Nigerian observer 21 07 2014

The Nigerian

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol . 39 NO. 038• MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014 • N 100.00

ISSUES Pg. 18

Malala Yousafzai Rallies Support For Release of Chibok Girls

Italy intensifies fight against human trafficking LAGOS - The ConsulGeneral of Italy in Nigeria, Mr Stefano Leo, yesterday disclosed his Government’s plan to intensify its fight against Nigerians being

trafficked into Italy.

Stefano told newsmen in Lagos that it was dangerous and criminal for young Nigerians to

allow themselves to be brought into Italy illegally.

The consul-general said that the Italian

government had evolved preventive measures and sanctions aimed at fighting the inhuman act.

“Young Nigerians Continues on page 2

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Flood Disaster

FOCUS Pg. 21 $470m Reportedly Failed CCTV Project And Matters Arising

FG, Edo Govt to assist Victims

By FUNMI BABATOPE

IGARRA (Edo) - The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), weekend promised Federal Government’s financial assistance to victims’ of Sunday’s July 13, 2014 flood disaster in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State. lives, while over 170 The Assistant Zonal houses were also Coordinator, Southdestroyed.

South of NEMA, Mr. The Zonal Coordinator Godwin Tepikor, made was accompanied on the promise when he the assessment visit by inspected the affected Sen. Domingo Obende, areas. representing Edo North The Sunday, July 13 and Rep. Peter flood, claimed three

Akpatason, representing the area in the House of Representatives.

Tepikor assured the victims that g o v e r n m e n t ’ s

assistance will soon come their way.

“It is a natural disaster,

and when you say natural disaster, it is not within the control of human beings.

“It has happened and that is why we are here as an intervention agency for on-the- spot assessment and report Continues on page 2

Breaking Govt Seal: Hotel operator BENIN CITY - The Tax Intelligence & E n f o r c e m e n t Department of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service has arrested M. Ken Owie owner of Kenbrill Hyatt Hotel.

Mr. Ken Owie has been arrested by a combined team of law enforcement agents, departments of tax intelligence & enforcement and the consumption tax of the EIRS. The Director of tax intelligence and e n f o r c e m e n t department, Mr. Victor Okube who spoke off camera informed that the arrest was made following a routine check on the distrained

arrested

premises of Kenbrill Hyatt Hotel for failure to remit consumption taxes collected on behalf of government to Edo State IGR account. He said it was discovered that the instruments of distrain were broken by Mr. Ken Owie.

Still speaking, Mr Okube said Mr. Ken Owie, did not only break the instruments of distrain on his hotel premises; he went about breaking other seals of government placed on the premises of other consumption tax defaulters. An act Mr. Okube described as criminal.

He informed that

TIT BIT

“Man has become so much a beast of ego as to assume that his potentials for evil creations are God’s gifts to affirm his right of dominion”.

- Kingsley-Ogbeide-Ihama

tempering or breaking of government seal or instrument of distrain is a criminal offence that is seriously frowned at.

He advised those whose premises had been distrained or sealed off, not to hide under any guise to commit any punishable crime, but to visit the Continues on page 2

ORDINATION: Pastors and Church Elders praying for newly ordained pioneers Deacons of Goodnews Baptist Church, Wuntin Dada, Bauchi State yesterday.

Edo to improve infrastructure in tertiary schools BENIN CITY – The Edo State Commissioner for Establishment and Special Duties, Comrade Didi Adodo has expressed the State G o v e r n m e n t determination to improve on

infrastructure in Tertiary Institutions in the state.

Comrade Adodo made this known when he received members of the Coalition of Unions of

State Owed Tertiary Institutions (COEASU) in his office in Government House, Benin City.

He told his visitors

that the state government is fully aware of the decay of facilities in the institutions and told them that the State

Representatives has condemned the campaign of calumny

orchestrated against him by those he described as self-seeking youth

organisations.

In a release issued yesterday and signed by Continues on page 2

Rep condemns campaign of calumny against him

BENIN CITY – Hon. Jim Adun, member House of

Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole will soon visit the schools to assess the extent of decay with a view to putting in motion, machinery to address them.

The Commissioner for Establishment and Special Duties, stated that the State Government is set to upgrade the College of Education, Ekiadolor to a University of Education, while the College of Agriculture, Continues on page 2

News

FG, Edo govt to assist victims

Continued from page 1 to the government.

“As soon as we are through with the paper work, they will hear from the government,’’ he said.

Akpatason who also spoke, said it was the first time such disaster had affected the community.

“We have not seen a flood of this magnitude and the people are shocked, devastated and they are mourning,’’ he said.

The lawmaker said that he was in the area to see

the extent of damage done by the flood and to ensure that a permanent solution was found to remedy the situation.

In his own contribution, Obende re-assured the victims of government’s assistance, saying that records were being taken to ensure those who lost property were adequately compensated.

“The agency is right here with us, going all over the places to see the extent of damage and take stock.

Rep condemns campaign of calumny

Continued from page 1 Mr. Evans Aigbedion, Publicity Secretary to his campaign organisation, a copy which was made available to The NIGERIAN OBSERVER recalled that recently some persons in the name of an unknown youth organization sent series of text messages to the Rt. Hon. Jim Adun requesting to meet with him so he could give account of his stewardship in the House of Representatives to their youth body.

“In view of the fact that they were an unknown group and also as shown in the nature of the content of their several text messages, we knew that their mission was sinister, so we advised our highly revered and distinguished legislator, Rt. Hon Jim Adun to disregard their request especially when he has at different fora consisting representatives of his constituency (Egor/IkpobaOkha), sufficiently briefed and showcased his activities to his people who elected him as their representative for the second time,” the statement said.

It noted, however, that in view of his avowed commitment to the noble ideals of effective representations through continuous and an all inclusive dialogue/ consultations with all strata of members of his constituency, he decided to meet with members of the group sometime late last year 2013.

“About 15 members of the so-called organisation met with the legislator at his residence. At the meeting, their ignorance of the constitutional role of the legislative arm of government was grossly displayed when among other things in their questions, they asked the honourable legislator to name the number of contracts he has

awarded to contractors in Edo State since becoming a legislator.

“Our principal pardoned their misunderstanding of the duties of a legislator and took his time to sufficiently educate them on the role of the legislative arm of government. He told them that it was not the duty of legislators to award contracts rather, their primary function was to make laws for the Good Governance of the country.

Furthermore, “with the aid of audio-visual equipment, Rt. Hon. Jim Adun explained and showed to them video recordings of several developmental projects he has facilitated and attracted to his Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Federal Constituency which he represents at the House of Representatives in Abuja.

“We have taken records of property destroyed, paid hospital bills of those injured and given money for the burial of those who lost their lives.

“I believe there is hope and I am very convinced that more succour will come soonest to the victims,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Edo State Government has promised to provide succour to victims of the disaster which also wreaked havoc in some quarters of Igarra, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the State.

The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social development, Mrs. Blessing Maigida, gave the assurance at the weekend when she paid an on the spot inspection visit.

She was accompanied by officials of State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to assess the level of damage occasioned by the disaster in the community.

Mrs. Maigida who was conducted round the devastated houses by Mr. Shanu Bakare Bridge however, conveyed the state government condolences to the families of the bereaved and those who lost their loved ones in the incident.

According to her, “My husband is from Akoko-Edo and since the history of this

Italy intensifies fight Continued from page 1 should know that more than ever, it is dangerous to come into Italy illegally or allow themselves to be trafficked into the country.

“They need to know that trafficking in persons into Italy still remains a criminal act.

“The Italian Government is, therefore, more than ever committed to intensifying its

Govt seal

Continued from page 1 consumption tax department at the corporate headquarters of the EIRS for further clarifications.

Mr. Okube, described as untrue insinuations made at various quarters that the enforcement exercise is selective. He said that over 160 hotels, eateries, event centres in Edo State have been found not to be in compliance with the Hotels and Events Centres Occupancy and Resturants Consumption Tax which came into effect in 2011.

He said the exercise continues.

fight against the trafficking of Nigerians into Italy.

“The Italian Government will continue to support the Nigerian Government’s efforts at ensuring that Nigerians travel legally,’’ he said.

Stefano said that his country was working closely with the Nigerian security agencies and INTERPOL, in the arrest and persecution of persons engaged in the criminal act.

The Envoy also disclosed the Italian Government’s plan to intensify checks across its borders and other strategic locations.

“There will no longer be hiding places for traffickers and those being trafficked anymore in Italy.

“So, we want young Nigerians who still want to the brought illegally into Italy to know that the fight against trafficking in persons is still on and will continue.

“Young Nigerians should, therefore, not allow themselves to be trafficked, but can travel to Italy legally,’’ he added.

place, this magnitude of disaster has never happened in this place and I pray this is the last time it will ever happen in this place.”

The Commissioner also met with Senator Domingo Obende, the Senator representing Edo-North Senatorial districts and informed him that, she was in his Constituency on behalf of the state government to commiserate with victims of the disaster in their period of grief.

She assured that government would soon put modalities in place to send relief materials through SEMA, with a view to cushioning the effects of the disaster on the victims.

Mrs. Maigida however, used the opportunity to appeal to relevant agencies, including NEMA to support the state government towards alleviating the sufferings of the victims.

In his response, Senator Obende expressed gratitude to the state government for its prompt response to the plight of the victims, saying he was also in Igarra to commiserate with them, assuring that NEMA will assist them with relief materials soon.

Schools Continued from page 1 Iguoriakhi would also be transformed.

He announced that the State Government is already working on the details to bring about the change, saying that soon, the Governor will send the relevant bills to the State House of Assembly for legislation.

Comrade Didi Adodo sued for the cooperation of the lecturers in the institutions in government’s bid to move the schools to the desired level.

The Chairman of the Coalition of Unions of State Owed Tertiary Institutions, (COEASU), Comrade Fred Omonuwa disclosed that the Unions for over two years now has been trying to ensure industrial harmony.

He revealed that the lecturers are been owed salary arrears while noting the dilapidation of infrastructure, none accreditation of some courses and the nonscheduling of the schools.

He called on the state government to urgently tackle the issues to avoid industrial action. The Coalition of Unions of State Owned Tertiary Institutions comprises unions from College of Education, Igueben, College of Education Ekiadolor, Institute of Management, Usen and the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi.

NUC holds quality assurance workshop for AAU

By OSE EHEBHA EKPOMA-The National Universities Commission (NUC) has organized a twoday workshop on Quality Assurance for management staffs of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State.

The workshop followed invitation extended to the universities regulatory body by the management of AAU, in its bid to ensure best practices in the institution.

Speaking at the event, the director of Quality Assurance, NUC, Prof. Chiedu Mafiana, who led other resource persons from the commission said the workshop affords NUC the opportunity to interact with top management staff, Deans of Faculties, and Heads of Departments of Universities in respect to quality assurance.

Prof.

Mafiana who described the Quality Assurance as set of planned and systematic activities to maximize the quality of education, clarified that the workshop was not an accreditation visit or exercise.

He noted that NUC being both regulatory and quality assurance agency was desirous of ensuring that Nigerian universities imbibe the concept of quality assurance in teaching,

research, interaction with the students or management of students.

According to him “when universities and managers of institutions are aware of the quality assurance input into their activities, the system will run well.”

Making a Situation Analysis of the Ambrose Alli University in a lecture, Prof.

Mafiana identified some lapses in system and proffered solutions to them.

In her address, the AAU vice-chancellor, Prof.

Cordelia Agbebaku lauded management of NUC for sustaining the scheme, which she said is aimed at ensuring best practices in universities and other tertiary institutions.

Agbebaku whose address was delivered by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Jack Aigbedion said AAU would continue to embrace all NUC programmes and ensure they are given impetus in the university.

The director of Inspection and Monitoring, NUC, Dr. Noel Biodun Saliu delivered two lectures titled: Fundamentals of Quality Assurance: Basic Concepts, Methodology and Accreditation Procedures, during which he gave an exposition on how to bring about quality education.

Okoh tasks Anglican youths ABUJA - Most Rev. on unity Nicholas Okoh, the Archbishop of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), weekend in Abuja urged Anglican youths to build bridges of unity and shun tribalism and ethnic sentiments.

Okoh, who spoke during the investiture of 95 national patrons and patronesses by the Anglican Youth Fellowship (AYF), said that tribalism and ethnicity posed serious danger to spiritual growth.

“There are many ills afflicting our church today and principal amongst them is the emergence of tribalism amongst the leadership and members of the congregation.

“We must consciously build bridges to keep the church together, and we should imbibe the spirit of give and take because division is not the way to progress,’’ Okoh advised.

He advised youths in the church to imbibe the spirit of hard work and dedication to duty, adding that such attributes would make them to excel.

“It is sad to note that some of our youths are not even

employable because they do not dedicate themselves to their studies.

“Young people should study very hard and be the pride of the Anglican Church because mediocrity is not Anglicanism,’’ he said.

Mr Eze Chukwuebuka, the AYF President, said the patrons and patronesses were spiritual parents to the youths and decried the exodus of youths from the Anglican Church to other churches.

He urged the church leadership to adopt ways of stopping the trend.

“This programme is targeted towards securing the future of our beloved church using the AYF as a platform “The patrons and patronesses will be expected to strategise for the stability and future of our church.

“Many of our youths are leaving our church because they feel that they are not properly cared for.

“We urge our elders to help bear the burden of the several needs of our youths so that they can remain focused and be the pride of the Anglican Church,’’ he said.

Across The Nation Cleric Urges Artistes/Entertainers To Use Arts As A Tool To Promote Morals

Deaconess (Mrs.) Endurance Odubu, wife of the Deputy Governor of Edo State (left), with Hon. Anena Jemitola, Commissioner for Arts and Culture, Edo State during the Edo Women National Conference which took place in Benin City yesterday. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

LAGOS - Monsignor Gabriel Osu, Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, yesterday urged artistes and entertainers to utilise the performing arts as a tool to promote morals in the society.

Osu made the call at the formal unveiling of the 2014 edition of the Lagos Archdiocesan Cultural and Drama Festival (LACDRAFEST) in Lagos.

The theme for this year’s edition is “The Family as a Domestic Church.”

He said that societal and family values had been eroded, thereby glorifying social ills and crime in the country.

Maternity leave: Emulate LASG, Experts Tell FG, States

LAGOS - Dr Joe OkeiOdumakin, President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, has urged the Federal Government and other states to emulate Lagos State by extending maternity leave.

In an interview with newsmen in Lagos, OkeiOdumakin said the extension of maternity leave to six months by Lagos State would allow nursing mothers to breastfeed exclusively.

She, nonetheless, advocated for paternity leave to allow the fathers to give adequate family bonding and involvement in childcare activities.

“I have always insisted that the three months maternity leave is very inadequate considering all that the mothers need to do to ensure care and safety of the babies.

“Most times, the mother hurried to resume work at the time the baby needs her most; but with this new arrangement, the mother has enough time to take care of the baby.

“The father also needs the leave to stay with his family and give them the necessary attention,’’ she said.

Also speaking in a separate interview, Dr Bunmi Ogundimu, Project Director, Colostrum International, said exclusive breastfeeding was key to the survival of the child.

She said the six months maternity leave for nursing mothers would allow them to practise exclusive breastfeeding.

“The infant mortality rate in Nigeria is on the high side with 88.4 in every 1000

births, six months exclusive breastfeeding can bring this down and save our leaders of tomorrow.

“It is nature’s way of ensuring the survival of the child and ensures that he grows into healthy adulthood,’’ she said.

In his view, Dr Oscar Odiboh, Founder, Afribaby Initiative, said that the paternity leave would allow fathers to spend significant time with their babies.

Odiboh said it would also help them to get involved in childcare activities such as helping a baby to eat and encouraging their wives to breastfeed exclusively.

“It is a period to allow fathers bond with their babies and care for their needs; it will also foster bonding between father and mother as they will be sharing the care of the babies,’’ he said.

In view of these observations, Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, Founder, Breast without Spot Initiative, therefore, urged the Federal Government and other states to emulate Lagos State.

According to her, breast milk cannot be adequately replaced by any other food, including infant formulae.

On July 17, Lagos State Government introduced 10day paternity leave for male

civil servants and extended maternity leave for female workers to six months.

“We need to revive our traditions, cultural values and morals, so that our country will be transformed for the better.

“And we can achieve this via the Performing Arts, to teach, enlighten and positively mould the thinking and personality of the public,’’ he said.

Osu said that LACDRAFEST was a welcome development that required the support of well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations.

According to him, the financial burden of organising such a gigantic project rests mainly on the support we receive from well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies.

Mr Tony Agbugba, Chairman of the organising committee, said that LACDRAFEST was meant as a celebration of heritage as Catholics in the African way.

According to him, it is about using our talents as Performing Artistes to showcase Christ to

the world.

“The vision behind the festival is to create an army of well-trained and talented artistes who would use their knowledge and skills to communicate Christ to a diversified audience, within and outside the church.

“This year’s edition, which is billed to commence in August, is a forum to discover new talents in the Performing Arts.

“It will also act as a test-run preparatory to our participation in the Festival of Catholic Artistes and Entertainers FESTICATE, organised by Sign is Nigeria scheduled to hold in Abuja in October.

“Parishes are required to register and participate in at least two of the four categories, namely: drama, cultural display, stand-up comedy and singing,’’ he said.

Agbugba, however, appealed to well-meaning individuals and organisations to sponsor and support the project to ensure a successful event.

Dr. Esohe Aghatise, Executive Director, Associazione Iroko Onlus, with Rev. David Ugolor, Executive Director ANEEJ during the Edo Women National Conference which took place in Benin City yesterday. Photo: LUCKY AGIE.

Dep Director Urges Herbal Medicine Producers To Observe NAFDAC’s Guidelines ONITSHA (ANAMBRA) The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has enjoined herbal medicine practitioners to abide by the agency’s rules guiding their practice.

Mrs. Phebean Malomo-Odu, the agency’s Deputy Director, Herbal and Neutriceutical Division of Drug Evaluation and Research, gave the advice during a one-day workshop for herbal medicine practitioners in the South-East zone, held in Onitsha, Anambra.

Malomo-Odu said that because herbal medicine had been embraced worldwide there was the need for practitioners in Nigerian to package their end products in line with international standards as they could be a massive source of foreign exchange.

“They should have good manufacturing practice. You cannot introduce quality to a finished product but you can build-in quality right from the raw material to the end product.

“That is why NAFDAC wants to ensure that the practitioners adhere to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

“So, with that we would know that it is not only about the quantity of what we take out but also that quality is built into the product,“ she said.

She advised the practitioners to ensure 100 per cent cleanliness in their manufacturing rooms, proper ventilation of the rooms, proper documentation of each herb, the process involved and herbal medicines produced.

In a paper titled: ‘Extant Regulatory Control for Herbal Advertisement‘, NAFDAC’s Deputy Director, Advertisement Control Division, Mrs. Sinmidele Onabajo, said that all advertised herbal products should be registered with NAFDAC. Onabajo said that the agency would verify all advert placements on herbal products before they were published or aired.

She added that days of making unfounded claims about the efficacy and multiple functions of a single herbal product in the media without NAFDAC verification and authorisation were over.

“We are here to educate them on the procedures to get an advertisement permit. To make

sure that before they go ahead and advertise, they have that permit with them.

“Because when they have the permit with them, we would have taken care of all the excesses of the claims they intend to advertise.

“So the permit is the key to advertisement in the states.

“And in the event that they don’t have it, we would now carry sanctions to make sure that only the people who have the necessary permit have the air to be able to inform the people, so that they can make the right choices,“ she said.

Chief Eugene Nwachukwu, the Vice-President, National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP), said that there had been growing patronage of herbal products

by Nigerians within the past 10 years.

Nwachukwu, who is also the South-East Co-ordinator of NANTMP, said that the only differences between herbal medicines from China, India, Pakistan and those from Nigeria were processing and packaging.

“The workshop has sensitised us to the need to package our products in a more dignifying manner by keeping our manufacturing plants clean and following the best standards of processing the raw materials for the end product to meet international standards.

“This workshop is one of the best things to happen to my association in the South-East as well as the certificate given to each one of us by NAFDAC for participating,“ Nwachukwu said.

South-South Don Urges FG To Establish Education Devt Bank ABUJA - Dr Andrew Efemini of the Department of Philosophy, University of Port Harcourt has called on the Federal Government to establish Education Development Bank in the country.

Efemini told newsmen in Abuja that the establishment of the bank would assist in providing loans to relevant bodies in the education sector.

He said that a Federal Government panel in 1982 recommended the establishment of the bank as an alternative finance mechanism for the sector.

“The establishment of the bank without any further delay will help reposition Nigerian universities in terms of funding, sustainable growth, universal and global ranking.

“It will facilitate the independence and autonomy of universities and reduce drastically their dependence on government direct funding as it is in most countries,’’ Efemini said.

He urged governments at the different levels to revisit Decree

No.58 of 1993 to back the establishment of the bank.

He said that universities would compete globally if they had the potential for raising funds and investing same in the institutions.

Efemini said that the owners and shareholders of the bank should include the federal and state governments, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), private and corporate investors, private and public universities.

He said that soft loans mobilised from international finance sources could be used to finance the bank.

“This will assist universities to own assets and invest in such a way that they will be able to pay wages and salaries of lecturers that can match international standard.

“This is such that government guarantees, international funding agencies support, corporate bodies’ investment, incentives for people.

‘It is also expected that the asset base of the bank will be in trillions of naira or billions of

dollars,’’ he said.

