Nigerian observer 18 11 2013

THE NIGERIAN

The Nigerian

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol. 38 NO.356• MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 20 13 • N100.00

POLITICS

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Pg. 11 Oshiomhole’s 5th Anniversary And Dan Orbih’s Hallucination

ARCHIVAL MATERIALS Pg 21

Criminals Never Win!

NGF, Kukah task Amaechi on unity of govs SOKOTO - Bishop Mathew Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese has called on the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to ensure the forum’s unity.

Kukah, who was a guest speaker at the 2nd NGF retreat hold in Sokoto said it was imperative for the forum to remain united.

“I would be failing in

my responsibilities as a Priest if I do not say this.

“Your duties and responsibilities as governors is to give us

the confidence that we need.

“To me, you are 36 governors in this country and you must find a way to making sure that all of Continues on page 2

APC boycotts rescheduled Anambra polls

AWKA - The All Progressives Congress (APC) has boycotted the rescheduled Anambra governorship election in Idemili North Local Government Area, describing the exercise as “a charade and mockery of democracy”.

election were confined to a control room,” he said.

The governorship candidate said he had filed a petition to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to complain that Continues on page 2

Addressing newsmen in Awka yesterday, the governorship candidate of the party, Senator Chris Ngige, said it was also considering calling for the cancellation of the entire election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rescheduled the election in the Obosi following the late arrival of materials.

Ngige said the late arrival of the materials

was not only witnessed in Obosi but also in Awka South, Ogbaru, Njikoka and Idemili South local government areas, describing the areas as his stronghold.

“For example, in Idemili North, none of the polling units had result sheets and when they did in some areas, they arrived late when voters had left their booths.

“In Idemili South, especially my town in

Barr. Osikhena-Boih Donald frowns at the manner some members of the institution grossly under value properties, when called upon to render professional services to the state government.

The Commissioner pointed out that when properties are under valued, the state government suffer revenue lost.

He then advised the institution to re-apply to the Ministry for proper

screening and selection of qualified members of the institution.

At the meeting, chairman of Nigerian institution of Estate surveyors and valuers, Edo state branch, Mr. Isah Jatto thanked the Continues on page 2

NEWS CONFERENCE: L-R: APC Governorship candidate for Anambra State Election, Senator Chris Ngige, his Campaign Director-General, Mr. George Moghalu and APC South-East Zonal Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu during a news conference on conduct of the election at Awka, Anambra State yesterday.

ROWLAND OSAKUE/ INNOCENT OMOAKA BENIN CITY-The Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Cromwell

Idahosa, at a Special Court session to mark the opening of the 2013/ 2014 legal year has reiterated his

Alor, the voters’ register had the names of some eligible voters missing. It was a systematic rigging to remove the names of those favourable to me.

“There were forceful

locking out of agents of our party in Onitsha North, Awka South, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Anaocha and parts of Orumba.

“There were multiplicity

of security officials and our party observers, including Nasir el-Rufai, national women leader, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazo, and other ex-officio members who came to monitor the

Govt terminates contract with surveyors, valuers institution BENIN CITY- The consultancy services to Edo State Ministry of Lands and Survey by the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers has been terminated.

This was made known in Benin City by the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Barr.

Osikhena-Boih Donald at a meeting with the State branch of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers.

TIT-BITS “It seems that in most rich men’s Bible, the page where Jesus Christ advised a rich man of the benefits in sharing the profits from his riches with the poor is conspicuously missing.”

- Kingsley Ogbeide-Ihama

Justice system: Edo CJ reassures On Improvement commitment to improving the administration of justice in the state.

According to the Chief

will be released soon.

A Benin palace Chief, Osayomwanbo

criminal justice sector included the creation of the Benin Criminal Division and Edo North Criminal Division in Benin City and Auchi respectively.

This, he said is to speed up the daily prosecution of Criminal cases without hindrance.

Continues on page 2

Continues on page 2

Judge, the various measures taken at the previous legal year aimed at re-awakening public confidence in the

Science books in Edo language for release soon

By ERANGA ISAAC

BENIN CITY – In order to promote the teaching and learning of Edo

Language in schools in Edo State, Science

Books in Edo Language have been designed and

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News

Edo CJ reassures On Improvement

Continued from page 1

He added that, a 12-man Committee headed by Hon. Justice P.I Imoedemhe was set up to carry out extensive work on the “Administration of Criminal Justice Bill”, which he said awaits passage into law by the Edo State House of Assembly.

Hon. Justice Idahosa revealed that, the importance of quick dispensation of Justice to Civil litigation as it is to Criminal litigation gave rise to the need to unveil the State High Court (Civil Procedure Rules) 2012, which was unveiled in 2012.

According to him, a 5-man standing committee headed by Justice Daniel Okungbowa was inaugurated to monitor the operations of the new High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules with a view to suggest areas where further action(s) needs to be

Amaechi

Continued from page 1 you meet in one building.

“No matter what it takes, you have to organize that programme otherwise democracy is in danger, the future is in danger and you will all be held accountable,’’ Kukah told Amaechi.

He assured the governors of his prayers and support but urged them to be up to their responsibilities and give Nigerians a reason to love politics and politicians.

Reports say that the forum had since its last chairmanship election in May 24, been factionalised.

Also speaking at the retreat, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former EFCC boss, said that the actions or otherwise of the governors and those in leadership affected the way the common man sees democracy.

The former EFCC boss spoke on the role of States in Deepening Democracy and Federalism in the country.

He said governors had to sit up and take their responsibilities seriously in order to deepen the country’s democracy.

He stressed that corruption should also be avoided by governors if they must make genuine progress.

Ribadu maintained that good governance did not come by magic but through strong willed political leaders who were selfless, sincere, committed and cosmopolitan.

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, said that the syndrome of “godfatherism’’ in Nigerian politics was the bane of the country’s democracy.

He also said that security, judiciary, INEC, the military and money were the tin gods in Nigerian politics that should be fought by politicians and those in government.

This, he said, would ensure that the people became responsible for putting governors in office.

taken by way of Practice Direction(s).

The Chief Judge highlighted other areas where significant improvements were made in the previous legal year to include capacity building through sponsorships of various categories of officers to workshops and seminars within and outside Nigeria and infrastructural development.

He lauded the State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for his approval of the appointment of His Lordships, Hon. Justice N. A Imoukhuede, Hon. Justice R. Irele-Ifijeh and Hon. Justice V.O.A Oviawe as Judges of the High Court and Hon. Justice S. Uwuigbe as Judge of the Customary Court of Appeal.

He also lauded the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches in Benin, Ekpoma and Auchi for their cooperation during the previous legal year, stressing the need for greater synergy between Bar and Bench at all times.

According to him, the request of the Ekpoma Bar for the establishment of a Criminal Division in the Senatorial area is underway after the completion of works at the Court Hall in Ubiaja.

Justice Idahosa assured the members of the bar of his commitment to recommend more lawyers to the Chief Justice of Nigeria for appointment as Notaries in addition to the 12 sworn-in in the previous legal year, describing it as the highest since his assumption of office as Chief Judge of the State.

In his address during the session, the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Hon. Henry Idahagbon commended the Chief Judge for the introduction of the Edo State High Court (Civil

Terminates

Continued from page 1 commissioner for the opportunity of the meeting and congratulated him on his appointment as Commissioner for the ministry.

He promised to convey the message to every member of the association.

Procedure) Rules, 2012, which he said has aided in the speedy administration of justice in the state.

Hon. Idahagbon said, “the State Government is deeply committed to the principles of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary as an arm of government, as there can not be development without law and order.”

He however called on all stakeholders in the judicial sector to key into the promotion of an active and vibrant judiciary, being the last hope of the common man.

Mr. Kola Okeaya-Inneh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria

(SAN), in an address at the court session called for the need to involve SANs in the state in the process of selection and appointments of Judges for the High Courts and Customary Courts of Appeal.

He also, called for the provision of an enabling environment that would promote the services of the judicial officers in the speady administration of Justice in the state.

The NBA, Benin branch Chairman, C. O Akere Esq., spoke on role of the judiciary in the society with a call on members of the bar and the bench to promote the administration of justice in the society.

Modibo Stresses Youths Involvement In Nat’l Political Rebirth ABUJA - The former FCT Minister, Aliyu Modibo, has urged the Federal Government to ensure that youths were adequately represented in all of its political transformation programmes.

Modibo made the call on Friday in Abuja in a telephone interview with the newsmen.

“Honestly, being young is a transition period that needs to be properly guided into being a youth.

“But the truth of our country is that we cannot afford to ignore our large youth population,” he said.

He said that to ignore youths in the process of achieving political inclusiveness would be to the peril of the country.

Modibo said that youth development must be considered a serious issue for government to address, adding that youths’ social security must be central in any national reform agenda.

“Government must consider the education and employment rights of youths that constitute a large chunk of our population and also create opportunities for their advancement.’’

Science books in Edo

Continued from page 1

Osemwegie Ero disclosed this in a chat with The Nigerian OBSERVER in Benin City.

Chief Ero is the Chairman, Edo Language Committee set up by the Benin Traditional Council BIC).

He also disclosed that some words in Mathematics are being translated to Edo Language.

According to him, the setting up of the Edo Language Committee was informed by the need to promote Edo Language, especially with the endorsement by the State Governor, Comrade Adams

Oshiomhole.

With the excitement that followed the Governor ’s endorsement, and the approval of the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Chief Ero said Edo Language books in varied subjects have been and is still being published.

This, he said is with a view to meeting the needs of students and pupils in both secondary and primary schools.

To address the problem of lack of teachers to teach the subject, he said 200 teachers have so far been trained in Edo Language.

Rescheduled Anambra polls Continued from page 1

the election was compromised.

“I weep for Nigeria because this is a country of great hopes but this generation has decided not to bequeath any good to the coming generations.

“We will end up leading them to human socioeconomic quagmire. We are not going to participate in the charade that is going on in Obosi electoral division.

“When we made our request calling for an election in all the 306 polling units in

Idemili against Obosi alone, we also said we were all Christians of different denominations in the state.

“Today is our day of worship. The Churches start from 6:00 a.m. and conclude at about 3:00 p.m.

“Therefore, conducting an election on a Sunday is an affront to our religious belief and we don’t want our supporters to think we don’t honour God on a day of worship,’’ Ngige said.

According to him, the exercise gives the notion that INEC has taken one step

forward from the 2011 general polls and three steps backward in the Anambra election.

Fielding questions from newsmen, Ngige added that by the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2011, APC had the right to go to court to challenge the poll.

“With what has transpired and the degree of fraud, especially the question of result sheets not being sent with other election materials, we make further demands for the cancellation of the exercise,” he noted.

Etsako Club 81 elects new exco BENIN CITY – The Etsako Club 81, Benin Branch has elected its Executive Committee to run its affairs for the year with Mrs. Tawa Woghiren of Edo Broadcasting Service as chairperson.

Other officers are Estate Agent Isah Jatto as Secretary, Lady Philo Onwude Treasurer Chief Ferdinand Orhih (SAN) as Vice-Chairman and Alhaji Usman Abudah, a journalist

as the Public Relations Officer.

In a brief remark, the National President, Engr.

S.K. Ilugbekha called on the newly elected members to enhance the development of Etsako land through education, industry and mutual brotherhood amongst the people, stressing that it is not the number of members that matter, but “the positive awareness put in place”.

AWKA - No fewer than 20 election officials in the Anambra governorship poll were attacked in the early hours of yesterday by armed robbery suspects along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway.

One of the officials who preferred anonymity, told newsmen in Awka that they were attacked at about 3 a.m. while returning from Ihiala after the election.

The electoral officer said they were rescued by soldiers who were covering them from behind.

According to him, the suspects stopped them, but

on sighting the security vehicle trailing behind, they took to their heels.

“Some of us had already jumped out of the vehicle, and the timely intervention of the soldiers saved us.

“As soon as the robbers saw other vehicles behind us in a convoy, they escaped into the bush.

“We thank God for saving us. I wonder what would have happened to us, if there was no adequate security,’’ he said.

He said that none of the officials was hurt, neither did they lose any of their belongings in the incident.

Election officials escape robbery attack in Anambra

Health Minister urges caution in issuance of Drivers Licence

ABUJA - The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, at the weekend urged traffic agencies in the country to ensure that driver’s licences were issued to only those who were fit to drive.

The minister gave the advice in Abuja at the November edition of the FRSC monthly jogging.

“Only people who are physically fit should be issued the driver’s licence,’’ he said.

Chukwu said that the document should not be issued for the sake of making money.

The minister, who was the special guest at the event, underscored the need to be mindful of the physical and mental fitness of those who would be issued driver ’s licences so as to reduce road accidents.

He bemoaned the attitude of some commercial bus drivers who were often reckless on the road after ingesting alcohol and other drugs.

“It is very frightening when you travel in some commercial buses; there is need to maintain the proper behaviour of drivers on our roads,’’ he said.

Chukwu called on relevant authorities, motorists and other stakeholders to exhibit positive attitude that would aid efforts to prevent road accidents in the country.

“We need to resolve to move in a positive manner to avoid, prevent and ensure that those bad and evil things

that made us to retreat and reflect no longer happen.

“Today, we are remembering all those who have died on our roads, Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike.

“But in remembering them, we must ask certain questions: Why did they have to die? What went wrong?

Can we prevent such accidents so that we will no longer have to keep remembering the sad events?’’ he said.

The Chairman of FRSC Board, Mr Felix Chukwu, noted that the disobedience of traffic rules and regulations by road users was one of the major causes of road accidents in the country.

“Some of the accidents are caused by human factors, we are always very impatient; if motorists respect traffic rules at all times, accidents would be reduced to the barest minimum,” he said.

The Corps Marshal of FRSC, Mr Osita Chidoka, who was represented by Mr Abu Adei, the Deputy Corps Marshal (Administration), called for a change of attitude by road users.

This month’s jogging, which has “Let’s Have Roads That Are Safe for All’’ as its theme, was organised to commemorate the Africa Road Safety Day/World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Accident Victims.

The African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) had set aside the 3rd Sunday of November every year as the Road Safety Day.

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Address Country’s Challenges, NGF Urges Nigerian Leaders

SOKOTO - The Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers, has urged Nigerian leaders to make conscious efforts to address the myriad of challenges facing the country.

Amaechi gave the advice in Sokoto, while speaking at the

2nd NGF retreat.

“Nigeria is faced with lots of challenges which can only be overcome if her leaders make conscious efforts to do the right thing.

“This retreat is coming at the

right time in our national life when we, as leaders, must live up to the expectations of the electorate,’’ he said.

Amaechi said that the retreat would provide a unique

opportunity to undertake an indepth deliberation on the state of the nation and the challenges confronting the states.

He added that it was also an occasion to renew the vision of

Secretary to Edo State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere (right), receiving a document from the Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation, Josephine Washima (middle), assisted by President of the Telecom Operators/Technicians Association of Nigeria, Lord Osas Osunde (left), during a courtesy visit to the SSG. Photo: QUEENETH A. OROBEDO.

the NGF, which splinted into factions after its last election on May 24.

Amaechi said that the Forum would utilise the wisdom and experiences of invited experts to broaden its horizon on national issues, in line with its tradition.

The governor expressed the hope that the governors’ resolutions at the retreat would provide lasting solutions to some of the challenges facing the country.

Amaechi underscored the wisdom in organising the retreat, saying that it would enable the governors to collectively reflect on national issues and articulate the way forward for the country.

He, however, condemned the level of sycophancy in the country, saying that the governors were aware that the development was inimical to efforts to ensure good governance and development in states.

He said that a situation where sycophants lauded nonperforming leaders was not encouraging, adding that the development was somewhat

Obesity: Expert Wants More Public Awareness LAGOS - Dr Faith Nwuchi, Head of Customer Care at Managed Healthcare Services Ltd. (MHS), Lagos, has said that Nigerians should not remain ignorant about the causes and dangers of obesity.

She said this in Lagos, while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of a health walk.

The walk was organised by the MHS, in collaboration with the Catholic Chaplaincy Centre of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and the College of Medicine.

Nwuchi said that when people ate unhealthy foods and refused to engage in physical exercises; they were liable to become obesed, adding that they were also prone to contact some diseases.

She urged Nigerians to always be health conscious, adding that they should strive to keep fit, while watching what they ate or drank to maintain healthy body weights.

Nwuchi said that MHS was eager to partner with any group of individuals or agency in efforts to promote public awareness on health matters.

She said that the MHS had been participating in the annual health week programme to enable its message to reach as many Nigerians as possible.

“We want to inculcate in people the habit of exercise as a means of keeping fit and

maintaining their health,” she said.

Dr Eyo Nyong, the Head of the Organising Committee, told newsmen that every year, the LUTH chaplaincy organised a community outreach programme.

“Once a year, medical practitioners come together to give their time in service under a different theme and this year’s theme is obesity.

“There is need to sensitise people on how to avoid obesity and the attendant diseases that follow obesity such as hypertension and diabetes.

“After having the educational talk on obesity from dieticians and physicians this year, there was a strong recommendation for physical exercises,’’ he said.

L-R: Dr. John Anegbode, Department of Political Science, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Mr. I. Edemhanria, Department of Agric-Economics, University of Benin (UNIBEN) and Dr. G. I. Obeto, Department of Sociology, AAU/Resource Persons at a workshop on Industrial Harmony between Multinational Companies and Host Communities in Edo State, organised by Edo State House of Assembly Standing Committee on Public Petition and Labour Matters in Benin City recently. Photo: GODWIN ISEGUAN.

NPA To Turn Lighthouses Into Tourist Attractions

LAGOS - The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is considering going into partnership with some companies in the management of lighthouses for tourism purposes.

Mr Olumide Omotoso, Assistant General Manager (Hydro and Dredging), NPA), said this weekend in Lagos in an interview with newsmen.

A lighthouse is a strategically placed coastal building, often a tall round tower, with a flashing light designed to guide sailors or warn them of dangers.

Lighthouses are no longer being used in Nigerian ports due to the introduction of buoys large anchored floats, often equipped with lights or bells that serve as a guide or warning to ships.

Omotoso said that lighthouses could be turn into national heritages and boost tourism, adding that the NPA had renovated them in an effort to make them tourist attractions.

“The lighthouse with its big structure and revolving light can be developed here into a heritage as it is done in other parts of the world.

“It can serve as a historic piece because the structure is not modified; it remains the same, with its original unique features.

“Lighthouses are in all our ports. In Lagos, the old lighthouse is right in Takwa

Bay; we have them in Bonny, Calabar and Warri,” Omotoso noted.

He said that making lighthouses tourist attractions would educate people on the importance of aids to navigation and maritime safety.

“When people go to the lighthouses for tourism purposes, they will learn the importance of aids to navigation,” he said.

The assistant general manager, however, did not disclose when the partnership will start.

responsible for the bad service delivery of some leaders.

The governor stressed the need to put in place some indices to evaluate the service delivery of those in government, adding that this would spur development across the country.

Amaechi, who thanked Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State for hosting the retreat, also commended him for the laudable development projects in the state.

“Peer learning is our major hallmark in the Forum and there is no doubt that we would learn a lot from Sokoto State,’’ he said.

Earlier, Wamakko, in his welcome address, said that it was the responsibility of all the citizens to propel the country to a greater height.

“However, at this material time, those of us, who have the mandate of our people, should bear the full brunt of the country’s challenges and sacrifices,’’ he said.

Onitsha Residents Defy Scorching Sun To Cast Their Votes ONITSHA (ANAMBRA) Residents of Onitsha defied the scorching sun to fulfill their civic responsibility of casting their votes in the Anambra gubernatorial election.

Newsmen who went round Onitsha reports that there was peace and order at the polling centres.

Many of the residents also commended INEC for early delivery of voting materials and early arrival of its regular and ad-hoc staff.

Mr Echezona Amechi, an election monitor with Transition Monitoring Group, said the election had shown some improvement from the past, especially in timing and availability of materials.

“We are happy that the election process is going on smoothly. We have seen a great improvement in the commencement time and material availability – both sensitive and non-sensitive,’’ Amechi said.

