The Nigerian
PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol. 39 • NO.093 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 20 14 • N 100.00 ADVENTURE Page 11
Tale of 2 brothers trying to reach Europe
PERSPECTIVE Pages 16-17 Nigeria @ 54
Gridlocks and the illusive El Dorado
UNFPA donates materials to Ebola Emergency C’ttee
ABUJA – The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has donated materials for the prevention of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to the Lagos State Ebola
Emergency Operation Committee. In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun, the National Information
Officer of UN Information Centre, said the materials would boost the efforts at eliminating the disease. The statement said that the agency also
commended both the Federal and Lagos State Governments for containing EVD from further spread. Continues on page 2
Bakassi doesn’t belong to Nigeria
- Surveyor General
ABUJA - The Surveyor-General of the Federation, Prof. Peter Nwilo has said that Bakassi Peninsula, does not belong to Nigeria but to Cameroon. Nwilo made the 14, 2008 following the clarification when he Greentree Agreement featured as a guest on and thus ended the the News Agency of dispute over the 1,000sq/ Nigeria (NAN) Forum in km territory Some 90 per cent of Abuja on Monday, saying that based on available citizens in the Peninsula facts, the disputed are of the Efik ethnic territory actually nationality in Bakassi Local Government Area belonged to Cameroon. Nigeria lost the territory of Cross River. “Bakassi was more or to Cameroon based on a judgment of International less part of what they Southern Court of Justice in The called Cameroon. Hague in October 2002. “I know that the Nigeria ceded Bakassi available facts did not to Cameroon on August
weigh in favour of Nigeria...the facts they (Cameroon) had at their disposal did not favour Nigeria and that was why we lost it (Bakassi). “Even though at times
we think it is in Nigeria but the evidences didn’t seem to favour us,” he said. Nwilo said Nigeria had 10 years to bring up new facts to support its claim
and for the judgment to be reviewed but it did not have any new information. “I know just a few months before that, some people brought up some
documents but the country felt it was not something new. “The condition is that it must be something that we did not have when that case was judged and I don’t think we were able to get something that Continues on page 2
Make presidency less attractive, Atiku urges FG
ADO-EKITI – Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar yesterday appealed to the Federal Government to take necessary steps to make governance at the centre less attractive to politicians. Atiku stated this in Ado-Ekiti when he inaugurated the Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe General Hospital built by the outgoing Ekiti State government to mark its fourth year in office.
He suggested that the federal government could reduce the rush for power at the centre by devolving some of its powers which he described as too enormous. He advised the federal government to limit itself with issues relating to defence and foreign affairs among a few other responsibilities. He said other sectors including health, education and
TIT BIT
“There is no woman, who is experiencing as much discomfort in life as the woman, who cannot comfort any man.” - Kinglsey Ogbeide-Ihama
agriculture should be left for the state governments to manage. Atiku advised that more resources and funds should also be ceded to the states to make them more functional. “The Federal Government as it is constituted presently is too powerful; some of the Continues on page 2
2014 WORLD TEACHERS DAY: Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu (middle) flanked by the Commissioner for Secondary, Tertiary and Technical Education, Barr. Washington Osifo (left) and the Chairperson, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, Edo State Chapter, Comrade (Mrs) Bridget Osayuki during the 2014 World Teachers Day held in Benin City yesterday. Photo: MOSES OBOH.
Education: Edo
BENIN CITY – Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu said the state government is poised to restore lost glory to the education sub-sector in the state. Dr. Odubu stated this on behalf of Governor Adams Oshiomhole at this year ’s edition of Teachers Day in Benin
City which was organised by the state chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS). The Deputy Governor recalled that when the present administration in the state came on board, the education sub-sector was in a state of decay. Dr. Odubu said government has
to restore lost glory eliminated miracle centres in the state, a situation which brought about the state’s
excellent performance in the last West African Examination Council. He emphasised that
the state government offers free and qualitative Continues on page 2
FRSC arrests 6,127 traffic offenders O N I T S H A (ANAMBRA) – No fewer than 6,127 road traffic offenders were arrested for violating 6,676 offences and 766
drivers convicted by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Edo, Delta and Anambra State. The FRSC Zonal
Commander, Mr Nseobong Akpabio, told newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra State yesterday that the statistics covered Continues on page 2
News
Make presidency less attractive to Continued from page 1 politicians
responsibilities being supervised by it can be better handled by the states. For instance, what is the federal government’s business in agriculture when it does not even own any piece of land of its own. Why is the federal government still involved in health matters when most of
welcome, Fayemi said his administration decided to build the hospital to fulfill his electioneering campaign promises.
the health responsibilities are undertaken by the states,’’ he said. Atiku said if the federal government would be courageous to hands-off some the powers currently under its control, it would be less
attractive to politicians. The former Vice President commended the foresight of Gov. Kayode Fayemi in building the hospital, saying it showed his concern for the welfare of Ekiti people. Earlier in an address of
He said the need for a new Oba Adejugbe General Hospital arose because the former General Hospital was converted to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).
Service were promoted to grade level 17 in the last promotion exercise while two were appointed permanent secretaries. The State Commissioner for Secondary. Tertiary and Technical Education Barr. Washington Osifo said the Edo State emerged first in the last WAEC examination in the
South South region, while attributing it to the teachers readiness to partner with government in its quest to revamp the education subsector. Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools Edo State chapter, Mrs. Bridgette Asemota said the theme of the Teachers Day
celebration was “Invest in the Future, Invest in Teachers”. She explained that investment in teachers would in turn motivate them to prepare the children for future leadership. The event featured the unveiling of the union’s journal, titled: “ASUSS Journal”.
for the month of September. Akpabio gave the statistics after briefing FRSC officers and men while monitoring the ongoing Eid-el-Kabir Special Operations codenamed “Operation Push’’ on Benin–Onitsha Expressway. “Our patrol team covered 63,072 Kilometers collectively by patrol vehicles in Edo, Delta and Anambra on all strategic road crash prone routes to reduce traffic crashes in September. “Within the same month, 827 road traffic offenders were arraigned before the
mobile courts in Edo, Delta and Anambra, 766 drivers were convicted. According to him, these include commercial, private and government drivers that committed various offences. He said that 61 drivers were discharged and acquitted. Akpabio assured that more sustained enforcement would be carried out during the month with particular reference to the ongoing Eidel-Kabir Special Patrol Operations to further reduce violation of traffic laws. Akpabio advised motorists and other road users to be conscious of the hazards of
the rainy season by being extra caution while using the roads. The zonal commander also enjoined officers and men of the FRSC to redouble their efforts in ensuring safer motoring environment during Eid-elKabir celebrations and beyond. He said that regular and special marshals had been strategically deployed to effectively monitor all critical road corridors of the zone. According to him, such road corridors include Asaba-Benin, OnitshaOwerri, Benin-Auchi-Okene, Benin-Ore, Benin-Warri,
Ontisha-Awka-Enugu to ensure free flow of traffic and arrest traffic offenders. “The operatives of the corps would focus its searchlights on offences such as over-speeding, dangerous driving, dangerous overtaking, overloading, use of cell phone while driving, lane discipline among others. Any driver caught driving dangerously, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving above speed limit prescribed for a particular road and other offences will be arrested and prosecuted,’’ Akpabio said.
ZARIA (KADUNA) Governor Muktar Yero of Kaduna State on Monday advised Muslims and Christians to embrace and tolerate one another to guarantee sustainable national growth and development. The Governor said this when he paid the traditional Sallah homage to the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, in
Zaria as part of activities to mark the Eid-el-Kabir. Yero described peace as critical factor for the attainment of sustainable growth and development, hence the need to do everything possible to encourage it. He said that government had put all necessary measures in place to ensure adequate security of lives and
Edo to restore lost glory
Continued from page 1
education from primary to secondary school levels, adding that government provides pupils in school uniform free bus ride to and from school, a gesture which cuts across private and public schools. According to him, some teachers in the State Civil
FRSC arrests 6,127 traffic offenders
Continued from page 1
operations in the three states under FRSC Zone 5
Gov Yero calls for religious tolerance
Engineer laments impatience of road users LAGOS - The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), yesterday raised an alarm over the impatience of road users around road construction zones in Lagos. Mr Tayo Awodun, the Federal Roads Maintenance Engineer in charge of Lagos East, told newsmen that the attitude of road users where roads were being constructed or repaired caused gridlock. He, therefore, urged motorists to always exercise restraint around construction zones. “One of the major challenges we have is the understanding of the road users. Whenever construction work is going on or
maintenance work is going on, everybody is in a hurry to leave. Once maintenance work is going on, there would definitely be some delay in movement of people. So, they should try to understand with us that we would just be there for a little time to carry out the maintenance work and leave so that it would also improve their standard of living. So, any time we are working on major roads we work with our traffic management agencies for proper control of traffic, and to make it better, once such a thing happens we open the road definitely, maybe one lane for traffic. If it was two before it is reduced to one because of the work that is going on.’’
property in the state. While urging people to give security agencies maximum cooperation, Yero appealed to them to rally round the present administration at all levels to attract more democratic dividends. According to the Governor, every citizen has the right to vote for candidate(s) of his/ her choice and there is no compulsion in politics. He also reminded the citizens of the need to ensure
regular environmental hygiene to avoid contracting diseases. Responding, the Emir appreciated Yero for the visit and promised to extend the needed support to government to enable it to succeed. He appealed for peace, tolerance and understanding among the people of diverse ethno-religious differences for societal development. Sallah celebration has gone on peacefully in Zaria and its environment.
UNFPA donates materials to Ebola Emergency C’ttee Continued from page 1 “The efforts of both governments were being recognised globally as a success story from which other countries should learn from,’’ it said. The statement listed the materials as 10,000 copies of books on standard information for EVD contact self-care and 10,000 copies of books on screened suspected EVD patients in healthcare facilities. According to the statement, other materials are 500 copies of filovirus hemorrhagic fever guidelines and 500 copies of standard operating procedures for controlling
Ebola and Marburg virus epidemics. The statement quoted UNFPA Country Representative, Ms Rati Ndhlovu, as saying that the materials would strengthen public sensitisation to the mode of spread of the disease as part of measures to prevent a relapse. Ndhlovu commended the Lagos State Government for its quick response to contain further out break of EVD. She also commended the state government for the speed with which it handled the index case and all the emergency measures put in place to prevent further spread.
ITU set to check counterfeiting
LAGOS - The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said it would hold talks on strategies to combat counterfeit and substandard devices in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The Secretary-General of ITU, Dr Hamadoun Toure, made this known in a statement issued in Lagos yesterday. He said the high-level talks were in a bid to improve global coordination in the application of ICT. According to him, the talks, which will feature discussions on combating counterfeit and substandard ICT devices, will hold at ITU Headquarters in Geneva, from November 17 to November 18. He also said discussion
would take stock of the global challenges posed by counterfeit and substandard ICT products and the role of ITU in checking counterfeiting. “Consumers rely on brand names and international standards to provide an assurance of quality, and this assurance is relevant to consumers in developed and developing countries. Counterfeit and substandard ICT products demand international action. Such products raise the risk of network disruptions and interoperability challenges that result in poor quality of service, with potentially dire consequences in emergency situations,’’ Toure said.
SOKOTO – The Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) in Sokoto State said that one person died while 17 others sustained injuries in an accident that occurred between Sokoto and Sabongarin Kwannawa yesterday. Mr Kuteb Takum, the Sector Commander of the Commission in the state, who confirmed the accident, said the victims were returning from a ceremony in Sabon-garin Kwannawa— outskirt of Sokoto. He told newsmen in Sokoto that the vehicle — Pick-up van— marked Edo XF 739 BEN, somersaulted at the Sabon-garin Kwannawa Junction at about 10 a.m.
“The driver of the vehicle, who is now on the run, lost control of the vehicle while on Kwannawa- Sokoto highway. “It was not a head on collision, the van somersaulted several times after the driver lost the control of the vehicle and veered off the road,’’ he said. Takum said that one person died immediately while others sustained injuries. He said that seven of the injured were receiving treatment at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto. According to him, the remaining 10 injured are responding to treatment at the Specialist Hospital, Sokoto.
1 Dead, 17 injured in Sokoto accident
Bakassi doesn’t belong to Nigeria Continued from page 1 could take us to the International Court of Appeal. “The pillars are always put properly. That’s why I said that the accuracy of those pillars that you see is less than submillimetre accuracy. So the accuracy is very high. “So it is not the position of the pillars that is the issue; it is the convention, what was agreed. “It is after that you have agreed on something then you put pillars,” he said. He attributed boundary disputes among states of the federation to frivolous claims. Nwilo, saying that every boundary in Nigeria was properly defined. He said people know the truth about their boundaries, but made claims, especially where there were mineral resources. “Every boundary in Nigeria is properly defined but the states will start making claims that are frivolous even when they know they are wrong. “And of course, you cannot put a pillar if they (states) have not agreed. So what you do is to continue to sensitise them.
‘Every boundary that was done by the colonial masters had a gazette describing it. “But when you talk of a local government now, that description is not there yet; the debate is whether it should be the state that should define it or the Federal Government. “But if you define it with a gazette, then you should not have a problem, but we still have a problem because people deliberately make claims that are not genuine,” he said. The surveyor-general expressed regrets that after some states had accepted their boundaries and agreed to resolve their disputes, they suddenly reneged on such agreements. “They (states) go back and after one month, they come back and say they don’t agree again, that it is wrong. So you start afresh. “So you can go one step forward and two steps backward because of interest. “And of course if you have mineral resources around there, it becomes even more serious,” Nwilo said. He, however, said it was not the duty of the Office of Survey-General of the
News Christians Urged To Focus On Heaven By PIUS ABAH
BENIN CITY-The Edo State Pastor of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor Francis Eghalo has stressed the need for Christians to separate themselves from the things of the world, while focusing their attention on things above especially, in their pursuit of Heaven. He gave this charge at a combine service held at the Deeper Life camp ground in Benin City, Edo state chapter. Eghalo emhasised the importance of believer’s sincerity and commitment to the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Speaking on the topic. “The Christians and the world” he said, Christians should be aware that the world is a system organized by satan. “God made this world but saten came to introduce his system to negate the will of God for mankind” He said. He however noted that any attitude that is in contradiction to the standard of God’s word is termed worldliness, saying that it is the major strategy used by the devil to make Christians turn away from Christ. The state pastor enjoined Christians to be alert especially in the last days, stressing that those who are seeking for wealth and rich – quick syndrome often fall into the snare of perdition and destruction. In addition, he said, “Christians should study their Bible as it is the only way they can understand the will of God concerning them”. “While clamoring for the pleasures of life, we should allow the word of God to guide our actions desires and aspirations. This is because, many who went seeking for pleasures by their will has brought sorrows upon themselves”.
Rt. Hon. Uyi Igbe, Speaker Edo State House of Assembly (left) with Rt. Hon Victor Edoror, Deputy Speaker of the House and wife during a Thanksgiving Service to mark hsi elevation to the position of Deputy Speaker here, he is stepping out with friends and well wishers at Annunciation Catholic Church Irrua. Photo: GODWIN ISEGUAN.
L-R: Hon J. F. Akerejola Chairman Akoko-Edo Local Government Council, Hon. Sunday Eghe Osazemwinde member representing Ovia North East Constituency I Edo State House of Assembly Hon. Eronmosele Solomon, Chairman Esan Central Local Government Council and Hon. Godwin Aigbedion, Chairman Owan Wean West Local Government Council during Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror, Deputy Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly thanksgiving Service for his Elevation as the deputy Speaker of the House at the Annuciation Catholic Chuch Irrua on sunday. Photo: GODWIN ISEGUAN.
Niger River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA) is to irrigate 10,000 hectares in Kwara and Kogi state for the cultivation of rice and sugar cane. Mr. Niyi Afolayan, LNRBDA Managing Director, stated this in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Ilorin, Kwara state. He said that the N3.5 billion contract for the irrigation project had been awarded and would also cover 3,800 hectares at Tada/Shonga. He said when completed, the Tada/Shonga irrigation project would produce enough rice to feed the nation. Afolayan said that Kampe dam between Kabba and Lokoja would irrigate 4,200 hectares for rice and sugar cultivation. He said that the Kampe dam is unique because of its location on a higher elevation on the River Niger, adding that its water flows through gravity to the field. He said unlike most dams, the dam does not need electrical or mechanical force to drive irrigation water. Afolayan said that the Dangote Group had indicated interest in investing in irrigation around Kampe dam, adding that the land was suitable for sugar cane cultivation. He said that the authority had embarked on the irrigation of 500 hectares in the area, adding that corporate
Less Than 3% Land Owners In Nigeria Have C Of O -Surveyor-General
ABUJA - The SurveyorGeneral of the Federation, Prof. Peter Nwilo, said on Monday that less than three percent of Nigerians who owned land had Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). Nwilo, who made this known at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja, attributed the development to poor implementation of the Land Use Act. He explained that the Act should be properly implemented by state governments to ensure lawful allocation of land, noting that since 1978 when the Act came into existence, no state had implemented it. “Not up to three per cent of Nigerians have Certificate of Ownership and it is only when you have a C of O that you know you own a land”, he said. The Land Use Decree says that
the governor of the state holds the land in trust; so, every C of O should be signed by the governor or his representative. It is easy to say the law does not work but there is provision for every state to have its committee that deals with allocation of lands; no law is perfect but that law can continue to be improved. The Federal Government has set up a committee on land reform. What the committee is doing is to bring to the fore the shortcomings of our actions that has caused the Land Use Decree not to work the way it should work, he said. He explained that unnecessary processes involved in the acquisition of a C of O hampered development in the country.
He said there was a need for enhanced collaboration among bodies responsible for the implementation of laws governing the allocation of land. “When you want a C of O, there are so many obstacles, it can take up to three years to get it; it is not supposed to be so.What is important is that you show evidence that the land belongs to you and that you have a survey plan that is properly done. This affects us in terms of development; the C of O is the basis of everything we do such as establishing industries. Where we register land it takes donkeys years and no developer or industrialist will be ready to wait for so long,” Nwilo explained. He said the committee on land reform was working to ensure that state governments adhered
Steel Workers Command FG For Reviving Ajaokuta Steel Coy LOKOJA - The workers in Ajaokuta Steel Company Ltd. on Monday, commended the Federal Government for its efforts at reviving the industry. Mr Otori Salihu, the National President of Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ISSSAN), gave the commendation at the annual leadership workshop of the association in Lokoja, Kogi State.
Basin Authority To Cultivate 10,000 Hectares Of Rice, ILORIN - The Lower Sugar Cane
He said the recent delivery of consignment of billets to the company in preparation for resumption of production was a good development for the country and workers in the sector. He called on all stakeholders in the steel industry, including workers, to support government efforts towards reviving the sector. Salihu also called for a
policy that would stimulate the use of local content in the sector as a means of creating jobs and sustaining steel development in the country. He, nonetheless, called for effective implementation of good policy on the sector, insisting that the progress of the nation’s steel sector had been dragging due to failure in policy implementation. He commended the
workers of the company for their dedication to duty in spite of the numerous challenges confronting the company in the past. He said the workshop was aimed at preparing the workers ahead of resumption of production soon. The theme of the workshop was: “Strategic Synergy for the Development of National Metal and Steel Sector in Nigeria.’’
strictly to the provisions of the Land Use Act in enhancing land registration. Nwilo also said there was a need for professional surveys to be conducted when allocating and acquiring lands. He said that conducting professional surveys was necessary to accurately map out where land structures should be and to guard against erection of structures inappropriately. “What survey does is to show exactly where the land is; and a cadastral survey is a survey done to give a person the right to ownership of a piece of land. The cadastral map is one thing that is not available in this country; ask state governments how many of the states are mapping, yet we have survey departments doing nothing. We have slums because development came without mapping; if there is proper mapping you will know where to place the infrastructure,” he said. The surveyor-general also emphasised on the need for all stakeholders to implement best practices to promote development. He said: “If you do not map an area, you cannot manage it. With adequate survey and planning or with topographic survey, you will in advance have adequate information to know where to place every structure.”
farmers had signified interest in cultivating land around Kampe dam. Afolayan said Landmark University, Omu-Aran, had applied for 1,000 hectares and another 1,000 hectares for its graduate farmers who are interested in fish farming. He said that the NNPC Cooperative Society had acquired 187 hectares for fish production, adding that Nigeria has no business importing fish in view of its huge potential in fish farming. He said that the NNPC has a plan to invest one billion Naira in fish farming in the area, and had undertaken a study tour of Israel with the LNRBDA management.
400 Farmers Benefit From GES Scheme
BAUCHI -No fewer than 400 fish farmers have benefited from the Aquaculture Value Chain initiative of the Federal Government’s Growth Enhancement Support scheme (GES) in Bauchi. Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, the Director of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the state, made this known in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Bauchi. Yusuf explained that under the scheme, each farmer received 500 fingerlings free and five bags of feeds at 50 per cent discount. He said that the gesture was to create enabling environment for sustainable production of more than one million tonnes of fish annually. According to him, this is to meet the projected annual demand of 2.6 million tonnes of fish in the country. He said one of the objectives of the initiative was to enhance the local production capacity and turn the country from being a net importer of fish and fish products to a net exporter. The estimated local fish production in Nigeria currently stands at 600,000 tonnes annually, while importation is estimated at more than 700,000 tonnes. However, projected demand for fish in the country stands at about 2.6 million tonnes, which suggest a shortfall of 1.3 million tonnes. “The Federal Government is, therefore, supporting the farmers to meet this demand such that Nigeria can be selfsufficient in fish production,’’ he said. The director noted that aquaculture value chain, if well implemented, would generate 500,000 jobs within five years.
News Provide Quality Education For Children, Educationist Urges Parents, Teachers
A cross section of Oredo APC Chieftains during the declaration of intent by the speaker, Edo State Hosue of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uyi Igbe to represent Oredo Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives. Photo: GODWIN ISEGUAN.
OYE (EKITI) – Chief Rufus Eniola, an educationist, has urged parents and teachers to partner with government in the effort to provide quality education for the children. Eniola made the call in an interview with newsmen in Oye- Ekiti. He stressed the need for collaboration of parents and government in order to transform the education sector for
Chairpersons Commend Gov AWKA - The wives of the local government chairmen have in A nambra commended Governor Willie Obiano for socio-economic development of the state. Mrs Chinyere Umeoji, the Chairperson of Council’s Chairmen’s Wives in Anambra, gave the commendation in an interview with newsmen. According to her, the members of the association will give support to the governor in his efforts at improving on the legacies of his predecessors. Umeoji said the state had witnessed economic transformation, security and agricultural development in recent times. Obiano, in the past few months of his administration, has recorded successes on security and agriculture. “The governor is all out to fight the criminals and kidnappers in the state who scared away investors and tourists; this is a great achievement,’’ she said. In agriculture, she said the governor had commissioned farm project at Anaku in Ayamelum Local Government Area. According to her, the project has the capacity to produce 120,000 metric tonnes of rice and create more than 1,000 jobs. Umeoji, the wife of Aguata Local Government chairman, also commended the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan which she said had been replicated in many states.
A cross section of Teachers during the celebration of 2014 World Teachers day in Benin City, Edo State yesterday. Photo: MOSES OBOH
IPMAN Acquires, 1,000 Hectares For LAGOS – The crude and bringing it back $3bn Refineries Independent Petroleum as refined products will be Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has announced its commitment to provide leadership in establishing private refineries. Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo, IPMAN National President, told newsmen in Lagos that the association had acquired more than 1,000 hectares in Kogi and Bayelsa for the proposed three billion Dollars (N495 billion) refineries. It would be recalled that IPMAN had earlier in July concluded a business deal with some international investors to build two refineries worth about three billion Dollars at Itobe, Kogi, and Abbe in Bayelsa. The foreign investors had conducted feasibility studies on the project in
August. Okoronkwo said that the Federal Government had through the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezain Alison-Madueke, welcomed the investor’s initiative to commence work on the two refineries. He urged the Ministry of Power to support the IPMAN refinery initiative by providing the sites access to the national grid. He said that when the refineries were completed in 24 months, the refineries would initially produce about 200,000 barrels of petrol per day. Okoronkwo said that IPMAN’s aim was to contribute in the management of existing national capital flight that
characterised the oil and gas sector following the absence of a functional refinery. “The cost of taking
reduced. We want government to give us the necessary licences and enabling environment to operate,’’ he said.
ABUJA - Mr Yomi Ogunsola, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor of Kwara on Investment, Promotion and Strategy, has said that the Ilorin metropolis water reticulation project will cost N7.2 billion. He said this in Ilorin in an interview with newsmen, explaining that the state government had earlier spent more than N5.2billion on the project. He also said that the project was at 98 per cent completion stage while the water pipes would be connected to the water mains soon. Ogunsola assured the residents of the state that the
state government was committed to providing basic amenities in all parts of the state. In addition to this, he said the state government had also provided boreholes to many communities across the state. In a separate interview, Chief Rex Olawoye, the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, said that most of the residents in the metropolis would have access to potable water when the project is completed. Expressing appreciation to
better education delivery. Parents have roles to play in educating the child, they ought to provide their children with basic needs, such as writing materials and good food. They should also monitor their movement as well as ensure good upbringing including adequate training. “Teachers should impart the right knowledge in the pupils, do their works without supervision and keep on acquiring more training that will make them provide effective teaching,’’ he stated. Eniola noted that teachers played a crucial role in the education of the children and constituted important influence in the learning process and academic achievements. He urged parents and teachers to play their roles well so that children will not depart from the good principles and moral upbringing needed to cope with the challenges of life. He called on government to retrain and motivate teachers and not to relent in providing the needed tools for the promotion of quality education.
