The Nigerian Observer

THE NIGERIAN

The Nigerian

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PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 RELATIONSHIP Page 13 Would you marry a poor man?

SECURITY ISSUES Page 18

Between human rights and peace (1)

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

• Vol . 37 NO. 228 • THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013 • N100.00

Nnamani, Okiro, others head FG boards

Supreme Court.

While Senator Nnamani was to be confirmed to chair

By JOSES SEDE

ABUJA - President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday forwarded the names of the former Senate Presi-

dent, Ken Nnamani and ex-Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mike Okiro for board appointments.

Jonathan also nominated Hon Justice K.M.O. Kekere-Ekun for confirmation as a Justice of the Continues on page 2

Reps to probe N40bn trapped in banks ABUJA - The House of Representatives yesterday mandated an ad hoc committee to probe the more than N40 billon Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) allegedly trapped in some designated banks. tions of the banks and The resolution emathe Nigerian Maritime nated from a motion Administration and moved by Rep. Hassan Safety Agency Saleh (PDP-Benue), (NIMASA) had defeated which was unanimously the laudable objectives adopted. of the CVFF. Leading the debate, He said that if the mariSaleh alleged that more time sector was fully dethan N40 billion was veloped, it had the potrapped in some comtentials to generate mercial banks instead of much revenue as the oil being used for the right sector. purpose.

According to him, Saleh said that the acmore than 90 per cent of

the country’s intemational trade was being carried out on the sea.

The legislator stressed that only 20 active Nigerian registered vessels were handling the country’s ex-

ternal trade, while the others were owned by foreigners.

The committee is expected to report back to the House in three weeks.

The house also mandated the committee to determine the total amount that had been generated under the fund since inception.

The house further

mandated the committee to determine the banks warehousing these funds and their level of participation in the scheme. in his contribution, Rep. Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers) urged the House to allow the relevant committees to embark on an oversight to ascertain the position

Continues on page 2

Oshiomhole sacks Commissioner, dissolves SUBEB

BENIN CITY- Governor Adams Oshiornhole of Edo State has approved the removal of the state Commissioner for the Ministry of Secondary, Technical and Higher Education, Mr E k p e n i s i

Omorotionrnwan.

Also, the Governor approved the dissolution of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

In a Government Spe-

PREVENT FIRE OUTBREAKS Have a Fire Extinguisher in your home today.

Courtesy: Edo State Fire Service

TIT BIT “Trust is one spare key that opens the lock to our innermost parts; disappointment changes the lock.”

- Kingsley OgbeideIhama

cial Announcement signed by Prof Julius Ihonvbere, Secretary to the State Government, the Governor approved the appointment of Mr Washington Osifo as the new Commissioner for the Ministry of Secondary, Technical and Higher Education, subject to confirmation by the State House of Assembly.

Continues on page 2

COURTESY VISIT: Mr. Peter Tongo, Managing Director Vibes FM 97.3, Benin City shows Governor Adams Oshiomhole the workings of a digital radio during a courtesy visit to the Governor in Benin City, yesterday.

Free press vital to democracy - Oshiomhole

By EUBALDUS ENAHORO

BENIN CITY-Edo State Governor, Comrade

Adams Oshiomhole says there cannot be an effective democracy without a

free media.

The governor who disclosed this while

Kidnap: Police parade 17

By MIKE OSAROGIAGBON BENIN CITY – Edo State Police Command has paraded 17 suspected crimi-

suspects nals, including a 28-year-

was one Emmanuel Okosun (aka Fedeko) 24, who admitted to have been involved

old man who threatened to kidnap a popular Bishop in Benin City.

Amongst the suspects Continues on page 2

speaking with the management of VIBES FM in Benin City yesterday said democracy is hinged on freedom of the press to inform, entertain and disseminate information to the people.

According to him, “We cannot have effective democracy without a free media, whether electronic or print and I

also know that most of our country people rural or urban find it easier to access radio than to access television and even those who are on the road are able to listen to radio which makes its reach probably much more than other media and therefore a very

Continues on page 2

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

News Police parade 17 suspects Continued from page 1 in several kidnapped cases in Edo State.

He disclosed that his arrest came Tuesday, April 16, 2013 two days after a kidnapped operation which fetched him the N700,000 cash which was displayed with him yesterday.

Emmanuel Okosun stated that though he was not fully involved in ransom negotiation and collection, his gang members told him that their victim paid N5 million in ransom.

The police stated that the popular Bishop complained of receiving calls and messages from a strange number threatening to kidnap him.

The police revealed that prompt investigation led to the arrest of one Roland Joshua Ejomafunwe Aregbo on Friday, May 3, 2013.

Admitting to have actually sent threat message and calls, the suspect stated that “I sent a threat message to Bishop Peter Imasuen demanding N5 million, I was later arrested and brought here (police headquarters, Benin City).”

On why he sent the message, Joshua Roland stated that “I

don’t know when I even sent the message my brother e get as e bi.”

Amongst the armed robbery suspects paraded with arms and ammunition said to have been recovered from them were Kelvin Igbinosa, 27, Segun Omonigho, 28, Eseiwi Osakwe, 26, Meshack Adolor, 23 and James Ogaga, 29, all confessed to

the crime.

Others include Ikechukwu Omenogor, Frank Owobu, Kelly Albert, Elvis Omoko, Osayande Asemota, Denis Adekun, 25, Frank Echie, 31, Okhifoh Felix, 21, Otako John, 22 and one Ibrahim Mohammed alleged to have impersonated a soldier to rob.

Parading the suspects at the state police headquarters,

Benin City the Commissioner of Police in Edo, Mr. Foluso Adebanjo stated that some of the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigation.

Mr. Adebanjo reassured that Edo State would remain a hot bed for criminals as the police have restrategised to ensure the state remained safe to lives and to business.

Free press vital to democracy Continued from page 1 valuable tool that can be deployed positively to enhance better communication between the government and the people.”

“I wish to congratulate you for locating this facility here in Benin City and providing another opportunity not only to be entertained and also be informed about what the people feel about what we are doing and what we expect of them” he noted.

The Governor noted that setting up a new business is not easy particularly one that is competitive and assured that “if there is anything the state government can do to encourage and support you be rest assured we will do it.”

Earlier, the Managing Director of Vibes FM, Mr. Peter Tongo disclosed that Vibes FM is the latest arrival in the Nigeria FM scene.

“Given our vision to blaze a trail, the men and women

who run the station are uniquely gifted and highly motivated to provide service.

In addition to our core responsibility of information, education and entertainment we are determined to be part of the success story which Edo State has become under your leadership,” he noted.

house.

According to him, there could not have been a better time to launch a fatal onslaught on drug barons who produce and sell drugs to other people’s children and wards in their bid to amass ill-gotten wealth.”

He stated that the Agency is into strategic partnership with both local and international partners even while relying on information on Nigerians involved in drug trafficking business abroad.

The chairman quoting the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said cannabis

He said the long term and regular use have high potency and chances of increasing the risk of psychotic disorders, with ripple effects spread through families, friends, neighbours and entire community.

He however, assured that the struggle to eliminate illicit drugs from the country is making steady progress as the Agency is winning on all sides.

Earlier, the State Commander, NDLEA, Edo State Command, Alhaji Sani Sani stated that the seizure of the over 102.715 kilogramme of Narcotics and psychotropic drugs is a result of painstaking operations carried out by officers and men of the command in the last year ending in Dec e m b e r .

The State Commander noted that the exercise underscores the modest achievement recorded by the command which is also intended to serve as clear signal to the ‘merchants of death’ whom, he stated, had caused untold hardship to both individuals and families.

On hand to witness the destruction were officials of NAFDAC, Nigerian Customs Service, the Police, SSS, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Army, National Youth Service Corps, Drug Free Club, NAPTIP and representatives of various civil society groups.

Continued from page 1 the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Okiro is to chair the Police Service Commission.

Jonathan also listed Barrister Aminu Dikko from Kaduna in the North West Zone as the Director General of the ICRC. Other proposed members of the ICRC include Mrs Comfort Saro Wiwa from Rivers State (South South), Engr Janet Febisola Adeyemi (OndoSouth West), Mrs Yabawa Wabi (Bornu-North East), Hon Musa Elayo ( Nasarawa-North Central) and Barr. A.U. Kanu (AbiaSouth East).

Members of the Police Service Commission include Deputy Inspector General of Police ( DIG) Yakubu Mohammed (rtd) (North West), Hon Justice Olufunke Adekeye, JSC (rtd), Osun, Aisha Larai Tukur (Taraba), Mrs Comfort Obi (Imo), Chief Torngee Gem Toranyiin ( Benue) and Dr Otive Ogbuzor (Delta).

Jonathan also wrote to withdraw the nomination of Mr Adesoji Olaoba Efuntayo as the Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Efuntayo was replaced with Mr. Emmanuel Adegboyega Aremo (South West).

The President also urged the Senate to confirm the nomination of Mr. Adulphus Joe Ekpe as the Director General of the National Lottery Commission.

Nnamani, Okiro, others NDLEA destroys 102 tonnes of Cannabis remains by far the most

By IJEOMAH UMEH head FG traced and seized can- widely produced and connabis concealed in ve- sumed illicit substance gloBENIN CITY – A total of 102 Boards tonnes of cannabis, clashicles and secret ware- bally. sified as Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, earlier seized by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Edo State Command were destroyed yesterday in Benin.

Speaking during the public destruction of the drugs exhibit, the chairman and Chief Executive, NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, represented by the secretary, Otunba Femi Ajayi, stated that the drugs were the result of daily raid by the state command of the Agency.

He said that the command has successfully

Oshiomhole sacks Commissioner, Continued from page 1 dissolves The dissolution of the SUBEB chaired by Honourable JoBoard and removal of the Commissioner, according to the statement, takes immediate effect.

The SUBEB board is

seph Emoabino while Mr Omorotiornwan was swornin as Commissioner on Friday, March 8, this year.

Reps to probe N40bn trapped in banks Continued from page 1 of the funds.

This motion calls for the House to exercise its oversight function on the agency, he said.

Rep. Friday ltulah (PDPEdo) noted that Nigerians participation in the cabotage industry was not satisfactory and that there was a need for Nigerians to look inward to develop the economy.

Rep. Frank Enekorogha (PDP-Delta) said that the committee in carrying out the assignment should come up with the number of Nigerians participating in the cabotage

business.

Rep. Patrick lkhanale (PDP-Edo) said that the motion before the house would afford it the opportunity to examine NIMASA. He noted that if the economic sector was well managed, the management of other sectors would not pose any problem.

The CVFF was established by the Cabotage Act 2003 to promote the development of indigenous ship acquisition capacity.

This is by providing financial assistance to Nigerian operators in the domestic coastal shipping business.

EDHA strikes out petition against Oloye, Iyamu

By KEN ABU/ WINIFRED OSASOBE BENIN CITY- The Edo State House of Assembly has struck out a petition challenging the appointment of Rtd. Major Lawrence Oloye and Wole Iyamu Esq. as Permanent Secretaries in the state civil service.

The decision of parliament to strike out the petition during yesterday’s planary session followed the consideration of the report of an Ad-hoc committee on a petition titled, “Re-matter of appointment of a retired Major Lawrence Oloye, Wole Iyamu Esq a private legal practitioner as Permanent Secretaries in the Civil Service of Edo State”.

According to the Nine-point findings of the report, which was

presented by Hon. Kingsley Ehigiamusor (Igueben constituency), the state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole operated within the ambits of the law by adhering to section 208 of the 1999 constitution.

The section gives the governor the constitutional power to appoint Permanent Secretaries from, within and outside the civil service.

The findings further revealed that the governor in his actions had not breached any section of the 1999 constitution.

Parliament in approving the one-point recommendation of the report, said the petition lacked merit and therefore struck it out.

Odubu tasks supervisors

By CLIFFORD AGBAJOR IDOGBO - Wife of the Deputy Governor, Deaconess Endurance Odubu has advised the new supervisors in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Council, Edo State, to be focused in the discharge of their duties.

She gave the advice yesterday shortly after the swearing-in of five Supervisors and one Special Adviser by the chairperson of the council, Hon Itohan OsahonOgbeide at Idogbo, the administrative headquarters of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area.

Deaconess Odubu described the appointment of the Supervisors and the Special Adviser as a call to duty and enjoined them to remain committed to the overall advancement of the local government area.

Speaking before the swearing-in ceremony, Hon. Itohan OsahonOgbeide described their appointment as a call to render selfless service to the people.

While noting that her administration in the council is in a hurry to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people, especially in the areas of education, health care, roads and electricity, she charged the Supervisors and Special Advise to live-up to expectation with a view to making life better for the people.

Responding on behalf of those sworn-in, Barrister Matthew Okeaya-Inneh, thanked the chairperson for the honour done them and assured that they would not disappoint.

Those sworn-in as Supervisors are, Ediagbonya Darlington Uyi, Beatrice Taiye Taiwo, Samuel Elikila Ologbosere, Matthew Okeaya-Inneh and Patience Amadin, while Bose Samora Osula was sworn-in as Special Adviser.

New Benin Baptist Church ends Revival Service

By TUNDE EIGBIREMOLEN

BENIN CITY- The 4-day revival service of New Benin Baptist Church, New Lagos Road, Benin City, Edo State, which commenced on Sunday, May 5, 2013 came to a glorious end yesterday.

The revival programme with the theme: “Barriers to Blessing Manifestation” had the host Pastor, Rev Wellington Jesurobo and

Revivalist Pastor Moses Ahwuniteka in attendance besides other ministers of the gospel.

Ministering, the revivalist explained that physical barriers were human while spiritual barriers could be as a result of sins committed, adding that there was need for believers to flee from sins and lust in order to become overcomers.

Oyerinde: Group urges Jonathan to probe IGP, AGF

By OSAZUWA AKONEDEO BENIN CITY - End Impunity Advocacy Group, a civil society coalition based in Abuja has called on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to set up a high powered inquiry to critically examine the roles of the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke in the manner men of the Nigeria Police Force handled investigation into the killing of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the principal private secretary to the Edo State Governor. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole which led to the arrest and detention of a human rights activist, Reverend David Ugolor.

In a press release signed by the End Impunity Advocacy Group Coordinator, Mr. Bernard Onororakpene Oyabevwe and made available to The NIGERIAN OBSERVER in Benin City yesterday, the group said the President needs to investigate the roles of the InspectorGeneral of Police and the At-

torney-General of the Federation by setting up the committee with a view to letting Nigerians know the truth.

The group said the Appeal Court ruling which ordered the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of Federation to pay the five million naira awarded against them by an Edo State High Court over the arrest and detention of Reverend David Ugolor did not come to them as a surprise given the inconsistencies in the police investigative report on the killing of the principal private secretary.

The group said they wondered why the police arrested and detained Reverend David Ugolor in connection with the killing without any concrete evidence against him.

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Inside Edo Employment: Commissioner

Makes Case For Lab Scientists BENIN CITY – The Edo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Lucky James has called on the State Local Government Service Commission to provide employment for qualified members of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria.

Chief Lucky James made the call in Benin City when members of the association paid him a courtesy call in his office.

He noted that it was the ministry’s responsibility to ensure that as the sole organ of government responsible for recruitment, only qualified and well groomed members of the association are offered employment in the public service.

The commissioner noted that no local government would erect physical structure for health care delivery purpose without the accompanying health personal, drugs and other relevance.

He used the occasion to inform members of the association that there is an established protocol for cost assessment of drugs in all public hospitals.

Earlier, the chairman of the association Mr. Osarobo Eseiwi congratulated the commissioner on his reappointment as the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

Mr. Eseiwi who used the opportunity to request for the employment of medical laboratory scientists in the various public hospitals across the 18 local government areas in the state said it would enhance the current transformation in the health sector.

He also disclosed that in

BENIN CITY – The Acting General Manager of Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, Publisher of The OBSERVER titles, Pastor Monday Aigbe has assured the people of Oghada community of adequate publicity of the forthcoming coronation ceremony of the Enogie of the community.

The Acting General Manager stated this yesterday when members of the Oghada coronation committee paid a courtesy call on the management of the newspaper company in Benin City.

According to the Acting General Manager, the company will adequately be represented at the coronation ceremony.

Earlier, the leader of the committee, Mr. Josef Omorotionmwan said they were at the newspaper corporate headquarters to intimate the company’s management of the activities for the coronation

L-R: Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, President Goodluck Jonathan, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa and the South African Minister of Trade and Industries, Dr. Rob Davies at the South Africa-Nigeria Business Forum in Cape Town on Tuesday.

Petroleum Task Force Seals 8 Petrol Stations

By ADAMS OYIBOKE

ORHIONMWON – Edo State Task force on Petroleum and Gas Monitoring has sealed up a total of 8 petrol stations in some parts of Orhionmwon and Oredo Local Government Areas of the state.

The Executive Director of the taskforce Hon. Chris Okaeben represented by Orhionmwon local government co-ordinator, Prince Ogbesuza Ogiugo gave the order during his inspection tour to the local government to assess the level of compliance with government approved pump price for petroleum prod-

BNCL Mgt Assures Coronation Committee Of Publicity

By INNOCENT OMOAKA/ EMMANUEL EGOBIAMBU/ GEORGE OGBOLU/BLESSING ANUGOR

the current construction of comprehensive health centres in the state, medical laboratory scientists and medical laboratory technicians will be needed as they now play vital roles in the primary health care system in the country.

The association assured the commissioner of their total support, stating that members are at his service and therefore prayed God to grant him the grace to take the ministry to the next level.

of HRH Prince Enweansefe Iyiewuaefo-Eweka as the 3rd Enogie of Oghada community.

He however, solicited for the assistance of the management of BNCL in the area of coverage and publicity for the installation of the 3rd enogie.

ucts and to check against other sharp practices as fuel adulteration, under-dispensing government approved price of N97.

Speaking with The NIGERIAN OBSERVER at MIABET Petrol Station, the Operations Officer, Timothy Osodor lamented the shoddy deal by the petrol dealer who sells condiscent as fuel to motorists in the area.

Mr. Osodor said that dealers in such products are responsible for high damage to vehicle engines and directed the station manager to report within 48 hours to the office of the executive director interrogation.

The operations officer, and the local government coordinator, also called on petrol dealers and station managers in the area to desist from malpractices in petroleum business and reverse to government approved government pumpprice, stressing that anyone caught would face the wrath of

the law.

Meanwhile, the Ekewan Road axis, the Task Force sealed up another 4 Petrol Stations during an inspection tour to some filling stations yesterday.

Those affected were faith in God Filling Station at Asoro hill, Ekehwan Road, A.G.S Continental Filling Station, Greatline Development Company Limited and Seed Petrol Station, Ugbohikho Quarters, Upper Ekehuan Road, Benin City.

The Executive Director, Petroleum and Gas Monitoring Task Force, Hon Chris Okaeben said the filling stations were sealed for under dispensing of petrol (P.M.S.) and selling above government approved pump-price.

He expressed dismay at the attitude of A.G.S. continental

L-R: Mrs. Itohan Osahon Ogbeide, Chairman, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Council, congratulating Mrs. Patience Amadin shortly after her swearing-in as Supervisor of the Council. Photo: LAWRENCE OSIFO.

Management for diverting 15,000 litres of Kerosene (D.P.K) allotted to the station therefore and ordered that the station be placed under lock end key till further notice.

Hon. Okaeben therefore called on the state government

to set up mobile court to try erring petroleum dealers and station Mangers caught in sharp practices in the petroleum industry in the state.

The inspection tour continues today with a visit to Ovia North-East Local Government Area.

Plea Bargain, A Welcome Devt - NBA Chairman

By MORRISON HAYBLE AUCHI – An Auchi based legal practitioner and chapter Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Barr. Anthony Atemoagbo has posited that the controversial principle of plea Bargain in the Nigerian legal frame work is not a bad idea after all, but a welcome development.

Atemoagbo who was speaking against dissenting views that it be jettisoned explained that the plea Bargain which was mostly used in cases involving financial fraud became necessary following massive fraud by some persons in positions of authority.

He remarked that some former corrupt state governors had been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC after their immunity elapsed and had during their trial, entered into what is called “plea Bargain”, a development that warranted the accused to identify whatever had been unlawfully acquired from the state.

Some of them have entered into what is called plea Bargain, that is whatever you have unlawfully acquired from the state, you state it, you return one part while the other part of it will be left in your coffers”,

the NBA chapter chairman explained.

Barrister Atemoagbo noted that the plea bargain had on the other hand, helped to some extent in recovering some stolen monies or property to government, pointing out that everything would otherwise be lost should the accused be allowed to, ultimately go through the full hog of trial and jailed without an option of fine.

If the person is sentenced with an option of fine, he goes back to the same money that he initially agreed to deposit, so, he can be let off the hook” adding,” But if you again decide to sentence him without an option of fine, the money remains with him”, the legal practitioner contended.

Atemoagbo noted that the plea bargain option was necessary considering the way at which the prerogative right of pardon was being exercised in the country as it enabled the recovery of some stolen money or property rather than loose all to the fraudsters since they may eventually get presidential pardon.

He remarked that there was no better option than adopting the principle of plea bargain, following the way events are going in the country, viz-aviz the country’s criminal jurisprudence.

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Across The Nation FG To Domesticate Labour Convention 2006 ABUJA - The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday in Abuja approved the domestication of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 to transform the nation’s maritime sector.

The Maritime Labour Convention (2006) is an interna-

tional labour treaty, which regulates the terms and conditions of employment of Seafarers in the shipping industry.

The code of the convention contains five titles: minimum requirements for seafarers to work on a ship; conditions of

employment; accommodation; recreational facilities; food and catering; health protection; medical care; welfare and social security protection as well as compliance and enforcement.

The convention has already been ratified by 39 countries

R-L: Mr. Igbinidu Inneh, Executive Director, Public-Private Partnership, Edo State, Prof.

Julius Ihonvbere, SSG Edo State, Mr. Humphery Masodje, Chairman, MAN, Edo/Delta Branch, Mr. Steve Obayuwana, Urban Builders Limited, examining a plan at the proposed industrial park at Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City.

including four African countries, namely Gabon, Benin, Liberia and Togo.

The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, who briefed newsmen on the outcome of the weekly FEC meeting, said the council’s approval followed a joint memorandum submitted by the ministers of labour and transport, Chief Emeka Nwogu and Idris Umar, respectively.