Chief Okey Ibekwe, the Omodu-Daike of Onitsha, said the election was hitch-free and security was adequate in and around Onitsha.

Ibekwe noted that the accreditation was concluded in most polling booths with little or no compliant.

“So far, there was no cause for alarm; the election was hitchfree, fair and the people were happy with the way things were done.

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South/South Commissioner Tasks School Heads On Sport Activities

ASABA - The Delta State Government has urged head of schools to preoccupy school children not just with academic works but also with sports activities.

The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof.

Patrick Muboghare gave the charge in a statement issued in Asaba.

Muboghare, according to the statement, spoke at the formal reception in honour of the pupils of Ogedegbe Primary School, Warri.

It stated that the reception followed their brilliant

Delta To Fish Out Fake Students

ASABA - The Executive Secretary, Delta State Scholarship Board, Mr. Peter Amromah, says the state government plans to fish out fake students of tertiary institution who benefit from its bursary programme.

Amromah disclosed this in Asaba, at sensitisation programme organised by the Board for Tertiary Students of Delta origin benefiting from the programme.

The executive secretary said that the board had found out that some persons enjoying the government bursaries were not students of any tertiary institution.

He said that the board found out also that some students were still getting the bursary had overstayed in their institutions, warning such people to steer clear the board’s activities.

He said that part of the plan was to insist that would-be beneficiaries tendered their Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) online registration slips before being enrolled.

Amromah emphasised the need for students to be serious with their studies, urging them to embrace information and communication technologies for positive purposes.

He expressed disappointment that some Nigerian students could not operate computer effectively, but could use their mobile phones for some other things such as pinging.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion, Monsignor Buchi Aniye, commended the board’s plan to fish out the fraudsters.

Aninye noted that some nonindigenes of the state were benefiting from the state’s bursaries.

performance in the 5th channels national kids’ Cup competition held in Lagos.

Muboghare said that when children were engaged in sport activities, they would not have time for social vices.

He thanked the pupils for emerging the first position, which he said had put the state in the Nations Sport map.

He said that the state was becoming known across the globe with its performance in sporting activities.

“The state contingent performances at the 2012 national school sports festival in Port Harcourt were exemplary.

The state took the overall second position,’’ he said.

The commissioner expressed optimism that the school children would continue to make the state proud in subsequent competitions.

He thanked the teachers for their discipline and spirit of sportsmanship exhibited by the children during the competition.

The commissioner said that the state government would not renege on its promise of a training tour for the pupils outside the country.

The Head Mistress, Mrs. Mabel Meneko, the Coach, Mr. Edafe Stephen and the pupils expressed gratitude to the state government for the opportunity given them to utilise their talents.

L-R: Director General, Nigerian economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr Frank Nweke Jr.; the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Osita Chidoka; Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Chief Ecnomic adviser to the President, Dr Nwanze Okidegbe; at the 24th world Economic forum on Africa on Africa press launcyh in Abuja recently

Govt Evacuates Lunatics From Uyo

L-R: Representatives of International institute for tropical Agriculture, Dr Joseph Atehnkeng; Enugu State Governor, Mr Michael Eneh and Director-General, NAFDAC, Mrs. Stella Denloye at a NAFDAC A..otoxin Management workshop in Enugu recently.

Immunisation To Eradicate Polio Still On - Minister

ASABA - The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has said it had embarked on routine and supplemental immunisation activities to eradicate polio in the country.

The Minister of Health, Prof.

Onyebuchi Chukwu disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the 21st National Scientific Conference organised by the Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria (NACHPN) in Asaba.

The minister, who was represented by Mr. Donald Ordu, a senior official in the ministry, said the campaign had also helped to reduce the impact of vaccines preventable diseases.

He said that eradication of polio, limitation of occurrence and impact of vaccine preventable diseases using

education, immunisation and other proven interventions remained a priority of the Federal Government.

Chukwu said that remarkable improvement had been recorded in the area of paralysis, adding that the incidence of measles and other common vaccines preventable diseases were on the decline.

“A new vaccine against cerebrospinal meningitis has been successfully introduced in the endemic states of Northern Nigeria in collaboration with GAVI Alliance,’’ he said.

The minister said that Nigeria through the various campaigns had made considerable advancements toward achieving the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) since 2000.

Chukwu said that there was

tremendous progress in the health sector compared to where the country was in the year 2000.

He said that recently available robust data from the 2012 MDGs survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics, show that under five mortality rate had fallen from 191 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 94 per 1,000 lives birth in 2012.

“The infant mortality rate has fallen from 91 in 1990 to 61 in 2012,’’ he added.

He noted that the development of the integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Strategy and the National Strategic Health Development plan by the Federal Ministration of Health was a major contributor to the success recorded in the health sector.

Chukwu said: “as Nigeria

counts down to the target year of 2015, the Federal Government was considering its final push toward achieving the health MDGs. “The ministry of health is placing renewed emphasis on the implementation of the National MDGs Countdown Strategy by its programmes and parastatal agencies.’’

The minister said that the countdown strategy was linked with the Nigeria’s seven-point agenda and Nigeria’s vision for becoming one of the top 20 economies of the world by 2020.

Chukwu advocated strong political will by legislature and government at all levels, saying that this would go a long way toward achieving the MDGs. The conference theme is “Achieving MDGs by 2015the Prospect and Challenges in Nigeria.’’

UYO -The Akwa Ibom Government has commenced the evacuation of lunatics from the streets of Uyo, the State capital.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr Glory Edet, told newsmen in Uyo that the evacuation was aimed at bringing sanity to the city.

Edet said: “it is dehumanising for us as a ministry to see them roaming the streets without anybody caring for them and also making the state capital untidy.

“The state is a destination to all and sundry in the country and we need to make it look welcoming to our visitors.

“At the end of the operation, which will last for three days, we will retire all of these psychiatric patients to the Psychiatric Hospital in Eket, where they will be given proper treatment.

“So far, we have arrested 24 of them and they are under the good care of the Department of Social Welfare.

Edet said that some residents did not cooperate during the operation as they hindered members of the task force from arresting the lunatics.

She said the psychiatric patients would be treated by the State Government and ensure that they were effectively rehabilitated.

“The plan will not stop at offering them treatments but will also ensure that they are trained in certain vocations after which they will be empowered”, she added.

Edet said that at the end of the operation in Uyo, the ministry would commence similar operation in major towns like Eket and Ikot Ekpene.

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South-West Osun Begins Training Of School Administrators OSOGBO - The Osun Government said in Osogbo that it would pay more attention to constant training of school administrators as a way of attaining efficient and effective service delivery.

Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, the deputy governor of the state, who doubles as Commissioner for Education, stated while declaring open a three-day workshop.

She said the Gov. Rauf Aregbesola-led administration was committed to the training and re-training of its workforce with a view to imparting in them the skills needed to deliver the best.

The deputy governor said the state government would

achieve rapid transformation in the education sector through the lofty programmes being executed in all parts of the state.

She listed the programmes to include the distribution of Opon-Imo (computer tablet), O- Meal school feeding programme and construction of modern schools known as High, Middle and Elementary schools.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Lawrence Oyeniran, said leadership and management training remained essential tools for the development of the education sector.

Oyeniran said the training was aimed at assisting school managers to clearly

identify their roles as school administrators with a view to improving their performance.

He said they are expected to improve the quality of teaching, learning and

service delivery in schools as well as develop participants in school management.

Reports say that the

workshop was organised by the state government for teachers and administrators in the education sector.

Man, 25, Docked For Theft OSOGBO - An Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court has remanded a 25-year-old man, Jelili Hammed, in prison custody over alleged theft of three motorcycles.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr. Adebayo Lasisi, said the accused should be kept in Ilesa Prisons until November 19 when a ruling on his bail application would be given.

The accused, whose address is unknown, pleaded not guilty to charges of theft and conspiracy.

The prosecutor, Insp.

Solomon Oladele, told the court that the accused with others still at large committed the offences on October 10 at 4.00 a.m. at Isale-Aro area of Osogbo.

He alleged that the accused and his accomplices stole two motorcycles valued at N140, 000 property of Farinloye Olusegun and Isola Sanjo.

He said they also stole another motorcycle valued at N125, 000 belonging to Olakanmi Ola.

Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mr. Emeka Eze, presenting documents to the Director-General, Taraba BPP, Mr. Andrew Nenshi, after a month of understudying operations of the National BPP in Abuja recently

Court Jails 2 Brothers

OSOGBO - An Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court has sentenced two brothers, John Gyang, 25, Moses Gyang, 20, and one Sunday Joseph, 21, to three months imprisonment each for stealing iron rods.

The convicts, who are Sammya construction workers, had pleaded guilty to the twocount-charge of conspiracy and

stealing brought against them.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr. Olusola Aluko, convicted the accused persons based on their self admittance to the offence against them and the evidence presented by the prosecution.

Aluko said that though the convicts pleaded guilty to the offence and were sober and remorseful, justice still had to

take its due course.

Aluko, thereafter, sentenced each of the convicts to three months imprisonment with an option of N4, 000 as fine, saying the sentence would serve as deterrent to other workers of the company.

The police prosecutor, Mr Isiaka Ajadi, had told the court that the convicts, who were workers at Sammya

Construction Company, committed the offence on November. 10 at the company’s premises, Olonkoro area, Osogbo.

Ajadi said that the convicts conspired and stole 10 iron rods valued N7, 500 from the Construction Company but were caught by the security men on duty.

Commission Chairman Reads Riot Act To Council Workers

Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mr. Emeka Eze (middle), Director-General, Taraba BPP, Mr. Andrew Nenshi (3rd left) and other participants after a month of understudying operations of the National BPP in Abuja recently

OSOGBO – Dr. Peter Babalola, the Chairman, Osun Local Government Service Commission, has warned members of staff of Ila and Ifedayo local government areas against absenteeism.

Babalola, who gave the warning when he paid unscheduled visits to the councils, said he decided to visit the areas to keep the workers on their toes.

“The present government is particular about service delivery and there is no reason to condone indolence,’’ he said.

He said the visit was not aimed at sacking workers, but at maintaining discipline at the local government level.

“It will be unfair if a local government worker stays away from work or resume very late when the government is doing its best to promote

workers’ welfare.

“It is the desire of the government to make local government staff virile and professionally inclined.’’

Babalola frowned at the dressing mode of some of the workers at the councils, stressing that as professionals, they “are expected to dress officially at all times’’.

He promised to continue paying unscheduled visits to the councils.

“I will also not follow any particular order or list in visiting any of the local government areas in the state,’’ he said.

“I will visit all the 30 council areas one after the other and it will be impromptu; I can therefore assure you that anyone found wanting will be made to face the wrath of the law.’’

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Lagos

Lecturers Express Shock At Iyayi’s Death LAGOS - Prof. Ahunna Okerengwo, the Chairman, University of Port-Harcourt chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), said the death of Prof. Festus Iyayi was shocking.

Iyayi, a former ASUU president and renowned

writer, died in an auto crash on Lokoja-Abuja highway.

When contacted on phone, Okerengwo said that she was on her way to Kano for a meeting concerning the ASUU strike and was still shocked by the news.

She said that she would have a better appraisal of the

situation when she got to the meeting.

Toni Kan, a journalist and author of “Nights of a Creaking Bed” told newsmen that Iyayi’s death was a sacrifice.

He said it was another sad loss of one of the nation’s best.

Prof. Damian Opata, the Head, Department of English, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, also told newsmen it

was unfortunate.

“It is very sad coming at this time,” he said.

Born in 1947, Iyayi, who was the ASUU president in 1986, was also an author with

four books to his credit.

The late unionist won the Commonwealth Prize for Literature for one of his books ‘Heroes’ in 1988.

Plea Bargain: Lawyers

Express Divergent Views LAGOS - Some lawyers in Lagos have expressed different views on inclusion of plea bargain as a part of Nigeria’s laws.

The lawyers told Newsmen that plea bargain would reduce delay in the administration of criminal justice.

Mr. Onyekachi Ubani, Chairman of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, said that plea bargain would facilitate criminal justice delivery, if well applied.

He, however, said that Nigeria needed to specify modalities and conditions for application of plea bargain in its justice system.

Ubani suggested that, under plea bargain, accused persons should be removed from the “whims and caprices of prosecutors and judges’’ to avoid misapplication.

Ubani said that plea bargain should be applied only in specific cases, especially those that would take much time, money and other resources.

“The advantages are much if there is a law enacted on plea bargain clearly specifying the proper conditions for its application.

“It saves time and money; it restores confidence to the judiciary and will deter the

accused and potential criminals from committing crimes,” he said.

Mr. Spurgeon Ataene said that plea bargain would help the country to recoup what it had lost to corruption.

He said that plea bargain would not increase corruption but would reduce it, if well applied.

However, Mr. Ogedi Ogu said that plea bargain was capable of increasing corruption.

“Plea bargain in the Nigerian context can only amount to the more you steal, the more your bargain ability.

“It will amount to a pat on the back, which deserves condemnation if we are to have a corrupt-free tomorrow,” Ogu said.

L-R: Executive Director, Dangote Foundation, Miss Alima Dangote, Mr. Bill Gates, Lagos Commissioner for Agriculture, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr. Adebiyi Mabadeje, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Commissioner for Establishment, Mrs. Florence Oguntauase during a visit of Bill Gates to Governor Fashola in Lagos recently.

Eradication Of Polio: Bill Gates Calls For

IKEJA - Founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates has called for sustained collaborative efforts of stakeholders to eradicate the wild polio virus from Nigeria.

Gates made the call when he led other members of his foundation on a courtesy call on Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State at the Government House in Ikeja.

He said that laxity in the efforts at wiping out the scourge would be counter-productive as

Sustained Collaboration

the presence of the virus in any part the country posed a threat to the entire nation.

Gates said that Nigeria had made some progress, but pointed out that the country was still at great risk with the poor vaccination coverage in some parts of the country.

Reports state that President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko

Dangote, was among those who accompanied Gates on the visit.

Gates and Dangote Foundations have both over the years committed billions of naira to the fight against polio in Nigeria. “ Yes, so much progress has been made against polio but there is still much to be done.

“In Asia, it is only in Pakistan and Afghanistan where we are

yet to record zero prevalence, and in Africa, Nigeria, primarily in the North.

“Vaccination could not get to almost half of the children in the North East due to the unrest there and that is dangerous.

‘So, we are saying, everybody, traditional rulers, community leaders, governments, individuals and all other stakeholders need to collaborate to effectively fight the menace,’’ Gates said.

The philanthropist said that his foundation was spending about six billion dollars on the

eradication of the scourge in Nigeria and other high risk countries.

Gates praised the efforts of the state government in eradicating polio and other diseases, saying his foundation would collaborate with the state to enhance healthcare delivery. ‘‘I must also say that things now look much nicer here in Lagos than it was before.

“I was here about eight years ago, and I must say things now look better; the parks, the economic growth and others.

Lawmaker Wants Adequate Funding Of Lagos Safety Commission

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (right), presenting a souvenir to the Executive Director, International Association of Director and Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST), Mr. David Harvey (left), during a courtesy call on the Governor by the association at the Lagos House, Ikeja recently.

LAGOS - The Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Special Duties, Mr. Ipoola Omisore, has expressed concern over what he called poor funding of the State Safety Commission (LSC).

Omisore said this during an interactive session with officials of LSC led by the Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Odebunmi Dominga, at the assembly complex.

Reports state that the LSC officials were in the House to defend the agency’s 2014 budget proposal.

The lawmaker noted that the mandate of the commission was so enormous and important that

it might not achieve much if it was starved of funds.

“The mandate of the commission is so enormous.

They say prevention is better than cure.

“Safety commission is an important organ that can reduce element of risks, hazards and even collapsed buildings.

“It could also reduce avoidable and unavoidable accidents like factory accidents, and there could be alertness in case of disasters.

“This commission is supposed to do all that, but with the funds they are getting, it is like they are having funds to run the office only.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Across The Nation ENSIEC Presents Certificates Of Return To Elected Chairmen

Secretary to Bauchi State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Dandija; Governor Isa Yuguda; Commissioner for Education; Alhaji Sani Burra; Chairman, Governing Council, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi, Prof.

Andrew Haruna and Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Bala Azare, at the inaguration of a block of 24 classrooms constructed by the State Government at the Polytechnic in Bauchi recently.

ENUGU - The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) has presented certificates of return to the 17 local government chairmen-elect from the November 2 council polls.

Reports state that the commission also presented such certificates to the 260 councillors who won the election.

Presenting the certificates in Enugu, the ENSIEC Chairman, Dr Boniface Eneh,

Gov Aliyu Tasks CBN To Account For Oil Revenues MINNA - Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to account for the shortfall being experienced in the federation account since May. Aliyu said this at the 3rd MBA International Literary Colloquium with the theme: Creativity, Youth and

National Development, to mark his 58th birthday.

He expressed regrets that nobody had been able to say how much was actually accruing to the country from oil daily.

He said the CBN as custodian of all monies accruable to the Federal Government, should say what

was responsible for the decrease in the income of the country.

Aliyu said the NNPC had in the last six months returned less the actual income due to be shared between the local, state and federal governments.

“We don’t know how much we make but the outside

world knows what we sell, and how much we make.

“Since May a lot of money has not been paid into the national purse; we should hold the CBN responsible for this,” he said.

Aliyu said the nation should lay more emphasis on agriculture, to generate more money for the country and

Alhaji Sani Burra, the state Commissioner for Education, commended the governor for his efforts in transforming the education sector in the state.

He said that the new structure was specifically constructed to accommodate the school of management studies of the polytechnic.

Burra said that the structure was also executed in compliance with the requirement for accreditation of courses in the humanities namely Public Administration,

Business Administration, Accounting, Banking and Finance.

He commended the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), National Communications Commission (NCC) and other donor agencies for their support in the development of infrastructure of the polytechnic.

The commissioner said that TETFUND alone spent more than N2 billion for the construction of lecture

theatres, academic staff offices, central library, staff development centre and the provision of vehicles to the school.

Earlier, Haruna commended the Yuguda-led administration for its intervention in the education sector of the state.

He said that the project had demonstrated the prudence and transparency of the state government in managing and handling of public funds.

Haruna described the effort as the administration’s drive to deliver the dividends of democracy to the citizens of the state.

ABUJA - An Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Karu has sentenced Abubakar Abdullahi, Jatau Aminu and Mohammed Ibrahim to one year in prison each for burglary and theft.

Chief Magistrate Ademuyiwa Oyiyepo handed down the sentence after they pleaded guilty to two counts of joint act and theft filed by the police.

“Though the accused persons did not waste the time of the court, I hereby pronounce my sentence without further delay.

“Looking at the nature of the offence committed by the accused persons, I believe they should not go unpunished in order to serve as deterrent to potential offenders.

I hereby find you Abdullahi,

Aminu and Mohammed guilty as charged and sentence you to one year imprisonment each without an option of fine.

“The three of you are also to pay the sum of N130,000 in compensation to the nominal complainant since the stolen items were not recovered.

“It is hoped that you would all come out better persons after you must have finished serving your jail terms,” Oyiyepo said.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Mohammed Garba, had earlier told the court that the accused persons burgled a shop belonging to one Chibuzo Okoye at Area 1, Abuja, and stole items worth N130,000.

Garba said that at the police station the accused persons confessed to the crime, and

Bauchi To Implement Devt Plan For State Polytechnic

BAUCHI - The Bauchi State Government has pledged to implement a 10-year development plan for the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi to reposition it to meet global standard in technology education.

Governor Isa Yuguda made the pledge when he inaugurated 24 classroom blocks for the School of Management Studies of the polytechnic in Bauchi.

Yuguda said that the plan, which was designed by the Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council, Prof.

Andrew Haruna, was to place the polytechnic among the best in the country.

He promised that his administration would do its best to ensure that the 25-yearold polytechnic achieved its mandate of producing the needed middle level manpower.

“We have provided funds, facilities and other infrastructure to ensure that all courses offered in the institution are accredited.

“This is in addition to the 24 courses already accredited by the regulating bodies since the coming of this administration.