Efemini said that the issue of competitive wage for both academic and non-academic staff was a way of convincing Nigerians in the Diaspora to return home.

He said that arrangement were already on ground to enact a law by the councils of universities to ensure that they utilise the funds from the education bank.

Efemini said the objectives that were set for the education bank include fund innovation and investment proposals that would promote a sustained selfreliance of the universities.

L-R: Director-General, West African Monetary Institute, Mr. Abwaku Englama; Chairman, Convergence Council, Amb. Bashir Yuguda and Chairman, Committee of Governors, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, during the 2014 mid year statutory meeting of West African Monetary Zone in Abuja recently.

Reps Want Nigeria-Cameroun Commission To Avert Demarcation Error

ABUJA - The House of Representatives has urged the Nigeria-Cameroon Boundary Commission to be on the alert, to avert errors that could be made in the demarcation of borders between the two

A cross section of Edo women at the National Conference which took place in Benin City last week. PHOTO: LUCKY AGIE.

countries.

It also mandated the committee on Special Duties to oversee the Nigeria-Cameroon Boundary Commission.

This, the lawmakers said, was to ensure that decisions made by the commission did not prejudice Nigeria’s national interest.

The motion was entitled: “The ongoing exercise to demarcate the borders between Nigeria and Cameroon Republic’’.

This resolution was sequel to a motion by Rep. Robinson Uwak (PDP-Akwa-Ibom), which was unanimously adopted without debate when put to vote by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal.

Uwak, had while moving the motion, said that surveyors employed by the United Nations and the Nigeria/Cameroon

FRSC Can Produce 20,500 Vehicle Number Plates Daily - Chidoka ABUJA - The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC)

Confab Benefits To Manifest In Next 5 Years - Delegate

ABUJA - Prof. Godini Darah, a delegate representing Delta at the ongoing National Conference, says the benefits of the conference will begin to manifest in the next five years.

Darah told newsmen in Abuja that there would be greater improvement in the welfare of the country’s economy when the conference’s recommendations were implemented.

“The conference has added qualitative value to the content of political practice in Nigeria.

It has redefined relationships. It has removed unnecessary powers from the Federal Government.

‘It has also reduced the amount of money the Federal Government is using to dominate

everybody. The states now have 57 per cent of the revenue instead of 35 before.

“That will reflect in the life of the people. It will pay for more teachers, doctors, nurses. It will tar more roads and create more jobs.

“The conference result is not to be experienced in 2014, It is to be experienced in the next five years as the states that are now constituent units become more robust, more orderly and having more investment.

“Quality of politics is also going to improve at that grassroots level and the purpose of democracy is to transfer qualitative parties to the

grassroots and leave the centre to international affairs. This conference has achieved that.

“We have demilitarized the constitution. We have also raise the democratic contents of governance”.

He also said it was not fair to compare the ongoing conference to other similar conference in the past, partly those organized under military rule.

“They were held under what I called the bayonet (the military held gun) and the people who were meeting did not have the freedom that we have here.

“The beauty of this conference is that the president distances himself ideologically and

Boundary Commission were currently conducting survey exercises.

He said these exercises were in accordance with the Order of the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands, that required a final demarcation of Nigeria’s borders with Cameroon.

Uwak said that the demarcation had caused an uproar and agitation in communities that border Cameroon, due to the new boundaries lines created by the surveyors.

According to him, the surveyors created the new boundary lines from boundary pillar 110 to 113 after a failure to find and identify boundary pillar 113A. He expressed concern that the

surveyors did not bother to visit the archives to obtain the 1913 Anglo-German Treaty to ascertain the exact location of the boundary pillars.

The lawmaker said that the new boundary lines were important to Nigeria economically as it hosts more than 76 oil wells.

He recalled a resolution of the session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Governments where all Africa nations pledged to respect the borders of other Africa states after independence.

“It does not appear that the Nigeria-Cameroon Boundary Commission is doing its utmost best to ensure that errors are not made in demarcating the borders.’’

He urged the house to look into the matter to forestall any errors during the demarcation.

politically, because he trusted those he chose. Go and do it for me, when you bring the result you will empower me to implement.

“And, he did not fly any kite midway that I am going to contest 2015 please. He never!

That you cannot value in terms of money. And, I t is because the man is a minority man that he had that moral bravery to open his heart up. if he was from one of the majority groups he would have sabotaged the conference.

So, this is best we have ever had.’’

Darah also told journalists that he was impressed satisfaction with the work done by the delegates in their four-month brainstorming saying: “I gained more knowledge.

said that it has the capacity to produce 20,500 vehicle number plates per day.

Mr Osita Chidoka, the Corps Marshal of the commission, disclosed this at inauguration of the FRSC’s 7,000 capacity number plate production plant at Gwagwalada in the FCT. “Let me state that the plant was built in conformity with the global best practices with cutting edge technology that will reduce the incidence of counterfeit,’’ he said He said there were two other plants in Awka, Anambra state, and Lagos which produced 7,000 and 6,500 plates daily, respectively.

According to him, the decentralisation of the plants will reduce the risk associated

with ccentralised production system and ensure faster turnout.

“With the increase in capacity of the three plants, FRSC is now in a vantage position to conveniently produce number plates for other West African countries,’’ he said.

Chidoka also said that in the next six months, the commission would be able to produce enough road signs for use in the country.

“This will make the importation of road signs by construction companies to reduce drastically.

“Ultimately, this is expected to lead to stoppage of importation of the items to conserve scarce foreign exchange,’’ he said.

South-South Delta To Employ Environmental that of Asaba, would soon

By BETTY IDIALU Marshals ofcommence, Governor

WARRI (Delta) - Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has disclosed that the state government has approved the employment of environmental marshals to enforce proper waste disposal in the state.

Governor Uduaghan who stated this at the weekend when he inspected the level of work at the on-going Asaba Incinerator project said that the environmental marshals would carry out public enlightenment

and enforcement of the state environmental laws.

According to him, “people have to engage refuse collectors to dispose their refuse properly, they should ensure that they pay the collectors regularly” adding that with the on-going incinerator project, the process of ensuring a cleaner Delta State has just begun.

While hinting that the construction of the Warri incinerator project which is designed to be twice the size

Uduaghan said that when operational, these incinerators would address the refuse challenges faced by the state.

Earlier, the Managing Director of the firm handling the Asaba incinerator project, Dr. Kelue Chukwuogor disclosed that the test running of the project would commence on today.

He said that the incinerator has a one thousand ton capacity and would handle wastes in an environmentally friendly way.

Another Delta Community Threatens Showdown With NPDC

By BETTY IDIALU WARRI (Delta) - A group under the aegis of Concerned Oloduwa Descendants from Opuama/Ikpotogbene community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, has called on the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company ‘NPDC to immediately stop oil exploration and exploitation activities in its ongoing operation in the area as according to them, due process was not followed by the company before commencing its operation in the area.

Addressing newsmen in Sapele, the community expressed disappointment with the apparent decision of the company to abandon the process initiated to fashion a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the host communities and the NPDC .

Beside the central issues of an MoU and conducting of environmental impact assessment, (EIA) the community listed a number of other demands in a statement, which the people insisted should be captured in acceptable terms of engagement between it and the NPDC. The statement, “Our Demand”, which was signed by Mr French O. Ukuto, Chief Samuel Peggy, Chief Stephen Ukulor, Engineer Elisha Ukuto as well as Mrs Alero Ugedi, Ati Reach, Mrs Evelyn Ukulor, DSP (retired) Abel Sule, Ebipade Elisha and Damage-Clark Aboh is coming barely days after the NPDC, which is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), was given a similar notice to quit their community for alleged illegal entry and commencement of operations in the locality.

Youths, women and elders of Polobubo (Tsekelewu) Community in Warri North had has week issued an a seven-day ultimatum issued to the NPDC to vacate their community land or face the wrath of the people allegedly “being taken for a ride

by a company that is supposed to be indigenous”.

Explaining the motive for the “quit notice” at a press briefing in Warri last weekend, the Polobubo (Tsekelewu) National Council (PNC) noted that the company had practically jumped by neglecting the basic things necessary to clear the way for peaceful exploration and exploitation operations by any oil company.

The National President of PNC, Ebilate Mac-Yoroki, who addressed the briefing flanked by several other leaders and representatives of the community, including youth, noted that the NPDC, which operates the divested stakes of the oil multinational; Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in their area, commenced operations without any attempt to reach an agreement with the community.

The leaders and representatives of the people of the community further stressed that they had hoped that the NPDC would toe the line of the first oil operators in the community, Shell, which they said entered into some kind of memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the community until the company reportedly sold off its equities in the operation a couple of years ago.

They alleged that the NPDC by its posturing appeared to have “chosen the path of war rather than that of peace, because we’re are a peace loving people.

However, the National President of PNC, Ebilate MacYoroki, who addressed the briefing flanked by several other leaders and representatives of the community, including youth, noted that the NPDC, which operates the divested stakes of the oil multinational; Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in their area, commenced operations without any attempt to get strike an agreement with the community.

Mac-Yoroki said that an earlier lease existing between his community and the Shell Petroleum Development

Company (SPDC) about 40 years ago had lapsed and that it was in the process of entering another agreement that the company sold its stakes out.

He further said that the new company had commenced the dredging of a channel from their community into the ocean without carrying out an EIA and thereby devastated the area, destroyed their source of water supply and generally endangered the people’s means of livelihood.

Reacting to the fresh demand by the Opuama/Ikpotogbene in a telephone chat yesterday, Mac-Yoroki pointed out that the affected communities were mainly made up of Oloduwa descendants, saying they were all arms in gloves together in the struggle against the alleged “monumental injustice against our people by NPDC”.

Executive Director, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo (right), showing Nigeria Export Map to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta at a Dialogue on Delta State Beyond Oil in Abuja recently.

L-R: UNODC Country Representative, Ms Mariam Sissoko; Chairman, Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr.Ahmadu Giade and NAFDAC Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, presenting the 2014 World Drug Report in Abuja recently.

Delta: Uduaghan Promises

By BETTY IDIALU

WARRI (Delta) - On Judicial Commission of Inquiry for Iselegu/Ibabau Communal crisis Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has said his administration will not relent in the provision of infrastructure for the people of the state.

Addressing a press conference in Asaba at the weekend, Dr Uduaghan called for patience and understanding, explaining that the early rains slowed down the pace of work on road projects.

“We keep talking about climate change; it is seriously affecting our projects because no good contractor will like to lay asphalt during the rain.

“The rain came much earlier this year and it is slowing down the progress of projects especially the construction of roads,” the Governor said, disclosing that the flooding on Okpanam/Asaba road has necessitated a change in the design of the drainage and

More Infrastructure construction of the road, which he said would be dualized.

While conceding that it would be impossible for his administration to carry out all infrastructural projects, especially roads and rehabilitation of schools, the governor urged critics to be constructive in their assessment of his administration’s achievements.

Delta State he said has about 1,600 public secondary and primary schools, explaining that his administration’s policy had been comprehensive construction of schools instead of picking out blocks of classrooms.

A good number of the schools, he said have been constructed with contract also awarded for some other ones, adding that where a school is in dire need of classroom blocks, the government may be forced to provide one or two as a stop gap pending when such a school would be completely rebuilt in

line with his administration’s policy.

Dr Uduaghan used the occasion to assure people of the State that the Delta Broadcasting Services (DBS) in Asaba and Warri and their relay station in Ubulu-Uku were being given facelift to meet with the Federal Government policy on digitalisation of all electronic media houses by 2015.

He explained that when completed, the two stations would be synchronised into one network.

Meanwhile, the governor indicated that a Judicial Commission of Inquiry will be set up to proffer lasting solution to the age-longed Iselegu/Ibabu communal crisis.

“Iselegu/Ibabu communal crisis is over, we mobilised security agencies that have stopped the fight and they are recovering their arms and ammunition,” the Governor

said.

He added, “we are going to set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to find out the origin of the crisis and proffer lasting solution,” emphasising that it was wrong for anybody to engage in actions that were inimical to the society.

While observing that the security situation in the state has greatly improved with very few incidence of kidnapping and armed robbery, Governor Uduaghan revealed that he has met with host communities to the $16 billion Gas City project and they have resolved not to engage in any action that could derail the project.

He reiterated his call on Deltans to be vigilant against any form of terrorism, advising that people should know their neighbours by knowing what they are doing, their sources of livelihood and their behaviour asserting, “we should propagate and imbibe the spirit of know your neighbour.”

South-West Unemployment: Baptists Convention IBADAN - The Youth and Partners Foreign Firm Student Ministries of the Nigeria Baptist Convention is partnering a UK firm, AHEAD Strategies, in the drive to reduce unemployment rate in the country.

Baptist Convention and the UK firm are organising a twoday workshop starting at Bowen University, Iwo with the theme: “The Practical Intervention for Solving Youth Unemployment”.

The Director, Youths and Students Ministries department of the convention, Rev. Samuel Olaleye said that youth unemployment in the country was of great concern to the church, adding that the church could not keep quiet and watch, while the ugly trend continued.

“This is the reason why we have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AHEAD Strategies ?to train our unemployed youths on how to secure a job and how to be self-employed.

“This workshop is open to everybody irrespective of their religion or tribes. We are expecting over 2,000 youths at the workshop,” Olaleye said.

The head of the UK firm, Mr. Benjamin Taiwo, said that eight

out of 10 graduates in Nigeria depended on their parents or sponsors for over two years without job.

“Over 150, 000 graduates go into the job market without jobs.”

According to him, the workshop will enable the youth to be exposed to job opportunities and how to meet up with their requirements.

“This workshop will also assist the unemployed

individuals to meet the requirement of the job market.

They will be developed technologically and educated on how to know how to apply the skills in seeking for jobs.

“They will also be tutored on how to be self employed and how to create opportunities for the unemployed individuals because only nine per cent of the nation’s educated elites own and run their businesses in Nigeria.

ISEYIN (OYO STATE) Assemblyman Murphy Adigun-Ahmed of Oyo State House of Assembly says the House has never planned to impeach Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Adigun-Hamed said the clarification was necessary to correct an impression making rounds that the House was planning to move a motion to impeach the governor.

The assemblyman who spoke to newsmen by

telephone yesterday said the assembly was rather focusing on its constitutional mandate of making laws to develop the state.

“We should be talking about moving the state forward; some people are just focusing on dragging us backward.

“APC has 18 out of 32 members, so how possible is it for them to impeach our governor, we know where this is coming from,’’ he said.

to keep records of farms in each local government; this will help the institutions keep records of where students can carry out their industrial training.

“ We can’t get all the practicals done in school, the students should understand farm management and how to manage commercial farms, “he said.

No Plan To Impeach Ajimobi - Oyo Lawmaker

Expert Urges FG To Market Research Findings

LAGOS -The Federal Government has been advised to assist higher institutions and research institutes to market their research findings.

Dr Kolawole Adebayo, a lecturer at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, who gave the advice, said collaboration with high institutions would boost agricultural research and food production.

Adebayo who spoke in an interview with newsmen weekend, in Lagos, said the Ministry of Agriculture should open up a window for higher institutions to market research projects.

Adebayo, who is of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, said that government should put in place a working relationship, whereby higher institutions can carry out research projects on behalf of the government.

He said that through the collaboration students would be exposure to the realities of agriculture, while farmers would also be further exposured to modern techniques of farming.

“The ministry of agriculture should have connection with institutions to expose the students; it will involve them in practical activities.

“The ministry should be able

TCN: FG Approves N300m For Equipment LAGOS - The DirectorGeneral, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Dikki, said that about N300 million has been approved for the infrastructure development needs of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Dikki made the disclosure in an address at the postmonitoring of IKeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) activities in Lagos.

He reassured Nigerians that the challenges facing the nation’s power supply will soon

become a thing of the past.

The director-general said the Federal Government provided the N300 million to TCN from its one billion Euro-bond dedicated for the improvement of the nation’s infrastructure.

According to him, government has also channelled the loan received from African Development Bank (AfDB) to TCN. He said that currently, funding was not the major challenge of TCN but the process of identifying projects to be executed with the fund.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

IMASUEN – I formerly Miss Joy Gladys Imasuen now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Joy Okai. All former documents remain valid.

Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

EHIKIOYA – I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ehikioya Honesty Obehi now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ODION HONESTY OBEHI. All former documents remain valid.

Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

Lagos Make Nigeria Investors’ Destination, Experts Tell FG

LAGOS - Some financial experts have urged the Federal Government to take measures to sustain the nation’s current status as one of the preferred investment destinations in Africa.

The experts made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

They said that the position could be sustained through

dynamic monetary policy, entrenchment of good governance and committed war against corruption.

According to them, sustaining the economic status would further broaden the nation’s present business frontiers and increase the level of investment in the country.

A financial analyst, Mr

Johnson Chukwu, said that efforts at sustaining the existing monetary policy would continue to make the country globally accepted as “most preferred business destination in Africa.”

Chukwu, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Cowery Asset Management, also suggested that reduction in the cost of doing business would

further attract investment to the country.

“Maintaining the present position will not be a major challenge if our government can register businesses in time and reform the legal system so that businesses could get prompt judgement when in court,” he said.

He added that the Federal

Increase Routine Immunisation Coverage, FG Advised LAGOS - A medical researcher, Dr Bamidele Iwalokun, has urged the Federal Government to increase the routine immunisation coverage to reduce child mortality rate.

Iwalokun of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, told newsmen in Lagos, that the country’s immunisation had fallen below the global target of 80 per cent.

“Nigeria immunisation coverage is far below the global target of 80 per cent at the district level and 90 per cent at other levels.

“Our immunisation coverage is still below 35 per cent overall, that is to say the percentage of Nigerian infants that have been immunised with all the vaccines is less than 35 per cent.

“So, we still have poor coverage and we have so many factors serving as barriers against them. They need to be addressed.

“Apart from routine immunisation which needs also to be improved upon, there is belief by mothers that through National Immunisation Day (NID), they would get all the immunisations for their children.

“But, during NID not all immunisations are being administered. As such, it is the routine immunisation that needs to be improved on.”

Reports state that an NGO, Global Polio Eradication Initiative said: “polio eradication strategy is the need to ensure more than 80 per cent immunisation coverage of children in their first year.

“While routine immunisation alone cannot eradicate the disease, good routine oral polio vaccine coverage increases population immunity, reduces the incidence of polio and makes eradication feasible.

“The importance of childhood immunisation is to protect the child against common diseases such as whooping cough, polio, measles, meningitis and pneumonia.”

L-R: Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, Head of Service, Mrs. Oluseyi Williams and Commissioner for Information, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, briefing newsmen on the new maternity and Paternity Leave Regime for civil servants in Lagos State recently.

Government should also evolve measures that would make clearing of goods at the nation’s sea ports much easier.

He pointed out that no nation or organisation could ignore Nigeria’s large population and business opportunities.

On his part, the Managing Director, Torac Ventures, Mr Tosin Abayomi, said that entrenchment of good governance at all levels in the country and building a strong institution would stabilise the nation’s productive capacity.

By RAHEEM IBRAHIM

– Commissioner

LAGOS - The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello has reaffirmed that the State Government is poised to leave a legacy of greenery as it continues to deliver on promise made to achieve environmental renewal and regeneration.

He said this during the 2014 Tree Planting Exercise at Sangotedo in Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Authority with the theme: “Life Is Better with Trees”.

He noted that since its launch in 2008, the Tree Planting campaign had been one of the crucial methods the Babatunde Raji Fashola’s Administration employed to sustain the environment.

According to him, “Over Five Million, three Hundred and

Thirteen (5,000,313) trees have been planted and over, 297 sites have been landscaped across the state.

We cannot but commend the vision of His Excellency Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola who during his inauguration promised to embark on the renewal and regeneration of Lagos environment.

“A good economy is a determinant of standard of living and quality of lifestyle.

For us the environment is now a mainstream issue; hence the politics of our environment is the politics of survival” he noted.

Bello also remarked that the state had successfully transformed from degradation to an aesthetically appealing environment through aggressive tree planting, landscaping and beautification of open spaces which had attracted local and international commendations.

The State Commissioner for the Environment stated that trees have lots of importance including the prevention of erosion, flood fighting, regulation of the climate, provision of habitats for wild life and provision of oxygen for human beings.

“However, it is saddening the alarming growing destruction of forests and its rapidly disappearing cover. This can be attributed to the growing population and city expansion.

As much as this is expected, we could not accept this trend as enough reasons to indiscriminately fell trees and destroy forests. We all must ensure that each time we cut trees, we quickly replace with new ones so that the earth, can again, be replenished’’, he stated, while emphasizing that falling of trees without the permission of Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) is an offence in Lagos.

The tree planting exercise took place simultaneously in Six designated ceremonial sites which are Ajah(Sangotedo), Beckley Street in Ojokoro Local Council Development Authority, Apple Junction in Amuwo-Odofin, King’s College, Victoria Island, Gbagada General Hospital and Ikeja High Court, in addition to various other sites in Local Government and Local Council Development Areas across the state.

Fashola To Leave Legacy

Lawyers locked out as Judiciary strike continues at FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja recently.

Lagos To Introduce Tourism Cadre In Public Service

By RAHEEM IBRAHIM

LAGOS - The Lagos State Local Government Service is set to introduce tourism cadre in the Public Service as part of its efforts to foster tourism.

Permanent Secretary, Local Government Service Commission, Mr. Ashamu Sewanu Fadipe, disclosed this at a Media Launch of his recent book, “Tourism Destination Management: A Guide for Policy Makers and Destination Managers”.

He stressed that the move is as a result of the need to promote tourism at the

grassroots.