He observed that in the past seven years, Nigeria was unable to domesticate the agreement in spite of the obvious advantages.

Maku, however, stated that the ratified convention would be forwarded to the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation to prepare the legal instrument for its domestication.

“Council today devoted its discussion to a robust debate on the need to domesticate the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention, which the ILO adopted as far back as that time in Geneva.

“That year 2006 Nigeria, among several countries of the world debated and adopted a new Maritime Labour Convention for the world.

“In the course of this period

Residents Flee Community Over Erosion Menace

By JUDE EHEBHA

AGBEDE-Several residents of Agbede Community, in Etsako West local government area of Edo have abandoned their homes over ravaging gully erosion problem in the area.

The NIGERIAN OBSERVER observed that about five houses have been swallowed, with several others on the verge of been swallowed by the ravaging gully erosion problem in the Atido quarters of Agbede The gully, measuring about 100 meters long and 20 meters wide have caused untold hardship to the people of the area.

The gully which was said to have started about a year ago is fast spreading to other parts of the community.

Some residents who spoke with The NIGERIAN OBSERVER described the gully erosion as unfortunate, lamenting that so much devastation have been caused by the gully.

They urged the relevant government authority to urgently proffer solution to the problem before it gets worse like that of Auchi in the same Local Government Area.

Alhaji Mohhamed Umoru, a proprietor of a school whose structure has been affected by the gully, narrated his horrifying experience as a result of the erosion problem.

He said most residents of the area now live in fear at the threat of rain fall.

He said he had sacrificed personal resources to check the menace but to no avail.

“This has gone beyond community effort and we are crying out for government to intervene before things become worse.

“If you see my school, you notice that part of it is about caving in to the erosion menace. What we do whenever it threatens to rain is to send the students home for fear.

“We no longer enjoy our stay here. It is really terrible and we cannot afford to relocate now owing to the financial requirement,” he said.

Another resident, Yusuf Usman described the situation as sad.

“This thing that is fast spreading now started just small in a little over a year ago but nothing was done to stop it.

“You can see that many

houses in the area are now empty because they have been abandoned by their owners.

“We really need urgent help to take care of this problem.”

All we need is urgent help.

Government should not allow this problem to escalate to that of Auchi.

“The only luck we have so far is that no soul has been lost to the problem and we pray

that this does not happen before attention is given the problem by the government,” noted a resident, Isah Momoh.

Agbede is just one of the several communities in Etsako West that are being threatened by erosion menace.

of seven years, Nigeria has been unable to domesticate this convention in spite of its manifest advantages for the maritime sector in Nigeria.

“And so, today the Minister of Labour, in collaboration with the Minister of Transport, presented a joint memo asking the Federal Executive Council to take the right step by giving the go-ahead for the Attorney-General to prepare the instruments for domestication of this convention.’’

Also speaking on the advantage of the agreement to Nigeria, the Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, said the convention, when fully operational, would boost the nation’s seafaring business.

According to him, there are already 4,362 Nigerians currently working on board international ships across the world and domestication will further give them coverage on all the items in the convention’s code.

The convention is expected to come into force by August 2013.

BENIN CITY – The burial ceremony of late Mr. Lugard Imade, aka Adaze Olololo I father of Miss Abieyuwa Imade of Bendel Newspapers Company Limited begins tomorrow Friday May 10, 2013.

A statement by the family stated that at 10.00 a.m. body will leave Central Hospital to his residence, II, Eben Street, off Forestry Road, Benin City.

This will be followed by social wake at same venue from 9.00 p.m. till down.

There will be Musician Day on Sunday 12th, May, 2013 at 9.00p.m. till down. The late Mr. Lugard Imade is survived by wives, 8 children, 6 grand children.

Wedding

Late Mr. Lugard Imade, aka Adaze Olololo I

BENINCITY – The solemnisation of Holy Matrimony between Omosefe Uwaifo and Nosakhare Enadeghe takes place on Saturday May11, 2013.

The ceremony which is scheduled to hold at Faith Int’l Ministry, behind Osasco Estate, Off Trade Fair Ground, Off Goodwill Street, Benin City begins at 8.00 a.m Reception will follow at No. 17, Akenzua Street, Opposite Stadium Road, Benin City.

Chairman Of LG Elections Petitions Tribunal Resigns IKEJA - Retired Justice Dolapo Akinsanya, Chairman of the Lagos State Local Government Elections Petition Tribunal, Ikeja Division, has resigned her appointment.

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, announced this on Wednesday in Ikeja, saying that Akinsanya had asked to be excused.

Phillips swore in Prof.

Olanrewaju Fagbohun as the new chairman of the tribunal.

She said that Fagbohun, who had put in 25 years at the bar, was picked after a thorough screening exercise of eligible candidates.

“I welcome you on board and admonish you to conduct your

duty without fear or favour. I urge you to speak the truth in all matters.

“You are supported by trusted magistrates of high integrity. I leave you all in God’s hands to go and do what you are trained to do,” she said.

Phillips said that three matters had been referred back to the tribunal by the Local Government Appeal Tribunal for adjudication.

She admonished members of the tribunal to avoid unnecessary adjournments.

“We don’t want to be seen as dragging the acrimony that trailed the last local government elections in the state.

“We expect a very high qual-

Obituary

ity of judgements from the tribunal and for justice to be dispensed quickly,” Phillips said.

Fagbohun, in his remarks, said the tribunal would heed the admonition of the chief judge in adjudicating on all matters brought before it.

He said: “We will dispense justice as fairly as possible. We will ensure we follow the rule of law and we shall be guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Other members of the tribunal are: Mrs Funlola DemiAjayi and Mr Philip Ojo, who are both chief magistrates; Mr Murisiq Etti, a magistrate, and Mr Dave Ajetunmobi, a lawyer.

Obituary BENIN CITY-The death has been announced of madam Beatrice Erinmwinorose Ogbeide who hails from Oza Aibiokunla in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State. She was aged 96.

According to the burial arrangement for late Madam Ogbeide on May 9 2013, there would be Service of Songs at No. 1, Ogbeide Lane, off 70 Erhunmwunse Street, Benin City at 4 pm.

On Friday, May 2013, funeral service will hold at St. Mathew’s Anglican Cathedral Church, Sakponba Road, Benin City at 11.00 a.m. while outing service/thanksgiving service take place on Sunday May 12 2013, by 10.00 a.m. at the same venue.

Madam Beatrice is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grand children.

Late Madam Beatrice Erinmwinorose Ogbeide

THE NIGERIAN

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

South West Caretaker Chairmen: Oyo As-

sembly Extends Tenure IBADAN- Three of the 33 Caretaker Chairmen of Local Governments in Oyo State failed to have their tenure extended by the State House of Assembly.

The uncleared councils were Onaara, Ibadan North East and Itesiwaju.

Reports say that the house Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, led by Mr Femi Adelakun, on May 1 conducted performance appraisal for the 33 council chairmen as part of its oversight functions.

Six months tenure of the chairmen, approved by the house in December 2012, will expire on May 8.

However, when the Speaker, Monsurat Sunmonu, read the letter from the executive at a plenary session on Tuesday, it urged the assembly to consider the chairmen who scaled through the screening of the house for another six months tenure.

Consequently, the speaker read out the 30 names of those who were adjudged to have rendered good account and a motion was moved by Mr Adigun Ahmed (ACN), that the tenure of the 30 chairmen be extended.

The motion was seconded by Mr Adesina Adeyemo (ACN).

It was unanimously adopted when put to question by the speaker.

The report of the screening, which was slated for presentation before considering the tenure extension, was, however, skipped.

In a reaction, Mr Adeniyi Olarinre, the Caretaker Chairman of Itesiwaju Lo-

cal Government, who was among those dropped, said he was not aware of the issue.

Mr Adeniyi Farinto (PDP) after the adoption, drew the attention of the house to a publication which alleged that the assembly was rubber-stamping the policy and plans of the executive, especially on the conduct of the local government elections.

Farinto urged the lawmakers to urge the execu-

tive and the judiciary to speed up the case of the Oyo State Electoral Commission (OSEC) pending in the an Appeal Court.

He added that the public should know that the house could not intervene in any matter pending before any court of law in the country.

The Acting General Manager, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL), Pastor Monday Aigbe (right) welcoming the Chairman, Oghada Coronation Committee (OCC) during the Committee’s courtesy visit to the company’s headquarters in Benin City yesterday.

Photo: SOLOMON ENAIDE

3 Docked For Breach Of Public Peace

The Acting General Manager, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL), Pastor Monday Aigbe (middle) addressing members, Oghada Coronation Committee (OCC) during the Committee’s courtesy visit to the company’s headquarters in Benin City yesterday. Photo: SOLOMON ENAIDE

2013 Pilgrimage: Board

To Adhere To Saudi’s Regulation ABEOKUTA-The Ogun Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board said the Saudi authorities’ insistence on Maharram(male partner) for female pilgrims during the 2013 Hajj would be adhered to.

The Chairman of the board, Dr Isiaq Yusuf, gave the assurance in Abeokuta at a five-day screening organised for intend-

ing pilgrims.

Yusuf said relatives of intending female pilgrims would accompany them in line with the measures put in place.

“The issue of women without a guardian has been spelt out

by Saudi Arabian immigration officials and we have taken serious measures to abide by those rules.

“We are going to ensure that

Farmer, 48, Jailed For Dealing In Indian drug which was concealed in Hemp

IBADAN- A Federal High Court in Ibadan, has sentenced a farmer, Alabi Olufemi, 48, to nine months imprisonment for dealing in Indian hemp.

Justice Abimbola ObasekiAdejumo, who sentenced Olufemi for being in possession of 88kg of Indian hemp, said the sentence would count from the date in February 2013 when the convict was arrested.

Reports say that the convict was arrested in February after being found in possession of the drug.

The prosecutor, Bridget Viashimah said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 19 of the NDLEA Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

To prove her case, Viashimah presented the

a travelling bag.

Olufemi had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge when he was arraigned in court on May 2.

He also pleaded with the court before the sentence was pronounced.

“I promise to go back to farming. I am also a driver with all my documents intact,” he said.

all women who are to perform the 2013 Hajj are with a relative or guardian,” he said.

He explained that the early commencement of the 2013 Hajj screening was to curtail the previous year’s incident that reared its head.

The chairman added that a total of 1,550 slots was released to the state out of over 2,000 it requested from the National Hajj Commission.

He maintained that the screening was mainly to recognise practising Muslims, saying non-Muslims are not eligible to perform the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Yusuf said that intending pilgrims were expected to face a 14-member religious committee, Immigration and State Security Officials.

“All intending pilgrims must be versatile religiously as they

must be able to recite some verses from the Holy Qur’an and perform five daily prayers.

“The era of allowing nonMuslims on the entourage of the State government is over,” he stated.

He said that the government would not relent in its efforts to provide welfare to the state’s contingent and to retain its enviable position during the previous Hajj.

In his remarks, an intending pilgrim, Mr Fatai Adesina, expressed satisfaction with the screening, saying that it had broadened their horizon.

Adesina said that the exercise would ensure genuine pilgrims were given the opportunity to embark on the pilgrimage to the holy land.

IBADAN- Three persons Idu Adekoya 18, Ayobami Yekini, 22 and Ololade Ayobami, 23;— were on Monday arraigned before an Ibadan Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly causing a breach of public peace by engaging in a freefor-all.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Foluke Adedosu, said the defendants were arraigned on a one- count charge of breach of public peace.

Adedosu stated that Adekoya, Yekini and Ayobami committed the crime on Saturday at Asanke area of Ibadan.

She said the defendants engaged in a free-for-all over a matter that was not disclosed in the court, thereby making the street uninhabitable for other residents.

Adedosu said that the offence contravened section 249 (d) of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Vol Il Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Chief Magistrate Adams Adeshina admitted them to bail in the sum of N20,000 each with two reliable sureties in like sum.

He adjourned the matter to June 4 for further hearing.

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Lagos Late Marriage, Conception, Contribute To Growth Of Fibroids - Expert LAGOS - Dr Oliver Ezechi, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, has attributed the increased prevalence of fibroids in women to the high incidences of late marriage and conception.

Ezechi, a Researcher at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, told newsmen in Lagos that pregnancy had a downplaying effect on fibroids.

An online medical site,www.medicalnewstoday.com, defines Fibroids as “non-cancerous (benign) tumors that grow from the muscle layers of the uterus (womb).

“They are also known as uterine fibroids, myomas, or fibromyomas. Fibroids can vary in size, from that of a bean to as large as a melon“.

Ezechi said that every woman had some fibroids within her, but that the resultant effect depended on the size of the fibroid.

“Every woman will have one form of fibroid at some point in life. The degree and size definitely differ. However, pregnancy has a downplaying effect on fibroid.

“If you start having babies earlier, the presence of pregnancy progesterone dampens it. Earlier does not mean marrying at ages 13 and 15 years. But now, people get to ages 30, 35 and 40 before getting married.

“Within this period, if there is no pregnancy to occupy the uterus, the things that would have made for the dampening effect will continue to grow. “ Every month the woman releases estrogen and progesterone. These same things that feed the womb also feed the fibroid. It is one of the major reasons why fibroid seems to be more common now. “ When estrogen levels are high, especially during pregnancy, fibroids tend to swell.

When estrogen levels are low, the fibroids may shrink.”

The gynaecologist said that a gynaecological evaluation was needed to determine presentations of fibroids. “ Women are strongly advised to see their gynaecologists for a gynaecological evaluation in order to ascertain the presence of fibroids. Some women fibroids present no symptoms.

“Those that present symptoms include heavy menstrual periods and prolonged bleeding which may lead to anemia. Other symptoms may include pelvic or abdominal pain and back ache.

“Others include discomfort and swelling in the lower abdomen, increased urination, fertility and pregnancy problems, repeated miscarriages,

painful sex and constipation.”

Ezechi said that the treatment of fibroid depended on a combination of factors.

“Treating and managing fibroids will be determined by a combination of symptoms, the location of the fibroid, the numbers and size, as well as age and one’s childbearing potential.

“Diet, weight, lifestyle and health history will also help to determine what the course

of treatment should be. But often times, surgery is the best way out.”

The Gynaecologist said that it was not advisable for fibroids to get to an advanced stage before surgery.

“People should not wait until it’s too big before they remove it. It then poses a challenge during surgery.

When fibroids get too big, the surgical type, it becomes technically difficult.

“That is why some people

will say we have to remove this womb. Meanwhile, the things that caused it would have been prevented. It is the bleeding during surgery that is risky.

Ezechi said that fibroids that had been removed could grow back.

“Sometimes, fibroid grows back. It all depends on a number of gynaecological and hormonal factors too.

The final treatment for fibroid is removal of the uterus.”

LAGOS - Fidelity Bank Plc has challenged the jurisdiction of a Lagos High Court to hear the case filed by a Lagos lawyer, Chief Ajibola Aribisala, and urged the court to strike out the suit.

Aribisala was suspended from the use of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) over a petition against him by the bank.

The lawyer had approached the court to order the committee to restore his rank and privileges as a member of the Inner Bar. In its affidavit, the bank, represented by Mr Seyi Sowemimo (SAN), argued that since the LPPC, the second defendant, was a federal agency, the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the suit.

However, Chief Olatunji Ayanlaja (SAN), counsel to Aribisala, also filed a counter affidavit, urging the court to deny the application filed by the bank.

Ayanlaja also asked the court for a mandatory injunction to compel the LPPC to restore Aribisala’s stripped rank, pending the determination of the

Aribisala Fi-

delity Bank Urges Court To Strike Out Suit suit.

Justice Oludotun AdefopeOkojie, after listening to the arguments of counsel to the parties, adjourned the matter till June 26 for ruling.

Aribisala was suspended by the LPPC on February 26 on the grounds that the charges he collected from Fidelity Bank for certain legal services he rendered to it were excessive.

According to the committee, the attorney’s action was in breach of the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Legal Profession.

The committee also indicted the lawyer for refusing to remit monies recovered on behalf of the bank to it.

Reports say that the LPPC, the second defendant in the suit, has not been represented by counsel since the case started.

Cleric Urges Free, Compulsory Education At All Levels

L-R: Special Adviser to Lagos Governor on New Town Development Authority (NTDA), Mrs. Felicia Awofisayo, Registrar of Titles, Lagos Lands Bureau, Mrs. Dayo Akitoye and Permanent Secretary, Lagos Lands Bureau, Mr. Hakem Muri-Okunola, at a briefing on the activities of the Bureau in Lagos yesterdy.

LAGOS - The Primate of the Church of the Lord (Aladura), Most Rev. Rufus Ositelu, has urged the Federal Government to make education free and compulsory at all levels to reduce illiteracy.

Ositelu told newsmen in Lagos that poverty had denied

Insecurity: Cooperate With Security Agents, LAGOS - Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has called on Nigerians to show care and concern to the security agencies, to enable them to be able to stem crime and insecurity in the country.

Fashola made this call at the 32nd Synod of the Diocese of Lagos, Anglican Communion, at Our Saviour’s Church, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.

He described insecurity as the greatest challenge facing the country presently and sought for collaboration between the people and the security agents.

“People no longer die of diseases but by acts of violence which showed that insecurity was the biggest challenge of the country today.

“Security agencies in the country lack some basic tools to carry out their duties and they do not get maximum cooperation and care from the public.

“These security agents are humans and need to be treated as such,” he said.

Fashola said that the problem of insecurity in the country could only be checked when people live and co-exist peacefully.

He added that Nigerians should reflect on the state of

with prayers and Fashola Tells Nigerians ernment deeds. the nation and how to contribute to the development and progress of the country.

Also speaking, Justice George Oguntade (rtd), the Chancellor of the Church,

described the state of insecurity in the country as worrisome.

Oguntade, a retired Supreme Court judge, urged Nigerians to assist the gov-

“We shall continue to pray for our government, so that God will continue to strengthen, guide and direct them to perform their duties diligently,” he added.

many citizens access to education.

He also called for establishment of more education institutions and expansion of the existing ones to give more Nigerians access to education.

The cleric said that ignorance had made some citizens, especially youths, vulnerable to abuse by unpatriotic persons.

According to him, education will enlighten the citizens and secure their future.

“Education is an agent of change; the essence is to produce a useful member of a society,” he said.

L-R: General Manager, Lagos Residents Registration Agency, Ms Yinka Fashola, Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Science and Technology, Nike Animasheun and Commissioner, Mr. Fatai Mabadeje at a briefing on the activities of the Ministry in Lagos yesterday.

THE NIGERIAN

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Across The Nation Okorocha To Pitch Tent With ernor as a true democrat who APC would not relent in delivering

OWERRI - Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state has formally expressed support for the All Progressives Congress (APC), urging the people of the state to join him.

Okorocha made the declaration at a rally in Owerri as part of activities marking his two years in office.

He said his intention of joining APC was to ensure that the people continued to benefit from the dividends of democracy.

He explained that APGA had engaged in the merger and not in alliance with any party, noting that a two party system was good for the country’s democracy.

The governor told the crowd that came to witness his declaration that the state had wit-

nessed more development in two years than in the past 12 years.

Okorocha also told them that APC would bring the state closer to the “federal eye”.

Moves by the governor to merge APGA with the APC has generated heat among APGA stakeholders.

Seven state governors were present at the rally to show solidarity with the governor.

Speaking at the occasion, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state commended Okorocha for his bold move, describing APC as the solution to the numerous challenges facing the country.

Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa described the gov-

NLC Frees 15 Prison KANO - The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kano State Council, has facilitated the freedom of 15 prison inmates from the Central Prison, Kano.

The state NLC Chairman, Malam Isa Danguguwa, told newsmen in Kano that the gesture was part of activities marking the May Day celebration in the state. ‘’You know we limited our activities during the May Day celebration to visiting hospitals and prisons due to the security challenges.’’

He said the union paid about N200,000 as fines for all the beneficiaries of the gesture. ‘’You will be surprised to hear that one woman among the inmates was indebted to only N5,000 but because she could not pay, she was sent to prison,’’ he said.

Danguguwa said the union had directed its women committee to identify some of the women who had a meagre fine in the prison with a view to paying the amounts to set them free. ‘’We want to show the public that NLC is not only concerned about welfare of workers or salary increase for workers, but it is concerned about the welfare of the common man in general.’’

The NLC chairman, who expressed concern over the deplorable condition in the prison, called on the state government

to assist the inmates with drugs Inmates and food.

Danguguwa also urged wellto-do in the society to emulate the gesture of the union, to reduce congestion in the prison.

He said 1,213 inmates were in Kano Central prison and that if people could assist in setting them free, it would go a long way to reduce congestion.

He also called on the Federal Government to seriously look into the issue of prison congestion across the country.

Governor Tanko AlMakura of Nasarawa listening to an aged woman at a public function in Lafia recently.

the dividends of democracy to his people and urged them to support Okorocha.

On his part, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state observed that Okorocha had brought some noticeable changes in the state, saying he would through the APC bring more transformation.

Similarly, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo and Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun congratulated Okorocha on his achievements, noting that the rally was to create awareness and sensitise the people on the need to support the merger.

Ebonyi Spends N8.5m Weekly To Maintain Peace

EZILLO (EBONYI) The Ebonyi Government said that it was spending N8.5 weekly to maintain peace in the war-ravaged Ezillo community in Ishiellu Local Government Area (LGA) of the state since 2010.

Reports say that the amount was spent on the upkeep of security operatives and other exigencies since the outbreak of the fratricidal war between the community and its Ezza neighbours in 2010.

Governor Martin Elechi disclosed this at Okpoto, Ishiellu LGA, during the

State PDP organised Appreciation Tour of the area.

Elechi said that though the war was curtailed in 2011, its resultant human and material losses were unquantifiable.

“It is instructive to note that we spent N73 million monthly to ensure peace in the area during the war as all these were part of the material losses suffered.

“This cannot, however, be compared to the loss of innocent lives and destruction of valuable properties during that period.

Ex-Gov Turaki Asks Court To Vacate Arrest Warrant DUTSEC - Former Governor of Jigawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Saminu-Turaki, has prayed the Federal High Court, Dutse, to vacate the bench warrant issued against him by the court.

Turaki was dragged before the court by the EFCC on alleged charges of graft and misuse of public funds amounting to more than N36 billion during his eight-year

tenure as governor.

The court had, on April 17, issued a bench warrant against the ex-governor due to his inability to appear before it.