“We will continue to do so particularly in implementing the laudable 10-year development plan, which when effectively implemented, will transform the institution into a world class polytechnic, “ he said.

He commended the governing council, the lecturers and the students for their contributions in making the institution one of the best in Nigeria.

Burglary, Theft: Court Jails 3

that they gave the stolen items to one Adamu to sell for them.

provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.

He said Nigerian youths deserved credible role models and system where older generations must mentor the younger ones.

“We must, however, work towards reliving the period 1960 to 1980 when Nigerian youths had considerable opportunities.

“It is indeed our collective duty to provide compulsory and free education, create jobs, instil moral instructions in our youths.

“We should discourage desperate politicians from engaging youths in thuggery, banditry and terrorism,” he said.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, who was a guest at the forum, challenged Nigerian writers to publish books and journals on the serial corruption going on in the country.

Former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Secretary-General of the Pan African Writers Association, Prof. Atukwei Okai, attended the ceremony.

said the commission was performing the ceremony in line with the electoral law and the law establishing it.

“We have fulfilled our duties of the 2013 council elections and today, we are presenting certificate of return to those who emerged victorious.

“We thank Gov. Sullivan Chime for making it possible for grassroots politics to thrive in Enugu State,’’ Eneh said.

The chairman congratulated the chairmen and councillors for their victory, pointing out that most of them were returned unopposed because they performed creditably.

Eneh, however, appealed to the electorate to participate actively in council elections, noting that it was the government closest to the grassroots.

The ENSIEC boss urged the council bosses to emulate the exemplary leadership of Chime in providing democracy dividends to their people.

Responding on behalf of his colleagues, the Enugu East LG Chairman, Prince Cornelius Nnaji, expressed their commitment to living up to the expectations of the people.

Nnaji extolled the political will of the present administration in the state in sustaining the third tier of government.

He noted that it ensured effective grassroots participation in the democratic process.

Reports say that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won all the seats in the election with 12 chairmen re-elected for second term and five newly elected.

Jarawa dancers performing at the inauguration of a block of 24 classrooms constructed by Bauchi State Governemnt at Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic in Bauchi.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Abuja Court Affirms Inapplicability Of Land Use Act In Abuja

ABUJA - An FCT High Court, Abuja, has ruled that the Land Use Act was not applicable in the capital territory.

In a land ownership case instituted by one Saleh Yuguda against Major Owolabi and Lukman Obi, the court ruled that the FCT minister was the only authority that could allocate land within the territory.

The presiding judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, therefore ruled that the plaintiff’s Certificate of Occupancy issued by Bwari

Area Council was invalid.

In the case instituted on Feb. 11, Yuguda had urged the court to declare that he was the bonafide owner of plot 92, Cadastral Zone, FL 8, Dutse, Abuja, claiming that it was rightfully allotted to him.

He claimed that he bought the land in 1999 from one Nnodim Charles, who was originally allotted the plot.

He, however, stated that in Sept. 2012, he discovered that the land had been fenced by the defendants.

Yuguda therefore urged the

ABUJA - The Centre for African Israeli Development (CAID) has said it will train about 100 youths in each of the 774 local government areas as part of efforts to alleviate poverty.

The Director- General of the centre, Mrs. Sally Chinebu who said this in Abuja at a news briefing, noted that the gesture was to complement the Federal Government’s fight against poverty.

Chinebu said the training, which is in line with the Millennium Agricultural Transformation, would be of benefit to Nigerian youths, especially in the area of job creation and poverty reduction.

According to her, the training will also equip them with the relevant agricultural skills to embark on mechanised farming.

She said the training, when completed, would boost food production thereby ensuring food security.

Chinebu said the training would also enhance peace in the country, adding that at the end of the training, the youths would be empowered to utilise the skills acquired in the most profitable way.

“Mechanised agriculture has succeeded in Israel and other developed nations of the

world, hence the centre is focused on empowering Nigerian youths in the use of modern agricultural equipment.

“Our training is unique in the sense that participants will be exposed to the latest scientific discovery on how to rear livestock and cash crops,’’ she said.

According to her, participants will also be exposed on how to rear mushrooms, snails and grass cutters.

court to grant an order of perpetual injunction barring the defendants or their agents from trespassing on the land.

He also urged the court to award N5 million to him as damages and N2 million as legal fees cost.

Justice Halilu ruled that no Area Council chairman in the FCT had the authority to allocate land to any person.

“To the extent of noncompliance with statutory provisions of law, any of such

allocation made is null and void,’’ he said.

Halilu, however, ordered the defendants to halt further trespass on the land and awarded a cost of N200,000 against them for damages.

NGO To Train Youths

Leader of the delegation, Amb. Godfrey Teneilabe; Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen, and president of Houston International Trade Development Council, Mr. Val Thompson, during the minister’s audience with U.S. Trade Mission to Nigeria in Abuja recently.

Senate Summons Contractors Handling Abuja- Lokoja the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road, the four major roads as the the roads in 2013 out of which was awarded at the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road, which over N67 billion came Road cost of N42 billion in 2006, Kano-Maiduguri road, from SURE-P.

ABUJA - The Senate ad hoc Committee on SURE-P has summoned the contractors handling the construction of the Abuja-Lokoja road.

The construction companies are Gitto, Reynolds, Bulletin and Dantata and Sawoe.

The companies are expected to appear before the committee to explain the level of work on the road and details of payments and the amount being owed them.

The Chairman of the committee, Sen. Abdul Ningi (PDP-Bauchi), said the committee discovered that the SURE-P Board had spent over N178 billion on four major roads and two bridges between 2012 and 2013.

The chairman said that the committee discovered that

had been reviewed to N116 billion by the Ministry of Works.

Ningi decried the sudden increase on the initial contract sum of Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road and queried the wisdom of the Ministry to approve such an increase.

He also expressed concern over the increasing cost of road construction in Nigeria; saying that contract costs

were far higher in Nigeria compared to what was obtainable in other African countries.

Responding, the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, said the original contracts were awarded without the inclusion of requisite designs by the project consultant.

Onolememen, who appeared before the committee, gave

Enugu-Onitsha road and Benin-Sagamu-Ore road.

The two bridges, he added, are the Second Niger Bridge and the Oweto Bridge linking Benue and Nasarawa states.

He told the committee that N85.5 billion was spent on the roads in 2012 from SURE-P, while the ministry paid N61billion.

The minister said that N93.4 billion was also expended on

He said the ministry had blacklisted the project consultant over failure to include appropriate technical processes before approving the road design.

Onolememen , however, disclosed that works on the four major roads and two bridges had reached advanced stages adding that the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road would be inaugurated by the end of 2014.

Celebration of African Statistics Day Helpful For National Development - NBS says the 2013 African

ABUJA - The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)

Statistics Day will help to

L-R: Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Godwin Ajakpo; President of Hallelujah Acres U.S., Dr. Paul Malkmus and his wife Ann, during the 2013 anniversary Health Conference and Reunion Dinner in Abuja recently.

promote the importance of statistics in national planning, policy formulation, monitoring and evaluation of government’s projects.

This is contained in a statement by the Assistant Director, Corporate Planning Division in the NBS, Mr. Azeez Mustapha, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday.

“It was in the realisation of the importance of statistics that the African Ministers in charge of statistics declared and adopted November 18 of every year as African Statistics Day. “Since this declaration, Nigeria has been observing November 18 as African Statistics Day with series of activities ranging from

jingles on the televisions, radios, seminars and public lectures,’’ it said.

It said that the theme for this year’s celebration is “Quality Data to support African Progress’’.

“This theme was selected to draw attention to the importance of quality statistics for evidence-based decision making in economic management, poverty reduction and all aspects of socio-economic development processes,” it stated.

Reports state that the event was initiated in 1990 by the subsidiary body of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Joint African Conference of Planners, Statisticians, and Demographers.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Business + Economy Industrialisation:

Chemical Engineers Tasks FG

UYO - The Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSCHE) has called on the Federal Government to stimulate the country’s industrialisation through a pragmatic collaboration with the private sector.

The National President of the society, Mr. Abubakar Yar’Adua, made the call at the society’s 43rd Annual General Meeting and Exhibition in Uyo.

Yar ’Adua said that the country’s development could only be strengthened via industrialisation that was promoted through PublicPrivate-Partnership.

“Government stands to benefit industrially from Public-PrivatePartnership, as it would yield more dividends and revenue from taxes.

“There is the need to tackle poverty and create jobs, this,

MAKURDI - The Senior Staff Association of Communications Transport and Corporations (SSACTAC) has said the National Assembly should be blamed for the delay in the nation’s postal reforms.

The President-General of SSACTAC, Mr. Adetunji Adesunkanmi said this in Makurdi during the 4th Triennial Delegates’ Conference of the NIPOST branch of the association.

The theme of the conference is: “The Role of the Post in the Millennium: ICT Revolution’’.

Adesunkanmi said that the Postal Reform Bill had long been drafted and developed since 2008 and the National Assembly did nothing about it.

He lamented that the bill had been unnecessarily delayed in the National Assembly in spite of concerted efforts by the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) and other critical stakeholders.

Adesunkanmi said that the delay in the passage of the bill had adversely affected the postal service in Nigeria.

The unionist regretted that the market for bulk mail was not being fully tapped by NIPOST for lack of necessary infrastructure which had given opportunity to the international courier services to dominate the market.

Adesunkanmi pointed out that the problem of NIPOST was weak administration that had given rise to infrastructure decay, “red-tapism’’, corruption and delay in releasing money for operation.

The President-General said that members of the association were adequately skilled to drive the postal policy of the Federal Government, adding that they were not afraid of competition.

He said that the association had supported every move by the government to have a competitive postal sector environment by contributing to the debate on the postal sector reform among others.

Adesunkanmi, however, requested that the jobs of their members be protected in the course of the reform.

The SSACTAC President, NIPOST branch, Comrade Daniel Apeh, said that the association identified with moves by government for an independent regulator.

Apeh, however, strongly opposed any reform that would affect employment, growth,

efficiency and productivity.

“For us NIPOST is understaffed.

Therefore, retrenchment should not be contemplated at all,’’ he said.

While declaring the conference open, Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue said that the social media which was accompanied by information technology had affected the effective performance of NIPOST. Suswam, therefore, suggested that NIPOST must migrate to full digital operations, adding that reform strategy would work and should be adopted.

He said that there was no alternative to reform but promised that the government would ensure that all NIPOST workers be configured into the new trends.

therefore, informed the decision to adopt a common agenda for the government and the private sector.

“The society is ready to join hands with the Federal Government in using the nation’s abundant oil and gas resources to engender Nigeria’s

industrialisation,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom said that the country’s oil and gas resources should play a pivotal role in the country’s efforts to become industrialised.

The governor, who was

represented by his deputy, Lady Valerie Ebe, said: “Many opportunities abound in the oil and gas sector.

“It is a very large sector that attracts many industries, from oil and gas exploration, extraction, to petroleum lubricating oil and

grease manufacturing.

“These are various industries capable of resulting in industrial boom in any society,’’ Akpabio added.

Reports say that the theme of the conference is “Oil and Gas as a Springboard for Industrial Development’’.

Association Blames N/Assembly for Delay In Postal Reforms

L-R: Enugu State Commissioner for Budget, Mr. Kingsley Agbowo; Commissioner for Poverty Reduction, Mr. Godwin Ogenyi; Representative of Enugu Governor, Dr. Jude Akubuilo and representative of the Speaker, Mrs. Nkechi Omeje-Ogbu at the inauguration of Equipment for presentation to 900 Skills Acquisition Graduants of Enugu State Cash Transfer Programme in Enugu recently.

Students Abandon School For Farming

GORONYO (SOKOTO STATE) - Some students have abandoned schools for irrigation farming in some Fadama areas of Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, investigation by newsmen has revealed.

Our correspondent in Sokoto state, who visited the area on, learnt that the majority of eligible school children were out of school due to irrigation activities.

A farmer in Keta village,

Alhaji Umaru Bakwai, named some of the affected villages as Keta, Rimawa, Katsira, Falaliya, Takakume, Dantudu and Gorau, among others.

“These communities are located on the fringes of Goronyo dam, under the Federal Government’s Falaliya Irrigation Project.

“We are happy with the project due to its multiplier effects in boosting food production and the

eradication of poverty and unemployment.

“But the negative impact is that most of the children who are supposed to be enrolled in primary schools and graduate to secondary schools are out of school’’, Bakwai said.

Another concerned farmer, Mustapha Basiru, told newsmen that the problem called for urgent remedy.

According to Basiru, “most of the primary schools

in these villages had been provided with teachers and materials, but they do not have enough pupils.

“This ugly development would spell doom for these villages in the nearest and distant future, and the time to act is now’’, he said.

An indigene of Rimawa, Salisu Danboko, appealed to the local and state governments to quickly find solution to the problem of pupils’ absence from schools.

Equipment inauguration for distribution to 900 Skills Acquisition Graduants of Enugu State Cash Transfer Programme in Enugu recently.

The Chairman of Goronyo Local Government Area, Alhaji Faruku Rimawa, told newsmen in Goronyo on Saturday that “we are aware of this problem and we are deeply concerned.

“The local government has been collaborating with the Local Education Authority in the area to address the ugly trend.

“We want our people to produce more food, but these children must attend schools for the sake of their future and the state’’, the chairman said.

Rimawa disclosed that the local government had set up a 20-man committee charged with the responsibility of turning the fortunes of education around in the area.

He said the committee, headed by the Head of Shinaka, Alhaji Marafa Shinaka, had the Education Secretary of the local government, Hajiya Kulu Abubakar, as the Secretary.

‘The committee is collaborating with the various school-based management committees and the local education authorities to ensure that all eligible children are enrolled in schools.

‘It will also ensure their retention and guard against the withdrawal of girls from schools for marriage’’, the chairman said.

THE NIGERIAN

11

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Politics

Oshiomhole’s 5th Anniversary And Dan Orbih’s Hallucination

November 12 of every year is a day to remember in the annals of Edo developmental metamorphosis as that was the day light flushed darkness away from the State. In 2008, that was the day Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was sworn in to dislodge the many failures and mindless thieving of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state with a clear focus and purpose to redistribute state resources for the masses.

This explains why Edo people from all walks of life, at home and in Diaspora rolled out their drums recently to celebrate five years of unbroken development in the state by the Government of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole.

For this year’s Celebrations at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, the event witnessed the presence of all state Government functionaries drawn from all the arms-Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. Dignitaries were invited and they came from all parts of the country-North, East, West, North Central, South-South and overseas.

They massively graced the august event which was specifically a state function.

A day after the celebrations, the loquacious chairman of the Peoples Democratic party, who out of shame could not attend the celebrations addressed a section of the media in Edo where he spoke out of the abundance of ignorance and stupidity in him and made unfounded criticisms of the State Government and thoughtlessly accused the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Cromwell Idahosa of “attending APC rally.”

Dan Orbih, who is currently operating a one man show in the Edo PDP hav-

ing usurped the duties of the Director of Publicity, Mathew Urhoghide and other officials and having lost almost all his followers to the ruling party went hallucinating that he saw the Chief Judge of Edo State at the formal launch of our new party in Edo. This is a big fat lie! It is fetched from the pit of hell.

It is important, therefore to correct this wicked lie.

The CJ , Cromwell Idahosa was not present at the launch of the APC in Edo State. He only attended the state function which held at the stadium in his capacity as the Chief Judge of the State.

APC was not launched at the stadium as falsely circulated by Orbih and his PDP. It was launched at the new APC secretariat along Airport road. So, the event at the stadium attended by the Chief Judge was simply a state function packaged to celebrate the five years anniversary and had nothing to do with partisan politics. It amounts to the approach of the witchcraft to drag a serving Chief Judge into partisan politics where there is just no reason to do so. Dan Orbih should apologise to the Edo State Chief Judge for falsely accusing him of an offence he never committed.

Secondly, Dan Orbih accused the Edo State Government of borrowing over N250bn to finance development in the state. That even goes to show that Dan Orbih’s case is now

By DAN OWEGIE

malignant which only deserves an emergency therapy in an intensive care unit of a psychiatric hospital. Edo State Government is in the good books of its creditors. Of what was borrowed to fi-

he took over. It is on record that the Comrade Governor has been servicing all the huge debts left behind by the disgraced PDP government in Edo. In Edo today, people see what Oshiomhole used

they borrowed from the capital market during their locust years in the state.

Let us even look at some more burning issues in Nigeria and try to locate Dan Osi Orbih stands in all to really appreciate the character of this garrulous politician. Where was

• Governor Adams Oshiomhole

nance development, Edo State debt profile stands at N35bn with clear repayment schedules that is unbroken and has not entered into any new borrowing.

At the rate the government is going, at the end of the oshiomhole’s administration in 2016, what his regime borrowed would have been liquidated because, he has consistently assured that he will not leave any debts for his successor as the PDP administration did to him when

whatever money he gets including borrowed to do for citizens. In the world of development, borrowing is not bad. America today lives on borrowing and many other developed nations. What is bad is when you borrow irresponsibly and even steal the money borrowed on behalf of a people. I challenge Edo PDP to point to one project they executed with the billions of naira that accrued to the state for ten years and the billions

Orbih when the Bern Declaration recent report showed a multibillion dollar scheme used by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Nigerian importers all under the nose of the PDP Federal Government , in connivance with Swiss oil traders, to rip Nigeria off to the tune of nearly $7 billion? Not a hoot from voluble Dan Orbih.

The Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum and

Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has announced that $5billion is missing from the excess crude account. Dan Orbih and his PDP has not responded to the weighty allegation. The Minister of Aviation recently approved the purchase of N255million to buy bullet proof cars for herself. We are still awaiting Dan Orbih’s reaction.

Our children in public universities who have been kept at home for several months by the PDP Federal administration which has failed to honour a simple agreement it entered into with Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in 2009. We have not heard a word from the loquacious Dan Orbih condemning the irresponsible PDP government if he was a genuine person. Just as our children were getting happy to return to school a PDP Governor of Kogi State killed an illustrious son of Edo State, Prof Festus Iyayi. The shameless Dan Orbih’s voice is not heard among all those who have condemned the Governor’s reckless driving with his entourage on our high ways having dispatched so many Nigerians to their untimely graves in his three avoidable accidents.

So, Edo people should disregard Dan Orbih’s ranting as that of an ant.

• Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Edo State.

“Dan Orbih, who is currently operating a one man show in the Edo PDP having usurped the duties of the Director of Publicity, Mathew Urhoghide and other officials and having lost almost all his followers to the ruling party went hallucinating that he saw the Chief Judge of Edo State at the formal launch of our new party in Edo. This is a big fat lie! It is fetched from the pit of hell.”

THE NIGERIAN

12

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

TODAY marks five years of the administration of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole and Edo people at home and in Diaspora are celebrating a man who has made very bold statement across the landscape of the state that government can truly be for the people.

IT is only important to recall that Edo State suffered unduly under previous administrations whether military or civilians as infrastructure and social institutions were left to rot and decay.

WE are glad that with the coming on board of erstwhile President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, through a popular mandate Edo people are currently experiencing an unprecedented pace of development in key areas of Roads, education, water, electricity, erosion control, security of lives and property as well as enforcement of basic law and order. Little wonder, he was overwhelmingly elected again July 14 last year across the state and was sworn-in November 12, for a second term in office in.

WE are happy that as we celebrate five years of good governance, Benin City wears a new look as it is witnessing a re-enactment of the original master plan. Roads with walk ways, lawns and street lights around the city centre now makes it an envy of all in the country as the story goes round like wild fire.

IT is most interesting that the massive development in all sectors is going on concurrently in the three senatorial districts as over 98 road projects have been completed with several others under construction in the 18 local government areas of the state. Water projects are going on in almost all the 18 local government, new

THE NIGERIAN

Celebrating 5 Years Of Purposeful Leadership In Edo hospitals are being built to tackle the secondary and primary heath needs of the people; communities are being connected with electricity and 100 ultra modern buses are already boosting both inter-city and intracity transport services, all in an unprecedented manner within less than five years of the Oshiomhole-led administration.

