Nigerian observer 18 07 2014

The Nigerian

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • VOICE OF ISLAM Page 23

A time to pardon and forgive

Vol . 39 NO.037• FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014 • N100.00

Judiciary strike: Fed Courts

ABUJA - The striking Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) yesterday directed all its members in federal courts to join the industrial action.

The federal courts

included - Union

include the Supreme Court, Court of appeal, Federal High Courts and FCT High Courts.

This is contained in a

circular signed by the JUSUN National President, Mr. Marwan Adamu, on Wednesday night.

In the circular, JUSUN

said the action was taken after a meeting with the Minister of Labour with other stakeholders failed to resolve the impasse.

JUSUN also directed Continues on page 2

lament the deprivation of women.”

He urged the women to have confidence in themselves, saying, “You are not powerless as women but have confidence that as

women, you are not inferior to any other group and it’s not about competition between you and the men but rather organise yourselves, mobilise and show

Shun ‘stomach infrastructure’ politicians, Oshiomhole urges women

INSIGHT Pages 16-17

Re: We must go back to 1960 Constitution - Sagay

BENIN CITY- Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has urged women in the state to shun politicians who preach politics of “stomach infrastructure”, saying they do not mean well for the state and the nation.

Addressing women at if by its policies or action this year’s Edo Women of policies, majority or Conference held in Benin simple majority of your City, Oshiomhole said: populace remain under “Edo women have the develop. If as a result of right to question poorly articulated public politicians on their policies or even when credibility because it is no the policy is properly longer the business of articulated but not well rice, salt, beans, or implemented to the spirit money. It is knowing what and the letter, if by our happened in the past and actions and inactions in comparing with the government or out of present. Women, you government, we do not have the right empower the majority of qualifications because our citizens, then we intelligence is not cannot talk of determined by empowerment of possessions of anybody.” certificates”.

He said “All of us, He said: “No society individually or can make any progress collectively should not

determination to change a situation that has deprived, victimized and oppressed.

“The day you make up your mind to do that, you would have come out of your woes and lamentations”, he said.

The governor while calling on the women to stop the preaching that men should give women opportunity said “my own life has taught me one thing; that those who Continues on page 2

Death Of Weekend Editor

HOS condoles Nigerian OBSERVER

BENIN CITY-The Head of Service (HOS), Edo State, Mr. Jerry Obazele, has on behalf of the entire members of the Edo State civil service, condoled with the Management and Staff of the Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL) over the sudden death of the Weekend Editor of The NIGERIAN OBSERVER, Mr. Henry Balogun.

In a condolence letter to the General Manager, BNCL, yesterday, the HOS said it was with rude

shock that he read the news of the demise of Mr. Henry Balogun, describing the death as a great loss, not only to the BNCL but to all who came his way, especially his professional colleagues.

Mr. Obazele prayed God Almighty to comfort and console the management and staff of the BNCL over the sad loss.

In a separate letter, the

TIT BIT “Even beyond creating a bad reputation; greed is the sickness that affects our senses, and makes us to be fulfilling the request of our junk needs.”

- Kinglsey Ogbeide-Ihama

HOS also condoled with the wife of the deceased, Mrs. Balogun over the death of her beloved Continues on page 2

EDO WOMEN NATIONAL CONFERENCE: Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (right), Mrs. Endurance Odubu, wife of the Deputy Governor of Edo State, (middle), Mrs. Blessing Maigida, Commissioner for Women Affairs, Edo State and Pastor (Mrs.) Blessing Obazele, wife of the Head of Service, Edo State during the Edo Women National Conference which took place at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre, Benin City yesterday. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

Central Hospital ready for use in 8 months - Contractor

BENIN CITY - The Accident and Emergency Wing of the flagship Central Hospital, Benin City, will be ready for use within the next eight months, while work on the 200-bed wing of the hospital will be completed in sixteen months.

Site Engineer of the constructing firm, Mr. Michel Doghen, told Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole during an inspection of the ongoing work at the project site,

the hospital is being reinforced with heavy steel bars while three elevators have been added to the Accident

and Emergency Wing, which will also serve as the Administrative Block.

Doghen said: “The

first wing, Accident and Emergency Complex of the Central Hospital Project is 60% completed. In the next eight months, this wing will

be completed and work is also going on in the other wing of the Hospital Continues on page 2

APC chieftain blasts Abubakar Momoh

Comments On Oshiomhole: AUCHI The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Etsako West Local Government Area, Alhaji Abubakar Akokhia has debunked claims by

Hon. Abubakar Momoh, member representing Etsako Federal Constituency

at the National Assembly that he (Momoh) left the party for the Peoples Democratic Party due to

“the dictatorship and anti-peoples policies of the governor, saying Abubakar Momoh left APC for selfish reasons.

Continues on page 2

News

Judiciary strike: Fed Courts included procedural, cumbersome,

Continued from page 1

i ts members in the FCT

Sharia Court of Appeal, FCT Cstomary Court of Appeal, National Industrial Court, Federal Judicial Service Commission, National Judicial Council and the FCT Judicial Service Commission to join in the strike.

It would be recalled that members of the union embarked on the indefinite strike on Friday, July 11, after an emergency meeting of its National Executive Committee.

The meeting directed all state judiciary workers to embark on the industrial action to press home their demands.

It also advised its members in the federal judiciary to be on “alert” for further directives from JUSUN’s national secretariat on the dispute.

Newsmen reports that the strike began following the failure of state governments

to implement an Abuja Federal High Court order in respect of financial autonomy of state judiciaries.

Other demands were failure of stakeholders to abide by the decision to set up a technical implementation committee of the FAAC meeting of June 17.

A Federal High Court presided

by Justice Adeniyi Ademola on Jan. 14 restrained the Federal Government and the 36 state governors from holding on to funds meant for the judiciary.

Ademola ruled that funds meant for the judiciary should rather be disbursed directly to the heads of court and not to the executive arm of government.

The suit was filed by JUSUN. In the ruling, Ademola held that the practice of the executive disbursing funds to the judiciary was unconstitutional and also threatened the independence of the judiciary.

Relying on the provisions of sections 83(1), 212(3) and

162(9) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, Justice Ademola said the provisions were clear and straightforward, and should therefore be complied with.

“The Attorney-General of the Federation and the states should act responsibly and promptly to avoid constitutional crisis in this country by ensuring financial autonomy for the judiciary,” he said.

He maintained that the era of the judiciary going cap in hand to beg the executive for fund was over, stressing that the piecemeal allocation of funds through the states’ ministry of finance to the states’ judiciary at the federal and states’ pleasure was unconstitutional, un-

include; cultural barriers such as female genital mutilation, political inequalities, societal values, amongst others.

She urged the women to value what they have and avoid all manner of nudity that would bring shame and disgust to the women folk and called on the Lawmakers at the Federal, State and Local Government to enact laws that would prescribe the number of children women should have, when and under what situation.

Others who spoke at the occasion include; Deaconess Endurance Odubu, Wife of the Deputy Governor of Edo State,

Professor Yinka Omoregbe, Former Secretary, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Josephine Anenih, Former Minister, Women Affairs amongst others.

Present at the occasion were top government functionaries, the Esama of Benin, Chief Osawaru Igbinedion, Professor Tes Sorae, Executive Director, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justices, Rev. David Ugolor and leaders of various women groups in Edo State.

Shun ‘stomach infrastructure’ politicians

Continued from page 1 be nefit from a particular order, those who are responsible for iniquity in a society, those who oppress and watch others being oppressed, you cannot sermonize to them to abandon the system that gives them so much privileges.”

He said, “In order to empower the girl child and eliminate poverty in the state, Edo State Government put in place various policies that empowers our women and even the school children.

The State Government has abolished all forms of levies including PTA levies in public schools from the primary to senior secondary schools, provision of free ride on Comrade Bus to all pupils and students in Edo State who put on school uniforms, whether they are in public or private schools”.

He used the occasion to announce N10 million contributions towards the hosting of the Women Conference, annually.

In a paper presentation entitled, “Edo Women Society, Our Issues our Voices”, the Guest Speaker, Dr. Mrs. Esohe Aighatise stated some issues facing Edo Women in contemporary times.

She said, “Education is one of the problems that face women in our contemporary Edo Society. When there is a choice of who to send to school, the girl child stands at a disadvantage as against the male child. When you train a woman, you train a nation”.

She stated other issues to

null, void, and should be stopped forthwith.

Ademola also issued an order compelling the defendants to comply with the provisions of sections 81(3), 212(3) and 162(9) of the constitution in the disbursement of funds to the heads of courts forthwith.

He, therefore, issued an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from committing any further breach of the aforesaid constitutional/statutory provisions.

While noting that both the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) enjoyed independence of funding, the judge said the same should applied to the judiciary in accordance with the constitution.

Our correspondent who went round the Magistrates’ courts in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, reports that the court rooms were locked.

HOS condoles Nigerian OBSERVER

Continued from page 1 husband and prayed God to strengthen her and the entire family during this moment of extreme sadness.

APC chieftain blasts Abubakar Momoh Alhaji Akokhia said he wants

Continued from page 1

Alhaji Akokhia refuted the claims yesterday in his office while reacting to the African Independent Television (A.I.T) Ivianokpodi Interview granted by Engr.

Abubakar Momoh. The Party Chairman, explained that “Engr.

Abubakar Momoh and a few others left the party because they were cautioned by the comrade governor for bringing in ethnicity as a campaign strategy for the 2015 Edo North Senatorial Elections.”

Speaking further, he said that “the comrade governor in a meeting organized in his (Governor) house at Iyamoh told the meeting that he was not comfortable with the strategy introduced by some members of the party led by Abubakar Momoh and Alhaji Usman Shagadi, he then brought out a National Daily

where they published and signed that Etsako being the largest in population in Edo North will not allow Senate to go to another ethnic group.

“The governor told them that he is the governor of Edo State today and if they were to go by population, the Benin’s wouldn’t have allowed him to emerge and that they should stop creating bad blood with ethnic politics, that was all the governor admonished,” Continuing, Akokhia said: “the next thing we heard was that they were organizing meetings to decamp from our party to the Peoples Democratic Party ( P.D.P) and now misrepresent the comrade governor ’s harmless admonition.

with the progress of the job said “for me, the good news is that we have found solution, the structural defects have been rectified following a reenforcement with the use of 25mm corrugated iron steel bars in the building.

“As you can see, job is progressing at a pace that I am very happy with and the quality of materials we have seen look good and when you are passing through the road, you won’t realise the extent of work going on inside the building.”

Oshiomhole said, “I am also impressed with what I saw in the other wing of the Hospital Complex which is the 200-bed

wing. They have gotten rid of the failed portion and they have reconstructed new columns.”

Comrade Oshiomhole added that “Looking at the sheer quality, the scalefolding and others, the job is now in a very good hand. I am also impressed that one or two facilities that were not in the original plan have been reincorporated. So, at the end of the day, there are some positive changes arising from the unfortunate incident that

the people to know that Abubakar Momoh’s defection to the Peoples Democratic Party was to pursue a personal and selfish interest and not as he claims that it was due to lack of internal democracy.

He challenged Momoh to assure the people that he will remain with his new party if not given the senatorial ticket in 2015.

He described the move by Hon. Abubakar Momoh to smear the good name and works of the Comrade Governor, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole as unfortunate, pointing that the action of Engr.

Abubakar Momoh and his group has clearly shown that they have no conscience and that they are in politics for personal gains and not the over all interest of the people.

Central Hospital ready for use in 8 months

Continued from page 1 Complex. We have used thick corrugated steel bars of about 25mm to reinforce all parts of the building and by

the Grace of God, in another 8 months, the other wing will also be completed.”

He said the ongoing work and reinforcements were in tandem with the recommendations of a team of Engineers which assessed the integrity of the structure after an unfortunate incident about two years ago.

Governor Oshiomhole who expressed satisfaction

happened sometime ago.”

Fielding questions from journalists at the Project Site, the Honourable Commissioner for Housing and Development, Arch.

Francis Evbuomwan said “the State Government took the opportunity of the unfortunate incident that happened to do a redesign of the complex, Architectural Engineering and all others were redesigned. As a part of quality measure, we had to redesign other places that were not initially affected by the incident just to stay ahead of the recommended UN standard for hospitals”.

Former OBSERVER Editor, Board Chairman for burial July 26 BENIN CITY – The burial ceremony of Late Sam Augustine Osabuohien Eguavoen (aka Sambas), a former Chairman, Board of Director of Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL) Publishers of OBERVER titles has been scheduled for July 24 – 26, 2014 in Benin City.

According to a release, the ceremony will begin on Thursday July 24 with tributes and prayers at his residence No. 18 College Road, Off Ekenwan Road, Benin City at 4pm.

On Friday July 25, at 7am, there will be Grail funeral and Interment at the Grail Acre, Siluku Road, Egbaen, Benin City.

Saturday July 26, there will be reception for guests at Emporium Event Centre, JBS Estate, Boundary Road, G.R.A, Benin City at noon.

The Late SAM BAS was born in Benin City, August 8, 1944, to late Chief A.O. Eguavoen (The Osuma of Benin Kingdom).

He attended American Baptist School, now Ogbe Baptist School, for his Primary School education and later attended Pilgrim Baptist Grammar School, Isele-Uku between 1956 and 1960.

He graduated from University of Lagos in 1966, as one of the first graduate journalists in the country.

On graduation, he was employed by the Nigerian

Late Sam Eguavoen

BENIN CITY- Rural farmers under the Edo state cooperative farmers agency have been assured that the ongoing United State Agency for International Development Maximizing Agricultural Revenue in Key Enterprise Targeted Sites (USAID/MARKET II Project) will not be compromised in reaching the targeted farmers since there is no room whatsoever for politicians to hijack the project in the state.

Mr. Nosa Amayo, state president of Edo state cooperative farmers agency joined by Mal. Hassan Vunus and Sunday Okungbowa both president of the co-operative in the two pilot local government areas of the project in Edo state disclosed this during the flag-off and mobilization of farmers toward the USAID cassava value chain programme held at Etsako West and Orhionmwon L.G.A respectively Amayo said that: “we are not unaware of moves by some person who are fond of claming farming as a profession, whereas they are politicians to want to tactically hijack the entire exercise in a project of this nature.

“That is why we are saying and are sensitizing our farmers through their respective L.G.A officials that for this project (USAID/ MARKET II Project) we have made sure that no one

hectare of land is given to those who are not true farmers.

Because machineries are put in place to check and monitor all prospective beneficiaries; that it is only 500 farmers that will be guaranteed to farm their one hectare each in the 500 hectares of farm land to be cultivated under the project.”

On his part, the cassava value chain advisor for the USAID MARKET 11 Project, Mr. Olufemi Ojo explained that the project which has a five year span cut 16 states of the federation with Edo state among the south-south states, is a huge beneficiary of the project to enable farmers gets value for their product.

The project which will allow farmers cultivate and sell their product to a ready market is a framework by the Edo State co-operative farmers agency ltd in partnership with United State Agency for International Development (USAID); Diamond Development Initiatives (DDI) Partnership Initiative in the Niger-Delta (PIND); Edo Agriculture Development Programme, Bank of Agriculture, LAPO, Harvest Fields and Syngenta wherein farm produce by farmers will be bought by Lentus Farms (Ugo) and Edaewor Farms at Iriakhor, Fugar.

Television Service, now Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and later became one of the pioneer professionals recruited by the then Mid-West Government to set up what is today known as The Nigerian OBSERVER. The late Sam Eguavoen was at various times the City Editor, Features Editor and Editor of The OBSERVER, at a very young age.

After his retirement from Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, he went into private business.

He was appointed as a Board member of Nigerian Television Authority, during the administration of Ibrahim Babangida.

Similarly, he became the chairman of BNCL Board of Directors in 1999, and served for three years.

He is survived by a wife, three children and many other relations.

USAID Project: Cooperative boss assures Edo Farmers of protection

Inside Edo Accreditation

Food Production

Council Purchases Agric Equipments

ITM, Usen Commends Oshiomhole

By DANIEL EDOBOR USEN – Edo State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has been commended for the accreditation of courses at the state owned Institute of Technology and Management Usen in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The Rector of the Institute, Comrade Patience O. Edomioya (JP) said this at a reception to honour National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) accreditation team on visitation to the school.

She said the first seven courses that were first accredited was during the Comrade Governor first tenure stressing that he contributed morally and financially towards the full accreditation of the courses. She added that the NBTE team came to renew the seven courses and add more courses which include ten National Diploma courses (ND) and two Higher National Diploma (HND) courses.

Comrade Patience Edomioya said this accreditation exercise was a dream come true and urged the team to co-operate with her so that the school can grow.

The leader of the team, Mr. Austin Ikem Ifejika commended the relationship between the Student Union Government (SUG) of the school and management.

He further said that the team was made up of personnel

drawn from NBTE staff and various tertiary institutions in the country.

Mr. Ifejika who led a 50 man accreditation team to the school said there were three types of inspection which include resource inspection, accreditation and full accreditation and called for cooperation from the staff for a smooth - working relationship.

The team later visited the Olu-Awure of Usen HRH OluOgbe II who gave them with rousing welcome to his palace.

The commissioner for Higher Education, Barr.

Washington Osifo was represented by Mrs. Olabisi Ikhide, Director, Higher Education.

Tuberculosis Mgt: EDSG To Partner Institute

BENIN CITY – As part of efforts to strengthen the care and treatment of Tuberculosis (TB) in Edo State, the government has declared its readiness to partner with the Nigeria Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria to establish a MultiPurpose Drug Resistant TB (MDRTB) ward in Edo State.

Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs) Aihanuwa Eregie disclosed this in Benin City while playing host to the management of the Institute who paid her a working visit.

The Health Commissioner

Pa Osakue Remembered IGIEDUMA – The family of Aivinhenyutomwen and Osakue of Igieduma Town in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State will today mark the rememberance ceremony of their late son, Pa Jacob Okhionkpamwonyi Osakue who passed on exactly two years ago.

Late Osakue, a community leader and social philanthropist passed on after a brief illness.

He worked and retired at the Ministry of Works, Benin City before his demise at the age of 83 years.

A statement by his eldest son and staff of The NIGERIAN OBSERVER, Sir Roland Osakue (JP) stated

• Late Pa Jacob Osakue

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Mr. Michel Doghen, site engineer of A&K Construction Limited at the inspection of the 200-bed Central Hospital in Benin City yesterday.

that his late father would be remembered for his fondly jokes and humanitarian services to mankind.

The statement however enjoined all the children of the deceased, friends and well-wishers to pray for the repose of his soul and those of the faithful departed.

who spoke through the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Peter Ugbodaga said the state government is very much committed to the health needs of the people, pointing out that the State has a very dependable and formidable establishment with the responsibility of managing and treating Hiv/Aids and tuberculosis patients.

According to her, the three major TB centres in the state are located at Central Hospital Benin City; Central Hospital, Auchi and TB/Leprosy Home, Osiomo, near Abudu.

Dr. Eregie who recalled that it was the directive of the National Council on Health that each State establish a ward dedicated to the treatment and management of TB, posited that Edo State will not fail to key into the programme and enjoined the Institute to come up with a comprehensive proposal that

could help the State Government facilitate the process.

Earlier, the Associate Director/Regional Manager, Institute of Human Virology, Dr. Donald Igboelina told the Commissioner that they were in

the state to seek partnership in the establishment of a MultiPurpose Drug Resistant TB ward in the state.

According to him, Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that requires comprehensive approach of treatment and management. While expressing the need for all hands to be on deck to tackle the deadly disease.

AUCHI – The authorities of Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo State have purchased agricultural equipments for the council’s Department of Agriculture as part of efforts to boost food production in the locality.

The equipments included motorcycles, knapsacks, rain coats, rain boots, cutlasses, measuring tapes nose mousse and oranges.

Handing over the equipments to officials of the department, the council chairman, Hon. Hassan Kadiri charged them to use the equipments to enhance food production in the area.

He later inspected the broken down from tractor and ordered that it be repaired for the functional use of cooperative farmers as well as large scale farmers in the local government area.

Ejekhine Turbaned Jagbe Clan Head

By VICTOR OMOALU JAGBE- Encomium rained freely in Jagbe, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State as Pa (Chief) Ferdinand Dirisu Ejekhine was turbaned and installed as the Odionwele Clan Head of Jagbe clan on Wednesday.

The turban/ installation ceremony was performed by the most senior chief of Jagbe clan, Alhaji Hambah Ibn Umaru, the Taqwa LLhi of Jagbe on behalf of the kingmakers/ council of elders.

In an address read by the secretary, kingmaker/ council

Elders, Alhaji Sumaina Ani, said the installation ceremony followed the demise of the former Odionwele Pa, Isa Owobu Omoaka on Saturday July 12, 2014.

He said the ceremony was the second following the Appeal Court sitting in Benin City and preceded by Justice Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju which affirmed that the mode of succession to the Jagbe Clan Headship must be by gerontocracy (the most senior member of the Clan).

He described the new Odionwele, Pa Ferdinand Ejekhine as an educationist who have excelled in various teaching endeavours.

Addressing newsmen the Odionwele/Clan Head of Jagbe, Pa Ferdinand Ejekhine, lamented that his predecessor reigned without the staff of

office and other benefits from the government.

While appealing to the state government to hasten the presentation of staff of office, Pa Ejekhine, further appealed for the extention of the present infrastructural development currently going on in the state to Jagbe land.

He lamented the educational decay in the community and appealed to state government to urgently look into educational challenges of the people, especially the students with a view to addressing them.

While commending the Judiciary for the role it played towards restoring the gerontocracy as a system of rulership in Jagba land, the Odionwele therefore reaffirmed the peoples support for the state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

AFUZE - Chairman of Owan East Local Government Council, Edo State, Barr.

(Chief) Jimoh ljegbai has urged the leadership of the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to reconsider extending its planned strike to councils that are not defaulting in their commitment to staff.

The Owan East Council Boss remarked, while addressing staff of the Council that it will be morally wrong, and against natural justice to visit the “sins” of councils defaulting in their financial commitment to their staff on others who have kept

faith with theirs.

The chairman, who spoke against the backdrop of the planned strike by the NULGE to compel some council to meet their financial obligations to their workers, insisted that Owan East Local Government Council, being a trail blazer in the welfare of its workers, has kept faith with his promise to make worker ’s welfare a priority.

According to Chief ljegbai, “You will a that our council is the only council that pays salaries as schedule and I have given directive that because 20th July is a Sunday, that salaries be paid on the 18th July.

Strike: Owan East Council Boss Lobbies NULGE

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Mr. Michel Doghen, site engineer of A&K Construction Limited at the inspection of the 200-bed Central Hospital in Benin City yesterday.

News Every Graduate Mobilised For Nat’I Service -NYSC Boss ABUJA- The NYSC DirectorGeneral, Brig. Gen. Johnson Olawunmi, said on Wednesday that all tertiary institutions’ graduates were fully mobilised for their national youth service.

Olawunmi said this when he featured Journalists in Abuja.

He said the management of the scheme had always respected the NYSC Act which says that “all Nigerian graduates of polytechnics and universities must go through the scheme’’.

“When this scheme started some 41 years ago, we mobilised annually, may be less than 10,000.

“But as we speak today, annually we mobilise as many as 250,000 corps members. These are organised in three batches.

“Government has been doing

Garden Egg Traders at a depot in girl, recently.

Social Housing Bill Suffers Set Back In Senate

ABUJA- The Social Housing Bill 2014 suffered a major setback on floor of the Senate on Tuesday when a senator noted that recommendations made by the committee for funding of the bill were unconstitutional.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Planning, Bukar Abba Ibrahim (APC-Yobe), while presenting the report, said that funding for construction of the proposed houses should be sourced from the Federation Account and Ecological Fund.

Ibrahim had told the senate that the committee could not think of any other means of raising funds to ensure implementation of the bill which was to provide housing to low and medium income earners.

He said this was why the committee came back to the senate for help in getting reliable sources of funding.

Senator Ita Enang (PDP-Akwa Ibom), however, said the recommendations were unconstitutional.

“We can make laws over only the portion of money that goes to the Federal Government and not that of the states and local governments.

“On the recommendation of not less than one per cent of the federal government’s share of the ecological fund, my submission is that ecological fund is to be used for ecological purposes.

“Social housing is not an ecological problem”, he said.