However, Turaki, had filed the application few days ahead of May 16, the date which had earlier been set for the hearing of the case.

He prayed for an order to stop the prosecution and the police from executing the ar-

rest warrant issued against him.

The Defence Lead Counsel, Mr O. Jolaawo, who led three other counsel, submitted the application for an interlocutory injunction to stop the arrest of his client.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Sabiu Yahuza, adjourned the case to June 5 for hearing to enable the parties attend the next court sitting.

L-R: Secretary-General, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Sweden, MS Josefine Karlsson, President, WILPF Nigeria, Mrs. Joy Onyeso and Project Manager, WILPF Sweden, Miss Tore Irergard, during WILPF 5th Anniversary celebration in Enugu recently.

“If all these funds were used to provide infrastructure such as electricity, pipe borne water, among others, it could had been better for the people.”

Elechi charged the people to maintain the prevailing peace presently existing in the area to attract development.

“Ishiellu has suffered the gruelling effects of the war as no development can be recorded in violence-prone areas.”

The governor disabused insinuations that he was at war with Anambra indigenes due to the government’s refusal to allow the Ibeto Group operate as the core investors of the Nigerian Cement Factory (NIGERCEM), Nkalagu.

“Those parading themselves as the core investors of the company are not genuine as they are only interested in using it to acquire importation licence for cement.

“Instead of developing the place, they have indulged in unwarranted looting and

vandalism of facilities.

“I have more friends from Anambra than I have from Ebonyi as I enjoy a cordial relationship with Chief Cletus Ibeto, though we don’t agree on the NIGERCEM issue.”

Elechi said that the state was interested in reclaiming the piece of land on which the company was inaugurated, which made it revoked the Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) earlier issued for the construction.

“It took us 39 years to achieve Ebonyi and would not mind if it takes us 93 years to reclaim the land instead of allowing thieves to take over the company.”

Mr Obinna Nwachukwu, the Chairman of the local government council, thanked the governor for the visit and listed his development strides in the areas of infrastructure, education, health and agriculture.

19-Yr-Old Boy Docked For Killing Master KANO - The Police have arraigned a 19-year-old boy, Kabiru Ibrahim, in a Kano Magistrates’ Court for killing his 75-year-old master, Alhaji Rabi’u Goga.

The offence is contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), on March 26, 2013 at about 6: 00 hours, one Hajiya Halima Rabi’u Goga and her daughter, Rukayya Rabi’u Goga reported the matter to the Kofar Wambai Police Division in Kano metropolis.

They said that on the same date, at about 02:00 hours, the accused, Kabiru Ibrahim, of the same address, entered the house of her deceased husband and stabbed him with a knife

severally.

According to the FIR, the deceased sustained various degrees of injury and as a result, he was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead by medical experts.

When the content of the FIR was read to the accused, he pleaded guilty.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr Ibrahim Abdul-Razak, urged the court to adjourn the matter in view of the nature of the case which he said was capital in nature as the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

The Presiding Judge, Magistrate Umma Kurawa, adjourned the matter to June 3, for further mention and ordered the accused person to be remanded in prison.

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Abuja Prosecute Erring Members, NOA Urges Surveyors’ Institute

Expert Cautions Asthma Sufferers ABUJA - A medical practitioner, Dr Yinka Ajayi, has said that asthma was medically incurable but could be managed by avoiding triggers with constant use of appropriate medicines.

Ajayi told newsmen in Abuja, as the world marked the 2013 Asthma Day, that the asthma was a chronic disease of the respiratory system.

Asthma is sometimes caused by allergies with symptoms such as coughing, sudden difficulty in breathing and a tight feeling in the chest.

May 7, every year, is celebrated as World Asthma Day, to improve its awareness and care.

The 2013 theme is: “You can control your asthma”.

“Asthma can’t be cured; it can only be controlled by regular medicines.

“If proper medicines are taken, there will be no problem for an asthmatic person.”

She warned persons suffering from asthma to avoid triggers that could complicate the condition. “ Triggers often bring asthma attacks; a trigger is something that causes the airways to narrow, leading to asthma symptoms.

“Everyone’s asthma is different and everyone has different triggers. For most people with asthma, triggers are only a problem when their asthma is not well-controlled.

“It is important that asthmatics stay away from such things as dusts and certain pets, to live normal lives.”

She stressed that if repeated attacks of asthma were neglected, the heart may be affected.

Ajayi said that although many people believed that asthma was a chronic condition, it was not a life threatening disease.

She said that with self management and control, the mortality rate of asthma would be reduced to its barest minimum.

She said research had shown that consumption of antibiotics during pregnancy could predispose the child to asthma. “ Children whose mothers took antibiotics while they were pregnant were slightly more likely than other children to develop asthma.”

The doctor, however, advised that asthmatic patients should try to identify such things that provoked acute attack in them and try as much as possible to avoid them.

She added that inhalers were much better for asthma treatment than oral medicines.

“The oral medicine reaches lungs via stomach and blood.

“This not only reduces the efficacy of medicines but can also cause many side-effects. ”According to the WHO estimates, 235 million people suffer from asthma worldwide and it is the most common chronic disease among children.

It states that it is not just a public health problem for high income countries, but it occurs in all countries regardless of level of development.

L-R: ECOWAS Commissioner for Gender and Human Development, Dr. Adriene Diop, Swedish Minister of Finance, Mr. Anders Borg, President, ECOWAS Commission, Amb. Kadre Desire Ouedraogo and Swedish Minister for Development Cooperation, Mrs. Gunilla Carlsson during the Ministers visit to the ECOWAS President in Abuja recently.

Court Remands Man For Cheating

ABUJA - Mohammed Sanusi,30, a tailor, was arraigned in an Abuja Grade 2 Area Court, Kado, FCT, for alleged joint act and cheating.

The Police Prosecutor, Simeon Ibrahim, told the court that on May 3, one Justice Ihezue, of Jabi, Daki-Biu, Abuja, came to the Utako police station to report the matter.

Ibrahim said the complainant reported that Sanusi, of no 11, Ebitu Ukiwe St.,Jabi, Abuja and Hajiya Zainab of the same address, but now at-large, collected N450,000 sometimes in March on the pretence of renting an

apartment for him.

Ibrahim said Sanusi dishonestly converted the money to his personal use without delivering the said apartment paid for.

He said the accused was standing trial for the same offence committed twice in a row as he had collected money from one Gloria Ahamefule of no 36 Benue Crescent, Area 1 Garki, Abuja.

He had also collected money from Fosca Agbochom, of no 14, First Generation Estate, Lokogoma, Abuja for the same apartment.

Ibrahim said Ahamefule re-

ported same matter on April 8, adding that Sanusi had collected N400,000 from her with the intention of renting an apartment for her.

He said that when she was about to move in, Sanusi and Zainab were nowhere to be found.

Ibrahim also said the third complainant, Agbochom, reported the issue on April 10, saying she paid N450,000 to Sanusi and one Paul Chinedu, of no 11,

Expert Warns Against Sitting Prolonged Sitting

ABUJA - People who sit for long hours have a higher risk of having chronic diseases such as cancer, an Oncologist at the National Hospital Abuja, Dr Abdulaziz Idris, has said.

Idris told newsmen in Abuja that sitting for long hours reduced the process of metabolism of foods and calories in the body.

He said that when calories in the body were not used up, the body stored fats, which could also lead to obesity, hypertension and some other cardiovascular diseases.

“You have the tendency of getting fat, obese and obesity also leads to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

“It is also a risk factor for a lot of cancers for example, breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer.”

The oncologist said that a lot of things could happen by just sitting down and not moving about, adding that while at work, a little moving around would help.

“It is better that after every thirty minutes, one should stand up to walk round the environment for a while.

“It even releases tension and you are relaxed and by the time you go back to work, you are more refreshed to concentrate

on work.”

Idris also said that if one’s work was hectic, there should be a cultivation of habits, such as exercising even at work.

“People who drive cars should endeavour to park after some distance and walk the remaining distance and those with lifts in the office should make efforts and use the stairs.”

He also said that rather than send people on errands, one should try to run some errands by himself or herself because it was also a form of exercise.

Idris said that taking out time to walk during office hours was very important, adding, “even one hour of sitting without standing up can increase your chances of getting cancer”.

Ebiku Ukiwe St., Utako, Abuja.

The prosecutor told the court that the said accommodation was the same place where the two other complainants visited to pay their money.

He said th6e offence contravened the provisions of sections 79 and 322 of the Penal Code.

Section 79 states that when a criminal act is committed by several persons, such persons are liable for that act in the same manner as if it were done by a single person.

Similarly, Section 322 stipulates that whoever cheats shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine or with both.

Sanusi pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Presiding Officer, Mr Ahmed Ado, ordered the accused to be remanded in prison and adjourned the case to May 27.

ABUJA - The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has said that the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) should be firm with erring members who violate the law of the institute .

Mr. Mike Omeri, the Director General of the agency, made the remark in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja.

He disclosed that NOA was working on a partnership with NIQS on capacity building for the agency’s procurement officers.

According to him, NIQS should apply the full weight of existing regulations on all erring members of the institute in the spirit of “Do the Right Thing” campaign of NOA. He said cases of infrastructure collapse across the country would drastically reduce “if the concept of Do the Right Thing permeates the institute and every facet of our existence.’’

He expressed confidence in the present senate of the institute to bring the nightmare of building collapse in the country to an end.

According to the statement, the Chairman of the FCT chapter of NIQS, Mr.Abbar Tor, commended the transparency of the procurement procedure of NOA. “We have observed the transparent manner in which you concluded the last procurement exercise; it is a model for all MDAs to emulate.”

Tor called for the inclusion of the NIQS in the National Procurement Council and to be recognised in the ongoing amendment of the Procurement Act by the National Assembly.

He described their omission as a grievous oversight, adding that the procurement policy of the Federal Government was a critical area where quantity surveyors’ skills were required.

He requested for the support of the NOA toward the realisation of the objective.

Galadiman Zazzau, Alhaji Nuhu Aliyo (left), assisting the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Okon-Bassey (right) to inaugurate a project at the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology in Zaria recently.

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Across The Nation UNICAL Justifies Lecturers institutions in the last oneSack year.

The Acting General Manager of Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL), Pastor Monday Aigbe in a handshake with Mr. Miko Onoyovwo during a courtesy visit. Photo: JAMES OMOREBOKHAI.

CALABAR - Prof.

James Epoke, the ViceChancellor of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), has justified the decision of the institution to sack six lecturers for academic fraud.

It will be recalled that the university dismissed the lecturers three months ago for plagiarism.

Epoke told newsmen in Calabar that “the sack was not frivolous” as the action followed due process after the affected lecturers were investigated and found guilty of plagiarism.

He said that the committee set up by the institution to assess the academic staff for promotion also discovered

that the affected lecturers copied academic works of others.

The vice-chancellor said that the lecturers appeared before the investigative committee made up of professors but could not defend allegations of plagiarism against them.

He said his administration had consolidated on past achievements and maintained higher academic standards, prompt release of results and would continue to promote discipline among staff and students.

Epoke said that UNICAL had received N3 billion from the Federal Government’s special intervention grant for tertiary

Kwankwaso Inaugurates 26 New Magistrates’ Courts KANO - Kano State Governor, Dr Rabiu Musa

The Acting General Manager, BNCL, Pastor Monday Aigbe, fourth from right in a group photograph with members of GNPAYS Venture during a courtesy visit to the company’s headquarters in Benin City recently.

Third from left is Mr. Solomon Imohiosen, Editor, The NIGERIAN OBSERVER. Photo: JAMES OMOREBOKHAI.

Kwankwaso, has inaugurated 26 new magistrates’ courts in the state.

During the ceremony in Kano, the governor called on lawyers to desist from acts capable of tarnishing the image of the judiciary.

He said the state government provided the courts across the state to bring justice closer to the people.

Kwankwaso said the move was part of his administration’s agenda to reduce crime in the state.

The governor said trans-

forming the judiciary would help in reducing crimes among the citizenry and appealed to the judiciary to always respect the rule of law.

Commenting on the new buildings, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Shehu Atiku, described the effort as a welcome development to the sector.

Atiku said the aim was to provide a suitable working atmosphere for the judiciary, adding that “with this kind of project, judges will be encouraged in the discharge of their duties.”

Over-Speeding: FRSC Commences 7-Day MOWE (OGUN)-The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has launched a sevenday campaign against overspeeding and reckless driving along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The campaign, tagged “Operation Shield”, was launched at Mowe, Ogun, by Mr Ademola Lawal, Zonal Commander, FRSC, RS2 Headquarters, Lagos.

Lawal said that the essence of the operation was to ensure reduction in road accidents on the highway.

Lawal said during the sevenday operation, FRSC officers would carry out motorised patrol from Ojota toll-gate in Lagos to Oluyole toll-gate in Ibadan to monitor the driving habits of motorists on the road.

He explained that the FRSC officers would also compel motorists to obey speed limits and warned that any motorist caught disobeying traffic laws would be arrested and punished.

“This operation is one of the strategies the FRSC headquarters has put in place to ensure

Campaign Begins that on those critical corridors, which Lagos-Ibadan is one of them, the rate of road crashes is reduced.

“The essence of this reduction is to meet the UN Decade of Action which says all nations should reduce rates of road crashes by 50 per cent.

“Apart from that, we need to meet our strategic goal for 2013, which is to reduce road crashes in Nigeria by 20 per cent and road traffic crashes related fatality by

Police Redeploy 11 Commissioners ABUJA - The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, has directed the redeployment of 11 commissioners of police (CPs) across the country.

The directive is contained in a statement issued by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, in Abuja.

“The redeployment is as a result of the recent elevation of some senior officers to the rank of commissioners and the retire-

ment of some commissioners of police in state commands and police formations,’’ the statement said.

It named the affected officers as CP Agboola Oshodi-Glover ( Kwara), CP Abubakar Mohammed (Enugu State), CP Tonye Ebitibituwa ( Bayelsa) and CP Umaru Shehu ( Nasarawa State).

Others are CP Hurdi Mohammed ( Katsina State), CP Sylvester Umeh (PAP, Eastern Port), CP Kudu Nma ( Gombe State), and CP Usman Baba ( CP

Cooperative).

The list also includes CP Saidu Madawaki ( Border Patrol), CP Usman Yakubu ( Welfare, ‘A’ Force Headquarters) and CP Abdulmajid Ali ( EOD, ‘B’ Department, Force Headquarters).

The statement urged the officers to show commitment in the fight against crime in their areas of operation.

The inspector-general urged them to work hard and relate with the public very well and serve as motivation to their subordinate officers in the discharge of their responsibilities, the statement

30 per cent,” Lawal said.

He said from all the research available to the commission, over-speeding was one of the major causes of road crashes on the highways.

“We will do our best to reduce road traffic crashes on the Lagos-Ibadan highway corridor and there is no other way to do it than all these initiatives we are putting in place to ensure that we justify our existence,” he stated.

Lawal, however, urged FRSC personnel, who would be involved in the operation to be polite to road users.

“Carry out your duty as a disciplined officer. Don’t fight anybody on the road and try as much as possible to use your discretion to handle situations.

“Make all necessary arrests.

You are bound to be insulted but you should know you are a public servant and be ready to accept those insults in the interest of the service to the

He said the fund was being channelled to the construction of facilities in the medical school of the university.

The vice-chancellor said that the medical facilities were necessary for the institution to ensure that it did not lose accreditation for its Medicine and Surgery departments.

Epoke also said that the university moved up to the sixth position from the 22nd position on the index of performing universities in Nigeria.

He said peace and tranquility had returned to UNICAL. He decried the dearth of manpower, particularly academic staff, in the university.

“The ratio of teachers to students is not static. We have 1,300 staff to 26,000 students; normally we should have a ratio of 1:7, but this is not so,’’ Epoke said.

He decried the encroachment of the university land by neighbouring communities and attributed the development to the absence of a fence as well as land compensation related issues.

Epoke, however, said that the university had continued to maintain a healthy relationship with the host communities, considering their input in admissions and employment.

nation,” the FRSC boss said.

Reports however say that the FRSC launched eight patrol vehicles for the operation.

1 Die In Collapsed Building, 4 Others Trapped LAGOS - A three storey building under construction collapsed at No. 24, Bashiru Street, Ojodu Berger, Lagos, on Tuesday and killed a worker and trapped four others under the rubbles.

The Information Officer of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident by telephone to newsmen.

Farinloye said: “A three-story building has collapsed and we have confirmed that one person is dead while four other people are still trapped in there.

“Our search taps located and recovered one body and four people were also located at dif-

ferent locations under the rubbles.

“We are working towards rescuing the trapped workers.”

Farinloye said that an apprentice to the workers escaped because he was sent on an errand.

He also said that the lucky apprentice confirmed to NEMA the number of people who were trapped inside the rubbles.

Farinloye said that while the rescue operation was on, a voice was heard calling for help.

“We just heard a voice speaking in Hausa language from under the rubbles and we are working to rescue him and others who have been trapped,” he

THE NIGERIAN

11

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

NSE DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (EQUITIES) AS AT YESTERDAY (08/05/13) Stocks

