Nigerian observer 18 07 2013 by Nigerian Observer

THE NIGERIAN

The Nigerian

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 RELATIONSHIP

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THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

• Vol. 38 NO.277 • THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2 0 13 • N100.00

Police foil kidnap of coy paymaster

By DANIEL EDOBOR

IGUOBAZUWA - The police in Iguobazuwa in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State yesterday at about 10 am foiled an

attempt by a six man gang to abduct the paymaster of Aden Palm Oil Company Limited, Mr. Ajari Friday.

rounded up the alleged abductors in their hide out where they were arrested at AdenSiluko River, their escape route with a

Acting on a tip off, the Iguobazuwa Divisional Police Officer, DSP Lawrence Ihindero with officers in the division Continues on page 2

World Class Shopping Mall

SOCIETY ISSUES Page 18 Multi-Track Diplomacy And 21st Century Peace Building (2)

EDO SIGNS MoU By QUEENNETH A OROEBEDO

BENIN CITY - Edo State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Resident Africa Real Estate Limited and Median Infrastructure Development Company Limited for the development of a world class shopping mall in Benin City. government’s support at Secretary to the State all levels towards Government, Prof. Julius ensuring the rapid Ihonvbere, signed the commencement of the MoU in Government project. House and formally During the ceremony, presented the site the SSG noted that the survey plan for the state government takes shopping mall to the the challenges of leader of the delegation. economic development Median Infrastructure seriously, adding that the Development Company signing of the MoU is a Limited, assuring

STOP OIL BUNKERING of Edo State, · People 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

demonstration of resolve of the present administration to attract more investors to the state. Chief Executive Officer, Median Infrastructure Development Company Limited, Mr. Olumide

Akinsanya said the shopping mall will be completed and delivered in twenty-four months. Executive Director, Public Private Partnership (PPP), Mr. Igbinidu Innch

expressed pleasure at the introduction of a world class shopping mall to Edo State. Also present at the ceremony were the Commissioner for Housing and Urban

Development, Hon. Francis Evbuomwan, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Stephen Idehenre and Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Barr.

Continues on page 2

Govt centralises donor assisted projects BENIN CITY - Edo State Government has approved the centralization of all Donor Assisted Projects/ Programmes in the state and to be supervised by the Ministry of Budget, Planning and Economic Development for proper coordination, monitoring and management. The Commissioner Ministry of Budget, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Lawrence Aghedo disclosed this in Benin City yesterday at a meeting with Donor Assisted Projects/ Program coordinators in the state Hon. Aghedo solicited the cooperation of all the project coordinators to enable them achieve the set goals as well as

Continues on page 2

DECORATION: Decoration of President Goodluck Jonathan as Grand Patron of West African Insurance Institute yesterday at the State House in Abuja by President Earnest Bai Korowa of Siera Leone. President Goodluck Jonathan (middle), President Earnest Bai Noroma of Siera Leone (left), Vice President Namadi Sambo (right) and some members of Government Board of the Institute after the decoration.

Senators pay last respect to Ewerido By JOSES SEDE

ABUJA - Tears flowed freely as federal

legislators filed past the remains of late Senator Pius Ewherido that lay in

state at the foyer of the National Assembly complex yesterday. Late Senator

Ewherido represented Delta Central Senatorial District. Continues on page 2

Mass unemployment Otaru of Auchi tasks political class put their acts together to called on them to fast

By MORRISON HAYBLE

AUCHI - The leadership and political class in the country have been told to

seek urgent solution to mass unemployment in the country. The Otaru of Auchi

kingdom, HRH, Alhaji A.H. Momoh, Ikelebe 111 who barred his mind on the current political situation in the country,

and pray, asking for God’s forgiveness as most of them were

Continues on page 2

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

News

Police foil kidnap of coy paymaster

Continued from page 1

speed boat already stationed in Aden River for movement to Siluko River and finally to their destination. The suspects were said to have confessed to the crime, contacted on telephone, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Moses

Eguavoen confirmed that the suspects were transferred to the police headquarters yesterday. He said the police authorities would brief the press on the matter today. Those arrested were Messrs Isaiah Adolphosus (50), Joseph Emofongha (35),

John Gabriel (46), Joseph Emeteghan (38), Owotobo Omowotobe (45), and David Feku (40). The suspects who have since been transferred to the police Headquarters, Benin City, were still perfecting their plans, awaiting the strike

force due to arrive from Asaba, Delta State with arms and ammunition for the abduction of their victim tomorrow when they were arrested. Investigation revealed that the advance party arrived Aden on Monday for surveillance of the area.

campaign to rural communities where the pressure for the daily increase in population is more, occasioned by poor enlightenment. Prof. Ihonvbere assured the group of government’s support, just as he promised to bring to the

knowledge of the governor their request for improved funding and provision of more infrastructure in health facilities across the state. Spokesperson for the group, Dr. Olusesan IsholaGbonla said its main focus is to create necessary

awareness on the need for adequate planning practices which is already gaining grounds in Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Councils in the state and in collaboration with the state ministry of health.

EDO SIGNS MoU Continued from page 1

Oluwole Iyamu. At a session with a delegation of a nongovernmental organisation, the Advocacy Corp Group, Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, the SSG urged the body to take its

Senators pay last respect to Ewerido

Continued from page 1 Until June 30, 2013, when he was reported dead of certain ailment. Among those that paid last respect to the deceased senator were Senate President, David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and principal officers of the two chambers. However, in his tribute earlier, presiding Senate President Mark described “the sudden demise of Senator Ewherido” as “traumatic”, adding that “each time death occurs, it tinkers with the oneness, corporate spirit, togetherness and love that bond us in this Senate” He also noted that although death is inevitable, “whenever it occurs, we are taken by surprise”, stressing, “his death was untimely and painful ; he left his footprints on the sand of history”. “Death is the great reality principle, which smashes the idols of self-sufficiency and omnipotence. Death is the testimony of our

creaturehood. It is a true test of our faith in God. Although he was a man with exceptional achievements, he never boasted about his achievement and contributions to his community and the society at large. Senator Ewherido was a lively, calculative and focused person. I can describe him as a man of all seasons who was always confident, vocal and comfortable in any company he found himself”, he continued. Senator Mark who was virtually welling up in his eyes, furthered down memory lane groaning, “ we cannot forget his persuasive, pedantic, brilliant and vibrant contributions to debates in this chamber”. “Each time he made contributions, he demonstrated patriotism and nationalism; he was a good team player who placed the love for the people above any form of

individualistic or parochial interests. He was objective, truthful, sincere, committed and charismatic. The Senate has indeed lost a rare gem, as shown clearly in your testaments. You will be dearly missed my brother. This is not the end of the journey, but the beginning. We live to part, but we will meet when we shall part no more. God in his infinite wisdom has a reason for everything and we must believe in Him”, he added. Waxing philosophical, Senator Mark noted that if death had given Ewherido the chance to bid NASS farewell, “he would have done so gallantly”, stressing, “Senator Ewherido had prepared himself for this journey”. He recited the words of a Religious, Slor McCarthy thus: “I have got my leave. Bid me farewell, my friends and colleagues. I bow to you all and take my departure. Here I give back the keys of my door, and I give up all

observed with disappointment that in spite of the proliferation of churches and mosques in the country, nothing seemed to have been gained, emphasizing that the current crisis were not challenges but the result of the forces of good and evil fighting each. “The crisis we say we are facing are the token torments

comes, every body will be running” Alhaji A.H. Momoh warned. He therefore challenged those at the helm of affairs to retrace their steps and imbibe the culture of godliness and embrace God’s message in the Bible and Quoran for mankind as this would ensure better future for the country.

Otaru of Auchi tasks political Continued from page 1 before the real thing, the class bigger chastisement. When it directly or indirectly through corrupt tendencies, responsible for the economic and social predicament. Alhaji A.H. Momoh noted that Nigeria fundamental problems had been ungodliness of its people who he said, were not conscious of the existence of the Almighty God as they engaged the youths in unwholesome ventures of political thurgery and other evils during elections and dump them thereafter. According to the Otaru of Auchi, “Now we have millions of Nigerian graduates who have no jobs, what do you want them to do? When the politicians are coming for elections, they give them guns and other weapons to fight their opponents”. The Traditional Ruler

Govt centralises donor assisted projects Continued from page 1 ensure the judicious use of the funds from donor agencies. The commissioner stated that the state government has made giant strides in the infrastructural development of the state saying that funds from donor agencies should be appropriately utilized to

complement the state government’s laudable efforts. He charged the coordinators to be prudent and diligent in their activities and assured of government’s prompt payment of counterpart fund. High point of the occasion was the presentation of monthly activities report from the coordinators of various donor agencies.

claims to my house. I only ask for last kind words from you. We were colleagues for long, but I have received more than I could give. Now the day has dawned and the lamp that lit my dark corner is out. A summon has come and I am ready for my journey”. Let me conclude with the words of St. Paul who offers guidance for the difficult hours of our lives. We need not be imprisoned in the fear of death. While there is still light and life let us be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labour is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15: 58). Senator Ewherido, fought the good fight. As we await the blessed hope of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, may the peace of the Lord be with him”, he further stressed. In his tribute, Senate Leader, Victor NdomaEgba noted that since “the Almighty did not consult us when we were born, the best time to die is when someone dies”, adding, “only God knows when”. Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu described the deceased senator as quintessential, while Senator James Manager noted that with his (Ewherido) bill on Corporate Manslaughter, he had brought his intellectual and legal capacity to bear on legislative business. As for Senator Ehigie Uzamere, late Senator Ewherido could have survived if the consultants in the hospital were not paying attention to their private hospitals; he might have survived if the health sector is well funded; half of Nigerians now go to India today and come back in caskets. The Senate had earlier suspended Order 17 of its Rules to allow for entry of non members among whom were Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, the deceased’s wife, Doye Ewherido, and wives of senators, led by Mrs. Ekweremadu to watch the proceeding.

UNIBEN appoints Bursar, Librarian BENIN CITY - The council of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has appointed Dr. Baba Bila and Dr. (Mrs.) Evelyn A.O. Idiodi as Bursar and University Librarian respectively. A release signed by the University’s Public Relations Officer, H.O. Osarenren, said Dr. Bila, an indigene of Yobe State is 55 years old. The newly appointed Bursar holds a Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Maiduguri and Lagos state University respectively and a Ph.D from Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto. Dr. Bila with over 27 years working experience from both the public and private sectors

is a fellow of National Accountant of Nigeria. The release added that Dr. (Mrs.) Idiodi, the university’s Librarian hails from Delta State, she obtained her Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Ibadan, and a Ph.D degree from Delta State University, Abraka. Dr. (Mrs.) Idiodi according to the release has worked in Libraries both in Nigeria and outside the country. She was a principal Librarian in the John Harris Library of the University of Benin before the appointment. She is a member of the Nigeria Library Association. Both officers are happily married and blessed with children.

Edo govt to partner agencies on youth matters By CLIFFORD AGBAJOR

BENIN CITY- Wife of Edo State Deputy Governor, Deaconess Endurance Odubu said the state Government would continue to partner with organisations whose activities revolve round the training of youths for productive ventures. She made the remark yesterday at the opening ceremony of a three-day workshop on entrepreneurial empowerment organised in Benin City by the office of the first Lady of Edo State in collaboration with the Agency for Science and Technology, Abuja. Deaconess Odubu who was represented by the wife of the Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Mrs. Jennifer Igbe, noted that any initiative geared towards improving and empowering the teeming unemployed youths should be embraced by progressive minds who mean well for the country. The wife of the deputy

governor noted that the state government in order to better the fortune of the unemployed decided to set up the skills Acquisition Centre at Evbuomodu, to facilitate the training of youths including women. She noted that the centre has turned out hundreds of graduands who specialized in computer, soap making, hair dressing, catering and are doing well in the society. She disclosed that efforts are on-going to ensure that more skills acquisition centre are set up in the 18 local government areas of the state, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, and expressed hope that when realized those in remote villages will avail themselves of the opportunity of being trained. Deaconess Odubu further noted that potential trainee with disabilities would not be left out, as the office of the first Lady of the state will in due course provide wheel chairs, crutches to enhance their movement.

Nomec graduates 343 students, pupils By ADAMS OYIBOKE

BENIN CITY - A total of 342 students and pupils graduated from Nosakhare Model Education Centre (NOMEC) Benin City at the 13 th graduation ceremony of the institution held yesterday. In an address, the Special Guest of Honour and Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Blessing Maigida Lauded the proprietor, management and staff of the institution for their care, time, energy and other resources committed towards the upbringing of the students and pupils. Mrs. Maigida who was represented by the permanent secretary in her ministry said, Nosakhere Education Centre is an environment that enables young people to exhibit and nature their God-given talent to the advantage of the society in general. She, however, maintained that her ministry would continue to partner with

NOMEC at ensuring that the dignity of women is maintained while all forms of violence including rape and defilement of women and the girl child are nip in the bud. The Proprietor of the school, Nosakhere Eghobamien in his remark appreciated all those who graced the graduation ceremony. He called on the graduands to maintain the high academic, moral and discipline for which NOMEC is well known, stressing that anyone who work hard, believes in God and stands for the truth will always succeed. Deacon Eghobamien therefore admonished the students and pupils to be good ambassador of the institution. High point of the 13 th Graduation ceremony was the launch of a book entitled ‘Dignity of Womanhood; by Mercy Omobude and award of prize to deserving students.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Across The Nation Rt. Hon. Uyi Igbe, Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly (left) receiving Hon. Councillor Douglas Eki Idahor, leader, U h u n m w o d e Legislative Arm in his office shortly after the leader and the councillors observed the house plenary session recently. Photo: GODWIN ISEGUAN.

Flood Sacks Village

OWERRI - The flood that followed the 12-hour down pour in Owerri on Sunday has sacked some of the residents of Orji village near Owerri. The flood also damaged properties worth millions of naira in the village including farms and buildings. Speaking with newsmen in the village, one of the victims, Mr George Eke, blamed the government for what befell the village. He said that there was no drainage channel in the area, making free flow of the

FG, States, LGs Share N718bn ABUJA- The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) on Monday in Abuja shared N718.10 billion for the month of June, an official said. The Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama, told newsmen after the FAAC meeting that the distributable statutory revenue for the month was N623.76 billion, saying “there was no need for argumentation. “Also distributed is the sum of N7.61 billion refunded by the NNPC. In addition, the sum of N35.54 billion is proposed for distribution under the SURE-P programme. “The total revenue distributable for the current month, including the value added tax is N718.10billion.’’ He said that N 92.43 billion, the argumentation areas of May would also be distributed within the month, adding that it was not shared the previous month because the funds were not available A breakdown of the

distribution showed that the Federal Government received N294.03 billion (52.68 per cent); States N149.14 billion (26.72 per cent) while local governments received N114.98 billion (20.60 per cent). Ngama said that a total of N52.23 billion representing 13 per cent derivation revenue was shared among the oil producing states. He said that the gross revenue of N863.02 billion received for the month was higher than N590.77 billion received in May by N272.24 billion “There was significant increase in non- oil revenue in May because of the rush by companies to meet the Company Income Tax deadline of 30th June. “Also there was an increase in crude oil production due to completion of pipeline repairs in some terminals,” he said. He, however, said that the challenges of production and lifting were still affected because of the force majeure declared by

Bonny terminals and continuous theft and vandalism. On VAT, he said that for the month of June the gross revenue available was N51.170 billion as against N74.873 billion distributed in the preceding month. This, he said, resulted in a decrease of N23.703 billion. Ngama said that the mineral revenue collected for the month was N550.33 billion, adding that the amount exceeded the budget of N465.057 for the month and N464.11 realised for the month

of May. According to him, the nonmineral revenue collected for the month of June was N312.69 billion, showing an increase from the N126.66 billion collected in May. Meanwhile, Mr. Timothy Odah, the Chairman, Finance Commissioners Forum, told newsmen shortly after the meeting that the forum had extensive discussions on how best to enhance the payment system. He expressed joy over the fact that there was no need to make

withdrawal from the excess crude account to augment the month’s allocation. “We are happy over the improvement of what was collected by the FIRS and NNPC. “The improvement of VAT and tax as non-mineral revenues shows increased diversification of the economy,” he said. Talking on the backlog of payments owed to the states, the chairman said they were still pursuing to make sure that all payments were issued latest August.

flood difficult. He said such incident happened in April 2012 where a lot of residents lost their businesses and houses to the flood. “The government visited us then and promised to construct drainage system to help solve the problem, but till this moment, the administration has not shown any concern,” he said. Another victim, Mr Chibuzo Opara, claimed that since the incident on Sunday, he had not had any shelter for his family as his building was pulled down. “When the incident happened, I first noticed that part of the building had collapsed. I quickly ran out with my children, few minutes later, the whole house collapsed,” he said. Chief Emma Uzoukwu, a senior citizen of the village, appealed to the government to assist the victims with relief materials and find a lasting solution to the erosion problem in the area. Newsmen reports that no life was lost in the incident.

Strike: ASUU Insists On 2009

ABUJA - The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday insisted that the Federal Government should implement the agreements reached in 2009 before it would call off its strike. ASUU made its position known in Abuja when it appeared before the joint National Assembly Committees

Agreements

on Education. Newsmen reports that some of the issues in the agreement include: funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, earned academic allowance and registration of Universities Pension Management Company.

Rt. Hon. Uyi Igbe, Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly (arrowed) flanked on his (right) by Hon. Sunday Aghedo, member representing Ovia South West in the State House of Assembly and on his (left) by the leader,Ovia South West Legislative arm, Hon. Councillor Robert Ekeme Fiyes in a group photograph with other councillors from Ovia South West Legislative arm shortly after they observed the state House of Assembly Plenary Session recently. Photo: GODWIN ISEGUAN.

Others are: amendment of pension retirement age of academics at the professional cadre, federal assistance to state universities and transfer of Federal Government landed property to universities. Chairman of ASUU, Dr Nasir Fagge, told the committee that only two out of the nine agreements had been met. “We cannot renegotiate what was already agreed in 2009, so the best thing is, let government go and implement the aspects of the agreement as they have proposed to us themselves. “Once that is done, I am confident that it will engender confidence among our members and our members nationwide will be able to review the situation at any moment and take appropriate decision.’’ Fagge expressed worry that the Federal Government was not fair in its dealing with the association. He decried the situation whereby funds were being pumped into other sectors such as banking, aviation and textile industry that had challenges, yet education was continuously being neglected. “If we really want to turn around the country, we must address the issue of education because it is the bedrock of

development. “I believe that one of the ways of addressing some of these issues is for government to implement the 2009 agreement as this will place education on a sound footing.’’ He noted that Nigerian students and lecturers were continuously leaving the country to neighbouring countries in search of better education and teaching conditions. Speaking on the issue, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai, told the committee that the Federal Government was working tirelessly to ensure that it met its own side of the agreement. Rufai said the implementation of the agreement was not something that could be completed within a short period as it required a very long and tedious process. “Two of the issues have been implemented up to 100 per cent and the other issues too, progress has been made as there has been an increase in funding.’’ Also speaking, Prof. Julius Okogie, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), told the committee that the tuition paid in universities in Nigeria was very low compared to other countries.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

South-South Assembly Crises

Rivers Inaugurates Commission of Inquiry PORT HARCOURT - The Rivers Government has inaugurated an eight- man Judicial Commission of Inquiry to look into the July 9 and July 10 crises in the House of Assembly. Gov. Chibuike Amaechi, who inaugurated the commission, urged them to investigate and ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the crises. Represented by Mr Tele Ikuru, his Deputy, Amaechi charged the commission to also investigate and ascertain the number of persons injured or threatened with injury. “Ascertain property destroyed; their owners and the value of such property, identify those directly or indirectly involved in the crises. “Ascertain whether external persons or factors outside the assembly influenced or are involved in the crises,’’ he said. He urged the commission to

investigate any other matter that might come their way during deliberations not covered in their terms of preference. The governor said they should make recommendations that would bring lasting peace to the assembly. “I wish to charge you that in the course of your deliberations and decisions, you need to be active, firm, courageous and sincere. “You are also required to conclude and deliver the report of your investigations to the government of Rivers State, on or before Oct. 15, 2013,’’ he said. The Chairman of the commission, Justice Biobele Georgewill, said they would do their work with integrity, faith in God, to restore peace to the assembly and the state. “We ask of your promise that when we submit our report, you will look into it and implement

Development

Akpabio Woes Indigenes In Diaspora UYO - Governor. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom has appealed to indigenes of the state resident in the United Kingdom to come home and join hands to develop the state. This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Aniekan Umanah, the Commissioner for Information, in Uyo. Umanah said that Akpabio made the appeal in London at a Town Hall meeting organised by Mboho Akwa Ibom State Association (MAISA) in the UK

and Ireland. The commissioner quoted Akpabio as saying that the Diaspora community had a vital role to play in the development of Akwa Ibom, especially in the area of health care. The governor told the association that his administration was making progress in the development of infrastructure, and was working hard to improve the power sector.

it. “If we work and come out with recommendations and if they are not implemented, we will not be happy. “This is because we want to make suggestions and recommendations we are sure, will move our state forward. “I assure you, we will not fail Rivers State, we will not fail Rivers people, we will do what is right and just to all manner of persons that will appear before us,’’ he said. No date has been fixed for the commission to commence sitting.

L-R: Governors Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano State, Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers; Babangida Aliyu of Niger and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, during the Northern Governors visit to Governor Amaechi in Port Harcourt recently.

PORT HARCOURT - The Rivers State Agency for the Control of AIDS (RIVSACA) on Monday said homosexuality was partly responsible for prevalent rate of HIV and AIDS in the state. The Chairman of the agency, Mr. Oliver Worlugbom, made this known at a press briefing in Port Harcourt. Worlugbom said that the state had witnessed an increase in reported cases of HIV and AIDS, adding that it was among the states in Nigeria with the highest infection rate. “Rivers is among the 12+1 in the country which jointly carries 70 per cent of the HIV burden of the country. “If we can drastically reduce the problem of HIV in Rivers,

Nigeria will be on track to achieving zero HIV and zero HIV related cases. “At present, the HIV problem in Rivers is very high, although, the state prevalence is estimated at six per cent. “The infection rate in some local government areas and community is as high as 20 to 25 per cent as a result of activities of female sex workers and men who have sex with men. “The keeping of multiple sexual partners is increasingly common among young people in schools and out of schools and all these are contributory to high rate of infection in the state,” he said. Worlugbom said that the

Agency Blames HIV/AIDS Prevalence On Homosexual Activities

L-R: Deputy Commissioner of Police, Isyaku Barau; Customs Area Comptroller Zone ‘A’, Alhaji Isa Nuhu, AIG. Mamman Isafe and Deputy Comptroller in Charge of Enforcement, Mr. Idowu Ogun, during a courtesy visit by Customs Area Comptroller to the AIG in Lagos recently.

agency was conducting an indepth assessment of the consequence of the HIV/ AIDS scourge on the people and the economy of the state. He said that the agency had come up with an “aggressive strategic plan” to address HIV and AIDS infection in the 23 local government areas. He said, “we have mapped out hot spots where prostitutes, homosexuals, drug users operate and these places include brothels, short-

time houses, hotels, bars, night clubs and street corners.’’ Worlugbom said that the mapping exercise was designed to reach people with high quality prevention treatment services so as to reduce movement of infection. He also said that the agency would conduct a state “sentinel survey” to know the current level of infection, adding that the last survey was conducted in 2010.

PORT HARCOURT - The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Operations, Mr Philemon Leha, has urged Nigerians to channel their efforts and resources toward sustaining the fledgling democracy in the country. Leha said this when he spoke to newsmen during his ongoing fact finding mission to Port Harcourt. It would be recalled that the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, had mandated the DIG to probe the rumpus in Rivers. Leha said the nation’s democracy was hard-earned and so should be guarded jealously. The DIG said as part of efforts toward sustaining Nigeria’s democracy, the inspectorgeneral of police had taken steps by intervening in the state’s political crises. He said Abubakar sent him to investigate the recent misunderstanding between the Commissioner of Police and the governor of the state. The DIG said he was also assigned to investigate the crises between the two factions

in the Rivers State House of Assembly. He, however, condemned the actions of some police officers seen in the video clips during the crises at the assembly complex. “Police is a symbol of democracy, the police are one of the institutions that protect democracy, and therefore, the police should not take side in things like that. “The High Command of the police is not particularly happy with the video clip we have seen,” he said. Leha said he also came with a team of investigators, who would be in the state for some days, to further investigate the role of the police in the crises. He urged politicians in the state to resolve their misunderstanding through dialogue to avoid a spill over to other parts of the country. “Rivers State is so important to Nigeria and we do not want it associated with any crises. “Whatever crises that is started in Rivers if not controlled, would directly affect the nation,” he said.

