Nigerian observer 27 08 2014

The Nigerian

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol . 39 NO.065 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014 . N 100.00

Moving Nigeria Forward

NATURAL MEDICINE

Oshiomhole reposes confidence in youths

Page 19

BENIN CITYGovernor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State said Nigerian Youths have what it takes to move Nigeria forward in spite of the

Causes of Diarrhoea

challenges facing the nation.

Oshiomhole who stated this yesterday at

Okada during the passing out ceremony of 2,550 of the 2014 Batch ‘B’ of the National Youth Service

Corps (NYSC) Members, congratulated them for successfully passing out of the orientation program.

Oshiomhole said, “Your Continues on page 2

Purge Aftermath

Edo APC is- Oshiomhole stronger

BENIN CITY- Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said the All Progressives Congress is stronger after some politicians who don’t have the interest of the people at heart decided to excuse themselves from the party.

Speaking at a meeting with Leaders of the party are people who are here, in Edo South in Benin not because of what is in City, yesterday, he said: it for them, or what is in it “after the party for me and this is what registration, ward, Local, State Congresses and National Congresses, this is the first meeting we are having with you and I think it is a very important meeting and I am happy that you have come here and there is no struggling at the gate about accreditation or fighting.

It shows how disciplined our leaders are at the grass root level”.

He said: “the APC is much stronger now than before because those who are in this party now

SPIRITUAL PLATFORM

Page 25

Dealing with hostility in homes

distinguishes this party from others.

“People are in this party now because they believe in the ideals of APC. “The meeting will be sustained as a means of evaluating the activities of the party at the grassroots and bridge the

communication gap among members”, he said.

He stated that the APC Government is working assiduously across the

State, stressing that the state government would not relent in its efforts towards taking the State to the next level.

According to him, “let

me re-assure party leaders here this afternoon from the 77 wards of Edo South that the APC Government under my watch will continue to work for the people in spite of the lean Continues on page 2

Louis Odion named NGE fellow

BENIN CITY- Edo State Commissioner for information and Orientation, Louis Odion has added another cap, when he was announced as a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).

In a statement, the NGE said the nomination of Louis Odion is in recognition of his sterling contributions to media practice in Nigeria as an Editor.

His investiture as Fellow of the Nigerian

Guild of Editors (FNGE), which is an indication in the nation’s media hall of fame, will hold in Katsina on August 30, as highlight of the NGE National Convention.

Louis Odion was adjudged the ‘Columnist of the Year’ by the prestigious Nigerian Media Merit Award (NMMA) in 2007. That same year, City People Magazine named him ‘Media Person of the Year’. In 2009, he again Continues on page 2

TIT BIT

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

- Mother Teresa

INSPECTION: Governor Adams Oshiomhole inspects the parade at the conclusion of the orientation exercise of Batch ‘B’ 2014 Youth Corps members at Okada, Edo State yesterday.

Ebola: Only 1 person receiving treatment, 7 discharged - Minister

ABUJA- The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said only one of Ebola virus patients was receiving treatment and that seven had been discharged in the country.

Chukwu gave this update on the status of confirmed patients with the virus to newsmen in Abuja yesterday.

He said two of the treated patients were

discharged on Monday evening and were now very free of the disease.

Chukwu debunked the

rumour that Dr Ameyo Adadevoh’s younger sister had been confirmed to having contracted the

disease, stressing that she tested negative.

“As at today, August 26, 2014, Nigeria has

had 13 cases of Ebola disease, including the index case. Out of these Continues on page 2

BENIN CITY Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has approved the

appointment of Mr Dennis Idahosa as Commissioner-designate in the state.

In a statement signed by

the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, the swearing-in ceremony of the Commissioner-

designate will be announced ‘as soon as his nomination has been confirmed by the House of Assembly.”

Edo gets new Commissioner

News

Oshiomhole reposes confidence in youths

Continued from page 1

performance is a pointer to the determination of our youths as represented by yourselves, future leaders of the country that you would by your actions in spite of all the challenges in our environment make a statement that you have what it takes to make Nigeria a better country.

“Your being posted to Edo State and reporting to camp and participating in the orientation program enthusiastically, not because the facilities are perfect; many of you came from background such that what you have in Camp

here is not something that you are ordinarily used to.

Oshiomhole added, “I believe that on this occasion, you decided that you are going to look your best and demonstrate the energy of our youth, the creativity of our youth and your determination to face the challenges and the rigour of providing leadership for tomorrow.

“Let me congratulate the Coordinator for his leadership. What I have seen here today shows that under proper management and guidance along with your colleagues, you have almost transformed the

Corpers to a fighting army but, this time, they will be the fighting soldiers, developing and contributing to the development of the state.

“I know that as have been the case in the past, you would be posted to different parts of our state whether urban or rural and we expect as your predecessors have done, that you have become immediately indigenes of the state. This is the only state of the 36 states in the federation where we don’t know of indigenes or settlers. If you are here,

Edo APC is stronger started the process of the distribution and issuance of the Permanent Voters’ Cards in some parts of the country.

Ojezua said “in a short time, it will be the turn of Edo State and that is the very first major step towards the General Elections of February, 2015.

“We positioned this aspect of service as the most important because without that PVC, even the registered voters cannot vote hence the governor has decided to take it upon himself to personally brief you on the importance that we attach to this aspect of our political map”, he said.

Patience, yesterday in Abuja, joined other dignitaries at a Requiem Mass in honour of the late Prof. Dora Akunyili.

The mass held at Our Lady Queen Pro Cathedral, Area 3 in Garki, Abuja was also attended by a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon.

Other dignitaries who attended the mass included members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and members of the National Assembly.

Also in attendance were former ministers, former governors; Peter Odili and Peter Obi of Rivers and Anambra States respectively, as well as the APGA National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh.

The widower, Dr. John Akunyili, and the children of the deceased led the casket conveying her body into the church.

The late Akunyili served as Minister of Information

and Communication in the administration of late President Umaru Yar’Adua and President Jonathan.

Prior to her appointment as a minister, the late

Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Akunyili died on June 17, few weeks to her 60th birthday, after a protracted battle with cancer.

13, five, including the index case, unfortunately died.

“However, seven of the infected persons were successfully managed at the isolation ward in Lagos and have been discharged.

“As I speak to you, Nigeria has only one confirmed case of Ebola virus, a secondary contact of Mr. Patrick Sawyer and spouse of one of the physicians who participated in the management of the index

case’’, he said.

Chukwu added that all the reported cases of the Ebola virus in the country had their root in the index case.

He said 129 people who were under surveillance had completed their 21 days and were now free.

“However, 128 people are still under surveillance.’’

The minister said so far, Nigeria had been able to contain the outbreak of the disease.

Chukwu reassured Nigerians and the global community that

Continued from page 1 won the coveted NMMA ‘Columnist of the Year’.

Perhaps in recognition of his sterling leadership qualities, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State named Louis Odion the Lagos State Ambassador for Environment in 2009.

The following year, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) also decorated him as Celebrity Special Marshall.

That same year, the Akure Police College considered him fit and proper to be given a Merit Award for Excellence.

After leaving the Sun Newspaper as Editor, Sunday

Sun, Louis teamed up with like minds to float the National LIFE Newspaper in July 2008 and was its Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief till July 2011 when he was invited by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State to serve as Commissioner for Information and Orientation.

Continued from page 1

financial resources, especially the drop in the Federal Allocation to the State”.

Earlier in his address of welcome, the State Chairman of the party, Mr. Anselm Ojezua said “the journey to 2015 is about to begin and INEC has

Jonathan, Wife others honour ABUJA - President Akunyili served as the Goodluck Jonathan, Director-General, National Akunyili accompanied by his wife Agency for Food and Drug

even for an NYSC program, you become part of Edo Community”. He said.

The governor said “You would find that our people are extremely warm and hospitable. They will welcome you; they will accept you and they will assist you to settle down in the various places that you will be posted to.

“Your predecessors have made landmark contributions to the development of this state for which our people and our government are very, very grateful. Just yesterday, someone showed me pictures of a beautiful classroom block, incidentally in this Ovia North East Local Government Area that was built, singlehandedly by a Corps member.

“That Corp Member is not known to be the daughter of a rich Nigerian but just a Nigerian youth who believes that anyone of us can make a difference in the lives of our community and he demonstrated it.

“He is not the first to do that and I know that you too will like to improve on the record which your predecessors have set”, Oshiomhole said.

He assured the Corps members of the people’s warm reception as well as the government full assistance and support in making their stay in the state worthwhile so that at the end of the service, they might even decide to settle in the state.

Only 1 person receiving treatment, 7 discharged Continued from page 1

Louis Odion named NGE fellow

Government would remain vigilant and not relent in its efforts to ensure that the disease was kept out of the country.

He assured that the fund allocated for the treatment of the disease would be judiciously utilised for the fight against the disease even after containing it.

Chukwu said the fund would be used to procure more vehicles, protective equipment for personnel and drugs to support treatment, among others.

Mr. Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, who donated N1 million, urged Nigerian philanthropists to follow suit for the sake of the country.

Mr. Labaran Maku, the Minister of Information, urged Nigerians to continue to observe and maintain good hygiene practices in the effort to check the spread of the disease.

Ebola: Cleric assures Nigerians of divine immunity BENIN CITY- The General Overseer, Believers Ministries Inc. (BMI), Pastor Samuel O. Osaghae has assured Christian Worldwide of divine immunity against the Ebola Virus Disease. “Insured by the Blood of Jesus, and empowered by The Holy Spirit, Born Again Christians needed not fear Ebola. It is only a call to piety and hygienic living”. he stated.

According to the man of God, Ebola is a call for discipline for all believers as the Bible declares in Exodus Chapter 15 vs 26 which says he that diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord, will be free from any form of diseases.

“Ebola is a proof that God is our doctor who only can salvage us from any form of illness”, he said.

Continuing, he said that “every believers should operate by faith knowing that we are highly insulated;

we should not be threatened by the fear posed by Ebola.

Speaking with The NIGERIANS OBSERVER, Pastor Osaghae who marked his 60th birthday anniversary said, “it calls for speed in the pursuance of your purpose in life”.

“60 years is an alarm that reminds you to know that you don’t have too much time to play with. A call for more commitment, he added on the significant of his birthday.

On the oncoming “MARRIAGE AND BABIES FOR ALL 2014”, expected to kick off from September 1st-6th, 2014 at the church’s Headquarter in Benin City, the man of God said, “Quiet well, expectations are high and we trust God whose outstanding performances in the past editions have been unassailable.

So two categories of persons. direct and indirect beneficiaries are all enjoined to attend as their need will surely be met”, Pastor Osaghae assured.

Navy to attend international sea power symposium ABUJA - The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Usman Jibrin, has said that the Nigerian Navy would participate in the 21st edition of the International Sea Power Symposium.

The event is scheduled for Rhode Island, U.S.A., in September, this year.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja

by Commodore Kabir Aliyu, Director of Naval Information.

The statement said that the CNS indicated this when he received the new U.S. Naval Attaché to Nigeria, Commander Rene Laverde, in his office.

It said that Jibrin acknowledged the legendary support of the U.S. over the years.

The statement said that the CNS also called for

more assistance in the area of surveillance and amphious capabilities to enhance the Navy’s overall operational efficiency in the Gulf of Guinea.

“He said that as the most formidable Navy in the West Africa sub-region, Nigeria hopes to improve on its platforms base to areas with most comparative advantage.’’

It said that Laverde expressed the willingness of the U.S. Government to assist the Nigerian Navy improve on its platforms base in view of its increasing leadership role in the sub-region.

It added that Laverde assured the CNS of United States’ support and commitment to the security of the Gulf of Guinea in particular and Africa in general, which Nigeria spearhead.

Individual transformation key to national dev - Cleric LAGOS Rev. Emmanuel Adeniran, the District Superintendent, Apostolic Faith, West Africa, yesterday identified “individual transformation“ as key to national development.

Adeniran made the assertion in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

He said that it would take the effort and commitment of the citizens to bring about an environment characterised by harmony, love, and care for the nation.

“My prayer for this nation is that the great God of heaven will visit us with his power to transform us from within.

“We‘ve spent a lot of money on infrastructure; we‘ve spent a lot on

education, which is good. But where the people we invest such money on still imbibe a lot of values that are contrary even to the development of the country, I think we miss it.

“And that is why my prayer is that God will visit Nigeria with a moral and righteous revolution that will make us to imbibe Godly values.

“Values of love, values of care for the other individual, value of investing yourself in the society and transforming it as your contribution for coming to this earth.“ Adeniran, therefore, urged Nigerians to rededicate themselves to national transformation.

He also advised Nigerians not to shun the ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to ensure nationwide development.

Across The Nation

Manpower Devt Plan Imperative To Economic Growth - DG ABUJA- Dr Kabir Usman, the Director-General, Centre for Management Development (CMD), yesterday called for development and implementation of the National Manpower Development Plan in the country.

Usman told newsmen in Abuja that the plan would assist private and public sectors to provide the required manpower that would improve the economy.

He said the human capital development sector plan that was in the Nigeria Vision 20:2020 document was summarised, hence the need for the relevant sectors to develop the proposed national manpower development plan in

detail.

According to him, manpower development plan is part of the vision particularly when you look at human capital development.

“The vision said we need certain number of universities and graduates, and then we aggregate that because getting degree as a graduate is just about training.

“If somebody gets engineering degree, it does not mean he cannot be a manager.

“Aggregating that into greater detail is supposed to be done by relevant sector agencies.

“The agencies need to drill down to look at what is underground and see what aspiration is and project, and say this is the level of manpower that we are actually required.

“The vision gives us summary terms of manpower we require but the detail of that as regard to the level and where they are that should be the responsibility of sector to try and say that this is what we need to do,’’ the directorgeneral said.

Usman said that the centre, in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics and other relevant agencies, was working to harmonise data on the proposed plan document.

He said that lack of funds hindered the production of the draft document.

“Literally, this matter is based on funding. We put a lot of proposal to various agencies in the public and private sectors to see if we can get some funding to do this.

Extend Charity To Education Sector, CAS Urges Religious Leaders

By MARTIN ERHARUYI BENIN CITY- The Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Adesola Amosu has called on religious leaders in Nigeria to extend their charitable gesture to the educational sector of the economy in order to enhance the quality of education in the state.

Air Marshal Amosu made the called in Benin City, at the headquarters of Church of God Mission International (CGM) during the 2014 International Youth Summit with theme: “Mandate: Empowered and Commissioned”.

The CAS who was a Guest Speaker at the summit, noted that education is one key way to success for the youth.

He prayed church leaders to support government to improve the standard of education in the country.

According to him, measures

should be put in place by the various religious leaders to assist the less privileged people who have passion for education.

Speaking on the tips to success, Air Marshal Amosu urged the youths of the church to be discipline, dedicated and be courageous in their journey towards achieving their aspired goals.

Amosu noted that having the right attitude, prayer and sacrificial giving are the key issues of life.

The CAS, was accompanied by his wife, members of the Armed Forces and their spouses reminded Christians that they are commissioned and empowered for evangelism and to render selfless service to humanity.

On in his remarks, Bishop of Church of God Mission international, Bishop Feb Idahosa admonished the CGM Youths to imbibe all that they learnt during the summit.

Reading from the book of Isaiah

Damage wreaked by rainstorm in Fugar recently.

Suspension Of Strike By NMA

Patients Express Joy

41:10, Bishop Idahosa stated that it would be better for them (Youth) to practice what they had acquired during the summit through skill acquisition programme.

National President of CGM youths, Pastor Osas Obarisiagbon appreciated the Archbishop of the church, Archbishop Magret Idahosa for her contributions towards the development of the church.

High point of the summit was prayer by the Archbishop for the youths and Air Marshal Amosu with his family, awarding of certificate to participants in the skills acquisition programme and songs by guest artists.

BENIN CITY- Some patients in Benin City have expressed joy over the suspension of the 55days old strike by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA).

This was the observation when our reporters visited some public hospitals in Benin City yesterday.

In an interview with Mr. Sunday Okoloise, a patient in the Accident Ward of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) said he was very happy

ADO-EKITIGovernor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has charged the management of O’dua Investment Company to operate the newly resuscitated Ire burnt bricks factory as a business venture rather than a charity organisation.

Fayemi gave the charge yesterday while receiving the new Group Managing Director (GMD) of the company, Mr. Raji Adewale, in his office in AdoEkiti.

He said the factory should not be seen as a charity organisation that would be donating free bricks to government agencies.

The factory had been moribund for 20 years until the Fayemi

administration revived it in 2013.

Fayemi said that his administration was committed to leaving behind a profitable business outfit that would add value to the economy of the state.

He said that the management of the factory had commenced recruitment of about 1,000 direct workers.

While congratulating the new GMD on his appointment, Fayemi urged him to ensure that the factory was in good standing for the benefit of the owner states.

He said that O’dua Investment Company was not a political programme, but a business and development initiative driven by professionalism.

By IKPONMWOBA OSAZEE JEOL

BENIN CITY – Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu has urged All Progressives Congress (APC) members in the State to remain united in order to move the party forward.

The deputy governor gave the advice when he received a party stalwart and illustrious daughter of Urhonigbe, Dr. (Mrs.) Nosa Aladeshelu who was on a courtesy call at his residence in Benin City.

Dr. Odubu advised the party members in Edo State to continue to see themselves as brothers and sisters and to work for the common good of the party.

He said that such unity would propel the party to greater heights.

Dr. Nosa Aladeshelu said she was at the deputy governor’s residence to intimate him of her ambition to represent Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode federal constituency, at the national Assembly in 2015.

She pledge to remain loyal to the cause of APC based on her wealth of experience nationally and internationally.

Dr. Aladeshelu remarked that APC has gender policy which she described as sensitive to the yearnings of the people of Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode Local Government Areas.

Aladeshelu was also at Abudu Secretariat of APC to appreciate the party executive.

She assured them of her resolve to contribute her quota towards advancing the cause of the party.

Ire Bricks Factory Not For Charity, Fayemi Tells Mgt

Gwoza Attack: 8 Of 35

Missing Policemen Found

Rainstorm disaster in Fugar, administrative headquarters of Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State recently.

The new GMD said that the brick factory would begin full production on September 29 and would be inaugurated in October.

He said that the factory would be properly managed so that it could develop and take over the burnt bricks market in the country.

she was happy and thank God for bringing the doctors back to work.

She noted that her daughter needed operation for the past three weeks following the problem that arose after delivering her baby, but there was not doctor and however expressed her joy that the operation will be carried out very soon.

A visit to some wards at the Central Hospital, Benin City showed that patients were receiving treatment.

In an interview, a patient, Mrs. Felicia Omienawale said she is happy now, noting that she did not leave the hospital despite the two months old strike.

I did not receive the best of treatment during the strike but now, I am happy because doctors have resumed and are attending to me “she said.

At the Stella Obasanjo hospital, Sapele Road Benin City, Mrs. Theresa Eluime said she delivered during the strike and the nurses attended to her, saying it is not different because what the doctors can do, the nurses have done it.

when he was informed by relatives that the two months old strike has been called off by the NMA. “I have been admitted for two weeks now without proper examination and treatment, but following the resumption of work by the medical doctors in this hospital, I have been given proper treatment and I am responding to the treatment very fast; we thank God for intervening” he said.

Another patient in the children ward, Mrs. Anna Ayeobore said

ABUJA- The Police said yesterday that eight of its 35 personnel missing during an attack on the Police Mobile Force training camp at Gwoza, Borno, have been found.

The camp was reportedly attacked by the Boko Haram insurgents.

ACP Emmanuel Ojukwu, the Force Public Relations Officer, who confirmed this to newsmen in Abuja, said the officers were found in the last two days.

Ojukwu expressed hope that

- Police

more of the men would be found with the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

It would be recalled that the insurgents attacked the camp on August 20, having attacked it earlier on August 7 and was repelled by the personnel.

Following the incident, the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, ordered that security be tightened in and around all police facilities across the country.

Odubu Urges APC Members To Unite

News NAMA Tasks Air Traffic Engineers On Safety, Efficiency

Hon. Kabiru Adjoko, member representing Akoko-Edo Constituency 1, Edo State House of Assembly (right) monitoring the expansion and rehabilitation of the 13.5km Ikiran Oke-Ikakumo earth road as part of his 2014 Constituency project recently. Photo: GODWIN ISEGUAN.

Water Supply: ABUJA - At least 12 states in the country are to receive a $350 million (about N56 billion) World Bank support to boost water supply, the bank’s Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist, Mr Alexander Danilenko, said.

Danilenko, who made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja , identified the states to include Ekiti, Rivers, and Bauchi.

He said that the funds would also be used to support nine other states with a view to expanding water supply to as many Nigerians as possible.

“The objective of the World Bank new project, which is about 350 million dollars, is to support three states with direct investment and nine states with technical assistance to expand water to as many people as possible.

“And to provide sustainable

12 States To Receive World working. It is a very bad idea if people are looking for or Bank Support spending energy and time for

water sources and guarantee that water is affordable for everyone who gets this water.

“So, it’s Ekiti, Rivers, and Bauchi, where investment will take place; it’s about 80 million dollars in each state and another 100 million dollars, which will be used for quick fix on emergency works in other nine states.“ The water and sanitation specialist said the funds would be used for the construction and rehabilitation of water networks as well as the building of reservoirs and capacities to guarantee water supply to Nigerians.

Danilenko spoke of the need for Nigeria to give special attention to water issues in its development programme.

He, therefore, called for

more investment in the water sector, saying that water was critical in providing resources to empower people.

“The idea is that water supply will make people

water instead of spending on educating their children.

“But instead they are searching for water which is not good use of human resources,“ he said.

ABUJA - The Managing Director, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr Ibrahim Abdulsalam, has charged air traffic engineers to improve on their competence to ensure safety and efficiency in service delivery.

This is contained in NAMA’s weekly update signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Supo Atobatele, in Abuja.

According to the weekly update, the NAMA boss made this known at a one-day seminar organised by the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE).

The theme for the seminar was “Enhancing Competence, Safety and Efficiency in Air Traffic Engineering in Nigeria.

“This kind of workshop is important because it will add to the agency’s drive towards efficiency and professionalism.’’

The workshop covered topics such as Air Navigation Infrastructures and Human Capital, Air Navigation Systems and Safety, Enhancing Competence, Safety and Efficiency in Air Traffic

Engineering’’.

The weekly update said that the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport in Kebbi State was ready to begin operations.

According to the update, a sixman delegation from NAMA on operational inspection to the airport, expressed satisfaction with the hi-technical equipment at the facility.

It said the delegation inspected facilities such as the control tower and associated equipment, runway and associated lighting systems, navigational facilities, communication and navigational equipment room and administrative offices.

It said the equipping of the airport was sequel to the recent Memorandum of Understanding signed between NAMA and the Kebbi State government, for the provision of air navigation services in the newly established airport.

According to the weekly update, the delegation was led by the General Manager, Chart Services, Mr Peter Akonti, who was accompanied by staff of Electronics Communications and Airspace Planning, among others.

Kogi Solicits Commission’s Support On PPP ABUJA - The Kogi State Government has solicited support of the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to set up structure for the new Public Private Partnership (PPP) office in the state.

The Special Adviser to Kogi Governor on PPP, Mr. Abdul Adama, made the call when he visited the ICRC Director-General, Alhaji Aminu Dikko, in Abuja.

“We really need the support and cooperation of the ICRC in setting up structure for the new PPP office in the state.

“And in particular, we want you to help us in the area of capacity building to help the office operate effectively,’’ he said.

According to him, the state will be engaging in many infrastructure developments

that will require PPP. Adama said that collaborating with the ICRC would go a long way to effectively engage investors in the state.

The ICRC director-general, in his response said the commission was desirous of strengthening collaboration with states on establishment of PPP units across the country.

Dikko said that the commission was ready to support in the area of capacity building, knowledge and skills transfer, among others.

He commended Kogi Government for enacting PPP law, saying that the state had shown particular enthusiasm on PPP and activities of the commission.

“The passage of the law is, and indeed, the milestone achievement for the state,’’ Dikko said

L-R: Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Sagir Saleh; Governor Isa Yuguda; Bauchi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sani Malami and State Chairman on Polio and Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu at a special stakeholders meeting on Polio in Bauchi on Monday.