Open

Close

Change

Deals

Units

Value

MOBIL

114

114

0

27

175,877

19,903,281.66

7UP

50

50

0

10

7,065

354,790.70

MORISON

2.23

2.23

0

1

300

603

ABBEYBDS

1.43

1.43

0

1

736

949.44

MRS

18.15

18.15

0

6

2,271

41,255.88

ABCTRANS

0.96

1.05

0.09

18

2,098,663

2,203,596.15

NAHCO

6.1

6.25

0.15

75

1,002,048

6,233,865.80

ACCESS

11

11.02

0.02

286

27,530,289

302,803,403.75

NASCON

10.47

10.52

0.05

195

5,459,727

57,157,261.62

AFRIPRUD

1.85

1.85

0

46

1,053,728

1,833,594.27

NB

165

170

5

162

1,407,372

236,805,307.17

17

17

0

8

112,619

1,914,180.80

AFROMEDIA

0.5

0.5

0

3

2,250

1,125.00

NCR

AGLEVENT

1.82

1.82

0

12

163,474

295,864.28

NEIMETH

0.81

0.81

0

8

142,400

113,724.00

AIICO

0.9

0.89

-0.01

38

4,115,845

3,661,530.25

NEM

0.74

0.73

-0.01

22

1,344,701

991,456.92

AIRSERVICE

3.99

4.38

0.39

23

751,192

3,271,631.26

NESTLE

910

915

5

59

145,882

133,604,764.58

ASHAKACEM

23.3

23.6

0.3

37

739,336

17,362,754.09

NIGERINS

0.5

0.5

0

1

108

54

BERGER

6.82

6.82

0

4

36,661

266,254.16

NIWICABLE

0.5

0.5

0

1

250

125

BETAGLAS

10

9.8

-0.2

5

104,090

1,021,232.00

NNFM

23.8

23.8

0

5

7,103

156,641.00

BOCGAS

8.5

8.5

0

3

1,732

13,967.80

OANDO

14.8

15

0.2

142

2,644,415

39,619,231.01

0.5

0.5

0

1

1,940

970

CADBURY

37.5

38.9

1.4

83

603,431

23,344,188.81

OASISINS

CAP

56.62

56.62

0

52

156,904

9,688,807.79

OKOMUOIL

106

105.99

-0.01

211

1,201,862

127,323,020.80

CCNN

8.8

9

0.2

16

393,956

3,489,142.53

PAINTCOM

1.87

1.8

-0.07

5

160,400

287,720.00

CHAMS

0.5

0.5

0

2

5,000

2,500.00

PHARMDEKO

2.07

2.07

0

1

300

561

CILEASING

0.51

0.51

0

8

231,375

118,858.75

PREMBREW

0.68

0.68

0

2

50,000

31,000.00

CONOIL

23

23

0

17

21,511

533,776.65

PRESCO

24.2

24.61

0.41

24

705,950

17,324,655.00

CONTINSURE

1.05

1.05

0

2

130,000

136,500.00

PRESTIGE

0.62

0.62

0

12

945,016

585,613.32

CORNERST

0.5

0.5

0

4

700,700

350,350.00

PZ

42

42

0

40

173,527

7,346,288.25

3.9

4

0.1

13

303,600

1,161,545.00

COSTAIN

1.06

0.96

-0.1

20

443,194

425,466.24

REDSTAREX

COURTVILLE

0.5

0.51

0.01

10

6,635,954

3,361,936.84

REGALINS

0.5

0.5

0

2

4,000,500

2,000,250.00

CUSTODYINS

1.69

1.7

0.01

11

483,600

821,780.00

RESORTSAL

0.5

0.5

0

3

1,400

700

CUTIX

1.76

1.92

0.16

6

135,615

258,464.50

ROYALEX

0.53

0.58

0.05

15

948,459

534,158.27

DANGCEM

175.06

178.22

3.16

77

5,472,060

975,527,555.68

RTBRISCOE

1.35

1.48

0.13

36

951,194

1,331,774.35

DANGFLOUR

9.13

9.21

0.08

66

733,949

6,738,886.04

SKYEBANK

5.12

5.3

0.18

146

11,270,486

58,575,394.93

DANGSUGAR

7.7

7.79

0.09

94

3,902,474

30,074,406.96

SOVRENINS

0.5

0.5

0

3

2,500

1,250.00

DIAMONDBNK

6.44

6.6

0.16

114

8,205,286

53,918,463.68

STANBIC

14.02

14.5

0.48

21

459,305

6,574,688.89

0.5

0.5

0

6

6,000

3,000.00

EKOCORP

4.8

4.8

0

1

60

259.2

STDINSURE

ETERNA

2.48

2.71

0.23

12

163,800

421,265.00

STERLNBANK

2.6

2.6

0

71

4,595,233

11,949,768.84

ETI

15.2

15.2

0

61

7,143,817

108,565,565.59

TANTALIZER

0.5

0.5

0

1

1,000

500

EVANSMED

1.65

1.65

0

5

33,562

50,055.38

TOTAL

150

145.2

-4.8

21

70,445

10,275,664.85

FBNH

19.71

19.95

0.24

590

35,439,226

706,387,932.47

TOURIST

4.53

4.53

0

1

100

408

FCMB

4.8

5

0.2

201

113,370,843

564,681,975.48

TRANSCORP

1.11

1.13

0.02

88

12,237,872

13,745,161.08

FIDELITYBK

2.85

2.94

0.09

119

20,681,320

59,463,168.14

TRIPPLEG

2.29

2.29

0

1

50

103.5

FIDSON

1.65

1.65

0

34

2,293,720

3,818,929.70

UAC-PROP

14.3

14.3

0

11

10,992

161,453.84

70

71.1

1.1

97

2,211,240

156,010,794.19

FIRSTALUM

0.5

0.5

0

1

100

50

UACN

FLOURMILL

76

76.5

0.5

61

607,601

46,740,102.37

UBA

6.85

7.5

0.65

321

14,879,935

107,516,220.95

FO

14.24

14.24

0

20

26,590

388,456.60

UBCAP

1.1

1.2

0.1

58

2,032,419

2,352,775.93

GLAXOSMITH

47.25

47.25

0

19

50,716

2,400,365.00

UBN

9.7

9.58

-0.12

89

1,095,094

10,530,460.80

GNI

0.5

0.5

0

6

1,257,177

633,595.58

UNILEVER

58.5

58.5

0

54

98,290

5,858,780.17

GUARANTY

26

27

1

373

8,503,880

222,676,884.60

UNITYBNK

0.65

0.65

0

51

3,416,375

2,220,544.85

GUINNESS

274.3

274.3

0

40

45,152

12,519,388.95

UNITYKAP

0.5

0.5

0

1

350

175

HMARKINS

0.5

0.5

0

8

300,000

150,000.00

UNIVINSURE

0.5

0.5

0

2

150,000

75,000.00

4.8

4.8

0

4

21,257

101,754.36

HONYFLOUR

2.9

2.88

-0.02

37

666,812

1,924,779.12

UPL

IKEJAHOTEL

0.81

0.88

0.07

21

1,282,311

1,097,685.52

UTC

0.59

0.64

0.05

16

650,459

409,013.03

INTBREW

20.65

20.65

0

38

263,416

5,311,360.30

VITAFOAM

3.3

3.25

-0.05

21

238,285

773,807.04

IPWA

0.6

0.6

0

2

8,233

5,101.96

WAPCO

79.9

79.9

0

29

77,371

6,288,032.99

JAPAULOIL

0.57

0.6

0.03

108

10,703,640

6,353,382.24

WAPIC

1

0.92

-0.08

13

357,580

329,423.60

JBERGER

52

52

0

33

736,580

38,226,802.50

WEMABANK

1.33

1.33

0

61

3,585,123

4,724,620.87

JOHNHOLT

1.54

1.54

0

8

67,875

110,970.32

ZENITHBANK

20.35

21.4

1.05

450

34,991,438

732,827,306.69

LASACO

0.5

0.5

0

2

31,619

15,809.50

LEARNAFRCA

1.8

1.95

0.15

21

1,606,247

2,927,376.45

LIVESTOCK

2.8

2.75

-0.05

37

694,706

1,950,876.75

MANSARD

2.4

2.6

0.2

12

201,238

494,235.14

MAYBAKER

1.98

2.17

0.19

22

245,604

509,433.92

MBENEFIT

0.5

0.5

0

3

1,650

825

MCNICHOLS

1.15

1.15

0

3

5,050,200

5,807,730.00

TOP 10 GAINERS Stock NB NESTLE DANGCEM CADBURY UACN ZENITHBANK GUARANTY UBA FLOURMILL STANBIC

Close 170 915 178.22 38.9 71.1 21.4 27 7.5 76.5 14.5

TOP TOP10 10LOSERS GAINERS Gain 5 5 3.16 1.4 1.1 1.05 1 0.65 0.5 0.48

Stock TOTAL BETAGLAS UBN COSTAIN WAPIC PAINTCOM VITAFOAM LIVESTOCK HONYFLOUR OKOMUOIL

Close 145.2 9.8 9.58 0.96 0.92 1.8 3.25 2.75 2.88 105.99

Loss -4.8 -0.2 -0.12 -0.1 -0.08 -0.07 -0.05 -0.05 -0.02 -0.01

THE NIGERIAN

12

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

THE basic fundamental of all economies is agriculture and all industrial nations know this.

That their economies are on solid rock is basically because they have galvanized their agricultural potentials, which is also the offshoot of their industrial development That is why concerned citizens of Nigeria have continued to warn on the dangers of continued dependence by the nation on crude oil which is today the mainstay and sustaining source of the Nigerian economy.

THE traditional focus of the Nigerian economy before the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity was agriculture and it played a fundamental role in shaping the economy of the nation and regions as Nigeria was then constituted in its immediate post independence era.

IN the 1960s, each region of the country was noted for producing some cash crops such as cocoa, groundnut and palm oil as well as rubber in commercial quantities. Basically, the Wet tern region, now the political South West except Lagos which was the Federal Capital, was noted for producing cocoa in large commercial quantities for export. The revenue from cocoa helped in shaping the infrastructure and economic environment of then Western Nigeria and its legacies and landmarks were -very very visible, as they affected virtually all aspects of life of the people.

IN the Northern region, groundnut was the mainstay of the economy, to the extent that the volume produced in the region was typified by the “groundnut pyramid”. It symbolized the success of the crop as a veritable earner of revenue which impacted economically on the life of the people.

IN the Eastern region, palm oil was its pre-

THE NIGERIAN

Improving National Agricultural Output dominant feature and similarly, it was a success in boosting the economic atmosphere of the country and the region. Interestingly, it is now an irony that Nigeria has been relegated to the background in palm oil production and has been overtaken by Malaysia, a country which took the Nigerian specimen of the plant, palm kernel, and adapted it to its own climatic condition and is today a leading producer of palm oil, which is a major derivative of palm kernel.

SIGNIFICANTLY, the Midwest region was noted for its rubber plantation and was quite a huge success as the crop played its role as a major economic transformation agent to shore up principally the economy of the region.

WE are concerned that there is slow progress in returning to the traditional focus of reviving these cash crops as major sources of revenue for the Federal Government.

HOWEVER, we are aware that not too long ago, the Federal Government launched the Cocoa Rebirth Initiative, as launch pad to regenerate interest in the crop and encourage farmers who have abandoned the plant to come back on the scene to make cocoa play its role in the national economy.

THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER implores the Federal Government to similarly create avenues for other cash crops as well as sensitise farmers to take proactive action towards their cultiva-

tion.

WHILE the Federal Government has shown the interest to refocus attention to agriculture, there appears to be so much disinterest in the way it has pursued the goal.

THERE is no conscious effort to empower small scale farmers to undertake mechanized farming for greater yields, as this is still the exclusive preserve of the elite farmers. Thus, farmers who are interested in expansion have no way of coping with the financial demands to undertake mechanized farming. Access to bank loans is uncertain with high interest rate, serving as enough scare to discourage the desire for any expansion.

WHILE the banks may have played significant roles in the past in assisting farmers, they did so purely on the initiative of the individual farmers and therefore expect in the new arrangement as already envisaged, a friendly lending terms that will encourage investment in the agricultural sector. THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER now calls on the Federal Government to consider an upward review of allocation to the agricultural sector. Amounts always allocated in the budget have been a pointer of the genuineness of government’s commitment to the agricultural sector.

WE assert that improving the national agricultural output should be devoid of any prohibition that will limit access to the fund by small scale farmers whose contributions to agricultural development form part of the concerted effort of the production chain that will lift the nation out of the continued dependence on oil.

THE NIGERIAN

13

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Would You Marry A Poor Man

IT might sound ridiculous and may as well be viewed as a rhetorical question. But the fact still remains that most young girls in this present generation will prefer to marry a man with a fat bank account.

It is true that money plays a very significant role in homes and most cases provides maximum comfort for the owner.

That is why most men nowadays tend to delay their marriages till they are financially buoyant before tying the knot.

This has also led to the craze for money as young men are now ready to get rich, either through legitimate or fraudulent means.

hands. Be it through; kidnapping, arm rubbery, fraudulent act, cultism, or spilling blood for ritual making, it doesn’t matter to them, provided money is made in the process.

His answer to my puzzle was that some of these men found themselves in this predicament as a result of the demand for money by the women in their lives and also to impress as well as shower money on their girls in other to continue to enjoy their presence. In other words, ‘women are the cause of all evil.’

Let’s take a critical look at the phrase ‘poor man’. Who is actually a poor man in the real

school without shoes on his feet and I guess today she will be proud of herself for taking that initiative to climb all the mountains that was on her way, the rat race and cross all the valleys to become the first Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I wish our young girls will borrow a leaf from her and also have it at the back of their minds that Rome was not built in a day.

Ms. Smock has found in her own research that having money does encourage people to tie the knot. “It’s more likely that a couple will marry if they have money, and if the man is economically stable,” she says.

pecting someone else to take care of them’. She added that: ‘the poor man can show you his true love, instead of having a rich guy who goes out and just buy you something real quick to make you happy for the time being’. While Mrs. C. Osagie confessed that she was in a relationship with a man who had money, and she was miserable and realized that money doesn’t buy happiness after all.

There are some women tagged as ‘smart women’ who are not wooed by good looks and the smooth talk, after all those come a dime a dozen.

These women are looking at how their potential partners

What baffled me recently was when I watched my favorite soap opera in a cable network titled ‘Dear Mother’. In that particular episode, a young man’s odious plan was exposed as he attempted to take his pregnant girlfriend to a pre-arranged hospital where she can have an abortion. What irked me most was the fact that this same young man’s intention was to take the aborted fetus to a native doctor for rituals, with the intention of making money from it. It was quite awful as I found myself wondering the dimension with which this craze for money has taken.

I remembered vividly what a young man once told me in one of my conversations with him, over the issue that today, majority of young men don’t want to work hard and wait patiently to become wealthy and that their ambition is to acquire wealth over night in whatever illegal means they can lay their

sense, which our young girls will emphatically say that they are not ready to settle down with? Money is definitely not everything as it can neither buyer happiness, love or peace.

Though it goes a long way to give comfort, and succumb to mankind, but it is definitely not an end to its means. It might amaze you to know that some of these men who are often refer to as ‘poor man’ are actually the men who left school and are working hard in their various fields of endeavour legitimately to make it in life.

When some of our girls marry for money and that same money is no more, the love which she once profess also diminished. This is while we have high rate of divorce in the society today. Take a clue from our dear Nollywood.

It takes Patience as well as perseverance for a person of Dame Patience Jonathan to marry a man who went to

She further added that women were not the only ones with the gold-digging impulse. In the ‘Prince & Associates’ study, 61% of men in their 40s said they would marry for money.

Ms. Smock says that as men get older, they become more comfortable with women being the bread-winners.

Another research conducted recently, revealed that materialists have unhappier marriages than couples who don’t care much about possessions.

Mrs. Angela Okoh distinguished herself when she said ‘I did marry a poor man; however, we were (and are) on the same page as far as our ultimate goals are concerned. He was poor because he was in school, not because he was not in interesed in improving himself. I don’t mind having very little money; on the other hand, I abhor people laying on the couch all day and not doing anything for themselves or ex-

spend money. Does he have an emergency fund? Is he current on their monthly bills such as the car payment and rent/mortgage? Does he spend more than he earns? They’re listening keenly to understand how their potential mates relate to money. Is it a tool? Is it a crutch? They know the difference and conduct business accordingly. Should the potential mate fall into the category of the above mentioned, then it’s time to say good-bye. After all, who wants a man who isn’t interested in learning how to manage his money effectively?

They are in it for the long haul, not a few cheap dates.

“What baffled me recently was when I watched my favorite soap opera in a cable network titled ‘Dear Mother’. In that particular episode, a young man’s odious plan was exposed as he attempted to take his pregnant girlfriend to a pre-arranged hospital where she can have an abortion. What irked me most was the fact that this same young man’s intention was to take the aborted fetus to a native doctor for rituals, with the intention of making money from it. It was quite awful as I found myself wondering the dimension with which this craze for money has taken.”

Relationship With IMOISILI EDITH 07089364470

Tips For Marital Bliss Do you remember that he is a human being and that he can fail? We must never expect too much from our spouses because they are also like us that can make mistakes.

Do you remember old quarrel every day? Try not to harbor the quarrel you had with your spouse in your heart for a long time, learn to forgive and give him/ her a second chance.

Do you persevere with him during time of lack?

There is an adage that says ‘a friend in need is a friend in deed’. Never abandon him in his time of trials and tribulations, learn to be a good helper indeed.

Do you know that fake visions from fake prophets can destroy your marriage? Stop running to every Tom, Dick and Harry that called themselves prophets of God. Many homes are in shambles today simply because, when they are experiencing some challenges in their marriages, they abandon their places of worship and jump from one miracle centre to another, all in the name of searching for solutions to their problems.

Do you know that you need to love your in-laws just as you love your husband? Always remember that he was born and raised by his extended family, trying to separate him from them will not work, rather you will end up hurting his feelings. Therefore the best option is to make sacrifice by loving what he also love and you will have peace in your home.

Let your wife feel your affections. Researchers have discovered that, majority of African men do not know how to express their love openly, like kissing, hugging and caressing at public places. This is because they are either too shy or they have ‘cultural hang over’. But there are other ways in which your wife can feel your love. Learn to buy her what you tthink she likes most, you can also take her out on special occasions and try to be around her at home as you listen and share her opinion on various issues.

Do you value what your spouse’s say? Avoid letting your educational qualifications come in between you and your spouse. This happened most especially with women who are more educated than their husband.

Making your husband less important and feel inferiority complex before you is like a time bomb waiting to explode. This means that the marriage is heading for the wall. As long as you have agreed to marry him, you must drop all you qualifications at the door post and learn to be humble as well as be submissive for your marriage to work.

Proverb Of The Week One cannot go to the farmer from one borrowed seed yams to say that, beetles have eaten up the seed yams.

Meaning: don’t be too clever by taking others for fool.

THE NIGERIAN

14

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

QUALITY education to primary schools pupils in Edo State public schools has remained a cardinal objective of the present government of Adams Oshiomhole’s. primary education being the bedrock of future educational pursuit, Oshiomhole’s administration give inception has made it a priority to renovate, modernize and equip primary schools in the state.

In a recent interview, commissioner of Basic Education, Hon. Patrick Agwinede did not mince words that the state government was committed to returning to primary schools the lost glory of the yester years, when public schools were the envy of all. According to him, the government has made a bold step towards making public schools attractive. To this end, he said, a total of 138. schools have so far been renovated while 5,050 desks so for been distributed to the various primary schools across the state.

The commissioner noted that the governor was passionate about transforming primary educating. “It is our belief that schools should not only be renovated but pupils should besealed. This is why we are creating conducive atmosphere to learn”.

Agwinede said the state government was prepared to implement the Universal Basic Education UBE/ policy as contained in the 2004 act establishing the scheme.

He asserted he was in a familiar terrain being a trained teacher. And also having chaired the education committee when he was a member of the State House of Assembly. “ I am happy to be in a familiar terrain as a trained teacher and as a former member of the State House of Assembly, I was the chairmen of the education committee, I related extensively with education matters. And I was one of those who drafted the UBE law which is in operation today, so I understand the concept of the law”, he stressed.

Issues EDSG Is Passionate For Qualitative Education - Commissioner

By FELIX OMOH-ASUN

The commissioner who said it was the dream of the ministry to see all schools renovated to an enviable but also agreed that is not possible to carry out reno-

Gov Adams Oshiomhole

Reviving Nigeria’s Economy Through Agriculture

By EMMANUEL EGOBIAMBU

AGRICULTURE, is a key component of Nigeria’s economy. Wikipedia noted that the sector provides employment for about 70% percent of Nigeria’s populace.

But in the 1970’s and beyond, agriculture provided a major Chunk of the nation’s revenue. According to a Lecturer in the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, (FUNAAB), Prof. Olusegun Oshinowo, agriculture contributes 35% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of this country yearly.

However, despite that 76 million hectares or 33% of Nigeria’s land area are fit for cultivation, the agricultural sector has not be fully tapped for the growth and sustainance of the economy. Agriculture in Nigeria is still at the subsistence level and need’s urgent efforts if it is to contribute meaningfully to the economy.

Nigeria’s agricultural products can be divided into two major categories. These are food crops, (mainly consumed locally) and export products. Staple crops such as rice, wheat, millet, beans, corn and others, can be produced in large quantities and exported to other shores.

The Encyclopedia of nations, noted that agricultural exports in 2001, earned the country 323.5 million dollars. As at independence, agriculture contributed 60% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If properly managed, the economic benefits of agriculture, are innumerable in nature.

Now, let me start with the small scale former in the village. If a small scale farmer, is provided with enabling environment, he can put food on his table. If a local farmer can make a sum of N500, 000montly, then there would be no need of crying wolf about the economy.

If the agricultural sector is revamped, employment will

vation in all the schools at the same time. He begged for some work.

However, he appealed to stakeholders to notify the ministry of any school in deploration condition and in need of urgent repair so that the ministry can immediately attend to it. “If there is a school that is so bad, you can write the ministry so that we can include it in the schools to be renovates immediately to make sure repair is not capsided: it is the dream of the schools are renovated but you will agree with me that government cannot carryout the renovation at the same time.

What we do is to carry out repair on senatorial basis.

Agwinede observed the separate of validity of government property in schools was high, because of that the ministry in conjunction with the state government was tinkering with the idea of contracting the protection of items delivered to schools to private security firm. He said talks with the state Neigbourhood Watch and the Nigerian legion to beef up security around schools was in top gear, so that the effort of the state to provide schools with equipment will not in vain. “We are talking about security because the Comrade Governor in his wisdom has resolved to fully implement the national policy on education to the last dot”, he emphasized.

He also noted that the ministry will soon embarked on recruitment of teachers to fill the short fall in manpower especially in the rural areas.

be increased. In agriculture, with the abundant natural resourced the nation is blessed with, one cannot but say, that unemployment will vanish. Talking about cre-

Dr Adesina Akinwumi Minister of Agriculture

ating jobs, agriculture through poultry, fish farming, wood lumbering and others can fend jobs for the teeming unemployed. Also, with increase farming activity,

industries will definitely spring up. This is as a result of the raw materials needed by these industries which farming provides.

Sometime ago, Nigeria embarked on exportation of cassava product/products to other countries.

Similarly, over two-third of the world’s working population, are engaged in agriculture. The concomitant effect is that these people depend on agriculture for survival in life. Firstly, psychologists have made known the fact that food is the basic need of man. When the nation’s agricultural system is operating on a high scale, food cannot be a problem. With adequate supply of food to the teeming populace, the productivity level of the economy will definitely improve.

Furthermore, lack of agricultural development has been a notable reason responsible for rural-urban drift.

Before the oil boom, most Nigeria’s never found it is vogue to move to urban centers.

Although, the Nigerian economy is a growing one, it can become better if the potentials in the agricultural sector is harnessed. A good economy uses agriculture as its back bone. As noted by Masanobu Fukuoka, “the ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings”. It is only when agriculture is encouraged that Nigeria’s economy will be perfected!

“Although, the Nigerian economy is a growing one, it can become better if the potentials in the agricultural sector is harnessed. A good economy uses agriculture as its back bone. As noted by Masanobu Fukuoka, “the ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings”. It is only when agriculture is encouraged that Nigeria’s economy will be

THE NIGERIAN

15

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Child Health & You Preventing Germs Spread At Home

By HOPE OSHODIN

PREVENTING germs from spreading is generally a matter of concern to both parents and health care givers, as prevention they say is far better than cure.

What are germs? Germs refer to the microscopic organisms (not seen with the eyes) such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa that can cause diseases. Germs can also be seen as tiny organisms that creep into our bodies and attack our immune system.

Germs exist in the following forms, BACTERIA: they are living things that are neither plants nor animals, but belong to a group all by themselves, they are tiny, single celled organism that gets nutrients from their environments, in some cases that environment is your child or some other living being. Although it is not all bacteria that are harmful to us except for the pathogenic bacteria that is often spread through water and food. Bacteria spread and multiply itself very fast and they also cause troubles such as urinary tract infections or sore throat, bacteria can also cause fever. Children need to be monitored closely so that they don’t get infected with these harmful bacteria. Bacteria can be spread from children to children and from other humans through sneezing or coughing, animals (by their droppings or saliva), soil (this normally contains fungi when contaminated by droppings), water when contaminated by droppings, food that are not properly covered or protected, and rotten fruits.

VIRUS: viruses cannot survive, grow and reproduce unless a person or an animal puts up rental spaces. Virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses can infect all types of living thing, children, adult, animal or plant. Viruses can only live for a very short time outside other living cells for example virus infected body fluids left on surfaces like countertops and toilet seat, can live there for a short time but quickly dies unless a living a host comes along. Viruses are responsible for minor sickness such as common cold, running nose and influenza. There are also herpes viruses which cause sores and genital herpes, viruses are also responsible for chicken pox and which when reactivated in the elderly cause pain on the skin. It should be noted that antibiotics are totally not effective against viruses, however several antiviral drugs

have been produced but the best way to curb and prevent virus infections is by proper and complete immunization and vaccination of children.

FUNGI: they are multi celled plant like organisms, they get their food by absorbing nutrients from their surroundings, they also feed on plants and animals dung. The study of fungi is known as mycology. Mycology is a branch of biology that studies fungi. Fungi exist in various habitats including deep down the ocean, lake, rocks, deserts, very salty environments and areas of extremely high or low temperature. However the majority of fungi live on land, some fungi can be so important to humans. For instance fungi are used in food preparation.

Yeast in food manufacturing is needed for fermentation of wines, beer and other alcoholic drinks, edible mushrooms are also very nutritious, there are also fungi that cause diseases called Pathogenic fungi. Mycosis can be divided into the following groups; Systematic Mycosis: this is a fungi infection that may reach any part of the body, including the brain and the heart, as well as the bloodstream. They usually enter via the lungs, gastro intestinal tract. An example is crytolociosis, mostly caused by pigeon droppings.

Subcutaneous: the fungi permeates below the skin and infects the subcutaneous region (area just below the skin) , connective and bone tissue, these infections are usually chronic (long lasting) and occur when skins is pierced or wounded.

They are most common in the tropic.

Cutaneous: the infection is generally limited to the non-living keratinized layers of the skin, hair and nails. No living tissue is invaded in this case.

Examples are candidiasis of the skin, mucus membranes and nails.

PROTOZOA: Theses are single celled organisms, many of which are able to move on their own. Protozoa are found as ubiquitous, free living organisms in the environment.

