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Weekend
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PUBLISHED SINCE OCTOBER 6, 1990 • Vol.XI NO.3,191• SATURDAY, JULY 6, 20 13 • N100.00
NATION
Killing For Islam On London Streets And One Nigeria
- Pages 20 - 21
Oshiomhole Challenges FG On Five Junction Contract
EDO State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has challenged the Federal Ministry of Works to produce documents corroborating its claim of being responsible for the construction of the Five Junction roads and roundabout in Benin City. which is one of those The Minister of Works, areas which over the Mr. Mike Onolemenmen past 15 to 20 years has had consistently averred been known for flooding. that the road is being They call it Five Junction constructed by the because there are Federal Government. several adjoining streets The Governor who threw the challenge recently while receiving members of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, led by its Chairman, Hon. By CLIFFORD AGBAJOR Ogbuefi Ora Ozombachi THE Speaker of House at the Government of Representatives, Rt. House in Benin City said Hon. Aminu Tambuwa since the State arrived Benin City, Government has the yesterday, ahead of the evidence of being grand finale of the 56th responsible for the birthday and 25th Silver construction of the Jubilee marriage of Edo project and the Federal State Deputy Governor, Government is also Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Pius laying claims to it, then Egberanmwen Odubu. something must be He was received at the wrong somewhere which Benin Airport by the would need to be deputy governor and investigated. some members of the According to him, “this House of is an opportunity to Representatives. clarify an area in which At the palace of the we have had an Oba of Benin, Omo u n n e c e s s a r y N’Oba N’Edo Uku controversy, the area we Akpolokpolo, Oba call the Five Junction,
not coordinated, and because there was no drainage, five minutes of rainfall was enough to block the area. “It was constituting a serious nightmare to motorists and our people. We had discussions with our Ministry of Works and Environment, we felt that
it was worthwhile to construct a roundabout there. But anything you do which does not take into account
construction of drainage is a waste of money. “For the layman, seeing asphalt shows you are working but for
Engineers like you, you know that if there is no drainage, it is not going to last. So we have had to create a network of
drainage systems underground to cover it up, so that those driving will not know there is a Continues on page 10
Tambuwal Arrives Benin
Erediauwa, the Speaker informed the royal father that he was in Benin City, to congratulate him on his recent birthday anniversary as well as to felicitate with the deputy governor of the state on his 56th birthday and the 25th Silver jubilee of his marriage. He paid glowing tribute to the Benin monarch for his outstanding qualities which have ensured peace and tranquility in the Benin kingdom. Rt. Hon. Tambuwal similarly acknowledged the peaceful role being placed by the Oba which has helped to stabilise Continues on page 10
VISIT: Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker of the House of Representatives during the Speaker’s visit to Edo State yesterday.
ENCOUNTER
Gov Oshiomhole Is A Pillar Of Democracy - Page 6
PERSPECTIVE
If Nelson Mandela Were A Nigerian - Page 18
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155 Suspected Hoodlums Arrested inOshodi Area By RAHEEM IBRAHIM
NO fewer than 155 suspected hoodlums, including 11 female, with two girls heavily pregnant have been arrested at Oshodi area of Lagos State by the State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit for alleged criminal activities. Seven under aged boys who were among those arrested have been taken to the Boys Remand Home, Oregun for correction and rehabilitation, while out of the 155 suspects, 105 of them were charged to court after screening and 61 were let off the hook. Out of the 105 suspects arraigned in court, 48 pleaded guilty and were sentenced to six months imprisonment or to pay fines ranging from N20, 000 to N80, 000. According to Taskforce Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, Chief Superintendent of Police, all the suspected hoodlums were arrested at Okomola, a notorious area inhabited by hoodlums in Oshodi. He said between January and June this year, 1,000 hoodlums have been arrested in Oshodi alone and some of them were
illegal aliens from Benin Republic. “There is a problem in the society as family values have gone. We have among them a pregnant under aged girl with her husband living under the bridge in Oshodi. We only follow the law to arrest them, the under aged among them are taken to Remand Home for correction and where they learn some trade. Two of those arrested are twins from the same parents sleeping under the bridge,” he explained. The new raiding and arrest of hoodlums by the State Taskforce may not be in connection with the State House of Assembly complains about the upsurge of criminal activities in the Lagos.
Speaker of House of Representative, Aminu Tambuwal being welcomed by Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Pius Egberanmwen Odubu, Deputy Governor, Edo State (2nd right) with him are Hon. Samson Osagie, member, House of Representative, representing Uhunmwode and Orhionmwon Federal Constituency (right) , Hon. Rasaq Bello-Osagie (2nd left) representing Oredo at the House of Representative, Hon. Pally Iriase, member, representing Owan Federal Constituency and Osaro Idah, ACN Secretary, Edo State at the Benin Airport. Photo: MOSES OBOH.
Oil Theft: PENGASSAN President Wants FG To Fund Security Agencies Adequately
MR. Babatunde Ogun, the President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has blamed oil theft and pipeline vandalism on the poor funding of the security agencies. Ogun expressed the view in
Lagos on Thursday when he addressed members of PENGASSAN and those of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG). He urged the Federal Government to provide adequate funding and equipment for the
Fake NYSC Member Remanded In Prison By RAHEEM IBRAHIM
A middle-aged man suspected to be fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Opeyemi Ajala has been remanded in prison custody after he was arrested by the police at Dolphin Division, Ikoyi, Lagos, and charged to court. Ajala, aged 34 allegedly told the police that he was contracted by one Olotu Osayowanon now at large to help him serve the one year compulsory scheme with an agreement that he would be paying him N19, 000 monthly. Trouble started for Opeyemi, a resident of 25, Jebba Street, Ebute Meta, Lagos on 27 June, 2013 when he went to the Ikoyi/ Obalende LCDA, Ikoyi, Lagos to register for the one year NYSC compulsory scheme as a graduate. During screening, the officer in charge of the program reportedly discovered that all the documents he presented were fake. The fake documents found on him, according to the police include forged death certificate of one Osarogie Olotu, Acceptance Letter from Eti Osa LCDA, BA Certificate from the University of New Castle, United Kingdom and NYSC call up letter. During preliminary questioning by the NYSC officials about how he came about the documents bearing different names and not his name, he allegedly said someone contracted him to serve for him. The NYSC officials reported him to the DPO of Dolphin Estate Division, Ikoyi S.P Musa Abdullahi who directed his men to arrest the suspect and take him
to the station. In his confessional statement to the police, Opeyemi allegedly said: “I am a jobless man and my father and mother died a few years ago, and since I passed out from the school of Fishery and Marine Technology in 2009, I have not been able to get a job”. “One day, I went to the NYSC camp at Ipaja, Lagos, where I met Olotu Osayowanon who approached me to help him serve his one year compulsory NYSC scheme because he graduated in London. He provided me with all the NYSC uniform and kits and he agreed to be paying me N19,000 every month and out of frustration I accepted the offer before I was arrested. I promise not to indulge in such crime
again.” After investigation by the Police, Ajala was charged before an Igbosere Magistrate’s court on three count charge of felony, to wit, impersonating and forgery. The offences, the prosecutor Supol E. Ekuma said contravened Sections 409,380 and 374 of the criminal laws of Lagos State 2011. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge, and Chief Magistrate Mrs. O.O. Oshin admitted him on bail in the sum of N150, 000 with two sureties in like sum. The defendant was taken to Ikoyi Prison pending when he would fulfill the bail conditions as the Magistrate adjourned the matter till 30 July, 2013 for mention.
security agencies with responsibility to protect Nigeria’s waterways. “I believe that there is a high level collaboration among the security agencies, politicians and highly placed Nigerians in the theft of crude oil, “ he said. The union president said that members of the two unions had given the government a 60-day ultimatum to ensure the security of oil pipelines and gas installations. “In view of the looming danger to the survival of the oil and gas industry and by extension the
theft. “In the last investigation that led to this arrest, a high manpower material combination was used, especially in Barikin Ladi, where arm manufacturers and their implements, were recovered. “We have vowed to ensure that criminal activities are reduced to the lowest level in Plateau and my men will not relent until our aim is achieved. “We shall continue to do our best,’’ he said. He further assured that the command would ensure that there was no space for
multinationals by more than 60 per cent and led to shortages, shut-in, high cost of operation and threats to job of workers as well as growth of investments. The President of NUPENG, Mr. Igwe Achese, urged the government to provide adequate security for oil and gas installations otherwise the cost of production of the International Oil Companies would rise. “Many multinationals are divesting from the nation’s onshore assets due to insecurity, which increases their cost of production.
Senate Tells FG To Deploy More Security Personnel To States With Security Challenges THE Senate in Abuja asked
President Goodluck Jonathan to deploy more security personnel to Zamfara and other states with security challenges. The Senate, however, rejected an appeal for the president to prevail on the Zamfara governor to rescind his decision to arm vigilance groups in the state with rifles. The resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Senator Basheer Mohammed (PDPKano) on the plan by Zamfara Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz
Police Arrest 6 Manufacturers Of Arms
THE police in Plateau on Thursday said it arrested six manufacturers of proliferated arms and ammunition and nine suspected armed robbers. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Chris Olakpe, made this known when he presented the suspects to newsmen in Jos. Olakpe said that most of the suspects were apprehended from the Barikin Ladi Local Government Area and within Jos metropolis. “We have made frantic efforts to reduce criminal activities to the barest minimum in the state, particularly crime wave in respect to armed robbery, proliferation of small arms as well as car and motorcycle
nation’s economy, workers in the oil and gas industry have issued a 60-day ultimatum to the Federal Government. “Government should ensure ultimate security for all oil and gas installations, especially pipelines in the country, “ Ogun said. He said that the workers decided to issue the ultimatum considering the loss of investments, income and jobs as a result of crude oil theft. Ogun said that crude oil theft had reduced the production of
criminals to perpetrate their evil acts, saying “we will not give them a breathing space’’. The commissioner also said most of the suspects were arrested by the police severally, but that they were later released and re-arrested. Olakpe said that the force would ensure that they face the full wrath of the law. He said seven riffles, four pistols, three arms and 11 rounds of 7.62 ammunitions, 11 vehicles and four motorcycles were recovered during the operation. He called on the owners of the recovered vehicles and motorcycles to claim them from the command’s headquarters with appropriate documents.
Yari, to arm vigilance groups. Mohammed said it could be dangerous to arm any group that was neither trained nor authorised by the constitution. He said it was part of the security challenges currently being experienced in many parts of the country. Mohammed said that the Federal Government was pursuing the policy of mopping up light and heavy weapons from the public in compliance with the ECOWAS Convention on Arms Proliferation. According to him, the decision of the governor to arm the vigilance groups in Zamfara is capable of jeopardising the fragile security situation in the state. He said it would be better for Zamfara and other states with security challenges to address their security problems by requesting for additional security personnel rather than set up armed groups. Senator Kabiru Marafa (PDPZamfara) called the attention of the Senate to a newspaper publication that the Zamfara governor had purchased arms which were in the custody of the state government. Marafa said the publication was false since he had spoken to the governor who confirmed that he had not purchased arms for anyone in the state. Senator Shaaba Lafiagi (PDPNiger) said that, as a member of
the Senate Committee on Security and Intelligence, he was aware that the Zamfara governor had already acquired weapons. “The question is: do you seek the permission of the InspectorGeneral of Police before acquiring arms or do you acquire the arms, then get permission later?’’ he said. On his part, Senator Gbenga Kaka (ACN-Ogun) said that it was on record that there were fewer than 400, 000 policemen in the Nigeria Police Force. He said: “if the number is just 400, 000 with a population of 160 million Nigerians, it is certain that we are under policed and it must be addressed. “We have millions of graduates unemployed and yet there are opportunities to get them engaged but we are not taking these opportunities. “If the president were to send more troops to Zamfara, where will he get them from?’’ Senator Magnus Abe (PDPRivers) said there was no federation in the world where only one entity provided security for its people except Nigeria. He said the arrangement in Nigeria was not working and as such the issue of security had remained a recurring decimal. “Nigerians are not secured and they are not protected and in their desperation to handle this problem, different people come out with different solutions which are creating further problems,’’ he said.
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I ‘m Not Dead, Declares Akran Of Badagry
THE Akran of Badagry, Aholu Menu-Toyi 1, says he is not dead as being widely speculated. The Akran told newsmen in Badagry, Lagos, that the news that he was dead is false. He appealed to members of the public to discountenance the false news. “For over a week, the Palace has been inundated
with stories via the mobile phone and social media, particularly the internet about my death. “As you can see, I’m very much alive, enjoying a remarkable healthy lifestyle and attending to the day-today royal engagements within the kingdom, the state and the nation. “By the grace of the Lord Almighty, I’m sure that I still
have a long time to live on earth, so, I’m going to be here for a long time,’’ he said. The monarch expressed regrets that the internet was frequently used to spread false information. “Presently, the internet which is regarded as a versatile information communication technology is being negatively used by international criminals, who have no respect for the truth
Liberia’s VP Urges Nigerians To Invest In Liberia
THE Vice-President of Liberia, Mr. Joseph Boakai, has called on Nigerians to take advantage of the enormous economic potential of his country by investing in it. Boakai made the call in Umuahia when he paid a courtesy call on the Governor of Abia, Chief Theodore Orji. He urged Nigerian investors to take a second look at Liberia’s economic opportunities, especially in the oil and mining sectors. The vice-president said that Liberia had an enabling environment for foreign investment and was ready
to receive investors from Nigeria. Boakai thanked Nigerians for their immense assistance to Liberia during and after its political crisis. He said that Liberia would remain grateful to Nigeria and would continue to partner with it for mutual economic benefits. Responding, Orji described the vicepresident’s visit as ‘’historic’’ and thanked him for coming. He said that the visit would further help to
consolidate the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Liberia. Orji said the two countries had a lot of things in common, especially in tackling the challenge of African unity and the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people. Reports say that Boakai was in Abia to inaugurate a college complex named after him at the Gregory University, Uturu. He was accompanied on the visit by senior Liberian Government officials, including the country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Al-Hassan Conteh.
but relish in unethical practices. “At all times, it is imperative to promote veracity and transparency in all our dealings as global citizens and unwholesome, unjustifiable and anti-social news must be completely avoided.” The Akran urged the indigenes of Badagry to pray for the ancient town and to be law abiding citizens.
NASS ’ill Not Undermine National Interest In Considering Budget THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Aminu Tambuwal, has assured Nigerians that the assembly will not undermine their interest while considering the proposed amendment to the 2013 Appropriation Act. Tambuwal told newsmen in Benin on Friday in an interview that the National Assembly was still consulting with stakeholders on the bill before it. It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan recently forwarded a bill for
- Tambuwal some amendments to the budget to the National Assembly. He said “this issue is all about consultation, we will keep on talking to ourselves to ensure that Nigerians get the best. “Whatever the National Assembly is doing now, it is geared towards ensuring that Nigerians get the best at all times. “We will not, in any way, undermine the interest of Nigerians in whatever we do; we will be the last to do that.’’
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State (right), Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka and his wife Folake, during the funeral service of Mrs. Comfort Avwedioghe Doherty, mother-in-law of Prof. Soyinka at the Bethel Baptist Church, Sapele, yesterday.
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IT was the best of time; it was the worst of time…” These are the famous opening lines of Charles Dickson’s “A Tale of Two Cities”.
SATURDAY, JULY 6, 2013
geo-political zones, ethnic groups; religions are drumming and fanning the embers of separation, superiority and rivalry.
nationals of this country is most frightening, and scary and striking. For the umpteenth time, I have kept harping
as the children bears the brunt of deprivation and the womenfolk stares blankly at the threatening storm.
These Perilous Times These familiar words are somewhat similar to the situation we have in Nigeria today. It was the best of time in the 60s (despite the civil war between 19661970) and the 70s, 80s, 90s and even into the new millennium. Now, it is the worst of time, as the dark cloud hovering over the Nigerian nation portends something ominous p r e s e n t i m e n t , catastrophe. The nation is surely drifting apart towards the state of anarchy. And I tell you what, we are certainly living in
The Nigerian nation is thus prepared to dance naked before the global community, having lost all sense traceable to the diabolical love of power and ethnic chauvinism by the so-called elites. And because of this, this nation is been drawn to the load stone rock, destined for destruction. Because of this, the macabre and the bizarre have become common events in Nigeria. Indeed these are perilous times. Things are foreboding and frightening, with the numerous bomb blast, carnages, insurgency,
from the darkened cloud, as Nigeria slowly and motionlessly grinds it way into the darkened fortress of the violent and vexed sea. The ship of state is heading for the rocks, but the captain, is bemused with wine, carousing, having lost his sense of judgment and direction. The captains crew members are also bemused with wine thinking that all is well, and then the bang… Thus it is the worst of times in Nigeria. Tyranny is rife, bad governance
flourishes glamour and illusion prevails and insecurity remains. Freedom, liberty, justice, equity, and democracy have since vanished into thin air. Square pegs in round holes, bad leaders misleads, followers follow blindly. Right now, though am no prophet of doom, Nigeria is standing on the precipices. Our leaders have led us astray, our rulers have misruled us, that which had hitherto held us together is broken and we continue to drift apart
• President Goodluck Jonathan
• David Mark, Senate President
perilous times. Nigeria itself as a nation state has entered a period of great historic changes, the beginning of a transition… Sadly though, that which held us together in the past five decades or so (crude oil) is costing us more than we can ever understand, either socioeconomically, politically or otherwise. That which has held us together is no longer regarded as being relevant, as the various
and with economic and social failures everywhere. Nigeria’s economy as a vivid example remains tarnished by vast disparities across board. Simply put, in terms of global reality, Nigeria has no economy. A country where many have no access to clean water, regular electricity supply, qualitative medicare, sound education and what have you. The disparities in economic fortune of the
on these harrowing facts, but nobody seems to care, in fact the leaders careless. More than 140 million Nigerians now live on less than $1 a day. Hundreds of millions of Nigerians are under employed and unemployed and therefore without the income to purchase basic necessities of life such as food, clothing and shelter. Millions of Nigerians in the rural areas are forever the worst hit, living in the worst times because they are still living under primitive and stone age setting, lacking on all the basic necessities of life. Meanwhile, the political elites and the business moguls have so much to eat and drink, with surplus stolen money, whereas million of children are malnourished in Nigeria. Thus in the small melting pot called Nigeria, the leaders across board are in dire need of redemption even if they are apparently oblivious of this fact, while the populace are in dire need of salvation, economic and social salvation, even
Still, salvation for the masses is not forthcoming after these decades and may never come. The leaders do not need divine redemption therefore hunger and disease may never be abated nor mitigated, poverty would certainly continue to ravage the land once so blessed. The leaders in wait, enjoying their bounties and their booty, looted from the peoples treasury in the orgy of avarice, greed and wanton lust. The masses, the workers, the labourers are left dispossessed, deprived of the fruit of their labours. And suddenly a thunder both flashes forth
• Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Reps
rules, evil predominates, c o r r u p t i o n democratisized, insurgency takes prominence, injustice
and no longer united. That which separates us is now ever stronger than what united us.
“That which has held us together is no longer regarded as being relevant, as the various geo-political zones, ethnic groups; religions are drumming and fanning the embers of separation, superiority and rivalry.”
