Nigerian observer 26 02 2014

The Nigerian

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol . 38 NO. 428 •WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 . N 100.00 ISSUES Page 13 NAFDAC And Ideal Nutrition For Nigeria

Ekweremadu commissions E-Passport Mobile Enrollment Service in Japan

By JOSES SEDE TOKYO, JAPAN- The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike E k w e r e m a d u commenced a week

long official visit to Japan yesterday with the commissioning of an EPassport Mobile Enrollment service for the Embassy of Nigeria in Tokyo.

Senator Ekweremadu who formally handed over an E-Passport Mobile Enrollment Machine to the Mission on behalf of the Federal Government, said his

decision to personally intervene in the protracted quest by the Nigerian Mission in Tokyo to acquire the capacity to Continues on page 2

Teachers’ Assessment

By ADAMS OYIBOKE

ENCOUNTER Page 14

Kingship HRH Abdul Rasaq Ojiefoh III Speaks

BENIN CITY - Stakeholders at a Town Hall meeting on Education in Edo State have thrown their weight behind plans by the State Government to conduct a test for teachers in the state to assess their levels of competence. compromise in sanitizing Participants at the town the education sector in the hall meeting, held in state.

Benin City, yesterday, He noted that education including traditional is the fulcrum of rulers, Non development in any G o v e r n m e n t a l society, and urged the Organizations, governor to flush out Clergymen, Civil Society groups, market women, Students Parents Teachers Association and other stakeholders were of the view that government huge investment in the rebuilding of schools would be a waste if there were no competent teachers to handle the pupils.

The Onojie of Opoji, His Royal Highness, Ehidiamen 1, said the government should not

Edos back Oshiomhole

unqualified teachers from the system in the interest of the pupils, stressing that true union leaders would not support unqualified teachers.

Also, the Onojie of Igueben, HRH Ehizogie Eluojierior I, JP, commended the governor for initiating the competency test to

assess the suitability of teachers in the state.

He said, “I do not see why a teacher should be afraid to face simple assessment. “Those

Ondo Assembly loses Speaker

AKURE The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr Samuel Adesina, is dead, the state government announced in a statement yesterday in Akure.

The statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Rotimi Adelola, said Adesina who represented Odigbo Constituency II in the House died in the early hours yesterday after a protracted battle with cancer.

The statement described the late Speaker as a bridge builder, a man of integrity and a reliable team player who placed the interest of the state above personal considerations.

“The Ondo State Government received the news with rude shock and disbelief.

“We commiserate with the family of the late Speaker, the state legislature and the entire people of the state over this Continues on page 2

TIT BIT “Have a little time for the sun and a little time for the rains... then you will be appreciated as their guest when the harvest table is set.”

- Kingsley Ogbeide-Ihama

TOWN HALL MEETING: Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (middle) flanked by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Uyi Igbe (left) and the Interim Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC), Edo State, Chief Osaro Idah at a Town Hall Meeting on Education organised by the State Government in Benin City yesterday. Photo: CHARITY OZIGBO-ESERE.

who are not qualified to teach our children should be thrown out of the system. I think you are doing the right thing and need our support”.

In his remark, the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri said “we fully endorse all you are doing in regard to the competency test. What the governor has been saying is in the interest of the people. He has the right to protect the interest of the Edo people. So far, you have not done anything wrong in this enterprise.

“After the incident of the lady who couldn’t read her own affidavit, what has the NUT done about having an in-house cleaning to weed out incompetent teachers from its midst?

“Teachers are not the only people who voted for Adams Oshiomhole, we, the parents of the students they teach also voted for the Governor and the future of our children is of great concern to us; the Governor has the right to protect our interest.

“The Governor has Continues on page 2

Security: FG urges Trad Rulers to caution politicians

ABEOKUTA – The Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, has appealed to traditional rulers to caution politicians in their domains against activities capable of aggravating the security challenges facing the country.

Moro made the appeal yesterday in Abeokuta when he paid a courtesy call on Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the Alake and paramount ruler of Egba

land.

He visited the monarch shortly after inaugurating an administrative block

and 36 units of staff quarters at the Civil Defence College of

Security Management in Abeokuta.

The minister expressed concern over

LAGOS - The Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), has said that the queues in

some filling stations in some states would soon disappear as Federal Government had approved the importation of petroleum products.

The Executive Secretary of MOMAN, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, who confirmed the approval in a text message to Newsmen

incidents of insurgency, militancy and communal clashes in some parts of the country.

He noted that such incidents were Continues on page 2

Fuel queues to disappear soon

in Lagos, said the approved allocation was for the first quarter of the year.

Continues on page 2

News

Murder: Police Sergeant to E-Passport Mobile Enrollment Service in

By ELIZABETH die by hanging it was a necessary He said: “I was here about Continued from page 1 Japan enough, AGBOEGBULEM progress. He promised to process and issue ten years ago as the international passports to Nigerians in Japan was to ameliorate the challenges faced by the Nigerian Community in the Asian country in the acquisition and renewal of Nigeria’s international passports.

The Deputy President of the Senate expressed surprise and disappointment at the inability of the Mission to attain the status of a passportissuing centre for too long.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing to understudy the housing policy of Japan with my colleagues.

I met Ambassador Adamu Aliyu who made this challenge known to me. I reported this to the appropriate authorities at the time, but only to be told about two weeks ago by the current Ambassador that the Mission was still facing the same challenge.

“I had therefore taken it upon

myself to bring the machine here since I was visiting, but the Honourable Minister assured me that the machine would be in Tokoyo before my arrival. I am therefore grateful to the Honourable Minister of Internal Affairs for keeping his promise.”

The Deputy President of the Senate explained that although the attainment of an E-Passport Enrollment Service status alone was not

“The sector he is working in is very critical to the plight of the masses and he has to be focused and must deliver his duty diligently.’’

Mr. Mike Osatuyi, the National Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), lauded the former PPPRA boss effort in sanitising the agency and urged the new executive secretary to uphold transparency and objectivity to move the agency forward.

He said “it is a known fact that Ahmed is a no nonsense man and I am sure he is going to deliver.

“I remembered his tenure at the PPMC as a straight forward

person and doesn’t abhor corruption. But it depends on the forces at the PPPRA.’’ President Goodluck Jonathan, on Feb. 18, approved the appointment of Farouk Ahmed as Executive Secretary of the PPPRA with immediate effect.

Ahmed will take over from the incumbent Executive Secretary, Reginald Stanley, who is retiring after 35 years in service.

The incoming scribe, who hails from Sokoto State, is the current Managing Director of Nidas Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of the NNPC. Ahmed had also served as Executive Director (Commercial), Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited (PPMC).

Fuel queues to disappear soon

Continued from page 1

According to him, “the First Quarter (Q1) allocation is out now. Motorists should calm down and stop panic buying.

“Now that the importation approval had been signed, Nigerians should expect prompt and effective distribution of petroleum products in all filling stations across the country.’’

It would be recalled that fuel scarcity had hit some states last week, including Lagos State.

Meanwhile, some stakeholders in the oil and gas industry had tasked the new Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) boss to fight corruption.

Following the exit of the former Executive Secretary of the agency, Reginald Stanley, by the Presidency, the new boss, Farouk Ahmed, was advised to fight corruption rocking the agency.

Mr. Folorunsho Oginni, the Chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Petroleum and Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), said “we know Ahmed is a product of the NNPC and he understands the sector very well.

“It is quite unfortunate that he is coming when the PPPRA is critically challenged, due to nonrelease of first quarter allocation to marketers.

Edos back Oshiomhole

Continued from page 1 done nothing so far. He has

engaged the NUT, civil societies and now this Town Hall meeting.

The teachers should not abuse their right to strike and demonstrate. They are not the only stakeholders in the education sector. We are also stakeholders. The child who is playing outside should know he is not the owner of the field.

Teachers are not the owners of the state.”

Chief Edebiri who lamented

FG urges Trad Rulers to caution politicians

Continued from page 1 i nconsistent with the

dreams of the nation’s founding fathers.

The minister said the challenges were being aggravated by politicians through their provocative statements.

“The most worrisome aspect of the challenges that we face today is the challenge of the untold activities of politicians.

“While the government is taking deliberate steps to contain insurgency and insecurity, some of the activities and pronouncements of politicians, serving and not serving, are unsettling the polity.

“The attitude of Nigerian politicians to do politics all the year round is having negative effects on the development of this country.

“One of the tenets of democracy all over the world is that party politics takes place prior to election.

“After election, it is

personally ensure that the Mission acquired all the requisite capacity to be able to produce and issue international passports in earnest.

“Now, I have also been told that we needed a passport production machine. But I think we have taken the right step because if you come to a restaurant and they give you a starter, it means that the main dish is on the way”, he reassured.

He stressed that Japan was one of the G-8 countries, hence the lack of the capacity to produce and issue Nigerian passports in the country was totally unacceptable.

Senator Ekweremadu emphasised that “any person who is working in any environment is entitled to the tools with which to render services; otherwise, it would be a waste of public funds to keep people in a place without tools to work because they will get paid for doing nothing”.

The Deputy President of the Senate assured that the National Assembly was ready to support Nigerian Missions with adequate budgetary provisions to ensure that they acquired the requisite capacity to perform their legitimate duties.

governance and governance ordinarily is supposed to be for everybody irrespective of party affiliation.

“But today, our politicians have jettisoned decency and now make pronouncements that shake the very foundation of this country.

“This is not patriotism, this is not nationalism.

“I make this appeal because as a royal father, you have the responsibility to call your children to order when they are derailing and deviating.

“Our traditional rulers need to intervene so as to bring some level of order into the practice of politics in our country,” the minister said.

The police also do tests before promotion, why are the teachers refusing to do the test?

“They go to different markets when they are supposed to be in the classroom. Some of them even use certificates that are not theirs. If they are not ready to do the test, they should be ready to quit the system.”

Other speakers at the event agreed that there is need to overhaul the inspectorate division of the Ministry of Education, adding that the state government should put in place stringent measures to prevent saboteurs from subverting the exercise.

The State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole had informed the stakeholders of government’s efforts to reposition the education sector.

He said; “schools have been built across the three senatorial districts and government has been making the right investment on the physical infrastructure. Basic education is the right of the child, hence the Federal Government’s law on the Universal Basic Education is not only free, but compulsory.

“Over the past five years, aside road and erosion control, the highest allocation have consistently gone to education.

Over the years, in our recurrent expenditure at state and local levels, the highest allocation has gone to the education sector”, he said.

Oshiomhole noted that “the exercise is not to witch-hunt or downsize the workforce but to ensure that the huge investments made in the education sector is justified.”

The Governor who said the exercise would be devoid of any political undertones announced will grant every one of us the the nomination of Professor fortitude to bear this loss,’’ Dennis Agbonlahor as the the statement quoted the chairman of the Independent Assessors.

that NUT decided to boycott the Town Hall meeting when a matter affecting their union and members is being discussed suggested that some royal fathers and chiefs from across the state be selected to join, as observers, in the next meeting between government and labour unions on the issue of the competency test.

The Isekhure of Benin Kingdom, Chief Nosakhare Isekhure said the competency test has become inevitable because of the rot in the school system, but however suggested the formation of a local supporting committee that would monitor the activities of the schools and report to the ministry.

Former Vice Chamcellor of Ambrose Alli University, Professor Dennis Agbonlahor, said “in my 12 years as Vice Chancellor, my heart bleeds when I see the number of children with poor foundation.

What you are doing now is that you are endorsing good foundation for Edo children” He advised the Governor to engage in continued dialogue with the teachers to ensure that everyone is carried along and therefore called for unbiased examiners and educationists to conduct the test.

Spokesperson of the market women, Mrs. Blakie Omoregie said “teachers who teach our children, test the chidren at the end of the term to determine those that can be promoted.

Ondo Assembly loses Speaker

Continued from page 1

irreparable loss.

“It is our prayers that God

SSG as saying.

PORT HARCOURT- A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, yesterday, sentenced a police sergeant to death, and two others to life imprisonment each, over the death of two civilians, while struggling with a bus driver over N100 bribe.

Delivering the judgement yesterday, the trial Judge, Justice Biobele Georgewill, said the convicts conspired to murder the victims, Chinyeaka Kamalu and Ugochukwu Harcourt, on January 17, 2010, in the state capital.

Justice Georgewill pronounced death sentence by hanging on Sergeant Clement Indyel, while Sergeant Ali Bello and PC Auwalu Kwale respectively, were sentenced to life imprisonment.

According to him, the convicted policemen, who were serving under the State Police Command, were charged for felony, murder and conspiracy by the state, for the murder of the victims, who were among the passengers attacked by the three officers over N100 bribe.

He said that having heard the submissions made by the counsels and gone through the evidence presented before the court, he upheld that the convicted officers conspired to murder the two persons in the bus because the driver refused to pay them the bribe of N100.

The trial judge said the result of the autopsy conducted on the remains of the victims, which was

tendered in court, showed that the wound sustained by them was bullet wound from AK47 rifles used by the officers.

He said the only way the souls of the victims could rest in peace for unjust murder by police officers who were meant to protect them was to allow law to take its cause.

The Judge said: “Ali Bello is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment, Auwalu Kwale is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment”.

Georgewill arose, went inside his chamber and changed his gown. As he came back dressed in red and black, he said: “Clement Indyel is hereby sentenced to death by hanging.

May his soul rest in peace”.

As part of the judgement, Justice Georgewill also ordered the State Police Commissioner with immediate effect to rearrest other officers who were suspects on the matter to face the law.

Reacting shortly after the judgement, yesterday, the sister to late Kamalu, Mrs. Chinyere Ideoha, told journalists that she was happy with the verdict, though her sister could not be brought back.

“My sister was shot by the above officers who were chasing the bus drivers at Woke’s Street, Mile 4 Rumueme, Port Harcourt, for the bribe of N100. It is sad that my sister was among those who died but the judgment is a victory for the death.”

However, there was no comment from the counsel to the convicts, Mr. L.E Idiake. But, the defence counsel, Mr. Chidi Ekeh, said it was justice for the victims.

SOKOTO - A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Usman Bugaje, has advocated the formation of political parties in Nigeria, based on “content, conscience and courage.”

Bugaje said this yesterday at the maiden edition of the monthly lecture series, organised by the Muslim community, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

He also called for the use of modern technology to transform political parties and democracy and stressed the need for vibrant civil society organisations as panacea to the nation’s political problems.

Bugaje, whose paper was entitled, “The Nigerian Democracy and Challenges of Good Governance”, said that his call became necessary because all political parties in Nigeria were built around individuals who had money.

“This is the beginning of the problems of the political parties.

“You cannot fix the problems of the system until you fix the political parties as the parties are being controlled by pockets of money bags,’’ he said.

Bugaje, a former lsoNational Secretary of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, also called for the mobilisation of key groups, such as religious, women, youths and other professional groups, to turn around the fortunes of democracy.

EKPOMA - The Nigerian Red Cross Society, Edo State branch is to hold it’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday, February 28, 2014.

This year’s edition has been scheduled to hold at the premises of the Esan West Divisional secretariat of the organisation, Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

According to the chairman of Esan West Division, Mr. Mike Odiahi, many dignitaries from both

national and state levels, are expected to grace the opening ceremony.

Among them, he said, are the Minister of Works, Arch.

Mike Onolememen, Edo State Head of Service, Mr. Jerry Obazele, vicechancellor of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Prof.

Cordelia Agbebaku and the Onojie of Ekpoma, HRH Zaiki Anthony Abumere 11.

He assured that arrangements towards successful hosting, have been concluded, adding that he was looking up to a hitch free meeting.

APC Chieftain calls for politics of conscience

Edo Red Cross Society

By OSE EHEBHA Holds AGM

News Oshiomhole’s Action Ordained By God - Elamah BENIN CITY - THE Chairman, Edo State Internal Revenue Service has described the actions of the Governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in various sphere as Ordained

by God. The Chairman, Chief Oseni Elamah said this while receiving delegation from the Adams Oshiomhole Study Group, AOSG, who paid a visit to the Revenue Service to invest him as the Patron of the group.

He said, “Adams Oshiomhole is a phenomenon, and most of his actions are those things that have been ordained by God. “But I will say” for the record, Adams Oshiomhole has no personal interest in anything, whether public or private.

What motivates him is what he does for the public, he doesn’t mind whether he is the only one standing at the other side”.

“I am always very proud to associate myself with people that have come together for a common cause not based on personal interest or benefits to

be derived, especially when they put their knowledge and skill in promoting that course.

“I can say without any form of contradiction and hesitation that this group is one of the formidable group that will sustain whatever legacy that Adams Oshiomhole will leave”.

The chairman also took time to encourage the youths to tow the right direction in terms of development.

“There is nothing that is not possible, once you have the will, God will provide the way and what you are embarking on, the issue of good governance is not debatable because, if every person can come to your own level, Oshiomhole will not need to be calling several town hall meetings, consultations, just to have us asserting the ability of those we have employed and we have paid with tax payers money to impact knowledge to our pupils and children in school”.

Presenting the Plague for the honour, Coordinator of AOSG, Joseph Gbale said “our body is a research based support group, sustainable development crusade and intellectual watchtower dedicated to the

defence and promotion of the non parallel ideas of good governance, people centered development, public finance prudence and accountability which the unprecedented Adams Oshiomhole administration has stood for since inception”.

“Our independent reflections, we are able to see clearly through the immediate years ahead; that, as the Oshiomhole administration’s terminal year 2016 approaches, forces opposed to real development, have set to deploy their most arsenal of blackmail to erase in the nearest future the legacies of the administration from the memories of our people”.

Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Uyi Igbe (left), His Deputy, Hon. Festus Ebea and the Majority Leader, Hon. Philip Shaibu at a Town Hall Meeting on Education organised in Benin City yesterday by the State government. Photo: CHARITY OZIGBO-ESERE.

Etsako East Council Boss Inspects Borehole, School Projects OKPELLA-The Chairman, Etsako East Local Government Council, Hon. Abdulmalik Suleman Afegbua has inspected the industrial Water borehole under construction in Imiagbese Okpella.

During the inspection, the council chairman said that he is happy when the people he elected to serve are happy.

Hon. Afegbua who vowed to continue the delivering of democratic dividends to the people, maintained that the industrial borehole has been distributed to serve the entire community.

While asking the people for prayers and support, the said that he will continue to complement the efforts of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the Governor of Edo State.

High Chief Zuberu Usman who spoke on behalf of the community, thanked God for the Afegbua led administration, describing him as God sent.

He said they have never seen this type of government before, noting that water is now everywhere in the community.

According to him previous promises by the People Democratic Party (PDP) led government in Edo State to provide them with water failed.

Mrs. Sikiratu Mohammed who spoke with newsmen in local language said the multiple sufferings occasioned by lack of water is now over, stressing that “water is now flowing everywhere and it is used for several purposes”.

The industrial borehole was also connected to an abandoned overhead tank installed by past administration and distributed to serve the people.

Meanwhile, the council boss has also inspected ongoing renovation, a block of six classrooms at Osime Primary School, Agenebode.

The Council boss who said that he was there on a routine inspection of projects, also stated that such project is spread across the 10 Wards in the local government area.

Urging the contractor to speed up the work, he said he has also awarded and mobilized contractor for the construction of four classrooms block in the same school.

The Head teacher of the school, Lady Theresa Dapopo who expressed happiness over the project had said that she fought for the renovation of the school since 2009, stressing that Hon. Afegbua came to the rescue.

She however requested for hasty completion of the job.

Okao Of Ikpe Commiserates that would stand the With Oba Erediauwa legacies test of time.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega (left) and Delta INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dame Gesila Khan, during the arrival of the INEC Chairman at the Asaba Airport on a two-day tour of INEC facilities in Delta on Monday.

2015:

IKPE (IKPOBA-OKHA) – The Okao of Ikpe Community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, His Royal Highness, Amadin Solomon Obazee and

Etsako Poised To Produce Edo North Senator

By MORRISON HAYBLE

SOUTH –IBIE: As preparations for the 2015 elections gather momentum, an enlarged meeting of political leaders in Etsako federal constituency which cut across party boundaries convened Sunday, to strengthen their agitation for the Edo North Senatorial seat in the National Assembly.

The meeting with a large attendance from the three Etsako local government areas took an unanimous stand to produce the next

Senator come 2015.

A leader in the area and convener of the meeting, Alhaji Usman Shagadi explained that it would amount to cheating and injustice if Etsako was not allowed to have it in the next dispensation in accordance with the agreed rotational representation.

Shagadi noted that the three zones in the Senatorial district; (Owan, Akoko-Edo and Etsako) have had the senatorial slot simultaneously, adding that it had become the turn of

Etsako in 2015 in the rotational order.

He observed that Etsako exercised restraint and did not contest the position with other zones when they took their turn and appealed to them to give equity and justice a chance in the interest of harmony.

Alhaji Shagadi used the medium to encourage all qualified Etsako indigenes to embrace the Senatorial race as the right candidate would be

decided thereafter.

Other speakers at the occasion, including Chief Akhigbe Alemoh, Alhaji Musa Sule and Chief Evelyn Omokhodion called for cooperation from other zones, pointing out that equity was important to move forward.

A similar meeting was earlier held by youths of Etsako federal constituency canvassing the need for Etsako to produce the next senator.

the people of the community have commiserated with Benin Monarch, His Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa, over the demise of his eldest wife, Oloi Esther Omoye Erediauwa, the Eson N’ Erie of Benin Kingdom.

A statement personally signed by the Okao and made available to newsmen in Benin City, indicated that the people of the area are greatly pained by the demise of the Queen.

The statement noted that the Oloi was a great inspiration to many members of Benin Kingdom and beyond, who have come closely to her or have had cause to identify with her.

According to the statement, the contributions of the Oloi to the peace, tranquility and development of the state is legendary, and would remain

The statement also noted that the Oloi would be greatly remembered for the several people she touched their lives positively through her pet project.

While urging the monarch to take solace in the fact that she lived a worthy and eventful life, the statement noted that she would be greatly missed by everyone.

Okao of Ikpe, HRH Amadin Solomon Obazee

News NCC To Sensitise Students On Copyright Infringement ABUJA - The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) plans to start the first phase of sensitising students of Nigerian universities and secondary schools to copyright infringement soon.

NCC‘s Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Aderemi Adewusi, told newsmen in Abuja that the sensitisation effort became necessary when it was observed that students were the culprits for infringing on copyright laws.

“One of the largest demographics where they are dealing with infringement and

copyright materials is concerned with people in secondary schools and in the universities.

“That is one of the demographics where people are exposed to copyright material and where they infringe all the time.

“Most of the times they are on social media, downloading music, they are file-sharing and all of these things have copyright implications.

“So they are infringing copyright as a way of life and the bulk of them don’t even know they are infringing.

‘In the schools they are photocopying people’s materials, transmitting people’s works without due process; most of them don’t know they are infringing.

“In the universities it is the same thing, they are photocopying text books, they are photocopying people’s research materials; so there is a large expose to copyright infringement in that demographic and a lot of them are not aware they are in infringing.

“So with the school programme, we are taking it to

EFCC Re-Arraigns 3 Pastors Over N7.9m Fraud IKEJA - The EFCC has rearraigned three pastors for allegedly defrauding Angel Estate Residents Association in Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos of N7.9 million.

The defendants, David Eshiet, (44), Samson Ugbara, (47) and Adesanmi Aderoju, (43), were rearraigned before Justice Kudirat Jose of an Ikeja High Court.

They are facing a six-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and uttering.

Reports state that the defendants were previously arraigned on March 13, 2013 before Justice Olabisi Akinlade.

The trio had pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail in the sum of N500,000 each.

During proceedings, the EFCC Counsel, Mr. Ben Ubi, said that the re-arraignment was necessitated by Akinlade’s transfer out of the criminal

division.

Ubi asked the court to order the defendants to re-take their plea and his request was granted.