Senator Ayogu Eze (PDPEnugu State) suggested that since funding was becoming a major problem, there was need for the constitution to be amended to provide funding for the bill.

“The Constitution Review Committee should look into this because we need to make it in such a way that we have a constitutional way of funding this scheme.

“This is a very important bill because it seeks to provide affordable housing to low income earners, and so, we must do everything possible to give it oxygen.’’

Senator Chris Anyanwu (APGA-Imo) also supported the proposal to amend the constitution in order to provide

funding for not only the social housing bill but other important bills not implemented due to funding problem.

The Senate President, David Mark, said the bill was very important, but that there was need to evolve genuine means of raising funds to support it.

“The first step to get this bill is to amend the constitution because I think at the moment,

we are still stuck and unless we are able to come up with some ingenuity, we cannot make progress.

“We want this bill to be passed as quickly as possible but we must be practical and realistic’’, Mark said.

The bill was therefore stood down and referred to the committees on Constitution Review, Judiciary and National

Planning for further legislative work.

Newsmen report that the bill had scaled second reading and had been referred to the committee on Housing and Urban Planning.

The listing of the bill on Tuesday’s order paper was for the report of the committee to be considered and the bill passed into law. But this was not to be.

a lot to sustain the scheme.

“What we just do is to make sure that we look at what is approved for us. We ensure that we comply to make sure that we run the programme.

“The responsibility for the scheme cuts across the three tiers of the Federal, the State and the Local Governments.

“So, there are things that are mandatory that the federal government provides; there are those that are provided by the

Court Remands 2 Over N25m Theft ABUJA-Two men charged with theft of N25 million have remanded in prison by an Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court sitting in Karu.

The remand order was made by the Senior Magistrate, Mrs. Omolola Akindele, to enable the court to study the bail application of the accused.

The accused, Godwin Ajumi and Henry Nwobi, who are Sales Representatives at MicManers Investment Ltd., Utako, Abuja, were alleged to have stolen the money which belonged to the company.

Charged with joint act, criminal conspiracy and theft offences, they were said to have converted the money, which

L-R: Chairperson of the occasion and Dean, Faculty of Science, UniAbuja, Dr. Rebecca Ndana, Principal, Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Dukpa, Mrs. Halima Suleman, representative of Director, Secondary Education Board, Mr. Robert order and Chairman, Parents Teachers Association of the School, Malam Mohammed Bawa, presenting the School’s Year Book for graduating students, a their 3rd graduation in Abuja recently.

Wrongful Burial: Court ABUJA- An Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court in Karu has discharged one Joefy Ikwen, in a case of alleged burial of his dead girlfriend without the knowledge of her parents.

Senior Magistrate Ann Akobi struck out the case for lack of diligent prosecution.

“The case was scheduled for hearing today but the prosecutor in this matter is not here in court and there is no letter before me to show why he is absent.

“Since the case was first mentioned, the prosecutor has not called any witness to prove his case against the accused. This shows

that he is not ready to continue with the matter.

“In view of this, the accused person is hereby discharged and the First Information Report (FIR) struck out,” the magistrate ruled.

It would be recalled that the accused was arraigned by the police on April 4 for negligent conduct.

The prosecutor, ASP. Peter Adams, had told the court that the accused buried his dead girlfriend, Theresa Benandarton, without permission of her relations or the police.

The accused had pleaded guilty, saying that the deceased was

States and by the Local Governments.”

He said it was difficult for the management of NYSC to exclude any graduate from national service because of the laws establishing the scheme.

Olawunmi said that as there was increase in the number of tertiary institutions in the country, the scheme was also experiencing increase in the number of graduates to be mobilised for national service.

were proceeds from sale of goods, to their personal use.

The accused denied the charges and their counsel, Mr Anthony Odule, made an oral application for bail to enable them to prepare for defence.

The prosecutor, Sgt Bulus Samuel, objected to the application on the grounds that investigation in the case was ongoing.

Samuel told the court that the accused were assisting the police in identifying a third suspect in the alleged offence.

He said that the case was reported by Mr Emmanuel Umeugoji, the Managing Director of the Mic-Maners Ltd after he discovered that the money was not remitted into the company’s account.

He said that during interrogation, the suspects confessed that they gave the money to the fleeing suspect to help them to deposit it in their bank accounts.

He prosecutor told the court that the offence contravened sections 97 (b), 314 and 289 of the Penal Code.

In her ruling, Akindele said, “I have listened to the arguments of the defence and prosecution on whether or not to grant the accused bail.

I would have asked you to come by way of motion but since I took my time in recording your applications, I will have to take a short date for ruling.”

Consequently, she adjourned the case to Thursday and ordered that the accused should be remanded in prison.

Discharges Accused

staying with him before she took ill and died on February 8.

He said that he buried the girl because he didn’t have the chance to meet her people before her death barely a month after they met and fell in love.

Ikwen told the court that he had to bury the girl after efforts to locate her people had failed, adding that he never knew it was an offence.

The magistrate had adjourned the case and fixed a date for sentencing. ut on the adjourned date, the accused surprisingly changed his

plea, and his counsel, Okpokam Ayim, made an application asking the court to set aside the initial guilty plea for lack of evidence.

Ayim had further argued that the admission of guilt did not support the charge of negligent conduct.

He further urged the court to strike out the FIR and discharge his client or allow the change of plea, and hold proper trial in the interest of justice.

In response, the prosecutor told the court to disregard the defence

counsel’s application and sentence the accused.

“The accused is an adult and the FIR was read out to him in English and explained to his understanding before he took his plea.

‘The accused did not only admit crime before your Lordship, but also explained how the lady died and how he buried her at the Area 1 cemetery in Abuja,’’ Adams said.

Akobi had granted the accused bail, but he could not meet the conditions and was remanded at the Keffi Prison until he was finally discharged.

News

Uduaghan Offers Recipe For Graduate Unemployment

By BETTY IDIALU

WARRI - Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has offered a comprehensive recipe on how problem of graduate unemployment in the country.

Governor Uduaghan, speaking at the maiden Convocation of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro stressed that the curricula of the nation’s institutions of higher learning should be tailored towards producing graduates that would be self employed.

Dr. Uduaghan, who commended the Rector of the institution, Dr. Jacob Oboreh for judiciously deploying the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the school to develop about 30 infrastructural projects

under two years, also advocated the inclusion of business studies into the course content of every discipline in institutions of higher learning in the country.

He observed that the problem of graduate unemployment were about 30 million youths are said to be in the labour market in the country was a big challenge that government at the various levels alone could not solve.

According to him, there was the need not just for the training institutions but also for the respective governments to fashion out programmes and policies aimed at producing graduates that would be self reliant.

“So whatever we are doing as a state, our Delta beyond Oil is geared towards how we can engage some of these youths as

they come out.

In this development programme, we believe in self employment.

“The challenge is how do we get you ( graduands ) to become self employed. There is the

challenge of educating you not just in your specialty but also how to manage the business and of course there is also the area of funding if you have to be self employed.

“The Delta State Government

in our Delta beyond Oil strategy, we have tried and we are getting involved in both areas: in your education and funding for self employment.”

But the governor noted that self employment programmes

and initiatives were incomplete without sound knowledge of business management skills.

He therefore urged institutions of higher learning in the country to incorporate business studies into the various disciplines so that graduates would have the acumen to successfully manage their enterprises.

Lagos Inaugurates C’ttee To Manage Solar Powered Public Toilet

By RAHEEM IBRAHIM

LAGOS - The Lagos State Ministry of Rural Development has inaugurated Committees to manage 6 Solar Powered Public Toilets at Agbalata market and 4 other toilets in Ajara market in Badagry.

The State Commissioner for Rural Development, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi at the inauguration of the committees said the need for a management committee for the toilets arose in order to sustain the projects and maintain the general cleanliness of the toilets and the markets.

He disclosed that if the toilets are not well maintained and clean all the time the people will go back to their old ways of open defecation which has gross and adverse effect on the people’s health.

The commissioner charged the new management to justify the trust reposed in them with their appointment by ensuring that the toilets are well maintained and clean at all

times.

He implored them not to charge too much fees for the use of the toilets so that the toilets will not be abandoned for cheaper alternatives (open defecation inclusive) by the people.

The Head of the Rural Water and Sanitation in the Ministry, Engr. Adisa Yinusa said the need for the committees arose from his department’s past experience with public toilets management adding that if toilets are not well maintained and cleaned always public could contact various diseases from such .He therefore charged the committees to ensure the general cleanliness of the toilets and their environment all the time.

Responding on behalf of the Chairman of the Agbalata market committee Mr. Akwemaho Daniel and the Otun Iyaloja of Ajara market, Chief Mrs. Bolanle Bankole promised that the toilets and the entire markets would be clean and well maintained all the time.

Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin and his wife Lady Cherry Igbinedion at the Edo Women National Conference which took place in Benin City yesterday. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

Amaechi Promises To Dev Rural Communities Ozuaha, Omuanwa, Ubima and Omerelu.

At Igwuruta, Governor Amaechi said, the purpose of his visit was to bring government closer to the people and discuss ways to ensure more development impact on the grassroots dwellers before the expiration of his tenure in 2015.

He announced the construction of two more Model Primary Schools to serve the growing population of the area and planned empowerment programmes that will positively affect the lives of the people.

He said, “This visit is not for

campaign. We are here to discuss what will benefit the people at the grassroots. I am interested in the politics of development. I will build two new Primary Schools in Igwuruta. The Primary Schools will have 20 Classroom blocks. This is because, the population in Igwuruta has increased and the geo-political setting of the area has also changed. I urge you people to be patient and peaceful; No more Azumba and Ihumba conflicts. When we build the Schools, please send your children to school. The increase in population in Igwuruta has

also called for more development.”

“This administration is doing everything possible to refocus on Agricultural development in Ikwerre Local Government Area. Soon, investors will take over the Greater Port Harcourt City to commence building and other construction works. I believe the coming of investors to Rivers State will go a long way in creating employment opportunities for our people. I can also tell you that, this Local Government is top in road construction under this administration. There is no community in Ikwerre that is not linked to a road network,” Amaechi said.

YOLA - The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa has described the impeachment of former Governor Murtala Nyako, as a plan by PDP to invade opposition states.

This is in a statement by the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Rev. Phineas Padio, in Yola on Wednesday.

Padio said the party condemn the “crude show of power’’ deployed against the APC and people of Adamawa.

“The impeachment saga clearly climaxed PDP’s plan to invade our dear state.

“The state chapter of the party condemns in strong terms the

crude show of power which was deployed against our dear state and its people,’’ he said.

He said the impeachment signalled a “rape‘’ of democracy that must not be allowed to stand, alleging that the impeachment of the former governor was planned by PDP politicians in Abuja.

“Over time, these PDP politicians in Abuja have left no one in doubt that they are threatened by APC’s growing popularity and were also rattled

by Nyako’s goodwill.

“Hence the use of immoral, illegal and unconstitutional

means to seize power from him,’’ he said, adding that the impeachment would not stand as the matter was before the Supreme Court.

“The purported impeachment cannot stand. It cannot stand because the apex court of the land inspires our confidence and will in no distant future reverse the evil that has befallen us.’’

Padio appealed to the supporters of the party in the state to remain calm and peaceful, and urged them to cooperate with the leaders of the party in the state until justice was done.

By ELIZABETH AGBOEGBULEM

PORT HARCOURT Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi has emphasized his administration’s commitment to increasing its development drive to rural communities to meet their specific needs and improve the living standard of the people.

Amaechi spoke during his “Meet the People tour” of 7 Communities in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the State.

The Communities visited were Igwuruta, Ipo, Omademe,

Nyako: Impeachment Is PDP Invasion Against Opposition

Mr. Emmanuel Kola Okhakhu Jnr (left), Mrs. Ayodele Kola-Okhakhu; Miss Bracy Omokhuwa Kola-Okhakhu; Citizen Emmanuel Kola-Okhakhu, Deputy General Manager, Marketing, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, Tracy Omonefue Kola-Okhakhu and Stacy Omoze Kola-Okhakhu during the Matriculation ceremony of Omokhuwa at the University of Benin, Benin City recently.

South West

Osun Election: Presidency

Sensitises Parties, Stakeholders OSOGBO - Dr Ben Obi, Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs, has stressed the need for the conduct of free, fair and acceptable governorship election in Osun.

He made the call yesterday in Osogbo at a sensitisation workshop for officials of political parties contesting the poll.

The workshop was organised by the office of the Special Adviser to the Presidency on Inter- Party Affairs.

Obi said: “Party followers should be enlightened to understand and accept that two people cannot occupy a position meant for one person.

“All well-meaning Nigerians should be concerned when the electoral environment is over heated

by provocative language.

“This does not augur well for contestants, the electorate as well as the political and electoral systems.’’

The special adviser reminded political parties of the need to ensure compliance with the revised political parties’ code of conduct they signed.

“Most of our political parties have negated a lot of their inviolable duties and concentrated mainly on elections and attaining political power at the expense of entrenching democracy,” he pointed out.

He attributed the cause of political crises in the country to intra party wrangling, and appealed to politicians to put the interest of the nation first.

The chairman of the occasion, retired Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, charged all

State Water and Environmental Sanitation Agency (RUWESA) has warned people in the rural communities against defecating into the water channel.

The agency’s Programme Manager, Alhaji Olaposi Adiatu, gave the warning in an interview with newsmen in Osogbo.

Adiatu said the agency had embarked on awareness programmes in the rural areas to educate the people on the danger of defecating in the water channel.

He said that people in the rural communities had been encouraged to dig latrine for defecation to prevent cholera outbreak.

The programme manager said that the water channel, which people in a particular community defecate, might be the only source of water for another community.

According to him, this is why the agency is passionate about the fight against defecation into the

water channel.

“Our agency is like a health institution but ours is preventive and that is why we have embarked on awareness campaign against defecation into water channel in the rural communities.

“The main reason of the awareness campaign is to tell the people the danger as well as implications of open defecation into water channel.

“The awareness is also to encourage them to dig latrines rather than defecate openly,’’ he said.

Adiatu said the agency would not relent in its effort in ensuring a clean and healthy environment.

stakeholders to give the growth and stability of democracy the necessary attention.

He stressed the need for political parties and stakeholders to make the indivisibility and peaceful coexistence of the country a priority.

“A country cannot be truly democratic until its citizens have the opportunity to choose their representatives through transparent elections,” he added.

Sen. Sunday Fajinmi, the Alliance for Democracy gubernatorial candidate, said that the only way to make political contests less violent was to make political offices less financially attractive.

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Edo State Governor (left) with Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, Convener, Edo Women National Conference during the conference at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre, Benin City yesterday. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

Agency Warns Communities Against Defecation In Water Channels OSOGBO - The Osun

NTA Channel 9 Office in Calabar sealed by Cross River Government for alleged Tax Evasion recently.

Oyo NDE Set To Train 50 Unemployed Women

IBADAN - The National Directorate of Employment

in Oyo State is set to train 50 unemployed women in

the call in separate interviews with newsmen in Lagos.

Mr Wale Odeyemi, a Senior Lecturer at the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Lagos Campus, said the intervention of the multinationals would help to

develop the industry.

He said such companies should promote in-bound tourism more than out-bound activities.

According to Odeyemi, the companies should organise tours to local tourism sites for winners

vessels of such magnitude, but smaller vessels need to be very careful to reduce their speed. We said no to night travel. So, people should desist from traveling at night.’’

Marinho also said that most of the state’s routes had been channelised with navigational buoys to enhance visibility and ensure safety on waterways.

He, however, advised

altering their position, saying that that such action was criminal and inimical to the safety of waterways users.

Marinho said that the navigational buoys would assist the operators to find their way through the lagoon and avert grounding.

He also said that the authority was making efforts to monitor the movement and activities of loggers.

Stakeholders Want Multinationals’ Intervention In Domestic Tourism LAGOS- Stakeholders in the nation’s tourism and hospitality sector yesterday urged multinationals to invest in domestic tourism.

The stakeholders — a tourism teacher and a consultant — made

Authority Urges Boat Operators To Travel At members of the public to desist LAGOS - The Lagos State Safe Speed from stealing the buoys or Waterways Authority (LASWA) has urged boat operators to travel at safe speed to avoid having accidents with loggers and big vessels.

The Managing Director of the authority, Mr Olayinka Marinho, told newsmen in Lagos that speeding was the cause of major accidents on the waterways.

According to him, a safe speed is one at which the vessel can be stopped in time to avert sudden danger.

shoe and bag making.

The state coordinator of

“We will continue to enforce and enlighten. Be mindful and careful when going around these cargo ships and vessels. Because these vessels are of very high wave actions that most of those boats cannot take when they are speeding.

“We, at stakeholders meetings with boat operators within that vicinity, warned about the dangers of going near such

of their various promos instead of packaging foreign tours.

“In-bound tourism is more beneficial to the country because it will not only bring the tourism sites to limelight, but also boost the nation’s economy.

“Promotions done by multinationals through packaging of tours for winners of their promos to tourists’ centres in other countries are not beneficial to the development of our domestic tourism.

“These companies should also make provisions for pleasure visits by winners of their promos to some local tourism sites like the Obudu Cattle Ranch, the Ogbunike Cave, among others.

“Such visits will not only promote the tourism sites, but also revive activities around some neglected sites,’’ Odeyemi said.

the directorate, Mr Supo Lagoke, said this in Ibadan in an interview with newsmen.

Lagoke said that the aim of the programme is to train unemployed women in various skills for them to be self-reliant.

The coordinator, who said the women would be trained to make shoes and bags, using cloths and local materials, called on unemployed women to register for the programme.

Lagoke said beneficiaries must be between the ages of 18 years and 50 years, and should be literate and ready to learn.

He said eligible trainees would be selected from the three senatorial districts of the state.

Lagos Mixed Reactions Trail Nyako’s Impeachment LAGOS- Mixed reactions has trailed the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako by the Adamawa House of Assembly.

The lawmakers had on Tuesday impeached Nyako over alleged financial misconduct and gross abuse of office.

Some prominent lawyers in Lagos, who spoke to newsmen, described the impeachment as unconstitutional, while others supported the action of the legislators.

Mr Onyekachi Ubani, a former Chairman, Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said there were several issues with the Nyako’s impeachment.

Ubani said:“First, the impeachment notice was never served on him personally.

“The Supreme Court has held that anybody going to be impeached as a governor must be served with the impeachment notice in person.

“Also, there was an injunction against the constitution of the panel and the panel itself did not serve any notice on Nyako to appear before it.”

He advised that the governor should explore legal options for

his reinstatement, adding that the issue of procedure was sacrosanct in impeachment proceedings.

Another lawyer, Mr Adebamigbe Omole, said the panel which investigated Nyako’s alleged offences was unconstitutional.

“There was a court injunction against the constitution of that panel which was never vacated.

“I am certain that if Nyako goes to court the impeachment will be upturned, but unfortunately he only has a few months to the expiration of his tenure and he might be out of time,’’ he also told newsmen.

However, a law teacher, Mr Gbenga Ojo, believed that the governor’s removal was in order because the court could not interfere in impeachment proceedings.

Ojo, who is of the Faculty of Law, Lagos State University (LASU), said the Adamawa legislators formed a quorum required to impeach Nyako.

He said:“As long as the legislators are able to meet the required number of members and the impeachment is done in the parliament, I do not see any

court that can upturn it.

“The case of former Oyo State Governor, Rasheed Ladoja, is different from that of Nyako.

“The impeachment was upturned by the court because the lawmakers were not able to get the number required by law before going ahead with their plan.”

Also commenting on the development, a lawyer and public affairs analyst, Mr Jiti Ogunye, said Nyako’s impeachment should serve as a lesson to other governors and those in authority.

Barr. Josephine Anenih, former Minister of Women Affairs (left), with Chief Ehanire, the Ehanire of Benin Kingdom at the Edo Women National Conference in Benin City. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

Insecurity, Infrastructure Decay Affects NSE Capitalisation - Expert LAGOS- Some financial experts have identified security challenges and infrastructure decay as the major challenge of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) toward the attainment of one trillion dollars capitalisation by 2016.

They told newsmen in Lagos that the target could only be

L-R: Plateau Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Sarah Yusuf; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Sumaye Hamja and Representative of Category Business Management, Nutrition; Nestle Nigeria Plc, Mrs. Abiola Ofulue, at a workshop on Nutrition for Managers and Care Givers of Orphanages in Jos recently.

achieved through friendly operating environment and listing of multinationals.

The market capitalisation was N14.189 trillion as at July 15.

Mr Harrison Owoh, the Managing Director, HJ Trust & Investment Ltd., said that the rising security challenge would be a hindrance to the NSE target.

Owoh said that economic and political stability and friendly investment laws were paramount to the attainment of one trillion market capitalisation by 2016.

He said that the target would not be achieved without the listing of multinationals on the exchange.

Owoh, however, called for tax incentives to encourage more listings on the nation’s bourse.

Owoh said that government should pay more attention to infrastructure development.

He reiterated that poor infrastructure had raised the cost of business and lowered their survival rate.

LAGOS- Mr Sunny Nwosu, the National Co-ordinator of Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), said that the enactment of a new pension act had strengthened confidence of retirees in Nigeria.

Nwosu said in an interview with newsmen in Lagos that some lapses in the old pension law had been tackled .

He said that the 10-year jail term specified for those convicted of pension fraud,

it.”

Cue out audio Nwosu said that the new law would guarantee proper funding and management of pension funds.

He also expressed the hope that the law would guarantee payment to pensioners not covered by the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The ISAN boss said the new law would rekindle hope and eliminate the continuous verification of pensioners with its attendant difficulty.

Amended Pension Act Strengthens Retirees Confidence - Association among other issues, would go a long way in strengthening the pension reforms “The old law did not give a very strong penalty to those who mismanaged or those who stole the pension fund. “l am very pleased with the new law which the President has assented to, especially that anybody caught and found guilty will serve a 10-year jail term.

“That is good enough because this question of six

months is just like rubbing one on the head and saying ‘go and sin no more’.

“It does not really portray enough punishment for those who mismanage the pension money meant for the old people.

“I think, it is a good step in the right direction by assenting to that law.

“The details are not out. By the time we have the full details, we will be able to make comprehensive statement on

Alhaji Rasheed Yussuf, the immediate President, Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria, said that the target was ambiguous and would not be achieved by 2016.

Yussuf said that the nation’s economy going by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was not yet a trillion dollar economy.

He said that the NSE market capitalisation would hit one trillion dollars in the years ahead, but not by 2016.

“We will get there but not by 2016 because we are very far away from the target.

“We will move closer to the set target if power companies, telecommunication and other multinationals are persuaded to list,” Yussuf said.

Mr Emmanuel Ohanwusi, the Chief Executive of Maxifund Investment &

Securities, recently told journalists that although the current figure was low, the one billion dollar mark could be attained.

Ohanwusi urged the government to convince multinationals to list on the NSE. According to him, the government should encourage multinationals to imbibe the doctrine of necessity and list their shares on the NSE. He said that government should ensure that certain threshold of all its future divestment and privatisation were listed on the NSE. Ohanwusi said that political instability or policy somersault could derail the target.

Mr Oscar Onyema, the Chief Executive Officer of NSE in 2012, disclosed plans for the NSE to hit $1 trillion market capitalisation by 2016.

Ovia Appointed Zenith Bank Chairman LAGOS- One of the nation’s second generation bank, Zenith Bank Plc, has, appointment Mr Jim Ovia, board chairman and non- executive director of the bank.

Ovia, the Pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, appointment was contained in statement issued by the bank and obtained by newsmen in Lagos.

The statement by the bank’s group Managing Director, Mr Peter Amangbo, said that Ovia takes over from Mr Steve Omojafor who resigned last month.

It also said that the appointment had been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Ovia retired from the bank

about four years ago following the CBN policy which limited the tenor of banks chief executive officers to a maximum of 10 years.

With the new appointment, Ovia now becomes the second former CEO retired by CBN policy to assume the chairmanship of a bank.

Mr Akinsola Akinfemiwa, former Managing Director of Skye Bank Plc, is the current chairman of Heritage Bank Plc. Zenith Bank also appointed Mr Olusola Oladipo as an executive Director.

Oladipo, who joined the services of the bank in 1995, had previously worked in First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and Prime Merchant Bank Ltd.

