THE NIGERIAN
The Nigerian
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol . 39 • NO.124 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 20 14 • N 100.00 POLITICAL PLATFORM Page 15
Why Buhari May Win 2015 Presidential Election
SPIRITUAL PLATFORM Page 25
Dealing with land covenants
Senate confirms Mahmud Mohammed CJN
By JOSES SEDE
ABUJA - Senate of the Federal Republic yesterday, confirmed appointment of Justice Mahmud Mohammed of the Supreme Court as Chief Justice of Nigeria, with a charge to help
strengthen democracy in the country. In his comment after the confirmation, presiding Senate President David Mark noted that the judiciary is
a very important arm of government, the last hope of the common man and important in growing the country’s democracy. To this end, the senate president urged the new
CJN to do his possible best to justify the confidence reposed in him by positioning the judiciary to gain confidence of the Continues on page 2
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). “In the last three years, Nigeria has attracted over 10 per cent of the
total FDI to Africa totaling over 20 billion dollars. “ This performance is driven by favourable political, economic and
W’Africa Power Sector needs $25bn
LAGOS - The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, yesterday said that West Africa’s power sector needed an estimated investment of 25 billion dollars (N3.88trillion) in 10 years for it to be reliable and consistent. The minister said that Nebo disclosed this in Nigeria was regarded as his presentation titled Africa’s foremost “Updates on the Nigerian business destination and Power Privatisation’’, was second to South which he delivered at the Africa on the continent. ongoing West African He added that Nigeria, Power Industry the 26th largest economy Convention (WAPIC) in in the world with the Lagos. seventh largest He said that there was population was one of the a need to invest and fastest growing develop a regional grid economies. through effective power Nebo said that the generation across the overall Gross Domestic West African region. Product (GDP) growth for According to him, 2013 was 6.81 per cent Nigeria is a fertile ground above the projected for power investment as global growth average of its economic 3.5 per cent. performance is one of the “Today, Nigeria is an most robust in Africa. attractive destination for
demographic realities,’’ he said. Nebo said that renewable energy remained the most
neglected in Africa and stood as a veritable tool that could energise the Continues on page 2
Oshiomhole commissions blocks of 18 classrooms BENIN CITYGovernor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Tuesday commissioned three blocks of eighteen classrooms at Ekiuwah Primary School, Uteh, Ivbiyeneva Primary School and Idogbo Primary School all in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of the state. Inaugurating the projects, Oshiomhole said “I am so excited to be here. I remember very well during my electioneer campaigns, I visited Uteh and I stopped at this school. I saw Edo Children living in Uteh , sitting on the floor of a classroom with dust all over the place and I
remember I saw a female teacher who came to class with a plastic chair and I asked the young lady, ‘why will you bring a plastic chair to the school? And she said, ‘as you can see there are no chairs or tables even for the teachers and there is no need to talk of bench for the pupils and the classrooms are leaking everywhere. “That is what the previous party, PDP left behind after 10 years. What PDP left behind cannot be renovated. They had to be demolished and rebuilt “When I came into office, at the Executive Council meeting, we decided we are going to
TIT BIT
“There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.” - Warren Buffet
build beautiful schools, that in every school we will use aluminum roof and we will use red and that red is a symbol of the quiet revolution that is going on in Edo State; bloodless revolution. And I said, we will ensure that we are going to use aluminum windows with glass and we are going to put modern furniture in our classrooms, one
CONFIRMATION: L-R: The new Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Justice of Supreme Court, Mary Odili, outgoing CJN, Justice Aloma Mukthar and former CJN Alloysius Katsina Alu during the Senate Screening and Confirmation of Justice Mohammed at National Assembly yesterday. Photo: OMOYE AMINU.
Senate defers approval of state of emergency Continues on page 2
By JOSES SEDE
ABUJA - Presidential request for Extension of State of Emergency In Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States from the Senate of the Federal Republic was effectively stalled yesterday by furious senators from the northern parts of the country, on the premise that the Proclamation has proved unworkable. This is after the senate had been in closed doors session for about two and
half hours to consider the “Extension” request from President Goodluck Jonathan.
On resumption from the closed doors, presiding Senate President David Mark announced, “the
Senate in closed session met and discussed the letter from Mr. President requesting for extension
of the period for the proclamation of a State of Emergency in Adamawa, Continues on page 2
Delta Gas Project Crisis
Uduaghan defends Jonathan By BETTY IDIALU WARRI – Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has decried
accusations leveled on President Goodluck Jonathan of being partisan in the issue of Delta Gas City project,
Ogidigben, saying, the President means well for Nigerians. He also, strongly condemned the recent
kidnap of 14 journalists in some parts of Delta State, stating that the President was worried Continues on page 2
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
News
Oshiomhole commissions blocks of 18 Continued from page 1 tenure, we will come 1st classrooms pupil, and one desk. We put because nobody in Nigeria is ceiling fans so that when it is hot, you put on the ceiling fan and the children will have some comfort”, he said. “To our children, I want to congratulate you because now you have a brand new beautiful school. Everybody will be remembered even by the children for their legacies. PDP legacy is dilapidated schools. Like I said last week, a party that mismanaged our state for 10 years cannot come back in the next 100 years, never ever. The sins of PDP must be exposed everywhere. “Let me assure you that we will look at the fence because we need to secure the school and we will look for furniture and put there. He told the pupils, “Now that you have a beautiful school, you have to listen attentively to your teachers. So you must listen to your teachers, you respect your teachers, you obey their instructions so that one day you will become Governors, Presidents and leaders. “I want to appreciate the teachers and I hope you will do everything possible to maintain this facility. You must keep it clean, you must ensure
that the classrooms are well kept. We reserve the right to come in at anytime and carry out inspections because to whom much is given, much is expected. “I am also happy that the
children are already responding. In the last examination, Edo State came 3rd throughout the country in the last WAEC examination so I believe that over the next two years before the end of our
Continued from page 1
as a result of the incident and has charged security operatives to unravel what happened. Dr Uduaghan who was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Press Week of the Delta State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), at Asaba, emphasized that the Gas City Project was sited in Delta State despite several interests because of the love President Jonathan has for the state. “I find it very unfortunate and objectionable that the President was been accused of partisanship and has been asked to resign. If the President has no love for Delta State, he would not have visited Delta State at least twice this year to inaugurate two projects in that
part of the state”, adding that “ It shows he loves Delta State,” he said. According to him, the project was originally billed for Koko but had to be relocated to the present site at Ogidigben because of the shallow nature of the waters at the initial location. If Mr. President had ulterior motives he could have taken it to another state, he said. “This is a $16 billion project which was approved by Mr. President to be located in Delta State; the initial place the project was to be located was Koko but, because of the need for a deep sea port, it was relocated to Ogidigben. “Let us join hands together peacefully to ensure that the project takes off as everybody will benefit from it, irrespective of tribe.
time renewed in May, 2014. However in his recent letter to the Senate President, President Jonathan noted: “It is important to state that despite concerted efforts by this Administration to stem the tide of terrorism and insurgency in the affected states, the security challenges that necessitated the Proclamation are yet to abate. Consequently, it has become imperative to request the approval of the Senate for extension of the period for the State of Emergency for a further period of six months”. Signs that the request was going to hit the rocks emerged earlier, when the opposition and certain northern senators chorused “nay!”, in response to the question put forward by presiding Senate President David Mark that the matter be
discussed. It was only when the SP persuaded the Senators to allow for debate on the request, while leaving final decision for another day, that the Senators agreed that it be discussed. Thereafter, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba who had introduced the matter through Order 42(2) of the Senate Rules - that provides that letter from Mr. President be considered forthwith or on a future date - moved that the Senate resolved into closed doors to consider the letter. Senators Ahmed Lawan and Ali Ndume who spoke to the press, submitted that another method should be employed to deal with the Boko Haram insurgents rather than unending extension of energy rule in the three states.
He noted that inadequate funding had been the order of the day in the electricity industry, adding that the result was low generation and system collapses. Nebo said that the WAPIC conference brought together senior decision makers from various sectors to deliberate on their organisations’ needs and ways to meet those needs. Some of the sectors, he said, include utilities, governments, large power users, consultants, contractors and regulators. Also speaking at the convention, Mr Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holding, said that there was the need for the Federal Government to privatise the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). Elumelu said that this would help to improve power supply in the country.
He said transmission remained a very big challenge in Nigeria’s power sector, adding that most investors were faced with serious challenges particularly epileptic energy supply. According to him, power sector improvements should be a major focus of all West African countries and African governments should design a way to improve the power sector in the sub region. “ There is a need for the Nigerian government to reconsider ways and options of privatising their transmission lines. “Transmission is a major problem in Nigeria and government needs to act fast to save the sector from collapsing totally,’’ Elumelu said. Reports state that the WAPIC conference entered the second day today and has attracted over 120 participants and 90 exhibitors.
Uduaghan defends Jonathan
Senate defers approval of state of Continued from page 1 persistent Islamist bloody emergency activities. It was for the third
Borno and Yobe states; We have a very extensive debate on it, we will continue tomorrow” (today - 19/11/14). The State of Emergency was first proclaimed by the president in May 2013 following escalating violence and killings in the three northern states in the wake of Boko Haram insurgency. On expiration of the emergency rule in November 2013, it was renewed by the National Assembly for another period of six months, to allow the joint security task force drafted to the areas to do their job of restoring peace and order. As the second extension ran out, more violent crises were being recorded on a higher scale, with executive governors of the states being accused of culpability in the
W’Africa Power Sector Continued from page 1 continent. He said that renewable energy could also be used to solve the energy problem in a very inclusive way. The minister said that the privatisation exercise in Nigeria had been adjudged globally to be very ambition, arduous and transparent when 11 distribution companies and six generation companies put in their bid. “The Ministry of Power is synergising with the Minister of Petroleum and the Central Bank Governor to address gas challenges and also to inject more liquidity into the system. “Handing over successor power companies in Nigeria to investors remains one of the laudable achievements of Mr President, because before the privatisation exercise, the sector has been comatose,’’ Nebo added.
better than Edo and let me assure you the Edo State Government will continue to give practical effects to our commitment to quality, free and compulsory basic education”, he added.
“I want to appeal to everybody to put aside our differences and ensure that the project takes off as investors are waiting; let us not use our hands to drive away investors,” the Governor said. “I think I owe it a duty and a responsibility as the chief executive of Delta State to apologize to all journalists in Nigeria for the very ugly incident that happened in this state in the last two days in which 14 journalists were unfortunately held hostage. I say the act itself is unfortunate, it is condemnable”, adding that “Mr. President has directed thorough investigation into the incident and that anyone found culpable would be handled by security agencies. He commended the Delta State Council of NUJ for being peaceful and challenged journalists to be objective in reporting the forthcoming 2015 elections. “As journalists, you have specific roles to play to ensure that all is well with the country; you have enormous powers as one word or one write-up can change the history of the world, nation and election. “Remember the saying, “the pen is mightier than the sword. I appeal to all of you to abide by the tenets of your profession, verify that your story is true before you disseminate information.” Dr Uduaghan assured Journalists in Delta State that his administration would build and complete a befitting secretariat for the Delta State Council of the NUJ. In a lecture on, “Reporting The 2015 General Elections,” the President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Femi Adeshina, said the success of the 2015 general elections depended on the media, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies. “The media should beam its spotlight on all involved in politics and ensure that the game is played according to the rules in an impartial and objective manner.” He condemned irresponsible reporting, especially in the social media which do not subscribe to ethics of journalism. National President of NUJ, Alhaji Mohammed Garba who was represented by the Deputy National President, Comrade Rotimi Obamuwagun, the Commissioner of Information in the state, Barr. Chike Ogeah and the State Chairman of NUJ, Comrade Norbert Chiazor in their separate remarks commended Governor Uduaghan for been media friendly and supporting the cause of journalists.
Pally Iriase lauds emergency rule extension ABUJA – Rep. Pally Iriase (Edo-APC) yesterday in Abuja commended plans by the Federal Government to extend the emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. Iriase said that extending the emergency rule for another six months would enable the military to perform better in the efforts to rid insurgency. “It is important because we have not achieved much in the past one year of declaring state of emergency in these states. “We have been moving
back and front; one step forward ten steps backward but that not withstanding, we still believe that the requisite environment would be created to enable them to do what they have to do. “People are quite sceptical that the purpose of which the state of emergency was declared several months ago had not been achieved. “Even though we are not attending plenaries just now; we are on recess from plenary; I believe that at the appropriate time we will take a look at it as we have always done.”
FG ’ll boost economy through creative arts, - Okonjo Iweala
ABUJA – The Federal Government said yesterday that it was committed to using the creative arts industry as vehicle to boost the nation’s economy. The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said this in Abuja at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 26 movie producers under the Presidential Intervention Fund for the Nigerian movie industry. “President Goodluck Jonathan is very much aware of the contribution of creative industry to the economic development of the country and I think several states have also tried to attract the industry. “From what I understand, issues of intellectual property, quality and so on, are paramount and that is why the president thought that he would put this initiative together to support the industry. “He had always believed in the power of the creative industries to try and help transform the country. “This is through the employment that the industry will create for our young people, particularly those that have left the university,” she said. The minister said the N215.5 million provided for the film producing segment of the movie industry was to support it to improve on film production in the country. She explained that the initiative was to support the industry to address the challenges of intellectual property and quality in the industry.
She said the creative industry had the potential to help in transforming the country through its messages and creating jobs for young people, especially the graduates. Okonjo-Iweala said that the industry had so far created no fewer than 200,000 direct and one million indirect jobs worth 250 million dollars. “One of the problems we have with you is that we often have a little more of a contentious approach within the industry”, she said. The Project Director, Project ACT Nollywood in the ministry of finance, Dr Supo Olusi, disclosed that the film production component of the fund was N700 million. He said that the amount would be disbursed as grants to industry operators who met the benchmark for accessing the money. Olusi said that after series of studies and researches, 26 film production firms were identified as the first batch to benefit from the first N215.5 million made available. He said the grant ranged from N2 million to N15 million to each of the benefiting firms, depending on their production capacity. “There is a provision in their MoUs that they must produce movies from the grant within three months after the due date in the MoU to ensure that they deliver,” he said. Some known Nollywood movie producers who attended the event included Desmond Elliot and Emeka Ossai.
Senate confirms Mahmud Mohammed CJN
Continued from page 1
ordinary citizens. This is even as Justice Mohammed dismissed calls for special courts for special cases, arguing that what matters was the character disposition of the judge sitting over the case. The confirmed CJN also blamed legal practitioners for delayed cases and vested interests on conflicting judgements, stressing, “we legal practitioners are problems, we want to keep cases on the Court List forever; even when the case is bad, counsels don’t tell their clients” Moreso, Justice Mohammed told the red chamber that there is nowhere
in the Nigerian Constitution that stops the federal government from appointing a CJN from anywhere in the country. He however noted that since seniority is part and parcel of the legal profession, appointing a CJN outside the Supreme Court could cause discontent to the system. Justice Mohammed also canvassed separation of the Office of Attorney-General from Minister of Justice, explaining that while the former has to do with dispensation of Justice, the later is political and that saddling one person with both offices was combersome and confusing.
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Inside Edo Honourary Award: NUJ
Cleric Admonishes Christians On Gratitude By FAITH ISIKHUEMEN
BENIN CITY – Christians have been admonished to imbibe the spirit of gratitude to God for his benevolence as it attracts more favour from Him. The Parish Priest of Saint Fidelis Catholic Church, Aduwawa, Rev. Fr. Michael Emerue gave the admonition at the church’s annual Adult Harvest Thanksgiving/Bazaar tagged, “Harvest of Conscience”. He noted that Christians ought to make gratitude a point of duty due to the overwhelming graciousness of God. According to the clergy, “An act of showing gratitude even at trying times is worth a thousand times when things are agreeable to our inclinations”. Fr. Emerue further charged the Christian faithful to ensure that their acts as thanksgiving is guided by their conscience, saying that the finest test of one’s character is seen in the amount and power of gratitude he possesses. Similarly, an officiating priest at the occasion, Rev. Fr. Fidelis Okpanachi, who centred his sermon on thanksgiving, stressed the need for Christians to be thankful to God, not withstanding the fact that everyone is not blessed equally. While referring to the biblical parable of the Talents; the priest enjoined Christians to tow the path of the faithful servants who invested their talents judiciously and thereby
Congratulates Okpebholo
made profits and gained their master’s rewards. The parish priest and his Associate Priests, Rev. Fr. Prayer Odede (C.Ss.R) later led members of the congregation in a special thanksgiving to mark the occasion. High points of the Harvest of Conscience were the bazaar sales as well as the Local hunters assisting in the fight against Boko Haram in Adamawa leaving cutting of the harvest cake. for operation in Yola yesterday.
Residents Laud Oshiomhole On Roads Construction
By LAWRENCE OMORODION/ ROBINSON OMEIZA/ MARY OKPEBE BENIN CITY – Residents of Ogida and Egor community have lauded the efforts of Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole over the ongoing construction project at Upper Siluko Road in Benin City. This was the observation when The NIGERIAN OBSERVER News Crew visited the areas recently.
According to Mr. Iyekekpolor Obanor, “We are very glad and joyous for the ongoing projects of the state Governor, and we hope the road construction will soon be completed in no time because, the way and manners the contractors are handling it tend to be very slow and if they keep up with this pace, I doubt if they will be able to complete the work before next year ending”. Mr. Obanor therefore called on the Governor Oshiomhole to
inform the construction company to handle the projects to speed up the construction work, noting that the raining season would soon set in and cause delay in the project execution. “I will be happy and grateful to God and to the Comrade if the project is completed and commissioned before the middle of next year”, he said. Dr. Peter Oghogho, another respondent said that coming out from Egor to the other parts of
BENIN CITY – The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has extolled the vision, courage and fighting spirit of one of the founding members of ICAN, Pa (Chief) Garrick Sunday Aghahowa. The golden jubilee president of ICAN, Chidi Ajegbu, made the remark when he had delegates of the institute on a visit to felicitate with the Aiweroba of Benin Kingdom on his 98 birthday anniversary celebration in Benin City. Ajegbu noted that Pa Aghahowa as a founding
BENIN CITY – The Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalist has congratulated the Chairman, Ray Royal Construction Company Limited, Rev. Matthew Okpebholo on the honourary award of doctorate degree bestowed on him by the University of Benin. According to a statement signed by the Chairman of the Council, Comrade Desmond Agbama, and Secretary, Comrade Titus Akhigbe the award did not come to the council as a surprise because the bearer has done so much for the people of Edo State. The statement described Rev. Okpebholo as a philanthropist whose activities in Edo State and beyond are unbeatable stating that he is an instrument of God to help the poor and the needy in his environment. The union also assured the award bearer of the union’s continued support to ensure that he succeeds in all the task ahead of him as the award is a sign that the society wants more from him.
Oba Erediauwa Suspends Community Head By VICTOR IMADE/ IKPONMWOBA OSAZEE JOEL Acting General Manager, Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, Publishers of OBSERVER Titles, Rev. Monday Aigbe receiving a copy of speech from the Co-ordinator General Women of Hope, Evangelist Dr. H. E. Atekha Odenwingie during a corntesy visit to the company yesterday.
ICAN Extols Virtues Of Founding Member By VICTOR OMOALU
Benin City is very difficult and challenging because of the bad roads, adding that his car goes to the mechanic shop frequently. “Most times, I am forced to take the long route when going to work in the morning and this bring about lateness at work or I will have to live my house very early to keep up with resumption time. “It is indeed stressful because I have to wash my car everyday to keep it clean from the mud water stains”, he noted. According to a Businesswoman, Mrs. Flora Ogheneovo, “The bad roads, have really brought set backs to businesses, because people that are supposed to come to Useh and Egor Market would rather go to other markets due to the state of the bad roads, occasioning high transport fair.
By IKPONMWOBA OSAZEE JOEL
member of ICAN with membership number 003, laid an enduring foundation for the institute which he said has today transformed into an international standard. He disclosed that the institute which started in 1965 has achieved growth and progress as it has become an affiliation of various international professional bodies. While revealing that the institute is currently building a theatre art at the University of Benin, Ajegbu expressed gratitude to God Almighty for his faithfulness upon the celebrant and prayed God to continue to grant him
healthy life. Executive Chairman of the Edo State Internal Revenue, Chief (Sir) Oseni Elamah also extolled the virtues of Pa Aghahowa, describing him as an icon, a man of integrity whom he said remains a source of inspiration towards the growth and progress of the institute. The Chairman, Benin District and Society of the Institute of Chartered Accountants described Pa Aghahowa as a genius. Iserhienrhien remarked that the birthday anniversary gives a unique opportunity to recall and celebrate the exceptional
accomplishments of Pa Aghahowa as one of the 14 members that founded the institute in 1965. The celebrant/Aiweroba of Benin Kingdom said that “What is special about my 98 birthday anniversary is that I was born on the first Sunday of November, 1917 in Udo, Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State”. He took the visitors down the memory lane of his life experiences, stressing the need, for people to always see ‘God Almighty’ as watchward if they must succeed. The visit climaxed with an interactive session at Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre where issues relating to ICAN members were discussed.
BENIN CITY – The Benin Monarch, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa has suspended the Odionwere of Ekowe village, Pa. Aguanomwan Alfred Agbontaen following alledged misconduct and total disregard for the Benin custom and traditions. In his stead, Pa Noguekiyado Shedrack Idemudia (2nd in Command) and Mr. Monday Enobakhare (Okaighele) are to take charge of the community. According to the Oba of Benin, Mr. Osazuwa Oronsaye Guobadia, the decision was reached after proper deliberations on the issue of misconduct brought to the palace by the villagers of Ekowe community. The statement indicated
that all attempt by the palace to call the odionwere to order proved abortive as he disregarded the invitation of the palace in several occasions.
NASST Tombola Night Holds Nov 28 BENIN CITY – The Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport, Officers Mess, Ugbowo, Benin City will on Sunday November 28, 2014 hold a Tombola Night. The night which begins at 8 p.m., will feature a several activities, including Tombola game, Raffle Draw and side attractions. A statement endorsed by I.U. Mustapha indicated that prizes will be won during the event.