DIG Urges Nigerians To Sustain Democracy

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Inside Edo

Erediauwa Approves Installation Of Trad Ruler Book On

By VICTOR IMADE

BENIN CITY – The Palace of the Benin Monarch, His Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa has given his royal blessings to the installation of Osamudiamen Richard Eghaghe as the next Owee Oba N’Iguiko now Ekiadolor in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo state. A statement signed by the information officer, Benin Traditional Council, Robinson Osayamwen stated that “the Benin Monarch granted Eghaghe the right to be installed as the Owee Oba, when the

family of Owee presented him, Richard Eghaghe before the Omo N’Oba” The statement which quoted the spokesman for Owee family, Pa Ikponmwosa Eghaghe feilicited with His Royal Majesty on his birthday celebration. The statement noted that the

take up the title of Owee N’Iguiko, a title the family

title, ‘Owee Oba N’Iguiko’ has been vacant since 1971 and was last occupied by Richard’s grand father, late Pa. Aimiyekagbon.

The statement added that Osamudiamen Richard Eghaghe is a Lagos based media practitioner and would soon embark on the necessary activities that would enable him

Orhionmwon LG To Partner FRSC

ABUDU – The Orhionmwon Local Government Council is to partner with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to reduce road accidents in the locality. Chairman of the local government area, Chief Roland Ibierutomwen disclosed this in Abudu, the council’s headquarters when the FRSC Sector Commander, Mr. Kenneth Nwaegbe visited the council. Chief Ibierutomwen disclosed that his administration is already negotiating with financial institution to establish their presence in the locality as the absence of any financial institution in the area was adversely affecting the people. The FRSC sector commander in his remarks congratulated the council boss on his election and subsequent swearing-in. He implored the council boss and other road users to assist the FRSC reduce carnage on the roads.

CAC Building For Dedication July 21 BENIN CITY- The official dedication ceremony of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) building has been slated for Sunday July 21, 2013. Venue is No 3 Liberation Way, Opposite Union Bank, Benin Agbor Road, Ikpoba Hill, Benin City, beginning at noon. The ceremony has as its chairman, a former chairman Board of Directors, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL), Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan publishers of the Observer titles.

spokesman stated was created by Oba Eweka II many years ago.

Oshiomhole Out

BENIN CITY – A book titled, “Perspectives on the Charismatic Adams Oshiomhole” edited by Simeon and Peter Ideawor is out and is due for launch in Benin City soon. In a statement by the publisher, Fortune and Temperance Company, the book is a collection of incisive comments by eminent leaders and articles written by respected journalists, politicians and commentators as published

in some Nigerian dailies before and after the July 14, 2012 governorship election in the state. The publisher said the publication of the book was informed by the need to invaluable resources in the book in a more permanent form. According to the publisher, the publication was to honour Governor Oshiomhole who in his (publisher) estimation is yet to reach the zenith of his new found career in politics.

BNCL Mgt Assures PCN Of Publicity

The SSG, Edo State, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere (right), presenting the site survey plan of the proposed world class shopping mall to the CEO, Median Infrastructure Development Company Ltd., Mr. Olumide Akinsanya (left), during the signing of the MoU, yesterday in Government House. Photo: QUEENETH A. OROBEDO.

By EMMANUEL EGOBIAMBU/ PAUL-OJOR ANGELA/ EMONINA UMUERRI

BENIN CITY- The Management of Bendel

The SSG Edo State, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere (1st right), CEO, Media Infrastructure Development Company Limited, Mr. Olumide Akinsanya (1st left) signing MoU between Edo State Government, Reselent African Real Estate Limited and Median Infrastrure Development Company Limited, while the Executive Director, PPP, Mr. Igbinidu Inneh (middle) looks on yesterday in Government House. Photo: QUEENETH A. OROBEDO.

Evbuotubu/Iguedaeyi Elects New Exco

BENIN CITY – A new executive has been elected to run the affairs of Evbotubu/ Iguedayi Community in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State for the next four years. The election which was conducted with the supervision of the community elders said the emergence of Messrs Sunday Osaro Evbonaye as chairman; Isaiah Eghobamien, Vice Chairman; Edorodion Ediagbonya, Secretary while RSM Victor Ogor (Rtd) is Treasurer.

Also elected were Sunday Imudia, Financial Secretary, Sunday Aiworo, Assistant Secretary while Monday Ugiagbe and Osaro Igbinavbare are both Senior Pointers. Handing over the mantle of leadership to the new chairman, the former chairman, Chief Samuel Ugiagbe congratulated the new

executive officers over their election while urging them to evolve an all inclusive government. The new chairman, in his post election speech appreciated the community for the confidence reposed in him and promised to be above board in administering affairs of the community. Pledging his loyalty to

Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the Benin Monarch, His Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa, Mr. Evbonaye assured the community that his administration would complement the development strides of the state government. He however urged the state government to give the people of the community, a greater sense of belonging by extending on going infrastructural development to the area.

Newspaper Company Limited, (BNCL) publishers of the Observer titles, has assured the Edo State Command peace corps of Nigeria (PCN) of adequate publicity of its activities and programmes. The assurance was given by the General Manager, Pastor Monday Aigbe when the members of senior officials of the Corps paid a courtesy visit to the media house. According to the General Manager, “we assure you of necessary co-operation so that people will understand the functions you perform.” He said that they will use their various observer titles, including the Daily Observer, weekend observer and Sunday Observer to give the corps the much needed publicity. On his part the state commandant, peace corps of Nigeria, Patriot Mutairu Habib Odion, said that their visit was to solicit the BNCL’s partnership in publicizing the philosophy programmes and activities of the corps. He stated that this has become imperative due to some incidences of impersonation by some unscrupulous individuals in the society. He identified some of the activities of the corps to include, orientation of youths, empowerment of people, anti- criminal crusade, protection of public property, noting that membership is open only to people of impeccable characters.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Lagos India Plans To Boost Nigeria’s Chemical Industry

L-R: Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, State Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed; Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris; Special Adviser to the Governor on Public health, Dr Yewande Adesina, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of health, Mr Femi Olugbile, at the inauguration of Trauma and burns unit of Gbagada General Hospital by the Governor in Lagos on Tuesday

LAGOS – Mr. Suresh Makhijani, Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, on Tuesday said that there were plans by Indian companies to increase investment in Nigeria’s basic and agrochemical industries. Makhijani said this in Lagos while declaring open a two-day Indian Chemicals Exhibition and Buyer-Seller Meet. Reports say that the exhibition was organised by CHEMEXCIL, an India government sponsored export promotion council. The Envoy said that the newly developed Indian basic chemical and agrochemical,

Port Introduces Weekly Fit Exercise LAGOS - The Port Manager of the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Mr. Mohammed Nasir, said that the management had commenced weekly keep-fit exercises and a monthly keep fit road walk. This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos. According to the statement, the weekly keep-fit exercises are scheduled for every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., for all staff of the port. It said that the exercise would always take place at the open space on top of the car park and would include various exercises and aerobic activities. The statement quotes the port manager as saying that: “The exercise would foster team spirit and sustain a healthy and alert workforce for improved service delivery’’. “The monthly keep-fit road walk is scheduled for the third Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. “It includes a road-walk along the newly-renovated 1.6 km road in the port and other fitness activities,’’ the statement said. It added that the exercises were meant to promote a healthy and physically-fit port community, enhance overall port productivities and improve friendship and networking among members of the port community.

Trauma and burns unit building of Gbagada General Hospital inaugurated by -Gov Fashola of Lagos State in Lagos on Tuesday

would soon find their ways into Nigerian market. The Deputy High Commissioner listed such products to include adhesives, cosmetics, toiletries, soaps, detergents, pesticides, bio-pesticides, fertilizers, pigment, solvents and other industrial chemicals. “No doubt, there has been some investment by Indian chemical industries in Nigeria, which has created sizeable number of jobs. “In fact, Indian companies are considered to be the second largest employer of Nigerian workforce. “Presently, more of Indian chemical companies are ready to come and invest and increase the number of their products in the Nigerian market, “ he said. Makhijani said that the number of companies participating in the ongoing exhibition has increased from 35 as at 2012, to 80 this year. He said the countries bilateral relations have been “excellent“ all along, adding that the future of their cultural and socio-economic cooperation would be brighter. Mr Suhas Bharadi, CHEMEXCIL’s Executive Director, said that the exhibition was to strengthen existing business, promote Indian’s chemical exports, as well as create a positive image for Indian products.

Hepatitis: Experts Want More LAGOS - Some experts have called for adequate public awareness on the prevention and treatment of hepatitis. They told newsmen in separate interviews in Lagos that vaccination of children was one of the preventive measures aimed at tackling hepatitis. Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia says, “hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterised by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. “The condition can be selflimiting (healing on its own) or can progress to fibrosis (scarring) and cirrhosis. “Hepatitis may occur with limited or no symptoms, but often leads to jaundice, anorexia (poor appetite) and malaise. “Hepatitis is acute when it lasts less than six months and chronic when it persists longer. “A group of viruses known as

the hepatitis viruses cause most cases of hepatitis worldwide. “But, hepatitis can also be caused by toxic substances (notably alcohol, certain medications, some industrial organic solvents and plants), other infections and auto immune diseases.” Dr Gabriel Ogunyemi, a member of the Society for Gastroenterology and Herpetology of Nigeria (SOGHIN), said that early vaccination was a key to preventing hepatitis. Ogunyemi said that the increasing number of liver cancer cases in the country resulted from undetected and untreated hepatitis. He also said that hepatitis virus could survive outside the body for at least seven days, adding that the vaccine only prevents people from being infected. “Hepatitis B virus is transmitted between people

Awareness through direct blood to blood contact or semen and vaginal fluid of an infected person. “Modes of transmission are the same as those for HIV, but the Hepatitis B virus is 50 to 100 times more infectious as it can survive outside the body for at least seven days. “During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the body of a person who is not protected by the vaccine,” he said. Ogunyemi said that Hepatitis B had acute and chronic stages with few or no symptoms during the former stage. “If acute hepatitis is not treated as soon as possible, it can cause chronic liver infection that can later develop into liver cancer,” he said. Also, Dr Tajudeen Salami, a

General Practitioner at General Hospital, Isolo, Lagos, said that prevention of hepatitis was cheaper than its treatment. He said although people with chronic Hepatitis B could be treated with drugs; the treatment could cost thousands of dollars per year, adding that the drugs were not available in many developing countries. Salami also advised people with high risk of sexual behaviour, injecting drug users and people at occupational risk of Hepatitis B virus infection such as health workers to be vaccinated. “People should also avoid sharing sharp objects and toothbrushes; not even couples, as they are at a high risk of getting infected. “People should also get tested regularly, so that if they have the

disease, they can be treated early before it degenerates into the chronic stage,” he said. Dr Olaleye Adewale, a Gynaecologist at the General Hospital, Gbagada, Lagos, said mothers should vaccinate their children at birth as prenatal transmission was common among them. “Mothers should, therefore, ensure that their children are vaccinated immediately, four and 24 weeks after birth, especially in the areas where mother to infant spread of the virus is common. “Children and adolescents under 18 years and not previously vaccinated should also receive the vaccine. “The complete vaccine series induces protective antibody levels in more than 95 per cent of infants, children and young adults. “Vaccine protection lasts at least 20 years and is possibly life-long,” he said.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Across The Nation

Man Sentenced To 6 Months Imprisonment ABUJA - An Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 31-year-old man, Robert Emmanuel, to six months in prison for sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl. The presiding Magistrate, Mrs Nafisat Ibrahim, while delivering judgement after the convict pleaded guilty to the charge, did not give him an option to pay a fine.

Ibrahim said the court considered the fact that the victim was a little girl and also that such offences were on the increase in the country.

She ordered that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to other offenders. Emmanuel, who pleaded guilty to the offence, begged the court for mercy.

“ I live in the same neighbourhood with the little girl and I usually pass through their house on my way to work. “She always ask me to buy

Opposition Cannot Remove Amaechi -Senator The senator representing Rivers South-East district in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has said that no amount of opposition in Rivers State would remove Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi from office as his administration was ordained by God. Abe, who spoke at Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of the state, during the presentation of scholarship to 77 university undergraduates from the Rivers South-East senatorial district, said the God that brought the Amaechi to power would continue to guide and strengthen his administration. He urged the people of the state not to be distracted going by the present political situation in the state and appealed to them to continue to support the governor, saying the Amaechi-led government had done a lot for the people of the state. Abe warned youths in the state to avoid politicians who go about recruiting young male and females and arming them with dangerous weapons to kill and main people so as to enable them achieve their political aspirations. The senator said; “We are living at a time when politicians of all shades are going around collecting young people, collecting peoples’ children, daughters and sons to help them pursue their personal ambitions or their public aspirations. I want to say clearly that gathering people to support you is all politics is all about and we will gather people to support us. If you see anybody who is calling you, buying you guns, machetes, giving you something to take so that he can be something, those are evil people. “Anybody who loves you and is calling you at this time should call you in a manner that what he is calling you for will be good for you today and good for you tomorrow. Nobody should call you and say you are a youth, come and fight, come and kill somebody. Come and attack House of Assembly come and attack this one.” Abe, who is the chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) challenged beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme, to make judicious use of the opportunity given them.

L-R: Chairman, Yaba Local Council Development Area, Mr Jide Jimoh; Special Adviser to Lagos Governor on Commerce and Industry, Mr Seye Oladejo, Lagos Commissioner for Commerce, Mrs Olusola Oworu and Gov Babatunde Fashola, during Gov Fashola’s inspection of Yaba Industrial Estate in Lagos on Tuesday

things for her or to give her money whenever she sees me around, which I do occasionally. “On that day, I discovered the girl was alone with her brother. I gave them N100 to share with his sister. This made the girl happy and she sat on top of my leg excitedly. “ I did not know what came over me; I raised her dress, pulled her pants and put my finger into her private part. “I am very sorry for what I have done; I am praying the Almighty God and the court to please forgive me and I promise not to commit such offence again.’’ Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Insp. Jeremiah Elijah, told the court that the convict was reported to the Lugbe Division Police Station by the victim’s mother of the same address on July 12. Elijah said on the same day, the victim’s mother, went to church when Emmanuel seized the opportunity to enter her house and abused her daughter. He said during investigations, the convict admitted to the committing the offence.

Man, 23, Docked For Murder IBADAN - The police charged a 23-year-old man, Lukman Yusuf, with causing the death of one Giwa Nurudeen, 22, at an Ibadan Magistrates’ Court. The prosecutor, Cpl. Ojeleye Sunday, told the court that the accused punched Nurudeen with his fist on the head and hit his head on a hard object which resulted in the latter’s death. He said that the incident occurred as a result of a misunderstanding between the two while they were gambling. Sunday said that the incident happened on June 27 at about 1p.m in Iwo Road area of Ibadan. He said that the offence contravened section 316 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000. The plea of the accused was not taken but the Magistrate, Oluwatoyin Omotosho, ordered that he be remanded at Agodi Prison. Omotosho also told the police to duplicate the case file and send it to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice. She adjourned the case to July 31.

18 School Principals Face Disciplinary Action Examination Malpratice:

L-R: President, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Mr John Alufohai; Chairman, Lagos Chapter, Mr Olayemi Shonubi and Past President, Mr Olusegun Ajanlekoko, at the 5th annual distinguished lecture of the Lagos chapter of the Institute in Lagos on Tuesday

ENUGU - No fewer than 18 principals of Secondary Schools in Enugu State may face disciplinary action for their alleged involvement in examination malpractice in the just concluded WAEC and NECO examinations. Dr Gabriel Okafor, the Chairman of Enugu State PostPrimary School Management Board told newsmen that an investigation would precede the action to be taken against them. Okafor said in Enugu that the

Protect Corps Members, Shema Directs LG Chairmen, Traditional Rulers KATSINA – Governor .Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State directed all local government chairmen and traditional rulers in the state to adequately protect Youths Corps members posted to their respective areas. Shema gave the directive at the closing ceremony of the 2013 NYSC Batch ‘B’ orientation course in Katsina. Represented by Alhaji Mannir Talba, the Commissioner for Youth

and Sports, Shema also urged them to collaborate with the security agencies to ensure effective protection of the corps members. He directed all employers of the corps members in the state who had no lodges for corps members to construct one for the comfort and protection of the corps members. He said: “With these measures in place, corps members will be disposed to discharge their assigned

responsibilities without any form of fear or molestation.” The governor also assured that the state government would continue to pay state allowances to the corps members serving in all government establishments. He urged the corps members to regard any Nigerian they came into contact with as their brother or sister in the course of

their national service. He also advised them to respect the tradition, norms and values of their host communities to ensure mutual and friendly relationship. Earlier, the state NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Olorunleke Abiodun, said a total of 1,718 corps members participated in the orientation exercise during which they were taught martial arts, skills acquisition, lectures and sporting activities.

board was still receiving reports concerning the allegation but added that some would be demoted, some removed from their positions and others punished. Okafor said the malpractice occurred more in rural areas because of inadequate monitoring arising from poor access to the communities. “You know these exams come during the rainy season and getting to the hinterland during the rainy season is always very difficult, especially when the board has no four-wheel-drive vehicles that can penetrate those areas. “But at the same time, we are getting a way; we have some techniques of detecting where this thing happens and when we act on hint, we get them arrested and punished. “We will relieve them of their posts and then make them to face disciplinary action. Some of them will end up not becoming principals; some of them, a salary step would be taken away from them,`` he said. Okafor said the greatest challenge facing the board was examination malpractice but added that it could be controlled through adequate supervision. The chairman explained that the principals were banned from registering external candidates in their schools as investigation had shown that students found involved in examination

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Across The Nation Boko Haram Leader Shekau’s In-Laws Arrested By JOSES SEDE

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (2nd right), with Managing Director, Baze Nigeria Limited, Mr. Nwankolo Obodochie (right) during his inpsection visit to the Yaba Industrial Estate, Sabo Yaba, Lagos recently.

ABUJA - AS part of the ongoing crackdown on Boko Haram insurgents, the Defence Headquarters has, confirmed arrest of the inlaws of the leader of the sect, Imam Abubakar Shekau. However, it was silent on where the in-laws were being kept as at press time. The raid which led to the arrest of the in-laws resulted in the recovery of some recorded audio messages of the insurgents. Also, the DHQ said a recent encounter with the terrorists led to the death of

Jonathan Seeks Local Solution To HIV/AIDs By JOSES SEDE ABUJA - President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday urged African leaders to look inwards and develop local solutions to

tackle HIV/AIDs and other infectious diseases on the continent. Speaking during the opening ceremony of the Abuja+12 African Union (AU) Special Summit on

Omorotionmwan Family Commiserates With Erhahon Family BENIN CITY - The family of Omorotionmwan has commiserated with the Assistant Director (Research), National Council for Arts and Culture, Miss Ivie Erhahon and members of the Erhahon family over the death of Aken Henry Ugiagbe Erhahon, a retired Assistant Director of finance, Uhunmwode Local Government Area who died Friday June 7,2013. A letter signed by Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan on behalf of the Omorotionmwan family stated that the death of Erhahon came as a rude shock. The statement indicated that the Omorotionmwan family first contact with the late Erhohon dates back to 1984 when they were neighbours at the Ugbowo axis of Benin City. At the neighbourhood meeting, the statement indicate that he was always forthright

Late Aken Henry Ugiagbe Erhahon

and a good friend and by all standard, a jolly good fellow who was honest to a fault. A hardworking man, thoroughly dedicated to any cause he believes in the statement said that he lived a good life. The statement therefore prayed God to grant those he left behind the fortitude to bear the loss Meanwhile, the Royal House of Uvbe-Egbede and EvboAmufi, an arm of the Benin Royal family has released the programme for the burial ceremony of the late Erhahon. A release signed by Edobor Louis Erhahon (aka Divine) and Miss Ivie Erhahon indicated that the burial ceremony commences on Friday July 26, 2013 at 10 am when the corpse leave Suyi Hospital, Murtala Muhammed Way Benin City for his residence, 40 Ozakpolo Street, 4th Road, Off Benin Technical College Road, Ugbowo Quarters Benin City for lyingin-state. There would be service of songs 4pm same day at same venue and social wake beginning at 10pm. On Saturday July 27, 2013, there would be social at his residence at noon. The burial ceremony would climax on Sunday July 28, 2013 with an outing/thanksgiving service at Heaven increasers Mission International Inc, 42 Ozakpolo Street, Benin Technical Road Ugbowo, Benin City at 10 am.

HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Abuja, he noted that the diseases have remained major causes of morbidity and mortality in Africa and posing serious challenges to sustainable socio-economic development. Stressing that the human, societal and financial costs of inadequate action or no action at all will be too grievous to contemplate, he said that the time is ripe for a final and concerted solution to the diseases. According to him, African leaders must set clear and decisive goals, identify and

implement the best adaptable strategies for best and quickest results. He said: “I strongly advocate that Africa should look inwards in search for solutions. We must begin to de-emphasis reliance on external funding and importation of essential medicines required for our treatment programmes. “We must stand in solidarity with one another, be proactive to our health challenges and increase inter-continental scientific research partnerships and development efforts to complement the

various national and regional plans already underway.” “Ownership and sustainability should form the basis of our next plan of actions. Our goal should be to find local solutions to our challenges, translate planning into implementation, and develop our continent at the pace we desire,” the president stated While stating that greater fundings would be required to achieve the objectives, he called for increased synergy between government and other stakeholders in order to reduce duplication of efforts and resource wastage.

Amir of Bulabulin Nganaram, one of the kingpins on the Joint Task Force wanted list. It, also confirmed that 58 detainees linked with Boko Haram insurgents have been released in Borno and Yobe States. The spokesman for the Defence Headquarters, BrigGen. Chris Olukolade, who made the disclosures at a briefing by Joint Security Committee in Abuja, said the Special Forces in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states are not on any revenge mission but purely on a mission to restore law and order. Olukolade said: “Troops on cordon and search operations in Bulabulin area in Maiduguri last week discovered a vast network of underground tunnels connecting houses and many bunkers some which have the capacity to accommodate over 100 persons. “More corpses were also discovered in soak-away. Various weapons were also discovered in the same area. “Abubakar Shekau’s parents’ in-laws were picked up in the raid which also discovered various audio recordings of terrorists’ messages. Recoveries are made almost on daily basis as the operation progresses.”

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (2nd left), interacting with the Chief Executive of Tunakin Shoes, Mr. Yemi Akintunde (2nd right) during his inspection visit to the Yaba Industrial Estate, Sabo-Yaba, Lagos recently.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Abuja Amnesty Office To Facilitate Jobs For 30,000 Ex-Militants ABUJA - The Presidential Amnesty Office said it would facilitate jobs for the 30,000 former militants enlisted in the amnesty programme. The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Kingsley Kuku,made the disclosure at the unveiling of the Post-Training Agenda for the former militants in Abuja. Kuku, who is also the Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, said “it is imperative to create a new department that will facilitate jobs for our trained youths to prevent them from going back to

the creeks. “The purpose of unveiling the post-training agenda is to create a rehabilitation department that will facilitate and create an avenue for jobs placement and engagement for our trained youths before the amnesty programme ends in 2015.” Kuku said the amnesty office was worried about the former agitators’ fate after post-training and that was why it created a new department that would begin the process of placing them for jobs to ensure peace and stability in the Niger Delta.

He recalled that 14,029 exmilitants out of the 30,000 who enlisted in the amnesty programme were trained in various universities and

vocational skill centres since the inception of the programme in 2009. The special adviser said that the beneficiaries were enrolled in

local and international skill centres since the proclamation and implementation of the amnesty programme by late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

“Like I mentioned earlier, a total of 30,000 people were enlisted in the amnesty programme.

CCT: Absence Of Useni’s Counsel Stalls Hearing ABUJA - The absence of Mr. Victor Ochemu, Counsel to retired Lt.-Gen. Jeremiah Useni, stalled hearing in a case filed by the former minister at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. At the resumed hearing, Ochemu sent a letter urging the tribunal to grant him an adjournment to enable him travel to Calabar. Useni was also absent. He said that the adjournment was to enable him take his sick brother to the hospital. Ochemu, who apologised for his absence before the tribunal, said that he was the only counsel handling the matter for his client. Mr Abbas Ibrahim, Assistant Chief State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice, who is holding the brief for Mr Simon Egede, the Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation, confirmed that he had received a letter from Ochemu, stating reasons for his absence. Ibrahim, who did not oppose the application for adjournment, prayed the tribunal to fix a date in November for hearing. The Tribunal Chairman, Justice Danlami Umar, therefore, adjourned further hearing in the case to Nov. 13. Newsmen recalls that at the last sitting, Umar had ordered Useni to appear before the tribunal. Umar gave the order while hearing the motion on notice

filed by Useni‘s counsel challenging the confiscation of his property by the Federal Government. Useni is seeking an order of the tribunal to compel the government to release the title documents of his properties that were confiscated in 1999. Newsmen also reports that five of Useni’s assets were confiscated on behalf of the Federal Government between on October. 4, and December. 14,1999.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (right) fielding questions from newsmen shortly after his inspection visit to the Yaba Industrial Estate, Sabo-Yaba, Lagos recently. With him are, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Olusola Oworu (middle) and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce and Industry, Mr. Seye Oladejo (left).