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Gov Oshiomhole Is A Pillar Of Democracy – Hon Aghedo
HONOURABLE Lawrence Aghedo, a former banker who held sensitive management positions during his career and a consummate business man is the Hon. Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget. A man who excelled tremendously in the business world before he was appointed into the executive council. Hon. Lawrence Aghedo’s story is highly inspiring. In this interview with weekend observer, he speaks on several issues including his assignment in the present Executive Council headed by Governor Adams Oshiomhole. While expressing appreciation to Governor Adams Oshiomhole for appointing him as Commissioner in the present administration, he describes Governor Oshiomhole as a pillar of democracy and good governance. Articulate, proactive and hardworking, Hon. Aghedo is an interviewer’s delight. Except:
Sir, what is your vision as the Hon. Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget? My vision as the Honourable Commissioner for Economic planning and Budget is in line with the vision of our amicable and dynamic Governor, Governor Adams Oshiomhole which is to rebuild and transform Edo state. In this ministry, we are setting up financial management control geared towards blocking leakages in the system to enable government to have enough funds to continue to execute its projects in the interest of Edo people. We are ensuring that contracts are awarded based on extant rules and guidelines and that the contractors use the best materials available in the market. This is very important because durability will be guaranteed. We are also working assiduously towards having a system clothed with financial discipline. We are also monitoring budget in terms of spending and procurement. We also coordinate donor agencies in Edo State. Before you became the H o n o u r a b l e Commissioner for Economic planning and Budget, what were you into? Before now, I was in the private sector. I worked in the bank for 15 years before I ventured into business. I was into partnership with an oil and gas firm. In the private sector, our hallmark is excellence. Consequently we do a great deal of brainstorming before taking action because we believe in results. My private sector experience will certainly be of tremendous assistance to me in my capacity as the Honourable Commissioner for Economic Planning and
Budget because I intend to inject my private experience business technique into my assignment. This I am sure will enable me to achieve concrete results. Tell us something about your educational career? I studied Banking and Finance at the University of Calabar and I went further to obtain a masters degree in financial management from the Lagos State University. I am an associate member of the Institute of Bankers and I belong to other professional bodies. What are the challenges of going into entrepreneurship or business in this country? I am of the opinion that money should not be the first consideration while trying to venture into business. With enough skills about the business, one can think of how to bring in people who can provide financial backing and work out a solid partnership agreement. You don’t need much money to start a business. You can partner with someone who has access to funds. I must say that starting business form the scratch is not a tea party. There are usually difficult times, when budding entrepreneurs get tempted to back out. My advise to young entrepreneurs is that they should not quit. Entrepreneurship is not for timid people. It’s for those who are rugged. However business integrity helps a lot. When you have it, people will give you money to supply them products and even recommend you. Another area of challenge for Nigeria businessmen is poor infrastructure. This makes doing business in the country more tasking. This is where Governor Oshiomhole has excelled tremendously. Our Governor has been building and re-constructing
• Hon. Lawrence Aghedo
infrastructures across the state and this is very healthy for business in our state. What are your views about Governor O s h i o m h o l e ’ s administration? Governor Oshiomhole is a wonderful man. He has done much to develop our state in every ramification in spite of limited resources at his disposal. His impact is very strong in every sphere of the state. In the area of infrastructure, he has performed excellently. Our roads have been constructed to world class
standard. Our schools have been re-built and renovated and employment opportunities have been provided for our teaming youths. I believe that we are lucky at this time as a people to have a man like Governor Oshiomhole as our Governor because through him, we have gained much that we lost in the past. How would you describe your experience since you became the Hon Commissioner for Economic Planning and
Budget? It has been interesting and challenging. I am very grateful to our Governor for giving me this golden opportunity. Like I earlier said, I am determined to give nothing short of my best in the performance of my duties. Since I became the Commissioner, I have been having series of meetings with staff to enable us fashion out a workable means of achieving results and has been exciting. I have done much to sensitize the minds of my staff on the need for
them to wake up and be alive to their duties. I made them to realize that there is always a reward for hard work and I am happy because they are beginning to learn and imbibe this good values. What is your message to Edo people? My message to Edo people is that they should continue to remain law abiding. This administration headed by Governor Adams Oshiomhole has been putting smiles on the faces of Edo people by re-building Edo State. Our Governor needs a peaceful and conducive atmosphere to enable him continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to us as’ a people. Let us be good citizens by paying our tax promptly. Let us also continue to pray for him to enable him continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to us as a people. What do you have to tell our youths today? My words of encouragement to our youths is to the effect that they should be creative and daring. They should venture into the world of entrepreneurship. Life is not just about obtaining a degree and start searching for a job. I believe that with sound education and entrepreneural spirit, our youths can be employers of labour and start paying people. They should be law abiding and do something worthwhile. There are great opportunities for them to tap. All they need to do is to identify these opportunities and tap them. When you are less busy, what do you do at your spare time? Whenever I am not busy, I play golf with friends. I also enjoy myself whenever I am with my family.
“Governor Oshiomhole is a wonderful man. He has done much to develop our state in every ramification in spite of limited resources at his disposal. His impact is very strong in every sphere of the state.”
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Amaechi’s Opposition To Jonathan Shameful -River PDP
Late Princes M. Oni Aghama Eweka was comitted to mother earth at the weekend in Benin City. Husband of the deceased Prince Aghama Eweka (right) and her children Princess Iriagbonse and Ehi Eweka during the funeral mass at the Central Baptist Church, Ring Road, Benin City. Photo: OSADEBAMWEN SUNDAY.
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers says the opposition stance and “hostile attitude’’ of Governor Rotimi Amaechi to President Goodluck Jonathan, is “shameful and “unacceptable’’. Its Chairman, Mr Felix Obuah, said this at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday when he led chieftains of the party to a meeting with Jonathan. A former governor of Rivers, Dr Peter Odili, the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, and acting Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Chibudom Nwuche, attended the meeting. Others are: Land, Housing and Urban Development Minister Ama Pepple; House of Representatives former Deputy Speaker, Austin
Nigerian Businesses Will Record Positive Improvement In Q3-Survey
THE Business Confidence Index of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has indicated that the Nigerian business environment would improve in the third quarter of 2013. The report is contained in LCCI quarterly publication made available to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos. The index stood at 24 per cent, an improvement over the 16.5 per cent and 10.5 per cent achieved in the first and second quarters, respectively. “It represents 13.5 per cent point movement of the index along a positive trajectory since the beginning of 2013. “The steady and significant improvement of the Business Confidence Index suggests that business leaders are gearing towards expanding their investments and plant size in the months to come,’’ it said. The index further reported that apart from the recurrent factors like poor access to credit, security situation and the dwindling public power supply, there was impressive confidence
across most business and economic indicators. “For the first time, the financial sector recorded the highest confidence of 35 per cent.” The report said that the sector was closely followed by Hotel &
R e s t a u r a n t , Telecommunications and Postal sectors which recorded 29 per cent and 27 per cent confidence levels, respectively. Also, the agricultural sector was impressive at 18 per cent, while the
manufacturing sector remained “disappointing at five per cent business confidence level”. “This implies that expansion and new investment in the Nigerian manufacturing sector remains largely held down by the lingering challenges
confronting business environment in the country.” Mr Muda Yusuf, the Director-General of the chamber, said the index was from a survey. Yusuf said that the survey covered 15 sectors and 582 top business executives over a period from May15 to June 18.
Varsity Expresses Determination To Break New Medical Grounds
THE University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) on Thursday said it was determined to break new medical grounds with the array of its 186 consultants. Prof. Michael Ibadin, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, told newsmen in Benin that “we are expanding the scope of health care in UBTH’’. Ibadin, recently reappointed for a second term, said that at the last count in four years, the hospital management had sent 22 doctors and 12 other health workers abroad for further training. “The essence is that these personnel can develop new areas of medicine and healthcare,’’ he said.
Ibadin said the institution experienced several medical breakthroughs durin g his first tenure,
including the “stem cell transplant’’, being the only one in Nigeria and second in Africa after Egypt. “But for me, the most significant breakthrough is my investment in human resources which I consider far more important. “Investment in humans can never be too much,’’ he said. Ibadin explained that his vision for the institution “is one that will make UBTH a place where we would have broken all new grounds in the three aspects of health care, research and training”. “I want UBTH to become one of the most outstanding health institutions in Africa
where you can adequately be catered for rather than going abroad to seek for medical solution. “One of the institution’s greatest challenges just now is to extend what we are doing in the area of renal (kidney) transplant.” He said though the management had trained people separately in the area, “we have realised that there is a missing link. “We already have a transplant surgeon; a transplant physician; a transplant nurse and an intensivist (physician who specialises in the care and treatment of patients in intensive care). “And, that missing link is to get the entire team sent abroad for three months to be
trained together as a complete team on kidney transplant. “We hope we will be able to do that before the end of 2013 after which we will throw our doors open because it is not in our interest to keep sending people abroad because the capital flight is much. “We also hope to reduce the cost of a transplant from about N6 million in India, being the cheapest around the world, to about N2.5 million here in UBTH. “UBTH already has about 42 consultants who are specialists in quite different new areas of research and health care. “Some of these are: Neuro-Ophthalmology (aspect of brain care), and geriatrics (taking care of the aged),” Ibadin said.
NOA Urges More Women Involvement InPolitics MR. Mike Omeri, the Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), on Thursday urged Nigerian women to be more involved in politics, if the country’s democracy is to meet their governance needs. Omeri gave the charge at a one-day roundtable on Promoting Women
Political Empowerment, Peace and Security organised by the agency in Karu, near Abuja. According to him, if Nigeria’s democratic system must speedily evolve into an efficient tool for meeting the governance needs of the people, Nigerian women should neither be excluded nor neglected. Omeri said that the
country desired more active involvement of women at the three levels of governance as the country marched towards the 2015 general elections. He called on women to take a bold step and surmount all obstacles standing against their emergence as key leaders at all levels of the democratic process and
governance. Omeri attributed the dismal performance of women in politics to their apathy to political party involvement, the socialisation process, as well as customs and traditions that restricted women to private domain. He identified other limiting factors as lack of internal democracy in political parties, monetisation of
politics, zoning and administrative fiats. “Register as members of any political party of your choice in order to have legitimacy to neutralise negative perceptions against female politicians, add quality to governance and enhance opportunity for party patronage and benefits,” Omeri said.
Opara; a former Transport Minister Abiye Sekibo; Sen. Lee Maeba and Sergeant Awuse. The five anti-Amaechi members of the state House of Assembly; Amaechule Martins, Victor Ihunwo, Kelechi Nwogu, Evan Bipi and M.O. Chinola, were also at the meeting. Obuah said the party chieftains were pained that Amaechi had remained the main champion of opposition in the country against the president and the Federal Government. He alleged that the governor had repeatedly rebuffed all efforts aimed at making him show remorse and respect the president. “We are pained and our heart bleeds today that the main champion of opposition in the country against Mr President, and indeed, the Federal Government of Nigeria is our own son, Governor Rotimi Amaechi. ‘We do not know what has come over the young man. Is it that he wants to destabilise the PDP before his eventual movement to his new party, having been handed over the ACN/APC structure in Rivers? “Unfortunately, he has repeatedly rebuffed every effort by us and well-meaning Nigerians to make him show remorse and respect for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,’’ he said. Obuah apologised to the president and his wife, Dame Patience, and pledged unalloyed loyalty of the party to the administration. “Mr President Sir, we sincerely apologise to you and the First Lady on this sad situation. “We appeal that as the saying goes, ‘you do not visit the sin of the father on the son’ and implore Your Excellency, to remember us in prayers. ‘To demonstrate that Rivers people are not with Governor Amaechi in this hostile attitude against Mr President, and our great party, we shall continue to support his suspension from the PDP by the National Working Committee until he retraces his steps from engaging in anti-party activities. “As a party, Mr President, we in Rivers assure you that we will continue to support you, “As our son-in-law, we guarantee that you can go home and sleep with your two eyes closed, believing that at all times, we will massively support and stand with you, come rain, come shine,’’ he said. In an interview with State House correspondents, Odili said every party member must have the respect for constituted authority and the rule of law. Odili said discipline must also be the guiding principles in order to successfully run “whatever system or societies we are running’’.
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Is Federal House In Good Hands?
ON May 27th 2013, a serving minister who happens to be one of the most loyal cabinet members of President Goodluck Jonathan known for his astuteness in frankly negotiating with trade unions in Nigeria, invited me to attend the mid-term report event of President Jonathan which took place on May 29th 2013 at the international conference center Abuja. I attended the event but sadly the organizers (office of the secretary to the government of the federation) made a total mess of that occasion because rather than provide sufficient copies of the report Journal launched at the event with pomp and pageantry by the number one citizen of Nigeria, the organizers failed woefully but were more concerned with banalities like hiring some gorgeously dressed market women to clap hands intermittently for the wife of the President when she was shown on a recorded speech televised on a projector at that event. I went away from the hall of that mid-term report presentation of President Jonathan without the clean copy of what I can call midterm report card of the current executive arm of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But as luck would have it, as I made to board the shuttle bus that brought us to the venue, one of those market women hired for the purpose of clapping hands for the wife of the President gave me her own copy because in her words, “I don’t know what government wants me to do with this book”. I have since digested the contents of the ‘richly’ printed and very colourful booklet and I am doing a critique which will be ready in few days. Conversely, on June 4th 2013, the office of the speaker of the Federal House of Representatives invited me to attend the midterm assessment parley of the Federal House of
Representatives which took place on June 6th 2013. With my working knowledge of the level of significant transformation that happened in that Federal House of Representatives’ leadership style since the last two years that the duo of Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Deputy Speaker Mr. Emeka Ihedioha emerged, I decided to honour the invitation and I have since not regretted my presence at that august event which turned out to be intellectually rich in the real sense of it. The Mid-term report assessment parley of the Federal House fundamentally departed from the political jamboree that was organized by the office of the secretary to the government of the federation as mid-term report session by President Jonathan. In that presidential midterm event characterized by high-drama and fanfare, the key ministers in the cabinet of President Jonathan reeled out what may be considered as “statistical lies” to justify the huge expenditure incurred so far by this very expensive executive arm of government to service the recurrent budget of political office holders. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, and it is in that fashion that most Nigerians afflicted by mass poverty, mass illiteracy; insecurity and youth joblessness have reacted in unison to condemn the beautiful lies that were celebrated by these key ministers under the current Federal administration. To demonstrate how unsophisticated these ministers are, few days after celebrating the mid-term of the current administration, both the minister of state for power and that of Finance publicly admitted that poverty; joblessness; corruption are still major challenges confronting Nigeria. I will return to all that in my complete critique of that mid-
and good governance in Nigeria. The big masquerade of that event was the speaker who nevertheless came out to assure Nigerians that as
charitable enough to profoundly applaud President Jonathan for being a statesman and for respecting the principle of separation of power as enshrined in the constitution of the federal Republic just as he also praised the
imperfect human beings, the members of the House would continue to play by the rules of democratic engagement by allowing members of the general
nation’s judiciary headed for the first time since the nation gained independence, by a woman-Justice Maryam Alooma Muktar. His words: “We commend
By EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO
term Journal from the presidency. But at the mid-term assessment programme of the Tambuwal-led Federal House of Representatives,
Jonathan members of the very critical organized civil society and the Human Rights Community were allowed to deliver their independent assessment of how far the parliament has gone in meeting some of the legislative aspirations of the people of Nigeria. Such erudite scholars like Chidi Odinkalu, the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria and the irrepressible human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mr. Femi-Falana among others, delivered very rich papers and were frank in their assessment. They also charged the Tambuwal-led leadership to keep the flag of good leadership flying and to keep passing good laws that would promote the cause of human rights of Nigerians
“In that presidential mid-term event characterized by high-drama and fanfare, the key ministers in the cabinet of President Jonathan reeled out what may be considered as “statistical lies” to justify the huge expenditure incurred so far by this very expensive executive arm of government to service the recurrent budget of political office holders.”
wonderful lot working successfully under over 360 masters. Our brothers the Civil Society have continued to challenge us with their quick wit, alertness, penchant for detail and unalloyed commitment to the defense of the defenseless. To all Nigerians, I must state that we are humbled by your trust, confidence, cooperation, patience and understanding even in the face of deficits in the fulfillment of your aspiration and expectations...”. In the thinking of most observers in Nigeria, some of the laws made by the current National Assembly if thoroughly and comprehensively applied, will grow not just the nation’s economy but will promote good governance. Two of such laws come to mind namely the freedom of information Act (FOI) and the amendment to the enabling law setting up the National Human Rights Commission to confer stronger financial and operational autonomy. President Jonathan signed these two legislations into law thereby entering the political annals of Nigeria as a man willing to bring about some positive political changes and transformation, at least on paper. That good faith showed by most Nigerians on the activities of the Tambuwalled Federal House of Representatives was not lost on the
• CJN, Maryam Aloma Mkhtar
public to keep sending in their well thought out pubic legislative agenda to guide the parliament towards serving Nigerians creditably. Speaker Tambuwal was
the Executive and Judicial arms with whom it has been a period of mutual complimentary operation, the management and staff of the House have been a
leadership because the first thing they did was to fashion out a clear agenda and legislative assignment
Continue on Pg 9
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P litics Is Federal House In... Continued from Pg 8 for themselves tailored towards promoting good governance and respect for constitutionalism. The speaker made the above points when he stated thus; “At the commencement of its journey, the 7th House of Representatives fashioned for itself a Legislative Agenda to guide its processes, programmes and operations. This agenda is consistent with the constitutional mandate of the legislature to wit: Legislation,
people yearn for fair patronage from their government, be it development, employment or whatever, a true representative must stand with the people. Where they unjustifiably neglect, it will amount to abuse of mandate and it is in order to forestall this abuse that the people have reserved for themselves the power to recall compromising and erring representatives”, speaker Tambuwal, noted. However, Nigerians still yearn for a legislative
be served whenever the local governments are made truly independent and liberated from the stranglehold of the 36 state governors most of whom have turned them into their private revenue yielding assets. The way governors run the Local government councils in clear breach of section 7 of the constitution is spreading poverty to homes of millions of Nigerians who reside in local government areas and are deprived of the dividends of democracy.
David Mark Representation and Oversight. The legislative function of making laws for the peace, order and good government of Nigeria appears reasonably well appreciated now by the general public, so is the function of oversight of the implementation of the laws so made pursuant to the law making function”. “The House of Representatives is the House of the Nigerian people, it is the congregation of over 160 million Nigerians in representative capacity. As it is well entrenched in the Principal-Agent relationship, so is the relationship and duty of the representative to the constituents and ultimately the entire people of Nigeria. The people may seem weak against the government they have put in place, though it ought not to be so, but the people must be heard nonetheless. If the
529 page book thus; “Political and economic institutions, which are ultimately the choice of society, can be inclusive and encourage economic growth or they can be extractive and become impediments to economic growth. Nations fail when they have extractive economic institutions, supported by extractive political institutions that impede and even block economic growth”. In the book “WHY NATIONS FAIL”, the two joint authors further argued thus; “…the politics of institutions – is central to our quest for understanding the reasons
part or in whole in another fashion in the speech delivered by the speaker of Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives aptly titled; “LONG WALK TO GOOD GOVERNANCE”. But as the popular aphorism goes that ‘action speaks louder than words’, Nigerians will only become happier when through stronger national laws enshrined in our constitution, strategic institutions such as the local government area councils and the anti-graft agencies are made more independent to bring about good governance and zero tolerance to corruption. Corruption as we all know is
House has been decisive in meting out administrative sanctions even when judicial processes are inchoate. We have had to apply such sanctions as suspension and removal from committee headships on our colleagues as means of self censorship and internal discipline. The House is gradually but firmly institutionalizing the war against corruption in order to maintain high ethical standard for all Legislators. In this regard, the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges is hereby directed to expeditiously undertake the comprehensive review of the Code of conduct to bring it up to international
the single most dominant cause of all the developmental challenges confronting Nigeria in the twenty first century. Tambuwal did not leave his audience imagining what his leadership thinks about corruption which reared its ugly head among some key legislators in the last two years especially in the line of discharging their oversight duties. In his words: “Regarding the objective of zero tolerance to corruption, the
parliamentary best practices”. Mr. speaker, Nigerians are watching and for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that produced the duo of Tambuwal and Ihedioha among a few other good political Statesmen and women, the political platform should focus more on how best to attract good people to swell their ranks so that by winning elections transparently, these persons can transform our nation for the better.
Aminu Tambuwa framework to make critical institutions that would promote good governance much more independent and strong. Nigerians are keen to seeing that the National Assembly use its constitutional power to clearly amend the extant provisions in the constitution to empower the local government councils to become independent because the greatest happiness of the greatest number of Nigerians would
The authors of the great book titled “Why Nations Fail”, Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson went as far as postulating that institutions such as the local government councils ought to be run independently in such a way as to promote transparency and accountability if the aspirations of majority of the citizenry for rapid development and economic prosperity are to be achieved in no distant period of time. These writers wrote in that
for the success and failure of nations. We have to understand why the politics of some societies lead to inclusive institutions that foster economic growth, while the politics of the vast majority of societies throughout history has led, and still leads today, to extractive institutions that hamper economic growth”. The above well thought out leadership philosophy encapsulated in the aforementioned book, were incidentally also captured in
“Nigerians are keen to seeing that the National Assembly use its constitutional power to clearly amend the extant provisions in the constitution to empower the local government councils to become independent because the greatest happiness of the greatest number of Nigerians would be served whenever the local governments are made truly independent and liberated from the stranglehold of the 36 state governors most of whom have turned them into their private revenue yielding assets.”
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Oshiomhole Challenges FG On Five Junction government meet the Continued from page 1 Contract drainage underground, and required specification to water is flowing to connect from one moat to another. “It was a design that took some time to prepare and at the end, we awarded the contract to RCC which was already doing the expansion of Dawson, Urubi, Uselu roads and we also gave Hitec the opportunity to bid for the job and at the end RCC quotation was more competitive and we gave the job to them,” the governor noted. Oshiomhole who showed the House Committee members the design and quotations by the contractor on the project said, “this explanation has become necessary to lay to rest the controversy surrounding the Five Junction. As you said this should not be deduced as my word against any other persons claim. I have asked the State Ministry of Works to bring me the design as well as the contract so that this issue is settled once and for all. “If the Federal Ministry of Works insists that they constructed that road it means that they are claiming money for a job that they did not do and that will be fraud,” he added. According to the governor, “Edo State Government has to redesign the drainages, widen it and deepen it and get the proper inverse so that when it rains the water flows out. As you know, construction of drainage is more expensive than spreading asphalt, laterite and stone base and that job is still ongoing, which we thought the federal government should be able to reimburse us for the money spent.”
The state governor who listed a number of federal government roads in the state which the state government has worked on called on the Federal Ministry of Works to reimburse the state Government for work done on federal roads in the state. He also appealed to members of the House Committee on Works to visit the queen Ede gully erosion site to see the extent of damage done by the
Comrade Idugboe Felicitates With Odubu By OKOH INNOCENT AS the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu, celebrates his 56th birthday anniversary and silver jubilee of his marriage, he has been described as a sincere, lovable and intelligent leader poised to always meeting the needs of the people. This statement was contained in a release by the Dr. Pius Odubu forum, Canada chapter, and signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Comrade Osamede Idugboe and Authur Uwuigbe, respectively. The statement further described the deputy governor as “a fine wine that gets better with age”. The forum therefore throws its weight behind the pair of Governor Oshiomhole and Dr. Pius Odubu, in making the state a better developed and happier one. While praying that God almighty continue to preserve, guide and protect the deputy governor and his family as the world celebrates with them.
Government agencies while constructing the Benin – Asaba highway. The Chairman of the House of Representative Committee on Works, Hon Ogbuefi Ozombachi said they were in the state to ensure that roads constructed by the federal
Federal
ensure that Nigerians get value for their money. The committee chairman listed road abuse, inadequate fund and compromise of specification and design as some of the remote and immediate causes of road deterioration in the country.