Ilorin Water Project To Cost N7.2bn -Aide the state government over the project, Alhaji AbdulRaham Suleiman, a community leader, said the project would put an end to water shortage in his community. He said the community — Sapati — had only one borehole donated by Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority ((LNRBDA). Mr Jimoh Afolayan, the Managing Director of the authority, said in an interview that LNRBDA had sunk more boreholes in different parts of the state to boost access to safe water.
News Cooperate Social Responsibility
Bank Partners NGO
BENIN CITY – As part of its corporate Social Responsibility, Fidelity Bank PLC through its helping hands program has collaborated with Africa Cataract and Eye Foundation in carrying out surgical operations for those living with eye problems in Ofunama Community in Ovia South-west Local Government Area of Edo State. Speaking on the essence of the partnership, the Regional Bank Head, Fidelity Bank, Midwest Region, Mr Emma Esinnah said; “having seen that we are doing well as an organization, we felt we should be able to do good. That was why our helping hands scheme was established about five years ago. “In helping hands scheme, we adopt the ‘bottom-top approach where the Life of the common man is affected positively”, he said. The Regional Head explained that they decided to buy into Dr Okorodudu’s idea due to its profitability to mankind. Dr.Okorodudu who is the founder of Africa Cataract and
Eye Foundation explained that the community is one he has worked in before, but was attracted to it, and that explains why he returned to it. “What we want to do is bring specialist doctors into the creeks. Hopefully someday, if you give us the land, we will build a hospital here. What I am going to do is my usual work-to treat your eyes.” “Let me use this opportunity to thank Fidelity Bank. What they have done is something I have always been looking for, someone to recognize and help with the work. They have agreed to sponsor a number of free surgeries for the community. If I come to Ofunama and tell you that 100 people are blind, it means nothing, because every person gets blind alone, and suffers it alone. So when they told me they were going to help me with some surgeries, they didn’t know why I was very happy. If with their help we are able to make one, two, three people see again, that is massive”. President, Ijaw National Congress, Benin chapter, Sir
Bibowei Braie said; “ We cannot thank Dr Okorodudu enough because he is already one of us, but for Fidelity Bank to key into this project and make Ofunama its first point of interest, I think we have to give them praise. Fidelity Bank discovered that the riverine communities are the most difficult to access, and that is why they chose to come. Am sure that now that they have seen with their own eyes, a lot of other good things will follow”. Earlier during a courtesy call on Edo State Commissioner for Health, Edo State, Dr. (Mrs) Aihanuwa Eregie said she appreciated the duo for understanding that Government can not do every thing, saying that their choice of serving in communities that are under served is highly commendable. “Ultimately you are partnering with Edo State because the project is executed in our State. I assure you that Edo state Government is willing to partner with any body that wants to bring the desired development”, she said.
ICT Festival To Empower Operators - Organiser
LAGOS - Mr Prince Cookey, the organiser of “Nigeria ICT Festival 2014’’ said the festival was aimed at enhancing the performance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) operators. He said in a statement issued in Lagos that the event, which would begin on October 30, served as a platform for ICT operators to assess the performance of the industry. He said the theme of the festival — “Broadband: Part to Digital Future’’— captured the essence of the broadband initiative of the Federal Government. According to him, the initiative will grow the ICT sector in the country via the application of broadband technology. “During the festival, the ICT operators will be able to plan a roadmap for sustainable growth of the market in future,’’ the statement quoted Cookey as saying. He also said that Dr Eugene Juwah, the
Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), would deliver the keynote address at the festival. According him, Mr Lanre Ajayi, the President of Association of
Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), would be one of the speakers during the event. He said NCC, ATCON and some major players in the industry would exhibit their latest products during the festival.
ADO-EKITI Mr Akinfolarin Feyisola, Director, Code of Conduct Bureau, Ekiti State, has directed Governor Kayode Fayemi to declare his “end of tenure assets” unfailingly before the expiration of his tenure. Feyisola told newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday that the directive also affected the outgoing deputy governor and other political office holders. He said that all the affected public officers had been duly informed. Feyisola said that it was mandatory for every political office holder in all parts of the country to declare their assets when coming and leaving
office. He said that defaulters would be dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for going against the law. He said that some of the officers had started collecting the assets declaration forms after receiving the reminder of the constitutional provision. The director, however, said the current closure of all courts in the state was a challenge for those who had filled their forms but have nowhere to swear affidavit or do other court processes. Feyisola advised those who are yet to collect or complete their assets forms to do so immediately, while awaiting the re-opening of the courts. -
Bureau Directs Fayemi, Others To Declare Assets
South-West Fraud
Ajimobi’s Wife Pledges Support For Widows
Court Orders Company To Forfeit Assests IKEJA - An Ikeja High Court has ordered a company, Folik International Ventures Limited, to forfeit its assets to another company it had defrauded of N100 million. Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, granted the forfeiture order while delivering judgment in a case brought against the company by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Folik International Ventures Limited and its owner, Folake Kowo, were arraigned on October 9, 2013 for fraud offence. The EFCC had alleged that the company and Kowo had, between June, 2011 and January, 2013, in Lagos, sold 200 cartons of frozen fish valued at about N100 million on behalf of Time Unicorn Ltd. The anti-graft agency alleged that rather than remit the proceeds from the sales to Time Unicorn Ltd., they diverted it to their personal use. Kowo had pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N50 million, with two sureties each in like sum. However, after being unable to meet the bail condition, 36-year-old Kowo opted for a plea bargain arrangement with the EFCC. Following the development, EFCC counsel, Mr Emmanuel Jackson, informed the court that she had repaid N70 million to the victim. Delivering her judgment, Ipaye ordered the forfeiture of 21 cold rooms belonging to Folic International Ventures Limited to Time Unicorn Ltd as restitution. She also directed that two landed property, situated at Mende, Maryland and Iba in Lagos, owned by Kowo, should be forfeited to the company. The judge further ordered that Kowo should pay N1 million to the Federal Government within 14 days as cost of her prosecution and warned that she would be sent to jail if she failed to obey the order of the court.
L-R: Executive Director (Editorial Operation), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Isaac Ighure; Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu and Managing Director, NAN, Mr. Ima Niboro, at the NAN Forum in Abuja on Sunday.
Virologist Wants Adequate Funding Of Immmunisation Coverage
LAGOS - A virologist, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, has urged the Federal Government to improve the nation’s immunisation coverage to prevent avoidable deaths of under-five children. Tomori, the President, Nigerian Academy of Science, made the plea in an interview with newsmen in Lagos. The virologist said that Nigeria should address its “eligibility at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) to achieve 100 per cent immunisation coverage”. GAVI is an international organisation created in 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland, to produce and improve access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest or developing countries. GAVI helps to bring down prices for developing countries through co-financing policy which requires countries to contribute to the cost of vaccines they receive.
Presently, 53 countries are eligible for GAVI support based on a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita below or equal to 1,570 dollars being the GAVI’s set conditions for such support. Tomori said: “One other issue that needs urgent attention is how the rebasing of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is likely to affect healthcare, especially immunisation activities in the next five to 10 years. “According to the World Bank, our GDP rose to 521.8 billion dollars in 2013, while our GNI was 2,700 dollars. “GAVI eligibility is for countries with GNI per capita below or equal to 1,570 dollars. “With Nigeria no longer GAVI eligible, we will need from 2015, to provide annually up to N50 billion for routine immunisation. “In 2013, the government
allocated less than N15 billion. “ While we rejoice over the rebasing of our GDP, we must ensure that we do not debase the health of our children by not providing adequate funds for immunisation.’’ Tomori said that the little improvements recorded in the health sector in the last 54 years had only benefitted few people involved in the execution of the process of improvement. According to him, ordinary Nigerians only has minimal benefits from the “improvement”
in the delivery of health services such as improved immunisation. “We must lay the foundation of our healthcare with ordinary Nigerians in mind. We must build with them and for them. “We must go to basics, build and sustain an integrated healthcare system stage by stage. “We must efficiently utilise and integrate the components of the healthcare system with other developmental projects education and agriculture. “Unless we apply these attributes to dealing with healthcare delivery in Nigeria, as we grow older as a nation, the future of healthcare will be diseases and deaths,’’ he said.
IBADAN - The wife of the Oyo State governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, has expressed the state government’s commitment to the cause of widows. Ajimobi gave the assurance at a programme she organised for 500 widows from local government areas during which she gave them various gift items. She said the state government was committed to restoring the dignity of widows and stopping the stigma often associated with widowhood. “We have thoughtfully designed this programme to coincide with the 2014 Sallah. “We thought it necessary that, celebrating this all-important day, we should also put smiles on the faces of a group of vulnerable people in the society,” she said. Ajimobi recalled that at the inception of the husband’s administration, she inaugurated mini-clinics for the aged and widows, and Widowhood Support Programme in the 33 local government areas of the state. The governor’s wife, who described widows as the embodiment of the struggles and travails of womanhood, assured the women that the government would always fight for their rights. She lamented that “many widows and their children are kicked out of their homes, forced to live in abject poverty and become prey to abuse, violence and sexual exploitation.’’ She urged Nigerians to always support and empower widows, saying they must be given the opportunity to live well.
2 Arraigned Over Burglary, Theft SANGO-OTA (OGUN) The police have arraigned two men, Gabriel Ewulor and Ismaila Ayedun, in an Ota Senior Magistrates’
Chief Nursing Officer, Mrs. Josephine Amodu (left), attending to an eye patient during a two-day Aro Bamgbose Free Health Care Programme in OmuAran, Irepdun LGA, of Kwara on Sunday.
Court in Ogun for allegedly breaking into a house and stealing property worth N330,000. Ewulor, 27 and Ayedun, 40, whose addresses are unknown, are facing a threecount charge of burglary, conspiracy and theft. The prosecutor, Cpl. Olumide Awoleke, told the court that the accused and others, now at large, committed the offences on June 29 at about 3 a.m. at 13 Mission Close, Arigbajo, Ewokoro, in Ota. Awoleke said that the accused also stole a Toshiba laptop, a Blackberry phone, and other valuables valued at N330, 000, property of one Ajibade Adeoniye. “The accused and others, now at large, entered the house after breaking the doors and carted away the complainant’s property worth N330,000,’’ he said. He said the second accused, knowing that the
blackberry phone was a stolen item, received it from Ewulor. According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene sections 390, 411 (1), 427 and 516 of the Criminal Code Cap C38, Law of the Federation, 2004. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The chief magistrate, Mrs A.O. Abimbola, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with one surety in like sum. She said the surety should be a worker and resident within the court’s jurisdiction, and should submit his or her passport photograph to the court. Abimbola also said that the surety must show evidence of one year tax payment to the Ogun State Government. She ordered that the address of the surety be verified by the police, and adjourned the case till November 18 for hearing.
Lagos NANTAP Urges Nigerians To Maintain High Level Hygiene LAGOS – Ms Faith Eboigbe, Chairperson, National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), Lagos chapter, has urged Nigerians not to relax even though the country had become free of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Eboigbe spoke with newsmen in Lagos as the NANTAP organised an EVD sensitisation programme for artistes at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. “Some people are of the view that EVD has been overflogged, and that it should be allowed to rest. “I believe that as far as people travel from one place to another, we are not yet safe. “We should still create awareness and make people to be hygiene conscious and do the needful to prevent it,” she said. According to Eboigbe, the aim of the sensitisation programme is to make Nigerians and artistes aware
that “it is not yet time to sing Haleluyah”. Prof. Fidelis Njokanma, a Pediatrician and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Lagos State University (LASU), said that sensitisation of Nigerians needed to continue. “We must continue to protect ourselves and make sure that nobody imports the disease into our country again. “We must maintain a high level of hygiene,” he said. Njokanma said that health and other authorities in Nigeria fought gallantly to rid the country of EVD but “we should not get careless about it.” In her contribution, Mrs George Omowunmi, Deputy Director, Health Education, Lagos State Ministry of Health, said that the ministry would collaborate with NANTAP to organise stage plays that can send messages quicker. “When the messages on
Ebola are sent through plays, they will stick and people will not forget them easily. “That the country was able to contain Ebola does not mean that something might not happen again. “We should be on our toes and keep on fighting; we want to raise a lot of awareness through songs, plays, hand bills and other means possible, for the information to stick,” she said. The late Mr Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American, imported the virus into Nigeria on July 20. It resulted in seven deaths in the country but the virus has now been contained with no one having it presently in Nigeria.
Director-General, Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Mr. Sola Omole signing condolence register at Dame Oluremi Oyo’s residence in Lagos on Sunday.
Eid-el-Kabir:
LAGOS - Recreation centres in Lagos have recorded high patronage as fun-seekers celebrated the Eid-el-Kabir festival, reports state. Correspondents, who
Former Governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Rasheed Ladoja, briefing newsmen on “The State of the Nation”, after the Eid-el-Kabir prayer in Ibadan on Saturday.
monitored the Sallah activities, also reported that roads in the metropolis were devoid of the usual heavy vehicular traffic which characterized daily motoring in the city. At the Bar Beach, in Victoria Island, which hosted many people, a Public Relations Consultant, Alhaji Sherrif Shamusideen, told journalists that the Eid-elKabir was a period to celebrate and spend time with his family. “We do not know how to relax in Lagos, because everybody wants to make ends meet; so this is an opportunity for me to relax and spend time with my family. “But economically, the situation in the country is not encouraging; spending during this period is hard. Last year, the economy was a bit better, `` he said. Shamusideen appealed to the Federal Government to address the economic challenges in the nation and make the standard of living
Imbibe Lessons Of Eid-el-Kabir, LAGOS - A religious group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has urged government to imbibe the core lessons of the Eid-el-Kabir — sacrifice and welfare of citizens. The Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, gave the advice in his sallah message to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir in Lagos. Akintola said that government could demonstrate the lesson of sacrifice by reducing the salaries and other emoluments of public officers and members of the National Assembly. According to him, such money can be used to better the lots of Nigerians. “We remind Nigerian leaders
of the core lesson of Eid-el-Kabir, which is sacrifice. “Prophet Ibraheem, who is the father of the Ibrahimic faiths remains a universal model today because of the huge sacrifice he made by offering to sacrifice his son. “His exemplary role therefore, became a model for both Muslims and Christians. “ This is because the same Ibraheem (Abraham) was the father of both Ishaq and Ismail (Isaac and Ishmael), who were the fore bearers of Christianity and Islam, respectively. “Unless our leaders follow the Abrahamic model, the citizen will continue to wallow in poverty.’’
Govt
Akintola decried the high rate of poverty among Nigerians. He said that Nigerians had no business being poor when the country was producing 2.4 million barrels of oil per day and selling the oil at N93.61 per barrel. According to him, Nigeria even makes 224 million dollars per day from the sale of oil alone. “This daily income from oil gives us 81 billion dollars or N12.8 trillion per annum. “It is sad that Nigeria remains the 20th hungriest nation and the
Fun-Seekers Throng Recreation Centres better for citizens. On her part, Mrs Ore Ajibode, who had her family in a tent at the beach, said that she and her husband decided to take the children to the beach “to catch fun” because the man could not afford a ram for the Sallah. “I brought my children to the beach so that they will not be left out in the celebration since we could not afford to kill a ram and celebrate at home. The children’s school fees are the most important now because immediately after the celebration, they will resume for the new session,” she explained. Hajia Basirat Odunlami, a business woman, who was also at the beach with her family, said that she usually travelled to the village during Sallah, but could not do so this year because of high cost of transportation. “To me, last year was better because we travelled; this year, there is no money and the little that is available, we will manage for the children’s
Group Urges
26th poorest country in the world. “ If our budget for year 2014 is N4.6 trillion and our annual income from oil alone is N12.8 trillion, what business have we going out to borrow a single dollar from outside. “The sum of one billion dollar loan approved by the Senate for President Goodluck Jonathan to buy weapons to fight Boko Haram was therefore, a bad adventure. “Seventy per cent of Nigerian school children failed in the last West African Examination Council tests. One million Nigerians are totally blind. “Thirty-two million Nigerians have river blindness. 300,000 die
of malaria every year. 30 million are hypertensive. Four million suffer from diabetes. 80 million Nigerians live below poverty level. “The average Nigerian lives on less than one dollar per day and life span in Nigeria which was 74 before independence is now 47. “Our government should wake up to their responsibilities and do the needful for the masses rather than think of their pockets or personal gains.’’ Akintola urged political leaders to strive to deliver on their electoral promises so that Nigeria could enjoy the gains of democracy as obtainable in developed countries.
upkeep and their school fees. “And, since we could not travel, we decided to come to the beach to make them happy and feel the mood of the festive period, “ she said. Odunlami explained that the family was not at the beach because they had money, “but we just need to keep our hopes high and believe that the future will be better.” At the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Mrs Kabirat Bello, a nurse, however, said that this year’s Sallah celebration was better when compared with last year’s. “To me, this year’s turnout at the theatre is better. I brought my family out here to relax and enjoy the period,” she said. Bello, however, appealed to the Federal Government to ensure proper maintenance of the theatre, in order to attract more patronage. Reports state that although three films were slated to be shown inside the theatre halls, many of the fun-seekers, including families, had picnics on the lawns. A mother of three, Mrs Shola Shoetan, told newsmen that she was at the environment with her family “to relax and appreciate the serenity of the theatre and not to watch films.” According to her, we are here to celebrate the Sallah and have fun but not to watch film. Similarly, some eateries, including Mr Biggs and Sweet Sensation at Apapa Road, also received some of the sallah fun-seekers. At Mr Biggs, one of the customers, Mr Taofik Oluyege, told newsmen that he was there to ease off and expressed gratitude to God for sparing his life to see another Sallah.
Eid-El-Kabir Mimiko’s Wife Donates To Muslim Women AKURE- The wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Kemi Mimiko, has donated 200 bags of rice to the state chapter of the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN). Mimiko made the donation in Akure through the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Ms Yemi Mahmud-Fasominu. She said that the women have been supporting the state government through their prayers and the gesture was to enable them enjoy the celebration. Mimiko reiterated the state’s commitment to welfare of the people as demonstrated in different programmes including free health care and free shuttle buses for the primary and secondary school students in the state. She said that the 2014 Sallah celebration was special because it came with Nigeria’s Independence anniversary and her husband’s 60th birthday. Alhaja Fausat Aliu, the state president of FOMWAN, commended the governor’s wife for the yearly gift and appealed to the governor to consider more women for political appointment.
L-R: Former Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Na’Abba, IGP Suleiman Abba, Vice-President Namadi Sambo and the National Security Adviser, Retired Col. Sambo Dasuki during the Eid-El-Kabir prayers in Abuja.
Obiano Sues For Peace
He reiterated the council’s determination to continue to execute people-oriented projects to fight poverty, unemployment and youth restiveness. The chairman commended residents for sustaining the prevailing peaceful coexistence in the area. In his sallah message, Alhaji Lawal Nagogo, the paramount ruler of Wamba chiefdom, urged the people of his domain to live in peace, saying, “no nation progresses in an atmosphere of rancour and confusion.’’ The royal father appealed to politicians to play politics according to the rules of the game, and refrain from blackmail and bitterness. He also called on the youths to be vanguards of peace and shun all forms of criminality.
According to him, the celebration of Eid-elKabir gives Muslims across the country a veritable opportunity to reflect on the supremacy of peace to nation building. “I urge you to reflect on the deeper meaning of the teachings of Prophet Mohammed and seek new ways of working for the peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians. “May the teachings of the holy prophet guide our relationship with one another this Sallah season and always,” Obiano said. The governor further urged Muslims in the state to pray for peace and security in the country and state. “As you celebrate, remember to be vigilant; take note of people and activities around your neighborhood to make sure nothing breaches the peace and security of our state. “May I also assure you that my administration is committed to providing the enabling environment for your businesses and economic activities,” Obiano said.
Evangelical and Intercessory Fellowship Ministries, Kaduna, has fed 400 prison inmates, mainly Muslims, at the Kaduna Central Prisons to mark the Eid el Kabir celebration. Buru also provided food for 600 inmates of a Destitute Home located on Kano Road in the metropolis. Presenting the food along with soft drinks and bathing soaps, the pastor said that the gesture was to enable the prisoners and the destitute to participate in the sallah celebration. He called on wellmeaning Nigerians to always remember and assist the less-privileged in the society. “We share whatever we have so as to make them feel happy on this special
day,” he said. He stressed the need to straighten relationship between Muslims and Christians in the country, saying, “we are brothers and sisters and we must be united and live as one.” He called on the government to do more in the welfare of prison inmates across the country. Receiving the items at the destitute home, a former National Vice-President of People with Disability, Malam Rilwan Muhammed, thanked the pastor for remembering the inmates during the sallah. Muhammed prayed God to strengthen Buru and provide for him so that he would continue to assist the less-privileged.
AWKA - Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has charged Muslims to use the spiritual lessons of Eid Kabir and the blessings of the Sallah season to promote love and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians. The governor made the call in Awka in his Sallah message to adherents of the Islamic faith in the country.
Council Boss Donates To Patients
WAMBA (NASARAWA) - Alhaji Musa Shaibu, the Chairman of Wamba Local Government Area, on Saturday made cash donation to patients in hospitals in the area to ease their difficulties in paying outstanding medical bills. Shaibu, who made the donation at some hospitals in the council, said the gesture was aimed at alleviating the sufferings of the patients who
were on admission. The hospitals visited include Wamba General Hospital, Wamba Medical Centre, and the National Primary Health Care Agency in Wamba, where he gave undisclosed amount of money to all the patients. The chairman said he was at
District Head of Kankia in Katsina State, Alhaji Musa Hassan on a horse acknowledging cheers from admirers during a Traditional Sallah Homage (Hawan-Bariki) at Government House, Katsina.
the hospitals as part of his sallah celebration to sympathise with the patients over their ill health and donate the “little cash’’ to alleviate their suffering. He prayed God to heal them so as to enable them contribute their quota to national development. “He who gives to the needy will never lack; that is why I am here to extend my good gesture and offer my hand of friendship,’’ he said. “My sallah message to the people of the state and Nigerians is for us to live in peace and tolerate one another….’’ The chairman noted that the security challenges facing the state and some parts of the country had affected lives and the socio-economic development of the country negatively. He called on the people to always preach peace, and urged Nigerians to live as brothers and sisters in accordance with the teachings of the religious books - the Bible and the Quran.
KATSINA - The Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir, has urged Nigerians to shun violence during the 2015 general elections. He made the call on Sunday in Katsina when he paid a traditional Sallah homage to Governor Ibrahim Shema. Kabir noted that nothing was achieved through violence hence the need for the people to steer clear of such tendencies. He called on politicians to play politics in accordance with the rules and regulation for the development of democracy and the country in
Shema said that his administration had accorded education top priority, offered free education at primary and secondary levels and scholarship to students of tertiary institutions at home and abroad. He said that the state government would soon commission ICT centres in Katsina to make the youth computer literate in line with the global trend. The governor also noted that government had constructed more than 340 primary healthcare centres to enhance healthcare delivery in the state.
2015: Emir Urges Nigerians To Shun Violence general. The Emir criticised some politicians who instigated the youth to cause mayhem and destroy lives and property for their selfish interests. Kabir urged parents to ensure proper upbringing of their children and wards in other to prevent them from being manipulated by politicians who engage them as thugs. He also urged wealthy individuals to complement government’s efforts by contributing to the
development of education. In his remarks, Government Shema urged the people to shun politics of “bitterness and do or die affair.“ “People should note that leadership is from God as He gives it to whom He pleases at the time He wishes,’’ he said. He, therefore, called on Nigerians to embrace all acts that are capable of strengthening the unity of the nation and desist from ethnicity and religious sentiments during the 2015 electioneering campaigns.
Pastor Feeds Prison KADUNA - Pastor Inmates Yohana Buru of Christ
News Oyo’s Death, Big Blow To Journalism, Nation - Omeri ABUJA- Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Mike Omeri, has described the death of former Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mrs Remi Oyo, as big blow to journalism and Nigeria. In a statement in Abuja by Mr Paul Odenyi, NOA’s Assistant Director, Media, Omeri said that Oyo was an icon of development journalism. “She was a patriot who saw journalism as a tool for national development; her death is a big blow to journalism and the nation. “She was in a rare class of communication experts who saw journalism as a means to achieve peace, progress and development in the country,’’ he said. The NOA boss said that Oyo was an asset the Nigerian media had lost, adding that her robust and intellectual contributions to the nation would be missed. “ Oyo was a great asset to the Nigerian media and an icon who has touched many lives. We shall miss her robust and intellectual contributions to national development,’’ he stated. He prayed that God would grant the nation, family and friends of Oyo the fortitude to bear the loss.