He alleged that the defendants had conspired to fraudulently obtain four million naira and 25,000 dollars (N3.9 million) from the complainants.

The prosecutor said that the money was obtained on October 27, 2011, under the guise of helping the complainants to source a loan of 100 million dollars.

He said the association wanted the loan to finance some community projects and that the defendants had obtained the sums as processing charges.

Ubi also accused the defendants of forging various documents which were used in facilitating the fraud.

According to him, after collecting the money, the defendants failed to secure the

loan as promised, which led the complainants to petition the EFCC. He said that offences contravened Section 1, (subsections 1,2,3) and Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

Ubi said they also contravened Sections 363 and 364 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The offence of obtaining money by false pretences attracts between seven and 20 years imprisonment, if an accused is found guilty.

All the defendants, again, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following the re-arraignment, their Counsel, Mr. F.O. Udokporoh, urged the court to allow them to enjoy the bail earlier granted to them by the former judge.

The judge acceded to his request and adjourned the matter till May 19 for trial.

the grass roots and we are going to enlighten and sensitise that demographic to copyright awareness.“ He expressed concern over the flagrant violation of copyright in schools, saying that effort should be intensified by all stakeholders to discourage the prevalence of piracy in the school system.

Adewusi who is a deputydirector in the commission, said the programme would educate students on the dangers of copyright infringement and emphasised the need for them to show respect for intellectual works of creative people.

He said that every student was gifted with one creative skill or the other, hence the need for them to shun piracy. We have to make then understand

that there is something called copyright.

“And copyright places value on creativity and all of them are creative in one way or the other which means they have a stake in copyright.

“There are many of them that have things that are potentially valuable which the copyright industry will protect as soon as they create.

“So the point is this, if they are going to benefit from the copyright industry, they have to learn to create a culture where the copyright of others are respected.

“If they create a culture where there is no respect for copyright, they themselves will not benefit from the value of what they create. So it is two-

fold.”

According to him, the first phase of the sensitisation will begin in March and is expected to cover most schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He said NCC’s state and zonal offices would also take the programme to schools in their various locations.

Adewusi said the programme would be in the form of workshop and rally and that students would be allowed to contribute to the programme in the course of an interactive session.

“We will speak to the kids, materials will be given to them, it will be like a presentation. We will have materials at their levels that will educate them of copyright issues,“ he said.

Cross-section of participants at the Town Hall Meeting on Education organised by Edo State Government in Benin City yesterday. Photo: CHARITY OZIGBO-ESERE

Hi-Tech Waste Bins To Revolutionalise Waste Mgt

Cross-section of traditional rulers at the Town Hall Meeting on Education organised by Edo State Government in Benin City yesterday. Photo: CHARITY OZIGBO-ESERE

Osun Warns Students Against 17, 2013, following an Improper Conduct December uprising by its students.

OSOGBO - The Osun StateGovernment has ordered reopening of the Ansar Ud Deen High School, Osogbo, for full academic activities.

The government gave the directive in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo.

The statement, signed by the Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Education, Mr. Lawrence Oyeniran, said that the school should re-open yestetday.

The school, located on the Resting Ground, Osogbo, was shut by the government on

The statement advised parents and guardians to guard against unwholesome behaviour by their children and wards.

“Any student of the school who fails to conduct himself or herself within the established school rules and regulations will be disciplined.’’

ABAKALIKI - Dr Emma Abah, the Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Ebonyi, has said the introduction of Word Waste Bin (WWB) would revolutionise waste management and promote sustainable environment nationwide.

Abah spoke to newsmen in Abakaliki on how communities could be mobilised to effectively make use of the equipment to safeguard the environment from degradation.

According to him, WWB is an innovation of the Federal Government aimed at ensuring effective proper waste disposal and management.

He said that the bin introduced by the National Orientation Agency was designed to communicate with its users and mobilise them towards knowledge-based environmental care.

“It is a refuse disposal tool which has visual components and information pouches that constantly reminds the users on the need to be environmental friendly,’’ Abah said.

He said that proper waste disposal and management was critical in ensuring environmental cleanliness, elimination of environmental health hazards and enhanced healthy living for the citizenry.

The NOA director said that industrial revolution created environmental hazards which were affecting the ecosystem, adding that embracing WWB would reduce the risks associated with environmental degradation.

“The innovation has visual messaging and other information pouches that are strategically placed on the refuse disposal tool to constantly reminds the users on the need to be environmental friendly.

“There are Waste Marshals; usually youth volunteers that regularly maintain the bin and organise communities for environmental orientation and liaising with environmental boards for timely evacuation and disposal of waste,’’ Abah said.

He said the agency would sensitise communities, mass transit agencies and other stakeholders on the effective use of the waste bin.

“The old way of waste disposal has not helped in guaranteeing environmental safety and sustainability coupled with ignorance and lack of proper enforcement of environmental laws.

“This new approach is designed to carry on board members of the community in this renewed war against environmental degradation and to ensure the sustainability of our ecosystem,’’ he said.

“Our agency is partnering with two leading Nigeria industrial outfits; Oskanag Nig. Ltd and Innoson Industrial Ltd to mass produce the refuse disposal machine.

“We are also receiving support from other federal agencies such as Federal Ministry of Environment, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and National Environmental Standard and Regulatory Agency (NESRA).

“We further appeal to the citizens to be environmental friendly by keeping the environment clean, avoid blocking water channels and doing the right things,’’ Abah said.

South South Eket Residents Laud FG Over Improved Power Supply EKET - Residents of Eket and its environs in Akwa Ibom have expressed joy at the improved power supply in the area, commending the Federal Government for making it possible.

They expressed their feelings in separate interviews with newsmen in Eket .

They said there had been tremendous improvement in power supply in the area in the last one month, and attributed this to the switching on of the Ibom Power Plant.

Mr Nwizu Innocent, a businessman, said the steady power supply had improved his business tremendously.

“This is the first time we have had uninterrupted power supply in Eket, since the privatisation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

“Power supply has really improved here and we are very happy about it because it is impacting positively on all aspects of life, including business,” he said.

Expressing his joy, another resident, Mr Etieno Umoh, said the people of the area had started reaping the benefits of involving private concerns in the country’s power sector.

Umoh, however, lamented that electricity tariff had increased, saying there were irregularities in the billing system in the area.

Mr Emmanuel Tom, another resident, said the steady power supply had reduced the rate at which he bought diesel for his power generator.

He however called on the Port Harcourt Electricity Company (PHEC) to supply meters to the residents to ensure accuracy in billing.

Commenting, Mr Itaobong Offiong, Public Affairs

Manager of PHEC, said the coming on stream of the Ibom power plant had improved the power situation in Akwa Ibom.

Offiong also attributed the improvement to hard work by the PHEC staff in the area, saying they had been working round the clock on electricity installations in the state.

“Ibom power plant is on, and our staff are now more dedicated to work. PHEC is a private business concern now and it is no longer business as usual,’’ he said.

He, however, condemned the increasing act of vandalising electricity installations, and appealed to the people to expose those involved in the criminal act.

LG Boss Inspects Projects

By AUDU ADAMA AUCHI – The Etsako West Local Government Chairman, Barrister Prince Hassan Kadiri has embarked on an inspection tour of some of the on going Projects executed by his Administration.

The inspection is with a view to assessing the performance and compliance of the Council’s Contractors to the terms of Agreement of delivering quality and standard work as contained in Bills of Engineering Measurement and that of Evaluation.

In company of top Council officials, Barrister Kadiri inspected the renovation work on a block of three classrooms, a block of two classrooms with a Store and Headmaster’s Office as well as a block of six classrooms at Etsako Nursery and Primary School, Auchi.

The Chairman and his Team also inspected the on – going renovation work on a block of three classrooms and that of six classrooms at Abotse / Igbe Primary School, Auchi.

In a brief chat with The NIGERIAN OBSERVER after the inspection, the Chairman though expressed satisfaction

with the level of work done so far in some of the inspected Projects, however charged some of the Contractors to expedite action in theirs.

President Goodluck Jonathan (middle) cutting the tape to inaugurate the office of the Auditor-General for the Federation in Abuja yesterday. With him are: The Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Sen. Lawan Ahmed (left) and the Auditor-General for the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura.

I Will Continue To Speak Up - Amaechi

By ELIZABETH AGBOEGBULEM PORT HARCOURT Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has declared that he would continue to speak up against the policies and decisions of the federal government under President Goodluck Jonathan which he considers against the ultimate interests of the people of Rivers State because he is not a coward.

Amaechi who spoke in response to the assertion by the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, that he will be arrested after President Jonathan is declared the winner of the 2015 presidential poll, noted that “I presume Wike is speaking the president’s mind”.

“Nothing will stop me from fighting for the right and interest of the people of Rivers

L-R: Mr. Daniel Uwaezuoke, Director, Basic and Secondary Education, Federal Ministry of Education; Prof. Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche, President, Linguistic Association of Nigeria and Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, at the international mother language day celebration in Abuja yesterday.

State. The people and residents of Rivers State are my primary constituency, and I have sworn on oath to protect their interests. I have said repeatedly that I will support and vote for President Jonathan if he gives back to Rivers State the five Soku Oil wells that have been ceded to Bayelsa State”.

Governor Amaechi insisted: “Look, I am not a coward and I do not look like one. I cannot because of any form of reprisal fail to speak my mind on issues that affect the People and residents of Rivers State. The issue of the Soku oil wells is not about Amaechi, it is about the economic interest of our state.

So, I cannot be cowed

because of some imaginary threat. No! Amaechi is far more than that”.

Governor Amaechi spoke through the Chief of Staff, government house, Chief Tony Okocha. Okocha revealed that although the governor was not aware of any plan to punish or humiliate him if President Jonathan earns a second berth through the presidential polls in 2015, it was clear that Wike is speaking the president’s mind.

Okocha maintained: “Well, if you have been following the political crisis in Rivers State, especially the role of the presidency in its avowed support for the Abuja-based politicians from Rivers State,

Group Partners TIC On Youth Empowerment CALABAR - The Supreme Coalition, an NGO, says it has partnered the Technology Incubation Center (TIC) Calabar in training and empowering 285 youths in Cross River.

The leader of the organisation, Mr Edet Asia, told newsmen in Calabar that the youths had been trained in welding, soap making, confectioneries and tailoring.

Asia said the training was designed to make the youth self-reliant and keep them away from vices associated with unemployment.

He said: “We have initiated many programmes on youth empowerment. We entered into partnership with TIC Calabar. The partnership has resulted in the training of 285 people”.

He said the group had also acquired a large expanse of land at Akim Akim in Odukpani Local Government Area for agriculture.

Asia said the group was collaborating with the Cross

River Basin Development Authority on irrigation because of the nature of the soil.

According to him, Supreme Coalition was planning another entrepreneurial training programme for some other youths at the SouthSouth Zonal Enterprises Development Centre in Calabar.

“We are looking forward to having 200 persons for the training. We want to help the youths pass through entrepreneurial training scheme before they can handle money.

“We have written to partner with the National Directorate of Employment.

“We have sent a proposal to them that we want to train 200 youths across the state on different skills, ‘’ he said.

He commended the state government for providing the enabling environment for the organisation’s training programmes.

you can easily deduce that Wike is speaking the president’s mind. When the evil plotter beats the drum for the innocent, the gods will not let it sound”.

He continued: “Wike will not stop playing God. He is and indecent mind contributing nothing than a baggage of mischief and villainy, yet he remains a senior member of the federal government. In contrast to Wike, Governor Amaechi remains a hero in our political history. His prodigies in the political landscape cannot be dwarfed by never-do-wells as wike. Amaechi is a great achiever, erudite scholar, incorruptible and fearless”.

Okocha pointed out that Governor Amaechi’s decision not to support President Jonathan in 2015 is borne out of principles and self conviction to which Amaechi is entitled. Okocha fumed: “It is not surprising that Wike speaks so despicably of a man who threw him up politically.

He is one of those who ill advise the president that opposition is punishable by death. Now, see where we are today. One will expect that Wike is scolded for making such gutter statement but, alas, it’s a further meal ticket for him. Nigeria we hail thee”.

Wike had declared at the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, state secretariat in Rivers State, that Governor Amaechi will be arrested after President Jonathan is declared the winner of the presidential poll in 2015. He disclosed that members of the PDP in the state will immediately shutdown the Port Harcourt International airport and all land and sea borders into Rivers State to prevent Governor Amaechi and his cohorts from escaping.

News Olubolade Declares For Ekiti Governorship

Chairman, Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Chief Oseni Elamah (left) receiving a plaque from the coordinator, Adams Oshiomhole Study Group, Joseph Gbale.

ADO-EKITI - The immediate past Minister of Police Affairs, Retired Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade, has declared his intention to run for Ekiti governorship election.

Reports state that Olubolade declared in Ado Ekiti at a reception in his honour by members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Ekiti chapter.

Reports state that Olubolade resigned his position as the Minister of Police Affairs to vie for the governorship position.

He said that he would not borrow money from the capital market to finance the state if

elected.

He also said that his administration would run a programme that was in tandem with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan to bring development to the state.

Commenting on the N25 billion bond sought by the incumbent, Governor Kayode Fayemi from the capital market, Olubolade said that “borrowing of money by Fayemi is a proof of his failed government.

“I want to assure you that I will not borrow a dime to finance the state and all I am going to do as programmes will align with the transformation agenda of President Jonathan.

“I am determined to rescue Ekiti from the pangs of bad governance.” He said the incumbent administration had

failed Ekiti people as could see the signs in the level of poverty, unemployment and poor policy formulation in all facets.

He thanked Jonathan for giving him the opportunity to serve the nation, saying he would justify the confidence reposed in him if voted into office.

The Ekiti PDP Chairman, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe, assured the people that the mismanaged funds by the incumbent administration would be recovered when the party eventually takes over leadership.

He noted that the present administration promised free education, free health services, employment, but that yet they were not free in Ekiti today.

Ogundipe urged the people to vote for PDP’s candidate in the forthcoming June 21, governorship election.

Man, Woman Sentenced To Community Service For Fighting

Chairman, Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Chief Oseni Elamah with members of Adams Oshiomhole Study Group during their visit to Elamah in Benin City.

LAGOS - An Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos has sentenced a man and a woman to eight hours community service for fighting in public.

The Magistrate, Mrs E. Johnson, sentenced traders Chinedu Okoye, 53, and Rasheedat Dauda, 32 -following their guilty pleas.

Okoye resides at No.19, Dosumu St., Lagos Island, while Dauda resides at No. 15 Akosho St., Ijora, Lagos.

FADAMA III Project Develops Bio-Gas Digesters

AKURE - The Fadama 111 Project has developed biogas digesters which serve as alternative sources of power to Aponmu and Legiri communities of Ondo State.

The project’s State Coordinator, Mr. Olusiji Olatunji, disclosed to newsmen in Akure that the project was embarked upon in conjunction with the state government.

Biogas typically refers to a mixture of gases produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen.

Biogas can be produced from regionally available raw materials such as recycled waste and is a renewable energy source and in many cases exerts a very small carbon footprint.

The digesters are equipment used for turning biogas into renewable energy.

He said that Aponmu and Legiri, where the biogas digesters were located, were in Akure South and Ondo West Local Government Areas respectively.

“The two villages are now illuminated at night through the gas lamps and the residents now enjoy the benefits of the project.

“The power from the digesters is used in smoking fish and the

by-product of the waste used in generating the gas can be converted to fertilizers “We are planning to extend this gesture to other Fadama Youth

Villages across the state to minimise cost of electricity and optimise farming production,” he said.

Olatunji said that bio-gas

project had increased the interest of youths in agriculture, thereby reducing unemployment in the state.

He added that Fadama III project had engaged 8,000 youths in the state who had embraced various forms of agriculture in 40 villages.

The police charged the traders on two counts.

“Having observed the demeanour of the accused, and taken into consideration that they are first-time offenders, I hereby sentence them to eight hours community service,’’ she said.

Johnson held that the sentence should be served within 24 hours.

The Prosecutor, Cpl. Raphael Donny, had submitted that the accused committed affray and conducted themselves in a disorderly manner on February 17 at 3.30p.m., at No. 19, Dosumu St. on Lagos Island.

Donny said that the accused fought because Dauda allegedly splashed water on Okoye.

He said that the offences contravened Sections 54 and 166(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Uduaghan Cautions Politicians Against Petition Writing

By INNEH BARTH

DELTA STATE - Ahead of the 2015 general elections, the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has urged politicians and political parties to do more of grass root mobilization and sensitization in order to sell their programmes to the electorates.

Dr. Uduaghan made this appeal while declaring open a two day seminar put together by the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC), in collaboration with

independent National Electoral Commission INEC, in Asaba, the state capital.

He frowned at a situation where political parties and some politicians who embark on petition writing when election is near instead of focusing on how they can sell their programmes to the electorates.

“Politicians should do more of field work and not blaming the electoral body. Nobody gets to position through violence only the people decide who represent them at

all level”.

Uduaghan further assured DSIEC that the state government will provide all necessary support as it prepares for the conduct of local government election.

In a key note address by the Chairman of INEC, Prof.

Atahiru Jega, said the theme of the seminar which is, “Building confidence in the Electoral System: The task before DSIEC” aptly captured the challenges of any election in Nigeria.

Jega noted that election

management bodies in Nigeria are in a perpetual struggle to win and keep the confidence of the people who already have the mindset that he who appointed the commissioners dictates the tune of any election.

He urged those in leadership positions to obey the laws of the land and provide a level playing ground for all the participants at any elections, noting that electoral fraud constituted the greatest threats to free and fair election.

“We cannot satisfy the yearning of Nigerians if Local

Government elections are not properly conducted”, he stated.

In a welcome address, chairman of DSIEC, Mr. Moses Ogbe, stated that the theme of the seminar was carefully chosen, considering the challenges ahead and the expectations of Deltans as it prepares for LG election.

According to him, “while the constitution empowers the commission to conduct election in the Local Government councils, the truth is that the process that will bring about the right elections does not belong to the commission alone but the various stakeholders.

Lagos Court Bars Security Operatives From Arresting Sanusi

By RAHEEM IBRAHIM LAGOS - A Federal High Court in Lagos has barred the Nigerian police and State Security Services (SSS) personnel from arresting, harassing and detaining the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

The motion exparte was granted by Justice Ibrahim Buba after Sanusi’s lawyers filed an affidavit of urgency, deposed to by Malam Sanusi Lamido, in which he expressed grave fears about his freedom and personal liberty.

Sanusi himself arrived at the Federal court to swear to the affidavit at about 3.34 pm. He left instantly afterwards.

Lawyers from the chambers of former Lagos state attorney-general, Professor Yemi Osibajo were seen in Justice Ibrahim Buba’s court, where they held a closed session with the judge to argue their case, that Sanusi deserved the shield of the court from feared violations by agents of the state against his personal liberty.

The lawyers were: Mrs. V.O.M. Longe, Ikem Isiekwena, Bashiru Ramini, Benjamin Omoruyi and Loretta Ossai.

Justice Buba in his ruling

urged the defendants, who include the Inspector General of Police, the DG of the SSS and the attorney-general of the Federation, to maintain the status quo until “hearing and determination of the motion on notice”.

The matter was adjourned for further hearing 28 February.

Sanusi has dismissed the allegations of misconduct against him and said he believed he was removed because of his attacks on the powerful state Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

On arrival from Niamey, Niger Republic on Thursday, Sanusi was delayed at the

Lagos airport and his Nigerian travelling passport seized by the SSS. “His passport is still with them,” said Malam Nasir ElRufai, a former minister and Sanusi’s friend.

Sanusi was suspended by President Goodluck Jonathan,

few months to the end of his five-year tenure, amidst the allegations made by Sanusi that the state-owned oil corporation, the NNPC was owing the national treasury $20billion, being unremitted proceeds from oil sales from January 2012 to June 2013.

Federal Government responded by excavating an older issue of financial allegations against Sanusi as governor of the bank and shoves him out of office.

Sanusi in several interviews has promised to challenge the suspension in court of law.

Embrace Peace, Shun Ethnicity, Cleric Urges Nigerians “Then come together as a LAGOS - Bishop Joseph Dike, Director of Information, Brotherhood of the Cross and Star College of Bishops, has urged Nigerians to co-exist in peace and harmony to ensure the country’s development.

Dike said this while delivering a lecture at the three-day national conference of the church entitled “Unified Universal Theocracy on Earth’’ in Lagos.

“The expectation goes beyond the church, I rather say to the entire Nigerians in the human family.

“The manifestation of this kingdom is to break the boundary of churches and religion, to break the barrier of our language and ethnicity

and all the areas that have been posing conflicts to us.

“We must come together as one, even at this particular point of Nigeria’s transition, so much violence, so much bloodshed, so much acrimony, so much hatred and so on and so forth.

“The Quran teaches love, the bible teaches love as well as other religions, we expect that if we are really the children of God to come together in oneness.

“Eschew our difference, forget all our biases, forget our hatred, and forget all those things that militate against our corporate and individual wellbeing.

family of God under one umbrella in love and peace.

Dike said peace was fundamental to the development and sustainability of the country as one indivisible entity.

Chairman, Etsako East Local Government Council, Hon. Abdulmalik Suleiman (3rd left) drinking water from the industrial water borehole in Imiagtese, Okpella during an inspection visit.

Secure Borders To Prevent Smuggling, Union Tasks FG LAGOS - The National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGWN) has appealed to the Federal Government to secure the nation’s borders to prevent smuggling of banned products.

The President of NUTGWN, Mr Oladele Hunsu, told newsmen in Lagos that the industry’s major threat was unabated smuggling of textiles into the country.

“In spite of the ban on textile import introduced by the Federal Government in 2004, Nigeria still remains a dumping ground for all sorts of textile,” Hunsu said.

He said the government must ensure that its borders were not porous, adding that “porous borders amount to unfair trade practice.

“How can you open your

borders or your sea ports and make your country a dumping ground?” he asked.

Hunsu urged the government to come up with a stringent policy to ensure that dumping of goods was prohibited.

“It will help to protect the local industries. So, we want the government to intensify efforts to ensure it put stringent measures in place to discourage dumping,” he said.

The union leader lamented that the Chinese were the worst culprits in faking and dumping substandard textile materials in Nigeria.

“The Chinese have started

faking Nigerian products by taking designs from Nigeria to China to produce inferior ones with Nigeria labels and bring back the inferior products.

“Most Nigerian consumers cannot differentiate between the locally made fabric and imported Chinese ones and that tends to rubbish us as a nation.

“If they (Chinese) are sincere in growing our economy, they should come and set up industries, rather than turning Nigeria into dumping ground for substandard textile materials,” Hunsu said.

infrastructure and equipment to develop the grassroots, but on our own part, we are trying to make do with what we have in terms of sports facilities in all the zones.

“Schools are naturally the place to discover these talents, so our zonal coaches have been given the directive to scout for such individuals.

“This year, our main objective is to discover more budding talents into future

effort would help boost sporting activities in the state and prepare athletes for the forthcoming National Sport Festival (NSF) scheduled for November 23 to December 3 in Calabar, Cross River.

Reports State that Team Plateau finished 14th on the medal table with six gold, nine silver and 18 bronze at the last the sports fiesta tagged “Eko 2012” in Lagos

Plateau Promises To Develop he said.

Grassroots Sports stars,’’ Izang disclosed that the

Hon. Omorede Osifo (left) in a handshake with APC National Women Leader, Barrister Sharon Ikeazor after receiving the Royal beads from the Benin Monarch recently.

LAGOS - The Plateau Sports Council (PSSC) has said that it would encourage the development of sports at the grassroots this year.

The PSSC Director of Sports, Bulus Izang, made the assertion in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

Izang said the state would build modern sporting facilities in major towns to aid the development of sports.

“We need more

News

Sokoto Spends N950m On Roads SOKOTO - The Sokoto State Government has said it has spent more than N950 million on the construction of two roads.