AS the month of Sha’aban comes to an end in a few days time, Muslims in Edo State have been advised to look out for the new moon signifying the beginning for the month of Ramadan (The 9th month in Islamic Calendar) from Sunday 7, 2013. In a statement signed by the Chairman of Edo State Moon Sighting Committee and the Chief Iman of Benin, Mallam Abdul fattah Enabulele, further
Old Classmates Regroup For Mutal Benefits
IT is no longer news that old boys comprising former school mates at secondary and tertiary level often regroup for mutual benefits and self-help projects in aid of their alma mater. What is news however is that old classmates having been separated by time and space since July, 1979 – 34 years ago – have succeeded in regrouping on the eve of their retirement from the public service for mutual cooperation and the necessary support to enjoy the rest of their lives in the spirit of “one love keep us together.” Determined to prepare for the rainy day, former classmates of Baptist Training College, the Class of 1979, Ede, under the aegis of BATRACO ’79, have succeeded in regrouping to map out strategies for
sustainable progress, happiness and good health in their retirement days. It will be recalled that concerned old students of the Baptist College, Ede, 1979 Class converged on the NUJ Press Centre, Osogbo on Saturday, 6th April, 2013 for the inauguration of BATRACO ’79. A Statement issued by the convener and National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Adeyemi Brown, said most of the old students who have missed one another for 34 consecutive years after their graduation and departure from Talafia Hill, Ede in July 1979 are scheduled to meet for a happy reunion on Saturday, July 6, 2013. The statement added that the Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Mufatai Oyeleke Oluwadare, an old boy of BATRACO ’79 is expected to be the chairman of the occasion. Similarly, a former teacher of the old students, Mr. Adenrele Adeyemo is expected to deliver goodwill messages during the programme slated for 10am at the NUJ Press Centre, Osogbo. According to the National Coordinator, the main objective of BATRACO ’79 is to pool resources for the benefit of members and thier families in their pre and post retirement days. The statement enjoined all those who graduated from Baptist College, Ede in 1979 to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the forum (BATRACO ’79) to join their colleagues in sharing a brighter life.
ATTE-Stool Crisis, Daudu Thanks Oshiomhole
THE people of Atte community in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, have expressed gratitude to Governor Adams Oshiomhole for allowing the judiciary to deliver justice in the leadership crisis that has rocked the community for some years. Also, the people have appealed to the State executive council to formally recognise Chief Francis Oshokhamere Daudu, as the Ogieare -elect and the first Okuaregbe of Atte community, having obtained victory at the High Court in Uromi on June 6. While speaking in Benin City, during a media parley, Daudu said the headship stool crisis has not only brought about hardship and disunity among the people but a great setback in the area of structural development. According to him, “on behalf of the Atte people, I thank Governor Adams Oshiomhole for allowing the judiciary to listen and deliver justice in the case of the succession to the Clan Headship Stool in Atte. Since 1979, when BSNL No 162 of 1979 came into being, I mean the Government Legal Notice which purportedly declared the customary court of Atte relating to the success of the Clan Headship Stool, which declaration was in fact opposite
of the true position, the community has never had peace. We equally have no development because our people had no trust in the traditional rulers imposed on them in negation of their custom.” Speaking further, Daudu said “now that we are united by the grace of God, our ancestors and the rule of law, we shall now be able to speak with one voice and we are confident that our governor will listen to us.” On his part, Stephen Ifoga, the Ofareshi of Atte, said he was glad that the case had finally come to an end and that they were ready to work with the present Okuaregbe to move the community forward because “for close to 30 years now, we have no development because our people had no trust in the traditional rulers imposed on them in negation of their custom.” As for Philip Ifoga, who represented the chairman of the community at the ceremony, “the people of Atte are happy and proud to have comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the Governor of Edo State because the re-establishment of our custom has given every son and daughter of Atte a sense of
Tambuwal Arrivesof Benin the House
Continued from page 1
the country, adding that the history of Nigeria will not be complete without reference to the Oba of Benin. Responding, the Benin monarch commended Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal for effectively piloting the affairs
of Representatives. In a chat with newsmen, Hon. Leo Ogor and Friday Itulah said they accompanied the Speaker of the House of Representatives to Benin to felicitate with the deputy governor who was a former member of the House.
belonging.” Ifoga explained that following the judgement of the court over the tussle for the Headship Stool, the Imiareghan’s family, whose turn it is to produce the Clan Head of Atte has traditionally and customarily followed all due processes and nominated Chief Daudu as their candidate. Some of the Atte people present at the ceremony were Chief Samuel Damia, the Agbobakeni of Atte, Chief Sunday Aduro, Mallam Adamu Shehu, Lucky Yusuf, Kessington Igbafe and many others. It would be recalled that recently, an Igarra High Court, presided over by Justice J.A Oyakhilome, upheld that the Clan Head Stool be rotated rather than restricting it to a particular family as being practiced for close to three decades now.
Muslims Advised For The New advised that whenever the moon is sighted in any part of the country from Sunday 7th, 2013, the following personalities should be promptly contacted In Edo South, Malam Abdul Fattah Enabulele, Chief Imam of Benin and Chairman, Edo State Moon Sighting Committee. Tel: 0805- 8767058/0803-451-9626 and Malam Hassan Ebowe, Member, Moon Sighting Committee, Tel: 0703-0858749. In Edo North, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Aliru Momoh (Ikelebe III), Otaru of Auchi & Vice President General-
To Watch Out Moon Ramadan Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and Sheikh Mukhtar Ilenoba, Secretary, Moon Sighting Committee. Tel: 0706-292-7013. In Edo Central, Malam Abdulkareem Ahmed, Member, Moon Sighting Committee, Tel: 0805-716065 l and Alhaji (Dr) Teddy Ikhuoria, CMD, Eguavoen Hospital, Iruekpen. Tel: 0805660-9234. The statement however wish all Muslims a successful Ramadan fast and Allah’s abundant blessing in the years ahead, and urged them to live happily and peacefully with their non-muslim neighbours.
White Paper Committee Set Up For Visitation Panel While noting that the state By QUEENNETH AIKHIOBARE OROBEDO
EDO State government is to set up a white paper committee to look into the findings and recommendations of the visitation panel set up for the State College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi. Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere announced this yesterday in Government House, Benin City, shortly after receiving the report from the panel. Prof. Ihonvbere who commended the visitation panel for the painstaking exercise, though had spanned beyond the initiative frame, asserted that it was necessary to ensure a thorough job, which they have done.
College of Agriculture was critical to the manpower and overall development of the state, the SSG said the decision by government to set up the white paper committee is to ensure that immediate and necessary steps are taken to reposition the institution. Chairman of the visitation panel, Prof. Samson Uduzei Remison said the panel which worked in line with its six term of reference received fifty-five memoranda from relevant stakeholders. It would be recalled that Edo State government on 21st January this year inaugurated a six man visitation panel for the state College of Agriculture Iguoriakhi with the mandate to X-ray its activities between the period of 15th January 2008 to December 2012.
Akhademhe Passes On At 57
THE death has occurred of late Mr. Amos Akhademhe of Uneme town in Akoko-Edo local government area of Edo State. He was aged 57 years Until his death, the late Amos Akhademhe was the Director of Tax Audit/ Investigation in the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS). He is survived by wife and children. According to the family, the burial arrangements of the deceased will be announced soon.
Late Mr. Amos Akhademhe
Omo-Ojo, Neighbourhood Watch Destroy Adulterated Diesel By THOMPSON ERHOMONSELE THE fight against fake petroleum Products Business in Edo State paid off as adulterated diesel contained in jerry cans was yesterday in Benin City destroyed by a joint team officials from Edo State Ministry of Special Duties, Oil and Gas as well as the State Neighbourhood Watch, Edo South Zonal Command. The 150 litres of diesel contained in three jerry cans were apprehended from the suspects who took to their heels when men of the Neighbourhood Watch Zonal office and its Egor Unit Swooped on them on Evbuotubu – Ugbighoko axis. Commenting on the
development, Edo State Commissioner for Special Duties, Oil and Gas Ambassador Orobosa Omo-Ojo (JP) said this was a demonstration of zeal by the state government to stop the criminalities such as adulteration, diversion and under-dispensing of petroleum products as well as pipeline vandalism. Executive Director, Neighbourhood Watch, Hon. Raphael E. Usuomon affirmed that the men were pro-active and prepared to work to achieve the mandate of the outfit, pointing out that the Neighbourhood watch it was ready to partner the State Ministry of Special Duties, Oil and Gas to abate the criminal sharp practices in the oil and gas
sector. Receiving the Executive Director and his men during their visit to the ministry, The Commissioner gave an assurance that the ministry work synergise with the Neighbourhood Watch towards controlling adulteration, diversion and under-dispensing of petroleum products as well as pipeline vandalism. Ambassador Omo-Ojo expressed optimism that Hon. Usuomon would be able to manage finance and human resources efficiently and effectively. In his remark, Hon. Raphael Usuomon disclosed that the state Neighbourhood Watch in Edo South Zone had about 1,000 personnel drawn from all walks of life that were capable of carrying out their responsibility.
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n The Christian Faith And Communism
I sight T R A D I T I O N A L communism is the common ownership of the means of production. The reference to communism in the book of Acts is having all things in common. “And all that believed were together and had all things common and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.” To explain the kind of communism that the early church practiced it is necessary to understand the sense of brotherhood that the members of the Jerusalem Church had toward each other. It was not, to be sure, an arbitrary communism and bears little relation to communists of today but the principle on which it was based was communistic. They held jobs, bought and sold and made a profit on their earnings, much like you would see in an ideal social democracy. This was the spirit of Pentecost; the beautiful outpouring of unselfishness that was soon to be lost. It was the result of a spiritual oneness that should be an example to us today. On 2nd June, 2013 at Royal House of Grace International Church leadership session with Apostle Prince David Zilly Aggrey, my pastor and the Chairman, Rivers State Christian Association of Niger and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria came this truth as espoused and taught by him. It was not just altruism that was practiced in Jerusalem; the claims of the Christian family were recognized as of a higher order than the claims of the individual. This was for the relief of the necessities of the brethren, not just because they were in need and suffering, but because they were brethren. Of course many were in need but it was the power of the Holy Ghost in the hearts of the believers that prompted them to such selfless acts of charity - and it worked. “Neither was there any among them that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold. And laid them down at the apostles’ feet and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.” The Essenes also practiced communism. Saint Benedict’s vision was a
monastery with its fields and workshops that was selfcontained and selfsupporting. A monk was to think nothing as being his own property but all belonged to all. This ideal was a type of Christian communism like the apostles practiced. It was
the early Christians in Jerusalem that Benedict cited for his precedent, all shared in the common stock. This same type of communalism still exists among the best Christian groups today. Upon arriving to America at Plymouth, the Pilgrims initiated communism and for seven years there was to have been no private ownership of land, and everyone was to have been fed and
By DR. LEWIS AKPOGENA
clothed from the common stock. It didn’t last long. What the Jerusalem church practiced was a voluntary and democratic social communism. The representation of communism in the modern world is something entirely
communism is both antiChristian. In case you are wondering, I’m a social democrat. Communism represents an obsolete point of view that lags a century behind the present situation and capitalism has always violated the precepts of
of communist regimes of the past. The totalitarian type of communism that we have seen would not have been possible if the church had not rejected the social gospel in the beginning. The luke-warm church turned inward and became arrogant, above and beyond social service and accepted
different. American society and capitalism in general has oversimplified the terms of independence and class struggle as being part of the red menace and demonized the social gospel to the point of starving the greater part of the world. The Communists however see capitalistic society as a 19th century bourgeois relic which is doomed to perish. The truth is that laissez faire capitalism and totalitarian
Jesus and apostolic mandate. There is the communism that the church should not totally reject. A Christian who believes in the communion of saints and celebrates Holy Communion should not be against communism or communalism or community completely. Communism in an apostolic setting has some definite Christian potential but it will not include the atheistic tyranny
capitalism and free enterprise as the Christian god. They became rich, wanting for nothing and was blind to the avarice around them. If the love and brotherhood that was practiced in the book of Acts were a visible reality in the church of recent history, the right-wing puritan insanity that we see today would not have been possible, nor the third-world response in revolution to break the yoke
of economic oppression. To a Marxist, communism has solved the enigma of history. Communism is defined as a movement and consciousness of movement advancing towards the highest form of social organization. It settles the question of men and nature, existence and essence, freedom and necessity, individual and collectiveness. In theory and practice it solves all these questions and it is mindful that it solves them. With its criticism of oppression and expectations of a better world, Marxist communism started as a rational eschatology, in many ways akin to restoration prophetic ideals. With the appearance of Soviet communism, however, the rational and eschatological setting was discarded and only tyranny and atheism remained. Paul Tillich writes that “The Church did not hear the prophetic voice in communism and therefore did not recognize its demonic possibilities.” One for all and all for one is a good platitude but it hasn’t worked yet. Each according to his ability and each according to his need is a slogan, not a reality. On the one hand, communism is open and kind to all; on the other hand, it is exclusive and intolerant, even of its own people. The authors of the Communist Manifesto associated progress with violence. Aristotle writes that “No one, when men have all things in common, will any longer set an example of liberality or do any liberal action; for liberality consists in the use a man makes of his own property.” Emerson in his day wrote of communism. “A cruel kindness, serving the whole even to the ruin of the member; a terrible communist, reserving all profits to the community, without dividend to Continues on pg. 12
“There is the communism that the church should not totally reject. A Christian who believes in the communion of saints and celebrates Holy Communion should not be against communism or communalism or community completely.”
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The Christian Faith And Communism
Continued from pg. 11 individuals. Its law is - you shall have everything as a member, nothing to yourself.” Although communism is practiced in the early church, it has been so maligned by totalitarian excess that it no longer reflects the apostolic mandates. Capitalism is however very easy to attack as being anti-Christian and the main god of the lukewarm materialistic church. They think that they are serving Jesus but it is their own lusts that they are serving. It is a lie that they have accepted that has prompted God to send them a strong delusion. A healthy economic democracy is the only thing that can defeat atheistic international communism and capitalistic greed. It reformed Europe in the 19th century but in America even the issue of a national health care plan for our people is considered too socialistic to be taken seriously. Just think of the many ignorant Christians that consider political activity in the Church as subversive activity. Look around you at conservative faiths that think that liberality and a planned economy are of the communist sort. Robert McAfee Brown takes this on as well: “Any one opposed to the state is automatically branded a communist.” Then what of the Christian communism that we find in the book of Acts? It is much more than communism, because it is the altruism of charity. It is done out of a pure heart, a dedication and obedience to the apostolic mandate and a sincere desire to serve God and be part of a sanctified body. It is the motivation of a supernatural principle to provide for the needs of others. It transcends selfinterest, selfish family values and the desire to get rich. Unfortunately in a world ruled by the avarice of Satan’s people worshiping mammon, it just won’t work.
Only when we as a Christian society can build upon a foundation with Jesus as the chief cornerstone will the Kingdom come and social justice reign supreme. In conclusion, Apostle Zilly Aggrey posit, and charge the Christian community to imbibe the communist spirit of the apostolic order that brethren will come to the church with extra clothes, shoes, foodstuff and other essentials to give to other brethren in need at the end of service, to the extent that no one in the church will lack. He reason that Russian communism failed because they took God out of it and replaced it with self and greed with capitalism that create class that some and many churches are practicing today, church ownership by General Overseers, special seat, cassock, titles and recognition of the rich while the ordinary Christian brethren are excluded from enjoying certain privileges in the Church. The foregoing principles furnish motives for Association. They develop in a larger partnership the same attractions that draw and bind together a marriage partnership. A Community home, where love is honored and cultivated, will be as much more attractive than an ordinary home as the Community outnumbers a pair. These principles also remove the chief obstruction to Association. There is a strong tendency to crossing love even in marriage. Association inevitably increases this. A confederation of contiguous states with custom-house lines around each is sure to be quarrelsome. The only way to prevent smuggling and strife in such a confederation is to abolish customs-house lines from the interior, and collect revenues by one customhouse line around the whole. The Shakers avoid this stumbling block,
but they sacrifice the life of society in securing its peace. Association to be valuable must be not mere compaction of material but community of life. A congeries of loose particles cannot make a living body; ~o more can a congeries of loose double particles. Just so in Association individuals and pairs as well as all larger combinations must be knit together organically and pervaded by one common life. Association of this kind
labor will be done away. Labor is excessive or not according to the proportion between strength and work. Bible Communism increases strength by placing the individual in an organization which receives life from its source and distributes it with the highest activity. It reduces work by reducing the needed amount of food, raiment and shelter. As society becomes vital and refined, drawing its best nourishment from
contribute to this result. When the partition between the sexes is taken away, when fashion follows nature in dress and vocation, men and women will mingle like boys and girls in their employments, and labor will become sport. We can now see our way to victory over death. Reconciliation with God opens the way for reconciliation of the sexes. Reconciliation of the sexes excludes shame, and opens the way for Bible Communism. Bible
Abraham, Moses, David, Paul. This will be called a fanatical principle. But it is clearly a Bible principle, and we must place it on high above all others as the palladium of conservatism in the introduction of the new social order. We hereby notify all that we neither license nor encourage anyone to attempt the practice of this theory without clear directions from the government in the heavens. No movement in these
will be to society what regeneration is to the individual, a resurrection from the dead. Bible Communism, as this kind of Association may properly be called, demands the surrender not only of property and conjugal interests but of life itself to the use of the whole. If this is the “grave of liberty,” as the Fourierists say, it is the grave of the liberty of war, which has done mischief enough to deserve death; and it is the birth of the liberty of peace. In Bible Communism excessive
happiness, the grosser kinds of food, especially animal food, will go out of use, and the fruits of trees will become staple. Woman’s dress will be simple and beautiful and nearly the same as man’s. Buildings too will be more compact, and much labor now expended in accommodating egotism and exclusiveness will be saved. In Bible Communism labor, no longer excessive, will become naturally attractive. Loving companionship will
Communism increases strength, diminishes work, and makes work attractive. Thus the antecedents of death are removed. First we abolish sin, then shame, then the curse on woman of exhausting childbearing, then the curse on man of excessive labour, and so we arrive regularly at the tree of life. Gen. 3. The men and women who are called to usher in the Kingdom of God will be guided not merely by theoretical truth, but by direct communication with the heavens, as were
matters can be made safely in the way of imitation, or on the mere ground of acquaintance with the theory of the new order. Other qualifications besides theory are required for the construction and handling of a locomotive, and much more for the management of such tremendous machinery as that of Bible Communism. Whoever meddles with the affairs of the inner sanctuary without true spirituality securing inspiration will plunge himself into consuming fire.
“A Community home, where love is honored and cultivated, will be as much more attractive than an ordinary home as the Community outnumbers a pair.”