Across The Nation FG Must Preserve NYSC

Keep Ethno-Religious Sentiments From Politics ABUJA - Prof. Rufai Alkali, - Alkali Special Adviser (SA) to the

- Gov Obiano AWKA - Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state has urged the Federal Government to seek creative ways of preserving the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) without exposing youths to lifethreatening situations.

Obiano made the call when he declared open the 2014 Batch “B” Pre-Orientation workshop held in Awka .

“I have been thoroughly impressed with the increasing relevance of this scheme to our efforts in nation building.

“The recent involvement of NYSC members in the conduct of elections in some parts of the country has largely contributed to the impressive results that Nigerians have widely applauded as credible.

“Although the activities of insurgents in some parts of the country have led to a growing call to review the NYSC scheme.

“I am of the considered view that Nigeria must seek creative ways to preserve this great tool of national unity and cohesion.”

The governor said that his administration would continue to support the scheme, adding that the ongoing construction work at the permanent site of the NYSC had recorded significant progress.

He announced that he had approved the donation of a bus, an ambulance and life vests to corps members posted to riverine areas of the state for their primary assignment.

Obiano also announced the donation of N500, 000 to the state NYSC Dance and Cultural Group for coming second at the NYSC national competition in Abuja recently.

In his address, NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawunmi, said the workshop was to x-ray the past orientation course and come up with practical and workable solutions for improved service delivery.

L-R: Consultant, Ms Shola Lana; Chief Executive Officer, Aheed Strategies, UK, Mr. Benjamin Taiwo and Director, Youth and Students, Ministry Department, Baptist Convention, Rev. Samuel Olaleye at a news conference on the forthcoming Baptist Youth Empowerment Convention in Ibadan recently.

President on Political Matters, has urged politicians not to campaign along religious line in order to get voters’ support.

He said this in Abuja at a Political Summit organised by Southern and Northern Amalgamated Support for Predsident Goodluck Jonathan.

According to Alkali, ethnic and religious differences should not be seen as basis for voting a candidate into office and nobody should see them as tools for campaigning for vote.

“Politicians should

Benue Assembly Urges COE Katsina -Ala Stephen Onmeje, who MAKURDI - The Benue State On Award Of Degrees Drpresided over the session, urged House of Assembly has called on the management of the College of Education in Katsina-Ala to expedite action on the recommencement of its Bachelor of Education (B. Ed) programmes.

The legislative body made this call in Makurdi during plenary, after debating part of the report of its Committee on Education.

In a lead debate, the committee’s Chairman, Mr. Olofu Ogwuche, informed the house that the National Council of Colleges of Education

(NCCE) has permitted the college to recommence its B. Ed programmes.

It was learnt that the college was awarding B. Ed degrees in the late 1980s before it was advised to stop.

Ogwuche said the committee, during its visit to the college, discovered that the college’s host community was still demanding compensation after it had collected its full compensation from the state government.

He also said the community

was agitating for more employment opportunities in the college.

“Its members have kept on disturbing the college management for additional corporate responsibilities, after much had been done for them,’’ the legislator said.

He said it was rather unfortunate that the college, since inception in 1976, was yet to be connected to the public power supply and water.

Ruling, the Deputy Speaker,

the community to refrain from a continuous agitation for compensation.

“Full compensation has been paid to the community a long time ago,’’ he said.

Onmeje also urged the state’s Ministry of Works and Transport to construct access roads in the college’s host community.

He further urged the state’s ministries of Water Resources and Rural Development and Cooperatives to extend water and electricity supply to the college in no distant time.

Kwara To Restructure ILORIN - The Kwara Agencies State Government said that

Cross section of Edo Women at National Conference in Benin City yesterday; Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

it would restructure its parastatals and agencies to enable them to improve on their internally generated revenue profile.

The Senior Special Assistant to the state Governor on Parastatals, Monitoring and Compliance, Alhaji Mahmud Ajeigbe, stated this when he visited the state’s Environmental Protection Agency (KWEPA) in Ilorin.

Ajeigbe urged all the parastatals and agencies to look for ways to block leakages in their systems and

Jigawa LG Earmarks 20,000 Seedlings For Planting MALAMMADORI (Jigawa) Alhaji Abdu Ilu, the Director of Agriculture in Malammadori Local Government Area of Jigawa, said the council had earmarked 20,000 tree seedlings for planting under its desertification control project this year.

Ilu made this known while

campaign based on candidates’ integrity and achievements so that the nation would continue to develop.

“Nigeria is a secular state and for that reason, it will not be fair for anyone to campaign along religious or ethnic line for elective offices”, Alkali said.

He, therefore, commended President Jonathan for creating atmosphere conducive for opposition to thrive in the political landscape of the country.

He also urged the group members and the electorate in general to follow the electoral process like registering and procuring their voter cards at the appropriate time.

The SA to President Jonathan on Ethics and Values, Mrs. Sarah Jibrin urged the youths to contribute positively to the development of the nation.

Mr. Emmanuel Okpongete, Global Coordinator of the group said there was need for proper education of the electorate ahead of the coming elections.

He pledged the group’s support for the president to go for re-election.

speaking with journalist in Malammadori.

He said that the council had raised various species of tree seedlings, including droughtresistant and economic ones.

He said that the tree seedlings would be distributed to communities for planting at farms, residential quarters and other

public places.

“Tree seedlings will be distributed free to communities for planting.

This is to augment the Federal Government’s Great Green Wall project designed to control desert

encroachment.”

The director added that the economic tree seedlings were provided to encourage production of fruits and provide the rural dwellers with alternative means of livelihood.

According to him, the council has so far planted trees along major roads, public buildings, schools and market places.

Ilu explained that the council had prohibited tree felling in a bid to enhance desert control programme of governments at all levels.

ensure efficient service delivery.

He advised KWEPA to partner international agencies and be able to access foreign intervention funds that would complement the state government’s efforts.

He affirmed the state government’s commitment to ensuring that all agencies and parastatals in the state aligned with its policy of “Shared Prosperity Programme”.

Responding, the General Manager of KWEPA, Chief Adefila Sunday, said that the organisation needed professional staff, adequate equipment, including fumigating machines and ICT facilities, to monitor waste collection and disposal.

Adefila said that some of the professionals currently in the employment of the agency had reached retirement age and needed replacement.

Abuja Consumers Record Highest Price Increase In Tubers In 10-Yrs - Bureau

ABUJA- The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) consumption expenditure survey for 2014 has recorded the highest price increases in potatoes, yams, and other tubers as well as bread, cereals, meat and the fish group.

The survey was based on all goods and services to determine the level of inflation over time in the economy.

The statistical survey report also contains the revised Consumer Price Index (CPI) based on Nigeria’s Living Standard Survey (NLSS) of 2003/2004.

The 2014 survey was based on all commodities and services widely consumed such as food items, medications, beverages, transportation, education, accommodation, communication and other services rendered in the country.

On a month-on-month basis, the highest price increases were recorded in potatoes, yams and other tubers, bread, cereals, meat, and fish groups.

The average annual rate of change of the food sub-index for the 12-month period ending in June 2014 was 9.5 per cent, marginally higher from the average annual rate of change of the 12-month period ending in May 2014 at 9.4 per cent.

From January to June of 2014, year-on-year rates

averaged 9.4 per cent, 0.5 per cent lower than the previous half year. On a month-onmonth basis, food prices increased at the same rate of change for three consecutive months by 0.8 per cent.

The prices of nonagricultural related products or services increased at the fastest rate in June 2014 by 8.1 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

This increase was said to have been as a result of price increases across various items in particular electricity prices, Jewellery and furniture repair prices.

It was observed that food prices increased by 9.8 per cent in June 2014, marginally higher than that 9.7 per cent recorded in May due to of higher prices of bread and cereals, meat, fish, and dairy groups but were however, weighed down by relatively slower increases in the oils and fat, fruits and vegetable groups.

Urban prices increased at a faster rate for the second consecutive month in June to 8.4 per cent, up 0.2 per cent from May. Rural prices also increased by 0.2 per cent to 8.0 per cent in June.

On a month-on-month basis, prices in the urban areas moved at the same pace in June and May. The Rural All-items indices rose notwithstanding at a

slower pace by 0.74 per cent in June, down from 0.77 per cent in May.

While food prices have increased for the fourth

NYSC DG Urges Employers To Verify Discharge Certificates ABUJA- The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged employers of labour to always verify NYSC discharge certificates presented by

employees to ensure that they actually participated in the scheme.

The Director-General, Brig.General Johnson Olawunmi, said this when he featured

Technologically-Enhanced Crops Cannot Cause Cancer - Institute “We work on yam, on all the roots and tuber crops; we’ve been able to release nearly 14 varieties of yam to Nigerian farmers in the past and more are in the process.

“We’ve released sweet potato varieties, one of which was done two years ago; one of them called orange-fleshed sweet potatoes; it’s very high in Vitamin A; some may be released between now and next year.

“We are working on cocoyam; cocoyam is very important; it’s nutritionally a healthy food and people have neglected it, but we are promoting it again.

“We are also working on Irish potatoes; we have a full station

annual rate of rise of the index was 7.4 per cent for the 12month period ending June 2014, up from the previous 12 month rate of change of 0.2 per cent recorded in May.

L-R: Managing Editor, Metro, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Lawal Ado, Coordinator, Directorate of Foreign Operations, Mr. Julius Enehikuere and Chief Resident representative of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Mr. Sang Hoon Jung, during the resident representative’s visit to NAN Headquarters in Abuja recently.

People from IrareEkiti, Erinmope-Ekiti, Ikosun-Ekiti, Moba Local Government area of Ekiti, protesting over the proposed Ero Local Government Council and siteing of its headquarters at Igogo-Ekiti, at the State Assembly Complex in Ado-Ekiti recently.

ABUJA - The National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) has described as untrue assertions by nonscientists that technologicallyenhanced food crops could cause diseases such as cancer among humans.

Chiedozie Egesi, the institute’s Assistant Director, Biotechnology, told newsmen in Abuja that modern biotechnology techniques, such as tissue culture, enriched rather than endangered Nigerian food crops.

He explained that commonly grown starchy crops such as cassava, potato, yam, and maize lacked vitamins.

consecutive month (year-onyear), during the first half of the year, the pace of increase in prices slowed relative to the first half of 2013.

The average 12 months

in Jos (Kuru) that is devoted to potato production, breeding, agronomy.

“We are also working on ginger; we have a station in Kaduna State that is fully a ginger station; we do all kinds of research from breeding to agronomy, to pathology; we work on other minor root crops - Hausa potatoes and all the rest of them.“ Egesi, however explained that Nigeria would not benefit fully from all modern biotechnology techniques including genetic engineering, without an approved bio-safety law meant to regulate research.

“Biotechnology is important because it helps to overcome

some barriers that one may have biologically that one may not attain through the usual conventional means.

‘Agricultural biotechnology has transformed the lives of people all over the world Brazilian, Burkina Faso, Egyptian, South African farmers.

“So, Nigeria is yet to derive the full benefits of biotechnology in agricultural research and the reason is simple.

“We do not have a bio-safety law that will help in regulating the practice of biotechnology, and you need that to be able to go full blown into biotechnology research and commerce.“

journalists.

Adewuyi said dubious elements in the society had taken advantage of the importance of the certificate to issued fake ones.

“It is true that sometimes in the past, in the immediate past, we’ve had activities of what we call fake camps.

“But what I want us to understand is that in the country as we have those who are good citizens we also have those who are bad citizens.

“You all know that the NYSC discharge certificate is very key in whatever you do after graduation.

“If you want a job you must submit it. In fact it is compulsory.

“Know that no employer should employ somebody without the NYSC discharge certificate. For those that want to go into politics it’s also very important.

‘And, because of the importance of this discharge certificate you and I know that some people will go to any length to get it.

“When they know that they are not qualified they look for alternative means.’’

He, however, said that measures were in place to stop such fraudulent activities adding that NYSC had established a department to verify discharge certificates for employers.

“I want to commend the management of the NYSC scheme because they’ve put measures in place that have made it very difficult if not impossible for anybody to get a certificate from the scheme when he’s not qualified to have it.

‘So when people meet this

kind of brick wall the only option left for them is to go elsewhere, form their own camp and get whatever certificate they want to get.

“Let me cease this opportunity to tell all employers of labour, all agencies of government, public and private sector that the NYSC has a department for certification.

“If you are employing people, after the recruitment, just forward all their discharge certificates to us and we will verify them so that we know those that are genuine and those that are fake.

“Also, I want to say that with the plan to have an online registration in place it is one other way we are going to eliminate the issue of fake corps members.’’

Olawunmi also said that the NYSC kits were not substandard as is being suggested in some quarters but that the scheme could only afford to give out one set of kits per person.

He said the kits got worn out on time because of constant use and not because they were of low quality.

“I don’t think we have lowered our standards as far as those kits are concerned.

“The only thing we can say is that because of the budgetary allocation we can only provide one pair for a particular corps member throughout the year.

“Even if you buy the best of products, after using it for a long time you are likely going to see a change in the texture from when you procured it.

“But, to say that we get substandard items I don’t think that is very correct.’’

Business + Economy Auto Dealers Flay New Automotive Policy

Young Men Participating in MGBA Okposi Traditional Wrestling Festival at Egbo Ameluagu Okposi in Ebony.

ABUJA- The Chairman, Car Dealers Association of Nigeria, FCT Chapter, Ajibola Adedoyin, said the hike in the importation tariff on cars can cause many dealers to close down their business.

Adedoyin who said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja said this could be as a result of expected low patronage.

“The implementation of the New Automotive Industrial Policy Development Plan of the Federal Government, which advocated the hike in the tariff of imported cars, is being rushed by the government.

“It is a fact that the policy is very good and has long-

Give More Funds To MSMEs, Aganga Tells BOI ABUJA- The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga, urged the Bank of Industry to increase its credits to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.

Aganga made the call in Abuja during the inauguration of the new board of the bank.

According to him, the current arrangement where less than 15 per cent loanable funds is set aside for MSMEs’ need is unacceptable and must be reviewed upward for jobs and wealth creation.

He urged BOI to emulate the practice in China and Indonesia where significant portion of loanable funds was extended to

MSMEs at about 97 per cent repayment rate, but without collateral.

The minister reminded the new board that the future of MSMEs depended on how responsive the bank was to their funding needs.

“The core mandate of BOI is

ailing industries.

“Its mandates are also anchored on creating an enabling environment to stimulate domestic investment and attract foreign direct

He said the continued vandalism was capable of affecting the agency’s weather stations for prediction and flood risk management.

He added that “people should stop vandalising our equipment.

“We learnt that some of the vandals even remove the solar panels of data collection platforms with the aim of generating power for their homes or soe sale.’’

The director-general said the country needed effective functioning of its installations across the country to enable it to provide necessary information that would assist in mitigating any eventual flood.

He urged host communities of NIHSA installations to assist the agency in ensuring adequate security of the equipment.

Shamonda said the agency

Agency Condemns Spate Of Attack On It’s Equipment ABUJA- The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has expressed concern over increased vandalism of its equipment across the country.

The Director-General of the agency, Mr John Shamonda, expressed the agency’s worry in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.

Politicians Hail Confab Recommendation To Scrap SIEC

ABUJA- Delegates to the National Conference on July 1, 2014, recommended the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and their functions transferred to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The delegates argued that SEICs had outlived their usefulness and had become avenues for governors to manipulate elections into local government councils.

Consequently, a cross section of politicians interviewed by our correspondents of newsmen hailed the recommendation, saying it would not only accelerate national development but would also strengthen democracy in the country.

Mr Rafiu Salau, the National

to provide financial assistance for the establishment of large, medium and small projects as well as for diversification, expansion of existing enterprises and rehabilitation of

investment into the industrial sector of the economy, “ he said.

He urged the board to formulate good policies, set targets and monitor projects and programmes that would drive the operation and encourage growth in priority sectors of the economy.

Secretary, Alliance for Democracy (AD), commended the delegates for making the recommendation, saying it would strengthen democracy in Nigeria.

He said: “SIEC has not been able to conduct free and fair elections in the last 15 years of democracy in Nigeria.

“The outcome of all elections conducted by the commission across the states are always in favour of the ruling party.

“If elections are free, fair and credible at the local government level, the nation will witness rapid development.

“If SIEC must continue to exist, the constitution should also make provision for it to recruit its staff to enable it to carry its duties without fear or favour.”

was working hard to upgrade some of its facilities for improved services to the country.

He listed some equipment to include automated weather stations, environment monitoring equipment and data collection platforms.

Others are manual staff gauge, rain gauge and discharge measurement facilities.

term benefits.

“However, implementing the policy now will amount to rushing into it without consideration for its consequence in view of the present situation in the industry,’’ he said.

Adedoyin said increasing the tariff to 70 per cent means that small cars which cost N600,000 would now be sold for between N1.2 million and N1.3 million.

“Many people cannot afford these rates. ‘Tokunbo’ car dealers are the majority in the automobile sales in Nigeria.

“The association services the larger population of car users in the FCT for example.

“Out of 10 cars on Nigerian roads, eight are fairly-used (Tokunbo) vehicles.

“We deal with more than 80 per cent of the people who buy cars, and most states in Nigeria have a minimum of 500 car dealers and each car dealer has at least five people working for him.

“Allowing this teeming population back to the labour market will not augur well for the sector,’’ he said.

Adedoyin said the spirit behind the new policy was to eliminate fairly-used cars and replace them with “Made-in-Nigeria’’ cars.

“It is not possible for these car manufacturing companies we have in mind to take over production and provide this kind of employment within the shortest possible time.

CAN Chairman, Irepodun LGA Chapter, Pastor David Omorinoye, praying for the graduating pupils of Concordia Faith International Nursery and Primary School, Omu-Aran Kwara State.

NSE DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (EQUITIES) AS AT YESTERDAY (17/07/2014) Stocks