NGO Advises Chief Judges To Visit Prisons Regularly

IBADAN - A NonGovernmental Organisation, the Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation, has appealed to chief judges in states to visit prisons on quarterly basis to reduce prison congestion.

The organisation’s President, Mr Hezekiah Olujobi, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan .

The NGO is engaged in advocacy for ex-convicts in order to reintegrate them back into the society.

Olujobi said that the Chief Justice of Nigeria should mandate the judges to visit prisons on quarterly basis in order to fast track the release of inmates.

“They should visit prisons and determine those whose detention is manifestly unlawful. “ They should also determine those who have been incarcerated for longer periods than they would have

stayed if convicted for the alleged offence for which they were detained.

“Whenever chief judges visit prisons, they don’t usually visit those who are charged with criminal offences. “ It is, however, clear that not all those charged with criminal offences really committed a crime,” he said.

He cited indiscriminate arrests, unnecessary litigation as well as unending

adjournments as causes of prison congestion.

Olujobi said a research study carried out indicated that the adverse conditions in prison environment have a negative effect on ex-convicts.

“There is need for government at all levels and the judiciary to put in place well equipped rehabilitation centres for ex-convicts. “ High Court judges should also give criminal cases before them priority by identifying the bottlenecks in each case and bringing them to a logical conclusion,’’ Olujobi said.

Across The Nation Adjoto Donates Motor Bikes BENIN CITY- Edo State To Party Faithful House of Assembly member representating Akoko-Edo constituency one, Hon. Adjoto Kabiru has presented twelve motor bikes to members of the All progressives Congress (APC) in his constituency.

The gesture by the lawmaker is designed towards improving the economic status as well as reposition them to contribute more to the growth of the party.

Hon. Kabiru who is the House committee on information and youth chairman said that the gesture was to appreciate the beneficiaries for their active support for the state government.

He disclosed that more than 9 percent of communities in his constituency have benefited from his socio economic projects while promising that more people will benefit from his noble gesture before the end of the year.

The lawmaker also asured his constituents of his continuous quality representation in the house.

He then appealed to those who reportedly left the APC to have a rethink.

Responding the beneficiaries expressed their deep appreciation and thanked the lawmaker for his kind gesture.

Meanwhile, Hon. Adjoro Kabiru had in a tour taken newsmen round his 2013 and

2014 constituency projects which include a block of three classrooms with head master’s office at Uma Primary SchoolImoga, Ukilekpe Primary School, Lampese, UgboshiAfi and Ikakumo primary Schools.

Other projects executed by Hon. Kabiru include water

projects at Oja, Ugboshele and Ayaran Community as well as the expansion and grading of Ikinran OkeIkakumo 13.5 Km earth road and the installation of double 300KVA transformers and the rehabilitation of 13.5Km lines from Etiose-Ayaran to Ikakumo Community.

GUSAU- The Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources has said that six aggregation centres would be established in Zamfara as part of its efforts to boost rice sufficiency by 2015.

The Director of ministry in Zamfara office, Alhaji Musa Raji, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Gusau.

Raji said the centres would be established at Gusau, Tsafe, Shinkafi, TalataMafara, Bukkuyum and Gummi Local Government Areas of the state.

He said the Federal Government, under its Agricultural Transformation Agenda decided to establish the centres to achieve its target of rice sufficiency by 2015.

The director said Zamfara was chosen because the state was one of the rice producing states in the country.

Raji said the centres would serve as collection centres for investors, where farmers would bring their produce and sell it to millers.

He said this would encourage farmers and add value to their produce.

“We are making arrangements for the establishment of the centres because the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has identified the areas where the centres will be located,’’ he said.

The Secretary of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in the state, Alhaji Sunusi Muhammad, described the establishment of the centres as a welcome development.

Muhammud said that it would enhance the rice farming and production in the state, adding that the farmers would give their support and cooperation to realise the centres.

He, however, called on the farmers in the state to always support government programmes in boosting the agriculture sector.

FG To Establish Rice Centres

Committee Wants NMA To Apologise To Nigerians Over Strike ABUJA- The House of Representatives Committee on Health has called on the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to apologise to Nigerians over its 55-day-old strike.

The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Ndudi Elumelu, told newsmen in Abuja that the apology became necessary because the strike caused Nigerians inconveniences as well as loss of lives.

It would recalled NMA suspended the strike on August 24, at the end of an emergency delegates meeting in Abuja.

“The committee is delighted with the suspension of the strike by the NMA,’’ Elumelu said.

He said the committee appreciated the efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan for the round table he held with the leadership of the association.

Elumelu also expressed gratitude to the Senate President, David Mark and the Speaker, House of Representative, Aminu Tambuwal, for intervening and providing the committee the needed support.

He urged the NMA to work with Federal Government in line with resolutions the two parties reached through the committee’s intervention on July 21, 2014.

Part of the agreement, he added, was that the “Federal Government shall pay two months salary arrears to members of NMA on or before July 31”.

“The balance of salary arrears would be reflected in 2015 budget and paid to members of NMA and new salary structure be reflected as well as among others.

The chairman also said that Nigerians had a lot to learn from the strike in order to avert reoccurrence of such development in the future.

He said one of such lessons was the need to obey agreements, adding that if parties had obeyed previous agreements between NMA and Federal Government, the strike would have been averted.

“The lesson here is that we must at all times obey contents of agreements freely entered into in order to avert crisis,’’ he said.

Ibi Crisis

Police Confirm 14 Dead JALINGO- The Police in Jalingo, Taraba, have confirmed the death of 14 persons, including two soldiers, in a renewed violence at Ibi, headquarters of Ibi Local Government Area.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Joseph Kwaji, told newsmen in Jalingo that no fewer than 14 houses were razed down.

The spokesman said 14 suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident.

He disclosed that two AK 47 rifles and several other dangerous weapons were recovered from them.

He, however, said that normalcy had returned to the area after a detachment of Mobile Policemen and military were deployed to maintain the peace.

Kwaji said investigation into the cause of the crisis had begun.

Across The Nation DHQ Explains How Nigerian Soldiers Got To Cameroon

Navy Tasks Newly Promoted Officers

By BETTY IDIALU

WARRI (Delta) - Newly promoted officers of the Nigerian Navy have been charged to see their promotion as additional responsibility to be more dedicated and hardworking while discharging their new duties as military officers.

Capt.

Musa Gemu, Commannding Officer, NNS Delta gave the charge during the decoration of seven promoted officers at the Naval Base Warri, adding that promotion only comes from God. While advising the officers against complacency, Capt.

Gemu told the newly promoted officers that their new ranks were as result of their hard work and dedication in the past years in the service advising them not to relent.

In his words: “Your elevation to higher rank depicts that you have been given more responsibility and I am very happy to be decorating you today. Do not rest on your oars in delivering your duties as required.”

NNS Delta Commander explained that they had been recommended for promotion due to their dedication and hard work especially in combating the scourge of illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta region.

Speaking further, the Naval boss said that they have been commended by the Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin in its war against oil theft in the region.

The officers decorated with new ranks were Olutope

Farmer Arraigned For Fraud OKITIPUPA (Ondo State) The police in Ondo State have arraigned a 59-year-old farmer, Festus Olagundoye, in an Okitipupa Magistrate’s Court for allegedly obtaining N100,000 under false pretence .

The accused, of no fixed address, is standing trial on a onecount charge of unlawful collection of money under false pretence.

The prosecutor, Insp. Zedekiah Orogbemi , told the court that the accused had on June 15, around 3.40 a.m. at Ayeka in Okitipupa unlawfully obtained N100,000 from one Mrs Eze Eko. Orogbemi said the accused collected the money on the pretext that he would rent out a palm tree plantation in Araromi Okitipupa to Eko. He said that the offence contravened Section 419 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37,Vol.1, Laws of Ondo State 2006.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mr Funsho Akintoye, granted the accused bail in the sum N100,000 with one surety in like sum, adding that the surety must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction.

He adjourned the case till Sept.

3 for further hearing.

Odunaike, Daniel Ali and Daniel Ba’ase Garba to Lieutenant Commanders while Ndyaks Istifanus, Habibu Mohammed, Mustapha Shehu stepped up as Lieutenants.

Lt. Commander. Olutope Oduaike, while giving the vote of thanks on behalf of his newly promoted colleagues, said they were grateful to Almighty God .They thanked all those who graced the occasion particularly, Commander, NNS Delta Capt.

Gemu and prayed that God will also promote them. They expressed joy at their new ranks, promising to give their best at all times.

Representative of Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Ado Solomon (left), presenting a trophy to the leader, overall best course team, Mr. Yahaya Manga, at the passing out of course SH:876B, Community Support Brigade Volunteers in Jos recently.

Participants at the passing out of course SH: 876B, Community Support Brigade Volunteers in Jos recently.

2015: Politicians Urged To Work

Towards Credible Elections

ABUJA- The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has urged politicians to work towards free and fair elections in 2015 by accepting defeat when necessary.

Maku made this call in Abuja at a forum for senior officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

He observed that the level of the electoral process was deteriorating and urged politicians to work towards free and fair elections.

The minister said the country was passing through a developmental process that required every security organisations to join the efforts of the government to combat electoral fraud.

“Some politicians think that we are preparing for war in 2015; they should stop scaring the masses.

“Election is a game where you either lose or win, and no man is indispensable, only Nigeria is indispensable and politicians should imbibe that attitude that the populace either elect you or reject you.

“Election is the pillar of any democracy; elections provide the medium for people to select their leaders and the masses should be

allowed to exercise their franchise.’’

He further said that Mr President was committed to free and fair elections and that the government was also depending on security agencies to enforce this.

“The masses need to be assured that their lives are safe as they come out to exercise their franchise.’’

The Commandant General of NSCDC, Dr Ade Abolurin, said there was need for peace in the country.

Abolurin said that there was need for a credible election come 2015, hence the need for the training.

“The NSCDC is making sure that 2015 elections will be very free and fair, we will ensure transparency.

“This will involve the use of trained dogs and intelligent equipment to enforce’’, Abolurin said.

He told stakeholders at all levels to carry the message of peace and conflict prevention to ensure development.

Mr Pa-Lamin Beyai, the Resident Representative to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), pledged to support the country towards achieving credible polls.

Beyai said UNDP supports electoral growth and sustainable development in Nigeria.

“In the last few decades, a number of African countries including Nigeria have witnessed a challenging phenomenon where elections have become so violent.

“They have become a security concern rather than a celebration of democracy, there are loss of lives, destruction of properties and all what not.

“We, therefore, need to build and consolidate the electoral process’’, he said.

He added that the training

would enable the officers to enhance their past achievements and experiences in ensuring credible elections in Nigeria.

“The workshop will empower senior officers to fulfill the efforts of peace officers at their respective commands through enforcing peace and other alternative mechanisms particularly towards free and fair elections.

“UNDP will continue to work with all peace initiators in Nigeria including the NSCDC to prevent civil violence both at the national and local levels.’

directed all students in public secondary schools who sat for the 2014 WAEC- organised Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in the state to access their results on the internet.

The directive was given by the state Commissioner for Education, Prof.

Solomon Olaniyonu, in a statement issued in Ibadan

The commissioner debunked rumours making the rounds that the state government had reneged on its promise of offsetting the WAEC fees of the students.

He described the Abiola Ajimobi administration as responsible and responsive, adding that it would not toy with the lives of its

ABUJA - The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has explained that some Nigerian troops found themselves in Cameroon due to sustained battle between them and terrorists around the borders with Cameroon.

This explanation is posted on its website www.defenceinfo.mil.ng, accessed by newsmen “Nigerian troops found themselves in Cameroon during fierce battle with terrorists. The battle saw the troops charging through the borders in a tactical maneouvre.

“Eventually, they found themselves on Cameroonian soil. “ Being allies, the normal protocol of managing such incident demanded that the troops submit their weapons in order to assure the friendly country that they were not on a hostile mission.

“Following necessary discussions between Nigerian and Cameroonian military authorities, the issues have been sorted out. Subsequently, the troops are on their way back to join their unit in Nigeria.’’

The DHQ said the reference to the incident as a defection was therefore not appropriate.

It said that considering the discussion between the two countries’ military leadership and the series of contacts, the soldiers have confirmed that they were safe.

The website said the troops were repelling a group of terrorists trying to enter the country through Gamborou Ngala, near the border with Cameroon.

“A group of the terrorists who fizzled into the town are being pursued’’, the statement said.

Access Results On Internet, IBADAN - The Oyo Students Advised State Government has recently.

students.

Olaniyonu said the state government had paid a total sum of N1.7 billion as WAEC fees between 2011 and 2014.

The commissioner blamed the rumours on “ detractors’’ who he said were bent on pitching the people against the state government.

Abuja FRSC Begins 5-Day Special Patrol

INEC To Create Registration Point At LGs ABUJA- The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will set up Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) points at its local government area offices.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Commission’s Chairman, Mr KAyode Idowu, in Abuja.

According to the statement, the planned exercise is to enable eligible voters, yet to register to do so.

“INEC has noted with concern the agitation in some quarters for an extension of the second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration , which ended on Monday, August 25.

“This phase of the exercise which commenced on August 20, involved the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 11 states,’’ it stated.

The states were: Yobe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kwara, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, Oyo Delta and Cross River.

It stated that the commission was eager to ensure that all eligible voters who were yet to register as voters have the opportunity to do so.

“It is logistically impossible to extend this phase of the CVR beyond its scheduled deadline.’’

INEC attributed crowd cluster lingering at registration points to old tendencies toward irregularity.

It added that people who had relocated since the last registration only needed to apply for their registration status to be transferred to their new location and not to turn up for fresh registration.

This set of people obstructed legitimate registrants from having their turn at the registration points.

The commission appealed to those who had previously registered or had biometric register of voters to avoid representing themselves at any other place for registration.

It urged all stakeholders in the electoral process to commit themselves to the cause of ensuring free, fair and credible elections.

Bomb detection facilities at a military check-point on the outer Northern expressway in Abuja on Monday.

Patients Crowd Hospitals As Doctors Resume

ABUJA- Most hospitals in the Federal capital Territory witnessed a huge turnout of patients following the suspension of the strike by the Nigerian Medical Association.

The hospital visited by newsmen included the National Hospital, Asokoro, and Maitama General Hospitals.

Alhaji Iliyasu Mohammed, Secretary of Asokoro General Hospital, told newsmen that all the doctors resumed work as directed by the association.

“As you can see the doctors are working, attending to patients, it is a welcome development and the patients are happy.

Dr Ohida Onimisi, a resident doctor from the Department of Family Medicine, said he resumed by 8 a.m. and had seen lots of patients.

Onimisi, who said he was also on call duty, said that all the resident doctors had resumed work based on a directive by the association.

On the issue of the sack, he said the Senate President had promised them that the Federal Government would reverse the decision.

“We had meeting with the senate president and he told us that the government had agreed to reverse the decision on the sack of resident doctors.

“We have lot of trust in him, so we believe what he told us,’’ Onimisi said.

The doctors said even when they were on strike, most of them felt like coming to see their

patients due to the love they had for them.

At the Maitama General Hospital, doctors were attending to the patients but declined comments.

Meanwhile, Mr Tayo Haastrup, the spokesperson, National Hospital, Abuja, told newsmen that doctors had resumed work at the hospital except the resident doctors.

Haastrup said they were yet to resume because government suspended residency programme

during the strike.

“We pray everything will be resolved soon to enable them to fully come back to work,’’ Haastrup said.

It would be recalled that on August 14, the Federal Government announced the suspension of the Residency Training Programme in Federal Government Hospitals pending the conclusion of the ongoing appraisal of the challenges in the health sector.

ABUJA- Friends, colleagues and associates of former Information Minister Dora Akunyili paid their last respects at a special tributes and service of songs in her honour in Abuja.

The former colleagues and friends eulogised the personality and achievements of the late professor of pharmacology at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, The Minister of Finance and coordinating Minister of Economy, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala, said the late Akunyili lived a life worthy of emulation

by all Nigerian mothers.

Okonjo-Iwaela said the deceased lived up to her responsibilities as a mother and achieved a feat many mothers and even fathers could not achieve for the nation.

She said the former DirectorGeneral of National agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, would be remembered for her contributions to national development, fight against drug counterfeiting and the rebranding Nigeria project.

In his eulogies, the Secretary to the Government of the

The announcement was contained in a statement signed

by Dan Nwomeh, Special Assistant to the Minister of Health on Media and Communications, and Alhaji Isaiku Yusuf, a Deputy Director of Press.

However, the statement said the directive was without prejudice to any emergency measure that might be necessary for the hospital management to immediately restore full medical services.

Friends, Associates, Eulogise Late Prof Akunyili Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, said the nation had lost a patriot and a dedicated Nigerian whose passion to national development was unparalleled.

Anyim said the late Akunyili had done her part and left the rest for other Nigerians to contribute to the development of the nation.

Similarly, Information Minister Labaran Maku relayed his experience with the deceased, stating that she was an epitome of hard work and dedication to national service.

Maku said the late Akunyili demonstrated an uncommon

Jonathan Returns After Private Visit To Germany

ABUJA- President Goodluck Jonathan has returned to Abuja after a four-day private visit to Germany.

Jonathan, who arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, was received by top government officials.

At the airport to receive him was his Chief of Staff, retired Brig.-Gen. Jones Arogbofa, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Bala Muhammed.

They were joined by the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, among others.

On arrival at the State House, the president retired to his official residence where he was also received by family members and some close aides.

He is expected to lead the Federal Government’s delegation to a service of songs for late former Minister of Information, Prof. Dora Akunyili, at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Garki, Abuja.

ABUJA- The Federal Road Safety Commission has began a special five days of patrol on three critical highways across the country to check recurring accidents.

A statement issued by Ms Stella Uchegbu, the Corps Public Education Officer, said that 240 personnel, 43 patrol vehicles and seven ambulances had been deployed for the exercise.

Uchegbu said the special patrol, tagged “Operation Shield IV” would cover Kaduna-AbujaOkene, Lagos-Ibadan and BeninAsaba highways.

She said the personnel for the exercise would be stationed at Abaji Unit Command, Mowe Unit Command and Edo Sector Command, respectively.

“The all inclusive exercise is pursuant to the commission’s strategic goal to reduce road crashes by 15 per cent and fatalities by 25 per cent by the end of 2014.

“Operation Shield, which has entered its 4th version, is designed primarily to shield road users from the incidence of road crashes, witnessed recently on specific highways,” Uchegbu said.

She said emphasis would be placed on public enlightenment, clearing of obstructions and enforcement of traffic rules and regulation, particularly lane indiscipline, speed limit, overloading and other violations.

Uchegbu identified attitude of motorists as a major causative factor for most of the road crashes, and called for behavioural change.

An eroded portion of the University Teaching Hospital road in Abuja recently.

passion to rebrand Nigeria’s image before the international community and to place it on the path of prosperous nations.

“It is certain that the entire nation will always remember with appreciation her contributions through the Rebranding Nigeria Project, while serving as Information Minister and her fight against fake drugs.

“We mourn one of our nation’s role model and a great woman of courage and determination,’’ Maku said.

The minister said the deceased made Nigeria the centrepiece of her thoughts and advocacy for a better African continent and a glorious nation where citizens would have the opportunity to actualise their dreams.

A former CBN governor, Prof.

Charles Soludo, said Akunyili was a hallmark of the family’s excellence and dedication to the service of the nation.

Soludo said that although they had their differences but the late Akunyili never jeopardised the need for the family to be united.

He described the deceased as an epitome of unity in her family and a model for all mothers in the country.

He said that the deceased never abandoned her responsibilities as a mother even at the point of death.

Top government functionaries, relations and associates of the deceased attended the event.

A requiem mass was held in her honour at the Catholic Pro Cathedral, Abuja, yesterday while the final burial programme will continue in Enugu today.

Across The Nation

Lagos Woos Rural Dwellers With Free Gas Cylinders, Accessories

LAGOS - The Lagos State Government has distributed free gas cylinders and accessories to some communities in its campaign to make rural dwellers embrace use of cooking gas.

The state’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources stated this in a statement issued in Lagos.

It said that the programme commenced at Alimosho Local Government Area, the community with highest population, with the distribution of free gas cylinders and accessories known as “EKO Gas” to the people, it said.

According to Mrs Iyabo Obasa, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the programme is in collaboration with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

She said the state government and LCCI had also concluded plans to

extend the distribution of the gas cylinders to other local government areas every week.

Obasa said that the ministry decided to take the cooking gas campaign to the

rural areas in a bid to encourage the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the state.

She said the state government was determined to ensure that Lagos homes imbibed the use of LPG because of its inherent

L-R: Commander, Administration and Strategies, Mr. Ademola Lawal, distributing leaflets to motorists at Mowe in Ogun during the inauguration of operation shield at Mowe in Ogun recently.

advantages.

The permanent secretary also said that the state government introduced Eko Gas Scheme as a domestic fuel of choice for residents.

According to her, the use of gas will help to reduce carbon emissions from the use of firewood and kerosene because of its inherent advantages.

She said that the state government would introduce one million gas cylinders to Lagos homes in the next five years to make the use of LPG a success. “ This exercise of sensitising and distributing of free Eko Gas stove cylinders to residents has been undertaken in Isolo , Eredo , and Badagry local council development areas,” she said.

Mr Adewuyi Makinde, representative of the LCCI, also enjoined residents of Alimosho to embrace the use

Minister Wants Forestry Dept’s Involvement

Green Wall Project:

ABUJA - The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam, has called for the active involvement of the Department of Forestry in the implementation of the Great Green Wall (GGW) project.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Ben BemGoong, Deputy Director, Press Unit, of the ministry, in Abuja.

The statement stated that the minister’s directive was with a view to fast tracking the implementation of the GGW project.

The GGW project is an environmental programme of the Federal Government designed to check the ravaging desert encroachment in the northern part of the country.

She, therefore, directed three directors of forestry in the ministry to develop strategies toward implementing the project.

The statement stated that the minister said that the content of the project was 90 per cent afforestation in nature and queried the non-involvement of the department.

She said this was necessary “given the huge manpower resources available in the department that can easily be deployed to complement what the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the GGW in the ministry is doing’’.

Earlier, the Director of Forest Management, Mr Simon Adedoyin, said that the department was confronted with paucity of funds, among others.

According to him, capacity

gap arising from nonrecruitment of technical cadres, obsolete forest sector statistics and dilapidated field offices and nursery sites, were other factors affecting operations of the department.

Adedoyin, however, listed some of the achievements of the department to include the establishment of Forest Remote Sensing/GIS facility, which was inaugurated on March 7, 2013 and establishment of National Forest Information System.

He said the department harvested 3,092 tonnes of invasive aquatic weeds through the use of 45 Water

Weeds Community Committees (WWCC) in 25 states in 2011.

The forestry director said that the department also facilitated the implementation of the first phase of the Presidential Initiative on Afforestation

(PIA) designed for economic and environmental sustainability.

Adedoyin said that the department promoted efforts to attract international funding for the conservation of natural forest for climate change mitigation and support community livelihoods.

He said it “assisted state forestry services in the development of management plans for selected forest reserves and wetlands.

“They are Amboi/Baissa forest reserve in Taraba, Omo forest reserve in Ogun, Oguta Lake in Imo, Lower NigerUpper Kaduna wetland in Kwara,’’ he said.

UNILORIN Students To Build N100m

ILORIN -The University of Ilorin Postgraduate Students Association (POGSASS) said that it would organise a N100 million fundraiser for the construction of hostel accommodation for postgraduate students.

Mr Adebola Moses, the president of the association,

Hostel stated this at the presentation of

awards to distinguished individuals in Ilorin.

He said postgraduate students of the university needed accommodation they could call their own, and urged members of the society to support the association.

L-R: Lagos FRSC Sector Commander, Omeje Hyginus, Lagos Zonal Commanding Officer, Mr. Godwin Ogagaoghene; Commander, Administration and Strategies, Mr. Ademola Lawal and Ogun Sector Commander, Mr. Adegoke Adetunji, inaugurating operation shield at Mowe in Ogun recently.

“It is only in serving others that we find the fulfilment that everyone is seeking in life.”

According to him, the award presentation is an avenue to promote dedication to service and humanity, as well as to inspire students to choose role models .

