Nigerian observer 17 07 2013

The Nigerian

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol. 38 NO.2676 • WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 . N 100.00 HEALTH Page 18 Breastfeeding

Mothering from heart

AAU V-C lauds NUC

BENIN CITY – The V i c e - C h a n c e l l o r, Ambrose Ali University (AAU), Professor Cordelia Agbebaku has lauded the Uniform Academic Calendar

(UAC) system put in place by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

She made the assertion yesterday while speaking with The NIGERIAN

OBSERVER, adding that unlike in the past, a uniform academic calendar is paramount to national educational growth at the tertiary level.

She noted that already, all universities including privately owned ones have queued into the system, and has resulted in positive uniformity in

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Constitution Amendment

NATURAL MEDICINE Page 19

Controlling malaria fever

Senate rejects single term

By JOSES SEDE

ABUJA - For tact and dexterity displayed by presiding Senate President, David Mark, yesterday, the clause by clause amendment of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution could have turned into a mirage.

This is even as the Council joint account so Senate of the Federal that funds are directly Republic rejected the released to the LGCs; an proposed 6-year single elected Mayoral system tenure for President of the of administration for the Federation and Executive Federal Capital Territory Governors of States in Ihonvbere their 16 amendment rejections and 14 restates approvals. commitment Also rejected by the Senate were: proposed to due abrogation of State and process Local Government

STOP OIL BUNKERING

·

People of Edo State, Government has discovered that inspite of measures taken by security agents in the State to stop illegal oil bunkering, perpetrators of this shady business have continued unabated.

The State Government is warning all those still involved in oil bunkering in the State to, in their own interest, stop this shady and dubious business forthwith as stiffer penalties await them.

Any person or group of persons caught in the illegal business will be dealt with according to the law.

All vehicles and equipment used will be burnt.

Be patriotic, report any person suspected to be in the business of oil bunkering to the authorities concerned.

Join Government to rid the State of enemies of progress.

Edo State must continue to move forward.

· · · · · ·

This message is from the Edo State Ministry of Information and Orientation

(FCT), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC);

Minister/Commissioner of Justice at the Federal and State levels; and the Land Use Act among others.

The Senate however, introduced novel separation of the Office of procedures for enacting Attorney-General and the a new Constitution in

which they proposed subjection of the final amendment to a referendum that would conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Continues on page 2

By QUEENETH OROBEDO BENIN CITY – Secretary to Edo State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere has said that enhanced effectiveness, transparency and commitment to due process are indispensable towards ensuring success in public service delivery.

He stated this yesterday in Benin while declaring open a one day workshop on the “Revenue Process” of the

WORKSHOP: The Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG), Prof. Julius Ihonvbere (middle), Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Lawrence Aghedo (right) and Mr. Oseni Elamah, Executive Chairman, Board of Internal Revenue (left) during a one day workshop organised by BIR on revenue processes of the Ministry of Lands and Survey yesterday in Benin City. Photo: QUEENNETH A. OROBEDO.

Welfare: Govt

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BENIN CITY – Edo State Government has assured that the Welfare of its work force is of top most priority, ensuring that salaries are paid as at when due.

The Head of Service,

Princess (Mrs.) Ekiuwa Inneh gave the assurance when she received members of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) who paid her a courtesy visit in her

assures workers

Office.

Princess Inneh maintained that the Office of the Head of Service

exists to provide Leadership for the Civil Service, both at the State and Local

House directs EDSIEC to conduct Esan N’East LG Poll

By KEN ABU/ WINIFRED OSASOBO BENINCITY – Edo State House of Assembly has adopted a resolution

calling on the State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) to immediately schedule a date for the local government election in

Esan North East Local during yesterday’s Government Area. plenary session by the The resolution was Minority Leader, Hon. sequel to a motion under Emma Okoduwa (East Matters of Urgent Public Importance presented Continues on page 2

Government Levels.

She further stated that her door was wide open to proffer solutions to problems that may arise in the day-today management of the Civil Service, and urged the Union to feel free to come and discuss such problems.

On training, the Head of Service stated that members of the Union ought to enjoy training opportunity from the l% training fund approved for workers at that level.

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News

Senate rejects single term

Continued from page 1

“The INEC shall within six months of the receipt of the draft Constitution, cause a referendum to be conducted to approve the draft Constitution; if the draft Constitution receives a simple majority casts in twothirds of all States of the Federation, it shall come into force as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, the proposal reads.

If this scales through, Mr. President’s assent power to make an amended Constitution a law shall have been removed and the usual controversy that greeted Constitution amendment project would have been put to rest.

Another significant decision of the Senate yesterday was a clause strengthening the

legislative arm of government and ensuring timely passage of laws. The insertion reads: “Where the President/Governor neither signifies that he assents or that he withholds assent, the bill shall at the expiration of thirty days become law”.

The Senate also approved that “any person who has held office as President or Deputy President of Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, shall be entitled to pension for life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent”.

Also approved by the Senate were transfers from the Executive, Legislative List to the Concurrent List and they included Post and Telecommunication, Pension, Stamp Duties, Labour, Road

Safety, Arbitration, Environment, Agriculture, and Youths.

Transfer of Aviation, Prisons, and Public Complaints from the Exclusive list to concurrent did not succeed but, Railway transfer to the concurrent list was made possible by presiding Senate President Mark who voted in favour to break the stalemate.

Approved government Bodies and Offices to draw from Firstline Charge in yesterday exercise included: State Houses of Assembly, State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), Auditor-General of the Federation/State and the Judiciary.

In the case of Judiciary, “any amount standing to the credit of the judiciary in the Consolidated

the opportunity of the visit to thank the newly elected Executive of NULGE for conducting a free and fear election, saying that they keyed into the slogan of one man one vote being advocated by one of their own, Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

Speaking earlier, the President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Edo Stat Chapter, Comrade Edward Young Ilenkhena thanked the Head of Service, Princess Ekiuwa Inneh for her motherly role culminating in the payment of Local

Government Workers’ salary arrears in 2012.

Comrade Ilenkhena appealed to the Head of Service to always support the workers to meet their welfare needs.

At the courtesy visit were the Permanent Secretary, Central Administration, Mr. E.T. Idahosa, Permanent Secretary Establishment, Mr. A. O. Olaye, Mr. Eddy Edionweme, Director, Office of the Head of Service, Mr. M. Ikoghode, Ministry of Local government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Executive members of NULGE and the 18 local government branch chairmen.

Govt assures workers Continued from page 1

Princess Inneh appreciated the governor of Edo State and organized labour for the role they played to end the school teachers strike and sued for more collaboration between the Trade Union and the Government to take the State to the next level.

She allayed the fears of the Union and assured that the Committees set up by Government will do a good job that will ensure that the Local Government employees and teachers get their salaries as at when due.

The Head of Service used

Ihonvbere restates commitment to Chief Executive Officer, Continued from page 1 ministry of Lands and Survey due process Median Infrastructure put together by the state Board of Internal Revenue Service.

Prof. Ihonvbere pointed out that the activities and policies of government can only be fully translated when the public service is effective and committed.

According to him, “Service delivery is almost zero in Edo Public Service; we own the public service; people should contribute to the process of making things work. Service delivery, efficiency and effectiveness must be taken seriously”.

He said the state government has put in place, processes that would help in the taxation system and improve service delivery”.

He expressed concern over the gross inefficiency which had characterised the process of obtaining Certificate of Occupancy in the State Ministry of Lands and Survey over the years, saying it has robbed the state government of the needed funds from the sector.

The SSG, however, commended the leadership of the state Board of Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) in the efforts to boost the revenue base of the state government and other initiative to improve the process.

The State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Lawrence Aghedo said the interactive session was primarily to brainstorm towards enhancing the process of obtaining Certificate of Occupancy and specifically, to fasttrack the internally generated revenue mechanism through “C of O”.

In another engagement, the SSG also signed the official Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Resident, Africa Real

Estate Limited, Median Infrastructure Development Company Limited and Edo State Government.

The MoU is for the development of a world class shopping mall on Sapele Road, Benin City.

During the ceremony, Prof.

Ihonvbere noted that the state government takes the challenge of economic development seriously as Governor Adams Oshiomhole is committed to making the state a better place.

While formally presenting the site survey plan to the leader of the delegation, Median Infrastructure Development Company Limited, the SSG assured of government’s support at all levels to ensure the rapid commencement of the project.

Development Company Limited, Mr. Olumide Akinsanya who signed the MoU on behalf of the consortium for the development of a world class shopping mall assured that the project would be completed and delivered in 24 months.

Executive Director, Public Private Partnership (PPP), Mr. Igbinidu Inneh said it was a pleasurable plan to introduce such a world class shopping mall to Edo State, especially, this being the first of its kind.

Also present at the ceremony were the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Francis Evbuomwan, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Stephen Edehenre and Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Barr. Oluwole Iyamu.

North East).

Contributing to the motion, Hon. Kingsley Ehigiamusor (Igueben) quoted section 7 of the 1999 constitution as amended, saying it is very clear on the conduct of local government election.

He said the section clearly specified the number of days within which to conduct election in the event of violence, saying there was no room for discretion on the matter.

Other lawmakers during plenary who contributed to the motion expressed sympathy over the inability of EDSIEC to conclude the local government elections in the state.

Concluding on the motion, the House therefore resolved that EDSIEC should reschedule a date for the conduct of the election in Esan North East and other wards where elections were inconclusive.

Meanwhile, the bill for a law to

Revenue Fund shall be paid directly to the heads of the courts.

The smooth sail amendment was in progress when, Sen. Ahmed Yerima coming under Order 43 of the Senate Rules (Zamfara) accused Senate President Mark of bias against Muslims hence he allowed the passage of an amendment which seeks to protect the child’s right, by making it mandatory for a girl to attain majority (18 years) before being given in marriage.

He demanded that the issue be revisited with a view to deleting the stipulated 18 years as “full age” with “any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age”, but Senator Mark noted that the citation was irrelevant as controversial matters cannot come under it.

Even at that, Sen. Danjuma Goje (Gombe) insisted that the Child Rights Protection clause be visited as it is against Islamic laws, a request that was greeted with buzzy noise from the senators.

At this point, presiding Senate President Mark warned against making an issue out of the matter, noting, “I have been fair and I take exemption to the allegation of double standard, controversial matters can’t come under Order 43".

“Let’s not make an issue out of this, nobody should make it personal, we are bound to make laws that will stand the test of time; we are to finish this amendment today, we will not stop and continue another day”.

Sen. Mark however returned to the proposed clause and when he put the question, it was rejected by the senators by which implication is that, the citizens are free to marry or give in marriage any girl of whatever age, whether minor or not.

Meanwhile, the Senate approved amendment proposals would be harmonized with that of the House of Representatives for onward transmission to State Houses of Assembly for further necessary legislative approvals, and turn in their inputs for collation and onward transmission to the President of the Federal Republic for his assent, to make it law and operational.

House directs EDSIEC to conduct Esan N’East prohibit the Act of Kidnapping LG Poll Continued from page 1

Okoduwa said EDSIEC conducted elections in 18 local government areas on April 20, 2013, but, however, cancelled that of Esan North East, alleging violence as reason for the cancellation.

He noted that the April 24, 2013 rescheduled election in the local government area was free, fair and credible, but was also cancelled by EDSIEC. According to him, after almost three months after the cancellation, EDSIEC has not shown any willingness and readiness to conduct fresh election in the locality.

He further explained that the absence of a democratically elected chairman and councillors in the local government council has stalled socio-economic and political development in the entire local government area.

and the committing of any Act as an Explicit or Implicit condition was deferred to another day for consideration.

Don’t panic, LG boss advises flood victims IGARRA - The people affected by flood in AkokoEdo local government area have been advised not to panic as the relevant government agents have been intimated about the development.

Chairman of the Area Council, Mr. Joseph Akerejola gave the admonition while inspecting the affected communities and the dam yesterday at 0jirami.

The torrential rains that occurred in neighbouring Kogi State weekend over flew its banks to cause over flow of Ojirami dam in the local government.

Akerejoal however told the people to build houses according to the rules to avoid flood disasters in the future.

According to him, “we want to urge our people to follow building regulations and put specifics into consideration because even road construction affects a lot of things; you should know that light poles and pipe lines would be laid. Not for quick intervention of the resident engineer. Only God knows what could have

happened today”.

Meantime, the resident engineer, Mike Igwemho, adduced reasons for the flood to lack of new pipes that pump water to sub stations like Ugbogbo, Ososo and other communities to decongest the excess during rains.

According to him, “the rains from neighboring state is the major cause of the flood and for my quick vigilance and intervention, the disaster would have been enormous. As at 1 a.m Monday, I was already here for the monitoring to avoid flood but unfortunately a health care centre is flooded at Enwan while some farm lands and produce including fish ponds are affected. Also affected are some houses in Akuku.

The Ojirami-dam is one of the dams awarded by federal government for dredging but due to presence of stones and rocks in the river, the dredging could not be done by the company but has to go for another machine type that can dredge rock, Igwemho added.

By VICTOR OMOALU

society is peace and joy.

It further stressed that those found wanting in the perpetration of lawlessness in the land should be brought to book for the interest of peace.

PAN, however, noted that the developmental stride of any nation depends on the relative peace in that nation, adding that for democracy to reign in Nigeria, there was the need for absolute peace in the land.

PAN slams crisis in Rivers

BENIN CITY – The Peace Association of Nigeria (PAN) has expressed displeasure over the recent breach of peace in Port Harcourt, capital city of Rivers State.

PAN in a communiqué endorsed by its President, Apostle John Edokpolor, noted that the promotion of human existence in any

Edo assures on resource development

By DOROTHY EGBOBAMWONYI

BENIN CITY – Edo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Abdul Oroh, says the state government’s developmental strides is all embracing.

The commissioner made the assertion when the Ijaw Political Vanguard, a non-governmental organization visited him in Benin City.

He expressed the state government’s commitment to develop the natural resources in the state across the 18 local government areas in a manner that would benefit future generation.

According to him, the state government, as part of

measures to guarantee food security has perfected plans to boost the production of farm produce in the state. He disclosed that many fishermen in the state have benefited from the various government assisted credit scheme including the N1 billion ECOWAS Fishery Accelerated Development Fund which is yet to be recovered fully so as to enable another round of disbursement to fishermen.

The commissioner used the occasion of the visit to urge members of the Ijaw political vanguard to furnish the ministry with relevant information on land availability in their locality so that the state government could appropriately allocate it to those who are willing and ready to cultivate with a view to creating employment.

AAU V-C lauds NUC

Continued from page 1 in harmony to ensure that the academic calendar system of Nigerian universities.

On the impact of the current nationwide Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike action, she explained that the university administration was ongoing and not hampered in any way.

She added however, that her administration is an amalgamation of various members including unions in the university system working

Ambrose Ali University remains a citadel of excellence.

Prof. Agbebaku allayed the fears of potential university undergraduates that the Joint Admission And Matriculations Board (JAMB) would be scrapped, pointing out that the new admission system was to give every potential student an opportunity to be admitted into either a University, Polytechnic or College of Education, after the universities selection process

may have been concluded, so that other tertiary institutions could take their turns, based on the choices of candidates in the institutions selected by them.

Besides, the AAU Vice chancellor clarified the erroneous impression that pre-degree students of the institution were exempted from writing JAMB, stressing that by requirement, they follow the same admission process by first procuring the JAMB forms and also fulfilling other formalities as set down by the body.

Inside Edo Pregnancy, Highest Killer Of Teenage Girls - NPC

By RICHARD EWEKA

BENIN CITY-The Honourable Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission Edo State and former member of the Federal House of Representatives, Dr. Tunde Lakoju said pregnancy is the highest killer of teenage girls worldwide, and it is incumbent on us as a people and a nation, to fight this scourge.

Disclosing this in a lecture he presented to mark the commencement of the 2013 World Population Day with the theme “Adolescent Pregnancy”, Dr. Lakoju said it is incumbent on every one to fight the scourge.

Dr. Lakoju said the increasing incidence of teenage pregnancy in Nigeria is underscored by the fact that about one third of the country’s population amounting to about 44.5 million were young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in 2006. By 2015 he said the number would have increased to 60 million.

Speaking further, he said the incidence of teenage pregnancy is exacerbated by early marriages, early sexual exposure and pregnancy as well as poor health service and facilities.

Consequently teenage girls are at risk of sexual and reproductive health problems, he added.

“Teenage pregnancy has had a slow decline since 1990 as about 23 percent of teenage girls (15-19) had begun childbearing in 2008 compared to 28.3 percent in 1990. This decline is attributable more to a

consistent rise in age at first marriage and at first sexual intercourse than increase in contraceptive use.”

According to him “33 percent of teenage girls in the North had started childbearing in 2008 compared to 10 percent in the South. He said Katsina State stands out at 65 percent with the highest rate of teenage pregnancy and motherhood in Nigeria while Edo state recorded the least percentage of 2.9 percent”.

Dr. Lakoju attributed the problem of teenage pregnancy to poverty and education and expressed on the need for appropriate authorities to tackle the issue head-on while protective laws that will keep girls safe from sexual abuse are put in place.

Other guests at the occasion include the State Director of National Population Commission Mr. Isaac Amadasun, Head of Vital Registration Dept. Mr. O.J Sanni, Head of Administration/ Public Affairs Dept. Mr. Ayodele Okiei, State Accountant Mrs. R.A Ohonba, Snr. Admin Officer Mrs. O.O Oloton, Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN) among others.

Barr. Solomon Imohiosen, Editor, NIGERIAN OBSERVER (right), presenting a copy of The NIGERIAN OBSERVER to Prof.

Cordelia Agbebaku, Acting Vice Chancellor, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma during a visit to the Editor’s Office yesterday.

Photo: LUCKY AGIE

Man, 24, Docked For Robbery, Kidnapping

By OSE EHEBHA

EKPOMA - A 24-year-old man, Emmanuel Okosun is currently standing trial before an Ekpoma Magistrate’s Court for alleged robbery and kidnapping of a university lecturer, Prof. Celestina Isiramen in Ekpoma, Esan

West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The university lecturer who teaches in the department of Religious Management and Cultural Studies of the

Justice Erameh Appointed Vacation connected with matters already BENIN CITY - Justice U.I pending in the courts.

Judge Erameh of the Edo State High Court, Okada has been named as vacation judge during the annual vacation of the state high court which begins on Monday August 5, 2013 to end on Friday September 13, 2013.

A statement by the Chief Registrar of the state high court, Hilary Enemaku Esq said judicial activities would however resume on Monday September 16, 2013.

The vacation judge should sit in Benin Judicial division of the High Court and entertain only urgent matters especially issues relating to bail applications and matters incidented thereto.

Matters to be entertained by the vacation judge shall be fresh ones of utmost urgency filled during the vacation period and

Cases pending before the regular courts may however be heard with the leave of the judge in charge of that court and with consent of counsel to both parties.

The High Court Vacation was approved by the state Chief Judge, Justice Gromwell Idahosa pursuant to order 43 Rule 4(2) of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2012.

Ambrose Alli University (AAU),Ekpoma, was robbed and kidnapped on March 27, 2013.

According to the five-count charge, the accused, Okosun and others now at large, had robbed the lecturer of N30, 000 cash and wedding/engagement rings valued at N40,000.

They also robbed their victim of her gold chains and ear rings valued at N180, 000 using offensive weapons, including

guns, an offence punishable under Section 1(1)(a) of the Armed Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act Cap R11 Vol. 14 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Okosun and his gang members allegedly kidnapped their victims after ward, and took her to unknown destination, where they held her till ransom of N10 million was allegedly paid.

This according to the charge is an offence punishable under Section 2(2) of the Kidnapping Prohibition Law of Edo State of Nigeria 2009.

Cleric Condemns Baby Factory

By CLIFFORD AGBAJOR

BENIN CITY -As more “baby factories” are being discovered in the country, the Vicar, Ebenezer Cathedral, First African Church Mission, Benin City, and Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Rev. Solomon Ohonba has stressed the need for all to join hands against the illicit acts.

He made the remark in a chat with newsmen on the recent upsurge in baby factory, notably in the eastern part of the country.

Rev. Ohonba described the situation where young girls are kept in a place, and men are recruited to impregnate them with the aim of selling the babies produced from the unholy sexual intercourse.

He noted that the pathetic act shows the level of moral decadence in society, adding that Edo State Commissioner for Special Duties, Oil and Gas, Ambassador Orobosa Omo-Ojo (JP) (sitting middle) in a handshake those who established these baby with a Comedian Daniel Eromosele Popularly known “Pikolo” (right) and the Director over-seeing the office of the factories have no value for Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Dan Aigbavboa (left) surrounded by staff of the Ministry and members ofthe human life.

The man of God further noted on-coming event “Dream Alive With Pikolo” when the Comedian paid a courtesy visit to the Commissioner in Benin City that the unlawful act shows the yesterday.

level Nigerians worship money, saying that anyone who can go to the extent of establishing baby factory, is a good candidate for armed robbery, kidnapping and human trafficking.

The vicar contended that, those who established the baby factories, the young men recruited to impregnate the girls as well as those privy to such act and refused to expose these are as guilty as the perpetrators.

He pointed out that prior to the discovering, there were cases of people celebrating the birth of twins in the church with little or no prior sign of pregnancy, and therefore urged the church to be alive to its responsibility by preaching against such evil act.

Rev. Ohonba called on government to prosecute those found wanting without compromising just as he appealed to members of the public to expose those involved in the business of baby factory.

MAN 24, DOCKED FOR ROBBERY, KIDNAPPING OF VARSITY PROFESSOR

Plateau Donates Vehicles For Land Survey JOSThe Plateau Government has pledged to allocate a Hilux vehicle to each of its five Local Government Land Area Offices for effective land control and usage.

Mr. Yilji Gomwalk, Commissioner for Lands and Survey, said this in an interview with newsmen in Jos. He said that the ministry’s five area offices in Shendam, Mangu, Langtang North, Pankshin and Barkin Ladi local governments would have one van each.

Gomwalk said the state government was determined to open up development in all the towns in the 17 local governments of the state.

“The area offices will need the vehicles toward actualising our drive in creating layouts which will help to discourage indiscriminate erection of buildings by the public.

“As area officers and our eyes in the local governments, we believe the vehicles will assist

Cleric Docked For Theft

LAGOS-Rev. Praise Mc Bassey, who allegedly stole N3 million on the pretext of assisting a lady purchase a Hyundai SUV in Korea, appeared before an EbuteMeta Magistrate’s Court, Lagos.

Mc Bassey, 37, a pastor at the Lagos-based Household of Destiny Church, is facing two -count charge of stealing and fraud.

The prosecutor, Insp Clement Okuoimosie told the court that the offence was committed on December 10, 2010 at Zenith Bank Plc, Lagos.