Similarly, Omeri congratulated Muslim faithful on the celebration of Eid el Kabir and urged them to pray for the peace and stability of the country. “This is the time to pray for the sustenance of peace and the complete defeat of terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria. “The Eid el Kabir celebration is a time to reflect on the virtues of love which all religions uphold as the supreme virtues of mankind,’’ he said. Omeri also appealed to leaders of all faiths to demonstrate in words and action, their commitment to unity and peace of the country, saying that doing so would inspire their followers to do the right thing.
President Goodluck Jonathan (left), receiving letter of Credence from the New Ambassador of Ireland to Nigeria, Mr. Sean Hoy, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja recently.
Police Arraign Labourer For Receiving Stolen Property ABUJA - The police arraigned a 22-year-old labourer, Mustapha Mohammed, in Wuse Zone 2 Senior Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, for receiving stolen property. The prosecutor, Cpl. Umar Ango, told the court that the matter was reported by one Emmanuel Nnaji on September 30 at the Wuse Market Police Station, Abuja. He said that the accused, who lives in Kado village, Abuja, committed the crime on September 30. He added that the accused received eight cartons of stolen fruit juice worth N18,000 from one Mohammed Mamman. The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 217 of the Penal Code. However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge and the Senior Magistrate Aminu Eri, granted him bail in the sum of N10,000 with one surety in like sum. Eri then adjourned the case until November 25 for further hearing.
L-R: IGP Suleiman Abba; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosun; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Usman Jibrin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah and Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, at the Security Council Meeting in Abuja recently.
Foundation Provides Free Medical Treatment In disease. He said that the programme OMU-ARAN (KWARA) - Healthcare Empowerment Omu-Aran Dr Musa Bello, the was also part of the corporate No fewer than 500 residents of Foundation. Coordinator of the Foundation, social responsibility of the Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local The two-day programme Government Area of Kwara, on Sunday received free medical treatment for different ailments under the Aro Bamgbose Free
attracted residents from the wards of the council including Ekan, Ilofa, Oko and Ipetu. The beneficiaries were treated for malaria, typhoid fever,
hypertension, hernia, eye ailments and diabetes. The beneficiaries were also given a health awareness talk on breast cancer as well as Ebola
told journalists that the programme was organised to improve the health status of the people of the communities.
officers to attend to the health needs of the people. According to him, the group attends to between 70 and 100 visitors each day of the fair. According to him, the services offered include free medical check, free body check-up, counselling and distribution of health materials that could be of help to the people. Enyi, who said the medical services were targeted at improving health of men, women and children, noted that most often people don’t avail themselves for necessary check-
up. He said as that a practising doctor, he had always sought ways of contributing to the development and progress of Nigeria. He said the team was always excited to take quality healthcare to people that needed it, adding that the joy on the faces of the people it met and cared for is very satisfying. One of the visitors to the FGBMFI health stand, Ms Christy Akpaida, commended the group for the initiative which she said had been of immense benefits to those who patronised the fair.
Group Offers Free Medical Services Abuja Fair:
ABUJA- The Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship International (FGBMFI) Abuja has rounded off its two weeks free medical services at the ongoing Ninth Abuja International Trade Fair yesterday October 6. The leader of the fellowship medical team, Dr Chris Enyi, disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja. Enyi described FGBMFI as an international, nondenominational movement of businessmen and professionals that connect men from all works of life.
“FGBMFI connects men from all works of life. They share God’s power and goodness through their life stories. “They seek to introduce men to a new and exciting ways of life,” he said. He said that the group was at the fair to attend to medical needs of visitors, exhibitors and traders as well. He also said that the fellowship had been a regular participant at the Abuja trade fair which started on September 23. He said that the team has more than 15 practising medical
Foundation, aimed at complementing the government’s effort of bringing healthcare delivery nearer to the people. Bello disclosed that the programme was organised to coincide with the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, and another would hold at Christmas. He said that the programme, which involved tests, diagnosis and treatment, would afford the people the opportunity of knowing their health status. “This is one programme which is of immense benefit to the people at the community level, especially the low income earner as well as the less privileged”. “It is basically aimed at improving the health condition of the people at the grassroots, for them to contribute meaningfully to their immediate environment,” he said. Bello, who expressed satisfaction at the large turnout, commended the heads of mosques and churches in the areas for providing the needed awareness toward the success of the programme.
Business + Economy
SEEFOR To Employ 2,000 Youths ASABA - Mr Benson Ojoko, the Coordinator, World Bank’s State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) in Delta, said the project would employ 2,000 youths in the state. The coordinator said in an interview with newsmen in Asaba that the youths would be engaged in refuse disposal techniques in different parts of the state. Ojoko, nonetheless, stressed that the project was being executed in conjunction with the state government. He said the local government areas in the state were grouped into 160 zones, consisting of 800 households each. According to him, 320 graduates of tertiary institutions would also be engaged to supervise the youths. He said the youths would be deployed to work in Oshimili South, Uvwie, Udu, Sapele and Warri South local government areas. Ojoko said the beneficiaries would be engaged for 12 months while SEEFOR project would continue for five years. Besides the current programme, he said SEEFOR had earlier engaged 2,000 youths in the state, who would be soon enroled in skill acquisition centres. He said the project was aimed at creating jobs for the youth and make them employers of labour.
SURE-P Recruits 83 Physically Challenged Persons
Imo Carnival in Owerri on Sunday.
Children catching fun at Central Mosque round-about in Bauchi on Sunday.
He said that the recruited persons, mainly women and youths, were trained and assigned to various jobs, including traffic control and cleaning of roads, hospitals and markets. He said that the recruitment programme was targeted at reducing unemployment and poverty in the state. Ishekpa, who was represented by Mr Monday Dalyop, Vice Chairman of the SURE-P committee, said that the programme had provision for the empowerment of people in the low stratum in the society, especially rural dwellers. “As we are all aware, the importance of establishing SURE-P programme in the country by the Federal government is to curb unemployment and poverty especially among the rural poor, comprising youths and women. “We have employed 3,000 youths and women in the state in the first phase of the programme which commenced in June 2013. “Out of this number, 83 are persons with various disabilities whose hardships needed to be alleviated and improved on their living standards,” he said. “This has also helped in curbing social vices such as youths’ restiveness in the country,” Ishekpa added. He disclosed that beneficiaries of the programme were living up to expectation and were dedicated to their duties, enough to justify the investment of the Federal Government in the scheme. He, however, appealed to the government to provide more working tools and ensure regular payment of stipends to the beneficiaries of the programme in order to sustain it. Responding, Mr Israel Gideon, who led the consultancy firm’s team, said that they were in Nasarawa to inspect SURE-P projects and report back to House of Representatives committee.
Akpabio Appeals For Investment
ABUJA - Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, has reiterated his call on stakeholders in the industrial sector to invest in the state, assuring of adequate incentives.
Akpabio made the call in Abuja while speaking at Akwa Ibom Day at the ongoing 9th Abuja
MTN Foundation Invests N10bn LAGOS – MTN Foundation, In Social Projects the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of MTN Nigeria, said it has invested over N10 billion in social projects since its incorporation in 2004. A Director of MTN Foundation, Mr Dennis Okoro gave the figure in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos. Okoro said that the investment was made in the key areas of education, health and economic empowerment in 341 locations
KEFFI (NASARAWA) - The Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) said it had recruited 83 physically-challenged persons in Nasarawa state as part of its empowerment scheme. The Chairman of SURE-P Committee in the state, Mr Joseph Ishekpa, stated this in Keffi while briefing House of Representatives Committee on Rural Development on the activities of the programme in the state. Ishekpa told officials of Absolute Security and Consultancy Services Ltd, which represented the committee that the physically-challenged persons were part of 3,000 people recruited by SURE-P in the state from June, 2013 to date.
across the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory. He said that the foundation was passionate about improving the quality of life in Nigeria and contributing to socio-economic growth. According to him, MTN Foundation is constantly seeking opportunities to contribute to the development of the communities wherein it operates.
“In line with its continued commitment to support state government’s efforts at reducing the security challenges in the country, the Foundation recently donated security vehicles to the Rivers State Government under the third phase of its Security Support Project (SSP). “The gesture is in furtherance of the Foundation’s commitment to improving the quality of life in Nigerian communities.
International Trade Fair. The theme of the fair is “Strengthening SMEs for Economic Growth’’. The governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr Ufot Nkangude, said no investor in the state would have electricity supply problem as the government had a 110megawatt power generating plant. He said that through the plant, no less than 85 per cent of the state had been electrified, adding that the remaining part would be connected to the grid before the end of his administration in May, 2015. He said that the state
government was currently building an Export Processing Zone which was already nearing completion, adding that the state also had an international and cargo airport. The governor assured of availability of other incentives that would ensure security and profitability of businesses in the state. In his remarks at the occasion, President of Abuja Chambers of Commerce Mines, and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA), organizers of the fair, Dr Solomon Yagba, said that the chamber was partnering the state in developing SMEs. Yagba said that the partnership was engendered by the great
opportunities and conditions for growth of commerce in the state. He stressed the need for the development of SMEs in the country, regretting that many graduates still roam the streets due to lack of jobs. “If our industries, especially the SMEs, were developed, many of them would have been employed,” he said. Yagba also disclosed that some investors from South Africa had concluded plans to build a shopping mall in Nigeria. He said that the mall would be the largest in Africa, adding that it would be constructed in the Abuja trade fair complex where land had already been provided for it. He said that work on the mall was expected to commence in December, 2014.
IBRAHIMA Yalou and Abdou Ndiaye are half brothers from a small town in central Senegal. Tall, strong, and bearing the same wide smile, they grew up sleeping in the same bed. Both left home to escape poverty, traveling by land across three countries with the hope of eventually making it to Europe. After multiple attempts at crossing from Morocco into Spain, only one of them has made it in. It was not until his sixth attempt – or “strike,” as they are called – that Mr. Yalou made it to Spanish soil. Under the cover of night, he rowed across the border in an inflatable dingy with 18 others, including one infant. Mr. Ndiaye was not on the boat that night; worn out by past strikes, he was working to save money for the next one. Today, Yalou is part of Spain’s undocumented migrant class, working as a street seller in Bilbao. Ndiaye also works as a street seller, but in a market on the outskirts of Tangier, Morocco. They haven’t seen each other in years. But they joke about being in the same situation on two different continents: Both are undocumented and, lacking the right to work, both survive by working in informal economies, sending whatever they can spare back to their family in Senegal. Between them, the brothers mark both ends of a passage into Europe that is traveled by tens of thousands of migrants every year, and in increasing numbers, as they flee poverty and war in the Middle East, Africa, and Afghanistan. Their plight has become a political lightning rod, with the rise of far-right, anti-immigrant parties in Europe at a time of record unemployment. And the influx has pitted southern European countries – such as Spain, Greece, and Italy, which are seeing the highest number of undocumented migrants entering – against northern Europe, which assimilates most asylum seekers. “There has been an overall chill across Europe amongst policymakers, politicians, and publics towards immigration and asylum policy,” says Elizabeth Collett, director of the Migration Policy Institute Europe. ‘STRIKE BY BOAT OR FOOT’ In northern Morocco, migrants strike by boat or by foot, hoping to enter Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar or by scaling the 20-foot border fences into Ceuta or Melilla, two Spanish enclaves in North Africa. Recently, groups of migrants have become more organized, storming the two cities in groups numbering in the hundreds. During a two-day span in August, more than a thousand people tried to climb the barriers around Melilla. Fewer than a hundred succeeded. Yalou and Ndiaye (both pseudonyms) have made many attempts at the border. Yalou had previously attempted rowing and climbing into Melilla, swimming into Ceuta,
Adventure Tale Of 2 Brothers Trying To Reach Europe as well as rowing the nine miles from Morocco to the Spanish mainland. Each time, he was caught and sent back to Morocco by one of the two countries’ police forces. When he did finally arrive in Melilla, Yalou was ecstatic. Because he had reached the European Union, Yalou had the right to a lawyer and an interpreter, and to live in the Spanish enclave while his immigration case was processed. He stayed in a crowded-but-clean bunk room in the city’s temporary immigrant center (CETI, its acronym in Spanish) where he was given three meals a day, medical attention, and Spanish classes. Still, Melilla felt like a large prison, Yalou says, adding that at least in Morocco he had some freedom of movement. The CETIs are open and migrants can leave during the day, but they are not able to leave the cities of Ceuta or Melilla, neither for the Spanish mainland nor to go back to Morocco. Unable to work in Ceuta or Melilla, groups of migrants can be seen roaming the streets and beaches of both cities. Some wash or help park cars for a few spare euros. Residents say the influx of people has been felt in these two small cities. “They treat Ceuta like a buffer for the whole country and continent. I don’t understand why we have to bear the brunt of the entire country’s immigration policy,” says Jose, a hotel owner in Ceuta who only gave his first name. “They [the migrants] are driven by hunger in their countries. Let them pass through to Spain and France and Germany so they can work.” 20-FOOT FENCES The CETIs were built more than a decade ago, at a time when, residents say, the borders were much more porous. Before they were built, migrants’ tents and camps dotted the hillsides on the Spanish side of the Ceuta border; these were their temporary homes for the months or years it took the Spanish bureaucracy to churn. In Melilla, the border area was one of the best playing fields in town for soccer, recalls one resident, adding that a lost ball meant hopping into Morocco over a waist-high fence to retrieve it. But today, 20-foot fences separate the enclaves from their African neighbors, as the flow of immigrants has gone from a stream to a torrent. In Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish and Moroccan police have been under intense criticism for their heavy-handed responses to migrants trying to cross the border. The situation came to a fever pitch in February, when the Spanish military police fired rubber bullets at a group of migrants numbering in the hundreds, as they tried to swim across the border to Ceuta. Fifteen died in the chaos, generating fury from human rights activists and the EU.
By ZACH CAMPBELL, SARA MILLER LLANA Still, for many migrants, it’s worth the risk. While the law is not always followed, and Spain has been criticized for its summary deportations, often violent, in theory the migrants cannot be deported without legal proceedings or the
the brunt of the migration to Europe today. Migrant deaths off the coast of Italy have become disturbingly commonplace: The most tragic incident occurred last October when 362 migrants drowned off the coast of Lampedusa.
having a common destiny and values ... or we risk the role of Europe itself.” EUROPE DIVIDED Spain has increasingly called on the rest of the EU to help, as have Italy and Greece. But northern European countries argue that they assimilate the majority of the continent’s refugees – and that southern Europe keeps conditions subpar to encourage migration to the north. Of the Syrians that
African Migrants on board a flotella on the meditarranean sea bound for Europe. opportunity to apply for asylum, says Virginia Álvarez, head of Home Affairs for Amnesty International in Spain. Migrants’ cases, however, can often take months or years to resolve, depending on their country of origin and whether or not they apply for political asylum, explains Sara Verdú, a lawyer who works with Valencia Acoge, an immigrant advocacy organization on the Spanish mainland. Migrants who do not apply for asylum often receive safe passage to the Spanish mainland to relieve overcrowding, Ms. Verdú says. Those who apply for asylum, she adds, “almost never make it to the [Iberian] peninsula.” Spain is not alone in facing
In the wake of Lampedusa, Italy launched a rescue operation called “Mare Nostrum,” which costs the government $14 million a month. By the summer, the traditional “boat season,” Italian police and the Coast Guard had already rescued 60,000 migrants since the operation began in January. In all of last year, 42,000 people arrived. Italy has repeatedly called for more support from the EU, which will overtake patrolling of the Italian border perhaps as early as November. “It’s not enough to have a common currency, a common presidency, or a common source of financing,” said Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in June. “Either we accept the idea of
received protection status last year, 60 percent were welcomed in two member states: Sweden and Germany. Germany in June granted asylum to another 10,000 Syrians, raising to 20,000 the number it’s accepted in a special program created since the conflict ignited. Asylum seekers entering the EU are supposed to apply for refugee status at their point of entry to Europe, but they increasingly move on to other countries. The European director of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Vincent Cochetel, says family, better networks, or better access to jobs elsewhere prompts them to move on. In Italy, 27,000 people applied for asylum last year, compared with
“Still, Yalou says, slow Spanish bureaucracy and high unemployment make getting papers a long shot. And without papers, finding work is even more difficult.”
some 42,000 who were rescued, he says, or about half. “It is a sign of dysfunction of the system,” he says. “They are waiting for the next opportunity.” Holger Kolb, a researcher at the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration, says Germany is one of the top receivers of refugees today. “There is this assumption that there is a north-south divide, in which the south is receiving the lion’s share of migrants and the north is not [doing its share]. That is not true,” he says. “There are countries in the north, like Sweden and Germany, receiving many refugees. Italy, one of the countries that is very loud and direct about the burden they face, does not belong to the group receiving the most refugees.” So far Europe hasn’t come to a common understanding. “A solidarity system should be in place, Mr. Cochetel says. “But one is waiting for the other for a commitment.” TRYING AGAIN In the meantime, the flows continue. Yalou says he was lucky in Melilla. He only lived in the CETI for a week before being placed on one of the government-organized flights to mainland Spain. Then, after two days in a police station, one month in an immigrant detention center, and a week in an immigrant shelter run by a nongovernmental organization, Yalou was free, but with no papers and nothing but bus fare to a city in the north of Spain and the clothes on his back. This, migrants and activists say, is the Spanish government’s way of easing pressure on the whole system: Migrants are moved from the overcrowded CETIs to detention centers on the peninsula, and then are, in many cases, simply let go without any deportation procedure or any form of legal permission to stay. (The Spanish Interior Ministry did not respond to repeated requests for comment.) Yalou was not discouraged: Spain has a clear path for undocumented migrants to sort their papers. Anybody living in Spain can register with the government as a resident, regardless of his or her immigration status. After three years of being registered and given a work contract, and having no problems with the police, Yalou can apply for regularization of his papers and the right to stay and work legally in Spain. And after 10 years with papers, he can obtain Spanish nationality, allowing him to live and work anywhere in the EU. Still, Yalou says, slow Spanish bureaucracy and high unemployment make getting papers a long shot. And without papers, finding work is even more difficult. Yalou says he struggles just to survive here and often thinks about going back to Senegal. Ndiaye, still living in a squalid building in the outskirts of Tangier, does not want to go back. Unfazed by the lack of work in Spain, he is determined to make it over, even though it’s a deadly gambit. “If we don’t succeed, we come back and try again,” Ndiaye proclaims defiantly, “and if there’s no work in Spain, we’ll go somewhere else.”
THE House of Representatives recently organised a public hearing to gather opinions on Foreign Donations Bill currently before the lawmakers. The bill titled “ An Act to Regulate the Acceptance and Utilisation of Finance/Material Contributions of Donor Agencies to Voluntary Organisations and for matters related connected therewith” has generated so much furor in development circles. THE bill states that no voluntary organisation is allowed to accept funds from international donors without the permission of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC. By this regulation, the ICPC would be mandated to approve funds for Civil Society Organisations, and individuals who receive international funding for different programmes. WE strongly oppose the Bill for a number of reasons: The Bill proposed by Hon. Eddie Mbadiwe, appears to be a duplication of duties assigned to the Special Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML. MBADIWE, at the committee meeting held on July 3, said he sponsored the bill with the intention to promote and defend civil society organisations. This of course, is a lie because, Civil Society do not need government’s bureaucracy for its defense. Instead, the bill if allowed to sail through will stifle Civil Society Organisations, block many from accessing international support and weaken their activities which includes amplifying the voices of the poor and vulnerable groups in the society. MBADIWE also said there was consistent abuse of contribution made by the international community and the bill would help control inflow of money into Nigeria. He also noted that funds meant for CSOs have ended in the hands of terrorists. This is a blatant lie because whereas Civil Society
THE NIGERIAN
Foreign Donations Bill Organisations have been receiving funds from international agencies for over one hundred years of Nigeria’s amalgamation history, terrorism became an issue and manifestly so in the past two-three years of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration; that is why most observers believe that a section of the north who do not want him as president are the brains behind Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria. ALL over the world, it is said that government alone cannot finance development and meet the various challenges facing all citizens that informs the entry point of other development partners such as Civil Society to fill such gaps as the private sector is usually preoccupied with profit maximization. IT is a truism that hundreds of local CSOs and voluntary organisations receive donor funding from international partners to pursue developmental projects across Nigeria yearly, Mbadiwe, a consultant Biochemist/ Industrialist, and an inexperienced first-term member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato North/South constituency of Imo State do not have clear understanding of the working of Civil Society now accepted by the United Nations and Governments all over the world as key partners in development. IT is important to emphasise that funds of CSOs are usually channeled towards sustainable development, public office holder
accountability, good governance, improvement of access to quality healthcare services, polio eradication and HIV/AIDS care and control in Nigeria among others. If the proposed bill is made law, such funding henceforth would only materialise if the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, approves it, a task which SCUML is already assigned to do. THERE are laws already governing the utilisation of money used by civil society organisations and it is the duty of government to enforce these laws. There are extant laws, which regulate civil society organisations, making it possible for these organisations to be held accountable for the utilisation of their funds. In addition to these laws, are policies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, policy that makes it mandatory for all NGOs to comply with its SCUML rules. IN as much as we are against terrorism, we do not support the destruction of democratic structures in the guise of combating terrorism as being canvassed by he Bill. IT is our considered view that Civil Society Organisations cannot be made to suffer, under the pretence of enacting a new law to tackle terrorism. The strength of Civil Society Organisations is based on the fact that they were independent of the government, given the peculiarity of government in Nigeria, the proposed bill latently seeks to muzzle this independence and now make them government dependent organisations. THE bill poses a threat to the freedom of civil society organisations. It is a covert threat to their right to free speech, and by extension, a threat to the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. It is against these facts that we urge members of the National Assembly to throw away the Bill and cosign it to the wastebasket where it actually belongs.
