electrification at the various locations, the Deputy Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Festus Ebea said the transformers which were given to the people of Ikpoba-Okha constituency as part of the constituency project of Hon. Jude IseIdehen, would enhance power supply in the community.

The Deputy Speaker said the three transformers which represents 2011, 2012 and 2013 constituency projects of Hon. Ise-Idehen will restore the commercial potentials of the community while also improving the security situation of the area.

On his part, Hon. Ise-Idehen said that his resolve to provide the transformers was in response to the appeal of members of his constituency who severally complained of the irregular supply of electricity in the respective communities which benefited from the gesture.

He however appealed to the members of his constituency to project the cables of the transformers from being vandalized.

Residents of the Ward two of Ikpoba-Okha constituency represented by Mr. Egbobawaye Fred expressed

appreciation over the gesture of the lawmaker saying that the epileptic power supply of the area which dates back to 2006 has now become a thing of the past.

ASABA - Governor.

Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta said his administration would ensure that the State Employment and Expenditure for Result (SEEFOR), a World Bank project, was used to empower youths and promote sanitation.

Uduaghan made this known to newsmen after inspecting some of the projects handled by the Ministry of Environment in Ibusa and Asaba.

He said that SEEFOR would offer the state opportunity to engage the youth to improve sanitation in the state.

“SEEFOR is an empowerment programme and one of the areas we want to focus on in empowering our youths is on environmental management,’’ he said.

Uduaghan explained that the state government had started a waste management programme aimed at having a cleaner state, adding that Asaba, Warri and Effurun would be the starting points.

He expressed displeasure at

the untidy state of some newly constructed roads within the capital and directed the ministry to rid Asaba off dirt within one week.

The governor said arrangement had reached an advance stage to bring in incinerators which would be used to covert waste to wealth.

“That will help solve the challenge of the disposal points for waste in the state capital,’’ he said.

According to him, as soon as the incinerators are installed, the existing waste dump site on the BeninOnitsha expressway and Asaba would be closed down.

“The existing dump site is not good enough and it is close to the Asaba Airport and the smoke emanating from it may cause obstruction to flight coming to the airport,’’ he said.

Uduaghan further said that the state government would enact sanitation laws and institute environmental marshals to educate people and enforce the law.

He, therefore, cautioned

those selling on the pedestals walk-ways to desist as government was now prepared to arrest and prosecute offenders.

The Commissioner for Environment, Chief Frank Omare, said that the incinerator to treat waste generated in Asaba and its environs would become operational in three weeks.

According to him, all the components for the completion of the plant are already on ground.

“The plant will become operational in three week and all waste from the metropolis will be directed to the new site to be converted to recycled materials like plastic, iron or fertilisers for sale.

“Through this, the state can generate some revenue from waste as internally generated revenue,’’ Omare said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the governor inspected Anwai Road, Nnebuisi Road, Dennis Osadebe Way, the waste dump site at the expressway in Asaba and the waste to wealth plant in Ibusa.

Alleged Abduction: Navy Refutes Media

By BETTY IDIALU WARRI – Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, Commodore Mohammed Garba has described as untrue and misleading the media report, headlined” “Shooting Assault at Kayriot Hotel: Navy Returns to Hotel, Abducts owner and three staff “ published by a national daily of February 1, 2014 and a frontpage photograph of the February 2, 2014 by the same newspaper.

Addressing a press conference Monday afternoon at the Naval

Base in Warri, the commander said, a contrary to the said media report, there was no time men of the Nigerian Navy fired any gun shot or abducted three staff at Kayriot Hotel.

In a press release signed by Lieutenant CID Yohana (NN) on behalf of the commander and made available to the press, the naval boss described as misleadng and aimed at undermining the collaborative efforts of security agencies in fighting crime. ,”The incident that happened at Kayriot Hotel is still under investigation and is a case of assaulting a commissioned

officer which necessitated admission in the hospital.

“The Hotel staff were invited to write statements on the incident voluntarily and allowed to return to their business afterwards.

“The navy returned to the hotel as a further investigation by demanding the recordings of the CCTV footage of the unfortunate incident which the Hotel management misconstrued.

However, the Hotel management claimed that the CCTV cannot record events due to the malfunctioning of the hard disc.

Report

“At this juncture, the Navy asked for his statement and assured him that he was not under arrest but whenever the Navy needs further information, he could be called upon.” The release added.

Commodore Garba, while reiterating the Navy’s commitment to synergise with other agencies to rid Warri and its environs of every form of criminality, said the incident is still under investigation by both the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Police.

Breast Cancer, Silent Killer IBADAN - Dr Nike Bello, a Says Expert Lecturer and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, has described breast cancer as the greatest killer of women worldwide.

Bello said this in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan.

The consultant, who said that one out of eight women in Nigeria developed breast cancer monthly, described the disease as a silent killer which should be controlled.

The gynaecologist defined breast cancer as an uncontrolled growth of breast cells.

She said the cells occurred due to mutations or abnormal changes in the genes responsible for regulating the growth of cells and keeping them healthy.

According to her, breast cancer can be treated and managed successfully if detected early and advised women of reproductive age to always examine their breasts immediately after their menses.

She said hormonal level is low after menses and any sign of mass or lump would easily be revealed.

“Women from the age of 18 and above should examine their breasts monthly after each monthly flow. All breast cancers are not the same but can be treated.

“More tests have to be done to

LASG Tasks Residents On Hygiene IKEJA – The Lagos State Government has urged the state residents to be hygiene cautious to prevent outbreak of cholera and other water-bone diseases commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, made the appeal at a monthly meeting organised by the state Ministry of Rural Development for community development associations and Neighbour Watchers.

The event took place at Alausa, Ikeja.

Idris decried the rate at which the residents dumped refuse into drains, thereby obstructing feeflow of water.

He urged the executives of Community Development Associations (CDAS) and Neighbourhood Watchers to enlighten the residents on the dangers of the habit.

The commissioner said that environmental sanitation and personal hygiene would curb outbreak of diseases.

Idris said that the state government had spent huge resources to ensure that cholera and other water-borne diseases did not thrive in the state.

He appealed to the residents to reciprocate by ensuring cleanliness.

He enjoined the residents to promote immunisation of children and adults for good health.

Idris also said that the ministry had begun spraying of homes with insecticides to reduce of malaria.

He solicited the cooperation of the CDAS for the Success of the exercise in their respective areas.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi, urged the residents to protect government property in their domains.

“Educate your people that government property is their property, and that they must protect them from vandals at all times,” Ojelabi said.

News

find out the specific pattern and the extent of the disease or stages.

“This important step is called “staging”. After accurate diagnosis and proper staging, a suitable treatment plan is made,” she said.

According to Bello, there are several modalities of the treatment including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy, which are used in a combination.

“Every woman should cultivate the habit of visiting primary health care centres for her health needs.“ “Please, be aware that these diseases do not present any noticeable symptoms until at later stages, and this could be too expensive to treat and manage.

“The World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics show that 22 per cent of women are affected by this killer disease,” she said.

Arc. Francis Evboamwan, Edo State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development (right), with his counterpart in the Minnistry of Transport Amb. Orobosa Omo-Ojo during a press briefing recently. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

Pregnant Women Urged To Patronise Govt Health Facilities AKURE - Dr Adeshina Akintounwa, Chief Medical Director, Mother and Child Hospital, Akure, Ondo State, has urged pregnant women to patronise government health centres, to reduce maternal and child mortality.

Akintounwa spoke in Akure while briefing newsmen on the need for residents to access the health centre.

The Mother and Child Hospital initiative is a major component of the Abiye Safe Motherhood programme of the state government.

The programme is aimed at reducing infant and maternal mortality in the state, with all treatment at no cost to the patients.

The doctor said that the state government had spent a lot of

money to put the medical facilities in place to ensure that lives of both mothers and children were saved during childbirth.

According to him, it is pathetic that majority of the pregnant women still prefer to go to quacks and untrained midwives for delivery.

He said that about 50 per cent reduction of mother and child mortality had been recorded over the last one year.

“But looking at it, 95 per cent of the dead were people who had been to churches and unapproved centres and had complications before getting to the facilities,” he said.

He, therefore, advised the indigenes of the state to access the health facilities provided for them by the state government.

“I advise my people in the state to make use of the good health opportunity given them by the state government.

“We see people from other states coming to access our

medical facilities but our people prefer not to use the facilities and waste their lives.

“I must tell you that this is unacceptable,” he said.

Akintounwa, however,

2013: Conduct Tribunal Records ABUJA - The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) said 114 cases bordering on code of conduct were received by the tribunal in 2013.

The tribunal, in its annual report made available to newsmen, said 50 bench warrants were issued in the year under review.

It said three convictions were secured while nine others were discharged within the period.

114 Cases

The report said 12 rulings were delivered by the tribunal, adding that three of the tribunal’s judgments were appealed.

It also said 2013 witnessed some important rulings in the history of the tribunal.

The report said such rulings included one where a serving local government chairman in Cross River, accused of

Mr. Andy Egbon, News Editor of the NIGERIAN OBSERVER (left) explaining a point to students of Benson Idahosa University, Department of Sociology and Antroology during their excursion visit to Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, Publishers of The NIGERIAN OBSERVER titles. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

Education Is Key To Prosperity In The Country - HOD

LAGOS – The Head of Education Department, Igando/ Ikotun Local Development Council, Lagos, Mrs. Abimbola Whenayon said that education is the key to breaking the circle of poverty in the country.

Whenayon, speaking with newsmen during an inspection of the literacy programme in the council said that a well planned educational programme would make any society self-reliant.

She said that it was not just formal education that would be given to the admitted adult student but also informal curriculum and skill acquisition.

She said: Education is the allround training and development of a child and the country that does not train or educate its people is poor; we can call that country an

promised to continue to educate the people so that both pregnant women and children would be kept alive.

The Mother and Child Hospital, Akure was commissioned by Governor Olusegun Mimiko in February 2010.

underdeveloped country.

“We have to educate our people to eradicate idleness, we educate in different ways by making them self reliant, by teaching and training them.

“And we have to include vocational education into the system and we have to really support it and dwell in it because it’s not only in the four wall of a

class room that education is taking place.

“Education place at home, in the community, society and even right from the mother’s womb, you eat what your child would grow up to be eating because the child eats from the mother’s womb,” she said.

Whenayon therefore noted that they should be taught and enlightened that education is dynamic and that poverty is manmade which could be eradicated.

belonging to a secret cult, was discharged.

Reacting to the report, the tribunal’s Head, Media and Public Relations, Mr Ibrahim AlHassan, said 2014 would witness expeditious hearing of cases brought before the tribunal.

Timber Dealer Jailed For Rape

IGARRA (EDO) - An Igarra Magistrates’ Court in Edo has sentenced 19-year-old Solomon David to one year in prison for raping a 13-year-old girl.

Magistrate Oware Mutare sentenced David, a timber dealer, with hard labour after he pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of rape.

Mutare did not give the convict an option of fine.

“I hereby sentence you to one year imprisonment with hard labour, considering the evil you did and this would curb the increase in rape cases in the area and serve as deterrent to others,’’ he said.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Samuel Obeze, had told the court that the convict on January 1 at about 4 p.m. at Ossoso village, near Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo, did rape the girl.

Obeze said that the convict forced himself on the girl and had canal knowledge of her by the riverside where she had gone to fetch water.

“The convict used his shirt to close the girl’s mouth and tied her hands to the back and raped her.

“On getting home, the girl told her mother who reported the case to her brothers and they accompanied her to the river where the convict was found smoking Indian hemp,’’ he said.

He said that the convict was subsequently arrested and taken to the police station,’’ he said.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 215 of the Criminal Code, Cap 48, Volume 11 of the defunct Bendel State 1976, also applicable in Edo.

South-South SURE-P To Engage 2000 Persons

UYO - No fewer than 2000 youths and women are to be recruited this year in Akwa Ibom under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).

Chairman of the Implementation Committee of the programme in the state, Cdr Idongesit Nkanga (Rtd), who disclosed this to newsmen in Uyo, said the beneficiaries were to be engaged in community service.

E/West Road

NUJ Tasks N/ Delta Ministry

YENAGOA - The SouthSouth zone of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has called on the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to ensure the timely completion of the multi-billion East-West road.

The National VicePresident, Zone “F” of NUJ, Mr. Seiyfa Uzaka, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Yenagoa.

“This call has become imperative because the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs had pledged to the people of the region that the road would be completed by December 2014.

He said that considering the slow pace of work on the project, there were fears that the road might not be completed on schedule.

“That is why we are urging the minister, Elder Godsday Orubebe, to re-double his efforts and complete the project as he promised.

“Our concerns extend to other projects being handled by the ministry in the Niger Delta which are at different stages of completion,” Uzaka said.

The national vice-president noted that the developmental challenges facing the region were enormous following several decades of neglect.

According to him, the NUJ in the South-South zone would in 2014 prevail on the ministry and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to give account of their stewardship.

He noted that residents of the Niger Delta had a right to enjoy the dividends of democracy by way of having social amenities.

Nkanga said that the figure would be in addition to the 3000 employed in the state in March last year at the inception of the programme in the country.

The chairman said that the 2000 women and youths, would be engaged in community services such as clearing of roads and public buildings.

“In the state here, we have recruited 3000 persons in the first phase and we are about recruiting additional 2000 very soon.

“We are going to have a meeting with the desk officers to get people ready, and once we get the directive, we will start the recruitment.

He assured that beneficiaries would be evenly spread across the 329 wards in the state.

The chairman said that the programme had reduced poverty in women and youths in the state, by providing opportunities for income generation.

Nkanga said that reports across the country indicated that the programme was a huge success, adding that its positive impact had manifested on the

people.

He said that the committee would continue to improve on its successes in Akwa Ibom, with a view to sustaining it after the present administration had left office.

“By the time this administration completes its tenure, people will see that it was a good idea from President Goodluck Jonathan to remove oil subsidy.

“SURE-P will metamorphose into something enduring and not just an ad-hoc thing, because people are already embracing it,” he said.

ASABA - The Delta Government said it has acquired 200 hectares of land for this year’s dry season farming to boost food production in the state.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Misan Kubeyinje, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Asaba.

Kubeyinje said that government would assist farmers in the state with improved maize seedlings and fertilizers to ensure good yields.

Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Edo State Chapter, Mr. Tosa Usanlele Ovonramwen addressing the Benin Monarch, His Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa (left) when he led NIPR executive on a condolence visit to the Monarch over the demise of his Queen Oloi Omoye Erediauwa.

Dry Season Farming:

Delta Acquires 200 Hectares Of Land “Very soon we will commence the distribution of maize seeds and fertilizers to the farmers.

“We will also give farmers free tractor services for the number of hectares they would want to cultivate,” he said.

The commissioner said that the dry season farming would be a collaborative effort between the state and the Federal Government.

He said the state had also acquired 300 hectares of land for rice farming, adding that it had proposed N150 million for the project this year.

Kubeyinje said the amount would be used to provide farming equipment such as rice planters and tractors for rice farmers in the state so as to boost production.

He added that the measure was aimed at the state being selfsufficient in rice production by 2015 when the proposed ban on rice importation into the country would be implemented.

The commissioner also disclosed that the government had concluded plans to develop farm settlements in many parts of the state.

Kubenyinje noted that Delta currently has four settlements located in the three senatorial districts of the state.

He said the state government had budgeted N38 million for the development of the settlements.

Stakeholders Commend Modalities For Nat’l Confab

General Manager, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, publishers of the Observer titles, Pastor Monday Aigbe (left) welcoming the chairman, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Edo State chapter, Mr. Tosan Usuanlele who led the executive members of the institute on a courtesy visit to the company. Photo: SOLOMON ENAIGBE.

Association Renders Free Health Care

BAKASSI (CROSS RIVER) - No fewer than 1,000 residents of Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State have benefited from the free healthcare service of the National Association of Seadogs (NAS).

The President of NAS, Mr. Ide Owodiong-Idemeko, said the free healthcare was part of the association’s humanitarian services.

“We are doing this project to help ameliorate the health challenges of those who cannot afford better healthcare due to financial problems.

“We are rendering free healthcare services to pregnant women, those with dental problems, HIV/AIDS

counselling, free distribution of treated insecticide mosquito nets and free drugs to members of the community with peculiar problems.

“These healthcare services cost the association N20 million.

We are happy because it is a humanitarian service to the people’’, he said.

Dr Kenneth Okoro, Head of Medical Services of NAS, said the association conducted free medical services every year in remote areas without access to better healthcare services.

Okoro expressed satisfaction

with the high turnout of residents in the community, adding that their mission was to help in ameliorating the health challenges of the people.

“We have identified that malaria in Bakassi local government area is very prevalent due to the rivers around, and children are the most affected. We will also de-warm them.

“Malnutrition is also a challenge here, we are here with our full medical team to do our best’’, he said.

According to him, most of the residents do not undergo medical tests when due.

He advised them to always check their blood sugar level, cholesterol and HIV status every three months.

Mr. Eteng Okon, who received free eye glasses, said he was impressed with the free health care provided by the association.

He commended NAS for the humanitarian service, saying that it would go a long way in improving the health condition of the people.

Mrs. Mercy Bassey, who was treated for a tooth problem, also thanked NAS for its goodwill service.

EKET (AKWA IBOM) Stakeholders in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom have commended the modalities for the conduct of the National Conference scheduled to last for three months.

The people made the commendation in an interview with newsmen in Eket.

The stakeholders described the modalities for the conference as a step in a right direction.

The Federal Government had approved 492 delegates to participate in the proposed national conference in the country.

Mr. James Moses, a public analyst, said that the modalities for the conduct of the conference would help strengthen national unity and progress.

Moses expressed optimism that the modalities adopted by the Federal Government would enable the conference to succeed.

He said that the nomination of delegates by the President would not affect the independence of the conference.

He appealed to Nigerians to cooperate with the federal government to enable it to achieve its objectives.

South-West False Information

Ekiti 2014

Fayemi Is Our Candidate - Ekiti APC ADO-EKITI - The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state has emerged its lone candidate for the June 21 governorship poll in Ekiti State.

Reports state that interim Chairman of APC in the State, Chief Jide Awe said that though APC had regard and respect for the Constitution and Electoral Act, the party’s laws were internal that must also be respected.

Awe said at a news conference addressed in Ado-Ekiti to usherin the nationwide registration exercise of new members of the party that no candidate, other than Fayemi, would fly the party’s flag.

“All parties are permitted to operate, based on their internal mode of doing things, which is otherwise known as internal democracy.”

He said that every political party knew who was the best person to fly its flag in any election, adding that the case of APC, on the forthcoming governorship election could not be an exception.

The Ekiti APC Chairman urged residents of the State, especially the youths, to rally round the party by coming out to register en-masse with the party as members during the exercise.

On the issue of illegal pasting of posters as well as erection of campaign billboards across the State, Awe said most of the candidates, including Gov. Kayode Fayemi, did not know who were behind such act.

“It is unfortunate that people can continue to do this even though the governor does not know anything about it. There is no how the governor can choose to ignore INEC orders,” he said.

Man, 46 Charged

Traffic Jam at a military check-point on the outer Northern Expressway near Dei-Dei Junction in Abuja on Monday.

Osun To Spend N800m On Compensation

OSOGBO - The Osun State government said it had budgeted N800 million as compensation for land acquisition from its citizenry.

Mr. Muyiwa Ige, the Commissioner for Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development, said this in Osogbo during the 2014 budget defence before the House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation.

Ige said the budgeted sum would be used to clear the backlog of compensations to land owners as well as new

land that might be acquired by government for developmental purposes.

“The provision made for compensation in the budget is targeted towards new land acquisition as well as the existing ones within the limit of the budget.’’.

The commissioner said that government paid more than N670 million as compensation for land acquisition in 2012.

He added that the sum of

N200 million was expended for the same purpose in 2013.

Ige said that in addition to payment of compensation, the government had also provided some palliative measures to affected land owners.

He said that the government would continue to work towards creating opportunities that would alleviate the suffering of the people.

The commissioner explained that land acquisition

by government was for overriding public interest.

“Once government identifies a place for development, the next step is to engage the land owners in discussion.

“If there is a structure or livestock on such land, we enumerate it and through proper documentation, will ensure the money gets to the direct beneficiaries.’’

Ige said that the government had been fast tracking the process of compensation to ensure the affected land owners were adequately compensated.

IKORODU (LAGOS STATE) - A 46-year-old man, Ajayi Adekunle, was in Lagos charged before an Ikorodu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State for allegedly giving false information to the police.

The accused, who is a security man at Seven-Up Bottling Company, is facing a charge of raising false alarm.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Iyabo Johnson, told the court that Adekunle had on September 2, 2013 at Area ‘N’ Police Command, Ijede in Ikorodu, gave ACP Omuiyadun Marcus wrong information.

He alleged that the accused raised a false alarm of stealing, a situation that led to the arrest of one Mr. Abdul-Ganiyu Salawu.

“He wrote in a statement that one Abdul-Ganiyu Salawu stole refrigerators, property of Seven-Up Company, a statement which was false and untrue.

“The accused gave the false information with the intent that the police officer will use his lawful powers to arrest and detain the accused,” Johnson said.

“According to findings, the items were sold by the company to Salawu.”

The prosecutor said the offence contravened Sections 96 (a) and (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mr. B.A. Sonuga, granted him bail in the sum of N50, 000 and one surety in like sum and adjourned the case to Feb.13 for hearing.

Agency Pledges Healthy Environment For Residents

Free-flow of traffic at Mile 2 on Lagos-Badagry Express way in Lagos on Monday

ADO-EKITI – The Ekiti Office of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) said it is ready to ensure a healthy and clean environment for Ekiti residents in 2014.

The agency’s Ekiti Coordinator, Mr. Adeleke Ajani, gave the promise in an interview with the newsmen in Ado-Ekiti.

Ajani said the agency would organize an aggressive environmental sanitation and flood control campaign for the residents of Ekiti.

“NESREA’s Green Corps, which comprises reputable people who are well educated, will be inaugurated to help in carrying out sanitation in all the identified areas of the state,” he said.

The NESREA State Coordinator also said environmental awareness and education would be organized for all secondary school students in the state.

He then advised Ekiti residents to obey town planning laws and desist from dumping refuse.

Lagos Pregnant Women Advised Against Over Eating LAGOS - A nutritionist, Miss Nike Oshinowo of Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos, said that excessive eating during pregnancy could lead to overweight babies.

Oshinowo, who stated this during interview with newsmen in Lagos, said it could make child delivery difficult.

“Women should be mindful of how they eat during pregnancy to avoid having overweight babies.