Open

Close

Change

Deals

Units

Value

MULTIVERSE

0.5

0.5

0

0

200

100

7UP

100.03

100.03

0

0

7,054

740,866.56

NAHCO

4.94

4.87

-0.07

0

1,041,601

5,119,236.17

ABCTRANS

0.89

0.89

0

0

278,430

246,062.70

NASCON

10.7

10.59

-0.11

0

38,591,738

399,907,116.60

ACADEMY

1.71

1.71

0

0

1,820

3,112.20

NB

176.8

176.22

-0.58

0

698,999

123,493,887.40

ACCESS

9.68

9.95

0.27

0

31,314,716

305,847,236.40

NEIMETH

1.24

1.24

0

0

73,000

86,150.00

AFRIPRUD

3.43

3.41

-0.02

0

1,674,708

5,684,148.33

NEM

0.79

0.82

0.03

0

1,402,374

1,121,671.14

AGLEVENT

1.33

1.33

0

0

37,540

49,568.20

NESTLE

1124.9

1124.9

0

0

65,638

73,793,238.56

AIICO

0.8

0.8

0

0

1,992,330

1,625,792.92

NEWGOLD

2033

2045

12

0

9

18,405.00

AIRSERVICE

2.23

2.23

0

0

94,400

209,429.00

NIGERINS

0.5

0.5

0

0

2,157,075

1,096,657.70

ASHAKACEM

33.9

33

-0.9

0

1,535,135

50,675,100.68

NNFM

19

19.79

0.79

0

619,268

11,912,088.73

AUSTINLAZ

2

2

0

0

200

418

NPFMCRFBK

1.05

1.1

0.05

0

310,000

341,000.00

AVONCROWN

1.69

1.69

0

0

14,687

24,831.03

NSE30

1958.32

1952.16

-6.16

0

209,441,416

2,914,063,602.00

BECOPETRO

0.5

0.5

0

0

1,000

500

NSE50

2116.03

2109.78

-6.25

0

307,731,130

3,543,273,777.00

BERGER

9

9

0

0

24,100

211,298.74

NSEASI

43030.3

42918.55

-111.75

0

345,252,261

3,632,207,242.00

BETAGLAS

16.3

16.3

0

0

44,000

752,680.00

NSEBNK

444.42

440.27

-4.15

0

141,098,524

1,198,515,431.00

BOCGAS

5.76

5.76

0

0

1,000

5,500.00

NSECNSMRGDS

1059.71

1059.92

0.21

0

46,282,576

840,768,838.60

CADBURY

74.25

74.25

0

0

254,925

18,331,812.43

NSEINDUSTR

2770.98

2764.43

-6.55

0

2,793,871

117,298,513.40

CAP

40.1

40.1

0

0

95,088

3,712,946.05

NSEINS

148.2

149.07

0.87

0

21,252,729

20,735,973.27

CAVERTON

6.79

6.7

-0.09

0

206,916

1,395,948.30

NSELOTUSISLM

2851.49

2857.1

5.61

0

48,010,928

910,935,898.80

CCNN

11.4

11.26

-0.14

0

702,149

7,912,643.33

NSEOILGAS

478.13

472.9

-5.23

0

11,869,564

387,571,853.00

CHAMPION

10.17

10.17

0

0

60,000

580,200.00

OANDO

26.98

25.65

-1.33

0

10,774,458

277,802,834.10

CHELLARAM

3.95

3.95

0

0

7,567

28,636.92

OKOMUOIL

33

33.01

0.01

0

309,246

10,202,883.68

CILEASING

0.5

0.5

0

0

121,000

60,500.00

PRESCO

38.06

37.5

-0.56

0

2,264,700

83,512,074.00

CONOIL

65.6

65.6

0

0

28,448

1,783,926.30

PRESTIGE

0.54

0.54

0

0

30,000

15,900.00

CONTINSURE

1.17

1.14

-0.03

0

3,084,800

3,465,069.27

PZ

36.75

37.99

1.24

0

468,377

17,366,416.27

CORNERST

0.5

0.5

0

0

109,200

54,600.00

REDSTAREX

4.85

4.67

-0.18

0

404,200

1,935,437.00

COSTAIN

1.19

1.23

0.04

0

1,551,448

1,859,460.77

REGALINS

0.5

0.5

0

0

20

10

COURTVILLE

0.57

0.57

0

0

77,100

43,517.00

ROYALEX

0.53

0.53

0

0

13,472

7,030.72

CUSTODYINS

3.8

3.8

0

0

978,987

3,726,651.25

RTBRISCOE

1.04

1.05

0.01

0

286,907

293,364.27

CUTIX

1.8

1.8

0

0

18,467

34,520.08

SCOA

4.91

4.91

0

0

546

2,549.82

DANGCEM

240

240

0

0

77,648

18,638,566.80

SEPLAT

702

702

0

0

37,204

26,042,800.00

DANGFLOUR

8.01

8.01

0

0

150,777

1,225,256.49

SKYEBANK

3.22

3.28

0.06

0

14,851,173

48,368,523.58

DANGSUGAR

9.3

9.08

-0.22

0

1,387,502

12,789,903.18

STANBIC

27.5

27.26

-0.24

0

211,848

5,790,383.06

DIAMONDBNK

6.27

6.3

0.03

0

8,091,110

50,990,556.40

STERLNBANK

2.31

2.32

0.01

0

2,687,277

6,236,374.02

DNMEYER

1.2

1.2

0

0

6,500

7,800.00

STUDPRESS

2.4

2.4

0

0

200

456

ETERNA

4.37

4.35

-0.02

0

474,898

2,038,546.97

TOTAL

179.6

180.2

0.6

0

239,151

43,853,858.64

ETI

17.39

17.23

-0.16

0

2,069,345

35,620,700.42

TRANSCORP

5.8

5.78

-0.02

0

22,790,973

132,011,186.50

EVANSMED

2.3

2.31

0.01

0

258,550

596,507.00

TRANSEXPR

2.06

2.06

0

0

6,472

12,749.84

FBNH

16.07

16

-0.07

0

40,584,065

652,388,339.20

TRIPPLEG

1.97

1.88

-0.09

0

104,760

196,948.80

FCMB

4.19

4.19

0

0

2,313,850

9,612,794.07

UAC-PROP

18.3

17.9

-0.4

0

340,191

6,093,343.80

FIDELITYBK

2.05

1.98

-0.07

0

44,827,716

87,490,452.90

UACN

62

62.5

0.5

0

312,346

19,451,972.08

FIDSON

2.95

3.01

0.06

0

388,360

1,180,059.00

UBA

8.09

8

-0.09

0

16,857,064

135,055,859.40

FIRSTALUM

0.5

0.5

0

0

80,000

40,000.00

UBCAP

2.2

2.24

0.04

0

4,006,409

8,913,447.83

FLOURMILL

77.87

77.87

0

0

79,210

5,968,399.83

UBN

9.54

9.54

0

0

263,303

2,473,323.05

FO

240

238

-2

0

167,273

39,031,744.23

UNILEVER

52.8

53

0.2

0

2,209,739

117,240,906.50

FORTISMFB

5.96

5.96

0

0

100

600

UNIONDICON

14.11

14.11

0

0

3,500

46,935.00

GLAXOSMITH

69

68.99

-0.01

0

309,005

21,291,195.58

UNITYBNK

0.5

0.5

0

0

21,462,494

10,731,247.00

GOLDBREW

0.71

0.71

0

0

3,120

2,308.80

UPDCREIT

9.95

9.95

0

0

10,050

99,998.00

GUARANTY

31

30

-1

0

3,614,766

109,955,435.60

UPL

4.4

4.4

0

0

143,504

631,977.33

GUINEAINS

0.5

0.5

0

0

73,550

36,775.00

UTC

0.5

0.5

0

0

115,796

57,898.00

GUINNESS

198.9

197.1

-1.8

0

264,429

52,246,623.13

VANLEER

12.08

12.08

0

0

20,100

241,200.00

HONYFLOUR

4.5

4.49

-0.01

0

1,112,148

4,969,304.52

VETGRIF30

19.58

19.5

-0.08

0

1,501

29,524.50

IKEJAHOTEL

0.78

0.75

-0.03

0

200,000

151,005.00

VITAFOAM

4.37

4.3

-0.07

0

610,463

2,640,026.57

INTBREW

29.5

29.5

0

0

321,577

9,474,880.60

VONO

1.44

1.44

0

0

2,780

3,808.60

INTENEGINS

0.5

0.5

0

0

2,970,309

1,486,034.26

WAPCO

119.85

119

-0.85

0

297,284

35,360,757.75

JAPAULOIL

0.59

0.58

-0.01

0

11,282,991

6,450,978.21

WAPIC

0.92

0.91

-0.01

0

7,994,049

7,303,308.02

JBERGER

64.28

65

0.72

0

517,910

33,538,268.50

WEMABANK

0.97

1.01

0.04

0

1,624,591

1,640,794.91

JOHNHOLT

1.2

1.2

0

0

21,487

24,495.18

ZENITHBANK

25.2

25.2

0

0

16,522,054

416,476,969.20

LASACO

0.5

0.5

0

0

58,543

29,271.50

LAWUNION

0.5

0.5

0

0

683,783

341,891.50

LEARNAFRCA

1.65

1.65

0

0

153,800

252,640.00

LINKASSURE

0.5

0.5

0

0

55,147

27,573.50

LIVESTOCK

3.05

3.05

0

0

269,550

827,943.00

MANSARD

2.52

2.56

0.04

0

1,819,468

4,616,902.12

MAYBAKER

1.71

1.72

0.01

0

189,739

326,170.62

MBENEFIT

0.54

0.54

0

0

2,634,890

1,422,700.60

MOBIL

147.15

154.5

7.35

0

129,050

19,883,300.74

TOP 10 GAINERS Stock NEWGOLD MOBIL NSELOTUSISLM PZ NSEINS NNFM JBERGER TOTAL UACN ACCESS

Close 2045 154.5 2857.1 37.99 149.07 19.79 65 180.2 62.5 9.95

TOP TOP 10 10 LOSERS GAINERS Gain

Stock

Close

Loss

12 7.35 5.61 1.24 0.87 0.79 0.72 0.6 0.5 0.27

NSEASI NSEINDUSTR NSE50 NSE30 NSEOILGAS NSEBNK FO GUINNESS OANDO GUARANTY

42918.55 2764.43 2109.78 1952.16 472.9 440.27 238 197.1 25.65 30

-111.75 -6.55 -6.25 -6.16 -5.23 -4.15 -2 -1.8 -1.33 -1

FEW days ago, the Governor of Adamawa State, Alhaji Murtala Nyako was impeached by members of the State House of Assembly in very controversial circumstances that the All Progressive Congress (APC) has said it would challenge in court.

BEFORE his removal from Office, speculations were rife that the Presidency was the mastermind of the plot following the defection of Nyako and some other governors from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressive Congress. Shortly after his removal, the Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau and Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir elRufai accused President Goodluck Jonathan of financing and masterminding Nyako’s impeachment respectively.

IN Fact, el-Rufai straighaway alleged that the President is also hatching impeachment plot against three All Progressive Congress Governors. He listed the Governors to include: Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of Edo, Nassarawa State Governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi. Already, the Nassarawa State House of Assembly has served Governor Tanko Al-makura an impeachment notice amid wild protests from angry citizens who have been enjoying the dividends of democracy from Al-Makura .

WE are worried about the impeachments plots which are being cleverly hatched targeted at Governors of the opposition party, the APC. It is a truism that prior to the Adamawa incident, there were

THE NIGERIAN

Impeachments As Wrong Signals shameless moves to use five Rivers State law makers to impeach Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. Were it not for public outcry and the fact that he has over seventeen lawmakers loyal to him, and his hard fighting spirit, he would have been removed from office.

WE are also disturbed that few weeks ago, like a thunderbolt from the blues, crisis emerged at the Edo State House of Assembly considered to be one of the most peaceful state Houses of Assembly in the country. Five P D P lawmakers working with four suspended lawmakers are said to be hatching a secret plot to destabilise the state and perhaps target a possible impeachment of the Edo State Governor.

WE condemn all those behind the plots and the PDP leadership who are out to ensure total victory at all cost in 2015 because they are sending wrong signals.

Its action is capable of wreaking anarchy and political upheaval in an already tension-soaked country where the terrorists’ insurgency has continued to cause nightmares for hapless and defenseless citizens.

ALSO worrisome is the tendency of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to roll Nigeria over to a one-party state as any opposing voice is brutally silenced. A pointer here is that, having been subtly pressurized to do so, an APC Governor of Borno State has given an indication to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party after the Ramadan fast and no one knows where the foot soldiers of the one-party state proponents will make the next harvest.

MORE disturbing is the nation’s deliberate slide to fascism. There seems to be a reprehensible tendency towards strong or autocratic or dictatorial control of power with severe social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.

IT is against this backdrop that we call on President Goodluck Jonathan to demonstrate to Nigerians that he is the father of all irrespective of their political leanings. He should give vent to opposition views and voices and give space for all shades of opinion to flourish in line with democratic ethos and pathos.

WE also call on Nigerians to rise up and take their destinies in their own hands by halting this drift to fascism and resultant anarchy which may be unleashed on citizens if not stopped. Pro-democracy apostles need to be pro-active in tackling the hydra-headed monster that we foresee.

WE call on men and women of goodwill to rise and advise all those behind the current impeachments plots and financing crisis in APC-led states to back off, otherwise, posterity would not forgive their silence or inaction.

Voice Of

Islam

Every Friday With Mallam Abdulfattah Enabulele Chief Imam of Benin

Forgiveness is one of the attributes of Almighty Allah.

Every human being is living because Allah is the Most forgiving and the Most Merciful. Nobody is above mistake that is why pencils have erasers. Human beings offend each other during the process of interactions. Therefore to err is human to forgive is divine.

On a particular day, Abu Ishaq, a new convert to Islam decided to ask A’ishah, (may Allah be pleased with her) the wife of the Holy Prophet about the character of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

A’ishah said: He (the Prophet) never engaged in an indecent disgusting, offensive behaviour throughout his life time. He would never return an evil with an evil, but rather he was pardoning and forgiving. He was known for his leniency. He was a symbol of forgiveness.

This was the excellent character of the Holy Prophet (SAW), and Allah (SWT) directed the Messenger’s Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the Muslims who would come after them to emulate it: “You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern of conduct to emulate for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the final Day, and who engages much in the remembrance and praise of AIlah.

The Prophet was known for his leniency. He pardoned most of the mistakes of his Companions, and Allah witness to the Prophet’s excellent behaviour towards his Companions and the whole of humankind. Allah, the Exalted, mentions: Verily, there has come to you a Messenger from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is ardently anxious over you to be rightly guided, to repent to Allah, to beg Him to pardon and forgive your sins in order that you may enter paradise and be saved from the punishment of the hellfire; to the believers he is full of pity, most kind, and merciful. (Qur’an 9: 128) It is part of the mercy of Allah that you dealt gently with them. Had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you. So pass over faults): and ask for (forgiveness for them; and consult with them about (conduct of) affairs. Then, when you have made a decision, put your trust in Allah. Certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust Him (Qur’an 3: 159) No human being is perfect. All children of Adam are prone to make mistakes and offend each other in one way or another.

We are emotional creatures who become angry and falter in our interaction with each other. As such, we are bound to wrong and offend each other, as the Prophet said: “All of Adam’s descendants are prone to error, and the best of the error-prone are those who are often repentant.”

Therefore, the strong ones are those who pardon and forgive their fellow human beings. Overlooking and pardoning those who have wronged and offended us is not a point of weakness as wrongly construed by many. Rather, forgiving peoples’ mistakes is a great moral virtue as can be seen from the lives of the prophets and messengers of God. Prophet Yoosuf (Joseph) forgave his brothers, who had first plotted to kill him but later decided to sell him as a slave.

Allah, the Exalted, says: Verily in Yoosuf and his brothers are signs, proofs, evidence, and symbols for seekers of truth. Remember when they the brothers of Yoosuf said: Truly, Yoosuf and his brother are dearer to our father than we, while we are a stronger group.

Really, our father is in plain error. Kill Yoosuf or cast him out to some (land, so that the favour of your father may be for all of you, and after that you will be a righteous folk (intending repentance before committing the sin]. One of them said: Do not kill Yoosuf. If you must do something, then throw him down to the bottom of a well. He will be picked up by some caravan of travellers. They said: O father, why do you not trust us with Yoosuf though we are indeed his well-wishers?

Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and we will take care of him. He Jacob said: Truly, it saddens me that you should take him away. I fear that a wolf might devour

A Time To Pardon And Forgive him while you are careless about him. They replied: If a wolf devours him while we are such a strong group to guard him, then surely we should already have perished. So, when they took him away and they all agreed to throw him down to the bottom of the well (they did so), We revealed to him. (Yoosuf); Indeed, you shall (one day) inform them of this their affair, when they do not know you. Then they came weeping to their father in the early part of the night. (Qur’an 12:7-16) They said: O father! We went racing with one other, and left Yoosuf by our belongings and a wolf devoured him, but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth. They brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said: No, but you have made up a tale. So (me) beautiful patience is most befitting, and it is Allah whose help can be sought against that which you describe. There came a caravan of travellers and they sent their water-drawers, and (of them) let down his bucket (the well). He said: What good news! Here is a boy.

So they hid him as merchandise (sell as a slave). Allah was All-Knower of what they did. They sold him for a low price, for a few dirhams (coins), and they were of those who regarded him as insignificant (Qur’an 12: 17-20) Then year later when the brothers sought audience with Yoosuf, they said: O ruler of the land! A hard time has hit us and our family. We have brought but poor capital, so pay us full measure and be charitable to us. Truly, Allah does reward the charitable. He asked: Do you know what you did to Yoosuf and his (brother (whom they also wronged because he was so beloved by his father), when you were ignorant? They asked: Are you indeed Yoosuf? He replied: I am Yoosuf, and this is my brother (Allah has indeed been gracious to us (blessed us far above you). Verily, he who fears Allah with obedience to Him and is patient, then surely, Allah does not let the reward of the good-doers to be lost. They said: By Allah! Indeed Allah has preferred you to us, and we certainly have been sinners. He said: No reproach for you this day; may Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy! (Qur’an 12: 88-92) In other examples of forgiveness from the prophets, Prophet Muhammad (forgave the people of Tâ’if who threw

“Allah were to punish all of the people for their wrong-doing, He would not leave, on the earth a single living creature; but He gives them respite for a stated term. When their term expires, then they will not be able to delay (accountability) for a single hour, just as they would not be able to anticipate it (or move it forward even a single hour)”

stones at him when he went to preach to them to accept the belief in one God and shun the worship of their idols. He also forgave the idolaters of Makkah, who had persecuted him for thirteen long years, plotted to assassinate him and eventually drove him out of his homeland, Makkah.

Hurayrah reported: It was said to Allah’s Messenger: O Messenger of Allah, pray against the idolaters. He said: I was not sent as an invoker of curses, rather I was sent as a mercy to guide people.

So why should we not forgive each other if this is the way of the prophets of God, who were wronged in various ways but were humble enough to overlook and pardon those who wronged and persecuted them? Furthermore, Allah says that good words and forgiving of each other’s faults is better than charity given for showing off: “Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than charity followed by injury. Allah is Rich free of all wants and He is Most Forbearing”. (Qur’an 2: 263) If we truly want Allah to forgive us our daily sins and shortcomings then we must be ready to pardon and forgive those who have wronged us. We should not hold grudges against people for many months and years, not wanting to let go and reconcile with them. For indeed, if Allah were to hold us responsible for all that we do against our fellow human beings, and even the wrong we do to ourselves, then He would not let any living creature live on the face of the earth.

Allah, the Exalted, says: Allah were to punish all of the people for their wrong-doing, He would not leave, on the earth a single living creature; but He gives them respite for a stated term. When their term expires, then they will not be able to delay (accountability) for a single hour, just as they would not be able to anticipate it (or move it forward even a single hour).

Allah were to punish all people according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the earth a single living creature, but He gives them respite for a stated term.

When their term expires, verily, they will know that Allah is Seeing of all concerns of His Servants) (Qur’an 35: 45) Therefore, we must learn how to swallow our pride, conquer our egos and forgive, overlook, and pardon our fellow human beings - however much they may have wronged us - as Allah and His Messenger Muhammad have directed us, if we truly want to be pardoned for our own many mistakes and shortcomings.

Allah says: Whatever you are given here on earth is a convenience of this life, but that which is with Allah is better and more lasting. It is for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord, those who avoid the greater crimes and shameful deeds, and, when they are angry, then forgive. Qur ‘an 42:3637 Allah praised and promised great rewards for those who, when they become angry, pardon and forgive their fellow human beings. Forgiveness is an indication of strength and not weakness, as we have already pointed out. Allah, the Exalted, says: And those who restrain anger and pardon other people; for Allah loves the good-doers. (Qur’an 3:134) It was narrated by Abu Hurayrah that Allah’s Messenger said: Charity does not decrease wealth. If anyone forgives, Allah increases his honour, and no one humbles himself for the sake of Allah except that Allah raises him in status.

International Features

Iranian Nukes: Gaps Remain, Talks Continue WORLD powers and Iran still face significant gaps in their negotiations to curb Tehran’s nuclear program, foreign ministers said Tuesday while forging ahead with efforts to secure a deal that could finally bridge a decades-long diplomatic chasm between the Islamic republic and the West.

Sunday’s deadline for an agreement could be extended, but that issue is controversial, too. And without an accord on the nuclear talks, the U.S. risks losing opportunities to negotiate with Iran on other pressing regional issues, including sectarian fighting in Syria and Iraq that is threatening to rip apart the Mideast.

Aside from persuading Iran, President Barack Obama, seeking an elusive foreign policy victory, must also convince a suspicious Congress and reluctant Arab allies of the long-term benefits of securing a deal.

“It is clear that we still have more work to do,” Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday, shortly before leaving Vienna, where negotiators had been holed up for weeks working on a plan to prevent Iran from building an atomic bomb but still let it develop a peaceful nuclear energy program.

He cited “tangible progress” on important issues in the talks and stated his belief “that there is a way forward,” but he added that “there are also very real gaps on other key issues.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif suggested it was likely that the talks would continue beyond a Sunday deadline and into a six-month extension.

“This is a process which is worth continuing,” Zarif said in Vienna, speaking separately from Kerry and diplomats from Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, who also attended the talks.

“We are prepared to show the necessary maneuvering room for our friends to convince themselves that Iran’s program is always peaceful,” Zarif said.

The negotiations over Iran’s nuclear efforts have endured on-and-off since 2003. New hope for an agreement soared after last year’s election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a relatively moderate leader. He won office by promising to bolster his country’s crumbling economy, in part by securing relief from bruising Western trade sanctions that punish Tehran for its nuclear ambitions.

But there are skeptics on all sides. Hard-liners in Iran fear

the talks will result in a scaling back of their country’s nuclear capacity, and some in Congress fear they won’t.

Tehran says it needs nuclear capacity for energy and medical purposes. Many lawmakers in Congress are deeply concerned about the Iranians’ intentions — and whether they can be trusted to maintain a legitimate nuclear program. And American allies in the Mideast — including Israel and Saudi Arabia — are bitterly opposed to any deal they say could let Iran build an atomic weapon.

Congress is already gearing up to impose more sanctions against Iran as a way of forcing its hand, and it’s unclear whether the White House can hold lawmakers off.

An extension of the international negotiations would also open Obama to criticism that he’s allowing Iran to stall and seek sanctions relief while moving forward on its nuclear program. Last week, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran intends to expand its uranium enrichment capacity far beyond what most of the rest of the world would permit.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez said that would scuttle any deal.

“I could not imagine that the United States and the (other world powers) would accept a deal under those standards,” Menendez, DN.J., said Tuesday. “We’ll just have to wait to see first and then we’ll act accordingly.”

Noting Kerry’s comments about gaps in the negotiations, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., said the administration should begin talking now to Congress about new sanctions.

Obama has invested significant political capital in the nuclear talks, authorizing high-risk secret negotiations with Iranian officials and persuading Congress to delay sanctions.

An agreement would mark one of the most significant achievements of Obama’s presidency and vindicate his longstanding preference for diplomacy over military action. But failure would be a stinging defeat for a president who is already under heavy criticism from opponents over his approach to the Middle East and Russia.

The negotiations seem likely to be extended for at least several more months, although the onus will be on Obama to explain why he believes just a little more time

will clinch a deal. An agreement presumably would force the West to trust Tehran — at least to some extent — to abide by limits for uranium

enrichment and give more access to international weapons inspectors.

Success would not provide immediate relief to Iran from

sanctions that have become so layered and intertwined that their effects could not be lifted at once. And some critics of Iran in the region

A pro-Russian separatist from the Vostok (East) battalion stands guard near a T-64 tank in Donetsk, Eastern Ukraine recently/

want the punishing sanctions to remain. But in nearly all of the world’s major battle zones — from Syria to Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza — Iran could hold major sway in pushing peaceful efforts, and if the nuclear talks fail now, there’s little or no reason for Tehran to listen to the West in trying to resolve such crises.

“The nuclear negotiations are no longer just a means in themselves — they’re also a means into opening a gateway for regional dialogue with Iran that’s really necessary,” said European Council on Foreign Relations policy fellow Ellie Geranmayeh, who talks regularly with the nuclear negotiators. “If the negotiations completely fail, then the West is put in a very difficult position in trying to engage Iran to be more constructive in the region to Western interests. And from the Iranians’ side, there is zero incentive, really, for them to engage in regional dialogue.”

“All sides have just too much to lose if they walk away at this stage,” Geranmayeh said.

Israel Poised For Gaza Incursions After True Collapses

ISRAEL urged the evacuation yesterday of several Gaza Strip areas where more than 100,000 people live, threatening ground operations after briefly holding fire under an Egyptian truce proposal that failed to stop Palestinian rocket salvoes.

Authorised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet to escalate an eight-day-old offensive, the military said it had sent out evacuation warnings in northeastern Gaza.

“Failure to comply will endanger your lives and the lives of your family,” said recorded phone messages received by residents of Shejaia and Zeitoun districts, which sprawl out toward the border with Israel and have more than 100,000 residents.

Israeli experts predicted overland raids to destroy command bunkers and tunnels that have allowed the outgunned Palestinians to withstand air and naval barrages on Gaza and keep rockets flying.

Israeli shelling attacks killed at least seven Palestinians earlier yesterday, according to Gaza health officials who said the death toll in the coastal enclave had risen to 202 and that most of the dead were civilians.

Israel said 26 rockets were fired at it from Gaza, including at commercial hub Tel Aviv.

Some were shot down by the Iron Dome interceptor. Others struck without causing casualties, emergency services

said.

World powers urged calm, worried about spiralling casualties should Israel send tens of thousands of troops it has mobilised into Gaza. It is one of the world’s mostly densely populated areas, its poverty exacerbated by the collapse of public works and displacement of at least 18,000 Palestinians who the UN said have taken shelter at its Gaza City schools.

On Tuesday, Israel unilaterally accepted an Egyptian blueprint for a ceasefire. The dominant Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, however, said it had not been consulted by Cairo and kept up rocket attacks while Israel held back for six hours.

With Palestinian fire having inflicted the first Israeli fatality of the conflict - a civilian bringing food to soldiers near Gaza - Netanyahu vowed to “expand and intensify” to stop persistent rocket strikes that have made a race for shelters a daily routine for hundreds of thousands in the Jewish state.

“The direction now is to continue air strikes and, if need be, enter with ground forces in a tactical, measured manner,” an Israeli official said after the security cabinet met overnight.

The Israelis blew up a crossborder tunnel last week which, they say, may have been just one of many that Hamas has dug for deadly infiltration raids on their southern towns.

While tunnel-hunting incursions would be far short

of a full-scale invasion and reoccupation, there is still the danger for Israel that risky and time-consuming missions could fall to Palestinian ambushes.

Hamas leaders have talked up their “tunnel campaign” against the Israeli enemy. One publicity video showed Palestinian fighters hauling rockets through a narrow passage to load onto a launcher that appears buried in an orchard. It is then fired remotely after its mechanised cover slides open.

Media reports on the Israeli military suggest it has just one dedicated tunnel-hunting unit, codenamed “Ferrets” potentially no more than a few dozen commandos equipped with breathing apparatus, attack dogs and scouting robots.

Detecting the underground network is a problem for Israel - as shown by the continued rocket salvoes from Gaza despite its intensive, intelligence-guided air strikes on suspected sites.

Geologist Yossi Langotsky, a retired army colonel and Defence Ministry adviser, said on Army Radio that Israel had failed to develop technologies to “hear” hidden digs, allowing completion of the secret passages that now await activation.

Amos Yadlin, a former commander of Israeli military intelligence, said a crackdown on the tunnels was pressing, calling them “the second-most serious threat

after the long-range rockets - or the primary threat, according to some”.

Yadlin, who now heads the INSS think-tank at Tel Aviv University, played down the operational risk to Israel.

“The tunnels cannot be tackled except from the Palestinian side, but they are in relatively uninhabited areas,” he said. “We would not have a problem maintaining control. I don’t accept the argument that this would be a sinkhole back into Gaza.”

Hamas has faced a cash crisis and Gaza’s economic hardship has deepened as a result of Egypt’s destruction of crossborder smuggling tunnels. Cairo accuses Hamas of assisting antigovernment Islamist militants in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, an accusation that the Palestinian group denies. The current hostilities were sparked by the kidnap and killing last month of three Jewish seminary students in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the revenge murder of a Palestinian youth.

Hamas leaders have said any Gaza ceasefire must include an end to Israel’s blockade of the territory, recommitment to a truce reached in an eight-day war there in 2012 and the release of hundreds of its activists arrested in the West Bank while Israel searched for the three missing teenagers.

Hamas also wants Egypt to ease curbs at its Rafah crossing with Gaza, imposed after the toppling of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in Cairo last year.

Insight WE all would agree with the fact that recent developments in the country seem to suggest that “so many” things are wrong with Nigeria’s corporate existence.

There is so much rivalry and antagonism in the land. There is so many agitations and bitterness. When one ethnic or regional group is not pitted against the other, one religious or cultural body will be up in arms against the other. The most deadly manifestation of this unsettled state is the rising insecurity situation in the country attributed to the Boko Haram sect, and of cause the divergent quest for political power and sensitive government positions by various interests in the country. The insecurity concerns for instance, especially that which is attributed to the Boko Haram sect, has subverted all rules and regulations governing Nigeria as an entity. The impression many get from all this is that Nigeria is on a cliff hanger.