The Commissioner for

Information, Malam Danladi Bako, however told newsmen in Sokoto that the projects have been completed and inaugurated.

He listed the roads as the 37

No Bird Flu Outbreak KADUNA - The Kaduna State Government has dismissed as untrue news of an outbreak of bird flu in the state.

Dr Francis Kambai, the Desk Officer, Avian Influenza (Bird flu), Department of Veterinary and Clinical Services, Kaduna state Ministry of Agriculture, disclosed this to newsmen.

Kambai said the ministry was yet to even hear of any suspicion regarding bird flu outbreak in some poultry farms in the state.

He said any bird flu case must be ascertained clinically, and has to be tested and proven otherwise.

“The current case of flu being noticed in some farms or homes may be a different epidemic, but not necessarily bird flu, until investigation is concluded.

“It can be another disease or epidemic, but bird flu is not common here. We have to actually do a laboratory diagnosis, before we can say ‘yes, we have it’. and they have not reported any to us,” the official said.

Kambai said many other diseases could be identical with bird flu and could also result in a lot of mortality.

He advised poultry owners to ensure that their birds were vaccinated at the appropriate time to avoid disease outbreak.

The officer also advised livestock owners to ensure that they take basic hygiene measures and take the appropriate bio-security measures in order to avoid unwanted situations.

“We did a lot of training for people on this bird flu outbreak issue, and that was how we were able to control the situation, especially this bio-security measure.

“The bio-security measures, for example, include the restriction of movement of people in to a farm because people can easily carry the disease around through their feet and spread it round that way,” he said.

Kambai warned that the disease could be very difficult to control when it was spread around.

He also advised those who

- KDSG

intend to start the poultry business on the need for planning in order to succeed.

“They should get basic information first and check appropriately, and also on the type of vaccine to be given and at what age,” the health official said.

Kambai said a person rearing 1,000 chickens should have a qualified veterinary doctor to take care of them, in order to avoid recording casualties.

km Rundi-Katami road and the 40 km Illela-Gada road in the Silame and Gada local government areas (LGAs) of the state respectively.

Bako said the roads were constructed to link the local government headquarters and as well enhance the socioeconomic development of the areas.

“The state government will continue to initiate policies and programmes which will enhance the living status of the people,’’ he said.

The commissioner solicited for more support for the state government from the people, especially by living in peace with one another.

L-R: National President, Fish Dealers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Oyenike Atoyebi; Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and former Director of Fishery, Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Godwin Shimang, at the stakeholders’ meeting on repositioning the fisheries sub-sector in Abuja yesterday.

Late Speaker’s Brother Wins Election To Replace Brother TAKUM (TARABA) - Mr. Daniel Tsokwa, younger brother to the late Taraba Speaker, Haruna Tsokwa, has been declared winner of the bye-election for Takum 1 Constituency in Taraba.

Declaring the results in the early hours of Sunday, the Returning Officer, Dr Ibrahim Wayo, said Daniel of PDP got 36,070 votes to defeat his opponent, Musa Danjuma of APC, who scored 4,479 votes.

It was Observed that the election was monitored by no fewer than five resident electoral commissioners from neighbouring states and scores of senior officers from INEC Headquarters.

There was heavy presence of security agents, including the army and the police, deployed across the six wards of the constituency to monitor the election.

Commenting on the results, the state’s APC Chairman, Alhaji Hassan Ardo, attributed his party’s loss to what he described as misinformation.

He said “the National Secretariat of the APC was misinformed and this led to the substitution of the candidate that won the party primaries.’’

It would be recalled that the late speaker, Tsokwa, who was at the centre of the Taraba political saga, died on November 4, 2013, creating the basis for the bye-election.

An accident at Ojodu-Berger in Lagos yesterday.

PCN Gets New Patron

By KESTER OGIESEWU

BENIN CITY – Nigerians have been enjoined to embrace transparency, diligence, honesty

as a way of life.

Speaking at the investiture ceremony of the Assisitant Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, Engr

Fredrick Nosakhare Ogbeide as one of the patrons of Peace Corps of Nigeria, the commandant of the peace corps of Nigeria, Muktar Edion Habib described

Institute Re-Introduces HND, ND Programmes KADUNA - The National Water Resource Institute in Kaduna, has said that it had reintroduced Higher National Diploma (HND) and National Diploma (ND) programmes in water resource and civil engineering respectively.

The Executive Director of the institute, Dr Olusanjo Bamgboye, told newsmen in Kaduna that the programmes were suspended in 2006 due to national reforms.

“It was the institution which wrote and asked for the

suspension of the programmes due to national reforms.

“It happened at the time the Federal Government was doing a general reform in new technologies and our staff needed to upgrade themselves.’’

According to him, staff of the institute have now upgraded themselves, hence the reintroduction of the programmes.

“The institute is coming back with a brand new project that is based on staff experience.

“The institute will also encourage polytechnics to run water resources engineering courses.’’

On construction of drains, he said the institute was reviewing the code of practice for its design.

He said “the design for drains must have a slop and must be according to the hydrology condition of a particular environment.

“Each sub-basin must release a lot of water to the next sub-basin and accumulate it until it gets to the final outlet, which is the river.’’

Engr Ogbeide as a man who is focused and has the charisma to lead.

He said that PCN’s decision to honour Engr Ogbeide as one of its patrons is as a result of hardwork, and good working relationship with people especially staff of NDDC. Muktar Odion Habib also stated that the honour on Engr Ogbeide appreciation for his support for peace and security and his genuine desire to continue to propagate peace and security, responding, the beneficiary, Engr Fredrick Ogbeide thanked the peace corps of Nigeria for the honour and promised to assist in ensuring the success of the aims and objectives of the corps.

Engr Ogbeide however, assured members of the PCN of his assistance and readiness to ensure that PCN succeeds.

Abuja No Stolen Artefacts From Nigerian Museums

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Macjohn Nwaobiala (middle), presenting a prize to the most versatile student in Igbo Language, Miss Chinelo Okechukwu of Government Secondary School, Garki at the Maiden Quiz Competition on Nigeria Languages, an event at the international mother language day celebration in Abuja yesterday. Right is Mr. Daniel Uwaezuoke, Director, Basic and Secondary Education.

ABUJA - Malam Yusuf Abdullah, the Director-General, National Commission for Museum and Monuments, has said in Abuja that no Nigerian museum had lost any artefacts in the past 25 years.

Usman said this at the Newsmen Forum while fielding questions on allegations of stealing of Nigerian artefacts.

“In the last 20 years or 25 years, no national museum has suffered any loss of its artefacts.

But, in the 90s, of course, there were series of burglaries; security men were killed and objects removed from our galleries.

“Severe measures have been taken to ensure that the museums are safe and up till now we have not suffered any such loss.

“But, that is not to say that artefacts of Nigerian origin are not stolen.

“They (foreigners) do not remove what is in the museums but they encourage locals to dig archaeological sites and heritage sites to remove these artefacts and smuggle them out.

“They encourage people to steal from shrines; they go to shrines and they remove these

FG, NGO Launch Centenary Environmental Campaign ABUJA - The Federal Government in collaboration with the Environmental Safety Corps (ESCORP), an NGO, has said that it would launch a centenary sanitation and hygiene campaign nationwide.

A statement by ESCORP’s Coordinator, Mr. Emenike Eme, said in Abuja that the campaign was aimed at reviving and sustaining good hygiene practices.

The statement said the first phase of the 100-year campaign to be launched on Monday would target all Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

It said the campaign would be embarked upon with the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values and the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of

Nigeria (EHORECON).

“The overall objective of the campaign is to help raise the standard and sustainability of environmental ethics, sanitation and hygiene in work places.

“It will raise sanitation awareness through such advocacy as it will encourage workers to willingly maintain the cleanliness of their work places as well as the safety of facilities.

“We will achieve this through the domestication of ‘autonomous morality’ rather than viewing these matters as the sole responsibility of government,’’ the statement said.

It said the programme for the campaign would be done under the technical guidance and leadership of environmental health officers in Nigeria.

The highlights of the event, it

Jonathan To Worship Outside Villa Chapel, Once Monthly ABUJA - President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he would, henceforth, worship outside Aso Rock Villa Chapel every last Sunday of the month.

The president announced the decision at the headquarters of Dunamis Gospel Church, Garki, Abuja, where he attended a Sunday service.

He said he decided to be going from one church to another every last Sunday of the month to show appreciation to Christians for their prayers.

Jonathan said the decision was neither political nor out of contempt for Aso Villa Chapel where he ought to worship traditionally.

“Traditionally, we have the State House Chapel where I worship every Sunday. If we do not have the chapel, probably, I would have been here one or two times before this time.

“It is only during the Christmas period, may be two Sundays before Christmas and the Sunday before and after New Year that we sometimes close the chapel, and allow people to participate in their church services and that time I do go round.

“This year, we have decided that from now onward, until I leave the State House, every last Sunday of the month I will go to different churches.

“The reasons are very obvious, not because if I worship in the State House I am not worshiping God. “Yes, that is the State House Chapel presided over by a chaplain and from time to time other men and women of God come to preach to us.

“But I feel that it is good for me to go round and continue to appreciate what our brothers and sisters have been doing,” he said.

The president reiterated his appreciation to Christians for their prayers for the nation.

He said Nigeria had its own share of the negative things but pointed out that the challenges of the country would have been more without prayers and spiritual support from Christians.

He said with the prayers and support from the Church, Nigeria would overcome its present challenges and achieve its potential.

“If you watch television, both local and foreign, we always have negative news as breaking news.

“We have our unfair share of those negative news but your prayers have been helping.

“If not for your prayers, it would have been worse.

“We will get over our challenges, I only urge you to continue to pray for the nation,” he said.

The president also thanked the officiating pastor, Dr Paul Enenche, his wife, Becky, and the Dunamis Church family for their consistent support and prayers for the administration and the country.

He attested to the true apostolic calling of the Enenches, who both left medical practice for the pulpit.

The president corroborated Enenches sermon that the happiest people in the world ‘were not the ones with big names and riches’’ and advised the congregation not to seek fortune or power desperately.

Earlier, Enenche in a sermon titled, “Anti-covenant Practices”, listed begging and borrowing, fraudulent practices, acting without discretion and impossibility mentality as unholy acts.

The pastor anchored his

teaching on the Biblical verse in the Book of Jeremiah Chapter 17, verse 11.

He advised the congregation to avoid corruption and fraudulent practices.

Enenche said: “What God has not given to you does not add to you and crookedness of today equals afflictions of tomorrow.”

said, would include sanitary and safety inspection of facilities within and outside the premises of the MDAs, environmental ethics and safety enlightenment.

It will also include the assessment of compliance level by different MDAs and project reports to the honourable Minister of Environment and other relevant bodies.

According to the statement, the theme of the campaign is “Be Ethical, Be Centenary Clean’’.

Reports state that ESCORP is concerned with the safety of man’s physical and social environment.

It has special interest in sanitation, hygiene, occupational safety and climate change’s impact mitigation.

The organisation gets professional guidance from the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria.

- Commission

things from shrines.

“Unfortunately, some Nigerians are willing to give out their heirlooms from their own family to smuggle out of the country and sell these items.

“So, it is a big problem that has been bothering us for a long time. “ But we have succeeded in making sure that no theft takes place in our galleries or in our museums,” he said.

He said that there were hundreds of archaeological sites in Nigeria, adding that the prominent ones were currently being policed.

According to him, local communities have been engaged to police such sites pending when more archaeological sites police will be employed.

The director-general said that security operatives, especially those involved in border policing, have been trained and sensitised to look out for artefacts being smuggled.

He pointed out that the commission was now relying on security operatives to forestall disappearance of Nigerian artefacts since its desks at the airports collapsed.

Abdullah explained that some artefacts smuggled out are now being returned by the foreign governments.

“We received quite a number of requests from museums abroad trying to find out whether certain artefacts had our blessings before they left Nigeria but the problem is that most of the collectors are private persons.

“In some countries where we have some understanding with the governments, when they intercept such artefacts, they return them.

“We have witnessed that with France. Last year, they returned nearly five artefacts to us.

In Canada too, they were intercepted and they were returned. In the United States also, they were intercepted and were returned.

Most of these artefacts left Nigeria long before Nigeria became independent and during the civil war,” he said.

On the issue of artefacts that were taken from Benin during the British Invasion, the directorgeneral said the commission was not relenting in its demand for the return of the affected artefacts.

Students welcoming their audience in Nigeria Languages at the international mother language day celebration in Abuja yesterday.

News ISOPADEC Empowers 1,700 Youths

Fuel hawkers waiting for buyers as fuel scarcity hits Abuja yesterday.

OWERRI - The Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC), says it has empowered 1,700 youths with N500 million, in the oil producing Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta Local Government Areas of the state.

The Finance Controller of ISOPADEC, Mr Uguchukwu Nwokoma, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Owerri.

Nwokoma said that the commission granted the 1,700 youths loans amounting to N500 million to enable them to start businesses of their choice.

He said the empowerment of the youths was aimed at preventing militancy in the oil producing area.

“The aim of empowering these youths is to cushion the effects of oil exploration on their land.

“These oil producing areas are

often the most neglected developmentally, and often times, the youths express their dissatisfaction with the way they are treated.

“Providing jobs for them will serve two purposes, employment and distraction from vices,” he said.

He added that 57 tricycles were also donated to youths of the area for transportation as

part of the empowerment programme.

The finance controller commended the Governor Rochas Okorocha-led administration for propelling the empowerment programme.

He also said that the Maritime University in Osemotor, Oguta Local Government Area, expected to commence academic programmes in 2015, would also provide jobs for the people of the area.

ILORIN - The Kwara Government has said it would soon establish an agriculture laboratory for soil-testing and allied matters so as to attract commercial agriculture into the state.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed dropped this hint in Ilorin, when the Chief Executive Officer of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Chief Keith Richards, paid him a courtesy visit.

‘The proposed laboratory is part of our administration’s policy in the agriculture sector to ensure that the right crops are planted on the right type of soil for desired dividends,’’ he said.

The governor assured potential investors that his administration would always create the enabling

environment which would spur agricultural and economic development in the state.

He described the interest of the private sector in investing in the state’s agriculture development initiative as a positive development which would boost commercial agriculture in the state.

Earlier, in his address, Richards had said his company would invest about five billion dollars in cheese production in the state.

He said the proposed dairy factory would produce cheese, butter and other products from milk.

Richards said Promasidor was committing about five million dollars of the total amount into equipment and auxiliary investments.

“The factory will create employment and encourage the commercial development of Shonga where the factory will be sited,’’ he said.

Kalu gave the warning while speaking with aviation correspondents at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after his arrival from Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

Reports state that Kalu was also a former presidential candidate of the People’s Progressive Alliance (PPA) in the 2011 general elections.

He said that most Nigerians lacked the dividends of democracy promised to them by their elected leaders during electioneering.

Kalu, however, said that in spite of the warning, the country would not break up as being rumoured in some circles.

“What I’m afraid of is not disintegration of the country, rather, revolution by the people. It’s not going to be by the police but by the people.

“That is what I‘m conscious of, and we must be very careful of what we do with the people because they have been alienated for so long,” he said.

He said that patriotic

Nigerians should stand up and defend the country against any disintegration.

He advised governors to provide good governance for the people, while the legislatures should enact laws that would better the lives of the citizens.

He also urged politicians occupying public offices to work for the interest of the masses that voted them into power rather than neglecting them.

“I’m very disappointed with some of them stealing money and stashing them outside the country. What will they do with those things?

“People have no jobs, they should think about creating jobs in Nigeria and in their constituencies they are governing,” he said.

Kalu commended Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, the PDP National Chairman, for embarking on reconciliation of members of the party.

“We are very happy with Mu’azu, we are excited to have him as our national chairman and he’s going to succeed,” he said.

Kalu also urged the Federal Government to still dialogue with the Boko Haram sect to end the insecurity to lives and property in some parts of the country.

Kwara To Establish Agriculture Laboratory

Kalu Warns Against Bad Leadership

Vehicles on Queue for Petrol at a filling station in Wuse 2 in Abuja yesterday.

Hospital To Send Staff To Rural Areas

ABAKALIKI - Dr Paul Ezeonu, the Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA), says the institution embarked on mass recruitment of staff to meet the healthcare needs of the people in Ebonyi.

Ezeonu disclosed to the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Abakaliki that the staff would work in rural areas.

He spoke when members of the chapel visited him, noting that posting the staff to rural areas would reduce the mortality and morbidity cases.

“We employed an outpost programme with some missionary hospitals, such as the Mile 4 Hospital, Abakaliki, Mater Misericordae Hospital Afikpo and Presbyterian Joint Hospital Uburu, to achieve this goal.

“The Mile 4 Hospital which records a child delivery rate of 4, 000 a year with only four doctors is a vivid example, and we have posted more than 15 doctors there,” he said.

The CMD said that the hospital provided the necessary training and logistics for the staff to meet up with challenges confronting

them.

“We want to ameliorate the sufferings of the people, especially in the rural areas so that they can access quality healthcare not only in the towns as is the case in advanced countries.

“In Ebonyi for instance, people should access quality healthcare in areas such as Onueke and Ezzamgbo and not only in Abakaliki, which is the

challenge confronting us presently,” he said.

He said that there were initial objections to the mass recruitment but the success recorded had made people to have a rethink on the development.

“We make sure that the staffs are at home with the rural

dwellers in areas of culture, dialect and environmental adaptability for effective discharge of their services.

“That is why we are seeking more ambulances and other facilities to be stationed at strategic locations for efficient coverage,” he said.

Ezeonu said that the hospital

Association Commends Edo Govt’s Decision Not To Sack Workers BENIN CITY – The Nigeria Conflict Resolution and Peace Practitioners Association (NICREPPA) has commended the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for his decision not to lay-off any worker in the service of Edo State as a result of the recent screening exercise conducted in the state.

The statement endorsed by the

associations National Coordinator, Comrade Igbotako Nowinta indicated that NICREPPA views this decision as most timely, wise maturated and altruistic as there has been palpable fear within the ranks of Edo State Civil Servant whose names appeared as not cleared after the last screening exercise in this state.

The statement advised

Civil Servants in the State to desist from falsification of tier age and other document relating to their official record.

“As conflict resolution practitioners we urge Edo State Government to organize periodic in-house training exercise for its work force as against the competence test’ which has generated so much tension among the teachers in the state,” the statement noted.

NIGERIA is blessed with abundant human and natural resources which nature has endowed her with. The country’s climatic conditions favour wide variety of agricultural activities, including the cultivation of wheat. Additionally, Nigeria is the most populous country in the Continent of Africa, with abundant economic resources, which, when properly harnessed, may enable the country to achieve the status of a rich and developed nation.

ALTHOUGH its industrial sector is underdeveloped due, in part, to inadequate capital for investment and lack of technological know-how, yet the country has prominent industrial concerns such as giant oil industry, iron and steel complexes, steel rolling mills, pharmaceutical companies, food processing Industries, car assembly plants and so on. Although most of these Industrial concerns are not functioning optimally and many of them depend on imported inputs, they can serve as a basis for industrial take-off, if we put our acts together.

HOWEVER, despite Nigeria’s extensive landmass, growing population, agricultural and industrial potentials, the country remains economically backward, indeed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had at a time classified Nigeria as a heavily indebted country with difficulties in meeting debts servicing obligations; Certainly, these attributes are a minus in our national drive towards socio-economic and political development.

THERE are divergent opinions on the relationship between effective leadership and the economic organization of Nigeria, and how to expand the productive base of the country.

Literally, economics is the distribution of scarce resources for optimum development of a society.

Thus, successive governments had pursued vigorously, policies that will strengthen economic growth and development in Nigeria. But despite the economic efforts of past and present governments, Nigeria is yet to achieve basic economic aspirations.

LITERATURES on the Nigerian economy have cited leadership problems as a major cause of the

THE NIGERIAN

Nigerian Economy And Corrupt Leadership country’s inability to effectively mobilize her resources. Critics have shown quite clearly effective leadership is a great obstacle to development in Nigeria. Leadership problem has hampered the country’s progress in the political, economic, military and socio-cultural sectors. Poor leadership lies at the root of our continuing social, moral, economic and political crises. Practically, all our misfortunes in Nigeria have been due to poor leadership. It seems, therefore, that the Nigerian leadership structure determined to place the blame for the unstable situation the frustration and difficulties confronting them on their leaders.

THUS, in contemporary Nigeria, we have observed and rightly too, that there is a great yearning for the total transformation of the process of producing appropriate leadership. This yearning, which grows more urgent by the day, is both legitimate and understandable. After decades of hopes raised and hopes dashed, it should not be surprising that Nigerians are wary and weary.

HAVING gone through decades in which their faith in their national leadership have been abused and affronted, Nigerians impatience with their leaders and almost total distrust of government functionaries can no longer, be-dismissed as mere cynicism.

AT independence, expectations throughout Nigeria were high and the possibilities for greatness were almost limitless. Considering her vast resources, the country appeared set for good attainments, and fulfills what the international community saw as her destiny to lead the black race into the main stream human and technological civilisation.

REGRETABLY, the Nigerian economy has hit an all

time low. There is massive under utilization resources. What is more painful is that our industrial sub-sector is not producing at full capacity. Despite being blessed materially and humanly, our cost of production remains high with growing unemployment. Also only crude oil is being seriously tapped, and production was negatively affected by the Niger-Delta crisis, thanks to the amnesty programme which has largely restored the oil sector. Our concern here is that outside oil, resource mobilization efforts are rather disappointing. In our estimation, if the attention given to crude oil had been extended to other minerals and the agricultural sector, definitely.

Nigeria would have attained desirable and sustainable development.

THERE is no doubt that Nigeria is richly endowed. The country has all It takes to become a super power. Somehow, our major problem is the leadership question, which has inevitably impaired our ability to mobilise our resources. However; we believe that our system of government has contributed to this poor leadership problem. Our political structure especially the adoption of a warped federalism has combined effectively to deprive Nigeria of a sound process of getting the right leadership Even democracy which is expected to produce effective leaders is now, a major political problem in Nigeria. WE believe that problems such as corruption, and inter-ethnic wars and suspicion, which have contributed a lot to the failure of leadership, can be adequately tackled, particularly as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has braced up to the problem in recent times.

AT independence in 1960, the international community amazed at the economic potentials of Nigeria, was quite certain that if our resources were appropriately managed, Nigeria would one day become the giant of Africa. Unfortunately, due to the failure of our leadership to strategically mobillise our resources for political, socioeconomic and cultural advancement of our nation and people, Nigeria is yet to make appreciable gains in development, worsened by a very poor infrastructure base.

Issues

NAFDAC And Ideal Nutrition For Nigeria THE relevance of nutritious Food to the evolution, birth, growth and advancement in the furtherance of successful and purposeful human existence cannot be underplayed. As a range of assorted edible body nourishing materials, Food, is not merely consumed just for the fun of it, rather it is intended to fulfill a multiplicity of very vital functions in the human body.

Biologically, the relevance of good food to human growth and sustenance cannot be under emphasized. This explains why human edibles are classifiable into suitable and nonsuitable consumables/ junk. The suitability of human edibles for body nourishment is to a very large extent dependent on its ability to fulfill certain basic necessities.

Expectedly, good food is meant to help nourish the human body thereby according it strength, good vision/sight, effective and efficient reproductive ability, sustained ideal mental alertness, dynamic and reliable intelligent quotient ie (IQ) ,build and enrich the blood, enhance efficient respiratory/metabolic activities to mention but a few of the numerous responsibilities that it is saddled with.

To successfully discharge its onerous biological functions, the

By MARTINS F.O. OKHILAE

befitting human food is expected as a matter of necessity to possess certain characteristics / qualities known in the scientific parlance as nutrients and comprises Vitamins, Minerals, Carbonhydrates, Protein, Iodine, Iron, Zink, folic acid, etc.