They are classified as sporozoa (intracellular parasites) flagellates (which possess tail-like structures for movement) amoeba (which moves using temporary cell body projection called pseudo pods) and ciliates (which move by beating multiple hair like structure called cilia). Infections caused by protozoa can spread through the injection of cyst (a membranous sac or cavity of abnormal character containing fluid),

Protozoa love moisture, so intestinal infections and other diseases they can cause are often spread through contaminated water. Protozoa infection can also be spread through sexual transmission or through insect vector. Other common infectious diseases caused by protozoa include malaria, giardia, and toxoplasmosis.

WHAT DOES GERMS DO? Children while playing stumble into all kinds of dirt’s, dust and other places were germs could possibly be hiding. Children ought to be supervised when they are

causing sicknesses and spreading. It is particularly important that after coughing, nose blowing, after using the toilet, or after touching or playing with animals, pets or toys, before and after visiting a sick friend or relative, washing of hands should immediately follow.

Hand washing prevents transfer of micro organisms from one person to another. Some person may want to hold or shake hands with kids after nose blowing or using the toilets. It is advisable to wash hands and tell kids to do same so as to wash off germs before going in contact with anyone; this prevents person to person transfer of germs. Washing of hands goes beyond putting

playing. Once children come in contact with germs (bacteria, fungi, virus, and potozoa) the germs invade their body tissue / pores and get ready to stay for a while, these germs draw up energy from their host (the infected child). They damage or destroy healthy cells as they use the child’s energy and nutrients. They may produce proteins known as toxins, some of which cause annoying symptoms of common cold, or flu such as catarrh and cough. They can also cause diarrhea but other toxins can cause high fever, increased heart rate, low blood pressure and even other life threatening illness.

Simple ways to control germs Here are some effective practice that can help in preventing, controlling and reduce germs spread and contact.

Hand Washing: The practice of hand washing and teaching kids how to wash their hands and is absolutely one of the way to stop germs from

water on your palm and rubbing them together, There is right way to wash hands, use warm water and plenty of soap, then rub hands together vigorously for at least 15 to 20 seconds, you may even want to sing a short song during the process to make sure you spend quality and enough time washing, after that rinse your hand with clean water and dry them thoroughly with a clean towel.

When working in the kitchen, wash your hands from time to time.

Cleaning: Cleanliness is next to Godliness as good hygiene and clean environment saves the family from the cost of germs and illness. Germs spread more in dirty environment. When children are prone to dust and live in bushy surroundings and stagnant water, germs carrier such as mosquitoes, rat and cockroaches etc move freely and when they come in contact with food, water or close to the skin of children it result to transfer of germs to their body. This could

be prevented by regular cleaning of the surrounding and clearing of bushes around our homes, ensuring that wastes are not left in the house or near the house for too long. Periodically wipe down frequently handled objects such as toys, door knobs, light switches, sink fixtures and flushing handles in the toilets. Sweep the house and compound daily as well as washing the dishes and other cooking utensils regularly. Soap and water are perfectly adequate for cleaning, if you like you may try using antiseptic soap, which can kill or reduce bacterial content on an object, you can also use bleach, avoid chemical sprays on the floor, spray and use of chemical may irritate skins and eyes of children, children must also be taught not to eat food or snacks that fell off the plate

nated. Vaccines are usually given free in all centers and everywhere in Nigeria. These vaccines include Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV), Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus (DPT), Bacillus Calmete Guerine (BCG), the newly introduced Penta valent vaccine against Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Haemophilus influenza Type B and hepatitis B,Yellow fever vaccine, Measles vaccine and then Vitamin A which are important and serves as immune booster. All these are sponsored by the governments and they cost nothing.

In Conclusion, these practices can prevent children from getting infected with germs, the habit of washing hands before and after eating should be inculcated in children. Children must be taught and corrected

onto the floor, they must also be informed about regular washing of fruits before eating.

More so, use proper food handling techniques, separate cutting boards, clean utensils and towels for preparing food. Unfinished food and other food stuffs must be properly covered and kept. Create time for general and all round sanitation of the house.

Vaccines: Another way to combat infection from germs is to ensure your children are properly vaccinated and immunized according to the national programme on immunization (NPI). Vaccines should be given at birth and also should be given at various times in a child’s life. Different vaccines are given at different age and time of life. Vaccines provide the children with adequate immunity needed to fight and prevent disease caused by various germs. We have various types of vaccines and it is advisable that mothers visit any of these immunization centers with their kids to get them vacci-

to wash fruit before eating. Ensure children take their bath regularly and also brush their teeth (at least twice daily).

When playing with toys, they should be monitored not to put it into their mouth, avoid saliva from dogs or other pets. Maintain good hygiene, clean cooking utensils and keep children away from crowded areas always.

Oshodin Hope Osarumwense Executive Officer, Institute of Child Health, University of Benin. Benin City ‘CHILD HEALTH AND YOU’, a Weekly Thursday Feature, is a collaborative initiative between the Institute of Child Health, University of Benin, and the Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL), Benin City.

Comments on this page should be forwarded to The Editor, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, Benin City or Director, Institute of Child Health University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State.

THE NIGERIAN

16

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

For The Record Being a TEXT: (TIMOTHY 4:16). Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. CF EZEKIEL 34; JOHN 12 20:2 APPROPRIATENESS OF THE THEME Continued from last week WHETHER as a Bishop, Clergy or Laity, you do have a ministry into which God has called you with some mandate and expectations, the centre of which is the salvation of mankind and their reconciliation with him.

The Bible says; “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent?” (Romans 10:1315a). Therefore, God has already made provisions for reaching the world in that he has called and sent us.

In taking heed to your ministry, you must learn to operate according to the measure of grace given to you

by God. King Saul tried to function in an office not given to him by God and it cost him his kingdom and place in the scheme of divine programming. We must understand that one thousand laity cannot make one clergy and neither can be given to whom it is due. As Bishops we have our general and special duties and so do the Clergy and the Laity; each should take heed by discharging all the duties of the ministry as Paul charged Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5 saying “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do, the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry”. “The Bishops of all ranks, Priest of all ranks and Deacons belong to the ordained ministry with each performing his distinctive ministries or duties” (Hart , R. I. 2001:1,1). Each must also heed the warning to not misuse the grace of God. The Laity should not overstep their bounds; the Clergy should not without the word and the other means of saving grace committed to their ministry — the Sacraments (i.e. Baptism and the Holy Eucharist); and the Bishops should, in the same vein, refrain from indiscriminate ordination and other forms of unguided Episcopal laying of hands that is destroying the Church in line with Paul’s warning to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:22 which says; “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep ‘thyself pure”.

Another version puts it thus; “Never be in a hurry about appointing an elder. Do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.” All Bishops should be mindful of higher and lower ecclesiastical authorities as we bask in the euphoria of our autonomy. We must all use the grace of God upon our lives and ministry as men women who shall be made to give account at the end of time.

As Bishops, we must take of our Episcopal ministry. We must be careful of the erroneous exercise of’ our autonomy. The concept of autonomy is not a licence, for Bishops to be lawless and disobedient to constituted authority. The autonomy we exercise is

Take Heed Of Thysel

By THE MOST REVD (DR.) FRIDAY J. IMAEKHAI

subsumed in our collegiality. Our autonomy does not say that we are above the constitution of the Church of Nigeria that we have sworn to uphold at our ordination and consecration. The authority we exercise is not our own authority. It is a derived authority. Some of us do things against that authority of the Church we will have to discipline a Clergy. What moral justification do we have to discipline a Clergy man who fails to attend a meeting scheduled by us when we have always failed to attend meetings scheduled by the Head of the Church? There are perceived inconsistencies and double talk and these outward manifestations of our actions have tended to reduce the respect people have for Bishop. As Bishops and Clergy, we are called to serve with great humility and not to Lord it over using the pharisaic model. Our role model condemned the Pharisees for lording it over their subjects We need to earn respect and not demand it or force our subordinates to respect US. It is worse to get our subordinate to fear us. It is only God that is to be feared and approached with awe and reverence. The recalcitrant worker is to be disciplined in accordance with the constitutional provision and not with arbitrariness.

The fact that some workers are troublesome is not a justifiable reason for us to adopt constitutional methods in disciplining them.

Our calling is to be servants not bosses, slaves not masters. According John Stott (1990:375), yet emphasis of Jesus was not on the Authority of a ruler leader but on the humility of a servant leader. Authority by which the Christian leaders is not by power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe in the hands of Jose who humble themselves to serve.

In response to noticeable inconsistencies, some Clergy employ the assistance of powerful laity to deal with Bishops. Again, this is wrong. The Clergy must not engage the services of the laity to fight for them but engage their resources in articulating strategies, tactics and action plans that will enable us actualize the Great Commission.

THE PLACE OF THE MINISTER’S FAMILY Your family as a Bishop, Clergy or Laity is part and parcel of your ministerial testimony. You cannot separate your daily life from your ministry; in fact, the former is always a loud sounding testimony either for or against the latter. There is, therefore, great need to take heed to your marriage and family life. To the Bishops and the Clergy, the Bible says; “This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior,

“Your family as a Bishop, Clergy or Laity is part and parcel of your ministerial testimony. You cannot separate your daily life from your ministry; in fact, the former is always a loud sounding testimony either for or against the latter. There is, therefore, great need to take heed to your marriage and family life.”

given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into

th ni In sa so G m yo

The Most Revd (Dr.) Friday J. Imaekhai, Bishop reproach and the snare of the devil.

Likewise, must the deacons be rave, not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy’ of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchases to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” It was Casey Treat who noted that “One of the very basic requirements we have for any leadership position in our Church is that of a solid marriage and good family relationships. We can’t afford to have leaders and Church representatives who don’t have strong, positive home lives, no matter how qualified they are for their positions” (1990:36).

Then to the Laity it says; “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of

ev fo Fe re fo an th tro th Th to pu se tio he th be PR TA At ca No

THE NIGERIAN

17

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

For The Record

lf And Thy Ministry

he world —like a city on a mountain, glowing in the ight for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! nstead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the ame way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, o that everyone will praise your heavenly father. It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you. You are not slaves; ou are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do

p of Esan Diocese

vil. You are free to live as God’s slaves. Show respect or everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. ear God. Show respect for the king. If you claim to be eligious but don’t control your tongue, you are just ooling yourself, ‘and your religion is worthless. Pure nd lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means hat we must care for orphans and widows in their oubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” (Mathew 5:13-16; 1 Peter 2:15-17 & James 1:26 & 27). hese are as well general admonitions but are special o the Laity because they relate closest to the general ublic and, therefore, have wider opportunity of preenting Christ to the individuals in their peculiar situaons. Your family is the first and model Church; take eed to your family and marital life because it is part of he standards of judging you and your ministry both efore God and man.

RINCIPLES THAT CAN ENABLE US TO AKE HEED t this point, let us discuss some of the principles that an help take heed both to our lives and our ministry. ote that these are principles (moral rules or strong

beliefs that influence action and decisions) you must have to deliberately make efforts to develop by applying yourself to long term discipline in godliness. They are not gifts or talents that one may claim riot to have been endowed with by God. Below are some of these principles: Self Discipline - This is the ability to discipline oneself, especially with regards to time, without any external pressure; it is the ability to make yourself do something especially when it is difficult, inconvenient or unpleasant but necessary.

Integrity - This refers to the resolute quality of being honest and having strong moral principles of truthfulness, transparency and accountability.

Being Teachable - Ability to listen, take instructions, receive corrections and the willingness to learn new things and receive new ideas consistent with scriptural imperatives.

Considerate Flexibility - Being considerate means to always think of other people’s wishes, feelings and expectations; always being careful enough not to hurt or disappoint others. While flexibility means ability to change to suit new conditions. Being considerately flexible, therefore, means able to change to suit new conditions so as not to fail expectation but definitely not at the expense of your vision and biblical injunctions.

Obedience - This means doing what you are told to do and the Bible even says it is to be desired than many sacrifices.

Humility - This is the quality not thinking that you are better than other persons and the Bible encourages us to see others as better than ourselves.

Commitment - This refers to the willingness to work hard, to give your energy and time to a job, an activity or assignment.

Knowledge - This ordinarily refers to information, understanding and skills acquired through education or experience but here, in very much has to do with the knowledge of God. Selflessness - It means thinking more of the needs, comfort, happiness, etc of others rather than yours. It means putting others into consideration especially at decision making time.

Self-Control - This is the ability to keep calm and not show your emotions even though very angry or highly excite Prudence - It means being careful and sensible in making judgments and decisions so as to avoid necessary risks. It could as well extend to the use of available resources.

Diplomacy - This is the skill of dealing with people in difficult situation without offending them; it involves being ordered and not erratic or unpredictable in decisions and actions.

Goal - Setting - A goal in this sense means something you hope to achieve. It helps to keep the destructive tendencies of laxity and builds self discipline. It equally has great advantage because while you may not always make your goal, your goal will always make you.

Prayerfulness - A life of persistent and earnest prayer is the cap of all the principles discussed above. Prayer as a means of communicating with and receiving from (e.g. spiritual strength) God is a no without. The charge to take heed begins and ends, with the call to effectual and persistent prayer life.

CONSEQUENCES OF NOT TAKING HEED TO THYSELF AND THY MINISTRY This call to take heed to thyself and thy ministry is not suggestive or merely advisory but a command disobedience to which will attract personal and corporate as well as temporal and eternal consequences. There is on unfortunate aspect of a leader’s influence that must be highlighted here at this point in very strong terms when a leader falls, he/she does not fall alone; as many as look up to him/her majority of those under his/her leadership will also fall with him/her. This is why Apostle Paul warned Timothy sternly in 1 Timothy 4:16, saying “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. “ If he does the opposite by failing to take heed, the result will be the direct opposite as well — he will be lost alongside his hearers. In this matter, there is no difference between the Bishop, the Clergy and the Laity; all shall be subject to judgment except that stricter standards of judgment await the Bishops and the Clergy.

CONCLUSION As we conclude, let us reflect on the parables of the wise/foolish virgins in Mathew 25:1-13; and that of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. We see this charge to take heed re-echoed in these parables — that of the wise and foolish virgins emphasizes the need to take heed to thyself as well as show the consequences of failing to do so; while that of the talents, on the other hand, emphasizing the need to take heed to thy ministry as well as how the consequences of not doing so faithfully. No matter the level of grace given to you by God, whether high or long, you are required to be watchful over your life and be faithful over your ministry because, apart from the temporal detrimental consequences of not taking heed, there is a day of reckoning. Are we hirelings or do we faithfully represent the Good Shepherd? Are we the kind of under shepherds that devour the flocks and care nothing for their needs? Are we the kind of sheep that oppress other sheep within the fold? Have we been spending our time pursuing shadows? Brethren, our salvation is closer now than when we first beliewed. Let us take heed then to ourselves and our ministry so that the second coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ, does not take us unaware and lest, we would be found to have labored in vain.

“We need to earn respect and not demand it or force our subordinates to respect US. It is worse to get our subordinate to fear us. It is only God that is to be feared and approached with awe and reverence.

The recalcitrant worker is to be disciplined in accordance with the constitutional provision and not with arbitrariness. The fact that some workers are troublesome is not a justifiable reason for us to adopt constitutional methods in disciplining them.”

THE NIGERIAN

18

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013 With Obuseh Jude 0806385183

Security Issues

Between Human Rights And Peace (1) HUMAN rights can be defined as the universal, equitable, and indispensable claims of civil and political liberties which are legally recognized internationally for individuals and collectivities as enshrined by the United Nations General Assembly in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948.

The rights of individuals can be divided into: those in defense of nation-states, and claims on nation-states. the former are those rights generally associated with traditional Western conceptions of rights in the GrecoRoman tradition, and include freedom of movement, thought, religion, opinion and expression; freedom of peaceful assembly and association; equal access before the law to legal institution, public services, and cultural life; freedom from slavery, torture, and inhuman treatment.

Peace, from a technical standpoint, can be defined as a political condition that ensures justice and social stability through formal and informal institutions, practices, and norms. Several conditions must be met for peace to reign: a balance of political power among the various groups within a society, region, or, most ambitiously, the globe; legitimacy for decision makers in the eyes of the local populace and those of external parties; recognized and valued interdependent relationships among groups fostering long-term cooperation during periods of agreement, disagreement, normality, and crisis.

Peace, which is a word derived from the Latin “Pax”, connotes more than a mere absence of war or hostilities; for an absence of conflict is a utopia. Again, the state of peace should be distinguished from strategies that simply avoid conflicts or employ violent or coercive approaches to engage in, manage, or resolve them.

Now, we come to the main

thrust of this discourse, which is the correlation between human rights and peace. The nexus between human rights and peace cannot be overemphasized.

Any society in which there is no armed conflict, but in which the fundamental freedoms of the people are suppressed, lives in a state of “hot peace” – a negative “peace of the graveyard”.

Delivering a speech at the UN, the late pontiff, Pope John Paul II (1979) succinctly espoused the symbolic relationship between human rights and peace in these indelible words: “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has struck a real blow against the many deep roots of war, since the spirit of war in all its basic meaning springs up when the inalienable rights of man are violated. This is a new and deeply relevant vision of the cause of peace; one that goes deeper and is more radical”. This view of the Pope cut across socioeconomic and civil-political rights.

Speaking in similar mien, the Nordic peace researcher, AsbjornEide (1977) notes that: “Whether a child dies in infancy due to poverty and consequent malnutrition and lack of hygiene, or if it grows up and at a later stage is executed as a political opponent, the society in which this happens must be considered hostile to human rights”; and if I may add, to peace as well.

Peace cannot be divorced from a corresponding respect for the ethos of people’s rights. The symbiosis between these two cannot be contested as cases from antiquity to modern times have shown.

Crimes of genocide, slavery, racism, rape, torture, enforced sterilization or experimentation (human Guinea-pigging), forced relocation of large populations, economic manipulation, deliberate starvation, colonialism etc, are classic examples of human rights

tion may be legal: writings in Classical International Law support this position.

Vatell (1883) in his classic “The Law of Nations” states that: “Nations have obligations to produce welfare and happiness in other states. In the event of civil war, for example, states

not necessarily on humanitarian grounds. For instance, disrespect for Kuwaiti territorial integrity by Iraq was given as a good reason for America’s involvement in Gulf War I. But the real reason was to protect its Kuwaiti oil interests. Likewise, its several

better part of the 20th century, the US turned Latin America into a Pandora Box, perpetrating gross human rights abuses against the local populace by backing dictatorships that toed their policy lines, instigating insurgent uprisings against governments that attempted to set the “good example” that they could survive without US aid. The

Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary-General

violations.Abuses like these have, in some instances, resulted in insurgencies, rebellions, and, in extreme cases, revolutions.

This is because the pursuit of human rights often results in violence, since human rights are mostly secured by struggle and confrontation, especially in totalitarian states.

Human right abuses can also lead to high intensity violence when concerned states obligatorily decide to intervene in the internal problems of other countries. This kind of interven-

must aid the party that appears to have justice on its side, or protect an unfortunate people from an unjust tyrant”. The intervention of great Britain, France, Russia, in 1827, to check Turkish high handedness against Greek aspirations, for independence, and the US intervention in the Cuban Civil War of 1898, where on moral grounds.

However, it should be noted that most super power interventions in the affairs of smaller countries are often based on ideological and strategic considerations, and

unlicensed peace keeping operations – outright invasions of sovereign countries – both during and after the Cold War years, which were meant to consolidate its military strategic superiority, and secure assured sources of raw materials for its home industries (Chomsky, 1992).

Let the truth be told that humanitarian intervention has become a caveat for the outright invasion of smaller nations by the more powerful ones. The “Good Neighbor Policy” of the U.S in the Americas is a classic case in point. Throughout the

“Let the truth be told that humanitarian intervention has become a caveat for the outright invasion of smaller nations by the more powerful ones. The “Good Neighbor Policy” of the U.S in the Americas is a classic case in point.”

crucifixion of El Salvador, leeching of Nicaragua, instigation of civil war in Guatemala, and the invasion of Panama, are the few examples of the US infringing on the rights and liberties of the citizens of other sovereign nations.But if the world system, controlled by the big powers, arrow headed by the US, premises the reasons for intervening in countries where the people are victims of human rights abuses on humanitarian grounds, why didn’t they do anything to stop the confirmed cases of genocide in Rwanda and Sudan’s Darfur Region?

What about other tragedies in smaller countries where they had nothing at stake?

Why the double standards?

I’ll treat this issue in greater detail in another piece. Let’s ride on with the issue of the day.

To be continued next week

THE NIGERIAN

19

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

A]. INTRODUCTION: Often = 8x2 + 0 + 7 times, we need to find the unknown or 7x2 + 9x + 7 = 8x2 + 7 in a given equation. The idea here is Collecting like terms, we have: to expand in the given base, simplify -x2 + 9x = 0 or x(x - 9) = 0 and the result follows! The examples :- x = 0 (meaningless) below illustrate better. x-9=0

Mathematics With Stanley Osobase 08023454887 Osobase2001@yahoo.co.uk

Number Bases (Equations) B]. APPLICATION EXAMPLES Example 1 If 11001two = 2x + 1, find the value of x. (NECO, 2004).

Solution: Expanding the left hand side in the given base, we have: 1 X 24 + 1 X 23 + 0 X 22 + 0 X 21 + 1 X 20 = 2x + 1 16 + 8 + 0 + 0 + 1 = 2x + 1 25 = 2x + 1 Collecting like terms, we have: 2x = 24 24 :- x = = 12 Answer 2 Example 2 What is the value of x if ((101)x = 17?