“The accused collected the sum of N3 million from one Divine Arong, under the pretext that he was in a position to assist her in purchasing a Hyundai 1x35 SUV, from South Korean,’’ Okuoimoise said.

He said that the offences committed contravened Sections 390 and 419 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2003.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

Section 419 provides a penalty of seven years imprisonment for any person convicted of obtaining by false pretences.

The Magistrate, Mr. O. Olatunji granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000, with two sureties in like sum.

He adjourned the case till Aug. 8, for mention.

you to rise to the challenge at ensuring that erection of structures, no matter what kind, is properly done, “ he said.

Gomwalk said that the Hilux vehicles being used by the ministry for enumeration of landed properties within the Jos greater master plan would be released to them at the end of the exercise.

He, however, warned the area officers against using the vehicles as their personal vans but solely for office use toward better performance.

The commissioner pledged to look into problems of the area offices; including lack of befitting offices and working equipment to enable them work effectively.

He also warned against any sharp practises by land officers to gain the confidence of members of the public.

Inside Edo

Rt Hon. Uyi Igbe Speaker Edo State House Of Assembly (left) and Omakor Ichehoke Austine, Leader Concern Post graduate Students plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Benin, presenting Diamond Award of Excellence to Mr. Speaker in recongnition of his role as a distimguished Speaker who has impacted in the lives of youths and students in Edo State and Nigeria in general recently. PHOTO: GODWIN ISEGUAN

NDLEA Nabs Cocaine Distributor

KADUNA-The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said that it had arrested a major cocaine distributor in Kaduna after months of surveillance.

The Commandant of the agency in the state, Mr Mohammed Jibrin, told newsmen in Kaduna that the suspect, known in the drug sale circle as “Bishop”, was arrested at his residence in Narayi area of the city.

Jibrin said that the suspect was in possession of more than 200 grams of cocaine.

“He is well known for cocaine distribution in Kaduna; we nabbed him last week in a kind of surveillance that took us months to reach him, because he has been moving from one location to the other, changing his residence.

“And like I said, my focus will be on drugs suppliers to Kaduna because once you cut off the supply and the boys, the youths that are abusing the drugs don’t get the supply, then the demand will definitely go down.”

He said that the suspect was about to distribute the drugs to retailers when he was arrested.

The commandant said the agency was poised to eradicate sale of illicit drugs, warning those involved in the business to shun the activity.

“The arrest of their kingpin, the arrest of their major distributor should be a signal to all of them that it is no more business as usual, that drug business in Kaduna must fizzle out.

“Drug dealers in Kaduna should leave the business and go into genuine, morally sound businesses rather than continue in this criminal business because there is no hiding place for them.

“We are going to hunt them down where ever they are; we are going to seek the cooperation of the general public.’’

Jibrin said that the agency had also nabbed and detained a major distributor of Indian hemp in the Southern part of the state, and called on the public to assist the agency in

its fight against drug abuse so as to curtail crime and insecurity in the state. “ Help us with the information of where they are and where these people are located, so that we can always come after them, they are the ones destroying our children, they are the ones killing the

children, they destroy families because a drug dealer is like a fuel for the vehicle, he engineers the vehicle to move. “ Drug dealers motivates all sorts of crimes we have in the society, family disintegration, school drop outs, crimes like armed robbery, assassination, political thuggery.

“These are the people that

are fueling such crimes in the society. So the general public should help NDLEA to give us information about these people, because they live in the same community with them, expose them so that we can get them arrested and take them out of this criminal business for the betterment and development of the state.’’

14 at about 4.00 p.m. at Railway line Oto, Ebute Meta in Lagos.

Nkankuk said that the accused — and an accomplice still at large— attacked one Mrs. Alice in front of her house and forced her into her room.

He said that the accused tore her cloths and raped her.

According to the prosecutor, the accused also stole N10,000 from the woman.

The prosecutor said that Alice later screamed and her neighbours forcefully entered the room, and apprehended Adedeji, while his accomplice escaped.

home address during interrogation.

Nkankuk said that the offences contravened Sections 96,134, 258, 285 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Section 258 provides that any person, who has unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman or girl without her consent, is guilty of the offence of rape and liable to life imprisonment.

Aje-Afunwa adjourned the case to October 2 for further hearing.

GOMBE- The police in Gombe State have confirmed the killing of two of its men on Sunday night by gunmen during an attack at a filling station in the state capital.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Fwaje Atajiri, confirmed this in an interview with newsmen in Gombe.

He said that the gunmen attacked the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega filling station on the Gombe-Biu road at 7.20 p.m. with the intent of robbing the station, but failed.

He said that the two policemen were killed by the robbers while some members of the gang escaped with bullet wounds.

He said that the police were investigating the incident with a view to find out where the wounded robbers were being treated.

In another development, Atajiri said that the police had arrested six suspects with locally-made pistols and a vehicle during a raid in a hide-out early Monday morning.

He said that the police also intercepted a vehicle belonging to a Deputy Comptroller of Customs at Ture Balam village on the Gombe-Yola road after it was snatched in Yola.

He said that the police would not rest on its oars until criminals were flushed out from the state.

Man Docked For Raping 58-Yr-Old Nkankuk, told the court that the He further said that the accused Woman offence was committed on July also gave the police a false LAGOS- An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, has admitted one Michael Adedeji, 29, to N100,000 bail following his arraignment over alleged rape.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Y.O Aje-Afunwa admitted Adedeji, who is facing five-count count of conspiracy, rape, assault, false representation and stealing, to bail, with two sureties in like sum.

The accused was alleged to have raped a 58-year-old woman.

The Prosecutor, ASP Etim

Police Confirm Killing Of 2 Cops

Rt. Hon. Uyi Igbe, Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly (left) receiving an award from Master Excel Nomayo, SS II Student, Edo College, Benin City for his brilliant performance at the 2013 Commonwealth Day celebration (CPA) held at the National Assembly, Abuja during the students courtesy call to Mr. Speaker’s Office in Benin City recently PHOTO: GODWIN ISEGUAN.

Across The Nation APGA Chairmanship: Mixed Reactions Trail Appeal

LAGOS-Some eminent lawyers in Lagos have expressed mixed reactions to the Court of Appeal’s decision which nullified the removal of Chief Victor Umeh as National Chairman of the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA).

Newsmen recalled that a former chairman of APGA, Mr Jude Okuli, had challenged Umeh’s continuous stay in office as chairman, after the purported expiration of his tenure.

Justice Innocent Umezulike, the Chief Judge, Enugu State High Court, had in February, made an order restraining Umeh from parading himself as National Chairman of the party.

Umezulike held that his continuous stay in office was

unconstitutional and illegal.

The Enugu division of the Court of Appeal, however, upturned the verdict of the lower court, holding that the plaintiff (Okuli) who instituted suit lacked the legal right to do so.

A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr Fred Agbaje, in his reaction, lauded the decision of the appellate court, noting that the verdict had renewed the people’s confidence in the rule of law.

Agbaje, however, expressed dissatisfaction at the attitude of some party chairmen, who he said, exhibited unwholesome habits by perpetuating themselves in office, after the expiration of their tenure.

“I do not fancy the present political tangle ongoing in

Court’s Decision APGA. Why must political parties always resort to the courts on issues that should be settled internally?

“Political parties must desist from washing their dirty linen in public, and party chairmen must shun all forms of “Mugabeism”

and the quest to perpetuate themselves in office.

“In all, I am happy that the judiciary one way or the other, had to intervene to restore sanity to the system, but I think party chairmen should learn to abide by the provisions of the law

establishing the parties,” he said.

Also speaking on the issue, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa said the decision of the appellate court was indeed commendable.

“The decision of the appellate court is a re-affirmation of Umeh’s candidature.

“I believe that this judgment is in line with the due process of law, the Constitution and the Electoral

Journalist Donates Fertiliser To Community ADUWAN-GIDA (Kaduna State) - Mr. Midat Joseph, Bureau Chief of the ‘Leadership’ newspaper in Kaduna, on Monday donated 100 bags of fertilizer worth N400,000 to the Aduwan-Guda community of Zango-Kataf Local Government.

Reports say that the consignment comprised of 52 bags of NPK variant, while 48 bags were Urea.

Newsmen reports that 52 bags of both variants were delivered to the community, while the balance was said to be in transit.

In a brief speech shortly before the first consignment was handed over to the community, Rev. Joseph Hayab, Special Adviser to the Kaduna Governor on Christian Affairs, said that it was wise of the donor to remember his community with what God had blessed him with.

“It is a good thing to remember those in need; fertilizer has become more difficult to get and that has made this gesture even more appreciable,’’ he said.

He challenged others to emulate that gesture to achieve a more prosperous and progressive society.

Also speaking, the District Head of Aduwan-Gida, Mr. Yariyok Kabantiok, thanked the donor for the gesture and particularly for remembering home.

“While others enjoy their blessings in the cities, you have chosen to share with your people.

May God bless you for this,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Mr Boniface Arege, the councillor representing Madakia Ward in Zango-Kataf Local Government Council, commended Midat for caring for the community.

“There are no political undertones in this gesture, but it is people like you with large hearts that are needed in the political space. Such genuine kindness is getting more and more scarce,’’ he said.

Midat told newsmen that he was motivated by an innate quest to help humanity— by improving people’s capacity to help themselves.

“It is my own way of thanking

God for his abundant mercies and all that he has continued to do for me,’’ he said.

The journalist laughed off suggestions that his gesture had some political interests nestled in it.

“This has nothing attached to it; there is no political or any other interest in it. I have never nursed any political ambition.

“My dream is to go beyond the Aduwan community and cover the entire Southern Kaduna, by God’s grace.

L-R: Gov. Jonah Jang of Plateau, his wife and founder, women in Agriculture and youth empowerment (WAYE) Foundation, Talatu, and Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina, during the 5th and 6th graduation ceremony of skills acquisition training programme in Jos recently.

Reps Seek Proper Management Of Assets

ABUJA- The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, said the House would ensure that assets seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) were properly managed.

Tambuwal made this known at a three-day investigative hearing in Abuja.

The hearing organised by the Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, was to unravel the status of assets seized and sold by the EFCC since its establishment.

The speaker said that the House had a responsibility to

ensure that the assets seized and sold through forfeiture court orders were prudently managed.

“My dear colleagues, we cannot allow a situation whereby over 400 cars seized through the diligence of the EFCC for instance continue to waste away.

“We have a vicarious responsibility to ensure that the assets seized through forfeiture, court orders are prudently and carefully manage.

“This is to avoid waste and

to ensure that the assets are maximally disposed of for the benefit of the public,” he said.

According to him, this is why the House has resolved to carry out this investigative hearing, as it is not enough to just seize assets.

“We need to ensure that they are quickly utilised as part of the restitution for the original crime,” Tambuwal said.

Earlier, Rep. Jagaba Adams (PDP-Kaduna) Chairman of the Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, said that

Graduands at the 5th and 6th graduation ceremony of skills acquisition training programme in Jos recently.

the investigation was premised on a mandate given to the committee.

He said that the committee had earlier in the “spirit” of giving a fair hearing called for memorandum from the general public.

Adams also said that the committee equally reached out to more than 200 key stakeholders with a view to getting their side of the story.

He said that in spite of the enthusiasm of the general public; the committee however, faced some challenges, because some of the organisations and individuals reached were not forthcoming in their responses.

“The committee realised that in spite of these challenges, we owe Nigerians a duty to make government and it’s agencies to render accounts of its deeds and misdeeds.

“The results of which will make the elected representatives to form their opinion and make necessary recommendations,” he said.

He assured stakeholders and other Nigerians that the House committee would do a “thorough” job as all memoranda and personal submissions would be studied and recommendations made.

Act. “The issue of leadership of political parties is the prerogative of the officers of that party and there is the need for the maintenance of party discipline.

“It is not necessary to do the bidding of political parties before one can become an officer of that party.

A former National President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, said he was certain that the court had a good reason for arriving at its decision.

He, however, said he would comment appropriately on the issue, after he had carefully reviewed the judgment of the court.

In the same vein, Mr. Femi Falana, told newsmen that he had yet to see a copy of the court’s judgment and so, was not in a position to make any comment on the matter.

OsunOsogbo Festival Holds August 23 OSOGBO-The 2013 edition of the Osun-Osogbo festival is to hold on August 23, Alhaji AbduRasaq Adejare, the Aare Alasa of Osogboland, has said.

Adejare, who is the head of the 2013 Osun-Osogbo Implementation Committee, announced the date in an interview programme monitored on Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Osogbo.

He said the traditional ‘Iwopopo,’ a public procession in which all Osun-Osogbo stakeholders, would march through Osogbo, had been slated for August 12.

The Osun-Osogbo devotee explained that the day symbolised the cleansing of the streets as participants were expected to sweep the roads preparatory to the arrival of visitors.

He said Osogbo indigenes would from August 13 begin to welcome visitors from all over the world in readiness for the celebration.

The preliminary activities , according to him, include the art exhibition on August 14 and a special drama feature on “ Ina Olojumerindinlogun’’ on August 15.

Adejare also said there would be a mini-festival for the ‘Arugba’ (the calabash carrier) and a session in remembrance of the late culture icon, Susan Wenger, on August 20 and 21.

He said a film on HIV/AIDS would be shown on August 22 in which Osun-Osogbo stakeholders, including women and youths, were expected to be present.

The grand finale would hold on August 23 during which devotees would gather at the Osun-Osogbo groove to witness the annual ritual of supplication to the Osun goddess.

Lagos Don Flays Plans To Establish Mega Varsities LAGOS- Prof Jide Osuntokun of the Department of History, University of Lagos, has called for more funding of the existing universities in the country as against the Federal Government’s plan to establish mega universities in the country.

Osuntokun made the call in an

interview with newsmen in Lagos.

Reports say that in a bid to address the problem of low admission quota in existing universities, the Federal Government said it would convert one university in each of the six geo-political zones of the

Experts Blame Building Collapse On Poor According to him, the inclusion these documents and the Regulation ofinvolvement of a builder are major LAGOS-Some experts in the building industry have said that gaps in the regulatory framework in the sector were major factors responsible for building collapse in the country.

The experts told newsmen in Lagos that the existing regulatory process of buildings was very defective and this had resulted to collapse of buildings without any disciplinary action against the contractors.

Mr. Chucks Omeife, the President, Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), said that ineffective regulatory framework in the sector was as result of poor enforcement of the National Building Code.

According to him, there is no enabling law in place to facilitate effective enforcement of the Building Code.

“However, the National Building Code enabling law has been sent to the National Assembly since 2006.

“Though, we have met with the National Assembly twice, till today, the law is still being awaited.

“We are optimistic that when the law comes into force, punitive measures will be meted out to individuals or organisations involved in any building that collapses, ‘’ Omeife told newsmen.

He said that the institute was afraid that the law had taken too long a time and houses were collapsing everywhere, without any deterrent measures.

“Sadly, most of the states are adopting the provisions of the National Building Code, leaving behind the area of punitive measures.

“This is why no person has been indicted in all building collapse incidents all over the country, where people were maimed, killed and property lost, Omeife said.

Mrs. Nike Ladenegan, Coordinator, Building Collapse Prevention Guild, Lagos Mainland Branch, said that most of the buildings that collapsed in the country were constructed by quacks.

“For the Ebute Meta building that collapsed, the structure has been marked for demolition due to the different signs the building was exhibiting.

“But it is unfortunate that it had to collapse while it was still being inhabited,’’ she said.

Mr. Akomolafe Ademola, Secretary, Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), said that approval requirements should include Quality Management Plan, Health and Safety Plan, and Construction Programme, to be prepared by a professional builder.

“These are the documents that will be used to prosecute the construction work, in case of any problem like collapse in future,’’ he said.

issues that when captured by regulation, can reduce the incidence of building collapse to a large extent.

country to a mega university.

He said the lack of funding had made universities to decline and urged the government to not only provide the required funding but to also monitor how the funds would be applied.

According to him, if the facilities in the existing universities are expanded, the capacity of such universities would also increase to take on more candidates.

“I do not support it because the federal government creates Universities without funding them. It is just politics.

“Nine University were created without funding, the old ones that are there are not being funded and new ones are being created.

“It’s all politics, until we remove politics from education, we will not get anywhere.“

Court Dismisses Akingbola’s Application

IKEJA- An Ikeja High Court has dismissed an application filed by a former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Erastus Akingbola, seeking to quash a N47.1 billion theft charge against him.

Akingbola is being prosecuted alongside Bayo Dada, the General Manager of Tropics Securities Ltd. Reports say that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged the duo to court for allegedly stealing the money belonging to the bank.

Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, in a ruling on the application filed

by Akingbola’s counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), dismissed it for lacking in merit.

Onigbanjo held that the EFCC, as a government agency, was qualified to institute criminal proceedings under Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution.

He said that the Court of Appeal had settled the issue in its ruling on an appeal Akingbola had previously filed against the ruling of the former trial judge, Justice Habeeb Abiru.

The judge said he could, therefore, not be swayed by another ruling on a similar issue delivered by Justice Babajide Candide-Johnson of a Lagos High Court in Igbosere.

Onigbanjo said:” There is no decision on this issue yet by the Supreme Court; so, the Court of Appeal’s decision takes precedence over the decision of the lower court.

“I am bound to respect the Court of Appeal’s decision, irrespective of my personal conviction.

“Since this court is lower in hierarchy to the Court of Appeal, it cannot wish away the Court of Appeal’s decision on the same issues filed earlier by the same parties.”

The judge further held that a prima facie case had been established against Akingbola in the proof of evidence attached to the information.

He said Akingbola, in his statements to the EFCC, never

denied knowledge of various transactions relating to the sums of money allegedly stolen during his tenure at the bank.

Reports say that Olanipekun had, on July 10, asked the court to dismiss the charge, arguing that the EFCC had no power to initiate criminal proceedings at the state high court.

He had further argued that the proof of evidence had not linked Akingbola to any of the charges preferred against him.

The application was, however, opposed by the EFCC counsel, Mr. Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), who urged the court to dismiss it.

Reports say that the matter was adjourned till September 19 for mention.

Comrade Friday Obanor, former chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State Council (right) presenting a gift to Citizen Kola-Emma Okhaku, Deputy General Manager, Marketing, during the 2013 Annual General Meeting of The staff of Multi-purpose Cooperative Society of Bendel Newspapers Company Limited last Thursday in Benin City.

PHOTO: Lucky Agie.

Mrs. Mabel Imoisili, President of Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, staff Multi-purpose Cooprative Society (middle) making a speech during the 2013 Annual General Meeting.

Left is Mrs Emilia Ayeni, Assistant Secretary and Pastor Eghosa Idehen, Vice President of the society. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

CNPP, PDP Disagree Over Budget Performance LAGOS-Mixed reactions have continued to trail the 83 per cent budget performance the Lagos State Government announced on July 11.

While the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) lauded the budget performance, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described it as far-fetched.

Reports say that Governor Babatunde Fashola had in Ikeja announced the rating at the 2013 budget half year appraisal.

He said the performance represented a 22 per cent increase above the first quarter figure of 61 percent.

The 2013 budget of N499.6 billion, comprising N269.87 billion for capital projects and N88.95 billion for recurrent expenditures, was approved by the State House of Assembly in December 2012.

The State Chairman of CNPP, Mr Akinola Obadia, described the budget performance as “a groundbreaking record.’’

“Roads and other projects we thought had been abandoned are now at various completion stages.

“The government has really

buckled up. The budget performance is commendable,’’ he told newsmen.

But the PDP said the performance rating was unconvincing and also amounted to “self-praise.’’

“The opinion of the party is

echoed and premised on the fact that not only has Governor Fashola performed so abysmally, the so-called developments in the state are meagre,’’ the party said in a statement.

The statement was signed by the State Publicity Secretary,

Mr. Taofik Gani.

It challenged the state government to organise a media tour of the projects so far executed, to justify the 83 per cent budget performance.

“We continue to wonder whether areas such as Ayobo, Igando, Makoko, Ajeromi, Ejigbo, Ifako-Ijaiye and others are still part of Lagos State, considering the bad roads in those areas.’’

discovered a bag of charms.

“When I entered her room, I saw a bag full of charms and I wondered what she was doing with those charms,” he said.

The petitioner pleaded with the court to dissolve the union as he had fallen out of love with the woman and had become an object of scorn in the area, due to her adulterous lifestyle.

However, Kemi, a 39-year-old trader, said the bag of charms belonged to her late brother.

“The bag of charms belongs to my late brother. When my brother died, his landlord called me to come for his property,” she explained.

The mother of four denied being fetish and rather accused the

petitioner of engaging in fetish practice.

According to her, the last time Adesola made love to her, he used one oily substance to rob his manhood and after the episode, she took ill.

“After that day, I was very sick and became emaciated. If not for the quick intervention of my family, I would have been dead by now,” she said.

The respondent also denied the allegation of dating two men on their street; but however urged the court to grant her husband’s wish.

Kemi said that she was also no longer in love with the father of her children.

The Court President, Mrs. Salewa Banjoko, adjourned the case to July 22 for further hearing.

Man Seeks Divorce Over Infidelity

LAGOS- A 54-year-old businessman, Adesola Bakare, has urged an Iyana-Ipaja Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve his 23-year-old marriage to his wife, Kemi, over alleged infidelity.

The petitioner told the court that his wife was dating two men on their street, unknown to him.

“The day I knew she was dating them, it was because the two men engaged one another in a fight on the street, claiming ownership of my wife.

“I can no longer walk freely on my street as people point and make jest of me,” he lamented.

Bakare also claimed that his estranged wife engaged in fetish practice.

According to him, when he entered his wife’s bedroom after she moved out in June 2012, he

Across The Nation Army Intercepts ArmsLoaded Petrol Tanker

A cross section of members of staff of Bendel Newspapers Company Multi-purpose Co-operative society at the 2013 Annual General Meeting. PHOTO: Lucky Agie.

Expert Advises Couples on Genotype Test IIORIN - A health professional, Malam Olatunbosun Lukman, on Friday urged prospective couples to ascertain their genotype before wedding to prevent giving birth to children with Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Lukman, a medical laboratory scientist with the University of IIorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), gave the advise while delivering a Ramadan lecture in Ilorin.

Reports say that the annual Ramadan lecture was at the instance of the Islamic Missionaries Association of Nigeria (IMAN).

The medical expert whose paper titled: “Sickle Cell Anaemia: its Prevention and Management”, advocated the introduction of genetic counselling for potential couples.

This, he said, would reduce or eradicate cases of death among children.

Lukman, said that Sickle Cell Anaemia patients were prone to various infections and complications which could lead to untimely death.

AWKA - The Anambra Government says it will spend more than N1 billion to buy HIV test kit.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Lawrence Ikeako, announced this on Saturday at an interactive session on HIV, organised by the state government in Awka.