It is in this regard that the Dr Paul B. Orhii led National Agency For Food, Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC has resolved to further intensify its commitment towards ensuring appropriate fortification of Food for Nigerians consumption. This is unquestionably in line with its enabling legal mandate-Decree 15 of 1993 as amended which encompasses the control and regulation of manufacturing, importation, exportation, d i s t r i b u t i o n , advertisement, sale and use of Food.

Conscious of the enormity of its assigned responsibility in this regard ,the agency swung into action by creating a novel and specialized unit tagged Food and Applied Nutrition Directorate as well as equipping it with seasoned and sophisticated Food scientists/nutritionists to confront and deliver on food fortification ,an engagement which is

already yielding enormous progress cum successes.

Mention must be made of the elaborate campaign and intensive

DG NAFDAC, Dr Paul B. Orhii

enforcement operations of the agency which is currently eradicating the use of Potassium Bromate as baking flower/dough enhancer in Nigerian Bakeries owning to its Cancer disease causing ability.

N A F D A C achievements in its dogged efforts at attaining comprehensive salt iodization, a professionalized

“Obviously, Food products deficient of the required nutrients ie vitamins and minerals etc could lead to malnutrition which explains why NAFDAC is strenuously working to forestall such nasty nutritional occurrence through enriching food vehicles with Vitamin ‘A’ and other nutrients.”

scientific engagement targeted at ensuring the presence of iodine in table and cooking salt(ie edible salt) and maximally discourage causing a human neck disease the sale and consumption deforming of the previous known as ‘Goitre’ and other disorders.

The evolvement of a National Food Safety Committee-a focal point on Food safety as well as the initiation of a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plan are all part of efforts to enhance maximized fortification of Food for human consumption since we are a reflection of what we consume as Food.

Obviously, Food products deficient of the required nutrients ie vitamins and minerals etc could lead to malnutrition which explains why NAFDAC is strenuously working to forestall such nasty nutritional occurrence through enriching food vehicles with Vitamin ‘A’ and other nutrients.

Among these food vehicles being ubiquitous and maximally equipped and ignorantly sold and enriched with the needed exposed industrial salt in nutrients are; Sugar, the Nation’s markets is Flour, Vegitable oil, etc.

In view of the ongoing out rightly commendable. There is efforts of President no doubt that the salt in Goodluck Jonathan ‘s question also tagged; administration to develop ‘industrial salt’ which is the Nation’s Agricultural absolutely iodine sector as a very reliable deficient ,is globally alternative to boosting exchange acknowledged as being foreign earnings for Nigeria, the responsible for brain damage and reduced IQ agency has further up its in children while also stepped commitment towards boosting the quality of the Nation’s exportable agricultural outputs such as Cashew nuts, Cocoa, Cassava, Sorghum, Melon seed etc.

NAFDAC is consistently impressing on stakeholders in the Nation’s Food sector the

“There is no doubt that the salt in question also tagged; ‘industrial salt’ which is absolutely iodine deficient ,is globally acknowledged as being responsible for brain damage and reduced IQ in children while also causing a human neck deforming disease known as ‘Goitre’ and other disorders.”

need to adopt and embrace the use of high quality Cassava flour in baking of consumable products like Bread, Cakes, etc.

Hygiene is indeed a critical factor in efficient and effective fortification of Food products. This in turn proffers suitable explanations as to why NAFDAC is compelling fast food providing industries, restaurants ,bakeries etc to embrace good hygienic practices as ignoring such practice will spell doom for the Nation via outbreak of Food borne ailments since cleanliness they say is next to Godliness.

In turn. the current Food fortification drive of the Nation’s human life elongating agency NAFDAC is unquestionably beneficial to the generality of Nigerian populace in numerous ways.

As strength/energy builder cum sustainer, ideal food products also referred to as balanced diet/meals, help provide and guarantee stable and dependable workforce thereby fast tracking a nation’s socio-economic and political development.

Ideally fortified/ nutritious food products helps the human body to adequately develop diseases resisting mechanisms known as anti-bodies which in turn helps it to successfully wade off attacks .

More over ,a healthy Nation, is globally rated as a wealthy Nation .

Kingship: HRH 3

THE conflict over the true legitimate ruler of Ewu community in Esan Central Local government Area of Edo State has been on for over sixteen years now, ironically the battle is between an uncle, Prince Jafaru Ojiefoh and a nephew, H.R.H Abdul Rasaq Ojiefoh, III. In this interview by OKOH INNOCENT, the Onojie, H.R.H, Rasaq Ojiefoh III, speaks on the fact surrounding his legitimacy and the battle so far. Here are excerpts: Your highness, this battle over the kingship of Ewu community has been on for about seventeen years, can we know how it all started? ‘’By the special grace of Almighty Allah, am H.R.H, Abdul Rasaq Yusuf Isesele Ojiefoh, III, the Onojie of Ewu, I ascended the throne of Onojie of Ewu,on November 1997, that was after the demise of my late grandfather, Malam Isesele Ojiefoh, II. This was done after the Ewu kingmakers, going by the long age tradition of Ewu, discovered that I am the one to be correctly installed as the Onojie, and I was eventually installed as the Onojie of Ewu. Ewu is more than four hundred years old. Its an old kingdom and the kingmakers are made up of three quarters, and each head of that quarter makes up the kingmakers. They are (1) The eldest man in Eguare,(2). The eldest man in Ehanleuhuru and (3) The eldest man of Iruame in Ozogolo. These are the three different district villages that make up the council of the kingmakers and they are the one called upon whenever there is a vacuum, or whenever the throne has to be filled-up with an occupant.

So, my father prince Yusuf Isesele Ojiefoh, died three months before my grandfather who happen to be the Onojie then, and my grandfather, when his son died, he felt very bad because its like a taboo and he was quite sad though he was old. He invited the kingmakers and invited the members of the royal family and after an exhaustive deliberation within them, they concluded that my father Prince Yusuf Isesele Ojiefoh, haven met the customary law as regard to succession to the throne of Onojie of Ewu, should be interred at the Atijie, Atijie in Ewu means the king’s cemetery- and that was where my father was interred.

Then it was now agreed by my grand father, the royal family and the kingmakers that the first son of Yusuf, who is my humble self, shall succeed him on his eventual demise and that was what eventually happened.

And he also told them that if he dies, I should be the one to conduct his burial ceremony, and he eventually died on 6th August, 1997. The kingmaker called upon me to perform the traditional burial rites and after the mandatory customary period of mourning which is three months, I was installed on the 3rd of November, 1997, as the Onojie of Ewu. How did you come to learn so well about all this history?

I was not that young when all these transpired, I was already an adult, I was already in the university. I knew exactly what happened and most of these things were physically done; the only meeting which I was not privy was the only one that was held between my grandfather and the kingmakers and the members of the royal family. And it may interest you to know that my opponent which incidentally is my uncle, and the only point which he is holding to himself is that, he is the first surviving son of the late Onojie, l think he is trying to misinform the public, the edict of 1979 which he is relying on and which says the succession to the throne of Onojieship of Ewu is by primogeniture, and if you check the word primogeniture in the dictionary its means that the first surviving son, he is saying he is the first surviving son but the EWU people, the kingmakers, the elders, the chiefs and the members of the royal family are saying no, he is not the first surviving son, if you are saying he is the first surviving son, you are creating an anomaly and you are creating room for anarchy , because if he is first surviving son, you may have an over ambitious prince who is, maybe fourth or fifth on the line and he will want to eliminate his senior brothers so that he would become the first surviving son, an exact replica of that statement is what has just happened in EWU. Permit me to go into memory lane a little. It will interest you to know that, Prince Jafaru Ojiefoh, who is my opponent now and claiming victory in the court of appeal, he is the third son of my grandfather, my father was the first son, Prince Mustafa is the second son, Prince Mustafa died under a mysterious circumstance just the way my father died under mysterious circumstances, that was what motivated the late Onojie, to call a meeting and in that meeting, Jafaru, was even called and the late Onojie told him that this throne does not belong to you.

The issue of primogeniture should not mislead the public, Primogeniture means the first surviving son, the EWU people are saying he is not the first surviving son, it is first son born by birth that is why in EWU, when the Crown Prince is given birth to he doesn’t stay in the palace with his father as in most kingdom in Edo state; He is taken to a different community entirely, where the king to be is groomed. That was how my father was groomed before he eventually left the village for greener pasture outside the community, that was the same place l was also groomed. It is after the demise of Onojie, the kingmakers will now meet and will call upon the elders of that community and asked them who did you groomed to become the Onojie? It is now their responsibility to inform the kingmakers and the members of the royal family that this is the person we have groomed to become the Onojie of EWU, that is

Encounter

Abdul Rasaq Ojiefoh III Speaks

the law of EWU people.

So, because of auterior motive and selfish interest, people will want to misinform the public, the law of EWU people is not ambiguous and against any known policy. It’s not contrary to the legal policy of equity, good policy, conscience and natural justice, it is not. The EWU people are saying this is our law as relate to the Onojie. And it will also interest you that my late grandfather who died before l eventually became the Onojie, was a grandson just like me. His own father lgieborme, did not ascend to the throne, lgieborme, had uncles then who were alive, he had a senior uncle who was suppose to be in the place of Jafaru Ojiefoh, but they all supported him because he was the rightful person to be enthroned as the Onojie of EWU. When my grandfather was eventually enthroned the whole family supported him , even under cross examination in high court, Prince Jafaru Ojiefoh, told the court that his own father who is also my grandfather was a grandson when he ascended the throne and that is the law of EWU people. History has repeated itself and the EWU people have a precedent, this is our law. So, why would

legal right to appeal against the judgment which we find offensive and we have done that. So the case presently is before the Supreme Court and by the special grace of God we believe victory will be ours at the end of the day.

You can see Ewu is peaceful, i have told them to be calm and that the kingdom belong to us all.

So no property should be destroyed and no life should be harmed. So we are on it.

Now when is the case coming up in the Supreme Court?

I don’t know because no date has been fixed yet for hearing but we have filed our appeal and all the parties have been served

H.R.H Abdul Rasaq Ojiefoh, III. somebody now come and say he wants to change our law. The law is made for the people, the issue of primogeniture doesn’t arise in EWU, because if you setup the issue of primogeniture in Ewu, you are creating room for anarchy. I did the burial ceremony of my late grandfather. The issue of burial is a fact, you don’t conduct burial for the spirit, you don’t conduct burial for outsiders, there are known people in the family who you conduct burial for as in Ewu kingdom and as the case may be now, these are the members of the royal family, the Igele, the elders were all there and they are the ones I conducted this burial for. So if Jafaru, is saying that he conducted the burial that is not true, he should name those who were present when he conducted the burial. All the requirement for the burial ceremony of the late Onojie, they were all met by me and I provided everything. My traditional installation started after the burial ceremony and I was called upon to Ihanle village, a nearby village for all the normal traditional rites which I did. The climbing of the ancestral palm tree, the sweeping of the ancient traditional ground in Ihanle and all others were all done by me before I eventually came back to the palace and I was installed. If prince Jafaru Ojoiefoh, is saying that he conducted the burial he is wrong because he was there when my grand father who happened to be his father decreed that Jafaru should not be allowed to conduct his burial and he was also told that the throne does not belong to him but me. He never did the burial I did the burial.

What is the current situation now as regard this issue at hand?

The current situation is that the Court of Appeal in Benin gave a judgment which we have rejected. The Ewu people have rejected that judgement, because the judgment is against the traditional norms, the cherished customs and tradition of Ewu people. It does not reflect the wishes and aspiration of the Ewu people and we have done the normal thing which are entitled by law, its our

until the final determination of the case in the supreme court, by the special grace of God, I remain the Onojie of Ewu. What would be your final word to the public?

There are so many misinformation going on, I want to tell the public that the Onojie of any community is the traditional head of that community. He is the symbol of the customs, tradition and cherished norms of that community. It’s the people of any community that decide who is the right traditional ruler, outsiders can not come and make an Onojie for the people, it’s the people that enthrone the Onojie and then tell the outside world who is their traditional ruler. By the special grace of God, this is my seventeenth year, on the throne as the Onojie of Ewu, and there have been abundant peace and progress in this community and that is because of my acceptance and the rightful thing was done. So if

somebody from outside because of his selfish interest want to come and force someone who has been rejected by the community on the people, it won’t work. Like I said, the law is made for the people not the people for the law. Ewu people have come out to say I am their Onojie, and they have demonstrated that several times. If there is a law which prince Jafaru,is brandishing about, that law has even been amended in 2004, to reflect the wishes of the people and please permit me to say this, when the trouble started in Ewu about the succession to the throne, the Edo State government, in 1999, set up a committee, to look into this matter and the membership of this committee were H.R.H, the Onojie of Irrua, H.R.H, the Onojie of Ugbegun and H.R.H, the Onojie of Opoji. These were traditional rulers in Esan central Local Government Area, because the governor believed that been traditional rulers, they were more vast about native laws and customs to advice the Governor on the rightful position of things in Ewu. The committee sat and they invited the king makers, the elders and the chiefs of Ewu Kingdom, and Prince Jafaru, was also invited. After much deliberation, a conclusion was reached and they informed the government about their findings and their findings was that, the laws as the present law of succession to the Onojie of Ewu does not reflect the true position as to the ascension to the throne of the Onojie of Ewu, and they even further went to say that my noble self has been enthroned by the Ewu people, and that was it. It was based on that recommendation that the state government under Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion, amended that edict to reflect the true wishes of the Ewu people and it was after the amendment of that law that I was eventually recognized as the Onojie of Ewu. So its not that there is any hanky panky about it. This same Jafaru, went to the State House of Assembly to complain about this matter, the House Committee on Local Government. and Chieftaincy, visited Ewu, they also visited Jafaru and the community, the resolution of the House of Assembly is there, it’s a public document, you can go and check it, the same conclusion, that was reached by the three traditional rulers in Esan central L.G.A was also the same conclusion reached by the State House of Assembly and the document are all there.

The Ewu people have spoken and they have spoken very loud with one voice and I hope and pray that the world hear the voice of the Ewu people.

Opinion

Wasted Youthfulness, Regrettable Adulthood

THE youthful age is the age between the time one is born and adulthood or full grown adult age- old age, an age in between premature, mature and overmature age. It is an age in which physical boys and girls grow certain features on their physical bodies, learn new lifestyles, condescend or compromise behaviours from peer groups either good or bad, age of social, physical, emotional, spiritual, economic and even political growth. The drift from unknowing age to the knowing age of what is good or bad for them. Youths are the crèches, toddlers, and kindergartens of those yesteryears born of a woman and man in which the former carries the pregnancy for about 9 months. They are born into homes -humble or rich background- in a family setting.

As a nuclear family consist of father, mother and children.

Amongst these children are boys and girls in the family. It is still the same in the extended family system which form the nuclear family of father and mother and children are also fathers, brothers and sister of their extended relationships.

Those can be categorized into well known names as we all known as uncles -father, brothers, aunties -mothers, sisters, children of the uncles and aunties which are called cousins-nephews.

The youthful stage of any child is the impressionable change of any child, it is like any good or bad, positive or negative impressions, characters, behaviours, attitudes based on early environmental influences, other people’s opinions, self image, the company you keep what you think and your choices in life.

We shall examine these factors one after the other. For example, EARLY ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, most peoples’ attitudes are absorbed from their early environments. Where and how you grow up will affect you negatively or positively.

For instance, if you were born, brought up and bred in a slum or ghetto- I mean that are somehow unfit for living or seeking livelihood. There is bound to be problem acquired growing from youthful age to adolescent, except by special grace of God in which may be, the children have been brought up in a Christian way that would make them to continue to live the Christian way they have been brought up without deviating from it.

In another instance, if you were brought up by a divorced parent, it is likely to affect the young child negatively. As a divorced mother, she may give her child reasons to believe that all men are bad. It can go a long way as reality for her Sons and daughters. A young girl also may grow up hating the opposite sex

because of the many maltreatment stories told about the father. This result to her weariness when she finally decides to get married and settle down. Her attitude towards the opposite sex becomes a negative one because her mother gave her an early negative foundation.

Likewise a son raised in that environment may have a negative self image because of the mothers influence. Poverty here should not be looked in isolation.

Poverties, because we have poverty of knowledge, ideas, wisdom e.t.c. All these combined, make the youth poor and reeked of poverty. If such persons change location but they do not change on the inside, they will still have a poverty mentality.

This is the primary reason why

leaders in third world countries grab all the money they can and store it away for themselves. For many from that environment from birth to early adulthood, life has been a matter of survival of the fittest. They grew up from childhood knowing that whoever comes back home first gets to eat all. Therefore, when an individual from that environment is placed in a political title, his attitude will be to eat all. Some were born with or no silver spoons in their mouth. Some their parents are alive to see them through the tutelage of life though while experiencing the process of life they are not brought up to think independently, grow in a matured manner and either over pampered or not pampered at all. So they experienced poverty of wisdom, understanding hence they live with or without the support, over support or no support from the parents. So all these factors applicable to youths of different background, environment,

By ABAYOMI SHOYOMBO

political, socio-economic experiences especially when they are a blown-grown adult coming into play in their day-to-day activities reminiscent of their past years. All these culminate in the micro setting they found themselves and grow to an uncontrollable level in the macro society.

The resultant effect is that for every action of theirs either positive or negative, have an equally formidable bearing on the larger society. This is the crux of the matter. I implore Christian

and Muslim parents alike to work on themselves, work on their wards inside out and make sure that they get rid of negative influences you may have acquired over the years. We need to change the world and not vice versa. Have you not head of man separating from woman and vice versa without any reason whatsoever. How many would you count in an over lapping teeth in normal mouth that is originally supposed to accommodate 24 teeth. Another factor to consider is other peoples’ opinion that tends to shape the destinies of these youths, either for good or bad! They intend to absorb, hook, like and sinker what other people say, think or do that falls within the precept of their own thinking or analogy. They are not on their own. They are not independent.

They rely so much on what others also say, think, to shape their own thinking, behavior and attitudes too, forgetting that no two people are created or born the same; even the twin, triplet, quadruplets

e.t.c born from the same womb came differently in this world though in the same vehicle so to say. It is wrong to form an

agreed price for that obnoxious action. Youths should believe in themselves if they are going to achieve the purpose for which they are been created.

SELF IMAGE A lot of the youths are selfdoubt. They don’t believe in themselves. The ones that even manage to have a little faith in

are vulnerable to step into paths that the adults lay down either voluntarily, socially, economically and religious wise!.

So we too have to be very careful in handling them by showing love, putting them on a right path, giving them what belong to them and trying as much as possible to see them through the lives

“There is a parable that says “birds of a feather flock together”. In essence it goes to illustrate the fact that when you show me your friends, I will tell you who you are.”

opinion of oneself from what others say about one or us. Such statements may be borne out from opinions, bias, prejudices, envy, jealousy covered with a fur coat of genuine opinions or advice.

Since only God knows us intimately, any other person, youths should never allow anybody’s opinion to determine their attitude. Politicians nowadays hampers on this lapses by working on youth sentiments to parry along with them to see their political opponent as the opponent of everybody and should be dealt with hence they are sent on messages of no return, depending on the nature of the assignment, either to carry ballot boxes, disperse eligible voters and counting officers or absolute killing of the opponent with arm and ammunition. An action they are bound to regret now or sometimes in their lives when God must have touched their hearts even as the dubious politicians might refuse to pay the

themselves cannot react anywhere in life because of circumstances they find themselves in the country.

Attitude comes through selfimage, if you have a negative self- image, you must change it on the inside, otherwise it will affect your outward action negatively. That is why a lot of our today’s youths are subconsciously satisfied with the lives they are living. They don’t see any reason why they should move a step further to improve the standard of their lives, it’s really pathetic. And these are people we hold on to for our future and future generation.

We the adults and the old ones also refer to them as our future leaders, but what sort of future leader are we talking of if they cannot properly manage their youthful age. This means a lot of trouble for them, the nation as a whole. Since some of them are reduced in their self images or mirror image, they are open to all sorts of vices just like the open wound in which only truth can heal it.

For their short coming, sometimes they lay the blames of their woes on the doorsteps of the adult and the elders. Some of the adults too grow from this kind of self defeating image that we are accusing the youths.

There is no gain saying the fact that some adults and elders don’t live lives that show good example.

Whether in government, at home, in schools, religious houses, they are found wanton. So whenever and wherever we have the guts and the effrontery to accuse the youths of any misbehavior or misdemeanor, they are quick to point to our own mistakes or misdeeds too.

We have adults all over the places occupying important position in government, business organizations, departments, ministries and parastatals, primary school to tertiary institutions, churches and mosques e.t.c.

Youths of low esteem copy or

endeavours or else...

THE COMPANY THEY KEEP The company you keep, your friends, associates and people you keep relationship with all have one thing or the other to share with your behavior, attitudes, opinions, values, ethics, appearances, belief!

There is a parable that says “birds of a feather flock together”. In essence it goes to illustrate the fact that when you show me your friends, I will tell you who you are.

The Bible says that, whoever walk with the wise shall be wise (Prov. 13:20). The Bible even go further by saying “Be not deceived, evil communication corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33). There are people you walk with who affect your attitude negatively and before you realize it you are not walking right or straight. It is like the kind of group behavior that youths or people exhibit that makes them look unstraight forward. Hence nobody reckons with them.

What about those who see nothing good in every situation that opens up to them. They have nothing but sad and bad stories to tell. Every time you meet them, it is all negative stories. If you associate too long with such people before you know it, your own attitude too become negative and vice-versa.

Don’t keep company with someone who is going nowhere.

According to the late Afro beat Fela Anikulapo Kuti which goes thus “If you dey follow follow them go, Na inside cupboard you go quench, make u no follow book oooo, you come and use your sense. If you dey follow follow make you open your eye make you open your sense by the time you no go follow, my brother make u no follow book oooo u come and go your way”.

Don’t follow everybody as if you don’t have your mind, conscience, ambition etc to head you to your goal in life. Use your brain, choose your company wisely.

Midweek Magazine

THE topic of this paper can be put in for of a question: how far have we gone, as a nation and people, since political independence? It is like enrolling a child in secondary school that should take five years. At the end of five years, it is easy to ask: how far with the journey? At the end of our discussion, we shall see if our student is failing all the courses, scoring below average, or obtaining WASCE and NECO forms; or roaming the streets smoking all kinds of leaf!

Many countries in the world are making progress. They are overcoming the constraints of underdevelopment, building new structures and institutions, consolidating democracy, and meeting the basic human needs of their people. Governments are training new leaders, encouraging innovation, productivity, massive infrastructural development, and an environment that promotes dialogue, selfrespect, progressive discourse, and social justice. In many countries around the world, governments and leaders are promoting constitutional review and constitutionalism; building the youth for the future, empowering women, strengthening civil society, and revamping education and commerce to improve accumulation and better living standards. Governments are prioritising security and the principles of due process, fair political contestations, accountability, transparency, and modern patterns against corruption, waste, and indiscipline is being waged without fear and favour and the protection of the environment is taken as a holistic national project. We do not need to go outside Africa. Even countries that have been ravaged by civil war and demonic dictators like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Uganda are making great strides.

South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Algeria, and Morocco are building structures to move their respective nations forward. Ghana, our next door neighbour, is showing examples at every level that progress is possible with commitment, focus, transparency, visioning, and good leadership. Well, how about our dear country Nigeria?

Our Realities and Predicaments Today Let me start by saying we have broken new grounds in some areas and there are many good leaders and professionals

Nigeria: How Far Ha

And People? in Nigeria. Our people are good even if life has become a struggle for survival.

However, I will not stand here and lie to you. I will not reel out our so-called achievements since independence. I am a Nigerian with strong roots in the village, widespread contacts with civil society and a relatively easy access to the top echelons of power and business.

I am an academic, activist, researcher, technocrat, politician, democrat, family man, modern traditionalist, activist and student of history.