The Dean of Postgraduate School, Prof. Clement Bewaji and Mr Abraham Adavi, a Permanent Secretary in Kogi were among those honoured at the event.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Unilorin, Prof.

AbdulGaniyu Ambali, acknowledged the accommodation challenge on campus.

He said that no fewer than 105,000 candidates applied to study at the university this year whereas the institution had a quota of just 9,000.

“The population of students on campus is close to 30,000, but the number of hostels available on campus can hardly accommodate one-third of the students’ population.

“It is, therefore, important that universities welcome individuals who are ready to invest in accommodation on their campuses.

“So, it is not out of place if the postgraduate students of this university deem it wise to raise fund for the building of hostel,’’ he said.

of a cleaner fuel for cooking.

Makinde described LPG as the cleanest and most efficient fuel globally.

He reiterated LCCI’s commitment to working the state government to safeguard the environment against the emission of hazardous substances into the atmosphere.

Remove Bureaucracy From Agric Scheme, Don Advises

ONITSHA, (Anambra) - A lecturer, Dr Fidelis Onwudufor, has urged Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra to ensure that bureaucracy was removed from the operations of the Anambra Agricultural Transformation Scheme.

Onwudufor, who is of the Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, Anambra, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra.

According to him, the scheme which is intended to create jobs for the youth,s will be attractive to them only if red tape was removed from it.

“So if Obiano has the best of policies, let him convince us that it would not be another wild (goose) chase where you do not see anything tangible for the next two months.

“He must not waste time and the administration has to be protocol-free so that people will testify that they (officials) are serious.

“Let the youth get busy and work hard; unfortunately they don’t want to work; they don’t want to sweat.

“They want easy money and there is no free money anywhere.

“So I thank the government; but let them do enough orientation and then make the awareness to reach everybody, so that those who want can make themselves available.“ It will be recalled that the Anambra government had begun recruitment for the scheme at a vocational centre in the Anambra State College of Agriculture, Mgbakwu, and through an online registration process known as “Anambra Youth Connect“ platform.

The lecturer said that taking advantage of the country’s vast land and natural resources remained the easiest way for the nation to grow its economy and be respected among the comity of nations.

Governor. Obiano had been acquiring lands, seedlings, and other inputs meant for massive agricultural programme aimed at creating jobs and boosting food production in Anambra and the country in general.

Education UBEC: Dishonesty Mars 2015 Target For Universal Primary Education

PRIMARY education is seen as the fundamental right of every child. The United Nations, UN, identifies this under its Millennium Development Goals, MDG. It targets universal primary education for all children of school age by 2015. Against this backdrop, the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1999 established the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). The aim was to ensure quality of basic education throughout the country and provide access to 9-year formal education to every child of school-going age and, also, provide free and obligatory basic education.

Nevertheless pundits, dons, opinion leaders and stakeholders have bemoaned that education in the country has been fraught with corruption, strikes... A Professor of Educational Management at the University of Ilorin, Noha Bisi Oyedeji, while delivering the 140th Inaugural Lecture of the University on Thursday, December 5, 2013, reportedly said, “When strike or students riot occurs, school activities are disturbed, leading to some other distortions, such as lowered students’ academic performance, social menace by idle students...”

One of the manifests of the dishonesty in UBEC is that over 56 million Nigerians are illiterates, according to an account in a national broadsheet. Amongst others, it’s believed that if the UBEC has lived up to its expectation, the story would have been different. Owing to the revelations by investigation, it was certain that the UN was clairvoyance in forecasting that Nigeria would not keep to the MDG on education.

Today, the education sector is loaded with dirt like lack of basic infrastructures, unfortunate funding, bad management, lack of learning materials in schools...

These are as a result of poor policies and faulty implementation of them, which are most times the handiwork of lack of genuine and transparent officials monitoring these policies. It was observed that even where the learning materials are available, they are not redistributed for the purposes they are created. This, Nigerians have clamoured about how teachers’ salaries and allowances in some states across the country, are

seemingly being withheld for political reasons and many teachers face the avoidable issues of promotion and transfer as at when due them.

Scrutiny has proved that states and UBEC are in loggerhead over who has the right to the ostensible funds meant for UBEC that are in billions of naira haboured in the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for project development. The cost of this is that some students have died in many decrepit schools across the country. The infirm schools are said were without roofs, walls, doors or windows. The issue of having desks, electricity and its appliances are said to be a tall dream.

Recently, there is an account that at a community primary school in Ado Odo/ Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, a pupil died and four others wounded when the school’s wall fell down. At Idimu Community Primary School of Lagos State and, Ikeja, Oshodi, Agege and Iju respectively, it’s observed that the students were meant to endure leaking zincs and ceilings and many sat on windows and cement blocks to take lectures. These are infinitesimal evident that UBEC has not lived up to the reason it was formed, according to sources, because in some states in the SouthEast – like Anambra and Imo – pupils still take studies from their teachers under trees and on the bare ground.

Explanations accounted that in Kwara, Kano, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo, Benue and Nasarawa States, the story is not different. “It is absurd that this is happening in a country where free primary education was initiated in Africa by one of its regions in 1955... It is rather tragic that all the 36 states and the FCT combined have failed to draw down up to N44 billion of the sums provided as federal subsidies for primary education since 2005 through the Universal Basic Education Commission,” said a source.

In May 2010, there was a conviction that there were deceitful awards of contracts somewhat in surplus of N161 million to six companies for the “procurement of instructional materials for children with special needs” that took place in the UBEC, which was aimed at improving the wellbeing of the physically challenged children.

The items, according to a source,

included wheelchairs, Braille, hearing aids and other audiovisual devices. The funds were said to have come from an Education Trust Funds, ETF, grant.

According to Sahara Reporters: “The ministerial tenders board at its meeting of Friday, 19th December, 2008, approved the award of the contract for the procurement of instructional materials for children with special needs in favour some contractors – Al-Mala Nig.

incorporated until five months later.

“The company’s incorporation took place on 7th May 2009, with its registered address, as 17 Atiku Abubakar Road, Jimeta, Yola. According to the CAC records in the possession of Saharareporters, three persons were listed as directors. According to CAC records, the company has 1,600,001 in total share capital. Of these, Aishatu Dahiru (Modibbo’s wife)

Committee”, as well as an American contractor, Alexander Cozma and two companies allegedly used to siphon the funds, Intermarkets USA LLC and Intermarkets Nigeria.

Spectators are of the view that the fingered sums meant for UBEC that have seemingly gone into the pocket of few individuals are alarming. One commentator exclaimed: “Nigeria is finished with this kind of financial recklessness! It is disheartening to note the level of decay in the system.” The sad side of the matter is that

Ltd – N29, 286,000 (North west), Triangular Communications Ltd. – N35, 453,000 (North east); Binwa Press Ltd. N36,721,300 (North central), Infinity Telecoms N24, 703, 000 (South east), Isani Ventures N31, 104, 000 (South-south) and Giniyike Ltd-N30,704 (South west),” concluding, “You are pleased (sic) requested to award the contract accordingly”.

The source continued: “The total contract sum came to N167 million.

Our investigations revealed that not a single pin was supplied to the physically challenged children, in whose name the ETF grant was drawn.

Besides, a certified copy of a search report of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) revealed that Binwa Press Ltd., RC816457, one of the six companies that benefited from the December 19th, 2008 contract awarded by UBEC, was not even

owns 1,600,000, her sister, Hauwa Dahiru, has one share, whilst the third director, Ali Biu Adams, has none. Even though Binwa Press Ltd. had not been registered as at December 19th, 2008, Dukku and Modibbo nonetheless awarded the ‘company’ a supply contract in the sum of N36, 721, 300...”

The level of racket in the UBEC goes unscathed. Only in January this year, in a matter that commenced in 2009, N787m alleged case of fraud was discharged and acquitted and the legal team of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was thrown into a muddled situation over the judgment.

The accused persons were given as four directors of UBEC – Molkat Mutfwang, Michael Aule, Andrew Ekpunobi and Prof Bridget Sokan – who were given as “all members of the commission’s Bid Evaluation

all those who are players in the UBEC’s purportedly scams have not been really made to cough out the money and face the wrath of the law of the country.

Gov. Jonah Jang of Plateau freshly decried in Jos, while receiving the Senate Committee on Education, the discrepancy in policies as what have been destroying the country’s education sector.

He, however, admonished that the National Assembly must quickly rise to this challenge before it gets out of control and destroys the future of the younger generation.

Giving instances, he said: “Nations like Germany practise the 6-3-3-4 (system) like Nigeria, but they have gone far because they have been very consistent with it.’’

He avowed that each administration in Nigeria should stop discarding the old policies for the introduction of new ones. Professor Pius

Dr. ODIMEGWU ONWUMERE

Adesanmi, a Professor of English, French, and African Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada also warned in a discussion with a Gbenga Adeniji.

Adesanmi said that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, says any country that wishes to become part of the 21st Century should be devoting 30-40 per cent of her total annual budget to education.

Authorities are, however, of the analysis that the disconnect between the education sector and the educated is enormous laced with the spiteful attributes of politicians and elites that have set the pace of improving on education in the country back for too long. Experts have

deprecated such as not the way to run a country.

Adesanmi further revealed that these groups run the public education like they are rigging elections or stealing public funds on a “stratospheric scale that suggests mental illness”.

He wept that these groups have seen using impunity of ignorance and poverty among the majority as the raw materials they think they need to manufacture a followership ready to defend their perversities to death on the basis of ethnicity or religion.

“You will weep for Nigeria if you knew how much Europe and America are currently devoting to education... Sadly, only the elite have the means and the resources to impose their own meaning of education on Nigeria. Hence, they underfund and destroy it while sending their kids abroad to acquire that which they deny the people at home,” Adesanmi lamented.

Odimegwu Onwumere writes from Port Harcourt.

Opinion Anti-Corruption Legislations

Can Nigeria Escape International Sanctions?

CONSCIOUSLY or unconsciously, the present National Assembly has devised a means of giving special seasons’ gifts to Nigerians. Just before the 2013 Christmas celebration, the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, under the leadership of Senator Victor Lar organised a Public Hearing on the proposed Nigerian Financial Intelligence Center Bill, after it was read on the plenary for the second time.

On return in the New Year, the House of Representatives released its own blessings by organizing same on the Bill, after the second reading as well.

Just before the Easter celebration, the National Assembly joint Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes organized a Retreat in Abuja to brainstorm on the implications of the anticorruption bills being considered by the present National Assembly, with special attention on the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Center Bill.

The event was organized by the Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption-MIIVOC, a Nigerian-based Nongovernmental Organisation, with interest in the war against violence, corruption, injustice and human Rights abuse; in partnership with the relevant National Assembly Committee.

The event which was powered by the ‘Justice for All’ of the British Council was held at the Rockview Hotel, Abuja from the 6th-8th of April, 2014. It has been severally described as a huge success.

The primary goal of the Retreat was to create a forum for interaction among the lawmakers and key stakeholders on the implications of the anticorruption bills being considered by the present National Assembly, especially, the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Center Bill. It was meant to create an opportunity for the lawmakers to rub minds and further build their capacity on the relevant anti-corruption bills. It was also an avenue for self evaluation and assessment.

By WALTER DURU

The Retreat was also geared towards supporting Nigeria to strengthen its anti-money laundering, anti-corruption and anti-terrorism programmes and legislations by promoting and encouraging increased knowledge and stakeholders’ participation. The forum allowed for exchange of ideas among lawmakers from the upper and lower Chambers on the NFIA and other related anti-corruption bills, as well as the evolving issues in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

It was meant to improve the knowledge gaps and lead to early passage of the NFIA, Mutual Legal Assistance, Proceeds of Crime and other anti-corruption related Bills being considered by the present National Assembly.

Speaking during the event, chairman, Presidential Committee on the Financial Action Task Force-FATF, Mr. Steve Oronsaye further opened the eyes of Nigerians on the risks the country is exposed to by not having relevant legal and operational framework against corruption, in compliance with international standards.

“This Retreat, which brings together members of the two houses of the National Assembly to discuss and harmonize their positions on the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Center Bill, is a step in the right direction.”

“We are aware that this 7th Assembly has taken bold and deliberate steps to address some of the strategic deficiencies identified in our Anti Money Laundering/CFT legislation. However, there are still some outstanding issues that need to be addressed. The Bill, which we shall discuss at this retreat, is one of such key outstanding issues. Other very important and relevant bills that have been submitted by the President to the National Assembly include: the Proceeds of Crime (POCA) Bill that seeks to establish a central Agency to manage the proceeds recovered from convicted criminals and the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill. We are aware that the Executive is preparing to submit the

harmonized Terrorism Prevention Bill, 2014 and the amended Money Laundering Prohibition Bill, soon for your consideration. These Bills have international implications on Nigeria’s rating globally. We therefore plead that you fast track consideration of these Bills.”

“As you are aware, the proposed NFIC Bill is designed to provide a sustainable and credible legal framework for the FIC, Nigeria. As is the accepted

the receipt (and, as permitted, requesting), and analysis and dissemination of suspicious Transaction Reports (STR) and other information regarding potential money laundering or terrorist financing.”

It is pertinent to note that since November 2013, Nigeria has been disconnected from the secured web of the Egmont group of Financial Intelligence Units…..What this means is that Nigeria can neither receive nor share financial intelligence with

Mr Steve Oronsaye, Chairman, Presidential, Committee On the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

practice in other jurisdictions, this Bill seeks to provide the FIC with operational independence and autonomy, and greater ability to provide financial intelligence to all relevant competent authorities in order to strengthen anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/ CFT) measures.”

“Recommendation 29 of the 40 recommendations of the FATF on combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction reads: Countries should establish an independent financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) that serves as a national Center for

other 139 member countries of the Egmont Group on money laundering, terrorism financing, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as well as other related matters. More worrisome is the fact that it is happening at a time when Nigeria needs the information most, considering the challenge of terrorism confronting the country presently.”

“We are concerned that if the legal framework is not in place by June 1, 2014, the NFIU stands the risk of being suspended from the league of Egmont Group. This also has wider implication and may hinder the decision on Nigeria’s proposed

membership of the Financial Action Task Force.”

Also speaking, Chairman, Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Senator Victor Lar promised that the National Assembly Joint Committee will continue to work with the Presidential Committee and indeed, the Ministry of Justice in ensuring that all observed deficiencies with the legislations on antimoney laundering and terrorism financing legislations were expeditiously passed.

Senator Lar said that there were many issues to be discussed on the Bill that was at the completion stage, pointing out that the NFIC bill had passed through the second reading and referred to his Committee for further legislative inputs.

He however noted that though the Committee was to submit its report after four weeks, there were several issues to be considered, including the desirability or otherwise of the Board, size of the Board and how differently the Board should be from that of the EFCC, among others.

According to him, the outcome of the retreat would facilitate the establishment of the Centre and therefore appealed for regular interface between legislators and stakeholders.

Adding his voice, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba noted that the efforts of the Federal government in canvassing for foreign investors in the country would not yield positive results unless the Financial Intelligence Centre is established.

He argued that foreign investors would always be interested in the protection of their investments and that presently, the country lacks such laws that could give the investors the confidence that their investments were protected.

Also speaking, Programme Manager, (anti corruptionC3) of the Justice for All, Mr. Emmanuel Uche commended the present National Assembly for what he described as their patriotic stance in strengthening the legislative framework for the war against corruption in Nigeria.

He pledged the continued support of his organisation to efforts geared towards entrenching transparency in governance, even as he charged the stakeholders not to relent in the war against corruption in Nigeria.

Executive Director, Media

Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption and facilitator of the Retreat, Walter Duru described corruption as one of Nigeria’s most-formidable challenges.

He commended the lawmakers and other stakeholders for what he described as a patriotic move and assured that MIIVOC shall continue to partner with transparent institutions in righting the wrongs in the country.

Some of the agencies that attended the Retreat were the Central Bank of NigeriaCBN, National Insurance Commission-NAICOM, Office of the National Security Adviser, Department for State Security-DSS, Securities and Exchange Commission-SEC, Ministry of Justice, among others.

Now that we understand the issues and have June 2014 as deadline to escape the International Community’s hammer, all hands must be on deck to not only fast-track the process, but ensure that a no loopholes are allowed.

The two chambers of the National Assembly must not wait any longer, but continue in their doggedness towards ensuring that the remaining legislative actions are completed.

The Presidential Committee on the Financial Action Task Force, the Ministry of Justice and other relevant stakeholders must be on stand-by to ensure that Presidential assent is not delayed after passage.

Most importantly, credible, tested, trusted, experienced and reliable persons must be appointed to head the agencies, especially, the Financial Intelligence Centre and Assets Recovery Agency, to ensure that we get results.

Civil Society organisations and the Media in the country must rise up to the challenge of ensuring that moles and stooges are not planted to head the proposed institutions, as leadership shall determine the success or otherwise of each of them.

Leadership of these sensitive institutions must not be politicised, if the country must succeed in the war against corruption, money laundering and terrorism financing.

Since the Civil Society and the Media have actively participated in every stage of the process, it is most sensible that they ensure that competent and credible persons are appointed into leadership positions.

It is only when such transparent persons are in positions that they can proudly say that they have arrived; set for the next phase, which is ensuring effective service delivery of the Institutions.

NSE DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (EQUITIES) AS AT YESTERDAY (26/08/2014) Stocks