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I sues Noise Pollution: Major Catalyst To
THE Federal Environmental Protection Agency Act defines environment broadly to include; water, air, land and all plants and human being or animals living therein or any of them. Environment is the totality of the places and surroundings, in which we live, work and interact with other people in our cultural, religious, political and socioeconomic activities for selffulfillment and advancement of our communities, societies or nations. It is within this environment that both natural and man-made things are found. Human being all over the world until their death resides in an environment and their survival depends largely on an enabling environment, once an environment is no more enable, it becomes polluted. Environmental pollution on the other hand, has been described as the contamination of the environment by biological, chemical, and/or physical agents that are harmful to human, animal or plant, life and the general environment, and may arise through the natural events. Industrial and human activities or the interaction of all. Pollution is man-made or man aided alteration of chemical, physical or biological quality of the environment to the extent that is detrimental to that environment or beyond acceptable limits. Pollution is the introduction by man directly or indirectly of substances or energy into the environment resulting in such deleterious effect as charm to living resources; hazard to human health, hindrance to marine activities including fishing, impairment of quality for use of seawater and reduction of amenities. Not surprising over the last two decades there is widespread agreement that mankind is faced with environmental crises of an alarming dimension which trend if not reversed or slow down may lead inevitably to unmitigated decline in those area of the global Ecosystems which sustains human life on this planet. Noise is a sound especially a loud or unpleasant one. It is also a series or confusion of loud sounds, irregular fluctuations accompanying a transmitted signal. Noise is a number of tonal components disagreeable to man and more or less intolerable to him because of the discomfort, fatigue, disturbances and, in some cases, pain it cause. Noise
pollution is a type of energy pollution in which distracting sounds which are clearly audible and which may result in disturbing any natural process or causes human harm. Consequently, noise is unwanted sound. What is pleasant to some ears may be extremely unpleasant to others depending upon a number of psychological factors. Noise pollution is one of the environmental hazards affecting human as well as climate. In most urban areas of the third or developing countries of the world there are lots of noise pollutants which includes noise from exhaust cars, industrial as well as home generating plants. In the advanced countries however, scientific experimentations like launching and re-launching of rockets, bombs and satellites sounds constitutes a major climate pollutant. Human being, animals, plants and even inert objects like buildings and bridges have been victims of the increasing noise pollution caused in the world. Noise has become a very significant stress factor in the environment, to the level that the term noise pollution has been used to signify the hazard of sound which consequences in the modern day development is immeasurable. Though-not physically visible, noise has been a major catalyst to climate change and practical sources of human health catastrophes globally. Therefore, from the foregoing, it can rightly be summed up that noise is an unwanted pollutant introduced directly or indirectly into the environment usually at 8085dB level and at which sound becomes so painful and of deleterious effects as harm to living resources, hazard to human health and sea amenities. A major distinction between sound and noise is that sound is regarded as noise when it becomes a source of inconvenience to another. Noise pollution is not
the world. The situation is getting seriously alarming with increase in traffic density on city roads. The emissions of smoke from cars are of great concern to the changes we are currently experiencing in the climate of this country. Construction /Industrial Noise: To me, the demands of the basic necessity of
health are: Household Noise: Household equipments such as vacuum cleaners, mixers and some kitchen appliances are noisemakers of the house. Though they do not cause too much of problem, their effect of noise emitted on human health cannot be neglected. Furthermore, noise can be generated from neighbourhood noise consisting of neighbouring apartments and noise within one’s own apartment. Honking Noise: The
living, the construction of buildings, highways and city streets causes a lot of noise. Pneumatic hammers, air compressors, bulldozers, loaders, dump trucks and pavement breakers are the major sources of noise pollution in construction sites all emitted one classes of smoke or another which are all contributing to the current changes in climate. Other sources of noise pollution that are not contributing directly to climate change but that are indirectly contributing and that are having some negative effect on human
people while honking do not realize the difficulties they caused to others and themselves. There can be lose of hearing, stress level may go high and even mental instability. Honking unnecessarily while driving or stationed in a place has become a trend these day and one can hear it very well at the traffic signals. Effects Of Noise Pollution On Human Health: Concerns about the impact of noise pollution on health and environment have resulted in measure to Continues on pg. 14
Climate Change By PRAISE EGHWRUDJE
unique or peculiar to developing countries alone; it is a common occurrence and of highest magnitude in most of the Advance countries. For instance China until the third century BC of its existence had used noise for torturing instead of hanging men for
energy hierarchy as it finds innumerable uses in homes, industry, agriculture, and defence and of course in some nations, transportation. Nigeria’s electricity power situation is very poor because of erratic power supply. As a result the upsurge in the use of electricity generating plant
dangerous crime. Similarly in India, not until of late when most of the people do not consider noise as pollutant and takes it as part of life routine, noise was before considered grievous just like any other serious crime. Sources Of Noise Pollution Noise disrupts the tranquility of the environment and can affect climate and human health negatively. Amongst the common sources of noise pollution that contributed directly to climate change are: Electricity Generating Plants: Electric energy occupies the top grade in
with its attendant noise pollution on the environment and human health. Most workplaces and homes use generating plants 24 hours in alternative to power supply. The noise from generated plants in Nigeria couples with its accompany smoke emission to the sky which has greatly contributed to the breaking of the ozone layer in the sky. Vehicular Traffic Noise Engine And Pressure Horns: Increase in vehicular traffic is also a source of noise pollution around the globe especially in most urban cities around
“Noise pollution is one of the environmental hazards affecting human as well as climate. In most urban areas of the third or developing countries of the world there are lots of noise pollutants which includes noise from exhaust cars, industrial as well as home generating plants. In the advanced countries however, scientific experimentations like launching and relaunching of rockets, bombs and satellites sounds constitutes a major climate pollutant.”
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reduce and or control the sources of noise pollutants which affect human health. However the health impacts of noise pollution are not likely to decrease unless appropriate action is taken. Environmental degradation brings about significant pressure on the climate and human health. How badly noise pollution affect individual will depend on pollutant’s length of exposure. Exposure to noise pollution can affect human health in the following circumstances. Hearing Loss In Foetus And Newborn: Pregnant women are exposed to noise in the market place, road, vehicle, workplace etc., and it may result in noise-induced hearing loss and other health hazards on foetus. Expert study found that children with high-frequency hearing loss tested at 4 to 10 years of age were more likely to have been born to women who were exposed consistently to occupational noise in the range of 85dB during pregnancy. This goes to establish the fact that excessive noise pollutant has adverse effect on the health of a child in the womb. Sleep Disturbance: Uninterrupted sleep is known to be a prerequisite for good physiological and mental functioning in healthy individuals. There is both objective and subjective evidence for sleep disturbance by noise. Exposure to noise disturbs sleep proportional to the amount of noise experienced in terms of an increased rate of changes in sleep stages and in number of awakenings. Habituation occurs with an increased number of sound exposures by night and across nights. Objective sleep disturbance is likely to occur if there are more noise events in the night with a maximum level of 5OdBA indoors or more. When sleep disruption becomes chronic; the results are mood changes, slowness
in task performance, and other long-term effects on health and well being. Noise exposure during sleep may increase blood pressure, heart rate and finger pulse amplitude as well as uncontrollable body movements. There may also be after effects during the day following disturbed sleep; perceived sleep quality, mood and performance in terms of reaction time all decreased following sleep disturbed by road traffic noise. Other primary sleep disturbances are difficulty in falling asleep, frequent awakenings, waking too early, and alternations in sleep stages and depth. It thus seems that, although there may be some adaptations to sleep disturbance by noise, complete habituation does not occur, particularly for heart rate. Although the long term health consequences of noise are inconclusive, noise induced sleep loss has been found to impair task performance the next day. Cardiovascular Effects: Noise has been associated with important cardiovascular health problems. Experts have shown that noise exposure causes a number of predictable short-term physiological responses mediated through the autonomic nervous system. Exposure to noise causes physiological activation including increase in heart rate and blood pressure, and thus, increased peripheral vascular resistance. There is rapid habituation to brief noise exposure but habituation to prolonged noise is less certain. A growing body of evidence confirms that noise pollution has both temporary and permanent effects on human (and other mammals) by way of the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems. It has been postulated that noise acts as a nonspecific biologic stressor eliciting reactions that prepare the body for a fight or flight response. For this reason,
Major Catalyst To Climate Change noise can trigger both endocrine and autonomic nervous system responses that affect the cardiovascular system and this may be risk factors for cardiovascular disease. These effects begin to be seen with long-term daily exposure to noise levels above 65d with acute exposure to noise levels above 80c to 85d. Temporary noise exposure is readily, however, noise exposure of sufficient intensity, duration and unpredictability provokes changes that may not be so readily reversible.
general agreement that exposure to sound levels less than 70d does not produce hearing damage, regardless of the duration of exposure. The study of the effect of the noise pollution on hearing of public transport in Lahore city in Pakistan shows that public drivers are exposed to excess noise on roads and about 75% of them are suffering from noise induced hearing loss. There is also general agreement that exposure for more than 8 hours to sound
hearing impairment. There is little doubt that the use of consumer products, which produce increasingly high levels of noise and which are used with headsets or earphones, is growing and may well be responsible for the impaired hearing that is being seen with growing frequency in younger people. This form of noise is largely unregulated, despite warnings by the manufacturers. Disturbance In Mental Health: Noise pollution is not believed to be a cause of mental illness, but
Hearing Impairment: Hearing is essential for wellbeing and safety. Hearing impairment is typically defined as an increase in the threshold of hearing a clinically assessed by audiometric. Impaired hearing may come from the workplace, from the community, and from a variety of other causes (e.g. trauma, infection, and heredity’). The process of hearing impairment may be gradual but it can eventually result into the destruction of the ear cell organ. There is
levels in excess of 85d is potentially hazardous, this roughly 85d equivalent of the noise of heavy truck traffic on a busy road. With sound levels above 85 dB, damage is related to sound pressure (measured in dB) and time of exposure. The major cause of hearing loss is occupational exposure, although other sources of noise, particularly recreational noise, may produce significant deficits. Studies suggest that children seem to be more vulnerable than adults to noise induced
it is assume to accelerate and intensify the development of latent disorders. Noise pollution may cause or contribute to, anxiety, stress, nervousness, nausea, headache. Emotional instability, argumentativeness, and sexual impotence, changes in mood, increase in social conflicts, neurosis, hysteria, and psychosis. Population studies have suggested association between noise and mental health indicators, such as rating of well-being, symptom profiles, the use of
“A growing body of evidence confirms that noise pollution has both temporary and permanent effects on human (and other mammals) by way of the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems. It has been postulated that noise acts as a nonspecific biologic stressor eliciting reactions that prepare the body for a fight or flight response. For this reason, noise can trigger both endocrine and autonomic nervous system responses that affect the cardiovascular system and this may be risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”
psychoactive drugs and sleeping pills, and mental hospital admission rates. Children, the elderly, and those with underlying depression may be particularly vulnerable to these effects because they may lack adequate coping mechanisms. Children in noisy environments find the noise annoying and report a diminished quality of life. The aforementioned effects of noise may help explain some of the dehumanization seen in the
modern, digested, and noisy urban environment. Noise exposure per se is not believed to produce aggressive behaviour. However, in combination with provocation, preexisting anger to hostility, alcohol or other psychoactive agents, noise may trigger aggressive behaviour by virtue of our views with examples of this kind of behaviour. The degree of annoyance produced by noise may vary with the time of day, the unpleasant characteristics of the noise, the duration and intensity of the noise, the meaning associated with it, and the nature of the activity that the noise interrupted. Annoyance may be influenced by a variety of non acoustical factors including individual sensitivity to noise. These include fear of the noise source: conviction that noise could be reduced by third parties, individual sensitivity, hearing impairment maybe accompanied by abnormal loudness perception (loudness recruitment) and distortion.
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W ekend Discourse
• Oshiomhole
export to neighbouring states and countries over time. To this end, I have come out with a methodology or approach that would re-define our attitudes to government policies, family structure, eating habits, social life, fashion and fads as well as our perception of the work life in general. OBEJECTIVES i. To achieve the overall goal of improving nutritional status, food security and empowerment of the unemployed in the society. ii. To introduce quality and modern farming skills/methodology that would provide food for the state in the short term and the country/ world in the long run. iii. To attract industries and
alternative economy structure for the state as well as boost and shore up the revenue base of the state. vii. To help the Nigerian citizens to come abreast with modern approach to food security and agricultural revolution thereby eliminating culture lag. viii. To put Edo state in the forefront of industrial development and economic growth in the country and the sub-Saharan region in general. P R O J E C T INITIATIVE i. Layout/ Composition ii. Strategy/ Methodology iii. Training/ Capacity building and development iv. Target Groups v. Collaboration vi. Sources Of Funds vii. Production/
agencies that would come into the state to invest in one or all of the farming chain [Production, Storage, Packaging, and M a r k e t i n g / Distribution]. iv. To make farming and farmers attractive and a noble profession thereby eliminating the quest for white collar jobs by the teeming u n e m p l o y e d population. v. To allow for the youths and undergraduates to become innovative, creative and able to connect/collaborate with research centers and other business or stakeholders that would flood the state seeking investment opportunities. vi. To create an
Maintenance viii. Storage ix. Distribution/ Marketing x. Revenue xi. ‘Espionage’ LAYOUT The Edo state government should map out a 10km land mass each across the 18 Local Government Areas for farmstead fish farm and cowshed as the case maybe. Each Local Government would be made to produce crops or animal produce that they are only traditionally grown and good for the soil composition of that locality and that they can manage. Crops such as Plantain, Cassava, Maize, Okra, Yam, Melon, Rice,
Proposal For Economic Empowerment And Industrial Revolution In Edo State
INTRODUCTION THIS proposal is in response to the hue and cry of the Edo state indigenes on unemployment and lack of economic empowerment. It is also a response to the yearnings of the teeming Edo youths that graduate each passing year and clamour for jobs that are not readily available. This proposal also aims at redirecting the minds of the Edo youths and Nigerian youths in general to embraces industrial development by contributing their quota to the overall development of the state through massive investment of their time, talents, intelligence, skills and energies in agriculture
and agro-allied products. This can be made possible through a deliberate policy sponsored by the Edo state government that is geared towards providing massive employment, good nutritional status for all Nigerians, improving food security at the household and aggregate levels to guarantee that families have access to safe food and above all put Edo state on the map and forefront of industrial revolution and progressive economic growth. It is important to note however that over the past decades, deliberate efforts have been made by successive Military and Civilian
By OBODE ABRAHAM I.
Government policies both at the State and Federal level to ensure adequate and steady supply of food to the populace as well as ensure the engagement, empowerment and employment of Youths but all to no avail. Accordingly therefore, it has become a widely known fact that for Government to succeed in its quest to achieve success in food security and m a s s i v e empowerment of Nigerians, women and youths especially; a sincere, well coordinated and deliberate attempt must be fashioned out
with a modern methodology that would make food security and e m p l o y m e n t generation not only attractive but interesting and rewarding also. By this initiative therefore, Edo State Government can invest in actual food security program that would not only boost food production in a massive and cheaper scale but would also generate huge / massive employment for teeming Edo youths [both direct and indirect], running into thousands and the output or agricultural products that is properly produced and packaged would eventually lead to
Continues on pg. 16
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Cowpea Beans, Ogbolo, Vegetables, P i n e a p p l e , Watermelon, e.t.c. and others such as cash crops like hybrid Palm fruits, Cocoa, Orange, Local and Avocado Pear, e.t.c. should be grown in commercial quantity and modern pattern/style. In riverine areas such as Ilushi, Gelegele, Agenegbode, amongst others where the occupation is predominantly fishing; farmstead and fish ponds should also be encouraged and built around the location with modern facilities and methods of fishing, storage, processing and marketing properly defined with emphasis on proper packaging and hygiene. Another area is the animal husbandry such as poultry, cows that will introduce and produce fresh milk to the state and also produce meat, leather and gum. The farmstead would be structured in a way that a total area of 3 plots scattered across the farmland would be carved out for residential quarters, ware houses and boreholes. The residential quarters would be fitted with
average household facilities to encourage farm workers to stay on the farms and probably only visit families and relatives on weekends or while on leave. COMPOSITION OF FARMSTEAD i. Farm Manger/ Supervisor ii. 250- 300 steady farm workers made up of Women & Youths iii. Security officers equipped with motor bikes to patrol farms at intervals iv. Residential quarters [long halls partitioned with ply boards to demarcate rooms. v. Boreholes to provide water in the residential quarters and to serve as irrigation during the dry seasons. S T R AT E G Y / METHODOLOGY The strategy to be used would basically rely on the government that will kick start the project and make it very attractive and interesting enough to entice interest and patronage. This g o v e r n m e n t involvement would be felt for the first two years before farms are left in the care of the farm managers who would then be remitting to government in line with
their given targets. In line with this, the Government would be: i. Responsible for securing the expanse of land, felling the trees and or clearing it as well as breaking up the soil for planting. ii. Construction of the farmstead or maintenance of an existing one through direct labour, exploring the advantages of YES and SURE-P payroll staff. iii. Mass/bulk purchasing of the needed seedling, tubers, stem, and fingerlings as the case may be through direct government contact of persons and agencies rather than contract manipulations. iv. Recruitment of seasoned and experts farm managers with cognitive experience in different farm managerial skills rather than politically selected farm managers. v. The use of recruited staff through YES, SURE-P payroll, agricultural students in the Universities within the state, corpers, indigenes within the locality, to plant the crops. TRAINING & C A P A C I T Y BUILDING The farm managers along with the farm
workers would be trained on the following: i. Reason why government is embarking on the mechanized farming ii. Benefits of the projects in the short, medium and long term iii. Skills and knowledge needed to effectively manage and develop the farmstead [due to its peculiarity to the locality]; to put Edo state into the forefront of a world class agriculturally developed state. iv. Innovative and creative skills to make the farmstead attract investment potentials and employment creation whether directly or indirectly. v. Need for the recruited workers to key into the initiative of government policies and development plans. vi. Need for the recruited workers to key into the programme as well as invest their time, talents, Intelligence, and energies rather than see the project initiative as another government program that would be sabotaged and the resources siphoned to private hungry and poor pockets of individuals.
“Need for the recruited workers to key into the programme as well as invest their time, talents, Intelligence, and energies rather than see the project initiative as another government program that would be sabotaged and the resources siphoned to private hungry and poor pockets of individuals.�
TARGET GROUPS i. Staff on the payroll of SURE-P ii. Secondary school drop-outs and graduates iii. Unemployed Edo graduates iv. Indigenous women, youths and men at the Local Government levels. v. All agricultural science students in tertiary institutions within Edo state and Nigeria at large. vi. NYSC corps members. COLLABORATION i. State and Federal Government agencies on agricultural activities ii. State and Local Government iii. State and SUREP iv. State and Food base Industries such as Fast Food Eateries, Nestle, Cadbury, Coca
Cola, Honeywell, e.t.c. that would invest on the long run. v. State and foreign donor partners in the Agricultural sector e.g. FAO SOURCES OF FUNDS i. State government share of the SURE-P allocation ii. Annexure of all state and local g o v e r n m e n t allocations geared towards agricultural activities in the state. iii. Securing of loans with very minimal interest rate. iii. International donors and agencies with interest in agric. iv. All resources currently being enjoyed by FADAMA I, II, loans and grants presently being enjoyed by different farmers and staged managed farmers.
PR M A S DI MA G the very so t pla coo eva wit poli so unn mo tap bur the the NU (SC her Fr cul pla har mar be doc bus
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e And Industrial Revolution In Edo State W ekend Discourse
RODUCTION & A I N T E N A N C E , T O R A G E , STRIBUTION& ARKETING overnment should see agricultural project as a y lucrative business and the farming should be well nned, monitored, ordinated and constant aluation be carried out; hout the necessary itics and civil service style as to forestall necessary stealing of the ney/farm produce, red pism and bottle neck reaucracy. Members of Technical Committee of e STATE FOOD & TRITION COMMITTEE CFN) can be recruited re to pilot this project. rom the onset, the tivation of the land, nting, weeding, vesting, storage and final rketing/distribution should properly monitored and cumented like a private siness initiative.
REVENUE The estimated amount I have thought out for investment in this project in the 18 Local Government Councils of the state is N600, 000,000.00, (six hundred million naira), for the first two years before each farmstead begin to survive on its own and generate revenue and secondary / tertiary employment for the state. However, investment at the various farmstead should not be politically determine but by the kind and type of farming
of that locality. Government would not have to contract any of the production chain out except for the felling of the trees and cultivation of the lands by construction firms under the supervision of an agricultural expert. The government will need to hire a very trust worthy person to handle the take off of this project and not a tape worm like person. ESPIONAGE The government can send selected members of the Technical Committee of the STATE FOOD & N U T R I T I O N COMMITTEE (SCFN) on a one-three month ‘Espionage’ to selected countries known for their agricultural exploit in driving their economies. While these persons are in training/Espionage, the government would be constructing the farmstead and cowshed. This is to enable these persons acquire the required skills and knowledge on farming and man the farm managerial positions in the various local government areas so as to boost productivity and professionalization of the agric project. Some identified
countries that can be very relevant for this project are: i. CHINA (very experienced in their famous send down policy also known as cultural revolution by sociologist) ii. INDIA [good in converting cassava into 201 by products] iii. WEST INDIES [good in banana, plantain] iv. AUSTRALIA v. BRAZIL vi. BAHAMAS vii. NORWAY [good in fishing] AREAS TO EXPLOIT i. All Federal agencies that are research centers for crops and agricultural produces. ii. All existing but dilapidated farm settlement scheme in the state. iii. All existing but not functioning storage facilities (e.g. Silos), in the state. iv. Availability of manpower and high quality soil composition. v. Grants from international agencies. AREAS TO AVIOD FOR SUCCESS OF PROJECT i. Poor funding due to political agitations, manipulations, and e v e n t u a l embezzlement. ii. Politicking of the
farmstead in terms of who is in charge of the program. This is necessary because there are those that are very good in waiting, sitting, loitering and idling away looking out for others to think and initiate ideas and their jobs is to rush in and lobby to be in charge so as to loot the spoils of the ideas just because they are close to the decision makers or because they are good jobbers who promise returns when given the ‘juicy’ appointments they lobby for. iii. Excessive bureaucracy by government and its relevant agencies/ministries. iv. Poor quality control, monitoring and evaluation mechanism. v. Poor staff motivation in terms of provision of quality seedling/crops, required equipments, facilities in the farmstead and remuneration/ incentives for staff. vi. Centralized program implementation I hope to take the Ministries in phases and wish the Comrade Governor will buy into this proposal and if need be set up a committee or refer the proposal to the STATE FOOD & NUTRITION COMMITT’EE (SCFN). I have of recent submitted an initiative of rebranding of my ministry that will bring about new thinking and ideas that will sure up its relevance, repackage it and drive a new IGR initiative in the Ministry. I think I will wait to see if they buy the idea before I make it public or even sell the initiative to another state in the country that will adopt and implement the idea.
“Government should see the agricultural project as a very lucrative business and so farming should be well planned, monitored, coordinated and constant evaluation be carried out; without the necessary politics and civil service style.”