I know my country and have tried to follow events fairly well. I cannot pretend or lie to you about where we are coming from, where we are and where we may be going. The truth is that I often feel sad when politicians, so-called leaders and bureaucrats try to confuse, mislead, mis-educate and diseducate us with half-truths, concoctions and fabrications about our progress as a people and nation.

Nigeria is blessed in every way. But the interplay of social forces, the struggle for power and primitive accumulation, mediocre leadership, and the weak structures of the state have continued to complicate life for the ordinary citizen. It is as if ordinary Nigerians are being punished for being citizens of this country. In Nigeria, we have almost everything that we require to make progress. In sever respects, Nigeria is more of an undeveloped rather than an underdeveloped society.

Unfortunately, we have only adopted opportunistic, episodic, stop-go, fire brigade approaches to development and democracy. No consistency, solidity, sense of nation and sense of mission. Just conferences, meetings, retreats, a lot of foreign travels, lectures, speeches, then the circle goes round and round until we get confused, then we bring foreign experts who confuse us the more, then we begin to find excuses and scapegoats, then we return to God. We bother God with everything. God is

our excuse for laziness and failure to organise our people for struggle. Even armed robbers pray to God before going to cause mayhem and murder innocent people. How can God answer the prayers of people that do not even believe in or respect His existence? So, rather than organise, mobilise, fight corruption, promote and reward efficiency and merit, abolish plan indiscipline, corruption and waste, and democratise the society, we pray, commit sins, pray, and continue to declare days for fasting, prayers, pilgrimages, etc. Yet, we leave undone those things that we ought to do and do many things we ought not to do.

If I may ask, can this country, make progress without discipline, focus, sensitive, compassionate and visionary leadership, planning, investment, savings, productivity, stability, and good governance. We just have to abandon political rascality, posturing, noise making, populism, and diversionary tactics for focused and strategybased planning and leadership to move forward.

In Nigeria, we have hailed the emergence of the first black president in America and praised the elections in neighbouring Ghana. Obama was the product of hard work, community involvement, strategy, networking, and strong spiritual, intellectual and personal capabilities and skills.

He did not rely on godfathers, election rigging, bribery of the police and electorate, manipulation of the electoral commission, violence, ballot box snatching, lies, and political rascality. Since we do not believe that we are inferior beings, it means we can achieve here, that which has been achieved in other nations. But we must organise and work for it.

In spite of our collective tolerance, loyalty, sacrifices, hard work and discipline, our leaders and governments, over the decades, have managed to ruin everything that ought to make life better for us.

Consider, for instance, the failure of our refineries, high cost of living, children hawking on the streets, distorted housing policy, millions of our people living in slums, armed robbery, high infant and maternal mortality rates, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and lack of a serious policy on the girl-child?

Consider the massacres in several cities in the north and south especially in Jos in recent times? Consider the existence of thousands of abandoned projects all over the country?

We continue to experimentindigenisation, privatisation, stabilisation, structural adjustment, war against indiscipline, operation feed the nation, new states, new capital, new uniforms for the police, new anthem, new constitution, development plans, rolling plans, reform agenda, new breed politicians, military rule, parliamentary and presidential systems, return to old breed politicians, constitutional reform, and 7-Point Agenda just to name a few. No nation makes it with a left, right, right, left, centre, back, forward, roundabout, sit, stand, run and stop policy almost at the same time!

We deliberately ignored and underdeveloped the Niger Delta while draining its natural resources to feed foreign private bank account and we expected the people to be silent, docile and orderly in their neglect, oppression and poverty. We put our children in the best private schools in and outside the country and ignore public education. We abolished bursaries, loans and scholarships for students while increase school fees but keep our kids abroad in luxury with enough money and time to think of terrorist acts. We neglect agriculture and import everything from toothpicks to water. We ignore the broken healthcare system and patronise foreign medical centres even for health check-ups. We even neglect the police and rely on private security outfits, thugs, and juju men! Our best holidays are abroad and we cry “tourism” “tourism” to the high

“Nigeria is blessed in every way. But the interplay of social forces, the struggle for power and primitive accumulation, mediocre leadership, and the weak structures of the state have continued to complicate life for the ordinary citizen. It is as if ordinary Nigerians are being punished for being citizens of this country.”

By PROF. JULIUS IHONVBERE

heavens. We buy the most expensive cars and don’t care about the roads. Our ministries are littered with broken down typewriters, computers and air conditioners. We do not fix. We replace. Everything is contracts; sometimes inflated to unbelievable levels like the now suspended Abuja Airport runway project that was more expensive than building a brand new airport! Abandoned projects are everywhere- rail lines, hospitals, schools, party offices, low cost housing, roads, water words, schools, prisons, factories, you name it.

Were the contracts awarded by spacemen? Who did? When, why and who is monitoring?

We don’t care. Just re-award the contract!

We take pride in insulting each other especially leaders.

Political campaigns are about insults and not issue or new ideas. We devote so much time, energy and resources to attracting, intimidating, and ‘buying’ so-called decampees from other parties rather than build our own parties, present alternative discourses, and focus on policies and programmes that will consolidate democracy. We demolish houses then talk of some form of negotiation later.

We set no priorities... office holders like to be thanked when they use public funds to execute public works. Every little structure, even a water borehole, is commissioned at great cost and dancing and drinking and of course, looting of funds through contracts. We search for cheap publicity as if life itself depends on it. We make promises that we never intend to keep especially to women, the youth, and workers. We suspect our staff as saboteurs and get rid of them at the slightest suspicion. We are very good at saying one thing and doing another such as claiming to respect democratic values while doing every thing to undermine democratic practices. We see opposition parties as enemies and not partners in development and we deploy public funds in a massive way to domesticate, intimidate and destroy the opposition. We convert the public TV and radio into our personal diaries. We pay heavily to ensure that our photo appears everyday in the newspapers while buying off journalists. We drink and dance like possessed persons in the public all in the name of proving that we are excited and agile. We jump into and out of gutters and measure roads just to prove that we are active even when we do not know the basic rudiments of road construction.

We do alot of talking and believe that we can distract,

confuse and mesmerise people with long speech tactic long abandoned by communists!

So far, does this sound a good journey? Is our stu in secondary school ma progress? I believe that it i possible to experience pos change in this way. impossible to build platfo structures, relationships patterns of dialogue, toler consultation, communica self-respect, social jus discipline and democracy

superficial and opportun posturing. Other nation making progress, buil strong institutions, investi “ICT 4 D” –information communication technolog development; and into mo techniques for mass food cash crop production, processing, packaging distribution, affordable mass housing, urban ren for human co-habitation, s solidity and social capital technology-based pattern knowledge-building to enh the new knowledge econ In Nigeria, we are run around in circles, A presid sick and being hidden from people. Rather than dem the evil cabal, we declare of mourning and book pra in mosques and churches like diversions and distra as long as they help us n address the truth and the n of our people.

We do not invest in hu capital development technology. When other going digital, we are stu

Midweek Magazine

ve We Gone As A Nation

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the manual era and we have only a tenuous relationship with modern administrative systems.

We pay lip service to egovernance and just rely on long, windy, mostly meaningless speeches, old files and old ideas.

As I have said in a recent lecture in Uyo, “We believe in government by panels or committees but have no regard for the report from such committees. Their reports are dumped as soon as they are presented. We hear of asset verification but never know what assets were verified. They just waste our money and times.

absolutely no excuse for rascality and indiscipline. It is no excuse for poor or no performance. When a governor is elected and continues to blame his predecessor after twelve months in office, there is a problem: it means that such a leadership came into power unprepared. The contemporary world is too complicated and fast- moving to accommodate infantile political permutations and the arrogance of power shielded by a false cloak of tooth-aching and belly aching about democracy and the like.

A gubernatorial toga is not a tabularasa for political rascality,

Everything for us is based on quota, religion, ethnicity, cults, cabals, opportunism and nepotism. We look for excuses and scapegoats everywhere.

How come many governors are always in Abuja? Is this no more a federation?

Why are those huge government lodges in Abuja?

Take a moment to think of all the developmental challenges we identified in the study of economics or social studies in the 1960s and tell me which one we have solved after almost after 50 years of independence, different forms of leadership and governance, massive deployment of public funds, and all sorts of planning methodologies. The truth is that we have not done well. We must tell ourselves the truth.”

Our student has not been doing well at all. The student passes first and second terms and fails the third term woefully.

That people failed to provide good governance and good leadership in the past is

opportunism and idiosyncratic gyration in the dark forest of mis-governance and contaminated leadership. Those who claim to be leaders, democrats and agents of change must learn a thing or two about maturity, discipline, visioning, ability to listen and learn, and capacity to transcend showmanship, infantile populism and pedestrian ideological perambulation.

But we must move forward.

True democrats, lovers of Nigeria must rise to this challenge. We must resist the incipient dictatorship and fascism. We must resist the open affront on our collective psyche. We must stand against the arrogance of power and efforts to intimidate us individually and as a people.

We must challenge the immature and ill-formed knowledge of the village tailor that finds himself in the classroom and is beginning, as Fela would say, to “teach us nonsense.” We must refuse to

be cowed into a culture of fear, docility, subservience and intolerance. We must defend the rights of our people to freely organise, associate, exist and enjoy their liberties. We must refuse to allow a wayfarer railroad us into a nightmarish existence, squander our resources, mortgage our collective destiny and turn us into objects of political manipulation as against forces of participation. We must not take Lucifer for granted: his voice is sonorous, sweet, his smile is alluring, his look gives false confidence, his conduct extremely deceptive, his thoughts are demonic, diabolical and uncouth; and we must invoke all our energy, commitment, determination, force, values, and resources to take a stand, defeat the devil and truly liberate Nigerians for a better tomorrow. Yes, it is possible. Yes, we can; if, and only if, we work together and struggle together. To change Nigeria for the better is indeed a task that must be done.

At the bottom of our collective failure is the failure of leadership. When I say collective failure, I do not mean that all Nigerians are involved.

Yes, I know that followership has been largely contaminated and compromised. This only confirms my view that only the upper and upper-middle classes are largely guilty of ruining our past and present. They are also working hard to ruin the future.

No organisation, movement or institution can experience positive change and make progress without good leadership. Only good leaders can respect the Constitution, promote social justice, enhance tolerance and accommodation, and promote good governance.

In Nigeria, we have a lot of despots, dictators, opportunists, pseudo-militants and quack radicals, arm-chair revolutionaries, and rulers but very few LEADERS. To be sure, there are very numerous Islands of integrity, responsibility, and progress.

These Islands are yet to be connected to make the mighty ocean that we badly need to move forward in a consistent manner. And it is true that, very many good citizens of our dear country have made sacrifices and are ready to make more sacrifices if only the leaders will provide minimal good

governance, respect themselves, respect their own rules, believe in the common good, and vote for democracy.

What is to be Done?

It is my belief that good governance, however defined, is not possible without democracy. Democratisation on the other hand is advancement on procedural democracy to the level of routinisation and institutionalisation. As we say in Nigeria, when the majority of the people begin to drink, breathe, eat, see and hear democracy in all its ramifications, then we have gone beyond just political parties and elections to democratisation.

The truth is that both good governance and democratisation function in the context of good leadership and constitutionalism. Leadership with qualities that deepens, widens and consolidates democratic structures, institutions, processes and practices; and a culture of constitutionalism that makes the Constitution truly belong to the people to the level that they are involved in is compartment, understand it and can deploy it in the defence of their individual and collective rights.

In other words, for sustainable growth and development, peace, harmony and progress, we must have good leadership, that will ensure good governance and thus promote constitutionalism and democratisation.

At the end of the day, democracy is about people. It is also about quality leadership, constitutions and constitutionalism, the rule of law, political discipline, the construction and nurturing of democratic values, building strong and viable political institutions and giving hope to the ordinary person that there is indeed a collective future to work for. Democracy is also about human, especially socioeconomic and cultural rights, due process, accountability, fiscal discipline. Transparency and the careful but targeted deployment of scarce resource to meeting the basic needs of the majority of the people. Let me add that democracy is about ensuring a steady and qualitative improvement in the lives of the people, in their socio-economic, political, cultural and spiritual

development, the protection of their environment, the decolonisation of their minds, and putting the people in the middle of holistic and sustainable growth and development. Democracy and democratisation are certainly not about the tallest buildings, widest roads and the flowering of surroundings peopled with poor, hungry, angry, jobless, and homeless people. So, what is the final score card on 50 years of political independence?

1. Strengthen the Nigerian State For any nation to move forward, the state must enjoy a relatively high degree of hegemony to control contending forces, build strong structures, promote accumulation, and create an environment for self- sustained growth and development.

Government is very strong in Nigeria but the state is very weak and lacks hegemony. The Nigerian state does not control the various pockets of power that challenge its power and authority even if it can use violence in the final instant.

Political and other forces, be they politicians, militants, religious extremists, even students and armed robbers are not necessarily afraid of its pronouncements and institutions. Its failure to improve society and the lot of the majority leaves the state at the mercy of political adventurers. Because its hegemony is weak, its custodians cannot enjoy relative autonomy and cannot build discipline or some degree of harmony within and between social classes. So conflicts and competitions go on normlessly.

This condition explains the inconsistency in policy and performance and constrains the ability of institutions to function. Few believe the government, an arm of the state when it says “your security is assured, go about your normal business.” Many see the budget reading or presentation as mere ceremony. Many more believe that all government officials and politicians are nothing but thieves. In short, the Nigerian state has very limited hegemony. This has to be reversed through deliberate growth and nurturing of leadership, purposeful policy making, constitution review,

constitutionalism, respect for democratic values, promotion of equity, due process, social justice, and the basic needs of the people. This is much better than a nebulous re-branding project that is like climbing a tree from the top. Build the people, build their communities, promote their interests, build confidence in the state and promote state hegemony and democracy will flourish. A democratic state will promote democratisation and good governance. Its structures and institutions will be ensured and assured by good leaders.

On the score, we have failed woefully.

2. Redefine and strengthen leadership at all levels Any country or organisation without leadership cannot make progress. Just imagine what Nigeria has lost with the illness of President Yar Adua. You can then picture what a bad leader like can do to a nation. The history of Africa and Nigeria, inclusive is littered with very sad tales of bad, insensitive, arrogant, and ineffective leadership that have failed to inspire the people. A year of bad leadership can spell disaster for any nation or organisation.

Even a week can cost a nation a generation. We cannot divorce the situation today in Nigeria from bad leadership which is probably the most important ingredient in promoting and nurturing holistic development. It is common knowledge that our leaders do not read and are technologically challenged.

They waste so much time talking, meeting, and inventing or pursuing enemies that they have little or no time to build real leadership qualities. They do not prepare successors and any other rising star is an enemy that must be framed, harassed, crippled financially, and eliminated or chased far away.

They build false popularity profiles by paying for and receiving useless honorary degrees, chieftaincy titles, and awards from useless organisations. Awards that have no real meaning in the eyes of the people. No award goes for nothing. They lack the qualities of compassion, vision, education, capacity, capability, dignity, exposure, hard work, consultation, ability to listen, and a clear and real track record Continues on page18

“At the bottom of our collective failure is the failure of leadership. When I say collective failure, I do not mean that all Nigerians are involved. Yes, I know that followership has been largely contaminated and compromised. This only confirms my view that only the upper and upper-middle classes are largely guilty of ruining our past and present. They are also working hard to ruin the future. No organisation, movement or institution can experience positive change and make progress without good leadership.”

Midweek Magazine

How Far Have We ...

Continued from pages 16-17 of service to the people. They put up billboards, name buildings and roads after themselves, set up youth vanguards, turn the local television and radio into their personal newsletters and appoint opportunists and praise singers into positions to recycle the same culture of mediocrity and eye service. Such a leader cannot build relative autonomy, hegemony, establish lasting institutions, and live in the hearts of the people for ever.

Cheap popularity, not anchored on service, honesty, integrity and performance is a waste of money and time. Our leaders spend public funds as if it is generated from their hard labour or that the money comes from some family savings. We must build new visions, new voices, new hopes, news constituencies and new leaderships at all levels. Our schools lack courses on leadership. Government does not support youth organisations or NGOs that build new leaders. Because we are greedy for power, we do not believe in building a successor generation. We have only a few leadership institutes in Nigeria and they are not very well funded aside from NIPPS which is really not a leadership institute. Every one is a leader.

Once you loot the treasury, build a big house and buy a big expensive car, you are automatically a leader. Once you are elected or appointed to a political position, yes, you are now a leader. These are leaders that know next to nothing about service, loyalty, dignity, integrity, knowledge building, commitment, morality, discipline, and the relevance of civil society in national and community development.

Unless we begin to look seriously into these issues, supporting youth groups, taking social studies, history and civics seriously encouraging creativity, courage and innovation, and rewarding hard work and achievement, we will make no progress. We must go beyond posturing, noise, long speeches to seriously articulating a holistic strategy for leadership development. On this score, we have not passed after 50 years of trying!

3. Generate positive political will for positive action One of our problems as a people is that we often tend to think small. We lack the capacity to vision. When we construct a road, we never vision that population will grow and the number of cars would increase. So we build a tine one lane road. Ten years later we demolish businesses and homes just to expand the road! We do not show courage even on matters that we talk about daily.

In Education we talk and talk about the fact that universities cannot admit more than 20% of

students that actually pass the ME. What have we done so far?

Little or nothing. Until we generate the political power to address issues that are critical to our development especially food production, industrialisation, infrastructural development, power, housing, education, and tourism, we will continue to talk about them, hold countless meetings and conferences and travel around the world wasting scarce foreign exchange.

Isolated but creative developmental initiatives will continue to fail because there is no integrated plan or programme. Each governor is putting up a one-man show. The federal government on the other hand continue to interfere here and there and sometimes, it complicates well- laid down local arrangements. So a governor donates 100 cars and gadgets to the police in one state and the police force intensifies its efforts. The criminals simply cross the border to the next state to cool off. No integrated policing either. Similarly, when a state introduces a bursary or scholarship programme, students from neighbouring state ensure they are not left out of the enjoyment! It is indisputable that “the will to terminate poverty, pursue justice and equity, provide accountable leadership, build bridges of tolerance and accommodation, and ensure respect for the rule of law must guide our individual and collective determination to move Nigeria onto the path of sustainable, people-centred development. Tough decisions must be taken but built on consultation, dialogue and a smile does not hurt”! On this score, again, we have failed.

4. Political parties must reform for democracy Modern democracies are built on political parties, periodic competitive elections, public policy and programmes, and committed leadership. The truth is that politics is still war in Nigeria. To others it is a business in which you invest to reap billions within a short while. Such investments also allow you to control the candidate and interfere in the policy and political processes.

Candidates are sponsored for political positions not necessarily based on competence but their predisposition to being manipulated and ability to pursue narrow interests.

Campaigns may not be necessary, platforms or mantifestoes are not necessary and you do not need to have the best profile or qualifications.

Just have a godfather, sufficient wild-looking thugs, money- the source is not relevant-, and strategise on how to influence the electoral commission, the police and the media, and

pronto you are “elected” into office. Don’t worry about the election monitors. They will not go beyond their reports, AlT or Channels television and press releases. When did these ever influence the Election Tribunals, Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court? If your opponent appeals, get some good lawyers, preferably Senior Advocates of Nigeria, and some money. If you cannot win the case out right, you can delay it till you finish or almost finish your term in office.

These are realities.

As I once said at another forum, politics in our country “is costly, diabolical, unsteady, uncertain, and announced results hardly ever reflect what took place on election-day. Only in few cases are the best candidates presented for political office and aspirants are almost bankrupted before they get elected. This in itself lays the foundation for the arrogance of power, executive recklessness and unbridled corruption. Until our political parties become truly and fully reformed, Nigeria cannot move forward. Until the parties begin to respect their own rules, Nigeria cannot produce credible, capable, courageous and visionary leaders that will build the political economy and consolidate democratic institutions and practices. The parties must begin to perform some of the basic functions of political parties- identify and train leaders, develop policy platforms, present the best aspirants and candidates for office, regulate office holders, conduct research on party and political development, encourage public discourses, and commit openly to the sustenance of democracy in every regards.”

What is even more bizarre is that aspirants and candidates cannot trust most of their leaders.

They are chronic experts in falsehood and deception. What they say before you is in most cases, not what they say behind you. For them you are a commodity that could be traded off at any time. They never ask you why you wish to run for office, what difference you plan to make, what your programmes or ideas are and so on. Just show “loyalty” and bring money and you are accepted. If you come with papers, mánifestoes, policy documents, research memos, you are a novice and not a “politician.” This is very sad indeed and must change. We must democratise leadership and insist on internal democracy within our political parties.

Sloganeering, noise making, periodic rallies and spending huge sums of money will not do this. We need to understand the meaning and purpose of politics, build democratic institutions, encourage accountability and democratic practices, strengthen and expand civil society and truly commit to electoral laws and the constitution to make progress.

If you pick an unpopular

candidate, you must rig the elections for “victory.” That is just the plain truth. As I have said elsewhere, “Office holders that emerge from a dubious and diabolical process cannot be expected to respect the constitution or liberties.

They cannot be expected to distinguish between the public and private treasury. That is why we must never tire of the struggle for democratic practice and social justice.

Political parties in Nigeria must be bastions of fair-play, justice and freedom. Unless this happens they would be contributing directly to the consolidation and reproduction of poverty, insecurity and

constituencies is often an opportunity to popularise the constitution, mobilise the people, increase political awareness and education, strengthen political discourses, and build new platforms of unity and dialogue. For Nigerians, such a process would provide an opportunity to deal with issues of refederalisation, fiscal federalism, local governance, structures of governance, socio economic and human rights, and other issues that have been raised in related debates. It is one more golden chance to give ourselves a living document, a true peoples covenant, a road map to show us how to organise and deploy power in the collective interests of our people. It is an opportunity to

constitution-making right, we can never get our development right. Political uncertainty, contradictions, distrust, violence and instability will continue to challenge wellintentioned programmes and policies and thus reproduce underdevelopment. Clearly, we have not passed on this score.

Conclusion I believe that all Nigerians want peace, security, development and progress.

Leaders and public policies have thus far failed to improve the lot of the ordinary Nigerian.

The elasticity of tolerance is getting overstretched by arrogant, corrupt, ignorant, unjust and diabolical leaders.

These so-called leaders undermine the efforts of the points or Islands of integrity and responsible leadership. Our people are kind and tolerant and they understand the challenges of modern societies. What they cannot understand is why those

“That is why we must never tire of the struggle for democratic practice and social justice. Political parties in Nigeria must be bastions of fair-play, justice and freedom.

Unless this happens they would be contributing directly to the consolidation and reproduction of poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment in Nigeria.” underdevelopment in Nigeria.” The President must execute the necessary electoral reforms before the next election.

The preconditions for Independent Candidacy as recently stipulated by the Senate are far too stringent. While designed to discourage frivolous aspirants, it should not be too stringent to discourage persons with commitment, focus, principle and political will. On this score, it is total failure.

5.

Review the Constitution: Build it on the people The time wasted thus far in fighting over the chairmanship and timetable of the constitution review committee and process by the National Assembly is sufficient to have concluded the exercise. That both seats of legislative authority could not agree on the process is disappointing and makes one to wonder whose interests they truly represent on this issue. Past constitutional reviews have cost the nation billions of naira with very little to show. We have lost opportunities to give the people a living document that could be deployed in the defence of individual and collective liberties.

Constitution making processes, properly anchored on the people, their communities and

correct historical injustices against women, the youth, the poor, micro-minorities and minorities. It is an opportunity to stop oil theft, kidnapping, illegal-bunkering, arson, assassinations, money laundering, hostage taking and other forms of violence in the much neglected and exploited Niger Delta. It is an opportunity to produce the document that will engender peace, stability, dialogue, tolerance, diversity, unity, democracy and progress in Nigeria.