Ikeako said that though the prevalence of HIV in the state, put at 8.7 per cent, was relatively low, the government was worried and determined to fight the scourge.

The commissioner, who identified poverty and unemployment as some of the causes of HIV, said the state government was making efforts to create jobs and empower the

security patrol vehicles to vigilante groups in177 communities and major markets in the state.

Presenting the vehicles assembled by Innoson Comapny, a local assembly plant in Nnewi, Obi said the gesture was aimed at intensifying security in the state.

He warned that the vehicles must not be used to provide escort to politicians and other non-security-related activities.

The governor also presented cheques worth more than N250 million for the payment of salaries to 10 vigilante personnel and for fueling of the vehicles for a year.

The medical expert emphasised the need for the people to always love and care for people living with sickle cell.

Lukman urged religious leaders to always enlighten prospective couples on the dangers of the disease through their preaching.

He further advised Nigerians to always seek for appropriate information on their health status to improve their wellbeing.

BIRNIN KEBBI - The Army has announced the interception of a petrol tanker vehicle loaded with arms and ammunitions in Kebbi.

The Commanding Officer, 1 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Sunday Ilori, told newsmen on Saturday in Birnin Kebbi that the vehicle, bearing the logo of Mobil Oil, was intercepted on July 11, in a joint operation with men of the State Security Service.

He listed the items recovered in the fuel compartment of the oil tanker as three AK 47 Riffles, one RPG-2, nine AK

Pupils of Carol Primary School, Agege, dramatising at the 2013 tree planting campaign in Lagos recently.

47 magazines, two bombs, three RPG chargers and 790 rounds of 7.62mm of special ammunitions “The arrest and confiscation of arms was sequel to the on-going operations of the 1 Battalion of the Nigerian Army with headquarters in Sokoto, against insurgency and insurgent activities within its area of responsibilities.

“The efforts resulted in the arrest of one suspect, arms and ammunition and a petrol tanker on July 11, 2013 after a combined operation between the 1 Battalion of the Nigerian Army and the State Security Services,” Ilori said.

He added that two other suspects had escaped when the vehicle was intercepted, assuring that investigation was on to “unravel the source and ownership of the arms and ammunition”.

The commanding officer appealed to the public to continue supporting the Army and other security agencies in the current war against insurgents in the country.

The suspect claimed that he was paid N500,000 to deliver the items to Sokoto and that the owners had threatened to eliminate his family.

Anambra To Spend N1bn On HIV Test Kit people economically.

Presenting a report on post flooding in the state, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, said efforts were being made to forestall a recurrence of the disaster.

Obaze said that flood destroyed property worth about N26 billion and urged the Federal Government to release more funds to the state to enable it to fully rehabilitate the victims.

Gov. Peter Obi expressed regret at the rising level of social decadence in the state and threatened to pull down buildings where sex workers were operating.

Obi said government planned to acquire the test kit to make them

Obi Donates 250 Security Vehicles To Reports say that Obi’s AWKA- Governor. Peter Obi Communities administration had earlier of Anambra has distributed 250 purchased more than 300 vehicles for security agencies in the state.

The Chairman of Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Alfred Achebe, who spoke at the occasion, commended Obi for his concern for security.

Achebe also commended his development of all sectors of the state, describing the effort as “unprecedented”.

easily accessible to the people as well as enhance detection and management of the virus.

He warned the people against dumping refuse on water ways, to reduce of floods.

“Again, it has been predicted that there may be flooding this year; government is making efforts to minimise the impact but we must stop blocking drainage systems,” Obi advised.

Meanwhile The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has launched a new framework to accelerate action aimed at reaching 15 million people with antiretroviral (ARV) treatment by 2015.

This is contained in a statement issued by Ms Jeanne Seck, Communication Officer, UNAIDS, in Abuja.

It said that the framework entitled “Treatment 2015’’ offered countries and partners both practical and innovative ways of increasing the number of people accessing antiretroviral medicines.

It quoted Mr. Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS, as saying: “These medicines will not only enable people living with HIV to live longer and healthier lives, they will also help prevent new HIV infections.

“Reaching the 2015 target will be a critical milestone; countries and partners need to urgently and strategically invest resources and efforts to ensure that everyone has access to HIV prevention and treatment services.’’

It added that the framework would take into account the new consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection released in June by WHO. According to the statement, the guidelines recommend that people living with HIV start antiretroviral therapy (ART) much earlier.

It also quoted Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO as saying: “Scale up of ART is an unprecedented global success story for public health.

“Maintaining this momentum will require earlier treatment and innovative ways for enabling more people to take the medicine such as the one-pill daily, a regimen recommended by the new WHO guidelines.

“Substantial further scale-up of access to these medicines provides us with a unique opportunity to push this epidemic into irreversible decline.’’

Amb. Eric Goosby, U.S.

Global AIDS Coordinator, said in the statement that scaling up access to antiretroviral treatment was critical to achieving an AIDS-free generation.

“PEPFAR is firmly committed to continue working with partner countries and other stakeholders, to help make this vision a reality, but we all must in the responsibility to get there,’’ he said. Goosby said.

PEPFAR is a 15 billion-dollar, five- year (2003–2008), initiative

by U.S. Government to help save the lives of those suffering from HIV/AIDS around the world.

The statement noted that the framework emphasised the importance of HIV testing and counseling as a gateway to expanding access to antiretroviral therapy and that further efforts are required to normalise HIV testing.

It noted, with delight, that communities where testing campaigns had proven to be effective were Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

The statement noted that just 30 countries accounted for 9 out of 10 persons eligible for antiretroviral therapy but did not have access to the drugs.

Across The Nation Procurement: FG To

Implement Debarment ABUJAThe Federal Procedure

Government said that everything was ready for the implementation of debarment procedure in its procurement process.

The Director General of Bureau of Public Procurement , Mr Emeka Ezeh, made the plan known in Abuja at a one day stakeholder’s workshop on the presentation of Debarment Procedure.

Eze said the move was to ensure effective implementation of the Public Procurement Act 2007.

“For the successful implementation of the public procurement Act 2007, the bureau has developed a debarment procedure after other international good practises that currently exist elsewhere across the globe.

“The proposed debarment procedure is one of the mechanisms developed by the bureau to punish procurement related corrupt activities and inculcate the required discipline in Nigeria’s public procurement system,’’ he said.

Eze said the step would “ultimately improve the way to do business to meet international good practices’’.

He said the process was not new in the procurement value chain across the globe but had been implemented by other countries, even in Africa.

Eze said that the U.S.

Council To Compel Landlords To Build Toilets OKENE (KOGI)-The Okene Local Government of Kogi is to enact a bye-law to compel landlords in the area to provide toilet facilities in their houses.

Mr Salihu Adeku, Supervisory Councilor for Health, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Okene.

Adeku decried the rampant open defecation on road sides and bushes in Okene and its environs due to lack of toilet facilities in most homes.

He said that besides its effects on the environment, the health implications of the practise were enormous, adding that it was responsible for most gastrointestinal diseases in the area.

He expressed concern why landlords would build houses with modern facilities and fail to provide them with toilet facilities, saying the situation is deplorable and unacceptable.

The bye-law, when enacted, would address the problem once and for all as landlords would be compelled to provide toilets in each house, he added.

Adeku said that local government sanitary inspectors would be equipped and reenergised to enforce sanitation laws and to ensure that the directive on construction of toilets was carried out.

He said that the situation was giving the council a lot of concern, adding that defaulters would be adequately sanctioned.

debarment process was among the oldest and its grounds included anti- trust, tax evasion, false statements and bribery in procurement related activities.

He listed the countries that had established their own systems as Kenya, South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, Zimbabwe, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Denmark Senegal, among others.

“In 2007, Nigeria also adopted cross-debarment system in the case of Messrs Lahmeyer International, which was debarred by the World Bank.

He said the Federal Government through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation circular No. SGF/ OP/I/S.3?VII?814 of Jan. 19, 2007 concurrently debarred Messrs Lahmeyer international in Nigeria.

“Therefore, what the bureau is trying to implement is not new as it already exists in other climes where the public procurement law has been implemented,’’ he said.

Renovation

Tenant Drags Caretaker To Court KADUNA- Mrs. Florence Abbas, a tenant at Sabo Tasha, Kaduna, has dragged her caretaker to a Magajin Gari Sharia Court, claiming for refund of N50,000 she spent to renovate a single room occupied by her.

Abbas told the court that the caretaker of the house, Malam Yunusa Ibrahim, refused to refund the money.

The complainant told the court that she paid for a year’s rent which would expire by the end of this year.

According to her, part of the room had collapsed, saying: “I notified him before I took N50,000 to renovate the damaged part of the building.”

She added that: “Instead, he told me that since I am staying there what is the need of asking him for the money I spent; that is why I am in this court so that my right will be given to me.”

However, Ibrahim denied the allegation, saying that he never asked the complainant to renovate the room.

The presiding officer, Khadi Ibrahim Muhammad, asked the complainant if she has any witness but told the court that only God and the accused were her witnesses.

The khadi then asked the accused if he was prepared to swear to an oath as prescribed by Islamic law on his denial of the agreement, and reminded him on the consequences of doing that.

Ibrahim agreed to take the oath instead of agreeing to pay the N50,000, he claimed he knew nothing about.

The khadi adjourned the case to July 19, when the accused was expected to take the sacred oath.

Deputy Director, Highway planning, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Umunna Ekenna (L) and Director, solicitors Department, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Olusola Moore, at the ECOWAS Ministers of Road Infrastructure, Finance and Justice in Abuja on Monday

Rainstorm Destroys 200

DUTSE-The Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said about 200 houses were destroyed by rainstorm on July 14 in Malamadori Council of the state.

Alhaji Aliyu Waziri, the Executive Secretary of

Houses

SEMA, said this in Dutse in an interview with newsmen.

He said that the agency had mobilised its workers to render immediate assistance to the victims.

The secretary stated that “although no life was lost but the destruction done by the storm was enormous.

According to him, the areas mostly affected are: Kampala,

Dunari, Sirinya and Sabongari.

Waziri noted that the state government had set up a seven-man committee to access the extent of damage by the rainstorm.

He added that the committee was headed by the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mahmoud.

Cross-section of participants at an ECOWAS meeting of Ministers of Road Infrastructure, Finance and Justice in Abuja on Monday

Nasarawa Shuts 4 Illegal LAFIA-The Nasarawa State Ministry of Health on Monday announced the closure of four clinics operating without licences in the Karu Local Government Area of the state.

The Head of the Inspectorate Team in the ministry, Dr Damina Ali, told newsmen in Lafia that the closure was in line with the resolve of the State Government to sanitise the

health sector.

Ali, who listed the affected clinics as the Masaka Specialist Clinic, Masaka Central Hospital, Hati Eye Clinic, Masaka and Acten Medical Laboratory Clinic, Mararaba, said the decision was aimed at shutting unregistered clinics in the state.

“The offence committed by the affected clinics include

Clinics quackery practice, lack of qualified personnel, poor facilities and non-registration with the ministry to obtain licence.

“All the affected clinics will remain closed until they register with the ministry and the necessary approval given to

them.”

Ali said that the team would carry out inspection exercises in all the local and development areas, to reduce cases of avoidable deaths in the state.

He called on proprietors of private clinics in the state to register or renew their licences with the ministry, to guard against sanctions.

Business + Economy NACA Reads Riot Act To Foreign Airlines

By AYO AYENI

LAGOS- The acting DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr. Joyce Nkemakom has read riot act to foreign airlines operations in Nigeria.

The Director General was miffed by the non- compliance of a substantial number of the airlines to NCAA’s Revenue Automation requirements, and therefore gave the erring one two weeks to couply or face sanctions.

The directive was given at a meeting with the foreign airline at the Aviation House conference room in Lagos.

According to NCAA’s regulations regarding revenue collection, the operating airlines are mandated to forward derivable data from their last operations to the regulatory body at the shortest

rural households deserved better nutrition and the consumption of more nutritious crops to reduce malnutrition globally.

It also said that Mr Paul Ilona, the Country Manager of HarvestPlus, had advised farmers to cultivate the varieties and consume them, especially children under the age of five and pregnant

women for better health.

Ilona also urged farmers to give the stems to their neighbours during harvest to ensure rapid distribution of the planting materials.

It said that beside improving the health and nutrition of the people, the cultivation of the varieties could provide jobs, improve incomes and lift poor households out of poverty.

possible time.

These datas are forwarded using NCAA’s-AVISES portal for easy and transparent transactions that would facilitate appropriate billing for the ticket sales charge (TSC).

He said the close of any flight on the data required by NCAA for billing is to cover the components including flight number light data ticket number, ticket class, flight route, originating country, currency of sale, basic fare, security tax, airport tax, total fare and rate of exchange.

However, some airlines requested for more time to synctnonise their operating system with the portal while others were discovered to be contending with some parts of the components especially, the security and airport tax.

However, the DG said this way unacceptable since they, were stipulated country taxes which apply all over the world, saying that there were also fears to avoid antitrust tendencies from competitors which was pithy allayed.

The NCAA is frowning at the delay in compliance as the alternate measure is manual composition which is cumbersome time consuming and fraught with human errors.

Which could lead to loss of revenue.

Mr. Nkemakolam therefore advised those airlines that have

transaction crimes in our present age.

“We need more than one department in the police to deal with electronic fraud, even the average police station should have people that understand cyberassisted crime,” he said.

Banjo said that the present telecom network were not reliable enough to handle electronic transactions effectively.

“The telecom network is still not good enough to make our electronic transactions reliable; we need more infrastructure to meet with the

demand of transactions issues.

“The government should also enforce their licensing conditions, and make them to concentrate on the quality of service, rather than engaging in promos and lotteries that will congest the network.’’

He urged the government to ensure that electronic transactions penetrate all parts of the country.

“Presently, we only have electronic payment transactions in Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt; but the country will require more infrastructure to penetrate other states in the country,” he said.

Banjo said that the country required a cyber-crime law and adequate infrastructure, to handle the abuse of electronic transactions.

“By the time everybody starts using the electronic transactions, the criminal element will come.

“Anytime you bring in something new, the first challenge is that the criminals will begin to abuse it,” he said.

Banjo, therefore, urged the National Assembly to expedite the passage of the Cyber Security Bill now before it.

First Lady of Lagos State, Dame Emmanuella Abimbola Fashola SAN (middle), representative of Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Toyin Onisarotu (left) and the Chairman, Kosofe Local Government, Hon. Babatunde Sofola (right) during the 2013 Tree Planting Campaign with the theme, “Green is Peace” at Oworosoki Playing Ground, Oworosoki, Lagos recently.

Research Institutes Distribute Pro-Vitamin A ABUJA- The International Cassava Variety To Farmers Institute of Tropical Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, and the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Umuahia on Monday said they had commenced distribution of Pro-vitamin A cassava variety to farmers.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Information Officer of the IITA, Mr Godwin Atser, in Abuja.

The statement said that the variety, popularly known as yellow cassava, was being distributed to rural households to help combat vitamin A deficiency in the country.

“Popularly known as yellow cassava, the new improved varieties hold part of the solution to Vitamin A deficiency in Africa.

“It is no longer news that vitamin A deficiency is widespread in Nigeria, afflicting about 20 per cent of pregnant women and 30 per cent of children below the age of five.

“A deficiency in vitamin A leads to poor health, blindness, stunting and even death,” the statement said.

It also said the research institutes developed the variety after decades of conventional breeding efforts with funds from HarvestPlus an International Food Policy Research Institute.

According to the statement, distribution of the variety will enable farmers to have access to vitamin A cassava stems for planting across major cassava producing states.

“The plan is to ensure that over two million farmers have access to vitamin A cassava stems for planting across the major cassava producing states with initial emphasis on Akwa Ibom, Benue, Imo and Oyo State as regional hubs.”

It said that Harvestplus and its partners planned to distribute 300,000 bundles of the stems to 100,000 households this year.

The statement said that over 40,000 farmers in Akwa Ibom, Abia, Anambra, Benue, Edo,

Rivers had received the stems from June to date.

It said that more states would receive the stems before the end of next month, adding that the effort was made possible because more than 500 hectares of the varieties were multiplied last year.

The institute said that stakeholders believed that

Group Wants Improved Electronic Transactions System

LAGOS-The President of the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Mr Bayo Banjo, has advised the Federal Government to provide adequate infrastructure, for effective electronic transactions system in the country.

Banjo gave the advice in an interview newsmen with in Lagos.

He said that the provision of adequate infrastructure would put an end to the challenges facing the electronic transactions system.

The NIG chief regretted that the state of the electronic system in the country was nothing to compare with the global standard.

Banjo said that the challenges in the electronic transactions landscape were increasingly becoming worrisome among stakeholders.

He said that the infrastructure should include the law of evidence, the training of security personnel and judges to handle electronic crimes effectively.

“If the country wants to succeed with the cashless transactions, there is need to train our judges to be capable of handling electronic

hot complied to integrate their operations to the NCAA portal for seamless date transfer.

NSE: Stocks

Appreciate By 0.90 Percent

LAGOS-Equity transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has opened on a bullish trend as some major blue chips recorded price appreciations. newsmen reports that the AllShare Index, due to the gains, appreciated by 337.83 basis points or 0.90 per cent to close at 37,720.32 points from 37,382.49 points.

Similarly, the market capitalisation grew by N107 billion to close at N11.945 trillion from the N11.838 trillion recorded on July 12.

Guinness led the price gainers’ table with N14.89 to close at N266 per share.

7-UP trailed with N4.99 to close at N59.99 per share, while Julius Berger added N4.87 to close at N74.89 per share.

Nigerian Breweries appreciated by N3 to close at N168 per share, while the Unilever share price grew by N2 to close at N60 per share.

On the other hand, CAP led the losers’ chart by N2.50 to close at N46 per share.

Berger Paints followed with N1.09 to close at N9.85 per share, while Arbico dipped by 62k to close at N5.60 per share.

NASCON lost 31k to close at N12.89 per share, while Access Bank dropped 19k to close at N3.16 per share.

In all, investors bought 189.46 million shares worth N2.5 billion in 5,291 deals, as against the 247.91 million shares valued at N2.1 billion traded in 5,032 deals on July 12.

FCMB stock was the toast of investors as it exchanged 21.47 million shares valued at N106.96.

It was followed by Custody Insurance, which sold 16.43 million shares valued at N26.45 million.

FBN Holdings also traded 13 million shares worth N235 million, while UBA sold 10.92 million valued at N90.39 million.

L-R: AIG in Charge of Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti States, Mr. Gabriel Orubebe, his wife, Patience, Author of the Book, Prophet Oluwole Adewale and Book Presenter, Chief Kola Oyadeji, at the launch of a Book Titled: “Keys To Breakthrough” in Ibadan recently.

NSE DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (EQUITIES) AS AT YESTERDAY(16/07/13) 7UP