“A large baby can cause problems during delivery, especially if it is a vaginal delivery.

“The sheer size of a baby alone can make labour more painful for the mother.

“Sometimes, if a baby is too large, it also increases the

chances of having a caesarean section”, she said.

Oshinowo also said that overeating by pregnant women could also cause gestational diabetes.

She said, “every pregnant woman should realise that overeating is not healthy, not only for them, but also for their unborn babies.

“They should know that overeating may result in their babies being overweight and this increases the risk of developing gestational diabetes which can cause many medical complications.

“This will also lead to having an overweight baby; the ideal weight of a newborn is between 2.5 and 3.5 kg.

“In the long run, the baby may

end up being obese and this increases the risk of the baby developing diabetes later in life.”

Oshinowo advised pregnant women to control their food crave and should also not go with the notion that they were “eating for two.”

She said the first thing a woman should realise during pregnancy is that she is not eating for two.

“Pregnancy does not mean you have to consume all the foods you can, but rather, a pregnant woman should try to eat a balanced diet in the right proportion.

“She should seek help at the antenatal clinic in getting a meal plan that works for her and the baby and be disciplined in eating.

“Pregnant women should try to stay away from sugary foods and take lots of water on a daily basis and exercise regularly to maintain a healthy weight”, Oshinowo said.

Also, a General Physician, Dr Emeka Amaechi, said that overeating during pregnancy could result in overweight babies who might become obese, and have increased risk of developing diabetes later in life. “ Overweight babies are more likely to stay overweight throughout their lives.

“These babies have increased risk of developing medical conditions like obesity, diabetes and asthma.

“Apart from having an overweight baby, a woman should also be wary of overeating to limit the risk of developing gestational diabetes.

“Gestational diabetes has been linked to cause problems like premature birth, stillbirth, miscarriage, breathing problems and jaundice in the unborn baby”, he said.

Amaechi added that eating too

much also makes the pregnant woman to gain excessive weight which might take long to lose after delivery.

“Excessive weight gained during pregnancy is difficult to lose and can also affect the way a woman perceive herself after delivery.

“This can affect the mother emotionally and lead to postpartum depression (PPD).

PPD, also called postnatal depression, is a type of clinical depression which can affect women after childbirth.

Experts Call For Regulation Of Trad Bone Setters Operations LAGOS - A Physiotherapist, Dr Jovita Obi, has called for the regulation of the operations of traditional bone setters to check cases of mismanagement of bone fractures.

She told newsmen in Lagos that in view of the societal confidence and patronage being enjoyed by them in Nigeria, efforts should be made to regulate their activities.

Obi, a staff of the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, in Nasarawa state, described the bone setters as those knowledgeable in setting broken bones and ensure proper healing to prevent deformity.

She said fractures could result from automobile or motorcycle accidents or falls from trees, adding that such fractures might be simple, compound or complicated.

She said that over 70 per cent of patients who presented themselves to an orthopaedic

hospital, had been to the local bone setters before going to the hospital.

‘In spite of the complications, the traditional bone setters continue to have patronage from both the highly educated and the illiterate. ‘’Possible reasons for this include cultural beliefs, ignorance, the short supply of orthodox trained health professionals and overcrowding of tertiary health institutions with trauma cases. ‘’It is, therefore, important to recognise the local bone setters, but there should be rules and regulations to guide their operations, ‘’ she advised.

Another medical personnel, Dr Victor Ukwuoma, a private practitioner, said that there was the need to streamline and set rules for alternative medicine practitioners for regulation, monitoring and sanctioning whenever they erred.

Ukwuoma said that in spite of availability of qualified practising physicians and well equipped hospitals, patients still patronised local bone setters. ‘’There is need for government to set rules and regulations to guide the operations of the unorthodox practitioners in Nigeria, to stop further destruction of limbs and untimely deaths. ‘’Many of the complications have led to the presentation of non-viable limbs to hospitals, necessitating life saving amputations, ” he said.

Newly elected Dean of Military and Police Advisers Community (MPAC) in New York, Maj-General Lincoln Ogunewe (left), Nigeria’s Military Adviser to the UN and his predecessor, Col. NATTAWUT SABYEROOP of Thailand during the handover of Dean’s gravel and symbol of authority in New York yesterday.

Lagos Targets N66bn Revenue

IKEJA - The Lagos State Government said it has projected a revenue outlay of N466 billion for the 2014 fiscal year.

The state’s Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Ben Akabueze, announced

Newly elected Dean of Military and Police Advisers Community (MPAC) in New York, Maj-General Lincoln Ogunewe (middle), Nigeria’s Military Adviser to the UN and his predecessor, Col. NATTAWUT SABYEROOP of Thailand and Colleagues after MPAC election in New York yesterday.

the figure while giving a breakdown of the state’s 2014 N489.69 billion budget in Ikeja.

He said that N327.2 billion of the revenue was projected to come from Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) while N139 billion was expected from federal transfers, including statutory allocations and VAT. He said that N23.2 billion would be generated from capital contributions such as those made by allottees in various State Government’s estates.

Akabueze said that government expected in the year, some dedicated revenues from the state’s health and tertiary institutions.

He said that most of the dedicated revenue was usually retained by the generating institutions to maintain the services they provided.

The commissioner said the 2014 revenue projection was N50 billion higher than the 2013 revenue projection, stressing that the surplus would enable government to fund ongoing capital projects.

“On recurrent expenditure, we

are spending N4 billion more on personnel cost, while our overhead cost would increase from N130 billion to N146 billion.

“This is an increase of about 10 per cent and when you consider we are in an inflationary environment and we have this growing size of government coupled with the extra N2 billion to ministries and agencies, you will understand the increase in our overhead costs for the year.”

The commissioner said the state would spend N50 billion to redeem the first tranche of the bond it issued, adding that the government would not issue any bond in 2014.

He also said that the state had projected a GDP growth of 10 per cent for 2014 as against the federal target of 6.8 per cent.

The state budget, he said, aimed at accelerating infrastructural renewal while N100 billion was earmarked for capital projects.

He identified new schools, hospitals and drainage as some of the critical projects to be

delivered by the state in 2014.

Giving specifics, the commissioner said that two new Independent Power Plants would be built to boost power supply in 2014.

Akabueze explained that the ongoing light rail project, Lagos Badagry Expressway, and expansion of Ikorodu road would received attention in the year.

The commissioner also urged residents to pay their taxes and fulfil their other obligations to the state to enable government meet the goals of the budget.

He urged Lagos residents to participate in the ongoing residents registration exercise to enable government plan for development.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Aderemi Ibirogba, and his finance counterpart, Mr Ayo Gbeleyi, were present at the occasion.

Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure Mr Obafemi Hamzat and Special Adviser to the Governor on Taxation Mr Bola Shodipo were also present.

Across The Nation

Royal Father Lauds Oshiomhole

FG Distributes Fertilizer To Rice Farmers - Director BAUCHI - The Federal Government said it has distributed 33,000 bags of assorted fertiliser to 11,000 registered rice farmers in Bauchi State this dry season.

Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, the Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the state, told newsmen in Bauchi that the effort was to ensure food security in the country.

Yusuf said each farmer received three bags of fertiliser and 2kg of agrolyser at 50 per cent discount, as well as 25kg of improved rice seeds for free.

“In addition to that, 40 (3HP) and 13 (7HP) irrigation water pumps at 75 per cent discount were also distributed to the farmers in their production clusters.

“Redemption was exclusively through the e-wallet system under the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme,’’ he said.

The director added that the decision to continue the dry season farming programme this year was informed by the success recorded last year in 10 states, including Bauchi.

He said that last year a total of

Man Commits Suicide Over Failed Marriage BIRNIN KEBBI - A 24- year old man, Abubakar Ahmed, was found hanging on a tree in Ganten-Tudu in Kaoje Development Area of Kebbi State.

A resident of the area, Malam Tukur Mohammed, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that the deceased was believed to have committed suicide over failed marriage bid.

Mohammed said the deceased had been farming to earn a living.

He added that the deceased ostensibly committed suicide after failing to produce N40,000 bride price for the marriage scheduled for Friday, January 31.

The witness said that the deceased was not happy with an arrangement to postpone the marriage to Friday, February 7 in spite of assurance from relatives that the money would be paid.

The deceased reportedly travelled to neighbouring Buya village with a friend on a motorcycle to recover a debt but was unsuccessful.

He was not seen again until his corpse was found dangling on a tree last Saturday.

The sole administrator of Kaoje Development Area, Malam Bello Abdullahi, confirmed the incident.

He said the deceased had been buried according to Islamic injunction while the Police had commenced investigation into the matter.

4,374 farmers across the state benefited from the programme, adding that “with 11,000 registered farmers this year, we intend to triple production.

“One of the key mandates of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda is to achieve selfsufficiency and a complete stop to rice importation by 2015.

“It is hoped that by 2015, Nigeria will be able to totally depend on domestic rice production as well as develop the capacity to export.’’

Yusuf implored all registered farmers to redeem the inputs and utilise them for the purpose they were provided in order to achieve the set goals of job creation, poverty reduction and food security.

By JOEL

MV Ebba handed over to it’s owners in Bonny, Rivers yesterday.

Wada Decries Mismanagement Of LG Funds

LOKOJA - Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State said that the mismanagement of funds at the local government level was responsible for the partpayment of the workers’ salaries.

Wada said this at a parley with newsmen to mark his second year anniversary as governor of the state in Lokoja.

“I don’t touch their

allocations. I have given our local government chairmen free hand to run their councils since I came into office.

“I don’t think it is right for the workers to be paid a percentage of their salaries.

“Their allocations come directly into the Joint Account

and I feel everybody should get what is due to his local government.

“Apart from statutory deductions like five per cent to traditional rulers, one per cent to SUBEB and a few others, nobody tampers with their money.

“When people call for

People praying during the funeral of an Islamic scholar based in Zaria, Sheike Muhammad Albani recently.

Conduct Of Opinion Polls

autonomy of local governments, it looks idealistic and quite utopian.

“Everybody says local government should be independent.

“But unfortunately, there is some level of mismanagement at that level of government.

“The issue of salary is very unfortunate. If this is what we are getting from the semiautonomy, what do we expect from a full autonomy,” Wada said.

The governor said that the biometric exercise to ascertain the actual workforce had been concluded, but political pressures had inhibited its implementation.

He said he had set up a subcommittee of permanent secretaries and senior citizens to investigate and address genuine complaints after which the report would be implemented.

Reports say that all the workers in the 21 local councils are being owed different percentages in salaries.

In some of the local councils, the workers are owed up to five months.

EWOHIMI - The traditional ruler in Ewohimi Kingdom, In Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.

H.R.M Lord-Peter Ojenifo, has applauded the administration of Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, his Deputy Rt. Honourable (Dr) Pius Odubu, H.R.M LordPeter has also advised the Edo State government, not to relent in the distribution of democracy dividends across the nooks and crannies of Edo State.

H.R.M said, if Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and his deputy can perform righteously their duties accordingly, God will continue to uplift them to the highest political levels.

He appealed for the renovation of his palace, which is in a poor condition adding that the roof of the palace buildings has leakages. He called on Edo State government, spirited individual Non Governmental Organization, (N.G.Os) to come his aid in the renovation of the palace building. H.R.M also advised the political representatives to always remember their bearings for one good turn deserves another.

He prayed for the governor and his deputy for God’s wisdom, strength and resources to pilot the affairs of the state to a greater height.

He also invited all sons and daughters of Ewohimi Kingdom to come home and grace the Ukpeze festival that is coming up 13th of February 2014- March 15th 2014.

Lord-Peter Ojeniefor, HRM of Ewohimi Kingdom

Group Pledges Professionalism ENUGU - A West African polling and opinion research organisation, the NOIPolls, has pledged its professional commitment to conducting opinion polls in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the organisation, Ms Oge Modie, made the pledge in Enugu at a media platform.

Modie said the organisation conducted polls on socioeconomic and political issues including health, education and

approval ratings of political leaders across sub-Saharan Africa.

According to her, “our core responsibility to the public good is to give voice to Nigerian citizens.

“We provide a platform through our weekly snap polls for Nigerians to voice their opinion on topical issues concerning the masses.

“We pride ourselves as the only African polling organisation

running polls on presidents,’’ she said.

The CEO said the organisation conducted its survey through telephone interviews of random samples to reach out to its target audience.

“We make at least 6,000 calls in Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and pidgin English to get a random sample of 1,000 responses.

“We also have a website for the various polls we conducted and we partner with Gallup USA to

develop opinion research in Nigeria,’’ Modie said.

She stressed the need for effective and efficient data bank in all sectors in the country for planning and easy access of information.

The CEO solicited the partnership of the media in patronage of its surveys and sensitising the masses to give reliable information that would enrich data banks.

Some practitioners who spoke with newsmen commended the

activities of the organisation in giving the people a voice.

Mr. Ozioma Ubabuko of the Punch Newspapers said the polls would complement media reportage and reawaken the consciousness of the people on national issues.

Mrs. Ifeyinwa Okonkwo a journalist and Mr. Petrus Obi of the Sun Newspapers said opinion polls were important to check the activities of political leaders and pledged the support of the media in sustaining it.

Abuja NOA Urges Policemen Not To Mix Politics With development oriented.

Economy ABUJA - The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged politicians to exercise restraint in their action to avoid stifling the economy and overheating the polity.

Mr Mike Omeri, DirectorGeneral of the agency said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja.

He said it was the duty of politicians to seek the welfare of the people through the promotion of policies and programme that would engender the development of the country.

Omeri said that most of the executive proposals awaiting confirmation at the National Assembly were people and

The NOA boss added that it was not in the best interest of Nigerians for them to be stifled on account of political wrangling between political parties.

“Politician should stay within their politics and leave Nigerians and the nation’s economy alone, it is better not to contribute to economic development than to sabotage it.”

It will be recalled that the All Progressive Congress (APC) at its 8th National Executive Committee (NEC) directed its lawmakers to block executive bills including the 2014 budget.

This has however led to a war of words among different political parties in the country.

L-R: A leader of Eggon renaisance group, Mr. Adamu Muazu; Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa and Secretary to the state government, Mrs. Zainab Abdulmunin, during a reconciliation meeting with leaders of Eggon Community in Lafia recently.

RCCG To Procure N80m Mobile Clinic

General Manager, First Life Restaurant and Barr. Mr. Godwin Okon (left) and Public Relations Officer, Mr. Douglas Ediak at the reopening of the outlet in Mararaba, Nasarawa State weekend.

2014 Budget

ABUJA - The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) plans to procure a mobile clinic worth 500,000 dollars (about N80 million) to enhance healthcare delivery in the country, an official has said.

Dele Babade, the Pastor in charge of RCCG’s FCT 4 Province, who said this in Abuja, noted that the move would also enhance healthcare delivery in the rural areas.

Babade who spoke to a team of experts from the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) said the clinic would be the first in a number of mobile clinics to be purchased.

“The church set out on the project as part of its Christian Social Responsibility (CSR) to the society.

“We will have volunteer medical personnel who will give healthcare services, and time wasted on trying to access healthcare delivery will be prevented,’’ he said.

The official said the mobile

Reps To Begin Consideration Today - Mohammed ABUJA - The House of Representatives has slated Feb. 4 for the consideration of the 2014 appropriation.

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Rep. Zakari Mohammed (APCKwara), disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja.

Zakari said that consideration of the budget was put on hold so that the Constitutional Review process could be concluded.

He said that the next line of action would be to raise a Conference Committee of the House to begin work on the grey areas of the Constitution with its Senate Committee counterpart.

Mohammed revealed that it was expected that a clean copy of the Constitution would be produced after the two chambers

have met, to sort out areas of agreement and disagreement.

The Spokesman also said that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)

had been committed to a technical session.

He said that in the technical session, everybody’s interest

ABUJA - The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has reiterated that 99.99 per cent of the buildings that collapse in Nigeria are handled by quacks not Engineers.

The newly elected President of the NSE, Mr. Ademola Olorunfemi, disclosed this in Abuja while featuring at newsmen Forum”.

Olorunfemi, who featured alongside the President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), said that building owners usually wanted to reduce

cost by employing a nonengineer.

“One of the major causes of building collapse is corruption; it is corruption that will lead to the use of substandard materials or starting from giving it to a nonprofessional.

“You see a mark on a building these days it should say ‘stop construction’ but what it says is ‘come and see us in the office’ once you see them in the office, the red goes away.

“Go and check it out, 99.99 per cent of building collapse, it is not

would be represented so as to have a law that would meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people

The lawmaker assured that PIB would be presented to Nigerians hopefully by April.

an engineer on the register of COREN, it is somebody else,” he said.

He said that the NSE and COREN had begun monitoring to ensure that only engineers were employed to do the work of an engineer while calling for the assistance of the media.

Corroborating this, the COREN President Mr. Kashim Ali, said that both the NSE and COREN carry out investigations periodically on collapsed

buildings and find that engineers are not usually engaged.

While taking cognisance of the low quality of graduates churned out of higher institutions of learning, he said that it was upon graduation that the engineering graduate qualifies for training to be an engineer.

He said: “You do that training for four years before you go for professional interview on the basis of which you become an engineer.

Collapsed Buildings Are Handled

By Quacks - NSE

clinic would be available and operational in Nigeria before the end of 2014.

He, however, urged donor agencies and corporate bodies to collaborate to help in bringing more of such facility to Nigerians who have no access to healthcare delivery.

Also at the occasion, Mr. Jim Kitch, the Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, ADI Mobile Health, said the clinic could be the solution to some of the healthcare challenges in Nigeria.

He said the impact the clinic would have on the lives of people was enormous as it would guarantee quick access to healthcare.

“We understand the need for access to quality healthcare and the impact of not having that healthcare and how it limits people’s ability to live and work.

“It’s going to be a combination clinic for primary health, medical, dental and vision screening.

“It will also have educational components in oral healthcare and nutrition.

“As the programme expands, we will train community healthcare workers on how to identify local partners and sustainable points of access,’’ Kitch said.

He said the clinic, which will be the first in Africa by ADI Mobile Health, was already operational in the U.S., the Middle East and Canada.

Mr. Ari Mohammed, FCDA’s Director, Economic Planning Research and Statistics, said the administration also had a similar scheme called “Mailafiya’’.

He said the scheme which began in 2009 provides comprehensive healthcare using off-road trucks equipped with essential drugs, vaccines and laboratory equipment.

According to him, the scheme caters for clusters in the six area councils of the FCT by operating through 24 teams which visit each cluster twice a week.

Business + Economy

NGO Trains 2000 Women ABUJA - Dr Grace Adogo, Coordinator of the Society Against Prostitution and Child Labour in Nigeria (SAPCLN), said the society had trained more than 2000 young women in various skills to check prostitution and street hawking.

Adogo told newsmen in Abuja that most of the women trained were handpicked from the

streets.

She said the women were taught to make soap, petroleum jelly, and other money-making ventures including the production of jewellery using beads.

Adogo said: “We have empowered more than 2,000 young women who mostly were picked from the streets; some

were vulnerable to going to the streets, ‘We did not let them get to that point when they will go to the streets; so we opened our doors to those who are actually doing nothing and could be lured to prostitution.

“And then we have those who we actually went out to the field and sensitised and they

voluntarily gave themselves up for the skill acquisition programme; right now we are working in collaboration with the FCT Administration.

“They gave us the centre where we train these young ladies; after we train them the FCT administration gives them grants of a 100,000 each to help them start something

(productive),“ she said.

Adogo said the society in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Board, had established a training centre in Bwari Area Council of FCT for people with disability.

According to her, the organisation plans to expand its programme to other states in 2014 and thereby increase the number of trained women to 4000 by the end of the year.

She said, “This is like a poverty reduction strategy because the more women you empower the more people you empower.

“If you empower a woman, she is likely to get married, she is likely to have children and she will empower her children and that is a strategy of taking the children off the streets too.“ She explained that the training centre had a team of psychologists in its employ and

working on the psyche of some of the women who were commercial sex workers.

Adogo explained: “We try to work on their psyche; we have a team of psychologists.

“You are bringing somebody out of something, you need to clear his head because most of the time in our dealings with these girls, we discovered that they have already condemned themselves.

“They feel they are worthless and nobody cares about them; so we show them as much love as we can and let them understand that it is a situation that put them in that position.

“That is why the bulk of our job is sensitisation, creating awareness.

‘Some of our challenges are misconception and misunderstanding; some people think we are fighting those engaged in the act of prostitution.

“We are fighting that deadly disease called prostitution; morally, religiously and even our cultures - nobody embraces prostitution, so let’s not pretend about it,“ he said.

NSE CBI To Launch Corporate Governance Rating System, May

Students of Benson Idahosa University Department of Sociologu and Anthropology during their excursion visit to Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL) recently. Leading them is the lecturer in change of the excursion, Mr. Manrie Omage (2nd left) and Martins Erharuyi and intern with BNCL (left). Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

Agric:

LAGOS - The Corporate Governance Rating System (CGRS) of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and Convention on Business Integrity (CBI) will be launched in May. Mr. Soji Apampa, the Executive Director of CBI, disclosed this in Lagos at a breakfast meeting organised by NSE and CBI on corporate

Director Tasks Private Sector

ABUJA - A director in Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has urged the private sector to emulate the Dangote Group of Companies and invest in the agriculture sector.

Mr. Akinbola Osho, the Director, Fertiliser Department, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.

It would be recalled that Mr. Aliko Dangote, the President, Dangote Group of Companies, had announced at the recently concluded 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that his group was investing 2.3 billion dollars in the agriculture sector.

While two billion dollars would go to the sugar industry, 300 million dollars would be invested in rice production.

According to him, the investments would lead to the creation of about 180,000 jobs

over the next four years.

Osho encouraged investors to be brave, stressing that investment in the agriculture sector was good business that would yield favourable returns.

He described the Dangote Group’s investment in the sector as “very positive’’ and underscored the need for the country to be self-sufficient in food production.

“It is very positive; we want Nigeria to be self-sufficient in everything possible, particularly agriculture.

“Other investors should be brave and follow Dangote and they can be sure it is a good investment there are going into.

“Nobody can go wrong with food, because we must all eat, but we must follow the value chain approach which we are doing now,’’ he said.

In a separate interview, the Managing Director, Elephant

JOS - The Industrial Traning Fund (ITF) has trained 200 poultry farmers on key areas in poultry production, according to Mr. Hyacinth Na’anpiap, the Vice Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Plateau Chapter.

“The training has boosted our activities and broadened our horizon in this business,” the PAN official told newsmen in

Jos. He said that the association was “very appreciative” of the gesture, stressing that it had transformed some farmers to owners of big outfits that were creating jobs and expanding their reach.