Creation Of More States, Not Fundamental - Balarabe Musa

ABUJA - The National Chairman, Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said the call for the creation of more states was not a fundamental issue that deserved attention in the country. He told newsmen in Abuja that less attention should be given to creation of states by Nigerians. According to Musa, Nigeria has too many serious problems; creation of more states is one of the least issues we should be talking about. He said Nigeria was supposed to have grown and matured to certain extent that creation of states should be one of those smaller issues in the country. “But it is now being regarded as a fundamental issue, whereas

it should not have been. “We cannot justify creation of more states simply because the ruling class is fighting among itself. There is only marginal benefit if more states are to be created. “Nigeria has not benefited so significantly from creation of states, all we can say is that there has been centralised. “There is no way creation of states will uplift the dignity of persons in this country, the dignity of persons is one of the seven most important issues for a nation to progress,” Musa said. He called on the government to give special attention to fundamental problems of democracy, employment, security and rendering public services that had impact on the

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (3rd left) being conducted round by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Olusola Oworu (2nd left) and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce and Industry, Mr. Seye Oladejo (left) during an inspection visit to the Yaba Industrial Estate, Sabo-Yaba, Lagos, recently.

dignity of the human person. Musa flayed the proposed six years single term for the president and governors, and said, “I do not support any

limitation of the term in office of public officers, what I support is empowering the electorate to decide the fate of a political party and candidates.

“Let the electorate decide through voting, in a free, fair, and transparent election who they want in office. This is more relevant to democracy,” he said.

NOA Kicks Against Same Sex Marriage ABUJA - The Director General of National Orientation (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, has said the call for legalisation of gay marriages in some quarters was against national values and aspiration of most Nigerians. Omeri said this in Abuja on Tuesday while receiving members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Human Rights Education in Nigeria. He advised human rights activists not to upset national values and aspiration through advocacy for issues that were not natural to the African society. According to him, advocacy for same sex marriage cannot fall within the demand for human rights in the country. He added that same sex marriage was a violation of the fundamental human rights of the people. Newsmen reports that the committee, set up under the World Programme for Human Rights Education (WPHRE), is to implement measures for massive enlightenment on several human rights issues in the country. Members of the committee were drawn from Ministries of Education, National Planning Commission, NOA and National Universities Commission, among others. The D-G expressed support for the initiative, noting that the work of the committee was relevant to ensure that impunity

was reduced in the country. Omeri urged the National Human Rights Commission, (NHRC) and the committee to be diligent in their work and pledged the willingness of the agency to partner with them. He called on the committee to ensure that the objectives of setting it up were met. The Head, Human Rights Education and Linkages, (NHRC), Mrs. Ifeoma Nwakamma, said the committee derived its objectives from the United Nations declaration. She said the NHRC had the mandate to advance the course of human rights education in

Nigeria. She also said the action plan for human rights education was in three phases. Nwakamma said the first phase spanned through 20052009; focusing on primary and secondary school system. The second phase, she said, would span through 2010-2014, focusing on the rights for higher education, teachers, training for civil servants, law enforcement and military. She called on NOA to assist the team in ensuring that it achieved its target of 2014 through sensitisation programmes.

ABUJA - The police have arrested 35 suspects across the nation in the first week of July in connection with various crimes ranging from terrorism, murder and armed robbery. This is contained in a Crime Report from Commands and made available to newsmen in Abuja. The report said two locallymade pistols were also recovered. The report said five of the suspects were arrested in Ogun, including a suspected insurgent alleged to have escaped from a terrorist camp in Borno. It said that the insurgent, who was arrested at Isheri-Kara in Ifo

Local Government Area of the state, confessed to have abandoned the camp following raids carried out by the Joint Task Force. The report added that 21 of the suspects were picked up in the FCT when operatives in the territory’s command raided some identified criminal hideouts. Other arrests were made in the period under review include two each from Anambra and Cross River, and three from Rivers with one from Osun and Ebonyi respectively. It said that the police in Ebonyi rescued one kidnapped female unhurt and had since reunited her with her family.

Police Arrest 35 Suspects, Recover 2 Pistols

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

NSE DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (EQUITIES) AS AT YESTERDAY(17/07/13) Stocks

Open

Change

Deals

Units

Value

LIVESTOCK

5.1

5.05

-0.05

1,655,763

8,334,193.09

5.94

3,100

16,585.00 2,578,179.16

7UP

64.9

0.1

244,736

16,051,288.47

MANDRID

ABBEYBDS

1.53

1,000

1,380.00

MANSARD

2.03

2.05

0.02

1,263,310

ABCTRANS

1.15

1.24

0.09

1,007,010

1,226,754.56

MAYBAKER

2.7

2.86

0.16

2,485,413

7,140,126.86

0.5

4,000

2,000.00

ACADEMY

105,400

207,222.00

MBENEFIT

ACCESS

11.2

11.15

-0.05

246

6,809,091

76,891,060.25

MCNICHOLS

1.67

1.57

-0.1

106,000

166,420.00

AFRINSURE

0.5

600,000

300,000.00

MOBIL

117.81

28,478

3,359,465.76

AFRIPRUD

1.74

1.72

-0.02

436,062

750,384.27

MORISON

2.01

1,000

1,810.00

AFROMEDIA

0.5

9,850

4,925.00

MRS

20.9

54,484

1,205,092.13

AGLEVENT

1.45

23,000

35,580.77

MULTITREX

0.5

49,290

24,650.00

AIICO

0.93

865,095

800,375.91

NAHCO

7.21

-0.21

693,084

4,937,496.26

AIRSERVICE

4.8

4.46

-0.34

151,050

673,684.00

NASCON

12.86

12.92

0.06

668,907

8,649,744.54

ASHAKACEM

27.09

0.09

1,146,712

30,887,296.53

170.05

173.2

3.15

266

681,843

118,030,715.13

BERGER

9.85

16,985

164,683.93

NCR

18.7

115,646

1,947,130.48

BETAGLAS

-1

311,155

3,111,550.00

NEIMETH

1.21

1.3

0.09

307,625

402,607.50

BOCGAS

7.5

2,000

14,750.00

NEM

0.7

0.72

0.02

1,570,000

1,137,800.00

CADBURY

52.05

383,656

20,211,342.81

NESTLE

999.99

1000

0.01

110

248,678

248,990,146.74

CAP

45.05

262,133

11,841,946.93

NIG-GERMAN

8.17

200

1,472.00

CAPOIL

0.5

60,000

30,000.00

NIGERINS

0.5

500

250

CCNN

10.3

132,662

1,360,223.28

NNFM

26.5

24,513

714,001.04

CHAMPION

8.54

10,000

93,900.00

NPFMCRFBK

0.96

500,000

480,000.00

CHAMS

0.5

200,000

100,000.00

OANDO

13.39

0.39

348

12,229,261

164,765,528.95

CILEASING

0.5

30,400

15,200.00

OKOMUOIL

511,373

23,106,303.60

CONOIL

39,941

953,648.50

PAINTCOM

1.84

58,500

108,200.00

CONTINSURE

1.28

23,500

27,260.00

PHARMDEKO

2.07

7,950

15,900.00

CORNERST

0.57

0.55

-0.02

795,000

437,370.51

PORTPAINT

6.99

6.9

-0.09

1,358,152

8,856,613.00

COSTAIN

1.43

1.32

-0.11

564,469

757,233.69

PREMPAINTS

10.93

626

6,159.84

COURTVILLE

0.69

0.68

-0.01

500,300

340,407.00

PRESCO

373,725

14,923,974.40

CUSTODYINS

1.58

1.56

-0.02

1,181,764

1,884,368.74

PRESTIGE

0.57

0.53

-0.04

1,238,500

678,315.00

40.29

366,059

15,332,275.05

4.75

108,610

495,047.30

CUTIX

1.8

109,956

199,690.04

DANGCEM

190

189.11

-0.89

423,694

80,450,990.60

REDSTAREX

DANGFLOUR

9.5

358,312

3,420,171.47

RESORTSAL

0.5

1,201,000

600,500.00

0.56

3,068

1,748.76

1.6

1.5

-0.1

991,285

1,546,017.64

DANGSUGAR

12.2

12.28

0.08

115

6,195,405

75,668,328.44

ROYALEX

DIAMONDBNK

6.85

3,242,847

22,235,450.80

RTBRISCOE

DNMEYER

1.48

17,776

26,794.56

SKYEBANK

4.9

4.84

-0.06

1,954,857

9,465,871.50

0.5

548,550

274,275.00

DUNLOP

0.5

500

250

SOVRENINS

EKOCORP

4.32

1,817

7,068.13

STANBIC

15.3

15.39

0.09

252,233

3,879,547.30

ETERNA

3.3

3.33

0.03

288,174

956,302.94

STERLNBANK

2.68

2.66

-0.02

2,667,608

7,071,245.54

159.99

13,268

2,131,829.65

ETI

15.01

-0.01

103

2,545,704

38,191,693.52

TOTAL

EVANSMED

3.95

3.9

-0.05

198,955

776,561.95

TRANSCORP

1.4

1.48

0.08

178

31,283,995

46,382,775.91

FBNH

18.37

18.7

0.33

588

18,335,439

341,076,923.48

UAC-PROP

15.99

0.99

896,958

13,796,043.75

59.25

3.75

720,611

46,034,383.68

FCMB

4.9

4.84

-0.06

2,060,880

10,087,585.66

UACN

FIDELITYBK

3.08

3.05

-0.03

121

4,469,429

13,687,865.88

UBA

8.4

8.34

-0.06

278

17,952,912

150,764,958.75

FIDSON

2.02

2.05

0.03

962,100

1,957,624.64

UBCAP

1.11

1.14

0.03

119

11,760,838

13,002,094.69

12.28

12.17

-0.11

787,353

9,659,086.77

FLOURMILL

100

505,319

45,429,668.02

UBN

22.37

24.6

2.23

213,449

5,250,845.40

UNILEVER

62.49

182,391

10,911,286.72

FORTISMFB

6.6

2,500

16,500.00

UNITYBNK

0.64

0.61

-0.03

6,843,560

4,206,387.98

FTNCOCOA

0.5

500

250

UPL

4.8

119,570

540,942.24

GLAXOSMITH

1,152,360

63,373,239.16

UTC

0.65

0.71

0.06

402,181

282,347.11

GUARANTY

25.9

25.97

0.07

461

16,432,384

428,448,972.67

VITAFOAM

4.51

4.4

-0.11

202,241

890,760.49

GUINEAINS

0.5

900,000

450,000.00

VONO

1.54

3,500

4,865.00

GUINNESS

266

260

-6

133,173

34,727,066.17

WAPCO

97.5

99.75

2.25

1,225,410

113,648,725.14

HMARKINS

0.5

200

100

WAPIC

0.99

0.93

-0.06

250,030

231,709.40

HONYFLOUR

3.28

3.37

0.09

2,978,640

9,778,225.17

WEMABANK

1.12

1.18

0.06

2,295,823

2,578,570.55

IHS

2.86

3.14

0.28

587,452

1,844,099.28

ZENITHBANK

21.47

21.4

-0.07

371

9,420,675

202,765,974.18

IKEJAHOTEL

0.86

0.94

0.08

4,654,087

4,353,451.91

INTBREW

25.5

87,800

2,139,366.50

IPWA

0.99

1.08

0.09

687,749

742,768.92

JAPAULOIL

0.53

0.51

-0.02

1,931,421

986,004.71

JBERGER

79.78

1.22

335,950

27,547,582.70

JOHNHOLT

1.4

3,023

4,304.05

LASACO

0.5

2,000

1,000.00

LAWUNION

0.5

2,000

1,000.00

LEARNAFRCA

1.76

1.78

0.02

382,722

680,084.14

TOP 10 GAINERS

TOP TOP 10 10 LOSERS GAINERS

Stock

Gain

Stock

Loss

UACN NB WAPCO FO JBERGER UAC-PROP OANDO FBNH IHS MAYBAKER

63 173.2 99.75 24.6 81 15.99 13.39 18.7 3.14 2.86

3.75 3.15 2.25 2.23 1.22 0.99 0.39 0.33 0.28 0.16

GUINNESS BETAGLAS DANGCEM AIRSERVICE NAHCO COSTAIN UBN VITAFOAM MCNICHOLS RTBRISCOE

260 10 189.11 4.46 7 1.32 12.17 4.4 1.57 1.5

-6 -1 -0.89 -0.34 -0.21 -0.11 -0.11 -0.11 -0.1 -0.1

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

WHEN the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Mr. Peter Voser recently raised the red flag that security situation in Nigeria worsened last year, 2012, not many saw the implication of that revelation. Voser in a speech posted on the company’s website noted: “the stealing and sabotage of crude oil intensified during the year under review thereby threatening its multi-billionairedollar business” and opined that shell alone cannot tackle the issues. THE Company’s chief executive recommended a multi-stakeholder approach as they have pushed for several years which has gone unheeded by the Nigerian authorities. THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER, is disturbed over the security situation in the country as the United States of America recently raised alarm over escalating insecurity of lives, property and businesses necessitating in its restricting the movement of its citizens within some states in Nigeria. WE are even more worried over the implications of corporate citizens’ perceptions of our security on larger businesses and in particular, growth and development of the country. Unfortunately, efforts by Nigerian security to address the challenge have not yielded the desired results. IT is an incontrovertible fact that there could be no meaningful development in any society where security of lives and property is heavily under threat. Shell’s expose, reveals of colossal sums of money lost through oil theft by criminals who, in our view act in concert with powerful and well connected Nigerians

THE NIGERIAN

Nigeria’s Investment Climate

including even some unscrupulous officials of the nation’s security organisations. THE sad situation the nation finds itself is an attestation of the lack of political will by government over the years to deal decisively with the various security challenges that have arisen with one leading to the other, some of which now have ethnic, and religious colourations. Kidnapping of multinational oil workers in the Niger Delta went on for too long unaddressed until it metamorphosed into kidnap of innocent low income earners, a situation which speaks volumes of our unpreparedness to tackle the menace of kidnappers until the mother of the Finance Minister and Head of the economic team of President Goodluck Jonathan was kidnapped by hoodlums to the utter embarrassment of the whole nation. TERROR groups in Northern Nigeria have, since the inception of the Jonathan administration unleashed mayhem on innocent citizens in most parts of the region with security agencies and the presidency promising almost on a daily basis to deal with the insurgence without any headway till date. CLEARLY, the Nigeria Police Force have

failed woefully to live up to its responsibility as from every indications, the police themselves, including the high authorities are either involved in criminal activities or are pre-occupied in shielding perpetrators of criminal offences. THE political class have equally not helped the situation as most of them are involved in arming youth groups to do their political billing who in turn go back to the trenches with such arms to perpetrate criminality against the people and the state. THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER is strongly of the view that if Nigeria must attain its national goals and objectives, the present administration must take proactive steps to fight insecurity in the land and restore hope and confidence amongst all stakeholders. BUT in all, we believe the President needs to exercise the political will to make this happen. Mr. President needs to throw away ethnic, sectional and other sentimental garbs and wear his nationalistic apparel to deal with insecurity in the country. GOING forward, we join shell Petroleum Plc to recommend a well organised, multi-stakeholder approach to dealing with insecurity in the country. The Nigerian Army, Navy, Air force, Department of State Security Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Immigration, Nigerian Customs and most importantly, the Nigeria Police Force need urgent overhaul. All outfits need better coordination to arrest the situation and make the country safer for all.

THE NIGERIAN

13 WHILE having lunch at a restaurant, I over heard the conversation at the table next to me. There sat three women, each complaining about her mother-in-law. “My husband’s mother started criticizing me at my wedding 20 years ago and she never stopped,” one woman said. “My mother-in-law thinks my husband is her personal handy man—she’ll call at least once a week, insisting he comes over right away and do this and that,” said another. “My mother-in-law stops by all the time, expecting us to drop what we’re doing and entertain her,” said the third woman. How sad, I thought to myself, that these women had such difficult times with their mothers-in-law. Yet I knew they weren’t alone in how they feel. Getting along with your inlaws can be one of the biggest challenges of married life. According to researchers at Utah State University, nearly 60 percent of all marriages suffer from tension with mothers-inlaw, normally between the daughter-in-law and her husband’s mother. Somehow the stereotype of the nagging, meddling mother-in-law can seem like a normal part of life. Why so many misunderstandings? Dr. Peter A. Wish, former nationally syndicated columnist of The Family Experience, says that “often it’s a matter of mothers not wanting to let go. The mother may not recognize her son as being an adult, and so she continues to treat him like a kid, even after he gets married and has a family of his own.” Clashes with your mother-in-law may actually intensify as you get older. “A 20-year-old woman may not be very confident about her own opinions, and if she has a mother-in-law who’s been through 40 years of life and she says things ought to be done this way, it’s harder to challenge her,” says Dr. Everett Worthington, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University with a special interest in the role of in-laws. “But by the time a woman is middle-aged, she’s normally a wellestablished adult who has her own strong opinions and feels more confident to confront her mother-in-law head-on.” Obviously, in-law clashes are far from ideal. When you and your mother-in-law are on bad terms, the tension takes a big toll. Your spouse and children may feel they are caught in the middle and resent being forced to choose sides. Family gettogethers are strained. Your physical health and spiritual life may suffer. “Mother-in-law battles can poison family life,” Dr. Judith Sills, a family counselor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a special interest in the role of in-laws. “It may start out as a feud between you and your mother-in-law, but before you know it, your husband, kids, father-in-law and other relatives are also drawn into the conflict.” Although it is not necessary to become best friends with your mother-in-law, it is important to be on good terms with her. Romans 12:18 tells us we should live peaceably with one another and in-laws are no exception. What follows are five of the most common complaints about mothers-in-law and suggestions for making peace. No matter how liberated we like to think we are, mention the mother-in-law and most of us probably think of the late Les Dawson and his endless supply of hilarious, but vicious, jokes at her expense. While most of us wouldn’t go so far as to describe her as a fearsome, interfering dragon, chances are our relationship, even if amicable, still needs careful handling. Chartered psychologist Dr Sheila Rossan thinks the key to this lies in the intensity of our feelings for our own mothers. ‘As women, our relationship with our mums is quite distinct from any other relationship we’ll ever have,’ she says. ‘Even if we fight, we can’t avoid being close: it is our first relationship and we’re so similar, yet different. Mother figures ‘Women who have the most problems with their mother-inlaws tend to be the same women who don’t get on with their own mothers. They may resent mother figures and how they behave. If you want to get on better with your mother-in-law, it might help to first work on what’s causing the problems between yourself and your own mum.’ Jealousy puts up barriers in these relationships. ‘Daughtersin-law often envy the relationship between mother and son and will want to replace that relationship with themselves. Meanwhile, mother-in-law wants her son looked after in the way only she can, which is

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013 of course is impossible, unless the daughter in law is her clone.’ These differences can soon cause a bitter stalemate. As Relates Denise Knowles explains: ‘The main problem with the mother and daughter-in-law relationship is the feeling of inferiority it causes. If Mum won’t give up mothering her son even though he’s married, daughter-in-law is made to feel she’s

Relationship With IMOISILI EDITH 07089364470

Make Friend With Your Mother-in-law

the second, not the first, woman in his life. ‘Learning to get on better with your mother-in-law is about learning how to feel less of a victim, and deflecting her difficult behavior.’ A blessing in disguise Denise says it’s worth reminding yourself that your motherin-law can be a blessing, and it really is worth putting in some work to improve your relationship. ‘Mothers-in-law can be a real source of support. Daughters-in-law need to recognize that and not automatically assume things will be difficult, which often may alienate the mother in law unnecessarily.

‘If you start off with a bad relationship, and let her get away with making you feel inadequate, the less likely things are to change. The more confident you are about your position in her son’s life, the easier you’ll get on. ‘If you let things lie, and never tackle her, it will cause problems not just between you and her, but also between you and her son.’ 8 ways to stop in-law wars: 1. Keep talking. Don’t clam up and simmer in silence when she says something that upsets you. It’s possible to let her know what you don’t like, and why, without causing major offence. For example: ‘I realize you’re only trying to help, but it makes me feel immature when you give me advice I haven’t asked for. There are lots of things I’d really value your advice on, but I’d find it much more helpful if I could ask you first.’ 2. Appreciate her good points. Come on, even dragons have their pleasant side! Instead of fuming when she’s cleaned your kitchen from top to bottom, why not thank her for being so helpful and feel pleased that you didn’t have to do it for once? It’s amazing how much gentler she’ll be if she sees, every so

“Women who have the most problems with their mother-in-laws tend to be the same women who don’t get on with their own mothers. They may resent mother figures and how they behave. If you want to get on better with your mother-in-law, it might help to first work on what’s causing the problems between yourself and your own mum.”

often, that you do value her. 3. Ask her advice. She never approves of your cooking? Turn the situation around by asking her: ‘I’d like to cook Fred a special meal. Is there anything you can think of that he’d really enjoy?’ That way she’ll still feel involved, by being given the chance to contribute, but you haven’t let her take over. 4. Visit her. If she’s in the habit of turning up at your house unannounced, it’s a sign she probably feels excluded from your life, which can make her want to interfere more. It’s often easily solved by calling on her instead. Pop in for a coffee

very often, which shows her you’re thinking of her but takes away her need to drop in on you unexpectedly. 5. Keep it light. So what if she runs her finger through the quarter-inch of dust gathering on the windowsill? By turning it into a joke: (‘Hey - I keep that there to write ‘I love you’ to Fred!’) you’re telling her that you don’t have the same priorities as she does...and you’re happy with that. You’re making an important point in a fun way, without causing offence. Don’t expect complete acceptance and understanding right away. Trust takes time and it doesn’t come automatically. Be patient, in time you will be accepted as part of the family. Also, don’t force yourself to be something you’re not, most people can see through it and it is a hard act to keep up in the long-term. 6. Learn self-confidence. Often when a daughter-in-law appears hostile to her mother-in-law, it may conceal a lack of confidence. A simple offer to do the ironing or the wash-up can be seen as a slur on her housekeeping. This may have to do with issues relating to self-assurance and security that need to be looked at within oneself rather than the mother-in-law. 7. No one’s perfect. You trying to be perfect or someone that you aren’t is a pressure on your mother-in-law too. In all probability your mother-in-law will appreciate that you are no superwoman. That way, she can drop her guard too and be herself. The first step for people to feel closer is to relax in each other’s company. 8. Deal with it. By asking your husband to take sides between the two of you, you’re putting him in a no-win situation. The resentment caused by this, one way or another, is likely to affect your marriage adversely. It’s one issue in your married life that you may be better off dealing with on your own, so think carefully before asking your husband to get involved.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Opinion

Orji And The Chase For Substance SOMEBODY is causing signs in Nigeria that many people dared not, because of their egoistical approach to things. This person has refused to lose substance for shadows. This person is simplifying the complicated and, not complicating the simple. This person is Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, (popularly called OUK by friends and followership). Kalu’s untiring crusade for Igbo presidency in 2015 cannot be overemphasized. His love for Nigeria can never be swept under the carpet. From the United Kingdom to the United States, he has been delivering lectures for justice and equity to reign in Nigeria. He recently bared his mind on (some governors-made) crisis that has been rocking the once vibrant and remorseless Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), asking them to sheathe their blunt imbroglios. OUK is not a rabble-rouser. But as he took the Igbo cause to the UK to understand some malevolency done against the Igbo nation in Nigeria, Kalu who speaks about justice, has also taken a message to the NGF to douse the lingering tension that has characterised the once moral forum. His employment strides for the once unemployed youths are story for another day. It is a well known fact that for the period of 53 years Nigeria officially got her independence

from the rapacious colonialists, Ndigbo have only been the president of this country for just a period of six months and 13days, while the North has smiled home with the presidency for a period of 35yrs. This angers Kalu a lot. But, especially, when those who are suffering from Igbophobia speak that the Igbo are not united, hence they have been facing challenges to emerge the president of the country. Social injustice in our country is the real clog in the wheel of progress of the country. This is what Kalu has been toiling to rewrite, to make the message of justice clear, so that the country can move forward. Some persons think that his messages are not being recognised, but Kalu would say that the British he took the case of the Igbo in Nigeria to, were surprise that Ndigbo are facing such political catastrophes in a country that is so blessed by nature and, obviously cursed by man, woman, in leadership. Bring practical leadership into the country again, Kalu had said that leaders of this country might not have gotten it right before, but in earnest, things would be gotten right with his clarion calls for practical leadership. He tells those using propaganda that Ndigbo are not in unity to go pick their towels from the bathrooms where they took their baths and leave Ndigbo alone, because even the

EVERYDAY, we read in the news that the wife of Governor Theodore Ahamefule Orji of Abia State, Lady Mercy Odochi Orji, who is also known as the First Lady of the state, is flagging-off one project or the other and is making donations of all sorts. It is however not a bad thing for somebody to be a humanitarian. But what is bad is the source of funds of such a person who is carrying out the projects. Therefore, there are no thanks for whatever the beneficiaries of these seemingly projects are thinking that lady Orji is doing for them. In what was said that she flagged-off round of maternal, newborn, and child health week, inflated Lady Orji to look like one who is holding a public position rather than the simple wife of a governor she is. This movement was in May, which tended to contradict and demean the office of the Commissioner of Health of the state. Palpably, it is a misdirection of norms and ethics for a non-public office holder to be informing the state about the health situation of such a state. Do even Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) not have a limit of operation in their different specialties? While it is not a sugarcoated story about the plight that

pregnant women face in the cause of child delivery, who is Lady Mercy Odochi Orji to flag-off the May, 2013 round of maternal, newborn, and child health week? And who funded the project and to the tune of how much money? What is the occupation of the wife of the governor that she is everyday doing one project or the other in the state, according to what we are fed with, in the media? Is she a medical professional? If the news from the ‘Lady’ on this project was merely her opinion or she is a health journalist, it would have been understandable. But she always speaks in the state like a cabinet member of the Abia State Government. Nevertheless, this goes a long way to show how democracy in Abia State has become a government of the T.A Orjis and for the T.A Orjis and by the T.A Orjis. Should we suffice to say that the government in Abia State is one of wastefulness? Like we know, the so-called office of the First Lady is not recognised in the Constitution; it is purely the creation of the wives of the military personnel that once held the country down for a period of many years, over three decades. If at all that there is anything like a “preventive and health-giving programme”

By ODIMEGWU ONWUMERE

South-West where ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo comes from was not in unity during the period Obasanjo ruled Nigeria like the Owu-generalissimo he has always been; the North was also not even united when the late President Musa Yar’Adua was in power; not even the

South-South is in unity now that President Goodluck Jonathan is president. Anybody using the issue of ‘unity’ and any garbage to pull Ndigbo down politically irritates Kalu so much. Kalu wants a free and fair election in Nigeria, and not whether when Dim

Chukwuemeka OdumegwuOjukwu ran for the presidency, he got an awe-inspiring vote from the South-East as anticipated or not. Kalu is calling on all the Igbo to be united. He might not be the leader that Ndigbo would reverence the way they reverenced Ojukwu, but Kalu is paving the way for Ndigbo to talk in Nigeria without fear, and for the elites to also speak-up, without being eroded in semiblindness, else Ndigbo will perish. Njiko Igbo being his pet project for the realisation of the Igbo unity and Igbo presidency, the group is working hard to ensure that Kalu’s vision for Ndigbo is achieved, using the best tactics to fight for the Igbo cause, Igbo agenda, for 2015. Kalu is making sure that apart from Ndigbo having many brains and those who understand what politics is all about and its importance, the

need for grooming more Igbo sons and daughters is timely. However, he is not against those people, those Igbo sons and daughters, who have sold out, for the continuous humiliation of Ndigbo in the political space in the country. Nevertheless, he wants Ndigbo to chase for substance and not shadow; Kalu says that 2015 will define the justice in the country, where Ndigbo are, as enshrined in the Constitution. It is time Ndigbo came together and understand what Kalu has been fighting for: there will never be a time when shadow will be precious than substance. Never! Ndigbo do not lack the substance and should not be allowed to be seen as those who chase shadow. If anyone is finding to chase shadow cool in 2015, that person certainly, is not Kalu. Ndigbo should be ahead of the time that their perceived enemies are setting for them.