Nigeria: From
Egypt To Canaan No army in the world can stop an idea whose time has come - Victor Hugo This piece is a call to civil duty. It is dedicated to all the victims of the modern institution of slavery in Nigerian; to the innocent victims of the most insidious invention ever contrived by man in modern times; to those at the receiving end of the beastly dispositions of the marabous in the mansions of power; to those who have been turned into pariahs in the land of their fathers by the demonpossessed drivers of the Leviathan – the evil Vicars of Aso Rock and other bastions of political power in Nigeria. The thoughts expressed in this piece are bound to elicit missed reactions from a segment of the ever critical public. While some will objectively give me kudos for objectively speaking my mind - a fundamental right that no one can deny me - on what is a critical issue of national significance, others will choose to label me a prophet of doom and troubleshooter. That notwithstanding, I am ready to open my “basket mouth” – as some would prefer calling me – to speak out, that the wise ones in the multitude may hear. Nigerians are some of the greatest skeptics in the world; doubting Thomases who don’t believe in the possibility of positive change; naysayers who see problems in idea, no matter how novel; compulsive pessimists who are always cowed by challenges. A couple of weeks ago, as Nigerians prepared to celebrate the country’s 54th “Independence” Day Anniversary, I engaged some of my friends in a charged exchange on Facebook about the strangulating state of primitive inequality in Nigeria, and why there is need for a people-driven change. While my friends agreed with most of my submissions on the subject matter – the existence of two largely separate and unequal classes of citizens in Nigeria - they disagreed on the possibility of redressing this social imbalance. My dear friends are like most Nigerians: individuals who are perceptibly well informed about the manmade brambles constricting their country’s development and growth. They know what the union’s problems are, but prefer remaining spectators of action; bewildered freemen who watch while a little cloud gradually metamorphoses into a gigantic squall, without acting to arrest the situation; citizens who doubt the possibility of a constructive
transformation of the unjust status quo; people who view change from idealistic standpoints. Yes, Nigerians know it all! We know what our problems are; why we are still in chains, despite being “free”; why we are still tied to the apron strings of our local slave masters - our native colonialists - 54 years after gaining independence from the British Buccaneers; why the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to burgeon cyclically out of proportion, despite all the lip service being paid to equality as being the cornerstone of the country’s “democracy”. We are, indeed, a knowing nation – a society of philosopher kings and queens who know it all. But the million dollar question is: What practical steps have Nigerians - the all-knowing Januses of the 21st century advanced as a people to arrest the burgeoning rot in the system, as rank and villainous as we know it is? This brings us to a very dangerous presumption that is currently making the rounds across the country: the mistaken belief that “one day e go better”; that Nigeria will get out of her doldrums one day, whether anybody like it or not; that our challenges will simply suddenly fly away, whether we endeavour to do something about them or not; that since God is a Nigerian as one of the discussants in the aforementioned Facebook dialogue alluded to - we must wait until He comes down from heaven to supply us with manna on earth. We are the only people on the face of the earth who tolerate injustice with smiles on our faces “suffering and smiling”, according to the late Afro-beat exponent, Fela Anikolapo Kuti, of blessed memory. If you ask the average Nigerian what part of the world he or she would prefer settling in, you are most likely to hear “America”, “Canada”, Australia, “Europe” et al. This is because of the high level of organization that has provided the better life for the people living in these parts of the world - the relative peace, prosperity and access to the best things in life being enjoyed by the majority. But most us don’t even bother to find out why there is so much sanity and prosperity in these countries; why almost all the citizens of these countries are guaranteed equal access to the good life. We are quick to assume that things are just naturally the way they are; that these countries
are so blessed because God resides within their borders. Nothing can be further from the truth than the above cockeyed conclusions which stems from the narrow mindset we have developed over the years, which are due to the largely stone-age conditions we have subsisted in and the reign of suffocating ignorance that has held this country in its vicelike grip for so long; conditions that have been attributed to divine providence; to the supposition that we can do
Cutting Edge With Obuseh Jude GSM: 08033510173 wa for una oh! The Christian Bible tells the story about how the Israelites were miraculously liberated from Egyptian bondage by the mighty hands of Jehovah, the supreme God, who then led them into Canaan, the promised land of plenty; of how God saw the sufferings of his people,
President Goodluck Jonathan nothing about our present conditions; that we must manage everything the way they are until “thy kingdom comes”. We have internalized an “I don’t care attitude” to issues of national concern and have come to accept the various inconsistencies in the system as normal everyday routines; as traditions we met on ground which must be continued and left to future generations to pass on to others after them. This grave submission to the much vilified vicissitudes of life is partly responsible for the current state of confusion, fear and squalor persisting in this country. Nigerians want to enjoy the same high standards of living as Americans without working for it. We want to be great but are not ready to make our bones, forgetting that great nations are not constructed on seamless alters of wishful thinking, but built on solid foundations of hard work, dedication and uncompromising sacrifice. Na
heard their cries for help, and was moved to deliver them from the hands of their oppressors. But people read this story literally upside down, without noting the very salient points the writer was trying to convey: that God did not practically come down from heaven to physically free His people from Pharaoh’s iron-grip, but that they acted on His instructions before freedom could be achieved; that they took their destiny as the people of God into their own hands by physically acting out the script prescribed by God before their destiny could be fulfilled; that even after crossing the Red Sea, they had to contend with a lot of challenges, such as fighting off hostile nations - such as the Amelekites, Philistines, Canaanites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites etc - before finally arriving the promised land; and that even after arriving the promised land they had to contend with other equally formidable challenges of nation-building. That is the
script the peoples of the U.S, Canada, Europe and other developed countries of the world have acted out to the letter, and is mainly responsible for their phenomenal growth they practically fought for whatever they are currently enjoying. So, if we think we can wish all our problems in this country away without taking any practical steps towards eradicating them, we sorely deceive ourselves. But why do some of us prefer Egypt, with all its persecutions, to Canaan, with all its rich bounties. Why do some of us prefer slavery to freedom? For how long shall we continue to be patient, tolerant and hopeful that one day things will miraculously change for the better? My brothers and sisters, there is no more time for wishful thinking. The rulers of this gold mine of ours will never leave this rich field unless forced out by our resilient will. Like a roaring lion, they prance about seeking to devour anyone who dares challenge their evil mission; like the legendary leopard that can never change its coat, these Nubians will not change the colour of their skins unless compelled to. We must wake up from our drugged slumber and strike off together with the same determined objective of getting this country rid of all the filthy slim interfering with its smooth match to freedom. The reality of life is that nothing good comes easy. Our failure to realize this is the major reason why we have remained slaves in our land. That is why we have been disrespectfully subjected to the most inhuman conditions by our rulers who know us better than we know ourselves and have accordingly devised effective strategies to bend us to their iron will. The realities of the 21 st century, makes it practically impossible for Nigeria to progress beyond her niggardly state if we continue to operate the system as currently constituted. Countries the world over, having been infected by the bug of popular change waltzing through the entire globe, have activated the processes of reforming their administrative machineries – structurally, institutionally and in other significant
ramifications - as this is logically the only vehicle through which they can develop and grow. If the citizens of so-called “advanced” democracies can succeed in creating their own brands of heaven on earth, I see no plausible reason why we can’t follow closely in their strides by creating a state of bliss out of the injurious state of nature we presently subsist in. The citizens of the advanced climes we keep alluding to as benchmarks of development had to sacrifice their all to get to the Olympian heights they currently occupy. Why can’t Nigerians follow suit? Every great achievement - from the distant past till date - started off as an idealistic construct. In fact, the world, as we have it today, was constructed on ideas. It takes the audacious demonstration of the practicability of “hope” for mere “ideas” to metamorphose into realities. In the same way the tar pit of confusion we currently hover over was ideologically constructed by the warped members of the ruling class to favour them and their cronies, we have what it takes to also upturn this demonic contraption from the hottest part of Hell: the collective Nigerian spirit - that indefatigable will to survive against all man-made odds. Bad leadership is a function of the quality of followership existing in any human society. We are partly if not wholly to blame – for the poor quality of leadership that has held sway since the commencement of the Nigerian project. Accepted that equality does not exist in the literal sense of the word, it is our common duty as the true owners of Nigeria to strive to “redress” - in order to “improve” on - the current systemic incongruities in which the citizens of one of the most extravagantly endowed countries in the world continue to subsist like Eskimos and Gypsies in the green land of their fathers. We must continue believing in the possibility of positive change and work assiduously towards the realization of that ideal. Nature itself avoids a vacuum. I sign off! MR OBUSEH JUDE, A PEACE RESEARCHER AND PRACTITIONER, WRITES FROM BENIN CITY. TEL:08033510173. Syncado2006@yahoo.com
Nutritional Health And Dietetics THE mysterious and magical properties of plants and flowers have for centuries, been used for healing and magic spell. Plants have a personality and individuality, they go through phases and moods
distinguishing habito characteristic and proclivities. He seemed to have the ability to converse with them. A former engineer, Leonid Panishkin became Gunar’s chief assistant, when asked
just like people, sometimes, they are active, other times inactive. Research shows that before a tree is chopped down, it actually experiences fear, some plants and flowers are more sensitive than others and react to people’s energy and words. Flowers and plants feel the energy of love and all plants thrive in a calm and happy environment, they especially, enjoy music and have varied tastes depending on what species they are, the emotion they release is dictated by their surroundings. They have auras and react to people’s moods, becoming tense if around loud or erratic energies, they have an awareness and feel empathy. Tests were conduct in the 70’s, the discovery was that when plants were subjected to undue stress, they fainted and remained non responsive for a time. In October, 1970 an article was published in Russia proclaiming that plants talk, they not only talk, they scream, they stoically bare pain and accept misfortune, it was written in the article that a barely sprout attached to very sensitive electronic equipment cried out when its roots were plunged into hot water. This sound was registered by the electronic instrument attached to the barely sprout, also revealed was a bottomless value tears on a broad paper hand. The recording pen zigzagged crazily out on the white track documenting the agonizing death throws of the barely sprout. Some kind of brain cells within were telling those conducting the experiment what was happening. Professor Ivan Gunar, along with his staff conducted hundreds of experiments on plants. These confirmed the presence of electrical impulses in plants similar to the nerve impulses in man. Professor Gunar talked about plants and their
why he gave up technology to work on plants alongside Gunar in his laboratory, he said there is life in plant and that plants also have short term memory. In Bengal India University, there are some buildings made of gray and purple sandstone that contain instruments to measure the growth and behaviour of plants by magnification processes. In England, Bose conducted an experiment using highly sensitive instruments the specimens he tested were Minosa Pudica and Desmodium gyrons. His demonstration shows how plant touched on one side would shiver and react on the other. Rudolf Jakob was the first botanist to reveal that flowering plants have sex and that pollen is necessary for fertilization and seed formation. He stated that plants have female organs in the form of vulva vagina, uterus and ovaries, serving the same functions as they do in women, as well as male organs in the form of penis and testes, designed to sprinkle the air with billions of spermatozoa and like animals and women flowers exude a powerful and sedative odour when ready for mating, triggering bees, birds and butterflies to join in these rites. Flowers that are not fertilized will emit a strong fragrance for up to eight days or until the plant withers, once the flower is impregnated, the powerful fragrance ceases. In the 1900’s, Gustav Frecher came to a profound understanding that plants possessed soul and had undreamed of sensitivity. He believed that all things in different ways express a cosmic soul. He said there are likely souls (plants) which bloom in calm and stillness exhaling fragrance satisfying their thirst with
dew, all this while communicating with each other by the perfume they exude and becoming aware of each other by voice. Flowers recognize each other by scent. For centuries, philosophers
sadness. Flowers and death are synonymous with a history of use on graves and in funerals. They also celebrate the birth of a new soul, a small baby coming into the world about to embark on a journey of
With
O.C. Madu GSM: 08056379608
The Mysterious And Magical Properties Of Plants and seers alleged that plants, animals and human beings have fields of protoplasmic energy which permeate the solid physical bodies of molecules and atoms. In ancient iconography the “aura” depicted around the bodies of saints with golden halos around the head, has been claimed by those with
discovery. The scent of a flower can take you back to a time of sadness or happiness. We use flowers as a part of many rituals, the sight and smell of flowers in the home always evokes a feeling of well being. In our day to day life, flowers are used naturally and they are seen as a symbol of life. They are beautiful and
the psychic gift since historical documentation began. The kirlidans discovered how to photograph on aura of plants. They found that rays of energy and swirling fireball of light shot out of plants into space. The well known Austrian natural scientist and clairvoyant Rudolf Steiner believed that cosmic enteric forces must exist if only by the fact that some plants will only germinate no matter what amounts of heat and water are given to them during other times of the year. Flowers he said can be a symbol of happiness and
they are fragile. There are many myths and superstition about flowers, if you plant flower on the evening of a new it is lucky and the ancient Egyptians believed that giving flowers would bring them good luck. If a flower is removed from the site of a grave and thrown away, the place where the flower lands will be haunted ever after. Always, give red flower to someone who is ill as red represents life and healthy red blood cells, under no circumstances giving white flowers to a sick person, it is back luck. Giving a flower to someone you care about is a loving gesture and there is an
art to choosing the right flower for that person. During Victorian times, flower giving was particularly symbolic due to strict social guideline, emotions and thoughts could not readily be expressed between men and women. They relied on communication using elaborately created symbolism in the form of flowers. A language that all
scented handkerchief could be sent. For a woman to drop a scented handkerchief purposely in close proximity to a man was considered quite seductive. In modern times, flowers are still sent to those who are ill or recovering from an accident or ailment. To welcome the birth of a baby or celebrate a marriage, to mourn a death or offer congratulations for birthday
men and women courting or otherwise understood succinct messages, conveyed as eloquently as the spoken word were sent via flower. Research also shows that thoughts, feelings and emotions were understood by the recipient depending on what type of flower was sent, whether there was a bunch of flowers or single flower. Everything that could be adorned with flowers during the Victorian era, was the home, wall paper, jewellery, stationary, crockery, hair, clothing. Adding to the elaborate language of flowers was the significance of their scent, instead of a gift of flowers, a
anniversaries, house – warming to celebrate holidays and is a simple gesture of friendship. Bachelor Button – Spiritual significance or symbolism is hope in love. Rose Clove – remembrance – beauty). The rose is always associated with love and romance, the meaning of roses, red-passion, whitepurity, pink-happiness. Be careful who you give a yellow rose to, yellow infidelity. Sun flower – adoration, haughtiness, reference to sun god (helios) they turn their heads to the sun. Peace and Love.
Issues NAFDAC And Internationalisation Of Local Pharmaceuticals OUTRIGHT opposition to and radical criticism of government policies and actions no doubt helps a nation to grow if accorded a nationalistic outlook. Little wonder that a Nation fares better, faster, most genuinely and more impressively when critics acknowledges progressive and landmark achievements as well as proffers alternative solutions where and when necessary. It is within this context that critics could be patriotic or selfish, disgruntled/ unpatriotic by assessment. Consequently, we must as Nigerians, acknowledge that the President Goodluck Ebelle Jonathan conceptualized and implemented Transformation Agenda is indeed propelling the Nation towards a dynamic and success driven multisectorial development which is already according Nigeria an ideal placement in the committee of Nations. The swiftness ,dynamism and seriousness with which government confronted and conquered the globally dreaded genocidal Ebola disease and urgently placed Nigeria on the World map as an –Ebola free Nation, still remains a mystery to the international community such that the United States of America ,an acclaimed world Power, has approached Nigeria for necessary tutorials and assistance in this regard. This feat is no doubt attributable to the existence of a transformed indigenous health sector manned by seasoned and competent manpower under the leadership of a focused coordinator Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu as health Minister. Similarly, NAFDAC is indeed, a vital organ in the sustenance of progressive healthcare services and it is conscious of the fact that acceptability is a vital ingredient in the success and otherwise of Pharmaceutical production endevour which in turn is hinge able on two variables; namely, domestic/indigenous and global /international. While the former is limited and therefore out rightly restrictive, the latter is limitless both in status ,practice and associate able
dividends .Considerably , dependable health boosting substances production otherwise known as Pharmaceutical products or Drug making, desires globalized consumers acceptance for absolute survival and reliability .In fact ,the more extensive ,the better for it. Needless to posit however that the Nation’s good health sustaining organ ,implicatively, the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control – NAFDAC, under Dr Paul B. Orhii’s leadership has relentlessly sourced and administered dynamic approaches towards boosting maximally, the competitiveness of our indigenous good health preserving substances production. The underlying wisdom inherent here is that rather than allowing our country to remain an eternally foreign pharmaceuticals dependent Nation, it should on the contrary attain, sustain and retain an enviable and highly reputable status of world class drug exporting Giant Nation in the African continent. How achievable? The NAFDAC leadership has relentlessly been on the vanguard of aiding the nation’s drug firms to successfully attain production of globally acceptable and good health guarantee able pharmaceutical commodities. As a seasoned healthcare expert and world-class administrator, he is aware of the existence of internationally and strictly stipulated and compliable stringent standards for Pharmaceuticals production and acceptance. It is in furtherance of this patriotic ideal ,that NAFDAC is audaciously championing intensive support for our local drug producing firms to enable them upgrade to the globally upheld standards in the sector in accordance with the World Health Organisation specification in this regard. Under this arrangement, the Federal Government is availing operators in the sector with an assessable multi-billion naira operational soft loan facility as an intervention fund solely
for the singular purpose of empowering them to conveniently boost production capacity to meet the WHO specified Global standards for Pharmaceuticals production. Already, a sizeable number of Nigeria pharmaceutical firms have been inspected by the WHO pre-qualification team towards achieving the desired pre-qualification
recently, one of the Nation’s Pharmaceutical giant –Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited(SWIPHA),was pronounced by the World Health Organisation[WHO]as having successfully scaled through the initially perceived rigorous processes and has earned for itself the coveted WHO good manufacturing practice (GMP) prequalification certification, a process aimed at
NAFDAC Director-General, Dr Paul B. Orhii status through NAFDAC supervision and support. Come to think of it, indeginous drug production should not be targeted towards meeting local production only but also assess comfortably, the international export market so as to make an impact in meeting global demand for these life saving commodities. This NAFDAC induced initiative which initially seemed unrealize able and considered by many doubting Thomases as a mere wild Goose chase when introduced few years ago, is now yielding commendable dividends. Just
determining the ability of a firm to persistently, produce products without compromising quality standards specifications of the organisation. Remarkably, WHO Director General, Dr Margaret Chan, commended the determination and unwavering commitment of NAFDAC under its incumbent management which she claimed has successfully brought about the earning of WHO GMP certification by a Nigerian local pharmaceutical firm which incidentally remains the first of its kind in the entire
West Africa .According to her, effort to acquire WHO prequalification for Nigeria local drug plants was initiated by NAFDAC in 2011 through collaboration with the WHO pre-qualification team to enable them benefit from multi-billion dollars patronage from international aid agencies and drug users which initially seemed impossible. The WHO boss who spoke through a representative Ms Seun Omobo further asserted that the feat was indeed a reward for the Nation’s effort via NAFDAC to ensure that her indigenous drug producing firms partake in the prestige earning global drug manufacturing and trading activities. Noteably, NAFDAC has consequently earn for the Nation, respect, adequately inspired confidence and competent supervisory ability while the problem of inferiority complex resulting from the previously held notion that Nigeria products are of inferior quality, has eventually be nullified by the WHO certification which is now an attestation to the suitability of our indigenous products for the World Market. By this is meant that It has consequently, been certified to play/participate via production and export of pharmaceuticals in the seeming monopolized annual over 300bilion dollars worth global pharmaceutical market along side pharmaceutical firms from United States of America, Japan, Germany, China, Europe etc. In view of this therefore, more indigenous firms like May and Baker plc, Fidson Healthcare, Neimeth etc are now making frantic efforts to key into this progressive economic initiative. The NAFDAC backed effort will maximally boost production ability of local drug plants by making them measure up adequately to globally acceptable standards with the consent of WHO. The World Health Organisation assent will no doubt further rub-off
positively on local drug plants as the production of essential medicines will bring about acceptability for our indigenous medicines globally thereby successfully acquiring the capacity to satisfy both domestic and foreign demands. This has furthermore buttressed the fact that Dr Paul B. Orhii has maximally justified the confidence reposed in him by all and sundry as not even the controversial Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria[PSN] who initially opposed Orhii’s candidacy at NAFDAC could hold back its joy resulting from SWIPHA WHO GMP certification which is a product of his visionary and dynamic acumen as it boldly admitted while congratulating the management of Swiss Pharmaceuticals Nigeria Limited on their WHO GMP certification victory, that the PSN is proud to identify with SWIPHA’s success story which is truly inspiring in the peculiar sector having been placed in the privileged status of global player in the Pharmaceutical sector as it was a laudable achievement to attain the landmark feat of the first Pharmaceutical manufacturer in Nigeria and indeed Sub-Sahara Africa to be designated a WHO compliant Plant. However, it appears as an effective solution towards curbing or eradicating incidence /menace of proliferating drug counterfeiting markets while equally saving the nation from the huge financial expenses previously gulped by drug importation and at the same time boost foreign exchange earnings for both the local drug manufacturers and the Federal Government of Nigeria. The citizenry will enjoy qualitative ,effective and dependable healthcare services. By Martins F.O.Ikhilae,a Lagos based Public Affairs Analyst; Tel;08023405821 Email;martinsikhilae@ymail.com
“Noteably, NAFDAC has consequently earn for the Nation, respect, adequately inspired confidence and competent supervisory ability while the problem of inferiority complex resulting from the previously held notion that Nigeria products are of inferior quality, has eventually be nullified by the WHO certification which is now an attestation to the suitability of our indigenous products for the World Market.”
Perspective “IT is a Maxim founded on the universal experience of mankind That no Nation is to be trusted farther than it is bound by its interest” George Washington (17321799) letter to Congress. WITH peremptory magistracy and awesome gallantry our founding fathers fought with dogged obduracy for the political independence of our glorious country, Nigeria, They clamoured with no-holdsbarred, like the Roman hero Horatius, who fought with Spartan intrepidity defending Rome from the Etruscan invaders. Horatius asked like our founding fathers; “And how can a man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his gods”? Our founding fathers invested their dreams on Nigeria, but whither goeth Nigeria today? After 54 years of political independence Nigeria is still silhouetted in the sordid saga and tapestry of progressivistic labyrinth. We are still rumbling in the cabbage of unthinkable corruption, arrant poverty, HIV –AIDS, Malaria Scourge and arrested development. We are submerged in the cocoon of human rights violations including politically motivated assassinations, extra- judicial killings and excessive use of force. The arrest and detention of people for political reasons, restriction on freedom of the press, speech and assembly, prolonged pre-trial detention and aiding and abetting of electoral malpractices still constitute some dark characteristics of our Nation. We are still sunken in blatant illegalities, tragic criminalities, prebendalistic graft and wallowing in unmitigated sleaze. After 54 years of independence Nigeria still remains shipwrecked in the island of glom and doom, leadership doppelgangers, political gridlocks, socioeconomic cliffhangers, tribal jingoism and utter planlessness. We have no functional hospitals, no roads, no affordable houses, no jobs and no food security, no light, no effective transport system, no water, no affordable education and no road map and viable blue print for strategic repositioning of our country, Nigeria. The statesman, Alfred Rewane captures the scenario thus ‘yesterday, we yearned for a better tomorrow. Today, we mourn the loss of a better yesterday. How sad”? Whither goeth Nigeria after 54 years of political independence? The politicians and their military cohorts have completely bastardized our psyche. We are crestfallen and despondent. They have made
and continue to make halfhearted efforts aimed at salvaging our prostrate fatherland from the abyss of consummate despair. We have seen endless constitutional reforms, adjustments of economic policies based on the Breton institution’s conditionalities like FEM, SFEM, Economic Liberalization, Deregulation of the Petroleum Downstream Sector, Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), Green Revolution, school to land project, privatization, liquidity Mop-up, cash squeeze, devaluation, Universal Basic education scheme, Civil war, Mamser, KAI, war against indiscipline, subsidy removal, industrial revolution etc. These weird economic, sociopolitical policies successfully bedraggled and befuddled our Nation. It asphyxiated our people and manacled them in the epicenter of parenthetical placidity. After 54years of independence Nigeria is still gallivanting and rigmaroling on an undulating political topography interjected with complex volcanic rocks. We are steeple chasing on a horrendously deadly political land mines and canons that will explode to consume our country, Nigeria. We are tired of perambulating in the concentric circles of backwardness, buck-passing and trading of blames. What is the way forward? Hence a Chartered Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management Chief LEA AIMIUWU once said, “first we blamed the colonial masters, Next, military blamed military. Then politicians blamed military. Now, party blames party, Legislature blames Executive, Executive blames Legislature, Tribe blames tribe, zone blames zone, private sector blames public sector, public sector blames private sector, followers blame leaders, leaders blames followers”. Who blames self? Now we turn round and say “Nigeria has failed us’ But who makes up Nigeria? Nigeria has not failed, we have failed ourselves! Working together, mission driven, with shared passion and vision-focus NIGERIA SHALL RISE AGAIN. Things work only if we make them work! They work only as we make them work. So LETS WORK THE WORK!!” This could be a peripheral and simplistic overview of Nigeria’s problems, but it bears a ring of the horizontal and vertical integration which Nigeria needs to move forward as a nation. It is sacrosanct truism that after 54 years of independence Nigeria needs to implosive surgeonisation of a moral
Nigeria @ 54: rearmament, ethical revolution, attitudinal re-orientation, leadership altruism, political reevaluation, policy screening, patriotism and change of psyche with everything and anything that has to do with Nigeria and Nigerians to enable our country make palpable progress. We must don the toga of true democracy, rule of law, dialogue and constitutionality. We must realize as a nation that our rancid preoccupation with monocausality merely hardens our positions, fossilizes debate and limits the boundaries of intellectual discourse. Our search for the panacea to our ever illusive EL Dorado will be brought to near fruition, if we adopt a more responsible and constructive focus on: Leadership by example: It is a quintessential fact that good leadership has been the bane of the Nigerian nation. Right from 1960 till date. We need leaders that can carry the vast majority of Nigerians along through policies that will alleviate the agonies and travails of the people. Nigeria is a nation formed as a result of the agglomeration of different and myriad groups of heterogeneous peoples and the geo-political setting is complex. We need leaders who understand the political calculus inherent in the system. Leaders that can build on this melting-pot foundation by self- abnegation and patriotism. A leader that understands that Nigeria is a microcosm in a global macrocosm and that Nigeria must hold and take an enviable seat in the comity of nations. A leader that calls the totality of Nigeria his or her main constituency. A detribalized and cosmopolitanised leader. A leader who understands that leadership is all about people’s welfare through committed and honest leadership. The essayist ALENG G. WHITE said “ the greatest need of the world today is the want of men, men who will not be bought or sold, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men who in their innermost souls are true and honest, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who stand for the right though the heavens fall”. We need such men as leaders in a new Nigeria. As the 2015 election approaches, we hope and pray that our leaders will not resort to thuggery, political assassinations, vote rigging etc. to get power. It is clear that the political antecedents of our politicians remain hideously ghoulish, but we call on them to put Nigeria first before exercising their pathological
Gridlocks And
quest for power. The political algebra glaringly shows that he next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should come from any of the Geopolitical zone. We hope that through co-ordinated dialogue the elections will go on without ethnic cleansing, genocide, social schism and the break-up of our country, Nigeria. Our leaders must hold their vaulting ambition in-check. Psychotically
Iweala’s economic contretemps. The Millennium Development Goals include targets to improve health, water and sanitation, education, gender equality, environment, roll back the tentacles of HIV-Aids and ensure free primary education for all by the year 2015. It is now clear that the G8 countries and the Breton Institutions are in a grand ploy to frustrate the development of
poorest countries in the world, with 14 countries coming out of Africa. Since Nigeria is a monocultural economy the time has come for the oil sector to be properly overhauled and purged of all its hindrances and cleavages like corruption, mismanagement, oil theft and non-accountability. Nigerians
t T f S d R r b i m S
David Mark, Senate President
President Goodluck Jonathan
corrupt and indicted politicians must not be part of the presidential race in 2015. If they try, it will be a devious attempt and epochal tragedy for the PDP, APC and other contesting parties and our dear country, Nigeria. ECONOMY: A good, progressive and functional economy, constitute the matrix on which the growth and development of any nation can take place, Nigeria has been quite amorphous in its economic principles and logistics, although we have been called one the fastest growing economies in the world and the highest in Africa. But the Babangida regime initiated the Breton Institution minored, economy and ever since then, the economic Conditionalities demanded by them has completely rubbished the Nigerian economy. It has precipitated horrible sufferings on Nigerians. This is further compounded by Obasanjo’s religious devotion to the conditionalities and Okonjo
By BOBSO
Africa. It is time to call ourselves to order in Nigeria and start orchestrating new sound economic strategies and principles that are centrifugal and centripetal in their orientation. The current economic policies of Brazil, Russia, India and China must be studied. They are the fastest growing economies in our world today. Economic husbandry and effective harnessing of resources is about putting food on the peoples table, education, health care delivery, employment, transportation, housing and electricity. All our leaderships have not been able to provide, 54 years of independence. How can Nigeria borrow $13.5billion paid $42 billion and we still owe $30billion? The Coalition of NGO’s under the auspices of Jubilee Campaign got an approval from the IMF and World Bank to live up to the G8 Gleen eagles agreement by 50% debt reduction and forgiveness to 18
are tired of buying fuel at astronomically high prices caused by the inability of the Nigerian leadership to maintain existing refineries and its refusal to build new ones. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries of Kaduna Refinery, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL), Warri Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited (WDPC), Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC) and Nigeria Gas Company Limited (NGC) must be made to fine-tune logistics for the development of the petrochemical sector and for its economic impact to be felt by Nigerians, especially in the Niger Delta. The oil multinationals must be prevailed upon to impact positively on the lives of the communities in which they operate. The recurrent youth restiveness and pipeline vandalization in the Niger Delta could be checked if they carry
O a c N i T a W a d f N N c i ( g e o v h
m c e a T P D N b
Perspective
The Illusive El Dorado
N GBINIJE
their various communities along. The issue of 50% derivation formula as recommended by the South-South (Niger Delta) delegates to the Nigeria National Reform Conference and the recent National Confab should be implemented to the letter immediately by adopting a middle of the road approach. Since the discovery of oil in
Olobiri, Bayelsa State in 1956 and its subsequent commercialization in 1958 the Niger Delta has not felt the impact of the oil in their land. This will continue to constitute a destabilizing factor in Nigeria. We appeal to the leadership to approve an increase on derivation formula without further delay. After 54years of Nigeria’s independence the Niger delta still remains a concrete jungle. The Extractive industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) which is an expenditure guidance initiative must be encouraged. The new members of the Board of Directors of the various oil corporations must be honest, efficient and transparent. In the light of the new millennium, Nigeria must continue to make strides in economic development by adopting new global strategies. The importance of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), NEEDS, SEEDS and such-like bodies must be tapped for
macro-economic impact. An economic “Think tank” must be set up to look into ways and means of diversifying the Nigerian economy and looking at the logistics of re-launching a New Agricultural Revolution in Nigeria. It is a shame that Nigeria still remain one of the largest importers of food in the world, whilst China with its over 1.5 billion people feeds itself. A new Operation Feed the Nation
Niger were within the Medium Human Development category better than Nigeria. This is because there is collective amnesia, corruption and leadership inertia.