59.99

64.9

4.91

18

ABCTRANS

1.11

1.15

0.04

12

ACADEMY

2

2

0

3

11,133,681.19

MCNICHOLS

229,800

265,341.93

MOBIL

117.81

117.81

0

16,551

30,533.84

MRS

19

20.9

1.9

183,699

1.67

1.67

0

5

102,000

160,020.00

30

74,478

8,580,246.71

11

105,746

2,208,891.40

ACCESS

11.2

11.2

0

251

12,085,992

135,209,358.14

MULTITREX

0.5

0.5

0

2

19,000

9,700.00

AFRIPRUD

1.7

1.74

0.04

53

668,042

1,158,719.98

MULTIVERSE

0.5

0.5

0

1

6,000

3,000.00

AGLEVENT

1.45

1.45

0

1

22,250

32,485.00

NAHCO

7.15

7.21

0.06

89

2,368,636

17,357,789.37

AIICO

0.94

0.93

-0.01

57

2,186,206

2,053,354.78

NASCON

12.89

12.86

-0.03

40

658,606

8,484,333.14

AIRSERVICE

4.8

4.8

0

20

312,000

1,495,738.50

NB

168

170.05

2.05

280

5,989,230

1,017,619,575.27

ASHAKACEM

27

27

0

114

2,419,634

65,176,018.00

NCR

18.7

18.7

0

1

58

976.14

AVONCROWN

1.71

1.71

0

2

2,174

3,347.96

NEIMETH

1.21

1.21

0

11

214,777

268,213.74

BERGER

9.85

9.85

0

7

15,196

146,474.99

NEM

0.72

0.7

-0.02

40

7,417,737

5,230,158.64

BETAGLAS

11

11

0

9

34,585

380,551.00

NESTLE

999.99

999.99

0

112

60,667

60,670,740.04

BOCGAS

7.5

7.5

0

6

7,900

53,355.00

NIG-GERMAN

8.17

8.17

0

2

300

2,208.00

CADBURY

52.6

52.05

-0.55

64

405,210

21,135,580.19

NIGERINS

0.5

0.5

0

2

2,200

1,100.00

CAP

46

45.05

-0.95

15

100,146

4,534,112.59

NIGROPES

7.85

7.85

0

1

6,500

45,955.00

CAPHOTEL

4.59

4.59

0

1

500

2,070.00

NNFM

26.5

26.5

0

1

300

8,700.00

CAPOIL

0.5

0.5

0

1

130

65

NPFMCRFBK

0.96

0.96

0

3

130,000

124,800.00

CCNN

10.6

10.3

-0.3

17

402,100

4,133,424.00

OANDO

12.43

13

0.57

292

7,398,403

93,005,935.86

CHAMPION

7.77

8.54

0.77

3

85,000

725,900.00

OASISINS

0.5

0.5

0

2

11,000

5,500.00

CHAMS

0.5

0.5

0

2

138,727

69,363.50

OKOMUOIL

45.85

45

-0.85

74

1,460,844

65,802,966.74

CILEASING

0.5

0.5

0

3

165,144

82,572.00

OMATEK

0.5

0.5

0

1

3,743

1,871.50

CONOIL

23

23

0

23

17,884

426,884.98

PAINTCOM

1.84

1.84

0

3

25,124

46,228.16

CONTINSURE

1.28

1.28

0

3

5,908

6,853.28

PHARMDEKO

2.07

2.07

0

1

100

200

CORNERST

0.62

0.57

-0.05

14

870,100

491,110.39

PORTPAINT

6.99

6.99

0

28

758,401

5,160,088.63

COSTAIN

1.43

1.43

0

30

539,356

779,030.52

PRESCO

39.85

40

0.15

46

650,593

25,995,817.00

COURTVILLE

0.68

0.69

0.01

24

3,703,300

2,541,649.00

PRESTIGE

0.53

0.57

0.04

12

1,036,053

564,760.21

CUSTODYINS

1.72

1.58

-0.14

30

1,020,665

1,628,553.88

PZ

39.36

40.29

0.93

122

852,399

34,300,082.99

CUTIX

1.98

1.8

-0.18

13

323,900

583,215.00

REDSTAREX

4.95

4.75

-0.2

8

143,822

680,771.50

DAARCOMM

0.5

0.5

0

3

14,000

7,000.00

REGALINS

0.5

0.5

0

1

687,500

343,750.00

DANGCEM

190

190

0

35

217,642

41,329,715.42

RESORTSAL

0.5

0.5

0

2

3,500

1,750.00

DANGFLOUR

9.5

9.5

0

60

793,971

7,669,377.58

ROYALEX

0.56

0.56

0

3

7,667

4,293.52

DANGSUGAR

12.17

12.2

0.03

132

7,149,842

86,899,951.49

RTBRISCOE

1.63

1.6

-0.03

19

638,093

985,669.49

DIAMONDBNK

6.82

6.85

0.03

114

4,940,580

33,821,342.52

SCOA

5.32

5.32

0

2

1,000

4,790.00

DNMEYER

1.48

1.48

0

2

3,496

4,946.84

SKYEBANK

4.9

4.9

0

103

3,036,009

14,730,374.52

DUNLOP

0.5

0.5

0

2

144,072

72,036.00

SOVRENINS

0.5

0.5

0

6

1,890,000

945,000.00

EKOCORP

4.32

4.32

0

1

817

3,178.13

STANBIC

15.3

15.3

0

35

172,210

2,640,412.13

ETERNA

3.16

3.3

0.14

25

499,576

1,619,925.90

STDINSURE

0.5

0.5

0

1

50,000

25,000.00

ETI

15.2

15.01

-0.19

82

6,668,935

101,525,793.24

STERLNBANK

2.64

2.68

0.04

51

3,084,988

8,205,488.70

EVANSMED

3.89

3.95

0.06

37

2,667,538

10,559,804.07

TANTALIZER

0.5

0.5

0

3

11,909,901

5,954,950.50

FBNH

18.2

18.37

0.17

624

13,543,738

249,459,411.22

TOTAL

159.99

159.99

0

14

7,806

1,228,777.16

FCMB

5

4.9

-0.1

66

7,727,101

37,853,399.15

TRANSCORP

1.36

1.4

0.04

158

617,980,360

865,098,942.57

FIDELITYBK

3.09

3.08

-0.01

109

3,499,610

10,714,786.18

TRANSEXPR

2.21

2.21

0

2

2,075

4,173.25

FIDSON

2.04

2.02

-0.02

45

1,661,321

3,381,834.09

UAC-PROP

15

15

0

10

68,125

1,018,153.40

FLOURMILL

85.03

88

2.97

107

770,356

68,528,511.75

UACN

59.25

59.25

0

91

255,607

15,188,605.37

FO

20.34

22.37

2.03

22

183,497

4,104,827.89

UBA

8.21

8.4

0.19

412

15,709,593

130,926,132.70

FORTISMFB

6.6

6.6

0

2

5,500

36,300.00

UBCAP

1.1

1.11

0.01

128

15,882,461

17,530,051.71

FTNCOCOA

0.5

0.5

0

4

2,200,000

1,100,000.00

UBN

12

12.28

0.28

81

634,250

7,730,017.87

GLAXOSMITH

55.1

55

-0.1

92

2,007,162

110,411,140.20

UNIC

0.5

0.5

0

2

100,000

50,000.00

GNI

0.5

0.5

0

1

4,968

2,484.00

UNILEVER

60

62.49

2.49

79

626,195

38,139,914.27

GUARANTY

26.52

25.9

-0.62

479

14,587,202

379,987,153.49

UNIONDAC

0.5

0.5

0

15

5,165,000

2,582,500.00

GUINEAINS

0.5

0.5

0

2

10,200

5,100.00

UNITYBNK

0.63

0.64

0.01

65

10,845,932

6,753,630.95

GUINNESS

266

266

0

79

102,017

26,825,882.73

UNIVINSURE

0.5

0.5

0

1

120,000

60,000.00

HMARKINS

0.5

0.5

0

7

222,810

111,405.00

UPL

4.8

4.8

0

5

18,994

92,059.42

HONYFLOUR

3.27

3.28

0.01

35

580,676

1,899,155.11

UTC

0.65

0.65

0

10

64,741

42,036.05

IHS

2.6

2.86

0.26

7

350,013

998,781.18

VITAFOAM

4.51

4.51

0

17

180,880

803,640.60

IKEJAHOTEL

0.95

0.86

-0.09

12

1,144,510

986,166.70

WAPCO

99.98

97.5

-2.48

39

338,136

32,965,565.38

INTBREW

25.5

25.5

0

32

193,731

4,757,050.43

WAPIC

0.9

0.99

0.09

38

3,027,857

2,708,500.28

IPWA

0.9

0.99

0.09

17

636,247

629,630.53

WEMABANK

1.19

1.12

-0.07

53

4,527,022

5,007,845.78

JAPAULOIL

0.53

0.53

0

48

2,154,793

1,116,483.49

ZENITHBANK

21

21.47

0.47

455

23,035,404

494,293,958.63

JBERGER

74.89

79.78

4.89

59

574,032

44,668,665.79

JOHNHOLT

1.4

1.4

0

6

18,336

25,856.76

JOSBREW

1.1

0.99

-0.11

3

109,800

108,702.00

LEARNAFRCA

1.76

1.76

0

5

30,509

53,208.58

LIVESTOCK

4.9

5.1

0.2

51

1,772,732

8,858,424.96

MANSARD

2.01

2.03

0.02

7

489,090

988,352.70

MAYBAKER

2.68

2.7

0.02

58

3,367,492

8,795,487.66

MBENEFIT

0.5

0.5

0

2

1,200

600

TOP 10 GAINERS Stock 7UP JBERGER FLOURMILL UNILEVER NB FO MRS PZ CHAMPION OANDO

Close 64.9 79.78 88 62.49 170.05 22.37 20.9 40.29 8.54 13

TOP TOP 10 10 LOSERS GAINERS Gain

Stock

4.91 4.89 2.97 2.49 2.05 2.03 1.9 0.93 0.77 0.57

WAPCO CAP OKOMUOIL GUARANTY CADBURY CCNN REDSTAREX ETI CUTIX CUSTODYINS

Close 97.5 45.05 45 25.9 52.05 10.3 4.75 15.01 1.8 1.58

Loss -2.48 -0.95 -0.85 -0.62 -0.55 -0.3 -0.2 -0.19 -0.18 -0.14

THE National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently increased electricity tariff of consumers in the fixed charge from N500 to N700 or N800, depending on the location. Also, private consumers with metres had their fixed monthly re-charge tariff jerked from N500 to N750.

THE Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi while defending the Federal Government’s position on the recent increase in fixed electricity charges said the Multi Year Tariff Order had an approved tariff stipulated for 2012 to 2016. The MYTO, which was prepared by NERC showed that there would be increases in electricity tariff every year till 2016.

WE are worried at the rip off of customers by a government electricity regulatory agency as the current tariff schedule revealed that consumers would have to pay higher on two fronts. Every year, the fixed cost will go up.

Similarly, the energy cost or cost per kilowatt hour of electricity.

NERC had consistently said that increase in electricity tariff would be for the short run and that the amount payable by consumers would begin to fall when the country produced enough electricity. But we differ with the position of the commission because, it is only exhibiting the characteristics of a monopolistic agency of government.

NIGERIANS have expected that the on-going reforms in the industry would help break the

THE NIGERIAN

Increase In Electricity Tariff current monopoly being enjoyed by NERC and when that is done, the cost of electricity just as what obtains curently in the telecommunications sector would be subjected to market forces of demand and supply. A situation where NERC fixes prices arbitrarily for consumers, very often without appropriate consultation, sometimes without appropriate metering is unacceptable. We believe that NERC still needs to put its house in order.

WE expect that electricity tariff should be lowest under government regulation and citizens can begin to witness increases with entrance of private investors. The current scenario is like, consumers paying for private companies that would eventually take over the services of energy production and distribution in the country, when they are no shareholders.

THE increase in tariff is also most reprehensible when viewed against the backdrop of continued erratic power supply in the country and system collapses that has characterised the sector even in recent times.

ADDITIONALLY, while the NERC chairman regretted that the distribution companies have not been very committed to meeting their obligations, particularly in the area of metering, and accurate billing of customers, it still makes matters worse by foisting new tariff on consumers.

WE ask NERC to revert to the old tariff and put on hold the new tariff that has generated a lot of controversy across the country and urge the commission to await the takeover of such services by preferred bidders under the Federal Government Privatization agenda. We believe that as new investors enter the power sector, particularly the distribution companies, services would also pick up and then we expect gradual increases in tariff, not the current arrangement where there is a four year price jerking plan.

WHILE we appreciate the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for rejecting the new tariff introduced by NERC, we call on all well meaning Nigerians, Civil Society Organisations and other Non-State actors to rise up to protect the rights of Nigerian electricity consumers. We acknowledge that energy harnessing and distribution deserves income from investments. We also assert that such incomes have to be earned. In other words, just as we abhor consumers defrauding the energy providers, we similarly abhor a situation where electricity providers would also take undue advantage of Nigerians.

THE World Health Organization (WHO) defined air pollution as an indoor or out door infestation of the environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristic of the atmosphere.

Also, the common source of air pollution are Household Combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and forest fires.

According to the chartered institute of Environment Health Website, Air Pollution is particulate matter which encompasses the smell solid or liquid substance that are released into the atmosphere through many activities. For instance industrial processes as well as the burning of fossil fuels, release particulate matter into the atmosphere particulate matter is easily visible as smoke, sect or dust and other particulate matter that is not easily visible include; air borne as bestows particles and small particles of heavy metal such as arsenic, copper, lead and zinc.

Air pollution can result from both human and natural causes or activities.

Natural events that pollute the air includes forest fires, volcanic eruptional, wind erosion pollen dispersal eusporation of organic compounds and natural radio activity. Pollution from natural activities are not often compare to Human Activities. Human activities that result to air pollution includes; Emission from industries and manufacturing activities, when you see a

manufacturing company you will notice that there are long tubes called (chimneys) erected high into the air with fumes coming out of it. Waste i n c i n e r a t o r s , manufacturing industries and power plants emit high levels of carbon monoxide, organic compounds, and chemical into the air.

Petroleum refineries also release lots of hydrocarbons into the air.

Burning fossil fuels; After the industrial age transportation has become a key part of our lives. Cars and heavy duty trucks, trains, shipping vessels and air plains all burn lots of fossil fuel to work emissions from automobile engines contain both primary and secondary pollution. These are major cause of pollution in Nigeria. This is very difficult to manage because humans rely heavily on vehicles and cars for transporting people, goods and service. Fumes from car exhaust contain dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide, oxide of nitrogen, hydro-carbon and particulates. On their own.

They cause great harm to people who inhale them, they react with environmental gases to create further toxic gases.

Household and family chemical; crept dusting fumigation homes, household cleaning products or painting supplies, over the counter insect or pest killer, fertilizer dust, harmful chemical into the cause pollution.

In many cases when we use these chemical at home or offices with no little ventilation, we may fall ill

Environment Pollution And The Environment

By WINIFRED OSASOBO

if we inhale them.

The level of effect usually depend on the length of time of exposure, as well as the kind and concentration of chemical and particles exposed to; The short term effect includes irritation of

when they breathe in polluted air which aggreuded medical condition or complications according to website, eschoel today.com In Nigeria, urban environments is

the eye, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infection such as bronchitis and pneumonia other includes headaches, nausea and allergic reaction. Short term air pollution can aggravated the medical condition of an individual with asthma and emplysema, long term include chronic respiratory disease lung cancer, heart disease and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, kidneys among other even children can be affected

characterized with increase of particulate, because most dwellers are constantly exposed to the hazard especially motorbike (Okada) riders and their passengers and does who live close to the traffic clogged area. Thus, urban inhabitants are typically plagued by a series of complaints including eye irritation and respiratory problems. It was asserted by Okecha (2000) and Efe (2003) that high rate if respiratory

“Burning fossil fuels; After the industrial age transportation has become a key part of our lives. Cars and heavy duty trucks, trains, shipping vessels and air plains all burn lots of fossil fuel to work emissions from automobile engines contain both primary and secondary pollution.�

disease occasioned by increased concentration were experience by residents of most urban areas, they also noted that resident of refinery road, commercial areas, traffic clogged areas are high densitys residential in the Warri metropolis were

fatally succumb to sulphur IV oxide, more commonly referred to as sulphur dioxide.

Particulate matter that enter the lungs may lodge there and result in chronic respiratory problem including emphysema

most effected, infant school children in Benin City, Ibadan, Kano and PorHarcourt among other are affected.

A Scholar Generally believes that particulate matters in urban area of Nigeria has the following health implication.

Oxides of surpher and nitrogen combined with water vapour in the atmosphere causes acid rain in cities when these acids are consumed they cause acidosis in human body. Excess accumulation in human body can lead to death.

Gaseous pollutant stimulate cougher in patients, suffering from chronic bronchitis, and those patients with heart and lung disease may

respiratory tuberculosis.

According to WHO Reduction of air pollution levels will decreased the global burden of disease from these illnesses.

Pollution prevention requires policies on air quality and transport, air pollution control regulations includes emission controls industry and promotion of clean, renewable energy sources in door air pollution include switching from home use of solid fuel to cleaner fuels and efficient technology and ventilation in homes, schools and the working environment and stopping smoking efforts to significantly reduce air pollutant will also help to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and nitigate the effects of global warning.

Economy THE population of women who live below the poverty line in Nigeria stands at 65 per cent of the entire women population of the country, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

It, therefore, implies that 65 out of 100 women in Nigeria are very poor.

Economic analysts, therefore, view the development as worrisome and call for a grassroots economic empowerment programme to emancipate the womenfolk from the shackles of poverty.

In the quest to create an enabling platform for a sustainable poverty reduction programme for women, the Bank of Industry (BOI) is mandated to create funding arrangements for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and related packages.

The bank’s Managing Director, Ms. Evelyn Oputu, said that 85 per cent of the BOI funds were geared toward developing SMEs for the women Oputu disclosed this at the “Private Sector Interactive Session’’, recently organised in Abuja by the Ministry of Women Affairs, UN Women and ECOWAS Commission.

She stressed that the “SMEs desk’’ had been introduced in the bank, while other financial institutions had similarly introduced such policies.

“We should be aware that when a woman is empowered to play an important role in the society, the Gross Domestic Product of the country will be positively impacted.

“We should also understand that the country cannot attain any meaningful development without carrying along about 50 per cent of its population in all development processes,’’ she said.

Oputu said that the bank had a primary mandate to finance and catalyse the

industrial development of the country.

“In the last five years, the vision has been to finance growth and empower the weaker segments of the society to gain access to productive assets and opportunities for sustainable growth and development,’’ she said.

Perspective analysts, however, believe that the major reason why poverty is prevalent among women is because they are predominantly engaged in low-income occupations.

They, therefore, urge the government and its agencies to facilitate the formulation of gender-sensitive policies and initiatives which would enhance the wellbeing of the women.

In her remark, the Executive Director of UN Women, Ms Michelle Bachelet, said that efforts should be made to promote

The Role Of SMEs In Women Empowerment

the economic interests of the women in the workplace, as part of efforts to tackle sociocultural factors hindering their empowerment.

“Many women face a lot of barriers due to traditions; these barriers are holding down, not only the women and their communities but also their countries.

“In workplaces, women should be promoted based on merit; there should be equal pay and benefits to all sexes with 50-50 rights and a strong inclusive role for women,’’ she said.

Bachelet said that Nigeria could only achieve a meaningful growth if the full economic potential of the women was exploited.

However, Prof. Christiana Okogie of the Department of Economics and Statistics in University of Benin noted that the private sector had fared poorly in terms of equal opportunities for men and women in the workplace.

She said that women were hardly involved in decision making in the companies where they were working, while an insignificant number of women had access to credit facilities in banks.

Sharing similar sentiments, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, the wife of Ekiti State Governor, said that women ought to be given a pride of place in the nation’s scheme of things.

She, however, stressed that the Nigerian Women’s Trust

BY CHIJIOKE OKORONKWO Fund was a veritable mechanism which could be used to increase the number of women elected into political positions at all levels of governance in Nigeria.

She said that the mission of the Fund was to facilitate equitable participation and fair play in politics.

While calling for a mechanism that would support women in all spheres of life, Fayemi, however, challenged the women to improve on the quality of leadership which they provided.

In his address, Amb. Kadre Ouedraogo, the President of ECOWAS Commission,

stressed that the finance of gender-based projects was key to sustainable development.

Quedrago, who was represented by the commission’s VicePresident, Dr Toga McIntosh, said that ECOWAS was planning to execute a project for African women entrepreneurs.

“The project will embrace agricultural business, processing and handicrafts, financial and technical support,’’ he added.

Mrs Ifueko OmoiguOkauru, the former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service,

“We should be aware that when a woman is empowered to play an important role in the society, the Gross Domestic Product of the country will be positively impacted. We should also understand that the country cannot attain any meaningful development without carrying along about 50 per cent of its population in all development processes, she said.”

however, has a different view.

She said: “Getting the finance alone does not solve the problem, but believing in what you want to achieve with it.

“Women should be decisive and prudent in their financial transactions while running their businesses.

“Financing is a difficult reality that must be faced; they should know what is available and how to find it.’’

Omoigu-Okauru, nonetheless, urged the women to be more adventurous in order to bridge the occupational gaps existing between men and women.

“Projects, such as ‘the Lady Mechanic Initiative’, which are established for the purpose of empowering young girls and women with technical and mechanical skills should be encouraged,’’ she said.

As part of efforts to tackle the menace of poverty among women, analysts urge the women believe in themselves, while ensuring proper use of available resources in the management of their enterprises.

Agriculture

THE history of agriculture dates back to thousands of years and its development has been driven and defined by greatly different climates, cultures, and technologies.

However, all farming generally rely on techniques to expand and maintain the land that are suitable for raising domesticated species. For plant, this usually requires some irrigation, although, there are methods of dry land farming, pastoral, herding on rangeland which are still the most common means to raise lives stock.

Agriculture in Nigeria falls into two main groups, food crops produced for home consumption and cash crops for export. Cocoa is the leading non- oil foreign exchange earner but the dominance of smallholders and lack of farm labour due to urbanization hold back production. In 1999 Nigeria produced 145,000 tons cocoa beans but Nigeria has the capability to produce 300,000 per year. Rubber is the second largest non-oil earning foreign exchange earner. Farming in Nigeria suffers a lot of neglect and abandonment from investors who rather devote their finance into oil and other sectors. Majority of those who farm in the country suffers from lack of finance and man power to realize a large harvest while only a few rich are able to invest in commercial farming that can be conveniently used for export trading.

Agriculture, accounts for 23 percent of Nigeria’s GDP and engages 3 percent of the economically active population. Agriculture contributed more than 75 percent of export earnings before 1970. Since then, however, agriculture has deteriorated, partly due to government neglect and poor investment, and partly due to ecological factors such as drought, disease, and reduction in soil fertility.

Agriculture contributed 32% to GDP in

Need For Agricultural Development

2001. In recent times, agriculture’s share of exports had declined to less than 10 percent. Once an exporter of food to nearby countries, Nigeria now must import food to meet domestic demand. The present government of Nigeria has made endless promises to revitalize the agricultural sector of the economic which had once fed this nation and nations far and wide with her palms (used to produce palm oil, sesame, cocoa, rubber, cotton, soya beans, plantain, gum Arabic, kola nut, melon sorghum, millet, maize (corn), yams, and cassava all of which were once exported but are now sold mostly locally.

Farming is one major aspect that Nigeria can boast of if properly utilised.

The lack of development in agriculture which has been relinquished to the poor has greatly affect, the country’s economical progress. Most of our graduates even those specialized in the field of agriculture will rather work in an office than work in a farmland. The idea of “white collar” jobs has eaten deep into the logical reasoning of Nigerians that farming is regarded as stressful and sometimes dirty. They had preferred to get money to buy food rather than produce the food themselves. The total outcome of this is that, if every Nigerian is working in an office and paid huge sums of amount, then there will be lack of food and importation of food stuffs will increase.

We often see that rearing of animals and farming is common only amongst individuals who also consume their farm produce. They engage in subsistence farming that may only feed a small number of those in their home.

Commercial farming is one reliable

support that Nigeria can fall back on to boost revenue gathered in the country. It may further be a substitute to oil when it finally fails to sustain the nation, as this is seen in the successes achieved with agriculture in the past years.

Over the years, value has not been added to agricultural commodities this is due to the over emphasis placed on production than on processing, storage and exporting of agricultural products. According to Central Bank of Nigeria data, (2003), oil accounts

for 80% of our exports earning and according to World Bank Country Director, Ms Marie Francoise, the government survives mainly with oil revenue which accounts for over 90 percent of exports.

The road to economic advancement in Nigeria cannot be feasible without

“Government should show some more leadership to encourage and enable the rural business community to create employment and generate wealth in the country side. This is given new life to a lot of beautiful farm lands suitable for agriculture”.

BY ISOKEN UWADIAE a touch on agriculture.

Agriculture is most and essential part in economic growth and sustainability.

Nigeria is blessed with a variety of agricultural potentials ranging from variety of plants, crops, animals and natural agricultural supportive factors like good climate, forest, water and sand. We are blessed with so much yet we lack so much.

Nigeria’s claim as an agrarian economy is hinged

in farming without having a stipulated consumer for the produce.

Agriculture is the hope of every nation, it is an important sector in a country’s economy and has high potentials for economic employment generation, food security, poverty reduction, expand exports and reduce food import and industrialisation. Boosting the agricultural sector is seen as a major tool to help

on two key factors; one is the proportion of the population that is engaged in agriculture in the country, while the second is the share of agriculture in the Gross Domestic Production (GDP). Nigeria has about 79 million hectares of arable land out of which only 32million hectares are cultivated.

With modern research and technology, agriculture provides a great opportunity to turn rural poverty and stagnation into development. At least in theory, the rural youth could produce the food that the urban youth consume creating jobs for them as there will be no beneficiary

realize these areas enumerated. When this is achieved, there will be a Nigeria free from hunger, because the revenue from agricultural produce exported will be judiciously used in settling dept and feeding the nation.

Government should show some more leadership to encourage and enable the rural business community to create employment and generate wealth in the country side. This is given new life to a lot of beautiful farm lands suitable for agriculture.

Imagine a new generation of Nigerian female and male farmers who choose what to grow

next season after checking domestic and international market trends online, using appropriate technology and machinery even on medium size farms. agriculture can a primary driver of Nigeria future growth and provide an increase proportion of her foreign exchange earnings.