“The incomes of many farmers have increased and we hope that more farmers will get that

Group, Mr. Tunji Owoye, described Nigeria as one of the few countries in the world that delivers optimum returns on investment.

The Elephant Group is involved in the production and importation of rice, to fill the gap in local production.

Owoye said that in spite of deficiencies in infrastructure, there were still huge opportunities in the country’s economy.

He said investment in agriculture would reduce pressure on the nation’s foreign exchange and ensure food security for the growing population.

“Nigeria is one of the few countries that delivers the optimum returns on investment in the world today.

“In agriculture, there are over a hundred areas one can invest so as to cushion the pressure on

foreign exchange.

“It is a welcome development; we are growing in population in Nigeria and in Africa; any company that would be investing in agriculture would be welcomed for us to be secured and feed our growing population.

“There is need to take us away from the importation of even brown sugar to the production of

Experts Advise FG Non-Oil Revenue ABUJA - An economist, Dr Akin Adetutu, has advised the Federal Government to give greater attention to the non-oil sector to shore up resources and boost the country’s external reserves.

Adetutu, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.

He said that greater attention

ITF Trains Poultry Farmers training in the near future.”

Na’anpiap listed fields of concentration during the training to include good farm management, poultry health, poultry production, poultry keeping, writing of business plan and entrepreneurship.

According to him, 100 farmers from the northern senatorial

the commodity.”

“Those who believe the biggest investment return is in the country are always welcome and those who think Nigeria is not safe, I wish them goodluck.

“This is our country and we are very proud of it; we are proud of investment companies and the dividends of investment returns in Nigeria,” Owoye said.

district were trained, while 50 each from the southern and central senatorial zones were still in training.

He commended the farmers for their interest in the programme.

“We want to appeal to ITF to double the number in the next batch of training, to enable more farmers to benefit.

to the non-oil sector would reduce the dependence of the government on oil proceeds alone to fund the external reserves.

“We must exploit the potential we have in the non-oil sector and they are much. This will help in directing the economy truly out of oil alone,” he said.

According to him, with a robust and formidable non-oil revenue base, the occasional recourse to the external reserves for funds for critical issues would be avoided.

He said that external reserves consisted of official public sector foreign assets that were readily available and controlled by the nation’s monetary authorities.

“It directs financing of payment imbalances, directly regulating the magnitude of such imbalances through intervention in the exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate and for other purposes,’’ he added.

governance for quoted companies. Apampa said that the CGRS index was aimed at ensuring corporate governance among listed companies on the stock market.

He said that the initiative would boost the nation’s foreign investment inflow due to listed companies’ adherence to corporate governance principles.

Apampa said the initiative, to be funded by Siemens Integrity Fund, would improve companies’ rating standards.

He said that the failure of corporate governance in banks and the challenges in business development contributed to the capital market crash in 2008.

Apampa said that the nation’s sovereign credit rating was below investment grade due to weak institutions, slow reforms and corruption.

Mr. Oscar Onyema, NSE Chief Executive Director, said that sound corporate governance practices would boost stakeholders’ trust in quoted companies.

Onyema, who was represented

by Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, the Executive Director, Business Development, said that the programme would encourage companies to do business in a sustainable manner.

Onyema said the partnership with the CBi was to create a corporate governance rating system and index for companies that would meet certain thresholds within that ranking.

“The objectives are to raise overall corporate governance standards in the country by providing companies with an incentive to develop global best practices.

“It will provide opportunities for companies to differentiate themselves in the market place,” he said.

Onyema said that the initiative would boost prospects of quoted companies for cross-border listing in target markets.

According to him, listed companies will become more competitive as corporate governance is a strong competitive tool.

Issues Youth Unemployment:

The Way Forward

IN Nigeria, Youth Unemployment is soaring high by the day, the fact that government at all tiers have provided laudable programmes to curb the growing concern of joblessness among the teeming population in the country in recent times, according to the Nigeria voice.com.

President Goodluck Jonathan recently launched the Youth Enterprise With New Innovation in Nigeria

Youth unemployment should be blamed on both the private and public sectors of the country. Government has abysmally failed to provide for unskilled, semiskilled and skilled people at all levels.

Unemployment is defined as a state of people living in absolute joblessness with age ranges falling between the 20-40 while underemployment also refer to people who are gainfully employed but not financially rewarding to authenticate

security is not guaranteed, government has not done any credible programmes to effect change on the society and the Nigerian youth.

During the 2011 presidential campaign when Goodluck Jonathan launched out his books to enable Nigerians youths imbibe the culture of reading, that is noble, but the youths of Nigeria are ready to further their education to the highest level whereas job security is the major bane to the vision.

work. It is of record that only graduates with first class degrees are employed while those with second class and third class degree are not given opportunity to work.

Some job offers are given to those who live in highbrow areas of the country. For instance in Lagos, those that are living in ghetto area like Ajegunle and Mushin are not given opportunity to work even when they qualified because their Cvs are traced to slum

(YOUWIN) in other to reduce the high density of unemployment of graduates being churned out from the Nation’s Universities. In the 60s and 70s, unemployment was not as pronounced because the government then was proactively providing for graduates thrown out from the universities into the labour market, with full job security, with no qualms.

Unemployment and underemployment are seriously confronting the Nigerian youth in all ramifications. The increase in Nigeria’s population is one of the challenges facing the labour market which the government has created for it citizenry. Increase in government spending and inflation have prevented political and economic development in the country.

their qualifications. Many Nigerians today are underemployed despite the intimading credentials being possessed in high flying institutions paraded in the World; all this put together, economic recession and inconsistent polices in the country.

Our micro-finance and commercial banks are not helping matters where it behooves on them to lend money to young entrepreneurs who intend to do their private businesses with no dependence on the government. The so-called oil marketers have created job employment to Nigerians which the National Assembly described as “phoney jobs by the cabals.” The Micro and macro objectives of creating jobs for Nigerian youths are still a mirage. Job

Time without number, politicians have promised youths instant employment on graduating yet nothing has been done to reduce the situation at present. It has all been empty promises, none being actualized except the youth is connected to the powers that be.

In the Labour market, unemployment is growing at geometrical progression due to inability of job agencies to identify qualified persons to

communities.

The government is not helping matters, not making concrete efforts to create jobs for the teeming youth population being constantly spewed out of the nation’s universities.

Our tertiary education system is not training human capital development or job creators rather than job seeker with no entrepreneurial skills to be self-employed. A few institutions of learning are

only introducing entrepreneurial sources without putting them in practice. Despite the creation of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) by individuals, with the aim of alleviating poverty in the country, the poverty index is unquantifiable and unquestionable.

The parameters to create jobs by government and private sectors are non existent to the extent that crime rate becomes alarming, all to the detriment of the Nigerian economy.

Unemployment is a worlds problem which some advanced countries have dealt with by providing jobs for their citizens in one way or the other.

No day passes by without seeing youths in various places searching for jobs through internet, vacancies placed on doorpost and others. Most job vacancies in the daily newspapers and magazines are mostly fake, not existing ,and sometimes with incorrect websites, emails and contact phone number, sometimes they could be scam! It’s a shame.

The job desperation by our teeming youths in Nigeria has on its part transpired into high levels of crime such as pen robbery, cyber crime, prostitution, illegal involvement in oil wells and bunkerings, fraudulent activities and others. The population of Nigeria youths are growing astronomically while those graduating from various higher institutions of learning are innumerable.

The Macro objectives and econometrics of creating jobs in Nigeria in spite of creation of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPLP) and National Directorate of Employment (NDE), are mere political

jargons and are non functional.

Unemployment, frustration and crime are economic maladies of the day.

Different administrations with different economic agendas, with vision 2012 still in the pipeline. It’s sickening!

How many Nigerians are gainfully employed? The system has not really provided for unskilled workers. In the developed and advanced countries, unskilled, and semi skilled workers have their stakes in government but in Nigeria only those with university or polytechnic certificates who know the man at the top, are given opportunities to work and nothing else. Even some polytechnic graduates are underpaid and marginalized in the labour market.

Job desperation due to family pressure and others have led some youths astray without considering its implications. The Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi recently organized a youth forum to help youths realize their goals in life. This was a good move to kick-start a youth development programme in the country if the government is really sincere in policy strategisation. If China as a country can discover its goal then Nigeria can likewise do same.

In every home in China, all her citizens are electronic producers so to speak; Nigeria is the highest consumption of imported goods and services despite the country’s position as the 6th largest producer of crude oil and gas. The question therefore remains: When would we begin to look inward and tap from the enormous resources that abound within? Let’s ponder that awhile.

“No day passes by without seeing youths in various places searching for jobs through internet, vacancies placed on doorpost and others. Most job vacancies in the daily newspapers and magazines are mostly fake, not existing ,and sometimes with incorrect websites, emails and contact phone number, sometimes they could be scam! It’s a shame.”

THE violation of women’s rights both at the national and domestic strata have become burning and vexatious issues. What we find happening in this country as regards the denial to women of certain privileges and rights, much more pervades other nations of the world to some varying degree and extent. In some countries women are never heard but they are only seen and are not offered opportunities to make their contributions to national growth and development.

THE refrain has always been that we are in a male dominated society and as such the dominance is carried over to other sectors of life, where it becomes very obvious that the malefolks are always in the position to wield power and control. However, the tendency to keep women at the background in most societies is derived from the tradition and custom of old in predominantly medieval communities where women are consigned to basic task of up-keeping of the home and the rearing and bearing of children.

AGAIN, there is the perceived social and environmental factors that women are not endowed with equal natural abilities seen against the superiority and innate physical attributes of man, which makes him the stronger sex while the women are regarded as the weaker sex.

WHILE it is still in contention that women are spiritually more gifted than the men, there are however, certain, religious practices in traditional religion, Christianity and Islam and many other faith-exercising beliefs where women are barred from priestly role for reasons peculiar to those faith.

OVER the years however, women have risen to these challenges to combat and eliminate these practices and to elevate womanhood to the pedestal of dignity and to take their pride of place in society.

THESE situations have also given rise to such concepts as women liberation and women empowerment to such extent it appears that there has been an attempt to rewrite the English language to make it reflect the sense of womanhood were such words as “Chairman” and

THE NIGERIAN

Encouraging More Women In Politics “mankind” are facing the challenges of some etymologists and lexical experts to make them lose their male connotations.

WHILE the war to institute the female privilege and the sense of womanhood in the language sector is a continuing one, there are still other areas of human endeavour where our womenfolk are carrying on the battle. It is a matter of fact, that women more often than not now concern themselves with issues such as the problem of development, female health reproductive issues, prostitution, trafficking in women, wife-battering and the political participation of women in the affairs of state.

FOR instance, a study by the population reference bureau, “conveying concerns: women write on Reproductive Health,” indicate that the global community is beginning to recognize a crucial, yet long overlooked piece of development puzzle. The study states that the ideas and participation of women are essential for planning appropriate, comprehensive and effective development programs.

A DEVELOPMENT effort of particular significance to women, it says is the design of reproductive health policies and programmes to meet the needs of all women, at different stages in their reproductive lives, from different socio economic setting, of different religious and cultural backgrounds.

IT also noted that efforts in the past to provide women. reproductive health services seemed to have been implanted without fully understanding the needs and sensitivities of the women they were

to serve, following ‘which many women and women’s group became disillusioned with the development process.

HOWEVER, “the increasing problem that women face in our world is that of discrimination which is occasioned by traditional practices in all ramifications, even discrimination in office places and in appointments. In effect, no matter how highly placed a woman might be in respect of achievements and in office; her status is still low because of male chauvinism and its dominating characteristics not to regard a woman’s profile as worth anything not even by men who may have achieved less.

WOMEN’s standing has risen dramatically in recent times due mainly to their efforts and that of the international community and many nongovernmental organizations who insist on the rights and privileges which not only they should take from society but what the constitutions and codes of human freedom had also conferred on them.

IN this regard a number of international decisions which have helped to legitimize the rights and privileges of women include the 1952 convention on the political rights of women, the 1979 convention on the political rights of women, the 1979 convention on the elimination of Discrimination ‘Against Women and the 1995 Beijing Conference, China, sponsored by the Untied Nations. It was the fourth world conference on women with 189 governments and 2,600 nongovernmental groups in attendance.

RESOLUTIONS at the conference agreed to a set of strategic objectives and action including efforts to advance the role of women in politics and environment stewardship.

BESIDES, the Commonwealth has also been committed to the problem of gender inequality and presented plan of action at the Beijing Conference as well as an update to it in 1997.

AT this point, we the women groups yearning for improvements in women conditions nationally and globally to pursue the course relentlessly and not give up. Further, we implore the Nigerian government and other nations globally to address the socio-cultural factors that hinder women from the realization of their full potentials.

WHEN the tongue or pen is let loose in a frenzy of passion, it is the man, and not the subject that becomes exhausted -Thomas Paine The opening lines of Charles Oputa’s (A.K.A Charley Boy) chat-bursting track, “1990”, goes like this: “I go talk, talk, talk am make we hear”. The rest of this song went on to prophetically predict what was to be expected from the purported “Transition to

court; consistently performed my civic duties when called upon to, and never sought either individually or in conjunction with others - to sabotage the state or her institutions. I did all these with the firm conviction that one day my country would attain true greatness like other great nations of the world; that one day she would be admitted into the hall of fame occupied by the world’s leading nations. I believed that

The land of my birth that called me to serve her has stabbed me in the back, wearing velvet gloves! I was like a jilted woman…like a betrayed lover… like a violated woman… like a man whose mistress had been ravished - heartbroken, vengeful and mad. I still am.

Does this mean I have lost hope in Nigeria? God forbid bad thing!

Then why are my mad? I am mad at the present directionless, disjointed system and its

Civil Rule Programme” launched by then Head of State - Nigeria’s first self-styled military President - General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. This song was a caustic and candid indictment of the political class of that era. 1990, was expectedly vindicated when Babangida’s transition train started wobbling, fumbling, stumbling and stuttering from one mishap to another, culminating in the 1993 June 12 Electoral imbroglio, a political stalemate that threatened to balkanize the entire country. This prophetic song springs up in my mind’s eyes because like my big brother, Charles Oputa, “me I wan talk too, make una for hear”.

I am a full blooded Nigerian citizen by birth; born (and bred) in Nigeria to full-blooded Nigerian parents. I was privileged to be born immediately after the devastating Civil War (1967 – 1970), which was a very trying period in the political history of this country. It was a period that signified the end of an epoch and the beginning of another; a period that offered a new beginning; a period that held so much promises and hopes for this country; promises and hopes that have become as tin as tissues today. It was a period of national “reconciliation”, “rehabilitation” and “reconstruction” - the muchvaunted post-war slogans of General Gowon’s military regime.

This was Nigeria’s golden era; the oil boom era, when “our problem wasn’t money, but how to spend it”. I Grew up loving my country, and when I came of age, pledged my “faithfulness”, “loyalty” and “honesty” to her. I came to respect my country, her ideals and the rules of general conduct guiding all who professed their allegiance to the “Republic”, and strove to revere the “constitution” in both its spirit and letters.

On becoming a full-grown adult, my faith in my country did not waver. My love for my fatherland did not diminish, but remained as solid as ever. I remained loyal and committed to my country. I considered myself a patriot, staying within the confines of the laws of the land; was never involved in, or convicted of any crime by any

my sacrifices for my country would one day be vindicated by the elevation of my country unto the hierarchy of developed countries. I passionately wanted to be a part of that success story.

I also held great dreams for my country; dreams of a free, productive, progressive, prosperous, united, powerful, wealthy and virile nation; dreams of a country metamorphosing into a true African giant; dreams of a country becoming a beacon of hope and role model for others in the third world; dreams of a country becoming a major player in global affairs by contributing its fair quota to the evolution of human civilization; dreams of a country where justice, equity and fair-play would become the building marbles of an enviable, new national identity. I don’t know where my optimism sprang from, but it was just so strong that the pessimistic wisecracks of naysayers (?) could not sway me from my resolve to “serve my country with all my strength”. Was I being stupid?

On what foundation was my strong belief based? Was I blind to the realities on ground? These were questions hauled at me by those I wrongly perceived as detractors. Unfolding events soon vindicated these true patriots.

As the years turned into decades, I gradually, but painfully, came to the shocking realization of how wrong I had been all the while; how blind I had been to all the fakery, deceit and emptiness before my very eyes. What a hoax it had all been.

Like Alice, I had been in wonderland for too long, but unlike her, I yearned to be back to reality; longed to get out of an Eldorado where there seemed to be no gold. I was tired of the whole ruse; was infuriated by the whole fantasy. I wondered why it took me so long to come to grips with the stark banality of the whole scheme. I blamed myself for the oversight. Before my very eyes a fairytale was gradually becoming a nightmare. I should have known better! I should have sported the lies from miles away! My own, dear fatherland has betrayed me!

operators; mad at the pseudo, largely contested entity called the Nigerian state, together with its equally artificial copy-cat institutions that are as weak as they are cosmetic. My madness is directed at those who have been charged with the task of administering this country since independence; those who have controlled the machinery of

and several generations of Nigerians. Their sacrileges are as stinking as they are damning, akin to what William Shakespeare would describe as the “rankest compound of villainous smell that ever offended the nostrils”. These are the infidels who have mortgaged this country, stolen the future of future generations, turned

I want to talk about a country where vast oceans of poverty coalesces side-by-side with islands of stupendous wealth. I want to talk about a country that has remained a huge potential without direction for decades. I want to talk about a country where the citizens tolerate the most dehumanizing forms of oppression by “turning the other

where dissent is put down with brute force. I want to talk about a country where rulers masquerade as leaders and where the processes of political succession are manipulated to suit the whims and caprices of a Mafia that has held this country captive since 1960. I want to talk about a country that is 180 degrees out

governance; those who have been in charge of our resources; those who have virtually run this country aground by turning her into a private enterprise; those who have been privileged to man the state’s institutions for the authoritative allocation of values , but have abused their call to serve; those who have poohpoohed the general will, and by so doing, pushed Nigeria closer to the precipice.

My madness is directed at those who have turned our country into the richest-poorest country on earth; the lords of the Manor who fete and fiddle while the country burns; kleptomaniacs who have turned our national coffers into Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), from which funds can be drawn at will; the Escadron Volant – the flying Squadron – of political tics, who are committed to sucking their host dry. Yes, these are the people I have a big grouse with! These are the people who have lied to me

Nigerians into what Frantz Fanon refers to as the “Wretched of the Earth”, and Nigeria into a scorched land; the mischievous ghouls and goblins who have entwined us all in a scary labyrinth. From politicians to soldiers, it has been a vicious circle of puppetry and treachery.

I must talk this talk now so that those who have ears will hear me.

I must talk because it is my right and duty to talk. There are so many bad things happening in my country that I want to talk about.

I want to talk about the disorganized pantomime that is the Nigerian state; a melodrama with flawed characters dressed in funny costumes performing on a stage made of fiber glass. I want to talk about a country where perfidy is a national culture, where corruption is venerated, and thieving leaders and their courtiers are deified. I want to talk about a country that is still a fool at hundred (100) – I hope not forever - and have not realized it.

cheek”; a country where people surfer and smile at the same time. I want to talk about a country where leadership positions are seen as the birthright of some supposed special species of humans – those who are supposedly born to rule. I want to talk about a country where all leaders are aspiring emperors.

What else do I want to talk about? I also want to talk about a society where violence in its physical, psychological (and even spiritual) ramifications has become a currency of social interaction and expression. I want to talk about a country where people tolerate extreme hunger and console themselves with the fatalistic phrase, “e go better”.

I want to talk about a country where beggars beg from beggars. I want to talk about a country where inefficiency in all its ugly manifestations is treated with kid’s gloves. I want to talk about a country

of control and has refused to change course. I want to talk about the state that is against its own people.

This is my moment of epiphany. It is my seminal season; a season when I usually wax lyrical. My theme for this season is “I have seen the light”.

I have learnt my lessons the hard way and have resolved never to keep mute any longer in the face of all the cruelties and incivilities currently pervading my country.

Never again will I tolerate injustice of any kind. Never again will I sulk and whine when I can stand up and act. I will no longer be a spectator of action; a viewer of a tragic-comedy that has being the sorry story of my country.

From now on I will speak out, no holds barred, against whatever malpractices I notice in any area of national life, no matter whose ox is gored. I will speak my mind because, though I was blind, I can now see. This is my new “pledge to Nigeria, my dear country”.

What about you? Until next week, remain glued to this page.

Cutting Edge With Obuseh Jude GSM: 08033510173

Pledge To Nigeria My Country

Nutritional Health And Dietetics

Regimen To Cure Constipation

Don’t use threats or force against your bowel, use nothing that will distend, weaken, irritate or inflame the bowel.

Absolutely discontinue the use of all laxatives, forced straining, large and high enemas and extra roughage.

Eat a well-balanced and

in addition to the milk and soup you take. Reduce your tea or coffee to one cup a day if you must have it.

Engage in plenty of walking or exercise as mentioned before. A half hour’s walk before breakfast is one of the best encouragements to a

anus.

Gentle massage of the abdomen will help. Use your right fist and run it over the abdomen in a continuous movement in the direction of the large bowel, starting at the right groin and moving the fist up and then across under

adequate diet, divided into 3 well-proportioned satisfying meals a day, consisting of milk, butter, eggs, cheese, fruit and vegetables and some meat or fish.

Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. It is Nature’s own aid and stimulant to good digestion and normal bowel action.

Drink a glass or two of hot water on rising, sipping it slowly. Like thorough and prolonged chewing, sipping the water slowly stimulates the activity and movement of the entire gastro intestinal tract, thorough nerve reflexes, etc, as I have explained before.

Excessive fluid intake is not necessary. Have a glass of water with or between meals

sluggish bowel to perform its duty, so is a hot full and hearty breakfast.

Never ignore the bowel’s desire to act. Respond promptly.

Forming, a regular time habit of moving the bowels right in the morning is of great importance. But don’t be discouraged, if the bowel does not call for action right after you are up and about and have taken hot water drink.

Give it chance and it will surely call for action later, after breakfast. The main thing is to respond and give time and effort to having the bowel empty itself thoroughly.

For this purpose of standing in squatting posture, drawing the abdomen and relaxing the

the ribs and downward to the left groin. Repeat a few times.

Retain a happy, hopeful and pleasant disposition and eat your meals with zest.

During the first few days or first week of this regimen to cure constipation, use a small enema of one or two cupfuls of plain warm water. After the bowel has responded, repeat the injection. Use the “natural method” of helping the bowel in conjunction with the enema so as to get the bowel in the habit of emptying itself completely.