Open

Close

Change

Deals

Units

Value

NB

172.51

175

2.49

0

688,288

120,546,439.30

7UP

126.78

126.78

0

0

39,502

5,144,949.40

NCR

13.5

13.5

0

0

5,500

74,250.00

ABCTRANS

0.69

0.71

0.02

0

1,483,374

1,036,828.06

NEIMETH

1.2

1.14

-0.06

0

518,560

604,866.00

ACADEMY

1.55

1.55

0

0

150

232.5

NEM

0.81

0.82

0.01

0

2,583,991

2,114,895.62

ACCESS

9.8

9.8

0

0

58,141,451

569,343,915.10

NESTLE

1079.99

1079.99

0

0

30,440

31,893,368.80

AFRIPRUD

3.25

3.25

0

0

1,023,572

3,325,137.78

NEWGOLD

2006

2019

13

0

20

40,380.00

AFROMEDIA

0.5

0.5

0

0

11,000

5,500.00

NIGERINS

0.5

0.5

0

0

8,870

4,435.00

AGLEVENT

1.4

1.46

0.06

0

169,521

239,158.83

NPFMCRFBK

1.05

1.1

0.05

0

1,910,000

2,100,800.00

AIICO

0.8

0.8

0

0

767,199

613,973.74

NSE30

1874.62

1869.52

-5.1

0

120,005,066

1,823,296,625.00

AIRSERVICE

2.16

2.08

-0.08

0

217,977

458,392.16

NSE50

2032.85

2025.25

-7.6

0

146,616,046

1,956,776,561.00

ASHAKACEM

33.14

32

-1.14

0

710,365

23,043,392.14

NSEASEM

951.96

951.96

0

0

20

30.9

41339.5

41235.27

-104.23

0

178,411,728

2,027,633,923.00

BERGER

9

9

0

0

8,914

79,873.44

NSEASI

BETAGLAS

17.11

17.11

0

0

7,002

125,755.92

NSEBNK

418.28

415.18

-3.1

0

84,300,082

930,361,534.80

11,897,821.21

NSECNSMRGDS

1023.83

1022.83

-1

0

6,148,306

289,375,929.30

CADBURY

63.37

60.21

-3.16

0

197,264

CAP

39.05

39.05

0

0

32,389

1,282,151.40

NSEINDUSTR

2701.12

2713.57

12.45

0

3,053,126

207,316,488.00

CAVERTON

5.32

5.32

0

0

35,118

194,202.54

NSEINS

145.65

144.99

-0.66

0

19,707,168

16,731,384.57

CCNN

14.65

14.6

-0.05

0

433,722

6,358,151.73

NSELOTUSISLM

2755.15

2745.11

-10.04

0

7,582,848

408,788,290.70

CHAMPION

8.31

8.31

0

0

200,000

1,582,500.00

NSEOILGAS

476.48

471.8

-4.68

0

6,578,640

206,022,640.00

CHAMS

0.5

0.5

0

0

155,500

77,750.00

NSLTECH

0.5

0.5

0

0

180

90

CHELLARAM

3.95

3.95

0

0

30,000

112,800.00

OANDO

26

25.05

-0.95

0

5,277,881

134,755,596.40

CILEASING

0.5

0.5

0

0

217,000

108,500.00

OKOMUOIL

36.47

34.65

-1.82

0

660,237

23,134,194.51

CONOIL

69

71.5

2.5

0

485,653

34,209,294.96

PAINTCOM

1.6

1.6

0

0

15,000

24,080.00

2.38

2.38

0

0

133,100

308,805.00

CONTINSURE

0.98

0.98

0

0

7,592,000

7,242,903.00

PHARMDEKO

CORNERST

0.57

0.59

0.02

0

595,250

334,678.82

PORTPAINT

5

5

0

0

112,500

564,125.00

COSTAIN

1.18

1.13

-0.05

0

351,736

404,831.68

PREMBREW

1.65

1.65

0

0

20,400

36,892.00

CUSTODYINS

3.86

3.85

-0.01

0

286,431

1,099,101.04

PRESCO

36.3

36.3

0

0

58,346

2,098,024.39

CUTIX

1.9

1.84

-0.06

0

331,236

640,729.20

PRESTIGE

0.5

0.5

0

0

27,624

13,812.00

CWG

5

5

0

0

400

2,000.00

PZ

36

36

0

0

421,787

15,069,212.64

DANGCEM

228

228.5

0.5

0

72,350

16,417,437.83

REDSTAREX

4.8

4.8

0

0

182,820

852,625.64

DANGFLOUR

7.5

7.5

0

0

140,959

1,010,483.54

ROYALEX

0.61

0.58

-0.03

0

5,827,247

3,379,803.26

DANGSUGAR

8.85

8.7

-0.15

0

1,141,530

9,854,841.06

RTBRISCOE

0.9

0.88

-0.02

0

196,239

174,416.68

DEAPCAP

0.87

0.87

0

0

50

41.5

SEPLAT

680

680

0

0

21,800

14,810,230.80

DIAMONDBNK

6.2

6.1

-0.1

0

1,966,526

12,087,291.11

SKYEBANK

2.97

2.9

-0.07

0

4,157,376

12,270,515.22

0.5

0.5

0

0

200

100

DUNLOP

0.5

0.5

0

0

100

50

SOVRENINS

EQUITYASUR

0.5

0.5

0

0

300,000

150,000.00

STACO

0.5

0.5

0

0

500

250

ETERNA

3.75

3.8

0.05

0

606,340

2,304,839.50

STANBIC

30

30

0

0

48,300

1,428,649.06

ETI

16.55

16.5

-0.05

0

444,925

7,294,744.90

STERLNBANK

2.3

2.21

-0.09

0

988,322

2,199,907.02

EVANSMED

1.93

2.02

0.09

0

126,500

255,000.00

TANTALIZER

0.5

0.5

0

0

3,071

1,535.50

FBNH

14.49

14.1

-0.39

0

8,211,110

117,083,163.50

TOTAL

182

182

0

0

21,157

3,814,703.81

FCMB

4.33

4.3

-0.03

0

2,910,685

12,329,026.05

TRANSCORP

5.7

5.71

0.01

0

17,558,269

100,728,663.10

FIDELITYBK

2

1.98

-0.02

0

1,896,807

3,787,312.74

TRIPPLEG

1.88

1.88

0

0

2,600

4,654.00

FIDSON

3.33

3.2

-0.13

0

1,041,859

3,341,290.11

UAC-PROP

16.2

15.4

-0.8

0

283,302

4,374,445.53

59

58.75

-0.25

0

688,238

40,215,196.10

FLOURMILL

68.11

68.11

0

0

102,346

6,677,951.21

UACN

FO

232.11

232.11

0

0

98,531

22,892,283.59

UBA

7.23

7.23

0

0

6,137,147

44,312,121.53

FTNCOCOA

0.5

0.5

0

0

50,960

25,480.00

UBCAP

2.17

2.16

-0.01

0

2,552,005

5,537,074.35

GLAXOSMITH

65.99

65.99

0

0

176,935

11,385,267.14

UBN

8.17

8.1

-0.07

0

378,251

3,064,071.13

GUARANTY

28.5

28.06

-0.44

0

7,200,192

203,468,910.40

UNILEVER

49

49

0

0

1,010,865

49,341,017.76

GUINNESS

190

185

-5

0

91,683

16,994,710.03

UNIONDAC

0.5

0.5

0

0

50

25

HONYFLOUR

4.1

4.1

0

0

192,863

790,383.59

UNITYBNK

0.5

0.5

0

0

1,493,422

746,711.00

IKEJAHOTEL

0.84

0.81

-0.03

0

860,246

702,672.46

UPDCREIT

8.7

8.7

0

0

50,000

416,030.20

INTBREW

27

27

0

0

47,460

1,272,210.00

UPL

4.1

4.3

0.2

0

306,068

1,308,560.71

0.5

0.5

0

0

500,000

250,000.00

INTENEGINS

0.5

0.5

0

0

103,347

51,673.50

UTC

JAPAULOIL

0.51

0.52

0.01

0

1,662,717

869,490.79

VETGRIF30

18.74

18.68

-0.06

0

10

186.8

983,770.50

VITAFOAM

4.15

4.15

0

0

98,607

411,547.59

JBERGER

65

65

0

0

15,550

JOHNHOLT

1.13

1.13

0

0

60,950

66,585.64

VONO

1.19

1.14

-0.05

0

105,000

119,950.00

JULI

1.84

1.84

0

0

10

17.5

WAPCO

118

120

2

0

1,329,648

158,780,791.40

LASACO

0.5

0.5

0

0

50,000

25,000.00

WAPIC

0.8

0.8

0

0

7,120,480

5,576,403.27

LAWUNION

0.5

0.5

0

0

679,489

339,744.50

WEMABANK

0.98

0.95

-0.03

0

661,286

629,561.10

ZENITHBANK

24.3

24.25

-0.05

0

2,989,085

72,532,745.69

LEARNAFRCA

1.59

1.58

-0.01

0

194,883

301,908.62

LIVESTOCK

3.15

3.28

0.13

0

1,783,591

5,714,225.15

MANSARD

2.61

2.5

-0.11

0

150,900

378,340.00

MAYBAKER

1.58

1.51

-0.07

0

230,578

348,172.78

MBENEFIT

0.54

0.54

0

0

537,778

290,405.12

MCNICHOLS

1.41

1.41

0

0

10

13.4

MOBIL

174

174

0

0

25,788

4,498,906.12

MRS

58.9

58.9

0

0

63,290

3,547,015.60

NAHCO

5

5

0

0

2,719,413

13,614,083.78

NASCON

9.98

9.5

-0.48

0

1,744,712

16,888,493.21

TOP 10 GAINERS Stock NEWGOLD NSEINDUSTR CONOIL NB WAPCO DANGCEM UPL LIVESTOCK EVANSMED AGLEVENT

Close 2019 2713.57 71.5 175 120 228.5 4.3 3.28 2.02 1.46

TOP TOP 10 10 LOSERS GAINERS Gain

Stock

Close

Loss

13 12.45 2.5 2.49 2 0.5 0.2 0.13 0.09 0.06

NSEASI 104.23 NSELOTUSISLM 10.04 NSE50 NSE30 GUINNESS NSEOILGAS CADBURY NSEBNK OKOMUOIL ASHAKACEM

41235.27

-

2745.11

-

2025.25 1869.52 185 471.8 60.21 415.18 34.65 32

-7.6 -5.1 -5 -4.68 -3.16 -3.1 -1.82 -1.14

THE basic fundamental of all economies is agriculture and all industrial nations know this. That their economies are on solid rock is basically because they have galvanized their agricultural potentials, which is also the offshoot of their industrial development That is why concerned citizens of Nigeria have continued to warn on the dangers of continued dependence In the nation on crude oil which is today the mainstay and sustaining source of the Nigerian economy.

THE traditional focus of the Nigerian economy before the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity was agriculture and it played a fundamental role in shaping the economy of the nation and regions as Nigeria was then constituted in its immediate post independence era.

IN the 1960s, each region of the country was noted for producing some cash crops such as cocoa, groundnut and palm oil as well as rubber in co quantities. Basically, the Wet tern region, now the political South West except Lagos which was the Federal Capital, was noted for producing cocoa in large commercial quantities for export. The revenue from cocoa helped in shaping the infrastructure and economic environment of then Western Nigeria and its legacies and landmarks were -very very visible, as they affected virtually all aspects of life of the people.

IN the Northern region, groundnut was the mainstay of the economy, to the extent that the volume produced in the region was typified by the “groundnut pyramid�. It symbolized the success of the crop as a veritable earner of revenue which impacted economically on the life of the people.

IN the Eastern region, palm oil was its

THE NIGERIAN

Improving National Agricultural Output predominant feature and similarly, it was a success in boosting the economic atmosphere of the country and tile region.

Interestingly, it is now an irony that Nigeria has been relegated to the background in palm oil production and has been overtaken

by Malaysia, a country which took the Nigerian specimen of the plant, palm kernel, and adapted it to its own climatic condition and is today a leading producer of palm oil, which is a major derivative of palm kernel.

SIGNIFICANTLY, the Midwest region was noted for its rubber plantation and was quite a huge success as the crop played its role as a major economic transformation agent to shore up principally the economy of the region.

WE are concerned that there is slow progress in returning to the traditional focus of reviving these cash crops as major sources of revenue for the Federal Government.

HOWEVER, we are aware that not too long ago, the Federal Government launched the Cocoa Rebirth Initiative, as launch pad to regenerate interest in the crop and encourage farmers who have abandoned the plant to come back on the scene to make cocoa play its role in the national economy.

THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER implores the Federal Government to similarly create avenues for other cash crops as well as

sensitise farmers to take proactive action towards their cultivation.

WHILE the Federal Government has shown the interest to refocus attention to agriculture, there appears to he so much disinterest in the way it has pursued the goal.

THERE is no conscious effort to empower small scale Earners to undertake mechanized farming for greater yields, as this is still the exclusive preserve of the elite farmers. Thus, farmers who are interested in expansion have no way of coping with the financial demands to undertake mechanized farming. Access to bank loans is uncertain with high interest rate, serving as enough scare to discourage the desire for any expansion.

WHILE the banks may have played significant roles in the past in assisting farmers, they did so purely on the initiative of the individual farmers and therefore expect in the new arrangement as already envisaged, a friendly lending terms that will encourage investment in the agricultural sector. THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER now calls on the Federal Government to consider an upward review of allocation to the agricultural sector.

Amounts always allocated in the budget have been a pointer of the genuineness of government’s commitment to the agricultural sector.

WE assert that improving the national agricultural output should be devoid of any prohibition that will limit access to the fund by small scale farmers whose contributions to agricultural development for part of the concerted effort of the production chain that will lift the nation out of the continued dependence on oil.

Issues Discourse

Education For What?

A Case For Critical, Creative Thinking Relevance of the Question: IN asking. the question “Education for what?” one at first instance would seem to be inquiring into the obvious. It is the obvious because everyone knows that every level of education in Nigeria, at least as of now, has as its primary purpose the preparation of students for the next higher class. Thus nursery or kindergarten education is for preparing the child for entry into the primary school. The primary school in its turn aims mainly at preparing students for the next higher cadre, the high school or secondary school. The latter directs its energies to getting students ready for the tertiary institutions. That is what the new Nigerian educational “animal”— the 6-3-3-4 system — is all about.

The question, “Education for what?” becomes most relevant when a student has graduated from this last rung of the academic ladder, or even at any other earlier point possible to him or her. At that point it becomes necessary to ask what the student has been educated for. Put differently, the question which every formal educational institution should have asked itself or should be asking itself always comes into the lime-light.

Purpose of the Study: It is the purpose of this paper to establish that the giant and eternal aim of education should be education for critical and creative thinking. The question is of utmost importance today when people are asking whether indeed there is need for formal education since people are idle at the end of it all. Many institutions in this State have changed from “Boys’ High School” to “Community Secondary School” so as to

being forced on us as we watch the scientific and technological race going on now in our contemporary world.

The question is, can there be any over-riding aim that cuts or should cut across these various aims? What is the “heart of the matter’ in the educative enterprise?

Historical Overview of Educational Aims A review of the history of formal education in Nigeria will remind us that it was the missionaries who brought formal education first. They were interested in it because it favoured their evangelical motives.

To quote Fafunwa: The primary objective of the early Christian Missionary was to convert the ‘heathen’ or the benighted African to Christianity vis education, Knowledge of the Bible, the ability to sing hymns and recite catechisms, as well as the ability to communicate both orally and in writing were considered essential for a good Christian. The early missionaries realised the importance of training-preferably through the media of English and the local language -the local clergy, catechists, lay readers and pious or godly teachers who would minister to the needs of their own people.

The aim of formal education at this critical stage was therefore functional. It was geared towards making Christian converts and enabling them read and write so as to carry out their evangelical mission.

The second stage, like the first, was functional. Business firms and government bureaucratic process needed clerk, interpreters and office

By SIMON OKAFOR for political emancipation”, education for democracy”, and of course borrowing from Nyerere’s Arusha Declaration, .Ujamaa, we began hearing of “education for self-reliance” 3 Finally,’ came the articulation of the Nigerian aims of education ushered in by the significant 1969 National Curriculum Conference which gave rise to the Federal Government New Policy on Education published l971 revised 1981 and now undergoing another revision, It is at this point that impelled by the present

“New Policy on Education”, “New Maths”, new anything, we find that •our educative enterprise continues to be “as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.”

Now my proposal in this paper is that until we emphasize the development of critical and creative thinking in our educational theory and practice, we shall continue to be irrelevant in our educational products. Selfreliance as an educational aim will continue to elude us.

The current staggering mass

“Throughout all these stages of educational aims, it must be asserted that Nigeria never emphasised what we consider as “the heart Of the matter”, the centre of educative process, namely the development of critical thinking and creativity in the students.

That is why most of our education had been a matter of rotelearning, an imitation of the white man and slavery to text books.” accommodate boys and girls and finally ended up as “Girls’ High School” since there are no more boys to be found in the institutions. Where have the boys gone to? Disillusioned by what formal education can give them in terms of employment and economic well-being, they decide in time to take money making from an earlier stage of their lives. The question then is whether formal education is still important and germane even for boys. And if it is, what should be its principal aim?

The Issue of Aims in Nigerian Education In the past, education has had various aims. Some of them were indigenous to the conditions that obtained in Nigeria. Others were simply borrowed from the western world value-system and solgan-peddling. Others are

workers. That determined their interest in education. And people so educated found ready jobs on graduation.

Later, in imitation of the western world, emphasis was placed for a while on liberal education. The cultivation of the well-rounded individual who could master Shakespeare and the classics, quote in Latin and speak Queen’s English but hardly knowledgeable about the Nigeria situation.

The fourth stage of our educational process in Nigeria had to do with borrowing and developing Euro- American ideas and slogans, preparing Nigerian citizens for selfgovernance and so on. At this point we begin nearing of Valueladen slogans like “education for economic growth , education for national unity”, “education

world’s race for scientific and technological supremacy, Nigeria puts so much emphasis on the study of science and economic subjects. Scholarships and bursaries—titled very much in favour of students of such subjects as science and Business Administration to the detriment of those of Humanities and the Social Sciences.

The Missing Link.

Throughout all these stages of educational aims, it must be asserted that Nigeria never emphasised what we consider as “the heart Of the matter”, the centre of educative process, namely the development of critical thinking and creativity in the students. That is why most of our education had been a matter of rote-learning, an imitation of the white man and slavery to text books. That is why when we say

unemployment of the country challenges us with a new direction in our educational purpose. Ours must be education for critical awareness and creative ability. Without these, even our technological education will not yield the expected results. We shall ever remain technicians never technologists, mechanics never engineers, consumers never producers, imitators never initiators. God forbid!

Understanding the Concepts But to be able to develop critical thinking and creativity, we need to be clear of what they are. First let us examine critical thinking.

CRITICAL THINKING: Critical thinking is a mental process by which a person tries to see all the parts of a problem.

He is able to sift, assess, evaluate,

criticize his or other people’s view or any matter presented before him. He is able to see other sides of the coin. He sees other possibilities to a situation or event. Critical thinking is the opposite of being gullible or merely receiving a body of information handed down to one as “inert ideas”. The enemy of critical thinking is an unquestioning disposition that sees a one way Italic view of life and situations. This enemy of critical thinking is what we in our philosophy class have baptized as “Akwukwo bialu mentality”.

Literally it means “a - letter -

came mentality”. To fully appreciate the philosophical import of that phrase, it is necessary to hear the story of its ongoing. It was in 1969 during the Nigerian Civil War when I visited a church outstation in company of a newly appointed parish priest who was making his familiarization tour. The Parish Priest asked the Vice-Chairman of the Local Church Council (a prominent opulent - looking gentleman who, like many such “returnees” from the cities had assumed leadership role in his home community): “Have you a feeding Center here?”

He replied, “Yes we used to have one jointly organised by Caritas, W.C.C. and Red Cross.

But later a letter came asking us to stop Then asked the Parish priest, “From where did the letter come?.

The Vice-chairman replied, “I don’t know I only know that akwukwa bialu (a letter came) asking us to stop and we stopped”.

This reply is a sample of an unphilosophical mind, a mind that does not ask questions about the status quo.

A more philosophically minded leader should have asked from where the letter came, the authority behind it, the reason for its being written and not just

automatically stopping because akwukwo bialu. Critic thinking in education suggests therefore that it is not a matter of accumulating large bodies of knowledge.

Rather what is most important. is reflection, deep awareness, insight, deep understanding of the issues involved; a readiness to adjust to new possibilities. It is only when we begin to train our students from the very beginning to be that critical that they stand a chance of throwing their knowledge into new combination order to be productive. This leads us to the next concept — creativity.

Creative Thinking: Creativity is the disposition of a person to experiment and invent. From its Latin origin (creo”, “creare”), to create means to make out of nothing. Much as man may not play the role of the Almighty Creator, and literally make out of nothing, he can be original in combining what may have been there already. What is important is individual application that enables new discoveries.

R S. Peters upholds individual inventiveness and creativity as a desireable aspect of education that must be put into perspective If people are really creative, it will: enable them to turn the bookish knowledge they received in the school into tools for finding solutions to the problems of unemployment and everyday life.

Without sounding reductionism or pretending to provide a panacea, it is my contention in this paper that the solution to our problem of unutilized knowledge got from formal education, and indirectly the solution of our unemployment problem is a steady development of critical and creative thinking from the earliest school age. Conclusion: I cannot do better than end this paper with total agreement with Professor C. C. Ifemesia, Provost of Anambra State College of Education, Akwa, in his May 2, 1987 convocation address when he related the problem of Unemployment to the development of a critical mind.

Addressing the graduands threatened by the problem of unemployment he said: One pre-eminent advantage. of tertiary education is the training it gives the student in using his/her mind. This is the tune to apply your mind insistently on your problem of unemployment. Look around yourself, talk to people, ask questions.; and see whether there are any avenue you can pursue.

Learning to use your mind also implies keeping your mind supple and shock-proof: quick to respond to new ideas, not upset by unexpected’ developments. In this way, you will be receptive enough to recognize and follow the leads that may come your way; you will be prepared to relearn and retrain. For even at the very best of times, it is not always that people continue with their first or early interests.

Professor Ifemesia, was only paraphrasing the necessity of critical’ and creative thinking to solve the economic problem of Nigeria. The same can be said of our scientific, industrial and technological advancement. We can not make progress until we make the development of critical and creative thinking in our students the chief aim of our educational enterprise.

Issues Nature Science

Parasitic Worms

WORMS are lowly wriggling animals with long soft bodies and no backbone.

Grubs and caterpillars, which have worm-like bodies, should not be called worms because they are the larvae of insects. There are three large groups of worms-the flatworms, which include tapeworms, liver flukes and bilharzia; the roundworms or nematode worms, which include Ascaris (roundworm in man), Filaria and Ankylostorna (the hookworm in man); and the segmented worms, which include the earth worm. Many worms of the first two groups are internal parasites and cause serious diseases in man and animals.

Tapeworms are well-known

dogs. The eggs are set free into the soil or on vegetation; they are very small round, thick-walled bodies, each with six hooks. These eggs maybe swallowed by feeding pigs or cattle according to the species of tapeworm, and in the animal’s gut they penetrate a blood vessel.

Carried by the blood stream, they reach the muscles of the animal and here they grow into small bladder-worms known as cysterci. If such infected beef or pork is eaten undercooked, cysterci find their way into a man’s intestine.

A new head with hooks and suckers soon grows out of the cysterci and a new tapeworm begins its life in a new host.

Dogs often suffer from

by which it attaches itself to the host. The liver fluke lives in the bile duct of the host and causes fatal damage to the liver. It has both male and female organs in one individual and produces eggs which are deposited in the bile duct of the host. These eggs pass into the alimentary canal and out to the exterior with the animal droppings. In damp weather the eggs develop into swimming larvae which may reach the bodies of small water-snails, Limnaea, which live in moist vegetation or at the edges of water. The larvae penetrate the tissues of the

water contaminated by sewage, to several different species of water- snail, e.g.

Planorbis, Paludina, which is the inter mediate host.

Cercariae are set free into the water and people bathing in, or drinking, the water become infected. The disease can be cured by injections, but it can be prevented by keeping bathing places and water supplies free from contamination by sewage, and by boiling all drinking water.

Natural bathing pools should be kept free of weeds at their edges to prevent the snail living there. Proper sewage

flatworms which are parasitic on man and domestic animals.

In man the tapeworm lives in the intestine and attaches itself to the lining of the gut by means of a small head provided with four suckers and a ring of hooks. The body of the worm is like a long flat tape and is made up of many identical segments, called proglottides. The animal, surrounded by the digesting food, lies in the tract of the host and absorbs food through its entire body surface. It has no mouth or food canal and only moves very slightly. As the animal grows, new segments develop from the head end and the older ones are pushed further away; in this way the worm may become several feet in length.

Each proglottide can produce young, and from time to time ripe segments, full of eggs, break off from the end of the body and pass out to the exterior. Segments can sometimes be seen being passed out in the faeces of

tapeworms through scavenging or through eating infected meat. Tapeworms do harm by robbing the host of food, and the secretions from the worm are harmful. The cystercial stages of one type of tapeworm parasitic on man is found in fish, and a type which occurs in dogs has its cystercial stage in man and causes a serious disease. The proper disposal of night- soil, careful meat inspection and sufficient cooking of meat to kill cysterci, are methods of pre venting tapeworm which is still common in rural Africa and Asia. Drugs are available for killing tapeworms, and children and domestic animals should be dosed at regular intervals.

Liver flukes are flatworms which attack animals and cause a disease of the liver in sheep and cattle. The parasite is shaped like an ovate leaf, about I in. long. At the blunt end there is a triangular projection bearing the mouth, and just behind it is a sucker

snail and multiply in its body.

Eventually large numbers of small free-swimming creatures, known as cercariae, escape into the water from the body of the snail which then dies. The cercariae settle on the grass or other vegetation and, as the swamp dries, form thick-walled cysts which do not dry out. When the grass is eaten by sheep or cattle, the cyst wail is digested and the cercaria finds its way to the bile duct, there to become another adult fluke.

Schistosoma or bilharzia is closely related to liver flukes, and causes a serious tropical disease in man. It lives in the veins of the host. The male and female worms are separate individuals, but the female is smaller and is carried in a groove on the under-surface of the male The female lays eggs in the walls of the intestine or bladder causing inflammation and bleeding. The eggs are excreted with the body wastes and find their way, through

disposal and purified water supplies prevent the disease in urban areas.

The roundworm or Ascaris is a common roundworm or nematode which lives in the intestine of man. It has a small thread-like body which it can wriggle weakly, a small mouth and a straight alimentary canal which ends in a small anus. When fully grown it may reach 6 cm. in length and it remains attached to the intestine. Several hundred of them in one individual may cause serious deprivation of food for the host, and damage and irritation to the lungs and the trachea may be caused by the young worms moving in the blood stream.

Hookworms are very similar to roundworms but their effects are much more serious than Ascaris. These cause serious anaemia and general weakness because they become attached to the small intestine by hooked teeth and there they suck

blood.

Filaria spp. are roundworms which are wide spread in the tropics; they are parasitic in the blood of man but they require an intermediate host.

Guinea worm is perhaps the best known of these parasites; it is the large female of Filaria medinensis which lives beneath the skin in the arms or legs of man. The worm may be up to 3 ft. in length and it penetrates through the skin to the exterior in order to lay its eggs. These become washed off in water and infect a minute water animal, Cyclops. When water containing Cyclops is drunk, a person may become infected and in this way the parasite is spread. The opening made in the skin by the guinea worm should be washed with cold water daily for fourteen days, until all her eggs have been laid. Whilst she is emerging she can be coiled on a clean twig each day.

Filaria bancroftii causes elephantiasis blocking the Iymphatic vessels. The fully grown male is about 3 + in. long and the by female up to 6 in. The microscopic larvae are set free by the female into the lymphatics and reach the blood stream, where they are sucked up by mosquitos. They penetrate into the muscles of the mosquito and multiply; later they enter the salivary glands so that the parasite is distributed into new hosts when the mosquito feeds.

Filaria loa loa causes swellings in the body known as Calabar swellings and is distributed by the red Chrysops fly. The worm sometimes passes over the eye, below the conjunctiva, usually at night, but as drugs are now available which kill the worms in the blood, no attempt should be made to remove a filarial worm crossing the eye-ball. Only a skilled surgeon can remove it without danger of damage to the eye, and in any case the patient would not reach hospital before the worm had left the eye.

There are other species of Filaria, some of them very small, which have no harmful effects as far as is known.

However, these small worms moving about in the blood stream and lymphatics may cause unpleasant swellings and large worms in the body tissues may be dangerous; so, if possible, treatment should be taken to kill the worms.

Roundworms are regarded by

some biologists as the most abundant of animals in the world. They inhabit fresh water and soil and are very common in plant tissues of all kinds; they abound in very large numbers of animals from insects to cattle. A single horse or pig may contain several million roundworms in its body.

Other endoparasites.

Some insects may be regarded as endoparasitic because their larvae burrow, live and feed in living flesh of the host. The eggs of the Tumbu fly, a large Tabanid, are laid on clothes and bedding and penetrate human skin on contact. They develop into maggots which live by eating the flesh, and they cause a painful boil-like sore. As they grow they require more oxygen which they obtain from the air through a small hole in the skin. They emerge from the host to pupate, but if the swelling is covered with Vaseline or skin cream and then bandaged or taped, the larva emerges to breathe and adheres to the dressing which can be taken off the following day-a quite painless extraction! Cattle, sheep and horses are also attacked by flies, called Bot-flies, whose larvae have the same foul habit of burrowing in the flesh of the host and living there.

In some cases the eggs are licked by the host animal and swallowed. The resulting maggots grow and attach themselves to the animal’s stomach.

At some stage or other of their life history most groups of insects are ‘liable to attack from one or more parasitic insects. The eggs, nymphs and larvae are more commonly attacked than the adults. Thus the parasite is often protected during this stage of its own development, since it may spend the whole of its larval life concealed in the host’s body, which is often only a little bigger than the parasite.

Ichneumon wasps parasitise the caterpillars of moths. One remarkable ichneumon is able to lay its eggs in the grubs of the wood-boring beetle which lives inside a tree-trunk. The wasp has a very long thin ovipositor which finds its way vertically down through the wood into the grub, but how it knows that the grub is there is not known. Some very small related wasps even live in ant larvae. Tachnid flies, which look like small bristly house-flies, parasitise caterpillars, but other Diptera do not.

No vertebrate has adopted the parasitic habit: Culled from Andir Book of Science

Opinion Food Security And National Development

IT has been predicted that there would be a catastrophic widespread food famine, the type the world has never witnessed before the year 2020.

It is of common knowledge that the quality of the food a people eat is a reflection of their lives. In African setting, one of the achievements of a man is his ability to provide quality food for his family, an idea which the Holy Bible also prescribes.

By extension, any country that is self — sufficient in food production, and does not depend on other countries for the provision of food for her citizenry has reasons to be proud among comity of Nations.