It is daily becoming obvious that majority of Nigerians no longer believe in the present structural arrangement and therefore the need to come together to fashion out a way of living with one another. Perhaps, it is was against this back drop that in his October 1, 2013 Independence Day broadcast, the President told Nigerians he would convene a conference to provide a platform for a national conversation. He used the occasion to assure Nigerians, who had greeted the announcement of his government’s intention with a mixture of optimism and cynicism – well founded on a past littered with squandered opportunities – that the conference was “a National Project, a sincere and fundamental undertaking, aimed at realistically examining and genuinely resolving longstanding impediments to our cohesion and harmonious

development as a truly united nation.”

We cannot deny the fact that there is an overriding need to address the practice of true Federalism, and address the current security challenges for the progress and unity of Nigeria. There is no doubt that a country that has become as fractions as Nigeria needs to put its acts together. It is not for nothing that the country is bedeviled by challenges, some of which touch dangerously on its oneness. It is all of this that the ongoing National Conference, we believe, is trying to address. But despite the good intentions behind the convocation of the National Conference, decisions reached by it may amount to nothing if there is no law for a referendum for Nigerians to endorse them.

And once the report of the conference is approved by a referendum, the assignment of the National Assembly is no more than passing the approved report into law, without any amendment whatsoever. In line with this, we have advocated that it will also be imperative for the National Assembly to first pass a resolution that the outcome of the National Conference are legal and binding to all Nigerians. This is to avoid a repeat of the same fate of past reports on national issues; that were dumped. The national dialogue will be a fruitless exercise if the National Assembly does not ensure the legality of the outcomes of the conference.

Without a doubt, there are so many grievances and accusations against Nigeria and by Nigerians which the National Conference must consider and resolve with the sole objective of designing a new constitution (The Peoples’ Constitution) for the country, which will cast into extinction all the evil tendencies that have conspired to make Nigeria a virtual ‘ghost’ country; deeply and invidiously

Re: We Must Go Back To 1

By ZIK GBEMRE

polarized in all directions since 1914 to date. We must pull Nigeria back from the brink and from the precipice with a constitution made democratically by Nigerians through the national dialogue and affirmed in a referendum

by Nigerians.

It is against this back drop that we totally agree with Itse Sagay, a professor of law, who in a recent interview with the media, xrayed the ongoing National Conference and made some very profound suggestions that we believe will make “all the difference in Nigeria’s nation-building and future.” One of Prof.

Sagay’s suggestion, which is the subject matter, is that Nigeria needs to go back to its 1960 Constitution that gave rise to the Parliamentary System of Government.

In the words of Prof.

Sagay, he noted that: “we formed this federation based on strong federating units, the negotiation Nigerians agreed to, which led to the independent Nigeria as contained in the 1960 constitution. You cannot survive based on any other type of principle because what we are doing now is a sharing resources federation, not producing resources, people looking for free money, which was not in the 1960 constitution.

“Under that constitution (referring to the 1960 Constitution), 50 per cent of all the resources went to the State that produced it; 30 per cent went into a fund, which was used in cushioning States that have problems, financially weak and disadvantaged. Twenty per cent went for the running of the Federal Government. In fact, it was the regions that were producing funds to run the Federal Government, and

that is the way it should be, because the Federal Government is the poorest government in the country. It only has Abuja, all these wealth that the Federal Government has; do not belong to it, but to the States.

The Federal Government has seized them, taking them to itself, and then, grudgingly, gives them back in bits and pieces every month. We will never develop like that, so,

Jonathan needs to go there to address them, we have to go back to the 1960 constitution and start from there, so that development can come back to Nigeria as there will be productivity at the federating units. They will be competing and investing in various areas

“It is daily becoming obvious that majority of Nigerians no longer believe in the present structural arrangement and therefore the need to come together to fashion out a way of living with one another. Perhaps, it is was against this back drop that in his October 1, 2013 Independence Day broadcast, the President told Nigerians he would convene a conference to provide a platform for a national conversation.”

they have ignored in the past.

They will be up and doing, the whole country will be thriving with all these economic activities.

“Right now, everybody is sleeping because oil money is there every month. All you need to do is take transport to Abuja, collect your share, go back to your State, divide it among the elite, enjoy it and wait for the next one. We are not going to get anywhere like that. Jonathan needs to go before the conference and

they become ‘productive’.

The nation simply cannot depend solely on oil and gas wealth to develop, as it is presently constituted. We need to bring back the days of the Great Groundnut Pyramids, Palm produce, Cocoa exports and the likes in the Agriculture sector.

There is need to allow the various Federating Units of the country to become active by letting go on oil-wealthdependence and start developing the natural

very strongly wake up that conference to its responsibility. We must go back to the 1960 arrangement; there is no question about that”, Prof.

Sagay emphasized.

There is no better way to put the above fact that there is need for Nigeria to go back to how it started as a nation with the 1960 Constitution that gave rise to the Parliamentary System of Government that allow the Federating Units to determine their level of development while contributing to the Central Government. It is when the Federating Units are left to develop on their own that

resources in their territorial domain. By so doing, the nation will address the issues of unemployment, poverty and other hardship.

Another point that was noted by Prof. Sagay in the said interview was that the Advisory Committee headed by Senator Femi Okurounmu, that was set up

by President Jonathan to midwife the conversation, started on the wrong footing by laying a faulty foundation for the National Conference. Prof. Sagay noted that “the Okurounmu Committee did a terrible job. If the committee whose recommendations led to the setting up of the conference

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Insight

1960 Constitutiion - Sagay really did not know what their job was, what is the hope for that conference?

You can see how confused the conference is; it is walking into the bush. How many committees do they have, over 20 committees?

Out of those committees, something like 12 or three quarters of the committees is totally irrelevant. They are discussing ‘mundane things’ that we can normally discuss without a conference; customs, immigration, what has that got to do with the

onstitution, what has that ot to do with sharing of owers, national questions. o, the Okurounmu ommittee set the ball olling, directing us in the wrong direction and really making people waste useful me instead of concentrating n five or six subjects and ritical issues.

“Once we get over those ritical issues, the others will ome with time from good overnance. Corruption, ducation, those are things we should be discussing all he time, not at a conference; should be on the agenda of very state. How to curtail orruption, improve ducation, environment; hese are things that should

be on the front burner. We do not need a conference for that. So, it is a diversion, which is very costly,” said Prof. Sagay.

There are equally several valid points and issues that was highlighted by Prof.

Sagay concerning the National Conference, which we believe, President Jonathan really needs to come in to re-steer the National Conference in the right direction. We have decided to present most

aspects of the said interview of Prof. Sagay that highlighted all the points we would want relevant stakeholders to put into consideration. One of such ‘disturbing’ issues, as noted by Prof. Sagay, is the fact that: “from all indications, this conference is going the way of 2005 conference, which I participated. I say that because the northern delegates have come with an agenda, which is seemingly to frustrate the conference from making any change. In other words, the north has come with an immutable agenda of ensuring that the status quo remains.

And what is that status quo? A strong central government, which controls all the

resources and the powers of the federation. Their thinking is that they are the best political organizers and everything being equal, they will be the one running the Federal Government.

“So, if you have a Federal Government that is bloated with all the resources from the states, bloated with all the powers of the country, then having a northern government ruling the country permanently, that is their agenda. Thus, they are there to stall the conference, and what they did was to put an impossible ceiling of decision-making, 70 per cent. And no decision will ever reach that level. And they have made up their mind that nothing will change, that was why when it got to the resource control committee, it was suggested that derivation should be brought down to five per cent, knowing that, if they did that, and the people of South-South are talking about 50 per cent resource control, eventually, it would end up in the same 13 per cent, which exactly, is what has happened. Of course, with the South-South delegates, totally collapsing on that issue. Therefore, there will be no change because the north will not allow a change. They think they have the birthright of ruling this country and that they are to provide the leadership. So, they are stalling everybody and nothing will ever change as long as the present composition holds and they are succeeding in that. That is one aspect.

“The other aspect is that a lot of irrelevant things are being discussed at the conference. They are talking of unemployment, subsidy; these are totally irrelevant things to the conference.

Even issue of corruption should not be there. What

they should be talking about is how to divide and manage power. In other words, how much power should be at the centre and states? What is the degree of federalism that we should be observing? What about control of resources?

Those are the things they should be talking about, because if you look at all the other issues; police, immigration, unemployment and so on, they all come under power. But to begin to talk about education, environment, all these other things, it shows that a lot of people do not know why they are there and that is why they are going to be there forever.

They have gone totally into irrelevant things.

On the way forward, Prof.

Sagay, aside calling for the nation to go back to its 1960 Constitution, also expressed that: “the north will have to admit that their original position on Nigeria has to change. For us to move forward the north will agree to totally reverse that position and agree that power and resource control be with the States or Federating Units, because it could be regions.

They are the centers of development. If the State develops, the country develops. Even if the Federal Government has all the resources, the country cannot develop; we need the States to have all the resources and power that is where development is. That was why we developed so well in the First Republic, 1964-66. We did extremely well, because we had the powers in the regions with all the resources.

The north has to admit that.

“They have to agree that for you to live, you have to be productive, you cannot be a parasite all the time, you cannot have feeding bottles federating units, in which you are treated like a baby and you are sucking milk without raising a finger. We cannot have that kind of country. The north must make up its mind

to be productive; they should live on their own hard work, not on free donation every month from Niger-Delta oil reserves. It is a very difficult thing, but if you noticed, the north is still the least developed part of the country because their leaders, who are used to this feeding bottle federalism, collect all this money, spend it on themselves and their families, buy all the various houses and villas in different parts of the world. They do not invest it in Nigeria; they do not spend it in developing their zones.

The northerners are the ones who owned most of the oil blocks, and you do not see the effect of that in their regions.

That is the thing, the north has to change, they have to decide that they have cows, so they should have beef industries, they should produce cornbeef. They should stop Fulani from driving cows on foot to the south, instead there should be ranches and in fact become barons in those industries, rather than relying on proceeds from oil in the Niger-delta. If they continue as they are doing, the north will never develop. So, it is in their interest to change and join the rest of the world in the modern productive existence.

When asked if he thinks the President, having given the conference committee a term of reference should call the conference to order now that it seems to be derailing? Prof.

Sagay said: “Leadership differs. Some leaders provide a little initiative and go back into their shelf, allowing everything to go on. It is not my type of leadership.

Frankly, if I were Jonathan at this point in time, I will even go there to address them.

One, you do not need to discuss more than three or four topics, out of the 38 that Okurounmu committee shockingly drew up. It wanted discussion not only on education, but also on nomadic education and all sorts of ridiculous things. So, he should go ahead to cut it to three or four areas: resource control,

restructuring, division of powers among the states and Federal, and lastly, form of government whether it should be presidential or parliamentarian. That is all.

These are no doubt valid points that we strongly believe the President and relevant stakeholders seriously needs to put into consideration. But having noted the above points, it is imperative to reiterate here that the Nigerian problem is not in its constitution or about its constitution. This is hinged on the fact that the Nigerian constitution as it is, is not really the problem, but the problem has always been about ‘implementation.’ That is, our political leaders not having the political ‘will’, ‘commitment’, ‘vision’ and ‘sincerity of purpose’ to judiciously implement the contents of the existing constitution as it is. This has been Nigeria’s dilemma since the democratic dispensation.

The only major difference we wish to see is to see Nigeria move from the present Presidential System to a Parliamentary System of Government; which is what the 1960 Constitution, as suggested by Prof. Sagay, provides. But weather it is the 1960 Constitution or the 1999 Constitution, if there is no ‘change of attitude’ towards the sincere ‘implementation’ and ‘adherence’ of the contents of any of the constitution, we will remain a retrogressive-progressingdeveloping nation. Our political leaders ‘inability’ and ‘unwillingness’ to holistically and sincerely ‘implement’ the contents of the Nigerian constitution as it has been since 1999, is the major problem of the Nigerian entity. A situation where those that are supposed to implement laws do not do so, and those that are supposed to enforce the laws are also not faithful, then we should not expect anything to change.

Zik Gbemre, JP

“On the way forward, Prof. Sagay, aside calling for the nation to go back to its 1960 Constitution, also expressed that: “the north will have to admit that their original position on Nigeria has to change.

For us to move forward the north will agree to totally reverse that position and agree that power and resource control be with the States or Federating Units, because it could be regions.”

Art Alive

With Francis U. Odupute

Govt Should Give Subvention For Art Promotion -Bruce Onobrakpeya Iconical and quintisential Nigerian contemporary Art master, Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya, on February 22, 2014, received The Sun Lifetime Achievement Award 2013, for his numerous contributions to Art and creativity in Nigeria.

Our Arts Editor, Francis Odupute, met with him recently at the 16th Harmattan Workshop in Agbarho-Otor, Delta State, where the famous Artist harped on the need for government’s financial support of Visual Art Promotion in Nigeria.

Excerpts: *May we meet you sir?

Well, I’m Bruce Onobrakpeya. I am the chairman of Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation (BOF). What you see here is a dream, a vision I had many years ago, because I have attended similar institutions, both in Nigeria and abroad, and going back to sixteen to seventeen years now, we have been coming here, sometimes once or twice a year, some times several times a year, just to practice Art in order to make sure that both professionals and beginners in the Art grew and that the Art of the country takes preeminence, takes a very, very noble place that our Art in the past has put Nigeria. So, what you see now is just an afternoon when someone from outside, from a tertiary institution, has come to interact with us who are an informal education system. So that is we and that is where we are.

two weeks. We started on the 23rd of February and we’re ending on the 7th of March.

*We learnt that the workshop is ending tomorrow. It has been on for how many days now and how has it been?

Well, it’s usually two weeks workshop; when we have money, we can do several sessions but this session is divided into two,

* On publicity...

Well, you see, what is happening is that we had some help from the Ford Foundation two years after we started. But Ford Foundation later changed their policy and right now we don’t have any financial partner. We have people who

*So far what do you think is the response of people and their reactions to this workshop?

Oh well, people have been very enthusiastic, I mean very enthusiastic people; they like what they see here very much...what they do here very much. What is interesting is that we have people who have been coming here within the last eight, nine years. They have been coming here every time we have this workshop. And then we have even new people. And when you move round the entire structure here you see people working and working with all zeal, they are very much interested, and in fact when it is time for us to go, people don’t want to go, because they still want to work. So, that is this place.

Bruce Onobrakpeya

give us advice, who encourage us, but real financial partners we don’t have now. And so if we take more than we have now, it’s not possible for us to carter for because the fees they pay is heavily subsidized by BOF, and so the more people come in here the more money we have to find to subsidize them, so for us it becomes economical to keep the number down as it is now until we find partners who will be supporting us financially. *This kind of initiative is c o m p l i m e n t i n g Government’s effort in empowering the youths economically. In what way do you think the government can be of help

“What is interesting is that we have people who have been coming here within the last eight, nine years. They have been coming here every time we have this workshop.”

to this project?

Well, in plenty ways. …the government should give us outright subventions.

Subventions; give us money to help run the place—that’s the primary thing. And then give us money also to develop the structures. For instance, you are here, this make-shift library, you will see what we called hall, but you will see the main building there and we have chalets where the people stay.

Now we have acquired land on the other side; we need money to build it, to put proper workshop, to build a conference hall, to build a library and to build chalets so that we can make sure that this place as it is, can be operational for all year round. But at least, six months of the year, it’s active. If we get the money this place will be operational all the year round in artistic learning, artistic production and so on. Although right now, this premise is open all year round. Because we have works there in the gallery that people come to see; they draw people into this town.

Tourists come to see those works, schoolchildren come

in when we’re not here, to see these works and other people; filmmakers, musicians and so no use our premises, Church groups, young people and so on they use the premises for picnic.

So the place is useful all year round, but we want the workshop situation itself to be active all the year round. *Assuming other like minds, NGOs or artist bodies want to partner with you on mutually benefiting terms, in what ways can they do that?

Well, they come and then we share the responsibilities, they help financially and now and again they help us in our developments and their names will be amplified and… *Recently you were given a national award. Many people said it was a welldeserved award. What is your feeling about it all?

First of all, I thank God, His work in my life; He’s given me talent which he has helped me to develop. And then I thank my colleagues, other artists, for whom I earned the award. I thank

members of my family who have stood before me all along, helping me to work and don’t grudge me if the money we should use for family is put here [BOF]. I thank them.

Also I thank the Nigerian environment, particularly the Lagos environment where I’m staying for very, very many years; and the Lagos environment has been very, very good in putting me in… not distracting me from the direction of artistic creativity.

I thank the media people who have amplified what I have created and made a lot of people know about Art and have brought in new value into the Art. *Sir, how can this award spur you up to greater heights in promoting Art? Well, the spurring is what you see now. I have a new director. The director has been working for two years and I can safely stay away now and let that director work without my coming here. But because of this award and because of the interest that I have for Art promotion in Nigeria, I still come around to make one input or the other.

Art And Culture

Dualism And Exorcism Culture DUALISM is the principle of two separate spirits of good and evil or two divine beings of good and evil, the doctrine of two separate principles of the entire separation of spirit and matter or two divine beings of these characters.

There is variety of positions with regard to the causes of evil.

Dualism completely separates evil from good, and mitigated dualism affirms permissive relationship between good and evil, while exorcism is the act of expelling evils through certain ceremonies.

Exorcise is directed at the expulsion of demons from demonic possession, through the spiritual authority dealing on the presence of the evil person.

Major exorcisms can only be performed by priests.

The pattern in any driving force are motion, kinetic relating to activities or things in movement against the power of evil, when the people authoritatively ask that a person or an object be protected against the power of evil to withdraw from dominion.

There are always driving force relating to the belief in supernatural forces while evil denote

disorder, violence, dissipation, passion, irresponsibility and wickedness.

Dualism and exorcism may be imaged as divine reality being invoked. They may be seen as extending into the impersonal or as system in which divine reality is imaged as multiplicity of spirits or as belief in an impersonal kinetic force, such as vital force or things in movement against the power of evil.

Living beings are endowed with forces overflowing qualities, frequently imaged in dual symbolism, or constitute bi-sexual combination mediated by other spiritual powers.

Exorcism expels evils which are regarded as undesirable interior state which people want to get rid of, even if punishment is what makes the person conscious of the guilt.

Evil is an attack on divinely ordered world that offends the society.

The consciousness of evil is often expressed through sacred human beings which make the individual appears as passive object of external agency.

Expelling evils may portend conventional symbols which may yield additional meaning placed in a given context

of further communication, because they evolve multiple spirits.

Exorcism forbids certain actions that injure human beings and propels certain kinds of

the term for sin is the same as for punishment.

There is clear evidence from salvation prayers that sin is regarded as undesirable interior state which people want to get rid

behaviour and manner that could be treated visually while the invisible behaviour would be handled by the unseen spirit.

Evil, like an unclean spirit denotes disorder both physical and moral.

Evil is a crime which the society punishes, that which God punishes, so

off.

Evil is an attack on divinely ordered world.

It offends society, breaking relations with the spiritual guardians of the society and is not simply the transgression of arbitrary, positive law made by God. Deities may exploit an innate fear in the

“Prayer is an earnest supplication to an object of faith, individually or collectively in solemn address. Exorcism prayer in some form are accompanied with instruments to invoke the spirit and the deity that symbolizes the deity, the reality that sends the message or acting on the individual.�

With AMBROSE EKHOSUEHI

human power, even to affirm the existence of the force, pointing to the fact that evil beings had neglected the prayer of the people.

Prayer is an earnest supplication to an object of faith, individually or collectively in solemn address.

Exorcism prayer in some form are accompanied with instruments to invoke the spirit and the deity

to human values are strengthened and refined.

It is up to each person to decide what to make of Life, then the time for the exorcist person of vertical freedom and the moral conversion which consists of opting for truly good or even for value against satisfaction, when value and satisfaction conflict in dual culture.

that symbolizes the deity, the reality that sends the message or acting on the individual.

Unmerited misfortune with the human sphere takes the place of evil generated by the demons, unrepentant human beings and the inborn to harm others.

Exorcism is authoritatively requested to withdraw the dominion of the evil from the good evil.

Moral conversion changes the criterion of exorcism from satisfactions to values; as knowledge of human reality increase response

Exorcism is a form of charity that benefits those who suffer. The intermingle notion of many individual deities and of unique divinity and the impression that the sovereignty of the gods is a collegiate sovereignty with or without hierarchy in which each god is absolute ruler of a part of reality. All the gods together are absolute master of the universe in its totality.

Henotheism is tending to unify or reconcile those delivered from the influence of evil spirits in dualism and exorcism culture.

View Point

Goal Setting, A Secret To Success

THERE is a saying that; “He who fails to plan, has planned to fail.”

How this could likened to lack of “goal setting,” which can be termed a powerful tool for failure.

Many big dreamers had died without actualizing their dream, many are frustrated, thinking, they are under a curse. This is simply because, they work hard but no result to show for it. Some achieved, little far less than what they expect. Meanwhile, a key reason for this, is that, they spend enough time dreaming, thinking what they want from life, work harder than taking time to “set goals” for themselves. “It is dangerous to embark on a journey without considering your purposed destination.”

Therefore, goal setting is an effective tool for making progress. According to Susan Word Goal Setting is a process of deciding what you want to accomplish and maping out a plan to achieving your desire.

Also, goal setting involves establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time targeted.

According to James Manktelow and Amy Carison (Planing to live your life your way), it is a powerful process of thinking about your ideal future and for motivating yourself to turn your vision, dreams and imagination into reality.

It is a motivating tool embraced by great achievers of success in all walks of life, usually set by group, individual, institutions and establishments.

The concept enable people to understanding life destination, knowing precisely what you want to achieve, it gives area of concentration or focus in life efforts. Similarly, it serves as an anti distraction toward achieving your goal.

More also, it serve as guard line in setting long and short term vision. As well as unnegleted took for time and resources management also in acquiring knowledge in your area of focus.

Goals being a “motivating factor” it is a brain behind the moving speed every achievers made towards the pursuit for success. Setting sharp, clearly and defined goals makes you measure and take in the achievement of those goals. In the same way, it build self-

confidence to enable you known your ability and competence in achieving your goals.

However, in setting goals, according to James Manktelow and Amy Carison measures are to be consider for easy achievement; creating an imaginary “big picture” of what you desire to what you want to achieve in your lifetime (or at least, by an important and distant age in the future). Also to achieve in life, then move forward to break them down into smaller target that you must achieve at every given period of time.

Also, you must device a working strategies to achieve your goals. “Faith without work is dead.”

Setting a life time goals, the setter must put into consideration the following.

Career: you must know the level you want to reach in your career, financially. Know how must you want to earn, at every given stage and how its related to your life goal.

Education; goal setter should be able to ask his/her self questions like, is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular? What information and skills will you need to have in order to achieve others goals.

Family circle: Goal setters should know, if he/she want to be a parent, if so, how are you going to be a good parent.

Attitude; this is an inherent, quality that cannot be taking for granted in pursuit of goals.

The setter should scrutinize, his/her attitude to know, if any part of his/her mind set would hold him/her back knowing what upset you. Similarly, the social pleasure, should be consider as “all works no play make Jack a dull boy” but care must be taken, never take pleasure at the expense of your goals. Know how you want to enjoy yourself.

Furthermore, it is observed that many goal setters bitterly lament over series of questions on their inability to achieves their goals; such as why is my goals not achieved? What skills do I need? Are my goals not lucrative enough? These and many question. All the same no problem without solution.

Therefore, aspirants of success should note the various goals, skills and principles in realizing goals.

Similarly, there are short and long terms goals.

A short term goals are things

By MARTIN ERHARUYI you aspire to actualize within a short period of time of not more than five years. This is to assist in achieving your medium and long term goals.

While the long term goals are things you aspire to actualize in your lifetime.

In addition to the tips,

to reflect your changing priorities and experience. In the same way, setting a lucrative goals, according to Susan Ward demands the use of the ancrony S.M.A.R.T, to make your goals more powerful.

S – Specific (or significant)

measured above in setting personal goals, achievers should learn to set a fire year “smaller goals,” after creating your lifetime goals, that will help you complete your lifetime plan. Then, create a one year, six and one months plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goal.

Also, 20 list to guide your daily activities. Preview your plans and make sure that they are in line with the way you want to live your life.