A price support system should be re-introduced to guarantee our farmers that what they produce will be purchased. There should also be subsidies to farmers by government with proper supervision although, the government spend N4.7 billion ($30 million) on fertilizer stabilization but the fund is indiscriminately hijacked by bureaucrats,

middlemen and politicians who often have nothing to do with farming. Even the President, Goodluck Jonathan admitted the fact that only 11% of fertilizers get to farmers in the country.

There will continue to be a rapid demand for food at the global and local level thus, If the agricultural sector is given needed attention, it will create long term job employments for Nigerian youths and graduates, scale up production, develop infrastructures, establish agricultural processing zones and increase productivity.

Midweek Magazine Continued from last week

YET, it is above all the foregoing that one cannot but find it as of cardinal necessity to ponder much more deeply and holistically into the organic makeups of what belies the course of man being the cause of the havocs that wreck nations out of their dreamed destiny, that is upon a psychoanalytical glimpse into obstacles and difficulties to which humans are prone, such as are found in unquantifiable afflictions and traumas, other than those of acts of nature as experienced., by Man and Society, are of origin from nowhere else than the counterfeit interplay of the negative template of the Human Mind. This is with emphasis on the exceeding supremacy of this cognate part of the human organ as the cognitive cerebrum, being the patent endowment in man, preferably referred to as the mindset, this being the ‘conveyor-belt’ of the faculty of all senses, that are the mental meaning of exercisable free will that is latent in human nature: as is deductive from the traits of man, in apriori position of disposition that is either Positive or Negative; Good or Bad; Right or Wrong, etcetera. This is also being a juncture at

which to note that the issue of the mind generally for the humans is not as much of the alarming concerns with regards to this expose, than the crux of the matter being the aforesaid man’s impunity and flagrant abuse of the said Nature’s Mental ‘Free Will’ - a phenomenon of which instinctive ‘intendment’ by nature is otherwise for the strictly positive and physical functionality of man: but about which perhaps, for a combination of lack of assimilation, mental deviance and behavioral frailties, man’s illicit use of this ‘Free Will’ had wrought trails of ruinous and adverse reprisals on the Grand Meaning of Life and Living, with smeared effect of the substance and essence of the earthly advent of Man: such that now yearns for exhaustive reflection for a review, on what must be done to be done, at its drastic best, against this man’s mindset of rascality and mental nuisance: and this is to be at the behest of the now more exposed Generation of the Human Race: with a SOLUTION offensive that must be seen as exceedingly beyond the past conventional and’ prosaic efforts of the Stakeholderships of the concerned Group of Eminent Humanists, nay the Psychologists,

Sociologists, Theologians, etcetera, at securing effective stemming of the tide of the perplexing human phobias of anxieties and fear-of-fears, with tension-filled social intercourses; for the mind to be so quarantined as a cittingedge for peace on earth and unfettered good will for Mankind; but the solution wands must be seen to be beyond the routine and a seeming ‘fire brigade’ and/or ‘adhoc’ radius ‘of Gospel Sermonization and Evangelization; and that there is exasperate need for a reach for a clue towards a practically eradicative thrust that would be formidable enough to save Mankind for Her to save Herself from Herself and from the eternity the struggles in the cesspool of manmade TROUBLES. Thus, for a cursory analogy, be it granted that it is from the cognitive mental source that are thought expressions and acts and/or deeds at the points of mutual human interactions; such as when there may arise, angers and/or hurts as may be psychologically provoked or emotionally upset by a party against another, that should be subject of legal penal provisions: that is, just at that ‘level’ that the aggressor may be regarded as ‘wrong’ or

Nigerian Leadersh

By PAUL AMEN-AIFUWA

the ‘offender’: even before such ‘encounter’ may have climaxed to the ‘physical’ as in ‘fisticuffs’, which may be referred to as ‘affray’, in which either the presumed aggrieved party reserves the right to remedy under the extant Civil Law, and

within the same mental storehouse; and with the first part being at the level of ‘thought’, or ‘intent’, which verbal expressions may only be ‘frowned’ at and/or as civil offence under the law; while it’s only the second part as action or deed that may be appended wit the “Penal

President Goodluck Jonathan

about which also exists the leverage for criminal charges to be preferred under the penal statute: this is especially if the same aggrieved party were a victim of, for example, ‘Robbery’ or ‘Murder’; in which this is being a scenario of two matters of questionable sorts from

“Thus, for a cursory analogy, be it granted that it is from the cognitive mental source that are thought expressions and acts and/or deeds at the points of mutual human interactions; such as when there may arise, angers and/or hurts as may be psychologically provoked or emotionally upset by a party against another, that should be subject of legal penal provisions.”

must have incubated first from within the ‘interior’ of the womb of the mind: this being where it strikes as if it may not be due to the ‘assness’ of the law, but an inadvertent oversight by man, to have sidetracked this sensitive aspect of the inevitable ‘insurancehearing’ on the being of the same mentally-

and the Wh it is bad init fro com tha ini exi The ma

Senate President, David Mark

Criminal Charge(s)”.

This is upon the facts that thoughts which gave birth to words before action(s) as the cause of a quarrel before a ‘fight’ ought to be inclusively the ‘principal’ or the ‘prima-face’ or the ‘first- point’ of ‘offence’ under the operative laws: because, if weight of logic is not out of place in evidence and/or onus of proof no act(s) may be of criminality than that which are born from the root of the thought-plane of the Mind. In other words, whatever is the ‘deed’ of man in the ‘exterior’

related debasements on emotions of man by man as human species so endangered by the gross moral malefaction of man, that ought to be guarded against with appropriate statute and codification: just as is of a ‘dog-eat -dog’ scenario of the wild to be imagined, were there to be no law or maximum deterrent against “Murder” as Capital Offence(s): much as this MORAL BRIDLE now becomes critically necessary, especially with the ‘corruptive’ and putridity of the advancing global network of technology

inc am esp Wa gru ling a g cal hau psy the had mo HA ren of a spe per ‘all wh ann The Mi

Midweek Magazine

hip Can Make It

d its eroding effect on culture of humanism. hile it is arguable that s from the inexorably d minds that are tially and basically om which are the mbat-arenas the duels at remained brutally mical to human stence, of all times: e example of which ay be viewed

clusively from the mbiance of wars, pecially the “Cold ars”, of which uesome aftermath still gers in the memory as global museum of lamities that ever unt and taunt the yche of humanity — e ripple effect of which d sired the escalating odern day insecurity AZARDS: as it had ndered Governments all Nations as colossal endrifts; with the rpetual mess of location’ on security, hich goes with huge nual budgeting as for e Police, The National ilitary Outfits and

Defence scheme-ofthings, such that are of the panic to ensure safety and security at the Ports, Immigration and Trans-border Inter-andIntra-links between Countries — all for the apprehension of bandits and armed crimeadventurers; this being with the toll of virulence of alienation, xenophobia and

committed, to be therefore armed at this point in time? This is saying that it is high time that the Nations of the World, at the behest of Nigeria (being amongst the volatile and most vulnerable States), to immediately consider a stand, for the World Body of LEGISLATURES to evoke a scrutiny of

Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Reps

apartheid tendencies of racism; let alone the unforgettable incidence of “Nine-Eleven” perilous Day in America; as has become typical of m a n - i n d u c e d smoulderings of rampant death ‘tremors’ that had eerily overwhelmed the world - all of which that are constituents of bombshells of unabating trepidations for the Hapless Body of Mankind!

Thus, shouldn’t all these suffice as notes of warnings for the collective interest of Humanity whose fate is not only in Her Hands, hut the Architecture to which Her destiny is

cogent by-laws to be entrenched in the constitutions of NA TIONS against attitudinal prejudices and maladjustments of the individual Humans: that arguably but provably deliberate errors, omissions and commissions in ethical conduct of man be

deemed as criminal offence, and thusly be subject of prescribed restraining provisions with the appropriately attached penalties. This is even if for the exigency of the need for such promulgation, and even if only for it also to be a Handy device and or improvisation of a deterrent; ditto even if this be an exercise in ‘Regimentation’ to entreat and compel human mental temperament into wellnigh comportments, and as instrumentality for the criminally unruly human behaviors to be curtailed. This is that the seeds of malleable characters are sown anew towards new habits for the Conception of new Reflexes which would Produce new Nature of Hearts as the Structure of Crutches to Launch societies into unjaundiced mentally Creative endeavors which truly lead to limitless possibilities of the Individual humans.

That the Law Provisions in quest, be absolute arbiter with human-face to restrict the characteristics of man to be Zero-Tolerant to Bestiality and Satanism: with every Heart to be a cultivation that yields Common Good to the Generality of the Common Interest in General Human Interactions that should foreclose wickedness

and sadistic Mental template; and better still, that such order would be a Psycho-Auto-Monitor to enhance and stem and stir the mind into a sort of Man’s Moral Autonomy — a phenomenon in which man would be reflectively internalized in acts of SelfMortification and to be of the ‘Silent-VoicePoliceman’ of One’s Own Conscience.

Herein is the hopeful envisagement of a purifying effect of an antidote that would have been brought to bear redemptively for the riddance and effacement of the background to the Excruciating HumanOriented debacles; and from which Mankind would now recuperate into the Inspiration of the right existential course as is the initial Ordination of the Author of all Creation.

NIGER IA TO CHAMPION L EGISLA TI VE A RMA MENT A GA INST HUMAN ETHICAL VIOLA TION Yet, it is from the forgoing that it would be worthwhile to imagine that barring these timehonored but cancerous issues of inhuman acts of man against man, Nigeria cannot but be a sure candidate to be soonest a World Leader — given the formidable reservoir of her potent human endowments, let

alone the enormous magnitude of mineral resources at her disposal. And while such target of lofty goal would be germane as a foray of aim to be the nation’s.

Gaze, may it therefore form the fulcrum of action by Nigeria (especially as in audacious spirit of her preparedness to break away from the anomalous cocoon of the dark past), to consider it as of national exigency to perfect the machinery for the utility of a compatible legislative frame-work against the said man’s ethical malady that is parental to the ‘criminal’ behavior of man: that this legislative course intended as a master-stroke like an arbiter-in-morality to be marshalled with accomplishment by Nigeria, more so purposefully to serve as her monument of a Centenary Jingle by which to enjoin the rest of the Sister- Nations of the World that are peace-inspired to follow suit: this being by which the otherwise Captive Mankind would be tenaciously on a readysteady track to HELP unchain herself into the realm of, unprecedented resourcefulness of human existialism and the beneficial WONDERS that await man in Creation.

“Yet, it is from the forgoing that it would be worthwhile to imagine that barring these time-honored but cancerous issues of inhuman acts of man against man, Nigeria cannot but be a sure candidate to be soonest a World Leader — given the formidable reservoir of her potent human endowments, let alone the enormous magnitude of mineral resources at her disposal. And while such target of lofty goal would be germane as a foray of aim to be the nation’s.”

Health

Mothering From Heart

Breastfeeding: CHILD birth is a unique experience that every woman prays for and as the children come they become their guardian and care for them in all aspects as they grow up.

These cares include exclusive breastfeeding which plays a vital role in the life of the children.

This experience is said to be natural and emotionally unique as it draws the mother closer to her child. It is one of the most natural, profiting, and benefiting acts that draws a child and mother together to share common bond which is good for the health and growth of that child. Denying the child breasts feeding can be classified as evil as the child may suffer loss of some important nutrients while growing up.

The breast can be defined as the front part of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen that consist of two soft, protruding organs on the upper front of a woman’s body that secrets milk after pregnancy.

It can also be defined as the two mammary glands on the chest of a woman, or the front part of the human body from the neck to the abdomen (www.Dictionary.com).

Feeding is the act of giving food to a person or an animal for growth.

(Collins English Dictionary).

Breastfeeding is the method of feeding a baby with milk directly from the mothers breast without supplement or formula of any type.

It is also the normal way of providing infants with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development.

The world health organization (W.H.O) have stated that colostrums, the yellowish sticky breast milk is recommended as the best food for new born babies and it must be initiated within the first hour after birth.

Doctor Donatus Amuzue a health educator at St Mary Catholic Hospital Gwagwalada F.C.T stated that exclusive breast feeding happens where a mother only gives her child breast milk without water, particular in the first six month after birth.

Also, it is a natural way of improving the love and affection between mother and child. The benefit of breast feeding is incalculable and colostrum has been proven to be infant and prevent a number of childhood diseases.

In recent times, the women folk have sought to abandon breastfeeding as some believe that it is bad for both the mother and the child for them to nurse longer than a month some who refused to nurse their children do so for fear that it will cause their figures and feminine shapes like making their firm breast to sag.

However, Dr. Garba Omale, an obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Garki General Hospital Abuja, insists that it is nature and not breastfeeding that cause sagging of breast “When breast are pulled down by gravity genes which determine the elasticity of your skin and ligament, there are the only thing that can cause sagging.”

Omale explains that the major cause of flabby breast is pregnancy and not breastfeeding.

Many mother’s find that greatest number of flimsy excuses for not nursing their children not minding that breastfeeding allows her and the baby to be emotionally bond in a special way that cannot be matched. Since breastfeeding meets both the nutritional and nurturing needs to nursing is a learned skills for both mother and baby that requires time and patience.

Health Minister Prof.

By ANUGOR BLESSING IFEOMA

Onyebuchi Chukwu who confirmed that the rate of breastfeeding have reduced drastically as Nigeria Exclusive breastfeeding rate dropped from 17% in 2003 to 13% in 2008 described breastfeeding as “the most nutritious hygienic and

So, young mother’s that believe that infant formula does very well as a replacement for breast milk should have a rethink and revert to exclusive breastfeeding.

Moreover, Breastfeeding remains the one and only

cost effective form of nourishment for the infant.”

Aside that there is no other single action through which a mother can impact the present and future health of her baby than breastfeeding. Nothing can duplicate the properties of breast milk no matter how many vitamins, minerals and supplement that is added to what is basically a chemical formulation.

natural, complete and complex nutrition for infant.

It is the natural formula for ensuring the health and quality of life for infants through childhood to adult life.

Similarly health benefit to babies who are breastfed are much as they receive the most complete and optimal mix of nutrients

“In recent times, the women folk have sought to abandon breastfeeding as some believe that it is bad for both the mother and the child for them to nurse longer than a month some who refused to nurse their children do so for fear that it will cause their figures and feminine shapes like making their firm breast to sag.”

and antibodies.

The composition of breast milk keep pace with the infants growth and changing nutritional needs.

Breastfeeding also prevent infection and reduce risks of childhood diabetes, risk of sudden infant death syndrome (S.I.D.S) among infants.

Breastfed infants develop higher intelligence quotient (I.Qs) and have improve brain and nervous system development than those not breastfed. Furthermore plays an important role in the emotional and spiritual development of babies and mother and reduces the risk of heart related diseases later in life.

According to the Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, he stated that breastfeed is beneficial to the health of the mother as it helps in delaying return of fertility thus enabling her to space subsequent pregnancies.

Nursing of the baby by the mother in an added advantage to the mother and the society in general. Its benefits to the mother according to Dr. John

Omega a Surgeon with the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital Bauchi argues that prolonged breastfeeding also reduces the risk of contracting breast uterine, ovarian cervical and endometrical cancer.

In addition breastfeeding is more convenient when traveling. All that is needed by the mother is the clothes, diapers e.t.c. The milk is always there, reading for the child at the right temperature at any time.

These babies, nursed viabreast milk develop good health therapy reducing health care cost to family,

propelled by frequent visit to the doctor’s office, drug prescription over the counter, medicine purchase and hospitalization bills e.t.c.

In addition nursing is also of benefit to the environment as it drops the level of pollution by decreasing the use of resources and energy required to produce, process, package, distribute, promote, and dispose of materials created by the manufacturer and users of artificial baby milk.

In same vein it reduces absenteeism in the work place due to child illness.

In all, breastfeeding makes the mother feel good thereby producing hormones that have an endorphin effect giving her a relaxed feeling.

Babies that are breastfed enjoy more special warm binding and emotional relationship with her mothers.

Natural Medicine

With

Dr. MAO

08030717341

Controlling Malaria Fever

MALARIA parasites in the human blood, transmitted by the female anopheles mosquito, cause malaria fever. The mode of transmission is through the bite of the mosquito.

Impliedly, if you can prevent this bite, you won’t have malaria.

Studies have identified four types of parasites that can cause malaria. Namely, they are: Plasmodium Malaria…. Plasmodium Ovale ….. Plasmodium Falcipaarasite live in the red blood cells. It is within these cells that the parasites multiply and rupture, thus releasing their toxic wastes into the blood stream.

When these wastes build up in the blood, a person begins to experience clinical symptoms of malaria attack.

The symptoms include: Lack of appetite …. Headache…

Drowsiness…

Mental Confusion …Malaise ….

Lethargy …. Weakness or fatigue …. And High temperature accompanied by phasal chills. However, in passing, I must not fail to say that it is advisable to use a laboratory test to diagnose malaria when in doubt. This is why health care givers recommend that you go for a laboratory test to confirm your malaria status if clinical diagnosis alone can’t do so.

But how many of us can afford the burdensome cost of all these procedures.

Hence, the rush to treat the illness by either some health care givers without laboratory test. Self – medication is even adopted in most cases by the victim out of poverty and desperation. Having said this, let me add that malaria deserves immediate treatment. This is because if untreated or not adequately

managed the prognosis of the malaria is fatal in some cases.

For instance, malaria lead to mild jaundice, diarrhoea, severe anaemia, enlarged spleen or splenomegaly, liver failure and celebral toxaemia. It is for this reason, infact, that malaria demands a quick therapy. Given this, nobody needs to be told that having chronic malaria is a death trap.

The cliché is that prevention is better than cure.

So, what can be done to prevent malaria? Firstly, a lot of us need to change our eating habits that malnourish us rather than lift us nutritiously. The goal should be to eat a balanced diet daily. Such a diet help to build our body immunity which is key for preventing attacks of not only malaria but other infectious diseased.

Briefly, a balanced diet involved the consumption of atleast 80% of raw foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, grains and nuts. This means that only 20% of your diet should be cooked ones. Well, we know the contrary is the case for most, 100% of our diet is even over cooked, dead foods. Therefore, why won’t we be sick?

Also, don’t most of consume sugary foods with a passion. We do, of course.

Yet studies show that such foods lower our immune system. Limit your intake of sugar, therefore, in your battle against malaria fever or else you will lose it.

Here are tips if you want to use herbs to boost your body resistance to all disease.

Take dandelion, yarrow, stinging nettle, calendula marigold, plantain leaves and speed well. Don’t forget to add golden seal. Like the other herbs, this one does not only clean up the body and

detoxify the blood, it elevates the immune system. So far, it is one of the best substitutes for quinine, a potent killer of malaria parasites in the human blood. Hence this wonder herb is useful in cases of intermittent and/ chronic malaria and malaria –induced enlarger spleen.

Beyond eating well, we also need lifestyle

free it of toxins which are the foundation of sickness.

Furthermore, ensure you don’t have constipation. It is a source of toxic buildup in the colon which end up as toxaemia in the whole body.

This condition compromises the immune system and can bring on intermittent or chronic malaria.

Malaria parasites are

Lemon Grass: With or without scentleaves this herb is a powerful immune system builder as well as a liver tonic. Before the British lady, Mrs. Ogbe, passed on she confirmed these facts to me.

She informed me, further, that a regular tea of lemon grass keeps malaria away, as the books already state.

Vervain: This herb,

malaria. She recommends: Get one handful of bitterleaf, one handful of scent leaves, one handful of lemon grass and two pint of water. Place all of them in a pot. Simmer for 10minutes. Drink two or three cups of this brew daily, if you are an adult, for a week.

For children, she counsels: Simmer one lemon

modifications to prevent malaria attacks. This is because it had been discovered by researches that the way we leave our lives contribute to our ill health in general. So, do you overwork? The take it easy.

Avoid stress, anxiety, worries and work phobias. Try to rest, relax and have adequate sleep. Also, exercise daily.

Take in deep breaths at routine intervals daily so as to oxygenate your blood and

known to reconfigure themselves to make themselves resistant to drugs.

This explains why today we have malaria that are difficult to treat with orthodox drugs cocktails. Hence, the migration to natural medicine which parades herbs with active principles that no malaria parasite can resist. Below are some insights into these herbs used in combination with others to fight malaria.

which the Yoruba people call PANLE, is credited with great anti- malarial healing properties. Drinking a tea made from this herb clears the blood of malaria parasites.

Phylanthus Amarus: Also, this herb is good for malaria just like vervain and lemon grass above.

Siam weed: The leaves, flowers and solft stems of this weed is very effective for malaria. You can use these parts of the weed for steaming and drinking. Also, extract the juice of the weed’s leaves, flowers and softstem.

Drink two cups of the undiluted juice a week.

Within two weeks, the malaria parasites are cleared from the blood.

Hajiya Zainab Sharif, former assistant pharmacist of Federal Secretariat Clinic in Abuja, has her recipe for

… pineapple bark …five blades of lemon grass.. one grape and some scent leaves for ten minutes. Administer half a tea cup of the brew two or three times daily adjust the dose to suit the age of the child, if need be.

Other adjunct natural substances that help in malaria treatment include lemon juice, ginger; the leaves of neem, mango, cassava, guava and pawpaw; as well as the root of cassava and ewedu plant lest I forget, everyone needs Swedish bitters besides him. It strengthens our whole body, is a powerful blood cleanser and builds our immune system. Taking Swedish bitters alone or adding drops of it to your herbal teas can help to rid your body of malaria parasites.

“Having said this, let me add that malaria deserves immediate treatment. This is because if untreated or not adequately managed the prognosis of the malaria is fatal in some cases. For instance, malaria lead to mild jaundice, diarrhoea, severe anaemia, enlarged spleen or splenomegaly, liver failure and celebral toxaemia.”

Place OfEnvironment Prayer

How Intimate Are You With God? (5)

INTIMACY is the essence of our creation; it is the primary reason why God created humans. Your relationship with God was not established by your deeds but by the covenant made

by Jesus on the cross of Calvary when He shed his blood.

However you can be in a relationship with a person and not be intimate with the person. A clear illustration of this can be drawn from the example of the relationship between a child and his parents. You are the child of your parents based on the covenant of marriage that was established by them, your relationship as a son stems from that covenant, without that you cannot claim to be a legitimate son. However, not all genuine sons benefit from their parents, what brings a difference in benefits is the level of communion and intimacy.

Taking a look at our text for today’s study, Psalm 23:1-6, we see a very beautiful illustration with the imagery of a Shepherd and his sheep. The Lord is my shepherd... likens our relationship with God to the one that exists between a Shepherd and his sheep. David, the writer of this Psalm, had himself been a keeper of sheep, and understood needs of the sheep and the many cares of a shepherd. He compares himself to a creature weak, defenseless, and foolish, and he takes God to be his Provider.