Considering the abundant agro-opportunities around our country, Nigeria, there is no justifiable reason for her to be part of the over 1 billion people currently experiencing hunger across the world, despite the governments resolve to make the country one of the top 20 economies by the year 2020.

Food Security is an essential tool for national development. It might interest you to know that with little co-coordinated efforts to utilize the abundant human and Natural Resources, Nigeria can be reposition on the map of the world as a leading food producer. Most of what Nigeria needs to attain this enviable height is within her reach.

Compared with any country of the world, Nigeria has one of the best climate and land resources for produce would be enough for consumption, exportation and industrialization. There is a wide range of crops in which it enjoys comparative advantage.

Achieving food security in Nigeria is pivotal to national development. This is because it serves as boost to other sectors of the economy. It is a common saying that a hungry man, is an angry man, therefore a nation with a fragile food security will have a fragile internal security that could produce nothing better than a population of people with bottled anger, awaiting exposition.

It is a common knowledge that good food enhances immunity and good health, a well fed child can develop intellectually to justify investments in his education.

Besides, the nutritional values and industrial potentials, food is an International Identity, as world-class exported food tends to become cultural

By OJO ESTHER OFUJE ambassador for a country and its people.

According to a food expert, Mr. Kennedy Nwakapa, “food security exists when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary and food preferences for an active and healthy life style”. This is a fact that tends to have ended the intelligence of leaders of this nation, Nigeria.

Nigeria is predominantly an agrarian society, as a reasonable percentage of the population engages in Agricultural production though at subsistence level.

Agriculture holdings are generally small and scattered.

It provides about 41 percent of Nigeria’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1999 this percentage represented a normal decrease of 24.7 percent from 65.7 percent GDP in 1957. The decrease is still ongoing because, as economic development occurs, the relative size of agricultural sector usually decreases?

The fertility of the Nigeria soil and the wide range of varieties in climate allow it to produce a variety of food and crops. The staple major food crops include yam, cassava, corn, plantain, rice, sorghum and a variety of fruits and vegetables.

The leading cash crops are cocoa, citrus, cotton, groundnuts, palm oil, palm kernel, beans seed and rubber; they form part of Nigeria’s major exports commodities in the 1960s and early 70s. Chief among the export destinations for Nigeria’s agricultural products were Britain, USA, Canada, France and Germany.

Other aspects of the nations agricultural sector involves cattle herding, fishing, poultry and lumbering which contributed more than two percent to the GDP in the 1980s.

According to the United Nations food and Agricultural Organization (UN-FAO) 1987 estimate, there were 12.2 million cattle, 13.2 million sheep, 26 million goats, 1.3 million pigs, 700,000 donkeys, 250,000 horses, and 18,000 camels, mostly in Northern Nigeria and owned mostly by rural dwellers. Fishing out pet range from 600,000 to 700,000 tons annually in the 70s but statistical data indicated that all these aspects

of our agricultural sector have dropped to it’s lowest ebb due to numerous factors which must be overhauled if the nation must be on course for vision 202020 No country can truly be a truly great nation if it is not capable of feeding its citizens. Recent estimate put the number of hungry people in Nigeria at over 50 million, just less than 30 percent of

proffered. If Nigeria truly takes food security seriously.

This is because developments go hand in hand with the issue of food security in every nation of the world.

Although agriculture contributes about 42 percent of the country’s GDP. Provided employment means of livelihood for more than 80 percent of the productively engaged population, it receives less than 10 percent of the annual budgetary allocations.

Under funding in this regard is central to the crisis

Akinwumi Adesina, Minister for Agriculture the country’s total population in food production and food of about 160 million out of security in Nigeria which which about 52 percent live explains the high incidence under the poverty line. of poverty and As earliest stated in this underdevelopment. write up, Nigeria was self Akin to this problem is the sufficient in food production seemingly irresolvable and was indeed a net exporter incoherence in governments’ of food to other regions of the policy formulation and world. However, things implementation strategies. changed dramatically for the The fact remains that the worse following the global Nigeria agriculture is still too economic crisis that hit feeble to compete with the developing countries forces of Nature and the beginning from the late 70s, dynamics of the International coupled with ;the discovery of Market. The farmers are crude oil and subsequent incompetent to contend with rising revenue from the the challenges of the climate nations petroleum sector. change.

These provided a platform for With too little or too much the neglect of the agricultural rains, the Nigerian farmers sector and turned Nigeria into are still the losers because an a net importer of food. average farmer has no By 2009, for example, the stabilizing factors to cope Federal Ministry of with the challenges. The Agriculture and Rural farmers, still depends largely Development estimated that on traditional implement.

Nigeria was spending over 3 The Nigerian farm is still a billion Dollars annually on model of incompatible food Importation. marriage between new ideas Numerous factors are such as improved crop responsible for this ugly trend varieties and crude age-long in the nation’s agricultural working tools of bare — foot sector, these must be revisited old farmer. and appropriate solution

More so, with so many Agricultural and research institutes, Nigeria hardly needs more paper work.

Nigeria needs to move from crude to mechanized farming.

The machines can produce better than the crude method of farming by the fast ageing population of the poverty — ridden rural dwellers, struggling to feed million of Nigerian people.

Basic infrastructural facilities like good roads to access the rural areas where the bulk of the agricultural crops are cultivated are inadequate; lack of farm labour due to rural — urban drift, trade restrictions, illiteracy on the part of farmers, little or nongovernment assistance in providing some basic facilities like fertilizers, dams for Irrigation, storage facilities and credit facilities coupled with acts of nature such as drought and flooding are some of the factors militating against food security in Nigeria. The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Ayo Adesina recently in an interview with newsmen identified the appalling level of financing in Agriculture in comparison with their African Nations.

According to him “Nigeria spends only 3% or less of her entire budget on Agriculture.”

Other countries, much smaller than Nigeria do far more than this. Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi and Mozambique spend between 10-15 percent or more in agriculture.

The Minister pointed out that agricultural production low, nothing that yields of farms in Nigeria are extremely low, with the average yield of seed crops in Nigeria still at approximately one ton per hectare compared to the global average of five tons per hectare. The minister went on to say that “as big as Nigeria, only one percent of our farmers use modern seeds.” He pointed out that Nigeria is presently using 13 killogramme. Per hectare of fertilizer,” According to him “Now the global average is 100 killogramme, China is close to 400 per hectare. Most of the food we produce comes from expanding cultivated areas, not from increasing productivity per unit area.” In addition, he said a lot of what we produced is lost due to lack of proper storage and processing facilities, explaining that Nigeria farmers have been poor managers of agricultural resources due to poor planning. The Minister concluded that, Nigeria is now the largest importer of tomatoes paste from China

and Italy when we have tomatoes in abundance, wasting away on a daily basis due to no storage facilities.

The ongoing co-ordination between the ministry and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the efforts to reposition the agriculture sector is enjoying the support of industry analyst who seek enhanced Agriculture Productivity and the attainment of food security.

Attention was again drawn to the abysmal performance of the nations agriculture sector when the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi reeled out the facts and figures on why existing agricultural policies should be reviewed with the aim of improving out put from the sector.

Just as the CBN governor’s revelation show that Nigeria is incurring a total food import bill of $4.2 billion (about N638.4 billion) annually due to the neglect of agriculture, the governor proposed a completely new agriculture policy.

With all these problems bedeviling the nation’s agricultural sector, it must be reiterated that no government in Nigeria has displayed ignorance of the possibilities of food security in National Development. Whether their policies and programmes have been mere white elephant protect or paper tiger, whether they are blue print or mere political statements, whether they are genuine intentions or mere channels of siphoning public money are puzzles Nigerians have found difficult to give accurate definition.

It is high time Nigeria translated the country’s huge agriculture potentials into realities by encouraging local production and strengthening the value chain so as to make Nigeria self-sufficient and generate income and wealth for the Nigerian farmers.

If country must move from its current level to higher heights in food production and, if she desires true national development, then, food insecurity which is as a result of the under performance in the agricultural sector can only be turned around with more commitment on the part of policy makers.

In this is a sure way to put the nation on the part to attaining the millennium Development Goals and the transformation agenda of Mr. President. Besides, food security should be given greater priority in order to enhance self sustainability which is one of the prerequisite for National growth and development.

Midweek Magazine IT is a legal truism that by virtue of Section 131 (2) of the Evidence Act 2011, the burden of proving the existence of any fact, sometimes called onus of proof, lies on the party alleging that the accused person actually committed the offence. By onus of proof, it is meant the obligation which a witness bears to convince the Court or tribunal about the truth or existence or falsehood or non-existence of any fact before the court. Section 131 (1) of the Evidence Act 2011 states: “Whoever desires any court to give judgment as to any legal right or liability dependent on the existence of facts which he asserts must prove that those facts exist”.

This section of the evidence Act is fortified by the presumption of innocence of the accused person until the contrary is proved as expressly stipulated under Section 36 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which is why the prosecution bears the general burden of proof to the end of the trial in criminal cases. The word “must” is expressly used in this provision which makes it absolute for the prosecution in criminal matters to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The general notion under the rules of evidence is that whoever asserts the existence or non-existence of a fact must prove it. This is a common law notion incorporated in Section 131 (1) and Section 132 of the Evidence Act 2011. Section 132 states: “The burden of proof in a suit or proceeding lies on that person who would fail if no evidence at all were given on either side”.

In Adebayo v The State (1991), where the appellant was charged with murder and discharged after no case submission but convicted of manslaughter, the Supreme Court in a Judgment delivered

by Karibi-Whyte, J.S.C, held that, “Under the constitution, there is no onus on an accused person to establish his innocence. Hence, where at the close of a case of the prosecution, no case bas been made out against the accused, asking him to answer the charge connected with the offence with which he has been discharged, is a reversal of the constitutional presumption of innocence by asking him to establish his innocence. No court has such a jurisdiction.

Consequently, every proceeding subsequent to the

violation of the provisions of Section 33 (5, now 36 (6) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) is void having being conducted without competence. It follows that the conviction of the Appellant for manslaughter is void and of no effect”. This judgment is clear and final on issues relating to onus of proof vested in the prosecution and not the accused person.

The efficiency of the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in pre-trial investigation will in most cases determine whether or not the prosecution will be able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt so as to convict the accused person (s). Evidence is the backbone of criminal litigation and therefore the Court will usually rely on the weight of evidence before it in deciding whether or not the accused should be punished or set free. The prosecution must demonstrate that it has thoroughly investigated the matter before bringing the accused person to court.

It is therefore imperative that the IPO and his superiors should observe or follow legal and constitutional procedures in the process of investigating suspects before bringing them to court for trial. In my previous article, I itemized some of the rights of the suspect in pre-trial investigation and the powers vested in the Nigerian Police Force to apprehend, detain, investigate and subsequently charge the suspect to Court.

Please see Section 36 (1), (4), (5), (6 (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended). Also see sections 5, 179 (2) of the Criminal procedure Act (CPA) and sections 38 and 218 (2) of the Criminal procedure Code (CPC), Section 4 of the Police Act which states powers and procedures in pre-trial investigation. There are other provisions which must be complied with. See a legal practitioner for legal guidance.

Even though an accused person has the right to defend himself, it is strongly advised that a legal practitioner should be engaged to observe and represent him or her both at the police station and during court trials.

Exception to this rule is where the accused pleads “Alibi” claiming that at the date and time of the alleged commission of the crime he or she was far away from the scene of crime and as such could not have participated in the commission of the alleged

Pre-Trial Investigation In Criminal Litigation offence. But where the prosecution is able to prove that the accused person is a member of a criminal gang and did conspired and had knowledge of the commission of the offence; he or she will be liable under the criminal law rules of conspiracy and common intentions. I will discuss alibi as we progress in this piece.

Failure to comply with laid down procedure which must be observed by investigating police officer(s) or other categories of law enforcement agents may frustrate trial processes which may lead to the dismissal of the charge(s) or striking out the case; in which case the prosecution may come back to court when the proper procedure has been duly complied with. Striking out of cases or dismissals are usually experienced in situations where the prosecution has exhibited reasonable lack of willingness to go on with the case within reasonable time or where too many adjournment dates has been recorded without making significant process in the matter.

The time of the court is precious which is why the prosecution and parties to a matter must of a necessity do the needful to ensure that justice is achieved within a reasonable time. It is often said that “justice delayed is justice denied”. In Commissioner of Police v. Olaoyewole (2014), the court struck out the case on the ground that the matter had lingered on for more than four years without significant progress. The Counsel to the first defendant argued the prosecution had shown sufficient lack of seriousness in prosecuting the accused person and that the complainant attitude is weak coupled with his blunt refusal to attend hearing as required by law. Her Honour, Chief Magistrate Fabamwo of Magistrate Court 1 subsequently struck out the case on the grounds that the prosecution had wasted too much of the Court without making reasonable progress in the matter. Time is of the essence in criminal justice administration. Justice should not be delayed without reasonable cause. The death of a principal or core suspect or accused person may also end a matter, depending on the

nature and circumstances.

I will now proceed to discuss some of the essential sub-topics under the subject matter.

Police Interview is conducted at the police station after due cause in line with the provisions of the law. The suspect is entitled to remain silent and make his statement in the presence of his or her lawyer. Where the suspect is an illiterate, he or she is entitled to an interpreter without payment as provided under Section 36 (6) (c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and under Section 241 of the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA); affirmed in the court decision in Ogunye v.

The State, as well as Udeh v.

The State. The interpreter must be competent and knowledgeable in the language of the suspect or the accused person. In Ajayi v. Zaria Native Authority (1963), two of the interpreters used in the trial were found incompetent to interpret satisfactorily and the Supreme Court of Nigeria, set aside conviction of the accused persons on the ground that the right conferred on them by section 33 (6) (c) of the 1979 Constitution (now section (36 (6) (c) of the 1999 constitution) was not fully accorded them in that trial.

The right of the suspect or the accused person must be protected during interview and taking of the statement. Section 9 (3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State (ACJL 2007) makes provisions for video recording of statements of suspects in the presence of his legal practitioner. This enactment seeks to ensure that statement of the suspect was not taken under duress or undue pressure by the IPO or such other law officer charged with the responsibility of taking the suspect or accused person’s statement. Police interview is to cross-check the suspect’s side of the story with that of the complainant so as to determine whether or not an offence has been committed by the suspect or accused person. There can be no offence if a crime under investigation is not recognized by law or any enactment and punishment not provided. A crime is a crime if the law says so and nothing more. For example, “Bigamy” has been expunged from the Laws of

“The time of the court is precious which is why the prosecution and parties to a matter must of a necessity do the needful to ensure that justice is achieved within a reasonable time. It is often said that “justice delayed is justice denied”.

Exam

By DR FRED LATIMORE OGHENESIVBE Lagos State and it will be a futile exercise if a police arrest any man living in Lagos State or whose marriage was contracted in Lagos State over an offence boarding on adultery. Or instituting a divorce suit on the grounds of bigamy for a marriage contracted in Lagos State.

Section (9) (3) of ACJL provides: “Where any person who is arrested with or without a warrant volunteers to make a confessional statement, the Police shall ensure that the making of such statement is recorded on video and the said recording and copies thereof may be produced at the trial provided that in the absence of video facility, the said statement shall be in writing in the presence of a legal

statements must be voluntary and free from forceful extraction even though obtaining statement by torture may be permitted while dealing with hardened criminals in capital offences.

Judges Rules are aimed at ensuring that the statements made by the accused persons are voluntary. They are basically rules of administrative practice and not rules of law. Therefore, a breach of the rules will not render an otherwise voluntary confessional statement inadmissible as was decided in R v. Straften, R. v. Melanti; Abubakar v. the State. In Nigeria, the rules are applicable to Village Heads, Prison Warders and Police Officers.

The rules are to the effect that

practitioner.” It is clear that the statement must be taken either in the presence of the suspect’s or accused person’s lawyer or video recorded where the legal practitioner is not present.

This provision is intended to curb the numerous cases of torture, forceful extraction of statement by police officers anchored on humiliation, intimidating, torture and unlawful extortions inflicted on suspects on regular basis in some of our police stations across the country. Failure to comply with the procedure for obtaining suspect’s statement may fracture the evidence of the prosecution and subsequently set the accused person free at the trial. It is the law that confessional

when an accused is apprehended, he need not be told what to say. The investigator may accuse him or charge him or her of having committed a particular offence. Having been so informed of the offence for which he was apprehended, the investigators should endeavour to caution him as follows: “Do you wish to say anything in answer to the charge? You are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to but whatever you say may be put in writing and given in evidence in court.” However, an accused person may decide to write the statement himself or by someone at his direction in his or her presence in the

langu Alib which prove in an outsid the c techni comp the pr may r is rais it eve find o not at offenc the al suspe partic for th decide v. The The S order.

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or acc has d room in Oza person where consid the IP autho as it establ that w advan alibi a same, the pr on the is a co lead t accus liable Ide invest

Midweek Magazine mining Legal Technicalities

uage he or she understands. bi is a judicial mode of defense under h a suspect or an accused person es or tend to prove that he or she was other place or location within or de the jurisdiction of the court when rime was committed. The legal icality must be dully followed and lied with by both the accused and rosecution. In Nigeria, an accused raise a defense of “Alibi” and once it sed the prosecution must investigate en at pre-trial stages by the IPO to out if it is true that the accused was t the scene of the crime when the ce was being committed or to rebut libi if it was false. The accused or ect must also provide sufficient culars as to his or her whereabouts he prosecution to investigate as was ed in Madagwa v. The State; Ifeanyi e State, R. v. Johnson, Ikemson v.

State and Idowo v. Salami, in that . here the prosecution fails to tigate the alibi defense by the suspect

cused person and the accused person discharged his evidential burden, a for doubt has been created as decided aki v. the State. But where the accused n gives conflicting stories as to his eabouts at the material time under deration, there is no duty imposed on PO or any other law enforcement rity or officers to investigate the alibi will be assumed that no alibi was lished. It is the law and must be stated where an accused has disclosed in nce of the trial that he is relying on and the police failed to investigate , it will be inferred by the court that rosecution accepted the accused story e issue because alibi when established omplete and valid defense which may to the discharge and acquittal of the sed persons. Complainant may be in civil litigation. ntification parade in pre-trial tigation of criminal matters involves

the suspect being arranged in a line up among other persons having the same built, height, complextion, age and dress similar to that of the suspect.

The idea is to ensure that identification is relatively perfect, giving room to near probability of identifying the proper accused person or suspect. This is done where the identity of the accused person is in doubt and is in issue.

Under this arrangement as a procedure of the law, a witness is asked to identify the suspect out of these persons lined up before him or her and not guided in any way. Witness is not allowed to see the suspect alone and should never be shown the photograph of the suspect shortly before the identification parade as was decided in R. v. Dwyer; Sunday Omega v. The State and R. v.

Halsman.

Identification evidence is that which tend to show that the person charged for the commission of an offence or crime is the same as the person who was seen committing the offence as decided in Ikemson v. the State and Otti v. The State. Identification need not be made in an open because of the tendency to expose the witness to acute danger because the accused or suspect or his gang or relatives may attack the witness if they know his or her residence or other such places where witness that can be located. Therefore, the law enforcement authorities must do the needful within the provisions of the law and use

such discretions as permitted by the enabling laws and case laws to conduct identification parades.

Police bail is a constitutional right of the accused person when not related to capital offences. Capital offences are those punishable by death or life imprisonment which includes offences of Murder, Homicide, Rape, Armed Robbery, Mutiny, War Espionage (internal enemy of our country in times of war), et al. Therefore, right to bail for a suspect under police custody is constitutional under Section 35 (4) (b) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (as amended). Pre-trial bail is available to the suspect at the police station and police extract of his statement in the presence of his lawyer or on video if offence is committed in Lagos. Section 35 (6) provides that “any person who is unlawfully arrested or detained shall be entitled to compensation and public apology from the appropriate authority or person specified by law.”

The second kind of bail is the Pre-trail bail in court after the charges have been read to the accused person and upon acceptance that the matter should be tried in that court. If he objects to the trial of the case in the Magistrate Court and want it tried, for instance, in the High Court, suspect will be reminded in prison custody pending when case file will be transferred to the High Court through the usual administrative procedure.

Once bail is granted, the accused person and his or her surety is expected to meet the bail terms or conditions. Upon satisfying the court on the terms, his or her bail is processed and accused released on bail. Usually, sureties are made to sign congnisance forms which specify the amount to be forfeited to the court if the accused person jumps bail or cannot be produced in court by the surety.

It is strongly recommended that the surety should trust the character or pedigree of the accused person before signing bail bonds in court.

It follows that an accused person who is arrested or detained shall be brought before a court of law within a reasonable time, and if he is not tried within a period of two

months from the date of his arrest or detention in the case of a person who is in custody or is not entitled to bail; or three months from the date of his arrest or detention in the case of a person who has been released on bail, he shall without prejudice to any further proceedings that may be brought against him; be released either unconditionally or upon such conditions as are reasonably necessary to ensure that he appears for trial at a later date as decided in Eda v.

Commissioner of Police (1982.

In a situation where bail is refused in violation of the constitutional rights of the accused or where bail is an issue based on his or her fundamental rights to liberty under section 34 (1), Section 35 (4) (5) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (as amended), the suspect is entitled to apply to court under the legal instrumentality of Habeas Corpus to order the person or authority to produce the body of the accused and not whether he is guilty or not. The emphasis here is the production of the physical body of the accused in court and to show cause for the further detention of the accused person or suspect without trail.

Habeas Corpus proceedings are usually governed by State Laws and application is made ex-parte accompanied by a deposition of Oath, stating the facts and circumstances of the wrongful detention necessitating the filing of the application. It is a provision of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009 and is a potent and reliable weapon for the restoration of abridged and deprived fundamental rights of detainees anywhere in Nigeria.

In the case of Alhaji Manfred v. Inspector General of Police & others, the court ordered the immediate release of the applicant from detention as well as the release of his confiscated properties on the grounds that the Police lacked the power to carry out his arrest without sufficient evidence, and also had no powers to confiscate his property and personal effect without a valid court order.

It follows that where a police officer or authority confiscates or seize properties which belong to the suspect or

accused without first obtaining the order of court, such action is illegal and void ab initio and offends the rule of law. For example, the police have no right whatsoever to seize and retain the international passport of an accused or suspect without the order of the court as was decided in Director of State Security Services (SSS) v. Olisa Agbakoba.

In that case, the SSS was made to pay compensation plus public apology to the plaintiff.

Exhibits in police station are kept by the police in the registry department away from the reach of the accused person and tendered in court as evidence. However, there are a lot of difficulties connected with this especially in Nigerian Police Stations where there are lacks of proper facilities to keep exhibits.

Sometimes, exhibits disappear in police stations before the case commences in court.

Police Officers are prohibited from keeping exhibits in their private custody. All exhibits must be kept at the registry or such safe areas as provided by the police authorities.

Exhibits must be directly connected to the offence or crime committed by the accused person. Any other properties belonging to the accused persons not related to the offence committed should not be interfered with by the prosecution.

However, if the prosecution is convinced that certain properties so acquired by the suspect or the accused person is related to the proceeds from such offences, application must be made to the court and approval obtained before such properties can be confiscated. These include the personal effects of the accused person, monies in bank accounts, Vehicles, landed properties, et al.

In conclusion therefore, pre-trail investigations must be conducted or carried out with due compliance to the judge’s rules and other enabling laws and enactments. Time is of the essence in criminal law litigation which is why law enforcement agencies and

officers must of a necessity be proactive in the discharge of their duties. Unnecessary delay of court proceedings by the prosecution or the defense counsel constitutes to a large extent delayed justice which is why some of the criminal cases especially in the Magistrate Courts are dismissed or struck out where the court is of the opinion that too much time is being wasted as a result of multiplicity of adjournments coupled with failure of both complainant and accused person to attend proceedings.

A criminal charge may also be dismissed if the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and in such circumstances the accused person will be discharged and acquitted by the court. A person can be discharged but not acquitted. In such cases, the matter can be re-visited or revived in the future by the prosecution. But when an accused person is discharged and acquitted; the case dies or brought to an absolute finality and the accused person is clean as if he was never accused of the commission of the offence.