A glycerin suppository inserted in the rectum and retained for a few minutes may be used instead of the enema or alternated with it on different days.

If you are not a sufferer from habitual constipation, but either from neglect or other causes, you have failed to move your bowels during the day, never retire for the night unless, you have evacuated.

Do not let bacteria, bacterial poisons and other waste products stay in and contaminate your system overnight.

Morning, scientists say, will surely find you grouchy and groggy, with a bad taste in the mouths, no desire for

breakfast and the beginning of the harmful habit of becoming constipated.

Resort to a small enema before going to sleep and you will have done the correct thing by preserving your health and preventing injury

With

O.C. Madu GSM: 08056379608 to your bowel.

Causes In a few instances, constipation is caused by some underlying disease of the gastrointestinal tract or other organs which need medical or surgical attention.

The great army of sufferers from constipation, however, can cure themselves very easily in just one week or ten days, provided they continue to follow directions and use persistency and patience in keeping up the good habit.

The bowel that is constipated for years is like a spoiled child, it needs time, patience and re-education to make it behave normally again. Force and threat will not work.

Worry as a cause of constipation – worry and mental depression slow up all body activity. There is no appetite or eagerness for food and therefore, a lack of secretion of the gastrointestinal juices. The bowel in these case, suffers from lack of the stimulation initiated by zestful eating.

Instead of moving the bowel, depressed and melancholic people have a tendency to regurgitate or vomit their food because their stomachs do not secret enough gastric juice to digest it.

Where the digestion is poor, food will sometimes remain in the stomach undigested for many hours and then be vomited up.

Excessive Roughage – Eating bran and excessive amounts of whole wheat and whole rye, especially, in dry form, and eating excessive amounts of vegetables and other rough foods will never cure constipation. On the contrary, it will often pack up some portion of the small or the large intestine, so tightly that a condition of almost complete obstruction will result, which if not promptly removed by repeated enemas will after two or three days result in a dangerous condition.

The bulk of the feaces according to Nutritionists consists of dead and living

bacteria, dead intestinal cells and bowel secretions and excretions, no matter how little roughage is eaten, this bulk will be supplied by the intestines. That is, also, the reason why, when one is sick and subsists on an almost liquid diet, there will still be quite voluminous bowel movements.

The ordinary balanced diet supplies enough roughage for all purposes in addition to the bulk supplied by the intestine themselves. Remember that many cases of extra roughage is injurious to the bowel and aggravates the condition it is expected to cure.

The bad habit of not responding when the bowel impulse sounds its alarm.

The bad habit of not keeping your seat long enough for the bowel to empty itself thoroughly.

The bad habit of taking laxatives or using high and voluminous enemas daily or frequently.

Lack of outdoor exercise.

Worry and mental depression.

Excessive roughage in the food.

Respond To Nature’s Calling Repeatedly, ignoring the bowels natural nerve impulse to empty itself will dull the sensitiveness of its nerves and the alarm will no longer sounded leading to accumulation of faeces.

The several day accumulation of faeces in the bowel lead to obstruction of the blood circulation by the pressure of the fecal mass on veins in the bowel wall, with consequent dilation, inflammation and injury of these veins. The diseased condition known as pile is the result. Others are, coated tongue, bad taste in the mouth, bad breath, loss of appetite, sense of fatigue, heart palpitation, headache and loss of power of mental concentration. Disturbance of the special senses, as poor eyesight, noises in the ears, a clogged nose and weakening of the sense of smell.

Thanks for reading.

“The bulk of the feaces according to Nutritionists consists of dead and living bacteria, dead intestinal cells and bowel secretions and excretions, no matter how little roughage is eaten, this bulk will be supplied by the intestines. That is, also, the reason why, when one is sick and subsists on an almost liquid diet, there will still be quite voluminous bowel movements.”

Eson N’Erie

Oloi Esther Omoye Erediauwa, A Short Tribute

By DR. EDORE OYAKHIRE (PHD, OON)

THE sudden death of our queen, Esther Omoye Erediauwa, brought severe pain and great sorrows to us. Sadly, at a time when Nigerians, the Edos and more specially the Binis could hardly afford to dispense with the vital SERVICES of their amiable best particularly in the Royalty, the icy hands of death surreptitiously stole and froze on Saturday, the 18th of January, 2014 by 8pm the innocuous soul of Queen Esther Omoye Erediauwa, the Eson N’Erie of Benin Kingdom.

The demise of a Queen in a kingdom is a monumental loss to humanity. Indeed, her demise is the greatest calamity that has befallen Benin Kingdom in recent times. Her sudden demise is an irreplaceable loss in an inauspicious season. It is painful but glorious in the sight of the Lord when a faithful person dies.

Besides, when beggars die, no comets are seen but the Heavens themselves blaze forth the death of Princes.

May God Almighty give all of us including Omo N’Oba Erediauwa and the

entire Benin Royalty the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

The history of the development and rapid growth of Edo State and Benin Kingdom particularly in recent years cannot be comprehensively told without her towering motherly, intellectual and royal contributions. Her contributions were consistently constructive, incisive, prudent and witty.

Her ideas were lofty, weighty, searching and penetrating. Her life symbolised honesty, humility, hard work, inspiration and modesty.

She was a visible testimony of success stories being a resourceful facilitator of the successes of very many people.

Indeed, she was a true mother to and for all and sundry. She was incredibly intelligent, impeccably Royal, a good example of sacrifices, an epitome of decency, fidelity and morality. She lived graciously and peacefully in the comfort of the Lord.

Her life was inspirational and her warm loving ways and understanding mind

fascinated mankind to her.

She was a Queen with robust faith who savours the tenets of piety with malice towards none but with charity for all and a consuming compelling passion for doing good.

She possessed what is lacking in most women of today and represented what is generally desired in society. She was extremely frank, forthright, innocuous, unhesitating and a worthy tribute to the Royalty. She was good in character, brilliant in learning and impressive in performance.

Her language and style were fluid, instructive, comprehensible and convincing. She paid meticulous attention to details and consequently there was absolute discipline in the PALACE because only very little could ever escape her attention. We will continue to admire, appreciate and love her even in death.

May her soul rest in peace.

She lived, worked and died for Nigeria. She served God, Nigeria and mankind diligently, selflessly, Royally, and patriotically. She was diligent, temperate,

Late Queen, Esther Omoye Erediauwa resilient, culturally healthy and professionally skilled as a well trained teacher.

She never, ever acted beyond reasonable limits of decency.

She represented a major part of anything good in this world. She was a virtuous pedigree of nobility, a success compilation, a residual of wisdom, a pragmatic philosopher and a lover of humanity. Every page in her life bore the signature of God. She was a visible expression of God’s glory. Her quality as a person cannot be exactly expressed in words but suffice to say that she was

disciplined, valiant, sublime, informed and well connected. Her organic effigy is unquestionably fit to adorn the Nation’s Hall of Fame as a living Legend of our time. She was mild and convincing in speech, flexible and logical in discussions, firm in principles and very reasonable in conclusions.

Nigerians are highly impressed by her kindness, patience, perseverance and prayers. She took my wife, patience, personally as her daughter. She assisted my family greatly. We are

consoled that as mortals death is inevitable and is the last enemy yet to be destroyed. We pray for the repose of the Queen’s kind, gentle, peaceful and lovely soul. We will continue to mourn her as long as the sad memory lingers on in our minds.

May God Almighty forgive her for any act of disobedience or transgression and keep her soul in Paradise until that morning of the Resurrection day when the living and the dead will be reunited to part no more.

Oba ghato okpe e ise.

“Her life symbolised honesty, humility, hard work, inspiration and modesty. She was a visible testimony of success stories being a resourceful facilitator of the successes of very many people.”

Perspective “THE POLICE ARE YOUR Friends,” is a common singsong which pre-supposes. that officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, should be protective of Nigerians of all shades of character and ideological persuasion, constitutionally and not otherwise. Several reports by aggrieved individuals, corporate institutions and organizations have indicted the Police of brutality, extra-judicial killings, corruption, torture and unprofessional conduct.

If immediate history is anything to go by, the latest victim of police unlawful killing is Azeez Omotosho, 35, a panel beater on Saturday, November 2, 2013 in Lagos state. The incident was said to have happened when Azeez, father of three, went to pick his family at the family house, situated at 28, Ama Street, Ladipo, Oshodi, where his wife also has a shop. As he got to the junction of the house, he saw his friend’s car parked by th side of the road, with some Policemen attached to Shogunle Divisional Headquarters standing beside it. He stopped to plead with the officers for his friend to be released, but an officer, identified as Corporal Gabriel, became angry and shot him at close range.

A friend of the deceased, Gbenga Aderanti, said: “the picture is still not clear to me, because he left me at about 9:45pm and promised to come back to collect his mobile phone.

He wanted to drop his wife and children at home.

“The next thing I saw was people running helterskelter after a sound of gun shot. It was later we confirmed that the gunshot we heard was what killed Azeez. I really do not know what transpired between him and the Policemen as I was still at the spot he left me”.

The deceased’s sister, Aishat Olaosebikan, said: “they shot him at about 8:55pm. He came down on his way home when he saw that the Police had arrested his friend’s car. The next thing Corporal Gabriel did

Nigeria Police Force

By AKPESIRI OGHENERHABOKE

was to raise his gun and shoot him two times at close range. Immediately he shot my brother, he escaped from the scene of the incident.” The killer cop, who was later arrested and his now in detention, said: “I actually killed Azeez Omotosho, a.k.a panel. It was the Devil’s work, please, forgive me. I was not myself; I was drunk when I perpetrated the act”.

Corporal Gabriel was serving in Shogunle Divisional Headquarters.

Oshodi Lagos. According to an eyewitness, “the killer cop usually operates illegally at night. Even when he is off duty, you will see him carrying gun about at night.”

In the first month of year 2011, Mr. Feyi Anidu, Managing Director, Expressway International Motors Limited suffered Police brutality. He was reported to have regained his freedom after being detained at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos State, where he spent three nights.

He was allegedly detained by the police following a complaint made by one of his clients who gave him money to purchase a car for him: The car was purchased, but before it could be delivered to the client, one of the youths working for Anidu made away with it. This development made the client angry. Thereafter, he reported the matter to officials of the SARS. Anidu was promptly arrested and detained for three days without a formal charge.

He claimed that even though he was not interrogated throughout the three days, all the same, he was seriously tortured in detention.

Anidu told National Vision that he had a terrible experience at the Police station. He said the place where he was detained was

not fit for human habitation and there he saw people being abused, tortured and killed by the Police. While in the cell, Anidu said he also witnessed a lot of people that were hurled into detention waiting for their relations to come and pay for their bail.

Anidu’s experience corroborates the reports of several human rights and non-governmental organizations, NGOs, on Police brutality. In its 2010 report, Amnesty International, a civil liberties group, revealed that several people in Nigeria were tortured and killed in Police cells and that prisoners were held in appalling conditions, many of whom had been awaiting trial for years.

Still on Police brutality, in the month of April 2010, four Policemen in Ekiti state allegedly beat up Miss Abigail Ige, then a final year student of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti to a state of coma. She was accosted by a Policeman who wanted to search her hand bag at Fayose market in Ado-Ekiti where she had gone to buy some fingerlings for her final year project. She was reported to have asked the Policeman to conduct the search on the spot but he insisted on taking the bag to the Police station.

The Policeman succeeded in snatching the bag and took it to the Police station where Ige was allegedly beaten. She was revived at the University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti.

Instances also abound where the wheel of justice has exacted its pound of flesh on some erring Police personnel. For instance, a Federal High Court in Lagos, recently ordered the Police authorities to pay the family of Salaurat Saliu the sum of twenty-two million naira for killing their three — year — old girl by a bullet fired by a Police officer at Obanle — Aro, Ketu, Lagos, on April 5,

2009.

Similarly, Justice U.P. Kekemeke of an Abuja High Court in the month of October, 2012 delivered a judgment that should halt security agencies that make brutalizing people their duty. In awarding one hundred million naira as special damages to Desmond Utonwen, a Senior Correspondent with the NEWS Magazine, he made the point about the illegality of brutality, contrary to the perception that even if there was such law, security agencies were above it.

On 11 December 2009, Utonwen was in Garki, Area 3, Abuja to report a protest. The Police, presumably on a mission to quell the protest, brutalized him. They beat him to unconsciousness, bundled him into a Police vehicle, where he was detained for many hours without access to medical treatment. He could have bled to death.

According to the court, the Police violated Utonwen’s right as enshrined in Section 34 (1) of the Constitution which states, “every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly- (a) no person shall be subject to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment”. It ruled that the treatment was inhuman and degrading.

Specific matters Utomwen raised against the Police were the forceful collection Of one digital camera, one digital recorder, the NEWS Magazine official identity card, cash of two thousand naira from him.

Justice Kekemeke said the police’s action amounted to forceful acquisition of the applicant’s property and ran contrary to provisions of the Constitution which awarded the applicant rights to own moveable property. Sections 33 and 44 state, “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, every citizen

of Nigeria shall have the right to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria.

No moveable property or any interest in an immovable property shall

Clement Amaechi. After the judgment, Mohammed refused to be handcuffed and taken away by Prison warders whom he threatened to harm if they

IGP Abubakar be taken possession of compulsorily and no right over or interest in any such property shall be acquired compulsorily in any part of Nigeria except in the manner and for the purposes prescribed by a law.”

His rights under freedom of the press and expression as captured in Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution were other matters the judgment treated. The judge additionally ruled that the Police should immediately return all the items they seized from the journalist.

Similarly, in the month of March, 2013 a Police Corporal, Umaru Mohammed was sentenced to death by hanging by a High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia state, for the 2011 murder of his colleague, Corporal

did not stay away from him.

Mohammed attempted snatching the gun of one of warders to shoot himself and others, before he was subdued by armed security men and handcuffed.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Agwu Umah Kalu, said the prosecution proved that the shots fired by the convict at close range killed the deceased, adding that it is an offence punishable under Section 319, Cap I of the Criminal Code applicable to the state. Kalu said the convict deserves no sympathy and ordered that he should be hanged by the neck until he dies.

Mohammed underwent an orderly room trial which was chaired by Mr. Joseph Micloth, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP. His dismissal from the

e: Not Police paved the way for his trial in the Court after Chief Magistrate Maureen Ahudanna, held that she had no jurisdiction on the case.

Also, in the month of

November, 2013, the family of Mr. Frank Moses, a Senior Staff at the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, who was killed by un-known gunmen in Yénagoa, are unhappy with the Bayelsa State Police Command. They have accused the Police of shielding the killers of their 35-years-old son. Moses was shot dead by unknown gunmen on November 8, 2013 after celebrating the victory of the Golden Eaglets at the FlFA under 17 World Cup. The deceased was assassinated at Agudama in Yenagoa Local Government.

The Okiki and Okoroba family of the deceased in Ogbia local government area, in a statement by their representatives, Mr. Frank Talent, Chief Benjamin Egberi and Chief James Frankiyel, questioned the handling of the murder case

Perspective

Yet A Friend?

by the Police. They said the call on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, became important because of the alleged “grand design” by

the police in the state to sweep the matter under the carpet.

They asked the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hillary Opara, to explain the rationale, behind the release of the crime suspects even with glaring evidence of their involvement in the crime.

Besides, the family said that investigations showed that prior to the incident, letters were written to the Police and the State Security Service, SSS, informing them about threats to Moses life. They alleged that the security agencies ignored the alarm raised by the deceased and members of the institution’s labour union.

They said the deceased and members of the Senior Staff Association of Federal Polytechnics, SSAFP, were engaged in an industrial

dispute with the management of the institution over issues bordering on workers’ unpaid benefits and financial recklessness.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch, HRW, Amnesty International, Al, has accused the Police of being responsible for hundreds of unlawful killings in Nigeria.

In its latest report of the state of human rights, it disclosed that Nigeria’s human rights situation has deteriorated.

According to it, “there were consistent reports of Police routinely torturing suspects to extract information.

Confessions extracted under torture were used as evidence in court, in violation of national and international laws,” Amnesty said corruption remained endemic, while Police operations remained characterized by human rights violations. It gave several instances. .

The report said: “Hundreds of people were unlawfully killed, often before or during arrests on the street. Others were tortured to death in Police detention. Many such unlawful killings may have constituted extrajudicial executions.

“Many people disappeared from Police custody. Few police officers were held accountable, leaving relatives of those killed or disappeared without justice.

“Police increasingly wore plain clothes or uniforms

without identification, making it much harder for people to complain about individual officers. Special task forces, including the Special Anti Robbery Squads, SARS, committed a wide range of human rights violations.

“In early 2011, the Bayelsa state government set up Operation Fanou Tangbe — “kill and throw away” in the local language — to fight crime. Many officers linked to the operation reportedly unlawfully killed, tortured, arbitrarily arrested and detained people. Suspects in detention reportedly had no access to their lawyers or relatives.

Amnesty said the Police frequently disobeyed court orders. For instance, it allegedly refused to release Mallam Aliyu Tasheku, a suspected Boko Haram member, after a court granted him bail on March 28, 2011.

He was finally released in July.

Amnesty said the government did not publicise the findings of a report on the July 2009 clashes between Boko Haram and security forces, in which more than eight hundred people died, including twenty-four Police officers and Boko Haram’s leader, Muhammad Yusuf.

It added that the Police and security forces rounded up scores of people in relation to violence in the North, but few were successfully prosecuted

or convicted.

“Children continued to be detained with adults in Police and Prison cells. The country’s one functioning remand home remained overcrowded.

“No investigation was carried out into the violent clash on 29 December 2009 in Bauchi, in which 22 children were killed. Many were reportedly shot by the Police,” the report said.

Amnesty said freedom of expression was curtailed, and a pattern emerged of intimidation and attacks against human rights defenders and journalists, with several being threatened, beaten or arrested by Police and security forces.

On the Niger Delta, Amnesty said environmental laws and regulations were poorly enforced, partly due to government agencies being compromised by conflicts or interest.

“In August, the United Nations, UN, Environment Programme revealed the devastating human and environmental effects of decades of oil spills in Ogoniland. It found the contamination to be widespread and severe, and stated that people in the Niger

Delta have been exposed to it for decades,” said Amnesty.

Many Nigerians, however, see the SARS which is very notorious in corruption and human rights abuses as an avenue for exploitation by the Police.

Okechukwu Nwanguma, Programme Co-ordnatior, Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, has urged the federal government to scrap SARS because it is an avenue exploited by the Police to abuse the rights of innocent citizens of the country and enrich themselves. He said that his organization had begun holding public fora on corruption and abuse of human rights by the Police Force across the six geographical zones of the country.

He advised those who were victims of Police assault and abuses to come out and testify against the Force. He promised that at the end of the public hearing, the report would be submitted to the federal government for implementation.

Similarly, Chidi Odinkalu, Director of the Open Society Justice Initiative’s Africa programme, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently carry out the reform of the agency before the 2015 general elections.

Police Corporal Gabriel, suspected killer of Azeez Omotosho in Lagos State, including Mr. Feyi Anidu, allegedly detained by SARS in Lagos and late Frank Moses, whose murderers are yet to be apprehended in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Issues Promoting Entrepreneurship In Nigeria

THE point of departure between industrialized nations and developing nations of the world today is the obvious optimum level of Industrial activities taking place in these countries. The activities in advanced Nations are propelled by the maximum utilization of their factors of productions i.e labour, land, capital.

The drivers of these factors of production are basically entrepreneur. Nigeria has the same factors of production comparable to some advanced countries like U.S.A, Italy, Cana, China, Germany, Great Britain, Canada e.t.c.

However, many Nigerians do not have the entrepreneurship drive of venturing into business, when they can capitalize on the factors of production available in this country.

Several policy interventions in Nigeria that were aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship development via small and medium scale enterprises have failed. The reason for this failure could be traced to colonialism in Nigeria, where colonial masters who colonized us implanted in the minds of Nigerians during these period, that the civil service career is the best.

This attitude affected the psychology of Nigerians within this period, who were senior civil servants with the perks of a big house, a car, gardener, servants, big office, etc, therefore, Nigerians who were lucky to be employed within this period saw it as a measure of success and therefore aspired to be civil servant. This is one of the reasons why the entrepreneurship drive is low and why entrepreneurship in Nigeria generally is a flop.

Also, instead of building incountry entrepreneurial capacity, entrepreneurs have become distributing agents of imported products.

In other for in-country entrepreneurship to take hold, the government and its agencies must take a more proactive approach and provide greater services.

The unemployment rate is alarming that the possibility of a university graduate finding a job after NYSC is quite difficult.

Entrepreneurs spring up from different places every year in Nigeria but very few of them make it. One out of every five entrepreneurial business collapses every year which sends more people back to the labour market.

Economic growth rates are often attributed to the role of the duo of government and entrepreneurs which is complementary and not mutually exclusive. In Nigeria, like some other economies, the government provides security to safeguard life and property; maintaining programmes in Nigeria which aim at fostering linkages and co-operation between higher institutions and industries such that academic research findings can readily be taken upon by industries for production and product development.

Entrepreneurship development in Nigeria became significant only after the Nigerian civil war. At the end of the war, the 2nd National development plan focused on the development of the 3Rs, objectives of Reconstruction, Redevelopment and Reconciliation. The activities in the plan challenged/tasked the ingenuity and inventive skill of the individuals.

This early period witnessed an economic development ideology of industrialization as the ultimate source of economic growth, and industrialization itself as the product of technical progress and investment. Technical progress or capital growth on the other hand is seen to be a function of, and the result of, entrepreneurial effort. In particular, evidence from the developed world idicates that economic growth is entirely due to quality and efficiency of the entrepreneur. Thus after independence in 1960 there was the need by the government of Nigeria to promote indigenes entrepreneurs.

The Government never loses sight of the tripartite relationship between entrepreneurship, industalization and economic growth. Entrepreneurship is often carried out by micro and small scale businesses and therefore SMEDAN’S focus is on the development of micro, small and medium scale enterprise (MsME) Ms ME activities in order to develop their full potential and competitiveness.

SMEDAN has organized seminars, workshops at both local and international levels and encouraged the formation, registration and co-operation of micro, small and medium business associations.

These Associations (Nigeria Association of small and

By SANDRA ESOSA OMOROGIE

medium scale Enterprises (NASME) International council of small Business (ICSB), Abuja Enterprise Agency (AED), Aced centre for small Business and Entrepreneurship (ACSBE) stimulate growth of

regular control, increasing privat ization competition

businesses and industrial organization through cooperation, linkages and franchising of entrepreneurship activities.