This will not happen if the process is opportunistic, elitist and complicated. We must draw lessons from Uganda, South Africa, Eritrea, Ghana and other parts of the world by adopting a truly open, consultative, transparent, accountable, process-driven and people-led approach to constitution-making. This is the only way to produce a constitution that we can all understand and all own and defend with our lives. This is the way to build the architecture to deepen, widen, promote, sustain and reproduce democracy and democratization. The process of refederalisation will be possible and much more viable with a true constitutional consultation and process that brings our people together and restructures our political compact. It is also the only way to build a culture of constitutionalism, through a process publicises the constitution as our document, mobilises the people, and wins buy-in from the people. If we do not get the politics of

that claim to be their leaders can be so callous, wicked, incompetent, corrupt, irresponsible, unreliable, insensitive and incapable of addressing basic problems in society. But God will not come down to solve our problems.

We can pray to God to give us strength, peace of mind and the will to struggle. However, we must struggle to liberate ourselves, our people and communities. The problems, challenges and contradictions of Nigeria were not created by God. They were created by Nigerians, most of whom we know, and the problems must be solved by Nigerians.

Whatever we do, we must separate the bad leaders from the good one. We must build and strengthen civil society.

The private sector must redefine its priorities. We must prioritise research, science and technology. The fight against waste and corruption at all levels must be total. The provision of the basic human needs of the people must be at the heart of public policies and programmes.

The choices before the Nigerian leaders, politicians, policy makers and governments are few. They either begin to take themselves and the people seriously and begin to improve on their environment and living conditions or be ready to face the revolutionary pressures and action from below. At that time, sloganeering, long speeches, long convoys, bullet proof cars, bribery, lies, manipulation of the people and propaganda will be useless. It is not too late to do the right thing. These days.

A word is more than enough for the fool!

Natural Medicine

With Dr Mao 0803071734

Ill-Health And Body Acidity

THE PH of the body ranges from a scale of I 14. It measures the level of acidity/ alkalinity of the body. At a measure of 1, the acidity is highest, Alkalinity is also highest when the measure is on scale 14.

Acidity score decrease as the figures rises towards a midpoint of 7 while the alkalinity score decreases too as it climbs down towards the same midpoint.

A score of about 7.32 is the acid/alkaline balance of the body required for maintaining optimal health.

When there is two much acid in the body a condition known as acidosis results. In the same vein, there is alkalosis when the alkaline score of the body is high. Simply, this is all that PH is about. If you want a turgid, detailed and complicated information on sit pick up a copy of THE PH MIRACLE written by Dr. Robert Young.

At this juncture, you might ask. Why all the interest in the PH of the body?.

The reason is that sometimes a natural health practitioner used the PH score in managing a disease condition for instance, when a sick person has a PH score of 5, the health giver treats him with alkalinizing herbs, minerals, vitamins as well as other substances. While doing so, the sick person’s

acidity begins to drop.

When eventually, the PH normalizes at 7.32, the innate healing force in the body known as Vis Medicatrix Naturac (VMN) is empowered to reset itself and begin to heal the body. The homeostatic law is that a sick person’s VMN must be reawakened with medication before it can perform its work of restoring health to an ailing person.

However, what do we find in orthodox medicine/ It administers chemical drugs that tries to take over the function of VMN. Certainly, this cannot effectively be done. This explains why orthodox drugs usually suppress diseases. They don’t completely eliminate it.

Sometimes, we even find the drugs doing damage to our bodies while struggling to cure a disease. Too true, most of these drugs sometimes contribute to body acidity.

From the foregoing, you can see that acidosis or body acidity is a health hazard. To start with, common sense will tell you that acid burns.

Therefore, when you are suffering from body acidity, your body hurts inside. Soft tissues are on fire, literally. Hence, organs like the spleen, liver, eyes and pancreas can be damaged by body acidity.

Is it any wonder, one hidden cause of TypeTwo Diabetes may be the

excess acid in your body?

The acidity, derived from abuse of sugar or carbohydrates, gets your pancreas burnt out or so weakened that it begins to produce insufficient insulin for carbohydrate metabolism.

Also, acidosis can cause you early signs and symptoms of aging. This

course, it does sometimes with full success At other times, the body normalizes body acidity with its stores of alkalinizing substances like potassium, calcium, iron, etc but at the end of the day these stores depleted with the following health complications.

For

is because the condition reduces the effectiveness of anti-aging antioxidants, thus giving free radicals ample opportunities to destroy the body, quickly.

So, you begin to age fast.

Infact, a school of thought will tell you that acidosis is the major cause of all diseases affecting mankind today.

It is not that the body doesn’t attempt on its own to de-acidify the body. Of

instance, when the stores of potassium runs low, the muscles become weak.

What happens is that the heart, womb or biceps lose their tone. Also, note, hypertension may set in if there is a disturbance of potassium/sodiumin the body. In women, loss of potosium could mean a total collapse or prolapse of the womb. In both sexes, also the heart m e c h a n i c a l l y

“Certainly, this cannot effectively be done. This explains why orthodox drugs usually suppress diseases. They don’t completely eliminate it.

Sometimes, we even find the drugs doing damage to our bodies while struggling to cure a disease.”

incompetent while, there may be a loss of physical fitness. Because calcium is de-mineralised from the bones to also alkalinize the acid body, a person could experience weak bones as a result.

Osteoporosis occurs. In addition, since iron is taken from the blood during the process of

pollution, pesticides, herbicides, food additives, cooked food, alcohol, stress and physical activities/ exercises which produce lactic acid in the body, all contribute to acidosis.

Specifically, let me add here that intake of hot drinks/ “ogogoro” beer and soft drinks trigger as

neutralizing too much acid in the blood, a person suffers a drop in the iron content of the blood. The attendant result of this development are lifeless and brittle nails/ hair.

Also, you suffer from tiredness.

Furthermore, a condition of acidosis may lead to a “burning up” of our immune cell, enzymes and cartilages supporting our joint bones. We experience muscle spasm, poor, rheumatism as well as de-oxygenation of the blood which pre-disposes a person to cancer Dr. Michael Cutler explains that we are daily exposed to acid –forming substance from the environment. Also acid rain, tap water, air

well as promote acidosis.

Poor water drinking practices, does, too. Yes, dehydration is a killer.

Similarly, meat-based diets are known to cause acidosis because they produce acidic residues or metabolites in the body.

A disease condition like diabetes is associated with acidosis, also. This is because it causes the production of ketones from abnormal fat metabolism, instead of no carbohydrate metabolism.

Ketones are acid-form substances. Lest I forget, one may equally experience acidosis from silica deficiency. Finally, watch your anger and hate tantrums.

Para – sympathetically, they can trigger/promote acidosis.

With Victor Aniukwu

New Horizon

Who Knows Tomorrow?

KARMA cannot be denied by anyone, individually nor collectively, State wise nor Federal wise. Karma is strongly related to the law of retributive justice which says that — “Do unto others, as you would want others to do unto you. And secondly, what ever action one performs has an equal and corresponding reaction now nor in the future.

Karma is so strong that it cannot be side-tracked nor overtaken by events. The reaction will surely come to pass. In one Shakespeare writing, it is clearly stated that, “The evil that men do, lives after them”, and now the evil that men do does not only live after them but can have an immediate reaction. It could be individual karma which is personal nor collective karma which relates to Community, State nor Country.

Collectively and individually one must’ be extremely careful and calculative in whatever action we try to carry out at any point in time. All over the world today, action and counter-actions are going on simultaneously and spontaneously directly nor indirectly. These are experienced through ganging up, false accusation, pretension, invasion, treats, diplomacy, rioting, force, ritual killing, attack and counter attack, suicide bombing etc. all these mentioned above when applied negatively attracts negative reaction now

and the future. One or a country may act negatively and forget because the resultant effect was not immediate. But I tell you that when it will come to one nor to a country it will seem as herculean task thereby calling for prayers, applying force nor diplomacy and at a stage imploring the services of foreign aid because the situation is catastrophic There is a negative action performed in the past by oneself nor an incumbent dictator. It has being largely established that in Nigeria in particular and the world in general, dictatorship is very rampant. This is going on now and then and the control signal to this inferno is not yet holistic.

That is why there is always re-occurrences even if they seem to be checked. QUOVADIS where do we go from here. In the past, maggot does not eat maggot, but in the recent dispensation, maggot eats maggot. This proves to mankind the level of demonic tendency the entire world is dwelling into. The Bible warns-man know thyself. But up till now, it’s unfortunate that 90% per cent of men don’t know thyself, the women are taking advantage and even going to gain more ground. Even at home, if you don’t know thyself your wife, your children will take advantage over you.

Man at all time must know thyself, because the world is full of cheaters and the cheated. 75 per cent

populace of the world are full of vengeance. That is the result of attacks and counter attacks the world over. Countries are ganging up to fight these attacks from different angles. Will that probably solve nor remove that mask on the face of all those concerned?

keeps the precepts or rules will be protected and by such attitude, one can live without fear, knowing that when God want to save someone, no one can kill, and if God want to kill someone, no one can save.

That’s why it is said that our destiny lies in the hand

when he or she will die and how it could be shelved for eternity. That reminds me of the mighty reign of that great mystic called DLawrence. He was seen as an exceptional someone who had so much feats to display at any point in time to his followers. D-

They are hard-hearted and inconsiderate. On Mount Palomar in California, the giant telescope mounted on its top can see a distance of 7 , 0 3 8 , 8 3 5 , 200,000,000,000 miles ahead. What is the aim behind this telescope?

Enemies everywhere and so everything must be put in place to avert them at the shortest possible range. A leader nor a person who

of God. When the destined time comes, take that king or queen nor president to the best hospital in the world, before all the expert doctors, that person will be declared — DEAD. Death is one of the greatest phenomenon to testify the direct presence of God Almighty. Whoever refutes this ideal fact should come out to tell the world how,

Lawrence declared it boldly that he will die and rise again in three days.

Actually at the time of death for D-Lawrence, he could not stop death but died like every other person and was buried. On the third day, the great mystic tried to rise again in the mist of his followers who were there at his tomb to usher their great leader back to earth. Factually the Tomb of D- Lawrence tore open and there was jubilation from the crowd but Alas a thunder bolt struck from the sky straight to the tomb of D-Lawrence and there and then shattered this tomb to pieces. There was great pandemonium as some

“It has being largely established that in Nigeria in particular and the world in general, dictatorship is very rampant. This is going on now and then and the control signal to this inferno is not yet holistic. That is why there is always re-occurrences even if they seem to be checked.”

took to their heels, others lie face to the ground, others were deafened, others dumb founded. That was the painful horrific moment of Dr. DLawrence. This story is strongly related to karma. Which way we try to transgress the laws of God, there is an equal and a corresponding reaction. No one can claim proprietorship within the

three wor1ds.

This story sounds as a strong warning to all and sundry and most especially the honourable leaders of the entire world who when in office veto decision that will in future bring great agony to the people.

Negative decision of the world leaders culminate to the imbalance of Global administration and continuous disagreements and rancor in world human relations. There has been a colossus hang over from leaders, that is the cause of the world insecurity.

Leaders of the world must completely show their pattern of leadership in their countries and extend Continues on Pg 24

Place Of Prayer With Pastor Samuel O. Osaghae SMS Only 08030809339

rather bring you to ruins.

5 Things he needed were no longer available vs 16. God knows our basic needs, if he clothes the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven shall he not much more clothe you Matt. 6:30-34 However His provisions are for those who make Him their priority, who spend quality time daily with him in intimacy.

6.

Hunger begins vs. 16 &17. Even the husks that the swine ate were not available to him.Your physical and spiritual appetite will no longer be satisfied when you stay away from God. Even when

How Intimate Are You With God?

THERE are many sons of God by covenant, who are not benefiting from Him. This is because although they are related, they are not intimate with Him. Intimacy is what activates the benefits of relationship. If a house wife for instance allows a concubine to become more intimate with her husband than she is, then the concubine will begin to benefit more from the man than the wife can boast of. Now although there is a higher level of relationship between the wife and the man than between the concubine and the same man, the concubine will benefit more because she is more intimate with the man.

Intimacy with God is more important than the relationship.

In Luke 16: 38-42, Martha was busy maintaining relationship whereas Mary sat by Jesus to fellowship with Him, Jesus later told Martha, “only one thing is needful and Mary has chosen that part”. All your official spirituality will not move God, He is only interested in your intimate fellowship with Him, once you can be consistent in this, you can be rest assured that every other thing you do to please Him will become more valuable to Him. The success of your day’s activities is determined by what you gained in your intimate fellowship with Him at the break of that day. The strength to overcome, wisdom for good decisions and all other benefits that will make your day

fulfilling is received in your intimacy with God. In considering the benefits of intimacy which is the crux of this article, I want to take you through the parable of the prodigal son as illustrated in Luke 15:11-32. The story begins with a young man that had a ‘son ship’ relationship with his father. He however decided to break intimacy with his father because he felt he would enjoy life better if he was distant from his father.

Take note that breaking intimacy with his father did not break the ‘son ship’ relationship he had with his father. Even after squandering his father’s wealth as you will see when you read the full story, he was still a legitimate son and still had a covenant relationship with his father, however he had become distant from his father, there was no intimate relationship between them anymore and this therefore stripped him of further benefits of the fatherson relationship. Convenant can establish provision, but provision is only accessible by intimacy.

Once you are a child of God, all that you will ever need is provided, 2Peter I:2-4, however they only can be accessed through an intimate relationship with the father.

You don’t need to beg for benefits when you are intimate with God; He naturally provides all your needs. When the prodigal son later realized himself and decided to resume

an intimate relationship with his father, he did not have to beg for any of the benefits of a son. His father provided him with a ring, new clothes and slaughtered a cow for him to feed his hungry body not because he requested for them but because he knew the needs of his son. All these things had been available all the while that the young man was away, but he could not access them because there was no intimate relationship with his father, but as soon as intimacy was reestablished, they became accessible.

CONSEQUENCES OF NOT BEING INTIMATE WITH GOD The prodigal son suffered the following consequences when he broke his intimate relationship with his father.

1.

He wasted his substances vs 13. Anyone that wastes his time on other things and neglects intimacy with God will waste his resources.

2.

Indiscipline begins vs.

13 When you are no longer intimate with God, indiscipline

begins (riotous living). Many Christians still struggle with sin and bad habits because they do not spend time in intimacy with God, the more time you spend with God, the more you will be tuned to his image and likeness.

3.

He began to be in want vs. 14. Before now, he always had surplus, all his needs were provided and he had never experienced lack before in his life. Kingdom provisions are only available to those who remain in an intimate relationship with the father, God will supply the needs of only those that fellowship regularly and consistently with Him. 4.

He began to interact with insignificant persons vs.

15. Jews naturally do not associate with swine, but the son began to feed swine. When you do not give God attention then the devil will soon take your attention by bringing irrelevant people your way.

Such people will not contribute anything meaningful to your life but will

you eat, your body will not receive adequate nutrients because the diet will not be complete with the necessary classes of food which makes a balanced diet.

7.

Hopelessness and Helplessness vs. 16. No man gave to him. When you stay away from God, you will struggle and struggle over things and yet no one will come to your aid. Your effort and sacrifices will not even be appreciated by men. Your skills, beauty and expertise will remain hidden; your products will not enjoy patronage.

Benefits of intimacy When he realised himself and decided to resume intimacy with his father, he once again began to enjoy the benefits of intimacy. Below are some benefits he enjoyed as a result of renewed fellowship with his father.

1.

Access to the father to make request vs. 21. He was able to beg for forgiveness and ask for restoration. When you are intimate with God, you can make requests of Him at

anytime and He will be glad to grant to you the desire of your heart. 1st Peter5:7.

2.

He received a ring of authority vs. 22. Rings are symbols of authority, as soon as the son resumed intimacy with the father, his authority as a son was restored to him. For every child of God that remains intimate with Him, you have authority to operate as a god.

3.

He received a cloak of honour vs. 22. He was given the best robe to wear, this signifies great honour. Every genuine son of God that maintains consistence fellowship with God will receive honour and recognition wherever he goes because when God honours you, men have no option but to honour you too.

4.

He received shoes for protection vs. 22. He had travelled the long distance bare footed, his feet were not protected against the hazards of the road. But when fellowship was restored, he received covering for his feet.

Intimacy with God guarantees your protection from all the hazards of life.

5.

He was celebrated vs.

23.All cow was slaughtered and a party was put together in his honour. All those that have an intimate relationship with the father are celebrated wherever they go. Gladness and rejoicing never ceases from their homes because the Lord satisfies them daily with good things.

I am very sure you will agree with me now that there is so much to gain from an intimate relationship with God. I enjoin you to begin to spend time daily in intimacy with the father and watch your life if dramatic improvement will not be seen.

“Once you are a child of God, all that you will ever need is provided, 2Peter I:2-4, however they only can be accessed through an intimate relationship with the father. You don’t need to beg for benefits when you are intimate with God; He naturally provides all your needs.”

International Features Turkish PM’s Office Says Erdogan Recording Are Fake TURKISH Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s office described as a dirty immoral fabrication voice recordings purporting to reveal Erdogan telling his son to dispose of large sums of money on the day police raided houses in a graft inquiry into his government.

The recording posted on YouTube, whose authenticity newsmen could not verify, marked a sharp escalation in a graft crisis Erdogan’s government said has been concocted by a U.S.-based cleric seeking to undermine his 11-year rule by using influence in the police and judiciary.

The growing political uncertainty hit Turkish markets amid broader weakness in emerging markets.

They appear a day after Erdogan aides said thousands of people, including senior politicians, had had their telephones illegally tapped over three years with the aim to blackmail and fabricate criminal cases.

The recordings are purportedly of Erdogan and his son Bilal discussing how to reduce the funds to “zero” by distributing them among several businessmen. At one point, the voice supposedly of Bilal says some 30 million euros ($40 million) remain to be disposed of.

Erdogan was elected to power in 2002 and remains far and away Turkey’s most popular politician. But the apparent power struggle with cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has built up what the prime minister calls a “parallel state” has cast a shadow over what Western powers long vaunted as a prime example of an effective Islamic democracy.

Gulen, who controls a vast network of schools, businesses and media groups in Turkey and across the world, denies

any involvement in the scandal and denies acting in an undemocratic manner.

The recordings appeared two days after Erdogan’s AK Party officially began campaigning for local elections at the end of March that will be a key test of his enduring popularity.

“The recordings, which were released via the Internet this evening, accompanied with the allegation that they were a telephone conversation between our Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his son, are

He was scheduled to address a regular meeting of his party in parliament yesterday morning.

The leadership of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) also met and party spokesman Haluk Koc called on the government to resign.

“Turkey cannot continue on its path with this dirt, this burden,” Koc told reporters.

LIRA SLIDES Erdogan’s supporters say the graft investigation, which blew up on December 17 with the detention of businessmen close to Erdogan and three

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey Prime Minister

completely untrue and the product of an immoral montage,” Erdogan’s office said in a statement.

“Those who created this dirty conspiracy targeting the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey will be brought to account within the law,” it said.

Erdogan held an emergency meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay, Interior Minister Ekfan Ala and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan after the recordings appeared, senior Turkish officials said.

ministers’ sons, was contrived by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. He has denied involvement.

The government has responded by dismissing or reassigning thousands of police officers, tightening its control over the appointment of judges and prosecutors, and pushing through a new law that allows the authorities to block access to websites within hours without a prior court order.

The growing political uncertainty hit financial markets.

KIEV — The Ukrainian parliament yesterday delayed the formation of a new government, reflecting political tensions and economic challenges following the ouster of the Russia-backed president.

Parliament speaker Oleksandr Turchinov, who was named Ukraine’s interim leader after President Viktor Yanukovych fled the capital, said that a new government should be in place by Thursday, instead yesterday, as he had earlier indicated.

Turchinov is now nominally in charge of this strategic country of 46 million whose ailing economy faces the risk of default and whose loyalties are sharply torn between Europe and longtime ruler Russia.

Law enforcement agencies have issued an arrest warrant for Yanukovych over the killing of 82 people, mainly protesters —

Ukraine: No Govt

Before Thursday

the bloodiest violence in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history — that precipitated him fleeing the capital on Friday after signing a deal with opposition leaders to end months of violent clashes between protesters and police.

For months, thousands of people have been protesting against Yanukovych’s decision to ditch an agreement for closer ties with the European Union and turn to Russia instead.

The parliament sacked some of Yanukovych’s lieutenants and named their replacement, but it has yet to appoint the new premier and fill all remaining government posts. Yanukovych’s whereabouts are unknown. He

was last reportedly seen in the Crimea, a pro-Russia area.

The European Union’s top foreign policy official urged Ukraine’s new government to work out a reform program so that the West could consider financial aid to the country’s battered economy.

Catherine Ashton spoke yesterday after meeting with the leaders of Ukraine’s interim authorities formed after President Viktor Yanukvoych fled the capital.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a top figure in the protests, suggested that Yanukvoych should be tried in the Hague, Netherlands.

Philipines Protests Over South China Sea Water Cannon Incident

MANILA -The Philippines protested yesterday against China’s use of a water cannon on Filipino fishermen in disputed waters of the South China Sea warning that the incident would escalate tension.

China’s chargé d’affaires in Manila, Sun Xiangyang, was summoned to hear the Philippines “strongly protest the efforts of China to prohibit Filipino fishermen from undertaking fishing activities in the Philippines’ Bajo de Masinloc”, said Raul Hernandez, the foreign ministry spokesman.

Hernandez, referring to the South China Sea’s Scarborough Shoal fishing ground by its Philippine name, said the fishermen had been merely sheltering from bad weather in the area.

“We call on China to respect our sovereignty and rights of our fishermen,” Hernandez told a news conference.

“These actions, these incidents surely escalates the tension in the area. And this further threatens the peace and security and stability in the region.”

China’s Foreign Ministry rebuffed the complaint, saying Chinese ships patrolled the region to protect China’s sovereignty and ensure “normal order”.

“China does not accept so-called representations or protests from the Philippines,” spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing in Beijing.

“For foreign ships in these seas, Chinese ships have been carrying out necessary management appropriately and reasonably,” she added.

“We demand that the relevant country earnestly respect China’s sovereignty, and not provoke any new incidents.”

Since the beginning of the year, China has required foreign fishing boats to get approval before entering waters that it a claims as its own.

On January 27, a Chinese coastguard vessel tried to drive away Filipino fishermen from Scarborough Shoal by using a water cannon, General Emmanuel Bautista, the head of Philippine military said on Monday.

China claims about 90 percent of the South China Sea’s 3.5 million sq km (1.35 million sq mile) waters. The sea provides 10 percent of the global fish catch, carries $5 trillion in ship-borne

trade a year and its seabed is believed to be rich with energy reserves.

Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam also claim parts of the sea.

Speaking to reporters, President Benigno Aquino said the government would seek clarification from China about “what this incident was all about”.

“We are not sure, at this point, if we can call it their standard operating procedure,” the president said. The Department of Foreign Affairs said there were nine harassment incidents in the same area last year.

The Philippines has urged ASEAN to conclude a binding

code of conduct with China to avoid accidents and miscalculations in the disputed waters.

The Philippines has taken its dispute with China to arbitration under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea but China is refusing to participate in the case.

China has rejected challenges to its sovereignty claims and accused the Philippines of illegally occupying Chinese islands in the seas and of provoking tension.

This month, the commander of the U.S. Navy said the United States would come to the aid of the Philippines in the event of conflict with China over disputed waters.

Pressure Mounts Over Arizona Anti-Gay Bill PHOENIX, USA - Republican Governor Jan Brewer faced intensifying pressure Monday from CEOs, politicians in Washington and state lawmakers in her own party to veto a bill that would allow business owners with strongly held religious beliefs to deny service to gays and lesbians.

Senate Bill 1062 has set off a political firestorm since the Arizona Legislature passed it last week, with critics denouncing the measure as blatantly discriminatory and embarrassing to the state.