“Kalu wants a free and fair election in Nigeria, and not whether when Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu ran for the presidency, he got an aweinspiring vote from the South-East as anticipated or not. Kalu is calling on all the Igbo to be united.”

Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu

...No Thanks For Lady Orji designed by Governor Orji’s administration, was it supposed to be championed by the wife who is today crusading that mother and child should thrive and develop through the existing healthcare system? It is ludicrous when Lady Orji said that the numbers of children that die before the age of 5 years are estimated at over one million. Our “medical doctor and Commissioner for Health” went further to tell us that “5% of these deaths are due to malnutrition, while 26% is as a result of neo-natal deaths”. When did Abia State become a state for unnecessary attention seekers? It is not about Lady Orji operating behind the scene or joining the sinking bandwagon of her husband’s government to tell us that a “woman’s chance of dying in every pregnancy and child birth is one (1) in every thirteen (13) births; while the rate of child mortality is 88 per every 1000 births”, but about making sure that a befitting healthcare system is fad in the state. But regrettably, all that we have got in the state are distortion of facts by those who feed from the government, just

to hoodwink the general public to believing that the Gov. Orji’s administration is committed to good governance, whereas we only know about “good governance” on the pages of the newspapers. Only! The self-acclaimed First Lady of Abia State did not give us the data of pregnant women delivered of their babies in Abia State since the about six years’ administration of her Ochendo husband and how many survived. This probably is not good for the public, because the shock and shuddering about the number will not be favourable. It was expected of the Abia State Government to make the call which the wife of the governor called on mothers and caregivers, particularly those above 12 months, to profit from whatever healthcare (no one has told us that exists in Abia State), than the Gov. T.A Orjis. She was talking about pregnant women and nursing mother to visit hospitals and improve their children’s vitamin A status and general health. Does she not know that the government of her husband has impoverished the residents of our state and that the

il(legal) taxes imposed on the residents are also causing many ill-health, because what her husband has called “legacy projects” are the buying of Keke NAPEP and buses for the youths and, calls same empowerment? Lady Orji should have known and understood that it is not everybody in our state that has money like her family before she called and tasked on corporate bodies and individuals on philanthropy and support and assist Hannahmay Foundation. It might be a laudable mission programme to those in the government when she was said to have distributed “some empowerment items to 850 beneficiaries at the Umuahia Township stadium”, but to us not in government, we are not seeing and touching this nuisance of empowerment with the kid’s glove. What is the source of Lady Orji’s funds? It behooves the good people of our state to tell Lady Orji that our people do not need to be selfreliant through these kinds of make-belief philanthropy of the Orjis; what we need is that our state should be self-reliant. When our state is self-reliant,

our people need not be given Keke NAPEP and buses to drive before they could eat. When the government is functional, the people will be self-reliant, not these ruses called empowerment. What was expected of Lady Orji is to utilise her position as a wife and mother and advise the illadvised husband properly to hear the cries of our people that the dividends of democracy are far from being experienced in our state and, not be playing shamefaced politics with her husband in crassness called empowerment and donations. Lady Orji should not misconstrued these donations of theirs that do not meet the eyes to mean development or a means of empowering our people, when a place like Aba, people are drinking tears for tea and ashes for bread. Any doubting Thomases should go round Aba and other remote areas of our state and be shocked the perilous times that people have come to endure in the government of Gov. T.A Orji. Lady Orji should know that individuals do not create limited collar jobs, but the government.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Child Health &You

Child Abuse

IN dealing with this topic, we have to first of all look at the dictionary meaning of the term “Child”, “Abuse”, and “Child Abuse”. Who is a child? A child is a young human who is less than 18 years. “Abuse” is the unfair, cruel, or violent treatment of a child (to harm the health of a child). “Child Abuse” is the crime of harming a child in a physical, sexual or emotional way. From the definitions above, We now understood who a Child is, what constitute Abuse and the meaning of the term “Child Abuse” which is the topic of our discuss. Firstly, we shall be looking at what constitute “Child Abuse”. The component of the term child abuse includes the following: 1. There must be a child (see definition above) 2. The child must be harm physically, sexually or emotionally. In other words, a child is said to be abused when he or she receives unfair treatment, cruel or violent treatment which could be harmful to his or her health, physically, sexually or emotionally. 3. In some other cases it could result to actual death of the child. Ways in which a child is said to be abused are as follows: 1. Physical Abuse: Is physical aggression directed at a child by an adult. It can involve punching, striking, kicking, shoving, slapping, burning, bruising, pulling ears or hair, stabbing, choking, belting or shaking a child. Shaking a child as one of the forms of child abuse can cause “Shaken Baby Syndrome” which can lead to raised intra cranial pressure, i.e. swelling of the brain diffused axonal injury. Deprivation which leads to patterns such as failure to thrive, vomiting, lethargy, seizures, bulging or tense fontanels, altered breathing and dilated pupils, are all forms of social deprivation. The transmission of toxins to a child through its mother (such as with fetal alcohol syndrome) can also be considered as physical child abuse in some jurisdictions. Other forms of physical abuse includes; involving a child in street trading, hawking, domestics house help, etc. The inflictions of physical injuries or actions that place the child at obvious risk of serious injuries or actual death are illegal and also are form of physical child abuse. Categories/types of Physical Child Abuse (a) Neglect: This is where the responsible adult, parent and or care-giver do not provide adequately for the various needs of a child, which include physical and emotional needs. The following are some of the physical needs of a child which parents/guardian neglect to provide. (a) Adequate food and nutritional balance diet needed for a child’s growth. (b) Clothing, (c) Clean/hygiene environment (d) Quality education (e) Quality medical care (f) Good and conducive accommodation. While Emotional needs of a child includes: (a) Love, affection, attention and interaction. i. Child neglect and child abuse are common in single-parent. ii. Neglect could also take the form of financial abuse by not buying the child adequate materials for the survival of the child. Effect of child neglect: Children that are neglected tend to have stunted growth; they always look dirty and un-kept, always sick, low self esteem and always aggressive. Such child will not be able to interact with other children around them i.e. lack of confidence. The continuous refusal of a child’s basic needs is considered “chronic neglect”. Person who feels the need to abuse or neglect a child may be described as a “Pedopath”. 2. Child Sex Abuse: Is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation Forms of Sex abuse: (a) This include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities (regardless of the out come) (b) Indecent exposure of the genitals to a child, (c) actual sexual contact against a child, (d) physical contact with the child’s genitals, (e) viewing of the child’s genitals without physical contact, (f) or using a child to produce child sex film. Pornography: Selling the sexual services of children may be viewed and treated as child abuse with services offered to the child rather than simple incarceration. Effect of Child Sexual Abuse: This include guilt and self-balm flashback, nightmare isomnia, fear of things associated with the abuse (including objects, smells, places, doctor’s visits, etc) selfesteem issues, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain, addition, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety; other mental illnesses (including border line personality disorder and dissociative identity disorder, propensity to re-victimization in adulthood, bulimia nervosa, physical injury to the child among other problems.

By BARR E.O. ONAGHISE

Those who sexually abuses children are mostly relations; e.g. brothers, fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins, friends of the family, blood sisters, or neighbours; strangers are also part of the offenders/ abusers. 3. Psychological/Emotional Abuse: This is very difficult to define amongst all the form of child abuse. Emotional abuse includes the following: - Name-calling - Ridicule - Degradation, destruction of personal belonging; torture or destruction of a pet, excessive criticism, inappropriate or excessive demands, withholding communication and routine labeling or humiliation, chronic pain, addition, self-injury, suicidal ideation, somatic complaints depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety; other mental illnesses (including border line personality disorder and dissociative identity disorder propensity to revictimization in adulthood, bulimia nervosa, among other problems. Causes of Child Abuse 1. Parent who physical abuse their spouse are more likely than others to physically abuse their children

2. Children resulting from unwanted pregnancies are more likely to be abused or neglected. 3. Parents/guardians who are involved in alcohol, cocaine and heroin are much more likely to mistreat/abuse their children. 4. Unemployment and financial difficulties are associated with increased rates of child abuse. 5. Non-biologically related parents (like stepparents) are up to a hundred times more likely to abuse or even kill a child than biological parents. Effect of Child Abuse The impact of violence and abuse represents a serious and costly public health. Child abuse is a major life stressor that has consequences involving the mental health of an adult, who was abused in his or her childhood. - Early experiences of child abuse can trigger the development of an internalizing disorder, such as anxiety and depression. - Child abuse can also cause problems with the neuro-development of a child. - Also causes deficits with language - Deregulation of mood, behaviour and also social/emotional disturbances. Prevention of Child Abuse 1. Pregnancy planning: unwanted pregnancy should be discouraged 2. Avoid large family size to reduce the risk of child neglect. 3. Programmes, Seminars, etc should be organized more often to educate the entire society on the need to prevent child abuse. 4. Government should provide funding for child abuse prevention through community based grants 5. Police protection of children, etc. Treatment available to victims of child abuse. 1. Trauma- focused on cognitive behavioral therapy, to treat sexually abused children and also used for victims of any kind of

trauma such as- post traumatic stress anxiety. 2. Abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy was designed for children who have experienced physical abuse. 3. Child-parent psychotherapy helps to improve the child-parent relationship it targets trauma-related symptoms in infants, toddlers, and preschool age. 4. Group therapy, play therapy and art therapy. Each of these types of treatment can be used to assist the children depending on the form of abuse they have experienced, it is worthy of note that play and art therapy are ways to get children more comfortable with therapy by working on something that they enjoy doing e.g. (coloring, drawing, painting, etc). The outcome i.e. the design of a child’s art work can be a symbolic representation of what they are feeling, relationships with friends or family, and more. Being able to discuss and analyze a child’s artwork can allow a professional to get a better insight of the child. THE LEGAL IMPLICATION OF CHILD ABUSE Having looked at what constitute child abuse, the causes, the effect, prevention and treatment available to victims, we shall also consider the legal implication which is stated here under:1. Every parents or guardian shall ensure that his child or ward attend and completes his: (a) Primary school education and (b) Junior secondary education. Section 15 subsection (2) of the child’s right act provides that; Where a parent or guardian or person who has care and custody of a child, fails in the duty imposed on him under this section commits an offence and is liable: (a) On first conviction to be reprimanded and ordered to undertake community services (b) On second conviction to a fine of two thousand naira or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to both such fine and imprisonment. (c) On any subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding five thousand naira or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months or to both such fine and imprisonment. It is therefore advisable that parent or guardian see to it that their ward or child gets quality education and complete both primary and secondary education to avoid the legal implication of this form of child abuse. 2. No person shall buy, sell, hire, let on hire, dispose of or obtain possession of or otherwise deal in a child. Subsection (1) of Section 30 of Child’s Right Act. Subsection (2) a child shall not be used:(a) For the purpose of begging for alms, guiding beggars, prostitution, domestic or sexual labour or for any unlawful or immoral purpose; or (b) As a slave or for practices similar to slavery such as sale or trafficking of child, debt bondage or serfdom and forced or compulsory labour; (c) For hawking of goods or services on main city streets, brothels or highways; (d) For any purpose that deprives the child of the opportunity to attend and remain in school as provided for under the compulsory, free Universal Basic Education Act; (e) Procured or offered for prostitution or for the production of pornography or any pornographic performance; and (f) Procured or offered for any activity in the production or trafficking of illegal drugs and any other activity relation to illicit drugs as specified in the National Drug Law Enforcement Act. Section (3) of the Child’s Right Act provides that: A person who contravenes the provisions of the subsection (1) of this section (above) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of ten year. It is therefore advisable for parents/guardian to comply with the above stated prohibition of child labour to avoid the said term of imprisonment stated above as you will observe, there is no option of fine. Every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person and accordingly, no child shall be:(a) Subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse neglect or maltreatment, including sexual abuse: (b) Subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. (c) Subjected to attacks upon his honour or reputation. (d) Held in slavery or servitude, while in the care of a parent, legal guardian or school authority or any other person or authority having the care of the child. As regards abusing a child sexually, section 31 of Child’s Right Act provides that: 1.No person shall have sexual intercourse with a child. 2. A person who contravenes the provision of the subsection (1) of this section committees an offence of rape and liable on conviction to imprisonment for life. Barr. (Miss) E. O. Onaghise Institute of Child Health, University of Benin, Benin City. ‘CHILD HEALTH AND YOU’, a Weekly Thursday Feature, is a collaborative initiative between the Institute of Child Health, University of Benin, and the Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL), Benin City. Comments on this page should be forwarded to The Editor, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, Benin City or Director, Institute of Child Health, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Society THE neighborhood’s best-known restaurants were failing, its crime rate was on the rise, and for the first time that anyone could remember there were foreclosures, with once tidy bungalows sitting empty and dark. This is the first of two articles that look at hard times through the lens of science. For all that, the social scientists studying Chicago neighborhoods in 2010 were betting that the middleclass enclave of Chatham, on the city’s South Side, would remain stable through the recession. It had done so for decades, while surrounded by impoverished areas. It had somehow absorbed a wave of newcomers from recently demolished housing projects. And the researchers’ data suggested that its strong identity and scores of active block groups had helped protect residents from larger economic threats and offered clues about how to preserve threatened urban communities all over the country. Chatham should hold, barring some unforeseen cataclysm. The cataclysm hit on May 19 of that year. That night, a group of assailants jumped Thomas Wortham IV, an off-duty police officer and Iraq war veteran, as he was leaving his parents’ house. He resisted and was shot, bleeding to death on the street where he grew up. The entire city seemed to stop for breath, holding a memorial attended by hundreds of fellow police officers and citizens, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois. “We were blindsided by this; blindsided by what happened to Tommy,” said his mother, Carolyn Wortham. “And yes, you begin to question everything.” In Chatham, it seemed, all bets were off. Many residents began to think the unthinkable, that maybe it was time to escape the place they had done so much to build. The community’s response to the crisis would test a theory emerging from an ambitious, nearly decade-long study of all of Chicago’s neighborhoods — that a neighborhood’s character shapes its economic future at least as much as more obvious factors like income levels and foreclosure rates. “If Chatham could maintain its relative stability despite such great challenges,” said William Julius Wilson, a professor of sociology and social policy at Harvard and the author of the 1987 classic, “The Truly Disadvantaged,” “then I think this concept of a neighborhood effect will be a landmark contribution, helping us understand how to prevent the out-migration of citizens and strengthen neighborhoods” at risk of falling into poverty. In the days before he died, Officer Wortham was on an East Coast swing, attending a police memorial service in Washington, and later participating in a fund-

Diagnosis: raising race in New York. On May 19, he was just back and eager to see his parents, to catch up and show off some photographs from the trip. Fraying at the Edges Chatham looked the same as ever, but residents were nervous. The recession seemed to be deepening that spring, and local businesses were hanging on for life. Ken Blow, who runs Bull’s Eye Barber Shop on East 79th, said that his revenues were down almost 40 percent in the first years of the downturn. He rented out his office to a tattoo artist to help pay expenses. “For a while there, we would keep the lights off until our first customer walked in, to save money,” Mr. Blow said. Captain’s Hard Times Dining, across the street from the barbershop, also saw business dwindle. The owner, known as Mother Wade, said she has had to branch out and do catering to stay open. “Some of what’s going on here is that people are not supporting their own, not sitting down to a meal like we used to do,” Ms. Wade said. “They’d rather go eat fast food.” Older residents, perpetually anxious that the younger generation is losing their values of tidiness and mutual respect, now had visible evidence of social erosion. They saw it in the habits of their new neighbors, many of them moving from the Robert Taylor Homes, which were torn down in the mid-2000s. “The big change going on is that the grandparents are moving out, and some of the younger kids coming in here are picking up behaviors that you would never have seen in Chatham before,” said Worlee Glover, a salesman who runs a blog called Concerned Citizens of Chatham. “Loitering out on 79th. Walking up and down the street, eating out of a bag. Eating out on the porch. Those kinds of things.” The numbers tell part of the story. Chatham historically had a waiting list of would-be buyers, but during the recession its foreclosure rate was 14th highest among some 80 Chicago neighborhoods, according to data gathered from all of the city’s neighborhoods to determine which local factors shape behavior. “Chatham and neighboring Avalon Park are both working class communities, not core ghetto areas, and both were hit hard by recession, particularly Chatham, which got hit economically and with incidents of violence,” said Robert J. Sampson, a sociologist at Harvard who led the Chicago study and wrote a recently released book based on it, “Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect” (University of Chicago, 2012).

“In Chatham, it seemed, all bets were off. Many residents began to think the unthinkable, that maybe it was time to escape the place they had done so much to build.”

Battere By BENEDICT CAREY

Twice in previous weeks, young men from outside the area had fired shots into the scrum around the basketball courts at Cole Park, just across the street from the Worthams’ house. Cole Park, all picnics and playgrounds when Thomas IV was growing up, now resembled a street party on most evenings, with

assa W on t here was bey “W eve

teenagers coming just to hang out, Mrs. Wortham said. Seniors and parents of young children stayed away. A view of Chatham from the Bull’s Eye Barber Shop on 79th Street at the start of the day. The shop’s owner said the economy hit them hard enough that they would keep the lights off until the first customer arrived. This is the first of two articles that look at hard times through the lens of science. Next week: the psychology of borrowing. “People came from all over the South Side to play at Cole Park for the very reason that it was a safe park,” said Thomas Wortham III, his father. “But it got to where no one was controlling it.” After a short visit with his parents, the younger Mr. Wortham said goodbye around 11 p.m. As he walked along South King Drive to his motorcycle, he had company: someone approaching fast — no, two men — and a car trolling, close by. The next few moments are snapshots in time. A confrontation over the motorcycle. The elder Mr. Wortham yelling from his porch. Gunshots. The father ducking into the house and back out, now with his own gun. More shots. The screeching of tires as two of the

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THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Society

ed But Vibrant

ailants fled. When it was over, three men were down and bleeding the 8400 block of King Drive, near the playground, e in the Mayberry of the South Side. One assailant s wounded, another dead. Officer Wortham was yond help. We were up all night,” Mrs. Wortham said. “I don’t n remember what we did. You just can’t believe any

t is happening.” The police arrived in minutes, and the news spread t as fast. “When I heard, it hurt me so badly I could ely talk,” said Keith O. Tate, president of the atham Avalon Park Community Council. “I had no ce. A lot of us who’d been working to preserve the ghborhood thought, ‘What are we doing all this for? hat on earth are we doing here? Are we done here?’ ” They weren’t, and what unfolded in the weeks after icer Wortham’s death was partly foreshadowed in research done by Dr. Sampson and the Chicago ghborhood research team. n their surveys, asking residents how highly their ghbors valued and enforced respectful behavior from ldren, the researchers found that Chatham ranked . 1, above all other similar neighborhoods. On social hesion, a measure of how regularly people work ether to achieve common goals — organizing street rs to raise money for a senior home, for example — anked second among black communities on the uth Side, behind Avalon Park, just to the east. Array of Advantages Chatham has more than a hundred block groups,

citizen volunteers who monitor the tidiness of neighborhood lawns, garbage, and noise, as well as organize events, Mr. Tate said. The neighborhood has something else that many nearby areas do not: uniformly small buildings. Neat rows of one-story brick bungalows and ranch houses stand shoulder to shoulder, at attention, astride modest commercial strips, with few buildings more than three stories tall. “This is what I call ecological advantage,” said criminologist Peter St. Jean, the author of “Pockets of Crime,” an analysis of the physical spaces criminals occupy. “In a community with small buildings — single family houses, like here, for instance — it is relatively easy for the old lady next door to walk over and tell you there’s trash on your lawn, or to turn down the music. It is much more intimidating to approach troublemakers in a larger apartment building; you don’t even know where in the building they live.” Smaller structures provide another advantage in a recession, Dr. St. Jean said: If a building is vacated and boarded up, it’s a small blemish on the face of the community, not a large one. “You do not see any large empty lots or abandoned buildings in this neighborhood,” he said. In the wake of Officer Wortham’s death, residents of Chatham didn’t wait long to act. My own father wanted to go to the park by where Tommy Wortham was killed, just to be there,” said Mr. Tate, the community council president. “And I told him no, I didn’t want to worry about him falling. He said, ‘Look, I’m going, with or without you.’ Others felt just as strongly, and soon there was a neighborhood gathering to “take back the park,” Mrs. Wortham said. Not long after, about 20 police officers, many former colleagues of the Worthams, father and son, showed up at Cole Park and spent the day, in support. “It was a hot day, and all I can remember is running back and forth from the house to get water for everyone,” Mr. Wortham said. “These were officers from all over the city, not just from here. They organized it themselves.” This is the first of two articles that look at hard times through the lens of science. Next week: the psychology of borrowing. It’s far too early to say that Chatham has rebounded, but there are encouraging signs. The Bull’s Eye barbershop is busy again. The neighborhood successfully lobbied a billboard company to remove a gaudy sign advertising cigarettes, Mr. Glover said. Several new businesses are now thriving, including

Garrett Popcorn, a boutique popcorn shop that on most days has lines out the door. Mr. Tate has started an investment pool with other residents who have the means, to buy up foreclosed houses and sell them to “people who will make good neighbors.” And according to an analysis by Dr. Sampson, crime around Cole Park almost stopped in the months after Officer Wortham was killed. Crime crept back up in 2012, especially near the neighborhood’s borders, but it has been a violent year in Chicago, with homicides up 16 percent over 2011. The crime rate in Chatham remains well below that of nearby areas. For the social scientists, these findings apply far beyond Chatham, and beyond Chicago. Other South Side neighborhoods, with similar poverty rates, scored significantly lower on these measures of social cohesion and “efficacy.” And these neighborhoods — West Pullman, to the south, for instance, and Greater Grand Crossing to the north, which has newer developments and more young professionals — have been slower to rebound from the recession, and crime rates remain elevated. The study seems to have zeroed in on the mostly invisible factors that immunize, or at least help protect, a neighborhood from internal wounds, as well as trauma from global economic convulsions. “The specific neighborhood has a personality that affects virtually all aspects of social life, the choices we make about where to live, about how much disorder we’ll tolerate, about how we raise our kids,” Dr. Sampson said. “Large-scale forces like the recession of course matter, but they are moderated by local neighborhood factors, whether you’re in Chicago or Stockholm” or other cities. The ultimate verdict, for Chatham and for the neighborhood effect, may lie in what the Worthams and people like them do in historically cohesive urban communities threatened by creeping poverty and violence. “I sure did consider leaving when Tommy was killed,” Mrs. Wortham said. She took a deep breath. “But you know, whenever something like this happens, there’s plenty of blame to go around. People want to blame the city, the community organizations, the churches, all that. But nothing changes unless people look after their children, and the neighbors do, too. If people aren’t behaving, you say something. When I went to school, if I did something wrong, by the time I got home my mother knew about it.” So did friends’ mothers, Mr. Wortham added. Then he gave her a look: it was time for dinner, and to head for home. More than two years after their son was killed, the Worthams still live across from the park. For now, like many of their longtime neighbors and friends, they’re staying put. Source: New York Times.