EDUCATION: Nigeria’s educational system is chaotically schismatic and in a state of miasmatic contretemps. It has tended to apotheosize certificate acquisition without making the
Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Reps
(OFN) and a new school to farm project must re-launched. It is a shame that 2/3 of 150 million Nigerians still live on $1 dollar a day. A leadership that cannot feed the people and a nation that cannot feed itself are doomed to perdition. Providing food for the teeming masses should be the cardinal and fundamental concern and priority of government at all levels. The importation of farmers from Zimbabwe is not the answer. In a recently released United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index substained with scientific development indices such as employment level, quality housing, school enrolment and quality education, food, portable water supply, good roads, health care services used as barometric gauge to place countries in hierarchical order of development category, while relatively poor African countries like Ghana, Uganda. Zimbabwe, Gabon, Liberia and
certificate holder functionally useful to him or herself and society. In the past our colonial masters prepared a system that could turn out clerks to help implement their colonial administrative policies. Their system is now anachronistic. The rhythm of development in 21st century now entails scientific and technological and vocational skill driven educational system. We need an educational system that makes a man use his head and his hands to help himself and society. The proliferation of universities and other tertiary institutions is a welcome development, but all educational regulatory bodies and directorates like Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) must ensure that high standards are maintained. The Nigerian government must come in to launch an educational Revolution in keeping and consistent with
the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which is aimed at reducing illiteracy by 2015. In this regard, the Nigerian government should make education free and compulsory at all levels till the year 2015. This is to enable Nigeria especially Northern Nigeria to catch up with educational trends and development in the world. We need a horizontal and vertical integration of resources to develop education not only from grassroots levels but from root hair base to treetop heights. The free food for primary school programme is a wasted will o’ wisp programme because of inherent, prevalent, contemporary and logical problems. The Almajiri free education must be commended. The government should make education free at all levels in Nigeria. There is now more than ever before overwhelming need to rewrite our primary, secondary and university syllabuses and course content to reflect modern realities. There must be the uniformization and uniformity of school curricula all over Nigeria. This is to enable us do exact measurement of scholastic attainments and standards. Education must be structurally re-oriented to be not only a tool for technological development, but also as a weapon for moral rearmament and mass mobilization. A situation where so-called educated people remain moral reprobates, cultic demons, criminals and highly unpatriotic citizens remains one of the hydra-headed monsters confronting Nigeria, today. We need education for service to our fatherland in this regard we suggest the scraping of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) scheme and in its place we suggest that there should be a compulsory Military Corp Scheme (MCS) of training for every Nigerian from secondary school level to university level. This will enable us tailor our developmental goals within the right ambit. CORRUPTION: The octopoidal tentacles of corruption must be exterminated hook, line and sinker for Nigeria to make any meaningful progress. It has attained the ascendancy of our culture, tradition and soap opera in Nigeriaan odiferous chameleonic feaces into which we have stepped. All strategies mapped out and contraptions put in place by successive regimes and governments have turned out to be mere placeboes. We have seen the War Against Indiscipline (WAI), the War Against Corruption (WAC), LOW profile and now contraptions like Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (FECC) and Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). So far, the EFCC and ICPC are on track, but it is clear that they cannot go far enough because the enabling legislation are not completely in place and indeed, a terrible problem requires a drastic solution. From all indications, it is obvious that the EFCC is still under the grip of the president and its selective justice system portrays it as an instrument for political witchhunting and vengeance. Until the EFCC and ICPC rededicate themselves to high standard of diligence, objectivity, integrity and fairness, it will go the way of other agencies that were entrusted with the onerous task of eradicating corruption in our country. The syndicate of corrupt Nigerians in the top echelon of government and the private sector who want to maintain the status quo will continue to be corrupt because nothing can happen to them in a country where the president, the police and the judiciary are totally corrupt. A corrupt country like a dull student cannot attain the highest heights of excellence, because its value standards are defective and full of normative gaps. Every attempt at wiping away corruption from our system has failed, because they are all devious attempts laced with pusillanimous tergiversation and insincerity. There are so many sacred cows and untouchables in Nigeria. Hence, injustice and oppression will continue to prevail and they have completely rubbished the sacrosanct tenets of democracy. The essayist Herbert Spencer posits that “Every unpunished delinquency has a family of delinquencies”. “This is corroborated by Pubilius Syrus, he said “Qui Culpae Ignoscit Uni, suadet pluribius (Pardon one offence and you encourage the commission of many). What is the way forward? President Jonathan must stand up against corruption in Nigeria. It is in the light of this harrowing anguish which corruption has been used to dehumanize Nigerians that one makes bold to suggest that proven cases of corruption should be faced with the “DEATH PENALTY” . Any public officer that has not declared his assets should face the wrath of the law immediately and should be banned from holding public office for 20 years. It is a hideous pity that after 54 years of independence Nigeria cannot boost of a corruption-free society and integrity in service. The cases of Dipreye Alamiesegha, Dariye Joshua, Tafa balogun, Lawan, Oduah, 93.3 million dollars to south Africa etc. must be thoroughly investigated and
findings made public. The immunity clause must be deleted from our constitution if we must fight corruption to a stand still. Government will be reducing the urge for Nigerians to be corrupt if it provides social amenities for the poverty stricken masses, at least at their level. The United Nation sponsored first international treaty against governmental corruption, a major obstacle to development in poor countries, received the 30th ratification it needs to go into effect on the 11th September, 2005. The United Nation convention against corruption provides for international cooperation in the return of assets illicitly acquired by corrupt officials, as well as preventive measures to detect the plundering of national wealth. One hopes that the cost that corruption takes on development will now be confronted by the robust articles on corruption to some extent, since a good amount of such crime sector involves the bribing of officials. Through provisions on banking transparency and against money laundering, it will also help to fight organized crime. The menace of corruption at all levels in the Nigerian society must be fought to a stand still. It is a war we must win by all means. RELIGION: Religion is a belief in the worship some powers greater than mortal. It is like a candle inside a multicoloured lantern, everyone looks through a particular colour, but the candle is always there. To this extent, the Zeitgeist of religion implies it is supposed to be an individual thing and the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria chapter iv section 38 subsection (1) under Fundamental Rights provides that “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone, or in community with others, and in public or private) to manifest and propagate his religion or beliefs in worship, teaching, practice and observance”. Furthermore, the constitution states under General Provision, Part II, Section 10 that “the Government of the Federation or a state shall not adopt any religion as state Religion”. The religious antics of our leadership points to the contrary. Religion has become politicized by the government. It is now a tool for vote magnetization. This is further compounded by the fundamental antecedents of some Moslem and Christian pastors and leaders. This is not good for a united, peaceful and cohesive nation of our dream. The wanton proliferation of churches and monetization of the scriptures should begin to give our leadership and the Nigerian Continues on page 23
Environment contain PCBs oil,’’ he said. Okoli explained that the threat by the substances to the environment was the rationale for the ongoing audit of electric transformers in 25 states in the country, being sponsored by the World Bank. “The World Bank has given us the mandate to ensure that electric transformers with PCBs oil are removed,’’ he said. Okoli said the production of the PCBs was banned by the U.S. Congress in 1979 when it was identified as a cancerous agent. He said people could be exposed to PCBs through breathing in contaminated air, consuming contaminated food and by skin contact with old electrical equipment which contain the substance. “Once exposed, some PCBs may change to other chemicals in the body and lead to kidney failure. “These chemicals can be excreted in faeces or may remain in a person’s body fat or other organs for months. “In animals, PCBs contamination leads to liver
human health and the environment with great concern. He observed that several locations in the country such as the Ijora Power Station B, Lagos, Kontagora Transmission Substation, Niger, Mando Work Centre, Kaduna, among others, had been identified as highly contaminated by the substance. Expressing concern about the suspected contaminated areas, Mr Christian Iheanacho, an environmentalist, said the PCBs were being used without due consideration for its impact on human health and environment in Nigeria. He called for public enlightenment on what PCBs were, the hazards they could cause and methods of checking its spread to other areas. Supporting Iheanacho, environmental experts opined that PCBs-induced pollution and other environmental degradations posed a threat to the country’s economic development and should be
Safeguarding The Environment Against Persistent Organic Pollutants By EMMANUEL ACHA
PERSISTENT Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that accumulate in the environment through the food web and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) notes that the international community has on several occasions, called for urgent global actions to eliminate the release of the substances because they are highly toxic. It further states that there are evidences of long-range transportation of these substances to regions where they have never been used or produced and dangers they pose to global environment. Recognising the dangers, the Governing Council of UNEP in 1997, designated POPs as chemicals that need global action in efforts to eliminate or reduce their environmental and health impact. Observers, however, note that efforts to minimise the release of the substances into the environment motivated
Nigeria to ratify the Stockholm Convention of May 2001. Commending the ratification, environment experts opine that the development will address the release of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), which they describe as the most hazardous substance among the POPs. Corroborating this, scientists describe PCBs as hazardous synthetic organic chemicals of chlorine and biphenyls produced as complex mixtures that contain multiple isomers. They note that the highest concentrations of the PCBs are found in marine mammals and humans, while people can be affected by eating contaminated marine fishes. Experts note that the chemical is so dangerous that it has the ability of changing the entire ecosystem of the sea. They note that bodies of fish and other edible animals in such water become the homes of these chemical substances until they are eventually eaten
by humans. According to them, once the PCBs substances are ingested, they start to wreak havoc on the entire human system. They observe that these substances are also found in plasticizers, carbonless copy paper, lubricating oils, ink solvents, paints, adhesives, waxes and additives, among others. Apart from this, Mr Olisa Okoli, the General Manager, Safety, Health and Environment in Transmission Company of Nigeria, said that electric transformers and capacitors were the major carriers of dielectric fluid based on PCBs. Speaking at a training
workshop for journalists in Enugu on “Polychlorinated Biphenyls: Understanding their health and environmental impact’’, Okokoli said that Nigeria was a breeding ground for PCBs. “Nigeria, in its quest for development and industrialisation, and having pursued electric generation aggressively over the years, is a breeding ground for the hazardous substances. “Although it stopped the importation of transmission transformers with PCBs oil in 1979, there are 278 of such equipment with oil containing PCBs currently in use across the country. “Private electric generators are possible and significant equipment that potentially
damage and death; in 1968, no fewer than 400,000 birds died after eating poultry feeds that were contaminated with PCBs in Japan. “Pregnant women, who are exposed to high PCBs levels or those who eat large amount of contaminated fish, have underweight babies. “Some of the babies get this chemical from breast milk and such children have their immune system affected, while they also suffer from conditions such as memory loss,’’ Okoli said. In his view, Dr Unyimadu John-Paul, the National Technical Consultant, Nigeria PCBs Management Project, said that the international community viewed the dangers of the substance to
addressed urgently. The experts at the workshop, therefore, urged relevant authorities to adopt a policy on POPs and PCBs management, with a focus on awareness campaign and how to prevent the release of the substances. They also suggested that the administrative and technical personnel in all power transmission companies should be trained on sound PCBs management. The experts, nonetheless, noted that the construction of facilities for the temporary storage of PCBs-related wastes and a strong political will to rid Nigeria of the hazardous substances would guarantee a safe environment in the country.
“Although it stopped the importation of transmission transformers with PCBs oil in 1979, there are 278 of such equipment with oil containing PCBs currently in use across the country.”
Drumbeat
Who Is A Wealthy Man (1) Origin Of Wealth BEFORE I analyze the origin of wealth and its benefit to mankind, first and foremost let us define wealth. Various definitions have been given to the meaning of wealth. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary; Wealth means ‘money and valuable possessions; possessions of these; a great quantity.’ From this definition, we can now vividly identify what wealth is all about. So, this topic will no longer be strange to us. ORIGIN OF WEALTH What is the origin of wealth? Who originated it? I can categorically state that God is the originator of wealth. The avis or doubting Thomas across the globe finds it difficult to believe that God exists, or believe that He is the originator of Wealth. Various researchers conclude that God exists and that He created the Heaven and the earth. Also that He made us in His image and likeness and He is the originator of wealth. The Bible in the Book of Genesis chapter one gives us detailed account on how God created the Heaven and earth and made us in His image and likeness with wealth upon everyone of us to enjoy. “In the Beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of waters”. And God said, let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land
Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he seas: and God saw that it was good. Who is a Wealthy Man? And God said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for light in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And God said let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life; and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after its’ kind: and God saw that it was good And God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the
earth, and over every creeping thing upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
and gave us custodian over all the creatures. The poor and less privileged ones exist in our because they lack knowledge of the enormous wealth which lies in them. God won’t endow us with more wealth and riches if we can’t utilize the existing wealth that lies within us. We are made in God’s image and likeness and as such use God’s potentials and
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air; and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1v1-31 Origin at wealth Who is a Wealthy Man? The passages of the Bible quoted above will convince you about the origin of wealth. The beauty of the dividend of God’s wealth is that He never made them for Himself He made them for you and I
talents that lie within us to generate any amount of wealth we can find on earth. This book “Who is a wealthy man” which I am writing now ought to have been written about a year ago. But the honest truth is that I kept on postponing it to a more convenient time. Thank God for courage which ensure that 1 finish this book this month. My ability to write this book would have been a mirage. I believe God that if this book is well projected and marketed well, can put millions of naira in my hands and in my bank account. Many people have used laziness, excuses and procrastination to hinder their wealth, fame and riches. I urge you to learn from God who used the potentials that lies within him to create the heaven and the earth that we enjoy today.
With Apostle Dr. Raphael O. Ayemere 08035459593
Wealth, Riches And Success-A Myths Or Reality It is a common knowledge to millions of people across the world that wealth, riches and success are not myths but a reality. Reality in the sense that
millions of people have enormous wealth, riches and success obvious for others to see. God’s wealth, riches and success are unfathomable and as such He fully willed them to us to use for His glory. Though it is an understatement to ascribe to God as being Wealthy, rich and successful, because He is success personified. Wealth, riches and Success emanated from God and as such they are part of His nature. If we as God’s creatures struggle to be wealthy, rich and successful, it is simply because we are ignorant and uneducated, fear, peoples’ opinion inability to serve and reference God, misappropriation of our human and natural resources that has retarded our wealth, riches and success. People who see wealth, riches and success as a myths got
themselves entangled with poverty, sickness, pain, shame and reproach because you can’t acquire what you dislike, disdain or disregard. God won’t force His wealth, riches and success on you if you have no value or regard for them. People who enjoy success, wealth and riches do so because they have love, respect and value for them. “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” Genesis 1v 31. God has respect, love and value for His creation. If God took delight over what He has, why do you think your success, riches and wealth will embarrass, or offend God? Your success, wealth and riches can only offend God if they are used to intimidate other people or question the supremacy and existence of God. A man who uses his wealth, success and riches to help the poor and less privileged in the society, wipe the tears of the orphans, cloth the naked, give scholarship to people who can’t afford school fees and developed the society will certainly find fulfillment with God. Permit me to say to you again that God takes delight in your wealth, riches and success. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth in me, the works that 1 do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my father. Wealth, Riches and Success-A Myths or Reality. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the father may be glorified in the son”. John 14v12-13 The above passages of the scriptures unfold to you God’s satisfaction in your success, wealth and riches. The above passages of the scriptures unfold to you God’s satisfaction in your success, wealth and riches. The word ‘glorified’ which Jesus used in Chapter 13 means happy. How do earthly fathers behave when their children are successful, wealthy and rich? In case yon claimed ignorance of the above question. It makes them joyful, happy and fulfilled.
View Point TAN And President Jonathan’s Ambition
THERE is every reason to be apprehensive as the 2015 presidential election approaches. Not majorly because Nigeria as we know it might shrink on the pages of the world map as has been loudly predicted but because certain group like Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN is poised to rewrite the electoral law on the auspices of the presidency. A cursory look at TAN as an organisation, its agenda and the forcible pimpernels who drive the group cast a slur on the dithering state of affairs on the presidency. TAN’s banal, lawless and propulsive avowal to continue its campaign for the reelection of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 against the grains of electoral laws which stipulate 90 days period of open campaigns clearly corroborated earlier indices that President Jonathan values his Aso Rock tenancy than the security of Nigerians and the safety of the adducted Chibok girls. The foul mouthed Methuselah or Olisa Metuh, the PDP propagandist Secretary barely belaboured his vanquished self that his party, the PDP and the presidency have no hands in TAN’s reelection campaigns for the president. How evasive can that be? The fact that key government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the PDP Governors and serving ministers such as Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, are part of the jamboree, moving from one geopolitical zone to the other collecting signatures, suggests that TAN is an organ of the PDP and
By ERASMUS IKHIDE
President Jonathan’s campaign organisation. The presidency is not alone in the revolting TAN saga. The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, which has a responsibility to regulate all electoral activities, including political campaigns has seemingly capitulated. INEC has become a pathetic aberration, a helpless umpire, driven primitively like a puppet by its master. With its compulsive silence, INEC has squandered the public trust it enjoys over the relatively free, and largely commendation Ekiti and Osun elections a few months ago. The cynicisms arising from INEC’s inability to rein in TAN, the PDP and the presidency to play by the electoral rules is such that dampens INEC’s assurances that it is capable of securing and guaranteeing a level playing field for all political parties as the 2015 elections approaches. INEC must rise to the occasion and responsibly too, through official pronouncements and other punitive measures as a precursor towards the disbandment of any violating political parties or outright disqualification of erring candidate from contesting in the 2015 election. Nigerians are at a loss as to why INEC has not invoked the relevant electoral laws and bring sanction to bear on TAN, PDP and president Jonathan for doing violence to the rule of the game and the nation’s constitution he swore to protect. President Jonathan owes it as a duty
to Nigerians and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to uphold every letter in the statue book. He owes it as a duty to disentangle himself from TAN’s falsehood, repulsive insult and the open mockery of the people’s sensibilities. Given the enormous resources at the disposal of the presidency and its robot TAN the people’s future
there is no independent check on the Presidency’s violation of democratic rules. The malfeasance and gross abuse and barefaced aggression against the electoral laws by president Jonathan and his hirelings is highly proverbial. Any further doubts that TAN’s campaigns and president Jonathan acceptance and funding of the group has not blunted the edge of the taunted rule of law? The absurdity in TAN’s campaigns for president Jonathan’s reelection is
President Goodluck Jonathan
and hope have been mangled by needless propaganda and violation of the ethical foundation of integrity - the bases of democracy. Our freedom from all forms of political manipulations are not guaranteed unless all democratic institutions perform their functions well. But these institutions are unable to do so because
failure to rescue the Chibok girls, and proceeded to use the same # tag and slogan as an anchor for his presidential restoration beyond 2015! Is anyone conscious of the #BRING BACK JONATHAN 2015 banners donning TAN’s campaign venues across the country and its desecration of the struggle to free the Chibok girls held hostage by the Boko Haram militias over the last six months? Is it not possible for perceptive Nigerians to see through facade the wall of deception mounted by the president
of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness.’ This is one of the clearest exposition of Marx’s materialist conception of history since most modern day philosophers agreed that economic factors play a crucial role in the shaping of social,cultural and political life. Briefly put - there is another anecdotal and ironical angle to TAN. The sponsors of TAN are majorly peopled by Southeast extraction of the country. Sadly enough,
Prof Attahiru Jega, INEC Chairman
multifarious. Aside the illegality of the campaigns whose time is premature, the falsehood of president Jonathan outperforming his predecessors, even his equation with the like of Obama, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, among others in TAN’s bizarre, comical and desultory advertisement; it is the dramatisation of Jonathan’s
“The cynicisms arising from INEC’s inability to rein in TAN, the PDP and the presidency to play by the electoral rules is such that dampens INEC’s assurances that it is capable of securing and guaranteeing a level playing field for all political parties as the 2015 elections approaches.”
and the cacophony of voices represented by TAN? Can’t we root out this obscenity that has spiralled intermittently with us since the beginning of this Fourth Republic? It is safe to say that the attempt by TAN and their incredible followers to make a caricature of the nation is propelled by president Jonathan’s relentless funding of the roughish and irritable group. This captures Karl Marx’s exposition on materialism; that class interest, greed and hidden motives are the driving forces of vaunting ambition. For as Marx said, ‘It is not the consciousness
there is no road the to Eastern Nigeria! A trip to Anambra State recently to pay the last respect to the Great One of Agulu, Dr Dora Akunyili invokes the 2012 River Niger horror flood and exploitation of the Eastern people’s emotive consciousness. Death toll from the flooding after heavy rain and the release of water from a dam in Cameroon rose to 70, with some 120,000 people displaced, 61,000 quartered in 30 camps across the state. After spending six hours on the same spot in a stretch of less than 50 metres before River Niger head bridge and overlooking Continues on pg. 21
View Point Continued from pg. 20
O nitsha, you could see sufficiently attract the
property damage and how human suffering laid bare along the river course before entering the city. I was struck by the squalor of those forced by poverty to live near River Niger and the shantytown hugging its banks. It was a decent to hell! The misery in all its horror and destitution engulfing countless homes did not
attention of TAN and president Goodluck J o n a t h a n ’ s administration. This degree of privation which the people are grappling are the consequences president Jonathan’s miss-governance and anti people’s policies. To make the case more harrowing for the denizens, there is already
... President Jonathan’s Ambition blindfolded Nigerians
serious squabble over the non-payment of compensation by the government without which construction works on the Second Niger Bridge would commence construction. Yet, TAN in daily advertisements in virtually all television stations anchored by Chief Zebrudia, continued
daily deception by inundates Southeastern people and Nigerians at large with denuding falsehood. This deceit is further justified by the inclusion of Azikiwe and Ebele amongst the leader’s name. Painfully and pitifully, this is the Charlotte and hogwash Eastern Nigeria and other ethnically
“There is nothing wrong for president Goodluck Jonathan to seek to elongate his tenancy in Aso Rock, as long as the Constitution of the Republic allows it, as it were. But everything is wrong when such elongation is prated on deceptive premises; roughish permutations of ethnocentric manipulation, exploitation of the people’s emotive weakness, and the oppressive greed of the oligarchs.”