The chorus of opposition has grown each day, and on Monday, three state senators who voted in favor of the bill changed course and said they oppose it. U.S. Sen. John McCain asked Brewer to veto the measure, as did Apple Inc. and the CEO of American Airlines Group Inc. State Sens. Bob Worsley, Adam Driggs and Steve Pierce sent their letter urging a veto just days after they joined the entire 17-member Senate GOP caucus in voting for the bill.

“I think laws are (already) on the books that we need, and have now seen the ramifications of my vote,” Worsley told newsmen “I feel very bad, and it was a mistake.”

With the three GOP senators joining all 13 Senate Democrats

in opposition, there would be enough votes to defeat the measure in a re-vote. But too much time has passed to allow for reconsideration, and the bill was sent to Brewer in a routine transmittal Monday that was accompanied by “boos” from Senate Democrats.

Brewer now has five working days to sign or veto the bill. She returns from governors association meetings in Washington on Tuesday afternoon.

The governor doesn’t comment on pending legislation, but she vetoed a similar measure last year. That action, however, came during an unrelated political standoff, and it’s unclear whether she would support or reject this plan.

An estimated 350 people gathered outside the Arizona Capitol on Monday evening in a peaceful protest. They listened to speeches and many held homemade signs in opposition to the bill.

The bill is being pushed by the Center for Arizona Policy, a social conservative group that opposes abortion and gay marriage. The group said the proposal is needed to protect against increasingly activist federal courts and simply clarifies existing state law.

RECONCILIATION OF NAME

I, Momoh Obi wish to bring for the information of the general public, that Momoh Obi and Momoh Rafiu are one and the same person. Henceforth, I am now properly known, called and addressed as Momoh Obi. All former documents remain valid.

The authority of C.C.C. Company Limited, Auchi office and concerned authorities are to please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME OWUZOH – I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Irene Ikuvbogie Owuzoh now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Irene Ikuvbogie Osemeha. All former documents remain valid.

Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note CHANGE OF NAME

AHONSI – I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Evelyn Ahonsi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Evelyn Ayewa. All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

ERUTEYE – I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Eruteye Elizabeth now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Elizabeth Odiri Ehimen. All former documents remain valid.

Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

AZOWE – I, formerly known and addressed as Esther Azowe now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Esther Iwuiere. All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

IGIEBOR – I, formerly called Igiebor Uyiosa Scott is now known and called Igiebor Uyiosa.

All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc, concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

OJUGBELI – I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Joy Awuri Ojugbeli now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Joy Awuri Okungbowa. All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

International

CHANGE OF NAME

OKOSUN – I, formerly known and addressed as Joseph Akhere Okosun now wish to be known and addressed as Joseph Akhere Omonzokpia.

All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

OZERE – I, formerly called Miss Ozere Williana Catherine is now known and called Mrs. Ighalo Williana Catherine. All former documents remain valid.

Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT

PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC DISPLAY EXERCISE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) OF THE PROPOSED OLOGBO PLANTATION EXPANSION PROJECT AT IKPOBA-OKHA LGA, EDO STATE, NIGERIA BY PRESCO PLC In accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act No. 86 of 1992, which makes it mandatory for proponents of all new major development activities to carry out Environmental Impact Assessment of their proposed projects, the Federal Ministry of Environment hereby announces a twenty —one (21) working day Public Notice for information and comments on the Draft EIA Report submitted by Presco Plc. THE DISPLAY CENTERS ARE: ∗ Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Headquarters Idogbo. Edo State. ∗ Federal Ministry of Environment, Benin-City, Edo State. ∗ Edo State Ministry of Environment, Benin City, Edo State. ∗ Federal Ministry of Environment, Games Village Surulere, Lagos State ∗ Federal Ministry of Environment, Conservation House (Green Building), Plot 444 Aguiyi Ironsi, Maitama, Abuja-FCT ∗ Federal Ministry of Environment, Environment House (Brown Building), Independence Way. Central Area, Abuja-FCT. ∗ www. ea-environment.org Project Description The proposed project will entail the expansion of the Northeast and East of the existing Presco Estate into oil palm plantation, roads, houses, workshop, powerhouse and conservation area on 3,200 Hectares of Ologbo forest reserve concessed to Presco Plc. Duration of Display Date: 26th February to 26th March, 2014.

Time: 8:00am - 4:00pm Daily.

ALL COMMENTS RECEIVED SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE HON. MINISTER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT ON OR BEFORE 2ND APRIL, 2014.

SIGNED PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR: HONOURABLE MINISTER.

Uganda pupils from different schools take part in an event organised by born-again Christians to celebrate the signing of a new anti-gay bill that harsh penalties for homosexual sex.

Uganda Tabloid Prints List Of ‘Top’ Homosexuals

KAMPALA,A Ugandan newspaper published a list yesterday of what it called the country’s “200 top” homosexuals, outing some Ugandans who previously had not identified themselves as gay one day after the president enacted a harsh anti-gay law.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday’s signing of the bill by President Yoweri Museveni marked “a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights” and warned that Washington could cut aid to the government of the East African nation.

“Now that this law has been enacted, we are beginning an internal review of our relationship with the Government of Uganda to ensure that all dimensions of our engagement, including assistance programs, uphold our anti-discrimination policies and principles and reflect our values,” Kerry said in a statement.

The Red Pepper tabloid published the names — and some pictures — in a frontpage story under the headline: “EXPOSED!” The list included prominent Ugandan gay activists such as Pepe Julian Onziema, who has repeatedly warned that Uganda’s new anti-gay law could spark violence against homosexuals. There was a popular Ugandan hip-hop star as well as a Catholic priest.

Few Ugandans identify themselves as gay, and the tabloid’s publication of

alleged homosexuals recalled a similar list published in 2011 by a now-defunct tabloid that called for the execution of gays.

A Ugandan judge later condemned the outing of homosexuals in a country where gays face severe discrimination, saying it amounted to an invasion of privacy. A prominent Ugandan gay activist was killed after that list came out, and activists said at the time that they believed David Kato was targeted because of his work promoting gay rights in Uganda.

The new law punishes gay sex with up to life in jail — a measure criticized as draconian in a country where homosexuality already had been criminalized. The bill originally proposed the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” defined as repeated gay sex between consenting adults and acts involving a minor, a disabled person or where one partner is infected with HIV. The law also calls for first-time offenders to be sentenced to 14 years in jail.

In signing the bill, Museveni said the measure is needed because the West is promoting homosexuality in Africa, rejecting international criticism of the law as interference in Uganda’s internal affairs.

Museveni accused “arrogant and careless Western groups” of trying to recruit Ugandan children into homosexuality, but he did not name these purported groups.

Ugandan police spokesman Patrick Onyango said on Tuesday thatno homosexuals have been arrested since Museveni signed the bill but

that at least two had been taken into custody since lawmakers passed the bill last December.

Onziema, the gay activist, said he had counted up to six arrests and that more than a dozen Ugandan homosexuals had fled the country since December over safety concerns.

Homosexuality has long been criminalized in Uganda under a colonial-era law that outlawed sex acts “against the order of nature.”

Some Ugandan lawyers and activists have said they will challenge the law in court as unconstitutional and impossible to implement.

Nicholas Opiyo, a Ugandan lawyer who runs a rights watchdog group called Chapter Four, predicted yesterday that it make life worse for Ugandan gays.

“The enactment of the antihomosexuality bill has only emboldened the ... population in their rejection of anybody perceived to be gay or even friendly to gays,” he said. “These things are going to continue. They are going to get more frequent.”

The Ugandan law — which came just over a month after Nigeria passed a similar measure against gays — has been condemned around the world, although it is widely popular among Ugandans.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warned that the law would institutionalize discrimination and could encourage harassment and violence against gays.

With Victor Aniukwu

New Horizon Continued from Pg 20

same to other countries. In the entire, world leadership, there is love every Dick and I-larry claims to be sharing with one another. But there is no real love.

No real love among leaders of the world. World leadership is like a club where leaders group themselves as one entity to fight for or against one another. That in turn becomes survival of the fittest! We can see the case of Israel and Palestine, the raid and killing is still going on with both parties keeping sleepless nights.

We can see America and Afghanistan. Now that America is trying to pull out of Afghanistan, the news came of how an American soldier killed 16 civilians. What must have happen when all the troops were there in Afghanistan?

Who should be trusted for the safety of the people of the world? What about the case of America Saddam Hussein and the people of Iraq. Despite the presence of America and the backing of some world powers, there remains no peace and settlement in African countries. Who now is his brothers keeper in the leadership of Africa. Who now is his brothers keeper in the leadership of the Asian continent. And who is his brothers keeper in the leadership of the European countries? One country is eye the other just to determine at any giving time, the economical and military strength of that country so as to cry out to other allied countries for

...Who Knows Tomorrow? possible checks and restrictions based on various terminologies to be introduced for such group exercise.

At the end of it, such country may be sanctioned, restricted nor has its foreign account frozen. All these are hell one earth.

Inhumanity to man in the

should be careful of the white man tricks, diplomacy and indirect dominion over other countries especially in Africa. European countries had overgrown, Asian counties have grown but African countries are yet to grow and yet what Africa cannot attain are been

Despite all said and done, there is a still lot more to talk about energy supply.

When you go to Federal and State Ministries, parastatals, companies, schools, Homes, etc and try regulate the level of charging of phones and other gadgets, you will conclude that power

withdrawing from the use of their generators thereby increasing the workload on the general energy consumption. This means that it will really take’ long time the teaming masses to feel positive impact on power generation to the people as it is in Ghana.

Whatever project we want

bid to exist and build a strong defence within ones territory. This is not allowed especially within African countries despite the granting of independence for self governance yet African countries still remain’ slaves to the white people.

With Yes Sir, Yes Sir to the white man; African countries will remain poorer and poorer. Africa

forced on them in the name of technology. This further complicates the safety catch of our foreign reserves When cell phone was introduced, the Government failed to realize that our country is backwards in energy capacity. And with that backlog our energy will further dwindle as it is since 1999 and before.

generation to satisfy the masses have a long way to go. The same goes with a lot number of computers and its consumables, all around, before you talk of individual consumption.

One should say that more than 60 per cent of the country is operating on generator As the government tries to improve on energy, those using generators will be

to embark in the country, our growing population must be in consideration.

Nigeria population not being checked, is growing daily especially when we are backwards in that direction. Whatever we are going through now are due to improper consideration in the planning methodology.

When planning for execution, look at what is outstanding, deficit, normal nor surplus.

When normal think of reaching the climax of surplus. When in deficit, you have the task of bringing up . deficit level to normal then to the surplus level;. This last point is very daisy and needs articulated planning and execution at both ends.

All of the above goes with

“No real love among leaders of the world.

World leadership is like a club where leaders group themselves as one entity to fight for or against one another. That in turn becomes survival of the fittest!”

gross dishonesty, lack of sense of purpose, lack of proper supervision and dubious reports, that confirm that a wrong peg is very good in a round hole. This is a negative report but in most cases accepted as right. All these practices are linked up to group karma of the Nation.

Otherwise with huge easy flow of power remains a doubtful affair where people come and do their own thing and just get away with it un-noticed, and if noticed, no one cares becomes the standard of judgement. With what we see on ground now, can we say that vision 20 20 20 is realistic in good terms?

Take the answer at your own time. For me, it’s not realistic because the government has so much iron inside the fire yet to be melted and more iron are still been added to the fire.

That makes the mission impossible, because too many cooks spoil the brooth.

Nigerian government must learn to be expert goldsmith to understand this language.

DIGEST THIS ECLOGUE-NIGERIA -A HUGE ELEPHANT ACCEPTED ELECTED POLITICIANS ARE -THE BUTCHERS-TEARING THE MEAT OF THE HUGE ELEPHANT EVERYDAY NON - STOP. EFFECT ON THE ELEPHANT - THE ELEPHANT IS IN A PITIABLE CONDITION, DYING GRADUALLY IN SERIOUS PAINS. SOLUTION -ELECTED POLITICIANS TO STOP BUTCHERING THE MEAT OF THE HUGE ELEPHANT NIGERIA. OTHERWISE DREAD IS IMMINENT.

By Victor Aniukwu

Healthy Living CHARLES Peter is heartbroken because his girlfriend; Linda Joel, left him because she could no longer endure his offensive body odour.

On several occasions, Linda had complained about the odour but Peter’s efforts at getting rid of the smell failed to impress her.

Funny as it may sound; Peter’s plight is not extraordinary. This is because several people, who undergo a similar experience, spend a lot of money on buying perfumes and deodorants; all in an attempt to smell nice and retain friendships.

Observers, however, note that most of the people who have offensive body odour are not even aware of their condition.

For instance, Mrs Grace Martin, a civil servant, said that people always complained that she had an offensive body odour which she was not mindful of.

“My colleagues will spray air freshener and complain about a foul smell anytime I enter the office; and people don’t like to sit close to me.

“Some people tell me that my body odour is because I was not properly washed when I was born; so, I use perfume but after a short time, the smell comes up again,’’ she said.

However, some people believe that body odour occurs because of the dirty habits of affected individuals, while others believe that it is the aftermath of unhygienic childbirth management.

These conflicting viewpoints notwithstanding, experts insist that body odour can be managed.

Dr Olanrewaju Falodun, a consultant dermatologist at the National Hospital, Abuja, said that the belief that some people were born with body odour was totally false.

According to him, body odour is caused by the breaking down of bacteria in the sweat, resulting in the emission of offensive odour.

“There are two types of sweat glands in the body; the eccrine gland, found all over the body, and the apocrine

gland, found primarily in the ancillary (armpit) and genital areas.

“The two sweat glands are usually connected to hair follicles, and much of the thing we call body odour is a product of the apocrine gland.

“The glands do not mature or start functioning until when a person reaches the age of puberty, and that is why the real issues about odour are more pronounced after puberty,’’ he said.

Folodun, nonetheless, said that body odour could be managed or prevented via diligent maintenance and cleanliness of the body, as well as use of deodorants and antiperspirants.

He also underscored the need to wash clothes thoroughly; particularly those that came in contact with sweaty parts of the body, such as socks, underwear and shirts.

“Wash the body with soap daily, particularly the armpits, groin and feet, where there are many sweat-producing glands; this removes sweat and kills the bacteria,’’ he said.

Falodun said that people should recognise the types of products that they could use in fighting body odour, stating the difference between perfumes, deodorants and antiperspirants.

“Deodorants are antibacterial and their main function is preventing the metabolism and multiplication of the bacteria that cause body odour in the skin under the armpit,’’ he noted.

The dermatologist said that antiperspirants, which could aid efforts to stop a person from sweating, were different from deodorants and perfumes.

He said that people used perfumes with deodorants or antiperspirants to improve their smell after the foul body odour had been eliminated.

“Antiperspirants work by clogging, closing, or blocking the pores in the body with aluminium chemicals, so that they cannot release sweat which could be harmful.

“However, there are

Getting Rid Of Offensive Body Odour

By ANNA ANGBAZO

instances where people developed boils from the use of antiperspirants because by the time pores and hair follicles become clogged, infections occur and this leads to boils in the armpit,’’ he warned.

Folodun, however, recommended deodorants for fighting body odour, insisting that they did not interfere with sweat.

He added that deodorants had been scientifically recognised as one of the natural ways of cooling the body.

All the same, Dr Rita Uzor, a general physician, suggested good personal hygiene and regular physical exercises as the best treatment for body odour. he said that regular bathing

and physical exercises could aid efforts to remove toxins and fungi that caused body odour.

Uzor re-echoed Falodun’s viewpoint that some parts of the body, like the armpits and genitals, were prone to emission of body odour.

According to her, although body odour is a problem that affects both sexes, men sweat more than women.

“This is because they are highly active in nature but the smell differs from person to person,’’ she said.

Uzor noted that the consumption of garlic, onions and strong spices, which contained strong chemicals, could also cause body odour.

“But the body odour usually disappears once you take a

“Many people sweat frequently; and a handful of them simply pull off their clothes, only to wear them a second time without washing; offensive odour from the unwashed clothes could become permanent in this way.”

shower or a bath but it can return if you put on unwashed clothes,’’ she said.

She noted that low blood sugar, liver disease, diabetes, parasites, metabolic dysfunction, menopause and emotional stress, among others, could also cause excessive sweating.

“Regular exercises which could generate sweating can get rid of body toxins, bacteria and fungi that contribute to the emission of body odour.

“Sweating enables the body to maintain normal body temperature and function at its maximum capacity,’’ she noted.

Uzor advised people with offensive body odour to improve their personal hygiene by bathing with antibacterial soap.

Dr Lois Obiekezie, a general physician, urged the public, particularly women, to ensure cleanliness as a strategy to eliminate body odour.

She noted that wearing of dirty clothes could result in body odour, explaining that most dirty clothes were coated with sweat.

“Many people sweat frequently; and a handful of them simply pull off their clothes, only to wear them a second time without washing; offensive odour from the unwashed clothes could become permanent in this way.

“Some other body odours are natural, arising from chemical reactions in the body; sometimes, these occur in children below 15 years.

“The chemical reactions have to do with body hormones, and individuals with natural body odours should bathe regularly so as to avoid retaining sweat that could aggravate the odours,’’ she said.

Obiekezie urged the public, especially women, to give attention to washing the private parts of their body during bathing, insisting that failure to properly clean up the parts would lead to offensive odour All in all, the experts urge the people to make pragmatic efforts to get rid of offensive body odour via the adoption of clean habits and structured lifestyles. (NAN)

EVERY WEDNESDAY, WEEK 33, 2014 LUCKY 1.2. X SELECTIONS 11 INTERNATIONAL NOS. HOT PAIRS 12 16 16

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Mikel Fit For Champions League Tie

Palace’s Puncheon Charged Over Warnock Blast

CRYSTAL Palace midfielder Jason Puncheon was charged on Monday by the Football Association after his Twitter rant at Neil Warnock.

Puncheon, who played under Warnock at QPR, blasted a penalty horribly wide during a Premier League match at Tottenham in January and Palace went onto lose 2-0.

The 27-year-old came in for criticism from many commentators for his poor spot-kick, but he took exception to comments from former Palace manager Warnock, who was speaking in his role as a pundit on talkSPORT. Warnock didn’t hold back in his criticism of Puncheon during his comments on live radio.

“There’s no way I would’ve trusted him with a penalty. You’ve got to have somebody a little bit more cool, and he’s not like that, Jason,” he said.

“He can whack a 35-yard free-kick in here and there but a penalty, with all the pressure on him at a place like White Hart Lane - not in a million years for me.”

Soon after that interview, Puncheon posted several highly critical comments about Warnock on Twitter, which he quickly deleted, and those tweets have now landed him in disciplinary trouble with the authorities.

A statement from the FA read: “Crystal Palace’s Jason Puncheon has been charged by The FA for Twitter comments he made in relation to Neil Warnock.

“It is alleged that in posting these comments, Puncheon failed to act in the best interests of the game, and/or acted in a manner which was improper, and/or used abusive and/or insulting words in contravention of FA Rule E3[1]. Puncheon has until 6pm on Thursday 27 February 2014 to respond to the charge.”

John Obi Mikel

Defence Can Derail Reds’ UCL Hopes

LIVERPOOL goalkeeper Simon Mignolet says the Reds must tighten up in defence as they bid to maintain their grip on a Champions League position. apart from Newcastle.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are the Sunday’s 4-3 victory over Swansea Premier League’s leading scorers at Anfield moved Liverpool six points with 70 goals, but are looking clear in fourth place, and kept them alarmingly fragile at the back. on course to reach the Champions They have conceded 35 goals so League for the first time since 2009. far this term, more than any other But a thrilling attacking display, in side in the top half of the table which the in-form Daniel Sturridge scored for the eighth league game in a row, was almost compromised by a catalogue of defensive errors that left the Reds relieved to claim the victory.

Vice-captain Daniel Agger’s future continue to liaise with club is coming under increasing scrutiny after a poor display on Sunday led to officials and the referee over him being substituted after 63 allegations of coin throwing at minutes — but fellow centre-backs the match.

Kolo Toure and Martin Skrtel have “We will continue to make also been prone to errors this season. further enquiries over the coming Mignolet, an ever-present in the days.” league for Liverpool since his nine Palace are unlikely to be million pound move from Sunderland charged unless an investigation last summer, has kept just four clean decides the club was negligent, sheets in his last 24 appearances, and while co-chairman Steve he feels that cutting out the sort of Browett has vowed to ban any basic mistakes made against Swansea Eagles’ fans foudn guilty of will be vital to ensuring a promising throwing coins during the Sky season does not go to waste.

“It wasn’t easy, but we scored four Live game.

Speaking about a pre-match goals and it was a very important win display organised by fans, he said on the Crystal Palace ‘Five Year Plan’ podcast: “I was really angry because you’ve got guys who MESUT Ozil has been given worked through the night on an extra break by his club Friday night, they have worked Arsenal to recharge his batteries. really hard on that display.

Arsenal manager Arsene “They’ve spent hundreds, thousands of hours getting that display right and you turn on Match of the Day and they don’t even mention it, all you see is some t**t throwing a coin at Wayne Rooney.

“One idiot has screwed it up for everybody else and it makes me so angry. I hope somebody turns him in because he’s not welcome at Selhurst Park.”

Police are still looking into a similar incident at Arsenal’s FA Cup clash with Tottenham last month when items were thrown

by Spurs fans as Theo Walcott Mesut Ozil was being carried off the pitch.

FA Investigate Coin-Throwing At Palace-United Match THE FA has launched an investigation into coin-throwing incidents in the match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was the target of home fans as he prepared to take a corner during the Premier League match.

The England international informed the referee that missiles were being thrown at him and the FA is now waiting for a report into the matter.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed late on Monday that a man had been arrested and was being questioned in connection with the incident.

The spokesman said: “We

‘Titlle May Go Down The Wire’

ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger feels the Premier League title race could go down to the final day of the season.

After the league’s frontrunners all picked up wins at the weekend, leaders Chelsea and fourth-placed Liverpool are separated by just four points with Arsenal second and Manchester City three points

Arsene Wenger

from the summit in third, having played a game less.

With Wenger’s men a point off top spot and due to face Tottenham, Chelsea and City within a fortnight in March, the Frenchman believes the title race is likely to go down to the wire.

“It looks like the last game could be decisive. Nobody knows. What is for sure, the most consistent team from now on will do it,” he told Arsenal Player.

“Everybody has big games; everybody has difficult games.

The Premier League is difficult for everybody so let’s just focus on our performances.”

NIGERIA star Mikel Obi has been declared fit for today’s UEFA Champions League clash with Galatasaray.

Mikel alongside David Luiz and Oscar has been passed fit to make the trip to Turkey.

Luiz and Mikel missed ‘The Blues’ 1-0 win over Everton on Saturday and Oscar hobbled off in the second half with an ankle injury, but all three are likely to feature on Wednesday night as Chelsea medics declared them fit.

Chelsea topped their group with a record of four wins and two defeats, while Galatasaray crept into the knockout stages by edging out Juventus with a dramatic 1-0 win in a final group game.

for us,” Mignolet told the Liverpool Echo. “The objective going into every game is to win and we did that.

“Obviously, it’s easier to do that if you are not conceding goals and we know we need to be tighter and not concede so many.”

Liverpool go into Saturday’s league game at Southampton only four points behind leaders Chelsea, but Mignolet insists there is no talk of a title bid in the Anfield dressing room.

“We are in a good position at the moment but with 11 games to go there are still a lot of things that can happen,” he added.

“We just need to try to get as much as we can out of all the games we have left.

“We need to stay calm and

just focus on our next game at Southampton.”

Liverpool, despite their defensive frailties, have collected 20 points from a possible 24 after starting 2014 with an eight-match unbeaten league run.

And with matches against fellow European hopefuls Manchester United and Tottenham to come before the end of March, Mignolet is aware of the benefits of maintaining that good league form.