THE Comrade Bus transport is an excellent add-on to the list of developmental projects as it affords the poor an opportunity to move from one distant part of the urban centre to the city centre. It also provides opportunity for inter-city movement of Edo people from all parts of the state to Benin at a cheap rate.

IT is heartwarming to also know that Edo State Government under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in keeping with his electioneering campaign few months ago, gave out N500 million to the Ambrose Alli University to upgrade its facilities. The College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi had also received some lifeline from the State Government for upgrading of its facilities and gotten National Board for Technical Education accreditation.

The Edo State Governor had promised revamping tertiary institutions in the state during his second tenure and early in the day,

the governor had taken a bold step with the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma to “walk the talk”. We believe that this is an example for other political office holders to emulate, and a lesson to upcoming office seekers that electioneering promises are meant to be respected when eventually one is elected.

WOMEN empowerment has also been at the heart of the Comrade Governor. To this effect, market women operating in Edo State were given the sum of One hundred million naira (N100m) by the Edo State Government during an elaborate reception organised for the governor by the market women who came from across the state. The Governor told the women that the money should be rotated among themselves , without having to pay back but should get round market women in an efficient and organised manner. He also asked them to forward names of 18 women for board appointments in the state. This in our view gives women a sense of belonging as stakeholders in the Edo project.

YOUTH employment programme through the ‘Edo YES’ programme is a deliberate effort of the Oshiomhole administration to keep our youths positively busy in contributing their quota to the development of the state while they also earn a living.

IT is on this note that we remain grateful to God who has ensured that Edo people enjoy five unbroken years of development and to Him alone be all the glory.

THESE feats notwithstanding, we call on Comrade Oshiomhole Adams Oshiomhole to take steps to extend his Midas touch to areas not visited in the past five years for an all round feel of his performance.

THE NIGERIAN

13

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Perspective YOU don’t make history by reacting to events; you make history by seizing the moment – anonymous The history of human civilization is littered with accounts of the heroic deeds of select species of men and women who have stood out from their contemporaries like the moon from the stars.

Unlike other regular members of the human flock, who go through the usual dreary motions of existence, these special breed of homosapiens, against all natural and man-made limitations, have performed feats that were once thought impossible, paving the way for the further advancement of human civilization. The god-like accomplishments of these individuals have spurred legends, myths, and sagas, all in attempts by their awestricken brethren to immortalize their superhuman accomplishments.

Both ancient and contemporary history are awash with exhilarating accounts of extra-ordinary military conquests by great military strategists; awesome scientific and technological inventions that have revolutionized virtually all facets of man’s life on earth; books that have changed the world; exciting sea voyages embarked upon by fearless explorers, which have opened up the world as we know it today; space expeditions by daring astronauts, which have revealed the wonders of celestial life; political revolutions spurred and led by astute statesmen, which have re-defined the concepts of leadership and governance, the setting and breaking of records by great sportsmen and women; in tandem with other mind-blowing accomplishments, too numerous to mention, mortal man has continually displayed the limitless abilities God has deposited inside him.

In 2007, something massive, sudden, drastic and transformative occurred in Edo State. It was an occurrence that was, until

continued to define the political evolution of the “Heartbeat of Nigeria”, since then, fundamentally altering the tilt of power relations in Edo politics. I am talking about the “Edo Revolution” –

everything works. But the truth must be told that all the goodies Edos enjoy today did not come on a platter of diamond – they are not products of mere wishful thinking or blind chance. They

can actually lead by first being a follower”. Your calmness, contentment, discipline, and submissiveness have spurred countless classic eulogies from far and near. Your silent contributions to the revolution

Celebrating The Portraits Of Change

a landmark event that is comparable to the biblical Flood; a massive shift in power relations in Edo politics, which has radically reconfigured the subsisting order that had hitherto driven the processes of governance; a colossal paradigm shift in the political arrangement that has resulted in power summarily changing hands. Like other transformative events in recorded history, it was abrupt, massive, and decisive, and was activated by mortal beings, whose god-like feats have elevated unto the pedestal of immortals. They are the musketeers!

The musketeers are the progressive group of iconoclasts who, in concord with good people of Edo land, have brought about a new order of democratic governance in Edo State – the fearless champions of the movement for democratic change whose actions have put an absolute end to the several years of civilian dictatorship the state and its dispirited people had hitherto been forced to subsist in. Marching behind the glittering standard of the All Progressive Congress (formerly Action Congress of Nigeria), this popular movement for change have activated a colossal shift in the manner government business is run in the state. The state of Edo State has never been the same since the onset of the current democratic order, as evidenced by its allround transformation under the present arrangement.

Short of being an overstatement, the eyepopping developments currently evolving across Edo State in all sectors (which commenced from 2008) might tempt any first time visitor into

By JUDE OBUSEH

are the logical consequences of the fearless, selfless and determined actions of a group of individuals who saw the need for progressive change and acted to bring it about; results of the purposeful, faithful, constructive,

hastily concluding that all has always been well with the state and its people; that the state has always been developed, peaceful and tranquil; that the state has always been an attractive tourist destination; that the state has always been an Eden of sorts; that it has always been a land of blissful splendor – a true land of milk and honey; a place where

asseverating monsters that had held Edo state in their vicelike grips. Sir, you are a rare gem of the 21st century; a battle-tested General whose boldness in the face of obvious danger inspired the mass followership that has made the

- which have contributed significantly to the remarkable successes so far recorded by this administration – are well noted. God bless you, sir!

Also worthy of mention are: the current Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Uyi Igbe, and other parliamentarians, who have at one time or the other served in this administration; the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Cromwell Idahosa, and

Gov Adams Oshiomhole

organized and timely actions of statesmen who had grown tired of stomaching the indecencies of the wily wild Wags, who had turned Edo state into a laughing stock in the national committee of states. These are the heroes we celebrate today as we mark the fifth year of the life of this

“I am talking about the “Edo Revolution” – a landmark event that is comparable to the biblical Flood; a massive shift in power relations in Edo politics, which has radically reconfigured the subsisting order that had hitherto driven the processes of governance; a colossal paradigm shift in the political arrangement that has resulted in power summarily changing hands.” then, thought impossible; an incident that was hitherto viewed as an impractical supposition; as a utopian concept that existed only in the imagination; as an empty idea of no logical consequence; as a sort of idealistic construct; as a grandiose fantasy, simply put. But against all contrary expectations, this cyclonic event occurred and has

Aliyu Oshiomhole, for arrowheading the struggle against tyranny, demagogy, underdevelopment, backwardness, stagnancy, mediocrity, political criminality, and other

administration.

The rest of this excursion is dedicated to acknowledging the sterling contributions of all the champions at the behest of the ongoing revolution in Edo State. First and foremost, I would like to recognize the person of the former “President of the Nigerian Masses”, the Comrade Governor of Edo State, Adams

miracles of today possible.

You are an all-round strategist, who, against all expectations, has broken the Gordian knot of stagnation, filth, pettiness, laziness, and complacency Edos once stewed in with one firm stroke from your blazing sword. Due to your selfless acts of bravery and sacrifice, Edo land and its people are free today. Carry on sir, the people are behind you!

The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt (Dr) Pius Egberanmwen Odubu, for his high sense of camaraderie, natural commitment to excellence, and unwavering loyalty to his boss. I join other grateful citizens of Edo State in thanking you for your objective, altruistic, and passionate commitment to the onerous duties of governance.

Your exemplary conduct since assuming your hallowed position is highly commendable. Through your unmatched candor, humility, and resourcefulness, you have practically demonstrated to all informed observers that “one

all the members of the state’s judicial arm; both the former and current Secretary to the Edo State Government, including commissioners, heads of Parastatals and agencies; captains of industry, small and medium scale entrepreneurs for their contributions; and all the hardworking public servants in the state functioning within the structures of the three arms of government – executive, legislative, and judicial – for the astute and responsible manner they carry out their constitutional duties, which have helped in building the synergy that have aided the flawless achievement of the goals of governance. Be forever favoured!

I will not fail to mention the Chairman of the All progressive Congress, Edo State Chapter, Hon Thomas Okosun; party chieftains such as: Hon Joseph Omorontionwan, Mr. Dan Owegie, Alhaji Usman Shagadi, Athanasius Ugbome, Godwin Erhahon, Joe Okojie, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; and

several others, too numerous to mention, for their ceaseless contributions to the successes so far recorded by the APC in Edo state. Together with other progressive elements within and outside the state, these valiant warriors have given their all for the success of this administration from day one.

“The crosses you carry for the freedom of our people have so far ensured their salvation from the darkness that once enshrouded their land. Your legendary feats will inspire many more generations to come – fitting testimonies to the heroics of great men who chose to stand on the side of truth in the face of emasculating fear”. Remain blessed!

Finally, to the popular sovereigns without whom there would be no state, nor government in the first place – the good people of Edo State – for their unwavering loyalty and support for this administration since 2007, when by answering the clarion call to civil duty, they took their collective destiny into their hands by joining the Calvary march that chased off the itinerant marauders illegally occupying Government House. The miraculous signs and wonders manifesting all over the state today, have vindicated the bold steps you took six years ago. Your decision to stand on the side of justice, against all odds, has totally liberated you from serfdom. There is certainly much more to come if you remain uncompromising in your support for this administration. Remain wise, my brothers and sisters!

I join the grateful people of Edo State in thanking the aforementioned mighty men and women of valour - and their associates - for all their humane contributions to the betterment of Edo State and its people during the past five years. Posterity will definitely judge you well. Future generations will look back to the current dispensation with nostalgia and say: “indeed, those where days when men were men”. Your heroic deeds will remain engraved in the sands of history – fitting tributes to your daring feats; inspirational accounts of the daring deeds of gallant freedom fighters who rose up in one accord against the worst form of servitude ever invented by man. Our gratitude to you knows no bounds. God bless you all!

Here is formally wishing the Adams Oshiomhole-led APC government and the good people of Edo State a “happy fifth anniversary under a new order of unfettered democratic rule”, and looking forward to more fruitful years ahead.

Let’s pop the Champaign!

THE NIGERIAN

14

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

That The Church May Not Fail! Incontrovertible SHOULD the Christians fail in this agenda of modeling Christ to the world? What will be the consequence? These are critical questions that need objective answers. This Church will not fail if Christians hold on committedly to their confession. Jesus warned the Christians of the possibility of the salt losing its saltiness and when it happens, nothing can be done to make it salty again.

Furthermore, He said lamp is not lit and then put under a bowl because a city on the hill cannot be hidden. It is only sin that make the salt in Christians lose its saltiness and the lit lamp of Christians to be put under a bowl. It is sin that can stop Christians from modeling Christ to the world by speaking of Him and living out their faith in Him everywhere —home, school, market, office, business, politics, etc. Failing in this matter of eternal venture will not go without consequences because Jesus said; “If anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32 & 33). The Church should better not fail. The Church is God’s vehicle of salvation through Christ. It must match on and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it even though it is not immune to persecution.

THE HOPE OF THE W O R L D Jesus Christ is the only hope of the world. He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is” (John 14:6 & 7a).

This I AM statement has been contended, objected and rejected by most other religions and regions adherents and in most circles of thought. However, “The adherents of these other religious and religious adherent and in most circle of thought. However, “the adherents of these other religious say that God cannot love man because man is sinful, and because there is no room for repentance and total forgiveness and restoration to God in the teachings of all other religious of the world, the thoughts of having access

By MOST REV FR IMAEKHAI

to God, having or maintaining a living relationship with Him is completely ruled out for man. This is where Christianity takes a giant leap of departure from the group of religions, in that in Christianity, there is, not just a ray but a beam of the hope of gaining access to God through Jesus Christ. His only begotten and offered Son, who died for the forgiveness of the sins of man and was raised from the dead for their justification” The world is in dare need of salvation though it may not have so much known it and God has given a Saviour to the world in the Person of His only Son, Jesus Christ. “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole, in the wilderness, so I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up on a pole, so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.

“There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him.

But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God” (John 3:1418). Jesus is the hope of the world and He has raised ambassadors of the kingdom among men to model Him to the world; “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19-21). Jesus Christ has left Christians to showcase Him to the world.

That the world may accept His offer of salvation and be saved from corruption. In this rhetoric saying of Paul, the wisdom of God in this arrangement is revealed; “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except

they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:14-17). Salvation in Christ is the hope to the world. May the world not be lost while we have the key to its salvation but we must all begin from our Jerusalem.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE THEME FOR US

We are called to model Christ in our daily encounters with the world. We are called to mimic His styles and at best as archetype as Christians.

Our daily living should be characterized by: i. A life of prayer and intimacy with the Father ii. A life of holy living and purity of heart iii. A life of compassion, forgiveness, services and j u s t i c e iv. A life of humility, gentleness, patience v. A life of love and manifestation of the Spiritempowered life vi A life of complete obedience as we take up the Cross daily in our walk with Jesus Christ

“In addition to preaching Christ in the course of modeling Him to the world, we must willingly demonstrate the truthfulness and compassion so that men can be drawn to Him through our lives. Most times we find ourselves counting the people we have led to the faith and discipled for Christ and we brag about our achievements.”

v ii. A life of commitment to the proclamation of the good news v iii. A life that recognizes the Great Commandment, the Great Commission, the Great Commitment, the Great Commander and live in obedience thereto. ix A life that recovered the Great Omission and avowed commitment to making D i s c i p l e s x A life that respects the dignity and sanctity of the human person.

It is when we model or imitate Him that we can be called disciples. Christian disciples is one who has become a

personal follower of Christ — that is, one who has committed himself or herself to walk Christ’s way, live Christ’s life and share Christ’s love and truth with others. It is important that we know that as we walk in His Steps, we. are to be followers of Christ as disciples (Mark 2:13-17).

We must commit our lives to following Jesus and imitating His life. We must also acknowledge that, as disciples, we are learners (Matthew 11:28-30). What we learn from the Master (Jesus Christ) through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit should transform our lives and the change or transformation must be evident in the way we live.

Furthermore, when we model Him as disciples, we must mature to produce offspring (Matt.

28:11-20).

To model Christ to the world, we must recognize that we have a mission filed and every member must take the task of bringing the Gospel to those with no faith a matter of urgency and priority. We need to live the Gospel in such a

Truth joyful and provocative way that our unbelieving neighbours will be prompted to ask questions and perhaps even be persuaded to join us in our journey of faith. One of the impediments to the Gospel in the past and even in our generation has been that those who are outside the fold have not been able to see any real difference between those who call themselves Christians and those who don’t, the obvious fact is that the world has squeezed us into its own mould, rather than the other

Christians are called upon to model Christ to the world everywhere, every time and in all circumstances. We are, as Bishops, Clergy or Laity, to model Christ in our families as husband, wife, guardians; we are to model Christ to our colleagues in the office and places of work; we are to model Christ to our partners in business and even to our enemies. We must ensure that our practical living is in consonance with the word of God so that our faith is not

way round. In order to share the Gospel, we have to know it. As result, the laity of the Church has to be equipped and be made to be diligent in attending public worship and being faithful in prayer and the private reading of the scriptures. The importance of the Church must be reasserted.

The Church must not be seen as an optional extra in Christianity, but the on-theground community of those who have answered the call of the Gospel and are ready and willing to proclaim and defend it in season and out of season.

We cannot be Christians and say that we are not part of the church. As members of the Church called to mimic or model or imitate Christ, we must use our God-given resources to build ourselves and God’s Church. Some of the nou-veau riche Christians erroneously believe that their accomplishments are through their cleverness and own efforts and, as a result, they become selfish and would do nothing for the Church.

C O N C L U S I O N

camouflage and our message futile. In addition to preaching Christ in the course of modeling Him to the world, we must willingly demonstrate the truthfulness and compassion so that men can be drawn to Him through our lives. Most times we find ourselves counting the people we have led to the faith and discipled for Christ and we brag about our achievements.

But who can ever tell the utterances, being found in wrong places, committing sins in secret, showing partially in judgment, by un-forgiveness, and other forms of hypocrisy and syncretism? This calls for caution because Jesus said “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

For by thy words shalt thee be condemned.” (Mattew 12:36 & 37). Let us allow the Holy Spirit to shed the love of Christ abroad in our hearts that we may be enabled to bear the fruit of the Spirit. In that way, modeling Christ to the whole world.

THE NIGERIAN

15

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Opinion

Nigeria And The Security Debacle

THERE are questions and challenges, central among which is the challenge to sustain and maintain democracy and turn it into a culture and way of life, acceptable and workable for the largest majority of our people.

This involves managing internal tendencies, especially security issues and problems that could impinge on the survival of democracy.

This is a matter of national importance that should be of concern to all stakeholders in the Nigerian state and one that requires comprehensive and committed contribution of all groups and interests that make up Nigeria.

In addressing the challenge to the survival of democracy in Nigeria, it is pertinent to consider security issues and problems that have affected or capable of affecting the attitude, confidence and cooperation of all groups and segments that make up the Nigerian Federation. It is also necessary to explore the gaps and gray areas in the national constitution that are responsible for various problems and crises and how these gaps can be addressed.

Some of the major security problems currently confronting the nation have been identified to includes: Political and electioneering conflicts, socio-economic agitations, ethno-religious crises, ethnic militias, boundary disputes, cultism, criminality and organised crimes. These problems individually and collectively constitute threats to the peace, security and development of the country. Invariably, they have implications for the continuity and survival of the nation’s nascent democracy.

On the other hand we also need to explore how democracy can itself be deliberately constructed as a positive response to these problems.

For the better part of Nigeria as a nation, the country was under military administration resulting from military, takeover of the

By Jennifer Eigbojie

democratic and constitutional structures of the state. The military takeovers are security breaches resulting from a wide range of reasons, sometimes a culmination of a number of security and political developments. The security, politician and sometimes socio-economic developments are security concerns that were not addressed or managed by the existing state structure at the time.

Apart from military coups there are other security issues that have challenged, and indeed, rattled the democratic political system. Among them, is civil or organized rebellion resulting from a number of socio-political developments including ethnic disagreements and national resource contentions. The Nigerian Civil War is an example of such security breakdown resulting from failure to manage ethnic and social problems.

Recent international debates have also raised the need to see security in the broader sense as The struggle to secure the most basic necessities of life: food, fuel, medicine and shelter. This broader human security is important for the attainment of physical and national security and over all peace and development as social unrests arising from the absence of such basic human security can indeed lead to security problems and conflicts.

This position is attested to by recent social unrests in various African Countries that have roots in the failure of government policies to provide or manage the basic human needs of their citizens.

In recent times and especially since the commencement of the present political dispensation, Nigeria has witnessed increasing number of security problems and development that constitute

threats to the maintenance and survival of its democratic political system. These security concerns are diverse

intolerant and ruthless contests among political parties, political leaders and their followers have often resulted in violence, security breachers, killings and destruction which threaten the very democracy that they seek to partake in. It can be

consequences of such acts catch up very quickly with the system.

One are a in which electoral fraud in Nigeria manifests in an alarming manner is the area of voter registration.

Voters are the ammunitions of elections and contestants win by amassing as many a s possible. In a game where fraud is systematic, the strength and competence of

Mohammed Abubakar, Inspector General of Police and complex, ranging from political disagreements to criminal activities with alarming dimensions and consequences.

It is an established fact that democracy in its essence implies the interplay of various interests and shades of opinions in the mode of political parties and pressure groups. This interplay must be undertaken in an open, free and fair atmosphere with adherence to such fundamental principles like tolerance, freedom of expression and freedom of choice. Unfortunately, the activities and conducts of past and present participants in the Nigerian democratic space have failed to adhere to these key principles. Despite,

recalled that violent and desperate politicking among political parties was the cause of the problem in the western region in 1965 that set in motion developments leading to the unraveling of the first republic.

Electoral fraud poses a major challenges to democracy in Nigeria and by implication, poses threat to the security of the nation.

Electoral fraud desecrates the sanctity of democracy and weakens its capacity as an instrument for the mobilisation of national, human and material resources for the development of the people and the state. And in an environment where development is security, and security is development, the

“This position is attested to by recent social unrests in various African Countries that have roots in the failure of government policies to provide or manage the basic human needs of their citizens. In recent times and especially since the commencement of the present political dispensation, Nigeria has witnessed increasing number of security problems and development that constitute threats to the maintenance and survival of its democratic political system.”

the “referee” questionable, the dubious accumulation of the essential arms of the war is only natural.