Where Are The Roads In Nigeria WEEKS ago, I decided to engage in adventurous tourism by road through six (6) states with my wife. When I say adventurous, I am clearly being euphemistic at best. When we departed after church on Sunday, we left Asaba for Aba in Abia State. We of course passed through Onitsha in Anambra State and Owerri in Imo State before meandering to the outskirts of Aba. That is where the problem really started. Initially, I was filled with trepidation about the Imo junction into Abia because I had some rather “interesting” experiences in 2012 there while doing consultation. Interestingly, there was a headline in one of the dailies that Aba is worse than Ebola. I did not have the time to read the article, but personally experienced what may have provoked the sensational headline. Instead of going from Aba to Uyo, we had to turn around and go back to Umuahia. Between Umuahia in Abia State and Ekot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State, our car almost capsized (turned over). Not only was it raining, the road was un-tarred and muddy with gaping crevices in the middle of the road. When we finally arrived Uyo my prayer of thanksgiving to Almighty God could not be faked. Also, as I mentioned
By ALEX O. ATAWA AKPODIETE
to some friends on Facebook and Twitter, I concluded “it ain’t America.” Having said that, why can’t we have good roads like they do in developed countries? They can carve roads out of mountains in Jamaica and Trinidad. There are suspended bridges over a hundred feet above water in places like Sarasota, Florida (USA). Some little Island nations like Montserrat, have budgets smaller than most of the states in Nigeria. On our return, we went by a different route. We went from Akwa Ibom to Cross Rivers, through Ebonyi, Abia, Imo, Anambra and then finally back to Delta. Some of the villages and towns we drove through included Apati 1, Abini, Umai, Iwuo Obobo, Idomi, Yakurr, Adim and Ediba. Other places of interested included the bridge between Adiba and Itigidi, rice farms in Itigidi, Agbara, Abi, Ibii community in Ebonyi State, Amasiri, Oseodda, potato farmlands in Akaeze Ukwu in Ivo LGA, Isiaka, Okigwe L.G.A in Imo State, Isuocha, Umunze and Umuchu. In all of these, the recurring decimal was bad roads. As I was meandering through some of the areas and engaged in discussions with my wife, or just wandering off in my
thoughts, inevitably one pothole or another will bring me back to reality. I eventually became an artful pothole dodger. At the end of my trip, I had to take my car to a panel beater to rectify some damages and a mechanic to fix some things loose in the engine from the excessive gallops. It now occurred to
me that part of the expense involved in living in Nigeria is unnecessary car maintenance. I have only mentioned the physical damage to my car. I cannot neglect to mention the toll on our bodies. When I arrived Asaba I had to take some painkillers for body aches and headaches. For those of you that drive with our seatbelts on, the several
•Arch Mike Onolememen, Minister of works
celebrate as governance. To make matters worse, the TAN campaigns are propelled by dishonesty characters whose sources of stupendous wealth are questionable. Also, from available evidence, some of the key personalities from the private sector associated with TAN at the highest levels are facing one case of corruption or the other with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This is one of the absurdities of president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration that makes a mountain out of the anti-
corruption mole hill. There is nothing wrong for president Goodluck Jonathan to seek to elongate his tenancy in Aso Rock, as long as the Constitution of the Republic allows it, as it were. But everything is wrong when such elongation is prated on deceptive premises; roughish permutations of e t h n o c e n t r i c manipulation, exploitation of the people’s emotive weakness, and the oppressive greed of the oligarchs. Erasmus, a public affairs analyst wrote in from Lagos, Nigeria.
bumps and weaving puts undue pressure on your shoulders and vertebrate. Akwa Ibom capital city of Uyo probably has the best roads and road signs in all six (6) states we visited, but I wonder the condition of the roads in the villages outside Uyo and the other feeder roads. In some conversations with the government officials about the deplorable conditions of the roads, the response was the usual “it is a federal road.” Nonetheless, I am aware that a State government can fix an interstate rod and seek reimbursement from the Federal government. Good roads aid the movement of goods and by implication commerce. Furthermore if you want to encourage tourism, there must be pliable roads to take tourists to the attractions. I was saddened to learn that the road to a major tourist destination was so dilapidated that it now takes three times the normal time to get there. Needless to say, we did not go there. Our only viable option was to go there by air another time. While I am aware that President Goodluck
Jonathan is transforming the rail sector like never before, the roads must be worked on. The Federal Ministry of Transport in its website (www.transort.gov.ng) touts its Road Transport division by stating that “The division was set up to handle road transport policy, develop interstate road regulation, been in liasion with other transport stakeholders and Federal Government.” In most State and federal annual budgets, there are both capital and recurrent expenditures a simplified explanation will be to say that capital expenditure is needed for items such as road construction, while recurrent expenditure goes to salaries. Generally, for effective development, capital expenditure must significantly outweigh recurrent expenditure. When you look at the relevant state and national budgets, there are enough funds to develop our roads, if the money is judiciously managed. As 2015 approaches, we clearly need visionary leaders that will save us from these death traps we call roads in Nigeria. Think about it.
“I have only mentioned the physical damage to my car. I cannot neglect to mention the toll on our bodies. When I arrived Asaba I had to take some painkillers for body aches and headaches. For those of you that drive with our seatbelts on, the several bumps and weaving puts undue pressure on your shoulders and vertebrate.”
Political Platform
Delta 2015 Governorship Tussle And Argument For Tony Obuh IT is a political truism that the sudden entry of Sir Tony Chuks Obuh, a retired permanent secretary in the Delta State Civil Service is causing political panic among other aspirants and their supporters because of the momentum that he has gathered within a short period of time of indicating his interest to govern the state from May 29, next year if elected. His political popularity has been attributed to several factors. Some political actors believe that Sir Obuh is being sponsored by incumbent Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Iweta Uduaghan while others believe that his ambition is tied to certain political power blocs in Delta State who are known in the past to have played key roles for the electioneering victories of Governor James Ibori and the incumbent governor. The Obuh controversy has many dimensions even as other aspirations and their supporters are of the opinion that he has no political experience and therefore will not be able to effectively balance power equation in the state to the satisfaction of Deltans and party faithful in the three senatorial districts. Others say Sir Obuh is not a known face in the robust Delta politics and therefore needed to queue behind others for a reasonable period of time so as to be fully integrated into his party and state politics before gunning for the party’s gubernatorial ticket. The argument so far advanced by his political detractors is endless and the social media is loaded with series of abusive posts rejecting the Obuh candidacy. It is quite unfortunate that it is only in this part of the world that people raise issues that have no constitutional backing. Constructive criticisms are essentially based on issues of law, constitution and to some extent morality. The Obuh’s political controversy is baseless on constitutional, legal and moral grounds. First, he is a Nigeria, a registered member of a politial party and a registered
voter. He served as Permanent Secretary in the State civil service and a substantial part of his last years in office was devoted to ensure that the political machinery of state was running smoothly as Permanent Secretary, Government House Protocol. This sensitive position places Obuh at an advantageous position in the political system because he actually handled the government protocol matters including political action plans and ensuring that senior party faithful are properly attended to during state functions and other political activities in the state. Simply put, he has been a big time silent political operator in the state. It is also true that all his party stalwarts, elders and leaders had close contact and relationship with Obuh by virtue of his position as the super administrator of government house protocol. Big names like Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Chief (Mrs) Ngozi Olujeme, Rt. Hon. Victor Uche, Chief Ovie Omo-Agege and the other governorship aspirants have in one way or the other worked closely with Obuh on issues relating to his party and state affairs. No key player in Delta State politics today that do not know the man – Tony Chuks Obuh. He has been actively involved in high level political activities in Delta State from the days of Chief James Ibori’s tenure till he retired recently. He is well known to major stakeholders in his party and Delta politics despite the fact that he did not feature in political podiums to canvass votes for other aspirants in the past. But he has been a key silent player in the internal politics of Delta State and for this reason his candidacy is constitutionally, legally and morally valid. Constitutionally, nothing stops Obuh like any other Deltan from indicating his interest to serve the good people of Delta State at whatever level. He is academically qualified haven bagged University degree and master degree from premier
By DR FRED LATIMORE OGHENESIVBE
and top class Universities in Nigeria. Obuh headed several state agencies and parastatals in defunct Bendel State and in Delta State. He has been a key government policy formulator for the state government and played active roles in the blueprint
system and as such has the political skills to effectively manage men and materials for the development of Delta State. Legally, he has no criminal records to stop him from aspiration to the office of Governor of Delta State. He
Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan
document of DELTA BEYOND OIL. He has held several key positions in different ministries before his elevation to the office of Permanent Secretary, Government House protocol. Thus, he is well grounded in both political activities and mobilisation. He has been well groomed by his political masters and bosses in the
is a personality without complicated background. Easy going, intelligent and well focused. Obuh’s pedigree has been testified to by his party chieftains in Delta State. The State party Chairman, Chief (Barrister) Peter Nwaoboshi described him as an intelligent gentleman who served Delta State without blemish. Chief Ighoyota
Amori said Obuh was a super permanent secretary whose pedigree cannot be faulted by the devil. Chief Ayiri Emami (the Convener of Delta United for Tony Obuh) said he had to compel Obuh to join the gubernatorial race because of his unque personality, foresight and visionary potentials. The secretary to Delta State government, Comrade Ovuzorie Macaulay recently described him as a perfect gentleman who served the state diligently. Chief (Mrs) Faith Majemite, a founding member of his party once told newsmen during Obuh’s LGA consultation tour that the gubernatorial aspirant is highly detribalized and have worked closely with party leaders and elders for several years without blemish and such he is qualified to govern Delta State now that power is shifting to Delta North Senatorial district. It is clear that Obuh has clean service record and therefore ably qualified to aspire for any political office in the state. Morally, Obuh is well known to be a reserved person whose character and pedigree speaks volume. He is not a waster of financial resources. Obuh is a simple man, not flamboyant and never arrogant. His humility has attracted thousands of stakeholders, followers and several political pressure groups to his political camp since he indicated interest to govern the state if elected in 2015. The Obuh that I know is a man who is always smiling and ever willing to do those things within his capacity to bring about positive results for the good of all. It is therefore
absolutely uncalled for, for some people and groups to waste their financial resources to buy pages of newspapers to blackmail this patriotic Deltan who has put in 32 years of his life on earth serving the good people of Delta State. It is politically a miscalculation for anybody to think that he will be talkeddown by paid political propagandists at this time when he has completed a robust consultation visits to the twenty five LGA executives. What is essentially necessary now is for those who are blackmailing Sir Obuh to focus their energies and their money in projecting their own candidates because his party primaries comes up in November this year. He is ready to face other candidates at the political battle field where the party delegates will choose their gubernatorial candidate on November 29. Whoever takes the ticket goes to the general poll to slug it out with other parties’ gubernatorial candidate and of course the winner becomes the fourth democratically elected governor of Delta State and shall of a necessity take over the mantle of leadership from incumbent Governor Uduaghan on May 29, 2015. This is the way to go and not to intimidate a man who will never yield to any form of intimidation. Obuh will run for the party’s ticket just like any other aspirant and November 29 will be the D-day at the party level. Till then, all aspirants are to remain in the political battle field to test their acceptance and political pedigree. Dr Fed Oghenesivbe writes from USA
“What is essentially necessary now is for those who are blackmailing Sir Obuh to focus their energies and their money in projecting their own candidates because his party primaries comes up in November this year. He is ready to face other candidates at the political battle field where the party delegates will choose their gubernatorial candidate on November 29.”
Perspective Continued from page 17
government some concern. The noise pollution for our towns and cities by chants from mosques and miracle peddling churches is attaining an unthinkable proportion. They have become banks and trading places. We therefore suggest that government and politicians should hands off religion and should stop using religion as a political tool. All fundamentals and extremists religions should be checked. The churches and mosque should pay taxes to the local Government Councils in which they operate. They should pay levies for miracle crusade shows. The subscription and sponsorship of pilgrims and pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem should stop forthwith as Nigeria is a secular state. The government must put a code of operation as the current carte blanc is being misconstrued as unrestricted freedom to preach, indoctrinate and disrespect our national ethos and propagate self-serving lies. Some even refuse to sing the national anthem. The Boko Haram tragedy, menace and insurgency is a great lesson to our leadership. The innocent Chibok girls must be brought home. Hence, the poet Percy Shelly clamoured “Earth groans beneath religion’s iron –age and priest dare babble of a god of peace even whilst their hands are red with guiltless blood”. This is buttressed by Blaise Pascal, he said “men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction”. We call for a more pragmatic and palpable moral reflection and not the doctrine of money! Money!! Money!!! This is why corruption is been dangerously accentuated. A religious system that does not check the moral depravity and financial recklessness of its membership and the love of filthy lucre by its pastors is not fit to exist in the new Nigeria we are trying to build. The religious organizations and system in Nigeria must be surgeonised for people and nation building even after 54 years of independence. FOREIGN POLICY: The Domino Principles of International Relations asserts that “In the comity of Nations each nation must strive to profoundly assert itself in the scheme of things”. The end of
the first and the second world wars and the Cold war precipitated a new global alignment. America’s Foreign Policy is essentially driven by the solipsistic Monroe Doctrine of 1823. Nigeria continues to be the giant and the chief spokesman for Africa with Africa as the centre piece of its foreign policy. Nigeria has done well in its foreign policy under Goodluck Jonathan, but we could do better. Nigeria must ensure that she wins one of the two veto-wielding seats Africa is clamouring for in United Nation Security Council. We however admonish Jonathan to spread our international outreach to Asia and Balkans and sign new diplomatic relations with that part of the world. After 54 years of independence we are still too slavishly tied down to Britain, France and America. Let us spread our diplomatic tentacles to reach other parts of the world, in the light of globalization. The performance of our peace-keeping forces has been most commendable until recently when the United Nations called the sacrifice and integrity of our soldiers into question-it is the sexual escapades of our soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We hope the investigation will be transparent to enable us salvage our good name. It will be recalled that sometime ago our ECOMOG soldiers in Liberia and SierraLeone were also indicted. Our peace keeping forces must be warned and reoriented to be patriotic and be good ambassadors of Nigeria. Our foreign policy should continue to put Nigeria in global focus as a continental and regional power. The emergence of South Africa and Egypt will continue to pose a challenge to Nigeria, but with tact and shrewdness we can continue to hold our own a as the giant of Africa. The Nigerian government must sound a note of warning to some countries that are in the habit of treating every Nigerian in their country as criminals. We are called scam mongers, 419’ers, drug pushers, smugglers and thieves. This must stop. A situation where every Nigerian is taken for a
... And The Illusive El Dorado criminal is most unwholesome and untoward. We as Nigerians must also try to improve our country’s image by operating within the ambit of the law in foreign countries. Nigeria also needs serious image laundering to give us some modicum of respect in foreign countries. We must also practice our foreign policy within the purview of our meagre resources. We should not under the guise of assistance bite more than we can chew. We also have pressing economic problems at home. We should, however
peaceful purposes and develop a modern arsenal industry like Brazil for the manufacture of guns, artilleries, Bombs, missiles, grenades and other military hardwares. This is the reality on ground in the light of globalization. We cannot actualize our potentials in the 21st century, especially in the comity of Nations without the military strength on the land, air and the sea. A compulsory military training for our youths from secondary to university levels will greatly enhance our
popular will as a determinant of government’s policy and action”. Democracy is a process and not just an event, therefore, the political engineering process in Nigeria through democratic metamorphosis is still at its inchoate and gestational stage. It must therefore be handled with care by our politicians and leadership aspirants if Nigeria must continue to remain as one united sovereign nation. But the way and manner in which elections have been held and conducted in Nigeria since
continue to promote international co-operation for the consolidation of universal peace and mutual respect among all nations and strive for elimination of discrimination in all its manifestations. We must continue to have respect for international laws and treaty obligations. A good policy must be backed and supported by strong armamental strength. America has voted $103 billion dollars for its space agency NASA to exploit the moon by its Astronauts before 2018 and develop its satellite in space, develop Nuclear weapons programmes, ostensibly for
combat readiness as a nation. The Technical Aid Scheme (TAS) must be used as a strategic weapon of political domination and a tool for spreading our economic interest and ideology.
independence, shows that it is worse than useless, as politicians wants to win elections by any means. The conduct of the 2003 election is a proverbial example of how politicians could get into power through the weird and murderously hideous means of thuggery, rigging, ballot box stealing, bribery, the manipulation of the electorates, assassination, the use of the police, army and other coercive forces to intimidate electoral officials and voters and the manipulation of INEC. We therefore call on the politicians and the electoral institutions to please ensure that the forthcoming 2015 elections are conducted in an atmosphere devoid of violence and rancorous posturing. We could learn a lot from the Indian elections by adopting the Electronic Voting Machine (evoting). But no system will be full proof unless Nigerians, politicians and INEC decides to don the toga of integrity and honesty. The successful conduct of the 2015 election is an
DEMOCRACY, UNITY AND 2015 ELECTIONS: By Lincolnian standards “democracy is the government of the people by the people for the people” and by Jeffersonian standard “democracy is the selection of leaders by competitive elections. It is a system of government that maximizes the level of the
“We must learn from history. Nigeria must survive the 2015 elections. Nigeria leaders, citizens and the followership have no other country to call their own, except our own dear native land, Nigeria.”
absolute desirderantum for the sustainability index of unity, survival and progress of Nigeria as a nation. No sacrifice is too great to be made for our fatherland, even after 54 years of independence. Let us do it right for once. Let it not be seen as a do or die battle. Let us not spill innocent blood to enable us realize our political ambitions. The world will rise up in clamorous plaudit if we could conduct a successful census and elections. Let us apotheosise peace and forget that we have fought a civil war (Nigeria/ Biafra civil war-1967-1970) before. We must learn from history. Nigeria must survive the 2015 elections. Nigeria leaders, citizens and the followership have no other country to call their own, except our own dear native land, Nigeria. As we celebrate 54 years of Nigerians independence we must make a new pledge and take a new oath to rededicate ourselves to building a ‘NEW NIGERIA’ that we can truly be proud of. The leadership must be transparent and altruistic to enable it ginger the support of the vast majority of Nigerians. Given Nigeria’s diversity it must be able to create a synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony. The leader at all levels of government must realize that leadership is an esteemed position of service, demanding high standard of discipline and integrity. That leadership demands self denial, self sacrifice and dogged determination to service. It requires a vision and a mission in service. Let the shepherd be worth the followership and let the followership be worthy of the good shepherd. Finally, the fundamental proposition of Marxian dialectics is that all boundaries in nature and society are conventional and mobile, that there cannot be any single phenomenon which cannot under certain conditions be transformed into opposite. We therefore call for the total and all-embracing transformation of Nigeria for the general good. We have come a long way as a nation and the time has come for us to strategically reposition our nation, Nigeria in the 21st century to enable us walk into the glorious but illusive EL-Dorado after over 54 years of independence. Let our programmes be effectively integrated, strategies coordinated and perfected for the battle royal. Happy independence!!! But we could be happier if we decide, here and now to rededicate ourselves to building a new Nigeria. GOD BLESS NIGERIA.
International Features
Worst Ebola Outbreak On Record Tests Global Response
I N T E R N AT I O N A L agencies and governments are fighting to contain the world’s worst Ebola epidemic since the disease was identified in 1976. The virus, which causes fever and bleeding, has killed at least 3,439 people. Here is a timeline of the outbreak: March 22: Guinea confirms a previously unidentified hemorrhagic fever, which killed over 50 people in its southeastern Forest Region, is Ebola. Cases are also reported in the capital. March 30: Liberia reports two Ebola cases; suspected cases reported in Sierra Leone. April 1: Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warns the epidemic’s spread is “unprecedented.” But a World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman calls it “relatively small still.” April 4: A mob attacks an Ebola treatment center in southeastern Guinea. Healthcare workers in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia face growing hostility from fearful, suspicious local people. May 26: WHO confirms first Ebola deaths in Sierra Leone. June 17: Liberia says Ebola has reached its capital, Monrovia. June 23: With deaths above 350, making the West African outbreak the worst Ebola epidemic on record, MSF says it is “out of control” and calls for massive resources. July 25: Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, confirms its first Ebola case, a man who died in Lagos after traveling from Monrovia. July 29: Dr. Sheik Umar Khan, who was leading Sierra Leone’s fight against the epidemic, dies of Ebola. July 30: Liberia shuts schools and quarantines the worst-affected communities, using troops for enforcement. August 2: A U.S. missionary physician infected with Ebola in Liberia is flown to Atlanta in the United States for treatment.
August 5: A second U.S. missionary infected with Ebola is flown from Liberia to Atlanta for treatment. August 12: WHO says death toll has topped 1,000, approves use of unproven drugs or vaccines. A Spanish priest with Ebola dies in a Madrid hospital. August 15: MSF says the epidemic will take about six months to control. August 20: Security forces in Monrovia fire shots, tear gas to disperse crowd trying to break out of quarantine, killing a teenager. August 21: The two U.S. missionary aid workers treated in Atlanta are released from the hospital free of the virus. August 24: Democratic Republic of Congo declares Ebola outbreak, apparently separate from larger epidemic. An infected British medical worker is flown home from Sierra Leone for treatment. Aug. 28: WHO puts death toll at above 1,550, warns outbreak could infect more than 20,000. August 29: Senegal reports first confirmed Ebola case. September 2: MSF President Joanne Liu tells U.N. members the world is “losing the battle” to contain Ebola, slams “a global coalition of inaction.” September 3: Epidemic’s pace accelerates; deaths top 1,900. Officials say there were close to 400 deaths in the past week. A third U.S. missionary doctor infected with Ebola is flown from Liberia for treatment in Omaha, Nebraska. September 5: Latest WHO tally: More than 2,100 dead out of about 4,000 people thought to have been infected. September 7: President Barack Obama says in an interview the United States needs to do more to help control Ebola to prevent it from becoming a global crisis. September 8: Britain says
it will send military and humanitarian experts to Sierra Leone to set up a treatment center; United States says it will send 25bed military field hospital to Liberia to care for health workers. A fourth Ebola patient will be flown to the United
New WHO tally: 2,461 dead out of 4,985 infected, a doubling of the death toll in the past month. September 17: MSF says a French nurse volunteering for the medical charity in Liberia has Ebola. September 18: New WHO tally: 2,630 dead out of
Freetown, are deserted as the country imposes a controversial three-day lockdown to try to halt Ebola’s spread. September 20 - Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan flies from Liberia to Dallas via Brussels and Washington after reportedly
States for treatment in Atlanta. September 9: New WHO tally: At least 2,296 dead out of 4,293 cases recorded in five countries. September 13: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appeals to Obama for urgent aid in tackling Ebola. September 16: The United States promises to send 3,000 military engineers and medical personnel to West Africa to build clinics and train healthcare workers.
5,357 believed infected. The United Nations says a special mission to combat Ebola will deploy staff in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. U.N. Security Council adopts U.S.-drafted resolution calling for lifting of travel and border restrictions. French President Francois Hollande says a military hospital will be set up in Guinea. September 19 - Streets in Sierra Leone’s capital,
trying to help a woman with Ebola in his home country. September 22 - WHO says the outbreak has been largely contained in Senegal and Nigeria but says Ebola has killed more than 2,811 people in West Africa. September 23 - The CDC estimates between 550,000 and 1.4 million people in West Africa may be infected with Ebola by January. September 25 - At a meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly,
“July 25: Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, confirms its first Ebola case, a man who died in Lagos after traveling from Monrovia.”
Obama calls on more countries to help fight Ebola, saying hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake. Duncan goes to a Dallas hospital complaining of fever and abdominal pain. He is sent back to the apartment where he is staying, with antibiotics, despite telling a nurse he has traveled from West Africa. September 26 - New WHO tally: 3,091 dead out of 6,574 probable, suspected and confirmed cases. Cuba says it will send nearly 300 doctors and nurses to West Africa, to join 165 healthcare workers slated to arrive in early October. September 28 - Duncan’s condition worsens, and he is taken to the Dallas hospital by ambulance. September 30 - CDC confirms Duncan has Ebola, making his first case diagnosed in the United States. October 1 - WHO updates West Africa death toll to 3,338 dead out of 7,178 cases. October 2 - Britain pleads for international help to fight epidemic at “Defeating Ebola” conference in London. NBC News says an American freelance television cameraman working for the network has tested positive for Ebola and will be flown back to the United States for treatment. October 3 - New WHO tally: 3,439 dead out of 7,492 suspected, probable and confirmed cases in West Africa and the United States, which has one case. A Ugandan doctor suffering from the disease arrives in Frankfurt from Sierra Leone for treatment at a hospital in the German city. October 4 - The volunteer nurse in Liberia who was the first French national to contract the virus leaves a hospital outside Paris after being successfully treated for the disease. Duncan’s condition worsens from serious to critical. Courtesy Reuters
International election for Hong Kong’s leader, promised by Beijing for 2017. The protests are the strongest challenge to authorities in Hong Kong — and in Beijing — since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. China has promised that
Hong Kong can have universal suffrage by 2017, but it says a committee of mostly pro-Beijing figures must screen candidates for the top job. The protesters also are demanding the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, the city’s current
leader. He has refused to step down. Police said they had arrested 30 people since the start of the protests. Protesters, meanwhile, complained that the police were failing to protect them from attacks by mobs intent on driving them away.