Goals setters, should also, periodically review the longer term plans and modify them

M – Measurable (or meaningful) A – Attainable (ActionOriented) A – Relevant (Rewarding) T – Time-bound (Traceable) More also, setting effective and achievable goals required the following tips.

State each goals as a positive statement. Express your goals positively. It is an important skill that must not be underestimate.

Be precise: make your goals in a precise form by putting in date and amounts, so that you can measure your

achievement. It will help you known, when yours is realized.

Set priorities: This skill will help you to set priority (importance) for each of your goal. Also, it will help you to direct your attention to the most important ones.

Pen down your goals: It is a relevant skill because it gives your goals more force.

Keep operational goals small: Make the goals you are working on small and achievable. A tool large will demoralize you because, it will seem that you are not making progress.

Set active goals, not out come goals: an achievers should take care to set a goal that he/she can control as possible. It is mal to fail to realize a personal goal for reasons beyond your control.

In business goals, these reasons could be bad business environments or unexpected effects of government policy.

Also they could be poor

judging, bad weather, injury or just plain bad luck.

Finally, set realistic goals: achievers should spend time in setting goals they can achieve, set your goal yourself, others can set unrealistic goals for you, because of the ignorance of your own desires and ambitions.

It is also possible to set goals that are to complex because you might failed to recognized the obstacles in the way, the skill you need to develop to achieve a particular level of performance.

Similarly, business goal setting is not in any way different from personal goals.

Although, in business, goal setting it involve more persons (people) for it to be achieve, this made it more complex in nature than the personal goal setting one person.

In business, goal setting encourage participants to put in substantial effort. It define individual roles in achieving the goals of the establishment they represent.

However, it is an important tool for managers of establishments since it has the ability to function as a selfregulatory mechanism that helps employee prioritize tasks.

Business goal setters, are strongly advice to set goals that are transparence, understandable and make them (goals) known to the participants.

In conclusion, goal setting in a not shell, is about setting a target for oneself at every point in time, which require persistence, effort, cognition and choice also a pains taking concept that is needed in the journey to success. Avoid, setting an unachievable goals, make your goal simple and achievable.

Remember “dreaming, vision, and imagination are good but reality is better.

“A short term goals are things you aspire to actualize within a short period of time of not more than five years. This is to assist in achieving your medium and long term goals. While the long term goals are things you aspire to actualize in your lifetime.”

Opinion Promoting Traditional Wrestling

The Mgba Okposi Approach

Traditional wrestling (mgba in lgbo language) is one of the popular sports in the traditional lgbo society.

The popular novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe in 1958, gives a vivid description of the popularity of traditional wrestling amongst the lgbo people.

The lgbo traditional wrestling is a form of recreation that gives the young ones an opportunity to let off the steam and unbundle their energy via a sporting spirit instead of a fighting spirit.

At a time when some cultural practices and values are already going into extinction, the Okposi community in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi has kept this age-old culture and tradition alive.

Wrestlers drawn from villages that make up the Okposi community recently gathered at the community’s village square for the annual Mgba Okposi Festival.

The drumming and displays at the fiesta aptly reflected the scenes depicted by Chinua Achebe in Things Fall Apart, as the spectators applauded innovative drum beats and flute tunes.

A genre of music known as Egbenegbe Mgba was rendered by a group called Dimgba Union, which is composed of ex-champions, a demonstration that the competition is for courageous men and designed to motivate the younger ones.

The music signifies the commencement of the tournament after a procession by the wrestlers and a special procession led by the traditional ruler, Eze Comas Agwu, and members of his cabinet.

In this year’s edition of the fiesta, more than 24 youthful wrestlers and 30 adult wrestlers took part in the procession.

Eze Nwegwu of Mgbom Okposi defeated other contestants to emerge the champion of the 2014 edition of Mgba Okposi Festival.

Mr Benson lgboke, the Director-General, Centre for the Preservation of Okposi Culture, said that Mgba Okposi Festival was always organised on the last day of Ekwu Festival, adding that the

festival was celebrated for a whole month. lgboke, an exCommissioner for Lands in Ebonyi, described the month as “a sanitation month”, as farmers then had some time to relax, after the end of the year’s planting season.

“So from the first day of this particular month called Ekwu, we have a sanitation programme in every village and other festivities, which will end with Mgba Okposi.

“There is nothing fetish with the traditional wrestling festival; absolutely nothing,” he said.

Or Ben lgwenyi, an indigene of the area, said that the wrestling competition was as old as the community. lgwenyi, who is the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ebonyi, said that in the past, warriors were identified in the community through the competition.

He also noted that young maidens were usually attracted to young men who displayed uncommon bravery and valour during the contest. lgwenyi noted with satisfaction that in spite of the setback which the event suffered in the past; the competition had been revived.

He underscored the need to preserve the culture of the people.

“Unfortunately, Western education has succeeded in educating us in the way of the white man and it has also propelled us to jettison the African culture.

“Right now, our culture is dying and we do not know what will happen in the next 20 years.

“So we want to get back to our roots, particularly for those customs that do not touch on sacrifice; the wrestling was a platform used by our people to identify the strong men of the community,” lgwenyi noted.

A C priest, Monsignor Lawrence Nwachukwu-Aja, said that Mgba Okposi Festival was one of the ways of building friendship; while Mr lkechukwu Eke, another spectator, noted that the fiesta had promoted peace in the area.

“I am a Catholic priest, Catholic faithful are known for their sporting activities; we

are all interested in all kinds of sports.

“It is a part of building up the body; as soon as the body is strong, the spirit will also work well, in accordance with our belief,” Nwachukwu-Aja

the ‘Mezie Okposi’ (rebuild Okposi) message that has started gaining ground.

“For the past two months that we came to office, we have adopted a mantra ‘Mezie Okposi’ and the concept of

sports.

“I am very impressed that back home here, we are rejuvenating one of the old cultural values of our people.

“The wrestling competition is a form of recreation that gives the young ones an opportunity to let off steam and unbundle their energy in

said.

On his part, Eke said that the wrestling competition would help to promote unity and spirit of sportsmanship among the youth.

“In view of what is happening in our country nowadays, the wrestling contest is one of the ways adopted by our community to build communal trust,” he said.

Mr Magnus Eze, the Coordinator of Okposi Development Centre, noted that the mammoth crowd that attended the event this year was an indication of cultural renaissance in the area.

“There is a total renaissance in Okposi and it is driven by

‘Mezie Okopsi’ is basically to rebuild Okposi.

“So, culturally and sportswise, we have encouraged this spirit of rebuilding, rediscovery, coming together again; coming together and behaving as one family.

“The people now believe in the community which they come from,” Eze said, adding that the centre was planning to involve other key players in the private sector in efforts to take Mgba Okposi Festival to the next level.

One of the guests, Chief Dave Nwachukwu, who commended the people of Okposi for upholding their culture, advocated the promotion of indigenous

a sporting spirit, rather than in a fighting spirit.

“I think it is something that should be encouraged, even beyond Okposi to the other communities in Ebonyi where wrestling exist,” he added.

However, Mr Emmanuel Utobo, the Director of Sports, Ebonyi State Sports Council, pledged that the talents discovered at the Mgba Okposi competition would be encouraged by the council.

He urged other communities in Ebonyi to emulate the Okposi community and organise regular traditional wrestling competitions in their communities.

Utobo noted that the Traditional Sports Federation

By OBIKE UKOH (NAN)

of Nigeria was inaugurated as a National Sports Association on Aug. 19, 1993, due to the importance attached to traditional sports.

He recalled that traditional wrestling was among the 11 sporting events that featured at the maiden Traditional Sports and Games Festival in December 1994.

One of the wrestlers, Onyema Amos, said that although he was not the overall winner in the contest, he would continue to take part

in the annual Mgba Okposi competition.

“Every year, we used to do it; so, I have to come out and show my skills, I will not be afraid to do that in subsequent editions of Mgba Okposi,” he added.

Stakeholders urge the Okposi community to sustain the Mgba Okposi Festival.

They also want all the state sports councils in the entire South-East geopolitical zone to encourage communities to regularly organise wrestling competitions, akin to Mgba Okposi competition.

“Traditional wrestling is part of our heritage which should be treasured,” some say.

“Every year, we used to do it; so, I have to come out and show my skills, I will not be afraid to do that in subsequent editions of Mgba Okposi,” he added.

Stakeholders urge the Okposi community to sustain the Mgba Okposi Festival.

They also want all the state sports councils in the entire South-East geopolitical zone to encourage communities to regularly organise wrestling competitions, akin to Mgba Okposi competition. “Traditional wrestling is part of our heritage which should be treasured,” some say.”

Religion IN part one of this series, we concluded that politics means maneuvering and intriguing. A politician, by dictionary definition, means an INTRIGUER OR A MANEUVRERER or one who is interested in party/partisan politics or one engaged in political life/affairs, one who makes a profession or a game of politics. We shall now examine a

him. And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the

to be a king and was not distracted or lured away from His divine assignment, then we may probably learn from the parable given by Jotham, the son of Gideon, king of Israel in Judges 9: 8-15 which reads: “The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

But the olive tree said unto them, Should I

usefulness in God’s vineyard both to God and to man. And they valued their assignment in God’s vineyard more than the entanglement with the affairs of this life which

With

REV. OLU GEORGE through with many sorrows. Men of God are commanded to flee

thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door,

“Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.”

Christians And Party/Partisan Politics - The Mind Of God Part 2

biblical example of politicking and its grave consequences in Judges 9:1-6 which reads thus “And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed

plain of the pillar that was in Shechem”.

Abimelech, as an art of his political maneuverings and intrigues, hired thugs with money to eliminate his own brethren of the same father to pave way for his political ambition.

Politics involves fighting, bitter envying, strife, killing by the tongue and by the guns; all of these are contrary to the teachings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to true Christian virtues. Where there is strife and bitter envying, the word of God says, there is confusion and every evil work. The wisdom of politics is not from above; it is earthly, sensual and devilish as written in James 3:1416. It is not a profession or a game for the saints of God who have the hope of eternal life in view. If we cannot learn from the example of our Lord Jesus Christ who refused the earthly honour of being forced

leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.”

These proverbial trees recognized their divine

would have distracted their attention from their divine assignment. But the bramble personified

by Abimelech had no divine assignment and so was of no use to God and to man. He therefore saw nothing wrong in accepting the ruler ship position over the other trees in the forest, but with adverse consequences as written in Judges 9:56-57 which reads “Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.”

PRIDE OF LIFE amongst other things in this world is the root of the evil of politicking which some men of God have coveted after and have consequently erred from the faith even piercing themselves

“The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.”

the evil of politicking and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness as written in I Timothy 6:11. The duty of the saints of God especially genuine men and women of God (Pastors, Bishops, Evangelists, Deacons/ Deaconesses, Reverends) is to remain focused in the divine assignment of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God as commanded by Jesus Christ if at all they have a divine calling. Their duty as soldiers of Christ is to be engaged in spiritual warfare against the unseen forces of the darkness of the land and of the nation. Their task is to pray for the peace of the land and of the nation, in secret but not in an orchestrated televised public prayer so as to be seen of men Matthew 6:5-6. “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when

pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” The whole duty of the saints of God especially ministers of God is to pray for all men and for those in authority as written in I Timothy 2:1-4, so that all men ordained unto eternal life may be saved as they come unto the knowledge of the truth.

COURTESY: REV. OLU GEORG CHRISTIAN GOSPEL CHURCH (The Truth Centre) C a p t i o n : POLITICKING IS AN UNCLEAN THING FOR THE SAINTS OF GOD, WHO HAVE THE VISION OF HEAVEN. IT IS A COMPLETE DEPARTURE FROM THEIR HEAVENLY CALLING AND A DEPARTURE FROM THEIR FAITH. NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS. SAINTS OF GOD CANNOT SERVE THE TRUE GOD AND AT THE SAME TIME SERVE the god OF POLITICSWHICH IS the “god” OF THIS PRESENT WORLD,

Reflection

With REV. FR. JOHN DAMIAN ADIZIE PHONE: 08076635886

In Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 the Apostles Peter and John healed a crippled man as they were going to the temple for prayer.

Peter was not carried away by the ritual observance as most religious leaders do today, rather before entering into the temple for prayer Peter went to the crippled man and said, “Look at us… I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Instantly the man started walking, jumping and praising God.” As soon as the man was healed he went into the temple and prayed with others for the first time in his life. Imagine the kind of joy those in the Temple experienced that very day. It brought more glory to the name of the Most High God than any ritual sacrifice.

Healing ministry is no longer seen today as an integral part of the ministry of our Lord Jesus. It has been relegated to few special priests or men of God. Every authentic minister of God is called to heal the sick. Jesus gave his disciples the following mandate, “Heal the sick, and raise the dead…” (Matthew 10:8).

“Child of God, if you have not been using your gift of healing and if you have not been praying for the sick, it is not too late to start. A journey of many miles begins with a step. May God use you to bring healing to the sick and broken hearted.

Jesus and his disciples

The Authentic Disciples Of Jesus Christ

NIGERIA is experiencing vocation boom. A good number of young people are clamoring to become priest, pastor and even religious. We thank God for the gift of vocation! As the number of vocation is on the increase also new Churches are springing up. With the level of unemployment and poverty in our nation it is very difficult to ascertain those who joined the ministry as a means of livelihood and those who joined the ministry as a true vocation from God. As Jesus rightly said, many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). Not all that glitters is gold. So, how then can one know a true minister? Where can we find true ministers?

And what are the essential qualities a true disciple? What are the expectations of Jesus from his disciples? Before sending his disciples out on mission our Lord Jesus Christ took his time to instruct them. His instructions are full of expectations and inspirations. These are some of the qualities of a true disciple: 1. Vocation is a Calling: Most of the ministers you find in Nigeria today are self-ordained ministers. Some have ordained themselves Pastors, some Evangelist others Bishops and even General Overseer. Jesus once told his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide” (John 15:16).

“No take this honour upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was” (Hebrew 5:4)

in the gospel of Matthew 28:19 to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In the gospel of Matthew 10:7 He instructed them on what to do as they move out into the society and into the nations: “preach as you go, saying ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Only God knows how many kingdom oriented gospels we are preaching today. When Jesus started his own ministry his messages were kingdom oriented. He “came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15) The kingdom message is the essence of the gospel. Every authentic preaching must be kingdom oriented. Heaven is our final destiny. Preaching is 6. A True Disciple is a Healer: Healing ministry was an essential part of Jesus’ ministry. It was also a central aspect of the disciples’ ministry. In most cases while Jesus was preaching in the synagogue the sick were receiving their healing. A typical example was the case of a woman who suffered from the spirit of infirmity for eighteen good years. As Jesus was still preaching he saw this woman and said to her, “Woman, you are free from your infirmity.” As soon as he laid his hand on her, instantly the woman received her healing (Luke 13:10). Our Lord Jesus Christ was a healer. He is the greatest Physician the world has ever known.

2. Love is the essence of Discipleship: Our Lord Jesus Christ told his followers “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” A true disciple of Christ must love his follow human beings. Without this love it will be very difficult, if not impossible to please God. A disciple is a loving child God. 3. A Disciple of Christ must be fruitful and hardworking: Most people wrongly think that to be a minister is to be a poor beggar. Jesus wants his disciples to be fruitful and hardworking.

He does not want them to constitute nuisance in the society. He told his followers, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). Fruitful is indeed a necessary condition for discipleship. A minister of God should not be poor and dependent on others. If at all he must depend, he should depend only on God for his daily bread.

4. A true Disciple must embrace the Word of God: Every serious minded labourer must have some basic tools. The word of God is the major tool which every authentic disciple of Christ must acquire and embrace. Jesus told his fellow Jews who believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31). A true disciple of Christ must read the word of God, he must believe the word of God, he must teach the word of God and he must put 5. A Disciple must have a missionary Spirit: Jesus did not tell his disciples to build territories where people could come looking for them. He told them

Prayer of light

7. Jesus wants his Disciples to even Raise the dead: Our Lord Jesus Christ was not demanding the impossible from his disciples. In the gospel of Mark 5:21-43 Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. In the gospel of John 11:1-44 he raised Lazarus from the tomb after four days burial. Also in the gospel of Luke 7:11-17 he raised the only son of a widow from death. With these miracles Jesus proved to the world that with God all things are possible. If we truly believe in Christ Jesus all the impossibilities of our lives will become possible. With Jesus we can even raise the dead. Yes, if you believe, it is possible!

8. A Disciple must Cleanse the lepers: So many lepers were cued during the public ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For instance in the gospel of Mark 1:40-45 Jesus healed a man with leprosy. In Luke 17:11-19 ten lepers were healed. In the gospel of Matthew 8:1-3 Jesus did not just heal the leper; he even touched him, which for the Jews was a taboo. Jesus wants us to reach out to lepers, HIV patients, those who are suffering from cancer, mental disorder and many other deadly diseases and if possible heal them through prayer.

9. A Disciple is a Messenger: Jesus taught his disciples what it means to be a leader and a true disciple. He did this by washing the feet of his disciples. After washing their feet he said to them, “You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet (John 13:12-14).

A true disciple must be humble and must be at the service of God and humanity.

10. Give without pay: Finally, whatever gift we have received from God were given freely without any charge. God wants us to give them out freely without any charge. That is why he said, freely you receive freely you give (Matthew 10:8).

Child of God, who are you? Are you a true disciple? Examine yourself and your vocation in the light of these conditions. May God grant you the grace of discipleship and may He richly bless you, in Jesus name – Amen!

International Senate GOP Blocks Bill On Contraception Coverage WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans blocked a bill aimed at restoring free contraception for women who get their health insurance from companies with religious objections, a legislative setback for Democrats that they hope will be a political winner in November’s elections.

The vote was 56-43 to move ahead on the measure, short of the 60 votes necessary to proceed.

Democrats sponsored the election-year bill to reverse last month’s Supreme Court ruling that closely held businesses with religious objections could deny coverage under President Barack Obama’s health care law.

Republicans called the bill a political stunt aimed at helping vulnerable Democratic

incumbents in the elections.

Indeed, Democrats have seized on the birth control issue as they look ahead to November with hopes of energizing voters, especially women, to preserve the party’s Senate majority.

Democrats must defend more seats, and Republicans are upbeat about their prospects of gaining the six necessary to secure control, especially in GOP-leaning Southern states.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who is in a competitive reelection contest, summed up her party’s argument on the issue.

“A woman’s health care decision should be made with her doctor, with her family, with her faith, not by her employer with her employer’s faith,” Shaheen said in a Senate speech.

But Republicans said that the Democratic effort was merely a move to boost struggling incumbents and that both parties support a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Democrats “think they can score political points and create divisions where there aren’t any by distorting the facts.”

McConnell joined with two

Republican women, Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Deb Fischer of Nebraska, in backing separate legislation that would reaffirm current law on access to contraception and in calling for a Food and Drug Administration study on whether contraceptives could be sold over the counter without a prescription.

In one of the most closely watched races in the country,

McConnell faces Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in his bid for a sixth term.

Three Republicans broke ranks with their party — Sens.

Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mark Kirk of Illinois — and backed the Democratic-led legislation.

In a procedural move, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, DNev., switched his vote to no,

allowing him to bring the measure up for another vote closer to the election.

All other Democrats backed the bill.

National statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 99 percent of women ages 15 to 44 who have had sexual intercourse have used at least one form of contraception.

Obama No Quick Solutions To Foreign Policy Challenges WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama, facing persistent criticism of his handling of foreign policy, counseled patience yesterday on meeting challenges from Iran to Ukraine to the Middle East.

In brief remarks in the White House press briefing room, Obama appeared to push back against critics who feel he has failed to act decisively on a number of fronts.

Obama announced new sanctions against Russia over its aggression towards Ukraine, said progress had been made but more time might be needed to negotiate a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran, and said he was supporting efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians.

Obama also cited Secretary of State John Kerry’s help in trying to resolve a standoff over Afghanistan’s presidential election as an example of American leadership.

“We live in a complex world and at a challenging time. And none of these challenges lend themselves to quick or easy solutions, but all of them require American leadership,” he said.

“And as commander-in-chief, I’m confident that if we stay patient and determined, that we will, in fact, meet these challenges,” he said.

The comments seemed

designed to combat a perception among Washington’s pundit class that Obama and his team have fumbled foreign policy.

Washington Post foreign policy columnist David Ignatius wrote on Wednesday that Obama has been steady on Ukraine and in seeking a unity government in Iraq before launching airstrikes.

But he said a delay in framing a plan for stopping the Islamist uprising in Iraq and damaged U.S. relations with Germany were examples of White House inertia.

German Chancellor Angela Markel arrives for a media conference at the end of an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels yesterday.

US Slaps Toughest Sanctions On Russia, Targets Putin Allies

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW President Barack Obama imposed the toughest U.S. sanctions yet on Russia, striking at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s powerbase by targeting companies closest to him over what Washington says is Moscow’s failure to curb violence in Ukraine.

By imposing penalties on Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft, its second largest gas producer Novatek and its third largest bank Gazprombank, Washington targeted Putin’s allies, many of whom have become wealthy during his

tenure.

Moscow denounced what it called “primitive” revenge for events in Ukraine, and pledged to retaliate with sanctions of its own. Putin said the U.S. sanctions would damage American energy companies and bring relations to a “dead end.”

The sanctions, which in effect close medium- and long-term dollar funding, were also put on Vnesheconombank, VEB, which acts as payment agent for the government, and eight arms

firms, including the producer of the Kalashnikov assault rifle.

However, the sanctions did not freeze the big companies’ assets, close off the short-term funding they need for day-to-day operations, or stop U.S. firms doing business with them.

Several were quick to say it was business as usual. But Russia’s rouble-traded stock market and the rouble tumbled on opening.

After stabilizing, Rosneft and Novatek were still each down around 5 percent. The MICEX

US Cabinet Ministers Woo India’s Modi WASHINGTON - The United States said yesterday that top cabinet members will visit India in coming weeks to break the ice with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was once shunned by Washington.

Secretary of State John Kerry will visit on July 31 and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will travel to India in early August, culminating in Modi’s previously announced visit to Washington in September, officials told a Senate committee.

“We are confident we can work in a strong and collaborative partnership with the Modi government to grow our economic and strategic

relations with India,” said Nisha Biswal, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia.

Modi was once persona non grata in the United States due to allegations that he turned a blind eye to anti-Muslim riots that swept Gujarat in 2002 when he was leader of the western state.

He has denied wrongdoing.

The United States has rushed to make up for lost time since it became clear that Modi would cruise to victory in elections held in April and May. His Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept to India’s biggest electoral mandate in three decades.

Kerry will take part in annual US-India strategic talks, while

Pentagon official Amy Searight said that Hagel would seek greater military trade and cooperation with the Modi government.

Modi has largely shown himself to be a pragmatist on foreign policy. He has already met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping, despite his suspicions about the neighboring countries voiced before his election.

Modi did not reveal any lingering bitterness over his treatment by the United States when accepting President Barack Obama’s invitation to the White House, calling in a

statement for stronger US-India relations.

But Searight — responding to questions from Senator John McCain, a frequent critic of Obama who met Modi earlier this month — acknowledged that India has voiced concern about Afghanistan where the United States is preparing to withdraw troops.

“I am aware that they have strong concerns” about Afghanistan, Searight said. She praised New Delhi for its development assistance to Afghanistan, whose former Taliban regime sheltered vehemently anti-US and antiIndian groups.

index was off more than 2 percent.

The measures mean that Washington has moved far further to punish Russia than its EU allies, who collectively do 10 times as much trade with Russia as the United States and depend on Moscow for natural gas.

Nevertheless, the European Union also said it was imposing new sanctions and would draw up a list of targets by the end of the month. It will block new loans to Russia through two development banks.

Moscow said the European Union had “succumbed to the blackmail of the U.S. administration” to follow Washington in imposing sanctions.

The sanctions show a new willingness to act by Western countries over a crisis that has escalated in recent weeks.

Hundreds of people have died in fighting between Ukrainian troops and heavily armed proRussian separatists who have declared independent “People’s Republics” in two provinces.

Moscow denies supporting the rebellion, but many of the separatist fighters and their main leaders are from Russia. Kiev says they have been bringing heavy weapons across the border and that Russia shot down one of its planes on Monday.