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P rspective
If Nelson Mandela Were A Nigerian IF Nelson Mandela were a Nigerian, he would never be treated in a hospital within his country. God forbid! At the slightest sign of ill health, he would be airlifted to a hospital in Germany, the UK, the US, France, or Saudi Arabia. Any Nigerian doctor who comes close to him – much less touches him – would immediately be arrested and charged with treason. An SSS interrogator would ask the hapless doctor, “You dey craze? So you wan kill de man?” If Mr. Mandela were a Nigerian, not only would he be in a foreign hospital, he would commandeer an entire wing of the said hospital. No government official would ever give Nigerians updates on his progress or prognosis. Hell, no! In fact, the only statement the government would ever issue is to deny that the man is hospitalized. Some spokesman would insist that the old man went abroad on vacation, to get some well deserved rest. You see, Nigerian officials – from the president down to the municipal chairman – are fond of boasting that they’ve “totally transformed” Nigeria, this or that state, or this local government area or another. Yet the last thing these human transformers would ever do is take a vacation in the country they’ve ostensibly transformed! If Mr. Mandela were a Nigerian, a league of pastors and imams would take to the press each day to tell us what “God” allegedly told them about the man’s condition. One pastor – or imam – would say God told him to warn Nigerians to pray interminably and fast furiously to ensure the ailing elder’s survival. Another would declare that God confided in him that Mr. Mandela did not hearken to some divine instruction –
and so was put on Saint Peter’s list of guests to expect at the pearly gates. Yet another imam – or pastor – would declare that a clique of witches and wizards had descended on the sick man, determined to doom him. If he’s to survive, he must personally contact the clairvoyant imam or pastor to receive special instructions on how to win the spiritual warfare. Mr. Mandela is a man of comfortable means. He made a modest fortune from advances and royalties on books as well as earnings from his work as a widely sought, handsomely rewarded speaker on lecture circuits. He also received a Nobel Peace Prize that came with a handsome sum. In a word, he’s worked – and worked hard – for his money. Now, if Mr. Mandela were a Nigerian, he would be considered a capital fool for working at all to earn money. To work hard would make him nothing less than a mumu, a Nigerian parlance that suggests somebody is a step or two worse than a fool. No, he would simply announce himself, Obasanjo- or Anenih-like, as a major “stakeholder.” And then, pronto, some currency tap would start gushing cash onto the deep pockets of his agbada. (Which reminds me: if Mr. Mandela were a Nigerian, he would not be permitted to sport those silly shirts he’s seen in. With those shirts, who’s going to be able to tell oga apart from his houseboys? He must exchange them for an endless line of lavishly embroidered agbada, accentuating his image as a human god). If Mr. Mandela were a Nigerian, he would have enough cash stashed away in foreign vaults to make the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires. Heck, Nigerian
By OKAY NDIBE
civil servants who manage pension funds are billionaires! Yet – like most Nigerian billionaires – he would not be in a haste to alert the editors of Forbes to the size of his assets. Heh, it’s not worth the trouble; who wants to be playing hide-and-seek with armed robbers and kidnappers? He may not confide in Forbes, but a Nigerian Mandela would be the proud owner of numerous oil blocks. He would be entitled to a “security vote” that nets him, at least, a billion naira per month. He would own mansions in several European capitals and resort locations. He would own private jets, his own private army (otherwise known as thugs), a university or two, a private cathedral or mosque, controlling shares in several banks, and enough highpriced cars to run an automobile dealership. Mr. Mandela is an enlightened man, a towering moral figure who commands respect around the world, a lawyer, author and reader. Yes, he has the stamina to put in the months and years it takes to write a book. And he is capable of staying still for hours or days to read book. If he were a Nigerian big man, he’d love to have a book or two to his name – but the content would be cliché-riddled speeches written by bored, illeducated and often cynical amanuenses. As for reading a book, perish the thought! A friend of mine once told a joke about one of Nigeria’s illiterate moneymen. According to him, this mindravaged rich man laughed at people who, behind his back, whispered that he was unlettered. “I can read,” said the traduced businessman. “I only care to read the amount on my checks!” That’s what a Nigerian Mandela would learn to do.
If the legendary Mandela were a Nigerian, he would not be addressed simply as Mister. On Mandela’s first visit to Nigeria, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by – if my memory serves me – the University of Maiduguri.
advertisement, buttressed shamelessly in the adornment of antiquated, silly honorifics. So we went from addressing people as Chief (which has no meaning, really) to calling them High Chief, Double Chief, or Double High Chief – terms that inspire
issue. If Mr. Mandela were a Nigerian, he would never have spent more than one week in prison. Why, the traditional rulers from his district would have gone as a delegation to his jailers, apologized on his behalf for his unruly opposition to the
embarrassment on behalf of those who flaunt them. If Mandela were Nigerian, he would be identified as Triple High Chief (Sir) Barrister Nelson Mandela, GCFR, Tigbuo Zogbuo 1 of Igboland, Aare Baba Dudu 1 of Yorubaland, Alhaji Magajin Biu 1 of Hausaland, etc, etc. He would be overfed, weaned off his sprite, sportsman’s physique. With his kind of figure – a flat belly and all – you can’t even aspire to become a local government councilor in Nigeria! Day and night, his staff and harem would ply him with pomo stew, cow leg pepper soup, pounded yam and egusi washed down with six bottles of lager per session – until he’s appropriately fattened. If Mr. Mandela were a Nigerian, his claim to being a hero would be put to the ethnic test. Only members of his ethnic group would consider him an exemplary man. To others, he would be an object of ambivalent response: a hero today, a villain tomorrow, depending on what he’s said on what
apartheid machinery and pledged that they would ensure that he show appropriate respect to constituted authority. He would then be released – cameras clicking to capture the moment – to the “royal fathers,” guarantors of his docility, quiescence and submission to the powersthat-be. If Mr. Mandela were a Nigerian, he would not be an ex-president, but a president-for-life. His kinsmen would have hired a dibia, babalawo or malam to cure his “madness” when he decided to step aside after only one term as president. A Nigerian Mandela would not be subject to any constitutional limits on presidential terms; the constitution would be subject to him. Any part of the constitution that runs counter to his whims and caprices would be instantly amended or – better still – ignored. To make a short story long, if Mandela were a Nigerian, then the man and his stupendous moral capital would not exist!
Mandela Since then, Nigerian newspapers and magazines as well as broadcast media have taken to addressing the global icon as “Dr.” Mandela. In the Nigerian media’s imagination, by bestowing the prefix “doctor” on Mandela, they have somehow enhanced the man’s standing in the world. What would the man be without this generous beneficence from Nigeria by way of Maiduguri? It’s conventional wisdom in Nigeria that titles, however hollow, matter. In many quarters, the quality of a person’s mind is of no consequence. What matters is self-
“If Mr. Mandela were a Nigerian, not only would he be in a foreign hospital, he would commandeer an entire wing of the said hospital. No government official would ever give Nigerians updates on his progress or prognosis. Hell, no! In fact, the only statement the government would ever issue is to deny that the man is hospitalized. Some spokesman would insist that the old man went abroad on vacation, to get some well deserved rest.”
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P rspective
Boosting Nigeria Agric Sector EVERYWHERE around the world, agricultural production is central to the wellbeing of the populace. This is the reason why different countries place high value on agriculture and work hard to develop and protect the sector. Agriculture in most countries, serve as a means of sustaining food security and employment. About 75% of the nation’s population is involved in agricultural activities in rural areas. The sector still remains subsistent. According to data, Nigeria is presently the world’s largest importer of rice, with 2.5billion dollars spent annually on importation, from less developed countries like Thailand and Indonesia. Despite the amount budgeted for agriculture by successive administration, agriculture is still at its infant stage without concrete results. The administration of late president Yaradua made agriculture one of its seven point agenda, allocating billions of naira. Since then, there has been little or nothing to show for it. Nigeria is blessed with cultivable land, good for growing of crops and rearing of animals, yet the nation finds it difficult to produce food for its teaming population. Before petroleum was discovered in Nigeria, there was the need to build and develop the nation economically and in achieving this, agriculture was given its needed concentration and it became the mainstay of the nation’s economy. Agriculture in the colonial era, played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for economic growth and social infrastructural
development. It led to increasing agricultural production and the nation became one of the world’s leading producers of crops like cocoa, rubber, palm oil and groundnut. So many citizens of Nigeria were taught in school that agriculture is the backbone of the nation’s economy. In spite of this, the sector has since ceased being the main source of revenue after oil was discovered in the 1970s. the reason why agriculture has not been given due concentration after independence is as result of lack of massive government investment due to the discovery of petroleum products and also poor policies of the government that ensures total neglect of this important sector of the economy. Agriculture is important for the sustenance and development of a nation. It is also a source of employment. Agriculture is also a means of boosting the GDP and export profile of the nation. it is very bad that this sector is not given much priority. According to the food and agriculture organization (FAO) as at 2011, Nigeria has a total land area of 91,077,000 hectares with an agricultural area of 76,200,000 hectares. About 83.7% of the land in Nigeria is arable, and less than half is under cultivation. Nigeria does not produce food large enough for internal consumption. In 2010, FAO placed Nigeria as the 5th highest importer of rice and other commodities in the world. It is disheartening to note that Nigeria which once shone in its
By ODINUKAEZE NNENNA
• Prof. Adesina, Agriculture Minister
agricultural sector before the oil bloom is now at the mercy of foreign importers. Nigeria was the largest exporter of groundnut between the early 1960s and 1970s. but now, Nigeria does not feature among the top 20 groundnut exporters. It is important for the agricultural sector to be revived, as it will bring about employment and the nation’s food supply will be improved. Production of crops like cocoa, groundnut, oil palm, rice, cotton,
cassava and other crops will help conserve billions of dollars that would have been spent on imports. The government on its part, has been trying its best to make agriculture meaningful again. In 2009, the central bank of Nigeria in collaboration with the federal government established the commercial agriculture credit scheme, with the sole aim of prompting commercial agricultural enterprises in Nigeria. Agriculture has
performed poorly over the years as a result of the neglect of the sector, leading to the loss of market shares in Nigerian traditional commodities to other countries. Nigeria’s dependent on food supply from other countries makes the nation vulnerable. Volatility in global food supply and prices can negatively affect Nigeria as an import country. The country must diversify its economy from sole reliance on oil to secure the economy
and reduce foreign exchange volatility. The government’s outlook on the agricultural sector should be that of a business approach to provide food security and generate jobs. As part of effort to boost the sector, the United States in 2008 provided a grant of N1.3billion to develop the Nigerian agricultural sector. The loan was part of the partnership between the United States Agency for I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development (USAID), bank PHB and Skye bank. The partnership was intended to c o m p l e m e n t government’s efforts to enhance the sector by increasing financial assistance to farmers and agricultural commodity. Also, the world bank promised to commit one billion dollars to support the sector in Nigeria. Nigeria’s will have its security undermined unless it becomes selfsufficient in production. If the agricultural sector must be made viable and productive, government must be ready to take the lead by investing heavily in its development. In other words, for it to be restored as the mainstay of the nation’s economy, the expenses of the federal and state government must be genuinely reflected on the sector. The huge potential of the sector must be unlocked to regain the nation’s lost glory in agriculture.
“If the agricultural sector must be made viable and productive, government must be ready to take the lead by investing heavily in its development.”
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Na tion
Killing For Islam On London Streets And One Nigeria
IN the afternoon of May 22, 2013 on a busy Woolwich street in the Southeast of London, United Kingdom a gory and disturbing scene was enacted. Pedestrians were passing up and down the streets. And suddenly, in the clear view of these people; men, women and children this ghoulish, inhuman and horrific real life movie began to unfold. Two Nigerians Michael Adebolajo 28 and Michael Adebowale 22 driving a car intentionally knocked Lee Rigby a serving British soldier to the pavement. Then the two quickly stopped their car, ran out shouting “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic phrase for God is great), hacked, carved and mutilated the unsuspecting and bewildered soldier right there in the view of a horrified and disbelieving public. Judging from the circumstantial evidences anyone would assume that every action of the Nigerians was premeditated and choreographed beforehand. The Nigerians left home with knives, meat cleaver and a revolver, and from all indications merely executed previously rehashed details of a hate script that had been written before that day. With that act the two Nigerians etched on the minds of the disgusted spectators a terrible spectacle that is sure to live vividly on the people’s memory for the rest of their lives. Adebolajo and Adebowale are part of the international Nigerian Islamic jihadist network whose numbers are growing and spreading rapidly. The two were indoctrinated, armed and were on “revenge” mission to kill Christian British citizens and other Christians everywhere for Islam. This jihad mission was later explained so remorselessly before a camera by Adebolajo whose other name is
Mujaahid Abu Hamza. He said that they did the killing for Islam and promised that more of such attacks will come. In his own words: “. . . we swear by the almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you
By OSITA EBIEM
Therefore, it is recommended that to find an effective solution to the increasing involvement of Nigerians in Islamic terrorism around the world, Adebolajo’s explanation of their
• David Cameron, British PM
leave us alone. So what if we want to live by the Sharia in Muslim lands? Why does that mean you must follow us and chase us . . . leave our lands and you will live in peace.” We are going to look at this May 22, 2013 London incident as it connects with the existence of one Nigeria. Because Nigeria exists in its present form its connection with various international Islamic terrorist acts will continue to grow stronger and more deadly.
terrorism are spilling over to other parts of the world such as the London killing, that Nigeria’s situation can no longer be considered as remote and in isolation by policy makers everywhere.
has always emphasized the same fact that they want to be left alone to practice their faith as they choose. The jihadist group, Boko Haram has always justified their killing of Christians, bombing of churches and
• President Jonathan
reason for the killing would have to be looked at closely and taken as reference point by terrorist experts around the world. Within Nigeria there is a plethora of endemic ethnic conflicts, poverty, political corruption, religious intolerance, genocides, ethnic cleansing and Islamic terrorism and all these and many more are directly linked with the fact that Nigeria still exists as one country. And it is because these internal problems especially
When Adebolajo said; “. . . leave us alone . . . we want to live by the Sharia in Muslim lands. . .” he pointed any interested decision maker in Abuja, London, Washington DC, Paris, Moscow and Beijing in the right direction in solving permanently the threats of terrorism coming from the Nigerian section of the world Islamic terrorist network. From the onset, Nigeria’s Boko Haram
destroying of government and other symbolic institutional structures in Nigeria with similar words as Adebolajo used. Majority of the people in Islamic north of Nigeria want to be left alone. They want to establish an Islamic state in Northern Nigeria where there is an overwhelming dominant Muslim population. It is incontestable that there has existed in the last 13 years an operational Sharia system in place in the areas they lay claim
to. For anyone who has genuinely and honestly followed the different social and political events in Nigeria it is not difficult to pinpoint the root cause of all the problems emanating from Nigeria today which also threaten world’s peace. The primary source for the threat remains the intolerably hot cultural/ religious tensions generated from the result of a one Nigeria. This has led many experts to conclude that once Nigeria is divided that the problem of poverty, social friction, cultural bigotry, religious intolerance and Islamic terror threat to world peace from that part will be taken care of. All events involving Nigerians in acts of Islamic terrorism around the world is a fire that draws its legitimacy and energy from the so-called Nigerian “unity”. And many people who should know better continue to insist that collectively the world can stop feeding the fire by dividing Nigeria immediately along the existing ethnically, culturally and religiously homogenous lines. In the practical world of politics no one should occupy themselves with analysis for the sake of it, especially when people’s lives are in harm’s way. In a real world practical solutions will always be preferred over any mere fanciful theoretical analysis. And our interest Continues on pg. 21
“All events involving Nigerians in acts of Islamic terrorism around the world is a fire that draws its legitimacy and energy from the so-called Nigerian “unity”.All events involving Nigerians in acts of Islamic terrorism around the world is a fire that draws its legitimacy and energy from the so-called Nigerian “unity”.”
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Na tion
Killing For Islam On London Streets
Continued from pg. 20
in proffering the division of Nigeria as the answer to Nigeria’s problem is based on that premise. Nigeria’s problem and those of the majority of other countries on the south side of the Sahara will continue to defy solution until all key players agree to redraw the present colonial state boundaries. Every problem remains insurmountable to the extent that the people are unwilling to go to certain lengths, for any reason to work at solving it. Most often the people are only defeated even before they stand out by challenges that require less radical solution when they lack the will and sincerity to pursue the honest truth. The current state boundaries of Nigeria and the other African countries are the reasons why there are ethnic, religious, economic, political, social conflicts and debilitating poverty in every African society today. Nigeria will remain poverty stricken, corruption ridden and politically ungovernable until the country is finally divided. Nigeria as it is remains an important center for world Islamic terrorism and will remain so for a long time to come. And as long as the country remains united it will continue to not only kill foreigners that travel in the country but foreign arena will become more attractive to more and more radicalized Nigerians. This is what just played out recently on a Woolwich street in London. A few weeks ago the
United States announced a total bounty of $23 million for information leading to the arrest of various important
that in many of the African countries with particular emphasis on Nigeria, this fight against terrorism will become less expensive
believe that a functional country will one day be built from these peoples who have nothing but mutual mortal hatred for one another. The peoples
• Adebalajo
members of Boko Haram hierarchy in Nigeria. The US offer of financial inducement to willing informants is to complement its other overt and clandestine efforts through its Africa Command, AFRICOM in Stuttgart, Germany and other US security agencies that are operating in the area. During the same press announcement it was revealed that US has paid out more than $120 million to 80 people worldwide who had provided useful information that helped to counter terrorist activities. These are useful efforts. U. S., Britain, France and other countries with significant interests and influence in Nigeria can pursue this interim or temporary measure while the details of how Nigeria will be partitioned are being worked out. The truth however is
both in human and material costs when the local authorities can be equipped to take over responsibilities in managing the crisis. Nigerian and other African societies will attain this capacity once they achieve a functional level of socio-cultural coherence where the majority of the population can identify with common interests and goals as a society. But such genuine patriotic allegiance and social responsibility consciousness will remain elusive in the Nigerian enclave so long as Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba peoples continue to be forced into the membership of the same country. There is no cultural, religious or long historical socio-political affinity that exist among these ethnic peoples. It will continue to be a waste of time to continue to
do not need to rely on Western countries to fight their internal terrorists once the country can be divided to reflect the actual ethnic, religious
With several horrific and unsettling incidents such as the December 25, 2005 Nigerian underwear bomber in Detroit, the Woolwich street incident of the Nigerian Islamic butchers, the Korean doctors killed in front of their wives by Islamists in Northern Nigeria, the killing in Sokoto Northwest Nigeria of a British and an Italian construction workers by members of Boko Haram, the murder of the German engineer in Kano, Nigeria by the same Boko Haram group claiming to be working with al Qaida to free some jihadist detainees in Germany, the bombing of United Nations headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city by Islamists Boko Haram where 26 people were killed, the world community should urgently consider other options that will be more effective than the current
the Southerners from Islamic/Arab oppression, clip the economic wings and reduce the wide influence of the Sudanese strongman, Omar al-Bashir. It will be recalled that Sudan as a united country played a vital role in the birthing of what is known today as the worldwide al Qaida network. Sudan as a united country for many years gave sanctuary to al Qaida’s Osama bin Laden, sponsored and nurtured the formative years of his terror organization. With the most recent incident in Woolwich, London the list of the atrocities of one Nigeria continues to grow longer. Nigeria is already irretrievably gone into the abyss. The solution is to break it up and try to reconstruct everything. The longer the wait the more dangerous the monster gets. Britain
approach to Nigeria. All these terrible incidents and more are connected and can be quickly solved with the same solution: The division of Nigeria. Applying the splitting up of Nigeria to solve the problem of Islamic terrorism and other problems of the country will be similar to what has been done in other places around the world. The most recent example will be Sudan where South Sudan was carved out of Sudan in 2011 to help free
created this monster and they must start to take the danger the abnormality is posing to the rest of humanity serious. Next year will mark the 100year anniversary of the amalgamation of Nigeria’s North and South by the British colonial masters. The various ethnic groups that are forced by the colonial fiat of nation creation have no business existing together as members of the same country and should be separated.
• Adebalajo
and cultural realities of the peoples that make up present Nigeria.
“Nigeria is already irretrievably gone into the abyss. The solution is to break it up and try to reconstruct everything. The longer the wait the more dangerous the monster gets.”