Preserver, Director, and, indeed, his everything. It is well to know, as certainly as David did, that we belong to the Lord.

There is a noble tone of confidence about this sentence. There is no “if’ nor “but”, nor even “I hope so”; but he says, “The Lord is my shepherd.” We must cultivate the spirit of assured dependence upon our heavenly Father.

The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, “My,” David does not say, “The Lord is the shepherd of that world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as His flock”, but “The Lord is my shepherd;” if He be a Shepherd to no one else, He is a Shepherd to me; He cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me. This is an indication that Intimacy with God is carried out on an individual basis, not as a group, in intimacy; it is you alone with God. No one, no matter how close or dear to you must share your intimacy period with you, here you build a personal intimacy between the Most High God and yourself.

When you spend time in intimacy with God on a consistent basis, you become so intimate with Him that you know His mind at all time and can easily interpret signals he waves at you just like the sheep, over time, can interpret and obey the signals of the Shepherd. When God is your Shepherd and you submit to His leading and get to know Him very intimately by spending time with Him, you will enjoy the following benefits: 1. All your needs will be provided. I shall not want vs 1. God is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider and He graciously provides all the needs of they that spend time consistently with Him in intimacy.

Does He not feed the ravens, and cause the lilies to grow? How, then, can he leave His children to starve? You may not possess all that you wish for, but “you shall not want.” Others, far wealthier and wiser than you, may want, but you shall not. “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing Psalm 34:10.” Come what may, if famine should devastate the land, or calamity destroys the city, “you shall not want.” Old age with its feebleness shall not bring you any lack, you have all things and abound; not because you have a good store of money in the bank, not because you have skill and wit with which to win your daily bread, but because the Lord is your shepherd and you spend time daily with Him in intimacy.

2. You will dwell in fertile territories. He makes me lie down in green pastures vs 2. Green Pastures in that scripture refers to ever fresh blessings and up to date miracles. It infers that your breakthroughs and blessings will come in the right season; this speaks of early satisfaction. When you dwell consistently in intimacy with God, He will make the lines fall unto you in pleasant places Psalm 16:6 and what ever you stretch forth your hand to do will prosper because God’s hand is upon you.

3. He will lead you by His Holy Spirit. He leadeth me beside the still waters vs 2. Still waters in this place refers to the peace that anyone that is led by the Holy Spirit has. When you submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, your steps are ordered by the Lord and you will never make an unfruitful move; His Spirit attends to us in various operations, like waters—in the plural—

to cleanse, to refresh, to fertilise and to cherish They that are led by the Spirit of God live a victorious life, they have no business with failure and disappointment.

4. Restoration. He restoreth my soul vs 3. When the soul grows sorrowful He revives it; when it is sinful He sanctifies it; when it is weak He strengthens it. When you dwell in intimacy with God, He will bring back to you those things you lost in the past; He will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar Joel 2:25.

5. You receive grace to live a holy life. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake vs 3. When you dwell consistently in intimacy, you will not struggle with sin, divine grace to live above sin will naturally rest upon you

6. You will be as bold as a Lion. Yea thought walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil vs 4. As you spend more and more time with God, His nature begins to rub off on you; you will begin to live and speak in boldness even as your covenant rights and privileges are revealed to you on a daily basis as a consequence of your consistent fellowship with divinity. The kind of boldness that keeps you standing fearlessly even in midst of fearsome situations will rest upon you making the devil and his agents flee at your approach knowing that you cannot be intimidated by their tricks.

7. God’s presence will never depart from you. For thou art with me vs 4. God will always stay with all those that acknowledge His presence, if you give God attention, He will give you direction. When God is with you, you can be rest assured that nothing can go wrong. The little child out at sea in the storm is not frightened like all the other passengers on board the vessel, it sleeps in its mother’s bosom; it is enough for it that its mother is with it. All those that are intimate with God can rely absolutely on God’s ability to save them at all time just like that little baby; you are assured of perfect comfort and absolute security because He is always with you.

8. Divine Guidance. Thy rod and thy staff comfort me vs 4.

The shepherd carries a staff or rod with him when he goes forth to feed his flock. It is often bent or hooked at one end. With this staff he rules and guides the flock to their green pastures, and defends them from their enemies. With it also he corrects them when disobedient, and brings them back when wandering. Those that spend time in intimacy with God are guided and directed

With Pastor Samuel O. Osaghae SMS Only 08030809339

by God. He will keep them daily from failure, evil, accidents, sorrows, regrets, setbacks, loss etc all because they depend absolutely on Him for guidance.

9. Prosperity even in the midst of opposition. Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies vs 5. Whether your enemies like it or not, they will see you prospering, try as much as they may, they cannot bring you down because the Most High will be a wall of defense around you at all time. You don’t have to kill them with your prayers, all you have to do is worship God and He will handle your battles for you and grant you victory over and over again.

10. Anointing. Thou anointest my head with oil vs 5. When you dwell in intimacy with God, you receive a fresh anointing

for the day’s duties. Every Christian is a priest, but he cannot execute the priestly office without unction, and hence we must go day by day to God the Holy Ghost that we may have our heads anointed with oil. A priest without oil misses the chief qualification for his office, and the Christian priest lacks his chief fitness for service when he is devoid of new grace from on high.

11. Overflowing Blessings. My cup runneth over vs 5. All those that spend time consistently with God will be granted exceeding abundantly above whatever they ask or think Eph 3:20. They will always have more than enough; they will not just be rich but will have enough to spare. This is the state of being established, at this stage you can no longer be shaken from your wealth.

12. Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life vs 6. These twin guardian angels will always be at your beck and call when you are intimate with God. Just as when great princes go abroad they must not go unattended, so it is with the believer that spends time consistently in divine intimacy, Goodness and mercy follow him always.

13. Eternal life. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever vs 6. All those that are truly intimate with God will not only enjoy the benefits of divine intimacy here on earth but will also enjoy the benefit of spending eternity in heaven with the Most High God. They will live as Kings both here on earth and in heaven when the Lord finally comes to take His people home.

Pastor Samuel 0. Osaghae E-mail: sarnuelosaghae@gmail.com

International Features

Korean People’s V-Day

ON July 27, 1953, the United States signed the Korean Armistice Agreement which is as good as a surrender document for the first time in its history. Mark Clark, who signed the armistice on behalf of the UN forces in pursuance of the instructions of the then US president Eisenhower, deplored: I gained the unenviable distinction of being the first United States Army Commander in history to sign an armistice without victory.

The Korean war (June 1950July 1953) was an unprecedented war fought by an imperialist superpower, which had been boasting of being the “strongest” in the world, mobilizing the huge troops of its vassal states, against a small country that was newly founded in September 1948. The US threw into the Korean front a huge armed force of over two millions, including one-third of its ground force, one-fifth of air force and the greater part of its Pacific Fleet, plus troops of 15 vassal states and the south Korean troops and remnants of the defeated Japanese army, and spent 165 billion US dollars on the military

expenditure. During the three-year war the celebrities in the US political and military circles were engaged, like Truman, Eisenhower, Dulles, Bradley, MacArthur, Ridgway, Clark, Walker, Van Fleet and Taylor.

Nevertheless, the war progress and results went beyond imagination.

The US political and military celebrities who were involved in the war were all sacked from their posts, being responsible for defeat in the war. Commanders of the UN Forces were changed three times during the war and the so-called evervictorious divisions of the US were doomed to ruin. On the US side, 1 567 128 men including 405 498 US soldiers were killed, wounded or captured, and an enormous amount of combat and technical equipment and war supplies were lost including 12 224 aircraft, 3 064 tanks and armoured vehicles, 871 warships and vessels of various types. The loss was nearly 2.3 times as much as that the US had suffered in the Pacific War of four years.

Marshall, the then US Secretary of Defense, confessed that the myth exploded to atoms, and it became clear to everyone that the United States was not so strong as others had thought it to be. As is seen, the Korean war shattered the myth of the US “mightiness” to pieces.

Since then six decades have passed.

Far from drawing a bitter lesson from its defeat in the Korean war, the US has persisted in realizing its ambition to dominate the whole of Korea, turning the Korean peninsula into one of the hottest spots in the world.

It always drove the situation on the Korean peninsula to the verge of war by committing political and military provocations, such as the incidents of its armed spy ship Pueblo in 1968, and large espionage plane EC-121 in 1969, Panmunjom Incident in 1976, the first nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula between 1993 and 1994 and the recurrent nuclear crisis in the new century.

All the incidents, however, that were caused by the US ended in its failure, and in

victory of the Korean people.

For example, when the US armed spy ship Pueblo had been captured by the KPA navy after intruding into the territorial waters of the DPRK, the former at first threatened to start a war against the latter, clamouring for retaliation.

However, it had no choice after all but to send a letter of apology in which it recognized its espionage and hostile acts and ensured the prevention of such acts to the DPRK government. The then US President Johnson deplored that this was the only letter of apology the US had left in its history ever since its founding.

The same was true for the nuclear crisis created on the Korean peninsula between 1993 and 1994. At that time, too, the US staged the Team Spirit 93 joint military exercise on the largest scale while clamouring about a “special inspection.” But, when the DPRK took tough countermeasures of announcing a semi-war state throughout the country and withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the US had to conclude the DPRK-USA Agreed

International News 7 Dead As Police And Protesters Clash In sides share is a deep mistrust of Egypt the United States and its

CAIRO - Seven people were killed and more than 260 wounded when supporters of Mohamed Mursi clashed with the deposed president’s opponents and security forces through the night as violence returned to Egypt’s streets.

Two people were killed at a bridge in central Cairo where police and anti-Mursi locals clashed with some of his supporters who were blocking a route across the River Nile.

Another five were killed in the Cairo district of Giza, said the head of emergency services, Mohamed Sultan.

The street battles, which raged into the early hours of yesterday morning, were the bloodiest since more than 50 Mursi supporters were killed a week ago. The violence overshadows attempts by the authorities to press on with a transition to full civilian rule by naming a new cabinet after the army pushed Mursi, an Islamist, out of power on July 3.

“We were crouched on the ground, we were praying.

Suddenly there was shouting. We looked up and the police were on the bridge firing tear gas down on us,” said pro-Mursi protester Adel Asman, 42, who was coughing, spitting and pouring Pepsi on his eyes to ease the effect of tear gas. .”By sunrise calm had returned.

The unrest is more localized than in the days after Mursi was toppled when 92 people died, but Egyptians still worry about the authorities’ ability to restore order

nearly two weeks after Mursi’s removal.

“I’ve had enough of this chaos,” said Ashraf Mohamed, who watched the clashes from a distance. “Egypt is just rubbish.”

At the bridge in the early hours, young men, their mouths covered to protect them from tear gas, threw stones at police and shouted pro-Mursi and antimilitary slogans, as well as “Allahu Akbar!” (God is greatest).

Military helicopters hovered overhead and police vans were brought in to quell the trouble, but when that didn’t work, dozens of riot police moved in.

Medics treated men with deep gashes to their eyes and faces nearby.

Millions of Egyptians rallied for Mursi’s resignation on June 30. The military said it deposed him to fulfill the wish of the people. Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood said it was a coup. .””It’s the army against the people, these are our soldiers, we have no weapons,” said Alaa el-Din, a 34-year-old computer engineer, clutching a laptop during the melee.

“The army is killing our brothers, you are meant to defend me and you are attacking me. The army turned against the Egyptian people.”

Egypt has become increasingly polarized by the crisis, but one thing the two

perceived role in the unrest.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns told reporters in Cairo that Washington had no desire to meddle in Egypt, which it supports with $1.5 billion in aid each year, most of which goes to the military. .””Only Egyptians can determine their future,” Burns told reporters at the U.S. embassy. “I did not come with American solutions. Nor did I come to lecture anyone. We will not try to impose our model on Egypt.”

BELFAST - Protestant youths hurled petrol bombs at police in Northern Ireland, wounding at least 27 officers in a fourth night of protests over restrictions on traditional marches, as the White House expressed “deep concern” about the violence.

The regional parliament, recalled from its summer recess, was due to meet yesterday to discuss ways of restoring order.

Police said they responded with water cannon and at least one baton round in Belfast.

Spanish Police Arrest One Of Europe’s Most Wanted Criminals MADRID - Spanish police said yesterday they had arrested a Briton suspected of leading a drug-trafficking organization, describing him as one of Europe’s top 10 most wanted criminals.

Brian Charrington was arrested along with his girlfriend and son as part of a police operation in which 13 people were detained between Spain and Venezuela.

It was not immediately clear when Charrington, a former car dealer from Middlesborough in northern England, had been arrested.

Police also said they had

seized 220 kg (485 pounds) of cocaine from an apartment in Alicante, on Spain’s east coast, and blocked bank accounts, property and goods worth over 5 million euros ($6.5 million).

Spain remains a popular destination for British criminals, who exploited the lack of an extradition treaty between the two countries for several years until 1985. Police arrested British fugitive Mark Lilley in Malaga last week.

Spanish police worked with forces from Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina and Britain in the operation, with the support of AMERIPOL.

Framework of peaceful nature and send in the name of its president a letter of assurance guaranteeing its implementation. Entering the new century, the Bush administration slandered the DPRK as a part of “axis of evil” and a “state sponsor of terrorism,” making a big fuss about a preemptive nuclear strike against it. But, toward the end of his presidential terms, he had no option but to sign a document relating to deleting the DPRK from the list of “state sponsor of terrorism.”

The international community witnessed at the outset of this year that the Korean people won miraculous victory in confrontation with the US and its followers.

When the US picked a quarrel with its satellite launch for peaceful purposes and urged the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution on imposing sanctions on it by enlisting its followers, the DPRK carried out the third underground nuclear test as a measure to defend its sovereignty and dignity. The US and its followers then

forged another sanctions resolution and staged Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises in south Korea by involving the nuclear-capable aircraft carrier fleet and strategic bombers, and other means of ground, naval and aerial nuclear strike as well as the armed forces from Britain, Canada, Australia and other countries who had taken part in the Korean war. DPRK’s response to it was to declare that its strategic rockets would attack the US mainland and the US military bases in the Pacific operational zone including Hawaii and Guam Island. It is an unshakeable will of the DPRK that if the US starts another war, it will resolutely wipe out the enemy with no one who will sign the surrender document left.

The DPRK never makes empty words.

If another war is unleashed, the DPRK, which inflicted sixty years ago an ignominious defeat on the US for the first time in its history, will put a historical end to the US empire.

Congratulations on the 60th anniversary of the Korean people’s victory in the great Fatherland Liberation War!

Compliled By

ISAH STELLA

Northern Ireland Parliament Recalled As Violence Continues Protests and other incidents were reported in at least five other towns across the British province.

Thousands of pro-British Protestants march every summer, a regular flashpoint for sectarian violence as Catholics, many of whom favor unification with Ireland, see the parades as a provocation.

Protestant marchers, unhappy because authorities ruled they could not walk along a stretch of road that divides the two communities, started throwing bricks and bottles on Friday.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden expressed his “deep concern” about the violence during a phone call with Northern Ireland’s leaders on Monday, the White House said.

The police service called on the regional parliament to help end the clashes.

“Today is a day for calming words and a renewed commitment from the Assembly to finding political solutions,” the force’s chief constable Matt Baggott said.

“There are already too many injured police officers and young people facing prison sentences for anything else to be acceptable.”

At least six home-made explosive devices and several petrol bombs were thrown at police in east Belfast on Monday night, police said.

Catholic protesters clashed with police in one protest in the Adroyne area of the city, the force added. One car was set alight during clashes in north Belfast.

Protests and other incidents were also reported in the towns of Newtownabbey, Antrim, Dungannon, Portadown and Londonderry.

A 1998 peace deal mostly ended decades of sectarian strife in the British province but trouble still breaks out, particularly around the Orange parades which mark a 1690 Protestant victory over a Catholic king.

Police said they had brought hundreds of reinforcements from Britain. Sixty people have been arrested and 71 officers wounded since the latest clashes started.

International

Compliled By

ISAH STELLA

Members Of Syrian War Reconciliation Group Killed OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT KING SQUARE, BENIN CITY EDO STATE OF NIGERIA INVITATION TO TENDER We wish to invite tenders from interested members of the public to execute the following projects: PROJECTS TO BE EXECUTED 1. Construction of PHC Centre in Ward 3 2. Renovation of building occupied by fire service for works department.

3. Construction /Asphalt of Streets and Lanes 4. Construction of borehole at Osakpamwan Street & others 5. Construction of Six, unit Apartment Toilets at New Benin Market with Boreholes and Overhead Tanks 6. Extension of Electricity from Irue-Nowina to Emwinyomwanru 7. Extension of Electricity from Emwinyomwanru to Ureghin 8. Block of Twelve (12 Units) Lock Up Stalls 9. Block of Twelve (12 Units) Open Stalls 10. Purchase of Tipper 11. Procurement of Transformer/Installation (a) 300KVA - 11KV No (2) + WHT, VAT. DEV. LEVY (b) 500KVA - 11KV No (1) + WHT, VAT. DEV. LEVY (c) 300KVA - 33KV No (1) + WHT, VAT. DEV. LEVY (d) 500KVA - 33KV No (1) + WHT, VAT. DEV. LEVY 12. Construction of a two Story Building Office Complex at Urhokpota Hall.

13. Renovation of Ore-Oghene Primary School.

14. Recommendation/Renovation of Main Secretariat Building.

15. Renovation of four Blocks of 20 Units and 2 Blocks of four unit Toilets at Oba Market.

16. Renovation of Emwinyawanru Primary School and provision of Toilets and Borehole.

17. Supply of 750 School Desks and Chairs 18. Renovation of 1st Cemetery, Grass/Tree Panting.

19. Supply of furniture to offices of the main Secretariat Building 20. Construction of Culvert (2) in Ward 2 21. Renovation of Odia Primary School (Evbuodia) 22. Provision of School desk and chairs and renovation of Umegbe Primary School.

23. Completion and equipping of Umegbe Health Centre.

24. Renovation of Akpali Primary School (Ureghi).

25. Sinking of 12 bore holes in 12 Wards.

26. Reactivation of 12 existing borehole across the 12 Wards.

27. Procurement and installation of Street light across the 12 Wards.

28. Construction of police post at Iyekogba 29. Renovation of Akhuakhuari pry school 30. Construction of Airport polilce station fence.

31. Installation of 500KVA-11/0.415kv sub station at Evbuodia extension community.

32. Construction of Adeyan police station fence 33. Construction of Military Base.

34. Area Command deflooding 35. Construction of perimetre fence at Irhinhi Primary School.

Accordingly registered contractors, with the requisite competence, acknowledged by the Local Government through execution of similar jobs on its behalf, are invited to bid for the execution of the above named projects.

Requirement: Interested tenders are required to submit their proposal with the following requirements, which shall be used as criteria for preliminary selection.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Evidence of Incorporation with Corporate Affairs Commission Evidence of previous jobs executed Evidence of payment of tax by the firm for the last three (3) years.

Evidence of registration as a contractor with the Local Government.

Six (6) months bank statement banks statement and reference letter from the bank.

6. Sworn affidavit that: The Company is not bankrupt.

The Company does not have directors convicted by any court in Nigerian or other countries for any criminal offence in relation to fraud or financial impropriety.

Tender Procedure Tenders are required to pay a non refundable deposit of N15,000.00 only to the Oredo Local Government.

Submission All applicants should be forwarded in sealed envelopes marked at the top left corner and body written, Bid for the Oredo Local government projects and addressed to the Chairman, Oredo Local Government, Benin City, not later than 14 days of this publication.

Signed: Hon. Osaro Obazee Executive Chairman Oredo Local Government Benin City.

DAMASCUS Progovernment gunmen killed seven members of a local Syrian reconciliation group near the central city of Homs, activists said yesterday, as troops shot dead nine people including a child at a checkpoint in a suburb of the capital.

The latest killings coincide with an offensive by President Bashar Assad’s troops in Damascus and its surrounding suburbs, as well as in the strategic province surrounding Homs.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the seven men, including two retired army officers, were Sunni Muslims working to convince gunmen to drop their weapons and return to normal life. They were killed Monday in the village of Hajar Abyad, where residents are known to be regime supporters, it said.

Assad’s troops have captured several nearby rebel-held areas in recent weeks including the towns of Qusair and Talkalkh near the border with Lebanon. Late last month, they launched an attack to try to capture rebel-held areas of Homs, Syria’s third largest city.

They have also made headway against fighter brigades on the edge of Damascus and eastern suburbs.

The uprising against Assad’s rule began in March 2011 and has deteriorated into an insurgency with increasingly sectarian overtones. Rebels, who are overwhelmingly Sunni, have been assisted by foreign fighters, while government forces have been bolstered by guerrillas from the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.

The killing came three days after rebels attacked a nearby army checkpoint, killing seven people including members of the military.

It was not immediately clear if Monday’s killings were in

retaliation for Friday’s ambush. .”A Syrian activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the gunmen who attacked the checkpoint had already been cleared by the committee as they have surrendered their arms.

The Observatory said the dead included two retired army officers, a mosque preacher and a former mayor.

In the Damascus suburb of Qarah, troops shot dead nine people including a child at an army checkpoint in the area, the Observatory said.

It was not clear whether those killed were fighters or civilians.

An amateur video showed seven

Mexico Captures Leader Of Brutal Zetas Drug Cartel

MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government said on Monday it captured the brutal leader of the Zetas drug cartel in an early-morning raid, marking the biggest victory for President Enrique Pena Nieto in his fight against gang violence.

Marines arrested Miguel Angel Trevino, aka Z-40, after intercepting his pick-up truck with a helicopter a few miles (km) from his home town of Nuevo Laredo on the U.S. border, government spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said in Mexico City.

“Not a single shot was fired,” Sanchez reporters.

The Zetas have been blamed for many of the worst atrocities carried out by Mexican drug gangs, acts that have sullied the country’s name and put fear into tourists and investors alike.

Following a tide of gang-related beheadings, massacres and gunfights that have claimed more than 70,000 lives since the start of 2007, Pena Nieto said his number one priority was to restore stability

Greeks Strike Against Public Sector Cuts, Protests Gather Steam

ATHENS - Trains ground to a halt and hospitals worked with emergency staff as Greek workers went on strike yesterday in protest at government plans to fire thousands of public sector employees.

Athens must reform and shrink its civil service to receive more bailout funds from foreign lenders but the latest plan of job cuts has sparked uproar among Greeks struggling with an unemployment rate of nearly 27 percent.

More than a week of marches by municipal workers are expected to culminate in a rally before parliament in the capital, with garbage collectors, bus drivers, bank employees and journalists among the groups joining the walkout.