Putin, who annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in March and has referred to southern and

eastern Ukraine as “new Russia”, had appeared keen in recent weeks to tamp down the worst confrontation with the West since the Cold War, pulling back tens of thousands of troops from the frontier.

But in recent days, Washington and Brussels say, he has again sent some 12,000 troops to the frontier and kept the border open for rebel fighters and arms.

Obama, who warned of more sanctions if Russia did not take concrete steps to ease the conflict, said Putin had so far failed to take steps needed to resolve the crisis peacefully. “We have emphasized our preference to resolve this issue diplomatically, but that we have to see concrete actions and not just words that Russia, in fact, is committed to trying to end this conflict along the RussiaUkraine border,” he said.

The sanctions show how difficult it can be for Western countries to punish Russia without causing wider economic harm. Russia is the world’s largest producer of oil and, after the United States itself, second largest producer of natural gas.

Rosneft is the biggest oil producer in the world that is listed on a stock market. The firm alone produces around 4 percent of the world’s oil, more than any OPEC country apart from Saudi Arabia. Any measure that seriously affected its production could cause a global energy crisis. There was no sign of one on Thursday, with oil prices only fractionally higher.

International Ukraine Hails Sanctions As Russian Stocks Plunge KIEV - Ukraine hailed tougher Western sanctions against Russia over its alleged backing for pro-Moscow rebels as separatists inched towards talks with mediators on a potential ceasefire to halt the

Washington drew a stinging response from Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning that they would inflict “very serious damage” on an already tattered USRussia relationship.

“I am convinced that this will harm the national long-term interests of the American state,

opened.

The United States has also targeted major Russian financial institutions, Gazprombank and VEB, as well as eight Russian arms firms to try to punish Moscow for failing to halt the alleged flow of weapons across the border.

Moscow rebels has intensified in recent days with some 55 civilians killed since the weekend alone.

Germany and France have been spearheading a push to revive talks between Kiev and the rebels over a potential ceasefire deal but attempts by mediators to hold a Skype

videoconference with the insurgents fell through Tuesday.

Senior separatist leaders have said they are committed to holding the Internet consultations but gave conflicting information on whether they would take place Thursday or today.

Ukrainian forces made a string of major gains after Poroshenko tore up an unsuccessful ceasefire earlier this month, but progress has slowed since rebels retreated into two major regional centres where they have pledged to fight to the end.

were killed.

Assad’s inauguration comes with much of the world’s attention focused elsewhere, as violence engulfs Iraq, Gaza and Libya, even as his forces pound rebel-held areas of Syria’s second city, Aleppo.

During the first two years of the Syrian revolt, which began as a peaceful protest movement before transforming into an armed rebellion, the opposition’s Western and Arab supporters repeatedly insisted he step down.

But the rise of the jihadist Islamic State (IS) in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq has turned the tide.

Assad has from the outset branded the revolt a foreignbacked “terrorist plot”, refusing to recognise any genuine movement for change.

He won the election, held in government-controlled areas only, with 88.7 percent of the vote, defeating two little-known rival candidates.

Assad issued a fresh call Wednesday for “national dialogue”, but ruled out talks with “those who have not proven their patriotism”, referring to the exiled opposition.

“We stress the need to press on with national reconciliation to stop the bloodshed,” said

Assad, who regime has clinched a string of local truces around Damascus that activists say remain fragile.

The opposition National Coalition ridiculed the election even before it was held, in a sentiment echoed by US Secretary of State John Kerry and NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Samir Nashar, a veteran dissident and member of the coalition, admitted the world’s attention has since turned away from Syria.

“Unfortunately for Syrians, the instability (across the Middle East) has distracted the international community’s attention,” he said.

Analysts say the rise of the jihadists has been a “gift” for Assad, allowing him to portray himself as a bulwark against Islamic extremism.

Following in the footsteps of his father and predecessor Hafez, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for 30 years, Assad has ignored the calls for his ouster.

His regime has been propped up with support from allies Iran and Russia.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah has also sent thousands of elite fighters to back up the Syrian army.

The rebels by contrast have remained divided and poorly armed.

Weakening the rebels further, they have fought the IS since January, in battles which have killed more than 6,000 combatants.

After the inauguration, the government has to resign and Assad will appoint a new prime minister to replace Wael alHalqi.

But for the exiled opposition’s new chief, Hadi al-Bahra, Assad “is at the core of the Syrian conflict.”

And his predecessor, Ahmad Jarba, said in a statement: “Bashar al-Assad is a war criminal, and the only place he should be... is in an international criminal court.”

Speaking with journalists via the Internet from Aleppo, Maher al-Eissa, spokesman for the city’s opposition city council, said: “Assad continues to commit crimes while continuing to kill and shell ...

“And now, after the election farce, he goes on television and acts like nothing happened.”

President Assad Sworn In For New Term

DAMASCUS - President Bashar al-Assad was sworn in Wednesday for a new term, warning Western and Arab governments of the backfire they face for their support of the armed revolt in Syria.

In a triumphant speech before an invited audience after taking the oath of office at a red carpet ceremony in Damascus, Assad mocked the “fake spring” of the 2011 Arab uprisings.

Assad, 48, won a June election denounced as a “farce” by his detractors, three years into a devastating war that has killed more than 170,000 people and uprooted millions.

“Syrians, three years and four months... have passed since some cried ‘freedom’,” Assad said in his address, broadcast live on national television, referring to the outbreak of the 2011 revolt.

“They wanted a revolution, but you have been the real revolutionaries. I congratulate you for your revolution and for your victory,” he told supporters at the start of a new seven-year term.

“The mask of freedom and the revolution has fallen.”

Rebel mortar fire hit several districts of Damascus as Assad wound up his speech at the presidential palace, residents said.

State media said four people

President Barack Obama walks out after he talks about Ukraine while in the press briefing room at the White House in Washington. the American people,” Putin fighting.

“Russia’s support for the told reporters in Brasilia, The United States and Europe separatists and violations of according stiffened sanctions on Moscow Ukraine’s sovereignty have - Russian markets down over Ukraine Wednesday, with continued,” Obama said as he But the immediate pain was President Barack Obama taking unveiled the measures. felt in Moscow with Russian his first direct swipes at the Moscow’s foreign ministry markets falling more than 2.5 Russian economy’s finance, said Russia would not bow to percent yesterday and the ruble military and energy sectors. “blackmail” from Washington plunging against the euro and The American package of and could strike back at the dollar. sanctions packed the most United States.

Shares in two giant oil firms punch and drew an angry threat “We do not intend to tolerate now barred from US capital of serious retaliation from blackmail and reserve the right markets under the new Moscow, further escalating the to take retaliatory measures,” sanctions fell steeply with worst standoff between the the ministry said in a furious Rosneft dropping 5.4 percent Kremlin and the West since the statement. and OA Novatek shares Cold War. On the ground in eastern plummeting 6.8 percent when More hesitant EU leaders Ukraine fierce fighting between the MICEX stock exchange meeting in Brussels lagged government forces and probehind but agreed to bolster their own sanctions against Russia, despite fears from some members that they might damage their own fragile economies.

Ukraine’s Western-backed President Petro Poroshenko welcomed the EU moves that involve the European Investment Bank and European Bank of Reconstruction and Development halting finance for projects in Russia.

“The European Council has taken an important step to support the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine,” Poroshenko said on his Facebook page.

Western leaders say the punitive measures are designed to pressure Moscow into forcing the rebels to end their three-month insurgency that has claimed more than 600 Chinese Coastguard ship (right), uses a water cannon to attack a Vietnamese fisheries Surveillance boat near the site lives. of the Chinese oil rig in disputed waters of the South China Sea off Vietnam’s Central Coast.

The sanctions from

International Israeli Strike Kills Four Boys

Ukraine Rebels Reclaim Village On Russian Border DONETSK, Ukraine — Separatist rebels said they retook a village near the Russian border from government forces Wednesday as both sides pressed to claim territory in eastern Ukraine.

Sergei Kavtaradze, a spokesman for separatists in Donetsk, said one rebel militiaman was killed and 15 others injured in fighting in the village of Marinivka. The insurgency’s military leader, Igor Girkin, told the Russian television station LifeNews that his men destroyed two Ukrainian armored vehicles and captured another.

Since the start of the month, Ukrainian forces have halved the territory held by the insurgency, which is seeking to wrest two eastern regions from Kiev.

Government efforts have focused efforts on sealing the border with Russia, where insurgents are believed to draw much of their hardware and manpower. The rebels have captured several Ukrainian border points.

The Interfax news agency cited a Russian border service official as saying that two heavily wounded Ukrainian border guards appealed to their Russian colleagues for medical assistance at the crossing near Marinivka.

In the rebel-held city of Donetsk, a stronghold for insurgent forces, militiamen loaded family members Wednesday onto buses heading to Russia. Daria Morozova, whose organization coordinates the flow of refugees from the eastern city, said 10 buses carrying 500 people were set to leave for Russia’s Rostov region.

Ukraine, meanwhile, announced that the Air Force will resume missions over the conflict zone for the first time since a military transport plane was shot down Monday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed Ukraine’s unfolding security crisis in separate phone calls Tuesday with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and with President Barack Obama, according to her spokesman, Steffen Seibert.

Poroshenko told her there are indications that heavy

weapons are getting to separatists across the Russian border and that attacks upon Ukrainian forces from Russian territory are increasing, Seibert said.

Seibert said Obama and Merkel expressed disappointment that Ukraine has still not talked with rebel representatives. The leaders also agreed that Russia had failed to implement effective border surveillance as hoped.

Merkel said the “possible consequences of these so-far disappointed expectations will be an issue” at Wednesday’s European Union summit in Brussels, Seibert said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meet in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sechei Russia.

A building destroyed by the Ukrainian Air Force in Snezhnoye, 80 km East of Donetsk.

THE military strike landed near a hotel where many of the foreign media are staying and the blast and its aftermath were witnessed by some of the media, including ABC News.

The boys were between the ages of 9 and 11 and all had the same last name and were two brothers and two cousins, Palestinian authorities said.

Everything You Need To Know About The Israel-Gaza Conflict Inside the Tel Aviv Airport When It’s Under Attack From Hamas Missiles The first shell killed one of the group of boys and sent four remaining boys sprinting across the beach, witnesses and Gaza medical sources said. A second shell struck, killing three more boys, the witnesses told ABC News. The fifth boy is in critical conditions, the medical officials said.

A concrete structure leveled at the site of the blast and ABC News witnessed the mangled body of one of the boys pulled from the wreckage.

Gaza health officials identified the boys as Ismail Bakr, 9, Ahed and Zakaria Bakr, both 10, and Mohammed Bakr, who was 11.

Seven others — adults and children — were wounded in the strike, Ashraf Al Kedra, a Palestinian doctor, told the Associated Press.

A statement by the Israel Defense Forces said it will investigate the circumstances of the beach incident.

“The IDF has no intention of harming civilians dragged by Hamas into the reality of urban combat. We are carefully investigating the incident in question,” the statement said.

More Ukrainian Soldiers Killed As Fighting Rages In East

KIEV/DONETSK Ukraine Pro-Moscow separatists battled to break through lines of government forces near the border with Russia in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, and a tentative step towards agreeing a ceasefire in the intensifying three-month conflict failed.

Fighting has escalated sharply since Ukrainian forces pushed rebels out of their stronghold in the town of Slaviansk 10 days ago. The past several days have seen Russia and Ukraine trade accusations of firing across the border.

Ukraine’s military said 11 more troops were killed in the space of 24 hours, mostly in clashes near the frontier.

Ukraine has been trying to put down a revolt by heavily-armed fighters, many of them from Russia, who have sought independence for two eastern

provinces since April.

Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in March after a pro-Russian president was ousted in Kiev. Moscow denies supporting the separatists in eastern Ukraine, but Kiev says many of the fighters and their leaders have travelled from Russia and brought heavy weapons across the border.

Ukrainian troops have

focussed their efforts in recent days on securing the frontier to prevent the arrival of more fighters and weapons. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine’s defence and security council, told journalists the separatists had attacked government positions along the border overnight.

Government troops had been ambushed by separatists at Izvarino on the border and there had been early morning clashes near the border settlement of Stepanivka when separatists tried to break out of encirclement by the army, he said.

“There was tank and mortar fire and from rockets on positions of the (Ukrainian)

‘anti-terrorist operation’,” Lysenko said. The number of casualties was being established.

Two days after the downing of a government An-26 transport plane, Ukrainian warplanes had been given the go-ahead to resume flights over the east, Lysenko said. Kiev says it believes the transporter was hit by a missile fired from Russia.

Japan Wary As Us, Europe Up Sanctions On Russia TOKYO — For Japan, the ramping up of sanctions by the West against Russia can be summed up in a familiar phrase: It’s complicated.

The tug-of-war over Ukraine threatens to derail Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s moves toward rapprochement with Russia. Relations between Japan and Russia have suffered

for decades due to a territorial dispute that has prevented the signing of a peace treaty after World War II. Yet Japan must toe the line on sanctions: It cannot spurn its main ally the U.S., nor European partners. It also has good reason to stand strong against Russia’s apparent support for proRussian insurgents who have

destabilized swaths of eastern Ukraine, given the parallels with China’s ambitions toward disputed Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea. Japan’s chief government spokesman offered only vague support yesterday for the coordinated American and European moves targeting Russian energy firms, financial

institutions, arms suppliers and four individuals.

“We are watching the situation of the EU and U.S.,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular briefing. “Working with the international community is our stance regarding Ukraine, so we would like to take appropriate measures in line with that attitude.”

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Man United Down To Third In Rich List

MANCHESTER United have dropped a place in Forbes’ top-50 list of the most valuable sports teams for the second year in a row, while Arsenal fall out of the top 10.

Just 12 months ago United 23 percent, up $0.6 billion to were worth more than any $3.2 billion, while United’s has other team, before being dipped by $0.36 billion to $2.81 overtaken by Real Madrid in billion. the 2013 report. Now they United, who will be without dip to third with Barcelona European football this season, moving up into second. have already secured additional Real Madrid are the most income with a sponsorship deal valuable team for a second with Chevrolet worth a total successive season. Forbes $559 million beginning the — calculating value on summer, while an adidas kit equity, debt and stadium deal worth $1.3 billion over 10 deals — estimates that Real are now worth $3.44 billion (two billion pounds), up $0.14 billion from 12 LOUIS van Gaal was officially months ago. unveiled as Manchester United The Champions League manager at a press conference at Old Trafford yesterday. win saw Real’s income rise The Dutchman was announced from around $62 million to as David Moyes’ successor in May, $78 million and their but his work with the Holland revenue streams are higher national team meant he did not than any other sports team. begin his new role until arriving at the club’s Carrington training Barcelona have seen a ground on Wednesday. huge rise in their wealth of

years will start in 2015.

Arsenal are the only team to drop out of the top 10, falling from 10th to 16th even though their value rose from $1.326 billion to $1.331 billion.

Once again the New York Yankees baseball team are the most valuable nonsoccer team in fourth place, valued at $2.5 billion.

NFL teams fill 60 percent of the top 50 slots, with Dallas Cowboys again the first to feature in fifth while

Los Angeles Dodgers move up to sixth, replacing New England Patriots who drop down to eighth.

Bayern Munich are one of the big climbers into the top 10, moving up from 12th to seventh with their value rising from $1.309 billion to $1.85 billion.

Washington Redskins and New York Giants drop a place to ninth and 10th respectively to complete the top 10.

New York Mets, Oakland Raiders and F1 team McLaren drop out of the top 50.

LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers is adamant that centre-back Daniel Agger remains in his first-team thoughts.

Agger struggled for consistent game time at Liverpool last season, making just 16 Premier League starts, and has been heavily linked with a move away from Merseyside.

Mamadou Sakho ended the season as Rodgers’ favoured partner alongside Martin Skrtel as Liverpool went within two points of winning a first league title in the Premier League era.

Agger has since claimed he will not be happy playing second fiddle again this term, while Rodgers’

Van Gaal Officially On The Job Van Gaal dodged the cameras at the main gate but was shown in pictures on the club’s Twitter feed alongside his assistant manager Ryan Giggs and executive vicechairman Ed Woodward.

He then met those players not on a post-World Cup break as well as the rest of the club staff.

Van Gaal flanked by Ryan Giggs (left) and Executive Vice Chairman, Ed Woodward

Cole, Lampard and Terry

Van Gaal has taken up the reins only four days after guiding Holland to third place at the World Cup in Brazil, forgoing a break himself. And the 62-yearold, United’s first manager from outside the British Isles, will have no time to ease himself in.

On Friday, United will jet off to the USA on their pre-season tour, where they will play matches against the Los Angeles Galaxy, Roma, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Van Gaal’s Old Trafford debut will come in a friendly against Valencia on August 12 and four days later United will open their Barclays Premier League campaign at home to Swansea.

A fast start will be a major priority for the new boss as United look to bounce back from last year’s seventh-place finish, which cost Moyes his job.

There is plenty for Van Gaal to get his teeth into, not least whether he wants to go into the transfer market to add to the summer signings of left-back Luke Shaw and midfielder Ander Herrera.

Defence appears to be an area of priority given the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja

Vidic, while Van Gaal must also decide whether a number of players have a future at Old Trafford.

United have been heavily linked with a bid for Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, a star of the World Cup with Chile, and speculation increased when Antonio Conte stepped down as Juve manager on Tuesday.

But at a press conference to unveil Massimiliano Allegri as his successor on Wednesday, Juventus insisted Vidal is not for sale.

Club administrator Giuseppe Marotta said: “Vidal is a Juventus player and we have never put him up for sale. A lot of clubs have asked for him but we have never sat down to negotiate.

“We want to keep him. Vidal has expressed many times how happy he is to remain in Turin and, if that is confirmed, we will be happy to continue together.”

Speaking in Chile earlier this week about the potential of a move to United, Vidal said: “I’m already at a great team, Juventus, so I will be just as calm if the Manchester United option falls through.”

THE most successful Chelsea skipper of all-time returned for pre-season training a week early to give himself a solid platform for his 20th year at the club.

Chelsea have evolved immeasurably since Terry joined the youth setup as a midfielder in 1995. After relocating to defence, he helped the Blues to three Premier League titles, five FA Cups and the Champions League in 2011/12 – all but one of those triumphs coming during his spell as captain.

“I didn’t imagine becoming a centre-half, for sure,” said Terry, 33. “I was moved back there for one game and the rest is history, but the most pleasing thing for me, having first come into the side when I did, is remaining here following the investment of Mr [Roman] Abramovich.

“We have had the possibility to sign the best players in the world – and we have done – but to still remain in the side is testament to my character and my determination to fight and work for my place.”

Abramovich has invested a mammoth £800 million on

transfers since buying Chelsea in 2003 – a total that rises significantly when factoring in wages and the other costs associated with running a football club.

Terry has been an omnipresent figure as the Blues squad has transformed season after season, but the Chelsea skipper’s next campaign will be a peculiar one following the departures of long-term team-mates Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole.

“It feels different coming in and Lamps not being sat next to me,” said Terry. “We have sat next to each other in the changing room since... well, since he signed for the club really. I’ve become really close to Lamps and Ash and they were my two best mates at the club.

“So I’m really sad to see arguably the best player the club has ever had, in Lamps, move on, for what he brought to the dressing room and as a mate.

“It’s the same with Ash. It was a big move for him to come here from Arsenal at the time. He

Agger Still Useful To Rodgers pursuit of Southampton’s Dejan Lovren has only fuelled speculation that the Dane’s future lies elsewhere.

But speaking after Liverpool suffered a 2-1 pre-season loss to Agger’s former club Brondby on Wednesday, Rodgers labelled the 29-year-old one of his top performers.

“Agger is one of the best players we have. He has been unlucky because he has been plagued by injuries last season,” the 41-year-old manager told reporters.

“He is a good player, he is experienced and we can use that in the upcoming season.”

The Denmark international played the first half of Liverpool’s opening friendly of pre-season at Brondby Stadion and Rodgers was enthused by his performance.

“Daniel has signed a contract with us [which expires in June 2016] and he showed in the first half what an excellent player he is,” Rodgers said.

Daniel Agger

‘It Feels Different Without Lamps Sat Next To Me’

took a lot of stick but it was a bold move and it took a lot of guts to do what he did. For me, he has been the best left-back England has ever had – that is why we signed him.”

While the former England captain accepts his time in the Chelsea first team is limited, he does not expect to be phased out just yet.

“When I first came into the squad, it was down to me to break into the team ahead of Frank Leboeuf and Marcel Desailly, which was a task in itself, but I have always relished that kind of challenge and I still relish it now – I don’t want to give up my place to a younger player,” he said.

“One day it is going to come to an end, but I’m hoping that is still a few years away. It’s funny to think about it but I’ve done everything at this club: washed the kit, cleaned the stadium, cleaned the toilets, washed the players’ cars. I’ve done some bizarre things that were part of my education growing up, but they’ve definitely served me well.”

Juventus Adamant Vidal Not For Sale JUVENTUS CEO Beppe Marotta insists star midfielder Arturo Vidal is not for sale this summer.

Manchester United have been heavily linked with a bid for the Chilean during the close season but, speaking at the press conference to announce Max Allegri as the club’s new coach, the official said the 27-year-old is happy in Turin.

“He is a Juventus player and in fact we have never put him up for sale,” Marotta told reporters.

“A lot of people have asked about him but we have never sat down around a table to negotiate. We will hold him tight.

“Given that, because of experience, I will say that it’s often a player who decides his future. He has many times said he is happy to stay in Turin.

“If these feelings are confirmed we would be happy to continue together.”

Arturo Vidal

Barca Icon Defends Luis Suarez Over Biting BARCELONA sports scandal director Andoni Zubizarreta

James Rodriguez

Matthias Ginter

reports Kroos will be presented as a Real Madrid player at 4pm UK time on Thursday.

The headline at the top of Thursday’s edition reads: “The day of Kroos.”

Real Madrid are expected

to sell Germany team-mate Sami Khedira to find space in their squad for Kroos.

Arsenal have agreed a fee with the Spanish club but reports on Thursday suggest Chelsea have made a late attempt to sign him.

James Rodriguez To Real Madrid Is ‘Imminent’

JAMES Rodriguez is almost a Real Madrid player, reports in Spain claim, after Monaco accepted an offer of +70m (£55.3m) and a player.

James will replace Angel AS say that the Ligue 1 club have yielded to Di Maria in Carlo James’ desire to move to Ancelotti’s team, it is said.

Santiago Bernabeu and in The Argentine is pushing to the next few days the quit the Champions League Colombia international winners as he does not feel will sign a five-year deal appreciated there. with wages of +7.5m a Manchester United and year.

Paris Saint-Germain are in However, the player to competition for Di Maria, move in the other direction has not yet been who is said to favour the decided.

Monaco latter as they are in the reportedly asked for Pepe Champions League for the and were swiftly rejected, coming season. as they were when Fabio PSG will pay +60m and Coentrao’s name was that money will be put brought up. Casemiro is towards James’ signing, AS more likely. add.

Borussia Dortmund Sign World Cup million.

BORUSSIA Dortmund Winner Ginter “For me, today is a have confirmed the signing of defender Matthias Ginter, who was a member of Germany’s World Cupwinning squad.

or not these reports from Spain are true. They do appear somewhat flimsy at the moment though with just one source going with it.

As for Di Maria, the link between him and PSG has grown stronger over the past two days and it seems likely he will be signing for them soon.

euros ($110 million) according to Spanish media, has yet to be presented at the Nou Camp due to the ban, which Barca are appealing against.

“Luis Suarez is a Barcelona player but aside from that we have been told by our lawyers to be discreet,” said Zubizarreta.

Zubizarreta added that signing a defender before the end of the transfer window remained a priority for the club. They have brought in keepers Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo but have yet to sign a defender.

Last season Barcelona struggled at the back and failed to win any major trophy.

“This is a necessity for us.

Last year we had a good nucleus of centre-halves but (the now retired Carles) Puyol is no longer with us and we will try to cover his loss.

Hopefully we will have good news soon,” said Zubizarreta.

Barca are believed to be close to agreeing a deal with Valencia for Jeremy Mathieu.

“Valencia received our proposal and now they have to make a decision,” said Zubizarreta.