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o
C unselling
With
Anxiety And Defense Mechanism
O.C. Madu GSM: 08056379608
A CONFLICT that lingers for days, months or even years can create internal tension. This internal tension can result in anxiety. The arousal of anxiety is a crucial event in feud’s theory of personality function. Anxiety is distressing, so people try to ride themselves of the unpleasant emotion any way they can. This effort to ward off anxiety often involves
satisfying these primitive needs. A child for example may be aggressive to satisfy a primitive safety need. He would soon learn that uncontrolled aggressiveness in the way of fighting peers is not acceptable behaviour pattern. So, he may like boxing, soccer and so on. Sublimation means social acceptable need satisfaction. “Regression” – that is a
psychological safety values, but if a child does not have a preponderant chance of behaving constructively and realistically, then, his own psychological character may become marked by a particular brand of escapism or practical ineffectiveness. It has to be noted that there are certain areas of development that are especially difficult during childhood. And
darkness but may walk across the lane alone in a dark night. Reaction formation is healthy defense mechanisms we have. Defense mechanisms – so far, we have seen Sigmund Freud suggested two major factors as been responsible for the personality development of the individual. The first of these is the three psychic powers of the ID of the individual. The first of these is
the various ways an individual may want to cover up this limitations. An individual who would not get a beautiful woman to marry may turn round to say that beautiful women are not faithful housewives. The fox could not get at the attractive grapes and covers up that the grapes are soar. Freud says that when a child faces serious difficulties, frustration and conflicts, his
the use of defense mechanisms”. Defense mechanisms are largely unconscious reactions that protect a person from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety and guilt. Typically, they are mental maneuvers that work through self-deception. Consider “rationalisation,” which is creating false but plausible excuses to justify unacceptable behaviour. For example, after cheating someone in a business transaction, you might reduce your guilt by nationalizing that every one does it. “Sublimations” – There are certain primitive needs individuals want to satisfy. They do these through instructive actions early in life. The actions he carries out to satisfy these needs may not be acceptable to the society and he knows this. For him not to go against the norms and acceptable values of the society. He learns other ways of
way of going back to a more immature behaviour. It is going back to childhood behaviour. A woman of 34 is not yet married. She now does things commonly found among adolescents. By this she unconsciously regressed in the adolescent time. How she wishes she is still sixteen. ”Displacement” – A blind man disturbed by naughty youths, may start beating at a wall or pillar. A child angered by his mother may displace his anger on the younger brother by beating him. A big industry with a lot of people in its employment will experience constant quarrels among the employees. To avoid fight at work a punch bag built in the shape of a man may be provided in an isolated room. So that, when you are so angered, you go there and start to punch the bag until you are satisfied. McFarland (1971), says that these defenses when used only sporadically, are
it is at the surfacing of these difficult period that individual may not resort to these defences. These include parental control, peer domination, tendency to be independent, development of a sex role and may be when a child is faced with aggressive situations. “Reaction formation” – it is to brave a situation or object or fear. This is when an individual does what he fears to do. A girl for example may fear sexuality, but may brave it to overcome the fear. A person may fear
the three psychic powers of the ID, Ego and the super Ego. The second one is the experience of the child as he grows from childhood to adolescence, through the pre-genital stags of the oral, anal and the phallic stages, the blatancy stage and the genital stage, freud says that there is another factor that affects the personality of a person. This he called “Defense Mechanisms”. Ogbebor (1990) called this “Freudian Ego Defence Mechanism”. Defense Mechanisms are
Ego defence mechanisms begins to a child uses it occasionally, he is all right and healthy, but habitual use of such defences indicate that the child is developing abnormally. Reliance on defence mechanisms to maintain personal stability means that the child has few healthy reactions to stress and so maintains his Ego only by constant struggle or distortion of realities. Though, impulses and ideas are theoretically charged with
emotions called psychic energy. Such dynamics influences behaviour and if currently identified, can be used to predict behaviour. Any behaviour can be changed, an individual, has the right to change or not to change, as he chooses to move closer to health and away from illness. Thoughts, impulses and ideas originate in the mind. The mind has levels of consciousness. Conscious awake and aware of both self and environment. Preconscious – half remembered data that can be easily brought to consciousness. Sub-conscious – partly repressed data that can be brought to conscious level under some circumstances. Unconscious – deeply repressed thoughts, impulses and other data essentially unavailable to the conscious mind. The mind also, has structures such held, the Ego and the super Ego. The psychic structures of the mind have certain modes of action called mechanisms. Unconscious data not wanted in consciousness is repressed by the ego as soon as the unwanted data becomes known to conscious. The actions involved in the repression constitute a mechanism and serve to defend the ego against anxiety, guilt or shame arising from a conflict with ID impulses. Such mechanisms held the individual cope with the feelings and situations, which cannot be dealt with on a more conscious level at that time. Some mechanisms, such as, compensation, sublimation, identification, can be productive and positive. Some mechanisms, such as denial, conversion, projection, can be self-defeating and negative. Whether positive or negative productive or non – productive, defense mechanisms do enable the individual to cope with the otherwise unmanageable events of life. Thanks for reading.
“The arousal of anxiety is a crucial event in feud’s theory of personality function. Anxiety is distressing, so people try to ride themselves of the unpleasant emotion any way they can. This effort to ward off anxiety often involves the use of defense mechanisms”. Defense mechanisms are largely unconscious reactions that protect a person from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety and guilt. Typically, they are mental maneuvers that work through self-deception.”
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“But if there is a place where hair has to be removed it is under the arms since perspiration gathers in this part of the body, mixes in the air with bacteria and contributes to a pungent, disagreeable body odour quite different from that of “honest sweat”.”
Beauty Shop With Gloria Omoruyi
Removing Unattractive Hair From Your Body HAIR has a strong tendency to grow heavily where it is not considered attractive or lightly, or not at all where it is needed, for centuries, women and men in every part of the world have been removing their hair in a variety of ways for more reasons ranging from the dictates of health to the fashions of society, even to religious beliefs. Nowadays most of us remove our hair because we believe it improves our appearance. The causes of excessive body hair on a woman may be hereditary or abnormal. Endocrine inbalance brought on by pregnancy, oral contraception and menopause can often result in accelerated hair growth. The question of what hair is removed is primarily one for
fashion and not health. Some women feel that all hair is unsightly and others have quite the opposite opinion. But if there is a place where hair has to be removed it is under the arms since perspiration gathers in this part of the body, mixes in the air with bacteria and contributes to a p u n g e n t , disagreeable body odour quite different from that of “honest sweat”. Hair can be removed from the face (lips, cheeks, chin) underarms, legs and pubic areas. Black women’s body hair can vary from delicate and invisible to coarse and visible. Other than underarm, which should not exhibit hair, hair removal is simply a matter of personal choice and comfort. Hair can be removed in many
ways depending on the preference of the individual. Shaving, bleaching, plucking waxing, abrasives, c h e m i c a l depilatories, x-ray and electrolysis. Some ways are better for certain parts of the body and some for certain types of hair. Whatever methods you choose to use always try it out first on a small, inconspicuous area and wait at least 24 hours. It may take this long for discoloration or irritation to develop. Experiment with a number of different methods before setting on the one that is just right for your hair and body area. This will save you much future time and grief. Never try to remove hair in a hurry or when emotionally upset. Contrary to belief,
different methods of hair removal do not stimulate heavier or thicker growth. When hair is removed at skin
level, the shorter hair that then grows appears to be thicker and stiffer but that is only because it is short and growing. When full grown, it is exactly the same as the hair
that proceeded it. Our dark hair appears larger in circumference when very short and because it is dark, looks coarser. But it is in fact not thicker than before.
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E vironment LAST year’s flood was one of the most devastating natural disasters in Nigeria, as several states across the country were then ravaged by the flood, in which many
its effects could, nonetheless, be controlled via the adoption of coordinated and proactive strategies. In line with the analysts’ suggestions, the National
the remaining local government areas should improve their disaster management capabilities. In her remark, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, the Minister of Water Resources, called
Dam. Shamonda stressed that the dam’s construction would particularly check the incidence of flood in Adamawa, Taraba, Benue and Kogi, Anambra, Delta
disasters. The ministry said that as part of efforts to curb indiscriminate blockage of water channels and minimise the impact of flooding, it would enforce
wastes in drains and the erection of buildings on flood-prone plains were some of the factors responsible for the occurrence of flood disasters in the country.
Curbing Recurrence Of Flood Disasters In Nigeria lives and property were lost. The Ministry of Environment said the floods affected more than seven million people, while more than 363 persons lost their lives, apart from the 597,476 houses that were destroyed. Also, the DirectorGeneral of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammed Sani-Sidi, at a recent forum on Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland, said that Nigeria lost about N2.6 trillion to last year’s flood disaster. Observers, therefore, insist that the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) has a role to play in efforts to curb future flood disasters by enlightening the public ahead of the envisaged disaster. Just as it did last year, NIMET has sent some warning signals to some states and local governments across the country on the likelihood of having torrential rains that could result in flooding. “Based on the condition that is prevalent at the time of making the prediction, we are predicting that the rainfall pattern in 2013 will not be different from what we saw in 2012,’’ the agency announced in a recent statement. NIMET said that the rains could cause some dams to overflow their banks, which might cause loss of people’s lives and destruction of their means of livelihood. Following this prediction, the Federal Government has advised citizens across the country to take necessary precautions in the event of flooding. Analysts, however, contend that although flood could not be prevented from occurring,
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has been organising consultative workshops on flood prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response across the country. At the inauguration of the workshop in Abuja, NEMA’s director-general called on governments at all levels to put in place
on people living in floodprone communities to take precautionary measures against flooding. Due to the fact that water released from Ladgo Dam in Cameroun largely contributed to the flood disaster which Nigeria
and Bayelsa. He also observed that Dasin Hausa dam would serve as a buffer to contain any excess water released from Ladgo Dam. To avoid a recurrence of flood disasters in Nigeria, Shamonda said that the
regulatory provisions on property development on flood plains. Moreover, it said that automated communitybased flood early-warning systems have been installed near major rivers in flood-prone areas for real-time flood forecasting. All the measures notwithstanding, NEMA warned that if the states and local governments failed to initiate aggressive flood prevention strategies, all the efforts
proper refuse disposal mechanisms, while undertaking regular cleaning of drainage systems and water reservoirs Sani-Sidi also called for the provision of navigational aids at airports, adding that storm barriers and end dykes should also be erected on river banks and coastal areas. He noted that, in spite of the sensitisation, only 224 local government areas across the country had functional emergency management committees, stressing that states and
experienced in 2012, the minister emphasised that relevant Nigerian and Cameroonian authorities were discussing how to prevent a recurrence of the incident. Mr John Shamonda, the leader of the Technical Mission to Cameroon, noted that Nigeria was considering the construction of a dam in Dasin Hausa, Adamawa, to control flooding in the region. Media reports indicate that Nigeria had, in 1978, planned to construct the dam before Cameroon constructed the Ladgo
Federal Government had given the dam project a priority attention. Besides, the Ministry of Environment, in a statement, said that it has strengthened its environmental education and awareness campaigns across the country to forestall flood
would be in vain. It stated that the strategies should include the clearing and expansion of drainage systems as well as the evacuation of people from flood-prone areas. The agency also observed that indiscriminate dumping of
By TIMIYU AROBANI (NAN)
It said that it was collaborating with the media to establish a national emergency information centre to dish out timely and accurate emergency information to the public. NEMA pledged that it would continue to embark on aggressive sensitisation campaigns in vulnerable communities by engaging traditional rulers to sensitise their subjects to the need to avert flood disasters. Malam Mohammed Abdulsalam, the NEMA’s Coordinator (North-Central zone), said that 4,000 volunteers had been recruited in Benue, 3,500 in Plateau and 3,000 in Nasarawa State as the first respondents in the event of flooding. All the same, Ms Magareta Wahlstrom, the UN Assistant SecretaryGeneral for Disaster Risk Reduction, stressed that the Federal Government should go beyond the adoption of short-term measures to tackle flooding and other recurrent natural disasters. Walhlstrom said that Nigeria should shift its approach towards developing the capacity of local communities in disaster risks’ reduction. She also underscored the need for proper coordination and central planning functions in all disaster management tasks. All in all, observers urge all the relevant stakeholders to develop a virile synergy in efforts to engender a proactive approach to preventing, mitigating and responding to anticipated flooding in any part of the country.
“Observers, therefore, insist that the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) has a role to play in efforts to curb future flood disasters by enlightening the public ahead of the envisaged disaster.”
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T ansportation Addressing The Collapse Of Nigerian Roads By EMMANUEL OLONIRUHA BY most accounts, road transportation is the most preferred mode of transportation in Nigeria, as it accounts for 99.5 per cent of the nation’s passengers’ and freight services. However, out of the 200,000 kilometres of roads in the country, only 39,000 kilometres are paved. The roads are owned by the federal, state and local governments. Experts, however, insist that Nigeria’s road network is grossly inadequate for a country that is aspiring to become one of the 20 leading economies in the world by the year 2 0 2 0 . Mr. Mike Onolememen, the Minister of Works, who spoke at a recent workshop organised by the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), conveyed the government’s concern about the inadequate road network of the country and the bad condition of the roads. He, however, attributed the poor condition of Nigerian roads to the lack of maintenance culture. This is a country that boasts of the best network of roads in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980s, and the he investment was allowed to deteriorate without any visible maintenance strategy. In most cases, huge resources are spent on the construction of
roads while no provision is made for, their m a i n t e n a n c e . Also, significant a lot of productive Nigerians die annually as a result of failed roads throu9h road m i s h a p s . In the light of this, my ministry has adopted a policy that incorporates maintenance schedules into the design stage of all major road contracts in the country,” he said. Onolememen reiterated that the country’s inadequate road network
was a serious issue which required urgent attention. - we need to compare this figure to those of the u.s., which is 6,506,204 km; India, 4,109,593 km; China, 3,806,800 km and Brazil, 1,751,868 km. The road network of Turkey is 352,046 km and that of South Africa is 362,099 km. These figures provide, a better appreciation of the enormity of the challenge facing Nigeria in the road sector.
‘‘So, for Nigeria to be among the first 20 economies in the world by 2020, our road infrastructure needs to grow from 200,000 km to about 300,000 km in the next five years,’’ he s a i d . The minister said that as a result of paucity of funds, the Federal Government was intensifying its policy of using the public-private Partnership (PPP) option for road constructions. Prof. Danladi Matawal, the Director-General of NBRRI, said that road
Nevertheless, Matawal, a professor of civil engineering, blamed road pavement failures in the country to faulty designs, poor construction techniques, poor foundation and use of substandard m a t e r i a l s . He said that other factors included increased traffic flow, vehicles’ weight, poor drainage, use of unskilled workmen in some construction procedures and lack of maintenance. Prof. Raifu Salawu, the Vice-President of the
He advised the government to always incorporate weigh bridges in the design of major roads that would be constructed across the country, adding that the utilisation of weigh bridges would prolong the life span of the r o a d s . ‘If the bridges weigh a vehicle and discover that it is more than the axle load which the road can carry, they will not allow the vehicle ply on the road. “That is what developed countries do
failures (total collapse of roads or, appearance of defects in roads) should be checked, as part of efforts to reduce road accidents and damage of vehicles. The road defects include inadequate road shoulders, non-uniform lanes, uneven payment, improper road markings and signs, malfunctioning traffic lights in municipal settings and c o n s t r u c t i o n negligence,” he said.
Nigerian Academy of E n g i n e e r i n g , nonetheless, blamed the high failure rate of Nigerian roads on overloading by heavyduty vehicles. Salawu said that each road was designed and constructed with specifications on its weight of load, adding that if a road was subjected to a load which was beyond its capacity, it might not fail immediately but it would not be durable.
that make their roads to last longer than ours,’’ Salawu said. Dr Sunday Popoola, the President of Engineering Forum of Nigerians in the UK, also advised construction firms in Nigeria to ensure that they constructed standard r o a d s . “They should be mindful of the fact the road is always used by all the people; if the road is not well-constructed, it could cause accidents
and people’s deaths,’’ he said. Nevertheless, Mr. James Salako, the Executive Secretary, Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (CMAN), advised the Federal Government to consider using cement as an alternative to asphalt in road constructions. He noted that about 99.9 per cent of paved roads in the country were constructed with asphalt, which had a shorter life span, when compared with cementbased road pavement. Salako reiterated that the adoption of concrete roads would go a long way in reducing the rate of road failures in the c o u n t r y . ‘‘Asphalt roads, I am told, could only last for 30 years if well constructed and maintained. On the other hand, concrete roads could last for 50 years with minimal maintenance. “In most situations, when you compare asphalt road to concrete road, what you always find that in some countries, asphalt road is cheaper but in the long run, asphalt road is more costly,’’ he said. Salako, nonetheless, said that in Nigeria, the construction and maintenance of asphalt roads would be more costly because asphalt was being imported, unlike cement which was readily available in the country. All the same, the consensus of opinion is that the government should strive to ensure that durable roads, which would stand the test of time, are always constructed across the country.
“The road network of Turkey is 352,046 km and that of South Africa is 362,099 km. These figures provide, a better appreciation of the enormity of the challenge facing Nigeria in the road sector. ‘‘So, for Nigeria to be among the first 20 economies in the world by 2020, our road infrastructure needs to grow from 200,000 km to about 300,000 km in the next five years.’’
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H alth
Politics Hampering Nigeria From Eradicating Malaria
LITTLE did many Nigerians know about the country’s malaria policies till Sunday, May 26 2012, when the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), called for an increase in policies that would see to the eradication of the deadlydisease known as malaria, across the country. Debatably, 70 percent of Nigerians live lower than the world’s poverty index and this number, invariably, patronises the Patent Medicine Vendors (PMV), for the treatment of the pandemic, whereas the government policies are modified only to soothe hospitals. The country had signed the funding-conformity, which brought about $1.5 billion since 2004, when $971 million grant was approved, the total Global Fund assistance to Nigeria. The Global Fund had given the country a grant of $225 million (about N36 billion) to assist in the fight against malaria, as was contained in the financial periodicals in the country of September 13, 2012. A statement in that national broadsheet, said that the Minister of Health believed the grant was a harbinger to forming a new approach of tackling the fight against malaria. Purportedly, he said how the money would be utilised, adding that about N27 billion of the first grant would be expended on the 36 states and Abuja, through what was called “public and private sector agencies.” The second approach was for the provision of imported insecticide treated nets, an initiative which the minister said would cost N8 billion. A N1.6 billion counterpart funding for the implementation, the Minister said it would be provided by the federal government. From the speech of the EHORECON’s Registrar in Benin, Edo State, it was disturbing that the government policies were tailored towards curative measures instead of preventive, unlike the early 1960’s and 1970’s, when governments at that time operated on preventive measures rather than curative measures. There were sanitary inspectors in the 70s and 80s and early 90s. But from the middle of 90s to date, things went awry. Substandard drugs replaced the sanitary inspectors. The registrar frowned at government’s
approach in spreading drugs it believed were anti-malaria to all the communities in the 774 local government areas across the country, hoping that this move would help redeem the ‘Bubonicplague’, but to no advantage. Malaria is a major cause of mortality and ill-health in Nigeria and has huge consequences for the productivity of the country. There has been proliferation of health providers in Nigeria of recent and this seems to put the rural poor in greater confusion of which one to believe given the old barriers between private and public, modern and traditional and formal and informal health providers. In its efforts on the fight against malaria, the country has recorded little or nothing in its eradication. Rather, the authorities have blamed PMV, as providing a stand for patients not to go for proper medical care at governmentowned hospitals, in the antimalarial bazaar in the country. In a research funded by the Center for Health Market Innovations, Nigeria was no longer a core country beaming her light towards eradication of the epidemic in the country. In another countrywide commentary of 26 April 2013, the data is disturbing that over 300,000 Nigerians die from malaria each year; more than in any other country on the surface of the earth and out of this number, 250,000 is said to be children under five. It is generally believed that given the not-too-serious approach of the various governments in Nigeria in the fight against malaria, it has resulted in Nigerians taking to consulting quacks, especially Patent Medicine Vendors to buy sensitive drugs, which they erroneously believe is cheaper. When government banned chloroquine, probably the most accessible drug for the rural dwellers, the government cited malaria parasites resistance to the drug as the reason; however, it seems that independent investigations have more to say to this. According to the Country Director of JHPIEGO, a nonprofit affiliate of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, even the ACTs they replaced
By ODIMEGWU ONWUMERE
Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of health chloroquine with, have been found to be not too effective in parts of South East Asia. As a country that is still having issues with electricity to enable fan and air conditioners boost the air within an enclosure or possibly drive away mosquitoes, the treated mosquito nets that the authorities provide have equally not helped matters much. There are complaints that the uneasy penetration of air through the very tiny holes in the nets has made many people to prefer to sleep without them to avoid excessive heat. Professionals in the health sector are arguing that the language of communication has reduced the impact to the target audience thereby blocking off the primary targets for many of the malaria programmes. They argue that most of the communications are not done in the local language of the many rural dwellers who are the primary targets of the
communication in the first place. Consequently, many people do not understand the causes of malaria and how it could be treated. It is also said that the Nigerian Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), an arm of the Public Health department of the Federal Ministry of Health, is not doing well in this direction, not minding the insecticidal nets which it boasts of distributing in the 36 states across the country. But investigation reveals that majority of the people at the local level do not receive the nets. It is also said that the nets end in the cities and most time at market places after the announcement of distributing them have been made. And this is the major reasons many Nigerians patronise PMV for the treatment of malaria. Many Nigerians have decried how this single virulent disease has brought the country to public ridicule. A commentator who wouldn’t want his name in print said
that Nigeria with many universities, numerous doctors, cannot investigate into the cause of, and the cure for malaria. The commentator was of the view that third world countries should stop relying on the assistance of the West in eradicating malaria, because they should also do whatever the West did to eradicate malaria in their domains. There was a school of thought that said the preventive concept of malaria could have been found if not for the recklessness of those in authorities with money provided to fight the threat. Others said that except help comes from the African Union (AU), the malaria control strategy and policies that the country was using are but a farce. The clarion calls are that the entire continent should join hand in the fight against the peril. Notwithstanding, the same school of thought said that a part of the continent – East Africa – DDT applications had become a success in the fight against the disease and Nigeria should borrow a leaf from there. On the other hand, some other analysts are of the view that the international community and the donor agencies are not happy with Nigeria, owing to the fact that all their efforts in helping the country in the fight against malaria, have hit the rocks. They argue that many of the foreign donations find their way into the personal pockets of government officials in Nigeria. Health experts contributed that the toll in malaria-related deaths has increased across the country following the shoddy deals with foreign donations by the authorities. It was recallable when in 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) cried out that Nigeria and the war-
torn Republic of Congo constituted 30 to 40 percent of malaria-related deaths worldwide. The government policies on malaria however do not reflect the prediction of the WHO that Nigeria is going to experience murkiness for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Not even the Roll-Back Malaria launch, which was observed by the world 10years ago in Abuja, has helped the matter. In view of this, WHO had in 2008, voted $1.2 billion to combat malaria in Nigeria and Congo. The Director of JHPIEGO pointed out that to treat malaria with ACTs, WHO recommends a four-point strategy to combat malaria, which include among others education. The director was of the belief that everyone should know how malaria is transmitted – by mosquitoes – and how it breeds in torpid water. He equally advised that sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net is helpful, because when a mosquito touches it, it dies. An expert advised that it has become imperative for the federal, state, and local governments to devise an allinclusive policy for the eradication of malaria in the country. The sources of mosquito should be eradicated, through awareness to the people. Local and herbal therapies that are well researched should be tried and improved upon as a substitute for imported malaria therapies. Another specialist also posited that about 80 percent of anti-malaria drugs in Nigeria are not effective, while imported insecticidetreated mosquito nets hardly achieve the desired results as they are sold in urban markets at exorbitant prices instead of being distributed free to rural communities as intended by the government. Odimegwu Onwumere, Poet/Author, Media Consultant, contributed this piece from Rivers State. Tel: +2348032552855. E-mail: apoet_25@yahoo.com
“On the other hand, some other analysts are of the view that the international community and the donor agencies are not happy with Nigeria, owing to the fact that all their efforts in helping the country in the fight against malaria, have hit the rocks. They argue that many of the foreign donations find their way into the personal pockets of government officials in Nigeria. Health experts contributed that the toll in malaria-related deaths has increased across the country following the shoddy deals with foreign donations by the authorities.”