Since 2000 the exponential growth in global information technology has encouraged service enterprises to emerge in global service for mobile (GSM) accessory manufacturing, G.S.M recharge cards/credits sales, cybercafe/internet businesses, communication and computer systems e.t.c information technology and globalization has increased the growth of the film industry in Nigeria (Nollywood) Home video and comedian tapes are being produced by entrepreneurs in their various forms.

The increase of entrepreneurship activity since 2000 is partly due to the increasing rate of unemployment, a growing service sector, a reduction in

Nigeria’s global competitiveness. The world Economic Forum (WEF) report of 2006 ranked Nigeria as 88th out of 17 countries in global competitiveness indicators.

It would be pertinent for us to recommend crucial steps for the government higher institutions and entrepreneurial activity in Nigeria.

Entrepreneurial discoveries and innovations should be linked up with SMEDAN industries for practical production and the wide gap between research and development in tertiary education and industries should be narrowed.

Entrepreneurs should be encouraged to explore opportunities in agriculture, ICT and entertainment where increasing returns, comparative advantage is high and areas of production

and the introduction of a poverty eradication programme in 2001. All these have created potency in international trade and finance and contributed to

are not saturated.

Entrepreneurship development and innovation in Nigeria is at the peak of awareness, creation and participation by the people, the organized private sector and government at all levels policies of the government should shift to address the

development of the transformation agenda of the present administration must be effective. It’s imperative; therefore, that Nigerians must begin to make commitments to the promotion of entrepreneurial culture and mind-set, while skill

problems of infrastructural decay and finance. The problem of power supply is still very much an issue while credit framework via micro-financing banks should be put in place to assist entrepreneurs with soft loans when still in their infancy. Innovation by Nigerian entrepreneurs brings about technical progress through capital saving, efficient production techniques and higher levels of output or economic growth.

Those entrepreneurs stimulate growth in various enterprises and industrial organizations.

However, Nigerian entrepreneurs still face problems and challenges in their struggle for innovation and technical progress.

The government should advocate for a change of attitude by Nigerians towards entrepreneurial

acquisition, selfemployment, economic independence and selfactualization especially among the youth in Nigeria must be encouraged. As stated before for the entrepreneurial business to thrive in Nigeria, the power sector, research system, justice system, information system and policy formulation methods must undergo reforms.

Government should remove all the stringent condition on borrowing and provide the enabling environment to encourage the individual and private sector operators to thrive and create more jobs.

The government should also explore ways of advancing the economy by initiating policies that e n c o u r a g e s entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

Entrepreneurial development culture that is based on “indigenous entrepreneur” should stand as the basis for our

Drumbeats

How To Achieve Wealth And Fame (2) DEVELOP AND IMBIBE THE LANGUAGE OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS PEOPLE One of the major reasons why millions of people across the world find it difficult to be rich and famous is due to wrong usage of words. Our words can enhance or alter our destiny.

If you sincerely desire to be rich and famous, then you must constantly develop and imbibe the language of the rich and famous people. How do rich men and famous people talk and express their words and opinion in public places?

Rich and famous people talk positively and discard any act of negativity in their acts and words.

One major thing people fail to realize is that our words in secret or public places are greater than our acts in secret and public place. What we say is a reflection of what we do in secret or in public places.

Oftentimes, many people attribute their failures in marriage, business, academics and in banking sector to satanic focus or family interferences, whereas they are the architects of their misfortune through negative usage of words in their home and in public places.

“Say unto them, as truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you” Numbers 14v28.

The above passage of the scripture reveals God’s anger to people who derived pleasure in wrong usage of words. If God could frown at our negative words, then I see no reason why we think that our doubts and negative confessions, both in secret and public places will not affect our wealth and fame. During Jesus earthly missionary assignment, he never used words that did not align with

his faith or mission on earth.

When his enemies confronted him with arrest and death, he boldly declared unto them by saying “destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again’.

When his enemies eventually killed him and buried him what did he do?

He rose up on the third day to demonstrate his words and power.

“And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

And when Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said unto him, fear not, Zechariah, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shall call his name John.

And thou shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the Spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

And Zechariah said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife stricken in years.

And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God;. andl am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings.

And behold, thou shall be dumb and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believes! not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

And the people waited for Zechariah, and maveled that he tarried so long in the temple.

And when lie came out, he could not speak unto them; and they perceived that he

With Apostle Dr. Raphael O. Ayemere 08035459593

famous people in our country (Nigeria) and the world in general, frustrate their wealth and fame by using, words they ought not to use in secret and in public places?

sincerely wants to achieve wealth and fame can venture into politics and use the knowledge, experience, connection to achieve the needed wealth and fame

I urge you therefore to avoid any act or words that will contaminate your destiny and hinder you from attaining wealth and fame.

Go into politics and be close to politicians Politics is one of the major things that spur people into fame and riches. The reason being that politicians imbibe the culture of risk, courage, pretence, determination, right positioning to actualize their desires.

Any man or woman who

which he desires.

Majority of people shy away from politics because they believe that politics is a dirty game that must be avoided by every responsible man and woman.

Friends, who told you that politics is dirty and satanic?

One of the best things that can happen to a man who is said to be a responsible man on earth is for that man or woman to be a politician.

Politics is not dirty; it is the people that are in politics

Dangote Aliko

had seen a vision in the temple for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.” Luke l v11-22.

The biblical excerpt above unveils the consequences that befall people who lack control over their words and use them negatively.

Zechariah had prayed fervently for God to bless him and his wife with a child. When the blessing eventually came he doubted and talked himself into trouble. How many anxious and prospectively rich and

and in position of authority whose minds and desires daily are to loot government treasury and corrupt others that have made it to be dirty and satanic before us.

From the beginning it was not so. God never intended politics to be practiced in hatred, malice, arrogance and killings of our fellow brothers and sisters to get into power.

Politics has the capacity to enhance your dream and also has the potent power to showcase you to your world and can also harness your wealth.

Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Barrack Obama, Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo, Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, Uzor Kalu, Adams Oshiomhole and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan are constantly being applauded and celebrated across the world because some of them were and some others are still deeply involved in politics.

Friends, I say to you again that politics can enhance your goals and dream in life and can also make you a strong personality that people can reckon with, enhance your fame and enable you to sit upon the throne of your destiny in life.

No doubt, politics has its good and ugly sides, but let your focus be driven by the good side of politics and use those good attributes to alleviate the pains and suffering of others.

“Oftentimes, many people attribute their failures in marriage, business, academics and in banking sector to satanic focus or family interferences, whereas they are the architects of their misfortune through negative usage of words in their home and in public places. “Say unto them, as truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you” Numbers 14v28.”

Echoes

The Power Of Choice

By OLODIAMA SHANTEL EBIAKPO

A choice could mean picking from abundance or from a variety. It could mean carefully selected preference. It could also mean an alternative to someone or something. A choice is always an expressed decision or a decision expressed.

Throughout our lives, we are faced with choices. We may not always recognise their presence, but, like it or not, we are constantly faced with the responsibility of choosing. Not deciding what to do or how to act in a given situation is a choice.

We make a choice at every moment of life e.g. waking up and getting out of bed, what to eat, what to wear, where to go, who to see, who to marry, what course to study, etc. You even chose to read this article at this point in time.

Decisions are made anywhere, any day or at anytime. It doesn’t really matter where you made a decision, what is more important is the quality and content of the decision you have made.

The greatest gift given to man from God is the gift of choice. God does not force His will on us.

He gives us a choice between two alternatives in every situation; between life and death, obedience and disobedience, blessing and cursing, Christ and Belial (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Choices are made verbally or non-verbally.

Choices could be revealed or covert. They are often made based on information on the subject that is available to the person making the choice. This information

can come from other people’s experience, friends, media, books relating to the matter, family’s wish, likes or dislike, future aspiration, eternity etc.

We become what we become because of the way we choose and will ourselves to think. Our choices affect our thoughts and our thoughts affect who we are, what we stand for, and the footprint we leave on earth. Our choices affect not only ourselves, but the people around us. The choices we make affect our actions. Our actions are received and interpreted by the people around us. Our actions will determine our results.

People are defined by the choices they make and the consequences of their choices. The bible is a book about people whose choices determined their future. For instance; Adam and Eve, Cane and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Daniel and so many others all made choices and lived with the consequences (either good or bad).

Ever since Adam and Eve, people have tried to make others responsible for their bad choices and tried to put the blame on others. Accepting the responsibility of your choices is the only way you can grow. Look at the life of Moses. Although he made the right choice in identifying with the Hebrew people of his parents, rather than the Egyptians, he didn’t always make right choices. He slew an Egyptian who was oppressing the Hebrews.

When he was leading God’s people through the desert, Moses chose to disobey God by striking the rock for water when

By OLODIAMA S. EBIAKPO

God told him only to speak. Even Moses faced consequences of his actions.

Atimes, God allows us gain wisdom from the

Choices do not only affect us today, but affect our abilities in the future. For instance, you may choose to withdraw from a situation to avoid

difficult situations.

An awareness of choice is the first step towards growth. Clarity of mind enables us to recognize the choices at hand and deal with them in a positive and proactive

pain and poor decisions we make. Good decisions are a product of wisdom.

Wisdom is a product of experience. Wisdom always chooses to do now what it will be satisfied with later on. One of the most exciting things about choices is that, if our hearts are right with God, He can take even the unwise choices and turn them into something good because of His mercy.

problems at hand. This choice leads you to escape from challenges instead of confronting or possibly overcoming them. The degree to which you avoid or escape from problems today impairs your ability to face or deal with various challenges in the future. As life goes on, one choice will lead to another, enabling you to handle increasingly

manner.

It would be wonderful if we all knew when we were making lifechanging/ crossroad decisions. For instance, dating and marriage are key crossroad decisions.

Young people need guidance and courage to keep sex reserved for marriage. Anytime that one engages in sexual behaviour outside of marriage, he/she is not

only disobeying God, but also complicating his/her life.

Parents have the responsibility to help their children make godly choices. Parents should monitor their children’s friendship and not fear to direct them away from friends that will have a bad influence on them.

Friends have more influence over children than their parents.

People do not know the difference between making a choice and wanting to make a choice.

There is a big difference between dreaming and having a dream. While the first is the act of day dreaming and doing nothing, the second is the Continue on Pg 21

“The greatest gift given to man from God is the gift of choice. God does not force His will on us. He gives us a choice between two alternatives in every situation; between life and death, obedience and disobedience, blessing and cursing, Christ and Belial (Deuteronomy 30:19).”

Issues Echoes Continued from Pg 20 act of fighting hard for what you believe in.

Many people become dreamers, do nothing then wonder why anything didn’t change.

If you want to utilize the power of choice then you need to take serious actions instead of becoming a dreamer.

Some people want to change today, they wanted to do it 10 years ago and they still want to do it in the next 20 years.

They will only experience real change unless one day they make a choice.

Every time you make a choice between two or more alternatives, you predetermine the outcome

...Of Choice of your choice (whether positive or negative). For instance, a person who sleeps round the clock has made a decision to be poor. On the other hand, the person who chooses to work long hours has made up his/

her mind to stand before kings (proverbs 22:29, Daniel 1:3-1 5).

A student who makes the habit of not doing his/ her school assignment and fails to attend lectures regularly has by his/her choice decided to

settle for failure or a mediocre result.

A youth who indulges in premarital sex has chosen to either be pregnant or make someone pregnant, thereby becoming a premature parent. Such act can make you feel used, abused and abandoned and could

“If you want to utilize the power of choice then you need to take serious actions instead of becoming a dreamer. Some people want to change today, they wanted to do it 10 years ago and they still want to do it in the next 20 years.

They will only experience real change unless one day they make a choice.”

make you susceptible to STDs (Sexually transmitted diseases).

This can terminate / truncate your youth experience and forcefully get you into adult roles earlier than you are prepared for.

We either enjoy benefits or suffer consequences of our choices. Our lives represent the cumulate impact of the choices we make.

If you have made some foolish choices (and we’ve all done it times in our lives) and you are not happy with the way things are, you can change. But, you have to be willing to take responsibility for your

God’s Wrath On Lesbians

The earliest mention of the word ‘lesbian’ is in ancient Greece. An early female poet, Sappho is known to have written love letters to women and men. Thus making her an early example of bisexuality.

Two terms derived from Sappho; Sappho referring to sappho’s name and lesbian, referring to the island where she was born.

According to Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary “lesbian refers to a woman who is sexually attracted to another woman.

In the world today, so many countries have legalized this act whereby same sex are encouraged to get married.

Countries like the Netherland, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina and Mexico have legalized this act.

In Nigeria, the 14 years jail imposition passed by the National Assembly seems to be of no effect as lesbianism is now practiced openly. In the past, this act was practiced in doors but now, it is fully practiced in the full glare of public

females”. It is an abomination”. Lev 20:13, “If there is a man who lie with a man, both of them have committed a destable

their hearts and are allowed to be hardened by their sins.

“For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions: for their women exchanged the

(Romans 1:26-27).

As a result, they can no longer see the error of what they are doing. They will not seek forgiveness. In addition to the judgement of being given over to their

act, they shall surely be put to death and their blood guiltness is upon them”.

Unlike other sins, homosexuality has a heavy judgement administered by God himself upon those who committed it and support it. The judgement is simple in that those who practice it are given over to

natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire towards one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error”.

sin, those involved in it also promote it and condemn others who don’t approve of their behaviour.

And, although, they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who

By EJOH JULIET especially at clubs, restaurants and relaxation centres.

In movie industries, lesbianism has allegedly paved way for many actresses to the extent, female producers now made it as a condition before giving out leading roles to desperate actresses.

Some politicians are not exceptional in this act.

Some went ahead empowering their partners inorder to commit the act.

In campus, lesbianism is a daily affair as somestudents now engage on the act in every corner of the campus. Students who are found in this act are mostly those initiated by their roommates and friends who are masters in this act.

This abominable act which is against our Nigeria culture is been practiced in every corner of the county even by secondary and primary school students.

According to Lev. 18:22 “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a

wrong choice and make a determined decision to change the way you behave. When you do, you will find that every right choice you make helps reverse the wrong decisions you’ve made in the past.

We should endeavour to emulate the lives of people in the bible who made the right choices, like Joseph, Esther, Deborah, Ruth, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel.

These people obeyed God and their end was great.

You can create the future you desire based on the choices you make today.

Your choice can either make you or break you. practice them (Roman1:32).

So, in their hearty approval of homosexuality and lesbianism, they encouraged others to be trapped in their sinfulness.

They will not trust in Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Without Jesus, they will have no forgiveness, without forgiveness, they will have no salvation, without salvation, there is only damnation in eternal hell.

Apart from God’s wrath, there are some medical problems those found in that act will suffer. They suffer a high rate of STDs due to the unprotected sex that always occur in a girl to girl sexual intercourse.

They engaged in a lot of fondling, intense fingering, mouth-to-vaginal sex intercourse and mouth-toanus sexual intercourse, in which they suck up vaginal and anal fluids of their partner whom they are not even sure of their sex life.

While fingering with either dirty hands or unsterilized sex toys that must have been used by one of their numerous partners or encounters.

Thereby making the circulation of STDs and HIV amongst them to be on the high side.

View Point

How To Prevent Teenage Pregancy

FEW weeks ago, I was at my job helping a customer when a young girl caught my attention. She could not have been older than 15, and her belly was too large to be hidden. She was noticeably pregnant, and what struck me as more odd was that she was pushing a stroller with a young infant whose only word seemed to be “mommy”, referring to the young girl.

I am often alarmed when I see an extremely adolescent girl experiencing motherhood at a time when her main concerns should be far less than those of raising another human being. The reality of the matter is that every year more and more teens are having children at an alarming young age. This issue raises the question of what can be done to prevent and lower the rates of teenage pregnancy. In order to prevent teenage pregnancy, teenagers need to have a comprehensive understanding of abstinence, contraceptive techniques, and consequences.

Although there are many different ways to prevent a teenage girl from becoming pregnant, the only one that is absolutely effective is sexual abstinence. This method is only one that guarantees no risk of getting pregnant and protects the teen from getting any Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). For many years, abstinence has been viewed as a decision based upon a religious or moral belief. In the article “Promotion of Sexual Abstinence: Reducing Adolescent Sexual Activity and Pregnancies”, Hani R. Khouzam says, “Sexual abstinence is not associated with public health risks and need to be presented and promoted as the most effective primary prevention for unplanned pregnancies.

In another article, Dr. Joycelyn Elders proposes teaching sexual abstinence as prevention for pregnancy, not as a religious or moral belief.

According to Khouzam, in a study involving 7,000 Utah teens the students were taught one of three abstinence

curriculums stressing abstinence as a pregnancy prevention method. They were surveyed three times based on their attitude on the issue. After taking the abstinence curriculum, the studies found that from these students, a significantly higher percentage of them remained virgins than those who did not go through the program. With results like this, it becomes evident that abstinence courses in schools are sure way to get teens to realize the responsibility that comes with becoming sexually active, and to get them thinking about choosing to remain abstinent.

The more information teenagers are given on the subject, the higher the chances that they will make this decision. For this reason, it is important that teenagers be taught the health benefits of choosing to remain abstinent.

Another form of teenage pregnancy prevention that is being taught in schools in various contraceptive techniques.

Although abstinence remains the best way to prevent pregnancy among teens, it is a fact that there are still a large number of them who will be involved in sexual relations.

For this reason, it is important that teens be provided with broad information on how to do so responsibly using various contraceptive techniques.

Most of the sex education in schools consists of one message: “Don’t have sex – but if you do, use a condom”. The problem that rises from this is that teenagers are not being exposed to extensive information on the various forms of birth control, condoms, and other methods of prevention that are available.

According to Helen Lippman, contraceptives are talked about in sex education classes, but only as being ineffective in preventing pregnancy and diseases.

Also, the classes on contraceptives should include information on how to obtain the different methods of birth control.

By ENDURANCE T. EKUBE

Jocelyn Elders has also advocated school-based health clinics nationwide with the purpose of reducing teen pregnancy with the availability of contraceptive.

This is a way to ensure contraceptive use for many young teens who, rather than

problem”, Patrick F. Fagan talk about the effects of having a child out of wedlock at a very young ages. He states that the mother’s new offspring can experience the following “ lowered health for newborns and increase risk of early infact death,

an unplanned pregnancy will take a toll on other aspects of their lives.

For example, as Fagan points out, less than onethird of teen moms who have a baby before they are eighteen finish high school when exposed to such information about the results of an unplanned

going to their parents for help in obtaining birth control, choose to have sex without protection simply because the protection is not made available to them.

For most teenagers, the real consequences of having a child at such a young age are unknown. Teens need to be aware of the harsh reality of raising a baby and the negative effectives that an unplanned pregnancy can cause in both the mother and the child’s lives. In the article “the Decline of teen marriage is a serious

Retarded cognitive, especially verbal, development; lowered educational achievement; lowered attainment.

Increased behavior problems lowered impulse control; warped social development increased welfare dependency” Teenage mothers must be aware of the tremendous effect their offspring will have on society in the future, and the high risk of the cycle repeating once this child becomes a teen. Teens must also be aware of the fact that

pregnancy, teens are forced to analyze whether sex is worth the risk of forever changing their lives, and those of their future children.

On the other hand, for some people sex is viewed only as a method of reproduction and the idea of using contraceptives and other methods of birth control simply unnatural.

This belief is preached by many religious institutions, primarily within the Roman catholic church. In the article “the purpose of sex

Reproduction,” Paul marry claims that “sexual intercourse cannot be separated from its primary purpose of reproduction”.

Many followers of the Roman catholic church have adopted this principle.

Although the purpose of sex can be though of as only for reproduction by some, it cannot be narrowed down to just having sex to have children for everyone. For example, a couple that consists of two mature adults who carry a strong stable relationship should be able to use sex as a way to express their love, share Intimacy, and expand their emotional bond. The idea that a teen will take this belief the idea that sex is only to produce children into, consideration when choosing whether to become sexually active is and ineffective way of thinking.

This belief will not prevent teenage girls from experimenting and running the risk of becoming pregnant. Of course nothing will work universally; not even education, or contraception. So as research shows, it is the job of parents and school to teach teens about the negative effects of teenage pregnancy. The parents can strongly Influence their children’s decisions by taking the time to be involved when the issue of sex arises. The school can also do their part by providing the necessary information on preventing pregnancies and by encouraging teens to make responsible choice when having sex. Therefore, the responsibility of adults is to provide teens with a thorough understanding of abstinence. Contraceptive techniques, and the consequence of sexual activity.

“Teenage mothers must be aware of the tremendous effect their offspring will have on society in the future, and the high risk of the cycle repeating once this child becomes a teen. Teens must also be aware of the fact that an unplanned pregnancy will take a toll on other aspects of their lives.”

Education

The insurance industry recorded a lot of activities in 2013.

Some of the activities relate to the inability of many insurance companies to produce International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS)-compliant statements of accounts and the enforcement of “No Premium No Cover’’ policy.

However, the efforts of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria’s (CIIN) to promote insurance education in the country reached a crescendo in 2013.

Mr Joseph Oba, CIIN’s Director of Communications, said that plans to promote insurance education started in 2007 with visits of the CIIN Governing Council to the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Federal Ministry of Education.

Cynics are often tempted to ask questions as to the need to restructure insurance education in Nigeria.

However, insurance experts habitually insist that tangible efforts should be made to promote insurance education in the country.

This is because available statistics show that insurance penetration in Nigeria is very low, compared to Ghana and South Africa in spite of the huge population of Nigeria which is over 160 million.

Also, the contribution of the insurance industry to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is less than one per cent.

With the recent addition of 14 Fellows and 158 Associates, the number of registered members of the CIIN is now 210 Fellows and 2, 641 Associates.

But there is high public apathy towards taking on insurance policies in the country.

Mr Jero Akanbi, a retired civil servant, took a life insurance policy in 1980 and paid the calculated premium of N20 religiously for 20 years.

However, in 2000, when he disengaged from the policy, he was paid a paltry sum of N5,000 and he was highly exasperated.

Akanbi vowed never to have anything to do with insurance again in spite of explanations that the payment was due to his maintenance of the same premium, the non-review of the policy and the effects of inflation.

Investigations, however,

Promoting Insurance Education In NIgeria revealed that Akanbi never read the insurance document before taking up the policy.

“My friend, who is an insurance broker, brought it to my office. After his explanations, l felt it was good and asked him to sign me on.

“I only signed the areas where I was required to append my signature. I never read through the documents as l trusted the insurance broker who is my friend,” he said.

Akanbi has since embarked on a damaging campaign. He has been discouraging family members, friends and others from taking on insurance policies.