The Belgium international said: “Hopefully we can keep this run in the league going. We’re happy with where we are but there’s still a long way to go.

“The gaffer gives everyone confidence. When you step on to the pitch you know that he’s behind you and supporting you.

“Everyone is trying to do their job the best they can and we need to keep doing that until the end of the season.”

Wenger gave all of his players two days off following the victory over Sunderland to try and give the whole squad a muchneeded breather.

Gunners midfielder Ozil went back to see family and friends in Germany and is due to return to Arsenal’s training headquarters on Tuesday.

He hopes to be fit for Saturday’s trip to Stoke.

Ozil suffered a dead leg against Bayern Munich and Arsenal simply did not want to risk him on Saturday. Wenger rarely gives his squad time off

during the season but clearly players like Ozil have been pushed to the limit in recent weeks and they have been given an extra rest ahead of the tough fixture list.

Meanwhile Arsenal’s Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey is targeting the Tottenham game on March 16 as a potential comeback.

Ramsey has been out since Christmas with a thigh injury and broke down in his last comeback so will not be rushed back this time. But Wenger is hoping that Ramsey will be back for the crucial run-in as Arsenal chase the title and FA Cup.

Ozil Given Time Off

Spanish Court Indicts French THE Spanish Supreme medicine for four years in Court on Monday ordered Newspaper 2013 for providing doping

Falcao Complains Over Image Misuse MONACO forward Radamel Falcao has complained over the use of his image in the ongoing electoral campaign in his native Colombia. ?Falcao, 28, is a huge star in his South American homeland, and his endorsement of a candidate would be a significant boost in attempts to win the popular vote. However, the former Porto and Atletico Madrid striker took exception to his image being used by Jorge Franco Pineda of the Opcion Ciudadana party ahead of polling on March 9.

“I don’t support any political party, nor any Congressional candidate,” the player wrote on his Facebook page. “Those who have used my image did so without my consent.”

Falcao added his name was a registered trademark and threatened to take legal action unless “immediate rectifications” were made.

Pineda has since apologised via his own Facebook page and stated the collection of photos, which included Falcao and a number of other high-profile Colombian sports figures, has since been removed from the social networks on which it had appeared.

Neymar Is Messi’s Helper

Radamel Falcao

The case concerned an article, published in December 2006 under the headline “Doping: football after cycling”.

It claimed a link between Real Madrid, Barcelona, Real Betis and Valencia and notorious Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who was sentenced to a year in prison and banned from practising

products to cyclists in what was known as ‘Operation Puerto’.

The Supreme Court said the article was without doubt of general interest but was defamatory because Le Monde’s facts could not be proven to be true as the journalist had not provided enough evidence to back them up.

REAL Madrid midfielder Enzo Fernandez — the son of legendary midfielder Zinedine Zidane — has chosen to play for France at underage level, according to former French star Willy Sagnol.

where he was part of the squad which won the Treble in 2010 under the management of Jose Mourinho. The 23-year-old said that, while he had his moments with the now Chelsea boss, they are now on good terms.

“We both have big personalities and sometimes that caused problems,” he said. “We respect each other, there is now a healthy friendship.”

City fans may have seen some of the best of Balotelli — who helped them win the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League title the following year — but they also saw his darker side as several bustups within the club and reports of erratic behaviour away from it often made headlines. That, he claims, has slowly been eliminated from his character.

“I made mistakes in the past and I have no problem admitting it,” he said. “I’ve matured a lot in the past two years and I don’t think my conduct’s a problem anymore.”

One problem which does persist, and could eventually force Balotelli to leave Milan and return to England, is racism. Such behaviour continues to be

prevalent in Italian football, despite attempts by the Lega Serie A to clamp down on it this season.

“It’s important to understand that racism and racist people will never disappear,” Balotelli said.

“Football as a sport should help us and start giving severe punishments to racial behaviour.

I’m starting to think that leaving the field is the best thing, although I’ve not done that yet.

“That would be a victory for racists, who are just stupid people.”

Balotelli starred for Italy in their run to the semifinals of Euro 2012 and is his country’s first-choice striker heading into this summer’s World Cup. The Squadra Azzurra are in the same group as England, Uruguay and Costa Rica, and Balotelli is optimistic about their chances of not only reaching the knockout phase but lifting the trophy.

“The most beautiful thing about football is that it’s not always the favourites who win,” he said. “I think we’ve got a strong squad and a good chance of winning the World Cup. We’ve got a good mix of experience and youth and we can all aim to win.”

The 18-year-old Los Blancos starlet had hesitated between declaring his international future to France or Spain, but has now accepted the call from the former country according to one of his father ’s former international teammates.

Sagnol — who oversees underage sides at the French Football Federation — says that Enzo has chosen to follow in his father ’s footsteps with Les Bleus, but could still change his mind before a competitive international appearance.

“The player has decided to wear the blue jersey,” the ex-Bayern Munich full-back told Le Parisien.

“He could still change in the future but his wish at the moment is to play for France.”

Fernandez will take part in a training camp for the French under-19 squad at Clairefontaine between Monday and Wednesday next week.

The attacking midfielder, who uses his mother’s family name, has been on Real’s books since 2004.

His father Zinedine — who won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France — is currently assistant manager of Los Blancos alongside head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Madrid currently lead the Primera Division by three points after title rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both lost this weekend, with Ancelotti’s men picking up a routine 3-0 win over Elche on Saturday.

Zidane’s Son Opts To Play For France

Balotelli Won’t Rule Out Prem Return

AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli has not ruled out a return to the Premier League, despite previously vowing he would not play for any other club in England than Manchester City.

“The Manchester City fans In an interview with Soccer Italia magazine the Italy international were fantastic with me and when looked back fondly on his time at I left, I said that I’d never be able the Etihad Stadium, but admitted to see myself in England with he could not rule out reneging on another shirt than City’s,” his promise to not play for any of Balotelli said. “But in football, nothing’s impossible.”

City’s domestic rivals. Arsenal Balotelli previously played for have been linked with a move for AC Milan’s city rivals Inter, the striker.

- Ronaldo

RONALDO has accused Neymar of being ‘Messi’s helper’ at Barcelona this season, but believes the youngster can star at the World Cup. The World Cup-winning forward is on the organising committee for the tournament in Brazil, and insists that the country will be ready to host the extravaganza.

“I am totally convinced that this will be the best World Cup finals of all time,” he told Radio Montecarlo.

“I am quite optimistic, above all because it’s my country. It’s an important event and we are all making a concerted effort so that it turns out well.

“It’s normal to have doubts in the month leading up to the tournament, look what happened with the Winter Olympics in Sochi – in the end, it was a fantastic, well-organized event.

“After the Confederations Cup, I’m feeling more optimistic about Brazil. We have a young team who have shown they have quality.

“Neymar will be the best Brazil player at the World Cup; he has already demonstrated his qualities. At the minute, he comes across as Messi’s helper at Barça but he’s our brightest hope for the future.

“If Brazil manage to reach the final with Neymar showing what he can do, he could be the big star at Brazil 2014.”

French daily newspaper Le Monde to pay football giants Real Madrid and Barcelona more than 300,000 euros ($412,000) in damages for defamation.

The court upheld a judgment against the newspaper and journalist Stephane Mandard over a 2006 article about doping, which had earlier been confirmed on appeal.

Le Monde must pay Real Madrid 300,000 euros and Dr Alfonso del Corral, the director of the Real medical department, 30,000 euros.

The newspaper was also ordered to pay Barcelona 15,000 euros in damages, reduced from the original 300,000 euros on a technicality, as the club had forgotten to include the original awarded total in the appeal documents.

Mario Balotelli

Barca Pays Out 13.5m Eurosacted Over within the law.”

SPANISH football The payment was made to champions Barcelona said Neymar Transfer “cover any potential Monday it would make a

Neymar

voluntary tax payment of 13.5 million euros over the club’s signing of Brazilian star striker Neymar but denied tax fraud.

Judge Pablo Ruz at Madrid’s National Court indicted the Catalan giants on Thursday after seeing “sufficient evidence to investigate a possible crime against the public treasury” over the 86-million-euro ($118-million) transfer of

Neymar from Brazilian club Santos.

He sought to establish whether or not Neymar, who joined Barcelona in May 2013, was counted as a taxpayer in Spain or his native Brazil that year.

Barcelona, currently trailing Real Madrid in La Liga by three points, said the club would still “present a legal defence in the case opened against it” and assured fans it has “always

interpretation made concerning the contracts signed in the transfer process for Neymar,” the club stressed.

Nevertheless, they strongly denied any wrongdoing, insisting: “We remain convinced that the original tax payment was in line with our fiscal obligations.”

State prosecutors have alleged that Barcelona owe the taxman nine million euros.

Including the potential fine, this brought the total to the paid-out 13.5 million euros.

Judge Rules Pistorius Trial Can Be Televised

A judge in South Africa has ruled that the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius can be televised when it begins next Monday.

The trial of the Olympic and some restrictions on the Paralympic running star, coverage and some witnesses accused of murdering his may be allowed to opt out of model girlfriend, will start on being filmed.

Judge Dunstan Mlambo said: March 3 and run until March “The applicants ... are permitted 23.

There will however be to set up equipment in

accordance to specifications ... to obtain a video and audio recording of the permitted portions.”

Double-amputee Pistorius, 26 and known as “Blade

Runner” for the prostheses he wears in competition, fired four shots at Reeva Steenkamp through a bathroom door at his Pretoria home in the early hours of the morning on Valentine’s Day 2014.

Pistorius has admitted shooting Steenkamp several times through the bathroom door, but claims he was acting in self-defence after

becoming convinced that an intruder had broken in to the house.

Pistorius has admitted to firing four shots at Steenkamp, 29, hitting her in the head, arm and hip.

South African police stumbled in their initial investigation and were forced to replace their lead detective when it emerged he was facing attempted murder

THE world soccer governing body, FIFA, will soon provide Mali with three artificial turf soccer pitches, PANA learnt on Monday from a FIFA delegation visiting Bamako.

Those facilities will be installed in three cities, including Timbuktu and Gao, in Northern Mali.

The delegation, led by Francesco Bruscoli, Head of FIFA Development Programmes for Africa, was received on Monday by the Malian Minister of Youth and Sports, Mamadou Diarra Gaoussou.

The delegation stayed in Bamako as part of the FIFA performance programme and is expected to take a look at Mali’s new soccer development programme to be submitted by the Malian Football Federation (FEMAFOOT).

The experts are charged with helping Malian soccer officials to better formulate their needs and will for this purpose, strengthen their capacity to provide FEMAFOOT and regional leagues with a more efficient administration.

The Financial Assistance Fund, the Goal Programme

and the Performance Programme, are the three FIFA initiatives aimed at supporting FIFA member countries, particularly in Africa.

The performance programme is primarily aimed at providing solutions and services to member associations to help them improve the way they manage soccer. (PANA/NAN)

FIFA To Provide Mali With 3 Artificial Turf Soccer Pitches

Oscar Pistorius

Mayweather To Face Maidana In Richard Schaefer told Sports FIVE-DIVISION world Illustrated that he had some champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. Title Fight sympathy for Khan who has will face Marcos Maidana of Argentina in a welterweight title fight on May 3.

Mayweather, who turns 37 on Monday, revealed the news via Twitter, ending months of speculation about his next opponent.

It had been thought that Amir Khan would get the lucrative fight with pound-for-pound king Mayweather after the Briton signed a deal to fight earlier this year. But confirmation of the bout stalled continuously before Mayweather published a poll on his website asking fans whether they want to see him go up against Khan or Maidana.

Mayweather defeated Saul Canelo Alvarez in his most recent bout in September and subsequently announced the May 3 fight without identifying his next opponent. The site for the match-up has yet to be announced.

Mayweather has a perfect 45-0 record while Maidana is coming off an impressive win against Mayweather’s stablemate Adrien Broner which moved him to 353.

“Marcos Maidana’s last performance immediately brought him to my attention,” Mayweather said.

“He is an extremely skilled fighter who brings knockout danger to the ring. I think this is a great fight for me and he

deserves the opportunity to see if he can do what 45 others have tried to do before him: beat me.”

Maidana added: “I am extremely happy to be facing Floyd Mayweather because it will give me the opportunity to show the world that I am the best welterweight in the division. I just handed a great defensive fighter his first loss and I plan to do the same to Mayweather. I don’t care whether he’s the best and undefeated. I will bring some real Latino power to him on May 3rd.”

Golden Boy Promotions CEO

Amir Khan

missed out on what would have been the biggest pay-day of his career.

“He’s obviously very disappointed,” Schaefer admitted.

“He was going for the big fish, he had him on the hook and then somehow he jumps off. It looked for a while that Amir was going to get the fight. That doesn’t mean Amir is out of the race forever. There are a lot of big names at 140 or 147. It’s not like it’s the end of everything. It’s a little detour.”

Mayweather

Marcos Maidana

charges for shooting at a minibus.

In pre-trial testimony, Pistorius’s lawyers told a magistrates’ court the shooting had been a tragic mistake and the athlete was acting in self-defence against what he thought was an intruder.

Prosecutors accused him of premeditated murder for killing Steenkamp, a noted model and budding reality TV star.

Pistorius was one of the most celebrated athletes of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in London, making the Olympic 400m semi-final and winning Paralympic gold over the same distance.

His arrest and subsequent murder charge a few months later shocked millions around the world.

In South Africa, his triumph over adversity made him a hero for both blacks and whites, transcending the racial divides that persist 20 years after the end of apartheid.

Pistorius has mostly kept out of the public eye since he secured bail

Hodgson Ponders Penalty Help From Psychologist ROY Hodgson is thinking of using a sports psychologist in order to help England overcome their perennial penalty shoot-out problems.

England’s spot-kick loss to Italy at the 2012 European Championships — with Hodgson then their manager — was their sixth in seven shoot-outs at major tournaments.

And the thought of going out the same way at this year’s World Cup in Brazil is something England boss Hodgson is keen to do all he can to prevent.

And that could mean turning to the services of a sports psychologist although Hodgson, who later this week names his squad to play Denmark in a Wembley friendly, made clear this would be under certain conditions only.

“We are considering the possibility of inviting someone with us but it would have to be someone accepted by the group,” Hodgson told Sky Sports’ Footballers’ Football Show on Monday.

“I’m not sure shipping someone in to give the players a lecture will work. It will have to be somebody who gets to know them.

“I think there’s a possibility that we should just be encouraging players to know their penalty, to practise their penalty.

“We might have one or two very confident penalty-takers, but there are others who are a bit less confident and it’s a matter of how we get to them.

“We need to know that when they go up they are as well prepared as they can be.

“It will be about their character, their confidence and their ability to block out the next morning’s

headlines.

“If a psychologist can find a way to block that out then we’d be very, very happy.”

Someone who will speak to the squad before the World Cup is British cycling boss Dave Brailsford, the man behind a slew of Olympic gold medals and the Tour de France triumphs of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

“Dave Brailsford will come and speak to us, which we are looking forward to,” Hodgson said.

“He will basically talk us about his experience and how he has found it preparing a team of the British cyclists’ quality to win gold medals and to give the players a bit of a feel maybe as well that this is a fantastic occasion.

One forgets sometimes how important these tournaments are and what big occasions they are, you don’t get that many shots at it and you have a lot of time to regret if you don’t give it your best shot.

“I bet the world is full of players who reflect back on tournaments they have had and have said ‘I wish had done a bit more, I wish I had concentrated a bit more, I wish I had known then what I know now’.

“Maybe Brailsford can put a few thoughts in their head.”

Last March, Brailsford suggested England needed to “silence their chimp” if they were to enjoy shoot-out success.

“In sport people talk about the zone, switch off the frontal lobe, emotional engagement,” Brailsford said then. “Switch off the chimp. Penalty kicks are a great example (of how) silencing the chimp would be beneficial.”

Aminu, Match Winner Again

Keshi Gives Up On Bright Dike

UMAR Aminu was the match winner for Turkish club Samsunspor for a second week running to earn them a 1-0 win over 1461 Trabzon Monday night.

The former Flying Eagles of Nigeria star scored in the 77th minute to send home fans into wild jubilation.

Aminu has now scored six goals in the Turkish second division league.

Samsunspor are fifth on the league table with 48 points from 26 games.

Bayelsa Get New Home Ground BAYELSA United will now play their home games in the Nigeria league and the CAF Confederation Cup at the Sapele Stadium.

MTNFootball.com learnt that due to the renovation going on at the team’s traditional home ground in Yenegoa, the team have shifted home games to Sapele.

“We will play our home games in the league and Confederation Cup in Sapele, this is because our stadium is under renovation and won’t be ready by the time season start, so we must have an alternative, which is Sapele,” a source told MTNFootball.com The League Management Company (LMC) has vowed not to allow unsuitable match venues to stage Nigeria Premier League matches in the forthcoming season.

Ikechukwu Uche

CAF Tasks National Associations On TV And Marketing Rights THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) has charged its National Associations to comply with its contractual obligations on television and marketing rights.

This is contained in a statement on the confederation’s website on Monday.

The decision, which was taken at CAF’s Executive Committee Meeting in Cairo, Egypt on February 21, was informed by the need to protect the body against the piracy of television.

“The CAF Executive Committee has agreed on the need

to protect CAF against the piracy of television by adding the following clause in the rules of each CAF competition.

“The National Associations are required to ensure compliance with the contractual obligations of CAF on TV and marketing rights.

“In case of non-compliance by the National Association, or

NSF: Coach Appeals For

Inclusion Of Deaf Football THE Head Coach of Nigeria Deaf Football Team, Kamiludeen Oladimeji, on Tuesday appealed to the National Sports Commission (NSC) to include the sport in the itinerary of the 19th National Sports Festival.

The festival tagged ‘Paradise Games’ would hold from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3 in Calabar.

Oladimeji told newsmen in Lagos that the inclusion of the sport would enhance the competitive spirit of deaf athletes for major international competitions.

According to him, other deaf sports like table tennis, athletics have featured in previous events, saying that the inclusion of deaf football should not be an exception.

“We are appealing to the NSC to include deaf football in the next festival to boost the confidence of players.

“If other deaf sports are part of the festival, I see no reason why deaf football should be excluded in the festival.

“The inclusion of the sport will also encourage the players to be committed and enhance their skills,’’ he said.

The coach, however, that lack of funds might hamper the country’s preparation for the 4th West Africa Championship

NIGERIA coach Stephen Keshi has ruled out injured striker Bright Dike from the World Cup in June.

Toronto FC striker Dike injured his Achilles tendon in training and last week successfully underwent surgery.

“It was a very sad news,” stated Keshi, who is back to the United States of America after a week of seminar with FIFA ahead of the World Cup. “He is a great kid and it’s sad he sustained the injury which will keep him out of the World Cup proper not just the Mexico friendly.”

On if he has plans to call a replacement for Dike for the Mexico friendly, Keshi said, “I would have loved to, but the time is too short.”

Nigeria take on Mexico next

in Togo.

He said that the team was yet to commence preparations for the championship which would hold in June.

Oladimeji added that it was only through adequate preparations that the country could retain the title for the fourth time.

fraudulent broadcast of TV signal, the team shall be excluded from the competition and suspended for the next edition.’’

The statement added that the clause takes effect immediately for each CAF competition.

Also, the CAF Centre of Excellence in Mbankomo, Cameroon will be made available for use by the five teams representing Africa at the 2014 World Cup finals.

“They will use the centre for preparations, with CAF covering the cost of the teams’ stay.

“In addition, a group of media experts selected by the CAF Media Director and Media Officers of the five teams will be selected.

“They will be put in place to provide exclusive reports and information on the teams for

African football fans,’’ the statement reads.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the five African representatives at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil are Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria.

The 2014 World Cup will hold from June 12 to July 13.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has been named the top seeded team for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) for which preliminary qualifiers will start in April 2014.

The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is scheduled to hold from Jan. 17 to Feb. 7, 2015.

It will hold in the cities of Rabat, Agadir, Tangier and Marrakech in Morocco.

Meanwhile, 51 countries are expected to participate in the qualifiers

Wednesday in Atlanta, Georgia, in a friendly as part of their build-up for the World Cup in June.

...Closes Door On Ike Uche

NIGERIA coach Stephen Keshi has closed the door on striker Ikechukwu Uche for the World Cup, saying he lacks tactical discipline.

Uche has been one of Nigeria’s reliable goal scorers and has scored 12 goals this season for Villarreal.

On Monday night, the striker returned to action after he was sidelined by injury for two weeks.

He last featured for Nigeria in the final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations against Burkina Faso.

Keshi speaking to MTNFootball.com from his base in the United States said, “Ikechukwu Uche is not a player I have not seen play. Ike Uche problem is not knowing how to play football.

His problem is that he wants to dictate how we play in Super Eagles, he wants to tell us the system we’re playing is not good.

“Uche he has a very bad habit, that if you put him in the game he is not playing to instructions and he did that in the final of AFCON against Burkina Faso, he almost cost us.

“Again he did that against Zambia, in the second match when (Efe)Ambrose was given a red card. What we told him to do, he was doing the opposite.”

Keshi added:”And if you don’t respect your team mates and you don’t respect the team, then there is no point. I know he cannot do that in his club, then why do it in the national team?

“I don’t think I need a player like that in the team.”

Ejike Uzoenyi: Nigeria’s Next Big Gift To SA

NIGERIA winger Ejike Uzoenyi is set to take South African league by storm when he finally joins up with new club Mamelodi Sundowns in June.

The 2014 CHAN MVP has signed a four-year contract with ‘The Brazilians’ and everything points to him becoming the next Nigeria star to make it big in South Africa.

Goalkeepers Willy Okpara and Greg Etafia as well as Onyekachi Okonkwo have flown the Nigerian flag proudly in SA. Okpara was a standout performer as Pirates won their first and only African Champions Cup in 1995 besides numerous local trophies.

Etafia has been one of the topclass shot stoppers in the league since he joined up with Moroka Swallows in 2003.

Sundowns sign Ejike Uzoenyi South Africa-based agent Mohammed Lawal told MTNFootball.com Uzoenyi will also be a smash hit in one of the

richest leagues in the world.

“He has everything going for him to become the next big star from Nigeria,” Mohammed Lawal tipped.

“The good thing about him is that already the fans know what Ejike is capable of

Ejike Uzoenyi

after what he displayed at CHAN. They know he is a great player and he can only add value to a big club like Sundowns.

“Added to this is the fact that his style fits what they play at Sundowns, a good passing game

and using the wings also.”

Uzoenyi showed his class at CHAN, where his goals and inspirational play were key as Nigeria placed third.

The former Rennes of France left winger is strong, smart armed with superb crosses and passes.

He told MTNFootball.com the freezing temperatures in France last year cut short his stint in Europe.

He will most certainly be at home with the warmer weather in South Africa.

Uzoenyi back on loan to Rangers Interestingly, another player who used the CHAN to move to Sundowns, Kudakwashe Mahachi from Zimbabwe will be the man to rival Uzoenyi for a starting spot on the left side of the attack.

Raphael Chukwu Ndukwe became a household name in South Africa in the 90s when he also featured for Sundowns. His

goals will even crown him South Africa Footballer of the Year for the 1997/1998 season.

Another Nigerian who made a big impact at Sundowns was Muisi Ajao. Ajao compiled 89 games between 1998 and 2002.

He also won the most medals, winning the PSL championship in 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/2000.

He also won second division league in 1998 and Ned Bank Cup in 1998.

However, several other Nigeria stars were not as successful. A long-term knee injury sidelined Soga Sambo for nine months after which he was released by the club, while former ‘B’ international skipper Solomon Okpako struggled to adapt to a new role as an attacking midfielder and would eventually quit ‘The Brazilians’.

Gbolahan Salami did not even kick a ball in a competitive action before he was offloaded by Sundowns even after they had forked out a fortune for him.