Managing Director, La Campaigne Tropicana, Dr. Wanle Akinboboye who chaired the occasion, identified creativity as the essence of life and a facet which helps a nation discover itself.

He said, “for a nation to eradicate poverty which is considered to be the inability of an individual to acquire what another man had created, tourism has to be highly considered because generations yet unborn would grow to

appreciate the existence of their native settlers. The ability to do this effectively requires good Management which will ensure sustainability for continuity”.

Speaking further, Dr. Akinboboye said lack of sustainability in the tourism sector in Nigeria as compared to other nations of the world, has made it lose its value by adopting an imitation of a culture not well known to the detriment of our own original culture and natural endowment.

He advocates that Destination

Managers should seize every possible venture at fostering innovations that will get Nigeria into limelight in this identified sector.

Mr. Ashamu Sewanu Fadipe , the Chief host at the event, reiterated that his zeal for change as measured up with other tourist centres of the world of which Nigeria should be considered a frontrunner, prompted his writing the book.

He opined on a concept of where to go and how to go about fostering tourism adding that people at the grassroot should be involved from the planning stage.

Across The Nation Development: Communities Commend Amaechi

By ELIZABETH AGBOEGBULEM PORT HARCOURT Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has received commendation from communities in the Ikwerre ethnic nationality on the provision of infrastructural and human capital development by his administration since he assumed office in October, 2007.

The Communities include, Aluu, Omagwa, Isiokpo, Elele and Apani among others. They made their remarks during the governor’s “Meet the People tour” to rural communities in the Ikwerre Local Government Area.

An address presented by Mr. Garshion Benson on behalf of the Aluu Clan says: “We congratulate you for your forthrightness, vision and courage that have unarguably made you the ‘face of true democracy’ in Nigeria. The Aluu Clan has over 50,000 registered voters over the years to consistently deliver the highest vote to our course. Sir, the support and commitment of the Aluu Clan have been with

you since you started your political carrier in the 80’s and we believe Your Excellency recognizes this fact. We wish to commend you for the quality of work so far done on the Mrs. Matilda Nnodim road project; the surfacing from the Uniport axis is just nearing the first community on that route.”

At Omagwa, the Chiefs and Elders also expressed appreciation to the governor for providing them with democratic dividends.

In their address read by High Chief Bright Kpalukwu, they said: “Omagwa is among the numerous clans in Rivers State that has achieved democratic dividends. Your Excellency, Sir, Omagwa Clan has two Model Primary Schools within her confines. In sequence too, you have remembered Omagwa by making her a full beneficiary of an Ultra Modern Health Care Centre. You have also given the town a face lift by awarding contracts for the building of roads. We are aware of the difficulties you are passing through in the State and the Nation at large. We are assuring you that, we have taken a positive stand to be with you

come what may. Be assured that Omagwa people are solidly behind you. We shall not forget you in the days of reckoning.”

The Omagwa council of Chiefs and Elders also awarded Governor Amaechi the Chieftaincy title of ‘Ome-Kwaeli of Omagwa’.

At Isiokpo, the headquarters of Ikwerre Local Government Area, the people described the governor ’s visit as home coming. “Your Excellency, your coming to Isiokpo is home coming, you have fought the good fight, and indeed, creditably well. We strongly appreciate your giant strides that can be measured to former Military Governor, King Alfred Diette-Spiff. We are proud of your developmental strides in the areas of Education, Health, Urban development, Model Primary and Secondary Schools, road networks, employment of Rivers indigenes and other human capital development.”

In Elele, the people said: “Since the assumption of office

by Governor Amaechi, Isiokpo has been peaceful and devoid of rancour and acrimony, as the commercial nerve centre of the

Zamfara To Access N1bn Loan For scheme is being GUSAU - Zamfara implemented.

Farmers Government plans to access N1 billion loan to be disbursed to farmers to boost food production in the state, said Governor Abdulaziz Yari in Gusau.

Yari made this known while launching the National Agriculture Payment Initiative (NAPI).

Represented by the Commissioner of Agriculture, Alhaji Idris Rikiji, the governor said that the money would be borrowed from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and that the farmers would access the loan through UBA Bank Plc. According to him, the state government sells 50 kg of fertiliser at N1,000 and also gives 50 per cent subsidy on all agricultural inputs to farmers. ‘’This administration is ready to go to any length in assisting farmers to improve their livelyhoods.’’

Also speaking at the event, a representative of the CBN, Mr Henry Walter, said that the introduction of the cashless society would benefit Nigerians, especially farmers as it encouraged epayment.

Walter said that CBN had

interest in agriculture and was ready to encourage them to work harder with an assurance of financial assistance.

Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director of Cellulant Nigeria Limited, Mr Bolaji Akinboro, spoke on the importance of the ewallet programme through which the Federal Government’s Growth Enhancement Support

Akinboro said that it facilitates easy access to agricultural products, including loans.

He urged farmers insure their farms in order to receive assistance in the event of any disaster.

He further said that if a farmer collected a bag of fertiliser, he would be entitled to N20,000 loan, two bags of fertiliser would attract N40, 000 loan.

Ikwerre local government area.

This administration has provided us with Model Primary Schools and Health Centres.

Our illustrious sons and daughters have been appointed into positions of leadership.

Your administration also constructed the Elele-Owerri road and other internal roads for our communities. We are indeed grateful.”

Apani Clan also expressed their gratitude and support to the governor. Speaking on behalf of the community, Hon. Azubuike Nwajoku, Lawmaker representing the Ikwerre constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly said, “We

are grateful to Governor Amaechi for the numerous developmental strides that have been attracted to Apani. We have three Model Primary Schools, Model Health Centres and Roads that have paved way for neighbouring communities to benefit from these facilities.

We assure you of our continued support anytime you need us.”

Responding during the visit to Aluu clan, Governor Amaechi said, his administration would build two model primary schools of 20 classroom blocks each to accommodate the rising population count in the community and urged them to declare their votes for the All

Progressives Congress, APC. He also emphasized his administration’s commitment to construct and complete all internal roads as well as the ongoing Model Primary School with ICT facilities.

“This is not time for politics, this is time for governance.

When we start our political campaigns, we should be able to stand and say, this is our development for the Aluu community. When investors commence the building of industries at the Greater Port Harcourt City, job opportunities will be created and development will come for you to benefit more,” Amaechi said.

Northern Elders Forum Spokesperson, Prof. Ango Abdullahi (left), and his Deputy, Mr. Solomon Dalung, addressing a news conference after North Central Committee of Elders meeting in Bauchi recently.

Be Security Conscious, Monarch Urges Nigerians AKWANGA, (NASARAWA STATE) - Samson Gamu-Yare, the paramount ruler of Mada, Akwanga in Nasarawa State, has called on Nigerians to always monitor their neighbours and report any suspicious activities to security

agencies.

Gamu-Yare made the call at a security meeting with village heads and other community leaders in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state.

He said there was a need for Nigerians to know the people

Apostolic Faith Church, Idofin Ehin-Afo in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara, threatened by flood recently.

staying in their neighbourhoods.

“Everyone must monitor the activities of his/her neighbour and report any illegal activities to security agencies for prompt action.

“I believe that when everybody monitors his neighbour, it will go a long way in curtailing the security challenges bedevilling this country today,” he said.

He called on landlords to always obtain detailed information about their tenants in order to avoid harbouring criminals.

The monarch also called on all stakeholders to play active roles in monitoring the activities of their people in order to reduce security breaches.

He said traditional, community and religion leaders had always played important roles in resolving conflicts in the area.

In a remark, Anthony Yamusa, the District Head of Akwanga, thanked the royal father and appealed to the general public to joint hands with them so as to expose criminals in the area.

Abuja

Terrorism:

We Are More Vigilant Now - Motor

ABUJA - The prevailing terrorists activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has forced many motor park operators to be more vigilant and cautious.

Motor park managers, who spoke in separate interviews with newsmen disclosed this following the recent security alert released by the police authority.

Our correspondents who visited the Jabi, Peace and ABC parks observed that checks were conducted by screening people, luggage and cars with hand-held electronic metal detectors and car magnetometer security apparatus.

Mr David Okoroafor, Regional Manager of Peace Motor Company, said the management was very strict about the security

in the park.

Okoroafor stated that the management had taken cognisance of the threat by terrorists to attack public places and was screening passengers and their luggage to ensure safety of lives and property.

He added that the threat had forced motor park operators to employ the services of security operatives.

“There is a police unit already in the park; this is part of the measures we have applied to reinforce our security in addition to our private security guards.

“We also screen the cars and pedestrians properly with our scan equipment to make sure that at least items carried by people are explosives-free,’’ he said.

Okoroafor stated that there was constant security presence in

ABUJA - The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTs) has endorsed Federal Government’s effort at combating terrorism in the country.

The association also condemned the activities of Boko Haram, urging the group to stop killing innocent citizens.

President of NANTs, Mr Ken Nkoha, expressed their position at a prayer forum to mourn the death of their members who died in the Emab Plaza bomb blast in Abuja.

Reports state that the busy Emab Plaza in Wuse 2, in the FCT, was bombed by suspected terrorists on June 27.

Nkoha said that NANTs was behind the government in the fight against terrorism as the association condemned terrorism.

He described Boko Haram as senseless, callous and mischievous, adding that the group was unjustly killing innocent citizens working to earn a living out of poverty.

“The fight the Boko Haram is fighting should have been fought against corrupt politicians who have milked us dry in this nation, who have put us in a state where we are today as a country.

“We have over 197 traders whose life was cut short by Boko Haram across the country and about 237 traders across the country receiving treatment in various hospitals, and we are saying enough is enough.

“The one that was done here is the last that will be done and we have taken measures to forestall a re-occurrence, but we are sending a warning to Boko Haram that nobody has monopoly of killing.

“If you fight the traders again we shall find a way of coming back no matter how faceless you are, we are innocent people doing our businesses,’’ he said.

Nkoha said that all the markets in FCT were asked to be shut down from 7 a.m. to 12 noon in honour of their seven members that died a couple of weeks ago at the Emab Plaza.

The president also called on the National Assembly to urgently consider President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for a loan of N165 billion to fight terrorism. “it is not so much to protect the people, if you look at the number of people that have died in this matter, I think that the NASS should look back and waste no time to approve the money,’’ he said.

Park Operators

the park, adding that it would help to boost travellers’ confidence in the park.

He expressed shock over the

recent bomb blast in the FCT and appealed to the relevant authorities to assist the company to evacuate illegal motor

operators from its premises.

Mr Okonkwo Eugene, Assistant Manager of Ekesons Transport, told newsmen that the management was operating in line with the security tips it was given during meeting with security operatives.

Traders Condemn Activities Of Boko Haram

President Goodluck Jonathan (left) welcoming some Islamic scholars led by Sheik Dahiru Bauchi during breaking of Ramadan fast at the presidential villa in Abuja recently.

ABUJA - The National Council on Science and Technology (NCST) has set in motion a machinery to automate and strengthen the administrative system of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

The initiative is being implemented under the egovernment drive in the effort to boost transparency in the activities of the ministry.

This is contained in a report of the 12th National Council on Science and Technology obtained newsmen in Abuja.

“The council is determined to accelerate the implementation of the automation of the activities of the Federal Ministry of Science while encouraging and assisting State Ministries of Science and Technology to do the same,” it said.

“The automation has become imperative to enhance better public access to its operations

“We do not allow overnight parking of vehicles in our motor park, particularly by unknown persons.

“We constantly scan vehicles, conduct thorough search on passengers and their bags in our environment.

“If you take a thorough look, you will agree with me that there are no containers and abandoned vehicles in the park.

“These were the major security tips given to us by the security operatives at the meeting we had with them and we are working with that,’’ Eugene said.

Meanwhile, commuters at the Nyanya motor park have called on the FCT authorities to provide a modern park for them, adding that they were exposed to danger with the present situation.

On his part, Mr Emmanuel Eboh, a commuter, told newsmen that: “I am not satisfied with the risks being faced by civil servants and other members of the public on the Nyanya axis.

“I urge the Federal Government and the FCT administration to provide a secured environment for commuters to board vehicles to the metropolis,’’ Eboh said.

Council To Automate Science and to boost information Memorandum of Understanding Ministry availability to members of the (MOU) had been signed with the public.”

According to the report, lack of fund was the major hindrance to the start of the implementation of the proposed work.

The report said that the council had ensured the establishment of Technology Incubation Centre in Nassarawa, Benue, Ebonyi,

Rivers, Gombe, Adamawa, Jigawa and Kogi states.

“While directing the National Board for Technology Incubation for Technology Incubation (NBTI) to constantly appraise FMST of their operation and changes in their operational modalities,” it added.

The report said that a

eight state governments and that land had been provided for the permanent sites of the centres in these states.

“Temporary offices are located in the ministry in charge of Science and Technology, and high level consultations were still going on with the state officials,” it said.

newsmen.

It will be recalled that the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) is an intergovernmental treaty.

The convention provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

The convention has 162 members of the contracting parties.

Ndama said Nigeria had complied with the agreements on the convention as they border on the wise conservation and use of wetlands.

He, however, stressed the need for a unified national policy on Wetlands which would engender global best practice in the conservation and use of RAMSAR sites in the country.

He urged relevant sectors in the implementation of the convention to work toward harmonising the policies for uniform implementation of the RAMSAR framework.

“There is every need for harmonisation of wetlands activities in Nigeria.

“We have different stakeholders with different sectoral policies in the use of wetlands.

“For instance, the conservation of fish is coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture because the Department of Fisheries is domiciled in the ministry.

“The conservation of wildlife

is handled by the Forestry Department in the Ministry of Environment, while the Ministry of Water Resources coordinates activities of both surface and underground waters.

“We are doing our best to bring to the knowledge of the stakeholders that all activities regarding wetlands must go in line with RAMSAR strategic framework.”

The desk officer said that the government had already established a National Wetland Committee to see to the corporation and coordination of wetland activities and programme.

He said the committee was preparing to attend the Conference of Parties (COP) 12, which was scheduled to hold in Uruguay in 2015.

Ndaman said the committee was yet to come up with a common position on what Nigeria would present at the forthcoming Conference.

He, however, said the ministry was planning to organise a side event where it would showcase issues on the conservation of wetlands in the country.

It will be recalled that COP 11 was held in Bucharest, Romania in 2013.

He said the convention was considering eight more wetlands in Nigeria to the status of wetlands of international importance between now and 2017.

Environment Ministry Seeks Nat’l Policy On Wetlands Management ABUJA - The Federal Ministry of Environment in Abuja has advocated a national policy for the management of wetlands in the country.

Mr Shehu Ndaman, the Desk Officer in charge of Ramsar Convention in the ministry, made the call in an interview with

President Goodluck Jonathan (middle), speaking at the breaking of Ramadan fast at the presidential villa in Abuja recently.

Business + Economy Army To Embrace Indigenous Technology MINNA - The Nigerian Army says it is desirous of developing indigenous technology that will sustain operational needs of its personnel to tackle the country’s security challenges.

Maj.-Gen. Salihu Uba, Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Nigeria Army, Minna, made this known at the second quarter conference of the Nigerian Army Research and Development Committee in Minna.

“The Nigerian Army is desirous of developing indigenous technology that will sustain operational needs of its personnel; especially in the face of the current security challenges in the country.

“Your deliberations will consider the need for selfreliance in the production and modification of fast moving

military equipment and stores,’’ he said.

Uba urged the participants to deliberate on the draft policy of the Nigerian Army Research and Development with a view to adding value and perfecting a methodology for its smooth implementation.

He called on the participants to consider contemporary events of military interests and draw up a plan where other security agencies and stakeholders would be involved for mutual benefits.

The TRADOC commander commended the Chief of Army Staff for the support to organise the conference.

Stakeholder Tasks Nigerian Artists On Quality Production LAGOS - A veteran artist, Ndidi Dike, has said that the only way the nation’s art works could have a global impact was

Zamfara To Train 1,000 Women GUSAU - The Zamfara Government said it would train 1,200 women in interior decoration, bakery, knitting and sewing for self-reliance.

The Commissioner of Women and Children Affairs, Hajiya Balkisu Bungudu, said this in an interview with newsmen in Gusau.

Bungudu said the training was aimed at improving women’s means of livelihood as many of them, especially those in the rural areas were left behind in terms of economic development.

She said the programme

Bales of second hand clothings seized by Seme Command of Nigeria Customs Service recently.

would commence next month and called on would-be beneficiaries to fully participate in it.

She also said that the ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs had concluded arrangements to establish three Women Training Centres in each of the three senatorial zones in the state.

The commissioner said the centres would train women, especially those in the rural areas in various trades to further engage them in economic activities.

when the artists produce artefacts relative to current global issues.

Dike told newsmen in Lagos that it was only when there was vibrancy and purpose that the nation’s art works could attract attention from the international community.

“Government is not working with Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) or even gallery owners that have an insight to how the arts world operates internationally,” she said.

She noted that Nigerians in the Diaspora had also helped to promote the country’s artists and their works internationally.

Dike noted that for Nigerian arts to survive in the global arts circle, the artists should give their

Seized bags of rice at the warehouse of Seme Command of Nigeria Customs Service recently.

works global outlook as arts were not for Nigerians alone.

“Nigerian arts have to key into some of the concepts or themes in the international arena; in terms of our work outlook or production, we should not talk about a particular issue.

“We should talk about something that is global that should have African content but can be perceived globally.

“We should have a

different definition from Nigeria and say it through painting what is happening all over the world,” she said.

The artist lamented that government was not collaborating with the body of artists to make this work.

“Again, you ask yourself what does National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), National Gallery of Arts (NGA) and Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture do for individual

artists.

“There is no artist you can call today that can categorically state that the ministry of culture did something for me and my practice and productive development.

‘Everybody keeps saying we don’t have to rely on government but even at that, one of the purposes for which it was set up is to help promote artists.

“Until there seems to be a synergy between these two different departments, arts are not going to remain very relevant,” she added.

Explore More Minerals To Grow Economy, NIM Urges FG

ABUJA - President of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Mr Nelson Uwaga, has advised the Federal Government to intensify efforts at exploring more solid minerals to enhance the nation’s economic growth.

Uwaga, who spoke in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said that such effort would also help to create jobs and curtail insecurity.

“Government should intensify efforts to diversify the economy by exploiting solid minerals that can be found in every part of this country.

“If adequate attention is given to developing the solid minerals, the multiplier effects cannot be quantified.

“It will enhance job creation for the youths, promote economic growth and curb insecurity,” he said.

“We have a larger percentage of Nigerians who are youths and they need to be gainfully employed when they graduate from school so that their energies can be channeled to positive engagements,” he added.

Uwaga called for unity in the country, advising that people should relate with others around the country.

According to him, NIM is committed to creating unity across the country.

“We need to imbibe the spirit of accommodating each other, particularly at this time when the country is faced with security challenges.

“We at NIM, try to encourage and build bridges and consensus among Nigerians, and we do not recognise place of origin but place of residence,” he said.

The institute’s president

affirmed that the organization was committed to producing competent managers in the country.

“The NIM has been making efforts to inculcate the art of competent management of the abundant human and material resources that God has blessed us with.

“We also encourage Nigerians to support the government and the Armed Forces to tackle our present challenges so that the country can make meaningful progress.

“Government should also understand that force alone is not enough; the option of dialogue should be explored to tackle insurgency.

“Government should also ensure justice and fairness among all citizens at all times,’’ he said.