The Police must observe constitutional rights of the suspect or the accused person so as not to give room for quashing of charges that would ordinarily succeed based on the evidence before the court. One of such is where a suspect or accused person pleads alibi and gives particulars as to justify his claim but the police fails to investigate the particularly so provided. In this case, the court will assume that prosecution accepted the defense of alibi and the accused person may be discharged and acquitted.

Therefore, there is the absolute need for the training and retraining of crime detectors and core criminologists within the rank and file of law enforcement agencies and departments so as to upgrade their knowledge and skills in crime detection and prosecutorial legal capabilities.

Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, is a Human Rights Activist and Political Analyst. He is a full member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and Human Rights and Political Communication Committee member of the American Political Science Association (APSA) chaired at the New York University, USA.

“Police bail is a constitutional right of the accused person when not related to capital offences. Capital offences are those punishable by death or life imprisonment which includes offences of Murder, Homicide, Rape, Armed Robbery, Mutiny, War Espionage (internal enemy of our country in times of war), et al.”

Tourism AS peace and stability returns to Jos and other parts of Plateau, tourism sites are being upgraded to enable the state to maximise the gains from the expected influx of local and international tourists.

One the tourism sites under focus is the popular Jos Wildlife Park, located in the hilly Rantya area of the city.

Established 30 years ago, the park is famed as the biggest manmade zoological garden in the country, according to records from the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Like similar tourism facilities in Jos, the park has suffered much neglect over the years, with the downturn reaching a crescendo during the protracted crises and massive violence that rocked Jos and its environs for more than 10 years.

Naturally, international tourists avoided Plateau State like a plague during the period, while the residents were also too scared to visit tourism sites.

Mr Abraham Yiljap, Plateau State’s Commissioner for Tourism and Culture, recalls that at some point during the crisis period, it was very difficult to feed the animals, as the fear-stricken workers were too scared to venture out of their houses.

However, Jos Wildlife Park is fast regaining its status as a choice destination for local and international tourists, as the park recorded a boom in patronage during the last Christmas and New Year festivities.

Yiljap says that the state government is spending N2 billion to re-stock the park and transform it into a modern tourist centre.

“What we are doing is a sharp reaction to the huge decline in the fortunes and patronage of the park, following years of neglect.

“We want to upgrade the facility to enable it to realise its full potential; the multiplier effects are massive but we specifically target a situation where every family will want to visit Jos Wildlife Park and have a good time,’’ he says.

Yiljap describes the park as “very rich’’, adding that it is home to different species of rare animals like elephants, lions, hyenas, birds, chimpanzees, baboons and monkeys.

As part of efforts to make Jos Wildlife Park lively and

attractive to all kinds of tourists, the Plateau Tourism Development Corporation, the park’s managers, insists on retaining the hunting instincts in the wild animals, particularly the lions, by feeding them with live animals.

“We do not feed the lions with bones or food leftovers since they multiply consistently; they live in their natural habitat and when animals are thrown to them, they react as they would have reacted if they were in the forest.

“Our hyenas are also fed with foods that contain calcium, while our pythons eat rabbits. The monkeys are kept as naturally wild as possible and that is why some monkeys even stray into the neighbourhoods,’’ Yiljap says.

Investigations, however, reveal that some animals such as buffaloes, rhinos and

Repositioning Jos Wildlife Park For Quality Ecotourism giraffes are no longer alive but officials say that a special place had been established where the bones, skins and other features of the animals are conserved for interested visitors.

To keep the animals healthy, Yiljap says that the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, has attached some wildlife officers to the park to constantly look after the animals’ health.

“There is also an annual medical screening of the workers that come in contact with the animals, especially during feeding, so as to ensure that they do not transmit any diseases to the animals,’’ he adds.

As government intensifies efforts to upgrade Jos Wildlife Park, officials say that more animals are being acquired from various locations to increase the stock.

They say that over the years,

By EPHRAIM SHEYIN the zoo has received animals via exchange programmes with other zoological gardens like the Audu Bako Zoo in Kano, Karami Zoo in Maiduguri, while some animals are purchased directly from vendors and hunters.

The officials add that some animals are donated to the park by some individuals and via diplomatic channels, citing a recent instance where Namibia offered to donate some animals to the park, following requests by Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau.

Yiljap acknowledges that Jos Wildlife Park has lost a lot of revenue as a result of a decrease in tourists’ visits over the years, insisting, however, that the benefits of a functional wildlife park

cannot be measured just in monetary terms.

“Sometimes, students visit the zoo and the gains from such visits are usually massive; the young students learn to be animal-friendly and they also get to know how dangerous some animals could be.

“Again, the tourists usually stay in our hotels and make all manners of purchases; all of these add to the economic growth of Plateau,’’ he says.

Mr George Ajim, a teacher at Anglican Junior Seminary, Kafanchan, who has always led students on excursions to the park, agrees with Yiljap as to the usefulness of such outings.

“There is usually a lot of excitement among the students whenever we visit the park; it gives the students

an opportunity to see in real life, the animals they read about in books and see in pictures,’’ he says.

Ajim says that some of the most exciting sights are when students see the monkeys, chimpanzees and baboons jumping from one tree branch to another in their very natural habitat.

“The students also get to see dangerous reptiles and learn to stay off from places they could come in contact with them,’’ he adds.

Observers, however, underscore the need to fence the park, arguing that some monkeys sometimes stray into the neighbourhoods.

One of them, Jehu Yenlong, a worker in a federal agency, says that the animals ought to be constantly secured so as to protect them from the menace of poachers.

“Monkeys stray into

“One of them, Jehu Yenlong, a worker in a federal agency, says that the animals ought to be constantly secured so as to protect them from the menace of poachers.”

neighbourhoods and that is dangerous because they could be killed by people who have a taste for bush meat (meat of wild animals),’’ he says.

Analysts say that the park’s fencing is also imperative in order to guarantee the safety of residents of nearby communities and visitors, as the wild animals could sneak out from the park anytime.

They also want regular electricity and water supply to the park, insisting that the government should give this priority attention while expending the N2 billion voted for the park’s renovation.

All the same, Yiljap says that the ministries of tourism and agriculture are discussing ways of boosting agric tourism in the state by opening up more tourism centres at the Butura Cattle Ranch and the Panyam Fish Pond.

“We have also revived the Jos Polo Club to enable us to organise more polo tournaments after years of inactivity because of the insecurity in Plateau,’’ he adds.

All in all, analysts emphasise that the government and other stakeholders should make concerted efforts to fully develop the tourism industry in Plateau and boost its revenue-earning potential.

Natural Medicine

Causes Of Diarrhoea

DIARRHOEA is simply watery stool. When most unknowdgeable people have it, they rush to the chemist store to purchase anti-biotic. Trust the ignorant chemist man. He collects his money and hands over the drug to the person. Case close. The buyer leaves and begins to take the medication………

Here again is another classic of self medication and drug abuse. Who ever told the chemist man and the buyer that once you have diarrhoea that it is caused by germs? In case you don’t know, this is wrong diagnosis.

Diarrhoea has several causes. Firstly, you might have unknowingly stimulated an Acupressure point responsible for act wating colon evacuation.

And, so, you notice that you start discharging watery stool. Anyway, this is granted that you have been drinking lots of water while battling with constipation. Acupressure as a therapeutic methodology helps to send biologic energy to an organ lacking it so as to empower it to function normally. In this case, the colon as I said may have been stimulated positively to purge itself because of an accidental manipulation of an acupressure point.

Secondly, diarrhoea could be triggered by allergy. Maybe the food you have eaten contains an allergen. Pepper could be an allergen or a mere uncomplicated stimulant in pepper soup. Excess of it could bring about watery or soft stool if you are not accustomed to high amounted of it. Don’t

forget some people have running nose after eating food with lots of pepper.

Running nose and running stomach in this case are of the same family.

Thirdly, do you eat much salt or sugar? Then, don’t be surprised. You may have diarrhoea often. Reason?

Some adults have lactose intolerance. This means they lack adequate lactase enzyme in the stomach for digesting all the sugar they have eaten. Therefore, some undigested sugar escape to the colon. There, they are fed on by bacteria with the by-products being loose, water stool and gases which cause abdominal cramps as well as bloating.

This is one side of the story, however.

Now to the other one.

Each time you eat excess sugar and salt, most of them pass into the colon.

Thus, there is a build-up of concentrated sugar and salt there triggering off osmosis. Hence, there is movement of water from the surrounding region of low concentration of sugar/ salt outside the colon into it having a high concentration of these substance. When this water enters the colon, the stool there is liquefied, becoming watery or very soft. A knowledge of this colonic mechanism is used by knowledgeable, discerning people to limit their constipation when there is no handy natural products within reach to be used for it. All they do is drink a teaspoon of salt in quarter litre of warm water.

Twenty minutes later begin to sip hot water, without food, for two hours.

However be warned. Don’t

abuse this therapy.

Excess salt is unhealthy.

It leads to loading the body with too much sodium, a condition associated with water retention and flooding of the cells. Also, it may trigger hypertension and/or worsen it.

Furthermore, excess salt inhibits your blood circulation within atleast 30 minutes of salt consuming it. Because

biologic energy is no longer flowing to the colon.

Invariably, the colon is unable to perform its normal function of absorbing excess water from the stool so as to solidify it. Consequently, liquid stool result. If you want to know whether your solar plexus has been displaced, wake up early in the morning before dawn.

Place your index finger on your navel while still lying

some studies have shown that high intake of salt constricts cells lining the arteries predisposing them to become narrow, momentarily.

Also, diarrhoea or watery stool could result from a displacement of your solar plexus from its original central position inside your navel. When this occurs, the appropriate voltage of

in bed. Listen carefully.

You will hear a pulsating beat there. If you don’t, then your solar plexus is displaced. Rectify it. The location of your solar plexus is very critical to your health status. I must not forget to add here that diarrhoea may be a sign/ symptom of an underlying disease in your body. A lot of illness have diarrhoea as

With Dr Mao 08030717341

part of their symptoms. It is only through differential diagnosis that the specific illness is known before treatment is administered.

Alternatively, diarrhoea could be prognostic complication of a disease that may have become chronic. Note a sign/ symptom is the way a disease manifests in the body while prognostic complication is the resultant effect of a disease progression in a person.

Both the signs, symptoms and complications disease

diarrhoea. Anti-biotics should be used properly only when you need them.

Just pooping them without regards to dose and duration is what may lead to the destruction of friendly bacteria in the guts. This situation causes an in balance in the distribution of friendly and unfriendly, pathogenic bacteria there. When this occurs, diarrhoea induced by germs often result which no anti-biotics in the world can treat.

What you do is to restore

cause discomfort. If care is not taken they can kill.

The lesson here is that you should never delay in the treatment of diarrhoea after identifying its cause.

Maybe, you should be reminded that “ordinary” diarrhoea is one of the 7 child-killer diseases in modern times.

Next on my list is the role of anti-biotic abuse in

the floral balance of friendly and unfriendly bacterial in the gastrointestinal tract with probiotics. That is all.

Then, normalcy is restored to the tract without drugs.

A properly functioning gut with a balance of friendly and unfriendly, pathogenic bacteria keeps infection away from the gut.

Sometimes, though, the scientific /medical cause of diarrhoea may not be known while over consumption of fruits like mangoes, pineapples and bananas may trigger off diarrhoea. So watch it.

Don’t over-simply diarrhoea. Many factors are responsible for it.

“The lesson here is that you should never delay in the treatment of diarrhoea after identifying its cause.

Maybe, you should be reminded that ordinary diarrhoea is one of the 7 child-killer diseases in modern times.”

New Horizon

Realization From The Teachings

ONE idea that I see clear as day light, is that misery is caused by ignorance and nothing else. Who will give the world light? Sacrifice in the past has been the law - it will be, alas, for ages to come. The earth’s bravest and best will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of many, for the welfare of all. Budd has by the hundred are necessary with eternal love and pity. Bold words and bolder deeds are what we want. Awake, awake great ones! The world is burning with misery. Can you sleep? Let us call and call till the sleeping gods awake, till the gods within answers to the call. What more is in life?

What greater works? The details come to me as I go on.

I never make plans. Plans grow and work themselves out. I have lost all wish for my salvation, I never wanted earthly enjoyments. 1 must see my machine in strong working order, and then knowing sure that I have-put in a lever for the good of humanity, in my country at least, which no one can stop, I will sleep without caring what will be next, and may 1 be born again and again, and suffer thousands of miseries so that may worship the only God, Jehova, Allah, Krisna that exists, the only God I believe in, the sum total of all souls and above all my God of the wicked, my God of the miserable, my God of the poor of all races, of all species, is the special object of my worship.

It is our privilege to be allowed to be charitable, for only so can we grow. The poor man suffers that we may be helped. Let the giver kneel down and give thanks, and let the receiver stand up and permit. Sec the back of every being and give him. Hold your money merely as custodian for what is God’s, (lave no attachment for it. Let name and fame and money go, they are a terrible bondage for man in the entire world. Feel the atmosphere of freedom. You are free and free. Oh blessed am I! Freedom am I! I am the existing spirit soul. And in my soul, I can find no beginning and no end. All is the self within. Never think you can make the world better and happier. The bullock in the oilmill never reaches the wisp of hay tied in front of him, he only grinds out the oil. So we chase the will-O-the-wisp of ’

happiness that always eludes us and we only grind nature’s will, then die merely to begin again.

If we could not get rid of evil, we should never catch a glimpse of anything higher, we would be satisfied and never struggle to get free. When man finds that search for happiness in matter is nonsense, then religion begins. All human knowledge is but a part of knowledge. Look upon every man, woman, and everyone as a spark of the supreme Lord.

You cannot help anyone but you can only serve the children of the Lord, serve the Lord himself if you love the privilege. If he grants that you can help any one of his children, blessed are you. Do not think too much of yourself.

Blessed you are that privilege was given to you when other had it not. Do it only as a worship and service. I should see God in the poor and it is for my salvation that I go and worship them.

The poor and the miserable are for our salvation, so that we may serve the Lord, coming in the shape of the lunatic, the beggers, the sinners etc.

Behold are these words, and let me repeat that it is the greatest privilege in our life that we are allowed to serve the Lord in all these shapes. Give up the idea that by ruling over others you can do any good to help them.

Of course all animals are temples of God, but man is the highest, the Taj Mahal of Temples. If one cannot worship in that temple, no other temple will be of any advantage. Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature externally and internally, by work, service, worship, psychic control or philosophy - by one or all these to be free.

But the highest is an unalloyed devotional service to the supreme Lord. All truth is eternal! Truth is nobody’s property. No race, no individual can lay any exclusive claim to it. Truth is the nature of all souls. Who can lay any special claim to it. But it has to be practical, to be made simple (for the highest truths are always simple), so that it may penetrate every core of human society, and become the highest intellects and of the commonest minds, of the same time. All these ratiocinations of logic, all these bundles of

metaphysics, these theologies and ceremonies may have been good in their own time, but let us try to make things simpler and bring about the golden days, when every man will be a worshipper, and the reality in every man will be the object of worship. He who loves all beings without distinction, He indeed is worshipping best his God. Let us perfect the means,

all its evil, is but a series of paintings and scenes on a canvas of which I am the witness. He who is alone is happy. Do good to all, like everyone, but do not love everyone. It is bondage, and bondage brings only misery.

Live alone in your mind that is happiness. To have nobody to care for and never minding

the end will take care of itself.

For the world can he good and pure, only if our lives are good and pure. Therefore, let us purify ourselves, let us make ourselves perfect for the pure in heart, shall see God. When we cease to see evil, the world must end for us since to rid us of what mistake, is its only object. To think there is any imperfection, creates it.

Thoughts of strength and perfection alone can cure it. Do what good you can, some evil can inhere in it, but do all without regard to personal result, give up all results to the Lord, then neither good nor evil will affect you. The less the thoughts of the body, the better. For it is the body that drags us down.

It is attachment, identification, which makes us miserable. That is the secret. To think that I am the spirit and not the body and that the whole of this universe with all its relations, with all its good and

who cares for one is the way to be free. Do not blame any supernatural being, neither be hopeless and despondent, nor think we are in a place from which we can never escape unless someone comes and lends us a helping hand. That cannot be, says the good hooks. We are like silk-worms.

We make the thread out of our own substance and spin the cocoon, and in course of time, are imprisoned inside. But this is not for ever. In that cocoon we shall develop spiritual realization, and like the butterfly come out free. Truth never comes where lust and fame and greed of gain reside.

No man who thinks of woman and his wife always will ever be perfect. Nor he who owns the least of things, nor he whom anger chains, can ever pass through Maya’s gales.

So give these up. The time was ripe for one to be born, who in one body would have the brilliant intellect and the

With VICTOR ANIUKWU wonderfully expansive, infinite heart of the lord, one who would see in every sect the same spirit working, the same God, one who will see God in every being, one whose heart would be for the poor, for the weak, for the outcast, for the down-trodden, for everyone in the world, and at the same time whose grand brilliant intellect would conceive of such noble thoughts as would harmonise all conflicting sects, within and the continent, to bring about a marvelous harmony. Through thousands of years of chiseling and modeling, the lives of great spiritual masters of Yore came down to us, and yet most of us don’t take adequate advantage.

follow the instructions of the masters by been intensely sincere, unselfish, and above all, trying to be perfectly pure.

In this life time, there is no time for the exchange of compliments. We can compare and compliment each other to our hearts content after the battle is finished.

Finally, compare and contrast these sayings of the ancient wisdom and see where you belong: “who knows that he knows not, and knows that be knows not and does not want to know, is a fool-avoid him.”

“He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, and want to know — is a child, teach him! AND

Spiritual masters are triumphant examples, a living example and realization of the complete conquest of lust and of desire for money. The spiritual master is beyond all ideas and such men are necessary for this century.

Their renunciation is necessary in these days when men have began to think that they cannot live a month without what they call their “NECESITIES,” and which they are increasing out of all proportion. It is necessary in a time like this that a man should rise to demonstrate to the skeptics of the world that there yet breathes a man who does not care a straw for all the gold or all the fame that is in the universe. It is the spiritual master who will lead the march of salvation of the world, it is the spiritual master who will sterm the tide of degeneration at the sacrifice of name, fame, wealth and enjoyment. The Lord is always with us as the super soul and if we try to

He who knows and knows that he knows and wants to know is a wise man -follow him.”

Please be wise enough to choose, don’t be shy and don’t pretend to be where you are supposed to be.

In spiritual practice, a good grade of sincerity, is required to sail through at all time.

When you have chosen, then see how you improve yourself and the chances that will come your way.

Today is best to choose and develop, tomorrow may be too late because death comes like a thief and developing constantly spiritually, is like preparing for once death and after. There is no loss nor diminution whatsoever. One who craves sincerely for eternity knows this and always sees himself like “A questful man on a life journey, who does not look back, even when the dogs are barking.” “He Continues on page 24

Place Of Prayer

With Pastor Samuel O. Osaghae SMS Only 08030809339

“You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, but you’ll need it to become a stronger person.”

Intimacy With God: WHEN God made man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, God gave him an instruction to have dominion overall of His creation. Man therefore had all that he needed to dominate the earth.

He however lost it when he disobeyed God and fell from grace. The purpose of Christ’s death was to restore man to God’s original plan. Every man that accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour receives what it takes to dominate the earth.

This dominion is, however, only possible when there is a consistent intimate relationship with God. This can be illustrated with the image the Potter and the clay as seen in Jeremiah 18:1-6.

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house) and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter house and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 0 house of Israel, cannot do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, 0 house of Israel.

In the scripture above, God took Jeremiah to a Potter’s house to learn a very

The Secret

Of Dominion

important lesson. A potter moulds objects, especially pottery using clay as his raw material. Without clay, the potter cannot achieve his desire of creating a beautifully designed piece of pottery that is both attractive to people and also useful to them. The clay on the other hand is useless all by itself; it is ordinary dirt and thus is unattractive in its raw state until a Potter decides to make use of it to achieve a design he has in mind. The more time and effort a Potter puts into his creation, the greater the value that will be placed on it. The implication of this therefore is that for there to be a wonderful, beautiful and attractive creation of the Potter, there has to be contact between the Potter and the clay. This contact between the Potter and the clay that brings about a wonderful creation of art can be described as Intimacy.

Spending quality time with God on a consistent basis is the only requirement for you to turn up eventually as a

complete, welt packaged, attractive and useful masterpiece. The more time you spend in divine intimacy, the better you become; for it is in intimacy that God moulds you into His purpose for your life.

At the Potter’s house.

Jeremiah learnt that no matter how badly damaged a person is, if he remains in intimacy with God, he would be moulded into God’s purpose for him. The clay needs to maintain contact with the potter’s hands in order to be moulded into a wonderful object. Intimacy of the clay with the Potter’s hands guarantees hope no matter the extent of damage the clay has experienced; as long as the clay is in continuous intimacy with the potter’s hands, it can still be moulded to the pattern that the Potter desires. God is the Potter and we are the clay.

We cannot create ourselves, neither can we give useful form to our dreams and desires, we need God to succeed and bring our beautiful heart desires to

fulfillment. When you maintain contact and sustain intimacy with the potter, no matter how badly you have been marred by your mistakes and wrong activities, you can still be made to suit God’s purpose. He will still fashion you into what He wants you to be. Don’t break out of the reach of the potter, because then there will be nothing He will be able to do for you.

God’s thoughts towards you are thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you an expected end Jer. 29:11. God’s expected end for you will come to fulfillment only if you remain in intimacy with Him. One interesting thing about making pottery or other objects with clay is that the Potter uses his hands. Usually there is contact between the Potter’s hand and the clay from start to finish. This intimacy between the Potter and the clay must be sustained if the creation must come out very well and be attractive to prospective buyers. As long as you submit yourself to the master’s will, knowing that you cannot make anything good out of your life all by yourself, He

will certainly bring out the best in you. The only way you can rule, dominate and succeed without limit on earth is by maintaining contact with Adonai- the Master and Owner of your life. Without God you can do nothing; all your personal efforts will be in vain. But with Him directing your path, you can be sure of getting to the peak of your pursuits with minimal effort.

This Bible illustration of the Potter and the Clay is similar in some respects to another illustration, this time not from the Bible: the parable of the pencil: The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

‘There are 5 things you need to know, “he told the pencil, ‘Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never for get, and you will become the best pencil you can be.’

“One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand.’

“Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.”

“Three: I will be able to correct mistakes you might make.”

“Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s inside.”

“And Five: On every surface you are used on, you

must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.”

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now remember the pencil is like you. Always remember it and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God’s hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, but you’ll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: God will be able to forgive mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

By understanding and remembering, let us proceed with our life on this earth having a meaningful purpose in our heart. Never forget, He is the Potter, we are the clay, He has a great picture about us already in His mind. He can see our beautiful end right from our rough beginning and He shapes and moulds us day by day into His will.

“On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.”

Israel Destroys 2 Gaza High Rises GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel bombed two Gaza City high-rises with dozens of homes and shops yesterday, collapsing one building and severely damaging the other in a further escalation in seven weeks of cross-border fighting with Hamas.

In the past, the military has hit targets in high-rises in pinpoint strikes, but left the buildings standing. Since Saturday, it has toppled or destroyed five towers and shopping complexes in an apparent new tactic aimed at increasing pressure on Hamas.

Tuesday’s strikes leveled the 15-story Basha Tower with apartments and offices and severely damaged the Italian Complex, built in the 1990s by an Italian businessman, with dozens of shops and offices.

Both buildings were evacuated after receiving warnings of impending strikes.

Gaza health official Ashraf alKidra said 25 people were wounded in the attack on the Italian Complex.

The Israeli military said it targeted sites linked to militants yesterday, but made no specific reference to the two buildings.

Israel alleges Hamas often operates from civilian locations.

The military has not said why it has begun collapsing large buildings, rather than carrying out pinpointed strikes against suspected militant targets located there.

Also yesterday, two people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Gaza City, police said.

Israel’s military said it carried out 15 air strikes in Gaza on yesterday.

It said eight rockets were launched from the coastal strip at Israeli territory, including one that cause extensive damage to a home in the southern city of Ashkelon and lightly injured more than a dozen people there.

The latest strikes came as Egypt urged Israel and Hamas to resume indirect talks on a permanent cease-fire, based on an Egyptian proposal for a new border deal for blockaded Gaza.