(NECO, 2002) Solution: Expanding the left hand side we have: 1 X x2 + 0 X x1 + 1 X x0 = 17 x2 + 0 + 1 = 17 x2 = 17 - 1 = 16 Taking the square roots of both sides, we have:

:- x = 9 Answer

Example 6 If 14twelve = yeight, the value of y is Example 4 ---If (xbase2)3 = 110112, the value of x Solution: is ------Expanding the left hand side, we Solution: have: 1 X 121 + 4 X 120 = y8 (x2)3 = 110112 12 + 4 = y8 Expanding the right hand side, we 1610 = y8 have: To get y, convert 1610 to base 8, we x 32 = 1 X 24 + 1 X 23 + 0 X 22 + 1 X have: 21 + 1 X 2 0 8 16 x 32 = 16 + 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 8 2 rem. 0 x 32 = 27 0 rem. 2 Taking the cube roots of both sides, we have: :- y = 20 Answer x2 = 310 Example 7 To determine x, convert 310 to base If 1010102 = x10 + 11112, the value 2, we have of x is 2 3 Solution: 2 1 rem 1 Collecting like bases, we have: 0 rem 1 x10 = 1010102 - 11112 Expanding the right hand side, we :- x = 112 or x = 11 Answer have: Example 5 x10 = (1 X 25 + 0 X 24 + 1 X 23 +0 X Solve for x if 404five = 150x 22 + 1 X 21 + 0 X 20) - (1 X 23 +1 x 22 Solution: + 1 X 21 + 1 X 20) 2 Expanding both sides in their x10 = (32 + 8 + 2) - (8 + 4 + 2 + 1) x2 = 16 given bases, we have: x10 = 42 - 15 :- x = 4 Answer 4 X 52 + 0 X 51 + 4 x 50 x10 = 2710 2 1 0 Example 3 =1Xx +5Xx +0Xx :- x = 27 Answer 2 If 641x + 156x = 807x, the number 4 X 25 + 0 + 4 = x + 5x + 0 Drills 2 104 = X + 5x base x is what?

(1). Solve for x if (5x)7 = 3710 2 or x + 5x - 104 = 0 (quadratic equa- Answer = 2 Solution: Expanding both sides in the tion) (2). The value of (1112)2, expressed or ( x + 13)(x - 8) = 0 (by in base two is --- Answer = 1100012 given base x, we have: factorisation) (3). If 45y = 1000012, the value of y (6 X x2 + 4 X x1 + 1 X x0) :- x = -13 or x = 8 is --- Answer = 7 + (1 X x2 + 5 X x1 + 6 X x0) Disregarding the negative, we have Untill next week, remain blessed = 8 X x2 + 0 X x1 + 7 X x0 x = 8 Answer Mathematically!

(6x2 + 4x + 1) + (x2 + 5x + 6)

THE NIGERIAN

20

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Motoring With OSAGIE AIFUWA 08023412452

Avoiding Collusion At Round About

Defensive Driving Techniques NOWADAYS driving according to the rules and regulation of the road by a driver does not necessarily guarantee his or her safety.

This is because you may be driving well and still be driving well and still be involved in accidents. Bad drivers (killer) often decide the fate of so many innocent road users.

The problem could be traced to the fact that majority of the drivers plying our road may not be mentally, emotionally psychologically and physically stable coupled with the basic truth that great percentage of the motorists are not discipline and dedicated to their developing positive driving skills and attitude perceptions.

Many drivers do not concentrate behind the steering thus driving with absent mind.

The solution to the problem is an individual approach called defensive driving and safe driving. Practice widely termed defensive techniques.

Defensive driving could be described as driving techniques to avoid accidents thus saving lives, time, money and properties in spite of incorrect actions of other road user e.g. motorist, cyclist, tricyclist, pedestrians, truck pusher, etc.

A driver should always avoid a situation where his safety depends mainly on the response of another driver of a vehicle. Element of defensive driving practices lies in the driver conviction that: Every other road user is a potential threat to him and that he is also a threat to other road user: Every other road user should be regarded as a mad person: He should be ready to protect himself against all kinds of accident causing situations: A defensive driver should always react in the correct manner when faced with unexpected emergencies: A driver should be able to re-organize hazards: understand the defenses and act in time to prevent accidents and he should not panic at any emergency situations AIMS: Preventing or avoiding accident or collision;

Reducing the effect of collision or accident if it could not be avoided and Survival driving, to stay alive.

Drive with care, stay alive and alert, reap the fruit of your good driving Be sure that all safety gadgets (brake light, brake reversing lights, rear-lights horn, trafficators, rear and side view mirrors, speedometers etc. are functioning properly. In the raining season when the road is wet, always reduce speed to avoid problem on slippery surface and when the rain is heavy, apply common sense speed.

Limit and drive with caution and turn on your parking lights as a warning to other motorist.

Limit your speed to the approved commended limit. Expressway 100 Kmp. Highways 8OKpm Urban/local road 5OKmp. The speed limit is subject to local condition only not applicable at adverse road conditions. Defensive driving is the art of pre-emptying the attention of other motorist on the road with or without them trafficating or signaling their attention. The knowledge will always prepare you to be in a better position to avert danger on the road since you will not trust anybody on wheel.

There are many things we can’t control while driving but we can control our behaviour and actions. Driver error accounts for more than 70 per cent of all collisions. If you are a young driver remember that though your reaction time may be fast, inexperience may cause a fast but incorrect reaction. Drive within the speed limits and pay attention to your driving.

Practice scanning down the road instead of directly in front of your vehicle. This will help you spot hazards in time to act correctly. Stay alert; don’t think that because you have experience behind the wheel you can’t be involved in a collusion. * If you are stressed or anxious. Change your state of mind before mind before getting behind the wheel. * Change your driving habits to fit your physical abilities. * Drive shorter distance, stay out of heavy, fast traffic * Stay on familiar roads and streets.

“Defensive driving is the art of pre-emptying the attention of other motorist on the road with or without them trafficating or signaling their attention. The knowledge will always prepare you to be in a better position to avert danger on the road since you will not trust anybody on wheel.”

* Be watchful * Don’t assume field of way either to the left or right * Give way to traffic on your left don’t change lanes indiscriminately * Trafficate your exit (turning) on time * Maintain your exit lane in good time Never face traffic round about. * The condition of the driver that could affect his/her driving ability vision * Poor vision can impair driving ability.

Many people suffer from night blindness. While others are prone to glare blindness. Others suffer from reduced vision caused by glaucoma or rarely, a vitamin. A deficiency, other drivers use drugs that can reduce vision and some drivers require to wear glasses for contact lenses fail to do so. What is night blindness?

Night blindness is an inability of the light sensitive cells (roads) in the retina of the eye to work effectively. This may also result in limited vision in low light blindness may have difficulty in distinguishing movement of shape of objects in subdued light or darkness. They may also have difficulty in judging distance and speeds of moving objects such as on coming traffic or vehicle ahead or behind them, when driving in adverse conditions

How To Prevent Collusion And Defence Ahead * You must keep safe distance between you and the vehicle ahead; * You may use two seconds rules by reciting e.g. saver safer. * You must decrease your following distance on wet road or adverse weather condition by using four seconds rule: * Always have good anticipation during an emergency situation; * Always have adverse foresight on the vehicle ahead of you, collision with the vehicle behind. * You have to be alert to study situation and condition around you.

You have to be alert all the time and make use of your mirror always, imbibe in the LSM (look signal movement) look at your mirror. Signal your intention by making use of your tafficator indicating your next direction * Show your intention in good time before and not after your turning.

Discourage trail gaiters always, allow them to pass.

Always stop safely and smoothly when necessary.

Collusion With The Vehicle You Are Blessing * One of the causes of head on collision is improper overtaking and passing * How do you determine if the pass is necessary or legal? * First ask yourself if the pass is necessary and safe (legal or illegal). * Maintain proper following distance; * Look ahead * Look behind by using your side mirror and the inner mirror; * Trafficate or signal left; * Check behind sport places you cannot see with the aid of your mirrors unless by using direct looking with your eyes * Tap your horn to fore-warn the vehicle ahead of your that you be seen; Move left, into the passing lane, do not overtake or pass a vehicles through the right lane because you may not be seen while making the illegal passing; * Increase your speed by accelerating if necessary; * Signal right.

THE NIGERIAN

21

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

View Point WHEN I was growing up, I could remember vividly that my grandmother will never make fire to cook until she has swept and kept everywhere tidy. The refuse must be properly disposed and the fire spot plastered painted with mould must be maint a i n e d .

I could also remember hearing her telling my female cousins that it is a taboo to cook without first sweeping the house especially the kitchen. For a woman to sweep and not dispose the refuse properly is equivalent to not sweeping, food must not be prepared. Served or eaten in a dirty environm e n t .

Before gender equality promoters start calling for my head, let me add that the boys were not left out.

Boys were made to sweep the frontage on daily basis and dispose the refuse properly. And any one who fails in his turn to sweep must receive some strokes of the cane. Once in a week boys do gather to sweep the village square. Occasionally, they also gather to clean up the market place or clear the

farm road. Failure to participate attracts a fine of a fowl. I am sure this practice was not restricted to Esan people alone; it was also active in Bini and all parts of Edo North. So cleanliness is part of our culture in Edo State. Regretfully; just as we have neglected most important aspects of our culture we

as Edo State citizens? how are we collaborating with the government? For the first time Edo people are seeing covered drainage, walk way’s, grasses and flower beside the road. All these are deliberate attempt by Oshiomhole led

to do away with cleanliness and tidiness of our environment. It is no excuse for us to gather refuse from our homes and pour them in open drainage. It is no excuse

with our buildings. It is no excuse for us to trade on our walk ways. It is no excuse for us to stay indoors on environmental sanitation day’s period without participating. That

have also neglected cleanl i n e s s .

The present Edo State government is spending so much to keep Edo Stale clean, what are we doing

government’ to beautify our state capital and other t o w n .

That we now live in modern houses, town and cities is no excuse for us

for us to sweep our stores and business premises and dispose the re fuse in open drainage. It is no excuse for us to block the natural or artificial water way’s

some of us indulge in these acts of dirtiness could be based on lost of Moral/cultural values. But a man or woman employed by Edo State gov-

Cleanliness Is Our Culture

By UKHUN FELIX

Rain Of Encomium As Prof Mike Obadan Presents Two Books THE occasion had the touch of academic setting with the array of academicians in attendance, the book presentation ceremony, which held at the Akin Deko Auditorium, University of Benin, recently, was one event that hummed home the fact that the writer, Prof. Mike Obadan is worthy to be celebrated.

The event drew loud applauses for the author.

The Books, Foreign Exchange Market and The Balance of Payment, and Research Process, Report Writing and Referencing indeed are insightful as revealed by the speakers, Chief Tony Anenih who chaired the occasion, said the presentation of two books at the same time was a testimony of the authors contribution to intellectualism in Nigerian.

By FELIX OMOH-ASUN

He said Obadan is a worthy Professor to be emulated.

The lead presenter of the books senator Enyi Abaribe, Chairman Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, observed that Obadan is a real professor and not one bought with money. He noted if the book: Foreign Exchange Market and The Balance of Payments was before last year exchange of words between the senate

and presidency over bench mark issues, during the debate on the budget, the quarrel would have been averted because the book adequately addressed the issue.

He noted that monetary policies brought to the House by the executive are always bugged down by errors. In monetary policy today, there are many rigours, Policies brought forward by the executive are always filled with errors and when we

point them out in the House, the executive jumps to conclusion that the House hates the President, forgetting that some of us passed our examination before coming to the House.”

Abaribe who said he did his masters under Prof.

Obadan noted that contrary to insinuations from the public that most politicians must have failed somewhere before coming into politics, many of them are well read and articulated.

One of the reviewers of

one of the books Prof.

Olufemi Taiwo, Director General, Nigerian Institute for Economic and Social Research, Ibadan, wondered where he got the energy to write especially that he has had good run both as a married man and a lecturer cum writer. “His success both in academic and marriage life got me wondering and I am amazed where he got his energy from,” he said.

The author noted that the books are very important to policy, research and scholarship, geared towards enhancing public understanding of some economic concepts, policies, processes that eso-

“Abaribe who said he did his masters under Prof. Obadan noted that contrary to insinuations from the public that most politicians must have failed somewhere before coming into politics, many of them are well read and articulated.”

ernment to clean the environment to sweep and push the sand into the covered drainage or sweep refuse into the uncovered drainage is demonic, criminal and unaccepta b l e .

Must we wait to be harassed, driven, forced or beaten to clean our surrounding? Must we allow government to use most of our resources to employ people that will enforce environmental laws?

Let the zeal to keep our environment clean come within us and not because the government has set up a task force or mobile court. Let us go back to the days of old where the culture of cleanliness was respected and observed religiously. If our fore parents that are unlettered or uncivilized as some of us may describe them, could keep their environment clean, why can’t we, that are lettered and claim to be civilized not keep our environment clean’?

Let us join our government to keep our state clean. teric to people. He noted that since. Foreign Exchange Market and the Balance of Payment, focuses on typical economics; it will be of significant to policy makers, business men and investors, researchers and students as well as economic analysts.

Among the dignitaries that graced the occasions included: Prof. Richard Anao, former V.C. UNIBEN, representative of Julius Okojie, Executive Secretary Nigerian University Commission (NUC), Charles Mordi, Director of Research, Central Bank of Nigeria who represented Lamido Sanusi, Central Bank Governor, Prof. Akpan Ekpo, Director General West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, Lagos, representative of Prof.

Oshodin V.C, UNIBEN, amongst other dignitaries.

THE NIGERIAN

22

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Health MR and Mrs Thomas Offiong reside in Kubwa, one of the satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The couple recently went to register their 10-year-old son, Dominic, at a gymnasium in Abuja city centre because the boy is overweight.

They are quite worried about the potential health risks of Dominic’s physical condition, as the boy is already having serious breathing difficulties.

Dominic weighs about 90kg and his weight has been a source of concern to his parents who, ironically, are both slim.

Mrs Offiong attributes Dominic’s obesity to his unwholesome eating habits.

“Dominic does not like eating normal food; he prefers cake, ice-cream, ‘sharwama’ and all other sorts of junk food. We used to indulge him with fast foods, not knowing the repercussions.

“However, we have stopped buying all that stuff for him; we now force him to eat healthy food like vegetable-based foods and other meals with high protein content,’’ she says.

All the same, Dominic’s problem is not exceptional, as observers note that obesity has grown to become a global problem, particularly in the last decade.

For instance, a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that as far back as 2005, approximately 1.6 billion adults over the age of 15 years were overweight.

The report also indicated that not less than 400 million adults across the world were obese, while at least 20 million children under the age of five years were overweight.

Experts believe that if the current trend is allowed to continue, not less than 2.3 billion adults will be overweight by 2015, while more than 700 million adults will

be critically obese.

The problem of obesity problem has stimulated a lot of serious consequences for individuals and government health systems.

Strangely enough, a recent analysis by the Cable News Network (CNN) revealed that more than half of the population of Kuwait were obese, attributing the development to the Kuwaiti penchant for junk food, following the establishment of world-class eateries such as Mc Donalds in their country.

The growing menace of obesity, perhaps, compelled the organisers of the fourth World Health Summit held in Berlin between October 23 and October 26, 2012 to make obesity one of the main themes of discussion at the summit. Speaking at the summit, Annette GrutersKieslich, the Dean of ChariteUniversitatmedizin in Berlin, also stressed that the incidence of obesity was in-

Why Obesity Is An Emerging Health Hazard

creasing across the world, particularly among children, citing Japan as one of the Asian countries that were mostly affected.

“When you go around the world, you will see that the rate of obesity and diabetes in children is increasing dramatically because of the change in nutrition.

“You will also find out that China and other Asian countries have failed in preventing this health condition, as many children in those countries are really obese,” she said.

Besides, Gruters-Kieslich noted that nowadays, there were many cases involving children with Type 2 diabetes in Japan, whereas Type 2 diabetes was usually common in adults, as it was associated with older age Admitting that the Type 1 diabetes usually affected children and young adults,

By KATE OBANDE Gruters-Kieslich stressed that about 80 per cent of people suffering from Type 2 diabetes had overweight problems.

She, nonetheless, expressed hope that obesity was still preventable in Africa if the people were mobilised to adopt healthy dietary habits and engage in physical exercises.

On the causes of obesity, Gruters-Kieslich corrected the notion that the consumption of candies was a major risk factor, stressing that a major causative factor was the consumption of snack foods made from wheat flour.

She reiterated that the consumption of vegetables and fruits was one of the most potent ways of preventing

obesity.

“What African countries could do is to start with the early education of nursing mothers; they should give good nutrition to their babies early in life.

“They have to breastfeed their babies exclusively because the children’s ingestion of baby formula heightens the risks of infection while it also predisposes the children to crave for sweet food.

“Mothers should also refrain from giving their children fast foods,’’ she added.

Sharing similar sentiments, Dr Otumu Odianosen, a general practitioner, advised parents to make healthy changes to their family’s lifestyle.

He said that parents could

“When you go around the world, you will see that the rate of obesity and diabetes in children is increasing dramatically because of the change in nutrition. You will also find out that China and other Asian countries have failed in preventing this health condition, as many children in those countries are really obese, she

curtail childhood-obesity by providing nutritious foods for their children, while reducing the time the children spent on watching television and ensuring that they often slept well.

“Families should engage in regular physical activities such as walking, jogging or bicycling, while parents should encourage their children to participate in at least one sport such as tennis, gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, among others,’’ he said.

Odianosen also underscored the need for families to eat wholesome meals, particularly those that were rich in proteins.

However, Mrs Angela Ndidi, a nutritionist, said that a person’s age should be considered when discussing issues relating to obesity.

“This is because the older you get, the slower it is for your body to metabolise food and it does not require as many calories to maintain your weight,’’ she said.

Besides, Ndidi said that women had a greater tendency to become obese than men, adding: “Men also have

a higher resting metabolic rate than women.

“Resting metabolic rate is the energy required to perform vital body functions such as respiration and heart rate while the body is at rest.

About 50 to 75 per cent of one’s daily energy expenditure can be attributed to resting metabolic rate.’’

Dr Wole Thompson, an anaesthetic, said that women also had the risks of becoming obese because after reaching the stage of menopause, a woman’s metabolic rate often decreased.

“That is partly why many women gain weight after menopause,’’ he added.

Thompson also attributed obesity to genetic factors, saying that if one’s parents were overweight, there was 75 per cent chance that one would also become overweight.

He also noted that the ingestion of certain medication, such as steroids and antidepressants, might induce obesity.

To curb the rising menace of obesity in the society, experts stress the need for every member of the society to brace to the challenge and fight the menace by adopting healthy lifestyles.

THE NIGERIAN

23

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Religion

The Shrillness Of Lust (4) THE scripture says: “There fore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold all things are become new”2 Cor. 5:17.

This is the work of regeneration wrought by the Holy Spirit which enables the sanctified believer to walk in the fruit of the Holy Spirit no more working after the flesh.

The “old man” or old nature in you is removed for” a new nature” as you yield yourself entirely to the Holy Spirit. You have got to yield yourself entirely to the Holy spirit to experience this type of spiritual rebirth called regeneration or being born again. This total yielding of self to the Holy Ghost to do the work of regeneration and sanctification is very important otherwise the “old manner which is the flesh shall continue to rule over you: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts....And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” Eph. 4:22,24.

I have heard and seen many Christians filled with the Holy Spirit who tell you stories about their past lives full of lustful escapades but who today have been transformed very tremendously by the marvelous power of the Holy Spirit. So also atimes during counselling I find some Christians complain to me about “burning in the flesh” a

more polite phrase for being lustful fleshly; I often ask the question - “Are you born again?” if the reply is “No”, I tell them to confess and repent and give their lives fully to Jesus - inviting Him into their hearts (Rev. 3:20).

But if the answer is in the affirmative that is, if “Yes I am born again”, then I tell such a person to yield himself more to the Holy Spirit to have an increase in him; “And be renewed by the spirit of your mind” Eph. 4:23. Some young Christians over assume in the faith - thinking that they have already obtained the Holy Spirit and they operate in the fruit of the Holy Spirit - then they begin to expose themselves dangerously - They say ‘Once saved, saved for ever”. Oh no! satan can attempt to pull you down if you are not careful. Paul addressed the church in Philippai admonishing them with these words: “wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). It is important that as a born again believer you hold fast to your salvation by being careful with the kinds of things you do otherwise satan can become a spoiler in your life: “Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall” I Cor. 10:12.

Do you not know that some shining believers who hitherto walked in the things of the spirit and after the fruit of the spirit have fallen? Why did they fall? they over assumed

and gave the devil a chance in their lives; and one way the devil can pull a child of God down is through sensual pleasures.

Look at the admonitions of the scriptures about such “former enlightened ones”; for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted at the heavenly gift

backslider in a precarious situation: “for if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled there in and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning, for it had been better for them not to have known

and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” Heb. 6:4-6. So please better be warned and yield yourself more and more to the Holy Spirit else satan ensnares you, and of course satan puts the situation of such an apostate or a

the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them”2 Pet. 2:20-21.

The Holy Spirit regenerates every true believer who accepts Jesus as Lord and personal Saviour; and inviting Jesus into his personal life. The Holy Ghost will come into your life if you invite him and he will dwell in you. Your body becomes the temple of God. (Rev. 3:20, 1Cor. 3:16, 6:19).

“The Holy Spirit regenerates every true believer who accepts Jesus as Lord and personal Saviour; and inviting Jesus into his personal life. The Holy Ghost will come into your life if you invite him and he will dwell in you. Your body becomes the temple of God. (Rev. 3:20, 1Cor. 3:16, 6:19).”

With REV. DR. A. A. OPARA Now the Holy Ghost would not wish to live inside an unclean body: because he is holy: So as you release yourself entirely to him tie begins the work of internal cleansing of old habits: the old nature for a new one in Christ Jesus.

Jesus told Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3) That’s right! Because the

unregenerated “Old man” works after the flesh and those who work after the flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of God: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor revilers, nor extortion of others, shall inherit the kingdom of God” 1 Cor. 6:9-10. So as you accept Jesus into your life, his spirit begins to regenerate you as you yield to him to produce in you a sanctified believer; who then possesses the fruit of the spirit: “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” Gal. 5:22. The chapter concludes thus: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the

flesh with the affections and lusts” Gal. 5:24.

(Rom. 6:6). Yes, you have crucified the flesh by the work of the regeneration done in you by the Holy Spirit: but if after this experience you see yourself occasionally “burning in the flesh” then do this: “Live in the spirit; also walk in the spirit” Gal.

5:25, And if after you are a believer yet you see yourself perpetually “burning in the flesh” I don’t mean occasionally this time; you better do a self - re-examination of your faith (2 Cor. 13:5) and humble yourself to take the appropriate steps to redeem your salvation; because I strongly hold the opinion that a sanctified believer possessing the fruit of the Holy Spirit should not be a slave to his passion but a master to it, being able to subject his passions to self control like Paul (1 Cor. 9:27).