“It is a problem for 80 or 90 percent of the big clubs who are looking for players in this position. On certain occasions we have not been able to arrive at agreements that we wanted.”

defended new signing Luis Suarez over his World Cup biting scandal on Wednesday, saying that nobody was perfect.

Suarez joined the Catalan club in a five-year-deal last week from Liverpool despite receiving a nine-match international ban and a fourmonth suspension from all football related activities for biting Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s group stage clash with Italy.

“We accept that we are all humans and that we have our imperfections. We try to learn from when we make mistakes,” said Zubizarreta.

“Our history is full of bad days as well as good days.

Luis Suarez will be a star at Barcelona although Barcelona is more important than one player.”

Suarez, who cost 81 million

Ginter, 20, did not make an appearance in Brazil but is one of Germany’s many promising young talents and will hope to be a big part of the country’s future under coach Joachim Loew.

He was an ever-present for Freiburg last season and departs with an overall record of 70 Bundesliga games and two goals for the club.

In both 2012 and 2013 he was named Germany’s best player in his age group, winning the Fritz-WalterMedaile.

It is reported that the fee for Ginter is around £8

childhood dream come true,” said Ginter. “I was always a great BVB fan and will now wear the jersey of my favourite team.

“At Dortmund, I would like to take the next step in my sporting development. I am already looking forward to the incredible atmosphere at Signal Iduna Park and then be part of this wonderful team,” Ginter will link up with fellow world champions Mats Hummels, Roman Weidenfeller, Erik Durm and Kevin Grosskreutz when the team reconvene for preseason training in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, in August.

EUROSPORT’S VIEW James was always likely to move away from Monaco after impressing the world this summer. This seems like a very big deal for all parties concerned and it will be interesting to see whether

Toni Kroos Joins Real Madrid

TONI Kroos has joined Real Madrid from Bayern Munich for a fee in the region of £20m.

Kroos, who starred in Germany’s World Cup triumph in Brazil, said on Thursday to reporters that he would be joining Madrid “tomorrow or the day after”.

Now Bayern have confirmed that the talented midfielder’s transfer to the Bernabeu has been formally agreed.

“We thank Toni Kroos for his time in Munich, said KarlHeinz Rummenigge, Bayern chief executive. “We have achieved great success with him here. We wish him and his family all the best in Madrid and with Real.”

The 24-year-old, born in the old East Germany, who started his senior career with Bayern, has signed a six-year contract and will reportedly earn £5.3m a year after tax.

Kroos only had one year left on his contract so a player who scored two goals and claimed four assists in seven World Cup matches moves for an undisclosed fee which is reported to be just +25-30 million (£19.8-23.7m).

Spanish paper Marca

Toni Kroos

FIFA bans Rosberg’s World Cup helmet

FOOTBALL’s world governing body FIFA has stepped in to prevent Nico Rosberg from wearing a helmet featuring a picture of the World Cup trophy for this weekend’s German Grand Prix due to copyright grievances.

Rosberg announced on Wednesday he would be wearing a modified helmet for his home race at Hockenheim this weekend to celebrate Germany’s FIFA World Cup final triumph over Argentina on Sunday, a German flag with the World Cup trophy on top with four stars to commemorate each of Die Mannschaft’s victories.

But it has emerged Rosberg’s new lid design was in violation of FIFA image

• Germany 2014 World Cup Team

rights preventing anyone who does not have the right to from showing the trophy.

FIFA’s guidelines on the use of official World Cup branding state: “Any unauthorised use of the official marks not only undermines the integrity of the Fifa world cup and its marketing programme, but also puts the interests of the worldwide football community at stake.”

Rosberg’s manager George Nolte confirmed the helmet will be re-designed, ditching the World Cup trophy image but retaining the four stars to mark Germany’s triumphs in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014.

Germany Top Ranking, Spain Slump

WORLD Cup winners Germany have taken over at the top of FIFA’s ranking, while Spain and England both slump down the chart following disappointing campaigns in Brazil.

Germany move into first place for the first time since almost 20 years, last holding top spot in March 1994.

Joachim Low’s side have, though, been in the top three since June 2011 and their World Cup success finally moves them back to the summit.

They replace Spain at the top of the standings, who fall seven places to eighth after failing to get out of their group and only managing a victory over Australia. It is Spain’s lowest place in the ranking since August 2007.

Argentina climb five places to second after finishing narrow runners-up at the World

Cup, with Netherlands also making a gain of a huge 12 places into the top three after finishing third. It is Oranje’s highest position since they were second in March 2012.

Brazil move up from seventh to fourth while Belgium complete the top five, up six places, to match their highestever ranking from October of

Mouratoglou has admitted that she is in a “difficult period” in her life.

No kidding, you might think, seeing as she’s failed to get beyond the fourth round at any of the Grand Slams.

“Serena is clearly going through a difficult period. But since Wimbledon, we have had long hours of talks and we are getting back to work,” Mouratoglou told

tennismagazine.fr.

“Today she is in the mood to get back to training so she can return even stronger. At no time was there any question of us stopping our collaboration.”

Wimbledon - Unwell Serena retires after bizarre game of double faults Perhaps most intriguingly, though, Mouratoglou shut down questions about their personal relationship, which has widely been reported to be a romantic one.

“I have never discussed private matters and I am not going to talk about them now,” he said.

But then he went on to add: “There have been difficult things. For sure, Serena is in a difficult phase but I will leave it there.”

That will do nothing to shut down speculation that there are issues between them that aren’t helping her on-court displays.

Can she recover her form and confidence? Of course. But the more issues she encounters off the court the more people will continue to speculate about her future prospects.

Serena Mystery Deepens

AFTER that peculiar departure from Wimbledon, where she had to be helped off the court by big sister and doubles partner Venus, her evident ill health was explained as “a viral illness”.

Williams herself played it down, describing it as a “bug”, without touching on the severity of something that disorientated her to such an extent that she was unable to hit a ball.

Now her coach Patrick

• Serena Williams

last year.

Portugal, Italy and England are among the biggest fallers — all out of the top 10 — after, like Spain, they failed to make the knockout rounds. England drop 10 places to 20th, their lowest position since May 1996 when they were 24th having not played any competitive football for two years ahead of hosting Euro 1996.

Portugal drop seven places to 11th while Italy are now 14th from fifth.

France’s renaissance continues as they move back into the top 10 in 10th for the first time since May 2010, when they were ninth prior to their implosion in South Africa.

United States drop one place to 15th, with Mexico up one place to 18th.

Elsewhere in the rankings,

Turks and Caicos Islands won their first match for six years, against British Virgin Islands in a Concacaf Gold Cup qualifier, to move off the bottom of the rankings — up 26 places to 181th.

• Sepp Blatter

Farah Fit For C’Wealth Games

DOUBLE Olympic and world champion Mo Farah confirmed he will be fit to take part in this month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after recovering from abdominal pains.

The 31-year-old, who is due to represent England in the 5,000m and 10,000m, pulled out of last weekend’s Diamond League meeting in Glasgow because of illness.

Farah was admitted to hospital in the United States with abdominal pains at the start of the month but after

coming through a series of medical tests, he was given the all-clear to resume training.

“Training is going good!

Next stop Commonwealth Games,” Farah tweeted on Wednesday from his Pyrenean training base in Font Romeu.

Farah is scheduled to race in the London Anniversary Games on Sunday.

The Commonwealth Games run from July 23 to Aug. 3.

The 5,000m final is on July 27 and the 10,000m on Aug. 1.

Mesut Ozil’s Donation Sparks Baffling MESUT Ozil reportedly gave away his £237,000 World Cup Charity Money Row winnings, but there are conflicting reports as to just who the beneficiary is.

The International Business Times mistakenly reported that Ozil, who helped Joachim Loew’s Germany to a 1-0 win over Argentina in the World Cup final, had donated his winnings to the children of Gaza – according to a story in the Middle East Monitor.

Amid unrest in the Middle East, it was claimed that Ozil – who is of Turkish decent and a practising Muslim – was prepared to donate his semifinal and final winnings, which equate to a grand sum of

£237,000, to the occupied territory.

However, this was quickly proved to be false, and conflicting reports now suggest that charities in Brazil are the beneficiary of the Arsenal midfielder’s earnings.

Rob Harris of The Associated Press explained how Ozil’s spokesman said the star had donated the money to projects in Brazil and not Gaza.

Wherever Ozil’s winnings have ended up, you can only commend the man for his selflessness and desire to help those considerably less

fortunate than himself.

Particularly given that he is showing his kindness with other pledges too.

Prior to the World Cup, he promised to sponsor the surgeries of 11 Brazilian children in need as part of the BigShoe charity campaign.

But now that Germany has won the World Cup, Ozil has announced that he will sponsor the surgeries of 23 children — one for every member of the German squad — to show his thanks for the host nation’s hospitality throughout the tournament.

Commonwealth Game NSC Explains Exclusion Of Technical Directors From THE National Sports Campaign

Commission (NSC) said on Wednesday in Abuja that technical directors of some sports federations were excluded from the pre-Commonwealth Games camping beacuse of travel logistics.

Bolaji Ojo-Oba, the Director, Elite Athletes Development, NSC, told The commission the athletes in view of logistics problems.

The technical directors of the seven sports in which Nigeria would participate at the Games scheduled for Glasgow, Scotland, could not depart with their teams.

“When we did not have enough seats for athletes to go, there was no point talking of technical

Super Eagles

Aftermath Of World Cup Performance

Nigeria Rise To 34th On FIFA Ranking

NIGERIA rose up ten spots to 34th place in the Fifa rankings released on Thursday, courtesy of the Super Eagles’ second round finish at the World Cup in Brazil.

The Eagles are now the positions.

World champions third-ranked African side behind Algeria and Cote Germany (1) climbed to d’Ivoire who finished in the top of the pile after the 24th and 25th defeating Argentina (2)

in the showpiece final on July 13. The South Americans are now in second place.

The Netherlands who won bronze at the World

Pacquiao-Algieri Clash In Bob signed Shiming and November I agreed to be the venue

MANNY Pacquiao, boxing’s second-biggest attraction, will take his act on the road again on November 22, when he defends his WBO welterweight title against Chris Algieri at the Cotai Arena in the Venetian in Macau, China.

The Filipino star is coming off an April victory in a rematch over Timothy Bradley. Algieri earned the bout by scoring an upset of Ruslan Provodnikov in a WBO super lightweight bout on June 14 at the Barclays Center in New York.

Manny Pacquiao

Pacquiao, who has won two in a row after suffering back-to-back defeats in 2012 to Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, is 56-5-2 with 38 knockouts.

Ed Tracy, the president and CEO of Sands China Ltd., told Yahoo Sports last year that the Venetian wanted to host several smaller regional shows a year with one major card featuring a well-known boxer such as Pacquiao.

sponsor for his first fight.

That went better than we expected. We made a deal for his second fight, and that was better than the first. It was at that second fight that Bob and I were talking and he asked me, ‘What do you really want to do with boxing?’ And I said, ‘I want a shot at Pacquiao.’ We talked about it a lot, and before the fight ended that night, we had a handshake deal to pursue the Pacquiao strategy.

It’s a fairly simple strategy, in my view. We have a continent in China with a billion more people than the U.S. There is a great hunger and thirst there for content; they want to be entertained.

And why not boxing? We had already signed a deal with the UFC and we were interested in the fight business and bringing it to China. So it was kind of a natural.

As a result, Top Rank has been bringing fights to China on a regular basis since. Arum has said it is possible he will also put cards in mainland China, as well.

Cup rose twelve places to finish 3rd on the rankings as Colombia were also rewarded with a 4th position.

Belgium (5) and Uruguay (6) follow but hosts Brazil dropped four places to finish 7th after a disastrous end to their campaign saw them concede 10 times in two matches.

Former world champions Spain fell from first place to 8th spot as they crashed out in the group stage. Switzerland dropped three places to finish 9th while France climbed up seven places

to the 10th spot.

England dropped ten places to finish in 20th place after their first round elimination.

In Africa, Ghana dropped one place to finish in 38th place and fifth in Africa with Egypt holding onto the 36th spot and fourth in the region.

Cameroon moved up three places to 53rd depsite losing all three matches at the World Cup. They are now the eighth highest-ranked African side behind Tunisia (42) and Guinea (51) while Burkina Faso (58) and Mali (60) round up the top ten.

directors. Don’t forget, coaching is never done by technical directors.

“Coaching is done by coaches. The coaches are there with them.

Technical directors are like glorified spectators, they don’t have much say. They are elected members of the federation.

“They are only calling themselves technical directors; they are to be chairmen of technical committees of the federations but you know in Nigeria we like titles.

“The technical directors will be there eventually but for now, these are the seats we have secured and priority should be given to the actors, the athletes.’’

Samuel Ekeoma, the Technical Director of Para-Power lifting and Lawrence Ikua-Ibom, his Weightlifting counterpart, were still in Umuahia and Uyo, respectively.

It was also learnt that the technical directors of the remaining sports were still lobbying to be in Glasgow even if not for pre-tournament camping.

The Games hold between July 23 and August. 3

Tammy Danagogo

Edo Gov’s Cup Swings High

THE 17th edition of Edo State Executive Governor’s Gold cup soccer championship opened in Igarra, Akoko – Edo local government area on Tuesday with pomp and fanfarl.

The Vice Chairman of Akoko –Edo Local Government Council, Hon (Barr.) Godson Ayeoye declared the championship open on behalf of the council chairman, Hon Foluroso Akerejala.

He commended the

organisers of the youth soccer championship Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) for sustaining the spirit and tradition of the annual youth soccer cranial which is organized in honour of the state chief Executive.

The council boss state that Akoko –Edo Local Government Council is pound to host the youth drawn from the 18 local government area of Edo state, and enjoined them to

savour the hospitality of the people in the locality.

Sixteen teams comprising of ten in the under-17 boys lategory ard six in the under-16 girls category are participating in the championship.

In the opening match, Orhionmwon boys team forced the host council team, Akoko-Edo boys to a goalless draw.

The champion spends on Tuesday, July 22, 2014.

CMYK

Kongi @ 80

Some Memories

THE cell-phone beeped frantically. With the caller ID with-held, it was easy to surmise that it was either a foreign call or someone preferring anonymity.

Pressing the receive button, my hunch was dead right. The baritone voice was unmistakable: it was the literary lion himself roaring from his den on the other side of the Atlantic.

“Hey Louis, what’s the trouble at home this time?,” he teased in his accustomed patriarchal flourish.

“Good day, Prof,” I responded and, excited that my repeated dials had finally paid off, quickly switched to the sarcastic mode Kongi had set.

“It’s Maradona again O. Of all the idle pensioners left in Nigeria, the NLNG people just declared that he’s the only one fit to give keynote address at the next Prize ceremony.”

Indeed, heavy dust had been raised earlier on this day in September 2007 following the unveiling of General Ibrahim Babangida as the lead speaker at the exclusive shindig, to which who’s who in Nigeria’s literary community get invited annually. As editor of Sunday Sun then with a robust literary section, this writer was urgently seeking Professor Wole Soyinka’s comment, to set the agenda ahead of the presentation ceremony scheduled for the following weekend.

Without mincing words, Kongi released the expected bombshell: “Abominable!!”

His logic was simple: having been linked to the unnatural deaths of a few literary celebrities as military dictator and having presided over an order that flagrantly stifled free speech, it was simply unacceptable that the microphone be yielded to the former military dictator at a ceremony intended to celebrate the spoken or written word. To him, that amounted to dancing on the graves of the likes of poet Mamman Vatsa (a military general summarily executed over alleged 1985 military coup despite passionate pleas from the nation’s leading writers including Soyinka) and Dele Giwa (celebrated journalist dispatched by a letter bomb on October 19, 1986).

Almost breathless with rage, Soyinka said: “I call on ANA (Association of Nigerian Authors) to boycott the NLNG Grand Award Night unless the organizers reverse themselves on the choice of General Ibrahim Babangida as keynote speaker, mindful of his antecedents. His choice is an affront on intellectuals in the country.

“NLNG has the right to invite whoever it pleases. It should also be understood that ANA, as a democratic institution, reserves the right to boycott.

Saying that invitation extended

to IBB is in the exercise of freedom of expression is a distraction. It is agreed that freedom of expression is consistent with democracy. Let it also be noted that ANA has, in this regard, a responsibility of action against the man who destroyed democracy in the country, whose policies stifled intellectual growth.”

With such thunderous denunciation by Kongi, yours sincerely was left salivating with some malicious pleasure at a steaming exclusive and did not think twice before making it a front-page story with the headline, “NLNG Award: Soyinka moves against IBB.” Predictably, Soyinka’s eruptions instantly triggered a concatenation of lightning and thunder across the land.

Literary snipers like Professors Niyi Osundare and Okey Ndibe added to IBB’s misery with their barbs. There were a few dissenters, however. At the end, the 2007 edition of the Literature Prize organized by the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas was completely overshadowed by the debate on the propriety or otherwise of inviting a military dictator to a literary feast.

Fleeting as it may seem, the foregoing anecdote nonetheless speaks to one fact: another confirmation of Professor Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka as the conscience of a nation blighted by vanity and amnesia, with a deep moral voice whose resonance not only sends fear into the hearts of men of power but also inspires generations of men and women to stand up and be counted for good. By and large, what truly makes Soyinka great is not so much for the monumentality of a talent that spews pithy poetry, gripping prose and transcendental drama. His greatness lies more in the courage and character he brings to bear in creativity.

At an age when no territory seems restricted any more, when many yesterday’s heroes and heroines have been exposed to be counterfeits, when more and more of the surviving statesmen would rather trade away their honour for temporary gains, Kongi remains an exemplar, distinguished from the multitude by his trademark hoary mane accentuated by an equally immaculate goatee.

My early contact with him was through the channel of the written word. Beginning from secondary school, to the polytechnic and later the university, I read tons and tons of Soyinka’s works to find my own feet as a writer. As many students will attest, Soyinka’s poems were a source of dread and torture. But the Kongi I would later encounter as journalist was a pleasant man.

Despite his world celebrity status, his humility is very numbing and, as the good teacher, he never allows any opportunity to mentor the younger ones pass.

As one of the pioneers of THISDAY back page back in mid-90s, this writer was introduced to him by a professional ‘egbon’ (senior), Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, during a flight to Abuja from Lagos.

“Oh, your face is already familiar,” he said, offering me a handshake. “You’re one of those I read on THISDAY back page.”

Coming from the owner of the word himself, the Nobel laureate, a famous name I grew up worshipping, I felt completely flattered that my own little juvenile jottings made

The rapturous applause continued when his speech ended. Reading the mood in the audience correctly, NLNG’s MD had little or no choice than announce the approval of Soyinka’s proposal.

To the younger ones like yours sincerely, Soyinka’s father-figure stature naturally makes him a guardian. But despite the wide age difference, Kongi also relates to you as a friend with incredible sense of humour.

During one of his frequent visits to Nigeria, he gladly consented to an interview request I made. The only problem was time, because he had several speaking engagements already lined

• Prof. Wole Soyinka some sense to Soyinka. I took his contact and tried to stay in touch. Thus began a relationship that grew from acquaintanceship to discipleship. He has a natural affinity, instinctive solidarity with anyone in the writing fraternity. I have seen him deploy his awesome clout to extract better deals for fellow writers. While delivering a keynote address at the inaugural edition of the NLNG Prize for Literature many years ago, Soyinka had tactfully badmouthed the organizers for being too “stingy” by the amount set aside as the Prize money in view of the “fortune you daily amass from the soil of Niger Delta.”

In clear breach of protocol, he thereafter unilaterally declared that in the exercise of his “natural powers” as the “defender of writers” the amount was upped from 10,000 to 30,000 US Dollars.

The Kongi’s coup elicited a standing ovation from the galaxy of writers gathered in the expansive hall that night.

up. Finally, he decided to squeeze out a space inbetween a lecture at the National Arts Theatre, Lagos.

On the D-Day, we were already more than thirty minutes into the session when I suddenly noticed that the tape-recorder was stuck. My heart skipped with embarrassment. I quickly demobilized the gadget and played back. Lo, not a single word was recorded!

“Haba! Louis, shame on you. You mean a journalist of your standing still carries around a counterfeit recorder,” he teased, without the slightest sign of irritation that his precious time had been wasted on account of an avoidable mechanical malfunction. Graciously, he accepted we begin afresh.

When invitation was extended to yours sincerely in 2011 to join the Adams Oshiomhole administration, Kongi was naturally one of the key professional guardians and counselors I immediately consulted. Without hesitation,

By LOUIS ODION he approved that I accept the offer to gain knowledge on the workings of the public sector and, more importantly, because: “Adams (Oshiomhole) is a credible person. Give it a try. I understand he is a hardworking governor truly committed to working for his state. When you come back to writing, I am sure your experience would be enriched.”

His fiery pen and caustic tongue notwithstanding, Kongi remains tender at heart; one who may disagree with you in principle, but never holds back in the fellowship of humanity or be detained by bitterness over the past. Only that could possibly explain the complicated relationship he has had over the years with his kinsman, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Feisty OBJ had decided to veer from the political turf as sitting president in 2005 to engage Soyinka in an epistolary joust.

In a statement he personally signed, he took swipe at Kongi for criticizing his policies.

But discerning observers who read the open letter could not but raise their hands in panic immediately, fearful of the approaching literary wrath on the proverbial errant native doctor who carries his ritual offering past a mosque. While it was easily conceded that OBJ was cantankerous by nature, many had expected that his fabled native intelligence would have served him well by dissuading him from venturing into a square rope against Kongi in a literary duel.

Their worst fears were soon proved right. Soyinka’s response was an atomic bomb. By the time the smoke cleared, OBJ’s presidential garment was torn beyond recognition. For once, the Ota chicken farmer became tongue-tied. Months later, the animus that open ‘roforofo’ (dirty fight) had generated would not prevent Kongi from showing up at the funeral of OBJ’s spouse, Stella, who died suddenly following complications arising from a medical procedure in Spain.

When OBJ finally met with Kongi face to face on the aisle outside the funeral parlour, the story is told of how the president exploded in a playful rage, ‘Wole, iwo! (Wole, You!)’, raising an arm in mock threat.

Defiant Kongi fired back, “Segun, Ori e! (Segun, your head!)”, thumping his own head in a supreme Yoruba gesture of contempt.

Obviously more embarrassed than amused by such show of audacity, the band of guards around the President cleverly looked away.

Again, when Chief Emeka Ojukwu qualified the victory he achieved in the sham elections arranged by the Abacha junta to select

delegates for the 1994 Constitutional Conference as conferring on him a mandate “superior to June 12”, vintage Soyinka gave expression to popular thinking in the country then by simply dismissing the ex-Biafran secessionist as “an expired warlord”. That critical riposte would not prevent Kongi from attending Ojukwu’s burial two years ago to pay last respect to a personal friend.

Same generosity of spirit is very much in evidence in his warm relationship today with General Yakubu Gowon. At the presentation of a memoir by the Oba of Benin early this year, Soyinka continually poked good-natured jokes at Gowon while giving a keynote address, to the admiration of the audience. It was hard to believe that it was the same Gowon who had clamped him into the gulag during the Nigerian civil war. In fact, his 20-month solitary confinement birthed the book, “The Man Died”.

When it was his turn to speak, the former head of state threw the crowd into a fresh bout of laughter by cautioning Kongi to watch his tongue: “You should remember that it was because of the same sharp tongue of yours that I sent you to prison in the 60s.”

Being the first black man to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Soyinka’s life surely sends an enduring message: the infinite possibilities of the black race.

Tunji Dare @ 70 Just as we are celebrating WS for being a worthy patriarch of the letters, national spotlights also shift to another literary pathfinder.

Engaging journalism tutor and master satirist, Professor Tunji Dare, turned 70 on July 17.

With his own personal example, Prof Dare teaches us that column-writing is a public trust, to be used for common good, not abused for self-aggrandizement. That the true worth of a writer is to be measured not by the number of friends he or she has high up either the political or economic ladder; but whether his or her voice carries any weight in the hour of moral crisis.

Faced with two difficult options of job security or pursuit of personal conviction in the heat of the June 12 crisis in the 90s, Prof Dare honorably resigned his commission at The Guardian, thereby sending a strong message: bread is tasteless without integrity?

As the master enters the septuagenarian club, here is wishing him many happy returns of the day.

• Hon. Louis Odion is Edo State Commissioner for Information

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