In recent times, especially during the present democratic dispensation, tracts of similar intolerant and ruthless contests for political office have manifested. In addition, the use of illegal arms and weapons by political party contestants and their supporters has assumed very alarming dimension. Some states of the Federation are presently experiencing various security breaches and violence involving groups that were allegedly armed by political party contestants during the 2003 elections.

Therefore, in order to grow and sustain democracy in Nigeria, it is important that political player s and institutions embrace the principles of true democracy and allow open, free and fair competition, which are essential in the process of aggregation of national opinions and development choices. There is the need to evolve relevant constitutional and legislative mechanisms to address areas and issue that will promote open, free and fair competition among political parties. The culture

of tolerance and equity should also form part of political education targeted at political leaders as well as the entire citizenry.

Nigeria is a political unit made up of over two hundred ethnic and diverse religious groups. The consent and cooperation of these ethnic nationalities and religious groups is important to the existence and continuity of Nigeria as a nation. Unity and peaceful co-operation among these groups is even more important as frequent crises and violence among these groups will lead to divisive politics and less of confidence in the system that will hurt the progress of the nation and indeed affect the consolidation of our democracy.

There have been several ethno-religious conflicts in the history of Nigeria, but in recent times, these problems appear to be escalating at an intolerable scale. Ethnic and the foregoing problems and criminal activities individually and collectively create insecurity and breach of the peace that are likely to or indeed affect legitimate social and economic activities in the country.

These problems also have the very damaging consequences of giving the signal to the rest of the international community that Nigeria is not a safe and secure place and as such not suitable for economic investment and activities. This is particularly important in view of the efforts being made to create the desired atmosphere to attract foreign investment.

Beyond the effects of security concerns on the economic fortunes of the country, the nature of the security challenges facing the country also have complications for the country’s political system. As mentioned earlier, social cohesion among various groups and interest is important in the process of national political development. Therefore, the constituent parts of the country must be and indeed feel that they are being carried along in the process of national governance.

Experiencing has shown that wide-spread discontent and loss of confidence in the system have ways of affecting national political stability.

Invariably continuing escalation of violence and crises across the country will impinge on the survival of our democracy.

According, there is the challenge to rethink and improve on policy and institutional means of dealing Continues on pg 18

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Opinion

Continued from pg 15 with security concerns arising in the country. At the political level, the federal, state and local governments should evolve programmes of cultural and political education and orientation that seek to enthrone the fundamentals of democracy.

So that the political contestants as well as the generality of the citizens imbibe principles and practices essential for sustainable democracy.

Such programmes must also address specific tendencies that create security breach and concerns in the country.

In addition, a process of Legislative and constitutional review should be initiated to assess the country’s constitutional and amend or expunged as necessary areas that have been found to give rise to conflicts and security problems. The process should also introduce new provisions

... Security Debacle and legislations that will ensure better and more effective interplay of interests among all groups and stakeholders in Nigeria. Such exercise should also embrace ways of making the country’s democratic space more open, free, fair and tolerant as exists in other democracies around the world. Among specific lingering political issues that should be addressed are: the laws relating to political parties and their activities: the establishment, funding and activities of the electoral body; local and state government relationship; allocation of national resources and revenue; citizenship rights; devolution of security powers to states and local governments. In addition, the legislative and constitutional review should also embody security sector

reforms that will make the security agencies and institution more effective in combating crimes and other threats to national security and make them accountable to the democratic political system and structure. These democratic structures include the state and local governments.

I believe that we need to give a more concrete understanding to the definition of governors as the chief security officers of the state.

Democratic is a sought – after value. It is not a perfect system of government, even conceptually. But as Aristotle argued, it is the least evil of all possible governments. The strength of democracy is drawn from the fact that is supposed to be the product of the will of the majority of the

people. Government is held in trust for the people. The citizens feel a sense of ownership of the state for they can identify with. It as visual state holders whose will gave existence and legitimacy to the state and the government. As share holders of the common-wealth, the citizens will not only avoid such behaviours that hurt and sabotage the system, but join forces to resist any such attack on the collective interest. That in-fact is the real basis for the development of grand strategy, the mobilisation of the nation, which I believe can work best in a democracy.

Meanwhile, because of the opening up of the political space and its encouragement of competition in an environment where the institutions for the

management and regulation of the competition are weak, the tendency for competition to escalate to violent conflicts is high. There appear to be disequilibrium between the demands for the benefit of democracy and our capacity to respond individually and institutionally to their demands. We have a vast array of persons, groups, and institutions that for long were schooled in a particular way, and have never known any other way of doing things than the non-accountable, non-democratic, and nonpeople friendly style as a nation are in a major transition, a major journey away from a past we cannot ignore, to a future that we must be better. Along the way, there will be frustrations caused by perceived sluggishness of the pace of

the journey. There will be resistance from those who benefited from the order and for whom the new means loss and reduction to irrelevance.

The demand of moving such monumental bureaucracy and people from the state of inertia forward colud caused so much pain that for some they might even prefer returning to the old order. Democracy cannot come easy. We must be driven by the comfort that lies ahead is good. We must also admit to ourselves that this is a journey in which there is no point of arrival, but each step we take, takes us to a better and more secured ground.

There is a challenge before us and I am confident that we will not found wanting both in the means by which we confront it and in the certainly that at every stage we can be assured that we are better than yesterday, and tomorrow will still be better than today if we don’t give up.

Lifestyle/Culture What Culture Made “Women The Weaker Sex” THE popular belief amongst most men is that women are the weaker sex, it does not matter the form of their belief. This belief must have stemmed from the deliberated distortion of the divine saying that women were created out of the body of man in order to complement the man. It was not intended by God to make woman a subordinate or household item to man, rather it was intended by God that a woman should be a partner. Man being highly egoistic has continued to hold a counter view and unfortunately, this has counted against him in his growth.

The average Nigerian man in particular, strongly believes that a woman is an ornament to be worn as he desires even in this century!

Women are caged like birds and supplied with food, drink and clothing.

Irrespective of man’s conviction, belief or conception of woman, instances abound throughout the world, of the great influences, which women have over men.

In the Biblical aspect you can see the stories of many like the story of Samson,

By GIFT ONAGHAMA despite his wisdom and power, he was outwitted by Delilah an “ordinary” woman, Eve also convicted Adam despite his originality on the home front, Anini, the robbery king who taunted the Nigerian Police, mesmerized Bendel State and almost kept the whole country awake for nights on end got caught in a woman’s Limbo, like a chicken roosting, despite all his deadly adventures.

Pastor Godwin taught on how not to underrate the power of women. Then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) was first ‘owned’ by a Lady called Grace Ezekoka, Lady engineer caused wave in her profession where her male colleagues failed.

In our institution of higher learning, the male lecturers have continued to award pass marks to the wrong people. Most especially women yet they claim that they are the stronger sex, just because of the irresistible power of a woman, they play with their careers.

From where therefore, did men coin this tag “weaker sex” I have often wondered

that the woman drains him of all his bountiful energy, which is money and time: who comes out weaker? In the academics women are coming out stronger each year. And it is obvious that women are on equal footing with men.

Most recently the hitherto male dominated games football, basketball have been by women hijacked.

When will men be humble enough to move over and recognize the rightful place of women in the scheme of things? Which man has ever lived solely on his own without any attachment to a woman, directly or indirectly?

Which social get-together or party has ever succeeded without the presence or attendance of a multitude of women? Or has there ever been a bridegroom without a bride? When will menfolk stop playing a bad imitation of father Christmas? When will they stop their patronizing attitudes towards women? When will it drawn on them that women are a smarter, clever and stronger sex than they can ever imagine.

“From where therefore, did men coin this tag “weaker sex” I have often wondered that the woman drains him of all his bountiful energy, which is money and time: who comes out weaker? In the academics women are coming out stronger each year. And it is obvious that women are on equal footing with men.”

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Gender Issues “Traditionally, medical research has mostly been conducted using the male body as the basis for clinical studies. The findings of these studies have been often applied across the sexes and healthcare providers have used a uniform approach in treating both male and female patients.”

Understanding Gender, Sex Differences

GENDER differences according to a web definition is a distinction of biological and/or p h y s i o l o g i c a l characteristics typically associated with either males or females Sex/Gender differences in humans have been studied in a variety of fields.

In humans, biological sex is determined by five factors present at birth: the presence or absence of a Y Chromosome, the type of gonads, the sex hormones, the internal reproductive anatomy (such as the uterus in females), and the external genitals.

People with mixed sex factors are intersexes; people whose internal experience differs from their biological sex are transgender or transsexual. A distinction is sometimes made between sex and gender.

Sex differences in physical sciences tend to refer solely to people according to their biological sex, regardless of the person’s self perceived gender. Sex difference in other fields, such as when studying social roles, may use the person’s gender, regardless of whether the person is intersexes or biologically the other sex.

MEDICINE: Sex differences in medicine include sex – specific diseases, which are diseases that occur only in people of one sex; and sexrelated diseases, which are disease that are more common to one sex, or which manifest differently in each sex. For example, certain autoimmune diseases may occur predominantly in one sex,

for unknown reasons. 90% of Primary biliary cirrhosis cases are women, whereas primary sclerosing cholangitis is more common in men, Gender – based medicine is also called “Gender medicine,” is the field of medicine that studies the biological and physiological differences between the human sexes and how that affects differences in disease.

Traditionally, medical research has mostly been conducted using the male

By BEAUTY OBAMWONYI

body as the basis for clinical studies. The findings of these studies have been often applied across the sexes and healthcare providers have used a uniform approach in treating both male and female patients. More recently, medical research has started to understand the importance of taking the sex into account as the symptoms and responses to medical treatment may be very different between

sexes.

PHYSIOLOGY: Sex differences in human physiology are distinctions of physiological characteristic associated with either male or female humans. These can be of several types, including direct and indirect. Direct being the direct result of differences prescribed by the Y – Chromosome, and indirect being characteristic influenced indirectly (e.g. hormonally)

by the Y-Chromosome.

Sexual Dimorphism according to is a term for the phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Sex differences are also increased or decreased according to societal situations.

The most obvious difference between males and females include all the features related to reproductive role, notably the endocrine (hormonal) systems and their physiological and

behavioural effects, including gonadal differentiation, internal and external genital and breast differentiation, and differentiation of muscle mass, height, and hair distribution.

PHYCHOLOGY: Sex differences in human psychology; research on biological sex differences in human psychology investigates cognitive and behavioural differences between men and women.

Tests focus on possible differences in areas such as 1Q, spatial reasoning, aggression, emotion and brain structure and function.

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Development A 1989 publication by the Federal Military Government, showing four years of Babangida’s Administration, summariesed the priority issues of Nigeria’s foreign policy: the abolition of apartheid in South Africa, the enhancement of Nigeria’s relations with member countries of the European Economic Community (EEC), the United States, the Soviet Union, and with other major industrialised countries to increase the flow of foreign investments and capital into Nigeria; and continued support for international organisations, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the organisation of African Unity (OAU), and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Relations with other African States constituted the cornerstone of Nigerian Foreign Policy according to country studies. US/ Nigeria/80. htm.

The Minister of External Affairs was directly responsible for foreign policy formation and implementation. Because matters were usually left in the hands of the minister and his officials foreign policy positions could change radically from one minister to another depending on the minister’s orientation.

In addition to the minister’s or immediate staff, there was a small foreign policy elite comprising other top government officials, interest group leaders, academicians, top military officers, religious leaders, and journalists. This elite exerted indirect influence through communiqué’s and press release, as well as direct pressure on the government. In 1986 a conference – to which every stratum of this elite was invited — was held to review Nigeria’s foreign policy and recommend broad policy frameworks for the 1990s and beyond.

Several factors conditioned Nigeria’s foreign policy positions. First, the ethnic and religious mix of the country required cautions positions on some issues, such as policy toward Israel. Nigeria found it difficult to restore diplomatic ties with Israel and had not done so as of 1990 because of Muslim opposition and sympathy with the rest of the Arab Muslim World.

Second, Nigeria’s legacy as an ex-British Colony, combined with its energy – producing role in the global economy, predisposed Nigeria to be pro-Western on most issues despite the desire to maintain a non aligned status to avoid neo-colonialism In 1990 this pro-Western posture was reinforced by Nigeria’s “economic diplomacy,” which involved

Nigeria’s Foreign Relations

A Retrospection

By ESTHER USOBOH

authorities played a major role in Nigerian Foreign Relations.

Consequently, the Balewa government stressed world peace, respected sovereign equality, and maintained nonalignment based on friendship with any country that took a reciprocal position. After the fall of the first Republic, critics asserted that the government had been too pro-western and not strong enough on decolonisation or integration, and that the low profile had been embarrassing.

Nonetheless, Gowon continued to keep a low profile by

• President Goodluck Jonathan

“The guiding principle of Nigeria’s regional foreign policy was that of good neighborliness and friendship. In this spirit, it helped to resolve conflicts between Liberia and Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Mali, and Togo and Ghana.” negotiation trade concessions, attracting foreign investors, and rescheduling debt repayment to Western Creditors.

Third, the country’s membership in and commitment to several international organisations, such as the United Nations and bodies mentioned earlier, also affected foreign policy positions.

Fourth, and most important, as the most populous country in Africa and the entire black world, Nigeria perceived itself as the “giant” of Africa and the potential leader of the black race. Thus, Nigerian external relations have emphasized African issues, which have become the allowed cornerstone of foreign policy.

These factors have caused certain issues to dominate Nigerian foreign policy across various governments, but each government has distinctive priorities and style. During the 1950s and early 1960s, foreign policy aimed at proper behaviour in the international system, and British

operating within the consensus of the OAU and by following routes of quiet diplomacy.

The civil war marked a distinct break in Nigeria foreign policy. The actions of various countries and international bodies during the war increased awareness of the alignments within Africa and appreciation of the positive

role that the OAU could play in African affairs. Whereas white-dominated African Countries had supported Biafra, the OAU sided with the federation by voting for unity. The OAU stance proved helpful for Nigerian diplomacy.

Nigeria first turned to the Soviet Union for support after the West refused to provide arms to the federation, and after the war, a less pro-western stance was maintained. At the same time, Africa remained Nigeria’s top priority. In the mid-to late 1970s, attention focused on the liberation of Southern Africa, on the integration of ECOWAS, and on the need for complete economic independence throughout

Africa.

These goals were include in the 1979 constitution: promotion of Africa Unity; political, economic, social, and cultural liberation of Africa; international cooperation; and elimination of racial discrimination.

RELATION WITH NEIGHBORING STATES. Nigeria had cordial relation with all its neighbors Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea as African Sub-region, with most of which it had bilateral agreements.

These had been occasional border disputes with Chad and Cameroon, and military action against these neighbors was contemplated by the civilian government in 1982 and 1983.

Another problem arose in the early 1980s, when Nigeria decided to expel many illegal immigrants, mainly Ghanaians, but this dispute also was resolved amicably.

The guiding principle of Nigeria’s regional foreign policy was that of good neighborliness and friendship. In this spirit, it helped to resolve conflicts between Liberia and Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Mali, and Togo and Ghana.

To pursue the economic interests through her foreign relations within West Africa, Nigeria Championed the formation of ECOWAS and, in spite of competing allegiances to rival organizations within the sub-continent, continued to support the organizations objectives.

Strengthening ECOWAS promoted Nigeria’s National interests through encouraging development of the region’s economy and discouraging its neighbours reliance on extraAfrican countries for military, political and economic survival, thus serving such security interests as weakening colonial divisions with West Africa, ending border disputes, contributing to African United.

“Third, the country’s membership in and commitment to several international organisations, such as the United Nations and bodies mentioned earlier, also affected foreign policy positions.”

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Archival Matters

WHAT you are about to read will shock you. But the story is revealing. It demonstrates that some of our youths are from hell. Therefore, society will be better off without them living in the midst of decent, law-abiding citizens.

Prologue Secondly, the story shows that Edo Police Command is trying its best, despite the huge challenges it is facing in the current anomic society of Nigeria, to rid Edo State of criminals.

Thirdly, the story teaches why we must lodge reports about crime with the police as soon as they occur as well as follow up such reports with diligence. Fourthly, the story captures the truism that certain people have the nine lives of a cat. So, they see death but conquer it with the divine grace of God. Fifthly, the story you will soon read informs on the need to pray always before leaving home and during the routine grind of our daily work. This is because we live in dreary times of monumental insecurity to our lives and property.

And finally, the message of the story affirms that criminals never win. They always lose out and perish!!

It is only a matter of time before the police arrests them.

Now, go on. Read the story.

Kidnap at Airport Road Some weeks ago, Mr. Oilman not his real name who is 39 drove his Toyota Camry 2008 model car at 9am with his children inside to his mother-in-law’s place living in Airport Road, Benin area. After dropping them with her, he discovered that he forgot their uniforms in his car.

So, he returned to his car parked outside to get the uniforms. But while trying to do so, a young man lurking nearby walked up to him demanding for the key to his car.

He resisted the request. Thereafter, in a split second, another youth showed up. He pointed a gun at Mr. Oilman who then surrendered his car key to the hoodlums.

Having got Mr. Oilman’s key, the hoodlums forced him into the car, ordered him at gun point to lie face down in the compartment between the car’s front and back seats and drove off. His mother-in-law was told by people who witnessed the incident of what had happened. She got in touch with Mr. Oilman’s wife and both of them ran to the Airport Police Station, Benin immediately to report the occurrence.

The journey to Golgotha The hoodlums, using their roadmap which evaded police check points, began to drove Mr. Oilman out of Benin towards Abraka Town in Delta State at a top, reckless speed.

On the way, they collected his mobile phone. Moments later, the hoodlums phone rang.

Their sponsor asked if they had succeeded in getting a victim. Also, he wanted to know whether Mr. Oilman was the owner of the car and the model of the car. The second and third inquires angered the hoodlums. They charged at the sponsor. “Those questions are not necessary. We have succeeded. That is all we can tell you. And we are on our way.”

The journey continued. Destination? Unknown. But the hoodlums had slipped through Upper Sakpoba area of Benin City driving through safe havens. Now, they were out of Edo State heading for Delta State.

Plot to kill him On the way, the hoodlums began to discuss how to kill Mr. Oilman so as not to leave a human trace of their crime.

Because they spoke in Urhobo language which he

Criminals Never Win!

By MICHAEL ODIGBE

understood he heard all they were saying. It therefore dawned on him that what was going on was not a kidnap for ransom. It must be something else. This notwithstanding, he begged for his life using the logic that since he was an Urhobo man, it would be a taboo for any Urhobo man to kill another Urhobo man.

At this juncture, one of hoodlums searched his pocket.

He retrieved an NNPC card. At this the hoodlum remarked.

“Ah, so you work with an oil company? Then, you are rich.

It is people like you in Nigeria that don’t help poor people.

Hand don catch you.”

Mr. Oilman, in agony, told the hoodlums that he was a rich man with a difference who helped the poor. He requested

point where a green Nissan Primera was parked with hoodlums inside it.

Mr. Oilman was taken into the Nissan Primera after which a set of hoodlums drove away his s car. The two hoodlums who abducted him from Benin were joined by two others and all of them, including him, drove in the Nissan Primera deeper into the forest. At a point, the car stopped. He was asked to run into the forest for his dear life. As he did, they fired gun shots, at him.

Then, they tracked him to see if he was dead or mortally wounded. But they neither saw his corpse nor blood stains on the foliage. Shocked by the development, they search for him only to find him alive in a ditch into which he fell as he ran for his life.

The discovery that he was alive angered them. They ordered him to come out of the ditch. He did. Again, the

• Folunsho Adebanjo, Edo State Commissioner of Police

that they checked out his record of philanthropy at Ughelli Town in Delta State. They ignored his plea.

The journey to No Man’s Land continued. Soon the hoodlum driving the car said. “Bros, we no go do you anytin.

You safe. But you will choose. Either we shoot you and you die once. Or we will take you to the evil forest. Tie you up there and allow animals to eat you up slowly. Choose one.