The man’s plight aptly reflects the dilemma of many Nigerians who have similar tales of woes to narrate about insurance.

“Such anomalies are what the CIIN sets out to correct with its current focus on insurance education,’’ Mr Fatai Lawal, the CIIN President said.

However, Dr Wole Adetimehin, the immediatepast President CIIN, said that insurance was a contract.

He underscored the need for anyone who intended to take on an insurance policy to read and understand the content of the insurance documents.

“In a contract document, the terms and conditions are scrutinised critically whenever disputes arise; that is what insurance companies look out for when paying claims.

“Many Nigerians are always in a hurry. Most people do not take things that concerned them seriously.

“Also, many people do not want to read; that is the problem,” he said.

CIIN is targeting the youth in its bid to check public apathy towards insurance, while tackling misconceptions about insurance and deepening its penetration in the country.

“We want the younger generation to recognise the benefits of insurance, while helping to educate their parents on the need to take up one policy or the other,” Mr Sunny Adeda, a former CIIN President, said.

By CHIDINMA AGU

“To achieve this, the CIIN Governing Council came up with a programme to include insurance studies in the secondary school’s curriculum.

gainfully employed in the federal civil service.

“Besides, insurance is now a subject in the Senior Secondary School curriculum

said: “The presentation of the book marks a significant milestone in the annals of the institution.’’

Lawal stressed that the book would advance insurance education in Nigeria which, he

“The institute also ensured that more tertiary institutions run accredited courses in insurance.

“These informed the Governing Council’s visits to the NUC and Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja,” Adeda said.

Beyond that, Oba said that officials from the Federal Ministry of Education came to the CIIN Office in Lagos and inspected its facilities, syllabus and the structure of its examinations.

“The efforts of all the past presidents of the CIIN paid off, as the Federal Ministry of Education has recognised our insurance certificate.

“Now, our graduates can be

and this year, insurance will be taken as part of the West African School Certificate Examinations,” he said.

To address factors such as dearth of insurance teachers and insurance textbooks, the CIIN is encouraging insurance professionals to take up teaching appointments in tertiary institutions.

The institute has also published a textbook on insurance — “Insurance for Secondary Schools’’ — for senior secondary schools.

The book was presented to the public during the CIIN’s Graduation and Fellowship Awards Ceremony in Lagos in 2013.

The CIIN president then

said, was one of the cardinal programmes of the CIIN’s Governing Council.

“It will also herald a new dawn in insurance education by stimulating the consciousness of secondary school students and our future leaders concerning insurance,” he said.

Besides, the CIIN has been visiting tertiary institutions and during the visits, the institute donated books to institutions offering insurance courses.

Some of the beneficiaries of the books’ donation include University of Lagos, Lagos State University, Redeemers’ University, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ibadan

Polytechnic, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, and Federal Polytechnic, Bori.

Others are Kwara State University, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Imo State University, Bayelsa State University, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Enugu State University Technology and Institute of Management of Technology (IMT), Enugu.

Lawal said that the books’ donation was one of the institute’s strategies aimed at

promoting insurance education in the country.

“The only way we can stimulate the penetration of insurance in this country is to get more people involved as crusaders for insurance,” he said.

Lawal described that the donation of books to tertiary institutions nationwide as a landmark commitment to achieving the institute’s agenda for the growth of insurance in the country.

Industry watchers commended the CIIN for its efforts to boost insurance education in Nigeria, saying that such efforts will surely engender the development of the insurance industry in the country.

“To address factors such as dearth of insurance teachers and insurance textbooks, the CIIN is encouraging insurance professionals to take up teaching appointments in tertiary institutions.

The institute has also published a textbook on insurance — “Insurance for Secondary Schools’’ — for senior secondary schools.”

International

Israel Offers $20m To Turkey Flotilla Victims

Luis Guillermo Solis, presidential candidate for the citizens’ Action Party, arrives to deliver a speech to his supporters in San Jose February 2, 2014.

Leftist Costa Rica Outsider Leads Election, Run-Off Expected Gaffes during the campaign, gained ground in much of Latin

SAN JOSE - A left-leaning former diplomat edged ahead in Costa Rica’s presidential election on Sunday, riding a wave of disgust at government corruption to get within reach of wresting power from the centrist government in an April run-off.

Luis Guillermo Solis, an academic who has never been elected to office, had a slim lead over ruling party candidate Johnny Araya despite trailing in pre-election polls and early vote returns.

Araya was seen as the frontrunner ahead of the vote, but his campaign was hurt by corruption scandals that plagued President Laura Chinchilla’s administration.

Solis, who ran on an anticorruption ticket, won 30.9 percent support on Sunday compared to 29.6 percent for Araya with returns in from around 82 percent of polling centers.

Left-wing lawmaker Jose Maria Villalta was in third place with 17.2 percent. His supporters could help carry Solis to victory in the run-off against Araya, although votes from a host of smaller parties who commanded around a quarter of the tally on Sunday will also be fought over.

A Solis victory in the run-off would mark another triumph for center-left parties which have

America in recent years.

“Costa Rica’s time has come,” Solis said with a wry expression as his supporters cheered to the blare of music on Sunday night.

“From coast to coast, the rising wave has become a great tsunami that has washed away traditional politics forever.

Araya, 56, promised to reduce poverty and painted his leftist rivals as radicals who are a threat to Central America’s secondlargest economy.

“We represent the safe road, the responsible road, to maintain political, economic and social stability in Costa Rica,” Araya told flag-waving supporters of his National Liberation Party after vote returns showed him losing his early lead.

Voter anger over government corruption buoyed his leftleaning rivals, who also promised to tackle inequality in the coffee-producing nation.

such as underestimating the price of milk in an interview, distanced Araya from some voters. A prosecutor ’s probe into allegations of abuse of authority and embezzlement while Araya was mayor of San Jose also dampened his appeal.

Solis, who cut his teeth working in Costa Rica’s foreign ministry, surged late in the campaign by pledging to improve infrastructure, overhaul the country’s universal health care provider and stamp out corruption.

That resonated with some voters after Chinchilla sparked outrage by accepting flights on a private jet, despite laws barring public officials from accepting sizeable gifts.

“The National Liberation Party has been in power for eight years, and if it has stood out for anything, it has been its extreme corruption,” said Eduardo Solano, 23, a union legal advisor.

THE United Arab Emirates summoned the Qatari ambassador over what it said were insults against the UAE made by a prominent cleric in

a broadcast from Doha, state news agency WAM reported on Sunday.

The diplomatic incident reflects growing splits

Zuma’s ANC, which has been in power since the end of whiteminority rule in 1994.

“The time for this was not right,” she told a news conference, saying she had rushed into the decision to join the Democratic Alliance and would stay with her own Agang party.

Agang has gained little traction in its one-year existence despite growing voter disaffection with the ANC. Ramphele’s defection to the Democratic Alliance had led some to accuse the physician and author of opportunism, and had threatened her standing among the black majority as the partner

of Biko, who was beaten to death by apartheid police in 1977.

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille denounced her old friend for reneging on the election deal so swiftly. “Dr Ramphele has demonstrated once and for all that she cannot be trusted to see any project through to its conclusion,” she said.

The ANC’s support has waned amid corruption scandals and charges it has failed to rescue millions of blacks from poverty, but it won nearly two-thirds of the vote in the last election in 2009 and its overall majority this year is not in question.

No date has been set for the parliamentary polls, which are expected to be held by May.

on Gaza in May 2010.

The assault provoked a major diplomatic crisis between the former regional allies, with Ankara demanding a formal apology and compensation for the families of the victims.

Talks finally began in March 2013 after Israel extended a formal apology to Turkey to get relations back on track following to-level intervention by US President Barack Obama.

The talks stalled for several months but were revived in December when Israeli negotiators travelled to Istanbul and Turkey lowered its demands for compensation, Haaretz said.

Western diplomats quoted by the paper said Ankara had demanded $30 million, but Israel was initially willing to give only $15 million.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later decided to up Israel’s offer to $20 million, with an extra $3 million available “if necessary to secure and agreement,” the paper said.

The funds will not be paid directly to the families of the dead and the wounded but will be deposited in a humanitarian fund and distributed to them in accordance with defined criteria, it said.

Netanyahu’s office refused to comment on the report.

Anti-apartheid activist Mamphela Rmphele speaks at a news conference in Cape Town.

UAE Summons Qatari Ambassador Over Muslim Cleric’s Comments

S/African Black Leader Scraps Week-Old Electoral Pact CAPE TOWN - Mamphela Ramphele, former partner of renowned anti-apartheid campaigner Steve Biko, decided yesterday not to run for the opposition Democratic Alliance in South Africa’s elections this year, only a week after saying she would.

Ramphele had agreed to seek the presidency for the opposition Democratic Alliance, which is trying to throw off perceptions it represents the interests of the white minority, against the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

Her change of heart frustrates the party’s drive to woo black voters from President Jacob

ISRAEL has offered Turkey $20 million in compensation to the families of those killed and wounded in its botched 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday.

Citing unnamed Western diplomats briefed on the ongoing negotiations with Ankara, the daily said Turkey had yet to respond to the Israeli offer.

Once-close relations between the two nations fell apart after Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish nationals during a botched pre-dawn raid on a six-ship flotilla seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade

between the two members of the Western-allied Gulf Cooperation Council in their approach to Islamists emboldened by the 2011 “Arab Spring” protests that forced four heads of state from power.

While Qatar has sided with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the UAE has taken the opposite tack, cracking down on Islamists at home and supporting Egypt’s militarybacked administration.

UAE news agency WAM said the foreign ministry had handed the Qatari ambassador “an official protest memorandum over the insolence shown by the socalled Youssef al-Qaradawi towards the United Arab Emirates”.

In a sermon two weeks ago delivered at a mosque in the

Qatari capital Doha and broadcast by state television, Qaradawi condemned the UAE as a country which was against Islamic rule, UAE media reported.

“We have waited for our neighbor to express a clear rejection of this insolence and to offer sufficient clarifications and assurances for this misrepresentation and incitement against the UAE,” WAM quoted UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash as saying.

“But unfortunately, and despite the self restraint and calm approach, we found no desire or response for such a thing from the brothers in Qatar,” he added.

“It is shameful that we allow Al Qaradawi to continue his insults of the UAE and the ties (that bind) the peoples of the Arabian

Gulf,” Gargash said on Twitter.

A source close to the Qatari foreign ministry told Reuters that Qatar could not be held responsible for the views of an individual and suggested that Doha would continue to grant people like Qaradawi the right to express themselves.

“Qatar is a country that allows individuals to express themselves and will not change that,” the source, who asked not to be named, said.

UAE media had earlier quoted Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah as saying that Qaradawi’s comments did not reflect Qatar’s views.

“The foreign policy of Qatar is expressed and conveyed only through the official channels of the state,” Attiyah said, according to the English language Gulf News.

International Thai ProtestersIn Bid To Topple Prime Minister BANGKOK - Thai antigovernment protesters who have been camped out in north Bangkok packed their tents and marched downtown on Monday as they consolidated efforts to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a day after a disrupted general election.

Some joined protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban on foot and others followed in cars and sixwheel trucks as Thailand’s longrunning political conflict showed no sign of ending.

Others surrounded a government office in north Bangkok where Yingluck and two senior ministers had been holding a meeting and cut through a barbed-wire fence.

They did not enter the building and it was unclear if Yingluck was still inside.

The protesters closed camps at two of the seven big intersections that they have blockaded since mid-January, at Victory Monument and Lat Phrao, and were heading for the fringes of the central oasis of Lumpini Park.

A third camp run by an allied group at a big government administrative complex may also be closed.

Suthep said on Sunday this was being done out of safety concerns, but it could also be because their numbers are dwindling. Reuters put the number of marchers at about 3,000, with hundreds surrounding the government office.

“Suthep’s movement is now crumbling, but it still has powerful unseen backers,” said Chris Baker, a historian and prominent Thailand scholar.

“Backdoor negotiations are needed because both sides will avoid any direct confrontation in public view. The business lobby should revive its efforts to play the intermediary role.”

Suthep’s supporters on the route showed no sign of crumbling, waving flags and handing over money.

The demonstrators blocked balloting in a fifth of the country’s constituencies on Sunday, saying Yingluck must resign and make way for an appointed “people’s council” to overhaul a political system they say has been taken hostage by her billionaire brother and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra.

The election, boycotted by the main opposition party, is almost certain to return Yingluck to power and, with voting passing off peacefully across the north and northeast, Yingluck’s supporters will no doubt claim a legitimate mandate.

But the vote is unlikely to change the dysfunctional status quo in a country popular with tourists and investors yet blighted by eight years of polarization and turmoil, pitting the Bangkokbased middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly poor, rural supporters of the Shinawatras.

The election was peaceful, apart from a few scuffles, with no repeat of the chaos seen the previous day, when supporters and opponents of Yingluck clashed in north Bangkok. Seven people were wounded by gunshots or explosions.

The protesters have rallied in Bangkok since November to try to oust Yingluck. They wanted electoral rules rewritten before

any election and have vowed to keep up the protests.

“I’m confident this election won’t lead to the formation of a new government,” Suthep told supporters late on Sunday.

Giving provisional data on Monday, the Election Commission said 20.4 million people cast their vote on Sunday, just under 46 percent of the 44.6 million eligible voters in 68 of 77 provinces. In the other nine provinces, no voting was possible.

Voting was disrupted in 18 percent of constituencies, 67 out of 375, the Commission said, revising data given Sunday.

It is unclear when voting will be held there and it could be weeks before parliamentary seats are filled, so Yingluck will remain a caretaker premier with no policy authority, unable to approve any new government spending.

“Having gone through more than two months of protests, the election will strengthen Yingluck’s position, but her troubles are not over yet,” said Kan Yuanyong, director of the Siam Intelligence Unit think tank.

“We’ll see a continuation of the conflict, the standoff remains and the likelihood of more violence could increase.”

The Election Commission said it expected legal challenges as early as Monday to try to invalidate the poll and attack the legitimacy of the government The protesters say former telecoms tycoon Thaksin has subverted a fragile democracy with populist politics such as subsidies, cheap loans and healthcare to woo the poor and guarantee victory for his parties in every election since 2001.

Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban (left) collects donations from supporters as he leads the march through Central Bangkok yesterday.

A Yemeni soldier monitors a checkpoint east of Baghdad on January 24, 2014.

British Oil Worker Kidnapped In Yemeni Capital SANAA Gunmen kidnapped a British oil-sector employee in the Yemeni capital on Monday, witnesses and an industry official told AFP, the second abduction of a foreigner in Yemen since Friday.

“Gunmen in a car kidnapped the British man at around 9:00 am (0600 GMT) near a grocery store in Hada,” a tightly-patrolled district in central Sanaa, the official told AFP. Witnesses said the

islanders to remain calm and not approach any buildings that appeared damaged.

“This is a critical time, people must be careful and remain calm,” said deputy regional governor Antonis Kouris.

We still cannot confirm,” an embassy spokesman told AFP. The abduction comes just three days after a tribesman kidnapped in Sanaa a German citizen in his 60s, with the Yemeni foreign ministry saying he is being held in a tribal region in the eastern Marib province.

It said he was abducted by a tribesman who is pressing authorities to release his two detained son in exchange for his return.

In another indication of growing unrest in the country,

police said Monday that three people were wounded in overnight explosions that rocked Sanaa — two of them near the French embassy.

Hundreds of people have been kidnapped in Yemen over the past 15 years, mostly by tribesmen who use them as bargaining chips in disputes with the government.

Nearly all have later been freed unharmed.

Al-Qaeda militants have also seized foreigners in the country, but such incidents are rare.

BAGHDAD - Attacks in and around Baghdad, including four car bombs that ripped through several different neighbourhoods, killed at least 12 people on Monday, security and medical officials said.

Eight people were killed in the explosions while authorities also found the bodies, bearing signs of torture, of four people who were shot dead earlier on Monday. Five people were killed in two separate car bombs — one of which was detonated

by a suicide attacker — in the town of Mahmudiyah, just south of the capital, while three others were killed by vehicles rigged with explosives in the Baghdad neighbourhoods of Baladiyat and Hurriyah.

In western Baghdad, police found the bodies of three men and one woman who were all killed by gunshots to the head, officials said.

The violence comes amid a long running surge in bloodshed that left more than

1,000 people dead last month, the highest such figure since April 2008, according to government data.

Adding to the insecurity in the country, Iraqi forces have been waging gun battles with militants in Anbar province, to the west of Baghdad, where for weeks parts of one city and all of another have been outside of government control weeks earlier, and officials have said and incursion into nearby fallujah is imminent.

kidnappers struck the Briton on the head with the butt of a rifle, before driving him away towards an unknown location.

The British embassy could not immediately confirm the reported abduction.

“We are aware of the news.

Strong Quake Hits Western Greek Isle Of Kekatos.

ATHENS, Greece - A Authorities urged the Kefalonia strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude between 5.7 and 6.1 hit the western Greek island of Kefalonia before dawn Monday, sending scared residents into the streets just over a week after a similar quake damaged hundreds of buildings, reviving memories of a disaster in the 1950s.

Authorities said about 16 people had been slightly hurt, mainly by falling objects, while roads were damaged and some areas suffered power and water supply cuts.

Christos Kyrakatos, a resident of one of Kefalonia’s villages, told Greek television that at least one person in his village had been taken away by ambulance after being injured by falling objects in his home.

The power and water supply to the area had been cut, and

residents who had fled their homes also had to contend with intense bad weather, with strong rain and low temperatures.

Kefalonia Mayor Alexandros Parisis said the port at the island’s second largest town of Lixouri, the closest to the epicenter, had been damaged.

Earthquakes have been rattling Kefalonia constantly for the past week, after a 5.9magnitude temblor struck the area on Jan. 26, damaging homes and slightly injuring seven people. Since then, thousands of residents have been spending nights with relatives or in ships sent to accommodate them.

Schools on the island have been shut for the past week, and had not been scheduled to reopen until Wednesday, said Deputy Mayor Evangelos

Waye Of Baghadad Attack Kill 12

International Protesters Vow To Annul Thai Vote, Step Up Rallies BANGKOK - Thai protesters vowed yesterday to stage larger rallies in central Bangkok and push ahead their efforts to nullify the results of elections that were expected to prolong a national political crisis.

Despite fears of violence, voting proceeded peacefully in 90 percent of polling stations Sunday. The protesters forced polling booths to close in Bangkok and southern Thailand, disenfranchising millions of registered voters. As a result, not all Parliament seats will be filled and a series of by-elections are required to complete voting, extending political paralysis for months.

After disrupting voting, protesters say they will fight the election on several grounds CORRECTION OF NAME

I, Musa Abdul-Karim Yakubu wish to bring for the information of the general public that I am the same person as Musa Akpeji. Henceforth, I am now properly known and addressed as Musa AbdulKarim Yakubu. All former documents remain valid.

Concerned authorities, Psychiatric Hospital Uselu and the general public should please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Okolie Agatha wish to bring for the information of the general public that I am the same person as Okoye Agatha as appeared in my various documents. Henceforth, I am now properly known and addressed as Okolie Agatha. All former documents remain valid.

Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME MOSINDI – I, formerly called Miss Mary A. Mosindi is now known and called Mrs. Mary Erhijakpor. All former documents remain valid.

Nigerian Television Authority, concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

including that it is required by law to be held on one day. The opposition Democrat Party, which backs the protesters and boycotted the vote, said Monday it was studying other legal justifications to invalidate the vote.

The struggle to hold the polls was part of a 3-month-old conflict that has split the country between supporters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and opponents who allege her government is too corrupt to rule.

Demonstrators have occupied major intersections in Bangkok and forced government ministries to shut down and work elsewhere.

“We are not giving up the fight.

We still keep fighting,” protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban said.

“Our mission is to keep shutting down government offices, so don’t ask us to give those back.”

Suthep, a charismatic speaker and former opposition lawmaker, said the movement was closing two of its Bangkok protest sites and asking crowds to consolidate at five other locations, mostly in the business center of the capital.

The new plan was bound to cause more disruption in the center of Bangkok, where protesters have shut major intersections in the Silom and Sukhumvit business districts and Ratchaprasong shopping district, where the city’s upscale malls are located.

CHANGE OF NAME

OGBEIDE – I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Isoken Jennifer Andres Ogbeide now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Isoken Jennifer Odia.

All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

IKEAKHE – I, formerly Miss Patience Etuaje Ikeakhe now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Patience Etuaje Egharevba. All former documents remain valid.

Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE RESTORATION OF SAINTS MINISTRY The general public is hereby notified that the above named Organisation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under the Companies and Allied Matters Act No.1 of 1990.

TRUSTEES 1. Pastor Emmanuel Etin-Osa Ekhator 2. Pastor Osarenren Victor Ekhator 3. Elder Benjamin Omoruyi AIMS & OBJECTIVES 1. To preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. To establish rulership of God in the kingdom and the nation of the world.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar- General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Michael .O. Emudhe Esq.

The protesters want to suspend democracy and are demanding the government be replaced by an unelected council that would rewrite political and electoral laws to combat deep-seated problems of corruption and money politics. Yingluck has refused to step down, arguing she was elected by a landslide majority and is open to reform but that such a council would be unconstitutional and undemocratic.

The protesters are a minority that cannot win through elections, but they comprise a formidable alliance of opposition leaders, royalists, and powerful businessmen who have set their sights on ousting the government.

They have won past battles — by ousting Yingluck’s brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, in a 2006 army coup, and by forcing out two Thaksinallied prime ministers through controversial legal rulings.

Many believe another so-called “judicial coup” will bring down Yingluck’s government.

Suthep’s public assurance to followers that the ballot will be nullified leaves “no doubt” that the Constitutional Court will end up hearing a case to annul it, and Verapat Pariyawong, an

independent Harvard-educated lawyer.

If the ballot is nullified, Verapat said there will be “more blood on the streets,” a reference to the

expectation that government supporters in the north are unlikely to sit idle.

Before Thaksin was deposed in 2006, the Constitutional Court

nullified a vote won by his party a month earlier. The ruling partly found that the positioning of ballot booths had compromised voter privacy.

Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban (left) collects donations from supporters as he leads the march through Central Bangkok recently.

Student Detained After Killing Two In Moscow School Shooting

MOSCOW - A Moscow highschool student shot a teacher and a police officer dead and held more than 20 other students hostage in a classroom yesterday before he was disarmed and detained, police said, just days before Russia hosts the Winter Olympics.