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
News BNCL Mgt Assures NGO Of Publicity By PIUS ABAH BENIN CITY- The Women of Hope, a non-governmental, non political and nonreligious organisation has been assured of adequate publicity of their activity as part of its civil responsibility to disseminate, educate and inform the public. The Acting General Manager of Bendel Newspaper Company Limited (BNCL), publishers of The OBSERVER Titles, Rev Monday Aigbe gave the assurance yesterday in his office when the women paid a courtesy visit on the management. Rev. Aigbe stated that there is need to support and give adequate publicity to such an organisation, especially as it intends to fight for the welfare of women and children in the society. While urging the women to always call whenever the need arises, Rev Aigbe said, “I am of the opinion that women have the right to lead the country. “This is because, when they come together, they can move the mountain”, he stated. In her address, the National Co-ordinator of women of Hope, Evangelist (Dr.) Mrs. H.E. Atekha Odemwingie has solicited for co-operation and support in the area of publicity, provision of information and enlightenment on the aims and objectives of the organisation to the public. She added that the organisation has decided to reach out to the society by ensuring and supporting the women to discover, develop and build up themselves to
positively influence national development. According to her, some of the organisation’s objectives is to make women better wives and mothers; to prayerfully support the government to succeed; to encourage God fearing women to aspire and occupy political positions and perform creditably in all spheres of life. Members of the organisation present included, Mrs. Alero Okundayo; Assistant Secretary, Miss Ekujuuwevivo O. Lovely; Treasurer, Mrs. Helen Aguebor, Spiritual Gatekeeper, Prophetess Taiwo Clara.
Aspirations: Cleric Advises Jonathan,
MAKURDIChairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Benue, Bishop Yiman Orkwar, has advised both President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Gabriel Suswam to hinge their political aspirations on God. Orkwar gave the advise at the 50th birthday anniversary of Suswam, held at the Aper Aku stadium in Makurdi.
Traditional Marriage BENIN CITY- The traditional marriage ceremony of Elimaniegho Isaac Edokpolor and Adekule Akinyemi Ogunbadejo comes up on Sunday November 22, 2015, Venue is No 13 Akenzua Street, Off Okhoro Road, Benin City beginning at noon.
To Look Up To God
The bishop of the All Nations for Christ Evangelical Mission, who led pastors from other Christian denominations at a church service to mark the birthday, commended the president for the bold steps in tackling insecurity in the country. He called on Nigerians to
support the efforts of the president in ending insurgency in parts of the country. Reading from the book of John chapter 5 verse 10, he said it was important for politicians to wait for God’s promotion, rather than seeking to promote themselves
2015 Guber Race: Ikuforiji Unfolds By SURAJU RAJI LAGOS -The speaker, Lagos state House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforij, who is a gubernatorial aspirant under the banner of All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared himself as the next governor of Lagos state. He made the declaration at the Lagos Television, Ikeja Lagos.
Iziegbuwa Weds Osahon This Weekend BENIN CITY- The families of Aghatotikolo Zoro Omorotionmwan (Giere N’ Oben) in Orhionmwon Local Government Area and ImanEboh Osifo of Uhunmwidunrun Community in Oredo Local Government Area, both of Edo State will come together to join their children as one in marriage
L-R: Supervising Minister of Health, Dr. Rhaliru Alhassan Chief of Staff lto the Senate President, Sen. Authony Manzo and Director General Women Centre Development, Onyeka Owenu in a chat during the 2014 National Oral Health week at the National Assembly Abuja. Photo: OMOYE AMINU
this weekend. The marriage ceremony is between their daughter Iziegbuwa Obosa and their son, Osahon Eboh, at the bride’s family compound, while the reception will take place same day, Saturday November 22, 2014 at Ohuoba Primary School Compound, along Murtala Muhammed Way, before ICC, Benin City, beginning from 12 noon prompt. According to one of the sponsors of the ceremony Engr. And Mrs. G. Amayo, the event is expected to be graced by dignitaries from far and near. The groom’s uncle. Mr. Last M. Osagiede, commercial services Manager, Nigerian Observer, Benin City also wished the couple a very blissful and fruitful married life ahead.
Action Plan if elected. He further explained that Making the declaration, the speaker said “Our goal is to develop and implement a sustainable energy strategy that will ensure that Lagos remains the commercial hub of Nigeria. He remarked that his action plan included security and explained that a government cannot be good if public safety cannot be guaranteed. He added that the issue of security is a major challenge facing Nigeria and therefore promised to guarantee the security of lives and property,
“My government will ensure that security outfits are fully equipped; there would be zero tolerance for crimes such as terrorism, armed robbery and kidnapping. In addition, Ikuforiji promised to encourage community participation in crime prevention and strengthening the existing residential and community police checkpoints. He added that his administration would rehabilitate roads, complete the light rail network and expand water transportation
against the wishes of the people. He commended Suswam for appreciating God at the attainment of 50 years and called on Jonathan to set aside a day of thanksgiving for all Nigerians to appreciate God for keeping the country intact in spite its many challenges. Also in a speech, President Jonathan commended Suswam for being a strong pillar of his administration and a dependable ally. Represented by his Chief of Staff, Gen. Jones Aregbofa, Jonathan said the task of nation building was enormous and required the collective support of all Nigerians to achieve results. Also, the Senate President, Senator David Mark, commended Suswam for his accomplishments within seven years as governor of the state. He commended him for building a chapel to the glory of God and said it was a remarkable achievement since it was not all people that could do that. The senate president, however, advised the governor to use
political power at his disposal with caution and care because it was a gift from God to be exercised for the common good of the people. “Power is from God and must be used with caution and care.” He, therefore, prayed to God to grant the governor the wisdom to differentiate wrong from right and thanked God for saving his life in the accident on the eve to his birthday. In a vote of thanks, Suswam said he had learnt from the accident and appealed for forgiveness from those whom he had offended while also forgiving those who offended him. He promised to continue serving God for the rest of his life and appealed to politicians not to see elections as a do-or-die affair. The thanksgiving service was attended by top dignitaries, including governors Jonah Jang of Plateau; Dr Emmanuel Eduaghan of Delta and the Deputy Gov. of Kaduna State, Nuhu Bajoga. Others were the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; the Tor Tiv, Och’ Idoma and some traditional rulers from Ekiti State.
L-R: Chief Dental Officer, Dr. (Mrs.) Bimpe Adebiyi, Dr. Khaliru Alhassasn and Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Sen. Anthony Manzo during the 2014 National Oral Health week at the National Assembly Abuja. Photo: OMOYE AMINU
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
News
Kaduna Partners NTI collaboration with other
Teachers Training: KADUNA - Kaduna
State Government said it was partnering the National Teachers Institute (NTI) in the training and retraining of its teachers. The state governor, Alhaji Muktar Yero, stated this at the third convocation of the institute in Kaduna. Yero said that the collaboration was part of the state government’s effort at revitalising its education sector. He said that aside training for “teachers’ p r o f e s s i o n a l development”, the synergy also involved training of science teachers and
development partners for teachers to attend summits and workshops regularly. “The programme also includes training of teachers to obtain diploma in education,” he added, stressing that the future of the youth should be made better and brighter for national development. He lauded NTI for remaining consistent in the delivery of excellence in the development of manpower for the education sector. According to him, NTI has delivered efficiently and has met the expectations of its
founding fathers. “We in Kaduna state are determined to take education to the next level through systematic implementation of policies aimed at revamping the sector,” he stated. The governor disclosed that education was second, after security, on the state government’s priority list, adding that the government would continue to accord the position to the sector. He said that his administration had invested in infrastructure development and capacity-building for its workforce. Earlier, the Director-
are related to loss of blood. ‘We therefore, cannot over emphasise the need to ensure availability of blood in our blood banks where patients who require blood transfusion can be readily supplied. “We encourage more voluntary blood donors to join others who give their blood willingly and freely without knowing the recipients,’’ she added. The chairman said that many Lagosians have been responding positively to the call to donate blood voluntarily to save lives. “The number of voluntary blood donors has been increasing regularly since the
inception of Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee. “All these have impacted positively on the donors resulting in an increase in repeat voluntary donations,’’ Agbe-Davies said. Speaking, the Chairman of The Muslim Congress (TMC), Mr Adebayo Abdulwahab, explained that the free public health programme was to keep the populace alive and healthy. He added that the programme was aimed at creating awareness about diseases, encourage healthy lifestyle and regular exercises among the populace.
ASABA - The Delta Government has lauded the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) for the free medical surgeries it carried out on some patients in the state. Dr Joseph Otumara, Delta Commissioner for Health, said in a statement in Asaba that some patients at the Central Hospitals in Agbor and Warri had benefitted from the free surgeries. He expressed the hope that the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of the society would provide new vistas for overcoming gynaecological challenges in the society. SOGON will hold its AGM and scientific conference in Asaba from November 18 to November 21. Otumara noted that the society’s free surgeries would further enhance the record of the state government in the
health sector. He said that even though the maternal mortality rate in the state was low, the society’s participation in the rural health sector was laudable. According to him, SOGON has contributed immensely to the success of the state government’s health agenda. SOGON had last Friday rounded off a two-day free surgery service in Warri and Agbor, aimed at complementing the state government’s efforts in the health sector. Chief Medical Surgeon and head of the team, Dr Paul Okubor, a gynaecologist, told newsmen that the gesture was part of the society’s contribution to public health. He said that the medical team handled complex cases including a total abdominal hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus and its surrounding parts.
Lagos Records Increased Voluntary LAGOS - Dr Adetoun Blood Donation Agbe-Davies, Chairman, Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC), says the state has recorded a rise in voluntary blood donation from 474 units in 2004 to 1,888 between January and June this year. “From 474 units of blood from voluntary donors in 2004, we had 4,775 units in 2013 and from January to June 14, 2014, we had 1,888 units. “We hope that more people will take interest in helping others to save their lives, ” Agbe-Davies disclosed at the 2014 annual health public screening on Monday in Mushin, Lagos. The screening was organised by the Muslim Congress of Mushin Local Government Area. She urged medical practitioners to ensure that 100 per cent of all blood for transfusion come voluntary blood donors. He said that meeting the 2020 World Health Organisation (WHO) goal of 100 per cent of all blood for transfusion coming from voluntary donors would address issues of touting for blood donation. According to her, the WHO’s set goal will also address the demand for family replacement of blood through family donation for mothers at ante-natal booking. ‘I urge everyone to imbibe the spirit of voluntary blood donation and also to become repeat donors; this will make safe blood available. ‘There is a need to create awareness on the vital role of voluntary blood donation to save lives and reduce deaths. “This is very important because records have shown that quite a number of deaths
Delta Lauds SOGON For Free Surgeries
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
South-West Court Dissolves 9-Yr-Old Marriage
FRSC Issues 268 Number Plates OSOGBO - The Osun sector command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has said that it issued 268 new number plates to motorists in the state in the month of October. The Sector Commander, Mr Muhammad Husaini, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmern in Osogbo. Husaini said the figure was submitted to the commission by the state revenue board, the department responsible for number plates production. He added that the figure covered number plates for cars, buses, articulated
vehicles and motorcycles. The sector commander said “the FRSC works in partnership with the state revenue board in registration and production of new number plates or upgrading of old ones by motorists.’’ He added that the FRSC was not a revenue generating body, so the duty of number plates production lied on the state under the supervision and co-ordination of the commission. He, therefore, urged motorists to follow due process in number plate procurement and upgrading, noting that they could visit the command/commission for guidelines.
OSOGBOThe Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Najeem Salaam, has urged politcal stakeholders in the country not to allow their personal interest to truncate the peaceful conduct of the 2015 general elections. Najeem said this in an interview with newsmen in Osogbo. The speaker said political g ladiators in the country should put the unity and progress of the country above their personal interest before, during and after the
general elections. Salaam said the way and manner some politicians were preaching do-or-die politics ahead of the elections was not healthy for the nation’s democracy. He said that the interest of the masses and the peaceful co-existence of the country should be the cardinal point of the general elections and not politics of hatred and bitterness. Salaam said politicians should look beyond party politics and work towards what is good for the
Health workers of Specialist Hospital in Gombe at the launch of campaign against Hepatitis B Virus in Gombe yesterday.
2015 : Speaker Warns Against Truncating
Elections Salaam also urged the
country. “The 2015 general elections is beyond party politics. It is about what is good for this country and the image we project to the people outside the country. “The masses must speak with one voice during the 2015 elections by electing people with the fear of God into power. “Those who want to remain in power at the expense of the masses and peace of the country must be voted out.”
Federal Government to step up its war against the insurgents in the country.
The speaker, who decried the spate of insecurity in the country, said more was still needed to be done to protect the lives of the citizen.
ADO-EKITI- An Ado-Ekiti Customary Court has dissolved a 9-year-old marriage between Mrs Enema Friday and his wife, Mary. According to reports, the case first came up for mention on May 6. The marriage was dissolved on grounds of frequent beating, threat to life, as well as lack of care. Mary, 32, told the court that her husband maltreated her which made her to pack out of his house. She said the husband had not been taking care of her because of her childlessness, and that he once threatened her with a pistol for allegedly having extra marital affairs. Mary explained that she contributed to the building of their house, but had to pack out because of the threat. The President of the court, Mr Joseph Ogunsemi, noted that the respondent refused to appear in court. He dissolved the marriage, and ordered that the parties should go their separate ways without molestation.
Court Denies Man Bail IKEJA - An Ikeja High Court yesterday rejected the bail application filed by a 52-year-old man, Moses Olayemi, accused of defrauding a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr Aliyu Salman, of N2.5 million. The trial judge, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo, in a
Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State (right) and former Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Abdulkarim, inaugurating Milgoma-Zangalawa Road Project in Bodinga LGA of Sokoto State recently.
ruling on Olayemi’s bail application, agreed with the objections raised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The judge noted that the defendant was previously convicted for the same offences by a Kano State High Court. He said that Olayemi’s prior criminal record and the severity of the charge could make him abscond if the application was granted. L a w a l - A k a p o consequently dismissed the application and ordered Olayemi to be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison, pending the conclusion of the case. The matter was adjourned till Jan. 26 for commencement of trial. It would be reported that Olayemi was arraigned on October 28 on a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences. The EFCC counsel, Mr Ben Ubi, said the defendant conspired with three others,
who are now at large, to commit the offences on March 21, 2013 at Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos. Ubi said the syndicate called the lawyer and pretended to be members of the National Assembly Screening Committee who were vetting his purported appointment by the Federal Government. He said they obtained various sums of money from Salman by claiming that it represented sundry payments, including that of getting him a security clearance to enable him get the job. According to him, Olayemi’s alleged offences contravene Sections 1 (3) and 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006. The offence of obtaining money by false pretences attracts a maximum of seven years imprisonment, if the accused is found guilty. Olayemi, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Lagos UNFPA To Train Extension Health Omosehin expressed LAGOS - The UN Workers optimism that the training Population Fund (UNFPA), said it was planning to commence training of community extension health workers across the six geopolitical zones of the country on how to administer injections. The UNFPA Head of Lagos Liaison Office, Dr Omolaso Omosehin, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Lagos. He said that the extension workers would also be trained on how to administer contraceptives
and other injections. “The UNFPA knows that there is currently a dearth of trained medical personnel in Nigeria. “Research has shown that the duties of these medical personnel can be carried out by community health extension workers. “The UNFPA is, therefore, going to train community health extension workers across the country on how to administer not just contraceptive injections, but injections for other ailments.’’
would increase the number of health workers needed in different parts of the country. The official said UNFPA was also working with the Federal Ministry of Health in developing policies and guidelines aimed at improving reproductive health services in communities. He added that the organisation was working with schools of midwifery in producing graduates equipped for L-R: Chief Wole Olanipekun, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Emeritus Prof. Tekena Tamuno and Emeritus Prof. Theophilus Ogunlesi, honorary award recipients at the efficient reproductive University of Ibadan Convocation and Foundation Day in Ibadan on Monday. health services.
Court Acquits Fani-Kayode Of 38 Counts Of Money Laundering
LAGOS - A Federal High Court in Lagos has partially upheld a no-case submission by Femi Fani-Kayode, and acquitted him of 38 out of 40 counts of money laundering charges. Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, was charged on an amended 40-count charge, bordering on the alleged offence. He is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged transactions with funds exceeding N500, 000 without going through a financial institution. Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia discharged and acquitted the accused of 38 counts, while ruling on a no-case submission filed by the defence, on behalf of the accused. The court, in its judgment, partially upheld the no-case submission of the defence, and then ordered that the accused should enter a defence in respect of counts 25 and 26. The judge held that from the wordings of the charge, it was clear that they were basically set out in two formats, with counts one to 33 of the same format, while other counts were of a different format. “For ease of reference, I shall
set out counts one and 33 only, being prototype of the two species of the counts; the distinction however, is for the basis of convenience. “In one format, the accused was alleged to have paid the amount into his own account, while in the other, he was alleged to have paid it into the account of a third party. “I find that there was an acceptance of cash payment of an amount exceeding N500,000 by the applicant which was not done through a financial institution, and also, a payment at the behest of the applicant. “This distinction pales into insignificance when one considers the elements of each count. “The first element would have been satisfied if the prosecution led evidence to show that cash sums exceeding the statutory threshold were handed to a specified third party, which was further, transmitted to a financial system. “The second element is discharged where the prosecution leads the evidence to show that the said transmission was at the
behest of the applicant. “It will be immaterial in my view whether the monies were paid into the account of the accused or a third party. “Only PW4 and PW5 gave evidence about payment; the testimony of PW5 in particular was in respect of counts 21, 23 and 31, and on the application of prosecution, PW5 was declared a hostile witness. “It is not in doubt that the oral and written submissions of PW5 are contradictory and inconsistent and no reasonable tribunal is expected to convict on such testimony. “The natural implication, therefore, is that no evidence exists before this court to establish counts 21, 23, and 25. “By extension, the same calamity befalls the remaining counts in the charge. I am of the considered view that no scintilla of evidence has been put forward by prosecution to establish the two key elements of each count in the charge, save 25 and 26. “PW4 testified on counts 25 and 26 that on the instruction of the accused, he made cash
deposits in the sum of N1 million and N1.1 million on Sept. 20 and 29, 2006. “PW1 was also led in evidence to tender exhibits PE1A and PE1B, purporting to be statements of accounts alleging actual lodgments of the said sum. “In the light of all these, I hold the firm view that the prosecution has made out a prima facie case to warrant the accused person to put up an explanation by way of defence with respect to counts 25 and 26. “I need not say more at this stage, in order not to fetter my discretion in this matter. “The indubitable conclusion to be arrived at is that, this application succeeds in part, the no-case submission of the applicant is upheld on all counts, except, counts 25 and 26. “In other words, the applicant is discharged and acquitted of counts of 38 out of 40 counts. “The accused is, therefore, ordered to enter his defence with respect to counts 25 and 26. This is my ruling as read out in open court” she held. She adjourned the case to
Motorists Meandering between two stationary broken-down articulated trucks that lost control at different intervals while attempting to ascend a hill at winners bus stop on Sagamu-Ikorodu Road in Lagos on Monday.
Bodyguard Docked Over Theft
December. 8 for continuation of trial. The EFCC had opened its case on March 10. It called a total of six witnesses including: a bank relationship officer, an investigating police officer, a bank legal officer, a public servant, a former aide to the accused, and an operator with the EFCC. All the witnesses had given various testimonies, as to their relationship with the accused, as well as the manner of investigations conducted on him. The EFCC closed its case on July 10, while defence counsel filed a no- case submission on behalf of the accused on August. 5. Adopting his submission, counsel to the accused, Mr Ifedayo Adedipe, (SAN) had urged the court to discharge the accused on the ground that no case had been made out against him to warrant opening a defence.
LAGOS - A 34-year-old bodyguard, Joseph Agada, has appeared before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos over alleged break-in and theft of properties valued at N175,000. The accused, who resides at No.21A, Adekunle Fajuyi St., GRA, Ikeja in Lagos State, is facing a two-count charge of stealing and breach of pubic peace. He pleaded not guilty to the charges . The prosecutor, ASP Eranus Nnamonu, told the court that the offences were committed on November. 9 at the above named address where the defendant and complainant, one Miss Oby Okwuchukwu, resided. He said the defendant broke into the room of Okwuchukwu while she was out of town on a trip.
LAGOS - Two men, Chidiebere Okoye,42, and Anwalu Mohammed, 48, have appeared before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos over alleged theft of a 40-foot container with 1,118 generators. The containers are valued at N7.9 million. The accused, who live at Ijora in Lagos State and Kudan Village, Zaria, Kaduna State, respectively, are facing four-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing. They entered a not-guilty plea. The prosecutor, ASP Eranus Nnamonu, told the court that the duo had, on August. 30 at 7.00 pm connived to steal a 40-foot container with , 118 cartoons of Summec generators. He said they committed the offences at First Gate in Apapa, Lagos State. “Okoye, on August. 30, dubiously conspired with
Mohammed and some others still at large to steal a 40-foot container bearing 1,118 cartons of generators valued at N7.9 million, “Mohammed, also, on September. 10 at 1p.m at Kudan Village in Zaria, Kaduna State, received and took possession of the stolen goods from one Nesifi Jafaru,” Nnamonu alleged. The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 285, 297, 326 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. Newsmen reports that Section 285 prescribes three years imprisonment if the accused is found guilty of the offence. The Magistrate, Miss A.R. Onilogbo, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum. She adjourned the case to December. 23 for mention.
2 Drivers Docked Over Theft
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
World Toilet Day
Ensuring Access To Safe, Affordable Toilet For All
CAN you imagine a residential building without toilet? Can you imagine a school without toilets? Can you imagine a business Centre without toilet? Can you imagine not having a toilet? Can you imagine defecating in the bush? Can you imagine defecating in plastic or polythene bags and throwing it into the bush, school compound, open field, gutter, river, (“shot put” or “take away”) as it is commonly called in Nigeria)? Can you imagine not having privacy when you want to relieve yourself? Although unthinkable for those living in the western world or wealthy environment but it is the harsh reality for many in this part of the world. In fact, one in three people on this globe does not have access to a toilet! Have you ever thought about the true meaning of dignity and equity? These are the issues of focus for this year on world toilet day. Every November 19, international and civil society organizations all over the world celebrate World Toilet Day. But until 2013, it was not formally recognized as an official UN day. “Ensuring access to sanitation for all, which is safe, affordable, acceptable and sufficient, requires multiple interventions from different stakeholders, leadership, an enabling environment, and an engaged population willing and able to claim their rights.” Approximately 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, while one billion people practiced open defecation. World Toilet Day highlights this ‘silent crisis’. Founded in 2001 by the World Toilet Organization (WTO), the event celebrates the importance of sanitation by supporting and accelerating efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goal target to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015. World Toilet Day is not just about toilet humor; World Toilet Day has a serious purpose: it aims to stimulate dialogue about sanitation and break the taboo that still surrounds this issue. In addition, it supports advocacy that highlights the profound impact of the sanitation crisis in a rigorous manner, and seeks to bring to the forefront the health and emotional consequences, as well as the economic impact of inadequate sanitation. The theme for this year world toilet day is “equality and dignity”. More than one billion people still practice open defecation, women and girls bear the greatest burden of lack of access to toilet throughout all life stages, One in three women worldwide risk shame, disease, harassment and even attack because they have nowhere safe to go to the toilet and 526 million women have no choice but to go to the toilet out in the open. Women and girls living without any toilets spend 97 billion hours each year finding a place to go. “One person in three lacks access to adequate sanitation. The result is widespread death and diseases – especially among children – and social marginalization. Women are particularly vulnerable.