NSE DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (EQUITIES) AS AT FRIDAY (18/ 07/2014) Stocks

Open

Close

Change

Deals

Units

Value

MAYBAKER

1.72

1.75

0.03

0

280,800

490,718.00

7UP

100.03

100.03

0

0

204,964

21,495,805.48

MBENEFIT

0.54

0.54

0

0

2,359,730

1,260,936.20

ABCTRANS

0.89

0.88

-0.01

0

897,260

783,220.22

MOBIL

154.5

162.22

7.72

0

164,573

26,697,032.06

ACADEMY

1.71

1.71

0

0

500

850

MRS

62.43

62.43

0

0

32,938

1,879,656.28

ACCESS

9.95

9.8

-0.15

0

15,398,945

150,850,275.60

NAHCO

4.87

5

0.13

0

947,981

4,739,609.94

AFRIPRUD

3.41

3.45

0.04

0

9,428,510

33,343,071.06

NASCON

11.09

10.72

-0.37

0

8,578,767

92,612,590.73

AGLEVENT

1.33

1.39

0.06

0

203,719

283,169.41

NB

176.22

175.61

-0.61

0

1,248,179

219,092,332.20

AIICO

0.8

0.8

0

0

2,001,154

1,612,181.14

NCR

15.2

15.2

0

0

1,850

26,714.00

AIRSERVICE

2.23

2.23

0

0

68,300

158,203.00

NEIMETH

1.24

1.24

0

0

61,875

73,210.00

ALUMACO

7.75

7.75

0

0

320

2,358.40

NEM

0.82

0.8

-0.02

0

5,608,168

4,437,238.08

ASHAKACEM

33.7

33.03

-0.67

0

1,351,416

44,632,783.58

NESTLE

1124.9

1125

0.1

0

117,783

132,373,646.90

AVONCROWN

1.69

1.69

0

0

62,400

105,456.00

NEWGOLD

2045

2054

9

0

11

22,594.00

BECOPETRO

0.5

0.5

0

0

10,000

5,000.00

NIG-GERMAN

7.36

7.36

0

0

17,256

120,792.00

BERGER

9

9

0

0

69,390

604,086.27

NIGERINS

0.52

0.5

-0.02

0

962,930

481,665.00

BETAGLAS

16.3

16.3

0

0

6,974

115,197.00

NNFM

19.79

20.5

0.71

0

317,773

6,407,722.85

BOCGAS

5.76

5.76

0

0

10,000

54,800.00

NPFMCRFBK

1.1

1.1

0

0

28,940

32,307.80

CADBURY

74.25

74.25

0

0

71,074

5,119,030.34

NSE30

1952.16

1948.74

-3.42

0

278,013,972

2,801,563,452.00

CAP

40.1

40.1

0

0

62,437

2,468,199.24

NSE50

2109.78

2107.95

-1.83

0

330,899,893

3,084,871,516.00

CAPOIL

0.5

0.5

0

0

100,000

50,000.00

NSEASEM

949.05

949.05

0

0

100,000

50,000.00

CAVERTON

6.7

6.7

0

0

438,290

2,936,626.00

NSEASI

42918.55

42891.85

-26.7

0

374,204,901

3,207,091,742.00

CCNN

11.26

11.8

0.54

0

1,507,181

17,606,326.73

NSEBNK

440.27

438.71

-1.56

0

203,077,912

1,173,686,075.00

CHAMPION

10.17

10.17

0

0

82,257

803,381.00

NSECNSMRGDS

1059.92

1059.78

-0.14

0

22,815,605

796,638,153.70

CHAMS

0.5

0.5

0

0

3,000

1,500.00

NSEINDUSTR

2764.43

2767.11

2.68

0

4,665,741

193,313,970.40

CHELLARAM

3.95

3.95

0

0

876

3,301.76

NSEINS

149.07

150.41

1.34

0

28,240,481

24,771,121.43

CILEASING

0.5

0.5

0

0

141,000

70,500.00

NSELOTUSISLM

2857.1

2853.38

-3.72

0

20,707,587

740,437,249.50

CONOIL

65.6

62.32

-3.28

0

197,729

12,344,521.94

NSEOILGAS

472.9

469.09

-3.81

0

15,078,737

422,914,458.40

CONTINSURE

1.19

1.15

-0.04

0

766,100

878,893.40

OANDO

25.65

25

-0.65

0

13,320,307

333,251,501.60

33.01

33.01

0

0

172,173

5,701,387.56

COSTAIN

1.23

1.26

0.03

0

620,974

791,219.34

OKOMUOIL

CUSTODYINS

3.61

3.79

0.18

0

2,570,153

9,737,772.05

OMATEK

0.5

0.5

0

0

2,000

1,000.00

CUTIX

1.8

1.8

0

0

300,000

547,826.00

PAINTCOM

1.4

1.47

0.07

0

310,000

455,700.00

CWG

5

5

0

0

1,000

4,900.00

PHARMDEKO

1.5

1.5

0

0

24,779

37,664.08

DAARCOMM

0.5

0.5

0

0

10,000

5,000.00

PRESCO

37.5

38

0.5

0

454,601

17,251,675.50

DANGCEM

240

240.05

0.05

0

79,500

19,131,275.00

PZ

37.99

38.5

0.51

0

6,710,663

255,819,740.10

DANGFLOUR

8.01

8.01

0

0

162,446

1,321,967.50

REDSTAREX

4.67

4.89

0.22

0

996,166

4,871,500.01

DANGSUGAR

9.44

9.3

-0.14

0

1,631,837

15,164,302.36

ROYALEX

0.53

0.53

0

0

153,029

82,334.79

DIAMONDBNK

6.3

6.32

0.02

0

10,966,680

69,123,606.11

RTBRISCOE

1.05

1.05

0

0

84,823

88,191.98

DNMEYER

1.2

1.2

0

0

15,552

19,277.90

SCOA

4.91

4.91

0

0

512

2,391.04

DUNLOP

0.5

0.5

0

0

34,000

17,000.00

SEPLAT

702

702

0

0

25,060

17,541,546.00

EQUITYASUR

0.5

0.5

0

0

40,733

20,366.50

SKYEBANK

3.28

3.4

0.12

0

8,056,037

26,424,669.36

ETERNA

4.35

4.3

-0.05

0

1,162,428

4,919,677.98

SOVRENINS

0.5

0.5

0

0

1,000

500

ETI

17.23

16.85

-0.38

0

864,801

14,684,188.74

STACO

0.5

0.5

0

0

31,518

15,759.00

EVANSMED

2.31

2.35

0.04

0

106,200

249,260.00

STANBIC

27.26

27.26

0

0

136,422

3,725,865.24

FBNH

16

15.9

-0.1

0

11,216,090

178,715,300.80

STERLNBANK

2.32

2.38

0.06

0

2,980,092

6,956,810.12

FCMB

4.25

4.26

0.01

0

23,546,756

99,583,494.28

TOTAL

180.2

180

-0.2

0

65,851

12,171,976.52

FIDELITYBK

1.98

1.94

-0.04

0

139,197,289

264,711,575.00

TRANSCORP

5.78

5.91

0.13

0

24,435,282

143,536,092.10

FIDSON

3.01

3.16

0.15

0

473,500

1,484,075.00

TRANSEXPR

2.06

2.06

0

0

17,642

37,753.88

FLOURMILL

77.87

77.87

0

0

114,646

8,784,667.82

UAC-PROP

17.9

17.46

-0.44

0

549,392

9,729,783.04

FO

238

238

0

0

134,911

31,650,092.08

UACN

62.5

62.12

-0.38

0

175,282

10,883,114.44

FORTISMFB

5.96

5.96

0

0

2,000

11,920.00

UBA

8

8.06

0.06

0

4,675,213

37,528,577.43

GLAXOSMITH

68.99

68.99

0

0

10,098

667,993.18

UBCAP

2.24

2.27

0.03

0

6,991,878

15,686,084.93

GOLDBREW

0.71

0.71

0

0

1,240

917.6

UBN

9.54

9.23

-0.31

0

226,035

2,093,833.28

GUARANTY

30

30

0

0

16,504,479

495,119,992.90

UNILEVER

53

52.77

-0.23

0

358,819

19,033,151.40

GUINNESS

197.1

198.02

0.92

0

31,047

6,158,819.47

UNITYBNK

0.5

0.5

0

0

3,432,438

1,716,219.00

HONYFLOUR

4.27

4.3

0.03

0

1,607,654

6,969,637.38

UPL

4.4

4.32

-0.08

0

440,963

1,901,647.41

IKEJAHOTEL

0.75

0.75

0

0

125,300

91,957.22

VETGRIF30

19.5

19.49

-0.01

0

2,110

41,062.90

INFINITY

1.6

1.6

0

0

101,320

160,777.60

VITAFOAM

4.3

4.38

0.08

0

1,737,036

7,261,738.59

INTBREW

29.5

29.5

0

0

158,433

4,627,342.50

WAPCO

119

119.01

0.01

0

902,073

107,337,341.20

INTENEGINS

0.5

0.5

0

0

57,777

28,888.50

WAPIC

0.91

0.9

-0.01

0

15,721,409

14,107,138.07

JAPAULOIL

0.59

0.57

-0.02

0

3,830,995

2,183,687.15

WEMABANK

1.06

1.11

0.05

0

4,922,927

5,454,448.97

JBERGER

65.98

63

-2.98

0

155,720

9,798,993.70

ZENITHBANK

25.2

25.22

0.02

0

4,208,341

106,192,546.40

JOHNHOLT

1.2

1.2

0

0

43,029

49,059.06

JOSBREW

2.58

2.58

0

0

500

1,230.00

LASACO

0.5

0.5

0

0

5,829

2,914.50

LAWUNION

0.5

0.5

0

0

37,500

18,750.00

LEARNAFRCA

1.65

1.65

0

0

35,615

58,612.70

LINKASSURE

0.5

0.5

0

0

24,992

12,496.00

LIVESTOCK

3.05

3.06

0.01

0

1,364,095

4,184,550.82

MANSARD

2.56

2.67

0.11

0

741,910

1,953,529.54

TOP 10 GAINERS Stock NEWGOLD MOBIL NSEINDUSTR NSEINS GUINNESS NNFM CCNN PZ PRESCO REDSTAREX

Close 2054 162.22 2767.11 150.41 198.02 20.5 11.8 38.5 38 4.89

TOP TOP 10 10 LOSERS GAINERS Gain

Stock

Close

Loss

9 7.72 2.68 1.34 0.92 0.71 0.54 0.51 0.5 0.22

NSEASI 26.7 NSEOILGAS 3.81 NSELOTUSISLM 3.72 NSE30 3.42 CONOIL 3.28

42891.85

-

469.09

-

2853.38

-

1948.74

-

62.32

-

THE House of Representatives recently organised a public hearing to gather opinions on Foreign Donations Bill currently before the lawmakers. The bill titled “ An Act to Regulate the Acceptance and Utilisation of Finance/Material Contributions of Donor Agencies to Voluntary Organisations and for matters related connected therewith” has generated so much furor in development circles.

THE bill states that no voluntary organisation is allowed to accept funds from international donors without the permission of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC. By this regulation, the ICPC would be mandated to approve funds for Civil Society Organisations, and individuals who receive international funding for different programmes.

WE strongly oppose the Bill for a number of reasons: The Bill proposed by Hon. Eddie Mbadiwe, appears to be a duplication of duties assigned to the Special Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML. MBADIWE, at the committee meeting held on July 3, said he sponsored the bill with the intention to promote and defend civil society organisations. This of course, is a lie because, Civil Society do not need government’s bureaucracy for its defense.

Instead, the bill if allowed to sail through will stifle Civil Society Organisations, block many from accessing international support and weaken their activities which includes amplifying the voices of the poor and vulnerable groups in the society.

MBADIWE also said there was consistent abuse of contribution made by the international community and the bill would help control inflow of money into Nigeria.

He also noted that funds meant for CSOs have ended in the hands of terrorists. This is a blatant lie because whereas Civil Society

THE NIGERIAN

Stop CSOs Foreign Donations Bill Organisations have been receiving funds from international agencies for over one hundred years of Nigeria’s amalgamation history, terrorism became an issue and manifestly so in the past two-three years of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration; that is why most observers believe that a section of the north who do not want him as president are the brains behind Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria.

ALL over the world, it is said that government alone cannot finance development and meet the various challenges facing all citizens that informs the entry point of other development partners such as Civil Society to fill such gaps as the private sector is usually preoccupied with profit maximization.

IT is a truism that hundreds of local CSOs and voluntary organisations receive donor funding from international partners to pursue developmental projects across Nigeria yearly, Mbadiwe, a consultant Biochemist/ Industrialist, and an inexperienced first-term member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato North/South constituency of Imo State do not have clear understanding of the working of Civil Society now accepted by the United Nations and Governments all over the world as key partners in development.

IT is important to emphasise that funds of CSOs are usually channeled towards sustainable development, public office holder

accountability, good governance, improvement of access to quality healthcare services, polio eradication and HIV/AIDS care and control in Nigeria among others. If the proposed bill is made law, such funding henceforth would only materialise if the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, approves it, a task which SCUML is already assigned to do.

THERE are laws already governing the utilisation of money used by civil society organisations and it is the duty of government to enforce these laws. There are extant laws, which regulate civil society organisations, making it possible for these organisations to be held accountable for the utilisation of their funds. In addition to these laws, are policies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, policy that makes it mandatory for all NGOs to comply with its SCUML rules.

IN as much as we are against terrorism, we do not support the destruction of democratic structures in the guise of combating terrorism as being canvassed by he Bill.

IT is our considered view that Civil Society Organisations cannot be made to suffer, under the pretence of enacting a new law to tackle terrorism. The strength of Civil Society Organisations is based on the fact that they were independent of the government, given the peculiarity of government in Nigeria, the proposed bill latently seeks to muzzle this independence and now make them government dependent organisations.

THE bill poses a threat to the freedom of civil society organisations. It is a covert threat to their right to free speech, and by extension, a threat to the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. It is against these facts that we urge members of the National Assembly to throw away the Bill and cosign it to the wastebasket where it actually belongs.

Oil And Gas

Curbing Menace Of Oil Theft, Pipeline Vandalism

By AKPESIRI OGHENERHABOXE IN spite of repeated assurances by the management of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, through the Minister of Petroleum Resources: Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke that the federal government’s onslaught against oil theft and pipeline Vandalism is yielding positive result, the country, oil and gas industry seem headed for extinction given the recent significant review in the level of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

Going by the grim news of recurring pipeline explosions due to the nefarious activities of vandals, miscreants and hoodlums in the last ten years, it is all too easy to consider that government initiatives to protect pipelines and other oil installations with deployment of security agencies, at best had been ineffectual, and at worst, had actually exacerbated the woes that the intervention was meant to address.

If immediate history is. anything to go by, between six and twelve billion dollars are estimated to have been lost annually to oil theft, while over twenty thousand persons were killed, many burnt beyond recognition and properties worth billions of naira destroyed in the last thirty years as a result of pipeline explosions.

No longer news that the activities of vandals and oil thieves resulted in the shutting down by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, of Nembe creek trunk line where an estimated sixty thousand barrels per day of crude oil were stolen.

In addition, on December 20, 2011, an oil spill occurred at Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCO, Bonga field off the coast of Delta and Bayelsa states. The development was reported to’ have, been caused by a rupture of an export hose which poured an estimated forty thousand barrels of crude oil across nine hundred and fifty square kilometres of water, thereby affecting the environment and the livelihood of the communities in the area Although the ‘Managing Director of SNEPCO, Mr. Chike Onyekekwe was reported as saying that the company always adhered to

the regulations in the sector, both the National Oil Administration and Safety Management Agency, NIMASA, urged SNEPCO ‘to pay a total of eleven point five billion dollars as administrative charges for the spill.

Similarly, Agip has suspended production in Bayelsa state where sixty percent its production of about ninety thousand barrels per day were stolen. Italian oil firm, ENI, has also shut down its activities in the swampy fields in Bayelsa. According to ENI’s management, oil theft by vandals led it to shut down operations in order to prevent further damage to the environment. Operating In Nigeria as Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NOAC, it authorized suspension of operations on March 22, 2013 and declared Force Majeure on its oil output. Force Majeure is a legal notice that absolves an oil company pf liabilities for failure to meet supply obligations to crude buyers because of circumstance beyond its control. Between March 21 and 22, 2013, ENI declared Force Majeure and ordered closure of its on-shore activities in Bayelsa state.

The most serious pipeline explosion occurred, in Jesse Community, Ethiopia West local government area of Delta state oh ‘October 18, 19981 The Federal Government blamed vandals/ scavengers who intentionally rupture the pipeline with their tools and ignited the fire.

Others stakeholders attributed the explosion to poorly maintained pipelines.

A pipe burst and the local people rushed to collect spilled petrol as fuel flowed freely to the farms and into the Ethiopia River. Due to the massive rush to siphon petrol, fire was ignited and about two thousand lives’ were lost in what was described as the “worst pipeline explosion in Nigeria”: It took about five days to. .put off the fire with foreign assistance. The pipeline is owned by NNPC taking crude oil to Warn and Kaduna refineries. Many persons were burnt beyond recognition while most of the dead were given a mass burial.

Thereafter, other NNPC ‘pipeline explosions occurred in subsequent years at Ovwore-Amukpe in Okpe

community of Delta state, Ijegun pipeline fire i’n Lagos, the Ilade village NNPC pipeline fire caused by vandalization, the AbuleEgba pipeline explosion in a Lagos suburb which killed over two thousand people. In that case, vandals had been siphoning ‘petrol from, punctual pipelines for three days before the explosion occurred on December 26,

the situation of alarming rate of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism saying these Were “becoming scandalous and a national embarrassment that needed drastic solution.”

He lamented that, despite the presence of the Joint Task Force, JTF, to combat illegal bunkering, granting the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, power to bear arms to combat

national security and our democracy. If this kind of huge amount gets into the wrong hands, it can destabilize our democracy and national security,” he added.

Apart from the JTF comprised mainly of the military previously combating the Niger Delta militants in the creeks disrupting NNPC pipelines which hitherto adversely affected Nigeria’s crude oil production, the NSCDC having the statutory responsibility to watch pipelines and arrest vandals, the Inspector General of

2006. The pipeline runs through the village via Ipaja to Ejigbo. Before the tragedy, $ NNPC had received reports of vandalism and instructed Police to patrol the area. The rest is now history.

Meanwhile, there had been pipeline explosions in Warn, Ebute, Umuahia and other places, including the most recent in Arepo in •which put together, unestimated number of persons lost their lives.

Reacting to the ugly development, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association, PENGASSAN, President, Mr. Babatunde Ogun decried

product pipeline vandalism, the practice has continued not only unabated but brazenly.

“Our security forces have been unable to arrest this unwholesome practice as attested to by the running battle they keep having in Arepo, Ogun state for example over product pipeline vandalism,” he said.

According to the PENGASSAN President, Nigeria loses six billion dollars annually to crude oil theft, and also lost one hundred and five billion naira to theft of refined products.

“This is a threat to our

Police, IGP, Special task force on AntiPipeline Vandalism also charged with protection of oil pipelines, there are also surveillance outfits with multi-billion naira contracts awarded by federal government to selected former Niger Delta militant leaders for the protection of pipelines and check destruction of oil facilities.

Interestingly, both the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the Commandant General, NSCDC, Dr. Ade Aboturin, have expressed strong

determination to stop oil pipeline vandalism.

Certainly, oil thieves and pipelines vandals are not ghosts. Observing Nigerians know for a fact that the full powers of the nation’s armed forces are at the disposal of the federal government to deploy and destroy this menace. Why the government is allowing this cancer to steadily eat up Nigeria’s finances is incomprehensible.

The devastating effects of the problem on Nigeria’s economy are staring Nigerians in the face. For a largely mono-product nation, trifling with this monster can only destroy the economy.

This is a prospect that is terrifying, but the situation can be remedied. The time is now.

The federal government must pull out all the stops and fight oil thieves. Nigerians have had enough of the depressing figures and statistics. Nigeria needs a new dawn in the fight against this menace that is threatening its economic security. The steady decline in crude oil income must be halted: Continuous expression of helplessness is an admission of failure by the, government. It is totally unacceptable.

“Certainly, oil thieves and pipelines vandals are not ghosts.

Observing Nigerians know for a fact that the full powers of the nation’s armed forces are at the disposal of the federal government to deploy and destroy this menace. Why the government is allowing this cancer to steadily eat up Nigeria’s finances is incomprehensible.”

Opinion

Nigeria And The Rule Of Backseat Drivers

By OMOZUWA GABRIEL OSAMWONYI

NIGERIA is increasingly becoming a nation of backseat drivers.

Consummate faultfinders without ethical compass and manifest commitment to democratic ideals parade as omnificent experts with a view to secure political power. They pester leaders, public intellectuals, visionary voices, and the general public with apocalyptic warnings.

They mistakenly equate nation building to waving red flags. In their thinking, discrediting advocates of equity and justice is the surest way to achieve lifelong significance.

It is often an adventure of ecstasy and education to travel around Nigeria with public transport, despite the bad state of many roads. It reaffirms the validity of the survey that adjudged Nigerians as the happiest people on earth. When there are jovial backseat drivers in the vehicle, the thrills of such journeys are spiced with creative tension and fleeting irritation. Particularly, the type that says: “Oga driver, I just got married. I am travelling to Zamfara for my honeymoon. To save cost, my wife travelled by air. If you don’t want her to be a premature widow, please drive carefully.” But if there are the unkind, world-weary backseat drivers who keep heaping insults on the driver for unavoidably bumping into potholes, the drama becomes fear-provoking.

To calm the driver and ensure he is not distracted, other passengers would have to muffle the rant and rave of the backseat driver by inventing jokes and light-hearted stories.

Demetri Martin rightly said: “A drunk driver is very dangerous. So is a drunk backseat driver if he’s persuasive.”

Armchair coaches tell volumes about the

workings of backseat drivers. Unmindful of their limited knowledge, they speak as if the Super Eagles cannot become unbeatable world champions until Stephen Keshi is under their tutelage. If backseat drivers have their say and way, Nigeria will become a cemetery of vocal ghosts.

Their lack of impulse control makes their mouths more active than their minds. Often, their prescriptions for development are recipes for backwardness. For them, speaking precedes fact checking. Validating their hunch is a luxury they cannot afford.

As a matter of habit, backseat drivers speak bumptiously with the authority of foreseeing messiahs. They claim to have cures for all policy ills. They also claim to know the alchemistic code to turn Nigeria to a twenty first century Eden. But being doom-watchers, they excel mainly in creating a climate of fear and inadvertently stoking the embers of public disaffection. They say evil will dog 2015 elections.

They say Boko Haram is better motivated and equipped than our military.

They say balkanisation is the panacea to our multifaceted national challenges.

They insultingly say Nigerians are political automatons incapable of electing credible leaders. Don Mattingly opined: “We all have the temptation to be backseat drivers when it comes to decisions that don’t work out the way we want.”

Backseat drivers are “leaders” without followers. They are far from being gray eminence.

Though, they generally like to be seen as benefactors and instructors of effective leaders. They know nothing about the shepherd

model of leading from behind. Their closemindedness makes them incapable of stimulating life-enriching changes.

Said differently, they

civil portals for meaningful exchange of divergent opinions, public enlightenment and cultural enrichment. To them, social engineering and

cannot lead, because they cannot consider issues from all points. Spinning conspiracy theories to explain social realities is their specialty. Many of them are on the fringes of power, yet, they do not express the interest of overlooked groups, nor spotlight issues that demand urgent attention.