But where his passion enslaves him and puts -him in perpetual enslavement, he should better be careful to re-examine himself because satan the thief is close at hand. (Jn. 10:10).

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International US Russia Seek New Syria Peace Talks, Rebels Skeptical

MOSCOW - Russia and the United States agreed to seek new peace talks with both sides to end Syria’s civil war, but opposition leaders were skeptical on Wednesday of an initiative they fear might let President Bashar al-Assad to cling to power.

Visiting Moscow after Israel bombed targets near Damascus and as President Barack Obama faces renewed calls to arm the rebels, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia had agreed to try to arrange a conference as early as this month.

An East-West disagreement that has seen some of the frostiest exchanges between Washington and Moscow since the Cold War has deadlocked U.N. efforts to settle the Syrian conflict for two years, so any rapprochement could bring an international common front closer than it has been for many months.

Israeli air strikes, reports of the use of chemical weapons and the increasing prominence of al Qaedalinked militants among the rebels have all added to international urgency for an end to a war that has killed more than 70,000 people.

But with Syria’s factional and sectarian hatreds more entrenched than ever, it is far from clear the warring parties are ready to negotiate with each other. Most opposition figures have ruled out talks unless Assad and his inner circle are excluded from any future transitional government.

“No official position has been decided but I believe the opposition would find it impossible to hold talks over a government that still had Assad at its head,” said Samir Nashar, a member of the opposition’s umbrella National Coalition body.

“Before making any decisions we need to know what Assad’s role would be. That point has been left vague, we believe intentionally so, in order to try to drag the opposition into talks before a decision on that is made.”

In the past, the United States has backed opposition demands that Assad be excluded from any future government, while Russia has said that must be for Syrians to decide, a formula the opposition believes could be used to keep Assad in power.

Opposition members said they were concerned by comments from Kerry in Moscow, echoing Russia, that the decision on who takes part in a transitional government should be left to Syrians.

“Syrians are worried that the United States is advancing its own interests with Russia using the blood and suffering of the Syrian people,” said National Coalition member Ahmed Ramadan.

“We are in touch with the U.S. side and need to be assured that there is no change in its position on Assad.”

Inside the country, where rebel groups are numerous and have disparate views, a military commander in the north, Abdeljabbar alOqaidi, told Reuters he would want to know details of the U.S.-Russian plan before taking a view. “But,” he added, “if the regime were present, I do not believe we would want to attend.”

There was no immediate response from the Syrian government, which has offered reforms but dismisses those fighting it as terrorists and puppets of outside powers the West, Turkey and Arab states opposed to Assad’s ally Iran. Speaking before the announcement in Moscow, Assad sounded his usual defiant tone.

“The recent Israeli aggressions expose the extent of the complicity between the Israeli occupier, regional countries and the West in promoting the current events in Syria,” he was quoted as saying by a Lebanese televisions station.

“The Syrian people and their heroic army ... are capable of confronting this Israeli adventure, which represents one of the faces of terrorism that is targeting Syria every day.”

Alarmed at the prospect of the conflict spilling across a volatile region central to global energy supplies and transit routes, the major powers have, as Kerry told Putin on Tuesday, “very significant common interests” in pushing for a settlement.

“The alternative,” Kerry later told a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, “is that Syria heads closer to an abyss, if not over the abyss and into chaos.”

Both sides fear a failed state in Syria could provide a base for hostile militants willing to strike around the world.

Last June, at a conference in Geneva, Washington and Moscow agreed on the need for a transitional government in Syria but left open the question of whether Assad would be excluded.

Diplomacy has foundered since then, and the mediator of the Geneva conference, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, quit in despair, saying differences

their own affairs.

Recent developments have focused minds on the risks of wider war in the Middle East.

The White House said last month that Assad’s troops had probably used chemical weapons - which Obama has called a “red line” that would mandate a strong, if unspecified, response. The Syrian government and the rebels have each accused the other of using poison gas, a charge both sides deny.

Islamist fighters have pledged allegiance to al

affect all countries,” Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said in Jordan. “No one knows what will happen.”

Diplomatic sources in Moscow made clear the latest push for peace was being driven by growing alarm following the Israeli air raids, the possibility of foreign arms pouring into Syria and the possible use of chemical weapons.

Moscow and Washington have also signaled they want to improve cooperation on security matters since the Boston Marathon bombings, which U.S. officials suspect

Obama has shown little desire to embroil U.S. forces in Syria after winding down engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, but has rejected criticism he might back out of a commitment to act if Assad crossed the “red line” of using chemical weapons.

On Tuesday, he pointed to the deaths of Osama bin Laden and Gaddafi to say “we typically follow through on our commitments”.

Obama has said U.S. intelligence agencies believe Assad’s forces probably used chemical arms but that the evidence is not entirely

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry (left) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov take part in a joint news conference after their meeting in Moscow recently.

among powers were too wide.

Rejecting a characterization of Moscow as the protector of Assad, to whom it still provides arms, Lavrov said Russia was not concerned by the fate of “certain” individuals.

“The task now is to convince the government and all the opposition groups ... to sit at the negotiating table,” he said.

Kerry said the conference should be held “as soon as is practical - possibly and hopefully by the end of the month”. Neither he nor Lavrov said where it might take place.

Russia, backed by China, has vetoed three U.N. Security Council resolutions hostile to Assad. Alarmed at Western powers’ use of a U.N. mandate to oust Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, Moscow and Beijing are wary of such interference in

Qaeda, highlighting the risk to the West that a poorly managed change of leadership in Syria could bring hostile militants to power.

And Israeli air strikes in recent days - which Israeli officials said hit Iranian arms headed for Assad and Tehran’s Lebanese allies Hezbollah - underlined the risk of escalation and crossborder conflict in the heart of the Middle East.

The violence has inflamed a confrontation between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims in the Middle East, with Shi’ite Iran supporting Assad and Sunni powers like Saudi Arabia backing the rebels.

Tehran warned of unforeseeable consequences if Assad were toppled and said only a political settlement would avert a regional conflagration.

“God forbid, if there is any vacuum in Syria, these negative consequences will

was carried out by ethnic Chechens who had lived in Russia. U.S. officials said FBI chief Robert Mueller had been in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the bombings, but gave no details.

In a further sign of Washington’s efforts to improve ties with Russia, Kerry avoided any sharp public criticism of Moscow’s human rights record when he met civil rights activists in the Russian capital on Wednesday before his departure.

In Syria itself, Internet connections with the outside world were cut off on Tuesday, according to data from Google Inc and other global Internet companies.

Google’s Transparency Report pages showed traffic to Google services pages from Syria suddenly stopping shortly before 10 p.m.

Damascus time (1900 GMT).

conclusive. Syria is not part of an international treaty that bans poison gas but has said it would never use chemical weapons in an internal conflict.

The chaos in Syria, where a fifth of the 25 million population has been driven from their homes, was underlined by the latest incident of rebels taking U.N. peacekeepers hostage on the ceasefire line with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the incident and called for the four Filipinos’ immediate release. They were detained as they patrolled close to an area where 21 Filipino observers were held for three days in March.

The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade said the peacekeepers were seized for their own safety during clashes in the area.

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Symbolic Redemption Of Karma

EVERY happening in creation, thus, in the world of matter, must come to a proper ending of its cycle or it can also, be said, it must close its cycle. Therefore, according to the laws of creation. Everything unconditionally returns to its starting point, where alone it can find its end and thus, be severed, dissolved or extinguished as a working unit.

This, Abd-ru-shin says applies to the entire creation as well as, to each single happening and it is the cause of the unconditional reciprocal action which in turn brings symbolism in its wake.

Since all actions must end where they originated, it follows that each action must end in the same species of substance whence, it arose. Thus, an ethereal beginning must have an ethereal ending and a gross material ending. Men cannot see the ethereal, but the gross material ending of every happening is visible to all. For many people, however the actual key to it, the beginning, is missing, because in most cases, it lies in a previous gross material existence.

Abd-ru-shin, the author of the “Grail message opines although the greater part that of all happening of reciprocal action takes effect only in the ethereal world, the operating karma can never be completely redeemed unless in some way the end manifests in the Gross material in the world and becomes visible there only when a visible happening corresponds to the nature of the reciprocal action can an open cycle be closed and thus, brings about complete redemption, no matter whether, through the nature of the beginning, the redemption brings good or evil happiness or unhappiness, blessing or forgiveness. This final visible effect must return to the place of its origin and to that place who, through some action or other, initiated it in no single case can this be avoided. If in the mean time the person concerned has changed inwardly to such an extent that something better than the original action came to life in him, then the reaction of that original type cannot gain a firm foothold. It no longer finds homogeneous ground in the upward-striving soul, which has become more in accordance with the law of spiritual Gravity.

The natural result is that when it approaches the more luminous environment of the person concerned, a darker reaction becomes permeated and thereby, considerably weaken.

But despite this, the law of Revolution and Reciprocal Action must be entirely fulfilled in its automatic operating power. It is impossible to annul any of the laws of Nature.

Consequently, even such a weakened returning reciprocal action must in accordance with the immovable laws, become visibly effective in the world of Gross matter in order really to be redeemed and extinguished. The end must flow back into the beginning. The dark karma, however, is unable to bring harm to the person concerned because of his more luminous surroundings and so it happens that the weakened reciprocal action can only work on his immediate surroundings in such a way as to provide the person concerned with the opportunity to do something voluntarity, the nature of which corresponds only to the tendency of returning reciprocal action.

In comparison with the original unbroken strength of the returning dark reaction intended for him there is the difference, however, that it causes neither suffering nor harm, but may even bring joy. This comprises a purely symbolical redemption of many a heavy karma, but still completely accords with the laws of creation. Which operate automatically in that way through the change in the condition of soul.

Therefore, must people often remain unaware of it. The karma however, has been redeemed and immutable Justice has been satisfied to its most delicate vibrations. But these happenings, which accord so naturally with the creative laws, hold such mighty acts of Grace as only the omniscience of the

creator could bring forth in his perfect world.

Abd-ru-shin says that there are many such purely symbolic atonements where otherwise, reciprocal action would strike heavily. Let us take an example of a once hard, domineering character has burdened himself with heavy karma through indulging these attributes in the oppression of his fellow men.

Active according to its specific nature, this karma proceeds on its course and must then fall back upon him with the same characteristics, but many times reinforced. This vibration of ruthless despotism, often immenssely reinforced through the law of Attraction of ethereal homogenenous speies, will in approaching him so interpenetrate his whole ethereal environment that it will have an incisive effect on his gross material environment, which is closely connecting with it, thereby, creating conditions forcing the orignator to suffer to

a far the greater extent from similar tyranny than did the people be once tormented.

Meanwhile if such a person has arrived at a better understanding and has, through his genuine efforts to as ascend, gained a more luminous and lighter environment, then of course, the nature of the final effect Abd-ru-shin says will also be changed. The returning wave of denser darkness will be more or less permeated by the degree of luminosity

“Therefore, must people often remain unaware of it. The karma however, has been redeemed and immutable Justice has been satisfied to its most delicate vibrations. But these happenings, which accord so naturally with the creative laws, hold such mighty acts of Grace as only the omniscience of the creator could bring forth in his perfect world.”

Man And Nature With O.C. MADU 08056379608 of the new surrounding of the person concerned and will thus, be rendered more or less harmless.

If the former tyrant has made great progress, that is, if the guilty person has made an exceptional improvement, it may happen that the final reaction will be as good as annulled and that he will only do something in passing which outwardly resembles atonement.

Let us suppose that it would be the case of a woman. Then it will suffice for her to take the brush out of her maidservant’s hand to show her in all kindness how to scrub the floor. Even if there are only a few such movement, theyfew such satisfy the symbolism of service. This little action results in a redemption that had to happen visibly and which, despite its

inignificance can end a heavy karma.

In the same way, Abd-ru-shin opiones that the re-arrangement of even one room can become a symbol ending and redeeming a guilt, the atonement or reaction of which would really have required a greater, more revolutionary change, with painfully incisive effects such things occur in one way or another through the weakened influence of a reaction or inciden---al actions are often skill fully used by spiritual guidance to bring about a redemption.

In all this, it is naturally presumed that an exceptionally great upsurge with a corresponding change in the condition of the soul, has already set in. These are circumstances that an astrologer is actually unable to take into account, as a result of which he often occasions unnecessary worries with his calculation, sometimes, even evoking such fear that the power of this alone is able to call forth or form something unpleasant. Thus, the calculation may be apparently fulfilled, when without such fears it would have proved to be wrong.

In such cases, however, the person concerned has through his fear opened a door in the circle of light surrounding him.

Hence the smallest kindness to a fellow man, a genuinely felt sorrow with a neighbour, even a single friendly word, can lead to the symbolic redemption of a karma, as soon as the underlying motive is an earnest striving for what is good.

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Gerrard To Undergo Luiz Is One Of The Best In Prem - Benitez “I think David Luiz was The Brazilian defender was laughing at a jibe comparing RAFA Benitez has sought to Shoulder Surgery laughing because the fans initially the source of much him to The Simpsons’ characdeflect criticism of David Luiz LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard could miss the final two league games of the season as he is set to undergo surgery on a shoulder injury.

The Reds have remaining fixtures against Fulham and Queens Park Rangers, but the England captain could go under the knife early to give him more time to recover ahead of the new season.

Gerrard also experienced some discomfort during Sunday’s goalless derby against Everton and the club may decide not to risk him any further during the remainder of the season.

The 32-year-old has started all 36 Premier League games this season and his pending surgery will also rule him out of

England’s friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil.

The estimated recovery time for the operation is between six and eight weeks.

by describing him as one of the best players in the Premier League “by miles” and saying the game should be more concerned with eradicating dangerous tackles.

controversy as he appeared to smile after Rafael had kicked him in Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday.

It has since emerged, however, that Luiz was apparently

Award For Newcastle’s Abeid NEWCASTLE United youngster Mehdi Abeid won the ‘We Are Perth Online Forum Young Player of the Year’ award at St. Johnstone’s annual dinner on Saturday evening.

Despite only joining the Scottish side on loan at the start of the year, the 20-year-old Algerian has made a huge impression at Mcdiarmid Park.

He joined the Magpies from Lens in July 2011, making his debut for the Tyneside club in a Carling Cup tie against Nottingham Forest two months later.

Abeid has played for Algeria and France at youth level.

EPL:

Carragher Will Be Missed -Sturridge LIVERPOOL’s forward Daniel Sturridge says veteran defender Jamie Carragher will be missed when he hangs up his boots at the end of the season.

Although he only joined the Reds from Chelsea in January this year, Sturridge is fully aware of the contribution that the 35-year-old has been making on and off the field.

“He’s a very experienced player who’s been at this club for many years,” Sturridge said.

“He’ll be missed behind the scenes as well as on the football field. He’s a great man as well as a great player.

“We wish him all the best when he moves on to his new job.”

Carragher will start a new career as a pundit on television channel Sky Sports next season.

Michel Platini

Spanish La Liga

ter Sideshow Bob from the crowd.

Tuesday’s pre-game press conference at Cobham also saw the somewhat farcical scene of a reporter producing a photo of the character to show Benitez. The Chelsea boss, however, was in no mood to laugh about it and pointed to the fact that Luiz laughed before Rafael received a red card.

When asked whether he was aware of the latest ‘Sideshow Bob’ angle, Benitez responded “I’m aware David Luiz is one of the best players in the Premier League by miles. Miles away from a lot of players, one of the best no doubt.

“I think, talking about that [incident], we are not talking about Chelsea between United, much better than United in three games, two in Old Trafford. I think we did really well, the substitution of Fernando [Torres] was an offensive player on the pitch.

Mind games, nobody was talking about mind games after the game and then we start talking about this, I don’t agree with that.

We Have To Be United REAL Madrid defender Sergio Ramos says his side have to remain united despite the publicized differences between the manager, Jose Mourinho and the captain, Iker Casillas.

The Portuguese coach took another swipe at the Casillas during a recent press conference when he stated that he re-

grets not signing Diego Lopez after his first season with the Whites.

Mourinho eventually brought Lopez in from Sevilla in Janu-

ary while Casillas was out with a hand injury and the new recruit has been the preferred starter since then.

“Iker has had a tough time,” said Ramos. “We’ve been friends for a long time and of

Cuena Keen On Ajax Stay ISAAC Cuenca says he would prefer to remain on loan at Ajax next season than to return to parent club Barcelona.

Cuenca, whose playing time since joining the Dutch side on loan in January has been limited by a knee injury, again missed last weekend’s 5-0 win over Willem II, which sealed a third consecutive Eredivisie title for the club.

Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars was reportedly in Catalonia last week to speak with his Barca counterpart Andoni Zubizarreta about extending the loan for another 12 months. While no deal had yet been agreed, the Reus-born winger, 22, told Mundo Deportivo that he hoped to continue his development in the Netherlands next season.

“I want to stay at Ajax,” Cuenca said. “This team is good for me because I can play more here than at Barca. I know Barca is the biggest, but I like it here, and would like to

stay another season. I hope it can be sorted out.”

Cuenca said he could not comment on speculation fellow La Masia graduates Marc Muniesa, 21, and Sergi Roberto, 21, could join him at the Amsterdam Arena next season, but said Ajax was an ideal place for young blaugrana players to gain experience as both clubs shared the same philosophy on the game.

“That is a personal matter, it depends on what each one wants,” he said. “I would tell them, and everyone in general, that if they want to come to a team that plays like Barca, to have minutes on the pitch and to play in the Champions League, Ajax is a very good option.

“The system of play is the same. The two teams want to attack and play good football.

At both clubs the players who move up from the youth teams have already learned all the automatic moves.”

Having ex-Ajax and Barcelona defender Frank de Boer as coach had been a real help, Cuenca said.

“He is a leader in the dressing-room, everyone respects him,” he said. “And he knows a lot about football, and the training sessions are very educational. Personally, he has been very attentive with me, and speaks to me in Spanish.

Frank will be a great coach.”

Ajax playmaker Christian Eriksen, 21, who has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League sides Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham in recent months, was good enough to play for Barca, suggested his current team-mate.

“Eriksen is an ‘interior’ with a lot of quality,” Cuenca said.

“He has said nothing to me personally, but there is a lot of talk of him going to the Premier League.”

-Ramos course we’re both on the Spanish national team.

“It’s good that teammates support both Casillas and the manager; after all, we all have the same objective in sight. It is important that we are united.”

Ramos did not feature for the Whites during Saturday’s 4-3 win over Real Valladolid after picking up a knock during the Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund, but he is expected to make a swift comeback.

“I didn’t end the game well but I hope to be fit again soon,” he concluded.

• Iker Casillas

abusing him. After [that] was [the] red card, so was very clear the timing.

“But, if we continue to talk about this, rather than trying to eradicate the bad tackles we see every week, I think we are giving importance to something that is not as important as other things. Still, I don’t like this situation. But we are talking about one of the best players in the Premier League.

“Again, I say I prefer to talk about football, tactics or the other things that are normal.”

Ferguson Confirms Retirement MANCHESTER United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that he will retire at the end of the season.

The Scot, 71, has won 38 trophies since taking over at Old Trafford in November 1986, including this season’s Premier League title.

His haul includes 13 league titles, two Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and five League Cups.

“The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about. It is the right time,” Ferguson said.

“It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so.

“The quality of this league winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level whilst the structure of the youth set-up will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one.

“Our training facilities are amongst the finest in global sport and our home Old Trafford is rightfully regarded as one of the leading venues in the world.

“Going forward, I am delighted to take on the roles of both Director and Ambassador for the club. With these activities, along with my many other interests, I am looking forward to the future.

“I must pay tribute to my family, their love and support has been essential. My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career.

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Tax Man Re-Opens Makivubo THE Uganda Revenue Authority has re-opened Uganda second largest arena Nakivubo Stadium in Kampala.

The tax body closed Nakivubo early last month over what they called accumulated debts.

“We have made payment of about US$25,000 and also signed a memorandum of understanding to pay the balance in a period of two years,” the stadium board chairman Godfrey Mabirizi said.

Mabirizi said after several meetings, the tax authority decided the stadium must pay a debt of close to US$350,000 on a monthly basis for the next two

Stadium

LFP To Review Leonardo Ref Attack

years. “This is good news because we can now host football matches and other functions that can generate income,” said Mabirizi.

After closure of Nakivubo, all matches in the FUFA Super League that were scheduled to take place at the stadium were moved to other venues.

Last month, the tax body had indicated that Nakivubo had been closed because of failure to remit Value Added Tax for several years.

URA said the debt dates back to October 2010, although management of the stadium said it was it dated back to 2000.

2013 Parliamentary Games

Assoc Plans To Feature 11 Sports

ELEVEN sports will be competed for at the 2013 edition of the Parliamentary Games being organised annually by the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), an official has said.

Mr Fatai Jimoh, PASAN’s National President, told reporters in Abuja that the number of sports was an improvement on what obtained in the past.

“We are happy to say that we are gradually enlarging the games, with the number of sports we will now be having at the 2013 games.

“I can recall that at the first edition of the games in Abuja in 2011 we had only three sports, while at the second edition in Abeokuta in 2012 we had five.

“But now, we will have 11 at the third edition of the games in Port Harcourt in June, and that is a big leap for our young body,’’ he said.

NAN reports that the 2013 Parliamentary Games is scheduled for Port Harcourt from June 13 to June 22.

Jimoh listed the 11 sports as football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, swimming, tennis, chess, scrabble, draught and athletics.

“We have already made elaborate preparations for competitions

in all these sports, with only the athletics sport being competed for in the three events of 4 x 100 metres relay, 100 metres and 200 metres,’’ he said.

• Hon. Victor Enobakhare

Egor LG Cup Ends Today

BY NICHOLAS EBIOGBE

EGOR Local Government Football competition being organized by Edo State Youth Clubs Coaches Association (ESYCCA) in conjunction with the council ends today at the Uselu Secondary School, Uselu in Benin City.

According to the president of man Hon. Victor Enobakhare ESYCCA, Sam Pele Uwadiae, for his great vision which is the competition which is being targeted at developing football sponsored by the chairman of from the grassroots”.

Uwadiae explained that Egor Local Government Council, Hon. Victor Enobakhare is since the council boss found part of the organisation’s ac- ESYCCA worthy enough to tivities geared towards discov- organize a good football competition, youths in the locality ering talents.

“I want to thank the chair- should take advantage of it and participate in the competition.