“The specific neighborhood has a personality that affects virtually all aspects of social life, the choices we make about where to live, about how much disorder we’ll tolerate, about how we raise our kids.”

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013 With OBUSEH JUDE 08033510773 franeaich@yahoo.com

Security Issues Multi-Track Diplomacy And 21st Century Peace Building (2) Continued from last week

BUSINESS constitutes Track 3. This is a conflict and peace intervention approach that unites socioeconomic opportunities and responsibilities. It is an initiative that promotes a peaceful order for business to thrive. This track is motivated by the need for a robust interface between business corporations and their host communities. It is premised on the thinking that host communities should benefit from their relationship with corporations that do business on their turfs. Ideally, this has a vast financial resource available for conflict and peace building initiatives, but is often overlooked due to corporate greed and corruption. Private Citizens constitute Track 4. This track embodies all the private initiatives that are undertaken by concerned individuals to check conflicts and promote peace. This approach offers room for the people themselves to be involved in the peace process by making inputs that determine the tilt and outcome of peace processes. Track 5, Research, Training and Education constitutes the intellectual nucleus of the peace building process. It is the brain of the system. It contributes to the system by helping generate analytical tools, critical information on peace and conflict issues, which can be utilized in studying the nature, dimensions and dynamics of conflicts, and in hashing out effective policies to facilitate the peace process. Its only shortfall is that it portrays information not as a means to an end, but as an end in itself. Activism constitutes Track 6 of the system. It involves the activities of individuals and organizations who position themselves as

champions of justice. The quest for the respect or protection of the inviolable, universal and natural rights of man, are at the fore of the activities of this track. Actors in this track see themselves as the defenders of the oppressed, marginalized, and deprived segments of the society; social crusaders who are committed to restoring some level of parity between the operators of the state systems and the ordinary man on the streets. It beams the searchlight on all forms of structural violence existing in the society, and acts to redress them. The major problem with this track is its tendency to generate conflicts, and become parties to disputes. Track 7 constitutes Religion. This involves the contributions of faithbased organizations to the peace building process. Track 7 is a value-based approach that views God as supreme over His creations. It promotes strict adherence to moral codes of conduct – the need for love, patience, tolerance, justice, equity and other virtues to guide human conduct and relations. In heterogeneous societies, this approach helps build bridges across divisive value-based issues. The major shortfall of this hub is that it does not take the plurality of most human societies into cognizance, and has the likelihood of becoming a base for conflicts, rather than being a solution. Funding constitutes Track 8. The activities of donor agencies in peace building are covered by this track. The effects of this track on the peace process are more felt in third world countries and emerging democracies, where the incidences of bad governance, corruption, poverty and other social deficits have made the support of funding

agencies to peace building efforts highly critical. There are different reasons why donor agencies fund peace initiatives: to secure better lives for people, to promote national interests, or to promote justice. Media constitutes Track 9. The crucial role of information gathering and

A constructive combination of the functions of all the tracks listed in this hub can help build solid synergy that can aid the peace building process. Despite the separate functions

• Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General

dissemination is covered by this track. The media helps in generating and molding opinions around crucial issues. Its functions affects the other tracks in the hub, and has the ability of influencing the context, dynamics and outcomes of conflicts, transform the attitudes and conduct of conflict parties and stakeholders. But the profit motives of most media organizations, most times, makes them compromise on their objectivity, resulting in situations where some of them become parties to conflicts they are supposed to help find solutions to.

performed by each of the tracks, they are united by the singularity of their objective – creating societies that are equipped to prevent conflicts from metamorphosing into violence, and to transform them into positive, productive peace, when they do become violent. A systems approach to peace building, which involves collaborations among organizations involved in different aspects of peace work or whose activities promote peace, remains the major hope for peace in an increasingly conflictprone world. Peace building capabilities

resides in many, not a few. Individuals and organizations are more effective working together than separately. Conflict of any kind involves a large and intricate gamut of parties, thus necessitating

through better coordinated management approaches, calls for immediate paradigm shifts in the intervention initiatives currently being employed in these less developed parts of the world.

• Barrack Obama, US President

a systems approach. In conclusion, with particular reference to the avoidable scenarios in most third world countries, where violent conflicts have become the major challenges to national development and growth, there is need for a reassessment of all conflict management and peace building initiatives currently being employed in checking this monster. Over-reliance on Track 1 the state - as the major purveyor of peace, which has resulted in the increasing escalation of conflicts that would have been easily checked

Governments cannot do it alone, due to the high demands running state institutions placed on them. Also, the effectiveness of the activities of individuals and organizations working outside the bureaucratic bottlenecks of government, can contribute meaningfully, effectively and decisively towards complementing the critical roles governments play in promoting, protecting and projecting peace. God save world! (CONCLUDED) OBUSEH JUDE

“Governments cannot do it alone, due to the high demands running state institutions placed on them. Also, the effectiveness of the activities of individuals and organizations working outside the bureaucratic bottlenecks of government, can contribute meaningfully, effectively and decisively towards complementing the critical roles governments play in promoting, protecting and projecting peace. “

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Economy

Is The Stock Market Recovery Sustainable?

REPORTS from the stock market in the last few months have shown that it is on the part of recovery in spite of occasional downturns, a normal market phenomenon. In the last five months of 2013, the 34.6 percent growth experienced in the AllShare-Index (ASI) as it rose from 28,078.80 at the beginning of the year to close at 37,794 at the end of May has been of significant interest to market watchers. By June 18, the stock market experienced a downturn as its loss streak by 0.16 per cent brought the ASI to 37,024 points. Stock market capitalization dropped to N11, 894 trillion. Coming from an all-time low of N4.6trillion in 2009 during the unprecedented down turn and N6.7trillion a year ago, the market has indeed made strides. Is the recovery sustainable and what factors have come to play in the recent past? The stock market is an integral part of the economy. Reports say that there have been strong macro-economic fundamentals which have positively impacted on the market. Gross Domestic Product has continued to look upwards. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the Nigerian economy grew by 7.40% in 2011 and 8.1% in 2012. Inflation is looking downwards while exchange and interest rates have been relatively stable. Strong regulatory oversight by the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Nigerian Stock Exchange as well as the introduction of new rules and regulations, improved transparency and disclosure standards as well as market incentives are said to have contributed significantly to stability and growth. These efforts and other reforms have helped to restore some investor confidence. Perhaps more than any other factor, the

fundamentals and performance of many listed companies, particularly banking stocks, were impressive in 2012. Earnings of quoted companies improved.An analysis of market performance showed that it was impressive in the first quarter while the momentum slowed down in April. However, increased demand engendered by favourable sentiments lifted the market by 13 per cent in May alone. Consequently, the market appreciated by 34.6 per cent. In the first five months of the year, many individual stocks outperformed the ASI and other sectorial indicators. Evans Medical Plc, for instance, recorded a growth of 256 per cent. McNichols recorded 179 per cent while Livestock Feeds Plc, Wema Bank Plc, Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc, appreciated by 179 per cent, 128 per cent and 103 per cent respectively. Other stocks among the top 10 that fetched investors good capital appreciation in five months include: Cadbury Nigeria Plc. (91 per cent); United Bank for Africa Plc. (86 per cent); ABC Transport Plc, (84 per cent); PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, (82 per cent); Forte Oil Plc. (81 per cent); Presto Plc (76 per cent); Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc. (67 per cent); Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and International Breweries Plc. (62 per cent). Many stakeholders believe that market recovery is here and sustainable. They point to the positive macroeconomic indices which they claim will dictate the trend of the stock market. Others are quick to point out that the market was on its own in 2008 when it crashed as it bore no relationship with the macro-economic indices. In 2008, there was obviously regulatory failure, which overlooked Margin Trading that

By SYLVESTER AKELE

enabled many banks to have bloated share prices arising from unregulated loans to investors. When the bubble burst, investors were on their own. Under the present dispensation, banks are not allowed to lend for the purchase of their stocks. The SEC has also just released a margin list of 32

Plc. Others are: Glaxo Smithklin Consumer Plc; Guiness Nig. Plc; Honeywell Flour Mill Plc; International Breweries Plc; Julius Berger Plc; Lafange Cement WAPCO Plc; Livestock Feeds Plc; Mansand Insurance Plc; Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc and National Salt Company Nigeria Plc. The list also

UAC of Nigeria Plc. The regulators have also strengthened enforcement or rules and regulations as well as introduced Market Makers. According to reports, the choice of securities is founded on the principles of risk-based supervision. Fears in the market are that even though bank securities are not included in the list of marginable securities, it

securities that qualify as marginable securities as well as profile of investors that may participate in Margin Trading. They include:- Ashaka Cement Plc; Cadbury Nigeria Plc; Conoil Nig. Plc; Custodian and Allied Insurance Plc; Dangote Cement Plc; Dangote Flour Mills Plc; Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc; Fidson Healthcare Plc; and Flour Mills Nigeria

includes:-Nestle Nigeria Plc; Nigeria Aviation Handling Company Plc; Nigerian Breweries Plc; Oando Plc; Okomu Oil Palm Plc; PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc; PrescoPlc; Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc; Total Nigeria Plc; Trans National Corporative Plc and UACN Property Development Plc; Unilever Nigeria Plc; and

may indeed be possible that lending to investors and stockbrokers for margin trading on some securities could be subtly encouraged. It is this that the regulatory authorities, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Securities and Exchange Commission will have to watch closely, to prevent the bloating of share prices of some

companies. There is no doubt that much of what has been done so far is a foundation for sustaining the recovery, if the regulators ensure strict adherence to the rules. According to Ifuero Osamwonyi, a Professor of Finance at the University of Benin, the Nigerian stock market will continue to recover. He believes that the fundamentals are good and that this is the time to invest. One stockbroker 1 spoke with is not as optimistic as Prof. Osamwonyi. He believes there is still some manipulation going on. “A few people in collaboration with some foreign investors bring money to the market and make others follow suit. Thereafter, they take profit. They crashed the market before and they are at it again. Are the share price increases directly related to the company fundamentals?” he asked. There is no doubt that the fortunes of the stock market have improved since 2008. Regulators have taken measures after bitter lessons of the downturn. Fundamentals and macro-economic indices are reported to be favourable to recovery. It is not a difficult prediction to make that the recovery is sustainable all things being equal. But if investors are expecting the kind of boom of pre-2008, that is a mirage. It is also a mirage to expect that there will be no fluctuations and cycles in the market. There will always be upturns and downturns. It is left for the investor to know when to enter and exit the market. • Mr. Akele, CEO Soakel Consulting Ltd., Wrote from Abuja.

“There is no doubt that the fortunes of the stock market have improved since 2008. Regulators have taken measures after bitter lessons of the downturn. Fundamentals and macro-economic indices are reported to be favourable to recovery. It is not a difficult prediction to make that the recovery is sustainable all things being equal.”

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Motoring month time period, solely as a result of the everyday diffusion processes in the tyre. “Too many drivers make the mistake of thinking that a kick to their tyres or a visual check will tell them if their tyre pressure is correct. A visual inspection cannot detect a 0.2 bar decrease in pressure. Studies carried out by the European Union have shown that more than 64% of all cars

08023412452 With OSAGIE AIFUWA

have under-inflated tyres. Most drivers simply don’t check their tyre pressure often enough, which can have a significant effect on vehicle safety.”

Car Cooling System

Causes Of Engine Over Heating

Towards Preventing Major Causes Of Accidents

Tyres Care:

ACCORDING to research, damaged and badly maintained tyres are the most common among widespread factors that contribute to accidents. Tyres are undoubtedly the most critical safety component on a vehicle as it affects traction, handling, steering. stability and braking. “Drivers often forget that only correctly inflated tyres can do their job properly, delivering the right level of handling performance. Our comprehensive tyre tests show that under-and also over-inflation can have a significant impact on the car’s overall driving behaviour and its stopping distance. But it impacts not only the car’s safety, it also decreases the tyres’ potential mileage and the car’s fuel efliciency” says L17e I layward, Goodyear Group Public Relations Manager. “Drivers frequently make one of three classical mistakes: either they don’t check their tyre pressure before departure or alternatively, they check the pressure when the tyre is warm, which results in incorrect readings, or they put it at a level that does not take into account the weight of the car-empty or fully loaded, it makes a difference.” Proper inflation for better driving stability

properly inflated tyres are necessary to keep the vehicle’s handling performance at optimal levels, especially its cornering and braking abilities. Many problems start with a gradual and unnoticed loss of inflation pressure. “When a tyre is under-inflated, the car’s weight is concentrated on the outside part of the tyre tread, increasing pressure on the tyre’s sidewalls (the tyres’ shoulders as we call them), rather than being spread out evenly across the width of the tyre. This means that as the tyre rolls, the sidewall heats up more than it should, and dial affects both performance and safety. Under inflation means less evenly distributed pressure on the road. It also reduces the tread area that is in direct contact with the road. These effects reduce the tyres’ grip and especially in combination with a heavily loaded car, can have a significantly impact on the car’s driving behaviour, stopping distances become longer and cornering abilities can become sloppier and less direct, which can lead to uncontrollable driving behaviour. Our tyres are highly performing products, equipped with sophisticated technologies. To make use of their abilities to the full extent, the right tyre pressure must be applied”, explains Harris. Don’t kick your tyres — check them properly Tyres may loose up to 0.2 bar; air pressure in a three-

“Drivers frequently make one of three classical mistakes: either they don’t check their tyre pressure before departure or alternatively, they check the pressure when the tyre is warm, which results in incorrect readings, or they put it at a level that does not take into account the weight of the car-empty or fully loaded, it makes a difference.”

ON most cars, although daily topping up of the radiator is unnecessary, it is good practice to check the level, in the same way that the engine oil should be verified each day. The reason for this check is that a shortage of water is not immediately notice able, until some symptom such as loss of power is apparent. By then distortion of the cylinder head may have occurs, bringing in its train badly seating values. Cold water should not be added in such circumstance until the engine has cooled down. Topping up also checks that the overflow pipe is clear, as by overfilling the radiator, water should, flow from the overflow outlet. A choked over flow may cause a burst hose owing to there being no escape for the steam. Soft or rain water should be used, as hard water contains calcium and magnesium salts, which form a scale in the water jackets and radiator. If you notice that your car engine runs at higher temperature than normal, points to be checked are: (I). Water level (2). Water pump, check if in order (3). Correct tension of fan belt (4). Radiator block, clean externally (5). Hoses free from kinks, which many cause restricted circulation (6). Flush out system. Flushing the radiator, this should be done about every six months, and in any case if over heating occurs, it is desirable to flush out the radiator. The drain cock should be opened and the water allowed to run out whilst warm, which ensure that most of the foreign matter will be in suspension. If the water refuses to flow, the drain cock can be cleared by means of a piece of wire. A hose pipe should then be inserted in the filter orifice and water allowed to run until the water emerges clean from the drain tap. A more through flush can be obtained by means of the reverse method. To carry out this process the bottom radiator hose should be disconnected and the pipe inserted. The pressure of the water will be forced it upwards and water will be forced it upward and through the filter, thus dislodging particle deposited by the normal downward circulation of the water. Overheating is detrimental to the performance of an engine, running it too cool will also have serious consequences. Cooling system is a means of controlling the engine temperature between certain limits, rather than merely preventing the engines running too hot.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

View Point

Can DESOPADEC Make Impact In Delta State? By CHARLES IKEDIKWA SOEZE

IT is a truism to say that Delta State contributes marvelously well to the federation account through oil for the development of the entire country. I think that was why in 2006 the administration of the current governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan established the Delta State oil producing D e v e l o p m e n t C o m m i s s i o n (DESOPADEC) to play the role of community development within the state. The big question now is, can DESOPADEC make impact in the entire Delta State or the oil producing communities within the state? In my own opinion, it is crystal and abundantly clear that DESOPADEC has been suffering from administrative problems and lacks proper coordination probably due to the fact that we want to always appoint party loyalists to the board and also the attempt of the state government to reflect members of the board from oil producing, communities irrespective of their versatility, professionalism or otherwise. However, it is not in the best interest of the entire state, for the 13% derivation to be managed by DESOPADEC exclusively to areas with oil wells, this is because the negative impact of oil exploration activities also affect communities outside the immediate vicinities of oil wells, in other words, there should be a more liberal application of the functions of DESOPADEC in order to efficiently and effectively achieve the desired goals, especially peace and development, not a strict application united to oil wells and tribes. If that is the case, the government slogan Delta, we be one”

is no longer relevant. It is important to point out that our communities are mixed, oil operations are extensive and include pipelines, pumping stat ions, other installations including administrative and housing spread around the communities in a local government area and gas flaring, oil spillage, fire outbreaks, environmental pollutions among others affect communities outside the immediate vicinities of oil wells and oil gathering points. In other words, I think it is improper to strictly use the parameters of oil wells and tribes in the allocation of development projects this is because it will bring more damage than goodwill to the peace, unity and stability of oil producing areas. In addition, the use of public funds to develop ethnic nationalities contravenes section 7 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) particularly subsection 2(b) (i)-(iii) and subsection 5(b). Local government areas and communities in a particular state are what government should take care of. We must therefore see DESOPADEC as interventionist agency for all communities in the state, it will be counterproductive for the agency to operate on tribal basis or on location of oil wells. No ethnic group should see DESOPADEC as exclusively constituted to provide for them, to the exclusion of other groups. I think and believe the Governor should as a matter of urgency and for the progress and

development of all communities in Delta State review the parameters of the operations of the state interventionist body in order to align with one of the governor’s 3 point agenda. For the DESOPADEC to move forward, the board members should be technocrats not based on

think the board is always having problems because of level of proper coordination and probably they see it as “come, chop and go”. This is not the best. In 2008, the Delta State House of Assembly Finance and Appropriation Committee questioned the rational behind the use of N51 million to renovate a

of the working population are engaged in agriculture and related activities. That is to say farming has been and still remains the mainstay of the state economy with greater population, most of which live in the rural areas depending on it for survival. Apart from the oil producing communities, some other communities in the state have

President Goodluck Jonathan

party loyalists or from oil producing communities. This, I believe, has made DESOPADEC not to be effective. The federal character principle which late General Murtala Mohammed introduced on Monday, 20th July 1975 while addressing members of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) which has not helped at the federal level for efficiency and effectiveness, should not be brought into the DESOPADEC board. I

house rented at a cost of N 39 million by DESOPADEC refer to the Pointer newspaper of 4th March 2008 (front page). Many Deltans will also like to know how DESOPADEC N51 billion naira budget was spent, Oil revenue notwithstanding, Delta State is still basically an agricultural state. “ This is because about 70 percent of its total population is resident in the rural communities and approximately 64 percent

contributed very immensely to the development and sustenance of the state as well as the country in general either through farming or donation of vast land for establishing industry, educational institutions among others. To support my point above, Ubulu-Uku Kingdom in the present Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State donated vast land to the state government to build the

Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS) booster station in order to improve on the reception of the television and radio stations in all communities in the state, for the purpose of informing, educating and entertaining Deltans of government activities. Furthermore, oil was discovered in Ubulu— Uku in 1958 by Shell British Petroleum (shell BP) now shell Petroleum Development company (SPDc). Further exploration and exploitation could not continue then due to alleged native palaver, which could not be promptly and adequately addressed. Today, the vast land is lying fallow. The people of the community known for the tapping of original palm wine and commercial farming can no longer make effective use of the said land. Such a peaceful town with dedicated and peaceable people must not be abandoned. The town should benefit from oil revenue accuring to the state. It is abundantly clear that Ubulu-uku was seen then as a beautiful maiden on whom everybody lavished attention and adulation. The Ubulu-uku Kingdom in her prime was cultivated without culmination in her being brutalized and raped. consequently, the town now nurses scores of poisoned ecology and degraded environment. Various commissions and boards in the past and present continue to treat the town shabbily. Even when the town donated vast land for the DBS booster station, the state government, sadly enough tarred the road leading to the station and Continued on page 22

“ This is because about 70 percent of its total population is resident in the rural communities and approximately 64 percent of the working population are engaged in agriculture and related activities. That is to say farming has been and still remains the mainstay of the state economy with greater population, most of which live in the rural areas depending on it for survival.”

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

View Point

Continued from page 21

abandoned the other unmotorable road leading to Isho Quarters within the town and the unmotorable road leading to the neighbouring community that is, Ubulu-unor. This is not the best for purpose of community relations in public relations practice. I am also quite convinced that such thing cannot happen in the Delta South and central. Many adjoining roads within these areas were tarred either by the state government or oil companies based on what they gained from such places. In view of the fact that the entire people of Ubuluuku Kingdom are not restive and aggressive, that is they do not beg should not be seen as weakness on their part. They love peace and believe in maximum cooperation. As a result, the state government should pay special attention to the development of UbuluUku through relevant boards agencies, commissions or ministries. Apart from Ubulu-uku, there are other towns in the Delta North (Anioma) where oil is not available but the communities denied themselves of their vast land by donating such

...Make Impact In Delta State? land to the government either state or federal. For example, the NYSC camp ground at Issele-uku, because of its accessibility to all corps members coming from different parts of the country. Onicha olona community donated vast land to the federal government for the building of Onicha olona Teacher’s Training college, to ensure success of the Universal Free Primary Education (UPE) programme. The state government now benefit from this. The college of Education, Agbor, Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-uku, the various state and federal secretariats including Federal college of Education (Technical) Asaba, St. Thomas Teachers Training college Ibusa, Federal Government Girls college, Ibusa including many others. Any established board or commission should be directed to see the state as one. carrying drugs to some hospitals and people were asked to line up for treatment because of ‘oil’ is not the best. Such drugs should be made available to all

hospitals in the state. One can boldly and proudly say that the state government has tried in the health sector by upgrading some hospitals and establishing new ones as well as health centres in all nooks and crannies. DESOPADEC should

rate for people of the state like what Petroleum Trust Fund (PTDF) did throughout the federation. Whenever there is oil spill in these communities, it is the poor tax payers money from all communities that are used to purchase relief materials

President Goodluck Jonathan

provide facilities that are lacking in these hospitals/ health centres like improve electricity and water supply, provide drugs either free or at subsidized

and dispatched to these communities. What it implies is that DESOPADEC operations be reviewed so that all communities in the state

can benefit. If the c o m m i s s i o n (DESOPADEC) is misleading, we should think of something else. This is absolutely necessary because various communities contribute to the development of the state. There is the need for the state government to judiciously instill economic justice and consciously eliminate inequity in the provision of amenities in the various communities that make up the state. It is generally believed that development and provision of facilities, youth empowerment among others cannot be partially rationed or selfishly enjoyed. Any attempt to restrict it will deepen the chasm between haves” and the ‘haves not”. Our nemesis will be all the more catastrophic when it occurs. Nothing could be more dangerous than discrimination in the provision of facilities and economic empowerment, with proper empowerment, various communities in the state can exploit natural resources to produce goods and services for

immediate consumption and for capital outlay for the benefit of our state. By establishing DESOPADEC for the development of some communities in the state, it would appear as if the state is divided and a house divided is against itself. what DESOPADEC should do is to urgently engage in ending community projects for the ,benefit of all Deltans and not the cosmetic type. However, it is human nature not to be criticized. It is also our nature to praise even while we are not too spectacular in what we do. Furthermore, to expect to be praised to the high heavens is the height of self delusion. we all must be wary of professional praise singers. This is because for a multitude of them abound. Reason dictates that we prefer well intentioned criticism to an unworthy praise, constructive criticism lifts ones performance, unworthy praises retards progress and gives a false sense of achievement. We need to beware of praise singers. For the criticism of the wise is better than the praises of self-centred people and fools.