The Egyptian offer calls for a gradual easing of restrictions on trade and movement in and out of Gaza and would give Hamas’ Palestinian rival, President Mahmoud Abbas, a foothold in

Gaza.

Hamas seized Gaza from Abbas in 2007, triggering the blockade that has been enforced to varying degrees since then.

Israel and Hamas have not responded to Egypt’s latest call.

Gaza’s war has so far killed at least 2,133 Palestinians and wounded more than 11,000, according to Palestinian health officials. The U.N. estimates more than 17,000 homes have been destroyed, leaving 100,000 people homeless.

On the Israeli side, 68 people have been killed, all but four of them soldiers.

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Chinese J-11 fighter jet is seen flying near a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon about 215 km (135 miles) east of China’s Hainan Island recently.

US To Track Jihadists In Syria DAMASCUS - The United States is poised to send spy planes into Syria to track Islamic State jihadists whose advances have sparked international concern and American air strikes in neighbouring Iraq.

A US official confirmed the plans after Syria said on Monday it was willing to work with the international community, including Washington, to tackle extremist fighters.

But American officials said they did not plan to ask Damascus for permission for the flights, despite Syrian

insistence that any military action on its soil must be coordinated in advance.

International concern about IS has been rising after a lightning offensive by the group through parts of Iraq and a string of brutal abuses, including the murder of US journalist James Foley.

The United Nations has accused IS and affiliated groups in Iraq of carrying out “ethnic and religious cleansing” that could amount to crimes against humanity.

On Monday, Damascus said for the first time that it was willing to work with the

international community, including the United States and Britain, to tackle “terrorists” including IS and Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front.

But Foreign Minister Walid Muallem also made it clear that Syria would not accept unilateral military strikes by the United States or any other country.

“Any violation of Syria’s sovereignty would be an act of aggression,” he said.

There would be “no justification” for strikes on Syrian territory “except in coordination with us to fight terrorism”.

Muallem said Syria was seeking cooperation within an international

or regional coalition, or at the bilateral level within the framework of a recent UN Security Council resolution targeting IS and Al-Nusra. but it remains unclear whether the international community will be willing to cooperate publicly with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which has been engaged in a brutal effort to put down an uprising that began in March 2011.

Washington has accused Assad’s regime of using chemical weapons against his own people and carrying out other widespread abuses.

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All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko walks down a flight of stairs upon his arrival at an airport outside Minsk yesterday.

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I, Mr. Aigbe Osazumamwen Faith wish to bring for the information of the general public that I am the same person as Mr. Aigbe Faith .O. Henceforth, I am now properly known and addressed as Mr. Aigbe Osazumamwen Faith.

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Ukraine Airs Video Of Captured Russian Soldiers

MINSK/KIEV - Ukraine released video footage yesterday of what it said were Russian soldiers captured on its territory, only hours before the presidents of the two countries were due to meet for the first time in months.

In Moscow, a military source told Russian news agencies that a group of soldiers had surrendered to Ukrainian forces after crossing the

border by accident.

Russia has always denied assertions by Ukraine, backed by the United States and the European Union, that it has been sending arms and troops across the borer to support pro-Moscow separatists. The rebels have been fighting Ukraine’s army since April in a war that has killed over 2,000 people and triggered

Western sanctions against Russia.

Yesterday’s video provided the strongest evidence yet to back up Kiev’s claims, sharply raising the stakes before a meeting between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in the Belarussian capital Minsk.

It came a day after Ukraine’s

state security service said it had detained 10 Russian paratroopers who had crossed the border in a column of several dozen armed infantry vehicles.

In footage posted on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian government’s “anti-terrorist operation”, the men were shown dressed in camouflage fatigues.

One of them, who identified

himself as Ivan Milchakov, listed his personal details, including the name of his paratroop regiment, which he said was based in the Russian town of Kostroma.

“I did not see where we crossed the border. They just told us we were going on a 70 km (45-mile) march over three days,” he said.

“Everything is different here, not like they show it on television.

We’ve come as cannon fodder,” he said in the video.

Another man in the footage, who gave his name as Sergeant Andrei Generalov, said: “Stop sending in our boys. Why? This is not our war.”

Russian news agencies quoted a defense ministry source as saying Russian servicemen had crossed into Ukraine inadvertently.

With VICTOR ANIUKWU

New Horizon Continued from Pg 20 whom these teachings elevate not, is not worthy to be human being.”

Factually, if you are a fool I may avoid you, if you are a child, I will try to teach you, and if you are a wise man, I will follow you. Of course the wisest man on earth today, IS A Genuine Spiritual Master.

Be wise to choose — Now. Can religion really accomplish anything? It can to an extent. It has helped man to be what he is in the past and in the present.

The ideal of all religion, all sects, is the same - the attaining of liberty, the cassation of misery. Not a drop will be in the ocean, not a twig in the deepest forest, not a crumb in the House of the god of wealth, if the Lord is not merciful.

Streams will be in the desert and the begger will have plenty if he wills it. He seeth the sparrow’s fall. Are these but words or literal, actual life?

These prophets were not unique; they were men as you are or I. They were great human beings. They had gained super-consciousness, and you and I can get the same.

The very fact that one man ever reached that state, proves that it is possible for everyman to do so. Not only is it possible, but every man must, eventually, get to that state, and that is religion. Religion of the world have become lifeless mockeries. What the world wants is CHARACTER. The world is in need for those whose life is one burning love, scllless. That love will make every word tell like thunderbolt. If there is ever to be a universal religion, it must be one which will have no location in place or time, which will be infinite like the God it will preach, and whose sun will shine upon the followers, saints and sinners alike, which will not be related to Buddism, Christianity nor Mohammedanism, but the sum total of all of all these, and will still have infinite space for development, which in its catholicity will embrace in its infinite arms, and find a place for, every human being, from the lowest groveling savage not far removed from the brute, to the highest man towering by the virtues of his head and heart almost above humanity, making society stand in awe of him and doubt his human nature.

It will be a religion which will have no place for prosecution or intolerance in its polity, which will recognize divinity in every man and woman, and whose whole scope, whose whole force, will he centered in aiding humanity to real, its own true, divine nature.

What I want to propagate is a religion that will be equally acceptable to all minds. It must be equally philosophic, equally emotional, equally mystic, and equally conducive to action.

And this combination will he the ideal of the nearest approach to a universal religion. Would to God that all men that all were constituted that in their minds all these elements of philosophy, mysticism, emotion, and of work were equally present in full. This is the ideal, my ideal of a perfect man.

Everyone who has only one or two of these elements of character, I consider “onesided” and this world is almost full of such “one-sided” men, with knowledge of that one road in which they move, and anything else is dangerous and horrible to them. To become harmoniously balanced in all these four directions is the ideal essence of religion.

Hindus accept every religion, praying in the mosque of the Mohammedans, worshipping before the fire of the Zoroastrians and kneeling before the cross of the Christians. knowing that all the religion, from the lowest fetishism to the highest absolutism, means so many attempts of the human soul to grasp and realize the infinite, each determined by the conditions of its birth and association, and each of them marking a stage of progress.

We gather all these flowers and hind them with the twine of Love, making a wonderful bouquet of worship. Religion is realization, not talk, not doctrine, nor theories, however, beautiful they may he. It is being and becoming, not hearing or acknowledging, it is the hole soul becoming changed into what it believes.

This life is short, the vanities of the world are transient, but they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead that alive. Be you holy and, above all, sincere, and do not for a moment give up your trust in the lord and you will see the light. Whatever is truth will remain forever, whatever is not, none can preserve.

Whatever others think or do, lower not your standard of purity, morality and love of God. No one who loves God need fear any jugglery.

Holiness is the highest, and divinest power on earth and in heaven. Truth alone triumphs, not untruth. Through truth alone is opened the Way to God, do not care for a moment who joins hands with you or not, be shire that you touch the hand of the Lord. Let there he a dozen lion—soul in each country lions who have broken their own bonds, who have touched the infinite, whose whole soul is gone to realize

... From The Teachings

God, who care neither for wealth, nor power, nor lame, and these will be enough to shake the world. Those who give themselves up to the Lord do more for the world than all the so—called workers. If you seek your own salvation, you will go to hell. It is the salvation of others that you must seek and even if you have to go to hell in working for others, that is worth more than to gain heaven by seeking your own salvation. No one ever succeeded in keeping society’ in good humour and at the same time did great works, one

claimed has been his practice.

And Jesus Christ gave him another acid test to go sell all his properties, share the money realized to the poor and come back to him. This follower of Jesus went away lamenting why he had to come to Jesus and never did what Jesus ask him to do nor did he return back to Jesus as instructed. Let every one work out his own vision of this universe, according to his own ideas.

Injure none, deny the position of none, take man where he stands and if you can, end him a helping hand and put

looks on. More and more of the true greatness seems to me that of the worm doing its duty silently steadily, from moment to moment and hour to hour.

Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it be after his heart. But the intelligent man is he who can convert every work into one that suits his taste. No work is pettyEverything in this world is like a banyan—seed, which though appearing tins as a mustard— seed has yet the gigantic banyan tree latent within it. He indeed is Intelligent who notices this and succeeds in

To give up the world, is to forget the ego, to know it not at all living in the body, but not of it. This rascal ego must be obliterated. Bless men when they revile you. ‘Think how much good they are doing you for they can only hot themselves. Go where people hate you, and let them thrash the ego out of you, and you will get nearer to the Lord, learn to feel yourself in other bodies, to know that we are all one.

Throw all other nonsense to the winds. Spit out your actions, good or bad, and never think of them again. What is one is

must work as the dictate conies from within, and then if it is right and good, society is bound to veer round, perhaps centuries after one is dead and gone. We must plunge heart and soul and body’ into the work of the Lord and mankind.

And until we are ready to sacrifice everything else to one idea of the one absolute truth alone, we never, never will see the light as it is. Those that want to help mankind must take their own pleasure and pain, and fame and all sorts of’ interests, and make a bundle of them and throw them into the sea, and then come to the Lord.

This is what all the masters said and did. And a good example is in the case of Jesus Christ and one of his followers who was keen about external lift. Jesus Christ gave him an acid test of following the ten commandments which he

him on a higher platform, but don’t injure and do not destroy.

All will come to truth in the long run. When all the desires of the heart will be vanquished, then this very mortal will become immortal then the very man will see himself in union with God. The only true duty is to be unattached and to work as free beings, for all duties are his and for his service. The seeing of many people in the world as sinners is a great sin of the world See all as self and love all, let all ideas of separateness go. No work is secular, all work is adoration and worship. As I grow older, I find that I look more and more for greatness in little things. I want to know what a great man eats and wears, and how he speaks to his servants.

Anyone will be great in a great position. Even the coward will grow brave in the glare of the flood lights and the world

making all work truly great.

This world is in chains of superstition. I pity the oppressed, whether man or woman, and I pity more the oppressors. In this world always take the position of the river. Give everything and look for no return. Give love, give help, give service, give any little thing you can, but keep out of barter. Make no conditions and will he imposed. Let us give out of our own bounty, just as God gives to us. The Supreme Lord is the only giver, all the world are only shop keepers. Get his cheque and it must he honoured every where. Until we give up the world manufactured by the ego, never can we enter the kingdom of heaven nor the eternal kingdom of the Supreme lord. None ever did, and none will ever.

done. Throw off superstition.

Have no weakness even in the face of death. Don’t repent, do not brood over past deeds, and do not remember your good deeds, be azad (free). The weak, the fearful, the ignorant will never reach the essence of life. You cannot undo, the effects must come, face it, but be careful never to do the same thing again. Give up the burden of deeds to the Lord, give all both good and bad. Don’t keep the good and give only the bad.

As Heaven helps those who help themselves, so also does God help those who do not help themselves.

To him who have nothing in the universe the Lord comes.

And drinking the cup of desire, the world becomes mad. Day and night never come together, so desire and the Lord can never come together. “Let him who have ears, HEAR”.

Spiritual Platform

Dealing With Hostility In Homes

THERE is a difference between a house and a home. A house is a building containing rooms, parlours. kitchen. conveniences, etc. When such a building is used for an office or supermarket. it is not a home. But when it is used as a living place it becomes a home. This is why the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines a home as “ the place where ones lives, especially with one’s family.” The character of a home is different from that of an office. The home is personal while the office is impersonal. The home is of great importance to God and man.

It is created by God in Gen. 2:24 which says “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be Joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

When a man and a woman come together, they form a home and sooner or later a family emerges. Usually a family is closely knit, each member protective, at least on the surface, of one another.

The home is the center of love, affection and harmony. It is expected to be a haven of peace for the family. This is the reason why the scriptures liken the conjugal relationship between a man and his wife to the relationship that exist between Christ and his church. Eph. 5:22-33, which says “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the Wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and he is the Savior of the body: Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husband, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

The emphasis is on love, respect and peaceful relationship in homes. The home is the underbelly of the society and if you succeed in destroying the family, you can destroy the society.

The family is a very sensitive institution.

Man is expected to enjoy a peaceful atmosphere at home.

This is why the scriptures talks of “peace within your walls, prosperity within your palaces.” Ps. 122:7.

God’s vision of the family is where the man and his wife can live together, procreate and rear children and prosper. God wants us to prosper and be in good health. 3 John 2 “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health Just as your soul prospers” Satan always plan the opposite for God’s people. John 10: 10 tells us that “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill and to destroy.”

Satan is very hostile to the family, knowing full well that if the family is destroyed, the society will scatter and disintegrate.

What we find in most families nowadays are conflicts, strife, hostility, etc. There are many evil weapons Satan uses to cause problems in homes. The Bible is right when it says in Micah 7:5-6.

“Do not trust in a friend; do not put your confidence in a companion; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-In-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household”.

The evil seeds prevalent in families which constitute evil foundation for many people may be discussed: - disunity between husband and wife, between children and their parents. leading to fights and quarrels. This type of family is caught by Gal. 5:19-21.

- hardness of heart, wickedness, aggression, intolerance, insensitivity, stubbornness and anger. These are destroyers which the devil projects into families.

- many a couple are in slavery or bondage. Some husbands are so tyrannical that they imprison their wives! They (wives) are

With Rt Rev (Dr.) C. I. Umane GSM: 0803579951

forbidden to leave their matrimonial home without permission; some are prevented from having even female friends; in some extreme cases, wives are locked into the house by their husbands who take the key away. There are many reports where husbands prevent their wives from attending churches on Sundays. These are slave wives.

-loveless marriage is rampart. The causes of this ugly situation are proxy marriages, lack of courtship before marriage, postal marriages, accidental marriages’ incompatibility and many assorted reason - religious differences art destroying family cohesion. Father goes to one church the mother to another while the children

in Jesus name * I withdraw my marriage from the hands of evil designers in Jesus name * Household wickedness release my home In Jesus name * Let every negative influence in my home by parents from both sides be nullified in Jesus name * I break every curse affecting my home negatively in Jesus name * Lord heal all broken and sore family relations in the mighty name of Jesus name. * Holy Spirit break every yoke of marital failure in my life in Jesus name

think they know better than their parents. A seed of division is being sown into such families.

- unfaithfulness and infidelity is a cankerworm in many marriages nowadays especially in urban areas. The scriptures condemn these things-Exodus 20: 14; Gal 5:19-21; Proverb 6:32 and anymore.

- conjugal terrorism has been introduced into marriages - threats of divorce, gagging and intimidation, fear, regrets. God hates divorce, Matt. 19:6, and prohibits it.

- there are so many homes ravaged by sicknesses/diseases, curses and evil covenants. these are mostly due to ignorance, evil pattern, household wickedness we often hear of the term comprises witches and wizards, family strongmen familiar spirits which are deployed or assigned by Satan to destroy families. They are particularly dangerous because of their intimate knowledge of the homes to which they are assigned.

- there are many families where God is absent. There are families where God is not worshipped. They hate the church but Instead you find cults and occultism in these homes. In homes where God is absent there are bound to be evil seeds which we have been examining. A family where God is absent soon dies.

Root Prayer Points If there are traces of these evil seeds in your home you need to pray hard. Unmarried people are encouraged to pray preemptive prayers to prevent these evil seeds happening in their lives. * you..…. (name it)problem in my home I root you out, I pull you down and I destroy you in Jesus name. * I paralyse every architect of conflict and hostility in my home

* I paralyses every spirit of hatred and hostility militating against my home in Jesus name * Let peace flow like water into my home in Jesus name * Pray violently against the spirit of - Aggression - Intolerance - Rejection - Lack of appreciation - Insensitivity - Stubbornness - Unforgiveness - Anger * I command every evil wind directed at my family to be redirected by the Holy Spirit in Jesus name * Let all eaters of love and drinkers of joy release my family In Jesus name * Let all extra-marital relationships with other partners collapse and die in Jesus name * Let every problem arising from the issue of relatives receives divine solution in Jesus name * Every power destroying joy in my home be pulled down in Jesus name * I paralyse all marriage destroyers in Jesus name. * I deliver my destiny from the grip of familiar spirits in the name of Jesus. * Every plantation of familiar spirits in my life, die in the name of Jesus. * Every familiar spirit wife /husband, tormenting my life die in the name of Jesus.

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Jovetic Stars As Man City Dismiss Liverpool

MANCHESTER City made an ominous statement by beating Liverpool 3-1 in a strangely one-sided clash at the Etihad.

Liverpool will have felt that Jovetic doubled the lead in the City’s first goal in the 42nd 55th minute with a spot of goalminute came against the run of poaching, entirely unmarked on play, but nevertheless it was the the left side of the box and able champions who were ahead at the to fire home from Samir Nasri.

After that, City began to exert break when Stevan Jovetic slammed the ball home after an their dominance, and it was error from new left-back Alberto Sergio Aguero’s individual brilliance that put the game out Moreno.

Liverpool had only themselves of sight, seconds after coming to blame again once more as on as a substitute for Edin

Dzeko, who was in pain after receiving Martin Skrtel’s studs to his thigh. Aguero raced on to a through-ball from fellow substitute Jesus Navas, pulling free of the Liverpool defence and

firing under the hands of Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool managed to claw a goal back thanks to the combined efforts of Rickie Lambert’s head, Joe Hart’s torso and Pablo Zabaleta’s shin

(which eventually got the credit), but it was too little too late.

And injury was added to insult as Glen Johnson limped off five minutes before time

Pellegrini Never Doubted MANCHESTER City Jovetic

manager Manuel Pellegrini is “I think that in the market to delighted to see striker Stevan get someone in at that quality, Jovetic make the most of his fresh the deal for us was very good,” start at the club. said manager Brendan Rodgers, The Montenegro international who is not worried about the endured a miserable maiden Italian’s reputation for getting campaign dogged by injury and into trouble on and off the pitch. illness, but after a full preseason “He is a world-class talent and he is firing on all cylinders again it is an area we need to and scored twice in the 3-1 win strengthen.” over Liverpool.

Rodgers has spent about 115 He has seized the opportunity million pounds this summer, presented by injuries to Alvaro much of which came from the Negredo and Sergio Aguero, who sale of Luis Suarez to scored City’s third before Barcelona, but he knows that Liverpool’s Rickie Lambert will count for nothing if they forced Pablo Zabaleta into a late cannot turn it into points on the own goal. pitch.

Asked whether the striker had “The goals we’re finally started to deliver Pellegrini disappointed with of course,’’ he said: “Yes and not only on his added on the game. “If you buy goals. players it doesn’t guarantee you “He was working the whole anything. You can spend as game, without the ball too. He much money as you want but it was very unlucky last season but doesn’t guarantee you anything. we never had any doubt about this I’m only confident that they are quality. To start the season in this going to get better.” way after an unlucky new season is good but I don’t think it is like a new signing.”

Pellegrini said his side need ARSENAL have suffered a four strikers and are anticipating major blow with news emerging the return of Negredo, but addded that Oliver Giroud is set to miss that Edin Dzeko, Jovetic and the next three months with an Aguero are working well together ankle injury, according to L’Equipe. in the meantime.

Giroud came on at half-time Stevan Jovetic helped Manchester City past Liverpool during Arsenal’s weekend Premier League draw against with two goals in a 3-1 win.

Last season Liverpool ran City Everton and changed the game, a very close second in a nail-biting title race which went down to the final week of the season However, the way in which Pellegrini’s side clinically dispatched their opponents suggested the gap may be wider this time around.

“For me these are games of six points - especially when you play at home,” he added, alluding to the importance of playing against potential Premier League title rivals.

“Liverpool are an important team and one that will be fighting for the title. We have had a hard start to the season so it is important for us to win the second game.”

Liverpool failed to make the most of having the better of the opening 35 minutes. Now the hope must be new 16 millionpound signing Mario Balotelli — who watched from the directors’ box after finalising his move from AC Milan — will give them an Oliver Giroud extra spark up front.

Jovetic Celebrates

Giroud Likely Out For Three Months but suffered an ankle injury in the dying minutes.

Arsenal looked to be heading for defeat after Seamus Coleman and Steven Naismith put Everton 2-0 up before half-time at Goodison Park, but Giroud scored a last minute equaliser following a strike by Aaron Ramsey, before picking up his

injury.

On Saturday, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed concern that Giroud could miss the second leg of Arsenal’s Champions League play-off against Besiktas today after watching the French striker leave the ground in a protective boot.

However, now respected French publication L’Equipe is suggesting there has been a bone break and the injury is much worse than first feared.

The report claims Giroud could be out until the end of November or the start of December.

Even while Giroud was fit, Arsenal were believed to be keen to bring in another striker but the French international’s injury is only set to intensify their desire to make a move before the transfer window closes next Monday.

The paper says three players are on Wenger’s wish list: Queens Park Rangers’ Loic Remy, Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck and PSG’s Edinson Cavani.

OUR VIEW Giroud’s injury would be a massive blow, no doubt about it, and it makes sense now for the Gunners to move for a striker; they will not want to rely too heavily on the inexperienced duo of Joel Campbell and Yaya Sanago.

They do also still have Alexis Sanchez and Lukas Podolski, while Theo Walcott could return next month too; but while those three can

all play up front, none really fill you with confidence as main strikers and all look more comfortable playing alongside a stronger focal point.

Of the three players mentioned by L’Equipe, Remy would be the easiest deal to pull off as he has an £8.5m release clause. Arsenal’s attitude towards the medical concerns that scuppered the French striker’s move to Liverpool would likely be the only stumbling block if Wenger was keen on the player.

The Welbeck rumour has been doing the rounds for a few weeks, but it is believed that Manchester United do not want to sell the England forward to a direct rival for a top four place.

Meanwhile, any potential move for Cavani would be tough to pull off in one week, with a massive outlay probably needed to sign the Uruguayan.

A fourth option, not mentioned by L’Equipe, could be a late move for free agent Samuel Eto’o. The Cameroon international looks on the verge of a move to Everton, but could have his head turned by Arsenal. He proved to be a decent stand-in at Chelsea last season, and could provide a short-term fix for the Gunners until Giroud returns and/or better options emerge in January.

when Brendan Rodgers had already made all three substitutions; and that was followed by Moreno turning his ankle on the astroturf surrounding the pitch.

City Boss Wants Four Fit And Firing

MANCHESTER City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he needs four fully-fit strikers in order for his side to defend their Premier League title this season.

Stevan Jovetic, the forgotten forward of last season’s titlewinning campaign after being dogged by injury, scored twice in the 3-1 victory over Liverpool.

Substitute Sergio Aguero, still making his way back to full fitness after his World Cup exertions after injury problems of his own late last season, added the third before Pablo Zabaleta’s late own goal.

Pellegrini currently has to choose two from three - Edin Dzeko is his other fit striker with Alvaro Negredo still out injured with a broken metatarsal - but the Chilean believes he needs everyone at his disposal.

“We need four strikers. At this moment Stevan is doing very well but you cannot forget Negredo is injured,” he said.

“Edin Dzeko and Jovetic and Aguero are working well. It is important that they continue playing the way they did.

“Kun Aguero is a very special player for us and it was good that the first ball he touched was a goal. That was not luck.

“He is working very hard during the week and this is an important reward.”

With Jovetic hitting some form Pellegrini was asked who was the ideal foil for the Montenegrin.

“That is difficult to answer this at the moment but a player like Jovetic can play with any top player,” he added.

“He was very unlucky last season but we never had any doubt about this quality.