Backseat drivers show a morbid fixation with rareview mirrors. They typically see Nigeria with cast-off lens. Like diehard revisionists, they seem incapable of considering burning national issues from multiple viewpoints.

Their knowledge of the past does not spur them to selflessly engage in enterprises that safeguard our heritage and future as well as uplift the human spirit to new levels of meaning and dignity.

Many backseat drivers do not have a clear understanding of the concept of participatory governance and their rights of self expression in the public sphere. They assume that dissenting before having an inkling of an issue is central to good governance. Their idea of an open and progressive society excludes creating

government by the people is about vocal combativeness.

Ideas rule people. They set the tone of nations and civilisations. Every era is characterised by a dominant idea or cluster of ideas. Backseat drivers are very aware of this. Hence, they manipulate fact and information to set the agenda of public discourse.

Some of them use the new media to push to the fore provincial views, which are inimical to egalitarian ideals.

Many nifty leaders are aware of their negative influences. So, when such leaders want to hamstring them, they appoint them to serve in committees or as special advisers.

Automatically, the backseat driver that was

overly critical starts to backslap agents of backwardness; eulogistically put a seal of perfection on their foibles, and support their idiotic propositions.

If by some magic of fate, ancient Pharisees could see the workings of Nigeria’s backseat drivers, they will

But it saddens me that while mapping Nigeria’s creative industry, career hypocrites and backseat drivers were excluded.

Ignoring the ignorant backseat drivers is often the wise thing to do. For, they are not amenable to persuasion. When facts change, they don’t change

consider their canons of hypocrisy as unprofitable.

Here, hypocrisy pays. It is reported that Nigeria now belongs to the league of top-ten nations with the highest numbers of private jets. Some of the jet owners present themselves as ecclesiastical and political ranting buffoons. They have seemingly excelled in turning hypocrisy to a money-spinning form of artistic expression.

Painfully, there is no scientific means by which their input to economic development can be computed.

This explains why I am not overly enthused about our rebased economy.

Don’t get me wrong. I am glad that Nigeria is now the biggest economy in Africa.

their minds. However, it is unwise to always ignore the willfully ignorant. For, they unscrupulously misinform susceptible people in a bid to cater to their whimsies.

Again, if such misinformation are unchecked, they form attitudes that are detrimental to sociopolitical progress.

This is the best time for Nigerians to shun backseat drivers whose logos and egos appear bigger than Nigeria. We must not reecho their sentiments. It is unwise to rehash the logic of those who subordinate our collective quest for a better society to their narrow interest. We cannot get ahead by listening to backseat drivers who cannot see ahead.

“Many backseat drivers do not have a clear understanding of the concept of participatory governance and their rights of self expression in the public sphere. They assume that dissenting before having an inkling of an issue is central to good governance. Their idea of an open and progressive society excludes creating civil portals for meaningful exchange of divergent opinions, public enlightenment and cultural enrichment.”

Education implementation of the decisions and outcome of the conference.

“Under my watch, the tertiary education sector will continue to be supported in terms of incentives and supportive financing”, he said.

Dr Musa Babáyo, Chairman, Board Of Trustees of TETFund, aid the conference was timely considering the present situation of the nation’s tertiary institutions. He said a study conducted in 2012 by the Committee on Needs Assessment of Nigerian Public Universities, set up by the Federal Government, revealed that public universities were grossly mismanaged.

Babayo said the institutions were lacking in human and material resources in spite of huge investments in them by the Federal Government through TETFund.

“Between 2009 and 2014, the fund, in keeping with its mandate, has injected a

Ibrahim Shekarau, Education Minister

TETFund Management: Boosting Capacity Of Tertiary Institutions STAKEHOLDERS are worried about the poor ranking of Nigerian universities, as no Nigerian university was named among the top schools in 2013 based on global standards.

They say that for Nigerian universities to be rated high, tertiary education in the country must be well funded.

They, however, express dismay that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is not making the desired impact, as principal officers of many tertiary institutions have been guests of anti-graft agencies for alleged mismanagement of funds.

TETFund, in order to strengthen the capacity of tertiary institutions on how to utilise the funds, as well as access other intervention funds, recently organised a

By MONDAY IJEH conference in Abuja, for heads of tertiary institutions and principal stakeholders.

The workshop was organised in conjunction with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Value.

The theme of the conference was: “Transparency, Accountability and Ethical Values in Tertiary Institutions for Sustainable Development.’’

It was targeted at improving the capacity of tertiary institutions to access and utilise TETFund interventions, create higher sense of awareness for t r a n s p a r e n c y,

accountability and ethical conduct in the management of tertiary institutions.

Speaking at the conference, President Goodluck Jonathan said the delay by some institutions to access the funds was not in the interest of the nation’s education sector.

The president urged the participants to put in place a mechanism for monitoring the

colossal sum of N456.66 billion into the Nigerian education sector, while N65.65 billion was yet to be accessed.

This is exclusive of the recent Nl00 billion interventions by the Federal Government, based on agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities”, he-said.

In his view, Dr Iyela Ajayi, Provost, Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi, some of the tertiary institutions could

not access TETFund because of inadequate planning.

He said failure of managers of tertiary institutions to plan on the effective utilisation of the intervention funds was a major factor hindering access to the fund.

Some institutions either do not have or lack adequate planning on what they intend to do with the allocation yearly.

“Use of unqualified professionals, engagement of incompetent contractors and appointment of unqualified TETFund desk officers are major factors responsible for ‘failure of institutions to access intervention funds,’’ he said. Nonetheless, Ajayi observed that delay in honouring invitations by institutions for project monitoring on the part of TETFund, had also resulted in delay in the disbursement of funds.

It takes a minimum of two weeks for TETFund to honour invitations, probably because of shortage of manpower and this is not in the interest of institutions that are ready to access the fund.

It has tendency to delay disbursement of funds and my advice is for TETFund to increase its staff strength to enhance prompt response to invitations,’’ he suggested. He called for the establishment of TETFund offices across the geopolitical zones of the country, noting that difficulties of travelling long distances for little problems could hinder institutions from accessing the fund.

Aj.ayi also advocated for online submission of documents to reduce

challenges of travelling long distances to access the fund.

Mr Ekpo Nta, Chairman of ICPC, said the goal of the conference was to entrench the culture of t r a n s p a r e n c y, accountability and ethical conduct in tertiary institutions.

He said the ICPC, in collaboration with the Nigerian Universities Commission had in 2012, conducted a pilot system study of corruption prone processes in the operation of Nigerian universities.

Nta said the study was to help the universities to identify and deal with some unethical and criminal practices that were inimical to the smooth running of universities.

He identified admission racketeering, poor record keeping, poor e x a m i n a t i o n s management, improper management of funds and facilities as some, of the unethical and criminal practices.

Prof. Janice Olawoye of the University of Ibadan, said the conference was useful considering the fact that the tertiary institutions were still part of the society where corruption was already a challenge.

I do know that in the society, there are problems of fund mismanagement and am sure that the education sector is not exempted from this kind of problem,’’ she said.

Stakeholders at the conference are of the view that boosting the capacity of the nation’s tertiary institutions is not just a question of getting the fund, but how the fund is managed.

“Use of unqualified professionals, engagement of incompetent contractors and appointment of unqualified TETFund desk officers are major factors responsible for ‘failure of institutions to access intervention funds.’’

WITH recent reports that two years after the completion of a $470m (N76.Billion) National Public Security Communications System (NPSCS) Project in Abuja, most of the installed 1,000 cameras for the ClosedCircuit Television (CCTV) in the Federal Capital city have either been vandalised, nonfunctional or stolen, we cannot help but wonder what in the world actually went wrong with this very important security project.

We are seriously worried that despite the huge amount expended on the said project, which was to aid security operatives in their responsibilities of security assurance, the entire project is reportedly bedeviled with a lot of problems that has practically rendered it useless and ineffective.

According to reports, checks on the current state of the project showed that the solar panels and batteries of the CCTV had been stolen while some cameras that were installed along the expressways and major roads in the FCT had been crushed by vehicles involved in accidents. The contract for the NPSCS project was awarded by the Federal Government to provide a secured and independent multimedia communications system for the Nigerian Police and other security agencies in the country. The project was aimed at providing voice, video and data using the Code Division Multiple Access technology to enable security agencies to combat terrorism and other violent crimes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and other major cities across the nation.

Despite the worthiness of the said CCTV Project, it is rather unfortunate that since the installation of the CCTV cameras, criminal have launched violent attacks on Abuja without being detected. The failure of the National Public Security Communication System, NPSCS; otherwise known as the CCTV Project, has heightened the level of insecurity in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, reported checks have revealed. The project which was initiated by late President Umaru

Yar’Adua, was conceived to help security agencies in the Federal Capital Territory check the growing insecurity in the federal capital. But since the installation of the CCTV cameras and allied equipment, criminals and insurgents have over and over again launched violent attacks on the city without being detected. One then begins to wonder was the CCTV Project in Abuja and Lagos an ‘elephant project’ inherited by the present administration to misappropriate public funds.

Why would such a huge project involving such a substantial amount of public funds be left to rot away and not fulfilled the purpose for which it was intended in the first place?

Here we are crying and lamenting everyday about the rising insecurity in the country that has claimed countless lives and property, whereas, the CCTV Project that was intended to address the insecurity challenges has been made a public ridicule.

Between 2010 when the project was initiated and now, Abuja has come under seven deadly attacks, leaving scores of people dead and properties worth billions of naira destroyed. The first bomb explosion in the city occurred on 1st October, 2010, a few meters from the Three Arms Zone, during the country’s 50th Independence Day Anniversary celebrations.

Three Arms Zone can be regarded as the ‘Heart of the FCT’ because it is home to the Presidential Villa, the National Assembly Complex and the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), claimed responsibility for the said twin car bombs which killed 10 and injured many more. Then, On June 16, 2011, a suicide bomber drove a bomb-laden car and rammed into the parking lot of the Nigerian Police headquarters, shortly after the convoy of the then InspectorGeneral of Police, Hafiz Ringim, entered the complex.

Two persons died, including the traffic warden who prevented the bomber from ramming the bomb-laden vehicle into the main building, while several cars at

Focus $470 Million Reportedly F Matters A

the parking were burnt.

On August 26, 2011, another suicide bomber rammed a bomb-laden car into the United Nations building along the Diplomatic Drive in Abuja, killing about 20 persons.

Another suicide bomber, on April 26, 2012, attacked the Abuja office of the Thisday Newspaper, ripping off the roof of the building and killing innocent staff.

However, on April 14, 2014, twin blasts rocked the Nyanya Motor Park killing 71, while 124 persons suffered life-threatening injuries. Barely two weeks after the April 14 attack, another one occurred opposite the same Nyanya Motor Park on May 1, killing nine and injuring scores of persons.

The one that occurred most recently was On Wednesday, June 24, 2014, when another bomb went off at Emab Plaza, a busy shopping plaza in the heart of the capital, killing 21 persons. In all the attacks, the CCTV cameras installed across the city could not pick up images of the perpetrators of the dastardly acts. It was learnt that some of the CCTV cameras installed around the capital city are mere toys, ostensibly fixed to deceive the public.

Top officers at the Nigerian Force Headquarters, who pleaded not to be quoted because they were not authorized to speak on the matter, said while some of the cameras were functional, several others, were dormant, making the task of policing the city a difficult and sometimes impossible one. It was also found that most of the crimes in the city are committed outside the CCTV coverage area as most of the functional cameras are concentrated within the Three Arms Zone and some parts of the Business District.

The crux of the matter is that there need for the Federal Government’s NSCS Project not to allowed to rot and go to waste. Those responsible for the CCTV Project have to be made to account for and address whatever lapses that are

evident in the said project execution and maintenance in Abuja metropolis and environs. The stated CCTV Project has to be made to serve the purpose for which it was intended in the first place. To this end, there is also the need for the Federal Government to ensure that the said CCTV Project covers other sensitive places in Abuja metropolis and environs. That is, places like High Institutions, Colleges and their Student Hostels, Residents/Dormitories, Embassies, Churches, Markets, Motor Parks, Hotels and other public places should have CCTV cameras in and around such places to monitor the movement of suspecting persons, including the roads leading to such places. Even though, places like some Hotels, High Institutions, and Embassies might have already built in CCTV cameras within their premises, the roads and external environment of such places should equally have mounted CCTV cameras to observe any suspicious movement of persons. Let us bear in mind that these stated places have become easy targets for terrorist attacks, so our security operatives should be helped by the provision of CCTV cameras mounted in and out of such strategic places.

In one report, one of the security sources said, “The truth is that the CCTV cameras in Abuja are not helping us much in tackling insecurity in the city. It is like taking an inadequate dosage of a drug when you have a major health challenge. The drug will not work because it does not meet the required dosage. But when you take the required dosage, the drug will be able to deal with the ailment. That is the same situation we have with the CCTV cameras installed here in Abuja. Some of the cameras are working but a lot more are not working thereby creating many dark spots in the city. The camera is not helping much because most of the crimes occur in some of the dark spots. If a crime is committed in some of the

“The truth is that the CCTV cameras in Abuja are not helping us much in tackling insecurity in the city. It is like taking an inadequate dosage of a drug when you have a major health challenge. The drug will not work because it does not meet the required dosage.”

By ZIK GBEMBRE coverage areas, it will be possible to detect them with the cameras.” Another official revealed that the NPSCS project has been a subject of hire-wired intrigue and corruption by top officials of the Police Affairs Ministry and the Presidency.

“The contract was awarded and paid for, long before the present IGP came on board but a lot of people are trying to rope him into the problem when they know those who were responsible for the failed project,” he said.

Whatever might be the true picture of things, or whatever the case maybe, the crux of the matter is that the said $470 Million CCTV Project is not achieving its objectives in aiding security operatives to address the security challenges evident in the FCT. The NPSCS project was initiated to help Nigeria tackle the increasing level of insecurity in the country as far back as 2010. According to reports, investigation showed that late President Umaru Yar’Adua was persuaded by some of his powerful aides then to award the $470 million project to a Chinese firm, ZTE Corporation, in August 2010, and this was allegedly done without carrying out due diligence on the company.

The project, which was funded through a $600 million credit facility obtained from the Chinese EXIMBANK, was slated for completion in May, 2011.

Part of the project consisted of the installation of Close Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs), in many parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The NPSCS project is based on the Global Open Trunking Architecture (GoTa), a new technology that provides strategic telecommunications solutions to targeted clientele. Olusegun Aganga, the then Minister of Finance, led the Federal Government’s delegation to Beijing where the loan agreement for the project was signed with the Chinese EXIMBANK in June 2010.

Former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Waziri and the then Inspector-General of Police, Halfiz Ringim, were also part of the delegation.

The $600 million financing portfolio for the project was said to have been secured as a soft credit loan with three percent interest repayable in 10 years after an initial 10 years of grace. The project was expected to create a dedicated trunk system for i n t e r - a g e n c y

communications and linkages as well as remove critical national security agencies from private network operators and service providers. Late

and bas of sign gov firm spe the part term

Senator Bala Mohammed, FCT M Alhaji Yar’Adua had during a visit to China on March 1, 2008, made a brief stop at Shanghai where he held talks with top executives of ZTE Researching and Development Centre. The outcome of the discussion culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Government of Nigeria and ZTE Corporation. The government, according to reports, made a down payment of $70, 500,000 which is 15 percent of the total contract sum and signed a Sovereign Guarantee to the tune of $399, 500, 000 to enable ZTE source the loan from the Chinese Government. However, the project was piloted with the installation of solar-powered security cameras and allied security infrastructure in many parts of Abuja. But it has been learnt that some of the materials deployed for the critical national security infrastructure are of “low quality compared to what those used in China”. Yet, Nigerian authorities are not known to have lifted a finger in protest. It was also learnt that the contract was signed

by conf info disc used the p rela part part Th MoU was offic Min to ne crit proj reve clau tran acco hav MoU Sec Aff Oda proj secu not b also that be c the p proj exp chal out proj

Focus Failed CCTV Project And Arising

d executed in secrecy ed on the Memorandum Understanding, MoU, ned between the Nigerian vernment and the Chinese m. Article 4 of MoU ecifically indicated that terms agreed upon by the ties be kept secret. “The ms of this MoU are agreed

The funny aspect is that the Managing Director of ZTE Nigeria, Mr. Hao Fuqiang, had said in an interview that every aspect of the project had been tested, completed and handed over to the government. In his words, “Every component of the project has been completed, tested and handed

Minister

both parties to be fidential. All confidential ormation shall not be closed to third parties or d for any other purpose or possibility of a business ationship between the ies unless agreed by both ties,” the document read. he secrecy clause in the U, according to reports, s created to allow top cials of the Police Affairs nistry and the Presidency egotiate away some of the ical elements of the ject. The report further ealed that the secrecy use violated every rule of nsparency and ountability and should not e been allowed in the U. But the Chief Press retary at the Police airs Ministry, James audu, said the CCTV ect is a sensitive national urity operation that should be discussed publicly. He o said, “It is not possible the whole of Abuja can covered in one phase of project. It is an ongoing ect with a lot of rooms for ansion. “If there are llenges, we will sort them with time. There are no ects without challenges.”

over to the Nigerian government. They are all working in perfect condition. Yes, we had challenges at the beginning of the project, but they were all addressed and I am proud to say that ZTE has helped to build modern architecture for public security in Nigeria,” he had stated.

Even the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo, while inspecting some of the PSCS facilities at the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, had also expressed satisfaction and happiness with the way the new security platform was being operated, and assured Nigerians that it would check criminal activities in the country. In his words, “I must say that I am highly impressed. This is one of the security supports that are necessary and I am pleased that Mr. President has given approval for the Nigeria Police to acquire the sophisticated and necessary security surveillance system. I can see the whole of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Abuja Airport and so many things,

through the equipment,” the Vice-President had said.

But investigations by some national tabloids showed that the security agencies had been unable to deploy the system in checking terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country. Checks showed that the Video Surveillance Cameras Monitor and the Video Conference Terminal at the Force headquarters, “Abuja Main Switch Centre”, had been largely dormant due to lack of video feed from installed cameras, most of which are not functional.

Further findings showed that many of the installed 1,000 Close Circuit Television (cameras) apart from covering limited areas of the city had never worked while most of them had been vandalized and their parts stolen. It was also learnt that the installed cameras covered only areas inhabited by influential Nigerians and districts where important facilities and government establishements were located like the Central Business District, Asokoro, Maitama and major roads and junctions in the city. It was further learnt that the CCTVs were not installed in satellite towns such as Kuje, Kubwa, Nyanya, Karu and other areas where average people and low income earners live. But low income areas in the Federal Capital Territory with dense population are prone to violent crimes like armed robbery, kidnapping, and burglary. Checks indicated that such areas as Nyanya, Kubwa, Kuje, Bwari, Zuba, Jikwoyi, Karu, Bwari and other satellite towns in the FCT record higher crime rates than areas inhabited by the rich and the affluent like Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse, and the Central Business District which are well policed by security personnel.

Like we stated above, it was learnt that the contractor used sub-standard materials for the CCTV project compared to what it installed in other countries. A security

source told reporters that the contractor did not make provision for back-up infrastructure and spare parts for the cameras, solar panels and batteries, adding that many of the cameras that packed up could not be repaired due to lack of spare parts. It was gathered that the video-conference sub-system of the project could not be activated due to disagreement between the contractor and the government over the nonallocation of the 450 MHz frequency for the use of the sub-system. Sambo, had in 2013 directed the Nigerian Communications Commission to allow ZTE to utilise the high value spectrum for the NPSCS project, but it could not be confirmed if the directive had been complied with.

It is really sad that the issues of corruption and bad leadership has left us with inept security agencies that are daily deprived of necessary working tools in addressing the insecurity challenges that are facing us as a nation. Like a retired Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, had noted in the PUNCH report, he described the CCTV Project as an avenue for people to embezzle funds, noting that “this government is just making money available for people to steal.” According to him, the NPSCS, if well managed, could assist security agencies to stem the tide of terrorism and criminality. He, however, observed that the various bomb blasts and attacks might not have been perpetrated by the violent sect, Boko Haram, but by those who were profiting from the insecurity situation in the country. A security expert, Chief Anabs SaraIgbe, noted that the shoddy manner the CCTV Project was carried out showed that the government was not serious about combating terrorism and other violent crimes in the country.

According to him, the NPSCS project should have put in place quality security cameras that can withstand

rough handling and inclement weather, with strong back-up system and spare parts.

In his words: “As far as I am concerned, the campaign against terrorists cannot be won until we are able to nip things in the bud. Fighting terrorism is like a leaking pump; until you lock the pump, the water will not stop, bailing the water is not the solution, but closing the pump or blocking the leaking point,” he stated.

The Chairman, Egalitarian Mission Africa, a nongovernmental organisation, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, described the contract as a scam. He said, “The project is entirely rubbish. It is a scam of sort.

Where are the CCTV cameras when I was kidnapped in Abuja the other time? Why didn’t any of them record the incident to give the police, clue on what actually happened? Some of the cameras were mounted in my area in Gwarimpa and there had been three cases of car thefts which were not recorded by the cameras.

There is even no electricity, no generator or solar device to power them. It’s all rubbish.” The National Coordinator, Proactive Gender Initiatives, Esther Uzoma, called on the government to rekindle a strong sense of patriotism in the security personnel, stressing that “Nigeria must be worth dying for.”According to her, the flagrant display of vulgar wealth in the midst of abject poverty must stop.

However, the NSCS Project is not all that bad judging from the report of the project in Lagos State. At least, we are glad that some state governments are going the extra mile in ensuring that adequate security through modern technology is guaranteed within their states.