“Enobakhare also believes that the youth must explore his talent well by playing football and take up a career in the game in future. It will help to reduce insecurity in the state”.

ESYCCA boss said.

However, Ward 5 will play Ward 6 in the female category while Ward 5 meets Ward 3 in the male in today’s final match.

The Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Dr. Pius Egberamwen Odubu will be in attendeance as the special guest of honour.

The guest of honour is Paul

Ohonbamu, the Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Omored Osifo will be on hard at the final.

Others that would grave the grand finale are hon. Barrister Henry Idahagbon, Commissioner for Justice, Chief Goddy Edosa, Barrister Gentleman Amegor, ACN Leader even as Hon> Victor Enobakhare is expected to be the host.

Women’s Section Gets Sponsor For Its Monthly Competition

• Senator David Mark

THE Professional Squash Players Association of Nigeria (PSPAN) has said that the female section of the monthly competition now had a sponsor.

Seun Peters, President of the association, disclosed this to reporters in Lagos.

It would be recalled that the PSPAN was formed by squash players to keep themselves busy, in the absence of regular competitions in the country’s squash circuit.

In its maiden competition, the female arm of the body could not hold its own competition, due to lack of sponsorship.

“Our monthly tournament is getting bigger and better thanks to our sponsors; we now have sponsors for our female section, which will engender even development.

“We now have two sponsors: one has promised to take over the Women’s Section; they will start playing this month.

“We are looking towards making the prize money more attractive, so that players that are outside Lagos can also come often to participate in the monthly competition,’’ Peters said.

Speaking further on prize dis-

parity, the president said that the association had made it mandatory to bridge the gap between the male and female players’ prize money.

“Actually, we hope to minimise the gap in the prize money between the male and female players.

“If the men are getting N100, 000 as prize money, then the women should at least get N70, 000.

“So, henceforth, that is how we intend to arrange our prize money and the sponsors are aware.

“We just hope it keeps getting better,’’ the president added.

LEONARDO risks a yearlong ban and Paris SaintGermain face a potential point deduction after their sporting director appeared to barge into referee Alexandre Castro after Sunday’s draw with Valenciennes, though the Brazilian claims: “I was the one assaulted”.

The French Football League’s (LFP) Disciplinary Commission will review Canal+ images filmed after the full-time whistle in which Leonardo, incensed over Thiago Silva’s firsthalf red card in the 1-1 draw, appears to career into Castro with his shoulder as the referee made his way to his dressingroom at the Parc des Princes.

Article 2.9 of the LFP’s regulations stipulates that for “deliberate barging or attempted punches” directed towards a match official, transgressors can be sanctioned with a year-long suspension from all official functions, meaning they are banned from the dressing room, the pitch and the bench, while points could also be deducted.

“It’s the delegate in front of me, with a black ear-piece, who blocked my path. It’s him who pushed me into the referee,” Leonardo told L’Equipe. “Look at the pictures: I don’t touch the referee with my shoulder but with my back. Because I was the one pushed.

Valencia Disappointed With MANCHESTER Form United winger Antonio Valencia has vowed to bounce back after his disappointing form this season.

The Ecuador international was the players’ and fans’ player of the year last term, but he feels he has failed to repeat that form in the current campaign despite United’s cruise to the Premier League title.

Valencia is delighted to have secured a league winners’ medal, but he insists he would have contributed more to the title success had it not been for injury.

“If you make a comparison with the previous season it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for,” Valencia told MUTV. “I have maybe not been able to recreate the form of last year.

But I have not been at the same fitness level.

“When you have suffered from a couple of injuries, sometimes it is hard to get back to those fitness levels where you can play full of confidence and show your ability in its best light.

“Sometimes it takes a while to get the rhythm of how you normally play if recovery from injury takes longer than you think.

THE NIGERIAN

30

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Rangers Now Face Discord Between LMC, Club Owners Portends Wikki ‘Morrow Danger To Soccer Growth - Stakeholders OUSTED CAF Champions host Tunisian club CS Sfaxien League flag bearers Rangers have had their Week 10 Nigeria league fixture at Wikki moved.

A top official of the league informed MTNFootball.com that they have agreed to a special request by Rangers to move their league match in Bauchi from Wednesday to Friday after they just returned from a Champions League match in Angola on Tuesday.

Rangers spokesman Foster Chime also confirmed Rangers have requested a shift of the Wikki game.

‘The Flying Antelopes’ will

in a CAF confederation Cup play-off on Sunday, May 19.

The league match between El Kanemi and ABS in Maiduguri has also been moved to Thursday after ABS were involved in a road accident on their way to the match.

On Wednesday, champions Kano Pillars hosts Nasarawa United, Kwara battle Kaduna United and 3SC take on Sunshine Stars.

On Thursday, Akwa United play host to Sharks, Bayelsa clash with Heartland, Lobi tackle Enyimba, Dolphins vs Nembe and Gombe take on Warri Wolves.

FOOTBALL stakeholders in Lagos said on Tuesday that the recent face-off between the League Management Company (LMC) and the club owners portends danger to football development in the country.

Reports say that club owners had disputed the legality of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), the LMC, and its failure to convene a congress.

The stakeholders told newsmen in separate interviews in

I set Up Academy To Give Back To Society - Bewarang

Coach Bitrus Bewarang, the founder of Bitrus Bewarang Football Academy, Jos, said on Wednesday that he established the institution in order to give back to the society what it had given to him.

Bewarang said in Jos that the academy would afford him the opportunity to impart his wealth

Administrators Not Doing Enough ADEGBOYEGA AdenijiAdele, Chairman, Nigeria Kickboxing Referees Association, on Wednesday blamed the administrators of the Nigeria Kickboxing Federation (NKF) for not doing enough to promote the sport.

Adeniji-Adele made the remark in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, and urged the officials to be up and doing to attract sponsors for their programmes.

According to him, their primary function is to seek for viable partners to give a new lease of life to the sport.

“Coaches and technical officials are fulfilling their own obligation by scouting, grooming and nurturing talents because this is our own sport and we cannot fold our hands and let it die.

• Bolaji Abdullahi

of knowledge garnered over the years.

“If you follow my antecedents, you will discover that all this while, I have been training youths to become stars.

“In my entire coaching career, I never bought a player that was already a star, I trained them all.

“And now that I am advancing in age, I feel this is the right time for me to give back to the society by raising these youngsters to enviable levels,’’ he said.

• Hon. Omorede Osifo, Sports Commissioner

Lagos that the crisis was unnecessary, adding that it would only give the country a negative image.

They said both parties should shift ground on the issue and resolve the crisis amicably for the good of the game in the country.

Fatai Amao, a former assistant coach of the Super Eagles, said that the league did not need any crisis that had the tendency of giving the country a bad image now.

“The crisis poses a great danger to football development in the country, especially at the grassroots, except it is settled amicably.

“We do not need this crisis.

Both parties should exhibit maturity and settle the discord amicably , for our football to move forward,’’ Amao said.

A former Super Eagles Coach, Christian Chukwu, blamed the crisis on a communication gap between the club owners and the LMC, adding that they needed to co-operate, so as to be able to move the league forward.

Chukwu urged both parties to focus on ways of building a new course for the revival of the league, rather than involving themselves in an unnecessary crisis.

Insurance Battle Prime . . . Apologise To Sports Comm

BY NICHOLAS EBOIGBE/ KEHINDE OSAGIEDE BENDEL Insurance Football club of Benin takes on Prime FC of Oshogbo in the Week 19 of the 2012/ 2013 Nigeria National League at Oshogbo today.

The Benin soccer side had defeated Prime FC 20 at the Ogbemudia stadium in the first Leg. According to the secretary of the club, Charles Ihimekpen the Boys hopes

to win the match despite the fact that it is an away one.

Meanwhile, insurance

scribe Charles Ihimekpen disclosed that the club had tendered apology to the commissioner for sports, Hon. Omorede Osifo for the unruly behaviour displayed by his boys in last Sunday’s FA Cup match

with Dynamite Force at the Ogbemudia stadium.

Ihimekpen also apologized to the Delta State Referee council over the assault against the centre referee that officiated the match on that day.

World Cup Qualifier

Broke Kenya May Force Team To Miss Match JUST a month before Kenya plays Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier match in Nairobi, the country’s football governing body, FKF, has raised a red flag, saying its coffers are empty.

FKF has put the government and well wishers on notice that unless they get a $2.5 million (about N320 million) windfall, then the chances of Harambee Stars honouring their qualifiers were nil.

The Stars have their return-leg fixtures against Super Eagles, Malawi Flames

and Namibia between June 5 and Sept. 6.

“The federation needs at least $125,000 (about N197, 000) for the match against Nigeria.

“The bulk of the funds will be for the purchase of air tickets for foreign-based players and accommodating the visiting team.

“The funds will also cover players’ allowances and payments to match officials,” a statement received on Wednesday by FKF Chairman, Sam Nyamweya, said.

Kenya plays Nigeria on June 5 in a World Cup qualifier and then travels to Malawi one week later for the same competition.

There is also another World Cup qualifier against Namibia in Nairobi on Sept.

6. hould Kenya fail in its obligation to host or honour any of the away matches, then they stand to be fined and banned by World Football Governing body, FIFA.

“I think what should have bothered them most is how to revive our league for it to be attractive to football lovers, rather than engaging in an unnecessary crisis,’’ Chukwu said.

Paul Hamilton, a former Super Falcons coach, added that the club owners and the LMC must find a lasting solution to their perpetual crisis, if they had the interest of Nigerians at heart.

He said that apart from the crisis denting the country’s image, it also showed that both parties were not competent towards enhancing football development.

“How can football be developed with this kind of crises all the time; I think they should resolve the matter now for Nigeria’s football to have direction,’’ Hamilton said.

Seyi Akinwunmi, the Chairman, Lagos State Football Association said that although crises were inevitable, they must be managed properly for football to develop.

He urged the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to help resolve the crisis and build a harmonious relationship between the parties, so as not to degenerate beyond control.

NSF Aspirant Pledges To Enhance Profile Of Squash

TOCHUKWU Aighadiuno, the South-East Zonal aspirant for the post of President of the Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF), said on Wednesday that he would strive to enhance the profile of the sport, if elected into office.

Aighadiuno made the remark in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Lagos.

He blamed the dearth of competitions and requisite facilities, for the poor awareness for the sport in the country.

“Squash is not a popular sport in this part of the world; I understand that most people don’t know about it, they don’t even know what a squash court looks like.

“I intend to introduce an allgrass mobile court. It can be assembled and dismantled after use, and it’s a mobile court,’’ he said.

According to him, although the acquisition of the mobile courts will be expensive, but it will eventually make the sport popular.

Aighadiuno told newsmen that he intended to introduce the squash mobile courts to schools, to further popularise the sport at the grassroots.

“My objective is to introduce the sport to students in schools, and I am positive that with the mobile courts, that would be achievable,’’ he said.

THE NIGERIAN

31

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

Key Dates For Fergie’s Success at the Rajamangala Stadium AFTER Manchester At United in Bangkok.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he would retire at the end of the season, here we look at the key dates awaiting his successor.

Monday, May 13: Trophy parade - The new boss will watch on as Ferguson and a United squad he believes has the potential for greatness parade the club’s 20th league title around Manchester. The 21st will be expected swiftly.

Sunday, May 19: Final day of the season - As the final whistle blows on Ferguson’s reign following the Barclays Premier League clash against West Brom at the

• Novak Djokovic

Hawthorns, plans for life after Fergie will begin in earnest.

Saturday, May 25, Champions League final at Wembley - Watching Bayern Munich battle Borussia Dortmund will be a reminder to the new United boss that his team will be expected to be involved in the European showpiece final in 2014.

Saturday, July 13: Match debut - The first of five preseason friendlies on a tour which includes trips to Sydney, Yokohama, Osaka and Hong Kong, will be the new United boss’ first match, versus a Singha All Star XI

Sunday, August 11: First competitive match Wembley, with silverware at stake, in a possible Manchester derby... that could be the scenario for the first competitive match for Ferguson’s successor as the Premier League champions take on the FA Cup winners, with Wigan or Manchester City to provide the opposition.

Saturday, August 17: First match of the Premier League season - United’s bid to defend their title will begin on the opening day of the Premier League season, with the fixtures to be revealed on Wednesday, June 19.

Bulgarians Hail Dimitrov After Djokovic Win Grigor Dimitrov has been hailed as Bulgaria’s new sports hero by local media after the 21-year-old pulled off a stunning upset over world tennis number one Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open on Tuesday.

Dimitrov, the youngest of successful in Bulgaria.

However, only a couple of the six players aged 23 or years ago, Orlin Stanoytchev under in the top 50, battled was still the highest-ranked through cramp to seal a Bulgarian male player after shock 7-6 6-7 6-3 win in the reaching world number 96 in second round and became 2000. the first Bulgarian to beat a “(Dimitrov) made ••evplayer occupying the world’s eryone understand that he top spot. has not only talent but also a “Bulgarian sport found its character that will turn him new hero after Hristo into one of the biggest stars Stoichkov,” newspaper Trud in tennis,” said sports wrote on Wednesday. website www.sportal.bg, Dimitrov, ranked 28th in the world, became hugely adding that the player had popular in the Balkan coun- received raucous support try after winning junior titles from the fans during the at Wimbledon and the U.S. game.

“The 21-year-old BulgarOpen in 2008. ian beat the best tennis The three Maleeva sisters player in the world over the - Manuela, Katerina and last three years and achieved Magdalena, who took turns the biggest win of his career to feature in the world’s top in an impressive tennis specsix in the 1980s and 1990s tacle that lasted more than made the women’s game three hours,” the Dnevnik

report said, calling Dimitrov “phenomenal”.

“Grigor made ••us proud to be Bulgarians,” said Bulgarian tennis federation president Stefan Tsvetkov.

“It’s an incredible win and it can only be compared with the victories of our national (soccer) team in 1994.”

The Bulgarian team reached the 1994 World Cup

meeting between the neighbours in Bastia on March 2. While Ajaccio’s Mathieu Chalme was sent off for a second bookable offence, a further four players - two from either side - were dismissed in added time following a mass brawl provoked by an unsightly challenge on Bastia goalkeeper Mickael Landreau by Ajaccio striker Dennis Oliech.

The violence off the pitch

• Sir Alex Ferguson

Webb Calls For Tougher Racism Stance ENGLISH referee Howard Webb met with FIFA’s anti-racism task force in an effort to help control racist chants from the crowd.

English referee Howard Webb has defended officials who have come under scrutiny for not clamping down on racial abuse from fans, claiming they “are not always aware of what’s happening in the stands”.

Webb was present at the first meeting of FIFA’s anti-racism task force on Monday and called for the use of off-field officials to ensure centre referees can identify crowd issues.

“We are very much in the front line, we are the first port of call for the players,” Webb told Reuters. “If we become

aware of anything from the players or officials which they deem to be racist or discriminatory, then we’ve got an obligation to respond and referees will do that.

“We talked about the limitations because you are not always aware of what’s happening in the stands. Bear in mind that what we do as match officials is to shut the crowd out really, because we’re trying to concentrate on the game itself, we are trying to focus on our job and not get distracted.

Therefore, it’s a fair comment to stay it’s not easy to know what’s happened.

“The point was made this morning and...there was a discussion about maybe someone

French Rivals Earn Stadium Ban BASTIA and Ajaccio have been ordered to play both their Corsican derbies next season behind closed doors and at a neutral venue after trouble flared on and off the pitch when the pair met each other this term.

Bastia announced the unprecedented decision of the LFP’s Disciplinary Commission on its official Twitter feed.

The sanction comes following the bad-tempered

semi-finals in the United States after a famous win over Germany, with Stoichkov becoming the tournament’s joint top scorer with six goals.

Dimitrov will play either 15th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka or Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo for a place in the Madrid quarter-finals.

occurred following the final whistle with 450 Ajaccio fans, who had been kept behind for their own safety, forced to seek sanctuary on the Stade Furiani pitch after their section of the ground was pelted with stones thrown from outside the stadium. Five Ajaccio fans and two Bastia supporters were injured.

Prior to kick-off, a police search of the buses bringing the Ajaccio followers to the

stadium had uncovered what Bastia president PierreMarie Geronimi described at the time as “a real arsenal” of projectiles and flares.

The return fixture, which ended goalless, on October 21 had also resulted in a player from both sides being sent off for fighting, an incident which provoked violent scenes and a stand-off between police and the travelling Bastia fans.

having a specific role of just identifying those types of behaviour, (someone) who has a good understanding of what constitutes a discriminatory act within the stadium, and can therefore guide the match official.

“It could be something like a venue co-ordinator, (it) could

be someone in the stand, who could take the best position to get a feel for what’s going on.

It could be they have to move around the stadium to get a feel for what’s happened, but it would take some of the pressure off the match officials.”

Bayern Set To Host Milan, City

Audi Cup:

BAYERN Munich are set to host both Manchester City and Milan in the bi-annual Audi Cup during the offseason.

The round-robin tournament will also see Sao Paolo join City, Munich and Milan which is set to take place in Munich on July 31st and August 1st.

“AC Milan, Manchester City, FC São Paulo are the kind of opponents you desperately want in pre-season.

And Pep Guardiola will be able to see where his team stands a week before the Bundesliga restart on 7 August,” said Bayern’s sporting director Matthias Sammer.

It will be the first time Mario Balotelli will come up against the club he moved from in January, Manchester

City, while Kevin-Prince Boateng will come up against his brother Jerome Boateng It will also be the first tournament in which Pep Guardiola will be on the bench for the Bavarians as he is set to join them as their new coach for next season.

• Jurgen Klopp

CMYK THE NIGERIAN

32

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

HRH Prince Enwaensefe Iyiewuaefo-Eweka The Third Enogie Of Oghada THE people of Oghada Community in Isi Clan, Uhunmwode Local Governent Area of Edo State have every reason to count themselves blessed. While other people may yet be looking for an example of a perfect blend of royalty and excellence, the perfect example is located at the very heart of Oghada Community.

He is Prince E n w e a n s e f e Iyiewuaefo-Eweka, the third Enogie of Oghada.

Kwame Nkrummah (1909-1972) shows by happy illustration that the best pointer to where you are going is an introspect into where you are coming from.

That underscores the need to look at the humble beginning of our subject for today: Prince IyiewuaefoEweka was born in London on the 4th day of November, 1962 into the royal and aristocratic family of the Iyi-Eweka Dynasty of the Benin Kingdom. As it were, he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth but he did not allow himself to be carried away by the circumstances of his birth. This is one way of appreciating the fact that he has spent a good part of his life for self-development through education and management training.

He had his early education in Benin City, starting with Emotan Preparatory/ Primary School and on completion of his primary education, he went to Eghosa Grammar School and later moved to Saint John Boscos College, Ubiaja, where he completed his secondary education in flying colours. He proceeded from there to the prestigious Edo College for his Higher School Certificate (HSC).

In his determination to build up the necessary

robustness relevant to the machinery and process of service to humanity, he soon transcended the narrow confines of a secondary education when he travelled to the United Kingdom where he acquired extensive and intensive academic qualifications as well as numerous professional and management courses.

In the UK, he attended South London College, where he read and completed his advance level course, after which he went on to read Sociology with Professional Studies at East London University where he graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in 1991. After his Bachelor’s degree, he went on to study for a Master’s in Communications Policy at the City University, London and graduated with an MA degree in 1993.

He began his career as a Social/Market Researcher with the Harris Research Centre and later went on to work as a Research Assistant with the Independent Broadcasting Authority in 1994.

Between 1996 and 2002, he held positions in Inforcorp UK Limited as a Data/Computer Analyst.

Between 1999 and 2002, he was the Media Operations Data Manager. He later joined Datamonitor PLC as a Senior Research Manager. He was Senior Analyst/Project Manager with Gartner Group UK limited between 2002 and 2006 and later joined Ebiquity PLC as a Senior Data Manager in 2009.

To date, he is a co-director at a digital marketing/ Internet Consulting Company – Vortex Communication Bureau Limited. He also undertakes contract work with past employers on a project by project basis on all direct marketing and database development projects. This involves helping with the development of their data/ database solutions. All these bespeak him as

perhaps the only rolling stone that has gathered lots of moss.

His technical skills are mainly in the application of technology in the management of customer/ company data for Business Intelligence (BI),

He also enjoys watching sports and documentary programmes on television. Other pastimes include travelling and listening to classical/jazz music.

He is married with two children – a girl and a

the people at home. He is now permanently back home. He is the new Enogie of Oghada in Isi Clan, Uhunmwode Local

• HRH Prince Enwaensefe Iyiewuaefo-Eweka

which can also be referred to in some quarters as Customer Relationship Management (CRM).

His hobbies include reading fictional and real life crime stories – an avid Alfred Hitchcock fan.

boy.

This now moves us to the third phase in the life of this great man.

While this amalgam of royalty and excellence was away from home, he kept a close contact with

Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria.

As we welcome him home, it is instructive that his grand merit is his burning desire to stay with his people at the grassroots. Hear him: “I am not going to be an

“In his determination to build up the necessary robustness relevant to the machinery and process of service to humanity, he soon transcended the narrow confines of a secondary education when he travelled to the United Kingdom where he acquired extensive and intensive academic qualifications as well as numerous professional and management courses.”

absentee Enogie. I will live with my people.

That’s the only way I can feel their pains and enjoy their gains”.

Today, the Oghada Community welcomes him home and we honour him for his sterling qualities, his spectacular achievements and his shinning examples for all those who aspire to leadership positions.

Today, this Column presents a most perfect manifestation of humility, impervious tenacity in the service of humanity and hope for a sustainable future in Edo State and, indeed, in Nigeria. We present to you, a man destined to make history, yet, whose humility belies the robustness of his attainment in life; one man who has a vision and a mission to work with other patriotic Nigerians for the fulfillment of the Nigeria Dream. We present to you, one man who deserves to be honoured, if only to prove the point that a prophet can, indeed, be honoured in his home.

We present to you, Prince Enwaensefe Iyiewuaefo-Eweka, a Digital Duke of the Great Oghada Dukedom, an administrator extra ordinaire, a strategist, a tactician, an adept in computer engineering and information technology, an exponent of human kindness, one man who renders service to humanity without counting the cost.

Our highly revered Prince, on this auspicious occasion of your installation as the Third Enogie of Oghada, we congratulate you most heartily.

Oba gha t’ okpere ….

Ise.

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