By SANDRA EGUAGIE
“Poor sanitation exposes females to the risk of assault, and when schools cannot provide clean, safe, toilets girls’ attendance drops Having access to sanitation is a basic human right, yet almost a third of the world’s population suffer on a daily basis from a lack of access to a clean and functioning toilet. Without toilets, untreated human waste can impact a whole community, affecting many aspects of daily life and ultimately posing a serious risk to health. The issue runs deeper into societal impacts, such as teenage girls often leaving school at the onset of menstruation due to lack of privacy and the risk of attack or rape associated with being forced to defecate in the open during nightfall. Furthermore, it is reported that every year more children die from diarrhea related disease than from HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Diarrhoeal disease is also a contributing factor to malnutrition, which in turn can lead to stunted growth and impede cognitive development. This situation could be solved simply by providing improved water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. Few problems affect so many in such a profound manner as poor sanitation. It is estimated that 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to improved sanitation (i.e.: a safe, functioning toilet). Sanitation can be defined as the safe disposal of human excreta and associate hygiene promotion. Sanitation so described is important as it separates humans from excreta. A safe toilet accompanied by hand washing with soap, provides an effective barrier to transmission of diseases. Every year 0.85 million children die from preventable diarrheal diseases, 88% of which are caused by unimproved sanitation. Advances in sanitation can also reduce the economic burden on health systems in developing countries. People affected by infectious diarrhoeal diseases often require health care and/or hospital support, which incur costs to both patients (transport, medicine, time-loss) and to the national governments (medical consultation, treatment, medication). Last but not least, inadequate sanitation imposes an economic burden on tourism;the lack of appropriate sanitation (and related water and hygiene) is both a cause and effect of the vicious poverty cycle in which millions of people are trapped. The “blank” “United Nations”United Nations notes that lack of access to water and adequate sanitation falls heavily on girls and women and marginalized populations such as slum dwellers, women, children and the disabled. If you are a woman and you are poor, this is a double tragedy and triple tragedy if you live in the informal settlements. There are over 4 billion cases of diarrhea each year resulting
into 2.2 million deaths and representing 15% of all under the age of five child deaths in developing world as a result of lack of clean water and responsible. Diarrheal diseases can solely be prevented by providing clean water, adequate sewage disposal services, hygiene
and health education (WHO 2011). In addition lack of clean water and inadequate sewage disposal has been associated with increased lower respiratory tract infections (LRI) among young children. Increasing provision of clean water and adequate sanitation can reduce LRI burden on the society Lack of access to clean water” “blank” “Drinking water” clean water and adequate sanitation effects on health are hefty. Studies have shown that lack of sanitation contribute to up to 10% of the global disease burden. Water and sanitation related diseases can be categorized as follows: waterborne caused by the ingestion of water contaminated by human or animal excreta; water-based caused by parasites; water related caused by microorganisms with life cycles dependent on water sources; water collection and storage caused by contamination that occurs during or after collection; and toxin-related caused by toxic bacteria linked to eutrophication of surface-water bodies. Disease causing pathogens (diseasecausing organisms) associated with lack of clean water and adequate sanitation includes:
viruses, bacteria, protozoa and parasitic worms. These pathogens are responsible for the transmission of diseases such as dysentery, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera and hepatitis A. Governments (of both developing and donor countries) should strengthen the sanitation sector and bringing the Millennium Development
Goal target on sanitation back on track with an immediate and urgent political priority. For Millennium Development Goals to be achievable by 2015 in the area of sanitation and water there is a role that the government, civil societies and individuals needs to play. The government (national, state and local) should make sanitation policies and provide sufficient resources to implement these policies, and the first priority must be on making water accessible to all citizens. The guiding principle should be that “All people have fundamental rights to sufficient water for drinking and sanitary purposes and to food. That is, water should be made accessible to all even though they need to pay for it”.The provision of clean drinking water and adequate sanitation is necessary to protect human health and the environment. Access to clean water is a key factor in reducing poverty , improving health and achieving sustainable development, freeing women and young girls from the back-breaking work of
travelling long distance to collect water contributes to achieving gender equity and improves economic possibilities for females, as women have more time for income-generating activities and young girls attend schools. Increase attention to sanitation and hygiene issues has the potential to improve the livelihoods of the world’s poor and save millions of lives by reducing the toll of waterborne diseases. (World summit on sustainable Development. 28 th August- 3 rd
September 2002 Johannesburg) Primary prevention of diarrhoea through water, sanitation and hygiene interventions is based on reducing the faecal-oral transmission of pathogens, and includes the provision of an improved water supply, water safety planning, household water treatment and safe storage, improved sanitation facilities, and hygiene education. Improved water supplies refer to technologies such as piped household water connections, public taps, standpipes, or protected dug wells, springs or rainwater collection. Improved sanitation facilities may include flush/pour flush toilets to a confined system, improved latrines (e.g. ventilated, with slab), or composting toilets. Water safety planning considers the management of water from the source to tap. Water treatment may be carried out at source or in the home, and safe water storage takes place in containers, preventing recontamination of water in the household. Hygiene education can address a number of practices, including hand washing after toilet use and before the preparation of food. Secondly these policies should
be centered on providing adequate sanitation facilities in all schools with hand washing facilities and there should be separate toilets for boys and girls with specific provision for proper menstrual hygiene facilities and also access for students with disabilities. There should be integration of personal hygiene into the school curriculum from the primary levels. Government should also provide public toilets in some strategic places in the state and provision should be made for maintenance and sustenance. And adequate toilets should be built in the markets, hospitals and other government ministries. Local government should equipped environmental health workers to go to houses for proper inspection of toilet facilities.There should be enlightenment program by the government and civil society groups on the different types of toilet(the pit latrine, the ventilated pit latrine, water system etc.) that can be done and the importance and how of maintaining these toilets which can be done through organizing workshop and seminar on the television, in the schools, market places, hospitals and other public places.There should be laws that ensure that all private establishments and institutions have good toilets with hand washing facilities in their environment. The role for public private partnerships in addressing the sanitation crisis must be fully instituted to enhance sustainability of sanitation laws. Therefore, clean water and adequate sanitation provision in a country can reduce child mortality, improve women’s health especially maternal health and reduce the disease burden of infectious diseases. Globally, the economic benefits accrued from investment in water and sanitation have been estimated by the WHO as US$7 billion savings a year by health agencies and US$340 million savings by individuals. Time savings and value of deaths averted from providing convenient drinking water and sanitation services could be used to fund other development infrastructure. It is a clarion call for land owners of residential buildings, government at all levels and entrepreneurs to provide adequate toilets facilities in their respective environment. Also individuals must know that it is their right to have a decent toilet. The government should make water available to all citizens at a lower cost. Everybody must work together to stop open defecation if we must have a healthy environment which has positive impact on the economic development in the country. Great progress is being made on this most basic of needs. Diarrhoea-related deaths around the world having declined from 12 million to 7 million in the past two decades. But more needs to be done to ensure that we meet the world’s commitments to Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Sandra Eguagie is the Programme Assistant, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Benin City, Nigeria.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Security “Few weeks ago, the sect had taken over Buni Yadi, the sleepy town in Yobe State where 59 boys were murdered in school last year. Reuters reports that the newly captured town was taken over by the Islamist fighters without any resistance, with witnesses saying that the town has no Nigerian troops guarding it.”
Boko Haram: Let’s
Act Before It Is Too Late FOR those people who have seen the movie “Spartacus,” they obviously will concur to terms that the most recent strategy applied by the Boko Haram Sect share similar traits with some content of the story line of the movie, even though the course for fighting may differ. The shed of human blood which is an indignation to right thinking people as defined by our contemporary society, has become a practice of experimental pleasure with the benefit of impunity to these insurgents. Their hearts have become ‘stone cold’ in such that when they forcefully deprive anyone of life, they express satisfaction and think to themselves that they are helping their god to combat and eliminate infidels. One good example of the close resemblance of the recent activities of Boko Haram with the movie “Spartacus,” is that rebels shed blood without any trace to suggest that they too, have blood running in their veins. They kill without mercy! They express joy when they kill more and their camp keeps increasing by the day. Recently, Boko Haram have suddenly changed their modus operandi in such that their major target now is to
By OMEIZA ROBINSON
capture villages and towns, thereby, subjecting every power and authority within those territories to absolute control by their leaders. They forcefully conscript the unresistant male folks into their army and kill those who attempt to stand in their way without mercy. Women and teenage girls are raped and transformed into becoming chattels to be inherited by members of the sect, and in some cases, they engage them in forceful marriages which has also produced supposedly “leaders of tomorrow.” For children who are victims of the activities of these evil representatives, they are either killed in the process, or parental care and love would have been stolen away from them so that as infants, they begin to inhale and exhale cruelty in all ramifications. As part of the recent activities of Boko Haram insurgent, they have captured
another territory in Yobe State on Wednesday after attempting to take Bama, a town not far from Maiduguri in Borno State. Few weeks ago, the sect had taken over Buni Yadi, the sleepy town in Yobe State where 59 boys were murdered in school last year. Reuters reports that the newly captured town was taken over by the Islamist fighters without any resistance, with witnesses saying that the town has no Nigerian troops guarding it. A trader who escaped from the town of Bara said that “They went preaching in the whole town asking people to leave government work and join them to do work of Allah.” Could these attempts to subdue and capture towns and villages suggest to Nigerians that the sect may have been planning another civil war? Thereby wanting to declare their own Republic just like Ojukwu almost succeeded in
his own attempt? The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War which was recorded to have occurred on 6th July 1967 and lasted till 15 January 1970, was an ethnic and political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self proclaimed Republic of Biafran, pioneered by Ojukwu. The conflict was the result of economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions mainly between the Hausas of North and the Igbo of the southeast of Nigeria. Over the two and half years of the war, 1 million civilians died from famine and fighting. The war became notorious for the starvation of some of the besieged regions during the war, and consequent claims of genocide by the largely Igbo people of the region. The British Colonial ideology that divided Nigeria into three regions – North,
West and East – exacerbated economic, political, and social differences among Nigeria’s different ethnic groups. The country was divided in such a way that the North had a slightly higher population than the other two regions combined. On this basis, the Northern Region was allocated a majority of the seats in the Federal Legislature established by the colonial authorities. Within each of the three regions, the dominant ethnic groups, the Hausa, Fulani; Yoruba and Igbo, respectively formed political parties that were largely regional and based on ethnic allegiance: the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) in the North; the Action Group (AG) in the West; and the National Conference of Nigeria and the Cameroon (NCNC) in the East. These parties were not exclusively homogeneous in terms of their ethnic or regional make-up; the disintegration of Nigeria resulted largely from the fact that these parties were primarily based in one region and one tribe. To simplify matters, we will refer to them here as the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo-based; or Northern, Western and Eastern parties. During the 1940s and 1950s the Igbo and Yoruba parties were in forefront of the fight for independence from Britain. They also wanted an independent Nigeria to be organized into several small states so that the conservative North could not dominate the country. Northern leaders, however, fearful that independence would mean political and economic domination by the
“They forcefully conscript the unresistant male folks into their army and kill those who attempt to stand in their way without mercy. Women and teenage girls are raped and transformed into becoming chattels to be inherited by members of the sect, and in some cases, they engage them in forceful marriages which has also produced supposedly “leaders of tomorrow.”
more Westernized elites in the south, preferred the perpetuation of British rule. As a condition for accepting independence, they demanded that the country continue to be divided into three regions with the North having a clear majority. Igbo and Yoruba leaders, anxious to obtain an independent country at all cost, accepted the Northern demands. In the face of independence, Nigeria and Nigerians have been confronted with challenges of various kinds ranging from coup d’e’tat to ethnic and community crisis which has metamorphose into what we now see and hear of in our society called Boko Haram. This, also, have been associated with political cum socio-economic crisis which has been responsible for the deaths recorded in their millions till this present moment. Can the knots with which Nigeria has been compelled to remain fused be sustained in the very purpose of that capacity? These, and many more, are the questions that agitate the minds of Nigerians in the face of these strong oppositions of insurgency and militancy. If this degenerates into another form of war, will Nigerians survive it this time? People who have experienced war in time past have always been found to have opposing opinion, in order to discourage inexperienced fellow who think that war could be interpreted ironically to mean child’s play. Therefore Nigerian government should endeavour to curb this menace in such that the government should reclaim those towns and villages that have been subdued by Boko Haram so that “what goes around, will not come around us.” These evil could catch-up with anybody, lets fight it, lets prevent it!
THE NIGERIAN
10
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Politics
I wonder everyday each time I read articles credited to political analysts, writing on issues certainly and usually outside their bases of locations and specifically the colourless one credited to one Mr. Tamuno West Greene (Vanguard, Monday, October 27, 2014, page 47) on view point and is stated to be writing from PortHarcourt, Rivers State. Mr. Greene lectured readers about state Governors as being Chief Security Officers in their respective states. I am amazed really if Mr. Anaylist Greene actually resides in PortHarcourt and if he does, he should provide answers to the nomadic behaviours that the former Rivers state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu melted to out to the Executive Governor, Mr. Rotimi Ameachi, who is supposedly the chief Security officer of his state as recalled in Mr. Greene’s opening paragraph of his opinion as contained in Nigeria’s Constitution of 1999: his presentation is as mundane as a dead vegetable bunch soaked in a high temperature boiling water that usually destroy the contents that ought to be helpful to the body. I suppose Mr. Greene ought to know his siblings particularly his direct ones, better than outsiders and even if he was an Edo State citizen and resides in Edo State and specifically he is from R a z a t Momoh’s place, then he is being unfair to his conscience not to know
Re-Oshiomhole And Paradigm Shift
Edo Conflict: the embattled sick legislator better. I shouldn’t have bothered further to ask “Mr. Analyst Greene” his interest in Edo politics if he is not a “busy body”. I won’t even bother to analyse the situation in Edo State free of charge to him if really he knows about what is playing out in the state other than to ask these few questions. Who is effecting the resolutions of the 9 man state Assembly? Who has showed up before that click of political rascals who summon Commissioners periodically? To which state Governor do the click send its decisions? I must however confess here that the Editor who created a space for Mr. Greene writing from Port- Harcourt on an issue he has no i n t e r e s t in, can not be faulted as he has to give room to open discussions. There is a proverb in Afenmai land (also in Etsako land where R a z a k Momoh hails from) “that when a fowl that is tooth less purses one, such one has to double one’s strides to escape, not knowing if it has grown a set of teeth overnight”. The 9 man state Assembly in Edo State is an off shoot of the P D P ’ s controlled Federal government, otherwise, where is the click g e t t i n g its pruding from to create absolute tick h e a d n e s s ? To make Edo State ungovernable and which may, in their thinking w o u l d lead to a state of
By USMAN ABUDAH
emergency is being maturely straightened by the sitting Governor, who had from the onset,
who could, through sentimental attachment, wont pronounce the real bad ones even
Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole of Edo State.
battled them to a stand still to reclaim his genuinely won election: Edo State is a place of realistic citizenry who are much in numerical strength than the unsettled hostlers, whose pursuance is to get the key to the state t r e a s u r y . A realistic father knows his children more than his wife,
though the public can endlessly recall the unbecoming behaviour o f such children more than his wife. Governor Adams Oshiomhole is like the epilepsy, who won’t, when to strike, spare even his own child in the market square. What is known to be bad is bad. The scenario playing
out in Edo State is a lesson, all politicians should learn from, if they so care. The realists are teaming up w i t h Governor Oshiomhole
is fixing the state towards a progressive growth and not to be analysed through the lenses of unrealistic fortune seekers. The periodic advertorials on birthday celebration is unveiling another deceitful propaganda format of the unserious click and I want to hope that they are certainly pre-paid for, as this would really enhance the print media production financially. The acting scenes of the analysts are nothing other than an inner worked- out stuff to misinform those who are on ground and they see what is playing out. Perhaps Mr. Greene, may in his next outing, claim to be writing f r o m Canada or Jamaica. The print media has the last say on which material to be used and I sincerely hope that this is considered for usage as I speak from the position of one in the witness box, who is current.
in enhancing a pattern of pragmatic g o v e r n a n c e through the lenses of a focused leader: when he hands over, posterity will be the judge if the baton is dropped by the new team when the Abudah, a Journalist time is due. n d What is on ground in a Edo State can been seen Founder of Afenmai by a realistic observer Heritage and Cultural that the present team of studies wrote from Comrade Oshiomhole Benin City, Edo State
“I won’t even bother to analyse the situation in Edo State free of charge to him if really he knows about what is playing out in the state other than to ask these few questions.”