“To start the season in this way after an unlucky new season is good but I don’t think it is like a new signing.”

One of City’s summer signings, defender Eliaquim Mangala, is still waiting to make his debut following his move from Porto but Pellegrini does not think it will be long before he is up to speed.

“We will see during the next week,” he added.

“It is not just him. Pablo (Zabaleta) needed some minutes.

“A lot of other players arrived late (after the World Cup) and we will see how we can do it so they can be 100 per cent fit.

“We will maybe see after the international break. We have to play seven games in 20 days after the international break.

“It is important we take advantage of every day. That is why it has been so difficult preseason and at the start of the season.”

Luiz Gustavo Arsenal Rumours ‘Fantasy’

United Turn Focus To Vidal

MANCHESTER United will turn their attention to finally signing Arturo Vidal from Juventus, sources in England and Italy have stated, after just agreeing a fee with Real Madrid to acquire Angel Di Maria.

The club’s mooted interest in Vidal has been a long-running theme of the summer, despite Old Trafford officials regularly briefing that the speculation only came from the player’s camp.

Sources have repeatedly stated that United’s interest was very real, however, and it now appears that they will finally act on that as the club’s need for a midfielder becomes so pressing. such was made of Louis van Gaal name-checking Vidal after the 1-1 draw with Sunderland, but that was more than a piece of mischief from the manager, even if he also referenced Leo Messi.

The Dutch coach is now pushing United to make the deal happen, despite previously having had doubts about the purchase, and maintaining some concern about his fitness.

The ESPN FC team break down the numbers on some of the most expensive transfers in European football and analyse whether Di Maria is worth a big transfer fee.

For his part, Vidal is also hugely interested in moving to Old Trafford, and discussions between representatives have already covered the idea of an incentivised contract because of his knee situation.

ESPN had previously been told by sources that Juventus set United a price of 45 million pounds in June. The Italian champions have been hugely wary of the public image the exit of such a player would create, especially after the departure of title-winning coach Antonio Conte in what has been a fractious close season.

Juventus have privately maintained that any sale must come in time for them to properly reinvest, and even set an initial deadline of last Friday.

United will now test that, and it has been mooted in Italy that the money from the sale of Vidal could then be used to challenge Real Madrid for the signing of Radamel Falcao.

It is thought that United’s pursuit of the player could go right to the end of the transfer window, which closes Monday, Sept. 1.

The Old Trafford outfit also maintain interest in Ajax’s Daley Blind, who worked so well for Van Gaal during the World Cup with the Netherlands.

Despite a close-season that had been so frustrating, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward may yet justify his words from a mid-summer interview that United would do real business, and produce a genuinely excellent window.

Mario Balotelli

Balotelli A ‘Calculated Risk’ LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers admitted after his team’s 3-1 loss to Manchester City that he has taken a risk by bringing Italy striker Mario Balotelli into his settled dressing room.

Balotelli completed his 16 million-pound move to Liverpool on Monday and was in attendance for the loss vs. Man City. Rodgers believes the capture of the striker, who arrives with a reputation for being a somewhat disruptive influence, is a gamble. But he says it is one worth taking on a player he believes has matured.

“There is no doubt there is a risk with it, but it’s a calculated risk,” Rodgers told Sky Sports.

“I have been able to assess what we have got as a team and the type of characters we have got.

It is because of that environment that leads me to bring him in.

“I’ve been very [impressed] by the man himself because he is very honest. He knows his flaws and he is looking for someone to help him with it. He has already sampled how we work as a team and a club. Of course it was a risk. We are not going to say it isn’t. He is a big talent.

The Northern Irishman is confident Balotelli won’t

Samuel Eto’o

destabilise the Liverpool dressing room, adding: “I don’t have any concerns at all. It’s that culture that has allowed me to have confidence that if he comes in it won’t be affected.

“I’m hoping that with the environment and culture we have created at this club, that he will embrace that and he will benefit from it.

“All my life I have given players an opportunity and this is a guy who when I looked in his eye I could tell. He is 24 years of age and he has become a father

- Rodgers

now. He knows he has a responsibility, not only for himself, but for this great club.

“We will treat him no different to anyone else. There is a lot of hype that goes around Mario, but for us he is part of our team and we are looking to work and develop that side of him.”

Rodgers went on to suggest his decision to move for Balotelli was due in part to the limited options he had at his disposal in the transfer market a week before the September 1 deadline. But he believes the striker signed from AC Milan has the ability to add

to the striking options in his ranks.

“He is clearly a world-class talent,” added the Liverpool boss.

“It has obviously been difficult for him at other clubs, but I have read people saying this is a make or break decision for me. I have done this all my life, I’ve taken players that people have wrote off and they have performed well.

“With Mario, the market was very limited with what we could bring in. The business was very good for us and we will see if it works. If not, at least we have tried.”

released him at the end of last season.

Manager Roberto Martinez has been considering a move for an extra forward, despite breaking the club’s transfer record to buy Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea for 28 million pounds on July 30.

Lukaku limped off during the second half of Saturday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Arsenal, while fellow striker Arouna Kone does not yet have a return date despite returning to training after 10 months out with a knee injury.

In addition, attacking midfielder Ross Barkley — another goalscoring option — will be out until at least October after sustaining medial knee ligament damage in training on Aug. 15.

Eto’o has been looking to stay in the Premier League following his season at Chelsea amid interest from both Everton and Liverpool.

Going into last weekend, Liverpool were still considering a move for the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker as a backup if their bid to sign Mario Balotelli from AC Milan fell through.

But with Balotelli’s 16 millionpound transfer to Anfield confirmed on Monday, Everton

are now in pole position for Eto’o’s signature.

The 33-year-old, who was the highest-paid player in the world during his time with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, scored nine times in 21 Premier League appearances after moving to Chelsea in 2013.

If he completes his move to Goodison Park, he will become Everton’s sixth signing of the summer.

Gareth Barry was the first when he made his loan move from Manchester City permanent, while fellow midfielder Muhamed Besic arrived from Ferencvaros, and young defender Brendan Galloway was recruited from MK Dons.

Martinez has also signed two players from Chelsea: striker Lukaku on a permanent deal and winger Christian Atsu on a season’s loan.

Everton are closing in on a deal for veteran Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o.

Reports say the Toffees are in advanced talks with the 33-yearold, who became a free agent at the end of last season after he was released by Chelsea.

Everton Close In On Eto’O Deal EVERTON are closing in on a deal to sign former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o on a two-year contract.

The Cameroon international is in advanced talks over a move to Goodison Park, sources have told ESPN FC. Eto’o could complete the deal in time to feature in Saturday’s Premier League home match against Chelsea, who

LUIZ Gustavo will not leave Wolfsburg, his agent has told local paper WAZ amid ongoing rumours of a possible move to Arsenal.

On Monday, The Mirror linked Brazil international Gustavo with a move to the Gunners, stating that Arsene Wenger sent his scouts to Wolfsburg’s first game of the season against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

With Arsenal’s priority shifting towards a defensiveminded midfielder, they have reportedly turned their attention to the former Bayern man once again after Bundesliga side beat the Gunners to the signature of the 27-year-old during the final days of the 2013 summer transfer window.

Gustavo was linked with a transfer away from Wolfsburg until the end of July, when the midfielder was able to trigger a 35 million euros release clause in his contract running until 2018.

The English paper reported that Gustavo could be part of a swap deal with Arsenal attacker Lukas Podolski heading towards the Europa League participants — but his agent and the club have rubbished those claims.

“I don’t know who brings those rumours up, some people just have too much fantasy,” Wolfsburg sporting executive Klaus Allofs said about the report in local paper WAZ. “Luiz has decided to stay at Wolfsburg. End of discussion,” Gustavo’s agent Roger Wittmann told the same paper.

Leicester Hope To Land Cambiasso LEICESTER City boss Nigel Pearson has claimed that his side are in serious talks to sign Esteban Cambiasso.

The Argentine midfielder left Inter after 10 years this summer following the end of his contract at San Siro.

As such, the veteran has been without a club – but that may not last long if the Premier League club get their way.

“Cambiasso is still a possibility,” he told reporters.

“There has been progress over the weekend and we are more than hopeful that we’ll have a definitive answer by Friday or Saturday.

“We have spoken with his camp quite often in recent weeks.”

Real Madrid Will Get Better

Karim Benzema scores during Real Madrid-Córdoba

REAL Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admits the European champions still have plenty of room for improvement after seeing them open their La Liga campaign with an uninspiring 2-0 win over minnows Cordoba.

Real were beaten by rivals Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup last week and did little to impress their fans against Cordoba at the Bernabeu on Monday night either, with Karim Benzema’s first-half header the only thing

Atletico Madrid midfielder Cristian Ansaldi (R) vies with Rayo Vallecano’s Javier Ignacio Aquino Carmona

- Ancelotti

separating the sides until Cristiano Ronaldo notched a 90th-minute second.

Ancelotti, who is on the verge of losing winger Angel Di Maria to Manchester United, conceded his side are not yet firing on all cylinders but insisted the three points were the main thing.

“We need to play quicker and up the tempo of the game.

The important thing was to start with a victory, we struggled, but everything

‘Conte Exit In Everybody’s Best Interest’

CLAUDIO Marchisio believes Antonio Conte’s decision to step down as Juventus coach was in everybody’s best interests.

The successful coach stepped down earlier this summer over a dispute about the Serie A champions’ transfer policy, despite signing a one year contract extension months before, having guided the club to a third consecutive league title.

And Marchisio feels the current Italy boss made the right call as he no longer felt committed to the cause.

“I respect Conte’s choice. He explained to me why he left, but that stays between the two of us,” Marchisio told

Atletico Madrid Escape With Point In Season Opener ATLETICO Madrid escaped with a point as their La Liga defence started with a stuttering goalless draw against city-rivals Rayo Vallecano.

Diego Simeone had to watch a relatively rampant display by Summer signings Antoine the game from the stands as he Rayo in the second half, who were Griezmann and Mario unfortunate not to come away with served a touchline ban and saw Mandzukic made scant impact on his side hold on for a draw after all three points.

worked out fine. The team is balanced. We controlled the match well and we didn’t give away chances,’’ he said.

“There was some tiredness because since Aug. 12 we’ve played every three days and it’s not easy to play every three days in the pre-season.

But we didn’t struggle much, the match was under control.’’

The Italian also insisted he was unaware of any jeers from the home fans, adding: “I don’t know. I didn’t hear any whistles. On the contrary, when we were struggling the fans helped.’’

the contest, with Atleti desperately missing the energy and intensity of the unavailable Raul Garcia and Arda Turan in the final third. ayo grew in confidence as the game progressed, with the Madrid club hitting their stride following the introduction of

Manucho as a second-half substitute, who gave the Atletico backline a torrid time.

All that was missing from Rayo’s impressive performance after half-time was a breakthrough. In the end Atletico will have been thankful to have held on for a point.

ATLETICO Madrid coach Diego Simeone has stayed tightlipped on the subject of his eight-match ban, apart from saying he has “great respect’’ for the decision-makers in the Spanish game.

Simeone’s suspension was the combination of four separate punishments handed down by the Spanish Football Federation on Monday after he was sent off during Friday’s Spanish Super Cup win over Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.

The Argentine was hit with a four-match ban for tapping the back of the fourth official’s head, a two-match suspension

for the protests which led to his sending off, plus two one-match bans for sarcastically applauding the official’s decision and for remaining in the stands instead of going to the changing rooms after his dismissal.

Asked about the punishment following Atletico’s goalless draw at Rayo Vallecano on Monday night, Simeone said: “I’m not going to make any assessment, I have a lot of respect for those who make the decisions, and silence.’’

Simeone watched on from the stands as Atletico were held by local rivals Rayo in the opening match of their La Liga title

Tuttosport.

“I can assure you that he’s not the type to continue as coach when he’s not feeling committed 100 per cent.

“He tried to keep going at the start of the season because he’s a Juventino, but he then realised that it was in everybody’s best interest to go separate ways.”

The midfielder then went on to stress that Juventus are in good hands again following the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri as Conte’s successor.

“Each coach has his own character and methods, but things are working well with Allegri. And don’t you think that Allegri doesn’t scream when necessary...

“And either way, even if our coach doesn’t scream to fire us up, we’re in good shape and ready for the new season. A great season awaits. We want to defend the Scudetto and do a good job in Europe.”

Juventus kick off the new Serie A campaign with an away game against Chievo on Saturday.

...Diego Simeone Silent On Lengthy Ban

Diego Simeone

defence.

It was not the ideal way to start the season, but the 44-year-old was quick to credit Rayo and doubts if he had been on the touchline things would have been much different.

Simeone said: “The game was clear. In the first half, we were better, we had three clear chances, and then Rayo improved in the second half, we didn’t play against a wall, we played against a team.’’

He added: “I don’t think that having me on the field would’ve improved anything. We came from playing on Tuesday and Friday and the effort from these days could be felt in the second half.’’

Tanzania To Bid For 2017 Cup Of Nation TANZANIA Football Federation TFF has entered the race to host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON finals 2007 following withdrawal from Libya as the host nation Goal can exclusively reveal.

TFF Executive Committee under President Jamali Malinzi met on the weekend and agreed to bid to host the finals, and if successful it will be the first time Tanzania gets to host the continent’s most prestigious football event.

“We know that one of the conditions for preparing the final includes the country having hosted a youth tournament in the past. But since this issue lies in special circumstances, we believe CAF will think of our request, “said Malinzi to Goal.

Goal exclusively revealed on Monday that Kenya had joined the race to host the finals, after A statement from Kenya FA signed by President Sam Nyamweya and obtained by Goal stated in part, “Football Kenya Federation wishes to announce Kenya’s interest in putting in a bid to host 2017 Orange CAF Africa Cup of Nations, which opened following withdrawal of Libya as host nation.

Libya withdrew after a delegation from country’s

Keshi To Lead Nigeria Agaisnt Congo, S/Africa STEPHEN Keshi will return to the Nigeria job in a temporary role for two matches in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month, pending when his contract details will be finalized with the NFF. The Super Eagles will begin their qualifiers with matches against Congo in Calabar on September 6 before traveling to face South Africa in Cape Town on September 10.

The 52-year-old has been locked in negotiations since his contract expired at the end of the World Cup. Having declared that he would no longer consider taking the job last week, Keshi has now made a u-turn after getting assurances from sports minister Tammy Danagogo.

“I want to respect the wishes of Nigerians and the appeal by the Sports Minister to handle the team at least for the two games,” Keshi spoke on AIT’s SportsExtra.

“The need to answer the patriotic call and respect the wishes of Nigerians informed my coming for the key games.

“We work[ed] so hard to win the Nations Cup in South Africa, I think we should do all that we can to defend it in Morocco next year,” he added.

As Goal reported last week, there have been delays in reaching an agreement with the coach due to the factions in the NFF as well as the financial constraints which it is facing.

Ministry of Youth and Sports that included the President of Libyan Football Federation revealed in a meeting with Caf President Issa Hayatou that owing to the unstable security situation in the country, they would not be able to host Afcon in 2017.

Consequently, Secretary General of Caf, Hicham El Amrani, dispatched a circular on August 23, 2014, to all 54 member associations informing them of the decision and opening bids for hosting of 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

Asisat Oshoala Regrets Trophy Loss Despite...

GOLDEN Ball and Golden Boot winner Asisat Oshoala has expressed regrets at her failure to win the trophy for Nigeria following a 1-0 loss to Germany in the 2014 Fifa U20 Women’s World Cup finals on Sunday.

The Falconets’ midfielder, who was picked as the Best Player of the tournament and emerged the highest goal scorer with seven goals, said Asisat Oshoala

Tiger Woods Splits From Coach Foley

TIGER Woods has split from his coach Sean Foley, it has been announced.

Foley has worked with required a wild card from Woods, but never helped the captain Tom Watson to make former world number one add it.

His season is more or less to his career haul of 14 Majors.

He is the first swing coach over as he recovers from Woods has worked with who injury.

Woods started work with has never helped Woods lift one Foley in August 2010. of golf’s big four tournaments The coach controversially of the US Masters, US Open, the Open and US PGA redesigned Woods’s swing.

Foley coaches a number of Championship. top players including world But Foley did help Woods win three times in 2012 and five number five Justin Rose and American Hunter Mahan, who times in 2013.

“I’d like to thank Sean for his won The Barclays tournament help as my coach and for his in New Jersey on Sunday.

“My time spent with Tiger friendship,” said Woods.

“Sean is one of the is one of the highlights of my outstanding coaches in golf career so far and I am today, and I know he will appreciative of the many continue to be successful with experiences we shared together,” said Foley. the players working with him.

“It was a lifelong ambition “With my next tournament not of mine to teach the best player until my World Challenge event at Isleworth in Orlando, this is of all time in our sport. I am the right time to end our both grateful for the things we had the opportunity to learn professional relationship.”

Woods had previously worked from one another as well as the with Butch Harmon for a decade enduring friendship we have between 1993-2003, and Hank built.

“I have nothing but respect Haney for six years between and admiration for him.”

2004 and 2010.

Woods has not appointed a Woods is out of the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles next month due to replacement and gave no clue a back injury, but would have about when he might make a

Tiger Woods

coach and there is no timetable choice.

“Presently I do not have a for hiring one,” said the world number 12.

she is unhappy despite her remarkable personal achievement in Canada.

The Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt forward said her side was not destined to win the final after their impressive display against the organised Germans.

“Everybody played their hearts out, our performance was great, I am very impressed.

There was cohesion among us but we played [against] one of the best teams, missed our chances to score. It wasn’t our day,” Oshoala told Goal.

“I made a promise to do well and show myself to the world.

I achieved that and I want to thank my mates for helping me fulfil my dreams, but missing out on the trophy is not what I wanted for my country,” she concluded.

Sharapova

US Open

Wounded Murray Battles Into Second Round

DRAMA is rarely too far away when Andy Murray is around but the former champion took things to a new level when he survived a worrying bout of cramps to reach the second round at the US Open.

In hot but not overwhelming conditions, the eighth-seeded Scot was convulsing at times in the third and fourth sets but somehow managed to beat Dutchman Robin Haase 6-3 7-6 (6) 1-6 7-5 at Flushing Meadows. enowned as one of the fittest players on the ATP Tour, Murray arrived in New York raving about his mid-season fitness programme in Florida with new coach Amelie Mauresmo.

Finally free of pain, almost a year after back surgery, Murray looked lean and strong as he took to the court and though his tennis was patchy, his movement was good as he took the first two sets.

But from 2-1 in the third set, it was obvious something was wrong and as he cramped up,

Haase took advantage to take the third set and lead 5-3 in the fourth.

Moving slightly better but still nowhere near 100 percent,

Andy Murray

Murray sliced and diced his way back to 5-5 and as Haase faltered, he clinched a dramatic victory.

Murray’s next match is against Germany’s Matthias Bachinger.

CMYK

Thriving On False Claims

I own a car but from years of acting on professional instincts, I have developed a habit of taking public transport just to feel the pulse of the people on common issues. For the same reason, I could conveniently ride on commercial motor bike better known as Okada before it was proscribed here in Benin City or for the heck of it, walk into a bar for a drink even though I have never been a fan of liqueur. At such times, I could prompt a conversation in the direction I want just to get the peoples view on same. Times without number, it worked like magic.

Not long ago, I had another opportunity to so act once more.

Somewhere around Iyaro area of the city, I stopped by to guage one of my car tyres. On impulse, I asked the vulcalnizer which, between the federal and Edo state governments, is reconstructing the moat nearby. I asked the question because it has become a norm for agencies responsible for rehabilitating federal roads within the state capital to work on the said roads without a hoot about its shoulders but turn around later with claims that they did all. It does not matter that evidences point to the contrary. For instance, the uproar that followed their false claims over the now very popular Five Junction, is still revebrating.

I also wanted to know whether the people of the state are aware or do appreciate the individual that took time to pay meticulous attention to project details in terms of the project’s durability. But just before the

vulcanizer could answer my question, another motorist who also stopped by to fix his tyres volunteered his.

“This is a federal road now”.

He left me with that, obviously convinced that it was my responsibility to fill the gap that didn’t require any hard thinking. I will not disturb you with details of what transpired thereafter.

Suffice to say however, that his answer gave me a clear indication of the degree of falsehood usually injected into projects in which the state is compelled to play an important part.

The land mark projects include public schools and roads, particularly those within the Benin metropolis.

The first major celebrated deliberate attempt to falsify records was exposed when agents of the federal ministry of works attempted to claim that they constructed the now very popular Five Junction.

The controversy erupted as federal party men in the state made frenzied moves to make visiting President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan cut the commissioning tape for the reconstructed Lagos road at the junction. For emphasis, they erected sign posts around the project site ostensibly to discredit the state government that actually did the job.

“Voila! We got it”, someone must have shouted, realising that Five Junction, had all the required trappings of a presidential stand point.

But for the timely intervention of the state governor, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, who personally interviewed the site engineer, Nigerians would have swallowed the shameful

bait thrown at them by organisers of the botched welcome ceremonies. In the interview that was aired on both local and national television stations, the engineer was unequivocal in identifying the state government as one that awarded his organization the project contract. A few weeks later, he was

embarrassment they received from that experience, there are indications that as part of the build up to the 2016 governorship election, they are clandestinely misinforming the public once again that the construction of the moat adjoining the same stretch of road at the Iyaro/Urubi axis is a federal project.

M atters In Focus

With ERNEST OMOARELOJIE ministry concentrate on portions within Benin City, Auchi, etc, seemingly forgetting that stretches outside these towns are equally important to the completion of, for instance, the ongoing Benin/Auchi/Okene road.

Except for the uninitiated, the reason for the

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Edo State Governor

haplessly repatrated for daring to state that Benin based, Abuja supported federal agents lied.

In the manner federal agents mix facts with half truths, it is becoming obvious that they are siamese twins. Nobody ever disputed that federal ministry of works handled the construction of the stretch of road beginning from the old toll gate to its terminal point at the Akpakpava intersection.

But more from habit than anything else, its officials revved the fact up by falsely adding that the ministry also did the most beautiful portion done by the state. The claim was just to gain undue plaudits.

Not done with the

The orgy of falsehood has left a number of people wondering why federal agencies in the state deliberately concentrate on federal roads within the city centre without due attention to the more important road shoulders.

For instance, they paid no attention to both the Five Junction and Iyaro/Urubi moat which have the undeniable capacity to undo the major Lagos road, judging from the impact of the ravaging effect of the deluge of erosion coming from adjoining outlets. The state government had to do the needful.

People are also wondering why the o f f i c i a l s

concentration is strictly political.

Ordinarily, road construction and rehabilitation are within the concurrent list. Thus, where and when necessary, state governments are statutorily mandated to work on federal roads within their boundaries.

However, where they do so for any relevant

reason, they are to be reinbursed by the federal government. But as the case is in our dear country where the desire is to stagnate states administered by opposition parties, it is not a surprise that federal government often sees nothing wrong in watching them swin or sink on their own.

Fortunately, despite being compelled to carry this cross, Edo state became the yard stick for measuring quality performance as attested to by President Jonathan who advised other states to emulate the manner it attracts foreign investors.

The point must be made that the O s h i o m h o l e administration will continue to do the needful on roads and other public infrastructure within the state. That is why it added the extral lanes on the Lagos road, stretching from the University of Benin to to the city centre. In like manner, it dualized the Warri/Sapele road from the Third Junction down to Kings Square with street light all the way to the Sapele Bypass. It has no intention of reneging on this as it is important to its general development agenda.

No amount of falsehood or intimidation can stop the determination.Sent from Samsung tablet.

Printed and published by Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, 24, Airport Road, P.M.B. 1334 Benin City. Telephone; Lagos: 01 4930929, Benin: 052 257492, 257531 Editor. BARR. SOLOMON IMOHIOSEN (KSJI) - (07030699646), Deputy General Manager (Marketing) (08023457566), Assistant General Manager(Advertisement) (08023808856) Lagos Office: 25 A Alli Street, Off Tinubu Square, Lagos Island, Lagos. Abuja Office: Floor 1, Edo House, 75 Ralph Shodeinde Street, Central Business District, Abuja. Tel/Fax: 09-5237631. All correspondence to: 24 Airport Road, Benin City. E-mail: nigerianobserver@yahoo.com (ISSN 0331-2674)