Be quick.”

Mr. Oil chose neither option. He wanted to live.

Death foreshadows Mr. Oilman Moments later, the hoodlums’ sponsor phoned again and discussions took place just as the hoodlums drove into an express road. Few kilometers on this road, the car veered into a dense forest path. The hoodlums stopped to throw Mr. Oilman children’s and wife’s clothes into the forest.

Then, they drove on. Not long afterwards, they reached a

“On arrival in Benin, he reported his ordeal to the police who anyway have been following up his case. With additional information from him Edo Police Command spread its drag nets. Soon, Kabiru Bala and Kelvin Enoghoriafe were arrested in connection with the crime. The Nissan Primera car in which he was driven into the forest of death to be killed is now in police custody. The icing on the cake for the police is that Mr. Oilman’s Toyota Camry car 2008 model has been recovered. It was sold for N300,000 to a man called monkey.”

hoodlums drove deeper into the forest until they reached a flowing stream. There, they tied his hands behind him with his shirt, and his two legs with his jeans trouser after beating him black and blue with his trouser belt. What they did next was to throw him into the stream bound up so that he would drown. They stood by to watch him die in the stream before they drove off.

Mr. Oilman drank water, remained motionless and lost his consciousness. Miraculously, he regained it and reached for the bank of the stream minutes afterwards. He unitied his hands and feet. Thereafter, in his singlet and boxers, all covered with mud from the stream, he traced his way to a road where he boarded a vehicle to his freedom.

Reporting his ordeal to police On arrival in Benin, he reported his ordeal to the police who anyway have been following up his case. With additional information from him Edo Police Command spread its drag nets. Soon, Kabiru Bala and Kelvin Enoghoriafe were arrested in connection with the crime. The Nissan Primera car in which he was driven into the forest of death to be killed is now in police custody. The icing on the cake for the police is that Mr. Oilman’s Toyota Camry car 2008 model has been recovered. It was sold for N300,000 to a man called monkey. Later, the car found its way to Niger Republic from where Edo Police Command retrieved it back to Benin”. Meanwhile, Mr. Foluso Adebanjo, Edo Police Commissioner is having a good laugh….. So, you can see that criminals never win. They always lose out and die!!.

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Science

CONTRACTILE vacuole is mainly the method used by Amoeba a protozoa to eliminate waste.

Contractile vacuole is a simple cavity found in the cell of freshwater protozoa’s that eliminate water from the cell.

Contractile vacuole, are made up of various shapes. Some are spherical, while some are stellate or star shaped.

Amoeba has a cell membrane that is semipermeable, meaning the cell membrane has pores, to which either liquids or gases can pass through. Because the Osmotic pressure in the cytoplasm of Amoeba is greater than the surrounding water therefore flows into the cytoplasm and as soon as this water enters into the cytoplasm, a contractile vacuole is formed, and on getting to its maximum size, it will contract, and discharges the excess water through a temporary break in the cell which occurs at regular intervals.

After the discharge of water the vacuole, then re-units with the cell membrane.

Waste products like carbon(IV) oxide and ammonia are excreted through the cell membrane through a process known as diffusion. And diffusion is the movement of gases from a region of higher concentration to a region of a lower concentration until an epelibrium is attained.

ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION This is the reproduction of new organisms from existing ones of their own kind, it is the multiplication of whole organisms.

Reproduction is amongst one of the characteristics of living things.

By OYAKHILOME CLEMENTINA

Excretion In Protozoa

Two types of reproduction do exist, they are the sexual and the asexual reproduction.

For the asexual type of reproduction an offspring is produced from a portion of a single individual without the involvement of gametes.

Its advantage is that there is great multiplication of many organisms with less wastage of energy and materials. For its disadvantage it does not allow the mixing of heritable characters from two the parents that is the father and mother and therefore reduces the chances of bringing in more and new variations into the populace.

TYPES OF A S E X U A L REPRODUCTION There are five types of asexual reproduction which needs just a

parent. They include fusion, budding, sporef o r m a t i o n , fragmentation and

condition is very favourable, there is enough food etc before they undergo this form

resulting in the splitting of the mother cells into daughter cells, a process referred to as multiple

will break away from the parent. Both plants and animals experience budding.

Yeast during favourable condition form buds. While parent remains in chains of cells and the daughter cells remain unseperated from the parents.

In freshwater hydra, the parent grows out a bud that develops a mouth and testacles which forms the daughter cell, that will finally grow and separates from the parent body.

FRAGMENTATION Pieces break off from the parent body of multicellular organism which grows up to form a new organism.

VEGETATIVE PROPACIATION It is an asexual types of reproduction in higher plants which involves the vegetative organs of the leaf, stem or root.

The organ of vegetative reproduction help them to withstand

“Yeast during favourable condition form buds. While parent remains in chains of cells and the daughter cells remain unseperated from the parents.” vegetative progation which most people do not recognize as part of asexual reproduction FISSION Unicellular organisms do exhibit form of reproduction. Here the mother cell, completely split into new daughter cells of which each attairs its full size independent organism when this kind of reproduction occurs it means the weather

of reproduction.

Examples include Amoeba, bacteria, blue green algae.

In some unicellular reproduction like Euglena viridis it has l o n g i t u d i n a l reproduction transverse binary fission. In paramecium or obliquely relative to the main body axis of the organism a situation where the nucleus divides more than once

fission as in plasmodium and chlamydomonas the division starts from 4,8 or 16 daughter cells.

Multicellular organism also exhibits multiple fission like the larval stage of sponges and Echinodermatas.

BUDDING In budding, a portion of the parent plant body grows by cell division to form an appendage that will eventually become a smaller organism that

unfavourable periods of growth. The stem plays an important role in vegetative reproduction.

In flowering plants their organs of vegetative reproduction include (a) stem tuber (b) rhizomes (c) bulbs (d) corms (e) stolons (f) runners (g) offset (h) suckers (i) adventitious buds (j) bulbils (k) budding (I) gemmae (m) leaf tip.

THE NIGERIAN

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Issues

Illegal Refineries: Matters Arising

COULD an individual be said to be a criminal when they decide to sell their own property? What if such an individual has a pressing need and that property has to be disposed for him to meets such needs? This is the case of Nigerians Living in the Delta, those who have access to Nigeria’s black gold (Crude Oil).

Oil bunkering has been the order of the day, an enterprise which every youth wants to get involved in, risking their lives in the process, the arguments not withstanding.

However, Nigerian should realise that even the youths involved in this act have god fathers who tend to sponsor them. These god fathers acquire the major profit of this illegal act.

Poverty, the bane of the society, has led Nigerians into dubious acts just to make sure of ends meet.

Nigeria produces about 2.5 million barrel of oil per day.

With this wealth of oil, Nigeria should not be ranked among developing countries, but instead among developed nations of the world. Nigeria is the largest producer of crude oil in African and the 6th largest in the world. That should call for celebration, but reverse seems to be the case. People still wallow in abject poverty.

The Joint Task Force (JTF) regularly raids the creeks,

By OGBOLU GEORGE

there by apprehending these oil thieves. It is always reported in the media that JTF has destroyed and arrested ‘workers’ at illegal refineries but nothing has been heard of their sponsors, knowing that these sponsors bigwigs in the corridors of power.

Instead of arresting these so called criminals and locking them up for good, why can’t the government integrate them into their plans? These are skilled individuals who have learnt the act of oil refining in one way or the other, and perfecting their acts by the day.

The Federal Government should embark on massive reorientation and rehabilitation of this individual.

The minister of petroleum, Diezani Alison Madueke said at a time that “the oil and gas sector has witnessed a renewed wave of activities… which has placed the industry on a path of growth,” yet Nigeria still loses about 150,000 barrels per day, which is approximately 7% of the total oil stolen per day. It is important to note that oil and gas are major sources of revenue for the Nigeria Government. It accounts for about two-third of the total revenue.

So many actions have been taken by the Nigerian

Government to curb the so-called evil act. The presidency recently voiced its opinion about the alarming rate of this act. “It is only in Nigeria that people go to all length to steal crude oil and its by-products through breaking pipelines and other associated means of oil bunkering. And most times, these illegal activities lead to huge economic waste, environmental degradation and loss of lives within Minutes.

“This administration is out to stop this and we are going to take decisive steps to make this evil which is becoming a habit, a thing of the past” President Jonathan says.

The Nigerian Government has gained remarkable success in its fight against oil bunkering. In December 2012, seven illegal local refineries located on the creek of the river, few kilometres from the Niger Bridge in Onitsha by a Joint Operation of the Army and State Security Service (SSS).

Also in March 12, 2013 boats loaded with 100,000 litres of gasoline valued at about N16 million was intercepted by soldiers from the 14 field engineers regiment in Onitsha.

So many other successes have been achieved.

The question still remains: should illegal Refineries be licensed? And it is the citizens that should answer it. The oil belongs to us.

The Joint Task Force (JTF) regularly raids the creeks, there by apprehending these oil thieves. It is always reported in the media that JTF has destroyed and arrested ‘workers’ at illegal refineries but nothing has been heard of their sponsors, knowing that these sponsors bigwigs in the corridors of power.

THE NIGERIAN

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

International

Death Toll Rises To 12 In Afghan Bombing

KABUL- The death toll from a suicide vehicle bomb attack on the site of a key national council in Afghanistan’s capital has risen to 12, officials said Sunday.

The Taliban meanwhile took credit for the blast the day before outside the huge tent where next week’s Loya Jirga is to be held later this week.

Elsewhere, in the insurgency-racked south, villagers discovered the beheaded bodies of six government contractors and a service member from the international coalition died when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb, officials and NATO said.

Saturday’s suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vehicle after being spotted by Afghan security personnel guarding the Loya Jirga site, said Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi. He said three of the 12 dead were members of Afghanistan’s National Security Force with most of the rest civilians.

The blast came days before the Loya Jirga’s scheduled Thursday opening, in which thousands of prominent Afghans are scheduled to meet to debate a contentious security agreement with the United States. Hours before, President Hamid Karzai announced that U.S. and Afghan negotiators had completed a final draft of the Bilateral Security Agreement to be presented to the gathering for debate. If approved, it would allow U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan after the final withdrawal of international combat forces in 2014.

The Taliban took responsibility for the bombing, giving the bomber’s name as Saeed Kabuli. They provided few other details.

NATO did not announce the nationality of the service member killed in the south, according to its rules. Most troops serving in southern Afghanistan are from Britain and the United States.

So far this year 139 NATO service members have been killed in Afghanistan, according to Associated Press figures. This compares to 394 troops of the NATO-led coalition killed in 2012.

Also in southern Afghanistan, where a stubborn insurgency flourishes, police said they recovered the decapitated bodies of six government contractors, the apparent victims of Taliban insurgents who regularly target state projects.

Kandahar police spokesman Ahmed Durrani said villagers found the bodies on Sunday.

He said the men were

involved in building police compounds and checkpoints in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban.

In northern Afghanistan, a suicide bomber attacked the deputy governor of Balkh province. While the official escaped unhurt, one civilian was killed, said Balkh police spokesman Sher Jan Durrani.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either attack, but the Taliban have previously targeted both officials and contractors, warning Afghans against working for the government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd right), attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem yesterday.

Libya’s Capital Goes On Strike Over Militia Attack

TRIPOLI - Residents of the Libyan capital launched a general strike yesterday over a militia violence that killed nearly 50 people this weekend.

The streets of Tripoli were deserted as the vast majority of the city’s businesses and schools were closed.

Bakeries, pharmacies, hospitals and gas stations remained open. AlSadat al-Badri, who is head of Tripoli’s city council, said the strike is to last three days.

Armed residents set up checkpoints throughout the city to protect their neighborhoods, fearing renewed violence.

Libya’s state news agency LANA also said Sunday the Misrata militia accused of being responsible for Friday’s killing of 43 people at a protest abandoned its headquarters in the southern Tripoli neighborhood of Gharghour.

Late Saturday, a governmentaffiliated militia, the Libya Shield-Central Command, said it was in control of Gharghour.

Iran Main Focus In French Visit

• John Kerry, US Secretary of State

JERUSALEM - Continued pressure on Iran over its contested nuclear program can get world powers a better deal, Israel’s prime minister said yesterday, ahead of a visit by the French president.

Benjamin Netanyahu offered the comments at a government meeting yesterday, hours before President Francois Hollande was to arrive for a three-day

Kerry To Visit Israel On Friday JERUSALEM - US Secretary of State John Kerry is to visit Israel on Friday to discuss the Iranian nuclear talks and peace with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Speaking to his ministers, Netanyahu said he would also discuss the Iran talks with French President Francois Hollande, who arrived in Israel later yesterday, as well as with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he travels to meet him in Moscow on Wednesday.

“We will also do that with the American Secretary of

In a statement read on Libya’s private al-Ahrar television channel, the militia declared it a military zone and vowed to turn it over to the government.

The majority of Libya Shield’s militiamen also hail from Misrata.

Militias from Misrata have a powerful presence in Tripoli.

Many militias have turned villas and residential compounds of former Gadhafiera officials into camps where they stash weapons.

Friday’s bloodshed left Tripoli

on edge. Four people died Saturday in fighting between militias.

Since the fall of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, hundreds of militias — many on the government payroll — have sprung up across Libya, carving out zones of power, defying state authority and launching violent attacks. The government has tried to incorporate them into the fledgling police force and army but failed.

Sunday, Al-Badri called on militias to leave the capital to allow “the government, the police and the army” to work.

State of State John Kerry, who arrives here on Friday,” the Israeli premier said, quoted by his office after a weekly meeting of his cabinet.

“I hope we’ll be able to convince our friends this week and in the following days to get a much better deal.

It can be achieved,” he said in remarks ahead of a new round of talks in Geneva between world powers and Iran from November 20.

“Iran is under economic pressure, and continuing to apply pressure and even increasing it can yield a much

- Netanyahu

better diplomatic result.”

Netanyahu said he and Kerry would also discuss the ongoing direct peace talks with the Palestinians.

Israel and Western powers suspect Iran’s uranium enrichment programme is part of a covert drive to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, an allegation the Islamic republic vehemently denies.

The P5+1 group negotiating with Tehran is made up of the five permanent members of

the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany.

Israel is campaigning against a deal emerging from the talks, which it says would prematurely ease international sanctions on Tehran, before it makes binding commitments to stop enriching uranium.

The issue is likely to be a key focus of his talks with Hollande later on Sunday and with Putin when Netanyahu flies to Moscow on Wednesday.

- Netanyahu

trip.

Netanyahu repeatedly has expressed anger over a possible deal between Iran and six world powers — including France — that could ease some sanctions while leaving the Islamic Republic with uraniumenrichment capabilities. He repeatedly has referred to the potential agreement as a “bad deal.”

World powers fear Iran could develop a nuclear weapon. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Israel views a nucleararmed Iran as a threat to its very existence, citing Iran’s repeated calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, Tehran’s long-range missile program and its support for violent anti-Israel groups like the Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Netanyahu said he would discuss the issue with Hollande, as well as when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. U.S. Secretary of

State John Kerry is scheduled to visit Jerusalem on Friday.

“I hope we will be able to convince our friends this week ... to reach a much better deal, and it’s possible to obtain that because Iran is under economic pressure and by the continuation of this pressure — and even by increasing it — can lead to a much better result of a diplomatic solution in peaceful ways,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said Iran talks will “top the agenda” in discussions with Hollande that will also cover the ongoing negotiations with the Palestinians. Hollande is to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later in the week.

The Israeli prime minister has been petitioning his allies to maintain sanctions on Iran, straining relations with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Netanyahu downplayed that strain Sunday, saying that differences of opinion happen even between the “best of friends” and that it is his government’s duty to protect its interests.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

International Features

Villagers Mob US Aid Choppers As Philippine Relief Effort Spreads MOBBED by hungry villagers, U.S. military helicopters dropped desperately needed aid into remote areas of the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines, as survivors of the disaster flocked to ruined churches on Sunday to pray for their uncertain future.

The Philippines is facing up to an enormous rebuilding task from Typhoon Haiyan, which killed at least 3,974 people and left 1,186 missing, with many isolated communities yet to receive significant aid despite a massive international relief effort.

Philippine authorities and international aid agencies face a mounting humanitarian crisis, with the number of people displaced by the catastrophe estimated at 4 million, up from 900,000 late last week.

President Benigno Aquino, caught off guard by the scale of the disaster and criticized by some for the sometimes chaotic response, visited affected areas on Sunday. Not for the first time, he sought to deflect blame for the problems onto local authorities whose preparations he said had fallen short.

In Guiuan, a hard-hit coastal town in eastern Samar province, he praised the city mayor for conducting a proper evacuation that had limited deaths to less than 100, saying that was a contrast to other towns.

“In other places, I prefer not to talk about it. As your

president, I am not allowed to get angry even if I am already upset. I’ll just suffer through it with an acidic stomach,” said Aquino. “Until I am satisfied with what I am seeing, I will stay here for a while.”

While aid packages have begun to reach more remote areas, much of it carried by helicopters brought by the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, the United Nations said people were still going hungry in some mountainous provinces. It said information about several provinces in the west of the Visayas region remained “limited”, with 60 percent of people in towns in the northeast part of Capiz province needing food support.

“I remain concerned about the health and wellbeing of the millions of men, women and children who are still in desperate need,” U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said in a statement.

The risk of skin and respiratory diseases and diarrhoea was very high, with hospital and health centers badly damaged.

“It’s raining a lot so everything is wet. The quality of the water is not sufficient,” Jean Pletinckx, head of Medecins Sans Frontieres’ Haiyan response, told Reuters.

“In Guiuan, the city is completely destroyed.

There’s nothing left.

Everything is broken. The hospital is completely flat.”

U.S. AID REACHES REMOTE AREAS

In Cabungaan, a village in the interior of Leyte province’s Tanauan district - where as many as 1,200 died - the arrival of a U.S. Seahawk helicopter on Sunday was the first outside help since Haiyan made landfall.

With children in the lead, scores of villagers ran from jury-rigged shanties to

sometimes coconuts, not enough rice,” said Richel Maballo, 19. Too far from the shore to be hit by the surge of water that devastated the regional capital Tacloban city, the village suffered no deaths.

Back in the air, a member of the aircraft’s crew, Jeremy Smith, scribbled in a notebook: “That LZ

operating in the area, including 10 C130 planes, 12 V-22 Ospreys, Sea Hawk helicopters operating from USS George Washington.

Japan has sent three ships with trucks and engineering equipment, while Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore have sent C130 planes to

(landing zone) was tame compared to others where the aircrafts have been mobbed.”

The international community has sent or pledged a total of $248 million (10.6 billion pesos) to help 10 million people affected by Haiyan, said the Philippine foreign ministry.

The United States has about 50 ships and aircraft

help deliver relief supplies.

Aquino said he was not satisfied with the slow pace of aid distribution and called for more efficient loading and unloading of relief packs from ports in Luzon and for the urgent restoration of power and communications.

The government estimated damage to infrastructure and

• President Barack Obama

greet the helicopter as it settled in a flattened patch of grass. Locals jostled for a view, beaming and yelling “Thank you! Thank you!” as two crew members rushed out aid marked “from the American people.”

For the past week, the village’s 200-plus residents had been living on one meal a day of “dried fish,

agriculture at about 10 billion pesos ($230 million), the bulk of it in the farming sector.

The United Nations warned the economic and human costs could rise if aid did not reach farmers in rice-growing regions in time for the next planting season in December and January. It also said that fishing, another crucial food source, had been placed in jeopardy by the storm.

“The destruction of boats, fishing gear, fish ponds and related equipment left many families with no means of livelihood and decreased protein intake,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

PRAYING FOR A FUTURE In Tacloban, churchgoers in the deeply religious Roman Catholicmajority country knelt in prayer in the shells of ruined churches.

At Santo Niño Church near the waterfront, Rosario Capidos, 55, sat crying in one row, hugging her nine-year-old grandson.

Capidos had been sheltering at home with nine other members of her family when Haiyan struck on November 8. As the waters rose, she floated her three grandchildren on a slab of styrofoam through a road flooded with debris and shipping containers to a nearby Chinese temple.