Understanding Phantom Vibration Syndrome

By EGHWRUDJE PRAISE

PHANTOM vibration syndrome or phantom ringing is the sensation and false belief that one can feel one’s mobile phone vibrating or can hear it ringing, when in fact the telephone is not doing so. Other terms for the concept include ringxiety (a portmanteau of ring and a n x i e t y ) , Hypovibrochondria (a mix of hypochondria and vibro) and fauxcellarm (a play on ‘false alarm’). Phantom ringing may be experienced while taking a shower, watching television, or using a noisy device. Humans are particularly sensitive to auditory tones between 1,000 and 6,000 hertz, and basic mobile phone ringers often fall within this range. The frequency range can generally be more difficult

to locate spatially, thus allowing for potential confusion when heard from a distance. False vibrations are less well understood, however, and could have psychological or neurological sources. The phantom phone or phantom ring psychologically, could be compared to something such as the ‘‘snaked’’ feeling experienced when not wearing a pair of prescription glasses or other items. Some doorbells or telephone ring sounds are modelled after pleasant sounds from nature. This backfires when such devices are used in rural areas containing the original sounds; the owner is faced with the constant task of determining if it is the device or the actual sound. Minka Wiltz, an actress in

Atlanta, has tried to answer her phone to the thrrrrup, thrrrrup, thrrrrup of a truck bouncing down a potholepocket street. Some people

they mistake for the ringtone of their cell phone, which is not ringing. This audio illusion called phantom phone rings or,

say they thought they heard phones ring while taking a shower, using a blow-dryer or watching commercials. What they are hearing is a barely discernable sound, perhaps chimes, a faint trill or an electronic bleat that

more whimsically, ringxiety or fauxcellarm has emerged recently as an internet discussion topic and has become a new reason for people to either bemoan the techno-saturation of modern life or question their sanity.

Some sound experts believe that because cellphones have become a fifth limb for many, people now live in a constant state of phone vigilance and hearing sounds that seem like a telephone’s ring can send an expectant brain into action. Phantom rings are a ‘psycho-acoustic phenomenon’ related to the way the human brain interprets sound, said Rob Nokes, president of Sound Dogs, a sound effect company. The ear gives unequal weights to certain frequencies, making it particularly sensitive to sounds in the range of 1,000 to 6,000 hertz, scientists say babies cry in this range for example, and the familiar ‘‘brrring, brrring, brrring’’ ring tone hits this sweet spot too. Simple ringtones are more likely to produce

phantom rings than popular music used as a ringtone. Mr. Nokes noted that human brain is conditioned to respond to a phone ring just as it is to a baby crying. The question now is why do people hear phantom rings more often now? The answer ranges from the paranoid to the vast exposure to cell-phones in people’s lives, there were 207 million wireless subscribers nationwide at the end of 2005, a nearly sevenfold increase in just a decade, according to the C e l l u l a r Telecommunications and Internet Association. According to peter Arnell, the Chief Creative Officer of a group called Arnell Group in New York, ‘‘people are using a sound trigger to control emotions,’’ ‘‘the most controlling device in our life right now is a cellphone.’’

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Religion

With REV. DR. A.A. OPARA

Questions And Answers On Prophecy

Continued from last week

FOR a believer it is very easy for him to know the Antichrist, and he is wise enough to pity them for their lack of knowledge of the truth Jesus says “I AM THE WAY, AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE: NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME.” John 14:6. Christ is also the light: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will, have the light of life.” John 8:12. Any group or religious leader that holds a contrary view is Anti-Christ. Never, never associate with such a group or person. Such is to be puttied for lack of knowledge. I the writer of this prophet have had the privilege of talking closely with the Lord in spirit, in visions and even in trances. Jesus is alive, he is real, he is God; his words are yeah and Amen’ I take full responsibility for these words. (Read 1 Cor. 15:1- 58). Apostle Paul greatly delighted in the Lord admonished Christians thus: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labour is not in vain.’ I Cor. 15:58 Don’t let these Anti-Christ’s deceive you and make you to lose your eternity. None of them in any way is comparable to our Lord Jesus. Apostle John describes the Anti-Christ as ‘The Liar . he who denies that Jesus is the Christ ... he who denies the Father and the Son.” 1 John.2:22(2Peter2: 1-3). Another group of false prophets are those who call themselves prophets of God but prophesy by the use of evil power. They prophesy by baal, Jeh. 2:8. This category includes diviners, sorcerers, soothsayers, necromancers, spiritists, spiritualists, occultists etc. Some occulties use the crystal gazer to pry into the future, that is not the spirit of God! Astrologers or mystics use the mystical glass or mirror and any other person who uses any other means other than the Holy Spirit of God is false in the light of the scriptures. Some of these people compound the situation by deceiving people under the pretext of using religious titles or forming a church and blindly leading a congregation. Hear what the Bible says: “Do not turn to mediums or wizards, do not seek them out to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” Lev. 19:31 “If a person turns to mediums ... I, will set my face against that person”. Lev. 20:6 “I will cut off sorceries from your land, and shall have no more soothsayers”. Mic. 5:12. Apostle Paul cursed Elymas

the Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus as a son of the devil and enemy of ail righteousness ”full of all deceit and villainy” who sought to make crooked “the straight paths of the lord”, He was cursed to be blind for a time (Acts 13:6. 10. 11) This description fits all those who use fowl means to prophesy or see visions. They are the false prophets making cooked the straight path of the Lord. The only power by which a true prophet of God can prophesy or see visions is by the Holy Spirit otherwise he is a false prophet! The Bible condemns all other powers other than the Holy Spirit. The Bible condemns divination, Acts 16:16-18. The Bible condemns magic, Ar.ts8:9-13, 13:6-11.“And a number of those who practised magic arts brought their books together and burned them Acts 19:19. The Bible condemns the use of magical books Acts 19:19. The Bible condemns the so-called “mystery schools” where curious arts are learnt. “Many also of those who were now believers came confessing and divulging their practices” Acts 1:l8. The Bible condemns idolatry - “juju-power’ Exoous22:20 1 Cor. 10:14. The Bible condemns sorcery and soothsaying, Mic. 5:12. God condemns witchcraft and any form of consultation with mediums spiritists spiritualists, necromancers. “If a person turns to mediums ans wizards l will set my face against that person” Lev. 20:6, 27. God condemns augury i.e. foretelling future events by signs and omens as practised by fortune tellers, Lev. 19:26. The Bible condemns occultism and any other secret art and secret societies. “There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or daughter as an offering (practised by secret societies), a one who practises divination (practised by occultists), a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard or a necromancer For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord” Deut. 1’1O-12 The only power source recongnised by the Bible as the power of God is the Holy Spirit power. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” Acts 1:8 The last in the category of false prophets are “true prophets of God turned false prophets.” This has been previously explained. When an anointed

servant of God falls short of God’s standard either by sinning or following his own selfish spirit, the spirit of God would leave him. The unclean spirit enters. This was exactly what happened to Prophet Zedekiah and the four hundred prophets of God in the book of kings, 1 kings 22:6, 11, The Spirit of God was initially on King Saul (through not a prophet) but left him when he became defiant to God and chased David all about to kill him. 1 Sam. 10:10, 18:10. Worse still, some prophets of God when the glory of God has departed from them, rather than turn to God for forgiveness, and reconcile with the Lord,

the Lord instructs him. The prophet Should a Prophet Disobey God’s Instruction? No! No child of God should. A prophet of God should always obey the Lord in all that the Lord instructs him. The prophet Samuel said: “Behold to obey is better than to sacrifice for rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry.” 1 Sam. 15:22-23. A prophet died for disobeying the Lord as he had been instructed. 1 Kings 13: 2The best a prophet can do is never to disobey Gods directive or instructions but he can like the Prophet Jeremiah plead his case if the need arises: indeed

they continue with their evil deeds and resort to seeking power else where pretending still to possess the power of God. Look at King Saul rather than ask for God’s forgiveness and seek true repentance, when the spirit of God had left him, he turned to the witch of Endor for assistance. 1 Sam. 28: 6-8. At What time can you be a Prophet? You cannot make yourself a prophet. Only God can call you to be his prophet. He can choose to call you anytime. Jeremiah was called right from the womb (Jeh. 1:5), the prophet Samuel was called when he was still young at childhood, I Sam. 3:1, 7 - 20; while Gideon was called in his adulthood. Judges 6:8,11-32. And God’s call the scripture says is irrevocable. Roms. 11:29 Should a Prophet Disobey God’s Instruction? No! No child of God should. A prophet of God should always obey the Lord in all that

any child of God could plead a case with the Lord. The King Hezekiah pleaded with the Lord when the Prophet Isaiah delivered God’s message that he was to die from his sickness. God listened and not only healed him of the sickness but added fifteen more years to his life. Isaiah 38:1-6 (Also see Num. 22:31 -34) Jeremiah pleaded with God, Jeh. 12:1 (Also read Mic. 6:1) It is also worthy to note that it is not in all cases that you plead and expect a positive answer from God. When Moses pleaded with God concerning his entering the promised land which God had said he would not enter (Num. 20:12), God did not grant the request (Deut. 3:23-27). How Ought You Behave to a Prophet of God - The Elect of God? A Prophet of God ought to be respected because he s Gods oracle to the world. He is not to be puffed up for this but should give glory to God, If

you mock a prophet of God, or even insult despise him you could incure the wrath of God. 2 Chr. 36:16. King Zedekiah was counted unworthy by the Lord because among others he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the Prophet, 2 chr. 36:12. David the king and also a prophet of God danced to the glory of God; but he was despised by Michael one of his wives. Michael became barren all her life 2 Sam 6:20-23 When Miriam and Aaron(sister and brother of Moses) spoke against Moses for marrying a Cushite woman the Lord was vexed ans spoke: “Why ... were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses.” Num. 12:8. Miriam became leprous but when Moses interceded on her behalf God pardoned and restored her health Num. 12:9-16. This is

the mystery of God’s love for his prophets. Hence Apostle Paul said, he himself being a prophet: “The spiritual man judges all things, but he is himself to be judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? I Cor. 2:15. 18. Can a Prophet Prophesy Falsely, and God Sending Another True Prophet to Correct and concel the Wrong Prophecy? Yes it is just possible even within intervals. We remember the as case of prophets Zedekiah and Micaiah (1 Kings 22:11, 17 25) Jeremiah and Ezekial also rose and spoke from the mouth of God cancelling previous prophecies. Jeh. 28:10-17, Ezek. Jr 13:1-2. Jk 19. How can I be sure of a prophecy from God? In this pamplet I have discussed certain characteristics or features to

identify. But just to add one important biblical proof of God’s prophecy is that it is not only true but is accomplished. “Thus says the Lord God: ... The word which I speak will be performed.” Ezek 12:28. “I will speak and it will be performed.” Ezek. 12:25(ReadJeh.28:9). Can a Prophet Intercede for others Yes, he can make intercessory prayers. Moses several times interceded for the people of Israel; he also did so when the sister Miriam became leprous. Num 12:13. Jeremiah also prophesied: “If they are prophets and if the word of the Lord is with them, then let them intercede with the Lord of hosts.” Jen. 21: Should we Listen to Every Prophecy and obey such? The Bible says “Doubt not prophesying but test everything” 1 Thess. 5:20. But weigh the message being prophesied 1 Car 14:29. But if you find that such prophecies are false and the prophet himself is false do not hearken. Do not listen to false prophecies. Jeh. 23:16-17; 279; 29:8-9. I have earlier explained to you how to detect false messages and their prophets. 22. Some People say God’s Prophecies are often not Harsh but Peaceful. How true is This? It is not correct at all. From the Bible we can identify different types of prophecies, all from the Lord. Prophecy of correction Joel 1,2 John 3 Prophecy of denounciation Amos 1, 2, 3 Prophecy of healing; deliverance and forgiveness. Isaiah 38:2-6. Prophecy of death, destruction and punishment. Mich, 3:5-7, 6-12, Amos 7:10-17; 1 Sam. 15:23, 28; Acts 5:3; 1 kings 21:21; 1 Kings 22:17; 2 Sam. 2:14; 2kings8:10; 1 Sam3:11-14. Prophecy of admonition: Hosea 3, 4, 5, 6. Prophecy for learning and encouragement 1 Cor. 14: 2425, 31. Prophecy to forewarn an individual, 1 Kings 22:28; Acts 21:10, 2 Kings 8:12, 13. Prophecy of prosperity or blessing, 1 Kings 18:41, 1 Kings 3:11-15, Gen. 18:10; Judges 3.3-5 The list is actually inexhaustible. God can speak the way he chooses). For man cannot question God ‘Will you question me or command me concerning the work of my hands? Isa 45 11

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

International

Compiled By EDOBOR HARRISON

Assad Supporter Assassinated In Lebanon

Fatima (L), daughter of Mohammad Darro Jamo, mourns his death as she is comforted by a relative in Sarafand, southern Lebanon yesterday.

In this undated frame grab from video posted on a militant-leaning Web site, and provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, shows Saeed al-Shihri, deputy leader of alQaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

BEIRUT — Gunmen assassinated a prominent Syrian pro-government figure at his home in southern Lebanon yesterday in the latest sign of Syria’s civil war spilling over into its smaller neighbor, security officials said. Mohammed Darrar Jammo was gunned down, shot nearly 30 times, in the coastal town of Sarafand, a stronghold of the Shiite militant Hezbollah group, the officials said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Assassinations of politicians, army officers and journalists who support President Bashar Assad’s regime are not uncommon in Syria, but the killing of a wellknown Syrian in Lebanon is rare. Violence linked to Syria’s civil war is increasingly washing across Lebanon, threatening to unleash largescale fighting in the country. On Tuesday, a roadside bomb struck a Hezbollah convoy near the Syrian border, while last week a car bomb in south Beirut wounded 53 people in the heart of the militant group’s bastion of support. Syria’s conflict has cut deep fissures through Lebanon and exposed the country’s split loyalties. Many Lebanese Sunnis support the overwhelmingly Sunni uprising against Assad in Syria, while Shiites generally back Hezbollah and the regime. Clashes between pro- and antiAssad groups in Lebanon have left scores of people dead in recent months, and the violence

Yemeni security officials said al-Shihri died of serious injuries sustained when a drone strike targeted him in November last year. Al-Shihri had survived an earlier drone attack, in September 2012, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media. Yesterday’s announcement came in a video purporting to show the group’s chief theologian, Ibrahim al-Robaish, eulogizing al-Shihri. In the video, al-Robaish said al-Shihri was hit by the drone while speaking on his mobile telephone in the province of

Saadah, north of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The authenticity of the video, which was first reported by the U.S. monitoring service SITE, could not be independently confirmed but it appeared on militant websites commonly used by al-Qaida. Al-Shihri, also known as Abu Sufyan al-Azdi, fought in Afghanistan and spent six years in Guantanamo. He was returned to Saudi Arabia in late 2007 and later fled to Yemen to join the al-Qaida branch there. In one of his last videos, which appeared on the Internet in April, al-Shihri harshly

RECONCILIATION OF NAMES

I, Edward Iguma Igiebor wish to bring to the information of the general public that my children: Miss Igiebor Abieyuwa Aimierovbiye, Master Igiebor Destiny Osamuyimen, Miss Igiebor Marther Igbinosa and Master Igiebor Osadebamwen, should now be known, called and addressed as Miss Iguma Abieyuwa Joan; Master Iguma Destiny Osamuyimen; Miss Iguma Marther Igbinosa; and Master Iguma Osadebamwen Peace. That the above names are same persons as the new ones. All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note. Signed: Edward Iguma Igiebor

CHANGE OF NAME

IGIEBOR – I, formerly called Igiebor Iguma Aghamioghogho is now known and called Iguma P r e c i o u s Aghamioghogho. All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

DRC Army, Helicopter Attack M23 Rebels

criticized Yemen’s neighbor to the north, Saudi Arabia, for its policy of allowing the United States to launch deadly drone strikes from bases in the kingdom.

MUTAHO, Democratic Republic of Congo - Congolese government forces supported by helicopters attacked M23 rebel positions near the eastern city of Goma in a third day of heavy fighting that has forced hundreds of villagers to flee their homes and raised tensions with Rwanda. The clashes have also focused attention on the role of the United Nations, which is deploying a new force with a mandate to attack rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The 3,000-strong Intervention Brigade, made up of South African, Tanzania and Malawian troops, has begun patrols but not yet engaged in combat. The United Nations has warned it would block any attack on Goma, a city of one million people bordering Rwanda, which was briefly captured by rebels in November. A Reuters reporter in Mutaho, some 7 km (4 miles) northeast of Goma, saw three army attack helicopters bombard rebel positions in the town of Kibati, 4 km further north of Goma.

“The situation is under control,” army spokesman Colonel Olivier Hamuli told Reuters in Mutaho. “We were attacked on Sunday and our troops are pushing the enemy forces back.” Rebels and government troops traded mortar fire on Monday close to the northern and western outskirts of Goma. The United Nations said that a shell fell on Tuesday 100 meters (yards) from Goma airport, with no victims reported. “This recurrence of fighting close to inhabited areas poses a serious protection issue for thousands of people and could trigger some drastic humanitarian consequences,” said Moustapha Soumare, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Congo. Millions of people have died from violence, disease and hunger since the 1990s as foreign-backed rebel groups have fought for control of eastern Congo’s rich deposits of gold, diamonds, copper, cobalt and uranium, destabilizing the Great Lakes region at the heart of Africa.

DHAKA - A special tribunal sentenced a senior leader of an Islamic party to death yesterday for his role in the kidnapping and killing of people involving Bangladesh’s independence war against Pakistan in 1971. The verdict came in a packed courtroom in the capital, Dhaka, in presence of defendant Ali Ahsan Mojaheed, the secretarygeneral of the Jamaat-e-Islami party. The tribunal found him guilty of kidnapping and killing a journalist, a music director and a number of other people. Mojaheed faces seven charges including genocide, murder, conspiracy and complicity in atrocities during the war. He is accused of leading a notorious group that during the war

kidnapped and killed many teachers, journalists and writers who supported the cause for independence. But the court said five charges were proven beyond doubt, while the prosecution failed to prove two other charges. The defense attorneys said they would appeal the verdict. Two tribunals dealing with the war crimes have already delivered five verdicts against three incumbent leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and a former chief and another expelled man of the party. Jamaat-e-Islami and its leaders had openly campaigned against the creation of Bangladesh and are accused of forming citizens’ brigades to

aid Pakistani army in the battle against the fighters who fought for independence. Bangladesh became independent with the help of India on Dec. 16, 1971 when Pakistani army surrendered in Dhaka. Bangladesh says the Pakistani army killed 3 million people and raped 200,000 women, while about 10 million people took shelter across the border in India during the war. To denounce the verdict, Jamaat-e-Islami enforced a daylong general strike across the country yesterday. No major violence was reported. The party indicated that it might extend the general strike to today if Mojaheed was sentenced to death.

Al-Qaida Leader Killed In Yemen

SANAA - The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaida confirmed yesterday that the group’s No. 2 figure, a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, was killed in a U.S. drone strike. The announcement, posted on militant websites, gave no date for the death of Saudi-born Saeed al-Shihri. The confirmation was significant, however, because al-Shihri had twice before been reported dead but the terror group later denied those reports. His killing is considered a major blow to the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known as AlQaida in The Arabian Peninsula.

has escalated as Hezbollah’s role fighting alongside the regime has become public. Jammo, a 44-year-old political analyst who often appeared on Arab TV stations, was one of Assad’s most vociferous defenders. In frequent appearances on television talk shows, he would staunchly support the Syrian regime’s strong-armed response to the uprising and in at least one case shouted down

opposition figures and called them “traitors.” His hard-line stance earned him enemies among Syria’s opposition, and some in the anti-Assad camp referred to Jammo as “shabih,” a term used for pro-government gunmen who have been blamed for some of the worst mass killings of the civil war. Lebanon’s state news agency published a photo yesterday of a shirtless Jammo lying on a blue sheet stained with blood, his chest riddled with bullet wounds.

Bangladeshi Opposition Leader Gets Death Penalty

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

International

Compiled By EDOBOR HARRISON

South Africans Prepare For Mandela’s JOHANNESBURG — As A group of young South Birthday Nelson Mandela lies critically African designers created a poster

A woman cries after her grandson, who consumed spurious meals at a school on Tuesday, died at a hospital in the eastern Indian city of Patna recently.

ill in a Pretoria hospital, the world is preparing to celebrate his 95th birthday today a day declared by the United Nations as a way to recognize the Nobel Prize winner’s contribution to reconciliation. Interest in Nelson Mandela International Day has ignited as a result of the former South African president’s hospitalization in Pretoria and people find ways to honor his ideals. A Johannesburg-based foundation named after Mandela and numerous other groups have asked people to volunteer 67 minutes to charity to match what they say are the 67 years that Mandela served his community. Mandela led South Africa through a tense transition from apartheid to

21 Children Die After Eating School Lunch In India

PATNA, India - At least 21 children died and more than two dozen others were sick after eating a free school lunch that was tainted with insecticide, Indian officials said yesterday. It was not immediately clear how chemicals ended up in the food in a school in the eastern state of Bihar. One official said the food may not have been properly washed before it was cooked. The children, between the ages of 8 and 11, fell ill Tuesday soon after eating lunch in

Gandamal village in Masrakh block, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the state capital of Patna. School authorities immediately stopped serving the meal of rice, lentils, soybeans and potatoes as the children started vomiting. Savita, an 11-year-old student who uses only one name, said she had a stomach ache after eating soybeans and potatoes and started vomiting. “I don’t know what happened

Brotherhood Holds Protest Day As Egypt Cabinet Starts Work

CAIRO - Thousands of supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi demonstrated outside the prime minister’s office yesterday in a “day of steadfastness” to protest against the formation of a new interim cabinet on its first day on the job. Protesters held up Korans and portraits of Mursi in the blistering noon heat outside the main government buildings in the centre of Cairo, demanding Mursi be restored to power. They shouted “God is Greatest!”, “Down with military rule!” and “We are all Mursi!” “We have only two goals, legitimacy or martyrdom,” said Ahmed Ouda, 27. Another man interrupted to add: “Peaceful martyrdom!” The vast crowd of Mursi supporters marched through the centre of town and along the Nile corniche. They were held back by riot police as they marched in the direction of Tahrir square, focus for antiMursi youth protests. A few dozen youths from Tahrir armed with wooden sticks, construction helmets and wooden planks tried to charge at the Brotherhood supporters being held back by police. Some threw stones that fell short of the Mursi supporters. Crisis in Egypt, which straddles the Suez Canal and has a peace treaty with Israel, has alarmed its allies in the West and the region. Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, is due in town, the latest international figure to meet Egypt’s interim rulers. Unlike a U.S. envoy who came two days ago, she is also expected to meet senior figures

in Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood. The army, which removed Egypt’s first freely elected president from power two weeks ago, accused Mursi’s supporters of inciting armed demonstrations near military bases and trying to turn a political dispute into a religious quarrition.

after that,” Savita said in an interview at Patna Medical College Hospital, where she and many other children were recovering. The lunch, part of a popular national campaign to give at least one daily hot meal to children from poor families, was cooked in the school kitchen. The children were rushed to a local hospital and later to Patna for treatment, said state official Abhijit Sinha. In addition to the 21 children who died, another 26 children and the school cook were hospitalized, he said. Ten of them were in serious condition. Authorities suspended an official in charge of the free meal scheme in the school and registered a case of criminal negligence against the school

headmaster, who fled as soon as the children fell ill. Angry villagers, joined by members of local opposition parties, closed shops and businesses near the school and overturned and burned four police vehicles. P.K. Sahi, the state education minister, said a preliminary investigation suggested the food contained an organophosphate used as an insecticide on rice and wheat crops. It’s believed the grain was not washed before it was served at the school, he said. However, local villagers said the problem appeared to be with a side dish of soybeans and potatoes, not grain. Children who had not eaten that dish were fine, although they had eaten the rice and lentils, several villagers told the AP.

democracy and became president in the country’s first all-race elections in 1994. President Jacob Zuma will mark the birthday by overseeing the donation of houses to poor white families in the Pretoria area, in line with his Cabinet’s theme to commemorate Mandela’s birthday this year by focusing on food security, shelter and literacy. In Cape Town, labor activists are holding an event at St. George’s Cathedral on Thursday, in remembrance of Mandela’s years of service and to encourage people to donate food to charity while leaving messages of support for the former leader’s family. Mandela, who is in critical but stable condition, has been hospitalized since June 8, and hundreds of well-wishers have left prayers and messages of hope at his Johannesburg home and at the hospital where he is being treated. Legal documents have said Mandela’s breathing is machine-assisted. The anti-apartheid leader has also inspired artists and graphic designers who celebrate his life through paintings and posters.