THE NIGERIAN
11
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
NSE DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (EQUITIES) AS AT YESTERDAY(18/11/2014) Stocks
Open
Close
Change
Deals
Units
Value
NAHCO
4.71
4.72
0.01
0
203,476
959,140.74
8.29
7.88
-0.41
0
314,595
2,482,925.55
7UP
148.83
148.83
0
0
7,326
1,088,550.54
NASCON
ABCTRANS
0.62
0.6
-0.02
0
1,379,181
827,668.87
NB
165
164
-1
0
1,843,604
301,126,431.10
ACCESS
7.55
7.5
-0.05
0
3,834,281
28,838,375.64
NEIMETH
0.92
0.92
0
0
51,474
47,248.58
AFRIPRUD
3
3.04
0.04
0
4,988,346
14,622,468.04
NEM
0.72
0.69
-0.03
0
2,002,659
1,381,962.71
900.22
900.22
0
0
62,383
55,324,659.85
AGLEVENT
1.31
1.31
0
0
10,000
13,320.00
NESTLE
AIICO
0.82
0.8
-0.02
0
2,438,044
1,993,023.63
NEWGOLD
1957
2019
62
0
462
932,778.00
AIRSERVICE
1.66
1.66
0
0
10,496
16,583.68
NIG-GERMAN
7
7
0
0
20
133
ANINO
0.24
0.24
0
0
50,000
12,000.00
NPFMCRFBK
0.86
0.89
0.03
0
145,742
129,710.38
1593.38
1571.96
-21.42
0
117,799,576
1,981,651,587.00
ASHAKACEM
24.12
23
-1.12
0
4,544,338
104,640,117.50
NSE30
BERGER
8.3
8.7
0.4
0
222,445
1,885,102.40
NSE50
1732.72
1711.32
-21.4
0
139,770,709
2,118,569,174.00
CADBURY
46.63
46.63
0
0
53,998
2,407,109.63
NSEASEM
993.63
993.63
0
0
50,000
12,000.00
CAP
36.6
36.6
0
0
41,877
1,507,841.85
NSEASI
35488.8
34896.5
-592.3
0
179,832,357
2,222,932,125.00
355.06
355.22
0.16
0
63,461,849
787,294,854.90
CAVERTON
3.78
3.77
-0.01
0
98,608
372,222.16
NSEBNK
CCNN
11.15
10.9
-0.25
0
107,346
1,174,743.50
NSECNSMRGDS
890.52
885.1
-5.42
0
8,270,209
515,260,177.10
CHAMPION
9.16
9.25
0.09
0
214,241
1,939,139.36
NSEINDUSTR
2180.35
2089.86
-90.49
0
7,858,188
169,819,700.40
CHAMS
0.5
0.5
0
0
1,000,000
500,000.00
NSEINS
146.71
145.59
-1.12
0
20,054,753
11,694,589.15
2266.23
2220.14
-46.09
0
9,570,432
335,696,080.40
CILEASING
0.5
0.5
0
0
175,090
87,545.00
NSELOTUSISLM
CONOIL
49.23
49.23
0
0
392
18,333.84
NSEOILGAS
409.14
417.88
8.74
0
10,478,547
248,468,207.80
CONTINSURE
0.97
0.93
-0.04
0
687,849
639,839.57
OANDO
22
23
1
0
9,717,857
208,860,359.90
CORNERST
0.5
0.5
0
0
13,211,475
6,605,737.50
OKOMUOIL
28.24
26.83
-1.41
0
2,583,663
69,411,434.35
1.6
1.6
0
0
2,500
3,975.00
COSTAIN
0.85
0.89
0.04
0
494,570
436,911.05
PAINTCOM
COURTVILLE
0.5
0.5
0
0
266,903
133,451.50
PORTPAINT
4.8
5.04
0.24
0
2,011,500
9,206,098.00
CUSTODYINS
3.84
4
0.16
0
7,504,959
30,018,075.40
PREMBREW
3.98
3.98
0
0
125
492.75
CUTIX
1.4
1.47
0.07
0
303,138
435,962.86
PRESCO
27
27
0
0
29,400
830,912.00
0.5
0.5
0
0
84,540
43,960.80
DAARCOMM
0.5
0.5
0
0
23,040
11,520.00
PRESTIGE
DANGCEM
205.19
194.94
-10.25
0
19,192
3,741,288.48
PZ
23
23
0
0
362,218
8,413,139.46
DANGFLOUR
6.55
6.55
0
0
31,628
197,042.44
REDSTAREX
4.2
4.2
0
0
300
1,323.00
DANGSUGAR
6.35
6.2
-0.15
0
2,016,131
12,599,790.63
ROYALEX
0.53
0.51
-0.02
0
447,837
228,646.87
0.75
0.78
0.03
0
195,938
152,722.68
DIAMONDBNK
6
5.81
-0.19
0
3,660,754
21,970,587.86
RTBRISCOE
ETERNA
3.43
3.46
0.03
0
553,106
1,841,353.76
SEPLAT
453.99
431.3
-22.69
0
72,902
31,447,521.10
ETI
17.2
17.01
-0.19
0
561,146
9,540,755.80
SKYEBANK
2.51
2.63
0.12
0
6,178,419
15,800,153.17
ETRANZACT
2.21
2.21
0
0
100
221
STANBIC
29.29
28
-1.29
0
808,565
22,646,276.04
2.31
2.31
0
0
1,082,146
2,498,936.08
EVANSMED
2.2
2.2
0
0
500
1,045.00
STERLNBANK
FBNH
9.41
9.5
0.09
0
17,472,386
166,642,522.70
TOTAL
159
165
6
0
44,619
7,310,589.12
FCMB
3.45
3.37
-0.08
0
2,309,970
7,805,169.78
TRANSCORP
4.43
4.21
-0.22
0
19,761,589
83,516,384.93
FIDELITYBK
1.78
1.7
-0.08
0
3,257,421
5,540,082.15
TRANSEXPR
1.29
1.29
0
0
100
130
1.86
1.86
0
0
838
1,483.26
FIDSON
3.4
3.42
0.02
0
128,000
439,850.00
TRIPPLEG
FLOURMILL
49.6
48.3
-1.3
0
382,664
18,699,889.34
UAC-PROP
10.44
10.96
0.52
0
385,196
4,221,633.16
FO
202
202
0
0
131,690
26,165,962.02
UACN
47
47
0
0
472,114
21,972,298.95
FTNCOCOA
0.5
0.5
0
0
50,000
25,000.00
UBA
4.34
4.55
0.21
0
14,340,923
64,864,116.29
1.73
1.8
0.07
0
952,808
1,684,259.76
GLAXOSMITH
52
52
0
0
208,935
10,864,134.50
UBCAP
GOLDBREW
0.92
0.92
0
0
48,700
46,752.00
UBN
8.25
8.06
-0.19
0
2,192,835
17,661,132.94
GUARANTY
23.23
23.37
0.14
0
11,127,309
259,172,610.90
UNILEVER
35.7
35.7
0
0
163,921
5,662,599.96
GUINEAINS
0.5
0.5
0
0
106,000
53,000.00
UNITYBNK
0.5
0.5
0
0
499,608
249,804.00
10
10
0
0
278,450
2,784,500.00
GUINNESS
162
160.19
-1.81
0
601,666
96,622,731.71
UPDCREIT
HONYFLOUR
3.45
3.42
-0.03
0
152,169
522,290.97
UPL
4.13
4.13
0
0
4,100
16,113.00
IKEJAHOTEL
3.78
3.6
-0.18
0
3,990,291
14,390,099.85
VETGRIF30
15.94
15.83
-0.11
0
5
79.15
INTBREW
29
29
0
0
14,000
371,491.00
VITAFOAM
4
3.86
-0.14
0
2,049,665
7,802,385.62
1
1
0
0
4,050
3,912.50
INTENEGINS
0.5
0.5
0
0
12,133
6,066.50
VONO
IPWA
0.5
0.5
0
0
1,250
625
WAPCO
80
78
-2
0
605,852
47,224,570.80
JAPAULOIL
0.5
0.5
0
0
503,965
251,982.50
WAPIC
0.62
0.62
0
0
1,044,327
645,001.04
JBERGER
67.2
67.2
0
0
600
38,304.00
WEMABANK
0.99
0.99
0
0
1,254,016
1,235,664.81
ZENITHBANK
20.95
21
0.05
0
17,226,615
361,408,104.10
JOHNHOLT
1.03
0.98
-0.05
0
125,625
123,112.50
LASACO
0.5
0.5
0
0
65,377
32,688.50
LEARNAFRCA
1.42
1.43
0.01
0
129,692
184,977.15
LIVESTOCK
2.35
2.24
-0.11
0
325,620
735,864.20
Stock
Close
Gain
MANSARD
3
3
0
0
35,334
102,795.32
MAYBAKER
1.55
1.5
-0.05
0
107,000
160,397.00
MBENEFIT
0.5
0.52
0.02
0
569,688
293,540.88
MOBIL
165
165
0
0
25,383
3,979,009.13
MRS
56
56
0
0
5,500
292,600.00
NEWGOLD NSEOILGAS TOTAL OANDO UAC-PROP BERGER PORTPAINT UBA CUSTODYINS NSEBNK
2019 417.88 165 23 10.96 8.7 5.04 4.55 4 355.22
62 8.74 6 1 0.52 0.4 0.24 0.21 0.16 0.16
TOP 10 GAINERS
TOP TOP 10 10 LOSERS GAINERS Stock NSEASI 592.3 NSEINDUSTR 90.49 NSELOTUSISLM 46.09 SEPLAT 22.69 NSE30 21.42 NSE50 21.4 DANGCEM 10.25 NSECNSMRGDS 5.42 WAPCO GUINNESS 1.81
Close 34896.5 2089.86 2220.14 431.3 1571.96 1711.32 194.94 885.1 78 160.19
Loss -2 -
THE NIGERIAN
12 THE need for gainful employment of citizens cannot be over emphasised, as it provides the key to a chain of other stabilising socio economic as well as political activities in any given society. MANY a country or society with employment problems have had their social, political and economic structures dislocated as the scourge of unemployment has a spiraling effect on all other sectors of the economy. This among other reasons explains why countries of the world, make frantic efforts to ensure that unemployment as a problem, is tackled headlong so as to keep it in check DIFFERENT countries of the world, adopt various means of checking the scourge especially youth unemployment. The advanced democracies for example, have some cushioning measures like welfare scheme in which the unemployed are given some stipends to keep body and soul together before they are finally fixed up with jobs. COUPLED with this scheme, are also Employment Agencies which serve dual purposes of acting as data bank and middle men” for the employers as well as jobs seekers; providing useful information for employers of labour as to the availability of qualified applicants who register with them with details of their curriculum vitae, and to the applicants, who are well fed with vital information of available jobs with details about such job specification, qualification required, remuneration and all other such information as may be required. HERE in Nigeria spirited efforts have been made over the years to also address the issue of unemployment, especially among youths who have created social, economic and political problems for governments at all levels. IT will be recalled that as a way of redirecting the attention of unemployed Nigerian youths, the then military government of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo floated, a youth employment scheme which it tagged. ‘Operation Feed the Nation’ (OFN), the aim of which was to have our youths go back to the land and farm for the benefit of all. PHILOSOPHICALLY, the scheme was to serve the dual purpose of directing the energies of the
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 THE NIGERIAN
Developing Human Capital teeming unemployed youths into productive venture and also to reduce the army of the unemployed even as Nigerians were to have abundant food to eat. REALISING the unending scourge of unemployment, the then Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s administration also made effort to contain it by floating the ‘Green Revolution” programme to achieve a zero unemployment status. AFTER these, the then IBB administration created a body called the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to try and collate and coordinate the task of registering and giving employment to the unemployed. The OBJ’s second coming, saw the creation of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP all aimed at tackling unemployment. IT is imperative to note at this point that all these strategies have not been effective due mainly to policy summersaults and inconsistencies on the part of every succeeding government. TO this end, The NIGERIAN OBSERVER applauds the moves by the Federal Government in effectively tackling unemployment problems in Nigeria, by liaising with relevant stakeholders in terms of job creation. COMRADE Governor Adams Oshiomhole unequivocally expressed his concern about the threat to social and economic peace by the scourge of unemployment, noting that “the only way to measure the economic progress of any nation is by the number of jobs created.” He then promised to do everything within his powers to collaborate with the federal government in the area of job creation. ALREADY, this has taken shape with the
employment of many graduates under the Youth Employment Scheme (YES). Against this background, The NIGERIAN OBSERVER admonishes that the proliferation of institutions saddled with the responsibilities of creating jobs like the National Directorate of (NDE) and the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) and other employment agencies be made more functional or they should be merged into one for proper handling of employment administration in the country. TO effectively tackle the menace of unemployment in the country there is the need to conduct a survey on job creation in Nigeria. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) needs to create a data base on the true state of unemployment in terms of both the skilled and unskilled. BESIDES, we need to constantly improve on available information and data on the Nation’s labour market through appropriate statistical methodology for tracking variability in the number of jobs created or lost every quarter. This is where the readiness of NBS to conduct such a survey is heart-warming. SINCE accurate, timely and reliable data are major pre-requisites for strategic planning and development, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and National Planning Commission (NPC) should collaborate to boost job creation in the country. ALSO worth mentioning is the federal government’s resolve to develop people without skills to make them employable, through the establishment of Skills Acquisition Centres nationwide. This is in tandem with Edo State’s maintenance of its al ready established Skills Acquisition Centres wherein the unemployed and other victims of human trafficking have been getting rehabilitation over the years. BY and large, it must be Observed that the only way to solve the problem of poverty is to invest in skills acquisition through human capital development so as to make job seekers to become employers of labour.
THE NIGERIAN
13
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Health
World Mental Health Day In Retrospect THE World Health Organisation had set aside October 10th every year as World Mental Health Day. A respondent and an occupational therapist who spoke in anonymity said, “Many people out of ignorance use to attribute mental ill health to spiritual wickedness from enemies. This assertion is incorrect because researchers have proved that mental ill health is like any other ailment. The only difference is that it has affected the brain of the individual. Depressed people are often withdrawn and anti-social. This does not necessarily mean that they don’t like people but it could mean that their brain don’t process feelings of love and hate in an acceptable manner. Medical research revealed that people who lacked enthusiasm are destined to suffer from mental ill heath. A depressed brain can also be associated with diverse ill health raging from heart problems, hypertension and obesity. A case study is Mr. Otoigbe an idle secondary school leaver who had been afflicted with excessive apprehension, mental confusion anguish and deep sorrow and a state of complete hopelessness. He said “since I left secondary school without job for the past decade; my emotional reactions have made it difficult for me to interact with my colleagues. As a school drop out, always feel responsible for every thing that went wrong in my neighbourhood”. He described his agony as
By EKAIWE IGINUA OSEMWEKHA
having a terrible sadness due to the fact that every successful leaders of this country had misled the youths. A scenario that is still very fresh in my memory was when a lunatic wanted to rape a young woman who was purchasing soup ingredient. As the woman bent down to negotiate prizes, a male lunatic was passing by and eventually had an erection and he consequently penetrated through the back. This expression of serious love excitement brought the well dressed woman into the mud. It took sympatisizers more than 5 minutes to separate the woman from the grip of the lunatic lover to some rascal area boys, it was very entertaining as they hail the lunatic for the good works. In Benin metropolice, it is a common scenario to observe some female lunatic going about their catering and laundry activities in commercial places. They are endowed with enormous free gift of animal protein, no matter the state of the dead animal it is a very delicious meal in the mind of that lunatic, they do not need a knife, instead they merely use their teeth to dissect a hen that had been offered by some traditional religious worshippers to the elemental beings that rule the night. They can also visit the local markets to solicit support in this unique endeavour. With a plate in hand, they collect garri,” Okro, pepper, and salt and other ingredients free of charge, in fact you have to expeditiously accent to their
demand or they could spit on the exposed food items. Cases abound where a mad woman actually spat on a big bow of cooked rice at New Benin market. This rice was eventually sold to unsuspecting fast food consumers. A couple of years back a female lunatic could be spotted at Akpapkava Street by Downson Road preparing food amidst, the
people in our midst as human beings who deserve quick help from the Local, State and Federal Governments in addressing their plight, instead, they continue to shy away from this kind of dehumanizing behavioural pattern of the mentally sick. Albeit there are some genuine traditional psychiatric homes complementing government owned psychiatric Hospital to get rid of the mentally sick
heavy vehicle movement. It was a very captivating scenario as motorists and pedestrians were peeping to have a glimpse of “what is cooking, flame of smoke was in the air and an offensive odour of a rotten hen was emanating from the lunatic cooking pot. The elites in our society do not see these less privileged
people on our streets, there is still recurring decimal of neglect and reckless abandon. Before the coming of this administration under the able leadership of the Comrade Governor, the health hazards constituted by Lunatic and beggars was as sources of discomfit to urban dwellers in Benin metropolice. While
“In the light of the above, it has become very patenet for the local, state and federal governments to expedite action in creating a welfare package for the mentally sick and the less privileged in our society, after all the wealth of this country belongs to every body not only for the opportunist who see themselves as bonafide owners.”
“It took sympatisizers more than 5 minutes to separate the woman from the grip of the lunatic lover to some rascal area boys, it was very entertaining as they hail the lunatic for the good works.” some herbal hospitals were teeming up with the state government to get rid of lunatic, some beggars in front of the catholic church at Mission Road are still constituting an eyesore to road users and visitors from within and outside Nigeria. Around the kings square area the situation is even
fiscal policy on addressing the problems associated with the mentally challenged persons in our society. However in most cases the traditional psychiatrist Doctor do chain their patients to the wall leading to a very dehumanizing scenario. Some patients who feel a bit relief might be
more discomfiting as some beggars and lunatic are occasionally resurfacing. To some observers it appears that many of these lunatic and beggars are brought in from other states. A syndicate is in the horizon using these less privileged people for amassing wealth for themselves. On EBS television footage about six months back, a lady in charge of one of the psychiatric herbal home complained that the subvention given to her for the maintenance of sick people was grossly inadequate and l agree with her. Chief Omo Oliavbele, one of the stakeholders in the maintenance of lunatics also expressed dissatisfaction and appealed to the state Government to review its
tempted to abruptly stop medication as this does not augur well because their illness may need a long term treatment. Perhaps, a programme of occupational therapist more likely to be successful if there is no communication gap between the traditional medical doctors and their patients. In the light of the above, it has become very patenet for the local, state and federal governments to expedite action in creating a welfare package for the mentally sick and the less privileged in our society, after all the wealth of this country belongs to every body not only for the opportunist who see themselves as bonafide owners.
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
View Point
Amazing Power Of Gratitude
GRATITUDE is the expression of thanks to someone for a benevolence act. It is done out of a deep and sincere heart. The purpose is to make someone understand that his kind gesture(s) are quiet appreciated thereby motivating him to do more. Understanding the power of gratitude will unleash wonderful abundance in your life. Many successful and thriving men and women subscribe to this singular reason of appreciation because they feel it is good and they do it because of their understanding that the power of gratitude is incredible. If you desire to attract positive things into your life and simply feel happy, learn to appreciate and be grateful for the good in your life. Be thankful for the breath in your lungs, your home, your loved one, your job and so on. Look around and simply say “thank you” for anything and everything you find pleasing. This is one principle of life you will always live to remember. What it means to be grateful is to be thankful for blessings, acknowledging all the good in life. It means being happy with your present state no matter what is going on. It is a conscious effort to view your life from a positive perspective and rejoice in the good. By default, if you do this, you will not be focusing on the negative things in your life, which is superb. . To walk with more gratitude in your heart each day, consider adding the following suggestions into your life. Being journalistic: Each morning or evening write down all the things that you are grateful for. You can include things for that day or life in general. Call it your gratitude journal and let it serve as a reminder for how blessed you are. Thank those you normally overlook: Each day be mindful of those you come in contact with and try not to
By KINGSLEY AGESE/PIUS ABAH
take those for granted who are of service to you and others. Record your thank you: if you want to live with more gratitude in your heart, keep tabs of how many times you say thank you during the day and work on increasing the frequency. As you do, you will feel more gratitude in your heart for others and yourself Tell your loved one’s thank you: give your parents a call or the next time you see them, tell them how grateful you are for all that they have done for you. Let your siblings know that you appreciate the times they have been there for you. Tell your spouse that you are overwhelmed with gratitude for such unconditional love. Let your loved ones know frequently how grateful you are for them. Send thank you card out: You can send e-card or regular thank you card to those who you are grateful for on a regular basis, I assure you that if you do incorporate these tips into your daily life and get into the habit of saying. “Thank you” more often, your attitude and countenance will change for the better. Not only will you feel better, but those around you will as well. According to scientific research by psychologist Emmons and Mc Cullogh the simple acts of counting your blessings can increase happiness levels by 25%. Those who make a point of practicing gratitude sleep better, exercise more, feel more optimistic and less materialistic, are more emphatic and joyful and report few physical symptoms such as pain. They can even have sharper minds. Another exercise is to build a “gratitude 30” into your day. Select a 30 minutes, period and actively notice all the things you are grateful for as you go through your daily
business. Alternatively, simply taking a few minutes before bed time or in the morning to run through all the things you appreciate in your life can be very effective. Furthermore, gratitude is a feeling or attitude in acknowledging a benefit that one has received. The experience of gratitude has historically been a focus of several world religions, and has been considered extensively by moral
to different actions. Indebtedness can motivate the recipient of the aid to avoid the person who has helped them, whereas gratitude can motivate the recipient to seek out their benefactor and to improve their relationship with them. Gratitutde may also serve to reinforce future pro social behavior in benefactors. For example, one experiment found that customers of a jewelry store who were called and thanked showed a
philosophers such as Lee Clement . The systematic study of gratitude within psychology only began around the year 2000, possibly because psychology has traditionally been focused more on understanding positive emotions. Gratitude is not the same as indebtedness. While both emotions occur following help, indebtedness occurs when a person passives that they are under an obligation to make some payment of behaviour in compensation for the aid. The emotions lead
subsequent 70% increase in purchase. In comparison, customers who were thanked and told about a sale showed only a 30 % increase in purchase and customers who were not called at all did not show an increase. The link between spirituality and gratitude has recently become a popular subject of study. While these two characteristics are certainly not dependent on each other, studies have found out that spirituality is capable of enhancing a person’s ability to be grateful and
“Tell your loved one’s thank you: give your parents a call or the next time you see them, tell them how grateful you are for all that they have done for you. Let your siblings know that you appreciate the times they have been there for you.”
“Indebtedness can motivate the recipient of the aid to avoid the person who has helped them, whereas gratitude can motivate the recipient to seek out their benefactor and to improve their relationship with them.” therefore those who regularly attend religious studies or engage in religious activity are more likely to have a greater sense of gratitude in all areas of life. Gratitude is viewed as a prized human propensity in the Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Baha’l and Hindu traditions. Worship with gratitude to God is a common theme in such
thanks to the Lord with my whole heart”. (Ps.30:12; ps. 9:1). Gratitude has been said to mould and shape the entire Christian life. Martin Luther king referred to gratitude as “ The basic Christian attitude” the heart of the gospel. As each Christian believes they were created by a personal God, Christian are strongly
religious and therefore, the concept of gratitude permeates religious text, teachings and tradition. For this reason, it is one of the most common emotions that religions aim to provoke and maintain in followers and is regarded as a universal religious sentiment. In Judaism, gratitude is an essential part of the act of worship and a part of every aspect of a worshippers life. According to the Hebrew worldview, all things come from God and because of this, gratitude is extremely important to the followers of Judaism. The Hebrew scripture are filled with the idea of gratitude. Two examples included in the Psalms are “O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever “, and “ I will give
encouraged to praise and give gratitude to their creator. In Christian gratitude, God is seen as the selfless giver of all good things and because of this, there is a greater sense of indebtedness that enables Christians to share a common bond, shaping all aspects of a follower’s life. Gratitude in Christianity is an acknowledgement of God’s generosity that inspires Christians to shape their own thought and actions around such ideals . Instead of simply a sentimental feeling christian gratitude is regarded as a virtue that shapes not only emotions and thought but actions and deeds as well. In the Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican Churches, the most important rite is called the Eucharist, the name Continues on page 15
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
View Point
Continued from page 14
derived from the Greek word eucharistia for thanksgiving. The Islamic Sacred text, the Quran is filled with the idea of gratitude. Islam encourages it followers to be grateful and express thanks to God in all circumstances. Islamic teachings emphasizes the idea that those who are grateful will be rewarded with more. A traditional Islamic saying states that “The first who will be summoned to paradise are these who have praise God in every circumstances”. In the
Quran it is also stated in Sura 14 that those who are grateful will be given more by God. The prophet Mohammad also said, “Gratitude for the abundance will continue”. A large body of recent work has suggested that people who are more grateful have higher levels of subjective well being. Grateful people are happier, less depressed, less stressed and more satisfied with their lives and social relationship especially in terms of depression, gratitude may serve as a buffer by
... Power Of Gratitude
enhancing the coding and irretrievability of positive experience. There is no greater power in the universe than gratitude. Being sincerely thankful is the demonstration of universe love. There is nothing that you cannot be, do or have once you learn to be grateful for everything in your life. Gratitude does not mean that we have to be excited
about negative events. Perhaps it is simply an opportunity for personal growth. Gratitude is possible in every situation, every circumstance. Once we realize that and learn to look for the gratitude opportunity, our lives change forever. There is even more than simply being grateful in the “reality of the moment”. According to Wallace wattles,
“people who can sincerely be thankful for things which they own in imagination have real faith. They will get rich; they will cause the creation of whatever they want. In conclusion, Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others. Our ability to be grateful for both what we have and what we imagine ourselves to have and all that
we desire is the power that allows us to create our own realities. Once we respond by giving us more to be grateful for. Once that cycle begins, we cannot help to have the life we want, for we will love the life we have. Begin this attribute and attitude of gratitude for in it you will find the fortitude for a rectitude living.
Highlighting Innovative Solution To Childhood Pneumonia
infectious disease, could infect others by having contact with the sufferer’s saliva. The paediatrician also advised that babies should be kept warm during cold weather to prevent them from contracting pneumonia. To further strengthen innovative solutions to childhood pneumonia, the Society for Family Health says it has implemented some useful programmes that will address the causes and treatment of the infection. The society says it has trained more than 1,500 community oriented resource persons on correct diagnosis, appropriate treatment and early recognition of danger signs of pneumonia. Ms Nwando Onyeabo, the Corporate Communications Officer of the society, said the society had provided respiratory timers and amoxicillin in some health centres to boost diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia. “The project ensures a mechanism where access to services and commodities is sustained in collaboration with the state government to build good referral systems in primary health centres,’’ she said. By and large, stakeholders opine that as the worldcelebrates the World Pneumonia Day, people should participate in media campaigns, press conferences, meetings with healthcare providers and government leaders, among others, to draw the attention of the public to childhood pneumonia and its dangers.