Her family survived.

“That’s why I’m crying,” she said. “I thank God I was given a second chance to live.”

“With children in the lead, scores of villagers ran from jury-rigged shanties to greet the helicopter as it settled in a flattened patch of grass. Locals jostled for a view, beaming and yelling “Thank you! Thank you!” as two crew members rushed out aid marked “from the American people.”

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

International Yameen Takes Power In Maldives After Vote Turmoil MALÉ (MALDIVES) Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen was inaugurated Sunday, a day after his shock

election victory that ended nearly two years of turmoil that threatened to turn the honeymoon islands into an

international pariah.

Yameen, the half-brother of the islands’ long-time strongman ruler, was sworn in

by the chief justice at a nationally televised ceremony attended by his defeated opponent Mohamed Nasheed.

The 54-year-old politician was accorded a 21-gun salute and in his first address to the nation pledged to work with neighbours and the international community which had put his nation of 350,000 Sunni Muslims on notice to elect a leader by Sunday or risk censure.

“We will maintain good neighbourly relations with regional countries and others,” Yameen said. “I shall strive to make Maldives the safest and

most developed nation in the region.”

The United States and regional superpower India were among the first to congratulate him and said they looked forward to working closely with the new leader.

New Delhi had an uneasy relationship with Male after the toppling of former president Nasheed who once took refuge at the Indian High Commission in Male to avoid arrest while the US led international concern over political instability.

Just before his inauguration, Yameen told reporters that the country desperately needed

stability.

“The country needs stability,” Yameen, 54, told reporters in Male. “I hope we will receive the necessary cooperation from Nasheed through parliament.”

“Instead of confronting political leaders, we will confront the big challenges facing our country,” he said.

Nasheed conceded defeat after a bitterly fought battle and said he was pleased that the country finally had a democratically elected leader.

“Today is a happy day for the Maldives — we now have an elected government,” Nasheed said.

Syrian displaced children wait outside their tents for the arrival of French President Francois Hollande’s companion Valerie Trieweller during her visit to one of Syrian refugee camp.

Thousands Of Syrian Refugees Flood Lebanon BEIRUT — Thousands of refugees are fleeing border towns in central Syria where a high-stakes battle is raging, crossing valleys and ridges to reach safety in neighboring Lebanon, witnesses and the U.N. said yesterday.

They packed into wedding halls and drifted into makeshift shacks after escaping the steadily intensifying fighting battle that began on Friday, said Bassel Hojeiri, former mayor of the border town of Arsal where most of the refugees have headed.

A Syrian government offensive in the rugged Qalamoun hills, which stretch from Damascus to neighboring Lebanon, seeks to cut rebel supply lines to opposition-held enclaves around the capital.

Activists and analysts say the battle may be the final blow that dislodges rebels from the Damascus periphery, where food is running short and opposition fighters have lost a series of strongholds in recent weeks to forces loyal to Syrian

President Bashar Assad.

Former Mayor Hojeiri estimated some 10,000 people had fled to Arsal, saying an influx of Syrians during the past three years of conflict in that country had caused the population to nearly double.

Dana Sleiman of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees put the total number of refugee arrivals over the weekend at around 1,000 families. She said many had not registered yet with the U.N. and so they could not provide more definite numbers.

The UNHCR’s Sleiman said refugees weren’t able to reach an official border crossing because of the fighting, which began on Friday. Some families were in such a hurry that they could not collect any belongings before they fled, arriving “without anything except the clothes on their backs,” she said.

The U.N. was distributing blankets, mattresses, food, nappies and hygiene kits to the

refugees. She said some were settling into tin shack slums that dot the eastern Lebanon Bekaa Valley, and they were being offered thick plastic to reinforce their feeble homes against the cold.

Syrian refugees have overwhelmed Lebanon since the uprising began three years ago.

Lebanese officials estimate there are 1.4 million Syrians in the country, including 800,000 registered refugees.

The battle for Qalamoun has been expected for weeks, both government and opposition reinforcing their positions in the sector ahead of winter, when much of the area is covered with snow.

Activists say one of the main sites of the battle is around the town of Qara, which lies near a main highway leading from Damascus to the central town of Homs. Controlling the region thus makes it easier to assert control over movement down the length of Syria.

Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen (centre) attend a swearing in ceremony in male yesterday after winning second round elections a day earlier, Yameen was inaugurated yesterday.

Pentagon Chief Sounds Alarm Over US Budget Cuts SIMI VALLEY (UNITED STATES) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel sounded an alarm bell Saturday about budget cuts he said threaten America’s security and global military role, while “gambling” over the risk of an unexpected threat.

The cuts, which amount to nearly $1 trillion for the Department of Defense (DoD)

Syria Air Force Bombards Town Near Lebanon DAMASCUS - Syria’s air force struck Qara near the Lebanese border yesterday as loyalist forces tried to storm the town where rebels have taken up positions, a monitoring group said.

“Since the morning, the town of Qara has been hit by air strikes. Warplanes bombarded the town heavily yesterday.

Regime troops are trying to storm it and to drive the rebels out,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

The Britain-based group also said the opposition fighters in the town were determined to resist despite the pressure.

Pro-regime newspaper Al-

Watan said “the army hit the Qalamoun mountains hard, closing in on the terrorists around Qara,” using the government’s term for the rebels.

Violence in the Qalamoun area has intensified since Friday.

Both the regime backed by Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah fighters and rebels, including Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists, have escalated their presence in the area.

Qalamoun, home to a strong rebel presence, is strategic because it borders Lebanon and because the opposition uses it as a rear base for its operations around the capital.

For President Bashar alAssad’s regime, it is important because it is on the road linking Damascus to the central province of Homs. It is also home to weapons depots.

After months of being largely spared the violence tearing apart other areas of Syria, parts of Qalamoun have faced nearly-daily shelling in recent weeks.

On Saturday, the Lebanese authorities said 1,200 families had fled Syria for the border town of Arsal, in eastern Lebanon. Most of them had come from Qara.

On Sunday, Arsal’s municipality chief Ali al-

Hojairi told AFP that “more refugees are arriving. Many are sleeping in cars. They need shelter.”

More than 800,000 Syrians fleeing their country’s brutal war have taken refuge in Lebanon. Many suffer terrible shortages as the local authorities and international agencies struggle to provide for them.

In Damascus, the air force bombarded Barzeh, much of which is in rebel hands.

The Observatory also said mortar rounds hit the Kassaa, Bab Tuma and Tijara neighbourhoods of central Damascus, killing one person and injuring several others.

over a decade, were “too steep, too deep and too abrupt,” Hagel told a defense conference in California.

“This is an irresponsible way to govern, and it forces the department into a very bad set of choices,” he said Automatic cuts of $52 billion set to take place in fiscal 2014 represent 10 percent of the Pentagon budget.

The Navy’s global presence is already down 10 percent since sequestration began in March, while the Army has canceled training rotations for 15 percent of its forces and the Air Force 25 percent of its training events.

“The effects will be felt for a long period of time to come. By continuing to cancel training for non-deploying personnel, we will create a backlog of training requirements that could take years to recover from,” Hagel said.

“These cuts are too steep, too deep, too abrupt.”

The defense chief was speaking at the Ronald Reagan Defense Forum, a one-day event hosted at the late US leader’s presidential library northwest of Los Angeles.

The Pentagon has made clear to Congress and the White House “the growing difficulties we face in training, equipping and preparing our forces under a cloud of budget restraints and uncertainty,” Hagel said.

“These challenges are often not visible, but they are very very real, and they will become more visible as they further jeopardize the security of our country as our readiness, capability, and capacity continue to deteriorate.”

The budget crisis comes as the US military is drawing back after more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan that followed the September 11, 2011 attacks.

But Hagel warned that, if a deal is not reached to stave off the deepest cuts, US forces might not be ready if another major conflict erupts unexpectedly.

“If sequester-level cuts persist, we risk fielding a force that is unprepared,” he said.

“In effect, we would be gambling that we will not face a major contingency operation against a capable adversary in the near-term.”

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Healthy Living

Belly Fat?

• Just 5 Fruits!

MOST women complain of having too much belly fat which makes them become lazy and experience fatigue.

Abdominal fat is the problem that confronts most women, especially as they eat whatever they like, not knowing it causes more harm than good.

Here are five fruits that have been scientifically proven to reduce belly fat. These fruits help to reduce belly fat and is the secret to get a slim waist that is ‘calm’ attractive, sexy and lighten.

Avocado Avocado is one of the fruits that are most popular with women and fortunately it is also in the top five of anything that helps to reduce belly fat because fat is not saturated in the avocado and it is also good for digestion as it also reduces bad cholesterol.

Avocadoes consist of vitamin A, B, C and E and minerals which are good for health. It increases your energy for active body and helps women still have energy to work effectively, despite very restrictive diet.

Coconut Coconut milk helps the body against external factors that cause environmental damage and it’s a valuable medicine for digestion and metabolism with copra protein which is essential for the body.

Coconut also has organic ingredients which have antibacterial effects, protecting the liver against the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs and helps in diet process.

Papaya (paw paw)

By MERCY IYAHEN

Papaya contains vitamin B fiber and antioxidants great for metabolic processes. A few pieces of papaya will help you calm down in the sugar cravings.

Papaya juice, papaya smoothie or fruit salad are other options that you can use to enhance good diet.

Pineapple

Pineapple is the secret weapon to get a flat belly. The body “swallowing”. Acid in pineapple eliminates excess calories while the sweet and charming fragrance makes it easy to absorb while the taste and smell fills and satisfies your stomach, which does not require to be filled with more fat.

Olive This is same as avocadoes olive fat in the form of monounsaturated fat. Diet with fat will boost the rate of harmful cholesterol to good cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Particularly there are olive effective in preventing breast cancer there are many dishes to choose from olive like olive salad, pichles olives, garlic, olive mix, or replacing animal fat with olive oil in food processing as it all reduce fat mass.

Filling the gaps of your stomach with fruit diet is a wise strategy as required organic nutrients in fruits can solve these fat cravings, helps you tolerate dieting suffering, and controls or brings all saturated fats in moderation.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Rooney May Not Make Cut ANDRE Schuerrle has said he is unsure whether Wayne Rooney would warrant selection in the Germany side ahead of today’s friendly with England at Wembley.

Manchester United star Rooney was instrumental for England during their 2014 World Cup qualification campaign, but Schuerrle believes that — were he German — he might struggle to break into Joachim Loew’s starting XI. “Rooney is a great player, but we have good quality too,

- Schuerrie

in every position, and maybe twice, so I don’t know if he would play,” the Chelsea forward was quoted as saying in the Daily Mail.

Germany boss Loew offered a diplomatic response when asked about the quality of players available to Roy Hodgson.

“England is a great football nation. They can choose great players,” Loew said. “There are many names I could name, talented young players I would like to select, but I

prefer not to name individuals.

“They have in Roy Hodgson an excellent teacher of tactics, a great coach.

Yeah, they have a great team, that’s for sure.”

Germany will field an experimental side at Wembley, with Mesut Ozil, Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer all allowed to return to their clubs.

“The England game is our last chance before the World Cup to try out one or two new tactical variations and personnel,” Loew said.

Injured Eriksen To Have Ankle Scan

T O T T E N H A M midfielder Christian Eriksen will have a scan on his injured ankle after suffering an injury playing for Denmark.

Eriksen received the knock when he was felled on the edge of Norway’s area just before halftime and was replaced.

“I don’t know how serious it is,” Denmark coach Morten Olsen told Danish radio station DR. “Our doctor Soren Kaalund has spoken to Tottenham’s doctor and he will examine Eriksen early next week.

“I didn’t believe it was too serious,” Olsen said, adding he was irritated his medical staff ran on to the field

Harry Redknapp

QPR Could Be Fined £60m QUEENS Park Rangers could be fined 60 million pounds by the Football League in January 2015 if they secure promotion this season, the Mail on Sunday reports.

The paper believes QPR are likely to post losses of around 80 million pounds for the 2012-13 season, during which an array of highly paid players such as Chris Samba, Julio Cesar, Loic Remy and Jermaine Jenas were unable to prevent the club’s relegation from the Premier League. Many high earners remain on the books despite the club now being in the Championship.

Under financial fair play rules introduced by the Football League, clubs are set to pay a one pound fine for every pound they lose over 18 million pounds over the course of the 2013-14 season, so — should the losses be of a similar level for the current campaign — QPR could expect to pay around 60 million pounds if they were promoted. If they fail to return to the top flight, they may instead face the prospect of a transfer embargo.

QPR declined to comment

on the status of their accounts for 2012-13 or 2013-14 when contacted by the Mail.

A Football League

spokesman told the newspaper: “This is the first season in which clubs will ultimately face sanctions [for over-spending]. Clubs have to submit their accounts for 2013-14 to us by Dec. 1, 2014, with sanctions levied

early in 2015. If a club being sanctioned are in the Premier League by then, the fine will need to be paid.”

The Mail reports that any funds raised from fines will be donated to charity.

Aguero Enjoying Life Under best at all times. When your MANCHESTER City’s Pellegrini coach is like that, he gives you forward Sergio Aguero said Manuel Pellegrini’s demanding approach has brought the best out of him.

The Argentina

Sergio Aguero

international has struck 12 times in his last 10 games for City and is the joint top scorer in the Premier League.

He feels that new manager Pellegrini, who arrived from Malaga in the summer, has imbued him with confidence while forever asking more of him.

Aguero told City’s official website: “As I’ve always said, every coach is different.

They have different ideas on how to play the game and we must adapt to Pellegrini’s style and do what he says.

“He demands a lot of me during training and matches.

He encourages me to be at my

confidence and the only way to repay his faith is to do my best on the pitch.”

Aguero, who has scored 19 goals in 46 appearances for his country, said his ultimate aim is to win next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

The 25-year-old is likely to be part of a squad that should also include Lionel Messi, and he added: “The dream for any player is to win the World Cup. Well, it is for me.

“The expectation for the people of Argentina is for us to win but we know it will be very difficult. We will all do our best to have an excellent campaign in Brazil.”

because he wanted Eriksen to take the subsequent free kick.

“It’s sad that such an injury should occur, but let’s not be saddened in advance. Let’s see how serious it is,” he told DR. Norway defender Vegard Forren wished Eriksen a speedy recovery following his tackle, saying: “I never got to say sorry to Christian on the pitch.

Wayne Rooney

2014 W/Cup Qualifier

Gyan Calls For Focus Against Egypt GHANA’S captain Asamoah Gyan has warned his teammates not to take their five goal lead for granted in Tuesday’s World Cup playoff return leg against Egypt in Cairo.

The Al Ain marksman wants the Black Stars to approach the decisive tie by the scruff of the neck and seal a third successive World Cup finals qualification berth.

Ghana go into the match at the Air Defence Stadium with a healthy 6-1 wins chalked at Baba Yara Stadium last month.

Asamoah Gyan

“We’re desperate to get back to the World Cup, but we have to make sure we do things in the right way in the second leg,” Gyan said.

“It’s football, so anything can happen.

“We’re in a comfortable position right now, but we need to totally focus on our job and make sure we do what we have to do to reach Brazil. We have to do things the right way in Cairo.”

Gyan scored two goals against the Pharaohs in the corresponding match.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Xabi Alonso Injury Nothing Serious SPAIN’S coach Vicente Del Bosque has allayed concerns after Xabi Alonso was withdrawn from Saturday’s 2-1 win over Equatorial Guinea through injury.

Alonso was replaced by Sergio Busquets just before halftime after appearing to injure his ankle in a strong tackle from Thierry Fidjeu.

Real Madrid will be most concerned about the midfielder’s fitness with his club team-mate Sami Khedira unlikely to return this season after suffering a serious knee injury while playing for Germany on Friday.

But Del Bosque insists he only took Alonso off as a precaution, suggesting the injury is less serious than first feared.

“It’s nothing serious, just a knock... Xabi was brought off just as a precaution,” he said.

First-half goals to Santi Cazorla and Juanfran were enough to seal a narrow win for La Roja, although Guinea gave Spain somewhat of a scare when Jimmy Bermudez netted an equaliser after 36 minutes.

Despite Del Bosque fielding a largely inexperienced squad from the squad, Alonso aside, the 62-year-old made no excuses for his side’s performance.

La Liga:

Khedira Sugery, A Success GERMANY and Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has had successful surgery on torn knee ligaments and he may be available for the World Cup, according to Germany team doctor Hans-Wilhelm MuellerWohlfahrt.

“The operation went well,” Mueller-Wohlfahrt said on the German federation website.

“Now we hope that Sami will be back to fitness for the World Cup in Brazil (starting in June),” he added.

Real confirmed the success of the surgery, which took place under the supervision of club doctors at a clinic in Augsburg, Germany on Saturday.

“Over the next three weeks the player will follow a specific recovery plan so the injured ligaments heal correctly,” the Spanish club said on their website.

Khedira is expected to be out for around six months after damaging the knee in Friday’s 11 draw with Italy.

Germany coach Joachim Loew said it was a “bitter setback” but that he was optimistic he would recover in time to feature at the finals in Brazil.

Khedira’s enforced absence is a blow for Real, who have only just got his midfield partner Xabi Alonso back after a five-month injury layoff.

Alonso suffered a bruised ankle in Spain’s 2-1 win in a friendly against Equatorial Guinea on Saturday but Coach Vicente Del Bosque said it was nothing serious.

Cole, Baines On Equal Footing - Hodgson ASHLEY Cole’s tenure as England’s automatic first-choice left-back appears to be at an end after national manager Roy Hodgson said he was now on level pegging with Everton’s Leighton Baines.

Cole, 32, has been England’s regular number three since 2001, amassing 105 caps, but he has come under increasing pressure from 28-year-old Baines and was recently dropped by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

Hodgson has confirmed that Cole will start in Tuesday’s friendly against Germany, Baines having played in the 2-0 loss to Chile on Friday, but the England manager says he no longer sees Baines as a mere understudy.

Asked if the pair were “50-50” rivals, Hodgson replied: “You could say that, if you want, yeah.

They’re both very good players and I’m happy with both of them.

“There may come a time in the future as we play our first game in Brazil (at the World Cup) where they’re both fit, both anxious to play, I need to pick what I think is my best team, and I have to choose between them.

“But that isn’t the case here in November. That day will come in June and until then, I’ll

Usain Bolt

IAAF Name Bolt, Pryce As World Athletes Of 2013

THE International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has named two Jamaicans, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, as the Male and Female World Athletes of 2013, respectively.

A statement on the The statement added that Bolt, association’s website said the who is winning the award for the announcement was made at the fifth time, and Fraser Pryce a IAAF World Athletics Gala held first-time winner, received price at Salle des Etoiles of the money of US$100,000 with the Sporting Club d’Eté, Monaco on trophy.

November 16.

The News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN) reports that Bolt won the awards in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012.

He defended both his 100m and 200m titles at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, winning the latter final in a 2013 world-leading time of 19.66.

He concluded his World Championships by anchoring a

Brazil ’ll Be Champions - Scolari LUIZ Felipe Scolari insists he feels no pressure to deliver the World Cup next summer as he is 100 percent convinced Brazil will triumph.

Scolari, who led the country to success at the 2002 World Cup, was reinstalled as coach a year ago as Brazil go all out to claim the world title on home soil and make amends for their shock failure when last hosting the tournament in 1950.

Expectation is high but, asked about the pressure to succeed, Scolari told a news conference: “There is no pressure on Brazil. Brazil are not under pressure to be the world champions. Brazil will be the champions.

“If I did not think we could win the World Cup, I wouldn’t lead the team. I’d be sitting at home. If I came here, it’s because I’m 100 percent convinced that I will succeed.”

Scolari was speaking after his side defeated Honduras 50, with Bernard scoring in the first half before Dante, Maicon, Willian and Hulk added gloss to the scoreline in a 20-minute period in the second half.

“I do not think 5-0 represents the reality of the game,” Scolari admitted. “In a normal game between the two teams and the way we play, it could have been 2-0 or 3-0, but we exploited our chances. The result was good.”