Pope To Shun Bullet-Proof Vehicles During Brazil Trip

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will not use bullet-proof popemobiles on his visit to Brazil next week to allow him more direct contact with crowds despite the security risks, the Vatican said yesterday. The Argentine pope, who arrives in Brazil on Monday for his first trip outside Italy, will use the same open-top jeeps he has preferred to use during his general audiences in St. Peter’s Square to enable him to reach out

Trial Of Captain Resumes After Liner Disaster

GROSSETO, Italy Francesco Schettino, captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner, was not the only one to blame for a disaster off Italy last year in which 32 people died, his lawyers said at his trial yesterday. After a delay caused by a lawyers’ strike earlier this month, the trial resumed yesterday in the town of Grosseto on Italy’s west coast. Schettino faces charges including manslaughter and causing the loss of his ship over the accident in January 2012 when the huge liner struck a rock off the picturesque island of Giglio and keeled onto its side, setting off a chaotic night evacuation of more than 4,000 passengers and crew. “He has never shied away from his responsibilities. But it is only fair that he is treated justly,” his lawyer Francesco Pepe told reporters outside the courthouse. “He was the captain, it is right that for certain things he should be the point of reference. But it is not right to blame him for responsibilities that he did not have,” he added. Schettino, 52, is accused of abandoning ship before all crew and passengers had been rescued. His lawyers argue that he prevented an even worse disaster by steering the 290 meter (950 foot) vessel into shallow waters

after the impact and that he was thrown overboard due to the angle of the leaning ship. “We expect that right from the first we will finally get to the bottom of things and finally understand what really happened that night,” Pepe said. The trial began on July 9 but was

immediately suspended because lawyers involved were taking part in a nationwide strike against measures to streamline civil trials. Yesterday’s hearing is expected to focus on requests by various people and institutions who wish to be represented as plaintiffs, before

project to offer a global perspective of Mandela with submissions from around the world. The group whittled down 700 posters submitted by designers from more than 70 countries, to 95 for each day of Mandela’s life. The posters will be unveiled Wednesday and a single special edition auctioned off to raise money for a proposed children’s hospital that will be named after Mandela, the group said. “He carries across this concept of humanity and selflessness,” said Mohammed Jogie, cofounder of the project. South African artists John Adams and Paul Blomkamp have painted two of the largest Mandela paintings to honor the man who spent 27 years imprisoned during the system of white minority rule known as apartheid. Blomkamp said his painting was inspired by Mandela’s energy, which he described as exceptional. Blomkamp said an image of his painting will be featured in a display in New York’s Times Square Thursday in honor of Mandela’s birthday.

the main arguments begin later in the week. They include Domnica Cemortan, a young Moldovan woman who was at the time a friend of Schettino and was on the liner’s bridge when the collision occurred. Prosecutors plan to call her as a witness. “I hope the truth will come out and the guilty are found responsible for this accident,” Cemortan told reporters outside the court.

Francesco Schettino (R), captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, talks with his lawyers during a trial in Grosseto, central italy, recently.

and touch people. “He feels that for him, communicating directly with the people is better that way,” Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told a news briefing. “He decided to do it this way because it is a continuity with the way he does it here.” The Vatican has a fleet of bullet-proof, glass-topped, airconditioned vehicles for use by popes travelling outside Rome. They were introduced after Pope John Paul II was nearly killed on May 13, 1981 when Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca shot him while he was riding in an open jeep in St Peter’s Square. Francis will spend a week in Rio de Janeiro to preside over the Catholic Church’s World Day of Youth, a gathering sometimes dubbed a “Catholic Woodstock” that occurs in a different city every two years. He will also visit the poor in a favela and meet young prisoners. Francis, who has said he wants to make concern for the poor a hallmark of his papacy, will visit the Manguinhos slum in Rio de Janeiro on the fourth day of his trip to the world’s largest Catholic country. The Vatican said he will walk along the streets of the shantytown and enter at least one home before he addresses the entire community in a sports field. On July 24, he will fly by helicopter to the city of Aparecida, about 240 km (150 miles) southwest of Rio de Janeiro, to visit the national shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, whom the Church honors as the patroness of Brazil. Lombardi said Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff had invited other Latin American presidents to Brazil to pay tribute to the region’s first pontiff during the papal trip. The spokesman said he did not know which of them had accepted the invitation. The pope also plans to address Brazil’s political and business leaders during his stay.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

International

Compiled By EDOBOR HARRISON

Kerry Briefs Arabs On Peace Bid, Egypt, Syria

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, (right), and Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Mohammed Kamel Amr, left, arrive for a meeting with the Arab League Peace Initiative at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Amman, Jordan yesterday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with officials in the Siberian city of Chita, about 4700kilometers east of Moscow.

AMMAN, Jordan -U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry briefed senior Arab officials yesterday on his efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and on American views of the crises and Syria and Egypt. On his sixth trip to the region in as many months as America’s top diplomat, Kerry met in Jordan with representatives of the Arab League and nine of its members that support a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace plan proposed by Saudi Arabia. In addition to the peace process, Kerry was updating the Arabs on U.S. support for the Syrian opposition and attempts to convene an international conference to establish a transition government there, as well as Washington’s position on Egypt’s political turmoil. The gathering came a day after Kerry had a five-hour dinner meeting in Amman with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Officials said Kerry and Abbas discussed the way forward and projects aimed at bolstering the Palestinian economy. No further details were available, and Kerry and Abbas were planning to meet again yesterday. It remained unclear whether Kerry would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or any of his top aides on his trip. Israel is not currently on Kerry’s itinerary, although officials said that could change. Kerry has spent hours with Abbas and Netanyahu trying to set the stage for a return to peace talks that foundered and collapsed in 2008. Kerry insists progress has been made but

Snowden Must Not Damage Relations With US - Putin

MOSCOW — National Security Agency leaker, Edward Snowden could leave the transit zone of a Moscow airport after Russian authorities reviewed his asylum request, his lawyer said yesterday. Anatoly Kucherena told the

news agency Interfax he believes that Moscow could decide within a week whether to grant Snowden asylum. “The question of giving him temporary asylum won’t take more than a week. I think that

Cuba Calls Weapons On North Korean Ship “Obsolete” PANAMA CITY — Cuba said military equipment found buried under sacks of sugar on a North Korean ship seized as it tried to cross the Panama Canal was obsolete weaponry from the mid-20th century that it had sent to be repaired. Panamanian authorities said it might take a week to search the ship, since so far they have only examined one of its five container sections. They have requested help from United Nations inspectors, along with Colombia and Britain, said Javier Carballo, Panama’s top narcotics prosecutor. North Korea is barred by U.N. sanctions from importing sophisticated weapons or

missiles. Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli said Tuesday that the ship identified as the 14,000-ton Chong Chon Gang, which had departed Cuba en route to North Korea, was carrying missiles and other arms “hidden in containers underneath the cargo of sugar.” Martinelli tweeted a photo showing a green tube that appears to be a horizontal antenna for the SNR-75 “Fan Song” radar, which is used to guide missiles fired by the SA2 air-defense system found in former Warsaw Pact and Sovietallied nations, said Neil Ashdown, an analyst for IHS Jane’s Intelligence.

in the near future he will have the possibility to leave the Sheremetyevo transit zone,” Kucherena was quoted as saying by Interfax. Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia three weeks after arriving at a Moscow airport from Hong Kong. The United States wants him sent home to face prosecution for espionage. Granting Snowden asylum

would add new tensions to U.S.-Russian relations already strained by criticism of Russia’s pressure on opposition groups, Moscow’s suspicion of U.S. missile-defense plans and Russia’s resistance to sanctions against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. How long the asylum process could take for Snowden is unclear. The Federal Migration Service is required to consider the application within three months, but could do it faster.

there have been few, if any, discernible signs that the two sides are getting closer to agreeing to discuss the major issues that divide them. Kerry said Tuesday after talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh that he wanted to see a Syrian refugee camp, and it appeared likely that if such a visit is arranged, it would happen today before he is scheduled to return to the United States. Judeh said Kerry had expressed concern about the economic impact the humanitarian crisis in Syria has

had in Jordan, which hosts more than a half million displaced Syrians. Should the visit materialize, it would be the first by an Obama administration Cabinet-level figure to Syrian refugees, some of whom have complained about a lack of U.S. support. Syrian rebels have also complained that they are not receiving promised military assistance from Washington. Later Wednesday, Kerry is to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II and then brief reporters at a news conference with Judeh.

ORLANDO, NEW YORK - Prosecutors in the George Zimmerman trial came under more scrutiny on Tuesday, threatened by a lawsuit from a witness while Attorney General Eric Holder renewed hints the federal government may pick up where the Florida prosecution failed. Zimmerman, 29, remained in hiding on Tuesday after a jury of six anonymous women on Saturday found him not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter, ending a Florida state prosecution of a case that has captivated and polarized the U.S. public on issues of race, gun and self-defense laws. A former employee at the Florida State Attorney office is preparing a whistleblower lawsuit against Zimmerman’s prosecutors after testifying that they failed to turn over evidence he obtained from Martin’s cell phone to the defense, his attorney told Reuters. The shooting in the central Florida town of Sanford on February 26, 2012, prompted street demonstrations last year when police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, and the verdict provoked renewed marches from critics saying Zimmerman racially profiled Martin as a criminal. Zimmerman’s defense team have complained repeatedly that race was wrongly injected into the case and that Zimmerman acted in self-

defense, accusing civil rights leaders of inflaming racial passions with their calls for a federal investigation of Zimmerman on civil rights grounds. In California, police and civic leaders braced for further unrest while appealing for calm on Tuesday after nearly two dozen protesters in Los Angeles and Oakland were arrested during a second night of civil disturbances sparked by the not-guilty verdict.

Zimmerman Prosecutors, SelfDefense Law Draw Accusation

Attackers Kill Afghan Prosecutor Linked To Karzai KABUL - Officials say gunmen have killed an Afghan prosecutor with ties to President Hamid Karzai in the latest attack targeting those linked to the government. Police Chief Rahmatullah Safi says prosecutor Ahmad

Wali Taheri was killed yesterday in western Herat province. Taheri was the brother of Karzai’s adviser on national security, Rangin Dafdar Spanta. Karzai condemned the slaying in a statement. There

was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing but Safi, the police chief, says four suspects have been arrested. The Taliban have said they will target government officials and anyone working for the Afghan administration.

Car Bomb Kills Women, Children In Syria DAMASCUS - A car bomb killed several civilians, including women and children, in a town south of Damascus yesterday, Syrian state television said. The car was parked near the Amari Mosque in Kanaker, the channel reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, quoted activists as saying seven people had died. The small town is under the control of President Bashar alAssad’s forces but there are rebels in the surrounding area. The province around Damascus has seen intense fighting during the two-year conflict. Syria’s civil war started with pro-democracy protests that were suppressed by government forces. An ensuing civil war has killed 90,000 people and drawn in regional powers hoping to sway the outcome of the conflict. Assad’s forces, spurred on by a series of recent battleground victories, have staved off rebel advances near Damascus and further south of the capital, in areas near the Jordanian border. Insurgents have used car bombs to target areas they are not able to push into with ground forces.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

The Recognition Of God MAN or human being can never really see God, be cause his nature is in no way endowed with the capacity to do so, yet he does carry within himself the gift to recognize God in His works. But this does not come to him overnight, nor does it fall to him in his sleep, but it requires earnest efforts, a great and strong valition which must not lack in purity. Abd-ru-shin the author of “Grail message” –In the Light of Truth says that human beings have the unquenched longing for the recognition of God bestowed upon him/her. It is so implanted within human beings that they, cannot find peace during their wandering through subsequent-Creation, which they are permitted to undertake for the purpose of their development. In becoming self – conscious you learn gratefully to enjoy the blessing which the worlds hold for you and offer to you. If during these wanderings you were to find rest within yourselves, then this rest would ultimately bring about stagnation, which holds exhaustion and decay for your spirit and finally inevitable disintegration, because, it does not thereby obey the Primordial law of necessary movement. The working of the self-acting laws in Creation, however, is like a conveyor belt which pulls the human spirit along without interruption. But all those who do not know how to keep their balance, however, will slip and thus, stumble and fall. Keeping the balance in this case is equivalent to keeping the harmony in Creation. He who wavers and falls, he who cannot

keep himself up-right therein, will be dragged along, because the machinery does halt for his sake even for a single second. This being dragged along, however, causes injury. And to be able to stand upright again demands increased exertion and still more effort is needed to find the necessary balance again. It is not so easy in an environment where there is continual movement. If he does not succeed in doing so man will be flung completely out of his course right into the middle of the machinery and be crushed. Therefore, be grateful, you men, that the longing for the recognition of God does not leave you in piece during your wanderings. In this way without realising it you escape all sorts of dangers in machinery of the world. But man has not understood the longing which lies within you, this you has also distorted, making only a low kind of restlessness out of it. The restlessness you again strive to calm or satisfy in the wrong way be some means or other. As you only use your intellect to do this you naturally reach out for earthly desires, hoping to satisfy this urge by accumulating earthly treasures, through the rush of work, by pleasurable diversions, in weakening comfort or at its best, perhaps through a pure bind of earthly love for a women. Abd-ru-shin say that this, however, brings you no benefit, nor does it help you onwards. It may perhaps for a short period deaden the longing which you have perverted into disquietude, yet this distorted longing cannot be obliterated for ever, only

repressed here and there. This unrecognized longing Abd-ru-shin says spur son on the human soul ever again and unless earthman finally tries to grasp its meaning, it drives him through many earthlives without achieving that maturity which will enable him to ascend, as is willed to the lighter, more luminous and more beautiful fields of this subsequent creation. The fault according to Abd-ru-shin lies with man himself. He pays far too little attention or even none whatever, to all the help

could do everything better himself, which manifests itself as a result of the enforced and self-inflicted crippling of his brain. Yet, it would have been so easy for every man, had he but simply and modestly permitted all those gifts to mature within himself, which the creator bestowed upon him for his wandering through all the planes of subsequent Creation, gifts which are absolutely necessary for the development of the human spirit. He would have become great thereby,

given to him, suffering under the delusion of his desire to be sufficient unto himself . Those through the snares of the intellect, with which he bound the wings of his spirit. Now he has come to the end of his strength. He is exhausted through being driven by power he has not yet recognize, the help of which he has stubbornly opposed in his obstinate attitude of childishly thinking he knew and

much greater and much wiser than he ever dreamed of being. But without humbleness and modesty these gifts can never blossom into abilities. It is a childish plaything, this knowledge of which you are so inordinately proud. A speck of dust compared with what you could know and above all with what you could achieve and what already today you

“The restlessness you again strive to calm or satisfy in the wrong way be some means or other. As you only use your intellect to do this you naturally reach out for earthly desires, hoping to satisfy this urge by accumulating earthly treasures, through the rush of work, by pleasurable diversions, in weakening comfort or at its best, perhaps through a pure bind of earthly love for a women.”

Man And Nature With O.C. MADU 08056379608

should achieve. What do you earthmen know of this wonderful Creation, which manifests inviolably everywhere in its respective species and beauty, but above all in its laws? It is with dull indifference that you stand before, all this greatness. Now, at last, men seek the recognition of God in Creation, of which you are the smallest part of that

quite definitely evident as to what was right and what was wrong. That which in recent times you could have already seen clearly enough if you had only wished has already set inshould have been a warning to you to turn back while there was yet time. And at last to think about examining yourselves. But men neither hear

species which is allowed to develop to selfconsciousness through the Grace of the creator, in fulfillment of the longing that lies within it. Do not merely seek to satisfy your vanity in this matter, as you have hitterto done through being the slave of your intellect. You have come to an end of this. You and your imagined abilities are about to collapse. And you are very far from real ability. The results of your actions will now prove what little bunglers you have been. In obedience to the Divine Laws in Creation these results will now return like heavy waves to their originators, either greatly uplifting them or burying them beneath with all their works. It will then become

nor see, despair drives them never more frantically to the belief that help can come through their own abilities. The Lord says he who does not stand and work in the Laws of God will no longer receive help from the light. The condition is the knowledge of God’s law in Creation. And without help from the Light the real up building is utterly impossibly today. The belief of a man in his own mission and the belief of those who follow him are of no avail to any human being. Everything will break down with him at that point where the effect of the Divine Laws in Creation touches him. Abd-ru- shin says that every person is now confronted with these effects in accordance with Holy Law of God. There in lies the judgment which all the believer dread.

THE NIGERIAN

Chelsea Bid For Rooney Rejected CHELSEA have had an offer for Wayne Rooney of £10 million plus Juan Mata or David Luiz turned down by Manchester United, according to widespread reports. Rooney’s future has been the subject of intense speculation since former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson claimed the club had turned down a second transfer request in three years from the striker. New Red Devils boss David Moyes has said the England international is not for sale, although his comments regarding whether the player is one of the

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

first names on his team sheet have reportedly left Rooney “angry and confused”. Arsenal have been linked with the former Everton player, but Chelsea’s approach, reported by the BBC and Daily Mail among others, is thought to be the first firm offer for his services, as Blues manager Jose Mourinho looks to bolster his attacking options. The inclusion of Mata or Luiz in the proposed deal is a surprise, particularly as the Spain international scored 12 goals in 35 Premier League appearances last season, while the defender impressed during Brazil’s recent Confederations Cup success. Mourinho is a long-term admirer of Rooney, and the Portuguese this week voiced his belief that England’s World Cup hopes could suffer if the forward is not playing regularly during the 2013-14 season.

Rooney ‘Angry And Confused’ At United REPORTS suggest Wayne Rooney is “angry and confused” at his treatment by Manchester United and is looking to leave the club. fiddle to anyone at Old Sources close to Rooney Trafford. claim the 27-year-old “He believes he has nothing England international left to prove after nine striker is unhappy about his successful seasons - yet that treatment by the club. is what is being suggested by Reporter Kaveh Solhekol reports in the media which told Sky Sports News: have interpreted the club’s “Rooney believes he is at statement as meaning he’s the peak of his career and currently on trial for the has no intention of coming season. becoming a squad rotation “Since he’s returned from player or by playing second the pre-season tour due to

injury, Rooney has been in touch with the club and spoken to David Moyes on the phone - he is angry and confused at the way he’s been treated.” Rooney has been linked with a transfer to both Arsenal and Chelsea in recent weeks and it is understood he is open to the idea of moving to London from the North

Mourinho Fires Rooney England Warning

JOSE Mourinho has waded into the debate about Wayne Rooney’s future for a second time, warning England that their World Cup hopes will suffer if their main striker is not in the Manchester United team. Rooney, 27, was reportedly left “angry and confused” by comments from new United manager David Moyes which suggested he is seen as a back-up for Robin van Persie. Chelsea are thought to be a possible destination for Rooney - Mourinho described him as “a player I like” last week - and the Blues manager is expected to sign a forward this summer. And Mourinho believes Rooney’s current situation at club level will have an impact on the international

side. Speaking on Chelsea’s preseason tour of Thailand, he said: “If Wayne is a second choice for Man United, then the national team will be affected.” With 36 goals in 83 appearances, Rooney is the fifth-highest scorer in England’s history - but Roy Hodgson’s team, who are second in Group H, are not certain to qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil. Rooney has been a United player since 2004, but has been unsettled in recent months. Sir Alex Ferguson declared that the forward wanted to leave Old Trafford, but Moyes has said he is not for sale. Rooney flew home from United’s pre-season tour of Asia and Australia with a hamstring injury.

Luiz

Campbell and Wenger

Campbell, 38, officially retired last summer, and is now working towards obtaining the qualifications necessary to earn a coaching licence.

Mata

De Gea Hopes Fabregas Joins DAVID de Gea would open to paying up to £31 United are welcome Cesc Fabregas at million for Fabregas, a fee Manchester United, amid reports the Premier League champions are willing to break their transfer record in order to land the Spain international. United are reported to have

Campbell ‘May Manage Arsenal As part of this he will FORMER Arsenal One Day’ spend time at Arsenal’s defender Sol Campbell could one day manage the Gunners, his agent believes, as he returns to the club as part of his studies to become a coach.

Rooney

London Colney training ground, meaning a reunion with the club where he won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups as a player. Despite the former England centre-back not yet being qualified his agent, Sky Andrew, said he envisions his client one day taking over at the Emirates Stadium. “Sol’s doing his badges and I dare say one day he will be a manager, and if he does decide to be a manager he’ll be a top manager because of his character,” Andrew was quoted as saying by Metro. “He goes back to Arsenal to do a few of his qualifications anyway and it was great partnership when he was there, so why can’t it be in the future? He’s not ruling anything out.”

made a +30 million bid for former Arsenal midfielder Fabregas, although Barca are yet to respond to the approach as manager David Moyes plans for the 2013-14 season. Barca boss Tito Vilanova insisted on Tuesday that the 26-year-old wants to stay at the Camp Nou, but the Guardian claims the Liga champions “need the money”, having spent lavishly on Neymar this summer. The Daily Mirror, meanwhile, suggests United

Cesc Fabregas

that would surpass the £30.8 million they paid Tottenham for Dimitar Berbatov in 2008. Asked about his compatriot, De Gea, who signed for United from Atletico Madrid in 2011, is quoted as saying in the Guardian: “It would be great if Cesc came here. “It would be great to have more Spanish players at Manchester United. He is a great player, very skilful, knows how to win things and you always want those type of players in your team.”

West. He also expects to be fit for the start of the new season despite flying home from Bangkok last week due to a hamstring problem. Rooney has two years left on his current contract at Old Trafford but new chief executive Ed Woodward revealed at the weekend that an extension is not on United’s agenda. Woodward said: “No contract renewals are being discussed. I am not sitting down with any player on an extension and there is no trigger date in the diary. “Would we be afraid to run a contract down? Of course not.” United manager David Moyes still sees Rooney as a key member of his squad, but he said at the weekend: “Overall, my thought on Wayne is, if for any reasons we had an injury to Robin van Persie, we’ll need him. “Wayne can play up on his own, he can play dropped in. It’s going to be a time to see how I work with Wayne. “Manchester United isn’t about Wayne Rooney. Manchester United is about the team - the club. “I won’t allow Wayne Rooney to become more important than the football club and the football team, because that’s the heart of it.”

‘We Need More Strikers’

JERMAIN Defoe has sent Tottenham a desperate SOS — Sign Other Strikers. Spurs have been linked with a swoop for Aston Villa’s £25million-rated hitman Christian Benteke. And veteran frontman Defoe admits the North Londoners need more firepower to get back into the Premier League’s top four. With Emmanuel Adebayor expected to leave White Hart Lane this summer, 30-yearold Defoe will be the only senior striker left. He said: “I’m a forward but I can’t be the only forward at a club. Over the years, the clubs who’ve won titles have had several strikers. When Manchester United won the Treble in 1999 they had unbelievable forwards like Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Dwight Yorke — you need that. “If you want to do well it’s important to have competition. “It will definitely help us to bring more goals into the team.”

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Roma Announce Maicon Sign

PSG Hit Back Over Thiago Silva

PARIS Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelafi has ruled out the sale of key defender Thiago Silva to Barcelona, indicating the Ligue 1 champions will instead attempt to snare a number of Barca players. Silva has been revealed as a top transfer target by the La Liga giants, who are looking to bolster their defence in the lead-up to next season. However, Al-Khelafi has dismissed the notion out of hand, suggesting PSG have not yet finished making purchases of their own. “Thiago will not leave for Barcelona. He has a fouryear contract left,” he told RMC Sport. “He will line up for us against Bordeaux for the Trophee des Champions on August 3. So he will definitely be with us. But we, on the other hand, are following some Barca players. “Transfers are not finished for PSG this summer. We

Madubanya Ready For Man City Battle

AMAZULU midfielder Letladi Madubanya says his side will not be overawed by the occasion when they meet Manchester City in the Nelson Mandela Football Invitational match to night. The English champions will look to bounce back following Sunday’s 2-0 loss to SuperSport United, and it is likely that City will radically up their tempo for this match, but Madubanya says they will not give their opponents too much respect. “They are a big team and they have good players but it will be eleven versus eleven,” said the former Premiership League winner with SuperSport United. “You go to the field to do what you have to do, so I’m ready to play against whoever. “We’ll give them the respect but on the field it’s man versus man and we’ll see how that turns out.” Madubanya, who recently joined Usuthu from Siwelele, is hoping to test himself against the likes of Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry, but he admits that he is not expecting to walk into the starting lineup. “Competition is good for the team, it’s good for everyone. You don’t want to pitch up and know that you’re going start,” he added.

will go for another player. “Marquinhos [from Roma] and [Lille’s Lucas] Digne? Those are two young players. We are discussing with their clubs right now. We’re just discussing. There is no agreement in place.” The declaration from AlKhelafi came immediately following PSG’s capture of striker Edinson Cavani from Napoli.