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) states that pneumonia is the single largest cause of death in children less than five years. It observes that the disease killed 1.1 million children in that age category in 2012 and most of them were less than two years. Due to its impact on many countries, especially among the poor and marginalised children, the United Nations declared every November 12 the World Pneumonia Day. It is observed across the world to raise awareness on pneumonia, promote interventions to protect children against it, treat it and generate more aggressive actions, among others, to combat it in all fronts. As the world again celebrates the Day, observers note that people should uphold the values of the theme of the Day which is: “Highlighting innovative solutions to end childhood pneumonia.’’ Medical experts advise that focus should be on children who live in poor or remote communities, observing that they are often susceptible to pneumonia. According to them, there is need for collaborative interventions to fight the preventable disease that has constituted threat to the child’s survival. They solicit collective efforts of fathers, mothers and members of the community at preventing deaths arising from pneumonia. Pneumonia is a type of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs, especially the lower part of the respiratory tract. When a child has pneumonia, the sacs in the lung are filled with pus and
By JACINTA NWACHUKWU
fluid, which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake. But medical experts say that the disease can be prevented by immunisation, exclusive breastfeeding, intake of nutritious diet and maintaining a healthy environment. In spite of this, they note that only 30 percent of children who are infected with pneumonia receive the required medical attention. Dr Edem Duke, a paediatrician, said adequate nutrition, immunisation of children who are less than five years and addressing environmental factors, would prevent pneumonia during cold weather. She noted that severe pneumonia in children could affect their appetite and they might also experience unconsciousness and convulsions, among others. Duke advised the parents to ensure that they did not expose their children to cold weather while the adults should reduce the intake of cold drinks. In his view, Dr. Samson Olori, a paediatric surgeon with the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, urged caregivers, including parents, to ensure that children were properly fed with balanced diet to develop sound immune system. He said proper feeding would boost the immune system of the child to combat any infections, including those that caused pneumonia. In the event of pneumonia infection in spite of various
precautions, he advised that the child must be taken to a hospital for proper medical examinations. “Often times the child may have catarrh, loss of appetite, high fever and cough, indicating that something is wrong in the body, therefore, early medical intervention is necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment. “If we are able to curtail
some of the things which could predispose a child to pneumonia, it will reduce cases in hospitals,’’ he said. The surgeon advised the public against self-medication and buying of drugs from pharmacies or patent
medicine stores without doctor’s prescription. He also observed that pneumonia could spread quickly to a lot of children, especially in crèches and schools, if there were no adequate attention on the sufferer. He, therefore, called on stakeholders to ensure effective personal hygiene, including proper hand washing and clean environment.
pneumonia. He, nonetheless, argued that there were different organisms that could cause pneumonia in children and adults. He identified cough, chest pain, fever and difficulty in breathing as major signs of pneumonia, warning that if the condition was not treated or poorly managed, complications might occur. In his comment, Dr. Solomon Adeleke, also a
Giving more insight into some of the causes of pneumonia, Dr. Adamu Onu, a paediatrician, said that apart from children, the elderly and people whose immune system were suppressed were often at risk of contracting
paediatrician, observed that adults had the capacity of coping with pneumonia than children. He cautioned adults who were fond of spiting carelessly to stop the habit because pneumonia, as an
“Often times the child may have catarrh, loss of appetite, high fever and cough, indicating that something is wrong in the body, therefore, early medical intervention is necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment.”
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Midweek Magazine History is witness of the times, the torch of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life and the messenger of antiquity CICERO (106-43BC) De oratore. IN his magnum opus and literary tour de force entitled “ Heauton Timoroumentos” the philosopher and essayist Publius Terentius Afer said, “Humo sum ; humani nihil ame alienum puto” ( I am a man; and nothing human is foreign to me). It is this drive to ensure that nothing human is foreign to man that gave birth to History. History is an authentic chronicle and a verifiable documentation of ancient and modern events. The matrix of history is buttressed and consolidated by inputs from oral tradition of folklores, preserved by memories and recounted to the existing generation to document for posterity. The elements of written, divinatory and numerological submissions etc also contribute as resource archives from which historians, historiographers and archaeologists can get factual information. Before the art of writing was introduced, man, from the Paleolithic through the Mesolithic to the Neolithic ages used Primitive means to document events. Fundamental and remarkably eventful occurrences in history like the Nile Valley Civilization, the Cretan Civilization, the Sumerian Civilization, the rise of Babylon, Assyria, Chaldea, Phonecia, Persia, the Roman Empire, the early history of Greece and Christianity were documented in history. But the art of writing and documentation did not arrive in Africa until the 16th century, when
European historians, from a European perspective, had already documented most of Africa’s history. Although the king of the ancient Mali Empire, Mansa Kankan Musa (1307-1337 A.D) set up the Sankore University in Timbuktu in 1310 A.D, it was a University for the propagation of Islamic studies (Arabic education), as against what was prevalent, the Western Education and the art of writing. This exposed Africa’s early history to the whims and caprices of history dabblers, sentimentality, historical prejudices, myths, tribal jingoism, misplaced patriotism, falsehoods, judgmental fallacies, arrant controversies and apocryphal submissions, making African History and anthology of incongruities. When our African historians came on stage, they depended largely on the historical plinth already created by European or foreign historians. Where they had to get the factual basis of the history of their own people, it was sometimes coloured by their own prejudices, fabrications and intellectual bankruptcy. African history is to some extent a splendid documentation of falsehood, laced with lies, inconsistent with reason, at variance with logic and grossly out of tune with facts. African history records that the Ashanti people who were Akan- speaking people subject to the then Denkyra State came out of Lake Bosomtwi, a small crater lake in central Ashanti. And to further consolidate the bases of their unity, Ashanti caused a “golden stool” in which the spirit of Ashanti ancestors was supposed to be hidden to descend on the Knees of Osei Tutu the ruler
Towards The Demythologiz
of Kumasi. The assembled Ashanti rulers acclaimed Osei Tutu as their superior and invested him with powers over all the Ashanti people. One version of Africa history records that the Yoruba’s migrated from the east in about the 10th or 11th century, that their ancestors belonged to the Quresh tribe of Mecca in Saudi Arabia and that their first father was Lamrud or Namrud who had an idolpriest called Ya-harba. The word Ya-harba is an Arabic word-meaning warrior or army general. When Islam was introduced in Mecca in the 7th century Lamrud, Yaharba and their supporters refused to embrace Islam. The Islamic Jihadists took up arms against Lamrud and his pagan supporters. In the ensuing battle Lamrud was defeated and they fled the city, crossing the red sea to Africa. They got to Egypt in 648A.D. they moved to Tripoli, Algeria and Morocco. During this journey the idol-priest, Yaharbar, consulted his oracle, and they were told to follow the oracle’s direction. They followed the oracle’s direction until they arrived at Ile-Ife in 900A.D. During the journey to IIeIfe, Lamrud and his idolpriest, Ya-harba, died on the way. It was therefore Oduduwa who led the Yoruba’s to IIe-Ife. This is why Oduduwa and not Lamrud or ya-harba is referred to today as the father of the Yorubas. Even though Ya-harba could not reach IIe-ife his people decided to immortalize his name by calling their settlement Ya-harba, which was later converted to Yoruba. One other version says the Yoruba progenitor, Oduduwa fell from heaven.
Some years ago, the Oba of Benin, Omo Noba Nedo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa launched his book entitled “I REMAIN SIR, YOUR OBEDIENT SERVANT”. He opened the Pandora’s box of Yourba/Benin history, when he claimed that the Yoruba’s migrated from Benin where prince Ekaladerhan (Yoruba’s Oduduwa) escaped from execution, and that after a
By BOBSON GBINIYE
the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II. He said that the Oba of Benin whose dynasty began in the last decade of the 12th century was an Ife Prince lent to the Bini people at their request after the reign of the Ogiso’s ended in Benin. The Ife monarch asserted that Oduduwa descended directly from heaven
to Ife by foot and through a thick forest? So nobody accompanied the Bini Ekaladerhan? And why would a man or fugitive from justice be called back to come and become a king? How is it possible for Oduduwa to have fallen from heaven? These are glaring cases of half-truths, philistanization of history and deliberate
Edem Duke, Minister of Art and Culture
horrendous and marathon journey through the thick forest he arrived at IIe— Ife, where he became their king. When the Binis discovered that tradition made it obligatorily imperative for him to come back home, they requested for him. But he turned down the request and in turn sent his son Oranmiyan to commence the present dynasty in Benin. This historical submission drew the ire of
“History is a barometric format and a lodestone to the future. It is the intrinsic paradigm, steer man, master, cicerone and conductor of a people’s development.”
through a chain to where is today known as Ife in the company of four hundred deities. They both however agree that Oranmiyan was the son sent by Ekaladerhan (bini), Oduduwa (Yoruba) and whose son, Eweka, born of a Benin woman, became the progenitor of all Benin Obas. It is not the concern of this writer to look at which of the submission is plausible, true or false. But to observe that there is a trend in African history, which is based on a tribal renaissance-a kind of Risorgimento that stimulates a rewriting of history. This is a prevailing situation across Nigeria and nay Africa. Why did the Oba of Benin wait for so long to rewrite a part of Benin history? Is it possible for Ekaladerhan to have trekked such a long distance
mythologization of the origin of a people. The case of a ‘golden stool’ being invoked from heaven for the Osei Tutu of Ashanti and the Ashanti people haven come out of a lake are sheer myths, frills and thrills on the edge of perfidious manipulations. History is supposed to be a pedantic hallmark, a check valve, a vertical and horizontal integrator of a people’s life and a factual record of past events. A reliance on the facts of history enables people to understand themselves and strategize for the future. History is a barometric format and a lodestone to the future. It is the intrinsic paradigm, steer man, master, cicerone and conductor of a people’s development. In Warri, Delta state, the Ijaw, Urhobo and Itsekiri, have been sunken in
da in ow co do cr th sto ev co an pa ec m en wh po be bu is th re to pr st pe
su fr co si co of ne dr no ex he Te Hi pr Ab an “s in wh W flo em civ to tim wo va in
la un pe su re D Af A Af Hi S. pe Hi th Ba
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Midweek Magazine
zation Of African History
astardly fratricidal and ternecine wars over the wnership of warri. The ollective troika have octored, falsified and even reated history to justify eir ownership claims. The ory is the same in virtually very family, tribe and ommunity etc in Nigeria nd nay Africa. This is artly so, because the conomic, socio-political etamorphosis of a people ntails renewed renascence here the elements of pride, ower, position and growth ecomes issues in the front urner of their discourse. It so critically crucial to em that they in most cases sort to rewriting of history enable them to be put in roper and advantageous ead in the comity of eoples, states and nations. But a history written with uch background is always aught with bias, oncooned in pyrrhonism, lhouetted in the onfigurations and contours f asymmetrical and ebulous mélange. They rum up myths, fictitious on- existent and neverxisted dates, heroes and eroines. In the book “A ext Book of West African istory (A.D 1000 to the resent Day), the author Ola biola, not too sure of dates nd scenarios wrote several hundreds of years the past there existed in hat is today known as West Africa some ourishing kingdoms and mpires, whose brand of vilization was comparable that developed at that me in other parts of the orld”. What can be more ague, inarticulate and definite? Africa’s History is too ced with folklore, nverifiable dates and ersons. Great historical ubmissions like, Old Africa e-discovered by Basil avidson, the Dawn of frica History by R. Oliver, History of Islam in West frica by J.S. Trmingham, istory of the Yorubas by .Johnson ,Africa : its eople and their Cultural istory by G.P. Mudock , e Lost Cities of Africa by asil Davidson,A short
History of Benin by J. Egharevba and a Brief History of the Okpe people by Prince Mebitaghan e.t.c all suffer from conflicting dates, wrong geographical setting, halftruths, mythologization and exaggerations. They are in most cases inadvertent because of insufficiency of information, where they exist they are not put in proper perspectives and used in details. In the preface to his book entitled, “Merchant Prince of the Niger Delta “ Professor Obaro Ikime said “in the context of Nigerian History, certain names spring readily to mindBishops Crowther and Johnson, Kosoko, Jaja, Ovonramwen (Overami) and Nana, the subject of this study, to mention but a few. Although the names of these and other leading Nigerians of the nineteenth century are freely mentioned in history circles, it is a fact, at the time of writing that in none of them is there any detailed study. The reason usually advanced for absence of detailed studies is the lack of the kind of materials required for biographical surveys. This is largely true. But the absence of detailed studies has meant that even such materials as does exist have not been fully used in existing works”. This is an inviolable truism. But the history of Africa in the Nineteenth and twentieth centuries carries a lot of credibility and dependability index. Because the art of writing, education, revelations from the 2nd world war gave a great impetus to nationalism, constitutional developments, religious teachings and independence, which are easily verifiable because of adequate documentation, although with miniscule bias by European and African historians and nationalists. In this historical genre we have, Pan Africanism by G. Padmore, Ghana-Road to independence by F. Bourret, Nigeria-
Background to Nationalism, Politics in French speaking West Africa by R.S. Morgenthau, Others areThe Development of Modern Nigeria by O. Arikpo, Nationalism in Colonial Africa by Thomas Hodgkin, Senegal: A study in French Assimilation Policy by Micheal Crowther, A Thousand Years of West Africa History by J.J.A. Ajayi and lan Espie,
great course into the future. If we do a consummate job on our history we will no more be having the myth that Oduduwa came directly from heaven by means of a chain, that a ‘golden stool’ fell from heaven to consolidate the rule of the Ashanti King and that Ekaladerhan trekked through the path to Ife being a fugitive from justice e.t.c. These are all mere
all historians computer literate, so that they can source for and store correct information that will embrace their studies. A book and handout written and produced on “Nationalism in Nigeria” (1914-1960) released in 1970 is still being used in some of our universities. It is clear that historical research and more up to date records has rendered the book and handout obsolete. How then will a graduate that is handout and
Catholic Missions in Nigeria by Martins Bene and West Africa since 1800 by J.B Webster, A. Boahen and Idowu. It is clear from details of the aforementioned historical observations that Africa’s ancient and parts of its modern history are long overdue for more detailed, factual and comprehensive research. It is also overdue for a complete demystification; demythologization and being purged of prejudicial syphilization, because a people whose past is unknown cannot channel a
fabrications and myths to boost modern tribal and clannish renaissance. They must be discarded. The Bini, Yoruba, Urhobo, Ijaw, Itsekiri indeed Nigerian and nay Africa historians must go back to the drawing board. In doing this we have to review the syllabus and course content of our history students from primary through secondary to university levels. History at all levels of study must be research –driven, we are now in an era of a great revolution in information technology, we must make
obsolete text book bound know the difference? Our historians must go back to the public records office London, Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, Belgium e.t.c to get documented records on our past. They must visit the National Archives Ibadan, Accra, Abidjan,Bamako,Niamey etc and they must visit Libraries all over the world and then settle down in our universities etc supported by credible oral submission and then do a more convincing history of the Bini, Yoruba, Urhobo, Ijaw, Itsekiri nay Nigeria
and indeed African history. It must be noted however, that no amount of research can bring out the facts of the history of a people unless they resolve to be honest with themselves and their past. If at all nothing is done, let myths, Prejudices, Lies, arrant falsifications and prestidigitation be discarded from our history. No more Oduduwa falling from heaven, no more Ekaladerhan myth and no more ‘Golden Stool’ mystery. Finally, the Government, at Federal, State and Local Government levels must be prevailed upon to channel their revenues to research institutions and individuals to find out, update and document the history of the people in our various communities, state and indeed Nigeria. A situation where verdicts and judgments are given in our courts based on falsified history is totally a travesty of justice. It calls too much for the discretion of the judges to deduce which history is correct and which is incorrect. It therefore follows that the greatest manipulator of history wins. Let us get serious with purging our history, for anybody, nation and a person with a history based on myths is wallowing in the crypts of lycanthropy. Our history as is presently written remains an anthology of incongruities and a demonstration of Orwellian duplicity. We call on the Ooni of Ife and the Oba of Benin to demystify their various histories and let other historians follow suit. CHIEF BOBSON GBINIJE MANDATE AGAINST POVERTY (MAP) Warri: 08023250378
“But the history of Africa in the Nineteenth and twentieth centuries carries a lot of credibility and dependability index. Because the art of writing, education, revelations from the 2nd world war gave a great impetus to nationalism, constitutional developments, religious teachings and independence.”
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Society MARRIAGE according to the dictionary definition, is the state or relationship of being husband and wife. It is also the act or legal contract of becoming husband and wife. A joining together, a union. Marriage is the relationship that involves two opposite sex that have agreed on the terms to be recognised and known as husband and wife. Marriage can be regarded as a union, and this union is made possible by different means like vows, promises. These vows could be taken in a ritual form and backed by religions laws and ethics. Marriage is one things that was created by God and it is therefore sacred and should be taken very serious. Career on the other hand is one’s professional life. It is therefore a total life circle that involves professionalism, a way and
“There are many homes where money and career come first because these families think that it is only their money or the career that can maintain and sustain them.” spend time with their kids and this is why they learn or do things they are not suppose to do like smoking, fornicating etc. If perhaps you get early into your career before marriage and you are the boss, you can transfer your skills, those characters that make you successful in your career into your marriage, skills; like time management, scheduling and other good ones but don’t carry home the controlling character as a
Balancing Marriage And Career
standard of managing one’s attitude towards sustaining economic security, in order to succeed in our daily activities. Career and marriage is the two things most people find difficult to combine successfully. It is understandable that managing career and relationship can be a daunting task if you don’t know how to manage the two critical areas of life. Both of them are important because without a career which means no job, there’ll be no money, and you can’t do things you want on your own except relying on others and without a lovely marriage, it is assumed you are living in a slave land or probably isolated land, you may have all the promotion at work, have all the money but nobody to share your success with when you are back home.
By MARY OKPEBE/LAWRENCE O. ODION Time waits for no man as the saying goes, you will need to develop the habit of staying together and longer with your family to bring in the needed closeness and intimacy and take the issue of your relationship, marriage and family first before any other thing. Unfortunately, for many couples everything else comes first (their jobs, their career, their friends, social events, volunteer work, working long hours to acquire wealth, everything) therefore they have their values and priorities way out of balance. The key to finding balance in your relationship, marriage and career is to make your relationship a high priority and get help if needed from marriage counselors. If you make
your relationship a high priority, you will find the success in this area spread over to other areas of life like your career and every other thing. It is recommended that you stay with your partner for at least 12 hours per week without watching TV, or playing of games that will take your attention away from him or her; no other side distraction, it must be you and your partner. If your work is getting much of your time, plan it in such a way that throughout the weekend you will be available at home with your family. Do not mix work and family together. Try to allocate your time well, for work and for the family too. Your work worries should not intrude the time when
you are at home. This should also be followed at work, family and other matters should not disturb you, unless urgent. But in some families, a lot of people tend to mix up their work worries with their family issues by bringing home the problems they encounter at work and neglecting the problem at home. Try to spend as much time with kids and take them out once in a while and let them know you are there as a friend and a support. Unlike some families today, a lot of parents as long as they buy what the kids want and send them to school, they feel that the kids are fine and the most dangerous part of it is getting a house help to look after them; someone they don’t know anything about. They don’t create chance or
“Do not mix work and family together. Try to allocate your time well, for work and for the family too. Your work worries should not intrude the time when you are at home. This should also be followed at work, family and other matters should not disturb you, unless urgent”.
boss in your home, that will ruin what you are trying to build. In our society today, a lot of people do this in their homes by bringing their titles at work to their various homes. Just because they are the boss in their working place, they will want to bring home those characters without knowing that they are ruining their marriages. Family always comes first and with the necessary support, balancing life will not be tough. Learn to appreciate life the way it comes. Do not forge your life with regrets, you may miss the happiness that is in store. Some family so much place high value on their work that they tend to miss the real part which is the family that made you who you are today. You being a boss in your office was not done magically but by the support and with the consistent help of the family. So why do you want to get to the top and shun the ladder and the people that helped you reached the top. A home that comprises of father, mother, and children should always be at peace when things that bothers our mind about our jobs are kept
away from home, unless it can be related to our partner who tends to be understandable and reasonable. There are many homes where money and career come first because these families think that it is only their money or the career that can maintain and sustain them. If things are not carefully checked, we might be placing high values and prefrences to the jobs we have than we should. The truth is that you have got only one family but you can get millions of jobs everywhere that will suite you more than the previous jobs. A parable says; “a bird at hand is worth more than a million in the bush.” You can not neglect what you have now just because you have signed with one company or the other. Wife, your husband should be more respected and attended to than your boss or the job at your office, because your boss can be more than one but no reasonable woman would like to marry more than one husband. Pride would not allow her to do such. Same applies with the man. The husband should learn how to love and appreciate his wife more than his boss who may be a lady. So there should be set rules and regulations that will forbid the actions taken by some partners who will exalt their work much more than wives. Career can die anytime when some unexpected things happens, but family will always be with you to the end, because blood is thicker than water, oh yes, there is nothing to compare with family which is meant to be enjoyed. Man need to take care of the family’s need.
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Natural Medicine
With Dr. MAO 08030717341
How To Preserve Your Eyesight
DAILY SUN of January 27, 2010 carried an interview with Igwe (DR.) Charles Abangwu, a son of Eha Alumona in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu state. A highlight of the interview was that at 90, age had not affected his vision. It was as perfect as that of a teenager. Hear his testimony: ‘I read the littlest of italics without glasses or strain on my eyes. I have never used eye glasses”. Only a few people can match his experience. This is because he appears to be one of those people with the genes for good vision at old age. Most people don’t therefore, fall within his experiential bracket. For this reason, people need to know certain tips for preserving their eyesight. To start with, we should learn to eat for the eyes. The book PERFECT EYESIGHT FOR LIFE contains a list of nourishing food for the eyes. Another worthwhile book is THROW AWAY YOUR GLASSES by Michael Cutler” It informs you of the 18 key nutrients your eyes require for healthy vision. They are. Vit A, Vit B6, Vit C with bioflavonoicls, Vit E, selenium, copper, lutein, zeaxan thin, ginkgo biloba, eyebright elderberry, taurine, bilberry, lycopene, N. Acetyl cystiene, EDTA and tocotrienols. Don’t forget, too, that eating lots of fruits and vegetables supplies the eyes with the nutrients they need. Choose organic fruits/ vegetables for best results whenever they are available. In addition, avoiding eyestrain is another way
of preserving your digital age, several people have eyestrain from long hours in front of the computer. One way of preventing computer eyestrain? Learn to break up computer work for at least every 30 minutes. Such work stoppages help the eyes. Furthermore, to minimize computer eyestrain, always increase the font size of your work once you are in your middle ages or when you notice that your vision is losing its sharpness. By increasing computer font size to see any display on the monitor your eyes are better for it. From the foregoing, it is evident that as you age, your eyes undergo changes for instance, they begin to lose their capacity to make contrasts and to focus properly. Hence, once again, apart from increasing the computer font size you work with, you need brighter lights at any of your work stations. Therefore, use more light to illuminate your reading desk, office, or computer /television screens. If you don’t then you will strain to see properly so that with time you will start having problems with your eyesight. Also, to prevent
eyestrain, avoid staring at darkness. Unfortunately, people do so often at night because of the frequent blackouts by BEDC these days. Each time the lights are switched or just go off, the eyes suddenly are
Expectedly, people would then have the opportunity of closing their eyes to await the final blackout. This practice would help the transition of the eyes from light to darkness and so curb the eye shock
3pm on a sunny day wear your prescription sunglasses. Don’t look up directly at the sun. In addition, you must routinely protect your eyes from containination. There are two ways you can do
using unclean well water may get your eyes infected with germs. Similarly, water from boreholes or the rain could be unclean from source and still get contaminated during storage. Therefore, it is
forced to stare at the blanket darkness enveloping everywhere. Invariably, BEDC can be said to be contributinly to eyesight damage today. How I wish BEDC knew this. Well, this is an advice for them. Before it takes light,, it should give a warning by blinking the light.
or strain to the eyes arising from sudden power outage. Still, another eyesight preservation tip: Avoid all reflections of the sun entering your eyes. They can damage your eyesight just like the sun overhead with its heat, light and ultraviolet rays. So between 10am to 3.
this. Firstly wash your hands well with clean, running water before picking your eyes with your fingers. Secondly, always bathe with clean water. If you don’t, you may end up infecting your eyes with microorganisms in the water. Be warned too that
important you have handy, water purifier or disinfectants like izal and dettol for use in killing germs in your bath water or water for washing your hands. In passing I need to say here that a lot of us assume that all water in overhead tank are clean. Lies. Most of such tanks have never been washed since they were erected. Invariably, they are a cesspool of germs. The fact that the tank water appears clean does not mean there are no germs in it. Unknown to you, the eye infection you have frequently may be traceable to the water from the tank you use for bathing which gets into your eyes. From the
“Therefore, use more light to illuminate your reading desk, office, or computer /television screens. If you don’t then you will strain to see properly so that with time you will start having problems with your eyesight.”