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Today’s Diet With Pastor E. A. Adeboye
Be His Friend M e m o r i s e : Henceforth I call you not servants for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth. But I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my father I have made known unto you. John 15:15 Read: Genesis 18:17-18. Bible in one year: Psalm 40-47 Key Point: God wants to upgrade you to the level of friendship but it will take cooperation and willingness. THE God we serve is not only a God of choice and promise but also a friendly and loving God. Genesis 18:17 says, “And the lord said, shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” By this God meant that because of his friendship with Abraham, it has become difficult for him to hide certain future events from him. As high as God is, yet is he not ashamed to make the works of his hands his friends. Our Lord Jesus Christ also exhibited the same character. In John 15:15, Jesus declared: “Henceforth I call you not servants; for
the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my father I have made known unto you”. In other words, when you newly give your life to Christ, he may keep some secrets from you until he tries you out and sees you are ready and worthy of being trusted with divine secrets. In the kingdom, a child is seen as no different from a servant until he grows into maturity (Galatians 4:1-2). If you are wise and move on from being a child who may or may not obey him, to being his bond servant – who would always obey him, you will begin to earn his trust and confidence. Then, he will start to share some secrets with you, and would wait to see how you handle such p r i v i l e g e d information. When
he has tested your level of commitment, love and loyalty, and he is satisfied, he will upgrade the relationship by making you a friend. Abraham was a friend of God and Christ’s disciples were also elevated to him. At what level are you operating? Becoming his friend has nothing to do with the number of years spent in the kingdom. There are believers of 5,10 and 120 years. Or more who are still children and hence like servants. They have not been able to upgrades their relationship to friendship status; yet, there are converts of six months for one year, of whom the lord is almost finding difficult to do without. They are already operating as his friends, enjoying lots of divine secrets. Locate yourself where you are and move up.
“Becoming his friend has nothing to do with the number of years spent in the kingdom. There are believers of 5,10 and 120 years. Or more who are still children and hence like servants.”
N
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FG Calls For List Of Unfair Labour Practices In Oil Industry
UNIONS in the oil industry have been directed to submit the list of all unfair labour practices to a 13-man committee headed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The directive is part of a 12point communiqué issued at the end of a stakeholders meeting between government and union leaders in the oil and gas industry in Abuja on Wednesday,. “This is as had been mandated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for resolution within two weeks.’’ According to the communique, the Federal Government pledged to address the working conditions for oil and gas sector to forestall further strikes. The meeting, which was presided over by the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, assured that government had put in place a committee to tackle the issues raised by the unions. The communique stated that insecurity and pipeline vandalism/oil theft which had hampered the operations of oil and gas workers were being addressed at the highest level. “The unions will be briefed accordingly on the progress reached,’’ it said. On the state of roads in the country, it government was already dealing with the issue by applying resources from the SURE-P to fund projects. “Government will continue in its efforts to rehabilitate roads that are still posing challenges, including the poor access road to the Port Harcourt Refinery,’’ the communique said. It said further that the meeting agreed that the current rehabilitation of the railways should be fast-tracked. “This is to complement the CHANGE OF NAME
NWANMO - I formerly called Miss Nkemdirimu Nwanmo is now known and called Mrs. Charene Nkemdirimu Omomoh. All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note. RECONCILIATION OF NAME
I, Pius Aimieyekagbon wish to bring for the information of the general public that I am the same person called Pius Amin Man as appeared in some of my documents including my Bank Account. However, I am now called Pius Aimieyekagbon All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note.
road networks in the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.’’ It was also agreed that all other transition issues be referred to the committee headed by the NNPC Group Managing Director (GMD), Mr Andrew Yakubu. It will be recalled that NUPENG had on Monday embarked on a three-day warning strike to demand for better working conditions. The strike was suspended on Tuesday night, following the intervention of the NNPC. Before then, the strike had led to the emergence of long queues at filling stations in Abuja and other major cities.
The communiqué was endorsed by the leadership of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Others at the meeting included the Minister of Labour and Productivity, the leadership of NNPC and representatives of oil companies. The rest were officials of the National Association of Road Transport Workers (NARTO) as well as Permanent Secretaries in the ministries of Labour and Productivity and Petroleum Resources.
Tax Incentives Cause More HarmThan Good To Nigeria - NGO ACTIONAID Nigeria says the tax incentives offered to encourage Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in to the country is doing more harm than good to the economy. The Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Mr Hussaini Abdu, said this at the launch of the ActionAid’s Tax Justice Campaign on Thursday in Abuja. He said that the Federal Government offered vast tax incentives to domestic and foreign companies on both imports and exports, resulting in massive revenue losses for the country. Abdu said more than N71 billion yearly was lost on duty waivers, with its biggest beneficiaries being importers of rice, palm oil, energy equipment, textiles, steel and vegetable oil. RECONCILIATION OF NAME I, Etajeruo Ejodamen Ehriqueke Joy wish to bring for the information of the general public that I am the same person as Etajeruo Ejodamen Ehriqueke, Etajeruo Ehriqueke Joy and Etajeruo Ejodamen Joy as appeared in my various documents. It should be known therefore that I am properly known and addressed as Etajeruo Ejodamen Ehriqueke Joy. All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities, Post Primary Education Board (PPEB) and First Bank Plc should please take note.
According to him, a recent media report says that in 2011, government gave import duty waivers to 10 rice and palm oil importing companies alone amounting to N150 billion. He said that the money being lost should have gone into investments in public schools, hospitals, roads and other social infrastructure. CHANGE OF NAME
AKPOKABAYEN – I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oghenetega Snowhite Akpokabaye now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oghenetega Evuiroro. All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities and the general public should please take note. CHANGE OF NAME
GEORGE – I formerly known and addressed as Miss George Danimi Beauty now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Odiah Danimi Beauty. All former documents remain valid. Concerned authorities, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua. (ISTH) and the general public should please take note.
PUBLIC NOTICE INDIGENOUS CEMENT DEALERS ASSOCIATION KOKO WARRI NORTH
The general public is hereby notified that the above named Association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990, Part C. THE TRUSTEES ARE 1. Mr. Okome Olomu (Chairman) 2. Mr. Jemirieyigbe Nathaniel (Secretary) 3. Mr. Ejuaje Sisan (Co-ordinator) 4. Master Oyowe Edward (Member) 5. Mrs. Kingsley Victoria (Member) AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To foster unity, understanding, friendship and cooperation among her members. 2. To ensure discipline among her members. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. Signed IDADA OSAMUYIMEN (MISS) Solicitor
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nGov Oshiomhole, Outstanding
E counter
HONORABLE Daniel Akhilele is the Special Adviser to Governor Admas Oshimhole on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMES). A dynamic man with an enterprising spirit, Hon. Daniel Akhilele is a man who believes in giving his best in whatever assignment given to him. In this interview with weekend observer, he reveals that he has a perfect working relationship with the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Honourable Macdonald Obasuke who according to him has provided a conducive atmosphere for him to operate. He describes Governor Adams Oshiomhole as a selfless leader who has a clear understanding of the dynamics of democracy. A man full of confidence, Hon. Akhilele answered our questions in impeccable English language. Excerpts Sir, what are your duties as the special adviser to Governor Oshiomhole on small and medium scale Enterprises? I advise the executive Governor on the development of small and medium scale enterprises, I have a duty to develop a blue print for collaboration with Organized Private Sector (OPS) on how to improve the economic fortune of the state through the promotion and funding of small scale enterprises, I assist the state government through effective and transparent implementation of the National SME’s policy in the state, I am to produce a model for the State Government on re-training and financing of SME’s in Edo State, I am to collaborate with the Hon. Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in organizing skills Acquisition and other training
programmes for small and medium scale enterprises owners, managers and key operators, I have a duty to liase with donor agencies and other corporate organization in providing start up grant an other assistance to SMEs in Edo State, perform any other duty that will enhance the growth of SMEs in particular and Edo State’s Economy in general. Recently, your office organized a stakeholder’s forum on SMEs. What was the essence of the forum? The stakeholder’s forum on SMES was an attempt to look very seriously at the issues that bother on SMES developments such as financing, information, education, government policies, management or governance, insurance, among others. The forum was highly successful as we had presentations from Central Bank, Commercial
Democrat
Banks and other financial institutions and organizations. It was a serious brain storming session where the stake holders had the opportunity to articulate their views on available opportunities in their financial institutions which are available for SMES development. Papers were presented by some financial institutions through which members of the forum were enlightened on how SMES in foreign countries attained tremendous and remarkable growth. The papers that were presented were not only stimulating, they were also inspiring. Before you became special adviser to the Governor on Small and medium scale enterprises, what were you involved in? Before this appointment, I was in the private sector. I was providing consultancy services for companies and organizations in the area of human relations. I was a Director in an institute of planning, a private sector organization. We liase with state and federal Government agencies in terms of human capacity building. What are your opinions on Governors Adams O s h i o m h o l e
Administration? Governor Adams Oshiomhole is an enigma. He is a great leader and an outstanding democrat. Edo state under his administration has witnessed remarkable and impressive development. I love him because he is a man of unusual courage with abundant leadership qualities. He is re-building our infrastructures that had almost gone into extinction. He has re-built our schools to world class standard and our children now learn under a conducive atmosphere. Employment opportunities have been provided for our teaming youths, security of lives and properties is guaranteed to a large extent and as such, in dividuals and organizations now freely do business. What is more, Benin City has been beautified. I am of the opinion that Governor Oshiomhole is a gift to us as a people. How would you describe your relationship with Hon. M. Obasuke, the H o n o u r a b l e Commissioners for Commerce and Industry? I have a perfect working relationship with the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry. We work like brothers. The Honourable Commissioner
- Hon Akhilele
• Hon. Akhilele for Commerce and Industry is an excellent young man to work with. He does not play with his job and wants results at all times. He believes in team work. He is a very proactive person and a workaholic. I am enjoying a great deal of co-operation from the Honourable Commissioner and this explains why we have been achieving results in line with Governor Oshiomhole’s vision of rebuilding Edo State. I am also enjoying a lot of cooperation from the secretary
to the state government. What are some of the challenges facing your office? Like I earlier said, I am enjoying tremendous support and co-operation from the secretary to the state government and the Hon. Commissioner for Commerce and industry. The only challenge that I have is the beaurocratic system. However, I am doing my best to work within the ambits of the law irrespective of the inherent beaurocratic system.
Gov Oshiomhole Is A Wonderful, Enigmatic Leader - Lady Ogiefa
LADY Belinda Uwa Ogiefa is the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Adams Oshiomhole on women affairs. She is a woman who is very passionate about gender issues and believes strongly that women should not be discriminated against in all respect. She attended New Era College, Benin City, State School of Nursing, Benin City, State School of Midwifery, Benin City and school of Health Technology Benin City, where she obtained her HND in Public Health Nursing. A lady who started politics at a tender age, Lady Belinda Uwa Ogiefa is a woman who has a great deal of respect for Governor Adams Oshiomhole hence according to her, she has set up a group for the purposes of praying constantly for Governor Adams Oshiomhole. Artiticulate and organized, WEEKEND OBSERVED interacted with her recently. Excerpts: As the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Adams Oshiomhole on women Affairs, what are 9your duties? My duties entail empowerment of women in the entire Local Government Areas to enable them know their rights and right places in the society. My vision is to enlighten women especially in the rural areas to enable them know that politics is not only for men but that women also have a role to play in politics. I also have a duty to enlighten people on the need for them to put a complete
stop to violence in any form against women. I am of the opinion that the duties of women go beyond the kitchen. After kitchen work, the next thing is for women to actualize their vision by participating in nation building through politics or through any other worthwhile venture. What are the strategies through which you intend to achieve this mandate? We intend to achieve these by organizing workshops, seminars and symposiums geared towards sensitizing women on their right and
place in the society. We also deal with children issues. We are of the view that violence is being metted out to children whenever they are sent out to hawk. We are also enlightening women on the issue of reproductive health to enable people know that it is important to have the number of children they can
Lady Ogiefa
cater for. There is no reason why people should not send their children to school when school is free from primary to junior Secondary school. What is your relationship with the Hon commissioner for women Affairs? As Senior Special Assistant to Governor Oshiomhole on Women Affairs, I have a very
cordially and warm relationship with the Hon Commissioner for women Affairs. I have a mandate contribute my quota in the affairs of the Ministry in order to ensure that women issues receive attention. What is your opinion on the administration of Governor Adams Oshiomhole? Governor Oshiomhole is a special specie of a man. He is God’s gift to us as a people. In life God brings out some persons to perform certain special assignments. Governor Oshiomole is rone of such persons. He is a rare person, a man with great leadership qualities. He believes that if you are a member of his cabinet, your business is government is to work and serve the people. Within a very short period, he has developed the state and launched it into global limelight. I derive inspiration from him, he is a father and true leader to me. How long have you been in politics? I have always been a politician, right from my
Secondary School days. I have always been a mobilizer. I attended New Era College Benin City. The then principal, Mr. Air lyare was a politician and he taught us how to always fight for our rights at all times. He formed the Jallas Club then and I was a member and the purpose was to discipline erring students. He taught us government and government became my best subject. I have always canvassed for people of my choice whenever they are going for any position and they always win. I canvassed for vote for General Ogbemudia Rtd and Chief John Oyegun and they won. How would you describe your experience in politics? It has been very challenging but I have learnt a lot. There is nothing bad about politics because politics is about building the people and the Society. What is your message for women? Women should have Confidence in themselves and must know that marriage should not stop them from actualizing their Vision in life. I am married with children and I am in politics.
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Southampton Target Damiao SOUTHAMPTON boss Mauricio Pochettino has outlined his ambitious summer transfer plans which are headlined by highly rated Brazilian forward Leandro Damiao. Damiao was the subject of a hefty bid from Tottenham in the final days of the January transfer window, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy failed to strike a deal with Internacional to bring the 23year-old to the Premier League. Now Southampton have joined the race to sign the marksman, even as they continue with their protracted bid to sign Celtic’s Victor Wanyama. Pochettino’s agenda also contains a move for Valencia midfielder Ever Banega, with the Saints boss intent on signing more quality players after he sealed an £8.5m deal for Lyon’s Dejan Lovren last month. “We manage a lot of information about very good players,” stated Pochettino. “One of them is Damiao, also Banega and also Wanyama. “We are not interested in 15 or 20 players. We are interested in maybe two or three key players. At the same time, I also want to say our squad at the moment is really good and it is not like we are trapped in the sense that we need these players to be a better squad. “We are managing when these players are going to be signed and how we sign them. Our squad as it is really good already, but we just want to bring in two or three players that reinforce key areas in the squad to become an even better team.”
Anelka Joins West Brom
NICOLAS Anelka returned to English football when the 34year-old France striker signed for West Bromwich Albion on an initial one-year deal. “Albion have tonight completed the signing of @anelkaofficiel on a one-year deal, with a further year ’s option in the club’s favour,” said a statement on the Premier League club’s Twitter feed. West Brom manager Steve Clarke, who briefly worked with Anelka at Chelsea, said in a club statement: “We are missing a bit of firepower from last year - we’re trying to put that right - and to kick off with the signing of Nicolas at the start of the summer is a great boost for everyone at the club. “The sole focus at the club is trying to build on what we did last season. “The more quality players you can bring to the club the better — and no-one can
David Moyes
Moyes Makes Mark In First Week A Man Utd
LESS than a week into the job as Manchester United manager, David Moyes has already made his presence felt at the club’s newly rebranded Aon training complex in the Greater Manchester village of Carrington. while Meulensteen’s The task of succeeding the innovative training sessions legendary Alex Ferguson has were lauded by the players, been widely described as an goalkeeping coach Steele impossible one but Moyes, was credited with helping to who officially started work on improve the form of David de Monday, appears determined Gea, having even learnt to tackle it head-on. Spanish to assist He has made sweeping communication. changes to the back-room Moyes might have been staff, notably releasing expected to preserve a Ferguson’s trusted coaches coaching set-up that had Mike Phelan, Rene helped United regain the Meulensteen and Eric Steele, Premier League title from and replacing them with his Manchester City last season own men. — co-chairman Joel Glazer Assistant manager Phelan spoke of him “taking up from was a close Ferguson ally and
Paulinho In London For Spurs Medical CORINTHIANS midfielder Paulinho is set to undergo a medical at Tottenham ahead of his proposed move to White Hart Lane for a fee of around £17 million, according to BBC Sport. The 24-year-old arrived in London, with his medical scheduled for Friday morning. The Brazil international will also meet Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas and chairman Daniel Levy before finalising the terms of his contract, believed to be a four or five-year deal. The likes of Inter Milan and Real Madrid had also shown an interest in Paulinho, but he is expected to move to White Hart Lane, having confirmed as much on Monday. “The proposal came, we sat down, analysed it and decided. It was a big decision
to go to a big club. There comes a certain point when you need new challenges,” he said. The midfielder spent three years at Corinthian, scoring 34 goals in 167 games for the Brazilian side. He also played a part in the
Selecao’s triumphant Confederations Cup campaign, where he was named the third best player in the tournament behind Neymar and Andres Iniesta, while he has won 17 caps in total for his country.
where Alex is leaving off” — but instead, he tore it down. Steve Round, Chris Woods and Jimmy Lumsden followed the 50-year-old Scot from Everton and although all three earned Moyes’s trust during his time at Goodison Park, the huge level of expectation at United will be as unfamiliar to them as it is to him. However, while Moyes and his closest advisors have only limited experience of amassing silverware, he has drafted trophy-winning expertise into the dug-out in the shape of veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs, United’s most decorated player, and former Old Trafford stalwart Phil Neville. Both men will approach their new roles fuelled by a beginner ’s hunger to succeed, but perhaps more importantly, they will also give Moyes’s coaching team a validity that only on-pitch achievement can bring. “Ryan’s success and ability to adapt his game over a
number of years gives him an unrivalled perspective on the modern game. His career is an example to any aspiring young player,” said Moyes, who will address the media for the first time on Friday. The presence of Giggs and Neville on the training pitch will also protect a thread of continuity that Ferguson’s departure threatened to snap.
with the squad after his holiday in South America, following his participation in the recent Confederations Cup in Brazil. No decision has yet been made as to where the Uruguay international will be told to meet up with his teammates, but he could be wanted to participate in Liverpool’s first game of the tour against Melbourne on July 24, in the city’s famous cricket ground. The club are likely to demand him to return in time
for the last leg of the tour, if not before, when they take on a Thailand XI in Bangkok on July 28. The Daily Mirror claim that, as of yet, no offer has been received for the player from any side, while Madrid have yet to even contact Liverpool. The situation therefore is frustrating both the club and manager Brendan Rodgers, who want Suarez’s future resolved long before the start of the new Premier League season, which kicks off on August 17.
Nicholas Anelka–
...Ready To Face Media
DAVID Moyes will face the media in his first press conference since becoming Manchester United manager. Following his appointment as Sir Alex Ferguson’s replacement on May 9, Everton would not allow their departing boss to be asked about his move to Old Trafford at any of his remaining press conferences last season. Moyes has released statements via United since taking up the reins at Old Trafford, but Friday will see
Suarez Given Liverpool Deadline LIVERPOOL have given Luis Suarez until July 22 to sort out his future before he is ordered back to report for the club’s pre-season tour of the Far East and Australia, according to the Daily Mirror. Suarez, 26, has been linked with a summer exit away from Anfield after repeatedly speaking of his unhappiness of living in England, while also talking up a move to Real Madrid. The Reds, however, do not want to lose their most prolific player and want him to join up
question Nicolas’ quality. “He’s a player I have worked with before as I was at Chelsea when they signed him. “He’s got a great work ethic, looks after himself and is a consummate professional. “If you add that to the obvious talent he’s got I think he can prove to be a really top signing for the club. “His experience with some of the top clubs in England and Europe will stand the group in good stead. “Hopefully he will be able to inspire the other players to even greater heights than we managed to achieve last year.” The Baggies are Anelka’s sixth Premier League team after he turned out for Arsenal, Manchester City, Bolton and Chelsea and had a loan spell at Liverpool.
Luis Suarez
him address and take questions from the media for the first time in his new role with the Premier League champions. The Scotsman is set to field questions on the future of striker Wayne Rooney and the status of the club’s widely reported interest in Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara. Rooney and his new boss who gave him his debut as a 16-year-old at Everton in 2002 - are set to discuss his future before United fly out to the Far East for their pre-season tour next week. Reports this week suggested Rooney wants the club to publicly clarify that he has not handed in a transfer request - as claimed by Ferguson in May - while United insist the striker must ask to leave if he does seek a move away from Old Trafford after nine years. Meanwhile, speculation over the club’s interest in Thiago continues to grow.
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Commissioner Commends Edo Handball By KEHINDE Club OSAGIEDE
Military Rep Talks Tough On Winning Judo Open Tourney
FCT Handball Championship:
THE Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Mobilization Hon. Omorede Osifo has commended Edo handball club for coming out 3rd position in the FCT ministers handball challenge cup organised by Centre for Children and Youth Excellence in sports and FCT Handball Association in Abuja. Hon. Osifo made the commendation while playing host to representatives of Edo Handball club in her office on Thursday.