In a rare school shooting in Russia, the attacker entered his

school in northern Moscow carrying a rifle and held students and a teacher hostage in a biology classroom, police in the capital said.

Police later said the attacker had been detained and had been

led out of the school and into a waiting car. According to the Lifenews website, he initially shot one officer and then opened fire at others who arrived at the scene.

“The person who took 20 people and a teacher hostage is a

Car Bombings In Iraq Kill At Least 10 People BAGHDAD - Iraqi officials say car bombings in and near Baghdad have killed at least 10 people.

A police officer says a parked car bomb went off yesterday near the local council building of the

Bomb Blast In Pakistani Cinema Kills 5 POLICE official Zahid Khan says the explosion on Sunday night also wounded 30 people.

Another official, Faisal Mukhtar, says the attacker was apparently sitting in the audience in the crowded cinema before hurling two hand grenades in the dark.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The bombing came hours after Pakistani Taliban nominated five well-known political and religious figures — including excricketer Imran Khan — to represent them in peace talks with the government. Khan’s party said he is unlikely to accept the role.

The Taliban announcement followed a statement by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that his government would pursue a policy of a settlement through negotiations.

student in the upper classes at the same school. He has been neutralized and all the students have been freed,” Interior Ministry spokesman Andrei Pilipchuk said on state TV. “One policeman was fatally wounded during the operation and died in hospital, and a teacher at School No. 263 was also killed,” he said.

The shooting sent dozens of students scurrying out the school while a police helicopter landed in a snow-covered field outside.

It came with Russia in the global spotlight four days before it hosts the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

town of Mahmoudiyah, followed by another car bomb at an outdoor market nearby. The blasts killed six people and wounded 15. The town is located about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad.

The officer also says an explosives-laden car ripped

through a commercial area in Baghdad’s northern Hurriyah neighborhood, killing four people and wounding 11.

Two medical officials confirmed the causality figures.

All spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to media.

CAIRO - Al-Qaida says it is severing all ties with one of its purported branches fighting in Syria and that it is distancing itself from the rebel infighting in the civil war.

Al-Qaida’s general command said in an Internet statement early yesterday that it’s cutting off the group known as the Islamic State

of Iraq and the Levant, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, after it disobeyed orders from the terror network’s leader, Ayman alZawahri.

The authenticity of the statement could not independently be verified but it was posted on websites commonly used by al-Qaida.

Al-Zawahri last May ordered the Islamic State to operate independently from a rival alQaida branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, led by Abu Mohammed alGolani. Al-Baghdadi rejected alZawahri’s orders and unsuccessfully sought to merge the two branches.

times flared into violent clashes between radicals and riot police.

At least six people have been killed.

Yanukovich’s first urgent task, after returning from an absence some saw as a tactical gambit to gain time, is to name a new prime minister to succeed Mykola Azarov, who stepped down on January 28 under pressure from the protest movement.

In other concessions, Yanukovich last week approved the repeal of recent anti-protest laws and offered a conditional

amnesty to activists who have been detained in the unrest.

But opposition leaders, who have received huge backing from the United States and EU governments, were pressing yesterday for further concessions.

With parliament due to meet today, the opposition were seeking a broader amnesty in which all those detained would be released and the return to the previous constitution which would mean Yanukovich’s presidential powers being diminished.

Al-Qaida Breaks Ties With Group In Syria

Ukraine’s Yanukovich Returns To Work, Street Protest Go On KIEV - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich returned to his desk yesterday after four days of sick leave, while the political opposition pressed for further concessions from him to end more than two months of street protests against his rule.

“He is back at work,” a presidential spokesman said.

Yanukovich is seeking a way out of a confrontation with thousands of protesters who have seized control of Kiev’s city center in a conflict which has at

Opinion

Importance Of Water To The Body APPROPRIATE hydration of the body is an absolute requirement for health and is essential for life itself. Water sustains the body in many vital chemical reactions and maintains correct body functions.

Water plays many important roles in the body. Water is the major part of most of the body’s cells (except for fat cells) and it also cushions and lubricates the brain and the joints. It transports nutrients and carries wastes away from the body cells. It also helps regulate body temperature by redistributing heat from active tissues to the skin and cooling the body through perspiration.

According to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) water is the main constituent of the human body. It is normally about 60% of body weight 5055% in females due to their higher proportion of boy fat.

The muscles and the brain are about 75% water, the body and the kidneys are about 81%, the liver is about 71% the bones are about 22% and adipose tissue is about 20%.

Most of the water in the body is found within the cells of the body (about two thirds is in the intracellular space) and the rest is found in the extra cellular space, which consists of the spaces between cells (the interstitial space) and the blood plasma.

Total body hydration and the balance between input and output of water are under homeostatic control by mechanisms which modify excretory pathways and stimulate intake (thirst).

The body requires water to survive and function properly.

Humans cannot live without drinking for more than a few days-depending on weather, activity levels and other factorswhereas other nutrients maybe neglected for weeks or months.

Although, commonly, it is treated rather trivially, no other nutrient is more essential or is needed in such large amounts.

Benefits: Good hydration is essential for health and wellness. Every cell in the human body requires water.

Hydration is central to the most basic physical functions such as regulating blood pressure and body temperature and digestion.

Some of the most remarkable benefits of hydration are listed below: Brain: Adequate hydration is important for proper functioning of the brain. When we are well hydrated, brain cells are better-supplied with fresh, oxygen-laden blood and brain remain alert. Mild dehydration, a 1% to 2% loss in body weight can impair the ability to

concentrate. Loss of more than 2% body weight due to dehydration can affect the brain’s processing ability and impair short-term memory.

Cells: Hydration in the body is important for transporting carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients as well as oxygen to the cells. The cell then produce energy for the body to function.

Furthermore, hydration facilities disposals of the waste products of metabolism enabling the right cellular chemical function.

Digestive tract: hydration plays an important role in the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract. Water is required to dissolve nutrients so that they may be absorbed into the blood stream and delivered to the cells. Insufficient hydration will slow the digestive process and chronic poor hydration can lead to constipation.

Heart: Fluids are important for healthy heart function and the correct regulation of water balance is essential to keep blood pressure within the healthy range. Dehydration decreases cardiac output which may lead to increase in heart rate and fall in blood pressure.

The circulatory system delivers a constant supply of oxygen to the brain and to all other tissues.

Kidneys: An adequate water intake is essential to keep the kidneys working well, helping them to remove waste products and excess nutrients mainly via urine. The kidneys regulate the body’s water levels by increasing or decreasing the flow of urine. The kidneys also work to control normal levels of sodium and other electrolytes.

A well-hydrated healthy person’s kidneys-filter approximately 180 litres of water each day. Clearly most to this has to be reabsorb to prevent excessive losses from the body.

Muscles and joints: Water acts as a lubricant for muscles and joints, it helps cushion joints and keeps muscles working properly. Muscles and joints in addition to the bones are necessary for us to stand, sit, move and carry out all daily activities. Approximately 70 to 75 percent of the muscles is made up of water, maintaining the right water balance is essential for optimum muscle function.

Skin: The skin constitutes a defence against pathogenic agents and contributes to preventing the development of infectious and allergic processes. Some people believe that good hydration helps to moisten body tissues and preserve the skins elasticity,

By FAITH A. AYEDI

softness and colouring though this has not been researched adequately.

Temperature: The body water has an important roles as a thermoregulator regulating the overall body temperature by helping dissipate heat. If the body becomes too hot, water is

be especially at risk dehydration due to diarrhea and vomiting.

Because they often cannot communicate their needs those looking after them need to be alert to the possibility of dehydration especially during hot weather or during periods of illness.

children are reminded to make use of these opportunities.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reported that adequate intake of water for children are as follows: 1,300ml/day for boys and girls 2 to 3 years of age: 1,600ml/day for boys and girls 4 to 8 years of age, 2,100ml/day for boys 9 to 13 years of age, 1,900ml for

lost through sweat and the evaporation of this sweat from the skin surface removes heat from the body. Sweating is the most effective way that the body reverts itself from over heating.

The body of a child, like that of an adult is largely made up of water. About 60% of the typical adult, human body is made up of water, but the percentage is strongly influenced by level of body fat.

The higher the level of fat, the smaller the fraction of body weight that is made up of water.

In newborn children, the percentage of the body that is made up of water reaches around 75% and this falls during growth and maturation.

Infants and young children may

Active children playing games in hot weather may lose large amounts of sweat, but they are often so involved in what they are doing that they forget to drink. Those looking after them may need to offer periodic reminders.

There is some evidence that providing drinks to children can help them to perform better in standardised tests of concentration, short term memory and other essential elements of the learning process. More evidence is needed before definitive guideline can be given, but teachers may need definitive make that there are opportunities for drinking during the school day and that

girls 9 to 13 years of age.

Adolescents of 14 years and older are considered as adults with respect to adequate water intake and the adult values apply.

Hydration is vital to those who want to stay healthy for as long as possible. With age, the body loses its ability to detect thirst.

Therefore, to stay sufficiently hydrated, elderly people should anticipate the body’s needs and not always wait until they are thirsty to have a drink to prevent dehydration. If may be best to drink on a regular basis. Ideally, elderly people should get into the habit of drinking one or two glasses of beverage with each meal and drink occasionally during the day when they aren’t

eating.

Usually, people drink when they are thirsty, and simply relying on the thirsty signal will normally ensure that they drink enough to stay well hydrated.

But by the age of 60, if people only drink whey they are thirsty, they may not get as they get older.

Dehydration can cause serious problems in older adults.

Elderly people are at greatest risk of dehydration and its potentially life threatening consequences. People aged between 85-99 years are six times more likely to be hospitalized for dehydration than those aged 65-69 years.

Mild dehydration may also cause condition such as constipation. Woman who are pregnant or breastfeeding may be at greater risk of developing dehydration particularly during early pregnancy if vomiting or diarrhea are present. During pregnancy, the hydration needs will change and the child’s health depends on the mothers.

Throughout these months, hydration plays an essential role since an adequate supply of water is essential for the renewal of amniotic fluids, the baby’s living enrolment. Water represents 94% of the baby’s weight at the end of the first trimester, it is important to drink enough water in order to meet the new needs of the body, the body and the baby during pregnancy.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded that due to the increase of body weight and of energy intake, an additional total water intake of 300ml on top of the 2l would be adequate.

Breastfed babies take in an average of about 750ml milk per day between the ages of 1 month and 6 months. Different babies take in different amounts of milk and the typical range of milk intakes is about 600-900ml per day. Breastfeeding mother’s therefore lose significant amounts of fluids during nursing and need to increase their fluid intake.

Mild dehydration does not affect milk supply, but moderate to severe dehydration may have an effect including changing the composition of the milk and decreasing the amount of milk produced.

“Kidneys: An adequate water intake is essential to keep the kidneys working well, helping them to remove waste products and excess nutrients mainly via urine. The kidneys regulate the body’s water levels by increasing or decreasing the flow of urine. The kidneys also work to control normal levels of sodium and other electrolytes. A well-hydrated healthy person’s kidneys-filter approximately 180 litres of water each day. Clearly most to this has to be reabsorb to prevent excessive losses from the body.”

Red Devils Unlucky, Bemoans Young

ASHLEY Young says Manchester United were unlucky to lose to Stoke City on Saturday.

Charlie Adam scored either side of a Robin van Persie strike as Stoke withstood a barrage of pressure from United to hang on for a 2-1 victory against the Premier League champions.

But Young bemoaned a lack of good fortune on the day, insisting United were desperately unlucky not to have come away with something from the game.

“Of course we’re disappointed to lose the game to a deflected shot and a goal out of the blue,” he told Sky Sports.

“We’ve conceded two but look at the number of chances that we’ve created and the number of times we got to the byline and got the ball in the box but it just wasn’t to be our day.

“I think it was a good performance and on another day we would have had three or four. We got to the byline plenty of times on plenty of occasions and it just didn’t

want to go in.

“Everybody’s disappointed but we’ve got to lick our wounds and get back on with the job.”

Juan Mata set up Van Persie for the United goal while Wayne Rooney went close to equalising for the champions from a free-kick late on, only to be denied by Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

Young believes a fluid display from United’s attacking trio is a genuine cause for optimism for the side going forward.

“It was nice to see Robin get a goal again and to see Juan play a big part in that,” he said.

“Wazza was fantastic. He had a few chances and he was fantastic again today.

“When he is on set-pieces he’s always going to get it on target and the keeper has pulled off a world-class save (in stoppage-time).

“Even after that it has bobbled around in front of the goal and we’ve ended up with a shot that has gone over the bar.

“We’ll take the positives out of the game and the amount of chances that we created and on another day like I said a few of them would have gone in.”

Arsene Wenger Roars

We Can Beat City To Title!

ARSENE Wenger accepts Arsenal still have it “all to do” in their bid to stay ahead of free-scoring Manchester City in the race for the Premier League after edging back to the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

It looked all set to be suffered on the first day of the another frustrating afternoon season - finally ended for the Gunners, held to a 2-2 Palace’s stubborn resistance draw at Southampton in when he chipped in a fine pass midweek, following a dogged from Santi Cazorla at the start display by an Eagles side who of the second half. are fighting for survival.

Arsenal goalkeeper However, England Wojciech Szczesny produced midfielder Alex Oxlade- a brilliant save to deny Chamberlain - fit again Cameron Jerome an equaliser following five months out from a close-range diving with a serious knee injury header before World Cup

hopeful Oxlade-Chamberlain struck again on 73 minutes to make sure of victory.

City host third-placed Chelsea on Monday night and so could once again knock the Gunners off the summit, and Wenger accepts many pundits see the title as City’s to lose.

“I can understand that completely because we haven’t done it for a while, and as well I must say that we face quality competitors,” said Wenger, who expects to be without deadline-day loan

Bruce Salutes Class HULL manager Steve Bruce has hailed Shane Long Act Long as a player - and a person - to be proud of.

Bruce attempted to bring the Republic of Ireland striker to the KC Stadium in a failed deadline day move in September but succeeded at the second attempt last month.

He gambled £6.5million on a player who might have been out of contract in the summer, but saw his first returns when Long scored 12 minutes into his home debut against Tottenham on Saturday.

It was Hull’s first goal of the year and afterwards Bruce was beaming about his acquisition’s qualities on and off the field.

“He’s a delight,” said Bruce.

“A lot of times with

Share Long.

professional footballers in the limelight, their misbehaviour at times makes us all cringe.

“But he’s one of them we know for a fact lives his life properly, works hard and wants to play football.

“We’ve been chasing him for the best part of six months, so for him to score after 12 minutes (of his home debut) was fantastic.

“He’ll be a great addition, no question at all, because I’ve seen him over the years scoring goals like that.

“But it’s not just that, it’s his attitude towards the game.”

Long showed signs of a productive partnership with another newcomer, £7million man Nikica Jelavic, and Bruce hopes they can score the goals to keep Hull in the division.

“I thought to myself at times against Spurs, ‘I wouldn’t want to be playing against those two’,” he said.

We’re hoping they can (become prolific), that’s the plan. That’s the reason I knocked on the chairman’s door.

“We’ve added to the squad and brought in an extra bit of quality. No disrespect to the ones we had before but these two are far, far different to what we’ve had.”

Arsene Wenger

Liverpool Won’t Curb Instincts, Says Rodgers

LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers wants his side to continue to play football from the back despite defender Kolo Toure’s costly mistake in their 11 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

Toure’s misplaced pass allowed West Brom substitute Victor Anichebe to equalise at The Hawthorns on Sunday after Liverpool had earlier taken the lead through Daniel Sturridge.

But Rodgers claimed he will still urge his players to place an emphasis on possession and retention of the ball even though it meant they dropped two valuable points in their bid to qualify for the Champions League.

“Kolo is devastated, but I said to him sometimes that’s the price you pay when you try to play football,” Rodgers said.

“In the last 18 months we’ve shown the courage and bravery to play football. Part of that is to build the game from behind.

“Unfortunately, for the first time this season we’ve been punished for that. He’s an

experienced guy, so he knows it was a mistake. And he’s devastated because he’s a conscientious guy.

“We’ll carry on playing like that. It’s just decision-making and a mistake, but that’s how we work and how we play. There’s no blame for any of the players.

“Unfortunately for us it’s cost us two points, but we’ll see it as a point gained at the end of the season hopefully.”

Rodgers also responded to criticism directed at the club for their failure to strengthen in the January transfer window, after a deal for Ukraine winger Yevhen Konoplyanka collapsed on deadline day.

“The football club did absolutely everything possible to get the player in, in every aspect,” Rodgers said.

“From our part, categorically the football club and managing director Ian Ayre did a brilliant job out there negotiating.

“Now I need to work with the players here. We’ve done brilliantly up to this point and we’ve got 14 games to and we’re still in a great position with

games to play.”

Rodgers suggested that he will go back in for the 24-year-old winger when the transfer window reopens in July, although he acknowledged that it will be harder to get his man with more clubs interested.

Brendan Rodgers

arrival Kim Kallstrom for up to six weeks as the midfielder recovers from a back problem.

“We do not play against average teams and Man City have scored over 100 goals, so everybody thinks ‘can you beat these teams?’ I say yes, and that is what we have to show.

“It is all to do. The only thing I can say is that after 24 games we are there, and it’s now about how we finish the season.”

Palace remain in a dogfight for survival, just a point above 18th-placed West Ham. Eagles boss Tony Pulis feels new signings Tom Ince and Joe Ledley, coupled with the imminent return to fitness of forward Glenn Murray, can only boost their hopes.

He said: “We want to keep our organisation and our resilience and want to show the spirit we have over the past couple of months, but those three hopefully will give us more of a threat.”

Wenger, meanwhile, admitted he would probably not have signed Kallstrom if he had been aware of the injury earlier.

The 31-year-old suffered a “micro-fracture” while on warm-weather training with Russian club Spartak Moscow.

“I would not have signed him if we had two or three more days to do something, but it was Friday night at five o’clock, so it was (a case of) you (sign) nobody or you do it under these conditions,” said Wenger, who was already without Wales international Aaron Ramsey for around six weeks.

“There is a possibility (that he may not play), but as well there is the possibility that he scores us the winning goal that might be vitally important.”

Emery Laments Second Straight Loss SEVILLA coach Unai Emery says he was disappointed to see his side losing 3-2 to Malaga having led 2-1 in the second half.

The Sevillistas fought back from a goal down to take the lead but conceded two late goals to suffer their second straight loss in La Liga.“For the majority of the match, we were below them,” said Emery.

“We weren’t able to play our way forward although we had certain opportunities, like the one from (Jose Antonio) Reyes, which could’ve changed the match.

“Because of the way Malaga were playing, we wanted to equalise, but we weren’t able to.

“We had 20 good minutes where we maintained control of the match with two goes and with the score at 1-2, it gave us calm, but we weren’t able to stop the drive of Malaga.

“We missed out on a great opportunity and I’m gutted, but we need to start thinking about the next one.”Sevilla have now failed to win their last four matches and will look to bounce back when they host Barcelona on Sunday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo

ATLETICO Madrid coach Diego Simeone believes Luis Aragones would have enjoyed the bravery and character shown in his former side’s 4-0 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday — a result which took Los Colchoneros three points clear at the top of La Liga.

Aragones passed away early on Saturday morning, with tributes pouring in from everyone in the Spanish football community for the man who guided La Roja to the Euro 2008 trophy — laying the path for subsequent victories at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

As a player and coach “El Sabio de Hortaleza” was most associated with Atletico, for whom he scored 172 goals in 372 games as a forward between 1964 and 1974, before managing the first team for a record 407 official matches.

In a unique and moving tribute during Sunday’s game Atletico fans remained silent for the first seven

Atletico Victory ‘For Luis Aragones’ into cheers and salutes during the eighth minute of the game — marking the shirt number Aragones used to wear for the club.

Current Colchoneros boss Simeone told his postmatch news conference that Aragones would have been proud of the performance put in by his former team in what was an emotional night for all Atletico fans.

“When a man like Luis leaves us, there is pain and sadness, but today was emotional with the fans,” Simeone said. “I got emotional during the silence in the first eight minutes of the game. That is the nicest thing that is left for the family. It shows what great respect there was that he was remembered in all the grounds around La Liga.

“Today he will have watched, from above, dressed in rojiblanco and happy for the valour shown, because he is a brave guy, with character, and this team has both those things.”

Aragones had been laid to rest at Madrid’s Tanatorio de Tres Cantos earlier in the day, at a ceremony attended by many former teammates and leading figures in Spanish football.

Spain’s sports minister Miguel Cardenal, La Liga president Javier Tebas, Real Madrid director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno and Community of Madrid president Ignacio Gonzalez were all present at the Calderon for Sunday night’s game, as were former Atletico players Adelardo, Garate, Ufarte, Abel Resino and Aragones’ former assistant Jesus Paredes.

CRISTIANO Ronaldo could be banned for three La Liga games after being sent off during Sunday night’s tough 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao at the new San Mames.

A typical one-game ban Ronaldo raised his hands for would see Ronaldo while involved in a miss Villarreal at home confrontation with next Saturday, while a Athletic’s Carlos Gurpegi three-match punishment and Ander Iturraspe late in would add the upcoming the second half, as players games at Getafe and at from both sides bundled in home to Elche. As bans when Madrid’s Karim picked up in La Liga Benzema had a penalty action are typically served claim turned down. in that competition, The Madrid talisman was Ronaldo should be free to perhaps unfortunate to be play in Wednesday’s Copa shown a straight red by del Rey semifinal first leg referee Miguel Angel Ayza against Atletico Madrid at Gamez for pushing the Bernabeu, and barring Gurpegi in the face, but of a very unlikely four-match more concern could be the punishment he will be gesture made to an back for the Liga derbi at assistant referee as the Atletico in first weekend Portugal captain was jeered of March. from the field by a jubilant Madrid will be home crowd. concerned, however, that the referee’s official report did include a gesture from Ronaldo which could be closest rivals,” he said. “It is clear interpreted as suggesting that the margin of error from now the officials had until the end of the season is deliberately singled him practically zero. Now it is us who out. have to push on. We have to “In the 75th minute the improve things but not send out negative messages. It is all in our player [seven] Dos Santos Cristiano hands, and we still have a chance Aveiro, Ronaldo, was sent off for in all three competitions.”

the following reason: hitting an opponent in the face with his hand, while play was stopped,” the report said.

“After having been sent off the No. 7 of Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro, while he was leaving the pitch, struck himself various times with the palm of his hand in the face, directing this to the fourth official.”

AS immediately found two precedents for the authorities adding an extra two games for such a gesture, with Valencia’s Sofiane Feghouli and David Albelda having had bans changed from one game to three in recent seasons.