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 With Victor Anuikwn
New Horizon
A Cultural History (2) Higher Consciousness:
THE spiritual qualities of Krsna’s holy name are described throughout the Vedic literatures. The Padma Purana states, “The holy name of Krsna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krsna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure... it is not a material name under any condition and it is no less powerful than Krsna Himself. Since Krsna’s name is not and cannot be contaminated by any material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with Maya (illusion). Krsna’s name is always liberated and spiritual. It is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the Holy name of Krsna and Krsna Himself are identical. Since time immemorial millions of devotees and saintly persons have chanted the name of krsna to achieve spiritual perfection. But history records that it was widely popularized by Lord Caitanya, an incarnation of Lord Krsna who appeared in Bengal barely five centuries ago and extablished the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra as the universal spiritual practice for the present age. According Verdic cosmology, the material creation eternally passes through cycles of four ages. Each begins with a golden age (Satya-yuga), the conditions progressively deteriorated, ending in the last age (kaliyuga) an age characterized by quarrel and hypocrisy. For each of the four ages, the Vedas prescribe a universal method of self realization just suited for that particular age. For instance, in the satya yuga, the recommended path was that of the mystic yuga system, which involved a lifetime of unbroken yuga practice, accompanied by
strict vows of penance and austerity. We are presently at the beginning of the last age, kali-yuga. In this age people no longer have the endurance, willpower, or sufficient life span necessary to successfully practice the original yuga system described in the Vedas. The Vedic scriptures therefore advise, “In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative for spiritual progress other than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of the Lord”. The kali santarana Upanisad specifically recommends the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra (meditation) Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare — these sixteen names composed of thirtytwo syllables are only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas, it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to chanting the Holy name. Lord Caitanya’s biographer’s record that He spent many years travelling all over India spreading the chanting of the holy names of Krsna. He chanted the Hare Krsna mantra congregationally (Kirtan) to the accomplishment of musical instruments, including drums and hand cymbals. The Lord chanted the mantra quietly a specific number of times daily as a private meditation Capa). In the siksastaka, His famous prayers about the holy names of Krsna, Lord caitanya wrote, “let there be all victory for the chanting of the Holy name of Lord Krsna, which can cleanse the mirrow of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for
all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of krsna expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step. During His lifetime, Lord caitanya predicted that the holy names of Krsna would spread to every town and village in the world. This
prophecy lay unfulfilled for four hundred years, until the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a great spiritual master in the direct line of disciplinic succession from Lord Caitanya. In 1885, Bhaktivinoda wrote, “Lord caitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men in India. Rather, His main objective was to emancipate all living entities of all countries throughout the entire universe and preach the eternal religion. There is no doubt that this unquestionable order will come to pass. Very soon the
unparafleled path of han — nama Sankritan (the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord) will be propagated all over the world, and for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German, American, African people will take up banners, drums, hand cymbals and raise chanting through their streets and towns. When
will that day come? Bhaktirinoda’s vision became a reality in less than a century. In 1965, India’s greatest spiritual and cultural ambassador, His Divine Grace, A.C Bhaktivedants Swami Prabupada, arrived in New York’s East Village, the heart of the countercultural movement of the sixties. Within a year Snila Prabupad, tenth in the line of Spiritual Masters from Lord Caitanya, had founded the International Socity of Krishna Consciousness. Very quickly, the sound of the chanting of
“India’s greatest spiritual and cultural ambassador, His Divine Grace, A.C Bhaktivedants Swami Prabupada, arrived in New York’s East Village, the heart of the countercultural movement of the sixties. Within a year Snila Prabupad, tenth in the line of Spiritual Masters from Lord Caitanya, had founded the International Socity of Krishna Consciousness.”
Hare Krishna spread, first across America, then on to England and throughout the world. The Vedic Scriptures predict that although the age of Kali (the present age) is the most degraded of all ages, the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra will dramatically alter the present wartorn, hate filled atmosphere of the world. Theses most ancient timeless writings forecast a Golden Age beginning with the widespread chanting of Hare Krishna mantra during which the painful disturbances of this age will be mitigated and people everywhere will be economically, politically, socially, culturally and
hundred years before Ghandi, this remarkable personality inaugurated a massive nonviolent civil disobedience movement. He swept aside the stifling restrictions of the hereditary caste system and made it possible for people from any station in life to achieve the highest platform of spiritual enlightenment. In doing so, He broke the strangle hold of a proud intellectual elite on India’s religious life. Ignoring all kinds of outmoded rituals and formulars, He introduced a revolutionary spiritual movement that was rapidly accepted all over India, a movement which, became of its universal appeal, has now
spiritually happy. Srila Prabupad explains — that this present age (kali-yuga) will continue for 432,000 years, of which only about 5,000 years have passed. Thus there is still a balance of 427,000 years to come. Of these 427,000 years, the 10,000 years of the Sankritan movement (chanting of the holy name of Krishna) inaugurated by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabu 500 years ago provide the opportunity for the fallen souls of Kali-yuga (age of quarrel and hypocrisy) to take to the Krsna consciousness movement, chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and thus be delivered from the clutches of material existence and return home, back to Godhead — our eternal home. In the later part of the fifteen century, Indias’ most extraordinary political, cultural, and religious reformers appeared in a small town in West Bengal. Five
spread all over the world. The name of this powerful spiritual reformer was Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the founder of modern DAY Hare Krishna movement. The Vedic Scriptures of India had long predicted His birth, in 1486, in Mayapar, a quarter of the city of Navadvipa. Great saints and scholars soon detected that He was not an ordinary human being, but an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna Himself, appearing as a great devotee of the Lord. Lord Caitanya had little patience with ritualistic religious functions, and as He grew to young manhood, He began to carry out His Divine mission. He wanted all people everywhere to have access to the actual experience of love of God, by which one can feel the highest spiritual ecstasies. Continues on page 24
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Place Of Prayer
Breaking The Bad Habit
BAD habit can be defined as indecent conducts or unacceptable mannerisms, or a way of life that is not compliant with the acceptable norms of the Kingdom you belong to. Bad habit is an activity that does not befit your status. It covers all unacceptable conducts and not just the popular sins like fornication and lust. Imagine me for instance sucking orange along the road. Now, sucking orange is not a sin, but sucking it while walking along the road does not befit my status and persisting in it becomes a bad habit to me. God is not angry when you fail once; failing the second time is the problem. It is the again that implicates you. The repetition of an unacceptable conduct is what makes it a bad habit. That you committed fornication once may not be punished by God; it could be a mistake and no one is above mistakes. Committing fornication a second time is what will attract punishment from God, because you cannot make the same mistake twice. Committing fornication the first time does not make you a sinner, you are still a righteous man that made a mistake; but doing it the second time makes you a fornicator. The ‘tor ’ is repetition of the sin of fornication. Same goes with smoking, drinking and all other bad habits. Smoking or drinking one time does not make you a smoker or a drunkard; it is repeating the act over and over again that turns you into an addict. God is not happy when we take His grace for granted. He is not happy with those that continue in sin despite repeated warnings to them. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid (Romans 6:1-2). Committing the sin a second
time means continuing in sin and will certainly attract God’s wrath eventually. I must let you know that every sin has a consequence. Whenever you willfully indulge in sin, something dies. The bible says in Romans 6:23: the wages of sin is death. You may not die physically, but willfully indulging in sin leads to the death of an expected miracle. Grace does not mean liberty to sin; God remains a just God and will by no means clear the guilty. Every time you commit the same sin, the punishment you get from God increases. We can see an example of God’s punishment for sin in the lives of the Children of Israel. The first time God punished them for their sin, they were taken captive for eight years. Judges 3:7-8: And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. When they sinned a second time, God sold His people into the hand of the enemy for 20 years. Judges 4:1-2: And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in
With Pastor Samuel O. Osaghae SMS Only 08030809339
Harosheth of the Gentiles. The third time, they were delivered into the hand of the enemy for 40 years. Judges 13:1: And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. May God not deliver you
Esau had a habit of always eating red pottage. His habit eventually made him sell his birthright to his brother, Jacob. And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom (Genesis 25:30). Esau asked Jacob for that same red pottage. This shows it was not the first time he was
his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Just like Esau, a lot of people, including Christians, are struggling under the grip of bad habits. In Esau’s case, it was that
in a foreign country for molesting a hotel maid. His bad habit eventually ridiculed him and brought public shame to him. I was addicted to salt and maggi but when we discovered that these substances raised blood pressure, I was advised by my wife, who is a trained nurse, to stop taking excess of them. I stopped taking excess salt but
into the hand of the enemy as a result of your sin. However, you must deliberately begin to break off from the hold of bad habits as they will do you no good but will eventually lead to a destructive end. Habit is the method the devil uses to disqualify you from your next level. If you enjoy sin, you cannot also enjoy the blessing; you cannot eat your cake and have it. If there is any iniquity you find yourself repeating, then you must think of how to stop it by force.
asking for red pottage from Jacob. It had become a habit with him. He so much loved red pottage that he was called Edom which means red. Hebrews 12:14-17: Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold
same red pottage. In your case, it could be that same gluttony, that same fornication, that same smoking, that same pornography, that same masturbation, that same alcoholism, that same anger, that same fighting, that same unforgiveness etc. The danger with that repeated sin is that you may not physically see the consequence until it is too late. The devil keeps pampering you till you get very highly placed before he lets you fall down. The righteous can fall and rise seven times but it depends on where he fell from. The devil waits for you to go very high so that when you fall, you will not recover. Some time back, a very highly placed minister in the IMF who would have become the next President of his county was disgraced
kept taking excess maggi, sprinkling it in my food before I could eat the food. I gave my wife and children the impression that I had stopped it but unknown to them, I hid a pack of maggi in my book shelf. They all thought I had given up the habit and they even praised me for my discipline. So you can imagine the disappointment when sometime later my daughter discovered the pack of maggi in my shelf when she was cleaning my shelf. I became a hypocrite before my family when I was discovered. What you are doing in secret will soon disgrace you in public. Can a man put hot coals in his bosom and not be burnt? If you refuse to break habit, it will bring you down. Before that habit brings you down, escape. May you not collapse on the verge of entering your next level. Stop the bad habit today before it stops you.
“In your case, it could be that same gluttony, that same fornication, that same smoking, that same pornography, that same masturbation, that same alcoholism, that same anger, that same fighting, that same unforgiveness etc.”
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
International Feature Etched Forever In The Hearts Of The Progressive Peoples The World Over
The Great Leader Kim Jong Il’s Ennobling Life and His Immortal Exploits (on the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of the demise of the great leader Kim Jong Il) Kim Jong II and Snow WHEN people think about the career of Chairman Kim Jong Il of the DPRK National Defence Commission (Feb. 16 1942Dec.17 2011) the first thing they remember is snow. He was born in Mt. Paektu, the highest mountain of Korea, in February when snow falls and parted away from his people in the snowy weather of December. It is the philosophy of snow which runs through his career. Snow not only purifies the peopleís mind but also supplies the earth with water by melting itself. Snow can be said to represent the noblest life philosophy whose essence is to devote oneís whole for the prosperity of the country and the happiness of the people with pure mind. Kim Jong Il lived a pure life. President Kim Il Sung, the founding father of socialist Korea, passed away unexpectedly in 1994. It was a world convention that when a head of state passed away his post is immediately occupied by another. But in Korea the post of president was remained vacant for more than three years. It was due to Kim Jong Il’s lofty and pure moral obligation to uphold Kim Il Sung as the eternal President of the country. He ensured that the constitution of the country stipulated that Kim Il Sung would be upheld as the eternal President of the DPRK and he was kept in his lifetime appearance. He had nothing for himself. He was always on field guidance tour wearing casual suit and taking catnap for rest. Thanks to his restless guidance modern factories and houses, cultural resorts were built across the country for the improvement of peopleís livelihoods. He ensured that many monuments and statues were
built for the revolutionary forerunners and merited people but he never allowed his statue to be built. He did not use gifts presented to him by Koreans, heads of state and party leaders and personages of other countries but sent them to the National Gifts Exhibition House and International Friendship Exhibition House to be displayed there. He embraced all the people in his benevolent bosom. All the people in north Korea lived in a harmonious whole holding him as their father. Among them were not only workers, farmers and intellectuals but also those who had committed wrongdoings against the country and nation in the past. Jong Ju Yong, former Honorary Chairman of Hyundai Group of south Korea, moved by his love for the nation and all-embracing politics, dedicated his remaining years to the common prosperity and the reunification of the country. He warmly embraced many people from various countries who fight for independence, peace and justice. He used to say that political leaders of socialist countries should be possessed of leading capabilities but, first of all, high virtues of loving their people boundlessly. On his field guidance tour he often called on people’s houses, taking meticulous care of their lives and blessing their childrenís future. He even named a baby to be born. And he arranged birthday spread for those who greeted 100th birthday. Over sixty unconverted long-term prisoners who had suffered a lot behind bars for dozens of years in south Korea were repatriated to the north, where they could enjoy the most dignified and happiest life in his embrace. Under his care an ordinary woman who had her face burnt while saving treasures of the country from a forest fire was sent to a famous hospital in a foreign country and regained her beauty. Kim Jong Il dedicated his all for his people and other progressive peoples of the
world. Once he said that sometimes he also felt tired and wanted to have a rest with his family on holidays, he also loves to enjoy the life more than anybody else, but as people is more precious to him than anything else he keeps on his field guidance tour for them without rest, sacrificing his all. People’s happiness was his greatest pleasure. For the happiness of the people he was always on field guidance tour in the face of sweltering sun and bitter cold. He never hesitated to go down the water-dripping pits of coal mines and walk along rough paddy ridges. He thought of his people even when he was on a visit to foreign countries. It was not fortuitous that Russian presidential chief delegate who accompanied him during his visit to Russia wrote in a book that Chairman Kim Jong Il is the leader who devotes all his thinking and zeal only for the happiness of his people. In the last years of his life his doctors, concerned about his serious illness, pleaded with him in tears not to carry on field guidance. He said to them: Iím sorry I cannot do what you ask me to; please, do as I ask you to do. Then he left on a field guidance tour. Thanks to his devoted service socialism has been safeguarded in Korea and a new turning point has been created in the building of a thriving country. And the days have gone once and for all when imperialists threatened Korea with nuclear weapons, and the Korean peninsula and the rest of Northeast Asia have been freed from the danger of nuclear war crisis. Kim Jong Il’s ennobling life
will be remembered forever by the Korean people and other progressive people of the world. Legacy of Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Il left as his legacy great exploits which guarantee the everlasting foundation and bright future of socialist Korea. He raised the Juche idea and Songun idea as the eternal guiding ideology of Korea and as the great guiding ideology of the era of independence. Being endowed with the outstanding ideo-theoretical wisdom, he launched energetic ideotheoretical activities from his early years, during which he systematized the revolutionary ideas of President Kim Il Sung, founding father of socialist Korea, as the integral system of idea, theory and method of Juche. He published many works including On the Juche Idea (March 1982) to further develop the idea. By developing and enriching the idea of giving priority to the arms, the idea of attaching importance to military affairs put forward by the President, to meet the requirements of the new era, he formulated the Songun idea and raised it as the invincible sword for accomplishing the cause of independence. Thanks to this, the Juche idea and the Songun idea became the great guiding ideology in the era of independence and the immortal KimilsungismKimjongilism. This ideological and theoretical wealth is the most precious legacy bequeathed by him for the Korean people and progressive mankind. Kim Jong Il developed the Workers Party of Korea into an ever-victorious guiding
force, the DPRK into a powerful socialist state and the Korean Peopleís Army into invincible armed forces. The 50-year history of his leadership of the WPK was a period when he created a model of building a socialist ruling party. Thanks to his energetic leadership, the WPK developed into a militant party, in which unitariness of ideology and leadership is firmly secured and the sense of organization and discipline is strong beyond comparison, into a motherly party, which takes responsibility for the destiny of the masses, into a veteran and sophisticated party, and into a party, in which inheritance of leadership is firmly secured. In the end of the last century when socialist Korea was faced with the worst adversity on account of the collapse of socialism in several countries, the vicious schemes of the US-led imperialist allied forces to stifle it and the natural calamities that hit it for several consecutive years, he administered Songun politics in a comprehensive way, with the result that the DPRK demonstrated its might as an invincible bulwark of socialism and the KPA developed into formidable armed forces. By attaching top priority to strengthening the national defence capabilities, he strengthened the might of the KPA to the maximum through his incessant field guidance and turned the whole country into a formidable fortress by materializing on a new, higher level the policy of arming all the people and fortifying the whole land. Under his leadership Korea became a nuclear possessor, with which nuclear threat by the imperialists cut no ice, and the KPA displayed its might as an army strong in idea and faith and a-match-for ahundred army which is ready both for defence and attack. Kim Jong Il turned the whole society of Korea into a grand harmonious family
“Once he said that sometimes he also felt tired and wanted to have a rest with his family on holidays, he also loves to enjoy the life more than anybody else, but as people is more precious to him than anything else he keeps on his field guidance tour for them without rest, sacrificing his all.”
with his politics of love and trust, and the whole country into a political and ideological power in which all the people are united single-mindedly. Thus, in the DPRK everlasting cornerstone was laid for accomplishing the cause of socialism, unperturbed by any upheavals of history. It is not coincidental for the Korean people to have held Kim Jong Il in high esteem as the eternal General Secretary of the Workersí Party of Korea and eternal Chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission. Kim Jong Il laid solidly-built foundations for building a thriving socialist country. He drew up a bright blueprint for building a thriving socialist power and created every condition to put it into reality through his devoted field guidance. By opening up the era of knowledge industry with the introduction of CNC technology into the machinebuilding industry, he led the effort to stoke the flames of industrial revolution of the new century across the country and make the overall national economy modern and knowledge-based. Under his leadership in the DPRK an amazing reality was unfolded of switching over to knowledge economy; cuttingedge CNC machine tools are being mass-produced, Juche iron production system that uses no coking coal and scrap iron, a revolution in the world’s metallurgical industry, was established and modernization of the production of vinalon and introduction of DCS system of the fertilizer production through coal gasification were materialized. Many factories and enterprises including the Huichon Ryonha General Machine Factory and the Taedonggang General Fruit Processing Factory were newly built or renovated as world-class ones. The DPRK is now one of the few artificial earth satellite producers and launchers in the world. Everywhere including Pyongyang across the country has been refurbished in a modern way, unfolding the prospect for the Korean people to enjoy all the benefits of socialism. The immortal exploits Kim Jong Il achieved by devoting his whole life will shine forever as the most valuable legacy which guarantees the triumph of the cause of Korean-style socialism and the cause of independence of mankind.