ROMA have announced the signing of right-back Maicon from Manchester City. The Brazil international, who was not in new City manager Manuel Pellegrini’s plans for the forthcoming season, leaves the Etihad Stadium less than 11 months after arriving. While City have yet to confirm Maicon’s departure, Roma posted a picture of the 31-year-old on their official Twitter page, with the message: “Welcome aboard, Maicon!”

• Maicon

Napoli Chasing Higuan, Damiao NAPOLI are in talks to buy Real Madrid’s Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain and Internacional’s Brazil striker Leandro Damiao and are close to a deal for Real’s Spain defender Raul Albiol, president Aurelio De Laurentiis has said.

The Serie A club are flush with cash after agreeing the sale of Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani to Paris St Germain for a reported fee of 64 million euros (£55m) on Tuesday and are looking to strengthen their squad for their domestic and Champions League campaigns. Asked in a Twitter chat with fans whether Napoli were negotiating to buy Higuain and Damiao, De Laurentiis said: “It’s true.” “Raul Albiol is undergoing medical tests. We hope he

passes,” he added. He also said that Napoli have +124.5m at their disposal for new players. “If we add that +64.5m to the +60m that we had in our budget already then we get +124.5m that Napoli will invest with diligence and experience,” he noted. Napoli last week agreed to sign versatile Spanish forward Jose Callejon from Real having already secured the services of Belgium winger Dries Mertens. The pair have joined up

with Spaniard Rafa Benitez, who was appointed Napoli coach at the end of May. The former Liverpool, Chelsea and Inter Milan manager replaced Walter Mazzarri, who quit after the team finished second behind

Juventus last season to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition. De Laurentiis added that Napoli’s new strip and club anthem will be unveiled on July 29 ahead of a friendly with Galatasaray.

Messi ‘Not Worried’ Over Tax Fraud issue,” he said. BARCELONA star Lionel Case “I don’t understand anything Messi on Tuesday said he was unconcerned about accusations of tax avoidance on income generated from the sale of his image rights and was confident his lawyers will solve the case. Last month the 25-year-old and his father Jorge Horacio were ordered by a Spanish court to appear for questioning in

September as part of an investigation into alleged tax fraud. “I’m not worried, I’m always on the sidelines of all of that, just like my dad. We have our lawyers and our advisors who handle these things. We trust in them and they will solve the

Thailand Deny Chelsea Mascot Dumped For PM’s Son

• Gonzala Higuain

Big Wins In UCL Qualifying DINAMO Zagreb, Steaua Bucharest and Dinamo Tbilisi are one step closer to advancing in the Champions League after recording big wins in the second qualifying round. Playing at home, Steaua triumphed 3-0 over FK Vardar, while Dinamo Tbilisi recorded a thumping 6-1 victory over Faroe Islands side EB/ Streymur. Dinamo Zagreb travelled to

Fola Esch and left Luxembourg with a 5-0 win. Meanwhile, there were also wins for Czech side Viktoria Plzen, Kazakhstan’s FC Shakhter Karagandy and Icelandic club FH. Finally, Sheriff Tiraspol and Sutjeska Niksic recorded a 1-1 draw, while Malta club Birkirkara could not make home advantage count against Maribor, the visitors leaving with a 0-0 draw.

The Serie A club have reportedly paid £3 million for the former Inter Milan player, who won the Scudetto four times during his spell at the San Siro. Maicon, who was signed on transfer deadline day last August, had also played under former City manager Roberto Mancini at Inter. The defender, however, only started four league games and made just 11 appearances in total last term, during an injury-hit season where another right-back, Pablo Zabaleta, became the automatic choice and was voted the club’s Player of the Year. The former Champions League winner had formed part of Mancini’s plan to give the Premier League side a different tactical approach by fielding a back three and wingbacks on occasions. However, Pellegrini is likely to play a 4-3-3 formation and chose not to take Maicon on City’s pre-season tour of South Africa.

THAILAND yesterday denied a father’s claim that a boy chosen as a mascot for English giants Chelsea had been forced to make way for the prime minister’s football-mad son. A government spokesman said the list of mascots for Wednesday’s pre-season friendly in Bangkok had been drawn up months in advance, rejecting comments by the boy’s father. “Everything was done according to procedure,” the spokesman told reporters. “There is no way other names were taken off.” The official was reacting to a claim by Kriangyos Sudlapha, who told the Bangkok Post that his son Noppadol, nine, had been set to walk out with the Chelsea players and had already gone through rehearsals. But he said Noppadol and other mascots were then axed, with organisers telling him they had been replaced by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s son and other children of cabinet ministers.

Kriangyos said his boy, who was also a mascot for last week’s Manchester United game, was upset by the slight and no longer wanted to see Chelsea play the Singha All-Star XI at Rajamangala Stadium. An official from beer company Singha, which is organising the match, said parents had been free to apply for their children to be mascots, but not all had been successful. But the official, who did not want to be named, acknowledged that most of the mascots were the children of VIPs or Singha executives. “Had I been authorised to make the selection, then I’d have selected the prime minister’s son,” he told the Post. According to an earlier report, the prime minister’s 11-year-old son Supasek Amornchat was also among the children who took part in Chelsea’s coaching clinic this week led by star players. “It was a lot of fun,” he said, according to The Nation, calling it an experience he “would never forget”.

about all of that, this is why we have people who handle these issues,” he added at a news conference at the club’s training ground. Spanish financial crimes prosecutors filed papers with a court on June 12 accusing Messi and his father of defrauding the tax office of over four million euros ($5 million, £3.4 million) in income related to the use of his image from 2006-2009. Messi and his father aimed to deceive the state by ceding the player ’s image rights to companies based in tax havens such as Belize and Uruguay so they would pay no tax in Spain, according to the prosecutor’s complaint filed at a court in Gava, a Mediterranean coastal town near Barcelona. The prosecutor’s complaint also alleged the four-time World Player of the Year and his father drew up deals related to his image rights in Britain and Switzerland, ensuring that the income went straight to the tax havens without any tax being paid. The accusations of tax fraud are a huge blow to the prestige of Messi, who has long been seen as a more humble figure than most top-class footballers — in particular his fierce Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi’s lawyers office, Juarez Veciana, have said the player “scrupulously complies with Spanish legislation” and will “pay any amount that he is eventually found to owe”.

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Lewandowski Sad To Miss Bayern Move BORUSSIA Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski has said he was surprised at the club’s decision to stand in the way of his move to Bayern Munich this summer. Lewandowski, 24, was widely expected to be heading to Bayern off the back of a fine season for Dortmund last term, with some suggesting that he had an agreement with the Westfalenstadion side to join Pep Guardiola’s men. However, following much speculation, Dortmund ruled out an exit for the Poland international, meaning the player is likely to join the European champions next year, following the expiry of his contract. While Lewandowski admits he was not expecting Dortmund to put their foot down, he does, though, respect their decision. “Like always, I gave it my all for BVB during the second part of last season. I played and scored, thinking I was allowed the switch in the summer” Lewandowski told Sport Bild. “After the talks we held I was convinced I’d be allowed a free decision about my transfer. Then everything changed. Sadly the situation now is I have to stay here. I am surprised about their dealings, but if BVB wants to give up on a

lot of money for me, I have to respect that.” Upon hearing that Lewandowski had accepted Dortmund’s decision and was prepared to get his head down and concentrate on his football, the club’s CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, said: “That’s good. But we never doubted his character.” Meanwhile, new Fiorentina signing Mario Gomez has told Sport Bild that the Lewandowski-to-Bayern rumours during the closing months of last season were part of his decision to leave the Treble winners. “My departure was an insidious process. The club’s wish for Robert Lewandowski intensified,” he said. “During the second part of the season it emerged that everyone wanted it [Gomez’s time at Bayern] to end.” Gomez added that the Lewandowski saga had “angered” him, while also hitting out at Bayern’s handling of the situation. “That was also the reason I did not speak to the media for the past two or three months. I was neither hurt, nor did I want to hit out at the media,” he

NEW Eintracht Braunschweig striker Simeon Jackson has said it was time to seek a new challenge after struggling to get into the Norwich first team under manager Chris Hughton last season. Jackson, 26, joined Bundesliga newcomers Braunschweig on a free transfer last week. The Canada international had been looking for a new club since being released by Norwich at the end of the campaign. He scored the goal that won the Canaries promotion to the Premier League under the management of Paul Lambert in 2011, and went on to feature in 22 top-flight games for the club in 2011-12. But he found chances harder to come by in Hughton’s less attacking approach and said: “There were new ideas

through the change in the dugout. “It was good experience I enjoyed my time at Norwich, but it was time to begin a new chapter.” Jackson had been linked with a switch to Championship side AFC Bournemouth and, despite having “an attractive offer”, chose a new country for his next move. And after signing a twoyear deal, he said he wanted to help Braunschweig stay in the Bundesliga as they make their first appearance in the German top flight since 1985. “If you are the new kid in town it is always difficult. But the lads are really helpful,” he said. “The team spirit is very good. “I want to learn fast. We need to stay in the Bundesliga, and I want to help the team achieve that goal.”

Jackson Relishing Bundesliga Challenge

said. “I had reacted to the Lewandowski rumours and said that the club had to be asked and not me. Then I was publicly told that us players should deal with the Lewandowski rumours in a relaxed manner. “There was not any backing for the strikers who were at

the club. We were told not to dramatise things. That’s when I said, ‘I will be relaxed, let’s see who answers those Lewandowski questions I get asked all the time’. Nobody did. Nobody was willing to answer two million questions about him. The other attackers in the squad were also irritated.”

BAYERN Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has revealed the German champions have not been received any offers for the sale of Xherdan Shaqiri, adding he expects the midfielder to remain at the club next season. Liverpool are the latest club to reportedly be interested in signing Shaqiri, with Bayern’s summer signings providing him with a challenge to break into Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up. The Switzerland international made 17 starts for Bayern in all competitions last season,

Bayern Expect Shaqiri To Stay with Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos often placed ahead of him in the pecking order. But Rummenigge insists Guardiola has been impressed by Shaqiri and is confident Bayern will be able to hold onto the playmaker. “Nobody has called about Shaqiri. Right now there are no plans [to sell him],” he said. “The coach is completely satisfied with him. I think we will go into the season with the current squad.”

Thiago Convinced By Pep Presence

THIAGO Alcantara says the allure of playing football under Pep Guardiola again convinced him to sign for Bayern Munich. The Spain international was heavily linked with

Lewandowski

Atletico ‘Agree Deal ForjustCazorla’ 12 months ago, yet Napoli

A report in Spain claims that Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal for Arsenal playmaker Santi Cazorla. Onda Cero Radio made the claims and said that Miguel Angel Gil, Atleti managing director, is in London to negotiate his transfer. Diminutive former Villarreal and Malaga star Cazorla is thought to have struggled to settle in London and be keen on a move back to La Liga. Onda Cero said that the arrival of friend and fellow Asturian David Villa at the Vicente Calderon has convinced him to move to the Spanish capital. Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants to follow Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid from Paris SaintGermain. A report in AS today claims the

Cazorla

Swede is upset the French outfit have signed Edinson Cavani for +64m for Napoli, given that the Uruguayan plays in the same position as Ibrahimovic. It also maintains Ibra is eager to get his hands on a Champions League winners’ medal, a competition he has never won, and feels he has a better chance of doing that by linking up again with Ancelotti. There had been speculation Zlatan was unhappy when the Italian left PSG, and the report maintains that Ancelotti has personally asked Real Madrid President Florentino Perez to bring Ibrahimovic in. It is also understood the player is willing to take a pay cut on his +14m-a-year salary in order to secure a move to the Spanish capital. PSG paid +21m for Ibrahimovich

President Aurelio De Laurentis is recently alleged to have said he was led to believe Cavani and Ibrahimovic will not play together this coming season. Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi has ruled out any move from the Ligue 1 club for Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Speculation has continued that cash-rich PSG would make a bid for the Portuguese star this summer, despite Carlo Ancelotti leaving the club, but in an interview with RMC radio Al-Khelaifi appeared to put the matter to rest. “If I wanted Cristiano Ronaldo I would call [Madrid President] Florentino Perez, but the player has two years left on his contract at Real Madrid. I wish him all the best,” he declared. At the same time, AlKhelaifi denied that defender Thiago Silva would be leaving PSG, following on from the player’s remarks this week that he would complete his contract at the Parc des Princes. “Thiago Silva will not be going to Barcelona. He has a four-year contract with us and will be playing in Bordeaux when we contest the Champions Trophy in August. He wants to play in that competition. “In fact, it is us that are looking at some Barca players,” he conceded. Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has not given up in his attempts to take Real Madrid defender Pepe to the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester United, but made the decision to join the Bavarian giants in order to continue learning from his former Barcelona coach. “I am very happy. If there is one day in your life where you can be completely happy, then today is such a day. I am very happy to be at such a big club like Bayern Munich,” Thiago told the official club website. “[What attracted me to Bayern was] the history of the club which has been one of the best in the world for many years. “The team plays very nice football and I also believe the arrival of Pep Guardiola will give me an extra boost. “We have known each other for a long time, he is a trainer who gives me great confidence. I am a big fan of his kind of football. “There are few coaches in the world with his capabilities. He was certainly an important reason as to why I went to Munich.”

Thiago

THE NIGERIAN

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Yobo In Fenerbache Showdown Talks

Utaka Ahead Adebayor In Besiktas Shopping Push FREE agent John Utaka is being considered ahead of Togo star Emmanuel Adebayor by Besiktas because he will not command a high transfer fee. Nigeria striker Utaka is on the radar of the top Turkish club as a player to fill one of the foreign players slot in the team. The 31-year-old player will be offered an annual wage of about 1.2 million Euros. All things being equal he will form a strike partnership with fellow Nigerian Michael Eneramo, who is currently undergoing a medical with the Istanbul outfit. Utaka scored six goals in 28 games for French club Montpellier last season. Ambitious Turkish side Bursaspor are also interested in securing the services of the experienced Nigeria striker. Bursaspor, who may play on the continent following the ban on Fenerbahce and Besiktas, have signed compatriot Taye Taiwo and want free agent Utaka in their fold.

• Utaka

• Yobo

MEDIA Officer to the Under 17 national team, the Golden Eaglets, Morakinyo Abodunrin, said the team will move from its Abuja screening camp to a closed door camp in Calabar. Abodunrin said in a World Cup. “The NFA is leaving no statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja that the Nigeria stone unturned in the quest Football Association (NFA) for the team’s successful had concluded preparations outing,’’ the statement read. The team had, since July 17, for the team to move on July opened a two-week screening 22. “The Executive Governor camp in Abuja to get players of Cross River, Liyel Imoke, to strengthen the team. The FIFA U-17 World Cup, last week sanctioned the return of the Golden Eaglets billed for the United Arab to Calabar to fine tune their Emirates, is scheduled to hold preparations for the from Oct. 17 to Nov. 8. According to the statement, forthcoming FIFA U-17

a pool of players from the team which participated in the Africa Youth Championship (AYC) in Morocco and the newly discovered players will assemble in Calabar. The statement quoted NFA’s Chief Technical Officer, Siji Lagunju, who is in charge of the team, as saying “I am happy with the quality of players spotted; it will boost competition for shirts amongst the players. “I am happy with what we have been able to do within the last few days; the coaches were able to pick some players that are capable of adding value to the team we already have on ground. “At this level, there is no limit to the amount of players you can have a look at until the final team is picked and I am sure this will help the coaches to have a strong pool of players for the task ahead.’’ The team qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup after

Golden Eaglets To Move Into Closed Door Camp

Gero Sparks Competition SUPER Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has stated that he expects Flying Eagles striker Alhaji Gero to bring more competition to the Eagles attack. Gero is one of four inclusions to the team who thrashed Cote d’Ivoire 4-1 in a first leg CHAN qualifier played at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna earlier this month. The big Flying Eagles centreforward according to Keshi is an exciting prospect with a lot of qualities. “I saw a lot of qualities in him that was why I invited him,” Keshi remarked. “I expect him to bring in competition to those who are already in the team.” Gero will compete against Kano Pillars ace Gambo Mohammed and Sunshine Stars Dele Olorundare, who is the Nigeria league’s leading scorer with 11 goals, for a place in the Eagles frontline for the return leg match in Abidjan on July 27. Meanwhile, Keshi has demanded total concentration from his players ahead of the CHAN qualifier in Abidjan. Keshi, who started his career overseas in Cote d’ Ivoire, said the people are passionate about football and they will do

- Keshi

anything to defeat Nigeria, hence the need to forget the 4-1 win in Kaduna and concentrate on the return leg. “The win in Kaduna is history and if you have been following the media you will see that they have been making remarks that they can also beat us well. We must be ready for their antics and forget the past, ” he urged. The team are training at the

• Gero

Goal Project because the Ivorians have already informed CAF that the return leg will be played on artificial turf. Twenty three players trained on Tuesday morning with only Godfrey Oboabona exempted by because he has had a hectic schedule with Sunshine Stars. He will join his teammates on Wednesday morning as the players battle for the 20 slots that the coach will take to Abidjan for the match.

reaching the semi-final of the 2013 AYC in April. The Eaglets finished as runner-up after Cote d’Ivoire who clinched the trophy.

Outcome Of NNL Probe Will Be Monumental THE Nigeria National - Iyamu League (NNL) says the outcome of its investigation will be monumental to Nigerian football, especially at the NNL level. The Chairman of NNL, Mr Emeka Inyama, said this on Tuesday in Abuja while inaugurating a five-man committee to investigate the withdrawal of Zamfara United FC from the league. Zamfara Utd FC in June, withdrew from the league’s ‘Division A’ due to financial difficulties. However, some clubs in the league have protested the decision, saying it was a ploy to accelerate the promotion ambition of a certain club.

U-17 Games: Lawson Frowns At Exclusion Of Golf SOLA Lawson, Secretary, Lagos State Golf Association (LSGA) on Tuesday said the exclusion of golf from the forthcoming U-17 National Youths Games will stall the development of the sport at the grassroots. Lawson, who made the remark in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, noted that the sport was excluded from among disciplines to feature at the Games scheduled to run from Sept.19 to Sept. 29 in Abuja. “The exclusion of golf, an Olympic sport is unheard of; it portends grave consequences for the development of the sport. “I personally feel the case made for golf at the national level is weak.

JOSEPH Yobo will meet Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildrim to discuss his future at the club following a new rule on foreigners in Turkey. Nigeria skipper Yobo is one of the 11 foreigners in the fold of Fenerbahce and he may be sent out on loan to Gaziantepspor. Yobo has been impressive since making a switch to the Turkish giant playing 90 games with two goals to his credit. He has won Turkish league once 2010/2011 and Turkish Cup twice in 2011/2012 as well as the 2012/2013 season. The new rule on the number of foreigners in a Turkish Super League team of a maximum of 10 such players has posed problems for many teams ahead of the new season.

“It means that there is some form of systemic discrimination against golf, which should not be the case; we appeal to the authorities to look into this. “Any sport that fails to have a hold on its grassroots has failed. The Games will be an avenue to attract young talents from the grassroots,’’ Lawson said. At the 2011 NSF, tagged: “Garden City Games,’’ was the last time the sport was featured at the National Sports Festival. The Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF) is currently being restructured for better performance. Not less than 19 sports are to feature at the Games. They include athletics, badminton, basketball, table tennis, football, gymnastics, judo, taekwondo and karate.

In view of the protest, the NNL on Tuesday, set up a committee, chaired by Emmanuel Ochiagha, to investigate the matter. Charles Ojugbana, Paul Bassey, Toyin Ibitoye and Isaac Danladi were named members of the committee. “I am sure that the outcome of the committee will be very monumental to Nigerian football, especially at the level of the NNL because of the composition of its members. “As a proactive body, we do not want to take sides; we want to ensure the integrity of Nigerian football and the league. “We received official complaints from some clubs taking part in the NNL regarding the withdrawal of Zamfara Utd FC from the league. “In those petitions, they alleged that there was match fixing and clubs as well as individuals were mentioned,’’ Inyama said. He gave the committee’s terms of reference to include “investigate the authenticity of the petitions sent to NNL secretariat on Zamfara Utd FC’s withdrawal. “Determine the extent of involvement of persons so mentioned; determine and recommend appropriate punishment for culprits.’’ The committee is expected to also suggest and recommend appropriate measures to avert recurrence as well as suggest ways to curb hooliganism in league matches.

CMYK

THE NIGERIAN

State Of The Nation Address

SOME have asked, “Who wants the President to appear on national television annually to deliver one more boring speech?” Such people see the State of the Nation Address as an avenue for the President to blow hot air on us for a whole hour. We think otherwise. The State of the Nation Address is a unique opportunity for the President to x-ray the political, economic and social health of the Nation. It presents the President with a golden opportunity to showcase himself and his Administration’s policies and programmes to the world. In an election year, for instance, there is no telling how many campaign points an incumbent can rub into an address. Properly utilized, the President will soon find that the State of the Nation Address is the best marking scheme he can ever have. Rather than seeking to kill the Bill, we think the President should be the one lobbying for its passage. He needs it. We need it. The State of the Nation Address Bill as already passed by both Houses of the National Assembly requires the President to deliver the Address to a joint sitting of the National Assembly on the first legislative day of July, every year. The President has since refused to assent to the Bill, advancing several reasons. The President’s refusal is based, in the main, on the provisions of Section 67(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, which states, “The President may attend any joint meeting of the National Assembly or any meeting of either House of the National Assembly, either to

deliver an address on national affairs, including fiscal measures, or to make such statement on the policy of government as he considers to be of national importance.” We must assume that we did not hear the President complain that the proposed law is a duplication of the provisions of Section 67 of the 1999 Constitution. Otherwise, all other objections raised by him

Constitution would not still frown at that. The Bill would be in furtherance of the provisions of Section 67. In this particular case, the Bill would seek to give Section 67 some biting teeth by providing specific time frame within which the State of the Nation Address should be delivered. It is instructive that the Constitution does not frown at duplications as shown in Section 1(3); it forbids

Section 67, then, the Constitution would have chested out boldly to prevent them. With the full realization that a law without sanction is not only a toothless bulldog, but it is also as dead as the dodo, possessing only moral suasion, the lawmakers went ahead to provide that in the event of the President’s default in presenting the Address, he

• President Goodluck Jonathan

would simply collapse. A combined reading of Section 1(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides, “If any other law is inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, this Constitution shall prevail, and that other law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void”; with Section 67 aforementioned; and the text of the Bill, will easily show that there is no inconsistency whatsoever. What we have is complementality. If we were to accept the argument that the Bill is a duplication of the provisions of Section 67, the

inconsistencies. If the lawmakers were attempting to deny the President an opportunity to address a joint sitting of the National Assembly as provided in

shall be compelled to appear before them to offer explanation. We disagree with the President that the language of the Bill here is coercive.

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

Our counsel is that whoever wants to separate a fight should first seek to prevent a quarrel and whoever hates the language of coercion must learn to comply in good time. However, unless the State of the Nation Address is to be nothing but a cruel fraud, the President must be given ample opportunity and enough time to prepare for, and deliver, the Address. This is where we are inclined to believe that the President’s demand that the “Address be delivered to a joint sitting of the National Assembly within 30 days of the commencement of the legislative year” should be preferred to the lawmakers’ more restrictive prescription of “the first legislative day in July”. What should not be accepted is the President’s attempt to whittle down the effect of the proposed law by suggesting that the Address could be delivered by proxy. Hear the President: “Where the President is unable to present the address in accordance with the Act, the President shall in writing inform the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and either designate the Vice President to present the address on his behalf or transmit to the President of the Senate and the

Speaker of the House of Representatives, the text of the address.” How did we get to the current impasse? Apparently, by this politics of confrontation, the President has perhaps unwittingly boxed himself to a tight corner. Right from the time when the Bill was published in the Official Gazette or in the National Assembly Journal to the Committee stage where there were public hearings in both Houses, to plenary in the two Chambers, there was ample opportunity for the President to make his input. Now the Bill has been passed in both Chambers. It is too late in the day to retrieve it and begin to incorporate the amendments sought. The Rules of the Houses would frown at that. An escape route must be sought. There are possibilities: Either the President assents to the Bill as passed by the National Assembly or the National Assembly should take the President’s objections as a veto of the Bill, in which case, they should override the President’s veto so that the Bill can become law. Immediately after that, the President’s observations should be submitted as amendments to the Act. The State of the Nation address is an idea whose time has come!

“The President has since refused to assent to the Bill, advancing several reasons. The President’s refusal is based, in the main, on the provisions of Section 67(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, which states, “The President may attend any joint meeting of the National Assembly or any meeting of either House of the National Assembly, either to deliver an address on national affairs, including fiscal measures, or to make such statement on the policy of government as he considers to be of national importance.”

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