It was recently reported that the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, had said his government will deploy additional 1000 Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras to stem the tide of criminal activities in Lagos State.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at a public security system demonstration at the Command and Control Center, Alausa, Ikeja, said the 1000 Cameras will add up to

the already existing 1200 CCTV Cameras currently functional in the State. In his words: “Now we have moved from a zero camera state to about 1200 camera state. How significant that is, some numbers would show us. We are now in a position where we are now on one camera to about 10 sq kilometers, so we are far behind other cities like New York and London, where they rangebetween 200 and 450 cameras per Sq km but we have moved from 0 over 4000 Sq. kilometers and we have reduced that distance significantly. How did we do it, we have merged our cameras with the ones that the Federal Government installed, so we have taken all the feeds in here. We have moved from one small screen that you saw in Lekki to 27 screens that are collapsible in all forms either to one big wall, three screens and so on”, Governor Fashola stressed.

This tells that, if the Lagos State Government can ensure the functionality and expansion of the CCTV Project to fight crime, then it is possible in all the states across the Federation, the FCT included. It all boils down to the commitment and sincerity of the Government of the day in making this happens For us to have a ‘crimefree’ society there is need to appropriately care for and provide modern security apparatus to those that are responsible for providing the security service in the first place. It is only when this is holistically sorted out and maintained that we can now hold the men and officers of the security operatives responsible for not doing their job efficiently, when lapses are observed.

However, for all things to work together for our good, the government at all levels should not neglect or down play their responsibilities in ensuring and providing a “robust economy” that will drastically reduce the “poverty” level in the country, which is the main problem that brings about increase in crimes in the first place. We ask that the right thing should be done.

“The project is entirely rubbish. It is a scam of sort.

Where are the CCTV cameras when I was kidnapped in Abuja the other time? Why didn’t any of them record the incident to give the police, clue on what actually happened? Some of the cameras were mounted in my area in Gwarimpa and there had been three cases of car thefts which were not recorded by the cameras.”

Issues

Malala Yousafzai Rallies Support For Release Of Chibok School Girls

ON July 12, Miss Malala Yousafzai, the girls’ education campaigner who was shot by the Taliban in Pakistan, paid a three-day visit to Nigeria.

She was in the country to campaign for the release of over 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

Malala, who has been a supporter of the Bring Back Our Girls group, visited after three months of the Chibok girls kidnap, a visit which coincided with her 17th birthday.

Born on July 12, 1997; she is a student and education activist from the town of Mingora in the Swat District of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

She is known for her activism for the rights of children and women education, especially in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school.

Her growing influence did not go down well with the Taliban; hence in the afternoon of October 9, 2012, an assassination attempt was made on her life inside her school bus in the northwest Pakistani District of Swat.

She survived the attack, while the assassination attempt elicited international support for Yousafzai.

The United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Mr. Gordon Brown launched a UN petition in Yousafzai’s

name, using the slogan “I am Malala.’’

He demanded that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015 – a petition which helped to lead to the ratification of Pakistan’s first Right to Education Bill.

Speaking at a dinner held in her honour at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Malala made a passionate appeal for the right of every child to education and for the release of the abducted Chibok girls.

“On my 17th birthday, my wish is to see every child go to school and I want to see my Nigerian sisters being released from their abduction and I want them to be free to go to school and continue their education “I also hope to listen to those girls who were abducted and later ran away from their abductors and it would be really nice to listen to the parents of the girls.

“They are the ones who can really tell us what their daughters are suffering and what they are suffering too,” she said.

Sharing similar sentiments, Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, said: “Since centuries, we have been ignoring half of our population, so we should stop it now.

“In the Swat District (in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) I was contributing to my community in education; I had a school and I was a poor man in terms of

By CHIJIOKE OKORONKWO money but I had an institution I started from the scratch.”

Mr. Ima Niboro, Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria

federal, states and local governments to increase budgetary allocation to the education sector and ensure the education of every child in Nigeria.

hopeful that the girls who escaped from the abduction will get the opportunity to return to school,’’ she said.

Responding, Wike said it was on record that in 2010, the budget of the Federal Ministry of Education was

Girl child education campaigner, Malala Yousafzai in a handshake with President Goodluck Jonathan during her visit to Nigeria.

(NAN), presented a birthday card and flowers to Malala on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Thank you Malala for coming to Nigeria, Mr. President personally signed this card, he shares your vision, your dreams and your ambitions and he is happy that you are here,” Niboro told Malala.

Malala, during a courtesy visit to the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, urged the

Malala expressed confidence that the Federal Government’s intervention in the education sector would bring change, adding “when I come back to Nigeria, I want to hear the news that zero children in Nigeria are out of school.’’

She also appealed to the Nigerian government to beef up security in schools across the country.

“I want to see that no child is deprived of education and again I am

“Malala asked Boko Haram terrorists to stop misusing the name of Islam by preventing young girls from going to school and stop indiscriminate killings of people.”

about N200 billion, but today the combined budget of the ministry was over N500 billion.

“There is a dramatic increase in the budget to education and it has the largest budget in this country and this proves that this government has made attempts to increase and improve the budgetary allocation to the ministry and the sector.

“That may not be enough, but I am trying to say that there has been progressive improvement in the budgetary allocation to the education sector.’’

“We are not taking it lightly; it is a national issue that we must have to do something to reduce the number of out-of-school children and we will continue to fund the relevant agencies that are responsible for this enrolment.’’

The minister announced

that by 2015 the Federal Government was targeting two million pupil enrolment in primary schools across the country.

He disputed the accuracy of the UNICEF data which put the number of out of school-children in Nigeria at 10.5 million.

He however said the Federal government would use the data as a template to work on its intervention and assured that by September 2015 “out of school children should have reduced to no fewer than 7 million.’’

At the 2nd Malala Day celebration on July 14 in Abuja, Malala called on world leaders to protect girls across the world from violence, the cruelty of forced-marriage and threat of terrorists.

Malala Day is a day set aside by the UN to highlight the importance of compulsory education for children across the globe.

The maiden edition of Malala Day was celebrated in 2013 at the UN headquarters in New York.

“In my home country Pakistan, girls are suffering cruelty; they are forced to marry; leaving the school to become brides, when they should be girls and giving birth to children when they themselves are children.

“No child anywhere should be the target of conflict or violence.

“To the girls of Nigeria and across Africa and all over the world, I want to say don’t let anyone tell you that you are weaker or less than anything,’’ Malala asked Boko Haram terrorists to stop misusing the name of Islam by preventing young girls from going to school and stop indiscriminate killings of people.

She urged the terrorists to release the Nigerian school girls abducted since April 14.

“I ask Boko Haram to stop misusing the name of Continues on pg. 20

Family Planning

WITH ERANGA ISAAC-08059233001

“As I have explained elsewhere, we know now from recent scientific research that use of positive language actually makes us feel good because of increased oxytocin and serotonin levels in our bodies. It also enables us to use our right brains more.”

Engaging Women In Reproductive Health Advocacy THE role of women in Maternal Newborn and Child Health Advocacy and Services cannot be overemphasized. Below are six steps suggested by Alice Welbourn, Founding Director of Salamander Trust.

1 - The first suggested step is that we keep things simple.

We all have really complex lives and simplicity is always welcome! Here are some examples of how to keep things simple. Firstly, language. As I have explained elsewhere, we know now from recent scientific research that use of positive language actually makes us feel good because of increased oxytocin and serotonin levels in our bodies. It also enables us to use our right brains more.

Left brains are great for doing things to do with engineering or medicine. But when it comes to the sociopolitical dimensions of health, which as Kate Gilmore just explained is what we are talking about here, it is really useful for us to enlist the support of our right brains, where creative thinking and the development of “out of the box” positive future possibilities resides. It’s also

a good idea, wherever possible, to use clear language. One medical doctor I know asked me what “MNCH” is—and if these letters were even a problem for her, then it goes to show how much we need to think about use of everyday language wherever possible, so as not to make people feel alienated. Next, I suggest that we offer dual protection (for example, protection against unplanned pregnancies and against sexually transmitted infection [STI] transmission) to all women and children, irrespective of their HIV status. I suggest this especially because we have heard from colleagues in this region, for instance, that women with HIV are only offered condoms at health centers and no other contraceptive, on the basis that they shouldn’t be having sex anyway, let alone daring to think of having children.

Yet as we all know, it is now possible for women with HIV to have 99 percent HIVfree babies through normal vaginal delivery, so this practice is unjust and unscientific. We all know how much health workers are held in esteem in their communities. So just

imagine if all health staff treated all women and girls equally, regardless of our status. That would send out such a powerful message to the communities where they work.

My third suggestion is that we make all services available, affordable, acceptable, and accessible to women and girls. Let’s make services fit for people instead of going on expecting people to fit into services. Like Cinderella and the glass slipper, we all need to think about putting our feet in the shoes, or the sandals—or even the bare footprints—of women and girls whom we Anyone wanting to support women and girls needs to ensure that they entirely understand

things from their perspective if they hope to have any success. Of course the best way to do this is to involve women and girls in the design, planning, implementation are wanting to use the services, and monitoring and evaluation of services and related advocacy work. Everyone who is really involved in something wants to see it being successful.

My fourth suggestion for keeping things simple is for us to talk about “women” and “girls” instead of “patients” and “mothers.” Why is it that we keep defining our gender with labels that associate us with other people or contexts? As appendages to other priorities? Let’s just stick to women and girls whenever we can, so we are

defined in our own rights rather than in relation to others. 2 - The second suggested step is about safety.

The World Health Organization (WHO) tells us that pregnancy alone can lead to gender-based violence (GBV) for some, especially if the pregnancy is unplanned. We also know very clearly now that GBV can increase women’s vulnerability to HIV and that—conversely—an HIV diagnosis can provoke or exacerbate GBV. It is also clear to any who have experienced GBV that fear of violence is as big as actual violence—and the emotional and psychological effects of violence or fear of violence can last years after the actual physical signs may have faded away. This is being borne out in recent research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

There is a wonderful website and book called Why Love Matters by Sue Gerhardt, who explains very compassionately how critically important it is to a baby’s well-being that she or his mother is psychologically and emotionally healthy, while the child is in the

womb and in the first hours, days, and weeks of the child’s birth. I use the term “mother” here advisedly, in the context of this strong mother/child dyad and in recognizing the critical importance of this primal bond between a woman and her baby in these early stages of the child’s life. If this bond is damaged in any way, it can have far-reaching effects on the child’s development, which can carry on into adulthood. So even if anyone felt that they had no interest in a woman’s health in her own right, surely they ought to be concerned, for the baby’s health, to ensure that we all support the development of that bond as best we can. So it is clear, surely, that a healthy baby needs a healthy mother. So let’s make sure that we make this happen.

We need to ensure psychological, physical, and sexual safety for all women and girls at all times.

And we need institutional care and safety for all women at all times. We need to ensure that every woman knows that whenever she goes near a health center she will be guaranteed confidentiality, support, Continues on page 23

“Of course the best way to do this is to involve women and girls in the design, planning, implementation are wanting to use the services, and monitoring and evaluation of services and related advocacy work. Everyone who is really involved in something wants to see it being successful.”

Issues Continued from pg. 18

Islam; Islam is a religion of peace; Islam allows every girl and every boy to get education; to go to school and education is compulsory in Islam.

“The world Islam means peace; and Islam gives the message of tolerance, patience, harmony and humanity.’’

She advised Boko Haram to lay down its weapons, release the abducted girls and respect the language and culture of other people.

“I ask Boko Haram to think about their own sisters, if they suffer in the same brutal and harsh situation how would you feel?

“If your sisters are homeless, if they are under the captivity of someone who is so violent and cruel

how would you feel.

“Those who are under your imprisonment are like your sisters, Islam preaches a message of brotherhood, we are all sisters and brothers.

“Release the daughters of this nation, let them be free, they have committed no crime.’’

The 17-year old Pakistani girl dedicated the 2nd Malala Day to her ‘Nigerian sisters,’’ kidnapped by Boko Haram, whom she said have become victims of terrorists like her after she survived a Taliban gun shot on her head.

“Every Day, Boko Haram terrorises the local people and over 200 girls were kidnapped and still have not returned, next week it will be 100 days.

“Hundred day since they were taken, 100 days in

... Release Of Chibok Shool Girls captivity, 100 days out of school, without parents and 100 days under fear.’’

She said that insecurity was not peculiar to

Nigeria, adding that insecurity in different parts of the globe such as Syria, Gaza, Ukraine and Afghanistan have forced

Kidnapped girls

many school age children to be out of school.

“Around 57 million children are out of school, 10.5 million children in Nigeria do not have access to education, in my native country, Pakistan, seven million children are deprived of basic education.

“In Pakistan children have to leave their homes for their safety because there is a military operation going on against the terrorists and many children do not have access to education and they are out of school,’’ she said.

She announced Malala Fund donation of 200,000 dollars to two Nigeria organisations working on education of the girl-child.

Malala also said she had earlier met with President Goodluck Jonathan, who assured her that “government would use the best option to secure the release of the girls alive.’’

Meanwhile, the Pakistani High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Muhammad Saleem, said Pakistani people were proud of Malala’s achievements and hoped her visit to Nigeria would go a long way in resolving the issue of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls.

Nigerians share that optimism, that Malala’s visit to Nigeria will help to resolve the issues of the kidnapped Chibok girls as well as insurgency in the country.

Tribute

Dora Akunyili: NIGERIA renowned pharmacist and immediate past Hon. Minister of Information Prof. Dora Akunyili (OFR) died of Cancer. She was born in Makurdi, Benue State on the 14th of July, 1954.

You don’t need to travel in thought to capture the source of my title. It is traceable to the last, latest, controversial and yet captivating mediation on the condition of safe drug.

A tense narrative grip and a revelatory entry into the intimate character of Prof.

Dora Akunyili brilliant mind and bold spirit on the cost and curse of combating fake drugs, hence, the Nigeria’s fake drugs burden made manifest in NAFDAC fight, a course pursued by Dora that exceeds all expectations.

Though now of blessed memory, but she lived as one of the greatest dog-head fighter and sincere Nigerian of the twentieth century, she remains a gaint of modern medicine who has left the authentic imprint of African cultures across the globe.

In terms of employing fairness to the politicohistorical and economic consequence in the fight against fake drug traffickers even at the expense of fights against her kindred who might have be engaged in the fake drug dealings.

The power of her fighting

The Woman Who Kept Her Name

and revelations from the depths of the human subconsciousness, Dora has no rival.

I am the most incompetent to write on Prof. Dora Akunyili based on her sophisticated intellectual sagacity in the struggle. I cannot situate her, for she transcended my being. But having followed her policies religiously, my unfamiliar mind is brought within the purview of her landscape hence I obtained some of the sources of my own perspective. To remember, is to honour and to honour is to remember.

I hereby welcome you to Prof. Dora Akunyil’s beautiful world, the woman who kept her name, she refused to fall for her critics as a result of her acts, she left a memory based on her cost and curse of fake drugs and her debt to Nigeria as a medical giant who plied medicine at its height in saving life.

She is a recipient of several Nigerian National merit Awards. Enter Prof. Dora Akunyili beautiful world: Dora Akunyili, the then NAFDAC boss who passed on recently was best described as “a woman…who had made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind’s enjoyment and

By MUSA ABDULWAHAB understanding of healthy living”, the words of that

who kept her name, to know Prof. Dora Akunyili’s was to

Late (Prof) Dora Akunyili

eloquent description capture full blast my sentiments.

Prof. Dora Akunyili, through the sustained excellence of her job became one of the World finest doctors and intellectuals who not only enriched the world but also in a most moving away defined it.

Consequent upon her job and surpassed credentials, Dora shall for life, occupy a transcendent place in the world of letters, paraded upon ethical, aesthetic and intellectual ground, she staked out. Dora: the woman

be tempted into believing in the impossibility of her death.

How could a woman so graceful and rich in her humanity, so accomplished

yet so gregarious and level headed, how could such a woman die?

Yet, on 7th June 2014, the dreadful truth in a gesture more eloquent than world struck she is dead.

Talking about her signature attributes, she was deeply human, that meant a stubborn belief in the dignity of every human. She parleyed with youth on social issues and engaged strangers in conversation. She brought to each relationship that depth of humanity that made you believe that she considered you inherently deserving of dignified treatment.

As one of Nigeria’s most clear-minded voices of conscience, she was a voice for the millions of Nigerians betrayed, debased and dehumanised by the country’s cast of confused rulers past and present. She was a delegate at the sovereign national conference that is one going which she played

a vital role.

Dora deeds stand out, in a society where too many are quick to exchange their reputations. For cash: To suborn themselves for a mess of porridge, to sell themselves to the highest bidder Dora insisted that her name was her most cherished and lasting asset, her jewel, her best currency.

Against all temptations, she refused to sell her name.

She kept her name, what an indelible magnificent imprint she left. God blessed Dora, for she kept her hands in God’s hand and her feet solidly on the ground where the commoners touched her.

And because she left such a rich, impressive legacy, because she saved so many peoples life, because she inspired us with her life of services, because she left us prodigious ethical and moral funds, she remains the woman who kept her name while with us.

“Dora deeds stand out, in a society where too many are quick to exchange their reputations. For cash: To suborn themselves for a mess of porridge, to sell themselves to the highest bidder Dora insisted that her name was her most cherished and lasting asset, her jewel, her best currency.”

Archival Matters

A Patient With Politico-Fibromatosis

YANG JIANBIN is a Chinese from Shanxi Province. In 1997, he was born with a dark birthmark.

Unknown to his parents, the mark was a sign of a genetic nerve disorder. Later, this mark on the right side of his lower back began to grow into a benign nerve tumour medically identified as NEUROFIBROMATOSIS By 37 years of age, the growing tumour was 17 stones in weight, 1.2m wide and had caused an enlargement on his right leg that confined him to bed all day. Nevertheless, the tumour kept growing. And, so, his life was not only threatened, it was at a standstill.

Deploying the power of figurative language, Nigeria can be compared to Yang Jianbin. Like him, she is terribly sick not necessarily with a nerve disorder but with a political tumour herein referred to as politico-fibromatosis.

Nigeria is afflicted by this debilitating illness due to our warped, unprogressive attitude towards Nigeria-a great country God gave us.

A few examples will suffice here to show this attitude of ours. Firstly, let’s hear Prof. Talco Parsons, a renowned sociologist. In his ACTION THEORY, he tell us that if a system is to survive as an on-going concern, all definitive subunits of it must continually supply it with its own life energy. However, what do we find? None of these subunits is providing the essential energy voltage” the system or Nigeria needs to work on four cylinders.

For instance, our leaders are not providing role model mentoring or patriotic leadership.

Traditional institutions are not servicing the country with pure, unadulterated, culture either.

The educational sector, on its part is daily delivering academic quacks with constipated knowledge into the society. Worse of all, our religious sub-unit, which supposedly should be closer to God and be a source of spiritual re-growth for us has become a house of sin.

By MICHAEL ODIGBE Indulgences, knighthoods or other status symbols are sold to the highest bidders in churches.

Shoes left at the entrances of mosques, as tradition requires before prayers, are sometimes stolen.

Meanwhile, some of our self-professed African traditional medicine men have breached their oaths of conduct by stealing from their clients. In bizarre cases, these so-called medicine men kill these clients to cover up their dubious acts.

Recall the painful police report on the Lagos murder of Angela and her step daughter by a native doctor Olatunji Azeez. The woman approached Azeez for a child. He boasted that he could fulfill her request but ended up deceptively collecting her N10m and some of her landed properties. Later, she found out that he was a big fraud.

So, he demanded for a refund payment.

He agreed to do so and then gave her a day to come for it. On that appointed day, she went with her 10 year-old step daughter to his residence. Playing on her desperate gullibility, he requested that they knelt on a mat for ritual prayers before they discussed the refund of her asset they obeyed. But as they tried to kneel on the mat, they fell into a 40 feet deep pit underneath it him.

Thereafter, he buried them alive with a smile on her face in the pit.

Well, it is not only in African traditional religion you find “spiritual clergymen” burying people and their dreams alive. Such a spectacle happens in other different religious institutions. All said, therefore, the issue is that none of the sub-units of our political system called Nigeria is providing its quota of services to it.

Hence, our morbid condition of political fibromatosis that is getting worse each passing daythanks to our lack of diligence, hard work and

honesty in our attitude to life.

You can also see this attitude at work in how we mismanaged our SIM card registration. In truthful, civilised countries proper,

accurate identification and d o c u m e n t a t i o n accompanies the card’s registration by sub-scribers so that the nations as well as individuals enjoy the economics of vertical integration. But in the case of Nigeria, this wasn’t so in 2001 when GSM service was introduced.

Well, no regrets for this lapse. No person or institution to perfect except God as I always expound.

However, because of this digital registration gap, criminality increased according to the security

agencies therefore, in 2008 they canvassed that it was high time SIM cards were registered in Nigeria.

The authorities keyed into the idea atleast to curb mobile phone-induced crimes on the rise in the country. Ordinarily, the GSM service providers and

by the office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Communications Commission, the DirectorGeneral of the Department of State Security Service exploded an information bomb. He told bewildered listeners that the SIM card registration exercise hasn’t

their subscribers ought to have worked out how to pick the bill of SIM card registration.

However, the National Assembly surprisingly approved N6.1 billion for it in 2011. Yet, the telecommunication industry is a private enterprise-driven which doesn’t need public or tax payers’ fund intervention.