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 With Victor Aniukwu
New Horizon Continued from page 20
The awakening, SriCaitanya taught, could be attained by Sankirtan — the chanting of the holy names of the Lord, the Hare Krsna mantra. Lord Caitanya rapidly acquired many followers who immediately took up the chanting of the holy names of the Lord and sometimes performing it in their homes and sometimes in the streets of Navadvipa. The Lord’s Sankritan (chanting of the holy name) movement immediately threatened the established groups in the social hierarchy — The Muslim rulers of Bengal and the hereditary Hindu priestly class, the caste prtests who were attempting to artificially monopolize religious leadership. Members of both groups lodged complaints with the local ruler, chand kazi. Agreeing that Lord Caitanya and His followers threatened the established order, the kazi tried to suppress the growing sankritan (chanting of the holy names) movement. On his order, constables raided the home of one Lord Caitanya’s followers and smashed the drums used in the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. The Kazi ordered that the chanting of the holy names of the Lord be immediately stopped and threatened that if it began again in Nevadvipa, he would ruthlessly punish those responsible. When informed of the raid, Sri Caitanya immediately organized the largest peaceful civil disobedience movement in Indian history up to that time. On a prearranged evening, Sri Caitanya and one hundred thousand of His followers suddenly appeared in the streets of Navadvipa and divided into many well=organized chanting parties. As they dance through thy city, the sound of Hare krsna mantra resounded in a deafening roar. Finally, the chanters converged on the residence of the kazi, who hià himself inside. At Lord Caitanya’s invitation, the Kazi appeared, and the two began negotiations. Speaking
politely, and with great logic and reason, Lord Caitanya convinced the Kazi that the complaints against the sankirtan (chanting of the holy names) movement were groundless. In a dramatic conversation, the Kazi himself became a follower of Lord Caitanyâ and actively promoted and protected the Sankirtan movement. To the very day, Hindus visit the tomb of this Muslim magistrate to pay their respects. Since the time of the Kazi, the Muslim Inhabitants of Navadvipa have never interrupted nor interfered with the public chanting of the Hare krsna mantra, even during the time of the Hindu — Muslim riots. Not long after this important victory in His native town, Lord Caitanya began to spread this movement all over India. For six years, he travelled the length and breath of the country, chanting the Hare Krsna mantra and spreading love of God. At many places, crowd of thousands of people would join with Him in massive chanting parties. Nevertheless, He also encountered opponents, the strongest of whom were the Mayavadis, an elitist group of philosophers who had spread throughout India, twisting the meaning of the Vedic scriptures in a vain attempt to prove that God has no personality or form. The impersonalists also believe that spiritual enlightenment could be obtained only by a chosen few who knew Sanskrit and arduously studied the Vedanta Sutra Scriptures. And throughout His travels Sri Caitanya struggled against the Mayavadis (Impersonalist) and succeeded in convincing many of them by the strength of His preaching. One of the greatest philosophers of the Mayavadi school, Sarvabhama Bhattararya, tried to prevail over Sri Caitanya in philosophical discussion but was defeated. Countering the Bhattacharya’s impersonal explanation of God, Sri Caitanya said, “The living entities are all individual
... A Cultural History (2) persons, and they are all parts and parcels of the Supreme whole. If the parts and parcels are individual persons, the source of their emanation must not be impersonal. He is the Supreme Person amongst all relative persons”. Then out of His causeless mercy, Lord Caitanya performed a wondrous miracle, manifesting before Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya His beautiful, original, spiritual form as Krsna, the Supreme Personality-of Godhead. Falling at Lord Caitanya’s feet, the former impersonalist philosopher Surrendered to Him and soon
criticize the Lord. A real spiritual master, he said, would never involve himself in singing and dancing with all kinds of ordinary people, ignorant of the spiritual significance of chanting the Hare krshna Mantra, he considered it mere sentiment. Prakasananda Sarasvati belived a spiritualist should continually study abstract philosophy and engage in lengthy discussions about the Absolute truth. A great clash between a popular nonsectarian universal religious movement and a shifting, schismatic and separatist philosophy was
spiritual effulgence more brilliant than the sun. The Mayavadis were amazed and immediately stood-up in respect. Then Prakasananda Sarasvati inquired about why Caitanya chanted and danced instead of studying Vedanta philosophy. Lord Caitanya, who in truth was well versed in the Vedic teachings replied, “I have taken to the Sankritan (chanting of the holy name of the Lord) movement instead of studying the Vedanta because I am a great fool.” Indirectly, the Lord was criticizing the Mayavadis for being overly proud of their dry, intellectual study of the
with great enthusiasm. As a result of this conversion, the entire city of Benares adopted Lord Caitanya’s Sankirtan movement. Although born a bramana, a member of the highest caste, Lord Caitanya always said that such designations were simply external, and He behaved accordingly. Disregarding the social conventions of the age He would stay in the homes of devotees from even the lowest caste and take His meals with them. Indeed, He delivered His most esoteric teachings on the subject of love of God to
became a great devotee of the Lord. But the biggest confrontation with the Mayavadis was yet to come, and it occurred at their very headquarters and for centuries the capital of the mayavadi School was the city of Benares. There Lord Caitanya stayed with His friends and devotees and continued His Sankritan movement, attracting crowds of thousands wherever He went. Hearing reports of this, Prakasananda Sarasvati, the leader of the prevailing mayavada sect, began to
about to occur. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabha would soon destroy forever the impersonalist’s attempted domination over India Spiritual thought and practice. The Lord’s followers were extremely unhappy about the Mayavadi’s constant criticism of Him, so in order to pacify them, He accepted an invitation to a meeting of all the leading Mayavadis. After seating Himself on the ground at the assembly, the Lord exhibiting His Supreme mystic potency, manifested from His body a
Vedas, which had led them to false conclusions. And because I am a great fool, Lord Caitanya continued, my spiritual master forbade me to play with Vedanta philosophy. He said that it is better that I chant the holy name of the Lord, for this would deliver me from bondage. Sri Caitanya then spoke a sankrit verse his spiritual master had told Him to always remember. “In this age of kali, quarrel and hypocrisy there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative for spiritual progress other than the chanting of the Holy name of the Lord.” The discussions went on for hours. Finally, in one of the most astounding religious conversation of all time, Prakasananda Saravati, the Mayavadis greatest scholar, along with all his followers, surrendered to Lord Caitanya and began to chant the holy names of Krsna
Ramananda Raya, a member of a lower caste. Another of the Lords disciple, Haridas Thakura, was born a Muslim and thus was considered an outcast in Hindu society. Yet Sri Caitanya elevated him to the exalted position of namaacarya, the spiritual master of chanting the Holy name of Krsna. Sri Caitanya judged people not by their social status but by their spiritual advantage. In this way, Lord Caitanya laid the foundation for a universal religion for all mankind, a scientific process of spiritual awakening that is now rapidly spreading around the globe. Today, the world is torn with violence between numerous religious and political sects and chanting of the holy name of the Lord is a spiritual way out of this global inferno. It requires a personal commitment, from the East, West, North and South.
“The impersonalists also believe that spiritual enlightenment could be obtained only by a chosen few who knew Sanskrit and arduously studied the Vedanta Sutra Scriptures.”
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Spiritual Platform
Dealing With Land Continued from penultimate week
(vi) Mineral Kingdom. The sixth kingdom is the mineral kingdom which contains minerals such as gold, silver, diamond, iron, tins, columbite, copper, crude oil, etc. They are buried beneath the earth and in the process of refining are contaminated. Empirical evidence during counseling shows that most of the shinning earrings young girls wear come from the water kingdom. How come! You can see what humans face in this world, surrounded by unseen enemies all over the place. From generations stretching many centuries backward, men are unwittingly covenanted with evil spirits in the land, over the ground, waters, trees, animals and fishes. Communities, families and individuals perform rituals, new covenants are entered into and old ones renewed. Let us recapitulate some of the evil practices of some communities, families and individuals Yam festivals (with incantation and libation) Pouring libation to the ground Fresh leaves from ukhimi leaves on the heads of those being given chieftaincy titles Burying live animals Burying human beings alive Burying Bibles Burying placentas with incantations Lands are corrupted by incantations, curses, spells and evil covenants People burying fetish things in the foundations of their houses Sacrifices being put at road junctions (evil altars). Worshipping of water spirit, tree demons, demonic animals, demonic rocks, hills etc. Burials in houses with some such graves being turned into shrines. You have to deal with these land covenants in your life: (i) You should seek to know whether a land covenant exist in your life. There are several ways to know. The community, families would be experiencing backwardness/retrogression loss of its stars (promising young ones) lack of amenities fear of indigenes of their home or place of birth constant and intractable family problems curses/spells on the people land disputes/problems mysterious deaths terrible dreams (ii) Accept that your forefathers have contravened the laws of God by worshipping and covenanting with these evil Spirits. You should renounce and reject these evil spirits from your life and from your communities. At this point know that there liberation prayers of deliverance for the community. A community which sees that there is no progress in its midst and among its citizens can jointly and corporately invite appropriate water spirits, tree demons, demonic rocks, hills etc. with some such graves being ministers of God to come and conduct a liberation exercise in the community. (iii) If you yourself have been involved in these evil practices, pray and ask God to forgive you. (iv) You need violent prayers to break through to the third heaven where God resides. (a) Confess these scriptures
Covenants
With Rt Rev (Dr.) C. I. Umane GSM: 0803579951
Isaiah 49:24 - 26 Galatians 3:13-14 Psalm 68:18 1 Samuel 7:7-11 Zech. 9:11 (a) Prayer Points - all in Jesus’ name. 1. I reject, denounce and cancel every evil covenant in my life in Jesus’ name.
community idol witchcraft spirit remote control powers strongman strongwoman 12. Every evil altar erected against me — catch fire 13. Every aggressive altar erected against me — I render it impotent
2. Land covenants in my place of birth — be broken 3. Any land covenant between me and my place of birth — be cancelled by the blood of Jesus. 4. Every evil spirit enforcing any land covenant in my life — curse you 5. Every hidden covenant in my life — be broken 6. You curse of (select) in my life, family — be broken spirit of infirmity failure and backwardness poverty/profitless hardwork family break up oppression evil report destructive tendencies stubborn problems sexual organs family strife evil dedication witchcraft 7 Inherited bondage — I loose myself from it 8. Collective evil covenant — I free myself from it 9. Collective curse — I release myself from it 10.Foundational strongmen attached to my life — fall down and die 11. Evil authority of ______ (select) over my life break by fire family shrine family idol
14. Every satanic minister ministering against me — fall down and die 15. Every owner of evil load — carry your load 16. Every stubborn altar priest — drink your own blood I withdraw my ______ (select) from every altar name ministry/calling blessings breakthrough glory prosperity anything representing me reproductive organ 18. I release myself from every satanic blood covenant evil blood covenant stronghold of evil covenants every unconscious evil covenant evil covenant linkage family blood covenant 19. I speak destruction into _______ (select) in any place of birth evil trees evil rivers evil seas evil lakes evil streams send the thunder fire of God to the evil inhabitants in these abodes
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
EVERY WEDNESDAY, WEEK 19, 2014 LUCKY 1.2. X SELECTION 1 INTERNATIONAL NOS. HOT PAIRS 2 18 5
20 22 45 49
BANKERS
13
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6. DUNDEE U.
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6
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8. MANSFIELD
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13. CRAWLEY
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15. INVERNESS C.T
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17. BRISTOL C.
10 XXX
18. HARTLE POOL
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19. EXETER
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20. DAGENHAM
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19
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By SAM EHEBHA GSM:08056626091
SATURDAY RITUALS
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THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
EVERY WEDNESDAY, WEEK 19, 2014 WATSON WEST 1.2.X FORECAST
By SAM EHEBHA GSM:08056626091
Your Star
EDITOR’S NAP
RICHWELL NAP
NAP 13 XX 13 XX 13 NAP 45 XX 45 XX 45 PAIR 1 Vs 43 PAIR 18 OR 19 GOODLUCK LET IT BE
SUNNY NAP NAP 3 XX 3 XX 3
PAIR 21 OR 22 WATCH OUT
OKUNS NAP
NAP 22 XX 22 XX 22 PAIR 35 OR 36 EXECUTIVE
PARKER NAP
J. B. NAP
NAP 21 XX 21 XX 21 NAP 23 XX 23 XX 23 PAIR: 49 or 40 PAIR 45 OR 46 BE A WINNER FOR SURE
ODION NAP
PAUL NAP
NAP 10 XX 10 XX 10 NAP 41 XX 41 XX 41
PAIR 20 OR 21 THERE IS HOPE
MURPHY NAP
PAIR 5 0R 6 DRAW IS DRAW
NAP 49 XX 49 XX 49 PAIR 38 OR 39 BE MY GUEST
GUESSING GAMES
22
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20 18
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49
SMOKING GUN BEWARE
2 44 14 33 26 48
6 38 7 8 30 47 27 FOR THREE DRAWS?
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Suarez: I Still Can’t Believe I LUIS Suarez has described playing for Play For Barcelona Barcelona as the “ultimate” experience and says he finds it hard to believe he is now a player for the Catalans. The Uruguayan joined the Blaugrana in an +88 million move from Liverpool in August and has only made three league appearances for his new club having been suspended at the start of the campaign for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup. Though the striker is still unable to feature for his
country due to a ban which will keep him out until after next year’s Copa America, he is counting his blessings to be a part of the set-up at Camp Nou. “For me, it is the ultimate to play for Barca,” Suarez told Fox Sports. “When I was little and travelled to Barcelona I looked in stores with items from the club, and now I do not believe it. It doesn’t seem like reality.” Suarez recovered from a
Luis Suarez
knee injury to feature for Uruguay at the World Cup and confessed his pleasure at having scored against England in their group stage encounter. “The two goals I scored against England were the most enjoyable of my career,” Suarez said. “They laughed at me when I had surgery [before the World Cup] and I said ‘recover... but slowly’. I cried with joy for that, and for my family.” The 27-year-old netted an impressive 31 goals in the Premier League for Liverpool last season and admits his omission from the Ballon d’Or shortlist left him a little bemused. “I understand that the Ballon d’Or is given to the player by the performance on the field and disciplinary actions. But it is not clear if it is done from July to June, or January to December,” he stated. “If it is January to December it is fine with me, but if they do the whole season I do not understand. “I find it interesting, but I do not lose any sleep.”
MODRIC and Kroos have formed a strong partnership in midfield for Madrid this season, but the bond will be broken after news of the former’s injury. Reports have suggested Modric could miss as much as three months of action. Kroos says replacing him in midfield will be tough for the Liga leaders, despite Carlo Ancelotti having the likes of Sami Khedira and Asier Illarramendi ready to step in. “I think that’s really hard for Real Madrid to deal with,” the Germany international said of Modric’s injury. “He has played almost every game this season and was in great shape and great form. “It’ll be difficult for us to replace him in our next match. “We hope that he will come back soon although I don’t know exactly how long he will be out. However I have to say that for us it’s definitely bad news.” Madrid return to league action on Saturday with a trip to Eibar, looking to extend their 13-game winning run.
Guinea Host Uganda In Crucial Tie THE Syli Nationale of Guinea will play host to Uganda in a crucial Group E tie of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations
(Afcon) qualifier in Casablanca, morocco today. It’s a tricky encounter as the winning team will automatically
Carlo Ancelolti
South Africa Arrive Uyo For Nigeria Clash SOUTH Africa’s national team arrived in Uyo ahead of Wednesday’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying final game against Nigeria on Monday evening. The already qualified Bafana Bafana , who are seeking to deny the African champions a place in Equatorial Guinea 2015, landed in the Akwa Ibom State capital at about 8pm. The South African delegation arrived via a chartered aircraft from Johannesburg after securing landing permit from the
government into the Ibom International Airport. The contingent included 26 players and 15 officials and they will have a feel of the Akwa Ibom Stadium on Tuesday evening. The qualifying match between the Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana will be played at 6pm at the new 30,000 capacity Akwa Ibom International Stadium. Nigeria require a win to reach Afcon 2015 while South Africa will play for pride having never defeated Nigeria in a competitive match at this level.
qualify for the event in Equatorial Guinea. Uganda are second in the Group with seven points, while Guinea have an inferior goal difference and head to head. The scenario means a draw can also see Coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic’s team make it to the event that has eluded Uganda for the last 37 years. Fresh from a 4-1 away win over Togo last weekend, Guinea will fancy their chances in the neutral ground where they have not lost a game yet. They held Ghana to a 1-1 draw and beat Togo 3-2 at the same venue. But the Cecafa giants improved their chances of qualification with a hard fought 1-0 win over table leaders Ghana last weekend have promised to give it their all. “We are here to play a match that means a lot to
Uganda and we shall die a little on the pitch,” goalkeeper Dennis Onyango told MTNFootball.com in Casablanca on Tuesday. The Cranes will however miss the services of in-form striker Junior Yunus Ssentamu who got injured during the game against Ghana. But University of Pretoria striker Geoffrey Massa who scored one of the goals in their 2-0 win over Guinea in the first leg is expected to lead the goal hunt. Although the Guinea coach Michel Dussuyer called up SC Bastia striker François Kamano for the game, the youngster could be introduced later in the game. Seydouba Soumah who netted a brace and Idrissa Sylla who scored one against Togo last weekend together with skipper Ibrahima Traore are expected to play a key role for Guinea. Right-back Abdoulaye Cissé is suspended against Uganda for accumulation of bookings.
South Africa
Injured Modric Difficult To Replace -Kroos
Luka Modric
Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois Prepared To Criticise Below-Par Teammates CHELSEA goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has revealed that he is not afraid to criticise more experienced teammates if he feels their performance levels are not up to scratch. The Belgium international, 22, berated some of his colleagues as the Red Devils produced a shaky defensive performance in a 3-1 friendly win over Iceland, and says he would do the same at club level. Courtois told his Belgium teammates that they would be beaten by Wales in their Euro 2016 qualifier — which they drew 0-0 — if they defended as they had against Iceland, saying players should not be in the lineup if they were not prepared to do enough running. When the goalkeeper was asked whether he would take the same approach at Stamford Bridge, the Daily Mail quoted him as saying: “Yes, maybe that happens. “But there are also other guys who can say something. Just to name
Thibaut Courtois
some names, [John] Terry or [Didier] Drogba — they have experience and leadership. I just said it [the criticism of Belgium’s play against Iceland] because I thought that we should be better.” Courtois also warned people not to think that Chelsea already have the Premier League title sewn up, despite their unbeaten start to the season. Jose Mourinho’s side have won nine and drawn two of their opening 11 league games and are four points clear of second-placed Southampton and eight in front of defending champions Manchester City. But Courtois, who took over as Stamford Bridge No. 1 from Petr Cech this season, said it “would not be easy” and added: “We don’t have the title in the bag — we are working game by game. “The Premier League is very difficult, and there is still a long way [to go] to win the title. We are working hard, and hopefully that will be enough.”
THE NIGERIAN
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
NOC Holds Elections BY ALMED AIGBONA
AS Nigerians awake the 2014 International Olympics with bated breaths sports youths are holding rallies sports federation canvassing for votes for Sani Ndanusa as President Nigerian Olympic To them it is high time that those who did well. should been voted for to continue thei good work, athletics appreciate his performance in Glasgow 2014 common wealth games where Nigeria got 11 gold 11 silver and 14 bronze to fall second behind South Africa who emerged Africa best’s. The screening committee made up of A Ibrahim Galadima, Chief (Mrs. Kofo Nwodkedi and Major Gen. Adamu Dyeri approvec 16 contestants to contest for the eight executive positions of the NOC. The battle for the Secretary General is not different from that of the Presidency. Incumbent scribe Hon Tunde Popoola and former scribe Olabanji Oladapo will go to head for the heart of the secretariat. Athletics Federation of Nigeria President, Evangelist, Solomon Ogba is sure of becoming first Vice President as he would be elected unopposed. So also is the position of second Vice
President which is sure to be filled by Mr. Babatunde Fatayi Williams. Basketball Federation President, Tijani Umar and Olayinka Badare will fight for the third Vice President’s slot. For candidates, Major General Johnny Hamakin (incumbent), Enefiok Udo Obong (former Olympics gold medalist), George Ashiru (Taekwondo), and Dans Adokiye are sure to breath down on each for the position of Deputy Seceretary General Hon Bappa Aliyu (Ii\cumbent) and Proof Olatunde Makanju wil square off for the Treasurer Positio The public relations positions will be a straig fight between Tony Ubani (Incumbent) and Mrs. Comfort Nwankwo. Committee elections meeting across the to emerge victorious
Return Of The Raf? Benitez Favourite To Replace Anfield Boss Brendan Rodgers
Rafa Benitez
I Need To Leave Bayern
BAYERN Munich youngster Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has revealed that he wants to leave the Bundesliga side in order to gain regular playing time. The 19-year-old joined the Bavarian giants in 2012, making 19 appearances for the first-team to date. The Denmark international says he has improved a great deal at the Munich club, but feels he has to take the next step in his
- Hojbjerg
career to further his development. “I think the time has come for me to go,” Hojbjerg told Kicker. “I have learnt everything here, Bayern are the best school around, but I feel ready now to take the leap. “I want to really get started.
The quality of this Bayern team is so high, maybe it’s not the right time for me here. “I want to learn, to get better - I need to play matches to do that.” The teenager’s agent, Soren Lerby, says the pair will look to make a decision on his future in the coming weeks. “At the end of November we will sit down together and we will see,” he said. “It is clear that Pierre need games regularly.” Augsburg, Hannover and Borussia Monchengladbach have all been linked to the midfielder.
RAFA Benitez has been named favourite to replace Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool. After a less-than-spectacular start to the season, the first signs that Brendan Rodgers may losing his grip on the Liverpool top job might just be starting to show. The Mirror reports that, for the first time in five years, a top English-based betting agency have quoted odds on the next Liverpool manager — with former Reds boss Rafa Benitez installed as 6-1 favourite. Benitez, who is now in charge of Napoli in Serie A, has done little to halt the mounting speculation, admitting he found it hard being parted from his family — who still reside on Merseyside. “My wife and two daughters live in Liverpool. It’s the first time I haven’t had them with me, it’s not easy. [Napoli owner Aurelio] De Laurentiis knows how important my family values are to me,” he explained. Frank de Boer, Laurent Blanc and Ronald Koeman have all also been included by the bookmaker to be in the running for the job should Liverpool’s form slump continue — meaning, for the first time in a long time, Brendan Rodgers might just be sitting a little less comfortably in his Anfield office. Trap back in action Italian master-coach Giovanni Trapattoni could be set for his third stint on the sidelines of a national team. Following Greece’s sacking of Claudio Ranieri after their shock 1-0 loss to the Faroe Islands on Friday, the 75-year-old has emerged as front-runner for the job... Giovanni Trapattoni could
Mali Out To Halt Algerian MALI will be out to halt the Train seemingly unstoppable force of Algeria when the two sides meet in the final round of 2015 AFCON qualifiers at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako on Wednesday evening. Kick-off is at 18h00 (CAT). The Eagles need a win to book their place in next year’s tournament in Equatorial Guinea, but have to do so against a side who have racked up five consecutive qualifying victories, scoring 11 times and only conceding on two occasions. Algeria came from a goal down to beat Ethiopia 3-1 last time out, while Mali suffered a 2-0 defeat to Malawi, who will be travelling to Addis Ababa in midweek. Mali captain and midfielder Seydou Keita is confident of his side’s chances against the Group B leaders. “I am still confident we can qualify for the 2015 AFCON. There are
Ched Evans
PFAI Solicitor Defends Ched Evans
THE Professional Footballers’ Association of Ireland has come to the defence of convicted rapist and former Sheffield United footballer Ched Evans, suggesting that he could be innocent and that, even if guilty, he deserves a chance of redemption. The association’s solicitor Stuart Gilhooly wrote an article on its website that refers to Evans’ crime as alleged, despite the fact he was found guilty in court in April 2012 of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in Rhyl, North Wales and
sentenced to five years in prison. Evans was released from prison last month after serving half of his sentence and Gilhooly believes that he deserves another chance. Gilhooly wrote: “This crime, as alleged, was at the bottom end. There was no violence and thankfully the victim has no recollection of it. This, I hasten to add, does not make it right, or anything close to it, but it is nonetheless a mitigating factor.” He added: “It’s not easy to muster up too much sympathy for
Evans but there is surely nothing worse than being accused of a crime which you genuinely believe you didn’t commit. “The argument against that is that a jury convicted him of the crime. The same applied to the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six. They got no public sympathy either. “Maybe he is guilty or perhaps he’s innocent, none of us knows for sure. Surely, either way, he deserves a chance at redemption. Don’t
we all?” Gilhooly’s comments come in the wake of musician Paul Heaton’s resignation as a patron of Sheffield United’s Community Foundation over the club’s decision to allow Evans to train with the club. TV presenter Charlie Webster, sixties pop star Dave Berry and Sheffield businesswoman Lindsay Graham have all resigned as patrons of the club since Evans returned to training. Olympic athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill asked for her name to removed from a stand at the club’s Bramall Lane ground if Evans returns full-time.
many nations who are also struggling. We are going to do anything to defeat Algeria and qualify. It is going to be very difficult, but we must do it. I am praying to God for Mali to be at this showpiece of continental football. We mustn’t give up,” the former Barcelona man said. Meanwhile, Algeria skipper Rafik Halliche has expressed his sides desire to keep their 100 percent qualifying record intact. “We will go to Mali with a single objective: to win and maintain our 100 percent record. We are aware that it is going to be tough for us, but we are not considering any other option. We are full of confidence and we will do everything to keep the momentum going,” he said following their win at the weekend. The Fennec Foxes will be without the services of first choice keeper Rais Mbolhi, who withdrew from the squad after his wife gave birth to a boy, while Newcastle United midfielder Mehdi Abeid, who was set to make his debut against the Walias, has been ruled out with injury. Mali will be without Wolverhampton’s attacking midfielder Bakary Sako, who is suspended for an accumulation of bookings. The reverse fixture in Blida in September ended in a 1-0 win for Algeria.
make his return to football as manager of Greece. Juve offer Giovinco for Lamela Italian champions Juventus are interested in bringing former Roma star Erik Lamela back to the Serie A in what could be one of the biggest deals in the upcoming January transfer window. Sports MediaSet says that the Bianconeri are willing to offer up Italian international Sebastian Giovinco as bait to land Lamela, as Giovinco is out of contract at the end of the season and Juve’s negotiations for an extension with him have so far hit a brick wall. “We had contact with Giovinco’s agent to see if it’s possible to renew on our terms. If we do, good, otherwise... Giovinco has to tell us what he wants,” said general manager Beppe Marotta this week. With Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino keen to remodel his struggling side, shifting the mercurial Argentinian for a reliable midfielder like Giovinco could well be a temptation. Tap-ins - Real Madrid are plotting to steal in and nab long-term Barcelona target Juan Cuadrado in January, says Sport.es. - The Mirror reports that Arsene Wenger is considering spending 5 million pounds on Croatian wonderkid Marcelo Brozovic. - Malick Mane is still a Central Coast Mariner, but the A-League club say they’re open to terminating his loan deal on compassionate grounds and allowing the Senegalese international to head back to parent club IFK Goteborg, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. - Another Senegalese international, Stephane Badji, is being tracked by both Crystal Palace and Sunderland — that’s in the Daily Mail.