Warri Wolves Recall Yarhere WARRI Wolves have recalled striker Efe Yarhere from Rangers after the Enugu club failed to clear him. “I am in Warri now. Warri Wolves withdrew my clearance from Rangers because they have not paid for my transfer. I don’t know if they are going to resolve the issue and if I will return to Rangers or now play for Wolves,” Yarhere told MTNFootball.com The big, hard working striker has scored two goals for Rangers this season. Rangers assistant coach Monday Odigie has admitted they are facing a cash crunch which has made it very difficult for them to clear several of their new signings. “There is no money to clear players but we pray things improve very soon,” he said. “All the same, we are still hopeful we can win the league, we just have to take it a game at a time.”
The commissioner who was however impressed with the performance of the team, congratulated them and enjoined them to redouble their efforts in next competitive games so as to win Gold for the state. The commissioner who was physically present during the competition in Abuja to encourage the players thanked them for representing the state well in Abuja. Earlier speaking on behalf of Edo Handball Club, Coach John Uzor said that their visit was to officially present the trophy they won to the commissioner and to also inform her that coming out third in the competition automatically qualifies the club to play in a four nation championship in Togo which
Late Thompson Oliha
Edo Sports Commissioner Commiserates With Oliha Family By KEHINDE OSAGIEDE THE Edo State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Mobilization Hon. Omorede Osifo has assured the family of late Super Eagles Midfielder Thompson Oliha that the state government is ready to support and participate in the burial ceremony of the former Super Eagles Star. Hon. Osifo gave this assurance during a condolence visit to the family of the late footballer at his family house (Oliha Palace) along Siluko Road, Benin City. The commissioner expressed deep shock at the news of the death of the late footballer. Hon. Osifo who described the death of Thompson Oliha as a huge loss to his family, state and the nation at large, however said though he
departed this sinful world too early but lived an exemplary life, worthy of emulation, stressing that he was a great footballer Icon that will ever remain in the history of Edo State and the country. Hon. Osifo expressed her condolence and on behalf of Edo State to the entire family and pray God to grant them the fortitude to bear the big loss, as well as to grant eternal rest to the soul of the late football Icon.
CAF Confed Cup: We’re Not To Blame For 3SC have denied allegations they were behind Rangers ouster from the 2013 CAF Confederation Cup. In a release made available by 3SC to MTNFootball.com on the matter, the Ibadan club said
Alhaji Aminu Maigari
A judoka, Cpl. Maxwell Mathew, representing 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu at the ongoing National Judo Championship in Ibadan has pledged to win laurels for Nigeria in international competitions. Mathew, who on Thursday knocked-out Chigozie Oko of Anambra, in the Super Heavyweight category of the competition, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Friday in Ibadan. The judoka, a gold medallist at the last Nigerian Military Games in Kaduna, said that he was ready to make Nigeria proud at the international tournaments in Republic of Benin and Brazil this year. “I want to prove here that the gold medal I won at the
Rangers Ouster - 3SC they deemed it necessary to absolve themselves from the mess that resulted in the transfer saga, which eventually led to the expulsion of Rangers from the CAF Confederation Cup for fielding an ineligible player, Emmanuel Daniel. Shooting Stars maintained there was no time they reported Rangers to CAF directly or indirectly over the said player’s transfer case and they only got to know about Daniel’s case with CAF when NFF forwarded a letter written by CAF to their (3SC) e-mail box. The said letter was a response to the document on the player (Emmanuel Daniel) earlier sent by the NFF to CAF. “In the said letter forwarded to 3SC, NFF requested us (3SC) to furnish them with all
documents relating to the contract of Emmanuel Daniel, which the team promptly responded to within few hours of receipt of the letter,” read the statement in part. 3SC also revealed that to avert this kind of situation, they wrote letters on three different occasions on the matter but no response from the LMC and NFF. “It is worthy of note to inform Nigerians that 3SC forwarded three letters between May 20 and June 11, 2013 to NFF and LMC on this issue, but no response was received on it,” 3SC said. 3SC also contested a statement credited to an NFF official that 3SC never protested the use of Daniel as they actually played under protest against Rangers in Enugu.
The commissioner who later signed the condolence register was accompanied by Secretary of Football Association, Edo State. Mr. Victor Edokpayi and other officials.
Speaking on behalf of the Oliha family, Chief Odion Oliha, the Oliha of Benin, thanked the state government and Football Association for their concern and promised to keep them abreast of the burial arrangement.
Military Games in Kaduna was not a fluke. I also want to assure that I’d prepared enough to win the gold in this competition. “My performance here will determine my selection for the two international championships in Republic of Benin and Brazil. “ So, I am confident of winning the super heavyweight category, the 100kg plus of this tournament,” he said. Reports say that two paramilitary organisations are also featuring in the competition. They are the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Meanwhile, the President of the Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF), Timothy Nzirim, has urged participants at the competition to give their best and to exhibit spirit of fair-play during the tournament. “You should all allow the spirit of fairness to govern your conduct throughout the competition,” Nzirim said. The Chairman of the Media Committee of the NJF, Suleiman Ahmed, described the turnout of judokas at the competition as encouragin.
Ondo Boxing Assoc Commends Athlete THE Ondo State Boxing Association (OSBA) has commended one of its athletes, Helen Joseph, the current International Boxing Federation (IBF) female feather weight champion, for her achievements in different combat sports. The association’s coach, Abiodun Obanla, told reporters in Akure yesterday that Joseph had succeeded in virtually all the combat sports she had represented the state in. Obanla added that she had won gold medals in the past in numerous combat sports for different sporting
associations in the state He listed some of the combat sports as Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Karate and Boxing. Obanla said the association was proud of her recent achievements in boxing by winning the IBF’s female feather weight title in Ghana. It would be recalled that Joseph had in May defeated her Hungarian opponent, Marianna Gulyas in the first round to claim the title. “She is a good girl when it comes to her behavior and very good in combat sports; she had won gold for the state in different tourneys and
festivals. “The association is proud of her achievements and I will always advise her to train harder; I know that she will go places in boxing,” he said. Obanla also commended the Chief of Staff in the Ondo Government House, Mr Kola Ademujimi, for promising to support the girl in her bid for glory. “The Chief of Staff has promised to present her to the governor when he comes back from his journey. “If this is done, it will be a morale booster for her title defence which will hold within the next nine months,” Obanla said.
Female Finalists Emerge At Milo Basketball this year and Championship trophy eventually for keeps, next
GIRLS defending champions, St Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata, Bayelsa and Government Secondary School, Gboko, Benue, have qualified for the final of the 15th Nestle Milo Secondary School Basketball championships in Lagos. Reports say that the two finalists qualified after winning their semi-final matches in the six-team competition. St Jude’s in the first semifinal defeated Yejide Girls Grammar School, Ibadan, Oyo State 16-14 in a match that recorded the lowest
scoring points in the competition. Government Secondary School, Gboko, in the second semi-final qualified by beaten Government Day Girls Grammar School, Samaru, Zamfara 37-16. Coach Nelson Torunarigha of St Jude’s reporters after qualifying that his school was looking towards a successful defence of the title they won in 2012. “I am happy we reached the final yet again. We are already looking towards retaining our
year. “Our achievement so far has been wonderful and a great moment for the school and the players. “We are happy about this achievement; we deserved to be in the finals because we worked very hard for this and had started our preparation immediately after winning the 2012 girl’s final. “We have confidence in ourselves that we can do it one more time, and we are determined to battle hard for it,’’ Torunarigha said.
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Cameroon Football Federation Criticises FIFA Ban CAMEROON’S football federation (FECAFOOT) has criticised the sport’s world governing body FIFA, after it was provisionally suspended from all competitions over governance issues. FECAFOOT spokesman Junior Binyam told AFP the suspension was “deplorable” and would damage the prospects of young footballers, including the best who wanted to play abroad. “If a young Cameroon
footballer is courted by a club such as Arsenal, he will not be able to go because the Cameroon federation will not be in a position to give him an international transfer certificate,” he added. Cameroon were due to play Gabon on Saturday in the qualifying round for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) but the match will not now go ahead because of the ban.
France, Uzbek To KickOff U-20 Quarters Today FRANCE and Uzbekistan will kick-off the quarterfinal stage of the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup when they meet in Rize, Turkey, this evening. Kick-off at the Yeni Sehir Stadium is at 17h00 CAT. Les Bleuets have advanced impressively through the tournament, finishing second in Group A behind Spain (the only team to record a 100 percent record in the first round) before crushing host nation Turkey 4-1 in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Geoffrey Kondogbia and Arsenal-bound Yaya Sanogo have been the stars for the Europeans so far, racking up five goals between them en route to this stage of the competition. As for Uzbekistan, they are
one of the dark horses in the U-20 World Cup. They may have sneaked though to the round of 16 as one of the best four third-placed teams from the group phase, but their 31 defeat of Greece in the round of 16 suggests they should not be underestimated. The attacking trio of Abbosbek Makhstaliev, Sardor Rakhmonov and Igor Sergeev have scored two goals apiece and will pose a potent threat to France’s defence. Les Bleulets will start as favourites, but the Asian side’s appetite for a fight should make this an open and entertaining encounter. The winner will face either Ghana or Chile in the semifinals.
“If this suspension is not lifted by September, Cameroon will not be able to play in the World Cup qualifiers,” added Binyam. “We can only hope that the normalisation committee will start work without hindrance so the suspension can be lifted.” FIFA on Thursday said it had provisionally suspended FECAFOOT from international competition because of “government interference” in its running. The decision came a week after the re-election of the outgoing president of the federation, Iya Mohammed, was declared void following his imprisonment for alleged misappropriation of funds. FIFA said Cameroon, who are competing for a place in the World Cup finals in 2014, will not be able to play in any competition for the duration of the suspension. The ban will be lifted only when the Cameroon authorities allow a special committee to run FECAFOOT and be able to run its affairs without hindrance. The committee, whose members will be appointed by FIFA and the African Football Confederation (CAF), will notably work to revise FECAFOOT’s statutes and organise new elections between now and March 31 next year.
Bartoli Dismisses Flipkens To Reach Wimbledon MARION Bartoli barely had conclusion. Final time to go through her full Value for money it was not, repertoire of mannerisms as she thrashed Kirsten Flipkens 6-1 6-2 to reach her second Wimbledon final. The 15th seed from France sealed victory in 63 minutes, overwhelming Flipkens with some brutal hitting and will now open her box of tricks against Germany’s Sabine Lisicki on Saturday as both seek a first Major title. Bartoli, one of the most unorthodox players in the women’s game, crunched double-fisted forehands and backhands for winners and fired down one second serve ace at nearly 100mph. “I just cannot believe it, I played so well,” Bartoli, beaten by Venus Williams in the 2007 final, said. “I saw the ball like a football.
Marion Bartoli
I hit it cleanly from the start. To play so well in the semi-final at Wimbledon is an amazing feeling.” Flipkens knocked out former champion Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals but looked pensive throughout against Bartoli and needed treatment on her heavily-strapped right knee in the middle of the second set. “I think she was a bit injured and she deserves a lot of credit. It must be hard to be injured in the semi-final at Wimbledon,” Bartoli, who has reached the final without dropping a set, said. The Centre Court tried desperately to lift Flipkens, although even their enthusiasm for the underdog waned as the match reached an inevitable
although the match did at least last longer than the 19 minutes it American Alice Marble to beat German Hilde Sperling 6-0 6-0 in 1939. Bartoli was her usual bundle of energy from the first point. Twice she wrapped up games with aces and sprinted to her chair and when waiting to return she played practice swings with her back turned, as if standing in front of an imaginary mirror. In between points, she was perpetual motion, jogging on the spot and bouncing around like a prize fighter. At times she stood well inside the baseline to face Flipkens’ serve. The 28-year-old denied, however, that her routines are designed to intimidate. “When I’m on the court, I’m in my zone, in my bubble. I’m doing what I feel I need to do to be ready the best that I can,” she said. “There is nothing into my attitude to make my opponent scared or annoying her or disturbing her or whatever.” “C’mon Flipper” was the cry from the members of the crowd as the first set sped away from 27-year-old Flipkens who became the fourth Belgian woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final after close friend Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Yanina Wickmayer.
Sepp Blatter
FIFA Wants Argentina, Uruguay To Host 2030 World Cup FIFA wants the centenary World Cup in 2030 to be jointly staged by Uruguay and Argentina, who met in the final of the inaugural tournament, Argentine FA (AFA) President Julio Grondona said. In 1930, Uruguay, the then double Olympic champions, beat Argentina 4-2 in the showpiece match at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo in front of a crowd of more than 80,000. “FIFA wishes to celebrate the World Cup’s 100 years in Argentina and Uruguay, I can confirm that,” said Grondona, the Senior Vice-President of world soccer’s governing body. “An agreement has been signed by the two associations (AFA and Uruguay’s AUF). What will we do? We’ll see but surely something of quality,” Grondona told Argentina’s Radio 10. The only co-hosted World Cup finals so far were organised by Japan and South Korea in 2002. Any future joint bid must have one organising committee, unlike the 2002 Asian World Cup which had separate Japanese and Korean committees. The 2014 finals are being held in Brazil. Russia won the vote for the 2018 tournament and Qatar, a tiny nation with no soccer pedigree and extremely high temperatures in mid-year, was controversially chosen to stage the 2022 tournament. A joint Argentine-Uruguayan bid for 2030 is backed by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). Uruguay’s Tourism and Sports Ministry formally approached FIFA’s President Sepp Blatter at the start of the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa to propose the joint bid. Blatter has since said on several occasions, especially
during visits to Latin America, that he liked the idea of the centenary tournament being held by Uruguay and Argentina. However, the voting system has changed since controversy surrounded the decision to award the finals to Russia and Qatar. The 24-man executive committee had voted on bids until last year but now the 209-member FIFA Congress will decide which countries
host future World Cup tournaments. When Uruguay held the inaugural tournament in 1930, only 13 teams took part but the small South American country does not have the stadiums or infrastructure to stage a modern, 32-team finals. With the involvement of big neighbours Argentina, who staged and won the 1978 finals, such an enterprise is more feasible.
Uganda-Iraq Intl Friendly Cancelled THE Uganda Cranes will have no chance to play Iraq in an international friendly on July 9 after the world football body, FIFA banned Iraq from having matches at home because of insecurity. Uganda had hoped to use this friendly match to prepare their second string side for the 2014 African Nations Championships (CHAN) qualifier against Tanzania.Mujib Kasule, the Vice President of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) and a member of the technical committee confirmed to MTNFootball.com this
morning that they have no choice but to call off the friendly. “We tried to have the game moved to another country, but we realized we did not have enough time,” said Kasule. He said they are now trying to see if they could face Rwanda. “This CHAN team needs a buildup game to prepare them better,” reasoned Kasule who added that they will have no option but to simply prepare the team if the friendly games fail. On Wednesday after the Uganda and Iraq Football Associations had concluded plans for the friendly, Fifa announced they had banned all friendly matches in Iraq.
... As Brit Hope Edmund Suffers Semi Heartbreak BRITISH teen Kyle Edmund has narrowly missed out on the Wimbledon boy’s singles final after a 6-4 6-4 defeat to Gianluigi Quinzi in the last four. Edmund, 18, embarked on an impressive run of form to reach the semi-finals but could not keep that level going against the Italian. The only two breaks in the contest were crucial ones, and both went the way of
Quinzi in game seven of each set. Unable to capitalise on the inconsistent first serve of his opponent, Edmund failed to find any breaks of his own and went down in straight sets. Quinzi will meet either Hyeon Chung of South Korea or Maximilian Marterer of Germany in the boy’s final – though Edmund remains in the boy’s doubles draw.
CMYK
Weekend Sport THE WEEKEND
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SATURDAY, JULY 6, 2013
NHF President Bemoans Absence Of Foreign Coach
World Cup Qualifier: Flames
Can Fry Eagles, Saintfiet Boasts INTERIM Malawi coach Tom Saintfiet believes The Flames can eject the Super Eagles from the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The Football Association of Malawi has hired the Belgium on a two month deal specifically for the Super Eagles mission in September. Saintfiet was also briefly Nigeria Football Association technical director in March, 2012 before his contract was terminated three months later. “I know Nigeria and I
know Malawi, I am convinced that Malawi has the quality to win and qualify for the playoffs,” Saintfeit told MTNFootball.com. “I have only one goal and ambition, qualifying Malawi for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil.” The Super Eagles host Malawi in a Group F qualifier on September 7 and are nine and seven points respectively heading into their final pool decider. Both sides are also unbeaten in Group F and drew 1-1 in their first leg meeting in Blantyre on June 9, 2012.
THE President of the Nigeria Hockey Federation (NHF), Mr. Patrick Ukah, has bemoaned the absence of a foreign coach that could have repositioned the sport in the country. He disclosed this during an interview with newsmen in Abuja. According to Ukah, since the death of Essien Nkune, the NHF has not been able to get a suitable replacement to tinker the team. “We desperately need either a coach or a technical adviser from Europe, to be precise. “This is because our background is Asian, but the game of hockey has gone far in Europe now,” he said. Ukah further revealed that his plan was to make
Ameobi Cancel Clause, Available For Eagles NEWCASTLE striker Shola Ameobi has cancelled a clause that stopped him from featuring for Nigeria at the 2013 AFCON in South Africa. There have been several reports that Ameobi may no longer play for the national team following the insertion of the controversial clause in his contract at Newcastle United that led to his exclusion from Nigeria AFCON squad. But officials have now disclosed that the striker has cancelled this clause, which means he is now fully committed to the Super Eagles. “He said the clause has been removed and he will be ready to play for the Super Eagles anytime he is called upon,”the Super Eagles official Dayo Enebi Achor said. Enebi also quoted the vastly experienced striker as saying “I will love to play for Nigeria under Stephen Keshi because he is a good coach, above all I am very proud to be a Nigerian and will always grab the opportunity to don the green white colours of my fatherland.” An excited Keshi has already said he will talk to the player to reassess his u-turn in the national team and will invite him anytime he was needed in the national team. “He is no doubt a good player and the national team can make do with his experience
anytime we call upon him,” Keshi said.
Coach Stephen Keshi
sure that there was at least one activity every month in the hockey federation. He added that because of his love for the sport, he had gone out of his way on several occasions to ensure that the country participated regularly at international tournaments. “We have kept organising and participating in several hockey tournaments. “I borrowed money to sponsor Nigeria to two i n t e r n a t i o n a l tournaments and have been supporting the game in every way. “I am a member of the Union Bank Hockey Club and also played for Delta Flickers. “As an individual, I have been sponsoring hockey tournaments in Delta State for four years now, with my personal money,” he added.
Keshi Upbeat Ahead Cote d’Ivoire Clash ... As NPFL Shifts
SUPER Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has declared that his team are prepared for today’s 2014 CHAN qualifier against Cote d’Ivoire. Nigeria take on the working very hard in the Elephants in the first leg last four days. And I am of a 2014 Championship happy that the boys are of African Nations beginning to understand (CHAN) qualifier, which how we want them to would see the winners play on Saturday. We after two legs advance are battle ready, all we to the tournament ask is for Nigerians to proper in South Africa continue to pray for us,” next year. Keshi stated. “We have been The Eagles on
Baresi Gloudoueu.
Thursday had their first training session at the ABS ahead of the game on Saturday. Meanwhile, Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire hit Kaduna on Thursday afternoon for the match. The 26-man Ivorian delegation led by Koffi
NFF Receives Coach Obuh Resignation Notice THE NFF have confirmed John Obuh has tendered his resignation letter as coach of Nigeria U20 team after they exited Turkey 2013. NFF general secretary, Musa Amadu, confirmed the receipt of the letter which was delivered by agents of the coach. “I can confirm to you that we have received coach Obuh’s resignation letter,” he said “However we will have to study it and know the next decision to take whether or not to accept his resignation.
“In any case, Obuh is a great coach and has a very bright future ahead of him. He has handled the U17 and taken them to the World Cup and has twice led the U20 to the World Cup, so I think he has given so much.” Coach Obuh, 53, upon arrival in Abuja on Wednesday afternoon from Turkey announced that he was “stepping aside” as coach of the U20 team. Nigeria’s Flying Eagles were knocked out of the 2013 World Cup after they lost 2-1 to Uruguay in a Round of 16 match played in Istanbul on Tuesday night.
Coach John Obuh
Roger Yao includes seven other officials and 18 players picked by Coach Norbert Saraka. The Elephants prepared for this game in Ghana. The 18-man squad includes Sylvain Gbohouo, Badra Ali Sangare, Tiecoura Coulibaly, Akesse Mathias Kassi and Ange
Week 21 Matches For THE League Eagles Management Company (LMC in Abuja announced it had shifted for 24 hours all week 21 matches in the 2012/2013 Nigeria Professional Football
League (NPFL). Kasali Obanoyen, Head of Media Unit of LMC, said the decision was due to an international match involving the Super Eagles on Saturday in Kaduna. Reports say that the NPFL week 21 matches were earlier scheduled for Saturday, July 6 at 10 venues across the country. However, the Super Eagles are also billed to host the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna. The match is the first leg tie in the final round of the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifying competition. “All the matches in the NPFL have now been moved to Sunday, July 7,’’ Obanoyen said in a statement. In some of the matches, Kano Pillars FC will host Wikki Tourists of Bauchi while Kwara United of Ilorin will be visiting Sunshine Stars in Akure.
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