Kurds Battle For Syria Town
Abdul-Rahman Kassig a medic helps a wounded man
Hong Kong Officials Resume Work As Protests Rescind HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s civil servants returned to work and schools were reopening Monday as a massive prodemocracy protest that has occupied much of the city center for the week dwindled. Student demonstrators say they have taken early steps to begin talks with the government on their demands for wider political reforms, but actual negotiations have not started and many disagreements remain. At the government headquarters, where some protesters agreed to remove barriers blocking roads Sunday ahead of the government’s deadline to scale back their protests, the scene was orderly as government officials arrived for work. About 25 or so remaining protesters, mostly young students, looked on as a dozen police stood guard nearby. The crowds had thinned markedly after a week that saw tens of thousands of people fill the streets in peaceful protest. In Mong Kok, another protest site across the harbor where protesters had clashed violently with their opponents, a few hundred activists were staying put at the sit-in site. Some activists disagree with the partial withdrawal at government headquarters, and an alliance of students say they will keep up their protests until details of the talks are worked out. They say they will walk away
from the talks as soon as the government uses force to clear away the remaining protesters. Alex Chow, a student leader, said he was not worried about the crowd dwindling. “Because people need rest, but they will come out again. It doesn’t mean the movement is diminishing. Many people still support it,” Chow said. But Louis Chan, who still plans to stay at the government headquarters for “as long as he can,” is not sure achieving universal suffrage — the students’ original goal — is now likely. “I think it was possible, but now I don’t think so because they (the Hong Kong government) don’t give any response and China is also very much against this,” he said. Students occupying an area just outside city government headquarters agreed to remove some barricades that were blocking the building’s entrance, after the government said it would do whatever was necessary to ensure 3,000 civil servants would have full access to their office yesterday. The partial withdrawal appeared to be part of a strategy to regroup in another part of town, as protesters were urged to shift from other areas to Hong Kong’s Admiralty shopping and business district, a central location near the government’s main offices that has served as an
informal headquarters for the protests. Protesters had feared that officials may clear the streets by force, but by yesterday it’s clear that the government was settling for a partial victory in clearing some roads. A main road on the Hong Kong Island remains partly closed, and the government indicated some disruptions were likely to continue. “To restore order, we are determined, and we are confident we have the capability to take any necessary action,” police spokesman Steve Hui said. “There should not be any unreasonable, unnecessary obstruction by any members of the public.” Television footage showed a man shaking hands with a police officer outside government headquarters and the two sides removing some barricades together. About 300 demonstrators stood by outside the government building’s main entrance, but then many sat back down and refused to leave. “I’m against any kind of withdrawal or tendency to surrender,” said Do Chan, a protester in his 30s. “I think withdrawing, I mean shaking hands with the police, is a very ugly gesture of surrender.” Tens of thousands of people, many of them students, have poured into the streets of the semiautonomous city since September 28 to peacefully protest China’s restrictions on the first-ever direct
MURSITPINAR (Turkey) - Kurdish militia fought off a fresh assault by the Islamic State group on a key Syrian town early yesterday, after one desperate woman defender carried out a suicide attack against the jihadists. IS militants attempted to storm the town of Kobane on the Turkish border from both east and west of a strategic hill to the south, but Kurdish fighters repulsed the attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A Syrian Kurdish official inside Kobane said the town had come under heavy bombardment by the jihadists and there had been fierce clashes as the Kurdish fighters fought off the assault. IS fighters seized part of Mishtenur Hill, which overlooks Kobane, late on Saturday, but US-led air strikes slowed their advance. The Syrian Kurdish official said IS fighters were just one kilometre (less than a mile) from the town and that air strikes alone were not enough to stop them. Idris Nahsen complained there was no coordination between coalition commanders and Kurdish fighters on the ground. In a sign of the Kurdish defenders’ mounting desperation, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at an IS position east of Kobane on Sunday, the Observatory said. It was the first reported instance of a female Kurdish fighter employing a tactic often used by the jihadists, said the Britainbased watchdog, which has a wide network of sources inside Syria. The Kurdish official confirmed the suicide bombing but was noncommittal about whether there would be more. “I don’t know. It is related to the situation. We don’t
have this strategy,” Nahsen said. Sunday’s fighting around Kobane — also known as Ain al-Arab — killed at least 19 Kurdish fighters and 27 IS jihadists, the Observatory said. Under assault by IS for nearly three weeks, the town has become a crucial battleground in the international fight against the jihadists, who sparked further outrage at the weekend with the release of a video showing the beheading of Briton Alan Henning. The video — the latest in a series of on-camera beheadings of Western hostages — included a threat to another hostage, US aid worker Peter Kassig. Kassig’s parents have issued a video plea for their son’s release, urging his captors to show mercy towards the 26-year-old former US soldier who is a Muslim convert. His parents have also revealed that Kassig wrote them a letter in June expressing his fears of death and concern for his family. “I am obviously pretty scared to die but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping and wondering if I should even hope at all. I am very sad all this has happened and for what all of you back home are going through,” Kassig wrote in the letter. IS began its advance on Kobane on September 16, seeking to cement its grip over a long stretch of the Syria-Turkey border. The offensive prompted a mass exodus from the town and surrounding countryside, with some 186,000 people fleeing into Turkey. One mortar round hit a house on Turkish territory just a few kilometres (miles) from Kobane on Sunday, wounding five people, medical sources said.
The source of the fire was unclear, but residents of two small border villages were ordered evacuated as a precaution. The Turkish parliament last week authorised the government to join the campaign, but so far no plans for military action have been announced, to the dismay of Turkey’s own large Kurdish minority. Extremist Sunni Muslim group IS has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, declaring a “caliphate” in June and imposing its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. The group has been accused of carrying out widespread atrocities including mass executions, abductions, torture and forcing women into slavery. It has also released videos of the on-camera beheadings of two US journalists, a British aid worker and on Friday of Henning, a 47-year-old British volunteer driver who went to Syria with a Muslim charity. After first launching strikes against IS in Iraq in August, Washington has built a coalition of allies to wage an air campaign against the group. In Iraq, the pace of the coalition air campaign against IS picked up on Sunday with the first strike by Belgium and maiden combat sorties by Australia and The Netherlands. Britain, France and Denmark have also committed aircraft to the campaign against IS in Iraq, where a fightback by Kurdish forces in the north has made slow progress while federal troops have come under renewed assault by the jihadists west of Baghdad. In Syria, Washington relies on the support of five Arab allies — Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
International
Somali Troops Secure Key Port From Shebab
MOGADISHU - Somali military commanders yesterday celebrated the capture of the last major port held by Islamist Shebab insurgents, as the government secured control of the town for the first time in over two decades. “Al-Shebab are no longer in Barawe,” military commander Abdirisak Khalif Elmi told hundreds of residents yesterday, calling on citizens to support the government. Tanks and armoured vehicles patrolled the town Monday, after the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab retreated late last week ahead of the advance. The capture of Barawe, with troops entering Sunday but with mopping up operations continuing, removes a key source of revenue for the Islamist militia. The African Union’s AMISOM force, which draws 22,000 soldiers from six nations, said Barawe, 200 kilometres (120 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, fell without “much resistance from the terrorist group.” “Barawe is now under the control of SNA (Somali National Army) supported by AMISOM forces — the first time in 23 years, Barawe is under Somali government control,” AMISOM said yesterday.
The fall of Barawe is a major blow for the insurgents, and it came just a month after the death of their leader Ahmed Abdi Godane in a US air and drone strike. “Somalia is waking to a
brighter future,” UN special representative in Somalia Nick Kay said, in a congratulatory message to government and AU forces. While some troops conducted house-to-house searches for
weapons, the main body of soldiers were setting up bases just outside the town, local governor Abdukadir Mohamed Nur said. “Operations to ensure security are ongoing,” Nur added.
Residents reported the Indian Ocean port was quiet, beyond soldiers firing into the air in celebration. “Tanks and other armed vehicles entered this morning and houses have been searched, they were targeting some houses where Al-Shebab commanders lived,” said Ali Nurow, a resident. “The situation is calm and there is no fighting — except heavy fire into the air by Somali and AMISOM troops when they have re-entered the town,” said Isak Mohamed, another resident. The Shebab exported charcoal through Barawe to Gulf countries, earning at least $25 million (19 million euros) a year from the trade according
Parents Of Aid Worker Held Hostage Release Photos, Letter
Honeymoon murder accused Shrien Dewani sits in the dock before the start of his trial in Cape Town yesterday.
INDIANA (USA) - The parents of an U.S. aid worker held hostage by Islamic State militants on Sunday released photographs of their son and parts of a letter he wrote them from captivity in which he says he is scared to die but at peace with his belief. Peter Kassig, 26, was taken captive a year ago while doing humanitarian work in Syria, his family has said. He was threatened in an Islamic State
Honeymoon Murder Trial
Briton Denies Guilt
CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Millionaire British businessman Shrien Dewani yesterday denied arranging his bride’s murder during their honeymoon in South Africa, four years after she was found shot dead in an abandoned car. Dewani is accused of conspiring with a taxi driver to stage a car-jacking as the couple were driven through Gugulethu, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, in November 2010. He says they were kidnapped and his wife Anni abducted. The former model was later found several kilometers away in another township, dead from a single gunshot wound. A tired looking Dewani, 34, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, appeared before Judge Jeanette Traverso at the Cape High Court packed with media and Anni’s family, who wore ribbons and smiling pictures of her pinned on their jackets. “I plead not guilty to all five counts, my lady,” Dewani told the judge on the first day of his trial, after the state’s prosecutor read out the charges including murder, kidnapping and robbery with aggravating circumstances. If found guilty, he could spend up to 25 years in jail. Dewani lost a three-year
to UN estimates. The Shebab have vowed to avenge their leader’s death and to continue their fight to topple the country’s internationallybacked government. On Saturday, a Shebab commander, Mohamed Abu Abdallah, said the militia would continue to stage attacks. “The fighting will continue and we will turn the town into graveyards of the enemy,” he said, quoted by a pro-Shebab website. The strike against Shebab leader Godane — one of the world’s eight top terror fugitives — came days after the AU and Somali troops launched a major offensive, “Operation Indian Ocean”, against the insurgents on several fronts.
legal battle in Britain to avoid being tried in South Africa, where three men convicted in connection with the killing of his wife have implicated him in the crime, dubbed the “honeymoon murder.” It was the second highprofile trial this year to put South Africa’s judicial system and high murder rate into the full spotlight of the world’s media. Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide last month, escaping the more serious charge of murder for the killing of his girlfriend.
Soldiers from the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) march on a hill overlooking the Shebab stronghold of Baraweon on Sunday.
Hitmen Admit Killing 17 Of 43 Missing Mexican Students
IGUALA (Mexico) - Two gang hitmen linked to police admitted to killing 17 of 43 students missing in southern Mexico, amid fears the victims were among bodies found in a mass grave. Inaky Blanco, the chief prosecutor of violence-plagued Guerrero state, said on Sunday that it would take at least 15 days to identify the 28 bodies in the clandestine grave, some of which were badly burned and in pieces. The site was found Saturday on a hill in Pueblo Viejo, an impoverished district of the city of Iguala, where the missing students were last seen on the night of September 26, some 200
kilometers (125 miles) south of Mexico City. “A bed of branches and tree trunks was made, on which the bodies of the victims were laid and a flammable substance was used,” Blanco said. The students disappeared after Iguala municipal police officers shot at buses transporting them, and Blanco said the Guerreros Unidos gang participated in a night of violence that left six people dead, 25 wounded and 43 missing. While the students are accused
of having hijacked the buses, Blanco said the motive for the attack remains under investigation. The case could become one of the worst slaughters that Mexico has witnessed since the drug war intensified in 2006, leaving 80,000 people dead to date, and the most horrific since President Enrique Pena Nieto took office in December 2012. Earlier on Sunday, some parents and hundreds of fellow students from the missing group’s teacher training college blocked the highway between Guerrero’s
capital Chilpancingo and Acapulco, voicing anger at the authorities. Some of the parents said they were shown pictures of the bodies but that they did not believe that they looked like their children. “As parents, we reject this situation. It’s not the youngsters. We know they’re holding them alive,” said Manuel Martinez, whose son is among the missing. Relatives have given DNA samples to see if they match the bodies in the mass grave, while Blanco said the search for the missing would continue as long as the identities are not confirmed.
video issued on Friday that showed the beheading of a British aid worker. Ed and Paula Kassig of Indianapolis, Indiana, appealed for his release on Saturday in a video message. On Sunday, they called for people to use the name he has taken since converting to Islam, Abdul-Rahman Kassig. They also released photos of him working as a medic in Syria in 2013, fishing with his father on the Ohio River in southern Indiana in 2011, and - much younger - standing in his mother’s arms by a waterfall during a family camping trip in 2000. Kassig’s parents said they were overwhelmed by the response from those who thought their boy was a hero for the humanitarian work he had been doing. “We have also received many questions about our son’s conversion to Islam,” they said, adding that friends said his journey toward Islam began before he was taken captive, and that he voluntarily converted between October and December 2013. Quoting from a letter he wrote them in June, they said he prays five times every day and takes the religion’s practices seriously, including adopting the name Abdul-Rahman. “We see this as part of our son’s long spiritual journey,” they said. In the parts of the letter they released, Kassig thanked his parents and said it could not have been easy raising him. “I am obviously pretty scared to die but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping, and wondering if I should even hope at all,” he wrote. “If I do die, I figure that at least you and I can seek refuge and comfort in knowing that I went out as a result of trying to alleviate suffering and helping those in need.” The letter added that he was in a “dogmatically complicated situation here, but I am at peace with my belief.”Kassig had been doing humanitarian work through Special Emergency Response and Assistance, an organization he founded in 2012 to treat refugees from Syria, his parents have said.
Issues Society
THE pageantry of the occasion gave it a pass for a royal wedding or a celebrity’s wedding. But for those who knew the celebrants well enough knew that even though Isoken-the bride, was not a celebrity, she was without doubt a big time Akate who had made all the money she needed to be popular. With the blaring of guitars and banging of drums from the extremities of the canopies, it was difficult for anyone to whisper or talk, so with hands they
had both patiently waited for. And as the saying goes “the patient dog eats the fattest bone” lsoken had spent roughly ten years in Italy while her old time boyfriend Omoruyi, waited in enduring patience regardless of the criticism that almost drowned him. That day, with each other robbed beautifully to the envy of everyone who cared to look, was their “fattest bone” and as the music featured at the background, they nibbled at it, carelessly with steps
demonstrated their amazement at the way foreign currencies flew in the air. “Isoken weds Omoruyi” was boldly captured on a banner that stood conspicuously at the entrance of the venue. Passers-by along the popular Ihama road in the Government Reservation Area gazed with awe at the types of luxury cars that filed up at the gate of the prestigious Royal Mable Hotel where the wedding ceremony was in progress. The day was indeed that which the Lord had made for the couple, it was the day they
that stood in the memory of their admirer forever. Two months after the wedding, people still talked about it in different personal accounts. But as for the couple, a different matter had called for concern. Since the wedding, Isoken had been very busy arguing over the phone about something. The calls kept coming and she was incessantly agitated as she spoke in foreign language that completely put Omoruyi in the dark. She had a way of making him believe it was nothing to worry about. Love would
The Polygamous! By OMORAGBON IWINOSA JACKSON
make him believe anything she wanted- love was the reason he had waited for ten years. The Italian embassy had written twice. Omoruyi wondered if the matter was something he really shouldn’t worry about. On a day Isoken went on her usual outing, he snooped around, combing the whole apartment for the
are for your wife?” the language proprietor inquired cynically. “I just told you they are for her, why the question again?” Omoruyi responded impatiently. “I asked because the woman to whom these letters are addressed, according to the letters, has been married for the past seven years to one
letters. They had been concealed carefully under the mattress. With the letters he drove out, seeking any available language school where he could have them translated. “Oga are you sure these
Mr. Antonio and has two kids by him.” “What do you mean, are you sure of this?” Omoruyi contested, finding it hard to believe. “He has written to know why she’s staying too long here”
With mouth agape, Omoruyi was lost in the shock that had him carried away for a while. “Sir....sir! Interpretation is 5,000 while translation is equally 5,000, making 10,000 in a sum. If you don’t mind you can pay to my secretary over there’: the proprietor pointed to reveal the secretary who was at the extreme corner of the large class room. Still weighed down by the crater of the bomb shell, Omoruyi managed to bargain, “can’t I pay less” “I’m sorry, that’s all I can take. Italia and Dutch are difficult to translate so that the fees are equally high” the proprietor concluded. Omoruyi had no time to waste, he must go quickly to demand explanation from her, and hence complied with the payment and drove off. Omoruyi walked into the seating room wrapped up in the heaviness of what he perceived as infidelityexcept that he wasn’t sure anymore to whom she was the infidel. She met him before the Italian, but she certainly was married to the Italian before him. Nonetheless, she was an infidel and the thought of it grew heavy in his head. There she was again, poised at her usual corner of the sofa, beaming with gratitude, to God knows who” was on the phone this time. He waited for her to finish. With wry gaze he watched her grinning ceaselessly and
giggling recurrently. It disgusted him so much that he grabbed her, wrenching the phone from her hand. “Are you insane? He exploded in pent up anger. “What are you doing, what’s wrong with you? Give me my phone” she fought back. “You whore, you shameless whore, how can you live with these?” he threw the letters at her. “Where did you get this?” She asked evasively. “Don’t you even think of lying to me!” he exploded even more. They argued hysterically until they were both drowned in the ambience of marital warfare. She had obviously no defense and was losing out in a most vital battle of her life. Eventually she opened up and let the secret unfold. “No girl ever acquires a Permit overseas without marrying. I tried to ignore that fact for good five years but eventually I had to face the reality, I had no choice. Everyone, including my best friends gave in. I fought the idea because I love you. However I eventually gave in “She cried as her head lay buried in her palm. Her pathetic figure seemed penitent, and her tune sought forgiveness. Omoruyi would find no difficulty forgiving her, but would indeed find undying difficulty understanding the type of marriage he was to bear.
“However, I eventually gave in “She cried as her head lay buried in her palm. Her pathetic figure seemed penitent, and her tune sought forgiveness. Omoruyi would find no difficulty forgiving her, but would indeed find undying difficulty understanding the type of marriage he was to bear.”
Sterling Will Stay Rodgers STERLING is under contract until 2017 after signing a new deal worth a reported £30,000 per week but that has not stopped talk of a move away from Anfield. The 19-year-old is reportedly attracting interest from UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid, as well as French champions Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool are desperate to fend off suitors with a new bumper long-term deal, reward for the England international’s rapid rise in the Premier League. Rodgers is “adamant” Sterling will stick with Liverpool and said: “His agent is a good agent and he understands this is the perfect place for him. “It’s not a big issue for us. [Chief executive] Ian Ayre has spoken with his representatives and he is quite relaxed. The club is dealing with the agent so everything is calm. “The boy is remarkably happy here and there are no secondary thoughts about anything else other than continuing to play for Liverpool. “Also, to continue with his development because he still has a lot of growth and for that the best place for him to be is here. His representatives respect that and the club respects that. So that will get sorted out in time.”
Lampard Coy Over City Stay
THE 36-year-old former England international has scored four goals in six appearances since joining City on a loan deal. Lampard is due to link up with MLS side New York City FC at the beginning of January, following his temporary stint at the Etihad Stadium, but it has been reported that he may prolong his stay with Manuel Pellegrini’s side. The midfielder stressed that he is not looking that far ahead as he attempts to maintain his fine form. “The temptation is to not get ahead of myself in my career. I am here until January 1, basically, so I will focus on that and see what happens then.” Lampard is quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News. “There has been a lot said about when the season starts, but the only thing that can decide my future is how well I am playing. They will be kicking me out in January if I don’t play very well!
Quiet Man De Gea Takes Centre Stage At Gold Trafford RECORD signing Angel Di Maria and Colombian striker Radamel Falcao scored the goals but goalkeeper David de Gea took the major plaudits following Manchester United’s 2-1 Premier League win over Everton on Sunday. The Spaniard saved a penalty from Leighton Baines and produced two superb diving stops in the final 10 minutes to preserve his side’s lead as Everton laid siege to their goal. “De Gea, heroic performance winning @ManUtd 2 points with 3 extraordinary saves. Great to see,” former United keeper Peter Schmeichel said on Twitter. Amid the turmoil of David Moyes’s disastrous season in charge at Old Trafford and Louis van Gaal’s faltering start as manager, De Gea has clearly established himself as United’s number one keeper. He was heavily criticised after
Arsene Wenger (left) and Jose Mourinho
Wenger Unlikely To Face Disciplinary Action Over Push ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger is unlikely to face any disciplinary action from the Football Association for pushing Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho during a heated touchline bust-up in Sunday’s Barclays Premier League match at Stamford Bridge. Wenger confronted Mourinho extraordinary. The governing body are, in the technical area just after a however, expected to write to bad foul from Gary Cahill on Alexis Sanchez midway both clubs following the through the first half, the delayed kick-off by some 15 Frenchman afterwards minutes after a flare was let off accepting he gave the Chelsea outside the entrance to the boss a “little” push, which he visiting end, which caused turnstiles to be closed so smoke defended. The managers had to be could clear before allowing separated at the time by fourth fans back into the corner of the official Jon Moss, before they Shed End. Arsenal lost the match 2-0, were called over by referee Martin Atkinson, who gave and suffered a first Premier them both a stern dressing League defeat of the season. The Gunners are eighth, but down and warned any further just four points behind secondtransgressions would see them placed Manchester City, sent to the stands. Because the referee dealt with although now nine adrift of the matter as he saw it during leaders Chelsea. It is Arsenal’s second worst the match, Press Association league start to a season under Sport understands the FA is unlikely to open a disciplinary Wenger. However, centre-back Per case, unless the officials’ report highlights something Mertesacker - who was caught
out of position as Diego Costa broke away for the late second goal - believes Arsenal can learn from the disappointments of Sunday to push on again after the international break. “We were much more competitive and we defended much better (than last season), so that is what we can take, but Chelsea were still better and we have to learn quickly,” he said. “At times we were good, but
Goal Will Lift Falcao, Says Van Gaal THE Colombia star, a deadline-day recruit on a season-long loan from Monaco, grabbed the winner as United edged out Everton 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday. Falcao converted in the 62nd minute to secure the points after Steven Naismith had cancelled out an opener from
Redknapp Bemoans Fitness Issues THE London club are rooted to the foot of the Premier League table after picking up just four points from their first seven matches. Redknapp bolstered his squad with a host of close-season signings following QPR’s promotion via the Championship play-offs, but new faces such as Jordon Mutch and Sandro have been hampered by injuries as they aim to settle in at Loftus Road. Sandro, who also played under Redknapp at Tottenham, managed to play 67 minutes of
a 2-0 defeat to West Ham on Sunday, while Mutch was introduced for the last 12 minutes after missing the previous weekend’s loss to Southampton. “It’s been difficult,” said Redknapp. “People like Jordon Mutch and Sandro, that I bought in, at the moment have not managed to put two games together and it’s been a problem for us. “With a few of them, we’ve really got to get them fitter. “I’ve put a lot of faith into Sandro, but unfortunately he’s
not good enough to score a goal. “Defensively we made two wrong decisions and we missed the final touch in the last third and the final ball - that was the difference. “We can take some positives out of this game but there’s still something to do. “We think so (we are in a better place than last season), but we have to prove it.”
had an injury and we need to get him fit, because when he’s fit, he’s a fantastic player. I had him at Tottenham, he was an excellent player, but at the moment he’s short of fitness. “The doc comes to me at halftime [in the West Ham game] and says he can only do another 15 minutes - I need to get them fit enough to play 90 minutes. “There’s a little group who at the moment are struggling, I think, on their fitness, because they’ve had injuries and missed training. We’ve got to get everybody fit and ready to go.”
another of United’s highprofile new boys, Angel di Maria. The decisive goal delighted manager Van Gaal, who said: “He [Falcao] needed that. He was forcing himself too much to score. Now he has, it’ll be better after the international break.” Falcao’s goal came after the 28-year-old had uncharacteristically failed to convert some earlier opportunities. After the game, he described his first United strike as “amazing”, but conceded: “There was a little bit of relief.” Having claimed back-toback victories for the first time under Van Gaal following a shaky start to the season, United now lie fourth in the Premier League. They will resume action after the international break with a trip to West Brom.
arriving in England in 2011 for £17.8 million from Atletico Madrid, tasked with filling the boots of Edwin van der Sar who was United’s best keeper since Schmeichel’s heyday in the 1990s. Always deemed to be a good shot-stopper, De Gea’s critics doubted whether he could cope with the physical demands of the Premier League and he showed vulnerability to high crosses. Opposing managers targeted this weakness and United manager Alex Ferguson dropped him in favour of Anders Lindegard several times during his first season. De Gea never complained publicly and he played 37 out of 38 Premier League matches in the 2013-14 season, a beacon of consistency as United spluttered to seventh in the table under Moyes a year after being crowned champions. Van Gaal had no hesitation in handing De Gea the number one shirt and he made his first start for Spain in a friendly against France last month before seizing his chance to shine against Everton. He became the first goalkeeper to deny Baines from the spot, plunging to his right to prevent the England left back converting his 15th Premier League penalty out of 15. De Gea was powerless to keep out Steven Naismith’s headed equaliser early in the second half but, after Falcao had restored United’s lead, the Spaniard acrobatically saved powerful long-range shots from Leon Osman and Bryan Oviedo. “At the end of the first half he stopped a penalty so that was good,” Van Gaal said. “He also did very well in the last 15 minutes. “I said to him it is always good when a keeper has such games. It shall improve his confidence. He was fantastic.” Everton manager Roberto Martinez was also fulsome in his praise. “De Gea was outstanding,” he said. “There were some incredible saves, two were eyecatching, but throughout he was very strong and secure.”