Brenda Rodgers
Mozambique Chase Miracle Qualification In Niger MOZAMBIQUE are hoping for a miracle on Wednesday away in Niger in their battle to qualify as best third place side. The Mambas are resigned to chasing that third best qualifying spot after losing 1-0 at home to Zambia on Saturday in the two sides’ penultimate Group F fixture. Third placed Mozambique on 5 points are unable to usurp second placed Zambia on 8 points even if the latter lose at home on Wednesday to Cape Verde due to Chipolopolo’s better head-to-head ratio in Group F over The Mambas.
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Returnee Hero Ikechukwu Uche Hopes To Send Nigeria Through THE Villareal striker expects a tough encounter with Bafana Bafana but is hopeful of securing Nigeria’s place at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Nigeria striker Ikechukwu group with 11 points while Uche has predicted a tough Nigeria displaced Congo to match against South Africa as move to second position with the Super Eagles plot to seven points each but with a secure Group A’s second better head-to-head and can qualification ticket for the snatch the second 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. qualification ticket if they beat Bafana Bafana lead the the visitors at the Akwa Ibom
Stadium in Uyo on tomorrow. Uche scored from the penalty spot against Congo in his first game with the Eagles for almost two years as they won 2-0 in Pointe-Noire. “The game against the Red Devils was a very difficult match for us because it was a match everybody expected us to win,” Uche said. “This huge expectation from Nigerians propelled us to beat the Congolese despite the huge hostility from them. This we will also take to the match against South Africa in Uyo on Wednesday.
“Now we have to concentrate on beating Bafana Bafana. We won’t be deceived by the South Africans because we know that they are coming with their full squad. “So we just need to mind our business and do our job well and win the game because that is what over 170 million Nigerians want right now.” The Villareal striker is not unaware of the enormity of the task ahead even though the South Africans have never won a competitive game against Nigeria and he said the
Ikechukwu Uche
Murrag Eyes London Berth After 30th Tom Title THE Scot recovered from a one-set deficit to beat Spaniard David Ferrer 5-7 6-2 7-5 and win the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, becoming just the fifth active player to have 30 trophies to his name. And now Murray aims to book his place at the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals for the seventh consecutive season. The victory over Ferrer ensured Murray 250 ATP points, nudging him 110 points clear of ninthplaced Ferrer in the rankings. Only the world’s top eight players qualify for the tournament in London. “The next few weeks are extremely important,” said Murray. “Everyone is playing next week. I just need to win as many matches as possible to keep hold of the eighth spot [in the Emirates ATP Race To London] or go higher. “I am proud to win 30 tournaments and I will keep doing my best to win more.” “It was very tougTHE Scot recovered from a one-set deficit to beat Spaniard David Ferrer 57 6-2 7-5 and win the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, becoming just the fifth active player to have 30 trophies to his name. And now Murray aims to book his place at the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals for the seventh consecutive season.
Keshi
The victory over Ferrer ensured Murray 250 ATP points, nudging him 110 points clear of ninthplaced Ferrer in the rankings. Only the world’s top eight players qualify for the tournament in London. “The next few weeks are extremely important,” said Murray. “Everyone is playing next week. I just need to win as many matches as possible to keep hold of the eighth spot [in the Emirates ATP Race To London] or go higher. “I am proud to win 30 tournaments and I will keep doing my best to win more.” “It was very tough, with lots of long rallies and long games. The h, with lots of long rallies and long games. The
Vicent Enyeama
the national team. “I am very happy to be back and I dedicate my goal to all my fans in Nigeria that have supported me to this stage. I sincerely thank all Nigerians for my return to the Eagles and I will work hard on and off the field of play to repay them if possible with goals and most importantly to be a team player and make meaningful contributions to the team,” he assured.
GHANA will be without Andre Ayew on Wednesday as they host Togo aiming to reach a sixth successive Africa Cup of Nations. The Olympique de Marseille forward, who has scored penalties in two of his nation’s five Group E matches to date, was substituted in the second half of Ghana’s 1-0 defeat to Uganda on Saturday because of a thigh injury. And Ayew will not recover on time to face Togo in Tamale, as managerless Ghana go in search of a point that will guarantee their qualification for next year ’s finals. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) confirmed Ayew’s absence on Monday after the 24-year-old had undergone
tests. Team doctor Baba Adam is quoted as telling Africanfootball.com: “On the pitch we examined Dede [Andre] and our immediate observation was that it was a soft tissue contusion - a contusion of the upper part of the inner thigh. “When we arrived in Ghana we sent him for an MRI investigation and it revealed that he had a minimal tear. “The thigh has been sore and we advised that he should stay, intensify the physiotherapy on him and all things being equal in two to three weeks he should be up and about.” Ghana, who will also be without Kwadwo Asamoah (knee) and Asamoah Gyan (thigh), sit top of Group E with eight points heading into Wednesday’s final round of fixtures, but all four teams in the group can still secure a top-two finish and automatic progression. Togo are two points behind the leaders in fourth and need to win in Tamale, while Guinea and Uganda - who meet in Casablanca - are second and third respectively with seven points. Both Ghana and Togo had the opportunity to qualify with a game to spare, but the former went down to Uganda and Togo were beaten 4-1 by Guinea. Alban Sabah could make his first start for Togo after the former German youth international was granted permission to switch allegiance prior to the meeting with Guinea. Sabah was an unused substitute for that game, while Mathieu Dossevi - who has also committed his international future to the West African nation after previously representing France at youth level - played the first half and will hope to feature again.
Ayew Injury Disrupts Black Star’s Preparations
Mashaba Wants To Break Nigerian THE South Africa coach Hoodoo Over Bfana expects his boys to keep their feet on the throttle and go for a win against the Super Eagles on Wednesday South Africa coach Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba has said that his side will avoid a decade run of defeat against Nigeria in the final 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game in Uyo on Wednesday.
Mashaba’s men, who were held to a goalless draw by Nigeria in the first meeting in Cape Town, said despite having already secured their place at the continental event in Equatorial Guinea next year, they will not take the game lightly. South Africa are yet yo win in a competitive encounter with
Victory Vital For Keshi’s Men In Race For Africa Cup Of Nations
NIGERIA will likely need to extend their 10-year unbeaten run over South Africa if they are to reach the Africa Cup of Nations finals. For Nigeria, anything but victory at the newly built Akwa Ibom International Stadium on Wednesday could be fatal for their chances of making the tournament in Equatorial Guinea. They currently sit in second place in Group A, level on seven points with Claude Le Roy’s
Super Eagles would scale through. “We expect a tough game playing at home to South Africa [tomorrow] and I can tell you that it is not going to be easy. But hopefully we will come out victorious like we did against a very hostile Congo Brazzaville team,” he said. Uche also appreciated the fans, journalists and everyone who supported his return to
Congo, who face bottom-of-thegroup Sudan in their final qualifier. Nigeria edge Congo in the pair’s head-to-head results so need to match or beat their result against Sudan to ensure qualification. Coach Stephen Keshi, who was recently re-appointed to the Nigeria hot seat, has asked his countrymen to pray for the team to do well. “As regards the last qualifying match against South Africa, Nigerians should pray for us,” Keshi said. “They should pray for the players and they should be patient and they should come out en masse to support their team to win the match. “They should pray for the boys to be in good health and that they should respond well in the match.” South Africa have already qualified for the Afcon but will want to end a 10-year wait for victory over Nigeria. Shakes Mashaba’s men booked their place in Equatorial Guinea
after a nervy 2-1 win over Sudan in Durban on Saturday. Even though they are now guaranteed top spot in Group A, coach Mashaba has warned his players will not suffer from a loss of focus. “I would like to say congratulations to the players, [but] we are still left with one game, against Nigeria,” he said. “I know people will think it is going to be a walkover; no, we are going to put out our best team. It is more than three points at stake when we go to Nigeria. “It’s going to be another tough game like the one we played today, which many thought was going to be easy. Thanks to all the supporters, their presence helped us conquer.” It is a decade since South Africa last beat the Super Eagles - a 2-1 friendly international victory in Johannesburg. And newly appointed Bafana Bafana captain Dean Furman echoed his coach’s sentiments by promising his team will head to Abuja to claim maximum points.
Nigeria since readmission to international football after Apartheid. Bafana Bafana recorded a 2-1 home victory over Sudan in Durban to seal their qualification opening a four points gap atop of Group A, while Nigeria propped into second after a 2-0 away win in Congo to garner seven points. Mashaba admitted his side will face a tough challenge when they come up against the African champions who will be desperate to pick the maximum points in Uyo. “Nigerians don’t want to lose against South Africa. That alone will make this match a tough one and we also have the assignment to break the hoodoo that we always lose when we play against them,” Mashaba told journalists after the team’s final training session in Pimville, Soweto on Monday.
Ayew
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Ramsey: Arsenal Must Turn Season Around Against Manchester United AARON Ramsey has called on Arsenal to get their season back on track by beating Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund. The Gunners have made an indifferent start to the 2014-15 campaign and have already drawn five games in the Premier
League, while the defeat to Swansea City on November 9 saw them slip to sixth in the table. Ramsey, though, is confident that Arsenal can kickstart their season after the international break by first beating United, whom the Gunners face on
Sunday at the Emirates Stadium, before tackling Dortmund in a crucial Champions League groupstage clash.
“We now have a tough week,” he told the press. “We have Manchester United and then Dortmund. “They are both tough
when he burst onto the scene and did so well.” Martino went on to praise the 26-year-old’s versatility, something he witnessed first hand when in charge of Barcelona in 2013-14. “With regards to his position, I would say that Angel is the type of player who can play a number of different roles expertly,” he added. “You only have to look a few seasons back when he played on the right side for Real Madrid and in the season just gone, he featured more on the inside-left, in a free role. “Obviously, in the World Cup, he did very well when he played wide left so really, in terms of positioning, he can adapt to anywhere where the manager asks him to play.”
Di Maria
Chelsea To Reward Matic With Bumper New Deal
CHELSEA are ready to reward midfielder Nemanja Matic with a new and improved contract after his impressive performances since returning to Stamford Bridge, Goal understands. Matic rejoined the Blues from Benfica back in January and has emerged as a regular in Jose Mourinho’s starting XI, forging a formidable central midfield partnership with summer signing Cesc Fabregas. The Serbia international still has four years left on his current contract, having returned to the club after initially being sold to the Portuguese giants as part of the deal that took David Luiz to west London. But Mourinho is keen to reward the midfielder for his
top-level performances over the past 10 months as well as ward off interest from Real Madrid, who Goal understands have been keeping tabs on the 26-yearold. Matic has played the full 90 minutes in all 11 of Chelsea’s Premier League matches thus far this season and has weighed in with three goals in the 2014-15 campaign, including a crucial winner against Sporting in the Champions League. Commenting on Matic’s form after Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Liverpool, a game that had seen the Serb take the team talk prior to kick-off, Mourinho said: “At this moment, he’s a giant. Not for his size but for the way he plays. The man is a giant.”
We’ve had a few draws. We have a lot of catching up still to do. Hopefully we can turn our season around and get a bit of momentum going.”
David De Gea: Victor Valdes Not
My Successor At Manchester United MANCHESTER United
Di Maria’s Slump In Form At Manchester United Is Normal THE 26-year-old got off to an - Martino
electric start at Old Trafford but has struggled to maintain that level in his recent displays, something his national team boss feels is natural Argentina coach Gerardo Martino believes Angel Di Maria’s current performances are being too harshly scrutinised because of his brilliant start to life at Manchester United. The Argentine moved to Old Trafford from Real Madrid in the summer and hit the ground running under Louis van Gaal, contributing three goals and four assists in his first six Premier League games. However, Martino suggests his early form was characteristic of a longer-serving player and that the dip in form is just natural for a player adapting to a new league. Speaking ahead of Argentina’s clash with Portugal at Old Trafford, Martino said: “I have to say that Angel is one of the very top players in world football. “His start was exceptional and the fact that generally when players go to a new club and have to get used to a new league, a new team, a different style of football and different team-mates. “I think the form that he is showing now is possibly more typical of a player going to a new club than the very first few games
games but they are the ones you want to be involved in as a footballer. Hopefully we can come out on top in them. “We started off slowly.
Aaron Ramsey
Wayne Rooney Return Is Possible, Says Everton Chairman EVERTON chairman Bill Kenwright believes it is possible that Wayne Rooney may one day want to return to Goodison Park to finish his career with the Toffees. Rooney, 29, came through the youth ranks at Everton, but left the blue half of Merseyside in 2004 to join Manchester United for B£27million. At the time Rooney left Merseyside in acrimonious circumstances, with Everton fans angered by his decision to request a move, but in the decade since tensions have softened somewhat and Kenwright believes he could go back. When asked if he could see it happening one day, Kenwright told the BBC: “Yes. He comes back to Goodison. He’s an Evertonian and his family are. He is welcome to come back.” It was Kenwright who reluctantly agreed to sell Rooney to United 10 years ago when the Croxteth-born striker was 18 years old. During his time at the Red
Wayne Rooney
Devils so far, Rooney has also racked up five Premier League titles, a Champions League triumph, two League Cups and a FIFA Club World Cup victory. Although Kenwright says he would be open to Rooney returning, he insisted the final decision would always be up to manager Roberto Martinez - who he hopes will be holding the reins at Goodison for the foreseeable future. “In all honesty, all I ever do is advise. I am not sidestepping the question. It is always going to be Roberto Martinez’s choice,” he added. The former Wigan boss has been a big hit with Evertonians since taking over from David Moyes last summer. He led the club to a fifth-place finish and a return to the Europa League last season as he added his signature Spanish flair to the strong foundations built by Moyes during his 11-year reign. Kenwright added: “Roberto is an extraordinary man. I would be thrilled if he wanted to commit for the length of time David did.”
goalkeeper David de Gea insists that Victor Valdes will not be brought in to replace him, despite the current No. 1’s contract ending in 2016. De Gea, 24, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid after starring for the Old Trafford side this season and his future is now the subject of much speculation as former Barcelona goalkeeper Valdes is training with the club in a bid to recover from a cruciate knee ligament injury suffered last season. The two Spanish shotstoppers know each other well, but De Gea insists that the club — and new manager Louis van Gaal — do not view Valdes as his successor. “Yes, my contract runs out in 2016. But they didn’t sign him for that”, he told AS TV. “Victor had a difficult injury, he had a bad time and the boss knows him well and has given him the opportunity to recover there. “Yes, Victor is training over in Manchester, he’s still not 100 percent after his injury. When he is fully fit he will start to train with us. He’s still not training in goal with us. From time to time he comes out with the goalkeeping coach but very little still. “Van Gaal knows him well because he gave Victor his debut at Barca and has a special affection for him and whenever possible we have to help where we can. “Football is cruel at times, it’s difficult. When things go well you’re very good and when they go badly, well it’s awful.” De Gea is currently out injured himself with a broken finger, which will see Anders Lindegaard possibly given a
chance in the weekend’s game against Arsenal if he fails to recover in time. After a difficult beginning to his career in Manchester following his arrival from Atletico Madrid for 18 million pounds in 2011, De Gea insists that he is happy at Old Trafford. Asked directly about interest from Real Madrid — who will be looking to replace under-fire veteran Iker Casillas in the coming years — he said: “It’s not the moment to think of my future. It’s the moment to think about Manchester as we are not in a good moment. I’m happy there and feel very loved by the fans. I’m focused on doing well.” “Casillas will be in the national team and at Madrid as long as he wants. “I’m in England for several years now and it’s true that at the start it was difficult, but now I’m very happy and I feel very loved by the people in Manchester and everything is going well.”
David de Gea
Title Not Yet In The Bag - Courtois JOSE Mourinho’s men are four points clear at the top and are unbeaten through 11 league games this campaign. But Courtois said it was far from over, expecting it to be “very difficult” despite the struggles of Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool. “We don’t have the title in the bag,” he said. “We are working game by
game. The Premier League is very difficult. “We are trying to win with every game that is possible. But there will be a still a long way to win the title. We are working hard. Hopefully that will be enough.” Third-placed City are eight points behind Chelsea, while Arsenal (12), United (13) and Liverpool (15) are even further adrift.
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HE March 15, 2014 job recruitment tragedy cannot be swept under the carpet and it cannot be overflogged in the media. It must remain in the front bunner of public discuss until the government breaks its criminal silence and act decisively. Yes, we must keep it alive because lives were involved, 20 innocent Nigerians on a search for means of livelihood were cut down in their prime due to the negligence and lack of respect for the human dignity as callously exhibited by those employed and maintained by the State. I am particularly pained because my dear Edo State was not left out of the states that suffered some casualties as we lost two of our young graduates. Not just that, many seem to forget that the lives of unborn babies were also terminated in that unfortunate exercise. They were brutally terminated in their mothers’ womb! Conservatively, one can put the death toll arising from that unfortunate shoddy excercise at 22 because we hear that two of the deceased women were at different stages of p r e g n a n c y. T h o s e wombs could be harbouring multiple births. Since a drastic ailment requires a drastic treatment, Mr President, must, for once, listen to popular opinion and do the needful, suspend Comrade Abba Moro to prepare ground for a proper inquisition into what actually happened on that black Saturday. His continued stay in government gives the unfortunate impression that he is one of the untouchables in the
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
Mr President, Please Do Something Now! Jonathan administration who can do and undo. How on earth would a g o v e r n m e n t establishment pack thousands of hapless job seekers in the main bowl of stadia across the country in this age of information technology? This is sheer insensitive on the part of government to the plight of our teeming youth. The recruitment exercise could have been done conveniently in batches online, even if the service had decided to shortlist such a huge number of applicants. It’s a lesson for all job recruiters, especially in a country like ours with a frightening statistics of about 80 per cent youth unemployment and 51 per cent of its about 160 million people roaming the streets for nonexistent jobs. The need to act now on the recruitment tragedy has become imperative more than ever before following shocking revelations recently by no less a person than the national president of the umbrella body of outsourcing companies in Nigeria, Mr Neye Enemigan. He said the four companies the Minister claimed to have been short listed after due process to carry out the recruitment were not known to the Labour Ministry! In other words, Drexel Technologies Limited, Pyrich Global Limited, Bosmos Infotech Limited, and Rosebonny Technologies Limited which Moro claimed to have passed through the Ministerial Tender Board may have either claimed to be what they are not or Moro was simply being economical with the truth. But Nigerians deserve to know nothing
short of the truth. If eventually Moro is found to have fed Nigerians with lies which is a negation of his oath of office, he should be charged with perjury aside the charge of
individuals. If you like, call it self interest. The bottom line here is that an interest is being protected. Again, this kind of rot can only happen in Nigeria. If it were in other clime, the
President Goodluck Jonathan criminal negligence, especially as the board of the immigration service has washed its hands clean of the rushed plans that eventually led to the recruitment of death.. The minister was said to have insisted on carrying out the recruitment on the fateful day as against the advice from the board. Sad enough, Moro may have gotten a part on the wrist and his godfathers saying go and sin nomore. I am not a pessimist but I stand to be proved right or wrong in the fullness of time. This is Nigeria and the general elections are here. Certain individuals and institutions must be shielded by all means so as not to rock the 2015 electoral boat of some
minister would have honourably resigned by now or flushed out to face some charges bordering on criminal negligence. The umbrella body of outsourcing firms in Nigeria under the aegis of Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria, HuCa PAN said
“
T
his Wednesday With
Ebomhiana Musa it carried out thorough investigation at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and found out that the said four companies were not known to the ministry. President of the body went further to put a lie to the Minister’s claim thus: “ the affected company is not among the over 700 registered recruiter companies as at March 2014.” According to H uCaPAN “ the outsourcing company is not our member. But what is worse is that we have taken the pains to investigate and we have found out this outsourcing company is not even registered to recruit .....we also found out that all the four companies are not registered to recruit. The one that got it, Drexel Technologies Limited is not registered, licensed or authorised by law to engage in that exercise .” Sections 23, 24 and 71 of the Labour Act 2004 empowered the Minister of Labour and Productivity to license any organisation going into outsourcing business in Nigeria. So far, none of these companies has come out to refute HuCaPAN’s assertions, months after the revelations. Some pertinent
questions may be asked at this juncture. These include: Can an unregistered company bid for job in a g o v e r n m e n t establishment? And if for whatever reason, it is allowed to bid and it successfully passed through the Ministerial Tenders Board, who is to be held culpable for the slip? The board, the Bureau for Public Procurement, (BPP) or the supervising minister/ head of the ministry/ agency that placed the tender? Ordinarily, Moro does not need any presidential directive before throwing in the towel because he has made nonsense of the exalted office he occupies.But this is Nigeria where the unimaginable happens and celebrated, even in high places. If NigerIans forget so soon about those 20 youths, their traumatised family members and loved ones will ever remember them. The offers made by government is yet to come, eight months after the unfortunate incident. Even at that, it never assuage the pains. They will love to see the officials responsible for the deaths punished for criminal negligence. Nothing short of this will wipe out their tears!
TOMORROW ON THIS PAGE
In March this year, Nigeria witnessed the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, debacle in which 19 unsuspecting young job-seeking Nigerians, including a pregnant woman, were carelessly dispatched to their early graves. An equally gory incident occurred in July 2008 when a recruitment exercise by the same NIS produced a grim toll of 17 lives throughout the country. Still more annoying, those who presided over these disasters have gone scot free, which lends credence to the belief that it is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss.
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