Xabi Alonso — who was quite fortunate to stay on himself after just seeing one yellow despite a number of crunching fouls on Athletic’s Ander Herrera and Markel Susaeta — told AS that the noisy new San Mames crowd had influenced Ayza Gomez thinking during the game.

“Of course there was no

minutes of the action, then burst

analytical when talking on Barca TV the day after the game, saying a first home defeat since April 2012 had been painful and should provoke some deep thinking among the squad.

“It hurts a lot to lose the three points at home,” he said. “We have to change things so that what happened on Saturday will not happen again.”

The Argentina international also echoed blaugrana coach Gerardo Martino’s claim postmatch that Barca should have killed the game off when they were 1-0 up and cruising in the first half, but then appeared to panic when Valencia managed to get back into the game.

“We should have been two or three up after half an hour,” he said. “The last 10 minutes of the first half and all of the second, things were different. We lost our shape and it really showed.”

Mascherano recalled that Barca’s fate still remained in their own hands, with games against Madrid [in late March at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu] and Atletico [on the final day of the season at the Camp Nou] still to come.

“We still have to play our two

Diego Simeone

Cristiano Ronaldo Facing 3-Game Ban

Lionel Messi Rues Barca’s ‘Bad Day’ LIONEL Messi admitted that Barcelona had “a bad day” when losing 3-2 at home to Valencia on Saturday, while Javier Mascherano says the Catalan side need to have a deep think about what is going wrong after such a painful reverse.

Barca went 1-0 up early through Alexis Sanchez, but were set reeling by Dani Parejo’s equaliser, and further goals by the visitors’ Pablo Piatti and Paco Alcacer brought the shock result despite Messi’s penalty briefly equalising things at 2-2.

The result ended Barcelona’s record run of 59 consecutive game weeks on top of the Primera Division, with Atletico Madrid the new leaders and Barca and Real Madrid now joint second three points adrift of the top.

Messi said in comments picked up by his club’s official website that Saturday’s result had not been good, but he was personally happier now as the injury issues which had so affected his 2013 were now behind him.

“It was a very bad day,” Messi said. “[But] I am happy to have played a couple of games and I am doing well mentally. It was tough when I picked up two consecutive injuries, but today that is all forgotten.”

Mascherano was more

Atletico won the game with goals from David Villa, Diego Costa, Miranda and returning playmaker Diego Ribas.

Our Best Game So Far This Season - Guardiola

PEP Guardiola feels Bayern Munich’s 5-0 Bundesliga win over

Pep Guardiola

Eintracht Frankfurt was their best performance at the Allianz Arena so far this season.

Goals from Mario Gotze and Franck Ribery helped the Bavarians to a twogoal lead at half-time before Arjen Robben, Dante and Mario Mandzukic piled even more misery on the guests after the break.

“This was our best home games so far this season. I am very satisfied. My players put in a great

performance and I can only congratulate them. We made a good step forward,” Guardiola said at a press conference.

“We were in control the entire game and enjoyed a lot of possession. We succeeded in getting our special attackers in dangerous positions time and time again.

“I am happy for the fans. I often feared that the people inside the stadium would get bored during the first half of the season.”

aggression [from Ronaldo],” Alonso said.

“The red card was exaggerated, Gurpegui helped a lot. The ref was also influenced by the reaction of the fans during the whole game. We were harmed by that. The fans always have an influence, that is nothing new.”

Marcelo told Canal Plus directly after the game that the sending off had been unjust, although the Madrid left-back did not explain why.

“It is difficult when you lose a player in an unjust way,” Marcelo said. “It is clear that the decision was unfair. It is very difficult when it is like that, but we always try and win games.”

The sending off was the eighth of Ronaldo’s club career — the Portugal captain has now been sent off in Spain against Almeria, Malaga, Athletic and Atletico Madrid in last season’s Copa del Rey final defeat at the Bernabeu.

Madrid may decide to appeal the latest red card — with director Miguel Pardeza telling Canal Plus they would consider their options as their man was the wronged party in what happened.

“It seemed simply unfair to me, if anyone deserved a red card it was the who started it off,” Pardeza said. “Cristiano should have stayed on the pitch.

It seems to me that Gurpegi is the first to put his hands on Cristiano’s chest, and then tries to trick the referee as he exaggerates. We must have another look at the incident, calmly, and our legal department will decide whether to appeal or not.

THE Olympic Games Village Afuze inspite of the enormous investment in infrastructure and building facilities, has remained a pipe dream.

Today, the Olympic Games Village which was conceived as Nigeria’s sports Mecca, is in a sorry state only inhabited by destitutes, rodents and reptiles.

Mr Osamaye Jerry Alegbe is the Co-ordinator of the campaign to save the Olympic Games Village Afuze.

It is a crusade he has pursued with so much passion since 2001 when the Presidential Committee on Problems of Sports in Nigeria was inaugurated by the OBJ administration.

Recently, Mr Alegbe walked into our Sports Unit and bared his mind on the vexatious sorry state of the Olympic Games Village and the campaign for the actualisation of the College of Physical Education as a campus of National Sports Institute. He spoke with our Group Sports Editor, MATTHEW OKAGHA.

Excerpts.

Citizen Alegbe Pleads

Save Olympic Games Village Afuze What is the position in the Olympic Games Village?

The project and dream is there but the implementation is what has not been fully realised. It will come to pass one day and soonest.

Has there been any effort over the decades in achieving this?

Front view of the College of Physical Education, Afuze

Much efforts have been made in the past. But first, lets go down the memory lane. In 1972, the College of Physical Education was established and commissioned in 1973 by Gen Yakubu Gowon. In 1980, the school was upgraded to an NCE awarding institution. It lost that status after some years and all efforts to make it full-time, autonomous N.C.E. awarding institution has not yielded much result. What you have there today is that it is an affiliate of one of the universities.

In 2001 a Presidential Committee on Sports was set up and headed by Dr. S.O. Ogbemudia who incidentally established the school. I promptly went to Alhaji Abdulrahaman Momoh the then chairman of Owan East Local Government Council. We did a letter and invited the committee to visit Afuze to see the facilities in the school and the site of the Olympic Games Village. The result of all these was a recommendation by the presidential committee that the College of Physical Education Afuze should be taken over and upgraded as a campus of National Sports Institute.

What about the Olympic Games Village?

Sometimes in the 90’s the issue of establishing an Olympic Games Village came up. The Federal Government said that the state with the highest donation towards sports development will have the Olympic Games Village established in that state. Bendel came top, hence the Afuze Olympic Games Village.

What is on ground in both the Olympic Games Village and the College of Physical Education, Afuze?

A surveyed land measuring 146,998 hectares with the inscription “proposed site for the National Sports Commission”. It was on this parcel of land that

General Badamasi Babaginda came to lay the foundation stone of the Olympic Games Village Afuze. Since then more than 30 years ago, nothing has been done.

Our people cannot farm on it, establish industries and build houses but we know that one day our patience and obedience will pay off Afuze will become an international sports arena. There are more than 60 houses in Afuse for the accommodation of sports men and women.

At the College of Physical Education the school is currently being renovated by the government. We have handball, basketball, volleyball, Lawn Tennis Courts. We have Cricket and Hockey pitch, 2 health centres, 400 metres athletics training centre, Boxing gymnasium, Human performance laboratory, with state-of-the-art equipment such as bicycle engometer e.tc, staff offices and students hostel.

What is responsible for the poor state of the Olympic Games Village?

Politics and awareness What are you doing about this?

Before now, a lot of efforts have been made by both the community, individuals and worthy of mention is the untiring effort of Sir surv. S. J. Ojeikere (MFR) who has been in the struggle for more than four decades, and is still involved at his age, prince M.M Ogedegbe and many others have been useful.

As for me, apart from my involvement in the presidential committee, I got involved through awareness, such as this interview and also in the electronic media. I printed stickers, visited the two local government councils to appeal to them to join in the campaign I have gone to see the Provost of the school, she has been encouraging.

I led a delegation of the Zonal office of the National Sports Commission to visit both local government councils, the site of the Olympic Village and the School and the community.

I have met with the SSG, Prof.

Julius Ihovbere and Senator Obende in his office in Abuja.

Our father has been of immense help to us, I mean Dr. S.O. Ogbemudia. I met him recently, to give him an update on the 31st of December, 2013 and to thank him on behalf of the community and as usual, he is of great concern. I just recently made a strange contact with the Hon. Minister of Sports and the D.G. of National Sports Commission.

I reported the issue to Afenmai Forum and they are on it.

Are you hopeful?

I am very, very hopeful. I will take the campaign to national and international levels. I will encourage private public partnership. The fight for the Olympic Games Village, is for both Owan, Afenmai, Edo, South-South and the country. My hope is encouraged by the fact that the president is from SouthSouth and a sports lover and winner.

How suitable is Afuze, in terms of environment, infrastructure, security and nature?

The choice of Afuze originally was the natural setting. It takes four hours from Lagos and Abuja to Afuze with good road, communication facilities.

Afuze people and the Owan nation in general are peaceful, hospitable and protective. It has become a home for strangers. The traditional institution is strong, we are a good people.

What is your final word?

I appeal to all to join this campaign particularly the print and electronic media. We will get there. THANKS.

The site of the proposed Olympic Games Village now covered by bush.

Housing Estate at the Olympic Games Village now taken over by destitutes, rodents and reptiles.

Mr. Osamaye Jerry Alegbe speaking during his visit to OBSERVERsports Desk recently.

NFA Behind Keshi For Brazil 2014 W/Cup

Fans Hail Uzoenyi’s CHAN Award

THE Nigeria Football Association (NFA) is solidly behind coach Stephen Keshi to lead the Super Eagles to the Brazil 2014 World Cup, a member of the association’s board has said.

The member, Emeka Inyama, told reporters on Monday in Umuahia that the association had no plan to interfere with the job of the coaching crew.

He said the association had entirely left the decision of who would make the squad for the World Cup entirely that of the technical crew.

“Stephen Keshi is in charge. So, he decides who to take to the World Cup,” Inyama, who is also Chairman of NFA’s Media and Publicity Committee, said.

He said the outcome of the just-concluded 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) where the Super Eagles finished third would not be a parameter to judge the competence of the coach.

“We are satisfied with the coaching crew and players.

This is our first time in CHAN. The last time in 2011 we were not there. Even we were not at the first edition in 2009.

“Though we wanted to win the 2014 championship, but that did not work out.

NIGERIA’S coach Stephen Keshi has revealed that about four players from the 2014 CHAN will be considered for places to the World Cup. CHAN MVP Ejike Uzoenyi special praise. will be top of that list, according “I will give three or four to Keshi after he singled out the players from this team chance Enugu Rangers left winger for in the World Cup build-up. I

five months he will be at Italian club Chievo Verona.

Nsofor is on 1.5 million Euros a year at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow and it is now believed ‘The Railway Men’ will likely stomp up the balance for the time the

Nigeria forward is on loan in Italy.

Lokomotiv are chasing for the Russian league crown as they are equal on points with leaders Zenit Saint Petersburg half way through the season.

But Nsofor, who joined the

“The boys made a good effort. Nigerians should remember that the team was put together in two months.

So, they have done well,” Inyama said.

The home-based Eagles coached by Keshi had lost in the semi-finals of the competition in South Africa, but had gone on to win the third-place match.

Inyama said the NFA was satisfied with the outcome of the competition and would rather reflect on the positives rather than bother on the inability to win the main trophy.

He said the association would continue to give the coaching crew the enabling environment to perform optimally, saying the 2014 World Cup would see the Super Eagles at their best.

Ejike Uzoenyi

CHAN Fallout

Uzoenyi, 3 Others Eagles For World Cup

Nsofor To Earn 300,000 Euros OBINNA Nsofor will club in June 2011, has At Chievo Russian pocket 300,000 Euros for the only managed a handful of

games this season for ‘The Railway Men’.

He has rejoined a Chievo team who are in 16th place and just a point above the relegation pack and in dire need of firepower having only scored 16 goals in 22 league matches.

The 26-year-old Nsofor featured for Chievo five years ago during which he scored 20 goals in 86 games.

want you all to go back to your club, play well and be determined like Ejike Uzoenyi, he listened to advise and was determined, we all saw the result,” Keshi addressed the players on arrival in Lagos.

Other likely players from the CHAN Keshi would consider would include Kunle Odunlami and Rabiu Ali, who were picked by CAF in the tournament XI. Defenders Benjamin Francis and Solomon Kwambe could also be considered as they have been part of the full international team even though they did not impress in South Africa.

In the meantime, both Uzoenyi and Kwambe did not return to Nigeria on Sunday with the rest of the squad and it is now believed they may have stayed back to sign with clubs in South Africa.

FOOTBALL fans in Abuja on Sunday hailed Ejike Uzoenyi’s award at the just concluded African Nations Championship (CHAN) describing it as welldeserved.

The Super Eagles’ winger, Uzoenyi, was named the most valuable player of the 2014 CHAN by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The Enugu Rangers star scored thrice in two of his team’s six games at the tournament organised for locally-based players.

He won three consecutive man-of-the-match awards and also supplied four assists in the Super Eagles’ 13 goals at the championship.

Some of them said that he did not only deserve the award, but must have earned a place in the world cup team.

The Secretary General, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Tunde Popoola, noted that Uzoenyi was a complete footballer and deserved to be in keshi’s first team list.

“Given his performance in CHAN, I think Uzoenyi is a very intelligent player. He thinks very fast and has a good finishing as well as good delivery of the ball.

“In my opinion, he should not only make the world cup team, but should also be among Keshi’s starting eleven,’’ he said.

Also, the Secretary General, Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Solomon Ogbeide, said that Uzoenyi was one of the best home-based players he had seen in a long time.

Ogbeide further said that the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) could churn out more quality places if given the required attention.

“Without Uzoenyi that CHAN team would not have achieved as much success as they did.

“And if he can reproduce this same form or even better in team A, then I think Nigeria will go very far in the world cup,’’ he said.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, FCT Football Association Secretary, corroborated Ogbeide’s claims that

...As Ejike Linked With Orlando known yet.

CHAN MVP Ejike According to the former Pirates Uzoenyi is believed to be on media officer of Warri Wolves

Obinna Nsofor

his way to a top South African club with Orlando Pirates leading the chase.

Two other Nigeria players from the 2014 CHAN squad, Azubuike Egwuekwe and Solomon Kwambe, are also on the verge of securing deals with South Africa teams.

The trio did not return with the rest of the squad on Sunday night when they arrived in Lagos.

Warri Wolves skipper Egwuekwe’s likely

destination is Bidvest Wits.

The Clever Boys have been searching for a top-class centre back after they released Musa Bilankulu and due to the fact that Matthew Booth is not getting any younger.

Giant Egwuekwe is the exact type of centre back that coach Gavin Hunt loves to work with - tall, good in the air, powerful and composed.

The likely destination of Sunshine Stars right back Solomon Kwanbe is not

Timi Ebikagboro, Egwuekwe has undergone a medical in South Africa already.

“Super Eagles and Warri Wolves defender Azubuike Egwuekwe having done his medical and with Emmanuel Ibru on the ground in South Africa to finalise the deal will hopefully sign for Wits FC of South Africa, while Ejike Uzoenyi will likely sign for Orlando Pirates of South Africa,” Ebikagboro wrote on his Facebook page.

Uzoenyi was a hardworking and clinical finisher who deserved to play regularly with the main Super Eagles.

“Keshi hasn’t given him enough opportunity when the big boys are around.

“I think he needs more playing time with the foreignbased players; his ball control is excellent and he doesn’t deserve to still be in the NPFL. “I hope he gets a European call-up after the world cup,’’ Abdullahi said.

Similarly, Moroof Oluwa, Secretary General, Nigeria Referees Association, said Uzoenyi’s style of play was dangerous to any team, adding, “I see Okocha in-themaking in Uzoenyi.

“I like his guts because he can deliver when you need him the most. I wish he can replicate the same spirit when he’s being called to duty.

“I think Keshi should experiment with him playing a free role in the midfield with Mikel and Onazi,’’ he said.

NUGA Games

80 Member Contigent To Represent Unizik THE authorities of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka on Monday said that an 80-member contingent would represent the institution at the 24th Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) Games.

The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife will host the 10-day Games beginning on February 12.

The Games, earlier scheduled for October 12 to October 22, 2013, were postponed indefinitely due to the six-month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. The university’s Director of Sports, Peter Makasi, told reporters in Awka that the contingent would comprise 70 athletes and 10 officials.

Makasi said that the athletes would participate in 10 events at the Games and listed them as athletics, badminton, tennis, table tennis, football, volleyball, handball, judo, taekwondo and swimming.

He said the athletes had been prepared well to improve on their performance at the previous Games at the University of Benin, Benin City, where they won only a medal.

He disclosed that the athletes had been in open camp since the university re-opened after the strike by ASUU on December 17, 2013.

The director added that the athletes and their handlers would move into closed camping for one week before departing to Ile-Ife for the competition on February 12 He commended the institution’s management for encouraging the team and expressed optimism that the athletes would return with more laurels from the Games than in the previous outing.

CMYK

BEYOND the glowing tributes paid to Nigerian troops who have, no doubt, shown commendable dedication in routing out the insurgents in north eastern Nigeria, there have been very little else to suggest that the government’s efforts have achieved the level

the armed forces by now is puzzling. It would have been expected that one of the first steps the government would take to check insurgent attacks would be to position it’s forces strategically at such prime target areas. Where manpower is overstretched, it would be expected that the security

thousands of Nigerian refugees in neighbouring Niger. This is not the image of a country with a booming economy that the government sells to the world, neither is it the consequence we would expect of a military success against marauding murderers.

While government

Fighting The Insurgency: Beyond Mere Claims

of success intended. The recent surge in attacks by these terror groups seem to suggest that the government’s efforts have been largely stifled by an opponent that has proven itself invincible.

This is not completely true though: according to sources with whom I have kept regular contact to know the true situation on the ground, the government has actually dealt the insurgency a severe blow but it seems to have embarked on this mission with the notion that it is fighting a conventional war. The government may find it hard to admit for obvious reasons but it has been ruffled by the recent attacks launched by Boko Haram members across Borno state as must have been obvious from the deadly attacks on important military installations in the state.

For most Nigerians, these attacks tend to undermine the reports by the government that it has almost wiped out the insurgency. I, like many Nigerians, do not think so: they may have won some battles but certainly not the war. President jonathan’s recent change of armed forces service chiefs is clearly stirred by the worrying trend and the inability of the previous heads of the different military establishments to forestall further attacks.

However, What strikes me most is the continued attacks on villages, schools and churches without the military able to stop them.

The fact that such attacks on targets that should have been considered obvious by

Of An Economic Miracle

agencies would seek the support of local vigilantes under the watch of military personnel to ensure that these groups work within set limitations in carrying out their functions. It was surprising to hear survivors of a recent attack on a village lament the absence of military personnel in the rural communities after all these years and the consistent disposition of these insurgents to attack such vulnerable locations.

As much as I speak of the obvious failures of government in completely ending the attacks, It is important that I also point out the government’s commendable success in eventually restricting the attacks to a particular geographical area as against the frightening spread of attacks to several states a few years ago. That is some success to celebrate but it makes the the inability of the government to finally flush out the insurgents even more baffling, considering that one state would create even less obstacle to government efforts.

Apart from the failures and successes of military operations in the northeast, and the continued impact that the insurgency has had on Nigeria’s political and social psyche, there is also the economic impact. The government doesn’t say much about it but the economic reality in the north east is desperate and appalling. Markets that have been abandoned and bustling towns and villages that have become ghost towns. A report in one the national newspapers says that there are tens of

President Goodluck Jonathan

officials travel the world marketing Nigeria as a major economic success with seven percent growth rate, and an agricultural sector that they say is booming beyond imagination, or speak of huge foreign investments that are coming in, even when what they consider huge would largely pass unnoticed in other climes, it is important that they also spare a thought for those who have become victims of a growing menace for which there seems to be no end.

I do not understand how a country that is dealing with a major insurgency problem that has seen a large percentage of its population become refugees can successfully market itself as an economic success, even when the social conditions of its people have not changed much: I believe the economic growth they

talk about is illusory, what is obvious is that huge sums of money has been spent on aesthetics that would attract foreign investments but these invitations have largely been ignored. The security situation in the country has been a major source of concern for investors just as fears that the obvious neglect by government agencies of their social responsibilities could further exasperate public dissatisfaction.

The insurgency has already stalled the search for oil in the Lake Chad basin where prospects of large commercial finds are said to be encouraging.

However, the preferred reaction of the administration’s supporters to public dissatisfaction with its efforts at ending the insurgency in the north east is the puerile insistence that the insurgency is a

political ploy by enemies that they have already brandished as apologists of a core northern agenda to ensure that the administration does not succeed in governance. It would be utterly shameful if members of the government support this narrative because it speaks of a clear neglect of responsibility just as it exposes blatant ignorance of the facts about global terror trends today. Only dictatorships would make such claims to veil their incompetence; it is not expected of a democratic government that prides itself in the cerebral disposition of its cabinet.

It is possible to judge the success, or failure, of the government’s tactics by assessing it’s perception of the nature of the conflict. If it already sees the conflict as a political ploy from within- ditto the president’s claim some time back that there were Boko Haram elements within his government- it is obvious that it would be looking in that direction to find solutions. this was a major error that deprived the government of an early success: when it should have sought a clear direction in its push by seeking the opinions of experts, including the same group of northern elders and politicians it chose to target as culprits, the goverment rather went on a campaign to seek political support against what it considered a back door push against its political existence.

For this obviously puerile move, we lost precious time and many lives. Steps, such as the

State of Emergency, became tools that were to be used as aces as if we were playing a game of cards; they came too late.

The insurgency is not a political attack on the Jonathan government.

Granted that several groups and individuals have attempted to use it to their political advantage, but the truth is that many did this because they instantly saw through the government’s inability to truly comprehend the scope and magnitude of what they were dealing with. For some reason, government spokesmen and military strategists could not see the intrinsic link between the insurgency and the growing phenomenon of global terror, even with the obvious effect that the collapse of the Gaddafi government had in dispersing huge caches of weapons and revolutionary elements across West Africa.

The Jonathan government failed to tackle the real issues and chose to deal with peripheral concerns. The consequences of this flaw are the destruction, death and seemingly insurmountable challenges of insurgency that we see today. Let us hope that they have acknowledged the need to look beyond political considerations and deal with the real issues.

Rather than harp on the successes recorded against the insurgents and speak of economic successes that have not been felt by most, it is more important that we admit the challenges that the insurgency poses for our political process.

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