“We are continuing our fight to put an end to policies that annihilate workers and drive the economy to an even greater recession,” said the private sector union GSEE, which called the strike with public sector union ADEDY. “We will stand up to those who, with wrong and dead-end choices, have driven the Greek people to poverty and despair.”

Flights to and from Athens will be disrupted as civil aviation unions stage a four-hour work stoppage in solidarity.

City transport was also affected

dead men, some of them with beards, and a boy with a bloodied face. The dead appeared to have suffered bullet wounds, some to the head.

“These are Bashar’s crimes during Ramadan,” a man could be heard saying in the video referring to the Muslim holy month that began last week.

The Observatory also reported fighting in the town of Qahtaniyeh on the edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Observatory, said regime forces were attacking rebels in the town.

More than 93,000 have been killed and millions uprooted from their homes in the conflict.

with bus and trolley bus drives holding work stoppages in the morning and in the evening.

Trains stopped running and tax offices and municipal services remain shut.

Representing about 2.5 million workers, the two unions have brought workers to the streets repeatedly since Greece slid into a debt crisis in late 2009.

The latest strike comes before a parliamentary vote today reforms Athens agreed with its European Union and International Monetary Fund lenders as a condition for 6.8 billion euros ($8.9 billion) in aid. .”Among the measures included in the bill are job cuts for teachers, municipal police and local government posts.

On Thursday, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble will visit Athens, which is also expected to draw protests from Greeks who blame European paymaster Germany for austerity policies that have shrunk pay levels and boosted unemployment.

Greece’s lenders, which have bailed it out twice with 240 billion euros in aid, have grown impatient with the slow progress it has made in streamlining a 600,000-strong public sector widely seen as corrupt and inefficient.

when he took office in December.

Murders have fallen slightly, according to official statistics, but violent crime is still rampant in parts of Mexico and, until now, the new government had few outstanding successes to celebrate in its campaign to pacify the country.

Trevino, 40, was caught with two associates following a months-long operation to track him down, Sanchez said.

Authorities also seized more than $2 million dollars in cash and a cache of arms in the operation, he said.

Trevino’s capture follows a string of blows in 2012 against the Zetas, whose previous leader was killed by marines in a firefight in northern Mexico last October.

Among the most shocking incidents pinned on the Zetas have been massacres of migrant workers, an arson attack on a Monterrey casino in 2011 that killed 52 and the dumping of 49 decapitated bodies near to the same city last year.

The government said Trevino was wanted for a litany of crimes including murder, torture, money laundering and ordering the kidnapping and execution of 265 migrants near the northern town of San Fernando. The bodies of dozens of murdered migrant workers were recovered there in both 2010 and 2011.

By the time Pena Nieto took power, much of Mexico was worn out by the bloodshed under his predecessor Felipe Calderon.

Calderon, a conservative, had staked his reputation on bringing Mexico’s powerful drug gangs to heel, sending in the armed forces to regain the upper hand.

Though his forces captured or killed many of the top capos, the bloodletting increased, led by the Zetas excesses.

Founded by army deserters in the late 1990s, the Zetas initially acted as enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. But cracks began to appear and the rupture was sealed in early 2010, setting off the most violent phase in Mexico’s drug war. .”The U.S. State Department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Trevino’s capture.

Foreign Feature Kenyan Peacekeepers Aid Illegal Somalia Charcoal Export A confidential report by U.N. monitors accuses Kenyan soldiers in the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia of facilitating illegal charcoal exports from the port city of Kismayu, a business that generates millions of dollars a year for Islamic militants seeking to topple the government.

The case of the failed ban on Somali charcoal outlined in the report highlights the difficulty of cutting off al Shabaab militants’ funding and ensuring compliance with U.N. sanctions when there is little appetite for enforcing them on the ground.

The Kenyan military denied the allegations in the U.N. Monitoring Group’s latest annual report to the Security Council’s sanctions committee on Somalia and Eritrea.

The report was completed before recent clashes in Kismayu.

In that fighting, rival militias battled for control of the strategic port city after Ahmed Madobe, leader of the Ras Kamboni militia and a former Islamist warlord, became leader of the Jubaland region, which includes Kismayu, in May. The situation remains tense though the Mogadishu government, which initially opposed Madobe, is letting him stay on as interim leader.

Kismayu is a lucrative prize for clan leaders, bringing with it generous revenues from charcoal exports, port taxes and levies on arms and other illegal imports.

The Security Council banned the export of charcoal from Somalia in February 2012 to cut off one of the main sources of income for al Shabaab, which has been fighting for control of Somalia for years and enforces a strict version of sharia law in the areas it occupies.

Kenyan forces in the African Union’s AMISOM peacekeeping mission, which has a U.N. Security Council

mandate and receives funding from the European Union and United States, helped the Somali government retake control of Kismayu when the al Qaeda-aligned militants fled in September 2012.

Afterwards, the AU almost immediately urged the Security Council to lift the charcoal export ban, at least temporarily.

Kenya supported the idea, arguing that Kismayu’s angry charcoal traders could undermine the security of its troops. The Monitoring Group, which reports on compliance with the Somalia/ Eritrea sanctions regime, disputed Nairobi’s analysis.

“The argument that a group of charcoal traders constituted a greater threat to the KDF (Kenya Defence Force) than al Shabaab that had just been routed in Kismayu, was difficult to appreciate,” the group said in an annex to its annual report, which was seen

by Reuters.

“Instead, it was far more likely that exporting charcoal would exacerbate clan tensions and resource interests, leading to much broader conditions of conflict,” the group said in its report, which is nearly 500 pages with all its annexes.

“And this is precisely what subsequently occurred.”

U.N. CHARCOAL EXPORT BAN FLOUTED The Monitoring Group’s report is likely to elicit new criticism of Nairobi from Somalia’s government, which has accused Kenyan troops of taking sides against it in the recent clashes in Kismayu and suggested they should be replaced by a more neutral force. Kenya denied the charge.

The group said Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asked AMISOM in October 2012 to keep Kismayu port closed to commercial traffic, including charcoal. But it said he was unaware that former Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed

Ali Gaas had already asked the Security Council’s sanctions committee to review the ban.

The group said an AMISOM commander lied to the president.

“As late as 26 October 2012, the AMISOM Deputy Force Commander for Operations and Plans, Major General Simon Karanja (of Kenya), assured the President that the port was closed and there was no shipping traffic, while he

the Monitoring Group said is known to have the highestquality charcoal in Somalia, resumed in earnest.

Colonel Cyrus Oguna, a spokesman for the KDF, which has been battling al Shabaab in Somalia since October 2011, said Kenya was not aiding the charcoal exports in any way.

“The KDF is not at the sea port. The port is being managed and supervised by a committee put in place by the

the charcoal trade at the port was divided into three between al Shabaab, Ras Kamboni and Somali Kenyan businessmen cooperating with the KDF (Kenyan army).”

Not only did the charcoal export business continue in spite of the U.N. Security Council ban, but it saw a dramatic increase, the U.N. monitors’ report said.

“In fact, its shareholding in Kismayu charcoal, in combination with its (al Shabaab’s) export revenues at Barawe (town) and its taxation of trucks transporting charcoal from production areas under its control are likely exceeding

Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General knew otherwise,” the Monitoring Group said.

The Kenyans did not hide the fact that they wanted to ease the charcoal ban because they feared it could make their job of keeping the peace in Kismayu that much more difficult.

When it became clear that the Security Council would not lift the charcoal export ban, the “the KDF (Kenyan forces), Madobe and his Ras Kamboni forces took the unilateral decision to begin the export of charcoal from Kismayu port,” the report said.

Once that decision was made, the charcoal export business in Kismayu, which

administrators of Jubaland,” Oguna said in Nairobi.

AMISOM did not respond to a request for comment.

Although the Kenyan AMISOM contingent and Madobe’s Ras Kamboni militia took over Kismayu after al Shabaab left, the U.N. monitors said al Shabaab retained a share of the charcoal business after it lost control of the city.

“The nature of the business enterprise forged by al Shabaab continues with al Shabaab, its commercial partners and networks still central to the trade,” the Monitoring Group said.

“Essentially, with the changeover of power in Kismayu, the shareholding of

“The Security Council banned the export of charcoal from Somalia in February 2012 to cut off one of the main sources of income for al Shabaab, which has been fighting for control of Somalia for years and enforces a strict version of sharia law in the areas it occupies.”

the revenue it generated when it controlled Kismayu,” it said.

In the 1990s the Horn of Africa country imploded amid clan warfare after the overthrow of a dictator and became virtually lawless for two decades. AMISOM was created in 2007 to support efforts to restore order in Somalia, and today the mission’s troops are mostly from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and Kenya.

‘KING OF CHARCOAL’ The Monitoring Group estimated that al Shabaab, which has been driven out of many parts of Somalia but remains a potent force, exported some 9 million to 11 million sacks of charcoal from the country in 2011, raking in more than $25 million.

“At the rate of export since November 2012, the Monitoring Group estimates that this number is rising to 24 million sacks per year and represents an overall international market value of $360-384 million USD, with profits divided along the charcoal trade supply chain,

including for al Shabaab,” the report said.

The group said it estimated charcoal exports from Kismayu alone were worth $15 million to $16 million per month. It noted that traders in Dubai say the actual export amount is probably much higher.

The group said there was also charcoal exporting from Barawe, the al Shabaabcontrolled town north of Kismayu, bringing the militants $1.2 million to $2 million per month in taxes.

One Kismayu charcoal trader with strong links to al Shabaab is Hassan Mohamud Yusuf, alias Awlibaax, from the Mareehan clan and chairman of the Juba Business Committee, the group said. He is also linked to Dubai’s key charcoal businessman, Saleh Da’ud Abdulla, who himself has connections to al Shabaab, it added.

Another is Ali Ahmed Naaji, from the minority Cawromaleh clan, who “arranges or provides loans to al Shabaab, and makes investments for them in South Sudan,” the report said.

It said Yusuf and Naaji alone account for around 32 percent of charcoal exports from Kismayu, most of which go to Dubai.

The largest purchaser of charcoal in Dubai is Al Qaed International General Trading, owned by Baba Mansoor Ghayedi, alias Haji Baba, an Iranian living in Dubai who described himself to the Monitoring Group as the “King of Charcoal.”

The report said Haji Baba denied importing Somali charcoal in violation of the Security Council ban and that the paperwork shows his charcoal comes from Kenya and Djibouti, both of which have banned charcoal exports.

The Monitoring Group included in one annex what it said were examples of false bills of lading certifying Somali charcoal as coming from Kenya.

The United Arab Emirates has been aware of the illegal Somali charcoal shipments, the monitors said. In September 2012 it notified the Monitoring Group that it had impounded a shipment of 100,000 sacks of Somali charcoal.

The monitors said charcoal traders in Dubai informed them that the impounded shipment eventually reached the market. Some 10,000 bags of charcoal were unloaded in Dubai and the rest in Saudi Arabia. The consignee of that shipment was Haji Baba.

SOURCE: reuters

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Utd Eye Fellaini To Join Cesc MANCHESTER United manager David Moyes is considering a move for his former Everton player Marouane Fellaini, according to the Guardian.

Moyes is thought to be keen on bolstering his midfield options amid reports of United tabling a +30 million bid for Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas after they lost out to Bayern Munich in the race for Thiago Alcantara.

The Scot signed Belgium international Fellaini from Standard Liege for £15 million in 2008, and it is thought the player has a

release clause of around £23 million.

On Monday, new Everton manager Roberto Martinez urged Fellaini to stay at Goodison Park and repeat his fine form of last season.

The Guardian has reported that United are looking to add both Fellaini and Fabregas to their ranks, although it remains to be seen whether Barca are willing to let the Spain international leave.

The paper reported that a source said “the player is not transferable”, but the Red Devils have not given up hope of landing the former Arsenal man.

It is suggested Fabregas has been made a top target after United decided against chasing Real Madrid’s Luka Modric.

Arteta Wants Gunners To Spend Big ARSENAL midfielder Mikel Arteta says “it’s about time” the Gunners began to match the Premier League’s biggest clubs in the transfer market. saying in the Guardian.

“I think it’s about time. When Manager Arsene Wenger is you compare us to the other top understood to be pursuing Liverpool striker Luis Suarez English clubs and the money and Real Madrid’s Gonazalo Higuain as part of a summer spending spree, and Arteta believes it will help Arsenal become title contenders once again.

“The club have said they are going to be very ambitious in the market and have got the financial resources to get big players,” Arteta is quoted as

they have paid, we are very far apart. The value of this club is the class and what it means is very difficult to match.

“Now, financially, they are very strong so maybe we will be more aggressive in the transfer market. There has never been a tradition at Arsenal to pay crazy, crazy money.

Hazard Wants ‘Brilliant Rooney

CHELSEA attacker Eden Hazard admitted bringing Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney to Stamford Bridge would be ‘brilliant’.

Rooney has long been rumoured with an exit from United, despite the protests from United manager David Moyes, with speculation linking the England international to Jose Mourinho’s Blues.

And the move has received a ringing endorsement from Belgium international Hazard.

“Rooney would be a brilliant signing,” Hazard told Sky Sports. “He’s a great player who has the experience and he’s still only young, at 27.

“He’s got a few years left to play. But it’s not up to me. It’s not my decision.”

Life at Chelsea is renewed under Mourinho when the Europa League winners face the Singha All-Stars, Manchester United conquerors, in Bangkok on

Wayne Rooney

Wednesday and Hazard revealed the Portuguese manager wants him to be more ‘ambitious’ this season, perhaps a view from when Mourinho tried to sign the 22-year-old when he was still manager at Real Madrid.

“He told me he’d asked Lille, but I wanted to stay there until I was 21 and develop my game,” said Hazard. “I must have been 19 or 20 at the time. Real Madrid is a wonderful team, but I had so much still to prove in the French league. I stayed because I didn’t want to leave too early.

“He told us all what he expected of us, what he wants to see. To me he told me to be ambitious with my game, to try things and that, if I do that, I can do something special this year.

“I told him I wanted to do myself justice, to do as well as I can, and that is all he wants to see from all of us. I hope it will end up being productive.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea defender has told the BBC that he believes the Premier League can be won by “six or seven teams” this season.

“Squads are getting stronger and stronger. There’s six or seven teams pushing to get up there,” he said.

Arsene Wenger

Fernandinho Hails Pellegrini InFluence

MANCHESTER City newcomer Fernandinho believes Manuel Pellegrini will bring a “winning mentality” back to the club.

Fernandinho joined City from Shakhtar Donetsk earlier this summer, and says that Pellegrini has what it takes to lift the club back to the top of the Premier League standings.

“Although Manuel is new, the players are already getting used to his style on and off the pitch pre-season is a good time for this, to learn his personality,” Fernandinho told The Sun. “At meal times for example he wants everyone together at the same time. This is the way he wants things to be done.

“I am enjoying working with him. It seems like he has that real winning mentality and a strong football philosophy that he will make the players understand.

“I think it will be slightly different because I spent eight years with the same manager. Our relationship was fantastic and I hope I will build the same with Mr Pellegrini.”

Fernandinho and Pellegrini made their City debuts in a 2-0 defeat to Supersport United in Pretoria on Sunday, and the forward says he was excited to take to the pitch for his new employers.

“It felt like the first day at school,” he explained. “Being able to play in such a big team is very exciting.

“I don’t feel 100 per cent fit yet, but I have two weeks of preseason now to train then

hopefully I will feel top quality.

“It was a great honour to play with such big names and fantastic players so I’ve been looking forward to my debut for the last month.

“Manchester City are now considered one of the best teams in the world and after I signed, people back home in Brazil congratulated me for signing for

one of the top teams in the world.

“I feel very happy here, but the biggest challenge for me now is the language. Although I understand English I need to learn how to speak it better and when people talk too fast I’m unable to follow the whole conversation.

“This is the thing I need to get used to rather than the football. I speak Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Russian so hopefully it won’t be too long.”

“I am excited. They made it public that they are going to go big and the sort of players they have been linked with makes me happy.

“It creates a good atmosphere and we need to do something because the other teams are doing it, and I think we will.

“I believe we can be contenders again but it also creates a genuine atmosphere for the fans and they need that because we haven’t won trophies in the last years. They need something back. I believe in what we have but if we can strengthen a bit, then we are going to make the gap with the other teams much closer. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Arteta also insists there has been a noticeable increase in morale at the club of late, with previous summers being dominated by the departures of Robin van Persie, Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

“There’s a difference [in spirit] when you are trying to sell players and when you are trying to buy,” Arteta said. “The difference between those two concepts is very big.

“If we do well [in the transfer market], I think you will see the difference on the pitch. We’re not that far away. The fact that we haven’t won it [a trophy] for eight years makes it harder mentally to believe but that’s what we need to do.

“I was disappointed when Robin left. He was the best player in our team, he made the difference for us. I didn’t want him to go but we had to accept that he wanted to move on to a new challenge.”

Mourinho To Target Four Trophies JOSE Mourinho said Tuesday “I don’t like to lose, the players Chelsea would be gunning for For Chelsea don’t like to lose... for sure, victory in all four competitions this season as he prepared to kick off his second spell in charge with a friendly in Bangkok.

The 50-year-old Portuguese said there were “no priorities” for Chelsea as they tackle the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, following their pre-season tour of Asia and the United States.

“The next match is the important one. If our next match is the Champions League, the Champions League is our competition,” Mourinho told a press conference.

“And the same with the Cups because we know what the English Cups mean, especially the FA. And we want to play every competition with this mentality — so for us, no priorities.”

Mourinho won back-to-back Premier League trophies, the FA Cup and two League Cups during his first time in London. But the Champions League, which he has

lifted with Porto and Inter Milan, remained elusive.

He named Manchester United and Manchester City, the two most recent winners of the Premier League and both also under new management, as his main competition in England.

“In European football we have more candidates (to win the Champions League) and because of that it’s more difficult to win, but we want to be there and we will be fighting for it,” Mourinho added.

Mourinho said he would try to instil a winning culture from his very first game on Wednesday — against the Singha All-Star XI, who shocked Manchester United 1-0 last week in David Moyes’s debut game in charge.

The Portuguese, known for his meticulous attention to detail, said he had sent his assistant to scout Saturday’s game and give him a tactical blueprint of the opponents, whom he rated as dangerous.

tomorrow my boys will try to get a result,” he said. “Losing is not a drama, losing doesn’t change anything in the team. But it’s not nice, we don’t like it.

“Winning is part of the culture and if you can do that even in friendly matches, you have to do it.”

Mourinho also deflected the latest transfer speculation, which includes links with Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke and even former Chelsea ace Didier Drogba, 35.

“Managers of big clubs are connected with everybody until August 31,” he said, referring to the end of the July-August transfer window.

“That’s the old story in football: rumours and rumours and rumours, and at the end of the day after so many rumours, something becomes true.

“But in this moment I’m so happy with the people I have here that I’m not thinking about other players.”

The Return Of The Prodigal son

Torino ‘Keeper Banned In Fixing Probe

TORINO goalkeeper JeanFrancois Gillet has been banned for three years and seven months as the Italian investigation into match-fixing continues.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said Gillet, 34, was one of 20 people to be punished for either violating the rules or failing to report attempts to fix two games involving Bari in 2008 and 2009.

The charges relate to Bari’s matches against Treviso, on May 11 2008, and Salernitana, a little over a year later.

Gillet, the Bari goalkeeper at

the time, denies being involved fixing games or accepting any money for any attempted fix.

Two players, William Pianu and Nicola Strambelli, have been cleared. The other players received bans ranging between six months and four years, the FIGC said.

Bari, who now play in Serie B, will begin next season with a onepoint deduction, subject to appeal.

The investigation has been conducted separately from that involving Lazio captain Stefano Mauri, who is set to learn his fate later this month.

AFTER a year spent at FC Sion, Oussama Darragi signed on Monday a two-year contract with his former club Esperance Tunis.

Esperance is very familiar territory to the 26-year old attacking midfielder, who wore the Blood and Gold colours between 2007 and 2012.

The Tunis’ giants are strengthening their squad few days from the start of the 2013 CAF Champions League’s Group phase, where they will fight for a semi-final spot against Angola’s Recreativo do Libolo, Cameroon’s Coton Sport and Ivoirian champions Séwé Sport in Group B. Darragi is Bab Souika’s outfit fourth recruit in July.

To start with, the Blood and Gold signed Evian’s right back Iheb Mbarki. The 21-year old who made his training at Club Athlétique Bizertin joined Esperance on a four-year contract.

The Tunis’ outfit finalized then the transfer of CAB attacking

PSG Poised To Unveil Record Buy Cavani PARIS Saint-Germain are set to unveil Edinson Cavani as the latest addition to their French title-winning squad on Tuesday.

Cavani, 26, will join the club in a Ligue 1 record +64 million deal from Napoli, just over a week after PSG had said they were confident the switch would soon be completed.

Monaco paid a reported +60 million to sign Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid earlier this summer, having earlier established a new top-flight record fee by paying +45 million for James Rodriguez.

PSG, however, will trump their rivals with the signing of Cavani, who is set be presented to the media at a press conference at 4pm local time.

The Uruguay international forward arrived in Paris on Monday and was met at Charles De Gaulle airport by his agent, Pierpaolo Triulzi, and PSG deputy sporting director Olivier Letang.

He then met the club’s sporting director, Leonardo, before

undergoing a three-hour medical at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital.

With Leonardo having told the club that he will leave his post at the end of the summer transfer window on September 2, PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi is expected to return from Doha on Tuesday morning to present Cavani to the press instead.

Celebratory Fire Turns Iraq Football Win Into Nightmare

THIRTEEN-year-old Moqtada went outside his house to set off fireworks after a victory by Iraq’s football team, but ended up a victim of celebratory gunfire, with a bullet lodged in his back.

When Iraq beat South Korea others were paying the price. in the U-20 World Cup Security and medical officials quarter-finals this month, said at least four people were Baghdad erupted with the killed and around 21 wounded sound of gunshots, fired by gunfire after the match.

Celebratory shooting adds individually or in automatic yet another danger to a country bursts.

But while some were which has been hit by the gleefully firing in the air, worst violence since 2008.

More than 2,600 people have been killed in attacks so far this year.

At a house in central Baghdad, Moqtada, a slightlyaround. built boy with black hair, “It will be in a few months maybe but it’s important to get it rested on his stomach on a right,” Beckham is quoted as narrow bed, a large bandage saying in The Sun. “This is a big covering his wounded lower decision where I’ll have my back. franchise and how I’m going to “I went out ... to play with do it. It’s something I’m excited fireworks” and “was hit in my about.” back,” Moqtada said in a quiet There is not currently an MLS voice. franchise in Florida, nor any of He intially thought he had the closest dozen or so states in been struck by a firework, but the region. The closest clubs to it soon became clear it was Miami are Houston Dynamo to the west and DC United to the something more serious.