In January 2012, the registration of SIM cards ended. Unfortunately, in July 2014 during a Cyber Security Forum, organised

helped the security agencies in fighting crime in Nigeria.

How you are!! Another N6.1 billion has gone down the drain into private pocket. The nation lost out in the SIM card registration exercise while a few, greedy cabal smiled to the bunk.

There again goes another sign of our politicofibromatosis.

Still, take a look at our PH.D syndrome of “pullhim-down if you cannot beat him. That pathological attitude led to in 1983, the rigging out late Prof.

Ambrose Alli, former governor of Bendel State, by crooks from hell.

Paradoxically, their children, nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and friends are attending or working as staff in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma which he established. But these same shenanigans wrote off the university as a non-achievement of the great man.

Also, it is this same PH.D syndrome in most of us that culminated in the exit of Alhaji Rasaki Maina, PENCOM task force chairman. While in office, he blocked all avenues which led to billions of naira missing from pensioners public account.

In anger, the cabal feeding fat on the account framed and accusing him of stealing N298 billion of pensioners’ funds even though he was not a signatory to any account.

But the court knew better.

It freed him of all the false charges against him.

Now, re-enter Yang Jianbin the Chinese with neurofibromatosis. It took radical surgery lasting 16 hours and 5, 000ml of blood to remove his tumour in a Beijing hospital. Like him, Nigeria need a radical interventionist and invasive solution to her politicofibromatosis. Not an evasive reformist or tinkering remedy which pampers our problem. Yes, only transparent, patriotic, caring, visionary and Godfearing leaders can radically transform Nigeria. Either this or else she will remain the broken down trailer it is today with all of us, occupants, behind it pushing, pushing and pushing. No movement.

None

“For instance, our leaders are not providing role model mentoring or patriotic leadership. Traditional institutions are not servicing the country with pure, unadulterated, culture either.”

Science

Plant And Animal Diseases ANTHRAX of cattle is spread by the ingestion of contaminated food or water.

SYMTOMS There is bloody exudates from the nasal, rectal and vaginal openings, muscular tremors, rapid pulse, diarrhea and high temperature CONTROL Cattles should be vaccinated, there should be a good sanitation of where they stay, there should be a disinfection of the environment and curative treatment by a veterinary officer.

CASSAVA LEAF MOSAIC It is spread from one plant to another by an insect vector like the grasshopper, the wind and the aphids.

SYMPTOM There is yellowing, distortion and curling of the leaves, mottling, reduced leaf area hence the photo synthesis is reduced, there is stunted growth and excessive branching of the leaves.

CONTROL Resistant varieties of cassava should be planted to resist any form of infection.

Swollen Shoot Disease of Cocoa Mealy bugs are solely the insects that transmits this disease.

SYMPTION It reduces the yield of cocoa, there is mottling and distortion of cocoa leaves after which the cocoa bean size are been reduced.

CONTROL The affected trees that are affected be the vectors should be cut down and burnt.

FOWL POX Fowl pox disease is spread by Aedes mosquito and stegomyia SYMTOMS There are scabs all over the heads nostrils, eyes and comb of the fowl, there is also nasal discharge and tear production, their eyes may be close due to lesions found around the eyelids of the fowl.

CONTROL Birds should be vaccinated when they are about 1+ weak and those birds that are affected should be removed.

NEW CASTLE DISEASE OF CHICKENS It is spread by contact with contaminated water, food or feaces, there is also mouth, eye nasal and feacal discharge also help to spread this disease.

SYMPTOMS There is difficulty in breathing, weakness, gasping for breath, trembling paralysis of wings and legs and twisting of the neck are all as a result of Respiratory and nervous disorders.

CONTROL Birds should be vaccinated twice when they are about a week old and also when they are about 5+ weeks old. There should be disinfection of poultry equipment, removal of infected birds and the proper sanitation of immediate environment.

Lift Cycle Of The Tsetse fly The male and female tsetse fly mate which results in the development of only one fertilized egg which is not laid, it then matures into a larva in the body of this female after eight days which is born. This larva is cylindrical and white with 2 knobs, bearing breathing pores. It makes a tunnel in the ground where it undergoes a series of moulting. After about 10 ten days during the warm weather the larva will develop into a pupal stage.

The pupal stage lasts for about 3 weeks before it changes to the adult Tsetse fly, it emerges from the pupal case and allows its wings to dry up of which it then flies away The life cycle is an incomplete one from egg-larva-adult CONTROL There are some prescribed drugs used in the attack of the disease in man and animal at their early stages.

The bushes that would have served as shade and Moisture for developing stages of tsetse fly should be cleared and burnt.

Antelopes which are game animas and potential source of parasites causing sleeping sickness where cattle are bread should be reduced.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF TSETSEFLY

With Oyakhilome Clementina

They have piercing and sucking mouth parts which makes them adapted to the feeding of blood.

It is a vector of sleeping sickness both in man and cattle.

This disease brings about weakness and general reduction in health, low productivity due to loss in man power from sickness.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF APHID They suck plant juice, causing physical damage to plant tissues, they transmit viruses which caused numerous plant diseases like swollen shoot disease of cocoa and at the end they reduce the growth of the plant.

CONTROL The ladybird beatlie and wasp larvae are introduced into the farm land to eat up the aphids in variably the ladybird beatle and the wasp learvae are the enemies of the aphids.

The affected plant in the farmland are been destroyed.

Insecticides may be used in the elimination of some adult aphids.

The Aphids are small green as brownish black insects, with their monthparts which are adapted for piercing and sucking juice from shoots.

Mouthparts are made up of 4 styles endosed in a labium.

The female lays unfertilized eggs on leaves when conditions are favourable.

These eggs, develop into wingless Nymphs. They undergo parthenogenesis meaning eggs developing without fertilisation. The products of the eggs are usually females.

However, males may develop when there are unfeavourable conditions.

A situation where both males and female develop.

They mate, resulting in fertilized eggs, laid by the females, the eggs are thick shelled and resistant to high temperature and desiccation.

When the host plant has lost his vigour, the Nymphs move to another fresh host plant and continues to feed on the plant juice and reproducing wingless Aphids again which then mouths several times and maturing within a period of one week.

“Cattles should be vaccinated, there should be a good sanitation of where they stay, there should be a disinfection of the environment and curative treatment by a veterinary officer.�

Family Planning Continued from pg. 19

dignity, and respect.

3 - Negotiating when, where, how, with whom we have sex, with safety and— heaven forbid, with pleasure—is way out of the reach of so many women and girls around the world.

This must change. Of course all of us women and girls need information, education, skills, and consent.

And surely we all need to have our rights to bodily autonomy upheld, as Kate Gilmore was explaining.

What I find quite strange about this Women Deliver conference is that in all the sessions I have gone to, I have heard very little mention of Millennium Development Goal 3. Yet surely MDG 3 is critical to achieving all the MDGs? Why is MDG 3 missing from the debate? I am not aware that we have achieved it. I really believe that we all need to be ensuring that we include MDG 3 in all our debates both now and beyond 2015. And my last point in relation to sex is that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women and girls, in all our diversities, and the MNCH agenda are inseparable.

Indeed I would say that the MNCH agenda is a sub-set of the SRHR agenda. We can only achieve effective and successful MNCH if we set it within the wider enabling environment of comprehensive SRHR for us all.

4 - Fourth step is about support. Women “do” peer support really well.

I was talking to a senior bank executive a few years ago and he said that if you tell a man something he tells no one and keeps it to himself. Whereas if you tell a woman something and she thinks it’s a good idea, she shares it with an average of seven girlfriends.

You may all laugh—but the advertising world knows this all too well and they target their advertising accordingly.

Our peer support skills are a vast unrecognized, invisible, unpaid, and still largely untapped resource around the world. Yet as soon as we sense that there are women or sex “out of place,” this mutual support system unravels, like knitting wool from a snag in a jumper.

Renowned anthropologist Mary Douglas, in her book Purity and Danger, talked about “matter out of place” causing discomfort and distress in many societies. In this way, “women out of place” or “sex out of place” causes us all to put up barriers and distance ourselves from those who somehow rock the status quo.

So whether it’s about teen pregnancy, unmarried sex, rape, HIV, having (another) sexually transmitted infection, being lesbian, bisexual, trans or inter-sex, abortion, divorce, sex work, widowhood, contraception, being incarcerated, or using illicit drugs, we are all conditioned, as women, to categorize, label, and blame and exclude each other. We don’t use the same strictures on judging men in our societies.

Yet once we have labeled all the women we know on the basis of the above list, who of us has many female friends or even acquaintances left?

This is because of the patriarchal attitudes with which we have all been raised in our many societies around the world. Such attitudes damage men as well as women. They are harmful to us all.

5 - As a little aside here, I recently read a wonderful book produced by young lesbian, gay and bisexual leaders from Toronto. Many of them described the self-

WITH ERANGA ISAAC-08059233001

...Reproductive Health Advocacy

loathing and self-hatred they experienced and had to work through whilst growing up, as they came to terms with realizing that their own sexual orientation was not the mainstream accepted heteronormative version of how they “should” be. These experiences resonated so strongly for me with my own experience of learning about my own HIV status, despite

my having been involved already in HIV prevention education. I know many women with HIV also experienced similar depths of despair and self-hatred when they were first diagnosed. This is so very sad—and telling—that any of us who steps outside the “norms” of what our patriarchal societies expect of us experience this. It also goes to show how very deeply embedded are these attitudes within us, even without our often realizing this. It is time therefore to

challenge and transform our language, attitudes, and practices, so that we may join together again to overcome these patriarchal attitudes and regain the solidarity of our peer support structures, irrespective of our diverse identities.

6 - Many governments assume that they are “doing

Europe, it happens to Roma women, so I think coerced sterilization takes place in all regions of the world.

We are not baby factories or disease vectors. We are women and girls, in all our diversities, with our own rights and, as Kate Gilmore so clearly explained, states are duty bearers to provide

gender” when they fund MNCH services. However, all too often, MNCH services are about perpetuating women’s wrongs rather than promoting women’s rights.

The experiences of many women with HIV in many parts of the world at the hands of health workers is frankly appalling. They experience scolding, abuse, and even coerced sterilization. Here in Asia, the latter has taken place in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It’s also been happening in Southern and East Africa, in Chile—and in

us services to fit our needs.

And as Kate also explained, we have the rights to remedy, reparation, and redress where these services are not available or where they are abusive.

There are also patriarchal issues at play here. There is a just-published book called The Perfect Storm, edited by Tina Wallace and Fenella Porter, about the current “results-based” aid agenda of donors and policy makers and the damaging effects that this is having on women’s rights and lives around the world. As one of the authors in this great collection states, “[T]hey may be hitting the target—but are they missing the point?”

Yet it is impossible to promote remedy, reparation, or redress without funding for our women’s rights work.

You can only do so much on a voluntary basis. We need funding for women’s rights work—and for promotion and roll-out of gendertransformative practices.

“Yet it is impossible to promote remedy, reparation, or redress without funding for our women’s rights work. You can only do so much on a voluntary basis.

We need funding for women’s rights work—and for promotion and roll-out of gender-transformative practices.”

These practices are there— indeed several of them have been created by us women living with HIV. But without funding we cannot spread them further or share them with others. We need solid, stable, sustained funding to ensure our informed choice, consent, and agency. And our right to agency—our right to engage in participation and in political acts—is also

enshrined in our human rights.

So my final step is success.

Success is a win-win ticket— it can make the life and work of health workers happier and more satisfactory, it can make our own lives as women and girls better, and it can increase the wealth of the nation if we are all happy, healthy, and safe. We can all engage as individual women and girls in all our diversities.

We can engage in and through our peer support groups. We can engage in and through our communities.

And our health staff, the United Nations, and our governments can—and must—engage with us also.

These entities exist through us, the taxpayers. They need to be accountable to us. o let’s all start to measure governments’ results and success in terms of their track record on women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights. That would be a real measure of success.

Health CANCER is a dreaded disease that has claimed the lives of presidents, captains of industries and wealthy individuals across the globe.

It has also claimed the lives of renowned medics, the latest victim in the country being Prof. Dora Akunyili, former Director General of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Experts say, as it is not completely possible to prevent all forms of cancer, the best alternative is early detection.

Dr Festus Igbinoba, Chief Consultant, Radiation Oncology, National Hospital Abuja, who shared the sentiment, emphasised that the best war against cancer is early detection.

Once cancer has grown to a point and has left the area, there is nothing you can do, everything you are doing is just to buy time,” he said.

Igbinoba said that cancer is caused by agents in the environment known as carcinogens.

“When these carcinogens act on the human body, eventually they act on the cells through a process called carcinogenesis.

“These agents act on the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) component of the cell and the cell begins to undergo mutation, when this mutation progresses, it eventually leads to cancer.

“Some may be in form of the chemicals we are exposed to, infections, the food we eat, water we drink, the kind of environment we live in, the kind of work we do, the kind of homes we live in, the kind of air we breathe and even the sun.

“There are also other factors that determine if the cancer would actually come to being: they could be genetic, if you have a genetic predisposition or the protective genes are

not working properly, then this cancer can result.

“The process of cancer formation is like a thug of war: a group of people on one side can be the protectors, things that prevent you from having cancer and on the left side you have another group that predisposes you to cancer.

“The protectors could be anti-oxidants, good genetic system, and sound immune system: when all these are working very well, they can help to check the cancer run off process,” he said..

Igbinoba also said that factors like smoking (passive or active, radiation from X—rays, defective genes and alcohol all increase the risk of cancer.

He said that for one to be able to prevent cancer, then one must run away from the carcinogens that cause the cancer “Cancer is not just one disease, it’s a lot of diseases put together: as many as there are tissues in the body so you can have diverse number of cancers.

Each one behaves differently and the things that predispose one to those cancers, they can be as diverse as possible.

If you are asking how one can reduce his chances, it is not a single answer because there are several different things that require different preventive measures.

To avoid lung cancer, avoid smoking, not lust avoiding smoking, stay away from smokers so that

Curbing The High Incidence Of Regrettably, in spite of prevalence of cancer, Cancer Deaths the many enlightened persons

you don’t inhale cigarette smoke.

“Alcohol again predisposes to cancer of the mouth and the esophagus: alcohol is also noted for causing liver cancer from cirrhotic liver.

If you can avoid alcohol and tobacco, you have helped yourself a lot in avoiding many of the cancers,” he said.

Igbinoba said that cancer is too numerous, stressing that the easiest way to deal with cancer is to prevent it or early detection.

“Early detection makes all the difference; there is what is called screenings: even if everything is okay, you can undergo screening, the young woman can self- examine her breast and after the age of 40, a mammogram (Breast X-ray) once in a while.

“If you see a swelling

By IFEANYI NWOKO

anywhere in your body, don’t just say it would go, go to your doctor and go to a knowledgeable doctor.

“Do not go to the chemist to begin to treat it because once’ you do that, they may just give you antibiotics but what you are treating may be a cancer in the process.

“By the time you keep swallowing antibiotics the thing begins to grow and one it has grown to a point and has left the area, there is nothing you can do, everything you are doing is just to buy time.

1f you see bleeding from any part of the body and there is no injury, run to your doctor, let him investigate it,” he advised.

According to Igbinoba, though elderly persons

suffer cancer more, - it is not confined to the elderly.’

He explained that the older a person gets, the more chances of getting cancer due to more interaction with the environment, but stressed that this doesn’t rule out younger people.

Igbinoba advised people to take food in moderation, “I wouldn’t tell them stop eating this, stop, eating that; let them take a lot of fruits and vegetables in their meals.’’

He also recommended regular physical exercise and advised women to go for cervical cancer vaccine called “gedecil,” which dispels the human papilloma virus from the body of the woman.

“Cancer is not just one disease, it’s a lot of diseases put together: as many as there are tissues in the body so you can have diverse number of cancers.

do not care about early detection.

Out of 40 ladies who spoke to newsmen and said they ‘were aware of routine breast examination, only seven did the examination.

Out of the seven, three of them said they only carried out the self-examination whenever they remember. ‘‘ Miss Jemima Adamu, 25, attests to examining her breasts once in a while, usually whenever she remembers it.

“I might stay a whole year and I will not do it, so it is not like a regular thing; it is not always in my subconscious like my hair, but I do it once in a while.’’

The situation is not different with the men, who still indulge in heavy tobacco and alcohol intake, despite the linkage of the two to cancer.

Though a dreaded disease, the high incidence of deaths resulting from cancer could be reduced through advocacy as suggested by experts.

The relevant agencies and stakeholders should upscale public enlightenment on cancer.

(NAN)

Dodo Sets Sights On Brazil Call-Up After Inter Switch THE new Nerazzurri fullback believes his transfer from Roma can give him the platform to break into the Selecao side and is eager for domestic and European success with the club Dodo hopes that his transfer from Roma to Inter can bolster his chances of becoming a regular member of the senior Brazil side.

The 22-year-old made 35 appearances for the Giallorossi after joining from Corinthians in July 2012, with the San Siro outfit prompted to secure an initial +1.2 million deal for his loan and an option to make the move permanent for +9m.

Dodo has represented Brazil both at Under-17 and Ur-20 level and he feels joining the Nerazzurri will bring him a step closer to his first senior cap.

“Inter presented me with a project which I can be more involved in,” the youngster told Corriere dello Sport.

“After call-ups with the U17 and U-20 sides, I am convinced that Inter will give me the push to get into the national team.

“I was pleased that, after being with Roma for two years, a team like Inter thought me so important.

Together with my agent we realised that this was the best option for me and here I am.”

Inter finished fifth in Serie A last term but Dodo belives that, under the ownership of

• Dodo

Erick Thohir and with Walter Mazzarri in charge, the club offer an environment for him to develop and win silverware.

“The conditions are good [for me] because Mazzarri gives great importance to the development of the game on the flanks,” the left-back added.

“I was aware of this reputation of our coach and I had no doubts. This is an important project, in the next few years it is expected that the team will be reinforced with new purchases and youth development.

“Thohir said the goal is to win the championship in the next few years. Our goal is to better last year in the league and play well in Europe.

“I want to achieve the goals the club has set and play as much as possible.”

Boateng Eager For Low To Continue With Germany

• Van Gaal

Van Gaal Will Make Manchester United An Attacking Force - Woodward

THE Red Devils’ chief executive is backing the Dutchman to deliver football which will excite the clubs’ fans and says he has already made an impact at Old Trafford Louis van Gaal will get Manchester United back playing attractive attacking football, according to executive vicechairman Ed Woodward.

Much of United’s glittering success over the past two decades has been built on the club’s attacking philosophy, but

David Moyes, Van Gaal’s Old Trafford predecessor, was more pragmatic in his approach during his ill-fated 10 months in charge.

Dutchman Van Gaal – who has won league titles in Netherlands, Spain and Germany – is now tasked with rebuilding and Woodward

thinks the 62-year-old will have no trouble winning over United supporters and will also help develop the next generation of stars.

Speaking at the end of a week in which Van Gaal formally took charge at United, Woodward told MUTV: “He’s got incredible energy and very importantly he likes attacking football.

“If you remember the Barcelona team [Van Gaal

managed] in the late ’90s, who played incredible, attacking football, and those games we had against them in ’98-99 [when United won the Champions League], that’s the kind of football Manchester United fans love.

“It’s part of our DNA. The second part of what he likes is giving youth a chance. He’s got a track record littered with giving young players a break in the first team, who have gone on to be stars.

“Clearly that’s Manchester United’s philosophy and we want him to continue with that.

“We’ve got someone who has confidence in himself about making difficult decisions and, when you boil down what makes a great manager, one of the key characteristics is making difficult decisions and we’ve clearly got a manager who can do that.”

Woodward believes Van Gaal has already made a big impact behind the scenes at the former Premier League champions.

He added: “There is real unity in the squad and Louis clearly has something to give in terms of the special way he has with his players when it comes to binding the team together.

“We’ve seen that already with the steps he’s taken with the preparation and the training and the things going on around that.

“He’s going to deliver exactly what we expect him to deliver and in conjunction with Ryan [Giggs, United’s assistant manager], who has that great understanding of all these players.”

THE Bayern Munich centrehalf has paid tribute to the coach following their World Cup triumph and says he has his sights firmly set on winning Euro 2016 Jerome Boateng says he wants Joachim Low to remain as Germany head coach and continue the work that saw them become world champions.

Germany lifted a fourth World Cup at the Maracana on July 13, with an extra-time strike from Mario Gotze earning a 1-0 win over Argentina.

Boateng admits that he has struggled to come to terms with the enormity of the achievement but has already set his sights on winning more trophies with his national side and wants Low to be at the helm to help achieve that.

“I certainly hope that [Low] remains as our coach,” the 25year-old said in an interview with Die Welt am Sonntag.

“He has a very large share of the team’s success and has developed us enormously.

“It’s all happened so fast. I have not even seen our game since then on DVD. All the images, all the emotions - it takes time to process it all. I am going to take that time.

“The European Championships are my next goal. With the Under-21s I have already won it, but not with the senior team. So, don’t worry: I’m still far from satisfied.”

Boateng delivered an excellent performance in the final against Golden Ballwinner Lionel Messi and the former Manchester City man revealed he has been inundated with praise for what he considers the best game of his career to date.

“I’ve received about 120 [congratulatory messages],” he continued.

“Many from my friends and former team-mates. This means a lot to me. With the final of the Champions League, it was certainly the best game of my career so far.

“I am not a man who needs self-satisfaction. Of course, I’ve noticed the criticism, but I had not thought about it after winning the title. I am just looking forward.