David De
Fear Cost PSG Against Monaco, Claims Blanc THE French champions continued their stuttering start to the Ligue 1 campaign at the Parc des Princes as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Monaco. Lucas Moura looked set to cap an impressive week for PSG when he scored the opener after
Mazzarri Eyes Inter Respite AFTER taking eight points from their first four games in Serie A this term, Mazzarri’s new-look Inter side have since crashed to comprehensive defeats against Cagliari and Fiorentina. A 4-1 loss to Cagliari was followed by Sunday’s 3-0 reversal at Fiorentina, leaving Mazzarri with work to do before Inter’s visit of his former club Napoli on October 19. Mazzarri feels a number of his squad were not physically fresh going into Sunday’s fixture at the Stadio Artemio Franchi something he needs to address before their clash with the Coppa Italia holders. “I’ve already spoken to the lads because lots of them will be heading off on international duty now,” the Italian explained. “We just need to get our heads down and work on the problems we have. “I’ve told them what I needed to say. We’re all angry about the result and the way the match went. I’m confident we’ll pick ourselves up again soon but we do need to work hard to solve our problems as quickly as possible. “We thought certain problems could be overcome with a psychological shake-up but that proved not to be the case. “I knew we weren’t all that fresh. That’s another reason for us to train really well over the next fortnight even if we’ll be missing our international players.”
71 minutes - with Blanc’s men having beaten Barcelona 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. However, PSG had to settle for a sixth draw in nine Ligue 1 matches as Anthony Martial levelled in the latter stages and Blanc felt his side were too fearful of conceding. “My team were so scared of conceding a goal that they ended up conceding a goal,” he explained. “We didn’t do what it took to maintain our lead - in the final two or three minutes you need to be more vigilant and more professional in terms of maintaining possession. “It’s a scenario that unfortunately keeps repeating itself and I hope this was the last time.” PSG’s slow start to their bid for a third consecutive Ligue 1 title has allowed Marseille to steal a march at the summit, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side leading by five points from Bordeaux in second. Blanc is not overly worried by the seven-point advantage Marseille hold over his team and suggested a reduced number of games for the leaders was an important factor.
“It’s a shame to be dropping the number of points we have been dropping lately. Marseille deserve to be on top, they’re collecting a huge number of points and they deserve them, but they’re only playing once a week,” he added. “My team were very tired in the last 10 minutes, and unintentionally we dropped back, even though we must not forget that Monaco had a good second half. “We weren’t brilliant but could we really be after the huge amount of energy we expended [against Barcelona] on Tuesday?”
Laurent Blanc
Ronaldo Aims At Messi Record NOT content with setting a record of 17 goals for one edition of the Champions League last season, Cristiano Ronaldo is already well on the way towards breaking Lionel Messi’s La Liga best haul of 50 goals in one campaign. for the European champions, Ronaldo netted his third hat- equalling the La Liga record trick this term in Sunday’s 5-0 jointly held by Alfredo Di drubbing of a sorry Athletic Stefano and Telmo Zarra, and Bilbao at the Bernabeu, taking his putting him three clear of overall tally to an outrageous 13 Barcelona forward Messi’s hatin six appearances in 2014-15. trick haul. It was the Portuguese World On a night when he again Player of the Year’s 22nd treble appeared simply unstoppable,
Ronaldo unselfishly set up Karim Benzema to score and Gareth Bale made two assists as Real’s formidable attacking trio known as “BBC” destroyed the struggling Basque side. “The three up front played fantastically,” coach Carlo Ancelotti purred at his post-match news conference. “When they are in that kind of mood they are fundamental for the team,” added the Italian. Ronaldo broke Messi’s four-year stranglehold on the FIFA Ballon d’Or when he was voted 2013 World Player of the Year and Ancelotti said he had little doubt the Portuguese would claim his second straight award and third overall when the 2014 winner is announced in January. “This year, I don’t think there is much doubt,” Ancelotti said. “I don’t think there’s any point in even talking about it.” Messi is the only player who can come close to challenging Ronaldo and the Argentina captain’s performance at the World Cup, when he led the South American
Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Back On Track, Warns Casillas CARLO Ancelotti’s men are now on a four-game winning streak in the Spanish top flight after Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema wrapped up the points at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday. Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, taking his tally for the season to 13 goals from just six league outings, while Benzema added a brace as Real’s forward ranks combined to leave Bilbao helpless.
However, Casillas was more pleased with the clean sheet and believes the team’s all-round showing bodes well as they look to make up the four-point gap to leaders Barcelona. “The result could have gone differently but we were good across the park. We still have to catch up with the league leaders,” said the experienced goalkeeper. “The important thing was to continue with our form, slowly but surely we’ll make up the
difference. “We had been conceding a lot of goals so this is an important result. The team was full of confidence and we were solid throughout. We players at the back feel the support from the forward players. “We had a fruitful night in front of goal without conceding, which is what the fans want.” Casillas also paid tribute to Ronaldo, who netted his 22nd Liga hat-trick to equal the
Spanish top-flight record held jointly by Telmo Zarra and Alfredo Di Stefano. “We all know how great a player he is, his streak of form and his numbers are there for all to see,” added the 33-year-old. “He has broken all the records in terms of goalscoring and assists. We are delighted for him. “The greatest thing is that the fans are behind the team, that is the main thing and it will make us play at our best.”
Iker Casillas
nation to the final, may give him an edge. Lionel Messi following Argentina’s defeat to Germany in the final of the 2014 World Cup. (Reuters) Ronaldo, who was clearly struggling with injury, had a subdued finals in Brazil as Portugal failed to advance beyond the group stage. One negative side to Sunday’s easy win for Real, which lifted them above champions Atletico Madrid into fourth, was an apparent injury to Sergio Ramos which forced the Spain centre back off at halftime. “He was feeling discomfort in his right calf and we preferred to avoid any problems,” Ancelotti said. “Tomorrow, tests will be conducted and then he will join up with the national team and they will evaluate his fitness.” After the international break, Real’s next La Liga outing is at Levante on Oct. 18 and they play at Liverpool in Champions League Group B four days later.
THIRTEEN goals in first sixLa liga appearances has given Cristiano Ronaldo another goalscoring lead this season after an overwhelming performance last season that earned him both individual and team awards under the never tiring coach, Carlo Ancelotti. By: STANLEY UGAGBE/ EDET ELIJAH/KINGSLEY MBADUGHA
This season, Ronaldo has scored three hat tricks in 15 days. He scored his latest hat trick on Sunday against Athletic Bilbao, equaling La liga‘s long standing hat trick record with his 22nd for Real Madrid, sharing the record with Real Madrid legend, Alfredo Di Stefano and A t h l e t i c Biobao‘sTelmoZarra. The performance of the current World Best Player has gotten the entire football family gob-smacked and left football lovers with no option than to always watch him whenever he is on action. His scoring prowess has compelled many football fans to describe the Portugal forward a priceless jewel. Ancelotti has revealed that Ronaldo is the best player he has ever coached. He noted that the Real Madrid forward has an average of one goal per game. The indescribable player has battered, created ,and molded history for himself and his club. Recently, Ronaldo hit 30
million followers on Twitter, solidifying his spot as the most-followed athlete on the social medium and making him the 13th most followed person overall behind the likes of singers Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Rihanna and the U.S President Barack Obama. The current unstable situation of Manchester United and the overwhelming form of the Real Madrid forward compelled United fans to fly a Banner calling for the home coming of Ronaldo to Old Trafford. Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985. He began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D National. In
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo: The
1997, he made a move to the Portuguese giants Sporting CP. IN 2003 he caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson who signed him. In
Priceless Jewel
2004, he won his first trophy, the FA Cup. In 2007, Ronaldo was the
first player in England to win all four main PFA and FWA awards. In 2008 and 2013, he
UEFA Champions League
No Excuse For Man City By KINGSLEY MBADUGHA/ ELIJAH EDET
IT won’t be surprising to us if anyone makes a claim that Chelsea and Man City would make the Premier league a two-horse race; this is because looking at the two clubs, one do not need to overemphasize on it as the two teams are really outstanding and it depict on their display on field of play. However the Red DEVILS are right in the chasing pack to secure a top four finish. For all the upheaval at Manchester united in recent times, it is no news that they have spent more than 257 million pounds on new signings since they won the 2012 premier league title. Louis Van Gaal is really facing a few problems at the
start of the campaign but it’s no excuse if united fail to secure a champions league place for next season. First of all united has what it take to find their way to champions league next season; that’s in terms of quality players talking about the likes of Wayne Rooney, Di-maria, Juan Mata, Radamel Falcao, Robin Van-Persie who are probably the best attack so far and the rest of the players. With this kind of players which I believe have focus solely on the league; united have no excuse. Expectations may have fallen at Old Trafford but Van Gaal will have failed if he can’t organize and guide a team with this much top quality of players to a top four finish, even though the nature or rather the current situation at his
defence which we believe is not as strong as the attack. United started slowly and suffered embarrassing losses to Swansea and Leicester, yet six games into the league they were ahead of Liverpool and Everton, level with Totteham, just two points behind Arsenal and three off champions Man city. According to the club’s {united} executive vicechairman, Ed Woodward “the expectation this season is to finish third in the table and that should be well within United reach”. Whether United make it to the top four or not, it depends solely on them. A good look on their rivals will make you understand they are equally liable to drop points. Arsenal are already drawing many games.
Liverpool lost against Aston Villa and away to West Ham, and Totteham as well so if united can add some spice on defence organization to their game, then we are positive that united can reach there. United won against Everton, that’s a good one for them but they should look forward to their coming games which are not going to be a child’s play. Defenders must step up because if they don’t make it to the top four; probably because they believe that defenders were not strong ,that’s a super story for them; nobody want to ask them why, the fact still remains that united is out of the champions league again.
won the FIFA/Ballon d‘Or for the best footballer in the world, the first Portuguese player to win the award twice. He was awarded the European Golden Shoe in 2008, 2011 and 2014. In 2008, he won 3 0f the 4 main PFA and FWA trophies and was named the FIFA World Player of the Year, FIFPro Player of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year, and the Onze d‘Or. In 2007 and 2008, Ronaldo was named FWA Footballer of the Year. He was the inaugural winner of the FIFA Pukas Award for Goal of the Year in 2009. In 2014 UEFA poll, he was named the greatest goalscorer to play in the UEFA Champions League. He currently holds the record for most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League season, scoring 17 goals in the 2013-14 season. Without mincing of words, Ronaldo is the first top European league player to reach 40 goals in a single season in two consecutive years, fastest Real Madrid player to reach 100 league
goals, and the first player to score against every team in a single season in La liga. He holds the records for most goals scored in a season for Real Madrid. In January 2014, Ronaldo scored his 400th seniorcareer goal for club and country at the age of 28. At the international level, Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal in August 2003, at the age of 18. He scored his first international goal in the opening game of Euro 2004 against Greece, and helped Portugal reached the final. He mounted captaincy in July 2008, and at Euro 2012 he led Portugal to the semifinals, finishing the competition as joint-top scorer in the process. He single-handedly took Portugal to the 2014 FIFA World Cup that was held in Brazil. Ronaldo is one player who keeps amazing fans with his scoring mastery. Scoring goals has become part and parcel of him that he hardly feature in a football match without seeing the back of the net. He will ever be remembered in the history of football till time indefinite. He is indeed a priceless jewel!
Pillars Class In Defeat Praises Heartland Skipper
CAF Instructor Praises Uganda THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) instructor, Sunday Kayuni has praised the Uganda FA for taking the initiative to increase the certification level of coaches in the country. Kayuni, a former Tanzanian International conducted a week long course that attracted 70 coaches and ended last weekend at the Fufa technical Centre in Eastern Uganda. “I congratulate Fufa upon having organized this course because in the current CAF football set up this course is mandatory to all coaches running the game both locally and at international level,” said CAF senior instructor as
the course close last weekend. He explained that CAF has set the minimum standards of coaches to be level C. “So it’s up to member associations to comply and put it into practice. Football is dynamic that every time is changing from old fashioned tactics to scientific and also being professionalized. So you can’t catch up when you don’t upgrade,” he told MTNFootball.com. The instructor also said it’s not by mistake that Uganda has produced good coaches over the years.
GUINEA are likely to miss the services of captain Kamil Zayatte who suffered a hamstring playing for his English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday last week. Zayatte limped out after 39 minutes against Ipswich Town in a league match and expected to be out for two to three weeks. “All symptoms indicate a tear in hamstring. I am very pessimistic. If the diagnosis is confirmed, it will pass,” Guinea coach Michel Dussuyer said. Dussuyer is yet to name a replacement for the centreback. Guinea squad: Goalkeepers: Aboubacar Camara (Murcia, Spain), Naby Yattara (Arles Avignon, France), Abdul Aziz Keita (AS Kaloum, Guinea) Defenders: Fode Camara (Horoya AC, Guinea), Abdoulaye Cissé (Angers,
France), Mohamed Diarra (Odense, Denmark), Djibril Tamsir Paye (Zulte Waregem, Belgium), Florentin Pogba (Saint Etienne, France) Issiaga Sylla (Toulouse, France), Kamil Zayatte (Sheffield Wednesday, England) Midfielders: Lanfia Camara (RC Mechelen, Belgium), Kevin Constant (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Ibrahima Conte (Anderlecht, Belgium), Sadio Diallo (Lorient, France), Boubacar Fofana (Sporting Madeira, Portugal), Naby Keita (Redbull Salzburg, Austria), Guy Michel Landel (Orduspor, Turkey) Forwards: Ismael Bangoura (Umm Salal, Qatar), Abdoul Camara Razzagui (Angers, France) Seydouba Soumah (Slovan Bratislava, Slovakia), Idrissa Sylla (Zulte Waregem, Belgium), Ibrahima Traore (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany), Mohamed Lamine Yattara (Lyon, France)
“Uganda is a superpower when it comes to East African football and this has seen them produce good players and coaches like Polly Ouma and the departed Paul Hasule and David Otti,” he added. Mujib Kasule, one of the facilitators and former Vice President in-charge of the League said he is glad that the number of CAF C licensed coaches in Uganda will now increase from 28 to over 80.
HEartland skipper Chinedu Efugh has said Kano Pillars showed on Sunday they are worthy league leaders even though they lost 1-0 to the home team in Owerri. The former Enugu Rangers defender said Kano Pillars were tough, but Heartland won through sheer determination. “Kano Pillars are a good side no doubt, they showed class and why they are champions as well as top of the league table,” said the experienced Efugh. “But we were determined to win the match, we worked hard before and during the game and that was why God crowned us with victory. “It was a tough game and both teams played well enough for victory.” Pillars remain top of the Nigeria league with 50 points from 30 matches. They will now hope to consolidate their leadership on Wednesday when they host relegation-troubled Crown FC in Kano.
Heatland Skipper Efugh
Guinea Sweat On Zayatte Ahead Of Ghana Clash
Chamanga Looking Forward To Zambia Return CHINA-based striker James Chamanga says he is has recovered from injury and is looking forward to reuniting with Zambia this week. Chamanga is set to end his one year Zambia exile following his recall for the 2015 Africa Cup Group F doubleheader qualifier against Niger this coming week. The striker has struggled with injury over the last fortnight but came through unscathed on Saturday in Liaoning Whowin’s 1-0 away
defeat at Henan Jianye in the China Super League. “I played 90 minutes so it’s all good now and I should be in by Tuesday,” Chamanga said. Chamanga has not played for Zambia since October 15, 2013 when Zambia lost 2-0 to Brazil in a friendly played in Beijing. He is one of twelve foreignbased players called up for this weekend Group F away game in Niamey on October 11 and the return leg four days later on October 15 in Ndola.
Guinea National Team
Nasarawa Eye League Title N A S A R AWA United coach M o h a m m e d Babaganaru has maintained his team will keep up the fight to win a first-ever the Nigeria league title. Nasarawa United closed gap at top of the table after a 3-1 home win over Kaduna United to cut Babaganaru
Ghana Loss Behind Us -Wome
TOGO midfielder Dove Wome insists the loss to Ghana is behind the team and that they are now fully focused on bouncing back against Uganda at the weekend. The Sparrow Hawks take on Uganda in a 2015 African Cup of Nations Qualifier in Kampala on Saturday before welcoming the Cranes to Lomé four days later. Togo have found the going
tough in Group E, losing 2-1 to Guinea before going down 3-2 at home to Ghana. “We are last in the group right now, but I think we will come back strong because we have two games against Uganda, if we win those two games we will be on the right track,” said Wome. “We will go to Uganda in good spirits and I think we will win in Uganda, if we manage to do that it will give
us a good chance [to progress]. “We were disappointed, Ghana is one of the best countries in Africa, but we are not suppose to lose against them because we were at 2-2 heading into the final 10 minutes. “That is football, we have put it behind us and we head to Uganda stronger in search of the points,” the 23-year old concluded.
the lead by Babaganaru’s former club Pillars to three points. “We are happy with the victory over Kaduna United, it was a good game for us. We are still on course for our title aspiration and we will not relent,” p r o m i s e d Babaganaru. “We will keep working hard toward achieving that.” Babaganaru won the league back-toback with Kano Pillars in the last two seasons and he is now aiming for his third straight league championship. Nasarawa face a difficult road trip when they face El Kanemi in Kano on Wednesday.
CMYK
Living With A Malady Worse Than Ebola
WITHOUT any scintilla of doubt, that deadly disease named Ebola remains, meanwhile, the most fearsome predicament the world is grappling with today. From the tiniest hamlet in Papua New Guinea to the ever-bustling New York City in the United States of America, this ailment remains the most discussed issue even as I write this piece. Ebola Virus Disease has succeeded in putting the fear of God into all of us, from the lowest to the mightiest, poor or rich, old or young, feminine or masculine; no one dares look EVD in the eyes. Just a glance at the picture of its victims is enough to make one kneel down and pray to God to protect one against it. Everyone is now busy taking all the necessary precautions in order to ward off Ebola. As a result, hand washing and hand sanitizing have become the in-thing, hygienically speaking. New markets and new anti-Ebola products are springing up and, as long as these can keep the ailment at bay, people are ready to pay any amount for them. Not left out in this struggle to push Ebola out of sight are different manners of caregivers, both traditional and orthodox, even the fake ones too. In this class are the heartless individuals who exploit any situation to rip off their fellow citizens and these are in legion. Laboratories all over the globe now open day and night searching for the appropriate panacea to stop the disease frown doing further damage. The outbreak of EVD has even affected people’s taste, their eating habits and lifestyle. For instance, the demand for ‘bushmeat’ has dropped to an all- time low. The reason being that some animals have been identified as carriers of the Ebola virus. Recently, Becky Madojemu of NTA Newsline programme on her show said that “the rodents and their counterparts are now celebrating in the forest,” albeit jokingly. According to medical experts, all other disease known to man pale in fatality when placed side by side with EVD, be it Syphilis, Tuberculosis, Sickle cell Anemia, Small pox, Yellow and Malaria
fever, even HIV/AIDS. In fact, the symptom of Ebola incorporates all the aforementioned diseases. However, the Ebola Virus Disease can only destroy the body; it cannot destroy the soul, cannot even get near it. No matter how widespread it is now or will become later (May God Forbid) it will never succeed in wiping out the human race. Sooner than later, man will surely conquer Ebola. Even at this moment, man-made drugs are being perfected to nip this ravaging disease. Among them are Zmapp and another one named Nano Sliver. But there is a malady worse than Ebola, an ailment that can destroy the soul. The collective soul of a people who are citizens of the same nation. That ailment is called CORRUPTION. A couple of days ago, during a phone chat with one of my brothers, talking about this and that we finally got to the numerous problems bedeviling Nigeria as a nation. Any concerned citizen of this nation cannot for a day do without discussing these problems, especially corruption. Coriruption in this country, as we all know, is so wide-spread and devastating that it has seeped through the pores of Nigeria, ravaging her beyond repair. (Apology to Oswald Mtshali, the South Africa Poet) I lamented that, “Nowadays, most lecturers in our high institutions of learning, including some shameless professors, recommend only the textbooks written by themselves to their students”. This elicited a strident shriek from my brother who thereafter queried, “Is it now that you are knowing? It started long ago. When we were at the UNN in 1979, a lecturer was seriously doing that,” he added. I was alarmed. “So somebody had already been involved in such an evil practice as far back as that time? He should have been tied up at a stake and burned up as it was the practice in Medieval Europe,” I said. “You are right, Goddy. The man’s act is, by far, worse than a contagious vermin, worse than Ebola,” my brother had quipped. Corruption has, for a very long time, been the bottom line of almost all our problems — academic, economic, religious or political. In all sectors of our
life you find individuals who, daily, make mess of this nation, damaging our integrity with their unholy and undesirable acts of corruption. Sadly, many have adopted corruption as a normal way of life. In spite of all the natural and human resources this country is
like Shakespeare, Soyinka, Achebe, Marlowe, Socrates, or Adam Smith, Aristotle, Plato, Chike Obi, and other great historians, philosophers and mathematicians too numerous to list. Since the outbreak of Ebola the Federal
MATTERS IN FOCUS WITH GODWIN IGHARO one particular problem without politicizing the issue. For the first lime too, a Nigerian problem has not been given any religious or ethnic colourings. Hope the current show of concern by everybody will not fizzle out once the emergency is over, but rather be sustained. If the efforts and
Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister Health endowed with, our economy still remains in the wood. This is largely due to the high level of corruption in the nation. Any teacher who forces students to read only his or her textbooks for examination, has succeeded in preventing these students from having access to great writers through their intellectually rewarding books. Such a teacher, by his myopic and greedy act, has also diminished the quality of education in his country. This is one of the reasons many persons graduated from our higher institutions are not employable. Many in this class find it difficult to string a simple sentence together. When such socalled graduates are asked to add figure 14 to 9, they begin to search for the calculator. Imagine some stupid selfish individuals blocking students with fertile minds from studying the works of great writers
government of Nigeria has done so much to curtail the spread of the disease. So has the Lagos State Government. Expectedly, this has attracted a lot of encomium from all parts of the world. Paradoxically, Ebola has, in an odd way, united the people of Nigeria. This is the first time everybody has honestly worked together to solve
resources being employed to fight Ebola are directed at corruption, within a year corruption will drastically reduce. We only need to muster the will and collective efforts. We must be honest too and stop blaming the leaders for all of our problems. The debilitating image about Nigeria and Nigerians can only be erased by all the
citizens of Nigeria, not just by the leaders alone. Government, on the other hand, should do everything to build the trust of the people. The relationship between the leaders and the led must be symbiotic. Knowing that he could not successfully steer the ship of the Nigerian state single-handedly, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, during his inauguration on 29th of May, 2011, had appealed to all Nigerians saying, “The time for lamentation is over... Nigeria can only be transformed if we all play our parts with commitment and sincerity. Cynism and Skepticism will not help our journey to greatness”. From the allegations flying around, Boko Haram insurgents would have been defeated long ago if many of our people, including high-ranking military officers, have not been compromised. Many Nigerians will not be surprised if it is revealed tomorrow that the officers belonging to the different agencies at our airports and who should have stopped the late Patrick Sawyer, “the Bio Terrorist,” from smuggling the Ebola Virus Disease into the country were bribed to look the other way. For us to build an enviable country we need to tame corruption; posterity will not jubilate if we preserve it for them. We can’t achieve much via Deux-ex-Machina. That is only possible in literature. So we must take positive action. To quote Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive, David Grevemberg, “Legacy is not something that happens to you; it is something that happens by you. May the Almighty Lord help us. Long live Nigeria.
“However, the Ebola Virus Disease can only destroy the body; it cannot destroy the soul, cannot even get near it. No matter how widespread it is now or will become later (May God Forbid) it will never succeed in wiping out the human race. Sooner than later, man will surely conquer Ebola.”
Printed and published by Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, 24, Airport Road, P.M.B. 1334 Benin City. Telephone; Lagos: 01 4930929, Benin: 052 257492, 257531 Editor: BARR. SOLOMON IMOHIOSEN (KSJI)-(07030699646), Deputy General Manager-Marketing (08023457566), Assistant General Manager-Advertisement (08023808856) Lagos Office: 25A Alli Street, Off Tinubu Square, Lagos Island, Lagos. Abuja Office: Floor 1, Edo House, 75 Ralph Shodeinde Street, Central Business District, Abuja. Tel/Fax: 09-5237631. All correspondence to: 24 Airport Road, Benin City. E-mail: nigerianobserver@yahoo.com (ISSN 0331-2674)