“I was sitting at home north. The last time the state had any MLS franchises was in 2001, watching the match, which the year both the Fort Iraq won. We were happy,” Lauderdale-based Miami Fusion said Moqtada’s uncle Rahim. and the Tampa Bay Mutiny “Then they called saying your folded. nephew was hit by a shot.”

New York City FC, the joint Rahim said Moqtada was venture between Premier League taken to a public hospital in side Manchester City and Baghdad, but they refused to baseball giants New York Yankees, will enter the MLS in operate, saying it was too 2015 as the league’s 20th risky.

So the wounded boy had to franchise.

Beckham Hopes To Unveil MLS Plans

DAVID Beckham hopes to make an announcement later this year about his plans to launch an MLS expansion franchise.

The former England captain, who spent four years at LA Galaxy before retiring after a short spell at Paris Saint-Germain last season, visited Miami last month to explore the option of founding a new team in Florida.

The 38-year-old had a clause in his contract from his time as a player at LA Galaxy giving him the option to take up ownership of a club in the MLS for a set fee of $25 million.

Beckham was joined on that visit by Bolivia-born billionaire Marcelo Claure, who tried unsuccessfully to launch an MLS franchise in Florida in partnership with Spanish giants Barcelona back in 2009.

However, the prospect of a Beckham-led operation enhances the prospects of success this time

Oussama Darragi

be moved to a second public hospital.

It seemed the operation would be performed there, but doctors eventually decided it should be done at a third, privately-owned hospital, where the bullet was finally removed.

The boy’s father Ali later told AFP Moqtada was recovering well from the gunshot and walking again.

But the operation, unlike treatment at public facilities, came at a steep cost — 2.5 million Iraqi dinars (about $2,080) — a huge expense that the family could ill-afford.

They pooled money to pay the bill.

It was “all because of the match,” Rahim said. “Clap, dance, celebrate, but not with shooting.”

As for an upcoming match, he added: “I hope that Iraq will lose, it is better, I swear to God.” No victory would mean no celebratory shooting.

Interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan told AFP that people who fire weapons in the air can face arrest and the confiscation of their firearms.

“If you want to celebrate, you can celebrate in a modern way,” Maan said. “Anything else except using guns.”

But celebratory shooting, which also occurs at some weddings and funerals, is still

common in Iraq, and security forces are sometimes part of the problem.

The night Moqtada was shot, one witness saw federal policemen in the Zayouna area of Baghdad firing a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a machinegun into the air, though an officer came and called them to account.

People usually fire into the air at an angle, meaning that “the bullet will come back to earth on a parabolic curve with some residual velocity,” said Ronald Scott, a US-based forensic consultant on firearms, ballistics, and shooting reconstructions.

This poses serious danger: “Gunshots fired in the air have a very high degree of causing serious bodily injury or death because it is rare that they are actually coming back to earth in a free-fall vertically,” when they pose much less danger, Scott said.

Some Iraqis have had more than enough of the practice.

“We don’t want it to continue,” Ahmed Midhat Ibrahim said at a Baghdad cafe.

“It is unbelievable for those who are going to celebrate to be shot and maybe killed.”

And one fan urged in a text message displayed at the bottom of the screen during another match: “If you love Iraq, do not fire in the air after the game.”

midfielder Mohamed Ali Mhadhebi with a five-year contract, before signing Union Sportive Monastirienne 23-year old left back Seifeddine Akermi.

Darragi, Mbarki and Akermi will be able to help Esperance in their continental campaign, unlike Mhadhebi who already competed on the African stage with Club Athlétique Bizertin this season and is therefore ineligible.

The Blood and Gold will start their quest of a third continental crown (after winning the 1994 and 2011 editions) this coming Sunday in Angola, against Clube Recreativo Desportivo do Libolo.

Gomez Arrival Paves Way For Jovetic Exit

MANCHESTER City appear to be closing in on the signing of Stevan Jovetic after Fiorentina’s unveiling of Mario Gomez as their new striker.

Over 20,000 fans packed into Florence’s Stadio Artemio Franchi on Monday to hear the Viola’s new signing say he was “very, very, very happy” to be part of their family, but it seems Jovetic is edging towards an exit.

City are believed to be ready to meet Fiorentina’s +30 million asking price with a move reportedly imminent, so much so that the 23-yearold has not been summoned along with the rest of the squad to a pre-season training camp in Moena, Trentino.

Instead, his visit to the same clinic where Gomez underwent his medical on Monday was to gauge the recovery progress of an injury he picked up while on international duty with Montenegro.

Jovetic has scored 35 goals in 116 league appearances for Fiorentina, including 13 last season. He shot to fame in 2009-10 when the Viola beat Liverpool home and away in the group stage of the Champions League before bowing out on away goals to Bayern Munich, in spite of Jovetic’s five goals in six appearances.

With Sevilla warning City they will have to pay the full asking price if they are to sign striker Alvaro Negredo, it is reported that Jovetic is now their top attacking target.

Federation Cup: Heartland

Henchman Promises Victorious Outing FAN Ndubuoke, Chairman, Heartland FC of Owerri, yesterday said that the team would do everything within its means to ensure a victorious outing in the Federation Cup. Ndubuoke told newsmen in Lagos that the players and coaching crew were bent on winning the cup for a third time, to set a record.

The Owerri-based side will lock horns with Ingas FC of Enugu, a non-league side on July 17, in the round of 32 of the competition.

“We know lots of clubs are prepared for this

tournament; we are going there to set a record, God willing.

“But we will do anything humanly possible to ensure that we achieve our goal; we know we are the target of other clubs so the only thing to do is to prepare hard enough.

“We have put together all the necessary logistics to ensure that our plan doesn’t suffer any hitch,’’ Ndubuoke said.

The national preliminaries of the Federation Cup will hold in four centres: Lagos, Port Harcourt, Bauchi and Lokoja and the

preliminaries will hold from July 16 to July 28.

On the level of motivation of the players, the chairman told NAN that all outstanding sign on fees and due payments have been settled.

“We have paid a substantial part of their sign on fees and we have paid salaries, so they are well motivated “They are preparing well and are currently training at Rojeny, near Onitsha,’’ the chairman added.

Agbelu Car on fire

Wolves Loan Mba For Free CHAIRMAN of Warri Wolves Amaju Pinnick has revealed Eagles star Sunday

Eagle Battle Cote d’Ivoire On Artificial Pitch

NIGERIA have said they are ready to tackle hosts Cote d’Ivoire on a synthetic pitch in a 2014 CHAN second leg qualifier.

The home-based Eagles beat their Ivorian counterparts 4-1 in the first leg played at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna earlier this month.

“We learnt from the leadership of the NFF that the game will be played on artificial turf and I must say we were delighted because we will give our all on such a pitch but we are keeping our plans close to our chest,” team co-ordinator Emmanuel Atta said on Monday.

Head Coach Stephen Keshi and his assistants were calm over the development because according to team secretary, Dayo Enebi Achor, “Anything they want to throw at us we

Coach Keshi

are sure we have capable hands led by Keshi to counter them.”

The Eagles will resume training on Tuesday morning at the FIFA Goal Project Abuja and will train once in the morning until otherwise decided.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles goalkeeper and skipper Chigozie Agbim was the first to arrive camp on Monday afternoon as the training camp opened for the return leg of the CHAN qualifier final round against Cote D’Ivoire in Abidjan, July 27.

Agbim was soon joined by the likes of Godfrey Oboabona, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Benjamin Francis, Rabiu Ali and by dinner time almost all the 24 players invited for the crucial tie have reported.

Mba

Mba is now at Rangers on a free loan till the end of the season.

Pinnick said part of the reason for agreeing on a free loan deal for Mba is that there is a player, Etebor Oghenekaro, who plays a similar role to that of the 2013 AFCON hero at Wolves.

The Wolves boss maintained though that his club still own Mba 100%.

“Mba’s coming in to Warri Wolves now can be negative or positive because we have a player who is doing well in Mba’s role here, that is Etebor Oghenekaro. We can’t bring a player like Mba to come and sit on the bench here,” Pinnick said on a television programme.

“We had a meeting over Sunday Mba, a promising young man that can do well for Nigeria team, so we decided to have an agreement - we asked him what he wanted and he said he wanted to play for Rangers because they have been good to him, and in our usual generosity, we gave him to Rangers on a free loan without collecting a

FORMER Nigeria U20 striker Akeem Agbetu cheated death in Turkey when his BMW car burnt to ashes Monday afternoon.

TKI Tavsanli Linyitspor of Turkey striker told MTNFootball.com that he was shocked with the event as he had never witnessed such in his life.

“My car got burnt down completely. It was shocking, I have never witnessed such in my life,” Agbetu told MTNFootball.com “I thank God for my life that I escape unhurt. It happened while I was driving to training. It was miracle that I was out of the car.”

The 5 Series BMW was valued at about 30,000 Euros.

Linyitspor are Agbetu’s sixth Turkish club since he moved there in 2009. He has also featured for Sivasspor, Samsunspor, Kocealispor and Boluspor.

FC of Nasarawa; while Police Machine of Adamawa and Babayaro FC of Gombe did not come.

“All the two match commissioners and the centre referees were in attendance.

The hosts’ Football Associations (FAs) were also in attendance as well as the zonal coordinators.

“Some of the players from the teams involved also came and testified, especially the captain of Akurba FC of Nasarawa.

“At the end, based on the evidences before us, we took decisions which we think will salvage Nigerian football,” he said.

Sanusi, who doubles as the Secretary of the Organising Committee, noted that the

country’s integrity was at stake because the international community was very interested in the outcome of the cases.

“FIFA has been keeping a close watch on the issues.

“In fact, while we were in the meeting, some foreign newsmen called; every day we receive calls from international organisations eager to find out our decision on the matter.

He said that the outcome of the meeting would be made public as soon as possible.

“By the time we present our report to the people who assigned us to carry out this investigation, and it is approved, then our findings and actions will be made public,” he said.

dime.

“When he is moving to Europe which is imminent, we will be the team they will discuss with because he is our player 100%.”

Agbetu Cheats Death

Match Fixing Scandal Probe Almost Concluded - Sanusi

ABUJA - Mohammed Sanusi, Director of Competitions, Nigeria Football Association (NFA), said yesterday investigations into the match fixing scandal in the Nigeria Nation Wide League (NNWL), were almost concluded.

Speaking to newsmen after same goal difference, and a meeting of the investigation/ needed the last matches to disciplinary committee in qualify into NNWL Division Abuja, Sanusi said that the 3. committee had a very fruitful The four teams were placed deliberation. on an indefinite suspension by It would be recalled that the NFA on July 8, pending Plateau United FC’s Feeder further investigations into the team scored a whopping 79 matter. un-replied goals to overcome Sanusi said that the Akurba FC of Nasarawa. committee took decisions that Also, the Police Machine would serve as deterrent to FC, Adamawa “crushed’’ would-be offenders and Babayaro FC of Gombe 67-0 described the scandal as a both in the Nigeria Nation disgrace to the nation’s Wide League NNWL football.

Division 4.

“We invited the four teams Plateau United Feeders and involved in the saga, two Police Machine FC were tied teams attended: Plateau on four points each with the United Feeders and Akurba

Zaha In Awe At United Life EPL: Giggs Hungry For More MANCHESTER United new boy Wilfried Zaha admits that he is in awe after his move to Old Trafford.

Although Zaha joined the Old Trafford outfit in January, in the process becoming Sir Alex Ferguson’s last signing as Red Devils boss, he spent the remainder of the season on loan back with his previous club Crystal Palace.

It meant when he linked up with his team-mates for their current tour to the Far East and Australia he did not really know what to expect.

But after three days in Bangkok, Zaha is now acutely aware of how big United are.

“It’s my first time on a tour like this,” he told MUTV. “I’m not used to it. To have so many fans coming to watch a preseason game is different.”

The England Under-21 star is making a positive impression though.

He might only have featured for the final half-hour of Saturday’s surprise defeat by the Singha All Stars but he was one of the better players on view and came closest to grabbing an equaliser for the Old Trafford outfit when he smacked a shot against the post.

“I really just put my head down and tried to connect with the ball properly,” he said.

“It would have been a different story if it had gone in.

“I’m glad I had a go and it would have been a great day for me if I’d scored one. But it doesn’t matter now.

“Just knowing I was on the pitch with Rio (Ferdinand), Ryan Giggs and Anderson was good enough for me.”

United flew straight out of Bangkok in the early hours of the morning and have now reached Sydney, where they will spend a week before facing the A-League All Stars in the second game of their five-match tour this coming weekend.

MANCHESTER United legend Ryan Giggs says it is ‘crazy’ that he has maintained his motivation over the years of success.

Giggs, about to start his 23rd season as a United player, is the proud owner of a record 13 Premier League titles.

The fact he can still turn in the type of top-class performances that persuaded

Valencia Was My Only Choice CHELSEA’s midfielder Oriol Romeu says he is looking to make the best of his seasonlong loan move to La Liga side Valencia.

The 21-year-old has battled to secure a regular role at Stamford Bridge and will look to gain more experience with Los Che in the Spanish league as well as the Europa League.

The former Barcelona player revealed that a move to Valencia had been on the cards during previous transfer windows before the two sides eventually reached an agreement last week.

“I feel very proud to be here,” he told reporters. “I have come to this big club to contribute and to enjoy football. We are going to compete for big things.

“We tried to get me here three times, and finally we have succeeded. I really wanted to play here. I didn’t want to listen to any other offer; my only choice was Valencia CF.” Romeu came through the Barcelona youth ranks and made his La Liga debut in May 2011 before joining Chelsea on a fouryear deal two months later.

One Year To Greatness - Lukaku

HOTLY tipped Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku set his sights sky-high Monday by saying he plans to be among the world’s best players within a year after combining with new manager Jose Mourinho.

The 20-year-old Belgian, fresh from a storming loan season with West Bromwich Albion, said he believed Chelsea were building “something big” under the charismatic and highly successful Portuguese boss.

And the six foot four (1.93 metres) powerhouse said Mourinho was also pushing him to achieve his personal goals — which include becoming one of the top players in the world by the age of 21.

“We’re just here and we’re building to something big,” he told AFP during a coaching clinic for schoolchildren in Bangkok, first stop on Chelsea’s pre-season tour.

“We have great players, we have great leaders, a lot of great quality in the team and we are here to build something great.”

Late Thompson Oliha

Sir Alex Ferguson to hand him another contract is testament to the 39-year-old’s phenomenal mental strength.

Giggs admits he cannot really explain it himself. However, speaking on his arrival in Sydney for the second leg of United’s pre-season tour, it is clear he loves the game as much as he ever did.

“Crazy, aren’t I?” he said.

“I’m enjoying it just as much as I did 20 years ago. It’s as simple as that.

“Every year is a bonus to me.

Take last year: winning the league, that feeling you have after the hard work you put in.

Winning that trophy makes it all worthwhile.

“The thing about Manchester United is you have to do it all over again.”

And that philosophy will remain the same even though there is now a new man at the helm.

“This is the start of the journey this season and I hope to be lifting a trophy again at the end of it,” he said.

“We have to put the hard work in now in order to achieve that.”

It is United’s first visit to Australia since 1999 and this time round Giggs will have the chance to see one of sport’s fiercest rivalries.

Cardiff-born Giggs only ended up in Manchester in the first place because his dad

Oliha For Burial July 26

By NICHOLAS EBOIGBE

THE remains of the former Super Eagles midfield ace, Thompson Oliha aka “Midfield General” will be committed to mother earth July 26.

According to the Edo State “The family have fixed July Football Association 26 and 27 as date for the burial Secretary, Victor Edokpayi, of Thompson Oliha, he said. He the body of the fallen soccer explaned that the body of the star will arrive Benin next late midfield sensation will be week. lying–in-state at the Samuel

Ogbemdia stadium where his fans, coaches colleagues will accord him their last respect.

“It is sad and very painful that our own son and brother Thompson Oliha has left this sinful world when he was needed most to contribute more of his knowledge and ingenuity to the development of the game of football in the country.

NFF officials and his former team mates in the 1994 Super Eagles squad are expected to arrive Benin next week to honour the Nigerian soccer hero and bid him their final farewell.

The “Mmidfield General” Thompson Oliha died on June 30, 2013 after a brief illness in Ilorin where he worked as a coach at the Kwara Football Academy.

De Boer Backs Eriksen To Join Liverpool

AJAX coach Frank de Boer insists he will not prevent Christian Eriksen from joining Liverpool this summer if the midfielder requests a move to the Premier League side.

Eriksen, 21, has a year remaining on his contract with the Dutch club, but has been strongly linked with a move to either Liverpool or Borussia Dortmund.

The Denmark international’s agent last week confirmed Eriksen is in talk with a number of clubs, although a move away from the Amsterdam ArenA has not yet been confirmed.

With Eriksen reluctant to sign a contract extension, the Eredivisie champions could be forced into selling their star to

he wants to make another step in his career. I can’t stop him.”

And I can also understand that

avoid him leaving on a free next season.

De Boer suggested Liverpool are now in the box seat to sign the playmaker after Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined Dortmund, claiming he will not stand in the way of the Reds’ approach.

“It is up to Christian what he wants,” De Boer said, according to Sky Sports. “If he feels good going to Liverpool, then it is up to him. I would want nothing more than having him with us for a few more years.

“But we realise the interest in this kind of player is huge.

Christian Eriksen

moved north to play professional rugby league for Swinton.

Giggs played the sport as a youngster and has retained a healthy interest even though he has gone on to achieve so much success in a different footballing sphere.

So Wednesday’s State of Origin decider between Queensland and New South Wales - in the same ANZ Stadium United’s sell-out tour match against the A-League All Stars will take place on Saturday evening - is going to be an occasion for Giggs to relish.

“I’m a big rugby league fan,” he said. “I had the great pleasure of spending some time with Melbourne Storm when they were playing in Leeds in the World Cup Challenge.

“I spent some time with Billy Slater and Cameron Smith, who are Queenslanders. I’ve also had a text off Andrew Johns telling me in no uncertain terms who I need to support on Wednesday.

“I’m in Sydney so I’ll be supporting New South Wales.”

Mertesacker Predicts Title Challenge

ARSENAL defender Per Mertesacker believes Arsene Wenger ’s side are ready to challenge for major honours next season, with the German revealing the north London club are not preparing to sell another one of their star players this summer.

Wenger has spent the last few years battling in vain to hang on to star names likes Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie, yet it is player recruitment and not big money sales that appear to be top of the agenda in this off-season.

That change of emphasis has inspired Mertesacker to suggest Wenger’s men are well placed to take advantage of the uncertainty that surrounds many Premier League clubs after a glut of managerial changes.

With Arsenal continuing to be linked with ambitious moves for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, the mood in the Gunners camp appears to be buoyant.

“I would say that consistency is the most important thing. If we can do that then we should be challenging for trophies and titles,” Mertesacker is quoted in the Daily Mail.

“We haven’t sold any players yet so we are coming from a good base at the moment, we’re at a good level and no-one is leaving at the moment. Maybe someone will come and strengthen our squad so it’s in a better position than last summer when we lost two important players (Robin van Persie and Alex Song).”

CMYK

Civi Society Intervention PRODEMOCRACY, human rights and labour activities must consistently and persistently e n g a g e themselves in those struggles and lofty ideas that will lead to the drastic cleaning up of the state for the benefit of all and sundry.

We should support comrade Adams Oshiomhole in his determined efforts-Quoted in CONQUEROR OF THE GOD FATHERS (Page 75) It is no longer news that the strike action called by Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Edo State, along with some states in the federation, over their allowances, has been called off.

What is news is that the civil s o c i e t y organisations in Edo State lived up to expectation and played a very major role in resolving the more than one month strike that p a r a l y s e d learning activities

at the primary schools level.

That is to say civil s o c i e t y organisations in Edo state have been very proactive and focused in Edo State most especially since Comrade Adams Oshiomhole emerged as the elected Governor of Edo State on November 12, 2008. We must not forget in a hurry that when the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Edo State had had some issues to sort out with the Oshiomhole administration in the early stage of this regime members of the civil society rose up to the occasion and broke the ice of thorny disagreement that led to the suspension of the strike called then by medical and health officers.

I want to go down memory lane to the 1990s before the return to civilian rule in Nigeria and compare what was available then as civil society

organisation or movement in Edo State. Between 1995 and 1999 I was chairman, committee for the Defence of Human Rights (DHR) Edo State I remember vividly that Rev. David Ugolor, Executive Director of Africa Network

community in the state.

As chairman of CDHR Edo State I held series of meetings and protestations with Rev. David Ugolor ANEEJ, we achieved little then because the atmosphere was not conducive for

regime, even as Rev. David Ugolor of ANEEJ has graciously made its international secretariat in Benin City available for

David Ugolor, ANEEJ Executive Director.

for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) initiated a land of collaborative network of activities geared towards holding those at the helm of affairs then responsible to the citizens of Edo State by the human rights

“It is no longer news that the strike action called by Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Edo State, along with some states in the federation, over their allowances, has been called off.

What is news is that the civil society organisations in Edo State lived up to expectation and played a very major role in resolving the more than one month strike that paralysed learning activities at the primary schools level.”

civil society groups to blossem into practical network, as military rulers were not responding even as hard as we tried.

But nevertheless as comrades and activists we were still able to make our mark. Then, comrade Paul Ohonbamu was coordinator of South-South Zone of the civil liberties organisations (CLO) etc. but today things have c h a n g e d dramatically as since the coming of the Oshiomhole

various civil society organisation to rob minds and strategies on how to hold the present G a l i a n administration of Edo State accountable to the people of the state.

Therefore, when Rev. Ugolor along with comrade K a d u n a Eboigbodin (Exchairman of

Nigeria Labpur Congress Edo State) Current Chairman, Gani F a w e h i n m i Movement for Good Governance

The point being made here is that the civil s o c i e t y organisation in Edo State have never quite responsive, focused and determined more than ever before to make sure that the people are carried along, and that an injury done to any member of the society in Edo State is automatically an injustice to all of us. The case of citizen Ibrahim Momodu comes to mind.

Here is a citizen who was cruelly murdered by the ( G F M G G ) police and the convened the p o l i c e stakeholders Town authorities are Hall meeting at presently trying Urhokpota Benin to cover things City, recently to up. But, when find a way out of we made a the imbroglio peaceful protect occasioned by the to the Edo State strike called by the House of Nigeria Union of Assembly the Teachers (NUT) Oba palace and over allowance, all the office of the of us the civil A t t o r n e y society movement General and commissioner in Edo State.

TOMORROW ON THIS PAGE

“The state of the Nation Address is certainly an idea whose time has come.”

-Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan

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