Scolari also complained about the aggressive approach

Luiz Felipe Scolari

Honduras adopted, not least when attempting to shackle Barcelona forward Neymar.

“Honduras committed 17 fouls, and eight of them were on Neymar,” he said. “In every game, he is the player who suffers the most fouls.”

Jamaican quartet to the gold medals in the 4x100m Relay.

Bolt won 10 out of his 11 races in 100m (including heats), and was unbeaten in his five races over 200m.

On her part, Fraser-Pryce regained her 100m title at the 2013 IAAF World Championships, winning in 10.71 which remained the fastest time of the year.

Having run the fastest time of 22.13 in the 200m, at the Jamaican championships in June, she went on to win the gold medal over the longer distance in Moscow.

Like her compatriot Bolt, she also anchored the Jamaican 4x100m team to victory, a national record and the second fastest time in history.

hopefully keep them both playing well and playing for England.

“I’ll push forward the decision as to who is actually the number one and who’s the number two until I really have to.”

Hodgson will also recall Joe Hart against Germany at Wembley Stadium after Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster was handed his debut in the defeat

by Chile.

Hart has lost his place for Manchester City after a string of high-profile blunders and Hodgson admits that his psychological fortitude will be under scrutiny against Joachim Loew’s talented German side.

“When you put that England shirt on, be it a white (outfield) shirt or a goalkeeper’s jersey, it’s a tough mental test,” Hodgson said.

“It’s a test of attitude and application, but I fully believe that Joe understands that, is ready for that, and all I can do is give him the chance to put the shirt on and go out and play.

“Afterwards, he’s going to have to face what he faces. If he plays well and maybe keeps a clean sheet and helps us to win the game, I’m sure people are going to be saying some very good things about him.

“But like everyone else, if he doesn’t and lets a couple of easy goals in, he’ll have to accept that there’ll be criticism, because that’s the way of the world.”

...England’s Coach Expects Wilshere To Fire ENGLAND boss Roy Hodgson believes regular football and an injury free season are essential for Jack Wilshere to fire for the Three Lions at next year’s World Cup. Wilshere has been plagued by an ankle injury this season and he was forced out of Arsenal’s recent games against Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund as he attempted to recover.

It is the latest in a string of setbacks Wilshere has faced throughout his career and Hodgson admits it is vital the 21year-old finishes the season in consistent form.

“One thing Jack has mentioned [to me] recently has been that he has had a lack of 90-minute match practice and he obviously feels that he needs a few more games under his belt,” Hodgson said. “But there will be 28 games that he can possibly play before we go to Brazil so it’s not something that bothers me enormously in November.

“That question [about playing time] could be a relevant one at the end of April or the start of May if he is still not playing games, but at the moment, I am just happy to accept that.”

After making his international debut at the age of 18, Wilshere has attracted much pressure and criticism, but Hodgson is confident the midfielder will return to career best form in time for Brazil.

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Qatar FA Rejects Belounis Claims THE Qatar FA has disputed French-Algerian player Zahir Belounis’ claims that he has not been paid since May 2012 and is unable to leave the Gulf state due to issues with his former club.

Belounis, 33, had taken legal action against El-Jaish Sports Club, whom he claimed had failed to pay his salary, and said the club had refused to grant him an exit visa to leave Qatar until he dropped the case.

Migrant workers are not permitted to leave the Gulf state unless their employer grants permission under the kafala system, and the World Footballers’ Association (FIFpro) said Belounis had sold off most of his possessions as he was now unable to either earn an income or move elsewhere.

FIFpro had asked FIFA to intervene, without success, while Belounis wrote to former Qatar World Cup ambassadors Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola asking for help.

However, the Independent on Sunday reports that the case is more complicated than previously thought, and that the Qatar FA strongly rejects his version of events.

Belounis had left Qatar to return to Europe three years ago after having played second-tier football for the Military Sport Association club. When the side was promoted, the player agreed to return on a five-year deal, but the club was rebranded as Al-Jaish; Military Sport Association was no under the control of the Qatar FA and no longer took part in its league structure.

Belounis, whose contract was still technically with Military Sport Association, claimed he had not been paid a salary beyond his first year and so decided to sue Al-Jaish. He has said the club has asked him to

Beaumelle Rues Poor Start

PATRICE Beaumelle rues Zambia’s winless run in his month-old tenure but is defiant a win is just around the corner.

The new Zambia coach has lost all his first three games in charge the latest being a 2-0 away loss to Egypt in a friendly on November 14.

“I am happy with the football the team is playing but we have to start winning,” Beaumelle said in Lusaka after landing from Cairo.

“It’s just that we need to explain, the mix with the new players and the experienced players, so give credit to this team the best is coming.”

Beamuelle added that it has not been easy especially that two of his three friendly games have been against teams that were preparing for crucial 2014 FIFA World Cup play-off qualifiers.

Zambia lost 1-0 to Jordan on November 6 in Doha prior to their 2-0 loss to Egypt who also have a playoff date against Ghana coming up on November 19.

“It is difficult to play a team that is preparing for a World Cup playoff while you are playing to develop a team,” the Frenchman said.

sign a termination contract but is “frightened” of doing so because he “may end up with nothing after fighting for so long.”

He added in an earlier Independent interview: “I want a guarantee that if I sign a termination contract, I can get out of the country. All I’m doing is asking for what I’m owed. I’m sleeping on a mattress, my home is empty, I’ve sold everything.

It’s impossible for me to stay now. The club have won and I’m a destroyed man. I don’t have the strength to continue. I just want to see my family in Paris.”

The Qatar FA, however, said he had never played for Al-Jaish and that he was still a paid employee of the Military Sport Association.

Saoud Al Mohannadi, the QFA’s general secretary, told the Independent on Sunday: “He is still being paid every month by the military, I’m 100 percent sure. He has a permanent job in

Int’l Friendly: Beckenbauer Opposed Hodgson For Germany

Isaac Success

Isaac Success Out For Another Three Weeks

UDINESE-bound Eaglets striker Isaac Success will be sidelined by injury for at least another three weeks.

Team officials said that “The scan showed it was a Success hamstring injury was a second degree tear, which means second degree tear, meaning he he is out for six weeks. And we should be out for at least six were only acting it up at the weeks.

J-League ’ll Dominate U-17, Says Disu

Tunde Disu, Technical Director, Lagos Junior League (J-League), on Saturday expressed the optimism that players produced by the league would henceforth dominate the U-17 national team - Golden Eaglets.

Disu expressed the hope in an interview with reporters in Lagos.

He said that the outstanding performances of J-League players - Taiwo Awoniyi, Jide Idowu and Dele Alampasu - in the just-concluded FIFA U-17 World Cup would inspire other J-League players.

Awoniyi, Idowu and Alampasu were in the Golden Eaglets squad that won the cup

Tunde Disu

in the United Arab Emirates. ‘ ‘I am very proud of the boys; they are good ambassadors of the three-year-old league.

“Their contributions to the success story of the Eaglets is worthy of commendation,” Disu said.

According to him, a player is a product of quality training and good attention which start far from national team setting or mammoth training camps.

“It starts in the hood, on streets or, as expected, in an organised setting like the J-League,” he said.

The technical director expressed gratitude to the Lagos State Government for providing an avenue for such talents to be harnessed.

World Cup that Success will be fit in time to return for one of our matches at the tournament,” an official disclosed.

Success suffered the injury during a group game against Sweden, which finished in a 3-

3 draw.

The highly-rated striker, who scored two goals at the U17 World Cup in the UAE before the injury, is due at Italian club Udinese in January.

ENGLAND’s manager Roy Hodgson has revealed that Franz Beckenbauer’s input may have been the key factor in him missing out on becoming Germany’s first foreign coach.

Hodgson said Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner with West Germany both as a player and coach, felt the Englishman would have stood in the way of upcoming German coaches.

Hodgson’s stock was high in international football at the time, having led Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup finals and to qualification for Euro 96.

Instead, Erich Ribbeck was appointed to replace Berti Vogts, who resigned following Germany’s quarter-final elimination to Croatia at the 1998 World Cup. Hodgson said that the German Football Association (DFB) president at the time, Egidius Braun, had been keen on appointing him.

“It was an honour when Braun called me,” Hodgson told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

“I was on the president’s wishlist. He would have had problems convincing people to accept a foreign coach, though.

“At the time, my friend Franz Beckenbauer pointed out that a foreign coach of the Germany national team would not have helped the German coaching programme - the up-and-coming coaches.”

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2014 World Cup: FOOTBALL fans yesterday called on the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to start preparations for the Brazil 2014 World Cup in earnest because of the Super Eagles’ qualification on Saturday. qualifiers played in Calabar.

Some of them, who spoke to The Eagles beat the Walya newsmen in Abuja decried the Antelopes of Ethiopia 2-0 on team’s performance in the Saturday to have a 4-1 aggregate second leg match of the win to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Calabar Fans Celebrate Eagles Victory

FOOTBALL fans on Saturday defied the heavy rain at the Esuene Stadium to sing and dance after the Super Eagles defeated Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia 2-0 to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The fans trooped into the pitch immediately after the referee’s final whistle, despite repeated warnings by the Master of Ceremony and besieged the players with excitement.

Policemen at the stadium tried to curtail the surging crowd but they overpowered, as jubilant fans made their way to the State Box. They repeatedly chanted the names of Kanu Nwankwo and Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River, apparently in appreciation of their contributions to the team’s success.

The celebration was occasionally spiced with fireworks which electrified the entire arena.

One of the fans, Asuquo Edet, said that he could not hide his joy following Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup. Edet, however, stressed the need for structured preparations to make the team stronger to enable the players to face the challenges ahead.

“This is a sweet victory and I am happy to be associated with it. I urge the football authorities to prepare the team very well before the World Cup proper,’’ he said.

Another fan, Ndubuisi Kanu, who said that he came to Calabar from Aba to watch the team, stressed that he was not disappointed with the outcome of the match.

“I was not disappointed at all; the boys have made me and all Nigerians proud and I wish them well,’’ he said.

NAN reports that one of the sponsors of the Super Eagles, Guinness Nigeria Plc., offered free drinks to the fans outside the stadium.

Nigeria’s midfielder Ogenyi Onazi, who was voted the Most Valuable Player of the match, won the prize of 5,000 dollars, while “Tom Tom’’ gave out 2,000 dollars for each of the two goals scored by the Nigerian team.

Fans Advise NFF To Begin Preparations

Mr Mikail Salau, Chief Operating Officer, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), said the qualification marked the

beginning of the journey for the team.

“Qualifying for the World Cup is the beginning of the journey for the Super Eagles and the preparations for the

Mundial have to start now.

“We now expect the NFA to liaise with the technical crew to put finishing touches to their preparation strategy in terms of funding and some other things.

“The team has to play some quality friendlies with stronger oppositions and they should try to tackle the weaknesses in the team because the team is still a work in progress,’’ Salau said.

A banker at Access Bank, Mr Akin Jolade, said the team’s performance during the match did not portray them as a strong side to face better teams.

“We should just thank God that the result ended up in our favour, but I don’t see the team as strong and able to withstand pressure from stiffer oppositions.

“But I believe we have a good team, it is just that they could

Int’l Friendly:

Eaglets Won’t Be Tired Against Italy

NIGERIA’S Efe Ambrose and Ahmed Musa have insisted they will not be tired versus Italy today just after they qualified for the World Cup. Eagles will fly out of Nigeria Sunday morning and

Coach Stephen Keshi

Mark, Ekweremadu Laud Eagles SENATE President David Mark on Saturday commended the Super Eagles for beating their Ethiopian counterparts and qualifying for the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Mark praised the Stephen Keshi-led coaching crew and the players in a congratulatory message issued in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Paul Mumeh.

He lauded the Super Eagles for sustaining their winning streak, which made them to qualify for the World Cup.

He noted that Nigeria was once again back to global limelight in international sporting events, saying that everything necessary should be done to enable the Super Eagles to make an appreciable impact in Brazil 2014.

“I am glad that we are back to the international reckoning in football. We must do all that is needed to sustain and improve on this high rating.

“Our Super Eagles have proven to be the authentic African champions,” Mark said.

He, however, advised the Aminu Maigari-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to leave nothing to chance in efforts to sustain the momentum.

Mark pledged that the National Assembly would improve budgetary allocation to the sports sector “because of its potential to improve the international image of Nigeria and being the needed elixir for our peace and unity as a people.

“Anything we can do to promote peace, unity and

Ethiopia Coach Slam Ref After Loss ETHIOPIA coach Bishaw Sewnet has blamed Gambian referee Bakary Papa Gassama for robbing his team of a chance of a making the World Cup finals for the first time.

Sewnet’s side went down 2-0 to Nigeria on Saturday, giving the Super Eagles a 4-1 aggregate victory over the two legs, to send them to the finals for the fifth time.

But the coach said: “The

referee won the game for Nigeria.

He denied us two penalties and gave them a soft penalty. These were not fair decisions by the referee.”

Liverpool striker Victor Moses tucked away the penalty after Anyalem Hailu handled inside the penalty area then Victor Obinna fired home a free-kick to kill off the game.

Sewnet said the two teams were not evenly matched in terms of

experience, with Nigeria featuring more European-based players used to football at the highest level.

“My players are young and most of them play locally but Nigeria have professionals who play in Europe and so they are ahead of us,” he added.

“But we will continue to work hard so as to be one of the best teams in Africa.”

win in the playoffs.

Nigeria became the first African country to confirm their ticket for Brazil 2014.

Keshi has become the first African coach to send two countries to the FIFA World Cup finals after masterminding

Togo’s historic qualification in 2006.

“Congratulations to them[Nigeria]. They have done well,” Appiah said.

“He’s my friend, [Stephen] Keshi. We have always been in touch and I am really happy for

them. We have become very close friends and we talk on so many issues.”

Appiah will be seeking to emulate Keshi’s feat when he leads the Black Stars to face Egypt on Tuesday in Cairo with a 6-1 win from the first leg.

progress of Nigeria must not be compromised,’’ he added.

Also, the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, in a congratulatory message, described the Super Eagles’ qualification as “a sign of resurgence and transformation of the nation’s soccer.

“This, coming on the heels of the Under-17 World Cup victory, is another breath of fresh air and bumper harvest for the nation’s football,’’ he added.

Ekeremadu urged the team to remain focused to make Nigeria proud at the World Cup finals in Brazil.

Ghana Coach Applauds Keshi GHANA’S coach Kwesi Appiah has sent a congratulatory message to Stephen Keshi for qualifying Nigeria to next year’s FIFA World Cup finals.

The Super Eagles beat Ethiopia 2-0 in Calabar on Saturday to seal a 4-1 aggregate

not do more probably because they did not have much time together.

“Now that we have qualified, it is now left for the NFA to do all that needs to be done to ensure that this team gets better before the World Cup starts.

“This is because I do not see this team going far in the World Cup with the way they played on Saturday, except with an improved level of play,’’ Jolade said.

A civil servant, Mr Alfred Alonge, said the attacking force of the team should be strengthened ahead of the World Cup. “By now, coach Stephen Keshi should have known the kind of players that can work for him instead of still testing.

“Now, we don’t have time to do that anymore, because the work has to start now if we want to go far in Brazil in 2014,’’ he said.

Efe Ambrose

face Italy in a friendly on Monday night at Craven Cottage in London just after they booked the ticket to Brazil 2014 by beating Ethiopia 2-0 in Calabar on Saturday.

“We are going to play Italy with good mentality, we will approach the game like every other game,” Ambrose told MTNFootball.com “Fatigue won’t set in, we will be fit enough for the game.”

CSKA Moscow forward Ahmed Musa also believed they will be in good shape for the game despite playing two games in three days.

“We are professionals and we are ready to serve our country. We won’t allow the closeness of this game to the qualifier affect us, we will do our best in the game against Italy,” Musa said.

Italy forced Germany to a 1-1 draw in another friendly in Milan on Friday.

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CMYK

“PATRIOTIC youths must break the incorrigibility of leadership in Nigeria…This is Nigeria’s challenge. We need a very conscious, serious, sober reflection, we have to think and act-we need an indigenous democratic ideological breakthrough in Nigeria”-Ouoted in WHERE WE ARE(page 104).

Shortly before the golden eaglets of Nigeria confronted the Swedish youngsters in the semifinals of the just concluded under 17 football tournament held in United Arab Emirate (UAE), one of the Assistant coaches attributed the exploits of the Nigerian side to noninterferance from any quarter vis-à-vis the selection of players for the championship.

I had planned to address the issue of community Associations in Edo State today, because of the recent spate of blood letting, mayhem, lawlessness and reckless criminality associated with their activities. I planned to call on the Comrade Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole to scrap Community Youth Associations on this page today because they have simply constituted a big menace and nuisance to the peace and progress of Edo State.

Most of these Community Youth Associations members atimes sell a plot of land to many unsuspecting buyers only to land them in unwarranted tight comers in which the survival of the strongest battles are fought. But I am changing my mind till another date to fully address this ugly trend because of the marvelous victory of the golden eaglets over the Mexican Youth side on Friday evening.

By winning the under 17 world football cup for the fourth time, the

issue that has been on my mind for quite some time now.

This issue is quite important to the electoral system in our land.

Professor Atahiru Jaga, the chairman of the Independent National

prosecuted. To use the words of the INEC boss: “What we have done is like a drop in the ocean.

Professor Jega went on to declare that poor funding and inadequate staff are responsible for the commission’s low

E l e c t o r a l Commission(INEC) told the whole worlds the challenges he is facing in the area of prosecution of electoral offenders some few weeks ago. According to him “In INEC we have a very small legal department and for us to

performance in the prosecution of electoral offenders. Poor funding?

To cut the long matter short, the INEC boss called for the establishment of Electoral offences Tribunal, which will be saddled with the responsibility of arrest, investigation and

on this page profusely that our electoral system must be sanitized. The National Assembly is hereby challenged to pick the frustration of professor Jega and all of us must ensure that we stand with INEC on this issue. Never before, we need Electoral

prosecution of offenders.

Now, if the powers that be in our country is sincere in restoring sanity to the country’s electoral process which will prevent people from committing electoral offences during, before and after voting has been done, the nations Electoral Act must be visited.

I have raised this issue

Offences Tribunal before the next general elections.

The consequences of not putting this in place is too grave and grim. That is why some people can still boast of capturing power via electoral malpractices.

We need also more than ever before, to digitalise our voting system as it is available in civilized climes. We must compel

The Eaglets Victory

Nigerian young stars have not only written their names on the pages of history, but have taught us all some vital lessons and equally challenged those running the affairs of our country to pause and reflect on how to radically redirect social, political,

Golden Eaglets of Nigeria economic, technological etc compass of Nigeria.

I am therefore using this opportunity to congratulate Nigeria’s under 17 world cup heroes for not letting Nigeria down by their resounding 3 nil victory over the young Mexican side. Before I will look at the implication of the victory of the eaglets, I want to quickly address an

effectively have legal representation in cases of election petitions, we have to employ legal practitioners outside of that”.

Professor Jega went on to state that INEC detected 870,000 cases of multiple registrations out of 73.5 million voters that registered; that only 270 offenders have been

the National Assembly to insert this clause in the nations Electoral Act. Is INEC really underfunded as Prof. Jega mentioned?

I will revisit this matter again shortly. The recent victory recorded by the golden eaglets of Nigeria has brought out something very significant.

The handlers of the golden eaglets have said that only the best materials available were taken to the United Arab Emirate to persecute the football battle there; that sentiments, quota system, federal character and tribalism etc did not interfere in the selection of the boys. Our policy makers, formulators and implementers should draw a lesson from the performance of the golden eaglets.

We must allow the best individuals to handle the affairs of the country. We are having it so bad today politically, economically and what have you because our electoral system is still very porous, cerebral and visionary characters are finding it difficult to get elected democratically.

We must challenge our representatives locally and nationally to move progressive motions. The implication of the eaglets victory is that mediocrity must replace excellence in our national life.

Nowinta, wrote WHERE WE ARE

“I am therefore using this opportunity to congratulate Nigeria’s under 17 world cup heroes for not letting Nigeria down by their resounding 3 nil victory over the young Mexican side.”

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