“After the game, I called my father, who could not be at the final. He told me that he was very proud. This is much more important than any satisfaction for me.”

No official announcement on Low’s future has been made, but DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach, revealed on Saturday that he was confident that Boateng would get his wish and the coach would remain in place.

Why The Allergic Reaction To Allegri Is Not Healthy

THE former AC Milan coach was greeted with supporter protests after taking charge at Juventus but his credentials prove he can lead them to another Scudetto Such was the turn of events in Turin last week that to call it a shock would be a heavy understatement.

Antonio Conte began preparations for his fourth preseason with Juventus but by the end of its first day he had resigned. Within a couple of days, all hell broke loose when former AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri was appointed in his place on a two-year deal – one that was greeted with heavy protests from fans.

Given the way the 46-year old was shown the door at Milan, it was rather expected.

Given the Rossoneri’s record during his final few months last season, it seems partly justified.

But only partly.

Milan have been in decline since that mini-revival back in the 2010-11 season when, during Allegri’s first campaign in charge, they lifted their first Scudetto since 2004 breaking Inter’s hegemony in the process.

Back then, there were credits galore for the former Cagliari boss, who was praised for handling a dressing room full of stars pretty effectively despite it being his first big club assignment.

Sending Ronaldinho packing was a brave but correct decision given the Brazilian’s decline as a footballer, while replacing Andrea Pirlo in favour of more hard-hitting midfielders like Massimo Ambrosini and Mark van Bommel made sense to critics and fans alike.

His first mistake?

Concluding that Pirlo was no

longer the player he used to be.

In hindsight, given the Italian’s performances for both Juventus and Italy since that episode, Allegri has been fairly criticised in some quarters. But there were few dissenting voices at the time.

Pirlo had not played a key role for Milan that season and, coupled with his injuries, he did look like a player who was past his best.

Milan finished runners-up in his second season, with certain events taking place that were out of Allegri’s control. An error in judgement by the referee robbed Sulley Muntari of his goal against Juventus and directly tilted the race in Juve’s favour, who then went undefeated to rightly lift their first Scudetto since the Calciopoli scandal in 2006.

Since then, the seven-time European champions have been catastrophic both on and off the field and Allegri has unfortunately become the face of that failure.

When you rob your head coach of players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva and yet ask him to remain competitive, what happened with Allegri towards the end of his Milan tenure becomes almost inevitable. Add to this the departure of a host of leaders like Clarence Seedorf, Pippo Inzaghi, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Nesta - players who virtually bled the club’s colours for more than a decade - and the life was sucked from San Siro.

A club that once boasted one of the best European teams to have ever taken the field was

• Allegri now being represented by a handful of free signings, including Kevin Constant, Muntari, Cristian Zapata and Bakaye Traore among others.

Yet what Allegri achieved under the tight constraints was commendable.

Finishing third in the 201213 season behind Juventus and Napoli despite losing his best players was an achievement, one that he was never properly credited for. Instead, what he got was uncertainty over his future as the club continued their slide into mediocrity, pursuing summer transfer targets including Valter Birsa, Cristian Zaccardo and

Alessandro Matri while rivals bought Carlos Tevez (Juventus), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli), Mario Gomez (Fiorentina), Kevin Strootman (Roma) and Giuseppe Rossi (Fiorentina).

Despite enjoying a rather fruitful end to the 2012-13 season deploying a 4-3-3, Allegri was forced to revert back to the much outdated 43-1-2 by Silvio Berlusconi – a decision suited more to accommodate his vision rather than that of the coach. A fair share of injuries to star players such as Stephan El Sharaawy, who was instrumental when fit, and captain Riccardo

“When you rob your head coach of players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva and yet ask him to remain competitive, what happened with Allegri towards the end of his Milan tenure becomes almost inevitable. Add to this the departure of a host of leaders like Clarence Seedorf, Pippo Inzaghi, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Nesta - players who virtually bled the club’s colours for more than a decade - and the life was sucked from San Siro.”

Montolivo played their part but that went unnoticed as Milan under Allegri continued to rot.

Allegri’s failure mirrored the sorry state of the club, not of his own standards. He was a scapegoat who was sacrificed while the club’s hierarchy continued their mismanagement.

Allegri’s achievements before Milan must not be forgotten, either. He was responsible for Sassuolo’s rise to Serie B back in the 200708 season, before leading Cagliari to a ninth-placed finish in the 2008-09 which also won him the prestigious Panchina d’Oro – an award handed over to the best Serie A coach and voted by his contemporaries in the division. That he beat Jose Mourinho – the selfproclaimed ‘Special One’ who won the Scudetto in his first season in charge of Inter – made it even more special.

Maybe Allegri wasn’t the best option for Juventus – more so given the Bianconeri’s thirst for European glory and his own dubious record in the Champions League during his

three-and-a-half years with Milan. He is perhaps a step down given the high standards set by his predecessor, who ruled the club from the heart, but he does not deserve the light in which he has been cast in recent days.

Give him a good team and he can win the Scudetto - he showed that at Milan, and he could prove it with Juve. Sell your best players and he will still make his team punch above its weight. With speculation rife regarding the futures of both Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal – the two most vital pieces in the Bianconeri midfield – Juventus have surely considered his ability to manage with a team under a tight budget, something that Conte wasn’t willing to adjust to.

There is a reason why Allegri was in the running for the job at Roma last summer before Milan tied him to a new deal, why he was a favourite to succeed Cesare Prandelli as the head coach of the Italian national team. There is a reason why Milan hired him in the first place back in 2010 and why Juventus were quick to sign him despite the fact it would irk star man Pirlo.

Ronaldo Not As Talented As Messi - Henry

THE ex-Barcelona forward thinks that the Ballon d’Or star is has more graft than gift and has tipped Luis Suarez to be a success at Camp Nou Thierry Henry believes that his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi is untouchable in terms of pure talent, even from Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Camp Nou star was unseated as Ballon d’Or holder earlier this year by the Real Madrid forward, but he starred in the World Cup as Argentina reached the final and won the tournament’s Golden Ball for his efforts.

Henry, who played with Messi at Barca before joining New York Red Bulls in 2010, stressed that he rates Ronaldo but just does not think that the Portugal international - or anyone else in the world - can match Messi toe-to-toe for

talent.

“Lionel Messi is the best player in the world but I respect the amount of work Cristiano Ronaldo has put into the game,” Henry told BBC in a chat with ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.

“But Messi is just a freak. It is nice for kids to watch as they can see one guy who was given a gift and the other guy who does it through hard work.

“Louis Saha used to tell me Ronaldo was the hardest worker at Manchester United.

I am not saying Messi does not work hard - but it is more natural.

“Ronaldo had to work really hard to reach the top. They have the same mentality but that’s the difference.”

Arsenal legend Henry also

High Bid Would Force Juve To Sell Vidal, Pogba - Nedved THE Bianconeri director insists that the Italian champions want to hold onto their stars but, with Manchester United keen to sign the Chilean, a massive offer would be assessed Juventus director Pavel Nedved admits that a “high bid” for the likes of Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba would force them to consider a sale.

The Italian champions saw coach Antonio Conte resign on Tuesday, to be replaced by Massimiliano Allegri, with some reports claiming that the outgoing boss was unhappy with the club’s transfer policy this summer.

Goal understands that Manchester United remain interested in signing Vidal despite the huge funds likely to be necessary, while Chelsea have been circling Pogba despite being put off by his price tag, but Nedved is adamant that the Bianconeri want to keep their stars.

“Our strategy is clear; we want to keep all our best players, including Vidal and Pogba,” he

Vidal and Pogba

told Tuttosport. “We don’t want to sell anyone, especially Vidal.

“Certainly, if there were a high bid for them, we’d have to think about it but we don’t want to sell our champions.

“We want to be competitive in the Champions League and the only sales to be players who are not part of our plans.”

weighed in on the future on Luis Suarez, who has joined Luis Enrique’s side this summer for +88 million, and suggested that the Uruguayan would be a massive hit in La Liga.

“He has everything. He’s in your face, he’s arrogant in a good way, he can volley it, he can score headers,” the Frenchman added.

“He has that vicious side to his game - I will not call it cheating. He knows how to score goals. We have seen it against England. They gave him two chances and he scored two goals.”

Ronaldo and Messi

Cuadrado: Florentina Warns

THE Serie A club chief is hopeful he can persuade the Colombian he can ignore transfer overtures, though he accepts he might already have his heart set on a departure Fiorentina co-owner Andrea Della Valle has warned Barcelona that he will do everything possible to keep hold off star winger Juan Cuadrado.

The Colombian, 26, helped Fiorentina to a fourth-place Serie A finish last season then starred as his national team reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

Barcelona

Barcelona have been rumoured to be desperate to sign him as Dani Alves’ successor, but the Italian club chief is holding on to the slender hope that Cuadrado can be convinced to stay at the Artemio Franchi.

“When Cuadrado returns we want to see if he shows us the desire to stay at Fiorentina,” Della Valle told Radio Blu. “If he really does want to remain then we will talk to him and be honest about resolving the

situation.

“It’s complicated, but not impossible. I’ll do everything I can to keep him, even if requires making sacrifices elsewhere, but if Cuadrado is no longer motivated to stay here then we can only accept that and move

on.

“However, at the moment I don’t get that vibe from him.”

Cuadrado has been with Fiorentina since 2012 but was co-owned with Udinese until last month when the Viola paid +15 million to fully secure his playing rights, adding to the +6m they are estimated to have already paid over the past two years.

Van Gaal Set-Up Man Utd Spy Network

THE Dutchman has already stamped his mark in Manchester with new pitches and floodlights set to be installed but has gone one further by setting up a system of cameras Louis van Gaal will be keeping a close eye on his Manchester United players this summer - a very close eye.

The Dutchman had a team of technicians from his homeland dispatched to

the club’s Carrington training centre last week to install surveillance cameras around the training pitches.

There will be nowhere to hide for the likes of Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, with the cameras powerful enough to zoom right into the players’ faces, making it possible to check for signs of fatigue.

Each camera is linked up to a nerve centre portakabin complete with several screens and the footage will be pored over by Van Gaal and his team of coaches.

The new Red Devils boss has already looked to stamp his authority on Carrington, having publicly complained about its vulnerability to the Manchester winds.

He was also dismayed to learn that the playing surfaces do not match the one used at Old Trafford and asked for changes to be

made, at a cost of £3 million.

Beds are to be installed so that the club’s stars will be able to sleep off their gruelling morning training sessions before going again in the afternoon - under floodlights, which are also to be erected as part of Van Gaal’s overhaul.

Cuadrado

Van Gaal Will Make Man Utd An Attacking Force-Woodward THE Red Devils’ chief executive is backing the Dutchman to deliver football which will excite the clubs’ fans and says he has already made an impact at Old Trafford.

Louis van Gaal will get Manchester United back playing attractive attacking football, according to executive vicechairman Ed Woodward.

Much of United’s glittering success over the past two decades has been built on the club’s attacking philosophy, but David Moyes, Van Gaal’s Old Trafford predecessor, was more pragmatic in his approach during his ill-fated 10 months in charge.

Dutchman Van Gaal – who has won league titles in

Netherlands, Spain and Germany – is now tasked with rebuilding and Woodward thinks the 62-year-old will have no trouble winning over United supporters and will also help develop the next generation of stars.

Speaking at the end of a week in which Van Gaal formally took charge at United, Woodward told MUTV: “He’s got incredible energy and very importantly he likes attacking football.

“If you remember the Barcelona team [Van Gaal managed] in the late ’90s, who played incredible, attacking football, and those games we had against them in ’98-99 [when United won the Champions

League], that’s the kind of football Manchester United fans love.

“It’s part of our DNA. The second part of what he likes is giving youth a chance. He’s got a track record littered with giving young players a break in the first team, who have gone on to be stars.

“Clearly that’s Manchester United’s philosophy and we want him to continue with that.

“We’ve got someone who has confidence in himself about making difficult decisions and, when you boil down what makes a great manager, one of the key characteristics is making difficult decisions and we’ve clearly got a manager who can do that.”

Hoylake: Tigerwood Suffers Nightmare Showing

Suarez Needs A Psychiatrist, Not FIFA Sanctions

What has become of Tiger Woods? Once the steely, ultra-focused and super efficient predator on the course, he was reportedly close to tears at The Open at Royal Liverpool.

A downbeat Woods lamented a succession of errors after the former world number one ended up with round of 69, 77, 73 and 75 to finish six over par, and in the bottom three of the tournament.

After that opening round there had been high hopes that he could challenge, with fans and pundits whispering that, perhaps inspired by memories of his 2006 victory at Hoylake, he might again hit those majestic heights.

But by the end of the week those had crumbled beneath

- Uruguay President

THE South American nation’s head of state, Jose Mujica, has hit out at the extent of the striker’s ban from footballing activity and claims he needs “a helping hand” Uruguay president Jose Mujica has slammed Fifa for their treatment of Luis Suarez, claiming he needs help from a psychiatrist rather than a ban from football.

Suarez received a ninegame international suspension and a four-month ban from all football-related activity - along with a fine after being found guilty of biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s 1-0 win on June 24 in the group stages of the World Cup. President Mujica was scathing in his assessment of Fifa in the immediate aftermath of the punishment, calling football administrators “a bunch of old sons of b******,” and has now added that the new Barcelona signing would be far better off with psychiatric help, rather than a widespread ban.

“He comes from a poor background and his main intelligence is in his feet,” the Uruguayan leader said in an interview with Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

It’s better to take him to hospital and once there, see a psychiatrist.

“I’m not disputing the sporting sanctions, they’re fine. What I’m disputing is that there are certain things that shouldn’t have anything to do with the ban.

“The fact he can’t go on any football pitch, that he can’t be with any of his team-mates in the national team, he can’t go to a football stadium or even support a charity event linked with football.

“It’s crazy! Not even a government can prohibit someone from entering a football stadium, without the signature of a judge. Then Fifa come along and say he can’t do that for four months… without even a legal tribunal.”

Mujica, once dubbed ‘the world’s poorest president’ due to his austere lifestyle, added that Fifa has displayed an old-fashioned attitude over the course of the affair as the world waits to see Suarez play for Barcelona following his +88 million move from Liverpool.

“I believe Fifa have a mentality of old people,” the 79-year-old added.

• Germany with World Cup

World Cup Trophy Damaged

By Mystery Germany Man DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach has confessed that the cup given to them this summer by FIFA did not survive the team’s victory celebrations unscathed hard as their World Cup The chief of Germany’s trophy has been damaged football association (DFB) by an unknown member of has revealed that one of the Germany team. the team’s triumphant “At one point, a small players has damaged their piece of our World Cup World Cup trophy. trophy was chipped off,” Joachim Low’s men DFB president Wolfgang defeated Argentina 1-0 in Niersbach is quoted by the final after extra-time to Die Welt as saying. “But win the inter-continental tournament for the fourth time in their history, THE Bianconeri great following on from 1954, says that the former boss, 1974 and 1990 victories. who resigned last week, The Mannschaft were had lost the will to stay on welcomed home from and claims he had been Brazil to jubilant scenes talked out of resigning in and toured Berlin with the May trophy during midweek, Pavel Nedved has however, they may have explained Antonio Conte celebrated a little bit too left Juventus because he

do not worry! We have specialists on the case who can fix it.

“We have investigated persistently who it was that damaged the trophy, but the investigation was concluded without a result.”

Luckily for Germany, the cup they have been given

by Fifa is just a replica of the World Cup trophy they were presented with at the

Maracana on July 13, which is estimated to be worth over +10 million.

Fifa - it would seem wisely - tends not to trust football associations with the trophy after the original World Cup award, the Jules Rimet trophy, had a history of being a target for thieves before being stolen for good in 1983 from Brazil.

a steady shower of bogeys, and so much so that one BBC commentator even suggested live on air that perhaps Woods should retire from the sport.

He was not at all happy and, according to the Daily Telegraph, “the noise that accompanied the former champion as he made his desultory wrong way round Royal Liverpool was more that of the tired hiss escaping a punctured balloon”.

His reactions at this Championship were largely of anger and frustration as this clip of him attempting to break his club demonstrated.

“I made a lot of mistakes,” he told reporters at Royal Liverpool. “On top of that I missed a lot of shots for opportunities for birdies.”

The 14-times major champion repeatedly made inroads at the first, ninth, 10th, 11th and 16th holes but his progress was halted time and again in a hugely frustrating showing.

• Tigerwood

Juventus Fall Outs Forced Conte Out - Nedved

• Conte

was fed up of constant fall outs behind the scenes with management.

The 44-year-old surprised the football world when it was announced last Tuesday

that he had left his post with the Bianconeri by mutual consent, despite winning three Serie A titles in a row.

However, Nedved - who is on the Turin club’s board of directors - insisted that there was not one dramatic bust-up that prompted Conte to leave the Turin outfit and claims he had initially been talked out of resigning at the end of 2013-14.

“Antonio has resigned because he did not have the energy to continue disagreements with management,” the 41year-old Czech told reporters in Italy.

“He already wanted to resign in May, but we talked and I convinced him to think about during the holidays. When he came back he decided he did not

want to continue.”

Nedved, who made 315 appearance for Juventus over his career as he won two Serie A titles with the club, added that the Bianconeri had not been radically destabilised by the departure and would continue to build for next season.

“None of what the media have said about his resignation is exact,” the former Lazio winger added. “Conte was just tired.

His decision surprised us, even if at the end of the season we had already talked about it.

“The market and the strategies do not changewithout Conte - we do not intend to sell any major players.”

Star midfielders Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal have been linked with departures to Paris SaintGermain and Manchester United respectively.

CMYK

“In all of this, the civil society must continue to play its roles as the survival of democracy relies on the virility of the civil society. Civil Society must lead the campaign in favour of fiscal federalism and true federalism in Nigeria… We must continuously demand for political accountability too to avert the derailment of good governance and democracy” – Quoted in OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA (In the footsteps of Obafemi Awolowo) Page 107.

The rains are here again with its attendant flooding. We will remember that in 2012 flood ravaged some parts of the country leaving many dead and several others homeless with properties worth billions of naira destroyed in the process. A lot of persons were sacked from their homes and their farm-land as well as other sources of livelihood destroyed.

We saw how the federal, states, local Government Councils as well as other groups responded to the flood in terms of setting up relief camps, distribution of relief materials, providing food and health care for affected persons, empowerment among other things.

Were the federal, states, local government councils as well as other groups prepared for the flood and other natural disaster that occurred?

Could they have done better in terms of protecting lives and properties if they were adequately prepared? If such incident happens again, how will the situation be handled?

These are some of the questions that came up during a two day Regional Workshop on

between government and Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) to tackle disaster management issues in the region. They observed that the 2012 flood incidence was the

states and focus more attention on prevention of disaster in the Niger Delta.

Local Government Councils in the region were urged to put in place emergency management units that

Managing Disaster In Niger Delta Disaster Management, recently in Benin City.

The workshop was organised by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), in collaboration with the

first of its kind and it took stakeholders unaware which necessitated the need to put in place proper Disaster Management Strategies so as to adequately prepare for future occurrence.

people can easily reach/ contact in case of future incidents of flooding and other natural disaster.

State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and State Flood Committees were

The workshop urged the federal government to come up with long term plans to deal with disaster management in the country, and to adequately fund the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) to meet international best practice State Government in Niger Delta were called upon to take necessary steps to enact laws to back State Emergency Agencies (in state like Edo) and make appropriate budgets to manage disaster in the

called upon to make public the report of the 2012 flood intervention so that stakeholders can make their input to adequately prepare the region for future occurrence while states and local government councils were called upon to educate affected communities members on how to engage in public advocacy to draw government attention to flood situation and other natural disaster that may occur in the future.

The workshop called on all states in the Niger

President Goodluck Jonathan

Edo State Ministry of Environment. The event was used to present the base line study on Natural Disaster Management Strategies in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, conducted by ANEEJ, to key stakeholders in the region.

Participants at the Workshop commended ANEEJ, Edo State Ministry of Environment and the Royal Norwegian Embassy for putting together such an important event, and sued for synergy

Delta region to take a cue from Delta State and put in place emergency preparedness and response plan so as to facilitate emergency response. Civil Society Organisation were tasked to train flood victims and media on how to engage in public advocacy to draw governments attention to flood and other disasters in the states. Civil Society Organisations were also urge to commit to establish the Niger Delta Disaster Management Network to coordinate its operations and inter face with government agencies and other bodies handling disaster management. They are to strengthen g o v e r n m e n t c o m m u n i t i e s engagement through the Niger Delta Flood Victims Network.

The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) was called upon to take the lead to develop a three-year action plan on how to promote public awareness and public policies on disaster management in the Niger Delta region.

It is imperative to state that participants for the workshop on Disaster Management were carefully selected, as they cut across state Ministries of Environment, State

E m e r g e n c y Management Agencies, State Flood M a n a g e m e n t Committees, Local Government Councils, persons affected by 2012 flood, Civil Society Organisations, Academia, and Media Personnel from Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Ondo States.

For over 10 years ANEEJ has been working in the Niger Delta and has managed activities across the Six Geo-Political Zones of Nigeria. Working with local communities, Civil Society Organisation, the Private Sector, State and National Government, ANEEJ focus has been on s u s t a i n a b l e development, institutional building, the alleviation of poverty and economic empowerment.

Rev. David Ugolor, the Executive Director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, must indeed be commended for taking his busy compass to the direction of Managing Disaster in Niger Delta.

Without questioning, the 2012 flood that tore through some parts of the country, leaving m o n u m e n t a l destruction and havoc should never be allowed to visit us again unprepared.

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